Introduction
Update: The Illegal Army ~The Knights reach the court of Sor and Loki and Xeroux face trial. With Oseal's scorched cape the trial tips in their favor and they manage to win their innocents. With the trial won, Loki decides to stay behind in Sor and make sure that the investigation on Oseal goes smoothly. The Knight's say goodbye to their friend and pick up a new companion, a royal guard, Artemis Maximus, who was assigned to join the Knight's from the King of Sor himself. The Knight's, with Artemis, make their way off-world to their next assignment. Aden Malkini, the Knight's old Commander who had abandoned them on Usin, had assembled a citizen army on the planet of Iceveng and intended on bringing the army to Usin to defeat the rebels there. The formation of this army was illegal and it was the Knight's job to meet Malkini and gather information on the illegal army. The Knights land in the deserts of Iceveng and find Malkini with his army of Kingsmen, descendants of former Neahians who immigrated to Sora. Malkini reveals that the army he assembled had united much of southern Iceveng, and had gone under the name the Propro Republic. Malkini then said that the armies next target was a city-state called the Kingdom of Tristonople. The Knights, not knowing what to do next, secretly contact Commander Roka, who had met up with a Sorillian Legion and the Legion's Commander, General Bogby. Roka informed the Knights that they should join Malkini in taking the city, and that the city would most likely fall apart after a few days under Malkini's and the Kingsmen's rule. That was when they would enter the city and capture the illegal army, when Malkini's city was on the edge of chaos. The Knights, with their orders in mind, help Malkini take the city. The army, met with almost no resistance, takes the city almost instantaneously, but Malkini and the Kingsmen, wanting a grand battle, proceeds to lead a slaughter on the city guards. The Knights confront Malkini over this who puts a stop to the violence, proclaiming that they had victory. After a few days in the city the Knights notice that the Kingsmen were able to run things without many incidents, largely due to two Kingsmen brothers, Nulix and Vecked Princeton, who controlled a large part of Malkini's army. Artemis, realizing the potential the Princeton brothers have, reports to General Bogby. Artemis proposed that the Propro Republic remain an active body after Malkini was captured, and that it would be given to Princess Anora of Sor, and that it be administrated by the Princeton Brothers. The plan is approved and Artemis returns to the city where Malkini has assembled the army to make a speech. At the speech Malkini is shot by none other then Vecked Princeton, who convinces the army to mutiny against Malkini and to march north to kill the Senator from Iceveng, Elliot Kingson. Nulix, Vecked, and the army march off, the Knights tending to Malkini's wounds as they do. Just as the illegal army leaves the Legion arrives in the city. The Knights explain the situation to Roka and Bogby, who decide that the Princeton Brothers must be stopped at all cost. The group would chase after them in two days after Malkini had time to get his wounds healed. Malkini was assigned to lead the Knight's in their hunt for the Princeton Brothers, so that he could finish what he started. It is now the night before their chase begins, and the Knights wonder if they will succeed, why Vecked betrayed them, and if their squad will ever unify completely... ~ Current Date: 15th of July, 2240
Update: The Court of Capima ~The Knights arrive on the planet of Kings Port and locate Commander Roka and Oseal. Once there Xeroux and Loki confessed to having set up the explosives on Usin, hoping to spare the others from accusation and also to buy the rest time to gather evidence against Oseal. Roka accepted their confession and told them that they would set off for Capima after he completed his mission on the world. Malkini's Knights follow Roka to a small house in a field of rye. Inside they find an old women who Roka had fought many years ago. She was a Phoenix. The group fought the women and managed to kill her, but not before loosing one of Roka's Knights. The next day Roka announced that they would head to the Capima Islands. Malkini's Knights at this point are in a state of panic. They had no evidence so far against Oseal and they had confessed to doing it themselves. Luckily Jove managed to search through Oseal's things and found a scorched cape. The cape could of been burned if Oseal had set the explosives too late and had run from the blast. With their evidence set, the Knights arrive on the capital city of Sor, and set off to the court district with Commander Roka leading the way ~ Current Date: 27th of June, 2240
Update: The Disaster on Usin ~The Knights, under the command of former Minor General Aden Malkini, arrive on the planet of Usin, in an area called Highrock where the stone walls and pillars stand tall along side a small river leading to a large, flat wetland. The Knights are greeted by two Knights of another unit, a unit under the command of former Minor General Roka. The two Knights who greet them are Oran Oseal, a white Knight who knows Nai from his days at the Tormaund Academy, and Ephraim Gauloris, a red Knight who knows Sentrius from his days at the Mt. Ravin Academy. The two direct them to Major General Yoff, who believes there to be an army of rebels in a nearby village on the side of a pillar. The General has placed a set of explosives beneath the pillar on which the village sits using a set of abandoned tunnels from an ancient underground city running beneath Highrock. Malkini's team, led by Oseal, sets off to investigate the village and report back to the General, and his army of three Legions, whether or not there is indeed an army of rebels hidden in the native village. They arrive at the village to find only the peaceful villagers. They report back to the Major General who sends Oseal to disarm the explosives, sends Gauloris to fly back to Commander Roka and give him the status of the mission, and send his army marching towards the village. The army capture the village and Malkini sets up camp for his team down the river, away from the rape and slaughter General Yoff permitted his legion to do upon the peaceful village. The night goes on and the team feels disgusted at themselves and at the General for allowing such acts to be performed by a Legion of the Knights. When morning comes the team is awakened by a bang. The explosives set beneath the village go off causing the pillar to fall to the ground, crushing all three Legions, and Major General Yoff, in the process. Malkini rushes off to the entrance of the underground city while the team head to the ruins of the pillar to investigate. When they arrive they find a single survive, a young woman from the native village; but apart from that, nothing but death. Malkini returns to them with two ships, one their black Elite cruiser, and the other the gold armored ship of General Yoff. Malkini explains to them that as he flew over he saw an army of thousands in the nearby wetlands, all heading towards the Highrock area. Malkini tells them to seek out Command Roka and convince him that they were not the ones to set off the explosives. Malkini then tells them that he would head south alone and form an army on various planets and return to end the rebel threat on Usin. Malkini takes off in his golden ship, and, with their mission in hand, the Knights set off for the planet of Kings Port, to find Commander Roka and convince him that they were not the ones to murder Yoff's legions ~ Current Date: 3rd of June, 2240
Introduction:
The planets and worlds have gone through much age, being settled and resettled over the course of time. The Helexicon Empire, a galactic super-power which rose from the southern planets in the late 1700's, that being 1700 years after the destruction of Phoenix Empire, ruled the worlds with an iron fist, their loyalties to the King and to their single God. The Empires reach stretched far as it grew, and in the northern lands, conquered in campaigns in the 1900's, the Empire's only power is through the Knights, a force of all Phoenix guards that enforce the Helexicon rule and authority in the region. The Phoenix, since the dawn of written history, have been a threat to civilization. They were humans, like all others, only they could bend the elements to their will. The Treaty of the Crosses in 1450 was a written agreement signed by all reigning systems at the time that all Phoenix citizens would be either killed or imprisoned. The North-East, ruled by the Dorman and Bakotian Empire's at the time, kept their Phoenix on the neutral planet of Croshana, an icy world of mountains and seas, where they lived alone in the cold. In the year 1892, the Helexicon Empire, which had been growing in the south, sent agents to Croshana. They unleashed the Phoenix, dressed in silver armor and capes, on the north. And the Dormans, the Naehians, and the Bakos fell to the power of the Phoenix Knights and the Helexicon Empire. A hundred year reign began of violence and oppression on the land. From this a common belief among the Northerners formed, a common religion. This religion was known as Matranism, and eventually it gathered an army. The Phoenix, though more powerful, were severely outnumbered in the Matranist revolt. In the North, every Phoenix Knights, and any family of theirs, were hunted and killed. The Common folk had won. The North-Eastern branch of the Helexicon Empire turned into the Matran System in 2094, which, twelve years later, split into the Ulfire, Pluoo, Vindico, and Sora systems. The Helexicon power in the North shrank into a small fringe that was absorbed into the surrounding systems. In the Sora System, the Knights, an order once loyal to the Helexicon and restricted to Phoenix, was now an order loyal to the Sora System and was open to all men and women born within the system. It is now the year 2240, and the Sora System had expanded and grown into a respectable and loyal republic. Tensions have arisen between the Sora System and the Ulfire System, as each has gained more land and power. You are a graduate of a Knight Academy, a two year training facility to prepare young students for life as a Knight. You have scored high enough at your Academy to be honored as a Knight Elite, a specialized branch of the Knights. One team of Elites, its said, are equal to a nearly one-hundred Knight soldiers. You have been sent to Capima Islands, the capital planet of the Sora System, to the tropical island of Avana-Nvaro, the location of the Capima Knight Academy and the location of the Knight Elite graduation ceremony. You arrive by boat ready to go through the ceremony and find out which team of Knights you will be grouped in...
The Squadron:
Aden Malkini - Knight Commander
Xeroux Falcus - Black Knight
Nai Gareki Tsukumo - Blue Knight
Sentrius Tetran - Red Knight
Joven Flynn - Green Knight
Demnix Valorai - Black Knight
Rasmus DeTylmerand - Black Knight
Artemis Maximus - Royal Guard
The World:
A map of North-East Space in 2240
Characters. Knights and Others:
The Knights is about, well, a group of Knight Elites. They will be the main team throughout the story, the protagonists. If you want to create a Knight Elite you must choose a Specialization and Academy from which you hail from, but, if you want to create a second character who is not a rookie Elite, or a character outside of the Knights entirely, you can.
Specializations:
To Join the Knight Elite you must of scored high on the final exam, which is a series of five different specialty tests given to Academy students at the end of their two year stay. Students who score over 95 percent on one or more of the tests become Knight Elites, their specialty, and armor marking them, being based on whatever test they scored over 95 percent on. The specialties are as followed:
Blue Armor - Outstanding knowledge of the battlefield and tactics.
Red Armor - Outstanding knowledge of weapons and arms.
Green Armor - Outstanding knowledge of culture and diplomacy.
White Armor - Outstanding knowledge of science and theory.
Gold Armor - Outstanding knowledge of biology and medics.
Black Armor - Granted to students who scored 95 percent or higher in multiple areas.
Academies:
To join the Knight Elite you will have to have trained for two years at one of nine Knight Academies:
- Knight Academy of the Avana-Nvaro Island, Capima.
- The tropical island of Avana is located west of the Capima mainland in the middle of the Nvaro ocean. The facilities are built upon rocks and cliffs of the island, and the rooms and halls often connect to outdoor walkways and balconies, as well as underground and underwater facilities. The Avana-Nvaro Academy is the crown jewel of the Knight Academies, having nearly ninety-percent of its students making it into the Knight Elite. It is the most rounded in its courses and has produced many great Knight heroes such as Knight Commander Javeith, who managed to stop the genocide of an entire country through diplomacy, and Knight General Jakson, whose strategic brilliance won him, and the system, the enemy state of Domanore.
- Knight Academy of the City of Urakas, Capima.
- The city of Urakas, on the western coast of the Capima Mainland, is the heart of Sorillian Matranism, and home of the Matranor, Sorillian leader of the Church. The city is built upon the hills and mountains, its buildings and streets made of white and brown brick. The Academy grounds stretch through three different city districts, and it is the largest Academy out of them all, housing nearly 6000 students. The buildings themselves are built with White brick, and are connected by passages and halls both outside and underground. The specialty of the Urakas is medicine, built also teaches a large variety of standardized Knight teachings. Many great Knight heroes have come out of the Urakas Academy, such as Knight Grandmaster Vosashan, who founded all the Knight Academies in the worlds, excluding the Umano Academy and the Ophonleonas Academy.
- Knight Academy of the Xenxai Region, Bao.
- The mountainous Baon region of Xenxai is home to the planets only Knight Academy. The Xenxai region is filled with hills, mountains, forests, and rivers. Within this lay several small towns and settlements that work off the land. On the edge of the bamboo forest lays the Knight Academy, a flat-ground palace, reaching over several acres, buried beneath the trees. The Xenxai Academy specializes in the art of stealth and swordplay, its teaching coming from the ancient fighting styles of the Bao Kingdoms. The Academy has produced many great Knight heroes such as Knight General Doxagai, who hunted and killed over one-hundred Phoenix's who had been in hiding during the early years of the 2200's and Knight Commander Dragoon, who, along with his partner Roka, managed to end the world war of Kridell by successfully assassinating the dictator of the Dorman Peoples States.
- Knight Academy of the Town of Yunsland, Olana.
- The Town of Yunsland stands as one of the single contacts Olana has to the outside world. The Town, in the cherrywood forest, only a few miles from the shores, is often, plagued with a storm, which usually lasts between a week and a month. The town is one based off production, with the citizens, hidden beneath their domed houses, stitching up fabrics and quilts for the rest of the planets to use. In the center of the town is the Knight Academy, a small castle with a small garden surrounding it. This is the Academy that the Northern farm children are usually sent to, and most of them don't score high enough for the Elites.
- Knight Academy of the City of Tarukas, Tusinvei.
- The City of Tarukas is Tusinvei's largest city. It spans across several fields and hills, and has several ships coming to and from it daily. The city, while not having large buildings or palaces in it, is still a productive and notable stop for trade. The streets are paved with old cobblestone, with gardens and trees common to be found on the sides. Thousands of houses span the cities reaches, and in its center are shops and spaceports. The Academy of Tarukas is located on a large hill, and overlooks a residential area not far off from the business section. The Academy garners children from the western worlds, and teaches them a rounded set of skills necessary for being a Knight.
- Knight Academy of Mt. Ravin, Ravin.
- The planet of Ravin is a volcanic one. On the light side of the planet, where the sun shines for all but nineteen days of the year, the planets volcanic soils make vast brown deserts where water is scarce and towns are scattered. On the dark side of the planet, where there are only stars, fire and rivers of lava are common and active, making the darklands unvoyageable unless traveling by the highlands, mountains and passes made by volcanic earth. On one of thee mountains sits the Academy of Ravin, a training facility that produced some of the best warriors and assassins the Knights have ever seen, such as Knight General Gnusis, who captured the last unconquered world in the Helexicon fringe, Harakos.
- Knight Academy of the Village of Phala, Umano.
- Phala is a small fishing village off the edge of the southern Umano subcontinent. The village is on the water, its huts and townplaces held by stilts a few feet above the seas surface, and its streets are connected by bridges. Bamboo and waterleaf are used to construct most the villages huts and boats. The Phala Academy is the smallest out of all the Knight Academy's and it usually only has about twenty to thirty students in it. The students who do not become Knight Elites do not join the rest of the soldiers and instead become Knight Forresters, Knights who patrol the forests of planets such as Umano, Ceegum, and Domanore. The Academy in Phala does not have an actual building, and is instead organized by the beach on the shore, since most of the students have houses either in the village or in the rainforest past the shore. Most of the training for the Phala Knights is done on the beach or in the forest.
- Knight Academy of the Village of Tormaund, Ophonleonas.
- In the desert of Cores lies the village of Tormaund, a small dry trading post that only gets supplies from outside the desert once a week, via camel, and only gets supplies from other worlds flown in monthly. Just outside the village on the side of a dune is a collection of sand huts. This is the Knight Academy of Tormaund. Sent here are the illiterate, the peasants, the criminals, or just the extremely unlucky. Despite this the Tormaund Academy has still produced a large number of Knight Elites, mainly fighters who seem fairly determined to prove themselves, such as Knight Commander Roka, who, along with his partner Dragoon, managed to end the world war of Kridell by successfully assassinating the dictator of the Dorman Peoples States, and Knight Commander Rudo, who ended a planned revolution on Iceveng.
- Knight Academy of the Territory of Ackan, Gengrolin.
- The Knight Academy in Ackan varies from the rest of the Academies as it is hanging. The Academy is built on the underside of a cliff, its location in complete solitude as the forested region of Ackan has only a few towns and villages. On the cliff above is forest and on the ground below is more forest, covered in fog and clouds. The students of the Gengrolin Academy learn the arts of large scale strategy, often being able to plan and predict whose army will be victorious on the battlefield. The Gengrolin Academy has produced many great Knights such as Knight General Bolapar, who won the war of Bakota in 2210.
Update: The Court of Capima ~The Knights arrive on the planet of Kings Port and locate Commander Roka and Oseal. Once there Xeroux and Loki confessed to having set up the explosives on Usin, hoping to spare the others from accusation and also to buy the rest time to gather evidence against Oseal. Roka accepted their confession and told them that they would set off for Capima after he completed his mission on the world. Malkini's Knights follow Roka to a small house in a field of rye. Inside they find an old women who Roka had fought many years ago. She was a Phoenix. The group fought the women and managed to kill her, but not before loosing one of Roka's Knights. The next day Roka announced that they would head to the Capima Islands. Malkini's Knights at this point are in a state of panic. They had no evidence so far against Oseal and they had confessed to doing it themselves. Luckily Jove managed to search through Oseal's things and found a scorched cape. The cape could of been burned if Oseal had set the explosives too late and had run from the blast. With their evidence set, the Knights arrive on the capital city of Sor, and set off to the court district with Commander Roka leading the way ~ Current Date: 27th of June, 2240
Update: The Disaster on Usin ~The Knights, under the command of former Minor General Aden Malkini, arrive on the planet of Usin, in an area called Highrock where the stone walls and pillars stand tall along side a small river leading to a large, flat wetland. The Knights are greeted by two Knights of another unit, a unit under the command of former Minor General Roka. The two Knights who greet them are Oran Oseal, a white Knight who knows Nai from his days at the Tormaund Academy, and Ephraim Gauloris, a red Knight who knows Sentrius from his days at the Mt. Ravin Academy. The two direct them to Major General Yoff, who believes there to be an army of rebels in a nearby village on the side of a pillar. The General has placed a set of explosives beneath the pillar on which the village sits using a set of abandoned tunnels from an ancient underground city running beneath Highrock. Malkini's team, led by Oseal, sets off to investigate the village and report back to the General, and his army of three Legions, whether or not there is indeed an army of rebels hidden in the native village. They arrive at the village to find only the peaceful villagers. They report back to the Major General who sends Oseal to disarm the explosives, sends Gauloris to fly back to Commander Roka and give him the status of the mission, and send his army marching towards the village. The army capture the village and Malkini sets up camp for his team down the river, away from the rape and slaughter General Yoff permitted his legion to do upon the peaceful village. The night goes on and the team feels disgusted at themselves and at the General for allowing such acts to be performed by a Legion of the Knights. When morning comes the team is awakened by a bang. The explosives set beneath the village go off causing the pillar to fall to the ground, crushing all three Legions, and Major General Yoff, in the process. Malkini rushes off to the entrance of the underground city while the team head to the ruins of the pillar to investigate. When they arrive they find a single survive, a young woman from the native village; but apart from that, nothing but death. Malkini returns to them with two ships, one their black Elite cruiser, and the other the gold armored ship of General Yoff. Malkini explains to them that as he flew over he saw an army of thousands in the nearby wetlands, all heading towards the Highrock area. Malkini tells them to seek out Command Roka and convince him that they were not the ones to set off the explosives. Malkini then tells them that he would head south alone and form an army on various planets and return to end the rebel threat on Usin. Malkini takes off in his golden ship, and, with their mission in hand, the Knights set off for the planet of Kings Port, to find Commander Roka and convince him that they were not the ones to murder Yoff's legions ~ Current Date: 3rd of June, 2240
Introduction:
The planets and worlds have gone through much age, being settled and resettled over the course of time. The Helexicon Empire, a galactic super-power which rose from the southern planets in the late 1700's, that being 1700 years after the destruction of Phoenix Empire, ruled the worlds with an iron fist, their loyalties to the King and to their single God. The Empires reach stretched far as it grew, and in the northern lands, conquered in campaigns in the 1900's, the Empire's only power is through the Knights, a force of all Phoenix guards that enforce the Helexicon rule and authority in the region. The Phoenix, since the dawn of written history, have been a threat to civilization. They were humans, like all others, only they could bend the elements to their will. The Treaty of the Crosses in 1450 was a written agreement signed by all reigning systems at the time that all Phoenix citizens would be either killed or imprisoned. The North-East, ruled by the Dorman and Bakotian Empire's at the time, kept their Phoenix on the neutral planet of Croshana, an icy world of mountains and seas, where they lived alone in the cold. In the year 1892, the Helexicon Empire, which had been growing in the south, sent agents to Croshana. They unleashed the Phoenix, dressed in silver armor and capes, on the north. And the Dormans, the Naehians, and the Bakos fell to the power of the Phoenix Knights and the Helexicon Empire. A hundred year reign began of violence and oppression on the land. From this a common belief among the Northerners formed, a common religion. This religion was known as Matranism, and eventually it gathered an army. The Phoenix, though more powerful, were severely outnumbered in the Matranist revolt. In the North, every Phoenix Knights, and any family of theirs, were hunted and killed. The Common folk had won. The North-Eastern branch of the Helexicon Empire turned into the Matran System in 2094, which, twelve years later, split into the Ulfire, Pluoo, Vindico, and Sora systems. The Helexicon power in the North shrank into a small fringe that was absorbed into the surrounding systems. In the Sora System, the Knights, an order once loyal to the Helexicon and restricted to Phoenix, was now an order loyal to the Sora System and was open to all men and women born within the system. It is now the year 2240, and the Sora System had expanded and grown into a respectable and loyal republic. Tensions have arisen between the Sora System and the Ulfire System, as each has gained more land and power. You are a graduate of a Knight Academy, a two year training facility to prepare young students for life as a Knight. You have scored high enough at your Academy to be honored as a Knight Elite, a specialized branch of the Knights. One team of Elites, its said, are equal to a nearly one-hundred Knight soldiers. You have been sent to Capima Islands, the capital planet of the Sora System, to the tropical island of Avana-Nvaro, the location of the Capima Knight Academy and the location of the Knight Elite graduation ceremony. You arrive by boat ready to go through the ceremony and find out which team of Knights you will be grouped in...
The Squadron:
Aden Malkini - Knight Commander
Xeroux Falcus - Black Knight
Nai Gareki Tsukumo - Blue Knight
Sentrius Tetran - Red Knight
Joven Flynn - Green Knight
Demnix Valorai - Black Knight
Rasmus DeTylmerand - Black Knight
Artemis Maximus - Royal Guard
The World:
A map of North-East Space in 2240
Characters. Knights and Others:
The Knights is about, well, a group of Knight Elites. They will be the main team throughout the story, the protagonists. If you want to create a Knight Elite you must choose a Specialization and Academy from which you hail from, but, if you want to create a second character who is not a rookie Elite, or a character outside of the Knights entirely, you can.
Specializations:
To Join the Knight Elite you must of scored high on the final exam, which is a series of five different specialty tests given to Academy students at the end of their two year stay. Students who score over 95 percent on one or more of the tests become Knight Elites, their specialty, and armor marking them, being based on whatever test they scored over 95 percent on. The specialties are as followed:
Blue Armor - Outstanding knowledge of the battlefield and tactics.
Red Armor - Outstanding knowledge of weapons and arms.
Green Armor - Outstanding knowledge of culture and diplomacy.
White Armor - Outstanding knowledge of science and theory.
Gold Armor - Outstanding knowledge of biology and medics.
Black Armor - Granted to students who scored 95 percent or higher in multiple areas.
Academies:
To join the Knight Elite you will have to have trained for two years at one of nine Knight Academies:
- Knight Academy of the Avana-Nvaro Island, Capima.
- The tropical island of Avana is located west of the Capima mainland in the middle of the Nvaro ocean. The facilities are built upon rocks and cliffs of the island, and the rooms and halls often connect to outdoor walkways and balconies, as well as underground and underwater facilities. The Avana-Nvaro Academy is the crown jewel of the Knight Academies, having nearly ninety-percent of its students making it into the Knight Elite. It is the most rounded in its courses and has produced many great Knight heroes such as Knight Commander Javeith, who managed to stop the genocide of an entire country through diplomacy, and Knight General Jakson, whose strategic brilliance won him, and the system, the enemy state of Domanore.
- Knight Academy of the City of Urakas, Capima.
- The city of Urakas, on the western coast of the Capima Mainland, is the heart of Sorillian Matranism, and home of the Matranor, Sorillian leader of the Church. The city is built upon the hills and mountains, its buildings and streets made of white and brown brick. The Academy grounds stretch through three different city districts, and it is the largest Academy out of them all, housing nearly 6000 students. The buildings themselves are built with White brick, and are connected by passages and halls both outside and underground. The specialty of the Urakas is medicine, built also teaches a large variety of standardized Knight teachings. Many great Knight heroes have come out of the Urakas Academy, such as Knight Grandmaster Vosashan, who founded all the Knight Academies in the worlds, excluding the Umano Academy and the Ophonleonas Academy.
- Knight Academy of the Xenxai Region, Bao.
- The mountainous Baon region of Xenxai is home to the planets only Knight Academy. The Xenxai region is filled with hills, mountains, forests, and rivers. Within this lay several small towns and settlements that work off the land. On the edge of the bamboo forest lays the Knight Academy, a flat-ground palace, reaching over several acres, buried beneath the trees. The Xenxai Academy specializes in the art of stealth and swordplay, its teaching coming from the ancient fighting styles of the Bao Kingdoms. The Academy has produced many great Knight heroes such as Knight General Doxagai, who hunted and killed over one-hundred Phoenix's who had been in hiding during the early years of the 2200's and Knight Commander Dragoon, who, along with his partner Roka, managed to end the world war of Kridell by successfully assassinating the dictator of the Dorman Peoples States.
- Knight Academy of the Town of Yunsland, Olana.
- The Town of Yunsland stands as one of the single contacts Olana has to the outside world. The Town, in the cherrywood forest, only a few miles from the shores, is often, plagued with a storm, which usually lasts between a week and a month. The town is one based off production, with the citizens, hidden beneath their domed houses, stitching up fabrics and quilts for the rest of the planets to use. In the center of the town is the Knight Academy, a small castle with a small garden surrounding it. This is the Academy that the Northern farm children are usually sent to, and most of them don't score high enough for the Elites.
- Knight Academy of the City of Tarukas, Tusinvei.
- The City of Tarukas is Tusinvei's largest city. It spans across several fields and hills, and has several ships coming to and from it daily. The city, while not having large buildings or palaces in it, is still a productive and notable stop for trade. The streets are paved with old cobblestone, with gardens and trees common to be found on the sides. Thousands of houses span the cities reaches, and in its center are shops and spaceports. The Academy of Tarukas is located on a large hill, and overlooks a residential area not far off from the business section. The Academy garners children from the western worlds, and teaches them a rounded set of skills necessary for being a Knight.
- Knight Academy of Mt. Ravin, Ravin.
- The planet of Ravin is a volcanic one. On the light side of the planet, where the sun shines for all but nineteen days of the year, the planets volcanic soils make vast brown deserts where water is scarce and towns are scattered. On the dark side of the planet, where there are only stars, fire and rivers of lava are common and active, making the darklands unvoyageable unless traveling by the highlands, mountains and passes made by volcanic earth. On one of thee mountains sits the Academy of Ravin, a training facility that produced some of the best warriors and assassins the Knights have ever seen, such as Knight General Gnusis, who captured the last unconquered world in the Helexicon fringe, Harakos.
- Knight Academy of the Village of Phala, Umano.
- Phala is a small fishing village off the edge of the southern Umano subcontinent. The village is on the water, its huts and townplaces held by stilts a few feet above the seas surface, and its streets are connected by bridges. Bamboo and waterleaf are used to construct most the villages huts and boats. The Phala Academy is the smallest out of all the Knight Academy's and it usually only has about twenty to thirty students in it. The students who do not become Knight Elites do not join the rest of the soldiers and instead become Knight Forresters, Knights who patrol the forests of planets such as Umano, Ceegum, and Domanore. The Academy in Phala does not have an actual building, and is instead organized by the beach on the shore, since most of the students have houses either in the village or in the rainforest past the shore. Most of the training for the Phala Knights is done on the beach or in the forest.
- Knight Academy of the Village of Tormaund, Ophonleonas.
- In the desert of Cores lies the village of Tormaund, a small dry trading post that only gets supplies from outside the desert once a week, via camel, and only gets supplies from other worlds flown in monthly. Just outside the village on the side of a dune is a collection of sand huts. This is the Knight Academy of Tormaund. Sent here are the illiterate, the peasants, the criminals, or just the extremely unlucky. Despite this the Tormaund Academy has still produced a large number of Knight Elites, mainly fighters who seem fairly determined to prove themselves, such as Knight Commander Roka, who, along with his partner Dragoon, managed to end the world war of Kridell by successfully assassinating the dictator of the Dorman Peoples States, and Knight Commander Rudo, who ended a planned revolution on Iceveng.
- Knight Academy of the Territory of Ackan, Gengrolin.
- The Knight Academy in Ackan varies from the rest of the Academies as it is hanging. The Academy is built on the underside of a cliff, its location in complete solitude as the forested region of Ackan has only a few towns and villages. On the cliff above is forest and on the ground below is more forest, covered in fog and clouds. The students of the Gengrolin Academy learn the arts of large scale strategy, often being able to plan and predict whose army will be victorious on the battlefield. The Gengrolin Academy has produced many great Knights such as Knight General Bolapar, who won the war of Bakota in 2210.
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The Story
From a balcony overhead Joven Flynn watched the beach below. Small ships of both wood and steel had settled themselves on the shore, and the rest of the ships had simply cushioned themselves onto the white pearl beaches of the island. The first ship, and the largest, had come from Urakas, bringing in close to one-hundred students, roughly half of what Avana-Nvaro had produced. After them came a second boat from Urakas, but carrying the students of Gengrolin, who had landed in the city. After them came the Baon's, who had arrived by Starship on the beaches northernmost edge. By boat came the rest, Ravin, Olana, Tusinvei and Umano, all but the Ophonleonas boat, which was likely never to arrive at all. Jove watched as the water rocked the boats gently, in its waves were the blue and white sky. The seagulls crowed with the whistle of the winds, going through Jove's shirt gently. "I love this place."
"What, the island?" A female voice asked from inside.
Jove turned around to see a small form adjusting her polished green armor in a mirror, just inside his room, behind her was another balcony, though the view from that balcony faced the rocks and the trees, which loomed over. "This wont be my room in the elite," Jove said. "Until I become a General I'll be lucky if I even get to sleep in a warm bed."
The two continued to talk as they made their way to the opening ceremony, in the Garden square of the Academy. They arrived at the entrance of the gardens to see hundreds of Elites, armor and faces a mix of cultures and colors. In front of the crowd was a large deck, on it a podium. Behind the deck Jove could see the Knight Commanders and the Avana Headmaster getting ready for their introductions. At the garden gate Jove saw a few students from Ophonleonas run in, late as usual.
"This is it," Jove said with a smile. "These are the Knights."
"What, the island?" A female voice asked from inside.
Jove turned around to see a small form adjusting her polished green armor in a mirror, just inside his room, behind her was another balcony, though the view from that balcony faced the rocks and the trees, which loomed over. "This wont be my room in the elite," Jove said. "Until I become a General I'll be lucky if I even get to sleep in a warm bed."
The two continued to talk as they made their way to the opening ceremony, in the Garden square of the Academy. They arrived at the entrance of the gardens to see hundreds of Elites, armor and faces a mix of cultures and colors. In front of the crowd was a large deck, on it a podium. Behind the deck Jove could see the Knight Commanders and the Avana Headmaster getting ready for their introductions. At the garden gate Jove saw a few students from Ophonleonas run in, late as usual.
"This is it," Jove said with a smile. "These are the Knights."
"Wow, I made it!" Sentrius exclaimed, happily, his chest swelling with pride. "It's better than I thought it would be!" Like most Knights trained at Mt. Ravin, he was almost as happy to be alive as he was to finally reach the highest point in a knight trainee's life. Walking throughout the crowd, Sentrius pushed people left and right trying to get a better view of the stage where the Knight leaders would be speaking.
Looking around him, Sentrius almost forgot how grand Capima was. Especially compared to the volcanic Ravin. So he might as well sit back and relax before the ceremony started. After all it might be one of his few chances after he finishes saving the galaxy several times over.
Looking around him, Sentrius almost forgot how grand Capima was. Especially compared to the volcanic Ravin. So he might as well sit back and relax before the ceremony started. After all it might be one of his few chances after he finishes saving the galaxy several times over.
The setting changes from The UO-Universe to The Sora System
A lot has changed since the days I dreamed of a Knights glory and honor. Once I was a boy in the sun fighting with a wooden stick against imaginary enemies. A child who knew nothing and was carefree because of it. And she was there with me, my Angel the woman whom I even loved as a foolish boy. Once we were happy living in that small house were the days were warm and the nights cool.Where the wind would whisper it's secrets as we lay in each others arms. But that was before fate ripped us apart.Once I was happy but no more. The reflection stared back at him as the Knight in his black armor stared in the mirror thinking of a time before,a time when life made sense. A time when he was happy and the dreams of Knighthood meant more then fulfilling an oath to a dead wife.
" Melina for you I would gladly trade this useless suit of armor, this Knighthood. All of it I would trade to taste your lips one more time, to look into your beautiful azure eyes one more time, to tell you I love you one more time. To hold against you against me one more time. Even life itself is meaningless with you at my side." Words spoken to a reflection with a longing so great it was wonder that Mithra himself didn't grant this descendant of the legendary Phoenix wish. Instead the Black Knight contented himself with one sigh and single grasp of the ancient ring before turning from the mirror to face the room he stood in. A well appointed room it was indicative of a disciplined life. The bed was made to exacting standards, not even the smallest particle of dust marred any surface.
The wood surfaces gleamed from a recent polish, the metal ones shone with unrivaled brilliance. And set before the bed was an armor stand holding the components of armor not worn daily by it's owner. This included the left shoulder plate, left arm plate and left gauntlet, and both leg plates and steel boots. In fact the only parts of the armor the Black Knight wore were the Cuirass and right arm plate and right gauntlet along with a gorget.
However both the armor he wore and what was on the stand shone brightly after all today was graduation day for the Knight Elite. Normally contending himself with keeping his armor dusted and clean of rust the polish was something new for these mostly ceremonial pieces of armor.And it being graduation day the Black Knight went about adding the other pieces of armor to what he wore. In the dim past a Knight usually had a squire to help him don his armor or at least a helping hand. But since the institutionalizing of Knighthood the squire had gone the way of so many other knightly traditions. Such as the unbending code of honor. In this Black Knights mind no knight had any business carving out reputations based on shameless acts like assassination.And yet some of the so called greatest knights were nothing more then assassins in fancy armor.
But first came graduation then changing the world. First came the faulds, in essence it was metal skirt of overlapping plates that was thigh length. Next Came the tassets, in essence hanging pieces of metal that were fixed to his faulds. And then there was the chain mail pants of black hue. Over top of them were the true leg plate with custom made knee plate joint that allowed more flexibility then normal plate. That being done all that remained was his left arm which was attended to.
Disdaining a helmet for atheistic and practical purpose. For the Black Knight simply could not figure how one could trade visibility for limited protection as massive blunt force trauma was still damaging helmet or not.
However his armor on and gleaming with two hours worth of polishing and shining he grabbed his weapons that lay in rack near the head of the bed so that he could get to them with ease just in case.First came his trademark pistols, custom made at his Father's weapon shop they were one of a kind involving much blood,sweat, and endless arguments with his father who disapproved of the departure from normal gunsmithing. Then his beloved sword crafted of a unbreakable carbon alloy it too was one of a kind. It's design and abilities were influenced by Melina who had desired a black sword to match the black armor she dreamed of donning one day....The flame it produced was to be a physical representation of the fiery will she possessed.
Armor, Weapons, and patience readied the Knight strode from his room into the hallways of the Dormitory were marched other Knights their armor running the gambit. Blue, Red,Green,White,Gold,Black. The smallest numbers were to be found in the those of clad in Black Armor, for the tests and training were grueling. To score high enough to make it into the Knight Elite was considered a miracle let alone score high enough to earn the coveted Black armor. Some looked at the Knight and his fellow ebony Knight Elite with covert jealousy hating the fact they themselves were not included in their ranks. Then again some didn't dream of the black armor and made no special notice of the color. After all Black Knight tended to get the worse assignments as HQ viewed them as the prefect shock troops. Skilled in not only weapons and warfare but also diplomacy and medicine. And it was this skill set that lent so many Black Knights to suicidal missions and one man army assignments. Were their highly visible black armor lent force to peace talks and respect to the enemy.
Such thoughts however were put on hold as his name was called out by a another Black Knight who had joined the march to the Garden Square where the ceremony was to take place.
" Hey Kazuki never thought we would be graduating in the same class. Your an old man always thought I'd be graduating after you." Kazuki's fellow Black Knight said a child at 15 years old he nonetheless wore the Black Armor. Although no warrior the 15 year old was said to be a tactical genius although Kazuki and many other Black Knights disagreed. A tactician had to truly understand and know combat. And one who could barely swing a sword or would never step foot on a battlefield would never truly combat. However he had scored high enough to both graduate early and don the Black armor so Kazuki made no comment on his poor combat ability. Perhaps maturity would turn him into a warrior but this Black knight wasn't holding his breath.
" At least I can beat a medic during fencing practice." Kazuki retorted with a bit of heat nonetheless. His age relative to the other graduates had always been a touchy point with him. At 21 the Black Knight was one of the oldest students studying at this academy but it also showed in his test scores. His age made passing the academic portions child's play as extra civilian schooling and independent studying augmented his knowledge. Although he did struggle with Scientific theory as he saw no point in anything that didn't have a practical and immediate application.
" Low blow man." The child knight replied muttering to himself as the Knights filed into the Garden Square more or less in color but intermixing after a few minutes. After all they were all Knight Elite and while the Black Knights had scored more the 95% in multiple areas and were generally seen as the best of the best they were all Knight Elite.
" This is for you Melina." Kazuki spoke softly to himself as he waited for the ceremony to truly start.
" Melina for you I would gladly trade this useless suit of armor, this Knighthood. All of it I would trade to taste your lips one more time, to look into your beautiful azure eyes one more time, to tell you I love you one more time. To hold against you against me one more time. Even life itself is meaningless with you at my side." Words spoken to a reflection with a longing so great it was wonder that Mithra himself didn't grant this descendant of the legendary Phoenix wish. Instead the Black Knight contented himself with one sigh and single grasp of the ancient ring before turning from the mirror to face the room he stood in. A well appointed room it was indicative of a disciplined life. The bed was made to exacting standards, not even the smallest particle of dust marred any surface.
The wood surfaces gleamed from a recent polish, the metal ones shone with unrivaled brilliance. And set before the bed was an armor stand holding the components of armor not worn daily by it's owner. This included the left shoulder plate, left arm plate and left gauntlet, and both leg plates and steel boots. In fact the only parts of the armor the Black Knight wore were the Cuirass and right arm plate and right gauntlet along with a gorget.
However both the armor he wore and what was on the stand shone brightly after all today was graduation day for the Knight Elite. Normally contending himself with keeping his armor dusted and clean of rust the polish was something new for these mostly ceremonial pieces of armor.And it being graduation day the Black Knight went about adding the other pieces of armor to what he wore. In the dim past a Knight usually had a squire to help him don his armor or at least a helping hand. But since the institutionalizing of Knighthood the squire had gone the way of so many other knightly traditions. Such as the unbending code of honor. In this Black Knights mind no knight had any business carving out reputations based on shameless acts like assassination.And yet some of the so called greatest knights were nothing more then assassins in fancy armor.
But first came graduation then changing the world. First came the faulds, in essence it was metal skirt of overlapping plates that was thigh length. Next Came the tassets, in essence hanging pieces of metal that were fixed to his faulds. And then there was the chain mail pants of black hue. Over top of them were the true leg plate with custom made knee plate joint that allowed more flexibility then normal plate. That being done all that remained was his left arm which was attended to.
Disdaining a helmet for atheistic and practical purpose. For the Black Knight simply could not figure how one could trade visibility for limited protection as massive blunt force trauma was still damaging helmet or not.
However his armor on and gleaming with two hours worth of polishing and shining he grabbed his weapons that lay in rack near the head of the bed so that he could get to them with ease just in case.First came his trademark pistols, custom made at his Father's weapon shop they were one of a kind involving much blood,sweat, and endless arguments with his father who disapproved of the departure from normal gunsmithing. Then his beloved sword crafted of a unbreakable carbon alloy it too was one of a kind. It's design and abilities were influenced by Melina who had desired a black sword to match the black armor she dreamed of donning one day....The flame it produced was to be a physical representation of the fiery will she possessed.
Armor, Weapons, and patience readied the Knight strode from his room into the hallways of the Dormitory were marched other Knights their armor running the gambit. Blue, Red,Green,White,Gold,Black. The smallest numbers were to be found in the those of clad in Black Armor, for the tests and training were grueling. To score high enough to make it into the Knight Elite was considered a miracle let alone score high enough to earn the coveted Black armor. Some looked at the Knight and his fellow ebony Knight Elite with covert jealousy hating the fact they themselves were not included in their ranks. Then again some didn't dream of the black armor and made no special notice of the color. After all Black Knight tended to get the worse assignments as HQ viewed them as the prefect shock troops. Skilled in not only weapons and warfare but also diplomacy and medicine. And it was this skill set that lent so many Black Knights to suicidal missions and one man army assignments. Were their highly visible black armor lent force to peace talks and respect to the enemy.
Such thoughts however were put on hold as his name was called out by a another Black Knight who had joined the march to the Garden Square where the ceremony was to take place.
" Hey Kazuki never thought we would be graduating in the same class. Your an old man always thought I'd be graduating after you." Kazuki's fellow Black Knight said a child at 15 years old he nonetheless wore the Black Armor. Although no warrior the 15 year old was said to be a tactical genius although Kazuki and many other Black Knights disagreed. A tactician had to truly understand and know combat. And one who could barely swing a sword or would never step foot on a battlefield would never truly combat. However he had scored high enough to both graduate early and don the Black armor so Kazuki made no comment on his poor combat ability. Perhaps maturity would turn him into a warrior but this Black knight wasn't holding his breath.
" At least I can beat a medic during fencing practice." Kazuki retorted with a bit of heat nonetheless. His age relative to the other graduates had always been a touchy point with him. At 21 the Black Knight was one of the oldest students studying at this academy but it also showed in his test scores. His age made passing the academic portions child's play as extra civilian schooling and independent studying augmented his knowledge. Although he did struggle with Scientific theory as he saw no point in anything that didn't have a practical and immediate application.
" Low blow man." The child knight replied muttering to himself as the Knights filed into the Garden Square more or less in color but intermixing after a few minutes. After all they were all Knight Elite and while the Black Knights had scored more the 95% in multiple areas and were generally seen as the best of the best they were all Knight Elite.
" This is for you Melina." Kazuki spoke softly to himself as he waited for the ceremony to truly start.
The crowd of Knights had all gathered in front of the wooden stage, the back of it holding up a large banner and cover with the Knight emblem on it. From behind the banner came the Knight Commanders, armor of all colors and materials, and capes or silk trailing behind them. In the row of Commanders was Aden Malkini. The man examined the students as he marched in line on the stage and shook his head. As the Commanders lined up at the back of the stage a much smaller, crippled figure made his way from behind the banner. He was hunched over, and in his hand was a large wooden walking stick. His face ran deep with wrinkles and hairs of white, his his sockets sagged and his eyes were Grey. His white beard rested itself on a breastplate of gold, on it proudly standing a dove. On his shoulders flowed an ivory cape, printed on it a rising sun in viridian. The man reached the podium, grasping for its wooden edges as he did, letting his walking stick fall back onto his stomach.
"Knight Elite of the Sora Sysem, as your speaker of graduation, as a mentor of your life to come, Sir. Ridian Poxio Forlas Jeruniman Fero, former Grandmaster of the Knights!" One of the Elite students, clad in black-armor, announced from the side of the stage. The old man gave a look at the young Knight, chosen to announce for his speaking voice, and then turned back to the audience. Silence came over the gardens as the man pulled out a small piece of quilted paper, and then, after a quick glance over it, he spoke.
"The Knights have offered you all something. The Knights were once an entity to all of you. And outside force. Now... You are Knights. You are the Knights. You have taken your oaths, now pray you must not take an oath of war. For we are at war, yes, we are. As we have always been, as it is human nature. The Sora System... is a holy republic, run by the people and those who represent them. And the people want an Empire. They want conquerors. They want heroes of war. The Capima Islands is where we won our first victory. It is where Yerod the Great, warrior of God, struck down the Phoenix stronghold and turned it into the greatest city in the modern world. I speak of Sor, our capital. A capitol now rot with crime, dishonorable trades, and politics of the darkest kind! And I stand far away from that, all that. Yet it stands so close to you. We conquered Branko, we conquered Bao, we conquered Caprei, Krosak, even the Fringe, all as a republic! And the Knights serve that republic. I realize many of you may come from these worlds only a few decades in of conquest, and now you stand here, your minds still in stories of your fathers and forefathers, and all the awful things said about the Knights there. Yes, I know what they say. And why would you who hate the Knights join, we ask? Because you would not be able to read, not be able to write, not have money, and have your future confined to a village or a field or a mudhut for the rest of your life. The Knights offered an escape. Or perhaps you wish to serve your Nation, perhaps you wish to lead the wars, lead the conquests. The Knights offered that path. Or perhaps you are here because of a life you once led, a childhood lost. The Knights offered redemption. Or perhaps you are here because of the stories, of Knights of old. Have the Knights offered you that? I'm here to tell you yes, they have. The Neahian's conquered the Phoenix Empire, marking the beginning of our age. The Phoenix were brought back through the Helexicon Empire, the Phoenix themselves forming the Knights. And through the Emperors oppression we said "God! Empire! You are despicable." But the Knights were not. Chivalry, honor, these are the skills that define a Knight, and while the Knights were slowly mutilated into terrorizes and killers, their creed remained the same. We as a Nation hate the Phoenix, the world hates the Phoenix, for the cruelties our ancestors felt from their wrath. But from the cruelty, from the malice, came a code so pure that when we won our independence and the Helexicon Empire fell we kept it. And we swore that under God, the Matran, the People, and the Republic, we would uphold what the only the purest of Phoenix Knights could!" The old mans voice trailed off, the echo of his yell fading through the Gardens.
"But... we have not, we could not. Our legion armies, under the command of so called Knights have committed crimes that mirror, if not exceed, those that the Phoenix Knight have performed on our ancestors. General Doxagai has killed one-hundred and sixteen Phoenix. He has successfully continued our eradication of this harmful race. We called them monsters, not because of their power, but because they used their power against us and in cruelty! I wonder, if a hundred years from now, our children will be hunted and killed for the conquests we have led, and if one day in our lands someone will say "Sor you monster. Your finished." As we did to the Helexicon God all those years ago..."
"Treason!" A Knight clad in blue yelled from the crowd.
"Treason? Treason? You say I speak treason for stating consequence, eh?" The old man asked, a smile on his face. "History is not to be admired, it is to be learned from. You are Knights. You are the Knights! And you will be good Knights... I'm near my end, and I swear I will not see the Knights turn to dogs as they have before. This... is a noble order, and it will be forever more. I admit I haven't been here, on this podium, as much as I would of liked too, not because I think I am wise and that my knowledge is divine, but simply because I know I am wiser then the other men and women the order has had here over the past few years, and I know that my words are ten times holier than theirs on how to kill a man, or how to capture a city! We are not soldiers, Aor, we are Knights!" The old man yelled, look over the crowd. "You have taken your oath of loyalty, your code of the Sorillian Knights, you have sworn to these things. Now you will swear to me! On your knees! All of you, on your knees!"
An air of confusion ran over the audience at the request. The first who went to their knees was not an audience Knight at all, but instead a Commander, who, from behind the old man, fell to one knee. She was followed by the rest of the Commanders, and then by the Audience.
"No!" The old man shrieked "Not like a captured Dorman, kneel proper! You are about to swear to a code of honor! The code of the Knights!"
The young Knights who had gone on both knees quickly changed their stance. The only ones who stood now were the old man, and the Black armored announcer who approached him from the side.
"Sir Knight," The young Knight said. "We have already sworn to the Code of the Sorillian Knights, it seems idiotic to repeat it."
"Is that so, young man?" The old man asked, turning to face the Knight slowly. "Tell me, whats your name?"
"Artamis Favro, sir," The Knight said with a smile. Artamis was then struck in the face with the old mans walking stick.
"On your knees, Artamis Favro!" The man yelled. Artamis quickly did as he was told.
"This is not your code," The old man said, before turning back to the audience, all of them still kneeling. "No, this is the code of the original Phoenix Knights, the final code of the Neahian Knights! You will swear to this! You will serve your fellow Knights, both your equals and lessors. You will defend the defenseless, help the helpless, and protect the the honor of all men, women, and children. You will undo unfairness, cruelty, and deceit, in all dark corners where it may lurk. You will follow this code above all else, in all areas where it may conflict. Do you swear by this code?"
"I, Sir Knight," Came the first answer, from behind the old man. Commander Roka spoke it quickly. "I, Sir Knight," Came from beside him, from Commander Hexham. The crowd of Knights and Knight Commanders erupted into I's, all the while Malkini remained silent, until most but him had spoken. The old man looked over then audience and smiled. "Then arise Sir Knight. Arise Sir Knight. Arise Sir Knight!" He yelled. And they arose.
"Follow the code, enforce it! And that way, in the end, when you are helpless, or one day when your honor has been stripped unjustly, a new Knight may help you." He said calmly. "You are the Knights, and I am but an old man, passing my knowledge onto you. I hope, that at least in a few of you, I set you on the path of a true Knight. In action and in times of despair keep your head, and keep the code close to your heart. You may not win, but I promise you, you will have died a Knight. And your future, in whatever world it may be in, will be that of a Knight."
The old man grabbed for his walking stick once more and began to move towards the end of the stage. "Now I am old," He spoke as he walked. "And I have outstayed my welcome. Goodbye to you all. I have to go now. I'm ready to go." The man reached the stage and made his way down behind the banner.
"The great Sir. Ridian Poxio Forlas Jeruniman Fero, former Grandmaster of the Knights," Artamis Favro said, a red mark now across his face. "You are all Knights. On the beach bulletin board you will see a notification of what faction you will be in, and what Commander will be leading you. Thank you all and have a wonderful evening."
"Knight Elite of the Sora Sysem, as your speaker of graduation, as a mentor of your life to come, Sir. Ridian Poxio Forlas Jeruniman Fero, former Grandmaster of the Knights!" One of the Elite students, clad in black-armor, announced from the side of the stage. The old man gave a look at the young Knight, chosen to announce for his speaking voice, and then turned back to the audience. Silence came over the gardens as the man pulled out a small piece of quilted paper, and then, after a quick glance over it, he spoke.
"The Knights have offered you all something. The Knights were once an entity to all of you. And outside force. Now... You are Knights. You are the Knights. You have taken your oaths, now pray you must not take an oath of war. For we are at war, yes, we are. As we have always been, as it is human nature. The Sora System... is a holy republic, run by the people and those who represent them. And the people want an Empire. They want conquerors. They want heroes of war. The Capima Islands is where we won our first victory. It is where Yerod the Great, warrior of God, struck down the Phoenix stronghold and turned it into the greatest city in the modern world. I speak of Sor, our capital. A capitol now rot with crime, dishonorable trades, and politics of the darkest kind! And I stand far away from that, all that. Yet it stands so close to you. We conquered Branko, we conquered Bao, we conquered Caprei, Krosak, even the Fringe, all as a republic! And the Knights serve that republic. I realize many of you may come from these worlds only a few decades in of conquest, and now you stand here, your minds still in stories of your fathers and forefathers, and all the awful things said about the Knights there. Yes, I know what they say. And why would you who hate the Knights join, we ask? Because you would not be able to read, not be able to write, not have money, and have your future confined to a village or a field or a mudhut for the rest of your life. The Knights offered an escape. Or perhaps you wish to serve your Nation, perhaps you wish to lead the wars, lead the conquests. The Knights offered that path. Or perhaps you are here because of a life you once led, a childhood lost. The Knights offered redemption. Or perhaps you are here because of the stories, of Knights of old. Have the Knights offered you that? I'm here to tell you yes, they have. The Neahian's conquered the Phoenix Empire, marking the beginning of our age. The Phoenix were brought back through the Helexicon Empire, the Phoenix themselves forming the Knights. And through the Emperors oppression we said "God! Empire! You are despicable." But the Knights were not. Chivalry, honor, these are the skills that define a Knight, and while the Knights were slowly mutilated into terrorizes and killers, their creed remained the same. We as a Nation hate the Phoenix, the world hates the Phoenix, for the cruelties our ancestors felt from their wrath. But from the cruelty, from the malice, came a code so pure that when we won our independence and the Helexicon Empire fell we kept it. And we swore that under God, the Matran, the People, and the Republic, we would uphold what the only the purest of Phoenix Knights could!" The old mans voice trailed off, the echo of his yell fading through the Gardens.
"But... we have not, we could not. Our legion armies, under the command of so called Knights have committed crimes that mirror, if not exceed, those that the Phoenix Knight have performed on our ancestors. General Doxagai has killed one-hundred and sixteen Phoenix. He has successfully continued our eradication of this harmful race. We called them monsters, not because of their power, but because they used their power against us and in cruelty! I wonder, if a hundred years from now, our children will be hunted and killed for the conquests we have led, and if one day in our lands someone will say "Sor you monster. Your finished." As we did to the Helexicon God all those years ago..."
"Treason!" A Knight clad in blue yelled from the crowd.
"Treason? Treason? You say I speak treason for stating consequence, eh?" The old man asked, a smile on his face. "History is not to be admired, it is to be learned from. You are Knights. You are the Knights! And you will be good Knights... I'm near my end, and I swear I will not see the Knights turn to dogs as they have before. This... is a noble order, and it will be forever more. I admit I haven't been here, on this podium, as much as I would of liked too, not because I think I am wise and that my knowledge is divine, but simply because I know I am wiser then the other men and women the order has had here over the past few years, and I know that my words are ten times holier than theirs on how to kill a man, or how to capture a city! We are not soldiers, Aor, we are Knights!" The old man yelled, look over the crowd. "You have taken your oath of loyalty, your code of the Sorillian Knights, you have sworn to these things. Now you will swear to me! On your knees! All of you, on your knees!"
An air of confusion ran over the audience at the request. The first who went to their knees was not an audience Knight at all, but instead a Commander, who, from behind the old man, fell to one knee. She was followed by the rest of the Commanders, and then by the Audience.
"No!" The old man shrieked "Not like a captured Dorman, kneel proper! You are about to swear to a code of honor! The code of the Knights!"
The young Knights who had gone on both knees quickly changed their stance. The only ones who stood now were the old man, and the Black armored announcer who approached him from the side.
"Sir Knight," The young Knight said. "We have already sworn to the Code of the Sorillian Knights, it seems idiotic to repeat it."
"Is that so, young man?" The old man asked, turning to face the Knight slowly. "Tell me, whats your name?"
"Artamis Favro, sir," The Knight said with a smile. Artamis was then struck in the face with the old mans walking stick.
"On your knees, Artamis Favro!" The man yelled. Artamis quickly did as he was told.
"This is not your code," The old man said, before turning back to the audience, all of them still kneeling. "No, this is the code of the original Phoenix Knights, the final code of the Neahian Knights! You will swear to this! You will serve your fellow Knights, both your equals and lessors. You will defend the defenseless, help the helpless, and protect the the honor of all men, women, and children. You will undo unfairness, cruelty, and deceit, in all dark corners where it may lurk. You will follow this code above all else, in all areas where it may conflict. Do you swear by this code?"
"I, Sir Knight," Came the first answer, from behind the old man. Commander Roka spoke it quickly. "I, Sir Knight," Came from beside him, from Commander Hexham. The crowd of Knights and Knight Commanders erupted into I's, all the while Malkini remained silent, until most but him had spoken. The old man looked over then audience and smiled. "Then arise Sir Knight. Arise Sir Knight. Arise Sir Knight!" He yelled. And they arose.
"Follow the code, enforce it! And that way, in the end, when you are helpless, or one day when your honor has been stripped unjustly, a new Knight may help you." He said calmly. "You are the Knights, and I am but an old man, passing my knowledge onto you. I hope, that at least in a few of you, I set you on the path of a true Knight. In action and in times of despair keep your head, and keep the code close to your heart. You may not win, but I promise you, you will have died a Knight. And your future, in whatever world it may be in, will be that of a Knight."
The old man grabbed for his walking stick once more and began to move towards the end of the stage. "Now I am old," He spoke as he walked. "And I have outstayed my welcome. Goodbye to you all. I have to go now. I'm ready to go." The man reached the stage and made his way down behind the banner.
"The great Sir. Ridian Poxio Forlas Jeruniman Fero, former Grandmaster of the Knights," Artamis Favro said, a red mark now across his face. "You are all Knights. On the beach bulletin board you will see a notification of what faction you will be in, and what Commander will be leading you. Thank you all and have a wonderful evening."
The setting changes from The Sora System to The UO-Universe
Xeroux roze from his knee, a smirk on his face. He looked down at the pristine blue armor he wore, feeling proud. He had made it, he was one of the few from his academy to graduate, and with honors. He'd turned down the offer for the black armor he'd earned, liking the blue more. He chuckled, remembering the shocked and confused looks his professors wore when he turned down the black armor. He had two reasons for picking the blue armor over the black, first was that he was a humble boy, who never cared for false respect based on one's possessions. He wanted his fellow Knights to see for themselves what he could do in battle rather than when he walked down a hallway, and secondly, it brought out his eyes, the light blue eyes so many people had stared into after being saved by the young boy with wispy brown hair. The power of the eyes amazed him. He'd grown up hearing the expression "the eyes are the windows to one's soul" He took the phrase to heart, learning at a young age what could be seen in such simple looking organs. One's true feelings could be found there, and just by looking into someone's eyes, one's attitude could be affected. The blue armor bringing out his eyes was more of a strategy than a favoritism.
With his new sense of pride he headed through the throng of people down to the beach, desperate to find his assignment. Taking in the strange sights as he walked along, multiple colored armors surrounding him. The island was like nothing he'd ever seen, the sun felt so warm, and the air still cool. The sound of the surf was like no river or lake he'd ever heard. The gulls over head cried out to one another, looking for food or shelter. Small white clouds filled the open blue sky. It was so alien to him, but somehow comfortable. Though it was his first time off world, he had prepared himself for this day the passed two years in his training, studying every academy, every world in the Sora system. He dabbled in the other systems, trying to build profiles on his potential enemies.
His boots hit the sand, and sank slowly before his weight was properly distributed so he could balance in his heavy armor. He chose to wait for the rest of the Knight Elites to leave before looking his assignment up. No point trying to push and shove to the board, after all they were all wearing armor, few would gain anything by using such physical tactics. He crossed his arms and watched the waves crash on the shore, smiling as a small crab tried to fight the constant barrage of waves as it tried to get back in the water.
He knelt down, picking the small crab up, and walked out into the water, just far enough to where the water was at the top of his boots, before plopping the crab into the deeper, less "hostile" water.
Looking up to the sky, he smiled broader, remembering what being a Knight meant.
"Someday, I'll be a house hold name...Xeroux Falcus...Knight Grandmaster...yeah."
With his new sense of pride he headed through the throng of people down to the beach, desperate to find his assignment. Taking in the strange sights as he walked along, multiple colored armors surrounding him. The island was like nothing he'd ever seen, the sun felt so warm, and the air still cool. The sound of the surf was like no river or lake he'd ever heard. The gulls over head cried out to one another, looking for food or shelter. Small white clouds filled the open blue sky. It was so alien to him, but somehow comfortable. Though it was his first time off world, he had prepared himself for this day the passed two years in his training, studying every academy, every world in the Sora system. He dabbled in the other systems, trying to build profiles on his potential enemies.
His boots hit the sand, and sank slowly before his weight was properly distributed so he could balance in his heavy armor. He chose to wait for the rest of the Knight Elites to leave before looking his assignment up. No point trying to push and shove to the board, after all they were all wearing armor, few would gain anything by using such physical tactics. He crossed his arms and watched the waves crash on the shore, smiling as a small crab tried to fight the constant barrage of waves as it tried to get back in the water.
He knelt down, picking the small crab up, and walked out into the water, just far enough to where the water was at the top of his boots, before plopping the crab into the deeper, less "hostile" water.
Looking up to the sky, he smiled broader, remembering what being a Knight meant.
"Someday, I'll be a house hold name...Xeroux Falcus...Knight Grandmaster...yeah."
Jove pushed past a Knight clad in gold. The crowd on the beach was massive, each new Knight trying to reach the bulletin board. Jove pushed past another, this one in blue, and another, in white, until he reached the front of the crowd. He scanned the names on the board quickly until he found his.
"Knight Commander Aden Malkini - Tower Seven Meditation Top. Sir Joven Flynn - Outstanding knowledge of culture and diplomacy. Sir Kazuki Shiroyama - Outstanding knowledge in multiple areas. Sir Nai Tsukumo - Outstanding knowledge of the battlefield and tactics. Sir Sentrius Tetran - Outstanding knowledge of weapons and arms. Sir Xeroux Falcus - Outstanding knowledge of the battlefield and tactics," Jove read aloud from the board. [i]We have a black Knight on our team,[/i Jove thought to himself, before pushing his way back through the crowd. He made his way out of the crowd and began his walk back up to the Academy gates. His armor had been scratched considerably, just by pushing against other armor. Jove muttered something to himself before continuing onto the tower.
He made his way back through the gardens and to tower seven. Tower seven was not the tallest tower at the Academy, but it was the most isolated, located on the east-most side of the island, overlooking the rocks and waves. Jove arrived at the meditation center to find himself alone. The center was on the top of the tower, which housed four student apartments on each of its nine floors, making its roof fairly wide. On it was a stretch of green grass, on its edge white sitting stones and a cherry tree. Jove sat down on a stone and pulled a small rag from his collar, hoping to buff out the scratches from his armor.
"Knight Commander Aden Malkini - Tower Seven Meditation Top. Sir Joven Flynn - Outstanding knowledge of culture and diplomacy. Sir Kazuki Shiroyama - Outstanding knowledge in multiple areas. Sir Nai Tsukumo - Outstanding knowledge of the battlefield and tactics. Sir Sentrius Tetran - Outstanding knowledge of weapons and arms. Sir Xeroux Falcus - Outstanding knowledge of the battlefield and tactics," Jove read aloud from the board. [i]We have a black Knight on our team,[/i Jove thought to himself, before pushing his way back through the crowd. He made his way out of the crowd and began his walk back up to the Academy gates. His armor had been scratched considerably, just by pushing against other armor. Jove muttered something to himself before continuing onto the tower.
He made his way back through the gardens and to tower seven. Tower seven was not the tallest tower at the Academy, but it was the most isolated, located on the east-most side of the island, overlooking the rocks and waves. Jove arrived at the meditation center to find himself alone. The center was on the top of the tower, which housed four student apartments on each of its nine floors, making its roof fairly wide. On it was a stretch of green grass, on its edge white sitting stones and a cherry tree. Jove sat down on a stone and pulled a small rag from his collar, hoping to buff out the scratches from his armor.
The setting changes from The Sora System to The UO-Universe
Sentrius hurried to the beach, making sure he was in the front of the crowd before anyone else. He was finally a Knight. One of the best of the best. A specialist in a chosen profession designated to protect the galaxy. What better way to spend the rest of your life, eh? Sentrius was hopeful that he'd be the one promoted to his squad's leader. Looking for his name on the board, Sentrius finally located it. It seemed that his group contained a green knight, two blue knights, and...a black knight? Interesting, though Sentrius doubted that even a black knight would get promoted squad leader over him. Despite only specializing in one class, Sentrius' record is quite impressive.
"Tower Seven, eh?" Sentrius smiled. "Sounds good to me!" Walking up towards the grassy plains on the eastern side of the island, Sentrius looked down and noticed another knight, sitting down, polishing his armor. Sentrius saluted. "Greetings, soldier! I expect we'll be meeting Commander Malkini any second now, eh?"
"Tower Seven, eh?" Sentrius smiled. "Sounds good to me!" Walking up towards the grassy plains on the eastern side of the island, Sentrius looked down and noticed another knight, sitting down, polishing his armor. Sentrius saluted. "Greetings, soldier! I expect we'll be meeting Commander Malkini any second now, eh?"
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Jove squinted at the man, who was tall enough to block the sun even from a distance. "Hello gunsmith," Jove said, "My name is Jove Flynn, Knight from... well, here, second heir to the Kingdom of Sumer." Jove stood up and stretched out his hand, a white smile on his face, "And who are you, lutman?"
The setting changes from The Sora System to The UO-Universe
"I am Sentrius Tetran," Sentirus explained. "This is my hometown too, actually," Sentrius added. "I trained at Mt. Ravin due to some, er, complications, but I was originally scheduled to transfer to Avana-Nvarro." Sentrius looked back at the rest of the knights as they traveled to their respective commanders. It would be an honor serving here...Yes it would.
The setting changes from The UO-Universe to The Sora System
"You were set to transfer to the Island, eh?" Jove said with a smile, not truly believing what the man said. "Although I guess Ravin's alright too. The training must of been... grueling."
The setting changes from The Sora System to The UO-Universe
"Well, it was, but," Sentrius said, before looking towards the wind as if posing for a heroic picture. "I survived. In fact, I led my class to victory, through overwhelming odds even. If you ask the Ravin instructors, they'll have stories about me." Sentrius explained. "Took on two Lava Drakes barehanded and saved a family traveling through the mountains. What a great day that was..."
"That's good, we will need a good man in combat, because I only scored a sixty-two on the combat test," Jove said. "You, plus the two blues and our black Knight, and of course Malkini leading us, we should be unstoppable. You sound skilled, Lutman. I'm surprised you weren't skilled enough for the Black Knights."
"Yes well, my medicine score's unfortunately weren't near high enough for me to be considered to be a part of the Black Knight's," Sentrius shrugged. "I had to settle on one and I figured...Why not weapon expert? And, uh, why do you keep calling me Lutman?"
The setting changes from The UO-Universe to The Sora System
Nai's eyes wandered across her fellow knights, a broad smile on her face to fit the occasion. The presentation had been full with emotion and now, excitement and impatience filled the air as she watched the knights struggle to see their grouping on the board. Of course, she already knew hers having been one of the first to have seen it. The Blue Knight armor she recieved had not been out of charity or pity. Her skills were exceptional in her field and notable at best in the others.
Graduation truly emphasized this fact. The only reason she was here was because she had been decreed that she worthy enough to stand among these knights, to be able to fight on the same field as them. Even now, she could tell they were all on different levels of skill and potential but it did not matter. Right now, they were equals. Only time would tell that she was truly one of the best knights here.
Not that she was conceited or anything. It was a fact, not theory. Even if the others ridiculed her for the academy she had come from or her background, it did not matter. Nai knew nothing was easy and her status as a knight would be truly difficult to attain the level she wanted. Considering that she was the only girl in her assignment, it might even be difficult to earn their respect. Still, it wasn’t impossible. In fact, it was a certainty she would earn their respect.
As she waved goodbye to a nice female knight she had found, she set on the search for her assignment. An elite among the best the academies could offer. It was always her goal to be here. No one else pushed her here. It was what she had wanted. Right,what she always wanted. Reminding herself, she confirmed her information with the woman’s word on the location of Tower 7.
After reaching her destination, she found two knights in the middle of a conversation. Both seemed like powerful allies and would no doubt posses their own advantages on the field. Placing on her friendliest smile, she strode over to the two, stopping right in front of them with a small bow.
“Excuse me, sorry for interrupting but I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Nai Gareki Tsukumo. I’m from the Knight Academy of the Village of Tormaund. I hope we can work together without any problems.”
Graduation truly emphasized this fact. The only reason she was here was because she had been decreed that she worthy enough to stand among these knights, to be able to fight on the same field as them. Even now, she could tell they were all on different levels of skill and potential but it did not matter. Right now, they were equals. Only time would tell that she was truly one of the best knights here.
Not that she was conceited or anything. It was a fact, not theory. Even if the others ridiculed her for the academy she had come from or her background, it did not matter. Nai knew nothing was easy and her status as a knight would be truly difficult to attain the level she wanted. Considering that she was the only girl in her assignment, it might even be difficult to earn their respect. Still, it wasn’t impossible. In fact, it was a certainty she would earn their respect.
As she waved goodbye to a nice female knight she had found, she set on the search for her assignment. An elite among the best the academies could offer. It was always her goal to be here. No one else pushed her here. It was what she had wanted. Right,what she always wanted. Reminding herself, she confirmed her information with the woman’s word on the location of Tower 7.
After reaching her destination, she found two knights in the middle of a conversation. Both seemed like powerful allies and would no doubt posses their own advantages on the field. Placing on her friendliest smile, she strode over to the two, stopping right in front of them with a small bow.
“Excuse me, sorry for interrupting but I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Nai Gareki Tsukumo. I’m from the Knight Academy of the Village of Tormaund. I hope we can work together without any problems.”
The setting changes from The Sora System to The UO-Universe
"Well... your a Lutman, like I'm a Zoman. Its our ancestry. Your father or your fathers father was from the Lutan gulf, was he not? Your skin, and more notably, height, work in favor of Lutman ancestry. And your name is Sentrius Tetran, it doesn't get more Lutan than that," Jove said with a smile, trying not to offend the man, who was a good foot and a half taller than him.
“Excuse me," A female voice intruded. "sorry for interrupting but I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Nai Gareki Tsukumo. I’m from the Knight Academy of the Village of Tormaund. I hope we can work together without any problems.”
Jove smiled at the girl and stretched his hand out. "Jove Flynn. Heir to the Kingdom of Sumer, linguistics and cultural expert. Its an honor to meet you."
“Excuse me," A female voice intruded. "sorry for interrupting but I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Nai Gareki Tsukumo. I’m from the Knight Academy of the Village of Tormaund. I hope we can work together without any problems.”
Jove smiled at the girl and stretched his hand out. "Jove Flynn. Heir to the Kingdom of Sumer, linguistics and cultural expert. Its an honor to meet you."
"uh, yeah..." Sentrius frowned. "I guess that would be true...Though the name Sentrius was originally-"
Sentrius turned around, eyes widening as he heard a voice behind him. Ah, another newcomer. A blue knight it seemed. Sentrius bowed after she greeted them. "Miss Tsukumo, it is an honor to meet you," Sentrius said. "Welcome you to our squadron. I am Sentrius Tetran. I see you've graduated from Tormaud...that's really great!"
Sentrius turned around, eyes widening as he heard a voice behind him. Ah, another newcomer. A blue knight it seemed. Sentrius bowed after she greeted them. "Miss Tsukumo, it is an honor to meet you," Sentrius said. "Welcome you to our squadron. I am Sentrius Tetran. I see you've graduated from Tormaud...that's really great!"
"Yes, I mean... its not really an Academy, is it? Its just a bunch of sandhuts with a crazed teacher yelling at you, right?" Jove said. "And yet three of you made it into the Elites somehow, what luck! Not to say your acceptance was charity."
Nai shook Jove's hand, "It is an honor to meet you as well. I didn't realize I was working with such an important person."
She then turned to Sentrius with a small grin, "Please, call me Nai or Gareki. Personally, I'm not a fan of such formality... And I suppose." Nai began to relax a little, thinking the two were alright until Jove began talking again.
"For your information it is still an academy despite what sort of people are admitted. It is a very underrated place actually with fine people there, many who you would be lucky to have as allies. It is true though, that we don't have the best in there but the three of us graduates are proof that it is very hard to become an elite there, whether or not others consider it a true academy. I hope you won't make such assumptions in the future."
She then turned to Sentrius with a small grin, "Please, call me Nai or Gareki. Personally, I'm not a fan of such formality... And I suppose." Nai began to relax a little, thinking the two were alright until Jove began talking again.
"For your information it is still an academy despite what sort of people are admitted. It is a very underrated place actually with fine people there, many who you would be lucky to have as allies. It is true though, that we don't have the best in there but the three of us graduates are proof that it is very hard to become an elite there, whether or not others consider it a true academy. I hope you won't make such assumptions in the future."
"I'm sorry, I apologize. I shouldn't underestimate how hard it is to learn how to fight, and how well Tormaund teaches it," Jove replied with a small smile. "Anyway, we only have two more students to go, and then our Commander, right?"
Sentrius coughed uncomfortably, as he often did when feeling uncomfortable. "Well, hey...There were many quality Knight commanders from Tormaud. Rudo, Roka, Dragoon. All of them the best of the best. I mean just because it hasn't produced many Knights recently doesn't mean they're not worth the cut. It's just like the handbook says, "When it comes to knights, it's not just about the smartest and the strongest. It's about whoever has grit, determination, and the will to make past even the most dangerous of challenges. And when the time comes, they won't be the bowl on the bottom....They'll be the cherry on top of the delicious chocolate sundae of justice!...Or something to that effect. I was paraphrasing, but you guys get the point, right?"
"Of course. I love the Tormaunders. And I'm sure you, my lady, and these two others I read about. This Oseal and Swipien, will become legends in their own right," Jove said, trying his best to come across decent to his teammates.
"Yes, well, how about we drop this subject? Its clear we all have our own views of the academy and besides, we're not here to compare schools," Nai replied with a sheepsih smile, "And the mention of ice cream has reminded me I haven't eaten anything all day."
She laughed, clearly trying to break away from the subject of the academy. Already she was gatheing information on their personalities and the talk of the school had made it clear she was at a bit of a disadvantage.
"Anyway, will it be long before the Commander joins us? I'm eager to see what we're going to do, aren't you?"
She laughed, clearly trying to break away from the subject of the academy. Already she was gatheing information on their personalities and the talk of the school had made it clear she was at a bit of a disadvantage.
"Anyway, will it be long before the Commander joins us? I'm eager to see what we're going to do, aren't you?"
"Yes, when will we meet Commander Malkini?" Sentrius asked, glad to steer clear of the subject. "And when will our other squad members arrive?" Sentrius looked around. There were millions of students wandering everywhere. It was possible the others got stuck in the back lines somewhere.
Aden Malkini bit his nails furiously, glancing at them every so often to make sure they didn't become uneven. He hated this. He hated the idea of a team. Of being a mentor, a leader. He was a soldier. He was a General. And he was a man ready for war before all else. He prayed that his students would not disappoint him. He took the final step onto the rooftop and saw three Knights by the rocks. "Hello," He called to them, making them all turn. "My name is Aden Malkini. I am not the Commander you will want, and you aren't the soldiers I want. But I made a promise. I promised I would be a good Commander, even if it kills me." Malkini looked down for a second, before outstretching his hand. "So, hello squad," He said, waiting for the Knights to introduce themselves.
"Sir!" Sentrius saluted as Malkini arrived. "Sentrius Tetran, Weapons Sepcialist, Mt. Ravin Knight Academy, sir!" Sentrius then shook Malkini's hand and went back to stand in place. Have to make a good impression in front of the commanding officer if you want to get promoted after all.
Well this will certainly be a fun group to study...
Nai stepped forward after Sentrius retreated, firmly shaking Malkini's hand. She had a sweet smile on but a business-like air around her. "I'm Nai Gareki Tsukumo from the Knight Academy of the Village of Tormaund. I'll be one of your two tactician and battlefield specialists. Its really admirable you follow through on promises and make such a sacrifice to do so as well."
The sincerity in her voice rang clear and with a small bow, she retreated to her position.
Nai stepped forward after Sentrius retreated, firmly shaking Malkini's hand. She had a sweet smile on but a business-like air around her. "I'm Nai Gareki Tsukumo from the Knight Academy of the Village of Tormaund. I'll be one of your two tactician and battlefield specialists. Its really admirable you follow through on promises and make such a sacrifice to do so as well."
The sincerity in her voice rang clear and with a small bow, she retreated to her position.
Malkini gave Nai a smile before turning to the last man there. Jove grasped the mans hand, a grin on his face. "Joven Flynn, your only expert of linguistics and culture-"
"The Black armor scored a ninety-seven percent on his culture exam," Malkini interrupted.
Jove shrugged the comment off, "True, but he doesn't have it as his specialty-"
"No, he has it and everything else as his specialty," Malkini interrupted again.
Jove smiled. "Well, that's what I am... I'm also the second heir to the Kingdom of Sumer, if it interests you."
"It doesn't," Malkini said. "We get our nags milk from Sumer and that's it. Its a backward hellhole that wishes it had more of a say in Sor but wont because it doesn't have the ability to stay afloat without slaves. Now is there any other title I should know about, Mr. Flynn? Or is that all?"
"That's... that's all, Aden," Jove said with a frown, before turning back to his rock.
"Well then we wait for the other two," Malkini said. "And any other extra Knights they stick me with..."
"The Black armor scored a ninety-seven percent on his culture exam," Malkini interrupted.
Jove shrugged the comment off, "True, but he doesn't have it as his specialty-"
"No, he has it and everything else as his specialty," Malkini interrupted again.
Jove smiled. "Well, that's what I am... I'm also the second heir to the Kingdom of Sumer, if it interests you."
"It doesn't," Malkini said. "We get our nags milk from Sumer and that's it. Its a backward hellhole that wishes it had more of a say in Sor but wont because it doesn't have the ability to stay afloat without slaves. Now is there any other title I should know about, Mr. Flynn? Or is that all?"
"That's... that's all, Aden," Jove said with a frown, before turning back to his rock.
"Well then we wait for the other two," Malkini said. "And any other extra Knights they stick me with..."
The setting changes from The UO-Universe to The Sora System
This is interesting to say the least. Kazuki thought as the aged former Grandmaster took what was to be just another graduation for the Knight Elite in quite in another direction. The way he spoke of the Phoenix Knights irked and intrigued this descendant of the Phoenix people. Most thought his ancestors little more then savages consumed by their power and blood lust. But this man long past his prime shed his own light and spoke an opinion considered treason, one Knight even voicing the fact. Still the former Grandmaster spoke on even making them swear a modified version of the Oath of Service, one this modern Phoenix knew was much closer to what the Phoenix Knights swore to so long ago. The oath he had sworn when first he came to the Knights was more of obedience but this new oath was more of Honor and true Duty to a righteous cause.
" The old man is either brilliant or senile." The Black Knight said to himself as the order to kneel was rung out from the one time Grandmasters throat. Kneeling he nonetheless made to attempt to say the oath out loud. He already knew what honor was he didn't need to swear to, words were meaningless only actions counted. Still the illusion must be maintained so he knelt and mouthed the words along with the rest of the Knight Elite gathered before this aged Knight.
Then came the rush to the assignment board the press of Knights in the armor sounding like the devil's fiddle as the steel of their grab rubbed against each other. Desiring no scuffing of his polished armor he milled at the back waiting for the crowds to thin as Knights went moaning to their duties. It seemed no heroic deeds to assault enemy planets were in stock.Striding to the board he checked it over noting the Black Knights were to be scattered to units in their singles. Obviously no war was brewing despite the recent tensions for the military tended to keep Black Knights together in small strike teams as their wide skill range saw them suited to Special Tactical missions ranging from rapid deployment to reinforce trapped units, to missions behind enemy lines were their language skills saw them blend in with the locals easily. Although Kazuki with his Phoenix heritage hardly blended in with even other knights. The black eyes and silver hair of his forefathers simply were too much of a rarity to let him meld with a crowd.
" So I am to report to Tower Seven Meditation Top. Hmm the Knight Commander is Aden Malkini." Kazuki mused aloud as he read the assignment board. He had heard of the man, then again so had everyone at the academies scattered throughout the republic. The man had been one of the best apparently before the lost of his whole unit had shaken him to the core. But instead of a dishonorable discharge the man had chosen or been forced into the post of Knight Commander. " The team set up is rather balanced although I hardly see why we need two tacticians as our commander is a Black knight and a former General at that but I guess we'll won't lack for officers." The Black Knight thought with some concern over the officer thought. Black Knights tended to find themselves as officers as the military viewed their widespread knowledge prefect for uniting other Knights with differing specializations into a cohesive whole. And while Kazuki had done remarkably well during the training missions when thrust into a leadership position he didn't know if he was truly capable of dealing with the stress of leadership. There was a big difference leading a squad of trainee knights with Veteran knights making sure nothing went wrong and leading a squad of Knight Elite during missions were nothing was going to catch him if he fell. Then again he was a Black Knight dammit he reminded himself and this was what all the training was about.
With that moment of crisis over the Black Knight made his way to the begining of his career as a Knight. Tower Seven wasn't much as it name suggested it was merely a meditation spot frequented about as much as the bathroom during rush hour on a hot day. Most Knights were far too busy studying to spend time in meditation. Something Kazuki had taken advantage of as it had been a quiet place to practice his swordplay and marksmanship unlike the training halls choked with would be warriors. Unfortunately his private practice spot was to be the future home of the squad he had been assigned to.
Once he had reached the top of the tower he took in the group. Most of the knights seemed busy introducing themselves to the group and swapping stories. The Knight Commander was looking somehow nervous and still in charge. The man hardly wants this position of leadership and yet he is still trying to do his best. The man must really believe in the Oath of Service. He thought to himself.
" My apologies Commander Malkini for arriving in such an untimely manner. The assignment boards were swamped with eager Knights. I will endeavor to make up nonetheless for this lateness in the future" Kazuki said saluting the Commander with a crisp salute." I am Kazuki Shiroyama Black Knight of the Avana-Nvarro academy Commander." the Black Knight add with a deep and graceful bow despite the burden of armor and sword. " I look forward to serving in this unit to the best of my abilities Sir Malkini."
Kazuki at times like this wish there was a less cocky way of introducing himself. When he was still a trainee it had been easy. No one was impressed by a trainee knight. But one clad in Black armor was considered impressive. Technically he should have introduced himself then listed his abilities. But saying he was one of the top swordsmen in this year's class of Knight Elite, that he had beaten Veteran tacticians with ease, Telling them he could speak almost all known languages, that he knew the best way to treat almost any wound, all of it just seemed way to cocksure to him. And while he didn't usually care what people thought of him he hardly wanted his first day to be boasting about himself.
