Knights of the Olde Speech - User contributions [en]

To Call The Calvary

2025-01-04T21:46:27Z

Stirling Silverstine: /* Chapter 13: In which the cruiser is explored. */ WHAM! Added another Chapter. The next chapter, 14, is only just begun. I have a plotline outline, which is more than I usually have. Again, no promises, but chapters fly when one's having fun. Dang, it's good to be visiting these chuckleheads again.

== To Call The Calvary ==

=== Chapter I: In which our two heroes meet. ===
<blockquote>~~''In the later months of the 7th Year of Thedude. The weather is cold, but snowfall is light where our story takes place. In the land of Morcia, beginning in the camp of the Merry Band. We go now, to find the Merry Band beside a large lake, located in the forest, where they are packing up.~~''</blockquote>"Silverstine?"

Stirling turned away from his task of knocking down his 3rd tent to face a man on a black horse.

"Please, call me Strider," he replied, squinting up at him. The sun was right behind the stranger, and it hid his facial features, but Strider noted the mismatched and clearly used armor and gear that horse and rider wore.

"I am Sir Thaddeus Nathanael Thingguy the Second. I was told by the Gateway to meet you here," the man said, dismounting.Â

Strider's interest was piqued. Finally, he would meet one of the KOTOS. Everywhere he'd gone he'd heard such larger than life stories about these knights. He would be glad to assess them himself, and perhaps knock them down a peg.Â

The man patted his horse, and turned around to Strider. His most prominent feature was his bright, short, ginger beard that had clearly not seen a barber in months. Once Strider pulled his attention away from that, he noticed Sir Thingguy's glinty green eyes, and the light smirk that hid a bright mind.

"I am told you wished to join the KOTOS?" he asked. The horse nickered.

Strider shook his head. "Not exactly. Did you get my letter?"

Thingguy shook his head and frowned. "No. I only received word from the Gateway to meet you with the Merry Band, in this wood that they frequent. I came as fast as I could, but I do not know how long it took for the Gateway's letter to reach me. I hope you have not been waiting for me o'er long!"

Strider smiled. "Not to worry, I have been redeeming the time." He turned back to the collapsed tent and began gathering it up into a single manageable bundle. "I do appreciate you coming."

"If you did not want to join KOTOS, perhaps you can explain to me your intent." Thingguy asked guardedly.

"Certainly, but do you mind if we walk and talk?" Strider asked, having tied the bundle.Â

"Not at all."

Strider hefted the bundle onto his right shoulder. "Wonderful."

The two started on down the lane, passing others who were packing their various items and abodes.

"I was seeking out the KOTOS, true," began Strider, "But not to join. I was hoping you could help me find my family. You see-"

Thingguy raised an eyebrow. The black horse stopped dead in it's tracks and whinnied.Â

"Oh, come on, Deadbeat, it wasn't that far a ride! Besides, you'll get oats, remember?" the knight said, turning to the horse.

'Deadbeat' snorted.Â Â

"That, I'm not so sure." Replied the knight.

Stirling stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Are you talking to your horse?"

Both Deadbeat and Thingguy turned on Strider with a near-identical look of look of incredulity.Â "Don't you?" Thingguy asked.

"Um. No. I don't really keep any one horse for very long. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I and horses have bad luck."

Both horse and man blinked. Then Thingguy shrugged.Â "To each their own." Deadbeat snorted again, and swished his tail contemptuously as he began walking off.

"I hope you get put to work!" yelled Thingguy after him. Deadbeat whinnied back, and Thingguy waved him off.

"You're not worried he'll wander off?" Strider asked.

"Naw, he'll be fine. Maybe a little fatter, if he finds those sugar cubes he was asking about."

"I doubt it; The Merry Band's just about done packing, by the looks of it. We should be moving off in about two to three hours max.

Thingguy looked around. They were nearly the only people on the path now.

"Wow. I've met the Merry Band before but I'd never seen them move."

"They've gotten a lot of practice over the years, what with thedude's forces trying to get rid of such a large force so close to Orlan." agreed Strider solemnly. "Even though it's largely women and children."

Thingguy nodded. "Speaking of family, you were telling me you were trying to find your own?"

"Oh. Yes." Strider refocused. "The Silverstine Family." He turned to Thingguy. "I asked you to call me 'Strider', but my name is Stirling Silverstine."

"Pleased to meet you, Stirling!" Thingguy replied warmly, sticking his right hand out to shake. Stirling was holding the tent bundle in that hand, but he shifted it over to his left shoulder, and shook Thingguy's hand.

"And it is a pleasure to meet you, Thingguy."

"Now, tell me more of your family. Why are you so desperate to find them that you would call on the Gateway?" Thingguy asked as they began walking again.Â

"Actually, that was the idea of the Merry Band here. They said that then the Gateway could contact the KOTOS. I've been offworld for many years, but Militiregnum is my homeworld." Stirling unstringed his brown coat to reveal his Samurai chestplate beneath. "I'd been fighting in the Nexus Force for many years before I came here 7 years ago. I was on shore leave with a pilot-friend who helped me get through the blockade, but we crash-landed.

Thingguy's eyes lit up. "Was there anyone else on your shuttle?"

"No, just me and Perry. He's a Venture Leaguer, if that means anything to you."

"It does!" Thingguy assured. "The KOTOS are originally from Nimbus Station!"

It was Stirling's turn to be surprised. "Really? They don't tell that in the legends."

Thingguy chuckled. "There's a lot the legends don't tell. I should know, I've instigated a few!" His eyes twinkled slyly.

Stirling raised an eyebrow. "Ah. I see."

"But I'm interrupting. You are supposed to be telling me ''your'' legend."

"Right. Well, Perry and I crash-landed, and we found out pretty quickly the state of things here on Milteregnum. I set off in search of my family, Perry joining me, and found out later we were being trailed by thedude's forces curious about the crash. We ended up taking shelter at Calibus Tower for awhile where I found one of my two brothers,-"

Here, Thingguy reacted with alarm at the mention of Calibus Tower, but did not interrupt as Stirling continued his summary.

"-but I soon left for my family's estate in the Athelas Mounts. I found it ransacked, empty of the living."Â Stirling paused as the memories of his wrecked childhood home sprang back. It had clearly been the scene of more than one battle before he had gotten there. He hadn't recognized anyone, but that was to be expected as he would have had difficulty remembering anyone from his childhood even if they were not marred and desecrated as they were.

Silverstine Keep was little more than a tomb now. A ruined tomb.

"What did you do then?" Thingguy asked, pulling Strider back to the present.

Stirling made a conscious effort to look Thingguy in the eye.Â "I went back to Calibus. Found that the enemy had raided it."

Thingguy stared right back, with a sudden solemnity. "The Raid of Calibus, they call it."

"They killed my brother, and took away my best friend." Stirling growled. "And the leader of the assault was-"

"Lord Brocktree."

"-Menaya Kull. Wait, what?"

"Pardon?"

"Brocktree?"

"Maniacal?"

Stirling stopped to enunciate. "No, ''Me-nay-a''. Kull."Â

Thingguy shook his head. "No, it was Brocktree. Lord Brocktree." He clarified.

"Brocktree? Who's that?" Stirling scoffed.

Thingguy waited a moment, and the realization dawned inevitably on the Sentinel Nexus Forcer.

"Wait... THE Brocktree?" Stirling asked. Thingguy nodded. "The Sir Brocktree that disappeared from known space like..." Stirling did some quick math on his fingers. " Almost TEN YEARS AGO?!"Â

"YES!"

"Second in command to the Faction Leaders?!"

"YES!"

"HOLY-" Stirling bit back whatever he was about to say next, instead opting for, "Lord Brocktree is ''here''?" Awe, mixed with a little confusion and (healthy) fear was plain on the Sentinel.

Thingguy nodded. "Lord Brocktree is on Militiregnum, but, Stirling... he's on ''thedude's'' side." Thingguy whispered. He wasn't sure how this ex-Nexus Forcer would take it.Â Stirling appeared to be very surprised, and Thingguy was ready for his next question.

"How?"

"We're not sure. There's all sorts of theories about why he's working for thedude, but alas, nothing concrete." They began walking again.

"Seriously?"

"Well, it's not like anyone's been able to just walk up to him and ask." Thingguy remarked glibly.

"Why not?"

Thingguy glanced at Stirling to make sure the man's serious tone was, well, serious.Â Â

Yup, the guy was in earnest.Â

"Heh, Stirling," Thingguy wavered. "This guy is a cold-blooded killer. What you saw at Calibus, that was ''his'' handiwork, at least, from what I've learned."

Stirling frowned as he contemplated this new information. "That is grave."

The two men had now reached the center of the packing effort. The sound was surprisingly lower than expected as the Merry Band finished tying everything down to move out. The occasional bray of a Mule attached to a wagon, the chortling engine of a truck. The muted murmuring of children too young to help pack, and so already packed away themselves in a hot air balloon basket.

"I hope you were not looking forward to a rest," Stirling said to Thingguy, who shrugged.

"It's probably for the best, I should be off as soon as I can. But first, you must finish your tale!" Thingguy replied, ending with a note of mock exasperation.

Stirling waved it off. "Yes, yes." He looked out over the crowd and then, having espised what he was looking for, began powerwalking. "Well, after I left Calibus again, there's not much to tell concerning my family."

Stirling's voice turned quiet and dangerous. "All of these years, and I haven't found heads nor tails of any of the others." He spared a quick glance back at Thingguy as they pressed through a group of cows, and Thingguy saw that Stirling's face burned with emotion. "And it's not for lack of trying! I've been ''all over'' Morcia, but all I hear are rumors. Rumors of you and the KOTOS, rumors of wars, and uprisings. Rumors of hope, Evidence of despair, but nothing of my family. All hints end up pointless, and it's as if they've been spirited away!" Stirling finished this with a frustrated toss of his hand that ended up in the back of someone's head tying down a knot on a wagon.

"Ow!"

This made Stirling's mood disappear as he looked to whom he'd struck.Â "Oh, sorry, sir."Â

The Band member turned around as he rubbed his head and straightened his large round spectacles. "Oh, it's alright, it only smarts. Strider, right?"

"Yes. And you are?"

"Oswald"

"Nice to meet you Oswald."

"Good to meet you! Hey, can you pull this? I'm good with knots but not the strength."

Stirling pulled on the cord, and Oswald whipped the knot together almost instantly. "Thanks!"

"Anytime," Stirling replied, walking off.

Thingguy remained quiet for a time, following Stirling. It occurred to him that they were nearing the front of a quickly forming caravan. Some were already beginning to set off. He wondered if he should try to find Deadbeat.Â

Suddenly, Thingguy caught up to Stirling talking to a bushy-eyed mustachioed man wearing something that looked like cowboy attire from the waist up, and a Marathon runner from the waist down.

"h'I wish you tha' very best ah luck, Strider!" the man said, clapping Stirling's shoulder strongly.

"Thanks for everything, Carlos. Till we meet again!" Stirling replied, shouldering a pack with many hooks on it. Then he turned to Thingguy. "Come on, you should find your horse, and I'll get one myself to match your speed."

Thingguy rolled his eyes and began to follow Stirling again, but this time asked him a question in hopes of slowing him down.

"All this time, you haven't told me what your Clan was known for! I don't think I've ever heard of the Silverstines before today."

It worked, Stirling did slow down his walk as he looked up to the sky in thought. "You haven't? Well, no, I suppose you wouldn't have. Perhaps before thedude you might have. The Silverstines were one of the foremost miners of the Athelas Mountains. I told you about our keep in the Mountains; that was where the network started from. My brother, Austin told me that they were almost going to be recognized by the Kingdom as the official source for the Capitol. He told me that the most purest ore was deep in the Scary Mountains Range. We're Miners and Metalworkers. Beyond that, I and my brothers enjoy..." Stirling paused a moment, briefly lost in some distant memory. "We ''enjoyed'' learning swordplay, Archery, and all of the various means of battle. My brothers were of course always my betters, but I think that was due to age." Stirling smiled.

"Sounds like you guys were close," Thingguy commented.

"Yes. Yes we were."

"But now you need help finding them." Thingguy finished. "It's a big world, man, and I would love to help, but I've been searching for many more people than- Uh, how many did you say?"

"4. Would have been 5, but not anymore."

"Right. 4 people in this whole planet, but I've been looking for ANY allies of the KOTOS, and up until recently, it's been slim pickings. But now, for alot of reasons, as you probably know, people are getting riled up!" Thingguy paused. "I can't just hold all of that up to help you."

Stirling stopped. They had reached a large herd of animals.

"I understand," he replied, putting his hands on his hips as he looked out over the herd. "And I wouldn't want you to drop everything that you've been working on, just for one man. But if you could point me in ''some'' direction, maybe even let me travel with you awhile..." He shrugged. "Maybe if I travel with the rumor monger, I'll stop getting just rumors?" he finished with a weak smile that betrayed the tired helplessness he was fighting internally.

Thingguy looked out over the herd. He wondered what made this herd different from any of the other collections of animals, but then he noticed various rugged quadracycles riding in and around with different animal feeds stowed on them. The animals here were being fed, and would be fed as they moved.

"I'm certainly wouldn't mind the company," Thingguy said. "Deadbeat isn't much for conversation when he's hangry. Which is like, most of the time."Â

Sure enough, Deadbeat was here, munching on carrots hanging from a bunch of fishing poles on the back of a parked bicycle.

Thingguy turned his attention back to Stirling. "If we were to find your family, could I count on you as an ally against thedude?"

Stirling's eyes burned brightly. "Yes. Absolutely."Â

Thingguy grinned wide. He stuck his leather-gloved hand out to shake on it, and Stirling clasped it in his chain-mail one and shook it vigorously, the grin spreading to his own face.Â

"And how about these people? The Merry Band? You seem to know them pretty well," Thingguy asked. "Would they join us?"

Stirling's smile contorted curiously. "Not now. These people are not warriors. At best, they're scouts. If you were to take all of the able-bodied men, willing and unwilling, you may get a single worthy company. Maybe two, but they would be greener than northern Britay's hills in springtime."

Thingguy shook his head, and chuckled. "I wouldn't mean as warriors. You already told me they're mostly women and children. I meant as suppliers. An army is nothing without a supply chain, and these people seem to be just the kind of hoarders a resistance could use!"

Stirling raised an eyebrow. "I... I hadn't thought of that."

"That fellow you bumped into earlier, Oswald? I thought I saw electronics poking out of his wagon, was I right?"

"Yes, that's right. He likes to see how they work, even if they're practically useless with the tech-curse. Still, when his stuff does work, it helps so immensely that he's allowed his hobby, and the one wagon to keep it all in."

"And all of these animals! Mounts! All of this good food! Provisions! I'm sure you guys have an armory somewhere too!"Â

Stirling nodded in affirmation as he rubbed his rough chin. He glanced around, seeming to see things in a whole new light. He had never really focused on army logistics while in the Nexus Force, but as he considered the vast inventory wandering past him in the slowly moving caravan around them, he marveled that he hadn't thought of it himself. There might not be the manpower of an army here, but there was the equipment for one! At least, a small one.

Something caught Thingguy's eye up in the sky, and he gasped as he pointed.Â "You've even got eyes in the sky!!! I mean, it's no Helicopter, but-"

Stirling followed his gaze to see a low-flying, camo-colored, miniature blimp. From the ground, the name ''<nowiki/>'Happy Thoughts''' was visible in the pattern of the camouflage print.

"Oh, that's the Merry Band's Leadership tent," Stirling replied.Â

"Then that's where I need to go," Thingguy said, as he turned back to Stirling. "Do you think you could introduce me?"

As the blimp became obscured by trees, Stirling focused back on Thingguy and shrugged. "Certainly, but I don't think you'll need one. You're a legend, remember?"

Thingguy's excited grin cracked an extra inch wider with an almost impish glee. "Don't tell me that, it might go to my head."

The two began walking off in the direction of the front of the caravan, and the blimp.Â Â

"When will the ''Happy Thoughts'' come back down?" Thingguy asked.

"Not sure," Stirling replied. "But we might find some of the other leadership around here on the ground."

"That would be fantastic!"

=== Chapter II: In Which Thingguy and Strider speak with the local authorities. ===

It took awhile, but the time was not wasted on the two, as Stirling showed Thingguy to various members and services of the Band, even packed up and moving as it all was. Thingguy was fascinated by the wealth of gear, tools, and provisions all around him. He only hoped that they would be willing to share the wealth. As the day went on, they found their way to where the bulk of armaments were. There, they met one of the leadership.

"Sir Thingguy, I'd like you to meet Armsmaster Fiddelton. He's in charge of keeping the weaponry in the right hands."

Thingguy shook hands with the tall, broad-shouldered man. He looked about in his 50's, and was dressed in nearly full armor that had an older emblem of King Matthias's regime. His simple brown hair and clear blue eyes gave him a very congenial and trustworthy look. However, he had a frighteningly large broadsword strapped to his back.

"Thingguy... Strange name." His voice was low and deep, but clear. A voice that could carry commands over the din of battle. "Not ''the'' Thingguy, of KOTOS fame?" He raised an eyebrow.

In response, Thingguy smiled roguishly. "Why yes, now that you mention it."

Fiddleton's clean-shaven demeanor broke into a grin. "Rumor has it you were a swordsmanship teacher once upon a time. Does that still hold true?"

Thingguy leaned back and studied Fiddleton. "It's been awhile, but thankfully, I've run into trouble enough over the years that I still keep my skills sharp. However," he pointed to the broadsword. "I think you could beat me with that monstrosity. I specialized in the longsword and hand-and-a-half. Also, the sword and shield combo."

"Whatever you could help me teach, would be most valuable, Sir Thingguy." The Armsmaster replied.

Thingguy brightened up. "Ah! I thought you were challenging me to a dual."

Fiddleton laughed. "Perhaps later. Personally, I think you overestimate me."

"Of course you would say that!" Thingguy joined in the laughter. "You just want to get my guard down!"

Fiddelton glanced around, still chuckling. "Eh. Perhaps. But tell me, what brings you to our humble band? Why now?"

Thingguy began to reply, but then paused, and glanced to his side, where Stirling was. He grabbed his shoulder.Â

"This guy." He replied. "I've heard of the Merry Band, but I never realized you were quite this large before today. I responded to Strider's request to meet here, and now here I am, and I think I've met more people just today than I have in any given month since I went underground!"

Still smiling, Fiddleton pressed a little deeper. "And why did you go into hiding in the first place, Sir Knight?"

Thingguy paused briefly before replying.

"The Battle of the Skyfalls is where it all fell apart. I made the mistake of trying to stand alone. And alone, I was defeated. That's when we first encountered the Barneybots, and we were totally unprepared for it."

Thingguy glanced at Fiddleton, who motioned for him to continue. He cast himself back to what he could remember of that terrible day.

"In the aftermath of it all, both sides had suffered heavy casualties, and if it were not for the Bots, we may have survived as a group to fight another day, but the Barneybots were relentless, and stopped us from regrouping after our leadership fell. Myself included. Talmid was captured, I was defeated by thedude, and I don't even know what happened to Lukas."

'''''Thingguy vividly remembered...'''''

...standing with a tight knot of fellow knights. Sir Shaprie and Seton, among others. The way the Skyfalls phenomena drenched the whole embattled northern shoreline in mist. How the lightened gravity had made his sword and shield very wet and slippery feathers in his hands. He remembered Sharpie coming up on his left and saying, "I'm running low on ammo for these flareguns, and I'm a so-so shot with a bow. How are we going to defeat these monstrosities?"

Suddenly, the mist near the shore had parted, and Seton fainted. Thingguy followed the direction of Seton's gaze, and saw something that made his blood run cold.Â

It was thedude. His back was to them as he bent over a knight.Â

Without thinking, without knowing who the knight was, Thingguy had rushed forward to end this awful war with one more brilliant stroke. He remembered refraining from doing the typical inane battle-cry he'd seen in so many movies, as he raised his sword...

'''10 yards'''. thedude stood up as a Barneybot came and grabbed the comatose knight off the ground.

Â

'''6 yards.''' The Bot saw Thingguy charging, dropped the knight, and began firing. Alerted, thedude turned around himself. Thingguy raised his shield, and charged forward unabated.

Â

'''4.'''Â

Thingguy leapt the final few meters, (Wait, were these yards or meters?) and brought his sword down on thedude, who, of course, parried. The clash of steel on steel rang like an bell. Thingguy twisted around and sliced at the Bot with such fervor that there was now a deep gash in it's armor, and sparks flew as the bot staggered on it's hover-jets. Parrying a lightning-quick thrust from thedude, Thingguy blocked a disjointed shot from the Bot, and attempted a thrust of his own at thedude.Â

By all natural means, he should have run thedude right through his evil gut, but an invisible force caused his sword to veer off to thedude's side and miss by mere centimeters. Even worse, Thingguy's momentum carried him into inches from thedude's awful anchovy-ridden breath. Both men's swords were now in inert positions to harm the other, so close were they, but thedude did not need a sword to harm Thingguy. Before he could pull back, the barbaric megalomaniac gave the valiant knight the mother of all uppercuts with his free left hand. And with the help of the lesser gravity, Sir Thingguy went flying high into the sky.Â

Thingguy remembered seeing way more stars than he ever thought possible. Then thedude's leering grin blocked out the vast majority of the starry sky and he was slugged back down to earth. Except, earth was cold, dark, wet and it swallowed him whole with a gurgle. Oh, wait, no, that was river.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

His next memory was waking up on an empty shore, frozen to the bone. Later, he discovered he had ended up on the far shore of the Equatorial River in Elepharia. And thus began his many years of wandering, finding allies old and new.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

''"Hello? Thingguy?"''

'''Thingguy was brought back to the present...'''

by the waving of a mailed gauntlet in his face. It was Stirling. Next to him, Armsmaster Fiddleton looked mildly concerned.

"You faded out there for a minute," Stirling explained.

"I'm sorry if I brought up unpleasant memories, Sir Thingguy," commented Fiddleton.

Thingguy waved them both off, and he disarmed their worries with a smile. "Not at all. Memories, and in this case, memories of failure, are some of life's greatest teachers."

Stirling raised an eyebrow. "And the lesson here is...?"

Thingguy raised a finger and declared, "That thedude has a mean left uppercut!"

The two men were very confused, but Thingguy did not leave them time to consider.Â "To answer your question, Fiddleton, the reason I went into hiding after the Skyfalls was because one man cannot stand alone against thedude. He needs allies. Allies he can count on." He raised an eyebrow. "I will be frank, I'm looking for some. Do you think the Merry Band would stand with me?"

Armsmaster Fiddleton's own eyebrows raised at Thingguy's blunt question. He pursed his lips. Took a deep breath and let it out like a horse.Â

"Bppbpbpbpbp.... That is not a decision I can make. Nor do I think the Leadership would come to a conclusion easily."

Stirling interrupted. "But you would endorse it, wouldn't you, Armsmaster?"

He looked at Strider from the corner of his eye. "Well, Yes. Personally. But as a leader, I-"

"I know, I know. You have a responsibility, and we know you can't let your personal thoughts get in the way, but if Thingguy were to propose an alliance of some type, you would be inclined to endorse it to the others, wouldn't you?" Stirling pressed.

Thingguy looked between the two, his smile slowly turning into a grin as Fiddleton's stare turned from irritation to thoughtfulness to careful condescension. "We cannot hide forever..." he mused aloud. "Recent events have shown that clear enough..."

"Wonderful!" Thingguy exclaimed.Â

"Very good, we appreciate it," Stirling replied.

"But!" Fiddleton amended. "I must make it clear that such an alliance would be for the future. We are nowhere near being prepared for such a large-scale engagement as fighting the Tyrant would suggest."

Thingguy agreed. "I think you are closer than you might think. You have plenty of resources, but what's missing is something each person must find within themselves."

This elicited the two others to ponder.

"Courage?" Fiddleton asked.

"Hope." Stirling decided.

Thingguy shook his head. "Passion. Passion can get you both of those, and more."

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 3: In Which Our Heroes Do Little More Than Wait. ===

The conversation wore down quickly after that, but it did not end until after the Armsmaster had used a Walkie-Talkie and arranged with the other leaders to have a meeting to listen to what Thingguy had to say. With this finished, all three men excused themselves, as they all had various things that needed doing now.

As soon as Fiddleton had been lost among the Caravan, Thingguy appeared to have a mental breakdown. He began grinning uncontrollably. Rubbing his hands, he leaned conspiratorially to Stirling.

''"I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to tell them!"'' he whispered excitedly.

"Don't worry, I'll help you prepare," Stirling assured. They went off to find a whiteboard and a good spot to sit down and rest. This ended up being atop a one of a kind sort of dry sleigh. It vaguely reminded one of something depicted inÂ ancient carvings of slave labor. Only, this didn't use slaves, of course.Â

There was the wooden deck, where tables and benches were bolted down to stop them from bumping away. Right underneath that was a cage that housed a large, thin wedge, the length of the deck, with logs rolling underneath it. As the logs rolled to the thick back of the wedge, something akin to a water-wheel would catch the log and lift it to the top of the wedge, where it would roll down to the front, and drop down to go under the wedge and through the cycle again.

Perhaps not the most efficient mode of transportation, but a mode nonetheless.Â

Stirling and Thingguy sat down at this open-aired sitting area, and it was not long before Thingguy and Stirling had filled and erased the whiteboard a dozen times. Thingguy now knew what he wanted to say, and how he was to frame it to his target audience. He filled the board one more time, with his key points, and the two rehearsed it till Thingguy was confident.

By then, many hours had passed, and the sun had long dipped under the tree canopy, leaving the caravan in twilight.

At some point, the two men had procured a snack, which they were finishing as a middle-aged woman boarded the platform and made her way to them.

Stirling looked up from his honey-roll. "Ah, Mrs. Smith. This is a rare surprise."

"Not quite," the woman said. "I'm here to take you two to the meeting."

Thingguy noted her long blonde hair, tied up in a simple and no-nonsense ponytail. Her face matched it, putting Thingguy in mind of an old-fashioned schoolteacher. She wore a brown dress with the sleeves rolled up past her elbows, and a white apron around her waist. Both items were stained and dirty, though her face, neck, and arms, the only skin visible, seemed clean enough.

"Well then, Mrs. Smith! Lead the way, and we shall follow, Madame!" Thingguy declared, getting up. Stirling followed suit.

With a slight nod, Mrs. Smith turned away and scampered away with a speed that initially surprised Thingguy, though the two men quickly adjusted speed and kept up with her as she weaved through the caravan towards the front.

Abruptly, she turned off to the right, and the three left the Caravan behind, as Mrs. Smith headed into the dense forest.

"Ah. She's headed for the glade," Stirling muttered to Thingguy.

"There's a glade up here?"

"Yeah. Come to think of it, it would make a nice landing spot for the dirigible."

"Makes sense."Â

Sure enough, the three emerged into an average-sized glade. Looking up, the three saw the ''<nowiki/>'Happy Thoughts''' slowly descending. However, as the carriage of the airship leveled with the treeline, a rope ladder was thrown out over the side, and a thin, wirey silhouette cried out "Climb up! The Caravan won't stop tonight, so neither shall we!"

Stirling and Thingguy looked at each other, then at Mrs. Smith.

"Are you coming as well, Gemma?" Stirling asked. Mrs. Smith shook her head.Â

"No. The other leaders already know my opinion, and the same goes for the Armsmaster. Our exclusion from your presentation won't change the ruling."

Behind Stirling, Thingguy tilted his head to see Gemma Smith. Her face was unreadable. "You mean to say that the leadership has already made up their minds, or just you and Fiddleton?" he asked.

"I oppose your desire to bring us into your war," she said bluntly. "We've had enough of it recently."

Thingguy smiled, avoiding her verbal jab. "That must mean that with Fiddleton's one vote yea, and your vote nay, I have to convince the majority up there?"

She stared at him. "Yes."

Her brief hesitation bolstered Thingguy's hopes. He took it to mean that she feared his success. Then he realized his grin was growing, and that she might consider him cocky. He smoothed out his features into what he considered a humble smile.Â

"I appreciate your honest opposition, Mrs. Smith." Not waiting for a response, he grasped the rope ladder and began scrambling up.

Stirling grabbed the rope ladder, then turned back to the ever-stoic Mrs. Smith.

"I do wish you would listen to what Thingguy has to say," Stirling said.

Gemma bobbed her head, watching Thingguy scamper up the ladder like the monkeys of old. "I will. I have a radio. I and the Armsmaster will be listening, but we have duties to perform with the moving caravan." She pointed at Thingguy. "You should hurry, or you will be stuck down here with us."

Stirling looked up to see Thingguy being helped into the carriage by others. "Oh shoot," he muttered, before clambering up with half the speed and grace that Thingguy had.

=== Chapter 4: In Which Thingguy makes his Case. ===

A quick right, short corridor, and a left brought Stirling and Thingguy into a large room, where they stood in front of a long table parallel to them. Behind it sat five individuals with such varying characteristics that Thingguy didn't know where to start.

"h'Ah, good! You mah'e it," said one that sat in the very middle of the table. He had bushy eyebrows and a 'stache, as well as a fez. He was wearing an oversized knitted Yule sweater depicting 2 heart-forming reindeer, and as he put his hi-top sneakers up on the table, he displayed some very flashy sequined disco leggings.Â "Now we'h can beg'hin!"

Thingguy grinned. "You must be the legendary Carlos Obfusco, leader of this very Merry Band."Â

Carlos was clearly pleased at being recognized. "Wh'y y'es I am!" He awkwardly extended a hand to shake, without dropping his feet from the table. As he and Thingguy shook hands, Carlos introduced the others.

"To m'ah right here, I h'ave '''Fath'r Henry''', our Rel'gious C'oodinater, an' next tah him is '''Mart'n Marin,''' our Communica'htions Mastah!" Then he swung his arm around and waved to his left. "An' ovah here, we have our Mastah H'rbelist, '''Ju'idith H'cklepatt'''; Our P'herimeter Captain, '''Mercedes;''' an' la'hst but not lea'st, our mastah Scout, '''Stabb'''!"

Thingguy took them all in.Â

'''Father Henry''' looked to be mid-thirties, with a dark brown beard and hair, dressed in a clean black habit, with a white square in the collar. He stared at Thingguy with a kind, but perceptive gaze, his hands folded on the table in front of him attentively.

'''Martin Marin''' appeared to be the oldest, according to his thin, scraggly hair and very pale blue eyes that lacked the youthful clarity of his fellows at the table. Perhaps 60s or 70s. He too, was smiling, but it came off as an absentminded smile, instead of sincere. Like he was thinking of other things. His hands rested on the pommel of a cane, and he wore a very faded blue shirt with a King's Crown emblazoned on it.Â

'''Mrs. Hucklepatt''' wore a simple, unpretentious dress, but her almost regal countenance, with it's fair share of wrinkles, silver-gray crown of hair, and bright turquoise eyes showed she still held considerable wit and wisdom. She gazed at Thingguy with a calculating smile.

The one called '''Mercedes''' had helped Thingguy into the blimp. Thus, Thingguy knew that despite his wiry frame and stately attire befitting a nobleman, the man was strong. He also wore his weapons openly. A large quiver and bow were slung on his back, and a large dirk was at his hip. He leaned forward, his hands steepled on the table in front of him, as he stared intently at Thingguy.

Behind Mercedes, in the shadowy corner, stood a short figure, who's chest was level with the table. His jet black hair and full-length coat of deepest green blended with the shadows, and it took a moment for Thingguy to identify where the darkness ended, and the Master Scout named '''Stabb''' began. His face was hidden, whether by shadows or an upturned collar Thingguy wasn't sure, but he saw two dark steel-gray eyes nod in acknowledgement of his attention. Thingguy nodded back.

https://youtu.be/fZ1y_Z6Bc0M

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Thanks for giving me a chance to speak with you," Thingguy said.

"h'of course!" Carlos replied, as others muttered, or nodded assent. "Now, ge'h't on w'hith it!"

Thingguy smiled, and took a deep breath.

Behind Thingguy, Stirling relaxed against the wall by the doorway. He was confident in the speech that he and Thingguy had formulated for this specific group. A most logical and rousing speech of-

"What ever happened to the Monkeys?" Thingguy began.

Stirling's shoulder slipped and he stumbled backwards into the door, where he embarrassingly reorganized himself and stood, staring blankly at Thingguy's back.

Carlos turned his eyes from his boots to Thingguy. "Pa'hdon?"

"You all remember the Monkeys of Militiregnum, right?"

It took a moment, but everyone made their understanding clear. Yes, they knew of the monkeys of Militiregnum...

"How they would go throughout the forest, swinging with ease, carefree and happy? How they ate bananas and in their wake left more trees to grow?"

Everyone nodded, some looked wistful.

"How they chattered and squealed with their impish glees, bringing innocent mischief just as you all used to do, in the days of peace?" Thingguy was now using his whole body, and walking back and forth along the table. "Heck, I'm sure some of you knew monkeys personally!"

Martin briefly raised a hand, and Thingguy slapped it as he passed, turning it into a High-Five.

"But now, do you know what happened to the monkeys?"

Some nodded, but Thingguy regaled them with it anyway.

"They were tricked into working for thedude. We don't know how, or why. What's important is that once they realized that bananas weren't weapons, and we weren't their enemies, they stopped their attacks against us, and thedude called it ''treachery'', and '''KILLED THEM ALL'''." Thingguy turned away from the table, to wipe away a tear. Briefly, he looked up and saw Stirling wide-eyed and open-mouthed, staring at him.

Hopefully he was getting a better reaction from his target audience. Keeping a baleful countenance, he looked over his shoulder.Â

They were, to various degrees, emotional. Some looked only perturbed and thoughtful, while others sniffled quietly.

"Now, I ask you, did those monkeys deserve such cruelty?"

There were a few sniffles, as well as a quiet 'no'.

"Did those monkeys even ''care'' about who ruled? Who won the war?"

More 'no's, shaking heads.

"No! They didn't. But they were exterminated anyway. You know why? Because thedude wanted it done! There's no other reason necessary for him!Â He has the mind of a child, but power beyond what any human being should have, and unless we bow down to him and do what he wants; accept him as the tyrant of every detail of our lives, he will never stop. He will never leave you alone, for ''as long as he lives''."

Thingguy was now pacing, his few tears having left his face, being chased away by a stern and thoughtful countenance, that kept watch of his marching feet.

"I know that some of you would rather hide from the War for as long as you can. Perhaps even wait out thedude's very life.Â But answer me this. What if thedude is immortal?"

This got everyone's attention, including Stirling's.

"What?"

"What if he's going to outlive us all? What if he's immortal?" Thingguy repeated, turning to Stirling. "Is the Merry Band able to hide forever?"

"We can hide a ''deuced'' long time," Mercedes countered.Â

Thingguy nodded in assent. "And you have. But ''be realistic'', no one can hide forever."

Thingguy's imperative was met with stony silence.

"But this is not enough to come out of hiding now or anytime. Not until you absolutely have to. Or once they find you.Â But what will you do then?"

With nearly one voice, the leaders leapt to their feet and roared.

'''"WE WILL FIGHT!"''' "We won't go peacefully." '''"WE'LL GIVE THEM HELL!"''' "WE'LL TAKE THEM MAN TO MAN!" "We'll die bravely."

Thingguy couldn't stop his admiration for these men and women from surfacing. His eyes began to brim with tears as he laid his hands on the table in front of a posing Carlos.

"My friends..." Thingguy said.

"You will die. Alone."

The silence returned, but it wasn't stony. It was sharp, ''brittle'', '''emotionally charged''', and threatened to snap and ruin whatever goodwill Thingguy had left with these people. Hoping he hadn't pushed reality into them too hard, Thingguy explained.

"You don't want to fight this war. ''I understand''. I don't want you to fight either. But someday, this war will find you. We've admitted that."Â

Some of the leaders began to object, but Thingguy forged ahead, raising his voice. "You just declared that IF you were found, IF you were ''unable'' to hide anymore, YOU WOULD RATHER '''FIGHT''' AND '''DIE''' THAN ''GIVE UP YOUR FREEDOM'' AND STILL '''DIE''', '''LIKE THE MONKEYS'''."

The bizzare recall of the monkeys stopped the various objections just long enough for Thingguy to finish.

"All I am asking is that you be open to preparing for such a worst-case scenario NOW, rather than waiting for it to come to you in the future. MORE than what you are doing now, with your defenses, your perimeter patrols, your scouting, your armaments, your technological experiments, et cetera, et cetera."

Carlos frowned. "How do you k-"

"Strider told me some, and we've been touring the caravan waiting for this meeting."

"...Ah."

"I'm not asking you to be warriors!" Thingguy continued. "''Crux forbid'' that it come to the Merry Band becoming frontline soldiers!"Â

Thingguy turned around and stepped away from the table, taking a deep breath to calm his own nerves, as well as for dramatic effect. Briefly, he looked up at Stirling, who seemed... shocked. Amazed.

Feeling somewhat more confident, he turned around to his audience. The general consensus amongst the table was much more difficult to ascertain, but he definitely had them all thinking.

"I'm asking for allies. Not just because ''I'' need them. But because ''YOU'' need them. ''All'' of Militiregnum's free spirits will need each other." Thingguy smirked. "Though I'd be lying if I said that the Merry Band would be a small part of whatever alliance we would make."

The silence filled the room again, but this time, Thingguy didn't feel any animosity. None of the leaders were looking at him, but instead at themselves, or the floor. They were all looking internally. Thingguy wondered if there was anything else he should say, but no other thoughts came to fall upon his lips.

He felt a mailed glove weigh down his shoulder. It was Stirling.Â

"Come on. Let's let them think."

Thingguy hesitated only briefly, then nodded.Â

The two stepped outside the room, leaving the leaders to consider what the Knight had said.

=== Chapter 5: In which our heroes wait for a verdict. ===

As Thingguy slid the door shut behind him, Strider rounded upon him.

"Ok, first of all; that was amazing- good job-"

"Why thank you."

"Second: What the heck?! Where did that all come from?!" Stirling whisper-yelled.

Thingguy shrugged.

"Why??? Why go off-script like that?

"That, I can answer!" Thingguy replied. "I ''was'' going to do our specially prepared speech, but when I actually got into that room and saw them, I realized that the logical, accurate, lecture-type approach wouldn't reach all of them," explained Thingguy. "So I thought of the first thing that I could bond with all of them over."

"Monkeys?"

"Monkeys."

Stirling sighed, his gaze dropping, and his hands on his hips. He smirked. "Well, I mean... I have to admit, it worked."

"You think so?" Thingguy asked.

"Oh yeah," Stirling said. "You really worked them up. They're going to want to take some sort of action, and hopefully, they'll take your advice, instead of just enacting some new safety protocol or security measure."

Thingguy grinned. "Good. And hey, a new defensive measure isn't bad. I'm ''not asking'' for an immediate offensive. Just for a future." He punched Stirling's shoulder. "Like you were saying before, hope. A reminder that this isn't the way things are supposed to be."

The two started walking up the corridor, both assuming the other knew where they were going, as they continued talking.

"Just like you," Thingguy continued. "They're got stuff going on; they don't want to join KOTOS right now. And that's fine! To be honest, we're not ready."

Stirling nodded. "Right now, what does KOTOS even consist of? You?"

Thingguy's pace slowed, and Stirling matched it. "I personally know...Perhaps a few hundred lonely, brave souls scattered across Militiregnum who would call themselves KOTOS."Â

"I expected as much." Stirling said quietly.

"There's more, I know it!" Thingguy assured him. "They just haven't been woken up. Or freed. Or found. Take Sir Talmid for example!" He picked up speed again. "The general word is that he's not dead, but a prisoner in Orlan!"

Stirling scoffed. "Is that really better?"

"Yes!" Thingguy said, grabbing his dour companion by the shoulder and shaking him a bit. "If the 'Legendary' Sir Talmid still lives, then it's all the easier to rally hope!"

Stirling frowned, as he re-oriented his mind around this. "So, he's not available as another soldier, or a physical leader, but what you're saying is that he's still helping, just by living?"

"Exactly! Hope! That's what our battle is focused around! '''Hope!"'''

"But wern't you saying earlier that we need to focus on ''passion?''"

"That was before I saw the Leaders. But yes. Hope is what will fuel passion, and give it a righteous fire, a courage! To do what's right."

Stirling grinned. "You really have a way with words."

"I've had practice."

"That's much more than just practice."

"Well, I've also given it a lot of thought, and it's second nature by now."Â

Stirling raised an eyebrow, and a beat passed before Thingguy added, "Also, Deadbeat is a very skillful verbal duelist to hone my skills on."

"I'm sure the talking horse is very talented." Stirling said dryly.Â

The two had reached the end of the hall. A narrow metal door with a porthole barred their way. Thingguy peeked through the glass, and saw the cockpit and a single pilot.

"Hey, this is the front of the ship!" he exclaimed, before reaching down for the handle and twisting it open.Â

"I'm not sure we're allow-" Stirling began, but Thingguy was already introducing himself to the pilot, who had speedily put away his reading material to look busy, before seeing Thingguy.

They spent the next 10 minutes with the pilot, who went by the name of Joe Bungalow. Joe even gave them a crash-course in how to fly the blimp, having taken an instant liking to Sir Thingguy.

After a particularly fancy bob and weave done by Thingguy to the merriment, and slight worry, of the other two, another person entered the cockpit.

"Joe, what in the King's name are- Ah, I see." It was Martin, holding on to the doorframe with one hand, and stabling himself with his cane on the ground with the other. "Sir Thingguy has hijacked us, I see."

His tone was not immediately discernable, and it required Thingguy to turn around to ascertain his mood.

Martin seemed to have an ironic expression on his face. Thingguy turned to Stirling for any insight. He didn't' have any. He had a poker face on.

The only person with an obvious emotion was Joe, which was that of embarrassment.

"Ah... Uh. Thinggu- Sir Thingguy, I think I'm going to have to take over now."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sounds good, Joe." He remarked casually.

As Thingguy and Stirling got up, and Joe settled back into his rightful place, Martin waved them over with a smile. Both Thingguy and Stirling relaxed.Â

"We've all made a decision. You'll want to hear it," he said, and turned around to walk down the corridor. Stirling and Thingguy started after him, but then the old man stopped. "Oh!" He turned around and quite literally ran into the two younger men.Â

"What is it Martin?" Stirling asked, catching the unbalanced Pigeonmaster.Â

"I need to tell Joe to land at the next available spot. We've gone far enough."

Stirling and Thingguy squished themselves against the walls, and Martin squeezed by.Â

"Go on without me, they're waiting for you, boys." Martin muttered over his shoulder. So Stirling and Thingguy went.

=== Chapter 6: In which a Verdict is reached, and the future is changed. ===

Having hurried back to the meeting room door, Stirling motioned grandly. "After you, Sir Charisma."

Thingguy let out a jovial "Ha!" and swept the door open.

All eyes turned to him.

Father Henry was sitting in the same spot, talking very diplomatically with Mercedes, who was leaning over the table, and clearly stressed out. Internally, Thingguy winced as both men turned to look at him with a healthy caution in their eyes. It didn't' take much to guess that Thingguy was giving Mercedes, the head of security, a big new headache to deal with. He wasn't sure what a Religious Leader would have against him... But surely there was something.

In the farther corner, Mrs. Hucklepatt and Stabb were having what appeared to be a very quiet, but casual conversation. As Thingguy entered the room, they both stopped, and regarded him carefully. Oh dear.

It seemed the only person that was outright happy to seem him was the person he had nearly bowled over. Carlos, who had been pacing in the middle of the room, had lit up a smile like neon lights, and thrown his arms wide.

"Sir Thingguy! Good to se'h you again!" he exclaimed, as if he hadn't seen him in years instead of minutes.

Thingguy rolled with it, throwing his arms wide, just like Carlos had. "Hey-Heeey!"

The two bear-hugged, and there was lots of excessive backslapping, while everyone else alternatively looked at each other or Stirling uncomfortably.

For his part, Stirling refrained from facepalming by locking his arms together.

However, after a full minute of this, Mercedes couldn't take it anymore.

"AHEM. Carlos, I think we have something to say to this gentleman."

Carlos sighed. "Aha, yes, h'I s'ppose we do. 'hveryone, to yo'r seats!" Carlos finally let go of Thingguy, who seemed quite relieved to step back and stand next to Stirling by the open door.Â

''"Before you ask, I have learned my lesson,"'' he whispered to Stirling. ''"Don't attempt to match Carlos's enthusiasm."''

Stirling broke into a huge smile. ''"That's my man!"'' he whispered back, and slapped his friend's very sore back once, causing Thingguy to wince and hiss.Â

"Sir Thingguy!" Carlos boomed, from his seat behind the table. "h'It's mah h'xtreme pleasure to tell you that when the time comes, th' Merry Band would be pleased to join your cause t' free Morcia in whatev'ah small way we could at that time."

Thingguy smiled kindly. "Thank you, Carlos."

Carlos held up a hand. "You unda'stand that we would re-evaluate th' situation at that time as well. We're not going to commit to suicide missions."

Thingguy shook his head. "I would never ask that of the Merry Band. Perhaps others, but not these."

This elicited positive notes among everyone behind the table, including Carlos, who continued.

"T' make this official, Martin drafted this doc'hment, an' Stabb has wh'ittled a spec'hfic birdcall wh'stle." Carlos handed Thingguy a rolled scroll, wrapped around a hard small object. Presumably the whistle.

"W'hen th' day comes, r'hide throug'h the for'hest with th'at w'histle. W'hen someone hears it, t'hey will find you with all speed and ab'handon. T'hen you will read t'hem the scroll, and we will h'answer."

Thingguy accepted the scroll graciously. "This... This is perfect. Leaders of the Merry Band, you have no idea what this means."

"It means pain. Suffering."

Thingguy, Stirling, Carlos, and all of the others turned to Father Henry, sitting to the far left of the table. He looked dour. But determined.

"It also means standing for what's right. Hope. Strength. Courage." A confidence shone in his eyes. "This is the path we have chosen. A dangerous path, a thin road, with the only reward far and away, and only attainable if we keep the path all the way." He focused on Thingguy. "That scroll comes with responsibility, Sir Thingguy. Do you accept that as well?"

"Yes. I do."Â

"You say that so fast. Do you truly understand what I mean?"

"Yes."

The two held each other's eyes, and Father Henry's gaze softened. "Yes. Perhaps you do."

Carlos finally let go of the scroll, and Thingguy tucked it into his chestpiece.Â

Carlos cleared his throat, attempting to regain the spotlight.

"Ahem. Well. I think we should be landing soon. If people ask... Don't publicize this. We don't need a KOTOS-sized target set on us."

Thingguy frowned, even as he saw the wisdom in it.Â "You don't want spies to take this news straight to thedude, and anger him."

Next to Carlos, Mercedes nodded. "There are desperate people here, who will sell that sort of lucrative information to thedude for a decent meal."

Thingguy closed his eyes. "That's very wise; I will admit, I hadn't thought of that."

Carlos smiled crookedly. "T'hat is alright, 'bro'. If we've learned one t'hing from you, h'it's t'hat you are concerned primar'hily with MORALE! '''LIKE A TRUE MEMBER OF DA MERRY BAND!!!'''" And with this he leapt up onto the table and punched a fist into the unforgiving metal ceiling. "AH!" His valiant grin was blemished by discomfort. "Judith, I thing I broke something."

"Nonsense, dear," said the old lady, Mrs. Hucklepatt. "Get down, and I'll see."

Around him, As Carlos got down and turned to Mrs. Hucklepatt, peoples reactions included sighs, chuckles, and facepalms.Â

Mercedes, patted Carlos on the shoulder. "Is the meeting dismissed?"

"Oh. Y'hes. I t'hink t'hat was h'all the bus'ness we h'ad," Carlos confirmed.

Right on cue, someone popped their head through the open doorway, and announced that the blimp was about to land.

~ ~ ~

Sure enough, the Happy Thoughts quickly descended upon the new campsite area. A large, beautiful meadow, with a insignificant brook wending it's way through. The passengers disembarked, while others of the crew began packing in the blimp till the metal cabin part of the blimp resembled a mid sized trailer home with a mushrooming bag for a roof.

Thingguy had wanted to watch the transformation, and so while they stood and watched, he and Stirling also said their farewells to the leaders of the Merry Band, who quickly left to take care of other things.

As the crew of the Happy Thoughts finished packing the cloth into the roof as neatly as possible, an unabashedly impressed Thingguy rubbed his hands. "Gosh, that's amazing."

Stirling turned from him to the 'leadership tent' and back. "You are easily amused, arn't you?"

Finally, Thingguy took a deep breath of forest air and ripped his attention away from the transformed Happy Thoughts. "I prefer to look at it as... Able to appreciate the little things! Like a good, long nap."

Stirling looked up into the night sky. "Heh. Yeah, that sounds pretty good right about now."

"Whaddya say we get some rest, and in the morning, we ride out?" Thingguy suggested.

Stirling nodded. "Sunrise is only a few hours away, but I'm on your schedule, Thingguy. Whenever you're ready."

"Then tomorrow, bright and early!"

The two split up, both looking for a place to get some rest before they took to the road.

Stirling ended up finding a decently clear spot and pitched his tent, falling asleep as soon as he crawled into it, in full armor.

Thingguy, on the other hand, didn't get any sleep. Not after he ran into yet another opportunity....

=== Chapter 7: In which the ever-scheming Sir Thingguy hits upon an incredulous possibility. ===

Thingguy didn't' have a tent or bedroll with him. They were on Deadbeat. And Deadbeat was who-knew-where in this Caravan.Â Also, he didn't feel like pitching a whole tent and stuff for only a few hours rest.

Better to find an already pitched tent and bum it off of someone for a few hours. Or share. If that wasn't awkward or anything.

As he was thinking about this, something up ahead caught his attention.Â

A little ways away stood a large cart containing various humming, beeping, whirring, blinking equipment. There was even a radar dish bigger than an XL Pizza spinning around, eternally inspecting the heavens for something.

As Thingguy got closer, he saw the light of a screen reflected off of some round spectacles. Of course, the spectacles belonged to a young man that sat amidst the gizmos. It was rather dark to be certain, but based on the surroundings, Thingguy guessed the bespectacled man was Oswald, the Tech-Expert that Stirling had mentioned.

Thingguy poked his head over the edge of the huge cart. "Hey!"

His sudden appearance startled the studious younger gentleman.Â

"WAAH!" he cried out, nearly dropping the handheld device in his hands. He looked around, blinking. "Who said that?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. The name's Thingguy. Sir Thingguy. You're Oswald, right? What are you doing with all this stuff?"

The young man still didn't seem to be able to see Thingguy. "Sorry, I've been staring at the bright screen on my controller, so I can't see you in the dark."

"Oh. Sorry. Mind if I climb in?" Thingguy asked, hiking himself up.

"Not at all! Uh, just be careful for the-"Â

''Beep!'' ''Ka-chunk.'' ''"Power on."'' ''"Disengage."'' ''Bzzzt.''

"-Stuff."

Thingguy had climbed over various panels and gadgets, but thankfully it sounded much worse than it really was. It only took a minute or so to make sure nothing was going to explode or take off.Â

"Heh. Sorry about that," Thingguy said.

"That's alright!" said Oswald. Because it was definitely him. Thingguy was sure, because he remembered Stirling accidentally whacking him. "I have a lot of projects lying around. It's my own fault."

Thingguy pointed at the controller Oswald had been using before. "What were you doing just now?"

Oswald turned, and seem surprised to find the controller on the ground where he'd put it to save his other things from Thingguy. "Oh! This. This..." he said, picking it up. "...Is controlling that." He pointed at the satellite dish.

Thingguy watched as Oswald made the dish fidget around. "And what is it that the Dish is looking for?"

"Transmissions. Sounds." Oswald shrugged. "Orders. News. Whatever." Oswald stared up into the sky, then back down at his device, and seemed intent on targeting something.

"What are you doing now?" Thingguy asked, peering over his shoulder to look at the technical readout. It didn't' make much sense to him at first glance, looking like a radar or sonar display.

"Sometimes I can listen to the spaceships. You know, the flying ships up in the sky," said Oswald. "They say some funny stuff."

Thingguy was surprised. "Wait. You can listen to the Blockade?"

"Blockade? Is that what they call the metal ships up there?"

"Yeah, the Blockade. The group of space ships."

"Yeah, I can listen to them. Sometimes."

"REALLY?!"

"It's kinda staticky, and not really useful, but it's fun."

Thingguy waved his arms around, estatic. Then he froze. "Wait. Can you reply to them?"

Oswald had an averse reaction. "Oooooh no. Nononononono. Can't do that. No. That's bad."

Thinggiy raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why not?"

"Well, because then I could be traced. Tracked. They'll ''smell'' me."

"They'll... smell you?"

"They'll figure out where I'm sending a message from. They follow it back to my dish, and the Merry Band and th-"

"Ah. Oh, I see." Thingguy said. "It's a matter of security."

"Yeah..." Oswald said, clamming up before Thingguy's eyes. "I only made that mistake once."

"So... you have contacted the Blockade?"

"Oh. No, not the blockade. I tried answering some radio call that I heard. It was on Militiregnum though. I don't think I have enough electricity to send a clear message to the blockade. Not that I'd want to try."

"What happened?"

"We talked for awhile," said Oswald, visibly trying hard to remember. "I forgot his name, but he said he was from the Nexus Force. I think he tried to give me some sort of positioning coordinates, and from what I could gather, he had a more northern latitude. Wasn't able to figure out the longitude. But after awhile of us chatting back and forth, there was a gunfight on his end and he got hysterical, telling me I 'had to move', and 'run before they found me'. Thankfully, he scared me bad enough that I was able to convince the Leaders to move, and we avoided getting bombed by Barneybots on the very next day." Oswald shuddered. "Since then, I haven't ''dared'' send any messages. Only listen." He looked up at the blockade. "But I do wish I could, sometimes."

Thingguy followed his gaze upward. It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust. Then he started to see them. Silhouettes in the stars of space. The ships of the blockade. Help so close, and yet... so far away.

"What would it take to get a message to the blockade?"

=== Chapter 8: In which the new mission is laid out, and the Adventure Begins. (Should this be Act 1 and the before be Act 0?) ===

"Strider! Strider!"

Stirling awoke to find someone knocking on his tentpoles. Groggily, he got up. "Yes, who is it?"

"It's Thingguy!"

"Thin-guy?"

"Thingguy! Sir Thingguy! I met you yesterday!"

'Yesterday' came flooding back to Stirling. "Oh. Oh, yeah." He stumbled out of his tent, in the full armor he'd slept in. "What's going on?" he asked, seeing Thingguy practically hopping up and down with excitement.

"You remember Oswald? The tech guy?"

Stirling rubbed the groggyness from his eyes. "Yeah?"

"I was talking with him till late last night, and he's given me a brilliant idea!"

"Which is?"

"The blockade!"

It took Stirling a moment to understand what Thingguy meant by 'blockade'.

"...The Nexus Force Blockade?"

"Yeah!"

"What about it?"

"We can contact them for help! When we need it most!"

Stirling shook his head to clear away the final cobwebs. "Didn't you guys do that in the last war?"

Thingguy nodded. "Yeah, we did, but they came too late. But that wouldn't be the case this time!"

"But," Stirling said, "Didn't the tech curse bring a few of them down? One ended up way east Orlan, near the Browlands or thereabouts, right?"

"Well, yes, one. But that was because it flew too low and was harried by Barneybot Fighters. The Nexus Force could still send troops and bombard from orbit this time around!"

Stirling thought about it. "I mean, I guess it's helpful..." he slowly agreed, as various strategic possibilities, positive and negative began unfolding in his waking mind.

"There's just one problem."

"Oh?"

"We'd need an NF decoder."

"Decoder?" Stirling echoed.

"Yeah, something with Nexus Force protocols. Otherwise, we could very well just never be found by them, unless they're actively scanning random wavelengths." Thingguy explained.

Stirling thought about it. "What about a comlink off o- No, wait!" Stirling dove back into his tent, as Thingguy rambled on.

"I already suggested getting a comlink off of a Paradox Rogue, but they don't work. They've been all cut off from NF frequencies.Â

Stirling emerged with his pack, covered in pockets. "This is my old friend Peragrine's backpack. I'm certain he has a spare comlink in here!"

Thingguy's eyebrows raised. "Hey-hey! What faction did you say Peragrine was?"

"Venture League."

"That may work!"

The two dug into the pack, sorting through all sorts of goodies. Thingguy especially enjoyed a 'Banana Gun' he found.

"Seems to me Peragrine is a bit of a hoarder!" Thingguy exclaimed.

Stirling nodded. "And once he hears about how useful this pack's been to me, all of his hoarding will be vindicated." He chuckled. "I dread the day."

"Aha!" Thingguy pulled out what they had been looking for. "A Venture League comlink!"

There it was. A tiny little thing you put in your ear, and using your innate imagination, controlled. Well, that, and the occasional 1 button press.Â

"Okay. So how do we get the decoder from there?" Stirling asked.

Thingguy squinted at it. "I have no clue. But hopefully Oswald will!"

(\\\}======>

"I have no clue what to do with this."

"But Oswald, you're the resident master techwizard!" Thingguy exclaimed from outside Oswald's cart.

Oswald handed the communicator back down to Thingguy. "I have no idea how to take it apart. I've looked at it with all of my magnifying glasses. Even the microscope thing. I don't understand it. It's a perfect little ball with a string attached, I guess to make it easier to pull out of your ear?" he looked at Stirling, who nodded.

"I can't even take it apart, much less figure out what itty-bitty piece would be the decoder and plug it into my machine." Oswald finished, shrugging. "Sorry, Sir Thingguy. It was a good idea."

Thingguy only let a little of his disappointment show as Oswald turned around to pick up a different project in his cart. Stirling noticed Thingguy's slight deflation, and piped up.

"Hold on," Stirling said. "Didn't you say you already listen to the blockade from time to time?" he asked Oswald.

Oswald turned back around and leaned over the cart's edge.Â

"Yeah. That's really the only thing I ''can'' do with my radio equipment."

"So, you ''are'' already listening to their messages, right?" Stirling asked.

"Only... snippits."

"So, how are you decoding their messages? How are you hearing them?" Stirling asked. "Surely they're not just broadcasting without a security scramble of some type!"

Oswald shook his head. "It's more complicated than that." When the other two just stared at him for an explanation, and Oswald saw that they wouldn't be leaving till they got it, he waved an arm and said, "Come see."Â

Stirling and Thingguy began to scramble up into the wagon, even as Oswald turned around, saying "Just be careful for the-"

''Bzzzt. Beep! "Error." Sproing! "Power on." "Input incorrect, please try aga-"''

"-Stuff."

"Oops." "Sorry, my bad."

It took a minute to set everything back, and fix a loose panel or two, but eventually, Oswald had found three sturdy objects that would serve as stools, and the three sat down next to Oswald's radio. He put on the bizarre headphones and fiddled around for a minute, before finding what he was looking for. Then he handed the headphones gingerly to Strider.Â

"We're in luck. There's some activity right now."

Stirling slipped the haywire headphones on, and his ears were assailed by harsh static. As he listened, the occasional interspersed word would peak through the white noise. Stirling grimaced.Â

"This is 'in luck'?"

Oswald nodded. "That's what I listen to more often than not. The words you hear are what I've been able to decode by listening to it. I then input that into my computer so that it will automatically translate it when that same cipher comes through. There's no guarantee that I've got something wrong though. I haven't got more than two words in succession yet, and I've been at this for years now in my off-time."

Stirling handed the headphones to Thingguy. "I've had my share of rough signals during my campaigning with the Nexus Force, but I don't think I'd be able to make much use of that!" he said. "Still, it's impressive that you've decoded 'coffee,' 'report,' and 'Rogues'

Oswald nodded once again. "I've been practicing and monitoring it as close as I can. Here. I'll show you the list." He turned to the small laptop hooked up to the Radio and pulled up a script with various words next to their supposed wavelengths. Stirling started reading.

Meanwhile, it was Thingguy's turn to grimace. "Ooh. That's rough." He turned to Stirling. "Still, it's a connection."

Stirling turned from Thingguy back to Oswald. "If you can decode, even partially, their less secure communications, why can't we send up an emergency signal of some type, like electronic beeps? Like, have you heard of Morse Code? S.O.S.?"

Oswald shook his head. "You mean something like just... an alarm?"

"Sure, yeah. An alarm. Why can't you use the same partial code to send it back up?"

Oswald thought about it for a minute. "Well, for one thing, like I was telling Thingguy last night, I don't have that kind of power."

"Ok." Stirling waved a hand. "Say we get that; What else?"

Oswald rolled his eyes at the warrior's flippant dismissal of what to him was a clear problem, but he proceeded anyway.Â

"Secondly... Well, this self-made decoding is..." He struggled to figure out the best way to explain it to the two knights. " It's like knowing a few Spanish words by sound, but not being able to speak it, or even how to regard someone. Him? Her? It?" Oswald shrugged. "I know a few key words, but... I'd need to know ''how to address'' the Blockade before I could contact them directly." The two knights were nodding their understanding now, but Oswald gave them one more analogy for good measure. "It'd be like sending a flock of messenger pigeons, but not being able to give them a name to deliver the note to."

Stirling frowned. "And a decoder would have that name and address, correct?"

"Yeah." Oswald confirmed as he motioned back to Thingguy. "The little ear comlink you had probably has an old outdated codifier-thingy, but I don't have a way to connect it." Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "But hold on! Can I see it again?"

Thingguy fished the comlink out of his pocket and handed it to Oswald, who immediately put it to his ear.

"How do you turn this thing on?" he asked.

Stirling stood up to see if he had it on correctly. "Well, you'd use your imagination, normally."

Oswald half-turned to Strider. "No, really. Do I press the button twice?" Or hold it down?"

Stirling looked at Thingguy for backup. "I'm not pulling your leg, Oswald. Where I come from, Imagination is a much more powerful and tangible power source, and one can learn to use their own innate imagination to power their gear. Right, Thingguy?"

Thingguy nodded. "The Nexus Force made it a key part of a lot of their gear, which makes it less useful here. Thus why I don't wear a lot of that old stuff. That, and I've kinda destroyed or lost a lot of it..."

Oswald sadly pulled the earpiece out, even as he stared at it with newfound wonder. "In that case, Strider, can you still use it?"Â

Stirling accepted the comlink from Oswald as he gingerly placed it in his hands. He sighed wearily. "I can try, Oswald, but I must admit that I ran out of any excess imagination to power my gear a long time ago. I might get really dizzy, so don't let me fall on your stuff." With this warning he stuck it in his ear, and with a thought, attempted to turn on the device.

With a slight twinge that he felt within his entire frame, the comlink thrummed to life, and Stirling closed his eyes to better mentally swing through all available frequencies. Nothing within range. Not that he expected anything.Â

"It still works," Stirling said, a smidgen of surprise in his tone. "But it's range is severely limited. There's nothing within range." He opened his eyes, and saw brief spots, before pulling the comlink out. His mouth felt dry as the spots in his vision quickly faded. "And I'm feeling alright," he said to the two faces of Oswald and Thingguy staring at him. They pulled back a bit, satisfied.

Oswald smiled. "I have a few smashed Paradox comlinks, but only one whole one. Do you mind if I compare the two? I won't try and open either one up. They're too precious to try and learn their secrets."

Stirling had to think about it for a minute. The comlink wasn't going to do him any good just sitting in his backpack. What would he use it for? It would be best used trying to contact the NF, like it was made to do. The best person for that was Oswald. So yes.Â

"Yeah, you can have it Oswald." Stirling handed the little bead back to him. "Use it to help. That's what Peragrine would have wanted it to be used for."

Oswald's eyebrows raised. "This isn't yours?"

Stilring shook his head. "It belongs to that friend I've been looking for."

"Peragrine?"

"Yeah, Perry."

"Yeah, I remember him."

"This is his comlink. But I give it to you, so you can... do whatever it is tech-wizards do." Stirling said, with as much gravitas as he could muster.

For his part, Oswald accepted it with appropriate reverence. "It's marvelous, and I will do my best not to... Well, I'll do my best."

Thingguy slapped him heartily on the back. "And that's all a man can ask for!"

Nearly dropping the comlink, Oswald fumbled with it, before giving Thingguy a dirty look that was ignored. "But I want to set your expectations low," he said. "I probably can't do anything with this. Like I said, I don't have the right tools, enough power, or a way to hail them securely."

Stirling nodded, rubbing his stubble. "Understood. We should probably write this down."

Thingguy tapped his own head as he stroked his beard. "No need. It's up here. ''''Secure'''-'''Powe'''r-'''Tools''''."

The other two stared at him for a moment, before Stirling withdrew a writing implement and Oswald handed Strider some sticky notes.

"All the same to you, Thingguy, I like to keep notes," Stirling said.

Thingguy shook his head. "Not when I'm travelling a lot. I tend to lose them and then the wrong people can find them."

Stirling smiled as he showed Thingguy his note.

'''<nowiki/>'Secure'''

'''Power'''

'''Tools''''

"Of course, I don't write things down verbatim either. Just something to jog my memory," Stirling explained, as Thingguy grinned slyly.

Oswald leaned in on the two. "Oh. Well, I don't travel, so..." and he showed them his notes.

''<nowiki/>'Problems with reaching blockade via Radio:''

''1. Not enough Power. Need Generator? How much Power?''

''2. Not correct equipment and/or tools to create correct equipment. Find complete equipment or find tools to create correct equipment.''

''3. Not a way to contact directly and securely. Need Decoder'''

Thingguy tilted his head. "Basically, we need a bigger version of this comlink, right?"

Oswald winced. "I mean, yes, that's the most basic idea of the problem. Theoretically, if I had the right tools, and the knowledge to use them to extract the decoder, the only thing we'd still need is power."

"The right tools... "

"Yeah, like-"

"Like a shrink ray. But in reverse."

Stirling and Oswald stared at Thingguy, who was staring intently at the comlink in Oswald's hands. Like if he stared at it enough, his eyes would become laser eyes. Only '''Growth''' Laser Eyes.

Stirling broke the silence.

"How about something more grounded in reality?"

Thingguy only moved his intense laser eyes at Strider. "Like what?"

Now it was Stirling's turn to stare intently for no apparent reason, while Oswald sighed.Â "Honestly, I'm not sure what tools I would need." He looked back at his list, before scratching out ''<nowiki/>'or find tools to create correct equipment.''' "I may be a fast learner, but I'm no magician. It would take way too much trial and error to learn. I'd invariably break the first 2 or 3 prototypes, and we don't have the extra materials for that." Oswald looked up at the others. "No, the safest and most accurate way to do this would be to find complete equipment. Or mostly complete," he decided.

Stirling restrained a scoff. "That's practically impossible. Unless we're planning to raid one of thedude's holdings directly, we're not just going to find a working surface-to-space radio lying around."

Thingguy's brow knit together as he thought furiously. "Surface to Space Radio..." Suddenly, he turned to Stirling, his eyes bright.Â

"Remember that ship we were talking about early this morning, Strider?"

It took Stirling a moment. "The old Nexus Force Cruiser?"

"Yeah!" barked Thingguy. "What if we used IT'S communicator?!"

"The old Starship crash?" Oswald said. "I've heard about it, but for obvious reasons, I've never thought about going all the way out there."

Strider raised an eyebrow. "Obvious reasons like, 'it's outside the forest'?"

"Yeah."

Stirling turned to Thingguy. Thingguy turned to Stirling.Â

"You up for a road trip?" Thingguy asked.

Stirling turned to Oswald. "Would that work?!"

Oswald blinked, surprised by the sudden and earnest expressions on the two warrior's faces. He glanced down at his list.

"Well, it would be the right equipment. It'd have a decoder, probably outdated, but perhaps workable and... Well, the only issue would be power. Really, it would depend on the condition it's all in. But it's so remote... Maybe it's been left well enough alone?" Oswald began tapping his pencil on his nose. "But there's always the chance that thedude's looted it already..."

Thingguy waved his hands to get Oswald's attention. "Yes, yes, there's lots of variables, but ''could it work''?"

Oswald stared at his list. Internally, he was screaming, because he was drowning in variables. He attempted to simplify.Â

"It's your best shot." He looked up at the two. "And the odds increase if I come with."

=== Chapter 9: In which our Heroes wait for an Expert and his Wagon. ===
It was a few more days before Thingguy and Stirling were ready to leave with their new associate.Â Technically, Oswald didn't have any responsibilities to the Merry Band... But he ''was'' the resident tech expert... It took some cajoling for the leadership to be willing to part with him. Oddly, their deliberations and worry about letting him go for a time annoyed Oswald and Stirling more than it did Thingguy.

"I can't be detained! I'm a free member," Oswald would mutter at one point in between deliberations and inquiries as to why the Knight and the Samurai needed him. Where they were taking him, what were the risks involved, when he would be back, IF he would be back, was he leaving his stuff, how would they take care of it, if there was anyone he could train or recommend to replace or fill in for him...

"They're not going to stop me, either. I'd just thought I'd let them know as a courtesy. Now they've turned it into this whole ''mess''." Oswald sighed.

"That's government for you, Oswald," Stirling replied. "Glorified bickering."

Thingguy would just smile, fondly remembering some 'glorified bickering' among friends. ''<nowiki/>'Certainly, some bickering here and there is a good thing','' he thought. ''<nowiki/>'Keeps the mind sharp. Helps you root your beliefs, pitting them against others. Or learn something new.'''

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

During the next few days, the three men would prepare while the council deliberated. Oswald would come to the harsh realization he would have to leave as much of his gear as he possibly could with a fellow tech-appreciator, who had a smaller wagon of his own. Stirling and Thingguy had left them to it, as the sheer levels of geekdom quickly became too much for the warriors.

Instead, Thingguy challenged Stirling to a quick sparring match.

âBecause,â Thingguy explained. âIf Iâm going to be travelling with you, Iâd like to know how much you can hold in a fight.â

Stirling agreed. âThatâs fair.â He looked around casually. âHow about we find a clear area then...â

Thingguy followed his gaze. Right now, they were on a small path between tents. Campfires dotted the crooked row every few yards, and people were milling around, watching them with respect and admiration, but not getting in their way.

Suddenly, Thingguy realized his mistake, as he heard Stirlingâs Katana ''rasp'' out of its sheath. He leapt back just in time, dodging Stirling's first slash, nearly toppling a stew pot from its campfire stand. Thingguy drew his own sword just in time to block Stirlingâs forward rush.

Thingguy laughed, as Stirling smirked.

âIn a real fight, thereâs not always going to be a clear space, is there?â Stirling said.

âAnd itâs more often than not, a surprise!â Thingguy replied, shoving Stirlingâs lighter katana back with his heavier hand-and-a-half sword.

A number of people were now reacting. Either scurrying away in consternation, or cheering the fight on. Either way, no one was getting close, and there was no attempt to make a concentric ring or border around the two opponents.

The two swordsmen eyed each other, having now regained the central lane. The space was too crowded with tents, campfires, and other fixtures to circle each other.

âThe stories say youâre one of the best swordsmen in the realm, Sir Thingguy.â

âAh, this is true.â

âI look forward to surprising you, then.â Stirling said, pulling his shield from his back. âMake you work for that title, I will.â

Thingguyâs grin was tempered to a piercing smirk as he analyzed Stirlingâs stance. Shield in front, on Striderâs left arm. Katana raised behind him in the right hand to strike. Bent knees. Low center of gravity. Stirling most likely expected him to come at him with heavy blows.

Neither man wanted to make the first strike.

Thingguy looked up from Stirlingâs stance to the man himself. Stirling was staring with steely intensity over the lip of his well-used Nexus Force Knightâs Shield. Though the Sentinel Logo could hardly be made out underneath all the scorch marks anymore.

âLooks like that shieldâs seen a lot of action!â Thingguy said. He knew he could goad Stirling into making the first attack, which would give him a chance to get past that impenetrable shield defense stance. He had to admire that.

âA lot of explosions, thatâs for sure.â

âWell, at least I know you can take a beating. But can you dish out as much as you take on?â Thingguy prompted.

âCan you!?â Stirling yelled, as he rushed forward, shield set to ram Thingguy, who had nowhere to dodge in the narrow lane.

Thingguy squatted low, twisting left to strike at Stirlingâs feet from his unshielded arm. which caused Stirling to swing his own Katana low to either parry or strike.

The two blades clashed in strikes turned to parrys, and the crowd around them roared with the clang.

Stirling continued his momentum, and ran past Thingguy, forcing the Katana into Thingguyâs sword, causing Thingguy, low, but off-balance, to roll backwards to deflect the blow. He twisted around, kneeling and facing Stirling, who had just finished sliding and spinning back around.

â''Gosh, heâs pretty fast for a fully armored individualâ'' Thingguy noted.

Stirling rushed with his shield again. Thingguy stood up, and feinted a thrust forward over the momentarily low shield. Stirling raised the shield in a decent attempt to disarm Thingguy, but Thingguy pulled the sword back, and spun around to Stirlingâs unprotected right side.

Momentarily blinded by his own raised shield, Stirling didnât see the blade coming around his right side till it was past his katanaâs defense.

âGah!â Stirling yelled in disgust as Thingguyâs sword lightly- expertly- nicked his right shoulder.

He shoved his shield directly at where he knew Thingguy was, and heard the solid whack of metal on skull. Pulling back the shield, he performed an upward slash with his Katana, but was parried by a dazed, but still capable, Thingguy.

Stirling pressed this small advantage, performing a flurry of strikes with his Katana, but Thingguyâs single two-handed sword was far too fast for his single-handed Katana.

Noting this, Stirling shook off the shield, tossing it down on the ground in front of him, before shoving it with his foot at Thingguy to try and trip him.

Thingguy had now recovered from the stunning shield blow, and now hopped lightly over the shield, as it skittered away. He parried yet another attack from Stirling, who was clearly becoming frustrated. Stirling was now using two hands for his Katana, and his blows were now stronger and faster, accordingly. However, Thingguy realized that he had him beat. Stirling might possibly be stronger, but his skill simply did not match his own.

Thingguy let Stirling advance, slashing and striking, and piercing and thrusting. All parried or evaded by him. Casting a cheeky glance back over his shoulder, Thingguy could see that they were re-approaching Stirlingâs discarded shield. Looking back at Stirling, he saw realization light up in Stirlingâs eyes. Thingguy had a plan for his shield.

In the tight lane, Stirling pressed Thingguy, causing them to turn so that the shield was a few feet to the side of them. Stirlingâs right. Thingguyâs left.

Thingguyâs smirk flashed dangerously.

And in a sudden moment, Stirling found himself defending a flurry of combinations heâd never seen before, as Thingguy used his legendary swordsmanship to press the advantage heâd had ever since Stirling had been tricked into going offensive. Suddenly, Stirling was being forced to step back and back, into the space between tents and campfires, desperately trying to avoid the sudden tornado that was made of a single blade in Thingguyâs hands.

So focused was Stirling on this shocking display of skill, that he didnât even have time to look where he was backing up to.

Now things were getting trashed. Tents, crockery, boxes. But by the roar of the crowd, it seemed like no one cared. Certainly, the two contestants did not. They were locked in a deadly battle, hardly aware of the onlookers.

Suddenly, Stirlingâs footing slipped out from underneath him as he stepped on his own shield, which shot out at an alarming rate from underneath him, directly at Thingguy.

The shield rammed edge-first into Thingguyâs midriff, getting caught up in his complex swordsmanship, and knocking the wind out of him, as well as his sword.

Now both men hit the dirt on their backs. Stirling was the first to recover, rolling once for an imagined strike that didnât come, and then pushing himself off the ground with a backwards roll to gain some clarity and distance on the situation. However, that only put him directly on Thingguyâs left, who, while still on the ground, and momentarily breathless, still had Stirlingâs shield in his grasp now.

For a half of a second, the two men stared in awkward surprise at each other. Then Thingguy, gripping Stirlingâs shield, shoved off from Stirling, pushing himself away in the process. As Thingguy rolled, he saw his sword a few feet away from him, and Stirling advancing from the other direction, Katana raised.

Stirling rushed forward, and struck repeatedly at the rolling Thingguy, but Thingguy used the shield to block the bone-shattering blows repeatedly.

Like a human lint-roller, Thingguy rolled over his own sword, and as Stirling brought his Katana down yet again, Thingguy thrust his sword up to Striderâs throat.

Stirlingâs Katana rang with a finality as it struck the shield that covered Thingguyâs throat, who lay on the ground, a single arm outstretched.

Without looking, Stirling could feel the cold tip of Thingguyâs sword on his neck, and he froze.

It was deathly silent.

Then the crowd '''''roared''''' their approval, and the two warriors finally took note of their surroundings.

âThat was a good fight!â Thingguy said, finally dropping the sword from Stirling.

Stirling nodded his agreement, as he sheathed his sword. âI suppose the legends do you justice. That was very impressive swordsmanship.âÂ He helped Thingguy up and accepted his shield back. âI donât think Iâve ever seen faster.â

Thingguy beamed. âThanks! Itâs all repetition and muscle memory. And then being able to adapt those combinations seamlessly into each other.â

Stirling frowned. âWere you toying with me the entire time, then?â

Thingguy shook his head. âOh, no. I knew I couldnât get around your shield. Weâd still be fighting if youâd stayed defensive.â

Stirling seemed disheartened. Thingguy chuckled. âOh, come on. Are you really that disappointed you lost?â

A small smile creased Stirlingâs mouth. âKinda.â

Thingguy laughed, and slapped the Samurai across the back, pulling an arm around him. âLook, you have an amazing defense. I just knew how to goad you into attacking. I used my wit as much as my skill in that fight.â

It took Stirling a moment to understand. âWait, what?â

âYeah! Just like what I did with the council and the monkey-talk. I knew what to say to make you do what I wanted.â

Stirling blinked a few times. âYouâ¦ Used your charisma to change the fight?â

Thingguy nodded. âExactly!â

âThat sounds like something my friend Peragrine would do.â

âSome people call it âtrash talkingâ. Some people call it getting into the opponentâs head. I just call it another skill. Another tool I can use in a fight. An invaluable one at that.â he patted Stirling. âJust like cheering your allies on, you can goad your enemies off balance.â

Stirling listened, considering.Â âThatâs aâ¦ Iâd never thought of it like that before.â

âThatâs why Iâm the best!â

Stirling grinned. âThat you are, Sir Thingguy.â

âCome on, Iâll get you a drink. Are you thirsty? Iâm thirsty. Rolling around in the dirt makes a man thirsty.â

Stirling chuckled. âI canât believe you won lying down. Thatâs just the most ridiculous part.â

âIf you think thatâs ridiculous, let me tell you about the time I won a fight with a slice of pizza.â

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

After nearly a week, things were finally getting wrapped up. Oswald had been officially released from his various duties around the Merry Band, and there was a new Tech Expert that Oswald had entrusted with various projects in his absence.Â During this time, Stirling and Thingguy would amuse themselves any way they could, having been ready to leave for days now. This usually consisted of walking around the camp.

Suddenly, Stirling struck up a conversation.

âI know Oswald is good for the technical side of things once we get there,â Stirling said to Thingguy. âBut I wonder how tough the guy really is. Do you think we can trust him to hold his own?â

Thingguy turned his attention from his surroundings to Stirling. âAre you worried we canât protect him?â

Stirling hesitated. âWell, yes.â

The two men walked for a moment, both giving the other a chance to say more, when they both realized they were thinking the same thing.

âWeâve both failed in that respect in the past,â Stirling said.

Thingguy nodded. âI know we canât protect everyone, but I also think Oswald can hold his own. After all, heâs a part of the Merry Band!â

Stirling still seemed uncertain, so Thingguy continued.

âAnd it was his choice. One heâs made with careful calculation, it would seem.â

âI suppose.â

âAnd if youâve failed in protecting others in the past, have you learned from those failures?â

â...â

When Stirling didnât respond, Thingguy stopped and turned to Stirling. âItâs only a failure if you donât learn from your mistakes. Guilt doesnât get you anywhere.â

Stirling was staring at the ground, and wasnât responding to Thingguy.

Thingguy thought back to what Stirling had told him about his past. How heâd been unable to protect his brother and best friend. How he hadnât even been there to protect them.

âHow am I supposed to learn from the Raid of Calibus?â Stirling asked, confirming Thingguyâs thoughts. âBeyond that I shouldnât have left them? But then Iâd be dead like everyone else. Dead, or missing. Scattered once again.â

Thingguy wracked his brain for application. Something to give to Stirling to focus on, but alas, he was at a loss.Â All he could think of wasâ¦

âThere was no way you could know what was going to happen. That doesnât excuse anyone; thatâs just facts.â

Stirling nodded, finally looking up at Thingguy, blinking back tears. âAnd I canât dwell on it if it stops me from moving forward. Only if it â¦ Uh, moves me forward.â

âDoes it?â

Stirling blinked away the last of his tears, and a familiar steely glint re-entered his eyes. âYes. Yes it does.â

Thingguy smiled, attempting to match Stirlingâs dangerous smile. âGood. Glad youâre on my side.âÂ Another point presented itself to Thingguy, and he raised a finger. âAlso, we can learn that we need strength in numbers to fight thedude. That we must remain united. Not scattered.â

âBut not too densely united, lest we be singularly wiped out in another terrible Raid.â

âTis a delicate balance, but one we ''must'' master!â

âAnd one we are looking to help resolve, by being able to call for reinforcements at the appropriate time.â

âVerily! Tis so!â

âRight.â

The two resumed walking.

âDo you think the nerds are done geeking out?â Stirling asked.

Thingguy shook his head, grinning. âDefinitely not. Give it a few more hours.â

"Right. Then perhaps teach me how to use that Olde Speech of yours. I'm afraid I'm terribly rusty."

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Eventually, Stirling and Thingguy came back and found Oswald reorganizing a much less cluttered wagon, with horses. A number of the heavier and bulkier items were now missing from his cart, and as Stirling and Thingguy clambered into the wagon, they could both appreciate how large the wagon truly was.

âGentlemen,â Oswald said in greeting, as he tucked a final bit of scrap into a footlocker. âPlease appreciate a full 5 by 7 wagon filled with nothing but entirely legal cargo.â

Thingguy nodded in appreciation. âI couldnât help but notice as we walked up that youâve attached the radar dish to the bottom of the wagon. Are you hiding the illegal stuff under there?â

Oswald smiled. âOh, you like that? Yeah, the dish clicks into place under there. And no. When I say thereâs no contraband stuff on my wagon, thereâs no contraband stuff on my wagon. That way, if I were to get searched or something, Iâm just a âsuspiciously lucky collectorâ instead of an outright criminal.

Stirling observed the inside of the wagon. It did indeed look much more nondescript. Everything was packed neatly away in sealed boxes, footlockers, and chests. In fact, it looked like a cargo wagon. Not at all like the wagon of a technical expert. Stirling attempted to lift the lid of a chest, but found it locked.Â Going to a plastic bin, he pulled the lid off of that, and looked in.

âClothes.â Stirling identified. âOswald, did you hide all your technological stuff behind lock and key?â

âOh, absolutely. If anyone were to find my collection, they might be inclined to keep it, even if itâs not contraband.â Oswald adjusted his glasses, and affected a slightly more polished tone âAnd as an avid collector, I, Oswald Yaccarino, do my best to protect my collection.â

âThatâs really smart.â

âThank you!â

Thingguy looked to the front of the wagon, where two horses were hooked up. âAnd who are these two fine fellows?â

Hitched up to the wagon were two brown horses of a decent, if ordinary build.

âTheyâre not mine. Not specifically anyway. Iâve used them before in the past to pull the wagon. I think that left oneâs named Bacon, and the otherâs namedâ¦ uh,â Oswald adjusted his glasses and stared at the darker brown horse. âBarkley? Berkeley? Beverly?â

Thingguy leaned back and sized the creature up. âShe looks like a Beverly to me.â

âIâd hate to be uncert-â

âBeverly it is!â Stirling said, and the matter was clearly dropped by the two warriors. âWhen do we leave?â

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 10: In Which Stirling Meets Ingrid, and Our Heros Depart. ===
It would take a few more hours of final goodbyes and last minute details. Details such as gettingÂ Stirling a new horse to ride and keep up with Thingguy and Oswald. Stirling had dismissed this more than once over the past few days, stating he had terrible luck with horses, and would simply ride in the wagon with Oswaldâ¦ But the issue kept coming up, and eventually, Stirling had to admit it was sensible for both warriors to be mobile.

For this, Stirling and Thingguy were told that they could get such a horse from the surplus of the Merry Band.

When they got there, the stablegirl, Sharla, was ready for them with a strawberry roan that she insisted was exactly what Stirling was looking for.

Apparently, the story of Stirlingâs poor luck with horses had gotten around, and the rumors of their immediate departure as well.

âHer name is Ingrid.â Sharla said empirically, leading the clearly irritated horse towards the two men.Â âInvincibile Ingrid. Sheâs faced thedudeâs forces a lotta times before we got her. Saved Sir Martinâs life more than once, Iâve been told.â

Stirling didnât bother to hide his doubt as Ingrid clearly pulled back on the lead, snorting with irritance. âShe seems a bit unruly.â

Behind Stirling, Thingguy cracked a smile, as he saw the similarities between the horse and the man. Both of them irritated, blind to each otherâs deep reserves of strength and resolve.Â He was with the stablegirl on this one. The two were clearly a perfect fit.

Meanwhile, the horse snorted, rolling her eyes to Stablegirl Sharla, as if to say, ''âReally? This guy?â''

Sharla didnât seem to notice. She slapped the lead rope into Stirlingâs outstretched hand, even as Stirling continued to question her. Â

âIs this Sir Martinâs horse then?â

âIt was. But he donât ride anymore. Too hard on him. Bad hips.â

Thingguy slapped Stirlingâs shoulder. âI take it that Sir Martin supports our endeavor very much then, to offer his own horse.â

Stirling glanced at Thingguy. Thingguy nodded encouragingly.

Ingrid glanced at Sharla. Sharla nodded firmly.

Both Horse and Samurai glanced back at each other.

And as one, they said âpffffft.â and turned away.

The horse spun around, and began walking back towards the pen gate with the rest of the horses, as Stirling tossed the lead back to the stablegirl and turned away to look at the rest of the horses.

âThere has to be a better candidate than ''that'' old mare!â he declared.

Both Thingguy and Sharla immediately began to protest, but at Stirlingâs declaration, stopped as soon as theyâd begun, for Ingrid had halted in mid-step.

âWhereâs a nice, strong '''stallion''' war-horse?â he said, leaning on the metal corral fencing. âDo you have any of those, Sharla?â

Ingridâs head whipped around and locked onto the oblivious Stirling, who was now pulling himself up onto the metal fencing to look out over the small herd of horses.

Sharla began to call out to warn Stirling, but Thingguy calmly put a hand over her mouth.

â''Shhh.â'' Â He whispered serenely. âThis is exactly what they both need.â

Stirling was now pointing off into the herd. âOh! How about that one there? It looks big and str-â

Ingrid turned full around. She locked onto the stupid humanâs stupid rear. Without a single sound, she trotted up to Stirling, and flipped him neatly over the fenceline, to have him land directly on his back.

With the wind knocked out of him, Stirling didnât finish his sentence, but instead stared in surprise up the muzzle of a furiously whinnying Strawberry roan.

In that moment, Stirling heard Ingrid speak to him.

For the first time, he heard horses talk. Â

It was the most honest, brutal, and foul-mouthed speech that he had heard in quite some time. And it was entirely about him.

âRight. Yes. Fair. Iâm all that and more. Are you in?â he asked, as soon as sheâd finished, which was thankfully right around the time heâd recovered his breath.

Ingrid appeared to consider it for a moment, glancing back at Sharla and Thingguy, who stood pensive off to the side.

She snorted once.Â â''Yes.â'' Â

Clear as day.

âFantastic,â Stirling said with less enthusiasm than he actually felt. As he found his feet, they both began talking at the same time.

â''But to be clear, if you remain an ignorant oaf of the previously mentioned proportions, I will not hesitate to kill you myself.â''

âAnd I assure you, I shall do my best to treat you with the proper respect in the future. Forgive me?â

Ingrid raised her nose up snootily. â''Yes. Also, your back is covered in manure.â''

âAh. Well. Whoâs fault is that?â ''Â ''

''âYours.â''

Stirling couldnât come up with a witty retort for that, so he simply grunted and turned to their audience of two.

Thingguy was beaming with barely contained laughter, while the stablegirl was grinning smugly. âSee? I told you!â

Stirling attempted to save his dignity. âYour horse attempted to kill me.â

âSo yâ know sheâs a real tough cookie! A killer! Sheâs perfect! Just admit it.â

Ingrid turned her long face to stare at Stirlingâs ear.Â Stirling rolled his eyes. He got down on his knees to be eye-level with the stablegirl. Took a deep breath.

âSharlaâ¦â Stirling said, looking reproachfully at Thingguy, who was now using his hands to physically stifle his laughter. Stirling sighed, accepting his serving of humility and humble pie. âShe's perfect. Youâre right.â

The young girl smiled delightedly, clapping her hands. âI knew it! I-knew-it, I-knew-it, I-knew-it!â She skipped off, calling back, âI have to go do somâmore chores, but your horse is here as well, Sir Thingguy! Just call âim!â

âWill do!â Thingguy called back, and then he turned to the corral.

âDEAAAAAAAADBEAAAAAAT!â

A distant whinny went up, and Thingguy laughed. Then he turned to Stirling, who seemed a little deflated. Perhaps stunned.

âSoooooâ¦â Thingguy began, smiling. âWere you talking with your horse there?â

Stirling looked up, looked at Ingrid, and then the two of them looked back at Thingguy.

â â''Donât you?â â'' They both said.

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Late that evening, the group finally rode east, away from the Merry Band, who once again were packing up and moving to their own next destination.

There were no more goodbyes, no waving. The only looking back was done by Oswald, and then again, not to any particular person, but to the whole moving Caravan as a whole. Much later, he would look back at the forest-line. A forest he hadnât left inâ¦

Oswald thought hard. âGosh. Years.â He racked his brain for a specific number. âLetâs see. I went into hiding 1 year into thedudeâs reign, because I wanted to learn more about technology instead of cobblering. So, 5, almost 6 years.âÂ He glanced back at the treeline. At its safety. Turning to look forward at the world heâd left years ago, he felt ''terribly'' exposed out here on the open plains of Far Eastern Morcia.

â''This must be what a field mouse feels like before a hawk gets itâ'' he realized.

Then his eyes anchored themselves onto his two travelling companions, who seemed perfectly at home up ahead on their two horses. Sir Stirling, and Sir Thingguy.

â''I guess in this analogy though, Iâm no field mouse. Iâmâ¦ Well, Iâm a man in a cart.â'' Oswald nodded to himself. â''No need to confuse myself. No need for analogies. Iâm the weakest of the group, for sure, but theyâre both strong enough to make up for that. And, of course, Iâm smart enough to make up for the both of them. Hopefully. If we get that far.â'' Â He glanced up at the huuuuge sky, expecting Barneybots and Fighters to come out of the clouds and bomb them to oblivionâ¦

But they didnât. Just the occasional bird, soaring high in the big blue sky.

Even with the late start theyâd had leaving the Merry Band, they made decent time, riding over the relatively flat plains. Oswald with his head on a swivel, getting used to the wide openness of everything, and the two fighters, outwardly relaxed, as if on a weekend jaunt, talking with each other, and their horses.

Late into the evening, they came across a main road that ran North and South.

As Oswald came closer to the road, Thingguy called out to him, pointing North.

âThis road runs north to the town of Leer!â

Oswald simply nodded, but didnât reply until he was within casual conversation distance. As he turned north onto the road, he asked, âDo you think we can make it there tonight?â

Thingguy shook his head. âNo. Well, not unless we went through the night. Which we ''couldâ¦â'' Thingguy considered.

Deadbeat chuffed, causing Thingguy to respond. âOh come on, it would do you good. Youâve gotten all fat and soft during our time at the Merry Band. Honestly, can you count how many oats they gave you there?â

Deadbeat nickered, his eyes shifting in embarrassment.

âThatâs what I thought.â Thingguy said, reproachfully. Deadbeat whinnied defensively, but Thingguy ignored him, having clearly won the argument this time. He leaned over and addressed Stirling, who was flanking the other side of the cart now. âWhat do you think, Strider? Should we go through the night and arrive at Leer perhaps aroundâ¦ midnight?â

Stirling shook his head. âArriving at the town late at night will raise questions. But riding through the night isnât irregular this far east. Lots of robbers and scavengers on this road on the edge of Morcia. Desert-based bandits too, if the pickings are slim on the East Way. Which they have been.â

Ingrid snorted in agreement.

Oswald turned back to Thingguy. âIâm willing to ride through the night, but perhaps we just camp outside the city if we arrive there too early?â

âMy thoughts exactly, Oss!â Thingguy said.

Oswald twitched at the attempt at a nickname. âOss?â

Thingguy flashed a grin at the young man before spurring Deatbeat forward, and out of the conversation.

âThat wonât stick!â Oswald yelled after him.

Stirling failed to stifle a chuckle, causing Oswald to turn on him. âYou got that? It wonât stick. I won-â

âSure thing, Oss.â Stirling said, hiding his smile behind a gauntlet.

âOssâ stared at Stirling, who didnât rush away.

âThink of it this way,â Stirling said. âIt could have been âWaldâ.â

âThat actually makes more sense.â

Stirling thought about it, rolling his eyes up into his head. ââOssâ, or âWoldâ?â

âNo, âWaldâ.â

âThatâs what I said. âWoldâ.â

âNo, you said âWoldâ. Thatâs ''completely'' different from âWaldâ!

Now both of them were staring at each other, completely baffled by the other.

âSay it again,â Stirling said, straining his ears.

Oswald took a deep breath and enunciated. â âWaldâ...â

âUh-huhâ¦?â

âversus âWoldâ.â

Slowly, Stirling nodded. âYup. Sound exactly the same.â

Oswald blinked furiously. âNo! You-â he paused. âYou must be pulling my leg.â he concluded. âTheyâre completely different. Oneâs an old word for a forested area, and the otherâs an old word used for an open, sorta hilly, grassy plain. Similar to what weâre in now, actually.â he finished, looking around. âWhich is actually pretty enjoyable, now that Iâm getting over the fear of getting spotted from above by bombing barneybots.â

Ingrid snorted.

Stirling patted her comfortingly as he followed Oswaldâs gaze into the dimming evening sky. âI mean, thereâs no reason for barneybots to patrol this stretch of road. Weâd have to be pretty unlucky to have to deal with that. And even if we did, Oswald,â he looked back down at the man. âYouâre just an avid tech collector, remember?â

Oswald took a moment to remember, but then he smiled, and adopted his posh demeanor. âAh yes. Very rightly so.â He straightened his coat, and then pulled out a brown bowler hat from below his seat. âI do say, I know how to spiffy up if and when the need might arise!â

Stirling grinned. âYouâre certainly the brains and face of our party. Thingguy and I just look like your hired mercenaries, although heâs certainly got a lot of charisma for a guy in used and dirty chainmail.â

Oswald refocused his attention on guiding the horses for a moment as he looked directly ahead to Thingguy, who looked like he was out for a sunday jaunt, taking in the fresh wide-open air.

âSir Thingguy is certainly very moving. And regal, when he wants to be. Never met him personally before last week, but I do recall hearing about him before thedude won.â

âOh?â

âYeah. Stories of him, Sir Talmid, and Sir Luke leading King Matthiasâs troops into battle. I always thought they were a bit over-the-top. Until I met him. Now I donât doubt those tales at all.â

Stirling nodded. âIâve heard some of the stories. But Iâm not surprised by all that. Tell you what I ''am'' surprised by.â

âWhat?â

âHis perpetual good mood.â

âWhat do you mean?â

Stirling threw an arm out towards Thingguy, who appeared to be talking to his horse again. âI mean, this guyâs lost all his friends, lost a war, is stranded on a foreign planet, has only his horse, and the items on his back, no directionâ¦â

Thingguy took that moment to laugh at something his horse had apparently said.

Stirling shook his outstretched hand, looking at Oswald. âYet, see? This guy can laugh at anything.â Now he shook his head. âI donât really get it.â

Oswald considered this, chewing his lip. âThatâs a good point. Kinda figured itâs just the power of positive thinking, butâ¦ Well, that doesnât work for me when things wonât go my way.â

Stirling grunted. âSame. And things havenât been my way forâ¦ going on 3 years now.â

âSince you arrived, right?â

âYeah.â

âHeyâ¦â Oswald leaned towards Stirling. âMaybe itâs just this whole blasted planet.â

Stirling chuckled. This somehow tickled him in a dark humor kind of way. âYeah. Maybe.â At least that way, his failures these past 3 years weren't just on him being a complete loser. âYeah. I like that.â

Oswald straightened up. âI mean, actually, no. Technically speaking, to curse an entire planet would-â

âTech curse. The Old Sorcerer did it, didnât he?â Stirling said, now minorly invested in the âcursed planetâ theory.

Oswald paused, taking a moment to organize his thoughts. âWell, yes. He did. Some say he zombified himself doing that though. Like, he used up his entire life-force, but his body was still healthy, so they entombed him in such a way that if he ever woke up, he could get up and get out. Or that the tech curse required him to still be âaliveâ to remain active, I think? So his body was preservedâ¦?â

Stirling raised his eyebrows. âI just heard that it took a lot out of him, so he was like, super weak. Nothing specific like that.â

Oswald shrugged. âI mean, specifics from a story of a legend of a theory of word of mouth. Plenty of potential inaccuracies. Donât quote me.â

âFair.â

âBut to curse a whole planet withâ¦ negative events? Negative force?â

âBad luck?â

âSure. Bad luck.â Oswald readjusted his glasses. âI donât study magic, obviously, but the energy needed for that would be even more immense than the equivalent energy we need for this radio signal to work properly!â

Stirling raised an eyebrow. âYou say that like magical energy and imagination energy can be equated.â

Oswald physically stopped himself from doing the mental math of trying to figure out how much energy he was talking about. There were too many variables in that problem to make it worthwhile. âWell, depending on the magic user and the way their magic works, sure. Magical energy is still energy. At some point, it doesnât fluctuate anymore. Or it shouldnât. If it does, it has a certain amount that it fluctuates, so you can measure it within that much of a margin.â

Stirling blinked a few times, re-running that last bit in his head a few more times. âBut, I thought âmagic is simply science we donât understandâ. If youâre understanding it, is it science and not magic anymore?â

Oswald shook his head. âMagic is still science we donât understand. But different people understand different amounts of science. Whatâs magic to you isnât magic to me. Magic and science are the same thing, just labeled differently for different people. Magic is subjective. Whatâs magic and whatâs science is in the eye of the beholder.â Oswald grinned. âAnd I came up with that by myself.â

Stirling frowned, looking down at his gauntlets blankly for a moment.

âFor example,â Oswald said, seeing Stirling still thinking. âYour using Imagination the other day on your Nexus Force earpiece. To me, that was magic.â

Stirling glanced up at Oswald. âBut, thatâs just tech.â

âBut I didnât know how it works. I mean, itâs been explained to me, but I still havenât been able to open it up and observe it piece by piece, so I still donât completely get it. Therefore, I call it magic.â

âSo, would you call yourself a wizard?â

âA Tech-Wizard, sure! Iâm no sorcerer; donât have magic coming out of my fingers. Iâm no warlock; I donât have powers from some other source or curse. Some might call me an alchemist, since I combine various items together, but that would be disrespectful of actual alchemists who use raw elements.â Oswald sighed wistfully. âIâd give a lot to be able to learn alchemy, actually. That sounds really awesome.â

Ingrid snorted at the mention of alchemy, and Stirlingâs attention was diverted for a moment.

âIâve heard that term before, but I donât really know what it means.â he said, as much to Ingrid as Oswald.

âWhat, alchemy?â Oswald asked.

âYeah.â

Oswald bolted wide awake. âOh gosh! Let me tell you all about it!â

Belatedly, Stirling realized heâd made a terrible mistake, as Oswald proceeded to geek out about what little he knew about the frowned-upon practice of Alchemy.

<nowiki>~~~~~~</nowiki>

Quite a few hours later, Stirling was still listening to Oswald when Thingguy called a halt.

âWe should make camp here for the night,â Thingguy explained. âIf my understanding is correct, weâll be able to see Leer by going over that next little rise there in the morning.â

âSounds good!â Stirling said, dismounting suddenly in an attempt to escape Oswald.

Oswald nodded. âAlright, Sir Thingguy.â

The three made camp quickly and easily. The four horses were unsaddled, and staked together to graze and rest. The two warriors pitched tents, while Oswald simply covered himself up in his wagon.

Within minutes of lying down, the two warriors were sound asleep, leaving Oswald to stare at a completely open night sky alone.

<nowiki>~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 11: In which our heroes beat around the bush called Leer, and observe various vehicles going to and fro. ===
Early the next morning, the threesome quickly got saddled up and back on the road, none the worse for wear.

Cresting the next hill, the town of Leer came into view, proving that Thingguy knew his stuff.

The three men sized the place up.

Leer was often called the âLast Western Townâ, but really, it was more of a large city. The last large city before the largely empty and wild Brownlands. Leer had no walls, but plenty of Towers built in irregular circles radiating out from the center of the old town. As the city had grown and grown with trade, more and more towers had been built on what had been the outskirts of the city at the time, causing it to now have towers of varying quality and strength throughout the city now. It was a main trading port, situated as it was at the western end of the Great East Way. A hub of commerce, where one could get just about anything for the right price. Nowhere else in the Land of Morcia did money speak as loudly as it did here.

However, since thedude had declared war on the Eastern Empires of Cheinir and Jepuni, the city of Leer, and indeed all of the Great East Way was filled with a different form of commerce.

The commerce of war.

Stirling, Thingguy, and Oswald noted with varying degrees of wariness the heavy presence of Paradox Rogues, flying Barneybots, and even Barney Fighters.Â As they watched, they saw a heavily armored military column making its own way out of town, East. Motorized transports, horses, covered caravans, and even camels all made their way into the dusty Brownlands. Off to war with the Empires.Â Above them, Barneybots hovered thickly, inadvertently providing shade for some below them.

Suddenly, Oswald gasped, and the two others followed his gaze.

Above even the Barneybots, a few red dots flew high above, in the bright blue sky.

âOh hey, look at that,â Thingguy said. âThey have some red mythrans.â

Stirling glared up at them. âAnd weâre standing here like freaking idiots.â

âTourists.â Thingguy peeked sideways at Oswald. âIsnât that right, Mr. Yaccarino?â

Oswald attempted a posh âYepâ but all that his terrified, dry mouth could offer was a pitiful croak.

Then it was Stirlingâs turn to gasp. âTanks!â He pointed back at the ground, where a number of tanks were now rolling out from the city of Leer. âHonest to goodness, bona-fide tanks!â

Thingguy raised his eyebrows. âWonder where heâs manufacturing those?â

Stirlingâs gawking turned back to his customary frown. âWell, I know where theyâre getting the raw ore, thatâs for sure. Stillâ¦ Iâd really like to get my hands on one of those tanks.â

Now it was Thingguyâs turn to gasp and pointÂ âLook! A Helicopter!â

Stirling and Oswald followed Thingguyâs leather-bound pointer finger, and there, rising out from the buildings and towers of Leer was a small black helicopter, flanked by a squad of Barneybots. As it rose, quickly gaining altitude, the words âPARCEL DELIVERYâ could be seen painted on the helicopter. Then the copter quickly pulled away, guarded by four Barneybots who kept pace with it as it puttered into the east, outpacing the caravan below it.

âWonder if they transport people too?â Thingguy said. âThen we could get a helicopter ride!â

Stirling frowned. âIâm more worried about where heâs manufacturing all this.â

Oswald nodded, clearly terrified. â...Power.â he croaked. The two older men glanced back at him, and Oswald spoke up, looking away from the Caravan.

âAhem. Meant to say, âthatâs a lot of powerâ.â

Stirling nodded gravely. Thingguy pursed his lips.

âTrue!â Thinnguy said. He turned back to the Caravan. âBut itâs not focused on us. Itâs focused on the east.â Thingguy followed the road east with his eyes. âFirst Builders save them.â

ââCause we sure canât.â Stirling grumbled negatively.

âNot ''yet''.â Thingguy finished positively.

The three men all watched the Caravan for a long time, morbidly counting the strength of the forces. Thinking their own personal thoughts. Eventually, the end of the Caravan exited the city. From their vantage point, they could barely see the front of the caravan as a distant point in the horizon.

âCome on,â Stirling said. âWe should get a move on.â

âToo true!â Thingguy replied. He turned to Oswald. âWhich way, Mr. Yaccarino? Into town, or around and Northward?â

Oswald was surprised. He looked at Thingguy, and then at Strider, who both returned his look with expectancy.Â âItâs up to me?â

âYouâre the fancy collector, Mr. Yaccarino,â Stirling said, adopting a bored and stupid expression. âWeâre just the hired muscle.â

âIf I might make a suggestion,â Thingguy offered. Oswald quickly nodded, so Thingguy continued. âIf we go into town, youâre going to have to take point, so as to avoid suspicions. But if we donât need to go into town, we can just circumnavigate the town, and head to our destination directly. Shouldnât take more than a day or two.â

Oswald thought about it briefly. âWe definitely donât have a need to go into town, except to keep up pretenses. But if weâre not stopped by anyone or anything, we donât need those pretenses anyway. So letâs just focus on our main objective, until something stops us. Then we focus on keeping that objective under pretenses.â He glanced down at Thingguy. âMakes sense?â

Thingguy gave a thumbs up. âPerfect.â He looked out over the city of Leer. âCircumnavigating, it is!â He pointed Northeast. âThatâs our direction.â

The crew made their way down from their vantage point, and began making their way in that direction, every once in a while casting a cautionary glance at the ever-closer looming towers of Leer.

As they did, Oswald fished around for a set of binoculars, which he then used to take a look at the men atop one of the towers.

It appeared that the City was at peace with thedude. A number of Paradox Rogues were on each tower, but there was also a presence of local militia and guardsmen atop each one as well.

As they got as close as they were going to get to Leer on their current trajectory, they heard the sounds of another helicopter.

They all searched the sky for one, but Thingguy saw it first.

âThere! Itâs coming from the east!â

The others turned to see it. A small helicopter puttered itâs way into Leer, with a single heavily damaged Barneybot as itâs vanguard. This copter had âMAIL DELIVERYâ painted in white on itâs dull grey metal exterior.

âLooks like bandits or something nearly got that mail delivery,â Stirling noted, his hand on his bow.

The others agreed, and they continued walking. Thingguy sighed wistfully. âImagine if we had a helicopter to our destination, though.â

Stirling shook his head, about to argue why that was a bad ideaâ¦ but then Oswald did that for him.

âWell, if we took a helicopter, it would be fairly easy to track us to our destination,â he said. âAnd thatâs even if we could get through the city without raising suspicions. No, the less we risk interaction with members of thedudeâs society, the better.â

Stirling nodded. âThe kidâs right.â

Thingguy sighed wistfully.

Deadbeat whinnied, bringing Thingguy out of his reverie.

âWhat?! How could you not like a nice, relaxing helicopter ride?!â

Stirling failed to hold back a laugh, even as Ingrid snorted, getting in on the conversation. A conversation that only the horses could hear in full. Still, Stirling enjoyed listening to what he could.

''âQuite easily, Sir Thingguy. As horses, we are more capable on the ground, with all four hooves on the ground!â'' Ingrid.

Deadbeat whinnied in agreement.

âWhatâd she say?â Thingguy asked.

Stirling reiterated. âShe says that horses are horses, and they belong on the ground, not up in the sky.â

Ingrid stomped a hoof and tossed her mane. ''âThat is most certainly not what I said!â''

âOh, sorry, was what I said inaccurate?â Stirling asked Ingrid, smiling.

''âOnly in that it implies horses are physically incapable of leaving the ground. I could go on a helicopterâ¦ If it were absolutely necessary.â'' Ingrid neighed defensively.

âI meanâ¦ I suppose getting all of us and the cart onto a helicopter would be really expensiveâ¦â Thingguy relented, patting his pockets. âSeems to me theyâre in thedudeâs back pocket anyway, and wouldnât give a couple of freedom fighters a lift.â

Oswald spoke up. âIndeed. I was just looking at the towers there, and thereâs a mix of local guardsmen and Paradox Rogues on each tower. Seems to me that Leer is One Hundred Percent thedude.â

Stirling scoffed. âThat makes a lot of sense, the money-grubbers.â

The crew continued northeast, crossing the road that ran out of Leer and off into the east, going up and over a rise. As they did so, Thingguy pointed to a large mountain in the distance.

âThereâs our target. Or thereabouts.â

âThat lone mountain have a name?â Stirling asked.

Thingguy nodded. âMount Servus. Rumors are that the cruiser crashed right at the foot of it.â

Oswald piped up. âWhich side?â

Thingguy faltered in his reply. âIâ¦ have no idea.â

Stirling stifled a chuckle, as Oswald stared at the Knight. âYou just know itâs âat the foot of Mount Servusâ?â

Thingguy shrugged. âYeah! I figure the cruiserâll be easy to spot once we get closer.â

Stirling nodded. âCertainly.â

Oswald stared into space for a moment, containing his frustration over the inexactness of his fellow travellers. âO-kay,â he squeaked.

They traveled all day at a steady pace, stopping to rest whenever they needed, which was usually whenever Deadbeat found a patch of passably green turf to nibble on, or when the cart caught a snag on the rough terrain.

Stirling gauged the distance. âAt our current pace, we might reach it tomorrow, late morning, I think.â

Ingrid snorted, glancing at Deadbeat with slight disdain. ''âSooner, if he stopped getting distracted by every morsel of greenery.â''

âThis is true,â Stirling said.

Deadbeat whinnied a response that only Thingguy and Ingrid understood. ''âItâs not my fault! If Thingguy had packed more oats, I wouldnât be starving to death in this dreary place!â''

âHey!â Thingguy exclaimed. âI did too pack those oats! Itâs not my fault you cleverly snuck into your own saddlebags on our first night out! Honestly, Iâm still amazed at how you did thatâ¦â

Deadbeat turned his long face to look at his rider. ''âI told you, I didnât eat them. Which means you must have forgotten to pack them.â''

âLiar.â

''âNo, you.â''

One of the cart horses, Bacon, snorted.

The other cart horse, Beverly turned and nickered quietly to Bacon.

Oswald leaned forward. âBaconâ¦?â

Staring into the ground, Bacon nickered quietly back to Beverly. This caused Beverly to look from Bacon to Deadbeat in apparent surprise. She neighed something to Deadbeat. Deadbeatâs ears shot straight up.

''âOh.â''

âWhat? What is it, old boy?â

''âI guess you did pack them.â''

âOf course I packed them, doofus!â Thingguy said, slapping his horse affectionately to soften his name-calling. And the fact that he was right.

''âCause Bacon admits to eating them all.â'' Deadbeat glared at Bacon, who seemed to physically wilt under the accusing gaze.

Stirling and Oswald were flitting their gazes between all of this, entirely lost now.

âIâm sorry, does someone want to explain why weâre not moving?â Stirling asked.

Ingrid tossed her mane. ''âIt appears we have TWO gluttons in our group. And itâs the two stallions, of course.â''

Stirling looked from the angry Deadbeat to the forlorn Bacon. âAh. I see. Well.â

Oswald followed Stirlingâs gaze. âDoes your horse have a problem with Bacon, Sir Thingguy?â

Thingguy took a nervous breath through his teeth. â âparrently Bacon ate Deadbeatâs oats last night?â

Bacon nickered mournfully. Or maybe that was his stomach.

âOh. Well.â Oswald glanced back into the wagon. âThen I suppose Deadbeat can eat Baconâs oats here.â

The ears of all four equines perked up, but none more than Deadbeatâs. ''âHow much?â''

Thingguy echoed his horseâs question. In response, Oswald reached behind him and wrestled a heavy bag of oats out from the cart and into his lap. âThis much?â

Deadbeat snorted distainfully. ''âI suppose that will have to do.â'' He rolled his eyes back to facing front, and started walking again, justice having been served.

Thingguy smiled. âDeadbeat appreciates it.â He paused a moment before adding, âAnd so do I.â He also now turned to face front, and leaned forward to whisper what was clearly apologies for ever doubting his horse.

Ingrid watched the two veterans for a moment before following and nickering softly to Stirling. ''<nowiki/>'They have a strong bond.'''

Stirling nodded, then remembered that his horse couldnât necessarily see his nodding. So he patted her once. âYeah. Theyâve been pretty lucky.âÂ Behind him, Oswald followed with the cart.

''<nowiki/>'I and Sir Martin were very close, but not like that.'<nowiki/>'' She turned her neck to look back at Stirling. ''<nowiki/>'He was very kind and intuitive, but we didn't talk. Not like this. Not like Sir Thingguy and Deadbeat.'''

Stirling stared back at the large, steady, equine eye. âAs you well know, Iâve never talked with a horse like this before, either.â

''âIn actuality, I did not.â''

âOh. Well, now you do.â

''âI want you to promise me something.â''

An eyebrow raised in instinctual suspicion on Stirlingâs face. âWhat sort of promise?â

Ingrid looked back at Thingguy and Deadbeat.Â ''âTrust. Can we trust each other? Can you trust me?â''

Stirling didnât answer right away. He wanted to give such a serious question some serious thought.

Ingrid glanced back once, surprised to see Stirling thinking about it. ''âWhy are you hesitating?â'' she asked.

âDo you know about my previous steeds? How they usually end up dead, lost, or otherwise unfit for continued service?â Stilring asked quietly, not looking at Ingrid.

''âSomewhat.Â The Stablegirl told me some of it, but to be honest, I did not pay much heed to it.â''

âWell, suffice to say that most of it is not embellishment. I have had terrible luck with horses. I live an uncertain and vagabond lifestyle nowadays, and I havenât found a horse who can take a hit like I can.â

''âHave you armored your horses?â'' Ingrid asked, pointedly. ''âLike how you armor yourself?â''

Stirling stared at Ingridâs neck. âHmm. No, I guess I havenât. It would be expensive, or perhaps cost me a bit of a favorâ¦ But Iâd never thought of it.â

Ingrid snorted. ''âThat would be a good start.â''

Stirling nodded. âItâs a very good idea. And unlike other horses, I donât think it would slow you down.â

''âA slow horse is better than no horse, Sir Silverstine.â''

âVery true.â

''âBut you still have not answered my question.â''

Now he replied quickly. âI want to trust you, Ingrid,â Stirling said. âBut trust is not something given. Itâs something earned, through actions and deeds.â Ingrid tensed underneath him, but Stirling continued. âAnd beyond me trusting you, I donât think you should trust me. Not based on my track record with your kind.â

Ingrid nickered softly, but firmly. ''âLet me stop you there. I intend to break your so-called âbad luckâ. Your âtrack recordâ, your whatever else you want to call it. Leave that to me.â'' Now it was Stirlingâs turn to listen, as Ingrid continued, her hooves stomping to accentuate her words in Stirling's mind. ''âWhat I want to know is, do you trust and believe me when I say so? When I say something, will you believe me, or will you doubt my strength? My words?â''

Stirling frowned, and he didnât need to see Ingridâs long face or eyes to see that she was doing the equine equivalent as well. He rubbed her as he responded. âItâs not that I donât ''want'' to trust you, Ingrid. I ''want'' to trust you, or Oswald, or Thingguy, or heck, anyone!Â But if thereâs one thing Iâve learned in these past few years, itâs that you ''canât trust anyone''. Anything. Everyone will let you down. One way or another. At one point or another.â He sneered ruefully. âItâs something my father once told me. And now heâs dead.â

''âThat is a fatalistic attitude,â'' the horse replied.

âItâs based on experience.â the samurai retorted.

''âI intend to break that experience,â'' Ingrid snapped. Again, she swung her head to look back at her rider. Again, she asked, ''âDo you trust me?â''

âDo you?â Stirling growled.

A tense moment followed, and the unanswered questions were left to hang in the air, as Ingrid turned her eye away from Stirling and back towards their destination.

Mount Servus.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

The group traveled up and over a few dozen gentle hills, with a warm easterly wind continually hugging their right. Behind them, Leerâs towers rose and fell, watching them from behind. Ahead, Mount Servus did the same. Underneath the two points watchful gaze, conversation ceased. Everyone focused their attentions and energy on cresting the next hill in front of them. And the next one. And the next.

As evening arrived, Thingguy and Deadbeat led the group over yet another scraggly hill. As he reached the top, he turned back to the others.

âGentlemen,â he said, sweeping a hand out grandly. âThere she is, the crashed cruiser.â

Stirling and Ingrid crested the hill next, and the two looked down at the cruiser.

There were still some more hills to go between this taller point and the cruiser that sat at the bottom of Mount Servus, but the massive metal structure was indeed still visible from this position, a dark blue shape in the shadows of the land around it. It seemed mostly intact and upright from this position, if perhaps somewhat lodged into the ground. The unnatural gouge in the land behind it that trailed off west was also a sign of itâs crash-landing from all those years ago.

âMajestic, even in itâs fallen state.â Thingguy said. Stirling nodded, as Oswald came up behind them.

âGoodness, itâs huge!â Oswald exclaimed. The two cart horses huffed, glad for the chance to catch their breaths after pulling the cart up this particular hill.

Stirling stared at the ship, stunned. A flurry of emotions that heâd been ignoring found a chance to renew their assault against his conscious mind with this physical reminder of his other commitments.Â It occurred to him that he hadnât reported for duty in almost three years. That the Nexus Force had abandoned Militiregnum. That he missed the Nexus Force. That he hadnât seen any of his friends or allies in the Nexus Force for nearly 3 years. That even if they wondered what had happened to him, it was extremely likely that they didn'tâ even know he was alive. That technically, somewhere, there was an official list in Paradox Rogue records with his name listed as âdeadâ, thanks to his dead brother. That he missed his brother. And his friends. And his Family. His home. His job.

His purpose. What the Crux was his purpose anym-

Thingguyâs rough hand gripping his shoulder shook Stirling out of his reverie. âMajesticâ¦â Thingguy repeated reverently, visibly emotional. âNow imagine a whole fleet of these beautiful birds coming down at just the right time to save us all!â

Stirling nodded, unable to trust his voice at the moment. He attempted to swallow his own emotions down. Now was not the time.

Oswald on the other hand, let his singular emotion of awe flow out. âA whole __fleet__ of these? You mean the Nexus Force has more of these monolithic wonders of metal and technology?!â

Thingguy shook Stirlingâs shoulder once more, giving a piercing smile to Stirling, before Deadbeat trotted over to the wagon. âThatâs right, Oswald! Why are you so surprised? Those dots in the sky are ships and mobile stations similar to what you see down there. You know that, donât you?â

Oswald stammered, his slackjawed mouth trying to grin and talk at the same time. âW-well, y-y-yes! But, I-I- I suppose I just never quite r-re-realized the immensity of such distant objects! How does one even find this much raw ore for such a ship?!â

âAsteroids.â Stirling said, clearing his throat, and doing his best to focus on the immediate situation. âSpace has lots of asteroids with good ore, for one, and the ability to visit uncountable worlds also helps.â Stirling turned to Thingguy. âIsnât that right?â

Thingguy nodded. âThat, and having the Imagination Nexusâs help, when possible, is an immense advantage. But enough standing around! How about we head closer to this monolith, and the end of our journey?â

Deadbeat nickered in disapproval.

âTired?â Thingguy replied. He turned and looked at the other horses, who immediately put on their most tired-looking guises. âWell, I suppose that is true. Weâve made great progress today.â

The three men looked back at the distant tips of the towers of Leer.

âThe horses ''have'' done a ''lot'' today,â Oswald said. âI think camping a few hours before sundown would be good today. I have a barrel of water they can drink out of in the wagon. They deserve it too, after lugging it around."

Stirling and Thingguy both turned from looking at the towers to each other.

âIt would be less suspicious to camp up here in sight,â Stirling said. âNo doubt weâre being watched, itâs just a matter of how closely.â

âI agree,â Thingguy said, his usual smile replaced by a thoughtful smirk. âWe should keep a watch, but not an obvious one.â

âIâll go first.â

âIâll go second then.â

âOswald, would you take third watch?â Stirling asked.

âUuuh, sure!â

âGreat. Then letâs set up camp for the night.â

As all three of the men dismounted, Ingrid nuzzled Stirling. ''âJust for the record, I could have continued.â''

Stirling smiled and rubbed her neck. An unspoken ''âI know.â'' He followed up by whispering, âYou and I would already be there if it were up to just you and I. You donât have to convince me.â He turned and looked at the others. Thingguy was having a similar hushed conversation with his horse, and Oswald was busy blocking the wheels of his cart so it wouldnât roll away once he unhitched Bacon and Beverly. âBut weâre not in a rush anyway. At least, Iâm not. And whatâs slowing us down is valuable. Useful.â He turned back to Ingridâs big equine face. âSo, enjoy the rest.â

Ingrid blinked once. ''âVery well.â''

With an early end to their day, the group casually set up camp, even making a campfire to heat up various rations for a warm and scrumptious dinner meal. As the sun finally set, Thingguy and Oswald went to sleep, while Stirling took first watch.

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 12: In which our heroes arrive at their intended destination. ===
âThingguy. Thingguy, wake up!â

Thingguy heard someone calling for him. He was tired. Not a morning person. Whatever it was, it could wait till a more decent hour. His internal clock told him that it wasnât even sun-up. âMmm, five more minu-â

âA helicopterâs flying overhead, we might be att-â

âA helicopter?!â Thingguy scrambled up and out of his sleeping bag, and directly into the wall of his tent. âWaugh! Where?!â As Thingguy opened his eyes, all he could see was the faded orange color of his tent fabric. As he fought to free himself from his own entrapment, he could hear the sound of distant helicopter blades whirring away, somewhere above and to the right of him.

âGood grief, Thingguy! Hold still, Iâll cut you out. We could be under attack by this copter!â Stirlingâs emphatic tone helped to orient and awaken Thingguyâs still sleepy mind. Thingguy stopped moving, and inwardly chuckled and chastised himself as he realized how silly he must look. Especially if they were being watched or about to be machine gunned by a helicopter. Honestly not the worst way to go heâd ever faced.

A quick thrust and cut by Stirlingâs Samurai katana, and Thingguy was free from his tent. He turned and looked up to see an all black helicopter silhouetted by the void it made in the stars as it flew above and past the camp.Â Apparently, it had no interest in them.

âWhereâs it going?â Thingguy asked.

âItâs flying north,â Stirling said. âBut it better gain some altitude unlessâ¦â

Oswald poked his head out of the wagon, pushing his nightcap out of his face. âIt looks like itâs headed to Mount Servus.â

Thingguy and Stirling looked at each other, nonplussed. âWhatâs on Mount Servus?â Stirling asked. Thingguy shrugged.

Oswald pulled out his binoculars and watched the now recceeding helicopter. âHard to see because itâs got no lights, but Iâm approximately 74 percent sure that that helicopter is making an approach on that mountain. Not going around or above it.â

Thingguy scratched his beard. âHuh. Maybe the helicopter people live up there.â

The three men, as well as the 4 horses all stared into the distance for a while, uselessly. Only Oswald truly saw anything useful, but after a while, even he lost sight of the black helicopter.

As Oswald sighed, and dropped his binoculars down from his face, Thingguy asked, âWell! Since weâre all awake now, anyway after that cool, but loud and somewhat inconsiderate helicopter buzzing the camp, do we want to get a bit further tonight?â

All parties except Deadbeat reluctantly agreed, so they quickly packed and made their way down from this high point in the foothills.

âDid you see where it went?â Stirling asked Oswald.

âNo, not exactly. Once it got close to the top of the mountain, I lost it against the black backdrop of the mountain.â Oswald frowned. âBut Iâm fairly certain that it landed around there.â

Stirling shrugged. âHopefully it doesnât come back, and we can maybe get all the way to the ship tonight under the cover of darkness. That would be great.â

All parties made noises of assent, and with their shared goal defined, silence grew. A companionable silence that lasted for quite some time.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

Hours passed, as they made their way around or over smaller and smaller hills. At the top of each hill, the men would crane their necks to get a glimpse of their destination once again. As it got easier and easier to do so, Thingguy strafed back to Stirling.

âHow are you doing, Stirling?â he asked. He knew his features were hard to see by the light of the stars, so he did his best to convey his tentative concern through his voice.

âHow do you mean?â Stirling asked. Thingguy could hear an instant defensiveness in the voice.

âI saw you got real affected by seeing the cruiser back there. Just want to make sure youâreâ¦ More than just ok.â

âIâm fine.â It was a dismissive tone. A grouchy one. Thingguy had heard it before from others.
âI know thatâ¦â Thingguy wasnât certain how to finish that without stepping on toes. âJust thought Iâd ask.â he said, letting a practiced sigh escape. He had Deadbeat move away, but before Deadbeat did, Stirling replied.
âI appreciate it. Honestly, Iâll be better once we get there.â

Thingguy nodded. âAlright. Sounds good, Stirling.â

âThanks.â

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

Turning one final curve, they finally saw an unobstructed path to the crashed cruiser by the light of the moon. From here, they were closer to the nose of the ship, but it was all a slow downhill slope of perhaps 300 or 400 yards from here, to the bottom of Mount Servus, where the ship lay.

âThis is great!â Thingguy said. âItâs not even sunrise yet, and weâre nearly there! If we want, we could disappear right into the ship itself tonight! And if anyone comes looking, theyâll think weâd vanished!â

âI mean, to a degree. Thereâs really only one place we *could* have gone, and thatâs here,â Stirling said. âBut if they do follow us in there, itâs going to be their funeral if they want to take us by force. Better than being out in the open.â

âDo you really think theyâll come after us?â Oswald asked.

âNa!â Thingguy said.

âMaybe.â Stirling said.

Oswald looked between the two riding silhouettes that currently represented his allies. âWell, which one is it? âNoâ, or âmaybeâ?â

There was a slight pause, which Stirling took advantage of. âItâs entirely possible that either the city of Leer or thedudeâs forces will be curious enough and have enough forces to spare to check on some weird travelers. Especially if they think we have anything to offer. But donât worry about it, Oswald. Unless Thingguy or myself are recognized, which is somewhat unlikely, we should be able to retain our story of interested tech-collectors. Or rather, youâll be able to keep that cover story, and weâll just stand here like the hired help we actually are.â

âYeah! Honestly, Oswald, youâve got this covered,â Thingguy added.

Deadbeat snorted.

âYes, he does!â Thingguy insisted, before adding âDeadbeat believes in you too.â

Deadbeat gave a noncommittal nicker.

Oswald didnât know how to respond to that. So he didnât. Instead, the party made their way down to the nose of the cruiser.

As they got closer, the dim light of the moon helped them to make out the finer details. Most notably, a break in the hull near the nose, which made it look like a cave in the darkness. Without a momentâs hesitation, Stirling, Thingguy, and Oswald all steered their steeds into the darkened interior of the beached behemoth.

Stirling took a deep breath of the strangely stuffy air. âWell. Looks like we made it.â

âGive me a minute,â Oswald said as he stopped the wagon and scrambled into the back. âI might have a good light source here.â A moment later, his hands grasped the electric torch that heâd strategically placed. âHere it is!â He pressed the button, and the flashlight flickered to life.

âOh. Thatâs handy,â Stirling said.

Thingguy gave a thumbs up as he shaded his eyes from the strong beam of light. âLetâs get the wagon as far in as we can from the entrance here, then camp down for the night. Weâve made amazing progress tonight, gentlemen!â

Both Deadbeat and Ingrid whinnied.

âYes, and your valiance does not go unnoticed, you two,â Stilring said in response to the horses.

The whole group trudged a few more yards into the broken interior of the ship.

At some point, this must have been a narrow corridor with rooms branching off. But now, much of the walls had been broken through, and gritty soil had blown in, making the ground somewhat level. To their right, the floor of the original corridor sloped gently up at a slight, but walkable angle.

Once they were away from the opening, they set about making camp. Stirling took the tack off of the horses, since they wouldnât need to ride away tomorrow, if all went well. Oswald unhooked Bacon and Beverly from the cart, and set about making a cold meal to have before they rested. Thingguy took the flashlight and walked further in to have a look around.

It had been a very long time since Thingguy had been on a spaceship. Much less a Nexus Force Cruiser specifically. What few things he could identify seemed broken beyond repair. That, and none of it appeared to be online, or alive with power.

''âThatâs okay,â'' Thingguy rationalized. ''âThe power might simply be turned off for now. What I should look for is perhaps a map or schematic, instead of going off of my old memory.â''

Armed with this line of reasoning, Thingguy turned back around, determined to find the bridge. ''<nowiki/>'Perhaps from there I can get an idea for how extensive the damage is, or maybe a physical paper backup schematic on where to get to engineering from here. That is, if the power isn't able to be turned on from the bridge. Now, that'd be handy!'''

Going back past the camp, he voiced his idea to Stirling and Oswald who looked up at him and the bright light expectantly.

âIâm going to find the bridge and maybe get a map or schematic. Evacuation plan orâ¦ See if any status lights come on.â

Stirling shook his head, even as he got up. âI donât think this bird has any juice.â

âYou mean âshipâ and âpowerâ?â Oswald asked.

âYeah, that. You got it.â

Thingguy shrugged. âWorth a quick look.â

The two others followed Thingguy and his flashlight, leaving the horses and camp behind.

âWeâll be right back,â Stirling said. Ingrid snorted a reply, and then they disappeared into one of the corridors.

It took less than 5 minutes before the corridor ended, and the three men stood at the edge of open space, the starlight far above them. Further up ahead, they could see the shipâs bridge. Separated from the rest of the ship, broken, and jagged about 10 yards from the rest of the ship where they stood.

âRough landing.â Stirling said.

The others nodded in the dim light, and the three of them jogged across the open distance to the other portion of the ship.

âHere, the blast door is open,â Thingguy said, pointing his flashlight at the busted doorway. One half of the door was bent and warped, while the other half lay on the ground, unhinged. âLooks like it was broken into.â

Oswald sighed. âWeâre not the first ones here. Everything even remotely interesting is probably gone.â

âI mean, itâs been years,â Stirling reasoned. âI figured that would be the case. But you have some ex-Nexus Forcers with you. Thereâs some stuff that no scavenger would have found. Not without someâ¦ extreme curiosity.â

Oswald glanced back at Stirling in the dark. âHave you ever met a scavenger?â

âIâve met you.â

âThat is extremely offensive, yet you get my point.â

âYes, I do.â

âPlease, do clarify my point so I know weâre on the same page.â

âIf scavengers are as curious as you, and even more desperate, then this place is stripped of anything even remotely possible of use or value.â

As they stepped into the bridge, this was made abundantly clear.

With a swing of the flashlight, the three men observed a nearly blank shell of a bridge. Not even a single chair or brightly colored panel remained. It looked like someone had tossed this chassis right out from the factory floor. Both Thingguy and Stirling went to some emergency spots for a weapon or medical kit. Both had been opened and looted.

The bridge was completely bare.

Stirling clucked his tongue. âEven the shipâs plaque is gone. Thatâs just low.â

âThatâs a bummer,â Thingguy said. âIâve always wondered what the cruiserâs name was. Is.â

Between Stirlng and Thingguy, Oswald groaned. âI was afraid of this. All this way, for nothing.â

â âNot for nothing,â â the two others said. One with a growl and the other with a smile.

âThereâs still plenty of other ship to see,â Stirling said.

âThese parts didnât just grow legs and walk off!â Thingguy said. âSomeone knows where theyâve gone. Assuming we need to find them. Like Stirling said, there could be parts we can use in other parts of the ship, too.â

Oswald took a deep breath. âR-right.â He punched Thingguyâs shoulder lightly. âPositive attitude, right?â

Thingguy shrugged. âSure. More than that, itâs just sound logic though.â As he swung the flashlight around to facilitate their exit, he added. âAs long as thereâs another avenue, you donât give up hope. And thereâs always another avenue.â

âSometimes we donât like it, though.â Stirling said from the back.

âVery true!â

As they exited the bridge, Thingguy turned the flashlight off and they scampered across the dark, open expanse back to the rest of the broken bridge.

âYou took a bit of a peek down the other way of this main corridor. Is the rest of the place so bare?â Oswald asked, hope clear in his voice as Thingguy clicked the light back on.

âItâs definitely a lot less ransacked,â Thingguy said, glad to give Oswald something to look forward to. âI didnât see much loose, but there were deactivated panels and lights. I suspect that since the bridge is seperate, it was an easier target for looters.â

âI hope so.â

The three men came back to a camp where Ingrid nickered softly in acknowledgment of their return. As they all bedded down to get a bit of rest before the dawn came, they all had reasons to smile. Their first goal was literally in reach. They were safe. They hadnât had to fight any minions of thedude to get here, and it appeared they were all alone.

Tomorrow would have its challenges, and they would face them with a few hours rest. But more importantly, they would face it together, with hope.

=== Chapter 13: In which the cruiser is explored. ===
Thingguy opened his eyes. It was quiet. Too quiet. No birds, no wind. No- Wait.

Ah, thatâs right, he was in a space-ship. The sound of lonely, creaking metal, and the wind ''outside'' the ship is what he heard.

He poked his head out of his tent. The camp was the same as it ever was, in this slightly larger room in the cruiser. His memory told him it might have been some sort of waiting room or lounge area. His eyes told him that there was no furniture or plants or tables or really anything to corroborate that. His brain replied that it was because itâd been looted.

He nodded slowly, glad that this time heâd had time to wake up slowly. He took in more information. The horses were still sleeping, tired old things. His companions also. He looked back at the opening that was a few dozen meters back the way theyâd come in. A hole in the hull, where late morning sun poured in. Maybe sometime around 8 or 9.

Theyâd slept in a ton.

Thingguy shrugged. It wasnât the end of the world. Not yet.

Stretching and yawning, Deadbeat stirred in response.

âMorning, sunshine.â Thingguy said.

''âCall me sunshine again, and Iâll show you my laser beam eyesâ''Â Deadbeat replied.

âI wasnât talking to you, lazybones, I was talking to the actual sunshine,â Thingguy said, pointing at the sunlight down the hall.

''âYouâve spent too much time in the sun, clearly.''â Deadbeat nickered, as he ambled over to the wagon.

Thingguy also did so. âI know what will brighten you up,â he said, clambering into the wagon and grabbing the oats. âBreakfast!â

Inside the wagon, Oswald stirred, pulling his nightcap off of his eyes. âDid someone say breakfast? Itâs still dark, why-â

âShip,â replied both Thingguy and Deadbeat. Of course, Oswald only understood Thingguy, but that was ok.

âOh. Right.â Oswald blinked groggily a few times before this information really sank in. Then he suddenly jumped to life. âTechnology! Iâm in a massive technological advancement far beyond my understanding!â Suddenly, he scrambled to one of his chests on his wagon, and shuffled through it, pulling out yet another device with two wired pens hanging from it.

âThis is an energy sniffer! It tells me if thereâs energy coursing through something! I stick this metal-â

Thingguy interrupted, putting a hand on the device. âDonât call it an energy sniffer. Call it a current detector.â

â

âOh, so you know how it works?â

âYeah.â Thingguy smiled. âThatâs going to make things a lot easier. And safer. Good thinking, Oss!â

Oswaldâs excitement was immediately tempered by his irritation at the nickname. âDonât call me Oss. Call me Oswald.â

Thingguy regarded Oswald airily.

Oswald raised the device. âIf I canât call this an energy snifferâ¦â

Thingguy raised his hands. âFair enough, Sir Oswald! We shall call things their proper names, as is well and good!â

âNot me!â Stirling said, from his tent. âI make no such promises!â He laughed.

Oswald sighed, but he couldnât refrain from the smiles that went around for long.

Together, the three of them, and the horses, had an unhurried meal. It wasnât really breakfast by this point, but it was just as enjoyable. As they did, they discussed what was next.

Today, they would spend the entirety of exploring the ship. It was quite big, and both Stirling and Thingguy expected that the broken and non-running state of things would make certain parts of the ship hard to access. It would certainly take all day, if not 3 or 4, to see every part of the ship, especially if they were going to be thorough.

âProbably more like a week,â Stirling said.

âEh, weâll see.â Thingguy was clearly more optimistic.

âEither way, I donât mind!â Oswald said. âAll of this advanced technology is soâ¦â

âFascinating?â Stirling finished

âNo. Well, yes, but alsoâ¦â Oswald adjusted his glasses as he looked up at the metallic ceiling above him. âMind-boggling. Almost frightening.â

Stirling slowly nodded. âAwe-Inspiring, then.â

âThat seems more accurate,â agreed Oswald. âThe fact that something so powerful and big exists. And itâs not magic.â

âAye.â Stirling growled. âAnd thedude has this kind of power on his side. Well, sometimes.â He paused to think for a minute. âMore and more often, it seems.â

Thingguy interjected with a wagging finger, before swallowing most of his current mouthful. âAh, but the same tech-curse affects us both! So, if heâs getting technology to be more reliable for himself, then so can we!â

Oswald nodded eagerly. âThatâs the idea! Ideally, anyway.â

Stirling scoffed. âDoesnât always feel like itâs working that way.â

Thingguy shrugged. âPerhaps thatâs just because we have less access to technology in general.â He stood up, finished with his meal. âBut weâre here to change that.â

The other two finished their meals, tidied up the camp, and left the horses in charge. Then they headed down the main hallway, deeper into the ship. Oswald with his flashlight, and Thingguy with a lantern of his own. Stirling went without a light, saying that he had matches and could improvise a torch if they needed another light.

âSo, where should we head first?â Oswald asked.

Thingguy stroked his beard. âWell, without a map or schematic, itâs going to be a bit more difficult to organize our search. But if itâs power specifically that weâre after, I suggest we head directly to the back of the ship, near the engines. See if the Imagination Tanks still have any juice left.â He looked over at Stirling. âSounds good?â

Stirling nodded distractedly, looking around every doorway into adjacent rooms. This close to the front of the ship, they were mostly related to the bridge and command functions. Things like Conference Rooms, Situation Rooms, additional sensors, weapons and communications controls, and the occasional security station and medbay. But Stirling wasnât seeing much of them as they were, ransacked and picked apart. He was seeing memories. Memories of perhaps a different ship, but the same general layout. . .

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

â''Stirling Silver, Space Ranger, reporting for duty.â''

''âAt ease, Silverstine.â''

''â...â''

''âHave a seat.â''

''âThank you, sir.â''

''âEveryone, this is the Rank 2 recruit that protected the lower portside engine from the hammer and drill stromlings that pierced through the hull. Him, as well as two others who are currently recovering in medbay 23, Assembly Engineer Thomas Falcone, and Paradox Maraderer âGambitâ, protected the exposed engine from within the engine room and without, on the hull of the ship. Without them, this ship would very likely have ended up like the Venture Explorer.â''

''âMuch appreciated, soldier.â âAye, thanks for not letting this old bird sink!â âMuch obliged, Space Ranger.â âMany thanks!â''

''âJust doing my job, sirs.â''

''âWell, youâre doing it well. Which is why when we get to Figaro 7, youâre being promoted.â''

''âSir?â''

''âI understand youâre a Rank 3 Samuria, correct?â''

''âYes, sir.â''

''âWell, youâll be putting that ground-kit to good use. If you choose to accept it, youâve got a Squad Leader position waiting for you.â''

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

âHey. Strider?â

The tugging of his shoulder-pads brought Stirling back to the present. Oswald was there. Thingguy was up ahead, fiddling with a dead computer panel.

âYou alright, Samurai?â

Stilring took a deep breath. âI will be,â he lied. Then he refocused on Thingguy up ahead, and strode forward.

The majority of the ship was ransacked. However, the further and further away they got from main breach in the shipâs hull, the less and less ransacked it was. However, much to their concern, there was no sign of power in any of the shipâs components.

As they began to reach what Thingguy believed to be the halfway point of the main hallway, they reached the living quarters and barracks.

âHey! Look at this!â Thingguy said. He pointed his lantern at a melted doorway that led to a small apartment. Clearly, a comfortable living space for 2, or perhaps a very fancy single VIP.

Stirling immediately grimaced. âIt looks like the doing of a Barneybot laser.â

âAgreed!â Thingguy said. âBut that means if it took a Barneybot laser to get through this locked door, then these other locked doors might still have things of value and use behind them!â Thingguy reasoned. âThat is, if we can get into them.â

Both Oswald and Stirling looked dubiously at Thingguy and the other locked doors. Some melted, most not.

âIt appears that the best course of action is still to get the power back on, right? That will allow these doors to open and close much more easily, right?â Oswald asked.

âRight!â Thingguy confirmed. âSo I suppose for now, weâll ignore these. Still! Think of the treasure! And the loot!â

âThis isnât an ancient ruin or deep dungeon, Thingguy. This is a Nexus Force Cruiser.â Stirling reminded him. âStill, you are correct. There are definitely useful supplies in here if we can get the power back on.â

âWell, then lets go!â Thingguy said! âNo more sidetracking! To Engineering!â Thingguy said, swinging his lantern around, and running a few paces, before skidding to a stop.

The others were light on their feet, and quickly adjusted to Thingguyâs rapid change in pace.

âWhat? What is-â Oswald began, but his flashlight soon overlapped with Thingguyâs lantern.

Up ahead, there was a breach in the ceiling that lead up, not into direct sunlight, but into other higher levels of the cruiser. A small shaft of soft light showed motes of dust that still hung in the stale, unmoving air, and aided in lighting up the surrounding area along with the lantern and the flashlight.

This was the scene of a brutal battle. No, a massacre.

About a half-dozen bodies lay about the space, which itself was crisscrossed with laser-scoring, blasted scorch marks, and general destruction of body and property.

One other thing immediately grabbed Stirlingâs attention.

All of the bodies had been looted of their metal. Only the parts of the hull that were still bolted down remained.

âBarneybots.â Stilring said. âBarneybots did this.â

âNo kidding,â Thingguy said.

Oswald remained silent, quivering in fear.

Stirling was the first to step forward into the scene. âThey came through there,â Stirling said, pointing at the hole in the ceiling. âThey must have surprised these scavengers, who were trying to get into this door.â He pointed at a partially melted doorway, and the two bodies that were leaning against it.

Stirling turned around in the middle of the room. Once, twice. âI think there must have been at least 4, maybe 5 or 6 barney bots.â He pointed at two large, blackened areas. âThose are explosions from destroyed bots, so whoever these guys were, they had the firepower or ingenuity to destroy two before they were overwhelmed.â

Thingguy took a look at the bodies.

There were both men and women here, wearing wind-resistant clothing. Leathers and furs. They looked armored, to a degree, but also quite well bundled. Their features were distinctly more Northern, and overall, they looked quite fit. At least, as far as Thingguy could tell through the bundled up clothing.

âI think these are Norden Folk!â Thingguy said. âBut why are they all the way down here?â

Stirling shrugged, as he felt the scorch-marks for heat or a sign of how recent this fight was. Next to nothing came off his fingers, which meant this wasnât recent at all. Perhaps months. âLots of people are being displaced. Maybe theyâre just running like everyone else. Isnât thedude pushing north as well as east?â

Thingguy didnât reply, focused on the fallen Nordeners. ''âMaybe thereâs something these people have that can identify them.â'' He knelt down and began investigating in earnest, feeling for necklaces, and poking into pockets

Oswald was revulsed. âYouâre ''looting'' the bodies?â

Stirling glanced over. âGood idea. Itâs not like theyâre going to use those clothes now.â

Thingguy shook his head. âIâm looking for something to maybe identify them to their other families, if we run into them.â He looked up at the other two. âNordeners have pretty close-knit communities. If we run into others this far south, they might appreciate news or-â He abruptly pulled up a necklace from one of the fallen. âPersonal effects.â

Oswald shuddered. âI guess that makes sense.â

Stirling nodded, and began poking through the other bodies. âWe donât have time to bury them, nor do we want to burn them. It would give away our position to any watching spies. Like those helicopters.â

Thingguy frowned, looking down at the corpses. âI hate to say itâ¦ But youâre right.â

Stirling and Thingguy took a few minutes to search the Norden bodies, while Oswald simply stood uncomfortably, squeamishly accepting items and effects that Thingguy and Stirling would hand him to keep hold of.

In short order, the three continued further down the ship, leaving the grisly scene behindâ¦

Only to run into other similar scenes.

âWell, at least thereâs less bodies here,â Stirling muttered, noting Oswaldâs continued discomfort turning into physical revulsion.

Thingguy and Stirling grew quicker and quicker at gathering up some identifying marker or keepsake from each individual, and the grim errand caused the group to become silent and efficient.

In very little time, the threesome were into the more mechanical and engineering parts of the ship. Comfortable, relatively even walkways and corridors gave way to crooked catwalks and walls gave way to twisted railings and trashed engineering panels.

While much had been stripped away, there was still some salvage here and there, amidst signs of strife. However, all of it would take time and effort to take away. Time that, clearly, past scavengers had needed to fight for.

âLooks like at least some scavengers got this far!â Thingguy noted. Stirling grunted in response. Oswald didnât respond at all, relieved to finally have something more interesting to look at than the various dead.

âLooks like at least some scavengers got this far!â Thingguy noted. Stirling grunted in response. Oswald didnât respond at all, relieved to finally have something more interesting to look at than the various dead.

But Stirling didnât give Oswald time to study simple engineering panels. âCome on, scavenger. Thereâs better loot ahead. Donât waste your time.â

âOh! Oh, right.â

âWeâre nearly there,â Thingguy said. âSoon, Oswald, youâll lay your eyes upon a tiny Imagination Nexus! Well, sorta. An Imagination Generator. Or maybe some Imagination Tanks! Stirling! Imagine if we found one of the Tanks, half-full or whatever!â

Stirling shook his head. âHighly unlikely.â

Thingguy nodded, his smile never wavering, but his tone agreeing with Stirlingâs. âTrue. Iâm sure the Generatorâs been had at, but we donât need it to be perfect. We just need to have something we can use.â He led the way up some mostly intact stairs.

âItâs what we came for. The slight chanceâ¦â Stirling trailed off, as similar words echoed in his head, bringing up a sour memory...

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

''â...If thereâs just the slightest chance, we have to give it to them, Captain!â''

''âNo. Protocol dictates-â''

''âTo Crux with protocol!Â Thatâs my partner, beyond that blast door! Weâve been through more missions that I can count! Iâm not leaving without him!â''

''âSergeant QuiffedHippePilot, Iâm ordering you to stand your ground!â''

''âScrew your orders, Silverstine! Theyâve gotten us all killed.â''

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

âStirling?â

Oswald was shaking the knight. âCan you move? Youâre blocking the stairs.â

âYeah, S-sorry.â

Thingguy glanced back at Stirling. âStay with us, Silverstine,â he said quietly. Â

Stirling didnât reply, focusing on taking the stairs, one step at a time. Staying in the here and now. Following orders.

As the three climbed the steep catwalk stairs, Thingguy pointed out something in the distance of the shadowed interior of the ship.

âSee that large cylindrical shape off that way, Oswald?â

âWhere? All I see is the far wall.â

âNo, thatâs not a wall. Thatâs an engine.â

â...â

âEngine 3, if I have my mental orientation correct!â

âItâs massiveâ¦â Oswald breathed.

âIt has to be,â Stirling replied, monotone. âHave you seen the size of the rest of the ship?â

Thingguy turned around, and pointed at the opposite side. âAnd that âwallâ over there should be engine 1! Or is it 4?â

âHow many engines are there?!â

Thingguy glanced back at Stirling for help. â6? Or is this an 8 model?â

Stirling shook his head. âI think this is a 6, but itâs gotta have an Afterburner if it was sent all the way out here to Milt.â

âAh, right! So, 7 and some change,â Thingguy answered.

â âsome change?â â Oswald echoed, even more confused and bewildered.

âThereâs tons of positional thrusters, docking ports, maneuvering jets, and landing repulsors and the like,â Thingguy clarified. âOnce itâs up in the air, this thing wouldnât ever have to touch the ground unless something drastic happenedâ¦â

âLike it has,â Stirling waved his hand to their derelict surroundings.

Thingguy nodded, momentarily somber. âItâs sad to see such a beautiful construct laid low like this.â

Both Oswald and Stirling agreed nonverbally.

âBut enough talk! Letâs see the heart of this old bird!â Thingguy turned back around and crested the top of the stairs. âUp ahead! That module there! I see light!â

âYou do?!â Oswald exclaimed.

âThatâs a good sign!â Stirling said, doing his best to temper his expectations.

The three men rushed forward into the soft blue light leaking out of the broken doorwayâ¦

And into the Generator room of the downed Nexus Force Cruiser.

=== Chapter 14: In which the Generator... ===
[[Category:Stories by JamesAT13]]
[[Category:Stories]]
[[Category:The Additional Manuscripts]]

To Call The Calvary

2025-01-03T02:53:08Z

Stirling Silverstine: CHAPTER 12, LETS GO!!! This chapter was actually written ages ago. I just never posted it. Chapter 13 is partially written, and in between my other writing, this is my cozy/casual/comfort writing. It's not easy, certainly, but these characters are all mine and very comfortable. (Well, except for Thingguy, but I've written him enough that he feels comfortable to me.) No promises, but hey! This In Progress Story isn't dead! Not quite.

== To Call The Calvary ==

=== Chapter I: In which our two heroes meet. ===
<blockquote>~~''In the later months of the 7th Year of Thedude. The weather is cold, but snowfall is light where our story takes place. In the land of Morcia, beginning in the camp of the Merry Band. We go now, to find the Merry Band beside a large lake, located in the forest, where they are packing up.~~''</blockquote>"Silverstine?"

Stirling turned away from his task of knocking down his 3rd tent to face a man on a black horse.

"Please, call me Strider," he replied, squinting up at him. The sun was right behind the stranger, and it hid his facial features, but Strider noted the mismatched and clearly used armor and gear that horse and rider wore.

"I am Sir Thaddeus Nathanael Thingguy the Second. I was told by the Gateway to meet you here," the man said, dismounting.Â

Strider's interest was piqued. Finally, he would meet one of the KOTOS. Everywhere he'd gone he'd heard such larger than life stories about these knights. He would be glad to assess them himself, and perhaps knock them down a peg.Â

The man patted his horse, and turned around to Strider. His most prominent feature was his bright, short, ginger beard that had clearly not seen a barber in months. Once Strider pulled his attention away from that, he noticed Sir Thingguy's glinty green eyes, and the light smirk that hid a bright mind.

"I am told you wished to join the KOTOS?" he asked. The horse nickered.

Strider shook his head. "Not exactly. Did you get my letter?"

Thingguy shook his head and frowned. "No. I only received word from the Gateway to meet you with the Merry Band, in this wood that they frequent. I came as fast as I could, but I do not know how long it took for the Gateway's letter to reach me. I hope you have not been waiting for me o'er long!"

Strider smiled. "Not to worry, I have been redeeming the time." He turned back to the collapsed tent and began gathering it up into a single manageable bundle. "I do appreciate you coming."

"If you did not want to join KOTOS, perhaps you can explain to me your intent." Thingguy asked guardedly.

"Certainly, but do you mind if we walk and talk?" Strider asked, having tied the bundle.Â

"Not at all."

Strider hefted the bundle onto his right shoulder. "Wonderful."

The two started on down the lane, passing others who were packing their various items and abodes.

"I was seeking out the KOTOS, true," began Strider, "But not to join. I was hoping you could help me find my family. You see-"

Thingguy raised an eyebrow. The black horse stopped dead in it's tracks and whinnied.Â

"Oh, come on, Deadbeat, it wasn't that far a ride! Besides, you'll get oats, remember?" the knight said, turning to the horse.

'Deadbeat' snorted.Â Â

"That, I'm not so sure." Replied the knight.

Stirling stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Are you talking to your horse?"

Both Deadbeat and Thingguy turned on Strider with a near-identical look of look of incredulity.Â "Don't you?" Thingguy asked.

"Um. No. I don't really keep any one horse for very long. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I and horses have bad luck."

Both horse and man blinked. Then Thingguy shrugged.Â "To each their own." Deadbeat snorted again, and swished his tail contemptuously as he began walking off.

"I hope you get put to work!" yelled Thingguy after him. Deadbeat whinnied back, and Thingguy waved him off.

"You're not worried he'll wander off?" Strider asked.

"Naw, he'll be fine. Maybe a little fatter, if he finds those sugar cubes he was asking about."

"I doubt it; The Merry Band's just about done packing, by the looks of it. We should be moving off in about two to three hours max.

Thingguy looked around. They were nearly the only people on the path now.

"Wow. I've met the Merry Band before but I'd never seen them move."

"They've gotten a lot of practice over the years, what with thedude's forces trying to get rid of such a large force so close to Orlan." agreed Strider solemnly. "Even though it's largely women and children."

Thingguy nodded. "Speaking of family, you were telling me you were trying to find your own?"

"Oh. Yes." Strider refocused. "The Silverstine Family." He turned to Thingguy. "I asked you to call me 'Strider', but my name is Stirling Silverstine."

"Pleased to meet you, Stirling!" Thingguy replied warmly, sticking his right hand out to shake. Stirling was holding the tent bundle in that hand, but he shifted it over to his left shoulder, and shook Thingguy's hand.

"And it is a pleasure to meet you, Thingguy."

"Now, tell me more of your family. Why are you so desperate to find them that you would call on the Gateway?" Thingguy asked as they began walking again.Â

"Actually, that was the idea of the Merry Band here. They said that then the Gateway could contact the KOTOS. I've been offworld for many years, but Militiregnum is my homeworld." Stirling unstringed his brown coat to reveal his Samurai chestplate beneath. "I'd been fighting in the Nexus Force for many years before I came here 7 years ago. I was on shore leave with a pilot-friend who helped me get through the blockade, but we crash-landed.

Thingguy's eyes lit up. "Was there anyone else on your shuttle?"

"No, just me and Perry. He's a Venture Leaguer, if that means anything to you."

"It does!" Thingguy assured. "The KOTOS are originally from Nimbus Station!"

It was Stirling's turn to be surprised. "Really? They don't tell that in the legends."

Thingguy chuckled. "There's a lot the legends don't tell. I should know, I've instigated a few!" His eyes twinkled slyly.

Stirling raised an eyebrow. "Ah. I see."

"But I'm interrupting. You are supposed to be telling me ''your'' legend."

"Right. Well, Perry and I crash-landed, and we found out pretty quickly the state of things here on Milteregnum. I set off in search of my family, Perry joining me, and found out later we were being trailed by thedude's forces curious about the crash. We ended up taking shelter at Calibus Tower for awhile where I found one of my two brothers,-"

Here, Thingguy reacted with alarm at the mention of Calibus Tower, but did not interrupt as Stirling continued his summary.

"-but I soon left for my family's estate in the Athelas Mounts. I found it ransacked, empty of the living."Â Stirling paused as the memories of his wrecked childhood home sprang back. It had clearly been the scene of more than one battle before he had gotten there. He hadn't recognized anyone, but that was to be expected as he would have had difficulty remembering anyone from his childhood even if they were not marred and desecrated as they were.

Silverstine Keep was little more than a tomb now. A ruined tomb.

"What did you do then?" Thingguy asked, pulling Strider back to the present.

Stirling made a conscious effort to look Thingguy in the eye.Â "I went back to Calibus. Found that the enemy had raided it."

Thingguy stared right back, with a sudden solemnity. "The Raid of Calibus, they call it."

"They killed my brother, and took away my best friend." Stirling growled. "And the leader of the assault was-"

"Lord Brocktree."

"-Menaya Kull. Wait, what?"

"Pardon?"

"Brocktree?"

"Maniacal?"

Stirling stopped to enunciate. "No, ''Me-nay-a''. Kull."Â

Thingguy shook his head. "No, it was Brocktree. Lord Brocktree." He clarified.

"Brocktree? Who's that?" Stirling scoffed.

Thingguy waited a moment, and the realization dawned inevitably on the Sentinel Nexus Forcer.

"Wait... THE Brocktree?" Stirling asked. Thingguy nodded. "The Sir Brocktree that disappeared from known space like..." Stirling did some quick math on his fingers. " Almost TEN YEARS AGO?!"Â

"YES!"

"Second in command to the Faction Leaders?!"

"YES!"

"HOLY-" Stirling bit back whatever he was about to say next, instead opting for, "Lord Brocktree is ''here''?" Awe, mixed with a little confusion and (healthy) fear was plain on the Sentinel.

Thingguy nodded. "Lord Brocktree is on Militiregnum, but, Stirling... he's on ''thedude's'' side." Thingguy whispered. He wasn't sure how this ex-Nexus Forcer would take it.Â Stirling appeared to be very surprised, and Thingguy was ready for his next question.

"How?"

"We're not sure. There's all sorts of theories about why he's working for thedude, but alas, nothing concrete." They began walking again.

"Seriously?"

"Well, it's not like anyone's been able to just walk up to him and ask." Thingguy remarked glibly.

"Why not?"

Thingguy glanced at Stirling to make sure the man's serious tone was, well, serious.Â Â

Yup, the guy was in earnest.Â

"Heh, Stirling," Thingguy wavered. "This guy is a cold-blooded killer. What you saw at Calibus, that was ''his'' handiwork, at least, from what I've learned."

Stirling frowned as he contemplated this new information. "That is grave."

The two men had now reached the center of the packing effort. The sound was surprisingly lower than expected as the Merry Band finished tying everything down to move out. The occasional bray of a Mule attached to a wagon, the chortling engine of a truck. The muted murmuring of children too young to help pack, and so already packed away themselves in a hot air balloon basket.

"I hope you were not looking forward to a rest," Stirling said to Thingguy, who shrugged.

"It's probably for the best, I should be off as soon as I can. But first, you must finish your tale!" Thingguy replied, ending with a note of mock exasperation.

Stirling waved it off. "Yes, yes." He looked out over the crowd and then, having espised what he was looking for, began powerwalking. "Well, after I left Calibus again, there's not much to tell concerning my family."

Stirling's voice turned quiet and dangerous. "All of these years, and I haven't found heads nor tails of any of the others." He spared a quick glance back at Thingguy as they pressed through a group of cows, and Thingguy saw that Stirling's face burned with emotion. "And it's not for lack of trying! I've been ''all over'' Morcia, but all I hear are rumors. Rumors of you and the KOTOS, rumors of wars, and uprisings. Rumors of hope, Evidence of despair, but nothing of my family. All hints end up pointless, and it's as if they've been spirited away!" Stirling finished this with a frustrated toss of his hand that ended up in the back of someone's head tying down a knot on a wagon.

"Ow!"

This made Stirling's mood disappear as he looked to whom he'd struck.Â "Oh, sorry, sir."Â

The Band member turned around as he rubbed his head and straightened his large round spectacles. "Oh, it's alright, it only smarts. Strider, right?"

"Yes. And you are?"

"Oswald"

"Nice to meet you Oswald."

"Good to meet you! Hey, can you pull this? I'm good with knots but not the strength."

Stirling pulled on the cord, and Oswald whipped the knot together almost instantly. "Thanks!"

"Anytime," Stirling replied, walking off.

Thingguy remained quiet for a time, following Stirling. It occurred to him that they were nearing the front of a quickly forming caravan. Some were already beginning to set off. He wondered if he should try to find Deadbeat.Â

Suddenly, Thingguy caught up to Stirling talking to a bushy-eyed mustachioed man wearing something that looked like cowboy attire from the waist up, and a Marathon runner from the waist down.

"h'I wish you tha' very best ah luck, Strider!" the man said, clapping Stirling's shoulder strongly.

"Thanks for everything, Carlos. Till we meet again!" Stirling replied, shouldering a pack with many hooks on it. Then he turned to Thingguy. "Come on, you should find your horse, and I'll get one myself to match your speed."

Thingguy rolled his eyes and began to follow Stirling again, but this time asked him a question in hopes of slowing him down.

"All this time, you haven't told me what your Clan was known for! I don't think I've ever heard of the Silverstines before today."

It worked, Stirling did slow down his walk as he looked up to the sky in thought. "You haven't? Well, no, I suppose you wouldn't have. Perhaps before thedude you might have. The Silverstines were one of the foremost miners of the Athelas Mountains. I told you about our keep in the Mountains; that was where the network started from. My brother, Austin told me that they were almost going to be recognized by the Kingdom as the official source for the Capitol. He told me that the most purest ore was deep in the Scary Mountains Range. We're Miners and Metalworkers. Beyond that, I and my brothers enjoy..." Stirling paused a moment, briefly lost in some distant memory. "We ''enjoyed'' learning swordplay, Archery, and all of the various means of battle. My brothers were of course always my betters, but I think that was due to age." Stirling smiled.

"Sounds like you guys were close," Thingguy commented.

"Yes. Yes we were."

"But now you need help finding them." Thingguy finished. "It's a big world, man, and I would love to help, but I've been searching for many more people than- Uh, how many did you say?"

"4. Would have been 5, but not anymore."

"Right. 4 people in this whole planet, but I've been looking for ANY allies of the KOTOS, and up until recently, it's been slim pickings. But now, for alot of reasons, as you probably know, people are getting riled up!" Thingguy paused. "I can't just hold all of that up to help you."

Stirling stopped. They had reached a large herd of animals.

"I understand," he replied, putting his hands on his hips as he looked out over the herd. "And I wouldn't want you to drop everything that you've been working on, just for one man. But if you could point me in ''some'' direction, maybe even let me travel with you awhile..." He shrugged. "Maybe if I travel with the rumor monger, I'll stop getting just rumors?" he finished with a weak smile that betrayed the tired helplessness he was fighting internally.

Thingguy looked out over the herd. He wondered what made this herd different from any of the other collections of animals, but then he noticed various rugged quadracycles riding in and around with different animal feeds stowed on them. The animals here were being fed, and would be fed as they moved.

"I'm certainly wouldn't mind the company," Thingguy said. "Deadbeat isn't much for conversation when he's hangry. Which is like, most of the time."Â

Sure enough, Deadbeat was here, munching on carrots hanging from a bunch of fishing poles on the back of a parked bicycle.

Thingguy turned his attention back to Stirling. "If we were to find your family, could I count on you as an ally against thedude?"

Stirling's eyes burned brightly. "Yes. Absolutely."Â

Thingguy grinned wide. He stuck his leather-gloved hand out to shake on it, and Stirling clasped it in his chain-mail one and shook it vigorously, the grin spreading to his own face.Â

"And how about these people? The Merry Band? You seem to know them pretty well," Thingguy asked. "Would they join us?"

Stirling's smile contorted curiously. "Not now. These people are not warriors. At best, they're scouts. If you were to take all of the able-bodied men, willing and unwilling, you may get a single worthy company. Maybe two, but they would be greener than northern Britay's hills in springtime."

Thingguy shook his head, and chuckled. "I wouldn't mean as warriors. You already told me they're mostly women and children. I meant as suppliers. An army is nothing without a supply chain, and these people seem to be just the kind of hoarders a resistance could use!"

Stirling raised an eyebrow. "I... I hadn't thought of that."

"That fellow you bumped into earlier, Oswald? I thought I saw electronics poking out of his wagon, was I right?"

"Yes, that's right. He likes to see how they work, even if they're practically useless with the tech-curse. Still, when his stuff does work, it helps so immensely that he's allowed his hobby, and the one wagon to keep it all in."

"And all of these animals! Mounts! All of this good food! Provisions! I'm sure you guys have an armory somewhere too!"Â

Stirling nodded in affirmation as he rubbed his rough chin. He glanced around, seeming to see things in a whole new light. He had never really focused on army logistics while in the Nexus Force, but as he considered the vast inventory wandering past him in the slowly moving caravan around them, he marveled that he hadn't thought of it himself. There might not be the manpower of an army here, but there was the equipment for one! At least, a small one.

Something caught Thingguy's eye up in the sky, and he gasped as he pointed.Â "You've even got eyes in the sky!!! I mean, it's no Helicopter, but-"

Stirling followed his gaze to see a low-flying, camo-colored, miniature blimp. From the ground, the name ''<nowiki/>'Happy Thoughts''' was visible in the pattern of the camouflage print.

"Oh, that's the Merry Band's Leadership tent," Stirling replied.Â

"Then that's where I need to go," Thingguy said, as he turned back to Stirling. "Do you think you could introduce me?"

As the blimp became obscured by trees, Stirling focused back on Thingguy and shrugged. "Certainly, but I don't think you'll need one. You're a legend, remember?"

Thingguy's excited grin cracked an extra inch wider with an almost impish glee. "Don't tell me that, it might go to my head."

The two began walking off in the direction of the front of the caravan, and the blimp.Â Â

"When will the ''Happy Thoughts'' come back down?" Thingguy asked.

"Not sure," Stirling replied. "But we might find some of the other leadership around here on the ground."

"That would be fantastic!"

=== Chapter II: In Which Thingguy and Strider speak with the local authorities. ===

It took awhile, but the time was not wasted on the two, as Stirling showed Thingguy to various members and services of the Band, even packed up and moving as it all was. Thingguy was fascinated by the wealth of gear, tools, and provisions all around him. He only hoped that they would be willing to share the wealth. As the day went on, they found their way to where the bulk of armaments were. There, they met one of the leadership.

"Sir Thingguy, I'd like you to meet Armsmaster Fiddelton. He's in charge of keeping the weaponry in the right hands."

Thingguy shook hands with the tall, broad-shouldered man. He looked about in his 50's, and was dressed in nearly full armor that had an older emblem of King Matthias's regime. His simple brown hair and clear blue eyes gave him a very congenial and trustworthy look. However, he had a frighteningly large broadsword strapped to his back.

"Thingguy... Strange name." His voice was low and deep, but clear. A voice that could carry commands over the din of battle. "Not ''the'' Thingguy, of KOTOS fame?" He raised an eyebrow.

In response, Thingguy smiled roguishly. "Why yes, now that you mention it."

Fiddleton's clean-shaven demeanor broke into a grin. "Rumor has it you were a swordsmanship teacher once upon a time. Does that still hold true?"

Thingguy leaned back and studied Fiddleton. "It's been awhile, but thankfully, I've run into trouble enough over the years that I still keep my skills sharp. However," he pointed to the broadsword. "I think you could beat me with that monstrosity. I specialized in the longsword and hand-and-a-half. Also, the sword and shield combo."

"Whatever you could help me teach, would be most valuable, Sir Thingguy." The Armsmaster replied.

Thingguy brightened up. "Ah! I thought you were challenging me to a dual."

Fiddleton laughed. "Perhaps later. Personally, I think you overestimate me."

"Of course you would say that!" Thingguy joined in the laughter. "You just want to get my guard down!"

Fiddelton glanced around, still chuckling. "Eh. Perhaps. But tell me, what brings you to our humble band? Why now?"

Thingguy began to reply, but then paused, and glanced to his side, where Stirling was. He grabbed his shoulder.Â

"This guy." He replied. "I've heard of the Merry Band, but I never realized you were quite this large before today. I responded to Strider's request to meet here, and now here I am, and I think I've met more people just today than I have in any given month since I went underground!"

Still smiling, Fiddleton pressed a little deeper. "And why did you go into hiding in the first place, Sir Knight?"

Thingguy paused briefly before replying.

"The Battle of the Skyfalls is where it all fell apart. I made the mistake of trying to stand alone. And alone, I was defeated. That's when we first encountered the Barneybots, and we were totally unprepared for it."

Thingguy glanced at Fiddleton, who motioned for him to continue. He cast himself back to what he could remember of that terrible day.

"In the aftermath of it all, both sides had suffered heavy casualties, and if it were not for the Bots, we may have survived as a group to fight another day, but the Barneybots were relentless, and stopped us from regrouping after our leadership fell. Myself included. Talmid was captured, I was defeated by thedude, and I don't even know what happened to Lukas."

'''''Thingguy vividly remembered...'''''

...standing with a tight knot of fellow knights. Sir Shaprie and Seton, among others. The way the Skyfalls phenomena drenched the whole embattled northern shoreline in mist. How the lightened gravity had made his sword and shield very wet and slippery feathers in his hands. He remembered Sharpie coming up on his left and saying, "I'm running low on ammo for these flareguns, and I'm a so-so shot with a bow. How are we going to defeat these monstrosities?"

Suddenly, the mist near the shore had parted, and Seton fainted. Thingguy followed the direction of Seton's gaze, and saw something that made his blood run cold.Â

It was thedude. His back was to them as he bent over a knight.Â

Without thinking, without knowing who the knight was, Thingguy had rushed forward to end this awful war with one more brilliant stroke. He remembered refraining from doing the typical inane battle-cry he'd seen in so many movies, as he raised his sword...

'''10 yards'''. thedude stood up as a Barneybot came and grabbed the comatose knight off the ground.

Â

'''6 yards.''' The Bot saw Thingguy charging, dropped the knight, and began firing. Alerted, thedude turned around himself. Thingguy raised his shield, and charged forward unabated.

Â

'''4.'''Â

Thingguy leapt the final few meters, (Wait, were these yards or meters?) and brought his sword down on thedude, who, of course, parried. The clash of steel on steel rang like an bell. Thingguy twisted around and sliced at the Bot with such fervor that there was now a deep gash in it's armor, and sparks flew as the bot staggered on it's hover-jets. Parrying a lightning-quick thrust from thedude, Thingguy blocked a disjointed shot from the Bot, and attempted a thrust of his own at thedude.Â

By all natural means, he should have run thedude right through his evil gut, but an invisible force caused his sword to veer off to thedude's side and miss by mere centimeters. Even worse, Thingguy's momentum carried him into inches from thedude's awful anchovy-ridden breath. Both men's swords were now in inert positions to harm the other, so close were they, but thedude did not need a sword to harm Thingguy. Before he could pull back, the barbaric megalomaniac gave the valiant knight the mother of all uppercuts with his free left hand. And with the help of the lesser gravity, Sir Thingguy went flying high into the sky.Â

Thingguy remembered seeing way more stars than he ever thought possible. Then thedude's leering grin blocked out the vast majority of the starry sky and he was slugged back down to earth. Except, earth was cold, dark, wet and it swallowed him whole with a gurgle. Oh, wait, no, that was river.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

His next memory was waking up on an empty shore, frozen to the bone. Later, he discovered he had ended up on the far shore of the Equatorial River in Elepharia. And thus began his many years of wandering, finding allies old and new.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

''"Hello? Thingguy?"''

'''Thingguy was brought back to the present...'''

by the waving of a mailed gauntlet in his face. It was Stirling. Next to him, Armsmaster Fiddleton looked mildly concerned.

"You faded out there for a minute," Stirling explained.

"I'm sorry if I brought up unpleasant memories, Sir Thingguy," commented Fiddleton.

Thingguy waved them both off, and he disarmed their worries with a smile. "Not at all. Memories, and in this case, memories of failure, are some of life's greatest teachers."

Stirling raised an eyebrow. "And the lesson here is...?"

Thingguy raised a finger and declared, "That thedude has a mean left uppercut!"

The two men were very confused, but Thingguy did not leave them time to consider.Â "To answer your question, Fiddleton, the reason I went into hiding after the Skyfalls was because one man cannot stand alone against thedude. He needs allies. Allies he can count on." He raised an eyebrow. "I will be frank, I'm looking for some. Do you think the Merry Band would stand with me?"

Armsmaster Fiddleton's own eyebrows raised at Thingguy's blunt question. He pursed his lips. Took a deep breath and let it out like a horse.Â

"Bppbpbpbpbp.... That is not a decision I can make. Nor do I think the Leadership would come to a conclusion easily."

Stirling interrupted. "But you would endorse it, wouldn't you, Armsmaster?"

He looked at Strider from the corner of his eye. "Well, Yes. Personally. But as a leader, I-"

"I know, I know. You have a responsibility, and we know you can't let your personal thoughts get in the way, but if Thingguy were to propose an alliance of some type, you would be inclined to endorse it to the others, wouldn't you?" Stirling pressed.

Thingguy looked between the two, his smile slowly turning into a grin as Fiddleton's stare turned from irritation to thoughtfulness to careful condescension. "We cannot hide forever..." he mused aloud. "Recent events have shown that clear enough..."

"Wonderful!" Thingguy exclaimed.Â

"Very good, we appreciate it," Stirling replied.

"But!" Fiddleton amended. "I must make it clear that such an alliance would be for the future. We are nowhere near being prepared for such a large-scale engagement as fighting the Tyrant would suggest."

Thingguy agreed. "I think you are closer than you might think. You have plenty of resources, but what's missing is something each person must find within themselves."

This elicited the two others to ponder.

"Courage?" Fiddleton asked.

"Hope." Stirling decided.

Thingguy shook his head. "Passion. Passion can get you both of those, and more."

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 3: In Which Our Heroes Do Little More Than Wait. ===

The conversation wore down quickly after that, but it did not end until after the Armsmaster had used a Walkie-Talkie and arranged with the other leaders to have a meeting to listen to what Thingguy had to say. With this finished, all three men excused themselves, as they all had various things that needed doing now.

As soon as Fiddleton had been lost among the Caravan, Thingguy appeared to have a mental breakdown. He began grinning uncontrollably. Rubbing his hands, he leaned conspiratorially to Stirling.

''"I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to tell them!"'' he whispered excitedly.

"Don't worry, I'll help you prepare," Stirling assured. They went off to find a whiteboard and a good spot to sit down and rest. This ended up being atop a one of a kind sort of dry sleigh. It vaguely reminded one of something depicted inÂ ancient carvings of slave labor. Only, this didn't use slaves, of course.Â

There was the wooden deck, where tables and benches were bolted down to stop them from bumping away. Right underneath that was a cage that housed a large, thin wedge, the length of the deck, with logs rolling underneath it. As the logs rolled to the thick back of the wedge, something akin to a water-wheel would catch the log and lift it to the top of the wedge, where it would roll down to the front, and drop down to go under the wedge and through the cycle again.

Perhaps not the most efficient mode of transportation, but a mode nonetheless.Â

Stirling and Thingguy sat down at this open-aired sitting area, and it was not long before Thingguy and Stirling had filled and erased the whiteboard a dozen times. Thingguy now knew what he wanted to say, and how he was to frame it to his target audience. He filled the board one more time, with his key points, and the two rehearsed it till Thingguy was confident.

By then, many hours had passed, and the sun had long dipped under the tree canopy, leaving the caravan in twilight.

At some point, the two men had procured a snack, which they were finishing as a middle-aged woman boarded the platform and made her way to them.

Stirling looked up from his honey-roll. "Ah, Mrs. Smith. This is a rare surprise."

"Not quite," the woman said. "I'm here to take you two to the meeting."

Thingguy noted her long blonde hair, tied up in a simple and no-nonsense ponytail. Her face matched it, putting Thingguy in mind of an old-fashioned schoolteacher. She wore a brown dress with the sleeves rolled up past her elbows, and a white apron around her waist. Both items were stained and dirty, though her face, neck, and arms, the only skin visible, seemed clean enough.

"Well then, Mrs. Smith! Lead the way, and we shall follow, Madame!" Thingguy declared, getting up. Stirling followed suit.

With a slight nod, Mrs. Smith turned away and scampered away with a speed that initially surprised Thingguy, though the two men quickly adjusted speed and kept up with her as she weaved through the caravan towards the front.

Abruptly, she turned off to the right, and the three left the Caravan behind, as Mrs. Smith headed into the dense forest.

"Ah. She's headed for the glade," Stirling muttered to Thingguy.

"There's a glade up here?"

"Yeah. Come to think of it, it would make a nice landing spot for the dirigible."

"Makes sense."Â

Sure enough, the three emerged into an average-sized glade. Looking up, the three saw the ''<nowiki/>'Happy Thoughts''' slowly descending. However, as the carriage of the airship leveled with the treeline, a rope ladder was thrown out over the side, and a thin, wirey silhouette cried out "Climb up! The Caravan won't stop tonight, so neither shall we!"

Stirling and Thingguy looked at each other, then at Mrs. Smith.

"Are you coming as well, Gemma?" Stirling asked. Mrs. Smith shook her head.Â

"No. The other leaders already know my opinion, and the same goes for the Armsmaster. Our exclusion from your presentation won't change the ruling."

Behind Stirling, Thingguy tilted his head to see Gemma Smith. Her face was unreadable. "You mean to say that the leadership has already made up their minds, or just you and Fiddleton?" he asked.

"I oppose your desire to bring us into your war," she said bluntly. "We've had enough of it recently."

Thingguy smiled, avoiding her verbal jab. "That must mean that with Fiddleton's one vote yea, and your vote nay, I have to convince the majority up there?"

She stared at him. "Yes."

Her brief hesitation bolstered Thingguy's hopes. He took it to mean that she feared his success. Then he realized his grin was growing, and that she might consider him cocky. He smoothed out his features into what he considered a humble smile.Â

"I appreciate your honest opposition, Mrs. Smith." Not waiting for a response, he grasped the rope ladder and began scrambling up.

Stirling grabbed the rope ladder, then turned back to the ever-stoic Mrs. Smith.

"I do wish you would listen to what Thingguy has to say," Stirling said.

Gemma bobbed her head, watching Thingguy scamper up the ladder like the monkeys of old. "I will. I have a radio. I and the Armsmaster will be listening, but we have duties to perform with the moving caravan." She pointed at Thingguy. "You should hurry, or you will be stuck down here with us."

Stirling looked up to see Thingguy being helped into the carriage by others. "Oh shoot," he muttered, before clambering up with half the speed and grace that Thingguy had.

=== Chapter 4: In Which Thingguy makes his Case. ===

A quick right, short corridor, and a left brought Stirling and Thingguy into a large room, where they stood in front of a long table parallel to them. Behind it sat five individuals with such varying characteristics that Thingguy didn't know where to start.

"h'Ah, good! You mah'e it," said one that sat in the very middle of the table. He had bushy eyebrows and a 'stache, as well as a fez. He was wearing an oversized knitted Yule sweater depicting 2 heart-forming reindeer, and as he put his hi-top sneakers up on the table, he displayed some very flashy sequined disco leggings.Â "Now we'h can beg'hin!"

Thingguy grinned. "You must be the legendary Carlos Obfusco, leader of this very Merry Band."Â

Carlos was clearly pleased at being recognized. "Wh'y y'es I am!" He awkwardly extended a hand to shake, without dropping his feet from the table. As he and Thingguy shook hands, Carlos introduced the others.

"To m'ah right here, I h'ave '''Fath'r Henry''', our Rel'gious C'oodinater, an' next tah him is '''Mart'n Marin,''' our Communica'htions Mastah!" Then he swung his arm around and waved to his left. "An' ovah here, we have our Mastah H'rbelist, '''Ju'idith H'cklepatt'''; Our P'herimeter Captain, '''Mercedes;''' an' la'hst but not lea'st, our mastah Scout, '''Stabb'''!"

Thingguy took them all in.Â

'''Father Henry''' looked to be mid-thirties, with a dark brown beard and hair, dressed in a clean black habit, with a white square in the collar. He stared at Thingguy with a kind, but perceptive gaze, his hands folded on the table in front of him attentively.

'''Martin Marin''' appeared to be the oldest, according to his thin, scraggly hair and very pale blue eyes that lacked the youthful clarity of his fellows at the table. Perhaps 60s or 70s. He too, was smiling, but it came off as an absentminded smile, instead of sincere. Like he was thinking of other things. His hands rested on the pommel of a cane, and he wore a very faded blue shirt with a King's Crown emblazoned on it.Â

'''Mrs. Hucklepatt''' wore a simple, unpretentious dress, but her almost regal countenance, with it's fair share of wrinkles, silver-gray crown of hair, and bright turquoise eyes showed she still held considerable wit and wisdom. She gazed at Thingguy with a calculating smile.

The one called '''Mercedes''' had helped Thingguy into the blimp. Thus, Thingguy knew that despite his wiry frame and stately attire befitting a nobleman, the man was strong. He also wore his weapons openly. A large quiver and bow were slung on his back, and a large dirk was at his hip. He leaned forward, his hands steepled on the table in front of him, as he stared intently at Thingguy.

Behind Mercedes, in the shadowy corner, stood a short figure, who's chest was level with the table. His jet black hair and full-length coat of deepest green blended with the shadows, and it took a moment for Thingguy to identify where the darkness ended, and the Master Scout named '''Stabb''' began. His face was hidden, whether by shadows or an upturned collar Thingguy wasn't sure, but he saw two dark steel-gray eyes nod in acknowledgement of his attention. Thingguy nodded back.

https://youtu.be/fZ1y_Z6Bc0M

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Thanks for giving me a chance to speak with you," Thingguy said.

"h'of course!" Carlos replied, as others muttered, or nodded assent. "Now, ge'h't on w'hith it!"

Thingguy smiled, and took a deep breath.

Behind Thingguy, Stirling relaxed against the wall by the doorway. He was confident in the speech that he and Thingguy had formulated for this specific group. A most logical and rousing speech of-

"What ever happened to the Monkeys?" Thingguy began.

Stirling's shoulder slipped and he stumbled backwards into the door, where he embarrassingly reorganized himself and stood, staring blankly at Thingguy's back.

Carlos turned his eyes from his boots to Thingguy. "Pa'hdon?"

"You all remember the Monkeys of Militiregnum, right?"

It took a moment, but everyone made their understanding clear. Yes, they knew of the monkeys of Militiregnum...

"How they would go throughout the forest, swinging with ease, carefree and happy? How they ate bananas and in their wake left more trees to grow?"

Everyone nodded, some looked wistful.

"How they chattered and squealed with their impish glees, bringing innocent mischief just as you all used to do, in the days of peace?" Thingguy was now using his whole body, and walking back and forth along the table. "Heck, I'm sure some of you knew monkeys personally!"

Martin briefly raised a hand, and Thingguy slapped it as he passed, turning it into a High-Five.

"But now, do you know what happened to the monkeys?"

Some nodded, but Thingguy regaled them with it anyway.

"They were tricked into working for thedude. We don't know how, or why. What's important is that once they realized that bananas weren't weapons, and we weren't their enemies, they stopped their attacks against us, and thedude called it ''treachery'', and '''KILLED THEM ALL'''." Thingguy turned away from the table, to wipe away a tear. Briefly, he looked up and saw Stirling wide-eyed and open-mouthed, staring at him.

Hopefully he was getting a better reaction from his target audience. Keeping a baleful countenance, he looked over his shoulder.Â

They were, to various degrees, emotional. Some looked only perturbed and thoughtful, while others sniffled quietly.

"Now, I ask you, did those monkeys deserve such cruelty?"

There were a few sniffles, as well as a quiet 'no'.

"Did those monkeys even ''care'' about who ruled? Who won the war?"

More 'no's, shaking heads.

"No! They didn't. But they were exterminated anyway. You know why? Because thedude wanted it done! There's no other reason necessary for him!Â He has the mind of a child, but power beyond what any human being should have, and unless we bow down to him and do what he wants; accept him as the tyrant of every detail of our lives, he will never stop. He will never leave you alone, for ''as long as he lives''."

Thingguy was now pacing, his few tears having left his face, being chased away by a stern and thoughtful countenance, that kept watch of his marching feet.

"I know that some of you would rather hide from the War for as long as you can. Perhaps even wait out thedude's very life.Â But answer me this. What if thedude is immortal?"

This got everyone's attention, including Stirling's.

"What?"

"What if he's going to outlive us all? What if he's immortal?" Thingguy repeated, turning to Stirling. "Is the Merry Band able to hide forever?"

"We can hide a ''deuced'' long time," Mercedes countered.Â

Thingguy nodded in assent. "And you have. But ''be realistic'', no one can hide forever."

Thingguy's imperative was met with stony silence.

"But this is not enough to come out of hiding now or anytime. Not until you absolutely have to. Or once they find you.Â But what will you do then?"

With nearly one voice, the leaders leapt to their feet and roared.

'''"WE WILL FIGHT!"''' "We won't go peacefully." '''"WE'LL GIVE THEM HELL!"''' "WE'LL TAKE THEM MAN TO MAN!" "We'll die bravely."

Thingguy couldn't stop his admiration for these men and women from surfacing. His eyes began to brim with tears as he laid his hands on the table in front of a posing Carlos.

"My friends..." Thingguy said.

"You will die. Alone."

The silence returned, but it wasn't stony. It was sharp, ''brittle'', '''emotionally charged''', and threatened to snap and ruin whatever goodwill Thingguy had left with these people. Hoping he hadn't pushed reality into them too hard, Thingguy explained.

"You don't want to fight this war. ''I understand''. I don't want you to fight either. But someday, this war will find you. We've admitted that."Â

Some of the leaders began to object, but Thingguy forged ahead, raising his voice. "You just declared that IF you were found, IF you were ''unable'' to hide anymore, YOU WOULD RATHER '''FIGHT''' AND '''DIE''' THAN ''GIVE UP YOUR FREEDOM'' AND STILL '''DIE''', '''LIKE THE MONKEYS'''."

The bizzare recall of the monkeys stopped the various objections just long enough for Thingguy to finish.

"All I am asking is that you be open to preparing for such a worst-case scenario NOW, rather than waiting for it to come to you in the future. MORE than what you are doing now, with your defenses, your perimeter patrols, your scouting, your armaments, your technological experiments, et cetera, et cetera."

Carlos frowned. "How do you k-"

"Strider told me some, and we've been touring the caravan waiting for this meeting."

"...Ah."

"I'm not asking you to be warriors!" Thingguy continued. "''Crux forbid'' that it come to the Merry Band becoming frontline soldiers!"Â

Thingguy turned around and stepped away from the table, taking a deep breath to calm his own nerves, as well as for dramatic effect. Briefly, he looked up at Stirling, who seemed... shocked. Amazed.

Feeling somewhat more confident, he turned around to his audience. The general consensus amongst the table was much more difficult to ascertain, but he definitely had them all thinking.

"I'm asking for allies. Not just because ''I'' need them. But because ''YOU'' need them. ''All'' of Militiregnum's free spirits will need each other." Thingguy smirked. "Though I'd be lying if I said that the Merry Band would be a small part of whatever alliance we would make."

The silence filled the room again, but this time, Thingguy didn't feel any animosity. None of the leaders were looking at him, but instead at themselves, or the floor. They were all looking internally. Thingguy wondered if there was anything else he should say, but no other thoughts came to fall upon his lips.

He felt a mailed glove weigh down his shoulder. It was Stirling.Â

"Come on. Let's let them think."

Thingguy hesitated only briefly, then nodded.Â

The two stepped outside the room, leaving the leaders to consider what the Knight had said.

=== Chapter 5: In which our heroes wait for a verdict. ===

As Thingguy slid the door shut behind him, Strider rounded upon him.

"Ok, first of all; that was amazing- good job-"

"Why thank you."

"Second: What the heck?! Where did that all come from?!" Stirling whisper-yelled.

Thingguy shrugged.

"Why??? Why go off-script like that?

"That, I can answer!" Thingguy replied. "I ''was'' going to do our specially prepared speech, but when I actually got into that room and saw them, I realized that the logical, accurate, lecture-type approach wouldn't reach all of them," explained Thingguy. "So I thought of the first thing that I could bond with all of them over."

"Monkeys?"

"Monkeys."

Stirling sighed, his gaze dropping, and his hands on his hips. He smirked. "Well, I mean... I have to admit, it worked."

"You think so?" Thingguy asked.

"Oh yeah," Stirling said. "You really worked them up. They're going to want to take some sort of action, and hopefully, they'll take your advice, instead of just enacting some new safety protocol or security measure."

Thingguy grinned. "Good. And hey, a new defensive measure isn't bad. I'm ''not asking'' for an immediate offensive. Just for a future." He punched Stirling's shoulder. "Like you were saying before, hope. A reminder that this isn't the way things are supposed to be."

The two started walking up the corridor, both assuming the other knew where they were going, as they continued talking.

"Just like you," Thingguy continued. "They're got stuff going on; they don't want to join KOTOS right now. And that's fine! To be honest, we're not ready."

Stirling nodded. "Right now, what does KOTOS even consist of? You?"

Thingguy's pace slowed, and Stirling matched it. "I personally know...Perhaps a few hundred lonely, brave souls scattered across Militiregnum who would call themselves KOTOS."Â

"I expected as much." Stirling said quietly.

"There's more, I know it!" Thingguy assured him. "They just haven't been woken up. Or freed. Or found. Take Sir Talmid for example!" He picked up speed again. "The general word is that he's not dead, but a prisoner in Orlan!"

Stirling scoffed. "Is that really better?"

"Yes!" Thingguy said, grabbing his dour companion by the shoulder and shaking him a bit. "If the 'Legendary' Sir Talmid still lives, then it's all the easier to rally hope!"

Stirling frowned, as he re-oriented his mind around this. "So, he's not available as another soldier, or a physical leader, but what you're saying is that he's still helping, just by living?"

"Exactly! Hope! That's what our battle is focused around! '''Hope!"'''

"But wern't you saying earlier that we need to focus on ''passion?''"

"That was before I saw the Leaders. But yes. Hope is what will fuel passion, and give it a righteous fire, a courage! To do what's right."

Stirling grinned. "You really have a way with words."

"I've had practice."

"That's much more than just practice."

"Well, I've also given it a lot of thought, and it's second nature by now."Â

Stirling raised an eyebrow, and a beat passed before Thingguy added, "Also, Deadbeat is a very skillful verbal duelist to hone my skills on."

"I'm sure the talking horse is very talented." Stirling said dryly.Â

The two had reached the end of the hall. A narrow metal door with a porthole barred their way. Thingguy peeked through the glass, and saw the cockpit and a single pilot.

"Hey, this is the front of the ship!" he exclaimed, before reaching down for the handle and twisting it open.Â

"I'm not sure we're allow-" Stirling began, but Thingguy was already introducing himself to the pilot, who had speedily put away his reading material to look busy, before seeing Thingguy.

They spent the next 10 minutes with the pilot, who went by the name of Joe Bungalow. Joe even gave them a crash-course in how to fly the blimp, having taken an instant liking to Sir Thingguy.

After a particularly fancy bob and weave done by Thingguy to the merriment, and slight worry, of the other two, another person entered the cockpit.

"Joe, what in the King's name are- Ah, I see." It was Martin, holding on to the doorframe with one hand, and stabling himself with his cane on the ground with the other. "Sir Thingguy has hijacked us, I see."

His tone was not immediately discernable, and it required Thingguy to turn around to ascertain his mood.

Martin seemed to have an ironic expression on his face. Thingguy turned to Stirling for any insight. He didn't' have any. He had a poker face on.

The only person with an obvious emotion was Joe, which was that of embarrassment.

"Ah... Uh. Thinggu- Sir Thingguy, I think I'm going to have to take over now."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sounds good, Joe." He remarked casually.