" The old man is either brilliant or senile." The Black Knight said to himself as the order to kneel was rung out from the one time Grandmasters throat. Kneeling he nonetheless made to attempt to say the oath out loud. He already knew what honor was he didn't need to swear to, words were meaningless only actions counted. Still the illusion must be maintained so he knelt and mouthed the words along with the rest of the Knight Elite gathered before this aged Knight.
Then came the rush to the assignment board the press of Knights in the armor sounding like the devil's fiddle as the steel of their grab rubbed against each other. Desiring no scuffing of his polished armor he milled at the back waiting for the crowds to thin as Knights went moaning to their duties. It seemed no heroic deeds to assault enemy planets were in stock.Striding to the board he checked it over noting the Black Knights were to be scattered to units in their singles. Obviously no war was brewing despite the recent tensions for the military tended to keep Black Knights together in small strike teams as their wide skill range saw them suited to Special Tactical missions ranging from rapid deployment to reinforce trapped units, to missions behind enemy lines were their language skills saw them blend in with the locals easily. Although Kazuki with his Phoenix heritage hardly blended in with even other knights. The black eyes and silver hair of his forefathers simply were too much of a rarity to let him meld with a crowd.
" So I am to report to Tower Seven Meditation Top. Hmm the Knight Commander is Aden Malkini." Kazuki mused aloud as he read the assignment board. He had heard of the man, then again so had everyone at the academies scattered throughout the republic. The man had been one of the best apparently before the lost of his whole unit had shaken him to the core. But instead of a dishonorable discharge the man had chosen or been forced into the post of Knight Commander. " The team set up is rather balanced although I hardly see why we need two tacticians as our commander is a Black knight and a former General at that but I guess we'll won't lack for officers." The Black Knight thought with some concern over the officer thought. Black Knights tended to find themselves as officers as the military viewed their widespread knowledge prefect for uniting other Knights with differing specializations into a cohesive whole. And while Kazuki had done remarkably well during the training missions when thrust into a leadership position he didn't know if he was truly capable of dealing with the stress of leadership. There was a big difference leading a squad of trainee knights with Veteran knights making sure nothing went wrong and leading a squad of Knight Elite during missions were nothing was going to catch him if he fell. Then again he was a Black Knight dammit he reminded himself and this was what all the training was about.
With that moment of crisis over the Black Knight made his way to the begining of his career as a Knight. Tower Seven wasn't much as it name suggested it was merely a meditation spot frequented about as much as the bathroom during rush hour on a hot day. Most Knights were far too busy studying to spend time in meditation. Something Kazuki had taken advantage of as it had been a quiet place to practice his swordplay and marksmanship unlike the training halls choked with would be warriors. Unfortunately his private practice spot was to be the future home of the squad he had been assigned to.
Once he had reached the top of the tower he took in the group. Most of the knights seemed busy introducing themselves to the group and swapping stories. The Knight Commander was looking somehow nervous and still in charge. The man hardly wants this position of leadership and yet he is still trying to do his best. The man must really believe in the Oath of Service. He thought to himself.
" My apologies Commander Malkini for arriving in such an untimely manner. The assignment boards were swamped with eager Knights. I will endeavor to make up nonetheless for this lateness in the future" Kazuki said saluting the Commander with a crisp salute." I am Kazuki Shiroyama Black Knight of the Avana-Nvarro academy Commander." the Black Knight add with a deep and graceful bow despite the burden of armor and sword. " I look forward to serving in this unit to the best of my abilities Sir Malkini."
Kazuki at times like this wish there was a less cocky way of introducing himself. When he was still a trainee it had been easy. No one was impressed by a trainee knight. But one clad in Black armor was considered impressive. Technically he should have introduced himself then listed his abilities. But saying he was one of the top swordsmen in this year's class of Knight Elite, that he had beaten Veteran tacticians with ease, Telling them he could speak almost all known languages, that he knew the best way to treat almost any wound, all of it just seemed way to cocksure to him. And while he didn't usually care what people thought of him he hardly wanted his first day to be boasting about himself.
The setting changes from The Sora System to The UO-Universe
Xeroux rushed to the 7th tower, knowing he would be late.
"Great, I'll be scolded my first day! What a great first impression...I should have just pushed my way to the front of the line!"
He raced into the garden like area, seeing his fellow squad mates and Commander already present. His heart dropped as he hurried to fall into the little formation there was. With a crisp salute he introduced himself.
"My apologies for being late commander" he bowed low to Malkini before turning and bowing to his squad mate. "Sorry for being late you guys..." He said with a sheepish grin. His attention snapped back to his commander, who was waiting for him to introduce himself. He felt his face flush noticing the same look on their faces as well. Though he was the last to arrive and they probably knew each other's names already, including his by simple process of elimination, they still waited.
"I am Xeroux Falcus, Knight Elite hailing from the Academy of the Territory of Ackan, Gengrolin. I'm looking forward to your teachings, and getting know my fellow squad mates."
He smirked, finishing what he felt was the important piece of an introduction. 'Just the basics,' his grandmother used to tell him, 'if they want to know more, they'll ask. Never overload a new aquantince with to much information about yourself. You don't know if they can be fully trusted for one, and it makes you seem cocky.'
His smirk faded to a small warm smile. This was it, the beginning of a new chapter in his life. These were the five new and closest friends he'd have for now. Together they would meet countless dangers and challenges, but he felt that they would overcome them all, getting a strong since of determination from every one of his new squad members. Fire burned in his pale blue eyes, ready to open the book, and begin the new chapter.
"Great, I'll be scolded my first day! What a great first impression...I should have just pushed my way to the front of the line!"
He raced into the garden like area, seeing his fellow squad mates and Commander already present. His heart dropped as he hurried to fall into the little formation there was. With a crisp salute he introduced himself.
"My apologies for being late commander" he bowed low to Malkini before turning and bowing to his squad mate. "Sorry for being late you guys..." He said with a sheepish grin. His attention snapped back to his commander, who was waiting for him to introduce himself. He felt his face flush noticing the same look on their faces as well. Though he was the last to arrive and they probably knew each other's names already, including his by simple process of elimination, they still waited.
"I am Xeroux Falcus, Knight Elite hailing from the Academy of the Territory of Ackan, Gengrolin. I'm looking forward to your teachings, and getting know my fellow squad mates."
He smirked, finishing what he felt was the important piece of an introduction. 'Just the basics,' his grandmother used to tell him, 'if they want to know more, they'll ask. Never overload a new aquantince with to much information about yourself. You don't know if they can be fully trusted for one, and it makes you seem cocky.'
His smirk faded to a small warm smile. This was it, the beginning of a new chapter in his life. These were the five new and closest friends he'd have for now. Together they would meet countless dangers and challenges, but he felt that they would overcome them all, getting a strong since of determination from every one of his new squad members. Fire burned in his pale blue eyes, ready to open the book, and begin the new chapter.
Xeroux rushed to the 7th tower, knowing he would be late.
"Great, I'll be scolded my first day! What a great first impression...I should have just pushed my way to the front of the line!"
He raced into the garden like area, seeing his fellow squad mates and Commander already present. His heart dropped as he hurried to fall into the little formation there was. With a crisp salute he introduced himself.
"My apologies for being late commander" he bowed low to Malkini before turning and bowing to his squad mate. "Sorry for being late you guys..." He said with a sheepish grin. His attention snapped back to his commander, who was waiting for him to introduce himself. He felt his face flush noticing the same look on their faces as well. Though he was the last to arrive and they probably knew each other's names already, including his by simple process of elimination, they still waited.
"I am Xeroux Falcus, Knight Elite hailing from the Academy of the Territory of Ackan, Gengrolin. I'm looking forward to your teachings, and getting know my fellow squad mates."
He smirked, finishing what he felt was the important piece of an introduction. 'Just the basics,' his grandmother used to tell him, 'if they want to know more, they'll ask. Never overload a new aquantince with to much information about yourself. You don't know if they can be fully trusted for one, and it makes you seem cocky.'
His smirk faded to a small warm smile. This was it, the beginning of a new chapter in his life. These were the five new and closest friends he'd have for now. Together they would meet countless dangers and challenges, but he felt that they would overcome them all, getting a strong since of determination from every one of his new squad members. Fire burned in his pale blue eyes, ready to open the book, and begin the new chapter.
"Great, I'll be scolded my first day! What a great first impression...I should have just pushed my way to the front of the line!"
He raced into the garden like area, seeing his fellow squad mates and Commander already present. His heart dropped as he hurried to fall into the little formation there was. With a crisp salute he introduced himself.
"My apologies for being late commander" he bowed low to Malkini before turning and bowing to his squad mate. "Sorry for being late you guys..." He said with a sheepish grin. His attention snapped back to his commander, who was waiting for him to introduce himself. He felt his face flush noticing the same look on their faces as well. Though he was the last to arrive and they probably knew each other's names already, including his by simple process of elimination, they still waited.
"I am Xeroux Falcus, Knight Elite hailing from the Academy of the Territory of Ackan, Gengrolin. I'm looking forward to your teachings, and getting know my fellow squad mates."
He smirked, finishing what he felt was the important piece of an introduction. 'Just the basics,' his grandmother used to tell him, 'if they want to know more, they'll ask. Never overload a new aquantince with to much information about yourself. You don't know if they can be fully trusted for one, and it makes you seem cocky.'
His smirk faded to a small warm smile. This was it, the beginning of a new chapter in his life. These were the five new and closest friends he'd have for now. Together they would meet countless dangers and challenges, but he felt that they would overcome them all, getting a strong since of determination from every one of his new squad members. Fire burned in his pale blue eyes, ready to open the book, and begin the new chapter.
Xeroux rushed to the 7th tower, knowing he would be late.
"Great, I'll be scolded my first day! What a great first impression...I should have just pushed my way to the front of the line!"
He raced into the garden like area, seeing his fellow squad mates and Commander already present. His heart dropped as he hurried to fall into the little formation there was. With a crisp salute he introduced himself.
"My apologies for being late commander" he bowed low to Malkini before turning and bowing to his squad mate. "Sorry for being late you guys..." He said with a sheepish grin. His attention snapped back to his commander, who was waiting for him to introduce himself. He felt his face flush noticing the same look on their faces as well. Though he was the last to arrive and they probably knew each other's names already, including his by simple process of elimination, they still waited.
"I am Xeroux Falcus, Knight Elite hailing from the Academy of the Territory of Ackan, Gengrolin. I'm looking forward to your teachings, and getting know my fellow squad mates."
He smirked, finishing what he felt was the important piece of an introduction. 'Just the basics,' his grandmother used to tell him, 'if they want to know more, they'll ask. Never overload a new aquantince with to much information about yourself. You don't know if they can be fully trusted for one, and it makes you seem cocky.'
His smirk faded to a small warm smile. This was it, the beginning of a new chapter in his life. These were the five new and closest friends he'd have for now. Together they would meet countless dangers and challenges, but he felt that they would overcome them all, getting a strong since of determination from every one of his new squad members. Fire burned in his pale blue eyes, ready to open the book, and begin the new chapter.
"Great, I'll be scolded my first day! What a great first impression...I should have just pushed my way to the front of the line!"
He raced into the garden like area, seeing his fellow squad mates and Commander already present. His heart dropped as he hurried to fall into the little formation there was. With a crisp salute he introduced himself.
"My apologies for being late commander" he bowed low to Malkini before turning and bowing to his squad mate. "Sorry for being late you guys..." He said with a sheepish grin. His attention snapped back to his commander, who was waiting for him to introduce himself. He felt his face flush noticing the same look on their faces as well. Though he was the last to arrive and they probably knew each other's names already, including his by simple process of elimination, they still waited.
"I am Xeroux Falcus, Knight Elite hailing from the Academy of the Territory of Ackan, Gengrolin. I'm looking forward to your teachings, and getting know my fellow squad mates."
He smirked, finishing what he felt was the important piece of an introduction. 'Just the basics,' his grandmother used to tell him, 'if they want to know more, they'll ask. Never overload a new aquantince with to much information about yourself. You don't know if they can be fully trusted for one, and it makes you seem cocky.'
His smirk faded to a small warm smile. This was it, the beginning of a new chapter in his life. These were the five new and closest friends he'd have for now. Together they would meet countless dangers and challenges, but he felt that they would overcome them all, getting a strong since of determination from every one of his new squad members. Fire burned in his pale blue eyes, ready to open the book, and begin the new chapter.
Malkini glanced from Xeroux to Kazuki to Jove to Nai to Sentrius, and then back again to Xeroux. "I... am a military leader, and as you know leaders like to control. I am establishing a chain of Command. Based on first impressions only. Kazuki, I'm gone, the situations appropriate, your in charge. Your opinion, out of all these introductions, means the most to me. Lets hope you don't betray your rank. If were both gone, Nai, your in charge. You seem dutiful to the Knights, and not so dutiful to your own personal gain, which is good... or bad. I don't really care, your the third. Next is Sentrius. Your a soldier, Sentrius, but I don't know if your a Commander. Your the fourth in this chain. Xeroux, your fifth... I like you, but your the least a soldier. And Jove, your last. That means when everyone's dead, your in charge."
Malkini looked over the Knights, before turning around and strolling towards the stairs. "Knights, in a half an hour we leave for Usin. For the cliffs or Umoud, along the river Mevish. There we meet General Yoff, who has four legions in the area. A revolt has happened against the King of the planet, and we believe that if this rebel group gains power of the world, they may want to detach from the Republics control, in which case we would have to invade and kill a large portion of the population, an event that no one wants. So we are going in now and stopping this issue before it becomes a problem. Any questions?"
Malkini looked over the Knights, before turning around and strolling towards the stairs. "Knights, in a half an hour we leave for Usin. For the cliffs or Umoud, along the river Mevish. There we meet General Yoff, who has four legions in the area. A revolt has happened against the King of the planet, and we believe that if this rebel group gains power of the world, they may want to detach from the Republics control, in which case we would have to invade and kill a large portion of the population, an event that no one wants. So we are going in now and stopping this issue before it becomes a problem. Any questions?"
So I am to be an officer after all it seems. Melina would have gotten a kick out of that. Kazuki thought with a subtle smile that was half sad and half happy. But so swift did it come and pass no one would notice fixated as they were upon their own machinations. Seeing as he was to lead this squad in Commander Malkini absence or when it was deemed appropriate for the Black Knight to take charge he decided to limit his response in favor of studying the group deeply." Yes Sir Commander and thank you. I will not betray my rank and shall live up to your example at all times Commander." The newly made Black Knight of the Knight Elite spoke with another salute.
Studying the group the Black Knight found them eager, puffed up with pride at being the latest in a long line of Knight Elite. Their armor polished and scuffed from rushing to the boards. Frankly Kazuki found it a little much, all their eagerness. Combat was a serious business with no place for the foolishness of youth and exuberance of pride. Their actions would shape the course of history, lives hung in the balance and history would be the judge. Their blades would cut a path through history and as such they had to measure each swing. To never swing wide and destroy more then was necessary, they were knights not butchers. But maybe this knight's Phoenix blood gave him a solemnity and seriousness beyond his 21 years lived. As both the descendant of traitors and a race wiped out by his fellow knights forefathers he felt a greater need to control his exuberance. In many ways this descendant of the Phoenix loathed the carte blanche way the genocide of his race had been carried out. Women and Men in the prime of their life cut down for the crime of being Phoenix. Elders and children cut down to eliminate future threats. His race was innocent of the actions the Phoenix Knights had committed and yet all had to burn for the crime of being of the Phoenix blood.
"Knights, in a half an hour we leave for Usin. For the cliffs or Umoud, along the river Mevish. There we meet General Yoff, who has four legions in the area. A revolt has happened against the King of the planet, and we believe that if this rebel group gains power of the world, they may want to detach from the Republics control, in which case we would have to invade and kill a large portion of the population, an event that no one wants. So we are going in now and stopping this issue before it becomes a problem. Any questions?"
His thoughts disturbed the Black Knight Kazuki had to think for a moment before his mind could comprehend what his commander had said. The causal way the man spoke of having to decitmate the world's population should the revolt got of hand infuriated this descendant of a race who barely clung to survival because of a similar manner of thinking.
" I have a question Commander if you would entertain it..." And here the Phoenix Black Knight took a breath as if calming himself, now was no time to let too many emotions rule him." Are we really compelled to slaughter a world simply because of the actions of a few rebels. Is a son guilty of his Father's Sin, is a wife responsible for what her husband does with his warriors fate. Is a Nation to be held accountable for the actions of a rebel faction. I don't mean to sound like a traitor but that kind of thinking is why my race is all but gone from the face of the universe. I will not participate in the slaughter of innocents simply because Headquarters orders it Commander. I am a Knight not a mindless sheep to be ordered about. I serve honor,duty, and justice. And my weapons serve nothing else." And here Kazuki had took another breath far too much he had said and revealed. But then again it felt good to make clear the kind of person he was, that no one could claim he acted differently then he believed. And while he had no qualms about drawing his blade or using his guns in actual combat he wasn't going to kill for pleasure or end innocent lives simply to appease those in charge. As he said he was a Knight and to him that meant he was above blind obedience. He had become a Knight to honor a vow to Melina a woman although dead still held his heart. And instead found an order that was equal parts obedient sheep and fools drunk on their own glory. No Heroes of old or honor he had yet to find. Some called his forefathers monsters but never did a true Phoenix sink to blind obedience.
Studying the group the Black Knight found them eager, puffed up with pride at being the latest in a long line of Knight Elite. Their armor polished and scuffed from rushing to the boards. Frankly Kazuki found it a little much, all their eagerness. Combat was a serious business with no place for the foolishness of youth and exuberance of pride. Their actions would shape the course of history, lives hung in the balance and history would be the judge. Their blades would cut a path through history and as such they had to measure each swing. To never swing wide and destroy more then was necessary, they were knights not butchers. But maybe this knight's Phoenix blood gave him a solemnity and seriousness beyond his 21 years lived. As both the descendant of traitors and a race wiped out by his fellow knights forefathers he felt a greater need to control his exuberance. In many ways this descendant of the Phoenix loathed the carte blanche way the genocide of his race had been carried out. Women and Men in the prime of their life cut down for the crime of being Phoenix. Elders and children cut down to eliminate future threats. His race was innocent of the actions the Phoenix Knights had committed and yet all had to burn for the crime of being of the Phoenix blood.
"Knights, in a half an hour we leave for Usin. For the cliffs or Umoud, along the river Mevish. There we meet General Yoff, who has four legions in the area. A revolt has happened against the King of the planet, and we believe that if this rebel group gains power of the world, they may want to detach from the Republics control, in which case we would have to invade and kill a large portion of the population, an event that no one wants. So we are going in now and stopping this issue before it becomes a problem. Any questions?"
His thoughts disturbed the Black Knight Kazuki had to think for a moment before his mind could comprehend what his commander had said. The causal way the man spoke of having to decitmate the world's population should the revolt got of hand infuriated this descendant of a race who barely clung to survival because of a similar manner of thinking.
" I have a question Commander if you would entertain it..." And here the Phoenix Black Knight took a breath as if calming himself, now was no time to let too many emotions rule him." Are we really compelled to slaughter a world simply because of the actions of a few rebels. Is a son guilty of his Father's Sin, is a wife responsible for what her husband does with his warriors fate. Is a Nation to be held accountable for the actions of a rebel faction. I don't mean to sound like a traitor but that kind of thinking is why my race is all but gone from the face of the universe. I will not participate in the slaughter of innocents simply because Headquarters orders it Commander. I am a Knight not a mindless sheep to be ordered about. I serve honor,duty, and justice. And my weapons serve nothing else." And here Kazuki had took another breath far too much he had said and revealed. But then again it felt good to make clear the kind of person he was, that no one could claim he acted differently then he believed. And while he had no qualms about drawing his blade or using his guns in actual combat he wasn't going to kill for pleasure or end innocent lives simply to appease those in charge. As he said he was a Knight and to him that meant he was above blind obedience. He had become a Knight to honor a vow to Melina a woman although dead still held his heart. And instead found an order that was equal parts obedient sheep and fools drunk on their own glory. No Heroes of old or honor he had yet to find. Some called his forefathers monsters but never did a true Phoenix sink to blind obedience.
"War is about messages to its leaders," Malkini said slowly. He took a few heavy steps forward until he faced the Black Knight directly. "If a leader has his towns slaughtered, his confidence will go down. Make him the dictator of nothing, make everything they touched turn to ash. Make every town his soldiers ever occupied nothing but bloody streets. And then make him look at it... look at all." Malkini looked directly into Kazuki's eyes. "And then you kill him, because hes just a man who tried to conquer a pile rubble who now sits in chains."
A smile came across Mallkini's face. "Of course you will only have to live through that if we fail here. The rebels are plotting and trying to form an army on a village built on the side of one of the massive stone pillars there above the Mevish. A good distance down the river is our good General Yoff and his army. They are using an abandoned underground city as an outpost and base. Its an old city of stone, all reaching beneath the Mevish river. Its from when the Dals occupied the planet, and there's only one entrance. Its this opening in the base of a massive statue built into the rockside, just off the side of the Mevish. And the statue, ironically, is of a Knight. A Neahian one, but a Knight none the less."
Malkini turned back to the group, a few of them disturbed by the concept of cutting a village down to pieces. "Look, the city runs underneath the pillar holding the village. Yoff wants to set explosives there and blow it up, causing the pillar, the village, and any rebels inside it to fall to the ground and die. Believe it or not the Knights in Sor thinks that's inhumane, and what that really means is that they don't want to upset the King of Usin, because then they loose a big source of vegetables for the north-western provinces that cant farm themselves. Kiris and what not. That's why they're sending us. To kill the rebels and try not to hurt the villagers, that's why we are the elites, that's why were Knights. And the Knights never fail, eh?"
A smile came across Mallkini's face. "Of course you will only have to live through that if we fail here. The rebels are plotting and trying to form an army on a village built on the side of one of the massive stone pillars there above the Mevish. A good distance down the river is our good General Yoff and his army. They are using an abandoned underground city as an outpost and base. Its an old city of stone, all reaching beneath the Mevish river. Its from when the Dals occupied the planet, and there's only one entrance. Its this opening in the base of a massive statue built into the rockside, just off the side of the Mevish. And the statue, ironically, is of a Knight. A Neahian one, but a Knight none the less."
Malkini turned back to the group, a few of them disturbed by the concept of cutting a village down to pieces. "Look, the city runs underneath the pillar holding the village. Yoff wants to set explosives there and blow it up, causing the pillar, the village, and any rebels inside it to fall to the ground and die. Believe it or not the Knights in Sor thinks that's inhumane, and what that really means is that they don't want to upset the King of Usin, because then they loose a big source of vegetables for the north-western provinces that cant farm themselves. Kiris and what not. That's why they're sending us. To kill the rebels and try not to hurt the villagers, that's why we are the elites, that's why were Knights. And the Knights never fail, eh?"
"Sir, I-," Sentrius began to blurt out as Malkini told them the chain of command. Had his files not been read? He had practically led his own graduating class through their various trials back at Mt. Ravin. He alone had evacuated several families out of the way of danger when their village was attacked by raiders. Sure, Sentrius was a soldier, but he had leader qualities beyond anyone else he knew! Certainly more than the black knight or the strategist anyway.
Though now was probably not the time to worry about this. He'll get to show his chops pretty soon when he gets the chance. Sentrius listened to Malkius' speech on leadership and their mission. Sentrius nodded as he listened in on their mission briefing. Getting rid of some rebels. Sounds like as good way as any to start off a Knight's career.
Though now was probably not the time to worry about this. He'll get to show his chops pretty soon when he gets the chance. Sentrius listened to Malkius' speech on leadership and their mission. Sentrius nodded as he listened in on their mission briefing. Getting rid of some rebels. Sounds like as good way as any to start off a Knight's career.
"So, any objections about our task?" Malkini asked.
"I have one, well I suppose its more of a question really, sir," Jove said, stepping forward. "It sounds to me like this General Yoff has the situation under control. What is the point of us going there."
"To spare a village, are you deaf?" Malkini replied.
"No sir, its just that, in my opinion, we could be far more important in Bako Bay, where we can really cut down some crime," Jove said.
"If I ever want your opinion, which I never will, I will ask for it, tongue-master," Malkini said. "And by crime in Bako Bay I assume you mean the illegal slave trading going on behind the back of your families legal slave trading, correct?"
Jove gave a sheepish grin, "Well, I wasn't suggest-"
"No, no, I'm sure you weren't," Malkini interrupted. "But Jove even if I wanted to help you, or your family by attacking a faction that poses a threat to them, which I don't, I couldn't. I have orders to go to a planet and get things done. On the planet, I have to adapt... we have to adapt to the situation presented. Now, lets not linger. We head down an elevator that heads underwater, those who have gone here for long know all about this hanger, I'm sure. Its massive, and our ships there, its black with big windows and large engines. I suspect that once we take off we will have reached Usin within a day."
"I have one, well I suppose its more of a question really, sir," Jove said, stepping forward. "It sounds to me like this General Yoff has the situation under control. What is the point of us going there."
"To spare a village, are you deaf?" Malkini replied.
"No sir, its just that, in my opinion, we could be far more important in Bako Bay, where we can really cut down some crime," Jove said.
"If I ever want your opinion, which I never will, I will ask for it, tongue-master," Malkini said. "And by crime in Bako Bay I assume you mean the illegal slave trading going on behind the back of your families legal slave trading, correct?"
Jove gave a sheepish grin, "Well, I wasn't suggest-"
"No, no, I'm sure you weren't," Malkini interrupted. "But Jove even if I wanted to help you, or your family by attacking a faction that poses a threat to them, which I don't, I couldn't. I have orders to go to a planet and get things done. On the planet, I have to adapt... we have to adapt to the situation presented. Now, lets not linger. We head down an elevator that heads underwater, those who have gone here for long know all about this hanger, I'm sure. Its massive, and our ships there, its black with big windows and large engines. I suspect that once we take off we will have reached Usin within a day."
Xeroux frowned hearing his ranking, but that's what he got for choosing to hide his test scores for medicine and biology as well as for diplomacy and culture. He was going to wow them, at least he hoped he would.
The mention of the mission brought him back to the room, his squad and master all looking ready to go. The mission sounded simple enough, stop the rebels, save the town. He saluted at the mission, but quickly dropped it as his commander continued.
"Kill innocent people if we can't stop the rebels?! I didn't sign up for this..." Kazuki seemed to read his mind, as the same words, and them some came from him in retort to their commander, who quickly put the Black Knight in his place. He then did the same thing to Jove. He was beginning to wonder just who this man was, he didn't seem to thrilled to be a mentor to them. It was dangerous to have a commander that didn't truly want the position. Not even faking like one wanted it would create the bonds necessary to truly be a well grouped squad. Xeroux learned that the hard way back in training.
It was a rainy day in the forests, his group had been tasked with scaling the cliff walls in the Northern Province, in order to practice the element of surprise and surrounding your enemy. Two teams were picked, one team was tasked with defending the cliff top, the other tasked with taking said cliff top. His team leader, Gadou was the one who came up with the idea to surround the other team, He'd lead half of their team in a full on attack, while the other half would attack from the back. Gadou placed a young girl, whom Xeroux had forgotten the name of, Asklan or something of the sort. She was against the idea of separating and it was no secret she had feelings for Gadou. The entire trek down the mountain side she kept complaining about who she was stuck with. Gadou and Asklan were destined to become Black Knights, the only two in their class, and both were set to graduate in the coming months. For Xeroux, it was his first year with the Academy and his first sparing exercise. He couldn't have been more thrilled. Rock climbing was second nature to him, but he was quickly quieted and placed at the end of the line for climbing order. Asklan had set her stakes and began the long, slow climb up the sheep cliff side, carefully placing her hands and toes to not slip on the slick rock. Xeroux was impressed with her climbing skills, but the others on their half of the team lacked any knowledge of how to properly climb. Asklan grew more and more frustrated, hating that she was in charge of what she called, babies. She hastily set her next stake, and as she pulled her self up, the stake slipped, and so did the team. She was close to a hundred feet up, the next climber 75, and so on. Xeroux hadn't even begun to climb when she fell, taking the others with her. Asklan died before impact, the others weren't so lucky, and two died later of their wounds. Gadou cursed himself for what happened, and vowed never to lead a team again. rumor had it that failed all of his exams the next month and assaulted the Grand Knight just to be expelled.
Xeroux sighed. He had been lucky that day, but one sure thing about luck is that it changes. He filed in, waiting for the rest of the team to start heading to the hanger. He wasn't sure where it was, and getting lost in the School wouldn't do him any favors.
"This has to be flawlessly executed..." He muttered to himself. "Like Kazuki, I will not allow my blade to slay an innocent man, woman, or child. There's enough bloodshed in the universe already. Us adding to it would only be counter productive."
The mention of the mission brought him back to the room, his squad and master all looking ready to go. The mission sounded simple enough, stop the rebels, save the town. He saluted at the mission, but quickly dropped it as his commander continued.
"Kill innocent people if we can't stop the rebels?! I didn't sign up for this..." Kazuki seemed to read his mind, as the same words, and them some came from him in retort to their commander, who quickly put the Black Knight in his place. He then did the same thing to Jove. He was beginning to wonder just who this man was, he didn't seem to thrilled to be a mentor to them. It was dangerous to have a commander that didn't truly want the position. Not even faking like one wanted it would create the bonds necessary to truly be a well grouped squad. Xeroux learned that the hard way back in training.
It was a rainy day in the forests, his group had been tasked with scaling the cliff walls in the Northern Province, in order to practice the element of surprise and surrounding your enemy. Two teams were picked, one team was tasked with defending the cliff top, the other tasked with taking said cliff top. His team leader, Gadou was the one who came up with the idea to surround the other team, He'd lead half of their team in a full on attack, while the other half would attack from the back. Gadou placed a young girl, whom Xeroux had forgotten the name of, Asklan or something of the sort. She was against the idea of separating and it was no secret she had feelings for Gadou. The entire trek down the mountain side she kept complaining about who she was stuck with. Gadou and Asklan were destined to become Black Knights, the only two in their class, and both were set to graduate in the coming months. For Xeroux, it was his first year with the Academy and his first sparing exercise. He couldn't have been more thrilled. Rock climbing was second nature to him, but he was quickly quieted and placed at the end of the line for climbing order. Asklan had set her stakes and began the long, slow climb up the sheep cliff side, carefully placing her hands and toes to not slip on the slick rock. Xeroux was impressed with her climbing skills, but the others on their half of the team lacked any knowledge of how to properly climb. Asklan grew more and more frustrated, hating that she was in charge of what she called, babies. She hastily set her next stake, and as she pulled her self up, the stake slipped, and so did the team. She was close to a hundred feet up, the next climber 75, and so on. Xeroux hadn't even begun to climb when she fell, taking the others with her. Asklan died before impact, the others weren't so lucky, and two died later of their wounds. Gadou cursed himself for what happened, and vowed never to lead a team again. rumor had it that failed all of his exams the next month and assaulted the Grand Knight just to be expelled.
Xeroux sighed. He had been lucky that day, but one sure thing about luck is that it changes. He filed in, waiting for the rest of the team to start heading to the hanger. He wasn't sure where it was, and getting lost in the School wouldn't do him any favors.
"This has to be flawlessly executed..." He muttered to himself. "Like Kazuki, I will not allow my blade to slay an innocent man, woman, or child. There's enough bloodshed in the universe already. Us adding to it would only be counter productive."
"Alright, now we should be off to the docking bay, get to Usin a bit early so that we can... take all necessary precautions in avoiding slaughter," Malkini said with a fake smile, before heading down the stairs. "I find it amusing the amount of problems you all have with the mission," Malkini called to the group following him down. "Commander Hexham's group is going off to negotiate food prices with an indigenous Baon village and Dragoon's group is going on a scouting mission for General Braun. It looks like you got stuck with the one Commander going off to stop a war. What a start, eh?" Malkini reached the bottom of the tower and continued on down the passage to the east hall. "In fact, had you gone with either of those two your missions would of been spreading love and picking flowers."
Malkini walked down the east hall until he found a small wooden door on the wall. He quickly slammed it open and made his way down a flight of stairs, the rest of his team following. "I hope you all know how to take action in combat, all personal senses of honor and the value of life and all that garbage aside. I'm going to need you, all of you, ready and able to kill every and anything coming at both you and me, understand?" Malkini reached the end of the stairs and began walking down a narrow dark hall, at its end a metal arched door with a circular viewhole on it.
"Now where is this leading?" Jove asked from the end of the line of Knights. "I told you already, Jove. I'm starting to think you have hearing problems," Malkini replied. "This leads to the docking bay, if you submitted your clothingcases and itemcases to the men at the beach and if you name was clear on it before the opening ceremony it should be on the ship already."
Malkini approached the arched door at the end of the hall and stopped moving. The door began to slide open slowly, until the inside was clear. It was a small area that couldn't hold more than ten people. "Step in, everyone," Malkini said, stepping into the small frame and stepping to the side. The rest of the group went in. The metal door slide to the side once more, covering up the exit. There were no lights in small room, and the only light came from the viewhole, which only showed the dark hall, and a small display monitor on the door below it, which had the blue number twenty-one on it. A small beep was heard, and as soon as it came on, the small box of a room shot downward. The tight unit moved at an incredibly rate, the high-pitched whizzing of each floor flying by as it did. "Were going down I'm assuming? This is like a lift?" Jove asked.
"Yes. The docking bay's underwater, Jove," Malkini replied. Jove counted as the blue numbers on wall bound monitor raced downward, going from twenty-one to zero in a matter of seconds. And then it raced on, going from zero to S-one, S-two, S-three, and onward. Through the one circular window Jove could see the speeding rock outside replaced by water, not that they would need the window to know that they had submerged since a high pitched plunk could be heard as it entered. Jove looked back at the monitor, the numbers moved much slower now, once every twenty seconds. A drastic decrease.
“The lift tubes run from the bottom of the island deep beneath the water,” Malkini explained, the number turning to S-sixteen. “There are various structures built beneath these waves, this island. And the elevator goes to all of them.”
"And exactly how beneath is this docking bay?" Jove asked.
“I thought you trained on the Island, Jove. What? Did they never take you off world?" Malkini replied.
"Oh, no sir," Jove said. "They only take the ones they groom for the Black Armor off world, and you have to show... a lot of promise for that."
"And you have none, I forgot," Malkini said. "Anyway, the docking bay is not far now… we should be entering it soon, very soon.”
As if in response to Malkini, the lift heard another plunk. The blue ocean in the window was replaced by smooth, dark metal. The high pitched hum of the engine beneath the lift began to deepen. The monitor slowly clicked to D-sixteen. A crisp sound crackled as the door slid to the side, small drips of water landing on the ground from the top of the lifts arched entrance. Malkini wasted no time, walking down the newly presented hall hastily.
"The architect really doesn't like light, does he?" Jove muttered as they walked down the dark hall. At the end it made a corner, on the ground was the shadow of a warm blue hue. Malkini marched around the corner, which revealed a huge bunker of starships, watercrafts, and airmachines, all of them packed up in the huge bunker. The west most wall of the bunker was a large glass wall at the end of the bunker. On the other side of the glass was the ocean, and all the life in it. The fish of the sea blazed through the bright blue shimmering light with a flurry of colors, the bizarre sea plants growing around the glass. The window lit the bunker with its life; it was a sight unlike any other. "Our ships down there," Malkini said, walking onto the bunker.
Malkini walked down the east hall until he found a small wooden door on the wall. He quickly slammed it open and made his way down a flight of stairs, the rest of his team following. "I hope you all know how to take action in combat, all personal senses of honor and the value of life and all that garbage aside. I'm going to need you, all of you, ready and able to kill every and anything coming at both you and me, understand?" Malkini reached the end of the stairs and began walking down a narrow dark hall, at its end a metal arched door with a circular viewhole on it.
"Now where is this leading?" Jove asked from the end of the line of Knights. "I told you already, Jove. I'm starting to think you have hearing problems," Malkini replied. "This leads to the docking bay, if you submitted your clothingcases and itemcases to the men at the beach and if you name was clear on it before the opening ceremony it should be on the ship already."
Malkini approached the arched door at the end of the hall and stopped moving. The door began to slide open slowly, until the inside was clear. It was a small area that couldn't hold more than ten people. "Step in, everyone," Malkini said, stepping into the small frame and stepping to the side. The rest of the group went in. The metal door slide to the side once more, covering up the exit. There were no lights in small room, and the only light came from the viewhole, which only showed the dark hall, and a small display monitor on the door below it, which had the blue number twenty-one on it. A small beep was heard, and as soon as it came on, the small box of a room shot downward. The tight unit moved at an incredibly rate, the high-pitched whizzing of each floor flying by as it did. "Were going down I'm assuming? This is like a lift?" Jove asked.
"Yes. The docking bay's underwater, Jove," Malkini replied. Jove counted as the blue numbers on wall bound monitor raced downward, going from twenty-one to zero in a matter of seconds. And then it raced on, going from zero to S-one, S-two, S-three, and onward. Through the one circular window Jove could see the speeding rock outside replaced by water, not that they would need the window to know that they had submerged since a high pitched plunk could be heard as it entered. Jove looked back at the monitor, the numbers moved much slower now, once every twenty seconds. A drastic decrease.
“The lift tubes run from the bottom of the island deep beneath the water,” Malkini explained, the number turning to S-sixteen. “There are various structures built beneath these waves, this island. And the elevator goes to all of them.”
"And exactly how beneath is this docking bay?" Jove asked.
“I thought you trained on the Island, Jove. What? Did they never take you off world?" Malkini replied.
"Oh, no sir," Jove said. "They only take the ones they groom for the Black Armor off world, and you have to show... a lot of promise for that."
"And you have none, I forgot," Malkini said. "Anyway, the docking bay is not far now… we should be entering it soon, very soon.”
As if in response to Malkini, the lift heard another plunk. The blue ocean in the window was replaced by smooth, dark metal. The high pitched hum of the engine beneath the lift began to deepen. The monitor slowly clicked to D-sixteen. A crisp sound crackled as the door slid to the side, small drips of water landing on the ground from the top of the lifts arched entrance. Malkini wasted no time, walking down the newly presented hall hastily.
"The architect really doesn't like light, does he?" Jove muttered as they walked down the dark hall. At the end it made a corner, on the ground was the shadow of a warm blue hue. Malkini marched around the corner, which revealed a huge bunker of starships, watercrafts, and airmachines, all of them packed up in the huge bunker. The west most wall of the bunker was a large glass wall at the end of the bunker. On the other side of the glass was the ocean, and all the life in it. The fish of the sea blazed through the bright blue shimmering light with a flurry of colors, the bizarre sea plants growing around the glass. The window lit the bunker with its life; it was a sight unlike any other. "Our ships down there," Malkini said, walking onto the bunker.
"Ah, the docking bay. I've heard stories about it's history. It was originally built during the great war against the phoenixes in the past, wasn't it?" Sentrius asked. "Of course it's been upgraded since then to accommodate more modern technologies." Sentrius continued as they walked further into the dock, closer to reaching their destination. "This is the birthplace of many heroes. My guess is...It's finally our turn."
Once down in the bunker, Sentrius stared in amazement. "Looks like a fairly standard ship. Then again, this is a fairly standard mission. I'm sure once the higher-ups hear of our success on this mission, they'll hand us an upgrade."
Once down in the bunker, Sentrius stared in amazement. "Looks like a fairly standard ship. Then again, this is a fairly standard mission. I'm sure once the higher-ups hear of our success on this mission, they'll hand us an upgrade."
"The pilot room has two couches, one on each side of the pilots tab, and at the end it leads to a kitchen, which leads to a hall. There is the bathroom at the end of the hall, and a bedroom at each end. Come on now!" Malkini called as he approached the large black ship. On the side there was an entrance curved with the rest of the ship. Malkini placed his palm on the door. A quick beep of recognition greeted him and the door unlocked. He opened in and walked up the mini stairs into the large kitchen area. "I get the right bedroom, the five of you get the left," He informed the Knights as he went off down the ships hall.
"Um, wait..." Sentrius frowned. "Only one room? Well, yeah I suppose that's the average standard for a ship this size, but um...Exactly how many beds are there?" Sentrius asked. Sentrius looked around. It looked like a pretty nice ship for what it was. At any rate, they'd hopefully have a bit more space to move around and their room. And...perhaps having one room wasn't such a bad thing. They could talk to each other, assess each other, and build a better team dynamic. It starting sound more promising already.
"There are six beds, lined up around the walls, so you have one extra," Malkini replied. "And don't give me the standard ship size nonsense, they gave me a small ship cause they hate me. You should see the elite ships Commander Dragoon and Hexham have. Four and six bedrooms, canons like you've never seen, its unbelievable that they stick me with this."
"You did loose multiple legions in a city capture, right? That's what got you here," Jove muttered.
"Shut up, Jove," Malkini replied.
"And is there a reason you keep on referring to Dragoon and Hexham? Are you three Commander's friends or something?" Jove asked.
"Jove, for you incompetence I'm removing your bed rights. When we sleep you sleep on the floor, understood Sir Knight?" Malkini said.
"Yeah, that's fair," Jove muttered bitterly to himself as the team went onto the ship.
"You did loose multiple legions in a city capture, right? That's what got you here," Jove muttered.
"Shut up, Jove," Malkini replied.
"And is there a reason you keep on referring to Dragoon and Hexham? Are you three Commander's friends or something?" Jove asked.
"Jove, for you incompetence I'm removing your bed rights. When we sleep you sleep on the floor, understood Sir Knight?" Malkini said.
"Yeah, that's fair," Jove muttered bitterly to himself as the team went onto the ship.
Malkini sure seemed...slightly pathetic at times. Sentrius figured it must be stress, otherwise the General would be in good spirits...though his recent losses probably weighed on him too. Still, Jove really didn't have to poor salt in the wound as he did. Sentrius shook his head and walked into the ship, heading for the bedroom.
"Anyway, I'll be out in a minute people, just have to examine my room to see that its... up to par," Malkini said, before wandering into his room and locking the door behind him. "Lutman Sentrius, tell me, what do you think of our good Commander?" Jove muttered to his fellow Knight.
Sentrius eyes narrowed a bit. "Well, I'd prefer if you didn't call me Lutman for one thing," Sentrius started. "But, as for Malkin...Well, I think his recent losses were hard on him, as they would be on any commander. But, he knows he has to pull through. We have to show him respect as we would with any Knight Commander, and we'll be rewarded with strong leadership and a powerful team dynamic." Sentrius stated. "Quoted from the great Knight Commander Acen during the famed Battle on the Riverside."
"God in heaven, Tetran, if I wanted quotes I would of asked you for them," Jove muttered. "As for the man I think he is a complete and utter idiot that should be kicked out of the Knights immediately on accounts of mental incompetence."
"Even if his record isn't exactly spotless," Sentrius stated, somewhat dully. "He was made a commander for a reason. And even if he's not the leader we had hoped for, wanted, or needed, he's still our leader...And we should at least give him some respect for that." Sentrius then shrugged as if out of excuses for their commander and went to sit down on his bed.
"By the way people, the reasons were not flying yet is because were waiting for another student they stuck me with. He was on the late boat from Urakas, his names Loki Dinn if any of you are interested. He was sent down here and should arrive shortly," Malkini called from the open crack of his room door.
After hearing their commander speak once more about another new recruit arriving,
Sentrius shook his head. "Alright, so maybe he hates us all, but we've got to make the best of it right?" Sentrius asked the others. "We've got to concentrate on the mission anyway, right?"
Sentrius shook his head. "Alright, so maybe he hates us all, but we've got to make the best of it right?" Sentrius asked the others. "We've got to concentrate on the mission anyway, right?"
"I suppose. I still feel we could do more as Knights fighting illegal slavers in Bako Bay. Much more good we could do there," Jove replied.
"That is a problem, but the rebels are more of a concern to the government right now," Sentrius shrugged. "Besides, I'm sure with our numbers, the problems in the Bako Bay will be a piece of cake to handle."
"They don't do anything about the bastards, all the while my family goes broke. Southern Ceegum buys their slaves illegally, Capa Voka buys them illegally, no one has any honor nowadays for decent business," Jove muttered, shaking his head sadly. "Besides, that General he mentioned had three legions. What is that? Twelve-hundred men? Its like four-hundred a legion... or maybe four-thousand. It may be inhumane to blow the village but its better than wasting our time on it..."
"For the love of something holy, the first day as a knight and they're already gonna kill me..." an eighteen-year-old grumbled as he ran--or rather, slowly clanked along at a faster-than-walking pace--clad in his shining red armour. It wasn't even his fault; the boat was late. He couldn't remember the reason for the delay, but whatever it was, he wasn't responsible. Looking down at his suit of protection as he hurried along, a light frown crossed his face. "And this thing might be all pretty and honorable, but I'll never get used to this, either...Please, -please-, don't let it be mandatory..."
Loki released a quiet sigh as his eyes fell upon his destination, not far ahead of him. He thought he could already see a group of knights, probably his team. "Prepare yourself for the worst, Lo. This could get rough..."
Not long after, the teenager slowed to a halt near the group of knights, offering a short nod. "Here. Sorry."
Loki released a quiet sigh as his eyes fell upon his destination, not far ahead of him. He thought he could already see a group of knights, probably his team. "Prepare yourself for the worst, Lo. This could get rough..."
Not long after, the teenager slowed to a halt near the group of knights, offering a short nod. "Here. Sorry."
"Ah, you must be Sir Loki Dinn, eh?" Commander Malkini said, stepping out of his room and approaching the Knight. "And I see your wearing your completely mandatory red armor, good man. To think they give me two reds and two blues and not one science officer! Lets pray the ships doesn't break down, eh?" Malkini gave a full grin at the young Knight. "Your from the Urakas Academy. So am I. No life like the city life, eh? Your bedrooms there, opposite of mine. I'm sure you'll find it nice and cozy... or something to that affect."
"In my opinion, it should all be made illegal," Sentrius frowned. "After all, why do you need to force other people to work for you without pay when the tech labs have already started to build robotic assistants to help with such things. I respect Capima, of course I do, but it's time for it to get with the times." Sentrius then looked up as another knight came wandering in.
"Ah, another weapons specialist," Sentrius nodded. "It seems the commander is...warming up to him oddly enough. Guess it must be an Urakasian thing, huh?"
"Ah, another weapons specialist," Sentrius nodded. "It seems the commander is...warming up to him oddly enough. Guess it must be an Urakasian thing, huh?"
Loki opened his mouth to confirm his identity to the commander, but he quickly continued speaking, not leaving much time to respond in between. In fact, the next statement to leave the man's mouth were rather ironic.
'Of course...Completely mandatory...Dang it...'
At the mention of his academy, Loki decided to offer a simple nod instead of trying to say anything, smiling so as not to offend the commander at all--It's never smart to get on a commander's bad side.
Once he seemed to be finished, Loki nodded, showing his appreciation and understanding. "Thank you, sir. I'm sure the room will suit my needs just fine."
'Of course...Completely mandatory...Dang it...'
At the mention of his academy, Loki decided to offer a simple nod instead of trying to say anything, smiling so as not to offend the commander at all--It's never smart to get on a commander's bad side.
Once he seemed to be finished, Loki nodded, showing his appreciation and understanding. "Thank you, sir. I'm sure the room will suit my needs just fine."
"These are prisoners of war were talking about, the children of barbarians," Jove replied quietly. "From all over Wild Space and a few Dark Worlders from the colony. And the rest are savages from the Northern provinces and the Fringe. They deserve it. Besides, you cant deroot a culture based on slavery, as much of it was before the Sora System came and... conquered them all."
"Excellent," Commander Malkini said with a smile, "Those two over there discussing the thrilling topic of Jove's backward views on the definition of culture and intelligence are Jove Flynn and Sir Sentrius Tetran." The Command said, pointing to the two Knights sitting on one of the beds.
"Excellent," Commander Malkini said with a smile, "Those two over there discussing the thrilling topic of Jove's backward views on the definition of culture and intelligence are Jove Flynn and Sir Sentrius Tetran." The Command said, pointing to the two Knights sitting on one of the beds.
Sentriusshook his head, unable to comprehend how Jove could even think that way, so instead of continuing to speak, went to greet the new arrival. "Sentrius Tetran, weapons specialist, Mt. Ravin Academy," Sentrius greeted. "I see you're also a weapons specialist. What kind of training do they teach in Urakas, anyway?"
Loki nodded in greeting as the other weapons specialist approached him, extending his hand to shake. "Loki. As I'm sure you know, their main focus was on medicines and such...Not to say that that's all they taught, but...yeah. How was Mt. Ravin? I've heard it could be brutal."
Sentrius walked up and shook Loki's hand, before heading back to sit on his bed before speaking again. "Huh, Medicine, right?" That's why you don't hear too much about many knights other than white or gold coming from there," Sentrius shrugged. "And Mt. Ravin, well all the rumors they have about that place are true. Hell, they're pretty tame compared to what really happens out there. But, with my strong leadership and teamwork, we survived even when the odds were stacked against us."
"In that case, congratulations. You survived." Loki gave a light smirk as he spoke, but seeing as Sentrius went back to the bed he assumed he wanted to go back to his previous conversation. He was the newcomer, and the late on at that. He wasn't going to interrupt anyone's conversations if he could help it. Looking to the commander, Loki said, "Sir, where are we heading first?"
While the men had their little discussion, Nai had gone to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. Also to think about the recent events.
The talk about innocents made her wonder why the topic even have to be brought up. They were knights, weren't they? From what she heard, not like they went out slaughtering women and children for fun. Of course they were going to protect them. They couldn't let anyone else do that either. From all those stories she heard, the knights always killed the bad guys and got the glory. That's why she signed up, didn't she? Some of them seemed like they didn't know what they signed up for. But they seemed like nice people anyway. Well maybe except for one but she still needed more time before disliking anyone. Alright, next subject...
Apparently she was third in the chain of command. Knowing that the men, from her observations, had a lot of pride (a little too much for some of them) made her realize that her position had probably upset one or two. Not that it mattered to her. It was the commander who had decided it. Nai knew she probably didn't have the extensive and impressive background all of them possessed but that didn't mean she didn't have the skills to take charge if needed to. Besides, if any of them had a problem with her, they could come talk to her about it. She would gladly set them straight, especially now that they all had to share one room.
One room... That was another thing she was a little hesitant about. It wasn't like she hadn't done it before, in the academy, but it was only with girls. Or at least her room assignment had worked that way. It wasn't that she couldn't trust the guys, it was just... Hm, what was the problem? Nai looked in the mirror, puzzled. Did it really matter? They were teammates anyway. Not like they would even try anything, or so she really hoped. And she could tell they didn't have any weird sleeping habits so far so as long as they stayed where they were supposed to, everything would be fine.
With those matters settled, she exited the bathroom, relieved with her mind at peace. Heading to their room, she noticed a new person.
"Oh hello," Nai said to Loki as she approached, "Sorry if I interrupted but you're a new comrade right? I'm Nai Gareki Tsukumo, but you may call me Nai or Gareki if you wish. I'm one of the battlefield and tactician specialists. Pleasure to meet you."
The talk about innocents made her wonder why the topic even have to be brought up. They were knights, weren't they? From what she heard, not like they went out slaughtering women and children for fun. Of course they were going to protect them. They couldn't let anyone else do that either. From all those stories she heard, the knights always killed the bad guys and got the glory. That's why she signed up, didn't she? Some of them seemed like they didn't know what they signed up for. But they seemed like nice people anyway. Well maybe except for one but she still needed more time before disliking anyone. Alright, next subject...
Apparently she was third in the chain of command. Knowing that the men, from her observations, had a lot of pride (a little too much for some of them) made her realize that her position had probably upset one or two. Not that it mattered to her. It was the commander who had decided it. Nai knew she probably didn't have the extensive and impressive background all of them possessed but that didn't mean she didn't have the skills to take charge if needed to. Besides, if any of them had a problem with her, they could come talk to her about it. She would gladly set them straight, especially now that they all had to share one room.
One room... That was another thing she was a little hesitant about. It wasn't like she hadn't done it before, in the academy, but it was only with girls. Or at least her room assignment had worked that way. It wasn't that she couldn't trust the guys, it was just... Hm, what was the problem? Nai looked in the mirror, puzzled. Did it really matter? They were teammates anyway. Not like they would even try anything, or so she really hoped. And she could tell they didn't have any weird sleeping habits so far so as long as they stayed where they were supposed to, everything would be fine.
With those matters settled, she exited the bathroom, relieved with her mind at peace. Heading to their room, she noticed a new person.
"Oh hello," Nai said to Loki as she approached, "Sorry if I interrupted but you're a new comrade right? I'm Nai Gareki Tsukumo, but you may call me Nai or Gareki if you wish. I'm one of the battlefield and tactician specialists. Pleasure to meet you."
His attention turned from the commander to the other knight as she approached him. "Loki. A pleasure to meet you as well, Nai." he said, offering a friendly smile and a light bow of his head. "Yeah, the ship I was on ran a little late today so I just got here. Kinda sad, though. I missed all the introductions."
It was true, Loki did feel a little bad about the situation. It seemed like everyone already knew each other better than they knew him. 'Oh well...' He'd gone through the academy with practically no friends, so he could do this, too, if he had to.
"So you're one of the two blues, eh? Glad to know I'm in good hands."
It was true, Loki did feel a little bad about the situation. It seemed like everyone already knew each other better than they knew him. 'Oh well...' He'd gone through the academy with practically no friends, so he could do this, too, if he had to.
"So you're one of the two blues, eh? Glad to know I'm in good hands."
Nai bowed, having forgotten to do so when she introduced herself. Her expressive eyes revealed amusement while her face showed an appreciative smile.
"Thank you and I assure you that you could find no better. As for the introductions, well I have to say you're much better off now. They were a little, how should I put this?" Nai paused, putting a hand on her chin, "Bad, maybe? Ah, well no matter now. These introductions should be enough and I bet you that you'll be comfortable with us anyway sooner or later. I hope we can work together with no problems."
She grinned, trying to be as friendly as possible. It would be good to have at least one ally and since she still wasn't sure how the others felt, Nai felt she had at least a chance with Loki.
"Thank you and I assure you that you could find no better. As for the introductions, well I have to say you're much better off now. They were a little, how should I put this?" Nai paused, putting a hand on her chin, "Bad, maybe? Ah, well no matter now. These introductions should be enough and I bet you that you'll be comfortable with us anyway sooner or later. I hope we can work together with no problems."
She grinned, trying to be as friendly as possible. It would be good to have at least one ally and since she still wasn't sure how the others felt, Nai felt she had at least a chance with Loki.
Commander Malkini walked past his team and up to the pilots room. A long wide space wit large windows curving from the side of the room, the front, where a large leather pilots chair sat, controls surrounding it, and unto the ceiling, letting the blue light of the hanger fall onto the ship. Malkini put a hand on the end of the pilots chair and pulled it backward. It was fine brown leather, like everything else on the ship. Malkini sighed as he sat down on it and began to activate the ships engines. He doubted the Knights liked him, not that it was important if they liked him or not, it was just better that they did like him. When push came to shove he knew a soldier would save his Commander over a friend. But these weren't soldiers, Malkini reminded himself solemnly. They were Knights. The platform on which their ship sat began to lower, going below the dock bay onto a small passage. Water began to fill on the sides of the passage until the ship was submerged. Malkini pressed forward and the engines began. The ship blasted through the waterway and out onto the ocean floor. Behind them the hanger grew smaller and smaller as their ship raised through the water until it spluttered out onto the surface of the water. The ship began to raise from the blue ocean floor onto the air, Malkini ever in control. The ship raised and raised until it was among the clouds, the few their were. Avana-Nvaro was but a spot behind them now as the ship left the atmosphere. The side of the blue planet could be seen, reflecting the stars light brightly, and beyond it was darkness.
Jove watched from the bedroom window, and turned to his companions with a smile. "Well, we're off the island, I think."
Jove watched from the bedroom window, and turned to his companions with a smile. "Well, we're off the island, I think."
The young knight smiled sincerely. Nai seemed like a really nice person; maybe he had a chance to make friends after all. "Ah, bad first impressions, eh? Then maybe I was late for a reason." Loki suggested with a grin. "Maybe you can show me around? You know, let me meet the others, show me my room, etcetera. The commander said my room's across from his, but...where is that?"
And if this all worked out, maybe Loki could ask her if she knew a way around the whole "mandatory armour" deal...But for now, he would figure that out himself.
And if this all worked out, maybe Loki could ask her if she knew a way around the whole "mandatory armour" deal...But for now, he would figure that out himself.
"One room, six beds," Sentrius explained to Loki. "It's actually not as bad as it could've been. At any rate, welcome aboard soldier. Today, we'll be made heroes and become the stuff of legends." Sentrius then turned and grabbed his bag which was placed along the side of his bed. Drawing from it, the Knight Handbook, Sentrius began reading it.
Loki turned to Sentrius, rather surprised. "Wait, all of us are sharing the same room?" The commander certainly hadn't made it sound like that. Loki glanced back to Nai, a little unsure of the situation. Was she in the same room too? Wouldn't she be uncomfortable sleeping in the same room as all of the other guys?
"Oh, do you actually read that?" Nai asked, distracted. She had been about to respond to Loki when Sentrius spoke up and he pulled out his handbook.
"I think I've only glanced at that really, like when they first gave it to me, "Nai continued, looking up as she tried to remember if she had ever actually sat down and read it. Apparently she hadn't. How weird.
"yes, apparently we are," Nai muttered with a grin, "I hoe you won't feel too uncomfortable sharing a room with us. As for showing you around, there isn't much so you can pick it up on your own. You'll be meeting your comrades before bed so I can at least introduce you to them. Apparently you've already met these two and the commander so we're like halfway there."
"I think I've only glanced at that really, like when they first gave it to me, "Nai continued, looking up as she tried to remember if she had ever actually sat down and read it. Apparently she hadn't. How weird.
"yes, apparently we are," Nai muttered with a grin, "I hoe you won't feel too uncomfortable sharing a room with us. As for showing you around, there isn't much so you can pick it up on your own. You'll be meeting your comrades before bed so I can at least introduce you to them. Apparently you've already met these two and the commander so we're like halfway there."
"True, true..." Loki mumbled, looking again to Sentrius. He had already met most of the knights--to an extent, at least. But about the rooming, he could easily adjust. It was her he was more concerned about. Gently pulling Nai a little closer, he lowered his voice and said, "I'll be fine sharing a room with everyone, but are you sure you will be?"
'Are there even any other girls on the team?'
'Are there even any other girls on the team?'
"Thank you for your concern," Nai replied with a grateful smile although there seemed to be a flicker of annoyance in her eyes, "But I'm sure I'll be alright as long as everyone acts right. And if not, well its never too late to teach someone manners. "
Loki caught the slight look in her eyes, a blush instantly sweeping over his face. "Sorry, sorry...I just don't really know those guys yet...or...you, for that matter..."
'Way to go, Lo...'
'Way to go, Lo...'
"Y-you never read," Sentrius sputtered at first. "You've never read the handbook? You're joking, right? You have to be. Everybody's read the handbook! Theses are our rules, guidelines, and protocol. They're all in here. Did they not enforce this at Tormaund? How did you even manage to graduate without knowing standard Knight procedures and guidelines?"
"Its an Academy in an isolated desert village, Sentrius," Jove said as he lay on his side on one of the beds despite the Commander's orders. "The two years there are spent building huts under the sun, then getting some armor for it. They send the illiterate there too, so you can expect half of them are unable to read the handbook."
Xeroux stood off to one side, a small smile on his face. Apprehension had taken hold of him once they headed down to the ship's docking bay. He wasn't quick to make friends, but he knew he'd eventually come out of his shell. He was the type to observe from afar, find a common ground and then explore it, hoping it would lead to more common ground, and a bond. So far he had come up with a small idea about them all, even the new comer, Loki. He didn't score a 100% on his tactician and strategy test by studying alone. He had a knack for figuring people out, getting to know them by their body language, voice pattern's, and their eyes.
To him Sentrius was the strong ever loyal man. A die hard soldier that would rather die than abandon protocol, believing it was there for a reason, and could not be flawed. Jove was a bit of a downer, but being so important in his kingdom, it could just be stress covering his true personality. He came off as very knowledgeable, though it seemed to cause him more harm than good at the moment. Xeroux figured Jove's bluntness was easily fixed and that he could be the most respectable and polite man when the situation called for it. Nai to him seemed very strong willed, being a tactician herself, he wondered if she possessed many of the same innate abilities he did. To Xeroux, it didn't matter what academy she hailed from, but what type of person she was. To him there was nothing wrong with her, simply because she was from an academy with a poor reputation. He was looking forward to planning with her, and proving Jove wrong about her. Xeroux would be the first to admit, he was intimidated by her, she had an air around her that commanded respect, and he liked that. Loki seemed kind and caring, and concerned about the individual human being or other life form as a separate being, never quick to group one with many. Xeroux could tell he had a quick mind about him, and would be one of the first to cry out at any injustice.
His eyes fell upon their other silent, and most fearsome companion, Kazuki. The Black knight kept to himself, but radiated an air of both physical and mental strength. He was an old soul, wise beyond his years. And yet, he seemed to be carrying a great deal of sorrow and a tinge of anger on his broad shoulders.
Xeroux sighed, looking to the floor and shaking his head. The butterflies were beginning to vanish, but he wasn't ready to come out of his shell just yet.
"You look like a jerk just standing here watching them...at least Kazuki is staring out the window...you're just leaning against a wall...watching...creepy...."
He stepped off the wall, unfolding his arms from his chest. With his best grin he walked up to Loki and Nai with an outstreched hand. Though it was shaking slightly, he fought to keep it out, ready to become a little more outgoing. The only way to change was to push the envelope and do what made him
uncomfortable.
"Hi, my name is, Xeroux Falcus. Pleasure to meet to both...properly this time." He said with a slight chuckle, eyes resting on Nai before looking to Loki.
To him Sentrius was the strong ever loyal man. A die hard soldier that would rather die than abandon protocol, believing it was there for a reason, and could not be flawed. Jove was a bit of a downer, but being so important in his kingdom, it could just be stress covering his true personality. He came off as very knowledgeable, though it seemed to cause him more harm than good at the moment. Xeroux figured Jove's bluntness was easily fixed and that he could be the most respectable and polite man when the situation called for it. Nai to him seemed very strong willed, being a tactician herself, he wondered if she possessed many of the same innate abilities he did. To Xeroux, it didn't matter what academy she hailed from, but what type of person she was. To him there was nothing wrong with her, simply because she was from an academy with a poor reputation. He was looking forward to planning with her, and proving Jove wrong about her. Xeroux would be the first to admit, he was intimidated by her, she had an air around her that commanded respect, and he liked that. Loki seemed kind and caring, and concerned about the individual human being or other life form as a separate being, never quick to group one with many. Xeroux could tell he had a quick mind about him, and would be one of the first to cry out at any injustice.
His eyes fell upon their other silent, and most fearsome companion, Kazuki. The Black knight kept to himself, but radiated an air of both physical and mental strength. He was an old soul, wise beyond his years. And yet, he seemed to be carrying a great deal of sorrow and a tinge of anger on his broad shoulders.
Xeroux sighed, looking to the floor and shaking his head. The butterflies were beginning to vanish, but he wasn't ready to come out of his shell just yet.
"You look like a jerk just standing here watching them...at least Kazuki is staring out the window...you're just leaning against a wall...watching...creepy...."
He stepped off the wall, unfolding his arms from his chest. With his best grin he walked up to Loki and Nai with an outstreched hand. Though it was shaking slightly, he fought to keep it out, ready to become a little more outgoing. The only way to change was to push the envelope and do what made him
uncomfortable.
"Hi, my name is, Xeroux Falcus. Pleasure to meet to both...properly this time." He said with a slight chuckle, eyes resting on Nai before looking to Loki.
"Hey," Loki began, looking to Jove after hearing his comment and giving a light nod of indication, "Some people might take a little offense to that, you know?" He was suddenly embarrassed again, hoping he didn't irritate Nai further by trying to defend her.
Thankfully, someone changed the subject for him. "Properly?" he asked, giving a light grin when he saw how shaky the knight was. "Well, in any case, Loki." Loki took his outstretched hand, giving it a short, firm shake. "Good to meet to you."
Thankfully, someone changed the subject for him. "Properly?" he asked, giving a light grin when he saw how shaky the knight was. "Well, in any case, Loki." Loki took his outstretched hand, giving it a short, firm shake. "Good to meet to you."
Xeroux grinned, his nerves easing with the firm handshake from Loki, which he returned. "Yes, before I was late to the meeting, so I was unable to introduce myself to the others properly, fortunately, I can make a proper first impression with you!"
He laughed a little, trying to ignore the thoughts he'd wanted to say to Jove. He knew the prince's opinion would be changed in the coming battle once he say how skilled Nai could be. At least, Xeroux felt her to be highly skilled. They all were, he thought. They were going to make a powerful team, a close family if you will, the just needed to see what each other could do.
"Come on, no fighting about each other's schools. We're all standing in the same room, so no one can deny that haven't been through a lot to be here right now. Regardless of how someone's training may have gone, we are still equals, and comrades. So let's put aside what we've heard about one another's academies, because they don't matter anymore. What matters is that we're all here, together. Like it our not, we have to work together and trust one another. If we don't we will most certainly die. I doubt any form of diplomacy skills could save your life in the heat of an intense battle, with your squad mates lying dead around you. Nor will weapon knowledge, or even tactics. We can't do this alone...well maybe Kazuki and other Black Knights could, but even they are invincible. So, what do you say we start over?"
He looked around the room, to each of his fellow knights in turn. "I'm Xeroux Flacus. Tactician and Strategist. I'll do the best to my ability to create both sound battle plans and exit plans should the battle go awry. I promise to also learn all I can about our enemies, giving detailed weapon data to our Red Knights and observation's of their behavior to our Green Knight."
He smiled, waiting for the others to follow suit.
He laughed a little, trying to ignore the thoughts he'd wanted to say to Jove. He knew the prince's opinion would be changed in the coming battle once he say how skilled Nai could be. At least, Xeroux felt her to be highly skilled. They all were, he thought. They were going to make a powerful team, a close family if you will, the just needed to see what each other could do.
"Come on, no fighting about each other's schools. We're all standing in the same room, so no one can deny that haven't been through a lot to be here right now. Regardless of how someone's training may have gone, we are still equals, and comrades. So let's put aside what we've heard about one another's academies, because they don't matter anymore. What matters is that we're all here, together. Like it our not, we have to work together and trust one another. If we don't we will most certainly die. I doubt any form of diplomacy skills could save your life in the heat of an intense battle, with your squad mates lying dead around you. Nor will weapon knowledge, or even tactics. We can't do this alone...well maybe Kazuki and other Black Knights could, but even they are invincible. So, what do you say we start over?"
He looked around the room, to each of his fellow knights in turn. "I'm Xeroux Flacus. Tactician and Strategist. I'll do the best to my ability to create both sound battle plans and exit plans should the battle go awry. I promise to also learn all I can about our enemies, giving detailed weapon data to our Red Knights and observation's of their behavior to our Green Knight."
He smiled, waiting for the others to follow suit.
Loki listened intently to the knight, growing both more surprised and impressed.
'And to think I thought this guy was shy...Heh, far from it, apparently...He knows how to take charge when he has to.'
For all it was worth, the young knight took a step forward to stand beside Xeroux, looking from one knight to the next. "Loki, weapons specialist, especially in dealing with swords. I'll give the best information I can when the situation requires it, and I'll fight to my last breath if I have to ('Not that I think I'll ever really need to...but you never know')."
'And to think I thought this guy was shy...Heh, far from it, apparently...He knows how to take charge when he has to.'
For all it was worth, the young knight took a step forward to stand beside Xeroux, looking from one knight to the next. "Loki, weapons specialist, especially in dealing with swords. I'll give the best information I can when the situation requires it, and I'll fight to my last breath if I have to ('Not that I think I'll ever really need to...but you never know')."
"Well, as I've said, I'm Sentrius Tetran, weapons specialist. I've create my own weapons and armor enhancements as well as being the leader of my squadron back in my training days at Mt. Ravin. I look forward to fighting with you all in the glory of battle and in our never ending fight to bring peace to this universe. "
"I'm Joven Flynn," Jove called from the bed. "I speak languages and know about the exotic and primitive cultures throughout the system and beyond. If we are ever held hostage by barbarians, I'm the one who has the best chance of speaking our way out..."
"And when words don't work, that's where we come it." He motioned to both Nai and himself. "We consult them," he began, gesturing to Loki and Sentrius. "Then we break free with the help from him." He nodded over his shoulder to Kazuki. "See?" A smile appearing on his face, "We need one another in all situations."
He started for the beds, his gaze focused on the window. Stars seemed to speed past, worlds flew by, their soil walked upon by other Knight teams carrying out their own missions.
"Some day, we'll be able to say we've seem 'em all. Together we'll all explore these worlds. The Sora system will be under our protection, and protect them we will...together. right?"
He cast a smile over his shoulder, his pale eyes resting on each of his new friends. While they didn't know much about one another, he wanted to make sure the all could trust one another. With trust would come new conversations and deep friendships. Together, they'd be the greatest Knight squad the Sora System, no the universe would ever know.
"This is our system....our story."
He started for the beds, his gaze focused on the window. Stars seemed to speed past, worlds flew by, their soil walked upon by other Knight teams carrying out their own missions.
"Some day, we'll be able to say we've seem 'em all. Together we'll all explore these worlds. The Sora system will be under our protection, and protect them we will...together. right?"
He cast a smile over his shoulder, his pale eyes resting on each of his new friends. While they didn't know much about one another, he wanted to make sure the all could trust one another. With trust would come new conversations and deep friendships. Together, they'd be the greatest Knight squad the Sora System, no the universe would ever know.
"This is our system....our story."
Nai sighed. Xeroux certainly had a way with words and his optimism was certainly infectious. To her, he seemed like the guy who loved to make heartwarming speeches and wanted to see complete unity and harmony in the team. Still, if anything bad did befall them, Xeroux seemed like the one that would be the first one up to stand up to it and probably win. He certainly didn't deserve to be second to last in the chain of command. She knew the two would get along just fine and they could probably work successfully as a team.
“I suppose you’re right,” Nai muttered, before glancing at Jove and Sentrius. Normally, she would have just ignored them but today wasn’t one of those days. Her irritation, despite Xeroux’s words, was still apparent in her eyes although she was smiling at the moment. Besides, she wasn’t one to leave things so unfavorably.
“Ah, and Sentrius, I know we’re well past the subject but I felt a need to explain myself in case I offended or confused you. At Tormaund, I was noted for my memorization skills. I need only to glance at a text to memorize it. So the book is entirely up here,” she paused to point at her head, “and here.”
She pointed to where her heart was.
“So please don't sound so shocked. I assure you I have learned it just as well as you, maybe even better since I could recite the whole thing by memory. But that's besides the point."
Nai smiled sheepishly, trying to look as friendly as possible. Then, she turned to Jove.
“I feel I should warn you Jove, as to avoid an argument in the future, to not make such assumptions without facts or experience. I know Tormaund has a poor reputation and not all of its students are up to your standards, but I can say from experience they most of them have more skills and heart than you shall ever posses,” Nai smiled, knowing she probably shouldn’t have said that last part. Still, she was getting a little weary and the rude side of her begged to continue anyway.
“And besides, if Tormaund is such a bad school and its students are of such low quality, how is it that a graduate from there got a higher place in the chain of command than you? If you don’t mind me asking,” Nai continued, a smirk in her eyes, “Besides, if such a knight as yourself that I assume comes from a high quality school loses his bed privileges, what does that say about your school? Surely they must have taught you restraint and how to respect your higher ups, did they not?”
Nai smiled, looking like a child who was just asking innocent questions while her eyes clearly showed the irritation that drove them. Still, she knew that the others could probably tell as well so she decided to end on a good note. She turned to Xeroux and Loki and bowed, grateful to the two.
“Thank you gentlemen and I apologize you had to hear that.”
She bowed to Sentrius and Jove before heading to her bed. Before she sat down though, she had one final thing to say before the others could respond as she expected they would.
“Since we’re saying it again, I’m Nai Gareki Tsukumo. I’m one of your two tactician and battlefield specialists and will do my best to get the information relayed to you as fast and accurately as possible. I hope we can work well together.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Nai muttered, before glancing at Jove and Sentrius. Normally, she would have just ignored them but today wasn’t one of those days. Her irritation, despite Xeroux’s words, was still apparent in her eyes although she was smiling at the moment. Besides, she wasn’t one to leave things so unfavorably.
“Ah, and Sentrius, I know we’re well past the subject but I felt a need to explain myself in case I offended or confused you. At Tormaund, I was noted for my memorization skills. I need only to glance at a text to memorize it. So the book is entirely up here,” she paused to point at her head, “and here.”
She pointed to where her heart was.
“So please don't sound so shocked. I assure you I have learned it just as well as you, maybe even better since I could recite the whole thing by memory. But that's besides the point."
Nai smiled sheepishly, trying to look as friendly as possible. Then, she turned to Jove.
“I feel I should warn you Jove, as to avoid an argument in the future, to not make such assumptions without facts or experience. I know Tormaund has a poor reputation and not all of its students are up to your standards, but I can say from experience they most of them have more skills and heart than you shall ever posses,” Nai smiled, knowing she probably shouldn’t have said that last part. Still, she was getting a little weary and the rude side of her begged to continue anyway.
“And besides, if Tormaund is such a bad school and its students are of such low quality, how is it that a graduate from there got a higher place in the chain of command than you? If you don’t mind me asking,” Nai continued, a smirk in her eyes, “Besides, if such a knight as yourself that I assume comes from a high quality school loses his bed privileges, what does that say about your school? Surely they must have taught you restraint and how to respect your higher ups, did they not?”
Nai smiled, looking like a child who was just asking innocent questions while her eyes clearly showed the irritation that drove them. Still, she knew that the others could probably tell as well so she decided to end on a good note. She turned to Xeroux and Loki and bowed, grateful to the two.
“Thank you gentlemen and I apologize you had to hear that.”
She bowed to Sentrius and Jove before heading to her bed. Before she sat down though, she had one final thing to say before the others could respond as she expected they would.
“Since we’re saying it again, I’m Nai Gareki Tsukumo. I’m one of your two tactician and battlefield specialists and will do my best to get the information relayed to you as fast and accurately as possible. I hope we can work well together.”
"Ah, so you've memorized it?" Sentrius asked, sounding slightly less concerned. "So have I, that's great! perhaps one day, we can rehearse the rules together. Y'know systematically make sure everything goes according to protocol during our missions." Sentrius felt more at ease now. She had memorized the rules, that was always good. Maybe she was more qualified to lead than Sentrius originally gave her credit for. Just...not as qualified as him.
"Right, someday in the distant future," Nai replied, trying to sound enthusiastic, "Besides, I'm pretty sure everything will go right without us having to check up on it..."
Nai layed on her bed, and as an afterthough added in a low voice, "Besides, sometimes protocol is useless..."
Nai layed on her bed, and as an afterthough added in a low voice, "Besides, sometimes protocol is useless..."
Loki cringed slightly, his gaze shifting between Nai and Sentrius. 'They...They've both memorized it? -Memorized- it?...I...' The knight released a quiet sigh, his shoulders drooping, especially under the weight of the armour he was growing to despise. '...I got bored a few pages in and put it away...'
Kazuki looking at his commander and the almost cold way he spoke of total war was almost tempted to draw his beloved sword. The man is a monster if he truly believes in total war....and if so he is undeserving of death by blade. I will follow him but if this monster ever orders me to slaughter innocents he'll find a new enemy to deal with. How far have the knights fallen if this philosophy of genocide is spoken of with approval. The thought of genocide made this Phoenix wonder why he joined. As a child he grew up on tales of Knighthood and the honor these armor clad warriors conducted themselves with. He had nourished his soul with ideals of chivalry and hopes of living up to that honor. He had pushed himself beyond all limits to achieve the strength and skill that saw him in the Black Armor of the Knight Elite. He had buried a wife and honored her wishes to keep training. All this and more he had done to become the Knight he was today. And even before the first official mission it was turning to ashes in his hands.
A commander who thought genocide noble, fellow knights who alternated between childish bickering and attempts at being the Knights they were. Although he was willing to forgive his fellow knights for they lacked the experience to grant them wisdom and a seriousness befitting their place in history. But his commander had earned his undying hatred for speaking of genocide in a positive turn. As a one of the few Phoenix still left in the universe and so far the only one still serving in the Knights he could not embrace genocide no matter the effectiveness of it as a tactic. No Knight's sword should ever be stained with the blood of innocents simply to deny a despot his base of power. Killing innocents doesn't end wars, it starts them. He thought with a anger so well hidden any observer would think him merely bored.
For despite the coordinated efforts to destroy his race many had survived, enough to be a serious threat to perhaps a planet or a small system. And as they burned the bodies of their honored dead this last great army of the Phoenix marshaled together. All silver armor and silk capes there anger burned fiercer then the flames of the pyres. The world had showed them they were simply unwilling to tolerate the existence of the Phoenix. For the crime of being a superior race in terms of powers and strength they had started a war desiring to bring the chaos of the universe into the peace and order of the Phoenix. And in return even those Phoenix who had argued starting a war was no better then the savagery of the rest of the universe were hunted down like animals. And so this last great army of the Phoenix people united in their hatred of the horror wrought upon their race marched as one. Knowing they would only be served death no matter their actions the Phoenix as a whole took up arms. Old Men who's legs barely held them up clutched swords they used as Young men, Mothers laying their children onto the pyres let hate breed in the darkness of their empty souls, Young Men bore the horrible burden of their Father's sword and armor. And so the Phoenix were poised to swoop down on the universe that thought them dead ready to show them the true price of genocide. One final charge for a proud warrior people then to go to Mithra's embrace and await the sounding of the final horn that would mark the end of the world.
His forefather had been an scout for Phoenix army, a position he held with honor. Till he had been captured and interrogated. At first he had held out against the hot irons, the whips,even when they broke his legs all he did was spit at his captors.But when dealing with the devil one never takes into account the subtly of a demon. They came to know of his family using a spy to capture his wife and newborn son. And where he did not fear for his own well being the woman he loved and the son he cherished saw him give in. And in return they granted this Phoenix Knight wish,a beheading. A criminal's death amongst the Phoenix Kazuki's forefather had intended it to show his shame. The wife was allowed to live out her life in a prison while the son was raised amongst normal humans in ignorance of what the price of his life had been.
And it was this legacy that saw this Black Knight unwilling to stain his blade with the blood of the innocents. All the time that had passed,all the lessons that had been learned, and nothing had changed. The rest of the universe was more then glad to slaughter their neighbors if it meant the easy way out. No one took time to consider the long term applications of such an brutal policy.
For his part the Black Knight wondered if all the effort was worth it. But after a few moments of thought he eased the muscles in his shoulders deciding against proving his faith with the edge of his sword. His commander was once a respected general and these other knights needed a leader with real combat experience. And although as Black Knight potential he had seen much more combat and missions then the others he knew he was no veteran general. And the mission set before them as their first mission as Knights Elite would require all the skill and cunning a warrior developed over a long career. Despite their status as Knight Elite they were in reality little more then green soldiers. Even Kazuki in his black armor was not much better. He was in the end only 21. Sure he could plan a battle just as well as any, could wield a sword better then just about anyone, knew the ins and outs of starships,could speak almost every known language, could fix a broken bone or with the right equipment perform advanced surgery, despite all that he was only 21. And nothing made up for a lifetime of experience of commanding and fighting. And so this knight would let his commander Besides if this mission went well he would not be forced to choose between duty and honor. And this one time general despite his lack of interest in commanding them and his brutal nay monstrous view on war was the only one that could lead them in this mission. None of them despite their puffed up sense of pride at wearing the armor of the Knight Elite was truly capable of the subtly and skill this mission would require. They were little more then children playing at war. They were all shiny ceremonial armor and swords, some like Kazuki had tasted the bitterness of combat but none of them Black knight included was a true leader.
And so in silence the Black Knight followed the group as it left the tower. Making their way to the elevators they went down to the hanger that resided underwater. A feat of engineering and architecture genius back when it was first built the Black Knight had always wondered why the builders had gone through the trouble of designing and creating it. He had always though it a useless frivolity and a tactical weakness if the Academy ever had to defend itself. A covert team could use this place to infiltrate into the academy and deactivate the meager defenses the school had. And then the opposing army outside the school would have a wide open door into the academy.
But in the end Kazuki thought little of it. After all the loss of one academy was hardly going to slow the Knights down and since the slaughter of his race things had been peaceful enough. And the planet was hardly an open target. But still the Black Knight found the way the Military relied on the fleet to protect the strategically important planets a little wishful. There always should be a good plane B, in this case well fortified and supplied ground side positions.
And this school being a training ground for the backbone of the Military should warrant it special attention in the Knight's mind. After all no computer or military grunt could wage war with as much efficiency as the Knights. Their blend of tactics and physical combat combined with diplomacy and medical knowledge saw them as good force multipliers for ant force.
shoving such thoughts aside however Kazuki files aboard the chosen ship,a small light ship obviously not designed with comfort in mind as the interior proved somewhat cramped. I swear to Mithra this tub had better be fast and maneuver like a hawk or I am transferring to a new unit in the Alpha fleet, my room in the academy had a bigger bathroom then this. He thought in a effort to not look at his commander as he spoke. but nonetheless he made sure to pay attention. If he was to be second in command Kazuki thought he should make sure to take in the important details.
The pep speech finished he simply took in the events. The mingling of the knights, the arrival of the late knight who wore the red armor of a combat expert. And more childish bickering intermingled with attempts at Knightly restraint with even more green boys comparing sizes so to speak. Through it all the Black Knight simply sat in passive observation. But that was nothing new, this Knight Elite preferred silence to forced chit-chat. Most thought him anti-social but he simply found nothing to relate to in any. He was a Phoenix who had buried his wife before joining the knights, he was one of the best but even his fellow Black Knights only knew his silence. He didn't so much as avoid daily socializing as make no attempt to seek it out. After all they were Knights not teenagers hanging out at a favorite spot. They were going to combat and while bonds of friendship helped when the blood flowed and men where dying it was not high on his list of things to do. And his position in the chain of command only encouraged him.For in the military fraternization with lower ranks was strictly forbidden. And while the Knights were less formal in that regard Kazuki knew why the military adopted that policy.
Walking the few steps towards the sleeping quarters he ignored the other knights. This wasn't a battlefield and a commanding officer had the deck so he was under no obligations to watch them like a hawk. Besides they all were Knight Elites capable of looking after themselves and needed no officer hanging over their shoulder 24/7.
Instead the Black Knight strode towards a bed that had his trunk at it's foot, the neat black and gold case held his spare clothes as well as the tools needed to look after his weapons. And what was left over of the metal polish he had bought, perhaps enough for 2 more polishings. Grabbing the needed tools out of his trunk he sat on his bed and went about removing his armor, he didn't plan to wear most of it in the upcoming missio as the weight was simply counter productive to his fast and agile style of swordplay. Called the Royal Guard style it was a unique style hard to learn and even harder to master. A two handed style it required one to be able to wield a sword and a pistol or other one handed firearm at the same time. While hard to master it was perhaps the best blend of swordplay and gunplay. Granting a user both a swordsman strength and a marksman's skill it was widely practiced amongst the Black Knights. And as a style that relied on speed and agility the weight of armor simply had to go. Besides the ancient style armor was simply useless on a modern battlefield were it's weight slowed down charges and the damage protection was nowhere near enough to justify it's weight.
A commander who thought genocide noble, fellow knights who alternated between childish bickering and attempts at being the Knights they were. Although he was willing to forgive his fellow knights for they lacked the experience to grant them wisdom and a seriousness befitting their place in history. But his commander had earned his undying hatred for speaking of genocide in a positive turn. As a one of the few Phoenix still left in the universe and so far the only one still serving in the Knights he could not embrace genocide no matter the effectiveness of it as a tactic. No Knight's sword should ever be stained with the blood of innocents simply to deny a despot his base of power. Killing innocents doesn't end wars, it starts them. He thought with a anger so well hidden any observer would think him merely bored.
For despite the coordinated efforts to destroy his race many had survived, enough to be a serious threat to perhaps a planet or a small system. And as they burned the bodies of their honored dead this last great army of the Phoenix marshaled together. All silver armor and silk capes there anger burned fiercer then the flames of the pyres. The world had showed them they were simply unwilling to tolerate the existence of the Phoenix. For the crime of being a superior race in terms of powers and strength they had started a war desiring to bring the chaos of the universe into the peace and order of the Phoenix. And in return even those Phoenix who had argued starting a war was no better then the savagery of the rest of the universe were hunted down like animals. And so this last great army of the Phoenix people united in their hatred of the horror wrought upon their race marched as one. Knowing they would only be served death no matter their actions the Phoenix as a whole took up arms. Old Men who's legs barely held them up clutched swords they used as Young men, Mothers laying their children onto the pyres let hate breed in the darkness of their empty souls, Young Men bore the horrible burden of their Father's sword and armor. And so the Phoenix were poised to swoop down on the universe that thought them dead ready to show them the true price of genocide. One final charge for a proud warrior people then to go to Mithra's embrace and await the sounding of the final horn that would mark the end of the world.
His forefather had been an scout for Phoenix army, a position he held with honor. Till he had been captured and interrogated. At first he had held out against the hot irons, the whips,even when they broke his legs all he did was spit at his captors.But when dealing with the devil one never takes into account the subtly of a demon. They came to know of his family using a spy to capture his wife and newborn son. And where he did not fear for his own well being the woman he loved and the son he cherished saw him give in. And in return they granted this Phoenix Knight wish,a beheading. A criminal's death amongst the Phoenix Kazuki's forefather had intended it to show his shame. The wife was allowed to live out her life in a prison while the son was raised amongst normal humans in ignorance of what the price of his life had been.
And it was this legacy that saw this Black Knight unwilling to stain his blade with the blood of the innocents. All the time that had passed,all the lessons that had been learned, and nothing had changed. The rest of the universe was more then glad to slaughter their neighbors if it meant the easy way out. No one took time to consider the long term applications of such an brutal policy.
For his part the Black Knight wondered if all the effort was worth it. But after a few moments of thought he eased the muscles in his shoulders deciding against proving his faith with the edge of his sword. His commander was once a respected general and these other knights needed a leader with real combat experience. And although as Black Knight potential he had seen much more combat and missions then the others he knew he was no veteran general. And the mission set before them as their first mission as Knights Elite would require all the skill and cunning a warrior developed over a long career. Despite their status as Knight Elite they were in reality little more then green soldiers. Even Kazuki in his black armor was not much better. He was in the end only 21. Sure he could plan a battle just as well as any, could wield a sword better then just about anyone, knew the ins and outs of starships,could speak almost every known language, could fix a broken bone or with the right equipment perform advanced surgery, despite all that he was only 21. And nothing made up for a lifetime of experience of commanding and fighting. And so this knight would let his commander Besides if this mission went well he would not be forced to choose between duty and honor. And this one time general despite his lack of interest in commanding them and his brutal nay monstrous view on war was the only one that could lead them in this mission. None of them despite their puffed up sense of pride at wearing the armor of the Knight Elite was truly capable of the subtly and skill this mission would require. They were little more then children playing at war. They were all shiny ceremonial armor and swords, some like Kazuki had tasted the bitterness of combat but none of them Black knight included was a true leader.
And so in silence the Black Knight followed the group as it left the tower. Making their way to the elevators they went down to the hanger that resided underwater. A feat of engineering and architecture genius back when it was first built the Black Knight had always wondered why the builders had gone through the trouble of designing and creating it. He had always though it a useless frivolity and a tactical weakness if the Academy ever had to defend itself. A covert team could use this place to infiltrate into the academy and deactivate the meager defenses the school had. And then the opposing army outside the school would have a wide open door into the academy.
But in the end Kazuki thought little of it. After all the loss of one academy was hardly going to slow the Knights down and since the slaughter of his race things had been peaceful enough. And the planet was hardly an open target. But still the Black Knight found the way the Military relied on the fleet to protect the strategically important planets a little wishful. There always should be a good plane B, in this case well fortified and supplied ground side positions.
And this school being a training ground for the backbone of the Military should warrant it special attention in the Knight's mind. After all no computer or military grunt could wage war with as much efficiency as the Knights. Their blend of tactics and physical combat combined with diplomacy and medical knowledge saw them as good force multipliers for ant force.
shoving such thoughts aside however Kazuki files aboard the chosen ship,a small light ship obviously not designed with comfort in mind as the interior proved somewhat cramped. I swear to Mithra this tub had better be fast and maneuver like a hawk or I am transferring to a new unit in the Alpha fleet, my room in the academy had a bigger bathroom then this. He thought in a effort to not look at his commander as he spoke. but nonetheless he made sure to pay attention. If he was to be second in command Kazuki thought he should make sure to take in the important details.
The pep speech finished he simply took in the events. The mingling of the knights, the arrival of the late knight who wore the red armor of a combat expert. And more childish bickering intermingled with attempts at Knightly restraint with even more green boys comparing sizes so to speak. Through it all the Black Knight simply sat in passive observation. But that was nothing new, this Knight Elite preferred silence to forced chit-chat. Most thought him anti-social but he simply found nothing to relate to in any. He was a Phoenix who had buried his wife before joining the knights, he was one of the best but even his fellow Black Knights only knew his silence. He didn't so much as avoid daily socializing as make no attempt to seek it out. After all they were Knights not teenagers hanging out at a favorite spot. They were going to combat and while bonds of friendship helped when the blood flowed and men where dying it was not high on his list of things to do. And his position in the chain of command only encouraged him.For in the military fraternization with lower ranks was strictly forbidden. And while the Knights were less formal in that regard Kazuki knew why the military adopted that policy.
Walking the few steps towards the sleeping quarters he ignored the other knights. This wasn't a battlefield and a commanding officer had the deck so he was under no obligations to watch them like a hawk. Besides they all were Knight Elites capable of looking after themselves and needed no officer hanging over their shoulder 24/7.
Instead the Black Knight strode towards a bed that had his trunk at it's foot, the neat black and gold case held his spare clothes as well as the tools needed to look after his weapons. And what was left over of the metal polish he had bought, perhaps enough for 2 more polishings. Grabbing the needed tools out of his trunk he sat on his bed and went about removing his armor, he didn't plan to wear most of it in the upcoming missio as the weight was simply counter productive to his fast and agile style of swordplay. Called the Royal Guard style it was a unique style hard to learn and even harder to master. A two handed style it required one to be able to wield a sword and a pistol or other one handed firearm at the same time. While hard to master it was perhaps the best blend of swordplay and gunplay. Granting a user both a swordsman strength and a marksman's skill it was widely practiced amongst the Black Knights. And as a style that relied on speed and agility the weight of armor simply had to go. Besides the ancient style armor was simply useless on a modern battlefield were it's weight slowed down charges and the damage protection was nowhere near enough to justify it's weight.
The ship quieted as the young Knights each got ready to sleep. Jove grabbed a pillow of the bed that had his small leather clothingcase on it, the bed specifically set out for him, and the bed that his Commanding officer, former General Aden Malkini, had forbidden him sleep in. Jove scoped the soft green cloth cover from the bed and placed it in his arms, atop the pillow. Jove sighed as he looked over to his other companions, all of them getting their beds ready. His eyes flickered onto Falcus, placing his blue armor away for the Knight. His name did not tell him much. Xeroux Falcus. A Baon name, which was quite common in the North-East, and then a Lutman last name, which were also quite common as the Lutman spread throughout the North-East during the Matran Imperial period. Two meaningless names. He looked like a Dal, with a bit of Zoraman in him. His heritage would indicate that he and Jove would be the best of friends, but Jove doubted they would be. Xeroux was an internal optimist, Jove had decided, while he was an eternal pessimist. Xeroux believed that the team would always pull through while Jove believed the team would always fail and burn in a miserable and humiliating defeat. And Jove knew he was not a lovable pessimist, he was not a comical Neahian boy who started on a cheap ship and ended as a rich man. No, he was the bitter pessimist. He was the one the team would be better off without. He was a politician, not a soldier. But aren't all politicians soldiers? He though to himself before continuing his gaze.
The next man his eyes landed on was Sentrius Tetran. Jove liked Tetran, more than the rest. He was a Lutman through and through. A soldiers soldier. He was smart, skilled, and obedient to orders. He was what the Knights needed, and perhaps the only real Knight in the group. Still, Tetran's almost lack of concern or opinion worried him. When he told him of the slave trade, an act that would logically disgust any other Lutman in the world, as their people were the heart of the Ulfarian slave trade, he gave a simple, non-judgmental I disagree. And when Jove began to mock the Tormaund Academy, he still reserved the voice of his opinion, defending the Academy based solely on their ability to create Knight Elites, which seemed to be the most information he had on it. While this could be a simple lack of caring or lack of opinion, it could also be that Tetran was hiding himself away. Jove bit his lip. Jove didn't like not knowing people. It made him feel weak.
Jove's stare brought him onto Nai Tsukumo. A Bakish name for a bakish girl, or at least half bakish, Jove really couldn't tell. It didn't matter either way. She was annoying, and her non Bak parent was most likely a barbarian who most likely performed grotesque acts on the headmasters at the Tormaund Academy, who were also barbarians, to get her in so she could train with even more barbarians. Jove shook his head at the girl. She had displayed herself to be easily offended and easy to turn her feelings of being offended into aggression. Still, she was the only girl here, so perhaps she had to act more aggressive that she was to equal herself to the rest. Jove sighed. She was a mystery for now, but he would soon figure her out.
Jove's next examination was Kazuki Shiroyama. Another Bak. Kazuki was a mystery to him, and between Kazuki, Sentrius, and Nai he had a few too many unreadable squad mates. He seemed cold, and unwilling to deal with the childish ways of the squad. Jove glanced for a second at Loki, before turning back to Kazuki. He would be their leader in the actual leaders absence, but he did not seem to want to talk to the others or get to know them, which was not the way of a Commander, though Malkini was the exact same way. The difference between Kazuki and Malkini was that Malkini openly expressed his extreme disdain for the Knights and the situation while Kazuki kept it to himself. Kazuki kept everything to himself, while Malkini couldn't seem to find the kindness in his heart to shut up for more than a minute.
Jove then turned to Loki Dinn. One hundred percent Dal, from his face to his name, was what Jove picked up so far. He was a schoolboy from Urakas, probably grew up poor in the Capima south, the Gold coast or on the prairies. He was slightly awkward, very sincere, and without any darkness in him, which either said only good about him or only bad. Jove watched as Loki glanced over at Nai and then back at his own bag. It was rare to see a man like him in the Knights, but still, it gave Jove some security.
Jove then turned back to his clothing case and grabbed it with a hand. "Well, goodnight to all of you. You need me for anything I'll be in the pilot cabin, on the couch trying to get comfortable." No one replied. Jove turned and walked out of the door and towards the kitchen. As soon as he left the bedroom the warm light left and he was in darkness, the only light coming from the windows and the stars in space. Jove walked on through the kitchen and into the pilots cabin, where he windows were biggest and the starlight was brightest. At the pilots tab sat Malkini, the pale red light of the controls reflect off his face.
"God in heaven," Jove muttered to himself as he approached the cabin. "Commander why are you still piloting? We're well out of the Province by now."
"Yes, we just passed through the Umiton border," Malkini replied. "I wanted to be here up until Orlessa. The autopilot always goes a little off around there when traveling to Usin from the Islands."
"You've been to Usin before?" Jove asked, placing the pillows and cover down onto the left couch.
"Four times, never to where we're going though," Malkini replied. "I went to the Capital three times, twice for ceremonies, and once for business. The fourth time I visited was on a crash landing for fuel there. I say this to all my apprentices, if your stuck on low fuel in western Umano, always go to Usin, no matter what state that world is in."
"...Fascinating," Jove muttered. He now lay under his covers, his eyes reading over a book bound in leather.
"What is that supposed to be?" Malkini asked, looking back at the book.
"Pocketman," Jove replied. "Its one of these drawn books off the Kings Port, its quite good."
"Of course it is, I take it full pages of text are too complex for your mind, correct?" Malkini muttered.
Jove placed the book on his lap and sat up. "Is there a reason you hate me, sir?"
"Your a racist slaving prick, is that not reason enough, Jove?" Malkini replied.
"Slaving is politics, I'm not going to defend that, but facts about different peoples are just that. Facts," Jove said.
"You make mostly negative preconceptions about people based solely on their physical features and where those features say they came from," Malkini said. "Those are not facts."
"I don't say the Northerners are barbarians because they look different then us, though," Jove replied. "I say it because they sacrifice their women and perform disgusting rituals on their children. That's fact."
"Never mind, you are clearly a lost cause, Joven Flynn," Malkini muttered. "You ever been with a girl, Jove?"
"What?" Jove asked, looking up from his book.
"Good lord, boy, you are deaf," Malkini replied. "Have you ever been in a relationship with a girl?"
Jove nodded slowly, "Um, yes, I have."
"Was she a Zoraman, like you?" Malkini asked.
"Some of them were...." Jove replied quietly.
"You ever been in a relationship with a non-Zoraman or Seriman?" Malkini asked.
"Yes, on the Island I was with a Neahian lass, she said she was Neahian but I still think she was a Kingsmen," Jove replied.
"Jove, you are hollow," Malkini replied with a grin.
"Why?" Jove asked.
"You with what you think are Kingsmen, which in the most Zoraman mind is worse than a Northerner," Malini said. "And then you come here and talk badly about all others. Disgusting. Though, I understand it."
"Sir?" Jove asked.
Malkini smiled. "Jove, I love my cultures..."
Jove glanced at Malkini before looking back at his book. "So who else will be on Usin?" Jove asked from behind the leather cover.
"The Major General, three legions, and two Knights from Commander Roka's team," Malkini replied. "The boys in Bao, trying to find a way to keep me on a leash, asked all the new Commander's if they could spare any Knights. Roka spared two."
"So he sent away two of his Knights to help out?" Jove asked. "Who are they?"
"Another weapons expert, god be kind, from Ravin named Ephraim Gauloris," Malkini said. "Which should be no surprise since all they produce there is medics and masters of war. The second is the third boy from Tormaund, Oran Oseal, a white armored science specialist."
"Well, I'm sure Nai and Tetran will be happy to see their old friends once more," Jove muttered, flipping the page of his book.
"There goes Orlessa," Malkini said, dimming the lights on the pilots tab and pushing his chair out. "Goodnight, Jove."
Jove glanced at the man pacing into the kitchen, before looking back into the pages of his book.
The next man his eyes landed on was Sentrius Tetran. Jove liked Tetran, more than the rest. He was a Lutman through and through. A soldiers soldier. He was smart, skilled, and obedient to orders. He was what the Knights needed, and perhaps the only real Knight in the group. Still, Tetran's almost lack of concern or opinion worried him. When he told him of the slave trade, an act that would logically disgust any other Lutman in the world, as their people were the heart of the Ulfarian slave trade, he gave a simple, non-judgmental I disagree. And when Jove began to mock the Tormaund Academy, he still reserved the voice of his opinion, defending the Academy based solely on their ability to create Knight Elites, which seemed to be the most information he had on it. While this could be a simple lack of caring or lack of opinion, it could also be that Tetran was hiding himself away. Jove bit his lip. Jove didn't like not knowing people. It made him feel weak.
Jove's stare brought him onto Nai Tsukumo. A Bakish name for a bakish girl, or at least half bakish, Jove really couldn't tell. It didn't matter either way. She was annoying, and her non Bak parent was most likely a barbarian who most likely performed grotesque acts on the headmasters at the Tormaund Academy, who were also barbarians, to get her in so she could train with even more barbarians. Jove shook his head at the girl. She had displayed herself to be easily offended and easy to turn her feelings of being offended into aggression. Still, she was the only girl here, so perhaps she had to act more aggressive that she was to equal herself to the rest. Jove sighed. She was a mystery for now, but he would soon figure her out.
Jove's next examination was Kazuki Shiroyama. Another Bak. Kazuki was a mystery to him, and between Kazuki, Sentrius, and Nai he had a few too many unreadable squad mates. He seemed cold, and unwilling to deal with the childish ways of the squad. Jove glanced for a second at Loki, before turning back to Kazuki. He would be their leader in the actual leaders absence, but he did not seem to want to talk to the others or get to know them, which was not the way of a Commander, though Malkini was the exact same way. The difference between Kazuki and Malkini was that Malkini openly expressed his extreme disdain for the Knights and the situation while Kazuki kept it to himself. Kazuki kept everything to himself, while Malkini couldn't seem to find the kindness in his heart to shut up for more than a minute.
Jove then turned to Loki Dinn. One hundred percent Dal, from his face to his name, was what Jove picked up so far. He was a schoolboy from Urakas, probably grew up poor in the Capima south, the Gold coast or on the prairies. He was slightly awkward, very sincere, and without any darkness in him, which either said only good about him or only bad. Jove watched as Loki glanced over at Nai and then back at his own bag. It was rare to see a man like him in the Knights, but still, it gave Jove some security.
Jove then turned back to his clothing case and grabbed it with a hand. "Well, goodnight to all of you. You need me for anything I'll be in the pilot cabin, on the couch trying to get comfortable." No one replied. Jove turned and walked out of the door and towards the kitchen. As soon as he left the bedroom the warm light left and he was in darkness, the only light coming from the windows and the stars in space. Jove walked on through the kitchen and into the pilots cabin, where he windows were biggest and the starlight was brightest. At the pilots tab sat Malkini, the pale red light of the controls reflect off his face.
"God in heaven," Jove muttered to himself as he approached the cabin. "Commander why are you still piloting? We're well out of the Province by now."
"Yes, we just passed through the Umiton border," Malkini replied. "I wanted to be here up until Orlessa. The autopilot always goes a little off around there when traveling to Usin from the Islands."
"You've been to Usin before?" Jove asked, placing the pillows and cover down onto the left couch.
"Four times, never to where we're going though," Malkini replied. "I went to the Capital three times, twice for ceremonies, and once for business. The fourth time I visited was on a crash landing for fuel there. I say this to all my apprentices, if your stuck on low fuel in western Umano, always go to Usin, no matter what state that world is in."
"...Fascinating," Jove muttered. He now lay under his covers, his eyes reading over a book bound in leather.
"What is that supposed to be?" Malkini asked, looking back at the book.
"Pocketman," Jove replied. "Its one of these drawn books off the Kings Port, its quite good."
"Of course it is, I take it full pages of text are too complex for your mind, correct?" Malkini muttered.
Jove placed the book on his lap and sat up. "Is there a reason you hate me, sir?"
"Your a racist slaving prick, is that not reason enough, Jove?" Malkini replied.
"Slaving is politics, I'm not going to defend that, but facts about different peoples are just that. Facts," Jove said.
"You make mostly negative preconceptions about people based solely on their physical features and where those features say they came from," Malkini said. "Those are not facts."
"I don't say the Northerners are barbarians because they look different then us, though," Jove replied. "I say it because they sacrifice their women and perform disgusting rituals on their children. That's fact."
"Never mind, you are clearly a lost cause, Joven Flynn," Malkini muttered. "You ever been with a girl, Jove?"
"What?" Jove asked, looking up from his book.
"Good lord, boy, you are deaf," Malkini replied. "Have you ever been in a relationship with a girl?"
Jove nodded slowly, "Um, yes, I have."
"Was she a Zoraman, like you?" Malkini asked.
"Some of them were...." Jove replied quietly.
"You ever been in a relationship with a non-Zoraman or Seriman?" Malkini asked.
"Yes, on the Island I was with a Neahian lass, she said she was Neahian but I still think she was a Kingsmen," Jove replied.
"Jove, you are hollow," Malkini replied with a grin.
"Why?" Jove asked.
"You with what you think are Kingsmen, which in the most Zoraman mind is worse than a Northerner," Malini said. "And then you come here and talk badly about all others. Disgusting. Though, I understand it."
"Sir?" Jove asked.
Malkini smiled. "Jove, I love my cultures..."
Jove glanced at Malkini before looking back at his book. "So who else will be on Usin?" Jove asked from behind the leather cover.
"The Major General, three legions, and two Knights from Commander Roka's team," Malkini replied. "The boys in Bao, trying to find a way to keep me on a leash, asked all the new Commander's if they could spare any Knights. Roka spared two."
"So he sent away two of his Knights to help out?" Jove asked. "Who are they?"
"Another weapons expert, god be kind, from Ravin named Ephraim Gauloris," Malkini said. "Which should be no surprise since all they produce there is medics and masters of war. The second is the third boy from Tormaund, Oran Oseal, a white armored science specialist."
"Well, I'm sure Nai and Tetran will be happy to see their old friends once more," Jove muttered, flipping the page of his book.
"There goes Orlessa," Malkini said, dimming the lights on the pilots tab and pushing his chair out. "Goodnight, Jove."
Jove glanced at the man pacing into the kitchen, before looking back into the pages of his book.
Sentrius was already asleep long before the others, having already set up his bed and and checked his bags. Dreams of grandeur raced around in his head as he slept. Truthfully ,he had no real desire to sleep. He was ready for some action, for their chance to shine in the limelight. and take their rightful place as the next generation of Knights. If only they could've gotten a better ship, a faster ship. That way they'd make it planetside in no time.
Sentrius did have on quick glance over at hi team, before he fell asleep. He liked them well enough, though he could tell they might be in need of some re-reading of the Knight Handbook. Not him, however. Sentrius did know the whole book by memory. And he always followed those rules and protocols to the letter. ...Well, usually. Most of the time. It's not important right now. What's important is, despite him ranking fourth in command, Sentrius felt like it was he who need to make sure his teammates stayed in line.
He can't really say much about Malkini. In truth their commander didn't seem to like them very much. Sure, Malkini wasn't the ideal commander, but he made it to the rank somehow, so they'd have to give him some type of credit. Sentrius hoped that they'd hit planetside soon. He wanted to get to the action as soon as possible. This was their time to become legends. But more importantly, it was his time to become a legend.
Sentrius did have on quick glance over at hi team, before he fell asleep. He liked them well enough, though he could tell they might be in need of some re-reading of the Knight Handbook. Not him, however. Sentrius did know the whole book by memory. And he always followed those rules and protocols to the letter. ...Well, usually. Most of the time. It's not important right now. What's important is, despite him ranking fourth in command, Sentrius felt like it was he who need to make sure his teammates stayed in line.
He can't really say much about Malkini. In truth their commander didn't seem to like them very much. Sure, Malkini wasn't the ideal commander, but he made it to the rank somehow, so they'd have to give him some type of credit. Sentrius hoped that they'd hit planetside soon. He wanted to get to the action as soon as possible. This was their time to become legends. But more importantly, it was his time to become a legend.
Morning light shun down upon Jove's face, the heat making his lashes twitch. Jove opened one eye slowly, glancing around the room now filled with warm golden light. The brown wood inner walls of the Pilots cabin sparkled in the light, as did the window below the wooden ridge, which showed the bright sun, clouds of gray surrounding the edge open of sky in which the sun shinned. The sunlight was suddenly blocked off through the window by a wall of stone, edges and jags of black and brown whizzing past the window as it did. Jove could feel the light leave the room, and a small air of coldness on his tanned skin. Then the stone flew past, and the sun came back, for a moment only, as a gray cloud quickly blocked it from view. The ship gave a small bump as it continued flying, and the sounds of the air flying past outside became slightly louder. Jove pushed his green covers to the side and sat up straight. He rubbed his eyes quickly and glanced right towards the pilots chair to see who was flying. A small familiar crop of brown hair greeted him from above the leather headrest.
"Good morning, Jove!" The powerful voice of Malkini said, his head never moving from the cabins forward window.
"Commander," Jove replied quietly, collecting his sleeping supplies off the couch. The clouded sun was once again blocked off by a mountain of rock whizzing past the large windows of the cabin. "We're on Usin, I presume?" Jove asked, noticing the suspiciously unspace-like surroundings the ship flew through.
"Yes, its quarter after eleven, right now," Malkini explained. "And its the wetsession right now, so I hope you brought your cloak."
"When does the sun rise and set?" Jove asked, picking up his Pocketman book that fell to the wooden floor during the night. The rock wall flew past once again and the clouds were in view.
"Five and nineteen," Malkini replied. "Why?"
"I just like to know," Jove said. "I've never been to Usin, you see."
"Well, were not in the tourist area, to say the least," Malkini said with a grin as the sunlight disappeared once more. "We're in the stone fields. A massive area of stone grounds and pillars rising high above the earth. Through these pillars runs a swampy river called Mevish. The river starts from the ocean, far, far down into the Highrock area. Further along, past where we will be, the land becomes much wetter, much more just planes of wet grass, you know? That's where the river becomes really deep. But here you can walk through it and it will just go to your hip."
"How close are we to the grasslands?" Jove asked.
"Close, we are literally positioned at the edge of the highrock area. In fact, if you walk forty minutes down the Mevish from where you are, you'll be in the grasslands, so not far at all," Malkini explained as the ship rocked again. They flew down more and more until the rocks dominated the windows views, and the sun or the clods became a rare sight. The ship continued to travel until from the window the wide green river below became clear. On the edge of the river, on the clearing, small camps and outposts were spotted with small campfires, roasting breakfast no doubt, for the silver armored soldiers stationed at them. A pole outside each camp hung proudly the flag of the Knights, and below it the flag of their legion, and below that the flag of their General, Major General Yoff. As they continued down the camps became more and more common. The soldiers all looked at the ship, some waved, some cheered, and some simply gave a glance as it flew by just above the river's still water. The ship eventually landed down onto the a small hill on the edge of the river, opposite of it was a massive opening that led down, red light piercing outward of its entrance. Blocking the entrance's light was a large stone blade. It was held by armored hands of rock, belonging to a massive stone Knight who stood at the edge of a long rock pillar. His rock cape became the rock, and, at the bottom of his cloaked feet stood the entrance to the abandoned underground city that ran beneath the pillars and stone of Highrock.
Malkini exited the ship excitedly, the first thing he saw from across the river being the stone Knight towering over him, the edge of the Knight's helm blocked the sun. Malkini then turned down the river. In the far fogged distance he saw a small light from the edge of a pillar. "That must be the village on the side of the rock..." Malkini muttered. Yoff's men had no doubt already place explosives all along the halls that ran beneath the pillar in which the village sat.
"Greetings!" A voice rang cheerfully. Malkini turned as two Knights, one in red armor, and one in white, approached him and his team...
"Good morning, Jove!" The powerful voice of Malkini said, his head never moving from the cabins forward window.
"Commander," Jove replied quietly, collecting his sleeping supplies off the couch. The clouded sun was once again blocked off by a mountain of rock whizzing past the large windows of the cabin. "We're on Usin, I presume?" Jove asked, noticing the suspiciously unspace-like surroundings the ship flew through.
"Yes, its quarter after eleven, right now," Malkini explained. "And its the wetsession right now, so I hope you brought your cloak."
"When does the sun rise and set?" Jove asked, picking up his Pocketman book that fell to the wooden floor during the night. The rock wall flew past once again and the clouds were in view.
"Five and nineteen," Malkini replied. "Why?"
"I just like to know," Jove said. "I've never been to Usin, you see."
"Well, were not in the tourist area, to say the least," Malkini said with a grin as the sunlight disappeared once more. "We're in the stone fields. A massive area of stone grounds and pillars rising high above the earth. Through these pillars runs a swampy river called Mevish. The river starts from the ocean, far, far down into the Highrock area. Further along, past where we will be, the land becomes much wetter, much more just planes of wet grass, you know? That's where the river becomes really deep. But here you can walk through it and it will just go to your hip."
"How close are we to the grasslands?" Jove asked.
"Close, we are literally positioned at the edge of the highrock area. In fact, if you walk forty minutes down the Mevish from where you are, you'll be in the grasslands, so not far at all," Malkini explained as the ship rocked again. They flew down more and more until the rocks dominated the windows views, and the sun or the clods became a rare sight. The ship continued to travel until from the window the wide green river below became clear. On the edge of the river, on the clearing, small camps and outposts were spotted with small campfires, roasting breakfast no doubt, for the silver armored soldiers stationed at them. A pole outside each camp hung proudly the flag of the Knights, and below it the flag of their legion, and below that the flag of their General, Major General Yoff. As they continued down the camps became more and more common. The soldiers all looked at the ship, some waved, some cheered, and some simply gave a glance as it flew by just above the river's still water. The ship eventually landed down onto the a small hill on the edge of the river, opposite of it was a massive opening that led down, red light piercing outward of its entrance. Blocking the entrance's light was a large stone blade. It was held by armored hands of rock, belonging to a massive stone Knight who stood at the edge of a long rock pillar. His rock cape became the rock, and, at the bottom of his cloaked feet stood the entrance to the abandoned underground city that ran beneath the pillars and stone of Highrock.
Malkini exited the ship excitedly, the first thing he saw from across the river being the stone Knight towering over him, the edge of the Knight's helm blocked the sun. Malkini then turned down the river. In the far fogged distance he saw a small light from the edge of a pillar. "That must be the village on the side of the rock..." Malkini muttered. Yoff's men had no doubt already place explosives all along the halls that ran beneath the pillar in which the village sat.
"Greetings!" A voice rang cheerfully. Malkini turned as two Knights, one in red armor, and one in white, approached him and his team...
Xeroux sighed, unable to sleep. It had been two hours, and still nothing. He tried to let his mind wander, eventually tiring itself out, but nothing worked. He was apprehensive, thoughts of the upcoming battle coming to mind. He knew nothing of the group they were fighting, the fact they were rebels told him two things; 1) they would fight until they got what they wanted, and 2) They would be willing to accept some negotiations. He was busy at work trying to plan an attack. Only if diplomacy failed. It was wise to seek peaceful alternatives to fighting, whenever allowed.
He reached for his satchel, pulling out a sketch pad with graph paper inside. A small picture of his family fell out into his lap. The picture was of his last day at home before leaving for the academy, his father and grandmother had thrown a small party, and gone through the trouble of making him a cake, and buying him the twin swords he carried on his waist. He smiled, tucking the picture back into the sketch pad.
"This can wait...Tomorrow I'll have more information on the troops we have and the number's we're against." He whispered, justifying the need to put the pad away and try to sleep again, happy thoughts on his mind.
A Few minutes passed, and he still couldn't sleep. He looked over to Jove's empty, and bare bed.
"We're a team..."
Without a second thought he grabbed his pillow and blanket taking it out to the hallway where the couch Jove slept on sat. He smiled seeing the open book on Jove's chest.
"A prince reading Poketman? Hm, not so different from anyone else now are ya?" He chuckled, throwing his pillow and blanket down opposite the couch. He found himself able to sleep soundly.
Next thing he knew he was woken by the voices of the Commander and Jove. Neither had seemed to notice that he was there, which meant he was out of the way. He didn't take any mind, just pretended to be asleep as they talked. The smooth landing was the proper que to pretend to wake up.
He sat up slowly, looking out the small window by his head.
"Beautiful day!" He smiled, turning to Jove. "Sleep well?"
He reached for his satchel, pulling out a sketch pad with graph paper inside. A small picture of his family fell out into his lap. The picture was of his last day at home before leaving for the academy, his father and grandmother had thrown a small party, and gone through the trouble of making him a cake, and buying him the twin swords he carried on his waist. He smiled, tucking the picture back into the sketch pad.
"This can wait...Tomorrow I'll have more information on the troops we have and the number's we're against." He whispered, justifying the need to put the pad away and try to sleep again, happy thoughts on his mind.
A Few minutes passed, and he still couldn't sleep. He looked over to Jove's empty, and bare bed.
"We're a team..."
Without a second thought he grabbed his pillow and blanket taking it out to the hallway where the couch Jove slept on sat. He smiled seeing the open book on Jove's chest.
"A prince reading Poketman? Hm, not so different from anyone else now are ya?" He chuckled, throwing his pillow and blanket down opposite the couch. He found himself able to sleep soundly.
Next thing he knew he was woken by the voices of the Commander and Jove. Neither had seemed to notice that he was there, which meant he was out of the way. He didn't take any mind, just pretended to be asleep as they talked. The smooth landing was the proper que to pretend to wake up.
He sat up slowly, looking out the small window by his head.
"Beautiful day!" He smiled, turning to Jove. "Sleep well?"
Sentrius yawned as he stepped out of bed, walking out of the room, he'd noticed two of the beds were empty, but he was to tired to notice who. Sentrius walked outside of the teams' room, before noticing Malkini, Jove, and Xeroux awake talking as the ship's hatch began to open. They were there! Finally. Sentrius, quickly hurried and grabbed his bag, and made sure everything was to order before preparing to leave the ship.
"Finally, we'll be with our comrades preparing to fight against the rebel threat!" Sentrius exclaimed. "This is the moment we've all been waiting for! C'mon, Knights, to glory!" Sentrius exclaimed as he marched forward out of the ship. He was greeted by the Knight camp. Hundreds of knights preparing for the same battle as them. And as he stepped out he was greeted by two other knights. Sentrius wide grin quickly turned into a frowned as he saw the knights. "Don't tell me they let Gauloris graduate!" Sentrius shook his head, muttering to himself. "Nowadays it seems like they'll except any loose canon loner."
"Finally, we'll be with our comrades preparing to fight against the rebel threat!" Sentrius exclaimed. "This is the moment we've all been waiting for! C'mon, Knights, to glory!" Sentrius exclaimed as he marched forward out of the ship. He was greeted by the Knight camp. Hundreds of knights preparing for the same battle as them. And as he stepped out he was greeted by two other knights. Sentrius wide grin quickly turned into a frowned as he saw the knights. "Don't tell me they let Gauloris graduate!" Sentrius shook his head, muttering to himself. "Nowadays it seems like they'll except any loose canon loner."
"Raven, can you keep it down? Training doesn't start for another hour.." Nai muttered, still tired from yesterday.
The night before the graduation, she didn't get any sleep since she was too excited for the upcoming ceremony. Now, she felt the full force of the exhaustion the day had placed on her. It didn't help that she was up for several hours after she had assumed the others had gone to sleep based on their breathing. The reason she hadn't slept as quickly as she usually did was because something had been bothering her. Her conduct had been unacceptable and she had wondered whether or not to apologize. Finally, she had decided to just act nicer and keep her emotions in check. It was barely enough to settle her conscience.
Now, she rolled over, realizing where she was. She silently prayed no one had heard her, although she saw several beds already empty, and quickly got out of bed. After a quick check to make sure she was ready, she went over to meet the others.
“Good morning,” she greeted Xeroux and Jove, followed by a low bow which was much more formal than yesterday. She didn’t stay much longer, eager to scout out the location, but just long enough to flash an apologetic grin at Jove before leaving the ship.
There, she saw two knights approaching, paying special attention to the one in white. Her face went completely blank for a moment before a smile appeared.
“Ah, good morning!” Nai greeted the two knights cheerfully, making a small bow as she usually did. It was a little bothersome doing it to every time she greeted someone but she was taught that it was a sign of respect and humility. Besides, it seemed like the right thing to do considering she knew one of them.
The night before the graduation, she didn't get any sleep since she was too excited for the upcoming ceremony. Now, she felt the full force of the exhaustion the day had placed on her. It didn't help that she was up for several hours after she had assumed the others had gone to sleep based on their breathing. The reason she hadn't slept as quickly as she usually did was because something had been bothering her. Her conduct had been unacceptable and she had wondered whether or not to apologize. Finally, she had decided to just act nicer and keep her emotions in check. It was barely enough to settle her conscience.
Now, she rolled over, realizing where she was. She silently prayed no one had heard her, although she saw several beds already empty, and quickly got out of bed. After a quick check to make sure she was ready, she went over to meet the others.
“Good morning,” she greeted Xeroux and Jove, followed by a low bow which was much more formal than yesterday. She didn’t stay much longer, eager to scout out the location, but just long enough to flash an apologetic grin at Jove before leaving the ship.
There, she saw two knights approaching, paying special attention to the one in white. Her face went completely blank for a moment before a smile appeared.
“Ah, good morning!” Nai greeted the two knights cheerfully, making a small bow as she usually did. It was a little bothersome doing it to every time she greeted someone but she was taught that it was a sign of respect and humility. Besides, it seemed like the right thing to do considering she knew one of them.
The mundane aspect of removing his armor going smoothly he laid each piece with great care in the black and gold trunk set at the foot of his bed. The Black Armor still shone with it's polishing as Kazuki had been careful unlike most who rushed and pushed against each other. For this Phoenix despite the fact he found the armor itself useless could appreciate what it represented. It was the physical embodiment of everything he had striven for, the undeniable proof he was the best of the best. And despite his recent doubts about the nobility of the order and it's leaders the Black Knight would treat this armor with the care and respect it deserved. It was useless as battle gear, it's weight a hindrance to his combat style, and he could care less for it's aesthetic value, but even with that all he still cherished it. If for no other purpose then it was the dream of Melina to don this ebony shaded armor.
The others, his fellow knights the men and woman he would fight next to for the rest of his life went about their business. Some a last socializing and boasting, others a early attempt at sleep. Each of them where part of a greater whole but Kazuki even with the burden of his officership could feel no real connection to them. They were children all of them younger then even his youthful 21 and none of them shared the common experiences that bonded humans together. They were of a different race and culture, the words they spoke held no bearing in his mind. He was a Phoenix, and while he would bear the burden of their lives and faith if ever the commander deemed necessary they were not his friends and would likely never be. Even their movements seemed alien to him used as he was to solitude and intense training.
But perhaps it was for the best, a officer had to remain detached from his troops and vice-versa. If command ever fell to him the Black Knight would have to make choices and decisions that might and would probably lead to their deaths. In the battlefield even a moment spent agonizing over the choice between leadership and friendship could mean the difference between life and death, defeat and victory would one day hang on his shoulders. And a hard heart would be needed, to bond with these fellow knights would mean one day bearing the horrible burden of a friend's death. And after Melina this knight had no inclination to go through anything of the sort. He was a rock, a rock with a code of honor dating back to the Phoenix Empire and faith in a God no longer worshiped by the universe but he was a rock. It was what let him endure the loss of his wife, what gave him the inner strength that saw him earn the Black Armor. A cold and silent man who hid his thoughts and feelings from the world, a man who hid behind his skills and honor.
And so he watched his fellow knights sleep, some looked at him with unspoken questions, some ignored him, others still looked on curiously as he removed his armor. But no matter he watched them then as the last piece of that steel skin that would shape his fate as a Phoenix living in a world that thought his race monsters from a dim past. That last piece of shadow colored steel in it's light catching shine went into the silk lined black and gold trunk.
Then as others feel asleep he left the bedroom heading to the kitchen carrying his weapons and the needed tools and liquids. While a wiser head might have suggested sleep before a mission of this importance the Phoenix for all his hard exterior had no wish to enter his sleeping mind. There dwelt dreams of Melina and nightmares of the day he felt her hand grow still, of the sight of life and hope leaving her eyes, of that last kiss that would forever seal his heart to new pain. Kazuki had no wish to enter that realm in the presence of others, if he was to be their officer they would learn no respect from watching him in nightmare. Besides his weapons needed tending to, Nero Angelo in particularly needed a adjustment of it's Force Fire mechanism.
Laying it on a back counter the black carbon alloy sword was soon the target of tools and Kazuki's efforts. The Force Fire mechanism had been his crowning achievement during his brief apprenticeship to his father. Kazuki's father had been a renowned weapon-smith for a child hood accident left him unfit for combat. And so instead gained glory and honor through the crafting of weapons of legend. And upon his son's 13 birthday knowing Kazuki wished to join the knights taught him how to shape a weapon that was forged of true willpower. Taking Melina's design and his father's training the Black knight at the age of 18 had crafted Nero Angelo or Dark Angel. A unbreakable sword that had the power of the element of fire it was to be a gift for Melina. Working on it in that cramp kitchen on this equally camped ship the Knight had to admit a certain twist of fate was so cruel.
The sword attended to Kazuki moved onto his guns. Trademark they had been scoffed at by his weapon-smith father. Fire and Ice were custom designed to fit his hands alone, every singe curve and angle shaped to serve him. A highly accurate 15 shot semi-auto pistol that fired a superheated round hot enough to burn through almost all known metals. The only downside was the High velocity inferno rounds were also custom made meaning he could only afford to make and carry so many at a time. And there was Fire's polar opposite, Ice. A somewhat accurate, at least as far as Micro SMG's go, 30 round clip micro smg that fired a dense yet soft round with a liquid nitrogen charge that absolutely destroyed any exposed skin it hit. The rounds temperature would snap freeze any organic target it hit causing intense pain and trauma with the off chance of shattering a frozen limb like glass. Again the custom made ammo made carrying extra ammo beyond a few clips far too expensive to be even considered.
But both Nero Angelo and Fire and Ice were reflections of his soul. No store bought junk like most knights or modified versions like the smarter ones.From their birth to their first taste of blood had happened at his hands, they were physical embodiments of his will and honor. For that had been the way of the first the Phoenix Empire and then the Phoenix knights. A knight had to truly know his weapons and to do that he needed to create them. Need to give them shape and form, then to learn their secrets they spoke as use wore calluses into your hands. And then to know the purpose behind any weapon when blood is first spilled by their power and your skill. That more then anything alienated this Phoenix from his comrades.
Kazuki unlike most knights truly knew his weapons of choice. And while he could use any weapon to it's full effectiveness in so far as one could use a weapon they only half knew his weapons were his soul. And Nero Angelo in particular was his soul, for it's creation was for the one person who had owned his. It's light weight meant for a woman's hand, it's prefect balance and molecular sharp edge meant to cater to a woman's agility and speed not a man's brute force and strength.
Sheathing his weapons at his hips now that the needed maintenance was done Kazuki strode from the kitchen after cleaning the counter upon which he had done his maintenance with a rather potent cleaner he had found underneath the sink. Striding the short distance from the Kitchen the Black Knight ignored as a matter of fact the knight called Jove who per orders had not slept in his bed choosing as alternative the Pilot's cabin. Keeping his steps light for the sleeping quarters of the knights was filled with the quiet breathing of those asleep he made his way to his trunk and grabbed a change of clothes and his brush along with a small bulging bag.
Once more tip toeing out the Phoenix strode to the bathroom and proceeding to lock the door changed his clothes and washed his face with cold water. The washing of his hair done more leisurely as he brushed that long silver hair that marked out his Phoenix heritage more then anything. The strands of his hair brushed into a gleaming order Kazuki began to braid it opening the bulging sack at the same time. inside where exactly 172 silver rings each inscribed with varying numbers of Phoenix runes. These rings were woven into the braid of his silver hair spaced in prescribed intervals. For these rings were no simply vanity or adornment. Each of these rings told the story of one of his ancestors life,each rune first of all indicting that at least 10 years had been lived, then telling how those ten years had been lived. Some rings bore up to 12 runes speaking of an ancestor that had lived a long life, others only bore 2 or 3 runes. Together the runes told the story of his bloodline from it's founding to his grandfather's time. For each generation was responsible for crafting a ring that told of their life. But only in death would the son gain his father's ring and as Kazuki's father was very much alive his life story was not in the knight's braid. Kazuki had gained this story of his bloodline while out on a training mission on the edges of the Sora Republic. After the mission was done he had spotted them in a museum among many other Phoenix artifacts, his grandfather had died with his rings and they had been stripped and sold by his killer to this museum apparently. Breaking in late at night he reclaimed these family heirlooms. A unlawful act theft but how can one steal what already belongs to them. Needless to say no one ever thought it was him, even when he took to wearing them after his father told him to keep them.
Kazuki's braid done and the rings of history woven into his hair the Phoenix went back to the sleeping quarters were he folded his previous outfit he had worn under his armor atop his still made bed. Then he opened his trunk and grabbed the pieces of armor he would be wearing. First came the gorget, a steel collar that protected the throat during sword fights. Next came the curiass, the torso armor it had been shaped to fit his body snugly so as not be in the way. And then the armoring of his sword arm, which any civilian found odd.In their minds the sword protected the sword arm so why not armor the off arm. But as any swordsman can tell you from numerous small cuts upon the sword arm no one is aiming for the off arm. Furthermore his combat style required using a gun in his left and the weight of armor on his gun hand would throw off his aim.
Refreshed, weapons tended to, and his partial armor on his body this Phoenix decided a little mediation was in order. For cleaning and adjusting Nero Angelo had disturbed his once calm mind. Always it was thus with his beloved sword. Kazuku could not tend to it with out thoughts and painful memories of his wife coming to the surface. Returning to the kitchen as it was the only room devoid of people at this late hour the Black Knight sat cross legged making sure not to scuff his shin high black leather boots and leather breeches for leather was a bitch to polish scuffs out of.
Breathing in and out slowly he closed his eyes letting his mind wander although no too freely. Focusing his thoughts inwards Kazuki began to calm his inner self. Banishing the painful memories of Melina he instead focused on only the positive. On her azure eyes, a blue so clear and deep he often found himself drowning in them, on her golden hair that had shone brighter then the sun, and most of all the feel of her skin underneath his hand. With such memories he felt the return of his calm mind. He would need that calm, unchecked emotions would only lead to his death once steel was bared.
Feeling a slight jolt as the ship landed Kazuki realized his mediation had taken the whole night and then some. Great late on my first day that will look good on the mission report. A more fortuitous start to my officership I couldn't imagine, actually I can. How about showing up on time. He thought with hidden self anger as he strode out of the kitchen in time to see his fellow knights greet two new comers. Which was not unexpected no doubt they were Major General Yoff's aides welcoming them and showing them were they were to be quartered. Although it was odd a White and Red Knight were doing the job of a grunt.
The others, his fellow knights the men and woman he would fight next to for the rest of his life went about their business. Some a last socializing and boasting, others a early attempt at sleep. Each of them where part of a greater whole but Kazuki even with the burden of his officership could feel no real connection to them. They were children all of them younger then even his youthful 21 and none of them shared the common experiences that bonded humans together. They were of a different race and culture, the words they spoke held no bearing in his mind. He was a Phoenix, and while he would bear the burden of their lives and faith if ever the commander deemed necessary they were not his friends and would likely never be. Even their movements seemed alien to him used as he was to solitude and intense training.
But perhaps it was for the best, a officer had to remain detached from his troops and vice-versa. If command ever fell to him the Black Knight would have to make choices and decisions that might and would probably lead to their deaths. In the battlefield even a moment spent agonizing over the choice between leadership and friendship could mean the difference between life and death, defeat and victory would one day hang on his shoulders. And a hard heart would be needed, to bond with these fellow knights would mean one day bearing the horrible burden of a friend's death. And after Melina this knight had no inclination to go through anything of the sort. He was a rock, a rock with a code of honor dating back to the Phoenix Empire and faith in a God no longer worshiped by the universe but he was a rock. It was what let him endure the loss of his wife, what gave him the inner strength that saw him earn the Black Armor. A cold and silent man who hid his thoughts and feelings from the world, a man who hid behind his skills and honor.
And so he watched his fellow knights sleep, some looked at him with unspoken questions, some ignored him, others still looked on curiously as he removed his armor. But no matter he watched them then as the last piece of that steel skin that would shape his fate as a Phoenix living in a world that thought his race monsters from a dim past. That last piece of shadow colored steel in it's light catching shine went into the silk lined black and gold trunk.
Then as others feel asleep he left the bedroom heading to the kitchen carrying his weapons and the needed tools and liquids. While a wiser head might have suggested sleep before a mission of this importance the Phoenix for all his hard exterior had no wish to enter his sleeping mind. There dwelt dreams of Melina and nightmares of the day he felt her hand grow still, of the sight of life and hope leaving her eyes, of that last kiss that would forever seal his heart to new pain. Kazuki had no wish to enter that realm in the presence of others, if he was to be their officer they would learn no respect from watching him in nightmare. Besides his weapons needed tending to, Nero Angelo in particularly needed a adjustment of it's Force Fire mechanism.
Laying it on a back counter the black carbon alloy sword was soon the target of tools and Kazuki's efforts. The Force Fire mechanism had been his crowning achievement during his brief apprenticeship to his father. Kazuki's father had been a renowned weapon-smith for a child hood accident left him unfit for combat. And so instead gained glory and honor through the crafting of weapons of legend. And upon his son's 13 birthday knowing Kazuki wished to join the knights taught him how to shape a weapon that was forged of true willpower. Taking Melina's design and his father's training the Black knight at the age of 18 had crafted Nero Angelo or Dark Angel. A unbreakable sword that had the power of the element of fire it was to be a gift for Melina. Working on it in that cramp kitchen on this equally camped ship the Knight had to admit a certain twist of fate was so cruel.
The sword attended to Kazuki moved onto his guns. Trademark they had been scoffed at by his weapon-smith father. Fire and Ice were custom designed to fit his hands alone, every singe curve and angle shaped to serve him. A highly accurate 15 shot semi-auto pistol that fired a superheated round hot enough to burn through almost all known metals. The only downside was the High velocity inferno rounds were also custom made meaning he could only afford to make and carry so many at a time. And there was Fire's polar opposite, Ice. A somewhat accurate, at least as far as Micro SMG's go, 30 round clip micro smg that fired a dense yet soft round with a liquid nitrogen charge that absolutely destroyed any exposed skin it hit. The rounds temperature would snap freeze any organic target it hit causing intense pain and trauma with the off chance of shattering a frozen limb like glass. Again the custom made ammo made carrying extra ammo beyond a few clips far too expensive to be even considered.
But both Nero Angelo and Fire and Ice were reflections of his soul. No store bought junk like most knights or modified versions like the smarter ones.From their birth to their first taste of blood had happened at his hands, they were physical embodiments of his will and honor. For that had been the way of the first the Phoenix Empire and then the Phoenix knights. A knight had to truly know his weapons and to do that he needed to create them. Need to give them shape and form, then to learn their secrets they spoke as use wore calluses into your hands. And then to know the purpose behind any weapon when blood is first spilled by their power and your skill. That more then anything alienated this Phoenix from his comrades.
Kazuki unlike most knights truly knew his weapons of choice. And while he could use any weapon to it's full effectiveness in so far as one could use a weapon they only half knew his weapons were his soul. And Nero Angelo in particular was his soul, for it's creation was for the one person who had owned his. It's light weight meant for a woman's hand, it's prefect balance and molecular sharp edge meant to cater to a woman's agility and speed not a man's brute force and strength.
Sheathing his weapons at his hips now that the needed maintenance was done Kazuki strode from the kitchen after cleaning the counter upon which he had done his maintenance with a rather potent cleaner he had found underneath the sink. Striding the short distance from the Kitchen the Black Knight ignored as a matter of fact the knight called Jove who per orders had not slept in his bed choosing as alternative the Pilot's cabin. Keeping his steps light for the sleeping quarters of the knights was filled with the quiet breathing of those asleep he made his way to his trunk and grabbed a change of clothes and his brush along with a small bulging bag.
Once more tip toeing out the Phoenix strode to the bathroom and proceeding to lock the door changed his clothes and washed his face with cold water. The washing of his hair done more leisurely as he brushed that long silver hair that marked out his Phoenix heritage more then anything. The strands of his hair brushed into a gleaming order Kazuki began to braid it opening the bulging sack at the same time. inside where exactly 172 silver rings each inscribed with varying numbers of Phoenix runes. These rings were woven into the braid of his silver hair spaced in prescribed intervals. For these rings were no simply vanity or adornment. Each of these rings told the story of one of his ancestors life,each rune first of all indicting that at least 10 years had been lived, then telling how those ten years had been lived. Some rings bore up to 12 runes speaking of an ancestor that had lived a long life, others only bore 2 or 3 runes. Together the runes told the story of his bloodline from it's founding to his grandfather's time. For each generation was responsible for crafting a ring that told of their life. But only in death would the son gain his father's ring and as Kazuki's father was very much alive his life story was not in the knight's braid. Kazuki had gained this story of his bloodline while out on a training mission on the edges of the Sora Republic. After the mission was done he had spotted them in a museum among many other Phoenix artifacts, his grandfather had died with his rings and they had been stripped and sold by his killer to this museum apparently. Breaking in late at night he reclaimed these family heirlooms. A unlawful act theft but how can one steal what already belongs to them. Needless to say no one ever thought it was him, even when he took to wearing them after his father told him to keep them.
Kazuki's braid done and the rings of history woven into his hair the Phoenix went back to the sleeping quarters were he folded his previous outfit he had worn under his armor atop his still made bed. Then he opened his trunk and grabbed the pieces of armor he would be wearing. First came the gorget, a steel collar that protected the throat during sword fights. Next came the curiass, the torso armor it had been shaped to fit his body snugly so as not be in the way. And then the armoring of his sword arm, which any civilian found odd.In their minds the sword protected the sword arm so why not armor the off arm. But as any swordsman can tell you from numerous small cuts upon the sword arm no one is aiming for the off arm. Furthermore his combat style required using a gun in his left and the weight of armor on his gun hand would throw off his aim.
Refreshed, weapons tended to, and his partial armor on his body this Phoenix decided a little mediation was in order. For cleaning and adjusting Nero Angelo had disturbed his once calm mind. Always it was thus with his beloved sword. Kazuku could not tend to it with out thoughts and painful memories of his wife coming to the surface. Returning to the kitchen as it was the only room devoid of people at this late hour the Black Knight sat cross legged making sure not to scuff his shin high black leather boots and leather breeches for leather was a bitch to polish scuffs out of.
Breathing in and out slowly he closed his eyes letting his mind wander although no too freely. Focusing his thoughts inwards Kazuki began to calm his inner self. Banishing the painful memories of Melina he instead focused on only the positive. On her azure eyes, a blue so clear and deep he often found himself drowning in them, on her golden hair that had shone brighter then the sun, and most of all the feel of her skin underneath his hand. With such memories he felt the return of his calm mind. He would need that calm, unchecked emotions would only lead to his death once steel was bared.
Feeling a slight jolt as the ship landed Kazuki realized his mediation had taken the whole night and then some. Great late on my first day that will look good on the mission report. A more fortuitous start to my officership I couldn't imagine, actually I can. How about showing up on time. He thought with hidden self anger as he strode out of the kitchen in time to see his fellow knights greet two new comers. Which was not unexpected no doubt they were Major General Yoff's aides welcoming them and showing them were they were to be quartered. Although it was odd a White and Red Knight were doing the job of a grunt.
The night before, Loki hastily removed his armour, working as efficiently as he could--though it was awkward. He hoped the others didn't notice, but they already seemed to be either gone, asleep, or just apathetic, lost in their own thoughts. The boy released a sigh of relief as he was down to his ordinary clothing, laying himself down in his bed and listening to the sound of the others' steady breathing as he fell asleep.
When morning came, Loki's mouth opened wide in a silent yawn and he stretched his arms far above his head in a quiet stretch, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed afterward. Eying his set of red armour for a moment, Loki instead reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a plain red bandanna, tying it with a subtle grin around his forehead, folding the tip up towards the center of his head. "There." he mumbled, giving a quick nod of satisfaction. The knight then looped a leather strap with a sheath attached from his right shoulder to his opposite hip, carefully sliding his dha blade into its sheath. He soon attached another sheath to his waist, the second sword resting at the ready on his left hip, just where he liked it.
Clasping his hands together and again stretching them above his head, Loki glanced around, a little embarrassed when he realized that nearly everyone--if not everyone--was already awake and gone.
When morning came, Loki's mouth opened wide in a silent yawn and he stretched his arms far above his head in a quiet stretch, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed afterward. Eying his set of red armour for a moment, Loki instead reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a plain red bandanna, tying it with a subtle grin around his forehead, folding the tip up towards the center of his head. "There." he mumbled, giving a quick nod of satisfaction. The knight then looped a leather strap with a sheath attached from his right shoulder to his opposite hip, carefully sliding his dha blade into its sheath. He soon attached another sheath to his waist, the second sword resting at the ready on his left hip, just where he liked it.
Clasping his hands together and again stretching them above his head, Loki glanced around, a little embarrassed when he realized that nearly everyone--if not everyone--was already awake and gone.
"Hello!" The white Knight said with a large smile. Malkini glanced at the Knight unamused. "My names Oran Oseal," The White Knight said, outstretching his hand to Malkini's, which Malkini shook quickly. "And this is my partner," Oseal said, stepping to the side slightly to reveal the red Knight beside him, "Ephraim Gauloris." Ephraim gave a small nod at the group. "We've been volunteered here by our Knight Commander, Roka, to aid in any way we can to both General Yoff and to you, Commander," Oseal said with a small nod.
Malkini looked the Knight up and down before turning to his team, then looking back at Oseal with a static face. "Well, I guess I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. Welcome aboard, Oran..."
"Well, after the mission we will report back to Roka on Domanore," Oseal replied. "But thank you anyway. Now, if you don't mind, perhaps you could introduce us to your team? I already know Nai, I studied on Tormaund with her," Oseal said, giving her a small smile. "But the rest are foreign faces."
"Sentrius Tetran, the tall one in red, Jove Flynn, the vulturish one in green, Xeroux Falcus, the boy in blue, then Nai of course, Loki Dinn of Urakas... not wearing his armor, but he's a red non the less, and our black Knights Kazuki Shiroyama," Malkini explained. "Now please, take us to General Yoff."
Oseal gave a wide bow to each of them before raising up and nodding to Malkini. "Aye-aye, Commander," He chirped before walking down the small hill across the river of the large Knight statue. The group followed him down the small stone steps onto the side of the river. The river showed the gray and brown stones beneath it as it flew, and Oseal and the rest had no problem stepping through it. It ran up to their knees, flowing through their pants and even into their boots lightly. They reached the other side where dozens of fires were stationed in the shadow of the statue and the stone wall behind it. Around each were legion soldiers, many out of uniform or out of armor, eating a roast or grains, sleeping, shining armor or sharpening weapons, or simply talking to one another. The shared one common trait, nodding respectfully to the Knights and adding a quiet "Gooday, Sir Knights."
The group reached the base of the Statue's sword, it towered above them and stood wide. "Amazing," Jove said as they passed it by towards the large entrance. Two guards stood at each side of the wide opening, the red light from the underground city reflecting off the back of their bronze helms. They gave small glances as the group passed between them. Inside they were met with stairs of bronze that led down onto a wide hall. A large red furnace stood in its center and dark passages flung in each direction from the hall. Many legionaries and prefects ran from the passages and halls, all of them holding papers and reports. In the center, blocking the light from the red furnace, stood a man in large silver plate armor, it covered almost completely by an orange cloak. To his side stood another armored figure, reading to him a report from another piece of paper. He stopped and put the paper to his side, and the orange cloaked man was silent for a minute.
"General Yoff!" Malkini yelled as the group approached. The cloaked man raised his hand at the interruption and kept it there for several minutes, before lowering it again and whispering something into his companions ear. The other man nodded and walked off with his reports.
"Sorry bout' that," The cloaked man, General Yoff, said slowly, stepping forward and giving the group a smile. "My boys were a bit confused about where to put the explosives. We werent quite sure which tunnel led beneath the village, you see."
Malkini gave a reluctant smile, "Right, lets hope it doesn't come down to that, eh?"
"Oh it will," Yoff replied. "If plan A is in your hands Malkini, it will come down to that."
"Right, well, now that we know your point of view on my history, which you clearly took a glance at, why don't you tell us what we need to know and be on with it," Malkini said.
"Your mission is simple, go down river to the village pillar, climb up, and then scan for hostiles. Kill or capture any you see," Yoff said. "Or, get out if your overwhelmed, and since we believe there to be an army stationed in that village, you most likely will be, and then run back here and give us the okay for our plan. Any questions?"
Malkini looked the Knight up and down before turning to his team, then looking back at Oseal with a static face. "Well, I guess I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. Welcome aboard, Oran..."
"Well, after the mission we will report back to Roka on Domanore," Oseal replied. "But thank you anyway. Now, if you don't mind, perhaps you could introduce us to your team? I already know Nai, I studied on Tormaund with her," Oseal said, giving her a small smile. "But the rest are foreign faces."
"Sentrius Tetran, the tall one in red, Jove Flynn, the vulturish one in green, Xeroux Falcus, the boy in blue, then Nai of course, Loki Dinn of Urakas... not wearing his armor, but he's a red non the less, and our black Knights Kazuki Shiroyama," Malkini explained. "Now please, take us to General Yoff."
Oseal gave a wide bow to each of them before raising up and nodding to Malkini. "Aye-aye, Commander," He chirped before walking down the small hill across the river of the large Knight statue. The group followed him down the small stone steps onto the side of the river. The river showed the gray and brown stones beneath it as it flew, and Oseal and the rest had no problem stepping through it. It ran up to their knees, flowing through their pants and even into their boots lightly. They reached the other side where dozens of fires were stationed in the shadow of the statue and the stone wall behind it. Around each were legion soldiers, many out of uniform or out of armor, eating a roast or grains, sleeping, shining armor or sharpening weapons, or simply talking to one another. The shared one common trait, nodding respectfully to the Knights and adding a quiet "Gooday, Sir Knights."
The group reached the base of the Statue's sword, it towered above them and stood wide. "Amazing," Jove said as they passed it by towards the large entrance. Two guards stood at each side of the wide opening, the red light from the underground city reflecting off the back of their bronze helms. They gave small glances as the group passed between them. Inside they were met with stairs of bronze that led down onto a wide hall. A large red furnace stood in its center and dark passages flung in each direction from the hall. Many legionaries and prefects ran from the passages and halls, all of them holding papers and reports. In the center, blocking the light from the red furnace, stood a man in large silver plate armor, it covered almost completely by an orange cloak. To his side stood another armored figure, reading to him a report from another piece of paper. He stopped and put the paper to his side, and the orange cloaked man was silent for a minute.
"General Yoff!" Malkini yelled as the group approached. The cloaked man raised his hand at the interruption and kept it there for several minutes, before lowering it again and whispering something into his companions ear. The other man nodded and walked off with his reports.
"Sorry bout' that," The cloaked man, General Yoff, said slowly, stepping forward and giving the group a smile. "My boys were a bit confused about where to put the explosives. We werent quite sure which tunnel led beneath the village, you see."
Malkini gave a reluctant smile, "Right, lets hope it doesn't come down to that, eh?"
"Oh it will," Yoff replied. "If plan A is in your hands Malkini, it will come down to that."
"Right, well, now that we know your point of view on my history, which you clearly took a glance at, why don't you tell us what we need to know and be on with it," Malkini said.
"Your mission is simple, go down river to the village pillar, climb up, and then scan for hostiles. Kill or capture any you see," Yoff said. "Or, get out if your overwhelmed, and since we believe there to be an army stationed in that village, you most likely will be, and then run back here and give us the okay for our plan. Any questions?"
Xeroux cleared his throat, knowing it wasn't his place to comment, he still raised his hand. General Yoff hadn't met them yet, and already he was putting them down.
"Excuse me, sir." He started, putting himself between Malkini and General Yoff. "While Commander Malkini may have what some could call a pock marked history, I don't think it wise of you to write myself and my squad mates off just yet."
He smirked, crossing his arms. "Though if you truly don't believe we can stop this from becoming total war, them I'm proud to say 'I'll make you eat those words'."
He fell back in to line with his comrades and their two guests. "You see, as Knight Elites, it is our duty to perform to the best of our ability and to never quit. We will complete this mission, and those explosives you've placed will become nothing more than extra supplies, doomed to rot in a hanger until we finally fail and your tactics are the only option left to take."
His cockiness was starting to show, something he had tried to force down, but it always managed to surface when his integrity was being questioned. He looked over his shoulder before glancing back at General Yoff.
"Team, we have a mission to complete, and a General to prove wrong. I know none of you want to hurt innocent people, so let's do our best, no more than our best to make sure this goes off without a hitch!" He threw his fist into the air, in a sort of team cheer, hoping the others would join in.
"Excuse me, sir." He started, putting himself between Malkini and General Yoff. "While Commander Malkini may have what some could call a pock marked history, I don't think it wise of you to write myself and my squad mates off just yet."
He smirked, crossing his arms. "Though if you truly don't believe we can stop this from becoming total war, them I'm proud to say 'I'll make you eat those words'."
He fell back in to line with his comrades and their two guests. "You see, as Knight Elites, it is our duty to perform to the best of our ability and to never quit. We will complete this mission, and those explosives you've placed will become nothing more than extra supplies, doomed to rot in a hanger until we finally fail and your tactics are the only option left to take."
His cockiness was starting to show, something he had tried to force down, but it always managed to surface when his integrity was being questioned. He looked over his shoulder before glancing back at General Yoff.
"Team, we have a mission to complete, and a General to prove wrong. I know none of you want to hurt innocent people, so let's do our best, no more than our best to make sure this goes off without a hitch!" He threw his fist into the air, in a sort of team cheer, hoping the others would join in.
Sentrius shook his head as the two newcomers walked off. "We gotta do something about this team selection process," Sentrius muttered to himself. As they all walked further into the camp, Sentrius looked around in awe. So, this is what it was like to be knight at war. Finally a chance to prove himself on the battlefield. Saluting to General Yoff as Malkini started talking to him, Sentrius noted that it seemed to be common for others to immediately hate Malkini. Though his less than admirable record may have something to do with it, Sentrius couldn't understand how one could become a general and yet, be so despised.
Though, when it came down to who had the best plan of action against the rebels, Sentrius had to agree with general who had the better record, Yoff. The plan was just simple tactics and yet Sentrius believed that was why that plan worked best in their current situation. They were Knight Elites, who had better training than the self-trained rebels, and they could certainly take many of them down before the rebels (with their superior numbers) would overwhelm them Afterward, they'd simply retreat and Yoff would give the order to blow the rest of 'em sky high. Simple, straight to the point plan.
Then someone spoke up. It was Xeroux, who seemed to be...Tearing apart the general's plan? Sentrius couldn't believe his ears. While Sentrius did believe that in some cases, soldiers could have better opinions and ideas then their superior officers, he didn't think you could just walk in on your first day as a Knight and tear down a General's plan and offer up your own as better. Right now they were nobodies, soldiers who could be replaced at any second. Perhaps when the others had gathered some actual field expertise (like Sentrius, who had occasionally took command when his squad was separated from their instructor on Ravin), they could make some key decisions.
So, when Xeroux raised his fist in the air, Sentrius merely turned his attention towards General Yoff, saluting once more, and laughed, "Ahahaha! Hilarious, right? Please forgive that outburst, General. We've been kooked up in that stuffy ship for a while, we're all just anxious to see some action." Looking back towards his comrades, Sentrius sneered, "No more outbursts like that! Do you want to get us all court marshaled?"
Though, when it came down to who had the best plan of action against the rebels, Sentrius had to agree with general who had the better record, Yoff. The plan was just simple tactics and yet Sentrius believed that was why that plan worked best in their current situation. They were Knight Elites, who had better training than the self-trained rebels, and they could certainly take many of them down before the rebels (with their superior numbers) would overwhelm them Afterward, they'd simply retreat and Yoff would give the order to blow the rest of 'em sky high. Simple, straight to the point plan.
Then someone spoke up. It was Xeroux, who seemed to be...Tearing apart the general's plan? Sentrius couldn't believe his ears. While Sentrius did believe that in some cases, soldiers could have better opinions and ideas then their superior officers, he didn't think you could just walk in on your first day as a Knight and tear down a General's plan and offer up your own as better. Right now they were nobodies, soldiers who could be replaced at any second. Perhaps when the others had gathered some actual field expertise (like Sentrius, who had occasionally took command when his squad was separated from their instructor on Ravin), they could make some key decisions.
So, when Xeroux raised his fist in the air, Sentrius merely turned his attention towards General Yoff, saluting once more, and laughed, "Ahahaha! Hilarious, right? Please forgive that outburst, General. We've been kooked up in that stuffy ship for a while, we're all just anxious to see some action." Looking back towards his comrades, Sentrius sneered, "No more outbursts like that! Do you want to get us all court marshaled?"
General Yoff crossed his arms and gave an open brow grin at the two Knights. He turned to Commander Malkini, who had a sideways smirk, and then turned back to Xeroux, and then back to Malkini again. "Malkini, promote this man," He said, nodding to Xeroux.
"The Knights don't work like that sir, they are what they are," Malkini replied with a shrug.
"Malkini, I just met a soldier and a Knight. If I were you I'd keep the Knight, if it comes down to one of them needing to be kept." Yoff said, before turning to a bound leather case in his hand. He undid the string holding it and let it open, crusted and bent paper of brown opening inside it, messy ink writing lined on it. "Oseal and Gauloris will show you the path to the village, good luck," Yoff muttered, eying the old report curiously.
"Back to the surface then," Oseal said with a large smile. They went back out the entrance and onto the camp, where the legionaries gave them the same treatment as they entered. They began to walk down the river, past the bundle of camps and onto the small outposts, Oseal giving them a lot of information on the village and the enemies in it.
"We believe there to be at least a few thousand rebels hiding within the village," Oseal explained. "Which is why we have nearly eleven-thousand troops on the ground, nearly three legions. Of course, the reason Yoff wants the explosive plan put in to action is so we don't loose any numbers, no matter how little the losses may be. Like all great General's his number one rule is never swarm the castle, always keep your men. I understand you weren't too fond of that technique, were you General Malkini?"
"Sometimes you have to ram the walls to win a war," Malkini replied solemnly as they walked.
"The Knights don't work like that sir, they are what they are," Malkini replied with a shrug.
"Malkini, I just met a soldier and a Knight. If I were you I'd keep the Knight, if it comes down to one of them needing to be kept." Yoff said, before turning to a bound leather case in his hand. He undid the string holding it and let it open, crusted and bent paper of brown opening inside it, messy ink writing lined on it. "Oseal and Gauloris will show you the path to the village, good luck," Yoff muttered, eying the old report curiously.
"Back to the surface then," Oseal said with a large smile. They went back out the entrance and onto the camp, where the legionaries gave them the same treatment as they entered. They began to walk down the river, past the bundle of camps and onto the small outposts, Oseal giving them a lot of information on the village and the enemies in it.
"We believe there to be at least a few thousand rebels hiding within the village," Oseal explained. "Which is why we have nearly eleven-thousand troops on the ground, nearly three legions. Of course, the reason Yoff wants the explosive plan put in to action is so we don't loose any numbers, no matter how little the losses may be. Like all great General's his number one rule is never swarm the castle, always keep your men. I understand you weren't too fond of that technique, were you General Malkini?"
"Sometimes you have to ram the walls to win a war," Malkini replied solemnly as they walked.
Sentrius couldn't believe it. not only did General Yoff seem to like Xeroux's plan, he seemed to think that he was better Knight material. And Xeroux had even been to the ceremony. Sentrius had led his training squad to victory countless times in the dangerous terrain of Mt. Ravin. What had this guy, what had any of these guys done to make them more qualified then him? Sentrius shook it off for now. they need to concentrate on the mission at hand. He didn't need this getting to him. After all ,that whole thing was only subjective. So what if one General thinks less of him, when the others (obviously) would hold him in high regard. He was just that good of a Knight.
Listening to Oseal's explanation, Sentrius nodded once more. "The strategy is brilliant, because of it's simplicity, at least to me," Sentrius stated, before muttering almost inaudibly, "Though, of course, Generals, aren't always right about everything."
Listening to Oseal's explanation, Sentrius nodded once more. "The strategy is brilliant, because of it's simplicity, at least to me," Sentrius stated, before muttering almost inaudibly, "Though, of course, Generals, aren't always right about everything."
As he was introduced to the two knights by General Malkini, Loki couldn't help but grin.
'Mandatory armour, eh, sir? You don't seem to mind so much now.' He even had an excuse ready for when the general questioned him, but he apparently didn't need it anymore. As he was introduced to the two knights and then General Yoff afterward, the young knight only offered light bows of his head in greeting, otherwise simply listening in. He saw no need to add to anything. As Xeroux spoke, Loki continued to listen intently, not finding any fault with either of the plans presented. They both seemed efficient--though he couldn't deny that he liked the sound of his fellow knight's plan better.
Loki raised his fist alongside his squadmate, though it was soon obvious that Sentrius didn't agree. His eyes only narrowed slightly at the sneer they soon received. "We weren't joking." he muttered, glaring lightly at Sentrius for a time before they moved on. Maybe he would talk to Xeroux about it later--Right then, there was work to do.
'Mandatory armour, eh, sir? You don't seem to mind so much now.' He even had an excuse ready for when the general questioned him, but he apparently didn't need it anymore. As he was introduced to the two knights and then General Yoff afterward, the young knight only offered light bows of his head in greeting, otherwise simply listening in. He saw no need to add to anything. As Xeroux spoke, Loki continued to listen intently, not finding any fault with either of the plans presented. They both seemed efficient--though he couldn't deny that he liked the sound of his fellow knight's plan better.
Loki raised his fist alongside his squadmate, though it was soon obvious that Sentrius didn't agree. His eyes only narrowed slightly at the sneer they soon received. "We weren't joking." he muttered, glaring lightly at Sentrius for a time before they moved on. Maybe he would talk to Xeroux about it later--Right then, there was work to do.
If there was one thing Nai had learned in her short life, it was to never expect anything to be exactly as you expected it. Of course, there were times when events such as Xeroux impressing General Yoff still surprised her just a little. Not that Sentrius’ smirk needed any praise either.
Nai herself had said or done nothing. It was a delicate situation and since she had no idea on how the general might react, she stood by and waited. Not that she didn’t agree with Xeroux on being underestimated. It was foolish to judge someone based on a leader or a person that stood out from the rest. Honestly, even though Nai didn’t wasn’t sure on the basis which her teammates were founded on, she knew all of them were strong. Judging other’s power was something Nai was rarely wrong on and it wasn’t because of her carefully cultivated skills of analysis. It was due to Raven’s constant reminder in training.
“Oi, Gareki. Remember to always look at a person’s appearance and listen for their experience in their tone and words. You can always tell who’s been through more by the marks on their hands and the weariness on their face. The tone of their voice will be filled with more wisdom as their battle experience increases and their words will rarely speak for them. But especially look at their eyes. It’s the eyes, Gareki, that can never be trained and thus reveal the true inner strength.”
Reminiscing was something Nai never really liked doing, especially not when a mission was about to start. She quickly rid herself of the memory, reminding herself that such useless memories should be eradicated from her brain somehow, and walked up to Sentrius.
“ Oi, if its any consolation, its good to have a soldier that tries to defend what he believes in to keep order. Its what makes a good knight, not that you aren’t one already,” she said sincerely with a small smile before walking a little ahead of him.
"Hey Oran, don't you think the explosives are a bit much? After all, with our numbers there'll be plenty of gold armor and with the knights' skill, it shouldn't be a problem dealing with the rebels," Nai commented to Oseal as though they were good friends, "After all, we are elite knights aren't we?"
Nai herself had said or done nothing. It was a delicate situation and since she had no idea on how the general might react, she stood by and waited. Not that she didn’t agree with Xeroux on being underestimated. It was foolish to judge someone based on a leader or a person that stood out from the rest. Honestly, even though Nai didn’t wasn’t sure on the basis which her teammates were founded on, she knew all of them were strong. Judging other’s power was something Nai was rarely wrong on and it wasn’t because of her carefully cultivated skills of analysis. It was due to Raven’s constant reminder in training.
“Oi, Gareki. Remember to always look at a person’s appearance and listen for their experience in their tone and words. You can always tell who’s been through more by the marks on their hands and the weariness on their face. The tone of their voice will be filled with more wisdom as their battle experience increases and their words will rarely speak for them. But especially look at their eyes. It’s the eyes, Gareki, that can never be trained and thus reveal the true inner strength.”
Reminiscing was something Nai never really liked doing, especially not when a mission was about to start. She quickly rid herself of the memory, reminding herself that such useless memories should be eradicated from her brain somehow, and walked up to Sentrius.
“ Oi, if its any consolation, its good to have a soldier that tries to defend what he believes in to keep order. Its what makes a good knight, not that you aren’t one already,” she said sincerely with a small smile before walking a little ahead of him.
"Hey Oran, don't you think the explosives are a bit much? After all, with our numbers there'll be plenty of gold armor and with the knights' skill, it shouldn't be a problem dealing with the rebels," Nai commented to Oseal as though they were good friends, "After all, we are elite knights aren't we?"
As he walked with the group,Sentrius still kept to himself. That is until Nai gave him her take on his problem. Sentrius was slightly surprised, as if not expecting to receive inspirational words from someone else. "Erm, why yes. Of course! Fighting for what you believe in is the key to any knights victory and the preservation of justice!" Sentrius agreed, brightening up, slightly. Rubbing the back of his head, Sentrius was about to add an, "Uh, thanks, by the way..." but, Nai had already gone off to talk to Oseal already.
Sentrius' quick feeling of happiness was quickly drowned by another thought he hadn't quite noticed before. He didn't like that other red knight's tone when he told him that the others weren't joking. Sentrius didn't want to have any bad blood within the team, but some members were making it harder than to cooperate than it should be. Namely Xeroux and Loki.
Sentrius' quick feeling of happiness was quickly drowned by another thought he hadn't quite noticed before. He didn't like that other red knight's tone when he told him that the others weren't joking. Sentrius didn't want to have any bad blood within the team, but some members were making it harder than to cooperate than it should be. Namely Xeroux and Loki.
Oseal turned to Nai and shrugged. "Honestly I think the General a bit of a mad man, ironic since he is one of the most by the book people in the Knights I've met. The thing is we have a lot of explosives on account of a crashed ship. That's why the Legion's are not at their full numbers, the General lost nearly a thousand legionaries in the crash getting here about a week ago. That's when we decided to salvage the ships for parts, and as you know ships get off the ground and give a solid push into space through combustion, usually of air. So, we have one big explosion set in the tunnel, from the crashed ships lift off core, and we rig the roof with small explosives surrounding the pillared area and the flat lands around it, not the surrounding pillars." Oseal stopped for a brief moment, realizing he was ranting on and going off-topic. "I don't know, Nai. Its his plan, not mine," Oseal muttered. "And as for being Knights its true we all are, but I have a feeling your team will have a slightly more militaristic approach to missions then ours, given your Commander."
"Wasn't your Commander a Minor General too, Oseal?" Malkini muttered as they walked.
"Yes, but Roka seems like a very different person than you, sir," Oseal said. "He's very friendly and likes to know his team. The first night on ship we all sang with each other and told jokes. He can play a lute very well. Then he asked us if any of us wanted to help on Usin, to prevent war. I of course said yes, as did my friend here, Ephraim."
"Maybe we should start singing songs on the ship, eh Commander?" Jove muttered. "Can you play a lute well?"
"The first night we leave this hellhole you will sleep on the bathroom floor of the ship, understood Sir Knight?" Malkini replied as they strolled down the Mevish, the pillar becoming closer and closer, on its side a hanging collection of huts and bamboo streets visible.
"...Aye sir," Jove sighed.
"Wasn't your Commander a Minor General too, Oseal?" Malkini muttered as they walked.
"Yes, but Roka seems like a very different person than you, sir," Oseal said. "He's very friendly and likes to know his team. The first night on ship we all sang with each other and told jokes. He can play a lute very well. Then he asked us if any of us wanted to help on Usin, to prevent war. I of course said yes, as did my friend here, Ephraim."
"Maybe we should start singing songs on the ship, eh Commander?" Jove muttered. "Can you play a lute well?"
"The first night we leave this hellhole you will sleep on the bathroom floor of the ship, understood Sir Knight?" Malkini replied as they strolled down the Mevish, the pillar becoming closer and closer, on its side a hanging collection of huts and bamboo streets visible.
"...Aye sir," Jove sighed.
"Commander Malkini, with all due respect, I don't think you should be so hard on Jove. After all, sleeping on the floor is punishment enough and if he sleeps on the bathroom floor, should anyone need to go during the night, it would be rather uncomfortable and difficult for both members, would it not?" Nai said, her voice full of respect while trying to look as humble as possible, "With all due respect, commander."
She turned back to Oseal, knowing that if Malkini decided to gripe to at her as well, his voice would be loud and harsh enough to cut through their conversation.