As Thingguy and Stirling got up, and Joe settled back into his rightful place, Martin waved them over with a smile. Both Thingguy and Stirling relaxed.Â

"We've all made a decision. You'll want to hear it," he said, and turned around to walk down the corridor. Stirling and Thingguy started after him, but then the old man stopped. "Oh!" He turned around and quite literally ran into the two younger men.Â

"What is it Martin?" Stirling asked, catching the unbalanced Pigeonmaster.Â

"I need to tell Joe to land at the next available spot. We've gone far enough."

Stirling and Thingguy squished themselves against the walls, and Martin squeezed by.Â

"Go on without me, they're waiting for you, boys." Martin muttered over his shoulder. So Stirling and Thingguy went.

=== Chapter 6: In which a Verdict is reached, and the future is changed. ===

Having hurried back to the meeting room door, Stirling motioned grandly. "After you, Sir Charisma."

Thingguy let out a jovial "Ha!" and swept the door open.

All eyes turned to him.

Father Henry was sitting in the same spot, talking very diplomatically with Mercedes, who was leaning over the table, and clearly stressed out. Internally, Thingguy winced as both men turned to look at him with a healthy caution in their eyes. It didn't' take much to guess that Thingguy was giving Mercedes, the head of security, a big new headache to deal with. He wasn't sure what a Religious Leader would have against him... But surely there was something.

In the farther corner, Mrs. Hucklepatt and Stabb were having what appeared to be a very quiet, but casual conversation. As Thingguy entered the room, they both stopped, and regarded him carefully. Oh dear.

It seemed the only person that was outright happy to seem him was the person he had nearly bowled over. Carlos, who had been pacing in the middle of the room, had lit up a smile like neon lights, and thrown his arms wide.

"Sir Thingguy! Good to se'h you again!" he exclaimed, as if he hadn't seen him in years instead of minutes.

Thingguy rolled with it, throwing his arms wide, just like Carlos had. "Hey-Heeey!"

The two bear-hugged, and there was lots of excessive backslapping, while everyone else alternatively looked at each other or Stirling uncomfortably.

For his part, Stirling refrained from facepalming by locking his arms together.

However, after a full minute of this, Mercedes couldn't take it anymore.

"AHEM. Carlos, I think we have something to say to this gentleman."

Carlos sighed. "Aha, yes, h'I s'ppose we do. 'hveryone, to yo'r seats!" Carlos finally let go of Thingguy, who seemed quite relieved to step back and stand next to Stirling by the open door.Â

''"Before you ask, I have learned my lesson,"'' he whispered to Stirling. ''"Don't attempt to match Carlos's enthusiasm."''

Stirling broke into a huge smile. ''"That's my man!"'' he whispered back, and slapped his friend's very sore back once, causing Thingguy to wince and hiss.Â

"Sir Thingguy!" Carlos boomed, from his seat behind the table. "h'It's mah h'xtreme pleasure to tell you that when the time comes, th' Merry Band would be pleased to join your cause t' free Morcia in whatev'ah small way we could at that time."

Thingguy smiled kindly. "Thank you, Carlos."

Carlos held up a hand. "You unda'stand that we would re-evaluate th' situation at that time as well. We're not going to commit to suicide missions."

Thingguy shook his head. "I would never ask that of the Merry Band. Perhaps others, but not these."

This elicited positive notes among everyone behind the table, including Carlos, who continued.

"T' make this official, Martin drafted this doc'hment, an' Stabb has wh'ittled a spec'hfic birdcall wh'stle." Carlos handed Thingguy a rolled scroll, wrapped around a hard small object. Presumably the whistle.

"W'hen th' day comes, r'hide throug'h the for'hest with th'at w'histle. W'hen someone hears it, t'hey will find you with all speed and ab'handon. T'hen you will read t'hem the scroll, and we will h'answer."

Thingguy accepted the scroll graciously. "This... This is perfect. Leaders of the Merry Band, you have no idea what this means."

"It means pain. Suffering."

Thingguy, Stirling, Carlos, and all of the others turned to Father Henry, sitting to the far left of the table. He looked dour. But determined.

"It also means standing for what's right. Hope. Strength. Courage." A confidence shone in his eyes. "This is the path we have chosen. A dangerous path, a thin road, with the only reward far and away, and only attainable if we keep the path all the way." He focused on Thingguy. "That scroll comes with responsibility, Sir Thingguy. Do you accept that as well?"

"Yes. I do."Â

"You say that so fast. Do you truly understand what I mean?"

"Yes."

The two held each other's eyes, and Father Henry's gaze softened. "Yes. Perhaps you do."

Carlos finally let go of the scroll, and Thingguy tucked it into his chestpiece.Â

Carlos cleared his throat, attempting to regain the spotlight.

"Ahem. Well. I think we should be landing soon. If people ask... Don't publicize this. We don't need a KOTOS-sized target set on us."

Thingguy frowned, even as he saw the wisdom in it.Â "You don't want spies to take this news straight to thedude, and anger him."

Next to Carlos, Mercedes nodded. "There are desperate people here, who will sell that sort of lucrative information to thedude for a decent meal."

Thingguy closed his eyes. "That's very wise; I will admit, I hadn't thought of that."

Carlos smiled crookedly. "T'hat is alright, 'bro'. If we've learned one t'hing from you, h'it's t'hat you are concerned primar'hily with MORALE! '''LIKE A TRUE MEMBER OF DA MERRY BAND!!!'''" And with this he leapt up onto the table and punched a fist into the unforgiving metal ceiling. "AH!" His valiant grin was blemished by discomfort. "Judith, I thing I broke something."

"Nonsense, dear," said the old lady, Mrs. Hucklepatt. "Get down, and I'll see."

Around him, As Carlos got down and turned to Mrs. Hucklepatt, peoples reactions included sighs, chuckles, and facepalms.Â

Mercedes, patted Carlos on the shoulder. "Is the meeting dismissed?"

"Oh. Y'hes. I t'hink t'hat was h'all the bus'ness we h'ad," Carlos confirmed.

Right on cue, someone popped their head through the open doorway, and announced that the blimp was about to land.

~ ~ ~

Sure enough, the Happy Thoughts quickly descended upon the new campsite area. A large, beautiful meadow, with a insignificant brook wending it's way through. The passengers disembarked, while others of the crew began packing in the blimp till the metal cabin part of the blimp resembled a mid sized trailer home with a mushrooming bag for a roof.

Thingguy had wanted to watch the transformation, and so while they stood and watched, he and Stirling also said their farewells to the leaders of the Merry Band, who quickly left to take care of other things.

As the crew of the Happy Thoughts finished packing the cloth into the roof as neatly as possible, an unabashedly impressed Thingguy rubbed his hands. "Gosh, that's amazing."

Stirling turned from him to the 'leadership tent' and back. "You are easily amused, arn't you?"

Finally, Thingguy took a deep breath of forest air and ripped his attention away from the transformed Happy Thoughts. "I prefer to look at it as... Able to appreciate the little things! Like a good, long nap."

Stirling looked up into the night sky. "Heh. Yeah, that sounds pretty good right about now."

"Whaddya say we get some rest, and in the morning, we ride out?" Thingguy suggested.

Stirling nodded. "Sunrise is only a few hours away, but I'm on your schedule, Thingguy. Whenever you're ready."

"Then tomorrow, bright and early!"

The two split up, both looking for a place to get some rest before they took to the road.

Stirling ended up finding a decently clear spot and pitched his tent, falling asleep as soon as he crawled into it, in full armor.

Thingguy, on the other hand, didn't get any sleep. Not after he ran into yet another opportunity....

=== Chapter 7: In which the ever-scheming Sir Thingguy hits upon an incredulous possibility. ===

Thingguy didn't' have a tent or bedroll with him. They were on Deadbeat. And Deadbeat was who-knew-where in this Caravan.Â Also, he didn't feel like pitching a whole tent and stuff for only a few hours rest.

Better to find an already pitched tent and bum it off of someone for a few hours. Or share. If that wasn't awkward or anything.

As he was thinking about this, something up ahead caught his attention.Â

A little ways away stood a large cart containing various humming, beeping, whirring, blinking equipment. There was even a radar dish bigger than an XL Pizza spinning around, eternally inspecting the heavens for something.

As Thingguy got closer, he saw the light of a screen reflected off of some round spectacles. Of course, the spectacles belonged to a young man that sat amidst the gizmos. It was rather dark to be certain, but based on the surroundings, Thingguy guessed the bespectacled man was Oswald, the Tech-Expert that Stirling had mentioned.

Thingguy poked his head over the edge of the huge cart. "Hey!"

His sudden appearance startled the studious younger gentleman.Â

"WAAH!" he cried out, nearly dropping the handheld device in his hands. He looked around, blinking. "Who said that?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. The name's Thingguy. Sir Thingguy. You're Oswald, right? What are you doing with all this stuff?"

The young man still didn't seem to be able to see Thingguy. "Sorry, I've been staring at the bright screen on my controller, so I can't see you in the dark."

"Oh. Sorry. Mind if I climb in?" Thingguy asked, hiking himself up.

"Not at all! Uh, just be careful for the-"Â

''Beep!'' ''Ka-chunk.'' ''"Power on."'' ''"Disengage."'' ''Bzzzt.''

"-Stuff."

Thingguy had climbed over various panels and gadgets, but thankfully it sounded much worse than it really was. It only took a minute or so to make sure nothing was going to explode or take off.Â

"Heh. Sorry about that," Thingguy said.

"That's alright!" said Oswald. Because it was definitely him. Thingguy was sure, because he remembered Stirling accidentally whacking him. "I have a lot of projects lying around. It's my own fault."

Thingguy pointed at the controller Oswald had been using before. "What were you doing just now?"

Oswald turned, and seem surprised to find the controller on the ground where he'd put it to save his other things from Thingguy. "Oh! This. This..." he said, picking it up. "...Is controlling that." He pointed at the satellite dish.

Thingguy watched as Oswald made the dish fidget around. "And what is it that the Dish is looking for?"

"Transmissions. Sounds." Oswald shrugged. "Orders. News. Whatever." Oswald stared up into the sky, then back down at his device, and seemed intent on targeting something.

"What are you doing now?" Thingguy asked, peering over his shoulder to look at the technical readout. It didn't' make much sense to him at first glance, looking like a radar or sonar display.

"Sometimes I can listen to the spaceships. You know, the flying ships up in the sky," said Oswald. "They say some funny stuff."

Thingguy was surprised. "Wait. You can listen to the Blockade?"

"Blockade? Is that what they call the metal ships up there?"

"Yeah, the Blockade. The group of space ships."

"Yeah, I can listen to them. Sometimes."

"REALLY?!"

"It's kinda staticky, and not really useful, but it's fun."

Thingguy waved his arms around, estatic. Then he froze. "Wait. Can you reply to them?"

Oswald had an averse reaction. "Oooooh no. Nononononono. Can't do that. No. That's bad."

Thinggiy raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why not?"

"Well, because then I could be traced. Tracked. They'll ''smell'' me."

"They'll... smell you?"

"They'll figure out where I'm sending a message from. They follow it back to my dish, and the Merry Band and th-"

"Ah. Oh, I see." Thingguy said. "It's a matter of security."

"Yeah..." Oswald said, clamming up before Thingguy's eyes. "I only made that mistake once."

"So... you have contacted the Blockade?"

"Oh. No, not the blockade. I tried answering some radio call that I heard. It was on Militiregnum though. I don't think I have enough electricity to send a clear message to the blockade. Not that I'd want to try."

"What happened?"

"We talked for awhile," said Oswald, visibly trying hard to remember. "I forgot his name, but he said he was from the Nexus Force. I think he tried to give me some sort of positioning coordinates, and from what I could gather, he had a more northern latitude. Wasn't able to figure out the longitude. But after awhile of us chatting back and forth, there was a gunfight on his end and he got hysterical, telling me I 'had to move', and 'run before they found me'. Thankfully, he scared me bad enough that I was able to convince the Leaders to move, and we avoided getting bombed by Barneybots on the very next day." Oswald shuddered. "Since then, I haven't ''dared'' send any messages. Only listen." He looked up at the blockade. "But I do wish I could, sometimes."

Thingguy followed his gaze upward. It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust. Then he started to see them. Silhouettes in the stars of space. The ships of the blockade. Help so close, and yet... so far away.

"What would it take to get a message to the blockade?"

=== Chapter 8: In which the new mission is laid out, and the Adventure Begins. (Should this be Act 1 and the before be Act 0?) ===

"Strider! Strider!"

Stirling awoke to find someone knocking on his tentpoles. Groggily, he got up. "Yes, who is it?"

"It's Thingguy!"

"Thin-guy?"

"Thingguy! Sir Thingguy! I met you yesterday!"

'Yesterday' came flooding back to Stirling. "Oh. Oh, yeah." He stumbled out of his tent, in the full armor he'd slept in. "What's going on?" he asked, seeing Thingguy practically hopping up and down with excitement.

"You remember Oswald? The tech guy?"

Stirling rubbed the groggyness from his eyes. "Yeah?"

"I was talking with him till late last night, and he's given me a brilliant idea!"

"Which is?"

"The blockade!"

It took Stirling a moment to understand what Thingguy meant by 'blockade'.

"...The Nexus Force Blockade?"

"Yeah!"

"What about it?"

"We can contact them for help! When we need it most!"

Stirling shook his head to clear away the final cobwebs. "Didn't you guys do that in the last war?"

Thingguy nodded. "Yeah, we did, but they came too late. But that wouldn't be the case this time!"

"But," Stirling said, "Didn't the tech curse bring a few of them down? One ended up way east Orlan, near the Browlands or thereabouts, right?"

"Well, yes, one. But that was because it flew too low and was harried by Barneybot Fighters. The Nexus Force could still send troops and bombard from orbit this time around!"

Stirling thought about it. "I mean, I guess it's helpful..." he slowly agreed, as various strategic possibilities, positive and negative began unfolding in his waking mind.

"There's just one problem."

"Oh?"

"We'd need an NF decoder."

"Decoder?" Stirling echoed.

"Yeah, something with Nexus Force protocols. Otherwise, we could very well just never be found by them, unless they're actively scanning random wavelengths." Thingguy explained.

Stirling thought about it. "What about a comlink off o- No, wait!" Stirling dove back into his tent, as Thingguy rambled on.

"I already suggested getting a comlink off of a Paradox Rogue, but they don't work. They've been all cut off from NF frequencies.Â

Stirling emerged with his pack, covered in pockets. "This is my old friend Peragrine's backpack. I'm certain he has a spare comlink in here!"

Thingguy's eyebrows raised. "Hey-hey! What faction did you say Peragrine was?"

"Venture League."

"That may work!"

The two dug into the pack, sorting through all sorts of goodies. Thingguy especially enjoyed a 'Banana Gun' he found.

"Seems to me Peragrine is a bit of a hoarder!" Thingguy exclaimed.

Stirling nodded. "And once he hears about how useful this pack's been to me, all of his hoarding will be vindicated." He chuckled. "I dread the day."

"Aha!" Thingguy pulled out what they had been looking for. "A Venture League comlink!"

There it was. A tiny little thing you put in your ear, and using your innate imagination, controlled. Well, that, and the occasional 1 button press.Â

"Okay. So how do we get the decoder from there?" Stirling asked.

Thingguy squinted at it. "I have no clue. But hopefully Oswald will!"

(\\\}======>

"I have no clue what to do with this."

"But Oswald, you're the resident master techwizard!" Thingguy exclaimed from outside Oswald's cart.

Oswald handed the communicator back down to Thingguy. "I have no idea how to take it apart. I've looked at it with all of my magnifying glasses. Even the microscope thing. I don't understand it. It's a perfect little ball with a string attached, I guess to make it easier to pull out of your ear?" he looked at Stirling, who nodded.

"I can't even take it apart, much less figure out what itty-bitty piece would be the decoder and plug it into my machine." Oswald finished, shrugging. "Sorry, Sir Thingguy. It was a good idea."

Thingguy only let a little of his disappointment show as Oswald turned around to pick up a different project in his cart. Stirling noticed Thingguy's slight deflation, and piped up.

"Hold on," Stirling said. "Didn't you say you already listen to the blockade from time to time?" he asked Oswald.

Oswald turned back around and leaned over the cart's edge.Â

"Yeah. That's really the only thing I ''can'' do with my radio equipment."

"So, you ''are'' already listening to their messages, right?" Stirling asked.

"Only... snippits."

"So, how are you decoding their messages? How are you hearing them?" Stirling asked. "Surely they're not just broadcasting without a security scramble of some type!"

Oswald shook his head. "It's more complicated than that." When the other two just stared at him for an explanation, and Oswald saw that they wouldn't be leaving till they got it, he waved an arm and said, "Come see."Â

Stirling and Thingguy began to scramble up into the wagon, even as Oswald turned around, saying "Just be careful for the-"

''Bzzzt. Beep! "Error." Sproing! "Power on." "Input incorrect, please try aga-"''

"-Stuff."

"Oops." "Sorry, my bad."

It took a minute to set everything back, and fix a loose panel or two, but eventually, Oswald had found three sturdy objects that would serve as stools, and the three sat down next to Oswald's radio. He put on the bizarre headphones and fiddled around for a minute, before finding what he was looking for. Then he handed the headphones gingerly to Strider.Â

"We're in luck. There's some activity right now."

Stirling slipped the haywire headphones on, and his ears were assailed by harsh static. As he listened, the occasional interspersed word would peak through the white noise. Stirling grimaced.Â

"This is 'in luck'?"

Oswald nodded. "That's what I listen to more often than not. The words you hear are what I've been able to decode by listening to it. I then input that into my computer so that it will automatically translate it when that same cipher comes through. There's no guarantee that I've got something wrong though. I haven't got more than two words in succession yet, and I've been at this for years now in my off-time."

Stirling handed the headphones to Thingguy. "I've had my share of rough signals during my campaigning with the Nexus Force, but I don't think I'd be able to make much use of that!" he said. "Still, it's impressive that you've decoded 'coffee,' 'report,' and 'Rogues'

Oswald nodded once again. "I've been practicing and monitoring it as close as I can. Here. I'll show you the list." He turned to the small laptop hooked up to the Radio and pulled up a script with various words next to their supposed wavelengths. Stirling started reading.

Meanwhile, it was Thingguy's turn to grimace. "Ooh. That's rough." He turned to Stirling. "Still, it's a connection."

Stirling turned from Thingguy back to Oswald. "If you can decode, even partially, their less secure communications, why can't we send up an emergency signal of some type, like electronic beeps? Like, have you heard of Morse Code? S.O.S.?"

Oswald shook his head. "You mean something like just... an alarm?"

"Sure, yeah. An alarm. Why can't you use the same partial code to send it back up?"

Oswald thought about it for a minute. "Well, for one thing, like I was telling Thingguy last night, I don't have that kind of power."

"Ok." Stirling waved a hand. "Say we get that; What else?"

Oswald rolled his eyes at the warrior's flippant dismissal of what to him was a clear problem, but he proceeded anyway.Â

"Secondly... Well, this self-made decoding is..." He struggled to figure out the best way to explain it to the two knights. " It's like knowing a few Spanish words by sound, but not being able to speak it, or even how to regard someone. Him? Her? It?" Oswald shrugged. "I know a few key words, but... I'd need to know ''how to address'' the Blockade before I could contact them directly." The two knights were nodding their understanding now, but Oswald gave them one more analogy for good measure. "It'd be like sending a flock of messenger pigeons, but not being able to give them a name to deliver the note to."

Stirling frowned. "And a decoder would have that name and address, correct?"

"Yeah." Oswald confirmed as he motioned back to Thingguy. "The little ear comlink you had probably has an old outdated codifier-thingy, but I don't have a way to connect it." Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "But hold on! Can I see it again?"

Thingguy fished the comlink out of his pocket and handed it to Oswald, who immediately put it to his ear.

"How do you turn this thing on?" he asked.

Stirling stood up to see if he had it on correctly. "Well, you'd use your imagination, normally."

Oswald half-turned to Strider. "No, really. Do I press the button twice?" Or hold it down?"

Stirling looked at Thingguy for backup. "I'm not pulling your leg, Oswald. Where I come from, Imagination is a much more powerful and tangible power source, and one can learn to use their own innate imagination to power their gear. Right, Thingguy?"

Thingguy nodded. "The Nexus Force made it a key part of a lot of their gear, which makes it less useful here. Thus why I don't wear a lot of that old stuff. That, and I've kinda destroyed or lost a lot of it..."

Oswald sadly pulled the earpiece out, even as he stared at it with newfound wonder. "In that case, Strider, can you still use it?"Â

Stirling accepted the comlink from Oswald as he gingerly placed it in his hands. He sighed wearily. "I can try, Oswald, but I must admit that I ran out of any excess imagination to power my gear a long time ago. I might get really dizzy, so don't let me fall on your stuff." With this warning he stuck it in his ear, and with a thought, attempted to turn on the device.

With a slight twinge that he felt within his entire frame, the comlink thrummed to life, and Stirling closed his eyes to better mentally swing through all available frequencies. Nothing within range. Not that he expected anything.Â

"It still works," Stirling said, a smidgen of surprise in his tone. "But it's range is severely limited. There's nothing within range." He opened his eyes, and saw brief spots, before pulling the comlink out. His mouth felt dry as the spots in his vision quickly faded. "And I'm feeling alright," he said to the two faces of Oswald and Thingguy staring at him. They pulled back a bit, satisfied.

Oswald smiled. "I have a few smashed Paradox comlinks, but only one whole one. Do you mind if I compare the two? I won't try and open either one up. They're too precious to try and learn their secrets."

Stirling had to think about it for a minute. The comlink wasn't going to do him any good just sitting in his backpack. What would he use it for? It would be best used trying to contact the NF, like it was made to do. The best person for that was Oswald. So yes.Â

"Yeah, you can have it Oswald." Stirling handed the little bead back to him. "Use it to help. That's what Peragrine would have wanted it to be used for."

Oswald's eyebrows raised. "This isn't yours?"

Stilring shook his head. "It belongs to that friend I've been looking for."

"Peragrine?"

"Yeah, Perry."

"Yeah, I remember him."

"This is his comlink. But I give it to you, so you can... do whatever it is tech-wizards do." Stirling said, with as much gravitas as he could muster.

For his part, Oswald accepted it with appropriate reverence. "It's marvelous, and I will do my best not to... Well, I'll do my best."

Thingguy slapped him heartily on the back. "And that's all a man can ask for!"

Nearly dropping the comlink, Oswald fumbled with it, before giving Thingguy a dirty look that was ignored. "But I want to set your expectations low," he said. "I probably can't do anything with this. Like I said, I don't have the right tools, enough power, or a way to hail them securely."

Stirling nodded, rubbing his stubble. "Understood. We should probably write this down."

Thingguy tapped his own head as he stroked his beard. "No need. It's up here. ''''Secure'''-'''Powe'''r-'''Tools''''."

The other two stared at him for a moment, before Stirling withdrew a writing implement and Oswald handed Strider some sticky notes.

"All the same to you, Thingguy, I like to keep notes," Stirling said.

Thingguy shook his head. "Not when I'm travelling a lot. I tend to lose them and then the wrong people can find them."

Stirling smiled as he showed Thingguy his note.

'''<nowiki/>'Secure'''

'''Power'''

'''Tools''''

"Of course, I don't write things down verbatim either. Just something to jog my memory," Stirling explained, as Thingguy grinned slyly.

Oswald leaned in on the two. "Oh. Well, I don't travel, so..." and he showed them his notes.

''<nowiki/>'Problems with reaching blockade via Radio:''

''1. Not enough Power. Need Generator? How much Power?''

''2. Not correct equipment and/or tools to create correct equipment. Find complete equipment or find tools to create correct equipment.''

''3. Not a way to contact directly and securely. Need Decoder'''

Thingguy tilted his head. "Basically, we need a bigger version of this comlink, right?"

Oswald winced. "I mean, yes, that's the most basic idea of the problem. Theoretically, if I had the right tools, and the knowledge to use them to extract the decoder, the only thing we'd still need is power."

"The right tools... "

"Yeah, like-"

"Like a shrink ray. But in reverse."

Stirling and Oswald stared at Thingguy, who was staring intently at the comlink in Oswald's hands. Like if he stared at it enough, his eyes would become laser eyes. Only '''Growth''' Laser Eyes.

Stirling broke the silence.

"How about something more grounded in reality?"

Thingguy only moved his intense laser eyes at Strider. "Like what?"

Now it was Stirling's turn to stare intently for no apparent reason, while Oswald sighed.Â "Honestly, I'm not sure what tools I would need." He looked back at his list, before scratching out ''<nowiki/>'or find tools to create correct equipment.''' "I may be a fast learner, but I'm no magician. It would take way too much trial and error to learn. I'd invariably break the first 2 or 3 prototypes, and we don't have the extra materials for that." Oswald looked up at the others. "No, the safest and most accurate way to do this would be to find complete equipment. Or mostly complete," he decided.

Stirling restrained a scoff. "That's practically impossible. Unless we're planning to raid one of thedude's holdings directly, we're not just going to find a working surface-to-space radio lying around."

Thingguy's brow knit together as he thought furiously. "Surface to Space Radio..." Suddenly, he turned to Stirling, his eyes bright.Â

"Remember that ship we were talking about early this morning, Strider?"

It took Stirling a moment. "The old Nexus Force Cruiser?"

"Yeah!" barked Thingguy. "What if we used IT'S communicator?!"

"The old Starship crash?" Oswald said. "I've heard about it, but for obvious reasons, I've never thought about going all the way out there."

Strider raised an eyebrow. "Obvious reasons like, 'it's outside the forest'?"

"Yeah."

Stirling turned to Thingguy. Thingguy turned to Stirling.Â

"You up for a road trip?" Thingguy asked.

Stirling turned to Oswald. "Would that work?!"

Oswald blinked, surprised by the sudden and earnest expressions on the two warrior's faces. He glanced down at his list.

"Well, it would be the right equipment. It'd have a decoder, probably outdated, but perhaps workable and... Well, the only issue would be power. Really, it would depend on the condition it's all in. But it's so remote... Maybe it's been left well enough alone?" Oswald began tapping his pencil on his nose. "But there's always the chance that thedude's looted it already..."

Thingguy waved his hands to get Oswald's attention. "Yes, yes, there's lots of variables, but ''could it work''?"

Oswald stared at his list. Internally, he was screaming, because he was drowning in variables. He attempted to simplify.Â

"It's your best shot." He looked up at the two. "And the odds increase if I come with."

=== Chapter 9: In which our Heroes wait for an Expert and his Wagon. ===
It was a few more days before Thingguy and Stirling were ready to leave with their new associate.Â Technically, Oswald didn't have any responsibilities to the Merry Band... But he ''was'' the resident tech expert... It took some cajoling for the leadership to be willing to part with him. Oddly, their deliberations and worry about letting him go for a time annoyed Oswald and Stirling more than it did Thingguy.

"I can't be detained! I'm a free member," Oswald would mutter at one point in between deliberations and inquiries as to why the Knight and the Samurai needed him. Where they were taking him, what were the risks involved, when he would be back, IF he would be back, was he leaving his stuff, how would they take care of it, if there was anyone he could train or recommend to replace or fill in for him...

"They're not going to stop me, either. I'd just thought I'd let them know as a courtesy. Now they've turned it into this whole ''mess''." Oswald sighed.

"That's government for you, Oswald," Stirling replied. "Glorified bickering."

Thingguy would just smile, fondly remembering some 'glorified bickering' among friends. ''<nowiki/>'Certainly, some bickering here and there is a good thing','' he thought. ''<nowiki/>'Keeps the mind sharp. Helps you root your beliefs, pitting them against others. Or learn something new.'''

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

During the next few days, the three men would prepare while the council deliberated. Oswald would come to the harsh realization he would have to leave as much of his gear as he possibly could with a fellow tech-appreciator, who had a smaller wagon of his own. Stirling and Thingguy had left them to it, as the sheer levels of geekdom quickly became too much for the warriors.

Instead, Thingguy challenged Stirling to a quick sparring match.

âBecause,â Thingguy explained. âIf Iâm going to be travelling with you, Iâd like to know how much you can hold in a fight.â

Stirling agreed. âThatâs fair.â He looked around casually. âHow about we find a clear area then...â

Thingguy followed his gaze. Right now, they were on a small path between tents. Campfires dotted the crooked row every few yards, and people were milling around, watching them with respect and admiration, but not getting in their way.

Suddenly, Thingguy realized his mistake, as he heard Stirlingâs Katana ''rasp'' out of its sheath. He leapt back just in time, dodging Stirling's first slash, nearly toppling a stew pot from its campfire stand. Thingguy drew his own sword just in time to block Stirlingâs forward rush.

Thingguy laughed, as Stirling smirked.

âIn a real fight, thereâs not always going to be a clear space, is there?â Stirling said.

âAnd itâs more often than not, a surprise!â Thingguy replied, shoving Stirlingâs lighter katana back with his heavier hand-and-a-half sword.

A number of people were now reacting. Either scurrying away in consternation, or cheering the fight on. Either way, no one was getting close, and there was no attempt to make a concentric ring or border around the two opponents.

The two swordsmen eyed each other, having now regained the central lane. The space was too crowded with tents, campfires, and other fixtures to circle each other.

âThe stories say youâre one of the best swordsmen in the realm, Sir Thingguy.â

âAh, this is true.â

âI look forward to surprising you, then.â Stirling said, pulling his shield from his back. âMake you work for that title, I will.â

Thingguyâs grin was tempered to a piercing smirk as he analyzed Stirlingâs stance. Shield in front, on Striderâs left arm. Katana raised behind him in the right hand to strike. Bent knees. Low center of gravity. Stirling most likely expected him to come at him with heavy blows.

Neither man wanted to make the first strike.

Thingguy looked up from Stirlingâs stance to the man himself. Stirling was staring with steely intensity over the lip of his well-used Nexus Force Knightâs Shield. Though the Sentinel Logo could hardly be made out underneath all the scorch marks anymore.

âLooks like that shieldâs seen a lot of action!â Thingguy said. He knew he could goad Stirling into making the first attack, which would give him a chance to get past that impenetrable shield defense stance. He had to admire that.

âA lot of explosions, thatâs for sure.â

âWell, at least I know you can take a beating. But can you dish out as much as you take on?â Thingguy prompted.

âCan you!?â Stirling yelled, as he rushed forward, shield set to ram Thingguy, who had nowhere to dodge in the narrow lane.

Thingguy squatted low, twisting left to strike at Stirlingâs feet from his unshielded arm. which caused Stirling to swing his own Katana low to either parry or strike.

The two blades clashed in strikes turned to parrys, and the crowd around them roared with the clang.

Stirling continued his momentum, and ran past Thingguy, forcing the Katana into Thingguyâs sword, causing Thingguy, low, but off-balance, to roll backwards to deflect the blow. He twisted around, kneeling and facing Stirling, who had just finished sliding and spinning back around.

â''Gosh, heâs pretty fast for a fully armored individualâ'' Thingguy noted.

Stirling rushed with his shield again. Thingguy stood up, and feinted a thrust forward over the momentarily low shield. Stirling raised the shield in a decent attempt to disarm Thingguy, but Thingguy pulled the sword back, and spun around to Stirlingâs unprotected right side.

Momentarily blinded by his own raised shield, Stirling didnât see the blade coming around his right side till it was past his katanaâs defense.

âGah!â Stirling yelled in disgust as Thingguyâs sword lightly- expertly- nicked his right shoulder.

He shoved his shield directly at where he knew Thingguy was, and heard the solid whack of metal on skull. Pulling back the shield, he performed an upward slash with his Katana, but was parried by a dazed, but still capable, Thingguy.

Stirling pressed this small advantage, performing a flurry of strikes with his Katana, but Thingguyâs single two-handed sword was far too fast for his single-handed Katana.

Noting this, Stirling shook off the shield, tossing it down on the ground in front of him, before shoving it with his foot at Thingguy to try and trip him.

Thingguy had now recovered from the stunning shield blow, and now hopped lightly over the shield, as it skittered away. He parried yet another attack from Stirling, who was clearly becoming frustrated. Stirling was now using two hands for his Katana, and his blows were now stronger and faster, accordingly. However, Thingguy realized that he had him beat. Stirling might possibly be stronger, but his skill simply did not match his own.

Thingguy let Stirling advance, slashing and striking, and piercing and thrusting. All parried or evaded by him. Casting a cheeky glance back over his shoulder, Thingguy could see that they were re-approaching Stirlingâs discarded shield. Looking back at Stirling, he saw realization light up in Stirlingâs eyes. Thingguy had a plan for his shield.

In the tight lane, Stirling pressed Thingguy, causing them to turn so that the shield was a few feet to the side of them. Stirlingâs right. Thingguyâs left.

Thingguyâs smirk flashed dangerously.

And in a sudden moment, Stirling found himself defending a flurry of combinations heâd never seen before, as Thingguy used his legendary swordsmanship to press the advantage heâd had ever since Stirling had been tricked into going offensive. Suddenly, Stirling was being forced to step back and back, into the space between tents and campfires, desperately trying to avoid the sudden tornado that was made of a single blade in Thingguyâs hands.

So focused was Stirling on this shocking display of skill, that he didnât even have time to look where he was backing up to.

Now things were getting trashed. Tents, crockery, boxes. But by the roar of the crowd, it seemed like no one cared. Certainly, the two contestants did not. They were locked in a deadly battle, hardly aware of the onlookers.

Suddenly, Stirlingâs footing slipped out from underneath him as he stepped on his own shield, which shot out at an alarming rate from underneath him, directly at Thingguy.

The shield rammed edge-first into Thingguyâs midriff, getting caught up in his complex swordsmanship, and knocking the wind out of him, as well as his sword.

Now both men hit the dirt on their backs. Stirling was the first to recover, rolling once for an imagined strike that didnât come, and then pushing himself off the ground with a backwards roll to gain some clarity and distance on the situation. However, that only put him directly on Thingguyâs left, who, while still on the ground, and momentarily breathless, still had Stirlingâs shield in his grasp now.

For a half of a second, the two men stared in awkward surprise at each other. Then Thingguy, gripping Stirlingâs shield, shoved off from Stirling, pushing himself away in the process. As Thingguy rolled, he saw his sword a few feet away from him, and Stirling advancing from the other direction, Katana raised.

Stirling rushed forward, and struck repeatedly at the rolling Thingguy, but Thingguy used the shield to block the bone-shattering blows repeatedly.

Like a human lint-roller, Thingguy rolled over his own sword, and as Stirling brought his Katana down yet again, Thingguy thrust his sword up to Striderâs throat.

Stirlingâs Katana rang with a finality as it struck the shield that covered Thingguyâs throat, who lay on the ground, a single arm outstretched.

Without looking, Stirling could feel the cold tip of Thingguyâs sword on his neck, and he froze.

It was deathly silent.

Then the crowd '''''roared''''' their approval, and the two warriors finally took note of their surroundings.

âThat was a good fight!â Thingguy said, finally dropping the sword from Stirling.

Stirling nodded his agreement, as he sheathed his sword. âI suppose the legends do you justice. That was very impressive swordsmanship.âÂ He helped Thingguy up and accepted his shield back. âI donât think Iâve ever seen faster.â

Thingguy beamed. âThanks! Itâs all repetition and muscle memory. And then being able to adapt those combinations seamlessly into each other.â

Stirling frowned. âWere you toying with me the entire time, then?â

Thingguy shook his head. âOh, no. I knew I couldnât get around your shield. Weâd still be fighting if youâd stayed defensive.â

Stirling seemed disheartened. Thingguy chuckled. âOh, come on. Are you really that disappointed you lost?â

A small smile creased Stirlingâs mouth. âKinda.â

Thingguy laughed, and slapped the Samurai across the back, pulling an arm around him. âLook, you have an amazing defense. I just knew how to goad you into attacking. I used my wit as much as my skill in that fight.â

It took Stirling a moment to understand. âWait, what?â

âYeah! Just like what I did with the council and the monkey-talk. I knew what to say to make you do what I wanted.â

Stirling blinked a few times. âYouâ¦ Used your charisma to change the fight?â

Thingguy nodded. âExactly!â

âThat sounds like something my friend Peragrine would do.â

âSome people call it âtrash talkingâ. Some people call it getting into the opponentâs head. I just call it another skill. Another tool I can use in a fight. An invaluable one at that.â he patted Stirling. âJust like cheering your allies on, you can goad your enemies off balance.â

Stirling listened, considering.Â âThatâs aâ¦ Iâd never thought of it like that before.â

âThatâs why Iâm the best!â

Stirling grinned. âThat you are, Sir Thingguy.â

âCome on, Iâll get you a drink. Are you thirsty? Iâm thirsty. Rolling around in the dirt makes a man thirsty.â

Stirling chuckled. âI canât believe you won lying down. Thatâs just the most ridiculous part.â

âIf you think thatâs ridiculous, let me tell you about the time I won a fight with a slice of pizza.â

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

After nearly a week, things were finally getting wrapped up. Oswald had been officially released from his various duties around the Merry Band, and there was a new Tech Expert that Oswald had entrusted with various projects in his absence.Â During this time, Stirling and Thingguy would amuse themselves any way they could, having been ready to leave for days now. This usually consisted of walking around the camp.

Suddenly, Stirling struck up a conversation.

âI know Oswald is good for the technical side of things once we get there,â Stirling said to Thingguy. âBut I wonder how tough the guy really is. Do you think we can trust him to hold his own?â

Thingguy turned his attention from his surroundings to Stirling. âAre you worried we canât protect him?â

Stirling hesitated. âWell, yes.â

The two men walked for a moment, both giving the other a chance to say more, when they both realized they were thinking the same thing.

âWeâve both failed in that respect in the past,â Stirling said.

Thingguy nodded. âI know we canât protect everyone, but I also think Oswald can hold his own. After all, heâs a part of the Merry Band!â

Stirling still seemed uncertain, so Thingguy continued.

âAnd it was his choice. One heâs made with careful calculation, it would seem.â

âI suppose.â

âAnd if youâve failed in protecting others in the past, have you learned from those failures?â

â...â

When Stirling didnât respond, Thingguy stopped and turned to Stirling. âItâs only a failure if you donât learn from your mistakes. Guilt doesnât get you anywhere.â

Stirling was staring at the ground, and wasnât responding to Thingguy.

Thingguy thought back to what Stirling had told him about his past. How heâd been unable to protect his brother and best friend. How he hadnât even been there to protect them.

âHow am I supposed to learn from the Raid of Calibus?â Stirling asked, confirming Thingguyâs thoughts. âBeyond that I shouldnât have left them? But then Iâd be dead like everyone else. Dead, or missing. Scattered once again.â

Thingguy wracked his brain for application. Something to give to Stirling to focus on, but alas, he was at a loss.Â All he could think of wasâ¦

âThere was no way you could know what was going to happen. That doesnât excuse anyone; thatâs just facts.â

Stirling nodded, finally looking up at Thingguy, blinking back tears. âAnd I canât dwell on it if it stops me from moving forward. Only if it â¦ Uh, moves me forward.â

âDoes it?â

Stirling blinked away the last of his tears, and a familiar steely glint re-entered his eyes. âYes. Yes it does.â

Thingguy smiled, attempting to match Stirlingâs dangerous smile. âGood. Glad youâre on my side.âÂ Another point presented itself to Thingguy, and he raised a finger. âAlso, we can learn that we need strength in numbers to fight thedude. That we must remain united. Not scattered.â

âBut not too densely united, lest we be singularly wiped out in another terrible Raid.â

âTis a delicate balance, but one we ''must'' master!â

âAnd one we are looking to help resolve, by being able to call for reinforcements at the appropriate time.â

âVerily! Tis so!â

âRight.â

The two resumed walking.

âDo you think the nerds are done geeking out?â Stirling asked.

Thingguy shook his head, grinning. âDefinitely not. Give it a few more hours.â

"Right. Then perhaps teach me how to use that Olde Speech of yours. I'm afraid I'm terribly rusty."

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Eventually, Stirling and Thingguy came back and found Oswald reorganizing a much less cluttered wagon, with horses. A number of the heavier and bulkier items were now missing from his cart, and as Stirling and Thingguy clambered into the wagon, they could both appreciate how large the wagon truly was.

âGentlemen,â Oswald said in greeting, as he tucked a final bit of scrap into a footlocker. âPlease appreciate a full 5 by 7 wagon filled with nothing but entirely legal cargo.â

Thingguy nodded in appreciation. âI couldnât help but notice as we walked up that youâve attached the radar dish to the bottom of the wagon. Are you hiding the illegal stuff under there?â

Oswald smiled. âOh, you like that? Yeah, the dish clicks into place under there. And no. When I say thereâs no contraband stuff on my wagon, thereâs no contraband stuff on my wagon. That way, if I were to get searched or something, Iâm just a âsuspiciously lucky collectorâ instead of an outright criminal.

Stirling observed the inside of the wagon. It did indeed look much more nondescript. Everything was packed neatly away in sealed boxes, footlockers, and chests. In fact, it looked like a cargo wagon. Not at all like the wagon of a technical expert. Stirling attempted to lift the lid of a chest, but found it locked.Â Going to a plastic bin, he pulled the lid off of that, and looked in.

âClothes.â Stirling identified. âOswald, did you hide all your technological stuff behind lock and key?â

âOh, absolutely. If anyone were to find my collection, they might be inclined to keep it, even if itâs not contraband.â Oswald adjusted his glasses, and affected a slightly more polished tone âAnd as an avid collector, I, Oswald Yaccarino, do my best to protect my collection.â

âThatâs really smart.â

âThank you!â

Thingguy looked to the front of the wagon, where two horses were hooked up. âAnd who are these two fine fellows?â

Hitched up to the wagon were two brown horses of a decent, if ordinary build.

âTheyâre not mine. Not specifically anyway. Iâve used them before in the past to pull the wagon. I think that left oneâs named Bacon, and the otherâs namedâ¦ uh,â Oswald adjusted his glasses and stared at the darker brown horse. âBarkley? Berkeley? Beverly?â

Thingguy leaned back and sized the creature up. âShe looks like a Beverly to me.â

âIâd hate to be uncert-â

âBeverly it is!â Stirling said, and the matter was clearly dropped by the two warriors. âWhen do we leave?â

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 10: In Which Stirling Meets Ingrid, and Our Heros Depart. ===
It would take a few more hours of final goodbyes and last minute details. Details such as gettingÂ Stirling a new horse to ride and keep up with Thingguy and Oswald. Stirling had dismissed this more than once over the past few days, stating he had terrible luck with horses, and would simply ride in the wagon with Oswaldâ¦ But the issue kept coming up, and eventually, Stirling had to admit it was sensible for both warriors to be mobile.

For this, Stirling and Thingguy were told that they could get such a horse from the surplus of the Merry Band.

When they got there, the stablegirl, Sharla, was ready for them with a strawberry roan that she insisted was exactly what Stirling was looking for.

Apparently, the story of Stirlingâs poor luck with horses had gotten around, and the rumors of their immediate departure as well.

âHer name is Ingrid.â Sharla said empirically, leading the clearly irritated horse towards the two men.Â âInvincibile Ingrid. Sheâs faced thedudeâs forces a lotta times before we got her. Saved Sir Martinâs life more than once, Iâve been told.â

Stirling didnât bother to hide his doubt as Ingrid clearly pulled back on the lead, snorting with irritance. âShe seems a bit unruly.â

Behind Stirling, Thingguy cracked a smile, as he saw the similarities between the horse and the man. Both of them irritated, blind to each otherâs deep reserves of strength and resolve.Â He was with the stablegirl on this one. The two were clearly a perfect fit.

Meanwhile, the horse snorted, rolling her eyes to Stablegirl Sharla, as if to say, ''âReally? This guy?â''

Sharla didnât seem to notice. She slapped the lead rope into Stirlingâs outstretched hand, even as Stirling continued to question her. Â

âIs this Sir Martinâs horse then?â

âIt was. But he donât ride anymore. Too hard on him. Bad hips.â

Thingguy slapped Stirlingâs shoulder. âI take it that Sir Martin supports our endeavor very much then, to offer his own horse.â

Stirling glanced at Thingguy. Thingguy nodded encouragingly.

Ingrid glanced at Sharla. Sharla nodded firmly.

Both Horse and Samurai glanced back at each other.

And as one, they said âpffffft.â and turned away.

The horse spun around, and began walking back towards the pen gate with the rest of the horses, as Stirling tossed the lead back to the stablegirl and turned away to look at the rest of the horses.

âThere has to be a better candidate than ''that'' old mare!â he declared.

Both Thingguy and Sharla immediately began to protest, but at Stirlingâs declaration, stopped as soon as theyâd begun, for Ingrid had halted in mid-step.

âWhereâs a nice, strong '''stallion''' war-horse?â he said, leaning on the metal corral fencing. âDo you have any of those, Sharla?â

Ingridâs head whipped around and locked onto the oblivious Stirling, who was now pulling himself up onto the metal fencing to look out over the small herd of horses.

Sharla began to call out to warn Stirling, but Thingguy calmly put a hand over her mouth.

â''Shhh.â'' Â He whispered serenely. âThis is exactly what they both need.â

Stirling was now pointing off into the herd. âOh! How about that one there? It looks big and str-â

Ingrid turned full around. She locked onto the stupid humanâs stupid rear. Without a single sound, she trotted up to Stirling, and flipped him neatly over the fenceline, to have him land directly on his back.

With the wind knocked out of him, Stirling didnât finish his sentence, but instead stared in surprise up the muzzle of a furiously whinnying Strawberry roan.

In that moment, Stirling heard Ingrid speak to him.

For the first time, he heard horses talk. Â

It was the most honest, brutal, and foul-mouthed speech that he had heard in quite some time. And it was entirely about him.

âRight. Yes. Fair. Iâm all that and more. Are you in?â he asked, as soon as sheâd finished, which was thankfully right around the time heâd recovered his breath.

Ingrid appeared to consider it for a moment, glancing back at Sharla and Thingguy, who stood pensive off to the side.

She snorted once.Â â''Yes.â'' Â

Clear as day.

âFantastic,â Stirling said with less enthusiasm than he actually felt. As he found his feet, they both began talking at the same time.

â''But to be clear, if you remain an ignorant oaf of the previously mentioned proportions, I will not hesitate to kill you myself.â''

âAnd I assure you, I shall do my best to treat you with the proper respect in the future. Forgive me?â

Ingrid raised her nose up snootily. â''Yes. Also, your back is covered in manure.â''

âAh. Well. Whoâs fault is that?â ''Â ''

''âYours.â''

Stirling couldnât come up with a witty retort for that, so he simply grunted and turned to their audience of two.

Thingguy was beaming with barely contained laughter, while the stablegirl was grinning smugly. âSee? I told you!â

Stirling attempted to save his dignity. âYour horse attempted to kill me.â

âSo yâ know sheâs a real tough cookie! A killer! Sheâs perfect! Just admit it.â

Ingrid turned her long face to stare at Stirlingâs ear.Â Stirling rolled his eyes. He got down on his knees to be eye-level with the stablegirl. Took a deep breath.

âSharlaâ¦â Stirling said, looking reproachfully at Thingguy, who was now using his hands to physically stifle his laughter. Stirling sighed, accepting his serving of humility and humble pie. âShe's perfect. Youâre right.â

The young girl smiled delightedly, clapping her hands. âI knew it! I-knew-it, I-knew-it, I-knew-it!â She skipped off, calling back, âI have to go do somâmore chores, but your horse is here as well, Sir Thingguy! Just call âim!â

âWill do!â Thingguy called back, and then he turned to the corral.

âDEAAAAAAAADBEAAAAAAT!â

A distant whinny went up, and Thingguy laughed. Then he turned to Stirling, who seemed a little deflated. Perhaps stunned.

âSoooooâ¦â Thingguy began, smiling. âWere you talking with your horse there?â

Stirling looked up, looked at Ingrid, and then the two of them looked back at Thingguy.

â â''Donât you?â â'' They both said.

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Late that evening, the group finally rode east, away from the Merry Band, who once again were packing up and moving to their own next destination.

There were no more goodbyes, no waving. The only looking back was done by Oswald, and then again, not to any particular person, but to the whole moving Caravan as a whole. Much later, he would look back at the forest-line. A forest he hadnât left inâ¦

Oswald thought hard. âGosh. Years.â He racked his brain for a specific number. âLetâs see. I went into hiding 1 year into thedudeâs reign, because I wanted to learn more about technology instead of cobblering. So, 5, almost 6 years.âÂ He glanced back at the treeline. At its safety. Turning to look forward at the world heâd left years ago, he felt ''terribly'' exposed out here on the open plains of Far Eastern Morcia.

â''This must be what a field mouse feels like before a hawk gets itâ'' he realized.

Then his eyes anchored themselves onto his two travelling companions, who seemed perfectly at home up ahead on their two horses. Sir Stirling, and Sir Thingguy.

â''I guess in this analogy though, Iâm no field mouse. Iâmâ¦ Well, Iâm a man in a cart.â'' Oswald nodded to himself. â''No need to confuse myself. No need for analogies. Iâm the weakest of the group, for sure, but theyâre both strong enough to make up for that. And, of course, Iâm smart enough to make up for the both of them. Hopefully. If we get that far.â'' Â He glanced up at the huuuuge sky, expecting Barneybots and Fighters to come out of the clouds and bomb them to oblivionâ¦

But they didnât. Just the occasional bird, soaring high in the big blue sky.

Even with the late start theyâd had leaving the Merry Band, they made decent time, riding over the relatively flat plains. Oswald with his head on a swivel, getting used to the wide openness of everything, and the two fighters, outwardly relaxed, as if on a weekend jaunt, talking with each other, and their horses.

Late into the evening, they came across a main road that ran North and South.

As Oswald came closer to the road, Thingguy called out to him, pointing North.

âThis road runs north to the town of Leer!â

Oswald simply nodded, but didnât reply until he was within casual conversation distance. As he turned north onto the road, he asked, âDo you think we can make it there tonight?â

Thingguy shook his head. âNo. Well, not unless we went through the night. Which we ''couldâ¦â'' Thingguy considered.

Deadbeat chuffed, causing Thingguy to respond. âOh come on, it would do you good. Youâve gotten all fat and soft during our time at the Merry Band. Honestly, can you count how many oats they gave you there?â

Deadbeat nickered, his eyes shifting in embarrassment.

âThatâs what I thought.â Thingguy said, reproachfully. Deadbeat whinnied defensively, but Thingguy ignored him, having clearly won the argument this time. He leaned over and addressed Stirling, who was flanking the other side of the cart now. âWhat do you think, Strider? Should we go through the night and arrive at Leer perhaps aroundâ¦ midnight?â

Stirling shook his head. âArriving at the town late at night will raise questions. But riding through the night isnât irregular this far east. Lots of robbers and scavengers on this road on the edge of Morcia. Desert-based bandits too, if the pickings are slim on the East Way. Which they have been.â

Ingrid snorted in agreement.

Oswald turned back to Thingguy. âIâm willing to ride through the night, but perhaps we just camp outside the city if we arrive there too early?â

âMy thoughts exactly, Oss!â Thingguy said.

Oswald twitched at the attempt at a nickname. âOss?â

Thingguy flashed a grin at the young man before spurring Deatbeat forward, and out of the conversation.

âThat wonât stick!â Oswald yelled after him.

Stirling failed to stifle a chuckle, causing Oswald to turn on him. âYou got that? It wonât stick. I won-â

âSure thing, Oss.â Stirling said, hiding his smile behind a gauntlet.

âOssâ stared at Stirling, who didnât rush away.

âThink of it this way,â Stirling said. âIt could have been âWaldâ.â

âThat actually makes more sense.â

Stirling thought about it, rolling his eyes up into his head. ââOssâ, or âWoldâ?â

âNo, âWaldâ.â

âThatâs what I said. âWoldâ.â

âNo, you said âWoldâ. Thatâs ''completely'' different from âWaldâ!

Now both of them were staring at each other, completely baffled by the other.

âSay it again,â Stirling said, straining his ears.

Oswald took a deep breath and enunciated. â âWaldâ...â

âUh-huhâ¦?â

âversus âWoldâ.â

Slowly, Stirling nodded. âYup. Sound exactly the same.â

Oswald blinked furiously. âNo! You-â he paused. âYou must be pulling my leg.â he concluded. âTheyâre completely different. Oneâs an old word for a forested area, and the otherâs an old word used for an open, sorta hilly, grassy plain. Similar to what weâre in now, actually.â he finished, looking around. âWhich is actually pretty enjoyable, now that Iâm getting over the fear of getting spotted from above by bombing barneybots.â

Ingrid snorted.

Stirling patted her comfortingly as he followed Oswaldâs gaze into the dimming evening sky. âI mean, thereâs no reason for barneybots to patrol this stretch of road. Weâd have to be pretty unlucky to have to deal with that. And even if we did, Oswald,â he looked back down at the man. âYouâre just an avid tech collector, remember?â

Oswald took a moment to remember, but then he smiled, and adopted his posh demeanor. âAh yes. Very rightly so.â He straightened his coat, and then pulled out a brown bowler hat from below his seat. âI do say, I know how to spiffy up if and when the need might arise!â

Stirling grinned. âYouâre certainly the brains and face of our party. Thingguy and I just look like your hired mercenaries, although heâs certainly got a lot of charisma for a guy in used and dirty chainmail.â

Oswald refocused his attention on guiding the horses for a moment as he looked directly ahead to Thingguy, who looked like he was out for a sunday jaunt, taking in the fresh wide-open air.

âSir Thingguy is certainly very moving. And regal, when he wants to be. Never met him personally before last week, but I do recall hearing about him before thedude won.â

âOh?â

âYeah. Stories of him, Sir Talmid, and Sir Luke leading King Matthiasâs troops into battle. I always thought they were a bit over-the-top. Until I met him. Now I donât doubt those tales at all.â

Stirling nodded. âIâve heard some of the stories. But Iâm not surprised by all that. Tell you what I ''am'' surprised by.â

âWhat?â

âHis perpetual good mood.â

âWhat do you mean?â

Stirling threw an arm out towards Thingguy, who appeared to be talking to his horse again. âI mean, this guyâs lost all his friends, lost a war, is stranded on a foreign planet, has only his horse, and the items on his back, no directionâ¦â

Thingguy took that moment to laugh at something his horse had apparently said.

Stirling shook his outstretched hand, looking at Oswald. âYet, see? This guy can laugh at anything.â Now he shook his head. âI donât really get it.â

Oswald considered this, chewing his lip. âThatâs a good point. Kinda figured itâs just the power of positive thinking, butâ¦ Well, that doesnât work for me when things wonât go my way.â

Stirling grunted. âSame. And things havenât been my way forâ¦ going on 3 years now.â

âSince you arrived, right?â

âYeah.â

âHeyâ¦â Oswald leaned towards Stirling. âMaybe itâs just this whole blasted planet.â

Stirling chuckled. This somehow tickled him in a dark humor kind of way. âYeah. Maybe.â At least that way, his failures these past 3 years weren't just on him being a complete loser. âYeah. I like that.â

Oswald straightened up. âI mean, actually, no. Technically speaking, to curse an entire planet would-â

âTech curse. The Old Sorcerer did it, didnât he?â Stirling said, now minorly invested in the âcursed planetâ theory.

Oswald paused, taking a moment to organize his thoughts. âWell, yes. He did. Some say he zombified himself doing that though. Like, he used up his entire life-force, but his body was still healthy, so they entombed him in such a way that if he ever woke up, he could get up and get out. Or that the tech curse required him to still be âaliveâ to remain active, I think? So his body was preservedâ¦?â

Stirling raised his eyebrows. âI just heard that it took a lot out of him, so he was like, super weak. Nothing specific like that.â

Oswald shrugged. âI mean, specifics from a story of a legend of a theory of word of mouth. Plenty of potential inaccuracies. Donât quote me.â

âFair.â

âBut to curse a whole planet withâ¦ negative events? Negative force?â

âBad luck?â

âSure. Bad luck.â Oswald readjusted his glasses. âI donât study magic, obviously, but the energy needed for that would be even more immense than the equivalent energy we need for this radio signal to work properly!â

Stirling raised an eyebrow. âYou say that like magical energy and imagination energy can be equated.â

Oswald physically stopped himself from doing the mental math of trying to figure out how much energy he was talking about. There were too many variables in that problem to make it worthwhile. âWell, depending on the magic user and the way their magic works, sure. Magical energy is still energy. At some point, it doesnât fluctuate anymore. Or it shouldnât. If it does, it has a certain amount that it fluctuates, so you can measure it within that much of a margin.â

Stirling blinked a few times, re-running that last bit in his head a few more times. âBut, I thought âmagic is simply science we donât understandâ. If youâre understanding it, is it science and not magic anymore?â

Oswald shook his head. âMagic is still science we donât understand. But different people understand different amounts of science. Whatâs magic to you isnât magic to me. Magic and science are the same thing, just labeled differently for different people. Magic is subjective. Whatâs magic and whatâs science is in the eye of the beholder.â Oswald grinned. âAnd I came up with that by myself.â

Stirling frowned, looking down at his gauntlets blankly for a moment.

âFor example,â Oswald said, seeing Stirling still thinking. âYour using Imagination the other day on your Nexus Force earpiece. To me, that was magic.â

Stirling glanced up at Oswald. âBut, thatâs just tech.â

âBut I didnât know how it works. I mean, itâs been explained to me, but I still havenât been able to open it up and observe it piece by piece, so I still donât completely get it. Therefore, I call it magic.â

âSo, would you call yourself a wizard?â

âA Tech-Wizard, sure! Iâm no sorcerer; donât have magic coming out of my fingers. Iâm no warlock; I donât have powers from some other source or curse. Some might call me an alchemist, since I combine various items together, but that would be disrespectful of actual alchemists who use raw elements.â Oswald sighed wistfully. âIâd give a lot to be able to learn alchemy, actually. That sounds really awesome.â

Ingrid snorted at the mention of alchemy, and Stirlingâs attention was diverted for a moment.

âIâve heard that term before, but I donât really know what it means.â he said, as much to Ingrid as Oswald.

âWhat, alchemy?â Oswald asked.

âYeah.â

Oswald bolted wide awake. âOh gosh! Let me tell you all about it!â

Belatedly, Stirling realized heâd made a terrible mistake, as Oswald proceeded to geek out about what little he knew about the frowned-upon practice of Alchemy.

<nowiki>~~~~~~</nowiki>

Quite a few hours later, Stirling was still listening to Oswald when Thingguy called a halt.

âWe should make camp here for the night,â Thingguy explained. âIf my understanding is correct, weâll be able to see Leer by going over that next little rise there in the morning.â

âSounds good!â Stirling said, dismounting suddenly in an attempt to escape Oswald.

Oswald nodded. âAlright, Sir Thingguy.â

The three made camp quickly and easily. The four horses were unsaddled, and staked together to graze and rest. The two warriors pitched tents, while Oswald simply covered himself up in his wagon.

Within minutes of lying down, the two warriors were sound asleep, leaving Oswald to stare at a completely open night sky alone.

<nowiki>~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 11: In which our heroes beat around the bush called Leer, and observe various vehicles going to and fro. ===
Early the next morning, the threesome quickly got saddled up and back on the road, none the worse for wear.

Cresting the next hill, the town of Leer came into view, proving that Thingguy knew his stuff.

The three men sized the place up.

Leer was often called the âLast Western Townâ, but really, it was more of a large city. The last large city before the largely empty and wild Brownlands. Leer had no walls, but plenty of Towers built in irregular circles radiating out from the center of the old town. As the city had grown and grown with trade, more and more towers had been built on what had been the outskirts of the city at the time, causing it to now have towers of varying quality and strength throughout the city now. It was a main trading port, situated as it was at the western end of the Great East Way. A hub of commerce, where one could get just about anything for the right price. Nowhere else in the Land of Morcia did money speak as loudly as it did here.

However, since thedude had declared war on the Eastern Empires of Cheinir and Jepuni, the city of Leer, and indeed all of the Great East Way was filled with a different form of commerce.

The commerce of war.

Stirling, Thingguy, and Oswald noted with varying degrees of wariness the heavy presence of Paradox Rogues, flying Barneybots, and even Barney Fighters.Â As they watched, they saw a heavily armored military column making its own way out of town, East. Motorized transports, horses, covered caravans, and even camels all made their way into the dusty Brownlands. Off to war with the Empires.Â Above them, Barneybots hovered thickly, inadvertently providing shade for some below them.

Suddenly, Oswald gasped, and the two others followed his gaze.

Above even the Barneybots, a few red dots flew high above, in the bright blue sky.

âOh hey, look at that,â Thingguy said. âThey have some red mythrans.â

Stirling glared up at them. âAnd weâre standing here like freaking idiots.â

âTourists.â Thingguy peeked sideways at Oswald. âIsnât that right, Mr. Yaccarino?â

Oswald attempted a posh âYepâ but all that his terrified, dry mouth could offer was a pitiful croak.

Then it was Stirlingâs turn to gasp. âTanks!â He pointed back at the ground, where a number of tanks were now rolling out from the city of Leer. âHonest to goodness, bona-fide tanks!â

Thingguy raised his eyebrows. âWonder where heâs manufacturing those?â

Stirlingâs gawking turned back to his customary frown. âWell, I know where theyâre getting the raw ore, thatâs for sure. Stillâ¦ Iâd really like to get my hands on one of those tanks.â

Now it was Thingguyâs turn to gasp and pointÂ âLook! A Helicopter!â

Stirling and Oswald followed Thingguyâs leather-bound pointer finger, and there, rising out from the buildings and towers of Leer was a small black helicopter, flanked by a squad of Barneybots. As it rose, quickly gaining altitude, the words âPARCEL DELIVERYâ could be seen painted on the helicopter. Then the copter quickly pulled away, guarded by four Barneybots who kept pace with it as it puttered into the east, outpacing the caravan below it.

âWonder if they transport people too?â Thingguy said. âThen we could get a helicopter ride!â

Stirling frowned. âIâm more worried about where heâs manufacturing all this.â

Oswald nodded, clearly terrified. â...Power.â he croaked. The two older men glanced back at him, and Oswald spoke up, looking away from the Caravan.

âAhem. Meant to say, âthatâs a lot of powerâ.â

Stirling nodded gravely. Thingguy pursed his lips.

âTrue!â Thinnguy said. He turned back to the Caravan. âBut itâs not focused on us. Itâs focused on the east.â Thingguy followed the road east with his eyes. âFirst Builders save them.â

ââCause we sure canât.â Stirling grumbled negatively.

âNot ''yet''.â Thingguy finished positively.

The three men all watched the Caravan for a long time, morbidly counting the strength of the forces. Thinking their own personal thoughts. Eventually, the end of the Caravan exited the city. From their vantage point, they could barely see the front of the caravan as a distant point in the horizon.

âCome on,â Stirling said. âWe should get a move on.â

âToo true!â Thingguy replied. He turned to Oswald. âWhich way, Mr. Yaccarino? Into town, or around and Northward?â

Oswald was surprised. He looked at Thingguy, and then at Strider, who both returned his look with expectancy.Â âItâs up to me?â

âYouâre the fancy collector, Mr. Yaccarino,â Stirling said, adopting a bored and stupid expression. âWeâre just the hired muscle.â

âIf I might make a suggestion,â Thingguy offered. Oswald quickly nodded, so Thingguy continued. âIf we go into town, youâre going to have to take point, so as to avoid suspicions. But if we donât need to go into town, we can just circumnavigate the town, and head to our destination directly. Shouldnât take more than a day or two.â

Oswald thought about it briefly. âWe definitely donât have a need to go into town, except to keep up pretenses. But if weâre not stopped by anyone or anything, we donât need those pretenses anyway. So letâs just focus on our main objective, until something stops us. Then we focus on keeping that objective under pretenses.â He glanced down at Thingguy. âMakes sense?â

Thingguy gave a thumbs up. âPerfect.â He looked out over the city of Leer. âCircumnavigating, it is!â He pointed Northeast. âThatâs our direction.â

The crew made their way down from their vantage point, and began making their way in that direction, every once in a while casting a cautionary glance at the ever-closer looming towers of Leer.

As they did, Oswald fished around for a set of binoculars, which he then used to take a look at the men atop one of the towers.

It appeared that the City was at peace with thedude. A number of Paradox Rogues were on each tower, but there was also a presence of local militia and guardsmen atop each one as well.

As they got as close as they were going to get to Leer on their current trajectory, they heard the sounds of another helicopter.

They all searched the sky for one, but Thingguy saw it first.

âThere! Itâs coming from the east!â

The others turned to see it. A small helicopter puttered itâs way into Leer, with a single heavily damaged Barneybot as itâs vanguard. This copter had âMAIL DELIVERYâ painted in white on itâs dull grey metal exterior.

âLooks like bandits or something nearly got that mail delivery,â Stirling noted, his hand on his bow.

The others agreed, and they continued walking. Thingguy sighed wistfully. âImagine if we had a helicopter to our destination, though.â

Stirling shook his head, about to argue why that was a bad ideaâ¦ but then Oswald did that for him.

âWell, if we took a helicopter, it would be fairly easy to track us to our destination,â he said. âAnd thatâs even if we could get through the city without raising suspicions. No, the less we risk interaction with members of thedudeâs society, the better.â

Stirling nodded. âThe kidâs right.â

Thingguy sighed wistfully.

Deadbeat whinnied, bringing Thingguy out of his reverie.

âWhat?! How could you not like a nice, relaxing helicopter ride?!â

Stirling failed to hold back a laugh, even as Ingrid snorted, getting in on the conversation. A conversation that only the horses could hear in full. Still, Stirling enjoyed listening to what he could.

''âQuite easily, Sir Thingguy. As horses, we are more capable on the ground, with all four hooves on the ground!â'' Ingrid.

Deadbeat whinnied in agreement.

âWhatâd she say?â Thingguy asked.

Stirling reiterated. âShe says that horses are horses, and they belong on the ground, not up in the sky.â

Ingrid stomped a hoof and tossed her mane. ''âThat is most certainly not what I said!â''

âOh, sorry, was what I said inaccurate?â Stirling asked Ingrid, smiling.

''âOnly in that it implies horses are physically incapable of leaving the ground. I could go on a helicopterâ¦ If it were absolutely necessary.â'' Ingrid neighed defensively.

âI meanâ¦ I suppose getting all of us and the cart onto a helicopter would be really expensiveâ¦â Thingguy relented, patting his pockets. âSeems to me theyâre in thedudeâs back pocket anyway, and wouldnât give a couple of freedom fighters a lift.â

Oswald spoke up. âIndeed. I was just looking at the towers there, and thereâs a mix of local guardsmen and Paradox Rogues on each tower. Seems to me that Leer is One Hundred Percent thedude.â

Stirling scoffed. âThat makes a lot of sense, the money-grubbers.â

The crew continued northeast, crossing the road that ran out of Leer and off into the east, going up and over a rise. As they did so, Thingguy pointed to a large mountain in the distance.

âThereâs our target. Or thereabouts.â

âThat lone mountain have a name?â Stirling asked.

Thingguy nodded. âMount Servus. Rumors are that the cruiser crashed right at the foot of it.â

Oswald piped up. âWhich side?â

Thingguy faltered in his reply. âIâ¦ have no idea.â

Stirling stifled a chuckle, as Oswald stared at the Knight. âYou just know itâs âat the foot of Mount Servusâ?â

Thingguy shrugged. âYeah! I figure the cruiserâll be easy to spot once we get closer.â

Stirling nodded. âCertainly.â

Oswald stared into space for a moment, containing his frustration over the inexactness of his fellow travellers. âO-kay,â he squeaked.

They traveled all day at a steady pace, stopping to rest whenever they needed, which was usually whenever Deadbeat found a patch of passably green turf to nibble on, or when the cart caught a snag on the rough terrain.

Stirling gauged the distance. âAt our current pace, we might reach it tomorrow, late morning, I think.â

Ingrid snorted, glancing at Deadbeat with slight disdain. ''âSooner, if he stopped getting distracted by every morsel of greenery.â''

âThis is true,â Stirling said.

Deadbeat whinnied a response that only Thingguy and Ingrid understood. ''âItâs not my fault! If Thingguy had packed more oats, I wouldnât be starving to death in this dreary place!â''

âHey!â Thingguy exclaimed. âI did too pack those oats! Itâs not my fault you cleverly snuck into your own saddlebags on our first night out! Honestly, Iâm still amazed at how you did thatâ¦â

Deadbeat turned his long face to look at his rider. ''âI told you, I didnât eat them. Which means you must have forgotten to pack them.â''

âLiar.â

''âNo, you.â''

One of the cart horses, Bacon, snorted.

The other cart horse, Beverly turned and nickered quietly to Bacon.

Oswald leaned forward. âBaconâ¦?â

Staring into the ground, Bacon nickered quietly back to Beverly. This caused Beverly to look from Bacon to Deadbeat in apparent surprise. She neighed something to Deadbeat. Deadbeatâs ears shot straight up.

''âOh.â''

âWhat? What is it, old boy?â

''âI guess you did pack them.â''

âOf course I packed them, doofus!â Thingguy said, slapping his horse affectionately to soften his name-calling. And the fact that he was right.

''âCause Bacon admits to eating them all.â'' Deadbeat glared at Bacon, who seemed to physically wilt under the accusing gaze.

Stirling and Oswald were flitting their gazes between all of this, entirely lost now.

âIâm sorry, does someone want to explain why weâre not moving?â Stirling asked.

Ingrid tossed her mane. ''âIt appears we have TWO gluttons in our group. And itâs the two stallions, of course.â''

Stirling looked from the angry Deadbeat to the forlorn Bacon. âAh. I see. Well.â

Oswald followed Stirlingâs gaze. âDoes your horse have a problem with Bacon, Sir Thingguy?â

Thingguy took a nervous breath through his teeth. â âparrently Bacon ate Deadbeatâs oats last night?â

Bacon nickered mournfully. Or maybe that was his stomach.

âOh. Well.â Oswald glanced back into the wagon. âThen I suppose Deadbeat can eat Baconâs oats here.â

The ears of all four equines perked up, but none more than Deadbeatâs. ''âHow much?â''

Thingguy echoed his horseâs question. In response, Oswald reached behind him and wrestled a heavy bag of oats out from the cart and into his lap. âThis much?â

Deadbeat snorted distainfully. ''âI suppose that will have to do.â'' He rolled his eyes back to facing front, and started walking again, justice having been served.

Thingguy smiled. âDeadbeat appreciates it.â He paused a moment before adding, âAnd so do I.â He also now turned to face front, and leaned forward to whisper what was clearly apologies for ever doubting his horse.

Ingrid watched the two veterans for a moment before following and nickering softly to Stirling. ''<nowiki/>'They have a strong bond.'''

Stirling nodded, then remembered that his horse couldnât necessarily see his nodding. So he patted her once. âYeah. Theyâve been pretty lucky.âÂ Behind him, Oswald followed with the cart.

''<nowiki/>'I and Sir Martin were very close, but not like that.'<nowiki/>'' She turned her neck to look back at Stirling. ''<nowiki/>'He was very kind and intuitive, but we didn't talk. Not like this. Not like Sir Thingguy and Deadbeat.'''

Stirling stared back at the large, steady, equine eye. âAs you well know, Iâve never talked with a horse like this before, either.â

''âIn actuality, I did not.â''

âOh. Well, now you do.â

''âI want you to promise me something.â''

An eyebrow raised in instinctual suspicion on Stirlingâs face. âWhat sort of promise?â

Ingrid looked back at Thingguy and Deadbeat.Â ''âTrust. Can we trust each other? Can you trust me?â''

Stirling didnât answer right away. He wanted to give such a serious question some serious thought.

Ingrid glanced back once, surprised to see Stirling thinking about it. ''âWhy are you hesitating?â'' she asked.

âDo you know about my previous steeds? How they usually end up dead, lost, or otherwise unfit for continued service?â Stilring asked quietly, not looking at Ingrid.

''âSomewhat.Â The Stablegirl told me some of it, but to be honest, I did not pay much heed to it.â''

âWell, suffice to say that most of it is not embellishment. I have had terrible luck with horses. I live an uncertain and vagabond lifestyle nowadays, and I havenât found a horse who can take a hit like I can.â

''âHave you armored your horses?â'' Ingrid asked, pointedly. ''âLike how you armor yourself?â''

Stirling stared at Ingridâs neck. âHmm. No, I guess I havenât. It would be expensive, or perhaps cost me a bit of a favorâ¦ But Iâd never thought of it.â

Ingrid snorted. ''âThat would be a good start.â''

Stirling nodded. âItâs a very good idea. And unlike other horses, I donât think it would slow you down.â

''âA slow horse is better than no horse, Sir Silverstine.â''

âVery true.â

''âBut you still have not answered my question.â''

Now he replied quickly. âI want to trust you, Ingrid,â Stirling said. âBut trust is not something given. Itâs something earned, through actions and deeds.â Ingrid tensed underneath him, but Stirling continued. âAnd beyond me trusting you, I donât think you should trust me. Not based on my track record with your kind.â

Ingrid nickered softly, but firmly. ''âLet me stop you there. I intend to break your so-called âbad luckâ. Your âtrack recordâ, your whatever else you want to call it. Leave that to me.â'' Now it was Stirlingâs turn to listen, as Ingrid continued, her hooves stomping to accentuate her words in Stirling's mind. ''âWhat I want to know is, do you trust and believe me when I say so? When I say something, will you believe me, or will you doubt my strength? My words?â''

Stirling frowned, and he didnât need to see Ingridâs long face or eyes to see that she was doing the equine equivalent as well. He rubbed her as he responded. âItâs not that I donât ''want'' to trust you, Ingrid. I ''want'' to trust you, or Oswald, or Thingguy, or heck, anyone!Â But if thereâs one thing Iâve learned in these past few years, itâs that you ''canât trust anyone''. Anything. Everyone will let you down. One way or another. At one point or another.â He sneered ruefully. âItâs something my father once told me. And now heâs dead.â

''âThat is a fatalistic attitude,â'' the horse replied.

âItâs based on experience.â the samurai retorted.

''âI intend to break that experience,â'' Ingrid snapped. Again, she swung her head to look back at her rider. Again, she asked, ''âDo you trust me?â''

âDo you?â Stirling growled.

A tense moment followed, and the unanswered questions were left to hang in the air, as Ingrid turned her eye away from Stirling and back towards their destination.

Mount Servus.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

The group traveled up and over a few dozen gentle hills, with a warm easterly wind continually hugging their right. Behind them, Leerâs towers rose and fell, watching them from behind. Ahead, Mount Servus did the same. Underneath the two points watchful gaze, conversation ceased. Everyone focused their attentions and energy on cresting the next hill in front of them. And the next one. And the next.

As evening arrived, Thingguy and Deadbeat led the group over yet another scraggly hill. As he reached the top, he turned back to the others.

âGentlemen,â he said, sweeping a hand out grandly. âThere she is, the crashed cruiser.â

Stirling and Ingrid crested the hill next, and the two looked down at the cruiser.

There were still some more hills to go between this taller point and the cruiser that sat at the bottom of Mount Servus, but the massive metal structure was indeed still visible from this position, a dark blue shape in the shadows of the land around it. It seemed mostly intact and upright from this position, if perhaps somewhat lodged into the ground. The unnatural gouge in the land behind it that trailed off west was also a sign of itâs crash-landing from all those years ago.

âMajestic, even in itâs fallen state.â Thingguy said. Stirling nodded, as Oswald came up behind them.

âGoodness, itâs huge!â Oswald exclaimed. The two cart horses huffed, glad for the chance to catch their breaths after pulling the cart up this particular hill.

Stirling stared at the ship, stunned. A flurry of emotions that heâd been ignoring found a chance to renew their assault against his conscious mind with this physical reminder of his other commitments.Â It occurred to him that he hadnât reported for duty in almost three years. That the Nexus Force had abandoned Militiregnum. That he missed the Nexus Force. That he hadnât seen any of his friends or allies in the Nexus Force for nearly 3 years. That even if they wondered what had happened to him, it was extremely likely that they didn'tâ even know he was alive. That technically, somewhere, there was an official list in Paradox Rogue records with his name listed as âdeadâ, thanks to his dead brother. That he missed his brother. And his friends. And his Family. His home. His job.

His purpose. What the Crux was his purpose anym-

Thingguyâs rough hand gripping his shoulder shook Stirling out of his reverie. âMajesticâ¦â Thingguy repeated reverently, visibly emotional. âNow imagine a whole fleet of these beautiful birds coming down at just the right time to save us all!â

Stirling nodded, unable to trust his voice at the moment. He attempted to swallow his own emotions down. Now was not the time.

Oswald on the other hand, let his singular emotion of awe flow out. âA whole __fleet__ of these? You mean the Nexus Force has more of these monolithic wonders of metal and technology?!â

Thingguy shook Stirlingâs shoulder once more, giving a piercing smile to Stirling, before Deadbeat trotted over to the wagon. âThatâs right, Oswald! Why are you so surprised? Those dots in the sky are ships and mobile stations similar to what you see down there. You know that, donât you?â

Oswald stammered, his slackjawed mouth trying to grin and talk at the same time. âW-well, y-y-yes! But, I-I- I suppose I just never quite r-re-realized the immensity of such distant objects! How does one even find this much raw ore for such a ship?!â

âAsteroids.â Stirling said, clearing his throat, and doing his best to focus on the immediate situation. âSpace has lots of asteroids with good ore, for one, and the ability to visit uncountable worlds also helps.â Stirling turned to Thingguy. âIsnât that right?â

Thingguy nodded. âThat, and having the Imagination Nexusâs help, when possible, is an immense advantage. But enough standing around! How about we head closer to this monolith, and the end of our journey?â

Deadbeat nickered in disapproval.

âTired?â Thingguy replied. He turned and looked at the other horses, who immediately put on their most tired-looking guises. âWell, I suppose that is true. Weâve made great progress today.â

The three men looked back at the distant tips of the towers of Leer.

âThe horses ''have'' done a ''lot'' today,â Oswald said. âI think camping a few hours before sundown would be good today. I have a barrel of water they can drink out of in the wagon. They deserve it too, after lugging it around."

Stirling and Thingguy both turned from looking at the towers to each other.

âIt would be less suspicious to camp up here in sight,â Stirling said. âNo doubt weâre being watched, itâs just a matter of how closely.â

âI agree,â Thingguy said, his usual smile replaced by a thoughtful smirk. âWe should keep a watch, but not an obvious one.â

âIâll go first.â

âIâll go second then.â

âOswald, would you take third watch?â Stirling asked.

âUuuh, sure!â

âGreat. Then letâs set up camp for the night.â

As all three of the men dismounted, Ingrid nuzzled Stirling. ''âJust for the record, I could have continued.â''

Stirling smiled and rubbed her neck. An unspoken ''âI know.â'' He followed up by whispering, âYou and I would already be there if it were up to just you and I. You donât have to convince me.â He turned and looked at the others. Thingguy was having a similar hushed conversation with his horse, and Oswald was busy blocking the wheels of his cart so it wouldnât roll away once he unhitched Bacon and Beverly. âBut weâre not in a rush anyway. At least, Iâm not. And whatâs slowing us down is valuable. Useful.â He turned back to Ingridâs big equine face. âSo, enjoy the rest.â

Ingrid blinked once. ''âVery well.â''

With an early end to their day, the group casually set up camp, even making a campfire to heat up various rations for a warm and scrumptious dinner meal. As the sun finally set, Thingguy and Oswald went to sleep, while Stirling took first watch.

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 12: In which our heroes arrive at their intended destination. ===
âThingguy. Thingguy, wake up!â

Thingguy heard someone calling for him. He was tired. Not a morning person. Whatever it was, it could wait till a more decent hour. His internal clock told him that it wasnât even sun-up. âMmm, five more minu-â

âA helicopterâs flying overhead, we might be att-â

âA helicopter?!â Thingguy scrambled up and out of his sleeping bag, and directly into the wall of his tent. âWaugh! Where?!â As Thingguy opened his eyes, all he could see was the faded orange color of his tent fabric. As he fought to free himself from his own entrapment, he could hear the sound of distant helicopter blades whirring away, somewhere above and to the right of him.

âGood grief, Thingguy! Hold still, Iâll cut you out. We could be under attack by this copter!â Stirlingâs emphatic tone helped to orient and awaken Thingguyâs still sleepy mind. Thingguy stopped moving, and inwardly chuckled and chastised himself as he realized how silly he must look. Especially if they were being watched or about to be machine gunned by a helicopter. Honestly not the worst way to go heâd ever faced.

A quick thrust and cut by Stirlingâs Samurai katana, and Thingguy was free from his tent. He turned and looked up to see an all black helicopter silhouetted by the void it made in the stars as it flew above and past the camp.Â Apparently, it had no interest in them.

âWhereâs it going?â Thingguy asked.

âItâs flying north,â Stirling said. âBut it better gain some altitude unlessâ¦â

Oswald poked his head out of the wagon, pushing his nightcap out of his face. âIt looks like itâs headed to Mount Servus.â

Thingguy and Stirling looked at each other, nonplussed. âWhatâs on Mount Servus?â Stirling asked. Thingguy shrugged.

Oswald pulled out his binoculars and watched the now recceeding helicopter. âHard to see because itâs got no lights, but Iâm approximately 74 percent sure that that helicopter is making an approach on that mountain. Not going around or above it.â

Thingguy scratched his beard. âHuh. Maybe the helicopter people live up there.â

The three men, as well as the 4 horses all stared into the distance for a while, uselessly. Only Oswald truly saw anything useful, but after a while, even he lost sight of the black helicopter.

As Oswald sighed, and dropped his binoculars down from his face, Thingguy asked, âWell! Since weâre all awake now, anyway after that cool, but loud and somewhat inconsiderate helicopter buzzing the camp, do we want to get a bit further tonight?â

All parties except Deadbeat reluctantly agreed, so they quickly packed and made their way down from this high point in the foothills.

âDid you see where it went?â Stirling asked Oswald.

âNo, not exactly. Once it got close to the top of the mountain, I lost it against the black backdrop of the mountain.â Oswald frowned. âBut Iâm fairly certain that it landed around there.â

Stirling shrugged. âHopefully it doesnât come back, and we can maybe get all the way to the ship tonight under the cover of darkness. That would be great.â

All parties made noises of assent, and with their shared goal defined, silence grew. A companionable silence that lasted for quite some time.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

Hours passed, as they made their way around or over smaller and smaller hills. At the top of each hill, the men would crane their necks to get a glimpse of their destination once again. As it got easier and easier to do so, Thingguy strafed back to Stirling.

âHow are you doing, Stirling?â he asked. He knew his features were hard to see by the light of the stars, so he did his best to convey his tentative concern through his voice.

âHow do you mean?â Stirling asked. Thingguy could hear an instant defensiveness in the voice.

âI saw you got real affected by seeing the cruiser back there. Just want to make sure youâreâ¦ More than just ok.â

âIâm fine.â It was a dismissive tone. A grouchy one. Thingguy had heard it before from others.
âI know thatâ¦â Thingguy wasnât certain how to finish that without stepping on toes. âJust thought Iâd ask.â he said, letting a practiced sigh escape. He had Deadbeat move away, but before Deadbeat did, Stirling replied.
âI appreciate it. Honestly, Iâll be better once we get there.â

Thingguy nodded. âAlright. Sounds good, Stirling.â

âThanks.â

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

Turning one final curve, they finally saw an unobstructed path to the crashed cruiser by the light of the moon. From here, they were closer to the nose of the ship, but it was all a slow downhill slope of perhaps 300 or 400 yards from here, to the bottom of Mount Servus, where the ship lay.

âThis is great!â Thingguy said. âItâs not even sunrise yet, and weâre nearly there! If we want, we could disappear right into the ship itself tonight! And if anyone comes looking, theyâll think weâd vanished!â

âI mean, to a degree. Thereâs really only one place we *could* have gone, and thatâs here,â Stirling said. âBut if they do follow us in there, itâs going to be their funeral if they want to take us by force. Better than being out in the open.â

âDo you really think theyâll come after us?â Oswald asked.

âNa!â Thingguy said.

âMaybe.â Stirling said.

Oswald looked between the two riding silhouettes that currently represented his allies. âWell, which one is it? âNoâ, or âmaybeâ?â

There was a slight pause, which Stirling took advantage of. âItâs entirely possible that either the city of Leer or thedudeâs forces will be curious enough and have enough forces to spare to check on some weird travelers. Especially if they think we have anything to offer. But donât worry about it, Oswald. Unless Thingguy or myself are recognized, which is somewhat unlikely, we should be able to retain our story of interested tech-collectors. Or rather, youâll be able to keep that cover story, and weâll just stand here like the hired help we actually are.â

âYeah! Honestly, Oswald, youâve got this covered,â Thingguy added.

Deadbeat snorted.

âYes, he does!â Thingguy insisted, before adding âDeadbeat believes in you too.â

Deadbeat gave a noncommittal nicker.

Oswald didnât know how to respond to that. So he didnât. Instead, the party made their way down to the nose of the cruiser.

As they got closer, the dim light of the moon helped them to make out the finer details. Most notably, a break in the hull near the nose, which made it look like a cave in the darkness. Without a momentâs hesitation, Stirling, Thingguy, and Oswald all steered their steeds into the darkened interior of the beached behemoth.

Stirling took a deep breath of the strangely stuffy air. âWell. Looks like we made it.â

âGive me a minute,â Oswald said as he stopped the wagon and scrambled into the back. âI might have a good light source here.â A moment later, his hands grasped the electric torch that heâd strategically placed. âHere it is!â He pressed the button, and the flashlight flickered to life.

âOh. Thatâs handy,â Stirling said.

Thingguy gave a thumbs up as he shaded his eyes from the strong beam of light. âLetâs get the wagon as far in as we can from the entrance here, then camp down for the night. Weâve made amazing progress tonight, gentlemen!â

Both Deadbeat and Ingrid whinnied.

âYes, and your valiance does not go unnoticed, you two,â Stilring said in response to the horses.

The whole group trudged a few more yards into the broken interior of the ship.

At some point, this must have been a narrow corridor with rooms branching off. But now, much of the walls had been broken through, and gritty soil had blown in, making the ground somewhat level. To their right, the floor of the original corridor sloped gently up at a slight, but walkable angle.

Once they were away from the opening, they set about making camp. Stirling took the tack off of the horses, since they wouldnât need to ride away tomorrow, if all went well. Oswald unhooked Bacon and Beverly from the cart, and set about making a cold meal to have before they rested. Thingguy took the flashlight and walked further in to have a look around.

It had been a very long time since Thingguy had been on a spaceship. Much less a Nexus Force Cruiser specifically. What few things he could identify seemed broken beyond repair. That, and none of it appeared to be online, or alive with power.

''âThatâs okay,â'' Thingguy rationalized. ''âThe power might simply be turned off for now. What I should look for is perhaps a map or schematic, instead of going off of my old memory.â''

Armed with this line of reasoning, Thingguy turned back around, determined to find the bridge. ''<nowiki/>'Perhaps from there I can get an idea for how extensive the damage is, or maybe a physical paper backup schematic on where to get to engineering from here. That is, if the power isn't able to be turned on from the bridge. Now, that'd be handy!'''

Going back past the camp, he voiced his idea to Stirling and Oswald who looked up at him and the bright light expectantly.

âIâm going to find the bridge and maybe get a map or schematic. Evacuation plan orâ¦ See if any status lights come on.â

Stirling shook his head, even as he got up. âI donât think this bird has any juice.â

âYou mean âshipâ and âpowerâ?â Oswald asked.

âYeah, that. You got it.â

Thingguy shrugged. âWorth a quick look.â

The two others followed Thingguy and his flashlight, leaving the horses and camp behind.

âWeâll be right back,â Stirling said. Ingrid snorted a reply, and then they disappeared into one of the corridors.

It took less than 5 minutes before the corridor ended, and the three men stood at the edge of open space, the starlight far above them. Further up ahead, they could see the shipâs bridge. Separated from the rest of the ship, broken, and jagged about 10 yards from the rest of the ship where they stood.

âRough landing.â Stirling said.

The others nodded in the dim light, and the three of them jogged across the open distance to the other portion of the ship.

âHere, the blast door is open,â Thingguy said, pointing his flashlight at the busted doorway. One half of the door was bent and warped, while the other half lay on the ground, unhinged. âLooks like it was broken into.â

Oswald sighed. âWeâre not the first ones here. Everything even remotely interesting is probably gone.â

âI mean, itâs been years,â Stirling reasoned. âI figured that would be the case. But you have some ex-Nexus Forcers with you. Thereâs some stuff that no scavenger would have found. Not without someâ¦ extreme curiosity.â

Oswald glanced back at Stirling in the dark. âHave you ever met a scavenger?â

âIâve met you.â

âThat is extremely offensive, yet you get my point.â

âYes, I do.â

âPlease, do clarify my point so I know weâre on the same page.â

âIf scavengers are as curious as you, and even more desperate, then this place is stripped of anything even remotely possible of use or value.â

As they stepped into the bridge, this was made abundantly clear.

With a swing of the flashlight, the three men observed a nearly blank shell of a bridge. Not even a single chair or brightly colored panel remained. It looked like someone had tossed this chassis right out from the factory floor. Both Thingguy and Stirling went to some emergency spots for a weapon or medical kit. Both had been opened and looted.

The bridge was completely bare.

Stirling clucked his tongue. âEven the shipâs plaque is gone. Thatâs just low.â

âThatâs a bummer,â Thingguy said. âIâve always wondered what the cruiserâs name was. Is.â

Between Stirlng and Thingguy, Oswald groaned. âI was afraid of this. All this way, for nothing.â

â âNot for nothing,â â the two others said. One with a growl and the other with a smile.

âThereâs still plenty of other ship to see,â Stirling said.

âThese parts didnât just grow legs and walk off!â Thingguy said. âSomeone knows where theyâve gone. Assuming we need to find them. Like Stirling said, there could be parts we can use in other parts of the ship, too.â

Oswald took a deep breath. âR-right.â He punched Thingguyâs shoulder lightly. âPositive attitude, right?â

Thingguy shrugged. âSure. More than that, itâs just sound logic though.â As he swung the flashlight around to facilitate their exit, he added. âAs long as thereâs another avenue, you donât give up hope. And thereâs always another avenue.â

âSometimes we donât like it, though.â Stirling said from the back.

âVery true!â

As they exited the bridge, Thingguy turned the flashlight off and they scampered across the dark, open expanse back to the rest of the broken bridge.

âYou took a bit of a peek down the other way of this main corridor. Is the rest of the place so bare?â Oswald asked, hope clear in his voice as Thingguy clicked the light back on.

âItâs definitely a lot less ransacked,â Thingguy said, glad to give Oswald something to look forward to. âI didnât see much loose, but there were deactivated panels and lights. I suspect that since the bridge is seperate, it was an easier target for looters.â

âI hope so.â

The three men came back to a camp where Ingrid nickered softly in acknowledgment of their return. As they all bedded down to get a bit of rest before the dawn came, they all had reasons to smile. Their first goal was literally in reach. They were safe. They hadnât had to fight any minions of thedude to get here, and it appeared they were all alone.

Tomorrow would have its challenges, and they would face them with a few hours rest. But more importantly, they would face it together, with hope.

=== Chapter 13: In which the cruiser is explored. ===
[[Category:Stories by JamesAT13]]
[[Category:Stories]]
[[Category:The Additional Manuscripts]]

Pain: Another Dream of Future Possible

2025-01-02T03:35:37Z

Stirling Silverstine: added Change.

== Pain: Another Dream of Future Possible ==
Pain. The sensation of Pain tells Stirling he is alive. That the blast from the catapult munition hadn't killed him. And if he is alive, he still has a mission.

Screams. Screams and explosions. The sounds of war- of pain- tell Stirling that others around him are also alive. And if they're alive, they will either help or hinder his mission.

Opening his eyes against the dirt, grime, and blood, Stirling observes the battlefield.

Powerful mages, terrifying mecha-knights, horrific Barnabus Bots, and Barnabus fighters and bombers. And the rank and file army, militia, and Paradox Rogues.

They clash with knights, commoners, North-men dirigibles, alchemists, misfits, legends, and scores more.

It's indescribable,Â really. As war always is.Â There is really nothing like being in the thick of it.

And Stirling knows. He will never forget this moment. This one glorious, hideous, courageous, stupid moment.

"YOU! HEY, YOU!"

Stirling immediately whips around to face his next opponent, only to be a moment too slow, as he is tackled in a... bear hug? Yes. A man in full, but mismatched, tactical gear has tackled him, and is now shoving something into his hidden Bracer pocket.

"I'm so glad I found you, Strider! The name's James. You don't know me, but I need to give you this key. It's a-"

"What?! Get off me, you-"

"No time to explain!Â This key is for a tank that will be rolling out of the main gate in" the man checked his watch. "10 minutes!Â You only have 10, TEN! Minutes! To save Perry, convert Carson, and get them to collapse the main gate AFTER the first tank goes through! Got that? Good! Now, I gotta go! Any longer and the Janitor will SWEEP me out, like- !"

And in a flash, the man was gone.

The flash of light faded, and past it, a twisted, 4-legged beast of Chaos, unleashed by the Tyrant thedude upon the battlefield, turned and snarled at Stirling. Then it charged.

While Stirling defended himself against the mindless beast with his shield, he replayed the conversation.

James? He didn't know any James.

Key. Key to a tank.

Tank arrives t-minus 10.

T-minus 10 to save P-

Stirling Parried and thrust his Katana headlong through the creature's throat, and up into the brain. An instantly fatal blow.

"Dammit, Perry. What now? Where are you?"

He spun around once, and easily found what he was looking for.

"Follow the explosions. In this case, the biggest, and/or greenest ones."

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Pain. Pain told Perry that he was losing. Losing his life.

Perry doesn't like losing. Especially his life. Especially to this guy.

"Carson, I DON'T want to fight you!"

"FINE BY ME, DEMON KID. DIE!"

''<nowiki/>'When did it all go wrong?''<nowiki/>' wondered Perry. He looked up from the latest crater his tossed-about, magically protected body had just made. Just in time to see Carson, wreathed in red, sparking, electrical magic, float over the edge of the crater. Carson's eyes were smoking with red steam. His hands welled with sparking, red, jagged pools of energy. Much like Peragrineâs green magic...

But fueled by something far more destructive.

Peragrine repeated the question out loud.

"HA!" Barked Carson, his face a rictus grin. "LIFE HAS NEVER GONE RIGHT FOR ME, PERRY. MIGHT MAKES RIGHT, THOUGH. AND NOW... Now I have the power. THE POWER TO RULE MY OWN DESTINY!" To demonstrate, Carson swung two simultaneous haymakers at Peragrine, and in response, his magic made two violent, crimson tornadoes spin through the air towards Peragrine.

"That's nice, Carson!" Peragrine said instinctively, sending out a counter-pulse to break up the tornados before they reached him. "But why does your destiny involve-"

"KILLING YOU? SIMPLE!"

Suddenly, Carson teleported directly into Peragrine's face.

"Miss Kull promises it makes my new powers... Permanent."

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Eight minutes.

Suddenly, it seemed like everyone wanted to fight him. He couldn't go two steps before another knight or mage stepped into his path and charged.

''<nowiki/>'It's never easy, '<nowiki/>'' Stirling reminded himself, as his next challenger threw magic missile after magic missile at him. ''<nowiki/>'But at least I'm uniquely qualified for the challenge.'''

Not bothering to use the shield, and sheathing his Katana, Stirling strode forward to the mage, who began to panic, and cast even greater spells at Stirling...

But they all were bounced off... or absorbed.

In a grim smile, Stirling growled as he got into speaking range. "It'll take greater magics than that to stop me, mage."

The mage whimpered. "I don't know any greater spell than fireball..."

"Is that what that last one was?" Stirling asked.

The mage nodded.

"A useful spell. But not against one impervious to magic," Stirling said. A bit of an overstatement; He wasn't impervious; that fireball had hurt; He was considerably singed. Ever since that raid on Vladek's Castle in Ankoria, where that magic sword had gone straight into him... He had experienced an amazing resistance to magic. ALL magic. Good and bad.

Speaking of.

Stirling whipped his right hand out, and a similar sword appeared in his hand. A sword made of all the magic he'd just absorbed. He drew it to the mage's neck. "You're Aquilan, are you not?"

Again, the mage nodded. "Conscripted into thedudeâs service."

"thedude dies this day. Fight for the winning team. Free your world."

The mage nodded. "Yessir. Um, what was your name, sir?"

Stirling. Sir Stirling, of the Sword, and a Knight of the Frikkin' Olde Speech."

The mage's eyes widened in recognition, then confusion. "Did you guys rebrand or-"

"No, I'm just really frikkin' old!" Stirling snapped. "Now get moving, soldier! I'm going to need you to head towards the gate!Â The battle heads there!"

The mage nodded a final time, barking a "Sir, yessir!" Before taking off through the battlefield.

''<nowiki/>'Or so I'm told''' Stirling thought.

Suddenly, a massive Shockwave rocked the battlefield, and Stirling looked up to see a small, brightly glowing green figure get thrown clean across the landscape...

His first thought was of extreme concern for the unmistakable figure.

"PERRY!"

Followed shortly by extreme irritance.

"DANG IT, STAY IN ONE PLACE; HOW HARD IS-"

Which was itself interrupted by even more concern as an unrecognizable RED glowing figure streaked across after Perry.

"Good Lord in Heaven above, is he fighting a RED MYRHRAN?!"

As Stirling changed direction to chase after, both the red and green lights shot straight up into the smoky, chaotic air, filled with its own battles. The two magic lights shot past a different Red Mythran light which exploded in a violent wave of energy as its glassy physical form was ruptured by Perry and the mysterious assailantâs passing.

"Wha- WHAT THE HECK?! HOW IN THE BLUE BLAZES AM I SUPPOSED TO GET UP THERE?!" Stirling fumed, even as he continued to futilely jog in that direction. "You'd think that with all these changes in direction, what with them measuring their fight in FREAKIN'Â FOOTBALL FIELDS, they'd HAPPEN to toss over in THIS direction! But NO! The powers that be wouldn't make it so easy for me! WHY, I WOULDN'T BE SURPRI-

Another sonic Shockwave resounded, and Stirling watched the green light that he just ''knew'' was Perry plummet like a shooting star, getting larger and larger, as it came his way...

For a brief moment, Stirling had a mighty fear put into him, as he wondered if he was about to be struck by the veritable comet of green magical energy coming at him for his grousingâ¦

Suddenly, the bright green light grew dim, and it dropped quickly, crashing to the ground aboutâ¦ well, if Stirling had to guess, a football field away.

"...Ok. Message received, Lord."Â He rushed forward, even as the evil red light dove down after the green one, out of sight.

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Peragrine rolled over and pushed with his magic against the ground.

âGottaâ¦ get back up.â

But instead of rising up, all that he did was sit up.

âOh, ok.â Peragrine scrambled to his feet, then hopped once, expecting his magic to catch him and send him up.

Instead, he hopped once, landed on his feet, and thenâ and only thenâ did his body finally catch up with his mind and informed him that he was exhausted.

Peragrine collapsed to the bottom of the much smaller crater, the dirt and dust coating him, getting into his cuts and making them smart.

âWait, cuts?â

His magic had only partially protected him from this latest throw.

Peragrine closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. A âquickieâ meditation. He took stock. Physically. Mentally. Meta-pyshically.

It didnât look great.

The past half-hour had been the most exhilarating and terrifying and horrifying moments of his life. Without a doubt. This battle, this final battle, truly was '''the most''' that his life had ever been. The most that he ever wanted his life to be from here on out. He was supercharged, and nowâ¦ heâd burned through all of it. He was superâ¦ What was the opposite of charged? Depleted?

Heâd defeated countless Paradox. Dispatched myriads of monsters. Disabled hordes of mechanical beasts. Heâd '''''reveled''''' in his magic, Heâd brought time to a crawl, given allies superpowers, healed grievous wounds, stopped monsters in their tracks, contained whole squadrons of misguided men and women from charging into a battle they couldnât comprehend. Heâd used his magic to its fullest, and then gone beyond even that.

But the past 10 minutes had been what had laid him low.

One foe. It only took one. One old friend. Carson Flemming.

His incredible powers, his unbelievable magicâ¦His unique responsibility. It was all worthless if he couldnât find a way to resolve conflict without death. Property damage, bodily harm, physical or mental entrapmentâ¦ all these things could be fixed. Healed. But deathâ¦ death had irreparable consequences. The Soul. The soul was a very unique and sacred thing. He wouldnât harm that. He wouldnât.

âI canât kill him. I wonât.â Peragrine vowed to himself.

âMore power for me, then,â came Carsonâs reply.

Peragrine opened his eyes and looked up from his kneeling meditation. There he stood. Carson Flemming, clothed in magic. Absolutely suffused with his own rage, made incarnate as a Red substance that looked like glass- like a Red Mythran, but flowed like a pressure hose. And yet, it didnât feel like anything. Not unless Carson willed it.

âAre you a Red Mythran?â Peragrine asked.

âNah. Worse.â Carson flicked a wrist, and a magical construction of skeletal hands appeared out of the earth and held Peragrineâs wrists down. He began pacing, clearly enjoying this moment. âI can create horrible things, not just destroy good ones.â

Peragrine looked up at Carson. âI donât understand you, Carson.â

Carson scowled, and with another flick of the wrist, the skeletal hands dug into Perryâs skin. âI never asked you to!â

âWhy do you work for evil, if you know itâs evil?â

âBecause itâs POWER, Perry! Power is all that matters!â He pointed at Peragrine. âFor so long, YOU had all the power! Tain had ALL THE POWER! You all got to decide what was ârightâ, what was âwrongâ! âOk, you can ride without a rope nowâ, âoh, you canât have a knife! Thatâs ''dangerous''!â âOop! Canât stay at Wishwell, gotta keep HAULING A-â â

âI get it, I get i-â Peragrine interrupted, physically pulling away from the oncoming obscenities.

âNO, KID, YOU DONâT.â Carson leaned in close to Peragrineâs face. âYouâve never been in my shoes. Youâve always had the power. Power gives you options. Gives you Choice. Well, now Iâm going to ''take that away''. Take away your choice. Iâm going to take your power from you. And it will all be for me.â He straightened up. âThen weâll see whoâs whoâs friend.â

Peragrine stared at Carson, visibly puzzled. ''âMyâ¦ Power? My Magic?? Thatâs what this is about???â'' Â âIf itâs my power you want, you can have it, my friend.â Peragrine closed his eyes.

I''t took Peragrine but a moment to find the last precious few scraps of magic within himself. The last pieces of that excitable'' ''green energy that had always been with him. The source of his boundless energy, even before he knew it as magic. Before he knew how to properly use itâ¦''

Carson scoffed. âI donât need you to understand, idiot. I just need you to die so I can take your power.â He pulled back a hand, and a massive red blade formed around it. With his other arm, he lined up his strike so as to decapitate the kidâ¦ Peragrineâ¦

âStupid Kid.âÂ Carson plunged his deadly blade forward.

''â¦Peragrine held the last mote of energy. It wasnât him. It was just his power. His Magic. Sure, it was a part of himâ¦''

''But it was a part he was willing to let go.''

''So he let it go.''

The deadly Rage-Magic-Fueled Blade plunged into a Silver and Blue chestplate, cleaving the dented, scored, time-ravaged metal in two, cutting through the chainmail beneath, and past the clothing, dissipating against the skin of-

âWhat the-â Carson began, suddenly realizing that someone had interposed himself between him and Peragrine.

Stirling Silverstine growled. â'''''You donât touch him.â'''''

âWho the hell are you?!â Carson said, taking a step back, and realizing in shock that this guy, now partly shirtless, had somehow stopped his killing blow.

Stirling straightened up, and immediately took the step forward that Carson had vacated. âSir Stirling Silverstine of the Sword. I will be your '''Justice''' today, Carson.â

Carson looked this guy up and down. This 50-something old man had no shield, no sword. No chestplace from the shoulders down, where heâd '''''stabbed''''' with a '''''killing blow'''''. Yet, the manâs skin was unbrokenâ¦?! â'''What''' the hell are you?!â He backed up further, unable to comprehend this, and tripped on the slope of the crater.

âI already told you. '''Justice'''.â Stirling lunged forward, lightning fast, and grabbed Carson by the throat, holding him in the air. âAnd I find you '''guilty'''.â He lifted Carson up, keeping eye contact with the increasingly confused and panicked man. '''âLive by the sword, die by the Sword.â'''

âWait!â

Both Carson and Stirling turned to the forgotten third individual, Peragrine.

â'''What'''.â demanded Stirling.

Peragrine shirked away for a moment from that frightening visage of âJusticeâ. He wasnât sure what was causing Stirlingâs eyes to be pupiless deep blue flames that seemed to penetrate right into his soul; maybe it was some new power that was a side effect of Stirlingâs many lonely adventures, but he knew that he never wanted to fight it.Â Whomever or whatever that wasâ¦ Carson had no hope against something so merciless.

So he was going to provide some mercy.

Peragrine stepped up and pressed gently on the arm holding Carson up in the air. âLet me talk to my friend.â

Stirling scowled. âThis man is your friend? He just killed thousands.â

Peragrine nodded. âSo have we.â

Stirling blinked, and the intensity in his eyes faltered a moment. âNo, thatâs different. The Maelstrom are monsters.â

Peragrine ignored the philosophy trap. âStirling, let go of my friend.â

The two stared at each other for a moment. The Knight and the Mageâ¦ Carson watched some silent conversation occur, his fear turning into curiosityâ¦ His Rage turning into confusionâ¦ His struggling turning to waitingâ¦These guys knew each other somehowâ¦ Wait- Was this THE Stirling?! Stirling Silverstine?!? ''âWell duh, he just introduced himself,â'' Carson thought, his surprise dissipating, allowing his brain to collect and process the information.

Slowly, the Knight lowered Carson, and as Carson found his feet and began to squirm, an immutable, incredibly strong platemail glove nearly crushed his shoulder and forced him to his knees in front of Peragrine.

Carson immediately gasped, spluttered and choked as he tried to curse this âStirlingâ guy in every creative way he knew.

But before he could fully form any such statement, Peragrine knelt down to Carsonâs level.

âI trust you, Carson.â

Peragrine pulled up his hands, cupped, as if holding something precious.

â''You'' need this to be ''free''. I understand that. Iâll give you this, because ''I'' donât need it to be free.â Here Peragrine smiled sadly. âI hope one day you can realize how to be Free, truly Free Forever, even from inside a prison.â Before Carson could say anything spiteful, or refute Peragrineâs words, Peragrine opened his hands. âThis is for you, my friend.â

Peragrine couldnât see it. Not anymore. He and Stirling could only feel some sort of additional magic in the area.

But Carson could see. He could see his prize.

A tiny, but impossibly bright mote of green light. Like the brightest starboard green light from the tiniest airplane ever to exist. Carsonâs eyes grew wide with hunger. Before he could think, before Peragrine could change his mind, before Stirling could pull him back or stop him, Carson whipped a hand out and slapped Peragrineâs hands, snatching the impossibly bright light for himself.

The effect was instant. A shockwave of energy coursed out from Carson, widening the crater in all directions by a few feet, including down, as the earth compacted even further.

Peragrine was thrown back violently, striking the far crater wall. Both Stirling and Carson remained in the center of the crater, only to fall a few feet. As they did so, Carson willed himself upward.

âAHAHAAHA! '''''YES'''''!â Carson glanced back down into the crater. A rush of powerful emotions filled and amplified his magic as he saw Peragrineâs body tumbling senselessly towards the center of the crater. '''''âFREEDOM! TRUE FREEDOM!â''''' He gasped, realizing an additional thrilling detail.

'''''âI KILLED HIM!! I, CARSON FLEMMING, KILLED THE DEMON KID!!!â''''' He looked back down. âI killed himâ¦ I killed- Oh God, I killed-â

Suddenly, a bright blue sword obstructed his view as it sprouted through his chest.

A voice, deeper than the rumble of Mount Thunderclap itself rumbled in his ear. '''âHe was all that was keeping you alive.â'''

All too late, Carson realized that the Knight, Stirling, had never let go of his shoulders. Heâd hung on, and then hadâ¦ where had this massive greatsword come from?

Then the pain came, and Carson, filled with unimaginable powerâ¦ Unimagined painâ¦

The painâ¦ It was literally unbearable. Carson couldnât handle the pain. Heâd do anything to get rid of the pain.

All of his magic, all of this power, and yet, he couldnât remove this pain.

...This Knight.

..........This pain.

....................This Magic.

The painâ¦ Itâ¦

Where did it go?

Stirling knew that the impact would hurt. He also knew heâd survived greater falls. He shoved off of Carsonâs corpse and made the lip of the crater, rolling with the impact. Immediately, he felt his shoulder pop out of place, and he knew that he could very likely have broken multiple somethings, but the important thing was that he was still moving. The pain was there. It told him he was alive. And if he was alive, he still had a mission.

Stirling dove back into the crater, and slid down to Peragrine. Immediately, he noted that Peragrine had been struck in the head. Before moving him at all, Stirling checked the pulse, refusing to let any of his emotions get in the way of this emergency. This mission.

â¦

There. A pulse. Weak, but alive.

âHeh, riding the edge, as always, aren't you?â Stirling chuckled, relief flooding him, making him just the slightest bit giddy.

At the sound of Stirlingâs voice, Peragrine groaned. âHuh? Whe-â Peragrine sprang up. âCarson! Where is he?â

Stirling looked over at where the body had fell, and waved a hand. âThere. The '''''monsterâs''''' dead-.â

Peragrine followed the motion, and gasped.

Carson had a massive blue greatsword going through him and into the dirt, stopping him from rolling down the craterâs slope.

Peragrine immediately scrambled on all fours over to Carson. âStirling, quick! Help me get this sword out of him!â

Stirling scowled. âWhy? He celebrated, thinking heâd killed you.â Nevertheless, Stirling helped, summoning the magic sword back to him..

As Carsonâs body rolled down the slope limply, Peragrine caught him, and glanced back at Stirling, watching the blue magic flow back to Stirling. â...You did this?â

âYes, Peragrine. Not everyone is redeemable.â Stirling stood up and started towards Peragrine.

Peragrine shook his head violently, blood and tears being sent around. âNo. Not everyone. But I know Carson is.â Perry closed his eyes.Â âIâve seen it.â

''Peragrine wasnât sure this would work. But he had to try.''

''Magic. If he could contact Carson, ask him for just a smidge of that magicâ¦ He knew he could heal thisâ¦ Justâ¦ just as long as Carsonâs soul- His Spark-Â was still hereâ¦! He reached out as far as he could, stretching his mind as far towards Carson as he could, trying to see any mote, ANY HINT of magic, or Carson, or himself or ANYTHING in his mindâs eye.''

''But alasâ¦ There was nothing.''

''Peragrine couldnât even see his own energy, much less anyone elseâs.''

''Without any magic of his ownâ¦ He didnât have any means to interact with it.''

''All those abilities, all that powerâ¦ Gone. Â ''

''This meditationâ¦ this second sightâ¦ Once so colorful and full of life and energy and magic andÂ informationâ¦ The light of peopleâs souls, their very sparks and life-forceâ¦''

''Now he was blind to it all.''

''Blind. Lost. Alone. Painedâ¦'' Â

Suddenly, Peragrine was jolted out of his meditation as he felt Stirlingâs heavy hand on his shoulder.

âPeragrine. What are you doing?â

Peragrine looked up at Stirling, or what he could see of Stirling through his tears. âMagic. I need magic! If I have just a ''smidge'', I can heal him!â

Stirling frowned. âWhy?â

âHeâs my friend. Please.â

âHe just trie-â

â'''PLEASE'''!â

Stirling looked down at his old friend. Time had taken a few freckles away, left a wrinkle or laugh-line instead. Peragrine was definitely a middle-aged manâ¦ Yet, to Stirling, all he could see was his young friend, innocently asking for something that shouldnât be possible, or allowed.

And as alwaysâ¦ he would try.Â â....Does this work?â Stirling asked, pulling off a gauntlet and proffering it to Peragrine. âI know weâve talked about it a bit; my Magic Immunity. You said that it has to be partially absorption as well as immunity, right? Well, I certainly have absorbed some during the battle, recently.â

Peragrine looked at Stirlingâs hand. Rough. Strong. Calloused. Scarred. Did it? Would Stirlingâs Magic Absorption/Immunity help here?Â Would that work?

Peragrine closed his eyes, and put a hand in Stirlingâs hand. Once again, he focused.

''It was so much harder to focus on this meditation now. Without his own magic glow to help him see on this ethereal plane, this mind palace, it was so DARK. So lightless.''

''But when one is blind, one can rely on other senses. Like touch.''

''Peragrine focused on his hands touching Stirlingâs hands.''

''And he felt it. Stirlingâs magic.''

''It was a weird magic. Like sand. Rough. Solid. Rigid, kinda. It didnât feel soft and malleable and jello-like as his and Carsonâs magic was. Or rather, had.''

''Peragrine could feel it, that magic sand, sitting in Stirlingâs hand, but unlike his and Carsonâs magic, it stayed beneath the surface of his skin.''

''Stirling didnât channel it outside of him in spells and magic. Stirling didâ¦ something else with it. Something that neither he nor Peragrine had gotten the time to study. Not that Stirling would even want to. So long as it worked, Stirling wouldnât question it. Not unless there was something new to be gained from it.''

''But how to get it out?''

âI can feel it,â Peragrine said.

Stirling nodded. âTake it, then.â

Peragrine nodded.

''âBut how?â He thought. Again, without magic of his own, he had no means of manipulating the magic. It just shifted and flowed inside Stirling, staying just beneath the surface of Stirlingâs skin. As if stirling was a hollow statue, or an hourglass, part-way filled with sand, just rumbling aboutâ¦''

âI donât know how.â Peragrine admitted.

âDonât you just will things to happen, and they happen?â Stirling asked, exasperation sneaking into his tone.

âNot anymore!â Peragrine said, desperation clear in his own.

âDescribe to me what you see.â Stirling commanded.

Peragrine did so, swallowing his fear. âYou have sand. I imagine itâs blue sand, like your favorite color. But itâs trapped inside you.â

Immediately, Stirling corrected Peragrineâs fantasies, and interjected with factual evidence.. âI donât have magic of my own, Perry. I donât control my magic. Itâs magic that others tried to use on me. The sand ''doesnât have a color'', or if it did, itâs not any color Iâve made.

Peragrine gasped as realization came upon him âAnd Carson used magic on you!â

Stirling confirmed by giving Perryâs hands a comforting squeeze. âI have some of Carsonâs magic.â

''In his mindâs eye, Peragrine fancied for a moment that the sand that heâd been imagining as blue filling up Stirlingâs hand was suddenly every color but blue. Colors of all the different magicks that Stirling had picked up from this battle, and even before that.''

''Somewhere in there was a splotch of red. Some red sand that was Carsonâs magical attempts on himâ¦''

''Redâ¦ Like blood.''

''Red magic that needed to be let outâ¦''

''Needed to be spilt.''

â¦

Peragrine winced as he considered. âOk. I have a plan. Do you trust me, Stir?â

Stirling barked a single, dry laugh. âYou? A plan? The world must be ending, so why not?â

Peragrine responded by snapping his fingers. From the hem of his coat, a single sewing needle sprang to his fingers.

A single needle which he then stabbed Stirlingâs palm with.

âWh- AH! FRICK!â Stirlingâs response was understandable.

âHold still, please,â Peragrine said, his voice turning quiet, calculating. His grip on Stirlingâs hand was solid, steady. Like a surgeon. âBlood magic requires absolute concentration.â

âWHAT?!â

âTrust me, one little mistake, and you end up binding yourself to a ghost child with ties to ancient druid-witches from Ankorian Antiquity.

Stirling gritted his teeth, but remained still. âHow specific.â

âIâll tell you about it sometime,â Peragrine replied, before turning his attention entirely inward.

''Peragrine reached back into his mind. Mentally, he reached back to a certain point in time. A certain town. A certain moment.''

''A certain name. Cyndii.''

''That did it. It was there, as always. Like a little vault. Cyndiiâs vault.''

''Spells. Incancations. Rituals, special runes, dates, placesâ¦ Magic knowledge not his own.Â Not even Cyndiiâs.''

''Ancient knowledge, probably thousands of years old.''

''And amongst all this, the source of his mental search.''

'''''Blood Magic'''. A means of manipulating the physical elements of warm-blooded life without innate magic of oneâs own. Used by witches and warlocks. And even expert Alchemists.''

''Just what he needed.''

''The knowledge now fresh in his mind, brought to the forefront of his consciousness, pulled out from the deep subconscious vault that it had been laid in, he '''opened his eyes.'''''

'''''âMâkay, Stir. Donât freak out.â'''''

Stirling stared at his old friend, whoâs eyes wereâ¦ changed. Stirling stared at Peragrine as a '''dark''' and '''foreboding''' aura that he couldnât place '''''overshadowed''''' Peragrine. It wasnât that there was any ''physical'' change. Not one that he could pinpoint, anyway.Â But wherever Stirling wasnât focusingâ¦ ''something'' was '''different'''. Either Perryâs shoulders were '''''hunched and doubled-over''''', or his hands were '''''gnarled and skeletal''''', or his nose was '''''elongated and warty''''', or hisâ

Stirling decided to focus only on Peragrineâs eyes. ''âEyes are the window to the soul. If the eyes change, then Iâll know Iâm in trouble,â'' Stirling thought. He remained still, wordlessly allowing Peragrine to continue.

Peragrine whispered the necessary ancient words, and at his command, a line of blood rose from the pinprick on Stirlingâs palm. He began to direct the blood with his pin, as if he was sewing with the crimson line, but stopped himself. Using only words of power, focusing only on the blood and the innate powerâ the innate life-force that it contained, he pulled out a line of blood about a foot long.

'''âThat should be enough,â''' Peragrine croaked. '''âTake that back.'''â Peragrine pushed Stirlingâs hand away, focusing entirely on the carmine red line now floating in the air. With arcane whispers, he now directed the blood through the air towards Carson. His only physical movements were his head and shoulders, as he tracked the blood through the air.

Stirling applied pressure to the pinprick and stepped back, away from his friend, as the once-familiar features of Peragrine Wanderthistle the Exuberant flickered in and out with grotesque and twisted versions of someone that '''resembled''' Perryâ¦ Hunchback. No, Stringy white hair. Now, tattered clothes. Wait, a hideously scarred face? Hold on, was that a huge ghost leering behind him???

As soon as Stirling would do a double-take to see if these apparitions were actually there, they were gone.

He didnât trust it. Not any of it.

But he did trust Peragrine. He trusted him with his life. Always had. Always would.

Peragrine knelt down next to Carson, and with another snap of his fingers, a new needle appeared in his other hand. Wasting no time, that needle dipped down silently, making a pinprick in Carsonâs limp hand. Quickly, unnaturally, blood began to pool out from the prick.

Peragrine whispered a final arcane command, and Stirlingâs blood dove into the pool of Carsonâs.

And with a disturbing '''''slurp''''', all the blood disappeared back into Carsonâs hand.

Peragrine lurched forward, dropped both pins, and grabbed Carsonâs hand. ''Closing his eyes, he followed the magic as best as he could with his meditation.''

''While he couldnât actually see the magic, he could still feelâ¦''

''The small sliver of âredâ sandâ¦ Going into Carsonâ¦Returning to Carsonâ¦''

Stirling watched as not just the pinprick of blood flowed back into Carson, butâ¦ ALL the blood. The blood that had been flowing from the gaping wound in Carsonâs chest. The blood that had been soaking into the dirt, been running down the craterâs slopeâ¦

ALL of it was returning to Carson.

And not just as a shapeless mass. But as lines. Traces. Veins and arteries. Parts of missing organs. The intricacies of the human body.

Stirling tore his eyes away to glance at Peragrine. The kid was gritty and bloodied. His clothes and armor (light as it was) were ripped and torn. His hands were trembling with effort as he held Carsonâs limp hand. Sweat, born of intense concentration, was making clean lines in the grime on his face. . .

''âThatâs not the young and carefree Venture Leauge Daredevil Pilot that drove me here.â'' Â Stirling realized.Â ''âAnd thatâs no apprentice magician either.â'' What was Peragrine Wanderthistle now, he wondered.

''âMy friend.â'' Stirling reminded himself. ''âTime might have changed him, but Perry is still my friend. Nothing will change that.â''

With that, he looked at his friendâsâ¦and his ownâ¦ handiwork.

Carson was missing a midsection. Everything but his blood was missing from the oversized sword-wound that Stirling had made.

Suddenly, Peragrineâs eyes snapped open. '''âEverything Iâve ever learned. Magic. Science. Forgotten Knowledge lost to the ages, Ideas never actually recorded. New JAZZ I just made up for olâ Flemming here.â''' He turned his eyes back over his shoulder to Stirling, and inside them, Stirling sawâ¦.

'''âIt all has led me to this, Stirling. You call yourself Justice?Â I call myself Mercy.â'''

Stirling saw what he needed to see.

âAll right then, Perry. Bring him back. Then weâll save the world. Together.â

Peragrine smiled, briefly. Then he turned to Carson, and began doing chest compressions. '''âCarson! Wake! Up!â'''

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

'''Pain.'''

There it was. Carson laughed ruefully. Or he would, if he was still alive. Of ''course'', simple Oblivion would have been too kind to be how the afterlife works. So, seeing as there was an afterlife, he figured that he wasnât going to where the peace-loving angels and hippies ended up...

He knew that he was going to that ''other'' place. He was going Down. Down where devils and losers went.

He was going to feel pain. Real Pain. Forever. Â

He told himself that he didnât '''care'''. That Pain had always there. The Pain of wasting his day. Of following orders of others. Of doing the bare minimum. Of blaming everyone else for his inability to make it big. Pain of Loss. Pain of Sorrow. Pain of depression. Pain of dreams being lost.

Pain had always been there.

Now it always would be. The torture would be endless, where he was going.

He told himself he didnât deserve anything better. He reminded himself that his life was worthless. That he was worthless. The pain was worthless, it didnât matter.

But the truth wasâ¦ Well, it did matter.

A lot.

Because he was '''TERRIFIED'''.

And that terror melded with the painâ¦ and.

And it bloomed. And Changed. And '''''Grew'''''â¦

The Painâ¦ Itâ¦ It beat. It '''MOVED'''. '''''IT LIVED'''''.

Andâ¦ And it spoke.

'''âI am NOT letting you go, my friend!â'''

Friend? He didn't have any friends. Pain wasnât a friend. To be a true friend, you had to have trust. You had to be an equal. Not taking advantage of them. Like he did for all of his so-called âfriendsâ. Everyone who ever said they were his âfriendsâ were only ever people who had power over him and took '''pity''' on him. People who wanted to show him what was '''best''' for him. People who wanted to '''control''' him. Or they were stupid, and didnât see this simple fact of life. Didnât realize when he took advantage of them.

'''âI can't lose another! NOT ANOTHER FRIEND! NOT AGAIN!"'''

And when he'd gotten control for '''himself'''â¦ He'd used it to kill the only person who '''''could''''' have been an equal. Who '''''could''''' be trusted.Â That ''batdip'' crazy demon kid. Olâ Perry. â''Effing'' Stupid Perry.

Well, actually, not so stupid. The kid was scary-smart. Played the idiot, but Carson knewâ¦ Heâd seen through Perryâs Facade. He ''pretended'' to be dumb and sillyâ¦ But it was all an act. Perry was ''insanely'' powerful, and was learning all the timeâ¦ Gaining knowledge and power everywhere he wentâ¦ And then using it in the most stupid and useless endeavorsâ¦

'''âDAMN IT, CARSON!'''

Was thatâ¦the painâ¦ it sounded likeâ¦

âLIVE!â âYOU!â â'''SELFISH'''!â â'''SON'OF'A'''-!!!â

Carson gasped. â'''PERAGRINE'''!â

Air filled his lungs. Light flooded his eyes. Ringing resounded in his ears. Pain '''FREAKING EXPLODED''' across the rest of his senses.

It was. It was Peragrine. Doing chest compressions on him. We'll, if beating him with a doubled fist counted as chest compressions.

Peragrine looked surprised. Carson was equally surprised. Behind Peragrine, the blue knight, Stirling Silverstine, was barely containing his surprise.

'''âYouâre alive!'''â all three exclaimed.

âI didnât actually think that would work!â Stirling muttered to himself.

âHow?!â Carson demanded of Peragrine.

âFaith!â Peragrine cheered, before suddenly restraining Carson from getting up. âHold on there, cowboy, you still have a, uhâ¦â

Carson looked down at himself. Where heâd last seen a sword, was now a gaping hole filled with just blood, but blood that wasâ¦ Well, it wasnât behaving like blood. âOh Fuuuuu-â

â-Udge. Fudge.â Peragrine finished for Carson. âI just pulled you back from the brink of death, but if you could refrain with the language, share what bit of magic you have with me and we can both live long and happy lives.â Peragrine was rambling, a sure sign of nerves.

âWait, what?â Carson looked up at Peragrine. âWhat do you mean?â

Peragrine held out a hand to Carson. âI want to heal you.â

Carson frowned. âWithâ¦magic?â

âYeah.â

âYou've tried that before. It didn't work.â

âI've learned some new stuff since you saw me last. Gained some new perspectives on life and death and stuff.â

âMore than before?! With all the flippinâ ancient ghosts and shi-â

âYup! Even more.â

Carson scoffed in disbelief, but his scoff turned into a violent cough that brought with it blood. âOh no. Oh, G-â

Suddenly, Peragrine was shaking, and Carson belated realized that Peragrineâs concentration was the only thing keeping his insides inside, and his outsides outside.

âCarson, '''''please'''''. I can't hold you here much longer. I don't want your story to end like this. I don't want you to die in angerââ

The pain.

It was ballooning.

It was filling every inch of him.

âI know you are a good person. You just haven't had anyone believe in you. Or, at least, you don't think anyone believes you can be a good person! But I do!â

The pain.

It was telling himâ¦

He was dying.

âI've seen you choose to be good! I've seen you be kind! I've seen you laugh and smile, and feel great!â

Carson became dimly aware that he was folding over, collapsing. Dying.

Did he really want to die? Would he really be OK withâ¦ dying as a bad person?

''âAnd I know that times have been hard. And I think they'll only get harder.Â Butâ¦ that's only because weâre getting strongerâ¦â''

Suddenly, a word flashed in his mind.

'''JUSTICE'''

The image of the Blue Knight, Stirling, with his grim frown.

''ââI will be your '''Justice''' today, Carson.ââ''

''ââI find you '''guilty'''.ââ''

''ââLive by the sword, die by the Sword.ââ''

Oh God.

If there was any Justice in the worldâ¦ And his life was about to be judgedâ¦

Carson choked. He gasped. He reached with his hand. Or maybe that was his foot. Whatever! He'd reach with anything he still hadâ¦!

Carson flailed.

''âAnything! ANYTHING!â'' he thought. âI'll do '''anything'''! I just don't want to be JUDGED."

'''FEAR'''. It flooded him. '''PANIC'''. It flooded him.

'''POWER'''. It flooded him.

And it flowed into something- someone.

And that someoneâ¦ Absorbed that fearâ¦ that panicâ¦

And turned it back to himâ¦ as Calm.Â As Peace.

And it flooded him.

â¦

Once before, what felt like a lifetime ago, in Thunderclap Prison, Carson had been âhealedâ by Peragrine for a knife wound. It had been a numbing feeling. A masking of the problem. It had been a false kindness, seeking to get rid of a problem, rather than actually cure the problem.

This was not the same. Not at all.

Carson ''felt'' his missing guts return. Reconstitute from nothing. Re-integrate themselves into the rest of his body. He ''felt'' his blood carefully tucked into new veins and organs. Tissues and skin carefully fused back together in a restorative fashion indicating a deeper knowledge of anatomy and science, and beyond that, a specific care for his specific frame. Care that wasâ¦ Personal. Compassionate. Magical.

Carson unbent, the painâ¦ Not gone. Not numb. But fading.

The pain.

It told him he was alive.

âThere, I think that does itâ¦â

Carson looked up at Peragrine, who had spoken. âYouâ¦ You really did it.â

Peragrineâs eyes fluttered open, as he took his hands off of Carson. âYeah. Same to you, pal.â

Stirling moved forward, disbelief clear on his face. âNoâ¦ No way.â

Peragrine smiled, and leaned back on his hands, very visibly and suddenly tired. âWhere thereâs a will, thereâs a way.â

Stirling turned his attention from the perfectly smooth and healed gut of Carson, to Carson himself. âWell? How do you feel, Flemming?â

Carson observed this terrifying individual. Thisâ¦ would-be killer of his. This grim, grizzled visage, inches away from his face. âWhy arnât you killing me?â

Stirlingâs answer was immediate. âBecause Peragrine asked me not to.â

âThatâs it?â

âThatâs it.â

âThatâs-â

âI told you before, heâs the only thing keeping you alive.â

Carson looked over at Peragrine, who was leaning back, clearly exhausted from hisâ¦ frankly impossible task.

Peragrine was leaned back, tensely watching the other two. âPlease donât rip each other to shreds again; I think I can only cheat death for you once a week. Maybe once a month. More than that and Iâll have the Postmortem IRS after me. Or worse, the Witch of Kingston.â

Carson reached out towards Perry. âDo you still have your-â

âMagic?â Peragrine suddenly sat back up and looked at his own hands.

They were normal hands. 10 digits. Dirty. Thin. Lightly calloused. Trembling slightly with exhaustion.Â A foreign concept.

Normal.

âNo, I donât think so.â

Carson blinked. âYouâ¦ Gave it up?â

Peragrine looked up at Carson. âYeah. You have it now.â

Carson blinked again, realizing the truth of that statement with a rush. âOh.â

Yeah. He did.

He could ''hear'' it. A low, buzzing sound in the back of his mind. An itchiness in the tips of his toes, in the deep tissue of his palms.

In the center of his gut.

Power. Exuberance.Â A Wellspring of Wellbeing. Boundless Energy.

âDo you feel the power?â Peragrine asked.

Carson looked at Peregrine and nodded.

Peragrine smiled and settled back. âItâs yours, friend.â

Stirling stood up, and settled into a combat stance. âQuestion is: What will you do with it?â

Carson once again looked at the two others. They couldnât be more different in his mind.

Peragrine on the right, exhausted, beat-up. Totally at ease. His light armor in shreds and practically useless to him now. Here he was, leaning back as if he was lounging on a beach on holiday, rather than on the edge of a crater in the middle of a warzone, with a contented smile on his face, as he stared at him. Him, the guy whoâd just been trying to absolutely tear him to shreds like his life depended on it. (And in a way it still sorta did.)

Meanwhile, Stirling was on the left, grimy, grizzled, grim, but standing alert, ready to launch himself and bodily grapple him in full heavy armor at the drop of a hat. A killer and a soldier, if ever Carson had seen one. Those eyes were decided; if Carson made a single offensive move, those hands would be all over him. At the moment, Stirling didnât seem armed, but even without recent events, the absolute determination in Stirlingâs eyes told Carson he wouldn't even need one to kill him. Again.

â#$&& it.â Carson said. He turned around and looked up at Mount Thunderclap. âI wannaÂ #$%# &#$% up.â

Peragrine pumped a tired fist into the air. âI think Iâm overly tired, but did you just bleep a few times?â

Stirling shook his head. âI think thatâs just you, Perry.â

A smirk began to form on Carsonâs face, as he realized his first use of magicâ REAL Magicâ had just seamlessly woven itself into his reality. âMagic has many uses.â He said, before dropping the smirk and looking back at Perry. âBut I still have a lot to learn. So I think Iâll share it.â He reached out towards Peragrine, and suddenly, Peragrine was pulled up to his feet, and his hand landed in Carsonâs.

âHow âbout it, Kid? Mind teaching an old friend?â

Peragrine looked up at Carson, confused. âHuh?â

Suddenly, Peragrine gasped as power flowed into him.

Just as quickly, a blue sword was around Carsonâs neck as Stirling grasped him from behind.

But Carson remained calm, and spoke to Perry.

âYou trust me,â Carson said. âSo I trust you. You %&#$@*) idiot.â A smile broke across Carsonâs face.

âAgain, you just bleeped yourself!â Peragrine said.

Stirling shook his head. âNo, I very clearly heard him call you a #&@(*#$ idiot.â

âOh! It works on others too!â Carson said, surprised.

âWhat does?â Both Stirlng and Peragrine asked.

Carson laughed.

Confused, both Stirling and Peragrine looked at each other. Peragrine shrugged.Â Stirling growled. âNow see here, you bloody mongrel, I need a-â

Carson held his hands up, and quickly grew serious. âA straight answer. Yes.â He let go of Perryâs hand and placed it on Stirlingâs hand that was holding him. âIâve heard about you, Sir Stirling, of the Sword. A knight of the Olde Speech, and a warrior against thedude. Cold, ruthless. But also Just. And in no small part, a leader for recruitment into this resurgent KOTOS.â

âMy reputation precedes me,â Stirling agreed. âOnly took 15 freakinâ yearsâ¦â

âYou donât have to avoid swearing, Soldier. Not with me around, now.â

Stirling snorted. âNo thanks.â

Carson shrugged. âWell, know this. Peragrineâs got you another recruit.â He attempted to turn around, but Stirlingâs pure physical prowess held him in place. âAhem. Me.â

Stirlingâs grip tightened on Carson. âHow do I know I can trust you, you traitorous mongrel?â

âBecause of this:â

Suddenly, Stirling felt a surge of vitality from Carsonâs hand into his, and his magically summoned sword began to glow an even brighter blue.

Stirling took a step back feeling the rush of additional magical energy, and Carson spun around and faced the other two.

The three observed each other, facing off in a triangle.Â Something had fundamentally changed.Â Each of them glowed ever so lightly with magic.

Peragrineâs hands welled with newly lent '''g''reen''''' ''energy'', and his eyes twinkled with joy.

Stirlingâs Sword and Armor were saturated with a '''''blue''' aura'', and his eyes were sharp with determination.

And finally, Carsonâs entire arms shimmered with '''''gold''' magic''. His eyes sparked with little yellow lightning bolts, lit up with a newfound steadfastness.

âAll I ever wanted was to be able to choose my '''own''' path.â Carson said. âTo have the power to not be under anyone elseâs power.â He looked at Peragrine. âThanks to you, I have that.â

Peragrine grinned.

Carson turned to Stirling. âYou asked me what Iâm going to do with this power, Stirling?â

âYeah, I did.â

Carson smirked, as his eyes began sparking more violently, turning gold. He pointed at Mount Thunderclap âIâm going to find thedude and kick his *#$.â

Now Stirling grinned, but it was a grim grin. âAnd then?â

Carson shrugged. âThen, weâll see. Maybe weâll fight then. But for now, can we agree not to kill each other, if just for the Kidâs sake?â

Stirling nodded, and unsummoning his sword, put a hand forward to shake. âI can agree to that, Carson. Allies?â

Carsonâs smirk widened, as he accepted the handshake. âTill thedude is dead, Allies.â

Suddenly, Stirling pulled Carson closer, and gave him a strong hug, while whispering in his ear. '''âTrust is earned with me. Peragrine may trust you, but I do not. Betray him, betray me. Betray me, and there will be nowhere you can run to. Nowhere you can hide. I have allies everywhere that would die for me.â''' Then he shoved Carson back, and was smiling.

Carson smiled back. âI wouldnât have it any other way, Soldier.â

âGood!â Stirling said. âIf youâre telling the truth, then we have nothing to worry about.â

Carson blinked, and his smile faltered.

Because he just had.

Heâd told the truth. Without thinking, heâd just spoken what was on his mind. Andâ¦ It had been the truth? It had been the truth. Not a curse. Not something crassâ¦ Just simple truth.

He looked at Peragrine, who simply beamed a smile back at him. âIâm so glad you two are getting along!â Clearly, Perry knew Stirling had just threatened him. And that Carson had expected it.Â There were still problems. But they were Future Perry, Stirling, and Carson problems.

Suddenly, there was a resounding blast of a trumpet. All three men looked off in the direction of the sound.

âOh, '''FRICK'''!â Stirling yelled, as he realized it was coming from the wall.Â âThe Gates! The tanks!! ''Weâre too late!!!â''

Carson and Perry glanced at him in confusion and worry.Â âWhat do you mean?â Carson asked.

Stirling scrambled for his discarded gauntlet, pulling it on and taking out the key given to him by the strange James fellow at the same time. âTanks are about to roll out from that gate, and we need to destroy the gate and take over the first tank that rolls out! This key supposedly is uhâ¦ for it.â

âOkayâ¦?â Peragrine began.

âBut weâre miles, LITERALLY MILES away from that gate!â Stirling yelled.

Carson glanced at Perry, the smirk returning. âNo problem. Perry?â

Peragrine grinned. âI can take care of takeoff, if you can do the landing?â

âAbsolutely,â Carson said, recalling the enchantment that heâd heard about that surrounded the walls, pushing everyone and everything away from it. âJust get us as close as you can to the walls.â He would simply ''rip'' the enchantment from the wall and use it specifically to slow their fall. Orâ¦ something like that.

Stirling glanced at the two. âWait, what do you- no-â

Peragrine took a step back, a deep breathâ¦ ''and with the swing of an imaginary golf club made of magic, he yelled â'''FOOOOOORE'''!â launching all three of them into the air.''

â'''AAAAAAAHHHHH'''!â Stirling flailed helplessly, trying to stay upright in his flight

â'''WHEEEEEEEEE'''!â Peragrine cartwheeled blithely through the air, without a care in the world.

â...$%&#.â Carson frantically considered how ''exactly'' he was supposed to do what he was thinking of as the gate rapidly approached. Was it a spell? Was it a specific emotion??Hand-waves???

Moments before Stirling, Carson, and Perry hit the ground near the gate, Carson abandoned his original idea, and simply '''''threw''''' out his energy towards Stirling and Perry (and himself) and encased them in layers of magic armor.

Crashing into the ground, Peragrine immediately jumped up, none the worse for wear. Carson, a moment later. Those two then looked over at Stirling, who groaned as he sat up.

âNote for future use, gentlemen: I AM IMMUNE TO FREAKINâ MAGIC.â Stirling yelled, as he popped his shoulder back into place a second or third time today.

Carsonâs eyes went wide. âOh, damn. So, I didnât stop your fall at all?â

âNo.â Stirling stood up, dusted himself off, and began walking, but Carson was still dismayed.

âSo, wait, how the #$% are you still-â

Stirling stopped, turned to Carson and proclaimed, âBecause I am a $#%@#$% Bad@#$â

âTranslation, please.â Peragrine said. âYou guys just keep bleeping. Which, while silly, isnât helpful.â

Stirling sighed, but the hint of a grin sneaked into the corner of his mouth. âI am a stubborn old mule, who refuses to die from something as stupid as âfall damageâ.â

âAh. Right.â Peragrine clicked his tongue. âPlot Armor. Got it.â

The three men turned to the task at hand. Tanks were rolling out of the gate, and already laying waste to the battlefield.

Stirling pointed at the gate. âYou two, use your magic to take out the gate. Iâve got a tank to catch.â

âGot it!â

== âYou donât order me!â ==
Stirling and Perry looked at Carson.

Carson looked between both of them. âBut, thatâs a good idea. I might take out a tank or two on the way there, though.â

âAmbitious,â Stirling deadpanned, before taking off.

âValid!â Perry agreed, before leaping away. âDonât fall behind though!â

Carson grinned. His magic swelled. It sparked out of his eyes. It surged out of his hands.

He leapt after his friends.

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

== Change: Continuing the Dream of Futures Possible. ==

Change.

Change is constant.

Change will always happen.

Change can be painful.

Stirling looked at Carson. He looked at Perry. Both of them wounded. Both of them sharing a drink of something strong out of tin cans as they recovered from the battle. Both of them laughing.

Stirling didnât know Carson. All he knew is that heâd fought well, acquitted himself in battle well. Heâd defended Perry. Heâd defended Stirling. Not that he'd needed it.

Unfortunately, the three of them hadnât had the pleasure of fighting thedude personally. At least, not directly.Â That Mass Vision thedude had done didnât really count. Not for Stirling. Unless that had somehow weakened him. Who knew? He didnât.

Carson and Perry were laughing.

Stirling knew Perry, once. But Perry had changed. Greatly. Heâd made new friends. Heâd overcome new enemies. And heâd made friends of enemies.

Stirling sipped his tea out of his own tin cup.Â Wincing, he stood up.

Change can be painful.

But pain is a part of life. So therfore, change is as well.

Stirling would acknowledge the change. Just as he acknowledged pain.

Gingerly, he began making his way through the crowded cantina towards Perry and Carson.

Muttering the occasional âexcuse meâ and âpardonâ, his mind continued to order and tidy his discordant thoughts.

Perry had said it himself, when he'd been pleading with Carson.

Life only seemed to be getting harder and harder. Bigger trials, more challenges. More change.

But Stirling knew. The One Above All would never give him more trials and tribulations than he could handle.Â The changes would never outstrip his growing strength. His expanding abilities.

Change meant he was growing.

As he got closer, Stirling observed Perry playfully punch Carson, who, after a momentâs hesitation, reciprocated. Perry laughed, winced at the pain it brought, and the two laughed again, clinking cups and downing another shot to dull the pain.

And this was another thing he needed to grow in.Â Something he'd lost in his years without Perry.

His faith. His trust.

It was important to have friends. To have people you could fall back on when you lose hope.

Yes, his father had once told him that everyone, even him, his own father, being human, would fail himâ¦ But he'd never said to never trust anyone, ever.

One man, alone, cannot inspire. He needs others to inspire. To be inspired himself, when his own heart threatens to give out.

Stirling sat down next to Carson and Perry.

âSo tell me, Carson. How do you know Perry?â

Carson hissed. âOoh, thats a long story.â He immediately took a long sip from his cup, and elbowed Perry.

âThankfully, I'm an excellent storyteller!â Perry exclaimed. âIt all started in Prisonâ¦â

He listened to Perry's Story. Paid attention to Carsonâs occasional redirection. Momentary reminders.

â¦

And the sudden rumination Carson had at the mention of a man named Tain Leeâ¦

âI have a lot to make up for.â Carson abruptly announced. âAnd I don't make any promises that I really can, but I'll be damned if I don't try.â He looked up at Stirling. âHelp a friend of a friend?â

Suddenly, something clicked for Stirling.

âThat's all that any of us can do,â he heard himself say. He reached across and grabbed Carson's forearm in a warrior's grip. âDo your best. Your damnedest. Fight for your freedom. For the freedom of others. For those whom you love. Whom you care about. And if you love everyone, like this dope does,â Srirling motioned to Peregrine, who beamed an innocent smile, âdo your damndest to help as many as you can without burning yourself out.âÂ Stirling sat back in his chair roughly.

âI guessâ¦ That's what I do now,â Carson said.

âWelcome to the club then, Carson.â

â...What club? The KOTOS?Â Stirlingâs Sword?Â The Rebel Alliance?â

Stirling shrugged, but before he could reply, Peragrine interrupted.

âThe good guys.â

Stirling and Carson looked at Perry, who doubled down on his statement. âWeâre the good guys. The names might change, the objectives get blurred, the popular vote might not always be in our favor, but what doesnât is that weâre the good guys. We fight for whatâs right.â

Carsonâs gaze dropped as he thought about this.

Stirling nodded slowly. âThatâs an oversimplification, but your heartâs in the right place.â

Peragrine grinned. âWell, yeah. Itâs easy to say, hard to do.â

âLike anything worth doing.â

âIâm not sure I know how to do any of that,â Carson said, staring into his cup. âIâve only ever done things for myself.â

Stirling turned to Carson and leaned over the table. âHey. Thatâs why you have friends.â

Carson looked up at Stirling, who pointed at each of them as he continued. âWe keep each other accountable. No one person can always be right. We all fail. We all lose hope.â He leaned back.Â âSome of usâ¦ for longer than others.â

Peragrine picked up where Stirling trailed off. âSometimes, it takes others to pull you back up onto your feet!â He straightened his robe haughtily. âI would say Iâm rather good at it!â

âHumble, too.â remarked Carson and Stirling sarcastically, before looking at each other in mild surprise.

Stirling refocused. âLook, Carson. I was thinking.â

Carson raised an eyebrow, and sat back in his chair, feeling defensive.

âIâmâ¦ Not that great about keeping friends,â Stirling said. âI keep a lot of acquaintances, but no real friends.â

Peragrine nodded. âTrue! He tends to keep people at armâs length. All âprofessionalâ.â

âSame,â Carson said. âMostly because theyâre all idiots. And idiocy is contagious.â

âSo is sarcasm,â Stirling replied. âBut my point is this: Peragrine is my closest friend. If he trusts you, and youâre serious about thisâ¦ whole turning things around thing-â

âYes.â Carsonâs single word was filled with resolution.

âThen Iâm happy to keep you accountable. On one condition.â

âWhatâs the condition?â

âYou do the same for me.â

A moment of silence passes, as Stirling and Carson stared at each other. Between then, Perry flits his eyes between the two.

âDeal,â Carson answered. âNot that I need your accountabilityâ¦â

âBut it can help,â Stirling replies.

âSo, weâre solid?â Peragrine asks.

âOne hundred percent.â Stirling answers, looking at Carson for confirmation.

Carson nods. âJustâ¦ Donât go all Judge, Jury and Executioner on me, ever again. I swear, thatâs going to give me nightmares forever.â

Stirling nods sagely. âAgreed. Such things are reserved for my enemies. Of which, you are not, nor shall you ever be. Thanks to Perry.â

â....Ever?â Carson asks.

âEver.â Stirling assures.

âHow can you be sure?â

Stirling did not immediately reply. His initial reaction was to reply â''Itâs just a gut feeling''â, but he felt that Carson needed somethingâ¦ solid. Something to give him confidence. So instead, he thought about his next words carefully. â...Your actions, thus farâ¦ Your goals, from here, onâ¦ Peragrineâs trust in you, and his voice to your past actions, good and bad, coupled with my own desire to trust you.â Stirling leaned back in his chairÂ âWithout being creepy-stalker-ish, I seeâ¦ similarities. A kindred spirit.â Â

Carsonâs eyes squinted. âWhat do you mean by that?â

âWe both donât like other people, and would rather do things ourselves than have to involve or harm others.â

Carson raised a hand in objection, but Stirling continued.

âWe both are kinda stubborn, and donât like having our minds changed by others, even if they're correct.â

âWell-â

Peragrine piped up. âAnd yaâll are both strong as heck! In your own ways.â

âAnd lastly,â Stilring said, âLike most people, weâve done things in the past that weâre not proud of. And we want to make things right.â

Carson scowled. âI ainât doinâ a stinkinâ ''penance''.â

Stirling shook his head in agreement. âI didnât say that.â

âSure sounded like it.â

âWell, how would you say it, Carson?â Peragrine asked.

Now it was Carsonâs turn to consider his next words carefully. He looked down at his hands, feeling the magic hidden inside, a solid gold core, waiting to explode into raw molten energy to be manipulated any way he desired. Dangerous, Powerful, and all his to command and control. Â

â...Iâve been given a second chance at life.â Carson said, as he looked at Peragrine. âI donât want to waste it on myself again. By being selfish.â He smiled. âFigure Iâd do something ''different'' this time around.â Looking back at Stirling, he continued.Â âIn a way, you did kill something back there, Judge.â

Stirling nodded. âI think we all left something in that crater.â

âAnd it made something better!â Peragrine piped up, slapping a hand down into the middle of the table. âFriendship!!!â

Stirling smiled, and put his hand on Peragrineâs, before looking at Carson. âFriends?â

Carson felt himself hesitate. A number of emotions revolted in him, telling him that this is how he gets hurt. That this was a trap. This was some sort of dark pact. That this was a cult. Of 3. Or an elaborate sick joke at his expense.

He shoved these thoughts aside. They were all old Carson thoughts. He was a new man. A daring one.

âBest Friends,â he said, throwing his hand down over the other two.

Stirling grinned.Â Perry whooped, throwing the other hands into the air. âTHAT CALLS FOR ANOTHER ROUND!â

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>
[[Category:The Additional Manuscripts]]
[[Category:Stories]]
[[Category:Stories by JamesAT13]]

Manuscripts and Stories

2025-01-02T03:12:52Z

Stirling Silverstine: /* Stories by JamesAT13: */ adding PAIN to the list. Feel the pain.

[[File:Manuscripts and Stories BannerW.jpg|centre|thumb|802x802px|A Minifigure sits at his desk, writing the next Epic.]]

The stories or animations that take place in or relate to the Knights of the Old Speech universe are divided into many categories:

== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Stories Stories]<nowiki/> ==
[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Perpetual_Doom:_Being_the_First_Installment_in_the_MMOS_KOTOS_Series '''Perpetual Doom''']''' - by the Knights of the Olde Speech'''
[[File:Perpetual Doom Cover.png|none|thumb|317x317px]]
The Knights of the Olde Speech are low on finance, and accept the first job that comes their way - save a kingdom from a criminal called TheDude whilst simultaneously finding the King's runaway daughter.

[[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|'''Scattered Ashes''']]''' - by thingguy2'''
[[File:SA Cover-by Haroldosaur-Colored by Jonna.jpg|none|thumb|285x285px]]
Fifteen years have passed since the events chronicled in Perpetual Doom. Sacul, an aging innkeeper, and Talmid, a captured Knight of the Olde Speech, both receive a visit from an old friend...

'''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Scattered_Ashes,_Volume_Two_-_Being_the_Second_Installment_in_the_MMOS_KOTOS_Series Scattered Ashes, Volume Two] - by the Knights of the Olde Speech (ongoing)'''
[[File:SA Cover-by Haroldosaur-Colored by Jonna.jpg|none|thumb|285x285px]]
The three (four?) founders of the Knights of the Olde Speech, now reunited, face the daunting task of gathering their forces and bringing down the reign of TheDude once and for all.

[[The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth (AKA: The Rad Washing Machine)|'''The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth''']]''' - by thingguy2 and talmid'''

A pair of ninja, whilst on a space exploration mission, stumble across TheDude's greatest weapon: The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth. (Also known as the Rad Washing Machine).

== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Category:The_Additional_Manuscripts The Additional Manuscripts] ==
[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Rise_of_thedude '''Rise of thedude''']''' - by fffffplayer1'''
[[File:Ride of thedude.jpg|none|thumb|293x293px]]
The full, tragic backstory of TheDude is finally brought to light.

[[The Fall of the Gemini|'''The Fall of the Gemini''']]''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

Sirs Shard and Blaze find themselves cornered in Elepharian waters - and must use the skyfalls to their advantage.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Truth_Behind_the_Bots,_or_Major's_Most_Unfortunate_Venture '''The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture''']''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Major is the unwitting victim of the first Barney Bots to be brought to Morcia.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Complete_Encyclopedia%2C_Survival_Guide%2C_and_Dictionary_all_in_one?venotify=created '''The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

An (incomplete) summary of all the notable events and sights of Morcia.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/File_%285736-A7-32%29?venotify=created '''File (5736-A7-32)''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

The Nexus Force's criminal file on TheDude.

[[Hallowe'en Carol|'''A Hallowe'en Carol''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Jonna Moracol, former princess of Morcia, tells the story of why TheDude has outlawed Halloween.

'''The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter - by fffffplayer1 (ongoing and being rewritten):'''
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning|'''The Beginning''']] - Young Wiz realises that his emerging magical abilities could be a danger to those around him, and seeks apprenticeship from Geidrich the Azure (rewrite complete).
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force|'''In the Nexus Force''']] - Strange Odd Shadow, Rank Three Assembly Engineer, hunts a being known as the "Dark Shadow".
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption|'''Paths to Redemption''']] - Wiz Ardon meets Bob, a member of the Nexus Force, and makes a life-changing decision...
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters|'''Enchanting Encounters''']] - After a temporal dislocation, Strange Odd Shadow seeks a reunion with the Witch of Kingston.
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor|'''The Ten Heroes of Malidor''']] - A magical prophecy comes into fruition, and Strange Odd Shadow once again finds himself in the thick of it.
* '''[[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson|A History Lesson]] '''- Wiz Ardon receives a strange letter inviting him to seek the details into his temporal dislocation. However, curiosity killed the cat and Wiz finds himself lost in time.
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path|'''No Path''']]''' - '''Wiz Ardon wanders the worlds of Crux in an attempt to offer his help, but the tragedies of his life have left him cynical and lost. Will he be able to find a new path?
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Haunting Past|'''The Haunting Past''']] - Devastated after discovering his parents died, Wiz returns to Geidrich Castle in order to complete his magical training. However, more painful memories and unexpected discoveries await him there.
[[thedude doesn't like snow|'''thedude doesn't like snow''']]''' - by talmid'''

TheDude finds the falling Morcian snow to be an inconvenience - in more ways than one...

[[The Fall of the Baron|'''The Fall of the Baron''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Baron Typhonus remembers how his alter ego, The Darkitecht, came into being.

'''[[Continued Doom|Of Dooms and Hopes]] '''- '''by fffffplayer1'''

Nuncius the Messenger and an old woman tell tales of the fate of the Peculiar Enchanter.

'''[[Nexus File P-99D]] - by m579'''

Michael Peterson and Tanner Carrington, members of the Nexus Force, are participating in a training exercise when they receive a strange new assignment.

[[Live to fight another day|'''Live to fight another day''']]''' - by thingguy2 (incomplete)'''

Sir Legoboy flees from the forces of TheDude with help of Larry, an idle and otherwise useless man.

'''[[Charcoal and Embers]] - by talmid'''

Having narrowly escaped from TheDude's captivity, Sir Killian Talmid can only rely on his two new apprentices, Ember and Tom, to help him survive.

'''[[To Return Home]] - by JamesAT13'''

Stirling Silverstine returns to him home-world, only to find that the evil Lord thedude has taken over. A desperate search for his family, or truly, anything recognizable as his old home, begins.

[[Rise of the Traitor|'''Rise of the Traitor''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Young King Mattias is determined to defend his kingdom from the threats that plague it, unaware that the greatest danger to his rule is closer than he may dare to imagine...

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Lord_Barney%27s_Inauguration_Speech '''Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

Now that Barney the Dinosaur is in charge of Morcia's law department, the citizens can expect some drastic changes to the way they live their lives.

[[Lady Jonna's Quest|'''Lady Jonna's Quest''']]''' - by Haroldosaur'''
[[File:LJQ cover.jpg|none|thumb|564x564px]]
The king's daughter finds herself allied with a group of dimension-travelers as she seeks to free Morcia once and for all.

[[Prelude to a Story|'''Prelude to a Story''']]''' - by talmid'''

An old Britayan man dedicates himself to researching for an unknown cause.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Lady_of_Calibus%3B_The_Search_and_the_Hunt%3B_To_Return_Home:_Act_4:_Journeys '''The Fall of Calibus Tower: The union of The Lady of Calibus, The Search and the Hunt, and To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys''']''' - by Samlooploop, fffffplayer1, and JamesAT13'''

Stories collide as a group of hunted Knights of the Olde Speech, the duo of Peragrine and Stirling and Lady Charlotte Calibus are all threatened by TheDude's iron fist.

[[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|'''Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Log entries made by Lord Enfwar, who oversaw the construction of the Rhoddwr Marwolaeth.

[[Wish Upon A Star|'''Wish Upon a Star''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

A young boy and his astronomer father discuss the crimson stars that surround Militiregnum.

[[Exile Musings|'''Exile Musings''']]''' - by talmid (incomplete)'''

An opportunistic Talmid manages to escape from TheDude's clutches when the wagon he's imprisoned in is raided by a pair of thieves.

'''[[When We Were Six]] - by talmid'''

The original six members of the Knights of the Olde Speech undertake the task to attack the Paradox Rogues' base in the Athelas Mountains. Or is it Fire Hills?

'''Foes and Heirs - by Haroldosaur (ongoing):'''

The World of Militiregnum is filled with arts and abilities - is it so surprising that one would be singledÂ out and shunned, it's wielders viewed with nought but disdain? Iamos Wilder, a socially inept young alchemist, struggles with the day-to-day life that consists of being hated by all but a few members of his village. But the arrival of another alchemist uproots his life and forces him into action, lest his world fall to sinister forces. Accompanied by his charismatic best friend, his hyperactive sister, and the mysterious Daiyu Abernathy, Iamos finds himself burdened with the daunting responsibilities of uncovering the mysteries surrounding his art, safeguarding an ancient relic, and defending the few individuals precious to him.
* [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|'''Prologue: Fewer Years Ago Than The Opening Segment''']]''' '''- Iamos Wilder's slumber is disturbed by an unlikely visitor.
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life|'''Segment 1: The Easy Life''']] - Now the reluctant host, Iamos tries to adjust to the way his life has changed following Daiyu Abernathy's arrival - but danger is lurking on the horizon.
* '''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Foes_and_Heirs%3A_Segment_Two%3A_The_New_Life Segment 2: The New Life]''' - Having lost their home, the crew of the Origin is faced with deciding on a destination as Iamos' identity continues to get him into trouble.
* '''[[Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life|Segment 3: The Dangerous Life]] (ongoing)'''[[File:FnH 3 (colourized).png|none|thumb|293x293px]]In order to keep their newest arrival safe, the crew head north, to the Icy Wastes; unfortunately, the north isn't a particularly hospitable place.
* '''Segment 4: The Challenging Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 5: The Monotonous Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 6: The Hard Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 7: The Charmed Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 8: The Responsible Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 9: The Vengeful Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 10: The Only Life (not started)'''
[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/A_Series_of_Questions_by_One_Inquisitive_Young_Blubberstein#comm-1526 '''A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

A young Elepharian man finds himself to not be as taken with TheDude as those around him.

[[Ironsides|'''Ironsides''']]''' - by Haroldosaur'''

Talia Rayne finds herself undercover in the heart of TheDude's empire, and at Lord Vladek's mercy.

[[Cannon Fodder|'''Cannon Fodder''']]''' - by Haroldosaur'''

Every person has their own story, and one Richard Able is no exception.

[[Into the Storm and out of Darkness|'''Into the Storm and out of Darkness''']]''' - fffffplayer1'''

Four ancient warriors make a final attempt to seal away the greatest destructive force in the universe.

'''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Speeling_Manuscript The Speeling Manuscript] - by Samlooploop'''
[[File:The final Scene of Speeling.jpg|none|thumb|308x308px]]
There's not a lot of recreational activities available when you're guarding a top secret space station that has the power to destroy entire planets, so if you want to be entertained, you'd better get creative.

'''[[To Defy Doom]]''' '''-''' '''by JamesAT13'''

Bitter is the Doom of being a prisoner in Thunderclap Keep and it can be hard for some to cope. Less so for Jean who finds it rather more comfortable than the average inmate. Soon though, he, Perry and others will have to face their Doom and attempt to defy it.

'''[[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises']] - by fffffplayer1'''

War has broken out in Morcia again and Princess Jonna finds herself oppressed by her overprotective father. Meanwhile, strange rumours concerning the new enemy reach the city of Orlan. A story that enlightens us further on some aspects of Perpetual Doom that are left vague.

'''[[Rise of the Gemini]] (ongoing) - by Ninjago_Builders'''

The origin story of the twin ninja/knights, Shard and Blaze, comes to light.

'''[[Rise of the Messenger]] - by fffffplayer1'''

As Nuncius embarks on yet another adventure he reminisces his past.

'''[[Legend of the Rogue Square]] - by fffffplayer1'''

Nuncius is saved by a stranger wearing Paradox Gear. While they're on the run, he tries to find out more about him, bringing up painful memories for the Rogue Square.

[[The Most Exotic of Rugs|'''The Most Exotic of Rugs''']] '''- by Ninjago_Builders'''

The apparent origins of the renowned Persian Rug.

[[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum|'''Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum''']]''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

6 fearsome warriors take part in local entertainment.

'''[[Full Spectrum]] - by Haroldosaur'''
[[File:Full Spectrum Cover.jpg|none|thumb|286x286px]]
After being caught once again by TheDude's forces, Loden Adalwin strike a deal with TheDude's Special Agents: he helps them solve cases and apprehend revolutionaries, and they don't send him back to prison.

'''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Return_To_Calibus Return to Calibus] - by JamesAT13'''[[File:Return To Calibus.jpg|none|thumb|220x220px]]After finding no answers to his questions at Silverstine Keep, Stirling returns to Calibus Tower, only to find even more questions... And enemies.
[[A Kindling Flame|'''A Kindling Flame''']]''' - by RedFireDog6'''[[File:Cal Kover.jpg|thumb|220x220px|none]]With King thedude7500 upon the throne, many have forgotten aboutÂ the king's dangerous advisor,Â LordÂ Vladek. But his goal is just the same as it was under King Matthias. Only this time, he must be more... creative.

'''[[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]] - by Ninjago_Builders'''
[[File:Bunny.jpg|left|thumb|264x264px]] 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Another of Lady Jonna's stories - a cautionary tale of why you should never eat sweets that you find lying around in the forest, featuring Ember and a trio of young adventurers.

'''[[Perspective]] - by The theta AI'''

After an injury acquired during fighting terrorist forces, Thomas begins to dig a little deeper into his country's history, and is forced to rethink where his loyalties lie.

[[Out of Left Field|'''Out of Left Field''']]''' - by Samlooploop'''

It's thedude's birthday and Barney is undertaking the task of throwing a party for him. Shenanigans ensue.

'''[[A Hallowe'en Mystery]] - by Ninjago_Builders'''

The Red Mythrans' strange behaviour is unnerving to thedude and his underlings all over Militiregnum. Vladek must investigate the cause of this mystery...

'''A Series of Four - by talmid (ongoing)'''
# [[Thirty Days|'''Thirty Days''']]''' - '''The crisis on Militiregnum isn't as distant as would seem in the immediate aftermath of the Stromling Saga. Distant, yes, but ever-present.
# '''[[Three Years]] '''- Aiden Talmid celebrates his 19th birthday aboard the transport craft ''Renaissance ''aimed for Jirdia, a world far from Crux and the Nexus Force's constituency, but it is outside thedude's influence?
# '''[[Tertiary Positioning]]Â '''- The disparate paths of different individuals are intersected by a single complex movement seeking to make worlds, and dimensions, collide.
# [[Soul Searching|'''Soul Searching''']]''' '''- tba
[[RealitÄtÄ|'''RealitÄtÄ''']] '''(on pause)''' - Aiden, Luke, and Mara land on Militiregnum and team up with James Walters to liberate Sir Talmid.

'''[[To Find Friends]] - by JamesAT13'''

Two ex-prisoners- Tain Lee and Peragrine Wanderthistle- and one ex-prisoner-caretaker- Carson Flemming- are bound together by fate and circumstances as they traverse Morica and beyond in search of friends and allies, old and new.

[[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library|'''Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library''']]''' - by fffffplayer1 (ongoing)'''

When a man wakes up in the wilderness he finds that he has no memories. The adventures of a man who does not know the harsh world begin.

'''[[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]] - by Ninjago_Builders (on pause)'''

Not sure really. Something about seas and pirates and moons behaving erratically.

'''[[Politics]]''' - '''by fffffplayer1'''

Supreme Chancellor Keggen's objections to the Nexus Force's latest move quickly spiral out of control for impressive results.

[[The Legend of LolimÃ³n|'''The Legend of LolimÃ³n''']] '''- by LolimonTheWise (ongoing)'''

Because every time a hero rises, it's called a Legend nowadays. Don't worry it's just a marketing ploy to appease the Harolds of this world. Until Legend gets old, too. Then, what? Set in Britay, a land off the west coast of Militiregnum's main continent, this particular Legend follows Lolimon, a young man who possesses great strength and skill for his age, as he and many fellow countrymen, seek to reclaim Britay from evil men, and ultimately, thedude.

'''[[Ships of the Line]] - by talmid (on pause)'''

New technologies and allies: thedude seeks both to open up a pathway to his ultimate reign and thus his servants must go on the errands he gives them.

'''[[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]] - by Ninjago_Builders'''

The truth about Militeregnum they don't teach you in schools.

'''[[To Nab a Nephew]] - by JamesAT13'''

Uncle Mortimer misses his nephew, Peragrine Wanderthistle. Having not heard from him for about a month, Mortimer decides to go find him.

'''[[Stories by the Fire]] - by fffffplayer1'''

Everyone likes a good story told by the fire's warmth during the cold night.

'''[[To Call The Calvary]] - by James AT13 (ongoing)'''

Stirling Silverstine calls on the legendary Sir Thingguy for guidance, but the wandering knight has a request of his own.

'''[[Fuel for the Fire]] - by James AT13 and RedFireDog6 (ongoing)'''

After becoming shipwrecked on the shores of Ankoria, the Cursed Land, Stirling Silverstine discovers allies un-looked for in the harshest of places.

'''[[The Most Exotic of Tastes]] - by Ninjago_Builders'''

A sudden assault of monkeys leads to the adventure solving the apparent origin of another mystery...

'''[[On July the 4th]] - by fffffplayer1'''

The Storyteller tells what happened on July the 4th.

[[Return To Wishwell|'''Return To Wishwell''']]''' - by JamesAT13 '''

Taking place immediately after the unfortunate conclusion of ''To Find Friends: Act II'', Sara runs from her failure, only to get further entangled in a wider world that is changing all around her.

'''[[On The Night of the 4th|On the Night of the 4th]] - By JamesAT13'''

Unbeknownst to the Storyteller, far above the skies of Militiregnum, Dr. Mortimer seeks to celebrate the 4th of July ''properly''. With Fireworks. On a blockade. In space. It's understandably difficult... and that's before Mortimer's past rises up to destroy his future.

'''[[Return to the Old Homestead]] - by JamesAT13'''

Peter and Emily Silverstine, along with Mrs. Richardson, are left alone at an old abandoned homestead after the events of ''To Defy Doom.'' However, their quiet solitude is quickly broken.

== Legends, Fragments and Stories Obscura ==
Some of these are brainstorms. Some of these are bits and pieces of other more complete stories. Some just couldn't be called a complete story. Some are just pure writer's information to maintain a consistent world. For whatever reason, we want them publicly available. More often that not, for reference when writing our own stuff.

[[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|'''Militiregnum Map Description''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

An extensive look at the locations and nations of the planet Militiregnum.

'''[[Aquila|Aquila ~-~-~ Geography, History, and Important Figures]] - by fffffplayer1 and talmid'''

An article about Aquila.

'''[[Timeline of the KotOS Dimension]] - by fffffplayer1 mostly'''

A timeline for the KOTOS Universe, of events taking place majorly in Militiregnum and Crux.

'''[[User blog:Stirling Silverstine/Procrastination Station: Log276.|Dreams of Future Possible]] - by JamesAT13'''

A brainstorm of a possible near-ending chapter for Scattered Ashes. Also, further Brainstorming of how Scattered Ashes would end, including a mechanic for multiple characters to have a personal showdown with thedude. Since this writing, this particular 'future possible' has been declared impossible to be canon.

'''[[A Quick History and Enumeration of the (Human) Peoples of Militiregnum]] - by fffffplayer1'''

It's in the title.

[[The Appendix Notes|'''The Appendix Notes''']]''' - by fffffplayer1 (contributable)'''

Commentary on fffffplayer1's Perpetual Doom chapters and Additional Manuscripts.

'''[[Teaser Shorts]] - by fffffplayer1 (contributable)'''

A collection of shorts that do not merit their own AMs, but are used to tease other stories.
* Into Raging Fire - Short I
* Into Raging Fire - Short II
* Into Raging Fire - Short III
* Into Raging Fire - Short IV
* Into Raging Fire - Short V
[[The Balanced Guard|'''The Balanced Guard''']]''' - by fffffplayer1 (incomplete)'''

An account on Thunderclap City's Guard.

'''[[File 0204]] - by haroldosaur'''

A record on M.A.S.T.E.R.

'''[[File 2315-A65]] - by talmid'''

An account on moderator powers.

'''[[On Naming The Underground Forces]] - by JamesAT13'''

A hypothetical scenario on how the heroes of Scattered Ashes might come to name their forces upon meeting together.

[[The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia|'''The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia''']]''' - by JamesAT13'''

A scrapped segment of To Return Home: Before Peragrine and Stirling can set off on their journey, they are accosted by none other than the Noodle Brothers.

[[User blog:Stirling Silverstine/Concerning Buried Treasures.|'''The Further Insane Blatherings''']] '''-By JamesAT13'''

Various deleted scenes from the original writhing of To Return Home.

'''[[Scattered Ashes: The Lost Chapters]] - by Ninjago_Builders and fffffplayer1 (contributable)'''

Some non-canon and scrapped chapters of Scattered Ashes.

'''[[Perhaps a Shadow]] - by The Theta AI and talmid (incomplete)'''

A story whose canon status has come into question: In an alternate series of events, after defeating thedude the heroes are looking into manipulating the timeline for the purpose of a brighter future.

== Talmid Show ==
-by Talmid and crew

=== [[Talmid Show|Season 1]] ===
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro Intro]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_1_The_Battle_that_Changed_EVERYTHING Episode 1]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_2_Return_of_the_Friends Episode 2]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Episode_3_The_Not-so-final-End&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 3]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_4_The_Mystery_Bad_Guy Episode 4]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Episode_5_The_Crash&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 5]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_6_The_Conclusion Episode 6]

=== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&file=Star_Trek_Talmidon_The_Movie Star Trek Talmidon: The Movie] ===

=== Season 2 ===
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_2)&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Intro]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_1 Episode 1]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_2&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 2]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_3 Episode 3]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_4&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 4]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_5 Episode 5]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_6&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 6]

=== Season 3 ===
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_3) Intro]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_1&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 1]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_2 Episode 2]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_3&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 3]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_4 Episode 4]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_5&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 5]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5UWrvh7FdY Episode 6]

=== Season 0 ===
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zdqGVEahkE Episode 1]

== Other Series ==
For stories that are not of the KOTOS Series, but connect with the KOTOS canon also in one way or the other.

[[Song of the Swans Chapter 30|'''Song of the Swans Chapter 30''']]''' - by Talmid (Stromling Saga)'''

An excerpt from the Stromling Saga sequel, Song of the Swans, in which Aiden Talmid encounters a most forbidding planet.

'''[[Tale of the Five Hunters]] - by fffffplayer1 (Shadow Book)'''

An old tale told in Galabrim of Five Hunters and their encounter with the Pillar of Light.

== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Introduction_to_the_KotOS_Universe Introduction to the KotOS Universe] ==
If you are new to all of this and don't know some of the things we're talking about here in this wiki, this link might be useful.

== Suggested Order of Reading/Watching ==
by fffffplayer1
# [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]]
# [[The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth (AKA: The Rad Washing Machine)|The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro Talmid Show Season 1]
# [[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes, Volume I, by thingguy2]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&file=Star_Trek_Talmidon_The_Movie Star Trek Talmidon: The Movie]
# [[Rise of thedude]]
# [[The Fall of the Gemini|Fall of the Gemini]]
# [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture|The Truth Behind the Bots or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
# [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one|The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival's Guide ans Dictionary all in one]]
# [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
# [[Hallowe'en Carol|A Hallowe'en Carol]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning]]
# [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
# [[The Fall of the Baron]]
# [[Nexus File P-99D]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_2)&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Talmid Show Season 2]
# [[Live to fight another day]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force]]
# [[Charcoal and Embers]]
# [[Rise of the Traitor]]
# [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
# [[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|Militiregnum Map Description]]
# [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
# [[Prelude to a Story]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption]]
# [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters]]
# [[Of Dooms and Hopes]]
# [[To Return Home]]
# [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Fall of Calibus Tower: The union of The Lady of Calibus, The Search and the Hunt, and To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys]]
# [[The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_3) Talmid Show Season 3]
# [[Wish Upon A Star]]
# [[To Nab a Nephew]]
# [[Exile Musings]]
# [[Aquila|Aquila ~-~-~ Geography, History, and Important Figures]]
# [[When We Were Six]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years Ago than the Opening Segment]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life]]
# [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein|A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
# [[Ironsides]]
# [[Cannon Fodder]]
# [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]
# [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
# [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises']]
# [[Rise of the Gemini]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson]]
# [[Rise of the Messenger]]
# [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
# [[To Defy Doom]]
# [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]]
# [[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Two: The New Life]]
# [[Scattered Ashes, Volume Two - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes, Volume II]]
# [[Full Spectrum]]
# [[Return To Calibus]]
# [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30]]
# [[A Kindling Flame]]
# [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]
# [[On July the 4th]]
# [[Perspective]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path]]
# [[Out of Left Field]]
# [[A Hallowe'en Mystery]]
# [[Thirty Days]]
# [[Three Years]]
# [[Tertiary Positioning]]
# [[Soul Searching]]
# [[RealitÄtÄ]]
# [[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library]]
# [[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]]
# [[To Find Friends]]
# [[Return To Wishwell|Return to Wishwell]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Haunting Past]]
# [[Politics]]
# [[The Legend of LolimÃ³n]]
# [[Ships of the Line]]
# [[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]]
# [[To Nab a Nephew]]
# [[Stories by the Fire]]
# [[To Call The Calvary|To Call The Cavalry]]
# [[Fuel for the Fire]]
# [[The Most Exotic of Tastes]]
# [[Tale of the Five Hunters]]

== Alternative Order of Reading/Watching ==
It is a chronological order, suggested for after the first read of everything.
# [[Tale of the Five Hunters]]
# [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning]]
# [[The Fall of the Baron]]
# [[Rise of the Traitor]]
# [[Rise of the Gemini]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Haunting Past]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor]]
# [[Rise of thedude]]
# [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises']]
# [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]], Prologue, Chapters 1-6
# [[When We Were Six]]
# [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]], Chapters 7-42, Epilogue
# [[The Fall of the Gemini]]
# [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein|A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
# [[Exile Musings]]
# [[Politics]]
# [[Live to fight another day]]
# [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
# [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30]]
# [[Thirty Days]]
# [[Out of Left Field]]
# [[Three Years]]
# [[Tertiary Positioning]]
# [[Soul Searching]]
# [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
# [[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years Ago than the Opening Segment]]
# [[To Return Home]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Two: The New Life]]
# [[Of Dooms and Hopes]]
# [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Fall of Calibus Tower: The union of The Lady of Calibus, The Search and the Hunt, and To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life]]
# [[Return To Calibus|Return to Calibus]]
# [[Rise of the Messenger]]
# [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
# [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
# [[Charcoal and Embers]]
# [[Stories by the Fire]]
# [[To Call The Calvary|To Call The Cavalry]]
# [[The Legend of LolimÃ³n]]
# [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
# [[Ships of the Line]]
# [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
# [[Wish Upon A Star]]
# [[Hallowe'en Carol|A Hallowe'en Carol]]
# [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]
# [[A Hallowe'en Mystery]]
# [[On July the 4th]]
# [[Fuel for the Fire]]
# [[Cannon Fodder]]
# [[Nexus File P-99D]]
# [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
# [[Prelude to a Story]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro Talmid Show]
# [[RealitÄtÄ]]
# [[To Defy Doom]]
# [[To Nab a Nephew]]
# [[To Find Friends]]
# [[Return To Wishwell]]
# [[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum]]
# [[Full Spectrum]]
# [[Ironsides]]
# [[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes]]
# [[The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth (AKA: The Rad Washing Machine)|The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth]]

=== Stories that cannot be placed in the order ===
* [[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|Militiregnum Map Description]]
* [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one|The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival's Guide ans Dictionary all in one]]
* [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
* [[Aquila|Aquila ~-~-~ Geography, History, and Important Figures]]
* [[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]]
These stories should be read after Perpetual Doom, but they do not belong somewhere chronologically speaking.

=== Unknown ===
* [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]] (before Perpetual Doom)
* [[The Most Exotic of Tastes]] (before Perpetual Doom)
* [[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]] (before Perpetual Doom, I think)

== AM Thematic Categories ==
In which the Additional Manuscripts are based on tone, time-frame and some other, probably inconsistent, criteria. They may be viewed as collections, and if the stories were to be put in print, they would be printed within these different categories (each being it's own book). '''Also, each category should probably have it's own cover, but whatever. I'm tired enough after sorting all of this out. If you want to draw a cover for a specific collection, or have a bone to pick about how I've ordered everything, just fix it yourselves.'''''-Harold''

=== The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: ===
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning|The Beginning]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force|In the Nexus Force]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption|Paths to Redemption]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters|Enchanting Encounters]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor|The Ten Heroes of Malidor]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson|A History Lesson]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path|No Path]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Haunting Past|The Haunting Past]]
* Into Raging Fire

=== Pre-Perpetual Doom: ===
* [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]

* [[Rise of thedude]]
* [[The Fall of the Baron]]
* [[Rise of the Traitor]]
* [[Rise of the Gemini]]
* [[When We Were Six]]
* [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises'|This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises]]'

=== The Years of Terror, Part 1: ===
* [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
* [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
* [[Of Dooms and Hopes]]
* [[To Return Home]]
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Lady of Calibus]]
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Search and the Hunt]]
* [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]
* [[On July the 4th]]
* [[Stories by the Fire]]

=== The Years of Terror, Part 2: ===
* [[Prelude to a Story]]

* [[Charcoal and Embers]]
* [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
* [[Wish Upon A Star|Wish Upon a Star]]
* [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
* [[Exile Musings]]
* [[Cannon Fodder]]
* [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30]]
* [[A Kindling Flame]]
* [[Fuel for the Fire]]

=== The Years of Terror, Part 3: ===
* [[Live to fight another day]]
* [[Hallowe'en Carol|A Hallowe'en Carol]]
* [[A Hallowe'en Mystery]]
* [[Rise of the Messenger]]
* [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
* [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
* [[Out of Left Field]]
* [[The Legend of LolimÃ³n]]
* [[Ships of the Line]]

=== The Felix Fitzwillis Trilogy ===
* [[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library]]
* -
* -

=== Foes and Heirs: ===
* [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|Fewer Years Ago Than The Opening Segment]]
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life|The Easy Life]]
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Two: The New Life|The New Life]]
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life|The Dangerous Life]]
* The Challenging Life
* The Monotonous Life
* The Hard Life
* The Charmed Life
* The Responsible Life
* The Vengeful Life
* The Only Life

=== Gathering Ashes: ===
* [[The Fall of the Gemini]]
* [[To Defy Doom]]
* [[To Nab a Nephew]]
* [[To Find Friends]]
* [[Return To Wishwell]]
* [[To Call The Calvary]]
* [[Return To Calibus]]
* [[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum]]
* [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
* [[Full Spectrum]]
* [[Ironsides]]
* [[RealitÄtÄ]]

=== A Series of Four ===
* [[Thirty Days]]
* [[Three Years]]
* [[Tertiary Positioning]]
* [[Soul Searching]]

=== Additional Additional Manuscripts: ===
* [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one]]
* [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
* [[Nexus File P-99D]]
* [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Tastes]]
* [[Politics]]
* [[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]]
* [[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]]

== Stories Sorted By Author ==
Where you can find all the manuscripts by an author of your preference.

=== Stories by the Knights of the Olde Speech: ===
* [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]]
* [[Scattered Ashes, Volume Two - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes, Volume II]]

=== Stories by fffffplayer1: ===
* [[Rise of thedude]]
* [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
* [[Hallowe'en Carol|A Hallowe'en Carol]]
* The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter, Parts 1-8
* [[The Fall of the Baron]]
* [[Of Dooms and Hopes]]
* [[Rise of the Traitor]]
* [[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|Militiregnum Map Description]]
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Search and the Hunt]]
* [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
* [[Wish Upon A Star|Wish Upon a Star]]
* [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]
* [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises'|Harold didn't want any more Rises]]
* [[Rise of the Messenger]]
* [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
* [[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library]]
* [[Politics]]
* [[Stories by the Fire]]
* [[On July the 4th]]
* [[Tale of the Five Hunters]]

=== Stories by JamesAT13: ===
* [[To Return Home]]
* [[The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia|The Insane Blatherings]]
* [[Return To Calibus]]
* [[To Defy Doom]]
* [[To Nab a Nephew]]
* [[To Find Friends]]
* [[Return To Wishwell]]
*[[The Legend Of Iron Crick]]
*[[User blog:Stirling Silverstine/Procrastination Station: Log276.|Dreams of Future Possible]] (Non-Canon)
**[[Pain: Another Dream of Future Possible]] (Canonicity Questioned)
* [[To Call The Calvary]] (In Progress)
* [[Fuel for the Fire]]
*[[On The Night of the 4th|On the Night of the 4th]]
*[[Return to the Old Homestead]]

=== Stories by RedFireDog6 ===
* [[A Kindling Flame]]
* [[Fuel for the Fire]]

=== Stories by Talmid: ===

* [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
* [[Charcoal and Embers]]
* [[Prelude to a Story]]
* [[Exile Musings]]
* [[When We Were Six]]
* [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30|Song of the Swans (Chapter 30)]]
* [[Thirty Days]]
* [[Three Years]]
* [[Tertiary Positioning]]
* [[Soul Searching]] (in progress)
*[[REALITÄTÄ]] (in progress)
* [[Ships of the Line]] (in progress)

=== Stories by Haroldosaur: ===
* [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
* Foes and Heirs, Prologue and Segments 1-10
* [[Ironsides]]
* [[Cannon Fodder]]
* [[Full Spectrum]]

=== Stories by Samlooploop: ===
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Lady of Calibus]]
* [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
* [[Out of Left Field]]

=== Stories by Ninjago_Builders: ===
* [[The Fall of the Gemini]]
* [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one]]
* [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
* [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
* [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
* [[Rise of the Gemini]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]]
* [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]
* [[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum]]
* [[A Hallowe'en Mystery]]
* [[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]]
* [[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Tastes]]

=== Stories by m579: ===
* [[Nexus File P-99D]]

=== Stories by thingguy2: ===
* [[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes - Volume 1 ]]
* [[Live to fight another day]]

=== Stories by LolimonTheWise: ===
* [[The Legend of LolimÃ³n]]

=== Stories by The theta AI ===
* [[Perspective]]
[[Category:Stories]]

Pain: Another Dream of Future Possible

2024-12-27T03:16:44Z

Stirling Silverstine: Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. Yada yada.

== Pain: Another Dream of Future Possible ==
Pain. The sensation of Pain tells Stirling he is alive. That the blast from the catapult munition hadn't killed him. And if he is alive, he still has a mission.

Screams. Screams and explosions. The sounds of war- of pain- tell Stirling that others around him are also alive. And if they're alive, they will either help or hinder his mission.

Opening his eyes against the dirt, grime, and blood, Stirling observes the battlefield.

Powerful mages, terrifying mecha-knights, horrific Barnabus Bots, and Barnabus fighters and bombers. And the rank and file army, militia, and Paradox Rogues.

They clash with knights, commoners, North-men dirigibles, alchemists, misfits, legends, and scores more.

It's indescribable,Â really. As war always is.Â There is really nothing like being in the thick of it.

And Stirling knows. He will never forget this moment. This one glorious, hideous, courageous, stupid moment.

"YOU! HEY, YOU!"

Stirling immediately whips around to face his next opponent, only to be a moment too slow, as he is tackled in a... bear hug? Yes. A man in full, but mismatched, tactical gear has tackled him, and is now shoving something into his hidden Bracer pocket.

"I'm so glad I found you, Strider! The name's James. You don't know me, but I need to give you this key. It's a-"

"What?! Get off me, you-"

"No time to explain!Â This key is for a tank that will be rolling out of the main gate in" the man checked his watch. "10 minutes!Â You only have 10, TEN! Minutes! To save Perry, convert Carson, and get them to collapse the main gate AFTER the first tank goes through! Got that? Good! Now, I gotta go! Any longer and the Janitor will SWEEP me out, like- !"

And in a flash, the man was gone.

The flash of light faded, and past it, a twisted, 4-legged beast of Chaos, unleashed by the Tyrant thedude upon the battlefield, turned and snarled at Stirling. Then it charged.

While Stirling defended himself against the mindless beast with his shield, he replayed the conversation.

James? He didn't know any James.

Key. Key to a tank.

Tank arrives t-minus 10.

T-minus 10 to save P-

Stirling Parried and thrust his Katana headlong through the creature's throat, and up into the brain. An instantly fatal blow.

"Dammit, Perry. What now? Where are you?"

He spun around once, and easily found what he was looking for.

"Follow the explosions. In this case, the biggest, and/or greenest ones."

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Pain. Pain told Perry that he was losing. Losing his life.

Perry doesn't like losing. Especially his life. Especially to this guy.

"Carson, I DON'T want to fight you!"

"FINE BY ME, DEMON KID. DIE!"

''<nowiki/>'When did it all go wrong?''<nowiki/>' wondered Perry. He looked up from the latest crater his tossed-about, magically protected body had just made. Just in time to see Carson, wreathed in red, sparking, electrical magic, float over the edge of the crater. Carson's eyes were smoking with red steam. His hands welled with sparking, red, jagged pools of energy. Much like Peragrineâs green magic...

But fueled by something far more destructive.

Peragrine repeated the question out loud.

"HA!" Barked Carson, his face a rictus grin. "LIFE HAS NEVER GONE RIGHT FOR ME, PERRY. MIGHT MAKES RIGHT, THOUGH. AND NOW... Now I have the power. THE POWER TO RULE MY OWN DESTINY!" To demonstrate, Carson swung two simultaneous haymakers at Peragrine, and in response, his magic made two violent, crimson tornadoes spin through the air towards Peragrine.

"That's nice, Carson!" Peragrine said instinctively, sending out a counter-pulse to break up the tornados before they reached him. "But why does your destiny involve-"

"KILLING YOU? SIMPLE!"

Suddenly, Carson teleported directly into Peragrine's face.

"Miss Kull promises it makes my new powers... Permanent."

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Eight minutes.

Suddenly, it seemed like everyone wanted to fight him. He couldn't go two steps before another knight or mage stepped into his path and charged.

''<nowiki/>'It's never easy, '<nowiki/>'' Stirling reminded himself, as his next challenger threw magic missile after magic missile at him. ''<nowiki/>'But at least I'm uniquely qualified for the challenge.'''

Not bothering to use the shield, and sheathing his Katana, Stirling strode forward to the mage, who began to panic, and cast even greater spells at Stirling...

But they all were bounced off... or absorbed.

In a grim smile, Stirling growled as he got into speaking range. "It'll take greater magics than that to stop me, mage."

The mage whimpered. "I don't know any greater spell than fireball..."

"Is that what that last one was?" Stirling asked.

The mage nodded.

"A useful spell. But not against one impervious to magic," Stirling said. A bit of an overstatement; He wasn't impervious; that fireball had hurt; He was considerably singed. Ever since that raid on Vladek's Castle in Ankoria, where that magic sword had gone straight into him... He had experienced an amazing resistance to magic. ALL magic. Good and bad.

Speaking of.

Stirling whipped his right hand out, and a similar sword appeared in his hand. A sword made of all the magic he'd just absorbed. He drew it to the mage's neck. "You're Aquilan, are you not?"

Again, the mage nodded. "Conscripted into thedudeâs service."

"thedude dies this day. Fight for the winning team. Free your world."

The mage nodded. "Yessir. Um, what was your name, sir?"

Stirling. Sir Stirling, of the Sword, and a Knight of the Frikkin' Olde Speech."

The mage's eyes widened in recognition, then confusion. "Did you guys rebrand or-"

"No, I'm just really frikkin' old!" Stirling snapped. "Now get moving, soldier! I'm going to need you to head towards the gate!Â The battle heads there!"

The mage nodded a final time, barking a "Sir, yessir!" Before taking off through the battlefield.

''<nowiki/>'Or so I'm told''' Stirling thought.

Suddenly, a massive Shockwave rocked the battlefield, and Stirling looked up to see a small, brightly glowing green figure get thrown clean across the landscape...

His first thought was of extreme concern for the unmistakable figure.

"PERRY!"

Followed shortly by extreme irritance.

"DANG IT, STAY IN ONE PLACE; HOW HARD IS-"

Which was itself interrupted by even more concern as an unrecognizable RED glowing figure streaked across after Perry.

"Good Lord in Heaven above, is he fighting a RED MYRHRAN?!"

As Stirling changed direction to chase after, both the red and green lights shot straight up into the smoky, chaotic air, filled with its own battles. The two magic lights shot past a different Red Mythran light which exploded in a violent wave of energy as its glassy physical form was ruptured by Perry and the mysterious assailantâs passing.

"Wha- WHAT THE HECK?! HOW IN THE BLUE BLAZES AM I SUPPOSED TO GET UP THERE?!" Stirling fumed, even as he continued to futilely jog in that direction. "You'd think that with all these changes in direction, what with them measuring their fight in FREAKIN'Â FOOTBALL FIELDS, they'd HAPPEN to toss over in THIS direction! But NO! The powers that be wouldn't make it so easy for me! WHY, I WOULDN'T BE SURPRI-

Another sonic Shockwave resounded, and Stirling watched the green light that he just ''knew'' was Perry plummet like a shooting star, getting larger and larger, as it came his way...

For a brief moment, Stirling had a mighty fear put into him, as he wondered if he was about to be struck by the veritable comet of green magical energy coming at him for his grousingâ¦

Suddenly, the bright green light grew dim, and it dropped quickly, crashing to the ground aboutâ¦ well, if Stirling had to guess, a football field away.

"...Ok. Message received, Lord."Â He rushed forward, even as the evil red light dove down after the green one, out of sight.

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Peragrine rolled over and pushed with his magic against the ground.

âGottaâ¦ get back up.â

But instead of rising up, all that he did was sit up.

âOh, ok.â Peragrine scrambled to his feet, then hopped once, expecting his magic to catch him and send him up.

Instead, he hopped once, landed on his feet, and thenâ and only thenâ did his body finally catch up with his mind and informed him that he was exhausted.

Peragrine collapsed to the bottom of the much smaller crater, the dirt and dust coating him, getting into his cuts and making them smart.

âWait, cuts?â

His magic had only partially protected him from this latest throw.

Peragrine closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. A âquickieâ meditation. He took stock. Physically. Mentally. Meta-pyshically.

It didnât look great.

The past half-hour had been the most exhilarating and terrifying and horrifying moments of his life. Without a doubt. This battle, this final battle, truly was '''the most''' that his life had ever been. The most that he ever wanted his life to be from here on out. He was supercharged, and nowâ¦ heâd burned through all of it. He was superâ¦ What was the opposite of charged? Depleted?

Heâd defeated countless Paradox. Dispatched myriads of monsters. Disabled hordes of mechanical beasts. Heâd '''''reveled''''' in his magic, Heâd brought time to a crawl, given allies superpowers, healed grievous wounds, stopped monsters in their tracks, contained whole squadrons of misguided men and women from charging into a battle they couldnât comprehend. Heâd used his magic to its fullest, and then gone beyond even that.

But the past 10 minutes had been what had laid him low.

One foe. It only took one. One old friend. Carson Flemming.

His incredible powers, his unbelievable magicâ¦His unique responsibility. It was all worthless if he couldnât find a way to resolve conflict without death. Property damage, bodily harm, physical or mental entrapmentâ¦ all these things could be fixed. Healed. But deathâ¦ death had irreparable consequences. The Soul. The soul was a very unique and sacred thing. He wouldnât harm that. He wouldnât.

âI canât kill him. I wonât.â Peragrine vowed to himself.

âMore power for me, then,â came Carsonâs reply.

Peragrine opened his eyes and looked up from his kneeling meditation. There he stood. Carson Flemming, clothed in magic. Absolutely suffused with his own rage, made incarnate as a Red substance that looked like glass- like a Red Mythran, but flowed like a pressure hose. And yet, it didnât feel like anything. Not unless Carson willed it.

âAre you a Red Mythran?â Peragrine asked.

âNah. Worse.â Carson flicked a wrist, and a magical construction of skeletal hands appeared out of the earth and held Peragrineâs wrists down. He began pacing, clearly enjoying this moment. âI can create horrible things, not just destroy good ones.â

Peragrine looked up at Carson. âI donât understand you, Carson.â

Carson scowled, and with another flick of the wrist, the skeletal hands dug into Perryâs skin. âI never asked you to!â

âWhy do you work for evil, if you know itâs evil?â

âBecause itâs POWER, Perry! Power is all that matters!â He pointed at Peragrine. âFor so long, YOU had all the power! Tain had ALL THE POWER! You all got to decide what was ârightâ, what was âwrongâ! âOk, you can ride without a rope nowâ, âoh, you canât have a knife! Thatâs ''dangerous''!â âOop! Canât stay at Wishwell, gotta keep HAULING A-â â

âI get it, I get i-â Peragrine interrupted, physically pulling away from the oncoming obscenities.

âNO, KID, YOU DONâT.â Carson leaned in close to Peragrineâs face. âYouâve never been in my shoes. Youâve always had the power. Power gives you options. Gives you Choice. Well, now Iâm going to ''take that away''. Take away your choice. Iâm going to take your power from you. And it will all be for me.â He straightened up. âThen weâll see whoâs whoâs friend.â

Peragrine stared at Carson, visibly puzzled. ''âMyâ¦ Power? My Magic?? Thatâs what this is about???â'' Â âIf itâs my power you want, you can have it, my friend.â Peragrine closed his eyes.

I''t took Peragrine but a moment to find the last precious few scraps of magic within himself. The last pieces of that excitable'' ''green energy that had always been with him. The source of his boundless energy, even before he knew it as magic. Before he knew how to properly use itâ¦''

Carson scoffed. âI donât need you to understand, idiot. I just need you to die so I can take your power.â He pulled back a hand, and a massive red blade formed around it. With his other arm, he lined up his strike so as to decapitate the kidâ¦ Peragrineâ¦

âStupid Kid.âÂ Carson plunged his deadly blade forward.

''â¦Peragrine held the last mote of energy. It wasnât him. It was just his power. His Magic. Sure, it was a part of himâ¦''

''But it was a part he was willing to let go.''

''So he let it go.''

The deadly Rage-Magic-Fueled Blade plunged into a Silver and Blue chestplate, cleaving the dented, scored, time-ravaged metal in two, cutting through the chainmail beneath, and past the clothing, dissipating against the skin of-

âWhat the-â Carson began, suddenly realizing that someone had interposed himself between him and Peragrine.

Stirling Silverstine growled. â'''''You donât touch him.â'''''

âWho the hell are you?!â Carson said, taking a step back, and realizing in shock that this guy, now partly shirtless, had somehow stopped his killing blow.

Stirling straightened up, and immediately took the step forward that Carson had vacated. âSir Stirling Silverstine of the Sword. I will be your '''Justice''' today, Carson.â

Carson looked this guy up and down. This 50-something old man had no shield, no sword. No chestplace from the shoulders down, where heâd '''''stabbed''''' with a '''''killing blow'''''. Yet, the manâs skin was unbrokenâ¦?! â'''What''' the hell are you?!â He backed up further, unable to comprehend this, and tripped on the slope of the crater.

âI already told you. '''Justice'''.â Stirling lunged forward, lightning fast, and grabbed Carson by the throat, holding him in the air. âAnd I find you '''guilty'''.â He lifted Carson up, keeping eye contact with the increasingly confused and panicked man. '''âLive by the sword, die by the Sword.â'''

âWait!â

Both Carson and Stirling turned to the forgotten third individual, Peragrine.

â'''What'''.â demanded Stirling.

Peragrine shirked away for a moment from that frightening visage of âJusticeâ. He wasnât sure what was causing Stirlingâs eyes to be pupiless deep blue flames that seemed to penetrate right into his soul; maybe it was some new power that was a side effect of Stirlingâs many lonely adventures, but he knew that he never wanted to fight it.Â Whomever or whatever that wasâ¦ Carson had no hope against something so merciless.

So he was going to provide some mercy.

Peragrine stepped up and pressed gently on the arm holding Carson up in the air. âLet me talk to my friend.â

Stirling scowled. âThis man is your friend? He just killed thousands.â

Peragrine nodded. âSo have we.â

Stirling blinked, and the intensity in his eyes faltered a moment. âNo, thatâs different. The Maelstrom are monsters.â

Peragrine ignored the philosophy trap. âStirling, let go of my friend.â

The two stared at each other for a moment. The Knight and the Mageâ¦ Carson watched some silent conversation occur, his fear turning into curiosityâ¦ His Rage turning into confusionâ¦ His struggling turning to waitingâ¦These guys knew each other somehowâ¦ Wait- Was this THE Stirling?! Stirling Silverstine?!? ''âWell duh, he just introduced himself,â'' Carson thought, his surprise dissipating, allowing his brain to collect and process the information.

Slowly, the Knight lowered Carson, and as Carson found his feet and began to squirm, an immutable, incredibly strong platemail glove nearly crushed his shoulder and forced him to his knees in front of Peragrine.

Carson immediately gasped, spluttered and choked as he tried to curse this âStirlingâ guy in every creative way he knew.

But before he could fully form any such statement, Peragrine knelt down to Carsonâs level.

âI trust you, Carson.â

Peragrine pulled up his hands, cupped, as if holding something precious.

â''You'' need this to be ''free''. I understand that. Iâll give you this, because ''I'' donât need it to be free.â Here Peragrine smiled sadly. âI hope one day you can realize how to be Free, truly Free Forever, even from inside a prison.â Before Carson could say anything spiteful, or refute Peragrineâs words, Peragrine opened his hands. âThis is for you, my friend.â

Peragrine couldnât see it. Not anymore. He and Stirling could only feel some sort of additional magic in the area.

But Carson could see. He could see his prize.

A tiny, but impossibly bright mote of green light. Like the brightest starboard green light from the tiniest airplane ever to exist. Carsonâs eyes grew wide with hunger. Before he could think, before Peragrine could change his mind, before Stirling could pull him back or stop him, Carson whipped a hand out and slapped Peragrineâs hands, snatching the impossibly bright light for himself.

The effect was instant. A shockwave of energy coursed out from Carson, widening the crater in all directions by a few feet, including down, as the earth compacted even further.

Peragrine was thrown back violently, striking the far crater wall. Both Stirling and Carson remained in the center of the crater, only to fall a few feet. As they did so, Carson willed himself upward.

âAHAHAAHA! '''''YES'''''!â Carson glanced back down into the crater. A rush of powerful emotions filled and amplified his magic as he saw Peragrineâs body tumbling senselessly towards the center of the crater. '''''âFREEDOM! TRUE FREEDOM!â''''' He gasped, realizing an additional thrilling detail.

'''''âI KILLED HIM!! I, CARSON FLEMMING, KILLED THE DEMON KID!!!â''''' He looked back down. âI killed himâ¦ I killed- Oh God, I killed-â

Suddenly, a bright blue sword obstructed his view as it sprouted through his chest.

A voice, deeper than the rumble of Mount Thunderclap itself rumbled in his ear. '''âHe was all that was keeping you alive.â'''

All too late, Carson realized that the Knight, Stirling, had never let go of his shoulders. Heâd hung on, and then hadâ¦ where had this massive greatsword come from?

Then the pain came, and Carson, filled with unimaginable powerâ¦ Unimagined painâ¦

The painâ¦ It was literally unbearable. Carson couldnât handle the pain. Heâd do anything to get rid of the pain.

All of his magic, all of this power, and yet, he couldnât remove this pain.

...This Knight.

..........This pain.

....................This Magic.

The painâ¦ Itâ¦

Where did it go?

Stirling knew that the impact would hurt. He also knew heâd survived greater falls. He shoved off of Carsonâs corpse and made the lip of the crater, rolling with the impact. Immediately, he felt his shoulder pop out of place, and he knew that he could very likely have broken multiple somethings, but the important thing was that he was still moving. The pain was there. It told him he was alive. And if he was alive, he still had a mission.

Stirling dove back into the crater, and slid down to Peragrine. Immediately, he noted that Peragrine had been struck in the head. Before moving him at all, Stirling checked the pulse, refusing to let any of his emotions get in the way of this emergency. This mission.

â¦

There. A pulse. Weak, but alive.

âHeh, riding the edge, as always, aren't you?â Stirling chuckled, relief flooding him, making him just the slightest bit giddy.

At the sound of Stirlingâs voice, Peragrine groaned. âHuh? Whe-â Peragrine sprang up. âCarson! Where is he?â

Stirling looked over at where the body had fell, and waved a hand. âThere. The '''''monsterâs''''' dead-.â

Peragrine followed the motion, and gasped.

Carson had a massive blue greatsword going through him and into the dirt, stopping him from rolling down the craterâs slope.

Peragrine immediately scrambled on all fours over to Carson. âStirling, quick! Help me get this sword out of him!â

Stirling scowled. âWhy? He celebrated, thinking heâd killed you.â Nevertheless, Stirling helped, summoning the magic sword back to him..

As Carsonâs body rolled down the slope limply, Peragrine caught him, and glanced back at Stirling, watching the blue magic flow back to Stirling. â...You did this?â

âYes, Peragrine. Not everyone is redeemable.â Stirling stood up and started towards Peragrine.

Peragrine shook his head violently, blood and tears being sent around. âNo. Not everyone. But I know Carson is.â Perry closed his eyes.Â âIâve seen it.â

''Peragrine wasnât sure this would work. But he had to try.''

''Magic. If he could contact Carson, ask him for just a smidge of that magicâ¦ He knew he could heal thisâ¦ Justâ¦ just as long as Carsonâs soul- His Spark-Â was still hereâ¦! He reached out as far as he could, stretching his mind as far towards Carson as he could, trying to see any mote, ANY HINT of magic, or Carson, or himself or ANYTHING in his mindâs eye.''

''But alasâ¦ There was nothing.''

''Peragrine couldnât even see his own energy, much less anyone elseâs.''

''Without any magic of his ownâ¦ He didnât have any means to interact with it.''

''All those abilities, all that powerâ¦ Gone. Â ''

''This meditationâ¦ this second sightâ¦ Once so colorful and full of life and energy and magic andÂ informationâ¦ The light of peopleâs souls, their very sparks and life-forceâ¦''

''Now he was blind to it all.''

''Blind. Lost. Alone. Painedâ¦'' Â

Suddenly, Peragrine was jolted out of his meditation as he felt Stirlingâs heavy hand on his shoulder.

âPeragrine. What are you doing?â

Peragrine looked up at Stirling, or what he could see of Stirling through his tears. âMagic. I need magic! If I have just a ''smidge'', I can heal him!â

Stirling frowned. âWhy?â

âHeâs my friend. Please.â

âHe just trie-â

â'''PLEASE'''!â

Stirling looked down at his old friend. Time had taken a few freckles away, left a wrinkle or laugh-line instead. Peragrine was definitely a middle-aged manâ¦ Yet, to Stirling, all he could see was his young friend, innocently asking for something that shouldnât be possible, or allowed.

And as alwaysâ¦ he would try.Â â....Does this work?â Stirling asked, pulling off a gauntlet and proffering it to Peragrine. âI know weâve talked about it a bit; my Magic Immunity. You said that it has to be partially absorption as well as immunity, right? Well, I certainly have absorbed some during the battle, recently.â

Peragrine looked at Stirlingâs hand. Rough. Strong. Calloused. Scarred. Did it? Would Stirlingâs Magic Absorption/Immunity help here?Â Would that work?

Peragrine closed his eyes, and put a hand in Stirlingâs hand. Once again, he focused.

''It was so much harder to focus on this meditation now. Without his own magic glow to help him see on this ethereal plane, this mind palace, it was so DARK. So lightless.''

''But when one is blind, one can rely on other senses. Like touch.''

''Peragrine focused on his hands touching Stirlingâs hands.''

''And he felt it. Stirlingâs magic.''

''It was a weird magic. Like sand. Rough. Solid. Rigid, kinda. It didnât feel soft and malleable and jello-like as his and Carsonâs magic was. Or rather, had.''

''Peragrine could feel it, that magic sand, sitting in Stirlingâs hand, but unlike his and Carsonâs magic, it stayed beneath the surface of his skin.''

''Stirling didnât channel it outside of him in spells and magic. Stirling didâ¦ something else with it. Something that neither he nor Peragrine had gotten the time to study. Not that Stirling would even want to. So long as it worked, Stirling wouldnât question it. Not unless there was something new to be gained from it.''

''But how to get it out?''

âI can feel it,â Peragrine said.

Stirling nodded. âTake it, then.â

Peragrine nodded.

''âBut how?â He thought. Again, without magic of his own, he had no means of manipulating the magic. It just shifted and flowed inside Stirling, staying just beneath the surface of Stirlingâs skin. As if stirling was a hollow statue, or an hourglass, part-way filled with sand, just rumbling aboutâ¦''

âI donât know how.â Peragrine admitted.

âDonât you just will things to happen, and they happen?â Stirling asked, exasperation sneaking into his tone.

âNot anymore!â Peragrine said, desperation clear in his own.

âDescribe to me what you see.â Stirling commanded.

Peragrine did so, swallowing his fear. âYou have sand. I imagine itâs blue sand, like your favorite color. But itâs trapped inside you.â

Immediately, Stirling corrected Peragrineâs fantasies, and interjected with factual evidence.. âI donât have magic of my own, Perry. I donât control my magic. Itâs magic that others tried to use on me. The sand ''doesnât have a color'', or if it did, itâs not any color Iâve made.

Peragrine gasped as realization came upon him âAnd Carson used magic on you!â

Stirling confirmed by giving Perryâs hands a comforting squeeze. âI have some of Carsonâs magic.â

''In his mindâs eye, Peragrine fancied for a moment that the sand that heâd been imagining as blue filling up Stirlingâs hand was suddenly every color but blue. Colors of all the different magicks that Stirling had picked up from this battle, and even before that.''

''Somewhere in there was a splotch of red. Some red sand that was Carsonâs magical attempts on himâ¦''

''Redâ¦ Like blood.''

''Red magic that needed to be let outâ¦''

''Needed to be spilt.''

â¦

Peragrine winced as he considered. âOk. I have a plan. Do you trust me, Stir?â

Stirling barked a single, dry laugh. âYou? A plan? The world must be ending, so why not?â

Peragrine responded by snapping his fingers. From the hem of his coat, a single sewing needle sprang to his fingers.

A single needle which he then stabbed Stirlingâs palm with.

âWh- AH! FRICK!â Stirlingâs response was understandable.

âHold still, please,â Peragrine said, his voice turning quiet, calculating. His grip on Stirlingâs hand was solid, steady. Like a surgeon. âBlood magic requires absolute concentration.â

âWHAT?!â

âTrust me, one little mistake, and you end up binding yourself to a ghost child with ties to ancient druid-witches from Ankorian Antiquity.

Stirling gritted his teeth, but remained still. âHow specific.â

âIâll tell you about it sometime,â Peragrine replied, before turning his attention entirely inward.

''Peragrine reached back into his mind. Mentally, he reached back to a certain point in time. A certain town. A certain moment.''

''A certain name. Cyndii.''

''That did it. It was there, as always. Like a little vault. Cyndiiâs vault.''

''Spells. Incancations. Rituals, special runes, dates, placesâ¦ Magic knowledge not his own.Â Not even Cyndiiâs.''

''Ancient knowledge, probably thousands of years old.''

''And amongst all this, the source of his mental search.''

'''''Blood Magic'''. A means of manipulating the physical elements of warm-blooded life without innate magic of oneâs own. Used by witches and warlocks. And even expert Alchemists.''

''Just what he needed.''

''The knowledge now fresh in his mind, brought to the forefront of his consciousness, pulled out from the deep subconscious vault that it had been laid in, he '''opened his eyes.'''''

'''''âMâkay, Stir. Donât freak out.â'''''

Stirling stared at his old friend, whoâs eyes wereâ¦ changed. Stirling stared at Peragrine as a '''dark''' and '''foreboding''' aura that he couldnât place '''''overshadowed''''' Peragrine. It wasnât that there was any ''physical'' change. Not one that he could pinpoint, anyway.Â But wherever Stirling wasnât focusingâ¦ ''something'' was '''different'''. Either Perryâs shoulders were '''''hunched and doubled-over''''', or his hands were '''''gnarled and skeletal''''', or his nose was '''''elongated and warty''''', or hisâ

Stirling decided to focus only on Peragrineâs eyes. ''âEyes are the window to the soul. If the eyes change, then Iâll know Iâm in trouble,â'' Stirling thought. He remained still, wordlessly allowing Peragrine to continue.

Peragrine whispered the necessary ancient words, and at his command, a line of blood rose from the pinprick on Stirlingâs palm. He began to direct the blood with his pin, as if he was sewing with the crimson line, but stopped himself. Using only words of power, focusing only on the blood and the innate powerâ the innate life-force that it contained, he pulled out a line of blood about a foot long.

'''âThat should be enough,â''' Peragrine croaked. '''âTake that back.'''â Peragrine pushed Stirlingâs hand away, focusing entirely on the carmine red line now floating in the air. With arcane whispers, he now directed the blood through the air towards Carson. His only physical movements were his head and shoulders, as he tracked the blood through the air.

Stirling applied pressure to the pinprick and stepped back, away from his friend, as the once-familiar features of Peragrine Wanderthistle the Exuberant flickered in and out with grotesque and twisted versions of someone that '''resembled''' Perryâ¦ Hunchback. No, Stringy white hair. Now, tattered clothes. Wait, a hideously scarred face? Hold on, was that a huge ghost leering behind him???

As soon as Stirling would do a double-take to see if these apparitions were actually there, they were gone.

He didnât trust it. Not any of it.

But he did trust Peragrine. He trusted him with his life. Always had. Always would.

Peragrine knelt down next to Carson, and with another snap of his fingers, a new needle appeared in his other hand. Wasting no time, that needle dipped down silently, making a pinprick in Carsonâs limp hand. Quickly, unnaturally, blood began to pool out from the prick.

Peragrine whispered a final arcane command, and Stirlingâs blood dove into the pool of Carsonâs.

And with a disturbing '''''slurp''''', all the blood disappeared back into Carsonâs hand.

Peragrine lurched forward, dropped both pins, and grabbed Carsonâs hand. ''Closing his eyes, he followed the magic as best as he could with his meditation.''

''While he couldnât actually see the magic, he could still feelâ¦''

''The small sliver of âredâ sandâ¦ Going into Carsonâ¦Returning to Carsonâ¦''

Stirling watched as not just the pinprick of blood flowed back into Carson, butâ¦ ALL the blood. The blood that had been flowing from the gaping wound in Carsonâs chest. The blood that had been soaking into the dirt, been running down the craterâs slopeâ¦

ALL of it was returning to Carson.

And not just as a shapeless mass. But as lines. Traces. Veins and arteries. Parts of missing organs. The intricacies of the human body.

Stirling tore his eyes away to glance at Peragrine. The kid was gritty and bloodied. His clothes and armor (light as it was) were ripped and torn. His hands were trembling with effort as he held Carsonâs limp hand. Sweat, born of intense concentration, was making clean lines in the grime on his face. . .

''âThatâs not the young and carefree Venture Leauge Daredevil Pilot that drove me here.â'' Â Stirling realized.Â ''âAnd thatâs no apprentice magician either.â'' What was Peragrine Wanderthistle now, he wondered.

''âMy friend.â'' Stirling reminded himself. ''âTime might have changed him, but Perry is still my friend. Nothing will change that.â''

With that, he looked at his friendâsâ¦and his ownâ¦ handiwork.

Carson was missing a midsection. Everything but his blood was missing from the oversized sword-wound that Stirling had made.

Suddenly, Peragrineâs eyes snapped open. '''âEverything Iâve ever learned. Magic. Science. Forgotten Knowledge lost to the ages, Ideas never actually recorded. New JAZZ I just made up for olâ Flemming here.â''' He turned his eyes back over his shoulder to Stirling, and inside them, Stirling sawâ¦.

'''âIt all has led me to this, Stirling. You call yourself Justice?Â I call myself Mercy.â'''

Stirling saw what he needed to see.

âAll right then, Perry. Bring him back. Then weâll save the world. Together.â

Peragrine smiled, briefly. Then he turned to Carson, and began doing chest compressions. '''âCarson! Wake! Up!â'''

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

'''Pain.'''

There it was. Carson laughed ruefully. Or he would, if he was still alive. Of ''course'', simple Oblivion would have been too kind to be how the afterlife works. So, seeing as there was an afterlife, he figured that he wasnât going to where the peace-loving angels and hippies ended up...

He knew that he was going to that ''other'' place. He was going Down. Down where devils and losers went.

He was going to feel pain. Real Pain. Forever. Â

He told himself that he didnât '''care'''. That Pain had always there. The Pain of wasting his day. Of following orders of others. Of doing the bare minimum. Of blaming everyone else for his inability to make it big. Pain of Loss. Pain of Sorrow. Pain of depression. Pain of dreams being lost.

Pain had always been there.

Now it always would be. The torture would be endless, where he was going.

He told himself he didnât deserve anything better. He reminded himself that his life was worthless. That he was worthless. The pain was worthless, it didnât matter.

But the truth wasâ¦ Well, it did matter.

A lot.

Because he was '''TERRIFIED'''.

And that terror melded with the painâ¦ and.

And it bloomed. And Changed. And '''''Grew'''''â¦

The Painâ¦ Itâ¦ It beat. It '''MOVED'''. '''''IT LIVED'''''.

Andâ¦ And it spoke.

'''âI am NOT letting you go, my friend!â'''

Friend? He didn't have any friends. Pain wasnât a friend. To be a true friend, you had to have trust. You had to be an equal. Not taking advantage of them. Like he did for all of his so-called âfriendsâ. Everyone who ever said they were his âfriendsâ were only ever people who had power over him and took '''pity''' on him. People who wanted to show him what was '''best''' for him. People who wanted to '''control''' him. Or they were stupid, and didnât see this simple fact of life. Didnât realize when he took advantage of them.

'''âI can't lose another! NOT ANOTHER FRIEND! NOT AGAIN!"'''

And when he'd gotten control for '''himself'''â¦ He'd used it to kill the only person who '''''could''''' have been an equal. Who '''''could''''' be trusted.Â That ''batdip'' crazy demon kid. Olâ Perry. â''Effing'' Stupid Perry.

Well, actually, not so stupid. The kid was scary-smart. Played the idiot, but Carson knewâ¦ Heâd seen through Perryâs Facade. He ''pretended'' to be dumb and sillyâ¦ But it was all an act. Perry was ''insanely'' powerful, and was learning all the timeâ¦ Gaining knowledge and power everywhere he wentâ¦ And then using it in the most stupid and useless endeavorsâ¦

'''âDAMN IT, CARSON!'''

Was thatâ¦the painâ¦ it sounded likeâ¦

âLIVE!â âYOU!â â'''SELFISH'''!â â'''SON'OF'A'''-!!!â

Carson gasped. â'''PERAGRINE'''!â

Air filled his lungs. Light flooded his eyes. Ringing resounded in his ears. Pain '''FREAKING EXPLODED''' across the rest of his senses.

It was. It was Peragrine. Doing chest compressions on him. We'll, if beating him with a doubled fist counted as chest compressions.

Peragrine looked surprised. Carson was equally surprised. Behind Peragrine, the blue knight, Stirling Silverstine, was barely containing his surprise.

'''âYouâre alive!'''â all three exclaimed.

âI didnât actually think that would work!â Stirling muttered to himself.

âHow?!â Carson demanded of Peragrine.

âFaith!â Peragrine cheered, before suddenly restraining Carson from getting up. âHold on there, cowboy, you still have a, uhâ¦â

Carson looked down at himself. Where heâd last seen a sword, was now a gaping hole filled with just blood, but blood that wasâ¦ Well, it wasnât behaving like blood. âOh Fuuuuu-â

â-Udge. Fudge.â Peragrine finished for Carson. âI just pulled you back from the brink of death, but if you could refrain with the language, share what bit of magic you have with me and we can both live long and happy lives.â Peragrine was rambling, a sure sign of nerves.

âWait, what?â Carson looked up at Peragrine. âWhat do you mean?â

Peragrine held out a hand to Carson. âI want to heal you.â

Carson frowned. âWithâ¦magic?â

âYeah.â

âYou've tried that before. It didn't work.â

âI've learned some new stuff since you saw me last. Gained some new perspectives on life and death and stuff.â

âMore than before?! With all the flippinâ ancient ghosts and shi-â

âYup! Even more.â

Carson scoffed in disbelief, but his scoff turned into a violent cough that brought with it blood. âOh no. Oh, G-â

Suddenly, Peragrine was shaking, and Carson belated realized that Peragrineâs concentration was the only thing keeping his insides inside, and his outsides outside.

âCarson, '''''please'''''. I can't hold you here much longer. I don't want your story to end like this. I don't want you to die in angerââ

The pain.

It was ballooning.

It was filling every inch of him.

âI know you are a good person. You just haven't had anyone believe in you. Or, at least, you don't think anyone believes you can be a good person! But I do!â

The pain.

It was telling himâ¦

He was dying.

âI've seen you choose to be good! I've seen you be kind! I've seen you laugh and smile, and feel great!â

Carson became dimly aware that he was folding over, collapsing. Dying.

Did he really want to die? Would he really be OK withâ¦ dying as a bad person?

''âAnd I know that times have been hard. And I think they'll only get harder.Â Butâ¦ that's only because weâre getting strongerâ¦â''

Suddenly, a word flashed in his mind.

'''JUSTICE'''

The image of the Blue Knight, Stirling, with his grim frown.

''ââI will be your '''Justice''' today, Carson.ââ''

''ââI find you '''guilty'''.ââ''

''ââLive by the sword, die by the Sword.ââ''

Oh God.

If there was any Justice in the worldâ¦ And his life was about to be judgedâ¦

Carson choked. He gasped. He reached with his hand. Or maybe that was his foot. Whatever! He'd reach with anything he still hadâ¦!

Carson flailed.

''âAnything! ANYTHING!â'' he thought. âI'll do '''anything'''! I just don't want to be JUDGED."

'''FEAR'''. It flooded him. '''PANIC'''. It flooded him.

'''POWER'''. It flooded him.

And it flowed into something- someone.

And that someoneâ¦ Absorbed that fearâ¦ that panicâ¦

And turned it back to himâ¦ as Calm.Â As Peace.

And it flooded him.

â¦

Once before, what felt like a lifetime ago, in Thunderclap Prison, Carson had been âhealedâ by Peragrine for a knife wound. It had been a numbing feeling. A masking of the problem. It had been a false kindness, seeking to get rid of a problem, rather than actually cure the problem.

This was not the same. Not at all.

Carson ''felt'' his missing guts return. Reconstitute from nothing. Re-integrate themselves into the rest of his body. He ''felt'' his blood carefully tucked into new veins and organs. Tissues and skin carefully fused back together in a restorative fashion indicating a deeper knowledge of anatomy and science, and beyond that, a specific care for his specific frame. Care that wasâ¦ Personal. Compassionate. Magical.

Carson unbent, the painâ¦ Not gone. Not numb. But fading.

The pain.

It told him he was alive.

âThere, I think that does itâ¦â

Carson looked up at Peragrine, who had spoken. âYouâ¦ You really did it.â

Peragrineâs eyes fluttered open, as he took his hands off of Carson. âYeah. Same to you, pal.â

Stirling moved forward, disbelief clear on his face. âNoâ¦ No way.â

Peragrine smiled, and leaned back on his hands, very visibly and suddenly tired. âWhere thereâs a will, thereâs a way.â

Stirling turned his attention from the perfectly smooth and healed gut of Carson, to Carson himself. âWell? How do you feel, Flemming?â

Carson observed this terrifying individual. Thisâ¦ would-be killer of his. This grim, grizzled visage, inches away from his face. âWhy arnât you killing me?â

Stirlingâs answer was immediate. âBecause Peragrine asked me not to.â

âThatâs it?â

âThatâs it.â

âThatâs-â

âI told you before, heâs the only thing keeping you alive.â

Carson looked over at Peragrine, who was leaning back, clearly exhausted from hisâ¦ frankly impossible task.

Peragrine was leaned back, tensely watching the other two. âPlease donât rip each other to shreds again; I think I can only cheat death for you once a week. Maybe once a month. More than that and Iâll have the Postmortem IRS after me. Or worse, the Witch of Kingston.â

Carson reached out towards Perry. âDo you still have your-â

âMagic?â Peragrine suddenly sat back up and looked at his own hands.

They were normal hands. 10 digits. Dirty. Thin. Lightly calloused. Trembling slightly with exhaustion.Â A foreign concept.

Normal.

âNo, I donât think so.â

Carson blinked. âYouâ¦ Gave it up?â

Peragrine looked up at Carson. âYeah. You have it now.â

Carson blinked again, realizing the truth of that statement with a rush. âOh.â

Yeah. He did.

He could ''hear'' it. A low, buzzing sound in the back of his mind. An itchiness in the tips of his toes, in the deep tissue of his palms.

In the center of his gut.

Power. Exuberance.Â A Wellspring of Wellbeing. Boundless Energy.

âDo you feel the power?â Peragrine asked.

Carson looked at Peregrine and nodded.

Peragrine smiled and settled back. âItâs yours, friend.â

Stirling stood up, and settled into a combat stance. âQuestion is: What will you do with it?â

Carson once again looked at the two others. They couldnât be more different in his mind.

Peragrine on the right, exhausted, beat-up. Totally at ease. His light armor in shreds and practically useless to him now. Here he was, leaning back as if he was lounging on a beach on holiday, rather than on the edge of a crater in the middle of a warzone, with a contented smile on his face, as he stared at him. Him, the guy whoâd just been trying to absolutely tear him to shreds like his life depended on it. (And in a way it still sorta did.)

Meanwhile, Stirling was on the left, grimy, grizzled, grim, but standing alert, ready to launch himself and bodily grapple him in full heavy armor at the drop of a hat. A killer and a soldier, if ever Carson had seen one. Those eyes were decided; if Carson made a single offensive move, those hands would be all over him. At the moment, Stirling didnât seem armed, but even without recent events, the absolute determination in Stirlingâs eyes told Carson he wouldn't even need one to kill him. Again.

â#$&& it.â Carson said. He turned around and looked up at Mount Thunderclap. âI wannaÂ #$%# &#$% up.â

Peragrine pumped a tired fist into the air. âI think Iâm overly tired, but did you just bleep a few times?â

Stirling shook his head. âI think thatâs just you, Perry.â

A smirk began to form on Carsonâs face, as he realized his first use of magicâ REAL Magicâ had just seamlessly woven itself into his reality. âMagic has many uses.â He said, before dropping the smirk and looking back at Perry. âBut I still have a lot to learn. So I think Iâll share it.â He reached out towards Peragrine, and suddenly, Peragrine was pulled up to his feet, and his hand landed in Carsonâs.

âHow âbout it, Kid? Mind teaching an old friend?â

Peragrine looked up at Carson, confused. âHuh?â

Suddenly, Peragrine gasped as power flowed into him.

Just as quickly, a blue sword was around Carsonâs neck as Stirling grasped him from behind.

But Carson remained calm, and spoke to Perry.

âYou trust me,â Carson said. âSo I trust you. You %&#$@*) idiot.â A smile broke across Carsonâs face.

âAgain, you just bleeped yourself!â Peragrine said.

Stirling shook his head. âNo, I very clearly heard him call you a #&@(*#$ idiot.â

âOh! It works on others too!â Carson said, surprised.

âWhat does?â Both Stirlng and Peragrine asked.

Carson laughed.

Confused, both Stirling and Peragrine looked at each other. Peragrine shrugged.Â Stirling growled. âNow see here, you bloody mongrel, I need a-â

Carson held his hands up, and quickly grew serious. âA straight answer. Yes.â He let go of Perryâs hand and placed it on Stirlingâs hand that was holding him. âIâve heard about you, Sir Stirling, of the Sword. A knight of the Olde Speech, and a warrior against thedude. Cold, ruthless. But also Just. And in no small part, a leader for recruitment into this resurgent KOTOS.â

âMy reputation precedes me,â Stirling agreed. âOnly took 15 freakinâ yearsâ¦â

âYou donât have to avoid swearing, Soldier. Not with me around, now.â

Stirling snorted. âNo thanks.â

Carson shrugged. âWell, know this. Peragrineâs got you another recruit.â He attempted to turn around, but Stirlingâs pure physical prowess held him in place. âAhem. Me.â

Stirlingâs grip tightened on Carson. âHow do I know I can trust you, you traitorous mongrel?â

âBecause of this:â

Suddenly, Stirling felt a surge of vitality from Carsonâs hand into his, and his magically summoned sword began to glow an even brighter blue.

Stirling took a step back feeling the rush of additional magical energy, and Carson spun around and faced the other two.

The three observed each other, facing off in a triangle.Â Something had fundamentally changed.Â Each of them glowed ever so lightly with magic.

Peragrineâs hands welled with newly lent '''g''reen''''' ''energy'', and his eyes twinkled with joy.

Stirlingâs Sword and Armor were saturated with a '''''blue''' aura'', and his eyes were sharp with determination.

And finally, Carsonâs entire arms shimmered with '''''gold''' magic''. His eyes sparked with little yellow lightning bolts, lit up with a newfound steadfastness.

âAll I ever wanted was to be able to choose my '''own''' path.â Carson said. âTo have the power to not be under anyone elseâs power.â He looked at Peragrine. âThanks to you, I have that.â

Peragrine grinned.

Carson turned to Stirling. âYou asked me what Iâm going to do with this power, Stirling?â

âYeah, I did.â

Carson smirked, as his eyes began sparking more violently, turning gold. He pointed at Mount Thunderclap âIâm going to find thedude and kick his *#$.â

Now Stirling grinned, but it was a grim grin. âAnd then?â

Carson shrugged. âThen, weâll see. Maybe weâll fight then. But for now, can we agree not to kill each other, if just for the Kidâs sake?â

Stirling nodded, and unsummoning his sword, put a hand forward to shake. âI can agree to that, Carson. Allies?â

Carsonâs smirk widened, as he accepted the handshake. âTill thedude is dead, Allies.â

Suddenly, Stirling pulled Carson closer, and gave him a strong hug, while whispering in his ear. '''âTrust is earned with me. Peragrine may trust you, but I do not. Betray him, betray me. Betray me, and there will be nowhere you can run to. Nowhere you can hide. I have allies everywhere that would die for me.â''' Then he shoved Carson back, and was smiling.

Carson smiled back. âI wouldnât have it any other way, Soldier.â

âGood!â Stirling said. âIf youâre telling the truth, then we have nothing to worry about.â

Carson blinked, and his smile faltered.

Because he just had.

Heâd told the truth. Without thinking, heâd just spoken what was on his mind. Andâ¦ It had been the truth? It had been the truth. Not a curse. Not something crassâ¦ Just simple truth.

He looked at Peragrine, who simply beamed a smile back at him. âIâm so glad you two are getting along!â Clearly, Perry knew Stirling had just threatened him. And that Carson had expected it.Â There were still problems. But they were Future Perry, Stirling, and Carson problems.

Suddenly, there was a resounding blast of a trumpet. All three men looked off in the direction of the sound.

âOh, '''FRICK'''!â Stirling yelled, as he realized it was coming from the wall.Â âThe Gates! The tanks!! ''Weâre too late!!!â''

Carson and Perry glanced at him in confusion and worry.Â âWhat do you mean?â Carson asked.

Stirling scrambled for his discarded gauntlet, pulling it on and taking out the key given to him by the strange James fellow at the same time. âTanks are about to roll out from that gate, and we need to destroy the gate and take over the first tank that rolls out! This key supposedly is uhâ¦ for it.â

âOkayâ¦?â Peragrine began.

âBut weâre miles, LITERALLY MILES away from that gate!â Stirling yelled.

Carson glanced at Perry, the smirk returning. âNo problem. Perry?â

Peragrine grinned. âI can take care of takeoff, if you can do the landing?â

âAbsolutely,â Carson said, recalling the enchantment that heâd heard about that surrounded the walls, pushing everyone and everything away from it. âJust get us as close as you can to the walls.â He would simply ''rip'' the enchantment from the wall and use it specifically to slow their fall. Orâ¦ something like that.

Stirling glanced at the two. âWait, what do you- no-â

Peragrine took a step back, a deep breathâ¦ ''and with the swing of an imaginary golf club made of magic, he yelled â'''FOOOOOORE'''!â launching all three of them into the air.''

â'''AAAAAAAHHHHH'''!â Stirling flailed helplessly, trying to stay upright in his flight

â'''WHEEEEEEEEE'''!â Peragrine cartwheeled blithely through the air, without a care in the world.

â...$%&#.â Carson frantically considered how ''exactly'' he was supposed to do what he was thinking of as the gate rapidly approached. Was it a spell? Was it a specific emotion??Hand-waves???

Moments before Stirling, Carson, and Perry hit the ground near the gate, Carson abandoned his original idea, and simply '''''threw''''' out his energy towards Stirling and Perry (and himself) and encased them in layers of magic armor.

Crashing into the ground, Peragrine immediately jumped up, none the worse for wear. Carson, a moment later. Those two then looked over at Stirling, who groaned as he sat up.

âNote for future use, gentlemen: I AM IMMUNE TO FREAKINâ MAGIC.â Stirling yelled, as he popped his shoulder back into place a second or third time today.

Carsonâs eyes went wide. âOh, damn. So, I didnât stop your fall at all?â

âNo.â Stirling stood up, dusted himself off, and began walking, but Carson was still dismayed.

âSo, wait, how the #$% are you still-â

Stirling stopped, turned to Carson and proclaimed, âBecause I am a $#%@#$% Bad@#$â

âTranslation, please.â Peragrine said. âYou guys just keep bleeping. Which, while silly, isnât helpful.â

Stirling sighed, but the hint of a grin sneaked into the corner of his mouth. âI am a stubborn old mule, who refuses to die from something as stupid as âfall damageâ.â

âAh. Right.â Peragrine clicked his tongue. âPlot Armor. Got it.â

The three men turned to the task at hand. Tanks were rolling out of the gate, and already laying waste to the battlefield.

Stirling pointed at the gate. âYou two, use your magic to take out the gate. Iâve got a tank to catch.â

âGot it!â

âYou donât order me!â

Stirling and Perry looked at Carson.

Carson looked between both of them. âBut, thatâs a good idea. I might take out a tank or two on the way there, though.â

âAmbitious,â Stirling deadpanned, before taking off.

âValid!â Perry agreed, before leaping away. âDonât fall behind though!â

Carson grinned. His magic swelled. It sparked out of his eyes. It surged out of his hands.

He leapt after his friends.

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Manuscripts and Stories

2024-12-27T02:39:29Z

Stirling Silverstine: /* Stories by JamesAT13: */

[[File:Manuscripts and Stories BannerW.jpg|centre|thumb|802x802px|A Minifigure sits at his desk, writing the next Epic.]]

The stories or animations that take place in or relate to the Knights of the Old Speech universe are divided into many categories:

== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Stories Stories]<nowiki/> ==
[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Perpetual_Doom:_Being_the_First_Installment_in_the_MMOS_KOTOS_Series '''Perpetual Doom''']''' - by the Knights of the Olde Speech'''
[[File:Perpetual Doom Cover.png|none|thumb|317x317px]]
The Knights of the Olde Speech are low on finance, and accept the first job that comes their way - save a kingdom from a criminal called TheDude whilst simultaneously finding the King's runaway daughter.

[[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|'''Scattered Ashes''']]''' - by thingguy2'''
[[File:SA Cover-by Haroldosaur-Colored by Jonna.jpg|none|thumb|285x285px]]
Fifteen years have passed since the events chronicled in Perpetual Doom. Sacul, an aging innkeeper, and Talmid, a captured Knight of the Olde Speech, both receive a visit from an old friend...

'''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Scattered_Ashes,_Volume_Two_-_Being_the_Second_Installment_in_the_MMOS_KOTOS_Series Scattered Ashes, Volume Two] - by the Knights of the Olde Speech (ongoing)'''
[[File:SA Cover-by Haroldosaur-Colored by Jonna.jpg|none|thumb|285x285px]]
The three (four?) founders of the Knights of the Olde Speech, now reunited, face the daunting task of gathering their forces and bringing down the reign of TheDude once and for all.

[[The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth (AKA: The Rad Washing Machine)|'''The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth''']]''' - by thingguy2 and talmid'''

A pair of ninja, whilst on a space exploration mission, stumble across TheDude's greatest weapon: The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth. (Also known as the Rad Washing Machine).

== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Category:The_Additional_Manuscripts The Additional Manuscripts] ==
[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Rise_of_thedude '''Rise of thedude''']''' - by fffffplayer1'''
[[File:Ride of thedude.jpg|none|thumb|293x293px]]
The full, tragic backstory of TheDude is finally brought to light.

[[The Fall of the Gemini|'''The Fall of the Gemini''']]''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

Sirs Shard and Blaze find themselves cornered in Elepharian waters - and must use the skyfalls to their advantage.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Truth_Behind_the_Bots,_or_Major's_Most_Unfortunate_Venture '''The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture''']''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Major is the unwitting victim of the first Barney Bots to be brought to Morcia.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Complete_Encyclopedia%2C_Survival_Guide%2C_and_Dictionary_all_in_one?venotify=created '''The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

An (incomplete) summary of all the notable events and sights of Morcia.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/File_%285736-A7-32%29?venotify=created '''File (5736-A7-32)''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

The Nexus Force's criminal file on TheDude.

[[Hallowe'en Carol|'''A Hallowe'en Carol''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Jonna Moracol, former princess of Morcia, tells the story of why TheDude has outlawed Halloween.

'''The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter - by fffffplayer1 (ongoing and being rewritten):'''
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning|'''The Beginning''']] - Young Wiz realises that his emerging magical abilities could be a danger to those around him, and seeks apprenticeship from Geidrich the Azure (rewrite complete).
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force|'''In the Nexus Force''']] - Strange Odd Shadow, Rank Three Assembly Engineer, hunts a being known as the "Dark Shadow".
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption|'''Paths to Redemption''']] - Wiz Ardon meets Bob, a member of the Nexus Force, and makes a life-changing decision...
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters|'''Enchanting Encounters''']] - After a temporal dislocation, Strange Odd Shadow seeks a reunion with the Witch of Kingston.
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor|'''The Ten Heroes of Malidor''']] - A magical prophecy comes into fruition, and Strange Odd Shadow once again finds himself in the thick of it.
* '''[[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson|A History Lesson]] '''- Wiz Ardon receives a strange letter inviting him to seek the details into his temporal dislocation. However, curiosity killed the cat and Wiz finds himself lost in time.
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path|'''No Path''']]''' - '''Wiz Ardon wanders the worlds of Crux in an attempt to offer his help, but the tragedies of his life have left him cynical and lost. Will he be able to find a new path?
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Haunting Past|'''The Haunting Past''']] - Devastated after discovering his parents died, Wiz returns to Geidrich Castle in order to complete his magical training. However, more painful memories and unexpected discoveries await him there.
[[thedude doesn't like snow|'''thedude doesn't like snow''']]''' - by talmid'''

TheDude finds the falling Morcian snow to be an inconvenience - in more ways than one...

[[The Fall of the Baron|'''The Fall of the Baron''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Baron Typhonus remembers how his alter ego, The Darkitecht, came into being.

'''[[Continued Doom|Of Dooms and Hopes]] '''- '''by fffffplayer1'''

Nuncius the Messenger and an old woman tell tales of the fate of the Peculiar Enchanter.

'''[[Nexus File P-99D]] - by m579'''

Michael Peterson and Tanner Carrington, members of the Nexus Force, are participating in a training exercise when they receive a strange new assignment.

[[Live to fight another day|'''Live to fight another day''']]''' - by thingguy2 (incomplete)'''

Sir Legoboy flees from the forces of TheDude with help of Larry, an idle and otherwise useless man.

'''[[Charcoal and Embers]] - by talmid'''

Having narrowly escaped from TheDude's captivity, Sir Killian Talmid can only rely on his two new apprentices, Ember and Tom, to help him survive.

'''[[To Return Home]] - by JamesAT13'''

Stirling Silverstine returns to him home-world, only to find that the evil Lord thedude has taken over. A desperate search for his family, or truly, anything recognizable as his old home, begins.

[[Rise of the Traitor|'''Rise of the Traitor''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Young King Mattias is determined to defend his kingdom from the threats that plague it, unaware that the greatest danger to his rule is closer than he may dare to imagine...

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Lord_Barney%27s_Inauguration_Speech '''Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

Now that Barney the Dinosaur is in charge of Morcia's law department, the citizens can expect some drastic changes to the way they live their lives.

[[Lady Jonna's Quest|'''Lady Jonna's Quest''']]''' - by Haroldosaur'''
[[File:LJQ cover.jpg|none|thumb|564x564px]]
The king's daughter finds herself allied with a group of dimension-travelers as she seeks to free Morcia once and for all.

[[Prelude to a Story|'''Prelude to a Story''']]''' - by talmid'''

An old Britayan man dedicates himself to researching for an unknown cause.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Lady_of_Calibus%3B_The_Search_and_the_Hunt%3B_To_Return_Home:_Act_4:_Journeys '''The Fall of Calibus Tower: The union of The Lady of Calibus, The Search and the Hunt, and To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys''']''' - by Samlooploop, fffffplayer1, and JamesAT13'''

Stories collide as a group of hunted Knights of the Olde Speech, the duo of Peragrine and Stirling and Lady Charlotte Calibus are all threatened by TheDude's iron fist.

[[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|'''Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Log entries made by Lord Enfwar, who oversaw the construction of the Rhoddwr Marwolaeth.

[[Wish Upon A Star|'''Wish Upon a Star''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

A young boy and his astronomer father discuss the crimson stars that surround Militiregnum.

[[Exile Musings|'''Exile Musings''']]''' - by talmid (incomplete)'''

An opportunistic Talmid manages to escape from TheDude's clutches when the wagon he's imprisoned in is raided by a pair of thieves.

'''[[When We Were Six]] - by talmid'''

The original six members of the Knights of the Olde Speech undertake the task to attack the Paradox Rogues' base in the Athelas Mountains. Or is it Fire Hills?

'''Foes and Heirs - by Haroldosaur (ongoing):'''

The World of Militiregnum is filled with arts and abilities - is it so surprising that one would be singledÂ out and shunned, it's wielders viewed with nought but disdain? Iamos Wilder, a socially inept young alchemist, struggles with the day-to-day life that consists of being hated by all but a few members of his village. But the arrival of another alchemist uproots his life and forces him into action, lest his world fall to sinister forces. Accompanied by his charismatic best friend, his hyperactive sister, and the mysterious Daiyu Abernathy, Iamos finds himself burdened with the daunting responsibilities of uncovering the mysteries surrounding his art, safeguarding an ancient relic, and defending the few individuals precious to him.
* [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|'''Prologue: Fewer Years Ago Than The Opening Segment''']]''' '''- Iamos Wilder's slumber is disturbed by an unlikely visitor.
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life|'''Segment 1: The Easy Life''']] - Now the reluctant host, Iamos tries to adjust to the way his life has changed following Daiyu Abernathy's arrival - but danger is lurking on the horizon.
* '''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Foes_and_Heirs%3A_Segment_Two%3A_The_New_Life Segment 2: The New Life]''' - Having lost their home, the crew of the Origin is faced with deciding on a destination as Iamos' identity continues to get him into trouble.
* '''[[Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life|Segment 3: The Dangerous Life]] (ongoing)'''[[File:FnH 3 (colourized).png|none|thumb|293x293px]]In order to keep their newest arrival safe, the crew head north, to the Icy Wastes; unfortunately, the north isn't a particularly hospitable place.
* '''Segment 4: The Challenging Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 5: The Monotonous Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 6: The Hard Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 7: The Charmed Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 8: The Responsible Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 9: The Vengeful Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 10: The Only Life (not started)'''
[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/A_Series_of_Questions_by_One_Inquisitive_Young_Blubberstein#comm-1526 '''A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

A young Elepharian man finds himself to not be as taken with TheDude as those around him.

[[Ironsides|'''Ironsides''']]''' - by Haroldosaur'''

Talia Rayne finds herself undercover in the heart of TheDude's empire, and at Lord Vladek's mercy.

[[Cannon Fodder|'''Cannon Fodder''']]''' - by Haroldosaur'''

Every person has their own story, and one Richard Able is no exception.

[[Into the Storm and out of Darkness|'''Into the Storm and out of Darkness''']]''' - fffffplayer1'''

Four ancient warriors make a final attempt to seal away the greatest destructive force in the universe.

'''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Speeling_Manuscript The Speeling Manuscript] - by Samlooploop'''
[[File:The final Scene of Speeling.jpg|none|thumb|308x308px]]
There's not a lot of recreational activities available when you're guarding a top secret space station that has the power to destroy entire planets, so if you want to be entertained, you'd better get creative.

'''[[To Defy Doom]]''' '''-''' '''by JamesAT13'''

Bitter is the Doom of being a prisoner in Thunderclap Keep and it can be hard for some to cope. Less so for Jean who finds it rather more comfortable than the average inmate. Soon though, he, Perry and others will have to face their Doom and attempt to defy it.

'''[[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises']] - by fffffplayer1'''

War has broken out in Morcia again and Princess Jonna finds herself oppressed by her overprotective father. Meanwhile, strange rumours concerning the new enemy reach the city of Orlan. A story that enlightens us further on some aspects of Perpetual Doom that are left vague.

'''[[Rise of the Gemini]] (ongoing) - by Ninjago_Builders'''

The origin story of the twin ninja/knights, Shard and Blaze, comes to light.

'''[[Rise of the Messenger]] - by fffffplayer1'''

As Nuncius embarks on yet another adventure he reminisces his past.

'''[[Legend of the Rogue Square]] - by fffffplayer1'''

Nuncius is saved by a stranger wearing Paradox Gear. While they're on the run, he tries to find out more about him, bringing up painful memories for the Rogue Square.

[[The Most Exotic of Rugs|'''The Most Exotic of Rugs''']] '''- by Ninjago_Builders'''

The apparent origins of the renowned Persian Rug.

[[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum|'''Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum''']]''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

6 fearsome warriors take part in local entertainment.

'''[[Full Spectrum]] - by Haroldosaur'''
[[File:Full Spectrum Cover.jpg|none|thumb|286x286px]]
After being caught once again by TheDude's forces, Loden Adalwin strike a deal with TheDude's Special Agents: he helps them solve cases and apprehend revolutionaries, and they don't send him back to prison.

'''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Return_To_Calibus Return to Calibus] - by JamesAT13'''[[File:Return To Calibus.jpg|none|thumb|220x220px]]After finding no answers to his questions at Silverstine Keep, Stirling returns to Calibus Tower, only to find even more questions... And enemies.
[[A Kindling Flame|'''A Kindling Flame''']]''' - by RedFireDog6'''[[File:Cal Kover.jpg|thumb|220x220px|none]]With King thedude7500 upon the throne, many have forgotten aboutÂ the king's dangerous advisor,Â LordÂ Vladek. But his goal is just the same as it was under King Matthias. Only this time, he must be more... creative.

'''[[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]] - by Ninjago_Builders'''
[[File:Bunny.jpg|left|thumb|264x264px]] 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Another of Lady Jonna's stories - a cautionary tale of why you should never eat sweets that you find lying around in the forest, featuring Ember and a trio of young adventurers.

'''[[Perspective]] - by The theta AI'''

After an injury acquired during fighting terrorist forces, Thomas begins to dig a little deeper into his country's history, and is forced to rethink where his loyalties lie.

[[Out of Left Field|'''Out of Left Field''']]''' - by Samlooploop'''

It's thedude's birthday and Barney is undertaking the task of throwing a party for him. Shenanigans ensue.

'''[[A Hallowe'en Mystery]] - by Ninjago_Builders'''

The Red Mythrans' strange behaviour is unnerving to thedude and his underlings all over Militiregnum. Vladek must investigate the cause of this mystery...

'''A Series of Four - by talmid (ongoing)'''
# [[Thirty Days|'''Thirty Days''']]''' - '''The crisis on Militiregnum isn't as distant as would seem in the immediate aftermath of the Stromling Saga. Distant, yes, but ever-present.
# '''[[Three Years]] '''- Aiden Talmid celebrates his 19th birthday aboard the transport craft ''Renaissance ''aimed for Jirdia, a world far from Crux and the Nexus Force's constituency, but it is outside thedude's influence?
# '''[[Tertiary Positioning]]Â '''- The disparate paths of different individuals are intersected by a single complex movement seeking to make worlds, and dimensions, collide.
# [[Soul Searching|'''Soul Searching''']]''' '''- tba
[[RealitÄtÄ|'''RealitÄtÄ''']] '''(on pause)''' - Aiden, Luke, and Mara land on Militiregnum and team up with James Walters to liberate Sir Talmid.

'''[[To Find Friends]] - by JamesAT13'''

Two ex-prisoners- Tain Lee and Peragrine Wanderthistle- and one ex-prisoner-caretaker- Carson Flemming- are bound together by fate and circumstances as they traverse Morica and beyond in search of friends and allies, old and new.

[[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library|'''Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library''']]''' - by fffffplayer1 (ongoing)'''

When a man wakes up in the wilderness he finds that he has no memories. The adventures of a man who does not know the harsh world begin.

'''[[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]] - by Ninjago_Builders (on pause)'''

Not sure really. Something about seas and pirates and moons behaving erratically.

'''[[Politics]]''' - '''by fffffplayer1'''

Supreme Chancellor Keggen's objections to the Nexus Force's latest move quickly spiral out of control for impressive results.

[[The Legend of LolimÃ³n|'''The Legend of LolimÃ³n''']] '''- by LolimonTheWise (ongoing)'''

Because every time a hero rises, it's called a Legend nowadays. Don't worry it's just a marketing ploy to appease the Harolds of this world. Until Legend gets old, too. Then, what? Set in Britay, a land off the west coast of Militiregnum's main continent, this particular Legend follows Lolimon, a young man who possesses great strength and skill for his age, as he and many fellow countrymen, seek to reclaim Britay from evil men, and ultimately, thedude.

'''[[Ships of the Line]] - by talmid (on pause)'''

New technologies and allies: thedude seeks both to open up a pathway to his ultimate reign and thus his servants must go on the errands he gives them.

'''[[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]] - by Ninjago_Builders'''

The truth about Militeregnum they don't teach you in schools.

'''[[To Nab a Nephew]] - by JamesAT13'''

Uncle Mortimer misses his nephew, Peragrine Wanderthistle. Having not heard from him for about a month, Mortimer decides to go find him.

'''[[Stories by the Fire]] - by fffffplayer1'''

Everyone likes a good story told by the fire's warmth during the cold night.

'''[[To Call The Calvary]] - by James AT13 (ongoing)'''

Stirling Silverstine calls on the legendary Sir Thingguy for guidance, but the wandering knight has a request of his own.

'''[[Fuel for the Fire]] - by James AT13 and RedFireDog6 (ongoing)'''

After becoming shipwrecked on the shores of Ankoria, the Cursed Land, Stirling Silverstine discovers allies un-looked for in the harshest of places.

'''[[The Most Exotic of Tastes]] - by Ninjago_Builders'''

A sudden assault of monkeys leads to the adventure solving the apparent origin of another mystery...

'''[[On July the 4th]] - by fffffplayer1'''

The Storyteller tells what happened on July the 4th.

[[Return To Wishwell|'''Return To Wishwell''']]''' - by JamesAT13 '''

Taking place immediately after the unfortunate conclusion of ''To Find Friends: Act II'', Sara runs from her failure, only to get further entangled in a wider world that is changing all around her.

'''[[On The Night of the 4th|On the Night of the 4th]] - By JamesAT13'''

Unbeknownst to the Storyteller, far above the skies of Militiregnum, Dr. Mortimer seeks to celebrate the 4th of July ''properly''. With Fireworks. On a blockade. In space. It's understandably difficult... and that's before Mortimer's past rises up to destroy his future.

'''[[Return to the Old Homestead]] - by JamesAT13'''

Peter and Emily Silverstine, along with Mrs. Richardson, are left alone at an old abandoned homestead after the events of ''To Defy Doom.'' However, their quiet solitude is quickly broken.

== Legends, Fragments and Stories Obscura ==
Some of these are brainstorms. Some of these are bits and pieces of other more complete stories. Some just couldn't be called a complete story. Some are just pure writer's information to maintain a consistent world. For whatever reason, we want them publicly available. More often that not, for reference when writing our own stuff.

[[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|'''Militiregnum Map Description''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

An extensive look at the locations and nations of the planet Militiregnum.

'''[[Aquila|Aquila ~-~-~ Geography, History, and Important Figures]] - by fffffplayer1 and talmid'''

An article about Aquila.

'''[[Timeline of the KotOS Dimension]] - by fffffplayer1 mostly'''

A timeline for the KOTOS Universe, of events taking place majorly in Militiregnum and Crux.

'''[[User blog:Stirling Silverstine/Procrastination Station: Log276.|Dreams of Future Possible]] - by JamesAT13'''

A brainstorm of a possible near-ending chapter for Scattered Ashes. Also, further Brainstorming of how Scattered Ashes would end, including a mechanic for multiple characters to have a personal showdown with thedude. Since this writing, this particular 'future possible' has been declared impossible to be canon.

'''[[A Quick History and Enumeration of the (Human) Peoples of Militiregnum]] - by fffffplayer1'''

It's in the title.

[[The Appendix Notes|'''The Appendix Notes''']]''' - by fffffplayer1 (contributable)'''

Commentary on fffffplayer1's Perpetual Doom chapters and Additional Manuscripts.

'''[[Teaser Shorts]] - by fffffplayer1 (contributable)'''

A collection of shorts that do not merit their own AMs, but are used to tease other stories.
* Into Raging Fire - Short I
* Into Raging Fire - Short II
* Into Raging Fire - Short III
* Into Raging Fire - Short IV
* Into Raging Fire - Short V
[[The Balanced Guard|'''The Balanced Guard''']]''' - by fffffplayer1 (incomplete)'''

An account on Thunderclap City's Guard.

'''[[File 0204]] - by haroldosaur'''

A record on M.A.S.T.E.R.

'''[[File 2315-A65]] - by talmid'''

An account on moderator powers.

'''[[On Naming The Underground Forces]] - by JamesAT13'''

A hypothetical scenario on how the heroes of Scattered Ashes might come to name their forces upon meeting together.

[[The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia|'''The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia''']]''' - by JamesAT13'''

A scrapped segment of To Return Home: Before Peragrine and Stirling can set off on their journey, they are accosted by none other than the Noodle Brothers.

[[User blog:Stirling Silverstine/Concerning Buried Treasures.|'''The Further Insane Blatherings''']] '''-By JamesAT13'''

Various deleted scenes from the original writhing of To Return Home.

'''[[Scattered Ashes: The Lost Chapters]] - by Ninjago_Builders and fffffplayer1 (contributable)'''

Some non-canon and scrapped chapters of Scattered Ashes.

'''[[Perhaps a Shadow]] - by The Theta AI and talmid (incomplete)'''

A story whose canon status has come into question: In an alternate series of events, after defeating thedude the heroes are looking into manipulating the timeline for the purpose of a brighter future.

== Talmid Show ==
-by Talmid and crew

=== [[Talmid Show|Season 1]] ===
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro Intro]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_1_The_Battle_that_Changed_EVERYTHING Episode 1]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_2_Return_of_the_Friends Episode 2]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Episode_3_The_Not-so-final-End&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 3]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_4_The_Mystery_Bad_Guy Episode 4]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Episode_5_The_Crash&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 5]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_6_The_Conclusion Episode 6]

=== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&file=Star_Trek_Talmidon_The_Movie Star Trek Talmidon: The Movie] ===

=== Season 2 ===
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_2)&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Intro]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_1 Episode 1]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_2&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 2]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_3 Episode 3]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_4&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 4]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_5 Episode 5]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_6&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 6]

=== Season 3 ===
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_3) Intro]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_1&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 1]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_2 Episode 2]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_3&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 3]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_4 Episode 4]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_5&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 5]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5UWrvh7FdY Episode 6]

=== Season 0 ===
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zdqGVEahkE Episode 1]

== Other Series ==
For stories that are not of the KOTOS Series, but connect with the KOTOS canon also in one way or the other.

[[Song of the Swans Chapter 30|'''Song of the Swans Chapter 30''']]''' - by Talmid (Stromling Saga)'''

An excerpt from the Stromling Saga sequel, Song of the Swans, in which Aiden Talmid encounters a most forbidding planet.

'''[[Tale of the Five Hunters]] - by fffffplayer1 (Shadow Book)'''

An old tale told in Galabrim of Five Hunters and their encounter with the Pillar of Light.

== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Introduction_to_the_KotOS_Universe Introduction to the KotOS Universe] ==
If you are new to all of this and don't know some of the things we're talking about here in this wiki, this link might be useful.

== Suggested Order of Reading/Watching ==
by fffffplayer1
# [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]]
# [[The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth (AKA: The Rad Washing Machine)|The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro Talmid Show Season 1]
# [[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes, Volume I, by thingguy2]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&file=Star_Trek_Talmidon_The_Movie Star Trek Talmidon: The Movie]
# [[Rise of thedude]]
# [[The Fall of the Gemini|Fall of the Gemini]]
# [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture|The Truth Behind the Bots or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
# [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one|The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival's Guide ans Dictionary all in one]]
# [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
# [[Hallowe'en Carol|A Hallowe'en Carol]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning]]
# [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
# [[The Fall of the Baron]]
# [[Nexus File P-99D]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_2)&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Talmid Show Season 2]
# [[Live to fight another day]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force]]
# [[Charcoal and Embers]]
# [[Rise of the Traitor]]
# [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
# [[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|Militiregnum Map Description]]
# [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
# [[Prelude to a Story]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption]]
# [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters]]
# [[Of Dooms and Hopes]]
# [[To Return Home]]
# [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Fall of Calibus Tower: The union of The Lady of Calibus, The Search and the Hunt, and To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys]]
# [[The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_3) Talmid Show Season 3]
# [[Wish Upon A Star]]
# [[To Nab a Nephew]]
# [[Exile Musings]]
# [[Aquila|Aquila ~-~-~ Geography, History, and Important Figures]]
# [[When We Were Six]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years Ago than the Opening Segment]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life]]
# [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein|A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
# [[Ironsides]]
# [[Cannon Fodder]]
# [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]
# [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
# [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises']]
# [[Rise of the Gemini]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson]]
# [[Rise of the Messenger]]
# [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
# [[To Defy Doom]]
# [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]]
# [[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Two: The New Life]]
# [[Scattered Ashes, Volume Two - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes, Volume II]]
# [[Full Spectrum]]
# [[Return To Calibus]]
# [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30]]
# [[A Kindling Flame]]
# [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]
# [[On July the 4th]]
# [[Perspective]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path]]
# [[Out of Left Field]]
# [[A Hallowe'en Mystery]]
# [[Thirty Days]]
# [[Three Years]]
# [[Tertiary Positioning]]
# [[Soul Searching]]
# [[RealitÄtÄ]]
# [[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library]]
# [[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]]
# [[To Find Friends]]
# [[Return To Wishwell|Return to Wishwell]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Haunting Past]]
# [[Politics]]
# [[The Legend of LolimÃ³n]]
# [[Ships of the Line]]
# [[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]]
# [[To Nab a Nephew]]
# [[Stories by the Fire]]
# [[To Call The Calvary|To Call The Cavalry]]
# [[Fuel for the Fire]]
# [[The Most Exotic of Tastes]]
# [[Tale of the Five Hunters]]

== Alternative Order of Reading/Watching ==
It is a chronological order, suggested for after the first read of everything.
# [[Tale of the Five Hunters]]
# [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning]]
# [[The Fall of the Baron]]
# [[Rise of the Traitor]]
# [[Rise of the Gemini]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Haunting Past]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor]]
# [[Rise of thedude]]
# [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises']]
# [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]], Prologue, Chapters 1-6
# [[When We Were Six]]
# [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]], Chapters 7-42, Epilogue
# [[The Fall of the Gemini]]
# [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein|A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
# [[Exile Musings]]
# [[Politics]]
# [[Live to fight another day]]
# [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
# [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30]]
# [[Thirty Days]]
# [[Out of Left Field]]
# [[Three Years]]
# [[Tertiary Positioning]]
# [[Soul Searching]]
# [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
# [[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years Ago than the Opening Segment]]
# [[To Return Home]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Two: The New Life]]
# [[Of Dooms and Hopes]]
# [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Fall of Calibus Tower: The union of The Lady of Calibus, The Search and the Hunt, and To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life]]
# [[Return To Calibus|Return to Calibus]]
# [[Rise of the Messenger]]
# [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
# [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
# [[Charcoal and Embers]]
# [[Stories by the Fire]]
# [[To Call The Calvary|To Call The Cavalry]]
# [[The Legend of LolimÃ³n]]
# [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
# [[Ships of the Line]]
# [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
# [[Wish Upon A Star]]
# [[Hallowe'en Carol|A Hallowe'en Carol]]
# [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]
# [[A Hallowe'en Mystery]]
# [[On July the 4th]]
# [[Fuel for the Fire]]
# [[Cannon Fodder]]
# [[Nexus File P-99D]]
# [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
# [[Prelude to a Story]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro Talmid Show]
# [[RealitÄtÄ]]
# [[To Defy Doom]]
# [[To Nab a Nephew]]
# [[To Find Friends]]
# [[Return To Wishwell]]
# [[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum]]
# [[Full Spectrum]]
# [[Ironsides]]
# [[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes]]
# [[The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth (AKA: The Rad Washing Machine)|The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth]]

=== Stories that cannot be placed in the order ===
* [[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|Militiregnum Map Description]]
* [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one|The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival's Guide ans Dictionary all in one]]
* [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
* [[Aquila|Aquila ~-~-~ Geography, History, and Important Figures]]
* [[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]]
These stories should be read after Perpetual Doom, but they do not belong somewhere chronologically speaking.

=== Unknown ===
* [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]] (before Perpetual Doom)
* [[The Most Exotic of Tastes]] (before Perpetual Doom)
* [[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]] (before Perpetual Doom, I think)

== AM Thematic Categories ==
In which the Additional Manuscripts are based on tone, time-frame and some other, probably inconsistent, criteria. They may be viewed as collections, and if the stories were to be put in print, they would be printed within these different categories (each being it's own book). '''Also, each category should probably have it's own cover, but whatever. I'm tired enough after sorting all of this out. If you want to draw a cover for a specific collection, or have a bone to pick about how I've ordered everything, just fix it yourselves.'''''-Harold''

=== The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: ===
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning|The Beginning]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force|In the Nexus Force]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption|Paths to Redemption]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters|Enchanting Encounters]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor|The Ten Heroes of Malidor]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson|A History Lesson]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path|No Path]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Haunting Past|The Haunting Past]]
* Into Raging Fire

=== Pre-Perpetual Doom: ===
* [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]

* [[Rise of thedude]]
* [[The Fall of the Baron]]
* [[Rise of the Traitor]]
* [[Rise of the Gemini]]
* [[When We Were Six]]
* [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises'|This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises]]'

=== The Years of Terror, Part 1: ===
* [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
* [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
* [[Of Dooms and Hopes]]
* [[To Return Home]]
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Lady of Calibus]]
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Search and the Hunt]]
* [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]
* [[On July the 4th]]
* [[Stories by the Fire]]

=== The Years of Terror, Part 2: ===
* [[Prelude to a Story]]

* [[Charcoal and Embers]]
* [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
* [[Wish Upon A Star|Wish Upon a Star]]
* [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
* [[Exile Musings]]
* [[Cannon Fodder]]
* [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30]]
* [[A Kindling Flame]]
* [[Fuel for the Fire]]

=== The Years of Terror, Part 3: ===
* [[Live to fight another day]]
* [[Hallowe'en Carol|A Hallowe'en Carol]]
* [[A Hallowe'en Mystery]]
* [[Rise of the Messenger]]
* [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
* [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
* [[Out of Left Field]]
* [[The Legend of LolimÃ³n]]
* [[Ships of the Line]]

=== The Felix Fitzwillis Trilogy ===
* [[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library]]
* -
* -

=== Foes and Heirs: ===
* [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|Fewer Years Ago Than The Opening Segment]]
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life|The Easy Life]]
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Two: The New Life|The New Life]]
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life|The Dangerous Life]]
* The Challenging Life
* The Monotonous Life
* The Hard Life
* The Charmed Life
* The Responsible Life
* The Vengeful Life
* The Only Life

=== Gathering Ashes: ===
* [[The Fall of the Gemini]]
* [[To Defy Doom]]
* [[To Nab a Nephew]]
* [[To Find Friends]]
* [[Return To Wishwell]]
* [[To Call The Calvary]]
* [[Return To Calibus]]
* [[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum]]
* [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
* [[Full Spectrum]]
* [[Ironsides]]
* [[RealitÄtÄ]]

=== A Series of Four ===
* [[Thirty Days]]
* [[Three Years]]
* [[Tertiary Positioning]]
* [[Soul Searching]]

=== Additional Additional Manuscripts: ===
* [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one]]
* [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
* [[Nexus File P-99D]]
* [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Tastes]]
* [[Politics]]
* [[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]]
* [[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]]

== Stories Sorted By Author ==
Where you can find all the manuscripts by an author of your preference.

=== Stories by the Knights of the Olde Speech: ===
* [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]]
* [[Scattered Ashes, Volume Two - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes, Volume II]]

=== Stories by fffffplayer1: ===
* [[Rise of thedude]]
* [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
* [[Hallowe'en Carol|A Hallowe'en Carol]]
* The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter, Parts 1-8
* [[The Fall of the Baron]]
* [[Of Dooms and Hopes]]
* [[Rise of the Traitor]]
* [[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|Militiregnum Map Description]]
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Search and the Hunt]]
* [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
* [[Wish Upon A Star|Wish Upon a Star]]
* [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]
* [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises'|Harold didn't want any more Rises]]
* [[Rise of the Messenger]]
* [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
* [[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library]]
* [[Politics]]
* [[Stories by the Fire]]
* [[On July the 4th]]
* [[Tale of the Five Hunters]]

=== Stories by JamesAT13: ===
* [[To Return Home]]
* [[The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia|The Insane Blatherings]]
* [[Return To Calibus]]
* [[To Defy Doom]]
* [[To Nab a Nephew]]
* [[To Find Friends]]
* [[Return To Wishwell]]
*[[The Legend Of Iron Crick]]
*[[User blog:Stirling Silverstine/Procrastination Station: Log276.|Dreams of Future Possible]] (Non-Canon)
* [[To Call The Calvary]] (In Progress)
* [[Fuel for the Fire]]
*[[On The Night of the 4th|On the Night of the 4th]]
*[[Return to the Old Homestead]]

=== Stories by RedFireDog6 ===
* [[A Kindling Flame]]
* [[Fuel for the Fire]]

=== Stories by Talmid: ===

* [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
* [[Charcoal and Embers]]
* [[Prelude to a Story]]
* [[Exile Musings]]
* [[When We Were Six]]
* [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30|Song of the Swans (Chapter 30)]]
* [[Thirty Days]]
* [[Three Years]]
* [[Tertiary Positioning]]
* [[Soul Searching]] (in progress)
*[[REALITÄTÄ]] (in progress)
* [[Ships of the Line]] (in progress)

=== Stories by Haroldosaur: ===
* [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
* Foes and Heirs, Prologue and Segments 1-10
* [[Ironsides]]
* [[Cannon Fodder]]
* [[Full Spectrum]]

=== Stories by Samlooploop: ===
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Lady of Calibus]]
* [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
* [[Out of Left Field]]

=== Stories by Ninjago_Builders: ===
* [[The Fall of the Gemini]]
* [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one]]
* [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
* [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
* [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
* [[Rise of the Gemini]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]]
* [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]
* [[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum]]
* [[A Hallowe'en Mystery]]
* [[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]]
* [[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Tastes]]

=== Stories by m579: ===
* [[Nexus File P-99D]]

=== Stories by thingguy2: ===
* [[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes - Volume 1 ]]
* [[Live to fight another day]]

=== Stories by LolimonTheWise: ===
* [[The Legend of LolimÃ³n]]

=== Stories by The theta AI ===
* [[Perspective]]
[[Category:Stories]]

Manuscripts and Stories

2022-05-23T02:26:21Z

Stirling Silverstine: /* Stories by JamesAT13: */ Removed the In Progress tag for Fuel for the Fire. (So satisfying.)

[[File:Manuscripts and Stories BannerW.jpg|centre|thumb|802x802px|A Minifigure sits at his desk, writing the next Epic.]]

The stories or animations that take place in or relate to the Knights of the Old Speech universe are divided into many categories:

== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Stories Stories]<nowiki/> ==
[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Perpetual_Doom:_Being_the_First_Installment_in_the_MMOS_KOTOS_Series '''Perpetual Doom''']''' - by the Knights of the Olde Speech'''
[[File:Perpetual Doom Cover.png|none|thumb|317x317px]]
The Knights of the Olde Speech are low on finance, and accept the first job that comes their way - save a kingdom from a criminal called TheDude whilst simultaneously finding the King's runaway daughter.

[[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|'''Scattered Ashes''']]''' - by thingguy2'''
[[File:SA Cover-by Haroldosaur-Colored by Jonna.jpg|none|thumb|285x285px]]
Fifteen years have passed since the events chronicled in Perpetual Doom. Sacul, an aging innkeeper, and Talmid, a captured Knight of the Olde Speech, both receive a visit from an old friend...

'''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Scattered_Ashes,_Volume_Two_-_Being_the_Second_Installment_in_the_MMOS_KOTOS_Series Scattered Ashes, Volume Two] - by the Knights of the Olde Speech (ongoing)'''
[[File:SA Cover-by Haroldosaur-Colored by Jonna.jpg|none|thumb|285x285px]]
The three (four?) founders of the Knights of the Olde Speech, now reunited, face the daunting task of gathering their forces and bringing down the reign of TheDude once and for all.

[[The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth (AKA: The Rad Washing Machine)|'''The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth''']]''' - by thingguy2 and talmid'''

A pair of ninja, whilst on a space exploration mission, stumble across TheDude's greatest weapon: The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth. (Also known as the Rad Washing Machine).

== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Category:The_Additional_Manuscripts The Additional Manuscripts] ==
[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Rise_of_thedude '''Rise of thedude''']''' - by fffffplayer1'''
[[File:Ride of thedude.jpg|none|thumb|293x293px]]
The full, tragic backstory of TheDude is finally brought to light.

[[The Fall of the Gemini|'''The Fall of the Gemini''']]''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

Sirs Shard and Blaze find themselves cornered in Elepharian waters - and must use the skyfalls to their advantage.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Truth_Behind_the_Bots,_or_Major's_Most_Unfortunate_Venture '''The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture''']''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Major is the unwitting victim of the first Barney Bots to be brought to Morcia.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Complete_Encyclopedia%2C_Survival_Guide%2C_and_Dictionary_all_in_one?venotify=created '''The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

An (incomplete) summary of all the notable events and sights of Morcia.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/File_%285736-A7-32%29?venotify=created '''File (5736-A7-32)''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

The Nexus Force's criminal file on TheDude.

[[Hallowe'en Carol|'''A Hallowe'en Carol''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Jonna Moracol, former princess of Morcia, tells the story of why TheDude has outlawed Halloween.

'''The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter - by fffffplayer1 (ongoing and being rewritten):'''
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning|'''The Beginning''']] - Young Wiz realises that his emerging magical abilities could be a danger to those around him, and seeks apprenticeship from Geidrich the Azure (rewrite complete).
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force|'''In the Nexus Force''']] - Strange Odd Shadow, Rank Three Assembly Engineer, hunts a being known as the "Dark Shadow".
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption|'''Paths to Redemption''']] - Wiz Ardon meets Bob, a member of the Nexus Force, and makes a life-changing decision...
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters|'''Enchanting Encounters''']] - After a temporal dislocation, Strange Odd Shadow seeks a reunion with the Witch of Kingston.
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor|'''The Ten Heroes of Malidor''']] - A magical prophecy comes into fruition, and Strange Odd Shadow once again finds himself in the thick of it.
* '''[[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson|A History Lesson]] '''- Wiz Ardon receives a strange letter inviting him to seek the details into his temporal dislocation. However, curiosity killed the cat and Wiz finds himself lost in time.
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path|'''No Path''']]''' - '''Wiz Ardon wanders the worlds of Crux in an attempt to offer his help, but the tragedies of his life have left him cynical and lost. Will he be able to find a new path?
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Haunting Past|'''The Haunting Past''']] - Devastated after discovering his parents died, Wiz returns to Geidrich Castle in order to complete his magical training. However, more painful memories and unexpected discoveries await him there.
[[thedude doesn't like snow|'''thedude doesn't like snow''']]''' - by talmid'''

TheDude finds the falling Morcian snow to be an inconvenience - in more ways than one...

[[The Fall of the Baron|'''The Fall of the Baron''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Baron Typhonus remembers how his alter ego, The Darkitecht, came into being.

'''[[Continued Doom|Of Dooms and Hopes]] '''- '''by fffffplayer1'''

Nuncius the Messenger and an old woman tell tales of the fate of the Peculiar Enchanter.

'''[[Nexus File P-99D]] - by m579'''

Michael Peterson and Tanner Carrington, members of the Nexus Force, are participating in a training exercise when they receive a strange new assignment.

[[Live to fight another day|'''Live to fight another day''']]''' - by thingguy2 (incomplete)'''

Sir Legoboy flees from the forces of TheDude with help of Larry, an idle and otherwise useless man.

'''[[Charcoal and Embers]] - by talmid'''

Having narrowly escaped from TheDude's captivity, Sir Killian Talmid can only rely on his two new apprentices, Ember and Tom, to help him survive.

'''[[To Return Home]] - by JamesAT13'''

Stirling Silverstine returns to him home-world, only to find that the evil Lord thedude has taken over. A desperate search for his family, or truly, anything recognizable as his old home, begins.

[[Rise of the Traitor|'''Rise of the Traitor''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Young King Mattias is determined to defend his kingdom from the threats that plague it, unaware that the greatest danger to his rule is closer than he may dare to imagine...

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Lord_Barney%27s_Inauguration_Speech '''Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

Now that Barney the Dinosaur is in charge of Morcia's law department, the citizens can expect some drastic changes to the way they live their lives.

[[Lady Jonna's Quest|'''Lady Jonna's Quest''']]''' - by Haroldosaur'''
[[File:LJQ cover.jpg|none|thumb|564x564px]]
The king's daughter finds herself allied with a group of dimension-travelers as she seeks to free Morcia once and for all.

[[Prelude to a Story|'''Prelude to a Story''']]''' - by talmid'''

An old Britayan man dedicates himself to researching for an unknown cause.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Lady_of_Calibus%3B_The_Search_and_the_Hunt%3B_To_Return_Home:_Act_4:_Journeys '''The Fall of Calibus Tower: The union of The Lady of Calibus, The Search and the Hunt, and To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys''']''' - by Samlooploop, fffffplayer1, and JamesAT13'''

Stories collide as a group of hunted Knights of the Olde Speech, the duo of Peragrine and Stirling and Lady Charlotte Calibus are all threatened by TheDude's iron fist.

[[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|'''Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Log entries made by Lord Enfwar, who oversaw the construction of the Rhoddwr Marwolaeth.

[[Wish Upon A Star|'''Wish Upon a Star''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

A young boy and his astronomer father discuss the crimson stars that surround Militiregnum.

[[Exile Musings|'''Exile Musings''']]''' - by talmid (incomplete)'''

An opportunistic Talmid manages to escape from TheDude's clutches when the wagon he's imprisoned in is raided by a pair of thieves.

'''[[When We Were Six]] - by talmid'''

The original six members of the Knights of the Olde Speech undertake the task to attack the Paradox Rogues' base in the Athelas Mountains. Or is it Fire Hills?

'''Foes and Heirs - by Haroldosaur (ongoing):'''

The World of Militiregnum is filled with arts and abilities - is it so surprising that one would be singledÂ out and shunned, it's wielders viewed with nought but disdain? Iamos Wilder, a socially inept young alchemist, struggles with the day-to-day life that consists of being hated by all but a few members of his village. But the arrival of another alchemist uproots his life and forces him into action, lest his world fall to sinister forces. Accompanied by his charismatic best friend, his hyperactive sister, and the mysterious Daiyu Abernathy, Iamos finds himself burdened with the daunting responsibilities of uncovering the mysteries surrounding his art, safeguarding an ancient relic, and defending the few individuals precious to him.
* [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|'''Prologue: Fewer Years Ago Than The Opening Segment''']]''' '''- Iamos Wilder's slumber is disturbed by an unlikely visitor.
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life|'''Segment 1: The Easy Life''']] - Now the reluctant host, Iamos tries to adjust to the way his life has changed following Daiyu Abernathy's arrival - but danger is lurking on the horizon.
* '''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Foes_and_Heirs%3A_Segment_Two%3A_The_New_Life Segment 2: The New Life]''' - Having lost their home, the crew of the Origin is faced with deciding on a destination as Iamos' identity continues to get him into trouble.
* '''[[Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life|Segment 3: The Dangerous Life]] (ongoing)'''[[File:FnH 3 (colourized).png|none|thumb|293x293px]]In order to keep their newest arrival safe, the crew head north, to the Icy Wastes; unfortunately, the north isn't a particularly hospitable place.
* '''Segment 4: The Challenging Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 5: The Monotonous Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 6: The Hard Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 7: The Charmed Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 8: The Responsible Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 9: The Vengeful Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 10: The Only Life (not started)'''
[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/A_Series_of_Questions_by_One_Inquisitive_Young_Blubberstein#comm-1526 '''A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

A young Elepharian man finds himself to not be as taken with TheDude as those around him.

[[Ironsides|'''Ironsides''']]''' - by Haroldosaur'''

Talia Rayne finds herself undercover in the heart of TheDude's empire, and at Lord Vladek's mercy.

[[Cannon Fodder|'''Cannon Fodder''']]''' - by Haroldosaur'''

Every person has their own story, and one Richard Able is no exception.

[[Into the Storm and out of Darkness|'''Into the Storm and out of Darkness''']]''' - fffffplayer1'''

Four ancient warriors make a final attempt to seal away the greatest destructive force in the universe.

'''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Speeling_Manuscript The Speeling Manuscript] - by Samlooploop'''
[[File:The final Scene of Speeling.jpg|none|thumb|308x308px]]
There's not a lot of recreational activities available when you're guarding a top secret space station that has the power to destroy entire planets, so if you want to be entertained, you'd better get creative.

'''[[To Defy Doom]]''' '''-''' '''by JamesAT13'''

Bitter is the Doom of being a prisoner in Thunderclap Keep and it can be hard for some to cope. Less so for Jean who finds it rather more comfortable than the average inmate. Soon though, he, Perry and others will have to face their Doom and attempt to defy it.

'''[[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises']] - by fffffplayer1'''

War has broken out in Morcia again and Princess Jonna finds herself oppressed by her overprotective father. Meanwhile, strange rumours concerning the new enemy reach the city of Orlan. A story that enlightens us further on some aspects of Perpetual Doom that are left vague.

'''[[Rise of the Gemini]] (ongoing) - by Ninjago_Builders'''

The origin story of the twin ninja/knights, Shard and Blaze, comes to light.

'''[[Rise of the Messenger]] - by fffffplayer1'''

As Nuncius embarks on yet another adventure he reminisces his past.

'''[[Legend of the Rogue Square]] - by fffffplayer1'''

Nuncius is saved by a stranger wearing Paradox Gear. While they're on the run, he tries to find out more about him, bringing up painful memories for the Rogue Square.

[[The Most Exotic of Rugs|'''The Most Exotic of Rugs''']] '''- by Ninjago_Builders'''

The apparent origins of the renowned Persian Rug.

[[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum|'''Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum''']]''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

6 fearsome warriors take part in local entertainment.

'''[[Full Spectrum]] - by Haroldosaur'''
[[File:Full Spectrum Cover.jpg|none|thumb|286x286px]]
After being caught once again by TheDude's forces, Loden Adalwin strike a deal with TheDude's Special Agents: he helps them solve cases and apprehend revolutionaries, and they don't send him back to prison.

'''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Return_To_Calibus Return to Calibus] - by JamesAT13'''[[File:Return To Calibus.jpg|none|thumb|220x220px]]After finding no answers to his questions at Silverstine Keep, Stirling returns to Calibus Tower, only to find even more questions... And enemies.
[[A Kindling Flame|'''A Kindling Flame''']]''' - by RedFireDog6'''[[File:Cal Kover.jpg|thumb|220x220px|none]]With King thedude7500 upon the throne, many have forgotten aboutÂ the king's dangerous advisor,Â LordÂ Vladek. But his goal is just the same as it was under King Matthias. Only this time, he must be more... creative.

'''[[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]] - by Ninjago_Builders'''
[[File:Bunny.jpg|left|thumb|264x264px]] 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Another of Lady Jonna's stories - a cautionary tale of why you should never eat sweets that you find lying around in the forest, featuring Ember and a trio of young adventurers.

'''[[Perspective]] - by The theta AI'''

After an injury acquired during fighting terrorist forces, Thomas begins to dig a little deeper into his country's history, and is forced to rethink where his loyalties lie.

[[Out of Left Field|'''Out of Left Field''']]''' - by Samlooploop'''

It's thedude's birthday and Barney is undertaking the task of throwing a party for him. Shenanigans ensue.

'''[[A Hallowe'en Mystery]] - by Ninjago_Builders'''

The Red Mythrans' strange behaviour is unnerving to thedude and his underlings all over Militiregnum. Vladek must investigate the cause of this mystery...

'''A Series of Four - by talmid (ongoing)'''
# [[Thirty Days|'''Thirty Days''']]''' - '''The crisis on Militiregnum isn't as distant as would seem in the immediate aftermath of the Stromling Saga. Distant, yes, but ever-present.
# '''[[Three Years]] '''- Aiden Talmid celebrates his 19th birthday aboard the transport craft ''Renaissance ''aimed for Jirdia, a world far from Crux and the Nexus Force's constituency, but it is outside thedude's influence?
# '''[[Tertiary Positioning]]Â '''- The disparate paths of different individuals are intersected by a single complex movement seeking to make worlds, and dimensions, collide.
# [[Soul Searching|'''Soul Searching''']]''' '''- tba
[[RealitÄtÄ|'''RealitÄtÄ''']] '''(on pause)''' - Aiden, Luke, and Mara land on Militiregnum and team up with James Walters to liberate Sir Talmid.

'''[[To Find Friends]] - by JamesAT13'''

Two ex-prisoners- Tain Lee and Peragrine Wanderthistle- and one ex-prisoner-caretaker- Carson Flemming- are bound together by fate and circumstances as they traverse Morica and beyond in search of friends and allies, old and new.

[[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library|'''Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library''']]''' - by fffffplayer1 (ongoing)'''

When a man wakes up in the wilderness he finds that he has no memories. The adventures of a man who does not know the harsh world begin.

'''[[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]] - by Ninjago_Builders (on pause)'''

Not sure really. Something about seas and pirates and moons behaving erratically.

'''[[Politics]]''' - '''by fffffplayer1'''

Supreme Chancellor Keggen's objections to the Nexus Force's latest move quickly spiral out of control for impressive results.

[[The Legend of LolimÃ³n|'''The Legend of LolimÃ³n''']] '''- by LolimonTheWise (ongoing)'''

Because every time a hero rises, it's called a Legend nowadays. Don't worry it's just a marketing ploy to appease the Harolds of this world. Until Legend gets old, too. Then, what? Set in Britay, a land off the west coast of Militiregnum's main continent, this particular Legend follows Lolimon, a young man who possesses great strength and skill for his age, as he and many fellow countrymen, seek to reclaim Britay from evil men, and ultimately, thedude.

'''[[Ships of the Line]] - by talmid (on pause)'''

New technologies and allies: thedude seeks both to open up a pathway to his ultimate reign and thus his servants must go on the errands he gives them.

'''[[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]] - by Ninjago_Builders'''

The truth about Militeregnum they don't teach you in schools.

'''[[To Nab a Nephew]] - by JamesAT13'''

Uncle Mortimer misses his nephew, Peragrine Wanderthistle. Having not heard from him for about a month, Mortimer decides to go find him.

'''[[Stories by the Fire]] - by fffffplayer1'''

Everyone likes a good story told by the fire's warmth during the cold night.

'''[[To Call The Calvary]] - by James AT13 (ongoing)'''

Stirling Silverstine calls on the legendary Sir Thingguy for guidance, but the wandering knight has a request of his own.

'''[[Fuel for the Fire]] - by James AT13 and RedFireDog6 (ongoing)'''

After becoming shipwrecked on the shores of Ankoria, the Cursed Land, Stirling Silverstine discovers allies un-looked for in the harshest of places.

'''[[The Most Exotic of Tastes]] - by Ninjago_Builders'''

A sudden assault of monkeys leads to the adventure solving the apparent origin of another mystery...

'''[[On July the 4th]] - by fffffplayer1'''

The Storyteller tells what happened on July the 4th.

[[Return To Wishwell|'''Return To Wishwell''']]''' - by JamesAT13 '''

Taking place immediately after the unfortunate conclusion of ''To Find Friends: Act II'', Sara runs from her failure, only to get further entangled in a wider world that is changing all around her.

'''[[On The Night of the 4th|On the Night of the 4th]] - By JamesAT13'''

Unbeknownst to the Storyteller, far above the skies of Militiregnum, Dr. Mortimer seeks to celebrate the 4th of July ''properly''. With Fireworks. On a blockade. In space. It's understandably difficult... and that's before Mortimer's past rises up to destroy his future.

'''[[Return to the Old Homestead]] - by JamesAT13'''

Peter and Emily Silverstine, along with Mrs. Richardson, are left alone at an old abandoned homestead after the events of ''To Defy Doom.'' However, their quiet solitude is quickly broken.

== Legends, Fragments and Stories Obscura ==
Some of these are brainstorms. Some of these are bits and pieces of other more complete stories. Some just couldn't be called a complete story. Some are just pure writer's information to maintain a consistent world. For whatever reason, we want them publicly available. More often that not, for reference when writing our own stuff.

[[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|'''Militiregnum Map Description''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

An extensive look at the locations and nations of the planet Militiregnum.

'''[[Aquila|Aquila ~-~-~ Geography, History, and Important Figures]] - by fffffplayer1 and talmid'''

An article about Aquila.

'''[[Timeline of the KotOS Dimension]] - by fffffplayer1 mostly'''

A timeline for the KOTOS Universe, of events taking place majorly in Militiregnum and Crux.

'''[[User blog:Stirling Silverstine/Procrastination Station: Log276.|Dreams of Future Possible]] - by JamesAT13'''

A brainstorm of a possible near-ending chapter for Scattered Ashes. Also, further Brainstorming of how Scattered Ashes would end, including a mechanic for multiple characters to have a personal showdown with thedude. Since this writing, this particular 'future possible' has been declared impossible to be canon.

'''[[A Quick History and Enumeration of the (Human) Peoples of Militiregnum]] - by fffffplayer1'''

It's in the title.

[[The Appendix Notes|'''The Appendix Notes''']]''' - by fffffplayer1 (contributable)'''

Commentary on fffffplayer1's Perpetual Doom chapters and Additional Manuscripts.

'''[[Teaser Shorts]] - by fffffplayer1 (contributable)'''

A collection of shorts that do not merit their own AMs, but are used to tease other stories.
* Into Raging Fire - Short I
* Into Raging Fire - Short II
* Into Raging Fire - Short III
* Into Raging Fire - Short IV
* Into Raging Fire - Short V
[[The Balanced Guard|'''The Balanced Guard''']]''' - by fffffplayer1 (incomplete)'''

An account on Thunderclap City's Guard.

'''[[File 0204]] - by haroldosaur'''

A record on M.A.S.T.E.R.

'''[[File 2315-A65]] - by talmid'''

An account on moderator powers.

'''[[On Naming The Underground Forces]] - by JamesAT13'''

A hypothetical scenario on how the heroes of Scattered Ashes might come to name their forces upon meeting together.

[[The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia|'''The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia''']]''' - by JamesAT13'''

A scrapped segment of To Return Home: Before Peragrine and Stirling can set off on their journey, they are accosted by none other than the Noodle Brothers.

[[User blog:Stirling Silverstine/Concerning Buried Treasures.|'''The Further Insane Blatherings''']] '''-By JamesAT13'''

Various deleted scenes from the original writhing of To Return Home.

'''[[Scattered Ashes: The Lost Chapters]] - by Ninjago_Builders and fffffplayer1 (contributable)'''

Some non-canon and scrapped chapters of Scattered Ashes.

'''[[Perhaps a Shadow]] - by The Theta AI and talmid (incomplete)'''

A story whose canon status has come into question: In an alternate series of events, after defeating thedude the heroes are looking into manipulating the timeline for the purpose of a brighter future.

== Talmid Show ==
-by Talmid and crew

=== [[Talmid Show|Season 1]] ===
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro Intro]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_1_The_Battle_that_Changed_EVERYTHING Episode 1]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_2_Return_of_the_Friends Episode 2]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Episode_3_The_Not-so-final-End&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 3]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_4_The_Mystery_Bad_Guy Episode 4]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Episode_5_The_Crash&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 5]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_6_The_Conclusion Episode 6]

=== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&file=Star_Trek_Talmidon_The_Movie Star Trek Talmidon: The Movie] ===

=== Season 2 ===
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_2)&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Intro]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_1 Episode 1]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_2&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 2]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_3 Episode 3]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_4&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 4]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_5 Episode 5]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_6&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 6]

=== Season 3 ===
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_3) Intro]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_1&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 1]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_2 Episode 2]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_3&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 3]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_4 Episode 4]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_5&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 5]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5UWrvh7FdY Episode 6]

=== Season 0 ===
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zdqGVEahkE Episode 1]

== Other Series ==
For stories that are not of the KOTOS Series, but connect with the KOTOS canon also in one way or the other.

[[Song of the Swans Chapter 30|'''Song of the Swans Chapter 30''']]''' - by Talmid (Stromling Saga)'''

An excerpt from the Stromling Saga sequel, Song of the Swans, in which Aiden Talmid encounters a most forbidding planet.

'''[[Tale of the Five Hunters]] - by fffffplayer1 (Shadow Book)'''

An old tale told in Galabrim of Five Hunters and their encounter with the Pillar of Light.

== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Introduction_to_the_KotOS_Universe Introduction to the KotOS Universe] ==
If you are new to all of this and don't know some of the things we're talking about here in this wiki, this link might be useful.

== Suggested Order of Reading/Watching ==
by fffffplayer1
# [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]]
# [[The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth (AKA: The Rad Washing Machine)|The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro Talmid Show Season 1]
# [[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes, Volume I, by thingguy2]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&file=Star_Trek_Talmidon_The_Movie Star Trek Talmidon: The Movie]
# [[Rise of thedude]]
# [[The Fall of the Gemini|Fall of the Gemini]]
# [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture|The Truth Behind the Bots or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
# [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one|The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival's Guide ans Dictionary all in one]]
# [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
# [[Hallowe'en Carol|A Hallowe'en Carol]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning]]
# [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
# [[The Fall of the Baron]]
# [[Nexus File P-99D]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_2)&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Talmid Show Season 2]
# [[Live to fight another day]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force]]
# [[Charcoal and Embers]]
# [[Rise of the Traitor]]
# [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
# [[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|Militiregnum Map Description]]
# [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
# [[Prelude to a Story]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption]]
# [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters]]
# [[Of Dooms and Hopes]]
# [[To Return Home]]
# [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Fall of Calibus Tower: The union of The Lady of Calibus, The Search and the Hunt, and To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys]]
# [[The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_3) Talmid Show Season 3]
# [[Wish Upon A Star]]
# [[To Nab a Nephew]]
# [[Exile Musings]]
# [[Aquila|Aquila ~-~-~ Geography, History, and Important Figures]]
# [[When We Were Six]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years Ago than the Opening Segment]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life]]
# [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein|A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
# [[Ironsides]]
# [[Cannon Fodder]]
# [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]
# [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
# [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises']]
# [[Rise of the Gemini]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson]]
# [[Rise of the Messenger]]
# [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
# [[To Defy Doom]]
# [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]]
# [[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Two: The New Life]]
# [[Scattered Ashes, Volume Two - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes, Volume II]]
# [[Full Spectrum]]
# [[Return To Calibus]]
# [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30]]
# [[A Kindling Flame]]
# [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]
# [[On July the 4th]]
# [[Perspective]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path]]
# [[Out of Left Field]]
# [[A Hallowe'en Mystery]]
# [[Thirty Days]]
# [[Three Years]]
# [[Tertiary Positioning]]
# [[Soul Searching]]
# [[RealitÄtÄ]]
# [[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library]]
# [[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]]
# [[To Find Friends]]
# [[Return To Wishwell|Return to Wishwell]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Haunting Past]]
# [[Politics]]
# [[The Legend of LolimÃ³n]]
# [[Ships of the Line]]
# [[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]]
# [[To Nab a Nephew]]
# [[Stories by the Fire]]
# [[To Call The Calvary|To Call The Cavalry]]
# [[Fuel for the Fire]]
# [[The Most Exotic of Tastes]]
# [[Tale of the Five Hunters]]

== Alternative Order of Reading/Watching ==
It is a chronological order, suggested for after the first read of everything.
# [[Tale of the Five Hunters]]
# [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning]]
# [[The Fall of the Baron]]
# [[Rise of the Traitor]]
# [[Rise of the Gemini]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Haunting Past]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor]]
# [[Rise of thedude]]
# [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises']]
# [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]], Prologue, Chapters 1-6
# [[When We Were Six]]
# [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]], Chapters 7-42, Epilogue
# [[The Fall of the Gemini]]
# [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein|A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
# [[Exile Musings]]
# [[Politics]]
# [[Live to fight another day]]
# [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
# [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30]]
# [[Thirty Days]]
# [[Out of Left Field]]
# [[Three Years]]
# [[Tertiary Positioning]]
# [[Soul Searching]]
# [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
# [[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years Ago than the Opening Segment]]
# [[To Return Home]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Two: The New Life]]
# [[Of Dooms and Hopes]]
# [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Fall of Calibus Tower: The union of The Lady of Calibus, The Search and the Hunt, and To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life]]
# [[Return To Calibus|Return to Calibus]]
# [[Rise of the Messenger]]
# [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
# [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
# [[Charcoal and Embers]]
# [[Stories by the Fire]]
# [[To Call The Calvary|To Call The Cavalry]]
# [[The Legend of LolimÃ³n]]
# [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
# [[Ships of the Line]]
# [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
# [[Wish Upon A Star]]
# [[Hallowe'en Carol|A Hallowe'en Carol]]
# [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]
# [[A Hallowe'en Mystery]]
# [[On July the 4th]]
# [[Fuel for the Fire]]
# [[Cannon Fodder]]
# [[Nexus File P-99D]]
# [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
# [[Prelude to a Story]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro Talmid Show]
# [[RealitÄtÄ]]
# [[To Defy Doom]]
# [[To Nab a Nephew]]
# [[To Find Friends]]
# [[Return To Wishwell]]
# [[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum]]
# [[Full Spectrum]]
# [[Ironsides]]
# [[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes]]
# [[The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth (AKA: The Rad Washing Machine)|The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth]]

=== Stories that cannot be placed in the order ===
* [[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|Militiregnum Map Description]]
* [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one|The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival's Guide ans Dictionary all in one]]
* [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
* [[Aquila|Aquila ~-~-~ Geography, History, and Important Figures]]
* [[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]]
These stories should be read after Perpetual Doom, but they do not belong somewhere chronologically speaking.

=== Unknown ===
* [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]] (before Perpetual Doom)
* [[The Most Exotic of Tastes]] (before Perpetual Doom)
* [[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]] (before Perpetual Doom, I think)

== AM Thematic Categories ==
In which the Additional Manuscripts are based on tone, time-frame and some other, probably inconsistent, criteria. They may be viewed as collections, and if the stories were to be put in print, they would be printed within these different categories (each being it's own book). '''Also, each category should probably have it's own cover, but whatever. I'm tired enough after sorting all of this out. If you want to draw a cover for a specific collection, or have a bone to pick about how I've ordered everything, just fix it yourselves.'''''-Harold''

=== The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: ===
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning|The Beginning]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force|In the Nexus Force]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption|Paths to Redemption]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters|Enchanting Encounters]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor|The Ten Heroes of Malidor]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson|A History Lesson]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path|No Path]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Haunting Past|The Haunting Past]]
* Into Raging Fire

=== Pre-Perpetual Doom: ===
* [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]

* [[Rise of thedude]]
* [[The Fall of the Baron]]
* [[Rise of the Traitor]]
* [[Rise of the Gemini]]
* [[When We Were Six]]
* [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises'|This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises]]'

=== The Years of Terror, Part 1: ===
* [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
* [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
* [[Of Dooms and Hopes]]
* [[To Return Home]]
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Lady of Calibus]]
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Search and the Hunt]]
* [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]
* [[On July the 4th]]
* [[Stories by the Fire]]

=== The Years of Terror, Part 2: ===
* [[Prelude to a Story]]

* [[Charcoal and Embers]]
* [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
* [[Wish Upon A Star|Wish Upon a Star]]
* [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
* [[Exile Musings]]
* [[Cannon Fodder]]
* [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30]]
* [[A Kindling Flame]]
* [[Fuel for the Fire]]

=== The Years of Terror, Part 3: ===
* [[Live to fight another day]]
* [[Hallowe'en Carol|A Hallowe'en Carol]]
* [[A Hallowe'en Mystery]]
* [[Rise of the Messenger]]
* [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
* [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
* [[Out of Left Field]]
* [[The Legend of LolimÃ³n]]
* [[Ships of the Line]]

=== The Felix Fitzwillis Trilogy ===
* [[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library]]
* -
* -

=== Foes and Heirs: ===
* [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|Fewer Years Ago Than The Opening Segment]]
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life|The Easy Life]]
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Two: The New Life|The New Life]]
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life|The Dangerous Life]]
* The Challenging Life
* The Monotonous Life
* The Hard Life
* The Charmed Life
* The Responsible Life
* The Vengeful Life
* The Only Life

=== Gathering Ashes: ===
* [[The Fall of the Gemini]]
* [[To Defy Doom]]
* [[To Nab a Nephew]]
* [[To Find Friends]]
* [[Return To Wishwell]]
* [[To Call The Calvary]]
* [[Return To Calibus]]
* [[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum]]
* [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
* [[Full Spectrum]]
* [[Ironsides]]
* [[RealitÄtÄ]]

=== A Series of Four ===
* [[Thirty Days]]
* [[Three Years]]
* [[Tertiary Positioning]]
* [[Soul Searching]]

=== Additional Additional Manuscripts: ===
* [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one]]
* [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
* [[Nexus File P-99D]]
* [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Tastes]]
* [[Politics]]
* [[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]]
* [[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]]

== Stories Sorted By Author ==
Where you can find all the manuscripts by an author of your preference.

=== Stories by the Knights of the Olde Speech: ===
* [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]]
* [[Scattered Ashes, Volume Two - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes, Volume II]]

=== Stories by fffffplayer1: ===
* [[Rise of thedude]]
* [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
* [[Hallowe'en Carol|A Hallowe'en Carol]]
* The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter, Parts 1-8
* [[The Fall of the Baron]]
* [[Of Dooms and Hopes]]
* [[Rise of the Traitor]]
* [[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|Militiregnum Map Description]]
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Search and the Hunt]]
* [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
* [[Wish Upon A Star|Wish Upon a Star]]
* [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]
* [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises'|Harold didn't want any more Rises]]
* [[Rise of the Messenger]]
* [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
* [[Felix Fitzwillis and the Mysteries of the Library]]
* [[Politics]]
* [[Stories by the Fire]]
* [[On July the 4th]]
* [[Tale of the Five Hunters]]

=== Stories by JamesAT13: ===
* [[To Return Home]]
* [[The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia|The Insane Blatherings]]
* [[Return To Calibus]]
* [[To Defy Doom]]
* [[To Nab a Nephew]]
* [[To Find Friends]]
* [[Return To Wishwell]]
*[[The Legend Of Iron Crick]]
* [[To Call The Calvary]] (In Progress)
* [[Fuel for the Fire]]
*[[On The Night of the 4th|On the Night of the 4th]]
*[[Return to the Old Homestead]]

=== Stories by RedFireDog6 ===
* [[A Kindling Flame]]
* [[Fuel for the Fire]]

=== Stories by Talmid: ===

* [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
* [[Charcoal and Embers]]
* [[Prelude to a Story]]
* [[Exile Musings]]
* [[When We Were Six]]
* [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30|Song of the Swans (Chapter 30)]]
* [[Thirty Days]]
* [[Three Years]]
* [[Tertiary Positioning]]
* [[Soul Searching]] (in progress)
*[[REALITÄTÄ]] (in progress)
* [[Ships of the Line]] (in progress)

=== Stories by Haroldosaur: ===
* [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
* Foes and Heirs, Prologue and Segments 1-10
* [[Ironsides]]
* [[Cannon Fodder]]
* [[Full Spectrum]]

=== Stories by Samlooploop: ===
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Lady of Calibus]]
* [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
* [[Out of Left Field]]

=== Stories by Ninjago_Builders: ===
* [[The Fall of the Gemini]]
* [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one]]
* [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
* [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
* [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
* [[Rise of the Gemini]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]]
* [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]
* [[Cool Events to Check out in Militiregnum]]
* [[A Hallowe'en Mystery]]
* [[Official canon rotation of militeregnium]]
* [[The 12 Golden Tears of the Sea]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Tastes]]

=== Stories by m579: ===
* [[Nexus File P-99D]]

=== Stories by thingguy2: ===
* [[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes - Volume 1 ]]
* [[Live to fight another day]]

=== Stories by LolimonTheWise: ===
* [[The Legend of LolimÃ³n]]

=== Stories by The theta AI ===
* [[Perspective]]
[[Category:Stories]]

Fuel for the Fire

2022-05-07T17:53:55Z

Stirling Silverstine: STORY IS FINISHED

== Fuel For the Fire, by JamesGinger and Redfiredog6 ==

=== Prologue ===
-

Strider glared into the wind. It was a strong one, and it was in the right direction, but it also came with a warning.Â He spared a quick glance at the receding safety of the shore of Britay. Perhaps it would have been more prudent to wait, but after these past two years on the sea, he liked to think he'd seen worse than this coming storm. Hopefully, heÂ and his skiff could ride the momentum and get to his destination all the sooner.Â

 

He turned away from the wind, and peered ahead, to the north. On the far distant horizon to his right was the northern reaches of Ankoria, that cursed land, where nothing good grew.

 

But he wasn't going there. He was heading to the far north. Nordland, where he hoped to gain allies in the powerful warriors of North Island. Legend had it that when thedude first invaded the frozen north, they had been able to hold their own against his forces, and eventually routed him. However, in the past year, they had finally succumbed to the overwhelmingly increasedÂ forces of thedude, and their stronghold of North Island was now thedude's northernmost outpost.Â

Stirling wondered if their eventual downfall had something to do with hope. Perhaps, after seeing nearly every other nation fall, did the Nordeners not see any reason to hold out?Â

 

He wanted to rekindle that hope.

 
 

Tacking the sails yet again, he peered worriedly up at the changing sky.Â

 

Speaking of hope, he had to keep his own up. This storm was promising to be quite a rodeo.

<nowiki>---------</nowiki>

=== Chapter 1: Why you don't Argue with Enchanters ===
Kalaren was having quite a busy day. No, there were no attacks. He was busy with errands. From delivering laundry to stomping on wolf spiders, sharpening weapons, making some, and then delivering them to the armory! Tossing a salad for a delectable lunch! Still, Kalaren did prefer this to warfare, as boring as chores may be. Currently, He was feeding the goats, deep in thought. The past seven and a half years had mostly been uneventful. He was now a full-fledged soldier in the rebellion, as he was twenty three by now.Â

So deep in thought was he, that the goats were now helping themselves to the hardy hay as he stared into the wind.

 

Kalaren was brought back to reality by one of the goats bleating. He shook his head before picking up the sack of grain and pouring itâs contents into the goats feed troughs.

 

He was soon finished and was wondering what to do.

 

''âIâll check on Jellyfish and Methuselah, the enchanter to see if theyâve found a way to power our paradox gear.â'' Kalaren did so, and started making his way to the magicianâs bunker.Â

 

Along the way, he ran along a group of kids playing kickball in the street with a patched up ball Jellyfish had put together for them. He stopped to watch.Â Â

There was Jonny and Blake. They made one team.

 

Then there was Joshua and Rita. To the side, reading a small battered scroll wasâ¦ hmm. Kal had to think for a minute. Ah yes, Rosa. She was the quiet one.Â

 

Kalarens thoughts were again interrupted as his face met the kickball.Â

 

Staggering backward, he wondered why his reflexes hadnât saved him. However, it appeared that the last few years had traded some of those reflexes for pain tolerance. Shaking it off, he chuckled and kicked the ball back to the offenders, waving away their apologies.

 

The rest of the walk was entirely uneventful as he walked through the rest of Aragarth.Â

 

Several minutes later, he arrived at the enchanterâs quarters. Until recently, it had only been a bunker. It was originally a cellar of some building, long reduced to rubble, though at the passing of Grimoir, the previous enchanter, his replacement, Methuselah, saw to the repair and fortification of the original building. The result was quite desirable for such a resistance. He approached the houseâs door and knocked, waiting for Methuselah to answer. He soon heard a voice.

 

âWho goes there?â

 

Kalaren had forgotten about how Methuselah was a little too overzealous about protecting this bunker.

 

âKalaren.â

 

âVery well. DoÂ you remember the password?â

 

Kalaren sighed. "Drowssap.â

 

âVery good! Now you put in the key code.â

 

Kalaren switched the numbers on the tumbler lock they had broken off a briefcase they found previously to the code. The lock didnât even work, but whoâs to argue with an enchanter?

 

âThere, I put it in, could you let me in now?â

 

âYes, of course! As soon as I open these other locks.â

 

Kalaren waited two minutes before he was finished. The door opened to show Methuselah. He had brown hair and aÂ thick chinstrap beard, along with his piercing grey eyes. He was dressed in a brown tunic, black pants and a navy robe. He had a rank 3 sorcerer's staff, Chosen because he thought he could utilize the maelstrom energy stored inside. Kalaren tried to separate himself from the paradox equipment as much as he could, as maelstrom energy was the same thing that had almost smashed his father.Â

 

''âVladek beat it to the final blow though,''âÂ he thought, before his thoughts were cut short yet again by Methuselah.

 

âKalaren! You should see what Jellyfish and I fixed up!â

 

âGreat! Sure, I will!âÂ

 

Methuselah smiled. âPerfect! This will revolutionize our technology!â

 

Kalaren followed Methuselah through the bunker, observing the layout.

In this large sort of greeting hall, there was a Wormholer and two shinobi swords near the door, and a wooden bridge that was over a pit that contained sharpened stakes at the bottom. At the other side of the bridge, was a mechanism to wind up the bridge. Not only would the tilted up bridge block the entrance to the stairwell behind it(leading further into the bunker,) but it also formed a barrier against projectiles.

He started descending the staircase, noting the portraits on the walls. He knew there was various weapons and triggers to various traps behind them. Other than the portraits, there was a continuing bookcase containing most of the literature of Aragarth, and some weapons and switches hidden among the books, even a secret passage, he knew, that led into the forest surrounding the city!

It was like a typical wizard's tower, but in reverse. And more booby-trapped.

 

They passed many rooms, with simple traps devised to use little or no electricity, as you could hardly find a power source other than magical energy, which was largely corrupted. Halfway down, they passed through a smallÂ room that Dr. Jellyfish had shown off before, which did utilize some energy. Mostly hot-wired by Jellyfish, there was an airlock that, when activated by one of the hidden switches could shut the doors and the four vents on the roof would release acidic, noxious fumes.Â

 

They quickly passed through that room.Â

 

Kalaren also noticed Methuselah appeared to be distracted, occasionally stopping mid-stride and muttering, before continuing on as if nothing had happened. Kalaren knew that Methuselah was actually multitasking. He had to in order to keep the spell going which kept everyone in the ruined city of Aragarth from being corrupted, though, even with his distracted demeanor, he was also clearly very excited about what he was going to show Kalaren.

 

They reached the bottom floor as Jellyfish watched several rodents running in hamster wheels trying to get the scraps of food hanging outside of the wheel. Currently Jellyfish was bringing them the small pieces of food and many of them stopped running to eat. Next to him was two wormholers, it looked like one of them was empty of ammo, and the other was bursting with energy. Jellyfish turned towards them and it was quite apparent he was ''especially'' excited.

 

âMethuselah! You brought Kalaren!! WONDERFUL!!! Youâre just in time! Iâve finished going over the results from these two wormholers, and Iâve found the common denominator quotients that should correlate across all known Paradox Tech!â

 

âEureka!â Exclaimed Methuselah. Kalaren was, as you would imagine, very confused.

 

âWhat?â

 

âCome see!â he cried, waving Kalaren over to the two Wormholers, having completely tossed all of the lunch-scraps to the rodents. Kalaren nodded and came to the table where the wormholers were located.

 

âTake a look. These two Wormholers were at varying charges , but roughly like 30% and 45% or something. Normally, weâd save these, use them in some fight, and once they were drained, theyâd be utterly useless.â he gave a mocking frowny face. âMaybe broken down for parts. BUT! With the power of our combined genius, I and Methuselah have found a way to extract the Maelstrom from any Paradox tech, and inject it directly into another, revitalizing the energy pool, and extending the life beyond the total sum of the original two sums!â

 

Kalarenâs expression went sour.

 

âLovely, weâll use these things more often.â Kalaren said as he gestured to the weapons. âAnd what does these animals have to do with it?â Kalaren pointed at the rodents on the hamster wheels.

 

âOh, those are unrelated! They are just creating a little more energy. They may be eating more food than they are producing energy, However.â Methuselah exclaimed with a frown.

 

Jellyfish shared his frown as he mused. âWhat we really need are electric eels.âÂ

 

Kalaren cocked his head slightly to the side. âElectric eelsâ¦.?â

 

âOh yes! When I was sane, and worked in a prestigious laboratory off-world with the Nexus Force, we had electric eels. They were fun to pet.â

 

Kalaren raised both his eyebrows.

 

âOh, and they also powered the laboratory they were located in. Sadly, not mine, but thatâs ok,â the scientist continued. âMine ran on cold fusion.â

 

âOh! Then we can power the entire city! We could overload Vladekâs Fort! We cou-â Methuselah was interrupted by Jellyfish.

 

âUnfortunately, we donât have the components for either electric eels tanks or Cold Fusion reactors. Come to think of it, I donât remember what weâd need for a cold fusion reactor.â He waved a hand to the hamster wheels. âThus, one I do remember, kinetic energy.â

 

âI see.â Kalaren said.Â

 

âBUT!â He swung his other arm around, nearly whacking Kalaren in the face, but Kalaren grabbed his arm with his robotic arm, and froze, stopping both.

 

âOh, sorry Kalaren.â

 

âItâs ok, Iâm the one who should be sorry.â

 

âWhy?â

 

âIt seems there is another technological outage. I canât move my arm.â

 

â...Oh.â

 

They all stood there, awkwardly contemplating this development, which became even more clear as all of the technology around them began shutting off.

 

âItâs a good thing we canât afford enough energy to get an electronic lock for the door.â Kalaren pointed out, much to Methuselahâs annoyance.

 

âBut what if paradox rogues were out there? We have tunnels to escape, we donât need the door to open!â

 

''âThatâs why you donât argue with wizards,â'' Kalaren thought.Â

They all decided to try and make their way up the stairs, and tell everyone the news of how they could double the life of a maelstrom-powered weapon. Going up the stairs was very difficult as Kalarenâs and Jellyfishâs arms were stuck together. Meanwhile Methuselah stated how it might be nice to get an elevator for the several levels.

=== Chapter 2: Shipwrecked ===

The waves threw themselves on board Stirlingâs skiff, but he hardly felt them anymore. He was numb to the bone, drenched entirely through, and had absolutely no control of his shipâs course, which, as far as he could tell, was drifting towards Ankoriaâs shores.Â

 

In layman terms, he was screwed. However, with himself being the only man aboard, he couldnât call it quits, no matter how wet and cold he was. So, he was not too unprepared when a tall, rocky, cliff-shore loomed out of the sheet of rain and lightning, threatening to crush him and his ship to smithereens. Fighting both tide and wind, he was able to veer away from a full collisionâ¦

 

But on the harsh sea, even the slightest error was often costly.Â

 

As he turned away from the looming cliffside, he heard the sickening squeal of merciless rock against his wooden hull, and knew that he now had mere minutes before his ship sank. He grabbed the essential supplies in the boat, grabbed the bag Peragrine, his old friend had given him, and the life preserver, (for all the good it would do,) and keeping them close, drove his boat with reckless abandon right along the coast, searching for a cove or beach where he would not have to climb far to find stable shelter. He didnât find one in time.

 

''âPerry could have done it,â'' was his last thought.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

He woke up with an incredibly dry, raspy throat.

''' 
'''

He was lying on his back on some form of sand, he tried to open his eyes, but the sand and sea salt made them sting. He tried to wipe them with his tunic, but that just made it worse, as his clothes were in the same condition.

He decided to bear the pain to take a look around.

''' 
'''

It appeared he had washed up in a cave. There was a light up above, and it informed him that outside it had to be daytime.

''' 
'''

As he sat up, he gritted his salty teeth as his body cried out as expected.Â

''' 
'''

â''Too bad,â'' he thought. ''âIt looks like Iâm not going to get to rest for awhile now.â''

''' 
'''

Looking around the cave for an exit, he realized there was apparently none, except for an exit under the clear water, where more light was spilling from.

''' 
'''

Did he miraculously go under the water, with his life preserver on, just to bob back up here, safe from the wind and the storm?Â Â

''' 
'''

Stirling rubbed his aching head.Â This was not a priority to figure out right now. He had to get some water, and after that, it would be beneficial to look for any supplies, and find out where in the world he was.

''' 
'''

Checking his person, he was relieved to find his canteen, his katana, (Oh man, that was going to take forever to clean, even with his more waterproof scabbard,) all of his armor, (again, going to need to be cleaned, and soon,) a compass in one of his pockets, the rope that heâd slung over himself, and...That was it, unfortunately. He sighed as he realized that included the pack Perry had gifted him, as well as his samurai rank 3 bow. As well as...

"'''Crux''', Thingguy is going to kill me."

A rejiggered Nexus Force communicator that Thingguy had given him for safekeeping. It was probably at the bottom of the ocean now, beyond reach. Beyond repair. And with it, their only connection to the Nexus Force Armada, just waiting for the signal...

Stirling shook himself, before he could start kicking himself. If he was going to be alive for Thingguy to berate him, he first had to survive and figure out where he was.

''' 
'''

Having satiated his thirst with his canteen and taken inventory, he once again looked around to see about getting out. And once again, he only saw the small opening far above him, too small to climb up and out of, and the opening below the water line.

''' 
'''

After a momentâs contemplation, he left the life preserver behind, and since he was still quite soaked, he dove into the water and swam out the other side, being sure to keep a tight hold on the rock formation, as the tide was strong on the other side. ''âThe tide!â'' He thought.Â ''âThat must've been what got me in there. It must have been low tide during the storm, and by the time I woke up, itâs turned around to high.â'' Â Breaking the surface of the water, he wiped his stinging, burning, salty eyes and looked out. To his right, was sheer rocky shore, with no clear ways up. However, to his left was a sight for sore eyes. A short break in the impassable cliff line revealed a gray-black pebbly beach.Â

''' 
'''

And did his eyes deceive him, or was there wreckage washed up over there?

''' 
'''

Alternatively Swimming and grappling along the rocky formations, weighed down as he was, in his Samurai armor, he made his way to the not-so-distant shore.

''' 
'''

A few minutes later, he reached solid ground, and refrained from kissing the ground stereotypically in favor of searching the debris for useful remains of his ship.

''' 
'''

There was plenty of driftwood and flotsam, and there was an ill smell of rot on the beach combating the salty air from the sea. Most of the driftwood was far too old to be from his ship, which told him he had not been the first to wreck his ship along Ankoria. Perhaps the curse extended farther out into the seaâ¦?

''' 
'''

''âNo,â'' he thought. ''âI only have myself to blame for wrecking here.â''Â He had misread the weather, and was paying the price now. He'd challenged mother nature, and she'd humbled him. Now he had no choice but to continue to challenge her, stuck in the wilderness, somewhere.

''' 
'''

There were various tools and even some small treasures scattered amongst the old remains of ships long sunk, but most of it was ruined beyond worth by itâs countless time spent in the elements. A spyglass with no glass. A gem splintered into shards. A halfÂ of a map that crumbled to flakes as he picked it up. A grimy dubloon.Â

''' 
'''

But the greatest treasure of all wasâ¦

''' 
'''

âOf course. I should have known.â

''' 
'''

Perryâs Pack.

''' 
'''

Relief washed over Stirling.

''' 
'''

Somehow, the backpack had become snagged on a large piece of wood with a protruding nail, and now here it was, washed up on the shore, the waves lapping at the board, like a hand shoving it up onto the beach.

''' 
'''

âPerry must have rubbed some of his luck off onto it,â Stirling chuckled to himself, as he released it from the nail with ease and looked inside. On the very top was a towel, with the words âDONâT PANICâ embroidered on it.

''' 
'''

Rolling his eyes, he took the sopping wet towel out, and inspected the rest of the gear.

''' 
'''

Beyond all comprehension, the large majority of the tech, equipment, and provisions, and most importantly, his rewired Nexus Force communicator, were none the worse for wear, having been protected by the towel on top, and, as Stirling found out, another towel on the bottom of the pack, which had â42â embroidered on it.Â He shook his head.

''' 
'''

âWow. Perry, sometimes I think youâre a secret genius.â

''' 
'''

After making a last cursory search of the beach, Stirling stepped off, feeling much better about his chances in the Cursed land of Ankoria.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 3: Explaining Maelstrom Revitalization ===
Kalaren, Jellyfish, and Methuselah climbed up and out of the Bunker, and walked towards the town hall, (Kalaren had been able to detach his arm from Jellyfishâs)Â where Matheeas held residence. Over the course of his time as Leader of the Ankorian Rebellion, the Town Hall had become more akin to a war counsel, as most of the planning for Aragarth took place there. Thus was the reason why Kalaren, Jellyfish, and Methuselah were heading there now.

 

As they approached the Hall, Kalaren observed the defensive layout again.Â

There was a lantern hanging next to the door, while on the other side an Ankorian Resistance flag fluttered lightly, displaying a red stripe on the top and bottom, and a orange stripe in the middle, with a blazing sword cutting into a warped evil-looking staff. On either side of the door, groups of outward-facing sharpened wooden stakes made access to the door available to only one or two people at a time. The building itself consisted of old stone.

There was a guard outside of the door, who recognized them.

 

âHello. State your business.â He said, sounding bored.

 

âWell, we just discovered something that will change our way of life here, by giving us the power of electricity for years to come!â Methuselah replied proudly. The guard nodded.

 

âIâll let emâ know you got something to work with electricity. Follow me.âÂ

 

Methuselah and Jellyfish were getting quite disappointed with their reactions, but nonetheless, they followed the guard inside.

 

Kalaren noticed a few guards roaming about the main hall, various closed off doors leading to a kitchen, closet, administrative officesâ¦ Very few of these areas still served their original functions, instead being converted into whatever was needed, such as an armory, barracks, or in the case of Matheeas, a bedroom, here where he was most easily available. The one room that hadnât changed much, was upstairs, in the grand dome of the building, which, while mostly intact, had been more carefully repaired to at least ''resemble'' what it may have once looked like. The great Council chambers, which Matheeas still used to discuss important matters with his people, and discuss strategies, both domestic and military. They headed to this room. The guard went in, leaving the trio to wait at the door, before the guard came up and let them in, revealing Matheeas leaning over a table with a couple maps, and other officials.

 

âYou wanted to say something about a power source?â Matheeas inquired. Jellyfish eagerly replied.

 

âYes! Methuselah and I were experimenting with some of our Paradox weapons! We found out that if you took out the maelstrom energy in one blaster, and put it in another full one, it would multiply the energy! For example, if you added one quart of maelstrom energy to another quart, it wouldnât simply make two quarts, but five! Then you could add yet another quart, and it would go to nine! Approximately.â

 

âSo you found out a way to power the city?â

 

âPrecisely!â Methuselah stated.

 

âThat sounds great, but what happens when we run out of maelstrom energy to combine with the larger stack?â

 

âWellâ¦ nothing, really, unless we keep using the energy to power the city, which we undoubtedly will. Unless.. we could splice it!â Jellyfish realized.

 

âHow so?â A council member queried.

 

âIf we could slice a part of this maelstrom energy off of the main group, then add it back on, then it would create more!â Jellyfish explained.

 

âWouldnât that be dangerous? If you have too large of a exposure to maelstrom, then you get infected!â Kalaren pointed out.

 

âWell, yes, you have a point there. But if we could capture a Paradox scientist or someone who worked on a generator from, say, Vladekâs Fort, then we could find out how to build a generator! Or at least discover their method.â

 

âMount an assault on Vladeks fort? Are you insane!?!â One of the council members reacted.

 

âWhy does it have to be an assault? We could try to sneak in.â Methuselah said.

 

âYou could also be captured, and interrogated. We donât have the manpower for an assault, and a stealth mission is almost too risky.â Matheeas said.

 

âAlmost?â Methuselah asked.

 

âIâm thinking about it. How long could we have power, with our supply of energy?â

 

âHmm, Iâd say we have enough energy to last fo-JELLYFISH! Ahem, sorry. Enough for one year.

 

Thank you. Weâll talk it over. Methuselah, would you stay here as an advocate for your idea?â

 

âOf course!â

 

âThank you. As for Jellyfish, youâre dismissed.â

 

âVery well.â Jellyfish left, muttering to himself.

 

Matheeas directed his next words at Kalaren.

âKalaren, itâs yours and Kevinâs turn to patrol the perimeter. You two can choose between your goats who you want to bring.â

 

âSounds good, Commander!â

Kalaren showed himself out, and made his way to the stables. As he neared them, he saw a minifig a few years younger than himself waving to him; Kevin.

 

âHeeey Kal! Whassup!?!â

 

Kalaren sighed. âApparently weâre going on perimeter patrol together.â

 

âDude, thatâs awesome! I just finished my latest song! I can sing it to you alll along the way! In a quiet tone of course.â

 

âPlease no!â

 

âCooool. Afterwards.â

 

âGreat''.''â Kalaren and Kevin decided to mount Kevinâs black goat, Surf. In short order, they headed out of the city.Â

===Chapter 4: Desolation===

Stirling grunted as he climbed. Or was that his stomach growling? Or was it another mysterious creature, watching from below, waiting for him to fall?

 

âProbably all three,â he groused, as he reached for another handhold above. Three more feet and he would have a clear view above the treeline, to find out where he was in this ''forsaken'' place.

 

The initially positive outlook he had obtained upon discovering Peragrineâs Pack had quickly eroded under the silently soul-crushing conditions of Ankoria. He didnât remember the details, butÂ he recalled the reports supposedly stating that there was some curse set upon the land that brought out the hidden evils in all living things, or something like that.

 

He tried not to think about it.Â He didnât need to, as itâs effects were seen everywhere. '''Everything''' was different shades of gray, from the dead trees to the ashen ground underneath his feet, to the stagnant pools of âwaterâ heâd come across in the forest below him.Â

 

He hadnât seen or heard any animals until just this morning, where he had shot down a deer, but upon retrieving it, he found that instead of antlers on its head, it had an antler-like structure all along itâs frame, as a sort of exoskeleton. This had made harvesting it rather lengthy and difficult, and his efforts amounted next to nothing as the precious little meat inside was either unbearably tough or appeared to spoil before his very eyes.Â

 

Under normal circumstances, he felt that would spoil his appetite. But here, in Ankoria, he found that his appetite was never satisfied. Despite his best discipline, his food-stores were already running lower than heâd anticipated, and what plant-life heâd found to try and supplement it was either bitter beyond imagining, or definitely too sweet to not be poison. Or rotting.

 

His water reserves were even more desperate. His canteen was nearly dry, and although he had found a small pond in the forest below, where he had filled up a different container, the water was nearly black as ink, and had smelled most foul once boiled for safetyâ¦ He didnât want to drink the local water unless times were desperate. Which would be within the week, at his current rate.

 
 

Stirling looked out from the peak he had gained, searching for something to orient himself on the map he had found in Peragrineâs pack. There was no doubt he had shipwrecked upon the Cursed Land, but where exactly? As he peered back west he saw the coast. Following the shore north with a pair of binoculars, he perceived that the coast curved eastward, as the the glimmer of ocean was visible on the northern horizon.

 

''âThat must mean I shipwrecked on the very northwestern corner of this accursed place,â'' Stirling reasoned. Checking his map, the only thing nearby according to his map was one âFortress of Lord Vladekâ.

 

âGreat. Just great.â

 

According to this map, Vladekâs old fort was almost due East of his supposed position. Who knew if Lord Vladek still used the old fort. Stirling didnât intend to find out.Â

 

The only other point of interest within Ankoria, on the map, was the small town of âDomeadâ. It lay far, far away to the south, on the very shore of the Cursed Land.

 

Stirling saw two options.Â

 

Either head East towards Vladekâs old fort, and Morciaâ¦Â

 

â¦ Or head South towards Domead.

 

Heading east would most likely be faster, but there was great risk in passing by Vladekâs Fort, as there were rumors that the evil Lord was using it as his private residence when not at the capitol by thedudeâs side. However, if this was untrue, there could be valuable resources which would speed up his travel, allowing him to enter Morcia and continue his Journey northward with all haste via the âBridge to Unknownâ

 

On the other hand, heading South was safer. It avoided Vladekâs fortâ¦ He wouldnât have to run into any enemies other than the natural predators of the landâ¦Â

 

But he would have to traverse the entire length and breadth of the Cursed Land. No minor feat, considering his trip so farâ¦ In factâ¦ In light of what heâd seen the past few daysâ¦ The sooner he could leave this wretched land, the better.

 
 

East it was.

 

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

 

Kalaren and Kevin had been riding Surf for some time, when Kevin had an announcment.

 

âIâm bored.â

 

âWonderful.â

 

âWhat?â

 

âNevermind.â

 

âHey, I know, Iâll surf on Surf! Mind if we switch places?â

 

âYes. Iâm going to sit here like a civilized minifig being.â

 

âOh, ok! Iâll just do it up here then!â Kevin said as he stood up on the goat and did your typical surfer stance.

 

âCowabunga!â

 

âNo donât! Stop!â

 

âNo, this is fine, dude! Itâs like land surfing or someth-â

 

'''*WHACK*'''Â

 

Kevinâs head met an oncoming branch, where he stayed, pushing Kalaren off Surf and into the brambles underfoot. Kevin, after recovering from the immediate shock, realized he had hung onto the branch.

Raising a finger, he said,âThis is what Dr. Seuss would call âa lurchâ.âÂ

 

Kalaren groaned as he tried to get up out of the thick prickly undergrowth without making too many tears in his clothing.

 

âSurf, come back!â Kevin wailed. The goat did not immediately appear to hear him, causing him to sigh gloomily. âSurf waits for no one.â But then the goat stopped, turned about, and began careening back!

 

âSurf! Come back! Wait, no, stop! No Surf!â Kevin cried, panicked, right before the big black goat knocked him down, to the left of Kalaren. Thankfully, the goat missed Kalaren.Â

 

âKevin, one of these days you will pay.â Kalaren muttered. as he got up and wiped the dirt and pulled the thorns out of his clothes.â He stared after the goat. âHalt, Surf!âÂ

 

Kevin had gotten up and put his hand on Kalarenâs shoulder.

 

âItâs no use. You canât stop the killer wave.â He said. But Surf did halt.

 

âWoah. You killed the killer. You rode the wave. You turned the wind! You are, The Dudeman!â

 

âOne, has it occurred to you that 'The Dudeman' sounds an awful lot like âthedudeâ?

 

âWell, no but it sounds epi-â

 

âTwo, âThe Dudemanâ has a challenge for you! Just BE QUIET for ''five minutes''!â

 

âHmm.. Ok. I can do both. Instead of The Dudeman, Iâll call you The Mandude, and Iâll be quiet tonight, when Iâm sleeping!â

 

âBoth of which alleviate ''NOTHING''.â

 

âSure they do! You donât sound like thedude anymore!â

 

âI suppose. Come on, letâs get Surf, and continue scouting.

 

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

 

Stirling continued his path eastward, through the mountains. It was slow going, as the land was rocky, craggy, and there was no semblance of any path. Each step disturbed the earth, and raised the grey dust of countless lonely years. It was like walking on a moon. Except, with mountains. And full gravity. In his sandy, itchy, heavy armor.

 

The next day, he was attacked by something resembling an eagle. Or a Raven. Some hideous crossbreed thing. However, after defeating it, he reasoned there must be a nest nearby. A few minutes and a short climb up later, he found some eggs, which made a decent brunch. He only had to ignore the rotten smell, and their strange green and red yolks. Perry would have said they were âChristmas eggs.â

 

Perhaps they would make a better eggnog than scramble. All well.

Banking his campfire, he hefted his pack, and continued on.Â

=== Chapter 5: The Dreaded Gigfran Eggs ===

Kalaren and Kevin sat behind a boulder on a small hill that rose above the dead tree canopy.

''' 
'''

âItâs a campfire, alright,â confirmed Kalaren, as he gazed through a spyglass.

''' 
'''

âLemme see, Mandude!â Kevin demanded, trying to snatch the spyglass from him.

''' 
'''

âHang on, Iâm trying to see the person who made it.â

''' 
'''

âYouâre too slow, lemme see.â

''' 
'''

âJust give it a rest, I-â

''' 
'''

âAha!â Kevin cried, as he successfully acquired the spyglass. Kalaren just rolled his eyes and let him have it. âNow letâs seeâ¦ Heâs cooking something.. looks like one of those gigfran.â

''' 
'''

âThatâs not a very wholesome meal.â

''' 
'''

âWait, heâs tossing it to the sideâ¦ He has some sort of egg.â

''' 
'''

âOh no.â Kalaren said, snatching the spyglass back.

''' 
'''

âHey, not cool, Mandude!â

''' 
'''

âJust a secondâ¦ Itâs as I feared. Yes, heâs eating some eggs.â

''' 
'''

âOh. Oh no. Not ''THOSE'' eggs, right?â

''' 
'''

â...â

''' 
'''

âThat poor, poor dude! We have to save him from the worst tomorrow of his LIFE!!â

''' 
'''

âShh! He could have heard you! Duck!â They ducked for a minute or two before bopping back up.

''' 
'''

âOk, itâs clear now. We canât go over there because we donât know if heâs one of Vladekâs agents or a goblin or a dark elf or a dwarf or...â

''' 
'''

âOhh. Good point, Mandude.â

''' 
'''

âWould you please stop calling me Mandude?â

''' 
'''

âSure thing, Dudeman.

''' 
'''

âThat doesn't help.â

''' 
'''

âOh, ok, man, I mean dude. or man. uhhâ¦ Bro. ''Amigo''. '''''Muchacho'''''. No, yâknow what, Mandude is still the best.â

''' 
'''

Kalaren groaned in agony. âFine! Fine.â He looked through the spyglass.

''' 
'''

âHeâs putting the fire out. Maybe we can ambush him somewhere, and bring him to Aragarth for questioning.â

''' 
'''

âSure, but where, and how, Bro-haha?â

''' 
'''

Kalaren flinched at âBro-hahaâ, replying, âIt depends on if he stays up on the mountains or if he comes down. Hopefully he comes down. That would make it easier.â

''' 
'''

âThat plan is ''off the chain!â''

''' 
'''

âGood to know?â Â Â Â

''' 
'''

âThat plan is ''off the charts''! No one but The Mad-dude could do it!â

''' 
'''

âMy plan is literally to come up with a plan later, and I donât appreciate your enthusiasm!â Kalaren replied with a sarcastic smile.

''' 
'''

âOh sorry, I thought I was enthusiastic enough, but Iâll try to up my game, like this: '''SUPER-BROHEMIAN!!'''!â

''' 
'''

Kalaren jumped on Kevin, and covered his mouth. Partly because they needed to be quiet, and partly because it helped him refrain from jumping off the mountain and taking Kevin with him.

''' 
'''

A few minutes later, and some more use of the spyglass, they made their way back down to Surf the Goat, and followed the stranger eastward.Â

''' 
'''

The rest of their approach was silent. Kalaren assumed it was because Kevin was thinking about the poor strangerâs future plight, which involved variousâ¦ unpleasant sensations.

''' 
'''

Kevin shuddered. âThat dude has got to be hardcore.â

''' 
'''

âYeah. Might lead to a tough battle.â

''' 
'''

âMaybe the indigestion will hit him, and weâll just have to knock âim out!â

''' 
'''

âWe can hope.âÂ

''' 
'''

Surfâs innate goat agility allowed Kalaren and Kevin to move with near silence, at a speed comparative to a horseâs canter. They were about to exit the treeline when they saw the stranger up ahead, inspecting his compass as he walked. Kevin whispered some commands to Surf before they both dismounted and stealthily made theyâre way to a ledge ahead of the manâs path.Â

''' 
'''

Kevin gave some confusing hand signals, consisting of his two fingers heading down the slope, then turning on their side and pinching his other hand, this hand falling over. then he brought the first hand back and made some wiggling figure movements.

''' 
'''

Kalaren assumed this meant that Kevin wanted to go ahead and try to attack the stranger, while Kalaren cheered him on. Maybe it could use some adaptation. But Kevin jumped off the ledge and on top of the stranger anyway.Â

''' 
'''

Kalaren tried to find a place where he could see Kevin and the stranger fighting, but with them being just under the ledge, he couldnât aim without the brittle edge sending down pebbles and giving him away. Instead,Â he scrambled to the side of the slope, where he could see the stranger.

''' 
'''

The stranger wasÂ dressed in rusty chainmail, and had dark brown hair. He wielded a katana, which was raised to swing at a downed Kevin. Kalaren knocked an arrow and fired it at the strangerâs wrist.Â

''' 
'''

âGah!â the stranger yelled, dropping his sword as the arrow sprouted from his armored glove. Wasting no time, Kalaren fired a second arrow at his right knee.Â The stranger dove for the tree-line behind him, seeking cover, as Kevin charged after him.

''' 
'''

<nowiki>~~~~~~~</nowiki>

''' 
'''

Tumbling behind the tree, Stirling gritted his teeth as both arrows broke and embedded themselves into his armor and flesh as he moved. Hearing the man running up, he stuck his good leg out, and tripped him.

''' 
'''

The blonde landed face-first in the gravel, but quickly rolled over, to receive the swift heel of Stirlingâs boot to the same face.

''' 
'''

Stirling had to hand it to him, he was tough. If young and inexperienced. Drawing his leg back behind the tree, another arrow appeared where his boot had been.

''' 
'''

Stirling looked through his pack, searching for a ranged weapon. He quickly found one of Peragrineâs old Flintlock pistols.Â

''' 
'''

''âPerfect.â'' he thought, as he loaded it with a satisfying âclickâ that resounded off the rocks.

''' 
'''

Aware he was dealing with an excellent archer, Stirling popped his head out from behind the tree-trunk for a mere second. In that second, he already saw an arrow zooming at his head. He noted the general direction, and ducked back, the whole length of the arrow whizzing past his nose.

''' 
'''

''âOoookay.â''

''' 
'''

Tensing up, he swung out right after the arrow had gone by, and saw his second assailant. A cloaked archer, with bright red hair, perched on an edge half-way down the slope. He fired, and ducked back, as a mangled arrow skittered by his cover.

''' 
'''

Stirling loaded the pistol and swung out to fire again. This time, though, no arrow came after him, as his first shot had destroyed the enemyâs bow, and knocked him off of his precarious perch.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling charged at the archer, firing his pistol and drawing a dagger. The shot hit the man in the arm, and the sound of armor rang out in tandem with the manâs cry of pain.

''' 
'''

Stirling dove at the man, intending to pin him to the ground with his dagger, but the man stopped him dead in the air with his right arm. The one that had been shot.

''' 
'''

âWhat on Crux-â Stirling began, before he was rammed into the stone, and then tossed like a doll back into the tree-line, where he landed on the previous attacker.

''' 
'''

Fighting to maintain consciousness through the pain, he realized the blonde man underneath him had recovered, and was nonsensically slapping him. Stirling struggled to get up, but before he could, the Archer was standing over him.

''' 
'''

âWorthless. Vagabonds!â Stirling spat.

''' 
'''

The Archer pulled him up with the same ease he'd thrown him, and Stirling hardly felt the left sucker-punch, as the darkness swallowed him up.

''' 
'''

<nowiki>~~~~~~</nowiki>

''' 
'''

Matheeas set down the report. âAll in all, fairly successful.â Looking up, he saw Kalarenâs relatively unscathed appearance, in comparison to Kevin, who looked like heâd been run over by a stampede of goats.Â

''' 
'''

âSo, where is the prisoner now?â

''' 
'''

âIn the infirmary. Probably dying.â Kevin pointed out.

''' 
'''

âYou KILLED him?!â Matheeas exclaimed, shocked.

''' 
'''

âNo, the gigfran eggs did.â

''' 
'''

âOr rather will.â Kalaren amended.

''' 
'''

âOh. Well, maybe Iâll check in on him. Until then, Kevin, you go to the infirmary, rest up, and Kalaren, you go to that Jellyfish. Get your arm fixed.

''' 
'''

âThanks, Commander!â

''' 
'''

âOf course, Sir.â

=== Chapter 6: The Effects of the Dreaded Gigfran Eggs ===

Stirling woke up in immense pain. Opening his eyes, he noted that he was in some sort of medical facility, which didnât make him feel any better.

 

''âOh great. If the highwaymen didnât leave me, or rob me, they must want something else from me,â'' he reasoned. Sitting up, he let loose '''the most thunderous fart''' known to man.

 

Naturally, he was quite surprised, and looked around to make sure no one could pin it on him. Unfortunately, everyone had, including three guards stationed around him. He was in a old stone building, patched in various places with wood. All along this room, there were rows of cots on either side, only a few which were occupied by people now staring at him. A nurse scurried over.

 

âCome with me, sir. You will be needing to use the facilities.â

 

âPardon?â

 

âThe report is that you ate gigfran eggs. There is no known cure for the ailment, but considering your strong physical condition, you ''may'' not find it fatal.â

 

âWHAT?â

 

âWalk and talk, sir.â

 

Stirling swung his legs out of the cot, and with this sudden change to vertical movement, he found that he did indeed require facilities. Badly.

 

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

 

A few minutes later, Stirling felt marginally better, as he sat on the edge of his cot, with only two of his original guards next to him.Â Suddenly, someone a few cots down was waving to get his attention.

 

âDude! Hardcore Dude!â

 

Stirling frowned. It was his blonde-haired attacker.

 

âYou feeling better, man?â

 

Stirling stared him down. Or, attempted to. The blonde young man seem unaffected by Stirling's grave stare.

 

âMe and the Brohemian saw you eating those eggs, we wanted to help you, Man, but it was to late. Sorry Dude.â

 

Stirlingâs only response was to blink in confusion.Â

 

âIâve never met anyone whoâs eaten those and survived to tell the story. Whatâs it like?â the blonde continued.

 

Stirling considered a moment. Others had heard the loud one-sided conversation, and were now looking to Strider for an answer.

 

âLike eating a mad scientistâs chemistry set.â With this, he unceremoniously heaved. The people around the room responded accordingly. 

âOooh, pretty colors.â

âLook away, honey.â

âHenrietta, could you please bring a towel? Or five?â One of the guards said to the nurse, placing a nearby bucket in front of Strider.

âEw.â

âSorry,â muttered Stirling, accepting the bucket. He moved to get off of the cot, but instead of going to the floor to clean up, he immediately dashed off to the facilities. Again. Followed by one guard, yelling at him at first, but when realizing Stirlingâs intent, he quieted down and followed the poor ill man.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

When Stirling returned with the one Guard, (The one that had left originally had now joined the other guard in cleaning up Stirlingâs mess.) there was a few more people waiting for him.Â

There were a small number of soldiers hovering around a core group of 3 people. Two of them wore robes that reminded Stirling of politicians, so instantly, they faded into the background of Stirlingâs assessment. Â The other one of these garnered Stirlingâs immediate attention.

 

He had black hair which consisted of a full beard, and regular length haircut. He wore a simple white tunic, with blue shoulders and an insignia on the front of it, depicting a knotted sinister-looking staff, crossed with a bright steel sword, burning with vibrant flames, underlaid with three stripes. A red stripe on the bottom and top, and an orange stripe in the middle. Strapped to his side, the black-haired man also had a sword, with a diamond pommel. The handle was fairly simple, steel underneath, with grey cloth wrapped around it.Â

 

Stirling figured he couldnât take them all on. Not with these infernal symptoms. So he listened as the mainÂ figure spoke.

 

âI trust you feel better now?â

 

âWell enough.âÂ

 

âSplendid. I have some questions for you...â

 

Stirling shrugged, glancing at all of the armed people around him. It wasnât like he had much of a choice right now.

 

â...Which we will ask somewhere else.â A guard stepped forward with a cloth in his hands.

 

Upon seeing the cloth, Stirling assumed they were going to drug him unconscious, which, impaired or not, he wasnât going to take lying down. He dove forward, snatching the cloth from the Guard before spinning around and slamming it into the lead manâs face. Following through, he was able to get him into a headlock before any of the guards could recover from their surprise.

 

Blinded, the lead man drew his sword and deftly flipped it around to stab Stirling. However, seeing the move, Stirling dodged the attack, only to be met with multiple swords and spears pointed at him and his captive.Â One of them belonged to the Archer from the forest. Only now, he had apparently come around the corner while these previous events were happening.

 

âNobody move, and no one gets hurt,â Stirling commanded, taking control. âThis I swear, on my honor as a knight.â

 

âKnight?â His new captive queried. âWhat sort of knight?â

 

Stirling glanced down at him in surprise. Surely he would have succumbed to whatever theyâd intended to put him to sleep with. âOne with honor, who doesnât attack travellers for a living, or without reason.â There was a groan directed from the man. ''âMust be the poison,â'' Stirling thought.

 

âAnd this is relevant, ''how''?â Â The man said.

 

Stirling lifted the cloth from his captive and checked his eyes. Totally clear. And annoyed. He squinted at the cloth. It appeared completely normal.

 

Slightly embarrassed, he wondered if theyâd only meant to blindfold him.

 

Slightly confused, his grip on the man loosened marginally. âIâm sorry, wh-â

 

His captive took advantage of this to drop his sword, reach up for Stirlingâs arms, yank, and ''flip'' him in front of him.Â

 

Landing flat on his back, Stirling landed with a solid thump, accentuated by gas. Various pointy tips were set at his throat.

 

âI can answer questions like this,â Stirling said. âJust donât move me.â He pointed at the now discarded cloth. âI thought that was a means of knocking me out, I apologize.â

 

He heard the lead manâs voice.

 

âMaybe if you donât try to harm anyone else here, you may be forgiven. Where do you hail from?â

 

âMorcia.â

 

âInteresting. Who are you aligned with? Vladek, Thedude, or some rebellion?â

 

âBefore I answer that, could you answer that same question for me, since you already have me dead to rights?â

 

âAnd then you gain our trust and run away, telling our enemy gathered intel?â

 

âIt is so romantic that you think I want or need your trust. Iâm simply travelling through.â

 

âThrough Ankoria. Sure.â

 

Stirling shrugged as best he could from his position on the ground. However, it was ruined by an escaped toot.

 

âYouâre specifically trying to be aloft- I mean, aloof. If you wonât answer that, then answer it later. For now, tell us where you got this.â The man said, raising a sword.

 

It was his samurai katana. That meant theyâd gone through his stuff. Typical vagabonds.

 

âIf youâre wanting more like it, Iâll tell you thatâs not possible.âÂ

 

The man raised his left eyebrow and looked at the katana.Â

âWhat, this? why would I want a Nexus Force Sentinel rank three Samurai issue Katana?â He said as he turned back to a neutral faced Stirling.

 

Stirling took a moment to study the people around him. None of them looked like Nexus Force. They were all battle ready, more or less. They had a variety of ethnicity, and most of them were very grim faced. Their gear was largely of a medieval make, though there was the occasional Paradox Rogue item. How did they know what Sentinel gear looked like?

 

Stirling decided that, no matter what their morals were, they were clearly not allied with thedude. This made it very unlikely, but not impossible, that they were not allied with Vladek either.

 

âI am against thedude.â he announced abruptly.Â

 

The leader nodded, though somewhat surprised at his sudden answering of the previous question. âAre you allied with Vladek, then?â

 

Stirling shook his head. âBefore I answer that, I would like to know your alignment.â The man seemed somewhat disappointed, but did reply,

 

âWe would be foolish to answer that, but if you wonât answer that now, then we will ask you this: Where did you get this sword?â The leader said as he gestured to the katana again.Â

 

âIt should be clear enough, if youâve rifled through my belongings,â Stirling growled, becoming irritated with his position. âI was with the Nexus Force, in a past life.â

 

âSo you come from offworld?â

 

âI hail from Morcia.â

 

âHow did you get to the Nexus Force, and how did you get back here?â

 

Stirling rolled his eyes. âYou want my lifeâs story?â

 

âActually, that would be preferable. In detail.â

 

Stirling shook his head, brushing the blades away with his gloved hands as he made to get up. âNope, thatâs it. Iâm not accepting your âhospitalityâ anymore.âÂ

 

The one who had been questioning him shook his head in frustration.

 

âHank, procedure two.â

 

Hank, who was a nearby guard, said,âYes sir!â Stabbing Stirlings left shoulder, and hitting an artery.Â

 

âGAH! CRUX!â Stirling glanced down and noticed the man, âHankâ had thrust so hard as to go through his mail. And by the excruciating pain, he might have nicked a bone.

 

The leader spoke up.

 

âHenrietta, how much time does he have left?â he asked, addressing a nurse.

 

âApproximately five minutes before he bleeds out, Sir.â

 

âWell, there you have it. We can treat you if you answer one of the questions, stranger.â

 

Through gritted teeth, he looked up at his antagonist. âItâll take more than that, moron.âÂ Seeing his own blood, Stirlingâs fervor was stoked, and he slowly stood up, a hand over his wound. Many people around him grumbled and muttered darkly.

 

The man, who had picked up his sword by now, looked Stirling in the eye.

 

âI said answer one question. I suggest you do so.â

 

Stirling spat at his feet. âYou are without honor.â

 

âAnd you called ME a moron.â The man muttered, before looking back up, taking a step forward, and continued to talk. âI, am Matheeas Lancaster, and I just might be the most honorable knight here. I have killed countless, for the sole purpose to save countless. All you have done here is condemn yourself to death.â

 

Already, Stirling felt the cold touch of death as his lifeblood spilled over his chainmail. But he gave Matheeas a smile. âI would be lying if I said it was a pleasure to meet you, Lancaster. But I appreciate knowing who it was that killed me. Know that it is Stirling Silverstine whom you have slain, and that you will answer to Sir Thaddeus Thingguy the Second,Â if he ever finds out thy hand in this.â

 

With this, Stirling collapsed amid rippling murmurs.

 

Matheeas closed his eyes, and facepalmed. âWhat an IDIOT. Henrietta, please try and save him. Hank, go get the Doctor.â

 

''âHardcoreâ¦â''

âKevin, shut up.â

=== Chapter 7: Poisoned, Assaulted, Maimed, Treated, Stabbed, Treated Again, andÂ Prison Time. ===

Kalaren was surprised at these turn of events. He thought back to his own first time with Matheeas. It had gone much better. Hopefully, this would end up much the same. Right now, he was assisting Henrietta in slowing the manâs, Stirlingâs, blood loss, which mostly was just handing clean towels over, and wringing out used ones of all of the blood with hot water.

Thankfully, the doctor came over very quickly. He was followed by Jellyfish, Methuselah, and Hank.Â Kalaren remembered that the Doctorâs name was Steph A. Skope, but as is the fate of many doctors, he was simply called âDocâ. He was a middle-aged man, who was balding before his time. His kind brown eyes were always framed by his spectacles, and accentuated his full brown beard. He wore a white overcoat similar to Jellyfishâs, and his grey carpetbag of doctorâs tools was never far from hand. Rushing in, he plopped right down, and took control.

âHave you staunched the bleeding?â

âVery nearly, Doctor,â Henrietta replied. âBut it hit an artery."

âThat is unfortunate!Â Kalaren, I want you to hold his arm up and apply pressure. Iâm going to sew this up, and then weâll bandage it.

âSounds good.â Kalaren said.

It was a few minutes longer, and then the doctorâs deft hands had finished with his patient. Tying off the bandage, he said,

âI donât think heâll be up and about for a few weeks, and he ''certainly'' wonât be fighting or doing anything physical with that arm for at least a month. I would suggest two, but I know that probably wonât happen,â he finished.

Turning around, he noted Jellyfishâs intense stare. âWhat do you think, Jellyfish?â

âYes, it makes sense. Itâs vaguely familiar. Perhaps it was part of something I learned in the Academy. Couldnât you used a tourniquet?â

âI could have, but it wouldnât have been a permanent fix,â Doc explained as the two labcoated men walked off.

Kalaren looked up at a tense Matheeas, who looked down at him and said,Â

âDo you want to guard him? Weâre going to move him into the brig and have personal doctor visits because clearly, he canât be among polite company, even if he IS a knight.âÂ

Kalaren shrugged. âTheyâll let anyone be a knight these days.â

âThat applies to a lot of people, but I donât think the KOTOS would accept someone who acts so arrogant.â

âThe KOTOS?â

âKnights Of The Olde Speech. They fought in the grammar war, and Sir Thingguy was one of them. Supposedly, theyâre quite noble. I thought they were all captured or dead, though there are rumors they still roam about.â

âOh.â Kalaren looked at Stirling. He ''could'' be a knight.

âWe better move him now.Â Rick, Kalaren, think you could get a stretcher, and move him to the brig?â

âOi reckon.â Rick drawled.

âDonât see why not!â Kalaren said.

While Rick and Kal got the stretcher, Matheeas dispersed the crowd, apologising for the chaos. Once the other two got back and loaded the prisoner onto the stretcher, Matheeas excused himself to handle other matters. Methuselah wandered away toward his bunker where he would probably experiment more.

The trip to the brig (Which was the same prison room Kalaren had been in all those years ago except expanded, and patched up.) was uneventful, other than a couple confused or curious glances from nearby bystanders.

Once they did get there, they set him on a cot next to the wall and grabbed some long chains attached to the wall.

However, with the sound of chains, something within the knight awoke, and he groaned. The two guards started to panic.

âOh no, heâs awake!â Kalaren muttered.

âQuoick, chain up hois oither oither hand!â Rick replied.

âYou mean his other hand?â

âYeh, that one!â

âNo, this one,â the prisoner said, swinging up from his cot with his right hand in question balled into a fist. However, the guard, which happened to be Kalaren, caught his fist and smiled at the prisoner.

âHey fella! Thanks for the tip!â

Stirling paled and fell back onto his cot.Â While Rick finished chaining him up, Kalaren continued to talk and made sure Stirling didnât try anything.

âSo, how are you feeling?â

Stirling glared at the two of them. âIâve had worse.â

âThatâs good. Up for a few more questions?â

Stirling raised an eyebrow. âDepends, can you answer a few for me?â

Kalaren considered this.

âWe probably can. After you answer ours.â

Stirling nodded his consent.Â âSee, thatâs very sensible. The knucklehead I was talking with before didnât seem to understand that.â

âThat âknuckleheadâ is my boss. Besides, you asked him to answer yours first.âÂ

Stirling made a barely visible shrug as he leaned back against the wall. âFire away, Archer.â This surprised Kalaren.

âOh, I donât have authorization to question you. Youâll have to take that up with Matheeas.â

Stirlingâs features quickly hardened.Â

âIâm sure itâll be fine. If you are reasonable with him, heâll be reasonable with you!â Kalaren reassured, then added, âOh, and my nameâs Kalaren. or Kal.â Kalaren was hit with the sudden realization that he sounded a lot like Egbert, the one who had guarded him when he was in prison all those years ago. A sudden wave of sorrow passed over him as he remembered Egbert had fallen in war, seven years ago.

âPleased to meet you, Kalaren. Iâm not sure you heard me when I was talking to Matheeas. My nameâs Stirling Silverstine.â

âNice to meet you, too.â

Stirling appeared to study him closely. âAre you from the Nexus Force?â

Kalaren started to speak, but then frowned.

âI donât think I can disclose that.â

âWhat is this, some sort of cult? Canât you talk about your own personal stuff?â Stirling groused. Before Kalaren could answer, he continued.Â

âI was in the Nexus Force, before I came here almost six years ago now.â

âOh?â Kalaren might not be able to question him, but gathering information couldnât hurt.

âYeah. Before the Faction wars. I was a Sentinel. You know what the Factions are, right?â

Kalaren thought for a second.

âI might.â

Stirling continued. âWell, the Sentinels are guardians. Protectors. I was a Samurai, and, well, I guess you know that if you identified my stuff.â Suddenly, Stirling leaned in. âYouâre keeping track of all that, right? I donât want any of it missing when I get it back.â His expression ranged from curious to severe.

âHonestly, I dunno. I wasnât the one who went through it.â

Rick butted in.

âOiâm going to tell Matâeas, the prisânerâs awake.â He said as he headed for the door.

âYou do that,â muttered Stirling. Turning to Kalaren, he continued.

âYeah, the Nexus Force wasnât all bad, but eventually I decided to come back home. Militiregnum is home.â

âI see. Did you know about everything that was happening here?â

âYou mean thedude taking over? No. I crash landed here and found out pretty quick though.â

âCrash landed? How did you get past the blockade?â

Stirling froze for a moment, clearly holding back. âIâm a very good pilot,â he said.

âReally? What did you fly?â

âAn old Nexus Force Shuttle a fr- I acquired.â

âHuh. So, you were a samurai pilot?â

âThe Nexus Force Academy program is extensive.â

âAnd generous! I mean, you had one of their shuttles, and unless you stole it-â

âYes, I stole it.â

âWait, what?â

âLetâs go with that. I stole it.â

âIsnât Nexus Force high security?â

âI had friends. But not anymore.â Stirlingâs gaze dropped.

âOh. Iâm sorry for your loss.â Kalaren assumed. Matheeas, along with Rick, walked in then.

âOh, hereâs theâ¦â Stirling checked himself. âAhem. Mr. Lancaster.â Matheeas looked at Stirling in surprise, then at Kalaren, then back at Stirling.

âEr, greetings. So...â

âKalaren tells me that if I answer your questions, you could answer mine. Thatâs something you should have led with, good sir.â Resettling himself against the wall, he listened to the reply.

âHe did? That seems reasonable enough. We should be able to answer a few. Shall we get started?â

Glancing at Kalaren, Stirling replied, âFire away, Lancaster.â

Matheeas winced at being called âLancasterâ, but due to Stirling's volatile mood, decided not to mention it.

âWhat Faction did you serve in?â he asked.

Again glancing at Kalaren, he answered âSentinel. You know which one that is?â

âYes. Moving on, how did you get into Ankoria?â

âWould you believe I crash-landed in a spaceship near the coast?â Suddenly, he shook his head. âNo, you wouldnât. Youâd go looking for the ship. Sadly, thereâs nothing left of my sea-faring vessel. I crashed into the rocky shore somewhere on the northern peninsula.â He thought for a moment. âI suppose you could check my effects and find my compass. It is somewhat corsair in designâ¦â

âI do recall someone saying something about a similar compass. What were you doing traveling in Ankoria, or what were you heading for?â

Stirling sighed. âWell, since I thought I was dead, I told you that I am affiliated with the Knights of the Olde Speech. I suppose it canât hurt to tell you now that I was heading north, towards Nordland. I wanted to speak to their warriors, find out whatâs allowed them to repel thedude for so long. But now, being stranded here, I was walking east to take the longer land route north.â Suddenly, he remembered something. âIs Vladekâs fort occupied?â

Matheeas had been deep in thought, so he looked up at Stirling in surprise at the sudden change of subject.

âIâll tell you in a second. How did you get to Militiregnum?â

Stirling rolled his eyes. âThat is a very long question. Suffice to say that Morcia is my home, and I came here from the Nexus Force 6 years ago. I was shot down by the blockade when I refused to stay away, and Iâve been on the planet ever since.âÂ

âInteresting. I assume your spacecraft was a Nexus Force model?â

âA much older version, yes. But itâs been long gone by now. Somewhere in eastern Morcia.â

âI see. I have one more question. Is the KOTOS still around? I thought they were either all dead or captured.

Stirling appeared to consider his answer very carefully. âIt depends on what you consider âstill aroundâ. The KOTOS are not what they used to be. Many are dead, some are captured; most are still in hiding. But there are some like myself, friends and affiliates, who would say that the KOTOS will never truly die.â

âThatâs good to know! Well, now itâs your turn to ask any questions.â

Stirling nodded, still preoccupied with Matheeasâs final question and response. However, he appeared to shake it off soon enough.Â

âFirst, Vladekâs fort. Does he still use it? I was planning to pass by it, butâ¦â

âItâs probably a good thing you didnât. Vladek himself isnât there too often, but it is in use. He almost always has some sort of garrison there.â

âWell then for that I am glad. I would most surely be dead if you had not detained me,â Stirling admitted. âThat brings me to my second question: Where is here? I understand if you cannot be specific, but I thought Ankoria was barren of civilization.âÂ

âWe are in the City of Aragarth, it was ruined when the founders of our group came here and it has worked splendidly as a base.â

Stirling nodded, before quickly continuing to another question.

âThirdly, WHO ARE YOU GUYS?!â

Apparently, this third question had been weighing heavily on his mind, and surprised everyone in the room. Matheeas answered promptly, and with a bit of vigor and pride, as he realized that this man was the one they needed to meet, and vise versa. This man could connect them to many allies!

âI, and everyone else in this city, (excluding you of course,) are the Ankorian Rebellion! We have been attacked by Vladekâs forces many times and yet we have survived! Our city is quite large so we were able to set ambushes and traps along the roads and paths. We would probably be able to harbor whatever allies you might have.â

âSo, weâre relatively close to Vladekâs fortress?â

Matheeas hesitated to confirm this, but as Stirling had already assumed this, and Matheeas dearly wished to be able to relatively trust him, he did so.

â...Yes.â

Stirling paused, mulling this all over.Â âWell, at least youâre not all brigands.â Looking up, he asked, âI assume my possessions will be returned to me in due time?â

âYes, of course! I donât see why not. If we kept them you would not be armed correctly for your journey, and then you may never reach allies to tell them of our existence.â

Stirling raised an eyebrow. âYou want me to tell others of your little rebellion?â

âOnly trusted allies. It would be beneficial to both of us.â

Mild confusion turned to thoughtfulness, which melted into a guarded smile. âVery well, Mr. Lancaster. I think we may have reached a mutual understanding at last.â

âI agree.âÂ

âAll it took was my getting assaulted, maimed, treated, stabbed, treated again, and thrown in this quaint prison cell!â he summarized sarcastically.

âAnd donât forget the gigfran eggs!â Kalaren pointed out.Â

It appeared that talking about other things had kept Stirlingâs mind off of this subject, and bringing it up brought several unsavory symptoms back.

âRight,â Stirling added, suddenly turning a sickly shade of green. âAdd âpoisonedâ to the list.â Then his eyes glazed over and he fainted.

=== Chapter 8: Visitors for the Strider, Part One ===

Stirling had feverish dreams. Another side effect of the accursed bird eggs. He dreamt of being chased by unseen horrors of nature, fighting faceless shadows demanding his deepest kept secrets. When he refused, he suddenly would find little black birds in his mouth which would start chirping away everything. Stirling closed his mouth, and tried to swallow, but instead the birds multiplied and spilled out of his mouth, only to turn on him and peck at hisÂ eyes and face. It only took moments before he seemed to be covered in the never-ending swarm of hatchlingsâ¦!

''' 
'''

Then he awoke, covered in his own puke, which he appeared to have rolled around in, and his eyes burned. Blinking a few times, he realized his visual acuity has decreased. He could still see, but finer details were lost to him.Â

"Great. Just great."

''' 
'''

Looking around, he got up off of the ground and realized he was no longer in the prison cell. Instead he was in a room more appropriate to a guest. It was a basic apartment size, decently furnished. It even had a small washroom adjacent to it. Looking up, Stirling saw the roof having been patched with wood and skins.Â Stirling was surprised by the sheer space of the room compared to his cell. A guard right outside his door was able to explain to him that he was under a form of house arrest, under the authority of the Doctor, not Matheeas. Stirling thought that mighty convenient, but accepted this state of affairs nonetheless.Â

''' 
'''

Over the next few days âDocâ visited and assured him that though he didnât know how long it would take, his vision would clear, along with the rest of his symptoms. Much to Striderâs relief, the gastrointestinal issues did appear to be fading.Â

''' 
'''

As impaired as he was, Stirling nevertheless made use of the time cleaning his armor and talking with visitors, of which there were quite a few.

''' 
'''

Various townsfolk were interested in someone new, as this was a rare occurrence. Stirling was somewhat surprised, but ultimately pleased when they came by. Apparently Matheeas trusted him enough to let his people talk freely with him. Stirling considered how to use this to his advantage, but also was careful not to lose said advantage, doing his best to be a good... 'captive host'?

''' 
'''

There were also less common folk who came by. The occasional person with some fancy title or specific occupation inside the leadership would come by and ask him questions about things abroad. Stirling would answer them as generally as he could. As kind as this resistance seemed to be, his aching left arm warned him constantly that they could be ruthless.

''' 
'''

And then came one other visitor who stood out from all the restâ¦Â

''' 
'''

Early the third day of this routine, the guard outside of his room let this visitor in to his room. Stirling could easily see that he was quite curious, and quite excited. As soon as the door closed, the brown-robed man gave a short bow, and greeted Stirling, who had just gotten dressed for the day in some casual medieval attire. His regular armor and clothing lay on a nearby table, still not yet fully cleaned from his travels.

''' 
'''

âWelcome to Aragarth, Sir Silverstine!â the visitor said.

''' 
'''

âHow do you do, sir.â Stirling replied, unable to make out his features beyond thin, white hair, and no beard. âIâm sorry, I donât recognize you. Should I?â

''' 
'''

The man in front of him, opened his mouth to say something, then decided against it and thought for a second.

''' 
'''

âNo, no you shouldnât. I am Doctor Jellyfish! The head engineer of the Ankorian Rebellion!â

''' 
'''

âJellyfish?â

''' 
'''

âYes! Ever tried it fried?â

''' 
'''

Stirling squinted, wishing he could read this manâs face better.Â âNooâ¦ Canât say I have. Are you pulling my leg?â

''' 
'''

âNo. That would be a strange thing to do!â

''' 
'''

There was a long pause as both men tried to figure out the otherâs reasoning for totally different â¦ reasons.

''' 
'''

âSo, what brings you to see the half-blind soldier from abroad?â Stirling asked, shuffling over to the wood stove.

âOh yes! I almost forgot! Well, to get to that I would have to start at the very beginning."Â Â Â

''' 
'''

Stirling glanced back, kettle in hand. âI was about to brew some coffee. Or what you folks call coffee. You want some?â

''' 
'''

âWould you kill me if I said no?â

''' 
'''

âUm, no?â

''' 
'''

âGood. I know a friend who said no once.â

''' 
'''

âLemme guess. The friend died?â

''' 
'''

âHm? Well, of course! Who doesnât!â

''' 
'''

Stirling paused. What was the point of this conversation again?

''' 
'''

âAnyways, would you like the long story, or the short story?â

''' 
'''

âIâm going to brew myself some coffee, so give me the long story, and weâll see how that goes,â Stirling said.

''' 
'''

âLong story, ok. Would you like the deluxe version?â

''' 
'''

Having got the kettle warming on the wood stove, Stirling turned to his visitor.Â

''' 
'''

âWhat on Crux is the deluxe v- no, you know what. Iâll take the extra-super. With cheese. Just start telling the story!â

''' 
'''

âWell, I donât have cheese, and I donât know what the 'extra-super' is. So Iâm afraid I canât.â

''' 
'''

Stirling facepalmed. âJustâ¦âÂ

''' 
'''

âJust...Ice? Justice? You seek justice? Do you have an attorney? I know a good attorney.â

''' 
'''

Stirling shrugged helplessly. âAre you ok? ''Do you need a Doctor?'' How about a good psychiatrist?â

''' 
'''

âI am a Doctor! And I have a psychiatrist. His name is also Doctor Jellyfish! Though he actually IS a jellyfish.â

''' 
'''

âLemme guess, you havenât seen him in some time.â

''' 
'''

âNumber one, why do you ask me to 'let you guess'? You go right ahead anyway. Number two, he visits me in my dreams.â

''' 
'''

Stirling nodded. ''âYup. Certified crazy, if I ever saw it.â'' he thought. Switching gears, Stirling said, âSo, Dr. Jellyfish. Did you have something to tell me today?â

''' 
'''

âOh yeah! Would you like the malnourished long version, ''deluxe'' long version or the '''super-deluxe''' ''with '''cheese'''''!â Jellyfish said, pulling out a slimy slice of cheese from one of his lab coat pockets. It had something green sliding down the side of it.

''' 
'''

It took Stirling a few seconds to mentally bite back all of his sarcastic comebacks and exclamations, but he eventually replied, âWhatever you like.â

''' 
'''

âWell, I donât like being malnourished. And I donât like cheese. But you like cheese! So we will do the last one!â Jellyfish said, before tossing the slice of cheese at Stirling, accidentally hitting his face, and adding, âHere you go. Oops.â

''' 
'''

âThanks,â Stirling replied dryly, as the slice peeled off, leaving a slimy film.''' 
'''

âOnce upon a time, Four Adventurers journeyed to find the fabled-â

âSkip to the end!âÂ

âEveryone dies,â Jellyfish summarized solemnly.

''' 
'''

âNOT THAT FAR END.â

''' 
'''

âSo, you want me to skip to the middle?â

''' 
'''

Stirling took a deep breath. He could feel his blood pressure rising, geez.

''' 
'''

âIâve been in the Nexus Force, I know the beginning. Skip the tutorial.âÂ

''' 
'''

âPress the spacebar to jump! You can '''do it!'''âÂ

''' 
'''

'''Stirling turned to the 4th wall. It was shattered.'''Â

''' 
'''

âHey, reader. Can you help me find the end to this madness?â

''' 
'''

âDouble tap the spacebarâ¦ To order a double patty with fried french Bacon!â

''' 
'''

âPlease?â

''' 
'''

âYou now have a coronary! Congratulations!â

''' 
'''

âIf I didnât know better, Iâd say he was a robot with a malfunction!â

''' 
'''

âEat twenty-nine a day! part of your daily heart health!â

''' 
'''

âIf you decide to save me, please turn to page fifty-seven. If you decide to leave me to my misery, turn the page.â

''' 
'''

(Next Page)

''' 
'''

[It turns out, Dr. Jellyfish was a'''ctually''' a jellyfish piloting an advanced mecha. There was an issue with the processing center, which was powered by a nuclear micro-reactor. The micro-reactor '''''exploded''''', and all of Aragarth was obliterated. The resulting fallout killed everyone and everything in northwestern Ankoria, which included Vladekâs fort. Vladek visits 3 days later, along with thedude. They both get radiation poisoning, and die.Â

'''Congrats! You killed thousands of people and saved Militeregnum! A much lower death toll than an all out war!''']

=== Blank Page. ===

=== Chapter 8: Visitors for the Strider, Part two!! ===
(Page 57)

''' 
'''

âSo, what brings you to see the half-blind soldier from abroad?â Stirling asked, shuffling over to the wood stove.

''' 
'''

âOh yes, I almost forgot! Well, to get to that, I would have to start explaining from the very beginning.â

''' 
'''

Starting a fire in the wood stove, Stirling said over his shoulder. âGo right ahead. I was about to make myself some coffee, or what you guys here call coffee. Want some?â

''' 
'''

âNo thanks. Please do not be offended, good sir.â

''' 
'''

Filling the kettle with water, Stirling shook his head. âNot at all.â

''' 
'''

âThank you. Would you like the short story or long story?â

''' 
'''

Having gotten the water boiling, Stirling ambled over to a chair. âIâve got all day. Long story.â

''' 
'''

âOh. Well, the rodents should be fine for awhile. Well, would you like the deluxe version?â

''' 
'''

Sitting down, Stirling glanced up at the doctor, who still stood by the door. âSure. Why not.â he motioned to another chair. âSit down, take a load off.â

''' 
'''

âIâm not carrying anything. Well, except maybe this.â Jellyfish said, pulling out a slice of slimy cheese, and draped it over the back of the chair, and sat down.

''' 
'''

Stirling stared at the slice, wondering why this doctor had cheese in his pockets. Maybe it had something to do with his mention of rodentsâ¦?Â However, he didnât stay distracted by it for long, as Jellyfish kicked his feet up and began his story.

''' 
'''

âOne bright and cheery day, on some distant planet neither I or the Author knows the name of, (as of yet,) I was born in a run-down hospital. I was named something.â

''' 
'''

Stirling was about to interrupt, saying he didnât ask for his lifeâs story, only what brought him here today, but the gaping holes that the doctor simply glazed over left Stirling confused enough to simply stay silent and see what else the strange fellow would say.

''' 
'''

âAs a child, I was quite intrigued about science, and cybernetics. Jellyfishâs. I learned about the Nexus Force, and would have enlisted as a scientist, but I had to be proved I was sane. Eventually, I was forced to take sanity medication, and was allowed in. Most of my work was helping some paradox scientists with devising cybernetics for different biological beings, such as horses, large dogs, and even wounded minifigures. When the-â

''' 
'''

A connection fired off in Stirlingâs mind. âHave you helped Kalaren?â

''' 
'''

The scientist was surprised by this interruption, but replied.

''' 
'''

âWhy, yes! I gave him that arm from Vladekâs lab.â

''' 
'''

A thousand mental alarm bells went off. âYou were working for Vladek?!â

''' 
'''

âOnce. Listen to the story and it will make sense.â

''' 
'''

Stirling settled down. âFair enough.â He glanced around for his sword. It was out of his immediate reach, by his armor, behind the doctor. He began thinking of ways to get over there casually as his visitor continued his story.

''' 
'''

âAt the end of the faction wars, I was mistaken as a Paradox scientist allied with thedude. I was sent on the ''âU.S.S. Botany Bayâ''Â which was doomed to crash-land here, on Militeregnum, as you know. I laid low and away from thedude, but he did force me to do the occasional job or two. When he took over, I took up a job as a doctor at the village outside of Thunderclap Kee-'''JELLYFISH!!'''âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling blinked twice in surprise, but otherwise remain unruffled.

âAhem. Sorry. Ever since Iâve been cut off from the city, I haven't been able to get my sanity medication, which has jellyfish as the main ingredient.â

''' 
'''

âThatâs ok. Go on?â

''' 
'''

âThank you. What were we talking about again?â

''' 
'''

âYou lived in a village outside Thunderclap Keep as a doctor.â

''' 
'''

âI DID? Oh. Yes. I did. Thank you again. Anyways, I did the odd job here and there, which largely consisted of giving advanced medical treatment to villagers. I was rivals with Dr. Crabapple. He had a quite dour personality. But he made very tasty cookies!â

''' 
'''

Stirling could see this was derailing. He decided to try and tactfully steer it back.

''' 
'''

âHow did you end up working for Vladek?â

''' 
'''

âHe came to my shop one day and asked if I could work for him for a couple months in one of his labs. I didnât have any long-term jobs at the moment, and I knew Dr. Cashewapple could handle the villagers illnessâ while I was gone. Besides, everyone would love getting cookies more often.â Once Jellyfish mentioned the cookies he had a faraway look in his eyes.

''' 
'''

âThey were heavenly.âÂ

''' 
'''

Ignoring the heavenly cookies mentioned, Stirling asked, âWait, so you met Kalaren in Vladekâs lab? Was he working for him as well???â

''' 
'''

âIâll get to that. I walked out of my shop and was led to Vladekâs carriage. We rode in that for a very long time. We picked up two others. One was very friendly, if nervous. The other one seemed very sinister, and sat next to Vladek. They talked in low tones together. When we arrived at the fort, Vladek himself showed us our accommodations, and then showed us the downstairs lab, In which Kalaren was sleeping strapped to a table. Vladek gave us instructions to take DNA samples daily. We were also permitted to do small, meaningless experiments to him, such as poking him with a stick. We were also allowed to give him silencer.â After a second, Jellyfish added, âIt does exactly what it sounds like.â Jellyfish sighed, and took the piece of cheese that was on the chair and started nibbling on it. Like a rat.

''' 
'''

âSo...He was a prisoner.â

''' 
'''

âNo. He was a doctor. And a part time baker. Why?â

''' 
'''

âIâm talking about Kalaren. Are you?â Before the Dr. could reply, he waved his hands erratically. âForget that, nevermind. How did you and Kalaren escape and end up here with the resistance?âÂ

''' 
'''

âWell, one time, the other two scientists cut off his arm because the DNA samples were taking too long. I wasnât there, though. When Vladek found out, he was not pleased. but the other scientists pitched the idea of cloning Kalaren directly, he calmed down. So they popped him in the cloning machine, and afterwards, he woke up and I was the only one in the room. I gave him a cybernetic arm and we stormed through the fort, out the window into the moat with sharks, then away across the plain and into the forest. We met up with the Ankorian Resistance and they knocked us out. Like you, except quicker. It was more of a âspur of the moment kind of thing.â

''' 
'''

âDo you regret it?â Stirling asked.

''' 
'''

âYes. I will never have such delicious cookies.â

''' 
'''

''âAgain with the cookies!â'' Stirling thought. Just then, the kettle whistled, and Stirling got up as fast as he could. âYou still havenât told me why youâre here today, though.âÂ

''' 
'''

âOh! Yes. Well, you wouldnât be getting the '''Super''' ''Deluxe'' Long Version if I skipped over the hiatus in between my getting beat down and coming here and eating cheese while talking to you, Sir Knight.â

''' 
'''

âGood point.â

''' 
'''

âAlright! So, I woke up, and Kalaren filled me in. Basically, Kalaren was forced to tell Matheeas all about our escapades. Matheeas reasoned that Vladek would send out a search party, which could very well outgun us. Kalaren and I volunteered, and fought in the battle. It was difficult, and we had losses, but we were victorious! Then, and in subsequent battles! The latter being much easier, since we were able to prepare better. Anyways, I was elected as the head tech expert, and Dr. Skopeâs head assistant over the past few years!â Jellyfish smiled with pride, and took an especially large bite of cheese, which made him frown in distaste.

''' 
'''

Stirling had already poured the hot water and instant coffee-like mixture together. However, he hadnât sat back down, instead opting to meander around the room to his sword. Now he leaned against the very table that the sword did, and took a sip of the bitter liquid.Â

''' 
'''

âOk. Does that bring me up to speed?â Stirling asked over the rim of his clay mug. âNow will you tell me what your question was?â

''' 
'''

âI didnât know you were particularly slow. Why would this information make you faster?âÂ

''' 
'''

This coffee wasnât helping. Stirlingâs blood pressure was rising. âWhy. Are you here.â he enunciated.Â

''' 
'''

âOh, no reason. Just to say hi to a fellow Nexus Forcer!â

''' 
'''

Stirling stared at the back of Dr. Jellyfishâs head. â''No reason? No reason?!''â His grip on the clay mug tightened. This was 15 minutes of his life that he would never get back, listening to a crazed lunatic who didnât even know his own name.

''' 
'''

Jellyfish turned his chair around and pondered for a second. Raising one finger, he said, âOh! I just remembered!â He leaned forward. âHow are things going in the Nexus Force? Did they place my infinite cookie machine derived from one of Brick Furyâs implants in the Venture League break-room?âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs mug shattered under his white-knuckle grip, and with it, whatever semblance of casual conversation with this so called âdoctorâ.

''' 
'''

âYou- It- '''''COOKIES!'''''â Stirling spluttered. He found that his mounting frustrations could not be voiced properly.

''' 
'''

âYes! If only they were Dr. Camelfishâs cookiesâ¦â

''' 
'''

'''âAUGH!â''' he cried throwing his hands up in the air, as well as coffee. This alerted the guard, who burst in with two swords un-sheathed.

''' 
'''

âWHO DIED?! DO WE NEED A DOCTOR? I MEAN, '''ANOTHER''' DOCTOR! DOES ANYONE NEED CPR!?!â The tense guard said.

''' 
'''

The intrusion of someone other than the torturous Dr. Jellyfish brought Stirling some semblance of sanity. He pointed at the relaxed, well groomed man in the chair.

''' 
'''

âTAKE HIM A- ahem. I meanâ¦â He looked down at himself, only now realizing heâd spilled Ankorian instant coffee all over himself. âI mean, Um. Nothing, guardsman. Weâre both alright. I just spilled some hot coffee.âÂ

''' 
'''

The now embarrassed guard slowly sheathed both swords and walked out of the room awkwardly.

''' 
'''

âOhâ¦ My.. Apologies.â

''' 
'''

Jellyfish looked at Stirling nonchalantly.

''' 
'''

âYou should have asked him for a towel.â

''' 
'''

Stirling shook his head. âI have one over here in the washroom,â he answered. He picked up his sword and walked over to the washroom, where he pulled a towel off a rack. Then he came back to his armchair next to Jellyfish and sat down.

''' 
'''

âSo, you were asking about the Nexus Force?â

''' 
'''

âYes! Specifically about the Venture League cookie machine matter.â

''' 
'''

Stirling shook his head. âIâm afraid I havenât been off the planet in a little over 6 years. And I wasnât part of Venture League, but you know that, since youâre probably who identified my gear.â

''' 
'''

âOh. Yeah. Well, what was the state of the NF before you left?â

''' 
'''

âWellâ¦âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling and Dr. Jellyfish talked more casually after that, mostly about the Nexus Force and other extraterrestrial matters. Dr. Jellyfish would occasionally go off on tangents, and Stirling didnât bother to try and steer the conversation anymore.Â

''' 
'''

Hours flew by, and both men found a way to enjoy the idle chatter. Eventually though, Dr. Jellyfish excused himself saying he âreally had to get back to the rodentsâ, whatever that meant. Much of the day had already passed, and surprisingly, no other guests called upon his hospitality that day.Â

Stirling was relieved to see the back of him.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 9: A Warrior's Rehabilitation ===

Time continued to pass. The next few days were dull and forgettable compared to Dr. Jellyfishâs visit. Eventually, Stirling grew Stir-crazy and expressed a desire to take a walk. His eyesight was returning well, and no new symptoms were coming up. He felt almost well.Â

''' 
'''

After his next checkup with Dr. Skope, he agreed a casual walk would be most beneficial. Matheeas wouldnât let him free in his city without at least one guard though, so the guardsman who usually attended Stirling and his room came along with him.

''' 
'''

âRemind me what your name is, guardsman?â

''' 
'''

âChris the negative 2nd, at your service!â He replied.

''' 
'''

âNegative 2nd?â

''' 
'''

âOne of my relatives was named Chris. The whole family liked the name so much, we all decided to rename ourselves Chris. I am the original Chrisâs uncle, and I am the same age as his father. All of the Chrisâs after the original Chris are named positive numbers, while all of the Chrisâs before him are named negative ones. Thus, my name. Get it?âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling blinked twice. âYes. But it still doesnât make sense.â

''' 
'''

They strolled through the streets, garnering the attention of many eyes, but most people left the soldier and guardsman alone, going about their business.

''' 
'''

That is, until they came upon a childrenâs game of âpretendâ.Â

''' 
'''

A boy and a girl appeared to be fighting some invisible enemy being puppeted by a younger girl, who appeared to be the âbad guyâ. At least, thatâs what Stirling assumed, based upon her adorable attempt at an evil cackle.

''' 
'''

âYou knights will never defeat my dragon-slave! Bwahahahaha!âÂ

''' 
'''

âGah!â âOh no!â said the two knights, before the boy peeked over his toy wooden shield. âThen itâs a good thing weâre not alone!â

''' 
'''

Right then, a short, round boy came from a nearby ally, dressed in a bath-robe. âBEHOLD! IT IS I, ROTUNDUS MAXIMUS! FEAR MY STICK OF SIZZLING!â he screamed, slamming his broom-handle into the ground. All four kids burst into laughter, with the âlady knightâ commenting, âYeah, that sounds about right.â

''' 
'''

Just then, the âevil wizard girlâ noticed Stirling and Chris coming around the bend. She turned quite red and whispered something to her friends. Chris gave them a smile and a wave.

''' 
'''

The boy knightâs eyes lit up and he ran towards Stirling and Chris, much to the embarrassment of the youngest girl. (The âEvil Wizardâ).

''' 
'''

âHey! Youâre the foreigner, right?â the boy yelled, pointing at Stirling. The youngest girl facepalmed. The others weren't sure if they should follow or stay.

''' 
'''

Stirling smiled, squinting as he tried to make out the finer details of the boy. âWell, Iâm certainly not a local!â he replied jovially.

''' 
'''

The kid finally came into Stirlingâs focus as he stumbled to a stop in front of him. âThe nameâs Jonny. Those other kids over there are Blake, Rita and little Rosa!â He pointed at the others in turn. Both Blake and Rita waved.Â Rosa tried to hide behind them.

''' 
'''

âItâs nice to meet you all,â Stirling said. It had surprised him to run into kids here. Of course, it made perfect sense, now that he thought about it, but Ankoria hardly felt like the best place to raise a family. It seemed almost irresponsible to himâ¦

''' 
'''

Jonâs eyes lit up. âHey! You were beat up right?â

''' 
'''

Stirling stopped his wandering mind and looked back down at the kid. Jonny. âWho told you that?â

''' 
'''

âIâve overheard it at least three times now! My father mentioned it to me once.â

''' 
'''

A wry grin settled on Stirlingâs face. âWell you hear this then. Yeah, I was beat up, but itâs not about never falling down, itâs about always getting back up.â he flung his good right arm wide, his left one still in a loose sling. âAnd look at me, Iâm back up again!â

Jonny thought for a second.

''' 
'''

âHuh. I guess you're right. Anyway, do you want to be our prisoner? Joshua was supposed to be playing the captive king, but he got in trouble and now heâs grounded. So far, weâve been fighting the evil Wizardress, Midnight Veil, for no reason whatsoever. Itâs kinda.. Unexciting.â

''' 
'''

Stirling glanced at his guard, who looked back at him with concern. Turning back to the kids, he smiled apologetically. âMaybe another time. I do appreciate your offer though.â

''' 
'''

Chris visibly contained a sigh of relief, even as Jonny became slightly deflated.

''' 
'''

âOh. Ok. Youâre welcome, Sir.â

''' 
'''

âCome on, Sir,â Chris said to Stirling. âI think we should continue our walk and let the kids play.â

''' 
'''

Stirling nodded in agreement. âIt was nice to meet you, Jonny.â

''' 
'''

âYou too!â Jonny ran back to the others. âHe WAS beat up! I told you so!â The other kids grumbled. Stirling managed to catch one of their statements, âYou arenât actually going to make me eat one of those gigfran eggs, right?â

''' 
'''

Stirling chuckled to himself as they continued their walk.

<nowiki>~~~~ </nowiki>

More time passed. Stirlingâs arm was nearly healed. It was out of itâs sling now, and despite Dr. Skopeâs best efforts and admonishments to take it easy, Stirling found ways to exercise it and get out of his apartment.Â Since he was known around the city as a great fighter, (despite strong evidence to the contrary,) he was asked to spar. Stirling didnât need to be asked twice.Â

''' 
'''

His ever-constant shadow, Chris, at first lent him his poor-quality one handed sword. It was heavy, but Stirling used it with the utmost skill. Nevertheless, he commented often to his beaten challengers that he could give a better lesson if he had his old Samurai katana.

''' 
'''

It didnât take long for word to get around, and. by popular demand, Chris showed up one day with Stirlingâs Katana instead of the heavy sword.

''' 
'''

From then on, Chris held the sword till they would go on a walk and get challenged by some foe or another, to which Stirling would accept the sword, win the sparring match, give pointers, and then hand the katana back.

At one of these points, Stirling and Chris were challenged by Stirlingâs original attacker, Kevin, while passing the town square. He was followed at a short distance by a cloaked Kalaren. Kevin strode up, and began to speak.

''' 
'''

âHey, dude, up for a re-match?â

''' 
'''

Stirling grinned. Clearly, this had been planned. A small crowd was hemming in the square. Quicker than normal.

''' 
'''

âWhy? You feel bad about losing before?â StirlingÂ trash-talked.

Kevin stopped grinning and walking. His face reddened. He glanced around at the crowd, slowing his gaze ever so slightly at a small group of tittering young girls. He turned back to Stirling and said, âThatâs not how I remember things.â

One of the people in the crowd spoke up. âYeah! you told us you mopped the floor with him! Cleaned up every grain of dirt from theâ¦ Dirt!â

''' 
'''

âYeah! The mountain-top dirt!â

''' 
'''

âWasnât it sun-down?âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling waved his hands. âClearly, thereâs a difference of opinion. How about we see the facts?â Here, Chris coolly handed Stirling his Katana, and produced a whistle and a black and white striped cap. He was suddenly turned into a referee.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling smirked at Chris. âOh, youâre so official now,â he teased.