"Ah and Oseal, don't assume anything about this group," Nai responded with a small laugh, "This lot has already something to prove and you know how that is, don't you? Despite our members and our leader, I can assure you we'll probably be anything but militaristic... or so I think, but eh, you could be right. Seems like we'll see soon enough anyway.."
She turned back to Oseal, knowing that if Malkini decided to gripe to at her as well, his voice would be loud and harsh enough to cut through their conversation.
"Ah and Oseal, don't assume anything about this group," Nai responded with a small laugh, "This lot has already something to prove and you know how that is, don't you? Despite our members and our leader, I can assure you we'll probably be anything but militaristic... or so I think, but eh, you could be right. Seems like we'll see soon enough anyway.."
Malkini scoffed. "Well too bad for Jove then, he has to have an awkward moment. I wonder how many awkward moments his slaves have had in their services to him, and all the twisted and disgusting things hes had them do."
"Calm down, sir," Jove interjected as they continued on. "Tell me, is any family of yours slaves?"
"Of course not," Malkini spat. "Why in gods name would you say that?"
"Because you were a legion man," Jove replied. "The Legions love peasants so I assumed you were peasantry. My mistake, sir,"
"No food for you this month, Sir Knight," Malkini said. "Nothing but stale loafs and water, anyhow. Just like what your slaves eat. Ironic, eh soldier?"
"Aye sir," Jove muttered.
Oseal turned to Nai and smiled. "This is your squad," He quietly said as they walked on. The pillar came closer and closer, and as they approached the base they could see a small ledge of stairs carved from the rocks edge scaling around the massive natural structure. The rock stairs led to the village, hanging far above them. Malkini led the way and began to carefully move across the ledge stairs , followed by Jove, and then the rest.
"Calm down, sir," Jove interjected as they continued on. "Tell me, is any family of yours slaves?"
"Of course not," Malkini spat. "Why in gods name would you say that?"
"Because you were a legion man," Jove replied. "The Legions love peasants so I assumed you were peasantry. My mistake, sir,"
"No food for you this month, Sir Knight," Malkini said. "Nothing but stale loafs and water, anyhow. Just like what your slaves eat. Ironic, eh soldier?"
"Aye sir," Jove muttered.
Oseal turned to Nai and smiled. "This is your squad," He quietly said as they walked on. The pillar came closer and closer, and as they approached the base they could see a small ledge of stairs carved from the rocks edge scaling around the massive natural structure. The rock stairs led to the village, hanging far above them. Malkini led the way and began to carefully move across the ledge stairs , followed by Jove, and then the rest.
Xeroux fell into step with Sentrius.
"Hey," he started, them remembering their ranks he quickly recovered with, "Oh, uh sir, sorry." He looked down at his armor clad feet. "I apologize for offending you. I never meant to say the general's plan was a bad one, I just didn't think he should be judging us so quickly. C'mon you know as well as I do that we can do this without resorting to killing an entire village. That's all I meant by my outburst. I never meant to undermine a commanding officer, believe me, I know the protocol."
He flashed a smile, extending his hand to his tall, red armored comrade. "No bad blood should be between us, last thing I want is a squad mate that can't stand me. It's bad for morale."
He hoped the apology was enough, and if it wasn't he'd make sure to find someway to make it up to Sentrius.
"Hey," he started, them remembering their ranks he quickly recovered with, "Oh, uh sir, sorry." He looked down at his armor clad feet. "I apologize for offending you. I never meant to say the general's plan was a bad one, I just didn't think he should be judging us so quickly. C'mon you know as well as I do that we can do this without resorting to killing an entire village. That's all I meant by my outburst. I never meant to undermine a commanding officer, believe me, I know the protocol."
He flashed a smile, extending his hand to his tall, red armored comrade. "No bad blood should be between us, last thing I want is a squad mate that can't stand me. It's bad for morale."
He hoped the apology was enough, and if it wasn't he'd make sure to find someway to make it up to Sentrius.
Loki listened uncomfortably to the conversation between Jove and Malkini. He had liked the commander well enough, and he didn't really know Jove all that well, but he didn't agree with the punishment Malkini was giving out--especially for something as simple as Jove had done. Casually jogging to catch up to his squadmate, still glad he was relieved of the weight of his armour, he gave Jove's side a light nudge. "Hey, if he actually goes through with that, I'm not feeling all that hungry recently." he offered in a hushed voice.
"Thanks, Loki," Jove said to Loki with a warm smile. "You know, I haven't had too many friends in my life who weren't of my... lineage. But I think in this team I might have a few." The group continued on up the ledge path surrounding the pillar of stone. As they went on the under bottom of the villages lowest level became clearer and clearer. Soon the group could see under the first street, and the huts attached to it. Malkini slowed his pace as they approached. The street above them swung slowly in the strong breeze, through the openings in the old bamboo streets the people passed. Their shadows flickered onto Malkini's face as he looked up silently, below his head the hazy wet ground and the river, nearly three-hundred feet away. Malkini raised his arm to his back slowly, and from it he pulled his blade of silver. The handle was bound in leather, gold beneath it shining through, all held in the tight grasp of Malkini's sun-bronzed hand. The blade itself was made of pure silver, engraved on it the smooth outline of a young vulture swooping down. Malkini turned back to the group, who looked ahead at him silently, and then, carefully, he began to move forward once more.
Malkini placed one foot before the next carefully, each step accompanied with the quiet sound of his leather boots hitting the bottom of the hard rock steps. Ahead of Malkini was his blade, always pointed straight, leading them to the village safely. They continued on, Jove collecting his thoughts on the two new companions as they did. Jove first looked onto Ephraim Gauloris. The man had been silent since they arrived, only muttering things to Oseal on rare occasions when the Commander would say something stupid or insult one of them. The man was, for the most part, scary looking, which made his lack of speaking even more disturbing to Jove. He was big, he had a large brow, a large nose, and light eyes. Jove glanced at Gauloris quickly and looked away, uncomfortable with the man. The next new Knight they had encounter had been their tour-guide. Oran Oseal. The boy was skinny, had a slightly exaggerated face, and had no scary features on him, a complete contrast to Gauloris. His bare legs moved past he each as they climbed, and his bare forearms scaled the side of the rock. He was wearing his desert armor, and while it hadn't been exactly hot since they arrived on Usin it had been very humid. Oseal seemed to come from the same blood line as Xeroux, playful and full of hope, not that there was any real reason to be worried about the mission yet, everything had been pretty well thought out. The General knew what he was doing.
They continued up, Malkini's blade in the lead. Soon the village above them was replaced by more rock, the path always going up more and more around the pillars. They continued up the path until a small cave entrance in the rock was visible, and in it was a villager holding a spear. The short man had heavily tanned skin, chestnut eyes with red bulges beneath them, and long black hair falling from his head. He wore a vest of many layers, each with a flower on it, colored in blues, reds, and purples. Below he had on a kilt of cotton, colored a simple dirty white. His spear was made of a bamboo pole with a rock on each of its tips, each chiseled into having a sharp edge. Malkini lowered the tip of his sword as he reached the tip of the cave, causing the group behind him to stop. "Jove, communicate," Malkini whispered as the villager looked at them with interest. Jove silently pushed his way through the group and past Malkini, approaching the villager with caution. "Eh... Hallö," Jove spoke softly.
"Hallö," The villager replied, becoming slightly more relaxed. "Tucaka ma'ndao, ile komen'spa," He spoke. "Jogeana ma'ndao?"
"Whats he saying?" Malkini asked.
"Its swinespeak, with lots of Bako in it," Jove replied, not turning away from the villager.
"Can you speak it?" Malkini asked.
"Of course not," Jove muttered. "But we don't need to communicate. I've got a massive penetrating sword and all he's got is a wood pole."
"Jogeana ma'ndao?" The villager repeated, less patiently than before. Jove slowly took his shield and sword from his back, an act which instantly put the villager in a fighting stance. The villager aimed his spear at Jove, and quickly poked it forward. The spear stuck itself in the wood of Jove's shield, which he quickly pummeled forward, pushing the villager into the stone wall behind him. The wooden spear snapped in two at the action, and the villager, who had been muttering things in his language at a rapid pace, was nailed to the wall by Jove's large blocking device. Jove quickly pushed the shield to the left, causing the villager to tumble off through the side of the cave entrance and down the side of the pillar, his body hitting many jagged rocks as he did, before finally hitting the river with a thump.
"Your not the most humane fellow, are you?" Oseal asked as he stood over the side of the entrance, watching the the water below get muddled with shades of ruby. "Hey," Jove said, placing his weapons back on his back. "Many great heroes have died by hitting jagged rocks, and many more will. For a warrior, and he clearly was one, death by jagged rocks is not a bad way to go."
"Shut up, Jove," Malkini muttered as he led the group on into the cave. The dim light from the entrance became fainter and fainter. "This passage must go straight through the rock..." Oseal said as they continued through the dark blindly. Light soon came back to the cave as they approached the exit, beyond it the village. Malkini paused as he emerged from the exit. Beyond it was the village street of bamboo, several huts attached to it. The villagers near the exit looked at the newcomers with curiosity or fear. They were of the same race as the guard Jove had killed, but they did not look hostile. They were brightly dressed as the guard was but they held no weapons. Instead they held baskets of fruits and berries, of wood and materials. They were not hostile in the least. Malkini glanced up slowly to see several more streets of the village above them. He quickly placed his blade back on his back and took a step forward onto the bamboo street. At his heavy step the street, and the huts attached, swung gently. "We will search the village by walking through the streets. If we see someone who looks as though they do not belong, we will kill them quickly. I highly doubt we will find an army of rebels here, so we should have no problem fighting off one or two enemies. Do not attack unless I do, understood?" Malkini spoke slowly, taking more steps into the village, the group following him carefully...
Malkini placed one foot before the next carefully, each step accompanied with the quiet sound of his leather boots hitting the bottom of the hard rock steps. Ahead of Malkini was his blade, always pointed straight, leading them to the village safely. They continued on, Jove collecting his thoughts on the two new companions as they did. Jove first looked onto Ephraim Gauloris. The man had been silent since they arrived, only muttering things to Oseal on rare occasions when the Commander would say something stupid or insult one of them. The man was, for the most part, scary looking, which made his lack of speaking even more disturbing to Jove. He was big, he had a large brow, a large nose, and light eyes. Jove glanced at Gauloris quickly and looked away, uncomfortable with the man. The next new Knight they had encounter had been their tour-guide. Oran Oseal. The boy was skinny, had a slightly exaggerated face, and had no scary features on him, a complete contrast to Gauloris. His bare legs moved past he each as they climbed, and his bare forearms scaled the side of the rock. He was wearing his desert armor, and while it hadn't been exactly hot since they arrived on Usin it had been very humid. Oseal seemed to come from the same blood line as Xeroux, playful and full of hope, not that there was any real reason to be worried about the mission yet, everything had been pretty well thought out. The General knew what he was doing.
They continued up, Malkini's blade in the lead. Soon the village above them was replaced by more rock, the path always going up more and more around the pillars. They continued up the path until a small cave entrance in the rock was visible, and in it was a villager holding a spear. The short man had heavily tanned skin, chestnut eyes with red bulges beneath them, and long black hair falling from his head. He wore a vest of many layers, each with a flower on it, colored in blues, reds, and purples. Below he had on a kilt of cotton, colored a simple dirty white. His spear was made of a bamboo pole with a rock on each of its tips, each chiseled into having a sharp edge. Malkini lowered the tip of his sword as he reached the tip of the cave, causing the group behind him to stop. "Jove, communicate," Malkini whispered as the villager looked at them with interest. Jove silently pushed his way through the group and past Malkini, approaching the villager with caution. "Eh... Hallö," Jove spoke softly.
"Hallö," The villager replied, becoming slightly more relaxed. "Tucaka ma'ndao, ile komen'spa," He spoke. "Jogeana ma'ndao?"
"Whats he saying?" Malkini asked.
"Its swinespeak, with lots of Bako in it," Jove replied, not turning away from the villager.
"Can you speak it?" Malkini asked.
"Of course not," Jove muttered. "But we don't need to communicate. I've got a massive penetrating sword and all he's got is a wood pole."
"Jogeana ma'ndao?" The villager repeated, less patiently than before. Jove slowly took his shield and sword from his back, an act which instantly put the villager in a fighting stance. The villager aimed his spear at Jove, and quickly poked it forward. The spear stuck itself in the wood of Jove's shield, which he quickly pummeled forward, pushing the villager into the stone wall behind him. The wooden spear snapped in two at the action, and the villager, who had been muttering things in his language at a rapid pace, was nailed to the wall by Jove's large blocking device. Jove quickly pushed the shield to the left, causing the villager to tumble off through the side of the cave entrance and down the side of the pillar, his body hitting many jagged rocks as he did, before finally hitting the river with a thump.
"Your not the most humane fellow, are you?" Oseal asked as he stood over the side of the entrance, watching the the water below get muddled with shades of ruby. "Hey," Jove said, placing his weapons back on his back. "Many great heroes have died by hitting jagged rocks, and many more will. For a warrior, and he clearly was one, death by jagged rocks is not a bad way to go."
"Shut up, Jove," Malkini muttered as he led the group on into the cave. The dim light from the entrance became fainter and fainter. "This passage must go straight through the rock..." Oseal said as they continued through the dark blindly. Light soon came back to the cave as they approached the exit, beyond it the village. Malkini paused as he emerged from the exit. Beyond it was the village street of bamboo, several huts attached to it. The villagers near the exit looked at the newcomers with curiosity or fear. They were of the same race as the guard Jove had killed, but they did not look hostile. They were brightly dressed as the guard was but they held no weapons. Instead they held baskets of fruits and berries, of wood and materials. They were not hostile in the least. Malkini glanced up slowly to see several more streets of the village above them. He quickly placed his blade back on his back and took a step forward onto the bamboo street. At his heavy step the street, and the huts attached, swung gently. "We will search the village by walking through the streets. If we see someone who looks as though they do not belong, we will kill them quickly. I highly doubt we will find an army of rebels here, so we should have no problem fighting off one or two enemies. Do not attack unless I do, understood?" Malkini spoke slowly, taking more steps into the village, the group following him carefully...
"Yeah, thanks," Sentrius nodded at Xeroux. "I just wanted to make sure we don't have any falling out of line with the commanding officers. Could look bad on our records in the future and whatnot. And we'll have to stick together as a team for better or worse." Sentrius then continued along as they headed closer and closer to their destination.
"This is it," Sentrius grinned. "This is our first real mission. Everybody knows proper military procedure when encountering a potential hostile, right?" Sentrius asked, drawing out his plasma blaster from it's holster on his side and his shield from his back. The tension slowly built up as they approached the village, and it slowly caught Sentrius by surprise, when a stranger wielding a wooden spear seemed to pop out of the woodwork.
The man spoke in a strange language, which only Jove seemed to partially understand. The only thing that was obvious about how he spoke was that he was asking a question. What type of question it might be, well no one here knew. The only possible answer Sentrius could think of was, "Who are you and what are you doing herE?"
Then suddenly, out of nowhere, Jove attacked the man and drove him to his death on the side of a cliff. This was their Knight of culture and diplomacy? "That guy could've held valuable information and you just tossed him to his death !?" Sentrius asked angrily, making sure to keep quiet. "Have you not read the handbook at all!?" Sentrius frowned as he waited for an explanation as they continued to march on and enter the village proper.
The actual villagers didn't seem like warriors of any sort. In fact, Malkini had sheathed his weapons, and Sentrius did the same. It seemed they would have to conduct a little investigation of the village. Sentrius wasn't really expecting this turn of events, but he was sure that it would turn out okay. Saluting and nodding as their commander instructed them on what to do, Sentrius started to look around the village for anything suspicious.
"This is it," Sentrius grinned. "This is our first real mission. Everybody knows proper military procedure when encountering a potential hostile, right?" Sentrius asked, drawing out his plasma blaster from it's holster on his side and his shield from his back. The tension slowly built up as they approached the village, and it slowly caught Sentrius by surprise, when a stranger wielding a wooden spear seemed to pop out of the woodwork.
The man spoke in a strange language, which only Jove seemed to partially understand. The only thing that was obvious about how he spoke was that he was asking a question. What type of question it might be, well no one here knew. The only possible answer Sentrius could think of was, "Who are you and what are you doing herE?"
Then suddenly, out of nowhere, Jove attacked the man and drove him to his death on the side of a cliff. This was their Knight of culture and diplomacy? "That guy could've held valuable information and you just tossed him to his death !?" Sentrius asked angrily, making sure to keep quiet. "Have you not read the handbook at all!?" Sentrius frowned as he waited for an explanation as they continued to march on and enter the village proper.
The actual villagers didn't seem like warriors of any sort. In fact, Malkini had sheathed his weapons, and Sentrius did the same. It seemed they would have to conduct a little investigation of the village. Sentrius wasn't really expecting this turn of events, but he was sure that it would turn out okay. Saluting and nodding as their commander instructed them on what to do, Sentrius started to look around the village for anything suspicious.
"He was a guard, Lutman," Jove whispered to Sentrius as they walked through the street behind Malkini. The villager moved into their huts and watched as the group moved through the village. They must of had little to no contact with people beyond the wetlands, let alone from other planets. "Guards make sure enemies don't get past. I attacked first to make sure no alert would be set off in the village or something. Its a type of diplomacy."
"If you say so," Sentrius said, frowning. "And for the last damn time, stop calling me Lutman." He was starting to tihnk that aside from himself and Nai, none of these knights had respect for proper Knight rules regulation and protocol. I f the guy was a guard, then Jove should've relayed to them that he was a guard instead of killing him on a whim without saying anything. Turning his attention back towards the mission, Sentrius asked Malkini, "Anything out of the ordinary we should be looking for?"
"Blonde hair and blue or green eyes, like the rest of the planet," Malkini replied. "This place is full of wetland natives. I doubt they've seen an off worlder in decades. This place really has nothing that any explorers would want, you see. Look for manufactured clothing, anything that looks... different from the rest of the clothing." A child quickly ran out of a hut, her mother quickly running out and collecting her. Malkini could not help but smile at the sight. "Anything not like that little scene. Metal, guns, and swords are definite signs of rebels."
Sentrius nodded as they continued to march into the village, looking for a sign of...something...Anything? Sentrius began to question if they even were in the right location. A thought he soon echoed out loud. "Sir, not to question you or General Yoff or anything, but...Are you sure we were give the right coordinates?"
"Yes," Malkini said, climbing the ladder at the end of the street up to the second level. At the top he paused and glanced at the third street above him. He then turned back to his team. "Oseal, do you know who supplied the information to the General?"
"It was a source from the wetlands sent to the Knight council in Bao, they sent it to the council in Sor, on the Islands," Oseal explained. "Why sir?"
"Because, look at this place," Malkini muttered. "It couldn't hold an army. And if it holds a few rebels the villagers would show signs of worry, of dismay from another force than us. This place is empty."
"So... mission accomplished?" Jove said hopefully.
"Something like that, Jove," Malkini said with a smile. "Oseal, head down now and tell the General of the news."
Oseal gave a quick nod and rushed down the ladder at an astonishing speed. Malkini then turned to his squad. "Congratulations Knights. Your mission to investigate the threat in the village has been completed with mostly peaceful results," He said, glancing at Jove.
"It was a source from the wetlands sent to the Knight council in Bao, they sent it to the council in Sor, on the Islands," Oseal explained. "Why sir?"
"Because, look at this place," Malkini muttered. "It couldn't hold an army. And if it holds a few rebels the villagers would show signs of worry, of dismay from another force than us. This place is empty."
"So... mission accomplished?" Jove said hopefully.
"Something like that, Jove," Malkini said with a smile. "Oseal, head down now and tell the General of the news."
Oseal gave a quick nod and rushed down the ladder at an astonishing speed. Malkini then turned to his squad. "Congratulations Knights. Your mission to investigate the threat in the village has been completed with mostly peaceful results," He said, glancing at Jove.
"Hooray," Nai muttered, not sounding entirely convinced.
She had remained quiet as the group made its way to and through the village. Jove's action against the man, which she had assumed had been its sole guard and watch for newcomers, had made her a little ill. Her stoic mask had never broken but her eyes conveyed the queasiness she still felt in her stomach. Her mind was still trying to rid herself of the ghastly sight of seeing the river stained with the same color as her eyes. Death wasn’t new to her, but seeing it executed in that fashion certainly was.
The man had obviously no idea who they were or the reason for being there. In fact, considering the weapon the guy had, he wasn’t even the warrior type. Just some guy who had been assigned to watch in case anything did happen, which considering the weapon again, didn’t really happen that often. Knocking him out would have been a better option. The poor man was basically defenseless against them…
Sentrius had been right, that wasn’t exactly in the handbook. And if Jove had been as great as he had claimed, he wouldn’t have failed to communicate with the man.
As they continued, Nai listened to her companions and watched for anything suspicious. But everything she saw of the peaceful scenery only made her doubt this mission even more. Listening to Malkini and seeing Oseal’s speed, the clues seemed a little unsettling.
“With all due respect this seems rather, pardon if I’m stepping out of bounds, but stupid. This mission seems a little too easy, does it not? After all, we only saw one guard which Jove used, ahem, “diplomacy” on and the village seems rather calm. And as you said Commander Malkini, this village is not suitable place for an army, or even a small group of rebels really. If this had been as General Yoff indicated, surely there would have been more force and the village probably deserted or more on edge. They wouldn’t have sent us this whole way for nothing, right?” Nai finished, not wanting to add Oseal left rather quickly. She knew the boy was fast, but.. Maybe that was just her imagination. Still, the other observations seemed downright suspicious to her.
She had remained quiet as the group made its way to and through the village. Jove's action against the man, which she had assumed had been its sole guard and watch for newcomers, had made her a little ill. Her stoic mask had never broken but her eyes conveyed the queasiness she still felt in her stomach. Her mind was still trying to rid herself of the ghastly sight of seeing the river stained with the same color as her eyes. Death wasn’t new to her, but seeing it executed in that fashion certainly was.
The man had obviously no idea who they were or the reason for being there. In fact, considering the weapon the guy had, he wasn’t even the warrior type. Just some guy who had been assigned to watch in case anything did happen, which considering the weapon again, didn’t really happen that often. Knocking him out would have been a better option. The poor man was basically defenseless against them…
Sentrius had been right, that wasn’t exactly in the handbook. And if Jove had been as great as he had claimed, he wouldn’t have failed to communicate with the man.
As they continued, Nai listened to her companions and watched for anything suspicious. But everything she saw of the peaceful scenery only made her doubt this mission even more. Listening to Malkini and seeing Oseal’s speed, the clues seemed a little unsettling.
“With all due respect this seems rather, pardon if I’m stepping out of bounds, but stupid. This mission seems a little too easy, does it not? After all, we only saw one guard which Jove used, ahem, “diplomacy” on and the village seems rather calm. And as you said Commander Malkini, this village is not suitable place for an army, or even a small group of rebels really. If this had been as General Yoff indicated, surely there would have been more force and the village probably deserted or more on edge. They wouldn’t have sent us this whole way for nothing, right?” Nai finished, not wanting to add Oseal left rather quickly. She knew the boy was fast, but.. Maybe that was just her imagination. Still, the other observations seemed downright suspicious to her.
Xeroux followed the group from behind, his ears listening to the language being spoken. An easy way to find their rebels would be by hearing a different language or dialect. He'd studied the language back in the academy, and cringed knowing the guard had only asked who they were, and why they were there. A normal question they themselves could be asking any day, if they were placed on patrol duty.
"What's done is done..." he said with a sigh. Malkini's voice broke into his thoughts, their mission was over? He just couldn't believe it. There had to be something here. No one would create such an elaborate lie, what would they have to gain from it? If having countless Knights travel to a distant world is some one's idea of a joke, they needed a better hobby. At least Xeroux thought at first, his mind slowly telling him something was fishy.
"Commander...where are the Knights who've assembled here supposed to be? What worlds?"
Something wasn't right, and he was beginning to think this whole lie was an opportunity to have a group of Knights leave one or more worlds so some one could pursue their personal agenda, with out the risk of Knight interference.
"What's done is done..." he said with a sigh. Malkini's voice broke into his thoughts, their mission was over? He just couldn't believe it. There had to be something here. No one would create such an elaborate lie, what would they have to gain from it? If having countless Knights travel to a distant world is some one's idea of a joke, they needed a better hobby. At least Xeroux thought at first, his mind slowly telling him something was fishy.
"Commander...where are the Knights who've assembled here supposed to be? What worlds?"
Something wasn't right, and he was beginning to think this whole lie was an opportunity to have a group of Knights leave one or more worlds so some one could pursue their personal agenda, with out the risk of Knight interference.
Malkini nodded at Nai's words. "You think this was some sort of diversion? That's an ambitious thought. But for what purpose, who would send false information to get three Legions, a Major General, and a squad and a half of Knights sent to a dead end?"
"Commander..." Xeroux said, "Where are the Knights who've assembled here supposed to be? What worlds?"
"Gauloris and Oseal are both part of Commander Roka's squad, and he's on the King's Port last I heard," Malkini said, squinting at Xeroux. "You think this was some sort of distraction, to get an army and a few elites out of the way for some sort of... bigger attack on the Knights?" Malkini paused, before looking at his group with a worried face. "That is ambitious, but not impossible. There are many people and organizations who would like to see the Knights destroyed. But this situation seems... so random."
"Commander..." Xeroux said, "Where are the Knights who've assembled here supposed to be? What worlds?"
"Gauloris and Oseal are both part of Commander Roka's squad, and he's on the King's Port last I heard," Malkini said, squinting at Xeroux. "You think this was some sort of distraction, to get an army and a few elites out of the way for some sort of... bigger attack on the Knights?" Malkini paused, before looking at his group with a worried face. "That is ambitious, but not impossible. There are many people and organizations who would like to see the Knights destroyed. But this situation seems... so random."
"Ah. Yes. Mission completed, I suppose..." Sentrius frowned, sounding slightly defeated. Their first mission and nothing. no great battles against overwhelming odds. No, wait...This was entirely weird, now that he had thought about it. The Knights were an efficient military unit. There was no way Yoff could've been handed information that was just plain...wrong. Xeroux seemed to echo this pint in his question, as did Malkini in his response.
"Well, then if that's true, we need to head back to camp immediately, and I mean right now!" Sentrius exclaimed. "Our comrades in arms might be endangered!"
"Well, then if that's true, we need to head back to camp immediately, and I mean right now!" Sentrius exclaimed. "Our comrades in arms might be endangered!"
"You have a point, Sir Tetran," Malkini said, "We should hastily return to the camp. Down the ladder, quickly!"
Malkini and the group slid down the wooden ladder and made their way through the first level of the village. Malkini rushed ahead until he reached the cave, which he navigated through as quickly as he could, and reemerged on the other side. The sun had shined through the clouds and reflected off the river, the rest of the lands clear as crystal. Jove approached the ledge and looked down. The body of the villager he killed had rested on a rock, and the blood from the body was all but gone from the flowing water. "It took us nearly a half an hour to get up here, we can't make it back to the camp quickly enough to prevent an attack," Jove muttered.
"Then we get to the camp quickly enough to save an attack from becoming a massacre," Malkini said, jumping over the first four ledges and continuing his rush downward. Malkini hurried his steps down, catching himself from tripping several times. Jove, at the back of the line of Knights, kept track of their progress down. They had been going down for nearly twenty minutes now, and the end was coming into sight, now only a few dozen feet below them. A horn blew through the valley. Malkini slowed his pace at the sound, which was swiftly followed by the loud tatter of drums. In the far off distance along the river the army marched in formation. Malkini squinted his eyes at the sight. "That's them," he muttered slowly. "That's the General and the Legions. They're already on the march over."
"That was fast, wasn't it?" Jove asked. Malkini shook his head, "He knew we might have reported it safe, so as soon as we left he organized the Legions into formation, and the camp was only about fifteen minutes away."
Jove scratched his head. "So... there was no threat?"
Malkini sighed, "I don't know. This could of been a massive distraction of sorts, seeing as the army is fine it probably was. This leaves me very uncertain."
"Well, at least we know there's no Usin world war on the horizon," Jove muttered.
Malkini nodded slowly, "Yes... another world war, a war started by a failed attempt to stop it before it even started, a failed attempt by the Knights... that could destroy the order entirely. But lets not ponder on these things, for now lets just go down and meet the army."
Malkini and the group slid down the wooden ladder and made their way through the first level of the village. Malkini rushed ahead until he reached the cave, which he navigated through as quickly as he could, and reemerged on the other side. The sun had shined through the clouds and reflected off the river, the rest of the lands clear as crystal. Jove approached the ledge and looked down. The body of the villager he killed had rested on a rock, and the blood from the body was all but gone from the flowing water. "It took us nearly a half an hour to get up here, we can't make it back to the camp quickly enough to prevent an attack," Jove muttered.
"Then we get to the camp quickly enough to save an attack from becoming a massacre," Malkini said, jumping over the first four ledges and continuing his rush downward. Malkini hurried his steps down, catching himself from tripping several times. Jove, at the back of the line of Knights, kept track of their progress down. They had been going down for nearly twenty minutes now, and the end was coming into sight, now only a few dozen feet below them. A horn blew through the valley. Malkini slowed his pace at the sound, which was swiftly followed by the loud tatter of drums. In the far off distance along the river the army marched in formation. Malkini squinted his eyes at the sight. "That's them," he muttered slowly. "That's the General and the Legions. They're already on the march over."
"That was fast, wasn't it?" Jove asked. Malkini shook his head, "He knew we might have reported it safe, so as soon as we left he organized the Legions into formation, and the camp was only about fifteen minutes away."
Jove scratched his head. "So... there was no threat?"
Malkini sighed, "I don't know. This could of been a massive distraction of sorts, seeing as the army is fine it probably was. This leaves me very uncertain."
"Well, at least we know there's no Usin world war on the horizon," Jove muttered.
Malkini nodded slowly, "Yes... another world war, a war started by a failed attempt to stop it before it even started, a failed attempt by the Knights... that could destroy the order entirely. But lets not ponder on these things, for now lets just go down and meet the army."
Xeroux still felt uneasy about the entire ordeal. If the army was planning to mobilize before their group even returned, what was the point of sending them?
"I still have a bitter taste in my mouth concerning this entire thing. Those explosives, they were set in a way to bring the village down, yet there was no access to the village from the tunnels. You'd think the villagers would want, no, have a way to access the pillars their lives rest upon. On top of that, they had on guard at the entrance we went through, so assuming their is, or was some sort of access to the Pillars from the village, there would have been some sort of security for sure."
He stopped, moving out of the way of the others who were still walking. "What if the explosives were planted to be set off just as the Legions were to pass over? I'm not accusing anyone of treason, but I'm not ruling out sabotage."
He mentally retraced his steps from the morning when they were led down into the tunnels where the explosives were being placed. Looking out to the horizon and the path the knight legions were walking, and his skills at tracking, he analyzed the situation.
"We need to get them to stop! If they keep going, heck if we keep going, we'll be right over the explosives! There's no way they were set up to destroy the village, this has to be a trap!"
"I still have a bitter taste in my mouth concerning this entire thing. Those explosives, they were set in a way to bring the village down, yet there was no access to the village from the tunnels. You'd think the villagers would want, no, have a way to access the pillars their lives rest upon. On top of that, they had on guard at the entrance we went through, so assuming their is, or was some sort of access to the Pillars from the village, there would have been some sort of security for sure."
He stopped, moving out of the way of the others who were still walking. "What if the explosives were planted to be set off just as the Legions were to pass over? I'm not accusing anyone of treason, but I'm not ruling out sabotage."
He mentally retraced his steps from the morning when they were led down into the tunnels where the explosives were being placed. Looking out to the horizon and the path the knight legions were walking, and his skills at tracking, he analyzed the situation.
"We need to get them to stop! If they keep going, heck if we keep going, we'll be right over the explosives! There's no way they were set up to destroy the village, this has to be a trap!"
Loki hated the new situation and how quickly it had risen. He was glad when the mission was said to be complete--sure, he was looking forward to improving his fighting skills against the rebels, especially after such a big deal was made of them, but he was perfectly satisfied with leaving, too. As they were racing back down to the camp, his heart was racing again in anticipation of the upcoming fight, a fight he was sure was going to be big.
But when they made it back down, there wasn't a fight to be seen. '...Dang it...'
The red knight had nothing to add. He still felt a little uneasy about Jove's actions in dealing with the guard, but right after he had given his squadmate the friendly notion that he had, he didn't want to do anything to contradict it. After all, the guard was dead and there was nothing anyone could do about it, so why bother bringing it up again?
Loki simply stood in silence, his left hand resting on the hilt at his hip as he waited for his team to be given new definite orders and move.
But when they made it back down, there wasn't a fight to be seen. '...Dang it...'
The red knight had nothing to add. He still felt a little uneasy about Jove's actions in dealing with the guard, but right after he had given his squadmate the friendly notion that he had, he didn't want to do anything to contradict it. After all, the guard was dead and there was nothing anyone could do about it, so why bother bringing it up again?
Loki simply stood in silence, his left hand resting on the hilt at his hip as he waited for his team to be given new definite orders and move.
The legions continued to march on toward the pillar. Malkini glanced at Xeroux, before turning back to the distant army. "The Major General wouldn't blow himself to pieces... nor would he let it even become a possibility. Still, we should greet them."
Malkini, followed by the rest of the group, made their way down the pillar and along the river towards the approaching army. At the front of the marching soldiers stood the Major General, beside him an adviser once again showing him papers bound in leather.
"General Yoff," Malkini said, bowing the man approaching with his army behind him. "Malkini," The General muttered, not looking away from the papers his adviser held. "My friend Oran Oseal gave me an interesting report. He told me that you scanned the village and saw no hostiles, correct?"
"Aye sir," Malkini replied. "The Knights I command seem to think it may be a diversion, to get you, the legions, and us away from the site of another, more pressing attack, and that there were no rebels. I believe that if there are rebels in the area they are now hiding in the wetlands beyond the Highrock area."
"We'll look into that," The General said, giving a nod to his adviser, who ran off into the crowd of soldiers. "But for now we will just enjoy our victory."
"One more thing, General," Malkini added. "The Knights also fear that... perhaps the rebels plan on setting off the explosives with us nearby."
"Don't worry, Oseal and a squad of my most loyals are taking care of that now. In a few hours there won't be any more explosives to set off," The General explained, before turning to his troops. "Gentlemen, the village has been taken, and all enemies inside have been thrown from the cliffs of the pillar and sent to their deaths, as they deserved. Now, the village is yours. Gentlemen, have a good night." The legions erupted into cheering for the General, and then began to march once again towards the village, moving around the ground of Knights carefully.
"Sir, is this really necessary?" Malkini asked as the army moved.
"Oh please, Malkini, you did the exact same thing with your legions. The ones you lost, if I remember correctly," The General replied.
"I gave my legions barbarian villages, not peaceful folk like these ones," Malkini said. "They had a single pikeman for gods sake, that was their militia."
"Morale must be maintained," Yoff said harshly. "Now, if you'll need me for the rest of the night, I'll be in the village. Good day Sir Knight's." And with that Yoff joined the ends of his army marching towards the pillar.
"Shouldn't we join them? Jove asked uncertainly as the Legions surround the pillar.
"God no, you don't want to see what will happen to that village tonight," Malkini muttered. "We will camp as far away from there as possible. Lets move upriver."
Malkini, followed by the rest of the group, made their way down the pillar and along the river towards the approaching army. At the front of the marching soldiers stood the Major General, beside him an adviser once again showing him papers bound in leather.
"General Yoff," Malkini said, bowing the man approaching with his army behind him. "Malkini," The General muttered, not looking away from the papers his adviser held. "My friend Oran Oseal gave me an interesting report. He told me that you scanned the village and saw no hostiles, correct?"
"Aye sir," Malkini replied. "The Knights I command seem to think it may be a diversion, to get you, the legions, and us away from the site of another, more pressing attack, and that there were no rebels. I believe that if there are rebels in the area they are now hiding in the wetlands beyond the Highrock area."
"We'll look into that," The General said, giving a nod to his adviser, who ran off into the crowd of soldiers. "But for now we will just enjoy our victory."
"One more thing, General," Malkini added. "The Knights also fear that... perhaps the rebels plan on setting off the explosives with us nearby."
"Don't worry, Oseal and a squad of my most loyals are taking care of that now. In a few hours there won't be any more explosives to set off," The General explained, before turning to his troops. "Gentlemen, the village has been taken, and all enemies inside have been thrown from the cliffs of the pillar and sent to their deaths, as they deserved. Now, the village is yours. Gentlemen, have a good night." The legions erupted into cheering for the General, and then began to march once again towards the village, moving around the ground of Knights carefully.
"Sir, is this really necessary?" Malkini asked as the army moved.
"Oh please, Malkini, you did the exact same thing with your legions. The ones you lost, if I remember correctly," The General replied.
"I gave my legions barbarian villages, not peaceful folk like these ones," Malkini said. "They had a single pikeman for gods sake, that was their militia."
"Morale must be maintained," Yoff said harshly. "Now, if you'll need me for the rest of the night, I'll be in the village. Good day Sir Knight's." And with that Yoff joined the ends of his army marching towards the pillar.
"Shouldn't we join them? Jove asked uncertainly as the Legions surround the pillar.
"God no, you don't want to see what will happen to that village tonight," Malkini muttered. "We will camp as far away from there as possible. Lets move upriver."
"So,wait," Sentrius paused. "We're abandoning them? We're running away!?" Sentrius shook his head. "Even if General Yoff is being stubborn, we have a duty to aid them in the case that there will be an ambush." Sentrius had to agree with Yoff more than Malkini in this situation. The troop's morale had to be preserved. And while they The mission had to be completed. And seeing as a possible ambush could hinder that mission severely and they knew about the ambush. They should be the ones to stop the ambush. "Sir, with what we've gathered, we should be able to prevent any possible ambush. It won't take many troops to detonate a bomb, so I'm sure we can take out any rebels who attempt to do so."
Malkini turned to Sentrius and shook his head. "I guess you aren't a soldier. We aren't abandoning them, we just aren't going to be near them tonight because they are going to rape and raid that village until they're satisfied, killing half the population in the process no doubt. That's what our good General Yoff meant by raising morale. Soldiers are not complicated. Most are thieves or criminals looking for a way out, or simple peasants needing money, and that's what thieves and peasants do to innocents they label enemies. So lets move. Now."
"Should we stop them?" Jove asked as he followed Malkini down river.
"No force can stop a hungry man," Malkini replied. "And besides, I dont want me or my team being recorded for treason. Now lets move."
"Should we stop them?" Jove asked as he followed Malkini down river.
"No force can stop a hungry man," Malkini replied. "And besides, I dont want me or my team being recorded for treason. Now lets move."
Listening to Malkini's statement, Sentrius nodded slowly. Treason wasn't exactly something Sentrius had in mind when he suggested they aid the general's squad. What bothered him even more is what little they had actually done on this mission. It seemed as if they wouldn't be hailed as heroes in the first mission after all. "So, you're saying we won't get in on any action here at all?" Sentrius asked Malkini. He had been hoping that this day would be the group's first on their path to glory. Unfortunately, it had been shaping up to be quite the opposite.
With the uncertainty of an imminent attack, Nai listened as the others gave their own conclusions and then finally, the words of the general. Now, after listening to Malkini, it seemed the real threat to the village had been the army itself all along. Nai suddenly felt sick although she had a newfound respect for their commander.
"Some army they are," she muttered bitterly, not bothering to hide her disgust, "Nothing more than a bunch of cowards in uniform.."
The thought of the helpless village made her suddenly feel useless and for all her knowledge of tactics and analysis, she doubted it would help even a tiny bit. To be marked as traitors for even trying wouldn't help either. She looked over at Sentrius as he asked if they would have a chance to do anything. Nai looked at the commander, hoping they would. A distraction wouldn't be too bad at the moment.
"Some army they are," she muttered bitterly, not bothering to hide her disgust, "Nothing more than a bunch of cowards in uniform.."
The thought of the helpless village made her suddenly feel useless and for all her knowledge of tactics and analysis, she doubted it would help even a tiny bit. To be marked as traitors for even trying wouldn't help either. She looked over at Sentrius as he asked if they would have a chance to do anything. Nai looked at the commander, hoping they would. A distraction wouldn't be too bad at the moment.
"That's what all armies are, Nai," Malkini muttered, moving onto a small hill beside the river. "And Sentrius, don't be too eager to find glory. Often times that road will get you killed."
"So what are we going to do, just wait until the armies done?" Jove asked.
"That's right," Malkini said, placing blade and backbag on the ground. "We wait until its all over. Now Jove, come over here and help me pitch these tents. In an hour it'll be dark and I want us ready to camp. Jove nodded and pulled out the expandable rods and quilts from Malkini's bag, the sound of yelling a cheering echoing from the faraway village.
"So what are we going to do, just wait until the armies done?" Jove asked.
"That's right," Malkini said, placing blade and backbag on the ground. "We wait until its all over. Now Jove, come over here and help me pitch these tents. In an hour it'll be dark and I want us ready to camp. Jove nodded and pulled out the expandable rods and quilts from Malkini's bag, the sound of yelling a cheering echoing from the faraway village.
Sentrius begrudgingly watched Malkini and Jove set up camp. He really, really didn't feel right about this whole situation. Turning around towards the direction of the village, he'd heard the faint noises of conflict. He really wanted to scramble down there and see what the commotion was about, but in the end he decided not to. This wasn't how he had expected this mission to turn out. "So, will we at least try and walk back over there and report back to General Yoff after they're finished with their attack?" Sentrius asked.
"What don't you understand about the situation, soldier?" Malkini asked as he placed a large log in the center of some collected brown mudrocks and pebbles from the river. "The village has maybe one-hundred female villagers, and there are eleven-thousand soldiers. We will be here until the General is able to collect himself and send someone over here. You can expect that to take all night and then a good half of tomorrow as well."
"That's cheery," Jove muttered as he lit a small flame jet onto the bottom of the log. The two men, Knight Commander and Knight of culture, set the camp up in no time, with a large tent placed on the highest top of the hill for Malkini, and two smaller ones for the rest of the group. The sun flickered down on the edge of the pillar, the torch light of the soldiers in the village dim in comparison. The sky slowly turned from orange to blue as the night went on. Jove leaned back on the shores of the river and looked up at the fully sky, where, between the rock walls, the stars glittered. He glanced to the side where he saw Malkini walk off towards the village, bare of his armor. Jove thought nothing at the sight and looked back at the sky. The screams had stopped now, either because the troops had finished or because the villagers were all gagged. Jove shook his head. The Knights were not anything like what he had at first thought, and all the excitement he had for the mission beforehand had been replaced with disgust and a need to get off the planet Usin.
"That's cheery," Jove muttered as he lit a small flame jet onto the bottom of the log. The two men, Knight Commander and Knight of culture, set the camp up in no time, with a large tent placed on the highest top of the hill for Malkini, and two smaller ones for the rest of the group. The sun flickered down on the edge of the pillar, the torch light of the soldiers in the village dim in comparison. The sky slowly turned from orange to blue as the night went on. Jove leaned back on the shores of the river and looked up at the fully sky, where, between the rock walls, the stars glittered. He glanced to the side where he saw Malkini walk off towards the village, bare of his armor. Jove thought nothing at the sight and looked back at the sky. The screams had stopped now, either because the troops had finished or because the villagers were all gagged. Jove shook his head. The Knights were not anything like what he had at first thought, and all the excitement he had for the mission beforehand had been replaced with disgust and a need to get off the planet Usin.
"What?! Are you crazy?!" Loki asked his general indignantly. Throwing his arm back in the direction the army had left, he continued. "We can't just let them...let them...go out and tear that village apart!"
Xeroux shot Sentrius a glare.
"Make up your mind! Follow protocol or your heart! It can't be both!" He crossed his arms and walked away from the fires, throwing up what little food he'd eaten that morning. Tears stained his cheeks as the cries of women filled the night.
"This isn't what I signed up for...this is not what it means to be a Knight! If we practice these customs we are no different than the barbarians we call our enemies or rebels launching their worlds into Civil war. I'm not Butcher! I'm no Rapist! How can we say 'honor and glory' with such evil practices going on?"
His gauntleted fist connected with the soft earth, sinking into the cool ground. He wanted to draw his swords, and kill every Knight that had laid his hands on an innocent woman. General Yoff had given him a compliment that morning, and it made him sick to think a monster like him liked what the blue eyed knight of tactics had to offer. He would never forgive, nor respect the man ever again. He vowed if he was to ever work under the man, he'd find the most humane way to complete the mission and leave as quickly as possible, or stop him...The thought of treason widened his eyes, he couldn't imagine the repercussions that act would have, nor did he want to think of them.
The screams stopped and the air was filled with an even louder noise, silence. It was almost maddening, but he managed to push it aside, now sitting with his squad, none of them wanting to participate in the "victory" they had "earned".
"Make up your mind! Follow protocol or your heart! It can't be both!" He crossed his arms and walked away from the fires, throwing up what little food he'd eaten that morning. Tears stained his cheeks as the cries of women filled the night.
"This isn't what I signed up for...this is not what it means to be a Knight! If we practice these customs we are no different than the barbarians we call our enemies or rebels launching their worlds into Civil war. I'm not Butcher! I'm no Rapist! How can we say 'honor and glory' with such evil practices going on?"
His gauntleted fist connected with the soft earth, sinking into the cool ground. He wanted to draw his swords, and kill every Knight that had laid his hands on an innocent woman. General Yoff had given him a compliment that morning, and it made him sick to think a monster like him liked what the blue eyed knight of tactics had to offer. He would never forgive, nor respect the man ever again. He vowed if he was to ever work under the man, he'd find the most humane way to complete the mission and leave as quickly as possible, or stop him...The thought of treason widened his eyes, he couldn't imagine the repercussions that act would have, nor did he want to think of them.
The screams stopped and the air was filled with an even louder noise, silence. It was almost maddening, but he managed to push it aside, now sitting with his squad, none of them wanting to participate in the "victory" they had "earned".
"If it helps, remember the Knights are not the legions, they just control them. We are not them," Jove spoke to Xeroux from over his shoulder. He still sat on the waters edge, the sky above him. "If it helps."
"Either way...the command and permission not to mention, the idea were a Knight's." He sighed, sitting next to his green armor clad team mate. "But this is war, and that's what happens in war, if you cannot handle it, then you shouldn't be part of it by choice."
He recited the line just as he had read it scribbled in one of his text books during his fist semester at the academy. "Some day, I hope that someone, if not us, will right the wrongs done by people who have to much power. The wrongs committed by those who feel they had no other options. A group that exists for true peace...who knows maybe the Knights could evolve into such a group."
He spoke softly, wanting to make conversation, but at the same time wanting to pretend Jove hadn't heard him. Peace was a silly idea creatures believed in to justify getting out of bed everyday. There could never be true peace, not in this universe, not in any universe.
He recited the line just as he had read it scribbled in one of his text books during his fist semester at the academy. "Some day, I hope that someone, if not us, will right the wrongs done by people who have to much power. The wrongs committed by those who feel they had no other options. A group that exists for true peace...who knows maybe the Knights could evolve into such a group."
He spoke softly, wanting to make conversation, but at the same time wanting to pretend Jove hadn't heard him. Peace was a silly idea creatures believed in to justify getting out of bed everyday. There could never be true peace, not in this universe, not in any universe.
"The world cannot function with true peace, Xeroux," Jove said, laying down on his side and closing his eyes. "But I don't blame you for wishing. Good night, soldier."
"It's true," Sentrius said, nodding in agreement with Jove's first statement. "When you read about the great Knights in the history books, or whenever you read in the papers about the Knight Generals of today, you read their biographies, hear their background. Those men and women were heroes. So, when you think of the Knights, don't think of those lowly foot soldiers, think of them. Someday, we're going to be among their ranks. So, maybe then we can install some new rules and regulations regarding the behavior of our immoral ground troops. Ah, wishful thinking...Anyway, good night everybody!" And Sentrius was soon asleep.
"Night." Xeroux said looking out into the water they were resting by.
He laid down, using his arm as a pillow, trying to block the events of the night from his mind he drifted in to sleep full of nightmares and visions of innocent blood being spilled on holy ground. His blades the ones responsible.
He laid down, using his arm as a pillow, trying to block the events of the night from his mind he drifted in to sleep full of nightmares and visions of innocent blood being spilled on holy ground. His blades the ones responsible.
While the others may have fallen asleep, Loki wasn't able to. He walked a ways away from the camp they had set up and drove the blade at his back into the soft earth, sitting down beside it and staring up into the sky. 'I should've paid more attention at the academy...Maybe they told us that we were so despicable...'
For a moment he wondered how his father could find him of worth when he was among people such as the soldiers, but then his heart lurched when he remembered that his father used to be a bandit. He reveled in such things, or at least, he used to. Loki sighed. Forget a life of grandeur; this was going to be a rough life.
For a moment he wondered how his father could find him of worth when he was among people such as the soldiers, but then his heart lurched when he remembered that his father used to be a bandit. He reveled in such things, or at least, he used to. Loki sighed. Forget a life of grandeur; this was going to be a rough life.
The night crawled on, the clouds of yesterday shifting into the a bright blue. Jove's eyes flickered open slowly, his left eye covered in dirt. Jove picked himself up and wiped his face clean of the grounds natural soil, and then wiped his green tunic off. Jove turned to look at his comrades. Slightly lower on the beach was Xeroux, his head resting on his forearm, his face disturbed yet unaware. Xeroux then glanced up to their campfire. On the side of it was Sentrius, out cold, and beside him knelt Loki, picking at the burnt and twisted log bitterly with a stick. Jove wanted to say something to the boy but decided not too. Instead he looked over to the side of the tents, where their Black Knight Kazuki stood by himself. The Knight hadn't said much about the crimes committed in the village, though it was clear by his expression that he did not approve. Nai was inside their tent, being the only one who actually slept in it. Jove sighed, causing both Loki and Kazuki to glance at him. "I'll find us some breakfast," He said quietly, before heading off toward the river.
Jove past Xeroux, still asleep, and made his way into the small flowing water. He put his feet in the edge and rolled up his sleeves. A few fishes flowed down the stream, wiggling in the dirty water as he did. Jove waited for a minute and then launched his arms into the water, grabbing hold of one and pulling it out. The fish wiggled and flopped in Jove's hands but he made sure not to let the slimy creature go. Jove carefully placed the fish onto the ground beside him and turned back to the river. Another small fish swam near his boot. Jove reached in a grabbed the fish. It flowed through his hands at the attempt and nearly pushed Jove off balance. Slightly annoyed, Jove reached in again, until he felt a firm grasp on the creature. He pulled it out and starred at his prize happily. Suddenly, in the distance, a loud sound went off. A sound like a cave collapsing in fire. The earth began to vibrate slightly and in the distance the village pillar began to shake. The fish fell from Jove's hands as fire emerged from the base the pillar and into the Legion camp. More flames came from the ground around it and the right edge of the pillar cracked. The top of the rock structure leaned to the right, causing the cracked area to fracture more and more. The village fell down, flickering colors of bronze armored men wailing their hands as they fell. The rocks from the pillar flew down into the fire and crushed each section of the Knight camp until finally the village itself flew down onto the area. The rest of the pillar crumbled as a large dust-cloud of brown and black emerged from the area where the pillar and the Legion camp once stood. The dust cleared to reveal a large pile of debris where the pillar once stood, decorated in blood and hundreds of bodies. Jove watched with his mouth open as the area cleared, down the river a head flowed. A man with a large gray beard and sideburns all place in a silver helm. The beard was red. It was the head of Major General Yoff. Jove backed away from the river quickly and rushed up to the campsite.
"What in hell was that?" Malkini yelled, emerging from his tent shirtless, his muscles as scarred and heavy as he was. Malkini looked on in the distance where the pillar had been. Now it was nothing but stone and blood. Malkini shook his head slowly and knelt on the ground, placing his forehead carefully in his fingers. He stayed like that for a second before looking up at his team of Knights once more, all of them now woken and assembled.
"Please tell me none of you set off those explosives," Malkini said slowly...
Jove past Xeroux, still asleep, and made his way into the small flowing water. He put his feet in the edge and rolled up his sleeves. A few fishes flowed down the stream, wiggling in the dirty water as he did. Jove waited for a minute and then launched his arms into the water, grabbing hold of one and pulling it out. The fish wiggled and flopped in Jove's hands but he made sure not to let the slimy creature go. Jove carefully placed the fish onto the ground beside him and turned back to the river. Another small fish swam near his boot. Jove reached in a grabbed the fish. It flowed through his hands at the attempt and nearly pushed Jove off balance. Slightly annoyed, Jove reached in again, until he felt a firm grasp on the creature. He pulled it out and starred at his prize happily. Suddenly, in the distance, a loud sound went off. A sound like a cave collapsing in fire. The earth began to vibrate slightly and in the distance the village pillar began to shake. The fish fell from Jove's hands as fire emerged from the base the pillar and into the Legion camp. More flames came from the ground around it and the right edge of the pillar cracked. The top of the rock structure leaned to the right, causing the cracked area to fracture more and more. The village fell down, flickering colors of bronze armored men wailing their hands as they fell. The rocks from the pillar flew down into the fire and crushed each section of the Knight camp until finally the village itself flew down onto the area. The rest of the pillar crumbled as a large dust-cloud of brown and black emerged from the area where the pillar and the Legion camp once stood. The dust cleared to reveal a large pile of debris where the pillar once stood, decorated in blood and hundreds of bodies. Jove watched with his mouth open as the area cleared, down the river a head flowed. A man with a large gray beard and sideburns all place in a silver helm. The beard was red. It was the head of Major General Yoff. Jove backed away from the river quickly and rushed up to the campsite.
"What in hell was that?" Malkini yelled, emerging from his tent shirtless, his muscles as scarred and heavy as he was. Malkini looked on in the distance where the pillar had been. Now it was nothing but stone and blood. Malkini shook his head slowly and knelt on the ground, placing his forehead carefully in his fingers. He stayed like that for a second before looking up at his team of Knights once more, all of them now woken and assembled.
"Please tell me none of you set off those explosives," Malkini said slowly...
"I'm beginning to doubt joining the Knights was ever a good idea." Loki muttered from his spot after hearing the explosions and crumbling landscape. Just then, he hated the soldiers and whoever had set off the explosives that were planted. There was no need--He was still furious about the soldiers who had gone off in the night to the village to pleasure themselves anyway.
Standing up, he said quietly through gritted teeth, "If any one of my squadmates set them off..." He couldn't finish. Turning around, he kicked the dirt, walking out a few paces before stopping again, his left hand tightly gripping the hilt of his sword.
Standing up, he said quietly through gritted teeth, "If any one of my squadmates set them off..." He couldn't finish. Turning around, he kicked the dirt, walking out a few paces before stopping again, his left hand tightly gripping the hilt of his sword.
"Wha? Who?!" Sentrius shouted after jolting awake due to a large sound in the distance. Rubbing his eyes he sat up, gazing at enormous smoke cloud overhead. "No...this can't be happening!" Sentrius cried out, before turning to face MAlkini. "How would any of us do it!? We were asleep! I knew we should've went with them..." Sentrius muttered, shaking his head, as he paced back and forth fora bit before looking at Maqlkini again. "Well, now what, commander? What can we possibly do now?"
Xeroux looked on in horror and slight relief. Those monsters that had called themselves men were now dead, as was General Yoff. Pain hit him hard, knowing they were part of the same organization...it was bittersweet. He was furious that someone had proven his theory correct, happy he had been right, mad no one listened and that his organization was wounded, but happy the ones who died did, not the villagers, just the legions.
"I told you this was the plan! Nai's old academy buddy was tasked with getting rid of the explosives wasn't he? unless they had been attacked last night, he's the main suspect...though there is no way to know if he was killed in the explosion or by an enemy if we find his body...if we don't..." He clenched his fist. "Then again we look just as guilty...how do we explain why we weren't caught in the explosion..."
He heard Sentrius' comment about being with the group. "We'd be nothing but bodies if we had gone, don't forget that. We can count ourselves lucky for having consciences..."
He started for the cumbled village. "C'mon we have to see if there's anyone alive in there...this is your chance to gain that glamour we all wanted from this mission...for what it's worth..." He said over his shoulder as he took off at a run towards the ruins.
"I told you this was the plan! Nai's old academy buddy was tasked with getting rid of the explosives wasn't he? unless they had been attacked last night, he's the main suspect...though there is no way to know if he was killed in the explosion or by an enemy if we find his body...if we don't..." He clenched his fist. "Then again we look just as guilty...how do we explain why we weren't caught in the explosion..."
He heard Sentrius' comment about being with the group. "We'd be nothing but bodies if we had gone, don't forget that. We can count ourselves lucky for having consciences..."
He started for the cumbled village. "C'mon we have to see if there's anyone alive in there...this is your chance to gain that glamour we all wanted from this mission...for what it's worth..." He said over his shoulder as he took off at a run towards the ruins.
"Oi, oi! Don't start blaming Oseal with this! I know him and he's a good kid," Nai snapped, not exactly in the mood to be complacent first thing in the morning. All night she had barely been able to sleep, knowing the pain the women must have gone through. Their screams reminded her of her own weakness and vulnerability. Then again, the men of the village must have felt pain too considering they probably had wives, sisters, daughters..
Now, it seemed karma was in full swing.
"Glamour, psh. This is a good possibilty or a bad one," Nai muttered, taking in what Xeroux said, "Should we follow him..?"
Now, it seemed karma was in full swing.
"Glamour, psh. This is a good possibilty or a bad one," Nai muttered, taking in what Xeroux said, "Should we follow him..?"
Malkini shook his head at the situation, behind him two females emerged from his tent, one a blonde Knight of gold, and the other a villager, both stared at the debris in horror. "That rat," Malkini spat, clenching his teeth angrily. "That little rat. That dirty little rat."
Jove looked at Malkini and then heard Xeroux's comment. "You think Oseal's behind this?"
"Oi, oi! Don't start blaming Oseal with this! I know him and he's a good kid," Nai snapped.
"He's a dead man, that's what he is!" Malkini yelled, grabbing a shirt and putting it on angrily. He then reached for his blade, "You all head to the death site and see what you can find. I'm going to the underground city. I'll meet you all soon."
Jove gave a quick nod and began to pursue Xeroux towards the ruins.
Jove looked at Malkini and then heard Xeroux's comment. "You think Oseal's behind this?"
"Oi, oi! Don't start blaming Oseal with this! I know him and he's a good kid," Nai snapped.
"He's a dead man, that's what he is!" Malkini yelled, grabbing a shirt and putting it on angrily. He then reached for his blade, "You all head to the death site and see what you can find. I'm going to the underground city. I'll meet you all soon."
Jove gave a quick nod and began to pursue Xeroux towards the ruins.
"I meant that we knew that there was something wrong and we could've located and dealt with the explosives before anything happened!" Sentrius explained to Xeroux with a hint of panic in his voice. As soon as Malkini to follow Xeroux and examine the village, Sentrius did so, though he would have evnetually gone to check it out himself, even if he hadn't been commanded to. As he started to rush back to the village, he take a few seconds to stop and wonder how Malkini was able to get two women into his tent without the rest of them noticing. He later shook it off and charged towards the village once more, drawing his shield and plasma blaster out in case he encountered an enemy.
Xeroux heard Nai's shouts behind him but ignored her, she was a tactician, just like him...they both understood the advantages of explosives and the fact that Oseal was Red Knight, a weapon's expert meant he'd know just how to use them. Perhaps he acted on the impulse they all fought off, the impulse to kill the blood thirsty mongrels. Either way, a fight was in the immediate future.
He heard footsteps behind him, Jove and then Sentrius. He could understand if Nai didn't follow him, he had jumped to conclusions, but even she had to know the possibility existed.
He heard footsteps behind him, Jove and then Sentrius. He could understand if Nai didn't follow him, he had jumped to conclusions, but even she had to know the possibility existed.
Jove took none of the precautions Sentrius did, running toward the ruins in nothing but what he wore the night before. He knew any enemy near the pillar would of died with the Legion, and that whoever set off the explosion in the tunnel would have to come out of the underground cities entrance, where Malkini was headed. Jove shook his head. Oseal seemed like such a nice boy. How wrong he could be.
Meanwhile Malkini reached the entrance of the underground city, where several abandoned camps and ships were placed. One ship was active, however, and was raising itself into the air. It was the only other Elite ship at the camp, Oseals ship. The ship raised and began to fly off into the distance. Malkini gritted his teeth at the sight.
Meanwhile Malkini reached the entrance of the underground city, where several abandoned camps and ships were placed. One ship was active, however, and was raising itself into the air. It was the only other Elite ship at the camp, Oseals ship. The ship raised and began to fly off into the distance. Malkini gritted his teeth at the sight.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered and shook her head in disbelief. Well she never really liked Oseal but still, he didn't seem the kind to betray them like this. There were clues every now and then though. And, his speed earlier had been suspicious... Little details like that always bothered her until she got an explanation. Then again, the whole bomb scenario seemed to imply one.
She looked on as the others went as directed and with a small curse, she followed after them. She never could make a final decision until she had all her facts straight. And now seemed like a perfect opportunity to do so.
She looked on as the others went as directed and with a small curse, she followed after them. She never could make a final decision until she had all her facts straight. And now seemed like a perfect opportunity to do so.
As soon as Sentrius caught up with the others, he barked, "You see anything suspicious? Any strange activity?" Looking around, still keeping his shield up, Sentrius looked around the remains of the village. What the troops did disgusted him, but the whole village didn't deserve this. "This is insanity. How could this happen on our first mission?" Sentrius kicked aside a pile of rubble in anger, before returning to scout the area once more.
"I can't believe this!" Sentrius muttered again. "When I find out whoever did this, I'll make sure to have them tried on the harshest courts this side of the Sora System!"
"I can't believe this!" Sentrius muttered again. "When I find out whoever did this, I'll make sure to have them tried on the harshest courts this side of the Sora System!"
Jove shook his head as they approached. The debris had collapsed through the ground into the hall of the ancient city where the explosions were set. Jove sat on a secure rock on the sunk ground. "This is unbelievable," He muttered. "Simply unbelievable. We're done. We'll be blamed for this, I know it."
"Who cares who's blamed for it?" Loki retorted in response to Jove, his fingers flexing around his sword's hilt, quite obviously aggravated by the situation. "Whoever did this, the damage has been done. This place is in ruins! We had nothing to do with its destruction or the deaths of all those who lost their lives, but maybe we could've done something about it if Malkini had let us follow after that filthy army!"
"Us? Blamed?" Sentrius asked, his eyes widening under his helmet. "No, no...There's no way we're taking the fall for this!" Sentrius shook his head in disbelief before speaking once more. "I haven't even been promoted to a captain yet! I can't let it all sink here! Let's do a quick scan around the area once more! See if there's any clues we've missed!"
Xeroux pushed rubbled aside looking for any one who could have survived. Frustration started taking hold of him as every stone, every plank of wood, every blade of grass he moved revealed another body twisted and contorted in death. Many legionaries were killed by their own armor collapsing in the fall, crushing their chests.
"Damn it!" He shouted, his fists connecting with the cracked armor of a legionary who hadn't been wearing anything below his waist, a young girl motionless and naked opposite him. Tears stung his eyes, but he didn't want to look weak...he grabbed a helmet that looked in good condition and put it on over his tear stained face.
He listend closely for the sounds of any life, and rushed off when he heard a small rustle nearby.
"Please don't be just the wind!" He pleaded skidding to a stop and falling to his knees in one graceful motion. He moved the straw roof and found a young girl balled up, tears running down her face. She had been lucky enough to have been on a straw mattress that fell onto nothing but soft earth. It was a miracle, nothing short of it. He reached out his hand, but she scooted away, screaming at the top of her lungs. His mind ventured into why she would have screamed and removed his helmet, revealing his own tears or happiness she was alive and sadness that she was now alone.
"It's okay...I'm nothing like those men from last night...I want to help you..."
She looked at him with fear in her eyes, unable to understand what he was saying. He smiled softly and shook his head, "Sorry...I forgot... J'aguno klydune. I Xeroux, Yre Ja'Ahdou."
She hesitated, slowly reaching her hand out to him. He took it and picked her up. He was over joyed to find her alive, but now had no idea what to do with her.
Walking over to where the others had gathered, he sighed.
"She's the only one I could find..."
"Damn it!" He shouted, his fists connecting with the cracked armor of a legionary who hadn't been wearing anything below his waist, a young girl motionless and naked opposite him. Tears stung his eyes, but he didn't want to look weak...he grabbed a helmet that looked in good condition and put it on over his tear stained face.
He listend closely for the sounds of any life, and rushed off when he heard a small rustle nearby.
"Please don't be just the wind!" He pleaded skidding to a stop and falling to his knees in one graceful motion. He moved the straw roof and found a young girl balled up, tears running down her face. She had been lucky enough to have been on a straw mattress that fell onto nothing but soft earth. It was a miracle, nothing short of it. He reached out his hand, but she scooted away, screaming at the top of her lungs. His mind ventured into why she would have screamed and removed his helmet, revealing his own tears or happiness she was alive and sadness that she was now alone.
"It's okay...I'm nothing like those men from last night...I want to help you..."
She looked at him with fear in her eyes, unable to understand what he was saying. He smiled softly and shook his head, "Sorry...I forgot... J'aguno klydune. I Xeroux, Yre Ja'Ahdou."
She hesitated, slowly reaching her hand out to him. He took it and picked her up. He was over joyed to find her alive, but now had no idea what to do with her.
Walking over to where the others had gathered, he sighed.
"She's the only one I could find..."
"Good lord, a survivor," Jove whispered, seeing Xeroux come forward with the girl. "Xeroux, can you speak her language?" Jove asked. Suddenly, two ships began to fly towards them. One was a gold ship with the Knight insignia on the side, the other was their black elite ship. The two ships landed on the river, behind the Knights, the girl, and the ruins. The door of the gold ship swung open, and from it leaped a very angry Commander Malkini. From their black ship a small man in golden armor emerged, following Malkini toward the group.
Malkini glanced at the Knights angrily, before glancing at the girl, and then at the ruins, and then back at the Knights. "I arrived to find Oseal taking off in his ship, going to the King's Port no doubt, to meet back up with Commander Roka. He's going back there to tell him that we are guilty of grouse treason. I devised a plan quickly and decided to loot our good General Yoff of his ship, the gold, because I figured he wouldn't need it anymore. On the ship I found this man, Yoff's pilot," Malkini said, pointing at the man beside him who had come from their ship. "Now, before I go on to tell you my plan explain this girl. How did she survive?"
Malkini glanced at the Knights angrily, before glancing at the girl, and then at the ruins, and then back at the Knights. "I arrived to find Oseal taking off in his ship, going to the King's Port no doubt, to meet back up with Commander Roka. He's going back there to tell him that we are guilty of grouse treason. I devised a plan quickly and decided to loot our good General Yoff of his ship, the gold, because I figured he wouldn't need it anymore. On the ship I found this man, Yoff's pilot," Malkini said, pointing at the man beside him who had come from their ship. "Now, before I go on to tell you my plan explain this girl. How did she survive?"
Xeroux stepped forward, the young girl tightening her grip on his armor, more the spaces between it where there was soft, flexible fabric.
I found her on top of a straw mattress, it was well away from the rest of the ruble. The only thing to land atop it was, a straw thatched roof. The ground below the mattress was wet and muddy, absorbing the shock of impact, telling me she wasn't very high up...she most likely just fell... when the village collapsed. The resulting shockwave would be enough to knock a mattress and a girl of her size away."
He looked over to Jove, and nodded. "I've dabbled...you could say." He was getting reckless. If he kept this up Malkini would request his test scores.
"It's nothing short of a miracle....But we have other matters to attend to, do we not?" He stepped passed his commander, and on to the ship.
He found a small bedroom and placed the girl on the bed.
"Igar naut tmae." he brushed her hair from her eyes, laying her down. "Try and rest...Jur gora quie."
He turned the lights off in the bedroom, as the girl closed her eyes, to her it would all seem like a bad dream, until she opened her eyes again. At least for now, the shock was postponed.
I found her on top of a straw mattress, it was well away from the rest of the ruble. The only thing to land atop it was, a straw thatched roof. The ground below the mattress was wet and muddy, absorbing the shock of impact, telling me she wasn't very high up...she most likely just fell... when the village collapsed. The resulting shockwave would be enough to knock a mattress and a girl of her size away."
He looked over to Jove, and nodded. "I've dabbled...you could say." He was getting reckless. If he kept this up Malkini would request his test scores.
"It's nothing short of a miracle....But we have other matters to attend to, do we not?" He stepped passed his commander, and on to the ship.
He found a small bedroom and placed the girl on the bed.
"Igar naut tmae." he brushed her hair from her eyes, laying her down. "Try and rest...Jur gora quie."
He turned the lights off in the bedroom, as the girl closed her eyes, to her it would all seem like a bad dream, until she opened her eyes again. At least for now, the shock was postponed.
"A survivor?" Sentrius asked. "Well, that's great and all...but it doesn't exactly help our situation. We'll have to take her back with us to the academy if we want to get her fixed up...But are number one priority should be finding the monster who did all of this!" Sentrius frowned, before looking around for a second. "Where'd Malkini go anyway?" he asked after a minute. He hadn't noticed where their commander had gone off to.
Minutes later, Sentrius' question was answered. Two ships arrived. Malkini emerging from one of them , followed by a Gold Armored Knight. When Malkini spoke of the bad news to the group, Sentrius heart sank. "What? Treason!? That little bastard's going to set us up as traitors!?" Sentrius couldn't believe it. The night just grew worse and worse for them. A new promising, upcoming knight such as himself shouldn't have treason listed on his record. This does not bode well with Sentrius at all.
Minutes later, Sentrius' question was answered. Two ships arrived. Malkini emerging from one of them , followed by a Gold Armored Knight. When Malkini spoke of the bad news to the group, Sentrius heart sank. "What? Treason!? That little bastard's going to set us up as traitors!?" Sentrius couldn't believe it. The night just grew worse and worse for them. A new promising, upcoming knight such as himself shouldn't have treason listed on his record. This does not bode well with Sentrius at all.
Malkini watched as Xeroux emerged from the ship. He hated to admit it but it he was almost relieved that something was salvaged from the village. "Good job, Sir Xeroux," Malkini said as he rejoined the group of Knights. "Now, down to business. We are on our own. There is not a single doubt in my mind that Roka will not immediately report what ever wild tale Oseal tells him and get us all arrest. That is why you all will take the black ship to the Kings Port, find Roka, and straighten this whole situation out. I will take the Gold ship-"
"Wait, your not coming with us, Commander?" Jove asked worriedly at the mans plan.
Malkini glanced up at Jove and smiled. "Jove, I graduated from Urakas in the 2226 as a blue Knight. A year later me and my team found an army we were assisting destroyed in Wild Space, a General dead, and our Commander flying through space with no air. We were set up on treason and we had let the enemy win. I took charge that day. I led my men into the dark worlds and made an army. Four months later I returned to wild space with my army and won. I became a General shortly after, and received several real legions of my own."
Malkini glanced back at his Gold ship, "I will do the exact same thing here. The Knights are not popular in Capima and a blunder like this, engulfing a whole planet into a world war. This could hurt us dearly. I will win this war, even if it kills me, or anyone else I see fit to kill. I will go south, I will go to Nilan, Xengii, and Iceveng. I will gather three separate armies, an army of pirates brought in by promises riches on Nilan, an army of Baon's on Xengii brought in by loyalty to their lords, and an army of Nells and Kingsmen on Iceveng, brought in by promises of glory and freedom. I will do this in three months, a month on each world, then, in the fourth month, I will return to Usin and destroy the enemy here."
"But sir," Jove spoke swiftly. "The enemy here was just Oseal. There are no rebels."
"I saw them from the ship," Malkini replied. "Tens of thousands. Marching in the wetlands... Usin will have a war, and this caused it."
"Wait, your not coming with us, Commander?" Jove asked worriedly at the mans plan.
Malkini glanced up at Jove and smiled. "Jove, I graduated from Urakas in the 2226 as a blue Knight. A year later me and my team found an army we were assisting destroyed in Wild Space, a General dead, and our Commander flying through space with no air. We were set up on treason and we had let the enemy win. I took charge that day. I led my men into the dark worlds and made an army. Four months later I returned to wild space with my army and won. I became a General shortly after, and received several real legions of my own."
Malkini glanced back at his Gold ship, "I will do the exact same thing here. The Knights are not popular in Capima and a blunder like this, engulfing a whole planet into a world war. This could hurt us dearly. I will win this war, even if it kills me, or anyone else I see fit to kill. I will go south, I will go to Nilan, Xengii, and Iceveng. I will gather three separate armies, an army of pirates brought in by promises riches on Nilan, an army of Baon's on Xengii brought in by loyalty to their lords, and an army of Nells and Kingsmen on Iceveng, brought in by promises of glory and freedom. I will do this in three months, a month on each world, then, in the fourth month, I will return to Usin and destroy the enemy here."
"But sir," Jove spoke swiftly. "The enemy here was just Oseal. There are no rebels."
"I saw them from the ship," Malkini replied. "Tens of thousands. Marching in the wetlands... Usin will have a war, and this caused it."
"You heard the commander, we are to move out! We don't have much time. Every minute we waste here is a minute more Oseal has to set us up!"
He dashed back into the ship, looking over his shoulder as he did. "Commander, good luck. Radio if you need anything! We'll clear this mess up and be back in time to settle things here!"
With that he vanished into the Ships interior, waiting for his comrades.
He dashed back into the ship, looking over his shoulder as he did. "Commander, good luck. Radio if you need anything! We'll clear this mess up and be back in time to settle things here!"
With that he vanished into the Ships interior, waiting for his comrades.
"Let's go, then!" Sentrius shouted, rushing towards the ship. "I'm not going to be the one getting court marshaled!" With that, Sentrius ran inside the ship, waiting for the others to do the same. Sheathing his weapons, Sentrius scratched his chin, taking a moment to think. Talking aloud to anyone on board who could hear him, Sentrius stated, "Listen, when we go to convince General Roka of our innocence, let me do most of the talking. I most likely have a greater knowledge of Knight customs and law more than any of you. I'm our best chance in getting the truth out to Roka."
"Most likely? At least talk assuredly," Nai muttered as she entered the ship. Everything seemed to happen so quckly and the sight of the village made her thankful she hadn't had any breakfast yet. It was a wonder how everything had happened in one night, remarkable really. It was a sad, sad scene... And then there was that idiot Oseal. Not that she hadn't really been surprised by that. Of course, she had been a little shocked. Nai guessed she wasn't the only one who was an expert at deceit. The only thing that made her have any chance of hope was the survivor, as bad in shape as she was.
The weapon in her hands, the one she had managed to grab before bolting after her comrades, now seemed like a weight. It hadn't been able to help anyone. No matter how much power, force, or tact she could muster, it never seemed to help anyone. And now, not even her team and again, herself.
"Alright Sentrius, good luck. Although I'm not sure how willing Roka will be to hear you or even believe you...We can provide support if you need it, alright?"
The weapon in her hands, the one she had managed to grab before bolting after her comrades, now seemed like a weight. It hadn't been able to help anyone. No matter how much power, force, or tact she could muster, it never seemed to help anyone. And now, not even her team and again, herself.
"Alright Sentrius, good luck. Although I'm not sure how willing Roka will be to hear you or even believe you...We can provide support if you need it, alright?"
'Oh, yes, Sentrius,' Loki began in thought, looking at the knight, 'I'm sure you know the most about Knight rules and protocol. You'll certainly get the truth out to him...as well as a lot of kissing up.' The armourless knight sighed, looking away from both his squadmate and the entrance of the ship he was now boarded on. He shouldn't be thinking like that. Even if he didn't agree with the Knights he had to work with, he shouldn't be putting them down, even in his thoughts. But he didn't really know what else to do. He had to blame his stress on someone.
Jove gave a sigh as he walked onto the ship, "I guess this means I have my own bed now," He muttered. Outside the massive goldship began to lift, Yoff's pilot at the helm, Malkini standing behind him. The ship raised into the clear morning sky and began to rocket away from site of the Knights first mission, and first defeat.
The ship came in swiftly, swerving tightly and braking hard to make the landing site, settling with only a slight bump as the brilliant but obviously foolhardy pilot settled the Knight's ship down perfectly. The doors opened and the contingent of Knights scrambled off, one yanking off his helmet to retch against the ship. Several others swayed on their feet, held up by the support of their comrades.
Only three Knights disembarked without any sign of queasiness: the pilot, the commander of the contingent, and Ephraim Gauloris, who marched swiftly off the landing path and waited patiently for his commander.
"Look at my men!" the commander roared in the pilot's face, who looked bored. "If you can't shape up, Roth, I'm going to ship you back to wherever you came from! Do NOT pull a stunt like that again! Do you hear me?"
"Yeah, yeah," the pilot muttered sullenly. "I was just trying to lighten the mood up in there a little... You know, after boarding that pirate ship and finding those women..."
The commander's face softened. "Well, next time crack a joke or something, don't pretend you're crashing the ship. I appreciate your concern for your comrades. If you can learn to get a handle on that energy of yours, you'll make a very good Knight someday, Tera Roth. A very good Knight. Maybe even a General."
Tera Roth's face twisted into a wry grin. "Well, thank you sir."
"Commander!" Ephraim barked suddenly.
The commander turned to face Ephraim. "What is it, Gauloris?"
"Protocol insists we leave the launch pad immediately after take off, sir!" Ephraim said in a curt voice. "From my observations, not one of you has, sir!"
The commander sighed. "My mistake, Ephraim. Thank you for pointing that out." Rolling his eyes, the commander clapped his hands. "All right, men, let's go hit the showers. No drinking tonight, no matter how bad your dreams get, you hear me? You all need to be sharp."
Ephraim spun on his heel, and entered the showers, peeling his armor and stepping through the showers quickly and efficiently. No wasted energy, no wasted time, Ephraim's face and body seemed to be chiseled from rock. He ignored the comments from his comrades, considering them a waste of time, although he did approach the rash Tera Roth after dressing.
"I believe it is my duty to inform you, Roth, that your actions today were a complete breach of protocol," Ephraim said in a grim voice. "I'm going to have to write you up."
Tera Roth's face twisted in disbelief. "The commander said it was all right, or are you deaf?"
"The commander was wrong," Ephraim said, his expression belying nothing. "You broke the Knight law, Roth, and therefore you must be punished."
"Look, just give me a break," Tera Roth said, exasperated. "You go behind the commander's back, and you're liable to get yourself canned."
"If it brings you to justice, so be it," Ephraim said, seeming not the least bit worried. Tera Roth stared at him for a moment, then turned and continued dressing, muttering under his breath about "anal know-it-alls". The next instant, his breath was stolen from him as Ephraim smashed him into the locker.
"That's two breaches of protocol, Roth," Ephraim said, his expression angry. "I'd start packing now."
"YOU are not my senior officer, Gauloris," Tera Roth snarled, pulling away from Ephraim. "You're breaching protocol now by going over the commander's head. So now who should be brought to justice?"
"I am not in the wrong," Ephraim said quietly. "I am never wrong."
Tera Roth shook his head, pulled on the last of his armor, and stalked past Ephraim for the door.
"Gauloris!" came a snap behind him, and Ephraim turned to see the commander glaring at him. "This will be your only warning Gauloris. Pull a stunt like that again and you will get thrown out. Understand? You remember the reason you joined the Knights? It wasn't to nitpick on your comrade-in-arms. It was to bring the people who are breaking the real laws out there to justice. Get your priorities straight."
Ephraim nodded sharply, spun on his heel, and walked out the door.
* * *
Ephraim woke up, sweating. Pulling himself to his feet, he immediately wiped his face off and began pulling on his armor, the dream still vivid in his mind. How he hated to let others get away with crimes. In his mind, Tera Roth and the commander were both at fault, but he was forced to let it go in order to deal with bigger problems. Shaking his head, Ephraim walked out of the bunker to find Commander Roka.
He found him looking unusually grim in the command center.
"Sir!" Ephraim said, snapping to attention.
"At ease," Roka said, saluting Ephraim. "We have a situation. It seems General Roff has been wiped out."
Ephraim didn't have time to be shocked. "By who, sir?"
"From the evidence..." Commander Roka sighed. "Bombs were planted underneath the village they were staying. I'm not sure yet who planted the bombs. Oh, and our scout reports that your team was not with General Roff at the time of the explosion, so you have nothing to be worried about there."
Ephraim nodded. "Could my team have planted the bomb, sir?"
Roka's eyes widened. "Preposterous," he snapped, but his expression was doubtful. Ephraim nodded to himself, and promised himself that if his team was to blame, they would all be brought to justice.
Only three Knights disembarked without any sign of queasiness: the pilot, the commander of the contingent, and Ephraim Gauloris, who marched swiftly off the landing path and waited patiently for his commander.
"Look at my men!" the commander roared in the pilot's face, who looked bored. "If you can't shape up, Roth, I'm going to ship you back to wherever you came from! Do NOT pull a stunt like that again! Do you hear me?"
"Yeah, yeah," the pilot muttered sullenly. "I was just trying to lighten the mood up in there a little... You know, after boarding that pirate ship and finding those women..."
The commander's face softened. "Well, next time crack a joke or something, don't pretend you're crashing the ship. I appreciate your concern for your comrades. If you can learn to get a handle on that energy of yours, you'll make a very good Knight someday, Tera Roth. A very good Knight. Maybe even a General."
Tera Roth's face twisted into a wry grin. "Well, thank you sir."
"Commander!" Ephraim barked suddenly.
The commander turned to face Ephraim. "What is it, Gauloris?"
"Protocol insists we leave the launch pad immediately after take off, sir!" Ephraim said in a curt voice. "From my observations, not one of you has, sir!"
The commander sighed. "My mistake, Ephraim. Thank you for pointing that out." Rolling his eyes, the commander clapped his hands. "All right, men, let's go hit the showers. No drinking tonight, no matter how bad your dreams get, you hear me? You all need to be sharp."