''' 
'''

Chris raised an eyebrow. âYou would be surprised.â With this, he stood in the center of the square as both Kevin and Stirling came forward.

''' 
'''

âOk, I want a good clean duel! I hope you two bathed recently. No dismemberment or extreme bloodshed. Remember, this is a friendly practice fight. The duel will continue until either opponent is forced to yield. So uh, hope there isnât any blood feuds or anything, this isnât a matter of pride. Itâs a matter of the audienceâs entertainment.âÂ

''' 
'''

To this, Stirling raised a quiet eyebrow, but didnât interrupt.Â Â

''' 
'''

âAnd lastly, donât die, and donât have too much fun.â

''' 
'''

Stirling pointed his sword at Kevin. âYouâre telling him to not die, and me to not have too much fun, right, Chris?â

''' 
'''

âAs referee, I am impartial...â Chris leaned towards Stirling and whispered, âBut Iâm betting my kid on you.â

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs eyes widened. âSurely, you jest.â

''' 
'''

âNo, no! My goatâs kid! Thatâs what you call them. Kids.â

âOh. Right.â

Someone in the crowd called for the fight to start. Chris corrected them, saying this was more of an exhibition than a simple âfightâ and that started a conversation that derailed everything for about 3 minutes. Eventually, Chris just started the fight out of the blue, taking both swordsman by surprise.

''' 
'''

The first to recover was Kevin. He swung his sword wildly at Stirling, trying to take advantage of his surprised state.

''' 
'''

Stirling backpedaled from the center of the arena, giving Kevin plenty of room to flail. Stirling would have laughed along with the rest of the crowd, but he was too busy analyzing his opponent, now that he had the space to do so.Â

''' 
'''

Soon enough, Kevin stopped and stepped back, supposedly doing the same.

''' 
'''

Various folks wished they had a camera, as the two opponents stared each other down in their two very different stances. Kevinâs stance was tight and controlled. He had both hands on his longsword. It was an aggressive stance.

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs by comparison, seemed quite sloppy. He held his Katana loosely in his good right hand, standing sideways to his opponent. He swished it lightly in the air, towards Kevin.

''' 
'''

âCome on, âbroâ. Come at me.â he taunted. Kevin considered it, but then relaxed a little bit and grinned.

''' 
'''

âOh no, dude, by all means, you go first.â

âAha. Youâre no amateur.â

Stirling raised his sword to point, in a more precise stance reminiscent of the corsairs. He jerkily shuffled through the dirt closer and closer to Kevin, who swung his sword in a diagonal downward swipe, trying to pin Stirlingâs sword to the ground. However, his longsword was not fast enough for Striderâs lighter Nexus Force Katana though, which darted back to itâs ownerâs chest, before zipping back out to tag Kevinâs neck with the flat end of the blade. Chris blew his whistle, and a disappointed sigh went through the crowd.

âYou did well to be cautious, up until the point that you werenât. I wouldnât use such heavy swings against an opponent until you knew he or she would be too tired to dodge.â He paused, considering. âOr if they couldnât see it coming.â

With this, Kevin stood up, deflated. He nodded in half-hearted appreciation before going into the crowd.Â

Stirling felt just a bit bad about trash-talking Kevin so much now. After all, Stirlingâs Nexus Force made Katana was just a huge advantage...

''' 
'''

Chris stepped forward again and blew his whistle, âNext up, Kalaren Grimfire!â

âWait, thereâs more?â Stirlingâs attention was called back to the spot where Kevin had exited the arena. There, his next challenger, Kalaren, was striding in with a spear. Today, he was very much bereft of his customary hooded cloak. Instead, he was dressed in light chainmail with a white tunic over it that displayed The Ankorian Resistance insignia. He had leather gloves and boots, and had a visored iron helmet on. Stirling noticed that there was some sort of dagger in Kalarenâs right boot.

âI seeâ¦â Stirling said. Undaunted, Stirling returned to the center of the ring, bouncing on the balls of his toes to get his blood pumping. Things were getting serious. Chris went through the rules quickly, not giving anyone amongst the crowd time to argue his semantics, and blew his whistle again.Â

''' 
'''

Immediately, Stirling jumped back to put distance between him and his opponent. However, Kalaren had been watching the previous fight. He threw his spear at Stirling, pressing the attack.

Stirling only just barely avoided the vicious thrust aimed at his torso, his attention was on the spear passing him by within inches. Turning back to his opponent, he saw Kalaren coming at him with his cybernetic right arm raised to punch his opponent.

''âOh. Right.â''

<nowiki> </nowiki>Stirling lashed his Katana out at what would normally be a defenseless enemy, but KalarenÂ was able to grasp the katana with his metallic hand and wrench it out of his hands, giving Strider blisters. Kalaren turned to thrust the sword away into the ground, giving Stirling the opening to slug him, with his non-sword hand, which dazed Kalaren. Unfortunately, that hand was connected to his bad arm, which he realized only after it twinged. Outwardly, Stirling muttered, âAgh, jeez.â Inwardly, he thought,''âIâll have to check that later.â''

Though his hand was now cut, having struck Kalarenâs visored helmet, he was satisfied to see his opponent stagger from the ringing blow. Instead of pressing the attack, though, Stirling reconsidered how to defeat someone with such an overpowering right arm. Wrestling, pinning, fist-fighting, all out. He couldnât disarm a weapon like that, it was a part of him, (And Chris had said no dismemberment,) so what did that leave?

Kalaren had recovered from his dizzy spell, and now pulled out the blade from his boot that Stirling had noticed earlier. Some in the crowd boo-ed at the fact a new weapon was being introduced mid-battle, but both opponents looked to Chris for a ruling. Chris was white faced by now, and asked the crowd for a knife.

âNo, no,â Stirling said, neither combatant having moved. âI donât need another weapon just handed to me. Iâll make do.â A young feminine sigh was heard from somewhere in the crowd, as well as whispering from the same area.

Chris sighed, sounding old and sad, and prepared to hand his kid over to Wilda. âFine. But you better be right.âÂ

Stirling grinned dangerously. Chris blew the whistle, and Stirling dove behind himself for the spear Kalaren had thrown at the beginning of the match. Hearing Kalaren on his very heels, Stirling grabbed the spear, rolled, and twisted, landing the maneuver tightly crouched on his feet at the edge of the surprised crowd, the spear thrust outward towards Kalaren, whoâs momentum carried him forward into a slide, and ended up underneath the spear butt.

The smallest of seconds saw the opponents staring at each otherâs eyes in momentary confusion as to how this happened. Then Stirling turned the spear from itâs vertical thrust to a horizontal position, and tried to push it down onto Kalarenâs throat. At the same time, Kalaren tried to slash at Stirlingâs neck, but it was blocked by Stirlingâs pressing spear.

Chris then became a whistleblower, and blew the whistle. He then pointed at Stirling and shouted, âWinner!!â quite happily. Some were confused about who he was pointing to, including Stirling and Kalaren, but eventually the point got across.

âI won?â Stirling asked. âBut, from what I understood, neither of us yielded,â he argued, still sitting on top of Kalaren.

Chrisâs smile turned into a frown. Annoyed, he turned towards Kalaren (again, confusing.) and asked him, âWell, do you yield?â Kalaren looked down at the dagger and staff above his throat, gulped, turned back to Chris, and nodded. Chris nodded in satisfaction. He started to speak. âWell. I think thatâs everybody so-â

âNo! Not everybody.â interrupted a familiar voice from the crowd. Matheeas stepped out amongst much murmuring, and shrugged off his cloak. With his right arm, he was holding his helmet. He was dressed in full iron armor. His left arm had an iron buckler strapped to it, upon which, The Ankorian Resistance symbol was painted on. He spoke up. âIt has come to my attention that there is an unbeatable warrior in this town.â He smirked and his eyes twinkled. âI decided to try my hand against him.â

Stirling stood up. Offering a hand up to Kalaren, he replied, âWell, youâre welcome to try.â

âOh, Iâll try alright. And win. Even though Iâm offering you a set of armor for this duel!â The murmuring intensified. As well as the whispering.

Stirling too, was surprised. âIâ¦â he lowered his head in thought. Next to him, Kalaren shrugged. âYou can borrow mine, I just found it in the armoury,â he offered, his voice tinny coming from the helmet. Stirlingâs eyes darted to it.Â

âActually, I already have my Samurai Armor, though there are parts of it that Iâve lost over the years.â he said to Kalaren. Turning to his third, (and hopefully final) challenger, Stirling said, âI accept your challenge, and your gracious offer!â

Matheeasâs smile broadened, and he beckoned over to his armor bearers, who brought forth Stirlingâs armor, which was quite similar to Matheeasâs, though noticeably lighter. They also brought out a buckler and kite shield, as well as a longsword, claymore, and broadsword for him to choose from. Stirling accepted most of the armor, as well as the buckler, for his left arm. Though he was loathe to not use his signature Katana, he took note of Matheeasâs broadsword, and regretfully handed the Katana back to Chris, who looked ready to faint.

âIf Iâm going to be losing my speed for defense like Matheeas, Iâm going to need to pack a heavier punch.â

Chris wordlessly nodded, sheathing the Katana.

Stirling picked up the broadsword with both hands. He realized that his left strokes were going to be noticeably weaker, and realized he was going to have to fight off-stance for the strongest right swings he could manage.

Stirling blessed his lucky stars that he and Sir Thingguy had practiced so often with their respective off-handedness.

Chris hopefully ventured, âShall the Commander have a handi-cap?â

Surprisingly, Stirling was the one who said âNo.â

Matheeas turned to his opponent in mild surprise quickly, before turning to Chris.

Chris had lost all hope. His eyes bulged out at Stirling. âYouâre killing me.â

Stirling shrugged as he got help getting his armor strapped on. âHey, I signed up for one fight. These past two were not my fault.â He pointed at Matheeas. âTake it up with Lancaster.â Chris just shook his head and walked off while both duelists were preparing. A few minutes later he returned with a small chair and the goat kid. He sat down in the chair defeatedly and held the goat still. Snickers were heard from the crowd. Stirling was surprised at the goatâs size. It was the size of your average mature goat. Once he thought about it though, it made perfect sense. Heâd seen the adult goats before on his walks; some were a little bit bigger than adolescent elephants.

Preparations were nearly complete, and it was blatantly obvious that the entire city had shown up around the town square, and adjacent buildings.

âHEâS GONNA GET BEAT UP AGAIN!â came a shrill voice from above. Stirling craned his neck to see a group of kids on the roof of a three-story building. He waved. They waved back. One of them almost fell over the side, but was pulled back.

The preparations were finished. Chris half-heartedly stood up.

âDo we need to review the rules? Again?â

âYouâre the ref, youâre supposed to be told not to!â Stirling barked, his excitement getting the better of his tone.

Matheeas chuckled at Stirlingâs joke. Chris just shook his head.

âI donât have the energy to do it anyway. Go ahead and kill each other already.â Chris stepped back as the fight beganâ¦

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 10: The Fate of Chris the Negative 2nd's Goat Kid. ===
Both Stirling and Matheeas rushed forward. Stirling made for a thrust at Matheeas, who parried the attack, changing his overhead swing to push the opponentâs blade towards the ground. Then he continued his forward movement and slashed diagonally upward to his foeâs neck, but was blocked by Stirlingâs shield. Undaunted, Matheeas forced Stirling to step back and recover his sword, and followed this up with a series of vicious strikes that Stirling deterred.Â

''' 
'''

Backed up nearly all the way across the arena, Stirling blocked another brutal swing from Lancaster, before giving an almighty roar out of nowhere and putting his full body weight into his shield, ramming him bodily. This took Matheeas by surprise and knocked him down. Rolling away, Matheeas stepped back up to see Stirling charging at him, his open-faced helmet showing fiery eyes. Matheeas raised his shield and prepared to thrust.Â

''' 
'''

Seeing that Mattheeas had hunkered down, putting all of his Â Â weight on his back foot, Stirling charged straight at him, spinning to his opponentâs right, in a terrific feint as he went for the back. However, Matheeas saw him at the last second, and raised his sword arm in an attempt to parry. However, he was too late to parry it fully, and instead Stirlingâs full-blown, spin-aided attack ripped through the thin metal and shredded the chainmail underneath. Matheeas yelled in pain before turning around to face his attacker. He let go of his sword and his arm hung loosely.Â

''' 
'''

One of the bystanders yelled out, âDo we need an intermission?âÂ

''' 
'''

âNah! Heâll be fine!â replied Chris.

''' 
'''

Stirling looked in askance at his sparring partner. Matheeas was breathing heavily, but shook his head.

''' 
'''

Stirling unbuckled his shield, stepping forward towards Mathee- No wait. Stooping down, he picked up Matheeasâs sword, and advances on the sword-less Commander.

''' 
'''

âMight as well finish it quick,â Stirling thought, hoping that the Commander was a good sport. After all, it wouldnât be easy to lose with the entire Rebellion watching.

''' 
'''

Matheeas wearily watched him. At least, he did until he threw his now unbuckled shield with full force.

''' 
'''

The thin shield zoomed right past Stirlingâs twin swords, the edge ramming right into his chest and face, where itâs spinning power made it run up into the air.Â Entirely shocked, Stirling was sent staggering backwards, dropping both swords and landing in the dust. Extremely dizzy, Stirling was still coherent enough to grab a sword that had fallen close to him. Grabbing it with his left, he scrambled to get up, convinced that his enemy was about to pounce with the other lost sword.

''' 
'''

Chris came over to check on him.

''' 
'''

âYou okay?â

''' 
'''

He got a sword-point set inches from his neck. âOh. Itâs you Chris. Yeah, Iâm fine,â Stirling said, even as he wondered when Chris had put stars in his hair.

''' 
'''

âYeah well, you better be better than fine! My goatâs at stake here.âÂ

''' 
'''

âYou can brand thâhat goatâh, itâs aâ good asâh youâs,â Stirling said, staggering to his feet. He turned to his opponent, who looked as tired as he was dizzy.Â

''' 
'''

âLancatâherâ¦â Stirling began, but no witty remark came to mind.Â

''' 
'''

Matheeas walked over to the other free sword and awkwardly picked it up with his left hand.

''' 
'''

Stirling grinned. Suddenly, he realized there was blood in his mouth. He spat it out, along with a tooth.

''' 
'''

âAw Cruâth.â So thatâs why his speech was off. He must look pretty ugly now.

''' 
'''

Matheeas held his sword out towards Stirling warily, trying to assess the situation.Â

''' 
'''

Matheeas was bone tired, effectively one-handed, but otherwise, had escaped actual injury rather well. Stirling on the other hand, didnât seem as tired as him, but somehow, looked twice as bad. Nevertheless, Stirling settled down in a two-handed stance with his broadsword, all the while grinning toothily. It was slightly unnerving. Which was probably why he was doing it.

''' 
'''

Both advanced towards each other and did an upward swing. Their swords slid alongside each other, skipping the pommels causing the blades to end up near their respective throats.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling smiled and said, âGooâth fightâhâ.â

''' 
'''

There was a stunned silence amongst the crowd, which Chris broke with a whoop.

''' 
'''

âBEST OUT OF THREE! THE GOATâS MINE!â Somewhere amongst the crowd, there was grumbling. Shortly after that, the crowd broke into loud cheering.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 11: Aftermath. ===

All three fighters received medical attention. Dr. Skope was nowhere to be found, so Dr. Jellyfish was treating the patients. Stirling answered a few questions from a nurse while he waited for the the doctor to finish treating Matheeas.Â

''' 
'''

Not long after a loud exclamation of âJELLYFISH!â, Matheeas came out of the Doctorâs office with a cast on his right hand that looked like a gigantic white boxing glove.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling winced as he made contact with the Commander. âSâthâorry about thâat. I thâought for thâure youâd block me,â he muttered awkwardly. Matheeas waved it off with his good arm.

''' 
'''

âConsider it payback for when I ordered your arm to be stabbed.â

''' 
'''

At this, Stirling felt much relieved. âSâthâounds good. Hey, iâth thâat a doodle of a jellyfiâth on your caâthât?âÂ

''' 
'''

Matheeas looked down at his cast in surprise.

''' 
'''

âI KNEW it! Heâll pay! Iâll give him solitary confinement!â Matheeas said as he walked out of the room.

''' 
'''

âYou could juâth âtharpie over it!â Stirling yelled after him, before realizing that Matheeas probably didnât know what a sharpie was anyway.

''' 
'''

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

''' 
'''

After Stirlingâs physical health was cleared, (his shoulder was now declared totally clear by Dr. Jellyfish, though Stirling said he would wait to hear that from Dr. Skope,) Stirling instantly began considering when he would leave Aragarth. He had spent far too much time here already. The old impatience that continually spurred him onward was growing again, reminding him of his first and greatest mission, which could not wait any longer...

''' 
'''

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

''' 
 
'''

Matheeas strode through the spacious dining hall he was in.

''' 
'''

Aragarthians were laying food on the long table in the middle of the room. It had been years since it had pulled out at such short notice, and not prepared for a holiday. It would be good to gather everyone together, and take a break from the everyday worries that came with running a resistance. Matheeas thought over the plan that Kevin had laid out before him only a few days ago with the help of a surprisingly mischievous Methuselah and not so surprisingly Dr. Jellyfish.

''' 
'''

''âSo, Commander Dude, The Hardcore dude is looking alot better, but Health Dude says he needs to recuperate for another week! Well, I came up with this plan!â''

''''' 
'''''

''âPlease, go ahead.â''

''''' 
'''''

''âSo, step one,â Kevin had turned around and gestured to Jellyfish. âDoc Jelly here will make sure Health Dude is occupied. Step two: Chris takes Hardcore dude on a walk. along the way, they come across this open area where most of us will be. There, I, and the Mandude will see if he really is unbeatable!âÂ ''

''''' 
'''''

''âThey will duel him, and test his arm. If Mr. Silverstineâs arm is fine, then weâll have a dinner all together, as a sort of going away party.â Methuselah explained.''

''''' 
'''''

''âSo, Dude, whaddya think?â''

''''' 
'''''

''Heâd considered it thoughtfully. âI donât see the harm in it. Itâll boost morale as well.â''

''''' 
'''''

''âSo youâll give it the green light?â 
 
âGo ahead,â heâd replied. All three of the conspirators had grinned maniacally. It was infectious; heâd cracked a grin of his own.''

''' 
'''

He looked down ruefully at his cast now, with that ridiculous doodle that Dr. Jellyfish had drawn. Some hideous bloated monster that lived under the sea, from what he understood. He was beginning to regret that decision. Maybe heâd feel better once everyone was gathered together in fellowship, eating.

''' 
'''

He saw someone walking towards him. He couldnât recognize him due to the big helmet he had on, but he could tell that he was a captain of the guard according to the dark orange tunic that he was wearing. When he got close enough to engage in conversation, the Captain saluted, and greeted him.

''' 
'''

âCommander! We just received a messenger gigfran from Deke and Mauss. The message says that they spotted some of Vladekâs rogues at one of the old mines. They saw three people come outÂ and talk to the rogues before they headed towards Vladekâs fortress. Deke and Mauss are still investigating.âÂ Â

''' 
'''

âThree people who werenât rogues?"

''' 
'''

âNo Sir. They were dressed in rags. one of them had an axe sort of weapon that looked rogue.â

''' 
'''

âDescribe them to me.âÂ

''' 
'''

âThere was one male, and two females, as well as our scouts could tell. One of them had long messy blond hair and an unkempt beard. He had an off-white coat that was in shreds, Similar to Dr. Jellyfishâs. About in his mid thirties. Another has long brown hair. She wore something that Dr. Jellyfish would describe as a space age mystic robe. the other one also had long brown hair, except with streaks of gray. She was dressed in a sweatshirt and pants.â

âDoesnât sound like anyone we know. Iâll ask Jellyfish if he might know anyone later. Thanks, Bruce.âÂ

âYouâre welcome, Sir.â

''' 
'''

âReturn to your post.â

''' 
'''

âYessir.â

''' 
'''

Matheeas sighed. This break was going to be shorter than he might have hoped. He walked over to the table. The Ankorian Resistance couldnât afford a feast by far, but they tried to make this dinner somewhat fancy. Something to remember.Â

''' 
'''

The centerpiece of the meal was to be a big, plump goat that had gotten too old to ride hard and fast, slow roasted in a covered ground pit. They also had two massive salads that were made from some of the few herbs and leafy greens that were edible in Ankoria. There was a variety of goat cheeses, as well as a cask of wine made from a strange type of grapes.Â Water, and goat milk were also available, of course. Matheeas looked down to the head of the table. There were three chairs there. The center one for him, and on the right side would be Methuselah, followed by Kevin and Dr. Jellyfish. On the left would be Kalaren, followed by Stirling and Chris the -2nd.

''' 
'''

Everything was nearly complete. They just needed to wait for the guests. Methuselah came over, followed by a distracted Stirling, who besides a few innocuous bandages, and a strange smile, didnât look too bad. Then came Kalaren and Kevin, equally none the worse for wear. And finally, Jellyfish. Other residents of Aragarth arrived as well. As the guests began to sit down, Dr. Scope burst through the sizable double doors. His face was red with fury. He pointed at Dr. Jellyfish with one finger and shouted, âDR. JELLYYYYYFIIIIIIIISSSSHHHH!!!!â

''' 
'''

Jellyfish gasped. âOh NO! My compulsive jellyfish insanity is ''CONTAGIOUS!''â Jellyfish turned around and started shaking Stirling as he passed by his chair. âWEâRE '''DOOMED!!'''â

''' 
'''

Stirling seemed uncertain. âPerhaps, but I think right now youâre the only one in danger,â he replied, as Dr. Jellyfish continued to shake him.

''' 
'''

âOh, sorry, you donât know.â He stopped shaking Stirling, leaned across Kevin and started shaking Methuselahâs arm. âIT COULD SPREAD '''WORLDWIDE!â'''

''' 
'''

âWe canât let that happen!â cried the mage. âWeâll have to ''quarantine'' you and Steph!â

''' 
'''

âWell, maybe we wouldnât go that fa-âÂ

''' 
'''

âNo! I am perfectly fine thank you! Well, other than the fact that Dr. Jellyfish ''sedated'' me for your ''reckless'' tourney!â yelled Dr. Skope, still standing at the doorway, livid.

''' 
'''

âIt was all Kevinâs idea!â Jellyfish said quickly. Everyone present turned their eyes to Kevin.

''' 
'''

Kevin waited for dramatic effect, then easily deflected. âWell, how was I supposed to know heâd put him under?â

''' 
'''

Matheeas smiled. âDonât try to cover for him, Kevin. Itâs not worth it. We all know youâre fully responsible, Jellyfish. Why, Iâm beginning to think your doctors license here in Aragarth should be suspended.â

''' 
'''

âBut Iâm innocent! Right Kevin?â

''' 
'''

âNo way, dude. The Health Dude deserves better.âÂ

''' 
'''

Jellyfish was now beginning to panic.

''' 
'''

âBut Commander, why would y-Waitâ¦â Jellyfishâs eyes narrowed at Matheeas. âOh. Oh. You know, that was a beautiful picture of a jellyfish.â

''' 
'''

Matheeas raised a coolly mischievous eyebrow. âSo thatâs what it was?â Mattheas looked down at his sling, where Jellyfish had left his condolences. âI thought it was a picture of a goatâs bladder. Weâll talk about that later. But for now, let us eat!â Matheeasâs statement was met with many cheers.Â

''' 
'''

Matheeas was the first to serve himself, as was his right as the leader. Then, Stirling, being the guest of honor, served himself a little bit of everything. Then, the other competitors in the duel served themselves, followed by Jellyfish and Methuselah. Then the food was passed down the table.

''' 
'''

As they began to eat, everyone relaxed. Jokes and friendly conversation were passed around throughout the dinner.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling had served himself some of the wine for a drink. Now, he took a sip, and found it to be rather more bitter and biting than heâd expected. His brief look of surprise was noticed by Kalaren.

''' 
'''

âNot as sweet as expected?â

''' 
'''

Stirling chuckled. âWhere Iâm from, itâs generally more sweet or fruity. This isâ¦â Stirling searched for the right word. âAlmost... acidic.â

''' 
'''

âOur wine is made a different way than usual,â Kalaren said. âThere were a few vineyards in the city when the resistance started. One of the earlier members tried one of the grapes, and died a horrible death. Not quite as bad as gigfran eggs, though."

''' 
'''

Stirling gave him an âunamusedâ look, before he continued.

''' 
'''

âWe named the grapes âThe Grapes of Wrath!â Soon after that resistance member died, they found a way to cut up and boil the grapes and make a safe, if bitter, wine. Usually, we put a little in our water supplies to purify it. We only give fresh water to our youth, however. We make an exception for holidays and such.â

''' 
'''

âLike today?â

''' 
'''

âExactly! Though this was at much shorter notice than usual.â

''' 
'''

Stirling chuckled. âIs there anything in Ankoria that wonât poison you without any sort of preparation beforehand?âÂ

''' 
'''

Kalaren thought about this for a bit. âThere are a few herbs. Some can even be made into medicinal draughts that can counteract poisoning from some other thing you ate in Ankoria. And then, of course, there are some things we grow and raise here in Aragarth that Methuselah guards from corruption.âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling smiled as he shook his head. âItâs impressive, this resistance against the very land that you all keep up.â

''' 
'''

âWe need to. If not, we would starve or be stamped out by Vladekâs forces.â Kalarens face darkened.

''' 
'''

âBut,â Stirling hesitated, before continuing more quietly. âWhat I donât understand is, why not move away?â

''' 
'''

âFor some, we donât want to leave our homes. Almost everyone here hasnât been anywhere other than Ankoria. Otherwise, we would be at a disadvantage if we relocated. We already are in a defensible situation, and nobody wants to go to Ankoria, with the curse and all, leaving it for us. The only real threat we have is Vladek.â

''' 
'''

âIs that why you stay? Because this is your home?âÂ

''' 
'''

Kalarenâs orange eyes burned. âThatâs part of the reason. The people here are the closest thing I have to a family, now. The other part is that I want to make a stand against Vladek. Someday make him pay.â

''' 
'''

This garnered Stirlingâs interest greatly. âSomething personal?â

''' 
'''

âYou could say that. He slaughtered my entire family, if that counts.â

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs mouth went dry. Roughly, he swallowed his bite. âVladek?â That sounded pretty ruthless, even for thedudeâs right-hand man.

''' 
'''

âHe did it himself.â

''' 
'''

âButâ¦ Why? How did you survive?â Suddenly, Stirling backpedaled. âIâm sorry, thatâs rather personal; if you donât want to talk about it I-â

''' 
'''

âNot talking about it wonât do anything. Iâd rather you knew than be ignorant of it.â Kalaren replied bitterly. Stirling nodded his understanding and leaned back as Kalaren began.

''' 
'''

âI better start from the beginning. Youâll probably think I'm a lunatic, but would you believe I came from an alternate dimension?â

''' 
'''

Stirling remained silent. He took another quaff of wine. Finally, âYes. Not initially, but perhaps yes.âÂ

''' 
'''

Kalaren turned his head and stared at Stirling.

''' 
'''

âWhat.âÂ

''' 
'''

âIt says a lot about my life that it wouldnât be the craziest thing Iâve ever heard.â

''' 
'''

âI seeâ¦â

''' 
'''

âAlso, I really donât see why you would start a story like that unless it were true. Or you were pulling my leg. Which, due to the context, Iâm certain you are not.â

''' 
'''

Kalaren nodded. âIn my dimension, Ankoria was a beautiful kingdom. But then, something strange happened. People from different eras began visiting the present. People began to have their own sense of time. For example, what was ten minutes for me was three seconds for my sister. And then, of course, since people from the future came to the present, they also brought the Maelstrom with them.âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs eyebrows knit together at the mention of the Maelstrom, but Kalaren was on a roll, and didnât seem to notice.

''' 
'''

âOnce, they attacked the town I lived in, and though we were eventually able to fend them off with some Nexus Force gear, my father, who was the best blacksmith in Ankoria, was infected. My mother and the local doctor, along with a few Nexus Forcers that had been staying in the town did the best they could to keep him well. We never got to the conclusion of his illness, though. A couple weeks after the maelstrom attack, there was a barbarian raid. On my birthday, as a matter of fact. I was walking around the town when I saw the barbarians, but then I saw someone beyond them, who turned out to be Vladek, but what surprised me was that he was headed for my house. The rest of my family was there. I ran through the mob, mostly oblivious to the cuts and scrapes I received. But I couldnât catch up to Vladek. His sense of time was faster than mine. Up ahead, I saw him enter my house. As I rushed through the door, I found evidence he had killed my sisters. I rushed through the house. I looked down one hallway and saw him standing over my father, who was sitting on the floor. I rushed down the hallway, and grabbed an antique weapon off the wall. I tried to put up a fight against Vladek, but he just whipped my weapon away and knocked me out... Or something like that. I donât remember much after he flicked my dagger away.â

''' 
'''

âWhat about your Mother?â Stirling asked.Â Â Â

''' 
'''

âI never saw her. Vladek must have killed her like anyone else.â Kalaren said, before taking a sip of his goat milk.

''' 
'''

Stirling leaned back again, pondering what Kalaren had told him. Time itself being messed with? By Vladek? Alternate Dimensions?

If any of this were trueâ¦ He had to put a stop to it.

''' 
'''

Kalaren set his cup down and picked up his story.âApparently, Vladek wanted to have a sword that could rival thedudeâs sword. He came to my father for such a sword. He took me prisoner so that he could experiment on me or something, I guess. But then he found out that the sword could only be used by someone of my bloodline. So, he started taking DNA and blood samples to create a clone. Eventually, the scientists who were taking the samples got tired and cut off my arm to use that for DNA.â

''' 
'''

âAnd later, Dr. Jellyfish built you that robot arm, right?âÂ

''' 
'''

â...Yes, how did you know?â Kalaren asked, suspicious.

''' 
'''

âI had a long, frustrating, conversation with your friend.âÂ

''' 
'''

Kalaren laughed. âJellyfish?â

''' 
'''

âJellyfish.â

''' 
'''

âI see! Well, you know the rest then. Did he tell you I have a clone still somewhere in Vladek's Fortress?â

''' 
'''

Stirling took a moment to digest the information. His eyes turned down towards his plate. âI think soâ¦ But more than that, you may have some sort of insanely powerful sword, a space and/or time manipulator, and Lord knows what else, all within reach of Vladek himself!â

''' 
'''

âYes. Which is why I stay here. I have to stay here and do whatever I can to stop him. So does everyone else here.â

''' 
'''

Stirling had to physically fight the urge to get up and do something about what he was hearing. As it was, his eyebrows seemed to be fusing together in a deeply concerned unibrow for all time. So much so, that Kalaren apparently decided to change the subject.

''' 
'''

âBut, on a lighter note, you seemed quite distracted when you walked in. What caused you to be so?â

''' 
'''

It took Stirling a minute to stop worrying about these new threats and think about more trivial matters. But with a little effort, he did.

''' 
'''

âOh. Actually, itâs this tooth.â he grinned toothily and pointed at one of his teeth. Kalaren peered more closely, and realized it was a silver tooth. âItâs silver,â Stirling confirmed, before closing his mouth. âDr. Jellyfish put it in.â

''' 
'''

âBecause your last name is Silverstine?â

''' 
'''

âYeah. Also, I didnât want a gold tooth. Thatâs just a good way to get robbed and lose it again.â

''' 
'''

âHuh. Makes sense. I thought it had to do with the girl thatâs been gazing at you dreamily throughout the dinner. Well, except for a little bit ago.â

''' 
'''

Stirling raised a dubious eyebrow, but didnât look back at the other guests. âIs that so? Which row? How far?â

''' 
'''

âThe opposite row. Nine chairs down.â

''' 
'''

Stirling picked up a knife he had, and used the blade like a mirror. Unfortunately, the light in the room reflected off of the knife and caught her right in the eyes. Hastily, Stirling put the knife down. Nobody was able to pin it on him. Well, except Kalaren. But he didnât speak up.

''' 
'''

âSheâs pretty, I suppose. But far too young,â Stirling commented to Kalaren, confusion and amusement crossing his faceÂ

''' 
'''

âI agree. But evidently, she is not aware of the fact. Kevin tried to duel you to impress her. It didnât work in his favor, clearly.â

''' 
'''

âIs that so?â

''' 
'''

Kalaren nodded.

''' 
'''

âWell look at you!â Stirling chuckled. âYouâve got all the juicy tidbits. Iâll have to remember that.â

''' 
'''

âI canât help that Iâm trained in espionage. That, and, news travels fast in a town of approximately 40 people. Everybody knows.â

''' 
'''

âYou get trained in espionage as part of the resistance?â

''' 
'''

âWell, not so much espionage, but they do train us in stealth.â

''' 
'''

âAwareness.â

''' 
'''

âYeah, exactly.â

''' 
'''

Stirling chuckled again. âBet you could teach me some of that. I seem to be slipping in that regard, the older I get. Only thing thatâs kept me alive is my sword and my shield.â He rolled his left shoulder. âAnd a mulish body that just wonât die.â

''' 
'''

âWell, I stink at using a sword.â

''' 
'''

âBut youâve got that cybernetic arm, surely youâre not a bad fighter!â

''' 
'''

âNo, no. Iâm a good fighter, generally. I just resort to flailing at close quarters.â

''' 
'''

Stirling tilted his head and spared a glimpse for Kalarenâs right arm. Right now, it was covered in a thick black mesh. Here and there were little holes and slits, for access to lights and the occasional discrete panel or button. The lights glowed a dark purple, almost blending in with the black around it.

âHave you ever considered pugilism?â

âYeah, but when I asked the resident librarian, Linda, if they were any books on the subject, she said there wasnât any. There used to be one, but someone dropped it into a canal. The military training I went through does give you a few pointers if youâre caught in a struggle, however.âÂ

''' 
'''

âIâm surprised you havenât taken more advantage of that arm!â Stirling said. âIt must be very useful.â

''' 
'''

âI keep on forgetting itâs there. It is useful in archery, but I try not to do anything super strenuous, because otherwise it runs low on power. Jellyfish has it rely on solar power, usually. But it does have an alternative energy source of maelstrom energy, unfortunately.â

''' 
'''

âInteresting. Did you have to use maelstrom during our duel?â

''' 
'''

âYeah.â

''' 
'''

âFascinating.â

''' 
'''

âMaybe so. Still, I wish I could use a sword like you,â Kalaren replied, taking another bite of his salad.

''' 
'''

Stirling shrugged, returning to his own meal. âIt takes practice. And Iâve had a lot.â

''' 
'''

âThatâs the thing! Nobody will practice with me. Not after I broke both mine and Kevinâs swords, and his wristâ¦â Kalaren mumbled.

''' 
'''

âWith that arm?â

''' 
'''

âYup. I got lucky and hit his sword, twisting both the swords and his wrist.â

''' 
'''

Stirling tried to imagine how it must have happened. âYou must have been using it like an axeâ¦!â Stirling groaned.

''' 
'''

âTheyâre both sharp, right? You swing!â

Stirling facepalmed. âNoâ¦â

âWell then how ''do'' you do it?â

''' 
'''

Stirling looked up at Kalaren. âSwords require some ''finesse''. You canât just hack at your target like you would a tree.âÂ

''' 
'''

âOh.â Kalaren said.

''' 
'''

Stirling paused briefly, staring past Kalaren.Â âI never gave you pointers after the duel, did I? No, because Matheeas showed up.â He returned his attention to Kalaren. âIâd be happy to teach you some basics before I leave. Kevin too, I suppose." He paused. "I've been taught by some of the best swordsmen in the land."

''' 
'''

âThanks!â

''' 
'''

âHey, Super-duper-ultra-mega-Mandudesalot, you ever going to get some meat, or are you turning vegetarian with that salad there?â Kevin asked Kalaren from across the table.

''' 
'''

âI would have gotten a serving of goat meat, but I didnât have room on my plate. You should try the salad, it tastes pretty good!â

''' 
'''

The dinner continued, and everyone enjoyed the food and company immensely. All in all, it was as lovely a time as anyone present could remember in months, if not years for some.

 

=== Chapter 12: Return to Action ===
Kalaren woke up the next morning in his quarters. He swung his feet off the bed and got up. Groggily, he pulled a plain shirt and tough pants from a chest, and tucked them under his one arm. Then, he went over to the stone arch window, and took his arm out of the sun, attaching it deftly, even half-asleep as he was. He threw on his clothes, and then started to make breakfast, which consisted of a slab of ham, scrambled chicken eggs, and a cup of Aragarthian coffee. As he was waiting for the coffee to brew, he heard someone rap on his door.

âThe Commander wants you in the Town hall for a war Counsel. If anybody asks who told you, itâs Gerald.â

Kalaren glanced at the door, to the coffee, and back to the door. âIs it urgent, ''Urgent'' or Super Urgent???â

âJust Urgent.â

âGreat. Iâm going to brew my coffee first.â

âOh, can I have some?â

âSure, but don't you have other stuff to do?â

There was silence. Then a sigh. âYeah. I gotta get other people. But, tell you what, Iâll be back later. If you just pour me a cup before you leave, Iâll grab it from here. I donât even care if it gets cold.â

âAlright, sure.â

A few minutes later, Kalaren left a big cup of coffee on the steps of his house, and trotted off to the town hall.

When he got there, he found quite a few others. Matheeas and the other council members. Jellyfish and Methuselah were there, as well as the two scouts that had done perimeter patrol the night before. Stirling and Chris the -2nd were also there.

Matheeas seemed relieved to see Kalaren. âAh, good, Kalaren, you made it. I was beginning to worry.â

âSorry, I was waiting for my coffee to brew.â

Various people gave him dull stares. A few snickered.

âItâs important! Just ask Gerald.â

Matheeas was one of the unamused. âYes. Well. This meeting is more important.â

âAnd now you can finally tell us why, right, Lancaster?â Stirling groused, arms crossed, eyes still blinking. Clearly, he hadn't had enough coffee yet. Beside him, Chris gave him a hard elbow to the ribs.

âYes, yes.â Matheeas replied, annoyed. He took a deep breath, as everyone else grew silent.

âLast night, Deke and Mauss sent a messenger gigfran stating that they saw three people, supposedly prisoners, being guarded by Paradox forces investigating an old mine to the northwest of here." He nodded his head at Jellyfish. "Dr. Jellyfish believes he knew one of them. A scientist, who could help us in a number of ways." Now he turned to the two scouts. "Early this morning, Deke and Mauss here, finally came in. The two had gone against protocol and split up. Deke keeping watch on the mine, which, after the prisoners left, received other Paradox visitors, while Mauss went and investigated Vladekâs Fortress. He found a large number of slave-looking figures along with several rogues. The crowd there broke up into separate groups and went several different ways from the Fortress. Mauss followedÂ one of these groups, and found it headed to one of the mines." He turned to the two scouts, an even expression on his face. "For the record, what you two did was reckless, but with good initiative. It remains to be seen if it will pay off. But for now..." He turned his attention back to everyone else. "We will be investigating once we pull together a strike team. I called you here, Stirling, because I thought you should know before you left. I wanted to give you the opportunity to help if you so wished. I will give anyone here the same choice, excepting Methuselah, he needs to be here to keep the spell up. I will also be going.â

Everyone was surprised at this, and a few council members began to protest.

âWho will lead in your absence?â

âWhat if you get killed?â

âMethuselah will, thatâs part of the reason why heâs staying," Matheeas replied. "And if I do, Methuselah will take over for me.â

Beside him, Methuselah seemed mildly surprised, but said nothing.

âNow, who wants to come?â Matheeas asked.

Kalarenâs hand shot up, even as his brows dove down into a determind frown.

âIâll to come to take a look!â Jellyfish said.

Stirling and Chris shared a look, and they both raised their hands. âIâd love to crack a few Rogue helmets,â Stirling growled.

âAnd Iâm stuck with him.â Chris said in turn.

Matheeas looked around at the rest of the people in the room. When he saw that none of the others wanted to come, he nodded and began to speak. âThe rest I will gather up from around town. Gather your things, we leave at one oâclock, after lunch. We will be riding goats double, as usual.â

â1300 hours,â Stirling translated for himself. He received several confused looks.

âWhat?â âHuh?â âPardon?â

â1300 hours. Military time,â Stirling looked around, and suddenly remembered these were, in many ways, still just peasants. Well, except perhaps Jellyfi-

âMilitary time? What do you mean by that?â Jellyfish asked.

Stirling sighed. âNevermind.â

Matheeas looked confused, then shook his head a little before wrapping it up. âMeeting dismissed.â

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

Stirling hurried out of the town hall, with Chris right behind him. They were both already dressed in decent armor, but Stirling still had to get a few more things from his apartment. So did Chris. They swung by Striderâs first. He picked up his leather cloak, Samurai Bow, checked his medkit, and his many-pocketed pack, and then headed off to Chrisâs.

The house of Chris was abuzz with activity when they arrived. An older man came out of the house as the two came up.

âChris! Chris the -3rd will be joining you on your mission. Iâve already gathered your things; Negative Third will be with you all shortly. He canât find his cleavers.â

âI swear, I left them on the mantle!!!â A voice similar, but deeper to Chris the -2ndâs own yelled out from the house.

âYeah, well, dunno what to tell ya, they ainât there!â the older gentleman hollered over his shoulder. He grabbed a bundle of gear by the door and handed it to Chris and Strider. âHere you go, son.â

âThanks, Pops,â Chris the -2rd said.

âOh! Here they are. I left them in the goat-steak!â Chris the -3rdâs voice carried out.

âPopsâ facepalmed. âLike I said, still getting his stuff together. Go on, heâll catch up.â

âAlright, Bye, Pops! We should be back by midday tomorrow.â The two hugged each other, and then Chris the -2nd and Stirling left for the stables.

Along the way there, they ran into some kids trying to see who could throw a pebble the farthest. Stirling recognized most of them. Jonny, Rita and Rosa. Then there was another kid he had met around town, Bobby.

Beyond that, there was one other he hadnât seen before.Â Â But Stirling didnât intend to stop and make acquaintances. His mind was already on the mission ahead.

Unfortunately, the kids had other ideas.

âHEY! Itâs Strider!â Jonny ran up to Stirling. âWoah, whatâs going on? You guys gonna fight some evil troll or sometinâ?â

The others came up behind him.

âWow, you guys are really decked out for a fight!â Rita complimented, pointing out their armor and gear.

Rosa seemed to pick up that they were in a hurry. âIf they are, I donât think we could help.â

Chris the -2nd looked over his shoulder at the kids.

âI donât know for sure that we will get into a fight, but we are in a hurry.â

âAwwww!â Most of the kids collectively groaned as the two adults excused themselves and hurried on.

Next, they went to the armory, stocking up on arrows and other implements of battle and survival. Chris had already given Stirling back his Katana by order of Lancaster, but he still lacked a shield. So he took a minute to inspect the shields. Most were of a small, round buckler nature. He passed right by these, in favor of hefting the few kite shields. However, he shook his head in distaste after each one.

âIâm afraid Iâve been a bit spoiled with the shields Iâve had in the past,â Stirling said. âAll of these are ofâ¦â

âAlot of them arenât made of refined metal. You could probably ask our armorsmith to have one custom-made to suit you.â suggested Chris the -2nd.

Stirling considered it. âThat might be a good idea...â he set down the last potential shield. â...But not now.â Turning to leave, he noted the various swords leaning against the wall.

âI think Iâll take an extra sword though, just in case.â Quickly scanning the swords and belts, he picked out a shortsword. Pulling it out, he flicked it around, before nodding. âThis will do. Just something for when things get hairy.â

Chris stared at Stirling, confused. âYou mean if we run into a Calagasphil?â

âDonât know; hope I donât ever have to.â Stirling said, as they headed to the Stables.

âYou can sometimes mistake them for a 12 foot pile of snow, stone, or dirt sometimes. Look out for them on this crusade.â

âBasically, if it looks out of place, it probably is,â Stirling muttered. âSounds just like my first assignment in Gnarled Forest.â Stirling shook his head. âMan, that seems like a whole lifetime agoâ¦â

Before Stirling could get lost in the past, or Chris begin to ask questions about outer space, they reached the stables, where a few other warriors were already.

Seeing a few of the others having lunch with their Goats, Stirling asked Chris, âWhereâs your goat?â

Chris stared blankly.

âNowhere.â

âSoâ¦ You donât have a goat.â

âNo, I did. But it got sent nowhere in a spell gone horribly wrong. The goat before that was sent somewhere with a rocket pack gone horribly wrong.â

âAnd Iâll bet before that, your first goat was sent everywhere in some other awful thing gone horribly wrong.â

âNo, we ate that one. We were promised by a fortune teller we would never run out of meat again. Remember -3rd saying he left his cleavers in the steak?â

âYouâre kidding me.â

â...Smells kinda funny now and then, but we eat it anyway, and then itâs fresh!â

Stirling had no words.

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

A short while later showed Matheeas returning with the remaining warriors. Stirling had met most of them at one point or another, either during his duals or walking around town. It appeared that they had had lunch elsewhere. Many of them came over, and mentioned they were happy to see Strider joining the mission. Strider replied that he was happy to be coming.

Matheeas yelled out that they were going to depart by the east gate. Once everyone got onto their goats, including Stirling and Chris on a newly requisitioned goat, they departed for this location. Along the way, Chris the -3rd rodeÂ over with Dr. Jellyfish, one waving a cleaver, and the other his blaster. Kalaren and Kevin arrived shortly afterwards bickering about something or another. As they turned a corner and saw the gate, everyone noticed a small crowd ready to send them off.

Stirling leaned over to Chris the -2nd. âIs it normal for the others to gather like this so far out on the border of the city?â

Chris shook his head. âNo, but we also havenât gone out of the city in such numbers for years.â

Stirling searched the crowd as they cantered past. It was full of determined faces. One or two worried faces, but they were well hidden. Stirling recognized many of them, though not by name. The kids were also there, curious, but also serious.

It was a strong reminder of the hardiness of these men and women. For even though they didnât ride to battle, there was every chance that some might not come back.

Since being discovered and brought to Aragarth, Stirling had heard of all sorts of horrendous fates people had met in the twisted nightmare lands of Ankoria, just beyond the invisible protections of Methuselah and his predecessors.

But like his friends, Stirling was ready. Moreover, he was eager for a round two against the Cursed Land.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 13:Underneath the Cursed Land. ===

âI spy, with my little eyeâ¦â

âItâs a tree.â

Kevin groaned. âYouâre too good at this, Mandude.â

Kalaren rolled his eyes, but then realized Kevin couldnât see that, since he was sitting behind him on Surf. âItâs 50/50 between dirt and trees.â

âThatâs totally not true! I could spyâ¦ Your hair!â

â''Anyone'' could spy my hair.â

âBut not just anyone is playing âI Spyâ with us as we ride my goat to one of these mines to scout it out.â

âThatâs a good point. I guess not anyone, then.â

They rode on in silence for awhile, along with the rest of the group. The gray soil and sparse black trees zoomed by as Surf the Goat glided through the dead forest, along with 7 other goats.

As they rode, Mattheas would silently direct a goat or two towards a mine in the distance. Some had visible Paradox activity outside of them. Others looked much the same as they always had.

Soon, it was their turn to split off. Mattheas directed them, and the goat carrying Dr. Jellyfish and Chris the -3rd, to head down towards the original mine reported to have visitors.

âHere we go,â Kalaren muttered. As they split off, Jellyfish waved cheerfully to Kal, as if he was out on a Sunday jaunt, rather than investigating their mortal enemies.

Once they got closer to the mine, they all dismounted their goats quietly and laid down in the brush, along with the two goats.

âLooks like just three guards out front,â Kalaren said. âAll Shinobis.â

Chris the -3rd turned to his team. Kalaren, Jellyfish, and Kevin. He was leading, as he was the most experienced, so he outlined the goal. âThis mission is most successful if we donât leave a single trace of ourselves. In and out, like ghosts.â

Kevin shuddered, as Chris continued. âI know thatâs a lofty goal, but itâs one that every individual team is going to try for. So does anyone have any ideas to get rid of these guys?â

Jellyfish raised his hand. Kalaren immediately yanked it down before the guards saw a bush with a hand. Chris facepalmed.

âThis isnât a class, Doctor. Just tell us what youâve got.â

âWeÂ kill them.â

Chris was a consummate professional leader, and didnât even blink. Heâd heard about the doctorâs eccentricity. âBut then Vladek will get a report of their deaths,â he explained.

âHmm, well in that case I have something else!â Jellyfish said as he raised a glass vial full of green liquid out of his pocket. Kalaren pulled his hand down again before the guards saw a bush with a suspicious green vial.

Kevin leaned in. âLooks tasty. What is it?â

âSleeping gas I gathered from the ''Dierth'' plant. Would you like to try it? Itâs been concentrated into this vial, but should expand into a gas as soon as the seal is broken, but I-â

âOn second thought, it doesnât sound as groovy as I thought.â

âRight. Good plan, Jellyfish,â Chris said. âThrow it over to them, theyâll get knocked out, and then weâll prop them up to make it look like they fell asleep on the job.

Kalaren pulled out a sandwich from his saddle bag.

âWe can use some of my emergency rations.â

âPerfect.â

Executing the plan took less time than it took to concoct, and soon all four were stealing past the snoring, messy sandwich eating guards.

They snuck in and took a look around. Nothing was in the immediate vicinity excluding a few tools, and a box or two.

Jellyfish started scanning the walls with a rewired Paradox something of his own invention. âMhm, yup. 100% ''Solid Rock''!â

Chris raised a hand, stopping Kevin and Kalaren, who made a buffer-stop for the absentminded Jellyfish. âHear that?â

âCanât say that I do. Then again, canât say that I ''donât'' either. What do you hear? Does it sound like a ''Jellyfish''? Because I can hear that. Also, does anyone remember the square root of 64? I forgot, and itâs very bothersome. Also my password on BrickBook.â

While Jellyfish muttered, the others tried to drown out his pointless (or maybe not so pointless, one never knows with Jellyfish,) blathering and listened forward into the cavern. The distant sounds of rock and work floated up, along with the occasional shout.

âI hear it,â Kalaren confirmed.

Kevin nodded. âLet me go ahead, and take a peek. Better one to scout ahead than â¦ ALL of us.â

Both Kalaren and Chris nodded, and Kevin scurried to a t-section, and ran right. Around the corner and out of sight.

âSeriously, whatâs the Square root of 64?! And did you tell him to bring back cookieâs, because I know who makes the best coo-â

âDr. Jellyfish, please keep it down.â

'''âJELLYFISH!!â'''

<nowiki>-----------------</nowiki>

Kevin turned around the bend, noting the dim light and louder mining sounds up ahead. However, not seeing any shadows, he slowed only marginally as he came into the next area.

He found himself at the top of a large, round quarry area, about 40 feet around. There was a single artificial light hanging from the top of the cavern, which was a few feet higher than where Kevin was standing. Â

To his right, a slope went down to a flat basin below him, where 8 plainly dressed people, guarded by 2 armed Space Marauders and a Sorcerer, were mining aÂ glittering mineral that was scattered throughout the basin. However, they didnât appear to be using pickaxes, but instead, small, precise lasers.

There was also a large laser drill at the far end of the basin, which was busy boring into the glittering wall. It was this that Kevin had been hearing with the others around the bend. It appeared to be very effective, as it was making visible progress as Kevin stood there observing.

All in all, it was very pretty, and rather quiet, even with all the work going on.

'''''âJELLYFISH!â'''''

At least it had been.

All eyes turned to Kevin, who paused for only a moment before yelling: âHey Dudes and Dudettes! Ready to Party on DOWN!?! BONZAI!!â

Kevin jumped off the railing as he unsheathed his sword, heading towards the Sorcerer. Just as he was preparing his spell, Kevin landed on him, rolling off with the sorcerers rank 2 staff in his offhand. The staff was charged with some paradox energy, which, as he turned to face the other two marauders, was released upon them. The other 8 people cheered. Kevin gave them a thumbs up.

âYouâre ''welcome''!â

<nowiki>-------</nowiki>

Chris and Kalaren starred in near disbelief at Dr. Jellyfish. âYou win 'worst operative of Aragarth ever' award.â Kalaren said.

âIâm sincerely sorry. Nice knowing you all. Hope Kevin brings the right cookies back so we can die happy.â Jellyfish whispered, his face absolutely serious.

âNevermind. Câmon, Kevin probably needs help.â Kalaren said as he followed an already standing Chris. They ran to the T-section where they had last seen Kevin. As they reached it, they heard and saw several Paradox running in from the opposite direction Kevin had went. One of them, a Rank 3 sorcerer yelled, âIntruders! Get them!â As soon as the wormholers started whirring, Chris grabbed both Jellyfish and Kalaren and yanked them back towards the entrance to gain cover.

âOkay, so theyâve seen us, and we still havenât finished our mission. We fight,â Chris said. âDoctor, you check on Kevin, Weâll cover you.â

âYes, sir.â Jellyfish said.

Kalaren could hear the Parodox rapidly approaching. As they were almost upon them, he and Chris jumped out, covering Jellyfish as he ran the other way.

In moments, Chris was dual-wielding his cleavers, duking it out with a shinobi, and Kalaren was hacking at his armored opponents with wide, wild arcs. The ring of his iron sword against the superior space-age alloys of his enemies echoed madly against the stone walls. Very soon, his sword was nothing more than a sharp metal bar, but having no other weapon, he continued to use all of his considerable strength in each swing, keeping his enemies off-balance, and sticking too close to them to use their guns. One of the Marauder's thrust his wormholer directly at his chest. Kalaren attempted to block it with what remained of his sword, which was now little more than a metal stake, but it practically disintegrated at the force of the wormholer. In desperation, he raised his cybernetic hand to stop it, but the chainsaw chewed right through it, until it jammed, stopping just inches from his face. With what was remaining of his hand, Kalaren yanked the wormholer away from the surprised Marauderer and turned it around, even as he bore the pain that his metallic sensors were transmitting to him.

âMy turn.â Kalaren said, restarting the Wormholer and firing in a wide arc at the other paradox rouges, including the one Chris was standing off with, just as another group came from up ahead. This time, the chances didnât look so good.

'''âBONZAIII!!!â'''

Both Chris and Kal glanced back to see Kevin, Jellyfish, and some impromptu foot soldiers heading their way, echoing Kevinâs battle-cry.

'''âBONZAI!â'''

'''âBONZAI!â'''

'''âBONZAII!!!â'''

'''âBANANA!!!â'''

'''âBONANZA!!â Â '''

'''âBONANZAI!â'''

'''âBRUCE!â'''

'''âBRUSAI!â'''

'''âJELLYFISH!â'''

âThatâs better.â Kalaren said, a small grin coming onto his face, before he turned around to continue to pepper the oncoming troops.

Chris dispatched one of the final first wave. âWe have what we came for, letâs move!âÂ The crew turned towards the ramp up to the entrance, where the gray light of Ankoriaâs filtered down with such promise.

'''âGET THEM! THEY CANNOT ESCAPE,â''' boomed one of their pursuers. Kalaren and a few others whoâd acquired ranged weapons shot back at them, as they backpedaled behind everyone else.

Shots flew past Kal and others, who laughed at their poor accuracy.

Then suddenly, one Rank 3 Sorcerer raised his staff and pointed it at the arch of the entrance, before slamming his staff on the ground. In response, just as the most eager of the prisoners were running underneath, the roof of the entrance collapsed atop them, bringing darkness, and the crushing weigh of rocks and lost hope with it.

Chris took a deep breath before turning around to see the lit-up forces of Rogues coming up the ramp after them. âThere has to be another exit, but we have to fight our way through! '''Câmon!'''â

One of the prisoners who wasnât giving into despair turned to Chris the -3rd, pulling him by the arm to get his attention. â'''HEY!''' We were about to break through to another mine when Commander Kevin jumped down! There would be an exit there! We just have to get through the quarry!â

Chris nodded to the level-headed freedom fighter. âTo the quarry then!â

Kevin repeated the command, and it was carried by the rest.

'''âTO THE QUARRY!â'''

'''âTO THE QUARRY!â'''

'''âTO THE QUERY!â'''

'''âTOOT THE FAIRY!â'''

'''âTOUR DEâ AIRY!â'''

'''''âJELLYFISH!â'''''

Kalaren and Dr. Jellyfish, as well as the other ranged folks whoâd been at the back, were now at the front, and they rushed forward to close the distance before they were picked off, having no cover.

Dr. Jellyfish pulled out a strange vial, and threw it at the enemy, causing a thick smoke to fill the corridor.

'''âSMOKE BOMB,â''' Jellyfish yelled, as a sort of explanation to EVERYONE.

'''âHOW COULD THAT ''POSSIBLY'' BE USEFUL RIGHT NOW?!?!â''' Kalaren demanded, as the deadliest game of laser tag began.

âSo they canât see us. I thought you would know that.â

'''âSURRENDER, AND YOU WILL GET FULL PENSION AND BENEFITS. INCLUDING DENTAL CARE, WHEN I GET TO YOU WITH MY FISTS, ''YOU INSUBORDINATE SWINE.''â''' boomed one of the Paradox.

'''âFOLLOW MY VOICE MEN!â''' ringed out the valiant tone of Chris, as it passed by Kalaren. '''âTO FREEDOM!â'''

'''âTO FREEDOM!â'''

'''âTO FREEDOM!â'''

'''âTO TREEDOM!â'''

'''âTO LEEDOM!â'''

'''âTO FREIDHELM!â'''

'''âTO FREDDYâS HOUSE!â'''

'''âTO MY HOUSE!â'''

'''âISNâT THAT A PRISON???â'''

'''âWHOâS VOICE ARE WE FOLLOWING?!?!â'''

Nearly a dozen voices cried '''âMINE!â''' and pretty much everyone on both sides froze.

âJellyfish.â

âOk, weâre following Jellyfish. Whoever he is.â

âWat.â

âShh. Leaders are confident.â

âOh. Yeah. Not Quackers. Ok. Everyone head to the quarry then.â

âOk, Boss.â

âSounds good.â

âOver and out.â

âRight, then weâll fight those Paradox scum.â

âRoger Roger.â

âOger Oger.â

âNo, WEâRE the Paradox scum. Weâll fight the upstarts.â

â...at the Basin, right?â

âYeah.â âUh-huh.â âFor sure.â "One-Hundo-Percent."

So it was that the whole group of people jostled and shoved and bumbled their way along the dark corridor, around the corner, and into the dim, sparkling grotto, where the laserâ¦ was gone???

âHey, whereâs the drill?âÂ A Shinobi asked.

âI think it must have reached the other side by now,â a worker next to him replied.

âOh yeah. Makes sense. We should probably go check on it and make sure it doesnât keep going and destroying stuff.â

âProbably.â

âBut first, letâs fight those prisoner scum,â growled another Paradox Sorcerer.

âYeah!â said a Marauder

âExactly!â said another.

âPrecisely!â said Kevin.

'''''âJELLYFISH!â'''''
 

=== Chapter 14: Digging for Answers. ===

Mattheas rode on to the final mine. Behind him, only one goat remained. The one with Stirling and Chris the -2nd.

Looking ahead as they came upon a rise, Mattheas could easily make out Vladekâs Fortress in the distance. This final mine was mere hours away from the dreaded Fortress, and so held the most inherent risk. Therefore, he chose it for himself, and their strongest warrior.

Also, he thought it would be best to keep Stirling close for his first mission with the Resistance.

Chris the -2nd pulled up alongside Mattheas's goat. âOh. Thatâs close,â he exclaimed softly, noting the dark edifice blending with the suddenly lengthening gloom.

Stirling glanced up into the sky. âSurely the dayâs not over yet?â

Matheeas nodded his head. âIt hasnât. the sun isnât down yet. It is darker around us because evil emanates from the Fortress.â

Chris shuddered. âI donât think Iâve ever been this close before.â

Stirling peered past Chrisâs shoulders, and glared into the heart of the gloom.

Vladekâs fortress was not as large or as grand as other castles Stirling had seen in his travels, but it was indeed the most imposing, even from this distance.

All of the Stonework was a uniform jet black, as if the entire Fortress had survived the fires of a dozen ancient dragons. Its dark walls were thick and ''monstrously'' tall, hiding all but the tallest of towers that stuck out at clearly strategic points.Â The only other detail Stirling could make out from here was the equally large and monstrous gatehouse, closed at the moment with a door made of the darkest wood stirling had ever seen. The only splashes of color were the solid red banners that billowed atop the gatehouse and the tallest towers.

It was a Palace of War.

After a moment of silence Matheeas pointed down the slope, and back into the forest. âCome on, letâs stay on task.â

Stealthily, the goats picked their way down the loose gravelly slope, where Matheeas had them all dismount and continue for a short while longer. Soon, Mattheeas ducked behind a tree, and the others followed suit. He pointed ahead, where two Shinobis were patrolling around a huge, wooden trapdoor, at least three yards across. At the far end of the platform there was a smaller trapdoor, large enough for a single person, where you could see the top of a ladder peeking out.

âThereâs only 2 guards so far. Ideally, we would sneak past them and enter without them noticing, but there isnât enough cover from here to there. Not without a distraction,â Mattheas explained, as he pulled out a small pocket mirror. âIâm going to reflect some light towards them from the bushes over here. Hopefully theyâll investigate, and while I lead them off into the treeline a bit, you two can sneak in. As soon as I can, Iâll lose them and follow you, got it?â

âAnd if only one comes?â Chris asked.

Matheeas handed Chris a second small mirror, which was little more than a roughly round shard with a messy molten iron frame. âThen you distract that one as well.â Â

Chris nodded. âSounds like a good plan.â

Stirling nodded as well, before sneaking off to the left with Chris, as Matheeas began fiddling with his mirror and the light.

A minute or two later, Stirling and Chris heard one of the guards exclaim.

âAugh! SomethingÂ just slapped me in the eyes, Dobson!â

âWhat is it, Dobson?â

âI dunno, it was like light was reflected into my face.â

âWeird.â

âLook! There it is! Do yaâ think itâs a magic pixie?â

âA Pixie? What conspiracy theories have you been reading, Dobson? Clearly itâs a fairy!â

âWhat even is the difference between a pixie and a fairy?!?â

âWellâ¦ Uhâ¦ Hm. One is more mischievous than the other? I think???â

âWell, then this one was definitely a pixie!â

âSo you think it whacked you in the eye?â

â....Yeah?â

âHuh. I would guess that itâs either A: Trying to blind you for all eternity or B: Testing you for glaucoma.â

âGAH! It did it again!â

âDefinitely A, then.â

âThat does it! Itâs going in a jar!â

âI wonder how much money we could make off of that!â âDobsonâ said as they chased after the âmagic pixieâ.

Stirling and Chris poked their headâs cautiously through the brush, and saw the two guards scamper off into the forest, leaving their post completely abandoned.

âWow. That worked unbelievably well,â Stirling said.

âIndeed.â Chris said.

The two wasted no time in stealing across the now empty clearing. Stirling immediately jumped down the open smaller trapdoor, falling a short distance. He landed with a grunt, and looked up to see 3 Paradox rouges, turning to him in surprise, sipping coffee. There was one from each kit: Marauder, Sorcerer, and Shinobi.

âAw, nuts.â Stirling groaned, as Chris slid down the ladder.

âYouâre not authorized around here, are you?â the Sorcerer asked, lowering his coffee to the table, as his fellow compatriots reacted a bit faster, dropping their mugs and scrambling for their weapons.

âI work here. Iâm just on break,â Chris began with a straight face, before Stirlingâs Katana lanced the Shinobi who was going for his own blade.

Chris turned around with a face of utter shock. âHow ''could'' you!â

Stirling turned back to look at Chris for the briefest of moments, just long enough to give him a look of âwhat?â before he spun around and struck the blaster out of the Space Marauderâs hand, before rushing forward and pinning him to the floor.

Chris the -2nd turned from looking at Stirling pinning down the Marauder, to see the Sorcerer pointing his wand at him.

â''Hasta la vista'', rebel,â the Sorcerer mocked, before an arc of lightning flew from the tip of the wand, and hit Chris full in the chest, sending him flying across the small room, and into the hard-packed dirt wall, shortly before falling to the floor upside-down.

âChris! No!â Stirling slashed his Katana across the neck of the proneÂ Marauder before arcing the blade up to strike the wand out of the Sorcererâs hands.

But even as he was disarmed in one hand, the Sorcerer pulled out another weapon with his other. His sorcerer orb in the offhand, from which he spoke an incantation, and a ripple of Paradox energyÂ blasted Stirling back.

Stirling half-rolled with the blast, beginning to go down a gentle slope that went further into the mine. In the time that it took for his head to stop ringing, the Sorcerer was now standing above him with the Shinobiâs blade.

âTake this, scumbag,â he said, before he fell limp to the floor. Standing in his place was Matheeas, with his sword pommel raised.

Â Â Â

âLancaster! Youâre a sight for literally sore eyes,â Stirling muttered.

âWhereâs Chris?â

âBack there, at the far wall.â Stirling got up and picked up his Katana from where it fell when he was thrown back. He pointed to Chris, who was still upside down and hadnât movedâ¦Â âHe got hit by the sorcererâs lightningâ¦â

Both men rushed to Chris the -2nd. Matheeas attempted to pick him up, but instead was shocked quite nastily through his metal gauntlet. âAh! Looks like it was conducted through his armor.â

Stirling pulled off his mail gauntlet and slapped Chrisâs chestplate a few times, bringing forth a smaller and smaller discharge. Once the shock dissipated considerably, they rolled Chris over to see the area where he had been hit. The armor was completely charred,to the point that it was reduced to a thin, brittle sheet.

âOh no, Chris. Dang it.â Stirling muttered.

âWe need to inspect the wound,â Matheeas urged. âHelp me sit him up so we can take this armor off.â

As they began to take the chestplate off, Chris woke up with a gasp. âAughâ¦!â

The cloth cushioning was widely burnt away by the heat flash and the skin underneath was badly burnt as well. Thankfully, the armor had absorbed most of the force, making sure that the hit had not penetrated Chrisâs vital organs. however, the burnâs total radius had been spread out by the armor conducting it. Chrisâs entire front was a huge burnt bullseye. First degree burns on the edges narrowed down to a roughly fist-sized third degree burn in the center of his chest.

âWhat '''''hit''''' me?â Chris asked, in a mix of surprised, irritated, pained, and impressed.

âYou were hit by a Paradox Sorcererâs lightning, Chris,â Stirling said.

âWow. This is almost as bad as that fireball that hit me last year.â

Matheeas nodded. âYeah, that was bad.â

Stirling turned to Matheeas. âDo you want to continue forward with him in this state orâ¦?â

Matheeas thought for a second. âLetâs search the surrounding area, but I donât think we can go too far down leaving you alone, Chris. You could come with us, but with the hole in the armor, you would be extremely vulnerable. If we donât come back within thirty minutes, or you hear yelling and screaming and bloody murder, then you should take one of the goats and head back.â

Chris was about to object, but after thinking a bit, he agreed.

âYeah, I guess you're right. If I donât make it back, Chris -3rd will never find his cleavers again.â

Stirling smiled, glad that Chris the -2nd still had his sense of humor. âAll right. Weâll be fast, then, Chris. You just stay conscious and hold tight.â He stood up and looked around at the mess heâd made. An old part of him made him feel some small sense of remorse for the killing heâd done, but he quickly and easily shoved the guilt aside, clearing his head.

âHey, Lancaster. Iâve got a stealthy idea.â

âOh?â

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

An ill-fitted Paradox Marauder and Shinobi flanked a visibly perturbed Paradox Sorcerer, as they walked through the mine. One rogue greeted them with a simple âHeyâ, to which the sorcerer nodded briefly.Â The occasional worker or slave spared them but a glance, as they passed by.

The Shinobi, with his very tight uniform, leaned over to the Sorcerer and whispered, âIs the leadership chamber much further? I think Iâm getting a wedgie, and I canât take much more of this. Maybe I should just stab you now and be done with this charadeâ¦!â

The Marauder continued the threat. âOr we could burn you, like you did with our friend.â

The sorcerer began sweating more profusely than he already was. âI swear, itâs just two more rooms over and a right. The whole planâs there, lined up on the walls. Just donât kill me!â

The Shinobi growled. âNo promises.â

They went through two more chambers, and turned right, where a door with a tacked on parchment labeled it âManagementâ.

âItâs right in here! I promise!â The Sorcerer said, nervously.

âAnything else we should know about whatâs in there?â Matheeas growled, his hand on his Marauderer blaster.

Stirling poked the dagger he held up against the Sorcerer.

The Sorcerer mumbled something intelligible.

âWhat was that??â Stirling said as he prodded considerably harder.

The sorcerer yelped as he reached out and pushed the door open in one fluid motion.

Inside, there were three other Paradox Rouges. Two seemed to be Marauderers without their full gear, helping a taller man who was clearly in charge. They were all leaning over a table with various papers.

The man in charge was wearing what Stirling had always imagined Rank 4 Paradox gear would end up looking like. What armor he was wearing at the time had translucent wires pulsing with maelstrom energy. His chestplate was thin, jet black, and light looking. His trousers and arms were similar, though there was a Paradox Rouge symbol on his shoulder. His boots had many wires, and large soles which added more than a few inches of hight. His arms had various slim compartments. Other than the gear he had on, there was a backpack leaning against the wall behind him. His helmet was equally slim, with a fully clear face-shield over which three retractable holographic lensâ loomed over one eye. which he had out at the moment.

âThen if everything is going apace, gentlemen-â he paused and turned casually to the three who had burst in.

Shinobi Stirling, Marauder Matheeas, and the sad Sorcerer, all stood there briefly.

â... I shall report to Vladek the good news,â the commander finished, as he began to stride towards the exit, currently blocked by the other three. He showed no signs of stopping, and seemed to expect the subordinates to move.

'''''âTHEYâRE REBE-â''''' The Sorcerer screamed, before gasping as he was stabbed.

Matheeas shoved the body at the leader.

Stunned, the leader flinched on instinct, and swatted the sorcererâs limp form away.

Only to meet maelstrom energy bolts from Matheeasâ pistol, which clanged and resulted in burn marks on his arm and chestplate, but did not penetrate.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Both Stirling and Matheeas stepped into the threshold, and Strider shut the door behind him, smiling grimly under the tight shinobi mask.

Only now did the two other Paradox Guards behind the leader react, reaching for their weapons that were close at hand.

The leaderâs eyes had widened in surprise, but now, they narrowed frighteningly. '''''âTraitors.â'''''

Strider barked a harsh laugh at the irony he found in the word, as he threw one of his Shinobi blades past Matheeasâs head, aiming for the jetpack. However, the leader deftly snatched the blade out of the air as it passed between him and Matheeas, and sprang forward towards Matheeas with a downward strike.

Seeing this, Matheeas moved in the only direction he had available in the narrow room. Forward. Rushing to dive ''underneath'' the blade that he could not parry, he then drove his entire body ''up'' into the gut of the leader, attempting to haul the leader in a shoulder-toss of sorts.

Both men were heavy in their armor. the Paradox Rogue leader was not able to twist quickly enough to strike Matheeas properly. however, Matheeas was not quite strong enough to throw him quite how heâd wanted to. They both landed in a dusty heap in front of Strider and the two Marauders, who were just now observing the situation and pointing blaster barrels just about everywhere.

Stirling put his remaining blade to the neck of the leader, while staring at the other two lackeys. âDrop your weapons, or Iâll slice through this soft rubber tubing that makes your leaderâs fancy neckpiece,â he commanded.

The two Rogues looked at each other, then at the strange Shinobi.Â âWhy donât you withdraw your blade first, Shinobi?â the one on the right said. His voice was even and clear.Â It was the voice of someone who was moving up in rank, and knew how to give commands of his own.

Stirling shook his head. âThereâs only one of my blades. Two of your guns. Remove a gun, and Iâll remove my blade.â

While this was going on, Matheeas tried to get back to his feet, but the leader grabbed him by the neck, and yanked him back to the ground. âNo you donât,â he said. âYouâre staying down here with me.â

âNo,â He replied. âYouâre down here with ME.â

The leader blinked twice. âIs that the best retort you could come up with?!â

âNo, I was about to say that I wish your face shield was opaque.â

The two rogues looked back at each other, then back at their boss.

âI wonÂ the annualÂ beauty contest three years straight, what did you do?â

âDidnât even need to do any sort of contest, just had to look in the mirror.â

The two rogues looked back at each other. The first one who had spoken nodded to the one on the left. âFine,â the left one said, dropping his pistol. His tone was one who just saw this as a day job.

The commanding rogue now turned to Strider. âNow you.â

Stirling was glad this mask covered his grin. Maybe he would keep it. After glancing once more at Matheeas, hoping he would be ready for it, he pulled out a knife from his boot, and tossed it underhand at the rogue.

The spinning blade was shot aside by the ready rogue, but the simultaneous sound of slicing flesh and the mad rush of the shinobi dragging his blade from across his commanderâs neck and into an upward swing at him took the yet-young lieutenant by surprise.

â...At least I didnât need hair plug- Oh. Oh!â Matheeas took the sword of the now decapitated commander, and went forward towards the other one that Stirling wasnât on. The one that was quickly recovering his dropped blaster. As he did, he saw Stirling swing his shinobi blade up and into the arms of the rogue with the gun, and ruin his shot, which went flying just shy of Striderâs left ear.

Matheeas didnât focus on that for much longer, as he tangled with the other remaining rogue.

The two lieutenants were dispatched quickly, and easily.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

âWell, at least we donât have to worry about being stealthy anymore.â Matheeas remarked, amidst the wrecked and bloody room.

Strider sighed, quite relieved, pulling off the hat and tossing it languidly. âWonderful.â

Matheeas turned to the other objects in the room. The Sorcerer had spoken truthfully. All along this room were various maps and charts showing the many levels, passages, and tunnels underneath Ankoria. It did not take him long to see the full scope of the plan arrayed here.

âThese mapsâ¦â Matheeas said, moving from one to the other. âTheyâre individual minesâ¦ But here. This oneâs not a huge mineâ¦â

He turned to Stirling, who was looking at the jetpack. âStrider, theyâre intending to connect all the mines.â

âYeah, okay. Hey, check this out. Thereâs a whole pistol in here! Talk about space saving!â Stirling said, pointing to a pistol that had sprung out of the side of the jetpack at the press of a button.

âThe mines the other groups are all in!â Matheeas enunciated.

Stirling picked up on Lancasterâs urgent tone, one he had not quite heard before from the usually cool-headed leader. He turned from the fascinating pack and gave his full attention to Lancasterâs discovered map. âThatâs a big project," Stirling conceded. "But whatâs the poiâ¦â

Even as he began to ask the question, Lancaster confirmed his answer.

âIt all connects back to Vladekâs fort. Heâll be able to move his forces much faster, much farther, without us seeing himâ¦â

Stirling raised an eyebrow. âIâve never known Vladek to be sneaky like that.â he turned to a table and began ruffling through papers. âThere must be another reason heâs doing all this.â

Matheeas nodded. âPreviously, he simply threw rogues at us, before he lost interest.â

Stirling shuffled more papers around restlessly. âSo if heâs not interested in you guys, why is he interested in these mines?âÂ He turned back to the Jetpack, tapping it to see if it was a special alloy. His rusty blacksmithy analysis told him no.Â âIs this seriously just for raw materials?â

âI donât know, but we have to warn the rest of our forces in the mines! Letâs gather as many plans as we can, and then we must get Chris out of here, and from there get to the others!â

Stirling nodded, and continued fumbling with the Jetpack. âThingâs got to have aâ¦â

â...What are you doing?â

âAha!â a slot opened up on the Jetpack. âThing doubles as a standard issue Nexus Force Backpack,â Stirling said. âWe can stuff everything in here.â

Matheeas looked at the dead corpse of the leader. âHow much?â

Stirling followed his gaze. âUm. Wellâ¦â

<nowiki>--------------</nowiki>

As the duo walked out of the âManagementâ room, Shinobi Stirling shouldered the loudly-humming commanderâs Jetpack. According to the energy it was emitting, they had crammed it full to itâs experimental capacity. Basically '''EVERYTHING''' but the computer banks and the table.

They casually walked back the way they came.

âItâs been longer than 30 minutes,â Stirling whispered. âI think our friend has left. Or at least he should have.â

Lancaster nodded. âHe will have followed orders.â

As they neared the exit, they became aware of a consternation up ahead. They barely had time to think, before a contingent of Paradox troops, came tromping around the corner, nearly bowling the other two over.

The leader of this group addressed them. âYou two, follow us, weâre on lockdown. Someoneâs infiltrated the mine. The Perimeter guards are missing and the entrance guards are in barrels, naked and quite d- wait.â

âYeah, abou that-â Stirling began, but Lancaster interrupted his sentence by firing his newly acquired rifle at the first line, blasting several.

â'''DIE, YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING BLIGHT-BRINGING ''TRAITORS!''â''' roared the Leader of the Resistance, dressed as a Marauder. As many of them fell, Stirling grabbed him by the other arm and began running, knowing that these men would only be surprised for so long.

âLooks like we aren't leaving the same way we came!â Stirling said. Once he was sure that Matheeas was running of his own accord, he reached into the Paradox Commanderâs pack and pulled out a map of the mine. âLetâs hope to God thereâs another way out!â

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

 

=== Chapter 15: Further into Fear ===

Kalaren fell to the bottom of the basin with a groan. The battle was not going in their favor.

Most of the slaves had been either knocked unconscious or killed, and Chris, Kevin, and him had been pretty banged up, Jellyfish had been fine because nobody could get a clear shot at him with all the gaseous fumes from the potions he had been throwing around him. One of which had thrown Kalaren off the edge. As he got up, Kevin backed up against him.

âGotta say, Manotaur, it was an honor!â

âWhat is WRONG with âKalarenâ?!?!?â

âDonât talk about ''The Manotaur'' like that! Youâll hurt his self esteem!â

Kalaren decided now wasnât a good time to club Kevin, so instead he fired his stolen wormholer at some oncoming Shinobi. Some of them were able to deflect the shots, or they simply stood behind the people in front of them. Unfortunately for them, one of Jellyfishâs explosives hit the group as they ran down the ramp.

âIâve got your back, Kalaren!â Dr. Jellyfish hollered from the cliff above, before getting brained by a rock from behind.

It was then that Kalaren heard some yelling behind him. He turned around. It was coming from the newly drilled tunnelâ¦

â''aaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAA'''AAHHHHHHHH!!!'''''â As the noise grew louder, a shinobi came into viewâ¦ He wasâ¦ Flying? with a Marauder on his back???

âDUCK!â Kalaren cried.

â... Dude?â Kevin asked, staring at the flying twosome. Then he gasped. âITâS ''DUCKDU-''â he began, before getting bowled over by the flying Shinobi and Marauder zooming past him. Kevin narrowly avoided the onslaught of foes that rushed forward to his prone state, rolling this way and that as shots and blades slammed into the cave floor around him.

Meanwhile, the two newcomers flew up to the clifftop above, and were lost to Kalarenâs sight. However, he heard the fighting resume strongly, andâ¦

âThis is the way out!â yelled the same voice. Something about it was familiar...

âThen letâs gather the troops and push forward!â said another, which Kalaren recognized immediatly.

''âMatheeas!â'' Kalaren realized. ''âWhatâs he doing here?â''

The Marauder reappeared at the cliff top, before ripping his helmet off. âLetâs bring this party outside!â he roared. Everyone in the room spared a moment to look at this newcomer.

âWho the stars are you?!â cried one of the slaves.

Another person came up next to him. A shinobi, who ripped off the facemask. âWeâre the '''''blasted calvary''''', what more do-â

âWe are two Knights of the Olde Speech, here to save you from certain doom!â Lancaster crowed.

Next to him, Stirling, for it was Stirling, now that Kalaren saw them without the disguise, did a double-take. However, before they could say anything more, Kalaren felt he should mention a minor detailâ¦

âThatâs great and all, but the entrance to this tunnel is blocked.â

At that moment, Kalaren heard more sounds from the tunnel behind him.

Stirling and Matheeas turned to each other, both looking quite pale. Then they looked down at a sheet that Stirlng was holdingâ¦ Slowly, they looked at each other, then down the tunnel that Kalaren had come from originally. There were a number of Paradox Rouges, watching them curiously. Clearly fresh reinforcements.

âLooks like itâs the belly of the beast for us,â Stirling said.

One of the Paradox rogues below in the basin with Kevin and Kalaren, shook the slave whoâs shirt collar he still held.

âSo we gunna fight or not?â

From the tunnel, several rows of organized marching rogues appeared, causing the other (admittedly disorganized) rogues to cheer.

And the battle commenced again.

'''âTo me!â''' cried Matheeas. â'''If you value your freedom, to me!â'''

Kalaren threw a grenade behind him into the new troops from the tunnel, and ran to the ramp, chainsawing a sorcerer who stepped too close with his right hand, and hauled Kevin to his feet with his left.

âThanks, dude,â Kevin said, stumbling to his feet. Behind them swarmed the few surviving slaves that could still run.

âAnytime.â He muttered.

Upon reaching the clifftop, Kalaren saw Stirling using a Wormholer to drill his own gruesome hole into the other oncoming Paradox Rogues, even as Matheeas used a shield in one hand, and slapped Dr. Jellyfish to consciousness with his other.

âWake. Up. Doctor.â he said, punctuating the words with slaps. âTime to Run. For the hills.â

âArguumâ¦ Wha- oh. Oh. OH! Yes SIR! Where are they?â

Matheeas pointed down the hall that Stirling was shooting. âThat way.â

Dr. Jellyfish leaned to see around Stirling, who was actively getting shot at. âOh. Jellyfish.â

Matheeas nodded. âJellyfish indeed.â Then he turned to the others as they arrived. âHere is the plan. Weâre going to fit into a circle, putting the weakest in the center, weâll move down the tunnel behind me, and past the entrance to this tunnel. It wonât be as fast a mad rush, but we should go farther. We can still make it!â

A few of the weary slaves turned fighters cheered, Kevin and Kalaren with them, but Matheeas could tell they were near their breaking points.

'''âGREAT PEP TALK,â''' Stirling yelled. '''âNOW LETâS MOVE, PEOPLE!!!â'''

So they did. Commanders Matheeas, Kalaren and Stirling headed the movement, all armed with Wormholers to better mow down the attackers. Kevin and Jellyfish formed the rearguard. Jellyfish with his explosive potions, and Kevin with a rocket launcher and blaster. In the middle with many of the slaves was Chris -3rd, who was badly injured.

Moving down the corridor, the three in front shot at anything that moved. Kalaren glanced at Stirling, who had clearly already been shotÂ in multiple non-vital areas while heâd cleared the tunnel during Matheeasâ speech. The jetpack on his back appeared to be pulsing, and small batches of nanobots were scurrying from the backpack, moving across his shinobi armor, causing him to grunt and twitch from time to time.

Now, they pressed the advantage Stirling has earned them, trying to keep the tunnel clear. Up the short tunnel, past the collapsed entrance on their leftâ¦

âContact!â yelled Kevin from the rear. âThose bad dudes have caught up with us back here!â The sounds of gunfire echoed from behind the group.

âHold them back!â Matheeas yelled, even as they heard a familiar explosion and hiss from the Doctorâs concoctions.

As they continued to advance, they soon saw their enemies retreating rather than standing to face them.

âTactical retreat.â Stirling muttered. âTheyâll regroup up ahead.â

âSo, itâs a trap?â Kalaren asked, glancing between the two. âDo we press forward?â

Matheeas shook his head. âNot much of a choice.â

Stirling waved an arm. âThis whole mine was a trap. Gah..!â He grunted, as a group of nanobots reached a wound and burrowed in, disinfecting it. It served as a further reminder of the fact.

They rushed as quickly as they dared down the ramp and followed it as it curved gently right. It led into a dimly lit corridor, with room for barely two people to stand abreast. The walls and ceiling were absolutely covered with light purple crystals that jaggedly reflected the light.

Stirling grimaced. It was the perfect murder hole. The perfect place for a trap.

He roared, rushed forward, and fired blindly into the dark. Crystals shattered with the sound of glass, and as some shards hit the ground, there was a telltale beep, and then an answering roar as a dozen mines went off, creating an inferno that was channeled both ways.Â Matheeas yanked him back around the curve of the tunnel to relative saftey as shards of crystal and fire zipped past both of them.

Stunned, Stirling muttered, âBetter me than everyone. Wayâs clear.â

Kalaren stared at him, before saying in a voice quiet enough so no one behind him could hear, âWe could have thrown one of the half-dead slaves instead.â

Matheeas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he hissed as his brain alerted him to a deep gash in his left arm.

He examined it. A clean cut, straight through the thickest part of the Marauder gauntlets he was wearing. Beyond that, he could see he was bleeding no small amount through a cut in his muscle.

Surprised and intrigued, he pulled the gauntlet off, and saw the cut was a few centimeters deep. He quickly pulled out a bandage and wrapped it tight, as Stirling recovered his feet and the rest of the group piled up next to them.

âWhy are we stopping?â exclaimed a hooded woman, bumping into Kalaren. âThe Paradox are pressing us from behind!â

âThey are laying traps up ahead. We areâ¦ disabling them. Watch your step, there are sharp shards of crystal on the floor.â Matheeas exclaimed. âKalaren, youâre expendable, go in there and shoot the rest of the room up quickly, just in case the explosion left anything. Youâll lead on after that.â

Kalaren raised his eyebrows before Stirling interrupted, staggering to his feet.

âNo, no. Iâm fine.â he reached into his Nexus Force backpack and pulled out a Venture League flaregun. âHow do I fire this thing?â

âHey, I can do it. You cleared most of it anyway, and I will be more careful than. That.â Kalaren said.

âYâknow what..!â The hooded lady said as she snatched the flaregun from Stirlingâs hands and chucked it into the room. Nothing happened.

She turned to Stirling. âThere, see? No more traps there. Youâve got more?â

Stirling looked into the backpack. There was tons of junk here, and once again Stirling wasn't sure to bless or curse Peragrine's packrat tendencies. âSure.â

He ran forward, only to hiss as he started limping. Taking a quick glance, he noticed there were multiple thin gashes through the fronts of his leggings.

âOh. Curious.â However, he didnât stop.

ââIâm sure you're fineâ.â Kalaren said as he hurried to catch up with him.

The corridor was covered in crystal, and Stirling could feel the sharp edges cutting into his Shinobi boots. He could only guess what this was going to do to the slaves, but it wasn'tâ like they had a choice. He and Kalaren ran as the corridor began to slope uphill slightly. As it did, Stirling stopped Kallaren with an arm, and said, âCover your eyes.â Then, he threw a flash bang from his pack.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the sound of an engine turning on in the distance.

The others caught up with Stirlng and Kalaren.

âThatâs one of the laser drills!â A slave yelled, recognizing the sound. âThey must be pushing it down the slope that's up ahead!â

Sudden panic threatened to overwhelm the group as they realized they would soon be between a rock and a hard place.

âWeâre boxed in! We canât break past their forces behind us!!!â

Stirling looked at Matheeas, who in turn looked at Stirling, frustrated. The leader of the resistance threw his hands up helplessly.

That was all that Stirling needed. Ripping off the Shinobi shoulderpads, he reached into his pack and pulled out his Samurai pads and helm. Then he yanked the Paradox Jetpack off his back and dumped EVERYTHING on the floor. Dozens of papers, several weapons and armors, and grenades.

âEVERYONE, GRAB SOMETHING AND GET READY TO RUN," Stirling commanded.

As various people picked up supplies, Matheeas watched Stirling as the knight shoved a final grenade into the jetpack, then closed it back up.

âStirling, youâre not going to-â Matheeas began.

Stirling studied some buttons on the jetpack, even as the sound of the drill grew louder, keeping above the renewed din of the Paradox forces having caught up with them from behind.

He pressed a few buttons, and the jetpackâs engines revved up.

âGo with the jetpack?â Stirling asked. âNo. Iâm reckless, not stupid.â And with that, he sent the jetpack rocketing up the ramp.

Just as it went out of sight, a terrific explosion rocked the entire structure, followed by the sound of a second explosion. Various people screamed, and it felt like they were in the center of an earthquake.

Kalaren looked up just in time to avoid a large section of the ceiling falling down on top of him.

âWEâRE GOING TO DIE!â someone yelled.

Stirling rushed forward, even as the corridor began to collapse. '''âRUN!''' FOLLOW ME, YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT,â he roared over the crashing rocks, the screaming combatants, the raging inferno up ahead, and the crunching of the armed troops behind.

Matheeas and Kalaren rushed after Stirling, shooting debris as it rained down upon them and their charges that followed. However, to their surprise, when the ceiling fell, it didn'tâ reveal more rock, but instead, a much wider open ceiling many yards away. Seeing as the way further into the tunnel just included more crashing rocks and debris, this seemed like a good place to go. Stirling scrambled up some rocks that were conveniently piled on a wall into the room, and the others followed suit.

They emerged into a wide open cavern, with mine carts and tracks leading to and from many various tunnels, including one massive tunnel across the room. Stirling spun around once. Theyâd just created a massive sinkhole in the middle of what he now identified as a fledgling ore processing center and hub.

âCrux.â

At least 22 rogues in the immediate vicinity were staring at them, along with countless slaves of all sorts of ethnicities. Â

They were, of course, the center of attention.

 

=== Chapter 16: Only the Beginning of the Madness ===

And then the room exploded with activity.

Stirling rushed forward, repeating his cry to all the slaves in the room. '''âFOLLOW ME IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.â'''

The cry did not immediately affect the slaves in this new room, as they were still processing what just happened. However, the outpouring of Matheeas, Kalaren, and all of the others, including the fighting slaves, from the fissure in the floor brought the realization forward, and friend and foe were stirred into action.

Stirling pointed to the largest tunnel, and said to Matheeas, âThink thatâs our target.â

Matheeas nodded. âSounds good. Might be able to use those.â He said, gesturing to the mining carts on tracks that went up the tunnel.

Stirling nodded. âWomen and Children, with one fighter each. As many as we can.â

âWe donât have any children here. Maybe older teenagers. Donât forget the elderly.â

âMinors then! Non-combatants!â

âTheyâre all miners,â Kalaren said as he threw a sorcerer mightily high into the air with his cybernetic arm.

âYOU GET THE POINT!â Stirling spluttered as he dove behind a minecart, not having a ranged weapon to fight back against the ranged combatants all around the room.

Matheeas shrugged and yelled the order. âEVERYONE UNABLE TO FIGHT GET INTO THE CARTS ON THIS TRACK!â

Dr. Jellyfish raised a hopeful hand from the back. âIâm getting to that point, Commander! Only so many beakers left!â

âThen make them count! Defend the slaves as they mount the carts, and light the track up with something NON-EXPLOSIVE!â

Chris the -3rd appeared from the crowd and slumped next to Stirling. âHey, Strider. Been meaning to ask: Whereâs my bro?â

Stirling glanced up, and surprise flashed across his face. âOh yeah. We had to leave him behind.â

âWhat?!â

âNo, not like that! He was badly injured. We-â

âYou left him there?!?â

âNo! Well yes, but-â

Chris the -3rd began spluttering incoherently, giving Stirling just enough time to finish his explanation.

â-last I saw him, he was given orders to make his way back to base if we didnât return in some amount of minutes. We didnât return. Yet.â

âOh.â And then Chris dodged a lightning bolt from a sorcerer who was shooting from a higher vantage point. The sorcerer was instantly retaliated against by multiple laser blasts.

âThatâs what hit him.â Stirling said, indicating the lightning blast. Then he gripped Chrisâs shoulder hard. âAnd if you want to see him again, youâre going to hold on and help me get everyone else out of here. Got that, soldier?â

Chris looked at Stirling in surprise, then his features hardened and he nodded grimly. âWhat do you want me to do, commander?â

âYouâre going to be on the first cart out of here. I need you to spearhead the convoy out of here. Be sure to get a wormholer.â

âYes sir.â Chris sprinted up towards a cart that was farther ahead, cleaving a few rogues on his way there, and grabbing an aforementioned wormholer.

Stirling turned his attention to getting a weapon of his own. âRight. Enough hunkering down.â And he stormed into the fray.

<nowiki>~~~~~~</nowiki>

Kalaren looked further up the tunnel as the cart he had hitched a ride on came up the tunnel. Up ahead, he saw Chris the Negative 3rd fighting off the last of the Paradox guards in the room, with the hooded slave that had talked to Matheeas and Stirling earlier at his side, swinging a shinobi katana at their foes.

The other slaves had rounded up a group of scientists in typical labcoats or outrageous goggles and other sciency gear. They held them hostage by waving tools and blunt objects menacingly at them. Kalaren jumped off of his cart and headed past the rest of the stacked up carts. The further they came into the room, the more familiar it seemed in shapeâ¦

Then it hit him. This room looked like a mirror image of his original holding cell! Only, instead of being a dimly lit torture-slash-expirimental test subject chamber, this was some sort of geological study laboratory.

âKal! Give me a hand here,â Chris called, wrestling with a Paradox Marauder and bringing Kalaren back to the situation at hand.

âOh, yeah, sorry!â He yelled back as he unsheathed his shortsword and ran over. He grabbed Chrisâ assailant and stabbed him, before rushing over to the hooded lady, who was desperately fighting off a shinobi. Kalaren proceeded to stab that foe as well.

âThere we go.â Kalaren said as he helped Chris back up to his feet.

âLooks like the free ride is over,â Chris said, pointing to where the mine carts stopped against a bumper in the middle of the room.

As he spoke, the line of carts shuddered again as more carts arrived with more people.

âGonna have to use your old tired bones!â Kalaren jested. âI used to have a holding cell like this.â

âBut then you took an arrow to the knee?â

âAxe to the arm, rather.â He said, gesturing at his right robotic arm.

âOh.â The color drained from Chrisâs face a bit more as he realized the perfect reversal that Kalaren had just done in equal parts jest and seriousness combined.

âYou were a slave too?â The hooded lady said as she walked up.

Kalarenâs eyebrows knitted together. âNot quite. Itâs hard to explain. Letâs see whatâs on the other side of this door.â He said, as he walked up to the thick steel door at the end of the room. At the moment, it was locked. Kalaren braced his foot against the wall and ripped out the handle and lock with his mangled, but still functional, right hand.

Various sounds of exclamation and approval from all conscious came from behind, but like a boss, Kalaren didnât look back. Part of the reason being his face had slightly reddened. Instead, he heard the hooded lady say to the other hostage scientists, âThatâs right. Thatâs the kind of secret firepower weâve got! So now you can either escape with us, or stay out of our way, youâ¦ youâ¦â

The other slaves came to her rescue.

âTorturers!âÂ âManiacs!âÂ âEvildoers!â

A few of the scientists stood up with their hands in the air. âI hate this job anyway! The foodâs lousy and I donât get dental.â

The slaves just looked at each other, then at the scientists.

âOh. Yeah.â One of them said.

âIt wasnât that bad, especially the fried land-roving squid!â Jellyfish said as he ran up.

One of the scientists gagged and fainted.

The first one that had spoken up first did so again. âLook, we wonât stop you. Thereâs even some here that would join you! Take me, anythingâs better than staying down here in this stinky dank dungeon investigating ''Crisilau''!â He paused. âIâve always been more interested in the zoology of Ankoria,â he stated wistfully.

âLike land-roving squids!!!â replied Jellyfish.

The rest of the scientists murmured their agreement, and some began hotly debating if the land-roving squid was truly still a squid with land-roving capabilities, or an entirely new animal.

âDoesnât matter right now,"Chris said before turning back to Kalaren. What's on the other side of the door anyway, Kal?â

The previously mentioned individual held two unconscious guards by the scruff of their necks, before dropping them simultaneously in mock guilt. âNothing!â Kalaren said, a grin slowly creeping up on his face. âAlso, there is a cell block. If there are any prisoners in there, we can free them."

One of the scientists reached towards a dead guard, before one of the slaves knocked his hand aside.

âHey, what do you think youâre doinâ?â

âOw!â The scientist sucked on his stricken palm, and with the other, he pointed at some keys on the dead guardâs belt. âFu muh mu fat mu muwock the mrulls.â

âSay again?â The slave asked.

Next to him, another scientist translated the palm-suckerâs words.

âHe said,Â âYou can use that to unlock the cells.âÂ Really, Dave, it couldn't have hurt that bad.â

âmru mrrts mru mink!â

The slave shrugged and grabbed the keys, before tossing them to Kalaren. He nodded his thanks and headed down the corridor. Four cells on either side, each with a heavy iron door. He stopped at one door and looked in through a rectangular viewing port that opened and closed with a thin iron sheet.

It was a cell, but there were just more crates of crystal in them. The next few cells all contained more crystals, though some had scientific equipment and information on fold-out tables or taped up corkboards filled with notes. Each cell seemed to be set up to investigate something different about the crystals. This ''Crisilau.'' The same crystals that had cut through Matheeas' and Strider's armor in the mines below.

As Kalaren reached the end of the corridor, there was another iron door, but thankfully this one was ajar.

Walking into the large circular room, he saw three more doors like the one heâd just come through. Looking up, he realized that this central chamber also had a large winding staircase that looped around and around and around the inside of this tall interior. Far up in the distant ceiling, Kalaren could see a pinprick of natural light.

He looked back down the hallway he had come through, as he saw Chris leading a swarm of slaves.

âThe others have come up the tunnel, and so have their pursuers. Whatâs up ahead?â Chris asked.

Kalaren gestured to the cells. âNo prisoners in these. Just crystals and notes. This door leads to a room with a stairway leading up, and three other cell blocks.â

âThere are a few prisoners in the next cell blocks, maybe we could free them too.â The wishful zoologist ventured helpfully.

Kalaren nodded. âAlright, then youâll lead us through the cells. Five of the others will come with me. Chris, you stay here to tell Matheeas and the rest what weâre doing, and keep everyone here until we come back.â

Chris the -3rd nodded.

âThis one first,â the scientist said, pointing to the one left of where theyâd come from. It had a plaque next to it reading âNâ.Â The others, Kalaren now realized, also had plaques, reading âSâ, âWâ and âEâ. Compass points.

Kalaren unlocked the North door, and as it groaned and protested, two guards sprang out and fired point-blank at Kalaren with their blasters. One shot hit Kalarenâs cybernetic arm, and the other one grazed his left shoulder, but this gave the other slaves that were following Kalaren time and room to shoot and hack at them.

Chris rushed forward to check on Kalaren. Wordlessly, Kalaren waved him off, and Chris instead turned back to the others, and those coming through the West door, up from the mines.

After that short debacle, Kalaren and the others following him quickly cleared out the Northern Cell Block, which rather more resembled a micro-community, with each cell being a tiny house, and the central corridor more of a general hangout.

All in all, while everyone here was ''absolutely'' a prisoner, they seemed to be treated humanely while not actually working in the mines. Most of them agreed to come with them in this prison break, but others rejected the offer, and they were thrown in a cell together so they couldnât, or wouldnât stop them from escaping.

The strangest part of the cell block was at the end, however. A final door at the far end was easily opened without force or key to revealâ¦

âOh, this is our hottub lounge and general breakroom. Good for relaxing those muscles at the end of a long dayâs work.â The scientist explained.

Two masked Paradox Marauders looked up from where they were chilling in the hottub. They appeared to only have their helmets and swim trunks on. They turned to the newcomers.

âHey. This is our break. Come back later when we are high-strung and ready to shoot,â one of them said.

âNo... Dobson, these must be the guys that are causing all those alerts,â said the other.

âWonder whyâ¦?â

âDunno, Dobson.â

âWhat should we do, Dobson?â

âWeâre on break, like you said. Itâs not our problem.â Dobson turned back to Kalaren. âTake what you want, just leave the nachos. Those are mine.â

Kalaren stared in disbelief, before turning around and closing the door.

âHe seemed nice!â came the distant voice of one of the Dobsons.

Kalaren kept walking down the corridor. âNext!â

Meanwhile, while Kalaren and the wannabe zoologist were clearing out the North Cell Block, Stirling, Matheeas, and everyone else arrived to speak with Chris, who brought them up to speed.

Stirling growled a curse under his breath. âWe donât have ''time'' for this.â

Matheeas shrugged. âWeâll never get another chance like this.â He dropped his voice to a lower volume. âBesides, some of them could join the resistance, and I wonât say no to that.â

âFine!â Strider said. âThen let's split up, you and me, and get the other two corridors. Weâll be out of here faster.â Stirling said, before looking up the staircase. âWeâre sitting ducks here for all manner of things to be rained down on us.â

âThen, like you said, letâs get out of here as soon as we can!â Matheeas said, and then proceeded to turn right, heading to the eastern tunnel. Stirling growled, and barged south.

Fishing some keys from one of the comatose Guards, Stirling flung the south cell block open.

Two guards spun around the doorframe, as Stirling expected. He reached out and grabbed both of the Marauder's blasters and pushed them upward just as the two fired. As the blaster fire shot harmlessly into the ceiling, Stirling shoved them both back into the room, and spun around on the one to his right, getting the guard into a chokehold between him and the second one.

The free guard yelled as a small mining laser hit his visor and melted, fired from a slave outside the corridor.

Stirling grinned with grim satisfaction, then snapped the neck of the guard that he held, dropping the body unceremoniously.Â He stepped forward to the other rogue, who was scrabbling with their helmet on the floor,Â desperatly trying to get the melted visor off of his face. A quick sword cut, and there was silence. Â

Stirling looked around the cell block.

This cell block was distinctly more dismal. A number of curious and anxious faces leered out from the individual cells that lined this prison block.

A trio of slaves stepped into the block behind Stirling.

âThat wasâ¦ Veryâ¦ Effective.â One of them said, grimacing at the bloody mess they had just stepped over.

âItâs only going to get worse,â Strider grunted.

âExcuse me, but are you here to let us out?â said one of the voices from the cells.

â...Or kill us?â Ventured another.

Stirling moved to the one that spoke first, partway down the hall. It was a woman in a baggy burlap habit with the hood up. A strand of dirty, matted, red hair was visible. Stirling thought he noticed some silver in it too.

âI have keys. I donât have your freedom,â he said, as he unlocked the cell door. âThat, youâll have to fight for.â

The trio that followed Stirling in found other sets of keys and began opening other cells as Stirling continued to talk to the red-haired woman.

She nodded slowly. âBetter than this, I suppose.â She lowered her voice and leaned closer to Strider. âEveryone else in the cells should be fine to release, there are a few eccentric ones, but fairly harmless, the real person you should be careful around is the one inhabiting cell number 17. Thatâs Tillman. Heâs theirâ¦ Test subject.â

Stirling turned and looked over his shoulder at cell 17, further down the cell block. Inside was a man in a similar habit, rocking back and forth on his cot. He seemed to not have noticed anything outside, and was just staring ahead.

Stirling looked back. âDuly noted, missâ¦?â

âAmras. Is there a weapon I could use?â

Swinging the cell door open, Stirling withdrew his dagger and handed it to her hilt-first. âTill you can pick up one of their guns, or a drill, or something.â

Amras looked at it a little disappointedly. âBetter than this shard of a rock I found, I suppose.â Then she took it.

Stirling chuckled, then got back to unlocking more cells. As he did so, he felt a hand grip his shoulder.

Instinctively, he whipped around, backhanding the freed prisoner in the face.

âWhy you little...!â the stranger said, clearly offended. âWho are you? What do you want?!â he asked, as a poor means of beginning a conversation.

âIâm Stirling Silverstine. Iâm here to get you out, ''apparently'',â Stirling said, turning to free other prisoners. But the stranger wasnât done talking.

âWell, that certainly depends on who you are and who you serve.â

This gave Stirling pause. He looked back over his shoulder and regarded this young man. Like a lot of the prisoners, he had muscle, and was well-built from hard labor. He had a full head of black hair and a full beard, both roughly cut. His eyes were simple, dark green, flat, and searching.

Stirling turned back around to face him fully, and slowed down, as everyone else continued to mill around him, Amras, and this stranger. This stranger who was smart enough to question his motives...

âAs I said. Iâm Stirling Silverstine. I serve no one, and seek to make that choice possible for everyone. Iâm against thedude, and Vladek, and any other tyrants that would restrict your freedom to live as you will.â

He noticed others were listening to his words, and that most of the cells were open now, except for cell 17.

âDoes that answer your question, sirâ¦?â

The stranger opened his mouth to speak, lost in thought. âVikky.â He mumbled.

The sound of others sniggering brought âVikkyâ to focus. He shook his head. âAHEM! I mean, uh, Victor.â

Stirling reached out and grabbed âVikkyâsâ shoulder. âNope, itâs Vikky now. Are you willing to fight for your freedom?â

âNo one calls me Vikky. No one but my sister. Got that?" Victor said evenly. He changed the subject again before anyone could object. "I don't mind fighting if it means I can go home.â

Stirling narrowed his eyes slightly at the prisoner, then shook the shoulder once. âFine. Next time, donât sneak up on me. I could have done a lot worse.â Then Stirling gave a final grim smile to Victor and the onlookers as he walked over to cell 17.

As he approached the cell, he observed the prisoner within.

âTillmanâ had not noticed him, and continued to stare at the wall. As Stirling looked closer, he noticed âTillmanâsâ skin was ''sand green''. He also lacked hair. But the oddest part about him was his fingers. They were ''long'' and ''spindly,'' holding his legs up to his chest.

âMr. Tillman?â Stirling asked.

Tillmanâs head snapped to look at Stirling, as he stopped rocking and let his thin anemic legs fall to the floor, and his eyes squinted.

âAh! John! How good to see you! Have you broughtâ¦â His eyes darted from side to side, before he whispered mysteriously, â... the barnacles?â

Stirling held up the keys and jangled them. âSomething better. Iâm here to let you go.â

âLet... me go? No. I canât do that. No food out there. No power.â He said, gesturing to a power cord hanging from the ceiling.

Stirling looked up. âNoâ¦ Power?â

âNo power, no food, no sustenance, more hunger, more pain, more quiet. Itâs too quiet in here. And yet, too loud. All because of fear. Too much fear. Maybe not enough. Healthy fear. Good to lose weight on. Also hair. You got barnacles?â

Stirling shook his head. He didnât have time for this. This was like talking to Dr. Jellyfish. But more freaky.

âTillman! Focus.â Stirling jangled the keys again, and began unlocking the cell.

âYes! I have the payment. You got barnacles? Is that thing in your hands a barnacle? I need bar-â

âIâm opening this cell. You can go and get your own barnacles. Outside. People will try to stop you, but something tells me they canât stop you, if you really want barnacles bad enough.â

âYou sure thatâs a good ideaâ¦?â One of the slaves said.

Stirling turned back on him more brusquely than he intended. âI '''donât''' have the time to judge each one of you. Weâre wasting too much time already.â He swung the cell open.

Tillman peered outside cautiously, as Stirling and others backed up. âNo power. Canât come. Unlessâ¦ You have other food?â

Stirling blinked furiously. âYou eat electricity?â

âYes. Sort of. Not very good. All I haveâ¦â

Stirling pulled Peragrineâs pack off and began rummaging around.''âAlright, Peragrine, I'm calling on you again here.â'' Stirlingâs hands wrapped around something sizable and metallic. He pulled it out.

It turned out to be a Boombox. Stirling set it down on the ground in front of the test subject.

âOk, Tillman. Can you take the battery power from this?â

Tillman looked down at it. âMaybe.â He wrapped his fingers on it, and his entire body started to glow as he started humming in delight.

Sufficiently disturbed, but glad that heâd made the strangeâ¦ Man? Creature? happy, Stirling turned to the end of the corridor, where a number of slaves were attempting to unlock the far doorway with a number of keysâ¦ The only question was which ones to use, as these double doors had four differently colored locks. The others had already unlocked three of the four, but were having difficulty finding the last one.

âNot this oneâ¦ Not this oneâ¦ Which of these is it?!â

âThereâs too many locks on this stupid door! Whatâs so interesting behind here?â said one of the slaves thatâd come from the mines.

âWeapons.â Amras clarified. âAt least, I think so. I see guards go in there without weapons and come out with weapons.â

Stirling grinned wolfishly. âThen thatâs certainly worth a minute.â He glanced back at the main room, noting how the other leaders hadnât quite come back yet, and the main force of the slaves was holding back the guards in the mines. âBut only just a minute.â he growled, noting the treasure-filled glee among those around him.

âAh! Hereâs the final key!â The slave said. âWait. No. I was wrong.â

âOh, let me!â Said one with a mining laser, who proceeded to cut through the final lock. Sirling strode forward and pushed the heavy iron double doors open.

The room was filled with various weapons, mostly Paradox. Wormholers hung on the wall, racks of shinobi katanas, boxes of sorcerer wands, and various armor pieces were scattered about the room. Here and there were other more antiquated armaments, like black spears, sets of red armor with black skorpions emblazoned on them, and dark, foreboding helmets entirely black. Along the back wall were seemingly more special items in glass cases.

There were also two stone statues of knights on either side of Stirling, which started to glow an eerie red.

âWell, Crux.â Stirling sighed.

 

=== Chapter 17: The Clarity of Insanity. ===

Matheeas and Jellyfish opened the east cell block, and they both handled their individual guard. Matheeas by a quick parry and thrust, and Jellyfish by a quick dodge and countershot to the head. They sauntered into the block.

âYup. Mhm. Place looks familiar.â Jellyfish said as they looked around.

âReally?â Matheeas said. The place looked fairly well maintained. Good lighting, although the doors were steel with only a sliding window to look in.Â Matheeas walked up to the closest one and peered in. Inside appeared to be a knight wearing dark armor, sleeping on a cot. A cherry-red light activated within his helmet, and he sat straight up, giving Matheeas a look inside his helmet. It appeared that one half of his face was covered in metal. His right hand, also appearing to have a metallic glint, shot a short, thick, blade. The knight quickly grabbed his right arm with his left and held it down.

âGreetings. My sincerest apologies. It is simply my right sideâs reaction. Have you come to bring me supper?â

âNo, I have actually come to break you out of here, if you wish.â

The cybernetic knight- for surely, Matheeas thought, this man reminded him of Kalarenâs cybernetics- frowned.

âBreak out? Out of this cell.â He paused, considering Matheeas. âThenâ¦ Thou art not with the Lord Vladek?â

âNot in the slightest. You?â

The knight stood up. âLet me out, and I shall slay our foes.â

Matheeasâs brow furrowed. âSwear on your honor as a knight that you wonât harm me or my allies.â

The cyber-knight paused, so Matheeas added:

âAt least until we get out of here, you wonât attack any of my comrades. Then we can talk about it more.â

The cyber-knight was silent for a moment. âI am afraid I cannot do that.â

âWhy not?â

He motioned to his cybernetic arm. âThis arm. It is encoded to kill. I cannot guarantee that I shall not harm thee. Tis why I am enclosed herein. I am one of the greatest swordsmen in this fortress. With few exceptions, we wouldest meet little resistance in our escape. But I cannot say with veracity that thou wouldest be safe with me thereafter. Or indeed, before.

Matheeas nodded slowly. âSo, if you think you went ahead a little bit, and thought about killing only Vladekâs troops, we would be relatively safe?â

â...Perhaps.â

âGreat! Weâll come back for you later so you can lead the way.â

â...Very well.â

Matheeas closed the slot, and turned to look at Dr. Jellyfish, who was standing outside one of the cells, door open.

âThisâ¦ This was my room.â

Matheeas walked over. Inside was a bedstand with a sheet of metal, and a pillow, with straps welded to the sides to make a very low-grade operating table. All around the room were bits of machinery on the ground, on other tables, hanging from stands and small power-cranes. There was even an entire generator in the back of the room, which was hooked up to at least a dozen items. From the other cranes, to the bright surgical lights, to a few humming machines.

âThis room is definitely used for cybernetics. Fitting, that was my specialty.â

âStill is, Doctor. Think you could take any of this?â

â..Oh. Oh. Oh yes. Yes indeed! Give me a few minutes, I want to analyze the generator!â

Just then, the door at the far end of the corridor opened, upward with a hiss of air, and a tall, gaunt man in a white lab coat and gloves stepped through a blue force field.

He paused when he saw Matheeas and Jellyfish. Jellyfish turned to meet him.

âSylvester! Good to see you! How are the tests going? Howâs Collin?â

Matheeas observed this âSylvesterâ. Tall, gaunt, very much a scientist like Jellyfish, but he seemed to have a more... Sinister air about him. He was wearing goggles, but they did not make him look goofy. Instead, they accentuated the pinprick-like eyes he had, with their minimalist blue irises. He had slick black hair, and a neat, close trimmed, mustache.

âJohnathan.â he said. His voice was low. Surprisingly low, for someone so thin. His tone was neutral. He was clearly still processing what he was seeing.

âWas that my name? Yes, I suppose it was. Anyways you didnât answer my questions, so hereâs another oneâ¦ Have you tried out my fried jellyfish recipe?â

Sylvester considered Jellyfish as he thought about this question. âYes. It was nutritionally and palatably terrible. A recipe not worth repeating. What is your business here?â

Matheeas was about to speak before Jellyfish beat him to it.

âWe are commencing a jailbreak! Aaaand raiding whatever we come across!â Jellyfish waved his blaster at the room they were just in.

âI hope that excludes me.â

âThat is up to the Commander here!â Both of the scientists turned expectantly at Matheeas.

âYou two know each other?â Matheeas asked.

âOh yes! We were colleagues.â Jellyfish replied.

âAssociates.â amended Sylvester.

âWe both worked on Kalaren!â

âSubject OâBryan.â

Matheeas shook his head. âIs he a threat, Doctor?â

âYeah, kind of, pretty much.â

âActually, I agree. But you canât touch me.â Then, he stepped backwards, into the forcefield.

Jellyfish let out a small bark of laughter. âYouâre relying on the same security system I assisted in installing!â

There was no reply, except for the door closing with another hiss of air.

Jellyfish strode forward. âIâll have this down in five minutes!â Once he got within a foot of the archway, he was met with a blast of electricity that discharged seemingly from the door itself.

âJELLYFIIISSZZ!â he squealed as he flew back down the corridor.

Matheeas stared for a few seconds, before cautiously walking over to check on Jellyfish. The tips of his face were somewhat singed, and parts of his coat was blackened, but other than that, the electricity had not conducted too far past his leather coat. Matheeas shook him awake.

âYou ok?â

âYeah,â Jellyfish wheezed. âI think. Thatâs new. That never would have conformed to Collinâs safety regulationsâ¦â Jellyfish paused as they heard a grating metal sound behind them. they both looked back to see the Cyber-knight stepping out of his cell.

But he clearly wasn'tâ here to help. His face spoke only of murder. A long blade slid out of his right arm.

Then he turned and ran out of the cell block.

''â âJellyfish.â â''

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

Stirling dove into the room as he heard the two stone knights groaning and creaking with movement. Snatching a sturdy-looking spear from a stand, he twisted around to block any oncoming attacks, and sized up his opponents.

They were just now turning towards him. Slowly, they stepped off of their pedestals, and Stirling realized how tall and lumbering they were, about twice his height, they had huge stone halberds that they lowered in his direction. They seemed to go faster the more they moved.

Glancing back towards the door, and all ofthe people beyond, he began to back up, hoping that the others would catch onto his unspoken plan. The room wasnât very large, and was filled with weapons, but he hoped to lure the stone knights further in, so that the others could sneak up from behind and defeat themâ¦ Somehow.

The knights began to thrust at him. Realising he would probably not be able to block or parry their massive stone halbard attacks, he began to duck and dodge and scamper backwards.

Amras watched, her hooded eyes assessing the situation. As one of the miners began to step forward, she held an arm out and stopped him.

âDonât cross the threshold. Use your mining lasers.â

âFine by me.â The prisoner said, raising his laser to fire at the knight, slowly deteriorating the stone. The others followed suit, and soon anyone with a ranged weapon was helping.

âFocus the fire,â someone said. âIf itâs magic, it might just heal or something!â

âGo for the arms, who knows if it even needs a head.â

âI have a rocket launcher here, when do I fire that?â

âWhy not now?â

âOkay! Bombs away!â

Stirling tried to watch as he rolled to escape the ensuing explosion of rocks and rubble. he continued to dodge and evade as the room quickly became an absolute wreck. Not to mention the fact that other racks of weapons had fallen and were set off. Including rocket launchers.

But even in the chaos, he took a moment to appreciate how the prisoners were working together.

After a few minutes of frantic evasion, Stirling unbent his knees and looked around at the dust settling. The stone giants were obliterated, the walls and floor were scarred and chipped, and at least a quarter of the weapons exploded.

That went better than heâd expected. He should do jailbreaks more often. Standing up, he was inordinately pleased to find that heâd gotten away with only a few cuts and bruises for all his frantic tumbling.

He turned to the doorway and called out to the bristling guns and lasers. âGood job, men. Seems safe to come in and take what you can use.â

âWoo-hoo!â

âFinally!â

âI never knew mining rock would be an important life skill!â

âLook at all this STUFF!â

âRemember, only what you can use,â Stirling reminded. âYou donât want to be bogged down during out escape. We still need to run like the dickens.â

âIâll take the laser gun, the purple glowing ninja sword, the OTHER laser gun, and that knife over there!â Victor exclaimed, pulling armor on and gathering weapons.

âWhat did I just say,â Stirling muttered, knowing that with a crowd this large, he wouldnât be able to control or save everyone.

Amras came up to him with a spear and some sorcerer armor. She handed him his knife back.

âHere you go. I wonder why they have all those swords along the back?â

Stirling turned around and realized that nearly all the items in the glass cases were ornate swords. Walking over, he picked up a sword that had fallen out of its smashed case during the fight.

This sword was made of unusual materials, with a gold hilt and crossguard and a silver blade. On one side of the blade was a depiction of a peasant with a sword. On the other, a wizard with a sword. Presumably the same sword. As Stirling lifted it, he found it was extremely unbalanced andÂ forward-heavy. Showing his disgust, he tossed it and said to Amras, âNothing more than an ornamental, Iâm afraid.â

However as Amrasâs eyes went wide, Stirling looked back at where heâd tossed the sword, and it swooped through the air, and plunged itself back into Stirling, who gasped in surpriseâ¦

But not pain.

He looked down at his armor. Patted himself.

He was perfectly fine. Unscathed. He turned around, looking for the sword, but it was nowhere to be found. Murmurs and exclamations came from others, but Stirling wasnât having it.

âWhat the blazes was that?!â Stirling yelled.

Amras simply had an eyebrow raised. âPerhaps theyâre all magical swords.â

That triggered an excited rush to the swords. Everyone wanted to claim one.

âOoh! I want one!â

âMaybe this red one shoots fire?â

âThis one looks like a dagger.â

Stirling and some of the other more cautious people also rushed forward, with words of warning, but they were outnumbered, and in moments, every swordâs hilt was in the hands of a curious miner, with various effects.

The red and orange sword was indeed a fire sword, and the miner that held it yelped in pain as the sword burst into flames, scorching his hands.

Another lifted his sword over his head, and a rickshaw appeared with a flash of thunder complete with a strange young lad, who began yelling incoherently.

And yet another sword, wooden, and ornately carved, leapt from the would-be wielder, turned around and began assaulting him.

âCursed!â yelled someone, even as his chosen blade, a dagger, began teleporting him around the room. âTheyâre all cursed! They gotta be!â

Amongst the instant chaos, which included a thunderous blast, the first verse of 99 cans of cola, and a blinding flash of light, came another sound. The sound of clanking metal boots speeding down the corridor and screams of pain. Stirling turned around just in time to see a dark-clad figure in red and black come at him with a long blade in one hand.

Stirlingâs practiced instincts kicked in, and he raised his Katana, parrying the blow at the last possible moment.

But the dark knight had momentum on his side, and Stirling nearly lost his balance as he slid backwards through the debris, the force of the shock reverberating through his thin blade and into his stolen Shinobi gloves. He grit his teeth in pain and annoyance, all too aware of the heavy notch the blow had made to his own blade. He didnât have time to initiate a counterattack, much less breath or assess his assailant, as the attacker spun around to deliver another blow at him which he ducked out of the way of. Stirling threw a quick stab at his target, but only met hardened steel and left himself open as the dark knight backhanded the off-balance Stirling with his sword hand into the debris.

''âWho the heck is this guy?!â'' Stirling thought, as he stared down the length of his opponent's sword at his neck.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

Kalaren walked down with the last of the prisoners from the north cell block. A small army in its own right. Next to him, the helpful scientist verbally reminisced about all the zoological pursuits he would follow once he got out of here. Kalaren had almost tuned him out.

And then he saw him. A figure dressed in red and black armor, running out from another corridor.

It had to be him. The Murderer. '''Vladek Verilus.''' Only this time, he wouldnât let him get away. ''This'' time he would catch him, and make him '''suffer'''.

He sprinted after him as the dark knight sliced through the back of a miner with a sword in his right hand. Kalaren rushed down the corridor even as a red mist obscured his eyes. He chased the Monster into a cell block where there was a line of prisoners handing weapons and armor down. Two more fell, even as the red and black knight sped up, leaving Kalaren a few seconds further behind him. ''âAlways just out of reachâ¦!â'' The knight disappeared into the room ahead. As Kalaren burst into the room, he saw the knight standing over another victim. '''''âFinally!â''''' Kalaren thought, as he slammed into the knight bodily, throwing them both against some of the sword cases that lined the back wall. As a sword fell from its mounting, Kalaren grabbed it with his one good left hand, and, feeling a surge of energy, rolled off and slammed the sword into the evil knight's sword, one that apparently was protruding from his arm.

The knight rolled to his right, putting distance between himself and Kalaren. âClone? I was not aware of thine activation.â

He was answered by incoherent roars as Kalaren erupted in fire and leaped at him.

There were no coherent thoughts in Kalarenâs mind. Only '''Death'''. Revenge. His next swing. His next strike. Flashes of pain. Vladek Verilus would not survive this confrontation. Heâd finally caught up with his family's killer. Nothing existed except him and his chosen target. A rack fell as the two duelists crashed through it, a mess of fire, metal and blood.

Kalaren pinned his tormentor to the ground, ready to cripple him. Not kill, that would be too fast and easy a punishment...

And then he heard a voice. Distant at first, it sounded vaguely familiar as it fought its way through the bloody haze he found himself in.

''âKalaren! Stop it! youâre burning everything!â''

''âForget him! We have to get out of here!â''

''âNo! We need him!â''

Kalaren turned around and stared at the origin of the voice. A woman in a brown habit. Red hair. Green eyes. Familiar tone of voice, familiar face...

â...Mother?â

And then everything went black.

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

The evil knight stood over Kalaren now, having knocked him out with a solid strike to the back of the head.

âGuess itâs my turn again!â Stirling yelled, rushing forward to save Kalaren as Kalaren had saved him moments ago.

But before he got there, the other sword wielding miners attacked first. A woman with a broad Orange and Gray sword swung at the Knight, who easily blocked it, but not the subsequent thunderous shockwave that threw both of them both away from each other, and the unconscious Kalaren.

Even as the Knight rolled into a standing position, the Dagger-weilding miner blinked and zipped across the room to stab the Knight in the hip.

âHa!â the miner crowed. âI think Iâm getting the hang of-AAAAH!â

He was cut short by the knight cutting both of his hands off. however, this was distraction enough, as a half-dozen other miners, some with the power of swords, and others with the more common weaponry all assaulted him in a haphazard and frenetic effort that even the expert combatant could not defy.

Meanwhile, Stirling rushed to Kalaren, who was no longer on fire. He checked his pulse.

âStill beating. Really fast.â he said to Amras, who was staring at the sword in Kalarenâs clenched left hand. When she didnât say anything immediately, Stirling added, âHe called you âmotherâ.â

âNot the time.â

âI expect to hear all about it if we make it out of here alive.â

â''âIf we make it out aliveâ''. Thatâs the kicker.â Then she knelt down to Kalaren and bandaged him quickly with his own cloak. âWe need to get him and everyone else out of here.â

Stirling nodded, lifting Kalaren up, and grabbing the sword. âMight as well take this,â he said, as he pulled it from Kalarenâs grasp.

As Kalarenâs hand slipped off of it, the sword buzzed irritably in Stirlingâs hand, but he simply ignored it as he focused on hauling Kalarenâs limp form over both his shoulders.

âOK, LETâS MOVE!â Stirling yelled.

As he and the many others rushed back up the South corridor towards the middle room, they were met by a weary looking miner who ran down the hall yelling, âTheyâre gonna break through! We ''need'' to go up, now! We canât stop them from coming up from the mines!â

Stirling bit back unhelpful sarcastic remarks, and instead said to the miner, âYouâve done a heroic job holding them back this long. Letâs blow this pop stand.â The miner nodded and bolted back to relay the message.

As they all rushed back into the main room, Stirling took note of the key players he knew by name. Commander Matheeas was at the foot of the stairwell rallying everybody to him. Dr. Jellyfish was coming from the East cell block, his hands and pockets filled with datapads and mechanical parts. Following him were a number of other scientists similarly loaded down. Chris the -3rd was bringing the majority of the slaves up from the mine entrance, chased close behind by laser fire, while Kevin was in charge of 15 slaves who were covering the escape. Behind Stirling came the strange Mr. Tillman, Amras, and Victor, who held a glowing, mint green longsword. Victor was cheering the other slaves on as Amras helped Tillman along.

âTo me!â Matheeas cried. âForward, onward, and upward! TO FREEDOM!â

Jellyfish spoke up. âI wired the generator back there to overload these four cell blocks, so we should be out of here in five minutes or so. Hope thatâs okay.â

Stirling glanced at Dr. Jellyfish with wide eyes, as laser fire zipped by him. âOh, ''sure''. Add that to the brickinâ list.â

Matheeas blinked. âDouble-time it, people!!!â

Matheeas charged up the stairwell, followed closely by Stirling and the various magical sword wielders. Behind them came a small horde of slaves. About one third of the way up, they heard a hissing sound, and a marsh green, heavy gas started to pour down from somewhere near the top of the stairwell.

âGas!â Stirling yelled. âMore than likely lethal! Thatâs deadly, for all of you illiterate numbskulls!â

âLet me have a go at it!â said the fire sword wielder, who had found some leather gauntlets, which were already smoking. He pointed his sword at the lowering gasâ¦.

Nothing happened.

âWhat are you trying to do?!â Someone else asked, as the gas drifted down closer.

âShoot it. With fire. Ignite it.â

âYou mean like this?â A miner who was still stuck with a mining laser asked sarcastically, as he shot the mist, causing it to explode in flames.

The resulting fireball roared as the gas expanded in the heat and combustion, and the small army stared into what would be their imminent demise.

That is, until another sword wielder, with a icy blue cutlass of unique wavy shape burst forward from the crowd and stabbed upward into the oncoming inferno.

âNO! Not today!â cried the miner, as a beam of cold white light shot from the tip of her blade into the inferno, where it spread into a thin sheet of ice that the fire evaporated into steam.

When all the fire and steam was dissipated, the Miner sank to the steps, her forearms now blue and black with ice, frozen to the sword in an âAâ formation.

Matheeas rushed forward to check on the brave female miner.

âYou all go on,â she moaned. âIâll hold them here. I will just slow the rest of you guys down.â

Behind Matheeas, the Fire sword wielder knelt down next to the Ice wielder, even as others began to rush onward, led by Stirling.Â He pointed at her arms. âIf youâre already dead, do you mind if I try?â

She shrugged. âI guess.â

That was all the Fire wielder needed. He took his gloves off, and holding the sword in one hand, he put his other on her frozen arms. The fire sword roared to life, and Matheeas watched as the fire-wielder began to give off heat as with an intense fever, which caused the arms to thaw.

The fire-wielder opened his eyes and looked at the last of the miners passing Matheeas. âI think Iâm a little dizzy, but Iâll stay back with her, sir. I think we can do better together.â

âYou can come up with the rest. We already have some people covering us.â

As Kevin rushed up to them, a loud explosion, followed by many screams cut short resounded from below.

âTheyâre right behind me, dudes and dudettes, but they got a taste of Doc Jellyâs bad mojo! Letâs split!â

The three stared at Kevin for a moment, deciphering his words.

After a few seconds Matheeas spoke up. âThere is a wave behind him, but behind that the other paradox just blew up, And.... I think we should run?â

âThatâs what I said!â

Matheeas turned back. âAre you coming or not?â

The two sword wielders looked at each other. Then the Ice wielder turned back to Matheeas. âI guess I sounded pretty silly being so dramatic.â

âThe time for great sacrifice may still come,â Matheeas said, standing up. âThere are many that already remain behind, but your time is not yet, it would seem. Come on!â

âWise words, Commandude!â

The four stragglers rushed up the stairs, following the others, just as two metal half circles began to close over the circular opening.

âAh, right! I forgot about this gate here,â Jellyfish said from his point in the line. Some stopped charging up just to stare at him. Others sped up, blasting the doors with various explosives and lasers, with little to no effect.

Suddenly, one of the miners appeared with the magic dagger in his teeth at the top of the stairs, slipping through the trapdoor at the very last moment with another person with a different magic sword, just as the gate slammed shut.

âFLOYD!â yelled one of the miners next to Stirling. âYOU BETTER NOT ABANDON US, YOU NITWIT!â

Stirling shook his head, and gave a final push, taking the stairs two at a time, but he knew he wouldnât be able to make it to the gate on time.

As Stirling and the others leading the charge ran up the final steps, they could hear muffled sounds of combat, and thunderous booms that sounded like rolling thunder, echoing throughout the metal walls.

As the escapees reached the top of the stairs, Matheeas called out to the front of the line.

âSilverstine! What is the holdup?â

âThereâs a trapdoor over the top of these stairs, and no visible way to open them!â Stirling called back, even as one of the miners began using his laser on it. âWe might be here a bit as we cut through it!â

Matheeas looked back down the stairs. All was quiet for nowâ¦ But as Kevin had said, there were more. Not to mention Jellyfishâs electrical explosion countdown.

Suddenly, Stirling and the laser-drilling miners took note of the fading echos of thunder from beyond the door. The miner stopped drilling for a moment.

âYou think Floyd and that dagger-guy won?â the miner asked.

âMore like they ran off, and the other Paradox are waiting for us.â another miner said.

Stirling pondered this. âIâm no-â

Suddenly, the doors began to creak and slide back, to reveal an awful scene of violence. At least a dozen rogues lay dead, as well as many darkly-clad knights; Vladekâs personal guards. The knife wielder, and the sword wielder among them. The sword wielder with his arm hooked over the lever.

âFloyd!â

A number of the miners ran over to the sword-wielder on the lever, who mumbled something and then handed the sword off to one of them.Â Others went over to the knife-wielder, but he was already dead. They took the knife and followed Stirling, who didnât give any of the bodies a second look. Instead, he looked at the multiple exits to this large domed room and turned to Jellyfish as he came up from the stairs.

âWhich way, Doctor? Quickly!â

Jellyfish pulled out a pen and started drawing imaginary calculations in the air while speaking.

âWelllll, we ''could'' go out the same way Kalaren and I did, but thatâs a lot of jumping, and the main gate is too risky. Losses too high. Orrrr we could go to the main tower and construct a zipline down!â This he punctuated by throwing his pen at a miner, who yelped. âBut thatâs too long. So we hijack a ship.â

âA boat?â said a miner with a glowing mint-green sword. The one Stirling recognized as Victor.

âNo. A ship.â Jellyfish said, gesturing helplessly at Stirling. Stirling nodded in tired sympathy, before realizing the implications of what Jellyfish had said.

âWait, a spaceship?â

Jellyfish hopped in excitement. âYes! Thank you! Hopefully an experimental one! That way!!!âhe said, pointing and shooting once down a hallway that curved up and around to the left.

Even if the other leaders had disagreed with this course of action, they could not have stopped the wild stampede of liberated slaves rushing down the hall in excitement after the old Doctor. Not only would they be free, but they would get to ride on a spaceship!

To cries of âSPACESHIP!â the ragtag army rushed forward,

through beautiful, but dark and gloomy halls. The iu

occasional piece of artwork here or there, but never in the way. Never cluttering the hall. Never obstructing the path for this army. Or any other potential army. The red carpeting was never bunched up underfoot as the escapees rushed. The walls were all a dark gray stone, and every door was solidly built to withstand an assault. Up above, the stonework curved into an arch, and at even distances, timber beams held heavy, sturdy-looking wrought-iron lanterns in which were brilliant flames, but despite its large, radiant flames, each one seemed to accentuate the darkness surrounding it, rather than lighting the area as much.

Beneath itâs luxury, it was a fortress of evil, and of war, and every detail did well to remind its occupants of such.

<nowiki>---------------------------</nowiki>

=== Inderlude: Chris -2nd ===

Chris the -2nd rode back into town. Fairly quickly, he was greeted by the general populace, even as someone ran to get Methuselah.

âHow did it go?â

âDid you see any of the others?â

âAre you alright?!â

âIâll be fine,â He replied. âIâve been burned a bit, but I need to see Methuselah first.â

âWhat about the others that were with you? The Silverstine, and the Commander?â

âTheyâre still there. Theyâll come back.â

This caused a small sigh of relief, before he added:

âProbably.â

A few short minutes later, Chris the -2nd met Methuselah halfway, and they were now sitting outside a vacant ruin, sipping some strong tea that Methuselah had steeped.

â...And then I got hit by lightning.â

âOh. Weâll have to get you to the infirmary.â

âYeah. It stopped smarting on my way back here, butâ¦ Anyways, the other two told me to wait for thirty minutes while they explored, and if they hadnât come back I was supposed to take a goat and ride back.

âI take it they hadnât come back,â Methuselah said.

âNope. Waited 40. But they had a prisoner and disguises, so they seemed pretty well off.â Chris sipped some of his tea.

âWhatever it was in those mines, it looked like they needed to be able to move large items or large groups in and out. Least, thatâs what I gather from the ramp that was there that I told you about.â He stared into the murky tea. âThis stuffâs good. I donât recognize it though.â

Methuselah smiled absentmindedly, still thinking about everything Chris had said. âThanks, itâs a special new blend Iâve put together.â

Others listened to Chris and Methuselah. Others who now, sensing that Chris was finished, turned to Methuselah for some sort of verdict. Maybe a summary.

âRight.â Methuselah looked out at the small crowd. âWell, weâll wait here for the others. We canât send any more parties or troops, we wouldnât have enough here. So weâll carry on as normal everyone.â

Properly sensing that this was the most civil âmove along people, youâre dismissedâ theyâd ever received, the crowd began to disperse with uncomfortable murmurings.

Methuselah turned to Chris. âBut letâs get you to the infirmary.â

Chris nodded, looking down his nose at his chest. âDo you think my chesthair will grow back?â

âDonât want to try to figure that out, Chris. Letâs go.â

<nowiki>---------------------------</nowiki>

=== Chapter 18: Tower Battle ===
Kalaren awoke to the rhythmic bouncing of his body. He vaguely remembered something ''very'' important happening, maybe a fight, but he couldnât quite recall it. Just a red mist. He looked around him. He was being carried up a staircase. He looked up to see the sweaty back of Stirlingâs head.

âGah!â He yelled as he lurched back.

Stirling teetered for a brief moment, before people behind him shoved him forward and back on balance again. âKalaren?â Stirling said, unable to twist his head around to look at him. âYou awake?â

âYeah! Iâm awake.â

âGood. Weâre running through Vladekâs fortress at the moment. Going to the top of this tower to steal a spaceship, according to your pal, Jellyfish. That make sense to you?â

â...No. You know what else doesnât make sense to me? That youâre carrying me. Can you let me down??â

Stirling gave it some thought as he continued to stride up the stairs. âMaybe. But Iâve got a rhythm now, and Iâd hate to-â

Suddenly, the front of the group came to a screeching halt, and Stirling found his stride broken as he ran into the back of Matheeas and Jellyfish.

âHey! Whatâs the holdup?!â Stirling said, putting Kalaren down.

âMadameâ¦â Matheeas said, as everyone behind him strained to see who he was talking to on the stairs.

Kalaren looked up. Matheeas was standing next to Jellyfish. They were both looking at someone in front of them. Kalaren shifted his head to look over.

Standing in front of them was a well dressed lady who was looking at the scene in front of her with a dismissive but irritated stare that had just lifted from her book. She had black hair, pale skin, and red eyes. Overall, she was the most beautiful lady Kalaren had ever seen. His jaw started to drop before he caught it. He looked down at himself quickly and remembered he was dirty, bloody, unshaven and slightly maimed. Well, to be fair that was his metal hand, but still.

The point was, he wasnât presentable. And for the first time in a very long time, that bothered him.

Shifting his ragged cloak, he looked back up as she spoke.

âValerie. Madame Valerie. And you are?â She said as she tucked the book under her arm.

Stirling, Jellyfish, and about a dozen others of the various miners in front all turned to Matheeas. Kalaren continued to stare at the madame Valerie.

Matheeas looked back slowly. âUhâ¦ A revolt?â

Stirling whispered to Matheeas. âIâd hate to fight the lady, but just say the word, boss.â

Valerie paused for a moment. âI see. I take it youâre heading up this tower to take a spaceship?â

Matheeas blinked. âWell, yeah. Thatâd be nice.â

âWell then, Iâll be out of your way. Excuse me.â She said as she started to walk forward, flipping her book open, and beginning to read once again.

As Matheeas and Jellyfish parted, Stirling motioned for everyone else to do the same, as did the next person, and so on.

After a second Kalaren hopped to the side. Next to Kevin.

As she passed by Kalaren, she called back, âDo make your way directly up the staircase. Any unnecessary pillaging will be met by my extreme prejudice, understood? Thank you.â

As Kalaren followed her with his gaze, he eventually met a grinning face. It belonged to Kevin.

âDonât worry. Weâll plan more attacks on this tower, dudeman.â

âShut up.â Kalaren said, flushing redder than his hair, as he became the first to move forward up the tower.

Matheeas shrugged and followed.

After a few seconds, Jellyfish spoke up. âYaâ know, I donât think the ship will be able to carry us all.â

Without stopping, Matheeas turned his head to him. âYouâre kidding.â

âNope.â

Stirling was less stoic, stumbling on the stairs, and cursing as he regained his footing.

âWill the ship have guns??â Kalaren asked.

Jellyfish thought about that. âProbably. Most likely. This is a fortress after all.â

âGreat. Some of us can cover the rest of us with it then, while we climb down. Do we have rope?â

âThere might be some in the ship. Or line.â

Stirling laughed mirthlessly. âLooks like we might use all your ideas, Jellyfish. Ship, zipline, Guns, Explosions, Jumping into the moat.â

âZipline! Perfect idea!â Jellyfish exclaimed as he quickened his pace and caught up with Kalaren.

Matheeas kept climbing. âSounds like our best shot. Kevin, you relay that to the others, will you?â

âYou got it, Commandude!â

Next to Stirling, Victor spoke up. âAlso, donât forget these magical swords that some of us have. They might help.â

Stirling scowled, but nodded, glancing at the magical sword in his hands. âGood point.â

The group met no further resistance through their charge up the tower, until they reached the top.

Bursting out of the trapdoor, Kalaren looked out with a blaster he had grabbed. They appeared to be in a large flat area, which was the top of the tower. Other towers inside the fortress were taller than this one, but this elevation still gave an unparalleled view of the northern wasteland of Ankoria. There was various supplies on the platform, and a large object in the center, covered by a tarp. Kalaren called down and let everyone know it was clear, before he clambered up.

However, as soon as he stepped out, a laser blast narrowly missed his human shoulder.

Behind Kalaren, Jellyfish popped out from the trapdoor and shot back at the sniper, who was on a different tower.

âYeah. So there should be other rogues out here, and a few barney-bots, also anti-aircraft cannons,â Jellyfish began muttering, as if commenting on a kickball game. âSo it might be a little tricky. Humph. I missed.â

Multiple shots began raining upon Kalaren now, as everyone began rushing out of the trapdoor.

Amras brushed by Stirling and yanked the sword out of his hands. âExcuse me, gotta-AAHH!â She yelled as she half dropped, half slid the sword on the ground towards Kalaren.

Kalaren looked back, seeing Stirlingâs magic sword sliding towards him. Looking up once at Stirling, who seemed to be arguing with one of the hooded miners, he grabbed the sword with his one good hand, and turned back to pull the tarp off of the-

'''Woah'''

He felt energy flow from it into his arms and into his body. It seemed to warm his very blood, filling him with a sense of well-being. ''âHuh.â'' He glanced down at the sword, and realized he had seen it before. He couldnât remember where, but he knew that it had something to do with what happened before he fell asleep.

Itâs blade was a dark steel, and was inlaid with five gems, running up to halfway up its length. They were red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple. It had two ornate gold spheres on either side of the crossguard, which was wrapped with a faded red cloth, along with the hilt, which had lines where the steel was slightly depressed, so it had a design that evoked something like a classic unicorn horn. It ended in a faceted black gem for the pommel.

Even though he only had a moment to take this all in, Kalaren suddenly felt a kinship with it. However, his train of thought was interrupted by another shot coming from a large reptilian-like robot hovering over and onto the platform. followed by others very similar.

âAh, '''CRUX!'''â

Kalaren turned to look at Stirling, whoâd just lain eyes on the flying metallic lizards.

'''âBARNEYBOTS!â''' Stirling roared, before charging madly at the first one with nothing in his hands but a nicked katana. '''âALL YOU SUCKERS ARE GUNNA DIE!â'''

Kalaren decided it might be a good idea to help him out while the others got the ship running and found the line.

He rushed forward with a speed that surprised him, reaching the âbarneybotsâ before Stirling did, and gave it a good swing. He was surprised when that lifted it into the air a few feet, causing it to activate some sort of jets. A large section was now melting where he had sliced. Grinning, Kalaren started going to town, swiping left and right at these confused robots, who started firing on this new assailant, even as he dodged with inhuman speed.

Stirling stopped short, watching Kalaren slice into the quickly growing swarm of Barneybots filling up from over the edge of the tower.

''âWow. Thatâs a great sword.â'' Was all that Stirling could think for a moment, before noting that the swarm was getting thicker, and Kalarenâs sword technique, while effective, was not very defensive. Probably due to a lack of technique. At all.

He rushed forward to cover the kidâs back.

Meanwhile, Jellyfish and Matheeas had now gotten into the ship, as others were pulling the tarp off.

Matheeas looked at the mass of buttons, levers, and switches on the dashboard, his eyes fighting to stay in their sockets.

âDonât worry! I got this Commander! I used to pilot a hover-cart back home! It crashed, but this looks like it has stabilizers!â

âI trust you, Doctor,â Matheeas said, realizing he didnât have another choice. âJust get this up in the air. Iâm going to find some line and someone to operate a turret.â

Jellyfish glanced around at the panel. âLooks like this ship only has forward guns.â He pointed at a set of controls in a different color scheme than the rest. âThereâs your shooter controls.â

âIâll find someone with a wormholer then. Or a co-pilot. Someone with a pulse and working hands!â He said as he walked out. Looking up, he also noted the other ships on other towers.

Another thought occurred to him âWho else can drive a ship?!â he yelled. Two hands were raised among the crowd, one empty, and another one on the other side holding a bundle of nylon rope.Â Matheeasâ eyes were drawn to Stirling, who was hacking at a fallen barneybot, while Kalaren and the fire and ice sword slaves were taking on the rest of the swarm.

âSilverstine! Can you drive?â

One of the barneybots turned to Matheeas. âOnly if he has a valid driverâs license. LET ME SEE YOUR ID.â As the Barney bot started to advance, it was cut short by steam frying itâs circuits, evidently from the ice and fire sword. Stirling began to run up, as the other two pilots came up to Matheeas.

âFound line! looks like at least 70 feet. I can fly as well.â

âIn a pinch, I can as well.â Said the other. âThe gal who picked up the blink dagger took a few miners, a scientist, and that cool kevin dude to another tower.â He pointed at the nearest one, where a rogue was falling off of now, screaming in a very high and long pitch. âTheyâre going to eliminate snipers and rogues and the such so we donât have them sniping at us. Those of us with rockets are trying to fire at any AA cannons we can find, but they are pretty well hidden.

Matheeas nodded. âGrab a few people who can fight, and meet us here. Weâre going to have to pilot a few ships.â

As recognition dawned and grins appeared on the pilotâs faces before they turned away, Stirling arrived.

âWhat do you need, Lancaster?!â Stirling yelled over the commotion, even as he was getting shot at by additional assailants.

âYou have some experience with tech, so I figured you might be able to pilot a ship if you needed to!â

âYessir!â

âWe are going to hop to each tower and drop pilots off so they can drive those shuttles, with a few of them we should be able to make it out of here.â

Stirling grimaced. Matheeas clearly saw Stirlingâs incredulity at saving ''everyone'', but Stirling didnât voice it. Instead, he said. âYessir.â

The various pilots scrambled up into the shuttle, as Jellyfish finished familiarizing himself with the controls.

âAha! Hereâs the button.â Jellyfish exclaimed, pulling a lever.

The shuttle lurched up and into the air, and in response to more button pressing, spun around, and fired at the swarm of barneybots, destroying the current wave.

Then he jammed the controls forward, toward the tower which had been cleared, even as they saw some shadowy forms wisping across to another tower. They dropped one of the pilots there with one or two normal prisoners for backup, and kept flying to the next one. There, they dropped the other pilot with other fighters, and finally, with a steep pull up on the controls, Jellyfish careened over the final tower, which was taller than the others.

A large, dark ship with red highlights and two rotating turrets on the top rested on its top. 6 or 7 dark-clad knights were running out of the trapdoor there, before Dr. Jellyfish blasted the first two and covered the rest in rubble. Unfortunately one of the back engines of this large ship also sparked as rubble sprayed across it.

âThis is you, Stirling.â Matheeas barked. âLooks like youâll need the extra people to man the ship, so Iâll let the rest off with you. Weâll be providing aerial support until we can get everyone evacuated from the first tower. Everyone out, before they clear the rubble!â Matheeas said, as the ship lurched and fired, punctuating his command with a whirl of his finger in a circle, indicating the door.

Stirling growled an incomplete acknowledgement before leaping out of the shuttle door and landing. As he ran for the larger ship, he spared a glance at the attackers who were already trying to extricate themselves from the rubble, and making good progress.

These were clearly Shadowknights. Stirling had never really seen one before, much less fought one. The stories were relatively clear though.

In the last war where Vladek had fought against the Knights of Morcia and King Matthias, a large part of his army had been these minions.Â These men were sworn to Vladek, sometimes unwillingly, through some sort of dark magic.That was evident enough by the unnatural darkness that hung inside their helmets, obscuring their faces in a uniform evil.

Stirling knew that nothing short of death would stop these assailants. He and his crew had moments before the Shadowknights freed themselves and began their relentless assault. He dashed into the shuttleâs entry ramp, making a beeline for the cockpit.

Behind him, the three miners, one of whom was Victor, ran into the shuttle, and then turned around, firing their various ranged weapons at the Shadowknights as they sought to get up.

Stirling stormed into the cockpit. He yanked the snoring pilot that was there out of his seat, tossing him roughly behind him, before shutting the cockpit door behind him via the door panel. One more glance at the controls, and Stirling realized that this was not your standard Nexus Force setup. He immediately began pressing likely buttons, and hauled up on the controls.

In response, the shipâs engines screamed to life, but only slowly began to rise.

At that moment, he heard a crash and rumble from somewhere outside and behind the ship, followed by exclamations of surprise from Victor and the others.

âHOLD ON!â Stirling yelled back, before seeing the flashing âClose Rampâ button and hitting it. Stirling pushed forward on the controls, and the ship half fell, half burst forward, but then it stopped, apparently snagging on something just before it cleared the tower.

The ship vibrated with the sound of metal tearing from itâs sockets and welds, and a primal scream. Suddenly, the ship lurched forward, and Stirling saw on a glowing display of various ship systems the back right engine flash red, before losing color completely.

âPort Engine Integrity at Zero Percent,â the ship intoned, even as the ship veered drastically to the right.

Anti-aircraft cannons tried to fire at him, but given Stirlingâs complete lack of a flying pattern, none hit. However, in doing so they revealed their positions, and were either gunned down by other ships or those operating it were too distracted to continue firing.

âCrux!â Stirling cried as he yanked the controls around haphazardly, losing some altitude and barely missing otherÂ towers and ships.

As he spun around a full 180 before stabilizing, he saw the source of this damage.

There, level with him now and standing on the towerâ¦

Was Kalaren.

Yet, it wasnât. This Kalaren was shirtless, wearing practically nothing but some swimming shorts, and slick withâ¦ something slimy. His eyes were wild, red, and his hair, while very much of the same style as Kalarenâs, was a murky blonde, and longer. He was taller than Kalaren, but by how much, he wasnât sure. He was also ''very'' muscular, as evidenced by the tossing of the engine that he was returning to Stirling. But most of all, he saw Kalaren in his jawline and face. Disturbingly, he also seemed to share other characteristics that echoed around in Stirlingâs headâ¦

And then, as the shriek died out, and the eyes flickered, the creature dropped the remains of the engine and collapsed onto the stone, and was dragged away by the shadowknights, as they retreated back into the cover of the rubble, since some of the miners had rushed up into the turrets and began firing on them.

Deeply distrubed, Stirling shoved these thoughts out of his mind for now, as the shipâs controls continued to scream at his poor handling, and rapidly falling altitude.

âGuess Iâm falling with style today,â Stirling growled, as he focused on swinging his way out from the towers rather than gaining altitude. Futily, he yelled back, âDOES ANYONE SEE KALAREN?â

Above the sounds of a scuffle, the others replied.

âHOW CAN WE, WEâRE ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE BETWEEN THE TOWERS!â

âYEAH! DONâT WE GOTTA GET UP AND SHOOT MORE ROGUES?â

âIâM WORKING ON IT!â Stirling replied, as he banged the damaged side of the ship against a final tower before being free from the majority of them. From here, he spun around, to try and gain altitude before heading back into the fight, if there was still one to be had.

Just then, a blaster shot was heard, followed by the door to the cockpit being opened. Victor hopped into the co-pilotâs seat. âCan we contact the other ships from here?â

In response, Stirling snatched and tossed the shipâs onboard radio at him, the distraction almost sending them spinning again.

âUh, right.â Victor muttered as he activated it. âThis is Victor on the bigger spaceship thing with Stirling! Weâve been mauled by an abomination from the deep! Or something. If someone could direct us to the first tower we would.. Survive I guess. Over?â

âRoger Charlie Blackhawk Alpha nosedive!â came the voice of Dr. Jellyfish. âWeâre heading out! This colony of flying jellyfish is all up in the air! Itâs time to avoid the sharks, just like last time!â

Other voices crackled on the radio.

âIs this whatâs throwing everyoneâs voices around?â

â-Button here? I press th-â â-And it-â â-vates?â

âHead south.â Matheeasâ voice came through.

At that moment, something hit the left side of the cockpit and scraped it, and turning, Stirling could see the sword Kalaren was holding earlier pointing to the front and left.

âThaph way!â He seemed to yell, though muffled by the windshield and metal.

Stilring sighed in relief. Kalaren seemed normal. Red hair, determined demeanor, glowing magic swordâ¦

Well, relatively normal. At least he didnât ''seem'' to be cursed. Plus, he still had a shirt on. A sure sign of sanity.

Stirling twitched the controls in that direction, then properly compensated for the lost engine, and the ship shuddered and whined pitifully, but dutifully. Above and around them, Stirling could see the other ships in similar bad shape, but all mostly flyingâ¦

A few more freed slaves and miners and people leapt from the towers as they passed, and Stirling did his best to maintain stability, even as rogues also lept down and fought others on the top of his ship.

As the lowest and last ship in the fleet, Stilring saw four small shuttles as they rose, escaping the fire and ranges of the hidden AA guns. All of the shuttles were badly damaged, but flying. The radio chatter began to fill with cheers, and nervous laughter. Next to him, Victor gave a shuddering sigh.

Despite himself, Stirling smiled.

Then the ship directly in front of them blew up.

The Windshield was engulfed in fire, and shards of metal flew into the ship, piercing the hull and shattering the windshield. A cry of surprise and pain turned into a roar came from his left, where Kalaren was holding on, and then the flames suddenly were shoved back, and around them as with an invisible hand.

There was silence on the radio for a second.

âEveryone report in, starting with Shuttle 2.â

âHere. All vital systems functioning.â came the voice of a miner.

âShuttle 3?â

Only Static responded.

âShuttle 5 here. Damaged but we can go awhile. Who was on Shuttle 3?â Came another Miner.

âWe donât have time to sort that out right now, and we canât afford to go back right now either, the blink dagger wielder and the fire and ice sword pair can only give us so much time. Stirling, you there on Shuttle 4? Over.â

Stirling nodded to Victor, who responded. âYeah, weâre here, one of our propellers is missing but we are compensating?â

Stirling nodded again, poking at some sliding dials to balance the energy outputs better.

âWait, theyâre staying behind?â came Shuttle 2.

Shuttle 5 crackled in. âYes. The Dagger was.. affecting Joanne, and it wasnât practical for her to come. She agreed to cover us.. And I saw the Swords talking to that red-haired guy before he jumped onto Shuttle 4. Is he okay by the way? Over.â

Stirling glanced to his left and leaned out of the broken windshield. âKalaren?â

Kalaren leaned forward slightly. He had some burns and various pieces of shrapnel stuck in him, in addition to other wounds he had acquired from bullets, but he still doggedly held onto the side of the ship via his mangled hand jammed into a crevice between panels.

Kalaren gritted his teeth, grunt/yelled affirmation, and pointed south again.

â..We think so?â Victor replied to the Radio.

âYou wanna climb in?â Stilring asked Kalaren casually, motioning to the open, shattered windshield, before having to duck back inside to adjust the shipâs trajectory.

Matheeasâ voice came in again. âOkay. Everyone, follow Shuttle One. We are going to have to cut radio transmission as long as it pertains to direction, as we are using Vladekâs frequencies. Donât want him to know more than he needs to. We got a bit to go, so hang in there, got it?â

âAffirmative.â Came Shuttle 2.

âFine. Ah, Over.â Growled Shuttle 5.

âSounds good, Cap. Over.â Victor replied.

âUnderstood. Radio silence begins now.â Shuttle One finished.

â...Thatâs the button on the left side of the radio! JELLYFISH!â

There was a collective groan as the static gradually became the only thing on the radio, before Stirling shut it off as well.

Kalaren rolled over the edge of the windshield and landed on the floor with a thud and a groan, hitting a few dozen buttons and dials on the way, which Stirling frantically corrected, as Victor grabbed the controls and kept them relatively on course.

âTheyâ¦âKalaren wheezed. âGot some jets out there as well, but after a second those back there managed to divert them away. Stillâ¦ Maybe alert your-â he grunted. â-laser cannon people. The others back there pretty much got the giant metal- ah. Lizards.â

âYou mean Barney bots.â

â''Barney bots??'' What a stupid..phew..name. Who comes up with this..akh..stuff?â

âBeats me. It was like that when I got here.â Stirling turned to Victor. âThere should be two holes in the ceiling, with ladders you can pull down. Get the others into them, if theyâre not already in there.â

As Stirling said this, another face appeared at the top of the broken windshield. âHEY! Thereâs a couple people out here whoâd like to get out of the wind!â

Stirling facepalmed. âOf course. Iâll lower the ramp.â

Kalaren heaved himself onto his sword with another grunt of pain, and replaced Victor in the co-pilotâs chair.

As Stirling and Kalaren sat in silence, they heard the ramp being lowered, people climbing in, and then milling aroundâ¦ The laboring hum of theirs and others shipsâ¦

âAll things considered..gaff.. I think this went considerably well.â Kalaren spoke up.

âWeâre alive, which is impressive.â Stirling agreed.

âAnd weâve freed at least Â¾ of.. Vladâs slaves. And most of thoseÂ are alive.â

âIf youâd told past me weâd do this, I would have said you were crazy.â He glanced at Kalaren. âAnd Iâd be right.â

âCrazy.. But alive, anyway. If we make it back without those jets shooting us down, at least.â

Stirling nodded, looking grave. âYou know you canât stay now. An attack this massiveâ¦ Lord Vladek wonât abide you all anymore in his lands.â

After a momentâs consideration, Kalaren agreed. âYeah. I guess so. Previously we were just an area he couldnât send patrols around. But now we stole most of his slaves and-â Kalaren coughed, and his mechanical arm shuddered, itâs lights flickering. âShips. Running low on power, shutting it down for now.â

âNow youâre a threat.â Stirling said, focusing on the conversation.

âYep. At least, we canât stay in Aragarth. Maybe we can still split up into smaller groups, maintaining communication.. I donât know. Weâll have to talk to Matheeas.â

Stirling reached out and patted Kalaren in an attempt to comfort. âIâm sure Lancaster is already thinking about it.â

Kalaren replied in between grunts and gasps. âProbablyâ¦ The Miners.. Wonât wanna stay.. not most of themâ¦ anyway.â

âWhat I want to know about,â Stirling said, withdrawing his pats, âis that insane sword youâve got there.â

âWellâ¦ Itâs magic. And strangely familiar. But it seems toâ¦ Harness things around meâ¦ and in me. Thatâs how I pulled the fire back.â

âAnd how you cut through those Barneybots so quick?â Stirling asked. Then quickly added, âDid you lose your shirt at any point?â

Kalaren slowly turned to Stirling. âIn my life? Yeah, Iâ¦ Guess. Today? Itâsâ¦ Been shredded, but no.â

âThen Iâm either hallucinating, or you have a twin,â Stirling said. Then he proceeded to explain as best he could of the person whoâd ripped off the Starboard engine, and whoâd nearly thrown it back at the ship before seemingly falling to exhaustion. He explained how itâd looked like Kalarenâ¦

âBut it also looked likeâ¦â Stirling shook his head. âBut thatâs crazy.â

Kalaren was confused, but then realization dawned on his face, and he knitted his brows together.

âThat must be the clone they wereâ¦ Making, of meâ¦ That I told you aboutâ¦ At the feast.â

Stirling was quiet for a moment. âIf thatâs so, your clone is made up of more than just yourself. No offense, but youâre not that strong. The only other person Iâve seen with that kind of strengthâ¦â

Kalaren looked thoughtfully at his sword for a second, before turning to Stirling again. âNo offenseâ¦ Taken. I rely on my robotic arm a lot.â He chuckled, which turned into painful wheezing. â..Gah. You were saying?â

âThereâs a man where Iâm from. From the Nexus Force. His name was Brocktree. He was a very strong and powerful knight. A Sentinel, like myself. Used to be a very kind and stalwart person. But once he came here, thedude somehow got him to work for himâ¦â Stirlingâs jaw worked as he ground his teeth in frustration and fear. âItâs not too much of a stretch for someone as crafty as Vladek to maybe have some of that manâs DNA.â

Kalaren looked up, confused. âDNA?â

âUhâ¦ Blood. A sort of scientific blueprint of him.â

Kalaren thought for a second. âHuh. How do you know it was him though? I mean, maybe he was just a really good body-builder, or maybe someone else was that strong?â

âNo one Iâve met -until today -had that strengthâ¦ Besides, He has that same mad look. Similar to how Brocktreeâ¦ does.â

âOh.â

âBut if Vladekâs scientists have got a hold of Lord Brocktreeâs DNAâ¦ Who knows what other persons and skills your clone hasâ¦!â

Kalaren laughed. Then turned apologetically towards Stirling. âSorry. Itâs just that it is a bitâ¦. Of a relief to not be the onlyâ¦.. One contributing to that thing.â

Stirling noted Kalarenâs longer pauses between breaths. âHey, you ok?â

After a grunt, Kalaren replied. âFor now, but Iâm gonna findâ¦ some first.. aid, just to be sure. Iâll send someone up here again, and tell them a bit more of theâ¦ plan. Find more weaponsâ¦ That stuff.â

âAlright. Hey, Kal?â

âYeah..?â

â...It was an honor to fight by your side today. Uh, donât die.â

âThanksâ¦ Same.â He grunted as he hobbled out.

Stirling sat in silence for a bit longer as Victor joined him. Then, the barney fighters found them again.

=== Chapter 19: Why You Donât Argue with Someone Returning from Battle ===
Methuselah looked up to the sky. It was the morning of a new day. The sun never really broke through the even gray sky here in Ankoria, but it was still a lovely grey Ankorian dawn nonetheless.

If only he could enjoy it with everyone who'd gone out on the mission.

Most of the people that had gone out to the newly discovered mines had come back. But three teams still had not returned. Most notably, Commander Lancaster, Kalaren, Dr. Jellyfish, Chris -3rd,Â Rick, with his thick accent, who had gone with one other, and Stirling Silverstine, the foreign knight that had come, rekindling hope that a large scale rebellion was possible.

They had planned to return at around this time. So far, the only sign of a development had been some scouts reporting a loud hummingÂ above the treeline. Now, there appeared to be three large purple or red objects on the horizon, seemingly followed by flames.

Methuselah had seen something like this before. Barney bots, they were called. They had heavy armor, and could only be destroyed with heavy weaponry, or strategically placed traps. But these seemed slightly largerâ¦ and with less limbs. Instead, they resembled something Dr. Jellyfish had mentioned to him, Barney fighters.

He suspected that they were going to try and bomb the city.

He had taken necessary precautions against this, and had gathered everyone into his underground tower, along with as many supplies and valuables they could get. The better to hide and protect.

Wilda came up behind Methuselah, following his gaze off to the distant flying metal monsters. "Do you think they made it?"

Methuselah glanced at Wilda before replying. "At this point, something must have gone wrong. If they have evaded capture or not is the real question. Obviously something happened to give Vladekâs forces reason to send something here. So to answer your original question, I really don't know, but the chances are looking pretty slim."

Wilda frowned. "I was afraid you'd say that. Or something like it." She glanced back at the entrance to the tower. "If those flying devices bomb us, we'll survive, but does your tower have a backdoor in case they bring troops down to finish the job, or are we standing our ground in here?"

This caused Methuselah to smile and raise an eyebrow. "Oh yes. I know some think me paranoid, but it does come in useful to be prepared. Easily the first 40 would be killed by traps on the way down. If we decided to stay here and defend for a bit, rather than escaping via hidden tunnels that they would be hard pressed to find, we could comfortably eliminate twice that number." Suddenly souring, he continued. "Can be a pain to live inside something that's set to kill its inhabitants. Anyway, much of the credit goes to Dr. Jellyfish with the traps. He really can be a genius, when he is not going on about marine biology." He chuckled.

Wilda sighed. "Well, here's hoping they make it, and we're here to greet them, even if the town isn't." She put a hand on Methuselahâs shoulder. "Come on, we should get inside before they can see us clearly."

"Youâre right. I should start showing everyone how to activate the traps anyway." His reply came, as he closed the doors and locking each one's safeguards accordingly.

They didn't wait very long, before the sounds of destruction beganâ¦ and ended.

Everyone listened in anticipation and confusion, expecting thunderous explosions above them, but instead only one, metallic rather than explosive, crashing sound. Eventually, Methuselah and a group ofÂ a few guards gathered by the doorway, listening.

Suddenly, the sound of frantic banging made Methuselah jump nearly out of his boots. The guards accompanying him did little more than bristle and brandish their weapons at the door.

"Methuselah! Are you there? If you are, open the door now!" Kalarenâs voice came, muffled by the door.

Methuselah jumped slightly more, before relaxing and nodding knowingly and reassuringly, before walking closer and replying, "Password?"

At first, there was only growling, then silence.

"Drowssap."

"Great. Now the combination."

"You know it doesn't work, now open the blasted door!"

"Right."

One and a half minutes later, he opened the door to a bloodied, bloodshot, blood red Kalaren.

"Wow, Kalaren, you look.. bloody." Methuselah said.

"Like you picked a fight with a dragon," one of the guards said.

"Three dragons," said another.

Methuselah hastily added, "Uh, where are the others? Did you come in those machines? We thought they were leading a bombing thing."

"Get out of there. Commander Mattheas has a lot to tell you. Tell everyone. We are supposed to meet in the town hall."Kalaren turned around and limped away without another word.

"Right. Okay everyone! We are fine, pretty sure. To the town hall, no slacking." Methuselah yelled.

â------------------

Stirling followed Lancaster into the war room of the town hall along with Dr. Jellyfish, one of the newly released scientists, and the other council members who'd stayed in Aragarth.

Lancaster waited for everyone to get settled, and then stood up to address everyone.

"Alright, let's get this started.â Without another moment, Matheeas launched into his report.

âSilverstine and I were able to find some plans the rogues had for the mines, and we gathered from them that Vladek had planned to connect the various mines together, allowing for faster transportation of goods or troops to many different places in the surrounding region, including his castle. Unfortunately, we were discovered shortly afterwards, and were forced further into the tunnel we had chosen.â

Briefly, he looked to Chris the -2nd, who made a silent âahâ as he understood why they hadnât returned. Matheeas continued.

âWe then met up with another team. Kalaren, Kevin and the Doctor. They were also fighting off rogues. Apparently, they also freed a dozen slaves who had been working in the mines, and with them we were able to make our way to their chosen tunnel entrance.â Matheeas frowned. âWe were, however, blocked off, as a rogue fired an explosive at the mouth of the tunnel, sealing it ahead of us.â

Despite himself, and the need to keep the report succinct, Matheeas couldnât help but take a brief moment to appreciate how enraptured his audience was. For once, it was nice to be the one telling the stories, rather than listening. He pressed on with his report.

âThus, we were forced to take the only route available to us: Further in. We discovered a path into the dark castle itself, and freed many slaves along the way, who helped us get out. From there, we made our way through an armory, and then to the tower tops, where the Doctor informed us there would be some spacecraft we could commandeer. Which we did, but one of the shuttles exploded shortly before we escaped. We were followed, for a distance, but we were able to repel them. Finally, one of the shuttles crash landed on our arrival here. That was the noise you heard. I have ordered Kevin to work on a headcount. Dr. Jellyfish has some things to tell you about his discoveries, as well as what the slaves were mining in those tunnels.â

At this, Jellyfish stood up. âI have gathered from the liberated slaves and scientists that they were also mining a particular type of purple crystal, named Crisilau, that Vladek had read about in some Ankorian document or book. Apparently, it was told to be able to pierce anything it was thrown at. They found some of this in the mines, and found that it did have properties that allowed it to split objects apart at the molecular level, similar to anti-matter. It is also very delicate, and shatters easily. They were working on finding a way to put it on weapons without it breaking apart whenever you would use it. If they were able to do this, any close-quarters weapon equipped with Crisilau would become armor piercing.â

âThey havenât achieved that yet, right?â One of the councilmembers asked.

âNo. And I suspect that they will be too distracted reacting to this jailLYFISHbreak to continue their studies effectively. One other small detail, I was able to study a generator they had at the fortress, and may be able to create one here. However it is quite a complex machine, and will take a bit of time to re-engineer, even then-â

âBut you have a pretty good idea, right?â Stirling interjected.

â..Yes.â

âGreat. But for now letâs focus on the threat at hand, agreed?â

A general consensus was echoed.

âThen that is all I have for my report.â

At this, Kevin came through the doors.

âI did the headcount, as requested, Commandude. Itâs hard to tell how many miners we freed in the first place, but roughly, we have 73 remaining of 140 freed slaves, Most of the other teams we sent out made it back, except for one other, with Rick and Debbie, which is still out there. As for our group, Kalaren, Doc, Silverstine, Chris -2nd (swords), you, and me all made it back.â Kevin stated, before continuing in a more reserved and solemn tone. âChris -3rd was in that last shuttle that exploded as we were flying out of there.â

Next to Stirling, Chris the -2nd moaned softly. StirlingÂ wordlessly put an arm around his friend, who had his head in his hands.

After a moment of silence and quiet murmurings about the fallen, Matheeas spoke up again.

âWe might not have time to grieve right now. We have taken the brunt of their workforce, and they will likely be coming soon with either a larger invasion force with heavy ordnance, or they will try and bomb us, like you thought we were going to. Either way, we have shown that we are more than a thorn in Vladekâs side, and are an actual threat to his machinations. My point is, friends, I donât think we can stay in one central location anymore.â

The quiet respectful murmuring quickly turned intoâ¦ less quiet murmuring.

âWhat do you mean by that, Commander?â One of the council members asked.

âI mean we canât stay in Aragarth. At least not at all times. Vladek cannot know our location, or we risk annihilation.

Matheeas noted how the assembly in front of him quickly began to turn and speak more with each other than pay attention to him. He had presented a problem. A problem that heâd helped create. Now he had to present a solution, before it devolved into finger pointing.

âThe way I see it, we have three options as a whole. First of all, we could split into separate smaller groups, keeping contact via messenger gigfrans, communicators, and occasional meetings, while we also travel nomadically, in a sense, constantly evading Vladek, but still staying in the area, using the mines to our advantage to attack strategic points, waging a guerilla war. Of course, we would have to find a way to create a moreâ¦ Mobile curse shield.â

A decent number of the assembled appeared to appreciate this option, judging by the quieting of voices, and contemplating faces.

âSecondly, if Sir Silverstine would have us, we could go with him in his attempt to raise an army to crush those who would restrain our freedom, which, might I add, is the reason this resistance was founded in the first place. There is the possibility of finding places to settle, for some of the families here, in those travels, albeit likely within thedudeâs domain.â

At this, Stirlingâs eyes lit up and he looked up at Matheeas with no small amount of surprise, which was returned with a glance over to him, a small nod and barely perceptible shrug.

âFinally, there is the option of heading south to some of our friends in Domead, and catching boats toâ¦ Anywhere really. In that way, we could still try and find more people to help in this war overseas. Perhaps in Britay, where Silverstine came from in the first place. Or maybe in Nordland.â

The room was now mostly quiet as the people of Aragarth were now busy mentally turning over their best options of survival. Something they did well. Matheeas did the same, and came to one more conclusion.

âI suppose there is one more option, and that being that we head farther south in Ankoria, finding another ruined city, and settling there, far enough away from Vladek or the Thedude for them to do anything to us. But, at the same time, we would never be able to do anything to them. We would live, sure, but we would be living in this cursed and wretched land, even if it is our home. We would have freedom, but eventually, I think, Thedude, Vladek, or someone else will try and brave Ankoria in search of itâs lost wealth and power, or even just for more land. If we took that path, we would no longer be any sort of resistance, and moreso aâ¦ Remainder.â

âRegardless, many of the liberated slaves are not part of us yet, and have their own choices, and thus I would propose that we let each person, of Aragarth or not, to make their decision. However, I suspect, we will be able to still work together to a degree, remaining in smaller, distanced groups, for the same goal.â

Stirling stood next to Matheeas, and looked out over the growing group of people in the war room, and the adjoining town hall.

âLancaster, that was brilliant, I must say,â he said quietly. âVery well thought out.â

âI had time on the ride here, I guess.â He replied in turn, then spoke up again. âEveryone in favor of letting everyone outside choose their future, say Aye.â

After a moment of thoughtfulness, everyone did so.

âVery well then. Let us relay this to them then.â He finished, and walked over to Strider.

âStirling, I know I suggested that you might lead some of us, but I wanted to check with you before anything became official or anything. I havenât had a chance yet, and I apologize. If any were to go with you, would you take them? Would they be helpful?â

Stirling glanced around first, to see if they were being paid undue attention to. After assuring himself it was fine, he took a deep breath and nodded. âIt would be an immense honor. And a responsibility that I would be willing to bear.â

Lancaster nodded. âYou donât have to try and take them under your wing or anything, but if they were helpful to you, I believe some would follow you. Not necessarily because they believe in you, per se, but you have been gathering support to dethrone thedude for years, and thatâs why I thought it would be a good idea if you led them, that way they arenât wandering blind.â

Stirling looked back at the crowded war-room, and the small archway that lead to the larger gathering in the Town Hall.

âLancaster. Matheeas. Iâve been all over this world, looking for allies. Iâve found a few here and there, but theyâre all holed up in their own homes or bases. Theyâre all waiting. Your resistance here is the first group thatâd be willing to follow me. Thatâs huge.â He turned and looked Matheeas dead in the eyes. âMost people need a catalyst, or a sign.â He threw his arms wide. âOne guyâs not much of a sign. But two? three? Five?â He waved at the group. âAnyone who wants to come with me is more than welcome. But I canât promise protection. Only more strife.â

Matheeas nodded again. âI understand that. I doubt that any of the families will go with you, but I know certain members have expressed interest. We both have the same goal, even if weâve been holed up here. Anyways, we need to let everyone choose their paths. Thank you again, Strider.â

âNo, thank you, Matheeas.â Stirling smiled. A wide smile, that caused the corners of his face to crease into the very beginnings of aging wrinkles.

After that, they went outside, and Matheeas essentially repeated everything he had just said. There was audible consensus for one of the four options or another, and Matheeas began splitting everyone into groups.

Stirling noted that it was fairly evenly split between three main groups: Following Stirling, leaving by ship, or staying here to continue the fight against Vladek. Surprisingly, his group was the second largest, with roughly 35 people, compared to the ones heading to port, with roughly 40. A slightly smaller group than his was going to stay in Ankoria. He shook his head. Heâd been here for months, and still was amazed at the Aragarthian's will to remain in such a ruthless environment. Even if it ''was'' home.

Looking out at those who intended to follow him, he was heartened to see Kalaren, Kevin, Chris -2nd, and Dr. Jellyfish. He also saw Amras standing a little ways away from Kalaren, but still in the same group. He would have to talk to her later. He also saw Victor with the people who would leave by ship, along with Dr. Skope, Tillman, and some of the council members. The last group had Chrisâ father at the front, with a grim expression on his face Beside him stood a pensive Methuselah. Next to Deke and Mauss, also in this group, was Wilda, who raised a hand, and five other littler hands came up around her.

âCommander. What about the little ones?â

Around Wilda were Joshua, Rita, Rosa, Jonny, and Blake. Most of whom had mixed amounts of confusion, eagerness, and worry apparent on their faces.

âThat will be up to their parents, or course. I am sure there are other places and towns that families could find and stay at, at least for a little while. Many of those places would come across Silverstineâs path, Iâm sure.â

Stirling nodded his confirmation. âSuch places of refuge are growing smaller and smaller everyday under the watchful eyes of Vladek and thedude, but I still know of a few.â

âAnd others could be travelled to by ship from Domead.â Lancaster added.

Wilda nodded. âThen I shall go with you, Stirling, to aid such places in their protections of the innocent.â

Once Matheeas was satisfied everyone had chosen, he spoke up again. âNow, would anyone be willing to accompany me in traveling elsewhere to find more help, like Sir Silverstine is planning to do, but elsewhere, covering more ground?â

After a little bit, some people began to migrate over to a new group, starting with Kevin, after saying some things to Kalaren. Mauss also walked over, with a slave who appeared to be holding one of the cursed swords. Many others walked from the Domead group, and now there was only 13 with Victor and the Domead group, and 30 with Lancasterâs group. Stirlingâs still remained around 30-some as well.

Stirling surveyed the results, and then walked forward. âI just want to say, itâs been an honor to live amongst you all for a time. Itâs an even greater honor that some of you would choose to follow me to fight for this world. And there is no hard feelings for those who wish to seek their own paths and shelters. Iâve walked that path myself, and it can be a very necessary one. Itâs whatâs led me here to you all.â He turned and locked eyes with Chrisâ father for a meaningful moment. âI hope against hope that we all meet again, even as I know that what we fight for will claim many more lives before it is achieved.â He looked out at the rest. âYou all fight as ten men. Or women. Militiregnum will benefit from your prowess wherever you choose to go. You all are capable leaders, and it seems some have been chosen here. Whether you follow Matheeas and I out of Ankoria, or Victor here south to Domead and from there disperse, or if you choose to stay in Ankoria with Chris theâ¦â Stirling trailed off.

âNegative 7th,â Chris the -7th supplied.

âNegative 7th,â Stirling continued. âKnow that you are part of something greater. The spirit of the men and women of Aragarth is indomitable, and Iâve not seen anything like it. Iâm stronger for it myself, and Iâve no doubt you will impart that strength to others no matter where you go.â

Stirling stood there, looking out over them. He tried to think of a way to closeâ¦ But suddenly there were no more words. Not that heâd really even thought about what he was sayingâ¦ It justâ¦ had needed to be said.

''âIs this how Thingguy works his charisma?â'' he wondered.

However he did it, this way seemed to work, as many among the crowd started to cheer as they were inspired by the speech, even those who were not Aragarthian.

When it died down, Matheeas came up again.

âThen we shall separate as Lancasterâs Lance, Striderâs Sword, and Chrisâs Cleavers, tomorrow morning.â

Stirling was jarred out of his thoughts. âWh-What? You have names already?â

âAlliteration!â Jellyfish exclaimed behind Matheeas. âHelps with organization! I should know, I have no alliteration.â

âAs I said, I had a lot of time to think.â

Stirling looked around at the people in his group, and was glad to see Kalaren and Chris the -2nd, still standing among them.

__-__-__-__-__

=== Chapter 20: Epilouge ===
Kalaren stood silently as he listened to what the Commander and Strider had to say. After some consideration, he decided to join Stirling in his journey.

As much as he would like to remain close to Vladek, be there to see the monster struck down by his own handâ¦

He knew he couldnât. Not right now, with so few. He knew that in order to reach Vladek, he would have to get through the vermin that protected himâ¦ And Vladek had many of those. Even though they had taken them by surprise, they had still lost half their forces while ''escaping'' the fortress. No, Grimfire will not remain and be quenched. He would be at the front of the axe to shatter the shield, even if the creation of the axe took yearsâ¦

Kalaren shook his head. HeÂ was waxing poetic, and really he just needed to find some more like-minded peopleâ¦ And now was not the time for his vengeance.

When Matheeas mentioned his mission,Â Kalaren was torn between following the leader he had followed so long in search of aid, or following Strider, who clearly had more experience, not just with the dealings of common civilization, but also in connecting with people who still valued their freedom. And, he had seen more battles than anyone else here. And ultimately, his priorities coincided with whatever gave him the best chance of returning for Vladekâs head.

His deliberations were interrupted by Kevin walking in front of him and grabbing his shoulder, with a sad smile.

âDude.â

Kalaren looked back at him, and gave a similar smile. It was a silent conversation, which ended in verbal confirmation by Kalaren.

âDude.â

After patting Kalarenâs shoulder once more, Kevin walked over to Commander Lancasterâs new group, while Kal stayed put in Stirlingâs company.

âWow.â

Kalaren turned to the right, to see Chris the -2nd staring at him, misty-eyed.

âThat was a lot.â He wiped away a tear before it could fall. âYou gunna be ok, man?â

Kalaren chuckled, before cutting himself off.

âWhat was a lot? As far as Iâm concerned, Kevin and I exchanged a formal farewell. I definitely didnât say dude.â

Chris held his hands up defensively, barely containing a grin. âMy bad.â

âAnyways, Chris, what about you? How are you holding up?â

Chris glanced back at his father, the -7th, along with the majority of the other Chrisâ, and a few others. He locked eyes with his father, who nodded. Chris the -2nd nodded back.

He turned back to Kal. âMy road lies with Commander Silverstine now.â he looked at Stirling, who was looking out over the various groups with shining bright blue eyes filled with hope. âHe is the way -3rd will be avenged.â Looking back at Kalaren, he continued. âMy father will make sure Vladek doesnât get stronger.â

Kalaren reached out with his intact human left arm, and the two gripped each otherâs left forearms. Kalaren gave him an intense and pained smirk, replying, âThatâs why Iâm going too. Weâll come back with the fuel for the fire that will burn his fort to the ground.â

Chris replied by nodding, as tears started to wet his eyes.

They were distracted by more speaking by the leaders, and continued to listen.

â--------------

Kalaren had helped with the first preparations, and now everything that the town needed was packed into the various shuttles. Jellyfish had commandeered the other scientists and engineers, and together they had completely debugged the shuttles, and took parts from the shuttle that had crashed and patched up another one that needed repairs. All in all, there were 3 flying shuttles, and one that would be little more than a suspended trollycar slung between two others.

Lancasterâs Lance would take the larger shuttle, and would use that to fly more or less directly to their next destination.

Striderâs Sword would take the two smaller working shuttles to his destination, with the intent of towing the now inoperable shuttle that had crash landed, just for itâs passenger capacity. Jellyfish was already throwing ideas around about an air-to-surface light fast attack tank. Which made no sense, but everyone nodded, knowing it could eventually.

Those going to the port town would be given a mounted Goat escort by the Cleaverâs to Domead, where they would eventually disperse.

The Cleaverâs themselves would stay in this region, living a nomadic life, using the mines to their advantage. Methuselah would also travel with them, to protect them from the landâs curse, as he had protected Aragarth for years now, just as his predecessors before him had, since time immemorial.

Right now, however, his metallic arm was being repaired inside one of the more intact shuttles.

With Dr. Jellyfish entirely swamped, fixing the shuttles and directing the other scientists, Dr. Steph A. Scope was doing his best to patch Kalaren.

âTo be frank, I know more about your cybernetic arm than Iâd like,â Dr. Steph assured him. âJellyfish often waxes eloquent about it in the office. Tells me about how itâs far superior to the rest of my patientâs arms, and how heâd do up everyone with one if he only had the supplies.â

Suddenly, sparks flew, and Kalaren winced as simulated pain shot up his arm and directly into his brain.

âAh, right. The not-so-funny bone.â Dr. Steph sighed. âWell, good news. Now you canât feel any more pain for a few hours, so I can get this done quite a lot faster. Bad news, youâre going to have to rest for a few hours.â

âWell. Gosh. Whatever ''shall'' I do?â

Dr. Skope smiled as he realized that Kalaren was dead-tired, and welcomed the rest. âBetter news, it sounds like you might be flying for most of that time, if Jellyfish knows what heâs doing.â Dr. Steph smiled. âAnd of course, he does.â

â... Right.â

Minutes later, Kalaren was resting by himself. Outside, he heard the final rushed preparations being made. Smiling, he felt content, and relaxed. The first time in a good long while. Funny, when everything about his life was about to change forever, that he could be so relaxed.

Then he heard footsteps, as one of the miners entered the little medbay, wearing a hooded cloak.

âKalaren.â

Lying on the medical bed, Kalaren craned his neck. âYeah? Do you need something?â

The miner stood there, somewhat mysteriously.

âItâs been a ''very'' long time.â

Kalaren raised an eyebrow. âDo I know you?â The voice was of an older woman, that much he could tell. But the dark medbay didnât allow for much of the detail beneath that hood to be seen.

âYes. Once upon a time.â The miner pulled back her hood, revealing cropped red hair with strands of bright silver. Her eyes were two different colors. The one on the left was a bluish green, and the one on the right was greenish blue. She appeared to be in her late 50s or so. It was hard to tell, because even though there were many wrinkles, she smiled so beautifully, it took some of those years away. A scar from some sort of blunt force trauma discolored her lower jaw line, but even through all of thisâ¦ Kalaren recognized her.

âMother.â

Suddenly, Kalarenâs understanding of the distant voice calling him back from his rage during the battle in the Castle came flooding back to him. It really had been his mom, not some dream!

âYes, Kal.â His mother stepped forward to the bed, and held his good hand. His human hand. âItâs me. Iâm here.â

âHow? Why now?â Kalaren said, as his voice started to break.

âIt is a long story. This is as soon as it could be, according to the One who plans all things.â

âBut how did you survive? I thought Vladekâ¦ I saw Father dieâ¦ and Sarah and Lucy, theyâ¦â Kalarenâs voice was stopped by a sob that almost escaped. Instead of speaking, Kalaren pulled his tearful Mother into a hug. Slowly, he began to cry. Quietly, softly, as he was finally able to begin to voice what he had felt every day for almost eight years.

âI thought Iâd lost you. I thought Iâd lost everyone, everything. Iâve been here, trying to find a way to exact revenge on that '''monster''', everyday trying to figure out another way to do so, but-â

âI know, Iâve seen you working with these people, and Iâve gathered enough to be so proud.â She gave him a quick squeeze, then pulled back to get a better look at him. âI know you escaped after being captured. I know Vladek used and tortured you, and you remained strong. I know that youâre still capable of kindness and love, and yet you use your anger to protect against the monsters.â She ruffled his hair. âAnd Iâm sorry that I couldnât be here earlier.â New tears flowed as she sat down into a chair and held Kalarenâs hand. âIâm so, '''''so''''' sorry.â

Kalaren shook his head fiercely. âYouâre here now.â

His Mother smiled weakly, and then continued. âYour father made sure that I got out of the house and hid before Vladek could find me. Still, I was able to see what happened when you entered the room. I followed you as he dragged you to his ship, and then I stowed away amidst some supplies he had brought. I wasnât able to get to you before they secured you in that room, and before long I was found. However, I was able to pass myself off as a slave that had been working there, and that was my cover for these years. If they knew who I was, they may have discovered too much about the sword your father and I madeâ¦ The sword you have been carrying around since you got it in the castle.â

Kalaren quickly glanced down at the sword, which was leaning against a corner.

âYour Father and I cursed it so only Nuradan and his descendants would be able to use it. It is tied by blood. Your father expected betrayal, just not at this scale.â She sighed.

âEvidently, that made Vladek furious. It is a good thing the magic used to create it is different than the magic here, and thus prohibited them from finding out more about it, as the secrets of the sword may be the one thing we can use against him.â

âSecrets?â

âSome. For the most part, it works as an instrument that harnesses magic. When you used it in the castle, fighting that dark knight, it expressed your rage in fire. If you trained with it, you would probably be able to control any amount of magic around you. Which seemed to be what Vladek needed to protect him from this thedude fellow.â

âIt also will not tolerate being held by anyone not of Nuradanâs bloodline. If someone tries, they will feel a horrible, painful burning sensation in their veins. It doesnât actually hurt the person very much, it just feels like it. Which brings up a question I have been having.â

âYes?â

âYou donât have a son, do you?â

âWhat? No!â

âThen I wonder how Silverstine was able to hold it.â

Kalaren sputtered. âHeâs like, 20-some years older than me!â

Mother shrugged. âStranger things have happened. I mean, we have time travel, dimension travel, cursed lands, I just had to make sure. In any case, we will have to ask him. It could be you donât have a son yet, and he traveled back in time to help you. But if he did, I would assume things went really bad in the future. Anyways.â

âKalaren!â Jellyfishâs voice echoed from close outside. âHowâs that JELLYFISH arm!?â

Striding through the door of the medbay, He stopped once he saw this clearly emotional conversation.

âI heard you yell something, and that usually means you are either very emotional, or insane like me. Everything okay here?â Jellyfish asked.

Kalaren nodded. âEverthing is fine. Jellyfish, this is my mother, Sarma.â

âAh! Not Amras, then. Wait, thatâs just Sarma backwards. You know, thatâs never a good trick. Like spinning.â

Sarma smirked and shrugged. âWorked well enough for long enough.â she turned back to Kalaren. âBut now Iâm here.â

â-------------------------

Stirling laughed, one hand on the spaceshipâs flight stick, and another on his co pilotâs shoulder, Chris -2nd. Chris was also laughing, as he held the radio up for Stirling to use.

âAlright, Lancaster. Iâll be sure to tell Jellyfish off about it. Good luck buffing it out!â

âIt looks nothing like me,â Matheeasâ reply came over the radio. âI know itâs supposed to be a compliment, but me as a jellyfish doesnât make any sense. And putting it on the outside of the ship for all to see means Iâll have to avoid explaining it. Besides that, we are obviously not an official shuttle, so we are going to have to stop soon to get rid of it.â

âMakes sense,â Stirling replied.

âWhere are you going to do that?â Chris the -2nd asked.

Before Matheeas could reply, Stirling interjected. âItâs probably better if we donât know, actually. The less we know of each otherâs whereabouts, the less chances weâre all captured or found.â

There was a silent pause as everyone considered. Then Matheeas replied. âPretty soon weâre going to be out of range for the speaking radio. From there, weâll have the long range beepers to communicate with.â

âMorse Code,â Stirling clarified.

âRight, morose code.â

âItâs a good thing we will have that, because I am going to have to tell you guys all about military slang. You desperately need it.â

Stirling and Chris heard Matheeas chuckle, and then his co-pilot muttered something to him. âWell, Iâve got to go. Donât hesitate to call on me, Commander Silverstine. Hopefully, Iâll be able to surprise you with an even larger force when we meet again.â

âIâd like that.â

âSee you on the other side. I think thatâs how it goes.â

Then the radioâs static overtook them, and Chris clicked the audio channel off.

The two men looked out the windshield. This shuttle didnât have a busted one like the one theyâd initially piloted to Aragarth.

Outside, a number of thick clouds mostly obscured their vision, but Stirling was confident of their direction.

âWell, thatâs it, then.â Chris said. âWeâre leaving Ankoria, Iâm leaving my old commander, and the future is filled with even more uncertainty.â He glanced at Stirling, who was still smiling. âBut I have more hope than Iâve ever had in my whole life.â

âI canât wait for you to see Aquila,â Stirling said suddenly. âThe people can be a bunch of pricks, but itâs absolutely beautiful.â

âWhat do you mean?â

Stirlingâs smile turned into a full grin. âYouâve lived your whole life in the Cursed Land, right?â

âYeah?â

Stirling snatched the radio, and contacted the other ship that flew next to them. âJellyfish, letâs pitch down below the cloud cover. These folks need to see green.â

âSounds like a jolly good idea! But only for so long, the clouds are good cover.â

âOf course.â

Both ships slowly nosed downward, and Stirling watched Chris staring through the windshield with even amounts of anticipation and apprehension.

Then they broke through, and Chris took in their surroundings.

Directly below them were the tips of some mountains that continued south Off to the north, was a thick, black, and dark forest. He pulled his attention away from it quickly, and stared straight ahead.

Ahead, the mountains dropped away into a valley so green, he at first thought it was a giant emerald. Here and there were small blemishes, that, as Chris struggled to understand the distances and proportions of things, he realized were tiny hamlets, with smoke rising from chimneys too small to see from this high up.Â The mountains hemmed this massive, green valley, on the right side, perfect as a picture frame. On the left, the green spilled into a paler and paler mint, as it blended with snowy fields.

For a while, the only sounds were the straining shipâs engines, and the howling wind.

âWow.â Chris finally said, in a tone that revealed how small he suddenly felt. âIs it like this everywhere?â

âNo,â Stirling said. âItâs all different.â

âWow. Thatâsâ¦ A lot.â

âItâs worth fighting for.â

Chris nodded, and for awhile, only silence followed, and eventually they drifted back up.

Stirling looked out at the other shuttle, and the cargo they were carrying between them. The disabled ship. He listened to the people behind them as they murmured casually.

This was a strong people. Strong allies.

Heâd been looking for allies for so longâ¦ Looking to restore hope to others. Rekindle some sort of fighting spirit!

He chuckled. Heâd had a fighting spirit for some time now, but heâd certainly not had much hope for himself. Yet, from the depths of Ankoria, heâd found some.

Now, finally, he felt it.

Hope that this wasnât going to fail.

Hope against his fear that as much as he could try, the only thing he could do was go out in a final blaze of glory, drive ''one last impact'' against thedude from the Silverstine clan.

Hope that he was not the end of his familyâs story.

Hope that he might find his family, again.

Hope for a home.

He felt a similar hope, resonating and reverberating grimly amongst these people, and something more.

A deadly decisiveness that Stirling knew well.

They would do whatever it took to achieve their goals. They were unified by this. And that is what made them strong.

Checking the controls yet again, Stirling refocused his attention on the skies.

This avenging blaze he had been building had a lot more fuel than he thought.

Together, they could call forth more brave people. He already knew of a few that would gladly join such a force, once it was presented to them.

He chuckled. âStirlingâs Swordâ would be ready.

______________________<blockquote>'''''Fuel for the Fire.'''''</blockquote><blockquote>'''''The End.'''''</blockquote><nowiki/>[[Category:Stories]]
[[Category:Stories by JamesAT13]]
[[Category:Stories by RedFireDog6]]
[[Category:The Additional Manuscripts]]

Fuel for the Fire

2022-05-07T17:53:03Z

Stirling Silverstine: STORY IS FINISHED

== Fuel For the Fire, by JamesGinger and Redfiredog6 ==

=== Prologue ===
-

Strider glared into the wind. It was a strong one, and it was in the right direction, but it also came with a warning.Â He spared a quick glance at the receding safety of the shore of Britay. Perhaps it would have been more prudent to wait, but after these past two years on the sea, he liked to think he'd seen worse than this coming storm. Hopefully, heÂ and his skiff could ride the momentum and get to his destination all the sooner.Â

 

He turned away from the wind, and peered ahead, to the north. On the far distant horizon to his right was the northern reaches of Ankoria, that cursed land, where nothing good grew.

 

But he wasn't going there. He was heading to the far north. Nordland, where he hoped to gain allies in the powerful warriors of North Island. Legend had it that when thedude first invaded the frozen north, they had been able to hold their own against his forces, and eventually routed him. However, in the past year, they had finally succumbed to the overwhelmingly increasedÂ forces of thedude, and their stronghold of North Island was now thedude's northernmost outpost.Â

Stirling wondered if their eventual downfall had something to do with hope. Perhaps, after seeing nearly every other nation fall, did the Nordeners not see any reason to hold out?Â

 

He wanted to rekindle that hope.

 
 

Tacking the sails yet again, he peered worriedly up at the changing sky.Â

 

Speaking of hope, he had to keep his own up. This storm was promising to be quite a rodeo.

<nowiki>---------</nowiki>

=== Chapter 1: Why you don't Argue with Enchanters ===
Kalaren was having quite a busy day. No, there were no attacks. He was busy with errands. From delivering laundry to stomping on wolf spiders, sharpening weapons, making some, and then delivering them to the armory! Tossing a salad for a delectable lunch! Still, Kalaren did prefer this to warfare, as boring as chores may be. Currently, He was feeding the goats, deep in thought. The past seven and a half years had mostly been uneventful. He was now a full-fledged soldier in the rebellion, as he was twenty three by now.Â

So deep in thought was he, that the goats were now helping themselves to the hardy hay as he stared into the wind.

 

Kalaren was brought back to reality by one of the goats bleating. He shook his head before picking up the sack of grain and pouring itâs contents into the goats feed troughs.

 

He was soon finished and was wondering what to do.

 

''âIâll check on Jellyfish and Methuselah, the enchanter to see if theyâve found a way to power our paradox gear.â'' Kalaren did so, and started making his way to the magicianâs bunker.Â

 

Along the way, he ran along a group of kids playing kickball in the street with a patched up ball Jellyfish had put together for them. He stopped to watch.Â Â

There was Jonny and Blake. They made one team.

 

Then there was Joshua and Rita. To the side, reading a small battered scroll wasâ¦ hmm. Kal had to think for a minute. Ah yes, Rosa. She was the quiet one.Â

 

Kalarens thoughts were again interrupted as his face met the kickball.Â

 

Staggering backward, he wondered why his reflexes hadnât saved him. However, it appeared that the last few years had traded some of those reflexes for pain tolerance. Shaking it off, he chuckled and kicked the ball back to the offenders, waving away their apologies.

 

The rest of the walk was entirely uneventful as he walked through the rest of Aragarth.Â

 

Several minutes later, he arrived at the enchanterâs quarters. Until recently, it had only been a bunker. It was originally a cellar of some building, long reduced to rubble, though at the passing of Grimoir, the previous enchanter, his replacement, Methuselah, saw to the repair and fortification of the original building. The result was quite desirable for such a resistance. He approached the houseâs door and knocked, waiting for Methuselah to answer. He soon heard a voice.

 

âWho goes there?â

 

Kalaren had forgotten about how Methuselah was a little too overzealous about protecting this bunker.

 

âKalaren.â

 

âVery well. DoÂ you remember the password?â

 

Kalaren sighed. "Drowssap.â

 

âVery good! Now you put in the key code.â

 

Kalaren switched the numbers on the tumbler lock they had broken off a briefcase they found previously to the code. The lock didnât even work, but whoâs to argue with an enchanter?

 

âThere, I put it in, could you let me in now?â

 

âYes, of course! As soon as I open these other locks.â

 

Kalaren waited two minutes before he was finished. The door opened to show Methuselah. He had brown hair and aÂ thick chinstrap beard, along with his piercing grey eyes. He was dressed in a brown tunic, black pants and a navy robe. He had a rank 3 sorcerer's staff, Chosen because he thought he could utilize the maelstrom energy stored inside. Kalaren tried to separate himself from the paradox equipment as much as he could, as maelstrom energy was the same thing that had almost smashed his father.Â

 

''âVladek beat it to the final blow though,''âÂ he thought, before his thoughts were cut short yet again by Methuselah.

 

âKalaren! You should see what Jellyfish and I fixed up!â

 

âGreat! Sure, I will!âÂ

 

Methuselah smiled. âPerfect! This will revolutionize our technology!â

 

Kalaren followed Methuselah through the bunker, observing the layout.

In this large sort of greeting hall, there was a Wormholer and two shinobi swords near the door, and a wooden bridge that was over a pit that contained sharpened stakes at the bottom. At the other side of the bridge, was a mechanism to wind up the bridge. Not only would the tilted up bridge block the entrance to the stairwell behind it(leading further into the bunker,) but it also formed a barrier against projectiles.

He started descending the staircase, noting the portraits on the walls. He knew there was various weapons and triggers to various traps behind them. Other than the portraits, there was a continuing bookcase containing most of the literature of Aragarth, and some weapons and switches hidden among the books, even a secret passage, he knew, that led into the forest surrounding the city!

It was like a typical wizard's tower, but in reverse. And more booby-trapped.

 

They passed many rooms, with simple traps devised to use little or no electricity, as you could hardly find a power source other than magical energy, which was largely corrupted. Halfway down, they passed through a smallÂ room that Dr. Jellyfish had shown off before, which did utilize some energy. Mostly hot-wired by Jellyfish, there was an airlock that, when activated by one of the hidden switches could shut the doors and the four vents on the roof would release acidic, noxious fumes.Â

 

They quickly passed through that room.Â

 

Kalaren also noticed Methuselah appeared to be distracted, occasionally stopping mid-stride and muttering, before continuing on as if nothing had happened. Kalaren knew that Methuselah was actually multitasking. He had to in order to keep the spell going which kept everyone in the ruined city of Aragarth from being corrupted, though, even with his distracted demeanor, he was also clearly very excited about what he was going to show Kalaren.

 

They reached the bottom floor as Jellyfish watched several rodents running in hamster wheels trying to get the scraps of food hanging outside of the wheel. Currently Jellyfish was bringing them the small pieces of food and many of them stopped running to eat. Next to him was two wormholers, it looked like one of them was empty of ammo, and the other was bursting with energy. Jellyfish turned towards them and it was quite apparent he was ''especially'' excited.

 

âMethuselah! You brought Kalaren!! WONDERFUL!!! Youâre just in time! Iâve finished going over the results from these two wormholers, and Iâve found the common denominator quotients that should correlate across all known Paradox Tech!â

 

âEureka!â Exclaimed Methuselah. Kalaren was, as you would imagine, very confused.

 

âWhat?â

 

âCome see!â he cried, waving Kalaren over to the two Wormholers, having completely tossed all of the lunch-scraps to the rodents. Kalaren nodded and came to the table where the wormholers were located.

 

âTake a look. These two Wormholers were at varying charges , but roughly like 30% and 45% or something. Normally, weâd save these, use them in some fight, and once they were drained, theyâd be utterly useless.â he gave a mocking frowny face. âMaybe broken down for parts. BUT! With the power of our combined genius, I and Methuselah have found a way to extract the Maelstrom from any Paradox tech, and inject it directly into another, revitalizing the energy pool, and extending the life beyond the total sum of the original two sums!â

 

Kalarenâs expression went sour.

 

âLovely, weâll use these things more often.â Kalaren said as he gestured to the weapons. âAnd what does these animals have to do with it?â Kalaren pointed at the rodents on the hamster wheels.

 

âOh, those are unrelated! They are just creating a little more energy. They may be eating more food than they are producing energy, However.â Methuselah exclaimed with a frown.

 

Jellyfish shared his frown as he mused. âWhat we really need are electric eels.âÂ

 

Kalaren cocked his head slightly to the side. âElectric eelsâ¦.?â

 

âOh yes! When I was sane, and worked in a prestigious laboratory off-world with the Nexus Force, we had electric eels. They were fun to pet.â

 

Kalaren raised both his eyebrows.

 

âOh, and they also powered the laboratory they were located in. Sadly, not mine, but thatâs ok,â the scientist continued. âMine ran on cold fusion.â

 

âOh! Then we can power the entire city! We could overload Vladekâs Fort! We cou-â Methuselah was interrupted by Jellyfish.

 

âUnfortunately, we donât have the components for either electric eels tanks or Cold Fusion reactors. Come to think of it, I donât remember what weâd need for a cold fusion reactor.â He waved a hand to the hamster wheels. âThus, one I do remember, kinetic energy.â

 

âI see.â Kalaren said.Â

 

âBUT!â He swung his other arm around, nearly whacking Kalaren in the face, but Kalaren grabbed his arm with his robotic arm, and froze, stopping both.

 

âOh, sorry Kalaren.â

 

âItâs ok, Iâm the one who should be sorry.â

 

âWhy?â

 

âIt seems there is another technological outage. I canât move my arm.â

 

â...Oh.â

 

They all stood there, awkwardly contemplating this development, which became even more clear as all of the technology around them began shutting off.

 

âItâs a good thing we canât afford enough energy to get an electronic lock for the door.â Kalaren pointed out, much to Methuselahâs annoyance.

 

âBut what if paradox rogues were out there? We have tunnels to escape, we donât need the door to open!â

 

''âThatâs why you donât argue with wizards,â'' Kalaren thought.Â

They all decided to try and make their way up the stairs, and tell everyone the news of how they could double the life of a maelstrom-powered weapon. Going up the stairs was very difficult as Kalarenâs and Jellyfishâs arms were stuck together. Meanwhile Methuselah stated how it might be nice to get an elevator for the several levels.

=== Chapter 2: Shipwrecked ===

The waves threw themselves on board Stirlingâs skiff, but he hardly felt them anymore. He was numb to the bone, drenched entirely through, and had absolutely no control of his shipâs course, which, as far as he could tell, was drifting towards Ankoriaâs shores.Â

 

In layman terms, he was screwed. However, with himself being the only man aboard, he couldnât call it quits, no matter how wet and cold he was. So, he was not too unprepared when a tall, rocky, cliff-shore loomed out of the sheet of rain and lightning, threatening to crush him and his ship to smithereens. Fighting both tide and wind, he was able to veer away from a full collisionâ¦

 

But on the harsh sea, even the slightest error was often costly.Â

 

As he turned away from the looming cliffside, he heard the sickening squeal of merciless rock against his wooden hull, and knew that he now had mere minutes before his ship sank. He grabbed the essential supplies in the boat, grabbed the bag Peragrine, his old friend had given him, and the life preserver, (for all the good it would do,) and keeping them close, drove his boat with reckless abandon right along the coast, searching for a cove or beach where he would not have to climb far to find stable shelter. He didnât find one in time.

 

''âPerry could have done it,â'' was his last thought.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

He woke up with an incredibly dry, raspy throat.

''' 
'''

He was lying on his back on some form of sand, he tried to open his eyes, but the sand and sea salt made them sting. He tried to wipe them with his tunic, but that just made it worse, as his clothes were in the same condition.

He decided to bear the pain to take a look around.

''' 
'''

It appeared he had washed up in a cave. There was a light up above, and it informed him that outside it had to be daytime.

''' 
'''

As he sat up, he gritted his salty teeth as his body cried out as expected.Â

''' 
'''

â''Too bad,â'' he thought. ''âIt looks like Iâm not going to get to rest for awhile now.â''

''' 
'''

Looking around the cave for an exit, he realized there was apparently none, except for an exit under the clear water, where more light was spilling from.

''' 
'''

Did he miraculously go under the water, with his life preserver on, just to bob back up here, safe from the wind and the storm?Â Â

''' 
'''

Stirling rubbed his aching head.Â This was not a priority to figure out right now. He had to get some water, and after that, it would be beneficial to look for any supplies, and find out where in the world he was.

''' 
'''

Checking his person, he was relieved to find his canteen, his katana, (Oh man, that was going to take forever to clean, even with his more waterproof scabbard,) all of his armor, (again, going to need to be cleaned, and soon,) a compass in one of his pockets, the rope that heâd slung over himself, and...That was it, unfortunately. He sighed as he realized that included the pack Perry had gifted him, as well as his samurai rank 3 bow. As well as...

"'''Crux''', Thingguy is going to kill me."

A rejiggered Nexus Force communicator that Thingguy had given him for safekeeping. It was probably at the bottom of the ocean now, beyond reach. Beyond repair. And with it, their only connection to the Nexus Force Armada, just waiting for the signal...

Stirling shook himself, before he could start kicking himself. If he was going to be alive for Thingguy to berate him, he first had to survive and figure out where he was.

''' 
'''

Having satiated his thirst with his canteen and taken inventory, he once again looked around to see about getting out. And once again, he only saw the small opening far above him, too small to climb up and out of, and the opening below the water line.

''' 
'''

After a momentâs contemplation, he left the life preserver behind, and since he was still quite soaked, he dove into the water and swam out the other side, being sure to keep a tight hold on the rock formation, as the tide was strong on the other side. ''âThe tide!â'' He thought.Â ''âThat must've been what got me in there. It must have been low tide during the storm, and by the time I woke up, itâs turned around to high.â'' Â Breaking the surface of the water, he wiped his stinging, burning, salty eyes and looked out. To his right, was sheer rocky shore, with no clear ways up. However, to his left was a sight for sore eyes. A short break in the impassable cliff line revealed a gray-black pebbly beach.Â

''' 
'''

And did his eyes deceive him, or was there wreckage washed up over there?

''' 
'''

Alternatively Swimming and grappling along the rocky formations, weighed down as he was, in his Samurai armor, he made his way to the not-so-distant shore.

''' 
'''

A few minutes later, he reached solid ground, and refrained from kissing the ground stereotypically in favor of searching the debris for useful remains of his ship.

''' 
'''

There was plenty of driftwood and flotsam, and there was an ill smell of rot on the beach combating the salty air from the sea. Most of the driftwood was far too old to be from his ship, which told him he had not been the first to wreck his ship along Ankoria. Perhaps the curse extended farther out into the seaâ¦?

''' 
'''

''âNo,â'' he thought. ''âI only have myself to blame for wrecking here.â''Â He had misread the weather, and was paying the price now. He'd challenged mother nature, and she'd humbled him. Now he had no choice but to continue to challenge her, stuck in the wilderness, somewhere.

''' 
'''

There were various tools and even some small treasures scattered amongst the old remains of ships long sunk, but most of it was ruined beyond worth by itâs countless time spent in the elements. A spyglass with no glass. A gem splintered into shards. A halfÂ of a map that crumbled to flakes as he picked it up. A grimy dubloon.Â

''' 
'''

But the greatest treasure of all wasâ¦

''' 
'''

âOf course. I should have known.â

''' 
'''

Perryâs Pack.

''' 
'''

Relief washed over Stirling.

''' 
'''

Somehow, the backpack had become snagged on a large piece of wood with a protruding nail, and now here it was, washed up on the shore, the waves lapping at the board, like a hand shoving it up onto the beach.

''' 
'''

âPerry must have rubbed some of his luck off onto it,â Stirling chuckled to himself, as he released it from the nail with ease and looked inside. On the very top was a towel, with the words âDONâT PANICâ embroidered on it.

''' 
'''

Rolling his eyes, he took the sopping wet towel out, and inspected the rest of the gear.

''' 
'''

Beyond all comprehension, the large majority of the tech, equipment, and provisions, and most importantly, his rewired Nexus Force communicator, were none the worse for wear, having been protected by the towel on top, and, as Stirling found out, another towel on the bottom of the pack, which had â42â embroidered on it.Â He shook his head.

''' 
'''

âWow. Perry, sometimes I think youâre a secret genius.â

''' 
'''

After making a last cursory search of the beach, Stirling stepped off, feeling much better about his chances in the Cursed land of Ankoria.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 3: Explaining Maelstrom Revitalization ===
Kalaren, Jellyfish, and Methuselah climbed up and out of the Bunker, and walked towards the town hall, (Kalaren had been able to detach his arm from Jellyfishâs)Â where Matheeas held residence. Over the course of his time as Leader of the Ankorian Rebellion, the Town Hall had become more akin to a war counsel, as most of the planning for Aragarth took place there. Thus was the reason why Kalaren, Jellyfish, and Methuselah were heading there now.

 

As they approached the Hall, Kalaren observed the defensive layout again.Â

There was a lantern hanging next to the door, while on the other side an Ankorian Resistance flag fluttered lightly, displaying a red stripe on the top and bottom, and a orange stripe in the middle, with a blazing sword cutting into a warped evil-looking staff. On either side of the door, groups of outward-facing sharpened wooden stakes made access to the door available to only one or two people at a time. The building itself consisted of old stone.

There was a guard outside of the door, who recognized them.

 

âHello. State your business.â He said, sounding bored.

 

âWell, we just discovered something that will change our way of life here, by giving us the power of electricity for years to come!â Methuselah replied proudly. The guard nodded.

 

âIâll let emâ know you got something to work with electricity. Follow me.âÂ

 

Methuselah and Jellyfish were getting quite disappointed with their reactions, but nonetheless, they followed the guard inside.

 

Kalaren noticed a few guards roaming about the main hall, various closed off doors leading to a kitchen, closet, administrative officesâ¦ Very few of these areas still served their original functions, instead being converted into whatever was needed, such as an armory, barracks, or in the case of Matheeas, a bedroom, here where he was most easily available. The one room that hadnât changed much, was upstairs, in the grand dome of the building, which, while mostly intact, had been more carefully repaired to at least ''resemble'' what it may have once looked like. The great Council chambers, which Matheeas still used to discuss important matters with his people, and discuss strategies, both domestic and military. They headed to this room. The guard went in, leaving the trio to wait at the door, before the guard came up and let them in, revealing Matheeas leaning over a table with a couple maps, and other officials.

 

âYou wanted to say something about a power source?â Matheeas inquired. Jellyfish eagerly replied.

 

âYes! Methuselah and I were experimenting with some of our Paradox weapons! We found out that if you took out the maelstrom energy in one blaster, and put it in another full one, it would multiply the energy! For example, if you added one quart of maelstrom energy to another quart, it wouldnât simply make two quarts, but five! Then you could add yet another quart, and it would go to nine! Approximately.â

 

âSo you found out a way to power the city?â

 

âPrecisely!â Methuselah stated.

 

âThat sounds great, but what happens when we run out of maelstrom energy to combine with the larger stack?â

 

âWellâ¦ nothing, really, unless we keep using the energy to power the city, which we undoubtedly will. Unless.. we could splice it!â Jellyfish realized.

 

âHow so?â A council member queried.

 

âIf we could slice a part of this maelstrom energy off of the main group, then add it back on, then it would create more!â Jellyfish explained.

 

âWouldnât that be dangerous? If you have too large of a exposure to maelstrom, then you get infected!â Kalaren pointed out.

 

âWell, yes, you have a point there. But if we could capture a Paradox scientist or someone who worked on a generator from, say, Vladekâs Fort, then we could find out how to build a generator! Or at least discover their method.â

 

âMount an assault on Vladeks fort? Are you insane!?!â One of the council members reacted.

 

âWhy does it have to be an assault? We could try to sneak in.â Methuselah said.

 

âYou could also be captured, and interrogated. We donât have the manpower for an assault, and a stealth mission is almost too risky.â Matheeas said.

 

âAlmost?â Methuselah asked.

 

âIâm thinking about it. How long could we have power, with our supply of energy?â

 

âHmm, Iâd say we have enough energy to last fo-JELLYFISH! Ahem, sorry. Enough for one year.

 

Thank you. Weâll talk it over. Methuselah, would you stay here as an advocate for your idea?â

 

âOf course!â

 

âThank you. As for Jellyfish, youâre dismissed.â

 

âVery well.â Jellyfish left, muttering to himself.

 

Matheeas directed his next words at Kalaren.

âKalaren, itâs yours and Kevinâs turn to patrol the perimeter. You two can choose between your goats who you want to bring.â

 

âSounds good, Commander!â

Kalaren showed himself out, and made his way to the stables. As he neared them, he saw a minifig a few years younger than himself waving to him; Kevin.

 

âHeeey Kal! Whassup!?!â

 

Kalaren sighed. âApparently weâre going on perimeter patrol together.â

 

âDude, thatâs awesome! I just finished my latest song! I can sing it to you alll along the way! In a quiet tone of course.â

 

âPlease no!â

 

âCooool. Afterwards.â

 

âGreat''.''â Kalaren and Kevin decided to mount Kevinâs black goat, Surf. In short order, they headed out of the city.Â

===Chapter 4: Desolation===

Stirling grunted as he climbed. Or was that his stomach growling? Or was it another mysterious creature, watching from below, waiting for him to fall?

 

âProbably all three,â he groused, as he reached for another handhold above. Three more feet and he would have a clear view above the treeline, to find out where he was in this ''forsaken'' place.

 

The initially positive outlook he had obtained upon discovering Peragrineâs Pack had quickly eroded under the silently soul-crushing conditions of Ankoria. He didnât remember the details, butÂ he recalled the reports supposedly stating that there was some curse set upon the land that brought out the hidden evils in all living things, or something like that.

 

He tried not to think about it.Â He didnât need to, as itâs effects were seen everywhere. '''Everything''' was different shades of gray, from the dead trees to the ashen ground underneath his feet, to the stagnant pools of âwaterâ heâd come across in the forest below him.Â

 

He hadnât seen or heard any animals until just this morning, where he had shot down a deer, but upon retrieving it, he found that instead of antlers on its head, it had an antler-like structure all along itâs frame, as a sort of exoskeleton. This had made harvesting it rather lengthy and difficult, and his efforts amounted next to nothing as the precious little meat inside was either unbearably tough or appeared to spoil before his very eyes.Â

 

Under normal circumstances, he felt that would spoil his appetite. But here, in Ankoria, he found that his appetite was never satisfied. Despite his best discipline, his food-stores were already running lower than heâd anticipated, and what plant-life heâd found to try and supplement it was either bitter beyond imagining, or definitely too sweet to not be poison. Or rotting.

 

His water reserves were even more desperate. His canteen was nearly dry, and although he had found a small pond in the forest below, where he had filled up a different container, the water was nearly black as ink, and had smelled most foul once boiled for safetyâ¦ He didnât want to drink the local water unless times were desperate. Which would be within the week, at his current rate.

 
 

Stirling looked out from the peak he had gained, searching for something to orient himself on the map he had found in Peragrineâs pack. There was no doubt he had shipwrecked upon the Cursed Land, but where exactly? As he peered back west he saw the coast. Following the shore north with a pair of binoculars, he perceived that the coast curved eastward, as the the glimmer of ocean was visible on the northern horizon.

 

''âThat must mean I shipwrecked on the very northwestern corner of this accursed place,â'' Stirling reasoned. Checking his map, the only thing nearby according to his map was one âFortress of Lord Vladekâ.

 

âGreat. Just great.â

 

According to this map, Vladekâs old fort was almost due East of his supposed position. Who knew if Lord Vladek still used the old fort. Stirling didnât intend to find out.Â

 

The only other point of interest within Ankoria, on the map, was the small town of âDomeadâ. It lay far, far away to the south, on the very shore of the Cursed Land.

 

Stirling saw two options.Â

 

Either head East towards Vladekâs old fort, and Morciaâ¦Â

 

â¦ Or head South towards Domead.

 

Heading east would most likely be faster, but there was great risk in passing by Vladekâs Fort, as there were rumors that the evil Lord was using it as his private residence when not at the capitol by thedudeâs side. However, if this was untrue, there could be valuable resources which would speed up his travel, allowing him to enter Morcia and continue his Journey northward with all haste via the âBridge to Unknownâ

 

On the other hand, heading South was safer. It avoided Vladekâs fortâ¦ He wouldnât have to run into any enemies other than the natural predators of the landâ¦Â

 

But he would have to traverse the entire length and breadth of the Cursed Land. No minor feat, considering his trip so farâ¦ In factâ¦ In light of what heâd seen the past few daysâ¦ The sooner he could leave this wretched land, the better.

 
 

East it was.

 

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

 

Kalaren and Kevin had been riding Surf for some time, when Kevin had an announcment.

 

âIâm bored.â

 

âWonderful.â

 

âWhat?â

 

âNevermind.â

 

âHey, I know, Iâll surf on Surf! Mind if we switch places?â

 

âYes. Iâm going to sit here like a civilized minifig being.â

 

âOh, ok! Iâll just do it up here then!â Kevin said as he stood up on the goat and did your typical surfer stance.

 

âCowabunga!â

 

âNo donât! Stop!â

 

âNo, this is fine, dude! Itâs like land surfing or someth-â

 

'''*WHACK*'''Â

 

Kevinâs head met an oncoming branch, where he stayed, pushing Kalaren off Surf and into the brambles underfoot. Kevin, after recovering from the immediate shock, realized he had hung onto the branch.

Raising a finger, he said,âThis is what Dr. Seuss would call âa lurchâ.âÂ

 

Kalaren groaned as he tried to get up out of the thick prickly undergrowth without making too many tears in his clothing.

 

âSurf, come back!â Kevin wailed. The goat did not immediately appear to hear him, causing him to sigh gloomily. âSurf waits for no one.â But then the goat stopped, turned about, and began careening back!

 

âSurf! Come back! Wait, no, stop! No Surf!â Kevin cried, panicked, right before the big black goat knocked him down, to the left of Kalaren. Thankfully, the goat missed Kalaren.Â

 

âKevin, one of these days you will pay.â Kalaren muttered. as he got up and wiped the dirt and pulled the thorns out of his clothes.â He stared after the goat. âHalt, Surf!âÂ

 

Kevin had gotten up and put his hand on Kalarenâs shoulder.

 

âItâs no use. You canât stop the killer wave.â He said. But Surf did halt.

 

âWoah. You killed the killer. You rode the wave. You turned the wind! You are, The Dudeman!â

 

âOne, has it occurred to you that 'The Dudeman' sounds an awful lot like âthedudeâ?

 

âWell, no but it sounds epi-â

 

âTwo, âThe Dudemanâ has a challenge for you! Just BE QUIET for ''five minutes''!â

 

âHmm.. Ok. I can do both. Instead of The Dudeman, Iâll call you The Mandude, and Iâll be quiet tonight, when Iâm sleeping!â

 

âBoth of which alleviate ''NOTHING''.â

 

âSure they do! You donât sound like thedude anymore!â

 

âI suppose. Come on, letâs get Surf, and continue scouting.

 

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

 

Stirling continued his path eastward, through the mountains. It was slow going, as the land was rocky, craggy, and there was no semblance of any path. Each step disturbed the earth, and raised the grey dust of countless lonely years. It was like walking on a moon. Except, with mountains. And full gravity. In his sandy, itchy, heavy armor.

 

The next day, he was attacked by something resembling an eagle. Or a Raven. Some hideous crossbreed thing. However, after defeating it, he reasoned there must be a nest nearby. A few minutes and a short climb up later, he found some eggs, which made a decent brunch. He only had to ignore the rotten smell, and their strange green and red yolks. Perry would have said they were âChristmas eggs.â

 

Perhaps they would make a better eggnog than scramble. All well.

Banking his campfire, he hefted his pack, and continued on.Â

=== Chapter 5: The Dreaded Gigfran Eggs ===

Kalaren and Kevin sat behind a boulder on a small hill that rose above the dead tree canopy.

''' 
'''

âItâs a campfire, alright,â confirmed Kalaren, as he gazed through a spyglass.

''' 
'''

âLemme see, Mandude!â Kevin demanded, trying to snatch the spyglass from him.

''' 
'''

âHang on, Iâm trying to see the person who made it.â

''' 
'''

âYouâre too slow, lemme see.â

''' 
'''

âJust give it a rest, I-â

''' 
'''

âAha!â Kevin cried, as he successfully acquired the spyglass. Kalaren just rolled his eyes and let him have it. âNow letâs seeâ¦ Heâs cooking something.. looks like one of those gigfran.â

''' 
'''

âThatâs not a very wholesome meal.â

''' 
'''

âWait, heâs tossing it to the sideâ¦ He has some sort of egg.â

''' 
'''

âOh no.â Kalaren said, snatching the spyglass back.

''' 
'''

âHey, not cool, Mandude!â

''' 
'''

âJust a secondâ¦ Itâs as I feared. Yes, heâs eating some eggs.â

''' 
'''

âOh. Oh no. Not ''THOSE'' eggs, right?â

''' 
'''

â...â

''' 
'''

âThat poor, poor dude! We have to save him from the worst tomorrow of his LIFE!!â

''' 
'''

âShh! He could have heard you! Duck!â They ducked for a minute or two before bopping back up.

''' 
'''

âOk, itâs clear now. We canât go over there because we donât know if heâs one of Vladekâs agents or a goblin or a dark elf or a dwarf or...â

''' 
'''

âOhh. Good point, Mandude.â

''' 
'''

âWould you please stop calling me Mandude?â

''' 
'''

âSure thing, Dudeman.

''' 
'''

âThat doesn't help.â

''' 
'''

âOh, ok, man, I mean dude. or man. uhhâ¦ Bro. ''Amigo''. '''''Muchacho'''''. No, yâknow what, Mandude is still the best.â

''' 
'''

Kalaren groaned in agony. âFine! Fine.â He looked through the spyglass.

''' 
'''

âHeâs putting the fire out. Maybe we can ambush him somewhere, and bring him to Aragarth for questioning.â

''' 
'''

âSure, but where, and how, Bro-haha?â

''' 
'''

Kalaren flinched at âBro-hahaâ, replying, âIt depends on if he stays up on the mountains or if he comes down. Hopefully he comes down. That would make it easier.â

''' 
'''

âThat plan is ''off the chain!â''

''' 
'''

âGood to know?â Â Â Â

''' 
'''

âThat plan is ''off the charts''! No one but The Mad-dude could do it!â

''' 
'''

âMy plan is literally to come up with a plan later, and I donât appreciate your enthusiasm!â Kalaren replied with a sarcastic smile.

''' 
'''

âOh sorry, I thought I was enthusiastic enough, but Iâll try to up my game, like this: '''SUPER-BROHEMIAN!!'''!â

''' 
'''

Kalaren jumped on Kevin, and covered his mouth. Partly because they needed to be quiet, and partly because it helped him refrain from jumping off the mountain and taking Kevin with him.

''' 
'''

A few minutes later, and some more use of the spyglass, they made their way back down to Surf the Goat, and followed the stranger eastward.Â

''' 
'''

The rest of their approach was silent. Kalaren assumed it was because Kevin was thinking about the poor strangerâs future plight, which involved variousâ¦ unpleasant sensations.

''' 
'''

Kevin shuddered. âThat dude has got to be hardcore.â

''' 
'''

âYeah. Might lead to a tough battle.â

''' 
'''

âMaybe the indigestion will hit him, and weâll just have to knock âim out!â

''' 
'''

âWe can hope.âÂ

''' 
'''

Surfâs innate goat agility allowed Kalaren and Kevin to move with near silence, at a speed comparative to a horseâs canter. They were about to exit the treeline when they saw the stranger up ahead, inspecting his compass as he walked. Kevin whispered some commands to Surf before they both dismounted and stealthily made theyâre way to a ledge ahead of the manâs path.Â

''' 
'''

Kevin gave some confusing hand signals, consisting of his two fingers heading down the slope, then turning on their side and pinching his other hand, this hand falling over. then he brought the first hand back and made some wiggling figure movements.

''' 
'''

Kalaren assumed this meant that Kevin wanted to go ahead and try to attack the stranger, while Kalaren cheered him on. Maybe it could use some adaptation. But Kevin jumped off the ledge and on top of the stranger anyway.Â

''' 
'''

Kalaren tried to find a place where he could see Kevin and the stranger fighting, but with them being just under the ledge, he couldnât aim without the brittle edge sending down pebbles and giving him away. Instead,Â he scrambled to the side of the slope, where he could see the stranger.

''' 
'''

The stranger wasÂ dressed in rusty chainmail, and had dark brown hair. He wielded a katana, which was raised to swing at a downed Kevin. Kalaren knocked an arrow and fired it at the strangerâs wrist.Â

''' 
'''

âGah!â the stranger yelled, dropping his sword as the arrow sprouted from his armored glove. Wasting no time, Kalaren fired a second arrow at his right knee.Â The stranger dove for the tree-line behind him, seeking cover, as Kevin charged after him.

''' 
'''

<nowiki>~~~~~~~</nowiki>

''' 
'''

Tumbling behind the tree, Stirling gritted his teeth as both arrows broke and embedded themselves into his armor and flesh as he moved. Hearing the man running up, he stuck his good leg out, and tripped him.

''' 
'''

The blonde landed face-first in the gravel, but quickly rolled over, to receive the swift heel of Stirlingâs boot to the same face.

''' 
'''

Stirling had to hand it to him, he was tough. If young and inexperienced. Drawing his leg back behind the tree, another arrow appeared where his boot had been.

''' 
'''

Stirling looked through his pack, searching for a ranged weapon. He quickly found one of Peragrineâs old Flintlock pistols.Â

''' 
'''

''âPerfect.â'' he thought, as he loaded it with a satisfying âclickâ that resounded off the rocks.

''' 
'''

Aware he was dealing with an excellent archer, Stirling popped his head out from behind the tree-trunk for a mere second. In that second, he already saw an arrow zooming at his head. He noted the general direction, and ducked back, the whole length of the arrow whizzing past his nose.

''' 
'''

''âOoookay.â''

''' 
'''

Tensing up, he swung out right after the arrow had gone by, and saw his second assailant. A cloaked archer, with bright red hair, perched on an edge half-way down the slope. He fired, and ducked back, as a mangled arrow skittered by his cover.

''' 
'''

Stirling loaded the pistol and swung out to fire again. This time, though, no arrow came after him, as his first shot had destroyed the enemyâs bow, and knocked him off of his precarious perch.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling charged at the archer, firing his pistol and drawing a dagger. The shot hit the man in the arm, and the sound of armor rang out in tandem with the manâs cry of pain.

''' 
'''

Stirling dove at the man, intending to pin him to the ground with his dagger, but the man stopped him dead in the air with his right arm. The one that had been shot.

''' 
'''

âWhat on Crux-â Stirling began, before he was rammed into the stone, and then tossed like a doll back into the tree-line, where he landed on the previous attacker.

''' 
'''

Fighting to maintain consciousness through the pain, he realized the blonde man underneath him had recovered, and was nonsensically slapping him. Stirling struggled to get up, but before he could, the Archer was standing over him.

''' 
'''

âWorthless. Vagabonds!â Stirling spat.

''' 
'''

The Archer pulled him up with the same ease he'd thrown him, and Stirling hardly felt the left sucker-punch, as the darkness swallowed him up.

''' 
'''

<nowiki>~~~~~~</nowiki>

''' 
'''

Matheeas set down the report. âAll in all, fairly successful.â Looking up, he saw Kalarenâs relatively unscathed appearance, in comparison to Kevin, who looked like heâd been run over by a stampede of goats.Â

''' 
'''

âSo, where is the prisoner now?â

''' 
'''

âIn the infirmary. Probably dying.â Kevin pointed out.

''' 
'''

âYou KILLED him?!â Matheeas exclaimed, shocked.

''' 
'''

âNo, the gigfran eggs did.â

''' 
'''

âOr rather will.â Kalaren amended.

''' 
'''

âOh. Well, maybe Iâll check in on him. Until then, Kevin, you go to the infirmary, rest up, and Kalaren, you go to that Jellyfish. Get your arm fixed.

''' 
'''

âThanks, Commander!â

''' 
'''

âOf course, Sir.â

=== Chapter 6: The Effects of the Dreaded Gigfran Eggs ===

Stirling woke up in immense pain. Opening his eyes, he noted that he was in some sort of medical facility, which didnât make him feel any better.

 

''âOh great. If the highwaymen didnât leave me, or rob me, they must want something else from me,â'' he reasoned. Sitting up, he let loose '''the most thunderous fart''' known to man.

 

Naturally, he was quite surprised, and looked around to make sure no one could pin it on him. Unfortunately, everyone had, including three guards stationed around him. He was in a old stone building, patched in various places with wood. All along this room, there were rows of cots on either side, only a few which were occupied by people now staring at him. A nurse scurried over.

 

âCome with me, sir. You will be needing to use the facilities.â

 

âPardon?â

 

âThe report is that you ate gigfran eggs. There is no known cure for the ailment, but considering your strong physical condition, you ''may'' not find it fatal.â

 

âWHAT?â

 

âWalk and talk, sir.â

 

Stirling swung his legs out of the cot, and with this sudden change to vertical movement, he found that he did indeed require facilities. Badly.

 

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

 

A few minutes later, Stirling felt marginally better, as he sat on the edge of his cot, with only two of his original guards next to him.Â Suddenly, someone a few cots down was waving to get his attention.

 

âDude! Hardcore Dude!â

 

Stirling frowned. It was his blonde-haired attacker.

 

âYou feeling better, man?â

 

Stirling stared him down. Or, attempted to. The blonde young man seem unaffected by Stirling's grave stare.

 

âMe and the Brohemian saw you eating those eggs, we wanted to help you, Man, but it was to late. Sorry Dude.â

 

Stirlingâs only response was to blink in confusion.Â

 

âIâve never met anyone whoâs eaten those and survived to tell the story. Whatâs it like?â the blonde continued.

 

Stirling considered a moment. Others had heard the loud one-sided conversation, and were now looking to Strider for an answer.

 

âLike eating a mad scientistâs chemistry set.â With this, he unceremoniously heaved. The people around the room responded accordingly. 

âOooh, pretty colors.â

âLook away, honey.â

âHenrietta, could you please bring a towel? Or five?â One of the guards said to the nurse, placing a nearby bucket in front of Strider.

âEw.â

âSorry,â muttered Stirling, accepting the bucket. He moved to get off of the cot, but instead of going to the floor to clean up, he immediately dashed off to the facilities. Again. Followed by one guard, yelling at him at first, but when realizing Stirlingâs intent, he quieted down and followed the poor ill man.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

When Stirling returned with the one Guard, (The one that had left originally had now joined the other guard in cleaning up Stirlingâs mess.) there was a few more people waiting for him.Â

There were a small number of soldiers hovering around a core group of 3 people. Two of them wore robes that reminded Stirling of politicians, so instantly, they faded into the background of Stirlingâs assessment. Â The other one of these garnered Stirlingâs immediate attention.

 

He had black hair which consisted of a full beard, and regular length haircut. He wore a simple white tunic, with blue shoulders and an insignia on the front of it, depicting a knotted sinister-looking staff, crossed with a bright steel sword, burning with vibrant flames, underlaid with three stripes. A red stripe on the bottom and top, and an orange stripe in the middle. Strapped to his side, the black-haired man also had a sword, with a diamond pommel. The handle was fairly simple, steel underneath, with grey cloth wrapped around it.Â

 

Stirling figured he couldnât take them all on. Not with these infernal symptoms. So he listened as the mainÂ figure spoke.

 

âI trust you feel better now?â

 

âWell enough.âÂ

 

âSplendid. I have some questions for you...â

 

Stirling shrugged, glancing at all of the armed people around him. It wasnât like he had much of a choice right now.

 

â...Which we will ask somewhere else.â A guard stepped forward with a cloth in his hands.

 

Upon seeing the cloth, Stirling assumed they were going to drug him unconscious, which, impaired or not, he wasnât going to take lying down. He dove forward, snatching the cloth from the Guard before spinning around and slamming it into the lead manâs face. Following through, he was able to get him into a headlock before any of the guards could recover from their surprise.

 

Blinded, the lead man drew his sword and deftly flipped it around to stab Stirling. However, seeing the move, Stirling dodged the attack, only to be met with multiple swords and spears pointed at him and his captive.Â One of them belonged to the Archer from the forest. Only now, he had apparently come around the corner while these previous events were happening.

 

âNobody move, and no one gets hurt,â Stirling commanded, taking control. âThis I swear, on my honor as a knight.â

 

âKnight?â His new captive queried. âWhat sort of knight?â

 

Stirling glanced down at him in surprise. Surely he would have succumbed to whatever theyâd intended to put him to sleep with. âOne with honor, who doesnât attack travellers for a living, or without reason.â There was a groan directed from the man. ''âMust be the poison,â'' Stirling thought.

 

âAnd this is relevant, ''how''?â Â The man said.

 

Stirling lifted the cloth from his captive and checked his eyes. Totally clear. And annoyed. He squinted at the cloth. It appeared completely normal.

 

Slightly embarrassed, he wondered if theyâd only meant to blindfold him.

 

Slightly confused, his grip on the man loosened marginally. âIâm sorry, wh-â

 

His captive took advantage of this to drop his sword, reach up for Stirlingâs arms, yank, and ''flip'' him in front of him.Â

 

Landing flat on his back, Stirling landed with a solid thump, accentuated by gas. Various pointy tips were set at his throat.

 

âI can answer questions like this,â Stirling said. âJust donât move me.â He pointed at the now discarded cloth. âI thought that was a means of knocking me out, I apologize.â

 

He heard the lead manâs voice.

 

âMaybe if you donât try to harm anyone else here, you may be forgiven. Where do you hail from?â

 

âMorcia.â

 

âInteresting. Who are you aligned with? Vladek, Thedude, or some rebellion?â

 

âBefore I answer that, could you answer that same question for me, since you already have me dead to rights?â

 

âAnd then you gain our trust and run away, telling our enemy gathered intel?â

 

âIt is so romantic that you think I want or need your trust. Iâm simply travelling through.â

 

âThrough Ankoria. Sure.â

 

Stirling shrugged as best he could from his position on the ground. However, it was ruined by an escaped toot.

 

âYouâre specifically trying to be aloft- I mean, aloof. If you wonât answer that, then answer it later. For now, tell us where you got this.â The man said, raising a sword.

 

It was his samurai katana. That meant theyâd gone through his stuff. Typical vagabonds.

 

âIf youâre wanting more like it, Iâll tell you thatâs not possible.âÂ

 

The man raised his left eyebrow and looked at the katana.Â

âWhat, this? why would I want a Nexus Force Sentinel rank three Samurai issue Katana?â He said as he turned back to a neutral faced Stirling.

 

Stirling took a moment to study the people around him. None of them looked like Nexus Force. They were all battle ready, more or less. They had a variety of ethnicity, and most of them were very grim faced. Their gear was largely of a medieval make, though there was the occasional Paradox Rogue item. How did they know what Sentinel gear looked like?

 

Stirling decided that, no matter what their morals were, they were clearly not allied with thedude. This made it very unlikely, but not impossible, that they were not allied with Vladek either.

 

âI am against thedude.â he announced abruptly.Â

 

The leader nodded, though somewhat surprised at his sudden answering of the previous question. âAre you allied with Vladek, then?â

 

Stirling shook his head. âBefore I answer that, I would like to know your alignment.â The man seemed somewhat disappointed, but did reply,

 

âWe would be foolish to answer that, but if you wonât answer that now, then we will ask you this: Where did you get this sword?â The leader said as he gestured to the katana again.Â

 

âIt should be clear enough, if youâve rifled through my belongings,â Stirling growled, becoming irritated with his position. âI was with the Nexus Force, in a past life.â

 

âSo you come from offworld?â

 

âI hail from Morcia.â

 

âHow did you get to the Nexus Force, and how did you get back here?â

 

Stirling rolled his eyes. âYou want my lifeâs story?â

 

âActually, that would be preferable. In detail.â

 

Stirling shook his head, brushing the blades away with his gloved hands as he made to get up. âNope, thatâs it. Iâm not accepting your âhospitalityâ anymore.âÂ

 

The one who had been questioning him shook his head in frustration.

 

âHank, procedure two.â

 

Hank, who was a nearby guard, said,âYes sir!â Stabbing Stirlings left shoulder, and hitting an artery.Â

 

âGAH! CRUX!â Stirling glanced down and noticed the man, âHankâ had thrust so hard as to go through his mail. And by the excruciating pain, he might have nicked a bone.

 

The leader spoke up.

 

âHenrietta, how much time does he have left?â he asked, addressing a nurse.

 

âApproximately five minutes before he bleeds out, Sir.â

 

âWell, there you have it. We can treat you if you answer one of the questions, stranger.â

 

Through gritted teeth, he looked up at his antagonist. âItâll take more than that, moron.âÂ Seeing his own blood, Stirlingâs fervor was stoked, and he slowly stood up, a hand over his wound. Many people around him grumbled and muttered darkly.

 

The man, who had picked up his sword by now, looked Stirling in the eye.

 

âI said answer one question. I suggest you do so.â

 

Stirling spat at his feet. âYou are without honor.â

 

âAnd you called ME a moron.â The man muttered, before looking back up, taking a step forward, and continued to talk. âI, am Matheeas Lancaster, and I just might be the most honorable knight here. I have killed countless, for the sole purpose to save countless. All you have done here is condemn yourself to death.â

 

Already, Stirling felt the cold touch of death as his lifeblood spilled over his chainmail. But he gave Matheeas a smile. âI would be lying if I said it was a pleasure to meet you, Lancaster. But I appreciate knowing who it was that killed me. Know that it is Stirling Silverstine whom you have slain, and that you will answer to Sir Thaddeus Thingguy the Second,Â if he ever finds out thy hand in this.â

 

With this, Stirling collapsed amid rippling murmurs.

 

Matheeas closed his eyes, and facepalmed. âWhat an IDIOT. Henrietta, please try and save him. Hank, go get the Doctor.â

 

''âHardcoreâ¦â''

âKevin, shut up.â

=== Chapter 7: Poisoned, Assaulted, Maimed, Treated, Stabbed, Treated Again, andÂ Prison Time. ===

Kalaren was surprised at these turn of events. He thought back to his own first time with Matheeas. It had gone much better. Hopefully, this would end up much the same. Right now, he was assisting Henrietta in slowing the manâs, Stirlingâs, blood loss, which mostly was just handing clean towels over, and wringing out used ones of all of the blood with hot water.

Thankfully, the doctor came over very quickly. He was followed by Jellyfish, Methuselah, and Hank.Â Kalaren remembered that the Doctorâs name was Steph A. Skope, but as is the fate of many doctors, he was simply called âDocâ. He was a middle-aged man, who was balding before his time. His kind brown eyes were always framed by his spectacles, and accentuated his full brown beard. He wore a white overcoat similar to Jellyfishâs, and his grey carpetbag of doctorâs tools was never far from hand. Rushing in, he plopped right down, and took control.

âHave you staunched the bleeding?â

âVery nearly, Doctor,â Henrietta replied. âBut it hit an artery."

âThat is unfortunate!Â Kalaren, I want you to hold his arm up and apply pressure. Iâm going to sew this up, and then weâll bandage it.

âSounds good.â Kalaren said.

It was a few minutes longer, and then the doctorâs deft hands had finished with his patient. Tying off the bandage, he said,

âI donât think heâll be up and about for a few weeks, and he ''certainly'' wonât be fighting or doing anything physical with that arm for at least a month. I would suggest two, but I know that probably wonât happen,â he finished.

Turning around, he noted Jellyfishâs intense stare. âWhat do you think, Jellyfish?â

âYes, it makes sense. Itâs vaguely familiar. Perhaps it was part of something I learned in the Academy. Couldnât you used a tourniquet?â

âI could have, but it wouldnât have been a permanent fix,â Doc explained as the two labcoated men walked off.

Kalaren looked up at a tense Matheeas, who looked down at him and said,Â

âDo you want to guard him? Weâre going to move him into the brig and have personal doctor visits because clearly, he canât be among polite company, even if he IS a knight.âÂ

Kalaren shrugged. âTheyâll let anyone be a knight these days.â

âThat applies to a lot of people, but I donât think the KOTOS would accept someone who acts so arrogant.â

âThe KOTOS?â

âKnights Of The Olde Speech. They fought in the grammar war, and Sir Thingguy was one of them. Supposedly, theyâre quite noble. I thought they were all captured or dead, though there are rumors they still roam about.â

âOh.â Kalaren looked at Stirling. He ''could'' be a knight.

âWe better move him now.Â Rick, Kalaren, think you could get a stretcher, and move him to the brig?â

âOi reckon.â Rick drawled.

âDonât see why not!â Kalaren said.

While Rick and Kal got the stretcher, Matheeas dispersed the crowd, apologising for the chaos. Once the other two got back and loaded the prisoner onto the stretcher, Matheeas excused himself to handle other matters. Methuselah wandered away toward his bunker where he would probably experiment more.

The trip to the brig (Which was the same prison room Kalaren had been in all those years ago except expanded, and patched up.) was uneventful, other than a couple confused or curious glances from nearby bystanders.

Once they did get there, they set him on a cot next to the wall and grabbed some long chains attached to the wall.

However, with the sound of chains, something within the knight awoke, and he groaned. The two guards started to panic.

âOh no, heâs awake!â Kalaren muttered.

âQuoick, chain up hois oither oither hand!â Rick replied.

âYou mean his other hand?â

âYeh, that one!â

âNo, this one,â the prisoner said, swinging up from his cot with his right hand in question balled into a fist. However, the guard, which happened to be Kalaren, caught his fist and smiled at the prisoner.

âHey fella! Thanks for the tip!â

Stirling paled and fell back onto his cot.Â While Rick finished chaining him up, Kalaren continued to talk and made sure Stirling didnât try anything.

âSo, how are you feeling?â

Stirling glared at the two of them. âIâve had worse.â

âThatâs good. Up for a few more questions?â

Stirling raised an eyebrow. âDepends, can you answer a few for me?â

Kalaren considered this.

âWe probably can. After you answer ours.â

Stirling nodded his consent.Â âSee, thatâs very sensible. The knucklehead I was talking with before didnât seem to understand that.â

âThat âknuckleheadâ is my boss. Besides, you asked him to answer yours first.âÂ

Stirling made a barely visible shrug as he leaned back against the wall. âFire away, Archer.â This surprised Kalaren.

âOh, I donât have authorization to question you. Youâll have to take that up with Matheeas.â

Stirlingâs features quickly hardened.Â

âIâm sure itâll be fine. If you are reasonable with him, heâll be reasonable with you!â Kalaren reassured, then added, âOh, and my nameâs Kalaren. or Kal.â Kalaren was hit with the sudden realization that he sounded a lot like Egbert, the one who had guarded him when he was in prison all those years ago. A sudden wave of sorrow passed over him as he remembered Egbert had fallen in war, seven years ago.

âPleased to meet you, Kalaren. Iâm not sure you heard me when I was talking to Matheeas. My nameâs Stirling Silverstine.â

âNice to meet you, too.â

Stirling appeared to study him closely. âAre you from the Nexus Force?â

Kalaren started to speak, but then frowned.

âI donât think I can disclose that.â

âWhat is this, some sort of cult? Canât you talk about your own personal stuff?â Stirling groused. Before Kalaren could answer, he continued.Â

âI was in the Nexus Force, before I came here almost six years ago now.â

âOh?â Kalaren might not be able to question him, but gathering information couldnât hurt.

âYeah. Before the Faction wars. I was a Sentinel. You know what the Factions are, right?â

Kalaren thought for a second.

âI might.â

Stirling continued. âWell, the Sentinels are guardians. Protectors. I was a Samurai, and, well, I guess you know that if you identified my stuff.â Suddenly, Stirling leaned in. âYouâre keeping track of all that, right? I donât want any of it missing when I get it back.â His expression ranged from curious to severe.

âHonestly, I dunno. I wasnât the one who went through it.â

Rick butted in.

âOiâm going to tell Matâeas, the prisânerâs awake.â He said as he headed for the door.

âYou do that,â muttered Stirling. Turning to Kalaren, he continued.

âYeah, the Nexus Force wasnât all bad, but eventually I decided to come back home. Militiregnum is home.â

âI see. Did you know about everything that was happening here?â

âYou mean thedude taking over? No. I crash landed here and found out pretty quick though.â

âCrash landed? How did you get past the blockade?â

Stirling froze for a moment, clearly holding back. âIâm a very good pilot,â he said.

âReally? What did you fly?â

âAn old Nexus Force Shuttle a fr- I acquired.â

âHuh. So, you were a samurai pilot?â

âThe Nexus Force Academy program is extensive.â

âAnd generous! I mean, you had one of their shuttles, and unless you stole it-â

âYes, I stole it.â

âWait, what?â

âLetâs go with that. I stole it.â

âIsnât Nexus Force high security?â

âI had friends. But not anymore.â Stirlingâs gaze dropped.

âOh. Iâm sorry for your loss.â Kalaren assumed. Matheeas, along with Rick, walked in then.

âOh, hereâs theâ¦â Stirling checked himself. âAhem. Mr. Lancaster.â Matheeas looked at Stirling in surprise, then at Kalaren, then back at Stirling.

âEr, greetings. So...â

âKalaren tells me that if I answer your questions, you could answer mine. Thatâs something you should have led with, good sir.â Resettling himself against the wall, he listened to the reply.

âHe did? That seems reasonable enough. We should be able to answer a few. Shall we get started?â

Glancing at Kalaren, Stirling replied, âFire away, Lancaster.â

Matheeas winced at being called âLancasterâ, but due to Stirling's volatile mood, decided not to mention it.

âWhat Faction did you serve in?â he asked.

Again glancing at Kalaren, he answered âSentinel. You know which one that is?â

âYes. Moving on, how did you get into Ankoria?â

âWould you believe I crash-landed in a spaceship near the coast?â Suddenly, he shook his head. âNo, you wouldnât. Youâd go looking for the ship. Sadly, thereâs nothing left of my sea-faring vessel. I crashed into the rocky shore somewhere on the northern peninsula.â He thought for a moment. âI suppose you could check my effects and find my compass. It is somewhat corsair in designâ¦â

âI do recall someone saying something about a similar compass. What were you doing traveling in Ankoria, or what were you heading for?â

Stirling sighed. âWell, since I thought I was dead, I told you that I am affiliated with the Knights of the Olde Speech. I suppose it canât hurt to tell you now that I was heading north, towards Nordland. I wanted to speak to their warriors, find out whatâs allowed them to repel thedude for so long. But now, being stranded here, I was walking east to take the longer land route north.â Suddenly, he remembered something. âIs Vladekâs fort occupied?â

Matheeas had been deep in thought, so he looked up at Stirling in surprise at the sudden change of subject.

âIâll tell you in a second. How did you get to Militiregnum?â

Stirling rolled his eyes. âThat is a very long question. Suffice to say that Morcia is my home, and I came here from the Nexus Force 6 years ago. I was shot down by the blockade when I refused to stay away, and Iâve been on the planet ever since.âÂ

âInteresting. I assume your spacecraft was a Nexus Force model?â

âA much older version, yes. But itâs been long gone by now. Somewhere in eastern Morcia.â

âI see. I have one more question. Is the KOTOS still around? I thought they were either all dead or captured.

Stirling appeared to consider his answer very carefully. âIt depends on what you consider âstill aroundâ. The KOTOS are not what they used to be. Many are dead, some are captured; most are still in hiding. But there are some like myself, friends and affiliates, who would say that the KOTOS will never truly die.â

âThatâs good to know! Well, now itâs your turn to ask any questions.â

Stirling nodded, still preoccupied with Matheeasâs final question and response. However, he appeared to shake it off soon enough.Â

âFirst, Vladekâs fort. Does he still use it? I was planning to pass by it, butâ¦â

âItâs probably a good thing you didnât. Vladek himself isnât there too often, but it is in use. He almost always has some sort of garrison there.â

âWell then for that I am glad. I would most surely be dead if you had not detained me,â Stirling admitted. âThat brings me to my second question: Where is here? I understand if you cannot be specific, but I thought Ankoria was barren of civilization.âÂ

âWe are in the City of Aragarth, it was ruined when the founders of our group came here and it has worked splendidly as a base.â

Stirling nodded, before quickly continuing to another question.

âThirdly, WHO ARE YOU GUYS?!â

Apparently, this third question had been weighing heavily on his mind, and surprised everyone in the room. Matheeas answered promptly, and with a bit of vigor and pride, as he realized that this man was the one they needed to meet, and vise versa. This man could connect them to many allies!

âI, and everyone else in this city, (excluding you of course,) are the Ankorian Rebellion! We have been attacked by Vladekâs forces many times and yet we have survived! Our city is quite large so we were able to set ambushes and traps along the roads and paths. We would probably be able to harbor whatever allies you might have.â

âSo, weâre relatively close to Vladekâs fortress?â

Matheeas hesitated to confirm this, but as Stirling had already assumed this, and Matheeas dearly wished to be able to relatively trust him, he did so.

â...Yes.â

Stirling paused, mulling this all over.Â âWell, at least youâre not all brigands.â Looking up, he asked, âI assume my possessions will be returned to me in due time?â

âYes, of course! I donât see why not. If we kept them you would not be armed correctly for your journey, and then you may never reach allies to tell them of our existence.â

Stirling raised an eyebrow. âYou want me to tell others of your little rebellion?â

âOnly trusted allies. It would be beneficial to both of us.â

Mild confusion turned to thoughtfulness, which melted into a guarded smile. âVery well, Mr. Lancaster. I think we may have reached a mutual understanding at last.â

âI agree.âÂ

âAll it took was my getting assaulted, maimed, treated, stabbed, treated again, and thrown in this quaint prison cell!â he summarized sarcastically.

âAnd donât forget the gigfran eggs!â Kalaren pointed out.Â

It appeared that talking about other things had kept Stirlingâs mind off of this subject, and bringing it up brought several unsavory symptoms back.

âRight,â Stirling added, suddenly turning a sickly shade of green. âAdd âpoisonedâ to the list.â Then his eyes glazed over and he fainted.

=== Chapter 8: Visitors for the Strider, Part One ===

Stirling had feverish dreams. Another side effect of the accursed bird eggs. He dreamt of being chased by unseen horrors of nature, fighting faceless shadows demanding his deepest kept secrets. When he refused, he suddenly would find little black birds in his mouth which would start chirping away everything. Stirling closed his mouth, and tried to swallow, but instead the birds multiplied and spilled out of his mouth, only to turn on him and peck at hisÂ eyes and face. It only took moments before he seemed to be covered in the never-ending swarm of hatchlingsâ¦!

''' 
'''

Then he awoke, covered in his own puke, which he appeared to have rolled around in, and his eyes burned. Blinking a few times, he realized his visual acuity has decreased. He could still see, but finer details were lost to him.Â

"Great. Just great."

''' 
'''

Looking around, he got up off of the ground and realized he was no longer in the prison cell. Instead he was in a room more appropriate to a guest. It was a basic apartment size, decently furnished. It even had a small washroom adjacent to it. Looking up, Stirling saw the roof having been patched with wood and skins.Â Stirling was surprised by the sheer space of the room compared to his cell. A guard right outside his door was able to explain to him that he was under a form of house arrest, under the authority of the Doctor, not Matheeas. Stirling thought that mighty convenient, but accepted this state of affairs nonetheless.Â

''' 
'''

Over the next few days âDocâ visited and assured him that though he didnât know how long it would take, his vision would clear, along with the rest of his symptoms. Much to Striderâs relief, the gastrointestinal issues did appear to be fading.Â

''' 
'''

As impaired as he was, Stirling nevertheless made use of the time cleaning his armor and talking with visitors, of which there were quite a few.

''' 
'''

Various townsfolk were interested in someone new, as this was a rare occurrence. Stirling was somewhat surprised, but ultimately pleased when they came by. Apparently Matheeas trusted him enough to let his people talk freely with him. Stirling considered how to use this to his advantage, but also was careful not to lose said advantage, doing his best to be a good... 'captive host'?

''' 
'''

There were also less common folk who came by. The occasional person with some fancy title or specific occupation inside the leadership would come by and ask him questions about things abroad. Stirling would answer them as generally as he could. As kind as this resistance seemed to be, his aching left arm warned him constantly that they could be ruthless.

''' 
'''

And then came one other visitor who stood out from all the restâ¦Â

''' 
'''

Early the third day of this routine, the guard outside of his room let this visitor in to his room. Stirling could easily see that he was quite curious, and quite excited. As soon as the door closed, the brown-robed man gave a short bow, and greeted Stirling, who had just gotten dressed for the day in some casual medieval attire. His regular armor and clothing lay on a nearby table, still not yet fully cleaned from his travels.

''' 
'''

âWelcome to Aragarth, Sir Silverstine!â the visitor said.

''' 
'''

âHow do you do, sir.â Stirling replied, unable to make out his features beyond thin, white hair, and no beard. âIâm sorry, I donât recognize you. Should I?â

''' 
'''

The man in front of him, opened his mouth to say something, then decided against it and thought for a second.

''' 
'''

âNo, no you shouldnât. I am Doctor Jellyfish! The head engineer of the Ankorian Rebellion!â

''' 
'''

âJellyfish?â

''' 
'''

âYes! Ever tried it fried?â

''' 
'''

Stirling squinted, wishing he could read this manâs face better.Â âNooâ¦ Canât say I have. Are you pulling my leg?â

''' 
'''

âNo. That would be a strange thing to do!â

''' 
'''

There was a long pause as both men tried to figure out the otherâs reasoning for totally different â¦ reasons.

''' 
'''

âSo, what brings you to see the half-blind soldier from abroad?â Stirling asked, shuffling over to the wood stove.

âOh yes! I almost forgot! Well, to get to that I would have to start at the very beginning."Â Â Â

''' 
'''

Stirling glanced back, kettle in hand. âI was about to brew some coffee. Or what you folks call coffee. You want some?â

''' 
'''

âWould you kill me if I said no?â

''' 
'''

âUm, no?â

''' 
'''

âGood. I know a friend who said no once.â

''' 
'''

âLemme guess. The friend died?â

''' 
'''

âHm? Well, of course! Who doesnât!â

''' 
'''

Stirling paused. What was the point of this conversation again?

''' 
'''

âAnyways, would you like the long story, or the short story?â

''' 
'''

âIâm going to brew myself some coffee, so give me the long story, and weâll see how that goes,â Stirling said.

''' 
'''

âLong story, ok. Would you like the deluxe version?â

''' 
'''

Having got the kettle warming on the wood stove, Stirling turned to his visitor.Â

''' 
'''

âWhat on Crux is the deluxe v- no, you know what. Iâll take the extra-super. With cheese. Just start telling the story!â

''' 
'''

âWell, I donât have cheese, and I donât know what the 'extra-super' is. So Iâm afraid I canât.â

''' 
'''

Stirling facepalmed. âJustâ¦âÂ

''' 
'''

âJust...Ice? Justice? You seek justice? Do you have an attorney? I know a good attorney.â

''' 
'''

Stirling shrugged helplessly. âAre you ok? ''Do you need a Doctor?'' How about a good psychiatrist?â

''' 
'''

âI am a Doctor! And I have a psychiatrist. His name is also Doctor Jellyfish! Though he actually IS a jellyfish.â

''' 
'''

âLemme guess, you havenât seen him in some time.â

''' 
'''

âNumber one, why do you ask me to 'let you guess'? You go right ahead anyway. Number two, he visits me in my dreams.â

''' 
'''

Stirling nodded. ''âYup. Certified crazy, if I ever saw it.â'' he thought. Switching gears, Stirling said, âSo, Dr. Jellyfish. Did you have something to tell me today?â

''' 
'''

âOh yeah! Would you like the malnourished long version, ''deluxe'' long version or the '''super-deluxe''' ''with '''cheese'''''!â Jellyfish said, pulling out a slimy slice of cheese from one of his lab coat pockets. It had something green sliding down the side of it.

''' 
'''

It took Stirling a few seconds to mentally bite back all of his sarcastic comebacks and exclamations, but he eventually replied, âWhatever you like.â

''' 
'''

âWell, I donât like being malnourished. And I donât like cheese. But you like cheese! So we will do the last one!â Jellyfish said, before tossing the slice of cheese at Stirling, accidentally hitting his face, and adding, âHere you go. Oops.â

''' 
'''

âThanks,â Stirling replied dryly, as the slice peeled off, leaving a slimy film.''' 
'''

âOnce upon a time, Four Adventurers journeyed to find the fabled-â

âSkip to the end!âÂ

âEveryone dies,â Jellyfish summarized solemnly.

''' 
'''

âNOT THAT FAR END.â

''' 
'''

âSo, you want me to skip to the middle?â

''' 
'''

Stirling took a deep breath. He could feel his blood pressure rising, geez.

''' 
'''

âIâve been in the Nexus Force, I know the beginning. Skip the tutorial.âÂ

''' 
'''

âPress the spacebar to jump! You can '''do it!'''âÂ

''' 
'''

'''Stirling turned to the 4th wall. It was shattered.'''Â

''' 
'''

âHey, reader. Can you help me find the end to this madness?â

''' 
'''

âDouble tap the spacebarâ¦ To order a double patty with fried french Bacon!â

''' 
'''

âPlease?â

''' 
'''

âYou now have a coronary! Congratulations!â

''' 
'''

âIf I didnât know better, Iâd say he was a robot with a malfunction!â

''' 
'''

âEat twenty-nine a day! part of your daily heart health!â

''' 
'''

âIf you decide to save me, please turn to page fifty-seven. If you decide to leave me to my misery, turn the page.â

''' 
'''

(Next Page)

''' 
'''

[It turns out, Dr. Jellyfish was a'''ctually''' a jellyfish piloting an advanced mecha. There was an issue with the processing center, which was powered by a nuclear micro-reactor. The micro-reactor '''''exploded''''', and all of Aragarth was obliterated. The resulting fallout killed everyone and everything in northwestern Ankoria, which included Vladekâs fort. Vladek visits 3 days later, along with thedude. They both get radiation poisoning, and die.Â

'''Congrats! You killed thousands of people and saved Militeregnum! A much lower death toll than an all out war!''']

=== Blank Page. ===

=== Chapter 8: Visitors for the Strider, Part two!! ===
(Page 57)

''' 
'''

âSo, what brings you to see the half-blind soldier from abroad?â Stirling asked, shuffling over to the wood stove.

''' 
'''

âOh yes, I almost forgot! Well, to get to that, I would have to start explaining from the very beginning.â

''' 
'''

Starting a fire in the wood stove, Stirling said over his shoulder. âGo right ahead. I was about to make myself some coffee, or what you guys here call coffee. Want some?â

''' 
'''

âNo thanks. Please do not be offended, good sir.â

''' 
'''

Filling the kettle with water, Stirling shook his head. âNot at all.â

''' 
'''

âThank you. Would you like the short story or long story?â

''' 
'''

Having gotten the water boiling, Stirling ambled over to a chair. âIâve got all day. Long story.â

''' 
'''

âOh. Well, the rodents should be fine for awhile. Well, would you like the deluxe version?â

''' 
'''

Sitting down, Stirling glanced up at the doctor, who still stood by the door. âSure. Why not.â he motioned to another chair. âSit down, take a load off.â

''' 
'''

âIâm not carrying anything. Well, except maybe this.â Jellyfish said, pulling out a slice of slimy cheese, and draped it over the back of the chair, and sat down.

''' 
'''

Stirling stared at the slice, wondering why this doctor had cheese in his pockets. Maybe it had something to do with his mention of rodentsâ¦?Â However, he didnât stay distracted by it for long, as Jellyfish kicked his feet up and began his story.

''' 
'''

âOne bright and cheery day, on some distant planet neither I or the Author knows the name of, (as of yet,) I was born in a run-down hospital. I was named something.â

''' 
'''

Stirling was about to interrupt, saying he didnât ask for his lifeâs story, only what brought him here today, but the gaping holes that the doctor simply glazed over left Stirling confused enough to simply stay silent and see what else the strange fellow would say.

''' 
'''

âAs a child, I was quite intrigued about science, and cybernetics. Jellyfishâs. I learned about the Nexus Force, and would have enlisted as a scientist, but I had to be proved I was sane. Eventually, I was forced to take sanity medication, and was allowed in. Most of my work was helping some paradox scientists with devising cybernetics for different biological beings, such as horses, large dogs, and even wounded minifigures. When the-â

''' 
'''

A connection fired off in Stirlingâs mind. âHave you helped Kalaren?â

''' 
'''

The scientist was surprised by this interruption, but replied.

''' 
'''

âWhy, yes! I gave him that arm from Vladekâs lab.â

''' 
'''

A thousand mental alarm bells went off. âYou were working for Vladek?!â

''' 
'''

âOnce. Listen to the story and it will make sense.â

''' 
'''

Stirling settled down. âFair enough.â He glanced around for his sword. It was out of his immediate reach, by his armor, behind the doctor. He began thinking of ways to get over there casually as his visitor continued his story.

''' 
'''

âAt the end of the faction wars, I was mistaken as a Paradox scientist allied with thedude. I was sent on the ''âU.S.S. Botany Bayâ''Â which was doomed to crash-land here, on Militeregnum, as you know. I laid low and away from thedude, but he did force me to do the occasional job or two. When he took over, I took up a job as a doctor at the village outside of Thunderclap Kee-'''JELLYFISH!!'''âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling blinked twice in surprise, but otherwise remain unruffled.

âAhem. Sorry. Ever since Iâve been cut off from the city, I haven't been able to get my sanity medication, which has jellyfish as the main ingredient.â

''' 
'''

âThatâs ok. Go on?â

''' 
'''

âThank you. What were we talking about again?â

''' 
'''

âYou lived in a village outside Thunderclap Keep as a doctor.â

''' 
'''

âI DID? Oh. Yes. I did. Thank you again. Anyways, I did the odd job here and there, which largely consisted of giving advanced medical treatment to villagers. I was rivals with Dr. Crabapple. He had a quite dour personality. But he made very tasty cookies!â

''' 
'''

Stirling could see this was derailing. He decided to try and tactfully steer it back.

''' 
'''

âHow did you end up working for Vladek?â

''' 
'''

âHe came to my shop one day and asked if I could work for him for a couple months in one of his labs. I didnât have any long-term jobs at the moment, and I knew Dr. Cashewapple could handle the villagers illnessâ while I was gone. Besides, everyone would love getting cookies more often.â Once Jellyfish mentioned the cookies he had a faraway look in his eyes.

''' 
'''

âThey were heavenly.âÂ

''' 
'''

Ignoring the heavenly cookies mentioned, Stirling asked, âWait, so you met Kalaren in Vladekâs lab? Was he working for him as well???â

''' 
'''

âIâll get to that. I walked out of my shop and was led to Vladekâs carriage. We rode in that for a very long time. We picked up two others. One was very friendly, if nervous. The other one seemed very sinister, and sat next to Vladek. They talked in low tones together. When we arrived at the fort, Vladek himself showed us our accommodations, and then showed us the downstairs lab, In which Kalaren was sleeping strapped to a table. Vladek gave us instructions to take DNA samples daily. We were also permitted to do small, meaningless experiments to him, such as poking him with a stick. We were also allowed to give him silencer.â After a second, Jellyfish added, âIt does exactly what it sounds like.â Jellyfish sighed, and took the piece of cheese that was on the chair and started nibbling on it. Like a rat.

''' 
'''

âSo...He was a prisoner.â

''' 
'''

âNo. He was a doctor. And a part time baker. Why?â

''' 
'''

âIâm talking about Kalaren. Are you?â Before the Dr. could reply, he waved his hands erratically. âForget that, nevermind. How did you and Kalaren escape and end up here with the resistance?âÂ

''' 
'''

âWell, one time, the other two scientists cut off his arm because the DNA samples were taking too long. I wasnât there, though. When Vladek found out, he was not pleased. but the other scientists pitched the idea of cloning Kalaren directly, he calmed down. So they popped him in the cloning machine, and afterwards, he woke up and I was the only one in the room. I gave him a cybernetic arm and we stormed through the fort, out the window into the moat with sharks, then away across the plain and into the forest. We met up with the Ankorian Resistance and they knocked us out. Like you, except quicker. It was more of a âspur of the moment kind of thing.â

''' 
'''

âDo you regret it?â Stirling asked.

''' 
'''

âYes. I will never have such delicious cookies.â

''' 
'''

''âAgain with the cookies!â'' Stirling thought. Just then, the kettle whistled, and Stirling got up as fast as he could. âYou still havenât told me why youâre here today, though.âÂ

''' 
'''

âOh! Yes. Well, you wouldnât be getting the '''Super''' ''Deluxe'' Long Version if I skipped over the hiatus in between my getting beat down and coming here and eating cheese while talking to you, Sir Knight.â

''' 
'''

âGood point.â

''' 
'''

âAlright! So, I woke up, and Kalaren filled me in. Basically, Kalaren was forced to tell Matheeas all about our escapades. Matheeas reasoned that Vladek would send out a search party, which could very well outgun us. Kalaren and I volunteered, and fought in the battle. It was difficult, and we had losses, but we were victorious! Then, and in subsequent battles! The latter being much easier, since we were able to prepare better. Anyways, I was elected as the head tech expert, and Dr. Skopeâs head assistant over the past few years!â Jellyfish smiled with pride, and took an especially large bite of cheese, which made him frown in distaste.

''' 
'''

Stirling had already poured the hot water and instant coffee-like mixture together. However, he hadnât sat back down, instead opting to meander around the room to his sword. Now he leaned against the very table that the sword did, and took a sip of the bitter liquid.Â

''' 
'''

âOk. Does that bring me up to speed?â Stirling asked over the rim of his clay mug. âNow will you tell me what your question was?â

''' 
'''

âI didnât know you were particularly slow. Why would this information make you faster?âÂ

''' 
'''

This coffee wasnât helping. Stirlingâs blood pressure was rising. âWhy. Are you here.â he enunciated.Â

''' 
'''

âOh, no reason. Just to say hi to a fellow Nexus Forcer!â

''' 
'''

Stirling stared at the back of Dr. Jellyfishâs head. â''No reason? No reason?!''â His grip on the clay mug tightened. This was 15 minutes of his life that he would never get back, listening to a crazed lunatic who didnât even know his own name.

''' 
'''

Jellyfish turned his chair around and pondered for a second. Raising one finger, he said, âOh! I just remembered!â He leaned forward. âHow are things going in the Nexus Force? Did they place my infinite cookie machine derived from one of Brick Furyâs implants in the Venture League break-room?âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs mug shattered under his white-knuckle grip, and with it, whatever semblance of casual conversation with this so called âdoctorâ.

''' 
'''

âYou- It- '''''COOKIES!'''''â Stirling spluttered. He found that his mounting frustrations could not be voiced properly.

''' 
'''

âYes! If only they were Dr. Camelfishâs cookiesâ¦â

''' 
'''

'''âAUGH!â''' he cried throwing his hands up in the air, as well as coffee. This alerted the guard, who burst in with two swords un-sheathed.

''' 
'''

âWHO DIED?! DO WE NEED A DOCTOR? I MEAN, '''ANOTHER''' DOCTOR! DOES ANYONE NEED CPR!?!â The tense guard said.

''' 
'''

The intrusion of someone other than the torturous Dr. Jellyfish brought Stirling some semblance of sanity. He pointed at the relaxed, well groomed man in the chair.

''' 
'''

âTAKE HIM A- ahem. I meanâ¦â He looked down at himself, only now realizing heâd spilled Ankorian instant coffee all over himself. âI mean, Um. Nothing, guardsman. Weâre both alright. I just spilled some hot coffee.âÂ

''' 
'''

The now embarrassed guard slowly sheathed both swords and walked out of the room awkwardly.

''' 
'''

âOhâ¦ My.. Apologies.â

''' 
'''

Jellyfish looked at Stirling nonchalantly.

''' 
'''

âYou should have asked him for a towel.â

''' 
'''

Stirling shook his head. âI have one over here in the washroom,â he answered. He picked up his sword and walked over to the washroom, where he pulled a towel off a rack. Then he came back to his armchair next to Jellyfish and sat down.

''' 
'''

âSo, you were asking about the Nexus Force?â

''' 
'''

âYes! Specifically about the Venture League cookie machine matter.â

''' 
'''

Stirling shook his head. âIâm afraid I havenât been off the planet in a little over 6 years. And I wasnât part of Venture League, but you know that, since youâre probably who identified my gear.â

''' 
'''

âOh. Yeah. Well, what was the state of the NF before you left?â

''' 
'''

âWellâ¦âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling and Dr. Jellyfish talked more casually after that, mostly about the Nexus Force and other extraterrestrial matters. Dr. Jellyfish would occasionally go off on tangents, and Stirling didnât bother to try and steer the conversation anymore.Â

''' 
'''

Hours flew by, and both men found a way to enjoy the idle chatter. Eventually though, Dr. Jellyfish excused himself saying he âreally had to get back to the rodentsâ, whatever that meant. Much of the day had already passed, and surprisingly, no other guests called upon his hospitality that day.Â

Stirling was relieved to see the back of him.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 9: A Warrior's Rehabilitation ===

Time continued to pass. The next few days were dull and forgettable compared to Dr. Jellyfishâs visit. Eventually, Stirling grew Stir-crazy and expressed a desire to take a walk. His eyesight was returning well, and no new symptoms were coming up. He felt almost well.Â

''' 
'''

After his next checkup with Dr. Skope, he agreed a casual walk would be most beneficial. Matheeas wouldnât let him free in his city without at least one guard though, so the guardsman who usually attended Stirling and his room came along with him.

''' 
'''

âRemind me what your name is, guardsman?â

''' 
'''

âChris the negative 2nd, at your service!â He replied.

''' 
'''

âNegative 2nd?â

''' 
'''

âOne of my relatives was named Chris. The whole family liked the name so much, we all decided to rename ourselves Chris. I am the original Chrisâs uncle, and I am the same age as his father. All of the Chrisâs after the original Chris are named positive numbers, while all of the Chrisâs before him are named negative ones. Thus, my name. Get it?âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling blinked twice. âYes. But it still doesnât make sense.â

''' 
'''

They strolled through the streets, garnering the attention of many eyes, but most people left the soldier and guardsman alone, going about their business.

''' 
'''

That is, until they came upon a childrenâs game of âpretendâ.Â

''' 
'''

A boy and a girl appeared to be fighting some invisible enemy being puppeted by a younger girl, who appeared to be the âbad guyâ. At least, thatâs what Stirling assumed, based upon her adorable attempt at an evil cackle.

''' 
'''

âYou knights will never defeat my dragon-slave! Bwahahahaha!âÂ

''' 
'''

âGah!â âOh no!â said the two knights, before the boy peeked over his toy wooden shield. âThen itâs a good thing weâre not alone!â

''' 
'''

Right then, a short, round boy came from a nearby ally, dressed in a bath-robe. âBEHOLD! IT IS I, ROTUNDUS MAXIMUS! FEAR MY STICK OF SIZZLING!â he screamed, slamming his broom-handle into the ground. All four kids burst into laughter, with the âlady knightâ commenting, âYeah, that sounds about right.â

''' 
'''

Just then, the âevil wizard girlâ noticed Stirling and Chris coming around the bend. She turned quite red and whispered something to her friends. Chris gave them a smile and a wave.

''' 
'''

The boy knightâs eyes lit up and he ran towards Stirling and Chris, much to the embarrassment of the youngest girl. (The âEvil Wizardâ).

''' 
'''

âHey! Youâre the foreigner, right?â the boy yelled, pointing at Stirling. The youngest girl facepalmed. The others weren't sure if they should follow or stay.

''' 
'''

Stirling smiled, squinting as he tried to make out the finer details of the boy. âWell, Iâm certainly not a local!â he replied jovially.

''' 
'''

The kid finally came into Stirlingâs focus as he stumbled to a stop in front of him. âThe nameâs Jonny. Those other kids over there are Blake, Rita and little Rosa!â He pointed at the others in turn. Both Blake and Rita waved.Â Rosa tried to hide behind them.

''' 
'''

âItâs nice to meet you all,â Stirling said. It had surprised him to run into kids here. Of course, it made perfect sense, now that he thought about it, but Ankoria hardly felt like the best place to raise a family. It seemed almost irresponsible to himâ¦

''' 
'''

Jonâs eyes lit up. âHey! You were beat up right?â

''' 
'''

Stirling stopped his wandering mind and looked back down at the kid. Jonny. âWho told you that?â

''' 
'''

âIâve overheard it at least three times now! My father mentioned it to me once.â

''' 
'''

A wry grin settled on Stirlingâs face. âWell you hear this then. Yeah, I was beat up, but itâs not about never falling down, itâs about always getting back up.â he flung his good right arm wide, his left one still in a loose sling. âAnd look at me, Iâm back up again!â

Jonny thought for a second.

''' 
'''

âHuh. I guess you're right. Anyway, do you want to be our prisoner? Joshua was supposed to be playing the captive king, but he got in trouble and now heâs grounded. So far, weâve been fighting the evil Wizardress, Midnight Veil, for no reason whatsoever. Itâs kinda.. Unexciting.â

''' 
'''

Stirling glanced at his guard, who looked back at him with concern. Turning back to the kids, he smiled apologetically. âMaybe another time. I do appreciate your offer though.â

''' 
'''

Chris visibly contained a sigh of relief, even as Jonny became slightly deflated.

''' 
'''

âOh. Ok. Youâre welcome, Sir.â

''' 
'''

âCome on, Sir,â Chris said to Stirling. âI think we should continue our walk and let the kids play.â

''' 
'''

Stirling nodded in agreement. âIt was nice to meet you, Jonny.â

''' 
'''

âYou too!â Jonny ran back to the others. âHe WAS beat up! I told you so!â The other kids grumbled. Stirling managed to catch one of their statements, âYou arenât actually going to make me eat one of those gigfran eggs, right?â

''' 
'''

Stirling chuckled to himself as they continued their walk.

<nowiki>~~~~ </nowiki>

More time passed. Stirlingâs arm was nearly healed. It was out of itâs sling now, and despite Dr. Skopeâs best efforts and admonishments to take it easy, Stirling found ways to exercise it and get out of his apartment.Â Since he was known around the city as a great fighter, (despite strong evidence to the contrary,) he was asked to spar. Stirling didnât need to be asked twice.Â

''' 
'''

His ever-constant shadow, Chris, at first lent him his poor-quality one handed sword. It was heavy, but Stirling used it with the utmost skill. Nevertheless, he commented often to his beaten challengers that he could give a better lesson if he had his old Samurai katana.

''' 
'''

It didnât take long for word to get around, and. by popular demand, Chris showed up one day with Stirlingâs Katana instead of the heavy sword.

''' 
'''

From then on, Chris held the sword till they would go on a walk and get challenged by some foe or another, to which Stirling would accept the sword, win the sparring match, give pointers, and then hand the katana back.

At one of these points, Stirling and Chris were challenged by Stirlingâs original attacker, Kevin, while passing the town square. He was followed at a short distance by a cloaked Kalaren. Kevin strode up, and began to speak.

''' 
'''

âHey, dude, up for a re-match?â

''' 
'''

Stirling grinned. Clearly, this had been planned. A small crowd was hemming in the square. Quicker than normal.

''' 
'''

âWhy? You feel bad about losing before?â StirlingÂ trash-talked.

Kevin stopped grinning and walking. His face reddened. He glanced around at the crowd, slowing his gaze ever so slightly at a small group of tittering young girls. He turned back to Stirling and said, âThatâs not how I remember things.â

One of the people in the crowd spoke up. âYeah! you told us you mopped the floor with him! Cleaned up every grain of dirt from theâ¦ Dirt!â

''' 
'''

âYeah! The mountain-top dirt!â

''' 
'''

âWasnât it sun-down?âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling waved his hands. âClearly, thereâs a difference of opinion. How about we see the facts?â Here, Chris coolly handed Stirling his Katana, and produced a whistle and a black and white striped cap. He was suddenly turned into a referee.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling smirked at Chris. âOh, youâre so official now,â he teased.

''' 
'''

Chris raised an eyebrow. âYou would be surprised.â With this, he stood in the center of the square as both Kevin and Stirling came forward.

''' 
'''

âOk, I want a good clean duel! I hope you two bathed recently. No dismemberment or extreme bloodshed. Remember, this is a friendly practice fight. The duel will continue until either opponent is forced to yield. So uh, hope there isnât any blood feuds or anything, this isnât a matter of pride. Itâs a matter of the audienceâs entertainment.âÂ

''' 
'''

To this, Stirling raised a quiet eyebrow, but didnât interrupt.Â Â

''' 
'''

âAnd lastly, donât die, and donât have too much fun.â

''' 
'''

Stirling pointed his sword at Kevin. âYouâre telling him to not die, and me to not have too much fun, right, Chris?â

''' 
'''

âAs referee, I am impartial...â Chris leaned towards Stirling and whispered, âBut Iâm betting my kid on you.â

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs eyes widened. âSurely, you jest.â

''' 
'''

âNo, no! My goatâs kid! Thatâs what you call them. Kids.â

âOh. Right.â

Someone in the crowd called for the fight to start. Chris corrected them, saying this was more of an exhibition than a simple âfightâ and that started a conversation that derailed everything for about 3 minutes. Eventually, Chris just started the fight out of the blue, taking both swordsman by surprise.

''' 
'''

The first to recover was Kevin. He swung his sword wildly at Stirling, trying to take advantage of his surprised state.

''' 
'''

Stirling backpedaled from the center of the arena, giving Kevin plenty of room to flail. Stirling would have laughed along with the rest of the crowd, but he was too busy analyzing his opponent, now that he had the space to do so.Â

''' 
'''

Soon enough, Kevin stopped and stepped back, supposedly doing the same.

''' 
'''

Various folks wished they had a camera, as the two opponents stared each other down in their two very different stances. Kevinâs stance was tight and controlled. He had both hands on his longsword. It was an aggressive stance.

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs by comparison, seemed quite sloppy. He held his Katana loosely in his good right hand, standing sideways to his opponent. He swished it lightly in the air, towards Kevin.

''' 
'''

âCome on, âbroâ. Come at me.â he taunted. Kevin considered it, but then relaxed a little bit and grinned.

''' 
'''

âOh no, dude, by all means, you go first.â

âAha. Youâre no amateur.â

Stirling raised his sword to point, in a more precise stance reminiscent of the corsairs. He jerkily shuffled through the dirt closer and closer to Kevin, who swung his sword in a diagonal downward swipe, trying to pin Stirlingâs sword to the ground. However, his longsword was not fast enough for Striderâs lighter Nexus Force Katana though, which darted back to itâs ownerâs chest, before zipping back out to tag Kevinâs neck with the flat end of the blade. Chris blew his whistle, and a disappointed sigh went through the crowd.

âYou did well to be cautious, up until the point that you werenât. I wouldnât use such heavy swings against an opponent until you knew he or she would be too tired to dodge.â He paused, considering. âOr if they couldnât see it coming.â

With this, Kevin stood up, deflated. He nodded in half-hearted appreciation before going into the crowd.Â

Stirling felt just a bit bad about trash-talking Kevin so much now. After all, Stirlingâs Nexus Force made Katana was just a huge advantage...

''' 
'''

Chris stepped forward again and blew his whistle, âNext up, Kalaren Grimfire!â

âWait, thereâs more?â Stirlingâs attention was called back to the spot where Kevin had exited the arena. There, his next challenger, Kalaren, was striding in with a spear. Today, he was very much bereft of his customary hooded cloak. Instead, he was dressed in light chainmail with a white tunic over it that displayed The Ankorian Resistance insignia. He had leather gloves and boots, and had a visored iron helmet on. Stirling noticed that there was some sort of dagger in Kalarenâs right boot.

âI seeâ¦â Stirling said. Undaunted, Stirling returned to the center of the ring, bouncing on the balls of his toes to get his blood pumping. Things were getting serious. Chris went through the rules quickly, not giving anyone amongst the crowd time to argue his semantics, and blew his whistle again.Â

''' 
'''

Immediately, Stirling jumped back to put distance between him and his opponent. However, Kalaren had been watching the previous fight. He threw his spear at Stirling, pressing the attack.

Stirling only just barely avoided the vicious thrust aimed at his torso, his attention was on the spear passing him by within inches. Turning back to his opponent, he saw Kalaren coming at him with his cybernetic right arm raised to punch his opponent.

''âOh. Right.â''

<nowiki> </nowiki>Stirling lashed his Katana out at what would normally be a defenseless enemy, but KalarenÂ was able to grasp the katana with his metallic hand and wrench it out of his hands, giving Strider blisters. Kalaren turned to thrust the sword away into the ground, giving Stirling the opening to slug him, with his non-sword hand, which dazed Kalaren. Unfortunately, that hand was connected to his bad arm, which he realized only after it twinged. Outwardly, Stirling muttered, âAgh, jeez.â Inwardly, he thought,''âIâll have to check that later.â''

Though his hand was now cut, having struck Kalarenâs visored helmet, he was satisfied to see his opponent stagger from the ringing blow. Instead of pressing the attack, though, Stirling reconsidered how to defeat someone with such an overpowering right arm. Wrestling, pinning, fist-fighting, all out. He couldnât disarm a weapon like that, it was a part of him, (And Chris had said no dismemberment,) so what did that leave?

Kalaren had recovered from his dizzy spell, and now pulled out the blade from his boot that Stirling had noticed earlier. Some in the crowd boo-ed at the fact a new weapon was being introduced mid-battle, but both opponents looked to Chris for a ruling. Chris was white faced by now, and asked the crowd for a knife.

âNo, no,â Stirling said, neither combatant having moved. âI donât need another weapon just handed to me. Iâll make do.â A young feminine sigh was heard from somewhere in the crowd, as well as whispering from the same area.

Chris sighed, sounding old and sad, and prepared to hand his kid over to Wilda. âFine. But you better be right.âÂ

Stirling grinned dangerously. Chris blew the whistle, and Stirling dove behind himself for the spear Kalaren had thrown at the beginning of the match. Hearing Kalaren on his very heels, Stirling grabbed the spear, rolled, and twisted, landing the maneuver tightly crouched on his feet at the edge of the surprised crowd, the spear thrust outward towards Kalaren, whoâs momentum carried him forward into a slide, and ended up underneath the spear butt.

The smallest of seconds saw the opponents staring at each otherâs eyes in momentary confusion as to how this happened. Then Stirling turned the spear from itâs vertical thrust to a horizontal position, and tried to push it down onto Kalarenâs throat. At the same time, Kalaren tried to slash at Stirlingâs neck, but it was blocked by Stirlingâs pressing spear.

Chris then became a whistleblower, and blew the whistle. He then pointed at Stirling and shouted, âWinner!!â quite happily. Some were confused about who he was pointing to, including Stirling and Kalaren, but eventually the point got across.

âI won?â Stirling asked. âBut, from what I understood, neither of us yielded,â he argued, still sitting on top of Kalaren.

Chrisâs smile turned into a frown. Annoyed, he turned towards Kalaren (again, confusing.) and asked him, âWell, do you yield?â Kalaren looked down at the dagger and staff above his throat, gulped, turned back to Chris, and nodded. Chris nodded in satisfaction. He started to speak. âWell. I think thatâs everybody so-â

âNo! Not everybody.â interrupted a familiar voice from the crowd. Matheeas stepped out amongst much murmuring, and shrugged off his cloak. With his right arm, he was holding his helmet. He was dressed in full iron armor. His left arm had an iron buckler strapped to it, upon which, The Ankorian Resistance symbol was painted on. He spoke up. âIt has come to my attention that there is an unbeatable warrior in this town.â He smirked and his eyes twinkled. âI decided to try my hand against him.â

Stirling stood up. Offering a hand up to Kalaren, he replied, âWell, youâre welcome to try.â

âOh, Iâll try alright. And win. Even though Iâm offering you a set of armor for this duel!â The murmuring intensified. As well as the whispering.

Stirling too, was surprised. âIâ¦â he lowered his head in thought. Next to him, Kalaren shrugged. âYou can borrow mine, I just found it in the armoury,â he offered, his voice tinny coming from the helmet. Stirlingâs eyes darted to it.Â

âActually, I already have my Samurai Armor, though there are parts of it that Iâve lost over the years.â he said to Kalaren. Turning to his third, (and hopefully final) challenger, Stirling said, âI accept your challenge, and your gracious offer!â

Matheeasâs smile broadened, and he beckoned over to his armor bearers, who brought forth Stirlingâs armor, which was quite similar to Matheeasâs, though noticeably lighter. They also brought out a buckler and kite shield, as well as a longsword, claymore, and broadsword for him to choose from. Stirling accepted most of the armor, as well as the buckler, for his left arm. Though he was loathe to not use his signature Katana, he took note of Matheeasâs broadsword, and regretfully handed the Katana back to Chris, who looked ready to faint.

âIf Iâm going to be losing my speed for defense like Matheeas, Iâm going to need to pack a heavier punch.â

Chris wordlessly nodded, sheathing the Katana.

Stirling picked up the broadsword with both hands. He realized that his left strokes were going to be noticeably weaker, and realized he was going to have to fight off-stance for the strongest right swings he could manage.

Stirling blessed his lucky stars that he and Sir Thingguy had practiced so often with their respective off-handedness.

Chris hopefully ventured, âShall the Commander have a handi-cap?â

Surprisingly, Stirling was the one who said âNo.â

Matheeas turned to his opponent in mild surprise quickly, before turning to Chris.

Chris had lost all hope. His eyes bulged out at Stirling. âYouâre killing me.â

Stirling shrugged as he got help getting his armor strapped on. âHey, I signed up for one fight. These past two were not my fault.â He pointed at Matheeas. âTake it up with Lancaster.â Chris just shook his head and walked off while both duelists were preparing. A few minutes later he returned with a small chair and the goat kid. He sat down in the chair defeatedly and held the goat still. Snickers were heard from the crowd. Stirling was surprised at the goatâs size. It was the size of your average mature goat. Once he thought about it though, it made perfect sense. Heâd seen the adult goats before on his walks; some were a little bit bigger than adolescent elephants.

Preparations were nearly complete, and it was blatantly obvious that the entire city had shown up around the town square, and adjacent buildings.

âHEâS GONNA GET BEAT UP AGAIN!â came a shrill voice from above. Stirling craned his neck to see a group of kids on the roof of a three-story building. He waved. They waved back. One of them almost fell over the side, but was pulled back.

The preparations were finished. Chris half-heartedly stood up.

âDo we need to review the rules? Again?â

âYouâre the ref, youâre supposed to be told not to!â Stirling barked, his excitement getting the better of his tone.

Matheeas chuckled at Stirlingâs joke. Chris just shook his head.

âI donât have the energy to do it anyway. Go ahead and kill each other already.â Chris stepped back as the fight beganâ¦

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 10: The Fate of Chris the Negative 2nd's Goat Kid. ===
Both Stirling and Matheeas rushed forward. Stirling made for a thrust at Matheeas, who parried the attack, changing his overhead swing to push the opponentâs blade towards the ground. Then he continued his forward movement and slashed diagonally upward to his foeâs neck, but was blocked by Stirlingâs shield. Undaunted, Matheeas forced Stirling to step back and recover his sword, and followed this up with a series of vicious strikes that Stirling deterred.Â

''' 
'''

Backed up nearly all the way across the arena, Stirling blocked another brutal swing from Lancaster, before giving an almighty roar out of nowhere and putting his full body weight into his shield, ramming him bodily. This took Matheeas by surprise and knocked him down. Rolling away, Matheeas stepped back up to see Stirling charging at him, his open-faced helmet showing fiery eyes. Matheeas raised his shield and prepared to thrust.Â

''' 
'''

Seeing that Mattheeas had hunkered down, putting all of his Â Â weight on his back foot, Stirling charged straight at him, spinning to his opponentâs right, in a terrific feint as he went for the back. However, Matheeas saw him at the last second, and raised his sword arm in an attempt to parry. However, he was too late to parry it fully, and instead Stirlingâs full-blown, spin-aided attack ripped through the thin metal and shredded the chainmail underneath. Matheeas yelled in pain before turning around to face his attacker. He let go of his sword and his arm hung loosely.Â

''' 
'''

One of the bystanders yelled out, âDo we need an intermission?âÂ

''' 
'''

âNah! Heâll be fine!â replied Chris.

''' 
'''

Stirling looked in askance at his sparring partner. Matheeas was breathing heavily, but shook his head.

''' 
'''

Stirling unbuckled his shield, stepping forward towards Mathee- No wait. Stooping down, he picked up Matheeasâs sword, and advances on the sword-less Commander.

''' 
'''

âMight as well finish it quick,â Stirling thought, hoping that the Commander was a good sport. After all, it wouldnât be easy to lose with the entire Rebellion watching.

''' 
'''

Matheeas wearily watched him. At least, he did until he threw his now unbuckled shield with full force.

''' 
'''

The thin shield zoomed right past Stirlingâs twin swords, the edge ramming right into his chest and face, where itâs spinning power made it run up into the air.Â Entirely shocked, Stirling was sent staggering backwards, dropping both swords and landing in the dust. Extremely dizzy, Stirling was still coherent enough to grab a sword that had fallen close to him. Grabbing it with his left, he scrambled to get up, convinced that his enemy was about to pounce with the other lost sword.

''' 
'''

Chris came over to check on him.

''' 
'''

âYou okay?â

''' 
'''

He got a sword-point set inches from his neck. âOh. Itâs you Chris. Yeah, Iâm fine,â Stirling said, even as he wondered when Chris had put stars in his hair.

''' 
'''

âYeah well, you better be better than fine! My goatâs at stake here.âÂ

''' 
'''

âYou can brand thâhat goatâh, itâs aâ good asâh youâs,â Stirling said, staggering to his feet. He turned to his opponent, who looked as tired as he was dizzy.Â

''' 
'''

âLancatâherâ¦â Stirling began, but no witty remark came to mind.Â

''' 
'''

Matheeas walked over to the other free sword and awkwardly picked it up with his left hand.

''' 
'''

Stirling grinned. Suddenly, he realized there was blood in his mouth. He spat it out, along with a tooth.

''' 
'''

âAw Cruâth.â So thatâs why his speech was off. He must look pretty ugly now.

''' 
'''

Matheeas held his sword out towards Stirling warily, trying to assess the situation.Â

''' 
'''

Matheeas was bone tired, effectively one-handed, but otherwise, had escaped actual injury rather well. Stirling on the other hand, didnât seem as tired as him, but somehow, looked twice as bad. Nevertheless, Stirling settled down in a two-handed stance with his broadsword, all the while grinning toothily. It was slightly unnerving. Which was probably why he was doing it.

''' 
'''

Both advanced towards each other and did an upward swing. Their swords slid alongside each other, skipping the pommels causing the blades to end up near their respective throats.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling smiled and said, âGooâth fightâhâ.â

''' 
'''

There was a stunned silence amongst the crowd, which Chris broke with a whoop.

''' 
'''

âBEST OUT OF THREE! THE GOATâS MINE!â Somewhere amongst the crowd, there was grumbling. Shortly after that, the crowd broke into loud cheering.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 11: Aftermath. ===

All three fighters received medical attention. Dr. Skope was nowhere to be found, so Dr. Jellyfish was treating the patients. Stirling answered a few questions from a nurse while he waited for the the doctor to finish treating Matheeas.Â

''' 
'''

Not long after a loud exclamation of âJELLYFISH!â, Matheeas came out of the Doctorâs office with a cast on his right hand that looked like a gigantic white boxing glove.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling winced as he made contact with the Commander. âSâthâorry about thâat. I thâought for thâure youâd block me,â he muttered awkwardly. Matheeas waved it off with his good arm.

''' 
'''

âConsider it payback for when I ordered your arm to be stabbed.â

''' 
'''

At this, Stirling felt much relieved. âSâthâounds good. Hey, iâth thâat a doodle of a jellyfiâth on your caâthât?âÂ

''' 
'''

Matheeas looked down at his cast in surprise.

''' 
'''

âI KNEW it! Heâll pay! Iâll give him solitary confinement!â Matheeas said as he walked out of the room.

''' 
'''

âYou could juâth âtharpie over it!â Stirling yelled after him, before realizing that Matheeas probably didnât know what a sharpie was anyway.

''' 
'''

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

''' 
'''

After Stirlingâs physical health was cleared, (his shoulder was now declared totally clear by Dr. Jellyfish, though Stirling said he would wait to hear that from Dr. Skope,) Stirling instantly began considering when he would leave Aragarth. He had spent far too much time here already. The old impatience that continually spurred him onward was growing again, reminding him of his first and greatest mission, which could not wait any longer...

''' 
'''

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

''' 
 
'''

Matheeas strode through the spacious dining hall he was in.

''' 
'''

Aragarthians were laying food on the long table in the middle of the room. It had been years since it had pulled out at such short notice, and not prepared for a holiday. It would be good to gather everyone together, and take a break from the everyday worries that came with running a resistance. Matheeas thought over the plan that Kevin had laid out before him only a few days ago with the help of a surprisingly mischievous Methuselah and not so surprisingly Dr. Jellyfish.

''' 
'''

''âSo, Commander Dude, The Hardcore dude is looking alot better, but Health Dude says he needs to recuperate for another week! Well, I came up with this plan!â''

''''' 
'''''

''âPlease, go ahead.â''

''''' 
'''''

''âSo, step one,â Kevin had turned around and gestured to Jellyfish. âDoc Jelly here will make sure Health Dude is occupied. Step two: Chris takes Hardcore dude on a walk. along the way, they come across this open area where most of us will be. There, I, and the Mandude will see if he really is unbeatable!âÂ ''

''''' 
'''''

''âThey will duel him, and test his arm. If Mr. Silverstineâs arm is fine, then weâll have a dinner all together, as a sort of going away party.â Methuselah explained.''

''''' 
'''''

''âSo, Dude, whaddya think?â''

''''' 
'''''

''Heâd considered it thoughtfully. âI donât see the harm in it. Itâll boost morale as well.â''

''''' 
'''''

''âSo youâll give it the green light?â 
 
âGo ahead,â heâd replied. All three of the conspirators had grinned maniacally. It was infectious; heâd cracked a grin of his own.''

''' 
'''

He looked down ruefully at his cast now, with that ridiculous doodle that Dr. Jellyfish had drawn. Some hideous bloated monster that lived under the sea, from what he understood. He was beginning to regret that decision. Maybe heâd feel better once everyone was gathered together in fellowship, eating.

''' 
'''

He saw someone walking towards him. He couldnât recognize him due to the big helmet he had on, but he could tell that he was a captain of the guard according to the dark orange tunic that he was wearing. When he got close enough to engage in conversation, the Captain saluted, and greeted him.

''' 
'''

âCommander! We just received a messenger gigfran from Deke and Mauss. The message says that they spotted some of Vladekâs rogues at one of the old mines. They saw three people come outÂ and talk to the rogues before they headed towards Vladekâs fortress. Deke and Mauss are still investigating.âÂ Â

''' 
'''

âThree people who werenât rogues?"

''' 
'''

âNo Sir. They were dressed in rags. one of them had an axe sort of weapon that looked rogue.â

''' 
'''

âDescribe them to me.âÂ

''' 
'''

âThere was one male, and two females, as well as our scouts could tell. One of them had long messy blond hair and an unkempt beard. He had an off-white coat that was in shreds, Similar to Dr. Jellyfishâs. About in his mid thirties. Another has long brown hair. She wore something that Dr. Jellyfish would describe as a space age mystic robe. the other one also had long brown hair, except with streaks of gray. She was dressed in a sweatshirt and pants.â

âDoesnât sound like anyone we know. Iâll ask Jellyfish if he might know anyone later. Thanks, Bruce.âÂ

âYouâre welcome, Sir.â

''' 
'''

âReturn to your post.â

''' 
'''

âYessir.â

''' 
'''

Matheeas sighed. This break was going to be shorter than he might have hoped. He walked over to the table. The Ankorian Resistance couldnât afford a feast by far, but they tried to make this dinner somewhat fancy. Something to remember.Â

''' 
'''

The centerpiece of the meal was to be a big, plump goat that had gotten too old to ride hard and fast, slow roasted in a covered ground pit. They also had two massive salads that were made from some of the few herbs and leafy greens that were edible in Ankoria. There was a variety of goat cheeses, as well as a cask of wine made from a strange type of grapes.Â Water, and goat milk were also available, of course. Matheeas looked down to the head of the table. There were three chairs there. The center one for him, and on the right side would be Methuselah, followed by Kevin and Dr. Jellyfish. On the left would be Kalaren, followed by Stirling and Chris the -2nd.

''' 
'''

Everything was nearly complete. They just needed to wait for the guests. Methuselah came over, followed by a distracted Stirling, who besides a few innocuous bandages, and a strange smile, didnât look too bad. Then came Kalaren and Kevin, equally none the worse for wear. And finally, Jellyfish. Other residents of Aragarth arrived as well. As the guests began to sit down, Dr. Scope burst through the sizable double doors. His face was red with fury. He pointed at Dr. Jellyfish with one finger and shouted, âDR. JELLYYYYYFIIIIIIIISSSSHHHH!!!!â

''' 
'''

Jellyfish gasped. âOh NO! My compulsive jellyfish insanity is ''CONTAGIOUS!''â Jellyfish turned around and started shaking Stirling as he passed by his chair. âWEâRE '''DOOMED!!'''â

''' 
'''

Stirling seemed uncertain. âPerhaps, but I think right now youâre the only one in danger,â he replied, as Dr. Jellyfish continued to shake him.

''' 
'''

âOh, sorry, you donât know.â He stopped shaking Stirling, leaned across Kevin and started shaking Methuselahâs arm. âIT COULD SPREAD '''WORLDWIDE!â'''

''' 
'''

âWe canât let that happen!â cried the mage. âWeâll have to ''quarantine'' you and Steph!â

''' 
'''

âWell, maybe we wouldnât go that fa-âÂ

''' 
'''

âNo! I am perfectly fine thank you! Well, other than the fact that Dr. Jellyfish ''sedated'' me for your ''reckless'' tourney!â yelled Dr. Skope, still standing at the doorway, livid.

''' 
'''

âIt was all Kevinâs idea!â Jellyfish said quickly. Everyone present turned their eyes to Kevin.

''' 
'''

Kevin waited for dramatic effect, then easily deflected. âWell, how was I supposed to know heâd put him under?â

''' 
'''

Matheeas smiled. âDonât try to cover for him, Kevin. Itâs not worth it. We all know youâre fully responsible, Jellyfish. Why, Iâm beginning to think your doctors license here in Aragarth should be suspended.â

''' 
'''

âBut Iâm innocent! Right Kevin?â

''' 
'''

âNo way, dude. The Health Dude deserves better.âÂ

''' 
'''

Jellyfish was now beginning to panic.

''' 
'''

âBut Commander, why would y-Waitâ¦â Jellyfishâs eyes narrowed at Matheeas. âOh. Oh. You know, that was a beautiful picture of a jellyfish.â

''' 
'''

Matheeas raised a coolly mischievous eyebrow. âSo thatâs what it was?â Mattheas looked down at his sling, where Jellyfish had left his condolences. âI thought it was a picture of a goatâs bladder. Weâll talk about that later. But for now, let us eat!â Matheeasâs statement was met with many cheers.Â

''' 
'''

Matheeas was the first to serve himself, as was his right as the leader. Then, Stirling, being the guest of honor, served himself a little bit of everything. Then, the other competitors in the duel served themselves, followed by Jellyfish and Methuselah. Then the food was passed down the table.

''' 
'''

As they began to eat, everyone relaxed. Jokes and friendly conversation were passed around throughout the dinner.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling had served himself some of the wine for a drink. Now, he took a sip, and found it to be rather more bitter and biting than heâd expected. His brief look of surprise was noticed by Kalaren.

''' 
'''

âNot as sweet as expected?â

''' 
'''

Stirling chuckled. âWhere Iâm from, itâs generally more sweet or fruity. This isâ¦â Stirling searched for the right word. âAlmost... acidic.â

''' 
'''

âOur wine is made a different way than usual,â Kalaren said. âThere were a few vineyards in the city when the resistance started. One of the earlier members tried one of the grapes, and died a horrible death. Not quite as bad as gigfran eggs, though."

''' 
'''

Stirling gave him an âunamusedâ look, before he continued.

''' 
'''

âWe named the grapes âThe Grapes of Wrath!â Soon after that resistance member died, they found a way to cut up and boil the grapes and make a safe, if bitter, wine. Usually, we put a little in our water supplies to purify it. We only give fresh water to our youth, however. We make an exception for holidays and such.â

''' 
'''

âLike today?â

''' 
'''

âExactly! Though this was at much shorter notice than usual.â

''' 
'''

Stirling chuckled. âIs there anything in Ankoria that wonât poison you without any sort of preparation beforehand?âÂ

''' 
'''

Kalaren thought about this for a bit. âThere are a few herbs. Some can even be made into medicinal draughts that can counteract poisoning from some other thing you ate in Ankoria. And then, of course, there are some things we grow and raise here in Aragarth that Methuselah guards from corruption.âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling smiled as he shook his head. âItâs impressive, this resistance against the very land that you all keep up.â

''' 
'''

âWe need to. If not, we would starve or be stamped out by Vladekâs forces.â Kalarens face darkened.

''' 
'''

âBut,â Stirling hesitated, before continuing more quietly. âWhat I donât understand is, why not move away?â

''' 
'''

âFor some, we donât want to leave our homes. Almost everyone here hasnât been anywhere other than Ankoria. Otherwise, we would be at a disadvantage if we relocated. We already are in a defensible situation, and nobody wants to go to Ankoria, with the curse and all, leaving it for us. The only real threat we have is Vladek.â

''' 
'''

âIs that why you stay? Because this is your home?âÂ

''' 
'''

Kalarenâs orange eyes burned. âThatâs part of the reason. The people here are the closest thing I have to a family, now. The other part is that I want to make a stand against Vladek. Someday make him pay.â

''' 
'''

This garnered Stirlingâs interest greatly. âSomething personal?â

''' 
'''

âYou could say that. He slaughtered my entire family, if that counts.â

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs mouth went dry. Roughly, he swallowed his bite. âVladek?â That sounded pretty ruthless, even for thedudeâs right-hand man.

''' 
'''

âHe did it himself.â

''' 
'''

âButâ¦ Why? How did you survive?â Suddenly, Stirling backpedaled. âIâm sorry, thatâs rather personal; if you donât want to talk about it I-â

''' 
'''

âNot talking about it wonât do anything. Iâd rather you knew than be ignorant of it.â Kalaren replied bitterly. Stirling nodded his understanding and leaned back as Kalaren began.

''' 
'''

âI better start from the beginning. Youâll probably think I'm a lunatic, but would you believe I came from an alternate dimension?â

''' 
'''

Stirling remained silent. He took another quaff of wine. Finally, âYes. Not initially, but perhaps yes.âÂ

''' 
'''

Kalaren turned his head and stared at Stirling.

''' 
'''

âWhat.âÂ

''' 
'''

âIt says a lot about my life that it wouldnât be the craziest thing Iâve ever heard.â

''' 
'''

âI seeâ¦â

''' 
'''

âAlso, I really donât see why you would start a story like that unless it were true. Or you were pulling my leg. Which, due to the context, Iâm certain you are not.â

''' 
'''

Kalaren nodded. âIn my dimension, Ankoria was a beautiful kingdom. But then, something strange happened. People from different eras began visiting the present. People began to have their own sense of time. For example, what was ten minutes for me was three seconds for my sister. And then, of course, since people from the future came to the present, they also brought the Maelstrom with them.âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs eyebrows knit together at the mention of the Maelstrom, but Kalaren was on a roll, and didnât seem to notice.

''' 
'''

âOnce, they attacked the town I lived in, and though we were eventually able to fend them off with some Nexus Force gear, my father, who was the best blacksmith in Ankoria, was infected. My mother and the local doctor, along with a few Nexus Forcers that had been staying in the town did the best they could to keep him well. We never got to the conclusion of his illness, though. A couple weeks after the maelstrom attack, there was a barbarian raid. On my birthday, as a matter of fact. I was walking around the town when I saw the barbarians, but then I saw someone beyond them, who turned out to be Vladek, but what surprised me was that he was headed for my house. The rest of my family was there. I ran through the mob, mostly oblivious to the cuts and scrapes I received. But I couldnât catch up to Vladek. His sense of time was faster than mine. Up ahead, I saw him enter my house. As I rushed through the door, I found evidence he had killed my sisters. I rushed through the house. I looked down one hallway and saw him standing over my father, who was sitting on the floor. I rushed down the hallway, and grabbed an antique weapon off the wall. I tried to put up a fight against Vladek, but he just whipped my weapon away and knocked me out... Or something like that. I donât remember much after he flicked my dagger away.â

''' 
'''

âWhat about your Mother?â Stirling asked.Â Â Â

''' 
'''

âI never saw her. Vladek must have killed her like anyone else.â Kalaren said, before taking a sip of his goat milk.

''' 
'''

Stirling leaned back again, pondering what Kalaren had told him. Time itself being messed with? By Vladek? Alternate Dimensions?

If any of this were trueâ¦ He had to put a stop to it.

''' 
'''

Kalaren set his cup down and picked up his story.âApparently, Vladek wanted to have a sword that could rival thedudeâs sword. He came to my father for such a sword. He took me prisoner so that he could experiment on me or something, I guess. But then he found out that the sword could only be used by someone of my bloodline. So, he started taking DNA and blood samples to create a clone. Eventually, the scientists who were taking the samples got tired and cut off my arm to use that for DNA.â

''' 
'''

âAnd later, Dr. Jellyfish built you that robot arm, right?âÂ

''' 
'''

â...Yes, how did you know?â Kalaren asked, suspicious.

''' 
'''

âI had a long, frustrating, conversation with your friend.âÂ

''' 
'''

Kalaren laughed. âJellyfish?â

''' 
'''

âJellyfish.â

''' 
'''

âI see! Well, you know the rest then. Did he tell you I have a clone still somewhere in Vladek's Fortress?â

''' 
'''

Stirling took a moment to digest the information. His eyes turned down towards his plate. âI think soâ¦ But more than that, you may have some sort of insanely powerful sword, a space and/or time manipulator, and Lord knows what else, all within reach of Vladek himself!â

''' 
'''

âYes. Which is why I stay here. I have to stay here and do whatever I can to stop him. So does everyone else here.â

''' 
'''

Stirling had to physically fight the urge to get up and do something about what he was hearing. As it was, his eyebrows seemed to be fusing together in a deeply concerned unibrow for all time. So much so, that Kalaren apparently decided to change the subject.

''' 
'''

âBut, on a lighter note, you seemed quite distracted when you walked in. What caused you to be so?â

''' 
'''

It took Stirling a minute to stop worrying about these new threats and think about more trivial matters. But with a little effort, he did.

''' 
'''

âOh. Actually, itâs this tooth.â he grinned toothily and pointed at one of his teeth. Kalaren peered more closely, and realized it was a silver tooth. âItâs silver,â Stirling confirmed, before closing his mouth. âDr. Jellyfish put it in.â

''' 
'''

âBecause your last name is Silverstine?â

''' 
'''

âYeah. Also, I didnât want a gold tooth. Thatâs just a good way to get robbed and lose it again.â

''' 
'''

âHuh. Makes sense. I thought it had to do with the girl thatâs been gazing at you dreamily throughout the dinner. Well, except for a little bit ago.â

''' 
'''

Stirling raised a dubious eyebrow, but didnât look back at the other guests. âIs that so? Which row? How far?â

''' 
'''

âThe opposite row. Nine chairs down.â

''' 
'''

Stirling picked up a knife he had, and used the blade like a mirror. Unfortunately, the light in the room reflected off of the knife and caught her right in the eyes. Hastily, Stirling put the knife down. Nobody was able to pin it on him. Well, except Kalaren. But he didnât speak up.

''' 
'''

âSheâs pretty, I suppose. But far too young,â Stirling commented to Kalaren, confusion and amusement crossing his faceÂ

''' 
'''

âI agree. But evidently, she is not aware of the fact. Kevin tried to duel you to impress her. It didnât work in his favor, clearly.â

''' 
'''

âIs that so?â

''' 
'''

Kalaren nodded.

''' 
'''

âWell look at you!â Stirling chuckled. âYouâve got all the juicy tidbits. Iâll have to remember that.â

''' 
'''

âI canât help that Iâm trained in espionage. That, and, news travels fast in a town of approximately 40 people. Everybody knows.â

''' 
'''

âYou get trained in espionage as part of the resistance?â

''' 
'''

âWell, not so much espionage, but they do train us in stealth.â

''' 
'''

âAwareness.â

''' 
'''

âYeah, exactly.â

''' 
'''

Stirling chuckled again. âBet you could teach me some of that. I seem to be slipping in that regard, the older I get. Only thing thatâs kept me alive is my sword and my shield.â He rolled his left shoulder. âAnd a mulish body that just wonât die.â

''' 
'''

âWell, I stink at using a sword.â

''' 
'''

âBut youâve got that cybernetic arm, surely youâre not a bad fighter!â

''' 
'''

âNo, no. Iâm a good fighter, generally. I just resort to flailing at close quarters.â

''' 
'''

Stirling tilted his head and spared a glimpse for Kalarenâs right arm. Right now, it was covered in a thick black mesh. Here and there were little holes and slits, for access to lights and the occasional discrete panel or button. The lights glowed a dark purple, almost blending in with the black around it.

âHave you ever considered pugilism?â

âYeah, but when I asked the resident librarian, Linda, if they were any books on the subject, she said there wasnât any. There used to be one, but someone dropped it into a canal. The military training I went through does give you a few pointers if youâre caught in a struggle, however.âÂ

''' 
'''

âIâm surprised you havenât taken more advantage of that arm!â Stirling said. âIt must be very useful.â

''' 
'''

âI keep on forgetting itâs there. It is useful in archery, but I try not to do anything super strenuous, because otherwise it runs low on power. Jellyfish has it rely on solar power, usually. But it does have an alternative energy source of maelstrom energy, unfortunately.â

''' 
'''

âInteresting. Did you have to use maelstrom during our duel?â

''' 
'''

âYeah.â

''' 
'''

âFascinating.â

''' 
'''

âMaybe so. Still, I wish I could use a sword like you,â Kalaren replied, taking another bite of his salad.

''' 
'''

Stirling shrugged, returning to his own meal. âIt takes practice. And Iâve had a lot.â

''' 
'''

âThatâs the thing! Nobody will practice with me. Not after I broke both mine and Kevinâs swords, and his wristâ¦â Kalaren mumbled.

''' 
'''

âWith that arm?â

''' 
'''

âYup. I got lucky and hit his sword, twisting both the swords and his wrist.â

''' 
'''

Stirling tried to imagine how it must have happened. âYou must have been using it like an axeâ¦!â Stirling groaned.

''' 
'''

âTheyâre both sharp, right? You swing!â

Stirling facepalmed. âNoâ¦â

âWell then how ''do'' you do it?â

''' 
'''

Stirling looked up at Kalaren. âSwords require some ''finesse''. You canât just hack at your target like you would a tree.âÂ

''' 
'''

âOh.â Kalaren said.

''' 
'''

Stirling paused briefly, staring past Kalaren.Â âI never gave you pointers after the duel, did I? No, because Matheeas showed up.â He returned his attention to Kalaren. âIâd be happy to teach you some basics before I leave. Kevin too, I suppose." He paused. "I've been taught by some of the best swordsmen in the land."

''' 
'''

âThanks!â

''' 
'''

âHey, Super-duper-ultra-mega-Mandudesalot, you ever going to get some meat, or are you turning vegetarian with that salad there?â Kevin asked Kalaren from across the table.

''' 
'''

âI would have gotten a serving of goat meat, but I didnât have room on my plate. You should try the salad, it tastes pretty good!â

''' 
'''

The dinner continued, and everyone enjoyed the food and company immensely. All in all, it was as lovely a time as anyone present could remember in months, if not years for some.

 

=== Chapter 12: Return to Action ===
Kalaren woke up the next morning in his quarters. He swung his feet off the bed and got up. Groggily, he pulled a plain shirt and tough pants from a chest, and tucked them under his one arm. Then, he went over to the stone arch window, and took his arm out of the sun, attaching it deftly, even half-asleep as he was. He threw on his clothes, and then started to make breakfast, which consisted of a slab of ham, scrambled chicken eggs, and a cup of Aragarthian coffee. As he was waiting for the coffee to brew, he heard someone rap on his door.

âThe Commander wants you in the Town hall for a war Counsel. If anybody asks who told you, itâs Gerald.â

Kalaren glanced at the door, to the coffee, and back to the door. âIs it urgent, ''Urgent'' or Super Urgent???â

âJust Urgent.â

âGreat. Iâm going to brew my coffee first.â

âOh, can I have some?â

âSure, but don't you have other stuff to do?â

There was silence. Then a sigh. âYeah. I gotta get other people. But, tell you what, Iâll be back later. If you just pour me a cup before you leave, Iâll grab it from here. I donât even care if it gets cold.â

âAlright, sure.â

A few minutes later, Kalaren left a big cup of coffee on the steps of his house, and trotted off to the town hall.

When he got there, he found quite a few others. Matheeas and the other council members. Jellyfish and Methuselah were there, as well as the two scouts that had done perimeter patrol the night before. Stirling and Chris the -2nd were also there.

Matheeas seemed relieved to see Kalaren. âAh, good, Kalaren, you made it. I was beginning to worry.â

âSorry, I was waiting for my coffee to brew.â

Various people gave him dull stares. A few snickered.

âItâs important! Just ask Gerald.â

Matheeas was one of the unamused. âYes. Well. This meeting is more important.â

âAnd now you can finally tell us why, right, Lancaster?â Stirling groused, arms crossed, eyes still blinking. Clearly, he hadn't had enough coffee yet. Beside him, Chris gave him a hard elbow to the ribs.

âYes, yes.â Matheeas replied, annoyed. He took a deep breath, as everyone else grew silent.

âLast night, Deke and Mauss sent a messenger gigfran stating that they saw three people, supposedly prisoners, being guarded by Paradox forces investigating an old mine to the northwest of here." He nodded his head at Jellyfish. "Dr. Jellyfish believes he knew one of them. A scientist, who could help us in a number of ways." Now he turned to the two scouts. "Early this morning, Deke and Mauss here, finally came in. The two had gone against protocol and split up. Deke keeping watch on the mine, which, after the prisoners left, received other Paradox visitors, while Mauss went and investigated Vladekâs Fortress. He found a large number of slave-looking figures along with several rogues. The crowd there broke up into separate groups and went several different ways from the Fortress. Mauss followedÂ one of these groups, and found it headed to one of the mines." He turned to the two scouts, an even expression on his face. "For the record, what you two did was reckless, but with good initiative. It remains to be seen if it will pay off. But for now..." He turned his attention back to everyone else. "We will be investigating once we pull together a strike team. I called you here, Stirling, because I thought you should know before you left. I wanted to give you the opportunity to help if you so wished. I will give anyone here the same choice, excepting Methuselah, he needs to be here to keep the spell up. I will also be going.â

Everyone was surprised at this, and a few council members began to protest.

âWho will lead in your absence?â

âWhat if you get killed?â

âMethuselah will, thatâs part of the reason why heâs staying," Matheeas replied. "And if I do, Methuselah will take over for me.â

Beside him, Methuselah seemed mildly surprised, but said nothing.

âNow, who wants to come?â Matheeas asked.

Kalarenâs hand shot up, even as his brows dove down into a determind frown.

âIâll to come to take a look!â Jellyfish said.

Stirling and Chris shared a look, and they both raised their hands. âIâd love to crack a few Rogue helmets,â Stirling growled.

âAnd Iâm stuck with him.â Chris said in turn.

Matheeas looked around at the rest of the people in the room. When he saw that none of the others wanted to come, he nodded and began to speak. âThe rest I will gather up from around town. Gather your things, we leave at one oâclock, after lunch. We will be riding goats double, as usual.â

â1300 hours,â Stirling translated for himself. He received several confused looks.

âWhat?â âHuh?â âPardon?â

â1300 hours. Military time,â Stirling looked around, and suddenly remembered these were, in many ways, still just peasants. Well, except perhaps Jellyfi-

âMilitary time? What do you mean by that?â Jellyfish asked.

Stirling sighed. âNevermind.â

Matheeas looked confused, then shook his head a little before wrapping it up. âMeeting dismissed.â

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

Stirling hurried out of the town hall, with Chris right behind him. They were both already dressed in decent armor, but Stirling still had to get a few more things from his apartment. So did Chris. They swung by Striderâs first. He picked up his leather cloak, Samurai Bow, checked his medkit, and his many-pocketed pack, and then headed off to Chrisâs.

The house of Chris was abuzz with activity when they arrived. An older man came out of the house as the two came up.

âChris! Chris the -3rd will be joining you on your mission. Iâve already gathered your things; Negative Third will be with you all shortly. He canât find his cleavers.â

âI swear, I left them on the mantle!!!â A voice similar, but deeper to Chris the -2ndâs own yelled out from the house.

âYeah, well, dunno what to tell ya, they ainât there!â the older gentleman hollered over his shoulder. He grabbed a bundle of gear by the door and handed it to Chris and Strider. âHere you go, son.â

âThanks, Pops,â Chris the -2rd said.

âOh! Here they are. I left them in the goat-steak!â Chris the -3rdâs voice carried out.

âPopsâ facepalmed. âLike I said, still getting his stuff together. Go on, heâll catch up.â

âAlright, Bye, Pops! We should be back by midday tomorrow.â The two hugged each other, and then Chris the -2nd and Stirling left for the stables.

Along the way there, they ran into some kids trying to see who could throw a pebble the farthest. Stirling recognized most of them. Jonny, Rita and Rosa. Then there was another kid he had met around town, Bobby.

Beyond that, there was one other he hadnât seen before.Â Â But Stirling didnât intend to stop and make acquaintances. His mind was already on the mission ahead.

Unfortunately, the kids had other ideas.

âHEY! Itâs Strider!â Jonny ran up to Stirling. âWoah, whatâs going on? You guys gonna fight some evil troll or sometinâ?â

The others came up behind him.

âWow, you guys are really decked out for a fight!â Rita complimented, pointing out their armor and gear.

Rosa seemed to pick up that they were in a hurry. âIf they are, I donât think we could help.â

Chris the -2nd looked over his shoulder at the kids.

âI donât know for sure that we will get into a fight, but we are in a hurry.â

âAwwww!â Most of the kids collectively groaned as the two adults excused themselves and hurried on.

Next, they went to the armory, stocking up on arrows and other implements of battle and survival. Chris had already given Stirling back his Katana by order of Lancaster, but he still lacked a shield. So he took a minute to inspect the shields. Most were of a small, round buckler nature. He passed right by these, in favor of hefting the few kite shields. However, he shook his head in distaste after each one.

âIâm afraid Iâve been a bit spoiled with the shields Iâve had in the past,â Stirling said. âAll of these are ofâ¦â

âAlot of them arenât made of refined metal. You could probably ask our armorsmith to have one custom-made to suit you.â suggested Chris the -2nd.

Stirling considered it. âThat might be a good idea...â he set down the last potential shield. â...But not now.â Turning to leave, he noted the various swords leaning against the wall.

âI think Iâll take an extra sword though, just in case.â Quickly scanning the swords and belts, he picked out a shortsword. Pulling it out, he flicked it around, before nodding. âThis will do. Just something for when things get hairy.â

Chris stared at Stirling, confused. âYou mean if we run into a Calagasphil?â

âDonât know; hope I donât ever have to.â Stirling said, as they headed to the Stables.

âYou can sometimes mistake them for a 12 foot pile of snow, stone, or dirt sometimes. Look out for them on this crusade.â

âBasically, if it looks out of place, it probably is,â Stirling muttered. âSounds just like my first assignment in Gnarled Forest.â Stirling shook his head. âMan, that seems like a whole lifetime agoâ¦â

Before Stirling could get lost in the past, or Chris begin to ask questions about outer space, they reached the stables, where a few other warriors were already.

Seeing a few of the others having lunch with their Goats, Stirling asked Chris, âWhereâs your goat?â

Chris stared blankly.

âNowhere.â

âSoâ¦ You donât have a goat.â

âNo, I did. But it got sent nowhere in a spell gone horribly wrong. The goat before that was sent somewhere with a rocket pack gone horribly wrong.â

âAnd Iâll bet before that, your first goat was sent everywhere in some other awful thing gone horribly wrong.â

âNo, we ate that one. We were promised by a fortune teller we would never run out of meat again. Remember -3rd saying he left his cleavers in the steak?â

âYouâre kidding me.â

â...Smells kinda funny now and then, but we eat it anyway, and then itâs fresh!â

Stirling had no words.

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

A short while later showed Matheeas returning with the remaining warriors. Stirling had met most of them at one point or another, either during his duals or walking around town. It appeared that they had had lunch elsewhere. Many of them came over, and mentioned they were happy to see Strider joining the mission. Strider replied that he was happy to be coming.

Matheeas yelled out that they were going to depart by the east gate. Once everyone got onto their goats, including Stirling and Chris on a newly requisitioned goat, they departed for this location. Along the way, Chris the -3rd rodeÂ over with Dr. Jellyfish, one waving a cleaver, and the other his blaster. Kalaren and Kevin arrived shortly afterwards bickering about something or another. As they turned a corner and saw the gate, everyone noticed a small crowd ready to send them off.

Stirling leaned over to Chris the -2nd. âIs it normal for the others to gather like this so far out on the border of the city?â

Chris shook his head. âNo, but we also havenât gone out of the city in such numbers for years.â

Stirling searched the crowd as they cantered past. It was full of determined faces. One or two worried faces, but they were well hidden. Stirling recognized many of them, though not by name. The kids were also there, curious, but also serious.

It was a strong reminder of the hardiness of these men and women. For even though they didnât ride to battle, there was every chance that some might not come back.

Since being discovered and brought to Aragarth, Stirling had heard of all sorts of horrendous fates people had met in the twisted nightmare lands of Ankoria, just beyond the invisible protections of Methuselah and his predecessors.

But like his friends, Stirling was ready. Moreover, he was eager for a round two against the Cursed Land.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 13:Underneath the Cursed Land. ===

âI spy, with my little eyeâ¦â

âItâs a tree.â

Kevin groaned. âYouâre too good at this, Mandude.â

Kalaren rolled his eyes, but then realized Kevin couldnât see that, since he was sitting behind him on Surf. âItâs 50/50 between dirt and trees.â

âThatâs totally not true! I could spyâ¦ Your hair!â

â''Anyone'' could spy my hair.â

âBut not just anyone is playing âI Spyâ with us as we ride my goat to one of these mines to scout it out.â

âThatâs a good point. I guess not anyone, then.â

They rode on in silence for awhile, along with the rest of the group. The gray soil and sparse black trees zoomed by as Surf the Goat glided through the dead forest, along with 7 other goats.

As they rode, Mattheas would silently direct a goat or two towards a mine in the distance. Some had visible Paradox activity outside of them. Others looked much the same as they always had.

Soon, it was their turn to split off. Mattheas directed them, and the goat carrying Dr. Jellyfish and Chris the -3rd, to head down towards the original mine reported to have visitors.

âHere we go,â Kalaren muttered. As they split off, Jellyfish waved cheerfully to Kal, as if he was out on a Sunday jaunt, rather than investigating their mortal enemies.

Once they got closer to the mine, they all dismounted their goats quietly and laid down in the brush, along with the two goats.

âLooks like just three guards out front,â Kalaren said. âAll Shinobis.â

Chris the -3rd turned to his team. Kalaren, Jellyfish, and Kevin. He was leading, as he was the most experienced, so he outlined the goal. âThis mission is most successful if we donât leave a single trace of ourselves. In and out, like ghosts.â

Kevin shuddered, as Chris continued. âI know thatâs a lofty goal, but itâs one that every individual team is going to try for. So does anyone have any ideas to get rid of these guys?â

Jellyfish raised his hand. Kalaren immediately yanked it down before the guards saw a bush with a hand. Chris facepalmed.

âThis isnât a class, Doctor. Just tell us what youâve got.â

âWeÂ kill them.â

Chris was a consummate professional leader, and didnât even blink. Heâd heard about the doctorâs eccentricity. âBut then Vladek will get a report of their deaths,â he explained.

âHmm, well in that case I have something else!â Jellyfish said as he raised a glass vial full of green liquid out of his pocket. Kalaren pulled his hand down again before the guards saw a bush with a suspicious green vial.

Kevin leaned in. âLooks tasty. What is it?â

âSleeping gas I gathered from the ''Dierth'' plant. Would you like to try it? Itâs been concentrated into this vial, but should expand into a gas as soon as the seal is broken, but I-â

âOn second thought, it doesnât sound as groovy as I thought.â

âRight. Good plan, Jellyfish,â Chris said. âThrow it over to them, theyâll get knocked out, and then weâll prop them up to make it look like they fell asleep on the job.

Kalaren pulled out a sandwich from his saddle bag.

âWe can use some of my emergency rations.â

âPerfect.â

Executing the plan took less time than it took to concoct, and soon all four were stealing past the snoring, messy sandwich eating guards.

They snuck in and took a look around. Nothing was in the immediate vicinity excluding a few tools, and a box or two.

Jellyfish started scanning the walls with a rewired Paradox something of his own invention. âMhm, yup. 100% ''Solid Rock''!â

Chris raised a hand, stopping Kevin and Kalaren, who made a buffer-stop for the absentminded Jellyfish. âHear that?â

âCanât say that I do. Then again, canât say that I ''donât'' either. What do you hear? Does it sound like a ''Jellyfish''? Because I can hear that. Also, does anyone remember the square root of 64? I forgot, and itâs very bothersome. Also my password on BrickBook.â

While Jellyfish muttered, the others tried to drown out his pointless (or maybe not so pointless, one never knows with Jellyfish,) blathering and listened forward into the cavern. The distant sounds of rock and work floated up, along with the occasional shout.

âI hear it,â Kalaren confirmed.

Kevin nodded. âLet me go ahead, and take a peek. Better one to scout ahead than â¦ ALL of us.â

Both Kalaren and Chris nodded, and Kevin scurried to a t-section, and ran right. Around the corner and out of sight.

âSeriously, whatâs the Square root of 64?! And did you tell him to bring back cookieâs, because I know who makes the best coo-â

âDr. Jellyfish, please keep it down.â

'''âJELLYFISH!!â'''

<nowiki>-----------------</nowiki>

Kevin turned around the bend, noting the dim light and louder mining sounds up ahead. However, not seeing any shadows, he slowed only marginally as he came into the next area.

He found himself at the top of a large, round quarry area, about 40 feet around. There was a single artificial light hanging from the top of the cavern, which was a few feet higher than where Kevin was standing. Â

To his right, a slope went down to a flat basin below him, where 8 plainly dressed people, guarded by 2 armed Space Marauders and a Sorcerer, were mining aÂ glittering mineral that was scattered throughout the basin. However, they didnât appear to be using pickaxes, but instead, small, precise lasers.

There was also a large laser drill at the far end of the basin, which was busy boring into the glittering wall. It was this that Kevin had been hearing with the others around the bend. It appeared to be very effective, as it was making visible progress as Kevin stood there observing.

All in all, it was very pretty, and rather quiet, even with all the work going on.

'''''âJELLYFISH!â'''''

At least it had been.

All eyes turned to Kevin, who paused for only a moment before yelling: âHey Dudes and Dudettes! Ready to Party on DOWN!?! BONZAI!!â

Kevin jumped off the railing as he unsheathed his sword, heading towards the Sorcerer. Just as he was preparing his spell, Kevin landed on him, rolling off with the sorcerers rank 2 staff in his offhand. The staff was charged with some paradox energy, which, as he turned to face the other two marauders, was released upon them. The other 8 people cheered. Kevin gave them a thumbs up.

âYouâre ''welcome''!â

<nowiki>-------</nowiki>

Chris and Kalaren starred in near disbelief at Dr. Jellyfish. âYou win 'worst operative of Aragarth ever' award.â Kalaren said.

âIâm sincerely sorry. Nice knowing you all. Hope Kevin brings the right cookies back so we can die happy.â Jellyfish whispered, his face absolutely serious.

âNevermind. Câmon, Kevin probably needs help.â Kalaren said as he followed an already standing Chris. They ran to the T-section where they had last seen Kevin. As they reached it, they heard and saw several Paradox running in from the opposite direction Kevin had went. One of them, a Rank 3 sorcerer yelled, âIntruders! Get them!â As soon as the wormholers started whirring, Chris grabbed both Jellyfish and Kalaren and yanked them back towards the entrance to gain cover.

âOkay, so theyâve seen us, and we still havenât finished our mission. We fight,â Chris said. âDoctor, you check on Kevin, Weâll cover you.â

âYes, sir.â Jellyfish said.

Kalaren could hear the Parodox rapidly approaching. As they were almost upon them, he and Chris jumped out, covering Jellyfish as he ran the other way.

In moments, Chris was dual-wielding his cleavers, duking it out with a shinobi, and Kalaren was hacking at his armored opponents with wide, wild arcs. The ring of his iron sword against the superior space-age alloys of his enemies echoed madly against the stone walls. Very soon, his sword was nothing more than a sharp metal bar, but having no other weapon, he continued to use all of his considerable strength in each swing, keeping his enemies off-balance, and sticking too close to them to use their guns. One of the Marauder's thrust his wormholer directly at his chest. Kalaren attempted to block it with what remained of his sword, which was now little more than a metal stake, but it practically disintegrated at the force of the wormholer. In desperation, he raised his cybernetic hand to stop it, but the chainsaw chewed right through it, until it jammed, stopping just inches from his face. With what was remaining of his hand, Kalaren yanked the wormholer away from the surprised Marauderer and turned it around, even as he bore the pain that his metallic sensors were transmitting to him.

âMy turn.â Kalaren said, restarting the Wormholer and firing in a wide arc at the other paradox rouges, including the one Chris was standing off with, just as another group came from up ahead. This time, the chances didnât look so good.

'''âBONZAIII!!!â'''

Both Chris and Kal glanced back to see Kevin, Jellyfish, and some impromptu foot soldiers heading their way, echoing Kevinâs battle-cry.

'''âBONZAI!â'''

'''âBONZAI!â'''

'''âBONZAII!!!â'''

'''âBANANA!!!â'''

'''âBONANZA!!â Â '''

'''âBONANZAI!â'''

'''âBRUCE!â'''

'''âBRUSAI!â'''

'''âJELLYFISH!â'''

âThatâs better.â Kalaren said, a small grin coming onto his face, before he turned around to continue to pepper the oncoming troops.

Chris dispatched one of the final first wave. âWe have what we came for, letâs move!âÂ The crew turned towards the ramp up to the entrance, where the gray light of Ankoriaâs filtered down with such promise.

'''âGET THEM! THEY CANNOT ESCAPE,â''' boomed one of their pursuers. Kalaren and a few others whoâd acquired ranged weapons shot back at them, as they backpedaled behind everyone else.

Shots flew past Kal and others, who laughed at their poor accuracy.

Then suddenly, one Rank 3 Sorcerer raised his staff and pointed it at the arch of the entrance, before slamming his staff on the ground. In response, just as the most eager of the prisoners were running underneath, the roof of the entrance collapsed atop them, bringing darkness, and the crushing weigh of rocks and lost hope with it.

Chris took a deep breath before turning around to see the lit-up forces of Rogues coming up the ramp after them. âThere has to be another exit, but we have to fight our way through! '''Câmon!'''â

One of the prisoners who wasnât giving into despair turned to Chris the -3rd, pulling him by the arm to get his attention. â'''HEY!''' We were about to break through to another mine when Commander Kevin jumped down! There would be an exit there! We just have to get through the quarry!â

Chris nodded to the level-headed freedom fighter. âTo the quarry then!â

Kevin repeated the command, and it was carried by the rest.

'''âTO THE QUARRY!â'''

'''âTO THE QUARRY!â'''

'''âTO THE QUERY!â'''

'''âTOOT THE FAIRY!â'''

'''âTOUR DEâ AIRY!â'''

'''''âJELLYFISH!â'''''

Kalaren and Dr. Jellyfish, as well as the other ranged folks whoâd been at the back, were now at the front, and they rushed forward to close the distance before they were picked off, having no cover.

Dr. Jellyfish pulled out a strange vial, and threw it at the enemy, causing a thick smoke to fill the corridor.

'''âSMOKE BOMB,â''' Jellyfish yelled, as a sort of explanation to EVERYONE.

'''âHOW COULD THAT ''POSSIBLY'' BE USEFUL RIGHT NOW?!?!â''' Kalaren demanded, as the deadliest game of laser tag began.

âSo they canât see us. I thought you would know that.â

'''âSURRENDER, AND YOU WILL GET FULL PENSION AND BENEFITS. INCLUDING DENTAL CARE, WHEN I GET TO YOU WITH MY FISTS, ''YOU INSUBORDINATE SWINE.''â''' boomed one of the Paradox.

'''âFOLLOW MY VOICE MEN!â''' ringed out the valiant tone of Chris, as it passed by Kalaren. '''âTO FREEDOM!â'''

'''âTO FREEDOM!â'''

'''âTO FREEDOM!â'''

'''âTO TREEDOM!â'''

'''âTO LEEDOM!â'''

'''âTO FREIDHELM!â'''

'''âTO FREDDYâS HOUSE!â'''

'''âTO MY HOUSE!â'''

'''âISNâT THAT A PRISON???â'''

'''âWHOâS VOICE ARE WE FOLLOWING?!?!â'''

Nearly a dozen voices cried '''âMINE!â''' and pretty much everyone on both sides froze.

âJellyfish.â

âOk, weâre following Jellyfish. Whoever he is.â

âWat.â

âShh. Leaders are confident.â

âOh. Yeah. Not Quackers. Ok. Everyone head to the quarry then.â

âOk, Boss.â

âSounds good.â

âOver and out.â

âRight, then weâll fight those Paradox scum.â

âRoger Roger.â

âOger Oger.â

âNo, WEâRE the Paradox scum. Weâll fight the upstarts.â

â...at the Basin, right?â

âYeah.â âUh-huh.â âFor sure.â "One-Hundo-Percent."

So it was that the whole group of people jostled and shoved and bumbled their way along the dark corridor, around the corner, and into the dim, sparkling grotto, where the laserâ¦ was gone???

âHey, whereâs the drill?âÂ A Shinobi asked.

âI think it must have reached the other side by now,â a worker next to him replied.

âOh yeah. Makes sense. We should probably go check on it and make sure it doesnât keep going and destroying stuff.â

âProbably.â

âBut first, letâs fight those prisoner scum,â growled another Paradox Sorcerer.

âYeah!â said a Marauder

âExactly!â said another.

âPrecisely!â said Kevin.

'''''âJELLYFISH!â'''''
 

=== Chapter 14: Digging for Answers. ===

Mattheas rode on to the final mine. Behind him, only one goat remained. The one with Stirling and Chris the -2nd.

Looking ahead as they came upon a rise, Mattheas could easily make out Vladekâs Fortress in the distance. This final mine was mere hours away from the dreaded Fortress, and so held the most inherent risk. Therefore, he chose it for himself, and their strongest warrior.

Also, he thought it would be best to keep Stirling close for his first mission with the Resistance.

Chris the -2nd pulled up alongside Mattheas's goat. âOh. Thatâs close,â he exclaimed softly, noting the dark edifice blending with the suddenly lengthening gloom.

Stirling glanced up into the sky. âSurely the dayâs not over yet?â

Matheeas nodded his head. âIt hasnât. the sun isnât down yet. It is darker around us because evil emanates from the Fortress.â

Chris shuddered. âI donât think Iâve ever been this close before.â

Stirling peered past Chrisâs shoulders, and glared into the heart of the gloom.

Vladekâs fortress was not as large or as grand as other castles Stirling had seen in his travels, but it was indeed the most imposing, even from this distance.

All of the Stonework was a uniform jet black, as if the entire Fortress had survived the fires of a dozen ancient dragons. Its dark walls were thick and ''monstrously'' tall, hiding all but the tallest of towers that stuck out at clearly strategic points.Â The only other detail Stirling could make out from here was the equally large and monstrous gatehouse, closed at the moment with a door made of the darkest wood stirling had ever seen. The only splashes of color were the solid red banners that billowed atop the gatehouse and the tallest towers.

It was a Palace of War.

After a moment of silence Matheeas pointed down the slope, and back into the forest. âCome on, letâs stay on task.â

Stealthily, the goats picked their way down the loose gravelly slope, where Matheeas had them all dismount and continue for a short while longer. Soon, Mattheeas ducked behind a tree, and the others followed suit. He pointed ahead, where two Shinobis were patrolling around a huge, wooden trapdoor, at least three yards across. At the far end of the platform there was a smaller trapdoor, large enough for a single person, where you could see the top of a ladder peeking out.

âThereâs only 2 guards so far. Ideally, we would sneak past them and enter without them noticing, but there isnât enough cover from here to there. Not without a distraction,â Mattheas explained, as he pulled out a small pocket mirror. âIâm going to reflect some light towards them from the bushes over here. Hopefully theyâll investigate, and while I lead them off into the treeline a bit, you two can sneak in. As soon as I can, Iâll lose them and follow you, got it?â

âAnd if only one comes?â Chris asked.

Matheeas handed Chris a second small mirror, which was little more than a roughly round shard with a messy molten iron frame. âThen you distract that one as well.â Â

Chris nodded. âSounds like a good plan.â

Stirling nodded as well, before sneaking off to the left with Chris, as Matheeas began fiddling with his mirror and the light.

A minute or two later, Stirling and Chris heard one of the guards exclaim.

âAugh! SomethingÂ just slapped me in the eyes, Dobson!â

âWhat is it, Dobson?â

âI dunno, it was like light was reflected into my face.â

âWeird.â

âLook! There it is! Do yaâ think itâs a magic pixie?â

âA Pixie? What conspiracy theories have you been reading, Dobson? Clearly itâs a fairy!â

âWhat even is the difference between a pixie and a fairy?!?â

âWellâ¦ Uhâ¦ Hm. One is more mischievous than the other? I think???â

âWell, then this one was definitely a pixie!â

âSo you think it whacked you in the eye?â

â....Yeah?â

âHuh. I would guess that itâs either A: Trying to blind you for all eternity or B: Testing you for glaucoma.â

âGAH! It did it again!â

âDefinitely A, then.â

âThat does it! Itâs going in a jar!â

âI wonder how much money we could make off of that!â âDobsonâ said as they chased after the âmagic pixieâ.

Stirling and Chris poked their headâs cautiously through the brush, and saw the two guards scamper off into the forest, leaving their post completely abandoned.

âWow. That worked unbelievably well,â Stirling said.

âIndeed.â Chris said.

The two wasted no time in stealing across the now empty clearing. Stirling immediately jumped down the open smaller trapdoor, falling a short distance. He landed with a grunt, and looked up to see 3 Paradox rouges, turning to him in surprise, sipping coffee. There was one from each kit: Marauder, Sorcerer, and Shinobi.

âAw, nuts.â Stirling groaned, as Chris slid down the ladder.

âYouâre not authorized around here, are you?â the Sorcerer asked, lowering his coffee to the table, as his fellow compatriots reacted a bit faster, dropping their mugs and scrambling for their weapons.

âI work here. Iâm just on break,â Chris began with a straight face, before Stirlingâs Katana lanced the Shinobi who was going for his own blade.

Chris turned around with a face of utter shock. âHow ''could'' you!â

Stirling turned back to look at Chris for the briefest of moments, just long enough to give him a look of âwhat?â before he spun around and struck the blaster out of the Space Marauderâs hand, before rushing forward and pinning him to the floor.

Chris the -2nd turned from looking at Stirling pinning down the Marauder, to see the Sorcerer pointing his wand at him.

â''Hasta la vista'', rebel,â the Sorcerer mocked, before an arc of lightning flew from the tip of the wand, and hit Chris full in the chest, sending him flying across the small room, and into the hard-packed dirt wall, shortly before falling to the floor upside-down.

âChris! No!â Stirling slashed his Katana across the neck of the proneÂ Marauder before arcing the blade up to strike the wand out of the Sorcererâs hands.

But even as he was disarmed in one hand, the Sorcerer pulled out another weapon with his other. His sorcerer orb in the offhand, from which he spoke an incantation, and a ripple of Paradox energyÂ blasted Stirling back.

Stirling half-rolled with the blast, beginning to go down a gentle slope that went further into the mine. In the time that it took for his head to stop ringing, the Sorcerer was now standing above him with the Shinobiâs blade.

âTake this, scumbag,â he said, before he fell limp to the floor. Standing in his place was Matheeas, with his sword pommel raised.

Â Â Â

âLancaster! Youâre a sight for literally sore eyes,â Stirling muttered.

âWhereâs Chris?â

âBack there, at the far wall.â Stirling got up and picked up his Katana from where it fell when he was thrown back. He pointed to Chris, who was still upside down and hadnât movedâ¦Â âHe got hit by the sorcererâs lightningâ¦â

Both men rushed to Chris the -2nd. Matheeas attempted to pick him up, but instead was shocked quite nastily through his metal gauntlet. âAh! Looks like it was conducted through his armor.â

Stirling pulled off his mail gauntlet and slapped Chrisâs chestplate a few times, bringing forth a smaller and smaller discharge. Once the shock dissipated considerably, they rolled Chris over to see the area where he had been hit. The armor was completely charred,to the point that it was reduced to a thin, brittle sheet.

âOh no, Chris. Dang it.â Stirling muttered.

âWe need to inspect the wound,â Matheeas urged. âHelp me sit him up so we can take this armor off.â

As they began to take the chestplate off, Chris woke up with a gasp. âAughâ¦!â

The cloth cushioning was widely burnt away by the heat flash and the skin underneath was badly burnt as well. Thankfully, the armor had absorbed most of the force, making sure that the hit had not penetrated Chrisâs vital organs. however, the burnâs total radius had been spread out by the armor conducting it. Chrisâs entire front was a huge burnt bullseye. First degree burns on the edges narrowed down to a roughly fist-sized third degree burn in the center of his chest.

âWhat '''''hit''''' me?â Chris asked, in a mix of surprised, irritated, pained, and impressed.

âYou were hit by a Paradox Sorcererâs lightning, Chris,â Stirling said.

âWow. This is almost as bad as that fireball that hit me last year.â

Matheeas nodded. âYeah, that was bad.â

Stirling turned to Matheeas. âDo you want to continue forward with him in this state orâ¦?â

Matheeas thought for a second. âLetâs search the surrounding area, but I donât think we can go too far down leaving you alone, Chris. You could come with us, but with the hole in the armor, you would be extremely vulnerable. If we donât come back within thirty minutes, or you hear yelling and screaming and bloody murder, then you should take one of the goats and head back.â

Chris was about to object, but after thinking a bit, he agreed.

âYeah, I guess you're right. If I donât make it back, Chris -3rd will never find his cleavers again.â

Stirling smiled, glad that Chris the -2nd still had his sense of humor. âAll right. Weâll be fast, then, Chris. You just stay conscious and hold tight.â He stood up and looked around at the mess heâd made. An old part of him made him feel some small sense of remorse for the killing heâd done, but he quickly and easily shoved the guilt aside, clearing his head.

âHey, Lancaster. Iâve got a stealthy idea.â

âOh?â

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

An ill-fitted Paradox Marauder and Shinobi flanked a visibly perturbed Paradox Sorcerer, as they walked through the mine. One rogue greeted them with a simple âHeyâ, to which the sorcerer nodded briefly.Â The occasional worker or slave spared them but a glance, as they passed by.

The Shinobi, with his very tight uniform, leaned over to the Sorcerer and whispered, âIs the leadership chamber much further? I think Iâm getting a wedgie, and I canât take much more of this. Maybe I should just stab you now and be done with this charadeâ¦!â

The Marauder continued the threat. âOr we could burn you, like you did with our friend.â

The sorcerer began sweating more profusely than he already was. âI swear, itâs just two more rooms over and a right. The whole planâs there, lined up on the walls. Just donât kill me!â

The Shinobi growled. âNo promises.â

They went through two more chambers, and turned right, where a door with a tacked on parchment labeled it âManagementâ.

âItâs right in here! I promise!â The Sorcerer said, nervously.

âAnything else we should know about whatâs in there?â Matheeas growled, his hand on his Marauderer blaster.

Stirling poked the dagger he held up against the Sorcerer.

The Sorcerer mumbled something intelligible.

âWhat was that??â Stirling said as he prodded considerably harder.

The sorcerer yelped as he reached out and pushed the door open in one fluid motion.

Inside, there were three other Paradox Rouges. Two seemed to be Marauderers without their full gear, helping a taller man who was clearly in charge. They were all leaning over a table with various papers.

The man in charge was wearing what Stirling had always imagined Rank 4 Paradox gear would end up looking like. What armor he was wearing at the time had translucent wires pulsing with maelstrom energy. His chestplate was thin, jet black, and light looking. His trousers and arms were similar, though there was a Paradox Rouge symbol on his shoulder. His boots had many wires, and large soles which added more than a few inches of hight. His arms had various slim compartments. Other than the gear he had on, there was a backpack leaning against the wall behind him. His helmet was equally slim, with a fully clear face-shield over which three retractable holographic lensâ loomed over one eye. which he had out at the moment.

âThen if everything is going apace, gentlemen-â he paused and turned casually to the three who had burst in.

Shinobi Stirling, Marauder Matheeas, and the sad Sorcerer, all stood there briefly.

â... I shall report to Vladek the good news,â the commander finished, as he began to stride towards the exit, currently blocked by the other three. He showed no signs of stopping, and seemed to expect the subordinates to move.

'''''âTHEYâRE REBE-â''''' The Sorcerer screamed, before gasping as he was stabbed.

Matheeas shoved the body at the leader.

Stunned, the leader flinched on instinct, and swatted the sorcererâs limp form away.

Only to meet maelstrom energy bolts from Matheeasâ pistol, which clanged and resulted in burn marks on his arm and chestplate, but did not penetrate.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Both Stirling and Matheeas stepped into the threshold, and Strider shut the door behind him, smiling grimly under the tight shinobi mask.

Only now did the two other Paradox Guards behind the leader react, reaching for their weapons that were close at hand.

The leaderâs eyes had widened in surprise, but now, they narrowed frighteningly. '''''âTraitors.â'''''

Strider barked a harsh laugh at the irony he found in the word, as he threw one of his Shinobi blades past Matheeasâs head, aiming for the jetpack. However, the leader deftly snatched the blade out of the air as it passed between him and Matheeas, and sprang forward towards Matheeas with a downward strike.

Seeing this, Matheeas moved in the only direction he had available in the narrow room. Forward. Rushing to dive ''underneath'' the blade that he could not parry, he then drove his entire body ''up'' into the gut of the leader, attempting to haul the leader in a shoulder-toss of sorts.

Both men were heavy in their armor. the Paradox Rogue leader was not able to twist quickly enough to strike Matheeas properly. however, Matheeas was not quite strong enough to throw him quite how heâd wanted to. They both landed in a dusty heap in front of Strider and the two Marauders, who were just now observing the situation and pointing blaster barrels just about everywhere.

Stirling put his remaining blade to the neck of the leader, while staring at the other two lackeys. âDrop your weapons, or Iâll slice through this soft rubber tubing that makes your leaderâs fancy neckpiece,â he commanded.

The two Rogues looked at each other, then at the strange Shinobi.Â âWhy donât you withdraw your blade first, Shinobi?â the one on the right said. His voice was even and clear.Â It was the voice of someone who was moving up in rank, and knew how to give commands of his own.

Stirling shook his head. âThereâs only one of my blades. Two of your guns. Remove a gun, and Iâll remove my blade.â

While this was going on, Matheeas tried to get back to his feet, but the leader grabbed him by the neck, and yanked him back to the ground. âNo you donât,â he said. âYouâre staying down here with me.â

âNo,â He replied. âYouâre down here with ME.â

The leader blinked twice. âIs that the best retort you could come up with?!â

âNo, I was about to say that I wish your face shield was opaque.â

The two rogues looked back at each other, then back at their boss.

âI wonÂ the annualÂ beauty contest three years straight, what did you do?â

âDidnât even need to do any sort of contest, just had to look in the mirror.â

The two rogues looked back at each other. The first one who had spoken nodded to the one on the left. âFine,â the left one said, dropping his pistol. His tone was one who just saw this as a day job.

The commanding rogue now turned to Strider. âNow you.â

Stirling was glad this mask covered his grin. Maybe he would keep it. After glancing once more at Matheeas, hoping he would be ready for it, he pulled out a knife from his boot, and tossed it underhand at the rogue.

The spinning blade was shot aside by the ready rogue, but the simultaneous sound of slicing flesh and the mad rush of the shinobi dragging his blade from across his commanderâs neck and into an upward swing at him took the yet-young lieutenant by surprise.

â...At least I didnât need hair plug- Oh. Oh!â Matheeas took the sword of the now decapitated commander, and went forward towards the other one that Stirling wasnât on. The one that was quickly recovering his dropped blaster. As he did, he saw Stirling swing his shinobi blade up and into the arms of the rogue with the gun, and ruin his shot, which went flying just shy of Striderâs left ear.

Matheeas didnât focus on that for much longer, as he tangled with the other remaining rogue.

The two lieutenants were dispatched quickly, and easily.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

âWell, at least we donât have to worry about being stealthy anymore.â Matheeas remarked, amidst the wrecked and bloody room.

Strider sighed, quite relieved, pulling off the hat and tossing it languidly. âWonderful.â

Matheeas turned to the other objects in the room. The Sorcerer had spoken truthfully. All along this room were various maps and charts showing the many levels, passages, and tunnels underneath Ankoria. It did not take him long to see the full scope of the plan arrayed here.

âThese mapsâ¦â Matheeas said, moving from one to the other. âTheyâre individual minesâ¦ But here. This oneâs not a huge mineâ¦â

He turned to Stirling, who was looking at the jetpack. âStrider, theyâre intending to connect all the mines.â

âYeah, okay. Hey, check this out. Thereâs a whole pistol in here! Talk about space saving!â Stirling said, pointing to a pistol that had sprung out of the side of the jetpack at the press of a button.

âThe mines the other groups are all in!â Matheeas enunciated.

Stirling picked up on Lancasterâs urgent tone, one he had not quite heard before from the usually cool-headed leader. He turned from the fascinating pack and gave his full attention to Lancasterâs discovered map. âThatâs a big project," Stirling conceded. "But whatâs the poiâ¦â

Even as he began to ask the question, Lancaster confirmed his answer.

âIt all connects back to Vladekâs fort. Heâll be able to move his forces much faster, much farther, without us seeing himâ¦â

Stirling raised an eyebrow. âIâve never known Vladek to be sneaky like that.â he turned to a table and began ruffling through papers. âThere must be another reason heâs doing all this.â

Matheeas nodded. âPreviously, he simply threw rogues at us, before he lost interest.â

Stirling shuffled more papers around restlessly. âSo if heâs not interested in you guys, why is he interested in these mines?âÂ He turned back to the Jetpack, tapping it to see if it was a special alloy. His rusty blacksmithy analysis told him no.Â âIs this seriously just for raw materials?â

âI donât know, but we have to warn the rest of our forces in the mines! Letâs gather as many plans as we can, and then we must get Chris out of here, and from there get to the others!â

Stirling nodded, and continued fumbling with the Jetpack. âThingâs got to have aâ¦â

â...What are you doing?â

âAha!â a slot opened up on the Jetpack. âThing doubles as a standard issue Nexus Force Backpack,â Stirling said. âWe can stuff everything in here.â

Matheeas looked at the dead corpse of the leader. âHow much?â

Stirling followed his gaze. âUm. Wellâ¦â

<nowiki>--------------</nowiki>

As the duo walked out of the âManagementâ room, Shinobi Stirling shouldered the loudly-humming commanderâs Jetpack. According to the energy it was emitting, they had crammed it full to itâs experimental capacity. Basically '''EVERYTHING''' but the computer banks and the table.

They casually walked back the way they came.

âItâs been longer than 30 minutes,â Stirling whispered. âI think our friend has left. Or at least he should have.â

Lancaster nodded. âHe will have followed orders.â

As they neared the exit, they became aware of a consternation up ahead. They barely had time to think, before a contingent of Paradox troops, came tromping around the corner, nearly bowling the other two over.

The leader of this group addressed them. âYou two, follow us, weâre on lockdown. Someoneâs infiltrated the mine. The Perimeter guards are missing and the entrance guards are in barrels, naked and quite d- wait.â

âYeah, abou that-â Stirling began, but Lancaster interrupted his sentence by firing his newly acquired rifle at the first line, blasting several.

â'''DIE, YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING BLIGHT-BRINGING ''TRAITORS!''â''' roared the Leader of the Resistance, dressed as a Marauder. As many of them fell, Stirling grabbed him by the other arm and began running, knowing that these men would only be surprised for so long.

âLooks like we aren't leaving the same way we came!â Stirling said. Once he was sure that Matheeas was running of his own accord, he reached into the Paradox Commanderâs pack and pulled out a map of the mine. âLetâs hope to God thereâs another way out!â

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

 

=== Chapter 15: Further into Fear ===

Kalaren fell to the bottom of the basin with a groan. The battle was not going in their favor.

Most of the slaves had been either knocked unconscious or killed, and Chris, Kevin, and him had been pretty banged up, Jellyfish had been fine because nobody could get a clear shot at him with all the gaseous fumes from the potions he had been throwing around him. One of which had thrown Kalaren off the edge. As he got up, Kevin backed up against him.

âGotta say, Manotaur, it was an honor!â

âWhat is WRONG with âKalarenâ?!?!?â

âDonât talk about ''The Manotaur'' like that! Youâll hurt his self esteem!â

Kalaren decided now wasnât a good time to club Kevin, so instead he fired his stolen wormholer at some oncoming Shinobi. Some of them were able to deflect the shots, or they simply stood behind the people in front of them. Unfortunately for them, one of Jellyfishâs explosives hit the group as they ran down the ramp.

âIâve got your back, Kalaren!â Dr. Jellyfish hollered from the cliff above, before getting brained by a rock from behind.

It was then that Kalaren heard some yelling behind him. He turned around. It was coming from the newly drilled tunnelâ¦

â''aaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAA'''AAHHHHHHHH!!!'''''â As the noise grew louder, a shinobi came into viewâ¦ He wasâ¦ Flying? with a Marauder on his back???

âDUCK!â Kalaren cried.

â... Dude?â Kevin asked, staring at the flying twosome. Then he gasped. âITâS ''DUCKDU-''â he began, before getting bowled over by the flying Shinobi and Marauder zooming past him. Kevin narrowly avoided the onslaught of foes that rushed forward to his prone state, rolling this way and that as shots and blades slammed into the cave floor around him.

Meanwhile, the two newcomers flew up to the clifftop above, and were lost to Kalarenâs sight. However, he heard the fighting resume strongly, andâ¦

âThis is the way out!â yelled the same voice. Something about it was familiar...

âThen letâs gather the troops and push forward!â said another, which Kalaren recognized immediatly.

''âMatheeas!â'' Kalaren realized. ''âWhatâs he doing here?â''

The Marauder reappeared at the cliff top, before ripping his helmet off. âLetâs bring this party outside!â he roared. Everyone in the room spared a moment to look at this newcomer.

âWho the stars are you?!â cried one of the slaves.

Another person came up next to him. A shinobi, who ripped off the facemask. âWeâre the '''''blasted calvary''''', what more do-â

âWe are two Knights of the Olde Speech, here to save you from certain doom!â Lancaster crowed.

Next to him, Stirling, for it was Stirling, now that Kalaren saw them without the disguise, did a double-take. However, before they could say anything more, Kalaren felt he should mention a minor detailâ¦

âThatâs great and all, but the entrance to this tunnel is blocked.â

At that moment, Kalaren heard more sounds from the tunnel behind him.

Stirling and Matheeas turned to each other, both looking quite pale. Then they looked down at a sheet that Stirlng was holdingâ¦ Slowly, they looked at each other, then down the tunnel that Kalaren had come from originally. There were a number of Paradox Rouges, watching them curiously. Clearly fresh reinforcements.

âLooks like itâs the belly of the beast for us,â Stirling said.

One of the Paradox rogues below in the basin with Kevin and Kalaren, shook the slave whoâs shirt collar he still held.

âSo we gunna fight or not?â

From the tunnel, several rows of organized marching rogues appeared, causing the other (admittedly disorganized) rogues to cheer.

And the battle commenced again.

'''âTo me!â''' cried Matheeas. â'''If you value your freedom, to me!â'''

Kalaren threw a grenade behind him into the new troops from the tunnel, and ran to the ramp, chainsawing a sorcerer who stepped too close with his right hand, and hauled Kevin to his feet with his left.

âThanks, dude,â Kevin said, stumbling to his feet. Behind them swarmed the few surviving slaves that could still run.

âAnytime.â He muttered.

Upon reaching the clifftop, Kalaren saw Stirling using a Wormholer to drill his own gruesome hole into the other oncoming Paradox Rogues, even as Matheeas used a shield in one hand, and slapped Dr. Jellyfish to consciousness with his other.

âWake. Up. Doctor.â he said, punctuating the words with slaps. âTime to Run. For the hills.â

âArguumâ¦ Wha- oh. Oh. OH! Yes SIR! Where are they?â

Matheeas pointed down the hall that Stirling was shooting. âThat way.â

Dr. Jellyfish leaned to see around Stirling, who was actively getting shot at. âOh. Jellyfish.â

Matheeas nodded. âJellyfish indeed.â Then he turned to the others as they arrived. âHere is the plan. Weâre going to fit into a circle, putting the weakest in the center, weâll move down the tunnel behind me, and past the entrance to this tunnel. It wonât be as fast a mad rush, but we should go farther. We can still make it!â

A few of the weary slaves turned fighters cheered, Kevin and Kalaren with them, but Matheeas could tell they were near their breaking points.

'''âGREAT PEP TALK,â''' Stirling yelled. '''âNOW LETâS MOVE, PEOPLE!!!â'''

So they did. Commanders Matheeas, Kalaren and Stirling headed the movement, all armed with Wormholers to better mow down the attackers. Kevin and Jellyfish formed the rearguard. Jellyfish with his explosive potions, and Kevin with a rocket launcher and blaster. In the middle with many of the slaves was Chris -3rd, who was badly injured.

Moving down the corridor, the three in front shot at anything that moved. Kalaren glanced at Stirling, who had clearly already been shotÂ in multiple non-vital areas while heâd cleared the tunnel during Matheeasâ speech. The jetpack on his back appeared to be pulsing, and small batches of nanobots were scurrying from the backpack, moving across his shinobi armor, causing him to grunt and twitch from time to time.

Now, they pressed the advantage Stirling has earned them, trying to keep the tunnel clear. Up the short tunnel, past the collapsed entrance on their leftâ¦

âContact!â yelled Kevin from the rear. âThose bad dudes have caught up with us back here!â The sounds of gunfire echoed from behind the group.

âHold them back!â Matheeas yelled, even as they heard a familiar explosion and hiss from the Doctorâs concoctions.

As they continued to advance, they soon saw their enemies retreating rather than standing to face them.

âTactical retreat.â Stirling muttered. âTheyâll regroup up ahead.â

âSo, itâs a trap?â Kalaren asked, glancing between the two. âDo we press forward?â

Matheeas shook his head. âNot much of a choice.â

Stirling waved an arm. âThis whole mine was a trap. Gah..!â He grunted, as a group of nanobots reached a wound and burrowed in, disinfecting it. It served as a further reminder of the fact.

They rushed as quickly as they dared down the ramp and followed it as it curved gently right. It led into a dimly lit corridor, with room for barely two people to stand abreast. The walls and ceiling were absolutely covered with light purple crystals that jaggedly reflected the light.

Stirling grimaced. It was the perfect murder hole. The perfect place for a trap.

He roared, rushed forward, and fired blindly into the dark. Crystals shattered with the sound of glass, and as some shards hit the ground, there was a telltale beep, and then an answering roar as a dozen mines went off, creating an inferno that was channeled both ways.Â Matheeas yanked him back around the curve of the tunnel to relative saftey as shards of crystal and fire zipped past both of them.

Stunned, Stirling muttered, âBetter me than everyone. Wayâs clear.â

Kalaren stared at him, before saying in a voice quiet enough so no one behind him could hear, âWe could have thrown one of the half-dead slaves instead.â

Matheeas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he hissed as his brain alerted him to a deep gash in his left arm.

He examined it. A clean cut, straight through the thickest part of the Marauder gauntlets he was wearing. Beyond that, he could see he was bleeding no small amount through a cut in his muscle.

Surprised and intrigued, he pulled the gauntlet off, and saw the cut was a few centimeters deep. He quickly pulled out a bandage and wrapped it tight, as Stirling recovered his feet and the rest of the group piled up next to them.

âWhy are we stopping?â exclaimed a hooded woman, bumping into Kalaren. âThe Paradox are pressing us from behind!â

âThey are laying traps up ahead. We areâ¦ disabling them. Watch your step, there are sharp shards of crystal on the floor.â Matheeas exclaimed. âKalaren, youâre expendable, go in there and shoot the rest of the room up quickly, just in case the explosion left anything. Youâll lead on after that.â

Kalaren raised his eyebrows before Stirling interrupted, staggering to his feet.

âNo, no. Iâm fine.â he reached into his Nexus Force backpack and pulled out a Venture League flaregun. âHow do I fire this thing?â

âHey, I can do it. You cleared most of it anyway, and I will be more careful than. That.â Kalaren said.

âYâknow what..!â The hooded lady said as she snatched the flaregun from Stirlingâs hands and chucked it into the room. Nothing happened.

She turned to Stirling. âThere, see? No more traps there. Youâve got more?â

Stirling looked into the backpack. There was tons of junk here, and once again Stirling wasn't sure to bless or curse Peragrine's packrat tendencies. âSure.â

He ran forward, only to hiss as he started limping. Taking a quick glance, he noticed there were multiple thin gashes through the fronts of his leggings.

âOh. Curious.â However, he didnât stop.

ââIâm sure you're fineâ.â Kalaren said as he hurried to catch up with him.

The corridor was covered in crystal, and Stirling could feel the sharp edges cutting into his Shinobi boots. He could only guess what this was going to do to the slaves, but it wasn'tâ like they had a choice. He and Kalaren ran as the corridor began to slope uphill slightly. As it did, Stirling stopped Kallaren with an arm, and said, âCover your eyes.â Then, he threw a flash bang from his pack.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the sound of an engine turning on in the distance.

The others caught up with Stirlng and Kalaren.

âThatâs one of the laser drills!â A slave yelled, recognizing the sound. âThey must be pushing it down the slope that's up ahead!â

Sudden panic threatened to overwhelm the group as they realized they would soon be between a rock and a hard place.

âWeâre boxed in! We canât break past their forces behind us!!!â

Stirling looked at Matheeas, who in turn looked at Stirling, frustrated. The leader of the resistance threw his hands up helplessly.

That was all that Stirling needed. Ripping off the Shinobi shoulderpads, he reached into his pack and pulled out his Samurai pads and helm. Then he yanked the Paradox Jetpack off his back and dumped EVERYTHING on the floor. Dozens of papers, several weapons and armors, and grenades.

âEVERYONE, GRAB SOMETHING AND GET READY TO RUN," Stirling commanded.

As various people picked up supplies, Matheeas watched Stirling as the knight shoved a final grenade into the jetpack, then closed it back up.

âStirling, youâre not going to-â Matheeas began.

Stirling studied some buttons on the jetpack, even as the sound of the drill grew louder, keeping above the renewed din of the Paradox forces having caught up with them from behind.

He pressed a few buttons, and the jetpackâs engines revved up.

âGo with the jetpack?â Stirling asked. âNo. Iâm reckless, not stupid.â And with that, he sent the jetpack rocketing up the ramp.

Just as it went out of sight, a terrific explosion rocked the entire structure, followed by the sound of a second explosion. Various people screamed, and it felt like they were in the center of an earthquake.

Kalaren looked up just in time to avoid a large section of the ceiling falling down on top of him.

âWEâRE GOING TO DIE!â someone yelled.

Stirling rushed forward, even as the corridor began to collapse. '''âRUN!''' FOLLOW ME, YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT,â he roared over the crashing rocks, the screaming combatants, the raging inferno up ahead, and the crunching of the armed troops behind.

Matheeas and Kalaren rushed after Stirling, shooting debris as it rained down upon them and their charges that followed. However, to their surprise, when the ceiling fell, it didn'tâ reveal more rock, but instead, a much wider open ceiling many yards away. Seeing as the way further into the tunnel just included more crashing rocks and debris, this seemed like a good place to go. Stirling scrambled up some rocks that were conveniently piled on a wall into the room, and the others followed suit.

They emerged into a wide open cavern, with mine carts and tracks leading to and from many various tunnels, including one massive tunnel across the room. Stirling spun around once. Theyâd just created a massive sinkhole in the middle of what he now identified as a fledgling ore processing center and hub.

âCrux.â

At least 22 rogues in the immediate vicinity were staring at them, along with countless slaves of all sorts of ethnicities. Â

They were, of course, the center of attention.

 

=== Chapter 16: Only the Beginning of the Madness ===

And then the room exploded with activity.

Stirling rushed forward, repeating his cry to all the slaves in the room. '''âFOLLOW ME IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.â'''

The cry did not immediately affect the slaves in this new room, as they were still processing what just happened. However, the outpouring of Matheeas, Kalaren, and all of the others, including the fighting slaves, from the fissure in the floor brought the realization forward, and friend and foe were stirred into action.

Stirling pointed to the largest tunnel, and said to Matheeas, âThink thatâs our target.â

Matheeas nodded. âSounds good. Might be able to use those.â He said, gesturing to the mining carts on tracks that went up the tunnel.

Stirling nodded. âWomen and Children, with one fighter each. As many as we can.â

âWe donât have any children here. Maybe older teenagers. Donât forget the elderly.â

âMinors then! Non-combatants!â

âTheyâre all miners,â Kalaren said as he threw a sorcerer mightily high into the air with his cybernetic arm.

âYOU GET THE POINT!â Stirling spluttered as he dove behind a minecart, not having a ranged weapon to fight back against the ranged combatants all around the room.

Matheeas shrugged and yelled the order. âEVERYONE UNABLE TO FIGHT GET INTO THE CARTS ON THIS TRACK!â

Dr. Jellyfish raised a hopeful hand from the back. âIâm getting to that point, Commander! Only so many beakers left!â

âThen make them count! Defend the slaves as they mount the carts, and light the track up with something NON-EXPLOSIVE!â

Chris the -3rd appeared from the crowd and slumped next to Stirling. âHey, Strider. Been meaning to ask: Whereâs my bro?â

Stirling glanced up, and surprise flashed across his face. âOh yeah. We had to leave him behind.â

âWhat?!â

âNo, not like that! He was badly injured. We-â

âYou left him there?!?â

âNo! Well yes, but-â

Chris the -3rd began spluttering incoherently, giving Stirling just enough time to finish his explanation.

â-last I saw him, he was given orders to make his way back to base if we didnât return in some amount of minutes. We didnât return. Yet.â

âOh.â And then Chris dodged a lightning bolt from a sorcerer who was shooting from a higher vantage point. The sorcerer was instantly retaliated against by multiple laser blasts.

âThatâs what hit him.â Stirling said, indicating the lightning blast. Then he gripped Chrisâs shoulder hard. âAnd if you want to see him again, youâre going to hold on and help me get everyone else out of here. Got that, soldier?â

Chris looked at Stirling in surprise, then his features hardened and he nodded grimly. âWhat do you want me to do, commander?â

âYouâre going to be on the first cart out of here. I need you to spearhead the convoy out of here. Be sure to get a wormholer.â

âYes sir.â Chris sprinted up towards a cart that was farther ahead, cleaving a few rogues on his way there, and grabbing an aforementioned wormholer.

Stirling turned his attention to getting a weapon of his own. âRight. Enough hunkering down.â And he stormed into the fray.

<nowiki>~~~~~~</nowiki>

Kalaren looked further up the tunnel as the cart he had hitched a ride on came up the tunnel. Up ahead, he saw Chris the Negative 3rd fighting off the last of the Paradox guards in the room, with the hooded slave that had talked to Matheeas and Stirling earlier at his side, swinging a shinobi katana at their foes.

The other slaves had rounded up a group of scientists in typical labcoats or outrageous goggles and other sciency gear. They held them hostage by waving tools and blunt objects menacingly at them. Kalaren jumped off of his cart and headed past the rest of the stacked up carts. The further they came into the room, the more familiar it seemed in shapeâ¦

Then it hit him. This room looked like a mirror image of his original holding cell! Only, instead of being a dimly lit torture-slash-expirimental test subject chamber, this was some sort of geological study laboratory.

âKal! Give me a hand here,â Chris called, wrestling with a Paradox Marauder and bringing Kalaren back to the situation at hand.

âOh, yeah, sorry!â He yelled back as he unsheathed his shortsword and ran over. He grabbed Chrisâ assailant and stabbed him, before rushing over to the hooded lady, who was desperately fighting off a shinobi. Kalaren proceeded to stab that foe as well.

âThere we go.â Kalaren said as he helped Chris back up to his feet.

âLooks like the free ride is over,â Chris said, pointing to where the mine carts stopped against a bumper in the middle of the room.

As he spoke, the line of carts shuddered again as more carts arrived with more people.

âGonna have to use your old tired bones!â Kalaren jested. âI used to have a holding cell like this.â

âBut then you took an arrow to the knee?â

âAxe to the arm, rather.â He said, gesturing at his right robotic arm.

âOh.â The color drained from Chrisâs face a bit more as he realized the perfect reversal that Kalaren had just done in equal parts jest and seriousness combined.

âYou were a slave too?â The hooded lady said as she walked up.

Kalarenâs eyebrows knitted together. âNot quite. Itâs hard to explain. Letâs see whatâs on the other side of this door.â He said, as he walked up to the thick steel door at the end of the room. At the moment, it was locked. Kalaren braced his foot against the wall and ripped out the handle and lock with his mangled, but still functional, right hand.

Various sounds of exclamation and approval from all conscious came from behind, but like a boss, Kalaren didnât look back. Part of the reason being his face had slightly reddened. Instead, he heard the hooded lady say to the other hostage scientists, âThatâs right. Thatâs the kind of secret firepower weâve got! So now you can either escape with us, or stay out of our way, youâ¦ youâ¦â

The other slaves came to her rescue.

âTorturers!âÂ âManiacs!âÂ âEvildoers!â

A few of the scientists stood up with their hands in the air. âI hate this job anyway! The foodâs lousy and I donât get dental.â

The slaves just looked at each other, then at the scientists.

âOh. Yeah.â One of them said.

âIt wasnât that bad, especially the fried land-roving squid!â Jellyfish said as he ran up.

One of the scientists gagged and fainted.

The first one that had spoken up first did so again. âLook, we wonât stop you. Thereâs even some here that would join you! Take me, anythingâs better than staying down here in this stinky dank dungeon investigating ''Crisilau''!â He paused. âIâve always been more interested in the zoology of Ankoria,â he stated wistfully.

âLike land-roving squids!!!â replied Jellyfish.

The rest of the scientists murmured their agreement, and some began hotly debating if the land-roving squid was truly still a squid with land-roving capabilities, or an entirely new animal.

âDoesnât matter right now,"Chris said before turning back to Kalaren. What's on the other side of the door anyway, Kal?â

The previously mentioned individual held two unconscious guards by the scruff of their necks, before dropping them simultaneously in mock guilt. âNothing!â Kalaren said, a grin slowly creeping up on his face. âAlso, there is a cell block. If there are any prisoners in there, we can free them."

One of the scientists reached towards a dead guard, before one of the slaves knocked his hand aside.

âHey, what do you think youâre doinâ?â

âOw!â The scientist sucked on his stricken palm, and with the other, he pointed at some keys on the dead guardâs belt. âFu muh mu fat mu muwock the mrulls.â

âSay again?â The slave asked.

Next to him, another scientist translated the palm-suckerâs words.

âHe said,Â âYou can use that to unlock the cells.âÂ Really, Dave, it couldn't have hurt that bad.â

âmru mrrts mru mink!â

The slave shrugged and grabbed the keys, before tossing them to Kalaren. He nodded his thanks and headed down the corridor. Four cells on either side, each with a heavy iron door. He stopped at one door and looked in through a rectangular viewing port that opened and closed with a thin iron sheet.

It was a cell, but there were just more crates of crystal in them. The next few cells all contained more crystals, though some had scientific equipment and information on fold-out tables or taped up corkboards filled with notes. Each cell seemed to be set up to investigate something different about the crystals. This ''Crisilau.'' The same crystals that had cut through Matheeas' and Strider's armor in the mines below.

As Kalaren reached the end of the corridor, there was another iron door, but thankfully this one was ajar.

Walking into the large circular room, he saw three more doors like the one heâd just come through. Looking up, he realized that this central chamber also had a large winding staircase that looped around and around and around the inside of this tall interior. Far up in the distant ceiling, Kalaren could see a pinprick of natural light.

He looked back down the hallway he had come through, as he saw Chris leading a swarm of slaves.

âThe others have come up the tunnel, and so have their pursuers. Whatâs up ahead?â Chris asked.

Kalaren gestured to the cells. âNo prisoners in these. Just crystals and notes. This door leads to a room with a stairway leading up, and three other cell blocks.â

âThere are a few prisoners in the next cell blocks, maybe we could free them too.â The wishful zoologist ventured helpfully.

Kalaren nodded. âAlright, then youâll lead us through the cells. Five of the others will come with me. Chris, you stay here to tell Matheeas and the rest what weâre doing, and keep everyone here until we come back.â

Chris the -3rd nodded.

âThis one first,â the scientist said, pointing to the one left of where theyâd come from. It had a plaque next to it reading âNâ.Â The others, Kalaren now realized, also had plaques, reading âSâ, âWâ and âEâ. Compass points.

Kalaren unlocked the North door, and as it groaned and protested, two guards sprang out and fired point-blank at Kalaren with their blasters. One shot hit Kalarenâs cybernetic arm, and the other one grazed his left shoulder, but this gave the other slaves that were following Kalaren time and room to shoot and hack at them.

Chris rushed forward to check on Kalaren. Wordlessly, Kalaren waved him off, and Chris instead turned back to the others, and those coming through the West door, up from the mines.

After that short debacle, Kalaren and the others following him quickly cleared out the Northern Cell Block, which rather more resembled a micro-community, with each cell being a tiny house, and the central corridor more of a general hangout.

All in all, while everyone here was ''absolutely'' a prisoner, they seemed to be treated humanely while not actually working in the mines. Most of them agreed to come with them in this prison break, but others rejected the offer, and they were thrown in a cell together so they couldnât, or wouldnât stop them from escaping.

The strangest part of the cell block was at the end, however. A final door at the far end was easily opened without force or key to revealâ¦

âOh, this is our hottub lounge and general breakroom. Good for relaxing those muscles at the end of a long dayâs work.â The scientist explained.

Two masked Paradox Marauders looked up from where they were chilling in the hottub. They appeared to only have their helmets and swim trunks on. They turned to the newcomers.

âHey. This is our break. Come back later when we are high-strung and ready to shoot,â one of them said.

âNo... Dobson, these must be the guys that are causing all those alerts,â said the other.

âWonder whyâ¦?â

âDunno, Dobson.â

âWhat should we do, Dobson?â

âWeâre on break, like you said. Itâs not our problem.â Dobson turned back to Kalaren. âTake what you want, just leave the nachos. Those are mine.â

Kalaren stared in disbelief, before turning around and closing the door.

âHe seemed nice!â came the distant voice of one of the Dobsons.

Kalaren kept walking down the corridor. âNext!â

Meanwhile, while Kalaren and the wannabe zoologist were clearing out the North Cell Block, Stirling, Matheeas, and everyone else arrived to speak with Chris, who brought them up to speed.

Stirling growled a curse under his breath. âWe donât have ''time'' for this.â

Matheeas shrugged. âWeâll never get another chance like this.â He dropped his voice to a lower volume. âBesides, some of them could join the resistance, and I wonât say no to that.â

âFine!â Strider said. âThen let's split up, you and me, and get the other two corridors. Weâll be out of here faster.â Stirling said, before looking up the staircase. âWeâre sitting ducks here for all manner of things to be rained down on us.â

âThen, like you said, letâs get out of here as soon as we can!â Matheeas said, and then proceeded to turn right, heading to the eastern tunnel. Stirling growled, and barged south.

Fishing some keys from one of the comatose Guards, Stirling flung the south cell block open.

Two guards spun around the doorframe, as Stirling expected. He reached out and grabbed both of the Marauder's blasters and pushed them upward just as the two fired. As the blaster fire shot harmlessly into the ceiling, Stirling shoved them both back into the room, and spun around on the one to his right, getting the guard into a chokehold between him and the second one.

The free guard yelled as a small mining laser hit his visor and melted, fired from a slave outside the corridor.

Stirling grinned with grim satisfaction, then snapped the neck of the guard that he held, dropping the body unceremoniously.Â He stepped forward to the other rogue, who was scrabbling with their helmet on the floor,Â desperatly trying to get the melted visor off of his face. A quick sword cut, and there was silence. Â

Stirling looked around the cell block.

This cell block was distinctly more dismal. A number of curious and anxious faces leered out from the individual cells that lined this prison block.

A trio of slaves stepped into the block behind Stirling.

âThat wasâ¦ Veryâ¦ Effective.â One of them said, grimacing at the bloody mess they had just stepped over.

âItâs only going to get worse,â Strider grunted.

âExcuse me, but are you here to let us out?â said one of the voices from the cells.

â...Or kill us?â Ventured another.

Stirling moved to the one that spoke first, partway down the hall. It was a woman in a baggy burlap habit with the hood up. A strand of dirty, matted, red hair was visible. Stirling thought he noticed some silver in it too.

âI have keys. I donât have your freedom,â he said, as he unlocked the cell door. âThat, youâll have to fight for.â

The trio that followed Stirling in found other sets of keys and began opening other cells as Stirling continued to talk to the red-haired woman.

She nodded slowly. âBetter than this, I suppose.â She lowered her voice and leaned closer to Strider. âEveryone else in the cells should be fine to release, there are a few eccentric ones, but fairly harmless, the real person you should be careful around is the one inhabiting cell number 17. Thatâs Tillman. Heâs theirâ¦ Test subject.â

Stirling turned and looked over his shoulder at cell 17, further down the cell block. Inside was a man in a similar habit, rocking back and forth on his cot. He seemed to not have noticed anything outside, and was just staring ahead.

Stirling looked back. âDuly noted, missâ¦?â

âAmras. Is there a weapon I could use?â

Swinging the cell door open, Stirling withdrew his dagger and handed it to her hilt-first. âTill you can pick up one of their guns, or a drill, or something.â

Amras looked at it a little disappointedly. âBetter than this shard of a rock I found, I suppose.â Then she took it.

Stirling chuckled, then got back to unlocking more cells. As he did so, he felt a hand grip his shoulder.

Instinctively, he whipped around, backhanding the freed prisoner in the face.

âWhy you little...!â the stranger said, clearly offended. âWho are you? What do you want?!â he asked, as a poor means of beginning a conversation.

âIâm Stirling Silverstine. Iâm here to get you out, ''apparently'',â Stirling said, turning to free other prisoners. But the stranger wasnât done talking.

âWell, that certainly depends on who you are and who you serve.â

This gave Stirling pause. He looked back over his shoulder and regarded this young man. Like a lot of the prisoners, he had muscle, and was well-built from hard labor. He had a full head of black hair and a full beard, both roughly cut. His eyes were simple, dark green, flat, and searching.

Stirling turned back around to face him fully, and slowed down, as everyone else continued to mill around him, Amras, and this stranger. This stranger who was smart enough to question his motives...

âAs I said. Iâm Stirling Silverstine. I serve no one, and seek to make that choice possible for everyone. Iâm against thedude, and Vladek, and any other tyrants that would restrict your freedom to live as you will.â

He noticed others were listening to his words, and that most of the cells were open now, except for cell 17.

âDoes that answer your question, sirâ¦?â

The stranger opened his mouth to speak, lost in thought. âVikky.â He mumbled.

The sound of others sniggering brought âVikkyâ to focus. He shook his head. âAHEM! I mean, uh, Victor.â

Stirling reached out and grabbed âVikkyâsâ shoulder. âNope, itâs Vikky now. Are you willing to fight for your freedom?â

âNo one calls me Vikky. No one but my sister. Got that?" Victor said evenly. He changed the subject again before anyone could object. "I don't mind fighting if it means I can go home.â

Stirling narrowed his eyes slightly at the prisoner, then shook the shoulder once. âFine. Next time, donât sneak up on me. I could have done a lot worse.â Then Stirling gave a final grim smile to Victor and the onlookers as he walked over to cell 17.

As he approached the cell, he observed the prisoner within.

âTillmanâ had not noticed him, and continued to stare at the wall. As Stirling looked closer, he noticed âTillmanâsâ skin was ''sand green''. He also lacked hair. But the oddest part about him was his fingers. They were ''long'' and ''spindly,'' holding his legs up to his chest.

âMr. Tillman?â Stirling asked.

Tillmanâs head snapped to look at Stirling, as he stopped rocking and let his thin anemic legs fall to the floor, and his eyes squinted.

âAh! John! How good to see you! Have you broughtâ¦â His eyes darted from side to side, before he whispered mysteriously, â... the barnacles?â

Stirling held up the keys and jangled them. âSomething better. Iâm here to let you go.â

âLet... me go? No. I canât do that. No food out there. No power.â He said, gesturing to a power cord hanging from the ceiling.

Stirling looked up. âNoâ¦ Power?â

âNo power, no food, no sustenance, more hunger, more pain, more quiet. Itâs too quiet in here. And yet, too loud. All because of fear. Too much fear. Maybe not enough. Healthy fear. Good to lose weight on. Also hair. You got barnacles?â

Stirling shook his head. He didnât have time for this. This was like talking to Dr. Jellyfish. But more freaky.