Ephraim spun on his heel, and entered the showers, peeling his armor and stepping through the showers quickly and efficiently. No wasted energy, no wasted time, Ephraim's face and body seemed to be chiseled from rock. He ignored the comments from his comrades, considering them a waste of time, although he did approach the rash Tera Roth after dressing.
"I believe it is my duty to inform you, Roth, that your actions today were a complete breach of protocol," Ephraim said in a grim voice. "I'm going to have to write you up."
Tera Roth's face twisted in disbelief. "The commander said it was all right, or are you deaf?"
"The commander was wrong," Ephraim said, his expression belying nothing. "You broke the Knight law, Roth, and therefore you must be punished."
"Look, just give me a break," Tera Roth said, exasperated. "You go behind the commander's back, and you're liable to get yourself canned."
"If it brings you to justice, so be it," Ephraim said, seeming not the least bit worried. Tera Roth stared at him for a moment, then turned and continued dressing, muttering under his breath about "anal know-it-alls". The next instant, his breath was stolen from him as Ephraim smashed him into the locker.
"That's two breaches of protocol, Roth," Ephraim said, his expression angry. "I'd start packing now."
"YOU are not my senior officer, Gauloris," Tera Roth snarled, pulling away from Ephraim. "You're breaching protocol now by going over the commander's head. So now who should be brought to justice?"
"I am not in the wrong," Ephraim said quietly. "I am never wrong."
Tera Roth shook his head, pulled on the last of his armor, and stalked past Ephraim for the door.
"Gauloris!" came a snap behind him, and Ephraim turned to see the commander glaring at him. "This will be your only warning Gauloris. Pull a stunt like that again and you will get thrown out. Understand? You remember the reason you joined the Knights? It wasn't to nitpick on your comrade-in-arms. It was to bring the people who are breaking the real laws out there to justice. Get your priorities straight."
Ephraim nodded sharply, spun on his heel, and walked out the door.
* * *
Ephraim woke up, sweating. Pulling himself to his feet, he immediately wiped his face off and began pulling on his armor, the dream still vivid in his mind. How he hated to let others get away with crimes. In his mind, Tera Roth and the commander were both at fault, but he was forced to let it go in order to deal with bigger problems. Shaking his head, Ephraim walked out of the bunker to find Commander Roka.
He found him looking unusually grim in the command center.
"Sir!" Ephraim said, snapping to attention.
"At ease," Roka said, saluting Ephraim. "We have a situation. It seems General Roff has been wiped out."
Ephraim didn't have time to be shocked. "By who, sir?"
"From the evidence..." Commander Roka sighed. "Bombs were planted underneath the village they were staying. I'm not sure yet who planted the bombs. Oh, and our scout reports that your team was not with General Roff at the time of the explosion, so you have nothing to be worried about there."
Ephraim nodded. "Could my team have planted the bomb, sir?"
Roka's eyes widened. "Preposterous," he snapped, but his expression was doubtful. Ephraim nodded to himself, and promised himself that if his team was to blame, they would all be brought to justice.
The Black ship lifted off the ground slowly. Jove sat in the pilots cabin, his hands moving nervously on the ships slick controls. The ship, at Jove's command, blasted forward, flying above the rock pillars and onto the wetlands. Below them an army of tens of thousands marched, flags of red held high. "There are our rebels," Jove muttered to himself. Usin would have its war after all. The black ship flew higher and higher, until above the world above them was no longer blue. Jove's fingers quickly set the coordinates for Roka's location. Oseal had said he was camped in the ocean side city of Tawedon on the planet of Kings Port. Jove pushed the leather seat backward and made his way from the pilots cabin back to the rest of the team, many of who were caring for the girl from the village Xeroux had saved.
Xeroux stroked the girls hair as she cringed in nightmares, unable to wake herself from the hells she was going through. he couldn't begin to imagine the pain wrenching her soul. The loss of her entire village, the rape of her mother the night before, maybe an older sister...her father killed for trying to protect his family. Maybe a brother or two killed in the fall. The list of horrors would go on, seemingly until every member of the village was accounted for. She must have known them all...
He watched as the ship flew through space, stars lighting up the darkness, like glittering specks of hope. "No matter how dark, the light will always shine though..." he whispered. The girl scooting closer, drawn by the cold the metal armor was giving off. He had forgotten that he could undress into regular clothes, at least for a few hours, the armor just felt natural now, after wearing it for close to two days straight.
He looked up as Jove walked into the room and flashed him a small smile. "Don't worry, she wasn't hurt to bad, just a few scrapes and bruises...She was awake long enough to tell me her name though...in our language, it's Lauren...and she's not as young as she looked either...she's 14."
He looked down to see he pink eyes half open, looking around the room. She rubbed them gently, looking up at Jove, then Xeroux.
"Hi there..." He said, knowing she wouldn't understand him. He didn't want to show Jove just how much he knew, a few simple phrases were enough for a Blue knight. Just enough to develop a strategy with the locals...at least that what he was taught at the academy, but he'd taken it a step further and learned as many different languages as he could. Being a tactician, he felt both paths of Blue and Green Knights were intertwined, diplomacy was an effective strategy in many cases, and should always be the first. The wounds she did have, he was grateful they were small, anything bigger and Jove might wonder how he could have treated them.
"Maybe you can learn more about her? Perhaps teach her our language? Not now obviously..." He thought about it, and the situation they were in leaked back into reality. "Oh, wait...never mind...she'll only be with us for a few hours. Who knows what'll happen..." He looked down into her innocent eyes and felt a lump build in his throat.
"Be right back okay?" He said with a smile as he stood up, walking over to Jove. "Maybe we can talk outside?"
He watched as the ship flew through space, stars lighting up the darkness, like glittering specks of hope. "No matter how dark, the light will always shine though..." he whispered. The girl scooting closer, drawn by the cold the metal armor was giving off. He had forgotten that he could undress into regular clothes, at least for a few hours, the armor just felt natural now, after wearing it for close to two days straight.
He looked up as Jove walked into the room and flashed him a small smile. "Don't worry, she wasn't hurt to bad, just a few scrapes and bruises...She was awake long enough to tell me her name though...in our language, it's Lauren...and she's not as young as she looked either...she's 14."
He looked down to see he pink eyes half open, looking around the room. She rubbed them gently, looking up at Jove, then Xeroux.
"Hi there..." He said, knowing she wouldn't understand him. He didn't want to show Jove just how much he knew, a few simple phrases were enough for a Blue knight. Just enough to develop a strategy with the locals...at least that what he was taught at the academy, but he'd taken it a step further and learned as many different languages as he could. Being a tactician, he felt both paths of Blue and Green Knights were intertwined, diplomacy was an effective strategy in many cases, and should always be the first. The wounds she did have, he was grateful they were small, anything bigger and Jove might wonder how he could have treated them.
"Maybe you can learn more about her? Perhaps teach her our language? Not now obviously..." He thought about it, and the situation they were in leaked back into reality. "Oh, wait...never mind...she'll only be with us for a few hours. Who knows what'll happen..." He looked down into her innocent eyes and felt a lump build in his throat.
"Be right back okay?" He said with a smile as he stood up, walking over to Jove. "Maybe we can talk outside?"
"Alright," Jove replied, watching the girl as he said it. Jove and Xeroux both walked into the kitchen, where much of the team was assembled. "So, I was wondering how exactly we planned to convince Commander Roka that we are in fact not a bunch of treasonous pigs even though we are the only survivors of Usin and our Commander has abandoned us, stealing a now dead General's ship in the process, and that it is in fact his most cheerful Knight who is the one who single handed destroyed three legions and Yoff and, by some miracle, left us alive to report this to him," Jove muttered, cursing himself for not telling Malkini to leave the Generals personal pilot with them to be used as a witness. "The fact is we don't have a very strong story, and while I'm not saying we have many options, heading towards a team of skilled Knights who may attack us on site, to which we cannot do great harm, because that would be treason, and pleading to them innocence does not seem like a good plan to me. Now, I'm not saying Malkini's plan is wrong, I'm just saying he, in the brief time I've known him, has been wrong about everything. Why should this plan of his be different? Maybe he wants us locked up, he was quick enough to fly off and play general again, leaving us to our own means."
"On top of that we have a villager." He sighed, folding his arms. "I doubt she'll be treated very kindly." He looked over his shoulder motioning at the tall dark man clad in red armor. "What do you think, should we leave it up to him to do the talking? A Knight of code, he'll do everything by the books, and I'm sure some emotions will fly if one of us does it...maybe not you, given your expertise in diplomacy."
He rubbed his forehead, "What am I saying? They'll question us all, ask us to rat out the one on our team that did it, probably offer some big incentives."
He looked up at Jove, feeling like he was rambling. He was more worried about Lauren than his own livelihood. "Maybe I should take the fall, just to buy you guys some time to work it out of Oseal, if you catch my drift. I doubt I'll be executed on the spot, especially for confessing straight away. Heck you guys could pretend to turn me in..."
He scratched his chin, thinking the plan through. He knew the risks and analyzed the variables, but the thought of more time to prove his team innocent and Lauren safe, made his own life seem worth sacrificing if it came to it. What was one death for the saving of Malkini's, Jove's, Loki's, Nai's, Kazuki's Sentrius, and Lauren's? Killing one to save seven seemed like a good payout. Who know's maybe they'd get Oseal before he was killed, and all eight would be spared.
He rubbed his forehead, "What am I saying? They'll question us all, ask us to rat out the one on our team that did it, probably offer some big incentives."
He looked up at Jove, feeling like he was rambling. He was more worried about Lauren than his own livelihood. "Maybe I should take the fall, just to buy you guys some time to work it out of Oseal, if you catch my drift. I doubt I'll be executed on the spot, especially for confessing straight away. Heck you guys could pretend to turn me in..."
He scratched his chin, thinking the plan through. He knew the risks and analyzed the variables, but the thought of more time to prove his team innocent and Lauren safe, made his own life seem worth sacrificing if it came to it. What was one death for the saving of Malkini's, Jove's, Loki's, Nai's, Kazuki's Sentrius, and Lauren's? Killing one to save seven seemed like a good payout. Who know's maybe they'd get Oseal before he was killed, and all eight would be spared.
"That's a good plan, but you're... important, Xeroux. We cannot allow you to die," Jove muttered. "But we don't have much choice. Roka, from what I heard, is a merciful man. He'd rather let a criminal live than chase him across the worlds till' death, I know that much of him. We will turn you in but in a way that communicates as much as possible that its a stratagem, so that when we get Oseal, and we will get him, Roka will easily believe your innocence was part of a plan."
"But-," Sentrius started. "As I have stated before, we should leave all of the talking to me. After all, I am (probably) the only one of us whose studied the handbook inside out and knows the law, rules, regulations, and protocols. Convincing a superior officer such as Roka of our innocence is a piece of cake for me." Turning his back to the two, Sentrius' jolly tone changed slightly. "Now, seeing as Malkini has, erm, left us for the time being, I think we should discuss chain of command."
"I nominate myself as leader of teams," Jove said, raising his hand high. He knew his hand was ambitious, but if Malkini's chain of command was obsolete, why not aim high?
"Oi, Sentrius, remember you're not the only one who has studied the handbook. You might be the only one obsessed with it, but you certainly aren't the only one who knows it," Nai pointed out with a smirk. She had been standing away from the others, uncertain as to what to do. Her mind going over the recent events yet again. Hearing Sentrius speak, she couldn't help but put her two cents in. Assumptions, assumptions...
Now it seemed time to pick a leader. She glanced at Jove and wasn't sure he was the best choice due to the last couple of days.
"I nominate Xeroux as the leader. He seems like the wisest one here and the one with most level head. Well other than then black knight of course," Nai said with a contemplative look on her face. Her red eyes shone with uncertainty.
Now it seemed time to pick a leader. She glanced at Jove and wasn't sure he was the best choice due to the last couple of days.
"I nominate Xeroux as the leader. He seems like the wisest one here and the one with most level head. Well other than then black knight of course," Nai said with a contemplative look on her face. Her red eyes shone with uncertainty.
At his two fellow Knight's suggestions, Sentrius merely chuckled politely, though one could also see it as a bit mocking. :Ah, yes two...wonderful suggestions. But let's face the facts here. It's obvious that none of you are capable of running an entire unit of Knights by yourselves." Sentrius turned around to face the others again, stating. "Jove, you just not field leader material. And, Xeroux,you're idealistic, but that's not necessarily a good thing. I mean, we know General Yoff thought you were a pretty good Knight, and...well, look how he turned out, right? And while I could spell out for you why none of you are as qualified as me, in order to make you feel better about yourselves, I won't."
It would've been sort of funny if Sentrius didn't mean every word of it. "It's at times like these when we have to choose the...Knightiest Knight. The one most qualified for the job (i.e, me). With me as your new first in command, we will march through the battle fields as an elite unit." Sentrius seemed quite proud of himself after his small speech. He'd only hope the others would realize the error of their ways and change their votes to him. The only one he really saw qualified, besides himself was Nai. Though, she lost a few points by questioning protocol a bit.
It would've been sort of funny if Sentrius didn't mean every word of it. "It's at times like these when we have to choose the...Knightiest Knight. The one most qualified for the job (i.e, me). With me as your new first in command, we will march through the battle fields as an elite unit." Sentrius seemed quite proud of himself after his small speech. He'd only hope the others would realize the error of their ways and change their votes to him. The only one he really saw qualified, besides himself was Nai. Though, she lost a few points by questioning protocol a bit.
"We'll clearly your a massive idiot," Jove replied. "We need someone with a grasp of the world. We've all proven ourselves in battle, the nine point fives out of the nine point four shouldn't be the leader of a team. A man who understands the way the world works should be leader. That's me. Now, my politics may conflict with your personal interests, but most of the world thinks as I, and you need someone like me making the big decisions when we are in a situation where we need big decisions made in that fashion. So, I vote for myself."
Xeroux held his hands up to quiet the others.
"We may be in a tight spot and without the commander, but he did establish a chain of command given his absence. I took it both as a command and a direct order of how things would be run given the absence of Malkini. While we all exhibit our own personal traits, Malkini judged us by first impressions, and until he says otherwise, we're using his chain of command."
He smirked, looking in Sentrius' direction, he'd bit his tongue when the red knight had made his comment about Yoff's praise, but this was to good an opportunity to pass up, and it was well within good taste. "Or do you wish to violate a direct order, Sir Knight?" he raised his eyebrow with a bit of a chuckle before crossing his arms.
This was going to be tricky, but if they could come together as a team, maybe, just maybe they would stand a chance. First their personal differences would need to be settled
"We may be in a tight spot and without the commander, but he did establish a chain of command given his absence. I took it both as a command and a direct order of how things would be run given the absence of Malkini. While we all exhibit our own personal traits, Malkini judged us by first impressions, and until he says otherwise, we're using his chain of command."
He smirked, looking in Sentrius' direction, he'd bit his tongue when the red knight had made his comment about Yoff's praise, but this was to good an opportunity to pass up, and it was well within good taste. "Or do you wish to violate a direct order, Sir Knight?" he raised his eyebrow with a bit of a chuckle before crossing his arms.
This was going to be tricky, but if they could come together as a team, maybe, just maybe they would stand a chance. First their personal differences would need to be settled
Xeroux held his hands up to quiet the others.
"We may be in a tight spot and without the commander, but he did establish a chain of command given his absence. I took it both as a command and a direct order of how things would be run given the absence of Malkini. While we all exhibit our own personal traits, Malkini judged us by first impressions, and until he says otherwise, we're using his chain of command."
He smirked, looking in Sentrius' direction, he'd bit his tongue when the red knight had made his comment about Yoff's praise, but this was to good an opportunity to pass up, and it was well within good taste. "Or do you wish to violate a direct order, Sir Knight?" he raised his eyebrow with a bit of a chuckle before crossing his arms.
This was going to be tricky, but if they could come together as a team, maybe, just maybe they would stand a chance. First their personal differences would need to be settled
"We may be in a tight spot and without the commander, but he did establish a chain of command given his absence. I took it both as a command and a direct order of how things would be run given the absence of Malkini. While we all exhibit our own personal traits, Malkini judged us by first impressions, and until he says otherwise, we're using his chain of command."
He smirked, looking in Sentrius' direction, he'd bit his tongue when the red knight had made his comment about Yoff's praise, but this was to good an opportunity to pass up, and it was well within good taste. "Or do you wish to violate a direct order, Sir Knight?" he raised his eyebrow with a bit of a chuckle before crossing his arms.
This was going to be tricky, but if they could come together as a team, maybe, just maybe they would stand a chance. First their personal differences would need to be settled
"What's clear is that you...NONE of you understand the inner goings of the Knights. I do," Sentrius, frowned, his tone getting more seething with each word. "I'm not sure if you know this, but, as you well saw back on previous mission, The Knights don't exactly follow the rules of the rest of the world. We're a unit and we should be led by someone who understands how organizing a unit and keeping it together work. And let's face it Jove, you're not a people person. At least not with most people anyway..."
Sentrius shook his head in disbelief that anyone would disagree with him before speaking again. "Back on Mt. Ravin, we had just about the harshest training out of all the academies. We were sent to survive on our own in grounds more perilous than you can even imagine. And when the going got tough, someone had to take command and gather the group together, as a unit, and keep us all alive. That would be me."
Sentrius then gave an ear to Xeroux's comments before continuing. "If there's anything I think we've learned from this little venture it's that first impressions can often be wrong. After all, I never see our appointed leader doing any...leading. Seems to me, that the rest of us are just annoyances to him. While I respect Malkini and I don't think he deserves most of the flak he receives, I believe he was wrong on this point."
Sentrius shook his head in disbelief that anyone would disagree with him before speaking again. "Back on Mt. Ravin, we had just about the harshest training out of all the academies. We were sent to survive on our own in grounds more perilous than you can even imagine. And when the going got tough, someone had to take command and gather the group together, as a unit, and keep us all alive. That would be me."
Sentrius then gave an ear to Xeroux's comments before continuing. "If there's anything I think we've learned from this little venture it's that first impressions can often be wrong. After all, I never see our appointed leader doing any...leading. Seems to me, that the rest of us are just annoyances to him. While I respect Malkini and I don't think he deserves most of the flak he receives, I believe he was wrong on this point."
"I agree with Sentrius," Jove spoke. "Not about him being leader, but about Malkini being a god awful Commander. But this arguing gets us no where, the point is we, at some point in the future, should decide on a leader, because we may not always have time to decide on things democratically."
"Considering that at the moment we're doing nothing really, I suppose it would be good to put that matter aside. After all, we need to use the time we have now to calm down because Jove and Sentrius are clearly mad thinking they even have a chance at being leader," Nai muttered, smiling. Sad thing was, it looked pretty sincere with not a hint of the malice and annoyance that was clearly expressed in her eyes which she shut when she smiled. She tried to look as adorable as possible, hands behind her back and a cheery smile, hoping to soften the glares that were probably thrown at her in that moment.
Really, Nai didn't see anyone fit as leader. She only nominated Xeroux because she didn't think Jove or Sentrius could handle it, Loki she was still deciding on, the black knight hadn't given much word, the new guy either, and she thought that was it. Nai wouldn't even recommend herself since she didn't want to be responsible for any of them. Then again, she thought they might need an outside person on the leader thing...
Really, Nai didn't see anyone fit as leader. She only nominated Xeroux because she didn't think Jove or Sentrius could handle it, Loki she was still deciding on, the black knight hadn't given much word, the new guy either, and she thought that was it. Nai wouldn't even recommend herself since she didn't want to be responsible for any of them. Then again, she thought they might need an outside person on the leader thing...
"Mad?" Sentrius asked, eyebrow raised. He then smiled an asked, "Well, isn't sanity kind of a one trick pony anyway?" Turning around, Sentrius stepped out of the kitchen and into the main quarters. "I'm going to check if we're almost there.It won't take us that long to reach Roka now." Sentrius then walked towards the front of the ship and looked out of it's window, seeing if they were anywhere near their destination.
Nai frowned, Sentrius' words oh so true to her. Not that the particular man she was thinking of was insane, just a little ill. Violently ill with hints of sanity every now and then...
"Ah, right," Nai muttered, suddenly feeling awkward again, "Well I suppose the matter of the leader will be for another time then... I see we're in the kitchen, well I guess that's good if anyone's hungry. I'm certainly not. I think that girl might be though, after all, we did miss breakfast didn't we? And nothing lifts up the spirits more than a bite of warm food, right?"
She smiled graciously and decided to leave the kitchen in order to find a distraction. She disliked the fact she was on the ship, with them, as she was now. As a knight. With people who were also knights and clearly not the heroes she expected, the heroic ones or the tragic ones. On a ship, possibly one that would be used as evidence of treason against them. Nai sighed and looked up from the floor, the plain look of it helping her think, and saw Sentrius. Of course she would see him. She didn't leave long after him. Probably a subconscious thought.
"Ah, Sentrius," Nai called out, the sad scene of torn comrades making her feel bad suddenly, "I apologize about calling you mad. It was out of turn and uncalled for. I will try to only add positive or helpful remarks from now on. The reason was I just didn't think you could handle it. I'm sorry."
She bowed, hating to apologize so quickly. But really, she thought it was the right thing to do. He always did it..
"Ah, right," Nai muttered, suddenly feeling awkward again, "Well I suppose the matter of the leader will be for another time then... I see we're in the kitchen, well I guess that's good if anyone's hungry. I'm certainly not. I think that girl might be though, after all, we did miss breakfast didn't we? And nothing lifts up the spirits more than a bite of warm food, right?"
She smiled graciously and decided to leave the kitchen in order to find a distraction. She disliked the fact she was on the ship, with them, as she was now. As a knight. With people who were also knights and clearly not the heroes she expected, the heroic ones or the tragic ones. On a ship, possibly one that would be used as evidence of treason against them. Nai sighed and looked up from the floor, the plain look of it helping her think, and saw Sentrius. Of course she would see him. She didn't leave long after him. Probably a subconscious thought.
"Ah, Sentrius," Nai called out, the sad scene of torn comrades making her feel bad suddenly, "I apologize about calling you mad. It was out of turn and uncalled for. I will try to only add positive or helpful remarks from now on. The reason was I just didn't think you could handle it. I'm sorry."
She bowed, hating to apologize so quickly. But really, she thought it was the right thing to do. He always did it..
"Ah, well that's okay," Sentrius nodded. "We're all bound to make mistakes sometimes." Sentrius then turned around. He could've just left it there, but... "By the way," Sentrius stated. "Back on Ravin, I did lead my team out of several extremely bad spots. Just so you know. I wasn't even elected my training squad's leader, then. The one who were originally chosen for that title were too busy cowering. Luckily, I gathered all in my command and we made it through to graduation."
"Ah really?" Nai asked, looking interested though her eyes looked a little glazed over as though from boredom, "Sounds like it was pretty risky. I'm rather impressed, considering it was training too. Your teachers must have been rather proud to have a student like you, huh? A real leader is hard to find these days, especially one who knows the handbook so well..."
She smiled, her words mostly sincere although there were subtle hints of sarcasm. Still, she was a little impressed. It made her even contemplate what kind of training the others had gone through as well and what scores they had recieved. The kind of teachers and training, their other fellow colleagues and..
"Did you have lots of friends at Ravin?" Nai suddenly asked, her eyes full of curiousity, "At Tormaund, we did those kind of excercises too except we would bicker like we just had. I never took charge though seeing as anyone who tried would get reprimanded by who was supposed to be the leader but was the one that started the fight in the first place. We eventually learned though. After all, I became good friends with them."
Nai smirked at the last comment, remembering their weaknesses and flaws. It had been easy to get on their good side once she knew how to manipulate them.
She smiled, her words mostly sincere although there were subtle hints of sarcasm. Still, she was a little impressed. It made her even contemplate what kind of training the others had gone through as well and what scores they had recieved. The kind of teachers and training, their other fellow colleagues and..
"Did you have lots of friends at Ravin?" Nai suddenly asked, her eyes full of curiousity, "At Tormaund, we did those kind of excercises too except we would bicker like we just had. I never took charge though seeing as anyone who tried would get reprimanded by who was supposed to be the leader but was the one that started the fight in the first place. We eventually learned though. After all, I became good friends with them."
Nai smirked at the last comment, remembering their weaknesses and flaws. It had been easy to get on their good side once she knew how to manipulate them.
"Ah, yes," Sentrius nodded in agreement. "I believe they took special note of me when they had my final assessment at the academy. I've got a few awards of excellence in my bags too! Being a leader comes naturally to me, you see? And I feel that I am destined for greatness one day. A Knight General...and beyond."
Listening to Nai's other statement, asking if he had friends back on Ravin, Sentrius nodded, slowly, though his smile faded a bit. "I've had some friends there, yes, but...during our missions, there wasn't much room for small talk and making good friends, so I don't have much to talk a bout on the matter. And as for your training squad...Well, you just needed someone to step up, take charge, and not take any crap from an insubordinate soldier. That's how I got to be leader of my training squad, anyway..."
Listening to Nai's other statement, asking if he had friends back on Ravin, Sentrius nodded, slowly, though his smile faded a bit. "I've had some friends there, yes, but...during our missions, there wasn't much room for small talk and making good friends, so I don't have much to talk a bout on the matter. And as for your training squad...Well, you just needed someone to step up, take charge, and not take any crap from an insubordinate soldier. That's how I got to be leader of my training squad, anyway..."
"I suppose so. But hey, what do you expect from Tormaund right? I'm lucky I even made it out of there," Nai laughed although it sounded a little forced. It was short and brisk, leaving her with a grin and a sad gleam in her eyes. She stared at the ground for a moment, the grin fading quickly, before picking her head up with a smile. She held out her hand, looking expectant.
"Oi, I had an idea! Since we're going to be stuck together for a while, how about we become good friends? I assure you, its not a bad experience really and you can't really violate any protocols by doing so," Nai chuckled, meaning for it to be a joke but she was never really good at making her own, "We probably won't have much time, but eh, I'm sure its not impossible. Of course we'll make good friends with the others, maybe even best ones as well, so what do you say? Do you want to be my friend?"
"Oi, I had an idea! Since we're going to be stuck together for a while, how about we become good friends? I assure you, its not a bad experience really and you can't really violate any protocols by doing so," Nai chuckled, meaning for it to be a joke but she was never really good at making her own, "We probably won't have much time, but eh, I'm sure its not impossible. Of course we'll make good friends with the others, maybe even best ones as well, so what do you say? Do you want to be my friend?"
"I don't see why not," Sentrius smiled. "Because I've got a feeling that I'm gonna need some before the day is over." Sentrius continued to look out the window. "By, the way...it's not a miracle that you graduated. Some of the best Knights are from Tormaud.
Nai smiled and dropped her hand, feeling it unecessary to leave it up considering he hadn't seen her gesture. Plus, her arm was getting tired. Her eyes widened as he said that some of the best knights came from Tormaund. Her cheeks suddenly felt warm and her eyes were filled with happiness. It couldn't have been a mistake.
"AH, well that's great. Now I just need to make friends with the rest of them although I probably made Jove mad... again," Nai giggled, actually happy at the thought considering anatgonizing people alleviated her boredom at times, "I guess I'll make it up to him somehow. I think Loki will be easy to convince, and Xeroux too. See? Two more possible friends already..."
Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of a suitable way to respond to his last comment.
"T-thank you," she finally said after a few moments, "That means a lot to me, more than you probably know.."
"AH, well that's great. Now I just need to make friends with the rest of them although I probably made Jove mad... again," Nai giggled, actually happy at the thought considering anatgonizing people alleviated her boredom at times, "I guess I'll make it up to him somehow. I think Loki will be easy to convince, and Xeroux too. See? Two more possible friends already..."
Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of a suitable way to respond to his last comment.
"T-thank you," she finally said after a few moments, "That means a lot to me, more than you probably know.."
As the group bickered on about who would be leader, Loki only got more and more annoyed with some of his squadmates. He didn't want a leader in the first place--He hated leadership. They always thought they were so great, so much better than everyone else, and they expected they suddenly had the power to boss everyone around.
That wasn't how Loki worked. He knew it, his teachers back at the academy knew it, and his fellow Knights were bound to realize it soon.
Another thing he had quickly grown to hate was that Sentrius acted like that despite the fact that he wasn't even elected their leader yet. He seemed like the kissing-up, arrogant, cock little knight who knew he was supposed to be great. Everyone must like him and his oh so charming personality, and Sentrius must be sure that everyone would love trailing after him like sheep after their shepherd. The thoughts made Loki's eyes narrow. It was all too smug, and he didn't feel that Sentrius deserved any of that, no matter how many times he had read the stupid Knight's handbook.
Considering his views on the whole matter, he never participated in the discussion, which was quickly becoming an argument anyway. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest, his eyes silently flickering over each person as they spoke. While he didn't think of Jove and Xeroux in the same bitter way which he did Sentrius, he didn't want either of them to be the squad's leader. Plainly put, he didn't want -anyone- to be elected their leader. As a squad, he thought that they should work together and fight through it all, not leave every single decision up to one person whom they thought qualified while standing around in a ship's kitchen.
Loki was relieved when the electoral process was finally broken up. Finally, another time without senseless bickering. He was long sick of it. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back against the wall, resting his eyes and trying to relax himself--It didn't take long. He was calm again in no time, though the irritating thoughts still crossed his mind now and again. After all, he was sure it wasn't over. They would all gather together again and try to force a leader upon themselves at some point or another. It was just a matter of time.
That wasn't how Loki worked. He knew it, his teachers back at the academy knew it, and his fellow Knights were bound to realize it soon.
Another thing he had quickly grown to hate was that Sentrius acted like that despite the fact that he wasn't even elected their leader yet. He seemed like the kissing-up, arrogant, cock little knight who knew he was supposed to be great. Everyone must like him and his oh so charming personality, and Sentrius must be sure that everyone would love trailing after him like sheep after their shepherd. The thoughts made Loki's eyes narrow. It was all too smug, and he didn't feel that Sentrius deserved any of that, no matter how many times he had read the stupid Knight's handbook.
Considering his views on the whole matter, he never participated in the discussion, which was quickly becoming an argument anyway. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest, his eyes silently flickering over each person as they spoke. While he didn't think of Jove and Xeroux in the same bitter way which he did Sentrius, he didn't want either of them to be the squad's leader. Plainly put, he didn't want -anyone- to be elected their leader. As a squad, he thought that they should work together and fight through it all, not leave every single decision up to one person whom they thought qualified while standing around in a ship's kitchen.
Loki was relieved when the electoral process was finally broken up. Finally, another time without senseless bickering. He was long sick of it. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back against the wall, resting his eyes and trying to relax himself--It didn't take long. He was calm again in no time, though the irritating thoughts still crossed his mind now and again. After all, he was sure it wasn't over. They would all gather together again and try to force a leader upon themselves at some point or another. It was just a matter of time.
Jove shut the door of the Captain's room behind him as he stepped in, opposite of their bedrooms. He figured that since the Commander had left angrily, convinced that he had that the willpower and the mental fortitude needed to collect three separate armies on three different worlds and then manage to deliver them all to Usin to save the planet, he wouldn't mind if Jove searched his abandoned room for valuables. Jove saw that the Commander had unpacked nearly nothing, the only belongings taken out of their case being silk bedsheets and cover of red. Jove walked past the sheets and onto the large unopened chest in the corner of the room. Jove tried to open and saw it was locked. He pulled out his blade and quickly chipped the large rusted lock open, falling down from the chest as it did. Jove pushed the chest open and quickly moved through the first layer of shirts, pants, and robes Malkini kept neatly folded on top. Beneath those Jove found various books and logs, which he looked through interestingly. One in particular caught Jove's eye, a massive brown book of leather, carved on its front the words Old Kings Log. Jove opened the old book quickly, its base cracking as he did. "September twenty-first, nineteen ninety," Jove read aloud, his figure following the words on the paper as he did. "I have tracked down the... Phoenix basin...." Jove's words got muddled as he read, and he read on, until the end of the page. Jove closed the book with a smug smile, and quickly threw it onto the bed. "This is my room, and all of Malkini's documents will be mine now," He said in a self satisfied tone. In the corner of his eye he noticed that the space outside had been replaced by blue sky. Jove was then greeted by a loud bump that went throughout the ship. "Thats why I should be flying during descent," He muttered, before making his way toward the Pilots cabin. Jove steered the ship down over the morning waters, ahead of them a small wooden port with sailing ships lined up on it, with a few storehouses and shops and huts right of the docks, to the left there were clear green hills, on one a black ship slightly larger that theirs stood. Jove aimed at the hills and landed the ship down slowly. Jove quickly pushed his chair out and made his way to the kitchen. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived," He said as he past through the kitchen, to all the Knights who had gathered there. Jove quickly opened the door on the side of the ship and slide down onto the hill. The grass was tall and in the wind it blew into his arms violently. Ahead of him, in front of the other ship, stood five other Knights. On a rock sat Oseal, his white cape covering him completely.
"Well ,it's about time!" Sentrius exclaimed. Walking out of the side door onto the field, Sentrius exclaimed. "Finally, we get to explain our side of the story!" Sentrius smiled, walking outside to the five Knights that greeted them. Giving an angered stare to Oseal as they passed, Sentrius greeted the Knights awaiting before them. "Greetings sirs!" Sentrius said loudly, saluting as he spoke. He then awaited for one of them to address him.
"Er-what?" Sentrius asked. "Oh, I get it...You mean you thought we died when you detonated the charges!" Turning to look at Genral Roka, Sentrius frowned. "We had set up camp while General Yoff's troops attacked the village," he explained, folding his hands behind his back while pacing back and forth. "You see the good General didn't think we were up to the task and we had to stay behind. As we watched the attack from afar, we all saw a huge explosion coming form the site. We raced there as fast as we could. We only saw one survivor. A young village girl. As we had searched for the bomb, Commander Malkini reported a ship escaping. And guess who it belonged to...?"
Sentrius pointed directly at Oseal. "It had to be Oseal! His escape was too quick! How was he able to escape so fast if he wasn't at the village and he wasn't with us! Where else could he be? Sitting from afar, planning our demise, that's what! So, right now I'd like to have this traitor tried on court for treason, murder and attempted murder. Seeing as he obviously planned to kill us!"
Sentrius pointed directly at Oseal. "It had to be Oseal! His escape was too quick! How was he able to escape so fast if he wasn't at the village and he wasn't with us! Where else could he be? Sitting from afar, planning our demise, that's what! So, right now I'd like to have this traitor tried on court for treason, murder and attempted murder. Seeing as he obviously planned to kill us!"
"I was sent by the General to escort a bomb crew down the tunnels, when they arrived at the explosives I decided that I would return to Roka," Oseal replied. "Hours later during my flight I heard the news. And if Commander Malkini has accusations against me, where is he to say them?"
"You...er...Well, Commander Malkini told us we would be tried for treason and he left us to gather Knights from other worlds to gather support as he feels something dangerous is stirring up in the horizon. As our Commanding officer ,we have nothing but full confidence in his actions."
Xeroux folded his arms rolling his eyes, "Great job Sentrius...don't you know to never give all the information out at once? Shouting out we're innocent before Roka even speaks makes us look all the more guilty...Maybe taking matters into my own hands is what needs to happen. I will not see them rot in prison, they are the only ones who can collect evidence to support our story and innocence."
He stepped forward, butterflies in his gut. "Commander..." He began, hands raising slowly into the air. He swallowed and continued. "It was me sir. I set the explosives off with a detonator from our campsite. I dropped it in the fires that were burning through the rubble. My squad had nothing to do with this."
He looked at his team's shocked faces. "You see the night after our mission, General Yoff allowed the legions their spoils of war. Not feeling like partaking, I and my squad camped out by the nearby river. Once everyone had gone to sleep, I went to the explosives and rigged the device. I made sure Oseal and his team were gone before reactivating the devices. Once my squad woke, I felt it was the most opportune time to get the bastards that had raped and killed innocent people. A sort of purging you could say..."
He stopped, looking into Roka's eyes, shocked by his own ability to fabricate such a lie. Though to call it a lie would be in itself a lie. He had thought of the plan while going to sleep and screams of terror filled the air. He had wanted to kill them all so badly, but of course he really hadn't. He could never turn against his own side no matter how much he disagreed with an order.
"So please don't punish them. It's me you want."
He stepped forward, butterflies in his gut. "Commander..." He began, hands raising slowly into the air. He swallowed and continued. "It was me sir. I set the explosives off with a detonator from our campsite. I dropped it in the fires that were burning through the rubble. My squad had nothing to do with this."
He looked at his team's shocked faces. "You see the night after our mission, General Yoff allowed the legions their spoils of war. Not feeling like partaking, I and my squad camped out by the nearby river. Once everyone had gone to sleep, I went to the explosives and rigged the device. I made sure Oseal and his team were gone before reactivating the devices. Once my squad woke, I felt it was the most opportune time to get the bastards that had raped and killed innocent people. A sort of purging you could say..."
He stopped, looking into Roka's eyes, shocked by his own ability to fabricate such a lie. Though to call it a lie would be in itself a lie. He had thought of the plan while going to sleep and screams of terror filled the air. He had wanted to kill them all so badly, but of course he really hadn't. He could never turn against his own side no matter how much he disagreed with an order.
"So please don't punish them. It's me you want."
Sentrius was surprised that Xeroix would say such a thing. All he'd said to help them defend themselves and he just going to say this now? After a moment of silence, he merely shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, you heard the traitor. I would ask you guys to let him off easy, seeing as he is one of my squad members and all...But his actions are, quite frankly, appalling." Sentrius turned back and walked towards the rest of the group, shaking his head, saying, "Who would've thought? One of our own squad guilty of this...this treason!"
"Not just one squad member..." Loki began with a sigh, turning his head, unable to look the others straight-on. "Xeroux wasn't alone. I--...I helped him plan it all out. I just got so..so -angry- at the soldiers, I-I couldn't help myself." Loki's fists clenched until his knuckles turned white and his voice grew darker, his eyes clouding over slightly. "I wanted them to suffer...All of them. They had -no right- to do what they did to the innocents in that village! They ruined everyone's lives!" Suddenly closing his eyes, Loki took a deep breath. The knight then looked over to Xeroux, offering a short, light nod. "So if you don't punish me...don't punish him. I'm just as guilty as he is."
The old man with a young face glanced from Loki to Xeroux with cloud blue eyes. He had been silent since their arrival and finally, after their confessions, he gave out a sigh. "I am... disappointed," Roka muttered, pulling a blade from his side effortlessly. "Will you stand down for the crimes of murder and treason?"
Xeroux Gulped, afraid he'd just walked himself and Loki into a quick death without trial.
"Sir." He said, falling to one knee. Please, allow Loki to be imprisoned, as a lesson to others with such intentions as we. I shall take the blade and be punished for our actions on pain of death. He needn't suffer the same end. Having someone to show for the crimes committed helps put others mind's at ease."
He prayed the commander would listen to him, giving Loki a chance to be found innocent, even if he himself never received the luxury.
"That...that is my final wish, sir."
He bowed his head low, waiting for the commander's reply, followed shortly by the cold steel of his blade. Tears built up in his eyes as the thoughts of all the lost opportunities flashed by in his mind. But being Knight meant being valiant, and brave. He'd rather his squad go on living innocent then rot in jail for a crime they did not commit. This was his destiny, he figured, gritting his teeth and accepting the situation, and he was going to fulfill it, even if he didn't want to. Perhaps his creator had a bigger purpose waiting in the after life for him....if there was an afterlife.
"Sir." He said, falling to one knee. Please, allow Loki to be imprisoned, as a lesson to others with such intentions as we. I shall take the blade and be punished for our actions on pain of death. He needn't suffer the same end. Having someone to show for the crimes committed helps put others mind's at ease."
He prayed the commander would listen to him, giving Loki a chance to be found innocent, even if he himself never received the luxury.
"That...that is my final wish, sir."
He bowed his head low, waiting for the commander's reply, followed shortly by the cold steel of his blade. Tears built up in his eyes as the thoughts of all the lost opportunities flashed by in his mind. But being Knight meant being valiant, and brave. He'd rather his squad go on living innocent then rot in jail for a crime they did not commit. This was his destiny, he figured, gritting his teeth and accepting the situation, and he was going to fulfill it, even if he didn't want to. Perhaps his creator had a bigger purpose waiting in the after life for him....if there was an afterlife.
With not a word or change in expression, Nai listened with an apathetic look on her face. Sentrius was obviously failing at defending them. He could give reasoning of why they weren't guilty, find loopholes as to why Oseal was guilty (Although she still wasn't too sure of it herself), or even keep his voice steady. No wonder he wasn't a cultural and diplomacy knight. She would have at least liked to have him present a good case. Maybe he wasn't as good an ally as she had thought.
As two of her squadmates took the blame for the rest, Nai couldn't help but think it wasn't the best choice. It could work in Sentrius' favor, although at the moment she wished he didn't for his stupid remarks, and it couldn't. Now it seemed it didn't work in anyone's.
"Wait," Nai interjected, calm and collected although her eyes conveyed the panic she suddenly felt, "You can't really believe them, can you? I know they admitted to it but how do you know they're not lying about this? We were all upset about this! Word of mouth is never reliable and there aren't even witnesses or anything. Besides, these men aren't capable of doing anything of the sort. From the personalities they have shown, they wouldn't have done anything to hurt the villagers and considering the army was with them at the moment, they couldn't have set off those bombs. Besides, the handbook states there must be a trial isn't that right Sentrius? Oseal, you know who the cuplrit is don't you?"
Nai's hands were shaking, not wanting to see another unfair execution. SHe tried to think of anything else that could help but her mind was suddenly drawing blanks.
As two of her squadmates took the blame for the rest, Nai couldn't help but think it wasn't the best choice. It could work in Sentrius' favor, although at the moment she wished he didn't for his stupid remarks, and it couldn't. Now it seemed it didn't work in anyone's.
"Wait," Nai interjected, calm and collected although her eyes conveyed the panic she suddenly felt, "You can't really believe them, can you? I know they admitted to it but how do you know they're not lying about this? We were all upset about this! Word of mouth is never reliable and there aren't even witnesses or anything. Besides, these men aren't capable of doing anything of the sort. From the personalities they have shown, they wouldn't have done anything to hurt the villagers and considering the army was with them at the moment, they couldn't have set off those bombs. Besides, the handbook states there must be a trial isn't that right Sentrius? Oseal, you know who the cuplrit is don't you?"
Nai's hands were shaking, not wanting to see another unfair execution. SHe tried to think of anything else that could help but her mind was suddenly drawing blanks.
Roka glanced up, at Nai's words, "True, there must be at trial. But at trial can only take place on one of two worlds right now, and that is the Capima Islands and Bao... and we are a bit short of both of those, you see." Roka took a step towards Xeroux, who had gone onto his knees, waiting for his death. Roka outstretched a silver-plated hand. "Get up, Sir Knight tactician," He spoke gently. "I accept your confession but I do not legitimize it. I cannot legitimize it. When I leave this world if all of us cannot think of a more logical reason of how the attack could of gone I will take you two Knights red and blue to Capima, to the city of Sor where you will be tried in front of the Knight council. Then your innocents will be determined. Oseal, what does she mean, you know who did it?"
"I don't," Oseal said, glancing to the side. "I'd suspect Malkini or one of them, maybe not the ones who confessed but... one of them, its quite likely."
"I don't," Oseal said, glancing to the side. "I'd suspect Malkini or one of them, maybe not the ones who confessed but... one of them, its quite likely."
"It's quite a shame that these two knights from are own squad are the culprits in this reprehensible crime," Sentrius spat. "General Roka, I trust that the rest of us will be called on to speak at the trial?"
Xeroux sighed happily taking Roka's hand, and standing. He bowed low.
"I await my trial. Until then, what is to become of me and my squad mate here?" He gestured to Loki. Not quite ready to give up the act.
Suddenly something came to him, Oseal's suspecting Malkini did not anger him, a memory of that morning came to him. Malkini had emerged from his tent, followed by both a Gold Knight and a village woman. When had they joined him, where was the Gold Knight that had slept in and presumably with, Malkini?
He wasn't ready to suspect his own commander, but he did have a motive for doing it, starting a war on the world, where he'd come with legions of Knights to both avenge those that were slaughtered, and to revel in the glory of saving the world of Usin. It was a perfect motive, and he had to of left the camp site sometime after everyone had gone to sleep...his sudden exit and pushing them to go to Roka instead of escaping and devising a new plan seemed so obvious as a way for himself to escape clean.
Xeroux cursed himself for not seeing it sooner. He clenched his fists, unable to believe his own commander could think so lowly of them as to frame them, kill legionaries and a General all in the name of gaining his lost glory back...it was so twisted. The fact that he was so eager to launch total war also solidified the theory.
His anger only mounted hearing Sentrius's words. He really was so quick to believe they had done it. "When this is all over with, we will need to have some team bonding...maybe putting on the proper armor doesn't seem like such a bad idea now, at least then Sentrius would know what he was dealing with..." He hated having such thoughts about his own team mate, but the man had pushed him over the edge, not even thinking that He and Loki were lying to save not only his butt but the rest of their team's as well. "Oh well, someday he'll understand. 'There's no use getting angry with ignorant people, instead, teach them. Ignorance is often not the fault of the person, but their upbringing, so help them open their mind to new ideas, rather than thinking lowly of them or abandoning them, they are the people that need you most...' Grandmother, I wish you were here, you'd now what to do..." He looked down at his dusty boots, ready to end this whole ordeal
"I await my trial. Until then, what is to become of me and my squad mate here?" He gestured to Loki. Not quite ready to give up the act.
Suddenly something came to him, Oseal's suspecting Malkini did not anger him, a memory of that morning came to him. Malkini had emerged from his tent, followed by both a Gold Knight and a village woman. When had they joined him, where was the Gold Knight that had slept in and presumably with, Malkini?
He wasn't ready to suspect his own commander, but he did have a motive for doing it, starting a war on the world, where he'd come with legions of Knights to both avenge those that were slaughtered, and to revel in the glory of saving the world of Usin. It was a perfect motive, and he had to of left the camp site sometime after everyone had gone to sleep...his sudden exit and pushing them to go to Roka instead of escaping and devising a new plan seemed so obvious as a way for himself to escape clean.
Xeroux cursed himself for not seeing it sooner. He clenched his fists, unable to believe his own commander could think so lowly of them as to frame them, kill legionaries and a General all in the name of gaining his lost glory back...it was so twisted. The fact that he was so eager to launch total war also solidified the theory.
His anger only mounted hearing Sentrius's words. He really was so quick to believe they had done it. "When this is all over with, we will need to have some team bonding...maybe putting on the proper armor doesn't seem like such a bad idea now, at least then Sentrius would know what he was dealing with..." He hated having such thoughts about his own team mate, but the man had pushed him over the edge, not even thinking that He and Loki were lying to save not only his butt but the rest of their team's as well. "Oh well, someday he'll understand. 'There's no use getting angry with ignorant people, instead, teach them. Ignorance is often not the fault of the person, but their upbringing, so help them open their mind to new ideas, rather than thinking lowly of them or abandoning them, they are the people that need you most...' Grandmother, I wish you were here, you'd now what to do..." He looked down at his dusty boots, ready to end this whole ordeal
"You and your teammate will be under the watch of my team leader, Black Knight J. Tailor," Roka explained. Beside him ran up a man in black armor, different then Kazuki's as his was made of leather and cloth. "You are free to wonder the camp while I go into the ship and take care of some personal matters," Roka explained. "Then you and your team will accompany me, Oseal, and Tailor on the mission we were sent to do here. Then we shall return to Capima and you will receive a proper trial."
"How long will you be on your ship, old man?" Jove asked, biting into an apple he had picked up by Oseal. Roka smiled, "Long enough, Sir Knight. Long enough." And with that, Roka turned and began to march towards his ship, his ruby cape cutting through the air as he did.
"How long will you be on your ship, old man?" Jove asked, biting into an apple he had picked up by Oseal. Roka smiled, "Long enough, Sir Knight. Long enough." And with that, Roka turned and began to march towards his ship, his ruby cape cutting through the air as he did.
"Understood.: He said, saluting the General as he walked back to his ship. The Black Armored Knight stood by his side, vigilant in his duties, and more than qualified to perform guard duty.
"I'm sorry your skills must be wasted on such a thing as guard duty Sir Knight..."
"I'm sorry your skills must be wasted on such a thing as guard duty Sir Knight..."
"Oh I don't know," Tailor said with a smile. "I found so far that the hardest job by far has been guard duty. The rest of the time we've been talking or just sitting around, prime example there." His figure pointed over to Oseal, who continued to rest on the large rock. "He's a good kid, you know. I don't think he'd do something like that to the Legions."
"Hey Tailor," Oseal said, jumping off the rock and making his way over. "You mind if I had a minute with our guarded friends?"
"No problem, Oran," Tailor said, making his way toward a pitched tent. Oseal turned to Xeroux, his face stern. "So... here we are."
"Hey Tailor," Oseal said, jumping off the rock and making his way over. "You mind if I had a minute with our guarded friends?"
"No problem, Oran," Tailor said, making his way toward a pitched tent. Oseal turned to Xeroux, his face stern. "So... here we are."
"Yeah, so I suppose we have to wait along with them?" Sentrius asked, disapprovingly. Though the look on his face remained sour, he was actually quite pleased. Everything was sorted out in the end, and the traitors were revealed, though it was quite unfortunate it had to be members of his own team. Of course...there was the off chance that Nai was right and they were lying to save the rest of the team's skin. But, of course, that'd be a stupid thing to do. What self respecting Knight Elite would sacrifice his or her career like that? Certainly not Sentrius.
Xeroux returned Oseal's look, and folded his arms.
"So we are. Something on your mind?"
He shifted his weight onto his back foot, sizing up the White Knight. Lauren crossed his mind, and the skills Oseal had would come in handy to help her, but that was a matter for another White Knight should Oseal be found guilty.
"So we are. Something on your mind?"
He shifted his weight onto his back foot, sizing up the White Knight. Lauren crossed his mind, and the skills Oseal had would come in handy to help her, but that was a matter for another White Knight should Oseal be found guilty.
"I have a question for you Xeroux, why would you claim to have set the explosives?" Oseal asked. "And are you aware of any... factions that would benefit your personal gain if you had set off the explosives?"
"I claim it because its true. And as far as doing it for personal gain, you can forget that. If i had a factions motives in mind, and something to gain, why would I turn my self in?"
He felt sweat drip down his back as the midday sun burned overhead. He wasn't going to let his story slip, not until they could be proven 100% innocent. Until then, he was the one who killed the Legions and General Yoff.
He felt sweat drip down his back as the midday sun burned overhead. He wasn't going to let his story slip, not until they could be proven 100% innocent. Until then, he was the one who killed the Legions and General Yoff.
"Of course you wouldnt," Oseal said. "I just you realize you can't take credit for something you didn't do, and a certain faction we both know nothing of will not believe you did something just because you claim you did. I hope you understand that, Xeroux, and the rest of Malkini's team."
Jove watched Oseal talk with great interest. He acted as though they knew something that they did not.
Jove watched Oseal talk with great interest. He acted as though they knew something that they did not.
"I would think the faction, should they be near, would be speaking up right about now, or trying to kill me as we speak. Unless of course, you're close to this faction. You speak as if you do know who they are and what their reasoning was. As a white knight you only show your expertise in medical fields, diplomacy and weapons expertise not to mention an enemies strategy are fields you show now physical rankings in."
He looked over to see Jove's expression, "You seem to feel the same way, don't you, Jove?" He puts his hands by his side. "Look, tell us what you know. It'll be better for everyone if you did. Perhaps, because you give information, you'll be charged with a lesser crime, assuming you are somehow associated with this nameless/unknown faction."
He looked over to see Jove's expression, "You seem to feel the same way, don't you, Jove?" He puts his hands by his side. "Look, tell us what you know. It'll be better for everyone if you did. Perhaps, because you give information, you'll be charged with a lesser crime, assuming you are somehow associated with this nameless/unknown faction."
"Are we ready?" Roka called, interrupting Oseal's response. The Knight Commander made his way toward the group, followed by Tailor. "We will be heading through the grasslands for a dozen minutes or so. Are you all ready and armed?"
"Ready and armed, sir!" Sentrius saluted. "And might I say it is an honor to serve in your squadron, sir! You're one of the many Knights who has set a great example for me and plenty of other aspiring Knight Elites everywhere."
Nai sighed, wrapping up her thoughts on the recent events. After Oseal named another suspect, she had thought over what had happened that very morning. Her respect for Malkini had admittedly taken a little damage but she needed facts, not accusations and assumptions to down it any more. She was just relieved Loki and Xeroux still had their heads, thankful the two had tried to save the others but admitting it was a little stupid. Sentrius was getting on her nerves though, considering he had turned his back so quickly on them. If there was one thing Nai hated was people who turned on someone the instant the situation got bad. It was despicable, well to her anyway.
"Ready," Nai chirped with a smile, going for a simple salute instead of her usual bow. With a pat, she made sure her sword was still on her, smiling at its familiar weight and security
"Ready," Nai chirped with a smile, going for a simple salute instead of her usual bow. With a pat, she made sure her sword was still on her, smiling at its familiar weight and security
"Yes Sir." Xeroux stated dryly, bowing low to the benevolent General. He didn't know much about Roka, just the vibe he gave, and the look in his eyes were enough to allow the young Knight to trust him. Somewhere inside, he felt Roka accepted his and Loki's story just so they could move on with the mission, he didn't actually believe they did it. From what he was gathering, Oseal said nothing to Roka about them. The most Roka knew before they had arrived was that every one was killed. Perhaps Oseal thought they were with the others, not expecting them to survive.
He looked up to Sentrius. "I'm sorry to betray you sir Knight, and I apologize for any anger I have caused you." He didn't hate the Knight, he was just doing what he felt right, and that was to hate traitors, Xeroux would have done the same thing in the end. Perhaps not against a team mate, but a traitor none the less.
He looked up to Sentrius. "I'm sorry to betray you sir Knight, and I apologize for any anger I have caused you." He didn't hate the Knight, he was just doing what he felt right, and that was to hate traitors, Xeroux would have done the same thing in the end. Perhaps not against a team mate, but a traitor none the less.
Loki quietly followed along beside Xeroux, though he didn't copy his fellow knight's actions. He never made eye-contact with any of the others, sometimes pretending he was lost in his thoughts, sometimes really losing his focus as his mind traveled. He wouldn't bow his head or apologize to anyone, not to the commander and especially not to Sentrius. Loki couldn't believe that he actually believed he and Xeroux were guilty. He hadn't really liked Sentrius in the first place, but that was just frustrating, especially with how quickly they turned on him. He could only hope the knight was playing along, though it didn't seem like it.
'You know, I'm surprised they haven't taken our weapons...' Loki silently remarked, his left hand resting on the hilt of his sword. If the commander had really believed they had truly done what they claimed to do, wouldn't they be worried about them being hostile?
'You know, I'm surprised they haven't taken our weapons...' Loki silently remarked, his left hand resting on the hilt of his sword. If the commander had really believed they had truly done what they claimed to do, wouldn't they be worried about them being hostile?
"Save you apologies for the court," Sentrius sneered, shaking his head at Xeroux and Loki. "But, hey, you know what they say...if you do the crime you do the time. And a war crime like you two pulled off will get ya a lot of time. It's sad that you would turn to such drastic measures even in what you felt was an injustice. But now you can only pray that the justice system is more lenient."
"Come then, don't fall behind," Roka called as they walked. He had placed a brown cloak around his armor, letting only his gold plated hands and collar visable from beneath its weathered cotton. He walked on trough the hills until the sun began to lower towards the hilled horizon. Roka's march did not pause as they continued. "Nearly there, are we?" Jove asked tiredly.
"Nearly, Sir Knight," Roka said with a smile as they continued on. "Why, are you spirits sore?"
"My soles sore more like it," Jove muttered. "Why? Do you have some concoction that raises spirits in your pack?"
"No I do not, but I've found song has a similar effect on the spirit," Roka said as they began to walk down another hill. And then, as if he was confident a song, a song well sung, could in fact raise their spirits, Roka began to sing gently.
"Oh suns that come again for all,
For all see its rising,
Suns can see the triumphs, falls, again.
Oh Sor your holy city shines,
Its heart devalued,
For the men who watch it lie, again.
Far north the god shunned Pahlies march,
Far north your Knights and armies march,
Far north your holy system gains,
All the while we have them... to blame.
Oh march on Legions of the blade,
Your swiftly falling,
With the whole empire as your... weight."
"Poem for a Legion Girl," Tailor whispered as they walked.
"Cleary," Jove replied unamused.
"No, sir Knight, that's the title, Poem for a Legion Girl," Roka explained. "When we marched on Kiris during the war with Neah, they say the Neahians sang it to the troops that marched through the icy capital. The story goes a Neahian villager fell in love with a Legion girl when they took his village. He went on a grand adventure through the icy world, meeting many friends and foes in the process, but always remembering his Legion girl. He came to the city at long last and found that the Neahians were discouraging the war and the Sorillian Legionaries. In response the boy began to sing his poem, and soon the streets joined him. I've taken that song as a personal anthem of sorts."
"Have you ever been to Kiris, Commander?" Jove asked.
Roka glanced down at the question. "Yes, Sir Knight. Indeed I have."
"What about Neah?" Oseal asked, lighting a small brown cigarette as the sky above them became darker and darker.
"No, never Neah," Roka replied. "Lets move on. We're nearly there."
"Nearly, Sir Knight," Roka said with a smile as they continued on. "Why, are you spirits sore?"
"My soles sore more like it," Jove muttered. "Why? Do you have some concoction that raises spirits in your pack?"
"No I do not, but I've found song has a similar effect on the spirit," Roka said as they began to walk down another hill. And then, as if he was confident a song, a song well sung, could in fact raise their spirits, Roka began to sing gently.
"Oh suns that come again for all,
For all see its rising,
Suns can see the triumphs, falls, again.
Oh Sor your holy city shines,
Its heart devalued,
For the men who watch it lie, again.
Far north the god shunned Pahlies march,
Far north your Knights and armies march,
Far north your holy system gains,
All the while we have them... to blame.
Oh march on Legions of the blade,
Your swiftly falling,
With the whole empire as your... weight."
"Poem for a Legion Girl," Tailor whispered as they walked.
"Cleary," Jove replied unamused.
"No, sir Knight, that's the title, Poem for a Legion Girl," Roka explained. "When we marched on Kiris during the war with Neah, they say the Neahians sang it to the troops that marched through the icy capital. The story goes a Neahian villager fell in love with a Legion girl when they took his village. He went on a grand adventure through the icy world, meeting many friends and foes in the process, but always remembering his Legion girl. He came to the city at long last and found that the Neahians were discouraging the war and the Sorillian Legionaries. In response the boy began to sing his poem, and soon the streets joined him. I've taken that song as a personal anthem of sorts."
"Have you ever been to Kiris, Commander?" Jove asked.
Roka glanced down at the question. "Yes, Sir Knight. Indeed I have."
"What about Neah?" Oseal asked, lighting a small brown cigarette as the sky above them became darker and darker.
"No, never Neah," Roka replied. "Lets move on. We're nearly there."
"So what kind of mission are we heading towards sir?" Sentrius asked. "Heavy combat? Recon? I have studied a bit of special ops myself sir!" Sentrius explained to Roka. "It's just that...well due to the unfortunate circumstances of our last mission...I haven't seen any real action on the field."
"Consider yourself lucky. Some Commander's have already lost Knights in combat, Sir Tetran," Roka said as they continued on. "It'll be a bit of heavy combat no doubt, but against one single opponent. I hope you are prepared... for anything."
"oh, I'm prepared all right!" Sentrius nodded. "I've handled millions of situations like these back in Mt. Ravin. Worse, in fact...I remember this one time we were surrounded by swarm of giant cave bats. Had to fend ourselves armed with only our wit and a really big rock."
"Sir Knight, we are not in a cave, and Master Sogani is not a swarm of bats," Roka said with extreme distaste for Sentrius.
"Yeah, I know, but I've studied many situations like these before hand," Sentrius assured, though sounding slightly less formal than he had earlier."I know how to handle myself in a combat situation. And with all due respect sir, there were a lot of bats."
"Sir Knight, this is not a study, and Master Sogani is not a situation," Roka said with extreme distaste for Sentrius.
Xeroux listened as the Red Knight and General went back and forth, unable to take Sentrius' bragging, he stepped forward.
"Who is this, Master Sogani?" He asked, ready to learn more about the mission they were now a part of.
"Who is this, Master Sogani?" He asked, ready to learn more about the mission they were now a part of.
"Master Sogani is a woman me and my former team mate Commander Dragoon encountered long ago. She was in the swamps of Bao, calling herself a witch. Dragoon, I, and another went to her in search of information for a mission we were on. We were trying to locate someone, you see. When we got there she gave us a game of riddles, if we passed she would tell us what we needed to know, if not she would eat us, she said. Dragoon in his intellect figured out all the riddles, and at the end she gave us one with no answer, and Dragoon figured that out too. She tried to create a no win scenario, and so we attacked. As we drew our blades she sent fire at us, and at the end of the battle, she escaped, burning half the swamp life as she did. Now, nearly thirty years later, there have been reports that shes living in a house here on the prairie. Shes a phoenix, Sir Knight."
"Understood, sir!" Sentrius nodded, in the middle of Roka's explanation. "I can almost feel the danger in the air. Let me at 'er! I can take her on all by myself!" Sentrius add, punching his fist in the air as if fighting an invisible enemy. "With me around, she won't know what hit her! And...waitaminute...did you say Phoenix? Really? I thought they had all took their cowardly hides into hiding considering the ass kicking the Knights gave them years ago."
"Sir Knight, this is not years ago, and Master Sogani is not a coward," Roka said with extreme distaste for Sentrius.
His eyes looked over his shoulder at their Black Knight. [i] "So is he...though he hasn't come out and said it..."[i]
"I'm afraid I cannot understand the fight we have taken up against the remaining members of the Phoenix tribe...they haven't attacked the Knights in years...I understand this incident goes back many years ago, but remember, it was you and Dragoon that ventured to find her...you could have skipped that whole ordeal if you had searched elsewhere for the information you sought."
He stopped, thinking he was saying to much for an imprisoned man, he really needed to stop contradicting high ranking officers. It may have worked in his favor with Yoff, but Roka was a different man.
"I apologize for speaking out of turn, sir."
"I'm afraid I cannot understand the fight we have taken up against the remaining members of the Phoenix tribe...they haven't attacked the Knights in years...I understand this incident goes back many years ago, but remember, it was you and Dragoon that ventured to find her...you could have skipped that whole ordeal if you had searched elsewhere for the information you sought."
He stopped, thinking he was saying to much for an imprisoned man, he really needed to stop contradicting high ranking officers. It may have worked in his favor with Yoff, but Roka was a different man.
"I apologize for speaking out of turn, sir."
Roka sighed, "Do you know of the old gods? The gods the Helexicon worshiped? There was nothing holy about them, they were men with powers, with all the emotions of men, all the jealousy and rage. Anything that happened, any war, any battle, was determined by the gods, not because one side was good and one evil, but because of the whim of their gods. That is what the Phoenix are, men with power. A fair world cannot exist with them, because for everyone that is peaceful, their sons or daughters may be warlords. A final solution had to have been put into effect. If you are from the North your understanding may be a bit skewed, but if you are from the south... well, lets just say many families ceased to exist under the reign of the Phoenix Knights."
"I apologize again, sir."
He bowed low. He wasn't really in the mood to continue the conversation, his mother had been a Phoenix, but his father loved her all the same. Though Xeroux was unable to even know his mother, he still missed her and often wondered what she was like and what power she might have had. His father never spoke of her...it was to painful for him and Xeroux never pressed the matter.
"Commander...what if there are Phoenix's in other areas of the universe? I mean ones that are different than the ones we are used too? Phoenix's we cant tell from ordinary people?"
He sighed, rubbing his forehead, the walk must be getting to him he figured. The idea of any other type of Phoenix was silly.
He bowed low. He wasn't really in the mood to continue the conversation, his mother had been a Phoenix, but his father loved her all the same. Though Xeroux was unable to even know his mother, he still missed her and often wondered what she was like and what power she might have had. His father never spoke of her...it was to painful for him and Xeroux never pressed the matter.
"Commander...what if there are Phoenix's in other areas of the universe? I mean ones that are different than the ones we are used too? Phoenix's we cant tell from ordinary people?"
He sighed, rubbing his forehead, the walk must be getting to him he figured. The idea of any other type of Phoenix was silly.
"In Wild Space, we launched attacks, many of the Prism territories, around five years ago. Communities of Phoenix's had gathered there. I'm not sure if they were... different, I wasn't involved," Roka muttered, his gaze fixed on the ground ahead of him. "Of course, there are tales of Phoenix's living beneath our noses. When you go on adventure to strange and... very untouched places you hear things, names like RetLaw, titles and such, rumors, myths. I don't know if any look different though."
The prism region sparked his interest.
"Sir, if I'm not Mistaken the "Prism Region" is an area consisting of four planets. Three with the same level of Technology and knowledge of the other worlds, and one final world that is shrouded in mystery and myths. One one continent out of two is up to the same level of Technology as us. The other one is even hazy, some say you can see if from space, but once you descend into the atmosphere, the land mass vanishes...There is a special group of Knights there as well that while not with us, they work with us if necessary."
He paused, "While I haven't heard of the battle fought in the region, I am aware that a Knight academy is in the works there, under the ward of the Guardians of Laurenska that protect the fourth world. I wish to visit there someday, I hear its beautiful."
"Sir, if I'm not Mistaken the "Prism Region" is an area consisting of four planets. Three with the same level of Technology and knowledge of the other worlds, and one final world that is shrouded in mystery and myths. One one continent out of two is up to the same level of Technology as us. The other one is even hazy, some say you can see if from space, but once you descend into the atmosphere, the land mass vanishes...There is a special group of Knights there as well that while not with us, they work with us if necessary."
He paused, "While I haven't heard of the battle fought in the region, I am aware that a Knight academy is in the works there, under the ward of the Guardians of Laurenska that protect the fourth world. I wish to visit there someday, I hear its beautiful."
"They are not barbarians, true. But us staying there, and least of all starting an academy, is very unlikely," Roka muttered. "At the time being we must move west, into the Dark worlds. If we could find a reason to start a war there and invade we would have our expansion territory picked out perfectly. The north is a lost cause. If we get it we give Ulfire another reason to attack. The west, that's where our future lies. I can guarantee you that."
"Ahead," Oseal said, pointing to an large house of stone on the hill.
"We have arrived," Roka said solemnly.
"Ahead," Oseal said, pointing to an large house of stone on the hill.
"We have arrived," Roka said solemnly.
"If you ask me all of this Phoenix magic stuff is just a bunch of cheap parlor tricks," Sentrius snorted. "They may have been tough enemies when organized in the past, but now? They're scattered throughout the worlds hiding it out, worried that heaping helping of justice will be dispensed upon them."
"Sir Knight, this is not a parlor, and the Phoenix are not tricks," Roka said with extreme distaste for Sentrius.
"It'd be interesting to see what that system produces in the near future...I'm thinking great things, and great people...A new generation of young warriors and diplomats that travel the stars looking to be a part of our systems..."
He couldn't help but smile. The thought of battle with a warrior from a lawless sector, the way it used to be long before long distance space travel...autonomous planets each governing themselves. It all seemed so, Romantic.
Oseal's comment on their arrival changed his mindset from day dreaming to the mission.
He couldn't help but smile. The thought of battle with a warrior from a lawless sector, the way it used to be long before long distance space travel...autonomous planets each governing themselves. It all seemed so, Romantic.
Oseal's comment on their arrival changed his mindset from day dreaming to the mission.
"An organization of heroes with a leader from Wild Space?" Roka chuckled bitterly. "I doubt I'll live to see the day."
"Commander, how should we proceed?" Tailor asked.
Roka gave a smile, "Through the front door, of course."
"Commander, how should we proceed?" Tailor asked.
Roka gave a smile, "Through the front door, of course."
"Yeah, I doubt anything of the sort would happen," Sentrius shrugged, drawing out his weapons. "So are we going to hunt this so called 'phoenix' or what?"
"Anything's a possibility really if you think about it," Nai commented in response to the organization idea. As the conversation she had been listening to, with increasing regret of having Sentrius as an ally, turned to this point, she remembered the tales her caregiver had told her every night. There's a lot possible Gareki. Okay, maybe not everything is but if you think about it, many stories of heroes and similar things had to come from somewhere, right? So why wouldn't some of these fairy tales exist? Maybe some tales are just foreshadowing of what's to come.
"And a group of heroes doesn't sound too far out seeing we have powerful beings such as a pheonix," Nai said with a small smile as she continued to follow the others, "And Sentrius, with all due respect, we're not hunting an animal. She's a person... with lots of power. Is an aggresive display really necessary?"
"And a group of heroes doesn't sound too far out seeing we have powerful beings such as a pheonix," Nai said with a small smile as she continued to follow the others, "And Sentrius, with all due respect, we're not hunting an animal. She's a person... with lots of power. Is an aggresive display really necessary?"
"She needs to be taken down," Sentrius stated. "She can use any of her mighty magic tricks to try and get the best of us. But I'm not falling for it. We need to take her out swiftly and efficiently so we can stop her from doing...whatever law-breaking thing she plans on doing! Now, I suggest you all do the same. It always pays to be cautious."
"Sentrius, I do apologize in advance and I mean no offense but, are you even listening? The Commander has already told you she does not use "tricks" as you have so aptly described her powers and you have no idea what she plans. I agree, it pays to be cautious, but its also advisable to not put on such an aggressive front at first. The best offense is often a good defense," Nai replied, wanting to roll her eyes at him, although she did have one hand on her blade in case she needed to pull it out quickly. Then again, she could use it now and take out one annoying hazard...
"Well, I'm sure the Commander is just using a technical term for them," Sentrius said. "And what I know is that we are here to apprehend her for a reason. The Commander said she was dangerous, so this is a precaution. If we're able to attack swiftly, we'll be able to put the cuffs on her without a fuss."
"But if she sees us with our weapons out, wouldn't that tip her off the instant she saw us that we were about to attack? Considering we're going through the front door, I wouldn't say that we're setting up for a sneak attack and if she's as dangerous as the commander tells us, I doubt that even we would be able to do it without a fuss despite the precaution," Nai said, her face completely blank. The mask broke into a small grin as she shrugged, "Then again, that's just my thoughts.."
"Look, all we have to do is open the door ,charge her, and knock her out quickly and efficiently," Sentrius explained. "If she's that powerful, then that's the best way to do it," Sentrius continued, as if his opinion was the only plausible one.
"And you don't think that because she's powerful, she wouldn't have something set up in case someone tried to go in and attack her?" Nai asked, thinking of the different outcomes of the plan, "Like a trap or a defense? If she does, the first person that went charging in to attack her would be vulnerable to her attacks since she'll probably be alarmed by the disturbance. It takes time for us to go in and true, she may be caught off guard, but how much time do you think that buys us? Like a few seconds? She probably uses magic as well so melee weapons would be useless should she have an attack or defense spell or type of magic against it..Its not going to be an easy battle as you believe."
Nai huffed, completely forgetting the others were there. Her eyes burned with irritation and her face was made into a pout. If she had not been so wrapped up in proving Sentrius wrong, she might have remembered that commander Roka could have easily advised them on the plan and what exactly they would be doing to Master Sogani. That the argument was completely pointless because commander Roka was there to guide them and instruct them on how to apprehend the pheonix, if that's what they were really there fof. She would have remembered that she was supposed to hold onto her composure so no one could see what she truly felt, and see a glimpse of who she really was. Lying was hard for her when people saw her without her usual, modified self.
Still, she was distracted and Actress fell apart. Even Puppet was having a hard time keeping composure.
Nai huffed, completely forgetting the others were there. Her eyes burned with irritation and her face was made into a pout. If she had not been so wrapped up in proving Sentrius wrong, she might have remembered that commander Roka could have easily advised them on the plan and what exactly they would be doing to Master Sogani. That the argument was completely pointless because commander Roka was there to guide them and instruct them on how to apprehend the pheonix, if that's what they were really there fof. She would have remembered that she was supposed to hold onto her composure so no one could see what she truly felt, and see a glimpse of who she really was. Lying was hard for her when people saw her without her usual, modified self.
Still, she was distracted and Actress fell apart. Even Puppet was having a hard time keeping composure.
Commander Roka pushed open the gates of the large fence of broken stone and wood surrounding the castle. The rim of the suns light on the distant horizon flew onto his eyes as he approached the door. Without a change of pace he sent a powerful kick into the wooden doors front and it swung to the side violently, Roka immediately walking through as it did, followed by Tailor. Roka paused as he approached a large staircase, doors surrounding him. "Search the first floor, find her," He whispered. Tailor and Oseal gave an immediate nod and rushed off into separate rooms. Jove decided to stay with Sentrius, Nai, Xeroux, and the rest, who stayed with Roka as the two Knights under his commander searched the floor. They quickly returned and shook their heads no. Roka turned slowly towards the staircase and drew his blade. He made his way up, the wood cracking beneath his armored feet as he did. His view saw over the edge of the staircase as they walked up. The top room had many chairs laid out, a small wooden tea table in the center. One chair face away, onto the window that shinned in orange light. A tip of black hair poked from behind the chair. Roka made his way toward the chairs and paused as the women sitting in the chair stood.
"Hello Sir Roka," The women said slowly, her voice crippled and weary. "I thought I'd never see you again."
"Oh don't worry, they made sure I found you again," Roka replied hesitantly. "And its Commander now, actually."
"Never became a General then?" The women asked.
"No I became one of those, after our Commander died I became a Prefect, then a Minor General, then this," Roka said.
"And what about the smart boy, the one with the strong brow? Sir Dragoon?" The women asked.
"Same story, only he skipped the Prefect stage," Roka replied. "Now... you know why I'm here, don't you Master Sogani?"
The women chuckled bitterly, coughing as she did. "Yes Commander I know, I know."
Roka raised his blade quickly. "It will be quick," He said.
"A moment, give me a moment," Sogani muttered, before turning around. Her eyes were black, the white around them red. Her skin was wrinkled and burned, her hair black as ash. She was old and frail, and her movement reflected that. The woman began to make her way passed the chairs, her hand gently pressing on them for support as she went. She was headed for the stairs until the Black Knight Tailor stepped before her, his arms crossed strong. Sogani chuckled and glanced back at Roka. "Brilliant isn't it? The total destruction of Phoenix's," Sogani chuckled. "All to keep the King of Sora in power."
"Sora has no King, we are a republic, not an empire," Roka replied.
"You an empire but you conquer like one," Sogani spat. "Two brilliant laws. The right to civilize. And the right to destroy abominations. One ensured that all war had a permit, all expansion had a reason. The other to keep an enemy outside of yourself."
Roka squinted his eyes, "What do you mean?"
Sogani smiled. "A civilization only prospers when united. To unite you always have to be in the same group, and to keep the same group you need a separate, another. The phoenix's ceased to be a threat long ago, we are not the Phoenix Knights. Yet you insist we are and that we pay for our ancestors crimes. To keep it separate. Sora versus the Phoenix. Us, together, against them. That's how your Kings keep in power."
"Sora has no King," Roka repeated.
"It has Kings," Sogani replied quietly. "Weapons dealers, the heads of orders, the councilmen, the Knight elders. Its Kings are the ones who report to that grand hall in Sor and tell each other what they want, and then they get it. Sor has kings, all fighting each other for control Roka."
Roka was silent, his head glancing down at her words.
Sogani smiled slowly, her teeth black and brown. "I've always liked you Roka. More than Dragoon. You know nothing of darkness, even now, all these years later when we are both old and near the end, you still light. Your still so pure and innocent."
"Not so innocent," Roka replied. "I've killed more men than you could count, or maybe not more than you could count, but many. I'm a Knight, the world needs us."
"And the world needs us," Sogani said. "Let me go, set me free. I'm old and my life is near an end. There is but one evil I still live to fight, it is gathering in the dark worlds as we speak. Let me free, Roka... let me free."
Roka paused, before looking up at her again, his eyes directly to hers. "Sogani... you know I can't do that."
Sogani's eyes flickered. "I know. But it always paid to hope." Suddenly, her hand stretched forward, pushing itself into the chest of Tailor's black armor. Flames began to leap from her hand throughout the armor, and after a second Tailor was blasted back into Jove, a charred hole straight through his chest.
"Attack!" Roka commanded, charging towards Sogani whose hands spouted flames.
"Hello Sir Roka," The women said slowly, her voice crippled and weary. "I thought I'd never see you again."
"Oh don't worry, they made sure I found you again," Roka replied hesitantly. "And its Commander now, actually."
"Never became a General then?" The women asked.
"No I became one of those, after our Commander died I became a Prefect, then a Minor General, then this," Roka said.
"And what about the smart boy, the one with the strong brow? Sir Dragoon?" The women asked.
"Same story, only he skipped the Prefect stage," Roka replied. "Now... you know why I'm here, don't you Master Sogani?"
The women chuckled bitterly, coughing as she did. "Yes Commander I know, I know."
Roka raised his blade quickly. "It will be quick," He said.
"A moment, give me a moment," Sogani muttered, before turning around. Her eyes were black, the white around them red. Her skin was wrinkled and burned, her hair black as ash. She was old and frail, and her movement reflected that. The woman began to make her way passed the chairs, her hand gently pressing on them for support as she went. She was headed for the stairs until the Black Knight Tailor stepped before her, his arms crossed strong. Sogani chuckled and glanced back at Roka. "Brilliant isn't it? The total destruction of Phoenix's," Sogani chuckled. "All to keep the King of Sora in power."
"Sora has no King, we are a republic, not an empire," Roka replied.
"You an empire but you conquer like one," Sogani spat. "Two brilliant laws. The right to civilize. And the right to destroy abominations. One ensured that all war had a permit, all expansion had a reason. The other to keep an enemy outside of yourself."
Roka squinted his eyes, "What do you mean?"
Sogani smiled. "A civilization only prospers when united. To unite you always have to be in the same group, and to keep the same group you need a separate, another. The phoenix's ceased to be a threat long ago, we are not the Phoenix Knights. Yet you insist we are and that we pay for our ancestors crimes. To keep it separate. Sora versus the Phoenix. Us, together, against them. That's how your Kings keep in power."
"Sora has no King," Roka repeated.
"It has Kings," Sogani replied quietly. "Weapons dealers, the heads of orders, the councilmen, the Knight elders. Its Kings are the ones who report to that grand hall in Sor and tell each other what they want, and then they get it. Sor has kings, all fighting each other for control Roka."
Roka was silent, his head glancing down at her words.
Sogani smiled slowly, her teeth black and brown. "I've always liked you Roka. More than Dragoon. You know nothing of darkness, even now, all these years later when we are both old and near the end, you still light. Your still so pure and innocent."
"Not so innocent," Roka replied. "I've killed more men than you could count, or maybe not more than you could count, but many. I'm a Knight, the world needs us."
"And the world needs us," Sogani said. "Let me go, set me free. I'm old and my life is near an end. There is but one evil I still live to fight, it is gathering in the dark worlds as we speak. Let me free, Roka... let me free."
Roka paused, before looking up at her again, his eyes directly to hers. "Sogani... you know I can't do that."
Sogani's eyes flickered. "I know. But it always paid to hope." Suddenly, her hand stretched forward, pushing itself into the chest of Tailor's black armor. Flames began to leap from her hand throughout the armor, and after a second Tailor was blasted back into Jove, a charred hole straight through his chest.
"Attack!" Roka commanded, charging towards Sogani whose hands spouted flames.
"Hoo-hah!" Sentrius exclaimed, placing his shield in front of him. "Finally! some action! Take this!" Sentrius shouted, firing several rapid blasts of his plasma blaster at Sogani, all while keeping his shield up. "You want to start burning holes in the Knight Elites! Well not today, lady. Today, you've claimed your last victim!" After a minute or so of firing, Sentrius quickly ducked down and rolled across the floor to another spot, where he began the same strategy of shooting with his plasma blaster and blocking with his shield. Before long, he would've rolled into another spot and used the same strategy.
As full of bravado and selfish as he was, Sentrius did make it as a Knight Elite for a reason.
As full of bravado and selfish as he was, Sentrius did make it as a Knight Elite for a reason.
Jove gave a quick run towards Sogani, his shield directing away any flames she sent toward him. He got closed and send it sword out for a jab. He felt her grab the end of the blade out of his hands and send it flying back into his shield, the force pushing him down onto the wooden floor. From behind her Roka leaped, his blade downward. The point of his sword entered her back, and with a final breath, she fell. Roka pulled his blade out and wiped it clean, red blood slowly filled a puddle near his shoes. "In peace, old god," He whispered slowly at the sight.
"Ah, well that didn't last too long," Sentrius noted, lifting up the facemask on his helmet to wipe away a bit of sweat. "I knew that whole Phoenix nonsense was mostly rumors.So, is this it Commander Roka, or is there more justice to dispense?"
"This was not nonsense, and Master Sogani was not a rumor," Roka said with extreme hatred for Sentrius.
"Er, right sir," Sentrius nodded. "I was asking if we had any other purpose on this planet besides this particular mission, sir."
"This was not a mission, and Master Sogani was not a purpose," Roka said with extreme hatred for Sentrius.
(Heh, I think it used to be 'extreme distaste')
Loki knew he wasn't needed in the fight--The others had it taken care of. Tailor, on the other hand, was his main concern.
The young knight quickly hurried to his side and knelt down, not touching the black-armoured knight, but rather simply looking over his body. He could not for the life of him imagine how someone could have survived from such a blow, and it certainly didn't seem like Tailor was with them anymore. Stifling a sigh, choking up slightly simply for the loss of life of someone under their care, Loki turned his head back toward Roka. "He's gone, isn't he?"
Loki knew he wasn't needed in the fight--The others had it taken care of. Tailor, on the other hand, was his main concern.