âTillman! Focus.â Stirling jangled the keys again, and began unlocking the cell.

âYes! I have the payment. You got barnacles? Is that thing in your hands a barnacle? I need bar-â

âIâm opening this cell. You can go and get your own barnacles. Outside. People will try to stop you, but something tells me they canât stop you, if you really want barnacles bad enough.â

âYou sure thatâs a good ideaâ¦?â One of the slaves said.

Stirling turned back on him more brusquely than he intended. âI '''donât''' have the time to judge each one of you. Weâre wasting too much time already.â He swung the cell open.

Tillman peered outside cautiously, as Stirling and others backed up. âNo power. Canât come. Unlessâ¦ You have other food?â

Stirling blinked furiously. âYou eat electricity?â

âYes. Sort of. Not very good. All I haveâ¦â

Stirling pulled Peragrineâs pack off and began rummaging around.''âAlright, Peragrine, I'm calling on you again here.â'' Stirlingâs hands wrapped around something sizable and metallic. He pulled it out.

It turned out to be a Boombox. Stirling set it down on the ground in front of the test subject.

âOk, Tillman. Can you take the battery power from this?â

Tillman looked down at it. âMaybe.â He wrapped his fingers on it, and his entire body started to glow as he started humming in delight.

Sufficiently disturbed, but glad that heâd made the strangeâ¦ Man? Creature? happy, Stirling turned to the end of the corridor, where a number of slaves were attempting to unlock the far doorway with a number of keysâ¦ The only question was which ones to use, as these double doors had four differently colored locks. The others had already unlocked three of the four, but were having difficulty finding the last one.

âNot this oneâ¦ Not this oneâ¦ Which of these is it?!â

âThereâs too many locks on this stupid door! Whatâs so interesting behind here?â said one of the slaves thatâd come from the mines.

âWeapons.â Amras clarified. âAt least, I think so. I see guards go in there without weapons and come out with weapons.â

Stirling grinned wolfishly. âThen thatâs certainly worth a minute.â He glanced back at the main room, noting how the other leaders hadnât quite come back yet, and the main force of the slaves was holding back the guards in the mines. âBut only just a minute.â he growled, noting the treasure-filled glee among those around him.

âAh! Hereâs the final key!â The slave said. âWait. No. I was wrong.â

âOh, let me!â Said one with a mining laser, who proceeded to cut through the final lock. Sirling strode forward and pushed the heavy iron double doors open.

The room was filled with various weapons, mostly Paradox. Wormholers hung on the wall, racks of shinobi katanas, boxes of sorcerer wands, and various armor pieces were scattered about the room. Here and there were other more antiquated armaments, like black spears, sets of red armor with black skorpions emblazoned on them, and dark, foreboding helmets entirely black. Along the back wall were seemingly more special items in glass cases.

There were also two stone statues of knights on either side of Stirling, which started to glow an eerie red.

âWell, Crux.â Stirling sighed.

 

=== Chapter 17: The Clarity of Insanity. ===

Matheeas and Jellyfish opened the east cell block, and they both handled their individual guard. Matheeas by a quick parry and thrust, and Jellyfish by a quick dodge and countershot to the head. They sauntered into the block.

âYup. Mhm. Place looks familiar.â Jellyfish said as they looked around.

âReally?â Matheeas said. The place looked fairly well maintained. Good lighting, although the doors were steel with only a sliding window to look in.Â Matheeas walked up to the closest one and peered in. Inside appeared to be a knight wearing dark armor, sleeping on a cot. A cherry-red light activated within his helmet, and he sat straight up, giving Matheeas a look inside his helmet. It appeared that one half of his face was covered in metal. His right hand, also appearing to have a metallic glint, shot a short, thick, blade. The knight quickly grabbed his right arm with his left and held it down.

âGreetings. My sincerest apologies. It is simply my right sideâs reaction. Have you come to bring me supper?â

âNo, I have actually come to break you out of here, if you wish.â

The cybernetic knight- for surely, Matheeas thought, this man reminded him of Kalarenâs cybernetics- frowned.

âBreak out? Out of this cell.â He paused, considering Matheeas. âThenâ¦ Thou art not with the Lord Vladek?â

âNot in the slightest. You?â

The knight stood up. âLet me out, and I shall slay our foes.â

Matheeasâs brow furrowed. âSwear on your honor as a knight that you wonât harm me or my allies.â

The cyber-knight paused, so Matheeas added:

âAt least until we get out of here, you wonât attack any of my comrades. Then we can talk about it more.â

The cyber-knight was silent for a moment. âI am afraid I cannot do that.â

âWhy not?â

He motioned to his cybernetic arm. âThis arm. It is encoded to kill. I cannot guarantee that I shall not harm thee. Tis why I am enclosed herein. I am one of the greatest swordsmen in this fortress. With few exceptions, we wouldest meet little resistance in our escape. But I cannot say with veracity that thou wouldest be safe with me thereafter. Or indeed, before.

Matheeas nodded slowly. âSo, if you think you went ahead a little bit, and thought about killing only Vladekâs troops, we would be relatively safe?â

â...Perhaps.â

âGreat! Weâll come back for you later so you can lead the way.â

â...Very well.â

Matheeas closed the slot, and turned to look at Dr. Jellyfish, who was standing outside one of the cells, door open.

âThisâ¦ This was my room.â

Matheeas walked over. Inside was a bedstand with a sheet of metal, and a pillow, with straps welded to the sides to make a very low-grade operating table. All around the room were bits of machinery on the ground, on other tables, hanging from stands and small power-cranes. There was even an entire generator in the back of the room, which was hooked up to at least a dozen items. From the other cranes, to the bright surgical lights, to a few humming machines.

âThis room is definitely used for cybernetics. Fitting, that was my specialty.â

âStill is, Doctor. Think you could take any of this?â

â..Oh. Oh. Oh yes. Yes indeed! Give me a few minutes, I want to analyze the generator!â

Just then, the door at the far end of the corridor opened, upward with a hiss of air, and a tall, gaunt man in a white lab coat and gloves stepped through a blue force field.

He paused when he saw Matheeas and Jellyfish. Jellyfish turned to meet him.

âSylvester! Good to see you! How are the tests going? Howâs Collin?â

Matheeas observed this âSylvesterâ. Tall, gaunt, very much a scientist like Jellyfish, but he seemed to have a more... Sinister air about him. He was wearing goggles, but they did not make him look goofy. Instead, they accentuated the pinprick-like eyes he had, with their minimalist blue irises. He had slick black hair, and a neat, close trimmed, mustache.

âJohnathan.â he said. His voice was low. Surprisingly low, for someone so thin. His tone was neutral. He was clearly still processing what he was seeing.

âWas that my name? Yes, I suppose it was. Anyways you didnât answer my questions, so hereâs another oneâ¦ Have you tried out my fried jellyfish recipe?â

Sylvester considered Jellyfish as he thought about this question. âYes. It was nutritionally and palatably terrible. A recipe not worth repeating. What is your business here?â

Matheeas was about to speak before Jellyfish beat him to it.

âWe are commencing a jailbreak! Aaaand raiding whatever we come across!â Jellyfish waved his blaster at the room they were just in.

âI hope that excludes me.â

âThat is up to the Commander here!â Both of the scientists turned expectantly at Matheeas.

âYou two know each other?â Matheeas asked.

âOh yes! We were colleagues.â Jellyfish replied.

âAssociates.â amended Sylvester.

âWe both worked on Kalaren!â

âSubject OâBryan.â

Matheeas shook his head. âIs he a threat, Doctor?â

âYeah, kind of, pretty much.â

âActually, I agree. But you canât touch me.â Then, he stepped backwards, into the forcefield.

Jellyfish let out a small bark of laughter. âYouâre relying on the same security system I assisted in installing!â

There was no reply, except for the door closing with another hiss of air.

Jellyfish strode forward. âIâll have this down in five minutes!â Once he got within a foot of the archway, he was met with a blast of electricity that discharged seemingly from the door itself.

âJELLYFIIISSZZ!â he squealed as he flew back down the corridor.

Matheeas stared for a few seconds, before cautiously walking over to check on Jellyfish. The tips of his face were somewhat singed, and parts of his coat was blackened, but other than that, the electricity had not conducted too far past his leather coat. Matheeas shook him awake.

âYou ok?â

âYeah,â Jellyfish wheezed. âI think. Thatâs new. That never would have conformed to Collinâs safety regulationsâ¦â Jellyfish paused as they heard a grating metal sound behind them. they both looked back to see the Cyber-knight stepping out of his cell.

But he clearly wasn'tâ here to help. His face spoke only of murder. A long blade slid out of his right arm.

Then he turned and ran out of the cell block.

''â âJellyfish.â â''

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

Stirling dove into the room as he heard the two stone knights groaning and creaking with movement. Snatching a sturdy-looking spear from a stand, he twisted around to block any oncoming attacks, and sized up his opponents.

They were just now turning towards him. Slowly, they stepped off of their pedestals, and Stirling realized how tall and lumbering they were, about twice his height, they had huge stone halberds that they lowered in his direction. They seemed to go faster the more they moved.

Glancing back towards the door, and all ofthe people beyond, he began to back up, hoping that the others would catch onto his unspoken plan. The room wasnât very large, and was filled with weapons, but he hoped to lure the stone knights further in, so that the others could sneak up from behind and defeat themâ¦ Somehow.

The knights began to thrust at him. Realising he would probably not be able to block or parry their massive stone halbard attacks, he began to duck and dodge and scamper backwards.

Amras watched, her hooded eyes assessing the situation. As one of the miners began to step forward, she held an arm out and stopped him.

âDonât cross the threshold. Use your mining lasers.â

âFine by me.â The prisoner said, raising his laser to fire at the knight, slowly deteriorating the stone. The others followed suit, and soon anyone with a ranged weapon was helping.

âFocus the fire,â someone said. âIf itâs magic, it might just heal or something!â

âGo for the arms, who knows if it even needs a head.â

âI have a rocket launcher here, when do I fire that?â

âWhy not now?â

âOkay! Bombs away!â

Stirling tried to watch as he rolled to escape the ensuing explosion of rocks and rubble. he continued to dodge and evade as the room quickly became an absolute wreck. Not to mention the fact that other racks of weapons had fallen and were set off. Including rocket launchers.

But even in the chaos, he took a moment to appreciate how the prisoners were working together.

After a few minutes of frantic evasion, Stirling unbent his knees and looked around at the dust settling. The stone giants were obliterated, the walls and floor were scarred and chipped, and at least a quarter of the weapons exploded.

That went better than heâd expected. He should do jailbreaks more often. Standing up, he was inordinately pleased to find that heâd gotten away with only a few cuts and bruises for all his frantic tumbling.

He turned to the doorway and called out to the bristling guns and lasers. âGood job, men. Seems safe to come in and take what you can use.â

âWoo-hoo!â

âFinally!â

âI never knew mining rock would be an important life skill!â

âLook at all this STUFF!â

âRemember, only what you can use,â Stirling reminded. âYou donât want to be bogged down during out escape. We still need to run like the dickens.â

âIâll take the laser gun, the purple glowing ninja sword, the OTHER laser gun, and that knife over there!â Victor exclaimed, pulling armor on and gathering weapons.

âWhat did I just say,â Stirling muttered, knowing that with a crowd this large, he wouldnât be able to control or save everyone.

Amras came up to him with a spear and some sorcerer armor. She handed him his knife back.

âHere you go. I wonder why they have all those swords along the back?â

Stirling turned around and realized that nearly all the items in the glass cases were ornate swords. Walking over, he picked up a sword that had fallen out of its smashed case during the fight.

This sword was made of unusual materials, with a gold hilt and crossguard and a silver blade. On one side of the blade was a depiction of a peasant with a sword. On the other, a wizard with a sword. Presumably the same sword. As Stirling lifted it, he found it was extremely unbalanced andÂ forward-heavy. Showing his disgust, he tossed it and said to Amras, âNothing more than an ornamental, Iâm afraid.â

However as Amrasâs eyes went wide, Stirling looked back at where heâd tossed the sword, and it swooped through the air, and plunged itself back into Stirling, who gasped in surpriseâ¦

But not pain.

He looked down at his armor. Patted himself.

He was perfectly fine. Unscathed. He turned around, looking for the sword, but it was nowhere to be found. Murmurs and exclamations came from others, but Stirling wasnât having it.

âWhat the blazes was that?!â Stirling yelled.

Amras simply had an eyebrow raised. âPerhaps theyâre all magical swords.â

That triggered an excited rush to the swords. Everyone wanted to claim one.

âOoh! I want one!â

âMaybe this red one shoots fire?â

âThis one looks like a dagger.â

Stirling and some of the other more cautious people also rushed forward, with words of warning, but they were outnumbered, and in moments, every swordâs hilt was in the hands of a curious miner, with various effects.

The red and orange sword was indeed a fire sword, and the miner that held it yelped in pain as the sword burst into flames, scorching his hands.

Another lifted his sword over his head, and a rickshaw appeared with a flash of thunder complete with a strange young lad, who began yelling incoherently.

And yet another sword, wooden, and ornately carved, leapt from the would-be wielder, turned around and began assaulting him.

âCursed!â yelled someone, even as his chosen blade, a dagger, began teleporting him around the room. âTheyâre all cursed! They gotta be!â

Amongst the instant chaos, which included a thunderous blast, the first verse of 99 cans of cola, and a blinding flash of light, came another sound. The sound of clanking metal boots speeding down the corridor and screams of pain. Stirling turned around just in time to see a dark-clad figure in red and black come at him with a long blade in one hand.

Stirlingâs practiced instincts kicked in, and he raised his Katana, parrying the blow at the last possible moment.

But the dark knight had momentum on his side, and Stirling nearly lost his balance as he slid backwards through the debris, the force of the shock reverberating through his thin blade and into his stolen Shinobi gloves. He grit his teeth in pain and annoyance, all too aware of the heavy notch the blow had made to his own blade. He didnât have time to initiate a counterattack, much less breath or assess his assailant, as the attacker spun around to deliver another blow at him which he ducked out of the way of. Stirling threw a quick stab at his target, but only met hardened steel and left himself open as the dark knight backhanded the off-balance Stirling with his sword hand into the debris.

''âWho the heck is this guy?!â'' Stirling thought, as he stared down the length of his opponent's sword at his neck.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

Kalaren walked down with the last of the prisoners from the north cell block. A small army in its own right. Next to him, the helpful scientist verbally reminisced about all the zoological pursuits he would follow once he got out of here. Kalaren had almost tuned him out.

And then he saw him. A figure dressed in red and black armor, running out from another corridor.

It had to be him. The Murderer. '''Vladek Verilus.''' Only this time, he wouldnât let him get away. ''This'' time he would catch him, and make him '''suffer'''.

He sprinted after him as the dark knight sliced through the back of a miner with a sword in his right hand. Kalaren rushed down the corridor even as a red mist obscured his eyes. He chased the Monster into a cell block where there was a line of prisoners handing weapons and armor down. Two more fell, even as the red and black knight sped up, leaving Kalaren a few seconds further behind him. ''âAlways just out of reachâ¦!â'' The knight disappeared into the room ahead. As Kalaren burst into the room, he saw the knight standing over another victim. '''''âFinally!â''''' Kalaren thought, as he slammed into the knight bodily, throwing them both against some of the sword cases that lined the back wall. As a sword fell from its mounting, Kalaren grabbed it with his one good left hand, and, feeling a surge of energy, rolled off and slammed the sword into the evil knight's sword, one that apparently was protruding from his arm.

The knight rolled to his right, putting distance between himself and Kalaren. âClone? I was not aware of thine activation.â

He was answered by incoherent roars as Kalaren erupted in fire and leaped at him.

There were no coherent thoughts in Kalarenâs mind. Only '''Death'''. Revenge. His next swing. His next strike. Flashes of pain. Vladek Verilus would not survive this confrontation. Heâd finally caught up with his family's killer. Nothing existed except him and his chosen target. A rack fell as the two duelists crashed through it, a mess of fire, metal and blood.

Kalaren pinned his tormentor to the ground, ready to cripple him. Not kill, that would be too fast and easy a punishment...

And then he heard a voice. Distant at first, it sounded vaguely familiar as it fought its way through the bloody haze he found himself in.

''âKalaren! Stop it! youâre burning everything!â''

''âForget him! We have to get out of here!â''

''âNo! We need him!â''

Kalaren turned around and stared at the origin of the voice. A woman in a brown habit. Red hair. Green eyes. Familiar tone of voice, familiar face...

â...Mother?â

And then everything went black.

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

The evil knight stood over Kalaren now, having knocked him out with a solid strike to the back of the head.

âGuess itâs my turn again!â Stirling yelled, rushing forward to save Kalaren as Kalaren had saved him moments ago.

But before he got there, the other sword wielding miners attacked first. A woman with a broad Orange and Gray sword swung at the Knight, who easily blocked it, but not the subsequent thunderous shockwave that threw both of them both away from each other, and the unconscious Kalaren.

Even as the Knight rolled into a standing position, the Dagger-weilding miner blinked and zipped across the room to stab the Knight in the hip.

âHa!â the miner crowed. âI think Iâm getting the hang of-AAAAH!â

He was cut short by the knight cutting both of his hands off. however, this was distraction enough, as a half-dozen other miners, some with the power of swords, and others with the more common weaponry all assaulted him in a haphazard and frenetic effort that even the expert combatant could not defy.

Meanwhile, Stirling rushed to Kalaren, who was no longer on fire. He checked his pulse.

âStill beating. Really fast.â he said to Amras, who was staring at the sword in Kalarenâs clenched left hand. When she didnât say anything immediately, Stirling added, âHe called you âmotherâ.â

âNot the time.â

âI expect to hear all about it if we make it out of here alive.â

â''âIf we make it out aliveâ''. Thatâs the kicker.â Then she knelt down to Kalaren and bandaged him quickly with his own cloak. âWe need to get him and everyone else out of here.â

Stirling nodded, lifting Kalaren up, and grabbing the sword. âMight as well take this,â he said, as he pulled it from Kalarenâs grasp.

As Kalarenâs hand slipped off of it, the sword buzzed irritably in Stirlingâs hand, but he simply ignored it as he focused on hauling Kalarenâs limp form over both his shoulders.

âOK, LETâS MOVE!â Stirling yelled.

As he and the many others rushed back up the South corridor towards the middle room, they were met by a weary looking miner who ran down the hall yelling, âTheyâre gonna break through! We ''need'' to go up, now! We canât stop them from coming up from the mines!â

Stirling bit back unhelpful sarcastic remarks, and instead said to the miner, âYouâve done a heroic job holding them back this long. Letâs blow this pop stand.â The miner nodded and bolted back to relay the message.

As they all rushed back into the main room, Stirling took note of the key players he knew by name. Commander Matheeas was at the foot of the stairwell rallying everybody to him. Dr. Jellyfish was coming from the East cell block, his hands and pockets filled with datapads and mechanical parts. Following him were a number of other scientists similarly loaded down. Chris the -3rd was bringing the majority of the slaves up from the mine entrance, chased close behind by laser fire, while Kevin was in charge of 15 slaves who were covering the escape. Behind Stirling came the strange Mr. Tillman, Amras, and Victor, who held a glowing, mint green longsword. Victor was cheering the other slaves on as Amras helped Tillman along.

âTo me!â Matheeas cried. âForward, onward, and upward! TO FREEDOM!â

Jellyfish spoke up. âI wired the generator back there to overload these four cell blocks, so we should be out of here in five minutes or so. Hope thatâs okay.â

Stirling glanced at Dr. Jellyfish with wide eyes, as laser fire zipped by him. âOh, ''sure''. Add that to the brickinâ list.â

Matheeas blinked. âDouble-time it, people!!!â

Matheeas charged up the stairwell, followed closely by Stirling and the various magical sword wielders. Behind them came a small horde of slaves. About one third of the way up, they heard a hissing sound, and a marsh green, heavy gas started to pour down from somewhere near the top of the stairwell.

âGas!â Stirling yelled. âMore than likely lethal! Thatâs deadly, for all of you illiterate numbskulls!â

âLet me have a go at it!â said the fire sword wielder, who had found some leather gauntlets, which were already smoking. He pointed his sword at the lowering gasâ¦.

Nothing happened.

âWhat are you trying to do?!â Someone else asked, as the gas drifted down closer.

âShoot it. With fire. Ignite it.â

âYou mean like this?â A miner who was still stuck with a mining laser asked sarcastically, as he shot the mist, causing it to explode in flames.

The resulting fireball roared as the gas expanded in the heat and combustion, and the small army stared into what would be their imminent demise.

That is, until another sword wielder, with a icy blue cutlass of unique wavy shape burst forward from the crowd and stabbed upward into the oncoming inferno.

âNO! Not today!â cried the miner, as a beam of cold white light shot from the tip of her blade into the inferno, where it spread into a thin sheet of ice that the fire evaporated into steam.

When all the fire and steam was dissipated, the Miner sank to the steps, her forearms now blue and black with ice, frozen to the sword in an âAâ formation.

Matheeas rushed forward to check on the brave female miner.

âYou all go on,â she moaned. âIâll hold them here. I will just slow the rest of you guys down.â

Behind Matheeas, the Fire sword wielder knelt down next to the Ice wielder, even as others began to rush onward, led by Stirling.Â He pointed at her arms. âIf youâre already dead, do you mind if I try?â

She shrugged. âI guess.â

That was all the Fire wielder needed. He took his gloves off, and holding the sword in one hand, he put his other on her frozen arms. The fire sword roared to life, and Matheeas watched as the fire-wielder began to give off heat as with an intense fever, which caused the arms to thaw.

The fire-wielder opened his eyes and looked at the last of the miners passing Matheeas. âI think Iâm a little dizzy, but Iâll stay back with her, sir. I think we can do better together.â

âYou can come up with the rest. We already have some people covering us.â

As Kevin rushed up to them, a loud explosion, followed by many screams cut short resounded from below.

âTheyâre right behind me, dudes and dudettes, but they got a taste of Doc Jellyâs bad mojo! Letâs split!â

The three stared at Kevin for a moment, deciphering his words.

After a few seconds Matheeas spoke up. âThere is a wave behind him, but behind that the other paradox just blew up, And.... I think we should run?â

âThatâs what I said!â

Matheeas turned back. âAre you coming or not?â

The two sword wielders looked at each other. Then the Ice wielder turned back to Matheeas. âI guess I sounded pretty silly being so dramatic.â

âThe time for great sacrifice may still come,â Matheeas said, standing up. âThere are many that already remain behind, but your time is not yet, it would seem. Come on!â

âWise words, Commandude!â

The four stragglers rushed up the stairs, following the others, just as two metal half circles began to close over the circular opening.

âAh, right! I forgot about this gate here,â Jellyfish said from his point in the line. Some stopped charging up just to stare at him. Others sped up, blasting the doors with various explosives and lasers, with little to no effect.

Suddenly, one of the miners appeared with the magic dagger in his teeth at the top of the stairs, slipping through the trapdoor at the very last moment with another person with a different magic sword, just as the gate slammed shut.

âFLOYD!â yelled one of the miners next to Stirling. âYOU BETTER NOT ABANDON US, YOU NITWIT!â

Stirling shook his head, and gave a final push, taking the stairs two at a time, but he knew he wouldnât be able to make it to the gate on time.

As Stirling and the others leading the charge ran up the final steps, they could hear muffled sounds of combat, and thunderous booms that sounded like rolling thunder, echoing throughout the metal walls.

As the escapees reached the top of the stairs, Matheeas called out to the front of the line.

âSilverstine! What is the holdup?â

âThereâs a trapdoor over the top of these stairs, and no visible way to open them!â Stirling called back, even as one of the miners began using his laser on it. âWe might be here a bit as we cut through it!â

Matheeas looked back down the stairs. All was quiet for nowâ¦ But as Kevin had said, there were more. Not to mention Jellyfishâs electrical explosion countdown.

Suddenly, Stirling and the laser-drilling miners took note of the fading echos of thunder from beyond the door. The miner stopped drilling for a moment.

âYou think Floyd and that dagger-guy won?â the miner asked.

âMore like they ran off, and the other Paradox are waiting for us.â another miner said.

Stirling pondered this. âIâm no-â

Suddenly, the doors began to creak and slide back, to reveal an awful scene of violence. At least a dozen rogues lay dead, as well as many darkly-clad knights; Vladekâs personal guards. The knife wielder, and the sword wielder among them. The sword wielder with his arm hooked over the lever.

âFloyd!â

A number of the miners ran over to the sword-wielder on the lever, who mumbled something and then handed the sword off to one of them.Â Others went over to the knife-wielder, but he was already dead. They took the knife and followed Stirling, who didnât give any of the bodies a second look. Instead, he looked at the multiple exits to this large domed room and turned to Jellyfish as he came up from the stairs.

âWhich way, Doctor? Quickly!â

Jellyfish pulled out a pen and started drawing imaginary calculations in the air while speaking.

âWelllll, we ''could'' go out the same way Kalaren and I did, but thatâs a lot of jumping, and the main gate is too risky. Losses too high. Orrrr we could go to the main tower and construct a zipline down!â This he punctuated by throwing his pen at a miner, who yelped. âBut thatâs too long. So we hijack a ship.â

âA boat?â said a miner with a glowing mint-green sword. The one Stirling recognized as Victor.

âNo. A ship.â Jellyfish said, gesturing helplessly at Stirling. Stirling nodded in tired sympathy, before realizing the implications of what Jellyfish had said.

âWait, a spaceship?â

Jellyfish hopped in excitement. âYes! Thank you! Hopefully an experimental one! That way!!!âhe said, pointing and shooting once down a hallway that curved up and around to the left.

Even if the other leaders had disagreed with this course of action, they could not have stopped the wild stampede of liberated slaves rushing down the hall in excitement after the old Doctor. Not only would they be free, but they would get to ride on a spaceship!

To cries of âSPACESHIP!â the ragtag army rushed forward,

through beautiful, but dark and gloomy halls. The iu

occasional piece of artwork here or there, but never in the way. Never cluttering the hall. Never obstructing the path for this army. Or any other potential army. The red carpeting was never bunched up underfoot as the escapees rushed. The walls were all a dark gray stone, and every door was solidly built to withstand an assault. Up above, the stonework curved into an arch, and at even distances, timber beams held heavy, sturdy-looking wrought-iron lanterns in which were brilliant flames, but despite its large, radiant flames, each one seemed to accentuate the darkness surrounding it, rather than lighting the area as much.

Beneath itâs luxury, it was a fortress of evil, and of war, and every detail did well to remind its occupants of such.

<nowiki>---------------------------</nowiki>

=== Inderlude: Chris -2nd ===

Chris the -2nd rode back into town. Fairly quickly, he was greeted by the general populace, even as someone ran to get Methuselah.

âHow did it go?â

âDid you see any of the others?â

âAre you alright?!â

âIâll be fine,â He replied. âIâve been burned a bit, but I need to see Methuselah first.â

âWhat about the others that were with you? The Silverstine, and the Commander?â

âTheyâre still there. Theyâll come back.â

This caused a small sigh of relief, before he added:

âProbably.â

A few short minutes later, Chris the -2nd met Methuselah halfway, and they were now sitting outside a vacant ruin, sipping some strong tea that Methuselah had steeped.

â...And then I got hit by lightning.â

âOh. Weâll have to get you to the infirmary.â

âYeah. It stopped smarting on my way back here, butâ¦ Anyways, the other two told me to wait for thirty minutes while they explored, and if they hadnât come back I was supposed to take a goat and ride back.

âI take it they hadnât come back,â Methuselah said.

âNope. Waited 40. But they had a prisoner and disguises, so they seemed pretty well off.â Chris sipped some of his tea.

âWhatever it was in those mines, it looked like they needed to be able to move large items or large groups in and out. Least, thatâs what I gather from the ramp that was there that I told you about.â He stared into the murky tea. âThis stuffâs good. I donât recognize it though.â

Methuselah smiled absentmindedly, still thinking about everything Chris had said. âThanks, itâs a special new blend Iâve put together.â

Others listened to Chris and Methuselah. Others who now, sensing that Chris was finished, turned to Methuselah for some sort of verdict. Maybe a summary.

âRight.â Methuselah looked out at the small crowd. âWell, weâll wait here for the others. We canât send any more parties or troops, we wouldnât have enough here. So weâll carry on as normal everyone.â

Properly sensing that this was the most civil âmove along people, youâre dismissedâ theyâd ever received, the crowd began to disperse with uncomfortable murmurings.

Methuselah turned to Chris. âBut letâs get you to the infirmary.â

Chris nodded, looking down his nose at his chest. âDo you think my chesthair will grow back?â

âDonât want to try to figure that out, Chris. Letâs go.â

<nowiki>---------------------------</nowiki>

=== Chapter 18: Tower Battle ===
Kalaren awoke to the rhythmic bouncing of his body. He vaguely remembered something ''very'' important happening, maybe a fight, but he couldnât quite recall it. Just a red mist. He looked around him. He was being carried up a staircase. He looked up to see the sweaty back of Stirlingâs head.

âGah!â He yelled as he lurched back.

Stirling teetered for a brief moment, before people behind him shoved him forward and back on balance again. âKalaren?â Stirling said, unable to twist his head around to look at him. âYou awake?â

âYeah! Iâm awake.â

âGood. Weâre running through Vladekâs fortress at the moment. Going to the top of this tower to steal a spaceship, according to your pal, Jellyfish. That make sense to you?â

â...No. You know what else doesnât make sense to me? That youâre carrying me. Can you let me down??â

Stirling gave it some thought as he continued to stride up the stairs. âMaybe. But Iâve got a rhythm now, and Iâd hate to-â

Suddenly, the front of the group came to a screeching halt, and Stirling found his stride broken as he ran into the back of Matheeas and Jellyfish.

âHey! Whatâs the holdup?!â Stirling said, putting Kalaren down.

âMadameâ¦â Matheeas said, as everyone behind him strained to see who he was talking to on the stairs.

Kalaren looked up. Matheeas was standing next to Jellyfish. They were both looking at someone in front of them. Kalaren shifted his head to look over.

Standing in front of them was a well dressed lady who was looking at the scene in front of her with a dismissive but irritated stare that had just lifted from her book. She had black hair, pale skin, and red eyes. Overall, she was the most beautiful lady Kalaren had ever seen. His jaw started to drop before he caught it. He looked down at himself quickly and remembered he was dirty, bloody, unshaven and slightly maimed. Well, to be fair that was his metal hand, but still.

The point was, he wasnât presentable. And for the first time in a very long time, that bothered him.

Shifting his ragged cloak, he looked back up as she spoke.

âValerie. Madame Valerie. And you are?â She said as she tucked the book under her arm.

Stirling, Jellyfish, and about a dozen others of the various miners in front all turned to Matheeas. Kalaren continued to stare at the madame Valerie.

Matheeas looked back slowly. âUhâ¦ A revolt?â

Stirling whispered to Matheeas. âIâd hate to fight the lady, but just say the word, boss.â

Valerie paused for a moment. âI see. I take it youâre heading up this tower to take a spaceship?â

Matheeas blinked. âWell, yeah. Thatâd be nice.â

âWell then, Iâll be out of your way. Excuse me.â She said as she started to walk forward, flipping her book open, and beginning to read once again.

As Matheeas and Jellyfish parted, Stirling motioned for everyone else to do the same, as did the next person, and so on.

After a second Kalaren hopped to the side. Next to Kevin.

As she passed by Kalaren, she called back, âDo make your way directly up the staircase. Any unnecessary pillaging will be met by my extreme prejudice, understood? Thank you.â

As Kalaren followed her with his gaze, he eventually met a grinning face. It belonged to Kevin.

âDonât worry. Weâll plan more attacks on this tower, dudeman.â

âShut up.â Kalaren said, flushing redder than his hair, as he became the first to move forward up the tower.

Matheeas shrugged and followed.

After a few seconds, Jellyfish spoke up. âYaâ know, I donât think the ship will be able to carry us all.â

Without stopping, Matheeas turned his head to him. âYouâre kidding.â

âNope.â

Stirling was less stoic, stumbling on the stairs, and cursing as he regained his footing.

âWill the ship have guns??â Kalaren asked.

Jellyfish thought about that. âProbably. Most likely. This is a fortress after all.â

âGreat. Some of us can cover the rest of us with it then, while we climb down. Do we have rope?â

âThere might be some in the ship. Or line.â

Stirling laughed mirthlessly. âLooks like we might use all your ideas, Jellyfish. Ship, zipline, Guns, Explosions, Jumping into the moat.â

âZipline! Perfect idea!â Jellyfish exclaimed as he quickened his pace and caught up with Kalaren.

Matheeas kept climbing. âSounds like our best shot. Kevin, you relay that to the others, will you?â

âYou got it, Commandude!â

Next to Stirling, Victor spoke up. âAlso, donât forget these magical swords that some of us have. They might help.â

Stirling scowled, but nodded, glancing at the magical sword in his hands. âGood point.â

The group met no further resistance through their charge up the tower, until they reached the top.

Bursting out of the trapdoor, Kalaren looked out with a blaster he had grabbed. They appeared to be in a large flat area, which was the top of the tower. Other towers inside the fortress were taller than this one, but this elevation still gave an unparalleled view of the northern wasteland of Ankoria. There was various supplies on the platform, and a large object in the center, covered by a tarp. Kalaren called down and let everyone know it was clear, before he clambered up.

However, as soon as he stepped out, a laser blast narrowly missed his human shoulder.

Behind Kalaren, Jellyfish popped out from the trapdoor and shot back at the sniper, who was on a different tower.

âYeah. So there should be other rogues out here, and a few barney-bots, also anti-aircraft cannons,â Jellyfish began muttering, as if commenting on a kickball game. âSo it might be a little tricky. Humph. I missed.â

Multiple shots began raining upon Kalaren now, as everyone began rushing out of the trapdoor.

Amras brushed by Stirling and yanked the sword out of his hands. âExcuse me, gotta-AAHH!â She yelled as she half dropped, half slid the sword on the ground towards Kalaren.

Kalaren looked back, seeing Stirlingâs magic sword sliding towards him. Looking up once at Stirling, who seemed to be arguing with one of the hooded miners, he grabbed the sword with his one good hand, and turned back to pull the tarp off of the-

'''Woah'''

He felt energy flow from it into his arms and into his body. It seemed to warm his very blood, filling him with a sense of well-being. ''âHuh.â'' He glanced down at the sword, and realized he had seen it before. He couldnât remember where, but he knew that it had something to do with what happened before he fell asleep.

Itâs blade was a dark steel, and was inlaid with five gems, running up to halfway up its length. They were red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple. It had two ornate gold spheres on either side of the crossguard, which was wrapped with a faded red cloth, along with the hilt, which had lines where the steel was slightly depressed, so it had a design that evoked something like a classic unicorn horn. It ended in a faceted black gem for the pommel.

Even though he only had a moment to take this all in, Kalaren suddenly felt a kinship with it. However, his train of thought was interrupted by another shot coming from a large reptilian-like robot hovering over and onto the platform. followed by others very similar.

âAh, '''CRUX!'''â

Kalaren turned to look at Stirling, whoâd just lain eyes on the flying metallic lizards.

'''âBARNEYBOTS!â''' Stirling roared, before charging madly at the first one with nothing in his hands but a nicked katana. '''âALL YOU SUCKERS ARE GUNNA DIE!â'''

Kalaren decided it might be a good idea to help him out while the others got the ship running and found the line.

He rushed forward with a speed that surprised him, reaching the âbarneybotsâ before Stirling did, and gave it a good swing. He was surprised when that lifted it into the air a few feet, causing it to activate some sort of jets. A large section was now melting where he had sliced. Grinning, Kalaren started going to town, swiping left and right at these confused robots, who started firing on this new assailant, even as he dodged with inhuman speed.

Stirling stopped short, watching Kalaren slice into the quickly growing swarm of Barneybots filling up from over the edge of the tower.

''âWow. Thatâs a great sword.â'' Was all that Stirling could think for a moment, before noting that the swarm was getting thicker, and Kalarenâs sword technique, while effective, was not very defensive. Probably due to a lack of technique. At all.

He rushed forward to cover the kidâs back.

Meanwhile, Jellyfish and Matheeas had now gotten into the ship, as others were pulling the tarp off.

Matheeas looked at the mass of buttons, levers, and switches on the dashboard, his eyes fighting to stay in their sockets.

âDonât worry! I got this Commander! I used to pilot a hover-cart back home! It crashed, but this looks like it has stabilizers!â

âI trust you, Doctor,â Matheeas said, realizing he didnât have another choice. âJust get this up in the air. Iâm going to find some line and someone to operate a turret.â

Jellyfish glanced around at the panel. âLooks like this ship only has forward guns.â He pointed at a set of controls in a different color scheme than the rest. âThereâs your shooter controls.â

âIâll find someone with a wormholer then. Or a co-pilot. Someone with a pulse and working hands!â He said as he walked out. Looking up, he also noted the other ships on other towers.

Another thought occurred to him âWho else can drive a ship?!â he yelled. Two hands were raised among the crowd, one empty, and another one on the other side holding a bundle of nylon rope.Â Matheeasâ eyes were drawn to Stirling, who was hacking at a fallen barneybot, while Kalaren and the fire and ice sword slaves were taking on the rest of the swarm.

âSilverstine! Can you drive?â

One of the barneybots turned to Matheeas. âOnly if he has a valid driverâs license. LET ME SEE YOUR ID.â As the Barney bot started to advance, it was cut short by steam frying itâs circuits, evidently from the ice and fire sword. Stirling began to run up, as the other two pilots came up to Matheeas.

âFound line! looks like at least 70 feet. I can fly as well.â

âIn a pinch, I can as well.â Said the other. âThe gal who picked up the blink dagger took a few miners, a scientist, and that cool kevin dude to another tower.â He pointed at the nearest one, where a rogue was falling off of now, screaming in a very high and long pitch. âTheyâre going to eliminate snipers and rogues and the such so we donât have them sniping at us. Those of us with rockets are trying to fire at any AA cannons we can find, but they are pretty well hidden.

Matheeas nodded. âGrab a few people who can fight, and meet us here. Weâre going to have to pilot a few ships.â

As recognition dawned and grins appeared on the pilotâs faces before they turned away, Stirling arrived.

âWhat do you need, Lancaster?!â Stirling yelled over the commotion, even as he was getting shot at by additional assailants.

âYou have some experience with tech, so I figured you might be able to pilot a ship if you needed to!â

âYessir!â

âWe are going to hop to each tower and drop pilots off so they can drive those shuttles, with a few of them we should be able to make it out of here.â

Stirling grimaced. Matheeas clearly saw Stirlingâs incredulity at saving ''everyone'', but Stirling didnât voice it. Instead, he said. âYessir.â

The various pilots scrambled up into the shuttle, as Jellyfish finished familiarizing himself with the controls.

âAha! Hereâs the button.â Jellyfish exclaimed, pulling a lever.

The shuttle lurched up and into the air, and in response to more button pressing, spun around, and fired at the swarm of barneybots, destroying the current wave.

Then he jammed the controls forward, toward the tower which had been cleared, even as they saw some shadowy forms wisping across to another tower. They dropped one of the pilots there with one or two normal prisoners for backup, and kept flying to the next one. There, they dropped the other pilot with other fighters, and finally, with a steep pull up on the controls, Jellyfish careened over the final tower, which was taller than the others.

A large, dark ship with red highlights and two rotating turrets on the top rested on its top. 6 or 7 dark-clad knights were running out of the trapdoor there, before Dr. Jellyfish blasted the first two and covered the rest in rubble. Unfortunately one of the back engines of this large ship also sparked as rubble sprayed across it.

âThis is you, Stirling.â Matheeas barked. âLooks like youâll need the extra people to man the ship, so Iâll let the rest off with you. Weâll be providing aerial support until we can get everyone evacuated from the first tower. Everyone out, before they clear the rubble!â Matheeas said, as the ship lurched and fired, punctuating his command with a whirl of his finger in a circle, indicating the door.

Stirling growled an incomplete acknowledgement before leaping out of the shuttle door and landing. As he ran for the larger ship, he spared a glance at the attackers who were already trying to extricate themselves from the rubble, and making good progress.

These were clearly Shadowknights. Stirling had never really seen one before, much less fought one. The stories were relatively clear though.

In the last war where Vladek had fought against the Knights of Morcia and King Matthias, a large part of his army had been these minions.Â These men were sworn to Vladek, sometimes unwillingly, through some sort of dark magic.That was evident enough by the unnatural darkness that hung inside their helmets, obscuring their faces in a uniform evil.

Stirling knew that nothing short of death would stop these assailants. He and his crew had moments before the Shadowknights freed themselves and began their relentless assault. He dashed into the shuttleâs entry ramp, making a beeline for the cockpit.

Behind him, the three miners, one of whom was Victor, ran into the shuttle, and then turned around, firing their various ranged weapons at the Shadowknights as they sought to get up.

Stirling stormed into the cockpit. He yanked the snoring pilot that was there out of his seat, tossing him roughly behind him, before shutting the cockpit door behind him via the door panel. One more glance at the controls, and Stirling realized that this was not your standard Nexus Force setup. He immediately began pressing likely buttons, and hauled up on the controls.

In response, the shipâs engines screamed to life, but only slowly began to rise.

At that moment, he heard a crash and rumble from somewhere outside and behind the ship, followed by exclamations of surprise from Victor and the others.

âHOLD ON!â Stirling yelled back, before seeing the flashing âClose Rampâ button and hitting it. Stirling pushed forward on the controls, and the ship half fell, half burst forward, but then it stopped, apparently snagging on something just before it cleared the tower.

The ship vibrated with the sound of metal tearing from itâs sockets and welds, and a primal scream. Suddenly, the ship lurched forward, and Stirling saw on a glowing display of various ship systems the back right engine flash red, before losing color completely.

âPort Engine Integrity at Zero Percent,â the ship intoned, even as the ship veered drastically to the right.

Anti-aircraft cannons tried to fire at him, but given Stirlingâs complete lack of a flying pattern, none hit. However, in doing so they revealed their positions, and were either gunned down by other ships or those operating it were too distracted to continue firing.

âCrux!â Stirling cried as he yanked the controls around haphazardly, losing some altitude and barely missing otherÂ towers and ships.

As he spun around a full 180 before stabilizing, he saw the source of this damage.

There, level with him now and standing on the towerâ¦

Was Kalaren.

Yet, it wasnât. This Kalaren was shirtless, wearing practically nothing but some swimming shorts, and slick withâ¦ something slimy. His eyes were wild, red, and his hair, while very much of the same style as Kalarenâs, was a murky blonde, and longer. He was taller than Kalaren, but by how much, he wasnât sure. He was also ''very'' muscular, as evidenced by the tossing of the engine that he was returning to Stirling. But most of all, he saw Kalaren in his jawline and face. Disturbingly, he also seemed to share other characteristics that echoed around in Stirlingâs headâ¦

And then, as the shriek died out, and the eyes flickered, the creature dropped the remains of the engine and collapsed onto the stone, and was dragged away by the shadowknights, as they retreated back into the cover of the rubble, since some of the miners had rushed up into the turrets and began firing on them.

Deeply distrubed, Stirling shoved these thoughts out of his mind for now, as the shipâs controls continued to scream at his poor handling, and rapidly falling altitude.

âGuess Iâm falling with style today,â Stirling growled, as he focused on swinging his way out from the towers rather than gaining altitude. Futily, he yelled back, âDOES ANYONE SEE KALAREN?â

Above the sounds of a scuffle, the others replied.

âHOW CAN WE, WEâRE ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE BETWEEN THE TOWERS!â

âYEAH! DONâT WE GOTTA GET UP AND SHOOT MORE ROGUES?â

âIâM WORKING ON IT!â Stirling replied, as he banged the damaged side of the ship against a final tower before being free from the majority of them. From here, he spun around, to try and gain altitude before heading back into the fight, if there was still one to be had.

Just then, a blaster shot was heard, followed by the door to the cockpit being opened. Victor hopped into the co-pilotâs seat. âCan we contact the other ships from here?â

In response, Stirling snatched and tossed the shipâs onboard radio at him, the distraction almost sending them spinning again.

âUh, right.â Victor muttered as he activated it. âThis is Victor on the bigger spaceship thing with Stirling! Weâve been mauled by an abomination from the deep! Or something. If someone could direct us to the first tower we would.. Survive I guess. Over?â

âRoger Charlie Blackhawk Alpha nosedive!â came the voice of Dr. Jellyfish. âWeâre heading out! This colony of flying jellyfish is all up in the air! Itâs time to avoid the sharks, just like last time!â

Other voices crackled on the radio.

âIs this whatâs throwing everyoneâs voices around?â

â-Button here? I press th-â â-And it-â â-vates?â

âHead south.â Matheeasâ voice came through.

At that moment, something hit the left side of the cockpit and scraped it, and turning, Stirling could see the sword Kalaren was holding earlier pointing to the front and left.

âThaph way!â He seemed to yell, though muffled by the windshield and metal.

Stilring sighed in relief. Kalaren seemed normal. Red hair, determined demeanor, glowing magic swordâ¦

Well, relatively normal. At least he didnât ''seem'' to be cursed. Plus, he still had a shirt on. A sure sign of sanity.

Stirling twitched the controls in that direction, then properly compensated for the lost engine, and the ship shuddered and whined pitifully, but dutifully. Above and around them, Stirling could see the other ships in similar bad shape, but all mostly flyingâ¦

A few more freed slaves and miners and people leapt from the towers as they passed, and Stirling did his best to maintain stability, even as rogues also lept down and fought others on the top of his ship.

As the lowest and last ship in the fleet, Stilring saw four small shuttles as they rose, escaping the fire and ranges of the hidden AA guns. All of the shuttles were badly damaged, but flying. The radio chatter began to fill with cheers, and nervous laughter. Next to him, Victor gave a shuddering sigh.

Despite himself, Stirling smiled.

Then the ship directly in front of them blew up.

The Windshield was engulfed in fire, and shards of metal flew into the ship, piercing the hull and shattering the windshield. A cry of surprise and pain turned into a roar came from his left, where Kalaren was holding on, and then the flames suddenly were shoved back, and around them as with an invisible hand.

There was silence on the radio for a second.

âEveryone report in, starting with Shuttle 2.â

âHere. All vital systems functioning.â came the voice of a miner.

âShuttle 3?â

Only Static responded.

âShuttle 5 here. Damaged but we can go awhile. Who was on Shuttle 3?â Came another Miner.

âWe donât have time to sort that out right now, and we canât afford to go back right now either, the blink dagger wielder and the fire and ice sword pair can only give us so much time. Stirling, you there on Shuttle 4? Over.â

Stirling nodded to Victor, who responded. âYeah, weâre here, one of our propellers is missing but we are compensating?â

Stirling nodded again, poking at some sliding dials to balance the energy outputs better.

âWait, theyâre staying behind?â came Shuttle 2.

Shuttle 5 crackled in. âYes. The Dagger was.. affecting Joanne, and it wasnât practical for her to come. She agreed to cover us.. And I saw the Swords talking to that red-haired guy before he jumped onto Shuttle 4. Is he okay by the way? Over.â

Stirling glanced to his left and leaned out of the broken windshield. âKalaren?â

Kalaren leaned forward slightly. He had some burns and various pieces of shrapnel stuck in him, in addition to other wounds he had acquired from bullets, but he still doggedly held onto the side of the ship via his mangled hand jammed into a crevice between panels.

Kalaren gritted his teeth, grunt/yelled affirmation, and pointed south again.

â..We think so?â Victor replied to the Radio.

âYou wanna climb in?â Stilring asked Kalaren casually, motioning to the open, shattered windshield, before having to duck back inside to adjust the shipâs trajectory.

Matheeasâ voice came in again. âOkay. Everyone, follow Shuttle One. We are going to have to cut radio transmission as long as it pertains to direction, as we are using Vladekâs frequencies. Donât want him to know more than he needs to. We got a bit to go, so hang in there, got it?â

âAffirmative.â Came Shuttle 2.

âFine. Ah, Over.â Growled Shuttle 5.

âSounds good, Cap. Over.â Victor replied.

âUnderstood. Radio silence begins now.â Shuttle One finished.

â...Thatâs the button on the left side of the radio! JELLYFISH!â

There was a collective groan as the static gradually became the only thing on the radio, before Stirling shut it off as well.

Kalaren rolled over the edge of the windshield and landed on the floor with a thud and a groan, hitting a few dozen buttons and dials on the way, which Stirling frantically corrected, as Victor grabbed the controls and kept them relatively on course.

âTheyâ¦âKalaren wheezed. âGot some jets out there as well, but after a second those back there managed to divert them away. Stillâ¦ Maybe alert your-â he grunted. â-laser cannon people. The others back there pretty much got the giant metal- ah. Lizards.â

âYou mean Barney bots.â

â''Barney bots??'' What a stupid..phew..name. Who comes up with this..akh..stuff?â

âBeats me. It was like that when I got here.â Stirling turned to Victor. âThere should be two holes in the ceiling, with ladders you can pull down. Get the others into them, if theyâre not already in there.â

As Stirling said this, another face appeared at the top of the broken windshield. âHEY! Thereâs a couple people out here whoâd like to get out of the wind!â

Stirling facepalmed. âOf course. Iâll lower the ramp.â

Kalaren heaved himself onto his sword with another grunt of pain, and replaced Victor in the co-pilotâs chair.

As Stirling and Kalaren sat in silence, they heard the ramp being lowered, people climbing in, and then milling aroundâ¦ The laboring hum of theirs and others shipsâ¦

âAll things considered..gaff.. I think this went considerably well.â Kalaren spoke up.

âWeâre alive, which is impressive.â Stirling agreed.

âAnd weâve freed at least Â¾ of.. Vladâs slaves. And most of thoseÂ are alive.â

âIf youâd told past me weâd do this, I would have said you were crazy.â He glanced at Kalaren. âAnd Iâd be right.â

âCrazy.. But alive, anyway. If we make it back without those jets shooting us down, at least.â

Stirling nodded, looking grave. âYou know you canât stay now. An attack this massiveâ¦ Lord Vladek wonât abide you all anymore in his lands.â

After a momentâs consideration, Kalaren agreed. âYeah. I guess so. Previously we were just an area he couldnât send patrols around. But now we stole most of his slaves and-â Kalaren coughed, and his mechanical arm shuddered, itâs lights flickering. âShips. Running low on power, shutting it down for now.â

âNow youâre a threat.â Stirling said, focusing on the conversation.

âYep. At least, we canât stay in Aragarth. Maybe we can still split up into smaller groups, maintaining communication.. I donât know. Weâll have to talk to Matheeas.â

Stirling reached out and patted Kalaren in an attempt to comfort. âIâm sure Lancaster is already thinking about it.â

Kalaren replied in between grunts and gasps. âProbablyâ¦ The Miners.. Wonât wanna stay.. not most of themâ¦ anyway.â

âWhat I want to know about,â Stirling said, withdrawing his pats, âis that insane sword youâve got there.â

âWellâ¦ Itâs magic. And strangely familiar. But it seems toâ¦ Harness things around meâ¦ and in me. Thatâs how I pulled the fire back.â

âAnd how you cut through those Barneybots so quick?â Stirling asked. Then quickly added, âDid you lose your shirt at any point?â

Kalaren slowly turned to Stirling. âIn my life? Yeah, Iâ¦ Guess. Today? Itâsâ¦ Been shredded, but no.â

âThen Iâm either hallucinating, or you have a twin,â Stirling said. Then he proceeded to explain as best he could of the person whoâd ripped off the Starboard engine, and whoâd nearly thrown it back at the ship before seemingly falling to exhaustion. He explained how itâd looked like Kalarenâ¦

âBut it also looked likeâ¦â Stirling shook his head. âBut thatâs crazy.â

Kalaren was confused, but then realization dawned on his face, and he knitted his brows together.

âThat must be the clone they wereâ¦ Making, of meâ¦ That I told you aboutâ¦ At the feast.â

Stirling was quiet for a moment. âIf thatâs so, your clone is made up of more than just yourself. No offense, but youâre not that strong. The only other person Iâve seen with that kind of strengthâ¦â

Kalaren looked thoughtfully at his sword for a second, before turning to Stirling again. âNo offenseâ¦ Taken. I rely on my robotic arm a lot.â He chuckled, which turned into painful wheezing. â..Gah. You were saying?â

âThereâs a man where Iâm from. From the Nexus Force. His name was Brocktree. He was a very strong and powerful knight. A Sentinel, like myself. Used to be a very kind and stalwart person. But once he came here, thedude somehow got him to work for himâ¦â Stirlingâs jaw worked as he ground his teeth in frustration and fear. âItâs not too much of a stretch for someone as crafty as Vladek to maybe have some of that manâs DNA.â

Kalaren looked up, confused. âDNA?â

âUhâ¦ Blood. A sort of scientific blueprint of him.â

Kalaren thought for a second. âHuh. How do you know it was him though? I mean, maybe he was just a really good body-builder, or maybe someone else was that strong?â

âNo one Iâve met -until today -had that strengthâ¦ Besides, He has that same mad look. Similar to how Brocktreeâ¦ does.â

âOh.â

âBut if Vladekâs scientists have got a hold of Lord Brocktreeâs DNAâ¦ Who knows what other persons and skills your clone hasâ¦!â

Kalaren laughed. Then turned apologetically towards Stirling. âSorry. Itâs just that it is a bitâ¦. Of a relief to not be the onlyâ¦.. One contributing to that thing.â

Stirling noted Kalarenâs longer pauses between breaths. âHey, you ok?â

After a grunt, Kalaren replied. âFor now, but Iâm gonna findâ¦ some first.. aid, just to be sure. Iâll send someone up here again, and tell them a bit more of theâ¦ plan. Find more weaponsâ¦ That stuff.â

âAlright. Hey, Kal?â

âYeah..?â

â...It was an honor to fight by your side today. Uh, donât die.â

âThanksâ¦ Same.â He grunted as he hobbled out.

Stirling sat in silence for a bit longer as Victor joined him. Then, the barney fighters found them again.

=== Chapter 19: Why You Donât Argue with Someone Returning from Battle ===
Methuselah looked up to the sky. It was the morning of a new day. The sun never really broke through the even gray sky here in Ankoria, but it was still a lovely grey Ankorian dawn nonetheless.

If only he could enjoy it with everyone who'd gone out on the mission.

Most of the people that had gone out to the newly discovered mines had come back. But three teams still had not returned. Most notably, Commander Lancaster, Kalaren, Dr. Jellyfish, Chris -3rd,Â Rick, with his thick accent, who had gone with one other, and Stirling Silverstine, the foreign knight that had come, rekindling hope that a large scale rebellion was possible.

They had planned to return at around this time. So far, the only sign of a development had been some scouts reporting a loud hummingÂ above the treeline. Now, there appeared to be three large purple or red objects on the horizon, seemingly followed by flames.

Methuselah had seen something like this before. Barney bots, they were called. They had heavy armor, and could only be destroyed with heavy weaponry, or strategically placed traps. But these seemed slightly largerâ¦ and with less limbs. Instead, they resembled something Dr. Jellyfish had mentioned to him, Barney fighters.

He suspected that they were going to try and bomb the city.

He had taken necessary precautions against this, and had gathered everyone into his underground tower, along with as many supplies and valuables they could get. The better to hide and protect.

Wilda came up behind Methuselah, following his gaze off to the distant flying metal monsters. "Do you think they made it?"

Methuselah glanced at Wilda before replying. "At this point, something must have gone wrong. If they have evaded capture or not is the real question. Obviously something happened to give Vladekâs forces reason to send something here. So to answer your original question, I really don't know, but the chances are looking pretty slim."

Wilda frowned. "I was afraid you'd say that. Or something like it." She glanced back at the entrance to the tower. "If those flying devices bomb us, we'll survive, but does your tower have a backdoor in case they bring troops down to finish the job, or are we standing our ground in here?"

This caused Methuselah to smile and raise an eyebrow. "Oh yes. I know some think me paranoid, but it does come in useful to be prepared. Easily the first 40 would be killed by traps on the way down. If we decided to stay here and defend for a bit, rather than escaping via hidden tunnels that they would be hard pressed to find, we could comfortably eliminate twice that number." Suddenly souring, he continued. "Can be a pain to live inside something that's set to kill its inhabitants. Anyway, much of the credit goes to Dr. Jellyfish with the traps. He really can be a genius, when he is not going on about marine biology." He chuckled.

Wilda sighed. "Well, here's hoping they make it, and we're here to greet them, even if the town isn't." She put a hand on Methuselahâs shoulder. "Come on, we should get inside before they can see us clearly."

"Youâre right. I should start showing everyone how to activate the traps anyway." His reply came, as he closed the doors and locking each one's safeguards accordingly.

They didn't wait very long, before the sounds of destruction beganâ¦ and ended.

Everyone listened in anticipation and confusion, expecting thunderous explosions above them, but instead only one, metallic rather than explosive, crashing sound. Eventually, Methuselah and a group ofÂ a few guards gathered by the doorway, listening.

Suddenly, the sound of frantic banging made Methuselah jump nearly out of his boots. The guards accompanying him did little more than bristle and brandish their weapons at the door.

"Methuselah! Are you there? If you are, open the door now!" Kalarenâs voice came, muffled by the door.

Methuselah jumped slightly more, before relaxing and nodding knowingly and reassuringly, before walking closer and replying, "Password?"

At first, there was only growling, then silence.

"Drowssap."

"Great. Now the combination."

"You know it doesn't work, now open the blasted door!"

"Right."

One and a half minutes later, he opened the door to a bloodied, bloodshot, blood red Kalaren.

"Wow, Kalaren, you look.. bloody." Methuselah said.

"Like you picked a fight with a dragon," one of the guards said.

"Three dragons," said another.

Methuselah hastily added, "Uh, where are the others? Did you come in those machines? We thought they were leading a bombing thing."

"Get out of there. Commander Mattheas has a lot to tell you. Tell everyone. We are supposed to meet in the town hall."Kalaren turned around and limped away without another word.

"Right. Okay everyone! We are fine, pretty sure. To the town hall, no slacking." Methuselah yelled.

â------------------

Stirling followed Lancaster into the war room of the town hall along with Dr. Jellyfish, one of the newly released scientists, and the other council members who'd stayed in Aragarth.

Lancaster waited for everyone to get settled, and then stood up to address everyone.

"Alright, let's get this started.â Without another moment, Matheeas launched into his report.

âSilverstine and I were able to find some plans the rogues had for the mines, and we gathered from them that Vladek had planned to connect the various mines together, allowing for faster transportation of goods or troops to many different places in the surrounding region, including his castle. Unfortunately, we were discovered shortly afterwards, and were forced further into the tunnel we had chosen.â

Briefly, he looked to Chris the -2nd, who made a silent âahâ as he understood why they hadnât returned. Matheeas continued.

âWe then met up with another team. Kalaren, Kevin and the Doctor. They were also fighting off rogues. Apparently, they also freed a dozen slaves who had been working in the mines, and with them we were able to make our way to their chosen tunnel entrance.â Matheeas frowned. âWe were, however, blocked off, as a rogue fired an explosive at the mouth of the tunnel, sealing it ahead of us.â

Despite himself, and the need to keep the report succinct, Matheeas couldnât help but take a brief moment to appreciate how enraptured his audience was. For once, it was nice to be the one telling the stories, rather than listening. He pressed on with his report.

âThus, we were forced to take the only route available to us: Further in. We discovered a path into the dark castle itself, and freed many slaves along the way, who helped us get out. From there, we made our way through an armory, and then to the tower tops, where the Doctor informed us there would be some spacecraft we could commandeer. Which we did, but one of the shuttles exploded shortly before we escaped. We were followed, for a distance, but we were able to repel them. Finally, one of the shuttles crash landed on our arrival here. That was the noise you heard. I have ordered Kevin to work on a headcount. Dr. Jellyfish has some things to tell you about his discoveries, as well as what the slaves were mining in those tunnels.â

At this, Jellyfish stood up. âI have gathered from the liberated slaves and scientists that they were also mining a particular type of purple crystal, named Crisilau, that Vladek had read about in some Ankorian document or book. Apparently, it was told to be able to pierce anything it was thrown at. They found some of this in the mines, and found that it did have properties that allowed it to split objects apart at the molecular level, similar to anti-matter. It is also very delicate, and shatters easily. They were working on finding a way to put it on weapons without it breaking apart whenever you would use it. If they were able to do this, any close-quarters weapon equipped with Crisilau would become armor piercing.â

âThey havenât achieved that yet, right?â One of the councilmembers asked.

âNo. And I suspect that they will be too distracted reacting to this jailLYFISHbreak to continue their studies effectively. One other small detail, I was able to study a generator they had at the fortress, and may be able to create one here. However it is quite a complex machine, and will take a bit of time to re-engineer, even then-â

âBut you have a pretty good idea, right?â Stirling interjected.

â..Yes.â

âGreat. But for now letâs focus on the threat at hand, agreed?â

A general consensus was echoed.

âThen that is all I have for my report.â

At this, Kevin came through the doors.

âI did the headcount, as requested, Commandude. Itâs hard to tell how many miners we freed in the first place, but roughly, we have 73 remaining of 140 freed slaves, Most of the other teams we sent out made it back, except for one other, with Rick and Debbie, which is still out there. As for our group, Kalaren, Doc, Silverstine, Chris -2nd (swords), you, and me all made it back.â Kevin stated, before continuing in a more reserved and solemn tone. âChris -3rd was in that last shuttle that exploded as we were flying out of there.â

Next to Stirling, Chris the -2nd moaned softly. StirlingÂ wordlessly put an arm around his friend, who had his head in his hands.

After a moment of silence and quiet murmurings about the fallen, Matheeas spoke up again.

âWe might not have time to grieve right now. We have taken the brunt of their workforce, and they will likely be coming soon with either a larger invasion force with heavy ordnance, or they will try and bomb us, like you thought we were going to. Either way, we have shown that we are more than a thorn in Vladekâs side, and are an actual threat to his machinations. My point is, friends, I donât think we can stay in one central location anymore.â

The quiet respectful murmuring quickly turned intoâ¦ less quiet murmuring.

âWhat do you mean by that, Commander?â One of the council members asked.

âI mean we canât stay in Aragarth. At least not at all times. Vladek cannot know our location, or we risk annihilation.

Matheeas noted how the assembly in front of him quickly began to turn and speak more with each other than pay attention to him. He had presented a problem. A problem that heâd helped create. Now he had to present a solution, before it devolved into finger pointing.

âThe way I see it, we have three options as a whole. First of all, we could split into separate smaller groups, keeping contact via messenger gigfrans, communicators, and occasional meetings, while we also travel nomadically, in a sense, constantly evading Vladek, but still staying in the area, using the mines to our advantage to attack strategic points, waging a guerilla war. Of course, we would have to find a way to create a moreâ¦ Mobile curse shield.â

A decent number of the assembled appeared to appreciate this option, judging by the quieting of voices, and contemplating faces.

âSecondly, if Sir Silverstine would have us, we could go with him in his attempt to raise an army to crush those who would restrain our freedom, which, might I add, is the reason this resistance was founded in the first place. There is the possibility of finding places to settle, for some of the families here, in those travels, albeit likely within thedudeâs domain.â

At this, Stirlingâs eyes lit up and he looked up at Matheeas with no small amount of surprise, which was returned with a glance over to him, a small nod and barely perceptible shrug.

âFinally, there is the option of heading south to some of our friends in Domead, and catching boats toâ¦ Anywhere really. In that way, we could still try and find more people to help in this war overseas. Perhaps in Britay, where Silverstine came from in the first place. Or maybe in Nordland.â

The room was now mostly quiet as the people of Aragarth were now busy mentally turning over their best options of survival. Something they did well. Matheeas did the same, and came to one more conclusion.

âI suppose there is one more option, and that being that we head farther south in Ankoria, finding another ruined city, and settling there, far enough away from Vladek or the Thedude for them to do anything to us. But, at the same time, we would never be able to do anything to them. We would live, sure, but we would be living in this cursed and wretched land, even if it is our home. We would have freedom, but eventually, I think, Thedude, Vladek, or someone else will try and brave Ankoria in search of itâs lost wealth and power, or even just for more land. If we took that path, we would no longer be any sort of resistance, and moreso aâ¦ Remainder.â

âRegardless, many of the liberated slaves are not part of us yet, and have their own choices, and thus I would propose that we let each person, of Aragarth or not, to make their decision. However, I suspect, we will be able to still work together to a degree, remaining in smaller, distanced groups, for the same goal.â

Stirling stood next to Matheeas, and looked out over the growing group of people in the war room, and the adjoining town hall.

âLancaster, that was brilliant, I must say,â he said quietly. âVery well thought out.â

âI had time on the ride here, I guess.â He replied in turn, then spoke up again. âEveryone in favor of letting everyone outside choose their future, say Aye.â

After a moment of thoughtfulness, everyone did so.

âVery well then. Let us relay this to them then.â He finished, and walked over to Strider.

âStirling, I know I suggested that you might lead some of us, but I wanted to check with you before anything became official or anything. I havenât had a chance yet, and I apologize. If any were to go with you, would you take them? Would they be helpful?â

Stirling glanced around first, to see if they were being paid undue attention to. After assuring himself it was fine, he took a deep breath and nodded. âIt would be an immense honor. And a responsibility that I would be willing to bear.â

Lancaster nodded. âYou donât have to try and take them under your wing or anything, but if they were helpful to you, I believe some would follow you. Not necessarily because they believe in you, per se, but you have been gathering support to dethrone thedude for years, and thatâs why I thought it would be a good idea if you led them, that way they arenât wandering blind.â

Stirling looked back at the crowded war-room, and the small archway that lead to the larger gathering in the Town Hall.

âLancaster. Matheeas. Iâve been all over this world, looking for allies. Iâve found a few here and there, but theyâre all holed up in their own homes or bases. Theyâre all waiting. Your resistance here is the first group thatâd be willing to follow me. Thatâs huge.â He turned and looked Matheeas dead in the eyes. âMost people need a catalyst, or a sign.â He threw his arms wide. âOne guyâs not much of a sign. But two? three? Five?â He waved at the group. âAnyone who wants to come with me is more than welcome. But I canât promise protection. Only more strife.â

Matheeas nodded again. âI understand that. I doubt that any of the families will go with you, but I know certain members have expressed interest. We both have the same goal, even if weâve been holed up here. Anyways, we need to let everyone choose their paths. Thank you again, Strider.â

âNo, thank you, Matheeas.â Stirling smiled. A wide smile, that caused the corners of his face to crease into the very beginnings of aging wrinkles.

After that, they went outside, and Matheeas essentially repeated everything he had just said. There was audible consensus for one of the four options or another, and Matheeas began splitting everyone into groups.

Stirling noted that it was fairly evenly split between three main groups: Following Stirling, leaving by ship, or staying here to continue the fight against Vladek. Surprisingly, his group was the second largest, with roughly 35 people, compared to the ones heading to port, with roughly 40. A slightly smaller group than his was going to stay in Ankoria. He shook his head. Heâd been here for months, and still was amazed at the Aragarthian's will to remain in such a ruthless environment. Even if it ''was'' home.

Looking out at those who intended to follow him, he was heartened to see Kalaren, Kevin, Chris -2nd, and Dr. Jellyfish. He also saw Amras standing a little ways away from Kalaren, but still in the same group. He would have to talk to her later. He also saw Victor with the people who would leave by ship, along with Dr. Skope, Tillman, and some of the council members. The last group had Chrisâ father at the front, with a grim expression on his face Beside him stood a pensive Methuselah. Next to Deke and Mauss, also in this group, was Wilda, who raised a hand, and five other littler hands came up around her.

âCommander. What about the little ones?â

Around Wilda were Joshua, Rita, Rosa, Jonny, and Blake. Most of whom had mixed amounts of confusion, eagerness, and worry apparent on their faces.

âThat will be up to their parents, or course. I am sure there are other places and towns that families could find and stay at, at least for a little while. Many of those places would come across Silverstineâs path, Iâm sure.â

Stirling nodded his confirmation. âSuch places of refuge are growing smaller and smaller everyday under the watchful eyes of Vladek and thedude, but I still know of a few.â

âAnd others could be travelled to by ship from Domead.â Lancaster added.

Wilda nodded. âThen I shall go with you, Stirling, to aid such places in their protections of the innocent.â

Once Matheeas was satisfied everyone had chosen, he spoke up again. âNow, would anyone be willing to accompany me in traveling elsewhere to find more help, like Sir Silverstine is planning to do, but elsewhere, covering more ground?â

After a little bit, some people began to migrate over to a new group, starting with Kevin, after saying some things to Kalaren. Mauss also walked over, with a slave who appeared to be holding one of the cursed swords. Many others walked from the Domead group, and now there was only 13 with Victor and the Domead group, and 30 with Lancasterâs group. Stirlingâs still remained around 30-some as well.

Stirling surveyed the results, and then walked forward. âI just want to say, itâs been an honor to live amongst you all for a time. Itâs an even greater honor that some of you would choose to follow me to fight for this world. And there is no hard feelings for those who wish to seek their own paths and shelters. Iâve walked that path myself, and it can be a very necessary one. Itâs whatâs led me here to you all.â He turned and locked eyes with Chrisâ father for a meaningful moment. âI hope against hope that we all meet again, even as I know that what we fight for will claim many more lives before it is achieved.â He looked out at the rest. âYou all fight as ten men. Or women. Militiregnum will benefit from your prowess wherever you choose to go. You all are capable leaders, and it seems some have been chosen here. Whether you follow Matheeas and I out of Ankoria, or Victor here south to Domead and from there disperse, or if you choose to stay in Ankoria with Chris theâ¦â Stirling trailed off.

âNegative 7th,â Chris the -7th supplied.

âNegative 7th,â Stirling continued. âKnow that you are part of something greater. The spirit of the men and women of Aragarth is indomitable, and Iâve not seen anything like it. Iâm stronger for it myself, and Iâve no doubt you will impart that strength to others no matter where you go.â

Stirling stood there, looking out over them. He tried to think of a way to closeâ¦ But suddenly there were no more words. Not that heâd really even thought about what he was sayingâ¦ It justâ¦ had needed to be said.

''âIs this how Thingguy works his charisma?â'' he wondered.

However he did it, this way seemed to work, as many among the crowd started to cheer as they were inspired by the speech, even those who were not Aragarthian.

When it died down, Matheeas came up again.

âThen we shall separate as Lancasterâs Lance, Striderâs Sword, and Chrisâs Cleavers, tomorrow morning.â

Stirling was jarred out of his thoughts. âWh-What? You have names already?â

âAlliteration!â Jellyfish exclaimed behind Matheeas. âHelps with organization! I should know, I have no alliteration.â

âAs I said, I had a lot of time to think.â

Stirling looked around at the people in his group, and was glad to see Kalaren and Chris the -2nd, still standing among them.

__-__-__-__-__

=== Chapter 20: Epilouge ===
Kalaren stood silently as he listened to what the Commander and Strider had to say. After some consideration, he decided to join Stirling in his journey.

As much as he would like to remain close to Vladek, be there to see the monster struck down by his own handâ¦

He knew he couldnât. Not right now, with so few. He knew that in order to reach Vladek, he would have to get through the vermin that protected himâ¦ And Vladek had many of those. Even though they had taken them by surprise, they had still lost half their forces while ''escaping'' the fortress. No, Grimfire will not remain and be quenched. He would be at the front of the axe to shatter the shield, even if the creation of the axe took yearsâ¦

Kalaren shook his head. HeÂ was waxing poetic, and really he just needed to find some more like-minded peopleâ¦ And now was not the time for his vengeance.

When Matheeas mentioned his mission,Â Kalaren was torn between following the leader he had followed so long in search of aid, or following Strider, who clearly had more experience, not just with the dealings of common civilization, but also in connecting with people who still valued their freedom. And, he had seen more battles than anyone else here. And ultimately, his priorities coincided with whatever gave him the best chance of returning for Vladekâs head.

His deliberations were interrupted by Kevin walking in front of him and grabbing his shoulder, with a sad smile.

âDude.â

Kalaren looked back at him, and gave a similar smile. It was a silent conversation, which ended in verbal confirmation by Kalaren.

âDude.â

After patting Kalarenâs shoulder once more, Kevin walked over to Commander Lancasterâs new group, while Kal stayed put in Stirlingâs company.

âWow.â

Kalaren turned to the right, to see Chris the -2nd staring at him, misty-eyed.

âThat was a lot.â He wiped away a tear before it could fall. âYou gunna be ok, man?â

Kalaren chuckled, before cutting himself off.

âWhat was a lot? As far as Iâm concerned, Kevin and I exchanged a formal farewell. I definitely didnât say dude.â

Chris held his hands up defensively, barely containing a grin. âMy bad.â

âAnyways, Chris, what about you? How are you holding up?â

Chris glanced back at his father, the -7th, along with the majority of the other Chrisâ, and a few others. He locked eyes with his father, who nodded. Chris the -2nd nodded back.

He turned back to Kal. âMy road lies with Commander Silverstine now.â he looked at Stirling, who was looking out over the various groups with shining bright blue eyes filled with hope. âHe is the way -3rd will be avenged.â Looking back at Kalaren, he continued. âMy father will make sure Vladek doesnât get stronger.â

Kalaren reached out with his intact human left arm, and the two gripped each otherâs left forearms. Kalaren gave him an intense and pained smirk, replying, âThatâs why Iâm going too. Weâll come back with the fuel for the fire that will burn his fort to the ground.â

Chris replied by nodding, as tears started to wet his eyes.

They were distracted by more speaking by the leaders, and continued to listen.

â--------------

Kalaren had helped with the first preparations, and now everything that the town needed was packed into the various shuttles. Jellyfish had commandeered the other scientists and engineers, and together they had completely debugged the shuttles, and took parts from the shuttle that had crashed and patched up another one that needed repairs. All in all, there were 3 flying shuttles, and one that would be little more than a suspended trollycar slung between two others.

Lancasterâs Lance would take the larger shuttle, and would use that to fly more or less directly to their next destination.

Striderâs Sword would take the two smaller working shuttles to his destination, with the intent of towing the now inoperable shuttle that had crash landed, just for itâs passenger capacity. Jellyfish was already throwing ideas around about an air-to-surface light fast attack tank. Which made no sense, but everyone nodded, knowing it could eventually.

Those going to the port town would be given a mounted Goat escort by the Cleaverâs to Domead, where they would eventually disperse.

The Cleaverâs themselves would stay in this region, living a nomadic life, using the mines to their advantage. Methuselah would also travel with them, to protect them from the landâs curse, as he had protected Aragarth for years now, just as his predecessors before him had, since time immemorial.

Right now, however, his metallic arm was being repaired inside one of the more intact shuttles.

With Dr. Jellyfish entirely swamped, fixing the shuttles and directing the other scientists, Dr. Steph A. Scope was doing his best to patch Kalaren.

âTo be frank, I know more about your cybernetic arm than Iâd like,â Dr. Steph assured him. âJellyfish often waxes eloquent about it in the office. Tells me about how itâs far superior to the rest of my patientâs arms, and how heâd do up everyone with one if he only had the supplies.â

Suddenly, sparks flew, and Kalaren winced as simulated pain shot up his arm and directly into his brain.

âAh, right. The not-so-funny bone.â Dr. Steph sighed. âWell, good news. Now you canât feel any more pain for a few hours, so I can get this done quite a lot faster. Bad news, youâre going to have to rest for a few hours.â

âWell. Gosh. Whatever ''shall'' I do?â

Dr. Skope smiled as he realized that Kalaren was dead-tired, and welcomed the rest. âBetter news, it sounds like you might be flying for most of that time, if Jellyfish knows what heâs doing.â Dr. Steph smiled. âAnd of course, he does.â

â... Right.â

Minutes later, Kalaren was resting by himself. Outside, he heard the final rushed preparations being made. Smiling, he felt content, and relaxed. The first time in a good long while. Funny, when everything about his life was about to change forever, that he could be so relaxed.

Then he heard footsteps, as one of the miners entered the little medbay, wearing a hooded cloak.

âKalaren.â

Lying on the medical bed, Kalaren craned his neck. âYeah? Do you need something?â

The miner stood there, somewhat mysteriously.

âItâs been a ''very'' long time.â

Kalaren raised an eyebrow. âDo I know you?â The voice was of an older woman, that much he could tell. But the dark medbay didnât allow for much of the detail beneath that hood to be seen.

âYes. Once upon a time.â The miner pulled back her hood, revealing cropped red hair with strands of bright silver. Her eyes were two different colors. The one on the left was a bluish green, and the one on the right was greenish blue. She appeared to be in her late 50s or so. It was hard to tell, because even though there were many wrinkles, she smiled so beautifully, it took some of those years away. A scar from some sort of blunt force trauma discolored her lower jaw line, but even through all of thisâ¦ Kalaren recognized her.

âMother.â

Suddenly, Kalarenâs understanding of the distant voice calling him back from his rage during the battle in the Castle came flooding back to him. It really had been his mom, not some dream!

âYes, Kal.â His mother stepped forward to the bed, and held his good hand. His human hand. âItâs me. Iâm here.â

âHow? Why now?â Kalaren said, as his voice started to break.

âIt is a long story. This is as soon as it could be, according to the One who plans all things.â

âBut how did you survive? I thought Vladekâ¦ I saw Father dieâ¦ and Sarah and Lucy, theyâ¦â Kalarenâs voice was stopped by a sob that almost escaped. Instead of speaking, Kalaren pulled his tearful Mother into a hug. Slowly, he began to cry. Quietly, softly, as he was finally able to begin to voice what he had felt every day for almost eight years.

âI thought Iâd lost you. I thought Iâd lost everyone, everything. Iâve been here, trying to find a way to exact revenge on that '''monster''', everyday trying to figure out another way to do so, but-â

âI know, Iâve seen you working with these people, and Iâve gathered enough to be so proud.â She gave him a quick squeeze, then pulled back to get a better look at him. âI know you escaped after being captured. I know Vladek used and tortured you, and you remained strong. I know that youâre still capable of kindness and love, and yet you use your anger to protect against the monsters.â She ruffled his hair. âAnd Iâm sorry that I couldnât be here earlier.â New tears flowed as she sat down into a chair and held Kalarenâs hand. âIâm so, '''''so''''' sorry.â

Kalaren shook his head fiercely. âYouâre here now.â

His Mother smiled weakly, and then continued. âYour father made sure that I got out of the house and hid before Vladek could find me. Still, I was able to see what happened when you entered the room. I followed you as he dragged you to his ship, and then I stowed away amidst some supplies he had brought. I wasnât able to get to you before they secured you in that room, and before long I was found. However, I was able to pass myself off as a slave that had been working there, and that was my cover for these years. If they knew who I was, they may have discovered too much about the sword your father and I madeâ¦ The sword you have been carrying around since you got it in the castle.â

Kalaren quickly glanced down at the sword, which was leaning against a corner.

âYour Father and I cursed it so only Nuradan and his descendants would be able to use it. It is tied by blood. Your father expected betrayal, just not at this scale.â She sighed.

âEvidently, that made Vladek furious. It is a good thing the magic used to create it is different than the magic here, and thus prohibited them from finding out more about it, as the secrets of the sword may be the one thing we can use against him.â

âSecrets?â

âSome. For the most part, it works as an instrument that harnesses magic. When you used it in the castle, fighting that dark knight, it expressed your rage in fire. If you trained with it, you would probably be able to control any amount of magic around you. Which seemed to be what Vladek needed to protect him from this thedude fellow.â

âIt also will not tolerate being held by anyone not of Nuradanâs bloodline. If someone tries, they will feel a horrible, painful burning sensation in their veins. It doesnât actually hurt the person very much, it just feels like it. Which brings up a question I have been having.â

âYes?â

âYou donât have a son, do you?â

âWhat? No!â

âThen I wonder how Silverstine was able to hold it.â

Kalaren sputtered. âHeâs like, 20-some years older than me!â

Mother shrugged. âStranger things have happened. I mean, we have time travel, dimension travel, cursed lands, I just had to make sure. In any case, we will have to ask him. It could be you donât have a son yet, and he traveled back in time to help you. But if he did, I would assume things went really bad in the future. Anyways.â

âKalaren!â Jellyfishâs voice echoed from close outside. âHowâs that JELLYFISH arm!?â

Striding through the door of the medbay, He stopped once he saw this clearly emotional conversation.

âI heard you yell something, and that usually means you are either very emotional, or insane like me. Everything okay here?â Jellyfish asked.

Kalaren nodded. âEverthing is fine. Jellyfish, this is my mother, Sarma.â

âAh! Not Amras, then. Wait, thatâs just Sarma backwards. You know, thatâs never a good trick. Like spinning.â

Sarma smirked and shrugged. âWorked well enough for long enough.â she turned back to Kalaren. âBut now Iâm here.â

â-------------------------

Stirling laughed, one hand on the spaceshipâs flight stick, and another on his co pilotâs shoulder, Chris -2nd. Chris was also laughing, as he held the radio up for Stirling to use.

âAlright, Lancaster. Iâll be sure to tell Jellyfish off about it. Good luck buffing it out!â

âIt looks nothing like me,â Matheeasâ reply came over the radio. âI know itâs supposed to be a compliment, but me as a jellyfish doesnât make any sense. And putting it on the outside of the ship for all to see means Iâll have to avoid explaining it. Besides that, we are obviously not an official shuttle, so we are going to have to stop soon to get rid of it.â

âMakes sense,â Stirling replied.

âWhere are you going to do that?â Chris the -2nd asked.

Before Matheeas could reply, Stirling interjected. âItâs probably better if we donât know, actually. The less we know of each otherâs whereabouts, the less chances weâre all captured or found.â

There was a silent pause as everyone considered. Then Matheeas replied. âPretty soon weâre going to be out of range for the speaking radio. From there, weâll have the long range beepers to communicate with.â

âMorse Code,â Stirling clarified.

âRight, morose code.â

âItâs a good thing we will have that, because I am going to have to tell you guys all about military slang. You desperately need it.â

Stirling and Chris heard Matheeas chuckle, and then his co-pilot muttered something to him. âWell, Iâve got to go. Donât hesitate to call on me, Commander Silverstine. Hopefully, Iâll be able to surprise you with an even larger force when we meet again.â

âIâd like that.â

âSee you on the other side. I think thatâs how it goes.â

Then the radioâs static overtook them, and Chris clicked the audio channel off.

The two men looked out the windshield. This shuttle didnât have a busted one like the one theyâd initially piloted to Aragarth.

Outside, a number of thick clouds mostly obscured their vision, but Stirling was confident of their direction.

âWell, thatâs it, then.â Chris said. âWeâre leaving Ankoria, Iâm leaving my old commander, and the future is filled with even more uncertainty.â He glanced at Stirling, who was still smiling. âBut I have more hope than Iâve ever had in my whole life.â

âI canât wait for you to see Aquila,â Stirling said suddenly. âThe people can be a bunch of pricks, but itâs absolutely beautiful.â

âWhat do you mean?â

Stirlingâs smile turned into a full grin. âYouâve lived your whole life in the Cursed Land, right?â

âYeah?â

Stirling snatched the radio, and contacted the other ship that flew next to them. âJellyfish, letâs pitch down below the cloud cover. These folks need to see green.â

âSounds like a jolly good idea! But only for so long, the clouds are good cover.â

âOf course.â

Both ships slowly nosed downward, and Stirling watched Chris staring through the windshield with even amounts of anticipation and apprehension.

Then they broke through, and Chris took in their surroundings.

Directly below them were the tips of some mountains that continued south Off to the north, was a thick, black, and dark forest. He pulled his attention away from it quickly, and stared straight ahead.

Ahead, the mountains dropped away into a valley so green, he at first thought it was a giant emerald. Here and there were small blemishes, that, as Chris struggled to understand the distances and proportions of things, he realized were tiny hamlets, with smoke rising from chimneys too small to see from this high up.Â The mountains hemmed this massive, green valley, on the right side, perfect as a picture frame. On the left, the green spilled into a paler and paler mint, as it blended with snowy fields.

For a while, the only sounds were the straining shipâs engines, and the howling wind.

âWow.â Chris finally said, in a tone that revealed how small he suddenly felt. âIs it like this everywhere?â

âNo,â Stirling said. âItâs all different.â

âWow. Thatâsâ¦ A lot.â

âItâs worth fighting for.â

Chris nodded, and for awhile, only silence followed, and eventually they drifted back up.

Stirling looked out at the other shuttle, and the cargo they were carrying between them. The disabled ship. He listened to the people behind them as they murmured casually.

This was a strong people. Strong allies.

Heâd been looking for allies for so longâ¦ Looking to restore hope to others. Rekindle some sort of fighting spirit!

He chuckled. Heâd had a fighting spirit for some time now, but heâd certainly not had much hope for himself. Yet, from the depths of Ankoria, heâd found some.

Now, finally, he felt it.

Hope that this wasnât going to fail.

Hope against his fear that as much as he could try, the only thing he could do was go out in a final blaze of glory, drive ''one last impact'' against thedude from the Silverstine clan.

Hope that he was not the end of his familyâs story.

Hope that he might find his family, again.

Hope for a home.

He felt a similar hope, resonating and reverberating grimly amongst these people, and something more.

A deadly decisiveness that Stirling knew well.

They would do whatever it took to achieve their goals. They were unified by this. And that is what made them strong.

Checking the controls yet again, Stirling refocused his attention on the skies.

This avenging blaze he had been building had a lot more fuel than he thought.

Together, they could call forth more brave people. He already knew of a few that would gladly join such a force, once it was presented to them.

He chuckled. âStirlingâs Swordâ would be ready.

______________________<blockquote> '''''Fuel for the Fire.'''''</blockquote><blockquote>'''''The End.'''''</blockquote>

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki><nowiki/>[[Category:Stories]]
[[Category:Stories by JamesAT13]]
[[Category:Stories by RedFireDog6]]
[[Category:The Additional Manuscripts]]

Fuel for the Fire

2022-05-07T16:39:48Z

Stirling Silverstine: Added Interlude and CHapter 18: Tower Battle!

== Fuel For the Fire, by JamesGinger and Redfiredog6 ==

=== Prologue ===
-

Strider glared into the wind. It was a strong one, and it was in the right direction, but it also came with a warning.Â He spared a quick glance at the receding safety of the shore of Britay. Perhaps it would have been more prudent to wait, but after these past two years on the sea, he liked to think he'd seen worse than this coming storm. Hopefully, heÂ and his skiff could ride the momentum and get to his destination all the sooner.Â

 

He turned away from the wind, and peered ahead, to the north. On the far distant horizon to his right was the northern reaches of Ankoria, that cursed land, where nothing good grew.

 

But he wasn't going there. He was heading to the far north. Nordland, where he hoped to gain allies in the powerful warriors of North Island. Legend had it that when thedude first invaded the frozen north, they had been able to hold their own against his forces, and eventually routed him. However, in the past year, they had finally succumbed to the overwhelmingly increasedÂ forces of thedude, and their stronghold of North Island was now thedude's northernmost outpost.Â

Stirling wondered if their eventual downfall had something to do with hope. Perhaps, after seeing nearly every other nation fall, did the Nordeners not see any reason to hold out?Â

 

He wanted to rekindle that hope.

 
 

Tacking the sails yet again, he peered worriedly up at the changing sky.Â

 

Speaking of hope, he had to keep his own up. This storm was promising to be quite a rodeo.

<nowiki>---------</nowiki>

=== Chapter 1: Why you don't Argue with Enchanters ===
Kalaren was having quite a busy day. No, there were no attacks. He was busy with errands. From delivering laundry to stomping on wolf spiders, sharpening weapons, making some, and then delivering them to the armory! Tossing a salad for a delectable lunch! Still, Kalaren did prefer this to warfare, as boring as chores may be. Currently, He was feeding the goats, deep in thought. The past seven and a half years had mostly been uneventful. He was now a full-fledged soldier in the rebellion, as he was twenty three by now.Â

So deep in thought was he, that the goats were now helping themselves to the hardy hay as he stared into the wind.

 

Kalaren was brought back to reality by one of the goats bleating. He shook his head before picking up the sack of grain and pouring itâs contents into the goats feed troughs.

 

He was soon finished and was wondering what to do.

 

''âIâll check on Jellyfish and Methuselah, the enchanter to see if theyâve found a way to power our paradox gear.â'' Kalaren did so, and started making his way to the magicianâs bunker.Â

 

Along the way, he ran along a group of kids playing kickball in the street with a patched up ball Jellyfish had put together for them. He stopped to watch.Â Â

There was Jonny and Blake. They made one team.

 

Then there was Joshua and Rita. To the side, reading a small battered scroll wasâ¦ hmm. Kal had to think for a minute. Ah yes, Rosa. She was the quiet one.Â

 

Kalarens thoughts were again interrupted as his face met the kickball.Â

 

Staggering backward, he wondered why his reflexes hadnât saved him. However, it appeared that the last few years had traded some of those reflexes for pain tolerance. Shaking it off, he chuckled and kicked the ball back to the offenders, waving away their apologies.

 

The rest of the walk was entirely uneventful as he walked through the rest of Aragarth.Â

 

Several minutes later, he arrived at the enchanterâs quarters. Until recently, it had only been a bunker. It was originally a cellar of some building, long reduced to rubble, though at the passing of Grimoir, the previous enchanter, his replacement, Methuselah, saw to the repair and fortification of the original building. The result was quite desirable for such a resistance. He approached the houseâs door and knocked, waiting for Methuselah to answer. He soon heard a voice.

 

âWho goes there?â

 

Kalaren had forgotten about how Methuselah was a little too overzealous about protecting this bunker.

 

âKalaren.â

 

âVery well. DoÂ you remember the password?â

 

Kalaren sighed. "Drowssap.â

 

âVery good! Now you put in the key code.â

 

Kalaren switched the numbers on the tumbler lock they had broken off a briefcase they found previously to the code. The lock didnât even work, but whoâs to argue with an enchanter?

 

âThere, I put it in, could you let me in now?â

 

âYes, of course! As soon as I open these other locks.â

 

Kalaren waited two minutes before he was finished. The door opened to show Methuselah. He had brown hair and aÂ thick chinstrap beard, along with his piercing grey eyes. He was dressed in a brown tunic, black pants and a navy robe. He had a rank 3 sorcerer's staff, Chosen because he thought he could utilize the maelstrom energy stored inside. Kalaren tried to separate himself from the paradox equipment as much as he could, as maelstrom energy was the same thing that had almost smashed his father.Â

 

''âVladek beat it to the final blow though,''âÂ he thought, before his thoughts were cut short yet again by Methuselah.

 

âKalaren! You should see what Jellyfish and I fixed up!â

 

âGreat! Sure, I will!âÂ

 

Methuselah smiled. âPerfect! This will revolutionize our technology!â

 

Kalaren followed Methuselah through the bunker, observing the layout.

In this large sort of greeting hall, there was a Wormholer and two shinobi swords near the door, and a wooden bridge that was over a pit that contained sharpened stakes at the bottom. At the other side of the bridge, was a mechanism to wind up the bridge. Not only would the tilted up bridge block the entrance to the stairwell behind it(leading further into the bunker,) but it also formed a barrier against projectiles.

He started descending the staircase, noting the portraits on the walls. He knew there was various weapons and triggers to various traps behind them. Other than the portraits, there was a continuing bookcase containing most of the literature of Aragarth, and some weapons and switches hidden among the books, even a secret passage, he knew, that led into the forest surrounding the city!

It was like a typical wizard's tower, but in reverse. And more booby-trapped.

 

They passed many rooms, with simple traps devised to use little or no electricity, as you could hardly find a power source other than magical energy, which was largely corrupted. Halfway down, they passed through a smallÂ room that Dr. Jellyfish had shown off before, which did utilize some energy. Mostly hot-wired by Jellyfish, there was an airlock that, when activated by one of the hidden switches could shut the doors and the four vents on the roof would release acidic, noxious fumes.Â

 

They quickly passed through that room.Â

 

Kalaren also noticed Methuselah appeared to be distracted, occasionally stopping mid-stride and muttering, before continuing on as if nothing had happened. Kalaren knew that Methuselah was actually multitasking. He had to in order to keep the spell going which kept everyone in the ruined city of Aragarth from being corrupted, though, even with his distracted demeanor, he was also clearly very excited about what he was going to show Kalaren.

 

They reached the bottom floor as Jellyfish watched several rodents running in hamster wheels trying to get the scraps of food hanging outside of the wheel. Currently Jellyfish was bringing them the small pieces of food and many of them stopped running to eat. Next to him was two wormholers, it looked like one of them was empty of ammo, and the other was bursting with energy. Jellyfish turned towards them and it was quite apparent he was ''especially'' excited.

 

âMethuselah! You brought Kalaren!! WONDERFUL!!! Youâre just in time! Iâve finished going over the results from these two wormholers, and Iâve found the common denominator quotients that should correlate across all known Paradox Tech!â

 

âEureka!â Exclaimed Methuselah. Kalaren was, as you would imagine, very confused.

 

âWhat?â

 

âCome see!â he cried, waving Kalaren over to the two Wormholers, having completely tossed all of the lunch-scraps to the rodents. Kalaren nodded and came to the table where the wormholers were located.

 

âTake a look. These two Wormholers were at varying charges , but roughly like 30% and 45% or something. Normally, weâd save these, use them in some fight, and once they were drained, theyâd be utterly useless.â he gave a mocking frowny face. âMaybe broken down for parts. BUT! With the power of our combined genius, I and Methuselah have found a way to extract the Maelstrom from any Paradox tech, and inject it directly into another, revitalizing the energy pool, and extending the life beyond the total sum of the original two sums!â

 

Kalarenâs expression went sour.

 

âLovely, weâll use these things more often.â Kalaren said as he gestured to the weapons. âAnd what does these animals have to do with it?â Kalaren pointed at the rodents on the hamster wheels.

 

âOh, those are unrelated! They are just creating a little more energy. They may be eating more food than they are producing energy, However.â Methuselah exclaimed with a frown.

 

Jellyfish shared his frown as he mused. âWhat we really need are electric eels.âÂ

 

Kalaren cocked his head slightly to the side. âElectric eelsâ¦.?â

 

âOh yes! When I was sane, and worked in a prestigious laboratory off-world with the Nexus Force, we had electric eels. They were fun to pet.â

 

Kalaren raised both his eyebrows.

 

âOh, and they also powered the laboratory they were located in. Sadly, not mine, but thatâs ok,â the scientist continued. âMine ran on cold fusion.â

 

âOh! Then we can power the entire city! We could overload Vladekâs Fort! We cou-â Methuselah was interrupted by Jellyfish.

 

âUnfortunately, we donât have the components for either electric eels tanks or Cold Fusion reactors. Come to think of it, I donât remember what weâd need for a cold fusion reactor.â He waved a hand to the hamster wheels. âThus, one I do remember, kinetic energy.â

 

âI see.â Kalaren said.Â

 

âBUT!â He swung his other arm around, nearly whacking Kalaren in the face, but Kalaren grabbed his arm with his robotic arm, and froze, stopping both.

 

âOh, sorry Kalaren.â

 

âItâs ok, Iâm the one who should be sorry.â

 

âWhy?â

 

âIt seems there is another technological outage. I canât move my arm.â

 

â...Oh.â

 

They all stood there, awkwardly contemplating this development, which became even more clear as all of the technology around them began shutting off.

 

âItâs a good thing we canât afford enough energy to get an electronic lock for the door.â Kalaren pointed out, much to Methuselahâs annoyance.

 

âBut what if paradox rogues were out there? We have tunnels to escape, we donât need the door to open!â

 

''âThatâs why you donât argue with wizards,â'' Kalaren thought.Â

They all decided to try and make their way up the stairs, and tell everyone the news of how they could double the life of a maelstrom-powered weapon. Going up the stairs was very difficult as Kalarenâs and Jellyfishâs arms were stuck together. Meanwhile Methuselah stated how it might be nice to get an elevator for the several levels.

=== Chapter 2: Shipwrecked ===

The waves threw themselves on board Stirlingâs skiff, but he hardly felt them anymore. He was numb to the bone, drenched entirely through, and had absolutely no control of his shipâs course, which, as far as he could tell, was drifting towards Ankoriaâs shores.Â

 

In layman terms, he was screwed. However, with himself being the only man aboard, he couldnât call it quits, no matter how wet and cold he was. So, he was not too unprepared when a tall, rocky, cliff-shore loomed out of the sheet of rain and lightning, threatening to crush him and his ship to smithereens. Fighting both tide and wind, he was able to veer away from a full collisionâ¦

 

But on the harsh sea, even the slightest error was often costly.Â

 

As he turned away from the looming cliffside, he heard the sickening squeal of merciless rock against his wooden hull, and knew that he now had mere minutes before his ship sank. He grabbed the essential supplies in the boat, grabbed the bag Peragrine, his old friend had given him, and the life preserver, (for all the good it would do,) and keeping them close, drove his boat with reckless abandon right along the coast, searching for a cove or beach where he would not have to climb far to find stable shelter. He didnât find one in time.

 

''âPerry could have done it,â'' was his last thought.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

He woke up with an incredibly dry, raspy throat.

''' 
'''

He was lying on his back on some form of sand, he tried to open his eyes, but the sand and sea salt made them sting. He tried to wipe them with his tunic, but that just made it worse, as his clothes were in the same condition.

He decided to bear the pain to take a look around.

''' 
'''

It appeared he had washed up in a cave. There was a light up above, and it informed him that outside it had to be daytime.

''' 
'''

As he sat up, he gritted his salty teeth as his body cried out as expected.Â

''' 
'''

â''Too bad,â'' he thought. ''âIt looks like Iâm not going to get to rest for awhile now.â''

''' 
'''

Looking around the cave for an exit, he realized there was apparently none, except for an exit under the clear water, where more light was spilling from.

''' 
'''

Did he miraculously go under the water, with his life preserver on, just to bob back up here, safe from the wind and the storm?Â Â

''' 
'''

Stirling rubbed his aching head.Â This was not a priority to figure out right now. He had to get some water, and after that, it would be beneficial to look for any supplies, and find out where in the world he was.

''' 
'''

Checking his person, he was relieved to find his canteen, his katana, (Oh man, that was going to take forever to clean, even with his more waterproof scabbard,) all of his armor, (again, going to need to be cleaned, and soon,) a compass in one of his pockets, the rope that heâd slung over himself, and...That was it, unfortunately. He sighed as he realized that included the pack Perry had gifted him, as well as his samurai rank 3 bow. As well as...

"'''Crux''', Thingguy is going to kill me."

A rejiggered Nexus Force communicator that Thingguy had given him for safekeeping. It was probably at the bottom of the ocean now, beyond reach. Beyond repair. And with it, their only connection to the Nexus Force Armada, just waiting for the signal...

Stirling shook himself, before he could start kicking himself. If he was going to be alive for Thingguy to berate him, he first had to survive and figure out where he was.

''' 
'''

Having satiated his thirst with his canteen and taken inventory, he once again looked around to see about getting out. And once again, he only saw the small opening far above him, too small to climb up and out of, and the opening below the water line.

''' 
'''

After a momentâs contemplation, he left the life preserver behind, and since he was still quite soaked, he dove into the water and swam out the other side, being sure to keep a tight hold on the rock formation, as the tide was strong on the other side. ''âThe tide!â'' He thought.Â ''âThat must've been what got me in there. It must have been low tide during the storm, and by the time I woke up, itâs turned around to high.â'' Â Breaking the surface of the water, he wiped his stinging, burning, salty eyes and looked out. To his right, was sheer rocky shore, with no clear ways up. However, to his left was a sight for sore eyes. A short break in the impassable cliff line revealed a gray-black pebbly beach.Â

''' 
'''

And did his eyes deceive him, or was there wreckage washed up over there?

''' 
'''

Alternatively Swimming and grappling along the rocky formations, weighed down as he was, in his Samurai armor, he made his way to the not-so-distant shore.

''' 
'''

A few minutes later, he reached solid ground, and refrained from kissing the ground stereotypically in favor of searching the debris for useful remains of his ship.

''' 
'''

There was plenty of driftwood and flotsam, and there was an ill smell of rot on the beach combating the salty air from the sea. Most of the driftwood was far too old to be from his ship, which told him he had not been the first to wreck his ship along Ankoria. Perhaps the curse extended farther out into the seaâ¦?

''' 
'''

''âNo,â'' he thought. ''âI only have myself to blame for wrecking here.â''Â He had misread the weather, and was paying the price now. He'd challenged mother nature, and she'd humbled him. Now he had no choice but to continue to challenge her, stuck in the wilderness, somewhere.

''' 
'''

There were various tools and even some small treasures scattered amongst the old remains of ships long sunk, but most of it was ruined beyond worth by itâs countless time spent in the elements. A spyglass with no glass. A gem splintered into shards. A halfÂ of a map that crumbled to flakes as he picked it up. A grimy dubloon.Â

''' 
'''

But the greatest treasure of all wasâ¦

''' 
'''

âOf course. I should have known.â

''' 
'''

Perryâs Pack.

''' 
'''

Relief washed over Stirling.

''' 
'''

Somehow, the backpack had become snagged on a large piece of wood with a protruding nail, and now here it was, washed up on the shore, the waves lapping at the board, like a hand shoving it up onto the beach.

''' 
'''

âPerry must have rubbed some of his luck off onto it,â Stirling chuckled to himself, as he released it from the nail with ease and looked inside. On the very top was a towel, with the words âDONâT PANICâ embroidered on it.

''' 
'''

Rolling his eyes, he took the sopping wet towel out, and inspected the rest of the gear.

''' 
'''

Beyond all comprehension, the large majority of the tech, equipment, and provisions, and most importantly, his rewired Nexus Force communicator, were none the worse for wear, having been protected by the towel on top, and, as Stirling found out, another towel on the bottom of the pack, which had â42â embroidered on it.Â He shook his head.

''' 
'''

âWow. Perry, sometimes I think youâre a secret genius.â

''' 
'''

After making a last cursory search of the beach, Stirling stepped off, feeling much better about his chances in the Cursed land of Ankoria.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 3: Explaining Maelstrom Revitalization ===
Kalaren, Jellyfish, and Methuselah climbed up and out of the Bunker, and walked towards the town hall, (Kalaren had been able to detach his arm from Jellyfishâs)Â where Matheeas held residence. Over the course of his time as Leader of the Ankorian Rebellion, the Town Hall had become more akin to a war counsel, as most of the planning for Aragarth took place there. Thus was the reason why Kalaren, Jellyfish, and Methuselah were heading there now.

 

As they approached the Hall, Kalaren observed the defensive layout again.Â

There was a lantern hanging next to the door, while on the other side an Ankorian Resistance flag fluttered lightly, displaying a red stripe on the top and bottom, and a orange stripe in the middle, with a blazing sword cutting into a warped evil-looking staff. On either side of the door, groups of outward-facing sharpened wooden stakes made access to the door available to only one or two people at a time. The building itself consisted of old stone.

There was a guard outside of the door, who recognized them.

 

âHello. State your business.â He said, sounding bored.

 

âWell, we just discovered something that will change our way of life here, by giving us the power of electricity for years to come!â Methuselah replied proudly. The guard nodded.

 

âIâll let emâ know you got something to work with electricity. Follow me.âÂ

 

Methuselah and Jellyfish were getting quite disappointed with their reactions, but nonetheless, they followed the guard inside.

 

Kalaren noticed a few guards roaming about the main hall, various closed off doors leading to a kitchen, closet, administrative officesâ¦ Very few of these areas still served their original functions, instead being converted into whatever was needed, such as an armory, barracks, or in the case of Matheeas, a bedroom, here where he was most easily available. The one room that hadnât changed much, was upstairs, in the grand dome of the building, which, while mostly intact, had been more carefully repaired to at least ''resemble'' what it may have once looked like. The great Council chambers, which Matheeas still used to discuss important matters with his people, and discuss strategies, both domestic and military. They headed to this room. The guard went in, leaving the trio to wait at the door, before the guard came up and let them in, revealing Matheeas leaning over a table with a couple maps, and other officials.

 

âYou wanted to say something about a power source?â Matheeas inquired. Jellyfish eagerly replied.

 

âYes! Methuselah and I were experimenting with some of our Paradox weapons! We found out that if you took out the maelstrom energy in one blaster, and put it in another full one, it would multiply the energy! For example, if you added one quart of maelstrom energy to another quart, it wouldnât simply make two quarts, but five! Then you could add yet another quart, and it would go to nine! Approximately.â

 

âSo you found out a way to power the city?â

 

âPrecisely!â Methuselah stated.

 

âThat sounds great, but what happens when we run out of maelstrom energy to combine with the larger stack?â

 

âWellâ¦ nothing, really, unless we keep using the energy to power the city, which we undoubtedly will. Unless.. we could splice it!â Jellyfish realized.

 

âHow so?â A council member queried.

 

âIf we could slice a part of this maelstrom energy off of the main group, then add it back on, then it would create more!â Jellyfish explained.

 

âWouldnât that be dangerous? If you have too large of a exposure to maelstrom, then you get infected!â Kalaren pointed out.

 

âWell, yes, you have a point there. But if we could capture a Paradox scientist or someone who worked on a generator from, say, Vladekâs Fort, then we could find out how to build a generator! Or at least discover their method.â

 

âMount an assault on Vladeks fort? Are you insane!?!â One of the council members reacted.

 

âWhy does it have to be an assault? We could try to sneak in.â Methuselah said.

 

âYou could also be captured, and interrogated. We donât have the manpower for an assault, and a stealth mission is almost too risky.â Matheeas said.

 

âAlmost?â Methuselah asked.

 

âIâm thinking about it. How long could we have power, with our supply of energy?â

 

âHmm, Iâd say we have enough energy to last fo-JELLYFISH! Ahem, sorry. Enough for one year.

 

Thank you. Weâll talk it over. Methuselah, would you stay here as an advocate for your idea?â

 

âOf course!â

 

âThank you. As for Jellyfish, youâre dismissed.â

 

âVery well.â Jellyfish left, muttering to himself.

 

Matheeas directed his next words at Kalaren.

âKalaren, itâs yours and Kevinâs turn to patrol the perimeter. You two can choose between your goats who you want to bring.â

 

âSounds good, Commander!â

Kalaren showed himself out, and made his way to the stables. As he neared them, he saw a minifig a few years younger than himself waving to him; Kevin.

 

âHeeey Kal! Whassup!?!â

 

Kalaren sighed. âApparently weâre going on perimeter patrol together.â

 

âDude, thatâs awesome! I just finished my latest song! I can sing it to you alll along the way! In a quiet tone of course.â

 

âPlease no!â

 

âCooool. Afterwards.â

 

âGreat''.''â Kalaren and Kevin decided to mount Kevinâs black goat, Surf. In short order, they headed out of the city.Â

===Chapter 4: Desolation===

Stirling grunted as he climbed. Or was that his stomach growling? Or was it another mysterious creature, watching from below, waiting for him to fall?

 

âProbably all three,â he groused, as he reached for another handhold above. Three more feet and he would have a clear view above the treeline, to find out where he was in this ''forsaken'' place.

 

The initially positive outlook he had obtained upon discovering Peragrineâs Pack had quickly eroded under the silently soul-crushing conditions of Ankoria. He didnât remember the details, butÂ he recalled the reports supposedly stating that there was some curse set upon the land that brought out the hidden evils in all living things, or something like that.

 

He tried not to think about it.Â He didnât need to, as itâs effects were seen everywhere. '''Everything''' was different shades of gray, from the dead trees to the ashen ground underneath his feet, to the stagnant pools of âwaterâ heâd come across in the forest below him.Â

 

He hadnât seen or heard any animals until just this morning, where he had shot down a deer, but upon retrieving it, he found that instead of antlers on its head, it had an antler-like structure all along itâs frame, as a sort of exoskeleton. This had made harvesting it rather lengthy and difficult, and his efforts amounted next to nothing as the precious little meat inside was either unbearably tough or appeared to spoil before his very eyes.Â

 

Under normal circumstances, he felt that would spoil his appetite. But here, in Ankoria, he found that his appetite was never satisfied. Despite his best discipline, his food-stores were already running lower than heâd anticipated, and what plant-life heâd found to try and supplement it was either bitter beyond imagining, or definitely too sweet to not be poison. Or rotting.

 

His water reserves were even more desperate. His canteen was nearly dry, and although he had found a small pond in the forest below, where he had filled up a different container, the water was nearly black as ink, and had smelled most foul once boiled for safetyâ¦ He didnât want to drink the local water unless times were desperate. Which would be within the week, at his current rate.

 
 

Stirling looked out from the peak he had gained, searching for something to orient himself on the map he had found in Peragrineâs pack. There was no doubt he had shipwrecked upon the Cursed Land, but where exactly? As he peered back west he saw the coast. Following the shore north with a pair of binoculars, he perceived that the coast curved eastward, as the the glimmer of ocean was visible on the northern horizon.

 

''âThat must mean I shipwrecked on the very northwestern corner of this accursed place,â'' Stirling reasoned. Checking his map, the only thing nearby according to his map was one âFortress of Lord Vladekâ.

 

âGreat. Just great.â

 

According to this map, Vladekâs old fort was almost due East of his supposed position. Who knew if Lord Vladek still used the old fort. Stirling didnât intend to find out.Â

 

The only other point of interest within Ankoria, on the map, was the small town of âDomeadâ. It lay far, far away to the south, on the very shore of the Cursed Land.

 

Stirling saw two options.Â

 

Either head East towards Vladekâs old fort, and Morciaâ¦Â

 

â¦ Or head South towards Domead.

 

Heading east would most likely be faster, but there was great risk in passing by Vladekâs Fort, as there were rumors that the evil Lord was using it as his private residence when not at the capitol by thedudeâs side. However, if this was untrue, there could be valuable resources which would speed up his travel, allowing him to enter Morcia and continue his Journey northward with all haste via the âBridge to Unknownâ

 

On the other hand, heading South was safer. It avoided Vladekâs fortâ¦ He wouldnât have to run into any enemies other than the natural predators of the landâ¦Â

 

But he would have to traverse the entire length and breadth of the Cursed Land. No minor feat, considering his trip so farâ¦ In factâ¦ In light of what heâd seen the past few daysâ¦ The sooner he could leave this wretched land, the better.

 
 

East it was.

 

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

 

Kalaren and Kevin had been riding Surf for some time, when Kevin had an announcment.

 

âIâm bored.â

 

âWonderful.â

 

âWhat?â

 

âNevermind.â

 

âHey, I know, Iâll surf on Surf! Mind if we switch places?â

 

âYes. Iâm going to sit here like a civilized minifig being.â

 

âOh, ok! Iâll just do it up here then!â Kevin said as he stood up on the goat and did your typical surfer stance.

 

âCowabunga!â

 

âNo donât! Stop!â

 

âNo, this is fine, dude! Itâs like land surfing or someth-â

 

'''*WHACK*'''Â

 

Kevinâs head met an oncoming branch, where he stayed, pushing Kalaren off Surf and into the brambles underfoot. Kevin, after recovering from the immediate shock, realized he had hung onto the branch.

Raising a finger, he said,âThis is what Dr. Seuss would call âa lurchâ.âÂ

 

Kalaren groaned as he tried to get up out of the thick prickly undergrowth without making too many tears in his clothing.

 

âSurf, come back!â Kevin wailed. The goat did not immediately appear to hear him, causing him to sigh gloomily. âSurf waits for no one.â But then the goat stopped, turned about, and began careening back!

 

âSurf! Come back! Wait, no, stop! No Surf!â Kevin cried, panicked, right before the big black goat knocked him down, to the left of Kalaren. Thankfully, the goat missed Kalaren.Â

 

âKevin, one of these days you will pay.â Kalaren muttered. as he got up and wiped the dirt and pulled the thorns out of his clothes.â He stared after the goat. âHalt, Surf!âÂ

 

Kevin had gotten up and put his hand on Kalarenâs shoulder.

 

âItâs no use. You canât stop the killer wave.â He said. But Surf did halt.

 

âWoah. You killed the killer. You rode the wave. You turned the wind! You are, The Dudeman!â

 

âOne, has it occurred to you that 'The Dudeman' sounds an awful lot like âthedudeâ?

 

âWell, no but it sounds epi-â

 

âTwo, âThe Dudemanâ has a challenge for you! Just BE QUIET for ''five minutes''!â

 

âHmm.. Ok. I can do both. Instead of The Dudeman, Iâll call you The Mandude, and Iâll be quiet tonight, when Iâm sleeping!â

 

âBoth of which alleviate ''NOTHING''.â

 

âSure they do! You donât sound like thedude anymore!â

 

âI suppose. Come on, letâs get Surf, and continue scouting.

 

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

 

Stirling continued his path eastward, through the mountains. It was slow going, as the land was rocky, craggy, and there was no semblance of any path. Each step disturbed the earth, and raised the grey dust of countless lonely years. It was like walking on a moon. Except, with mountains. And full gravity. In his sandy, itchy, heavy armor.

 

The next day, he was attacked by something resembling an eagle. Or a Raven. Some hideous crossbreed thing. However, after defeating it, he reasoned there must be a nest nearby. A few minutes and a short climb up later, he found some eggs, which made a decent brunch. He only had to ignore the rotten smell, and their strange green and red yolks. Perry would have said they were âChristmas eggs.â

 

Perhaps they would make a better eggnog than scramble. All well.

Banking his campfire, he hefted his pack, and continued on.Â

=== Chapter 5: The Dreaded Gigfran Eggs ===

Kalaren and Kevin sat behind a boulder on a small hill that rose above the dead tree canopy.

''' 
'''

âItâs a campfire, alright,â confirmed Kalaren, as he gazed through a spyglass.

''' 
'''

âLemme see, Mandude!â Kevin demanded, trying to snatch the spyglass from him.

''' 
'''

âHang on, Iâm trying to see the person who made it.â

''' 
'''

âYouâre too slow, lemme see.â

''' 
'''

âJust give it a rest, I-â

''' 
'''

âAha!â Kevin cried, as he successfully acquired the spyglass. Kalaren just rolled his eyes and let him have it. âNow letâs seeâ¦ Heâs cooking something.. looks like one of those gigfran.â

''' 
'''

âThatâs not a very wholesome meal.â

''' 
'''

âWait, heâs tossing it to the sideâ¦ He has some sort of egg.â

''' 
'''

âOh no.â Kalaren said, snatching the spyglass back.

''' 
'''

âHey, not cool, Mandude!â

''' 
'''

âJust a secondâ¦ Itâs as I feared. Yes, heâs eating some eggs.â

''' 
'''

âOh. Oh no. Not ''THOSE'' eggs, right?â

''' 
'''

â...â

''' 
'''

âThat poor, poor dude! We have to save him from the worst tomorrow of his LIFE!!â

''' 
'''

âShh! He could have heard you! Duck!â They ducked for a minute or two before bopping back up.

''' 
'''

âOk, itâs clear now. We canât go over there because we donât know if heâs one of Vladekâs agents or a goblin or a dark elf or a dwarf or...â

''' 
'''

âOhh. Good point, Mandude.â

''' 
'''

âWould you please stop calling me Mandude?â

''' 
'''

âSure thing, Dudeman.

''' 
'''

âThat doesn't help.â

''' 
'''

âOh, ok, man, I mean dude. or man. uhhâ¦ Bro. ''Amigo''. '''''Muchacho'''''. No, yâknow what, Mandude is still the best.â

''' 
'''

Kalaren groaned in agony. âFine! Fine.â He looked through the spyglass.

''' 
'''

âHeâs putting the fire out. Maybe we can ambush him somewhere, and bring him to Aragarth for questioning.â

''' 
'''

âSure, but where, and how, Bro-haha?â

''' 
'''

Kalaren flinched at âBro-hahaâ, replying, âIt depends on if he stays up on the mountains or if he comes down. Hopefully he comes down. That would make it easier.â

''' 
'''

âThat plan is ''off the chain!â''

''' 
'''

âGood to know?â Â Â Â

''' 
'''

âThat plan is ''off the charts''! No one but The Mad-dude could do it!â

''' 
'''

âMy plan is literally to come up with a plan later, and I donât appreciate your enthusiasm!â Kalaren replied with a sarcastic smile.

''' 
'''

âOh sorry, I thought I was enthusiastic enough, but Iâll try to up my game, like this: '''SUPER-BROHEMIAN!!'''!â

''' 
'''

Kalaren jumped on Kevin, and covered his mouth. Partly because they needed to be quiet, and partly because it helped him refrain from jumping off the mountain and taking Kevin with him.

''' 
'''

A few minutes later, and some more use of the spyglass, they made their way back down to Surf the Goat, and followed the stranger eastward.Â

''' 
'''

The rest of their approach was silent. Kalaren assumed it was because Kevin was thinking about the poor strangerâs future plight, which involved variousâ¦ unpleasant sensations.

''' 
'''

Kevin shuddered. âThat dude has got to be hardcore.â

''' 
'''

âYeah. Might lead to a tough battle.â

''' 
'''

âMaybe the indigestion will hit him, and weâll just have to knock âim out!â

''' 
'''

âWe can hope.âÂ

''' 
'''

Surfâs innate goat agility allowed Kalaren and Kevin to move with near silence, at a speed comparative to a horseâs canter. They were about to exit the treeline when they saw the stranger up ahead, inspecting his compass as he walked. Kevin whispered some commands to Surf before they both dismounted and stealthily made theyâre way to a ledge ahead of the manâs path.Â

''' 
'''

Kevin gave some confusing hand signals, consisting of his two fingers heading down the slope, then turning on their side and pinching his other hand, this hand falling over. then he brought the first hand back and made some wiggling figure movements.

''' 
'''

Kalaren assumed this meant that Kevin wanted to go ahead and try to attack the stranger, while Kalaren cheered him on. Maybe it could use some adaptation. But Kevin jumped off the ledge and on top of the stranger anyway.Â

''' 
'''

Kalaren tried to find a place where he could see Kevin and the stranger fighting, but with them being just under the ledge, he couldnât aim without the brittle edge sending down pebbles and giving him away. Instead,Â he scrambled to the side of the slope, where he could see the stranger.

''' 
'''

The stranger wasÂ dressed in rusty chainmail, and had dark brown hair. He wielded a katana, which was raised to swing at a downed Kevin. Kalaren knocked an arrow and fired it at the strangerâs wrist.Â

''' 
'''

âGah!â the stranger yelled, dropping his sword as the arrow sprouted from his armored glove. Wasting no time, Kalaren fired a second arrow at his right knee.Â The stranger dove for the tree-line behind him, seeking cover, as Kevin charged after him.

''' 
'''

<nowiki>~~~~~~~</nowiki>

''' 
'''

Tumbling behind the tree, Stirling gritted his teeth as both arrows broke and embedded themselves into his armor and flesh as he moved. Hearing the man running up, he stuck his good leg out, and tripped him.

''' 
'''

The blonde landed face-first in the gravel, but quickly rolled over, to receive the swift heel of Stirlingâs boot to the same face.

''' 
'''

Stirling had to hand it to him, he was tough. If young and inexperienced. Drawing his leg back behind the tree, another arrow appeared where his boot had been.

''' 
'''

Stirling looked through his pack, searching for a ranged weapon. He quickly found one of Peragrineâs old Flintlock pistols.Â

''' 
'''

''âPerfect.â'' he thought, as he loaded it with a satisfying âclickâ that resounded off the rocks.

''' 
'''

Aware he was dealing with an excellent archer, Stirling popped his head out from behind the tree-trunk for a mere second. In that second, he already saw an arrow zooming at his head. He noted the general direction, and ducked back, the whole length of the arrow whizzing past his nose.

''' 
'''

''âOoookay.â''

''' 
'''

Tensing up, he swung out right after the arrow had gone by, and saw his second assailant. A cloaked archer, with bright red hair, perched on an edge half-way down the slope. He fired, and ducked back, as a mangled arrow skittered by his cover.

''' 
'''

Stirling loaded the pistol and swung out to fire again. This time, though, no arrow came after him, as his first shot had destroyed the enemyâs bow, and knocked him off of his precarious perch.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling charged at the archer, firing his pistol and drawing a dagger. The shot hit the man in the arm, and the sound of armor rang out in tandem with the manâs cry of pain.

''' 
'''

Stirling dove at the man, intending to pin him to the ground with his dagger, but the man stopped him dead in the air with his right arm. The one that had been shot.

''' 
'''

âWhat on Crux-â Stirling began, before he was rammed into the stone, and then tossed like a doll back into the tree-line, where he landed on the previous attacker.

''' 
'''

Fighting to maintain consciousness through the pain, he realized the blonde man underneath him had recovered, and was nonsensically slapping him. Stirling struggled to get up, but before he could, the Archer was standing over him.

''' 
'''

âWorthless. Vagabonds!â Stirling spat.

''' 
'''

The Archer pulled him up with the same ease he'd thrown him, and Stirling hardly felt the left sucker-punch, as the darkness swallowed him up.

''' 
'''

<nowiki>~~~~~~</nowiki>

''' 
'''

Matheeas set down the report. âAll in all, fairly successful.â Looking up, he saw Kalarenâs relatively unscathed appearance, in comparison to Kevin, who looked like heâd been run over by a stampede of goats.Â

''' 
'''

âSo, where is the prisoner now?â

''' 
'''

âIn the infirmary. Probably dying.â Kevin pointed out.

''' 
'''

âYou KILLED him?!â Matheeas exclaimed, shocked.

''' 
'''

âNo, the gigfran eggs did.â

''' 
'''

âOr rather will.â Kalaren amended.

''' 
'''

âOh. Well, maybe Iâll check in on him. Until then, Kevin, you go to the infirmary, rest up, and Kalaren, you go to that Jellyfish. Get your arm fixed.

''' 
'''

âThanks, Commander!â

''' 
'''

âOf course, Sir.â

=== Chapter 6: The Effects of the Dreaded Gigfran Eggs ===

Stirling woke up in immense pain. Opening his eyes, he noted that he was in some sort of medical facility, which didnât make him feel any better.

 

''âOh great. If the highwaymen didnât leave me, or rob me, they must want something else from me,â'' he reasoned. Sitting up, he let loose '''the most thunderous fart''' known to man.

 

Naturally, he was quite surprised, and looked around to make sure no one could pin it on him. Unfortunately, everyone had, including three guards stationed around him. He was in a old stone building, patched in various places with wood. All along this room, there were rows of cots on either side, only a few which were occupied by people now staring at him. A nurse scurried over.

 

âCome with me, sir. You will be needing to use the facilities.â

 

âPardon?â

 

âThe report is that you ate gigfran eggs. There is no known cure for the ailment, but considering your strong physical condition, you ''may'' not find it fatal.â

 

âWHAT?â

 

âWalk and talk, sir.â

 

Stirling swung his legs out of the cot, and with this sudden change to vertical movement, he found that he did indeed require facilities. Badly.

 

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

 

A few minutes later, Stirling felt marginally better, as he sat on the edge of his cot, with only two of his original guards next to him.Â Suddenly, someone a few cots down was waving to get his attention.

 

âDude! Hardcore Dude!â

 

Stirling frowned. It was his blonde-haired attacker.

 

âYou feeling better, man?â

 

Stirling stared him down. Or, attempted to. The blonde young man seem unaffected by Stirling's grave stare.

 

âMe and the Brohemian saw you eating those eggs, we wanted to help you, Man, but it was to late. Sorry Dude.â

 

Stirlingâs only response was to blink in confusion.Â

 

âIâve never met anyone whoâs eaten those and survived to tell the story. Whatâs it like?â the blonde continued.

 

Stirling considered a moment. Others had heard the loud one-sided conversation, and were now looking to Strider for an answer.

 

âLike eating a mad scientistâs chemistry set.â With this, he unceremoniously heaved. The people around the room responded accordingly. 

âOooh, pretty colors.â

âLook away, honey.â

âHenrietta, could you please bring a towel? Or five?â One of the guards said to the nurse, placing a nearby bucket in front of Strider.

âEw.â

âSorry,â muttered Stirling, accepting the bucket. He moved to get off of the cot, but instead of going to the floor to clean up, he immediately dashed off to the facilities. Again. Followed by one guard, yelling at him at first, but when realizing Stirlingâs intent, he quieted down and followed the poor ill man.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

When Stirling returned with the one Guard, (The one that had left originally had now joined the other guard in cleaning up Stirlingâs mess.) there was a few more people waiting for him.Â

There were a small number of soldiers hovering around a core group of 3 people. Two of them wore robes that reminded Stirling of politicians, so instantly, they faded into the background of Stirlingâs assessment. Â The other one of these garnered Stirlingâs immediate attention.

 

He had black hair which consisted of a full beard, and regular length haircut. He wore a simple white tunic, with blue shoulders and an insignia on the front of it, depicting a knotted sinister-looking staff, crossed with a bright steel sword, burning with vibrant flames, underlaid with three stripes. A red stripe on the bottom and top, and an orange stripe in the middle. Strapped to his side, the black-haired man also had a sword, with a diamond pommel. The handle was fairly simple, steel underneath, with grey cloth wrapped around it.Â

 

Stirling figured he couldnât take them all on. Not with these infernal symptoms. So he listened as the mainÂ figure spoke.

 

âI trust you feel better now?â

 

âWell enough.âÂ

 

âSplendid. I have some questions for you...â

 

Stirling shrugged, glancing at all of the armed people around him. It wasnât like he had much of a choice right now.

 

â...Which we will ask somewhere else.â A guard stepped forward with a cloth in his hands.

 

Upon seeing the cloth, Stirling assumed they were going to drug him unconscious, which, impaired or not, he wasnât going to take lying down. He dove forward, snatching the cloth from the Guard before spinning around and slamming it into the lead manâs face. Following through, he was able to get him into a headlock before any of the guards could recover from their surprise.

 

Blinded, the lead man drew his sword and deftly flipped it around to stab Stirling. However, seeing the move, Stirling dodged the attack, only to be met with multiple swords and spears pointed at him and his captive.Â One of them belonged to the Archer from the forest. Only now, he had apparently come around the corner while these previous events were happening.

 

âNobody move, and no one gets hurt,â Stirling commanded, taking control. âThis I swear, on my honor as a knight.â

 

âKnight?â His new captive queried. âWhat sort of knight?â

 

Stirling glanced down at him in surprise. Surely he would have succumbed to whatever theyâd intended to put him to sleep with. âOne with honor, who doesnât attack travellers for a living, or without reason.â There was a groan directed from the man. ''âMust be the poison,â'' Stirling thought.

 

âAnd this is relevant, ''how''?â Â The man said.

 

Stirling lifted the cloth from his captive and checked his eyes. Totally clear. And annoyed. He squinted at the cloth. It appeared completely normal.

 

Slightly embarrassed, he wondered if theyâd only meant to blindfold him.

 

Slightly confused, his grip on the man loosened marginally. âIâm sorry, wh-â

 

His captive took advantage of this to drop his sword, reach up for Stirlingâs arms, yank, and ''flip'' him in front of him.Â

 

Landing flat on his back, Stirling landed with a solid thump, accentuated by gas. Various pointy tips were set at his throat.

 

âI can answer questions like this,â Stirling said. âJust donât move me.â He pointed at the now discarded cloth. âI thought that was a means of knocking me out, I apologize.â

 

He heard the lead manâs voice.

 

âMaybe if you donât try to harm anyone else here, you may be forgiven. Where do you hail from?â

 

âMorcia.â

 

âInteresting. Who are you aligned with? Vladek, Thedude, or some rebellion?â

 

âBefore I answer that, could you answer that same question for me, since you already have me dead to rights?â

 

âAnd then you gain our trust and run away, telling our enemy gathered intel?â

 

âIt is so romantic that you think I want or need your trust. Iâm simply travelling through.â

 

âThrough Ankoria. Sure.â

 

Stirling shrugged as best he could from his position on the ground. However, it was ruined by an escaped toot.

 

âYouâre specifically trying to be aloft- I mean, aloof. If you wonât answer that, then answer it later. For now, tell us where you got this.â The man said, raising a sword.

 

It was his samurai katana. That meant theyâd gone through his stuff. Typical vagabonds.

 

âIf youâre wanting more like it, Iâll tell you thatâs not possible.âÂ

 

The man raised his left eyebrow and looked at the katana.Â

âWhat, this? why would I want a Nexus Force Sentinel rank three Samurai issue Katana?â He said as he turned back to a neutral faced Stirling.

 

Stirling took a moment to study the people around him. None of them looked like Nexus Force. They were all battle ready, more or less. They had a variety of ethnicity, and most of them were very grim faced. Their gear was largely of a medieval make, though there was the occasional Paradox Rogue item. How did they know what Sentinel gear looked like?

 

Stirling decided that, no matter what their morals were, they were clearly not allied with thedude. This made it very unlikely, but not impossible, that they were not allied with Vladek either.

 

âI am against thedude.â he announced abruptly.Â

 

The leader nodded, though somewhat surprised at his sudden answering of the previous question. âAre you allied with Vladek, then?â

 

Stirling shook his head. âBefore I answer that, I would like to know your alignment.â The man seemed somewhat disappointed, but did reply,

 

âWe would be foolish to answer that, but if you wonât answer that now, then we will ask you this: Where did you get this sword?â The leader said as he gestured to the katana again.Â

 

âIt should be clear enough, if youâve rifled through my belongings,â Stirling growled, becoming irritated with his position. âI was with the Nexus Force, in a past life.â

 

âSo you come from offworld?â

 

âI hail from Morcia.â

 

âHow did you get to the Nexus Force, and how did you get back here?â

 

Stirling rolled his eyes. âYou want my lifeâs story?â

 

âActually, that would be preferable. In detail.â

 

Stirling shook his head, brushing the blades away with his gloved hands as he made to get up. âNope, thatâs it. Iâm not accepting your âhospitalityâ anymore.âÂ

 

The one who had been questioning him shook his head in frustration.

 

âHank, procedure two.â

 

Hank, who was a nearby guard, said,âYes sir!â Stabbing Stirlings left shoulder, and hitting an artery.Â

 

âGAH! CRUX!â Stirling glanced down and noticed the man, âHankâ had thrust so hard as to go through his mail. And by the excruciating pain, he might have nicked a bone.

 

The leader spoke up.

 

âHenrietta, how much time does he have left?â he asked, addressing a nurse.

 

âApproximately five minutes before he bleeds out, Sir.â

 

âWell, there you have it. We can treat you if you answer one of the questions, stranger.â

 

Through gritted teeth, he looked up at his antagonist. âItâll take more than that, moron.âÂ Seeing his own blood, Stirlingâs fervor was stoked, and he slowly stood up, a hand over his wound. Many people around him grumbled and muttered darkly.

 

The man, who had picked up his sword by now, looked Stirling in the eye.

 

âI said answer one question. I suggest you do so.â

 

Stirling spat at his feet. âYou are without honor.â

 

âAnd you called ME a moron.â The man muttered, before looking back up, taking a step forward, and continued to talk. âI, am Matheeas Lancaster, and I just might be the most honorable knight here. I have killed countless, for the sole purpose to save countless. All you have done here is condemn yourself to death.â

 

Already, Stirling felt the cold touch of death as his lifeblood spilled over his chainmail. But he gave Matheeas a smile. âI would be lying if I said it was a pleasure to meet you, Lancaster. But I appreciate knowing who it was that killed me. Know that it is Stirling Silverstine whom you have slain, and that you will answer to Sir Thaddeus Thingguy the Second,Â if he ever finds out thy hand in this.â

 

With this, Stirling collapsed amid rippling murmurs.

 

Matheeas closed his eyes, and facepalmed. âWhat an IDIOT. Henrietta, please try and save him. Hank, go get the Doctor.â

 

''âHardcoreâ¦â''

âKevin, shut up.â

=== Chapter 7: Poisoned, Assaulted, Maimed, Treated, Stabbed, Treated Again, andÂ Prison Time. ===

Kalaren was surprised at these turn of events. He thought back to his own first time with Matheeas. It had gone much better. Hopefully, this would end up much the same. Right now, he was assisting Henrietta in slowing the manâs, Stirlingâs, blood loss, which mostly was just handing clean towels over, and wringing out used ones of all of the blood with hot water.

Thankfully, the doctor came over very quickly. He was followed by Jellyfish, Methuselah, and Hank.Â Kalaren remembered that the Doctorâs name was Steph A. Skope, but as is the fate of many doctors, he was simply called âDocâ. He was a middle-aged man, who was balding before his time. His kind brown eyes were always framed by his spectacles, and accentuated his full brown beard. He wore a white overcoat similar to Jellyfishâs, and his grey carpetbag of doctorâs tools was never far from hand. Rushing in, he plopped right down, and took control.

âHave you staunched the bleeding?â

âVery nearly, Doctor,â Henrietta replied. âBut it hit an artery."

âThat is unfortunate!Â Kalaren, I want you to hold his arm up and apply pressure. Iâm going to sew this up, and then weâll bandage it.

âSounds good.â Kalaren said.

It was a few minutes longer, and then the doctorâs deft hands had finished with his patient. Tying off the bandage, he said,

âI donât think heâll be up and about for a few weeks, and he ''certainly'' wonât be fighting or doing anything physical with that arm for at least a month. I would suggest two, but I know that probably wonât happen,â he finished.

Turning around, he noted Jellyfishâs intense stare. âWhat do you think, Jellyfish?â

âYes, it makes sense. Itâs vaguely familiar. Perhaps it was part of something I learned in the Academy. Couldnât you used a tourniquet?â

âI could have, but it wouldnât have been a permanent fix,â Doc explained as the two labcoated men walked off.

Kalaren looked up at a tense Matheeas, who looked down at him and said,Â

âDo you want to guard him? Weâre going to move him into the brig and have personal doctor visits because clearly, he canât be among polite company, even if he IS a knight.âÂ

Kalaren shrugged. âTheyâll let anyone be a knight these days.â

âThat applies to a lot of people, but I donât think the KOTOS would accept someone who acts so arrogant.â

âThe KOTOS?â

âKnights Of The Olde Speech. They fought in the grammar war, and Sir Thingguy was one of them. Supposedly, theyâre quite noble. I thought they were all captured or dead, though there are rumors they still roam about.â

âOh.â Kalaren looked at Stirling. He ''could'' be a knight.

âWe better move him now.Â Rick, Kalaren, think you could get a stretcher, and move him to the brig?â

âOi reckon.â Rick drawled.

âDonât see why not!â Kalaren said.

While Rick and Kal got the stretcher, Matheeas dispersed the crowd, apologising for the chaos. Once the other two got back and loaded the prisoner onto the stretcher, Matheeas excused himself to handle other matters. Methuselah wandered away toward his bunker where he would probably experiment more.

The trip to the brig (Which was the same prison room Kalaren had been in all those years ago except expanded, and patched up.) was uneventful, other than a couple confused or curious glances from nearby bystanders.

Once they did get there, they set him on a cot next to the wall and grabbed some long chains attached to the wall.

However, with the sound of chains, something within the knight awoke, and he groaned. The two guards started to panic.

âOh no, heâs awake!â Kalaren muttered.

âQuoick, chain up hois oither oither hand!â Rick replied.

âYou mean his other hand?â

âYeh, that one!â

âNo, this one,â the prisoner said, swinging up from his cot with his right hand in question balled into a fist. However, the guard, which happened to be Kalaren, caught his fist and smiled at the prisoner.

âHey fella! Thanks for the tip!â

Stirling paled and fell back onto his cot.Â While Rick finished chaining him up, Kalaren continued to talk and made sure Stirling didnât try anything.

âSo, how are you feeling?â

Stirling glared at the two of them. âIâve had worse.â

âThatâs good. Up for a few more questions?â

Stirling raised an eyebrow. âDepends, can you answer a few for me?â

Kalaren considered this.

âWe probably can. After you answer ours.â

Stirling nodded his consent.Â âSee, thatâs very sensible. The knucklehead I was talking with before didnât seem to understand that.â

âThat âknuckleheadâ is my boss. Besides, you asked him to answer yours first.âÂ

Stirling made a barely visible shrug as he leaned back against the wall. âFire away, Archer.â This surprised Kalaren.

âOh, I donât have authorization to question you. Youâll have to take that up with Matheeas.â

Stirlingâs features quickly hardened.Â

âIâm sure itâll be fine. If you are reasonable with him, heâll be reasonable with you!â Kalaren reassured, then added, âOh, and my nameâs Kalaren. or Kal.â Kalaren was hit with the sudden realization that he sounded a lot like Egbert, the one who had guarded him when he was in prison all those years ago. A sudden wave of sorrow passed over him as he remembered Egbert had fallen in war, seven years ago.

âPleased to meet you, Kalaren. Iâm not sure you heard me when I was talking to Matheeas. My nameâs Stirling Silverstine.â

âNice to meet you, too.â

Stirling appeared to study him closely. âAre you from the Nexus Force?â

Kalaren started to speak, but then frowned.

âI donât think I can disclose that.â

âWhat is this, some sort of cult? Canât you talk about your own personal stuff?â Stirling groused. Before Kalaren could answer, he continued.Â

âI was in the Nexus Force, before I came here almost six years ago now.â

âOh?â Kalaren might not be able to question him, but gathering information couldnât hurt.

âYeah. Before the Faction wars. I was a Sentinel. You know what the Factions are, right?â

Kalaren thought for a second.

âI might.â

Stirling continued. âWell, the Sentinels are guardians. Protectors. I was a Samurai, and, well, I guess you know that if you identified my stuff.â Suddenly, Stirling leaned in. âYouâre keeping track of all that, right? I donât want any of it missing when I get it back.â His expression ranged from curious to severe.

âHonestly, I dunno. I wasnât the one who went through it.â

Rick butted in.

âOiâm going to tell Matâeas, the prisânerâs awake.â He said as he headed for the door.

âYou do that,â muttered Stirling. Turning to Kalaren, he continued.

âYeah, the Nexus Force wasnât all bad, but eventually I decided to come back home. Militiregnum is home.â

âI see. Did you know about everything that was happening here?â

âYou mean thedude taking over? No. I crash landed here and found out pretty quick though.â

âCrash landed? How did you get past the blockade?â

Stirling froze for a moment, clearly holding back. âIâm a very good pilot,â he said.

âReally? What did you fly?â

âAn old Nexus Force Shuttle a fr- I acquired.â

âHuh. So, you were a samurai pilot?â

âThe Nexus Force Academy program is extensive.â

âAnd generous! I mean, you had one of their shuttles, and unless you stole it-â

âYes, I stole it.â

âWait, what?â

âLetâs go with that. I stole it.â

âIsnât Nexus Force high security?â

âI had friends. But not anymore.â Stirlingâs gaze dropped.

âOh. Iâm sorry for your loss.â Kalaren assumed. Matheeas, along with Rick, walked in then.

âOh, hereâs theâ¦â Stirling checked himself. âAhem. Mr. Lancaster.â Matheeas looked at Stirling in surprise, then at Kalaren, then back at Stirling.

âEr, greetings. So...â

âKalaren tells me that if I answer your questions, you could answer mine. Thatâs something you should have led with, good sir.â Resettling himself against the wall, he listened to the reply.

âHe did? That seems reasonable enough. We should be able to answer a few. Shall we get started?â

Glancing at Kalaren, Stirling replied, âFire away, Lancaster.â

Matheeas winced at being called âLancasterâ, but due to Stirling's volatile mood, decided not to mention it.

âWhat Faction did you serve in?â he asked.

Again glancing at Kalaren, he answered âSentinel. You know which one that is?â

âYes. Moving on, how did you get into Ankoria?â

âWould you believe I crash-landed in a spaceship near the coast?â Suddenly, he shook his head. âNo, you wouldnât. Youâd go looking for the ship. Sadly, thereâs nothing left of my sea-faring vessel. I crashed into the rocky shore somewhere on the northern peninsula.â He thought for a moment. âI suppose you could check my effects and find my compass. It is somewhat corsair in designâ¦â

âI do recall someone saying something about a similar compass. What were you doing traveling in Ankoria, or what were you heading for?â

Stirling sighed. âWell, since I thought I was dead, I told you that I am affiliated with the Knights of the Olde Speech. I suppose it canât hurt to tell you now that I was heading north, towards Nordland. I wanted to speak to their warriors, find out whatâs allowed them to repel thedude for so long. But now, being stranded here, I was walking east to take the longer land route north.â Suddenly, he remembered something. âIs Vladekâs fort occupied?â

Matheeas had been deep in thought, so he looked up at Stirling in surprise at the sudden change of subject.

âIâll tell you in a second. How did you get to Militiregnum?â

Stirling rolled his eyes. âThat is a very long question. Suffice to say that Morcia is my home, and I came here from the Nexus Force 6 years ago. I was shot down by the blockade when I refused to stay away, and Iâve been on the planet ever since.âÂ

âInteresting. I assume your spacecraft was a Nexus Force model?â

âA much older version, yes. But itâs been long gone by now. Somewhere in eastern Morcia.â

âI see. I have one more question. Is the KOTOS still around? I thought they were either all dead or captured.

Stirling appeared to consider his answer very carefully. âIt depends on what you consider âstill aroundâ. The KOTOS are not what they used to be. Many are dead, some are captured; most are still in hiding. But there are some like myself, friends and affiliates, who would say that the KOTOS will never truly die.â

âThatâs good to know! Well, now itâs your turn to ask any questions.â

Stirling nodded, still preoccupied with Matheeasâs final question and response. However, he appeared to shake it off soon enough.Â

âFirst, Vladekâs fort. Does he still use it? I was planning to pass by it, butâ¦â

âItâs probably a good thing you didnât. Vladek himself isnât there too often, but it is in use. He almost always has some sort of garrison there.â

âWell then for that I am glad. I would most surely be dead if you had not detained me,â Stirling admitted. âThat brings me to my second question: Where is here? I understand if you cannot be specific, but I thought Ankoria was barren of civilization.âÂ

âWe are in the City of Aragarth, it was ruined when the founders of our group came here and it has worked splendidly as a base.â

Stirling nodded, before quickly continuing to another question.

âThirdly, WHO ARE YOU GUYS?!â

Apparently, this third question had been weighing heavily on his mind, and surprised everyone in the room. Matheeas answered promptly, and with a bit of vigor and pride, as he realized that this man was the one they needed to meet, and vise versa. This man could connect them to many allies!

âI, and everyone else in this city, (excluding you of course,) are the Ankorian Rebellion! We have been attacked by Vladekâs forces many times and yet we have survived! Our city is quite large so we were able to set ambushes and traps along the roads and paths. We would probably be able to harbor whatever allies you might have.â

âSo, weâre relatively close to Vladekâs fortress?â

Matheeas hesitated to confirm this, but as Stirling had already assumed this, and Matheeas dearly wished to be able to relatively trust him, he did so.

â...Yes.â

Stirling paused, mulling this all over.Â âWell, at least youâre not all brigands.â Looking up, he asked, âI assume my possessions will be returned to me in due time?â

âYes, of course! I donât see why not. If we kept them you would not be armed correctly for your journey, and then you may never reach allies to tell them of our existence.â

Stirling raised an eyebrow. âYou want me to tell others of your little rebellion?â

âOnly trusted allies. It would be beneficial to both of us.â

Mild confusion turned to thoughtfulness, which melted into a guarded smile. âVery well, Mr. Lancaster. I think we may have reached a mutual understanding at last.â

âI agree.âÂ

âAll it took was my getting assaulted, maimed, treated, stabbed, treated again, and thrown in this quaint prison cell!â he summarized sarcastically.

âAnd donât forget the gigfran eggs!â Kalaren pointed out.Â

It appeared that talking about other things had kept Stirlingâs mind off of this subject, and bringing it up brought several unsavory symptoms back.

âRight,â Stirling added, suddenly turning a sickly shade of green. âAdd âpoisonedâ to the list.â Then his eyes glazed over and he fainted.

=== Chapter 8: Visitors for the Strider, Part One ===

Stirling had feverish dreams. Another side effect of the accursed bird eggs. He dreamt of being chased by unseen horrors of nature, fighting faceless shadows demanding his deepest kept secrets. When he refused, he suddenly would find little black birds in his mouth which would start chirping away everything. Stirling closed his mouth, and tried to swallow, but instead the birds multiplied and spilled out of his mouth, only to turn on him and peck at hisÂ eyes and face. It only took moments before he seemed to be covered in the never-ending swarm of hatchlingsâ¦!

''' 
'''

Then he awoke, covered in his own puke, which he appeared to have rolled around in, and his eyes burned. Blinking a few times, he realized his visual acuity has decreased. He could still see, but finer details were lost to him.Â

"Great. Just great."

''' 
'''

Looking around, he got up off of the ground and realized he was no longer in the prison cell. Instead he was in a room more appropriate to a guest. It was a basic apartment size, decently furnished. It even had a small washroom adjacent to it. Looking up, Stirling saw the roof having been patched with wood and skins.Â Stirling was surprised by the sheer space of the room compared to his cell. A guard right outside his door was able to explain to him that he was under a form of house arrest, under the authority of the Doctor, not Matheeas. Stirling thought that mighty convenient, but accepted this state of affairs nonetheless.Â

''' 
'''

Over the next few days âDocâ visited and assured him that though he didnât know how long it would take, his vision would clear, along with the rest of his symptoms. Much to Striderâs relief, the gastrointestinal issues did appear to be fading.Â

''' 
'''

As impaired as he was, Stirling nevertheless made use of the time cleaning his armor and talking with visitors, of which there were quite a few.

''' 
'''

Various townsfolk were interested in someone new, as this was a rare occurrence. Stirling was somewhat surprised, but ultimately pleased when they came by. Apparently Matheeas trusted him enough to let his people talk freely with him. Stirling considered how to use this to his advantage, but also was careful not to lose said advantage, doing his best to be a good... 'captive host'?

''' 
'''

There were also less common folk who came by. The occasional person with some fancy title or specific occupation inside the leadership would come by and ask him questions about things abroad. Stirling would answer them as generally as he could. As kind as this resistance seemed to be, his aching left arm warned him constantly that they could be ruthless.

''' 
'''

And then came one other visitor who stood out from all the restâ¦Â

''' 
'''

Early the third day of this routine, the guard outside of his room let this visitor in to his room. Stirling could easily see that he was quite curious, and quite excited. As soon as the door closed, the brown-robed man gave a short bow, and greeted Stirling, who had just gotten dressed for the day in some casual medieval attire. His regular armor and clothing lay on a nearby table, still not yet fully cleaned from his travels.

''' 
'''

âWelcome to Aragarth, Sir Silverstine!â the visitor said.

''' 
'''

âHow do you do, sir.â Stirling replied, unable to make out his features beyond thin, white hair, and no beard. âIâm sorry, I donât recognize you. Should I?â

''' 
'''

The man in front of him, opened his mouth to say something, then decided against it and thought for a second.

''' 
'''

âNo, no you shouldnât. I am Doctor Jellyfish! The head engineer of the Ankorian Rebellion!â

''' 
'''

âJellyfish?â

''' 
'''

âYes! Ever tried it fried?â

''' 
'''

Stirling squinted, wishing he could read this manâs face better.Â âNooâ¦ Canât say I have. Are you pulling my leg?â

''' 
'''

âNo. That would be a strange thing to do!â

''' 
'''

There was a long pause as both men tried to figure out the otherâs reasoning for totally different â¦ reasons.

''' 
'''

âSo, what brings you to see the half-blind soldier from abroad?â Stirling asked, shuffling over to the wood stove.

âOh yes! I almost forgot! Well, to get to that I would have to start at the very beginning."Â Â Â

''' 
'''

Stirling glanced back, kettle in hand. âI was about to brew some coffee. Or what you folks call coffee. You want some?â

''' 
'''

âWould you kill me if I said no?â

''' 
'''

âUm, no?â

''' 
'''

âGood. I know a friend who said no once.â

''' 
'''

âLemme guess. The friend died?â

''' 
'''

âHm? Well, of course! Who doesnât!â

''' 
'''

Stirling paused. What was the point of this conversation again?

''' 
'''

âAnyways, would you like the long story, or the short story?â

''' 
'''

âIâm going to brew myself some coffee, so give me the long story, and weâll see how that goes,â Stirling said.

''' 
'''

âLong story, ok. Would you like the deluxe version?â

''' 
'''

Having got the kettle warming on the wood stove, Stirling turned to his visitor.Â

''' 
'''

âWhat on Crux is the deluxe v- no, you know what. Iâll take the extra-super. With cheese. Just start telling the story!â

''' 
'''

âWell, I donât have cheese, and I donât know what the 'extra-super' is. So Iâm afraid I canât.â

''' 
'''

Stirling facepalmed. âJustâ¦âÂ

''' 
'''

âJust...Ice? Justice? You seek justice? Do you have an attorney? I know a good attorney.â

''' 
'''

Stirling shrugged helplessly. âAre you ok? ''Do you need a Doctor?'' How about a good psychiatrist?â

''' 
'''

âI am a Doctor! And I have a psychiatrist. His name is also Doctor Jellyfish! Though he actually IS a jellyfish.â

''' 
'''

âLemme guess, you havenât seen him in some time.â

''' 
'''

âNumber one, why do you ask me to 'let you guess'? You go right ahead anyway. Number two, he visits me in my dreams.â

''' 
'''

Stirling nodded. ''âYup. Certified crazy, if I ever saw it.â'' he thought. Switching gears, Stirling said, âSo, Dr. Jellyfish. Did you have something to tell me today?â

''' 
'''

âOh yeah! Would you like the malnourished long version, ''deluxe'' long version or the '''super-deluxe''' ''with '''cheese'''''!â Jellyfish said, pulling out a slimy slice of cheese from one of his lab coat pockets. It had something green sliding down the side of it.

''' 
'''

It took Stirling a few seconds to mentally bite back all of his sarcastic comebacks and exclamations, but he eventually replied, âWhatever you like.â

''' 
'''

âWell, I donât like being malnourished. And I donât like cheese. But you like cheese! So we will do the last one!â Jellyfish said, before tossing the slice of cheese at Stirling, accidentally hitting his face, and adding, âHere you go. Oops.â

''' 
'''

âThanks,â Stirling replied dryly, as the slice peeled off, leaving a slimy film.''' 
'''

âOnce upon a time, Four Adventurers journeyed to find the fabled-â

âSkip to the end!âÂ

âEveryone dies,â Jellyfish summarized solemnly.

''' 
'''

âNOT THAT FAR END.â

''' 
'''

âSo, you want me to skip to the middle?â

''' 
'''

Stirling took a deep breath. He could feel his blood pressure rising, geez.

''' 
'''

âIâve been in the Nexus Force, I know the beginning. Skip the tutorial.âÂ

''' 
'''

âPress the spacebar to jump! You can '''do it!'''âÂ

''' 
'''

'''Stirling turned to the 4th wall. It was shattered.'''Â

''' 
'''

âHey, reader. Can you help me find the end to this madness?â

''' 
'''

âDouble tap the spacebarâ¦ To order a double patty with fried french Bacon!â

''' 
'''

âPlease?â

''' 
'''

âYou now have a coronary! Congratulations!â

''' 
'''

âIf I didnât know better, Iâd say he was a robot with a malfunction!â

''' 
'''

âEat twenty-nine a day! part of your daily heart health!â

''' 
'''

âIf you decide to save me, please turn to page fifty-seven. If you decide to leave me to my misery, turn the page.â

''' 
'''

(Next Page)

''' 
'''

[It turns out, Dr. Jellyfish was a'''ctually''' a jellyfish piloting an advanced mecha. There was an issue with the processing center, which was powered by a nuclear micro-reactor. The micro-reactor '''''exploded''''', and all of Aragarth was obliterated. The resulting fallout killed everyone and everything in northwestern Ankoria, which included Vladekâs fort. Vladek visits 3 days later, along with thedude. They both get radiation poisoning, and die.Â

'''Congrats! You killed thousands of people and saved Militeregnum! A much lower death toll than an all out war!''']

=== Blank Page. ===

=== Chapter 8: Visitors for the Strider, Part two!! ===
(Page 57)

''' 
'''

âSo, what brings you to see the half-blind soldier from abroad?â Stirling asked, shuffling over to the wood stove.

''' 
'''

âOh yes, I almost forgot! Well, to get to that, I would have to start explaining from the very beginning.â

''' 
'''

Starting a fire in the wood stove, Stirling said over his shoulder. âGo right ahead. I was about to make myself some coffee, or what you guys here call coffee. Want some?â

''' 
'''

âNo thanks. Please do not be offended, good sir.â

''' 
'''

Filling the kettle with water, Stirling shook his head. âNot at all.â

''' 
'''

âThank you. Would you like the short story or long story?â

''' 
'''

Having gotten the water boiling, Stirling ambled over to a chair. âIâve got all day. Long story.â

''' 
'''

âOh. Well, the rodents should be fine for awhile. Well, would you like the deluxe version?â

''' 
'''

Sitting down, Stirling glanced up at the doctor, who still stood by the door. âSure. Why not.â he motioned to another chair. âSit down, take a load off.â

''' 
'''

âIâm not carrying anything. Well, except maybe this.â Jellyfish said, pulling out a slice of slimy cheese, and draped it over the back of the chair, and sat down.

''' 
'''

Stirling stared at the slice, wondering why this doctor had cheese in his pockets. Maybe it had something to do with his mention of rodentsâ¦?Â However, he didnât stay distracted by it for long, as Jellyfish kicked his feet up and began his story.

''' 
'''

âOne bright and cheery day, on some distant planet neither I or the Author knows the name of, (as of yet,) I was born in a run-down hospital. I was named something.â

''' 
'''

Stirling was about to interrupt, saying he didnât ask for his lifeâs story, only what brought him here today, but the gaping holes that the doctor simply glazed over left Stirling confused enough to simply stay silent and see what else the strange fellow would say.

''' 
'''

âAs a child, I was quite intrigued about science, and cybernetics. Jellyfishâs. I learned about the Nexus Force, and would have enlisted as a scientist, but I had to be proved I was sane. Eventually, I was forced to take sanity medication, and was allowed in. Most of my work was helping some paradox scientists with devising cybernetics for different biological beings, such as horses, large dogs, and even wounded minifigures. When the-â

''' 
'''

A connection fired off in Stirlingâs mind. âHave you helped Kalaren?â

''' 
'''

The scientist was surprised by this interruption, but replied.

''' 
'''

âWhy, yes! I gave him that arm from Vladekâs lab.â

''' 
'''

A thousand mental alarm bells went off. âYou were working for Vladek?!â

''' 
'''

âOnce. Listen to the story and it will make sense.â

''' 
'''

Stirling settled down. âFair enough.â He glanced around for his sword. It was out of his immediate reach, by his armor, behind the doctor. He began thinking of ways to get over there casually as his visitor continued his story.

''' 
'''

âAt the end of the faction wars, I was mistaken as a Paradox scientist allied with thedude. I was sent on the ''âU.S.S. Botany Bayâ''Â which was doomed to crash-land here, on Militeregnum, as you know. I laid low and away from thedude, but he did force me to do the occasional job or two. When he took over, I took up a job as a doctor at the village outside of Thunderclap Kee-'''JELLYFISH!!'''âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling blinked twice in surprise, but otherwise remain unruffled.

âAhem. Sorry. Ever since Iâve been cut off from the city, I haven't been able to get my sanity medication, which has jellyfish as the main ingredient.â

''' 
'''

âThatâs ok. Go on?â

''' 
'''

âThank you. What were we talking about again?â

''' 
'''

âYou lived in a village outside Thunderclap Keep as a doctor.â

''' 
'''

âI DID? Oh. Yes. I did. Thank you again. Anyways, I did the odd job here and there, which largely consisted of giving advanced medical treatment to villagers. I was rivals with Dr. Crabapple. He had a quite dour personality. But he made very tasty cookies!â

''' 
'''

Stirling could see this was derailing. He decided to try and tactfully steer it back.

''' 
'''

âHow did you end up working for Vladek?â

''' 
'''

âHe came to my shop one day and asked if I could work for him for a couple months in one of his labs. I didnât have any long-term jobs at the moment, and I knew Dr. Cashewapple could handle the villagers illnessâ while I was gone. Besides, everyone would love getting cookies more often.â Once Jellyfish mentioned the cookies he had a faraway look in his eyes.

''' 
'''

âThey were heavenly.âÂ

''' 
'''

Ignoring the heavenly cookies mentioned, Stirling asked, âWait, so you met Kalaren in Vladekâs lab? Was he working for him as well???â

''' 
'''

âIâll get to that. I walked out of my shop and was led to Vladekâs carriage. We rode in that for a very long time. We picked up two others. One was very friendly, if nervous. The other one seemed very sinister, and sat next to Vladek. They talked in low tones together. When we arrived at the fort, Vladek himself showed us our accommodations, and then showed us the downstairs lab, In which Kalaren was sleeping strapped to a table. Vladek gave us instructions to take DNA samples daily. We were also permitted to do small, meaningless experiments to him, such as poking him with a stick. We were also allowed to give him silencer.â After a second, Jellyfish added, âIt does exactly what it sounds like.â Jellyfish sighed, and took the piece of cheese that was on the chair and started nibbling on it. Like a rat.

''' 
'''

âSo...He was a prisoner.â

''' 
'''

âNo. He was a doctor. And a part time baker. Why?â

''' 
'''

âIâm talking about Kalaren. Are you?â Before the Dr. could reply, he waved his hands erratically. âForget that, nevermind. How did you and Kalaren escape and end up here with the resistance?âÂ

''' 
'''

âWell, one time, the other two scientists cut off his arm because the DNA samples were taking too long. I wasnât there, though. When Vladek found out, he was not pleased. but the other scientists pitched the idea of cloning Kalaren directly, he calmed down. So they popped him in the cloning machine, and afterwards, he woke up and I was the only one in the room. I gave him a cybernetic arm and we stormed through the fort, out the window into the moat with sharks, then away across the plain and into the forest. We met up with the Ankorian Resistance and they knocked us out. Like you, except quicker. It was more of a âspur of the moment kind of thing.â

''' 
'''

âDo you regret it?â Stirling asked.

''' 
'''

âYes. I will never have such delicious cookies.â

''' 
'''

''âAgain with the cookies!â'' Stirling thought. Just then, the kettle whistled, and Stirling got up as fast as he could. âYou still havenât told me why youâre here today, though.âÂ

''' 
'''

âOh! Yes. Well, you wouldnât be getting the '''Super''' ''Deluxe'' Long Version if I skipped over the hiatus in between my getting beat down and coming here and eating cheese while talking to you, Sir Knight.â

''' 
'''

âGood point.â

''' 
'''

âAlright! So, I woke up, and Kalaren filled me in. Basically, Kalaren was forced to tell Matheeas all about our escapades. Matheeas reasoned that Vladek would send out a search party, which could very well outgun us. Kalaren and I volunteered, and fought in the battle. It was difficult, and we had losses, but we were victorious! Then, and in subsequent battles! The latter being much easier, since we were able to prepare better. Anyways, I was elected as the head tech expert, and Dr. Skopeâs head assistant over the past few years!â Jellyfish smiled with pride, and took an especially large bite of cheese, which made him frown in distaste.

''' 
'''

Stirling had already poured the hot water and instant coffee-like mixture together. However, he hadnât sat back down, instead opting to meander around the room to his sword. Now he leaned against the very table that the sword did, and took a sip of the bitter liquid.Â

''' 
'''

âOk. Does that bring me up to speed?â Stirling asked over the rim of his clay mug. âNow will you tell me what your question was?â

''' 
'''

âI didnât know you were particularly slow. Why would this information make you faster?âÂ

''' 
'''

This coffee wasnât helping. Stirlingâs blood pressure was rising. âWhy. Are you here.â he enunciated.Â

''' 
'''

âOh, no reason. Just to say hi to a fellow Nexus Forcer!â

''' 
'''

Stirling stared at the back of Dr. Jellyfishâs head. â''No reason? No reason?!''â His grip on the clay mug tightened. This was 15 minutes of his life that he would never get back, listening to a crazed lunatic who didnât even know his own name.

''' 
'''

Jellyfish turned his chair around and pondered for a second. Raising one finger, he said, âOh! I just remembered!â He leaned forward. âHow are things going in the Nexus Force? Did they place my infinite cookie machine derived from one of Brick Furyâs implants in the Venture League break-room?âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs mug shattered under his white-knuckle grip, and with it, whatever semblance of casual conversation with this so called âdoctorâ.

''' 
'''

âYou- It- '''''COOKIES!'''''â Stirling spluttered. He found that his mounting frustrations could not be voiced properly.

''' 
'''

âYes! If only they were Dr. Camelfishâs cookiesâ¦â

''' 
'''

'''âAUGH!â''' he cried throwing his hands up in the air, as well as coffee. This alerted the guard, who burst in with two swords un-sheathed.

''' 
'''

âWHO DIED?! DO WE NEED A DOCTOR? I MEAN, '''ANOTHER''' DOCTOR! DOES ANYONE NEED CPR!?!â The tense guard said.

''' 
'''

The intrusion of someone other than the torturous Dr. Jellyfish brought Stirling some semblance of sanity. He pointed at the relaxed, well groomed man in the chair.

''' 
'''

âTAKE HIM A- ahem. I meanâ¦â He looked down at himself, only now realizing heâd spilled Ankorian instant coffee all over himself. âI mean, Um. Nothing, guardsman. Weâre both alright. I just spilled some hot coffee.âÂ

''' 
'''

The now embarrassed guard slowly sheathed both swords and walked out of the room awkwardly.

''' 
'''

âOhâ¦ My.. Apologies.â

''' 
'''

Jellyfish looked at Stirling nonchalantly.

''' 
'''

âYou should have asked him for a towel.â

''' 
'''

Stirling shook his head. âI have one over here in the washroom,â he answered. He picked up his sword and walked over to the washroom, where he pulled a towel off a rack. Then he came back to his armchair next to Jellyfish and sat down.

''' 
'''

âSo, you were asking about the Nexus Force?â

''' 
'''

âYes! Specifically about the Venture League cookie machine matter.â

''' 
'''

Stirling shook his head. âIâm afraid I havenât been off the planet in a little over 6 years. And I wasnât part of Venture League, but you know that, since youâre probably who identified my gear.â

''' 
'''

âOh. Yeah. Well, what was the state of the NF before you left?â

''' 
'''

âWellâ¦âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling and Dr. Jellyfish talked more casually after that, mostly about the Nexus Force and other extraterrestrial matters. Dr. Jellyfish would occasionally go off on tangents, and Stirling didnât bother to try and steer the conversation anymore.Â

''' 
'''

Hours flew by, and both men found a way to enjoy the idle chatter. Eventually though, Dr. Jellyfish excused himself saying he âreally had to get back to the rodentsâ, whatever that meant. Much of the day had already passed, and surprisingly, no other guests called upon his hospitality that day.Â

Stirling was relieved to see the back of him.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 9: A Warrior's Rehabilitation ===

Time continued to pass. The next few days were dull and forgettable compared to Dr. Jellyfishâs visit. Eventually, Stirling grew Stir-crazy and expressed a desire to take a walk. His eyesight was returning well, and no new symptoms were coming up. He felt almost well.Â

''' 
'''

After his next checkup with Dr. Skope, he agreed a casual walk would be most beneficial. Matheeas wouldnât let him free in his city without at least one guard though, so the guardsman who usually attended Stirling and his room came along with him.

''' 
'''

âRemind me what your name is, guardsman?â

''' 
'''

âChris the negative 2nd, at your service!â He replied.

''' 
'''

âNegative 2nd?â

''' 
'''

âOne of my relatives was named Chris. The whole family liked the name so much, we all decided to rename ourselves Chris. I am the original Chrisâs uncle, and I am the same age as his father. All of the Chrisâs after the original Chris are named positive numbers, while all of the Chrisâs before him are named negative ones. Thus, my name. Get it?âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling blinked twice. âYes. But it still doesnât make sense.â

''' 
'''

They strolled through the streets, garnering the attention of many eyes, but most people left the soldier and guardsman alone, going about their business.

''' 
'''

That is, until they came upon a childrenâs game of âpretendâ.Â

''' 
'''

A boy and a girl appeared to be fighting some invisible enemy being puppeted by a younger girl, who appeared to be the âbad guyâ. At least, thatâs what Stirling assumed, based upon her adorable attempt at an evil cackle.

''' 
'''

âYou knights will never defeat my dragon-slave! Bwahahahaha!âÂ

''' 
'''

âGah!â âOh no!â said the two knights, before the boy peeked over his toy wooden shield. âThen itâs a good thing weâre not alone!â

''' 
'''

Right then, a short, round boy came from a nearby ally, dressed in a bath-robe. âBEHOLD! IT IS I, ROTUNDUS MAXIMUS! FEAR MY STICK OF SIZZLING!â he screamed, slamming his broom-handle into the ground. All four kids burst into laughter, with the âlady knightâ commenting, âYeah, that sounds about right.â

''' 
'''

Just then, the âevil wizard girlâ noticed Stirling and Chris coming around the bend. She turned quite red and whispered something to her friends. Chris gave them a smile and a wave.

''' 
'''

The boy knightâs eyes lit up and he ran towards Stirling and Chris, much to the embarrassment of the youngest girl. (The âEvil Wizardâ).

''' 
'''

âHey! Youâre the foreigner, right?â the boy yelled, pointing at Stirling. The youngest girl facepalmed. The others weren't sure if they should follow or stay.

''' 
'''

Stirling smiled, squinting as he tried to make out the finer details of the boy. âWell, Iâm certainly not a local!â he replied jovially.

''' 
'''

The kid finally came into Stirlingâs focus as he stumbled to a stop in front of him. âThe nameâs Jonny. Those other kids over there are Blake, Rita and little Rosa!â He pointed at the others in turn. Both Blake and Rita waved.Â Rosa tried to hide behind them.

''' 
'''

âItâs nice to meet you all,â Stirling said. It had surprised him to run into kids here. Of course, it made perfect sense, now that he thought about it, but Ankoria hardly felt like the best place to raise a family. It seemed almost irresponsible to himâ¦

''' 
'''

Jonâs eyes lit up. âHey! You were beat up right?â

''' 
'''

Stirling stopped his wandering mind and looked back down at the kid. Jonny. âWho told you that?â

''' 
'''

âIâve overheard it at least three times now! My father mentioned it to me once.â

''' 
'''

A wry grin settled on Stirlingâs face. âWell you hear this then. Yeah, I was beat up, but itâs not about never falling down, itâs about always getting back up.â he flung his good right arm wide, his left one still in a loose sling. âAnd look at me, Iâm back up again!â

Jonny thought for a second.

''' 
'''

âHuh. I guess you're right. Anyway, do you want to be our prisoner? Joshua was supposed to be playing the captive king, but he got in trouble and now heâs grounded. So far, weâve been fighting the evil Wizardress, Midnight Veil, for no reason whatsoever. Itâs kinda.. Unexciting.â

''' 
'''

Stirling glanced at his guard, who looked back at him with concern. Turning back to the kids, he smiled apologetically. âMaybe another time. I do appreciate your offer though.â

''' 
'''

Chris visibly contained a sigh of relief, even as Jonny became slightly deflated.

''' 
'''

âOh. Ok. Youâre welcome, Sir.â

''' 
'''

âCome on, Sir,â Chris said to Stirling. âI think we should continue our walk and let the kids play.â

''' 
'''

Stirling nodded in agreement. âIt was nice to meet you, Jonny.â

''' 
'''

âYou too!â Jonny ran back to the others. âHe WAS beat up! I told you so!â The other kids grumbled. Stirling managed to catch one of their statements, âYou arenât actually going to make me eat one of those gigfran eggs, right?â

''' 
'''

Stirling chuckled to himself as they continued their walk.

<nowiki>~~~~ </nowiki>

More time passed. Stirlingâs arm was nearly healed. It was out of itâs sling now, and despite Dr. Skopeâs best efforts and admonishments to take it easy, Stirling found ways to exercise it and get out of his apartment.Â Since he was known around the city as a great fighter, (despite strong evidence to the contrary,) he was asked to spar. Stirling didnât need to be asked twice.Â

''' 
'''

His ever-constant shadow, Chris, at first lent him his poor-quality one handed sword. It was heavy, but Stirling used it with the utmost skill. Nevertheless, he commented often to his beaten challengers that he could give a better lesson if he had his old Samurai katana.

''' 
'''

It didnât take long for word to get around, and. by popular demand, Chris showed up one day with Stirlingâs Katana instead of the heavy sword.

''' 
'''

From then on, Chris held the sword till they would go on a walk and get challenged by some foe or another, to which Stirling would accept the sword, win the sparring match, give pointers, and then hand the katana back.

At one of these points, Stirling and Chris were challenged by Stirlingâs original attacker, Kevin, while passing the town square. He was followed at a short distance by a cloaked Kalaren. Kevin strode up, and began to speak.

''' 
'''

âHey, dude, up for a re-match?â

''' 
'''

Stirling grinned. Clearly, this had been planned. A small crowd was hemming in the square. Quicker than normal.

''' 
'''

âWhy? You feel bad about losing before?â StirlingÂ trash-talked.

Kevin stopped grinning and walking. His face reddened. He glanced around at the crowd, slowing his gaze ever so slightly at a small group of tittering young girls. He turned back to Stirling and said, âThatâs not how I remember things.â

One of the people in the crowd spoke up. âYeah! you told us you mopped the floor with him! Cleaned up every grain of dirt from theâ¦ Dirt!â

''' 
'''

âYeah! The mountain-top dirt!â

''' 
'''

âWasnât it sun-down?âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling waved his hands. âClearly, thereâs a difference of opinion. How about we see the facts?â Here, Chris coolly handed Stirling his Katana, and produced a whistle and a black and white striped cap. He was suddenly turned into a referee.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling smirked at Chris. âOh, youâre so official now,â he teased.

''' 
'''

Chris raised an eyebrow. âYou would be surprised.â With this, he stood in the center of the square as both Kevin and Stirling came forward.

''' 
'''

âOk, I want a good clean duel! I hope you two bathed recently. No dismemberment or extreme bloodshed. Remember, this is a friendly practice fight. The duel will continue until either opponent is forced to yield. So uh, hope there isnât any blood feuds or anything, this isnât a matter of pride. Itâs a matter of the audienceâs entertainment.âÂ

''' 
'''

To this, Stirling raised a quiet eyebrow, but didnât interrupt.Â Â

''' 
'''

âAnd lastly, donât die, and donât have too much fun.â

''' 
'''

Stirling pointed his sword at Kevin. âYouâre telling him to not die, and me to not have too much fun, right, Chris?â

''' 
'''

âAs referee, I am impartial...â Chris leaned towards Stirling and whispered, âBut Iâm betting my kid on you.â

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs eyes widened. âSurely, you jest.â

''' 
'''

âNo, no! My goatâs kid! Thatâs what you call them. Kids.â

âOh. Right.â

Someone in the crowd called for the fight to start. Chris corrected them, saying this was more of an exhibition than a simple âfightâ and that started a conversation that derailed everything for about 3 minutes. Eventually, Chris just started the fight out of the blue, taking both swordsman by surprise.

''' 
'''

The first to recover was Kevin. He swung his sword wildly at Stirling, trying to take advantage of his surprised state.

''' 
'''

Stirling backpedaled from the center of the arena, giving Kevin plenty of room to flail. Stirling would have laughed along with the rest of the crowd, but he was too busy analyzing his opponent, now that he had the space to do so.Â

''' 
'''

Soon enough, Kevin stopped and stepped back, supposedly doing the same.

''' 
'''

Various folks wished they had a camera, as the two opponents stared each other down in their two very different stances. Kevinâs stance was tight and controlled. He had both hands on his longsword. It was an aggressive stance.

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs by comparison, seemed quite sloppy. He held his Katana loosely in his good right hand, standing sideways to his opponent. He swished it lightly in the air, towards Kevin.

''' 
'''

âCome on, âbroâ. Come at me.â he taunted. Kevin considered it, but then relaxed a little bit and grinned.

''' 
'''

âOh no, dude, by all means, you go first.â

âAha. Youâre no amateur.â

Stirling raised his sword to point, in a more precise stance reminiscent of the corsairs. He jerkily shuffled through the dirt closer and closer to Kevin, who swung his sword in a diagonal downward swipe, trying to pin Stirlingâs sword to the ground. However, his longsword was not fast enough for Striderâs lighter Nexus Force Katana though, which darted back to itâs ownerâs chest, before zipping back out to tag Kevinâs neck with the flat end of the blade. Chris blew his whistle, and a disappointed sigh went through the crowd.

âYou did well to be cautious, up until the point that you werenât. I wouldnât use such heavy swings against an opponent until you knew he or she would be too tired to dodge.â He paused, considering. âOr if they couldnât see it coming.â

With this, Kevin stood up, deflated. He nodded in half-hearted appreciation before going into the crowd.Â

Stirling felt just a bit bad about trash-talking Kevin so much now. After all, Stirlingâs Nexus Force made Katana was just a huge advantage...

''' 
'''

Chris stepped forward again and blew his whistle, âNext up, Kalaren Grimfire!â

âWait, thereâs more?â Stirlingâs attention was called back to the spot where Kevin had exited the arena. There, his next challenger, Kalaren, was striding in with a spear. Today, he was very much bereft of his customary hooded cloak. Instead, he was dressed in light chainmail with a white tunic over it that displayed The Ankorian Resistance insignia. He had leather gloves and boots, and had a visored iron helmet on. Stirling noticed that there was some sort of dagger in Kalarenâs right boot.

âI seeâ¦â Stirling said. Undaunted, Stirling returned to the center of the ring, bouncing on the balls of his toes to get his blood pumping. Things were getting serious. Chris went through the rules quickly, not giving anyone amongst the crowd time to argue his semantics, and blew his whistle again.Â

''' 
'''

Immediately, Stirling jumped back to put distance between him and his opponent. However, Kalaren had been watching the previous fight. He threw his spear at Stirling, pressing the attack.

Stirling only just barely avoided the vicious thrust aimed at his torso, his attention was on the spear passing him by within inches. Turning back to his opponent, he saw Kalaren coming at him with his cybernetic right arm raised to punch his opponent.

''âOh. Right.â''

<nowiki> </nowiki>Stirling lashed his Katana out at what would normally be a defenseless enemy, but KalarenÂ was able to grasp the katana with his metallic hand and wrench it out of his hands, giving Strider blisters. Kalaren turned to thrust the sword away into the ground, giving Stirling the opening to slug him, with his non-sword hand, which dazed Kalaren. Unfortunately, that hand was connected to his bad arm, which he realized only after it twinged. Outwardly, Stirling muttered, âAgh, jeez.â Inwardly, he thought,''âIâll have to check that later.â''

Though his hand was now cut, having struck Kalarenâs visored helmet, he was satisfied to see his opponent stagger from the ringing blow. Instead of pressing the attack, though, Stirling reconsidered how to defeat someone with such an overpowering right arm. Wrestling, pinning, fist-fighting, all out. He couldnât disarm a weapon like that, it was a part of him, (And Chris had said no dismemberment,) so what did that leave?

Kalaren had recovered from his dizzy spell, and now pulled out the blade from his boot that Stirling had noticed earlier. Some in the crowd boo-ed at the fact a new weapon was being introduced mid-battle, but both opponents looked to Chris for a ruling. Chris was white faced by now, and asked the crowd for a knife.

âNo, no,â Stirling said, neither combatant having moved. âI donât need another weapon just handed to me. Iâll make do.â A young feminine sigh was heard from somewhere in the crowd, as well as whispering from the same area.

Chris sighed, sounding old and sad, and prepared to hand his kid over to Wilda. âFine. But you better be right.âÂ

Stirling grinned dangerously. Chris blew the whistle, and Stirling dove behind himself for the spear Kalaren had thrown at the beginning of the match. Hearing Kalaren on his very heels, Stirling grabbed the spear, rolled, and twisted, landing the maneuver tightly crouched on his feet at the edge of the surprised crowd, the spear thrust outward towards Kalaren, whoâs momentum carried him forward into a slide, and ended up underneath the spear butt.

The smallest of seconds saw the opponents staring at each otherâs eyes in momentary confusion as to how this happened. Then Stirling turned the spear from itâs vertical thrust to a horizontal position, and tried to push it down onto Kalarenâs throat. At the same time, Kalaren tried to slash at Stirlingâs neck, but it was blocked by Stirlingâs pressing spear.

Chris then became a whistleblower, and blew the whistle. He then pointed at Stirling and shouted, âWinner!!â quite happily. Some were confused about who he was pointing to, including Stirling and Kalaren, but eventually the point got across.

âI won?â Stirling asked. âBut, from what I understood, neither of us yielded,â he argued, still sitting on top of Kalaren.

Chrisâs smile turned into a frown. Annoyed, he turned towards Kalaren (again, confusing.) and asked him, âWell, do you yield?â Kalaren looked down at the dagger and staff above his throat, gulped, turned back to Chris, and nodded. Chris nodded in satisfaction. He started to speak. âWell. I think thatâs everybody so-â

âNo! Not everybody.â interrupted a familiar voice from the crowd. Matheeas stepped out amongst much murmuring, and shrugged off his cloak. With his right arm, he was holding his helmet. He was dressed in full iron armor. His left arm had an iron buckler strapped to it, upon which, The Ankorian Resistance symbol was painted on. He spoke up. âIt has come to my attention that there is an unbeatable warrior in this town.â He smirked and his eyes twinkled. âI decided to try my hand against him.â

Stirling stood up. Offering a hand up to Kalaren, he replied, âWell, youâre welcome to try.â

âOh, Iâll try alright. And win. Even though Iâm offering you a set of armor for this duel!â The murmuring intensified. As well as the whispering.

Stirling too, was surprised. âIâ¦â he lowered his head in thought. Next to him, Kalaren shrugged. âYou can borrow mine, I just found it in the armoury,â he offered, his voice tinny coming from the helmet. Stirlingâs eyes darted to it.Â

âActually, I already have my Samurai Armor, though there are parts of it that Iâve lost over the years.â he said to Kalaren. Turning to his third, (and hopefully final) challenger, Stirling said, âI accept your challenge, and your gracious offer!â

Matheeasâs smile broadened, and he beckoned over to his armor bearers, who brought forth Stirlingâs armor, which was quite similar to Matheeasâs, though noticeably lighter. They also brought out a buckler and kite shield, as well as a longsword, claymore, and broadsword for him to choose from. Stirling accepted most of the armor, as well as the buckler, for his left arm. Though he was loathe to not use his signature Katana, he took note of Matheeasâs broadsword, and regretfully handed the Katana back to Chris, who looked ready to faint.

âIf Iâm going to be losing my speed for defense like Matheeas, Iâm going to need to pack a heavier punch.â

Chris wordlessly nodded, sheathing the Katana.

Stirling picked up the broadsword with both hands. He realized that his left strokes were going to be noticeably weaker, and realized he was going to have to fight off-stance for the strongest right swings he could manage.

Stirling blessed his lucky stars that he and Sir Thingguy had practiced so often with their respective off-handedness.

Chris hopefully ventured, âShall the Commander have a handi-cap?â

Surprisingly, Stirling was the one who said âNo.â

Matheeas turned to his opponent in mild surprise quickly, before turning to Chris.

Chris had lost all hope. His eyes bulged out at Stirling. âYouâre killing me.â

Stirling shrugged as he got help getting his armor strapped on. âHey, I signed up for one fight. These past two were not my fault.â He pointed at Matheeas. âTake it up with Lancaster.â Chris just shook his head and walked off while both duelists were preparing. A few minutes later he returned with a small chair and the goat kid. He sat down in the chair defeatedly and held the goat still. Snickers were heard from the crowd. Stirling was surprised at the goatâs size. It was the size of your average mature goat. Once he thought about it though, it made perfect sense. Heâd seen the adult goats before on his walks; some were a little bit bigger than adolescent elephants.

Preparations were nearly complete, and it was blatantly obvious that the entire city had shown up around the town square, and adjacent buildings.

âHEâS GONNA GET BEAT UP AGAIN!â came a shrill voice from above. Stirling craned his neck to see a group of kids on the roof of a three-story building. He waved. They waved back. One of them almost fell over the side, but was pulled back.

The preparations were finished. Chris half-heartedly stood up.

âDo we need to review the rules? Again?â

âYouâre the ref, youâre supposed to be told not to!â Stirling barked, his excitement getting the better of his tone.

Matheeas chuckled at Stirlingâs joke. Chris just shook his head.

âI donât have the energy to do it anyway. Go ahead and kill each other already.â Chris stepped back as the fight beganâ¦

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 10: The Fate of Chris the Negative 2nd's Goat Kid. ===
Both Stirling and Matheeas rushed forward. Stirling made for a thrust at Matheeas, who parried the attack, changing his overhead swing to push the opponentâs blade towards the ground. Then he continued his forward movement and slashed diagonally upward to his foeâs neck, but was blocked by Stirlingâs shield. Undaunted, Matheeas forced Stirling to step back and recover his sword, and followed this up with a series of vicious strikes that Stirling deterred.Â

''' 
'''

Backed up nearly all the way across the arena, Stirling blocked another brutal swing from Lancaster, before giving an almighty roar out of nowhere and putting his full body weight into his shield, ramming him bodily. This took Matheeas by surprise and knocked him down. Rolling away, Matheeas stepped back up to see Stirling charging at him, his open-faced helmet showing fiery eyes. Matheeas raised his shield and prepared to thrust.Â

''' 
'''

Seeing that Mattheeas had hunkered down, putting all of his Â Â weight on his back foot, Stirling charged straight at him, spinning to his opponentâs right, in a terrific feint as he went for the back. However, Matheeas saw him at the last second, and raised his sword arm in an attempt to parry. However, he was too late to parry it fully, and instead Stirlingâs full-blown, spin-aided attack ripped through the thin metal and shredded the chainmail underneath. Matheeas yelled in pain before turning around to face his attacker. He let go of his sword and his arm hung loosely.Â

''' 
'''

One of the bystanders yelled out, âDo we need an intermission?âÂ

''' 
'''

âNah! Heâll be fine!â replied Chris.

''' 
'''

Stirling looked in askance at his sparring partner. Matheeas was breathing heavily, but shook his head.

''' 
'''

Stirling unbuckled his shield, stepping forward towards Mathee- No wait. Stooping down, he picked up Matheeasâs sword, and advances on the sword-less Commander.

''' 
'''

âMight as well finish it quick,â Stirling thought, hoping that the Commander was a good sport. After all, it wouldnât be easy to lose with the entire Rebellion watching.

''' 
'''

Matheeas wearily watched him. At least, he did until he threw his now unbuckled shield with full force.

''' 
'''

The thin shield zoomed right past Stirlingâs twin swords, the edge ramming right into his chest and face, where itâs spinning power made it run up into the air.Â Entirely shocked, Stirling was sent staggering backwards, dropping both swords and landing in the dust. Extremely dizzy, Stirling was still coherent enough to grab a sword that had fallen close to him. Grabbing it with his left, he scrambled to get up, convinced that his enemy was about to pounce with the other lost sword.

''' 
'''

Chris came over to check on him.

''' 
'''

âYou okay?â

''' 
'''

He got a sword-point set inches from his neck. âOh. Itâs you Chris. Yeah, Iâm fine,â Stirling said, even as he wondered when Chris had put stars in his hair.

''' 
'''

âYeah well, you better be better than fine! My goatâs at stake here.âÂ

''' 
'''

âYou can brand thâhat goatâh, itâs aâ good asâh youâs,â Stirling said, staggering to his feet. He turned to his opponent, who looked as tired as he was dizzy.Â

''' 
'''

âLancatâherâ¦â Stirling began, but no witty remark came to mind.Â

''' 
'''

Matheeas walked over to the other free sword and awkwardly picked it up with his left hand.

''' 
'''

Stirling grinned. Suddenly, he realized there was blood in his mouth. He spat it out, along with a tooth.

''' 
'''

âAw Cruâth.â So thatâs why his speech was off. He must look pretty ugly now.

''' 
'''

Matheeas held his sword out towards Stirling warily, trying to assess the situation.Â

''' 
'''

Matheeas was bone tired, effectively one-handed, but otherwise, had escaped actual injury rather well. Stirling on the other hand, didnât seem as tired as him, but somehow, looked twice as bad. Nevertheless, Stirling settled down in a two-handed stance with his broadsword, all the while grinning toothily. It was slightly unnerving. Which was probably why he was doing it.

''' 
'''

Both advanced towards each other and did an upward swing. Their swords slid alongside each other, skipping the pommels causing the blades to end up near their respective throats.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling smiled and said, âGooâth fightâhâ.â

''' 
'''

There was a stunned silence amongst the crowd, which Chris broke with a whoop.

''' 
'''

âBEST OUT OF THREE! THE GOATâS MINE!â Somewhere amongst the crowd, there was grumbling. Shortly after that, the crowd broke into loud cheering.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 11: Aftermath. ===

All three fighters received medical attention. Dr. Skope was nowhere to be found, so Dr. Jellyfish was treating the patients. Stirling answered a few questions from a nurse while he waited for the the doctor to finish treating Matheeas.Â

''' 
'''

Not long after a loud exclamation of âJELLYFISH!â, Matheeas came out of the Doctorâs office with a cast on his right hand that looked like a gigantic white boxing glove.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling winced as he made contact with the Commander. âSâthâorry about thâat. I thâought for thâure youâd block me,â he muttered awkwardly. Matheeas waved it off with his good arm.

''' 
'''

âConsider it payback for when I ordered your arm to be stabbed.â

''' 
'''

At this, Stirling felt much relieved. âSâthâounds good. Hey, iâth thâat a doodle of a jellyfiâth on your caâthât?âÂ

''' 
'''

Matheeas looked down at his cast in surprise.

''' 
'''

âI KNEW it! Heâll pay! Iâll give him solitary confinement!â Matheeas said as he walked out of the room.

''' 
'''

âYou could juâth âtharpie over it!â Stirling yelled after him, before realizing that Matheeas probably didnât know what a sharpie was anyway.

''' 
'''

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

''' 
'''

After Stirlingâs physical health was cleared, (his shoulder was now declared totally clear by Dr. Jellyfish, though Stirling said he would wait to hear that from Dr. Skope,) Stirling instantly began considering when he would leave Aragarth. He had spent far too much time here already. The old impatience that continually spurred him onward was growing again, reminding him of his first and greatest mission, which could not wait any longer...

''' 
'''

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

''' 
 
'''

Matheeas strode through the spacious dining hall he was in.

''' 
'''

Aragarthians were laying food on the long table in the middle of the room. It had been years since it had pulled out at such short notice, and not prepared for a holiday. It would be good to gather everyone together, and take a break from the everyday worries that came with running a resistance. Matheeas thought over the plan that Kevin had laid out before him only a few days ago with the help of a surprisingly mischievous Methuselah and not so surprisingly Dr. Jellyfish.

''' 
'''

''âSo, Commander Dude, The Hardcore dude is looking alot better, but Health Dude says he needs to recuperate for another week! Well, I came up with this plan!â''

''''' 
'''''

''âPlease, go ahead.â''

''''' 
'''''

''âSo, step one,â Kevin had turned around and gestured to Jellyfish. âDoc Jelly here will make sure Health Dude is occupied. Step two: Chris takes Hardcore dude on a walk. along the way, they come across this open area where most of us will be. There, I, and the Mandude will see if he really is unbeatable!âÂ ''

''''' 
'''''

''âThey will duel him, and test his arm. If Mr. Silverstineâs arm is fine, then weâll have a dinner all together, as a sort of going away party.â Methuselah explained.''

''''' 
'''''

''âSo, Dude, whaddya think?â''

''''' 
'''''

''Heâd considered it thoughtfully. âI donât see the harm in it. Itâll boost morale as well.â''

''''' 
'''''

''âSo youâll give it the green light?â 
 
âGo ahead,â heâd replied. All three of the conspirators had grinned maniacally. It was infectious; heâd cracked a grin of his own.''

''' 
'''

He looked down ruefully at his cast now, with that ridiculous doodle that Dr. Jellyfish had drawn. Some hideous bloated monster that lived under the sea, from what he understood. He was beginning to regret that decision. Maybe heâd feel better once everyone was gathered together in fellowship, eating.

''' 
'''

He saw someone walking towards him. He couldnât recognize him due to the big helmet he had on, but he could tell that he was a captain of the guard according to the dark orange tunic that he was wearing. When he got close enough to engage in conversation, the Captain saluted, and greeted him.

''' 
'''

âCommander! We just received a messenger gigfran from Deke and Mauss. The message says that they spotted some of Vladekâs rogues at one of the old mines. They saw three people come outÂ and talk to the rogues before they headed towards Vladekâs fortress. Deke and Mauss are still investigating.âÂ Â

''' 
'''

âThree people who werenât rogues?"

''' 
'''

âNo Sir. They were dressed in rags. one of them had an axe sort of weapon that looked rogue.â

''' 
'''

âDescribe them to me.âÂ

''' 
'''

âThere was one male, and two females, as well as our scouts could tell. One of them had long messy blond hair and an unkempt beard. He had an off-white coat that was in shreds, Similar to Dr. Jellyfishâs. About in his mid thirties. Another has long brown hair. She wore something that Dr. Jellyfish would describe as a space age mystic robe. the other one also had long brown hair, except with streaks of gray. She was dressed in a sweatshirt and pants.â

âDoesnât sound like anyone we know. Iâll ask Jellyfish if he might know anyone later. Thanks, Bruce.âÂ

âYouâre welcome, Sir.â

''' 
'''

âReturn to your post.â

''' 
'''

âYessir.â

''' 
'''

Matheeas sighed. This break was going to be shorter than he might have hoped. He walked over to the table. The Ankorian Resistance couldnât afford a feast by far, but they tried to make this dinner somewhat fancy. Something to remember.Â

''' 
'''

The centerpiece of the meal was to be a big, plump goat that had gotten too old to ride hard and fast, slow roasted in a covered ground pit. They also had two massive salads that were made from some of the few herbs and leafy greens that were edible in Ankoria. There was a variety of goat cheeses, as well as a cask of wine made from a strange type of grapes.Â Water, and goat milk were also available, of course. Matheeas looked down to the head of the table. There were three chairs there. The center one for him, and on the right side would be Methuselah, followed by Kevin and Dr. Jellyfish. On the left would be Kalaren, followed by Stirling and Chris the -2nd.

''' 
'''

Everything was nearly complete. They just needed to wait for the guests. Methuselah came over, followed by a distracted Stirling, who besides a few innocuous bandages, and a strange smile, didnât look too bad. Then came Kalaren and Kevin, equally none the worse for wear. And finally, Jellyfish. Other residents of Aragarth arrived as well. As the guests began to sit down, Dr. Scope burst through the sizable double doors. His face was red with fury. He pointed at Dr. Jellyfish with one finger and shouted, âDR. JELLYYYYYFIIIIIIIISSSSHHHH!!!!â

''' 
'''

Jellyfish gasped. âOh NO! My compulsive jellyfish insanity is ''CONTAGIOUS!''â Jellyfish turned around and started shaking Stirling as he passed by his chair. âWEâRE '''DOOMED!!'''â

''' 
'''

Stirling seemed uncertain. âPerhaps, but I think right now youâre the only one in danger,â he replied, as Dr. Jellyfish continued to shake him.

''' 
'''

âOh, sorry, you donât know.â He stopped shaking Stirling, leaned across Kevin and started shaking Methuselahâs arm. âIT COULD SPREAD '''WORLDWIDE!â'''

''' 
'''

âWe canât let that happen!â cried the mage. âWeâll have to ''quarantine'' you and Steph!â

''' 
'''

âWell, maybe we wouldnât go that fa-âÂ

''' 
'''

âNo! I am perfectly fine thank you! Well, other than the fact that Dr. Jellyfish ''sedated'' me for your ''reckless'' tourney!â yelled Dr. Skope, still standing at the doorway, livid.

''' 
'''

âIt was all Kevinâs idea!â Jellyfish said quickly. Everyone present turned their eyes to Kevin.

''' 
'''

Kevin waited for dramatic effect, then easily deflected. âWell, how was I supposed to know heâd put him under?â

''' 
'''

Matheeas smiled. âDonât try to cover for him, Kevin. Itâs not worth it. We all know youâre fully responsible, Jellyfish. Why, Iâm beginning to think your doctors license here in Aragarth should be suspended.â

''' 
'''

âBut Iâm innocent! Right Kevin?â

''' 
'''

âNo way, dude. The Health Dude deserves better.âÂ

''' 
'''

Jellyfish was now beginning to panic.

''' 
'''

âBut Commander, why would y-Waitâ¦â Jellyfishâs eyes narrowed at Matheeas. âOh. Oh. You know, that was a beautiful picture of a jellyfish.â

''' 
'''

Matheeas raised a coolly mischievous eyebrow. âSo thatâs what it was?â Mattheas looked down at his sling, where Jellyfish had left his condolences. âI thought it was a picture of a goatâs bladder. Weâll talk about that later. But for now, let us eat!â Matheeasâs statement was met with many cheers.Â

''' 
'''

Matheeas was the first to serve himself, as was his right as the leader. Then, Stirling, being the guest of honor, served himself a little bit of everything. Then, the other competitors in the duel served themselves, followed by Jellyfish and Methuselah. Then the food was passed down the table.

''' 
'''

As they began to eat, everyone relaxed. Jokes and friendly conversation were passed around throughout the dinner.Â

''' 
'''

Stirling had served himself some of the wine for a drink. Now, he took a sip, and found it to be rather more bitter and biting than heâd expected. His brief look of surprise was noticed by Kalaren.

''' 
'''

âNot as sweet as expected?â

''' 
'''

Stirling chuckled. âWhere Iâm from, itâs generally more sweet or fruity. This isâ¦â Stirling searched for the right word. âAlmost... acidic.â

''' 
'''

âOur wine is made a different way than usual,â Kalaren said. âThere were a few vineyards in the city when the resistance started. One of the earlier members tried one of the grapes, and died a horrible death. Not quite as bad as gigfran eggs, though."

''' 
'''

Stirling gave him an âunamusedâ look, before he continued.

''' 
'''

âWe named the grapes âThe Grapes of Wrath!â Soon after that resistance member died, they found a way to cut up and boil the grapes and make a safe, if bitter, wine. Usually, we put a little in our water supplies to purify it. We only give fresh water to our youth, however. We make an exception for holidays and such.â

''' 
'''

âLike today?â

''' 
'''

âExactly! Though this was at much shorter notice than usual.â

''' 
'''

Stirling chuckled. âIs there anything in Ankoria that wonât poison you without any sort of preparation beforehand?âÂ

''' 
'''

Kalaren thought about this for a bit. âThere are a few herbs. Some can even be made into medicinal draughts that can counteract poisoning from some other thing you ate in Ankoria. And then, of course, there are some things we grow and raise here in Aragarth that Methuselah guards from corruption.âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirling smiled as he shook his head. âItâs impressive, this resistance against the very land that you all keep up.â

''' 
'''

âWe need to. If not, we would starve or be stamped out by Vladekâs forces.â Kalarens face darkened.

''' 
'''

âBut,â Stirling hesitated, before continuing more quietly. âWhat I donât understand is, why not move away?â

''' 
'''

âFor some, we donât want to leave our homes. Almost everyone here hasnât been anywhere other than Ankoria. Otherwise, we would be at a disadvantage if we relocated. We already are in a defensible situation, and nobody wants to go to Ankoria, with the curse and all, leaving it for us. The only real threat we have is Vladek.â

''' 
'''

âIs that why you stay? Because this is your home?âÂ

''' 
'''

Kalarenâs orange eyes burned. âThatâs part of the reason. The people here are the closest thing I have to a family, now. The other part is that I want to make a stand against Vladek. Someday make him pay.â

''' 
'''

This garnered Stirlingâs interest greatly. âSomething personal?â

''' 
'''

âYou could say that. He slaughtered my entire family, if that counts.â

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs mouth went dry. Roughly, he swallowed his bite. âVladek?â That sounded pretty ruthless, even for thedudeâs right-hand man.

''' 
'''

âHe did it himself.â

''' 
'''

âButâ¦ Why? How did you survive?â Suddenly, Stirling backpedaled. âIâm sorry, thatâs rather personal; if you donât want to talk about it I-â

''' 
'''

âNot talking about it wonât do anything. Iâd rather you knew than be ignorant of it.â Kalaren replied bitterly. Stirling nodded his understanding and leaned back as Kalaren began.

''' 
'''

âI better start from the beginning. Youâll probably think I'm a lunatic, but would you believe I came from an alternate dimension?â

''' 
'''

Stirling remained silent. He took another quaff of wine. Finally, âYes. Not initially, but perhaps yes.âÂ

''' 
'''

Kalaren turned his head and stared at Stirling.

''' 
'''

âWhat.âÂ

''' 
'''

âIt says a lot about my life that it wouldnât be the craziest thing Iâve ever heard.â

''' 
'''

âI seeâ¦â

''' 
'''

âAlso, I really donât see why you would start a story like that unless it were true. Or you were pulling my leg. Which, due to the context, Iâm certain you are not.â

''' 
'''

Kalaren nodded. âIn my dimension, Ankoria was a beautiful kingdom. But then, something strange happened. People from different eras began visiting the present. People began to have their own sense of time. For example, what was ten minutes for me was three seconds for my sister. And then, of course, since people from the future came to the present, they also brought the Maelstrom with them.âÂ

''' 
'''

Stirlingâs eyebrows knit together at the mention of the Maelstrom, but Kalaren was on a roll, and didnât seem to notice.

''' 
'''

âOnce, they attacked the town I lived in, and though we were eventually able to fend them off with some Nexus Force gear, my father, who was the best blacksmith in Ankoria, was infected. My mother and the local doctor, along with a few Nexus Forcers that had been staying in the town did the best they could to keep him well. We never got to the conclusion of his illness, though. A couple weeks after the maelstrom attack, there was a barbarian raid. On my birthday, as a matter of fact. I was walking around the town when I saw the barbarians, but then I saw someone beyond them, who turned out to be Vladek, but what surprised me was that he was headed for my house. The rest of my family was there. I ran through the mob, mostly oblivious to the cuts and scrapes I received. But I couldnât catch up to Vladek. His sense of time was faster than mine. Up ahead, I saw him enter my house. As I rushed through the door, I found evidence he had killed my sisters. I rushed through the house. I looked down one hallway and saw him standing over my father, who was sitting on the floor. I rushed down the hallway, and grabbed an antique weapon off the wall. I tried to put up a fight against Vladek, but he just whipped my weapon away and knocked me out... Or something like that. I donât remember much after he flicked my dagger away.â

''' 
'''

âWhat about your Mother?â Stirling asked.Â Â Â

''' 
'''

âI never saw her. Vladek must have killed her like anyone else.â Kalaren said, before taking a sip of his goat milk.

''' 
'''

Stirling leaned back again, pondering what Kalaren had told him. Time itself being messed with? By Vladek? Alternate Dimensions?

If any of this were trueâ¦ He had to put a stop to it.

''' 
'''

Kalaren set his cup down and picked up his story.âApparently, Vladek wanted to have a sword that could rival thedudeâs sword. He came to my father for such a sword. He took me prisoner so that he could experiment on me or something, I guess. But then he found out that the sword could only be used by someone of my bloodline. So, he started taking DNA and blood samples to create a clone. Eventually, the scientists who were taking the samples got tired and cut off my arm to use that for DNA.â

''' 
'''

âAnd later, Dr. Jellyfish built you that robot arm, right?âÂ

''' 
'''

â...Yes, how did you know?â Kalaren asked, suspicious.

''' 
'''

âI had a long, frustrating, conversation with your friend.âÂ

''' 
'''

Kalaren laughed. âJellyfish?â

''' 
'''

âJellyfish.â

''' 
'''

âI see! Well, you know the rest then. Did he tell you I have a clone still somewhere in Vladek's Fortress?â

''' 
'''

Stirling took a moment to digest the information. His eyes turned down towards his plate. âI think soâ¦ But more than that, you may have some sort of insanely powerful sword, a space and/or time manipulator, and Lord knows what else, all within reach of Vladek himself!â

''' 
'''

âYes. Which is why I stay here. I have to stay here and do whatever I can to stop him. So does everyone else here.â

''' 
'''

Stirling had to physically fight the urge to get up and do something about what he was hearing. As it was, his eyebrows seemed to be fusing together in a deeply concerned unibrow for all time. So much so, that Kalaren apparently decided to change the subject.

''' 
'''

âBut, on a lighter note, you seemed quite distracted when you walked in. What caused you to be so?â

''' 
'''

It took Stirling a minute to stop worrying about these new threats and think about more trivial matters. But with a little effort, he did.

''' 
'''

âOh. Actually, itâs this tooth.â he grinned toothily and pointed at one of his teeth. Kalaren peered more closely, and realized it was a silver tooth. âItâs silver,â Stirling confirmed, before closing his mouth. âDr. Jellyfish put it in.â

''' 
'''

âBecause your last name is Silverstine?â

''' 
'''

âYeah. Also, I didnât want a gold tooth. Thatâs just a good way to get robbed and lose it again.â

''' 
'''

âHuh. Makes sense. I thought it had to do with the girl thatâs been gazing at you dreamily throughout the dinner. Well, except for a little bit ago.â

''' 
'''

Stirling raised a dubious eyebrow, but didnât look back at the other guests. âIs that so? Which row? How far?â

''' 
'''

âThe opposite row. Nine chairs down.â

''' 
'''

Stirling picked up a knife he had, and used the blade like a mirror. Unfortunately, the light in the room reflected off of the knife and caught her right in the eyes. Hastily, Stirling put the knife down. Nobody was able to pin it on him. Well, except Kalaren. But he didnât speak up.

''' 
'''

âSheâs pretty, I suppose. But far too young,â Stirling commented to Kalaren, confusion and amusement crossing his faceÂ

''' 
'''

âI agree. But evidently, she is not aware of the fact. Kevin tried to duel you to impress her. It didnât work in his favor, clearly.â

''' 
'''

âIs that so?â

''' 
'''

Kalaren nodded.

''' 
'''

âWell look at you!â Stirling chuckled. âYouâve got all the juicy tidbits. Iâll have to remember that.â

''' 
'''

âI canât help that Iâm trained in espionage. That, and, news travels fast in a town of approximately 40 people. Everybody knows.â

''' 
'''

âYou get trained in espionage as part of the resistance?â

''' 
'''

âWell, not so much espionage, but they do train us in stealth.â

''' 
'''

âAwareness.â

''' 
'''

âYeah, exactly.â

''' 
'''

Stirling chuckled again. âBet you could teach me some of that. I seem to be slipping in that regard, the older I get. Only thing thatâs kept me alive is my sword and my shield.â He rolled his left shoulder. âAnd a mulish body that just wonât die.â

''' 
'''

âWell, I stink at using a sword.â

''' 
'''

âBut youâve got that cybernetic arm, surely youâre not a bad fighter!â

''' 
'''

âNo, no. Iâm a good fighter, generally. I just resort to flailing at close quarters.â

''' 
'''

Stirling tilted his head and spared a glimpse for Kalarenâs right arm. Right now, it was covered in a thick black mesh. Here and there were little holes and slits, for access to lights and the occasional discrete panel or button. The lights glowed a dark purple, almost blending in with the black around it.

âHave you ever considered pugilism?â

âYeah, but when I asked the resident librarian, Linda, if they were any books on the subject, she said there wasnât any. There used to be one, but someone dropped it into a canal. The military training I went through does give you a few pointers if youâre caught in a struggle, however.âÂ

''' 
'''

âIâm surprised you havenât taken more advantage of that arm!â Stirling said. âIt must be very useful.â

''' 
'''

âI keep on forgetting itâs there. It is useful in archery, but I try not to do anything super strenuous, because otherwise it runs low on power. Jellyfish has it rely on solar power, usually. But it does have an alternative energy source of maelstrom energy, unfortunately.â

''' 
'''

âInteresting. Did you have to use maelstrom during our duel?â

''' 
'''

âYeah.â

''' 
'''

âFascinating.â

''' 
'''

âMaybe so. Still, I wish I could use a sword like you,â Kalaren replied, taking another bite of his salad.

''' 
'''

Stirling shrugged, returning to his own meal. âIt takes practice. And Iâve had a lot.â

''' 
'''

âThatâs the thing! Nobody will practice with me. Not after I broke both mine and Kevinâs swords, and his wristâ¦â Kalaren mumbled.

''' 
'''

âWith that arm?â

''' 
'''

âYup. I got lucky and hit his sword, twisting both the swords and his wrist.â

''' 
'''

Stirling tried to imagine how it must have happened. âYou must have been using it like an axeâ¦!â Stirling groaned.

''' 
'''

âTheyâre both sharp, right? You swing!â

Stirling facepalmed. âNoâ¦â

âWell then how ''do'' you do it?â

''' 
'''

Stirling looked up at Kalaren. âSwords require some ''finesse''. You canât just hack at your target like you would a tree.âÂ

''' 
'''

âOh.â Kalaren said.

''' 
'''

Stirling paused briefly, staring past Kalaren.Â âI never gave you pointers after the duel, did I? No, because Matheeas showed up.â He returned his attention to Kalaren. âIâd be happy to teach you some basics before I leave. Kevin too, I suppose." He paused. "I've been taught by some of the best swordsmen in the land."

''' 
'''

âThanks!â

''' 
'''

âHey, Super-duper-ultra-mega-Mandudesalot, you ever going to get some meat, or are you turning vegetarian with that salad there?â Kevin asked Kalaren from across the table.

''' 
'''

âI would have gotten a serving of goat meat, but I didnât have room on my plate. You should try the salad, it tastes pretty good!â

''' 
'''

The dinner continued, and everyone enjoyed the food and company immensely. All in all, it was as lovely a time as anyone present could remember in months, if not years for some.

 

=== Chapter 12: Return to Action ===
Kalaren woke up the next morning in his quarters. He swung his feet off the bed and got up. Groggily, he pulled a plain shirt and tough pants from a chest, and tucked them under his one arm. Then, he went over to the stone arch window, and took his arm out of the sun, attaching it deftly, even half-asleep as he was. He threw on his clothes, and then started to make breakfast, which consisted of a slab of ham, scrambled chicken eggs, and a cup of Aragarthian coffee. As he was waiting for the coffee to brew, he heard someone rap on his door.

âThe Commander wants you in the Town hall for a war Counsel. If anybody asks who told you, itâs Gerald.â

Kalaren glanced at the door, to the coffee, and back to the door. âIs it urgent, ''Urgent'' or Super Urgent???â

âJust Urgent.â

âGreat. Iâm going to brew my coffee first.â

âOh, can I have some?â

âSure, but don't you have other stuff to do?â

There was silence. Then a sigh. âYeah. I gotta get other people. But, tell you what, Iâll be back later. If you just pour me a cup before you leave, Iâll grab it from here. I donât even care if it gets cold.â

âAlright, sure.â

A few minutes later, Kalaren left a big cup of coffee on the steps of his house, and trotted off to the town hall.

When he got there, he found quite a few others. Matheeas and the other council members. Jellyfish and Methuselah were there, as well as the two scouts that had done perimeter patrol the night before. Stirling and Chris the -2nd were also there.

Matheeas seemed relieved to see Kalaren. âAh, good, Kalaren, you made it. I was beginning to worry.â

âSorry, I was waiting for my coffee to brew.â

Various people gave him dull stares. A few snickered.

âItâs important! Just ask Gerald.â

Matheeas was one of the unamused. âYes. Well. This meeting is more important.â

âAnd now you can finally tell us why, right, Lancaster?â Stirling groused, arms crossed, eyes still blinking. Clearly, he hadn't had enough coffee yet. Beside him, Chris gave him a hard elbow to the ribs.

âYes, yes.â Matheeas replied, annoyed. He took a deep breath, as everyone else grew silent.

âLast night, Deke and Mauss sent a messenger gigfran stating that they saw three people, supposedly prisoners, being guarded by Paradox forces investigating an old mine to the northwest of here." He nodded his head at Jellyfish. "Dr. Jellyfish believes he knew one of them. A scientist, who could help us in a number of ways." Now he turned to the two scouts. "Early this morning, Deke and Mauss here, finally came in. The two had gone against protocol and split up. Deke keeping watch on the mine, which, after the prisoners left, received other Paradox visitors, while Mauss went and investigated Vladekâs Fortress. He found a large number of slave-looking figures along with several rogues. The crowd there broke up into separate groups and went several different ways from the Fortress. Mauss followedÂ one of these groups, and found it headed to one of the mines." He turned to the two scouts, an even expression on his face. "For the record, what you two did was reckless, but with good initiative. It remains to be seen if it will pay off. But for now..." He turned his attention back to everyone else. "We will be investigating once we pull together a strike team. I called you here, Stirling, because I thought you should know before you left. I wanted to give you the opportunity to help if you so wished. I will give anyone here the same choice, excepting Methuselah, he needs to be here to keep the spell up. I will also be going.â

Everyone was surprised at this, and a few council members began to protest.

âWho will lead in your absence?â

âWhat if you get killed?â

âMethuselah will, thatâs part of the reason why heâs staying," Matheeas replied. "And if I do, Methuselah will take over for me.â

Beside him, Methuselah seemed mildly surprised, but said nothing.

âNow, who wants to come?â Matheeas asked.

Kalarenâs hand shot up, even as his brows dove down into a determind frown.

âIâll to come to take a look!â Jellyfish said.

Stirling and Chris shared a look, and they both raised their hands. âIâd love to crack a few Rogue helmets,â Stirling growled.

âAnd Iâm stuck with him.â Chris said in turn.

Matheeas looked around at the rest of the people in the room. When he saw that none of the others wanted to come, he nodded and began to speak. âThe rest I will gather up from around town. Gather your things, we leave at one oâclock, after lunch. We will be riding goats double, as usual.â

â1300 hours,â Stirling translated for himself. He received several confused looks.

âWhat?â âHuh?â âPardon?â

â1300 hours. Military time,â Stirling looked around, and suddenly remembered these were, in many ways, still just peasants. Well, except perhaps Jellyfi-

âMilitary time? What do you mean by that?â Jellyfish asked.

Stirling sighed. âNevermind.â

Matheeas looked confused, then shook his head a little before wrapping it up. âMeeting dismissed.â

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

Stirling hurried out of the town hall, with Chris right behind him. They were both already dressed in decent armor, but Stirling still had to get a few more things from his apartment. So did Chris. They swung by Striderâs first. He picked up his leather cloak, Samurai Bow, checked his medkit, and his many-pocketed pack, and then headed off to Chrisâs.

The house of Chris was abuzz with activity when they arrived. An older man came out of the house as the two came up.

âChris! Chris the -3rd will be joining you on your mission. Iâve already gathered your things; Negative Third will be with you all shortly. He canât find his cleavers.â

âI swear, I left them on the mantle!!!â A voice similar, but deeper to Chris the -2ndâs own yelled out from the house.

âYeah, well, dunno what to tell ya, they ainât there!â the older gentleman hollered over his shoulder. He grabbed a bundle of gear by the door and handed it to Chris and Strider. âHere you go, son.â

âThanks, Pops,â Chris the -2rd said.

âOh! Here they are. I left them in the goat-steak!â Chris the -3rdâs voice carried out.

âPopsâ facepalmed. âLike I said, still getting his stuff together. Go on, heâll catch up.â

âAlright, Bye, Pops! We should be back by midday tomorrow.â The two hugged each other, and then Chris the -2nd and Stirling left for the stables.

Along the way there, they ran into some kids trying to see who could throw a pebble the farthest. Stirling recognized most of them. Jonny, Rita and Rosa. Then there was another kid he had met around town, Bobby.

Beyond that, there was one other he hadnât seen before.Â Â But Stirling didnât intend to stop and make acquaintances. His mind was already on the mission ahead.

Unfortunately, the kids had other ideas.

âHEY! Itâs Strider!â Jonny ran up to Stirling. âWoah, whatâs going on? You guys gonna fight some evil troll or sometinâ?â

The others came up behind him.

âWow, you guys are really decked out for a fight!â Rita complimented, pointing out their armor and gear.

Rosa seemed to pick up that they were in a hurry. âIf they are, I donât think we could help.â

Chris the -2nd looked over his shoulder at the kids.

âI donât know for sure that we will get into a fight, but we are in a hurry.â

âAwwww!â Most of the kids collectively groaned as the two adults excused themselves and hurried on.

Next, they went to the armory, stocking up on arrows and other implements of battle and survival. Chris had already given Stirling back his Katana by order of Lancaster, but he still lacked a shield. So he took a minute to inspect the shields. Most were of a small, round buckler nature. He passed right by these, in favor of hefting the few kite shields. However, he shook his head in distaste after each one.

âIâm afraid Iâve been a bit spoiled with the shields Iâve had in the past,â Stirling said. âAll of these are ofâ¦â

âAlot of them arenât made of refined metal. You could probably ask our armorsmith to have one custom-made to suit you.â suggested Chris the -2nd.

Stirling considered it. âThat might be a good idea...â he set down the last potential shield. â...But not now.â Turning to leave, he noted the various swords leaning against the wall.

âI think Iâll take an extra sword though, just in case.â Quickly scanning the swords and belts, he picked out a shortsword. Pulling it out, he flicked it around, before nodding. âThis will do. Just something for when things get hairy.â

Chris stared at Stirling, confused. âYou mean if we run into a Calagasphil?â

âDonât know; hope I donât ever have to.â Stirling said, as they headed to the Stables.

âYou can sometimes mistake them for a 12 foot pile of snow, stone, or dirt sometimes. Look out for them on this crusade.â

âBasically, if it looks out of place, it probably is,â Stirling muttered. âSounds just like my first assignment in Gnarled Forest.â Stirling shook his head. âMan, that seems like a whole lifetime agoâ¦â

Before Stirling could get lost in the past, or Chris begin to ask questions about outer space, they reached the stables, where a few other warriors were already.

Seeing a few of the others having lunch with their Goats, Stirling asked Chris, âWhereâs your goat?â

Chris stared blankly.

âNowhere.â

âSoâ¦ You donât have a goat.â

âNo, I did. But it got sent nowhere in a spell gone horribly wrong. The goat before that was sent somewhere with a rocket pack gone horribly wrong.â

âAnd Iâll bet before that, your first goat was sent everywhere in some other awful thing gone horribly wrong.â

âNo, we ate that one. We were promised by a fortune teller we would never run out of meat again. Remember -3rd saying he left his cleavers in the steak?â

âYouâre kidding me.â

â...Smells kinda funny now and then, but we eat it anyway, and then itâs fresh!â

Stirling had no words.

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

A short while later showed Matheeas returning with the remaining warriors. Stirling had met most of them at one point or another, either during his duals or walking around town. It appeared that they had had lunch elsewhere. Many of them came over, and mentioned they were happy to see Strider joining the mission. Strider replied that he was happy to be coming.

Matheeas yelled out that they were going to depart by the east gate. Once everyone got onto their goats, including Stirling and Chris on a newly requisitioned goat, they departed for this location. Along the way, Chris the -3rd rodeÂ over with Dr. Jellyfish, one waving a cleaver, and the other his blaster. Kalaren and Kevin arrived shortly afterwards bickering about something or another. As they turned a corner and saw the gate, everyone noticed a small crowd ready to send them off.

Stirling leaned over to Chris the -2nd. âIs it normal for the others to gather like this so far out on the border of the city?â

Chris shook his head. âNo, but we also havenât gone out of the city in such numbers for years.â

Stirling searched the crowd as they cantered past. It was full of determined faces. One or two worried faces, but they were well hidden. Stirling recognized many of them, though not by name. The kids were also there, curious, but also serious.

It was a strong reminder of the hardiness of these men and women. For even though they didnât ride to battle, there was every chance that some might not come back.

Since being discovered and brought to Aragarth, Stirling had heard of all sorts of horrendous fates people had met in the twisted nightmare lands of Ankoria, just beyond the invisible protections of Methuselah and his predecessors.

But like his friends, Stirling was ready. Moreover, he was eager for a round two against the Cursed Land.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 13:Underneath the Cursed Land. ===

âI spy, with my little eyeâ¦â

âItâs a tree.â

Kevin groaned. âYouâre too good at this, Mandude.â

Kalaren rolled his eyes, but then realized Kevin couldnât see that, since he was sitting behind him on Surf. âItâs 50/50 between dirt and trees.â

âThatâs totally not true! I could spyâ¦ Your hair!â

â''Anyone'' could spy my hair.â

âBut not just anyone is playing âI Spyâ with us as we ride my goat to one of these mines to scout it out.â

âThatâs a good point. I guess not anyone, then.â

They rode on in silence for awhile, along with the rest of the group. The gray soil and sparse black trees zoomed by as Surf the Goat glided through the dead forest, along with 7 other goats.

As they rode, Mattheas would silently direct a goat or two towards a mine in the distance. Some had visible Paradox activity outside of them. Others looked much the same as they always had.

Soon, it was their turn to split off. Mattheas directed them, and the goat carrying Dr. Jellyfish and Chris the -3rd, to head down towards the original mine reported to have visitors.

âHere we go,â Kalaren muttered. As they split off, Jellyfish waved cheerfully to Kal, as if he was out on a Sunday jaunt, rather than investigating their mortal enemies.

Once they got closer to the mine, they all dismounted their goats quietly and laid down in the brush, along with the two goats.

âLooks like just three guards out front,â Kalaren said. âAll Shinobis.â

Chris the -3rd turned to his team. Kalaren, Jellyfish, and Kevin. He was leading, as he was the most experienced, so he outlined the goal. âThis mission is most successful if we donât leave a single trace of ourselves. In and out, like ghosts.â

Kevin shuddered, as Chris continued. âI know thatâs a lofty goal, but itâs one that every individual team is going to try for. So does anyone have any ideas to get rid of these guys?â

Jellyfish raised his hand. Kalaren immediately yanked it down before the guards saw a bush with a hand. Chris facepalmed.

âThis isnât a class, Doctor. Just tell us what youâve got.â

âWeÂ kill them.â

Chris was a consummate professional leader, and didnât even blink. Heâd heard about the doctorâs eccentricity. âBut then Vladek will get a report of their deaths,â he explained.

âHmm, well in that case I have something else!â Jellyfish said as he raised a glass vial full of green liquid out of his pocket. Kalaren pulled his hand down again before the guards saw a bush with a suspicious green vial.

Kevin leaned in. âLooks tasty. What is it?â

âSleeping gas I gathered from the ''Dierth'' plant. Would you like to try it? Itâs been concentrated into this vial, but should expand into a gas as soon as the seal is broken, but I-â

âOn second thought, it doesnât sound as groovy as I thought.â

âRight. Good plan, Jellyfish,â Chris said. âThrow it over to them, theyâll get knocked out, and then weâll prop them up to make it look like they fell asleep on the job.

Kalaren pulled out a sandwich from his saddle bag.

âWe can use some of my emergency rations.â

âPerfect.â

Executing the plan took less time than it took to concoct, and soon all four were stealing past the snoring, messy sandwich eating guards.

They snuck in and took a look around. Nothing was in the immediate vicinity excluding a few tools, and a box or two.

Jellyfish started scanning the walls with a rewired Paradox something of his own invention. âMhm, yup. 100% ''Solid Rock''!â

Chris raised a hand, stopping Kevin and Kalaren, who made a buffer-stop for the absentminded Jellyfish. âHear that?â

âCanât say that I do. Then again, canât say that I ''donât'' either. What do you hear? Does it sound like a ''Jellyfish''? Because I can hear that. Also, does anyone remember the square root of 64? I forgot, and itâs very bothersome. Also my password on BrickBook.â

While Jellyfish muttered, the others tried to drown out his pointless (or maybe not so pointless, one never knows with Jellyfish,) blathering and listened forward into the cavern. The distant sounds of rock and work floated up, along with the occasional shout.

âI hear it,â Kalaren confirmed.

Kevin nodded. âLet me go ahead, and take a peek. Better one to scout ahead than â¦ ALL of us.â

Both Kalaren and Chris nodded, and Kevin scurried to a t-section, and ran right. Around the corner and out of sight.

âSeriously, whatâs the Square root of 64?! And did you tell him to bring back cookieâs, because I know who makes the best coo-â

âDr. Jellyfish, please keep it down.â

'''âJELLYFISH!!â'''

<nowiki>-----------------</nowiki>

Kevin turned around the bend, noting the dim light and louder mining sounds up ahead. However, not seeing any shadows, he slowed only marginally as he came into the next area.

He found himself at the top of a large, round quarry area, about 40 feet around. There was a single artificial light hanging from the top of the cavern, which was a few feet higher than where Kevin was standing. Â

To his right, a slope went down to a flat basin below him, where 8 plainly dressed people, guarded by 2 armed Space Marauders and a Sorcerer, were mining aÂ glittering mineral that was scattered throughout the basin. However, they didnât appear to be using pickaxes, but instead, small, precise lasers.

There was also a large laser drill at the far end of the basin, which was busy boring into the glittering wall. It was this that Kevin had been hearing with the others around the bend. It appeared to be very effective, as it was making visible progress as Kevin stood there observing.

All in all, it was very pretty, and rather quiet, even with all the work going on.

'''''âJELLYFISH!â'''''

At least it had been.

All eyes turned to Kevin, who paused for only a moment before yelling: âHey Dudes and Dudettes! Ready to Party on DOWN!?! BONZAI!!â

Kevin jumped off the railing as he unsheathed his sword, heading towards the Sorcerer. Just as he was preparing his spell, Kevin landed on him, rolling off with the sorcerers rank 2 staff in his offhand. The staff was charged with some paradox energy, which, as he turned to face the other two marauders, was released upon them. The other 8 people cheered. Kevin gave them a thumbs up.

âYouâre ''welcome''!â

<nowiki>-------</nowiki>

Chris and Kalaren starred in near disbelief at Dr. Jellyfish. âYou win 'worst operative of Aragarth ever' award.â Kalaren said.

âIâm sincerely sorry. Nice knowing you all. Hope Kevin brings the right cookies back so we can die happy.â Jellyfish whispered, his face absolutely serious.

âNevermind. Câmon, Kevin probably needs help.â Kalaren said as he followed an already standing Chris. They ran to the T-section where they had last seen Kevin. As they reached it, they heard and saw several Paradox running in from the opposite direction Kevin had went. One of them, a Rank 3 sorcerer yelled, âIntruders! Get them!â As soon as the wormholers started whirring, Chris grabbed both Jellyfish and Kalaren and yanked them back towards the entrance to gain cover.

âOkay, so theyâve seen us, and we still havenât finished our mission. We fight,â Chris said. âDoctor, you check on Kevin, Weâll cover you.â

âYes, sir.â Jellyfish said.

Kalaren could hear the Parodox rapidly approaching. As they were almost upon them, he and Chris jumped out, covering Jellyfish as he ran the other way.

In moments, Chris was dual-wielding his cleavers, duking it out with a shinobi, and Kalaren was hacking at his armored opponents with wide, wild arcs. The ring of his iron sword against the superior space-age alloys of his enemies echoed madly against the stone walls. Very soon, his sword was nothing more than a sharp metal bar, but having no other weapon, he continued to use all of his considerable strength in each swing, keeping his enemies off-balance, and sticking too close to them to use their guns. One of the Marauder's thrust his wormholer directly at his chest. Kalaren attempted to block it with what remained of his sword, which was now little more than a metal stake, but it practically disintegrated at the force of the wormholer. In desperation, he raised his cybernetic hand to stop it, but the chainsaw chewed right through it, until it jammed, stopping just inches from his face. With what was remaining of his hand, Kalaren yanked the wormholer away from the surprised Marauderer and turned it around, even as he bore the pain that his metallic sensors were transmitting to him.

âMy turn.â Kalaren said, restarting the Wormholer and firing in a wide arc at the other paradox rouges, including the one Chris was standing off with, just as another group came from up ahead. This time, the chances didnât look so good.

'''âBONZAIII!!!â'''

Both Chris and Kal glanced back to see Kevin, Jellyfish, and some impromptu foot soldiers heading their way, echoing Kevinâs battle-cry.

'''âBONZAI!â'''

'''âBONZAI!â'''

'''âBONZAII!!!â'''

'''âBANANA!!!â'''

'''âBONANZA!!â Â '''

'''âBONANZAI!â'''

'''âBRUCE!â'''

'''âBRUSAI!â'''

'''âJELLYFISH!â'''

âThatâs better.â Kalaren said, a small grin coming onto his face, before he turned around to continue to pepper the oncoming troops.

Chris dispatched one of the final first wave. âWe have what we came for, letâs move!âÂ The crew turned towards the ramp up to the entrance, where the gray light of Ankoriaâs filtered down with such promise.

'''âGET THEM! THEY CANNOT ESCAPE,â''' boomed one of their pursuers. Kalaren and a few others whoâd acquired ranged weapons shot back at them, as they backpedaled behind everyone else.

Shots flew past Kal and others, who laughed at their poor accuracy.

Then suddenly, one Rank 3 Sorcerer raised his staff and pointed it at the arch of the entrance, before slamming his staff on the ground. In response, just as the most eager of the prisoners were running underneath, the roof of the entrance collapsed atop them, bringing darkness, and the crushing weigh of rocks and lost hope with it.

Chris took a deep breath before turning around to see the lit-up forces of Rogues coming up the ramp after them. âThere has to be another exit, but we have to fight our way through! '''Câmon!'''â

One of the prisoners who wasnât giving into despair turned to Chris the -3rd, pulling him by the arm to get his attention. â'''HEY!''' We were about to break through to another mine when Commander Kevin jumped down! There would be an exit there! We just have to get through the quarry!â

Chris nodded to the level-headed freedom fighter. âTo the quarry then!â

Kevin repeated the command, and it was carried by the rest.

'''âTO THE QUARRY!â'''

'''âTO THE QUARRY!â'''

'''âTO THE QUERY!â'''

'''âTOOT THE FAIRY!â'''

'''âTOUR DEâ AIRY!â'''

'''''âJELLYFISH!â'''''

Kalaren and Dr. Jellyfish, as well as the other ranged folks whoâd been at the back, were now at the front, and they rushed forward to close the distance before they were picked off, having no cover.

Dr. Jellyfish pulled out a strange vial, and threw it at the enemy, causing a thick smoke to fill the corridor.

'''âSMOKE BOMB,â''' Jellyfish yelled, as a sort of explanation to EVERYONE.

'''âHOW COULD THAT ''POSSIBLY'' BE USEFUL RIGHT NOW?!?!â''' Kalaren demanded, as the deadliest game of laser tag began.

âSo they canât see us. I thought you would know that.â

'''âSURRENDER, AND YOU WILL GET FULL PENSION AND BENEFITS. INCLUDING DENTAL CARE, WHEN I GET TO YOU WITH MY FISTS, ''YOU INSUBORDINATE SWINE.''â''' boomed one of the Paradox.

'''âFOLLOW MY VOICE MEN!â''' ringed out the valiant tone of Chris, as it passed by Kalaren. '''âTO FREEDOM!â'''

'''âTO FREEDOM!â'''

'''âTO FREEDOM!â'''

'''âTO TREEDOM!â'''

'''âTO LEEDOM!â'''

'''âTO FREIDHELM!â'''

'''âTO FREDDYâS HOUSE!â'''

'''âTO MY HOUSE!â'''

'''âISNâT THAT A PRISON???â'''

'''âWHOâS VOICE ARE WE FOLLOWING?!?!â'''

Nearly a dozen voices cried '''âMINE!â''' and pretty much everyone on both sides froze.

âJellyfish.â

âOk, weâre following Jellyfish. Whoever he is.â

âWat.â

âShh. Leaders are confident.â

âOh. Yeah. Not Quackers. Ok. Everyone head to the quarry then.â

âOk, Boss.â

âSounds good.â

âOver and out.â

âRight, then weâll fight those Paradox scum.â

âRoger Roger.â

âOger Oger.â

âNo, WEâRE the Paradox scum. Weâll fight the upstarts.â

â...at the Basin, right?â

âYeah.â âUh-huh.â âFor sure.â "One-Hundo-Percent."

So it was that the whole group of people jostled and shoved and bumbled their way along the dark corridor, around the corner, and into the dim, sparkling grotto, where the laserâ¦ was gone???

âHey, whereâs the drill?âÂ A Shinobi asked.

âI think it must have reached the other side by now,â a worker next to him replied.

âOh yeah. Makes sense. We should probably go check on it and make sure it doesnât keep going and destroying stuff.â

âProbably.â

âBut first, letâs fight those prisoner scum,â growled another Paradox Sorcerer.

âYeah!â said a Marauder

âExactly!â said another.

âPrecisely!â said Kevin.

'''''âJELLYFISH!â'''''
 

=== Chapter 14: Digging for Answers. ===

Mattheas rode on to the final mine. Behind him, only one goat remained. The one with Stirling and Chris the -2nd.

Looking ahead as they came upon a rise, Mattheas could easily make out Vladekâs Fortress in the distance. This final mine was mere hours away from the dreaded Fortress, and so held the most inherent risk. Therefore, he chose it for himself, and their strongest warrior.

Also, he thought it would be best to keep Stirling close for his first mission with the Resistance.

Chris the -2nd pulled up alongside Mattheas's goat. âOh. Thatâs close,â he exclaimed softly, noting the dark edifice blending with the suddenly lengthening gloom.

Stirling glanced up into the sky. âSurely the dayâs not over yet?â

Matheeas nodded his head. âIt hasnât. the sun isnât down yet. It is darker around us because evil emanates from the Fortress.â

Chris shuddered. âI donât think Iâve ever been this close before.â

Stirling peered past Chrisâs shoulders, and glared into the heart of the gloom.

Vladekâs fortress was not as large or as grand as other castles Stirling had seen in his travels, but it was indeed the most imposing, even from this distance.

All of the Stonework was a uniform jet black, as if the entire Fortress had survived the fires of a dozen ancient dragons. Its dark walls were thick and ''monstrously'' tall, hiding all but the tallest of towers that stuck out at clearly strategic points.Â The only other detail Stirling could make out from here was the equally large and monstrous gatehouse, closed at the moment with a door made of the darkest wood stirling had ever seen. The only splashes of color were the solid red banners that billowed atop the gatehouse and the tallest towers.

It was a Palace of War.

After a moment of silence Matheeas pointed down the slope, and back into the forest. âCome on, letâs stay on task.â

Stealthily, the goats picked their way down the loose gravelly slope, where Matheeas had them all dismount and continue for a short while longer. Soon, Mattheeas ducked behind a tree, and the others followed suit. He pointed ahead, where two Shinobis were patrolling around a huge, wooden trapdoor, at least three yards across. At the far end of the platform there was a smaller trapdoor, large enough for a single person, where you could see the top of a ladder peeking out.

âThereâs only 2 guards so far. Ideally, we would sneak past them and enter without them noticing, but there isnât enough cover from here to there. Not without a distraction,â Mattheas explained, as he pulled out a small pocket mirror. âIâm going to reflect some light towards them from the bushes over here. Hopefully theyâll investigate, and while I lead them off into the treeline a bit, you two can sneak in. As soon as I can, Iâll lose them and follow you, got it?â

âAnd if only one comes?â Chris asked.

Matheeas handed Chris a second small mirror, which was little more than a roughly round shard with a messy molten iron frame. âThen you distract that one as well.â Â

Chris nodded. âSounds like a good plan.â

Stirling nodded as well, before sneaking off to the left with Chris, as Matheeas began fiddling with his mirror and the light.

A minute or two later, Stirling and Chris heard one of the guards exclaim.

âAugh! SomethingÂ just slapped me in the eyes, Dobson!â

âWhat is it, Dobson?â

âI dunno, it was like light was reflected into my face.â

âWeird.â

âLook! There it is! Do yaâ think itâs a magic pixie?â

âA Pixie? What conspiracy theories have you been reading, Dobson? Clearly itâs a fairy!â

âWhat even is the difference between a pixie and a fairy?!?â

âWellâ¦ Uhâ¦ Hm. One is more mischievous than the other? I think???â

âWell, then this one was definitely a pixie!â

âSo you think it whacked you in the eye?â

â....Yeah?â

âHuh. I would guess that itâs either A: Trying to blind you for all eternity or B: Testing you for glaucoma.â

âGAH! It did it again!â

âDefinitely A, then.â

âThat does it! Itâs going in a jar!â

âI wonder how much money we could make off of that!â âDobsonâ said as they chased after the âmagic pixieâ.

Stirling and Chris poked their headâs cautiously through the brush, and saw the two guards scamper off into the forest, leaving their post completely abandoned.

âWow. That worked unbelievably well,â Stirling said.

âIndeed.â Chris said.

The two wasted no time in stealing across the now empty clearing. Stirling immediately jumped down the open smaller trapdoor, falling a short distance. He landed with a grunt, and looked up to see 3 Paradox rouges, turning to him in surprise, sipping coffee. There was one from each kit: Marauder, Sorcerer, and Shinobi.

âAw, nuts.â Stirling groaned, as Chris slid down the ladder.

âYouâre not authorized around here, are you?â the Sorcerer asked, lowering his coffee to the table, as his fellow compatriots reacted a bit faster, dropping their mugs and scrambling for their weapons.

âI work here. Iâm just on break,â Chris began with a straight face, before Stirlingâs Katana lanced the Shinobi who was going for his own blade.

Chris turned around with a face of utter shock. âHow ''could'' you!â

Stirling turned back to look at Chris for the briefest of moments, just long enough to give him a look of âwhat?â before he spun around and struck the blaster out of the Space Marauderâs hand, before rushing forward and pinning him to the floor.

Chris the -2nd turned from looking at Stirling pinning down the Marauder, to see the Sorcerer pointing his wand at him.

â''Hasta la vista'', rebel,â the Sorcerer mocked, before an arc of lightning flew from the tip of the wand, and hit Chris full in the chest, sending him flying across the small room, and into the hard-packed dirt wall, shortly before falling to the floor upside-down.

âChris! No!â Stirling slashed his Katana across the neck of the proneÂ Marauder before arcing the blade up to strike the wand out of the Sorcererâs hands.

But even as he was disarmed in one hand, the Sorcerer pulled out another weapon with his other. His sorcerer orb in the offhand, from which he spoke an incantation, and a ripple of Paradox energyÂ blasted Stirling back.

Stirling half-rolled with the blast, beginning to go down a gentle slope that went further into the mine. In the time that it took for his head to stop ringing, the Sorcerer was now standing above him with the Shinobiâs blade.

âTake this, scumbag,â he said, before he fell limp to the floor. Standing in his place was Matheeas, with his sword pommel raised.

Â Â Â

âLancaster! Youâre a sight for literally sore eyes,â Stirling muttered.

âWhereâs Chris?â

âBack there, at the far wall.â Stirling got up and picked up his Katana from where it fell when he was thrown back. He pointed to Chris, who was still upside down and hadnât movedâ¦Â âHe got hit by the sorcererâs lightningâ¦â

Both men rushed to Chris the -2nd. Matheeas attempted to pick him up, but instead was shocked quite nastily through his metal gauntlet. âAh! Looks like it was conducted through his armor.â

Stirling pulled off his mail gauntlet and slapped Chrisâs chestplate a few times, bringing forth a smaller and smaller discharge. Once the shock dissipated considerably, they rolled Chris over to see the area where he had been hit. The armor was completely charred,to the point that it was reduced to a thin, brittle sheet.

âOh no, Chris. Dang it.â Stirling muttered.

âWe need to inspect the wound,â Matheeas urged. âHelp me sit him up so we can take this armor off.â

As they began to take the chestplate off, Chris woke up with a gasp. âAughâ¦!â

The cloth cushioning was widely burnt away by the heat flash and the skin underneath was badly burnt as well. Thankfully, the armor had absorbed most of the force, making sure that the hit had not penetrated Chrisâs vital organs. however, the burnâs total radius had been spread out by the armor conducting it. Chrisâs entire front was a huge burnt bullseye. First degree burns on the edges narrowed down to a roughly fist-sized third degree burn in the center of his chest.

âWhat '''''hit''''' me?â Chris asked, in a mix of surprised, irritated, pained, and impressed.

âYou were hit by a Paradox Sorcererâs lightning, Chris,â Stirling said.

âWow. This is almost as bad as that fireball that hit me last year.â

Matheeas nodded. âYeah, that was bad.â

Stirling turned to Matheeas. âDo you want to continue forward with him in this state orâ¦?â

Matheeas thought for a second. âLetâs search the surrounding area, but I donât think we can go too far down leaving you alone, Chris. You could come with us, but with the hole in the armor, you would be extremely vulnerable. If we donât come back within thirty minutes, or you hear yelling and screaming and bloody murder, then you should take one of the goats and head back.â

Chris was about to object, but after thinking a bit, he agreed.

âYeah, I guess you're right. If I donât make it back, Chris -3rd will never find his cleavers again.â

Stirling smiled, glad that Chris the -2nd still had his sense of humor. âAll right. Weâll be fast, then, Chris. You just stay conscious and hold tight.â He stood up and looked around at the mess heâd made. An old part of him made him feel some small sense of remorse for the killing heâd done, but he quickly and easily shoved the guilt aside, clearing his head.

âHey, Lancaster. Iâve got a stealthy idea.â

âOh?â

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

An ill-fitted Paradox Marauder and Shinobi flanked a visibly perturbed Paradox Sorcerer, as they walked through the mine. One rogue greeted them with a simple âHeyâ, to which the sorcerer nodded briefly.Â The occasional worker or slave spared them but a glance, as they passed by.

The Shinobi, with his very tight uniform, leaned over to the Sorcerer and whispered, âIs the leadership chamber much further? I think Iâm getting a wedgie, and I canât take much more of this. Maybe I should just stab you now and be done with this charadeâ¦!â

The Marauder continued the threat. âOr we could burn you, like you did with our friend.â

The sorcerer began sweating more profusely than he already was. âI swear, itâs just two more rooms over and a right. The whole planâs there, lined up on the walls. Just donât kill me!â

The Shinobi growled. âNo promises.â

They went through two more chambers, and turned right, where a door with a tacked on parchment labeled it âManagementâ.

âItâs right in here! I promise!â The Sorcerer said, nervously.

âAnything else we should know about whatâs in there?â Matheeas growled, his hand on his Marauderer blaster.

Stirling poked the dagger he held up against the Sorcerer.

The Sorcerer mumbled something intelligible.

âWhat was that??â Stirling said as he prodded considerably harder.

The sorcerer yelped as he reached out and pushed the door open in one fluid motion.

Inside, there were three other Paradox Rouges. Two seemed to be Marauderers without their full gear, helping a taller man who was clearly in charge. They were all leaning over a table with various papers.

The man in charge was wearing what Stirling had always imagined Rank 4 Paradox gear would end up looking like. What armor he was wearing at the time had translucent wires pulsing with maelstrom energy. His chestplate was thin, jet black, and light looking. His trousers and arms were similar, though there was a Paradox Rouge symbol on his shoulder. His boots had many wires, and large soles which added more than a few inches of hight. His arms had various slim compartments. Other than the gear he had on, there was a backpack leaning against the wall behind him. His helmet was equally slim, with a fully clear face-shield over which three retractable holographic lensâ loomed over one eye. which he had out at the moment.

âThen if everything is going apace, gentlemen-â he paused and turned casually to the three who had burst in.

Shinobi Stirling, Marauder Matheeas, and the sad Sorcerer, all stood there briefly.

â... I shall report to Vladek the good news,â the commander finished, as he began to stride towards the exit, currently blocked by the other three. He showed no signs of stopping, and seemed to expect the subordinates to move.

'''''âTHEYâRE REBE-â''''' The Sorcerer screamed, before gasping as he was stabbed.

Matheeas shoved the body at the leader.

Stunned, the leader flinched on instinct, and swatted the sorcererâs limp form away.

Only to meet maelstrom energy bolts from Matheeasâ pistol, which clanged and resulted in burn marks on his arm and chestplate, but did not penetrate.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Both Stirling and Matheeas stepped into the threshold, and Strider shut the door behind him, smiling grimly under the tight shinobi mask.

Only now did the two other Paradox Guards behind the leader react, reaching for their weapons that were close at hand.

The leaderâs eyes had widened in surprise, but now, they narrowed frighteningly. '''''âTraitors.â'''''

Strider barked a harsh laugh at the irony he found in the word, as he threw one of his Shinobi blades past Matheeasâs head, aiming for the jetpack. However, the leader deftly snatched the blade out of the air as it passed between him and Matheeas, and sprang forward towards Matheeas with a downward strike.

Seeing this, Matheeas moved in the only direction he had available in the narrow room. Forward. Rushing to dive ''underneath'' the blade that he could not parry, he then drove his entire body ''up'' into the gut of the leader, attempting to haul the leader in a shoulder-toss of sorts.

Both men were heavy in their armor. the Paradox Rogue leader was not able to twist quickly enough to strike Matheeas properly. however, Matheeas was not quite strong enough to throw him quite how heâd wanted to. They both landed in a dusty heap in front of Strider and the two Marauders, who were just now observing the situation and pointing blaster barrels just about everywhere.

Stirling put his remaining blade to the neck of the leader, while staring at the other two lackeys. âDrop your weapons, or Iâll slice through this soft rubber tubing that makes your leaderâs fancy neckpiece,â he commanded.

The two Rogues looked at each other, then at the strange Shinobi.Â âWhy donât you withdraw your blade first, Shinobi?â the one on the right said. His voice was even and clear.Â It was the voice of someone who was moving up in rank, and knew how to give commands of his own.

Stirling shook his head. âThereâs only one of my blades. Two of your guns. Remove a gun, and Iâll remove my blade.â

While this was going on, Matheeas tried to get back to his feet, but the leader grabbed him by the neck, and yanked him back to the ground. âNo you donât,â he said. âYouâre staying down here with me.â

âNo,â He replied. âYouâre down here with ME.â

The leader blinked twice. âIs that the best retort you could come up with?!â

âNo, I was about to say that I wish your face shield was opaque.â

The two rogues looked back at each other, then back at their boss.

âI wonÂ the annualÂ beauty contest three years straight, what did you do?â

âDidnât even need to do any sort of contest, just had to look in the mirror.â

The two rogues looked back at each other. The first one who had spoken nodded to the one on the left. âFine,â the left one said, dropping his pistol. His tone was one who just saw this as a day job.

The commanding rogue now turned to Strider. âNow you.â

Stirling was glad this mask covered his grin. Maybe he would keep it. After glancing once more at Matheeas, hoping he would be ready for it, he pulled out a knife from his boot, and tossed it underhand at the rogue.

The spinning blade was shot aside by the ready rogue, but the simultaneous sound of slicing flesh and the mad rush of the shinobi dragging his blade from across his commanderâs neck and into an upward swing at him took the yet-young lieutenant by surprise.

â...At least I didnât need hair plug- Oh. Oh!â Matheeas took the sword of the now decapitated commander, and went forward towards the other one that Stirling wasnât on. The one that was quickly recovering his dropped blaster. As he did, he saw Stirling swing his shinobi blade up and into the arms of the rogue with the gun, and ruin his shot, which went flying just shy of Striderâs left ear.

Matheeas didnât focus on that for much longer, as he tangled with the other remaining rogue.

The two lieutenants were dispatched quickly, and easily.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

âWell, at least we donât have to worry about being stealthy anymore.â Matheeas remarked, amidst the wrecked and bloody room.

Strider sighed, quite relieved, pulling off the hat and tossing it languidly. âWonderful.â

Matheeas turned to the other objects in the room. The Sorcerer had spoken truthfully. All along this room were various maps and charts showing the many levels, passages, and tunnels underneath Ankoria. It did not take him long to see the full scope of the plan arrayed here.

âThese mapsâ¦â Matheeas said, moving from one to the other. âTheyâre individual minesâ¦ But here. This oneâs not a huge mineâ¦â

He turned to Stirling, who was looking at the jetpack. âStrider, theyâre intending to connect all the mines.â

âYeah, okay. Hey, check this out. Thereâs a whole pistol in here! Talk about space saving!â Stirling said, pointing to a pistol that had sprung out of the side of the jetpack at the press of a button.

âThe mines the other groups are all in!â Matheeas enunciated.

Stirling picked up on Lancasterâs urgent tone, one he had not quite heard before from the usually cool-headed leader. He turned from the fascinating pack and gave his full attention to Lancasterâs discovered map. âThatâs a big project," Stirling conceded. "But whatâs the poiâ¦â

Even as he began to ask the question, Lancaster confirmed his answer.

âIt all connects back to Vladekâs fort. Heâll be able to move his forces much faster, much farther, without us seeing himâ¦â

Stirling raised an eyebrow. âIâve never known Vladek to be sneaky like that.â he turned to a table and began ruffling through papers. âThere must be another reason heâs doing all this.â

Matheeas nodded. âPreviously, he simply threw rogues at us, before he lost interest.â

Stirling shuffled more papers around restlessly. âSo if heâs not interested in you guys, why is he interested in these mines?âÂ He turned back to the Jetpack, tapping it to see if it was a special alloy. His rusty blacksmithy analysis told him no.Â âIs this seriously just for raw materials?â

âI donât know, but we have to warn the rest of our forces in the mines! Letâs gather as many plans as we can, and then we must get Chris out of here, and from there get to the others!â

Stirling nodded, and continued fumbling with the Jetpack. âThingâs got to have aâ¦â

â...What are you doing?â

âAha!â a slot opened up on the Jetpack. âThing doubles as a standard issue Nexus Force Backpack,â Stirling said. âWe can stuff everything in here.â

Matheeas looked at the dead corpse of the leader. âHow much?â

Stirling followed his gaze. âUm. Wellâ¦â

<nowiki>--------------</nowiki>

As the duo walked out of the âManagementâ room, Shinobi Stirling shouldered the loudly-humming commanderâs Jetpack. According to the energy it was emitting, they had crammed it full to itâs experimental capacity. Basically '''EVERYTHING''' but the computer banks and the table.

They casually walked back the way they came.

âItâs been longer than 30 minutes,â Stirling whispered. âI think our friend has left. Or at least he should have.â

Lancaster nodded. âHe will have followed orders.â

As they neared the exit, they became aware of a consternation up ahead. They barely had time to think, before a contingent of Paradox troops, came tromping around the corner, nearly bowling the other two over.

The leader of this group addressed them. âYou two, follow us, weâre on lockdown. Someoneâs infiltrated the mine. The Perimeter guards are missing and the entrance guards are in barrels, naked and quite d- wait.â

âYeah, abou that-â Stirling began, but Lancaster interrupted his sentence by firing his newly acquired rifle at the first line, blasting several.

â'''DIE, YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING BLIGHT-BRINGING ''TRAITORS!''â''' roared the Leader of the Resistance, dressed as a Marauder. As many of them fell, Stirling grabbed him by the other arm and began running, knowing that these men would only be surprised for so long.

âLooks like we aren't leaving the same way we came!â Stirling said. Once he was sure that Matheeas was running of his own accord, he reached into the Paradox Commanderâs pack and pulled out a map of the mine. âLetâs hope to God thereâs another way out!â

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

 

=== Chapter 15: Further into Fear ===

Kalaren fell to the bottom of the basin with a groan. The battle was not going in their favor.

Most of the slaves had been either knocked unconscious or killed, and Chris, Kevin, and him had been pretty banged up, Jellyfish had been fine because nobody could get a clear shot at him with all the gaseous fumes from the potions he had been throwing around him. One of which had thrown Kalaren off the edge. As he got up, Kevin backed up against him.

âGotta say, Manotaur, it was an honor!â

âWhat is WRONG with âKalarenâ?!?!?â

âDonât talk about ''The Manotaur'' like that! Youâll hurt his self esteem!â

Kalaren decided now wasnât a good time to club Kevin, so instead he fired his stolen wormholer at some oncoming Shinobi. Some of them were able to deflect the shots, or they simply stood behind the people in front of them. Unfortunately for them, one of Jellyfishâs explosives hit the group as they ran down the ramp.

âIâve got your back, Kalaren!â Dr. Jellyfish hollered from the cliff above, before getting brained by a rock from behind.

It was then that Kalaren heard some yelling behind him. He turned around. It was coming from the newly drilled tunnelâ¦

â''aaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAA'''AAHHHHHHHH!!!'''''â As the noise grew louder, a shinobi came into viewâ¦ He wasâ¦ Flying? with a Marauder on his back???

âDUCK!â Kalaren cried.

â... Dude?â Kevin asked, staring at the flying twosome. Then he gasped. âITâS ''DUCKDU-''â he began, before getting bowled over by the flying Shinobi and Marauder zooming past him. Kevin narrowly avoided the onslaught of foes that rushed forward to his prone state, rolling this way and that as shots and blades slammed into the cave floor around him.

Meanwhile, the two newcomers flew up to the clifftop above, and were lost to Kalarenâs sight. However, he heard the fighting resume strongly, andâ¦

âThis is the way out!â yelled the same voice. Something about it was familiar...

âThen letâs gather the troops and push forward!â said another, which Kalaren recognized immediatly.

''âMatheeas!â'' Kalaren realized. ''âWhatâs he doing here?â''

The Marauder reappeared at the cliff top, before ripping his helmet off. âLetâs bring this party outside!â he roared. Everyone in the room spared a moment to look at this newcomer.

âWho the stars are you?!â cried one of the slaves.

Another person came up next to him. A shinobi, who ripped off the facemask. âWeâre the '''''blasted calvary''''', what more do-â

âWe are two Knights of the Olde Speech, here to save you from certain doom!â Lancaster crowed.

Next to him, Stirling, for it was Stirling, now that Kalaren saw them without the disguise, did a double-take. However, before they could say anything more, Kalaren felt he should mention a minor detailâ¦

âThatâs great and all, but the entrance to this tunnel is blocked.â

At that moment, Kalaren heard more sounds from the tunnel behind him.

Stirling and Matheeas turned to each other, both looking quite pale. Then they looked down at a sheet that Stirlng was holdingâ¦ Slowly, they looked at each other, then down the tunnel that Kalaren had come from originally. There were a number of Paradox Rouges, watching them curiously. Clearly fresh reinforcements.

âLooks like itâs the belly of the beast for us,â Stirling said.

One of the Paradox rogues below in the basin with Kevin and Kalaren, shook the slave whoâs shirt collar he still held.

âSo we gunna fight or not?â

From the tunnel, several rows of organized marching rogues appeared, causing the other (admittedly disorganized) rogues to cheer.

And the battle commenced again.

'''âTo me!â''' cried Matheeas. â'''If you value your freedom, to me!â'''

Kalaren threw a grenade behind him into the new troops from the tunnel, and ran to the ramp, chainsawing a sorcerer who stepped too close with his right hand, and hauled Kevin to his feet with his left.

âThanks, dude,â Kevin said, stumbling to his feet. Behind them swarmed the few surviving slaves that could still run.

âAnytime.â He muttered.

Upon reaching the clifftop, Kalaren saw Stirling using a Wormholer to drill his own gruesome hole into the other oncoming Paradox Rogues, even as Matheeas used a shield in one hand, and slapped Dr. Jellyfish to consciousness with his other.

âWake. Up. Doctor.â he said, punctuating the words with slaps. âTime to Run. For the hills.â

âArguumâ¦ Wha- oh. Oh. OH! Yes SIR! Where are they?â

Matheeas pointed down the hall that Stirling was shooting. âThat way.â

Dr. Jellyfish leaned to see around Stirling, who was actively getting shot at. âOh. Jellyfish.â

Matheeas nodded. âJellyfish indeed.â Then he turned to the others as they arrived. âHere is the plan. Weâre going to fit into a circle, putting the weakest in the center, weâll move down the tunnel behind me, and past the entrance to this tunnel. It wonât be as fast a mad rush, but we should go farther. We can still make it!â

A few of the weary slaves turned fighters cheered, Kevin and Kalaren with them, but Matheeas could tell they were near their breaking points.

'''âGREAT PEP TALK,â''' Stirling yelled. '''âNOW LETâS MOVE, PEOPLE!!!â'''

So they did. Commanders Matheeas, Kalaren and Stirling headed the movement, all armed with Wormholers to better mow down the attackers. Kevin and Jellyfish formed the rearguard. Jellyfish with his explosive potions, and Kevin with a rocket launcher and blaster. In the middle with many of the slaves was Chris -3rd, who was badly injured.

Moving down the corridor, the three in front shot at anything that moved. Kalaren glanced at Stirling, who had clearly already been shotÂ in multiple non-vital areas while heâd cleared the tunnel during Matheeasâ speech. The jetpack on his back appeared to be pulsing, and small batches of nanobots were scurrying from the backpack, moving across his shinobi armor, causing him to grunt and twitch from time to time.

Now, they pressed the advantage Stirling has earned them, trying to keep the tunnel clear. Up the short tunnel, past the collapsed entrance on their leftâ¦

âContact!â yelled Kevin from the rear. âThose bad dudes have caught up with us back here!â The sounds of gunfire echoed from behind the group.

âHold them back!â Matheeas yelled, even as they heard a familiar explosion and hiss from the Doctorâs concoctions.

As they continued to advance, they soon saw their enemies retreating rather than standing to face them.

âTactical retreat.â Stirling muttered. âTheyâll regroup up ahead.â

âSo, itâs a trap?â Kalaren asked, glancing between the two. âDo we press forward?â

Matheeas shook his head. âNot much of a choice.â

Stirling waved an arm. âThis whole mine was a trap. Gah..!â He grunted, as a group of nanobots reached a wound and burrowed in, disinfecting it. It served as a further reminder of the fact.

They rushed as quickly as they dared down the ramp and followed it as it curved gently right. It led into a dimly lit corridor, with room for barely two people to stand abreast. The walls and ceiling were absolutely covered with light purple crystals that jaggedly reflected the light.

Stirling grimaced. It was the perfect murder hole. The perfect place for a trap.

He roared, rushed forward, and fired blindly into the dark. Crystals shattered with the sound of glass, and as some shards hit the ground, there was a telltale beep, and then an answering roar as a dozen mines went off, creating an inferno that was channeled both ways.Â Matheeas yanked him back around the curve of the tunnel to relative saftey as shards of crystal and fire zipped past both of them.

Stunned, Stirling muttered, âBetter me than everyone. Wayâs clear.â

Kalaren stared at him, before saying in a voice quiet enough so no one behind him could hear, âWe could have thrown one of the half-dead slaves instead.â

Matheeas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he hissed as his brain alerted him to a deep gash in his left arm.

He examined it. A clean cut, straight through the thickest part of the Marauder gauntlets he was wearing. Beyond that, he could see he was bleeding no small amount through a cut in his muscle.

Surprised and intrigued, he pulled the gauntlet off, and saw the cut was a few centimeters deep. He quickly pulled out a bandage and wrapped it tight, as Stirling recovered his feet and the rest of the group piled up next to them.

âWhy are we stopping?â exclaimed a hooded woman, bumping into Kalaren. âThe Paradox are pressing us from behind!â

âThey are laying traps up ahead. We areâ¦ disabling them. Watch your step, there are sharp shards of crystal on the floor.â Matheeas exclaimed. âKalaren, youâre expendable, go in there and shoot the rest of the room up quickly, just in case the explosion left anything. Youâll lead on after that.â

Kalaren raised his eyebrows before Stirling interrupted, staggering to his feet.

âNo, no. Iâm fine.â he reached into his Nexus Force backpack and pulled out a Venture League flaregun. âHow do I fire this thing?â

âHey, I can do it. You cleared most of it anyway, and I will be more careful than. That.â Kalaren said.

âYâknow what..!â The hooded lady said as she snatched the flaregun from Stirlingâs hands and chucked it into the room. Nothing happened.

She turned to Stirling. âThere, see? No more traps there. Youâve got more?â

Stirling looked into the backpack. There was tons of junk here, and once again Stirling wasn't sure to bless or curse Peragrine's packrat tendencies. âSure.â

He ran forward, only to hiss as he started limping. Taking a quick glance, he noticed there were multiple thin gashes through the fronts of his leggings.

âOh. Curious.â However, he didnât stop.

ââIâm sure you're fineâ.â Kalaren said as he hurried to catch up with him.

The corridor was covered in crystal, and Stirling could feel the sharp edges cutting into his Shinobi boots. He could only guess what this was going to do to the slaves, but it wasn'tâ like they had a choice. He and Kalaren ran as the corridor began to slope uphill slightly. As it did, Stirling stopped Kallaren with an arm, and said, âCover your eyes.â Then, he threw a flash bang from his pack.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the sound of an engine turning on in the distance.

The others caught up with Stirlng and Kalaren.

âThatâs one of the laser drills!â A slave yelled, recognizing the sound. âThey must be pushing it down the slope that's up ahead!â

Sudden panic threatened to overwhelm the group as they realized they would soon be between a rock and a hard place.

âWeâre boxed in! We canât break past their forces behind us!!!â

Stirling looked at Matheeas, who in turn looked at Stirling, frustrated. The leader of the resistance threw his hands up helplessly.

That was all that Stirling needed. Ripping off the Shinobi shoulderpads, he reached into his pack and pulled out his Samurai pads and helm. Then he yanked the Paradox Jetpack off his back and dumped EVERYTHING on the floor. Dozens of papers, several weapons and armors, and grenades.

âEVERYONE, GRAB SOMETHING AND GET READY TO RUN," Stirling commanded.

As various people picked up supplies, Matheeas watched Stirling as the knight shoved a final grenade into the jetpack, then closed it back up.

âStirling, youâre not going to-â Matheeas began.

Stirling studied some buttons on the jetpack, even as the sound of the drill grew louder, keeping above the renewed din of the Paradox forces having caught up with them from behind.

He pressed a few buttons, and the jetpackâs engines revved up.

âGo with the jetpack?â Stirling asked. âNo. Iâm reckless, not stupid.â And with that, he sent the jetpack rocketing up the ramp.

Just as it went out of sight, a terrific explosion rocked the entire structure, followed by the sound of a second explosion. Various people screamed, and it felt like they were in the center of an earthquake.

Kalaren looked up just in time to avoid a large section of the ceiling falling down on top of him.

âWEâRE GOING TO DIE!â someone yelled.

Stirling rushed forward, even as the corridor began to collapse. '''âRUN!''' FOLLOW ME, YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT,â he roared over the crashing rocks, the screaming combatants, the raging inferno up ahead, and the crunching of the armed troops behind.

Matheeas and Kalaren rushed after Stirling, shooting debris as it rained down upon them and their charges that followed. However, to their surprise, when the ceiling fell, it didn'tâ reveal more rock, but instead, a much wider open ceiling many yards away. Seeing as the way further into the tunnel just included more crashing rocks and debris, this seemed like a good place to go. Stirling scrambled up some rocks that were conveniently piled on a wall into the room, and the others followed suit.

They emerged into a wide open cavern, with mine carts and tracks leading to and from many various tunnels, including one massive tunnel across the room. Stirling spun around once. Theyâd just created a massive sinkhole in the middle of what he now identified as a fledgling ore processing center and hub.

âCrux.â

At least 22 rogues in the immediate vicinity were staring at them, along with countless slaves of all sorts of ethnicities. Â

They were, of course, the center of attention.

 

=== Chapter 16: Only the Beginning of the Madness ===

And then the room exploded with activity.

Stirling rushed forward, repeating his cry to all the slaves in the room. '''âFOLLOW ME IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.â'''

The cry did not immediately affect the slaves in this new room, as they were still processing what just happened. However, the outpouring of Matheeas, Kalaren, and all of the others, including the fighting slaves, from the fissure in the floor brought the realization forward, and friend and foe were stirred into action.

Stirling pointed to the largest tunnel, and said to Matheeas, âThink thatâs our target.â

Matheeas nodded. âSounds good. Might be able to use those.â He said, gesturing to the mining carts on tracks that went up the tunnel.

Stirling nodded. âWomen and Children, with one fighter each. As many as we can.â

âWe donât have any children here. Maybe older teenagers. Donât forget the elderly.â

âMinors then! Non-combatants!â

âTheyâre all miners,â Kalaren said as he threw a sorcerer mightily high into the air with his cybernetic arm.

âYOU GET THE POINT!â Stirling spluttered as he dove behind a minecart, not having a ranged weapon to fight back against the ranged combatants all around the room.

Matheeas shrugged and yelled the order. âEVERYONE UNABLE TO FIGHT GET INTO THE CARTS ON THIS TRACK!â

Dr. Jellyfish raised a hopeful hand from the back. âIâm getting to that point, Commander! Only so many beakers left!â

âThen make them count! Defend the slaves as they mount the carts, and light the track up with something NON-EXPLOSIVE!â

Chris the -3rd appeared from the crowd and slumped next to Stirling. âHey, Strider. Been meaning to ask: Whereâs my bro?â

Stirling glanced up, and surprise flashed across his face. âOh yeah. We had to leave him behind.â

âWhat?!â

âNo, not like that! He was badly injured. We-â

âYou left him there?!?â

âNo! Well yes, but-â

Chris the -3rd began spluttering incoherently, giving Stirling just enough time to finish his explanation.

â-last I saw him, he was given orders to make his way back to base if we didnât return in some amount of minutes. We didnât return. Yet.â

âOh.â And then Chris dodged a lightning bolt from a sorcerer who was shooting from a higher vantage point. The sorcerer was instantly retaliated against by multiple laser blasts.

âThatâs what hit him.â Stirling said, indicating the lightning blast. Then he gripped Chrisâs shoulder hard. âAnd if you want to see him again, youâre going to hold on and help me get everyone else out of here. Got that, soldier?â

Chris looked at Stirling in surprise, then his features hardened and he nodded grimly. âWhat do you want me to do, commander?â

âYouâre going to be on the first cart out of here. I need you to spearhead the convoy out of here. Be sure to get a wormholer.â

âYes sir.â Chris sprinted up towards a cart that was farther ahead, cleaving a few rogues on his way there, and grabbing an aforementioned wormholer.

Stirling turned his attention to getting a weapon of his own. âRight. Enough hunkering down.â And he stormed into the fray.

<nowiki>~~~~~~</nowiki>

Kalaren looked further up the tunnel as the cart he had hitched a ride on came up the tunnel. Up ahead, he saw Chris the Negative 3rd fighting off the last of the Paradox guards in the room, with the hooded slave that had talked to Matheeas and Stirling earlier at his side, swinging a shinobi katana at their foes.

The other slaves had rounded up a group of scientists in typical labcoats or outrageous goggles and other sciency gear. They held them hostage by waving tools and blunt objects menacingly at them. Kalaren jumped off of his cart and headed past the rest of the stacked up carts. The further they came into the room, the more familiar it seemed in shapeâ¦

Then it hit him. This room looked like a mirror image of his original holding cell! Only, instead of being a dimly lit torture-slash-expirimental test subject chamber, this was some sort of geological study laboratory.

âKal! Give me a hand here,â Chris called, wrestling with a Paradox Marauder and bringing Kalaren back to the situation at hand.

âOh, yeah, sorry!â He yelled back as he unsheathed his shortsword and ran over. He grabbed Chrisâ assailant and stabbed him, before rushing over to the hooded lady, who was desperately fighting off a shinobi. Kalaren proceeded to stab that foe as well.

âThere we go.â Kalaren said as he helped Chris back up to his feet.

âLooks like the free ride is over,â Chris said, pointing to where the mine carts stopped against a bumper in the middle of the room.

As he spoke, the line of carts shuddered again as more carts arrived with more people.

âGonna have to use your old tired bones!â Kalaren jested. âI used to have a holding cell like this.â

âBut then you took an arrow to the knee?â

âAxe to the arm, rather.â He said, gesturing at his right robotic arm.

âOh.â The color drained from Chrisâs face a bit more as he realized the perfect reversal that Kalaren had just done in equal parts jest and seriousness combined.

âYou were a slave too?â The hooded lady said as she walked up.

Kalarenâs eyebrows knitted together. âNot quite. Itâs hard to explain. Letâs see whatâs on the other side of this door.â He said, as he walked up to the thick steel door at the end of the room. At the moment, it was locked. Kalaren braced his foot against the wall and ripped out the handle and lock with his mangled, but still functional, right hand.

Various sounds of exclamation and approval from all conscious came from behind, but like a boss, Kalaren didnât look back. Part of the reason being his face had slightly reddened. Instead, he heard the hooded lady say to the other hostage scientists, âThatâs right. Thatâs the kind of secret firepower weâve got! So now you can either escape with us, or stay out of our way, youâ¦ youâ¦â

The other slaves came to her rescue.

âTorturers!âÂ âManiacs!âÂ âEvildoers!â

A few of the scientists stood up with their hands in the air. âI hate this job anyway! The foodâs lousy and I donât get dental.â

The slaves just looked at each other, then at the scientists.

âOh. Yeah.â One of them said.

âIt wasnât that bad, especially the fried land-roving squid!â Jellyfish said as he ran up.

One of the scientists gagged and fainted.

The first one that had spoken up first did so again. âLook, we wonât stop you. Thereâs even some here that would join you! Take me, anythingâs better than staying down here in this stinky dank dungeon investigating ''Crisilau''!â He paused. âIâve always been more interested in the zoology of Ankoria,â he stated wistfully.

âLike land-roving squids!!!â replied Jellyfish.

The rest of the scientists murmured their agreement, and some began hotly debating if the land-roving squid was truly still a squid with land-roving capabilities, or an entirely new animal.

âDoesnât matter right now,"Chris said before turning back to Kalaren. What's on the other side of the door anyway, Kal?â

The previously mentioned individual held two unconscious guards by the scruff of their necks, before dropping them simultaneously in mock guilt. âNothing!â Kalaren said, a grin slowly creeping up on his face. âAlso, there is a cell block. If there are any prisoners in there, we can free them."

One of the scientists reached towards a dead guard, before one of the slaves knocked his hand aside.

âHey, what do you think youâre doinâ?â

âOw!â The scientist sucked on his stricken palm, and with the other, he pointed at some keys on the dead guardâs belt. âFu muh mu fat mu muwock the mrulls.â

âSay again?â The slave asked.

Next to him, another scientist translated the palm-suckerâs words.

âHe said,Â âYou can use that to unlock the cells.âÂ Really, Dave, it couldn't have hurt that bad.â

âmru mrrts mru mink!â

The slave shrugged and grabbed the keys, before tossing them to Kalaren. He nodded his thanks and headed down the corridor. Four cells on either side, each with a heavy iron door. He stopped at one door and looked in through a rectangular viewing port that opened and closed with a thin iron sheet.

It was a cell, but there were just more crates of crystal in them. The next few cells all contained more crystals, though some had scientific equipment and information on fold-out tables or taped up corkboards filled with notes. Each cell seemed to be set up to investigate something different about the crystals. This ''Crisilau.'' The same crystals that had cut through Matheeas' and Strider's armor in the mines below.

As Kalaren reached the end of the corridor, there was another iron door, but thankfully this one was ajar.

Walking into the large circular room, he saw three more doors like the one heâd just come through. Looking up, he realized that this central chamber also had a large winding staircase that looped around and around and around the inside of this tall interior. Far up in the distant ceiling, Kalaren could see a pinprick of natural light.

He looked back down the hallway he had come through, as he saw Chris leading a swarm of slaves.

âThe others have come up the tunnel, and so have their pursuers. Whatâs up ahead?â Chris asked.

Kalaren gestured to the cells. âNo prisoners in these. Just crystals and notes. This door leads to a room with a stairway leading up, and three other cell blocks.â

âThere are a few prisoners in the next cell blocks, maybe we could free them too.â The wishful zoologist ventured helpfully.

Kalaren nodded. âAlright, then youâll lead us through the cells. Five of the others will come with me. Chris, you stay here to tell Matheeas and the rest what weâre doing, and keep everyone here until we come back.â

Chris the -3rd nodded.

âThis one first,â the scientist said, pointing to the one left of where theyâd come from. It had a plaque next to it reading âNâ.Â The others, Kalaren now realized, also had plaques, reading âSâ, âWâ and âEâ. Compass points.

Kalaren unlocked the North door, and as it groaned and protested, two guards sprang out and fired point-blank at Kalaren with their blasters. One shot hit Kalarenâs cybernetic arm, and the other one grazed his left shoulder, but this gave the other slaves that were following Kalaren time and room to shoot and hack at them.

Chris rushed forward to check on Kalaren. Wordlessly, Kalaren waved him off, and Chris instead turned back to the others, and those coming through the West door, up from the mines.

After that short debacle, Kalaren and the others following him quickly cleared out the Northern Cell Block, which rather more resembled a micro-community, with each cell being a tiny house, and the central corridor more of a general hangout.

All in all, while everyone here was ''absolutely'' a prisoner, they seemed to be treated humanely while not actually working in the mines. Most of them agreed to come with them in this prison break, but others rejected the offer, and they were thrown in a cell together so they couldnât, or wouldnât stop them from escaping.

The strangest part of the cell block was at the end, however. A final door at the far end was easily opened without force or key to revealâ¦

âOh, this is our hottub lounge and general breakroom. Good for relaxing those muscles at the end of a long dayâs work.â The scientist explained.

Two masked Paradox Marauders looked up from where they were chilling in the hottub. They appeared to only have their helmets and swim trunks on. They turned to the newcomers.

âHey. This is our break. Come back later when we are high-strung and ready to shoot,â one of them said.

âNo... Dobson, these must be the guys that are causing all those alerts,â said the other.

âWonder whyâ¦?â

âDunno, Dobson.â

âWhat should we do, Dobson?â

âWeâre on break, like you said. Itâs not our problem.â Dobson turned back to Kalaren. âTake what you want, just leave the nachos. Those are mine.â

Kalaren stared in disbelief, before turning around and closing the door.

âHe seemed nice!â came the distant voice of one of the Dobsons.

Kalaren kept walking down the corridor. âNext!â

Meanwhile, while Kalaren and the wannabe zoologist were clearing out the North Cell Block, Stirling, Matheeas, and everyone else arrived to speak with Chris, who brought them up to speed.

Stirling growled a curse under his breath. âWe donât have ''time'' for this.â

Matheeas shrugged. âWeâll never get another chance like this.â He dropped his voice to a lower volume. âBesides, some of them could join the resistance, and I wonât say no to that.â

âFine!â Strider said. âThen let's split up, you and me, and get the other two corridors. Weâll be out of here faster.â Stirling said, before looking up the staircase. âWeâre sitting ducks here for all manner of things to be rained down on us.â

âThen, like you said, letâs get out of here as soon as we can!â Matheeas said, and then proceeded to turn right, heading to the eastern tunnel. Stirling growled, and barged south.

Fishing some keys from one of the comatose Guards, Stirling flung the south cell block open.

Two guards spun around the doorframe, as Stirling expected. He reached out and grabbed both of the Marauder's blasters and pushed them upward just as the two fired. As the blaster fire shot harmlessly into the ceiling, Stirling shoved them both back into the room, and spun around on the one to his right, getting the guard into a chokehold between him and the second one.

The free guard yelled as a small mining laser hit his visor and melted, fired from a slave outside the corridor.

Stirling grinned with grim satisfaction, then snapped the neck of the guard that he held, dropping the body unceremoniously.Â He stepped forward to the other rogue, who was scrabbling with their helmet on the floor,Â desperatly trying to get the melted visor off of his face. A quick sword cut, and there was silence. Â

Stirling looked around the cell block.

This cell block was distinctly more dismal. A number of curious and anxious faces leered out from the individual cells that lined this prison block.

A trio of slaves stepped into the block behind Stirling.

âThat wasâ¦ Veryâ¦ Effective.â One of them said, grimacing at the bloody mess they had just stepped over.

âItâs only going to get worse,â Strider grunted.

âExcuse me, but are you here to let us out?â said one of the voices from the cells.

â...Or kill us?â Ventured another.

Stirling moved to the one that spoke first, partway down the hall. It was a woman in a baggy burlap habit with the hood up. A strand of dirty, matted, red hair was visible. Stirling thought he noticed some silver in it too.

âI have keys. I donât have your freedom,â he said, as he unlocked the cell door. âThat, youâll have to fight for.â

The trio that followed Stirling in found other sets of keys and began opening other cells as Stirling continued to talk to the red-haired woman.

She nodded slowly. âBetter than this, I suppose.â She lowered her voice and leaned closer to Strider. âEveryone else in the cells should be fine to release, there are a few eccentric ones, but fairly harmless, the real person you should be careful around is the one inhabiting cell number 17. Thatâs Tillman. Heâs theirâ¦ Test subject.â

Stirling turned and looked over his shoulder at cell 17, further down the cell block. Inside was a man in a similar habit, rocking back and forth on his cot. He seemed to not have noticed anything outside, and was just staring ahead.

Stirling looked back. âDuly noted, missâ¦?â

âAmras. Is there a weapon I could use?â

Swinging the cell door open, Stirling withdrew his dagger and handed it to her hilt-first. âTill you can pick up one of their guns, or a drill, or something.â

Amras looked at it a little disappointedly. âBetter than this shard of a rock I found, I suppose.â Then she took it.

Stirling chuckled, then got back to unlocking more cells. As he did so, he felt a hand grip his shoulder.

Instinctively, he whipped around, backhanding the freed prisoner in the face.

âWhy you little...!â the stranger said, clearly offended. âWho are you? What do you want?!â he asked, as a poor means of beginning a conversation.

âIâm Stirling Silverstine. Iâm here to get you out, ''apparently'',â Stirling said, turning to free other prisoners. But the stranger wasnât done talking.

âWell, that certainly depends on who you are and who you serve.â

This gave Stirling pause. He looked back over his shoulder and regarded this young man. Like a lot of the prisoners, he had muscle, and was well-built from hard labor. He had a full head of black hair and a full beard, both roughly cut. His eyes were simple, dark green, flat, and searching.

Stirling turned back around to face him fully, and slowed down, as everyone else continued to mill around him, Amras, and this stranger. This stranger who was smart enough to question his motives...

âAs I said. Iâm Stirling Silverstine. I serve no one, and seek to make that choice possible for everyone. Iâm against thedude, and Vladek, and any other tyrants that would restrict your freedom to live as you will.â

He noticed others were listening to his words, and that most of the cells were open now, except for cell 17.

âDoes that answer your question, sirâ¦?â

The stranger opened his mouth to speak, lost in thought. âVikky.â He mumbled.

The sound of others sniggering brought âVikkyâ to focus. He shook his head. âAHEM! I mean, uh, Victor.â

Stirling reached out and grabbed âVikkyâsâ shoulder. âNope, itâs Vikky now. Are you willing to fight for your freedom?â

âNo one calls me Vikky. No one but my sister. Got that?" Victor said evenly. He changed the subject again before anyone could object. "I don't mind fighting if it means I can go home.â

Stirling narrowed his eyes slightly at the prisoner, then shook the shoulder once. âFine. Next time, donât sneak up on me. I could have done a lot worse.â Then Stirling gave a final grim smile to Victor and the onlookers as he walked over to cell 17.

As he approached the cell, he observed the prisoner within.

âTillmanâ had not noticed him, and continued to stare at the wall. As Stirling looked closer, he noticed âTillmanâsâ skin was ''sand green''. He also lacked hair. But the oddest part about him was his fingers. They were ''long'' and ''spindly,'' holding his legs up to his chest.

âMr. Tillman?â Stirling asked.

Tillmanâs head snapped to look at Stirling, as he stopped rocking and let his thin anemic legs fall to the floor, and his eyes squinted.

âAh! John! How good to see you! Have you broughtâ¦â His eyes darted from side to side, before he whispered mysteriously, â... the barnacles?â

Stirling held up the keys and jangled them. âSomething better. Iâm here to let you go.â

âLet... me go? No. I canât do that. No food out there. No power.â He said, gesturing to a power cord hanging from the ceiling.

Stirling looked up. âNoâ¦ Power?â

âNo power, no food, no sustenance, more hunger, more pain, more quiet. Itâs too quiet in here. And yet, too loud. All because of fear. Too much fear. Maybe not enough. Healthy fear. Good to lose weight on. Also hair. You got barnacles?â

Stirling shook his head. He didnât have time for this. This was like talking to Dr. Jellyfish. But more freaky.

âTillman! Focus.â Stirling jangled the keys again, and began unlocking the cell.

âYes! I have the payment. You got barnacles? Is that thing in your hands a barnacle? I need bar-â

âIâm opening this cell. You can go and get your own barnacles. Outside. People will try to stop you, but something tells me they canât stop you, if you really want barnacles bad enough.â

âYou sure thatâs a good ideaâ¦?â One of the slaves said.

Stirling turned back on him more brusquely than he intended. âI '''donât''' have the time to judge each one of you. Weâre wasting too much time already.â He swung the cell open.

Tillman peered outside cautiously, as Stirling and others backed up. âNo power. Canât come. Unlessâ¦ You have other food?â

Stirling blinked furiously. âYou eat electricity?â

âYes. Sort of. Not very good. All I haveâ¦â

Stirling pulled Peragrineâs pack off and began rummaging around.''âAlright, Peragrine, I'm calling on you again here.â'' Stirlingâs hands wrapped around something sizable and metallic. He pulled it out.

It turned out to be a Boombox. Stirling set it down on the ground in front of the test subject.

âOk, Tillman. Can you take the battery power from this?â

Tillman looked down at it. âMaybe.â He wrapped his fingers on it, and his entire body started to glow as he started humming in delight.

Sufficiently disturbed, but glad that heâd made the strangeâ¦ Man? Creature? happy, Stirling turned to the end of the corridor, where a number of slaves were attempting to unlock the far doorway with a number of keysâ¦ The only question was which ones to use, as these double doors had four differently colored locks. The others had already unlocked three of the four, but were having difficulty finding the last one.

âNot this oneâ¦ Not this oneâ¦ Which of these is it?!â

âThereâs too many locks on this stupid door! Whatâs so interesting behind here?â said one of the slaves thatâd come from the mines.

âWeapons.â Amras clarified. âAt least, I think so. I see guards go in there without weapons and come out with weapons.â

Stirling grinned wolfishly. âThen thatâs certainly worth a minute.â He glanced back at the main room, noting how the other leaders hadnât quite come back yet, and the main force of the slaves was holding back the guards in the mines. âBut only just a minute.â he growled, noting the treasure-filled glee among those around him.

âAh! Hereâs the final key!â The slave said. âWait. No. I was wrong.â

âOh, let me!â Said one with a mining laser, who proceeded to cut through the final lock. Sirling strode forward and pushed the heavy iron double doors open.

The room was filled with various weapons, mostly Paradox. Wormholers hung on the wall, racks of shinobi katanas, boxes of sorcerer wands, and various armor pieces were scattered about the room. Here and there were other more antiquated armaments, like black spears, sets of red armor with black skorpions emblazoned on them, and dark, foreboding helmets entirely black. Along the back wall were seemingly more special items in glass cases.

There were also two stone statues of knights on either side of Stirling, which started to glow an eerie red.

âWell, Crux.â Stirling sighed.

 

=== Chapter 17: The Clarity of Insanity. ===

Matheeas and Jellyfish opened the east cell block, and they both handled their individual guard. Matheeas by a quick parry and thrust, and Jellyfish by a quick dodge and countershot to the head. They sauntered into the block.

âYup. Mhm. Place looks familiar.â Jellyfish said as they looked around.

âReally?â Matheeas said. The place looked fairly well maintained. Good lighting, although the doors were steel with only a sliding window to look in.Â Matheeas walked up to the closest one and peered in. Inside appeared to be a knight wearing dark armor, sleeping on a cot. A cherry-red light activated within his helmet, and he sat straight up, giving Matheeas a look inside his helmet. It appeared that one half of his face was covered in metal. His right hand, also appearing to have a metallic glint, shot a short, thick, blade. The knight quickly grabbed his right arm with his left and held it down.

âGreetings. My sincerest apologies. It is simply my right sideâs reaction. Have you come to bring me supper?â

âNo, I have actually come to break you out of here, if you wish.â

The cybernetic knight- for surely, Matheeas thought, this man reminded him of Kalarenâs cybernetics- frowned.

âBreak out? Out of this cell.â He paused, considering Matheeas. âThenâ¦ Thou art not with the Lord Vladek?â

âNot in the slightest. You?â

The knight stood up. âLet me out, and I shall slay our foes.â

Matheeasâs brow furrowed. âSwear on your honor as a knight that you wonât harm me or my allies.â

The cyber-knight paused, so Matheeas added:

âAt least until we get out of here, you wonât attack any of my comrades. Then we can talk about it more.â

The cyber-knight was silent for a moment. âI am afraid I cannot do that.â

âWhy not?â

He motioned to his cybernetic arm. âThis arm. It is encoded to kill. I cannot guarantee that I shall not harm thee. Tis why I am enclosed herein. I am one of the greatest swordsmen in this fortress. With few exceptions, we wouldest meet little resistance in our escape. But I cannot say with veracity that thou wouldest be safe with me thereafter. Or indeed, before.

Matheeas nodded slowly. âSo, if you think you went ahead a little bit, and thought about killing only Vladekâs troops, we would be relatively safe?â

â...Perhaps.â

âGreat! Weâll come back for you later so you can lead the way.â

â...Very well.â

Matheeas closed the slot, and turned to look at Dr. Jellyfish, who was standing outside one of the cells, door open.

âThisâ¦ This was my room.â

Matheeas walked over. Inside was a bedstand with a sheet of metal, and a pillow, with straps welded to the sides to make a very low-grade operating table. All around the room were bits of machinery on the ground, on other tables, hanging from stands and small power-cranes. There was even an entire generator in the back of the room, which was hooked up to at least a dozen items. From the other cranes, to the bright surgical lights, to a few humming machines.

âThis room is definitely used for cybernetics. Fitting, that was my specialty.â

âStill is, Doctor. Think you could take any of this?â

â..Oh. Oh. Oh yes. Yes indeed! Give me a few minutes, I want to analyze the generator!â

Just then, the door at the far end of the corridor opened, upward with a hiss of air, and a tall, gaunt man in a white lab coat and gloves stepped through a blue force field.

He paused when he saw Matheeas and Jellyfish. Jellyfish turned to meet him.

âSylvester! Good to see you! How are the tests going? Howâs Collin?â

Matheeas observed this âSylvesterâ. Tall, gaunt, very much a scientist like Jellyfish, but he seemed to have a more... Sinister air about him. He was wearing goggles, but they did not make him look goofy. Instead, they accentuated the pinprick-like eyes he had, with their minimalist blue irises. He had slick black hair, and a neat, close trimmed, mustache.

âJohnathan.â he said. His voice was low. Surprisingly low, for someone so thin. His tone was neutral. He was clearly still processing what he was seeing.

âWas that my name? Yes, I suppose it was. Anyways you didnât answer my questions, so hereâs another oneâ¦ Have you tried out my fried jellyfish recipe?â

Sylvester considered Jellyfish as he thought about this question. âYes. It was nutritionally and palatably terrible. A recipe not worth repeating. What is your business here?â

Matheeas was about to speak before Jellyfish beat him to it.

âWe are commencing a jailbreak! Aaaand raiding whatever we come across!â Jellyfish waved his blaster at the room they were just in.

âI hope that excludes me.â

âThat is up to the Commander here!â Both of the scientists turned expectantly at Matheeas.

âYou two know each other?â Matheeas asked.

âOh yes! We were colleagues.â Jellyfish replied.

âAssociates.â amended Sylvester.

âWe both worked on Kalaren!â

âSubject OâBryan.â

Matheeas shook his head. âIs he a threat, Doctor?â

âYeah, kind of, pretty much.â

âActually, I agree. But you canât touch me.â Then, he stepped backwards, into the forcefield.

Jellyfish let out a small bark of laughter. âYouâre relying on the same security system I assisted in installing!â

There was no reply, except for the door closing with another hiss of air.

Jellyfish strode forward. âIâll have this down in five minutes!â Once he got within a foot of the archway, he was met with a blast of electricity that discharged seemingly from the door itself.

âJELLYFIIISSZZ!â he squealed as he flew back down the corridor.

Matheeas stared for a few seconds, before cautiously walking over to check on Jellyfish. The tips of his face were somewhat singed, and parts of his coat was blackened, but other than that, the electricity had not conducted too far past his leather coat. Matheeas shook him awake.

âYou ok?â

âYeah,â Jellyfish wheezed. âI think. Thatâs new. That never would have conformed to Collinâs safety regulationsâ¦â Jellyfish paused as they heard a grating metal sound behind them. they both looked back to see the Cyber-knight stepping out of his cell.

But he clearly wasn'tâ here to help. His face spoke only of murder. A long blade slid out of his right arm.

Then he turned and ran out of the cell block.

''â âJellyfish.â â''

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

Stirling dove into the room as he heard the two stone knights groaning and creaking with movement. Snatching a sturdy-looking spear from a stand, he twisted around to block any oncoming attacks, and sized up his opponents.

They were just now turning towards him. Slowly, they stepped off of their pedestals, and Stirling realized how tall and lumbering they were, about twice his height, they had huge stone halberds that they lowered in his direction. They seemed to go faster the more they moved.

Glancing back towards the door, and all ofthe people beyond, he began to back up, hoping that the others would catch onto his unspoken plan. The room wasnât very large, and was filled with weapons, but he hoped to lure the stone knights further in, so that the others could sneak up from behind and defeat themâ¦ Somehow.

The knights began to thrust at him. Realising he would probably not be able to block or parry their massive stone halbard attacks, he began to duck and dodge and scamper backwards.

Amras watched, her hooded eyes assessing the situation. As one of the miners began to step forward, she held an arm out and stopped him.

âDonât cross the threshold. Use your mining lasers.â

âFine by me.â The prisoner said, raising his laser to fire at the knight, slowly deteriorating the stone. The others followed suit, and soon anyone with a ranged weapon was helping.

âFocus the fire,â someone said. âIf itâs magic, it might just heal or something!â

âGo for the arms, who knows if it even needs a head.â

âI have a rocket launcher here, when do I fire that?â

âWhy not now?â

âOkay! Bombs away!â

Stirling tried to watch as he rolled to escape the ensuing explosion of rocks and rubble. he continued to dodge and evade as the room quickly became an absolute wreck. Not to mention the fact that other racks of weapons had fallen and were set off. Including rocket launchers.

But even in the chaos, he took a moment to appreciate how the prisoners were working together.

After a few minutes of frantic evasion, Stirling unbent his knees and looked around at the dust settling. The stone giants were obliterated, the walls and floor were scarred and chipped, and at least a quarter of the weapons exploded.

That went better than heâd expected. He should do jailbreaks more often. Standing up, he was inordinately pleased to find that heâd gotten away with only a few cuts and bruises for all his frantic tumbling.

He turned to the doorway and called out to the bristling guns and lasers. âGood job, men. Seems safe to come in and take what you can use.â

âWoo-hoo!â

âFinally!â

âI never knew mining rock would be an important life skill!â

âLook at all this STUFF!â

âRemember, only what you can use,â Stirling reminded. âYou donât want to be bogged down during out escape. We still need to run like the dickens.â

âIâll take the laser gun, the purple glowing ninja sword, the OTHER laser gun, and that knife over there!â Victor exclaimed, pulling armor on and gathering weapons.

âWhat did I just say,â Stirling muttered, knowing that with a crowd this large, he wouldnât be able to control or save everyone.

Amras came up to him with a spear and some sorcerer armor. She handed him his knife back.

âHere you go. I wonder why they have all those swords along the back?â

Stirling turned around and realized that nearly all the items in the glass cases were ornate swords. Walking over, he picked up a sword that had fallen out of its smashed case during the fight.

This sword was made of unusual materials, with a gold hilt and crossguard and a silver blade. On one side of the blade was a depiction of a peasant with a sword. On the other, a wizard with a sword. Presumably the same sword. As Stirling lifted it, he found it was extremely unbalanced andÂ forward-heavy. Showing his disgust, he tossed it and said to Amras, âNothing more than an ornamental, Iâm afraid.â

However as Amrasâs eyes went wide, Stirling looked back at where heâd tossed the sword, and it swooped through the air, and plunged itself back into Stirling, who gasped in surpriseâ¦

But not pain.

He looked down at his armor. Patted himself.

He was perfectly fine. Unscathed. He turned around, looking for the sword, but it was nowhere to be found. Murmurs and exclamations came from others, but Stirling wasnât having it.

âWhat the blazes was that?!â Stirling yelled.

Amras simply had an eyebrow raised. âPerhaps theyâre all magical swords.â

That triggered an excited rush to the swords. Everyone wanted to claim one.

âOoh! I want one!â

âMaybe this red one shoots fire?â

âThis one looks like a dagger.â

Stirling and some of the other more cautious people also rushed forward, with words of warning, but they were outnumbered, and in moments, every swordâs hilt was in the hands of a curious miner, with various effects.

The red and orange sword was indeed a fire sword, and the miner that held it yelped in pain as the sword burst into flames, scorching his hands.

Another lifted his sword over his head, and a rickshaw appeared with a flash of thunder complete with a strange young lad, who began yelling incoherently.

And yet another sword, wooden, and ornately carved, leapt from the would-be wielder, turned around and began assaulting him.

âCursed!â yelled someone, even as his chosen blade, a dagger, began teleporting him around the room. âTheyâre all cursed! They gotta be!â

Amongst the instant chaos, which included a thunderous blast, the first verse of 99 cans of cola, and a blinding flash of light, came another sound. The sound of clanking metal boots speeding down the corridor and screams of pain. Stirling turned around just in time to see a dark-clad figure in red and black come at him with a long blade in one hand.

Stirlingâs practiced instincts kicked in, and he raised his Katana, parrying the blow at the last possible moment.

But the dark knight had momentum on his side, and Stirling nearly lost his balance as he slid backwards through the debris, the force of the shock reverberating through his thin blade and into his stolen Shinobi gloves. He grit his teeth in pain and annoyance, all too aware of the heavy notch the blow had made to his own blade. He didnât have time to initiate a counterattack, much less breath or assess his assailant, as the attacker spun around to deliver another blow at him which he ducked out of the way of. Stirling threw a quick stab at his target, but only met hardened steel and left himself open as the dark knight backhanded the off-balance Stirling with his sword hand into the debris.

''âWho the heck is this guy?!â'' Stirling thought, as he stared down the length of his opponent's sword at his neck.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

Kalaren walked down with the last of the prisoners from the north cell block. A small army in its own right. Next to him, the helpful scientist verbally reminisced about all the zoological pursuits he would follow once he got out of here. Kalaren had almost tuned him out.

And then he saw him. A figure dressed in red and black armor, running out from another corridor.

It had to be him. The Murderer. '''Vladek Verilus.''' Only this time, he wouldnât let him get away. ''This'' time he would catch him, and make him '''suffer'''.

He sprinted after him as the dark knight sliced through the back of a miner with a sword in his right hand. Kalaren rushed down the corridor even as a red mist obscured his eyes. He chased the Monster into a cell block where there was a line of prisoners handing weapons and armor down. Two more fell, even as the red and black knight sped up, leaving Kalaren a few seconds further behind him. ''âAlways just out of reachâ¦!â'' The knight disappeared into the room ahead. As Kalaren burst into the room, he saw the knight standing over another victim. '''''âFinally!â''''' Kalaren thought, as he slammed into the knight bodily, throwing them both against some of the sword cases that lined the back wall. As a sword fell from its mounting, Kalaren grabbed it with his one good left hand, and, feeling a surge of energy, rolled off and slammed the sword into the evil knight's sword, one that apparently was protruding from his arm.

The knight rolled to his right, putting distance between himself and Kalaren. âClone? I was not aware of thine activation.â

He was answered by incoherent roars as Kalaren erupted in fire and leaped at him.

There were no coherent thoughts in Kalarenâs mind. Only '''Death'''. Revenge. His next swing. His next strike. Flashes of pain. Vladek Verilus would not survive this confrontation. Heâd finally caught up with his family's killer. Nothing existed except him and his chosen target. A rack fell as the two duelists crashed through it, a mess of fire, metal and blood.

Kalaren pinned his tormentor to the ground, ready to cripple him. Not kill, that would be too fast and easy a punishment...

And then he heard a voice. Distant at first, it sounded vaguely familiar as it fought its way through the bloody haze he found himself in.

''âKalaren! Stop it! youâre burning everything!â''

''âForget him! We have to get out of here!â''

''âNo! We need him!â''

Kalaren turned around and stared at the origin of the voice. A woman in a brown habit. Red hair. Green eyes. Familiar tone of voice, familiar face...

â...Mother?â

And then everything went black.

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

The evil knight stood over Kalaren now, having knocked him out with a solid strike to the back of the head.

âGuess itâs my turn again!â Stirling yelled, rushing forward to save Kalaren as Kalaren had saved him moments ago.

But before he got there, the other sword wielding miners attacked first. A woman with a broad Orange and Gray sword swung at the Knight, who easily blocked it, but not the subsequent thunderous shockwave that threw both of them both away from each other, and the unconscious Kalaren.

Even as the Knight rolled into a standing position, the Dagger-weilding miner blinked and zipped across the room to stab the Knight in the hip.

âHa!â the miner crowed. âI think Iâm getting the hang of-AAAAH!â

He was cut short by the knight cutting both of his hands off. however, this was distraction enough, as a half-dozen other miners, some with the power of swords, and others with the more common weaponry all assaulted him in a haphazard and frenetic effort that even the expert combatant could not defy.

Meanwhile, Stirling rushed to Kalaren, who was no longer on fire. He checked his pulse.

âStill beating. Really fast.â he said to Amras, who was staring at the sword in Kalarenâs clenched left hand. When she didnât say anything immediately, Stirling added, âHe called you âmotherâ.â

âNot the time.â

âI expect to hear all about it if we make it out of here alive.â

â''âIf we make it out aliveâ''. Thatâs the kicker.â Then she knelt down to Kalaren and bandaged him quickly with his own cloak. âWe need to get him and everyone else out of here.â

Stirling nodded, lifting Kalaren up, and grabbing the sword. âMight as well take this,â he said, as he pulled it from Kalarenâs grasp.

As Kalarenâs hand slipped off of it, the sword buzzed irritably in Stirlingâs hand, but he simply ignored it as he focused on hauling Kalarenâs limp form over both his shoulders.

âOK, LETâS MOVE!â Stirling yelled.

As he and the many others rushed back up the South corridor towards the middle room, they were met by a weary looking miner who ran down the hall yelling, âTheyâre gonna break through! We ''need'' to go up, now! We canât stop them from coming up from the mines!â

Stirling bit back unhelpful sarcastic remarks, and instead said to the miner, âYouâve done a heroic job holding them back this long. Letâs blow this pop stand.â The miner nodded and bolted back to relay the message.

As they all rushed back into the main room, Stirling took note of the key players he knew by name. Commander Matheeas was at the foot of the stairwell rallying everybody to him. Dr. Jellyfish was coming from the East cell block, his hands and pockets filled with datapads and mechanical parts. Following him were a number of other scientists similarly loaded down. Chris the -3rd was bringing the majority of the slaves up from the mine entrance, chased close behind by laser fire, while Kevin was in charge of 15 slaves who were covering the escape. Behind Stirling came the strange Mr. Tillman, Amras, and Victor, who held a glowing, mint green longsword. Victor was cheering the other slaves on as Amras helped Tillman along.

âTo me!â Matheeas cried. âForward, onward, and upward! TO FREEDOM!â

Jellyfish spoke up. âI wired the generator back there to overload these four cell blocks, so we should be out of here in five minutes or so. Hope thatâs okay.â

Stirling glanced at Dr. Jellyfish with wide eyes, as laser fire zipped by him. âOh, ''sure''. Add that to the brickinâ list.â

Matheeas blinked. âDouble-time it, people!!!â

Matheeas charged up the stairwell, followed closely by Stirling and the various magical sword wielders. Behind them came a small horde of slaves. About one third of the way up, they heard a hissing sound, and a marsh green, heavy gas started to pour down from somewhere near the top of the stairwell.

âGas!â Stirling yelled. âMore than likely lethal! Thatâs deadly, for all of you illiterate numbskulls!â

âLet me have a go at it!â said the fire sword wielder, who had found some leather gauntlets, which were already smoking. He pointed his sword at the lowering gasâ¦.

Nothing happened.

âWhat are you trying to do?!â Someone else asked, as the gas drifted down closer.

âShoot it. With fire. Ignite it.â

âYou mean like this?â A miner who was still stuck with a mining laser asked sarcastically, as he shot the mist, causing it to explode in flames.

The resulting fireball roared as the gas expanded in the heat and combustion, and the small army stared into what would be their imminent demise.

That is, until another sword wielder, with a icy blue cutlass of unique wavy shape burst forward from the crowd and stabbed upward into the oncoming inferno.

âNO! Not today!â cried the miner, as a beam of cold white light shot from the tip of her blade into the inferno, where it spread into a thin sheet of ice that the fire evaporated into steam.

When all the fire and steam was dissipated, the Miner sank to the steps, her forearms now blue and black with ice, frozen to the sword in an âAâ formation.

Matheeas rushed forward to check on the brave female miner.

âYou all go on,â she moaned. âIâll hold them here. I will just slow the rest of you guys down.â

Behind Matheeas, the Fire sword wielder knelt down next to the Ice wielder, even as others began to rush onward, led by Stirling.Â He pointed at her arms. âIf youâre already dead, do you mind if I try?â

She shrugged. âI guess.â

That was all the Fire wielder needed. He took his gloves off, and holding the sword in one hand, he put his other on her frozen arms. The fire sword roared to life, and Matheeas watched as the fire-wielder began to give off heat as with an intense fever, which caused the arms to thaw.

The fire-wielder opened his eyes and looked at the last of the miners passing Matheeas. âI think Iâm a little dizzy, but Iâll stay back with her, sir. I think we can do better together.â

âYou can come up with the rest. We already have some people covering us.â

As Kevin rushed up to them, a loud explosion, followed by many screams cut short resounded from below.

âTheyâre right behind me, dudes and dudettes, but they got a taste of Doc Jellyâs bad mojo! Letâs split!â

The three stared at Kevin for a moment, deciphering his words.

After a few seconds Matheeas spoke up. âThere is a wave behind him, but behind that the other paradox just blew up, And.... I think we should run?â

âThatâs what I said!â

Matheeas turned back. âAre you coming or not?â

The two sword wielders looked at each other. Then the Ice wielder turned back to Matheeas. âI guess I sounded pretty silly being so dramatic.â

âThe time for great sacrifice may still come,â Matheeas said, standing up. âThere are many that already remain behind, but your time is not yet, it would seem. Come on!â

âWise words, Commandude!â

The four stragglers rushed up the stairs, following the others, just as two metal half circles began to close over the circular opening.

âAh, right! I forgot about this gate here,â Jellyfish said from his point in the line. Some stopped charging up just to stare at him. Others sped up, blasting the doors with various explosives and lasers, with little to no effect.

Suddenly, one of the miners appeared with the magic dagger in his teeth at the top of the stairs, slipping through the trapdoor at the very last moment with another person with a different magic sword, just as the gate slammed shut.

âFLOYD!â yelled one of the miners next to Stirling. âYOU BETTER NOT ABANDON US, YOU NITWIT!â

Stirling shook his head, and gave a final push, taking the stairs two at a time, but he knew he wouldnât be able to make it to the gate on time.

As Stirling and the others leading the charge ran up the final steps, they could hear muffled sounds of combat, and thunderous booms that sounded like rolling thunder, echoing throughout the metal walls.

As the escapees reached the top of the stairs, Matheeas called out to the front of the line.

âSilverstine! What is the holdup?â

âThereâs a trapdoor over the top of these stairs, and no visible way to open them!â Stirling called back, even as one of the miners began using his laser on it. âWe might be here a bit as we cut through it!â

Matheeas looked back down the stairs. All was quiet for nowâ¦ But as Kevin had said, there were more. Not to mention Jellyfishâs electrical explosion countdown.

Suddenly, Stirling and the laser-drilling miners took note of the fading echos of thunder from beyond the door. The miner stopped drilling for a moment.

âYou think Floyd and that dagger-guy won?â the miner asked.

âMore like they ran off, and the other Paradox are waiting for us.â another miner said.

Stirling pondered this. âIâm no-â

Suddenly, the doors began to creak and slide back, to reveal an awful scene of violence. At least a dozen rogues lay dead, as well as many darkly-clad knights; Vladekâs personal guards. The knife wielder, and the sword wielder among them. The sword wielder with his arm hooked over the lever.

âFloyd!â

A number of the miners ran over to the sword-wielder on the lever, who mumbled something and then handed the sword off to one of them.Â Others went over to the knife-wielder, but he was already dead. They took the knife and followed Stirling, who didnât give any of the bodies a second look. Instead, he looked at the multiple exits to this large domed room and turned to Jellyfish as he came up from the stairs.

âWhich way, Doctor? Quickly!â

Jellyfish pulled out a pen and started drawing imaginary calculations in the air while speaking.

âWelllll, we ''could'' go out the same way Kalaren and I did, but thatâs a lot of jumping, and the main gate is too risky. Losses too high. Orrrr we could go to the main tower and construct a zipline down!â This he punctuated by throwing his pen at a miner, who yelped. âBut thatâs too long. So we hijack a ship.â

âA boat?â said a miner with a glowing mint-green sword. The one Stirling recognized as Victor.

âNo. A ship.â Jellyfish said, gesturing helplessly at Stirling. Stirling nodded in tired sympathy, before realizing the implications of what Jellyfish had said.

âWait, a spaceship?â

Jellyfish hopped in excitement. âYes! Thank you! Hopefully an experimental one! That way!!!âhe said, pointing and shooting once down a hallway that curved up and around to the left.

Even if the other leaders had disagreed with this course of action, they could not have stopped the wild stampede of liberated slaves rushing down the hall in excitement after the old Doctor. Not only would they be free, but they would get to ride on a spaceship!

To cries of âSPACESHIP!â the ragtag army rushed forward,

through beautiful, but dark and gloomy halls. The iu

occasional piece of artwork here or there, but never in the way. Never cluttering the hall. Never obstructing the path for this army. Or any other potential army. The red carpeting was never bunched up underfoot as the escapees rushed. The walls were all a dark gray stone, and every door was solidly built to withstand an assault. Up above, the stonework curved into an arch, and at even distances, timber beams held heavy, sturdy-looking wrought-iron lanterns in which were brilliant flames, but despite its large, radiant flames, each one seemed to accentuate the darkness surrounding it, rather than lighting the area as much.

Beneath itâs luxury, it was a fortress of evil, and of war, and every detail did well to remind its occupants of such.

<nowiki>---------------------------</nowiki>

=== Inderlude: Chris -2nd ===

Chris the -2nd rode back into town. Fairly quickly, he was greeted by the general populace, even as someone ran to get Methuselah.

âHow did it go?â

âDid you see any of the others?â

âAre you alright?!â

âIâll be fine,â He replied. âIâve been burned a bit, but I need to see Methuselah first.â

âWhat about the others that were with you? The Silverstine, and the Commander?â

âTheyâre still there. Theyâll come back.â

This caused a small sigh of relief, before he added:

âProbably.â

A few short minutes later, Chris the -2nd met Methuselah halfway, and they were now sitting outside a vacant ruin, sipping some strong tea that Methuselah had steeped.

â...And then I got hit by lightning.â

âOh. Weâll have to get you to the infirmary.â

âYeah. It stopped smarting on my way back here, butâ¦ Anyways, the other two told me to wait for thirty minutes while they explored, and if they hadnât come back I was supposed to take a goat and ride back.

âI take it they hadnât come back,â Methuselah said.

âNope. Waited 40. But they had a prisoner and disguises, so they seemed pretty well off.â Chris sipped some of his tea.

âWhatever it was in those mines, it looked like they needed to be able to move large items or large groups in and out. Least, thatâs what I gather from the ramp that was there that I told you about.â He stared into the murky tea. âThis stuffâs good. I donât recognize it though.â

Methuselah smiled absentmindedly, still thinking about everything Chris had said. âThanks, itâs a special new blend Iâve put together.â

Others listened to Chris and Methuselah. Others who now, sensing that Chris was finished, turned to Methuselah for some sort of verdict. Maybe a summary.

âRight.â Methuselah looked out at the small crowd. âWell, weâll wait here for the others. We canât send any more parties or troops, we wouldnât have enough here. So weâll carry on as normal everyone.â

Properly sensing that this was the most civil âmove along people, youâre dismissedâ theyâd ever received, the crowd began to disperse with uncomfortable murmurings.

Methuselah turned to Chris. âBut letâs get you to the infirmary.â

Chris nodded, looking down his nose at his chest. âDo you think my chesthair will grow back?â

âDonât want to try to figure that out, Chris. Letâs go.â

<nowiki>---------------------------</nowiki>

=== Chapter 18: Tower Battle ===
Kalaren awoke to the rhythmic bouncing of his body. He vaguely remembered something ''very'' important happening, maybe a fight, but he couldnât quite recall it. Just a red mist. He looked around him. He was being carried up a staircase. He looked up to see the sweaty back of Stirlingâs head.

âGah!â He yelled as he lurched back.

Stirling teetered for a brief moment, before people behind him shoved him forward and back on balance again. âKalaren?â Stirling said, unable to twist his head around to look at him. âYou awake?â

âYeah! Iâm awake.â

âGood. Weâre running through Vladekâs fortress at the moment. Going to the top of this tower to steal a spaceship, according to your pal, Jellyfish. That make sense to you?â

â...No. You know what else doesnât make sense to me? That youâre carrying me. Can you let me down??â

Stirling gave it some thought as he continued to stride up the stairs. âMaybe. But Iâve got a rhythm now, and Iâd hate to-â

Suddenly, the front of the group came to a screeching halt, and Stirling found his stride broken as he ran into the back of Matheeas and Jellyfish.

âHey! Whatâs the holdup?!â Stirling said, putting Kalaren down.

âMadameâ¦â Matheeas said, as everyone behind him strained to see who he was talking to on the stairs.

Kalaren looked up. Matheeas was standing next to Jellyfish. They were both looking at someone in front of them. Kalaren shifted his head to look over.

Standing in front of them was a well dressed lady who was looking at the scene in front of her with a dismissive but irritated stare that had just lifted from her book. She had black hair, pale skin, and red eyes. Overall, she was the most beautiful lady Kalaren had ever seen. His jaw started to drop before he caught it. He looked down at himself quickly and remembered he was dirty, bloody, unshaven and slightly maimed. Well, to be fair that was his metal hand, but still.

The point was, he wasnât presentable. And for the first time in a very long time, that bothered him.

Shifting his ragged cloak, he looked back up as she spoke.

âValerie. Madame Valerie. And you are?â She said as she tucked the book under her arm.

Stirling, Jellyfish, and about a dozen others of the various miners in front all turned to Matheeas. Kalaren continued to stare at the madame Valerie.

Matheeas looked back slowly. âUhâ¦ A revolt?â

Stirling whispered to Matheeas. âIâd hate to fight the lady, but just say the word, boss.â

Valerie paused for a moment. âI see. I take it youâre heading up this tower to take a spaceship?â

Matheeas blinked. âWell, yeah. Thatâd be nice.â

âWell then, Iâll be out of your way. Excuse me.â She said as she started to walk forward, flipping her book open, and beginning to read once again.

As Matheeas and Jellyfish parted, Stirling motioned for everyone else to do the same, as did the next person, and so on.

After a second Kalaren hopped to the side. Next to Kevin.

As she passed by Kalaren, she called back, âDo make your way directly up the staircase. Any unnecessary pillaging will be met by my extreme prejudice, understood? Thank you.â

As Kalaren followed her with his gaze, he eventually met a grinning face. It belonged to Kevin.

âDonât worry. Weâll plan more attacks on this tower, dudeman.â

âShut up.â Kalaren said, flushing redder than his hair, as he became the first to move forward up the tower.

Matheeas shrugged and followed.

After a few seconds, Jellyfish spoke up. âYaâ know, I donât think the ship will be able to carry us all.â

Without stopping, Matheeas turned his head to him. âYouâre kidding.â

âNope.â

Stirling was less stoic, stumbling on the stairs, and cursing as he regained his footing.

âWill the ship have guns??â Kalaren asked.

Jellyfish thought about that. âProbably. Most likely. This is a fortress after all.â

âGreat. Some of us can cover the rest of us with it then, while we climb down. Do we have rope?â

âThere might be some in the ship. Or line.â

Stirling laughed mirthlessly. âLooks like we might use all your ideas, Jellyfish. Ship, zipline, Guns, Explosions, Jumping into the moat.â

âZipline! Perfect idea!â Jellyfish exclaimed as he quickened his pace and caught up with Kalaren.

Matheeas kept climbing. âSounds like our best shot. Kevin, you relay that to the others, will you?â

âYou got it, Commandude!â

Next to Stirling, Victor spoke up. âAlso, donât forget these magical swords that some of us have. They might help.â

Stirling scowled, but nodded, glancing at the magical sword in his hands. âGood point.â

The group met no further resistance through their charge up the tower, until they reached the top.

Bursting out of the trapdoor, Kalaren looked out with a blaster he had grabbed. They appeared to be in a large flat area, which was the top of the tower. Other towers inside the fortress were taller than this one, but this elevation still gave an unparalleled view of the northern wasteland of Ankoria. There was various supplies on the platform, and a large object in the center, covered by a tarp. Kalaren called down and let everyone know it was clear, before he clambered up.

However, as soon as he stepped out, a laser blast narrowly missed his human shoulder.

Behind Kalaren, Jellyfish popped out from the trapdoor and shot back at the sniper, who was on a different tower.

âYeah. So there should be other rogues out here, and a few barney-bots, also anti-aircraft cannons,â Jellyfish began muttering, as if commenting on a kickball game. âSo it might be a little tricky. Humph. I missed.â

Multiple shots began raining upon Kalaren now, as everyone began rushing out of the trapdoor.

Amras brushed by Stirling and yanked the sword out of his hands. âExcuse me, gotta-AAHH!â She yelled as she half dropped, half slid the sword on the ground towards Kalaren.

Kalaren looked back, seeing Stirlingâs magic sword sliding towards him. Looking up once at Stirling, who seemed to be arguing with one of the hooded miners, he grabbed the sword with his one good hand, and turned back to pull the tarp off of the-

'''Woah'''

He felt energy flow from it into his arms and into his body. It seemed to warm his very blood, filling him with a sense of well-being. ''âHuh.â'' He glanced down at the sword, and realized he had seen it before. He couldnât remember where, but he knew that it had something to do with what happened before he fell asleep.

Itâs blade was a dark steel, and was inlaid with five gems, running up to halfway up its length. They were red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple. It had two ornate gold spheres on either side of the crossguard, which was wrapped with a faded red cloth, along with the hilt, which had lines where the steel was slightly depressed, so it had a design that evoked something like a classic unicorn horn. It ended in a faceted black gem for the pommel.

Even though he only had a moment to take this all in, Kalaren suddenly felt a kinship with it. However, his train of thought was interrupted by another shot coming from a large reptilian-like robot hovering over and onto the platform. followed by others very similar.

âAh, '''CRUX!'''â

Kalaren turned to look at Stirling, whoâd just lain eyes on the flying metallic lizards.

'''âBARNEYBOTS!â''' Stirling roared, before charging madly at the first one with nothing in his hands but a nicked katana. '''âALL YOU SUCKERS ARE GUNNA DIE!â'''

Kalaren decided it might be a good idea to help him out while the others got the ship running and found the line.

He rushed forward with a speed that surprised him, reaching the âbarneybotsâ before Stirling did, and gave it a good swing. He was surprised when that lifted it into the air a few feet, causing it to activate some sort of jets. A large section was now melting where he had sliced. Grinning, Kalaren started going to town, swiping left and right at these confused robots, who started firing on this new assailant, even as he dodged with inhuman speed.

Stirling stopped short, watching Kalaren slice into the quickly growing swarm of Barneybots filling up from over the edge of the tower.

''âWow. Thatâs a great sword.â'' Was all that Stirling could think for a moment, before noting that the swarm was getting thicker, and Kalarenâs sword technique, while effective, was not very defensive. Probably due to a lack of technique. At all.

He rushed forward to cover the kidâs back.

Meanwhile, Jellyfish and Matheeas had now gotten into the ship, as others were pulling the tarp off.

Matheeas looked at the mass of buttons, levers, and switches on the dashboard, his eyes fighting to stay in their sockets.

âDonât worry! I got this Commander! I used to pilot a hover-cart back home! It crashed, but this looks like it has stabilizers!â

âI trust you, Doctor,â Matheeas said, realizing he didnât have another choice. âJust get this up in the air. Iâm going to find some line and someone to operate a turret.â

Jellyfish glanced around at the panel. âLooks like this ship only has forward guns.â He pointed at a set of controls in a different color scheme than the rest. âThereâs your shooter controls.â

âIâll find someone with a wormholer then. Or a co-pilot. Someone with a pulse and working hands!â He said as he walked out. Looking up, he also noted the other ships on other towers.

Another thought occurred to him âWho else can drive a ship?!â he yelled. Two hands were raised among the crowd, one empty, and another one on the other side holding a bundle of nylon rope.Â Matheeasâ eyes were drawn to Stirling, who was hacking at a fallen barneybot, while Kalaren and the fire and ice sword slaves were taking on the rest of the swarm.

âSilverstine! Can you drive?â

One of the barneybots turned to Matheeas. âOnly if he has a valid driverâs license. LET ME SEE YOUR ID.â As the Barney bot started to advance, it was cut short by steam frying itâs circuits, evidently from the ice and fire sword. Stirling began to run up, as the other two pilots came up to Matheeas.

âFound line! looks like at least 70 feet. I can fly as well.â

âIn a pinch, I can as well.â Said the other. âThe gal who picked up the blink dagger took a few miners, a scientist, and that cool kevin dude to another tower.â He pointed at the nearest one, where a rogue was falling off of now, screaming in a very high and long pitch. âTheyâre going to eliminate snipers and rogues and the such so we donât have them sniping at us. Those of us with rockets are trying to fire at any AA cannons we can find, but they are pretty well hidden.

Matheeas nodded. âGrab a few people who can fight, and meet us here. Weâre going to have to pilot a few ships.â

As recognition dawned and grins appeared on the pilotâs faces before they turned away, Stirling arrived.

âWhat do you need, Lancaster?!â Stirling yelled over the commotion, even as he was getting shot at by additional assailants.

âYou have some experience with tech, so I figured you might be able to pilot a ship if you needed to!â

âYessir!â

âWe are going to hop to each tower and drop pilots off so they can drive those shuttles, with a few of them we should be able to make it out of here.â

Stirling grimaced. Matheeas clearly saw Stirlingâs incredulity at saving ''everyone'', but Stirling didnât voice it. Instead, he said. âYessir.â

The various pilots scrambled up into the shuttle, as Jellyfish finished familiarizing himself with the controls.

âAha! Hereâs the button.â Jellyfish exclaimed, pulling a lever.

The shuttle lurched up and into the air, and in response to more button pressing, spun around, and fired at the swarm of barneybots, destroying the current wave.

Then he jammed the controls forward, toward the tower which had been cleared, even as they saw some shadowy forms wisping across to another tower. They dropped one of the pilots there with one or two normal prisoners for backup, and kept flying to the next one. There, they dropped the other pilot with other fighters, and finally, with a steep pull up on the controls, Jellyfish careened over the final tower, which was taller than the others.

A large, dark ship with red highlights and two rotating turrets on the top rested on its top. 6 or 7 dark-clad knights were running out of the trapdoor there, before Dr. Jellyfish blasted the first two and covered the rest in rubble. Unfortunately one of the back engines of this large ship also sparked as rubble sprayed across it.

âThis is you, Stirling.â Matheeas barked. âLooks like youâll need the extra people to man the ship, so Iâll let the rest off with you. Weâll be providing aerial support until we can get everyone evacuated from the first tower. Everyone out, before they clear the rubble!â Matheeas said, as the ship lurched and fired, punctuating his command with a whirl of his finger in a circle, indicating the door.

Stirling growled an incomplete acknowledgement before leaping out of the shuttle door and landing. As he ran for the larger ship, he spared a glance at the attackers who were already trying to extricate themselves from the rubble, and making good progress.

These were clearly Shadowknights. Stirling had never really seen one before, much less fought one. The stories were relatively clear though.

In the last war where Vladek had fought against the Knights of Morcia and King Matthias, a large part of his army had been these minions.Â These men were sworn to Vladek, sometimes unwillingly, through some sort of dark magic.That was evident enough by the unnatural darkness that hung inside their helmets, obscuring their faces in a uniform evil.

Stirling knew that nothing short of death would stop these assailants. He and his crew had moments before the Shadowknights freed themselves and began their relentless assault. He dashed into the shuttleâs entry ramp, making a beeline for the cockpit.

Behind him, the three miners, one of whom was Victor, ran into the shuttle, and then turned around, firing their various ranged weapons at the Shadowknights as they sought to get up.

Stirling stormed into the cockpit. He yanked the snoring pilot that was there out of his seat, tossing him roughly behind him, before shutting the cockpit door behind him via the door panel. One more glance at the controls, and Stirling realized that this was not your standard Nexus Force setup. He immediately began pressing likely buttons, and hauled up on the controls.

In response, the shipâs engines screamed to life, but only slowly began to rise.

At that moment, he heard a crash and rumble from somewhere outside and behind the ship, followed by exclamations of surprise from Victor and the others.

âHOLD ON!â Stirling yelled back, before seeing the flashing âClose Rampâ button and hitting it. Stirling pushed forward on the controls, and the ship half fell, half burst forward, but then it stopped, apparently snagging on something just before it cleared the tower.

The ship vibrated with the sound of metal tearing from itâs sockets and welds, and a primal scream. Suddenly, the ship lurched forward, and Stirling saw on a glowing display of various ship systems the back right engine flash red, before losing color completely.

âPort Engine Integrity at Zero Percent,â the ship intoned, even as the ship veered drastically to the right.

Anti-aircraft cannons tried to fire at him, but given Stirlingâs complete lack of a flying pattern, none hit. However, in doing so they revealed their positions, and were either gunned down by other ships or those operating it were too distracted to continue firing.

âCrux!â Stirling cried as he yanked the controls around haphazardly, losing some altitude and barely missing otherÂ towers and ships.

As he spun around a full 180 before stabilizing, he saw the source of this damage.

There, level with him now and standing on the towerâ¦

Was Kalaren.

Yet, it wasnât. This Kalaren was shirtless, wearing practically nothing but some swimming shorts, and slick withâ¦ something slimy. His eyes were wild, red, and his hair, while very much of the same style as Kalarenâs, was a murky blonde, and longer. He was taller than Kalaren, but by how much, he wasnât sure. He was also ''very'' muscular, as evidenced by the tossing of the engine that he was returning to Stirling. But most of all, he saw Kalaren in his jawline and face. Disturbingly, he also seemed to share other characteristics that echoed around in Stirlingâs headâ¦

And then, as the shriek died out, and the eyes flickered, the creature dropped the remains of the engine and collapsed onto the stone, and was dragged away by the shadowknights, as they retreated back into the cover of the rubble, since some of the miners had rushed up into the turrets and began firing on them.

Deeply distrubed, Stirling shoved these thoughts out of his mind for now, as the shipâs controls continued to scream at his poor handling, and rapidly falling altitude.

âGuess Iâm falling with style today,â Stirling growled, as he focused on swinging his way out from the towers rather than gaining altitude. Futily, he yelled back, âDOES ANYONE SEE KALAREN?â

Above the sounds of a scuffle, the others replied.

âHOW CAN WE, WEâRE ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE BETWEEN THE TOWERS!â

âYEAH! DONâT WE GOTTA GET UP AND SHOOT MORE ROGUES?â

âIâM WORKING ON IT!â Stirling replied, as he banged the damaged side of the ship against a final tower before being free from the majority of them. From here, he spun around, to try and gain altitude before heading back into the fight, if there was still one to be had.

Just then, a blaster shot was heard, followed by the door to the cockpit being opened. Victor hopped into the co-pilotâs seat. âCan we contact the other ships from here?â

In response, Stirling snatched and tossed the shipâs onboard radio at him, the distraction almost sending them spinning again.

âUh, right.â Victor muttered as he activated it. âThis is Victor on the bigger spaceship thing with Stirling! Weâve been mauled by an abomination from the deep! Or something. If someone could direct us to the first tower we would.. Survive I guess. Over?â

âRoger Charlie Blackhawk Alpha nosedive!â came the voice of Dr. Jellyfish. âWeâre heading out! This colony of flying jellyfish is all up in the air! Itâs time to avoid the sharks, just like last time!â

Other voices crackled on the radio.

âIs this whatâs throwing everyoneâs voices around?â

â-Button here? I press th-â â-And it-â â-vates?â

âHead south.â Matheeasâ voice came through.

At that moment, something hit the left side of the cockpit and scraped it, and turning, Stirling could see the sword Kalaren was holding earlier pointing to the front and left.

âThaph way!â He seemed to yell, though muffled by the windshield and metal.

Stilring sighed in relief. Kalaren seemed normal. Red hair, determined demeanor, glowing magic swordâ¦

Well, relatively normal. At least he didnât ''seem'' to be cursed. Plus, he still had a shirt on. A sure sign of sanity.

Stirling twitched the controls in that direction, then properly compensated for the lost engine, and the ship shuddered and whined pitifully, but dutifully. Above and around them, Stirling could see the other ships in similar bad shape, but all mostly flyingâ¦

A few more freed slaves and miners and people leapt from the towers as they passed, and Stirling did his best to maintain stability, even as rogues also lept down and fought others on the top of his ship.

As the lowest and last ship in the fleet, Stilring saw four small shuttles as they rose, escaping the fire and ranges of the hidden AA guns. All of the shuttles were badly damaged, but flying. The radio chatter began to fill with cheers, and nervous laughter. Next to him, Victor gave a shuddering sigh.

Despite himself, Stirling smiled.

Then the ship directly in front of them blew up.

The Windshield was engulfed in fire, and shards of metal flew into the ship, piercing the hull and shattering the windshield. A cry of surprise and pain turned into a roar came from his left, where Kalaren was holding on, and then the flames suddenly were shoved back, and around them as with an invisible hand.

There was silence on the radio for a second.

âEveryone report in, starting with Shuttle 2.â

âHere. All vital systems functioning.â came the voice of a miner.

âShuttle 3?â

Only Static responded.

âShuttle 5 here. Damaged but we can go awhile. Who was on Shuttle 3?â Came another Miner.

âWe donât have time to sort that out right now, and we canât afford to go back right now either, the blink dagger wielder and the fire and ice sword pair can only give us so much time. Stirling, you there on Shuttle 4? Over.â

Stirling nodded to Victor, who responded. âYeah, weâre here, one of our propellers is missing but we are compensating?â

Stirling nodded again, poking at some sliding dials to balance the energy outputs better.

âWait, theyâre staying behind?â came Shuttle 2.

Shuttle 5 crackled in. âYes. The Dagger was.. affecting Joanne, and it wasnât practical for her to come. She agreed to cover us.. And I saw the Swords talking to that red-haired guy before he jumped onto Shuttle 4. Is he okay by the way? Over.â

Stirling glanced to his left and leaned out of the broken windshield. âKalaren?â

Kalaren leaned forward slightly. He had some burns and various pieces of shrapnel stuck in him, in addition to other wounds he had acquired from bullets, but he still doggedly held onto the side of the ship via his mangled hand jammed into a crevice between panels.

Kalaren gritted his teeth, grunt/yelled affirmation, and pointed south again.

â..We think so?â Victor replied to the Radio.

âYou wanna climb in?â Stilring asked Kalaren casually, motioning to the open, shattered windshield, before having to duck back inside to adjust the shipâs trajectory.

Matheeasâ voice came in again. âOkay. Everyone, follow Shuttle One. We are going to have to cut radio transmission as long as it pertains to direction, as we are using Vladekâs frequencies. Donât want him to know more than he needs to. We got a bit to go, so hang in there, got it?â

âAffirmative.â Came Shuttle 2.

âFine. Ah, Over.â Growled Shuttle 5.

âSounds good, Cap. Over.â Victor replied.

âUnderstood. Radio silence begins now.â Shuttle One finished.

â...Thatâs the button on the left side of the radio! JELLYFISH!â

There was a collective groan as the static gradually became the only thing on the radio, before Stirling shut it off as well.

Kalaren rolled over the edge of the windshield and landed on the floor with a thud and a groan, hitting a few dozen buttons and dials on the way, which Stirling frantically corrected, as Victor grabbed the controls and kept them relatively on course.

âTheyâ¦âKalaren wheezed. âGot some jets out there as well, but after a second those back there managed to divert them away. Stillâ¦ Maybe alert your-â he grunted. â-laser cannon people. The others back there pretty much got the giant metal- ah. Lizards.â

âYou mean Barney bots.â

â''Barney bots??'' What a stupid..phew..name. Who comes up with this..akh..stuff?â

âBeats me. It was like that when I got here.â Stirling turned to Victor. âThere should be two holes in the ceiling, with ladders you can pull down. Get the others into them, if theyâre not already in there.â

As Stirling said this, another face appeared at the top of the broken windshield. âHEY! Thereâs a couple people out here whoâd like to get out of the wind!â

Stirling facepalmed. âOf course. Iâll lower the ramp.â

Kalaren heaved himself onto his sword with another grunt of pain, and replaced Victor in the co-pilotâs chair.

As Stirling and Kalaren sat in silence, they heard the ramp being lowered, people climbing in, and then milling aroundâ¦ The laboring hum of theirs and others shipsâ¦

âAll things considered..gaff.. I think this went considerably well.â Kalaren spoke up.

âWeâre alive, which is impressive.â Stirling agreed.

âAnd weâve freed at least Â¾ of.. Vladâs slaves. And most of thoseÂ are alive.â

âIf youâd told past me weâd do this, I would have said you were crazy.â He glanced at Kalaren. âAnd Iâd be right.â

âCrazy.. But alive, anyway. If we make it back without those jets shooting us down, at least.â

Stirling nodded, looking grave. âYou know you canât stay now. An attack this massiveâ¦ Lord Vladek wonât abide you all anymore in his lands.â

After a momentâs consideration, Kalaren agreed. âYeah. I guess so. Previously we were just an area he couldnât send patrols around. But now we stole most of his slaves and-â Kalaren coughed, and his mechanical arm shuddered, itâs lights flickering. âShips. Running low on power, shutting it down for now.â

âNow youâre a threat.â Stirling said, focusing on the conversation.

âYep. At least, we canât stay in Aragarth. Maybe we can still split up into smaller groups, maintaining communication.. I donât know. Weâll have to talk to Matheeas.â

Stirling reached out and patted Kalaren in an attempt to comfort. âIâm sure Lancaster is already thinking about it.â

Kalaren replied in between grunts and gasps. âProbablyâ¦ The Miners.. Wonât wanna stay.. not most of themâ¦ anyway.â

âWhat I want to know about,â Stirling said, withdrawing his pats, âis that insane sword youâve got there.â

âWellâ¦ Itâs magic. And strangely familiar. But it seems toâ¦ Harness things around meâ¦ and in me. Thatâs how I pulled the fire back.â

âAnd how you cut through those Barneybots so quick?â Stirling asked. Then quickly added, âDid you lose your shirt at any point?â

Kalaren slowly turned to Stirling. âIn my life? Yeah, Iâ¦ Guess. Today? Itâsâ¦ Been shredded, but no.â

âThen Iâm either hallucinating, or you have a twin,â Stirling said. Then he proceeded to explain as best he could of the person whoâd ripped off the Starboard engine, and whoâd nearly thrown it back at the ship before seemingly falling to exhaustion. He explained how itâd looked like Kalarenâ¦

âBut it also looked likeâ¦â Stirling shook his head. âBut thatâs crazy.â

Kalaren was confused, but then realization dawned on his face, and he knitted his brows together.

âThat must be the clone they wereâ¦ Making, of meâ¦ That I told you aboutâ¦ At the feast.â

Stirling was quiet for a moment. âIf thatâs so, your clone is made up of more than just yourself. No offense, but youâre not that strong. The only other person Iâve seen with that kind of strengthâ¦â

Kalaren looked thoughtfully at his sword for a second, before turning to Stirling again. âNo offenseâ¦ Taken. I rely on my robotic arm a lot.â He chuckled, which turned into painful wheezing. â..Gah. You were saying?â

âThereâs a man where Iâm from. From the Nexus Force. His name was Brocktree. He was a very strong and powerful knight. A Sentinel, like myself. Used to be a very kind and stalwart person. But once he came here, thedude somehow got him to work for himâ¦â Stirlingâs jaw worked as he ground his teeth in frustration and fear. âItâs not too much of a stretch for someone as crafty as Vladek to maybe have some of that manâs DNA.â

Kalaren looked up, confused. âDNA?â

âUhâ¦ Blood. A sort of scientific blueprint of him.â

Kalaren thought for a second. âHuh. How do you know it was him though? I mean, maybe he was just a really good body-builder, or maybe someone else was that strong?â

âNo one Iâve met -until today -had that strengthâ¦ Besides, He has that same mad look. Similar to how Brocktreeâ¦ does.â

âOh.â

âBut if Vladekâs scientists have got a hold of Lord Brocktreeâs DNAâ¦ Who knows what other persons and skills your clone hasâ¦!â

Kalaren laughed. Then turned apologetically towards Stirling. âSorry. Itâs just that it is a bitâ¦. Of a relief to not be the onlyâ¦.. One contributing to that thing.â

Stirling noted Kalarenâs longer pauses between breaths. âHey, you ok?â

After a grunt, Kalaren replied. âFor now, but Iâm gonna findâ¦ some first.. aid, just to be sure. Iâll send someone up here again, and tell them a bit more of theâ¦ plan. Find more weaponsâ¦ That stuff.â

âAlright. Hey, Kal?â

âYeah..?â

â...It was an honor to fight by your side today. Uh, donât die.â

âThanksâ¦ Same.â He grunted as he hobbled out.

Stirling sat in silence for a bit longer as Victor joined him. Then, the barney fighters found them again.

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki><nowiki/>[[Category:Stories]]
[[Category:Stories by JamesAT13]]
[[Category:Stories by RedFireDog6]]
[[Category:The Additional Manuscripts]]

To Call The Calvary

2022-04-09T00:25:28Z

Stirling Silverstine: /* Chapter 11: In which our heroes beat around the bush called Leer, and observe various vehicles going to and fro. */ Teaser/cry for help for chapter 12.

== To Call The Calvary ==

=== Chapter I: In which our two heroes meet. ===
<blockquote>~~''In the later months of the 7th Year of Thedude. The weather is cold, but snowfall is light where our story takes place. In the land of Morcia, beginning in the camp of the Merry Band. We go now, to find the Merry Band beside a large lake, located in the forest, where they are packing up.~~''</blockquote>"Silverstine?"

Stirling turned away from his task of knocking down his 3rd tent to face a man on a black horse.

"Please, call me Strider," he replied, squinting up at him. The sun was right behind the stranger, and it hid his facial features, but Strider noted the mismatched and clearly used armor and gear that horse and rider wore.

"I am Sir Thaddeus Nathanael Thingguy the Second. I was told by the Gateway to meet you here," the man said, dismounting.Â

Strider's interest was piqued. Finally, he would meet one of the KOTOS. Everywhere he'd gone he'd heard such larger than life stories about these knights. He would be glad to assess them himself, and perhaps knock them down a peg.Â

The man patted his horse, and turned around to Strider. His most prominent feature was his bright, short, ginger beard that had clearly not seen a barber in months. Once Strider pulled his attention away from that, he noticed Sir Thingguy's glinty green eyes, and the light smirk that hid a bright mind.

"I am told you wished to join the KOTOS?" he asked. The horse nickered.

Strider shook his head. "Not exactly. Did you get my letter?"

Thingguy shook his head and frowned. "No. I only received word from the Gateway to meet you with the Merry Band, in this wood that they frequent. I came as fast as I could, but I do not know how long it took for the Gateway's letter to reach me. I hope you have not been waiting for me o'er long!"

Strider smiled. "Not to worry, I have been redeeming the time." He turned back to the collapsed tent and began gathering it up into a single manageable bundle. "I do appreciate you coming."

"If you did not want to join KOTOS, perhaps you can explain to me your intent." Thingguy asked guardedly.

"Certainly, but do you mind if we walk and talk?" Strider asked, having tied the bundle.Â

"Not at all."

Strider hefted the bundle onto his right shoulder. "Wonderful."

The two started on down the lane, passing others who were packing their various items and abodes.

"I was seeking out the KOTOS, true," began Strider, "But not to join. I was hoping you could help me find my family. You see-"

Thingguy raised an eyebrow. The black horse stopped dead in it's tracks and whinnied.Â

"Oh, come on, Deadbeat, it wasn't that far a ride! Besides, you'll get oats, remember?" the knight said, turning to the horse.

'Deadbeat' snorted.Â Â

"That, I'm not so sure." Replied the knight.

Stirling stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Are you talking to your horse?"

Both Deadbeat and Thingguy turned on Strider with a near-identical look of look of incredulity.Â "Don't you?" Thingguy asked.

"Um. No. I don't really keep any one horse for very long. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I and horses have bad luck."

Both horse and man blinked. Then Thingguy shrugged.Â "To each their own." Deadbeat snorted again, and swished his tail contemptuously as he began walking off.

"I hope you get put to work!" yelled Thingguy after him. Deadbeat whinnied back, and Thingguy waved him off.

"You're not worried he'll wander off?" Strider asked.

"Naw, he'll be fine. Maybe a little fatter, if he finds those sugar cubes he was asking about."

"I doubt it; The Merry Band's just about done packing, by the looks of it. We should be moving off in about two to three hours max.

Thingguy looked around. They were nearly the only people on the path now.

"Wow. I've met the Merry Band before but I'd never seen them move."

"They've gotten a lot of practice over the years, what with thedude's forces trying to get rid of such a large force so close to Orlan." agreed Strider solemnly. "Even though it's largely women and children."

Thingguy nodded. "Speaking of family, you were telling me you were trying to find your own?"

"Oh. Yes." Strider refocused. "The Silverstine Family." He turned to Thingguy. "I asked you to call me 'Strider', but my name is Stirling Silverstine."

"Pleased to meet you, Stirling!" Thingguy replied warmly, sticking his right hand out to shake. Stirling was holding the tent bundle in that hand, but he shifted it over to his left shoulder, and shook Thingguy's hand.

"And it is a pleasure to meet you, Thingguy."

"Now, tell me more of your family. Why are you so desperate to find them that you would call on the Gateway?" Thingguy asked as they began walking again.Â

"Actually, that was the idea of the Merry Band here. They said that then the Gateway could contact the KOTOS. I've been offworld for many years, but Militiregnum is my homeworld." Stirling unstringed his brown coat to reveal his Samurai chestplate beneath. "I'd been fighting in the Nexus Force for many years before I came here 7 years ago. I was on shore leave with a pilot-friend who helped me get through the blockade, but we crash-landed.

Thingguy's eyes lit up. "Was there anyone else on your shuttle?"

"No, just me and Perry. He's a Venture Leaguer, if that means anything to you."

"It does!" Thingguy assured. "The KOTOS are originally from Nimbus Station!"

It was Stirling's turn to be surprised. "Really? They don't tell that in the legends."

Thingguy chuckled. "There's a lot the legends don't tell. I should know, I've instigated a few!" His eyes twinkled slyly.

Stirling raised an eyebrow. "Ah. I see."

"But I'm interrupting. You are supposed to be telling me ''your'' legend."

"Right. Well, Perry and I crash-landed, and we found out pretty quickly the state of things here on Milteregnum. I set off in search of my family, Perry joining me, and found out later we were being trailed by thedude's forces curious about the crash. We ended up taking shelter at Calibus Tower for awhile where I found one of my two brothers,-"

Here, Thingguy reacted with alarm at the mention of Calibus Tower, but did not interrupt as Stirling continued his summary.

"-but I soon left for my family's estate in the Athelas Mounts. I found it ransacked, empty of the living."Â Stirling paused as the memories of his wrecked childhood home sprang back. It had clearly been the scene of more than one battle before he had gotten there. He hadn't recognized anyone, but that was to be expected as he would have had difficulty remembering anyone from his childhood even if they were not marred and desecrated as they were.

Silverstine Keep was little more than a tomb now. A ruined tomb.

"What did you do then?" Thingguy asked, pulling Strider back to the present.

Stirling made a conscious effort to look Thingguy in the eye.Â "I went back to Calibus. Found that the enemy had raided it."

Thingguy stared right back, with a sudden solemnity. "The Raid of Calibus, they call it."

"They killed my brother, and took away my best friend." Stirling growled. "And the leader of the assault was-"

"Lord Brocktree."

"-Menaya Kull. Wait, what?"

"Pardon?"

"Brocktree?"

"Maniacal?"

Stirling stopped to enunciate. "No, ''Me-nay-a''. Kull."Â

Thingguy shook his head. "No, it was Brocktree. Lord Brocktree." He clarified.

"Brocktree? Who's that?" Stirling scoffed.

Thingguy waited a moment, and the realization dawned inevitably on the Sentinel Nexus Forcer.

"Wait... THE Brocktree?" Stirling asked. Thingguy nodded. "The Sir Brocktree that disappeared from known space like..." Stirling did some quick math on his fingers. " Almost TEN YEARS AGO?!"Â

"YES!"

"Second in command to the Faction Leaders?!"

"YES!"

"HOLY-" Stirling bit back whatever he was about to say next, instead opting for, "Lord Brocktree is ''here''?" Awe, mixed with a little confusion and (healthy) fear was plain on the Sentinel.

Thingguy nodded. "Lord Brocktree is on Militiregnum, but, Stirling... he's on ''thedude's'' side." Thingguy whispered. He wasn't sure how this ex-Nexus Forcer would take it.Â Stirling appeared to be very surprised, and Thingguy was ready for his next question.

"How?"

"We're not sure. There's all sorts of theories about why he's working for thedude, but alas, nothing concrete." They began walking again.

"Seriously?"

"Well, it's not like anyone's been able to just walk up to him and ask." Thingguy remarked glibly.

"Why not?"

Thingguy glanced at Stirling to make sure the man's serious tone was, well, serious.Â Â

Yup, the guy was in earnest.Â

"Heh, Stirling," Thingguy wavered. "This guy is a cold-blooded killer. What you saw at Calibus, that was ''his'' handiwork, at least, from what I've learned."

Stirling frowned as he contemplated this new information. "That is grave."

The two men had now reached the center of the packing effort. The sound was surprisingly lower than expected as the Merry Band finished tying everything down to move out. The occasional bray of a Mule attached to a wagon, the chortling engine of a truck. The muted murmuring of children too young to help pack, and so already packed away themselves in a hot air balloon basket.

"I hope you were not looking forward to a rest," Stirling said to Thingguy, who shrugged.

"It's probably for the best, I should be off as soon as I can. But first, you must finish your tale!" Thingguy replied, ending with a note of mock exasperation.

Stirling waved it off. "Yes, yes." He looked out over the crowd and then, having espised what he was looking for, began powerwalking. "Well, after I left Calibus again, there's not much to tell concerning my family."

Stirling's voice turned quiet and dangerous. "All of these years, and I haven't found heads nor tails of any of the others." He spared a quick glance back at Thingguy as they pressed through a group of cows, and Thingguy saw that Stirling's face burned with emotion. "And it's not for lack of trying! I've been ''all over'' Morcia, but all I hear are rumors. Rumors of you and the KOTOS, rumors of wars, and uprisings. Rumors of hope, Evidence of despair, but nothing of my family. All hints end up pointless, and it's as if they've been spirited away!" Stirling finished this with a frustrated toss of his hand that ended up in the back of someone's head tying down a knot on a wagon.

"Ow!"

This made Stirling's mood disappear as he looked to whom he'd struck.Â "Oh, sorry, sir."Â

The Band member turned around as he rubbed his head and straightened his large round spectacles. "Oh, it's alright, it only smarts. Strider, right?"

"Yes. And you are?"

"Oswald"

"Nice to meet you Oswald."

"Good to meet you! Hey, can you pull this? I'm good with knots but not the strength."

Stirling pulled on the cord, and Oswald whipped the knot together almost instantly. "Thanks!"

"Anytime," Stirling replied, walking off.

Thingguy remained quiet for a time, following Stirling. It occurred to him that they were nearing the front of a quickly forming caravan. Some were already beginning to set off. He wondered if he should try to find Deadbeat.Â

Suddenly, Thingguy caught up to Stirling talking to a bushy-eyed mustachioed man wearing something that looked like cowboy attire from the waist up, and a Marathon runner from the waist down.

"h'I wish you tha' very best ah luck, Strider!" the man said, clapping Stirling's shoulder strongly.

"Thanks for everything, Carlos. Till we meet again!" Stirling replied, shouldering a pack with many hooks on it. Then he turned to Thingguy. "Come on, you should find your horse, and I'll get one myself to match your speed."

Thingguy rolled his eyes and began to follow Stirling again, but this time asked him a question in hopes of slowing him down.

"All this time, you haven't told me what your Clan was known for! I don't think I've ever heard of the Silverstines before today."

It worked, Stirling did slow down his walk as he looked up to the sky in thought. "You haven't? Well, no, I suppose you wouldn't have. Perhaps before thedude you might have. The Silverstines were one of the foremost miners of the Athelas Mountains. I told you about our keep in the Mountains; that was where the network started from. My brother, Austin told me that they were almost going to be recognized by the Kingdom as the official source for the Capitol. He told me that the most purest ore was deep in the Scary Mountains Range. We're Miners and Metalworkers. Beyond that, I and my brothers enjoy..." Stirling paused a moment, briefly lost in some distant memory. "We ''enjoyed'' learning swordplay, Archery, and all of the various means of battle. My brothers were of course always my betters, but I think that was due to age." Stirling smiled.

"Sounds like you guys were close," Thingguy commented.

"Yes. Yes we were."

"But now you need help finding them." Thingguy finished. "It's a big world, man, and I would love to help, but I've been searching for many more people than- Uh, how many did you say?"

"4. Would have been 5, but not anymore."

"Right. 4 people in this whole planet, but I've been looking for ANY allies of the KOTOS, and up until recently, it's been slim pickings. But now, for alot of reasons, as you probably know, people are getting riled up!" Thingguy paused. "I can't just hold all of that up to help you."

Stirling stopped. They had reached a large herd of animals.

"I understand," he replied, putting his hands on his hips as he looked out over the herd. "And I wouldn't want you to drop everything that you've been working on, just for one man. But if you could point me in ''some'' direction, maybe even let me travel with you awhile..." He shrugged. "Maybe if I travel with the rumor monger, I'll stop getting just rumors?" he finished with a weak smile that betrayed the tired helplessness he was fighting internally.

Thingguy looked out over the herd. He wondered what made this herd different from any of the other collections of animals, but then he noticed various rugged quadracycles riding in and around with different animal feeds stowed on them. The animals here were being fed, and would be fed as they moved.

"I'm certainly wouldn't mind the company," Thingguy said. "Deadbeat isn't much for conversation when he's hangry. Which is like, most of the time."Â

Sure enough, Deadbeat was here, munching on carrots hanging from a bunch of fishing poles on the back of a parked bicycle.

Thingguy turned his attention back to Stirling. "If we were to find your family, could I count on you as an ally against thedude?"

Stirling's eyes burned brightly. "Yes. Absolutely."Â

Thingguy grinned wide. He stuck his leather-gloved hand out to shake on it, and Stirling clasped it in his chain-mail one and shook it vigorously, the grin spreading to his own face.Â

"And how about these people? The Merry Band? You seem to know them pretty well," Thingguy asked. "Would they join us?"

Stirling's smile contorted curiously. "Not now. These people are not warriors. At best, they're scouts. If you were to take all of the able-bodied men, willing and unwilling, you may get a single worthy company. Maybe two, but they would be greener than northern Britay's hills in springtime."

Thingguy shook his head, and chuckled. "I wouldn't mean as warriors. You already told me they're mostly women and children. I meant as suppliers. An army is nothing without a supply chain, and these people seem to be just the kind of hoarders a resistance could use!"

Stirling raised an eyebrow. "I... I hadn't thought of that."

"That fellow you bumped into earlier, Oswald? I thought I saw electronics poking out of his wagon, was I right?"

"Yes, that's right. He likes to see how they work, even if they're practically useless with the tech-curse. Still, when his stuff does work, it helps so immensely that he's allowed his hobby, and the one wagon to keep it all in."

"And all of these animals! Mounts! All of this good food! Provisions! I'm sure you guys have an armory somewhere too!"Â

Stirling nodded in affirmation as he rubbed his rough chin. He glanced around, seeming to see things in a whole new light. He had never really focused on army logistics while in the Nexus Force, but as he considered the vast inventory wandering past him in the slowly moving caravan around them, he marveled that he hadn't thought of it himself. There might not be the manpower of an army here, but there was the equipment for one! At least, a small one.

Something caught Thingguy's eye up in the sky, and he gasped as he pointed.Â "You've even got eyes in the sky!!! I mean, it's no Helicopter, but-"

Stirling followed his gaze to see a low-flying, camo-colored, miniature blimp. From the ground, the name ''<nowiki/>'Happy Thoughts''' was visible in the pattern of the camouflage print.

"Oh, that's the Merry Band's Leadership tent," Stirling replied.Â

"Then that's where I need to go," Thingguy said, as he turned back to Stirling. "Do you think you could introduce me?"

As the blimp became obscured by trees, Stirling focused back on Thingguy and shrugged. "Certainly, but I don't think you'll need one. You're a legend, remember?"

Thingguy's excited grin cracked an extra inch wider with an almost impish glee. "Don't tell me that, it might go to my head."

The two began walking off in the direction of the front of the caravan, and the blimp.Â Â

"When will the ''Happy Thoughts'' come back down?" Thingguy asked.

"Not sure," Stirling replied. "But we might find some of the other leadership around here on the ground."

"That would be fantastic!"

=== Chapter II: In Which Thingguy and Strider speak with the local authorities. ===

It took awhile, but the time was not wasted on the two, as Stirling showed Thingguy to various members and services of the Band, even packed up and moving as it all was. Thingguy was fascinated by the wealth of gear, tools, and provisions all around him. He only hoped that they would be willing to share the wealth. As the day went on, they found their way to where the bulk of armaments were. There, they met one of the leadership.

"Sir Thingguy, I'd like you to meet Armsmaster Fiddelton. He's in charge of keeping the weaponry in the right hands."

Thingguy shook hands with the tall, broad-shouldered man. He looked about in his 50's, and was dressed in nearly full armor that had an older emblem of King Matthias's regime. His simple brown hair and clear blue eyes gave him a very congenial and trustworthy look. However, he had a frighteningly large broadsword strapped to his back.

"Thingguy... Strange name." His voice was low and deep, but clear. A voice that could carry commands over the din of battle. "Not ''the'' Thingguy, of KOTOS fame?" He raised an eyebrow.

In response, Thingguy smiled roguishly. "Why yes, now that you mention it."

Fiddleton's clean-shaven demeanor broke into a grin. "Rumor has it you were a swordsmanship teacher once upon a time. Does that still hold true?"

Thingguy leaned back and studied Fiddleton. "It's been awhile, but thankfully, I've run into trouble enough over the years that I still keep my skills sharp. However," he pointed to the broadsword. "I think you could beat me with that monstrosity. I specialized in the longsword and hand-and-a-half. Also, the sword and shield combo."

"Whatever you could help me teach, would be most valuable, Sir Thingguy." The Armsmaster replied.

Thingguy brightened up. "Ah! I thought you were challenging me to a dual."

Fiddleton laughed. "Perhaps later. Personally, I think you overestimate me."

"Of course you would say that!" Thingguy joined in the laughter. "You just want to get my guard down!"

Fiddelton glanced around, still chuckling. "Eh. Perhaps. But tell me, what brings you to our humble band? Why now?"

Thingguy began to reply, but then paused, and glanced to his side, where Stirling was. He grabbed his shoulder.Â

"This guy." He replied. "I've heard of the Merry Band, but I never realized you were quite this large before today. I responded to Strider's request to meet here, and now here I am, and I think I've met more people just today than I have in any given month since I went underground!"

Still smiling, Fiddleton pressed a little deeper. "And why did you go into hiding in the first place, Sir Knight?"

Thingguy paused briefly before replying.

"The Battle of the Skyfalls is where it all fell apart. I made the mistake of trying to stand alone. And alone, I was defeated. That's when we first encountered the Barneybots, and we were totally unprepared for it."

Thingguy glanced at Fiddleton, who motioned for him to continue. He cast himself back to what he could remember of that terrible day.

"In the aftermath of it all, both sides had suffered heavy casualties, and if it were not for the Bots, we may have survived as a group to fight another day, but the Barneybots were relentless, and stopped us from regrouping after our leadership fell. Myself included. Talmid was captured, I was defeated by thedude, and I don't even know what happened to Lukas."

'''''Thingguy vividly remembered...'''''

...standing with a tight knot of fellow knights. Sir Shaprie and Seton, among others. The way the Skyfalls phenomena drenched the whole embattled northern shoreline in mist. How the lightened gravity had made his sword and shield very wet and slippery feathers in his hands. He remembered Sharpie coming up on his left and saying, "I'm running low on ammo for these flareguns, and I'm a so-so shot with a bow. How are we going to defeat these monstrosities?"

Suddenly, the mist near the shore had parted, and Seton fainted. Thingguy followed the direction of Seton's gaze, and saw something that made his blood run cold.Â

It was thedude. His back was to them as he bent over a knight.Â

Without thinking, without knowing who the knight was, Thingguy had rushed forward to end this awful war with one more brilliant stroke. He remembered refraining from doing the typical inane battle-cry he'd seen in so many movies, as he raised his sword...

'''10 yards'''. thedude stood up as a Barneybot came and grabbed the comatose knight off the ground.

Â

'''6 yards.''' The Bot saw Thingguy charging, dropped the knight, and began firing. Alerted, thedude turned around himself. Thingguy raised his shield, and charged forward unabated.

Â

'''4.'''Â

Thingguy leapt the final few meters, (Wait, were these yards or meters?) and brought his sword down on thedude, who, of course, parried. The clash of steel on steel rang like an bell. Thingguy twisted around and sliced at the Bot with such fervor that there was now a deep gash in it's armor, and sparks flew as the bot staggered on it's hover-jets. Parrying a lightning-quick thrust from thedude, Thingguy blocked a disjointed shot from the Bot, and attempted a thrust of his own at thedude.Â

By all natural means, he should have run thedude right through his evil gut, but an invisible force caused his sword to veer off to thedude's side and miss by mere centimeters. Even worse, Thingguy's momentum carried him into inches from thedude's awful anchovy-ridden breath. Both men's swords were now in inert positions to harm the other, so close were they, but thedude did not need a sword to harm Thingguy. Before he could pull back, the barbaric megalomaniac gave the valiant knight the mother of all uppercuts with his free left hand. And with the help of the lesser gravity, Sir Thingguy went flying high into the sky.Â

Thingguy remembered seeing way more stars than he ever thought possible. Then thedude's leering grin blocked out the vast majority of the starry sky and he was slugged back down to earth. Except, earth was cold, dark, wet and it swallowed him whole with a gurgle. Oh, wait, no, that was river.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

His next memory was waking up on an empty shore, frozen to the bone. Later, he discovered he had ended up on the far shore of the Equatorial River in Elepharia. And thus began his many years of wandering, finding allies old and new.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

''"Hello? Thingguy?"''

'''Thingguy was brought back to the present...'''

by the waving of a mailed gauntlet in his face. It was Stirling. Next to him, Armsmaster Fiddleton looked mildly concerned.

"You faded out there for a minute," Stirling explained.

"I'm sorry if I brought up unpleasant memories, Sir Thingguy," commented Fiddleton.

Thingguy waved them both off, and he disarmed their worries with a smile. "Not at all. Memories, and in this case, memories of failure, are some of life's greatest teachers."

Stirling raised an eyebrow. "And the lesson here is...?"

Thingguy raised a finger and declared, "That thedude has a mean left uppercut!"

The two men were very confused, but Thingguy did not leave them time to consider.Â "To answer your question, Fiddleton, the reason I went into hiding after the Skyfalls was because one man cannot stand alone against thedude. He needs allies. Allies he can count on." He raised an eyebrow. "I will be frank, I'm looking for some. Do you think the Merry Band would stand with me?"

Armsmaster Fiddleton's own eyebrows raised at Thingguy's blunt question. He pursed his lips. Took a deep breath and let it out like a horse.Â

"Bppbpbpbpbp.... That is not a decision I can make. Nor do I think the Leadership would come to a conclusion easily."

Stirling interrupted. "But you would endorse it, wouldn't you, Armsmaster?"

He looked at Strider from the corner of his eye. "Well, Yes. Personally. But as a leader, I-"

"I know, I know. You have a responsibility, and we know you can't let your personal thoughts get in the way, but if Thingguy were to propose an alliance of some type, you would be inclined to endorse it to the others, wouldn't you?" Stirling pressed.

Thingguy looked between the two, his smile slowly turning into a grin as Fiddleton's stare turned from irritation to thoughtfulness to careful condescension. "We cannot hide forever..." he mused aloud. "Recent events have shown that clear enough..."

"Wonderful!" Thingguy exclaimed.Â

"Very good, we appreciate it," Stirling replied.

"But!" Fiddleton amended. "I must make it clear that such an alliance would be for the future. We are nowhere near being prepared for such a large-scale engagement as fighting the Tyrant would suggest."

Thingguy agreed. "I think you are closer than you might think. You have plenty of resources, but what's missing is something each person must find within themselves."

This elicited the two others to ponder.

"Courage?" Fiddleton asked.

"Hope." Stirling decided.

Thingguy shook his head. "Passion. Passion can get you both of those, and more."

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 3: In Which Our Heroes Do Little More Than Wait. ===

The conversation wore down quickly after that, but it did not end until after the Armsmaster had used a Walkie-Talkie and arranged with the other leaders to have a meeting to listen to what Thingguy had to say. With this finished, all three men excused themselves, as they all had various things that needed doing now.

As soon as Fiddleton had been lost among the Caravan, Thingguy appeared to have a mental breakdown. He began grinning uncontrollably. Rubbing his hands, he leaned conspiratorially to Stirling.

''"I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to tell them!"'' he whispered excitedly.

"Don't worry, I'll help you prepare," Stirling assured. They went off to find a whiteboard and a good spot to sit down and rest. This ended up being atop a one of a kind sort of dry sleigh. It vaguely reminded one of something depicted inÂ ancient carvings of slave labor. Only, this didn't use slaves, of course.Â

There was the wooden deck, where tables and benches were bolted down to stop them from bumping away. Right underneath that was a cage that housed a large, thin wedge, the length of the deck, with logs rolling underneath it. As the logs rolled to the thick back of the wedge, something akin to a water-wheel would catch the log and lift it to the top of the wedge, where it would roll down to the front, and drop down to go under the wedge and through the cycle again.

Perhaps not the most efficient mode of transportation, but a mode nonetheless.Â

Stirling and Thingguy sat down at this open-aired sitting area, and it was not long before Thingguy and Stirling had filled and erased the whiteboard a dozen times. Thingguy now knew what he wanted to say, and how he was to frame it to his target audience. He filled the board one more time, with his key points, and the two rehearsed it till Thingguy was confident.

By then, many hours had passed, and the sun had long dipped under the tree canopy, leaving the caravan in twilight.

At some point, the two men had procured a snack, which they were finishing as a middle-aged woman boarded the platform and made her way to them.

Stirling looked up from his honey-roll. "Ah, Mrs. Smith. This is a rare surprise."

"Not quite," the woman said. "I'm here to take you two to the meeting."

Thingguy noted her long blonde hair, tied up in a simple and no-nonsense ponytail. Her face matched it, putting Thingguy in mind of an old-fashioned schoolteacher. She wore a brown dress with the sleeves rolled up past her elbows, and a white apron around her waist. Both items were stained and dirty, though her face, neck, and arms, the only skin visible, seemed clean enough.

"Well then, Mrs. Smith! Lead the way, and we shall follow, Madame!" Thingguy declared, getting up. Stirling followed suit.

With a slight nod, Mrs. Smith turned away and scampered away with a speed that initially surprised Thingguy, though the two men quickly adjusted speed and kept up with her as she weaved through the caravan towards the front.

Abruptly, she turned off to the right, and the three left the Caravan behind, as Mrs. Smith headed into the dense forest.

"Ah. She's headed for the glade," Stirling muttered to Thingguy.

"There's a glade up here?"

"Yeah. Come to think of it, it would make a nice landing spot for the dirigible."

"Makes sense."Â

Sure enough, the three emerged into an average-sized glade. Looking up, the three saw the ''<nowiki/>'Happy Thoughts''' slowly descending. However, as the carriage of the airship leveled with the treeline, a rope ladder was thrown out over the side, and a thin, wirey silhouette cried out "Climb up! The Caravan won't stop tonight, so neither shall we!"

Stirling and Thingguy looked at each other, then at Mrs. Smith.

"Are you coming as well, Gemma?" Stirling asked. Mrs. Smith shook her head.Â

"No. The other leaders already know my opinion, and the same goes for the Armsmaster. Our exclusion from your presentation won't change the ruling."

Behind Stirling, Thingguy tilted his head to see Gemma Smith. Her face was unreadable. "You mean to say that the leadership has already made up their minds, or just you and Fiddleton?" he asked.

"I oppose your desire to bring us into your war," she said bluntly. "We've had enough of it recently."

Thingguy smiled, avoiding her verbal jab. "That must mean that with Fiddleton's one vote yea, and your vote nay, I have to convince the majority up there?"

She stared at him. "Yes."

Her brief hesitation bolstered Thingguy's hopes. He took it to mean that she feared his success. Then he realized his grin was growing, and that she might consider him cocky. He smoothed out his features into what he considered a humble smile.Â

"I appreciate your honest opposition, Mrs. Smith." Not waiting for a response, he grasped the rope ladder and began scrambling up.

Stirling grabbed the rope ladder, then turned back to the ever-stoic Mrs. Smith.

"I do wish you would listen to what Thingguy has to say," Stirling said.

Gemma bobbed her head, watching Thingguy scamper up the ladder like the monkeys of old. "I will. I have a radio. I and the Armsmaster will be listening, but we have duties to perform with the moving caravan." She pointed at Thingguy. "You should hurry, or you will be stuck down here with us."

Stirling looked up to see Thingguy being helped into the carriage by others. "Oh shoot," he muttered, before clambering up with half the speed and grace that Thingguy had.

=== Chapter 4: In Which Thingguy makes his Case. ===

A quick right, short corridor, and a left brought Stirling and Thingguy into a large room, where they stood in front of a long table parallel to them. Behind it sat five individuals with such varying characteristics that Thingguy didn't know where to start.

"h'Ah, good! You mah'e it," said one that sat in the very middle of the table. He had bushy eyebrows and a 'stache, as well as a fez. He was wearing an oversized knitted Yule sweater depicting 2 heart-forming reindeer, and as he put his hi-top sneakers up on the table, he displayed some very flashy sequined disco leggings.Â "Now we'h can beg'hin!"

Thingguy grinned. "You must be the legendary Carlos Obfusco, leader of this very Merry Band."Â

Carlos was clearly pleased at being recognized. "Wh'y y'es I am!" He awkwardly extended a hand to shake, without dropping his feet from the table. As he and Thingguy shook hands, Carlos introduced the others.

"To m'ah right here, I h'ave '''Fath'r Henry''', our Rel'gious C'oodinater, an' next tah him is '''Mart'n Marin,''' our Communica'htions Mastah!" Then he swung his arm around and waved to his left. "An' ovah here, we have our Mastah H'rbelist, '''Ju'idith H'cklepatt'''; Our P'herimeter Captain, '''Mercedes;''' an' la'hst but not lea'st, our mastah Scout, '''Stabb'''!"

Thingguy took them all in.Â

'''Father Henry''' looked to be mid-thirties, with a dark brown beard and hair, dressed in a clean black habit, with a white square in the collar. He stared at Thingguy with a kind, but perceptive gaze, his hands folded on the table in front of him attentively.

'''Martin Marin''' appeared to be the oldest, according to his thin, scraggly hair and very pale blue eyes that lacked the youthful clarity of his fellows at the table. Perhaps 60s or 70s. He too, was smiling, but it came off as an absentminded smile, instead of sincere. Like he was thinking of other things. His hands rested on the pommel of a cane, and he wore a very faded blue shirt with a King's Crown emblazoned on it.Â

'''Mrs. Hucklepatt''' wore a simple, unpretentious dress, but her almost regal countenance, with it's fair share of wrinkles, silver-gray crown of hair, and bright turquoise eyes showed she still held considerable wit and wisdom. She gazed at Thingguy with a calculating smile.

The one called '''Mercedes''' had helped Thingguy into the blimp. Thus, Thingguy knew that despite his wiry frame and stately attire befitting a nobleman, the man was strong. He also wore his weapons openly. A large quiver and bow were slung on his back, and a large dirk was at his hip. He leaned forward, his hands steepled on the table in front of him, as he stared intently at Thingguy.

Behind Mercedes, in the shadowy corner, stood a short figure, who's chest was level with the table. His jet black hair and full-length coat of deepest green blended with the shadows, and it took a moment for Thingguy to identify where the darkness ended, and the Master Scout named '''Stabb''' began. His face was hidden, whether by shadows or an upturned collar Thingguy wasn't sure, but he saw two dark steel-gray eyes nod in acknowledgement of his attention. Thingguy nodded back.

https://youtu.be/fZ1y_Z6Bc0M

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Thanks for giving me a chance to speak with you," Thingguy said.

"h'of course!" Carlos replied, as others muttered, or nodded assent. "Now, ge'h't on w'hith it!"

Thingguy smiled, and took a deep breath.

Behind Thingguy, Stirling relaxed against the wall by the doorway. He was confident in the speech that he and Thingguy had formulated for this specific group. A most logical and rousing speech of-

"What ever happened to the Monkeys?" Thingguy began.

Stirling's shoulder slipped and he stumbled backwards into the door, where he embarrassingly reorganized himself and stood, staring blankly at Thingguy's back.

Carlos turned his eyes from his boots to Thingguy. "Pa'hdon?"

"You all remember the Monkeys of Militiregnum, right?"

It took a moment, but everyone made their understanding clear. Yes, they knew of the monkeys of Militiregnum...

"How they would go throughout the forest, swinging with ease, carefree and happy? How they ate bananas and in their wake left more trees to grow?"

Everyone nodded, some looked wistful.

"How they chattered and squealed with their impish glees, bringing innocent mischief just as you all used to do, in the days of peace?" Thingguy was now using his whole body, and walking back and forth along the table. "Heck, I'm sure some of you knew monkeys personally!"

Martin briefly raised a hand, and Thingguy slapped it as he passed, turning it into a High-Five.

"But now, do you know what happened to the monkeys?"

Some nodded, but Thingguy regaled them with it anyway.

"They were tricked into working for thedude. We don't know how, or why. What's important is that once they realized that bananas weren't weapons, and we weren't their enemies, they stopped their attacks against us, and thedude called it ''treachery'', and '''KILLED THEM ALL'''." Thingguy turned away from the table, to wipe away a tear. Briefly, he looked up and saw Stirling wide-eyed and open-mouthed, staring at him.

Hopefully he was getting a better reaction from his target audience. Keeping a baleful countenance, he looked over his shoulder.Â

They were, to various degrees, emotional. Some looked only perturbed and thoughtful, while others sniffled quietly.

"Now, I ask you, did those monkeys deserve such cruelty?"

There were a few sniffles, as well as a quiet 'no'.

"Did those monkeys even ''care'' about who ruled? Who won the war?"

More 'no's, shaking heads.

"No! They didn't. But they were exterminated anyway. You know why? Because thedude wanted it done! There's no other reason necessary for him!Â He has the mind of a child, but power beyond what any human being should have, and unless we bow down to him and do what he wants; accept him as the tyrant of every detail of our lives, he will never stop. He will never leave you alone, for ''as long as he lives''."

Thingguy was now pacing, his few tears having left his face, being chased away by a stern and thoughtful countenance, that kept watch of his marching feet.

"I know that some of you would rather hide from the War for as long as you can. Perhaps even wait out thedude's very life.Â But answer me this. What if thedude is immortal?"

This got everyone's attention, including Stirling's.

"What?"

"What if he's going to outlive us all? What if he's immortal?" Thingguy repeated, turning to Stirling. "Is the Merry Band able to hide forever?"

"We can hide a ''deuced'' long time," Mercedes countered.Â

Thingguy nodded in assent. "And you have. But ''be realistic'', no one can hide forever."

Thingguy's imperative was met with stony silence.

"But this is not enough to come out of hiding now or anytime. Not until you absolutely have to. Or once they find you.Â But what will you do then?"

With nearly one voice, the leaders leapt to their feet and roared.

'''"WE WILL FIGHT!"''' "We won't go peacefully." '''"WE'LL GIVE THEM HELL!"''' "WE'LL TAKE THEM MAN TO MAN!" "We'll die bravely."

Thingguy couldn't stop his admiration for these men and women from surfacing. His eyes began to brim with tears as he laid his hands on the table in front of a posing Carlos.

"My friends..." Thingguy said.

"You will die. Alone."

The silence returned, but it wasn't stony. It was sharp, ''brittle'', '''emotionally charged''', and threatened to snap and ruin whatever goodwill Thingguy had left with these people. Hoping he hadn't pushed reality into them too hard, Thingguy explained.

"You don't want to fight this war. ''I understand''. I don't want you to fight either. But someday, this war will find you. We've admitted that."Â

Some of the leaders began to object, but Thingguy forged ahead, raising his voice. "You just declared that IF you were found, IF you were ''unable'' to hide anymore, YOU WOULD RATHER '''FIGHT''' AND '''DIE''' THAN ''GIVE UP YOUR FREEDOM'' AND STILL '''DIE''', '''LIKE THE MONKEYS'''."

The bizzare recall of the monkeys stopped the various objections just long enough for Thingguy to finish.

"All I am asking is that you be open to preparing for such a worst-case scenario NOW, rather than waiting for it to come to you in the future. MORE than what you are doing now, with your defenses, your perimeter patrols, your scouting, your armaments, your technological experiments, et cetera, et cetera."

Carlos frowned. "How do you k-"

"Strider told me some, and we've been touring the caravan waiting for this meeting."

"...Ah."

"I'm not asking you to be warriors!" Thingguy continued. "''Crux forbid'' that it come to the Merry Band becoming frontline soldiers!"Â

Thingguy turned around and stepped away from the table, taking a deep breath to calm his own nerves, as well as for dramatic effect. Briefly, he looked up at Stirling, who seemed... shocked. Amazed.

Feeling somewhat more confident, he turned around to his audience. The general consensus amongst the table was much more difficult to ascertain, but he definitely had them all thinking.

"I'm asking for allies. Not just because ''I'' need them. But because ''YOU'' need them. ''All'' of Militiregnum's free spirits will need each other." Thingguy smirked. "Though I'd be lying if I said that the Merry Band would be a small part of whatever alliance we would make."

The silence filled the room again, but this time, Thingguy didn't feel any animosity. None of the leaders were looking at him, but instead at themselves, or the floor. They were all looking internally. Thingguy wondered if there was anything else he should say, but no other thoughts came to fall upon his lips.

He felt a mailed glove weigh down his shoulder. It was Stirling.Â

"Come on. Let's let them think."

Thingguy hesitated only briefly, then nodded.Â

The two stepped outside the room, leaving the leaders to consider what the Knight had said.

=== Chapter 5: In which our heroes wait for a verdict. ===

As Thingguy slid the door shut behind him, Strider rounded upon him.

"Ok, first of all; that was amazing- good job-"

"Why thank you."

"Second: What the heck?! Where did that all come from?!" Stirling whisper-yelled.

Thingguy shrugged.

"Why??? Why go off-script like that?

"That, I can answer!" Thingguy replied. "I ''was'' going to do our specially prepared speech, but when I actually got into that room and saw them, I realized that the logical, accurate, lecture-type approach wouldn't reach all of them," explained Thingguy. "So I thought of the first thing that I could bond with all of them over."

"Monkeys?"

"Monkeys."

Stirling sighed, his gaze dropping, and his hands on his hips. He smirked. "Well, I mean... I have to admit, it worked."

"You think so?" Thingguy asked.

"Oh yeah," Stirling said. "You really worked them up. They're going to want to take some sort of action, and hopefully, they'll take your advice, instead of just enacting some new safety protocol or security measure."

Thingguy grinned. "Good. And hey, a new defensive measure isn't bad. I'm ''not asking'' for an immediate offensive. Just for a future." He punched Stirling's shoulder. "Like you were saying before, hope. A reminder that this isn't the way things are supposed to be."

The two started walking up the corridor, both assuming the other knew where they were going, as they continued talking.

"Just like you," Thingguy continued. "They're got stuff going on; they don't want to join KOTOS right now. And that's fine! To be honest, we're not ready."

Stirling nodded. "Right now, what does KOTOS even consist of? You?"

Thingguy's pace slowed, and Stirling matched it. "I personally know...Perhaps a few hundred lonely, brave souls scattered across Militiregnum who would call themselves KOTOS."Â

"I expected as much." Stirling said quietly.

"There's more, I know it!" Thingguy assured him. "They just haven't been woken up. Or freed. Or found. Take Sir Talmid for example!" He picked up speed again. "The general word is that he's not dead, but a prisoner in Orlan!"

Stirling scoffed. "Is that really better?"

"Yes!" Thingguy said, grabbing his dour companion by the shoulder and shaking him a bit. "If the 'Legendary' Sir Talmid still lives, then it's all the easier to rally hope!"

Stirling frowned, as he re-oriented his mind around this. "So, he's not available as another soldier, or a physical leader, but what you're saying is that he's still helping, just by living?"

"Exactly! Hope! That's what our battle is focused around! '''Hope!"'''

"But wern't you saying earlier that we need to focus on ''passion?''"

"That was before I saw the Leaders. But yes. Hope is what will fuel passion, and give it a righteous fire, a courage! To do what's right."

Stirling grinned. "You really have a way with words."

"I've had practice."

"That's much more than just practice."

"Well, I've also given it a lot of thought, and it's second nature by now."Â

Stirling raised an eyebrow, and a beat passed before Thingguy added, "Also, Deadbeat is a very skillful verbal duelist to hone my skills on."

"I'm sure the talking horse is very talented." Stirling said dryly.Â

The two had reached the end of the hall. A narrow metal door with a porthole barred their way. Thingguy peeked through the glass, and saw the cockpit and a single pilot.

"Hey, this is the front of the ship!" he exclaimed, before reaching down for the handle and twisting it open.Â

"I'm not sure we're allow-" Stirling began, but Thingguy was already introducing himself to the pilot, who had speedily put away his reading material to look busy, before seeing Thingguy.

They spent the next 10 minutes with the pilot, who went by the name of Joe Bungalow. Joe even gave them a crash-course in how to fly the blimp, having taken an instant liking to Sir Thingguy.

After a particularly fancy bob and weave done by Thingguy to the merriment, and slight worry, of the other two, another person entered the cockpit.

"Joe, what in the King's name are- Ah, I see." It was Martin, holding on to the doorframe with one hand, and stabling himself with his cane on the ground with the other. "Sir Thingguy has hijacked us, I see."

His tone was not immediately discernable, and it required Thingguy to turn around to ascertain his mood.

Martin seemed to have an ironic expression on his face. Thingguy turned to Stirling for any insight. He didn't' have any. He had a poker face on.

The only person with an obvious emotion was Joe, which was that of embarrassment.

"Ah... Uh. Thinggu- Sir Thingguy, I think I'm going to have to take over now."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sounds good, Joe." He remarked casually.

As Thingguy and Stirling got up, and Joe settled back into his rightful place, Martin waved them over with a smile. Both Thingguy and Stirling relaxed.Â

"We've all made a decision. You'll want to hear it," he said, and turned around to walk down the corridor. Stirling and Thingguy started after him, but then the old man stopped. "Oh!" He turned around and quite literally ran into the two younger men.Â

"What is it Martin?" Stirling asked, catching the unbalanced Pigeonmaster.Â

"I need to tell Joe to land at the next available spot. We've gone far enough."

Stirling and Thingguy squished themselves against the walls, and Martin squeezed by.Â

"Go on without me, they're waiting for you, boys." Martin muttered over his shoulder. So Stirling and Thingguy went.

=== Chapter 6: In which a Verdict is reached, and the future is changed. ===

Having hurried back to the meeting room door, Stirling motioned grandly. "After you, Sir Charisma."

Thingguy let out a jovial "Ha!" and swept the door open.

All eyes turned to him.

Father Henry was sitting in the same spot, talking very diplomatically with Mercedes, who was leaning over the table, and clearly stressed out. Internally, Thingguy winced as both men turned to look at him with a healthy caution in their eyes. It didn't' take much to guess that Thingguy was giving Mercedes, the head of security, a big new headache to deal with. He wasn't sure what a Religious Leader would have against him... But surely there was something.

In the farther corner, Mrs. Hucklepatt and Stabb were having what appeared to be a very quiet, but casual conversation. As Thingguy entered the room, they both stopped, and regarded him carefully. Oh dear.

It seemed the only person that was outright happy to seem him was the person he had nearly bowled over. Carlos, who had been pacing in the middle of the room, had lit up a smile like neon lights, and thrown his arms wide.

"Sir Thingguy! Good to se'h you again!" he exclaimed, as if he hadn't seen him in years instead of minutes.

Thingguy rolled with it, throwing his arms wide, just like Carlos had. "Hey-Heeey!"

The two bear-hugged, and there was lots of excessive backslapping, while everyone else alternatively looked at each other or Stirling uncomfortably.

For his part, Stirling refrained from facepalming by locking his arms together.

However, after a full minute of this, Mercedes couldn't take it anymore.

"AHEM. Carlos, I think we have something to say to this gentleman."

Carlos sighed. "Aha, yes, h'I s'ppose we do. 'hveryone, to yo'r seats!" Carlos finally let go of Thingguy, who seemed quite relieved to step back and stand next to Stirling by the open door.Â

''"Before you ask, I have learned my lesson,"'' he whispered to Stirling. ''"Don't attempt to match Carlos's enthusiasm."''

Stirling broke into a huge smile. ''"That's my man!"'' he whispered back, and slapped his friend's very sore back once, causing Thingguy to wince and hiss.Â

"Sir Thingguy!" Carlos boomed, from his seat behind the table. "h'It's mah h'xtreme pleasure to tell you that when the time comes, th' Merry Band would be pleased to join your cause t' free Morcia in whatev'ah small way we could at that time."

Thingguy smiled kindly. "Thank you, Carlos."

Carlos held up a hand. "You unda'stand that we would re-evaluate th' situation at that time as well. We're not going to commit to suicide missions."

Thingguy shook his head. "I would never ask that of the Merry Band. Perhaps others, but not these."

This elicited positive notes among everyone behind the table, including Carlos, who continued.

"T' make this official, Martin drafted this doc'hment, an' Stabb has wh'ittled a spec'hfic birdcall wh'stle." Carlos handed Thingguy a rolled scroll, wrapped around a hard small object. Presumably the whistle.

"W'hen th' day comes, r'hide throug'h the for'hest with th'at w'histle. W'hen someone hears it, t'hey will find you with all speed and ab'handon. T'hen you will read t'hem the scroll, and we will h'answer."

Thingguy accepted the scroll graciously. "This... This is perfect. Leaders of the Merry Band, you have no idea what this means."

"It means pain. Suffering."

Thingguy, Stirling, Carlos, and all of the others turned to Father Henry, sitting to the far left of the table. He looked dour. But determined.

"It also means standing for what's right. Hope. Strength. Courage." A confidence shone in his eyes. "This is the path we have chosen. A dangerous path, a thin road, with the only reward far and away, and only attainable if we keep the path all the way." He focused on Thingguy. "That scroll comes with responsibility, Sir Thingguy. Do you accept that as well?"

"Yes. I do."Â

"You say that so fast. Do you truly understand what I mean?"

"Yes."

The two held each other's eyes, and Father Henry's gaze softened. "Yes. Perhaps you do."

Carlos finally let go of the scroll, and Thingguy tucked it into his chestpiece.Â

Carlos cleared his throat, attempting to regain the spotlight.

"Ahem. Well. I think we should be landing soon. If people ask... Don't publicize this. We don't need a KOTOS-sized target set on us."

Thingguy frowned, even as he saw the wisdom in it.Â "You don't want spies to take this news straight to thedude, and anger him."

Next to Carlos, Mercedes nodded. "There are desperate people here, who will sell that sort of lucrative information to thedude for a decent meal."

Thingguy closed his eyes. "That's very wise; I will admit, I hadn't thought of that."

Carlos smiled crookedly. "T'hat is alright, 'bro'. If we've learned one t'hing from you, h'it's t'hat you are concerned primar'hily with MORALE! '''LIKE A TRUE MEMBER OF DA MERRY BAND!!!'''" And with this he leapt up onto the table and punched a fist into the unforgiving metal ceiling. "AH!" His valiant grin was blemished by discomfort. "Judith, I thing I broke something."

"Nonsense, dear," said the old lady, Mrs. Hucklepatt. "Get down, and I'll see."

Around him, As Carlos got down and turned to Mrs. Hucklepatt, peoples reactions included sighs, chuckles, and facepalms.Â

Mercedes, patted Carlos on the shoulder. "Is the meeting dismissed?"

"Oh. Y'hes. I t'hink t'hat was h'all the bus'ness we h'ad," Carlos confirmed.

Right on cue, someone popped their head through the open doorway, and announced that the blimp was about to land.

~ ~ ~

Sure enough, the Happy Thoughts quickly descended upon the new campsite area. A large, beautiful meadow, with a insignificant brook wending it's way through. The passengers disembarked, while others of the crew began packing in the blimp till the metal cabin part of the blimp resembled a mid sized trailer home with a mushrooming bag for a roof.

Thingguy had wanted to watch the transformation, and so while they stood and watched, he and Stirling also said their farewells to the leaders of the Merry Band, who quickly left to take care of other things.

As the crew of the Happy Thoughts finished packing the cloth into the roof as neatly as possible, an unabashedly impressed Thingguy rubbed his hands. "Gosh, that's amazing."

Stirling turned from him to the 'leadership tent' and back. "You are easily amused, arn't you?"

Finally, Thingguy took a deep breath of forest air and ripped his attention away from the transformed Happy Thoughts. "I prefer to look at it as... Able to appreciate the little things! Like a good, long nap."

Stirling looked up into the night sky. "Heh. Yeah, that sounds pretty good right about now."

"Whaddya say we get some rest, and in the morning, we ride out?" Thingguy suggested.

Stirling nodded. "Sunrise is only a few hours away, but I'm on your schedule, Thingguy. Whenever you're ready."

"Then tomorrow, bright and early!"

The two split up, both looking for a place to get some rest before they took to the road.

Stirling ended up finding a decently clear spot and pitched his tent, falling asleep as soon as he crawled into it, in full armor.

Thingguy, on the other hand, didn't get any sleep. Not after he ran into yet another opportunity....

=== Chapter 7: In which the ever-scheming Sir Thingguy hits upon an incredulous possibility. ===

Thingguy didn't' have a tent or bedroll with him. They were on Deadbeat. And Deadbeat was who-knew-where in this Caravan.Â Also, he didn't feel like pitching a whole tent and stuff for only a few hours rest.

Better to find an already pitched tent and bum it off of someone for a few hours. Or share. If that wasn't awkward or anything.

As he was thinking about this, something up ahead caught his attention.Â

A little ways away stood a large cart containing various humming, beeping, whirring, blinking equipment. There was even a radar dish bigger than an XL Pizza spinning around, eternally inspecting the heavens for something.

As Thingguy got closer, he saw the light of a screen reflected off of some round spectacles. Of course, the spectacles belonged to a young man that sat amidst the gizmos. It was rather dark to be certain, but based on the surroundings, Thingguy guessed the bespectacled man was Oswald, the Tech-Expert that Stirling had mentioned.

Thingguy poked his head over the edge of the huge cart. "Hey!"

His sudden appearance startled the studious younger gentleman.Â

"WAAH!" he cried out, nearly dropping the handheld device in his hands. He looked around, blinking. "Who said that?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. The name's Thingguy. Sir Thingguy. You're Oswald, right? What are you doing with all this stuff?"

The young man still didn't seem to be able to see Thingguy. "Sorry, I've been staring at the bright screen on my controller, so I can't see you in the dark."

"Oh. Sorry. Mind if I climb in?" Thingguy asked, hiking himself up.

"Not at all! Uh, just be careful for the-"Â

''Beep!'' ''Ka-chunk.'' ''"Power on."'' ''"Disengage."'' ''Bzzzt.''

"-Stuff."

Thingguy had climbed over various panels and gadgets, but thankfully it sounded much worse than it really was. It only took a minute or so to make sure nothing was going to explode or take off.Â

"Heh. Sorry about that," Thingguy said.

"That's alright!" said Oswald. Because it was definitely him. Thingguy was sure, because he remembered Stirling accidentally whacking him. "I have a lot of projects lying around. It's my own fault."

Thingguy pointed at the controller Oswald had been using before. "What were you doing just now?"

Oswald turned, and seem surprised to find the controller on the ground where he'd put it to save his other things from Thingguy. "Oh! This. This..." he said, picking it up. "...Is controlling that." He pointed at the satellite dish.

Thingguy watched as Oswald made the dish fidget around. "And what is it that the Dish is looking for?"

"Transmissions. Sounds." Oswald shrugged. "Orders. News. Whatever." Oswald stared up into the sky, then back down at his device, and seemed intent on targeting something.

"What are you doing now?" Thingguy asked, peering over his shoulder to look at the technical readout. It didn't' make much sense to him at first glance, looking like a radar or sonar display.