The young knight quickly hurried to his side and knelt down, not touching the black-armoured knight, but rather simply looking over his body. He could not for the life of him imagine how someone could have survived from such a blow, and it certainly didn't seem like Tailor was with them anymore. Stifling a sigh, choking up slightly simply for the loss of life of someone under their care, Loki turned his head back toward Roka. "He's gone, isn't he?"
Roka stepped over Sogani's body and towards Tailor's. His black cape had fallen over his body. Roka approached him and went down slowly, raising up again with the cape in hand to reveal the face of Tailor, a small line of blood on his clean left cheek. His eyes were shut tight, and his head rested to one side. His chin touched his armor, just below a large hole where fire had been. Roka dropped the cape back down onto the body, and turned to the others. "He is gone to find what we all will one day," Roka said with a small smile. "Oseal, carry him. Our mission on the Kings Port is complete, and your trials, Sir Loki and Sir Xeroux, are next on the list."
"Hey, Commander..." Sentrius began. "I was wondering...Why did you never become for general? Given all of your accomplishments you would've definitely made it." After a moment of silence, Sentrius added, "And, uh, sir...at the trial. While, their crime is grave indeed, we do have, erm, some eyewitness reports that General Yoff's unit did participate in various war crimes as well. If that mean's anything of course."
"I was a general," Roka replied. "A minor general, I commanded three legions in my time. One at the beginning, the hundred and eighth, and two at the end, the sixty second and sixty first. Then, like many General's, they decided to promote us, to make way for the Jaksons and young men of the future, you see. I could of been a Major General, like General Yoff, or I could be a Knight Commander, which, despite what some say, is one of the highest and most important positions in the Knights. A general commands an army, but a Commander leads Knights. And a Knights competently commanded can do a lot more than a Legion could ever do. As for the eye witnesses, they won't matter. Its like Sogani said, the most well known law in our history. The guiding principle of our expansion. The Right to Civilize. If we can deem them uncivilized, the Legions can do anything to them. Anything."
"Ah, I see," Sentrius nodded. "Well, if that's the case, then...I have no further objections." Sentrius paused for another minute before asking. "Though, if I'm reading the rulebook right (which I'm positive I am), then the actions of General Yoff's unit would in fact be a danger to other Knights. Uncolonized worlds are often considered to carry various diseases and contaminants that are considered by extreme health hazards. Code 457 c. states that all contact with aggressive members of uncivilized worlds should only be met by lethal force. Direct contact is not allowed."
Again Sentrius shrugs. "Again, I'm not sure if that will help, but their contact with the natives was, er, direct, and if they were able to complete their mission and carry those contaminants on board the ship with them, then we could risk our peaceful worlds getting infected. In fact...the whole world was filthy...disgusting! By the time they were finished with their raid, they were a walking bio-hazard. Dangerous to themselves and others. And while I'm sure my...former teammates, methods of getting rid of said hazard, were idiotic, dangerous, and of course, treasonous...they were merely trying to aid the rest of humanity. So, if anything, I hope that will move them from the death sentence to life sentence. Or exile."
Again Sentrius shrugs. "Again, I'm not sure if that will help, but their contact with the natives was, er, direct, and if they were able to complete their mission and carry those contaminants on board the ship with them, then we could risk our peaceful worlds getting infected. In fact...the whole world was filthy...disgusting! By the time they were finished with their raid, they were a walking bio-hazard. Dangerous to themselves and others. And while I'm sure my...former teammates, methods of getting rid of said hazard, were idiotic, dangerous, and of course, treasonous...they were merely trying to aid the rest of humanity. So, if anything, I hope that will move them from the death sentence to life sentence. Or exile."
"That's the handbook for the Knights, not the Legion," Roka replied with intense hatred and furry directed toward Sentrius. "Though if you want to say that the fourteenth, seventy-second, and eighty-ninth legions were a bunch of rule breakers who deserved to die thus my fellow Knights murderous rampage was absolutely a'ok, I wish you the best of luck."
"Ah..no, sir," Sentrius frowned. "I'd rather not." Sentrius was beginning to think that Commander Roka didn't think too kindly of him. Of course....there had to be one odd one out, right? Al lot his commanders thought...No, they knew he was to be the next great Knight General. The leader of his generation. Perhaps Roka was the only one who didn't see it? Oh, well, and General Yoff, but he's not exactly someone with the best opinions, is he?
Roka shook his head sadly at the disgusting display of a Knight that Sentrius claimed to be.
"I know a boy on Capima who can help us," Jove spoke at last. "I don't know if he will, but I do know that he can. He's very well set up in the matters of law an' order."
"That sounds like an idea," Roka said with a loving smile toward the green Knight. "Jove's lead may be your best option. When we arrive on Capima, in the city of Sor, seek him out. And try to find the ones guilty, if you wish to defend that your not you'll have to prove someone else is. If you want of me I will speak in your favor."
"But they gave you a confession!" Oseal interrupted.
"Yes, they did," Roka replied. "But I've done much the same to protect a team who may be called treasonous Knights. One to save many is a saying I'm quite familiar with, that the Knights are quite familiar with."
"I know a boy on Capima who can help us," Jove spoke at last. "I don't know if he will, but I do know that he can. He's very well set up in the matters of law an' order."
"That sounds like an idea," Roka said with a loving smile toward the green Knight. "Jove's lead may be your best option. When we arrive on Capima, in the city of Sor, seek him out. And try to find the ones guilty, if you wish to defend that your not you'll have to prove someone else is. If you want of me I will speak in your favor."
"But they gave you a confession!" Oseal interrupted.
"Yes, they did," Roka replied. "But I've done much the same to protect a team who may be called treasonous Knights. One to save many is a saying I'm quite familiar with, that the Knights are quite familiar with."
Xeroux smiled, looking down at his boots. Roka knew exactly what he and Loki had done, and even Sentrius was trying to legitimize the explosion and killing of the Legionaries. He'd have to give the man a hand shake once this was over. He knew the tall Red Knight wasn't someone to hate, just a man who loved to follow rules and knew they were created for a reason, follow the rules and you can guarantee an almost perfectly planned mission, and happy life, but rules never accounted for the variables the universe threw at everyone. That's where friends and team-mates came in. He'd be sure to be there for Sentrius when the rules didn't cover something, and help him see new ways to do things, following your own gut.
"Thank you..." He whispered walking past Sentrius. "You're a real pal...and trust me when I say, all I wanted to do was protect you and the others." He wasn't sure if the man had caught every word he'd spoken, as he continued whispering as he walked past, finishing his sentence a good three or four feet from the Proud Red Knight Elite.
"Thank you..." He whispered walking past Sentrius. "You're a real pal...and trust me when I say, all I wanted to do was protect you and the others." He wasn't sure if the man had caught every word he'd spoken, as he continued whispering as he walked past, finishing his sentence a good three or four feet from the Proud Red Knight Elite.
"Thanks," Sentrius nodded to Xeroux. "It is unfortunate, that you and Loki had to turn to such measures, but I can at least ensure that you two don't die."
Xeroux walked outside, breathing in the fresh air that surrounded him. It smelled so crisp and fresh, perhaps it was due to the fact that he was potentially a dead man walking. He smirked shaking his head, "Not that I had anything big to live for other than being the best Knight I could...I never found love, never saw the Prism worlds, so there's nothing to miss, and nothing to regret. After all, you can't miss what you've never had. It funny, I always worried about dying on the battlefield, how it would play out. The pain, the tears, the longing to wake from some sick nightmare instead. I wold have never guessed my death would be decided by my own side. Weird how life and destiny work that way..."
He sighed, waiting for the others to emerge from the house of the now dead Phoenix. The rest of the day would be on a trip back to the Capima islands and his trial. He wondered how Lauren was doing, and hopped she didn't wake up until he was back.
He sighed, waiting for the others to emerge from the house of the now dead Phoenix. The rest of the day would be on a trip back to the Capima islands and his trial. He wondered how Lauren was doing, and hopped she didn't wake up until he was back.
Nai lingered for a few moments, to pray silently for the two fallen warriors and because she didn't want to leave the dwelling just yet. We haven't even been knights for that long and there are already so many dead... Her lips turned downwards into a frown, her red eyes glancing at Xeroux and dwelling on Loki. She knew the two men were innocent but couldn't understand why the two were sacrificing themselves for the others. There was no profit or gain from such a valiant act, and none of them were really friends with the others. A feeling of sadness enevloped her as Nai realized that if the two were sentenced to die or imprisonment, she would lose two valuable allies. Not only that, but she wouldn't get a chance to know the two men better and understand their actions.
With a sigh, Nai slowly left the house, shoulders slumped. The trial was next and the faster they arrived, the sooner the conflict would be resolved. She could only hope the outcome was positive.
With a sigh, Nai slowly left the house, shoulders slumped. The trial was next and the faster they arrived, the sooner the conflict would be resolved. She could only hope the outcome was positive.
Loki soon made his way outside again, lightly rolling his head across his shoulders as he turned to stand beside Xeroux. He almost felt a connection of sorts with the knight now that both of their lives hung in the balance, but at least Roka seemed sensible--More so than others, at least. The knight commander seemed to already know what they had done, but he wouldn't give it away until the time was right.
The young red knight also felt rather guilty about the whole situation. True, neither he nor Xeroux had done what they claimed to do, but Loki had hardly done any good by stepping forward and offering his confession. Xeroux was the one who saved the team by confessing a lie and sticking to it--Loki was just trying to save him by doing the same.
The young red knight also felt rather guilty about the whole situation. True, neither he nor Xeroux had done what they claimed to do, but Loki had hardly done any good by stepping forward and offering his confession. Xeroux was the one who saved the team by confessing a lie and sticking to it--Loki was just trying to save him by doing the same.
Roka marched down to his camp site where the two black ships stood, around one was the remaining members of Roka's team. Roka squinted as he approached them, the team of Malkini's Knights behind him. Roka was silently for a moment as his Knights looked on at him. He did not want to tell them that their teammate had died, the black Knight among them, the very best. "We will head to the Capima Islands, to the capital city of Sor," Roka spoke slowly. "Tailor will not be joining us. The mission got the best of him."
Roka's Knights gave a nod of understanding, and then entered their ship. Roka turned to Oseal, who stood behind Malkini's Knights. "I will fly our ship to the Capima Islands," Roka said to the group and Oseal. "You will follow me in your ship. Oseal will stay with you all until the make it there, just to make sure Sirs Loki and Xeroux here don't, somehow, escape."
"Aye sir," Oseal said, before hurrying off to get some supplies from his tent. Roka watched him scurry before turning back to the Knights. "Capima will be less than a days travel," He said. "I suggest you get your defense ready on the trip." Without another word Roka turned and made his way onto his ship.
Jove sighed. "Looks like we're going to court, then." He muttered. As he did Oseal came back toward them, a bag slung on his shoulders.
"Ready then?" Oseal asked.
Jove gave a nod and the group boarded their ship. Roka's ship lifted off beside them and made its way into the sky. Jove began the ships engines and it too lifted, following Roka.
Roka's Knights gave a nod of understanding, and then entered their ship. Roka turned to Oseal, who stood behind Malkini's Knights. "I will fly our ship to the Capima Islands," Roka said to the group and Oseal. "You will follow me in your ship. Oseal will stay with you all until the make it there, just to make sure Sirs Loki and Xeroux here don't, somehow, escape."
"Aye sir," Oseal said, before hurrying off to get some supplies from his tent. Roka watched him scurry before turning back to the Knights. "Capima will be less than a days travel," He said. "I suggest you get your defense ready on the trip." Without another word Roka turned and made his way onto his ship.
Jove sighed. "Looks like we're going to court, then." He muttered. As he did Oseal came back toward them, a bag slung on his shoulders.
"Ready then?" Oseal asked.
Jove gave a nod and the group boarded their ship. Roka's ship lifted off beside them and made its way into the sky. Jove began the ships engines and it too lifted, following Roka.
Xeroux wondered into the room with a sigh. Lauren stirred from his bed, her pink eyes scanning the unfamiliar place. She sighed, and he heard her start to cry. She wasn't stupid, she understood what happened fully well, and the pain showed over her entire body. He walked over to her slowly, putting his hand oh her shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'm here..." He said with a sad smile, he maybe there now, but in a few hours, he could be in a prison cell, waiting to die.
"But, I don't even know who you are...my mother, my father, my sister...they're who I need right now...not a Knight in shiny blue armor..." Lauren sobbed in her native tongue.
Xeroux's hand found his lap, his heart sank. She was bitter, and had every right to be. He stood slowly and started walking out the door, he wanted at least one last view of the stars.
"Don't worry, I'm here..." He said with a sad smile, he maybe there now, but in a few hours, he could be in a prison cell, waiting to die.
"But, I don't even know who you are...my mother, my father, my sister...they're who I need right now...not a Knight in shiny blue armor..." Lauren sobbed in her native tongue.
Xeroux's hand found his lap, his heart sank. She was bitter, and had every right to be. He stood slowly and started walking out the door, he wanted at least one last view of the stars.
"Ah, so I wonder what's next for us?" Sentrius proclaimed, talking to his remaing squadmates that weren't being tried for treason. "I suppose after we get the whole court case over with, one of us will be assigned temporary squad leader. Most likely the,*ahem*, the team member with the most credentials from his academy days. At any rate, once this all gets settled, I'm sure will be on to fighting enemy armies by the weekend, eh?
"Ah, well won't that be a blast?" Nai said with a grin, "Just like all the heroic tales I used to hear when I was little about justice being dispensed and the bad guys thrown in jail. Makes the adrenaline run through your veins and want to pick up a sword and start being heroes already... And considering all I've heard about everyone's credentials so far, you'll seem like a fitting leader Sentrius."
She smiled graciously, playing with a strand of her hair. Nai's eyes searched the other's faces as a reminder to test the waters ran through her mind.
"Although it is a shame we'll be losing two comrades so early. Well, I think its too early to be saying that, don't you think? The trial's not over yet, in fact it hasn't even happened, so really there's a chance that those two will stay. In fact, they probably should stay. It would be such a waste to lock up such potential. Not that the rest of us don't have a lot..."
She smiled graciously, playing with a strand of her hair. Nai's eyes searched the other's faces as a reminder to test the waters ran through her mind.
"Although it is a shame we'll be losing two comrades so early. Well, I think its too early to be saying that, don't you think? The trial's not over yet, in fact it hasn't even happened, so really there's a chance that those two will stay. In fact, they probably should stay. It would be such a waste to lock up such potential. Not that the rest of us don't have a lot..."
Xeroux frowned, pulling the young girl closer to his chest as he pretended to sleep. He wasn't fond of his team-mates snap judgements, but it wouldn't matter soon anyways. He'd either be dead, locked up for life, or miraculously found innocent and sent on a different mission, possibly reassigned. Though he had hope, the obvious answer played in his mind. He'd be killed, but would do anything in his power to at least make sure Loki didn't suffer death, but rather he'd lie more, telling them that Loki was tricked into helping him accomplish the slaughter of the Legionaries.
"Good luck with being Hero's guys. I'm sure you'll be the greatest Knights of all time...until Wild Space becomes under attack, then you might have your work cut out for you, but again, I'm sure you'll all be the best there ever will be..."
He muttered under his breath with a sigh.
"Good luck with being Hero's guys. I'm sure you'll be the greatest Knights of all time...until Wild Space becomes under attack, then you might have your work cut out for you, but again, I'm sure you'll all be the best there ever will be..."
He muttered under his breath with a sigh.
Jove sat at the pilots chair of the ship, ahead of him Roka's taillights always in the distance, bright red as to be followed. On the small radar map beside the control he could see their ship icon passing by Naehia.
"You reckon a Usin world war will be a good thing?" Oseal asked, laying on one of the black leather couches that lined the pilots cabin. "I think it is," He continued at Jove's lack of a response. "We'll win soon enough and then industrialize the place. We need an industrial nation up there. In Umano, I mean. Their biggest export at the moment is water, and while that's all well and good I think if we industrialize a few big cities up on Umano, the planet, or Usin or Tusinvei we could get really good production from those parts."
"There's not going to be a war, Oseal," Jove replied. "Usin is a mammoth planet, it holds twelve billion lives. We were as far south as we can get, the capital is on the mainland. For the army we saw to get up there it would take... years, by which time we would of found and eliminated the threat."
"But maybe they aren't going to try and win with an army," Oseal muttered, playing with his chest armor, running his fingers along its white and silver lines. "Maybe they'll try and kill the leaders, take it over like that."
"And why would people follow them if they kill their leaders? Why would the Usin army follow assassins?" Jove asked unamused, his head never turning from the forward window.
"Because its a revolution," Oseal said. "Maybe they think things under the rebels will get better. Usin was pretty poor."
"It would be a shame if there was war, it might break our bank," Jove muttered.
"I know," Oseal replied, before pushing himself upright on the couch. In a small mirror Jove kept on his dash pad he noticed something on Oseal. On the back of his vest of armor there were black marks. His white armor was charred in the lower back.
"Hey Oseal, wheres your cape?" Jove asked as Oseal got up off the couch.
"I must of left it on Roka's ship," Oseal said, lifting a cloth bag off the couch. "Anyway, I'm off to sleep. In the kitchen if its alright. Goodnight Jove."
"Goodnight Oseal," Jove replied, his gaze turning back to the bright stars beyond him. He then waited an hour, until the ship was just minutes away from seeing the blue globe that was the Capima Islands. Jove quietly stood as the ship silently moved forward and made his way, on tip toes, toward the kitchen,. He gently eased the Pilot's Cabin door open to see, under the kitchen table, Oseal sleeping soundly in a wool blanket, his head resting on his cloth bag. Jove swallowed slowly as he crept forward and then down onto his knees. He silently began to move his hands toward the tied top of the bag, sticking out between Oseal's curly brown hairs. Jove carefully undid the string that held the bag tight and opened it slightly. He stuck his eye down to examine the inside. He was looking for white, a white cape. His gaze led him to it. A white cloth mingled with the rest was clearly tucked within. Jove pushed two fingers inside the bag and gripped the cape carefully. Once his grasp was secure he pulled it out gently until it was out onto his lap. He then quickly retied the bag and ran back to his cabin. Jove, in the light of the cabin, examined the cape, a smile growing on his face as he did. It was the Knights cape, the blue son of Sora clearly on the top of it, but on the bottom there was nothing but torn black crusted cloth. "Burns," Jove whispered with a smile. "Oseal set off the explosions but he couldn't get out of the underground city fast enough. His armor and cape were burnt as he ran out..."
Jove put the burnt cape in his bag. "We have our defense."
"You reckon a Usin world war will be a good thing?" Oseal asked, laying on one of the black leather couches that lined the pilots cabin. "I think it is," He continued at Jove's lack of a response. "We'll win soon enough and then industrialize the place. We need an industrial nation up there. In Umano, I mean. Their biggest export at the moment is water, and while that's all well and good I think if we industrialize a few big cities up on Umano, the planet, or Usin or Tusinvei we could get really good production from those parts."
"There's not going to be a war, Oseal," Jove replied. "Usin is a mammoth planet, it holds twelve billion lives. We were as far south as we can get, the capital is on the mainland. For the army we saw to get up there it would take... years, by which time we would of found and eliminated the threat."
"But maybe they aren't going to try and win with an army," Oseal muttered, playing with his chest armor, running his fingers along its white and silver lines. "Maybe they'll try and kill the leaders, take it over like that."
"And why would people follow them if they kill their leaders? Why would the Usin army follow assassins?" Jove asked unamused, his head never turning from the forward window.
"Because its a revolution," Oseal said. "Maybe they think things under the rebels will get better. Usin was pretty poor."
"It would be a shame if there was war, it might break our bank," Jove muttered.
"I know," Oseal replied, before pushing himself upright on the couch. In a small mirror Jove kept on his dash pad he noticed something on Oseal. On the back of his vest of armor there were black marks. His white armor was charred in the lower back.
"Hey Oseal, wheres your cape?" Jove asked as Oseal got up off the couch.
"I must of left it on Roka's ship," Oseal said, lifting a cloth bag off the couch. "Anyway, I'm off to sleep. In the kitchen if its alright. Goodnight Jove."
"Goodnight Oseal," Jove replied, his gaze turning back to the bright stars beyond him. He then waited an hour, until the ship was just minutes away from seeing the blue globe that was the Capima Islands. Jove quietly stood as the ship silently moved forward and made his way, on tip toes, toward the kitchen,. He gently eased the Pilot's Cabin door open to see, under the kitchen table, Oseal sleeping soundly in a wool blanket, his head resting on his cloth bag. Jove swallowed slowly as he crept forward and then down onto his knees. He silently began to move his hands toward the tied top of the bag, sticking out between Oseal's curly brown hairs. Jove carefully undid the string that held the bag tight and opened it slightly. He stuck his eye down to examine the inside. He was looking for white, a white cape. His gaze led him to it. A white cloth mingled with the rest was clearly tucked within. Jove pushed two fingers inside the bag and gripped the cape carefully. Once his grasp was secure he pulled it out gently until it was out onto his lap. He then quickly retied the bag and ran back to his cabin. Jove, in the light of the cabin, examined the cape, a smile growing on his face as he did. It was the Knights cape, the blue son of Sora clearly on the top of it, but on the bottom there was nothing but torn black crusted cloth. "Burns," Jove whispered with a smile. "Oseal set off the explosions but he couldn't get out of the underground city fast enough. His armor and cape were burnt as he ran out..."
Jove put the burnt cape in his bag. "We have our defense."
Xeroux rolled over, unable to sleep any longer. He checked to see if Lauren was still asleep, seeing she was, he silently exited the room, a cloud of guilt over his head. He hadn't done anything wrong, but even he was beginning to believe the lie.
"What have I gotten myself into?" He sighed, taking off his tight fitting armor. It never inhibited him, so he had almost forgotten he was wearing it. Grabbing his personal bag he headed for the shower.
"Maybe it'll help clear my head..." He chuckled, praying for a way out of this mess, an end to the queasy feeling in his gut.
Almost as if on cue, Jove strode passed, a smile on his face, and what looked like a balled up cape in his hands.
"Hey, Jove. What's that?" He recognized it as a white Knight's cape, but something was wrong...it was burned.
"That, that cape? Is it??" A smile appeared on his face and he had to hold back from hugging Jove.
"What have I gotten myself into?" He sighed, taking off his tight fitting armor. It never inhibited him, so he had almost forgotten he was wearing it. Grabbing his personal bag he headed for the shower.
"Maybe it'll help clear my head..." He chuckled, praying for a way out of this mess, an end to the queasy feeling in his gut.
Almost as if on cue, Jove strode passed, a smile on his face, and what looked like a balled up cape in his hands.
"Hey, Jove. What's that?" He recognized it as a white Knight's cape, but something was wrong...it was burned.
"That, that cape? Is it??" A smile appeared on his face and he had to hold back from hugging Jove.
Jove grinned and put the cape in a bag. "I think we have our ace," Jove said happily. The ship gave a slight rock as Jove finished his words. "I think we've entered the atmosphere," Jove said, before going back into the pilots cabin. He went to the ships controls and began to control to stabilize it. The starry skies above were slowly replaced by bright blues as the ship flew into the Capima skies.
Xeroux felt his smile grow, he could have hugged Jove, but that was both against protocol, but it would just be plain awkward.
"Now, we need to get that cape to a system that can identify any explosive's residue, and if its in large enough quantities, there's no way he could have been 'just caught in the blast'. I mean, we should check his gauntlets too..."
He rubbed his chin, Jove had already gone though Oseal's stuff once, what's one more time? Although, gauntlets were manditory armor, if they showed up missing, who knows what Oseal would do. Though the odds were against him, but Xeroux had a feeling Sentrius would be easy to manipulate to his side. He was all against Loki and Xeroux at the moment.
The ship entered the atmosphere, and landed safely under Jove's command. Xeroux stood at the bay door, arms crossed. He knew what would be waiting for them, a squad of Black knights, all with orders to kill if he or Loki put up a struggle.
He watched his prediction unfold as the door opened, he placed his hands over his head, no way was he going to fight them. He may be a strategist by armor, but secretly he was a Black knight himself. There were so many exit points and flaws in the squad's formation, but there was no use in exploiting them. He was innocent after all, and now they had the evidence to prove that he had lied to protect his squad.
"Now, we need to get that cape to a system that can identify any explosive's residue, and if its in large enough quantities, there's no way he could have been 'just caught in the blast'. I mean, we should check his gauntlets too..."
He rubbed his chin, Jove had already gone though Oseal's stuff once, what's one more time? Although, gauntlets were manditory armor, if they showed up missing, who knows what Oseal would do. Though the odds were against him, but Xeroux had a feeling Sentrius would be easy to manipulate to his side. He was all against Loki and Xeroux at the moment.
The ship entered the atmosphere, and landed safely under Jove's command. Xeroux stood at the bay door, arms crossed. He knew what would be waiting for them, a squad of Black knights, all with orders to kill if he or Loki put up a struggle.
He watched his prediction unfold as the door opened, he placed his hands over his head, no way was he going to fight them. He may be a strategist by armor, but secretly he was a Black knight himself. There were so many exit points and flaws in the squad's formation, but there was no use in exploiting them. He was innocent after all, and now they had the evidence to prove that he had lied to protect his squad.
The ship flew over the waters as it approached the docks of the city of Sor, crown jowl and capitol of the Sora System. The shops and roads of stone and brick soon turned into golden skyscrapers that spread back for miles into the mountains that stood behind the city firmly. The ship landed down into a spaceport in the Government district, hundreds of feet above the air. The group exited the ship and quickly found Roka.
"We will be heading to the house of the Knights," Roka explained. "Stay close and don't wander in the streets. Sor is the greatest city in the world but also one of the most dangerous. Stay close, stay safe."
"We will be heading to the house of the Knights," Roka explained. "Stay close and don't wander in the streets. Sor is the greatest city in the world but also one of the most dangerous. Stay close, stay safe."
Demnix who had arrived in Sor a while ago, as part of his search for himself and his place, had been traveling around for quite some time. He was both tired and restless in his search. He'd seen a remarkable ship dock at the government district. "I guess I could go check this out for a chance at a place to belong." He sighed to himself. He'd almost run out of hope at this point.
When he arrived at his destination he was instantly stopped by the sight of an entire squad of Knights. He used some of his skill in stealth to move around almost unnoticed. He wanted a better look. "Could this be it?" He whispered to himself.
His vision as tunneled as his mind and his legs springing at the edge, Demnix had to investigate. He made sure his Knight Armor and sigil were in check, as one would check there close before a date, and started toward the ship and knights. He knew neither what to expect nor what to say so he stepped forward and waited for acknowledgement.
When he arrived at his destination he was instantly stopped by the sight of an entire squad of Knights. He used some of his skill in stealth to move around almost unnoticed. He wanted a better look. "Could this be it?" He whispered to himself.
His vision as tunneled as his mind and his legs springing at the edge, Demnix had to investigate. He made sure his Knight Armor and sigil were in check, as one would check there close before a date, and started toward the ship and knights. He knew neither what to expect nor what to say so he stepped forward and waited for acknowledgement.
Sentrius took a moment to think about the whole situation. If Oseal the perpetrator and Xeroux and Loki were innocent, that'd mean that the name squad's redemption won't be besmirched. And that won't give him any marks on his record. Perhaps now was the time to change his tune. Walking towards Xeroux and Loki, Sentrius spoke.
"It seems that there may be a chance that you two are, erm, not guilty,"Sentrius started. "However, none of us can be too sure. For all we know, you could've planted that evidence i an attempt to fool us! In the case that you both are innocent, however, I suppose everyone else owes you an apology. Our names will be cleared and we can all go back to protecting the universe. But, if any of you are fooling for one second, I'll make sure my testimony ends in getting you both court marshalled!"
"It seems that there may be a chance that you two are, erm, not guilty,"Sentrius started. "However, none of us can be too sure. For all we know, you could've planted that evidence i an attempt to fool us! In the case that you both are innocent, however, I suppose everyone else owes you an apology. Our names will be cleared and we can all go back to protecting the universe. But, if any of you are fooling for one second, I'll make sure my testimony ends in getting you both court marshalled!"
Roka angrily stared at the greedy and moronic Sentrius with raging hatred and flaming manpower.
"We have a new member it seems," Jove commented as Demnix approached them.
"Yes, the board figured that you'd need a member in your squad who wasn't on Usin," Roka began. "So let me introduce Demnix Valorai."
"Pleasure to meet you," Jove said, extending his hand.
"Anyway, lets head to the court," Roka said.
"We have a new member it seems," Jove commented as Demnix approached them.
"Yes, the board figured that you'd need a member in your squad who wasn't on Usin," Roka began. "So let me introduce Demnix Valorai."
"Pleasure to meet you," Jove said, extending his hand.
"Anyway, lets head to the court," Roka said.
Demnix shook Jove's hand eagerly. "I'll do my best to prove my worth. I've been waiting for someone to take me up for quite some time."
"I dont want to sound to eager or inexperienced to these people." Demnix thought to himself, but, unable to stop a smile, Demnix proceeded with the group. He looked at Jove and quietly asked, "What is going on? When I approched there was tension thick enough to slice."
"I dont want to sound to eager or inexperienced to these people." Demnix thought to himself, but, unable to stop a smile, Demnix proceeded with the group. He looked at Jove and quietly asked, "What is going on? When I approched there was tension thick enough to slice."
Xeroux rolled his eyes. "Thanks Sentrius."
He walked with the others, Lauren by his side, clutching to him for safety. She gripped even tighter seeing the new Knight.
He overheard Demnix ask Jove what was going on and shook his head. "Don't worry it'll be over soon enough.
He walked with the others, Lauren by his side, clutching to him for safety. She gripped even tighter seeing the new Knight.
He overheard Demnix ask Jove what was going on and shook his head. "Don't worry it'll be over soon enough.
Demnix nodded in hopeful agreement. He didnt like conflict inside a squad or even what appeared to be one. It drove people apart, made the unit weak. "I don't think I've gotten your names." Demnix said with an inquisitive tone. "We can brief me and talk later but I'd like to call you by your names instead of 'you', if that's ok that is."
"Xeroux Falcus" he said, eyes glancing over the new comer. "Though you might not need to know it long, depending the outcome of my pending trial, that we will be late for if we keep hesitating."
He shot a look to Commander Roka. He was growing nervous, and that irritated him, forcing him back into his shell, and making him come off as a jerk. He knew in time he'd make it up to Demnix, but right now wasn't the time.
He shot a look to Commander Roka. He was growing nervous, and that irritated him, forcing him back into his shell, and making him come off as a jerk. He knew in time he'd make it up to Demnix, but right now wasn't the time.
"Why rush when we already know the outcome?" Nai asked with a small grin and a salute directed at Demnix, "I'm sure ,Xeroux, that you and Demnix will have plenty of time to become good friends. I'm Nai Gareki Tsukomo by the way. I hope we can become great friends as well Demnix."
Demnix was relieved. These people were friendly. He'd met squads that had kicked him around before. Sure he wasn't as rough as others, but he was good at what he did. He smiled to show friendship, hoping he wouldn't come off as "green" to anyone. Demnix hastened with the party. "What's the trial about?" Demnix asked, letting curiosity take over a small portion of his speech function.
(Hey everyone, looking forward to this!)
Artemis was sitting atop one of the pillars that lined the entrance to the courts. His silver armor gleaming in the sun, his white black cloak flowed in the wind as he layed back across the wide top of the pillar. It was a peaceful day, and nearby birds could be heard singing. He remembered how Lady Maria had loved the sound of the birds who sang at the Palace gardens. She would sit out by the pond and enjoy the sun light while he stood guard. Eventually he would stand long enough for a few birds to come and land on him, making her laugh at him. Those were probably the best days of his life, and now they were gone all because he did his job. Now he rested with one leg up and his right arm draped over his knee, listening to the call of a male bird from a nearby tree. He raised his hand and made a distinctive whistle that he had learned from Maria, one that matched the bird’s call, which made the creature hop about looking for the source. With another whistle it flew over to him, landing on the back of his right hand. It hopped about, pecking at his armor and tweeting to investigate this strange thing that had called to it.
Two weeks had passed since he had arrived at the Courts and taken up his duty as a guard there, waiting patiently for his real orders to come through. About 3 days ago he had been ordered to wait and rendezvous with Knight Commander Roka and guard him while in atmo. After that he was to accompany the Commander at Roka’s discretion. He had grown tired of the court and the corruption of the guards there, many of them young knights who had eager trigger fingers and enjoyed watching the civilians pass by through their scopes daring them to make one false move and give them a chance to eliminate someone. “That man I’m assigned with is especially ruth-“
He was cut off by a green laser shot that pierced the bird on his hands body, burning what was left and sending the small corpse spinning off the pillar. Artemis frowned, “Speak of the devil.” He sighed and looked over to the source. There in the entrance stood a man in a dull red armor with a beam rifle in his hands, the scope was pressed against his eye as he lowered it and snapped his fingers. “Missed!” he cursed and spit.
Artemis rolled his eyes within his helmet and looked down at the man, “What is it you want Kimbly?” He asked as the helmet changed his voice into a metallic sound, he had gotten used to it as he couldn’t remove the helmet while in the capital city, or on the capital planet for that matter.
“Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt you and your bird watching, but you’re to report to the entrance!” he yelled up, removing his helmet to annoy Artemis knowing full well he couldn’t.
“I’m at the entrance aren’t I?” he asked sarcastically.
“Shut up and get down here!” Kimbly yelled.
Artemis sighed again and rolled over, at this time this fool out ranked him as royal guards are given the lowest rank when in the field to avoid confusing the chain of command, dropping from the tall pillar. He didn’t engage his jump jets till the last possible moment, slowing just before he hit the ground and leaving a slight singe mark on the brick. “Next time you point that rifle at me, I’ll give you a special present.” He added as he turned to the man.
“Oh, I’m so excited, what kind of Present?” he responded sarcastically.
“The sharp and deadly kind!” he added as he patted the hilt of his sword that jutted out from beneath his armor.
“Such wit, I guess that’s what it takes to win the heart of a Princess right?” Kimbly pressed, but instantly regretted that, the moment he had finished Artemis drew his sword and before Kimbly could raise the rifle in his hand the blade had unfolded and came to rest against his pulsing jugular. “Right, too far, I apologies!” he said with sweat beading from his head. He was only 22 years old, and still too much of a hot head to be taken seriously. Artemis lowered and retracted his blade, storing it again on the small of his back. With that he walked over to the top of the steps that lead to the Courts and awaited the Commander and his entourage
Artemis was sitting atop one of the pillars that lined the entrance to the courts. His silver armor gleaming in the sun, his white black cloak flowed in the wind as he layed back across the wide top of the pillar. It was a peaceful day, and nearby birds could be heard singing. He remembered how Lady Maria had loved the sound of the birds who sang at the Palace gardens. She would sit out by the pond and enjoy the sun light while he stood guard. Eventually he would stand long enough for a few birds to come and land on him, making her laugh at him. Those were probably the best days of his life, and now they were gone all because he did his job. Now he rested with one leg up and his right arm draped over his knee, listening to the call of a male bird from a nearby tree. He raised his hand and made a distinctive whistle that he had learned from Maria, one that matched the bird’s call, which made the creature hop about looking for the source. With another whistle it flew over to him, landing on the back of his right hand. It hopped about, pecking at his armor and tweeting to investigate this strange thing that had called to it.
Two weeks had passed since he had arrived at the Courts and taken up his duty as a guard there, waiting patiently for his real orders to come through. About 3 days ago he had been ordered to wait and rendezvous with Knight Commander Roka and guard him while in atmo. After that he was to accompany the Commander at Roka’s discretion. He had grown tired of the court and the corruption of the guards there, many of them young knights who had eager trigger fingers and enjoyed watching the civilians pass by through their scopes daring them to make one false move and give them a chance to eliminate someone. “That man I’m assigned with is especially ruth-“
He was cut off by a green laser shot that pierced the bird on his hands body, burning what was left and sending the small corpse spinning off the pillar. Artemis frowned, “Speak of the devil.” He sighed and looked over to the source. There in the entrance stood a man in a dull red armor with a beam rifle in his hands, the scope was pressed against his eye as he lowered it and snapped his fingers. “Missed!” he cursed and spit.
Artemis rolled his eyes within his helmet and looked down at the man, “What is it you want Kimbly?” He asked as the helmet changed his voice into a metallic sound, he had gotten used to it as he couldn’t remove the helmet while in the capital city, or on the capital planet for that matter.
“Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt you and your bird watching, but you’re to report to the entrance!” he yelled up, removing his helmet to annoy Artemis knowing full well he couldn’t.
“I’m at the entrance aren’t I?” he asked sarcastically.
“Shut up and get down here!” Kimbly yelled.
Artemis sighed again and rolled over, at this time this fool out ranked him as royal guards are given the lowest rank when in the field to avoid confusing the chain of command, dropping from the tall pillar. He didn’t engage his jump jets till the last possible moment, slowing just before he hit the ground and leaving a slight singe mark on the brick. “Next time you point that rifle at me, I’ll give you a special present.” He added as he turned to the man.
“Oh, I’m so excited, what kind of Present?” he responded sarcastically.
“The sharp and deadly kind!” he added as he patted the hilt of his sword that jutted out from beneath his armor.
“Such wit, I guess that’s what it takes to win the heart of a Princess right?” Kimbly pressed, but instantly regretted that, the moment he had finished Artemis drew his sword and before Kimbly could raise the rifle in his hand the blade had unfolded and came to rest against his pulsing jugular. “Right, too far, I apologies!” he said with sweat beading from his head. He was only 22 years old, and still too much of a hot head to be taken seriously. Artemis lowered and retracted his blade, storing it again on the small of his back. With that he walked over to the top of the steps that lead to the Courts and awaited the Commander and his entourage
"We were under the command of Aden Malkini," Jove explained to Demnix as they continued to walk along the white streets of the district; hundreds of citizens and guards among them, stone skyscrapers and buildings above them. "We we're sent to the very lowest trench of Usin to stop a Rebel army that was reportedly hiding there. The Council also sent three legions under command of Major General Yoff."
"Halt for a minute," Roka said, extending his armored hand as they reached the end of a street. A mule kart driven by a robed farmer crossed the street in front of them carefully, above them speeding ships flew with the birds, beyond them only clouds and blue sky. "Anyway, someone set explosives beneath these underground tunnels and they set exploded, as explosives are usually meant to do," Jove explained as they continued to walk. "Xeroux and Loki have been found guilty, mainly because they confessed. Now we are here to prove their innocents and reveal who the real murderer is."
The Knights continued through the streets at Roka's lead until eventually they began to travel solely by side street, between the cracks of each building. After many careful steps the group emerged from the alley of a building into a massive clearing. From side to side of the clearing were statues standing hundreds of feet in the air, decorated in gold and silver. The ground itself was laced with clean white rock and rubies. At the end of the clearing stood the Royal Courts of Sor, behind it the tower of the Capima Palace.
"God in heaven," Jove whispered at the sight. "Welcome to the palace district," Roka said, walking forward toward the Palace. "This is the most cherished of all Sorillian monuments. Not the most holy, but the most cherished."
"I have a question," Oseal asked as they walked past a formation of patrolling Palace guards. "Why does Sor need a palace? Its a Republic."
"Its for the King," Roka replied.
"That doesn't help it being a Republic much," Oseal muttered.
"The Sora System has a senate who decide its course, its capital planet, however, and its capital city, have a King," Roka said as they continued. "He does not rule over the System, just his planet."
The group continued through until they reached the large steps of the Courts entrance. On them stood one of the palace guards, waiting for them. "Greetings," Roka called as he approached...
"Halt for a minute," Roka said, extending his armored hand as they reached the end of a street. A mule kart driven by a robed farmer crossed the street in front of them carefully, above them speeding ships flew with the birds, beyond them only clouds and blue sky. "Anyway, someone set explosives beneath these underground tunnels and they set exploded, as explosives are usually meant to do," Jove explained as they continued to walk. "Xeroux and Loki have been found guilty, mainly because they confessed. Now we are here to prove their innocents and reveal who the real murderer is."
The Knights continued through the streets at Roka's lead until eventually they began to travel solely by side street, between the cracks of each building. After many careful steps the group emerged from the alley of a building into a massive clearing. From side to side of the clearing were statues standing hundreds of feet in the air, decorated in gold and silver. The ground itself was laced with clean white rock and rubies. At the end of the clearing stood the Royal Courts of Sor, behind it the tower of the Capima Palace.
"God in heaven," Jove whispered at the sight. "Welcome to the palace district," Roka said, walking forward toward the Palace. "This is the most cherished of all Sorillian monuments. Not the most holy, but the most cherished."
"I have a question," Oseal asked as they walked past a formation of patrolling Palace guards. "Why does Sor need a palace? Its a Republic."
"Its for the King," Roka replied.
"That doesn't help it being a Republic much," Oseal muttered.
"The Sora System has a senate who decide its course, its capital planet, however, and its capital city, have a King," Roka said as they continued. "He does not rule over the System, just his planet."
The group continued through until they reached the large steps of the Courts entrance. On them stood one of the palace guards, waiting for them. "Greetings," Roka called as he approached...
Artemis looked at Roka for a moment, letting his picture from his file come up on his helmet’s display as a way of confirming his identity. The moment he had confirmed the pictures were the same he dropped to one knee and bowed. Placing one hand and forearm across his chest as he kneeled. It wasn’t exactly the more customary greeting, but it was how the Royal Guard acted. Kimbly, however, merely placed his rifle at his side and gave the customary salute with an added smirk. Amateur…
“Welcome, Knight Commander Roka. I am Ar-“ He suddenly caught himself and jerked his head up slightly as he realized he had almost used his real name, “Archimedes Halva,” he added slightly quieter but soon regaining his composure he added, “Of the Royal guard, I have been ordered to escort you anywhere in the city and beyond before and after the hearing!” he added. Reaching behind him, almost as if going for his sword, but instead withdrawing a small plate which had his orders written in laser etching, much more difficult to destroy when they are printed on metal, and handed the orders off to the Commander before rising to his feet and surveying the squad. Each higher ranking then him, not that he was surprised, this would be fun…
“And I’m Greg Kimbly, I’m just here to escort you around town, until the court hearing and such. After that I won’t be going with you.” he added the last part with a sneer at Artemis, who shot him a glare from behind his helmet.
“Is there anywhere specific you would like to go before the Hearing Commander? “ Artemis added after shrugging off Kimbly’s stupidity. He was sizing the Commander up from behind the mask for recon purposes. He had already discerned that this was no desk officer, and that he wasn’t the kind to just lull about. One thing he hadn’t discerned yet was whether or not he could best the Commander in combat, and it was something he hoped he would never have to find out. He had read the Courts schedule for the day, and while the hearing wasn’t for another hour, he also knew that there was no one currently on trial. “Or would you prefer if Sir Kimbly here were to try and move the trial ahead an hour?”
Kimbly shot him a glare of his own, this one not hidden, “That’s not in protocol.” He added in a mock whisper.
“You think the Judges want to sit there reading newspapers and sipping mineral water for an hour?” He shot back, thinking how the sooner they got this over with, the sooner he would be away from this slack jawed moron. They both awaited their orders…
“Welcome, Knight Commander Roka. I am Ar-“ He suddenly caught himself and jerked his head up slightly as he realized he had almost used his real name, “Archimedes Halva,” he added slightly quieter but soon regaining his composure he added, “Of the Royal guard, I have been ordered to escort you anywhere in the city and beyond before and after the hearing!” he added. Reaching behind him, almost as if going for his sword, but instead withdrawing a small plate which had his orders written in laser etching, much more difficult to destroy when they are printed on metal, and handed the orders off to the Commander before rising to his feet and surveying the squad. Each higher ranking then him, not that he was surprised, this would be fun…
“And I’m Greg Kimbly, I’m just here to escort you around town, until the court hearing and such. After that I won’t be going with you.” he added the last part with a sneer at Artemis, who shot him a glare from behind his helmet.
“Is there anywhere specific you would like to go before the Hearing Commander? “ Artemis added after shrugging off Kimbly’s stupidity. He was sizing the Commander up from behind the mask for recon purposes. He had already discerned that this was no desk officer, and that he wasn’t the kind to just lull about. One thing he hadn’t discerned yet was whether or not he could best the Commander in combat, and it was something he hoped he would never have to find out. He had read the Courts schedule for the day, and while the hearing wasn’t for another hour, he also knew that there was no one currently on trial. “Or would you prefer if Sir Kimbly here were to try and move the trial ahead an hour?”
Kimbly shot him a glare of his own, this one not hidden, “That’s not in protocol.” He added in a mock whisper.
“You think the Judges want to sit there reading newspapers and sipping mineral water for an hour?” He shot back, thinking how the sooner they got this over with, the sooner he would be away from this slack jawed moron. They both awaited their orders…
Demnix absorbed the information being directed at him with wide eyes. He looked facinated like a kid who just received a new bike or toy for Christmas. "Xeroux and Loki, they are in your squad?" Asked Demnix as they stepped up past pillars and weaved through buildings. "When they said I was being sent, did they say it was perminent or temporary? What kind of work does your squad do?" Demnix cupped his mouth. "I'm sorry." He retreated from the volume of questions he'd barraded Jove. "I don't think I caught your name." He finalized to Jove.
"I believe I can answer some of those questions," Sentrius said rather proudly, walking up to the Black armored Knight. "Sentrius Tetran here," Sentrius nodded. "Welcome to our squad. I hope you'll be staying, especially since those two," Sentrius said, referringto Xeroux and Loki. "Might not be with us any longer, depending on the circumstances."
"Anyway, it's nice to have another Black Armored Knight Elite on our squad," Sentrius continued. "Y'know, I was almost a Black Armored Knight Elite myself, but due to some, ahem, trivial mistakes on my Instructors part, I was placed in the Red Armored group instead. Yes, it is indeed a sad tale, but luckily despite this terrible mistake, most of the others on this squad look up to me as a sort of leader...Just so you know."
"Anyway, it's nice to have another Black Armored Knight Elite on our squad," Sentrius continued. "Y'know, I was almost a Black Armored Knight Elite myself, but due to some, ahem, trivial mistakes on my Instructors part, I was placed in the Red Armored group instead. Yes, it is indeed a sad tale, but luckily despite this terrible mistake, most of the others on this squad look up to me as a sort of leader...Just so you know."
Demnix held his hand out. "Nice to meet you Sentrius." He jested for Sntrius to reveal the others' names but wasn't sure if he would. He figured if he did or didn't, Demnix would get their names later. "I hope I am able to stay and be worth your time too. My instructor said I can be rough around the edges." Demnix looked toward the sky, as if he was contemplating something, then looked back down. "I'm just glad I'm a knight at all. My father was a knight back when the universe was more rugged and war torn. He'd come home and tell me stories about the different regions in space and worlds he'd visited. I wanted to be like him."
"Ah and that's the Knight's dream, isn't it?" Sentrius asked, shaking the newcomer's hand. "Sailing through the stars, righting wrongs and whatnot! Becoming a hero throughout the planets. I take it you've read the handbook?"
"For the most part." Admitted Demnix. "I've read and studied every procedure and code. I just don't understand some of the information. I'd have to look over it to tell you exactly but it has to deal with the calling codes." Demnix thanked everyone for the hospitality thusfar and remained silent to await the group's decision.
Artemis and Kimbly bowed and looked to one another. Artemis nodded to Kimbly who sighed. Kimbly headed into the building and was gone for a few moments before returning wearing his red helmet and a ceremonial sword on his waist.”The Judges are ready to hear your evidence Commander.” He said with respect and turned to lead the way.
Artemis nodded to Kimbly and gestured for the Commander to go ahead of him. He would take up the rear to ensure that all of the soldiers got into the court, and that no undesirables got in otherwise. As a sign of respect for the battle hardened men he made sure to salute each in turn, though he didn’t quite kneel as he had for the Commander.
Once all the soldiers were in he would take up the rear and gesture for the large gates to be closed by a few guards in the building.
Artemis nodded to Kimbly and gestured for the Commander to go ahead of him. He would take up the rear to ensure that all of the soldiers got into the court, and that no undesirables got in otherwise. As a sign of respect for the battle hardened men he made sure to salute each in turn, though he didn’t quite kneel as he had for the Commander.
Once all the soldiers were in he would take up the rear and gesture for the large gates to be closed by a few guards in the building.
The light shun from the windows on the edge of the golden dome. Holy Court of the Matran and the Knights, enforcing the laws of Sora. They walked along the smooth stone floors of the court, beneath them a mosaic of the Matran Saints surrounding a single line of Helexicon words. Sora Cama Qotaxus Kan. Heaven, People, Justice, Law. The Xardius Basilica, house of law for the Knights. Roka marched forward, hundreds of feet above them on the ceiling stiff golden clouds lay. The Knights continued down the nave, in the darkness of the gold lined pillars guards stood ever vigilante. They reached the round center of the Basilica, aisles leading from it in all directions. There were golden stands to the left where the Knight Judges stood, dozens of them draped in heavy armors and cloaks. To the right was a record holder, an old man with a dimly lit pad in his hand. His beard was long and hung down to his waist, and his costume was thin and smooth. Beneath the two in the center of the Basilica stood two marble chairs. The chairs of the accused. The record holder stood up, placing his pad on his chair lightly.
"Loki Dinn of Dormaney, Red Graduate of the Urakas Academy, rank of elite under command of Commander Aden Malkini; Xeroux Falcus of Gengrolin, Blue Graduate of the Gengrolin Academy, rank of elite under command of Commander Aden Malkini," The man spoke weakly, his breath in each word. He raised a finger to the marble chair. "You have been confessed to the murder of six thousand men in the Legions under command of Minor General Polmer Yoff, and the murder of Minor General Polmer Yoff. All the men you have confessed to have murdered were in the employment of the Knights and, as Knights, under the protection of the Matran and of God. Your charges are murder, treason, mass murder, murder of a Knights, murder of a Legionary, illegal use of weaponry, and a gross offense of God's will. Sit yourselves and let this court begin."
As the record holder sat back down Jove, Roka and the rest of the Knights, excluding Loki and Xeroux, sat down on a wooden bench beside the record holders chair, opposite of the judges...
"Loki Dinn of Dormaney, Red Graduate of the Urakas Academy, rank of elite under command of Commander Aden Malkini; Xeroux Falcus of Gengrolin, Blue Graduate of the Gengrolin Academy, rank of elite under command of Commander Aden Malkini," The man spoke weakly, his breath in each word. He raised a finger to the marble chair. "You have been confessed to the murder of six thousand men in the Legions under command of Minor General Polmer Yoff, and the murder of Minor General Polmer Yoff. All the men you have confessed to have murdered were in the employment of the Knights and, as Knights, under the protection of the Matran and of God. Your charges are murder, treason, mass murder, murder of a Knights, murder of a Legionary, illegal use of weaponry, and a gross offense of God's will. Sit yourselves and let this court begin."
As the record holder sat back down Jove, Roka and the rest of the Knights, excluding Loki and Xeroux, sat down on a wooden bench beside the record holders chair, opposite of the judges...
Xeroux felt his heart skip a beat as the charges were being read. He hoped more than anything the new evidence against Oseal would be enough to clear his and Loki's names. They knew the other was innocent, but they had gotten in over their heads now. If found guilty, they'd be killed on the spot. So with a hesitant sigh, he sat next to Loki on the defendant's stand. They weren't granted a defender, just their stories would be heard. He could come clean and say he lied, but then they think he was making it all up, and that would only do more harm than good. The best option was to let Justice take hold, and wait for fate to deal the two young knights the right hand that could save their lives.
Artemis had reviewed the file before the squad had arrived and knew that frankly, it didn’t look good. He had been to the courts himself; having killed the noble’s son got him a front row seat to a very tedious trial. He had been charged guilty, as only his and the princesses testimony supported his plea of innocence. Still, while even the judges knew that he was innocent the evidence had him at the hanging by then end of the day. Of course, when the door opened and the twang of the rope filled his ears he found himself alive.
He had stood on the platform as the royal family and judges watched the executioner place the hood over his eyes. The last thing he saw was Anora look away and the King no, he thought to him as a gesture of respect, but soon he discovered that was not the case. The moment he felt the trap door open and felt himself free fall he thought it was over, and awaited his death. Yet the sudden jerk never came, instead he found himself falling into a large net. The hood coming slightly up as he stared up at the roof, the hole he had been dropped through told him that something was wrong. At that moment a shadow appeared in the hole, and a voice that now echoed through the chamber announcing the charges for the two knights echoed in his memory, “Artemis Romuel Maximus is dead.”
He snapped back to the present, thinking how bad things had been back then didn’t give him much faith now, and so he took his place standing behind the others as they sat, being somewhere between a servant of the Commander now and an adjunct to the court had him slightly looser than most in the room. His superiors might think he would be unclear as to where his loyalties lie at that moment, but he was anything but unclear. “Commander Sir,” he said quietly, his mouth uncovered as his helmets mouth guard was retracted, “If I may,” he leaned in to whisper quietly to Roka, “I have reviewed the case and it doesn’t look good to me, so I will be blunt, my orders are to serve you and as of now I shall. If you should decide anything foolish, I shall do what is needed to assist you in it.”
He wasn’t directly saying what he meant, but with the echo in the chamber he had to be careful, what he intended was clear to him tough, and he hoped that Commander Roka was wise enough to understand a were. He was saying with subtlety that should the court rule unfavorably and the Commander decide that he wanted to leave, suddenly ,with all his squad, he would assist them in fighting their way out of the courts.
With that said he stood straight once more and closed his helm, placing his hands behind his back as if he was standing at parade rest. Truly, his right hand was grasping the hilt of his blade while the left grasp the handle of one of his two submachine guns that were mounted on his back beneath his cloak. Kimbly was looking at him with a strange look in his eye, and Artemis knew he may have over heard him, since the sound would have carried at least to the rest of the squad on the bench, if not slightly farther, still, the judges were clearly none the wiser, and so he relaxed. If Kimbly was smarter than a dead rat, he would know that trying to take down Artemis on his own would lead to his injury if not his death.
He had stood on the platform as the royal family and judges watched the executioner place the hood over his eyes. The last thing he saw was Anora look away and the King no, he thought to him as a gesture of respect, but soon he discovered that was not the case. The moment he felt the trap door open and felt himself free fall he thought it was over, and awaited his death. Yet the sudden jerk never came, instead he found himself falling into a large net. The hood coming slightly up as he stared up at the roof, the hole he had been dropped through told him that something was wrong. At that moment a shadow appeared in the hole, and a voice that now echoed through the chamber announcing the charges for the two knights echoed in his memory, “Artemis Romuel Maximus is dead.”
He snapped back to the present, thinking how bad things had been back then didn’t give him much faith now, and so he took his place standing behind the others as they sat, being somewhere between a servant of the Commander now and an adjunct to the court had him slightly looser than most in the room. His superiors might think he would be unclear as to where his loyalties lie at that moment, but he was anything but unclear. “Commander Sir,” he said quietly, his mouth uncovered as his helmets mouth guard was retracted, “If I may,” he leaned in to whisper quietly to Roka, “I have reviewed the case and it doesn’t look good to me, so I will be blunt, my orders are to serve you and as of now I shall. If you should decide anything foolish, I shall do what is needed to assist you in it.”
He wasn’t directly saying what he meant, but with the echo in the chamber he had to be careful, what he intended was clear to him tough, and he hoped that Commander Roka was wise enough to understand a were. He was saying with subtlety that should the court rule unfavorably and the Commander decide that he wanted to leave, suddenly ,with all his squad, he would assist them in fighting their way out of the courts.
With that said he stood straight once more and closed his helm, placing his hands behind his back as if he was standing at parade rest. Truly, his right hand was grasping the hilt of his blade while the left grasp the handle of one of his two submachine guns that were mounted on his back beneath his cloak. Kimbly was looking at him with a strange look in his eye, and Artemis knew he may have over heard him, since the sound would have carried at least to the rest of the squad on the bench, if not slightly farther, still, the judges were clearly none the wiser, and so he relaxed. If Kimbly was smarter than a dead rat, he would know that trying to take down Artemis on his own would lead to his injury if not his death.
While the charges were read off, Demnix's chest burned with slight apathy. Either they were guilty, or they weren't, right? It was easy enough for the court to decide the charges based on the evidence, but what about the verdict? Demnix didn't know this squad yet, but they had welcomed him in. They had shown him he had a purpose, but being so new he could supply counter evidence without lying. He sat patiently among the ranks of his new comrads and listened to the facts being given. Things didn't sound good, not yet at least. Demnix had hoped things would go smoothly into a "not guilty" but court wasn't magic. People could be justly or unjustly accused and imprisoned for years on end. He felt worthless in helping anything from the start. His self esteem hadn't been good lately because of the recruiting failure repeats and now he was hammered with a weak feeling. He wanted to tell himself everything would be ok, but even he didn't know.
Nai watched with what looked like concern as the trial commenced. The facts could be laid out and there were discrepencies that could lead to an unwanted verdict her group had to hear. That same verdict could be music to someone else's ears though. Then again, there could be details that she or some of the others hadn't been told of and this whole thing could be turned around. That was what Nai wanted to hear.
The men's personalities had convinced her they could not be capable of this. Their manners and actions suggested good and kind natures with no hidden or lurking evil within. Loki especially seemed like an innocent type of person. No way could they be guilty. But it wasn't up to her decide, Nai thought with a frown. If she was a judge, there would be so many who could not be guilty. Circumstances decide at times. Reason, the rest.
The men's personalities had convinced her they could not be capable of this. Their manners and actions suggested good and kind natures with no hidden or lurking evil within. Loki especially seemed like an innocent type of person. No way could they be guilty. But it wasn't up to her decide, Nai thought with a frown. If she was a judge, there would be so many who could not be guilty. Circumstances decide at times. Reason, the rest.
Commander Roka leaned back at Artemis' words and placed his palm through his gray hairs. "Let us pray it doesn't come to that, vartaos," The Commander whispered as Loki and Xeroux sat in the bronze chairs in front of the judge. The record holder weakly placed his pad on the ground and exchanged it for a pile of papers. He licked his wrinkled thumb and moved through the reports until he stopped a few pages in. "It is assumed that you will all speak under the oath of god and the oath of honesty, the Lvial, that every man and women in this room have sworn to at their respected graduation from one of the nine Knight Academies of Sora. Is anyone in this room an exception to this?"
Roka raised his hand and stood quietly. "Sir Knight of Sor, I cannot speak for Maximus and Kimbly, sir. They have taken the Lvial and the Oath of the King, and while both are to the people and god I am not sure if one overrides the other. I am not a Knight of the city Sor, or of the palace."
"The Oath of the King does not compromise the Lvial in any way Commander, you may sit," The record holder replied, waving his hand in mild annoyance at Roka's concerns. Roka gave a quick nod and sat back down. "Now, we will have two set testimonies, as there were only three reported witnesses' to the crime itself. First we will let speak Oran Oseal, representing what he claimed to have seen or done, then we will let speak Xeroux Falcus, representing what he and Loki Dinn claimed to have seen or done. Any questions?" The record holder paused and looked around the room, his words met with no response. "Very well then. Sir Knight Oran, you may begin. Describe what happened on the twenty second of June, twenty-two forty."
"Thank you, Sir Knight of Sor," Oseal said with a smile as he stood from his seat in a quick motion. He pulled out a card from the cuff of his neck and began to read. "Minor General Yoff had three legions, one of which I understood was newly formed in the city of Urakas, the rest were western Legions if I remember. We were in the canyons of the Freelands Leaderless area's on the planet of Usin, far outside the Kingdom of Usin's control, trying to exterminate a rebel army that had been built in the area. They had a camp at the top of a pillar, we heard, so we used the underground tunnels of an ancient city that ran below the area. We, under Yoff's orders, stacked explosives beneath the pillar."
Oseal paused and glanced up at the Judges, most of who sat unemotionally in their armor, showing off their age and experience, and their mercilessness. Oseal swallowed before turning away from the Judges and back to Xeroux and Loki in the center of the room. "Then Commander Malkini and his Knights arrived. They investigated the pillar where the rebels hid and then returned telling the army to move out toward the pillar saying that it was just a village and that no rebels were there."
"Aden Malkini himself advised General Yoff to move the Legions to a camp surrounding the pillar?" One of the judges asked, leaning forward carefully in his heavy golden plating. "That was my understanding, yes," Oseal replied. "The Legions camped at the pillar that night, the night of the 21st moving on to the morning of the 22nd. Malkini's nights camped closer to the entrance to the underground city and its tunnels. I slept in my ship, outside the entrance of the underground. With the rest of the ships. That morning the explosives under the pillar were ignited and the pillar collapsed on itself onto the land, killing both General Yoff and all three of his Legions."
"And where were you during all this?" One of the judges asked. "Sleeping in my ship," Oseal said. "I awoke immediately at the explosion and I began to take off under fear of an attack. As I took off I saw four of Malkini's Knights emerge from the underground cities entrance, two had blue armor and two had red."
"Could you identify the four Knights?" The record holder asked.
"Yes, four of them," Oseal said. "Xeroux Falcus, Loki Dinn, Nai Tsukumo, and Sentrius Tetran."
"To clarify, you, Oran Oseal, are accusing Xeroux Falcus, Loki Dinn, Nai Tsukumo, and Sentrius Tetran for the eight charges brought against, so far, only Xeroux Falcus and Loki Dinn?" The record holder asked.
"Yes Sir Knight I am," Oseal said, his face unmoving. "I saw them emerge and run back to camp, where I saw from above Commander Malkini emerge from his tent nude like a savage and saw him and his group cheer at the bloody pile of flaming corpses in the river." Oseal paused. "I vomited through my mouth at that point and flew passed the canyon where I saw an army of rebels from Usin cheering. I then proceeded to fly off world to the Kings Port where I regrouped with my Commander Roka."
"Thank you, Sir Knight Oran, that is all," The record holder said. Oseal nodded and sat back down in his chair. From the darkness two silver clad Knights of the palace emerged, one holding two more bronze chairs which he placed beside Loki's and Xeroux's. The other grabbed Nai and Sentrius by the arm and placed them in the chairs.
"Malkini's Knights," The record holder spoke loudly. "How do you plea?"
Roka raised his hand and stood quietly. "Sir Knight of Sor, I cannot speak for Maximus and Kimbly, sir. They have taken the Lvial and the Oath of the King, and while both are to the people and god I am not sure if one overrides the other. I am not a Knight of the city Sor, or of the palace."
"The Oath of the King does not compromise the Lvial in any way Commander, you may sit," The record holder replied, waving his hand in mild annoyance at Roka's concerns. Roka gave a quick nod and sat back down. "Now, we will have two set testimonies, as there were only three reported witnesses' to the crime itself. First we will let speak Oran Oseal, representing what he claimed to have seen or done, then we will let speak Xeroux Falcus, representing what he and Loki Dinn claimed to have seen or done. Any questions?" The record holder paused and looked around the room, his words met with no response. "Very well then. Sir Knight Oran, you may begin. Describe what happened on the twenty second of June, twenty-two forty."
"Thank you, Sir Knight of Sor," Oseal said with a smile as he stood from his seat in a quick motion. He pulled out a card from the cuff of his neck and began to read. "Minor General Yoff had three legions, one of which I understood was newly formed in the city of Urakas, the rest were western Legions if I remember. We were in the canyons of the Freelands Leaderless area's on the planet of Usin, far outside the Kingdom of Usin's control, trying to exterminate a rebel army that had been built in the area. They had a camp at the top of a pillar, we heard, so we used the underground tunnels of an ancient city that ran below the area. We, under Yoff's orders, stacked explosives beneath the pillar."
Oseal paused and glanced up at the Judges, most of who sat unemotionally in their armor, showing off their age and experience, and their mercilessness. Oseal swallowed before turning away from the Judges and back to Xeroux and Loki in the center of the room. "Then Commander Malkini and his Knights arrived. They investigated the pillar where the rebels hid and then returned telling the army to move out toward the pillar saying that it was just a village and that no rebels were there."
"Aden Malkini himself advised General Yoff to move the Legions to a camp surrounding the pillar?" One of the judges asked, leaning forward carefully in his heavy golden plating. "That was my understanding, yes," Oseal replied. "The Legions camped at the pillar that night, the night of the 21st moving on to the morning of the 22nd. Malkini's nights camped closer to the entrance to the underground city and its tunnels. I slept in my ship, outside the entrance of the underground. With the rest of the ships. That morning the explosives under the pillar were ignited and the pillar collapsed on itself onto the land, killing both General Yoff and all three of his Legions."
"And where were you during all this?" One of the judges asked. "Sleeping in my ship," Oseal said. "I awoke immediately at the explosion and I began to take off under fear of an attack. As I took off I saw four of Malkini's Knights emerge from the underground cities entrance, two had blue armor and two had red."
"Could you identify the four Knights?" The record holder asked.
"Yes, four of them," Oseal said. "Xeroux Falcus, Loki Dinn, Nai Tsukumo, and Sentrius Tetran."
"To clarify, you, Oran Oseal, are accusing Xeroux Falcus, Loki Dinn, Nai Tsukumo, and Sentrius Tetran for the eight charges brought against, so far, only Xeroux Falcus and Loki Dinn?" The record holder asked.
"Yes Sir Knight I am," Oseal said, his face unmoving. "I saw them emerge and run back to camp, where I saw from above Commander Malkini emerge from his tent nude like a savage and saw him and his group cheer at the bloody pile of flaming corpses in the river." Oseal paused. "I vomited through my mouth at that point and flew passed the canyon where I saw an army of rebels from Usin cheering. I then proceeded to fly off world to the Kings Port where I regrouped with my Commander Roka."
"Thank you, Sir Knight Oran, that is all," The record holder said. Oseal nodded and sat back down in his chair. From the darkness two silver clad Knights of the palace emerged, one holding two more bronze chairs which he placed beside Loki's and Xeroux's. The other grabbed Nai and Sentrius by the arm and placed them in the chairs.
"Malkini's Knights," The record holder spoke loudly. "How do you plea?"
Sentrius' eyes widened as soon as his name was brought up. He was charged of what now!? Why he had no such thing. This was rediculous. Oseal must've been trying to set them all up! Sentrius knew it the whole time! What a weasel, that Oseal! But these heinous, false charges had to be dropped.What if they reached his permanent record?
As soon as his arm was grabbed, Sentrius frowned and begrudgingly walked to the stand. When the judge asked how he plead the answer was obvious. "Innocent, your honor!" Sentrius exclaimed. "And if I may your honor, I'd like to be the one to present my own personal non-fabricated account of the story. I'm sure you'll find it enlightening, along with the fact the we may have gathere evidance that Oseal may in fact be the culprit and not any of us. Especially, Loki and Xeroux who I have personally been trying to defend from the start!"
As soon as his arm was grabbed, Sentrius frowned and begrudgingly walked to the stand. When the judge asked how he plead the answer was obvious. "Innocent, your honor!" Sentrius exclaimed. "And if I may your honor, I'd like to be the one to present my own personal non-fabricated account of the story. I'm sure you'll find it enlightening, along with the fact the we may have gathere evidance that Oseal may in fact be the culprit and not any of us. Especially, Loki and Xeroux who I have personally been trying to defend from the start!"
"I am not an honor, Sentrius. You may refer to me as Sir Knight of Sor," The record holder spat with hatred toward the parliamentarianly inaudible and romantically incapable Sentrius. "And what is this evidence you speak of."
"Sir Knight of Sor!" Jove said, nearly flying out of his chair, a large brown sack in his palm. "I have here, in my clenched fist, evidence that it was not in fact these brave Knights, under the massive command of the loyal Aden Malkini, that set off the explosions, but rather Oran Oseal!"
"Oran Oseal of Dormaney, white graduate of the Tormaund Academy, under the command of Commander Kristopher Roka?!" One of the Judges asked, raising from his chair. "The very same!" Jove replied. "Judges of Sor! Knights of god! Feast your eyes and your minds on this!" Jove exclaimed, ripping from inside the sack a dirty white cape, half of it badly burnt and ripped. "The cape of a white Knight! Burnt badly from explosions someone may of set too soon and gotten their cape, flying behind them, slightly burnt. Found in Oran Oseal's bag, after he fled from Usin!" Jove announced, turning the cape over to reveal the writing on the back of the capes neck. "Tormaund, twenty-two forty!" Jove said. "Three people graduated from Tormaund this year, Xane Swipien, Nai Tsukumo, and Oran Oseal! Two of them were on Usin and are now in this holy court, Nai Tsukumo and Oran Oseal! And only one, I repeat, one was a white Knight!"
Jove paused before turning to look at Oseal, who sat in his chair sweating. "Oran Oseal." Oseal was grabbed by the arm and placed beside the other four in a bronze chair.
"Thank you for the evidence Sir Joven," The record holder said, before turning back to Sentrius. "Now, with this new evidence in mind, tell us your story Sir Sentrius."
"Sir Knight of Sor!" Jove said, nearly flying out of his chair, a large brown sack in his palm. "I have here, in my clenched fist, evidence that it was not in fact these brave Knights, under the massive command of the loyal Aden Malkini, that set off the explosions, but rather Oran Oseal!"
"Oran Oseal of Dormaney, white graduate of the Tormaund Academy, under the command of Commander Kristopher Roka?!" One of the Judges asked, raising from his chair. "The very same!" Jove replied. "Judges of Sor! Knights of god! Feast your eyes and your minds on this!" Jove exclaimed, ripping from inside the sack a dirty white cape, half of it badly burnt and ripped. "The cape of a white Knight! Burnt badly from explosions someone may of set too soon and gotten their cape, flying behind them, slightly burnt. Found in Oran Oseal's bag, after he fled from Usin!" Jove announced, turning the cape over to reveal the writing on the back of the capes neck. "Tormaund, twenty-two forty!" Jove said. "Three people graduated from Tormaund this year, Xane Swipien, Nai Tsukumo, and Oran Oseal! Two of them were on Usin and are now in this holy court, Nai Tsukumo and Oran Oseal! And only one, I repeat, one was a white Knight!"
Jove paused before turning to look at Oseal, who sat in his chair sweating. "Oran Oseal." Oseal was grabbed by the arm and placed beside the other four in a bronze chair.
"Thank you for the evidence Sir Joven," The record holder said, before turning back to Sentrius. "Now, with this new evidence in mind, tell us your story Sir Sentrius."
"Of course," Sentrius nodded. "As a dedicated Knight, I must commit to the truth and stand by it. The seventh of the twelve Knight guidelines from the handbook, as I'm sure you all know. Well, most of us," Sentrius frowned as he glanced up and gave a cold look towards Oseal, before shaking his head in over exaggerated disgust. "And I will tell you an account of what happened that day. First and formost, I'd like to comment on how treason is a very serious offence, as stated in pages three forty through three fifty five of the handbook as is false accusation in page two twenty six in the sub-section under legal matters. Two crimes that have been violated by Sir Oran, in the past few days. Let's start with the treason. As our group arrived, we planned out our mission carefully. Commander Malkini carefully explained every detail and I, as I am sure amny of my teammates did, took mental notes as to ensure a successful mission."
Sentrius paused to clear his throat before continuing, "We scanned the area as per directed in proper Knight proceedures when operating on a possible enemy campsite, page one hundred and eighty nine, sub-secton c. We found nothing. Later at our campsite we were gretted by Yoff's, God bless his Shield, group. Along with our perpetrator, Sir Oran Oseal. Our orders from then on out were to stay at the campsite and keep watch. None of us knew what was to come. The horrible explosion...It woke all of us up and had us running to the campsite to aid our bretherin. After we surveyed the carnage, Oseal, that deceitful turncoat, emerged and told us the same lie he spoke to you, which, as you see, Jove's evidence refuted!"
Sentrius paused once more, "And as you can see, his lies have led to his second crime, false accusations! Pushing blame upon innocent, up and coming Knights with unlimited potential! It's un-Sorillian is what it is!"
Sentrius paused to clear his throat before continuing, "We scanned the area as per directed in proper Knight proceedures when operating on a possible enemy campsite, page one hundred and eighty nine, sub-secton c. We found nothing. Later at our campsite we were gretted by Yoff's, God bless his Shield, group. Along with our perpetrator, Sir Oran Oseal. Our orders from then on out were to stay at the campsite and keep watch. None of us knew what was to come. The horrible explosion...It woke all of us up and had us running to the campsite to aid our bretherin. After we surveyed the carnage, Oseal, that deceitful turncoat, emerged and told us the same lie he spoke to you, which, as you see, Jove's evidence refuted!"
Sentrius paused once more, "And as you can see, his lies have led to his second crime, false accusations! Pushing blame upon innocent, up and coming Knights with unlimited potential! It's un-Sorillian is what it is!"
"Is this a testimony all of Malkini's Knights agree too?" The record holder said in a bored fashion. All of the Knights nodded. "Very well. Is there anything anyone would like to add?"
"Regarding the explosions," Jove started, standing from his chair. "I can personally guarantee you that we all were at camp far from the entrance to the underground city. Commander Malkini had taken two women from Yoff's bodyguard aside and had spent the night with them while the rest of us stayed in our tents. I was fishing when the explosions occurred."
"Ah yes, that brings us to our next issue," The record holder spat. "Where is this Aden Malkini."
"He went south to Iceveng I believe to collect an army to destroy the rebels on Usin," Jove replied slowly.
"An illegal army?!" One of the Judges yelled in anger.
"I believe the thought was to end his mission without harming any one from the Legions more so, Sir Knight," Jove said.
"Very well, we will take that on next. Before the Judges make their decision is there anything else anyone has to say regarding the current case?" The record holder asked...
"Regarding the explosions," Jove started, standing from his chair. "I can personally guarantee you that we all were at camp far from the entrance to the underground city. Commander Malkini had taken two women from Yoff's bodyguard aside and had spent the night with them while the rest of us stayed in our tents. I was fishing when the explosions occurred."
"Ah yes, that brings us to our next issue," The record holder spat. "Where is this Aden Malkini."
"He went south to Iceveng I believe to collect an army to destroy the rebels on Usin," Jove replied slowly.
"An illegal army?!" One of the Judges yelled in anger.
"I believe the thought was to end his mission without harming any one from the Legions more so, Sir Knight," Jove said.
"Very well, we will take that on next. Before the Judges make their decision is there anything else anyone has to say regarding the current case?" The record holder asked...
Xeroux smiled, a tear glinted in his eye. He was glad to have Jove around, and Sentrius? he'd be sure to give his a good wallop for lying in a court of law. Supporting them the entire time? It was laughable how much the man wanted to be a hero, not even the good kind, but rather the stereotypical one who loves the fame and fortune of it all.
"Is there anything else anyone has to say regarding the current case?"
Xeroux shot to his feet. all eyes were on him, suddenly he was nervous. "Uh, I mean...how to say this." He looked around, "I'm sorry." He cleared his throat. "After the explosion we raced to the area, in an attempt to find who had set the explosives off and for any comrades still breathing. I was able to find one survivor. A young, well, teenaged girl named Lauren. She is the only survivor of the attack, and I saw it fit to bring her with us. She is currently aboard our ship, awaiting my return. She doesn't seem comfortable speaking to anyone else. I know Jove can communicate with her, but other than him I am the only one on our team who can. She does speak a little of our language." He stopped, looked around, realizing he had been rambling he blushed. "I apologize. What I'm trying to say, or ask rather, is what is to become of her? I don't feel taking her back is a god idea...perhaps she could be enrolled in an academy? As a way to look after her?"
He waited on pins and needles for their reply.
"Is there anything else anyone has to say regarding the current case?"
Xeroux shot to his feet. all eyes were on him, suddenly he was nervous. "Uh, I mean...how to say this." He looked around, "I'm sorry." He cleared his throat. "After the explosion we raced to the area, in an attempt to find who had set the explosives off and for any comrades still breathing. I was able to find one survivor. A young, well, teenaged girl named Lauren. She is the only survivor of the attack, and I saw it fit to bring her with us. She is currently aboard our ship, awaiting my return. She doesn't seem comfortable speaking to anyone else. I know Jove can communicate with her, but other than him I am the only one on our team who can. She does speak a little of our language." He stopped, looked around, realizing he had been rambling he blushed. "I apologize. What I'm trying to say, or ask rather, is what is to become of her? I don't feel taking her back is a god idea...perhaps she could be enrolled in an academy? As a way to look after her?"
He waited on pins and needles for their reply.
"I see," The record holder spoke after a while, scratching his beard. "Don't worry, young Knight. We will take care of her."
"Now," Roka said, raising from his seat. "The verdict, please. Regarding the innocence and purity of the accused Knights other than Oran Oseal."
The Judges each stood and spoke. "Innocent." "Guilty." "Innocent." "Guilty." "Guilty." "Guilty." "Guilty." "Guilty." "Innocent." Guilty." "Innocent." "Innocent." "Innocent." "Guilty." "Guilty." "Innocent." "Guilty." "Innocent." "Innocent." "Innocent." "Guilty." "Innocent." "Innocent." "Guilty." "Innocent." "Guilty." "Innocent." "Innocent." "Guilty."
The last Knight spoke. Record holder glanced up, before looking over to Malkini's Knights. "The Knight Judges have voted. The innocence of Malkini's Knights have been decided. Fifteen votes for innocence, fourteen for guilt, making innocence the winning verdict. Xeroux Falcus, Loki Dinn, Nai Tsukumo, and Sentrius Tetran, you have all been found innocent."
Roka smiled widely as the Knights gave silent signs of relief.
"Now, as for the issue of Aden Malkini and his illegal army," The record holder said, flipping through the pages. "What would our Judges say on the matter."
"Stop him!" At least three of the Judges yelled at once. "Immediately!" Another added.
"We cannot have this man creating a rebel army for any reason!" A Judge said. "Especially not while he still bears the name of a Knight Commander!"
"So what would you suggest we do?" Jove asked, folding his arms.
"Go to Iceveng and report his doings," One of the Judges spoke, placing his finger under his lip in thought. "He trusts you. And that is why you Knights are useful. Go to him as his old squad and let him reveal to you what he is planning. Report it back, secretly."
"Report to who?" Jove asked.
The Judges paused, before turning to look at Roka. "The Commander."
"No," Roka spoke. "I have my own squad of elites."
"For this mission they, excluding Oseal, will be merged with the squad under the command of Commander Dragoon," The record holder said.
Roka rubbed his forehead before glancing up at the Knights. "If they go to Malkini, and report to me, I cannot be seen."
"Of course. You must always be hidden, Malkini's must never know the Knights are reporting to you. Never," A Judge spoke.
"Upon touchdown on the planet I would hide," Roka said. "With only the Knights knowing my location."
"So its set," The record holder concluded. "And its time for you to leave."
"Wait, its set?" Jove asked as the rest of his crew was assembled, Oseal staying behind on the bronze chair. "Whats set? Nothings set!"
"It is," Roka said as he began to walk toward the exit. "We head to Iceveng."
"Now," Roka said, raising from his seat. "The verdict, please. Regarding the innocence and purity of the accused Knights other than Oran Oseal."
The Judges each stood and spoke. "Innocent." "Guilty." "Innocent." "Guilty." "Guilty." "Guilty." "Guilty." "Guilty." "Innocent." Guilty." "Innocent." "Innocent." "Innocent." "Guilty." "Guilty." "Innocent." "Guilty." "Innocent." "Innocent." "Innocent." "Guilty." "Innocent." "Innocent." "Guilty." "Innocent." "Guilty." "Innocent." "Innocent." "Guilty."
The last Knight spoke. Record holder glanced up, before looking over to Malkini's Knights. "The Knight Judges have voted. The innocence of Malkini's Knights have been decided. Fifteen votes for innocence, fourteen for guilt, making innocence the winning verdict. Xeroux Falcus, Loki Dinn, Nai Tsukumo, and Sentrius Tetran, you have all been found innocent."
Roka smiled widely as the Knights gave silent signs of relief.
"Now, as for the issue of Aden Malkini and his illegal army," The record holder said, flipping through the pages. "What would our Judges say on the matter."
"Stop him!" At least three of the Judges yelled at once. "Immediately!" Another added.
"We cannot have this man creating a rebel army for any reason!" A Judge said. "Especially not while he still bears the name of a Knight Commander!"
"So what would you suggest we do?" Jove asked, folding his arms.
"Go to Iceveng and report his doings," One of the Judges spoke, placing his finger under his lip in thought. "He trusts you. And that is why you Knights are useful. Go to him as his old squad and let him reveal to you what he is planning. Report it back, secretly."
"Report to who?" Jove asked.
The Judges paused, before turning to look at Roka. "The Commander."
"No," Roka spoke. "I have my own squad of elites."
"For this mission they, excluding Oseal, will be merged with the squad under the command of Commander Dragoon," The record holder said.
Roka rubbed his forehead before glancing up at the Knights. "If they go to Malkini, and report to me, I cannot be seen."
"Of course. You must always be hidden, Malkini's must never know the Knights are reporting to you. Never," A Judge spoke.
"Upon touchdown on the planet I would hide," Roka said. "With only the Knights knowing my location."
"So its set," The record holder concluded. "And its time for you to leave."
"Wait, its set?" Jove asked as the rest of his crew was assembled, Oseal staying behind on the bronze chair. "Whats set? Nothings set!"
"It is," Roka said as he began to walk toward the exit. "We head to Iceveng."
Having heard the verdicts being called off Demnix's heart raced. There were fourteen votes for innocent and fifteen for guilty? Had these men and Nai been falsly accused? This was unjust! They were going to prison over nothing. Then the record holder spoke.
"The Knight Judges have voted. The innocence of Malkini's Knights have been decided. Fifteen votes for innocence, fourteen for guilt, making innocence the winning verdict. Xeroux Falcus, Loki Dinn, Nai Tsukumo, and Sentrius Tetran, you have all been found innocent."
With an embarrassed releif. Demnix heard the Judges and his new squad discussing a trip to Iceveng. As they rose he scuttled up to Roka. "Please, could you run that by me one more time. I heard it, I just didn't understand it." Demnix was bright but not too quick on matters of court and law decisions. It was his worst subject. Hence, his inexperience with knight codes, or even the number of them. Nonetheless, he was happy to be part of something.
"The Knight Judges have voted. The innocence of Malkini's Knights have been decided. Fifteen votes for innocence, fourteen for guilt, making innocence the winning verdict. Xeroux Falcus, Loki Dinn, Nai Tsukumo, and Sentrius Tetran, you have all been found innocent."
With an embarrassed releif. Demnix heard the Judges and his new squad discussing a trip to Iceveng. As they rose he scuttled up to Roka. "Please, could you run that by me one more time. I heard it, I just didn't understand it." Demnix was bright but not too quick on matters of court and law decisions. It was his worst subject. Hence, his inexperience with knight codes, or even the number of them. Nonetheless, he was happy to be part of something.
"We are heading to the planet of Iceveng," Roka explained. "On the planet is a Knight named Aden Malkini. He was this groups old Commander and he is now on Iceveng raising an army. He hopes to use the army he's raised to fight the rebels on the planet of Usin. The problem is that its illegal for him to make this army. So, our orders are to head to the planet and, upon arrival, I go into hiding. You Knights find Malkini and gain his trust, and find out everything you can about the army he's created. Then you report it back to me, in secret. That's the plan, for now."
"That Malkini, he's quite a card," Jove commented as the group exited the palace grounds...
"That Malkini, he's quite a card," Jove commented as the group exited the palace grounds...
"Raising an illegal army," Sentrius shook his head, as he walked out with his squad. "I just hope we can reach him before he goes down a complete downward spiral. He should at least've gotten the council's permission. Still this mission is not what I've hoped. I mean...I had hoped there'd be glorious battle for us to participate in. Something that will get m-...our names in the papers."
"Though, I also want to know what Oran's intentions were when he killed Yoff and his squad," Sentrius said, putting a hand to his chin. "Maybe later, eh?"
"Though, I also want to know what Oran's intentions were when he killed Yoff and his squad," Sentrius said, putting a hand to his chin. "Maybe later, eh?"
"Oseal's intentions don't really matter," Nai said as she walked alongside the others, looking unaffected by the trial and the turn of events. Admittedly she had been somewhat surprised when her name had been called, but her certainty of the events and of herself had kept her from making any kind of protest or break in her composure. In fact, the only thing she had even bothered saying was she was innocent. She truly was innocent. A lot of people were.
"What does matter is we have a mission at the moment we need to concentrate on," Nai continued with a small smirk, "Honor is vital, but catching potential culprits is pretty important too. Ah but then again, its not right to make assumptions without solid facts. Hm..."
"What does matter is we have a mission at the moment we need to concentrate on," Nai continued with a small smirk, "Honor is vital, but catching potential culprits is pretty important too. Ah but then again, its not right to make assumptions without solid facts. Hm..."
Commander Roka extravagantly marched into the spaceport docking bay, where their black cruiser awaited them. At the door of the ship stood two royal guards, clad in silver armor and purples cloaks. They bowed their heads slightly as Roka made his way to them, the Knights following him steadily. "Don't worry, sir," The guard chirped. "We already informed your squad of their destination and they've already left."
"Thank you," Roka said after a second, before taking a step onto the ship.
"Also," The guard spoke. "We've taken the girl. You can rest easy knowing she'll be taken care of."
"Thank you," Roka said again, before making his way onto the ship...
"Thank you," Roka said after a second, before taking a step onto the ship.
"Also," The guard spoke. "We've taken the girl. You can rest easy knowing she'll be taken care of."
"Thank you," Roka said again, before making his way onto the ship...
Xeroux walked in silence, to happy to speak. They reached the docking bay and were greeted by two silver clad Knights.
"Also, We've taken the girl. You can rest easy knowing she'll be taken care of."
He looked up, "W-where did you take her to? Is she being put in to an academy?" He knew he was speaking out of turn, but he hoped they were at least nice to her. He couldn't help but worry how she was being treated. He hoped that the legion hadn't gotten ahold of her.
"Sorry, I don't mean to speak out of turn. You see she's scared, so I'm worried about her emotional state."
"Also, We've taken the girl. You can rest easy knowing she'll be taken care of."
He looked up, "W-where did you take her to? Is she being put in to an academy?" He knew he was speaking out of turn, but he hoped they were at least nice to her. He couldn't help but worry how she was being treated. He hoped that the legion hadn't gotten ahold of her.
"Sorry, I don't mean to speak out of turn. You see she's scared, so I'm worried about her emotional state."
Demnix was one of the last in line now. He'd stumbled back after getting his questions answered.
"You see she's scared, so I'm worried about her emotional state"
Xeroux had broken his composure. The first break Demnix had seen, and a good cover he'd thought. After boarding the ship, Demnix thought it was time to collect some information. First, he'd delve into Xeroux's mind and get to know him. He slid to his side and, in a quiet tone, asked his first few questions.
"You're Xeroux right? What do you have with the girl the guards mentioned? I she someone you've taken interest to, or just someone your morality couldn't let go?"
"You see she's scared, so I'm worried about her emotional state"
Xeroux had broken his composure. The first break Demnix had seen, and a good cover he'd thought. After boarding the ship, Demnix thought it was time to collect some information. First, he'd delve into Xeroux's mind and get to know him. He slid to his side and, in a quiet tone, asked his first few questions.
"You're Xeroux right? What do you have with the girl the guards mentioned? I she someone you've taken interest to, or just someone your morality couldn't let go?"
Xeroux sat with his arms folded, He was waiting for answers, but he trusted that Lauren was being taken care of in a manner that was kind. They were after all protectors, not murderers. He looked over when Demnix sat next to him,
"You're Xeroux right? What do you have with the girl the guards mentioned? Is she someone you've taken interest to, or just someone your morality couldn't let go?"
He thought for a moment, letting his hands fall to his knees.
"Her name is Lauren. She was the only survivor of Usin. I thought it wrong to just leave her behind. If I had, she would have been killed by the rebel forces that were starting to move in as we left to meet up with Roka. Though, as we traveled, I did begin to take an interest in her you could say." He sighed, "She made me feel strong, like all the time I spent at the academy was worth it just to have saved her life. I could have been killed in some space battle, but knowing she was safe made me feel complete. I think that's why I took the the blame for the Usin attack. Though as time went on, I began to worry about what would happen if I left her alone."
He looked out the window into the spaceport's bleak interior. "I felt it would be selfish of me to die, leaving her behind with no one."
"You're Xeroux right? What do you have with the girl the guards mentioned? Is she someone you've taken interest to, or just someone your morality couldn't let go?"
He thought for a moment, letting his hands fall to his knees.
"Her name is Lauren. She was the only survivor of Usin. I thought it wrong to just leave her behind. If I had, she would have been killed by the rebel forces that were starting to move in as we left to meet up with Roka. Though, as we traveled, I did begin to take an interest in her you could say." He sighed, "She made me feel strong, like all the time I spent at the academy was worth it just to have saved her life. I could have been killed in some space battle, but knowing she was safe made me feel complete. I think that's why I took the the blame for the Usin attack. Though as time went on, I began to worry about what would happen if I left her alone."
He looked out the window into the spaceport's bleak interior. "I felt it would be selfish of me to die, leaving her behind with no one."
Demnix wasn't taken aback but he was moved. This went beyond morality and codes. He felt something in his heart as well. Had his father just been too infolved in his work? After all, Senior Valorai had been strictly profession.
"She'll be alright. She's away from the rebels and under knighthood protection. You did your job well and while protecting another." Demnix had a way of comforting others but seldom cheered up himself. He patted Xeroux on the shoulder and stood to talk to the others. "Things will be fine."
Demnix walked slowly to Roka who was at the front of the vessel. "If you have the time; what's your story?" he asked in a polite tone.
"She'll be alright. She's away from the rebels and under knighthood protection. You did your job well and while protecting another." Demnix had a way of comforting others but seldom cheered up himself. He patted Xeroux on the shoulder and stood to talk to the others. "Things will be fine."
Demnix walked slowly to Roka who was at the front of the vessel. "If you have the time; what's your story?" he asked in a polite tone.
Artemis let out a sigh as the verdict was handed down, and as he exited with the others he saw several Royal Guard move in to surround the man in the chair, “Doesn’t mean he’ll be executed.” He said to himself and then headed off with the rest of the squad, he stood to the left and slightly behind Roka at all times, save for when they entered the hangar. Just before bordering he vanished for a moment, only to return as the ship closed with a large metal box on his back which he set and latched near the others before heading to the front of the vessel and standing to the left and behind Roka once more.
The whole day had been fairly uneventful, the only thing that had occurred that made him truly fear for his identity was when he was bringing the box on boar and a Royal Guard who was standing nearby asked him to remove his helm so as to confirm his identity. To avoid this he had raised his fist and shown the palm of his right hand to the man, his armors palm folding open to show his skin had a tattoo of the royal seal on it. The man had said all too loudly, “an Archon!” and he was worried that the others might have heard, so to avoid the subject he merely stood by the Commander at parade rest, his boots planted firmly on the ground as he awaited lift off.
He would not sit, even when they launched, having been trained to never leave the side of his charge and to never be in a vulnerable position he would stand there the whole trip. It had taken him a few trips with the princess to get the hang of the inertia of take off, but at this point he would stand there like a statue, his hands under his cape behind his back, one gripping the hilt of his sword the others the grip of one of his pistols. However, he did speak, “Commander, who is this Malkini man? I have read no records of him, and no rumors have reached here about such a man.”
The whole day had been fairly uneventful, the only thing that had occurred that made him truly fear for his identity was when he was bringing the box on boar and a Royal Guard who was standing nearby asked him to remove his helm so as to confirm his identity. To avoid this he had raised his fist and shown the palm of his right hand to the man, his armors palm folding open to show his skin had a tattoo of the royal seal on it. The man had said all too loudly, “an Archon!” and he was worried that the others might have heard, so to avoid the subject he merely stood by the Commander at parade rest, his boots planted firmly on the ground as he awaited lift off.
He would not sit, even when they launched, having been trained to never leave the side of his charge and to never be in a vulnerable position he would stand there the whole trip. It had taken him a few trips with the princess to get the hang of the inertia of take off, but at this point he would stand there like a statue, his hands under his cape behind his back, one gripping the hilt of his sword the others the grip of one of his pistols. However, he did speak, “Commander, who is this Malkini man? I have read no records of him, and no rumors have reached here about such a man.”
Roka rubbed his beard slightly as he looked out the window of the ship's pilot's cabin. Out the window the city of Sor stretched beneath the clouds, the bright blue Capima waters on its edge. Roka glanced to the side where Artemis sat silently. Roka smiled at the man slightly before looking back out into the glass. The door to the pilot's cabin opened again and Demnix, and the rest of the Knights, walked in. Roka glanced at the man as he sat down. "If you have the time; what's your story?" Demnix asked him politely.
"I'm a Knight Commander, a previous Minor Knight General, before that a Green Knight Prefect, before that a Green Elite," Roka explained. "As an elite I worked closely with Commander Dragoon, and the two of us formed a close friendship. Being an elite is the best time you will have as a Knight, working with your team, with your friends. Its indescribable, and incomparable with the rest of your years. Eventually I became a Prefect and began to work alone. I worked on the Capima Islands for a few years, on the Gold Coast. I married, had a boy, had a house on the fields of rye along a coastal town."
Roka paused. "Then, when my son was still young, I went out to work in the mid-land provinces of the system. State Umano and Branko Province, mainly. I was sent to planets there where the Legions had problems. They would give me a few men and I would solve the problem, then leave for my next assignment. Eventually I was sent to destroy a group of Phoenix's, fourteen of them had found each other in secret and created an organization. I managed to destroy almost all of them in my first attack, then I quickly hunted the rest until only one was left. I decided to let him get away after a long period of no leads, and so I returned to Capima. My house was burned, my family was roasted alive. I chased the Phoenix for years after, his name was Darcess Weaver. I chased him all the way to the north-west edge of our System, to the icy planet of Kiris. I chased him into a snowstorm. I had a gunship; he had a sword. He got on top of our ship and destroyed it until it crashed. All the men on board died except me."
Roka stopped his words before leaning forward, his brow resting on the cold glass of the window. "I fought him and killed him. Then I went on. I became a Knight General, did a lot on Domanore and Bao. Then, this year, I became a Commander. And one of my squad members has been found out to have murdered three Legions."
Roka removed his head from the window and turned to the group of Knights. A warm smile formed onto his wrinkled face. "This is not an easy occupation, Knights of Sor. But it is a noble one."
"I'm a Knight Commander, a previous Minor Knight General, before that a Green Knight Prefect, before that a Green Elite," Roka explained. "As an elite I worked closely with Commander Dragoon, and the two of us formed a close friendship. Being an elite is the best time you will have as a Knight, working with your team, with your friends. Its indescribable, and incomparable with the rest of your years. Eventually I became a Prefect and began to work alone. I worked on the Capima Islands for a few years, on the Gold Coast. I married, had a boy, had a house on the fields of rye along a coastal town."
Roka paused. "Then, when my son was still young, I went out to work in the mid-land provinces of the system. State Umano and Branko Province, mainly. I was sent to planets there where the Legions had problems. They would give me a few men and I would solve the problem, then leave for my next assignment. Eventually I was sent to destroy a group of Phoenix's, fourteen of them had found each other in secret and created an organization. I managed to destroy almost all of them in my first attack, then I quickly hunted the rest until only one was left. I decided to let him get away after a long period of no leads, and so I returned to Capima. My house was burned, my family was roasted alive. I chased the Phoenix for years after, his name was Darcess Weaver. I chased him all the way to the north-west edge of our System, to the icy planet of Kiris. I chased him into a snowstorm. I had a gunship; he had a sword. He got on top of our ship and destroyed it until it crashed. All the men on board died except me."
Roka stopped his words before leaning forward, his brow resting on the cold glass of the window. "I fought him and killed him. Then I went on. I became a Knight General, did a lot on Domanore and Bao. Then, this year, I became a Commander. And one of my squad members has been found out to have murdered three Legions."
Roka removed his head from the window and turned to the group of Knights. A warm smile formed onto his wrinkled face. "This is not an easy occupation, Knights of Sor. But it is a noble one."
Demnix was saddened by his reply. "Did you know a Commander Valorai?" He studdered slightly, "M-my dad disappeared some time ago and was pronounced dead a year ago. He always talked about a Roka and someone named Dragoon." He leaned up against a wall.
"Amazing speech sir," Sentrius nodded. "Being a Knight is truly not a job for the faint of heart. Truly great men and women reside in the Knights. We truly have the greatest occupation in the Sora System. I am honored to even stand beside someone with your esteem, Commander," Sentrius said smugly. "Perhaps one day I can rise to such a rank myself."
Artemis rolled his eyes behind his visor at the story, he honestly couldn’t care less about his past glory, “With all due respect Commander, I think I’ll wait to see your prowess on the battlefield myself before I decide if your tales of glory are merely past due or an opening chapter. Noble profession or no.” He couldn’t understand why they were all acting so amazed, sure it was a good story, probably would make a decent book, but it meant less than nothing on the battlefield. This Commander Roka was clearly and accomplish soldier, yet it remains to be seen if his exploits meant anything at all. “There are plenty of records in the archives about your journey with General Dragoon, yet no records were available to me on this Malkini person, hence my earlier question.”
He turned to some of the rest of the squad, “You men served with him, yes? Any of you care to inform me of whether or not is should be on guard around him?” that is why he had asked about the man, with Roka’s records, he knew that he had a high probability to need to be cautious when dealing with him, with this other person he had never really heard anything. Truly, he hadn’t looked very hard, and was frankly surprised that he was now a target for their mission. He mentally kicked himself for not doing complete research on the subject matter while in the palace.
He turned to some of the rest of the squad, “You men served with him, yes? Any of you care to inform me of whether or not is should be on guard around him?” that is why he had asked about the man, with Roka’s records, he knew that he had a high probability to need to be cautious when dealing with him, with this other person he had never really heard anything. Truly, he hadn’t looked very hard, and was frankly surprised that he was now a target for their mission. He mentally kicked himself for not doing complete research on the subject matter while in the palace.
"Well first off the mans a raging asshole," Jove responded. "He was loud, rude, and an all about brute."
"I had heard he was a bit forward, yes," Roka commented at Jove's words. "In terms of his record its pretty simple. He was born in the west. I believe it was the King's Port or perhaps Dormaney. He came to the Capima Islands to train as an Elite, at the city of Urakas."
"Sor's less than noble older brother," Jove said, thinking about the city far north of their systems capital.
"Its got one thing Sor hasn't got," Roka replied. "Its got God, and all those who follow him. Its the Sorillian home of the Matran and that's saying something. Anyway, back to point. Malkini's final exam went far from how he wanted. An elite must get over ninety nine percent on at least one of his six final exams. The highest Malkini got on any of them was a forty eight. He was promptly sent to the Twenty-Second Legion where he served as Camp Prefect. Through some unusual and highly suspicious circumstances, most involving General Betrayus, Malkini became a Major General. Of course he too ruined that for himself and lost eight Legions."
"Eight? Bloody hell," Jove spat.
"Yes, eight," Roka nodded. "After that the Knight Council respectfully transferred his rank from Major General to Knight Commander, where he inherited these group of Knights. Of course after what happened on Usin he abandoned his squad to go play at war once again. And we're here to stop him."
"I had heard he was a bit forward, yes," Roka commented at Jove's words. "In terms of his record its pretty simple. He was born in the west. I believe it was the King's Port or perhaps Dormaney. He came to the Capima Islands to train as an Elite, at the city of Urakas."
"Sor's less than noble older brother," Jove said, thinking about the city far north of their systems capital.
"Its got one thing Sor hasn't got," Roka replied. "Its got God, and all those who follow him. Its the Sorillian home of the Matran and that's saying something. Anyway, back to point. Malkini's final exam went far from how he wanted. An elite must get over ninety nine percent on at least one of his six final exams. The highest Malkini got on any of them was a forty eight. He was promptly sent to the Twenty-Second Legion where he served as Camp Prefect. Through some unusual and highly suspicious circumstances, most involving General Betrayus, Malkini became a Major General. Of course he too ruined that for himself and lost eight Legions."
"Eight? Bloody hell," Jove spat.
"Yes, eight," Roka nodded. "After that the Knight Council respectfully transferred his rank from Major General to Knight Commander, where he inherited these group of Knights. Of course after what happened on Usin he abandoned his squad to go play at war once again. And we're here to stop him."
Demnix retreated to the most private room he could find on the ship without being in the lavatory. A quieted room in the back of the vessel, unoccupied due to the recent quarrel about this Malkini character. He sighed and pulled out a small instrument. It looked quite like a pan flute only some-what modified with filters to provide a clearer sound. He put woodwind instrument to his mouth and softly began playing ancient celtic melodies, only taught throught text. The sound came softly to the quarters occupied by so many of the knights in the squad. The couldn't hear in unless the cabin was silent, but they were too heated in discussion for that.
Demnix played the notes perfectly as the flute was twisted and turned. He seemed to be a master at it, the way he was playing. Memories of his father came to him as he played the instrument that he passed down to Demnix before disappearing. He'd hope that someone would hear, recognize, and point out the tune -saying they've heard someone play it before. It would sadly; however, be a new song to all but Jove, if he'd seen Commander Valaroi before. The instrument shifted in his hands softly and he played only slightly louder, filling the room he was in with a symphony of notes. "Great accoustics." Demnix thought softly. He continued to play his pan flute irreguardlessly.
Demnix played the notes perfectly as the flute was twisted and turned. He seemed to be a master at it, the way he was playing. Memories of his father came to him as he played the instrument that he passed down to Demnix before disappearing. He'd hope that someone would hear, recognize, and point out the tune -saying they've heard someone play it before. It would sadly; however, be a new song to all but Jove, if he'd seen Commander Valaroi before. The instrument shifted in his hands softly and he played only slightly louder, filling the room he was in with a symphony of notes. "Great accoustics." Demnix thought softly. He continued to play his pan flute irreguardlessly.
"So, commander," Sentrius heartily began. "What do you think the odds are that Malkini will actually be successful in his attempt to recruit an army? And why, of all times, did he decide to do so after the events on Usin? It seems like rather odd timing to me. Perhaps he was hoping that we'd be blamed for the incident, giving him ample time to carry out his agenda undisturbed."
"If that last statement is true, then I hope his capture will be swift and his punishment brutal," Nai commented, tired of hearing only the men talk. Honestly, she didn't see how she could be the only girl in this squad. Not that she minded, seeing as girls tended to be more inclined to pry into someone's past. Then again, she had to admit she felt a little intimidated with so many guys around.
"With so many opportunities, you would think he had learned his lesson by now," Nai continued with a frown. Corruption knew no bounds really, and pride as well as status helped to cover up those boundaries the knights were supposedly supposed to hold.
"With so many opportunities, you would think he had learned his lesson by now," Nai continued with a frown. Corruption knew no bounds really, and pride as well as status helped to cover up those boundaries the knights were supposedly supposed to hold.
Subconsciously, Demnix was unaware that he was playing louder now. The only casual thought he had on the situation was: "I hope I don't disturb them." The melodie continued to carry out and fill the room he was in. He didn't know about the deck or cabin. He kind of hoped someone would hear him and offer a gentle "Hey, I like that. Play more." Or something simple like it, at least. His tune was deeper now. It sounded like it came from the woods. "Drop the notes." Demnix thought. "Twist the chamber. Flutter there." His mind played the instrument faster than he did, plotting the course of movement for his fingers. His eyes were fully closed and he had leaned to recline as he played. He wondered if those in the cabin were asleep or talking, and if the deck still hosted the Malkini discussion. He couldn't have raised his voice to a higher ranked knight; he'd never hear the end of it. Repeating his question to Jove would only irritate him. He had no choice but to wait things out.
Her evaluations of the men continued after she out her thoughts into the conversation, not wanting to be left out of it. Her previously mentioned feelings giving rise to wanting to feel included. As Nai glanced at each of their faces, she realized Demnix had slipped off. Probably because he needed a break from Sentrius... Nai coughed in order to cover her giggle. Poor guy.
Without bothering to hear if anyone would respond to her comments, seeing as they rarely did, she decided to go look for him. Besides, she didn't have much to add anyway. Waste of time to continue standing there. Nai guessed he might have gone back to the quarters since most of the time people did. The other places on the ship were possibilties as well but those could be checked afterwards.
Her observations proved themselves to be correct as she neared the spot Demnix was at. It was faint, but a wonderful sound reached her ears. Nai rarely listened to music but when she did, it was never as inspiring as what she heard now. Often it sounded like a broken lullaby with hidden tears mixed within the strums of an outcast. Without making a sound, she came closer and stopped a little distance away, hoping he hadn't noticed her. Listening, she stood still as not to distract him and decided to wait until he was done to inquire about what he was doing.
Without bothering to hear if anyone would respond to her comments, seeing as they rarely did, she decided to go look for him. Besides, she didn't have much to add anyway. Waste of time to continue standing there. Nai guessed he might have gone back to the quarters since most of the time people did. The other places on the ship were possibilties as well but those could be checked afterwards.
Her observations proved themselves to be correct as she neared the spot Demnix was at. It was faint, but a wonderful sound reached her ears. Nai rarely listened to music but when she did, it was never as inspiring as what she heard now. Often it sounded like a broken lullaby with hidden tears mixed within the strums of an outcast. Without making a sound, she came closer and stopped a little distance away, hoping he hadn't noticed her. Listening, she stood still as not to distract him and decided to wait until he was done to inquire about what he was doing.
Demnix continued to play, his eyes closed. His hands twisted around the instrument and covered and uncovered the holes. He softened his tune so it sounded even lighter and melodious. He lightened up more and more then held the last not for a while, then stopped. He took a breath, eyes still closed and smiled. He could feel someone had drawn near. "You're Nai, right?" He said, opening his eyes blissfully. "How much did you hear?" He smiled slightly. It wasn't often he'd seen a female officer. Not that it was bad; it was just that many husbands decided to have a kid before becomming a Knight to carry on their legacy just in case. She was particularly different than the other female officers he'd seen. They looked hardened by battle and she bore a soft face still. She looked especially soft and particularly cute with that smile on her face. "What brings you back here?" He smiled again.
"Nai Gareki Tsukomo at your service," Nai replied, confirming who she was with a polite smile, "I had wondered where you had gone off to considering the rest of the men seemed engaged in discussing our next mission. I'm glad I came to see in time to hear that last bit of your performace. I have to admit, I wouldn't mind listening to it in its entirety. That was beautiful."
At her comment, Nai smiled warmly, genuinely complementing someone for once.
"That song, I've never heard it before. Do you play that instrument often? Is the song something you made or did someone teach it to you?"
At her comment, Nai smiled warmly, genuinely complementing someone for once.
"That song, I've never heard it before. Do you play that instrument often? Is the song something you made or did someone teach it to you?"
Demnix smiled back. "I'll be sure to play for you some time. As for the instrument, I play it often. My dad taught me how to read the sheets and play. I learned the songs myself. And I've composed a melody myself. I don't know if it's too good though." He stretched slightly. "I came back here, to clear my mind. My dad disappeared three years ago. He'd used to tell me about a 'Dragoon' and 'Jove' that he had worked with. I didn't get any answers, but remembering the effects of is disappearance hurt me. My mom picked up bottle after bottle, not only drowning herself in sorrow but alcahol. One day, her liver failed and she died." His smile dropped. "That's for another time maybe. I want to know about you, if it is possible."
“Hmm, sounds like a fun guy.” he said as he stood there he faintly heard the sensors on his suit reporting music and a warning arrow appeared to turn his attention to the back, he vaguely remembered a song like that being played at the palace, by a knight as he recalled. Lady Anora had often encouraged him to learn an instrument but he never quite got the hang of the more portable items and had been unable to achieve any skill with any instrument other than a grand piano. A silver Knight nodded to him and he nodded back as the launch pad was cleared, “Preparations complete Commander, and we may take off on your command.” He added to Roka, looking above at the clear sky, the capital was normally crowded with merchant vessels and civilian transports however this pad was near a military stronghold and thus controlled airspace, “That’s rare sight.” He remarked to himself as he looked about to the blue.
Xeroux sat, quiet with his eyes closed and mind open. He had heard the faint sound of music coming from the back of the ship. The tune calmed him and allowed his mind to slip into a trance like state. He thought back to his past, his father teaching him how to climb the sheer cliffs and tall trees that surrounded their every day lives. He remembered the accident at the academy that cost his group their lives.
***
"Cadet! What were you thinking? How did you live? What have you done?" Came the questions, the commanding officer shouted each one, an accusing tone filling the air, making it heavy and hot.
"S-sir," Xeroux began shakily, his eyes failing to meet the overbearing Knight, who refused to remove his helmet, making him more intimidating than normal. "We told her it was a bad plan. She wouldn't listen...I was last to climb, and wasn't given the chance before the line gave due to poor planning and rushing...The others were below her and met their demise because of the poor planning. I haven't done anything. You can ask the red team, they'll tell you it was an accident."
The Commander folded his arms, tilting his head to one side. "I have spoken to the red team, and they said they don't know what went wrong, and I should ask you...the only survivor of the Blue team. Those from green team said you were hesitant to follow..."
"Yes sir, Only because I didn't agree with the plan created by the Blue team-"
"You didn't agree? Why not tell them?"
"I did sir. I voiced my concern that we didn't have the proper equipment to mount the surprise attack that Josh and her had come up with."
"You keep saying 'her' why not say her name?"
"Sorry sir, I was raised not to say the name of those you're angry at...I'm angry she didn't listen to my argument, and had she, the rest of my friend would be alive. She felt that because she was graduating in the next month that my idea's didn't matter."
The commanders arms fell to his sides before pulling his helmet off, a small frown on the war beaten face. "Okay, I'm sorry I interrogated you like that Xeroux. I had to make sure there was no foul play involved. Go get yourself cleaned up, and rest for the remainder of the day. Tomorrow report to Josh and the green team. You'll finish your remaining time there."
****
Xeroux opened his eyes with a sigh. He shook his head, he was tired of the politics that every one was speaking, working on assumptions was no way to go though a mission. Perhaps it was his strategist background, or his true Black Knight nature. Whatever it was, he walked to the back of the ship, finding Demnix and Nai talking.
"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt." He said walking between the two to an open bed, where he stripped off his armor, leaving him in a pair of black sweats that were standard issue under the armor where he was from and a fitted white t-shirt. Of course he wore more under his chest armor, a long black sleeve shirt woven from carbon fibers and kevlar. He laid his head on the soft pillow and drifted into a dreamless sleep.
***
"Cadet! What were you thinking? How did you live? What have you done?" Came the questions, the commanding officer shouted each one, an accusing tone filling the air, making it heavy and hot.
"S-sir," Xeroux began shakily, his eyes failing to meet the overbearing Knight, who refused to remove his helmet, making him more intimidating than normal. "We told her it was a bad plan. She wouldn't listen...I was last to climb, and wasn't given the chance before the line gave due to poor planning and rushing...The others were below her and met their demise because of the poor planning. I haven't done anything. You can ask the red team, they'll tell you it was an accident."
The Commander folded his arms, tilting his head to one side. "I have spoken to the red team, and they said they don't know what went wrong, and I should ask you...the only survivor of the Blue team. Those from green team said you were hesitant to follow..."
"Yes sir, Only because I didn't agree with the plan created by the Blue team-"
"You didn't agree? Why not tell them?"
"I did sir. I voiced my concern that we didn't have the proper equipment to mount the surprise attack that Josh and her had come up with."
"You keep saying 'her' why not say her name?"
"Sorry sir, I was raised not to say the name of those you're angry at...I'm angry she didn't listen to my argument, and had she, the rest of my friend would be alive. She felt that because she was graduating in the next month that my idea's didn't matter."
The commanders arms fell to his sides before pulling his helmet off, a small frown on the war beaten face. "Okay, I'm sorry I interrogated you like that Xeroux. I had to make sure there was no foul play involved. Go get yourself cleaned up, and rest for the remainder of the day. Tomorrow report to Josh and the green team. You'll finish your remaining time there."
****
Xeroux opened his eyes with a sigh. He shook his head, he was tired of the politics that every one was speaking, working on assumptions was no way to go though a mission. Perhaps it was his strategist background, or his true Black Knight nature. Whatever it was, he walked to the back of the ship, finding Demnix and Nai talking.
"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt." He said walking between the two to an open bed, where he stripped off his armor, leaving him in a pair of black sweats that were standard issue under the armor where he was from and a fitted white t-shirt. Of course he wore more under his chest armor, a long black sleeve shirt woven from carbon fibers and kevlar. He laid his head on the soft pillow and drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Xeroux walked through the pair and began to sleep. "Shall we continue in another room?" Asked Demnix, his eyes set on Nai. He assembled his things and stood as to leave the room. "We can head to my quarters, or yours. The rest of thie ship seems busy enough. We would definantly not get any peace in the bridge." He gestured for Nai's answer. Xeroux shifted slightly in his sleep. "It's your choice." whispered Demnix.
"I would feel more comfortable if we were in my quarters," Nai responded and motioned for him to follow her, trying to be as quiet as possible as to not disturb Xeroux. He and Loki had been through enough today without losing a chance to regain their bearings. Besides, the short walk allowed her to think of an adequate response to Demnix's inquiry about wanting to know her. She had been hesitant before and therefore hadn't responded yet.
When they reached her quarters, she sat down on the nearest spot.
"Sit wherever you'd like or stand if you wish," Nai said with a small smile and waited for his choice before continuing, "I'm sorry to hear about your parents. My father as well went missing, except we managed to find him in the arms of another woman. My mother was absolutely heartbroken and left our world, leaving me an orphan at a very young age..."
Nai paused, looking down at the floor, her hand reached up to wipe something away from her left eye.
"Its hard to heal those kind of wounds, huh?" Nai commented with a sad smile, looking back up at him, "I hope that you'll receive the answers you're seeking and a favorable outcome on the search for your father. As for that melody you composed yourself, mind if I hear it sometime? Along with that other song, of course."
When they reached her quarters, she sat down on the nearest spot.
"Sit wherever you'd like or stand if you wish," Nai said with a small smile and waited for his choice before continuing, "I'm sorry to hear about your parents. My father as well went missing, except we managed to find him in the arms of another woman. My mother was absolutely heartbroken and left our world, leaving me an orphan at a very young age..."
Nai paused, looking down at the floor, her hand reached up to wipe something away from her left eye.
"Its hard to heal those kind of wounds, huh?" Nai commented with a sad smile, looking back up at him, "I hope that you'll receive the answers you're seeking and a favorable outcome on the search for your father. As for that melody you composed yourself, mind if I hear it sometime? Along with that other song, of course."
Roka watched as a star flew by them in the ships window. Roka smiled before turning back to Jove and Sentrius, as the rest of his squad had already left. "We will reach Iceveng Falls soon. There's a legion stationed in the Kingsmen territory. They should be able to give us Malkini's location."
"Kingsmen territory... full of Kingsmen." Jove muttered. "They make awful slaves, they truly do."
"They are Neahian's Joven," Roka said. "They will never be slaves, always masters."
"How so?" Jove asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Nearly a hundred years ago we were at war with Neah," Roka explained. "Then a group of Neahians joined us. After we had secured ourselves the King, when the whole system was still ruled by a King, gave the planet of Iceveng to the Sorillian Neahians, the Kingsmen. The planet was, of course, a horrible place, with deserts in the north and rocks in the south. But the Kingsmen managed to settle there, creating underground cities in the south and large desert towns in the north. Quite an industrious people, Sir Knight."
"Yes, but they act like Capima rejects," Jove spat. "They have messy hair, wear skinny trousers and suits, and act as though their useless maiden titles from the war like Kingson and Nobleton mean they are a goddamn senator of Sor."
"As slaves they act like that, Joven, but trust me, they don't think they are Senators of Sor," Roka smiled. "Not even close."
The ship continued through the stars, Jove, Sentrius and Roka all keeping themselves in the Captains cabin. After several minutes a small beeping began to come from a monitor.
"Commander Roka, we are being hailed," Jove informed the Knight Commander.
"Open channel, Sir Joven," Roka spoke.
A holographic image of a Legionnaire came on the screen. His helm was bronze, and his cape flying in the desert wind was Sorillian blue.
"Sir!" The Legionnaire spat, bowing his head quickly at the group. "Braden Bird of the Twenty-First Legion, currently stationed in the desert village of Lairo, here to welcome you to Iceveng."
"We're looking for Malkini, Legionary, do you know where he and his army reside?" Roka asked.
"South of us, sir," The Legionnaire spoke with hesitation. "Far south, in the Yaladarei desert."
"Can you tell us anything about his campaign so far?" Roka asked.
"Yes sir, he's had the state of Yaladerei declare war on the Caimono Empire, sir! The Caimono's own the deserts in nearly all the north-east, sir," The Legionnaire reported.
Roka paused, his brow moving in confusion at the news. "Why? Why would he do that?"
"Beats me sir," The Legionnaire said. "But we do know that there's no way in hell he'll win. Do you want his location, sir?"
"Yes, send it to me," Roka muttered.
"Aye aye, sir, and goodluck," The Legionnaire said as the holograph cut out.
"Kingsmen territory... full of Kingsmen." Jove muttered. "They make awful slaves, they truly do."
"They are Neahian's Joven," Roka said. "They will never be slaves, always masters."
"How so?" Jove asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Nearly a hundred years ago we were at war with Neah," Roka explained. "Then a group of Neahians joined us. After we had secured ourselves the King, when the whole system was still ruled by a King, gave the planet of Iceveng to the Sorillian Neahians, the Kingsmen. The planet was, of course, a horrible place, with deserts in the north and rocks in the south. But the Kingsmen managed to settle there, creating underground cities in the south and large desert towns in the north. Quite an industrious people, Sir Knight."
"Yes, but they act like Capima rejects," Jove spat. "They have messy hair, wear skinny trousers and suits, and act as though their useless maiden titles from the war like Kingson and Nobleton mean they are a goddamn senator of Sor."
"As slaves they act like that, Joven, but trust me, they don't think they are Senators of Sor," Roka smiled. "Not even close."
The ship continued through the stars, Jove, Sentrius and Roka all keeping themselves in the Captains cabin. After several minutes a small beeping began to come from a monitor.
"Commander Roka, we are being hailed," Jove informed the Knight Commander.
"Open channel, Sir Joven," Roka spoke.
A holographic image of a Legionnaire came on the screen. His helm was bronze, and his cape flying in the desert wind was Sorillian blue.
"Sir!" The Legionnaire spat, bowing his head quickly at the group. "Braden Bird of the Twenty-First Legion, currently stationed in the desert village of Lairo, here to welcome you to Iceveng."
"We're looking for Malkini, Legionary, do you know where he and his army reside?" Roka asked.
"South of us, sir," The Legionnaire spoke with hesitation. "Far south, in the Yaladarei desert."
"Can you tell us anything about his campaign so far?" Roka asked.
"Yes sir, he's had the state of Yaladerei declare war on the Caimono Empire, sir! The Caimono's own the deserts in nearly all the north-east, sir," The Legionnaire reported.
Roka paused, his brow moving in confusion at the news. "Why? Why would he do that?"
"Beats me sir," The Legionnaire said. "But we do know that there's no way in hell he'll win. Do you want his location, sir?"
"Yes, send it to me," Roka muttered.
"Aye aye, sir, and goodluck," The Legionnaire said as the holograph cut out.
"Aha!" Sentrius exclaimed. "For once, Malkini's poor strategic efforts actually suit us!" Sentrius exclaimed. "He obviously doesn't know what he's doing! Once we arrive, all we'll have to do is defeat out his inferior and utterly disorganized armies and our problems will be over. This mission will be the first chapter in our grandiose book. The first ballad in our heroic sonnet! Let us march onward!" Sentrius claimed, walking forward towards the ship.
Roka watched with sheer dumbfounded amazement as Sentrius idiotically marched through the pilot's cabin. Jove shook his head at the sight, before turning to Roka.
"So, the plan, Commander?" Jove asked.
"I leave the ship in a fighter when we pass over the Apatine, and then you go and find Malkini and touch down in his desert camp," Roka explained. "Then I will find you, in secret. Don't worry."
"So, the plan, Commander?" Jove asked.
"I leave the ship in a fighter when we pass over the Apatine, and then you go and find Malkini and touch down in his desert camp," Roka explained. "Then I will find you, in secret. Don't worry."
Demnix showed a friendly smile. Or, maybe he had a sympathetic smile as he shared her pain. He sat on the floor, leaning on a bedpost. "I can play now if you'd like." He smiled once more. A friendlier smile came this time. He waited for her answer and shifted. He pulled his stuff closer to him, an easily accessible reach. He figured he'd be able to stay and talk with Nai for a while. "If any subject comes to mind, what would you like to discuss?"
"Sorry, nothing really comes to mind," Nai said with a small laugh, looking as though she were over the sudden sad moment, "I'm not great at conversations really, being much more of a listener than a talker."
Nai smiled sheepishly, her posture relaxed as she swung her legs and leaned forward a little with her hands on her lap. She seemed perfectly at ease with Demnix in her room, a sign of trust to her but confidence as well.
"In fact, I think I'd much rather listen to you play than talk about nothing," she replied with a grin, "unless you have some further inquiries about me? Or anything else, of course."
Nai smiled sheepishly, her posture relaxed as she swung her legs and leaned forward a little with her hands on her lap. She seemed perfectly at ease with Demnix in her room, a sign of trust to her but confidence as well.
"In fact, I think I'd much rather listen to you play than talk about nothing," she replied with a grin, "unless you have some further inquiries about me? Or anything else, of course."
"Your request is my command." Demnix said in a cocky tone. He lifted the flute to his lips and began to play a softer Celtic melodie that reminded him nothing of his father. He'd learned it through an archeic text he'd read in his academy. This little side edeavor got him temporarily on hold for disobeying direct command. Either way, this was one of his personal favorites. It sounded soothing and woodlandic. He had also read the origins of this song and later thought it probably would have had been best to find something else. It was too late now though. The lyrics were unknown to him anyway so this was a lyricless love melodie.
"I'll eventually get around to playing that composition of mine." He thought while expertly handling the instrument. His eyes began to sit at a lucid, half shut state, shimering in the moderate lighting of the room. He looked at Nai, who was in complete bliss over his music, and cracked a small smile, making sure it wouldn't affect his music.
"I'll eventually get around to playing that composition of mine." He thought while expertly handling the instrument. His eyes began to sit at a lucid, half shut state, shimering in the moderate lighting of the room. He looked at Nai, who was in complete bliss over his music, and cracked a small smile, making sure it wouldn't affect his music.
Nai listened with rapt attention, entranced by Demnix playing. The music was absolutely beautiful, played with skill which to Nai seemed well beyond his years. He looked about the same age as her, she noticed, and was rather good looking. His eyes though, were what struck her the most. They were green and even in the light of her room, they almost appeared like emeralds in the way they shone.
Ah, but her attention on his physical appearence didn't last long, of course. Nai's eyes themselves seemed to glow in delight, a warm smile on her face, in response to Demnix's music. The soft and soothing melody made her truly comfortable in his presence, glad that no one had interrupted them yet.
Ah, but her attention on his physical appearence didn't last long, of course. Nai's eyes themselves seemed to glow in delight, a warm smile on her face, in response to Demnix's music. The soft and soothing melody made her truly comfortable in his presence, glad that no one had interrupted them yet.
Demnix performed a trick he'd done a moment ago. He twisted his fingers around the flute and rotated the chamber, providing a sweeter sound. This dreamlike melody was like a symphony compared to a tuning for. It was sheer beauty to the ears. He finished a few moments later and while turning to give the name of the melody to Nai, actually had a chance to look her over. She was a "stunning face on the body of a dream" in the words of a poet he'd read works from. "That was called 'In presence of love'. It was said to be about a man and his passion for life, but I did some research, though I cannot find the lyrics, it is from a man to his beloved." Demnix sat calmly and shifted in his suit. "Would you mind if I got comfortable? It seems this flight will last a while. Our destination is a while's trip."
Sentrius marched proudly into the room, greeting Nai and Demnix with a nod before proclaiming, "This is our week, I can feel it! Nai, Demnix, we are going to be in the history books! I just know it!" Throwing his arm into the air, Sentrius said, "Picture this! A group of young Knight Elites, abandoned by their commanding officer, brave their way through horrid false accusations and make their way to the top by stopping an illegal army from waging an unauthorized war! And which of these young Knights will be the one to lead them into victory? Why, it'll be Sentrius Parko Tetran, of course!" Sentrius sighed, taking a seat nearby. "Where was all that music coming from anyway? I thought I heard some as I walked in."
Demnix held up his flute to show Sentrius. "I play. How much time do we have on this flight?" He asked, obviously wanting to spend time with Nai. "I could use a break." He didnt know how stupid that excuse had sounded. I could use a break. He hadnt seen any action in months. He could almost see himself 'facepalm' for that performance.
Artemis sighed as the young Knight Elite gallivanted through the bridge and headed o the back singing about his greatness, “Well, good luck with that…” he said softly to the man as he exited before turning back to look once more at Roka, “commander, I suppose that this being my first time in the field outside of the Royal Guard I shouldn’t question anything however, I fail to grasp why we are going to such lengths to prevent this. If this Malkini is raising an illegal armed force and we have been ordered to stop him would it not be more prudent to just eliminate him and let the army dissipate? Why all this deception to deal with one over confident Knight?” he paused, “Or am I not only misinterpreting the situation but also under estimating this man’s abilities?” he vaguely wondered if the man was any good at swordsmen ship, it had been some time since his last duel.
"I know little to nothing about Malkini or the power of his armies," Roka muttered as the ship orbited the darkside of the planet Iceveng. "If it were up to me we would charge in and slice his neck off. But its not. I am a soldier, like you, if not a glorified one, and being a soldier means I have orders. If you want my opinion this whole operation seems a bit cloak and dagger, I'm suspecting that the Council is testing us more so than Malkini."
"Testing us, why?" Jove asked.
"You lot may of started a world war up on Usin," Roka said. "I wouldn't trust you after a quick court trial either."
A small hum began to come from the ships dashboard. Roka slowly moved over it and examined the holographic text. "This is my stop. We are directly below the desert city of Cian. I will go down in an escape pod and you boys will go on to the frozen south, dead hills and mountains. Go on until you find Malkini. Roka turned to Jove and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're the ships captain, Sir Joven Flynn. Don't disapoint."
And with those words Roka began to move through the ship until he reached its end. Nestled in the wall was a small escape pod hatch. Roka opened it and moved in. With a few quick clicks on the escape pod controls it launched itself from the ships side, flying down into the darkness.
"Looks like I have the controls," Jove muttered unenthusiastically. He moved to the dashboard and began to steer the ship down. They flew below the clouds for nearly an hour, the desert sands turning to white stone hills, no towns or cities in sight, until, in the far distance, they saw a flicker of light. Jove's tired eyes widened as they began to approach the sight. Behind one of the white hills were tents housing an army of thousands. In the center of the town sized army stood a purple tent with gold banners streaming from it.
"I think this is our army," Jove said as he began to land the ship slowly. The sun began to rise from behind the stone hills as the ship touched down on the ground, surrounding it a dozen guards with rifles aimed at the ships doorway.
"We're going out!" Jove called as he made his way to the ships entrance...
"Testing us, why?" Jove asked.
"You lot may of started a world war up on Usin," Roka said. "I wouldn't trust you after a quick court trial either."
A small hum began to come from the ships dashboard. Roka slowly moved over it and examined the holographic text. "This is my stop. We are directly below the desert city of Cian. I will go down in an escape pod and you boys will go on to the frozen south, dead hills and mountains. Go on until you find Malkini. Roka turned to Jove and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're the ships captain, Sir Joven Flynn. Don't disapoint."
And with those words Roka began to move through the ship until he reached its end. Nestled in the wall was a small escape pod hatch. Roka opened it and moved in. With a few quick clicks on the escape pod controls it launched itself from the ships side, flying down into the darkness.
"Looks like I have the controls," Jove muttered unenthusiastically. He moved to the dashboard and began to steer the ship down. They flew below the clouds for nearly an hour, the desert sands turning to white stone hills, no towns or cities in sight, until, in the far distance, they saw a flicker of light. Jove's tired eyes widened as they began to approach the sight. Behind one of the white hills were tents housing an army of thousands. In the center of the town sized army stood a purple tent with gold banners streaming from it.
"I think this is our army," Jove said as he began to land the ship slowly. The sun began to rise from behind the stone hills as the ship touched down on the ground, surrounding it a dozen guards with rifles aimed at the ships doorway.
"We're going out!" Jove called as he made his way to the ships entrance...
"I could use a break as well," from Sentrius Nai thought, not seeing anything wrong with the comment. In all honesty, she thought Demnix had been referring to the unwelcome interruption.
"Of course, Sentrius, we shouldn't delay that glorious vision of yours! In fact, why don't you go see how much longer we have?" Nai suggested, wanting to spend more time alone with Demnix. He piqued her interest and Sentrius had proven to be nothing but irritating, certainly not one that could contribute to a meaningful conversation.
"In the meanwhile, I don't mind Demnix. Please, make yourself comfortable. I would love to hear more music, especially if its as enchanting as 'In Presence of Love.' Shame you can't find the lyrics, although you could make your own..."
"Of course, Sentrius, we shouldn't delay that glorious vision of yours! In fact, why don't you go see how much longer we have?" Nai suggested, wanting to spend more time alone with Demnix. He piqued her interest and Sentrius had proven to be nothing but irritating, certainly not one that could contribute to a meaningful conversation.
"In the meanwhile, I don't mind Demnix. Please, make yourself comfortable. I would love to hear more music, especially if its as enchanting as 'In Presence of Love.' Shame you can't find the lyrics, although you could make your own..."
Artemis didn’t like this at all, here was these random soldiers suddenly about to betray their commander without any real sign of discontent, he didn’t trust them. He stepped up behind Joven and leaned in placing his hand on the man’s shoulder to speak with him. “Sir Flynn, if you don’t mind I’ll be getting off a bit early to scout around outside the camp.” Artemis announced before heading to the starboard boarding hatch. If Joven Flynn objected he didn’t hear it, though he would later. His hand on the shoulder seemingly was a sigh of conversation; while in actuality he had placed a small bug on the man’s shoulder, the same as the bugs they placed on visitors of state to the Palace so as to be wary of assassination.
Without waiting to be reasoned with he stepped up and entered the airlock, the moment they were about two hundred yards from the ground he opened the bay and jumped. His cloak he had folded and placed into the pack on his back, and as he fell the reason was clear. His silver armor camouflaged him against the clouds and sunlight and his black cloak would have given him away. Not only that but had he kept it one it would soon be on fire. About 150 feet from the ground his armors back panels slid out and from beneath the pack two large thrusters emerged, they ignited and slowed his decent just enough so that he could land with a thud on the ground. He disconnected the pack and rolled forward with momentum to cushion his fall.
He looked about and checked his wrist, a small bar of lights indicating that he had used his jump jets too early and used about half their fuel. “This planet’s gravity is higher than I anticipated.” He sighed. Pulling the box closer to him he opened it and pulled out the multiple tiers of items, the interior much like that off a tackle box. He drew out his black cloak and a small jar of some strange liquid. Using a brush in the lid of the jar he applies the substance to the outside of the cloak before turning it over and pressing the cloth to the ground. Turning the item over again he repeated until the result was what he desired, the cloth was now covered with a coat of sand that stuck to the surface via the strange adhesive.
After putting the cloak on he then opened the main compartment of the chest. Inside was what looked like several disassembled guns and after he put several of the pieces together he formed a long rifle with a strange scope. He drew out a round of tape and held it to the ground. The color was slightly off, the sand here having more quarts than Capima, but it was as close as he could get. He wrapped the rifle and closed the box, using the liquid adhesive he then coated and covered the box until it was the color of the sand as well. Finally he placed the jar in the pack and hoisted it onto his shoulders.
Throwing the cloak’s hood over his shining helm he moved off to the formation of rocks near the camp with surprising speed considering the fall he had just took. He reached the rocks and found a spot that gave him a view of the largest tent in the camp just as the others landed. Taking a look through the site he rested his finger on the trigger and watched as they exited, awaiting Malkini to appear.
Without waiting to be reasoned with he stepped up and entered the airlock, the moment they were about two hundred yards from the ground he opened the bay and jumped. His cloak he had folded and placed into the pack on his back, and as he fell the reason was clear. His silver armor camouflaged him against the clouds and sunlight and his black cloak would have given him away. Not only that but had he kept it one it would soon be on fire. About 150 feet from the ground his armors back panels slid out and from beneath the pack two large thrusters emerged, they ignited and slowed his decent just enough so that he could land with a thud on the ground. He disconnected the pack and rolled forward with momentum to cushion his fall.
He looked about and checked his wrist, a small bar of lights indicating that he had used his jump jets too early and used about half their fuel. “This planet’s gravity is higher than I anticipated.” He sighed. Pulling the box closer to him he opened it and pulled out the multiple tiers of items, the interior much like that off a tackle box. He drew out his black cloak and a small jar of some strange liquid. Using a brush in the lid of the jar he applies the substance to the outside of the cloak before turning it over and pressing the cloth to the ground. Turning the item over again he repeated until the result was what he desired, the cloth was now covered with a coat of sand that stuck to the surface via the strange adhesive.
After putting the cloak on he then opened the main compartment of the chest. Inside was what looked like several disassembled guns and after he put several of the pieces together he formed a long rifle with a strange scope. He drew out a round of tape and held it to the ground. The color was slightly off, the sand here having more quarts than Capima, but it was as close as he could get. He wrapped the rifle and closed the box, using the liquid adhesive he then coated and covered the box until it was the color of the sand as well. Finally he placed the jar in the pack and hoisted it onto his shoulders.
Throwing the cloak’s hood over his shining helm he moved off to the formation of rocks near the camp with surprising speed considering the fall he had just took. He reached the rocks and found a spot that gave him a view of the largest tent in the camp just as the others landed. Taking a look through the site he rested his finger on the trigger and watched as they exited, awaiting Malkini to appear.
Demnix stripped himself from his armor, his body being sharply contoured by his suit underneath. "I can play that melody I wrote if you want." He smiled at Nai from behind Sentrius' legs. "Is it possible that I feel something for her?" He thought to himself. "You don't have to leave but I thought I heard someone in the bridge call you a hot head." He knew this would get Sentrius moving. He'd found already, without talking to him, that he was all reputation. It wasn't a total lie. He'd whispered it the second he'd seen him with that smug self-confident look. He wasn't being an ass to his pupil, he was simply analyzing him. Either way, he was hoping he could maintain the "alone time" he'd previously had with Nai.
Sentrius frowned fromn Demnix to Nai as they continued to talk. He smiled slightly as his eyes narrowed. Turning to look at Nai he started "H-hey Nai-..." And then, Demnix spoke to him, telling him that someone on the bridge had called him of all things, a hot head. "A hot head? Why that's preposterous! Backin my academy days I was capable commander, leading my own teammates and even my commander out of danger! One day, during one of our missions, I had happened to..." Sentrius rambled on as he headed away from the room and towards the exit of the ship, where he had heard Jove speak.
Running back to where Nai and Demnix were, Sentrius shouted, "We've arrived. Get in gear people, we've a mission to complete!" Running back and grabbing his weapons, Sentrius ran towards the exit, looking at the twelve people assembled before him. "Ah, twelve...good," Sentrius muttered. Looking at Jove, he said, "So they are part of Malkii's army, eh?" How many do you think you can take out? I think I can get about...Well, all of them of course!" Sentrius laughed, jollily.
Running back to where Nai and Demnix were, Sentrius shouted, "We've arrived. Get in gear people, we've a mission to complete!" Running back and grabbing his weapons, Sentrius ran towards the exit, looking at the twelve people assembled before him. "Ah, twelve...good," Sentrius muttered. Looking at Jove, he said, "So they are part of Malkii's army, eh?" How many do you think you can take out? I think I can get about...Well, all of them of course!" Sentrius laughed, jollily.
Demnix threw his gear on as if it had never been off. He was an expert at this. "Nai, get ready. I'll play you that song some other time. We've gotta go." This was action, this was a mission. Demnix had a different, more knightly air about him during a mission. It was almost as if he was a well oiled machine producing several thousands of units above everyone else. This sort of thing was what he was waiting for on his home planet, before he'd been disapointed. He hastily readied himself and made his way to the door. He turned around and sharply hugged Nai, a surpise to both. "Even if this mission takes a horrible turn, which it wont, I will make sure you're well to hear my song. I will perform my duties to protect everyone on this ship." He then turned back and briskly slid to the front of the cabin.
"Ok, tell me what were looking at, Sentrius." Demnix barked unintentionally as he looked out toward the small platoon. "I'm guessing you told them you could take them all out?" He questioned, verbally punching the grin from Sentrius' mouth. "No one get cocky just because of their numbers." Jove patted Demnix on the shoulder's, verbally punching the look of command from Demnix's mouth. "You're not a leader yet." He said with a slight chuckle. Demnix put himself at attention for a second, appoligizing. He then returned to his position. He always acted like a five star general in times of war. He wasn't hot-headded or arrogant, he was efficient. "Not one man gets hurt, not one man dies, mission accomplished" was his philosophy. He was a man who took to action like a dog takes to a steak -swiftly and vicariously.
"Ok, tell me what were looking at, Sentrius." Demnix barked unintentionally as he looked out toward the small platoon. "I'm guessing you told them you could take them all out?" He questioned, verbally punching the grin from Sentrius' mouth. "No one get cocky just because of their numbers." Jove patted Demnix on the shoulder's, verbally punching the look of command from Demnix's mouth. "You're not a leader yet." He said with a slight chuckle. Demnix put himself at attention for a second, appoligizing. He then returned to his position. He always acted like a five star general in times of war. He wasn't hot-headded or arrogant, he was efficient. "Not one man gets hurt, not one man dies, mission accomplished" was his philosophy. He was a man who took to action like a dog takes to a steak -swiftly and vicariously.
Xeroux sighed. He hadn't fallen asleep, how could he? There were simply to many things going on. He heard the others start to get ready, their mission about to begin. He rolled over on to his stomach, arms by his sides, legs straight. His eyes gazed not at the ships wall, but beyond it. With a swift motion he pulled a small holo-phone from his pocket. "Congratulations Xeroux Falcus! This message is to tell you of your accomplishments as a Knight Candidate. It is our pleasure to tell you you have gone above and beyond the service you entered the academy for. We are proud to award you the rank of Black Knight. You are being deployed to the Capima Islands in two weeks for your graduation ceremony and the beginning the adventure we know you will succeed at. You can pick up your prestigious armor from the Armory at your discretion. Please note, the earlier you claim it, the longer you have to get it tailored.
He wished he'd gotten the black armor, but he hated the attention it brought. He lied for the two weeks between hearing the news of his accomplishments, telling everyone it was a mistake, he'd only tested for the Blue armor he was strapping on this very second. He'd gone to get the Black, but it wasn't his size, there was no way to tailor it at the academy, and he didn't want to take it to Capima and seem to be bragging, because it would seem as if he was getting his armor customized. So he took the blue armor from the armory, saying it was more than enough. Only after meeting Sentrius and the events that had taken place up to this point did he wish he'd gotten the Black armor he'd earned. His instructors had sent it to Capima, he discovered it the day he'd arrived in his temporary dormitory. It was taken by a legionary girl who was more than happy to tailor it for him. He just failed to pick it up, conveniently. He'd already forged his documentation, making it say "Blue armor" almost to many times.
He slipped out of the cold uninviting sleeping quarters, armor fitting and tight, One sword attached magnetically to his back in a special casing that would disappear one detached from the armor system and the others in a sheath on his left hand side. He walked out, arms folded across his chest, no real expression on his face. His mind was a whirl of emotion and planning. As a Blue Knight, he was preparing for the best and worst situations, planning an escape if things ended up dicey and at the same time preparing the senors in his helmet to record every second of the events that were to transpire. He was not going to take the blame this time, or allow any one on his squad to be blame for treason or conspiracy.
He wished he'd gotten the black armor, but he hated the attention it brought. He lied for the two weeks between hearing the news of his accomplishments, telling everyone it was a mistake, he'd only tested for the Blue armor he was strapping on this very second. He'd gone to get the Black, but it wasn't his size, there was no way to tailor it at the academy, and he didn't want to take it to Capima and seem to be bragging, because it would seem as if he was getting his armor customized. So he took the blue armor from the armory, saying it was more than enough. Only after meeting Sentrius and the events that had taken place up to this point did he wish he'd gotten the Black armor he'd earned. His instructors had sent it to Capima, he discovered it the day he'd arrived in his temporary dormitory. It was taken by a legionary girl who was more than happy to tailor it for him. He just failed to pick it up, conveniently. He'd already forged his documentation, making it say "Blue armor" almost to many times.
He slipped out of the cold uninviting sleeping quarters, armor fitting and tight, One sword attached magnetically to his back in a special casing that would disappear one detached from the armor system and the others in a sheath on his left hand side. He walked out, arms folded across his chest, no real expression on his face. His mind was a whirl of emotion and planning. As a Blue Knight, he was preparing for the best and worst situations, planning an escape if things ended up dicey and at the same time preparing the senors in his helmet to record every second of the events that were to transpire. He was not going to take the blame this time, or allow any one on his squad to be blame for treason or conspiracy.
"Once this door opens the hope is that Malkini greets us with open arms," Jove began as he stood in front of the ship door. "Then, once he accepts us, we infiltrate his army and give Roka all the information we can gather, then he will make a blueprint of the army from that and give it to the Legions. That's the hope. The other possibility is that Malkini is hostile, in which case we fight..." Jove rested his hand on the wood of his pistol gently, before moving his hand up and pressing down on the doors airlock. A tight wisp was heard as the door began to lower. The morning light shun in gently as the door reached the bottom of the floor. Jove stepped out first, his comrades following him. They were greeted instantly by a group of kingsmen aiming long bladed rifles at them. They looked like Neahian's, they had their aqua eyes and olive skin, but their hair was rougher, and their clothing was that of a Capima business man.
"You Knights better state your business or we will fire!" One of the Kingsmen guards yelled, his rifle against his cheek as he aimed it. Jove raised a hand to his fellow Knights, indicating for them not to attack. After a pause Jove stepped forward just slightly and spoke. "We are the Squadron of Knight Elite under the Command of Aden Malkini, come to rejoin his cause!" Jove announced. "Lay down your weapons and let us pass through your armies camp."
"Your Malkini's men, eh?" One of the Kingsmen smirked. "Lets see how true that is. The Hairis is coming now."
From the large purple tent tanned hands pushed open the curtain and from them none other than Aden Malkini marched. His dark hair had grown long and its waves moved past his ears. His jaw was plastered with stubble's of brown hairs and his eyes were brown and red from lack of sleep. He wore a pair of brown sandals that allowed his hairy feet to glide gently over the stone, a loose flowing robe of white silk, and nothing else. The man, whose skin was tanned shades of bronze and scarlet, continued his walk until he stopped between the guards who still aimed at the Knights. Malkini looked at the group silently, his face perfectly still. His hands went to the sides of his robe as his eyes were still on the Knights. He buttoned the middle three oak buttons on his robe and left the rest off, allowing his chest to still emerge from the silk extravagantly.
"We have come to help you, Commander," Jove spoke at long last.
"Then... I must accept," Malkini spoke, his face turning into a sly smile. He moved forward and grabbed Jove into a hug. "Its wonderful to see you all, truly, I lie not," Malkini said. "Now come! Into my tent!"
The Kingsmen guard began to shrug off the Knights and go back to their posts as Malkini led the group down the rock hill toward the doors of his tent. "This army is invincible, my friends! And now your all in it!" Malkini said happily as he ripped the tent curtains apart and led the Knights inside. Inside the tent were several couches, lamps, and smoke. Many Kingsmen, all dressed as Kingsmen dressed, sat and smoked, or drank, or sung, or a combination of the three. In the center of the tent was a large group of cushions where six different Kingsmen sat. They did not sing or smoke, they were too busy arguing.
"Why in God's name must we wage a holy war on the god damn desert?!" One of the Kingsmen with angel blue eyes and long hair yelled.
"Because, Davix, we need cheese," A shorter Kingsmen with navy blue eyes and long dark hair replied calmly.
"We have cows," A fat Kingsmen muttered from the side.
"We do have cows," The one with the angel eyes muttered.
"Cows eat grass, cows die quickly without grass," The navy eyes one spoke, trying to keep his voice low. "In the desert they have camels. Camels can survive three days without water, produce more milk than cows, and live twice as long. And, personally, cows cheese taste god awful."
"God in heaven, the boy wants us to invade the desert so we can suck on camels instead of cows," The angel eyed one spat in disgust.
From a distance Malkini watched the group with the Knights, a smile on his face the entire time. "Let me tell you who here's who," Malkini said, pointing his finger at the arguing man.
"That one there is Vorac Nobleton, a military man of many years. Very rough, very dirty. A pure work of art, him," Malkini said, pointing to the man with the angel eyes.
"Beside him is Propriux Kingson, a very wealthy if not feeble man," Malkini muttered, pointing to the fat man who sat beside Vorac quietly.
"Next is that man, Davix Smithson," Malkini said, pointing to a blonde haired Neahian with green eyes who sat behind the rest, downing a drink hurriedly. "Military genius that one, controls half my army."
"Next is that boy there, Vecked Princeton," Malkini said, pointing to the man with the navy eyes who had been explaining the importance of camels. "Hes young and brash and not the smartest but hes very good and pulling things off. Hes my mission man."
"And beside him is his brother, Nulix Princeton, or the Prince O'Two as we like to call him," Malkini said, pointing to a young man with bright green eyes and curly brown hair. "I believe he is my script writer or public relations man or something of the sort. Truth be told hes only here because of Vecked. You get one and you get the other."
Malkini moved on to the last man in the group. "And there is Apulix Church," Malkini muttered, pointing to a young man with deep blue eyes and a wide leather hat on. "He's the other half of my army, the desert half. He controls them through ways I would not, and that's why I do not..."
Malkini paused, before turning to the Knights. "We will take what they want to take here on Iceveng, and then we will go to Usin with this grand army, and finish that rebellion once and for all. Now, I want to introduce you all to that delightful council over there, but do you have any questions first?"
"You Knights better state your business or we will fire!" One of the Kingsmen guards yelled, his rifle against his cheek as he aimed it. Jove raised a hand to his fellow Knights, indicating for them not to attack. After a pause Jove stepped forward just slightly and spoke. "We are the Squadron of Knight Elite under the Command of Aden Malkini, come to rejoin his cause!" Jove announced. "Lay down your weapons and let us pass through your armies camp."
"Your Malkini's men, eh?" One of the Kingsmen smirked. "Lets see how true that is. The Hairis is coming now."
From the large purple tent tanned hands pushed open the curtain and from them none other than Aden Malkini marched. His dark hair had grown long and its waves moved past his ears. His jaw was plastered with stubble's of brown hairs and his eyes were brown and red from lack of sleep. He wore a pair of brown sandals that allowed his hairy feet to glide gently over the stone, a loose flowing robe of white silk, and nothing else. The man, whose skin was tanned shades of bronze and scarlet, continued his walk until he stopped between the guards who still aimed at the Knights. Malkini looked at the group silently, his face perfectly still. His hands went to the sides of his robe as his eyes were still on the Knights. He buttoned the middle three oak buttons on his robe and left the rest off, allowing his chest to still emerge from the silk extravagantly.
"We have come to help you, Commander," Jove spoke at long last.
"Then... I must accept," Malkini spoke, his face turning into a sly smile. He moved forward and grabbed Jove into a hug. "Its wonderful to see you all, truly, I lie not," Malkini said. "Now come! Into my tent!"
The Kingsmen guard began to shrug off the Knights and go back to their posts as Malkini led the group down the rock hill toward the doors of his tent. "This army is invincible, my friends! And now your all in it!" Malkini said happily as he ripped the tent curtains apart and led the Knights inside. Inside the tent were several couches, lamps, and smoke. Many Kingsmen, all dressed as Kingsmen dressed, sat and smoked, or drank, or sung, or a combination of the three. In the center of the tent was a large group of cushions where six different Kingsmen sat. They did not sing or smoke, they were too busy arguing.
"Why in God's name must we wage a holy war on the god damn desert?!" One of the Kingsmen with angel blue eyes and long hair yelled.
"Because, Davix, we need cheese," A shorter Kingsmen with navy blue eyes and long dark hair replied calmly.
"We have cows," A fat Kingsmen muttered from the side.
"We do have cows," The one with the angel eyes muttered.
"Cows eat grass, cows die quickly without grass," The navy eyes one spoke, trying to keep his voice low. "In the desert they have camels. Camels can survive three days without water, produce more milk than cows, and live twice as long. And, personally, cows cheese taste god awful."
"God in heaven, the boy wants us to invade the desert so we can suck on camels instead of cows," The angel eyed one spat in disgust.
From a distance Malkini watched the group with the Knights, a smile on his face the entire time. "Let me tell you who here's who," Malkini said, pointing his finger at the arguing man.
"That one there is Vorac Nobleton, a military man of many years. Very rough, very dirty. A pure work of art, him," Malkini said, pointing to the man with the angel eyes.
"Beside him is Propriux Kingson, a very wealthy if not feeble man," Malkini muttered, pointing to the fat man who sat beside Vorac quietly.
"Next is that man, Davix Smithson," Malkini said, pointing to a blonde haired Neahian with green eyes who sat behind the rest, downing a drink hurriedly. "Military genius that one, controls half my army."
"Next is that boy there, Vecked Princeton," Malkini said, pointing to the man with the navy eyes who had been explaining the importance of camels. "Hes young and brash and not the smartest but hes very good and pulling things off. Hes my mission man."
"And beside him is his brother, Nulix Princeton, or the Prince O'Two as we like to call him," Malkini said, pointing to a young man with bright green eyes and curly brown hair. "I believe he is my script writer or public relations man or something of the sort. Truth be told hes only here because of Vecked. You get one and you get the other."
Malkini moved on to the last man in the group. "And there is Apulix Church," Malkini muttered, pointing to a young man with deep blue eyes and a wide leather hat on. "He's the other half of my army, the desert half. He controls them through ways I would not, and that's why I do not..."
Malkini paused, before turning to the Knights. "We will take what they want to take here on Iceveng, and then we will go to Usin with this grand army, and finish that rebellion once and for all. Now, I want to introduce you all to that delightful council over there, but do you have any questions first?"
"Erm, one questioned," Sentrius spoke. "The Kingsmen seem to be pretty indecisive about what to do with the 'war'...Can you get them to agree on something before something major happens. That might help your, uh, operation a little bit." Looking at the group of Kingsmen assembled before him, Sentrius asked another question, "Where and how did you find all of these people."
Malkini chuckled, "Vorac Nobleton was my main contact on Iceveng. He was far south, where even below the ground its icy. He wanted a war with the city of Yamaton, and if I helped him rage it he would join my cause and all his men would join my cause. So we agreed and that attracted Propriux who had his own noble house. He lended some money into the Yamaton operation. Once I had those two I began the march north to Yamaton. We entered the Kingdom of Fals, whose capital was Yamaton, very quickly. Defending the borders was the Captain of the Royal Fals Army, Davix. He, under the impression that the the Kingdom would, almost ironically, fall any day now, agreed to help us take the capital, and brought at least half his army with him. We began to lay siege to the west of the city but the east was still strong so we needed a man on the inside who could help us. That's were Vecked came in. He had lived in the city for less than a year and was capable enough to sabotage the east. And so, he gathered rebels from the street and blew the east wall sky high, killing at least half of the army with him. We took the city after that and took over the Kingdom of Fals, now the Propro Republic. Thats our base. After that we started to deystroy the Kingdoms that had raged war with Yamaton all those years and they too joined us. The nearest Kingdom from the surface, in the desert, was led by Apulix Church. He surrendered and in term joined us. Now we have a foothold in the desert, and we will use it as an outpost to rage war. We are traveling to Apulix's city now. From there we can either go father east into the desert or father north into the frozen wasteland. Iceveng is not a big planet, and we will soon have everything worth having here."
"And then what will happen?" Jove asked. "Will the Legions come in?"
"Not unless you bring them, Jove," Malkini muttered with a raised eyebrow.
"And then what will happen?" Jove asked. "Will the Legions come in?"
"Not unless you bring them, Jove," Malkini muttered with a raised eyebrow.
Demnix asked the stupid question. It just slipped out. "Malkini, sir, did you know a Commander Valorai?" He almost covered his mouth in shame. He didn't know what to expect honestly. He turned to Nai and quickly said, "Not what I'd expected," with a smile. He then turned back toward Malkini, waiting for an answer.
"Indeed I did," Malkini muttered, his eyes across the room. "He was a miserable sod from what I can remember. Why you ask?"
Artemis resisted the urge to just pull the trigger and end this ordeal as Malkini showed himself. He reached up and turned the dial on the side of his helmet up so as to hear the bug and what they were saying more clearly, his right hand never leaving the trigger housing as he resting the cross hairs on the center mass of Makini. He welcomed the group openly, making him wonder if he actually needed to jump; though he still got the feeling the man was hiding something.
Looking at each man he described he used the helmet to record the information and take a picture of each person slowly as he connected their image to their duties in a file on his helm’s drive. He was sure this would be useful to Roka. He held for a moment on the youngest, one Nulix Princeton. Though he didn’t know why something told him this guy was going to be a real pain in the ass in a few years. He shrugged it off.
As he observed from behind a rock and several bushes a single young man came climbing through the rocks. He carried a blades bolt-action rifle and the same general Kingsmen outfit as the rest; a scout or perhaps a man on patrol, the rest of his group no doubt not far behind. Spotting something strange jutting from the bushes the man came to investigate, soon coming to recognize that there was a rifle there with a man behind it aiming at the camp, the youth said something like “What are you doing?” or “Who are you?” Artemis didn’t care which. The moment the young man spoke he sealed his fate. Dropping the rifle slightly Artemis moved from the prone position to a crouched one just as the boy breathed to yell a warning and raised his fire arm, he never got to speak.
Bracing his foot against the adjacent rock Artemis leapt up and grabbed the tip of the rifle with his right hand his left grasping the boy by the throat. He stepped around and pulled the rifle from his hands discarding it before twisting the boys around so he stood behind him. Placing his hands and forearms around the boys neck he pulled in each direction, the bones snapping in that instant. At his Rifle fell down the steep cliff so did his body, Artemis leaving him to fall already dead. It was cold, but this way they would find the body easily and hopefully believe he had fallen to his death.
Grabbing the rifle and the box he glanced about before moving off higher into the rocks and hills, seeking a new sniper position. When he found one around ten minutes later he began scanning the camp against the darkening sky, seeking his comrades and his target. He vaguely though about what he would do if he couldn’t find them, and decided that if that was the case he would seek out a safe place to send the recording to Roka and arrange for a meeting with the commander. He had failed to inform the Commander about his intentioned to place himself outside the camp and now was regretting it.
He briefly thought about the boy who he had just killed and left his body to the wilds, sighing slightly after ensuring his helmet speakers were off he said simply, “Wrong place wrong time.” Before returning to his search.
Looking at each man he described he used the helmet to record the information and take a picture of each person slowly as he connected their image to their duties in a file on his helm’s drive. He was sure this would be useful to Roka. He held for a moment on the youngest, one Nulix Princeton. Though he didn’t know why something told him this guy was going to be a real pain in the ass in a few years. He shrugged it off.
As he observed from behind a rock and several bushes a single young man came climbing through the rocks. He carried a blades bolt-action rifle and the same general Kingsmen outfit as the rest; a scout or perhaps a man on patrol, the rest of his group no doubt not far behind. Spotting something strange jutting from the bushes the man came to investigate, soon coming to recognize that there was a rifle there with a man behind it aiming at the camp, the youth said something like “What are you doing?” or “Who are you?” Artemis didn’t care which. The moment the young man spoke he sealed his fate. Dropping the rifle slightly Artemis moved from the prone position to a crouched one just as the boy breathed to yell a warning and raised his fire arm, he never got to speak.
Bracing his foot against the adjacent rock Artemis leapt up and grabbed the tip of the rifle with his right hand his left grasping the boy by the throat. He stepped around and pulled the rifle from his hands discarding it before twisting the boys around so he stood behind him. Placing his hands and forearms around the boys neck he pulled in each direction, the bones snapping in that instant. At his Rifle fell down the steep cliff so did his body, Artemis leaving him to fall already dead. It was cold, but this way they would find the body easily and hopefully believe he had fallen to his death.
Grabbing the rifle and the box he glanced about before moving off higher into the rocks and hills, seeking a new sniper position. When he found one around ten minutes later he began scanning the camp against the darkening sky, seeking his comrades and his target. He vaguely though about what he would do if he couldn’t find them, and decided that if that was the case he would seek out a safe place to send the recording to Roka and arrange for a meeting with the commander. He had failed to inform the Commander about his intentioned to place himself outside the camp and now was regretting it.
He briefly thought about the boy who he had just killed and left his body to the wilds, sighing slightly after ensuring his helmet speakers were off he said simply, “Wrong place wrong time.” Before returning to his search.
"He is- was my father." Demnix replied. "Stopped comming back home two years ago, and was last year, pronounced KIA. Do you know anything else about him?" Demnix's curiousity was perked somewhat. This is the closest he'd come to knowledge about his "old man" in seven months.
Malkini escorted the Knights to the lounge where they sat down on the cushions, where cigars and glass beer mugs waited for them. "I know he was a very respected in the north," Malkini said to Demnix. "You go to Domanore and talk to the Knights there and the name Valorai will come up at some point. He had a large role in the Kiris Campaign as well, if I recall. I met him once when I was younger. He seemed like an ass and I'm willing to bet he died like one, no offense."
Beside them sat Davix, Vecked and Nulix.
"Hello there Knights," Davix said with a hearty smile. "Davix Smithson of the Yamaton Army."
"I'm Vecked and this is Nulix of the Fals," Vecked said with a small nod as he sat. "Do any of you smoke?"
"I can speak for myself when I say I have," Jove muttered, placing the cigar in his mouth. "Still, I don't seem to have any matches."
"Allow me to ignite that for you," Vecked said, whipping a match out of his pocket. "I don't smoke but a carry around matches anyway. Shows the company I keep," Vecked muttered as he leaned forward and placed the flame beneath Jove's cigar. A puff of smoke came out Jove's mouth and Vecked moved the match away.
"I think you just enjoy setting things aflame, Princeton," Davix said with a small grin, before turning toward the Knights. "So, your here to join the fight, right?"
"We're going to take it into the desert. The near-east campaign is starting," Nulix said, excitement in his voice. "The desert is a rich land. There's lots to be had there, my friends."
"So the question is, are you joining the fight or what?" Davix asked, leaning forward.
"Good god, that's a bit confrontational, eh Smithson?" Vecked muttered. "Lets say they are just passing through for now."
Malkini chuckled at the two, before turning to the Knights. "See, this is why I love these boys," He said.
Beside them sat Davix, Vecked and Nulix.
"Hello there Knights," Davix said with a hearty smile. "Davix Smithson of the Yamaton Army."
"I'm Vecked and this is Nulix of the Fals," Vecked said with a small nod as he sat. "Do any of you smoke?"
"I can speak for myself when I say I have," Jove muttered, placing the cigar in his mouth. "Still, I don't seem to have any matches."
"Allow me to ignite that for you," Vecked said, whipping a match out of his pocket. "I don't smoke but a carry around matches anyway. Shows the company I keep," Vecked muttered as he leaned forward and placed the flame beneath Jove's cigar. A puff of smoke came out Jove's mouth and Vecked moved the match away.
"I think you just enjoy setting things aflame, Princeton," Davix said with a small grin, before turning toward the Knights. "So, your here to join the fight, right?"
"We're going to take it into the desert. The near-east campaign is starting," Nulix said, excitement in his voice. "The desert is a rich land. There's lots to be had there, my friends."
"So the question is, are you joining the fight or what?" Davix asked, leaning forward.
"Good god, that's a bit confrontational, eh Smithson?" Vecked muttered. "Lets say they are just passing through for now."
Malkini chuckled at the two, before turning to the Knights. "See, this is why I love these boys," He said.
Xeroux sat on a cushion, away from Jove's smoke, he couldn't stand the stuff, but he wasn't going to be rude or make a scene. The boy, Vecked caught his eye.
"I think you just enjoy setting things aflame, Princeton." Davix commented on the boy lighting Jove's cigar. He stifled a laugh with his left hand, "Those who enjoy fire only attract the Wind." He whispered.
He looked over as Nulix, the youngest one in the room, spoke. He seemed innocent enough and what one would expect of a young poor boy. He wanted a better life, and if that meant joining the army and fighting for one, well there wasn't a more noble cause. Xeroux liked the Princeton brothers, they both had bright futures ahead, Xeroux felt.
"Let's just say they're passing through for now." Vecked said, bringing Xeroux back to the conversation. "We are Malkini's troops what he orders, we follow. So you can say we are 'passing though' but that doesn't mean we won't lend a hand if things start to go sour."
He knew they weren't there to fight with the illegal army, but not saying anything about being Malkini's men would make the Kingsmen question their true motives. For now let the commander believe they were there to help...why he hadn't questioned the obviously larger start ship or why they were no longer with Roka made Xeroux question Malkini's agenda. Did he truly believe that his squad, complete with a new member would just come to his aid with a new ship, and not have orders from the Counsel?
"He's either brilliant, or totally insane..." Xeroux thought, folding his arms across his silvery blue armor.
"I think you just enjoy setting things aflame, Princeton." Davix commented on the boy lighting Jove's cigar. He stifled a laugh with his left hand, "Those who enjoy fire only attract the Wind." He whispered.
He looked over as Nulix, the youngest one in the room, spoke. He seemed innocent enough and what one would expect of a young poor boy. He wanted a better life, and if that meant joining the army and fighting for one, well there wasn't a more noble cause. Xeroux liked the Princeton brothers, they both had bright futures ahead, Xeroux felt.
"Let's just say they're passing through for now." Vecked said, bringing Xeroux back to the conversation. "We are Malkini's troops what he orders, we follow. So you can say we are 'passing though' but that doesn't mean we won't lend a hand if things start to go sour."
He knew they weren't there to fight with the illegal army, but not saying anything about being Malkini's men would make the Kingsmen question their true motives. For now let the commander believe they were there to help...why he hadn't questioned the obviously larger start ship or why they were no longer with Roka made Xeroux question Malkini's agenda. Did he truly believe that his squad, complete with a new member would just come to his aid with a new ship, and not have orders from the Counsel?
"He's either brilliant, or totally insane..." Xeroux thought, folding his arms across his silvery blue armor.
Having lost sight of the team and realizing that they had entered the tent he sent a small dish and stand up underneath a rock out of sight in the hopes that it would not be discovered by patrols. After that he tuned the device to the bug’s frequency and set a storage unit beneath it so it could continue to record even after he had moved out of range. He lifted the large barrel assembly from the rifle and placed it in the box replacing the assembly with an assault rifle with a bull pup design before adding a larger magazine and heading back from the hills toward the sand.
He had noted the most probable route that Roka would take to avoid detection and arrive in his allocated time from the city. He thus stuck to the high ground as much as possible and retraced this route back toward the city. It was possible that he would miss Roka entirely, but he had timed his departure so that he could meet the man just as he entered the while hills, about half an hour away he suspected, and if he did not find him he could still return in time to meet up with him and the others.
While he was cautious not to be overly obvious he didn’t go to great lengths to conceal himself, hoping that Roka was skilled enough to spot him so as he might increase the chances of contacting him. He cursed himself for not remembering to pack an extra trigger assembly in the pack; if he had he could have armed Roka with a rifle of his own when they met up. He knew that the Commander would need the information he carried, hoping that it would give them the advantage. He wondered who would lead the assault, thinking vaguely of the various generals who led several legions in the surrounding area.