"Sometimes I can listen to the spaceships. You know, the flying ships up in the sky," said Oswald. "They say some funny stuff."

Thingguy was surprised. "Wait. You can listen to the Blockade?"

"Blockade? Is that what they call the metal ships up there?"

"Yeah, the Blockade. The group of space ships."

"Yeah, I can listen to them. Sometimes."

"REALLY?!"

"It's kinda staticky, and not really useful, but it's fun."

Thingguy waved his arms around, estatic. Then he froze. "Wait. Can you reply to them?"

Oswald had an averse reaction. "Oooooh no. Nononononono. Can't do that. No. That's bad."

Thinggiy raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why not?"

"Well, because then I could be traced. Tracked. They'll ''smell'' me."

"They'll... smell you?"

"They'll figure out where I'm sending a message from. They follow it back to my dish, and the Merry Band and th-"

"Ah. Oh, I see." Thingguy said. "It's a matter of security."

"Yeah..." Oswald said, clamming up before Thingguy's eyes. "I only made that mistake once."

"So... you have contacted the Blockade?"

"Oh. No, not the blockade. I tried answering some radio call that I heard. It was on Militiregnum though. I don't think I have enough electricity to send a clear message to the blockade. Not that I'd want to try."

"What happened?"

"We talked for awhile," said Oswald, visibly trying hard to remember. "I forgot his name, but he said he was from the Nexus Force. I think he tried to give me some sort of positioning coordinates, and from what I could gather, he had a more northern latitude. Wasn't able to figure out the longitude. But after awhile of us chatting back and forth, there was a gunfight on his end and he got hysterical, telling me I 'had to move', and 'run before they found me'. Thankfully, he scared me bad enough that I was able to convince the Leaders to move, and we avoided getting bombed by Barneybots on the very next day." Oswald shuddered. "Since then, I haven't ''dared'' send any messages. Only listen." He looked up at the blockade. "But I do wish I could, sometimes."

Thingguy followed his gaze upward. It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust. Then he started to see them. Silhouettes in the stars of space. The ships of the blockade. Help so close, and yet... so far away.

"What would it take to get a message to the blockade?"

=== Chapter 8: In which the new mission is laid out, and the Adventure Begins. (Should this be Act 1 and the before be Act 0?) ===

"Strider! Strider!"

Stirling awoke to find someone knocking on his tentpoles. Groggily, he got up. "Yes, who is it?"

"It's Thingguy!"

"Thin-guy?"

"Thingguy! Sir Thingguy! I met you yesterday!"

'Yesterday' came flooding back to Stirling. "Oh. Oh, yeah." He stumbled out of his tent, in the full armor he'd slept in. "What's going on?" he asked, seeing Thingguy practically hopping up and down with excitement.

"You remember Oswald? The tech guy?"

Stirling rubbed the groggyness from his eyes. "Yeah?"

"I was talking with him till late last night, and he's given me a brilliant idea!"

"Which is?"

"The blockade!"

It took Stirling a moment to understand what Thingguy meant by 'blockade'.

"...The Nexus Force Blockade?"

"Yeah!"

"What about it?"

"We can contact them for help! When we need it most!"

Stirling shook his head to clear away the final cobwebs. "Didn't you guys do that in the last war?"

Thingguy nodded. "Yeah, we did, but they came too late. But that wouldn't be the case this time!"

"But," Stirling said, "Didn't the tech curse bring a few of them down? One ended up way east Orlan, near the Browlands or thereabouts, right?"

"Well, yes, one. But that was because it flew too low and was harried by Barneybot Fighters. The Nexus Force could still send troops and bombard from orbit this time around!"

Stirling thought about it. "I mean, I guess it's helpful..." he slowly agreed, as various strategic possibilities, positive and negative began unfolding in his waking mind.

"There's just one problem."

"Oh?"

"We'd need an NF decoder."

"Decoder?" Stirling echoed.

"Yeah, something with Nexus Force protocols. Otherwise, we could very well just never be found by them, unless they're actively scanning random wavelengths." Thingguy explained.

Stirling thought about it. "What about a comlink off o- No, wait!" Stirling dove back into his tent, as Thingguy rambled on.

"I already suggested getting a comlink off of a Paradox Rogue, but they don't work. They've been all cut off from NF frequencies.Â

Stirling emerged with his pack, covered in pockets. "This is my old friend Peragrine's backpack. I'm certain he has a spare comlink in here!"

Thingguy's eyebrows raised. "Hey-hey! What faction did you say Peragrine was?"

"Venture League."

"That may work!"

The two dug into the pack, sorting through all sorts of goodies. Thingguy especially enjoyed a 'Banana Gun' he found.

"Seems to me Peragrine is a bit of a hoarder!" Thingguy exclaimed.

Stirling nodded. "And once he hears about how useful this pack's been to me, all of his hoarding will be vindicated." He chuckled. "I dread the day."

"Aha!" Thingguy pulled out what they had been looking for. "A Venture League comlink!"

There it was. A tiny little thing you put in your ear, and using your innate imagination, controlled. Well, that, and the occasional 1 button press.Â

"Okay. So how do we get the decoder from there?" Stirling asked.

Thingguy squinted at it. "I have no clue. But hopefully Oswald will!"

(\\\}======>

"I have no clue what to do with this."

"But Oswald, you're the resident master techwizard!" Thingguy exclaimed from outside Oswald's cart.

Oswald handed the communicator back down to Thingguy. "I have no idea how to take it apart. I've looked at it with all of my magnifying glasses. Even the microscope thing. I don't understand it. It's a perfect little ball with a string attached, I guess to make it easier to pull out of your ear?" he looked at Stirling, who nodded.

"I can't even take it apart, much less figure out what itty-bitty piece would be the decoder and plug it into my machine." Oswald finished, shrugging. "Sorry, Sir Thingguy. It was a good idea."

Thingguy only let a little of his disappointment show as Oswald turned around to pick up a different project in his cart. Stirling noticed Thingguy's slight deflation, and piped up.

"Hold on," Stirling said. "Didn't you say you already listen to the blockade from time to time?" he asked Oswald.

Oswald turned back around and leaned over the cart's edge.Â

"Yeah. That's really the only thing I ''can'' do with my radio equipment."

"So, you ''are'' already listening to their messages, right?" Stirling asked.

"Only... snippits."

"So, how are you decoding their messages? How are you hearing them?" Stirling asked. "Surely they're not just broadcasting without a security scramble of some type!"

Oswald shook his head. "It's more complicated than that." When the other two just stared at him for an explanation, and Oswald saw that they wouldn't be leaving till they got it, he waved an arm and said, "Come see."Â

Stirling and Thingguy began to scramble up into the wagon, even as Oswald turned around, saying "Just be careful for the-"

''Bzzzt. Beep! "Error." Sproing! "Power on." "Input incorrect, please try aga-"''

"-Stuff."

"Oops." "Sorry, my bad."

It took a minute to set everything back, and fix a loose panel or two, but eventually, Oswald had found three sturdy objects that would serve as stools, and the three sat down next to Oswald's radio. He put on the bizarre headphones and fiddled around for a minute, before finding what he was looking for. Then he handed the headphones gingerly to Strider.Â

"We're in luck. There's some activity right now."

Stirling slipped the haywire headphones on, and his ears were assailed by harsh static. As he listened, the occasional interspersed word would peak through the white noise. Stirling grimaced.Â

"This is 'in luck'?"

Oswald nodded. "That's what I listen to more often than not. The words you hear are what I've been able to decode by listening to it. I then input that into my computer so that it will automatically translate it when that same cipher comes through. There's no guarantee that I've got something wrong though. I haven't got more than two words in succession yet, and I've been at this for years now in my off-time."

Stirling handed the headphones to Thingguy. "I've had my share of rough signals during my campaigning with the Nexus Force, but I don't think I'd be able to make much use of that!" he said. "Still, it's impressive that you've decoded 'coffee,' 'report,' and 'Rogues'

Oswald nodded once again. "I've been practicing and monitoring it as close as I can. Here. I'll show you the list." He turned to the small laptop hooked up to the Radio and pulled up a script with various words next to their supposed wavelengths. Stirling started reading.

Meanwhile, it was Thingguy's turn to grimace. "Ooh. That's rough." He turned to Stirling. "Still, it's a connection."

Stirling turned from Thingguy back to Oswald. "If you can decode, even partially, their less secure communications, why can't we send up an emergency signal of some type, like electronic beeps? Like, have you heard of Morse Code? S.O.S.?"

Oswald shook his head. "You mean something like just... an alarm?"

"Sure, yeah. An alarm. Why can't you use the same partial code to send it back up?"

Oswald thought about it for a minute. "Well, for one thing, like I was telling Thingguy last night, I don't have that kind of power."

"Ok." Stirling waved a hand. "Say we get that; What else?"

Oswald rolled his eyes at the warrior's flippant dismissal of what to him was a clear problem, but he proceeded anyway.Â

"Secondly... Well, this self-made decoding is..." He struggled to figure out the best way to explain it to the two knights. " It's like knowing a few Spanish words by sound, but not being able to speak it, or even how to regard someone. Him? Her? It?" Oswald shrugged. "I know a few key words, but... I'd need to know ''how to address'' the Blockade before I could contact them directly." The two knights were nodding their understanding now, but Oswald gave them one more analogy for good measure. "It'd be like sending a flock of messenger pigeons, but not being able to give them a name to deliver the note to."

Stirling frowned. "And a decoder would have that name and address, correct?"

"Yeah." Oswald confirmed as he motioned back to Thingguy. "The little ear comlink you had probably has an old outdated codifier-thingy, but I don't have a way to connect it." Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "But hold on! Can I see it again?"

Thingguy fished the comlink out of his pocket and handed it to Oswald, who immediately put it to his ear.

"How do you turn this thing on?" he asked.

Stirling stood up to see if he had it on correctly. "Well, you'd use your imagination, normally."

Oswald half-turned to Strider. "No, really. Do I press the button twice?" Or hold it down?"

Stirling looked at Thingguy for backup. "I'm not pulling your leg, Oswald. Where I come from, Imagination is a much more powerful and tangible power source, and one can learn to use their own innate imagination to power their gear. Right, Thingguy?"

Thingguy nodded. "The Nexus Force made it a key part of a lot of their gear, which makes it less useful here. Thus why I don't wear a lot of that old stuff. That, and I've kinda destroyed or lost a lot of it..."

Oswald sadly pulled the earpiece out, even as he stared at it with newfound wonder. "In that case, Strider, can you still use it?"Â

Stirling accepted the comlink from Oswald as he gingerly placed it in his hands. He sighed wearily. "I can try, Oswald, but I must admit that I ran out of any excess imagination to power my gear a long time ago. I might get really dizzy, so don't let me fall on your stuff." With this warning he stuck it in his ear, and with a thought, attempted to turn on the device.

With a slight twinge that he felt within his entire frame, the comlink thrummed to life, and Stirling closed his eyes to better mentally swing through all available frequencies. Nothing within range. Not that he expected anything.Â

"It still works," Stirling said, a smidgen of surprise in his tone. "But it's range is severely limited. There's nothing within range." He opened his eyes, and saw brief spots, before pulling the comlink out. His mouth felt dry as the spots in his vision quickly faded. "And I'm feeling alright," he said to the two faces of Oswald and Thingguy staring at him. They pulled back a bit, satisfied.

Oswald smiled. "I have a few smashed Paradox comlinks, but only one whole one. Do you mind if I compare the two? I won't try and open either one up. They're too precious to try and learn their secrets."

Stirling had to think about it for a minute. The comlink wasn't going to do him any good just sitting in his backpack. What would he use it for? It would be best used trying to contact the NF, like it was made to do. The best person for that was Oswald. So yes.Â

"Yeah, you can have it Oswald." Stirling handed the little bead back to him. "Use it to help. That's what Peragrine would have wanted it to be used for."

Oswald's eyebrows raised. "This isn't yours?"

Stilring shook his head. "It belongs to that friend I've been looking for."

"Peragrine?"

"Yeah, Perry."

"Yeah, I remember him."

"This is his comlink. But I give it to you, so you can... do whatever it is tech-wizards do." Stirling said, with as much gravitas as he could muster.

For his part, Oswald accepted it with appropriate reverence. "It's marvelous, and I will do my best not to... Well, I'll do my best."

Thingguy slapped him heartily on the back. "And that's all a man can ask for!"

Nearly dropping the comlink, Oswald fumbled with it, before giving Thingguy a dirty look that was ignored. "But I want to set your expectations low," he said. "I probably can't do anything with this. Like I said, I don't have the right tools, enough power, or a way to hail them securely."

Stirling nodded, rubbing his stubble. "Understood. We should probably write this down."

Thingguy tapped his own head as he stroked his beard. "No need. It's up here. ''''Secure'''-'''Powe'''r-'''Tools''''."

The other two stared at him for a moment, before Stirling withdrew a writing implement and Oswald handed Strider some sticky notes.

"All the same to you, Thingguy, I like to keep notes," Stirling said.

Thingguy shook his head. "Not when I'm travelling a lot. I tend to lose them and then the wrong people can find them."

Stirling smiled as he showed Thingguy his note.

'''<nowiki/>'Secure'''

'''Power'''

'''Tools''''

"Of course, I don't write things down verbatim either. Just something to jog my memory," Stirling explained, as Thingguy grinned slyly.

Oswald leaned in on the two. "Oh. Well, I don't travel, so..." and he showed them his notes.

''<nowiki/>'Problems with reaching blockade via Radio:''

''1. Not enough Power. Need Generator? How much Power?''

''2. Not correct equipment and/or tools to create correct equipment. Find complete equipment or find tools to create correct equipment.''

''3. Not a way to contact directly and securely. Need Decoder'''

Thingguy tilted his head. "Basically, we need a bigger version of this comlink, right?"

Oswald winced. "I mean, yes, that's the most basic idea of the problem. Theoretically, if I had the right tools, and the knowledge to use them to extract the decoder, the only thing we'd still need is power."

"The right tools... "

"Yeah, like-"

"Like a shrink ray. But in reverse."

Stirling and Oswald stared at Thingguy, who was staring intently at the comlink in Oswald's hands. Like if he stared at it enough, his eyes would become laser eyes. Only '''Growth''' Laser Eyes.

Stirling broke the silence.

"How about something more grounded in reality?"

Thingguy only moved his intense laser eyes at Strider. "Like what?"

Now it was Stirling's turn to stare intently for no apparent reason, while Oswald sighed.Â "Honestly, I'm not sure what tools I would need." He looked back at his list, before scratching out ''<nowiki/>'or find tools to create correct equipment.''' "I may be a fast learner, but I'm no magician. It would take way too much trial and error to learn. I'd invariably break the first 2 or 3 prototypes, and we don't have the extra materials for that." Oswald looked up at the others. "No, the safest and most accurate way to do this would be to find complete equipment. Or mostly complete," he decided.

Stirling restrained a scoff. "That's practically impossible. Unless we're planning to raid one of thedude's holdings directly, we're not just going to find a working surface-to-space radio lying around."

Thingguy's brow knit together as he thought furiously. "Surface to Space Radio..." Suddenly, he turned to Stirling, his eyes bright.Â

"Remember that ship we were talking about early this morning, Strider?"

It took Stirling a moment. "The old Nexus Force Cruiser?"

"Yeah!" barked Thingguy. "What if we used IT'S communicator?!"

"The old Starship crash?" Oswald said. "I've heard about it, but for obvious reasons, I've never thought about going all the way out there."

Strider raised an eyebrow. "Obvious reasons like, 'it's outside the forest'?"

"Yeah."

Stirling turned to Thingguy. Thingguy turned to Stirling.Â

"You up for a road trip?" Thingguy asked.

Stirling turned to Oswald. "Would that work?!"

Oswald blinked, surprised by the sudden and earnest expressions on the two warrior's faces. He glanced down at his list.

"Well, it would be the right equipment. It'd have a decoder, probably outdated, but perhaps workable and... Well, the only issue would be power. Really, it would depend on the condition it's all in. But it's so remote... Maybe it's been left well enough alone?" Oswald began tapping his pencil on his nose. "But there's always the chance that thedude's looted it already..."

Thingguy waved his hands to get Oswald's attention. "Yes, yes, there's lots of variables, but ''could it work''?"

Oswald stared at his list. Internally, he was screaming, because he was drowning in variables. He attempted to simplify.Â

"It's your best shot." He looked up at the two. "And the odds increase if I come with."

=== Chapter 9: In which our Heroes wait for an Expert and his Wagon. ===
It was a few more days before Thingguy and Stirling were ready to leave with their new associate.Â Technically, Oswald didn't have any responsibilities to the Merry Band... But he ''was'' the resident tech expert... It took some cajoling for the leadership to be willing to part with him. Oddly, their deliberations and worry about letting him go for a time annoyed Oswald and Stirling more than it did Thingguy.

"I can't be detained! I'm a free member," Oswald would mutter at one point in between deliberations and inquiries as to why the Knight and the Samurai needed him. Where they were taking him, what were the risks involved, when he would be back, IF he would be back, was he leaving his stuff, how would they take care of it, if there was anyone he could train or recommend to replace or fill in for him...

"They're not going to stop me, either. I'd just thought I'd let them know as a courtesy. Now they've turned it into this whole ''mess''." Oswald sighed.

"That's government for you, Oswald," Stirling replied. "Glorified bickering."

Thingguy would just smile, fondly remembering some 'glorified bickering' among friends. ''<nowiki/>'Certainly, some bickering here and there is a good thing','' he thought. ''<nowiki/>'Keeps the mind sharp. Helps you root your beliefs, pitting them against others. Or learn something new.'''

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

During the next few days, the three men would prepare while the council deliberated. Oswald would come to the harsh realization he would have to leave as much of his gear as he possibly could with a fellow tech-appreciator, who had a smaller wagon of his own. Stirling and Thingguy had left them to it, as the sheer levels of geekdom quickly became too much for the warriors.

Instead, Thingguy challenged Stirling to a quick sparring match.

âBecause,â Thingguy explained. âIf Iâm going to be travelling with you, Iâd like to know how much you can hold in a fight.â

Stirling agreed. âThatâs fair.â He looked around casually. âHow about we find a clear area then...â

Thingguy followed his gaze. Right now, they were on a small path between tents. Campfires dotted the crooked row every few yards, and people were milling around, watching them with respect and admiration, but not getting in their way.

Suddenly, Thingguy realized his mistake, as he heard Stirlingâs Katana ''rasp'' out of its sheath. He leapt back just in time, dodging Stirling's first slash, nearly toppling a stew pot from its campfire stand. Thingguy drew his own sword just in time to block Stirlingâs forward rush.

Thingguy laughed, as Stirling smirked.

âIn a real fight, thereâs not always going to be a clear space, is there?â Stirling said.

âAnd itâs more often than not, a surprise!â Thingguy replied, shoving Stirlingâs lighter katana back with his heavier hand-and-a-half sword.

A number of people were now reacting. Either scurrying away in consternation, or cheering the fight on. Either way, no one was getting close, and there was no attempt to make a concentric ring or border around the two opponents.

The two swordsmen eyed each other, having now regained the central lane. The space was too crowded with tents, campfires, and other fixtures to circle each other.

âThe stories say youâre one of the best swordsmen in the realm, Sir Thingguy.â

âAh, this is true.â

âI look forward to surprising you, then.â Stirling said, pulling his shield from his back. âMake you work for that title, I will.â

Thingguyâs grin was tempered to a piercing smirk as he analyzed Stirlingâs stance. Shield in front, on Striderâs left arm. Katana raised behind him in the right hand to strike. Bent knees. Low center of gravity. Stirling most likely expected him to come at him with heavy blows.

Neither man wanted to make the first strike.

Thingguy looked up from Stirlingâs stance to the man himself. Stirling was staring with steely intensity over the lip of his well-used Nexus Force Knightâs Shield. Though the Sentinel Logo could hardly be made out underneath all the scorch marks anymore.

âLooks like that shieldâs seen a lot of action!â Thingguy said. He knew he could goad Stirling into making the first attack, which would give him a chance to get past that impenetrable shield defense stance. He had to admire that.

âA lot of explosions, thatâs for sure.â

âWell, at least I know you can take a beating. But can you dish out as much as you take on?â Thingguy prompted.

âCan you!?â Stirling yelled, as he rushed forward, shield set to ram Thingguy, who had nowhere to dodge in the narrow lane.

Thingguy squatted low, twisting left to strike at Stirlingâs feet from his unshielded arm. which caused Stirling to swing his own Katana low to either parry or strike.

The two blades clashed in strikes turned to parrys, and the crowd around them roared with the clang.

Stirling continued his momentum, and ran past Thingguy, forcing the Katana into Thingguyâs sword, causing Thingguy, low, but off-balance, to roll backwards to deflect the blow. He twisted around, kneeling and facing Stirling, who had just finished sliding and spinning back around.

â''Gosh, heâs pretty fast for a fully armored individualâ'' Thingguy noted.

Stirling rushed with his shield again. Thingguy stood up, and feinted a thrust forward over the momentarily low shield. Stirling raised the shield in a decent attempt to disarm Thingguy, but Thingguy pulled the sword back, and spun around to Stirlingâs unprotected right side.

Momentarily blinded by his own raised shield, Stirling didnât see the blade coming around his right side till it was past his katanaâs defense.

âGah!â Stirling yelled in disgust as Thingguyâs sword lightly- expertly- nicked his right shoulder.

He shoved his shield directly at where he knew Thingguy was, and heard the solid whack of metal on skull. Pulling back the shield, he performed an upward slash with his Katana, but was parried by a dazed, but still capable, Thingguy.

Stirling pressed this small advantage, performing a flurry of strikes with his Katana, but Thingguyâs single two-handed sword was far too fast for his single-handed Katana.

Noting this, Stirling shook off the shield, tossing it down on the ground in front of him, before shoving it with his foot at Thingguy to try and trip him.

Thingguy had now recovered from the stunning shield blow, and now hopped lightly over the shield, as it skittered away. He parried yet another attack from Stirling, who was clearly becoming frustrated. Stirling was now using two hands for his Katana, and his blows were now stronger and faster, accordingly. However, Thingguy realized that he had him beat. Stirling might possibly be stronger, but his skill simply did not match his own.

Thingguy let Stirling advance, slashing and striking, and piercing and thrusting. All parried or evaded by him. Casting a cheeky glance back over his shoulder, Thingguy could see that they were re-approaching Stirlingâs discarded shield. Looking back at Stirling, he saw realization light up in Stirlingâs eyes. Thingguy had a plan for his shield.

In the tight lane, Stirling pressed Thingguy, causing them to turn so that the shield was a few feet to the side of them. Stirlingâs right. Thingguyâs left.

Thingguyâs smirk flashed dangerously.

And in a sudden moment, Stirling found himself defending a flurry of combinations heâd never seen before, as Thingguy used his legendary swordsmanship to press the advantage heâd had ever since Stirling had been tricked into going offensive. Suddenly, Stirling was being forced to step back and back, into the space between tents and campfires, desperately trying to avoid the sudden tornado that was made of a single blade in Thingguyâs hands.

So focused was Stirling on this shocking display of skill, that he didnât even have time to look where he was backing up to.

Now things were getting trashed. Tents, crockery, boxes. But by the roar of the crowd, it seemed like no one cared. Certainly, the two contestants did not. They were locked in a deadly battle, hardly aware of the onlookers.

Suddenly, Stirlingâs footing slipped out from underneath him as he stepped on his own shield, which shot out at an alarming rate from underneath him, directly at Thingguy.

The shield rammed edge-first into Thingguyâs midriff, getting caught up in his complex swordsmanship, and knocking the wind out of him, as well as his sword.

Now both men hit the dirt on their backs. Stirling was the first to recover, rolling once for an imagined strike that didnât come, and then pushing himself off the ground with a backwards roll to gain some clarity and distance on the situation. However, that only put him directly on Thingguyâs left, who, while still on the ground, and momentarily breathless, still had Stirlingâs shield in his grasp now.

For a half of a second, the two men stared in awkward surprise at each other. Then Thingguy, gripping Stirlingâs shield, shoved off from Stirling, pushing himself away in the process. As Thingguy rolled, he saw his sword a few feet away from him, and Stirling advancing from the other direction, Katana raised.

Stirling rushed forward, and struck repeatedly at the rolling Thingguy, but Thingguy used the shield to block the bone-shattering blows repeatedly.

Like a human lint-roller, Thingguy rolled over his own sword, and as Stirling brought his Katana down yet again, Thingguy thrust his sword up to Striderâs throat.

Stirlingâs Katana rang with a finality as it struck the shield that covered Thingguyâs throat, who lay on the ground, a single arm outstretched.

Without looking, Stirling could feel the cold tip of Thingguyâs sword on his neck, and he froze.

It was deathly silent.

Then the crowd '''''roared''''' their approval, and the two warriors finally took note of their surroundings.

âThat was a good fight!â Thingguy said, finally dropping the sword from Stirling.

Stirling nodded his agreement, as he sheathed his sword. âI suppose the legends do you justice. That was very impressive swordsmanship.âÂ He helped Thingguy up and accepted his shield back. âI donât think Iâve ever seen faster.â

Thingguy beamed. âThanks! Itâs all repetition and muscle memory. And then being able to adapt those combinations seamlessly into each other.â

Stirling frowned. âWere you toying with me the entire time, then?â

Thingguy shook his head. âOh, no. I knew I couldnât get around your shield. Weâd still be fighting if youâd stayed defensive.â

Stirling seemed disheartened. Thingguy chuckled. âOh, come on. Are you really that disappointed you lost?â

A small smile creased Stirlingâs mouth. âKinda.â

Thingguy laughed, and slapped the Samurai across the back, pulling an arm around him. âLook, you have an amazing defense. I just knew how to goad you into attacking. I used my wit as much as my skill in that fight.â

It took Stirling a moment to understand. âWait, what?â

âYeah! Just like what I did with the council and the monkey-talk. I knew what to say to make you do what I wanted.â

Stirling blinked a few times. âYouâ¦ Used your charisma to change the fight?â

Thingguy nodded. âExactly!â

âThat sounds like something my friend Peragrine would do.â

âSome people call it âtrash talkingâ. Some people call it getting into the opponentâs head. I just call it another skill. Another tool I can use in a fight. An invaluable one at that.â he patted Stirling. âJust like cheering your allies on, you can goad your enemies off balance.â

Stirling listened, considering.Â âThatâs aâ¦ Iâd never thought of it like that before.â

âThatâs why Iâm the best!â

Stirling grinned. âThat you are, Sir Thingguy.â

âCome on, Iâll get you a drink. Are you thirsty? Iâm thirsty. Rolling around in the dirt makes a man thirsty.â

Stirling chuckled. âI canât believe you won lying down. Thatâs just the most ridiculous part.â

âIf you think thatâs ridiculous, let me tell you about the time I won a fight with a slice of pizza.â

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

After nearly a week, things were finally getting wrapped up. Oswald had been officially released from his various duties around the Merry Band, and there was a new Tech Expert that Oswald had entrusted with various projects in his absence.Â During this time, Stirling and Thingguy would amuse themselves any way they could, having been ready to leave for days now. This usually consisted of walking around the camp.

Suddenly, Stirling struck up a conversation.

âI know Oswald is good for the technical side of things once we get there,â Stirling said to Thingguy. âBut I wonder how tough the guy really is. Do you think we can trust him to hold his own?â

Thingguy turned his attention from his surroundings to Stirling. âAre you worried we canât protect him?â

Stirling hesitated. âWell, yes.â

The two men walked for a moment, both giving the other a chance to say more, when they both realized they were thinking the same thing.

âWeâve both failed in that respect in the past,â Stirling said.

Thingguy nodded. âI know we canât protect everyone, but I also think Oswald can hold his own. After all, heâs a part of the Merry Band!â

Stirling still seemed uncertain, so Thingguy continued.

âAnd it was his choice. One heâs made with careful calculation, it would seem.â

âI suppose.â

âAnd if youâve failed in protecting others in the past, have you learned from those failures?â

â...â

When Stirling didnât respond, Thingguy stopped and turned to Stirling. âItâs only a failure if you donât learn from your mistakes. Guilt doesnât get you anywhere.â

Stirling was staring at the ground, and wasnât responding to Thingguy.

Thingguy thought back to what Stirling had told him about his past. How heâd been unable to protect his brother and best friend. How he hadnât even been there to protect them.

âHow am I supposed to learn from the Raid of Calibus?â Stirling asked, confirming Thingguyâs thoughts. âBeyond that I shouldnât have left them? But then Iâd be dead like everyone else. Dead, or missing. Scattered once again.â

Thingguy wracked his brain for application. Something to give to Stirling to focus on, but alas, he was at a loss.Â All he could think of wasâ¦

âThere was no way you could know what was going to happen. That doesnât excuse anyone; thatâs just facts.â

Stirling nodded, finally looking up at Thingguy, blinking back tears. âAnd I canât dwell on it if it stops me from moving forward. Only if it â¦ Uh, moves me forward.â

âDoes it?â

Stirling blinked away the last of his tears, and a familiar steely glint re-entered his eyes. âYes. Yes it does.â

Thingguy smiled, attempting to match Stirlingâs dangerous smile. âGood. Glad youâre on my side.âÂ Another point presented itself to Thingguy, and he raised a finger. âAlso, we can learn that we need strength in numbers to fight thedude. That we must remain united. Not scattered.â

âBut not too densely united, lest we be singularly wiped out in another terrible Raid.â

âTis a delicate balance, but one we ''must'' master!â

âAnd one we are looking to help resolve, by being able to call for reinforcements at the appropriate time.â

âVerily! Tis so!â

âRight.â

The two resumed walking.

âDo you think the nerds are done geeking out?â Stirling asked.

Thingguy shook his head, grinning. âDefinitely not. Give it a few more hours.â

"Right. Then perhaps teach me how to use that Olde Speech of yours. I'm afraid I'm terribly rusty."

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Eventually, Stirling and Thingguy came back and found Oswald reorganizing a much less cluttered wagon, with horses. A number of the heavier and bulkier items were now missing from his cart, and as Stirling and Thingguy clambered into the wagon, they could both appreciate how large the wagon truly was.

âGentlemen,â Oswald said in greeting, as he tucked a final bit of scrap into a footlocker. âPlease appreciate a full 5 by 7 wagon filled with nothing but entirely legal cargo.â

Thingguy nodded in appreciation. âI couldnât help but notice as we walked up that youâve attached the radar dish to the bottom of the wagon. Are you hiding the illegal stuff under there?â

Oswald smiled. âOh, you like that? Yeah, the dish clicks into place under there. And no. When I say thereâs no contraband stuff on my wagon, thereâs no contraband stuff on my wagon. That way, if I were to get searched or something, Iâm just a âsuspiciously lucky collectorâ instead of an outright criminal.

Stirling observed the inside of the wagon. It did indeed look much more nondescript. Everything was packed neatly away in sealed boxes, footlockers, and chests. In fact, it looked like a cargo wagon. Not at all like the wagon of a technical expert. Stirling attempted to lift the lid of a chest, but found it locked.Â Going to a plastic bin, he pulled the lid off of that, and looked in.

âClothes.â Stirling identified. âOswald, did you hide all your technological stuff behind lock and key?â

âOh, absolutely. If anyone were to find my collection, they might be inclined to keep it, even if itâs not contraband.â Oswald adjusted his glasses, and affected a slightly more polished tone âAnd as an avid collector, I, Oswald Yaccarino, do my best to protect my collection.â

âThatâs really smart.â

âThank you!â

Thingguy looked to the front of the wagon, where two horses were hooked up. âAnd who are these two fine fellows?â

Hitched up to the wagon were two brown horses of a decent, if ordinary build.

âTheyâre not mine. Not specifically anyway. Iâve used them before in the past to pull the wagon. I think that left oneâs named Bacon, and the otherâs namedâ¦ uh,â Oswald adjusted his glasses and stared at the darker brown horse. âBarkley? Berkeley? Beverly?â

Thingguy leaned back and sized the creature up. âShe looks like a Beverly to me.â

âIâd hate to be uncert-â

âBeverly it is!â Stirling said, and the matter was clearly dropped by the two warriors. âWhen do we leave?â

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 10: In Which Stirling Meets Ingrid, and Our Heros Depart. ===
It would take a few more hours of final goodbyes and last minute details. Details such as gettingÂ Stirling a new horse to ride and keep up with Thingguy and Oswald. Stirling had dismissed this more than once over the past few days, stating he had terrible luck with horses, and would simply ride in the wagon with Oswaldâ¦ But the issue kept coming up, and eventually, Stirling had to admit it was sensible for both warriors to be mobile.

For this, Stirling and Thingguy were told that they could get such a horse from the surplus of the Merry Band.

When they got there, the stablegirl, Sharla, was ready for them with a strawberry roan that she insisted was exactly what Stirling was looking for.

Apparently, the story of Stirlingâs poor luck with horses had gotten around, and the rumors of their immediate departure as well.

âHer name is Ingrid.â Sharla said empirically, leading the clearly irritated horse towards the two men.Â âInvincibile Ingrid. Sheâs faced thedudeâs forces a lotta times before we got her. Saved Sir Martinâs life more than once, Iâve been told.â

Stirling didnât bother to hide his doubt as Ingrid clearly pulled back on the lead, snorting with irritance. âShe seems a bit unruly.â

Behind Stirling, Thingguy cracked a smile, as he saw the similarities between the horse and the man. Both of them irritated, blind to each otherâs deep reserves of strength and resolve.Â He was with the stablegirl on this one. The two were clearly a perfect fit.

Meanwhile, the horse snorted, rolling her eyes to Stablegirl Sharla, as if to say, ''âReally? This guy?â''

Sharla didnât seem to notice. She slapped the lead rope into Stirlingâs outstretched hand, even as Stirling continued to question her. Â

âIs this Sir Martinâs horse then?â

âIt was. But he donât ride anymore. Too hard on him. Bad hips.â

Thingguy slapped Stirlingâs shoulder. âI take it that Sir Martin supports our endeavor very much then, to offer his own horse.â

Stirling glanced at Thingguy. Thingguy nodded encouragingly.

Ingrid glanced at Sharla. Sharla nodded firmly.

Both Horse and Samurai glanced back at each other.

And as one, they said âpffffft.â and turned away.

The horse spun around, and began walking back towards the pen gate with the rest of the horses, as Stirling tossed the lead back to the stablegirl and turned away to look at the rest of the horses.

âThere has to be a better candidate than ''that'' old mare!â he declared.

Both Thingguy and Sharla immediately began to protest, but at Stirlingâs declaration, stopped as soon as theyâd begun, for Ingrid had halted in mid-step.

âWhereâs a nice, strong '''stallion''' war-horse?â he said, leaning on the metal corral fencing. âDo you have any of those, Sharla?â

Ingridâs head whipped around and locked onto the oblivious Stirling, who was now pulling himself up onto the metal fencing to look out over the small herd of horses.

Sharla began to call out to warn Stirling, but Thingguy calmly put a hand over her mouth.

â''Shhh.â'' Â He whispered serenely. âThis is exactly what they both need.â

Stirling was now pointing off into the herd. âOh! How about that one there? It looks big and str-â

Ingrid turned full around. She locked onto the stupid humanâs stupid rear. Without a single sound, she trotted up to Stirling, and flipped him neatly over the fenceline, to have him land directly on his back.

With the wind knocked out of him, Stirling didnât finish his sentence, but instead stared in surprise up the muzzle of a furiously whinnying Strawberry roan.

In that moment, Stirling heard Ingrid speak to him.

For the first time, he heard horses talk. Â

It was the most honest, brutal, and foul-mouthed speech that he had heard in quite some time. And it was entirely about him.

âRight. Yes. Fair. Iâm all that and more. Are you in?â he asked, as soon as sheâd finished, which was thankfully right around the time heâd recovered his breath.

Ingrid appeared to consider it for a moment, glancing back at Sharla and Thingguy, who stood pensive off to the side.

She snorted once.Â â''Yes.â'' Â

Clear as day.

âFantastic,â Stirling said with less enthusiasm than he actually felt. As he found his feet, they both began talking at the same time.

â''But to be clear, if you remain an ignorant oaf of the previously mentioned proportions, I will not hesitate to kill you myself.â''

âAnd I assure you, I shall do my best to treat you with the proper respect in the future. Forgive me?â

Ingrid raised her nose up snootily. â''Yes. Also, your back is covered in manure.â''

âAh. Well. Whoâs fault is that?â ''Â ''

''âYours.â''

Stirling couldnât come up with a witty retort for that, so he simply grunted and turned to their audience of two.

Thingguy was beaming with barely contained laughter, while the stablegirl was grinning smugly. âSee? I told you!â

Stirling attempted to save his dignity. âYour horse attempted to kill me.â

âSo yâ know sheâs a real tough cookie! A killer! Sheâs perfect! Just admit it.â

Ingrid turned her long face to stare at Stirlingâs ear.Â Stirling rolled his eyes. He got down on his knees to be eye-level with the stablegirl. Took a deep breath.

âSharlaâ¦â Stirling said, looking reproachfully at Thingguy, who was now using his hands to physically stifle his laughter. Stirling sighed, accepting his serving of humility and humble pie. âShe's perfect. Youâre right.â

The young girl smiled delightedly, clapping her hands. âI knew it! I-knew-it, I-knew-it, I-knew-it!â She skipped off, calling back, âI have to go do somâmore chores, but your horse is here as well, Sir Thingguy! Just call âim!â

âWill do!â Thingguy called back, and then he turned to the corral.

âDEAAAAAAAADBEAAAAAAT!â

A distant whinny went up, and Thingguy laughed. Then he turned to Stirling, who seemed a little deflated. Perhaps stunned.

âSoooooâ¦â Thingguy began, smiling. âWere you talking with your horse there?â

Stirling looked up, looked at Ingrid, and then the two of them looked back at Thingguy.

â â''Donât you?â â'' They both said.

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Late that evening, the group finally rode east, away from the Merry Band, who once again were packing up and moving to their own next destination.

There were no more goodbyes, no waving. The only looking back was done by Oswald, and then again, not to any particular person, but to the whole moving Caravan as a whole. Much later, he would look back at the forest-line. A forest he hadnât left inâ¦

Oswald thought hard. âGosh. Years.â He racked his brain for a specific number. âLetâs see. I went into hiding 1 year into thedudeâs reign, because I wanted to learn more about technology instead of cobblering. So, 5, almost 6 years.âÂ He glanced back at the treeline. At its safety. Turning to look forward at the world heâd left years ago, he felt ''terribly'' exposed out here on the open plains of Far Eastern Morcia.

â''This must be what a field mouse feels like before a hawk gets itâ'' he realized.

Then his eyes anchored themselves onto his two travelling companions, who seemed perfectly at home up ahead on their two horses. Sir Stirling, and Sir Thingguy.

â''I guess in this analogy though, Iâm no field mouse. Iâmâ¦ Well, Iâm a man in a cart.â'' Oswald nodded to himself. â''No need to confuse myself. No need for analogies. Iâm the weakest of the group, for sure, but theyâre both strong enough to make up for that. And, of course, Iâm smart enough to make up for the both of them. Hopefully. If we get that far.â'' Â He glanced up at the huuuuge sky, expecting Barneybots and Fighters to come out of the clouds and bomb them to oblivionâ¦

But they didnât. Just the occasional bird, soaring high in the big blue sky.

Even with the late start theyâd had leaving the Merry Band, they made decent time, riding over the relatively flat plains. Oswald with his head on a swivel, getting used to the wide openness of everything, and the two fighters, outwardly relaxed, as if on a weekend jaunt, talking with each other, and their horses.

Late into the evening, they came across a main road that ran North and South.

As Oswald came closer to the road, Thingguy called out to him, pointing North.

âThis road runs north to the town of Leer!â

Oswald simply nodded, but didnât reply until he was within casual conversation distance. As he turned north onto the road, he asked, âDo you think we can make it there tonight?â

Thingguy shook his head. âNo. Well, not unless we went through the night. Which we ''couldâ¦â'' Thingguy considered.

Deadbeat chuffed, causing Thingguy to respond. âOh come on, it would do you good. Youâve gotten all fat and soft during our time at the Merry Band. Honestly, can you count how many oats they gave you there?â

Deadbeat nickered, his eyes shifting in embarrassment.

âThatâs what I thought.â Thingguy said, reproachfully. Deadbeat whinnied defensively, but Thingguy ignored him, having clearly won the argument this time. He leaned over and addressed Stirling, who was flanking the other side of the cart now. âWhat do you think, Strider? Should we go through the night and arrive at Leer perhaps aroundâ¦ midnight?â

Stirling shook his head. âArriving at the town late at night will raise questions. But riding through the night isnât irregular this far east. Lots of robbers and scavengers on this road on the edge of Morcia. Desert-based bandits too, if the pickings are slim on the East Way. Which they have been.â

Ingrid snorted in agreement.

Oswald turned back to Thingguy. âIâm willing to ride through the night, but perhaps we just camp outside the city if we arrive there too early?â

âMy thoughts exactly, Oss!â Thingguy said.

Oswald twitched at the attempt at a nickname. âOss?â

Thingguy flashed a grin at the young man before spurring Deatbeat forward, and out of the conversation.

âThat wonât stick!â Oswald yelled after him.

Stirling failed to stifle a chuckle, causing Oswald to turn on him. âYou got that? It wonât stick. I won-â

âSure thing, Oss.â Stirling said, hiding his smile behind a gauntlet.

âOssâ stared at Stirling, who didnât rush away.

âThink of it this way,â Stirling said. âIt could have been âWaldâ.â

âThat actually makes more sense.â

Stirling thought about it, rolling his eyes up into his head. ââOssâ, or âWoldâ?â

âNo, âWaldâ.â

âThatâs what I said. âWoldâ.â

âNo, you said âWoldâ. Thatâs ''completely'' different from âWaldâ!

Now both of them were staring at each other, completely baffled by the other.

âSay it again,â Stirling said, straining his ears.

Oswald took a deep breath and enunciated. â âWaldâ...â

âUh-huhâ¦?â

âversus âWoldâ.â

Slowly, Stirling nodded. âYup. Sound exactly the same.â

Oswald blinked furiously. âNo! You-â he paused. âYou must be pulling my leg.â he concluded. âTheyâre completely different. Oneâs an old word for a forested area, and the otherâs an old word used for an open, sorta hilly, grassy plain. Similar to what weâre in now, actually.â he finished, looking around. âWhich is actually pretty enjoyable, now that Iâm getting over the fear of getting spotted from above by bombing barneybots.â

Ingrid snorted.

Stirling patted her comfortingly as he followed Oswaldâs gaze into the dimming evening sky. âI mean, thereâs no reason for barneybots to patrol this stretch of road. Weâd have to be pretty unlucky to have to deal with that. And even if we did, Oswald,â he looked back down at the man. âYouâre just an avid tech collector, remember?â

Oswald took a moment to remember, but then he smiled, and adopted his posh demeanor. âAh yes. Very rightly so.â He straightened his coat, and then pulled out a brown bowler hat from below his seat. âI do say, I know how to spiffy up if and when the need might arise!â

Stirling grinned. âYouâre certainly the brains and face of our party. Thingguy and I just look like your hired mercenaries, although heâs certainly got a lot of charisma for a guy in used and dirty chainmail.â

Oswald refocused his attention on guiding the horses for a moment as he looked directly ahead to Thingguy, who looked like he was out for a sunday jaunt, taking in the fresh wide-open air.

âSir Thingguy is certainly very moving. And regal, when he wants to be. Never met him personally before last week, but I do recall hearing about him before thedude won.â

âOh?â

âYeah. Stories of him, Sir Talmid, and Sir Luke leading King Matthiasâs troops into battle. I always thought they were a bit over-the-top. Until I met him. Now I donât doubt those tales at all.â

Stirling nodded. âIâve heard some of the stories. But Iâm not surprised by all that. Tell you what I ''am'' surprised by.â

âWhat?â

âHis perpetual good mood.â

âWhat do you mean?â

Stirling threw an arm out towards Thingguy, who appeared to be talking to his horse again. âI mean, this guyâs lost all his friends, lost a war, is stranded on a foreign planet, has only his horse, and the items on his back, no directionâ¦â

Thingguy took that moment to laugh at something his horse had apparently said.

Stirling shook his outstretched hand, looking at Oswald. âYet, see? This guy can laugh at anything.â Now he shook his head. âI donât really get it.â

Oswald considered this, chewing his lip. âThatâs a good point. Kinda figured itâs just the power of positive thinking, butâ¦ Well, that doesnât work for me when things wonât go my way.â

Stirling grunted. âSame. And things havenât been my way forâ¦ going on 3 years now.â

âSince you arrived, right?â

âYeah.â

âHeyâ¦â Oswald leaned towards Stirling. âMaybe itâs just this whole blasted planet.â

Stirling chuckled. This somehow tickled him in a dark humor kind of way. âYeah. Maybe.â At least that way, his failures these past 3 years weren't just on him being a complete loser. âYeah. I like that.â

Oswald straightened up. âI mean, actually, no. Technically speaking, to curse an entire planet would-â

âTech curse. The Old Sorcerer did it, didnât he?â Stirling said, now minorly invested in the âcursed planetâ theory.

Oswald paused, taking a moment to organize his thoughts. âWell, yes. He did. Some say he zombified himself doing that though. Like, he used up his entire life-force, but his body was still healthy, so they entombed him in such a way that if he ever woke up, he could get up and get out. Or that the tech curse required him to still be âaliveâ to remain active, I think? So his body was preservedâ¦?â

Stirling raised his eyebrows. âI just heard that it took a lot out of him, so he was like, super weak. Nothing specific like that.â

Oswald shrugged. âI mean, specifics from a story of a legend of a theory of word of mouth. Plenty of potential inaccuracies. Donât quote me.â

âFair.â

âBut to curse a whole planet withâ¦ negative events? Negative force?â

âBad luck?â

âSure. Bad luck.â Oswald readjusted his glasses. âI donât study magic, obviously, but the energy needed for that would be even more immense than the equivalent energy we need for this radio signal to work properly!â

Stirling raised an eyebrow. âYou say that like magical energy and imagination energy can be equated.â

Oswald physically stopped himself from doing the mental math of trying to figure out how much energy he was talking about. There were too many variables in that problem to make it worthwhile. âWell, depending on the magic user and the way their magic works, sure. Magical energy is still energy. At some point, it doesnât fluctuate anymore. Or it shouldnât. If it does, it has a certain amount that it fluctuates, so you can measure it within that much of a margin.â

Stirling blinked a few times, re-running that last bit in his head a few more times. âBut, I thought âmagic is simply science we donât understandâ. If youâre understanding it, is it science and not magic anymore?â

Oswald shook his head. âMagic is still science we donât understand. But different people understand different amounts of science. Whatâs magic to you isnât magic to me. Magic and science are the same thing, just labeled differently for different people. Magic is subjective. Whatâs magic and whatâs science is in the eye of the beholder.â Oswald grinned. âAnd I came up with that by myself.â

Stirling frowned, looking down at his gauntlets blankly for a moment.

âFor example,â Oswald said, seeing Stirling still thinking. âYour using Imagination the other day on your Nexus Force earpiece. To me, that was magic.â

Stirling glanced up at Oswald. âBut, thatâs just tech.â

âBut I didnât know how it works. I mean, itâs been explained to me, but I still havenât been able to open it up and observe it piece by piece, so I still donât completely get it. Therefore, I call it magic.â

âSo, would you call yourself a wizard?â

âA Tech-Wizard, sure! Iâm no sorcerer; donât have magic coming out of my fingers. Iâm no warlock; I donât have powers from some other source or curse. Some might call me an alchemist, since I combine various items together, but that would be disrespectful of actual alchemists who use raw elements.â Oswald sighed wistfully. âIâd give a lot to be able to learn alchemy, actually. That sounds really awesome.â

Ingrid snorted at the mention of alchemy, and Stirlingâs attention was diverted for a moment.

âIâve heard that term before, but I donât really know what it means.â he said, as much to Ingrid as Oswald.

âWhat, alchemy?â Oswald asked.

âYeah.â

Oswald bolted wide awake. âOh gosh! Let me tell you all about it!â

Belatedly, Stirling realized heâd made a terrible mistake, as Oswald proceeded to geek out about what little he knew about the frowned-upon practice of Alchemy.

<nowiki>~~~~~~</nowiki>

Quite a few hours later, Stirling was still listening to Oswald when Thingguy called a halt.

âWe should make camp here for the night,â Thingguy explained. âIf my understanding is correct, weâll be able to see Leer by going over that next little rise there in the morning.â

âSounds good!â Stirling said, dismounting suddenly in an attempt to escape Oswald.

Oswald nodded. âAlright, Sir Thingguy.â

The three made camp quickly and easily. The four horses were unsaddled, and staked together to graze and rest. The two warriors pitched tents, while Oswald simply covered himself up in his wagon.

Within minutes of lying down, the two warriors were sound asleep, leaving Oswald to stare at a completely open night sky alone.

<nowiki>~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 11: In which our heroes beat around the bush called Leer, and observe various vehicles going to and fro. ===
Early the next morning, the threesome quickly got saddled up and back on the road, none the worse for wear.

Cresting the next hill, the town of Leer came into view, proving that Thingguy knew his stuff.

The three men sized the place up.

Leer was often called the âLast Western Townâ, but really, it was more of a large city. The last large city before the largely empty and wild Brownlands. Leer had no walls, but plenty of Towers built in irregular circles radiating out from the center of the old town. As the city had grown and grown with trade, more and more towers had been built on what had been the outskirts of the city at the time, causing it to now have towers of varying quality and strength throughout the city now. It was a main trading port, situated as it was at the western end of the Great East Way. A hub of commerce, where one could get just about anything for the right price. Nowhere else in the Land of Morcia did money speak as loudly as it did here.

However, since thedude had declared war on the Eastern Empires of Cheinir and Jepuni, the city of Leer, and indeed all of the Great East Way was filled with a different form of commerce.

The commerce of war.

Stirling, Thingguy, and Oswald noted with varying degrees of wariness the heavy presence of Paradox Rogues, flying Barneybots, and even Barney Fighters.Â As they watched, they saw a heavily armored military column making its own way out of town, East. Motorized transports, horses, covered caravans, and even camels all made their way into the dusty Brownlands. Off to war with the Empires.Â Above them, Barneybots hovered thickly, inadvertently providing shade for some below them.

Suddenly, Oswald gasped, and the two others followed his gaze.

Above even the Barneybots, a few red dots flew high above, in the bright blue sky.

âOh hey, look at that,â Thingguy said. âThey have some red mythrans.â

Stirling glared up at them. âAnd weâre standing here like freaking idiots.â

âTourists.â Thingguy peeked sideways at Oswald. âIsnât that right, Mr. Yaccarino?â

Oswald attempted a posh âYepâ but all that his terrified, dry mouth could offer was a pitiful croak.

Then it was Stirlingâs turn to gasp. âTanks!â He pointed back at the ground, where a number of tanks were now rolling out from the city of Leer. âHonest to goodness, bona-fide tanks!â

Thingguy raised his eyebrows. âWonder where heâs manufacturing those?â

Stirlingâs gawking turned back to his customary frown. âWell, I know where theyâre getting the raw ore, thatâs for sure. Stillâ¦ Iâd really like to get my hands on one of those tanks.â

Now it was Thingguyâs turn to gasp and pointÂ âLook! A Helicopter!â

Stirling and Oswald followed Thingguyâs leather-bound pointer finger, and there, rising out from the buildings and towers of Leer was a small black helicopter, flanked by a squad of Barneybots. As it rose, quickly gaining altitude, the words âPARCEL DELIVERYâ could be seen painted on the helicopter. Then the copter quickly pulled away, guarded by four Barneybots who kept pace with it as it puttered into the east, outpacing the caravan below it.

âWonder if they transport people too?â Thingguy said. âThen we could get a helicopter ride!â

Stirling frowned. âIâm more worried about where heâs manufacturing all this.â

Oswald nodded, clearly terrified. â...Power.â he croaked. The two older men glanced back at him, and Oswald spoke up, looking away from the Caravan.

âAhem. Meant to say, âthatâs a lot of powerâ.â

Stirling nodded gravely. Thingguy pursed his lips.

âTrue!â Thinnguy said. He turned back to the Caravan. âBut itâs not focused on us. Itâs focused on the east.â Thingguy followed the road east with his eyes. âFirst Builders save them.â

ââCause we sure canât.â Stirling grumbled negatively.

âNot ''yet''.â Thingguy finished positively.

The three men all watched the Caravan for a long time, morbidly counting the strength of the forces. Thinking their own personal thoughts. Eventually, the end of the Caravan exited the city. From their vantage point, they could barely see the front of the caravan as a distant point in the horizon.

âCome on,â Stirling said. âWe should get a move on.â

âToo true!â Thingguy replied. He turned to Oswald. âWhich way, Mr. Yaccarino? Into town, or around and Northward?â

Oswald was surprised. He looked at Thingguy, and then at Strider, who both returned his look with expectancy.Â âItâs up to me?â

âYouâre the fancy collector, Mr. Yaccarino,â Stirling said, adopting a bored and stupid expression. âWeâre just the hired muscle.â

âIf I might make a suggestion,â Thingguy offered. Oswald quickly nodded, so Thingguy continued. âIf we go into town, youâre going to have to take point, so as to avoid suspicions. But if we donât need to go into town, we can just circumnavigate the town, and head to our destination directly. Shouldnât take more than a day or two.â

Oswald thought about it briefly. âWe definitely donât have a need to go into town, except to keep up pretenses. But if weâre not stopped by anyone or anything, we donât need those pretenses anyway. So letâs just focus on our main objective, until something stops us. Then we focus on keeping that objective under pretenses.â He glanced down at Thingguy. âMakes sense?â

Thingguy gave a thumbs up. âPerfect.â He looked out over the city of Leer. âCircumnavigating, it is!â He pointed Northeast. âThatâs our direction.â

The crew made their way down from their vantage point, and began making their way in that direction, every once in a while casting a cautionary glance at the ever-closer looming towers of Leer.

As they did, Oswald fished around for a set of binoculars, which he then used to take a look at the men atop one of the towers.

It appeared that the City was at peace with thedude. A number of Paradox Rogues were on each tower, but there was also a presence of local militia and guardsmen atop each one as well.

As they got as close as they were going to get to Leer on their current trajectory, they heard the sounds of another helicopter.

They all searched the sky for one, but Thingguy saw it first.

âThere! Itâs coming from the east!â

The others turned to see it. A small helicopter puttered itâs way into Leer, with a single heavily damaged Barneybot as itâs vanguard. This copter had âMAIL DELIVERYâ painted in white on itâs dull grey metal exterior.

âLooks like bandits or something nearly got that mail delivery,â Stirling noted, his hand on his bow.

The others agreed, and they continued walking. Thingguy sighed wistfully. âImagine if we had a helicopter to our destination, though.â

Stirling shook his head, about to argue why that was a bad ideaâ¦ but then Oswald did that for him.

âWell, if we took a helicopter, it would be fairly easy to track us to our destination,â he said. âAnd thatâs even if we could get through the city without raising suspicions. No, the less we risk interaction with members of thedudeâs society, the better.â

Stirling nodded. âThe kidâs right.â

Thingguy sighed wistfully.

Deadbeat whinnied, bringing Thingguy out of his reverie.

âWhat?! How could you not like a nice, relaxing helicopter ride?!â

Stirling failed to hold back a laugh, even as Ingrid snorted, getting in on the conversation. A conversation that only the horses could hear in full. Still, Stirling enjoyed listening to what he could.

''âQuite easily, Sir Thingguy. As horses, we are more capable on the ground, with all four hooves on the ground!â'' Ingrid.

Deadbeat whinnied in agreement.

âWhatâd she say?â Thingguy asked.

Stirling reiterated. âShe says that horses are horses, and they belong on the ground, not up in the sky.â

Ingrid stomped a hoof and tossed her mane. ''âThat is most certainly not what I said!â''

âOh, sorry, was what I said inaccurate?â Stirling asked Ingrid, smiling.

''âOnly in that it implies horses are physically incapable of leaving the ground. I could go on a helicopterâ¦ If it were absolutely necessary.â'' Ingrid neighed defensively.

âI meanâ¦ I suppose getting all of us and the cart onto a helicopter would be really expensiveâ¦â Thingguy relented, patting his pockets. âSeems to me theyâre in thedudeâs back pocket anyway, and wouldnât give a couple of freedom fighters a lift.â

Oswald spoke up. âIndeed. I was just looking at the towers there, and thereâs a mix of local guardsmen and Paradox Rogues on each tower. Seems to me that Leer is One Hundred Percent thedude.â

Stirling scoffed. âThat makes a lot of sense, the money-grubbers.â

The crew continued northeast, crossing the road that ran out of Leer and off into the east, going up and over a rise. As they did so, Thingguy pointed to a large mountain in the distance.

âThereâs our target. Or thereabouts.â

âThat lone mountain have a name?â Stirling asked.

Thingguy nodded. âMount Servus. Rumors are that the cruiser crashed right at the foot of it.â

Oswald piped up. âWhich side?â

Thingguy faltered in his reply. âIâ¦ have no idea.â

Stirling stifled a chuckle, as Oswald stared at the Knight. âYou just know itâs âat the foot of Mount Servusâ?â

Thingguy shrugged. âYeah! I figure the cruiserâll be easy to spot once we get closer.â

Stirling nodded. âCertainly.â

Oswald stared into space for a moment, containing his frustration over the inexactness of his fellow travellers. âO-kay,â he squeaked.

They traveled all day at a steady pace, stopping to rest whenever they needed, which was usually whenever Deadbeat found a patch of passably green turf to nibble on, or when the cart caught a snag on the rough terrain.

Stirling gauged the distance. âAt our current pace, we might reach it tomorrow, late morning, I think.â

Ingrid snorted, glancing at Deadbeat with slight disdain. ''âSooner, if he stopped getting distracted by every morsel of greenery.â''

âThis is true,â Stirling said.

Deadbeat whinnied a response that only Thingguy and Ingrid understood. ''âItâs not my fault! If Thingguy had packed more oats, I wouldnât be starving to death in this dreary place!â''

âHey!â Thingguy exclaimed. âI did too pack those oats! Itâs not my fault you cleverly snuck into your own saddlebags on our first night out! Honestly, Iâm still amazed at how you did thatâ¦â

Deadbeat turned his long face to look at his rider. ''âI told you, I didnât eat them. Which means you must have forgotten to pack them.â''

âLiar.â

''âNo, you.â''

One of the cart horses, Bacon, snorted.

The other cart horse, Beverly turned and nickered quietly to Bacon.

Oswald leaned forward. âBaconâ¦?â

Staring into the ground, Bacon nickered quietly back to Beverly. This caused Beverly to look from Bacon to Deadbeat in apparent surprise. She neighed something to Deadbeat. Deadbeatâs ears shot straight up.

''âOh.â''

âWhat? What is it, old boy?â

''âI guess you did pack them.â''

âOf course I packed them, doofus!â Thingguy said, slapping his horse affectionately to soften his name-calling. And the fact that he was right.

''âCause Bacon admits to eating them all.â'' Deadbeat glared at Bacon, who seemed to physically wilt under the accusing gaze.

Stirling and Oswald were flitting their gazes between all of this, entirely lost now.

âIâm sorry, does someone want to explain why weâre not moving?â Stirling asked.

Ingrid tossed her mane. ''âIt appears we have TWO gluttons in our group. And itâs the two stallions, of course.â''

Stirling looked from the angry Deadbeat to the forlorn Bacon. âAh. I see. Well.â

Oswald followed Stirlingâs gaze. âDoes your horse have a problem with Bacon, Sir Thingguy?â

Thingguy took a nervous breath through his teeth. â âparrently Bacon ate Deadbeatâs oats last night?â

Bacon nickered mournfully. Or maybe that was his stomach.

âOh. Well.â Oswald glanced back into the wagon. âThen I suppose Deadbeat can eat Baconâs oats here.â

The ears of all four equines perked up, but none more than Deadbeatâs. ''âHow much?â''

Thingguy echoed his horseâs question. In response, Oswald reached behind him and wrestled a heavy bag of oats out from the cart and into his lap. âThis much?â

Deadbeat snorted distainfully. ''âI suppose that will have to do.â'' He rolled his eyes back to facing front, and started walking again, justice having been served.

Thingguy smiled. âDeadbeat appreciates it.â He paused a moment before adding, âAnd so do I.â He also now turned to face front, and leaned forward to whisper what was clearly apologies for ever doubting his horse.

Ingrid watched the two veterans for a moment before following and nickering softly to Stirling. ''<nowiki/>'They have a strong bond.'''

Stirling nodded, then remembered that his horse couldnât necessarily see his nodding. So he patted her once. âYeah. Theyâve been pretty lucky.âÂ Behind him, Oswald followed with the cart.

''<nowiki/>'I and Sir Martin were very close, but not like that.'<nowiki/>'' She turned her neck to look back at Stirling. ''<nowiki/>'He was very kind and intuitive, but we didn't talk. Not like this. Not like Sir Thingguy and Deadbeat.'''

Stirling stared back at the large, steady, equine eye. âAs you well know, Iâve never talked with a horse like this before, either.â

''âIn actuality, I did not.â''

âOh. Well, now you do.â

''âI want you to promise me something.â''

An eyebrow raised in instinctual suspicion on Stirlingâs face. âWhat sort of promise?â

Ingrid looked back at Thingguy and Deadbeat.Â ''âTrust. Can we trust each other? Can you trust me?â''

Stirling didnât answer right away. He wanted to give such a serious question some serious thought.

Ingrid glanced back once, surprised to see Stirling thinking about it. ''âWhy are you hesitating?â'' she asked.

âDo you know about my previous steeds? How they usually end up dead, lost, or otherwise unfit for continued service?â Stilring asked quietly, not looking at Ingrid.

''âSomewhat.Â The Stablegirl told me some of it, but to be honest, I did not pay much heed to it.â''

âWell, suffice to say that most of it is not embellishment. I have had terrible luck with horses. I live an uncertain and vagabond lifestyle nowadays, and I havenât found a horse who can take a hit like I can.â

''âHave you armored your horses?â'' Ingrid asked, pointedly. ''âLike how you armor yourself?â''

Stirling stared at Ingridâs neck. âHmm. No, I guess I havenât. It would be expensive, or perhaps cost me a bit of a favorâ¦ But Iâd never thought of it.â

Ingrid snorted. ''âThat would be a good start.â''

Stirling nodded. âItâs a very good idea. And unlike other horses, I donât think it would slow you down.â

''âA slow horse is better than no horse, Sir Silverstine.â''

âVery true.â

''âBut you still have not answered my question.â''

Now he replied quickly. âI want to trust you, Ingrid,â Stirling said. âBut trust is not something given. Itâs something earned, through actions and deeds.â Ingrid tensed underneath him, but Stirling continued. âAnd beyond me trusting you, I donât think you should trust me. Not based on my track record with your kind.â

Ingrid nickered softly, but firmly. ''âLet me stop you there. I intend to break your so-called âbad luckâ. Your âtrack recordâ, your whatever else you want to call it. Leave that to me.â'' Now it was Stirlingâs turn to listen, as Ingrid continued, her hooves stomping to accentuate her words in Stirling's mind. ''âWhat I want to know is, do you trust and believe me when I say so? When I say something, will you believe me, or will you doubt my strength? My words?â''

Stirling frowned, and he didnât need to see Ingridâs long face or eyes to see that she was doing the equine equivalent as well. He rubbed her as he responded. âItâs not that I donât ''want'' to trust you, Ingrid. I ''want'' to trust you, or Oswald, or Thingguy, or heck, anyone!Â But if thereâs one thing Iâve learned in these past few years, itâs that you ''canât trust anyone''. Anything. Everyone will let you down. One way or another. At one point or another.â He sneered ruefully. âItâs something my father once told me. And now heâs dead.â

''âThat is a fatalistic attitude,â'' the horse replied.

âItâs based on experience.â the samurai retorted.

''âI intend to break that experience,â'' Ingrid snapped. Again, she swung her head to look back at her rider. Again, she asked, ''âDo you trust me?â''

âDo you?â Stirling growled.

A tense moment followed, and the unanswered questions were left to hang in the air, as Ingrid turned her eye away from Stirling and back towards their destination.

Mount Servus.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

The group traveled up and over a few dozen gentle hills, with a warm easterly wind continually hugging their right. Behind them, Leerâs towers rose and fell, watching them from behind. Ahead, Mount Servus did the same. Underneath the two points watchful gaze, conversation ceased. Everyone focused their attentions and energy on cresting the next hill in front of them. And the next one. And the next.

As evening arrived, Thingguy and Deadbeat led the group over yet another scraggly hill. As he reached the top, he turned back to the others.

âGentlemen,â he said, sweeping a hand out grandly. âThere she is, the crashed cruiser.â

Stirling and Ingrid crested the hill next, and the two looked down at the cruiser.

There were still some more hills to go between this taller point and the cruiser that sat at the bottom of Mount Servus, but the massive metal structure was indeed still visible from this position, a dark blue shape in the shadows of the land around it. It seemed mostly intact and upright from this position, if perhaps somewhat lodged into the ground. The unnatural gouge in the land behind it that trailed off west was also a sign of itâs crash-landing from all those years ago.

âMajestic, even in itâs fallen state.â Thingguy said. Stirling nodded, as Oswald came up behind them.

âGoodness, itâs huge!â Oswald exclaimed. The two cart horses huffed, glad for the chance to catch their breaths after pulling the cart up this particular hill.

Stirling stared at the ship, stunned. A flurry of emotions that heâd been ignoring found a chance to renew their assault against his conscious mind with this physical reminder of his other commitments.Â It occurred to him that he hadnât reported for duty in almost three years. That the Nexus Force had abandoned Militiregnum. That he missed the Nexus Force. That he hadnât seen any of his friends or allies in the Nexus Force for nearly 3 years. That even if they wondered what had happened to him, it was extremely likely that they didn'tâ even know he was alive. That technically, somewhere, there was an official list in Paradox Rogue records with his name listed as âdeadâ, thanks to his dead brother. That he missed his brother. And his friends. And his Family. His home. His job.

His purpose. What the Crux was his purpose anym-

Thingguyâs rough hand gripping his shoulder shook Stirling out of his reverie. âMajesticâ¦â Thingguy repeated reverently, visibly emotional. âNow imagine a whole fleet of these beautiful birds coming down at just the right time to save us all!â

Stirling nodded, unable to trust his voice at the moment. He attempted to swallow his own emotions down. Now was not the time.

Oswald on the other hand, let his singular emotion of awe flow out. âA whole __fleet__ of these? You mean the Nexus Force has more of these monolithic wonders of metal and technology?!â

Thingguy shook Stirlingâs shoulder once more, giving a piercing smile to Stirling, before Deadbeat trotted over to the wagon. âThatâs right, Oswald! Why are you so surprised? Those dots in the sky are ships and mobile stations similar to what you see down there. You know that, donât you?â

Oswald stammered, his slackjawed mouth trying to grin and talk at the same time. âW-well, y-y-yes! But, I-I- I suppose I just never quite r-re-realized the immensity of such distant objects! How does one even find this much raw ore for such a ship?!â

âAsteroids.â Stirling said, clearing his throat, and doing his best to focus on the immediate situation. âSpace has lots of asteroids with good ore, for one, and the ability to visit uncountable worlds also helps.â Stirling turned to Thingguy. âIsnât that right?â

Thingguy nodded. âThat, and having the Imagination Nexusâs help, when possible, is an immense advantage. But enough standing around! How about we head closer to this monolith, and the end of our journey?â

Deadbeat nickered in disapproval.

âTired?â Thingguy replied. He turned and looked at the other horses, who immediately put on their most tired-looking guises. âWell, I suppose that is true. Weâve made great progress today.â

The three men looked back at the distant tips of the towers of Leer.

âThe horses ''have'' done a ''lot'' today,â Oswald said. âI think camping a few hours before sundown would be good today. I have a barrel of water they can drink out of in the wagon. They deserve it too, after lugging it around."

Stirling and Thingguy both turned from looking at the towers to each other.

âIt would be less suspicious to camp up here in sight,â Stirling said. âNo doubt weâre being watched, itâs just a matter of how closely.â

âI agree,â Thingguy said, his usual smile replaced by a thoughtful smirk. âWe should keep a watch, but not an obvious one.â

âIâll go first.â

âIâll go second then.â

âOswald, would you take third watch?â Stirling asked.

âUuuh, sure!â

âGreat. Then letâs set up camp for the night.â

As all three of the men dismounted, Ingrid nuzzled Stirling. ''âJust for the record, I could have continued.â''

Stirling smiled and rubbed her neck. An unspoken ''âI know.â'' He followed up by whispering, âYou and I would already be there if it were up to just you and I. You donât have to convince me.â He turned and looked at the others. Thingguy was having a similar hushed conversation with his horse, and Oswald was busy blocking the wheels of his cart so it wouldnât roll away once he unhitched Bacon and Beverly. âBut weâre not in a rush anyway. At least, Iâm not. And whatâs slowing us down is valuable. Useful.â He turned back to Ingridâs big equine face. âSo, enjoy the rest.â

Ingrid blinked once. ''âVery well.â''

With an early end to their day, the group casually set up camp, even making a campfire to heat up various rations for a warm and scrumptious dinner meal. As the sun finally set, Thingguy and Oswald went to sleep, while Stirling took first watch.

<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>

Chapter 12: In which our heroes reach their first goal, only to find complications.

The story isn't finished. Tune in next time to see an Author struggle to avoid oversaturating the story with Halo, Star Trek, Star Wars, and LEGO Universe Creation Lab canons, while combinging them into a cohesive and believable theoretical Nexus Force Cruiser, since he can't seem to find a completed one anywhere on the internet.

 
[[Category:Stories by JamesAT13]]
[[Category:Stories]]
[[Category:The Additional Manuscripts]]

To Call The Calvary

2022-04-09T00:11:57Z

Stirling Silverstine: Chapter 11: New Chapter Up!

== To Call The Calvary ==

=== Chapter I: In which our two heroes meet. ===
<blockquote>~~''In the later months of the 7th Year of Thedude. The weather is cold, but snowfall is light where our story takes place. In the land of Morcia, beginning in the camp of the Merry Band. We go now, to find the Merry Band beside a large lake, located in the forest, where they are packing up.~~''</blockquote>"Silverstine?"

Stirling turned away from his task of knocking down his 3rd tent to face a man on a black horse.

"Please, call me Strider," he replied, squinting up at him. The sun was right behind the stranger, and it hid his facial features, but Strider noted the mismatched and clearly used armor and gear that horse and rider wore.

"I am Sir Thaddeus Nathanael Thingguy the Second. I was told by the Gateway to meet you here," the man said, dismounting.Â

Strider's interest was piqued. Finally, he would meet one of the KOTOS. Everywhere he'd gone he'd heard such larger than life stories about these knights. He would be glad to assess them himself, and perhaps knock them down a peg.Â

The man patted his horse, and turned around to Strider. His most prominent feature was his bright, short, ginger beard that had clearly not seen a barber in months. Once Strider pulled his attention away from that, he noticed Sir Thingguy's glinty green eyes, and the light smirk that hid a bright mind.

"I am told you wished to join the KOTOS?" he asked. The horse nickered.

Strider shook his head. "Not exactly. Did you get my letter?"

Thingguy shook his head and frowned. "No. I only received word from the Gateway to meet you with the Merry Band, in this wood that they frequent. I came as fast as I could, but I do not know how long it took for the Gateway's letter to reach me. I hope you have not been waiting for me o'er long!"

Strider smiled. "Not to worry, I have been redeeming the time." He turned back to the collapsed tent and began gathering it up into a single manageable bundle. "I do appreciate you coming."

"If you did not want to join KOTOS, perhaps you can explain to me your intent." Thingguy asked guardedly.

"Certainly, but do you mind if we walk and talk?" Strider asked, having tied the bundle.Â

"Not at all."

Strider hefted the bundle onto his right shoulder. "Wonderful."

The two started on down the lane, passing others who were packing their various items and abodes.

"I was seeking out the KOTOS, true," began Strider, "But not to join. I was hoping you could help me find my family. You see-"

Thingguy raised an eyebrow. The black horse stopped dead in it's tracks and whinnied.Â

"Oh, come on, Deadbeat, it wasn't that far a ride! Besides, you'll get oats, remember?" the knight said, turning to the horse.

'Deadbeat' snorted.Â Â

"That, I'm not so sure." Replied the knight.

Stirling stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Are you talking to your horse?"

Both Deadbeat and Thingguy turned on Strider with a near-identical look of look of incredulity.Â "Don't you?" Thingguy asked.

"Um. No. I don't really keep any one horse for very long. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I and horses have bad luck."

Both horse and man blinked. Then Thingguy shrugged.Â "To each their own." Deadbeat snorted again, and swished his tail contemptuously as he began walking off.

"I hope you get put to work!" yelled Thingguy after him. Deadbeat whinnied back, and Thingguy waved him off.

"You're not worried he'll wander off?" Strider asked.

"Naw, he'll be fine. Maybe a little fatter, if he finds those sugar cubes he was asking about."

"I doubt it; The Merry Band's just about done packing, by the looks of it. We should be moving off in about two to three hours max.

Thingguy looked around. They were nearly the only people on the path now.

"Wow. I've met the Merry Band before but I'd never seen them move."

"They've gotten a lot of practice over the years, what with thedude's forces trying to get rid of such a large force so close to Orlan." agreed Strider solemnly. "Even though it's largely women and children."

Thingguy nodded. "Speaking of family, you were telling me you were trying to find your own?"

"Oh. Yes." Strider refocused. "The Silverstine Family." He turned to Thingguy. "I asked you to call me 'Strider', but my name is Stirling Silverstine."

"Pleased to meet you, Stirling!" Thingguy replied warmly, sticking his right hand out to shake. Stirling was holding the tent bundle in that hand, but he shifted it over to his left shoulder, and shook Thingguy's hand.

"And it is a pleasure to meet you, Thingguy."

"Now, tell me more of your family. Why are you so desperate to find them that you would call on the Gateway?" Thingguy asked as they began walking again.Â

"Actually, that was the idea of the Merry Band here. They said that then the Gateway could contact the KOTOS. I've been offworld for many years, but Militiregnum is my homeworld." Stirling unstringed his brown coat to reveal his Samurai chestplate beneath. "I'd been fighting in the Nexus Force for many years before I came here 7 years ago. I was on shore leave with a pilot-friend who helped me get through the blockade, but we crash-landed.

Thingguy's eyes lit up. "Was there anyone else on your shuttle?"

"No, just me and Perry. He's a Venture Leaguer, if that means anything to you."

"It does!" Thingguy assured. "The KOTOS are originally from Nimbus Station!"

It was Stirling's turn to be surprised. "Really? They don't tell that in the legends."

Thingguy chuckled. "There's a lot the legends don't tell. I should know, I've instigated a few!" His eyes twinkled slyly.

Stirling raised an eyebrow. "Ah. I see."

"But I'm interrupting. You are supposed to be telling me ''your'' legend."

"Right. Well, Perry and I crash-landed, and we found out pretty quickly the state of things here on Milteregnum. I set off in search of my family, Perry joining me, and found out later we were being trailed by thedude's forces curious about the crash. We ended up taking shelter at Calibus Tower for awhile where I found one of my two brothers,-"

Here, Thingguy reacted with alarm at the mention of Calibus Tower, but did not interrupt as Stirling continued his summary.

"-but I soon left for my family's estate in the Athelas Mounts. I found it ransacked, empty of the living."Â Stirling paused as the memories of his wrecked childhood home sprang back. It had clearly been the scene of more than one battle before he had gotten there. He hadn't recognized anyone, but that was to be expected as he would have had difficulty remembering anyone from his childhood even if they were not marred and desecrated as they were.

Silverstine Keep was little more than a tomb now. A ruined tomb.

"What did you do then?" Thingguy asked, pulling Strider back to the present.

Stirling made a conscious effort to look Thingguy in the eye.Â "I went back to Calibus. Found that the enemy had raided it."

Thingguy stared right back, with a sudden solemnity. "The Raid of Calibus, they call it."

"They killed my brother, and took away my best friend." Stirling growled. "And the leader of the assault was-"

"Lord Brocktree."

"-Menaya Kull. Wait, what?"

"Pardon?"

"Brocktree?"

"Maniacal?"

Stirling stopped to enunciate. "No, ''Me-nay-a''. Kull."Â

Thingguy shook his head. "No, it was Brocktree. Lord Brocktree." He clarified.

"Brocktree? Who's that?" Stirling scoffed.

Thingguy waited a moment, and the realization dawned inevitably on the Sentinel Nexus Forcer.

"Wait... THE Brocktree?" Stirling asked. Thingguy nodded. "The Sir Brocktree that disappeared from known space like..." Stirling did some quick math on his fingers. " Almost TEN YEARS AGO?!"Â

"YES!"

"Second in command to the Faction Leaders?!"

"YES!"

"HOLY-" Stirling bit back whatever he was about to say next, instead opting for, "Lord Brocktree is ''here''?" Awe, mixed with a little confusion and (healthy) fear was plain on the Sentinel.

Thingguy nodded. "Lord Brocktree is on Militiregnum, but, Stirling... he's on ''thedude's'' side." Thingguy whispered. He wasn't sure how this ex-Nexus Forcer would take it.Â Stirling appeared to be very surprised, and Thingguy was ready for his next question.

"How?"

"We're not sure. There's all sorts of theories about why he's working for thedude, but alas, nothing concrete." They began walking again.

"Seriously?"

"Well, it's not like anyone's been able to just walk up to him and ask." Thingguy remarked glibly.

"Why not?"

Thingguy glanced at Stirling to make sure the man's serious tone was, well, serious.Â Â

Yup, the guy was in earnest.Â

"Heh, Stirling," Thingguy wavered. "This guy is a cold-blooded killer. What you saw at Calibus, that was ''his'' handiwork, at least, from what I've learned."

Stirling frowned as he contemplated this new information. "That is grave."

The two men had now reached the center of the packing effort. The sound was surprisingly lower than expected as the Merry Band finished tying everything down to move out. The occasional bray of a Mule attached to a wagon, the chortling engine of a truck. The muted murmuring of children too young to help pack, and so already packed away themselves in a hot air balloon basket.

"I hope you were not looking forward to a rest," Stirling said to Thingguy, who shrugged.

"It's probably for the best, I should be off as soon as I can. But first, you must finish your tale!" Thingguy replied, ending with a note of mock exasperation.

Stirling waved it off. "Yes, yes." He looked out over the crowd and then, having espised what he was looking for, began powerwalking. "Well, after I left Calibus again, there's not much to tell concerning my family."

Stirling's voice turned quiet and dangerous. "All of these years, and I haven't found heads nor tails of any of the others." He spared a quick glance back at Thingguy as they pressed through a group of cows, and Thingguy saw that Stirling's face burned with emotion. "And it's not for lack of trying! I've been ''all over'' Morcia, but all I hear are rumors. Rumors of you and the KOTOS, rumors of wars, and uprisings. Rumors of hope, Evidence of despair, but nothing of my family. All hints end up pointless, and it's as if they've been spirited away!" Stirling finished this with a frustrated toss of his hand that ended up in the back of someone's head tying down a knot on a wagon.

"Ow!"

This made Stirling's mood disappear as he looked to whom he'd struck.Â "Oh, sorry, sir."Â

The Band member turned around as he rubbed his head and straightened his large round spectacles. "Oh, it's alright, it only smarts. Strider, right?"

"Yes. And you are?"

"Oswald"

"Nice to meet you Oswald."

"Good to meet you! Hey, can you pull this? I'm good with knots but not the strength."

Stirling pulled on the cord, and Oswald whipped the knot together almost instantly. "Thanks!"

"Anytime," Stirling replied, walking off.

Thingguy remained quiet for a time, following Stirling. It occurred to him that they were nearing the front of a quickly forming caravan. Some were already beginning to set off. He wondered if he should try to find Deadbeat.Â

Suddenly, Thingguy caught up to Stirling talking to a bushy-eyed mustachioed man wearing something that looked like cowboy attire from the waist up, and a Marathon runner from the waist down.

"h'I wish you tha' very best ah luck, Strider!" the man said, clapping Stirling's shoulder strongly.

"Thanks for everything, Carlos. Till we meet again!" Stirling replied, shouldering a pack with many hooks on it. Then he turned to Thingguy. "Come on, you should find your horse, and I'll get one myself to match your speed."

Thingguy rolled his eyes and began to follow Stirling again, but this time asked him a question in hopes of slowing him down.

"All this time, you haven't told me what your Clan was known for! I don't think I've ever heard of the Silverstines before today."

It worked, Stirling did slow down his walk as he looked up to the sky in thought. "You haven't? Well, no, I suppose you wouldn't have. Perhaps before thedude you might have. The Silverstines were one of the foremost miners of the Athelas Mountains. I told you about our keep in the Mountains; that was where the network started from. My brother, Austin told me that they were almost going to be recognized by the Kingdom as the official source for the Capitol. He told me that the most purest ore was deep in the Scary Mountains Range. We're Miners and Metalworkers. Beyond that, I and my brothers enjoy..." Stirling paused a moment, briefly lost in some distant memory. "We ''enjoyed'' learning swordplay, Archery, and all of the various means of battle. My brothers were of course always my betters, but I think that was due to age." Stirling smiled.

"Sounds like you guys were close," Thingguy commented.

"Yes. Yes we were."

"But now you need help finding them." Thingguy finished. "It's a big world, man, and I would love to help, but I've been searching for many more people than- Uh, how many did you say?"

"4. Would have been 5, but not anymore."

"Right. 4 people in this whole planet, but I've been looking for ANY allies of the KOTOS, and up until recently, it's been slim pickings. But now, for alot of reasons, as you probably know, people are getting riled up!" Thingguy paused. "I can't just hold all of that up to help you."

Stirling stopped. They had reached a large herd of animals.

"I understand," he replied, putting his hands on his hips as he looked out over the herd. "And I wouldn't want you to drop everything that you've been working on, just for one man. But if you could point me in ''some'' direction, maybe even let me travel with you awhile..." He shrugged. "Maybe if I travel with the rumor monger, I'll stop getting just rumors?" he finished with a weak smile that betrayed the tired helplessness he was fighting internally.

Thingguy looked out over the herd. He wondered what made this herd different from any of the other collections of animals, but then he noticed various rugged quadracycles riding in and around with different animal feeds stowed on them. The animals here were being fed, and would be fed as they moved.

"I'm certainly wouldn't mind the company," Thingguy said. "Deadbeat isn't much for conversation when he's hangry. Which is like, most of the time."Â

Sure enough, Deadbeat was here, munching on carrots hanging from a bunch of fishing poles on the back of a parked bicycle.

Thingguy turned his attention back to Stirling. "If we were to find your family, could I count on you as an ally against thedude?"

Stirling's eyes burned brightly. "Yes. Absolutely."Â

Thingguy grinned wide. He stuck his leather-gloved hand out to shake on it, and Stirling clasped it in his chain-mail one and shook it vigorously, the grin spreading to his own face.Â

"And how about these people? The Merry Band? You seem to know them pretty well," Thingguy asked. "Would they join us?"

Stirling's smile contorted curiously. "Not now. These people are not warriors. At best, they're scouts. If you were to take all of the able-bodied men, willing and unwilling, you may get a single worthy company. Maybe two, but they would be greener than northern Britay's hills in springtime."

Thingguy shook his head, and chuckled. "I wouldn't mean as warriors. You already told me they're mostly women and children. I meant as suppliers. An army is nothing without a supply chain, and these people seem to be just the kind of hoarders a resistance could use!"

Stirling raised an eyebrow. "I... I hadn't thought of that."

"That fellow you bumped into earlier, Oswald? I thought I saw electronics poking out of his wagon, was I right?"

"Yes, that's right. He likes to see how they work, even if they're practically useless with the tech-curse. Still, when his stuff does work, it helps so immensely that he's allowed his hobby, and the one wagon to keep it all in."

"And all of these animals! Mounts! All of this good food! Provisions! I'm sure you guys have an armory somewhere too!"Â

Stirling nodded in affirmation as he rubbed his rough chin. He glanced around, seeming to see things in a whole new light. He had never really focused on army logistics while in the Nexus Force, but as he considered the vast inventory wandering past him in the slowly moving caravan around them, he marveled that he hadn't thought of it himself. There might not be the manpower of an army here, but there was the equipment for one! At least, a small one.

Something caught Thingguy's eye up in the sky, and he gasped as he pointed.Â "You've even got eyes in the sky!!! I mean, it's no Helicopter, but-"

Stirling followed his gaze to see a low-flying, camo-colored, miniature blimp. From the ground, the name ''<nowiki/>'Happy Thoughts''' was visible in the pattern of the camouflage print.

"Oh, that's the Merry Band's Leadership tent," Stirling replied.Â

"Then that's where I need to go," Thingguy said, as he turned back to Stirling. "Do you think you could introduce me?"

As the blimp became obscured by trees, Stirling focused back on Thingguy and shrugged. "Certainly, but I don't think you'll need one. You're a legend, remember?"

Thingguy's excited grin cracked an extra inch wider with an almost impish glee. "Don't tell me that, it might go to my head."

The two began walking off in the direction of the front of the caravan, and the blimp.Â Â

"When will the ''Happy Thoughts'' come back down?" Thingguy asked.

"Not sure," Stirling replied. "But we might find some of the other leadership around here on the ground."

"That would be fantastic!"

=== Chapter II: In Which Thingguy and Strider speak with the local authorities. ===

It took awhile, but the time was not wasted on the two, as Stirling showed Thingguy to various members and services of the Band, even packed up and moving as it all was. Thingguy was fascinated by the wealth of gear, tools, and provisions all around him. He only hoped that they would be willing to share the wealth. As the day went on, they found their way to where the bulk of armaments were. There, they met one of the leadership.

"Sir Thingguy, I'd like you to meet Armsmaster Fiddelton. He's in charge of keeping the weaponry in the right hands."

Thingguy shook hands with the tall, broad-shouldered man. He looked about in his 50's, and was dressed in nearly full armor that had an older emblem of King Matthias's regime. His simple brown hair and clear blue eyes gave him a very congenial and trustworthy look. However, he had a frighteningly large broadsword strapped to his back.

"Thingguy... Strange name." His voice was low and deep, but clear. A voice that could carry commands over the din of battle. "Not ''the'' Thingguy, of KOTOS fame?" He raised an eyebrow.

In response, Thingguy smiled roguishly. "Why yes, now that you mention it."

Fiddleton's clean-shaven demeanor broke into a grin. "Rumor has it you were a swordsmanship teacher once upon a time. Does that still hold true?"

Thingguy leaned back and studied Fiddleton. "It's been awhile, but thankfully, I've run into trouble enough over the years that I still keep my skills sharp. However," he pointed to the broadsword. "I think you could beat me with that monstrosity. I specialized in the longsword and hand-and-a-half. Also, the sword and shield combo."

"Whatever you could help me teach, would be most valuable, Sir Thingguy." The Armsmaster replied.

Thingguy brightened up. "Ah! I thought you were challenging me to a dual."

Fiddleton laughed. "Perhaps later. Personally, I think you overestimate me."

"Of course you would say that!" Thingguy joined in the laughter. "You just want to get my guard down!"

Fiddelton glanced around, still chuckling. "Eh. Perhaps. But tell me, what brings you to our humble band? Why now?"

Thingguy began to reply, but then paused, and glanced to his side, where Stirling was. He grabbed his shoulder.Â

"This guy." He replied. "I've heard of the Merry Band, but I never realized you were quite this large before today. I responded to Strider's request to meet here, and now here I am, and I think I've met more people just today than I have in any given month since I went underground!"

Still smiling, Fiddleton pressed a little deeper. "And why did you go into hiding in the first place, Sir Knight?"

Thingguy paused briefly before replying.

"The Battle of the Skyfalls is where it all fell apart. I made the mistake of trying to stand alone. And alone, I was defeated. That's when we first encountered the Barneybots, and we were totally unprepared for it."

Thingguy glanced at Fiddleton, who motioned for him to continue. He cast himself back to what he could remember of that terrible day.

"In the aftermath of it all, both sides had suffered heavy casualties, and if it were not for the Bots, we may have survived as a group to fight another day, but the Barneybots were relentless, and stopped us from regrouping after our leadership fell. Myself included. Talmid was captured, I was defeated by thedude, and I don't even know what happened to Lukas."

'''''Thingguy vividly remembered...'''''

...standing with a tight knot of fellow knights. Sir Shaprie and Seton, among others. The way the Skyfalls phenomena drenched the whole embattled northern shoreline in mist. How the lightened gravity had made his sword and shield very wet and slippery feathers in his hands. He remembered Sharpie coming up on his left and saying, "I'm running low on ammo for these flareguns, and I'm a so-so shot with a bow. How are we going to defeat these monstrosities?"

Suddenly, the mist near the shore had parted, and Seton fainted. Thingguy followed the direction of Seton's gaze, and saw something that made his blood run cold.Â

It was thedude. His back was to them as he bent over a knight.Â

Without thinking, without knowing who the knight was, Thingguy had rushed forward to end this awful war with one more brilliant stroke. He remembered refraining from doing the typical inane battle-cry he'd seen in so many movies, as he raised his sword...

'''10 yards'''. thedude stood up as a Barneybot came and grabbed the comatose knight off the ground.

Â

'''6 yards.''' The Bot saw Thingguy charging, dropped the knight, and began firing. Alerted, thedude turned around himself. Thingguy raised his shield, and charged forward unabated.

Â

'''4.'''Â

Thingguy leapt the final few meters, (Wait, were these yards or meters?) and brought his sword down on thedude, who, of course, parried. The clash of steel on steel rang like an bell. Thingguy twisted around and sliced at the Bot with such fervor that there was now a deep gash in it's armor, and sparks flew as the bot staggered on it's hover-jets. Parrying a lightning-quick thrust from thedude, Thingguy blocked a disjointed shot from the Bot, and attempted a thrust of his own at thedude.Â

By all natural means, he should have run thedude right through his evil gut, but an invisible force caused his sword to veer off to thedude's side and miss by mere centimeters. Even worse, Thingguy's momentum carried him into inches from thedude's awful anchovy-ridden breath. Both men's swords were now in inert positions to harm the other, so close were they, but thedude did not need a sword to harm Thingguy. Before he could pull back, the barbaric megalomaniac gave the valiant knight the mother of all uppercuts with his free left hand. And with the help of the lesser gravity, Sir Thingguy went flying high into the sky.Â

Thingguy remembered seeing way more stars than he ever thought possible. Then thedude's leering grin blocked out the vast majority of the starry sky and he was slugged back down to earth. Except, earth was cold, dark, wet and it swallowed him whole with a gurgle. Oh, wait, no, that was river.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

His next memory was waking up on an empty shore, frozen to the bone. Later, he discovered he had ended up on the far shore of the Equatorial River in Elepharia. And thus began his many years of wandering, finding allies old and new.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

''"Hello? Thingguy?"''

'''Thingguy was brought back to the present...'''

by the waving of a mailed gauntlet in his face. It was Stirling. Next to him, Armsmaster Fiddleton looked mildly concerned.

"You faded out there for a minute," Stirling explained.

"I'm sorry if I brought up unpleasant memories, Sir Thingguy," commented Fiddleton.

Thingguy waved them both off, and he disarmed their worries with a smile. "Not at all. Memories, and in this case, memories of failure, are some of life's greatest teachers."

Stirling raised an eyebrow. "And the lesson here is...?"

Thingguy raised a finger and declared, "That thedude has a mean left uppercut!"

The two men were very confused, but Thingguy did not leave them time to consider.Â "To answer your question, Fiddleton, the reason I went into hiding after the Skyfalls was because one man cannot stand alone against thedude. He needs allies. Allies he can count on." He raised an eyebrow. "I will be frank, I'm looking for some. Do you think the Merry Band would stand with me?"

Armsmaster Fiddleton's own eyebrows raised at Thingguy's blunt question. He pursed his lips. Took a deep breath and let it out like a horse.Â

"Bppbpbpbpbp.... That is not a decision I can make. Nor do I think the Leadership would come to a conclusion easily."

Stirling interrupted. "But you would endorse it, wouldn't you, Armsmaster?"

He looked at Strider from the corner of his eye. "Well, Yes. Personally. But as a leader, I-"

"I know, I know. You have a responsibility, and we know you can't let your personal thoughts get in the way, but if Thingguy were to propose an alliance of some type, you would be inclined to endorse it to the others, wouldn't you?" Stirling pressed.

Thingguy looked between the two, his smile slowly turning into a grin as Fiddleton's stare turned from irritation to thoughtfulness to careful condescension. "We cannot hide forever..." he mused aloud. "Recent events have shown that clear enough..."

"Wonderful!" Thingguy exclaimed.Â

"Very good, we appreciate it," Stirling replied.

"But!" Fiddleton amended. "I must make it clear that such an alliance would be for the future. We are nowhere near being prepared for such a large-scale engagement as fighting the Tyrant would suggest."

Thingguy agreed. "I think you are closer than you might think. You have plenty of resources, but what's missing is something each person must find within themselves."

This elicited the two others to ponder.

"Courage?" Fiddleton asked.

"Hope." Stirling decided.

Thingguy shook his head. "Passion. Passion can get you both of those, and more."

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 3: In Which Our Heroes Do Little More Than Wait. ===

The conversation wore down quickly after that, but it did not end until after the Armsmaster had used a Walkie-Talkie and arranged with the other leaders to have a meeting to listen to what Thingguy had to say. With this finished, all three men excused themselves, as they all had various things that needed doing now.

As soon as Fiddleton had been lost among the Caravan, Thingguy appeared to have a mental breakdown. He began grinning uncontrollably. Rubbing his hands, he leaned conspiratorially to Stirling.

''"I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to tell them!"'' he whispered excitedly.

"Don't worry, I'll help you prepare," Stirling assured. They went off to find a whiteboard and a good spot to sit down and rest. This ended up being atop a one of a kind sort of dry sleigh. It vaguely reminded one of something depicted inÂ ancient carvings of slave labor. Only, this didn't use slaves, of course.Â

There was the wooden deck, where tables and benches were bolted down to stop them from bumping away. Right underneath that was a cage that housed a large, thin wedge, the length of the deck, with logs rolling underneath it. As the logs rolled to the thick back of the wedge, something akin to a water-wheel would catch the log and lift it to the top of the wedge, where it would roll down to the front, and drop down to go under the wedge and through the cycle again.

Perhaps not the most efficient mode of transportation, but a mode nonetheless.Â

Stirling and Thingguy sat down at this open-aired sitting area, and it was not long before Thingguy and Stirling had filled and erased the whiteboard a dozen times. Thingguy now knew what he wanted to say, and how he was to frame it to his target audience. He filled the board one more time, with his key points, and the two rehearsed it till Thingguy was confident.

By then, many hours had passed, and the sun had long dipped under the tree canopy, leaving the caravan in twilight.

At some point, the two men had procured a snack, which they were finishing as a middle-aged woman boarded the platform and made her way to them.

Stirling looked up from his honey-roll. "Ah, Mrs. Smith. This is a rare surprise."

"Not quite," the woman said. "I'm here to take you two to the meeting."

Thingguy noted her long blonde hair, tied up in a simple and no-nonsense ponytail. Her face matched it, putting Thingguy in mind of an old-fashioned schoolteacher. She wore a brown dress with the sleeves rolled up past her elbows, and a white apron around her waist. Both items were stained and dirty, though her face, neck, and arms, the only skin visible, seemed clean enough.

"Well then, Mrs. Smith! Lead the way, and we shall follow, Madame!" Thingguy declared, getting up. Stirling followed suit.

With a slight nod, Mrs. Smith turned away and scampered away with a speed that initially surprised Thingguy, though the two men quickly adjusted speed and kept up with her as she weaved through the caravan towards the front.

Abruptly, she turned off to the right, and the three left the Caravan behind, as Mrs. Smith headed into the dense forest.

"Ah. She's headed for the glade," Stirling muttered to Thingguy.

"There's a glade up here?"

"Yeah. Come to think of it, it would make a nice landing spot for the dirigible."

"Makes sense."Â

Sure enough, the three emerged into an average-sized glade. Looking up, the three saw the ''<nowiki/>'Happy Thoughts''' slowly descending. However, as the carriage of the airship leveled with the treeline, a rope ladder was thrown out over the side, and a thin, wirey silhouette cried out "Climb up! The Caravan won't stop tonight, so neither shall we!"

Stirling and Thingguy looked at each other, then at Mrs. Smith.

"Are you coming as well, Gemma?" Stirling asked. Mrs. Smith shook her head.Â

"No. The other leaders already know my opinion, and the same goes for the Armsmaster. Our exclusion from your presentation won't change the ruling."

Behind Stirling, Thingguy tilted his head to see Gemma Smith. Her face was unreadable. "You mean to say that the leadership has already made up their minds, or just you and Fiddleton?" he asked.

"I oppose your desire to bring us into your war," she said bluntly. "We've had enough of it recently."

Thingguy smiled, avoiding her verbal jab. "That must mean that with Fiddleton's one vote yea, and your vote nay, I have to convince the majority up there?"

She stared at him. "Yes."

Her brief hesitation bolstered Thingguy's hopes. He took it to mean that she feared his success. Then he realized his grin was growing, and that she might consider him cocky. He smoothed out his features into what he considered a humble smile.Â

"I appreciate your honest opposition, Mrs. Smith." Not waiting for a response, he grasped the rope ladder and began scrambling up.

Stirling grabbed the rope ladder, then turned back to the ever-stoic Mrs. Smith.

"I do wish you would listen to what Thingguy has to say," Stirling said.

Gemma bobbed her head, watching Thingguy scamper up the ladder like the monkeys of old. "I will. I have a radio. I and the Armsmaster will be listening, but we have duties to perform with the moving caravan." She pointed at Thingguy. "You should hurry, or you will be stuck down here with us."

Stirling looked up to see Thingguy being helped into the carriage by others. "Oh shoot," he muttered, before clambering up with half the speed and grace that Thingguy had.

=== Chapter 4: In Which Thingguy makes his Case. ===

A quick right, short corridor, and a left brought Stirling and Thingguy into a large room, where they stood in front of a long table parallel to them. Behind it sat five individuals with such varying characteristics that Thingguy didn't know where to start.

"h'Ah, good! You mah'e it," said one that sat in the very middle of the table. He had bushy eyebrows and a 'stache, as well as a fez. He was wearing an oversized knitted Yule sweater depicting 2 heart-forming reindeer, and as he put his hi-top sneakers up on the table, he displayed some very flashy sequined disco leggings.Â "Now we'h can beg'hin!"

Thingguy grinned. "You must be the legendary Carlos Obfusco, leader of this very Merry Band."Â

Carlos was clearly pleased at being recognized. "Wh'y y'es I am!" He awkwardly extended a hand to shake, without dropping his feet from the table. As he and Thingguy shook hands, Carlos introduced the others.

"To m'ah right here, I h'ave '''Fath'r Henry''', our Rel'gious C'oodinater, an' next tah him is '''Mart'n Marin,''' our Communica'htions Mastah!" Then he swung his arm around and waved to his left. "An' ovah here, we have our Mastah H'rbelist, '''Ju'idith H'cklepatt'''; Our P'herimeter Captain, '''Mercedes;''' an' la'hst but not lea'st, our mastah Scout, '''Stabb'''!"

Thingguy took them all in.Â

'''Father Henry''' looked to be mid-thirties, with a dark brown beard and hair, dressed in a clean black habit, with a white square in the collar. He stared at Thingguy with a kind, but perceptive gaze, his hands folded on the table in front of him attentively.

'''Martin Marin''' appeared to be the oldest, according to his thin, scraggly hair and very pale blue eyes that lacked the youthful clarity of his fellows at the table. Perhaps 60s or 70s. He too, was smiling, but it came off as an absentminded smile, instead of sincere. Like he was thinking of other things. His hands rested on the pommel of a cane, and he wore a very faded blue shirt with a King's Crown emblazoned on it.Â

'''Mrs. Hucklepatt''' wore a simple, unpretentious dress, but her almost regal countenance, with it's fair share of wrinkles, silver-gray crown of hair, and bright turquoise eyes showed she still held considerable wit and wisdom. She gazed at Thingguy with a calculating smile.

The one called '''Mercedes''' had helped Thingguy into the blimp. Thus, Thingguy knew that despite his wiry frame and stately attire befitting a nobleman, the man was strong. He also wore his weapons openly. A large quiver and bow were slung on his back, and a large dirk was at his hip. He leaned forward, his hands steepled on the table in front of him, as he stared intently at Thingguy.

Behind Mercedes, in the shadowy corner, stood a short figure, who's chest was level with the table. His jet black hair and full-length coat of deepest green blended with the shadows, and it took a moment for Thingguy to identify where the darkness ended, and the Master Scout named '''Stabb''' began. His face was hidden, whether by shadows or an upturned collar Thingguy wasn't sure, but he saw two dark steel-gray eyes nod in acknowledgement of his attention. Thingguy nodded back.

https://youtu.be/fZ1y_Z6Bc0M

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Thanks for giving me a chance to speak with you," Thingguy said.

"h'of course!" Carlos replied, as others muttered, or nodded assent. "Now, ge'h't on w'hith it!"

Thingguy smiled, and took a deep breath.

Behind Thingguy, Stirling relaxed against the wall by the doorway. He was confident in the speech that he and Thingguy had formulated for this specific group. A most logical and rousing speech of-

"What ever happened to the Monkeys?" Thingguy began.

Stirling's shoulder slipped and he stumbled backwards into the door, where he embarrassingly reorganized himself and stood, staring blankly at Thingguy's back.

Carlos turned his eyes from his boots to Thingguy. "Pa'hdon?"

"You all remember the Monkeys of Militiregnum, right?"

It took a moment, but everyone made their understanding clear. Yes, they knew of the monkeys of Militiregnum...

"How they would go throughout the forest, swinging with ease, carefree and happy? How they ate bananas and in their wake left more trees to grow?"

Everyone nodded, some looked wistful.

"How they chattered and squealed with their impish glees, bringing innocent mischief just as you all used to do, in the days of peace?" Thingguy was now using his whole body, and walking back and forth along the table. "Heck, I'm sure some of you knew monkeys personally!"

Martin briefly raised a hand, and Thingguy slapped it as he passed, turning it into a High-Five.

"But now, do you know what happened to the monkeys?"

Some nodded, but Thingguy regaled them with it anyway.

"They were tricked into working for thedude. We don't know how, or why. What's important is that once they realized that bananas weren't weapons, and we weren't their enemies, they stopped their attacks against us, and thedude called it ''treachery'', and '''KILLED THEM ALL'''." Thingguy turned away from the table, to wipe away a tear. Briefly, he looked up and saw Stirling wide-eyed and open-mouthed, staring at him.

Hopefully he was getting a better reaction from his target audience. Keeping a baleful countenance, he looked over his shoulder.Â

They were, to various degrees, emotional. Some looked only perturbed and thoughtful, while others sniffled quietly.

"Now, I ask you, did those monkeys deserve such cruelty?"

There were a few sniffles, as well as a quiet 'no'.

"Did those monkeys even ''care'' about who ruled? Who won the war?"

More 'no's, shaking heads.

"No! They didn't. But they were exterminated anyway. You know why? Because thedude wanted it done! There's no other reason necessary for him!Â He has the mind of a child, but power beyond what any human being should have, and unless we bow down to him and do what he wants; accept him as the tyrant of every detail of our lives, he will never stop. He will never leave you alone, for ''as long as he lives''."

Thingguy was now pacing, his few tears having left his face, being chased away by a stern and thoughtful countenance, that kept watch of his marching feet.

"I know that some of you would rather hide from the War for as long as you can. Perhaps even wait out thedude's very life.Â But answer me this. What if thedude is immortal?"

This got everyone's attention, including Stirling's.

"What?"

"What if he's going to outlive us all? What if he's immortal?" Thingguy repeated, turning to Stirling. "Is the Merry Band able to hide forever?"

"We can hide a ''deuced'' long time," Mercedes countered.Â

Thingguy nodded in assent. "And you have. But ''be realistic'', no one can hide forever."

Thingguy's imperative was met with stony silence.

"But this is not enough to come out of hiding now or anytime. Not until you absolutely have to. Or once they find you.Â But what will you do then?"

With nearly one voice, the leaders leapt to their feet and roared.

'''"WE WILL FIGHT!"''' "We won't go peacefully." '''"WE'LL GIVE THEM HELL!"''' "WE'LL TAKE THEM MAN TO MAN!" "We'll die bravely."

Thingguy couldn't stop his admiration for these men and women from surfacing. His eyes began to brim with tears as he laid his hands on the table in front of a posing Carlos.

"My friends..." Thingguy said.

"You will die. Alone."

The silence returned, but it wasn't stony. It was sharp, ''brittle'', '''emotionally charged''', and threatened to snap and ruin whatever goodwill Thingguy had left with these people. Hoping he hadn't pushed reality into them too hard, Thingguy explained.

"You don't want to fight this war. ''I understand''. I don't want you to fight either. But someday, this war will find you. We've admitted that."Â

Some of the leaders began to object, but Thingguy forged ahead, raising his voice. "You just declared that IF you were found, IF you were ''unable'' to hide anymore, YOU WOULD RATHER '''FIGHT''' AND '''DIE''' THAN ''GIVE UP YOUR FREEDOM'' AND STILL '''DIE''', '''LIKE THE MONKEYS'''."

The bizzare recall of the monkeys stopped the various objections just long enough for Thingguy to finish.

"All I am asking is that you be open to preparing for such a worst-case scenario NOW, rather than waiting for it to come to you in the future. MORE than what you are doing now, with your defenses, your perimeter patrols, your scouting, your armaments, your technological experiments, et cetera, et cetera."

Carlos frowned. "How do you k-"

"Strider told me some, and we've been touring the caravan waiting for this meeting."

"...Ah."

"I'm not asking you to be warriors!" Thingguy continued. "''Crux forbid'' that it come to the Merry Band becoming frontline soldiers!"Â

Thingguy turned around and stepped away from the table, taking a deep breath to calm his own nerves, as well as for dramatic effect. Briefly, he looked up at Stirling, who seemed... shocked. Amazed.

Feeling somewhat more confident, he turned around to his audience. The general consensus amongst the table was much more difficult to ascertain, but he definitely had them all thinking.

"I'm asking for allies. Not just because ''I'' need them. But because ''YOU'' need them. ''All'' of Militiregnum's free spirits will need each other." Thingguy smirked. "Though I'd be lying if I said that the Merry Band would be a small part of whatever alliance we would make."

The silence filled the room again, but this time, Thingguy didn't feel any animosity. None of the leaders were looking at him, but instead at themselves, or the floor. They were all looking internally. Thingguy wondered if there was anything else he should say, but no other thoughts came to fall upon his lips.

He felt a mailed glove weigh down his shoulder. It was Stirling.Â

"Come on. Let's let them think."

Thingguy hesitated only briefly, then nodded.Â

The two stepped outside the room, leaving the leaders to consider what the Knight had said.

=== Chapter 5: In which our heroes wait for a verdict. ===

As Thingguy slid the door shut behind him, Strider rounded upon him.

"Ok, first of all; that was amazing- good job-"

"Why thank you."

"Second: What the heck?! Where did that all come from?!" Stirling whisper-yelled.

Thingguy shrugged.

"Why??? Why go off-script like that?

"That, I can answer!" Thingguy replied. "I ''was'' going to do our specially prepared speech, but when I actually got into that room and saw them, I realized that the logical, accurate, lecture-type approach wouldn't reach all of them," explained Thingguy. "So I thought of the first thing that I could bond with all of them over."

"Monkeys?"

"Monkeys."

Stirling sighed, his gaze dropping, and his hands on his hips. He smirked. "Well, I mean... I have to admit, it worked."

"You think so?" Thingguy asked.

"Oh yeah," Stirling said. "You really worked them up. They're going to want to take some sort of action, and hopefully, they'll take your advice, instead of just enacting some new safety protocol or security measure."

Thingguy grinned. "Good. And hey, a new defensive measure isn't bad. I'm ''not asking'' for an immediate offensive. Just for a future." He punched Stirling's shoulder. "Like you were saying before, hope. A reminder that this isn't the way things are supposed to be."

The two started walking up the corridor, both assuming the other knew where they were going, as they continued talking.

"Just like you," Thingguy continued. "They're got stuff going on; they don't want to join KOTOS right now. And that's fine! To be honest, we're not ready."

Stirling nodded. "Right now, what does KOTOS even consist of? You?"

Thingguy's pace slowed, and Stirling matched it. "I personally know...Perhaps a few hundred lonely, brave souls scattered across Militiregnum who would call themselves KOTOS."Â

"I expected as much." Stirling said quietly.

"There's more, I know it!" Thingguy assured him. "They just haven't been woken up. Or freed. Or found. Take Sir Talmid for example!" He picked up speed again. "The general word is that he's not dead, but a prisoner in Orlan!"

Stirling scoffed. "Is that really better?"

"Yes!" Thingguy said, grabbing his dour companion by the shoulder and shaking him a bit. "If the 'Legendary' Sir Talmid still lives, then it's all the easier to rally hope!"

Stirling frowned, as he re-oriented his mind around this. "So, he's not available as another soldier, or a physical leader, but what you're saying is that he's still helping, just by living?"

"Exactly! Hope! That's what our battle is focused around! '''Hope!"'''

"But wern't you saying earlier that we need to focus on ''passion?''"

"That was before I saw the Leaders. But yes. Hope is what will fuel passion, and give it a righteous fire, a courage! To do what's right."

Stirling grinned. "You really have a way with words."

"I've had practice."

"That's much more than just practice."

"Well, I've also given it a lot of thought, and it's second nature by now."Â

Stirling raised an eyebrow, and a beat passed before Thingguy added, "Also, Deadbeat is a very skillful verbal duelist to hone my skills on."

"I'm sure the talking horse is very talented." Stirling said dryly.Â

The two had reached the end of the hall. A narrow metal door with a porthole barred their way. Thingguy peeked through the glass, and saw the cockpit and a single pilot.

"Hey, this is the front of the ship!" he exclaimed, before reaching down for the handle and twisting it open.Â

"I'm not sure we're allow-" Stirling began, but Thingguy was already introducing himself to the pilot, who had speedily put away his reading material to look busy, before seeing Thingguy.

They spent the next 10 minutes with the pilot, who went by the name of Joe Bungalow. Joe even gave them a crash-course in how to fly the blimp, having taken an instant liking to Sir Thingguy.

After a particularly fancy bob and weave done by Thingguy to the merriment, and slight worry, of the other two, another person entered the cockpit.

"Joe, what in the King's name are- Ah, I see." It was Martin, holding on to the doorframe with one hand, and stabling himself with his cane on the ground with the other. "Sir Thingguy has hijacked us, I see."

His tone was not immediately discernable, and it required Thingguy to turn around to ascertain his mood.

Martin seemed to have an ironic expression on his face. Thingguy turned to Stirling for any insight. He didn't' have any. He had a poker face on.

The only person with an obvious emotion was Joe, which was that of embarrassment.

"Ah... Uh. Thinggu- Sir Thingguy, I think I'm going to have to take over now."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sounds good, Joe." He remarked casually.

As Thingguy and Stirling got up, and Joe settled back into his rightful place, Martin waved them over with a smile. Both Thingguy and Stirling relaxed.Â

"We've all made a decision. You'll want to hear it," he said, and turned around to walk down the corridor. Stirling and Thingguy started after him, but then the old man stopped. "Oh!" He turned around and quite literally ran into the two younger men.Â

"What is it Martin?" Stirling asked, catching the unbalanced Pigeonmaster.Â

"I need to tell Joe to land at the next available spot. We've gone far enough."

Stirling and Thingguy squished themselves against the walls, and Martin squeezed by.Â

"Go on without me, they're waiting for you, boys." Martin muttered over his shoulder. So Stirling and Thingguy went.

=== Chapter 6: In which a Verdict is reached, and the future is changed. ===

Having hurried back to the meeting room door, Stirling motioned grandly. "After you, Sir Charisma."

Thingguy let out a jovial "Ha!" and swept the door open.

All eyes turned to him.

Father Henry was sitting in the same spot, talking very diplomatically with Mercedes, who was leaning over the table, and clearly stressed out. Internally, Thingguy winced as both men turned to look at him with a healthy caution in their eyes. It didn't' take much to guess that Thingguy was giving Mercedes, the head of security, a big new headache to deal with. He wasn't sure what a Religious Leader would have against him... But surely there was something.

In the farther corner, Mrs. Hucklepatt and Stabb were having what appeared to be a very quiet, but casual conversation. As Thingguy entered the room, they both stopped, and regarded him carefully. Oh dear.

It seemed the only person that was outright happy to seem him was the person he had nearly bowled over. Carlos, who had been pacing in the middle of the room, had lit up a smile like neon lights, and thrown his arms wide.

"Sir Thingguy! Good to se'h you again!" he exclaimed, as if he hadn't seen him in years instead of minutes.

Thingguy rolled with it, throwing his arms wide, just like Carlos had. "Hey-Heeey!"

The two bear-hugged, and there was lots of excessive backslapping, while everyone else alternatively looked at each other or Stirling uncomfortably.

For his part, Stirling refrained from facepalming by locking his arms together.

However, after a full minute of this, Mercedes couldn't take it anymore.

"AHEM. Carlos, I think we have something to say to this gentleman."

Carlos sighed. "Aha, yes, h'I s'ppose we do. 'hveryone, to yo'r seats!" Carlos finally let go of Thingguy, who seemed quite relieved to step back and stand next to Stirling by the open door.Â

''"Before you ask, I have learned my lesson,"'' he whispered to Stirling. ''"Don't attempt to match Carlos's enthusiasm."''

Stirling broke into a huge smile. ''"That's my man!"'' he whispered back, and slapped his friend's very sore back once, causing Thingguy to wince and hiss.Â

"Sir Thingguy!" Carlos boomed, from his seat behind the table. "h'It's mah h'xtreme pleasure to tell you that when the time comes, th' Merry Band would be pleased to join your cause t' free Morcia in whatev'ah small way we could at that time."

Thingguy smiled kindly. "Thank you, Carlos."

Carlos held up a hand. "You unda'stand that we would re-evaluate th' situation at that time as well. We're not going to commit to suicide missions."

Thingguy shook his head. "I would never ask that of the Merry Band. Perhaps others, but not these."

This elicited positive notes among everyone behind the table, including Carlos, who continued.

"T' make this official, Martin drafted this doc'hment, an' Stabb has wh'ittled a spec'hfic birdcall wh'stle." Carlos handed Thingguy a rolled scroll, wrapped around a hard small object. Presumably the whistle.

"W'hen th' day comes, r'hide throug'h the for'hest with th'at w'histle. W'hen someone hears it, t'hey will find you with all speed and ab'handon. T'hen you will read t'hem the scroll, and we will h'answer."

Thingguy accepted the scroll graciously. "This... This is perfect. Leaders of the Merry Band, you have no idea what this means."

"It means pain. Suffering."

Thingguy, Stirling, Carlos, and all of the others turned to Father Henry, sitting to the far left of the table. He looked dour. But determined.

"It also means standing for what's right. Hope. Strength. Courage." A confidence shone in his eyes. "This is the path we have chosen. A dangerous path, a thin road, with the only reward far and away, and only attainable if we keep the path all the way." He focused on Thingguy. "That scroll comes with responsibility, Sir Thingguy. Do you accept that as well?"

"Yes. I do."Â

"You say that so fast. Do you truly understand what I mean?"

"Yes."

The two held each other's eyes, and Father Henry's gaze softened. "Yes. Perhaps you do."

Carlos finally let go of the scroll, and Thingguy tucked it into his chestpiece.Â

Carlos cleared his throat, attempting to regain the spotlight.

"Ahem. Well. I think we should be landing soon. If people ask... Don't publicize this. We don't need a KOTOS-sized target set on us."

Thingguy frowned, even as he saw the wisdom in it.Â "You don't want spies to take this news straight to thedude, and anger him."

Next to Carlos, Mercedes nodded. "There are desperate people here, who will sell that sort of lucrative information to thedude for a decent meal."

Thingguy closed his eyes. "That's very wise; I will admit, I hadn't thought of that."

Carlos smiled crookedly. "T'hat is alright, 'bro'. If we've learned one t'hing from you, h'it's t'hat you are concerned primar'hily with MORALE! '''LIKE A TRUE MEMBER OF DA MERRY BAND!!!'''" And with this he leapt up onto the table and punched a fist into the unforgiving metal ceiling. "AH!" His valiant grin was blemished by discomfort. "Judith, I thing I broke something."

"Nonsense, dear," said the old lady, Mrs. Hucklepatt. "Get down, and I'll see."

Around him, As Carlos got down and turned to Mrs. Hucklepatt, peoples reactions included sighs, chuckles, and facepalms.Â

Mercedes, patted Carlos on the shoulder. "Is the meeting dismissed?"

"Oh. Y'hes. I t'hink t'hat was h'all the bus'ness we h'ad," Carlos confirmed.

Right on cue, someone popped their head through the open doorway, and announced that the blimp was about to land.

~ ~ ~

Sure enough, the Happy Thoughts quickly descended upon the new campsite area. A large, beautiful meadow, with a insignificant brook wending it's way through. The passengers disembarked, while others of the crew began packing in the blimp till the metal cabin part of the blimp resembled a mid sized trailer home with a mushrooming bag for a roof.

Thingguy had wanted to watch the transformation, and so while they stood and watched, he and Stirling also said their farewells to the leaders of the Merry Band, who quickly left to take care of other things.

As the crew of the Happy Thoughts finished packing the cloth into the roof as neatly as possible, an unabashedly impressed Thingguy rubbed his hands. "Gosh, that's amazing."

Stirling turned from him to the 'leadership tent' and back. "You are easily amused, arn't you?"

Finally, Thingguy took a deep breath of forest air and ripped his attention away from the transformed Happy Thoughts. "I prefer to look at it as... Able to appreciate the little things! Like a good, long nap."

Stirling looked up into the night sky. "Heh. Yeah, that sounds pretty good right about now."

"Whaddya say we get some rest, and in the morning, we ride out?" Thingguy suggested.

Stirling nodded. "Sunrise is only a few hours away, but I'm on your schedule, Thingguy. Whenever you're ready."

"Then tomorrow, bright and early!"

The two split up, both looking for a place to get some rest before they took to the road.

Stirling ended up finding a decently clear spot and pitched his tent, falling asleep as soon as he crawled into it, in full armor.

Thingguy, on the other hand, didn't get any sleep. Not after he ran into yet another opportunity....

=== Chapter 7: In which the ever-scheming Sir Thingguy hits upon an incredulous possibility. ===

Thingguy didn't' have a tent or bedroll with him. They were on Deadbeat. And Deadbeat was who-knew-where in this Caravan.Â Also, he didn't feel like pitching a whole tent and stuff for only a few hours rest.

Better to find an already pitched tent and bum it off of someone for a few hours. Or share. If that wasn't awkward or anything.

As he was thinking about this, something up ahead caught his attention.Â

A little ways away stood a large cart containing various humming, beeping, whirring, blinking equipment. There was even a radar dish bigger than an XL Pizza spinning around, eternally inspecting the heavens for something.

As Thingguy got closer, he saw the light of a screen reflected off of some round spectacles. Of course, the spectacles belonged to a young man that sat amidst the gizmos. It was rather dark to be certain, but based on the surroundings, Thingguy guessed the bespectacled man was Oswald, the Tech-Expert that Stirling had mentioned.

Thingguy poked his head over the edge of the huge cart. "Hey!"

His sudden appearance startled the studious younger gentleman.Â

"WAAH!" he cried out, nearly dropping the handheld device in his hands. He looked around, blinking. "Who said that?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. The name's Thingguy. Sir Thingguy. You're Oswald, right? What are you doing with all this stuff?"

The young man still didn't seem to be able to see Thingguy. "Sorry, I've been staring at the bright screen on my controller, so I can't see you in the dark."

"Oh. Sorry. Mind if I climb in?" Thingguy asked, hiking himself up.

"Not at all! Uh, just be careful for the-"Â

''Beep!'' ''Ka-chunk.'' ''"Power on."'' ''"Disengage."'' ''Bzzzt.''

"-Stuff."

Thingguy had climbed over various panels and gadgets, but thankfully it sounded much worse than it really was. It only took a minute or so to make sure nothing was going to explode or take off.Â

"Heh. Sorry about that," Thingguy said.

"That's alright!" said Oswald. Because it was definitely him. Thingguy was sure, because he remembered Stirling accidentally whacking him. "I have a lot of projects lying around. It's my own fault."

Thingguy pointed at the controller Oswald had been using before. "What were you doing just now?"

Oswald turned, and seem surprised to find the controller on the ground where he'd put it to save his other things from Thingguy. "Oh! This. This..." he said, picking it up. "...Is controlling that." He pointed at the satellite dish.

Thingguy watched as Oswald made the dish fidget around. "And what is it that the Dish is looking for?"

"Transmissions. Sounds." Oswald shrugged. "Orders. News. Whatever." Oswald stared up into the sky, then back down at his device, and seemed intent on targeting something.

"What are you doing now?" Thingguy asked, peering over his shoulder to look at the technical readout. It didn't' make much sense to him at first glance, looking like a radar or sonar display.

"Sometimes I can listen to the spaceships. You know, the flying ships up in the sky," said Oswald. "They say some funny stuff."

Thingguy was surprised. "Wait. You can listen to the Blockade?"

"Blockade? Is that what they call the metal ships up there?"

"Yeah, the Blockade. The group of space ships."

"Yeah, I can listen to them. Sometimes."

"REALLY?!"

"It's kinda staticky, and not really useful, but it's fun."

Thingguy waved his arms around, estatic. Then he froze. "Wait. Can you reply to them?"

Oswald had an averse reaction. "Oooooh no. Nononononono. Can't do that. No. That's bad."

Thinggiy raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why not?"

"Well, because then I could be traced. Tracked. They'll ''smell'' me."

"They'll... smell you?"

"They'll figure out where I'm sending a message from. They follow it back to my dish, and the Merry Band and th-"

"Ah. Oh, I see." Thingguy said. "It's a matter of security."

"Yeah..." Oswald said, clamming up before Thingguy's eyes. "I only made that mistake once."

"So... you have contacted the Blockade?"

"Oh. No, not the blockade. I tried answering some radio call that I heard. It was on Militiregnum though. I don't think I have enough electricity to send a clear message to the blockade. Not that I'd want to try."

"What happened?"

"We talked for awhile," said Oswald, visibly trying hard to remember. "I forgot his name, but he said he was from the Nexus Force. I think he tried to give me some sort of positioning coordinates, and from what I could gather, he had a more northern latitude. Wasn't able to figure out the longitude. But after awhile of us chatting back and forth, there was a gunfight on his end and he got hysterical, telling me I 'had to move', and 'run before they found me'. Thankfully, he scared me bad enough that I was able to convince the Leaders to move, and we avoided getting bombed by Barneybots on the very next day." Oswald shuddered. "Since then, I haven't ''dared'' send any messages. Only listen." He looked up at the blockade. "But I do wish I could, sometimes."

Thingguy followed his gaze upward. It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust. Then he started to see them. Silhouettes in the stars of space. The ships of the blockade. Help so close, and yet... so far away.

"What would it take to get a message to the blockade?"

=== Chapter 8: In which the new mission is laid out, and the Adventure Begins. (Should this be Act 1 and the before be Act 0?) ===

"Strider! Strider!"

Stirling awoke to find someone knocking on his tentpoles. Groggily, he got up. "Yes, who is it?"

"It's Thingguy!"

"Thin-guy?"

"Thingguy! Sir Thingguy! I met you yesterday!"

'Yesterday' came flooding back to Stirling. "Oh. Oh, yeah." He stumbled out of his tent, in the full armor he'd slept in. "What's going on?" he asked, seeing Thingguy practically hopping up and down with excitement.

"You remember Oswald? The tech guy?"

Stirling rubbed the groggyness from his eyes. "Yeah?"

"I was talking with him till late last night, and he's given me a brilliant idea!"

"Which is?"

"The blockade!"

It took Stirling a moment to understand what Thingguy meant by 'blockade'.

"...The Nexus Force Blockade?"

"Yeah!"

"What about it?"

"We can contact them for help! When we need it most!"

Stirling shook his head to clear away the final cobwebs. "Didn't you guys do that in the last war?"

Thingguy nodded. "Yeah, we did, but they came too late. But that wouldn't be the case this time!"

"But," Stirling said, "Didn't the tech curse bring a few of them down? One ended up way east Orlan, near the Browlands or thereabouts, right?"

"Well, yes, one. But that was because it flew too low and was harried by Barneybot Fighters. The Nexus Force could still send troops and bombard from orbit this time around!"

Stirling thought about it. "I mean, I guess it's helpful..." he slowly agreed, as various strategic possibilities, positive and negative began unfolding in his waking mind.

"There's just one problem."

"Oh?"

"We'd need an NF decoder."

"Decoder?" Stirling echoed.

"Yeah, something with Nexus Force protocols. Otherwise, we could very well just never be found by them, unless they're actively scanning random wavelengths." Thingguy explained.

Stirling thought about it. "What about a comlink off o- No, wait!" Stirling dove back into his tent, as Thingguy rambled on.

"I already suggested getting a comlink off of a Paradox Rogue, but they don't work. They've been all cut off from NF frequencies.Â

Stirling emerged with his pack, covered in pockets. "This is my old friend Peragrine's backpack. I'm certain he has a spare comlink in here!"

Thingguy's eyebrows raised. "Hey-hey! What faction did you say Peragrine was?"

"Venture League."

"That may work!"

The two dug into the pack, sorting through all sorts of goodies. Thingguy especially enjoyed a 'Banana Gun' he found.

"Seems to me Peragrine is a bit of a hoarder!" Thingguy exclaimed.

Stirling nodded. "And once he hears about how useful this pack's been to me, all of his hoarding will be vindicated." He chuckled. "I dread the day."

"Aha!" Thingguy pulled out what they had been looking for. "A Venture League comlink!"

There it was. A tiny little thing you put in your ear, and using your innate imagination, controlled. Well, that, and the occasional 1 button press.Â

"Okay. So how do we get the decoder from there?" Stirling asked.

Thingguy squinted at it. "I have no clue. But hopefully Oswald will!"

(\\\}======>

"I have no clue what to do with this."

"But Oswald, you're the resident master techwizard!" Thingguy exclaimed from outside Oswald's cart.

Oswald handed the communicator back down to Thingguy. "I have no idea how to take it apart. I've looked at it with all of my magnifying glasses. Even the microscope thing. I don't understand it. It's a perfect little ball with a string attached, I guess to make it easier to pull out of your ear?" he looked at Stirling, who nodded.

"I can't even take it apart, much less figure out what itty-bitty piece would be the decoder and plug it into my machine." Oswald finished, shrugging. "Sorry, Sir Thingguy. It was a good idea."

Thingguy only let a little of his disappointment show as Oswald turned around to pick up a different project in his cart. Stirling noticed Thingguy's slight deflation, and piped up.

"Hold on," Stirling said. "Didn't you say you already listen to the blockade from time to time?" he asked Oswald.

Oswald turned back around and leaned over the cart's edge.Â

"Yeah. That's really the only thing I ''can'' do with my radio equipment."

"So, you ''are'' already listening to their messages, right?" Stirling asked.

"Only... snippits."

"So, how are you decoding their messages? How are you hearing them?" Stirling asked. "Surely they're not just broadcasting without a security scramble of some type!"

Oswald shook his head. "It's more complicated than that." When the other two just stared at him for an explanation, and Oswald saw that they wouldn't be leaving till they got it, he waved an arm and said, "Come see."Â

Stirling and Thingguy began to scramble up into the wagon, even as Oswald turned around, saying "Just be careful for the-"

''Bzzzt. Beep! "Error." Sproing! "Power on." "Input incorrect, please try aga-"''

"-Stuff."

"Oops." "Sorry, my bad."

It took a minute to set everything back, and fix a loose panel or two, but eventually, Oswald had found three sturdy objects that would serve as stools, and the three sat down next to Oswald's radio. He put on the bizarre headphones and fiddled around for a minute, before finding what he was looking for. Then he handed the headphones gingerly to Strider.Â

"We're in luck. There's some activity right now."

Stirling slipped the haywire headphones on, and his ears were assailed by harsh static. As he listened, the occasional interspersed word would peak through the white noise. Stirling grimaced.Â

"This is 'in luck'?"

Oswald nodded. "That's what I listen to more often than not. The words you hear are what I've been able to decode by listening to it. I then input that into my computer so that it will automatically translate it when that same cipher comes through. There's no guarantee that I've got something wrong though. I haven't got more than two words in succession yet, and I've been at this for years now in my off-time."

Stirling handed the headphones to Thingguy. "I've had my share of rough signals during my campaigning with the Nexus Force, but I don't think I'd be able to make much use of that!" he said. "Still, it's impressive that you've decoded 'coffee,' 'report,' and 'Rogues'

Oswald nodded once again. "I've been practicing and monitoring it as close as I can. Here. I'll show you the list." He turned to the small laptop hooked up to the Radio and pulled up a script with various words next to their supposed wavelengths. Stirling started reading.

Meanwhile, it was Thingguy's turn to grimace. "Ooh. That's rough." He turned to Stirling. "Still, it's a connection."

Stirling turned from Thingguy back to Oswald. "If you can decode, even partially, their less secure communications, why can't we send up an emergency signal of some type, like electronic beeps? Like, have you heard of Morse Code? S.O.S.?"

Oswald shook his head. "You mean something like just... an alarm?"

"Sure, yeah. An alarm. Why can't you use the same partial code to send it back up?"

Oswald thought about it for a minute. "Well, for one thing, like I was telling Thingguy last night, I don't have that kind of power."

"Ok." Stirling waved a hand. "Say we get that; What else?"

Oswald rolled his eyes at the warrior's flippant dismissal of what to him was a clear problem, but he proceeded anyway.Â

"Secondly... Well, this self-made decoding is..." He struggled to figure out the best way to explain it to the two knights. " It's like knowing a few Spanish words by sound, but not being able to speak it, or even how to regard someone. Him? Her? It?" Oswald shrugged. "I know a few key words, but... I'd need to know ''how to address'' the Blockade before I could contact them directly." The two knights were nodding their understanding now, but Oswald gave them one more analogy for good measure. "It'd be like sending a flock of messenger pigeons, but not being able to give them a name to deliver the note to."

Stirling frowned. "And a decoder would have that name and address, correct?"

"Yeah." Oswald confirmed as he motioned back to Thingguy. "The little ear comlink you had probably has an old outdated codifier-thingy, but I don't have a way to connect it." Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "But hold on! Can I see it again?"

Thingguy fished the comlink out of his pocket and handed it to Oswald, who immediately put it to his ear.

"How do you turn this thing on?" he asked.

Stirling stood up to see if he had it on correctly. "Well, you'd use your imagination, normally."

Oswald half-turned to Strider. "No, really. Do I press the button twice?" Or hold it down?"

Stirling looked at Thingguy for backup. "I'm not pulling your leg, Oswald. Where I come from, Imagination is a much more powerful and tangible power source, and one can learn to use their own innate imagination to power their gear. Right, Thingguy?"

Thingguy nodded. "The Nexus Force made it a key part of a lot of their gear, which makes it less useful here. Thus why I don't wear a lot of that old stuff. That, and I've kinda destroyed or lost a lot of it..."

Oswald sadly pulled the earpiece out, even as he stared at it with newfound wonder. "In that case, Strider, can you still use it?"Â

Stirling accepted the comlink from Oswald as he gingerly placed it in his hands. He sighed wearily. "I can try, Oswald, but I must admit that I ran out of any excess imagination to power my gear a long time ago. I might get really dizzy, so don't let me fall on your stuff." With this warning he stuck it in his ear, and with a thought, attempted to turn on the device.

With a slight twinge that he felt within his entire frame, the comlink thrummed to life, and Stirling closed his eyes to better mentally swing through all available frequencies. Nothing within range. Not that he expected anything.Â

"It still works," Stirling said, a smidgen of surprise in his tone. "But it's range is severely limited. There's nothing within range." He opened his eyes, and saw brief spots, before pulling the comlink out. His mouth felt dry as the spots in his vision quickly faded. "And I'm feeling alright," he said to the two faces of Oswald and Thingguy staring at him. They pulled back a bit, satisfied.

Oswald smiled. "I have a few smashed Paradox comlinks, but only one whole one. Do you mind if I compare the two? I won't try and open either one up. They're too precious to try and learn their secrets."

Stirling had to think about it for a minute. The comlink wasn't going to do him any good just sitting in his backpack. What would he use it for? It would be best used trying to contact the NF, like it was made to do. The best person for that was Oswald. So yes.Â

"Yeah, you can have it Oswald." Stirling handed the little bead back to him. "Use it to help. That's what Peragrine would have wanted it to be used for."

Oswald's eyebrows raised. "This isn't yours?"

Stilring shook his head. "It belongs to that friend I've been looking for."

"Peragrine?"

"Yeah, Perry."

"Yeah, I remember him."

"This is his comlink. But I give it to you, so you can... do whatever it is tech-wizards do." Stirling said, with as much gravitas as he could muster.

For his part, Oswald accepted it with appropriate reverence. "It's marvelous, and I will do my best not to... Well, I'll do my best."

Thingguy slapped him heartily on the back. "And that's all a man can ask for!"

Nearly dropping the comlink, Oswald fumbled with it, before giving Thingguy a dirty look that was ignored. "But I want to set your expectations low," he said. "I probably can't do anything with this. Like I said, I don't have the right tools, enough power, or a way to hail them securely."

Stirling nodded, rubbing his stubble. "Understood. We should probably write this down."

Thingguy tapped his own head as he stroked his beard. "No need. It's up here. ''''Secure'''-'''Powe'''r-'''Tools''''."

The other two stared at him for a moment, before Stirling withdrew a writing implement and Oswald handed Strider some sticky notes.

"All the same to you, Thingguy, I like to keep notes," Stirling said.

Thingguy shook his head. "Not when I'm travelling a lot. I tend to lose them and then the wrong people can find them."

Stirling smiled as he showed Thingguy his note.

'''<nowiki/>'Secure'''

'''Power'''

'''Tools''''

"Of course, I don't write things down verbatim either. Just something to jog my memory," Stirling explained, as Thingguy grinned slyly.

Oswald leaned in on the two. "Oh. Well, I don't travel, so..." and he showed them his notes.

''<nowiki/>'Problems with reaching blockade via Radio:''

''1. Not enough Power. Need Generator? How much Power?''

''2. Not correct equipment and/or tools to create correct equipment. Find complete equipment or find tools to create correct equipment.''

''3. Not a way to contact directly and securely. Need Decoder'''

Thingguy tilted his head. "Basically, we need a bigger version of this comlink, right?"

Oswald winced. "I mean, yes, that's the most basic idea of the problem. Theoretically, if I had the right tools, and the knowledge to use them to extract the decoder, the only thing we'd still need is power."

"The right tools... "

"Yeah, like-"

"Like a shrink ray. But in reverse."

Stirling and Oswald stared at Thingguy, who was staring intently at the comlink in Oswald's hands. Like if he stared at it enough, his eyes would become laser eyes. Only '''Growth''' Laser Eyes.

Stirling broke the silence.

"How about something more grounded in reality?"

Thingguy only moved his intense laser eyes at Strider. "Like what?"

Now it was Stirling's turn to stare intently for no apparent reason, while Oswald sighed.Â "Honestly, I'm not sure what tools I would need." He looked back at his list, before scratching out ''<nowiki/>'or find tools to create correct equipment.''' "I may be a fast learner, but I'm no magician. It would take way too much trial and error to learn. I'd invariably break the first 2 or 3 prototypes, and we don't have the extra materials for that." Oswald looked up at the others. "No, the safest and most accurate way to do this would be to find complete equipment. Or mostly complete," he decided.

Stirling restrained a scoff. "That's practically impossible. Unless we're planning to raid one of thedude's holdings directly, we're not just going to find a working surface-to-space radio lying around."

Thingguy's brow knit together as he thought furiously. "Surface to Space Radio..." Suddenly, he turned to Stirling, his eyes bright.Â

"Remember that ship we were talking about early this morning, Strider?"

It took Stirling a moment. "The old Nexus Force Cruiser?"

"Yeah!" barked Thingguy. "What if we used IT'S communicator?!"

"The old Starship crash?" Oswald said. "I've heard about it, but for obvious reasons, I've never thought about going all the way out there."

Strider raised an eyebrow. "Obvious reasons like, 'it's outside the forest'?"

"Yeah."

Stirling turned to Thingguy. Thingguy turned to Stirling.Â

"You up for a road trip?" Thingguy asked.

Stirling turned to Oswald. "Would that work?!"

Oswald blinked, surprised by the sudden and earnest expressions on the two warrior's faces. He glanced down at his list.

"Well, it would be the right equipment. It'd have a decoder, probably outdated, but perhaps workable and... Well, the only issue would be power. Really, it would depend on the condition it's all in. But it's so remote... Maybe it's been left well enough alone?" Oswald began tapping his pencil on his nose. "But there's always the chance that thedude's looted it already..."

Thingguy waved his hands to get Oswald's attention. "Yes, yes, there's lots of variables, but ''could it work''?"

Oswald stared at his list. Internally, he was screaming, because he was drowning in variables. He attempted to simplify.Â

"It's your best shot." He looked up at the two. "And the odds increase if I come with."

=== Chapter 9: In which our Heroes wait for an Expert and his Wagon. ===
It was a few more days before Thingguy and Stirling were ready to leave with their new associate.Â Technically, Oswald didn't have any responsibilities to the Merry Band... But he ''was'' the resident tech expert... It took some cajoling for the leadership to be willing to part with him. Oddly, their deliberations and worry about letting him go for a time annoyed Oswald and Stirling more than it did Thingguy.

"I can't be detained! I'm a free member," Oswald would mutter at one point in between deliberations and inquiries as to why the Knight and the Samurai needed him. Where they were taking him, what were the risks involved, when he would be back, IF he would be back, was he leaving his stuff, how would they take care of it, if there was anyone he could train or recommend to replace or fill in for him...

"They're not going to stop me, either. I'd just thought I'd let them know as a courtesy. Now they've turned it into this whole ''mess''." Oswald sighed.

"That's government for you, Oswald," Stirling replied. "Glorified bickering."

Thingguy would just smile, fondly remembering some 'glorified bickering' among friends. ''<nowiki/>'Certainly, some bickering here and there is a good thing','' he thought. ''<nowiki/>'Keeps the mind sharp. Helps you root your beliefs, pitting them against others. Or learn something new.'''

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

During the next few days, the three men would prepare while the council deliberated. Oswald would come to the harsh realization he would have to leave as much of his gear as he possibly could with a fellow tech-appreciator, who had a smaller wagon of his own. Stirling and Thingguy had left them to it, as the sheer levels of geekdom quickly became too much for the warriors.

Instead, Thingguy challenged Stirling to a quick sparring match.

âBecause,â Thingguy explained. âIf Iâm going to be travelling with you, Iâd like to know how much you can hold in a fight.â

Stirling agreed. âThatâs fair.â He looked around casually. âHow about we find a clear area then...â

Thingguy followed his gaze. Right now, they were on a small path between tents. Campfires dotted the crooked row every few yards, and people were milling around, watching them with respect and admiration, but not getting in their way.

Suddenly, Thingguy realized his mistake, as he heard Stirlingâs Katana ''rasp'' out of its sheath. He leapt back just in time, dodging Stirling's first slash, nearly toppling a stew pot from its campfire stand. Thingguy drew his own sword just in time to block Stirlingâs forward rush.

Thingguy laughed, as Stirling smirked.

âIn a real fight, thereâs not always going to be a clear space, is there?â Stirling said.

âAnd itâs more often than not, a surprise!â Thingguy replied, shoving Stirlingâs lighter katana back with his heavier hand-and-a-half sword.

A number of people were now reacting. Either scurrying away in consternation, or cheering the fight on. Either way, no one was getting close, and there was no attempt to make a concentric ring or border around the two opponents.

The two swordsmen eyed each other, having now regained the central lane. The space was too crowded with tents, campfires, and other fixtures to circle each other.

âThe stories say youâre one of the best swordsmen in the realm, Sir Thingguy.â

âAh, this is true.â

âI look forward to surprising you, then.â Stirling said, pulling his shield from his back. âMake you work for that title, I will.â

Thingguyâs grin was tempered to a piercing smirk as he analyzed Stirlingâs stance. Shield in front, on Striderâs left arm. Katana raised behind him in the right hand to strike. Bent knees. Low center of gravity. Stirling most likely expected him to come at him with heavy blows.

Neither man wanted to make the first strike.

Thingguy looked up from Stirlingâs stance to the man himself. Stirling was staring with steely intensity over the lip of his well-used Nexus Force Knightâs Shield. Though the Sentinel Logo could hardly be made out underneath all the scorch marks anymore.

âLooks like that shieldâs seen a lot of action!â Thingguy said. He knew he could goad Stirling into making the first attack, which would give him a chance to get past that impenetrable shield defense stance. He had to admire that.

âA lot of explosions, thatâs for sure.â

âWell, at least I know you can take a beating. But can you dish out as much as you take on?â Thingguy prompted.

âCan you!?â Stirling yelled, as he rushed forward, shield set to ram Thingguy, who had nowhere to dodge in the narrow lane.

Thingguy squatted low, twisting left to strike at Stirlingâs feet from his unshielded arm. which caused Stirling to swing his own Katana low to either parry or strike.

The two blades clashed in strikes turned to parrys, and the crowd around them roared with the clang.

Stirling continued his momentum, and ran past Thingguy, forcing the Katana into Thingguyâs sword, causing Thingguy, low, but off-balance, to roll backwards to deflect the blow. He twisted around, kneeling and facing Stirling, who had just finished sliding and spinning back around.

â''Gosh, heâs pretty fast for a fully armored individualâ'' Thingguy noted.

Stirling rushed with his shield again. Thingguy stood up, and feinted a thrust forward over the momentarily low shield. Stirling raised the shield in a decent attempt to disarm Thingguy, but Thingguy pulled the sword back, and spun around to Stirlingâs unprotected right side.

Momentarily blinded by his own raised shield, Stirling didnât see the blade coming around his right side till it was past his katanaâs defense.

âGah!â Stirling yelled in disgust as Thingguyâs sword lightly- expertly- nicked his right shoulder.

He shoved his shield directly at where he knew Thingguy was, and heard the solid whack of metal on skull. Pulling back the shield, he performed an upward slash with his Katana, but was parried by a dazed, but still capable, Thingguy.

Stirling pressed this small advantage, performing a flurry of strikes with his Katana, but Thingguyâs single two-handed sword was far too fast for his single-handed Katana.

Noting this, Stirling shook off the shield, tossing it down on the ground in front of him, before shoving it with his foot at Thingguy to try and trip him.

Thingguy had now recovered from the stunning shield blow, and now hopped lightly over the shield, as it skittered away. He parried yet another attack from Stirling, who was clearly becoming frustrated. Stirling was now using two hands for his Katana, and his blows were now stronger and faster, accordingly. However, Thingguy realized that he had him beat. Stirling might possibly be stronger, but his skill simply did not match his own.

Thingguy let Stirling advance, slashing and striking, and piercing and thrusting. All parried or evaded by him. Casting a cheeky glance back over his shoulder, Thingguy could see that they were re-approaching Stirlingâs discarded shield. Looking back at Stirling, he saw realization light up in Stirlingâs eyes. Thingguy had a plan for his shield.

In the tight lane, Stirling pressed Thingguy, causing them to turn so that the shield was a few feet to the side of them. Stirlingâs right. Thingguyâs left.

Thingguyâs smirk flashed dangerously.

And in a sudden moment, Stirling found himself defending a flurry of combinations heâd never seen before, as Thingguy used his legendary swordsmanship to press the advantage heâd had ever since Stirling had been tricked into going offensive. Suddenly, Stirling was being forced to step back and back, into the space between tents and campfires, desperately trying to avoid the sudden tornado that was made of a single blade in Thingguyâs hands.

So focused was Stirling on this shocking display of skill, that he didnât even have time to look where he was backing up to.

Now things were getting trashed. Tents, crockery, boxes. But by the roar of the crowd, it seemed like no one cared. Certainly, the two contestants did not. They were locked in a deadly battle, hardly aware of the onlookers.

Suddenly, Stirlingâs footing slipped out from underneath him as he stepped on his own shield, which shot out at an alarming rate from underneath him, directly at Thingguy.

The shield rammed edge-first into Thingguyâs midriff, getting caught up in his complex swordsmanship, and knocking the wind out of him, as well as his sword.

Now both men hit the dirt on their backs. Stirling was the first to recover, rolling once for an imagined strike that didnât come, and then pushing himself off the ground with a backwards roll to gain some clarity and distance on the situation. However, that only put him directly on Thingguyâs left, who, while still on the ground, and momentarily breathless, still had Stirlingâs shield in his grasp now.

For a half of a second, the two men stared in awkward surprise at each other. Then Thingguy, gripping Stirlingâs shield, shoved off from Stirling, pushing himself away in the process. As Thingguy rolled, he saw his sword a few feet away from him, and Stirling advancing from the other direction, Katana raised.

Stirling rushed forward, and struck repeatedly at the rolling Thingguy, but Thingguy used the shield to block the bone-shattering blows repeatedly.

Like a human lint-roller, Thingguy rolled over his own sword, and as Stirling brought his Katana down yet again, Thingguy thrust his sword up to Striderâs throat.

Stirlingâs Katana rang with a finality as it struck the shield that covered Thingguyâs throat, who lay on the ground, a single arm outstretched.

Without looking, Stirling could feel the cold tip of Thingguyâs sword on his neck, and he froze.

It was deathly silent.

Then the crowd '''''roared''''' their approval, and the two warriors finally took note of their surroundings.

âThat was a good fight!â Thingguy said, finally dropping the sword from Stirling.

Stirling nodded his agreement, as he sheathed his sword. âI suppose the legends do you justice. That was very impressive swordsmanship.âÂ He helped Thingguy up and accepted his shield back. âI donât think Iâve ever seen faster.â

Thingguy beamed. âThanks! Itâs all repetition and muscle memory. And then being able to adapt those combinations seamlessly into each other.â

Stirling frowned. âWere you toying with me the entire time, then?â

Thingguy shook his head. âOh, no. I knew I couldnât get around your shield. Weâd still be fighting if youâd stayed defensive.â

Stirling seemed disheartened. Thingguy chuckled. âOh, come on. Are you really that disappointed you lost?â

A small smile creased Stirlingâs mouth. âKinda.â

Thingguy laughed, and slapped the Samurai across the back, pulling an arm around him. âLook, you have an amazing defense. I just knew how to goad you into attacking. I used my wit as much as my skill in that fight.â

It took Stirling a moment to understand. âWait, what?â

âYeah! Just like what I did with the council and the monkey-talk. I knew what to say to make you do what I wanted.â

Stirling blinked a few times. âYouâ¦ Used your charisma to change the fight?â

Thingguy nodded. âExactly!â

âThat sounds like something my friend Peragrine would do.â

âSome people call it âtrash talkingâ. Some people call it getting into the opponentâs head. I just call it another skill. Another tool I can use in a fight. An invaluable one at that.â he patted Stirling. âJust like cheering your allies on, you can goad your enemies off balance.â

Stirling listened, considering.Â âThatâs aâ¦ Iâd never thought of it like that before.â

âThatâs why Iâm the best!â

Stirling grinned. âThat you are, Sir Thingguy.â

âCome on, Iâll get you a drink. Are you thirsty? Iâm thirsty. Rolling around in the dirt makes a man thirsty.â

Stirling chuckled. âI canât believe you won lying down. Thatâs just the most ridiculous part.â

âIf you think thatâs ridiculous, let me tell you about the time I won a fight with a slice of pizza.â

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

After nearly a week, things were finally getting wrapped up. Oswald had been officially released from his various duties around the Merry Band, and there was a new Tech Expert that Oswald had entrusted with various projects in his absence.Â During this time, Stirling and Thingguy would amuse themselves any way they could, having been ready to leave for days now. This usually consisted of walking around the camp.

Suddenly, Stirling struck up a conversation.

âI know Oswald is good for the technical side of things once we get there,â Stirling said to Thingguy. âBut I wonder how tough the guy really is. Do you think we can trust him to hold his own?â

Thingguy turned his attention from his surroundings to Stirling. âAre you worried we canât protect him?â

Stirling hesitated. âWell, yes.â

The two men walked for a moment, both giving the other a chance to say more, when they both realized they were thinking the same thing.

âWeâve both failed in that respect in the past,â Stirling said.

Thingguy nodded. âI know we canât protect everyone, but I also think Oswald can hold his own. After all, heâs a part of the Merry Band!â

Stirling still seemed uncertain, so Thingguy continued.

âAnd it was his choice. One heâs made with careful calculation, it would seem.â

âI suppose.â

âAnd if youâve failed in protecting others in the past, have you learned from those failures?â

â...â

When Stirling didnât respond, Thingguy stopped and turned to Stirling. âItâs only a failure if you donât learn from your mistakes. Guilt doesnât get you anywhere.â

Stirling was staring at the ground, and wasnât responding to Thingguy.

Thingguy thought back to what Stirling had told him about his past. How heâd been unable to protect his brother and best friend. How he hadnât even been there to protect them.

âHow am I supposed to learn from the Raid of Calibus?â Stirling asked, confirming Thingguyâs thoughts. âBeyond that I shouldnât have left them? But then Iâd be dead like everyone else. Dead, or missing. Scattered once again.â

Thingguy wracked his brain for application. Something to give to Stirling to focus on, but alas, he was at a loss.Â All he could think of wasâ¦

âThere was no way you could know what was going to happen. That doesnât excuse anyone; thatâs just facts.â

Stirling nodded, finally looking up at Thingguy, blinking back tears. âAnd I canât dwell on it if it stops me from moving forward. Only if it â¦ Uh, moves me forward.â

âDoes it?â

Stirling blinked away the last of his tears, and a familiar steely glint re-entered his eyes. âYes. Yes it does.â

Thingguy smiled, attempting to match Stirlingâs dangerous smile. âGood. Glad youâre on my side.âÂ Another point presented itself to Thingguy, and he raised a finger. âAlso, we can learn that we need strength in numbers to fight thedude. That we must remain united. Not scattered.â

âBut not too densely united, lest we be singularly wiped out in another terrible Raid.â

âTis a delicate balance, but one we ''must'' master!â

âAnd one we are looking to help resolve, by being able to call for reinforcements at the appropriate time.â

âVerily! Tis so!â

âRight.â

The two resumed walking.

âDo you think the nerds are done geeking out?â Stirling asked.

Thingguy shook his head, grinning. âDefinitely not. Give it a few more hours.â

"Right. Then perhaps teach me how to use that Olde Speech of yours. I'm afraid I'm terribly rusty."

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Eventually, Stirling and Thingguy came back and found Oswald reorganizing a much less cluttered wagon, with horses. A number of the heavier and bulkier items were now missing from his cart, and as Stirling and Thingguy clambered into the wagon, they could both appreciate how large the wagon truly was.

âGentlemen,â Oswald said in greeting, as he tucked a final bit of scrap into a footlocker. âPlease appreciate a full 5 by 7 wagon filled with nothing but entirely legal cargo.â

Thingguy nodded in appreciation. âI couldnât help but notice as we walked up that youâve attached the radar dish to the bottom of the wagon. Are you hiding the illegal stuff under there?â

Oswald smiled. âOh, you like that? Yeah, the dish clicks into place under there. And no. When I say thereâs no contraband stuff on my wagon, thereâs no contraband stuff on my wagon. That way, if I were to get searched or something, Iâm just a âsuspiciously lucky collectorâ instead of an outright criminal.

Stirling observed the inside of the wagon. It did indeed look much more nondescript. Everything was packed neatly away in sealed boxes, footlockers, and chests. In fact, it looked like a cargo wagon. Not at all like the wagon of a technical expert. Stirling attempted to lift the lid of a chest, but found it locked.Â Going to a plastic bin, he pulled the lid off of that, and looked in.

âClothes.â Stirling identified. âOswald, did you hide all your technological stuff behind lock and key?â

âOh, absolutely. If anyone were to find my collection, they might be inclined to keep it, even if itâs not contraband.â Oswald adjusted his glasses, and affected a slightly more polished tone âAnd as an avid collector, I, Oswald Yaccarino, do my best to protect my collection.â

âThatâs really smart.â

âThank you!â

Thingguy looked to the front of the wagon, where two horses were hooked up. âAnd who are these two fine fellows?â

Hitched up to the wagon were two brown horses of a decent, if ordinary build.

âTheyâre not mine. Not specifically anyway. Iâve used them before in the past to pull the wagon. I think that left oneâs named Bacon, and the otherâs namedâ¦ uh,â Oswald adjusted his glasses and stared at the darker brown horse. âBarkley? Berkeley? Beverly?â

Thingguy leaned back and sized the creature up. âShe looks like a Beverly to me.â

âIâd hate to be uncert-â

âBeverly it is!â Stirling said, and the matter was clearly dropped by the two warriors. âWhen do we leave?â

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 10: In Which Stirling Meets Ingrid, and Our Heros Depart. ===
It would take a few more hours of final goodbyes and last minute details. Details such as gettingÂ Stirling a new horse to ride and keep up with Thingguy and Oswald. Stirling had dismissed this more than once over the past few days, stating he had terrible luck with horses, and would simply ride in the wagon with Oswaldâ¦ But the issue kept coming up, and eventually, Stirling had to admit it was sensible for both warriors to be mobile.

For this, Stirling and Thingguy were told that they could get such a horse from the surplus of the Merry Band.

When they got there, the stablegirl, Sharla, was ready for them with a strawberry roan that she insisted was exactly what Stirling was looking for.

Apparently, the story of Stirlingâs poor luck with horses had gotten around, and the rumors of their immediate departure as well.

âHer name is Ingrid.â Sharla said empirically, leading the clearly irritated horse towards the two men.Â âInvincibile Ingrid. Sheâs faced thedudeâs forces a lotta times before we got her. Saved Sir Martinâs life more than once, Iâve been told.â

Stirling didnât bother to hide his doubt as Ingrid clearly pulled back on the lead, snorting with irritance. âShe seems a bit unruly.â

Behind Stirling, Thingguy cracked a smile, as he saw the similarities between the horse and the man. Both of them irritated, blind to each otherâs deep reserves of strength and resolve.Â He was with the stablegirl on this one. The two were clearly a perfect fit.

Meanwhile, the horse snorted, rolling her eyes to Stablegirl Sharla, as if to say, ''âReally? This guy?â''

Sharla didnât seem to notice. She slapped the lead rope into Stirlingâs outstretched hand, even as Stirling continued to question her. Â

âIs this Sir Martinâs horse then?â

âIt was. But he donât ride anymore. Too hard on him. Bad hips.â

Thingguy slapped Stirlingâs shoulder. âI take it that Sir Martin supports our endeavor very much then, to offer his own horse.â

Stirling glanced at Thingguy. Thingguy nodded encouragingly.

Ingrid glanced at Sharla. Sharla nodded firmly.

Both Horse and Samurai glanced back at each other.

And as one, they said âpffffft.â and turned away.

The horse spun around, and began walking back towards the pen gate with the rest of the horses, as Stirling tossed the lead back to the stablegirl and turned away to look at the rest of the horses.

âThere has to be a better candidate than ''that'' old mare!â he declared.

Both Thingguy and Sharla immediately began to protest, but at Stirlingâs declaration, stopped as soon as theyâd begun, for Ingrid had halted in mid-step.

âWhereâs a nice, strong '''stallion''' war-horse?â he said, leaning on the metal corral fencing. âDo you have any of those, Sharla?â

Ingridâs head whipped around and locked onto the oblivious Stirling, who was now pulling himself up onto the metal fencing to look out over the small herd of horses.

Sharla began to call out to warn Stirling, but Thingguy calmly put a hand over her mouth.

â''Shhh.â'' Â He whispered serenely. âThis is exactly what they both need.â

Stirling was now pointing off into the herd. âOh! How about that one there? It looks big and str-â

Ingrid turned full around. She locked onto the stupid humanâs stupid rear. Without a single sound, she trotted up to Stirling, and flipped him neatly over the fenceline, to have him land directly on his back.

With the wind knocked out of him, Stirling didnât finish his sentence, but instead stared in surprise up the muzzle of a furiously whinnying Strawberry roan.

In that moment, Stirling heard Ingrid speak to him.

For the first time, he heard horses talk. Â

It was the most honest, brutal, and foul-mouthed speech that he had heard in quite some time. And it was entirely about him.

âRight. Yes. Fair. Iâm all that and more. Are you in?â he asked, as soon as sheâd finished, which was thankfully right around the time heâd recovered his breath.

Ingrid appeared to consider it for a moment, glancing back at Sharla and Thingguy, who stood pensive off to the side.

She snorted once.Â â''Yes.â'' Â

Clear as day.

âFantastic,â Stirling said with less enthusiasm than he actually felt. As he found his feet, they both began talking at the same time.

â''But to be clear, if you remain an ignorant oaf of the previously mentioned proportions, I will not hesitate to kill you myself.â''

âAnd I assure you, I shall do my best to treat you with the proper respect in the future. Forgive me?â

Ingrid raised her nose up snootily. â''Yes. Also, your back is covered in manure.â''

âAh. Well. Whoâs fault is that?â ''Â ''

''âYours.â''

Stirling couldnât come up with a witty retort for that, so he simply grunted and turned to their audience of two.

Thingguy was beaming with barely contained laughter, while the stablegirl was grinning smugly. âSee? I told you!â

Stirling attempted to save his dignity. âYour horse attempted to kill me.â

âSo yâ know sheâs a real tough cookie! A killer! Sheâs perfect! Just admit it.â

Ingrid turned her long face to stare at Stirlingâs ear.Â Stirling rolled his eyes. He got down on his knees to be eye-level with the stablegirl. Took a deep breath.

âSharlaâ¦â Stirling said, looking reproachfully at Thingguy, who was now using his hands to physically stifle his laughter. Stirling sighed, accepting his serving of humility and humble pie. âShe's perfect. Youâre right.â

The young girl smiled delightedly, clapping her hands. âI knew it! I-knew-it, I-knew-it, I-knew-it!â She skipped off, calling back, âI have to go do somâmore chores, but your horse is here as well, Sir Thingguy! Just call âim!â

âWill do!â Thingguy called back, and then he turned to the corral.

âDEAAAAAAAADBEAAAAAAT!â

A distant whinny went up, and Thingguy laughed. Then he turned to Stirling, who seemed a little deflated. Perhaps stunned.

âSoooooâ¦â Thingguy began, smiling. âWere you talking with your horse there?â

Stirling looked up, looked at Ingrid, and then the two of them looked back at Thingguy.

â â''Donât you?â â'' They both said.

<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Late that evening, the group finally rode east, away from the Merry Band, who once again were packing up and moving to their own next destination.

There were no more goodbyes, no waving. The only looking back was done by Oswald, and then again, not to any particular person, but to the whole moving Caravan as a whole. Much later, he would look back at the forest-line. A forest he hadnât left inâ¦

Oswald thought hard. âGosh. Years.â He racked his brain for a specific number. âLetâs see. I went into hiding 1 year into thedudeâs reign, because I wanted to learn more about technology instead of cobblering. So, 5, almost 6 years.âÂ He glanced back at the treeline. At its safety. Turning to look forward at the world heâd left years ago, he felt ''terribly'' exposed out here on the open plains of Far Eastern Morcia.

â''This must be what a field mouse feels like before a hawk gets itâ'' he realized.

Then his eyes anchored themselves onto his two travelling companions, who seemed perfectly at home up ahead on their two horses. Sir Stirling, and Sir Thingguy.

â''I guess in this analogy though, Iâm no field mouse. Iâmâ¦ Well, Iâm a man in a cart.â'' Oswald nodded to himself. â''No need to confuse myself. No need for analogies. Iâm the weakest of the group, for sure, but theyâre both strong enough to make up for that. And, of course, Iâm smart enough to make up for the both of them. Hopefully. If we get that far.â'' Â He glanced up at the huuuuge sky, expecting Barneybots and Fighters to come out of the clouds and bomb them to oblivionâ¦

But they didnât. Just the occasional bird, soaring high in the big blue sky.

Even with the late start theyâd had leaving the Merry Band, they made decent time, riding over the relatively flat plains. Oswald with his head on a swivel, getting used to the wide openness of everything, and the two fighters, outwardly relaxed, as if on a weekend jaunt, talking with each other, and their horses.

Late into the evening, they came across a main road that ran North and South.

As Oswald came closer to the road, Thingguy called out to him, pointing North.

âThis road runs north to the town of Leer!â

Oswald simply nodded, but didnât reply until he was within casual conversation distance. As he turned north onto the road, he asked, âDo you think we can make it there tonight?â

Thingguy shook his head. âNo. Well, not unless we went through the night. Which we ''couldâ¦â'' Thingguy considered.

Deadbeat chuffed, causing Thingguy to respond. âOh come on, it would do you good. Youâve gotten all fat and soft during our time at the Merry Band. Honestly, can you count how many oats they gave you there?â

Deadbeat nickered, his eyes shifting in embarrassment.

âThatâs what I thought.â Thingguy said, reproachfully. Deadbeat whinnied defensively, but Thingguy ignored him, having clearly won the argument this time. He leaned over and addressed Stirling, who was flanking the other side of the cart now. âWhat do you think, Strider? Should we go through the night and arrive at Leer perhaps aroundâ¦ midnight?â

Stirling shook his head. âArriving at the town late at night will raise questions. But riding through the night isnât irregular this far east. Lots of robbers and scavengers on this road on the edge of Morcia. Desert-based bandits too, if the pickings are slim on the East Way. Which they have been.â

Ingrid snorted in agreement.

Oswald turned back to Thingguy. âIâm willing to ride through the night, but perhaps we just camp outside the city if we arrive there too early?â

âMy thoughts exactly, Oss!â Thingguy said.

Oswald twitched at the attempt at a nickname. âOss?â

Thingguy flashed a grin at the young man before spurring Deatbeat forward, and out of the conversation.

âThat wonât stick!â Oswald yelled after him.

Stirling failed to stifle a chuckle, causing Oswald to turn on him. âYou got that? It wonât stick. I won-â

âSure thing, Oss.â Stirling said, hiding his smile behind a gauntlet.

âOssâ stared at Stirling, who didnât rush away.

âThink of it this way,â Stirling said. âIt could have been âWaldâ.â

âThat actually makes more sense.â

Stirling thought about it, rolling his eyes up into his head. ââOssâ, or âWoldâ?â

âNo, âWaldâ.â

âThatâs what I said. âWoldâ.â

âNo, you said âWoldâ. Thatâs ''completely'' different from âWaldâ!

Now both of them were staring at each other, completely baffled by the other.

âSay it again,â Stirling said, straining his ears.

Oswald took a deep breath and enunciated. â âWaldâ...â

âUh-huhâ¦?â

âversus âWoldâ.â

Slowly, Stirling nodded. âYup. Sound exactly the same.â

Oswald blinked furiously. âNo! You-â he paused. âYou must be pulling my leg.â he concluded. âTheyâre completely different. Oneâs an old word for a forested area, and the otherâs an old word used for an open, sorta hilly, grassy plain. Similar to what weâre in now, actually.â he finished, looking around. âWhich is actually pretty enjoyable, now that Iâm getting over the fear of getting spotted from above by bombing barneybots.â

Ingrid snorted.

Stirling patted her comfortingly as he followed Oswaldâs gaze into the dimming evening sky. âI mean, thereâs no reason for barneybots to patrol this stretch of road. Weâd have to be pretty unlucky to have to deal with that. And even if we did, Oswald,â he looked back down at the man. âYouâre just an avid tech collector, remember?â

Oswald took a moment to remember, but then he smiled, and adopted his posh demeanor. âAh yes. Very rightly so.â He straightened his coat, and then pulled out a brown bowler hat from below his seat. âI do say, I know how to spiffy up if and when the need might arise!â

Stirling grinned. âYouâre certainly the brains and face of our party. Thingguy and I just look like your hired mercenaries, although heâs certainly got a lot of charisma for a guy in used and dirty chainmail.â

Oswald refocused his attention on guiding the horses for a moment as he looked directly ahead to Thingguy, who looked like he was out for a sunday jaunt, taking in the fresh wide-open air.

âSir Thingguy is certainly very moving. And regal, when he wants to be. Never met him personally before last week, but I do recall hearing about him before thedude won.â

âOh?â

âYeah. Stories of him, Sir Talmid, and Sir Luke leading King Matthiasâs troops into battle. I always thought they were a bit over-the-top. Until I met him. Now I donât doubt those tales at all.â

Stirling nodded. âIâve heard some of the stories. But Iâm not surprised by all that. Tell you what I ''am'' surprised by.â

âWhat?â

âHis perpetual good mood.â

âWhat do you mean?â

Stirling threw an arm out towards Thingguy, who appeared to be talking to his horse again. âI mean, this guyâs lost all his friends, lost a war, is stranded on a foreign planet, has only his horse, and the items on his back, no directionâ¦â

Thingguy took that moment to laugh at something his horse had apparently said.

Stirling shook his outstretched hand, looking at Oswald. âYet, see? This guy can laugh at anything.â Now he shook his head. âI donât really get it.â

Oswald considered this, chewing his lip. âThatâs a good point. Kinda figured itâs just the power of positive thinking, butâ¦ Well, that doesnât work for me when things wonât go my way.â

Stirling grunted. âSame. And things havenât been my way forâ¦ going on 3 years now.â

âSince you arrived, right?â

âYeah.â

âHeyâ¦â Oswald leaned towards Stirling. âMaybe itâs just this whole blasted planet.â

Stirling chuckled. This somehow tickled him in a dark humor kind of way. âYeah. Maybe.â At least that way, his failures these past 3 years weren't just on him being a complete loser. âYeah. I like that.â

Oswald straightened up. âI mean, actually, no. Technically speaking, to curse an entire planet would-â

âTech curse. The Old Sorcerer did it, didnât he?â Stirling said, now minorly invested in the âcursed planetâ theory.

Oswald paused, taking a moment to organize his thoughts. âWell, yes. He did. Some say he zombified himself doing that though. Like, he used up his entire life-force, but his body was still healthy, so they entombed him in such a way that if he ever woke up, he could get up and get out. Or that the tech curse required him to still be âaliveâ to remain active, I think? So his body was preservedâ¦?â

Stirling raised his eyebrows. âI just heard that it took a lot out of him, so he was like, super weak. Nothing specific like that.â

Oswald shrugged. âI mean, specifics from a story of a legend of a theory of word of mouth. Plenty of potential inaccuracies. Donât quote me.â

âFair.â

âBut to curse a whole planet withâ¦ negative events? Negative force?â

âBad luck?â

âSure. Bad luck.â Oswald readjusted his glasses. âI donât study magic, obviously, but the energy needed for that would be even more immense than the equivalent energy we need for this radio signal to work properly!â

Stirling raised an eyebrow. âYou say that like magical energy and imagination energy can be equated.â

Oswald physically stopped himself from doing the mental math of trying to figure out how much energy he was talking about. There were too many variables in that problem to make it worthwhile. âWell, depending on the magic user and the way their magic works, sure. Magical energy is still energy. At some point, it doesnât fluctuate anymore. Or it shouldnât. If it does, it has a certain amount that it fluctuates, so you can measure it within that much of a margin.â

Stirling blinked a few times, re-running that last bit in his head a few more times. âBut, I thought âmagic is simply science we donât understandâ. If youâre understanding it, is it science and not magic anymore?â

Oswald shook his head. âMagic is still science we donât understand. But different people understand different amounts of science. Whatâs magic to you isnât magic to me. Magic and science are the same thing, just labeled differently for different people. Magic is subjective. Whatâs magic and whatâs science is in the eye of the beholder.â Oswald grinned. âAnd I came up with that by myself.â

Stirling frowned, looking down at his gauntlets blankly for a moment.

âFor example,â Oswald said, seeing Stirling still thinking. âYour using Imagination the other day on your Nexus Force earpiece. To me, that was magic.â

Stirling glanced up at Oswald. âBut, thatâs just tech.â

âBut I didnât know how it works. I mean, itâs been explained to me, but I still havenât been able to open it up and observe it piece by piece, so I still donât completely get it. Therefore, I call it magic.â

âSo, would you call yourself a wizard?â

âA Tech-Wizard, sure! Iâm no sorcerer; donât have magic coming out of my fingers. Iâm no warlock; I donât have powers from some other source or curse. Some might call me an alchemist, since I combine various items together, but that would be disrespectful of actual alchemists who use raw elements.â Oswald sighed wistfully. âIâd give a lot to be able to learn alchemy, actually. That sounds really awesome.â

Ingrid snorted at the mention of alchemy, and Stirlingâs attention was diverted for a moment.

âIâve heard that term before, but I donât really know what it means.â he said, as much to Ingrid as Oswald.

âWhat, alchemy?â Oswald asked.

âYeah.â

Oswald bolted wide awake. âOh gosh! Let me tell you all about it!â

Belatedly, Stirling realized heâd made a terrible mistake, as Oswald proceeded to geek out about what little he knew about the frowned-upon practice of Alchemy.

<nowiki>~~~~~~</nowiki>

Quite a few hours later, Stirling was still listening to Oswald when Thingguy called a halt.

âWe should make camp here for the night,â Thingguy explained. âIf my understanding is correct, weâll be able to see Leer by going over that next little rise there in the morning.â

âSounds good!â Stirling said, dismounting suddenly in an attempt to escape Oswald.

Oswald nodded. âAlright, Sir Thingguy.â

The three made camp quickly and easily. The four horses were unsaddled, and staked together to graze and rest. The two warriors pitched tents, while Oswald simply covered himself up in his wagon.

Within minutes of lying down, the two warriors were sound asleep, leaving Oswald to stare at a completely open night sky alone.

<nowiki>~~~~~~</nowiki>

=== Chapter 11: In which our heroes beat around the bush called Leer, and observe various vehicles going to and fro. ===
Early the next morning, the threesome quickly got saddled up and back on the road, none the worse for wear.

Cresting the next hill, the town of Leer came into view, proving that Thingguy knew his stuff.

The three men sized the place up.

Leer was often called the âLast Western Townâ, but really, it was more of a large city. The last large city before the largely empty and wild Brownlands. Leer had no walls, but plenty of Towers built in irregular circles radiating out from the center of the old town. As the city had grown and grown with trade, more and more towers had been built on what had been the outskirts of the city at the time, causing it to now have towers of varying quality and strength throughout the city now. It was a main trading port, situated as it was at the western end of the Great East Way. A hub of commerce, where one could get just about anything for the right price. Nowhere else in the Land of Morcia did money speak as loudly as it did here.

However, since thedude had declared war on the Eastern Empires of Cheinir and Jepuni, the city of Leer, and indeed all of the Great East Way was filled with a different form of commerce.

The commerce of war.

Stirling, Thingguy, and Oswald noted with varying degrees of wariness the heavy presence of Paradox Rogues, flying Barneybots, and even Barney Fighters.Â As they watched, they saw a heavily armored military column making its own way out of town, East. Motorized transports, horses, covered caravans, and even camels all made their way into the dusty Brownlands. Off to war with the Empires.Â Above them, Barneybots hovered thickly, inadvertently providing shade for some below them.

Suddenly, Oswald gasped, and the two others followed his gaze.

Above even the Barneybots, a few red dots flew high above, in the bright blue sky.

âOh hey, look at that,â Thingguy said. âThey have some red mythrans.â

Stirling glared up at them. âAnd weâre standing here like freaking idiots.â

âTourists.â Thingguy peeked sideways at Oswald. âIsnât that right, Mr. Yaccarino?â

Oswald attempted a posh âYepâ but all that his terrified, dry mouth could offer was a pitiful croak.

Then it was Stirlingâs turn to gasp. âTanks!â He pointed back at the ground, where a number of tanks were now rolling out from the city of Leer. âHonest to goodness, bona-fide tanks!â

Thingguy raised his eyebrows. âWonder where heâs manufacturing those?â

Stirlingâs gawking turned back to his customary frown. âWell, I know where theyâre getting the raw ore, thatâs for sure. Stillâ¦ Iâd really like to get my hands on one of those tanks.â

Now it was Thingguyâs turn to gasp and pointÂ âLook! A Helicopter!â

Stirling and Oswald followed Thingguyâs leather-bound pointer finger, and there, rising out from the buildings and towers of Leer was a small black helicopter, flanked by a squad of Barneybots. As it rose, quickly gaining altitude, the words âPARCEL DELIVERYâ could be seen painted on the helicopter. Then the copter quickly pulled away, guarded by four Barneybots who kept pace with it as it puttered into the east, outpacing the caravan below it.

âWonder if they transport people too?â Thingguy said. âThen we could get a helicopter ride!â

Stirling frowned. âIâm more worried about where heâs manufacturing all this.â

Oswald nodded, clearly terrified. â...Power.â he croaked. The two older men glanced back at him, and Oswald spoke up, looking away from the Caravan.

âAhem. Meant to say, âthatâs a lot of powerâ.â

Stirling nodded gravely. Thingguy pursed his lips.

âTrue!â Thinnguy said. He turned back to the Caravan. âBut itâs not focused on us. Itâs focused on the east.â Thingguy followed the road east with his eyes. âFirst Builders save them.â

ââCause we sure canât.â Stirling grumbled negatively.

âNot ''yet''.â Thingguy finished positively.

The three men all watched the Caravan for a long time, morbidly counting the strength of the forces. Thinking their own personal thoughts. Eventually, the end of the Caravan exited the city. From their vantage point, they could barely see the front of the caravan as a distant point in the horizon.

âCome on,â Stirling said. âWe should get a move on.â

âToo true!â Thingguy replied. He turned to Oswald. âWhich way, Mr. Yaccarino? Into town, or around and Northward?â

Oswald was surprised. He looked at Thingguy, and then at Strider, who both returned his look with expectancy.Â âItâs up to me?â

âYouâre the fancy collector, Mr. Yaccarino,â Stirling said, adopting a bored and stupid expression. âWeâre just the hired muscle.â

âIf I might make a suggestion,â Thingguy offered. Oswald quickly nodded, so Thingguy continued. âIf we go into town, youâre going to have to take point, so as to avoid suspicions. But if we donât need to go into town, we can just circumnavigate the town, and head to our destination directly. Shouldnât take more than a day or two.â

Oswald thought about it briefly. âWe definitely donât have a need to go into town, except to keep up pretenses. But if weâre not stopped by anyone or anything, we donât need those pretenses anyway. So letâs just focus on our main objective, until something stops us. Then we focus on keeping that objective under pretenses.â He glanced down at Thingguy. âMakes sense?â

Thingguy gave a thumbs up. âPerfect.â He looked out over the city of Leer. âCircumnavigating, it is!â He pointed Northeast. âThatâs our direction.â

The crew made their way down from their vantage point, and began making their way in that direction, every once in a while casting a cautionary glance at the ever-closer looming towers of Leer.

As they did, Oswald fished around for a set of binoculars, which he then used to take a look at the men atop one of the towers.

It appeared that the City was at peace with thedude. A number of Paradox Rogues were on each tower, but there was also a presence of local militia and guardsmen atop each one as well.

As they got as close as they were going to get to Leer on their current trajectory, they heard the sounds of another helicopter.

They all searched the sky for one, but Thingguy saw it first.

âThere! Itâs coming from the east!â

The others turned to see it. A small helicopter puttered itâs way into Leer, with a single heavily damaged Barneybot as itâs vanguard. This copter had âMAIL DELIVERYâ painted in white on itâs dull grey metal exterior.

âLooks like bandits or something nearly got that mail delivery,â Stirling noted, his hand on his bow.

The others agreed, and they continued walking. Thingguy sighed wistfully. âImagine if we had a helicopter to our destination, though.â

Stirling shook his head, about to argue why that was a bad ideaâ¦ but then Oswald did that for him.

âWell, if we took a helicopter, it would be fairly easy to track us to our destination,â he said. âAnd thatâs even if we could get through the city without raising suspicions. No, the less we risk interaction with members of thedudeâs society, the better.â

Stirling nodded. âThe kidâs right.â

Thingguy sighed wistfully.

Deadbeat whinnied, bringing Thingguy out of his reverie.

âWhat?! How could you not like a nice, relaxing helicopter ride?!â

Stirling failed to hold back a laugh, even as Ingrid snorted, getting in on the conversation. A conversation that only the horses could hear in full. Still, Stirling enjoyed listening to what he could.

''âQuite easily, Sir Thingguy. As horses, we are more capable on the ground, with all four hooves on the ground!â'' Ingrid.

Deadbeat whinnied in agreement.

âWhatâd she say?â Thingguy asked.

Stirling reiterated. âShe says that horses are horses, and they belong on the ground, not up in the sky.â

Ingrid stomped a hoof and tossed her mane. ''âThat is most certainly not what I said!â''

âOh, sorry, was what I said inaccurate?â Stirling asked Ingrid, smiling.

''âOnly in that it implies horses are physically incapable of leaving the ground. I could go on a helicopterâ¦ If it were absolutely necessary.â'' Ingrid neighed defensively.

âI meanâ¦ I suppose getting all of us and the cart onto a helicopter would be really expensiveâ¦â Thingguy relented, patting his pockets. âSeems to me theyâre in thedudeâs back pocket anyway, and wouldnât give a couple of freedom fighters a lift.â

Oswald spoke up. âIndeed. I was just looking at the towers there, and thereâs a mix of local guardsmen and Paradox Rogues on each tower. Seems to me that Leer is One Hundred Percent thedude.â

Stirling scoffed. âThat makes a lot of sense, the money-grubbers.â

The crew continued northeast, crossing the road that ran out of Leer and off into the east, going up and over a rise. As they did so, Thingguy pointed to a large mountain in the distance.

âThereâs our target. Or thereabouts.â

âThat lone mountain have a name?â Stirling asked.

Thingguy nodded. âMount Servus. Rumors are that the cruiser crashed right at the foot of it.â

Oswald piped up. âWhich side?â

Thingguy faltered in his reply. âIâ¦ have no idea.â

Stirling stifled a chuckle, as Oswald stared at the Knight. âYou just know itâs âat the foot of Mount Servusâ?â

Thingguy shrugged. âYeah! I figure the cruiserâll be easy to spot once we get closer.â

Stirling nodded. âCertainly.â

Oswald stared into space for a moment, containing his frustration over the inexactness of his fellow travellers. âO-kay,â he squeaked.

They traveled all day at a steady pace, stopping to rest whenever they needed, which was usually whenever Deadbeat found a patch of passably green turf to nibble on, or when the cart caught a snag on the rough terrain.

Stirling gauged the distance. âAt our current pace, we might reach it tomorrow, late morning, I think.â

Ingrid snorted, glancing at Deadbeat with slight disdain. ''âSooner, if he stopped getting distracted by every morsel of greenery.â''

âThis is true,â Stirling said.

Deadbeat whinnied a response that only Thingguy and Ingrid understood. ''âItâs not my fault! If Thingguy had packed more oats, I wouldnât be starving to death in this dreary place!â''

âHey!â Thingguy exclaimed. âI did too pack those oats! Itâs not my fault you cleverly snuck into your own saddlebags on our first night out! Honestly, Iâm still amazed at how you did thatâ¦â

Deadbeat turned his long face to look at his rider. ''âI told you, I didnât eat them. Which means you must have forgotten to pack them.â''

âLiar.â

''âNo, you.â''

One of the cart horses, Bacon, snorted.

The other cart horse, Beverly turned and nickered quietly to Bacon.

Oswald leaned forward. âBaconâ¦?â

Staring into the ground, Bacon nickered quietly back to Beverly. This caused Beverly to look from Bacon to Deadbeat in apparent surprise. She neighed something to Deadbeat. Deadbeatâs ears shot straight up.

''âOh.â''

âWhat? What is it, old boy?â

''âI guess you did pack them.â''

âOf course I packed them, doofus!â Thingguy said, slapping his horse affectionately to soften his name-calling. And the fact that he was right.

''âCause Bacon admits to eating them all.â'' Deadbeat glared at Bacon, who seemed to physically wilt under the accusing gaze.

Stirling and Oswald were flitting their gazes between all of this, entirely lost now.

âIâm sorry, does someone want to explain why weâre not moving?â Stirling asked.

Ingrid tossed her mane. ''âIt appears we have TWO gluttons in our group. And itâs the two stallions, of course.â''

Stirling looked from the angry Deadbeat to the forlorn Bacon. âAh. I see. Well.â

Oswald followed Stirlingâs gaze. âDoes your horse have a problem with Bacon, Sir Thingguy?â

Thingguy took a nervous breath through his teeth. â âparrently Bacon ate Deadbeatâs oats last night?â

Bacon nickered mournfully. Or maybe that was his stomach.

âOh. Well.â Oswald glanced back into the wagon. âThen I suppose Deadbeat can eat Baconâs oats here.â

The ears of all four equines perked up, but none more than Deadbeatâs. ''âHow much?â''

Thingguy echoed his horseâs question. In response, Oswald reached behind him and wrestled a heavy bag of oats out from the cart and into his lap. âThis much?â

Deadbeat snorted distainfully. ''âI suppose that will have to do.â'' He rolled his eyes back to facing front, and started walking again, justice having been served.

Thingguy smiled. âDeadbeat appreciates it.â He paused a moment before adding, âAnd so do I.â He also now turned to face front, and leaned forward to whisper what was clearly apologies for ever doubting his horse.

Ingrid watched the two veterans for a moment before following and nickering softly to Stirling. ''<nowiki/>'They have a strong bond.'''

Stirling nodded, then remembered that his horse couldnât necessarily see his nodding. So he patted her once. âYeah. Theyâve been pretty lucky.âÂ Behind him, Oswald followed with the cart.

''<nowiki/>'I and Sir Martin were very close, but not like that.'<nowiki/>'' She turned her neck to look back at Stirling. ''<nowiki/>'He was very kind and intuitive, but we didn't talk. Not like this. Not like Sir Thingguy and Deadbeat.'''

Stirling stared back at the large, steady, equine eye. âAs you well know, Iâve never talked with a horse like this before, either.â

''âIn actuality, I did not.â''

âOh. Well, now you do.â

''âI want you to promise me something.â''

An eyebrow raised in instinctual suspicion on Stirlingâs face. âWhat sort of promise?â

Ingrid looked back at Thingguy and Deadbeat.Â ''âTrust. Can we trust each other? Can you trust me?â''

Stirling didnât answer right away. He wanted to give such a serious question some serious thought.

Ingrid glanced back once, surprised to see Stirling thinking about it. ''âWhy are you hesitating?â'' she asked.

âDo you know about my previous steeds? How they usually end up dead, lost, or otherwise unfit for continued service?â Stilring asked quietly, not looking at Ingrid.

''âSomewhat.Â The Stablegirl told me some of it, but to be honest, I did not pay much heed to it.â''

âWell, suffice to say that most of it is not embellishment. I have had terrible luck with horses. I live an uncertain and vagabond lifestyle nowadays, and I havenât found a horse who can take a hit like I can.â

''âHave you armored your horses?â'' Ingrid asked, pointedly. ''âLike how you armor yourself?â''

Stirling stared at Ingridâs neck. âHmm. No, I guess I havenât. It would be expensive, or perhaps cost me a bit of a favorâ¦ But Iâd never thought of it.â

Ingrid snorted. ''âThat would be a good start.â''

Stirling nodded. âItâs a very good idea. And unlike other horses, I donât think it would slow you down.â

''âA slow horse is better than no horse, Sir Silverstine.â''

âVery true.â

''âBut you still have not answered my question.â''

Now he replied quickly. âI want to trust you, Ingrid,â Stirling said. âBut trust is not something given. Itâs something earned, through actions and deeds.â Ingrid tensed underneath him, but Stirling continued. âAnd beyond me trusting you, I donât think you should trust me. Not based on my track record with your kind.â

Ingrid nickered softly, but firmly. ''âLet me stop you there. I intend to break your so-called âbad luckâ. Your âtrack recordâ, your whatever else you want to call it. Leave that to me.â'' Now it was Stirlingâs turn to listen, as Ingrid continued, her hooves stomping to accentuate her words in Stirling's mind. ''âWhat I want to know is, do you trust and believe me when I say so? When I say something, will you believe me, or will you doubt my strength? My words?â''

Stirling frowned, and he didnât need to see Ingridâs long face or eyes to see that she was doing the equine equivalent as well. He rubbed her as he responded. âItâs not that I donât ''want'' to trust you, Ingrid. I ''want'' to trust you, or Oswald, or Thingguy, or heck, anyone!Â But if thereâs one thing Iâve learned in these past few years, itâs that you ''canât trust anyone''. Anything. Everyone will let you down. One way or another. At one point or another.â He sneered ruefully. âItâs something my father once told me. And now heâs dead.â

''âThat is a fatalistic attitude,â'' the horse replied.

âItâs based on experience.â the samurai retorted.

''âI intend to break that experience,â'' Ingrid snapped. Again, she swung her head to look back at her rider. Again, she asked, ''âDo you trust me?â''

âDo you?â Stirling growled.

A tense moment followed, and the unanswered questions were left to hang in the air, as Ingrid turned her eye away from Stirling and back towards their destination.

Mount Servus.

<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>

The group traveled up and over a few dozen gentle hills, with a warm easterly wind continually hugging their right. Behind them, Leerâs towers rose and fell, watching them from behind. Ahead, Mount Servus did the same. Underneath the two points watchful gaze, conversation ceased. Everyone focused their attentions and energy on cresting the next hill in front of them. And the next one. And the next.

As evening arrived, Thingguy and Deadbeat led the group over yet another scraggly hill. As he reached the top, he turned back to the others.

âGentlemen,â he said, sweeping a hand out grandly. âThere she is, the crashed cruiser.â

Stirling and Ingrid crested the hill next, and the two looked down at the cruiser.

There were still some more hills to go between this taller point and the cruiser that sat at the bottom of Mount Servus, but the massive metal structure was indeed still visible from this position, a dark blue shape in the shadows of the land around it. It seemed mostly intact and upright from this position, if perhaps somewhat lodged into the ground. The unnatural gouge in the land behind it that trailed off west was also a sign of itâs crash-landing from all those years ago.

âMajestic, even in itâs fallen state.â Thingguy said. Stirling nodded, as Oswald came up behind them.

âGoodness, itâs huge!â Oswald exclaimed. The two cart horses huffed, glad for the chance to catch their breaths after pulling the cart up this particular hill.

Stirling stared at the ship, stunned. A flurry of emotions that heâd been ignoring found a chance to renew their assault against his conscious mind with this physical reminder of his other commitments.Â It occurred to him that he hadnât reported for duty in almost three years. That the Nexus Force had abandoned Militiregnum. That he missed the Nexus Force. That he hadnât seen any of his friends or allies in the Nexus Force for nearly 3 years. That even if they wondered what had happened to him, it was extremely likely that they didn'tâ even know he was alive. That technically, somewhere, there was an official list in Paradox Rogue records with his name listed as âdeadâ, thanks to his dead brother. That he missed his brother. And his friends. And his Family. His home. His job.

His purpose. What the Crux was his purpose anym-

Thingguyâs rough hand gripping his shoulder shook Stirling out of his reverie. âMajesticâ¦â Thingguy repeated reverently, visibly emotional. âNow imagine a whole fleet of these beautiful birds coming down at just the right time to save us all!â

Stirling nodded, unable to trust his voice at the moment. He attempted to swallow his own emotions down. Now was not the time.

Oswald on the other hand, let his singular emotion of awe flow out. âA whole __fleet__ of these? You mean the Nexus Force has more of these monolithic wonders of metal and technology?!â

Thingguy shook Stirlingâs shoulder once more, giving a piercing smile to Stirling, before Deadbeat trotted over to the wagon. âThatâs right, Oswald! Why are you so surprised? Those dots in the sky are ships and mobile stations similar to what you see down there. You know that, donât you?â

Oswald stammered, his slackjawed mouth trying to grin and talk at the same time. âW-well, y-y-yes! But, I-I- I suppose I just never quite r-re-realized the immensity of such distant objects! How does one even find this much raw ore for such a ship?!â

âAsteroids.â Stirling said, clearing his throat, and doing his best to focus on the immediate situation. âSpace has lots of asteroids with good ore, for one, and the ability to visit uncountable worlds also helps.â Stirling turned to Thingguy. âIsnât that right?â

Thingguy nodded. âThat, and having the Imagination Nexusâs help, when possible, is an immense advantage. But enough standing around! How about we head closer to this monolith, and the end of our journey?â

Deadbeat nickered in disapproval.

âTired?â Thingguy replied. He turned and looked at the other horses, who immediately put on their most tired-looking guises. âWell, I suppose that is true. Weâve made great progress today.â

The three men looked back at the distant tips of the towers of Leer.

âThe horses ''have'' done a ''lot'' today,â Oswald said. âI think camping a few hours before sundown would be good today. I have a barrel of water they can drink out of in the wagon. They deserve it too, after lugging it around."

Stirling and Thingguy both turned from looking at the towers to each other.

âIt would be less suspicious to camp up here in sight,â Stirling said. âNo doubt weâre being watched, itâs just a matter of how closely.â

âI agree,â Thingguy said, his usual smile replaced by a thoughtful smirk. âWe should keep a watch, but not an obvious one.â

âIâll go first.â

âIâll go second then.â

âOswald, would you take third watch?â Stirling asked.

âUuuh, sure!â

âGreat. Then letâs set up camp for the night.â

As all three of the men dismounted, Ingrid nuzzled Stirling. ''âJust for the record, I could have continued.â''

Stirling smiled and rubbed her neck. An unspoken ''âI know.â'' He followed up by whispering, âYou and I would already be there if it were up to just you and I. You donât have to convince me.â He turned and looked at the others. Thingguy was having a similar hushed conversation with his horse, and Oswald was busy blocking the wheels of his cart so it wouldnât roll away once he unhitched Bacon and Beverly. âBut weâre not in a rush anyway. At least, Iâm not. And whatâs slowing us down is valuable. Useful.â He turned back to Ingridâs big equine face. âSo, enjoy the rest.â

Ingrid blinked once. ''âVery well.â''

With an early end to their day, the group casually set up camp, even making a campfire to heat up various rations for a warm and scrumptious dinner meal. As the sun finally set, Thingguy and Oswald went to sleep, while Stirling took first watch.
[[Category:Stories by JamesAT13]]
[[Category:Stories]]
[[Category:The Additional Manuscripts]]