Frankly, this did not settle him, knowing that with each name of local generals that popped into his head he was getting even less assuring. The Knights were headed down hill and recent generals were becoming more and more ruthless, tyrannical, and worst of all, politically involved. He noted that one high noble who had been trained as a Knight had tried to court Anora, it wasn’t the man he had killed but the fool had stepped out of line and Artemis had broken his thumb he had tried to have Artemis arrested. The 4th prince had told the man that it was his fault and he had the gall to raise his voice to the prince and tell him quote, “Learn your place before you lose it!”
Come to think of it the 4th princes Archon was present at the time and looked furious, and to Artemis’s knowledge the knight never did show up again, and his things were never collected. He shrugged the thought off and continued onward, hoping to find the Commander soon so he could give him the data stored on a holo-disk in his helms slots.
He had noted the most probable route that Roka would take to avoid detection and arrive in his allocated time from the city. He thus stuck to the high ground as much as possible and retraced this route back toward the city. It was possible that he would miss Roka entirely, but he had timed his departure so that he could meet the man just as he entered the while hills, about half an hour away he suspected, and if he did not find him he could still return in time to meet up with him and the others.
While he was cautious not to be overly obvious he didn’t go to great lengths to conceal himself, hoping that Roka was skilled enough to spot him so as he might increase the chances of contacting him. He cursed himself for not remembering to pack an extra trigger assembly in the pack; if he had he could have armed Roka with a rifle of his own when they met up. He knew that the Commander would need the information he carried, hoping that it would give them the advantage. He wondered who would lead the assault, thinking vaguely of the various generals who led several legions in the surrounding area.
Frankly, this did not settle him, knowing that with each name of local generals that popped into his head he was getting even less assuring. The Knights were headed down hill and recent generals were becoming more and more ruthless, tyrannical, and worst of all, politically involved. He noted that one high noble who had been trained as a Knight had tried to court Anora, it wasn’t the man he had killed but the fool had stepped out of line and Artemis had broken his thumb he had tried to have Artemis arrested. The 4th prince had told the man that it was his fault and he had the gall to raise his voice to the prince and tell him quote, “Learn your place before you lose it!”
Come to think of it the 4th princes Archon was present at the time and looked furious, and to Artemis’s knowledge the knight never did show up again, and his things were never collected. He shrugged the thought off and continued onward, hoping to find the Commander soon so he could give him the data stored on a holo-disk in his helms slots.
Demnix looked toward Malkini once more. "Does the name Dragoon, bring anything to mind? My dad used to tell about how he'd worked with that man. I never knew him, but from the stories I bet I can get some more information from him." Demnix was extremely eager to find out anything he could about his father. Work, however, came first. So, if he was told to "shut up" by a superior, he'd simply have to.
"Commander Dragoon," Malkini said with a smile."That name means something indeed. Him and Roka shook down half the systems in their prime." Malkini paused, before glancing at the Knights with a raised eyebrow. "Whatever happened to you lot after I left on Usin. Did you find Roka?"
"Yes, then we went to court, then we were found innocent and given free leave until an assignment came up," Jove lied convincingly. "We decided it was best to track you down and see what you had done with yourself."
Malkini gave a small nod at Jove's story, before placing his cup down on the ground carefully. "Its time we left," Malkini muttered, marching behind a purple curtain and stripping his robe off. Malkini placed another purple robe to replace it and marched out once again. "We leave for the Kingdom of Tristanople, to the capital of Bolem. We will take it-"
"And gain our foothold in the desert," Davix added with a smile. At his words the walls of the tent went down and around them the Knights saw the army had already packed up and had began to march. "The Generals tent is always the first to go up and last to go down," Malkini said, walking out of the tent with the army, the Knights following him as he did.
***
Roka sipped a drink as the sun rose over the city. The desert was hot, hotter than he'd imagined. Iceveng in his mind and the mind of most who had not been was that of a barren wasteland full of underground cities and toothless Neahians. Roka glanced over the streets below him where the desert Kingsmen walked and the Legions marched from the balcony of his room. The city, one of the largest on the planet, was firmly in Sor's control. And most of the Knights, and the Knight Generals, stayed in the city hall, where he had stayed. Roka leaned on the balcony ledge and watched the bustle of the city below him. In the crowd one head stood out to him. A head covered in gleaming silver armor. The head of Artemis Maximus.
"Oi, you sir!" Roka called out to Artemis, who raised his head at the call. Roka placed his drink down on the balcony's ledge and vaulted over it. Roka landed on the ground below him with a heavily but still on his feet, which caused several of the locals to give him a glance before going about their business. "How have you been Sir Knight?" Roka called as he approached Artemis. "This cities amazing! We're treated like gods here, almost. Proper military headquarters, this city is! A proper foothold!"
"Yes, then we went to court, then we were found innocent and given free leave until an assignment came up," Jove lied convincingly. "We decided it was best to track you down and see what you had done with yourself."
Malkini gave a small nod at Jove's story, before placing his cup down on the ground carefully. "Its time we left," Malkini muttered, marching behind a purple curtain and stripping his robe off. Malkini placed another purple robe to replace it and marched out once again. "We leave for the Kingdom of Tristanople, to the capital of Bolem. We will take it-"
"And gain our foothold in the desert," Davix added with a smile. At his words the walls of the tent went down and around them the Knights saw the army had already packed up and had began to march. "The Generals tent is always the first to go up and last to go down," Malkini said, walking out of the tent with the army, the Knights following him as he did.
***
Roka sipped a drink as the sun rose over the city. The desert was hot, hotter than he'd imagined. Iceveng in his mind and the mind of most who had not been was that of a barren wasteland full of underground cities and toothless Neahians. Roka glanced over the streets below him where the desert Kingsmen walked and the Legions marched from the balcony of his room. The city, one of the largest on the planet, was firmly in Sor's control. And most of the Knights, and the Knight Generals, stayed in the city hall, where he had stayed. Roka leaned on the balcony ledge and watched the bustle of the city below him. In the crowd one head stood out to him. A head covered in gleaming silver armor. The head of Artemis Maximus.
"Oi, you sir!" Roka called out to Artemis, who raised his head at the call. Roka placed his drink down on the balcony's ledge and vaulted over it. Roka landed on the ground below him with a heavily but still on his feet, which caused several of the locals to give him a glance before going about their business. "How have you been Sir Knight?" Roka called as he approached Artemis. "This cities amazing! We're treated like gods here, almost. Proper military headquarters, this city is! A proper foothold!"
"Mighty glad to see you're doing well, sir!" Sentrius said, walking towards Malkini. "Good to see everything's going well with this unit you've formed as well! If I may asked, what drove you to create such a great army?" Sentrius asked, truly curious as to why Malkini was so driven to create his own military unit without consent from the Council. "Did a great amount of planning go into this?"
Artemis had moved faster than he had expected. In under an hour he had not yet met up with Commander Roka; however he had reached the city into which the commander dropped. He couldn’t wrap his head around how he had arrived there so swiftly but frankly he didn’t care as at that moment the commander shouted at him from above and dropped down to him. He was surprised at the man’s agility but of course that didn’t show considering his face was covered by his helms mask. “Greetings to you as well Commander Sir, may I suggest we go somewhere more quiet then this? He said as he pulled off the hood and gestured to the building lobby. Once inside he removed his cloak and pack, into which he had long stored the rifle, and sat back on one of the chairs after placing the Holo projector on the table between them. He had made sure the lobby was clear before doing this and luckily the curtains were drawn.
“I apologize for not awaiting your arrival but I thought this information would be crucial to the operation,” he said as the recording showed each man’s face as they spoke, “And you are exactly correct, this would make a fine foothold…” He let the tape play after the video cut out to show the conversation inside the tent that told them they would attack this city, “and that is exactly what they expect to use it for.”
He placed the holo-tape back in the helmet recorder and sat forward, “Sir, I believe they were preparing to leave just as we arrived, and at present I can’t see your forces in the area responding in time to stop them, please give me leave to eliminate the commanders now while there is still time.” He requested.
“I apologize for not awaiting your arrival but I thought this information would be crucial to the operation,” he said as the recording showed each man’s face as they spoke, “And you are exactly correct, this would make a fine foothold…” He let the tape play after the video cut out to show the conversation inside the tent that told them they would attack this city, “and that is exactly what they expect to use it for.”
He placed the holo-tape back in the helmet recorder and sat forward, “Sir, I believe they were preparing to leave just as we arrived, and at present I can’t see your forces in the area responding in time to stop them, please give me leave to eliminate the commanders now while there is still time.” He requested.
Roka sat down at the news and moved his hand through his gray hair. "They plan to attack this city?" Roka asked in disbelief, "The city of Bolem?"
Artemis silence confirmed his fears. Roka sighed. "This is big, Artemis. But, I cannot grant you permission to attack. We're both soldiers. You have orders; I do too." Roka glanced up with a smile. "So, I think its about time we get some new orders."
***
"Are you deaf, Sentrius?" Malkini asked with a raised eyebrow. "Or are you telling me I truly have to restate what I spent over a minute explaining to you not half an hour ago?"
"God blind' me, Sir Knight. Your not the most intelligent man around, are you?" Davix commented to Sentrius with a wide smiled as he walked alongside them. Vecked chuckled at the commented as the group walked in the center of the crowded army. A Kingsmen wearing a bowler hat rode beside the group on a camel, behind him on rope a train of the animals. "For you, Aden," The man said, handing Malkini the rope to a camel with a large purple riding saddle. "And for the Knights," The man added, letting the ropes for the rest fall to the ground.
"Get on!" Malkini yelled as he made his way atop his camel in one swift stride. The camel carrier rode down the edge of the sand dune they scaled as the Knights got on their animals.
"Great animals, really just... perfect," said muttered as he began to ride with the group toward the front of the army.
They rode until they passed the workers, then they went further until they passed the cavalry, all on camels, then further still until they passed the front line, a mixture of rifleman and bladed soldiers. They rode passed that until they only saw scouts and farther still until they reached the top of the next sand dune. Beyond them an sprawling desert, dunes as far as the eye could see. Malkini batted his eyes at the sight. The sand was untouched, it was spotless.
"There, beyond this desert. The city awaits us," Malkini said as he began to stand up on his camel.
***
Roka marched ran up the stairs of the town hall eagerly, Artemis behind him. The Legionaries stationed at the side of the staircase each gave a kick of the heel and a smack of their rifles as the Commander went by. Roka continued on until he reached the end of the hall. A large wooden door stood on the wall, closed nearly completely. Through the opening lamp light shun through and yelling could be heard. Roka glanced at Artemis as they approached before stepping forward and pushing the door open.
Inside there was a small oak round table; a Kingsmen in flowing green robes stood with several guards were at one side, a desert dressed Knight general and his guards stood at the other. Each group had their rifles pointed at the other.
"You think this is a negotiation!? Step your bloody ass down or I will blow you away and take your speck of a goddam' Kingdom with you 'you bloody wreck!" The General yelled.
"You think this Kingdom is a joke? God in heaven, your an idiot! I'm done with you! I'm done with you Sora's! And if you don't beg to go back in business I swear this city will turn into a blood bath and you General Bogby will be responsible for it!" The Kingsmen in green robes yelled back.
"Do you know who your dealing with? I was eaten alive! I was-" The General paused, finally noticing Roka and Artemis. "Let me take this, your highness," The General said, raising a hand calmly. "Roka does not interrupt for just anything."
"Hurry back, Bogby. We have issues to settle," The King of Tristanople called as the General walked outside the room with Roka and Artemis.
"So?" The General asked as he closed the wood doors behind him. "What do you have to say?"
"Artemis Maximus, Royal Guard," Roka introduced. "He has news regarding Malkini."
The Generals stressed brow raised in interest. "Oh really?" He said, "Alright, lets hear it then. Maximus, what news do you have?"
Artemis silence confirmed his fears. Roka sighed. "This is big, Artemis. But, I cannot grant you permission to attack. We're both soldiers. You have orders; I do too." Roka glanced up with a smile. "So, I think its about time we get some new orders."
***
"Are you deaf, Sentrius?" Malkini asked with a raised eyebrow. "Or are you telling me I truly have to restate what I spent over a minute explaining to you not half an hour ago?"
"God blind' me, Sir Knight. Your not the most intelligent man around, are you?" Davix commented to Sentrius with a wide smiled as he walked alongside them. Vecked chuckled at the commented as the group walked in the center of the crowded army. A Kingsmen wearing a bowler hat rode beside the group on a camel, behind him on rope a train of the animals. "For you, Aden," The man said, handing Malkini the rope to a camel with a large purple riding saddle. "And for the Knights," The man added, letting the ropes for the rest fall to the ground.
"Get on!" Malkini yelled as he made his way atop his camel in one swift stride. The camel carrier rode down the edge of the sand dune they scaled as the Knights got on their animals.
"Great animals, really just... perfect," said muttered as he began to ride with the group toward the front of the army.
They rode until they passed the workers, then they went further until they passed the cavalry, all on camels, then further still until they passed the front line, a mixture of rifleman and bladed soldiers. They rode passed that until they only saw scouts and farther still until they reached the top of the next sand dune. Beyond them an sprawling desert, dunes as far as the eye could see. Malkini batted his eyes at the sight. The sand was untouched, it was spotless.
"There, beyond this desert. The city awaits us," Malkini said as he began to stand up on his camel.
***
Roka marched ran up the stairs of the town hall eagerly, Artemis behind him. The Legionaries stationed at the side of the staircase each gave a kick of the heel and a smack of their rifles as the Commander went by. Roka continued on until he reached the end of the hall. A large wooden door stood on the wall, closed nearly completely. Through the opening lamp light shun through and yelling could be heard. Roka glanced at Artemis as they approached before stepping forward and pushing the door open.
Inside there was a small oak round table; a Kingsmen in flowing green robes stood with several guards were at one side, a desert dressed Knight general and his guards stood at the other. Each group had their rifles pointed at the other.
"You think this is a negotiation!? Step your bloody ass down or I will blow you away and take your speck of a goddam' Kingdom with you 'you bloody wreck!" The General yelled.
"You think this Kingdom is a joke? God in heaven, your an idiot! I'm done with you! I'm done with you Sora's! And if you don't beg to go back in business I swear this city will turn into a blood bath and you General Bogby will be responsible for it!" The Kingsmen in green robes yelled back.
"Do you know who your dealing with? I was eaten alive! I was-" The General paused, finally noticing Roka and Artemis. "Let me take this, your highness," The General said, raising a hand calmly. "Roka does not interrupt for just anything."
"Hurry back, Bogby. We have issues to settle," The King of Tristanople called as the General walked outside the room with Roka and Artemis.
"So?" The General asked as he closed the wood doors behind him. "What do you have to say?"
"Artemis Maximus, Royal Guard," Roka introduced. "He has news regarding Malkini."
The Generals stressed brow raised in interest. "Oh really?" He said, "Alright, lets hear it then. Maximus, what news do you have?"
Xeroux clicked a small button on the collar of his armor, activating the helmet. "Open a private com channel." The sensors in the hemet beeped at his command. "Artemis, I saw you had the same armor model as I, so I hope you can hear me. We're headed for a city, Bolem, is what they call it. The others are playing the part well, though I feel Sentrius is just trying to kiss ass, as usual." He paused, making sure no one could hear him, yet he was trying to keep pace with the group. "Let us know the plan, we don't want to be caught on the wrong side of another knight's blade and accused of being a traitor again."
He looked over, Vecked riding beside him. He nodded and looked back to the front. There was something about the boy he couldn't shake, a Darkness lurking beneath the exterior. Xeroux felt the boy was destined for great or terrible things. He smiled under his helm, "You aren't from this world are you? Or your brother. Neither of you look like the natives of this world."
He looked over, Vecked riding beside him. He nodded and looked back to the front. There was something about the boy he couldn't shake, a Darkness lurking beneath the exterior. Xeroux felt the boy was destined for great or terrible things. He smiled under his helm, "You aren't from this world are you? Or your brother. Neither of you look like the natives of this world."
Vecked leaned his neck back and faced the sky with a smile as he rode. "That's the first time someone told me I didn't look like I was from here, Mister Xeroux. Me and my brother are one-hundred percent Kingsmen. Most of the army here is from the desert though. Their skin is darker and so are their eyes, and they wear lighter clothing. Me and my brother are from the Kingdom of the Fals far south, in the rocklands. That's where all the famous underground plains and cities are. The great cities of furnaces and industry."
Vecked paused as if in mid thought. "Where are you from, Xeroux?" He asked after a second.
Vecked paused as if in mid thought. "Where are you from, Xeroux?" He asked after a second.
Xeroux nodded slowly. "I apologize for thinking you were from off world. I'm from a world far from here, covered in dense and large forests with sheer cliffs. We don't have many cities, nothing like those I've seen recently though. Mostly we live off the land, one tree is generally enough for an entire house."
He smiled thinking of his fathers house and how simple, yet cozy it was. "Gengrolin is the name of my world. My academy was built into the cliffs and was made to look like it was hanging over a large forested canyon. It had an amazing view from the great hall, and the roof was always accessible!" He threw his head back and laughed at his joke. "Forgive me, its been a while since I've been this relaxed."
He smiled thinking of his fathers house and how simple, yet cozy it was. "Gengrolin is the name of my world. My academy was built into the cliffs and was made to look like it was hanging over a large forested canyon. It had an amazing view from the great hall, and the roof was always accessible!" He threw his head back and laughed at his joke. "Forgive me, its been a while since I've been this relaxed."
"Gengrolin. Is that a wet country?" Vecked asked, squinting his eyes at the sun. "It sounds like a wet country, like it has seas, islands, oceans... We don't have much water here. We have hotness, coldness... not a lot of water." Vecked paused. "Do the Knights hunt Phoenix's?" Vecked asked at last. "It may seem an ignorant question to ask but we don't have any on Iceveng. The Book of the Matran states that no Neahian may be a Phoenix and since Kingsmen are basically Neahians a few generations down we can't be born Phoenix's either; that's what they say."
Xeroux tapped the button on his collar, deactivating his helmet. He still had the small radio attached to his left ear, the one not facing Vecked. "It is wet, but not in the ways you mentioned. The sky is always grey and there's an almost constant mist in the air. Fog covers the ground, surrounding your feet in mystery." He smiled softly, thinking of home. "There are no oceans, none I've ever seen anyways, but there are many lakes, and they are very cold! But you can get the best fish from them, and if you're brave enough, its always fun to swim." He looked around, trying to take in all the scenery he could "This world doesn't seem bad though, despite the seemingly extreme differences between the climate. I personally think the thought of living in an underground city would be a fun thing, maybe because I've lived top-side my whole life." He looked over to Vecked, "I'll make you a deal, some day I'll take you to my home. You can see Gengrolin for yourself, and I'll show you where I grew up. My father would be pleased to meet you, and my grandmother might make you so much to eat you'll burst!" He laughed a little, nodding to Vecked. "So what do you say? Sound like a good plan?"
Artemis was stunned when his named was used. He guided them to a private room so as to give his report. He Figured the General would have been privy to the Archon who would be in his area, but he had no clue that Roka would have been told. Then again Roka is a very highly ranked soldier who was decorated beyond the norm. He sighed and after composing himself as they entered the private room he reached up and unclipped his helm, “I suppose there is no reason to wear this stifling armor when you both already know my name.” he reasoned as he removed the helm and placed it atop his cloak which he had removed and folded to keep the sand that sometimes fell from the glue from littering the area.
Turning to Roka whom he sat beside he stood and saluted again, “I suppose a new introduction is in order, Artemis Maximus,” he turned and held out his right palm, the armor that covered that area folding out to should his skin, onto which an ornate symbol was tattooed, “Archon of the Lady Anora.”
He saluted the General as well and then sat again. His face was that of a young man of 28 years but his eyes were the real oddity, they were cold and calloused, the eyes of a special operative who had seen and done many things others would not want to see and certainly not want to do. His face had a single scar on his right cheek clearly from a blade that ran from the middle of his cheek about an inch toward the ear. His hair was slight matted after being in his helmet and pressed down; his bangs pulled back and up out of his eyes. “Sir.” He replied as he turned the helms projector on. The video played out showing each of the leaders and the armies size, as well as showing the camp with the audio from the command tent playing. The tape ended Justas the enemy finished discussing the city to the north being their next target.
“General, it is my opinion that this city will not stand this attack. His army is a rag tag crew of desert rats, boys and old men with poor weapons, near no heavy armor, and a brazen fool for a commander, but they out number us greatly and I have no doubt they have the people’s support.” He clicked the helm and a star map displayed zooming on the planet and showing several blinking red dots, “We are here, in the city, and by now I am willing to bet that Malkini and his men are here, just about half an hour’s march south,” he rotated the globe and pointed to the far east, “The primary force of knights on this planet is here, and I doubt they can reach us in time to stop the enemy from digging in.” He showed a 3D model off the city, “As you can see this place is easily defendable with the people’s support, but if Malkini gets the people to convert we will not hold this position, and if we lose this city what could be a quick and near bloodless campaign will turn into an insurgency that will take years to completely eradicate.”
He sat back and let the General contemplate the situation, “Sir, if that man is allowed to place his troops in the city they will most likely switch to guerilla tactic and Malkini will go into hiding, I implore you to give me leave to eliminate the man before this is escalated.” He said sternly, he knew he was of no real rank in the field, however he also knew that he was right, and though he didn’t want to kill Malkini for no reason if it kept the bloodshed to a minimum he would gladly plunge his blade through his throat without hesitation. "I personall garente-"
He was cut off by a comm link from his comrade and he opened the holo display. His face was not shown but his voice was heard as he confirmed what Artemis had said. "Commander, how should we respond?"
Turning to Roka whom he sat beside he stood and saluted again, “I suppose a new introduction is in order, Artemis Maximus,” he turned and held out his right palm, the armor that covered that area folding out to should his skin, onto which an ornate symbol was tattooed, “Archon of the Lady Anora.”
He saluted the General as well and then sat again. His face was that of a young man of 28 years but his eyes were the real oddity, they were cold and calloused, the eyes of a special operative who had seen and done many things others would not want to see and certainly not want to do. His face had a single scar on his right cheek clearly from a blade that ran from the middle of his cheek about an inch toward the ear. His hair was slight matted after being in his helmet and pressed down; his bangs pulled back and up out of his eyes. “Sir.” He replied as he turned the helms projector on. The video played out showing each of the leaders and the armies size, as well as showing the camp with the audio from the command tent playing. The tape ended Justas the enemy finished discussing the city to the north being their next target.
“General, it is my opinion that this city will not stand this attack. His army is a rag tag crew of desert rats, boys and old men with poor weapons, near no heavy armor, and a brazen fool for a commander, but they out number us greatly and I have no doubt they have the people’s support.” He clicked the helm and a star map displayed zooming on the planet and showing several blinking red dots, “We are here, in the city, and by now I am willing to bet that Malkini and his men are here, just about half an hour’s march south,” he rotated the globe and pointed to the far east, “The primary force of knights on this planet is here, and I doubt they can reach us in time to stop the enemy from digging in.” He showed a 3D model off the city, “As you can see this place is easily defendable with the people’s support, but if Malkini gets the people to convert we will not hold this position, and if we lose this city what could be a quick and near bloodless campaign will turn into an insurgency that will take years to completely eradicate.”
He sat back and let the General contemplate the situation, “Sir, if that man is allowed to place his troops in the city they will most likely switch to guerilla tactic and Malkini will go into hiding, I implore you to give me leave to eliminate the man before this is escalated.” He said sternly, he knew he was of no real rank in the field, however he also knew that he was right, and though he didn’t want to kill Malkini for no reason if it kept the bloodshed to a minimum he would gladly plunge his blade through his throat without hesitation. "I personall garente-"
He was cut off by a comm link from his comrade and he opened the holo display. His face was not shown but his voice was heard as he confirmed what Artemis had said. "Commander, how should we respond?"
General Bogby placed his chin on his fist as Artemis gave him the news. "The Republic of Propro, which is a name that they choose oddly enough rather than one that was forced upon them against their wills; stretches from the south pole to the mid-east and into the tip of the desert. They have the water and the industry of the far south, the mines and the valuable land resources of the mid-east, and if they get this place they would have the trade, the animals, the population, and the starships of the desert."
The General tapped a pen on the oak hallway seat. "We have a joint pact of cooperation with the Kingdom of Tristanople, whose delightful King you saw me arguing with inside. They own a lot of the desert and its imperative we remain friends with them. Us occupying this city is the only teeth we have in Iceveng politics and the only way we can get immediate action. Unfortunately us staying in Tristanople for these many years leads to its King complaining a lot and demanding more and more for cooperation. Its annoying and generally a pain to deal with. And Tristanople really does not have much."
The General paused. "Of course, if Malkini were to get Tristanople, he would have everything there is to have on Iceveng, in one singular government. And so, the question really is, if, hypothetically, Malkini were to get Tristanople, who would get Malkini's Kingdom?"
The General pulled out a cigar and placed it in the edge of his mouth. "If one were to capitalize on the situation for the sake of the Republic that one may do very well for him, or them, selves." The General gave out a puff of smoke before standing once again.
"Artemis, I know this is outside your knowledge and your training but I want you to be a diplomat," The General said. "Ride out there and tell Malkini he has the Knights full support when he grabs the city. I want you to give him this contract," The General said, jotting a few words on a piece of paper and handing it to Artemis. "And if he denies our help blow his head off. And remember, most important of all, make sure he believes that Iceveng is for the Kingsmen. We don't want it; make sure he thinks that."
***
Vecked gave a toothy grin. "Alright, sure... I like you, Sorillian, I do."
The General tapped a pen on the oak hallway seat. "We have a joint pact of cooperation with the Kingdom of Tristanople, whose delightful King you saw me arguing with inside. They own a lot of the desert and its imperative we remain friends with them. Us occupying this city is the only teeth we have in Iceveng politics and the only way we can get immediate action. Unfortunately us staying in Tristanople for these many years leads to its King complaining a lot and demanding more and more for cooperation. Its annoying and generally a pain to deal with. And Tristanople really does not have much."
The General paused. "Of course, if Malkini were to get Tristanople, he would have everything there is to have on Iceveng, in one singular government. And so, the question really is, if, hypothetically, Malkini were to get Tristanople, who would get Malkini's Kingdom?"
The General pulled out a cigar and placed it in the edge of his mouth. "If one were to capitalize on the situation for the sake of the Republic that one may do very well for him, or them, selves." The General gave out a puff of smoke before standing once again.
"Artemis, I know this is outside your knowledge and your training but I want you to be a diplomat," The General said. "Ride out there and tell Malkini he has the Knights full support when he grabs the city. I want you to give him this contract," The General said, jotting a few words on a piece of paper and handing it to Artemis. "And if he denies our help blow his head off. And remember, most important of all, make sure he believes that Iceveng is for the Kingsmen. We don't want it; make sure he thinks that."
***
Vecked gave a toothy grin. "Alright, sure... I like you, Sorillian, I do."
Artemis thought for a moment before taking the contract and placing it carefully in a high impact hard case on his right hip, just ext to his second pistol. He then reached around behind him and withdrew a plastic covered slip of paper himself which bore several official looking stamps and laid it on the table. “As you wish sir, however first I must ask you to please sign these documents…”
He let them look them over before offering a summary, “As you may have read these are my high orders to not remove my Helm or tell my name to anyone unless I have completed a mission of active duty, I am asking you to sign them now so I can approach Malkini as the Archon of the Lady Anora. I believe that as a Royal representative I will be able to get more out of him than as some random soldier. To do that I ask that you prematurely sign these documents which will allow me to remove my helm and once more go by Artemis Maximus.”
He let them look them over before offering a summary, “As you may have read these are my high orders to not remove my Helm or tell my name to anyone unless I have completed a mission of active duty, I am asking you to sign them now so I can approach Malkini as the Archon of the Lady Anora. I believe that as a Royal representative I will be able to get more out of him than as some random soldier. To do that I ask that you prematurely sign these documents which will allow me to remove my helm and once more go by Artemis Maximus.”
With a puff of smoke the General bent down and signed the papers. "There you go. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go deal with the King." And with that the General went down the hall back into the bright room where the King waited. The oak doors swung shut behind him.
"I don't like this," Roka muttered. "There's something immoral about General Bogby's plan. But we are soldiers, we have orders. Good luck Artemis. Do us proud."
"I don't like this," Roka muttered. "There's something immoral about General Bogby's plan. But we are soldiers, we have orders. Good luck Artemis. Do us proud."
Artemis sighed and sat back, “Your right Commander, if I was still in my full position I’d use my patrol men to watch him and see what he does, but I don’t have that luxury. Still, I should probably get going.” He said as he stood and placed his helm back on, “I hope to see you again Sir, even if he rejects I don’t think he is going to be easy to kill.”
He projected his picture and zoomed in on the eyes of Malkini, “His eyes, they are too confident, I have the feeling he isn’t the raving lunatic we think, I suspect he knows exactly what is going on.” With that he left and rather than try to do anything foolish like send a kinsmen with a message he decided to do something crazy. To be exact, he walked straight up to the army and the first soldier he let capture him. “Well, this could have gone better." he said to throw the man off.
He projected his picture and zoomed in on the eyes of Malkini, “His eyes, they are too confident, I have the feeling he isn’t the raving lunatic we think, I suspect he knows exactly what is going on.” With that he left and rather than try to do anything foolish like send a kinsmen with a message he decided to do something crazy. To be exact, he walked straight up to the army and the first soldier he let capture him. “Well, this could have gone better." he said to throw the man off.
"Your Hairis!" The Kingsmen scout yelled. Malkini and the rest of the Knights glanced over from their camels as the scout ran up, on the back of his camel sat Artemis with his hands tied. The scout pushed him into the side of the sand dune they stood on. "A spy!" The scout spat. "I found him five dunes forward, he came from the city!"
"There he is," Jove whispered to his fellow Knights as Malkini hopped off his horse and onto the slanted dune. He extended his hand and in it a guard placed a longsword.
"And who is this? A Tristanople spy?" Malkini asked as he stood over Artemis. "Or a Knight? Tell me, what business do you have here."
"There he is," Jove whispered to his fellow Knights as Malkini hopped off his horse and onto the slanted dune. He extended his hand and in it a guard placed a longsword.
"And who is this? A Tristanople spy?" Malkini asked as he stood over Artemis. "Or a Knight? Tell me, what business do you have here."
Artemis watched as Malkini walked, no, he strutted up to him. He demanded some information and he guards all slammed Artemis forward on the ground before pulling him up once more to face Malkini. Beneath his helm he smiled. Turning to the men who held him by his shoulder one with a blade at his throat he spoke, “Would you mind taking that knife off my throat?”The man scowled and his friend punched Artemis across the face. Still, he smiled beneath his helm. “Spy or Knight you ask? I’ll let you decide.”
And with that he moved, his armor helping his right hand come free which grabbed the wrist of the man with the knife and pulled him forward, his elbow connected with his throat and he plunged the blade into the others shoulder. As he let him go to nurse his wound Artemis put pressure on the other man’s arm and slammed him down cracking his elbow and with a twist the man shouted as his shoulder came out of socket. The move would have been familiar to everyone in the Knights; it was the basic technique that was taught to every Knight to counter an enemy sneaking up on them and trying to slit their throat. Of course usually the blade would have been stuck in the man’ abdomen instead of the other man’s shoulder but that was more of a modification.
Artemis stood slowly and brushed the sand from his knees and looked to Malkini, “I apologize for that, but I did ask him to remove it.” He held up his palm to the man and the armor folded back to reveal the seal of the Royal Guard, “Artemis Maximus, Archon of the Lady Anora.” He said in greeting as he clicked his helm to fold back the visor and mask and show his face to the squad and Malkini for the first time.
And with that he moved, his armor helping his right hand come free which grabbed the wrist of the man with the knife and pulled him forward, his elbow connected with his throat and he plunged the blade into the others shoulder. As he let him go to nurse his wound Artemis put pressure on the other man’s arm and slammed him down cracking his elbow and with a twist the man shouted as his shoulder came out of socket. The move would have been familiar to everyone in the Knights; it was the basic technique that was taught to every Knight to counter an enemy sneaking up on them and trying to slit their throat. Of course usually the blade would have been stuck in the man’ abdomen instead of the other man’s shoulder but that was more of a modification.
Artemis stood slowly and brushed the sand from his knees and looked to Malkini, “I apologize for that, but I did ask him to remove it.” He held up his palm to the man and the armor folded back to reveal the seal of the Royal Guard, “Artemis Maximus, Archon of the Lady Anora.” He said in greeting as he clicked his helm to fold back the visor and mask and show his face to the squad and Malkini for the first time.
Demnix had spaced out until this point. He was thinking vigorously about his father. "I will find out more." He thought to himself as if his father was to hear it. He turned to Nai, his source of happiness thus far and smiled quickly. "Sorry for the bossiness earlier. And for not being able to play you my song. I hope this will be quick and over so I can, and hopefully have a good conversation. I'd love to talk with you more." He whipsered. "Yeah, I'm attracted to her." He thought to himself. His small quick smile had turned into a sheepish amost bashful smile as he realized his emotions.
Xeroux Smiled at Vecked's comment. He knew their mission, but he wanted to make sure the two Princeton were left unharmed. He knew their makeshift friendship would be shattered at the end of this, but Xeroux wanted at least Vecked to realize he was different than the Knights he was slowly starting to figure out.
He looked up, seeing the silver clad Royal Guard, Artemis. He watched the display of superior tactics, that anyone in the ranks would instantly recognize as the most basic of techniques, but to the Kingsmen, he seemed powerful and fast. Malkini looked the man up and down, trying to make sense of the situation. Xeroux waited, holding his breath, this could be it, the time to fight.
He looked up, seeing the silver clad Royal Guard, Artemis. He watched the display of superior tactics, that anyone in the ranks would instantly recognize as the most basic of techniques, but to the Kingsmen, he seemed powerful and fast. Malkini looked the man up and down, trying to make sense of the situation. Xeroux waited, holding his breath, this could be it, the time to fight.
"L-Lady Anora!?" Sentrius shouted. "You're a member of the Royal Guard!? That's a great honor! surely you cannot be a spy!" Sentrius stated, sneering to himself. A Royal Knight. If he were to get on this guy's good side, then perhaps he might go places. Sentrius could imagine it now! He, Sentrius Tetran, personal adviser to the King and Captain of the Royal Guards. Royal Guard Captain Tetran. Had a nice ring to it, yes? Sentrius' dreams soon shattered when Artemis displayed his skill as he knocked out the guard that had once held him. Sentrius immediately took up a defensive stance. "A-aha!," he chuckled loudly, perhaps to counter the sound of his knees buckling. "Quite impressive. Though, I could've done such a feat blindfolded!"
"No, its alright and I would love that as well. I feel at ease talking to you and its nice to have such friendly company," Nai replied to Demnix, returning the smile. She really hadn't minded his change of attitude or the interruption. The sudden hug though, had irked her a little since she disliked sudden movements unless they were in battle and especially when someone touched her. Nai disliked someone even reaching out to shake her hand, which is why she preferred bowing.
Sentrius' voice brought her attention back to Malkini and Artemis. She had been observing the environment before and Malkini, making sure to take notice of anything that might be harmful to them. After all, they did have a mission to do. Of course, Sentrius seemed to be on his own glory grabbing mission, she thought with a roll of her eyes.
Sentrius' voice brought her attention back to Malkini and Artemis. She had been observing the environment before and Malkini, making sure to take notice of anything that might be harmful to them. After all, they did have a mission to do. Of course, Sentrius seemed to be on his own glory grabbing mission, she thought with a roll of her eyes.
Davix and Vecked instantly drew their rifles and aimed it at Artemis' head. Many of the on-camel Kingsmen followed their lead and pulled their rifles out.
"An Archon of the Royal Sorillian Guard," Malkini breathed, the edges of his mouth forming a smile. "Very nice."
"One man cannot take down an army," Davix said.
"This man cannot take down me," Vecked added swiftly.
"Not the army he couldn't. Ten thousand villagers fighting can take one elite," Davix said
"Eventually," Vecked muttered.
"We have the drive of freedom in our grasp, your motive is unclear," Davix said.
"I'm willing to bet its not as powerful as ours, Sorillian," Vecked spat.
"Gentlemen," Malkini said calmly, raising his calm lightly in the air. "Enough, if you don't mind I would like to talk to our friend alone." Davix hesitated, his eyes dashing from Artemis' face to the side of Malkini's. After only a moment of decision he lowered his rifle, the rest of the Kingsmen following his lead. "We will be at the bottom of the dune," Davix said as he adjusted his saddle, "Speak quickly." And with that he rode off down the sand dune, a dozen camels and riders following him.
Vecked too lowered his rifle and began slowly moving his camel around the sand Artemis stood on. "I'd watch yourself, Sorillian. I study history, and the King of Sor is not as powerful a man as he once was," Vecked said, circling Artemis once more. After a pause he began to steer his camel down the dune.
Jove watched Vecked join the rest of the Kingsmen and shook his head angrily. "Treason," Jove muttered. "High treason, I swear to god-"
"Calm yourself you, please," Malkini said. "You dumb slaver," He added after a second.
"Commander, your army will bury itself when it tries to take the city," Jove said. "You know we support you, but you cant take that city with... this."
Malkini gave Jove a glance before turning back to Artemis. "Speaking of the city, you just came from there," Malkini said. "Which means that you've been speaking to our fair General Bogby. Which means you have a message for me."
Malkini gave a small smile. "You see, Artemis. Even the Royal Guard are treated as messengers in hell holes like this. I know, and I'm a Knight Commander."
"I don't see a way for you to get out of this with your current title, let alone your life," Jove commented. "Why in gods name did you do all this?"
"Because, Joven Flynn, I am a military genius," Malkini said. "And I enjoyed being one until I lost those goddamn Legions and was forced to command you lot. Luckily I had a plan to regain my title as a Major General and it consisted of going to Usin and meeting a certain rebel army."
"Wait... are you saying you blew the pillar and killed Yoff's Legions?" Jove asked.
"No, don't be stupid. I'm no murderer," Malkini muttered in disgust. "Oseal did that. My plan consisted of us helping blow the rebel army skyhigh. The old plan, if you will. Unfortunately Oseal ruined that and in the ten minutes or so when you lot were panicking about the dead Legions I realized what would happen if the rebels on Usin weren't stopped. A world war."
"On Usin?" Jove asked. "The Knights wouldn't allow it!"
"No Sir, they wouldn't, unless they were getting paid to allow it," Malkini replied. "Oran Oseal, a Knight Elite, the top ninety-nine percent, someone who spent their whole life trying to gain entry into the ranks, betrayed it all in one paycheck from a certain rebel army on Usin. If they had enough money to buy Oran Oseal, they have enough money to buy anyone. And, with a paycheck in their pockets, most of the Knight council will ignore the collapse of the Kingdom of Usin. Usin is not an important planet. It is during wartime in the North, because its a great outpost, but nothing more. Usin will fall to the rebels. And then guess what will happen. The North will revolt. With a successful revolution in Usin planets just recently conquered like Domanore, Kontoban, Umano, and Kiris will all voice their deep dissatisfaction with our government and then revolt. Not against their puppet governments but against Sor and the Sora System itself. And then we must respond. But all our men are stationed on space stations at the border of the Ulfire System. And so we move them, because if we don't the northern strip of our empire collapses, and the Neahians will come and they will not it give it back. And so we move our fleets North and then when Johnny Ulfire checks his radar he sees we are gone from his borders. So he expands them until he reaches the Capima Islands. And then he invades. Neahians in the North, Ulfarians in the south, Sora in the middle. The Republic of Sor cannot withstand any war of that magnitude. Not now."
Malkini took a moment to let his words sink in, letting the dramatic effect take hold. "And then," Malkini started suddenly. "After realizing all this on Usin, I knew I had to gather an army. It could not be a Legion, because Legions took months to get hold of, and if I got one and I lost them the Knights would be very cross at me. And that's what I want. So instead I searched for a place with an army of thousand just waiting to be unleashed. And so I found Iceveng. If they have ships they will follow me to Usin and they will put down that rebellion and then I will be hailed as a hero in the eyes of the Knights which means I will be reinstated as a Major General, and I'll get a large sack of money as well. No less than a hundred-thousand Trinari. And all that will come, but first I've got to help these boys get their desert or else theres no Kingsmen army and the rebels on Usin will win."
Malkini turned to Artemis, his smile now gone. "So tell me, what has General Bogby sent you here for? What message do you bring? I hope its not a blade for my throat."
"An Archon of the Royal Sorillian Guard," Malkini breathed, the edges of his mouth forming a smile. "Very nice."
"One man cannot take down an army," Davix said.
"This man cannot take down me," Vecked added swiftly.
"Not the army he couldn't. Ten thousand villagers fighting can take one elite," Davix said
"Eventually," Vecked muttered.
"We have the drive of freedom in our grasp, your motive is unclear," Davix said.
"I'm willing to bet its not as powerful as ours, Sorillian," Vecked spat.
"Gentlemen," Malkini said calmly, raising his calm lightly in the air. "Enough, if you don't mind I would like to talk to our friend alone." Davix hesitated, his eyes dashing from Artemis' face to the side of Malkini's. After only a moment of decision he lowered his rifle, the rest of the Kingsmen following his lead. "We will be at the bottom of the dune," Davix said as he adjusted his saddle, "Speak quickly." And with that he rode off down the sand dune, a dozen camels and riders following him.
Vecked too lowered his rifle and began slowly moving his camel around the sand Artemis stood on. "I'd watch yourself, Sorillian. I study history, and the King of Sor is not as powerful a man as he once was," Vecked said, circling Artemis once more. After a pause he began to steer his camel down the dune.
Jove watched Vecked join the rest of the Kingsmen and shook his head angrily. "Treason," Jove muttered. "High treason, I swear to god-"
"Calm yourself you, please," Malkini said. "You dumb slaver," He added after a second.
"Commander, your army will bury itself when it tries to take the city," Jove said. "You know we support you, but you cant take that city with... this."
Malkini gave Jove a glance before turning back to Artemis. "Speaking of the city, you just came from there," Malkini said. "Which means that you've been speaking to our fair General Bogby. Which means you have a message for me."
Malkini gave a small smile. "You see, Artemis. Even the Royal Guard are treated as messengers in hell holes like this. I know, and I'm a Knight Commander."
"I don't see a way for you to get out of this with your current title, let alone your life," Jove commented. "Why in gods name did you do all this?"
"Because, Joven Flynn, I am a military genius," Malkini said. "And I enjoyed being one until I lost those goddamn Legions and was forced to command you lot. Luckily I had a plan to regain my title as a Major General and it consisted of going to Usin and meeting a certain rebel army."
"Wait... are you saying you blew the pillar and killed Yoff's Legions?" Jove asked.
"No, don't be stupid. I'm no murderer," Malkini muttered in disgust. "Oseal did that. My plan consisted of us helping blow the rebel army skyhigh. The old plan, if you will. Unfortunately Oseal ruined that and in the ten minutes or so when you lot were panicking about the dead Legions I realized what would happen if the rebels on Usin weren't stopped. A world war."
"On Usin?" Jove asked. "The Knights wouldn't allow it!"
"No Sir, they wouldn't, unless they were getting paid to allow it," Malkini replied. "Oran Oseal, a Knight Elite, the top ninety-nine percent, someone who spent their whole life trying to gain entry into the ranks, betrayed it all in one paycheck from a certain rebel army on Usin. If they had enough money to buy Oran Oseal, they have enough money to buy anyone. And, with a paycheck in their pockets, most of the Knight council will ignore the collapse of the Kingdom of Usin. Usin is not an important planet. It is during wartime in the North, because its a great outpost, but nothing more. Usin will fall to the rebels. And then guess what will happen. The North will revolt. With a successful revolution in Usin planets just recently conquered like Domanore, Kontoban, Umano, and Kiris will all voice their deep dissatisfaction with our government and then revolt. Not against their puppet governments but against Sor and the Sora System itself. And then we must respond. But all our men are stationed on space stations at the border of the Ulfire System. And so we move them, because if we don't the northern strip of our empire collapses, and the Neahians will come and they will not it give it back. And so we move our fleets North and then when Johnny Ulfire checks his radar he sees we are gone from his borders. So he expands them until he reaches the Capima Islands. And then he invades. Neahians in the North, Ulfarians in the south, Sora in the middle. The Republic of Sor cannot withstand any war of that magnitude. Not now."
Malkini took a moment to let his words sink in, letting the dramatic effect take hold. "And then," Malkini started suddenly. "After realizing all this on Usin, I knew I had to gather an army. It could not be a Legion, because Legions took months to get hold of, and if I got one and I lost them the Knights would be very cross at me. And that's what I want. So instead I searched for a place with an army of thousand just waiting to be unleashed. And so I found Iceveng. If they have ships they will follow me to Usin and they will put down that rebellion and then I will be hailed as a hero in the eyes of the Knights which means I will be reinstated as a Major General, and I'll get a large sack of money as well. No less than a hundred-thousand Trinari. And all that will come, but first I've got to help these boys get their desert or else theres no Kingsmen army and the rebels on Usin will win."
Malkini turned to Artemis, his smile now gone. "So tell me, what has General Bogby sent you here for? What message do you bring? I hope its not a blade for my throat."
“Artemis resisted his training which taught him to remove the leaders and watch the others fall into shock; his hands were begging to be allowed to jump to his pistols. His helm almost responded to his thoughts of closing the armor and hoping they didn’t have armor piercing round, however he luckily had set his options to the lowest sensitivity.
After a moment of a stare down and the usual witty banter he loosened up as they began to leave. Vecked made some comment on defeating him and his helm closed, the hilt of his blade popping out for him to grip it at his waist. “You are very much welcome to try sir, however I’m not here for you dead or alive.” If I were you would be dead already. He thought to himself. As they left he decided to point to the two on the ground, “you might want to get a medic for these two.”
He turned and listened to Malkini rattle off his thoughts and as he disengaged his helm he smiled again. “Your eyes were easy to read after all commander, when I saw you through the scope in the hills I thought you looked to confident to be a fool,” he said as he withdrew the papers, “And while we are on the subject how much do you know really?
He expected the man to know everything, in fact he expected him to know that they were all here with Roka, and that his army would easily take the troops stationed in the city. The man was proving interesting, and in truth he was finding it hard not to challenge him to a friendly duel so as to learn more. You never know someone until you fight them.
After a moment of a stare down and the usual witty banter he loosened up as they began to leave. Vecked made some comment on defeating him and his helm closed, the hilt of his blade popping out for him to grip it at his waist. “You are very much welcome to try sir, however I’m not here for you dead or alive.” If I were you would be dead already. He thought to himself. As they left he decided to point to the two on the ground, “you might want to get a medic for these two.”
He turned and listened to Malkini rattle off his thoughts and as he disengaged his helm he smiled again. “Your eyes were easy to read after all commander, when I saw you through the scope in the hills I thought you looked to confident to be a fool,” he said as he withdrew the papers, “And while we are on the subject how much do you know really?
He expected the man to know everything, in fact he expected him to know that they were all here with Roka, and that his army would easily take the troops stationed in the city. The man was proving interesting, and in truth he was finding it hard not to challenge him to a friendly duel so as to learn more. You never know someone until you fight them.
"I know Bogby hates the King of Tristanople. I know that you lot have gone under the command of a new Commander or one of you, most likely Sentrius, has been promoted to Prefect and is now in charge of the group. I know that you came here under the orders of the council to gather information on me and I know that you have either one of two things to tell me, Artemis. One, your here to kill me. Or two, your here to tell me that General Bogby and the Knights are going to abandon the city so we can take it over for them," Malkini said, a medical aid attending to the two downed guards in the background. "I also know that your a talented young man. Too talented to be under command of the King of Sor. Vecked may be an idiot but he was right in this case. The King's power is restricted nowadays, and you could be much more useful out in the front lines. In the Legions or in the U.P.A., if you know what that is. Not under the King."
Malkini stepped forward in the sand and outstretched his hand. "Artemis, will you help us take the city and then come with me and these Knights to Usin to stop the rebel army? Will you join Aden Malkini's cause?"
Malkini stepped forward in the sand and outstretched his hand. "Artemis, will you help us take the city and then come with me and these Knights to Usin to stop the rebel army? Will you join Aden Malkini's cause?"
Artemis seemed to think about the offer and comments for a moment, he nodded as the man explained how he knew quite a lot and he made Artemis an offer. An offer he would be a fool to refuse if the man’s plans came about. “Then a fool I am.” He said softly to himself and as he reached out to grip the man’s hand with a smile.
At that moment he decided to make himself clear as his face fell and he pulled Malkin close, he drew his pistol and put it up against the man’s chin with a cold look in his eyes. “I want to make this very clear Sir Knight. I do not care if they have power, if the system is full of fools, if god himself decides to destroy Sor and calls me to his side. I am here to fulfill a contract sir… However.” He released and holstered his pistol.
“To complete that mission and once more serve the Lady Anora I must complete a full tour of duty, and currently that means I must work with you. Still.” He looked to each knight and to the dunes below.
“If any of your comrades or associates even breath a single word of harm toward the Lady or her family,” he drew his blade and slashed once, the plasma forming a line at his feet the heat turning the sand to a layer of glass. He stepped on the line of glass and broke it as he sheathed his blade. “I will personally break you and your army one man at a time.”
He instantly reverted to the diplomat and again stood calmly, “Now that we understand each other, I will accept your terms for now, if for no other reason than I have higher orders to do so.”
He thought back to the King who had spoken with him about some very pressing matters, his true mission was coming along quite nicely and so he would use this man to complete those objectives. ‘And when that is done,’ he thought to himself, ‘I will most likely kill you and your men regardless’
At that moment he decided to make himself clear as his face fell and he pulled Malkin close, he drew his pistol and put it up against the man’s chin with a cold look in his eyes. “I want to make this very clear Sir Knight. I do not care if they have power, if the system is full of fools, if god himself decides to destroy Sor and calls me to his side. I am here to fulfill a contract sir… However.” He released and holstered his pistol.
“To complete that mission and once more serve the Lady Anora I must complete a full tour of duty, and currently that means I must work with you. Still.” He looked to each knight and to the dunes below.
“If any of your comrades or associates even breath a single word of harm toward the Lady or her family,” he drew his blade and slashed once, the plasma forming a line at his feet the heat turning the sand to a layer of glass. He stepped on the line of glass and broke it as he sheathed his blade. “I will personally break you and your army one man at a time.”
He instantly reverted to the diplomat and again stood calmly, “Now that we understand each other, I will accept your terms for now, if for no other reason than I have higher orders to do so.”
He thought back to the King who had spoken with him about some very pressing matters, his true mission was coming along quite nicely and so he would use this man to complete those objectives. ‘And when that is done,’ he thought to himself, ‘I will most likely kill you and your men regardless’
"Us harm royalty?" Sentrius asked Artemis incredulously. "My friend, you need not worry. Despite, erm, current circumstances, we have nothing but respect and a sense of loyalty towards the Royal Family. And speaking of which...How high of an honor would you say it is to serve in the Royal Guard? Higher than a Knight General? Can one be both?" Now turning to Malkini, Sentrius asked was about to question his being a prefect, as he hadn't heard this information himself. Though, after a moment of thought, he figured that now was not the time to ask and, for once, kept his mouth shut.
"Excellent," Malkini said with a wide smile as a Kingsmen rode up to Artemis with an extra camel for him to ride. "Now, lets be off!" Malkini smiled as he rode his camel forward toward the leaders of his army at the top of the forward most dune. As Malkini and the Knights approached the saw Davix with a looking scope at his eye.
"What do you see?" Malkini asked, trailing his camel toward Davix.
"Take a look at this," Davix said, handing Malkini the scope. "Do you see it?" Davix asked, "The Knights are not at the wall, its only the city guard."
"Yes," Malkini said, a large smile forming on his face. "I see it."
"What do you see?" Malkini asked, trailing his camel toward Davix.
"Take a look at this," Davix said, handing Malkini the scope. "Do you see it?" Davix asked, "The Knights are not at the wall, its only the city guard."
"Yes," Malkini said, a large smile forming on his face. "I see it."
"That could mean a number of things, couldn't it?" Quarreled Demnix. "Would you mind if I took a look through that?" He asked gesturing toward the spyglass in Malkini's hand. "I would like to, if you see it alright."
((OOC: Sorry for short post, next will be longer.))
((OOC: Sorry for short post, next will be longer.))
Artemis hopped up on the camel and rode with them, and as they closed in on the city he saw that the Knights were gone. “Commander Roka, we have a situation.” He said softly through the com and sent him a video feed.
He had to think fast, while Roka may order him to kill Malkini any time he had to first find a way to curb the bloodshed at the moment. “Master Malkini, if I may,” he began.
“I see no reason for you to risk so many lives to take this city. Why not simply send us Knights into the palace to bring the King under your control and surrender the city bloodlessly. It would greatly increase public opinion as well as give you more men to use in the Ursin campaign.” He reasoned with a glance to the other Knights.
“We could easily enter the city without question as the guards are so used to seeing Knights enter and exit and with our training we could bring the palace down with as little combat as possible.” He pressed, sweat forming on his brow beneath his helm as he awaited true orders from Roka. Stalling was not his strong suit.
He had to think fast, while Roka may order him to kill Malkini any time he had to first find a way to curb the bloodshed at the moment. “Master Malkini, if I may,” he began.
“I see no reason for you to risk so many lives to take this city. Why not simply send us Knights into the palace to bring the King under your control and surrender the city bloodlessly. It would greatly increase public opinion as well as give you more men to use in the Ursin campaign.” He reasoned with a glance to the other Knights.
“We could easily enter the city without question as the guards are so used to seeing Knights enter and exit and with our training we could bring the palace down with as little combat as possible.” He pressed, sweat forming on his brow beneath his helm as he awaited true orders from Roka. Stalling was not his strong suit.
"Yes, the situation is that Bogby has left the city and abandoned the King of Tristantople," Roka whispered back into the communicator. "Me and the good General Bogby are now in the clouds, flying farther east. All Knights, and all ships, have evacuated the city. Good luck with the attack."
Malkini handed Demnix the looking scope and turned to Artemis.
"That's a very civilized approach," Malkini said, before turning his camel around and facing the dunes they had just scaled. On it the army marched, thousands of them in cheap suits, messy curls, olive skin and bright eyes. "Do these look like a civilized people to you?" Malkini asked. "The taste of war is the taste of blood. And both I and these Kingsmen want war."
Vecked rode up beside the Knights, squinting his eyes in the sunlight. "Orders, sir?" He asked after a second.
"Take the blades and the camel warriors and storm the cities north, we will take the south," Malkini informed. Vecked gave a nod and began to steer his camel down toward the army.
"Now where's the Prince O'two, I need a speech," Malkini muttered, turning around. Nulix rode up and pulled a small piece of brown paper from his breast pocket. Malkini took the paper and began to read it. "Its about Usin, if not metaphorically," Nulix commented as Malkini looked over it.
"Very well," Malkini said before folding the paper in half and placing it down the neck of his robes. Malkini road off onto the top of the dune. Below him stood an army of thousands, each looking up at Malkini's singular form, squinting as he stood directly in front of the heavy desert sun. Malkini placed his sandled foot carefully on the camels back and stood. He reached out his arms and allowed the wind to catch the arms of his robe.
"Friends, warriors!" Malkini began. "In front of us stands the capital of Tristanople, and one of the last remaining Kingdom's needed to form a unified Iceveng! A secure Iceveng!" A roar of cheering and applause followed Malkini's words. "But a secure Iceveng is still not without worry from another potential threat! The very System in which realm it seats! After our glorious conquest of Tristanople we must validate ourselves! We must show the Sora System that we are not rebels, revolutionaries, thugs, but we are a powerful arm of Sor! We must travel to the planet of Usin and deystroy true rebellion and barbarity there! What say you?!" A small applause was given after his words. Malkini gave a slight frown at the response and lowered his hands. "We attack in an hour! Prepare yourselves!" Malkini announced, before turning his camel back around to the Knights.
"You should of stuck with the script," Nulix muttered.
"The script, my dear boy, did not even mention Usin, and if it doesn't mention Usin it has no point," Malkini replied angrily, before turning to look down at the army again. "Ah," He said, happiness returning to his face. "They set up my tent. If any of you need me I'll be there... relaxing," And with that Malkini rode down the slope of the dune toward the purple structure. Nulix rode his camel up to where Malkini had stood just minutes early.
"Don't worry, gang!" He called, "We'll always have Kiris."
Laughter crackled through the crowd as Nulix rode back toward the Knights.
"Master Kingsmen, always the voice of reason," Davix muttered.
"I don't get it," Jove said.
"Thats what the Neahian's said when Sora declared war," Nulix explained. "We'll always have Kiris. And then they lost it. Its humorous humor."
"Thats not funny," Jove replied.
"It is for us," Nulix said again, before turning to the rest. "So," He started. "Opinions on this attack, anyone?"
"We are going to loose it if they have ships," Vecked muttered, riding toward the group. "And we will win it if they don't. Simple as that."
Malkini handed Demnix the looking scope and turned to Artemis.
"That's a very civilized approach," Malkini said, before turning his camel around and facing the dunes they had just scaled. On it the army marched, thousands of them in cheap suits, messy curls, olive skin and bright eyes. "Do these look like a civilized people to you?" Malkini asked. "The taste of war is the taste of blood. And both I and these Kingsmen want war."
Vecked rode up beside the Knights, squinting his eyes in the sunlight. "Orders, sir?" He asked after a second.
"Take the blades and the camel warriors and storm the cities north, we will take the south," Malkini informed. Vecked gave a nod and began to steer his camel down toward the army.
"Now where's the Prince O'two, I need a speech," Malkini muttered, turning around. Nulix rode up and pulled a small piece of brown paper from his breast pocket. Malkini took the paper and began to read it. "Its about Usin, if not metaphorically," Nulix commented as Malkini looked over it.
"Very well," Malkini said before folding the paper in half and placing it down the neck of his robes. Malkini road off onto the top of the dune. Below him stood an army of thousands, each looking up at Malkini's singular form, squinting as he stood directly in front of the heavy desert sun. Malkini placed his sandled foot carefully on the camels back and stood. He reached out his arms and allowed the wind to catch the arms of his robe.
"Friends, warriors!" Malkini began. "In front of us stands the capital of Tristanople, and one of the last remaining Kingdom's needed to form a unified Iceveng! A secure Iceveng!" A roar of cheering and applause followed Malkini's words. "But a secure Iceveng is still not without worry from another potential threat! The very System in which realm it seats! After our glorious conquest of Tristanople we must validate ourselves! We must show the Sora System that we are not rebels, revolutionaries, thugs, but we are a powerful arm of Sor! We must travel to the planet of Usin and deystroy true rebellion and barbarity there! What say you?!" A small applause was given after his words. Malkini gave a slight frown at the response and lowered his hands. "We attack in an hour! Prepare yourselves!" Malkini announced, before turning his camel back around to the Knights.
"You should of stuck with the script," Nulix muttered.
"The script, my dear boy, did not even mention Usin, and if it doesn't mention Usin it has no point," Malkini replied angrily, before turning to look down at the army again. "Ah," He said, happiness returning to his face. "They set up my tent. If any of you need me I'll be there... relaxing," And with that Malkini rode down the slope of the dune toward the purple structure. Nulix rode his camel up to where Malkini had stood just minutes early.
"Don't worry, gang!" He called, "We'll always have Kiris."
Laughter crackled through the crowd as Nulix rode back toward the Knights.
"Master Kingsmen, always the voice of reason," Davix muttered.
"I don't get it," Jove said.
"Thats what the Neahian's said when Sora declared war," Nulix explained. "We'll always have Kiris. And then they lost it. Its humorous humor."
"Thats not funny," Jove replied.
"It is for us," Nulix said again, before turning to the rest. "So," He started. "Opinions on this attack, anyone?"
"We are going to loose it if they have ships," Vecked muttered, riding toward the group. "And we will win it if they don't. Simple as that."
Xeroux folded his arms, dismounting from his camel. He stood next to Vecked, who was calm and collected despite the worry of the city possessing ships.
"Regardless of if there are ships or not, we can take this city with ease. How many will die does depend on their fighting ability within those walls, but by the end of the night we will have this city, you will have this city." He paused. "I don't know what having this city means to you, but I can tell its important. I only hope that by taking this city and removing the king, your world starts to be a more peaceful place, the taste of war becoming only a bittersweet memory."
He looked down at the sand that covered his metallic boots, a natural cuff, holding him to the spot, needing force to pull away. He sighed, war wasn't his thing, another reason he chose the blue armor over black. As a strategist, he could create a plan that would result in the least amount of bloodshed. A black knight would be used only for their superior combat ability, the strategy left to the blue Knight of the group. He turned to face Vecked, "If you don't mind, I'd like to join you when the attack begins."
"Regardless of if there are ships or not, we can take this city with ease. How many will die does depend on their fighting ability within those walls, but by the end of the night we will have this city, you will have this city." He paused. "I don't know what having this city means to you, but I can tell its important. I only hope that by taking this city and removing the king, your world starts to be a more peaceful place, the taste of war becoming only a bittersweet memory."
He looked down at the sand that covered his metallic boots, a natural cuff, holding him to the spot, needing force to pull away. He sighed, war wasn't his thing, another reason he chose the blue armor over black. As a strategist, he could create a plan that would result in the least amount of bloodshed. A black knight would be used only for their superior combat ability, the strategy left to the blue Knight of the group. He turned to face Vecked, "If you don't mind, I'd like to join you when the attack begins."
Demnix sat thoughtfully, peering through the spyglass. "Hm..." He hummed, fully examining the city and all of it's glory. He caught something that caught him back. He couldn't wait to tell about it.
"I noticed something peculiar." Demnix said, waiting on the edge of Malkini's tent for approval. He was waved in. "Despite the army, and the walls, and the guardsmen, The right wing of the city is completely unguarded, unprotected, and close to the palace -asuming that was a palace I saw." Demnix stood at attention while giving his report. Though, inside, he could have been leaping around repeating "I'm actually helping" to himself. He looked to the knights in the tent and to Malkini. "I think if we can send a team to distract the guards -maybe asking tourist information or something simple if needed a fight- then team two can inflitrate through the wall and take the palace without too much bloodshed. We can use whatever specialists we have to our disposal to take care of the inner city guards to reduce casualty cost."
The report seemed solid to Demnix, but that wasnt for him to decide. The word was Malkini's, not his own.
"I noticed something peculiar." Demnix said, waiting on the edge of Malkini's tent for approval. He was waved in. "Despite the army, and the walls, and the guardsmen, The right wing of the city is completely unguarded, unprotected, and close to the palace -asuming that was a palace I saw." Demnix stood at attention while giving his report. Though, inside, he could have been leaping around repeating "I'm actually helping" to himself. He looked to the knights in the tent and to Malkini. "I think if we can send a team to distract the guards -maybe asking tourist information or something simple if needed a fight- then team two can inflitrate through the wall and take the palace without too much bloodshed. We can use whatever specialists we have to our disposal to take care of the inner city guards to reduce casualty cost."
The report seemed solid to Demnix, but that wasnt for him to decide. The word was Malkini's, not his own.
"Did I not already set you straight?" Malkini asked in annoyance as two young Kingsmen girls dressed him in his battle armor. "War is a full charge toward the walls, not any of these cowardly surprise tactics you people talk about! Now please, I have to... relax before the battle."
Demnix exited the tent and joined the others again.
"I take it you didn't get a positive response?" Vecked asked Demnix as he approached. "I like your plan though. And Artemis is right, us entering the city alone wouldn't alert the guards much, even less so than if we use the west route Demnix found. Now the army attacks in an hour, that gives us an hour to infiltrate the city and take the palace, then Wing you and I have to return here to take the north army in. Amusing we have a clear route we can speed rush our way to the palace, move our troops in, since we will have already rendered it defenseless, and then, once Malkini arrives after fighting his way through the south, we will have said we had just taken it."
Vecked gave a smile. "It involves fooling Malkini, but in most cases fooling Malkini is best. And it will save us from a lot of the fighting. Does it sound like a plan?"
"Not for me," Nulix muttered resting his chin on the neck of his camel.
"Then get lost," Vecked replied. "Go down to the army, they love you down there."
"That's because I'm the only one of Malkini's goons not deciding whether they live or die!" Nulix called with a smile before riding off toward the camp.
"I'm in," Davix said, cracking his knuckles. "We can take the palace in an hour, no problem."
"It sounds solid," Jove commented. "So if we do it I'm on board."
"Excellent," Vecked said.
Demnix exited the tent and joined the others again.
"I take it you didn't get a positive response?" Vecked asked Demnix as he approached. "I like your plan though. And Artemis is right, us entering the city alone wouldn't alert the guards much, even less so than if we use the west route Demnix found. Now the army attacks in an hour, that gives us an hour to infiltrate the city and take the palace, then Wing you and I have to return here to take the north army in. Amusing we have a clear route we can speed rush our way to the palace, move our troops in, since we will have already rendered it defenseless, and then, once Malkini arrives after fighting his way through the south, we will have said we had just taken it."
Vecked gave a smile. "It involves fooling Malkini, but in most cases fooling Malkini is best. And it will save us from a lot of the fighting. Does it sound like a plan?"
"Not for me," Nulix muttered resting his chin on the neck of his camel.
"Then get lost," Vecked replied. "Go down to the army, they love you down there."
"That's because I'm the only one of Malkini's goons not deciding whether they live or die!" Nulix called with a smile before riding off toward the camp.
"I'm in," Davix said, cracking his knuckles. "We can take the palace in an hour, no problem."
"It sounds solid," Jove commented. "So if we do it I'm on board."
"Excellent," Vecked said.
Xeroux nodded. "So what you mean is we take the city "peacefully" while exploiting the lack of defenses, then allow Malkini to fight the only known defenses with the army, allowing him to believe we've fought out way through on our own. We'll look like superior warriors, thus making Malkini look weak, unable to win a fight as easily as we did, though we didn't do much fighting..." He rubbed his chin, "That may make the army doubt Malkini, they may no longer follow him to Usin, making his vision unattainable..."
He rubbed his chin again, "Oddly enough, that'd make our mission complete. Malkini looses his illegal army and fails to attack Usin, allowing a legal army to move in and combat the rebels on Usin." He looked at Vecked from the corner of his eye, "This kid has his own plan I'm sure, but he helps us meet our end goal...Once we've met our goal, who are we to say he's not allowed to complete his? No one questions the Knights decisions, why should we then question his motives? He's only fighting for a better life for his people, for him and his brother..."
"Let's get going then. We don't have long before Malkini will want to take the King himself, throwing our plan into the water." He started for the city on foot, breaking the shackles of the sand around him with surprising ease.
He rubbed his chin again, "Oddly enough, that'd make our mission complete. Malkini looses his illegal army and fails to attack Usin, allowing a legal army to move in and combat the rebels on Usin." He looked at Vecked from the corner of his eye, "This kid has his own plan I'm sure, but he helps us meet our end goal...Once we've met our goal, who are we to say he's not allowed to complete his? No one questions the Knights decisions, why should we then question his motives? He's only fighting for a better life for his people, for him and his brother..."
"Let's get going then. We don't have long before Malkini will want to take the King himself, throwing our plan into the water." He started for the city on foot, breaking the shackles of the sand around him with surprising ease.
Malkini dismissed his advisor’s plea for a more strategic option and waved him and the Knights away. As the others left, however, Artemis stayed behind and walked over to Malkini.” so that’s what this is all about, you don’t want to wait for the glory, you want it now.” He glanced over to the model of the city in the corner, “This city is the most fortified location in the system and you want the glory for capturing it with a grand army against the defenders and their allies, I’m even willing to bet that the general even agreed to say that you drove him and his Knights out to give you even more prestige.” He mused before turning back to Malkini. “You’re a fool.”
As he turned to leave he looked over his shoulder and his helm withdrew so he met the man eye to eye, “You know, the key to warfare is not courage or weapons, its caution…” (A line from Ghost in the Shell) As he reached the tents exit he folding back the cloth and added, “Your glory hunting is going to get a lot of innocent people killed.”
As he left he met up with the others discussing their strategy for infiltrating the city, he looked to the west and zoomed in of the gate with a set of binoculars he pulled from his utility belt, “There are two guards at the gate, and another four on the top of the wall.” He said handing the thermal binoculars off to the others. “They’re resting against the wall; it’s no surprise they weren’t easy to see.” He said thinking for a minute.
The guards there were leaning against wall and hidden in shadow, but with thermal sights they stood out like a Christmas tree in July. “We’ll need to distract them long enough to get in.”
He glanced around at those who would enter the city. They looked capable enough but none of them seemed to be infiltration experts, meaning they could distract the guards easily enough but they may end up bringing to much attention, “I’ll do it,” he said suddenly, “If you can wait near the gate for my signal I’ll get the guards out of the area long enough for you to get into the city and headed for the Palace.” With that he headed toward the wall directly ahead of them without telling them what signal to look for, “They’ll know it when they see it.” he said to himself as he came to the base of the West Wall. He took out his blade and a combat knife and began to scale the wall. He wanted to save his jump jets for later, being that he had refueled but didn’t want to waste the precious ability now when it would come in handy later if he found himself in a pinch.
As he turned to leave he looked over his shoulder and his helm withdrew so he met the man eye to eye, “You know, the key to warfare is not courage or weapons, its caution…” (A line from Ghost in the Shell) As he reached the tents exit he folding back the cloth and added, “Your glory hunting is going to get a lot of innocent people killed.”
As he left he met up with the others discussing their strategy for infiltrating the city, he looked to the west and zoomed in of the gate with a set of binoculars he pulled from his utility belt, “There are two guards at the gate, and another four on the top of the wall.” He said handing the thermal binoculars off to the others. “They’re resting against the wall; it’s no surprise they weren’t easy to see.” He said thinking for a minute.
The guards there were leaning against wall and hidden in shadow, but with thermal sights they stood out like a Christmas tree in July. “We’ll need to distract them long enough to get in.”
He glanced around at those who would enter the city. They looked capable enough but none of them seemed to be infiltration experts, meaning they could distract the guards easily enough but they may end up bringing to much attention, “I’ll do it,” he said suddenly, “If you can wait near the gate for my signal I’ll get the guards out of the area long enough for you to get into the city and headed for the Palace.” With that he headed toward the wall directly ahead of them without telling them what signal to look for, “They’ll know it when they see it.” he said to himself as he came to the base of the West Wall. He took out his blade and a combat knife and began to scale the wall. He wanted to save his jump jets for later, being that he had refueled but didn’t want to waste the precious ability now when it would come in handy later if he found himself in a pinch.
Sentrius dismounted from his camel and soon caught up to Xeroux as he ran, shaking the weight of the sand off of his feet. "I must say, I like this plan," Sentrius shook his head. "But say, do you think word of our 'Victory' over these rebels will leak out. Could contribute a bit to our fame, I think." Turning his head back to look at Malkini and Artemis discussing their current situation, Sentrius shook his head. Sentrius respected Malkini, not for his accomplishments as a knight, nor his less then glorious strategems, but he respected Malkini for his ambition. The man wanted to accomplish something great and wanted to be someone great. That was something Sentrius could understand and in truth he looked up to Malkini more than any other Knight Commander he could name (and he could name them all). And knowing the Knight handbook as he did, Sentrius knew Malkini's sentence would be when the Knights catch up to him. "Malkini isn't so bad really," Sentrius spoke to Wing. "I, uh, understand why Vecked once to save his home and why Malkini is wrong, but...The guy is trying to do something that'll get his name in the books! You can respect that, right?"
Demnix took a writing utinsil and a peice of parchment. "Ok," He said, drawing a quick map, "you guys can help devise a plan, but ultimately we will need a distraction team at the south enterance, and an infiltration team that will go west. I will lead the infiltration team. Any Objections?" Demnix didn't get any, so he continued. "The distraction team will go in first. Put on your tourist faces. After the guards are thuroughly distracted, the infiltration team will breach the west wall. We will want to do this with little to no casualties, so if you need to incapasitate anyone don't use brutal force unless needed." If Demnix' father were here he would've been punched an hugged. He was disobeying a direct order from a superior, but he was taking inniative.
"I don't know if we will make Malkini look worse, and it doesn't matter. Honestly I don't care how much power he has over the army," Vecked replied to Xeroux. "The army will always have the most power over the army, and whether we take the heart of the city before Malkini doesn't matter much."
He glanced around at those who would enter the city. They looked capable enough but none of them seemed to be infiltration experts, meaning they could distract the guards easily enough but they may end up bringing to much attention, “I’ll do it,” he said suddenly, “If you can wait near the gate for my signal I’ll get the guards out of the area long enough for you to get into the city and headed for the Palace.” With that he headed toward the wall directly ahead of them without telling them what signal to look for, “They’ll know it when they see it.” he said to himself as he came to the base of the West Wall. He took out his blade and a combat knife and began to scale the wall. He wanted to save his jump jets for later, being that he had refueled but didn’t want to waste the precious ability now when it would come in handy later if he found himself in a pinch.
"Now, lets look at the city. The west and south-west entrances are the two least guarded, but I want to avoid the west, because our fine army scouts can see the west entrance easily. The South entrance is the least guarded, Artemis has already volunteered to get the guards out of there. He does his thing, gets the guards out, gives us a signal to enter. We go in and go down Young Street, here," Vecked said, his finger trailing on Demnix's map. "There are a lot of crowds there. We head that North along Young until we reach the Palace square. Now, I will go ahead here and onto the roof and jump on a balcony then I will take care of the upper floor guards guards. You boys have to get inside some other way and take the lower and middle floor guards. Make sure your out of street view by the time we get fighting."
Vecked flicked his wrist, his clunky bronze watch covered in thin desert cloth tumbling forward as he did. "We have about fifty minutes before the army attacks, so lets say we have forty minutes to execute this plan. Any questions?"
He glanced around at those who would enter the city. They looked capable enough but none of them seemed to be infiltration experts, meaning they could distract the guards easily enough but they may end up bringing to much attention, “I’ll do it,” he said suddenly, “If you can wait near the gate for my signal I’ll get the guards out of the area long enough for you to get into the city and headed for the Palace.” With that he headed toward the wall directly ahead of them without telling them what signal to look for, “They’ll know it when they see it.” he said to himself as he came to the base of the West Wall. He took out his blade and a combat knife and began to scale the wall. He wanted to save his jump jets for later, being that he had refueled but didn’t want to waste the precious ability now when it would come in handy later if he found himself in a pinch.
"Now, lets look at the city. The west and south-west entrances are the two least guarded, but I want to avoid the west, because our fine army scouts can see the west entrance easily. The South entrance is the least guarded, Artemis has already volunteered to get the guards out of there. He does his thing, gets the guards out, gives us a signal to enter. We go in and go down Young Street, here," Vecked said, his finger trailing on Demnix's map. "There are a lot of crowds there. We head that North along Young until we reach the Palace square. Now, I will go ahead here and onto the roof and jump on a balcony then I will take care of the upper floor guards guards. You boys have to get inside some other way and take the lower and middle floor guards. Make sure your out of street view by the time we get fighting."
Vecked flicked his wrist, his clunky bronze watch covered in thin desert cloth tumbling forward as he did. "We have about fifty minutes before the army attacks, so lets say we have forty minutes to execute this plan. Any questions?"
Artemis crossed the upper wall swiftly and quietly, moving up on the two upper guards on the south-west side of the tall gate. A few minutes passed as he awaited the others to draw near the gate. He then sat back and awaited the others to approach.
The moment they came closer to the gate, at least becoming close enough for them to see the two lower guards and await the signal. He wondered how they would deal with the city police and such who patrolled the area inside the walls; however he assumed that they would be fine. And if a battle did erupt then the inevitable battle would happen slightly sooner.
The time came for the Signal and subtle it was not. Two ropes dropped down from the upper wall on either side of the gate. And in the darker light the only thing clearly discernable without visual aid was the two guards each grasping at their throats and then being hauled upward to the top of the wall simultaneously.
Artemis finished his clean up soon after that and stowed the equipment he had used back into the crate he wore. He realized that the item while useful was very heavy and so he decided to stash it in a hiding place along with other recently acquired dead weight. If the others looked for him once they got into the city he was nowhere to be seen, never really being a team player he decided he would move into the Palace on his own and so he headed off across the roof tops to the large building.
The moment they came closer to the gate, at least becoming close enough for them to see the two lower guards and await the signal. He wondered how they would deal with the city police and such who patrolled the area inside the walls; however he assumed that they would be fine. And if a battle did erupt then the inevitable battle would happen slightly sooner.
The time came for the Signal and subtle it was not. Two ropes dropped down from the upper wall on either side of the gate. And in the darker light the only thing clearly discernable without visual aid was the two guards each grasping at their throats and then being hauled upward to the top of the wall simultaneously.
Artemis finished his clean up soon after that and stowed the equipment he had used back into the crate he wore. He realized that the item while useful was very heavy and so he decided to stash it in a hiding place along with other recently acquired dead weight. If the others looked for him once they got into the city he was nowhere to be seen, never really being a team player he decided he would move into the Palace on his own and so he headed off across the roof tops to the large building.
Demnix made a light footed dash toward the wall and then jumped three feet up it, before planting his daggers in it. He flawlessly scaled the wall in thirty seconds. The massive obsticle was behind him. Two guards sat below the wall he was on. "Just a few more seconds." Demnix thought to himself. "Go." He waved the signal to his team and the began to repel swiftly down the inward facing side. Then slid down the wall almost flawlessly, one person almost cost the team their infiltration efforts. This was where Demnix's training in opperations came in handy. "Hold." He signaled. Two guards passed and Demnix threw a rock which bounced off of the ground and hit a pot near by. The guards went around the corner to the pottery store to examine the rucus. "Go!" he signalled again. In a few minutes they'd covered the city span and almost made it to the palace. "One more obsticle." Demnix thought. "The palace is well guarded, of course. So, if we create a diversion we can make it inside. Demnix looked up to Artemis, who was on the high wall right above the palace. Demnix used the reflection of a coin in his pocket to try to signal "Drop a smoke bomb or something" in morse code to him.
(Please don’t take offense to Artemis being a jack’s a**, I’m just playing in character)
Artemis glanced about as he reached the roof of the Palace, the others moving up the path, and noticed a light flashing toward him. Morse code, “Drop a…Idiot!” he scowled, “A smoke bomb? Really?” He knew it was useful but he hadn’t brought any for the simple fact that the item was a giant flashing sign of something being wrong. Still he was right, a distraction was needed here. But what could clear the path and not raise the alarm?
An epiphany struck with Artemis like a blow to the head and moved. It took him only moments to reach the lower balcony that stood adjacent to the gates they were attempting to penetrate. Above him a guard patrolled back and forth.
Waiting until he was directly above Artemis drew his blade and cut through the support pillars, and with a gash above where the balcony met the structure it all came crashing down with the guard on it.
The rubble and steel that fell echoed as the man screamed while it all fell. The Palace was an old building, and the collapse of such a structural piece was not all together to surprising, however none the less it was an event that couldn’t be ignored. The Guards at the entrance moved in mass to investigate the disturbance, those guards higher up looked down and watched the event. The interior would soon be abuzz but that would have happened as soon as the battle inside began. This way they had a very narrow window of opportunity to slip in without setting off an outer alarm.
Artemis moved up the side of the Palace, heading to the upper floor. The others would not see him again for some time, if all went as planned. Vecked may find him later but for now he drew the black cloak and hood around himself to hide in the shadows and headed to the main security grid where he would cut the feed and set up a loop, “Five minutes maximum.”
Artemis glanced about as he reached the roof of the Palace, the others moving up the path, and noticed a light flashing toward him. Morse code, “Drop a…Idiot!” he scowled, “A smoke bomb? Really?” He knew it was useful but he hadn’t brought any for the simple fact that the item was a giant flashing sign of something being wrong. Still he was right, a distraction was needed here. But what could clear the path and not raise the alarm?
An epiphany struck with Artemis like a blow to the head and moved. It took him only moments to reach the lower balcony that stood adjacent to the gates they were attempting to penetrate. Above him a guard patrolled back and forth.
Waiting until he was directly above Artemis drew his blade and cut through the support pillars, and with a gash above where the balcony met the structure it all came crashing down with the guard on it.
The rubble and steel that fell echoed as the man screamed while it all fell. The Palace was an old building, and the collapse of such a structural piece was not all together to surprising, however none the less it was an event that couldn’t be ignored. The Guards at the entrance moved in mass to investigate the disturbance, those guards higher up looked down and watched the event. The interior would soon be abuzz but that would have happened as soon as the battle inside began. This way they had a very narrow window of opportunity to slip in without setting off an outer alarm.
Artemis moved up the side of the Palace, heading to the upper floor. The others would not see him again for some time, if all went as planned. Vecked may find him later but for now he drew the black cloak and hood around himself to hide in the shadows and headed to the main security grid where he would cut the feed and set up a loop, “Five minutes maximum.”
Vecked landed swiftly onto the palace balcony. He had seen Artemis go ahead. Vecked made his way through the halls stealthily, passing several chambers including the security room. Vecked considered sabotaging the security but he didn't have time. It didn't matter much anyway, Iceveng was run on man power, not computers. Vecked continued through the halls until he reached a stairwell. At the top he saw several guards. Figured most of them would be stationed at the Kings quarters. Vecked took a deep breathe and ran up the stairs, pulling out his blades as he did. The guards ran to the top of the stairs, between them the Guard Captain, a man who towered high above the rest, his head nearly reaching the ceiling.
"Hello boys," Vecked said with a smile.
"Are you familiar with this device, Master Princeton?" The Captain asked, pulling a small wooden orb from his pocket, a metal clip coming from its core.
"A grenade, that's tricky," Vecked said, swallowing slightly as he did. "Still, we can both play with fire."
***
The King paced in his room. His eyes were fixated on his small monitor screen. It was dirty and many years old; from the Capima Islands it had been imported. The screen showed his halls empty and his entrance guards minding their own business as they always did. Suddenly, the sounds of fighting and explosions came from outside his door. The King leaped at the sounds and grabbed for his rifle. He sat in the corner and aimed it nervously at the door. The sounds stopped and the door burst open. Vecked stood at the entrance and raised his hands in the air slightly.
"I wouldn't shoot," Vecked said, moving his hands slightly to show he had a grenade in each palm.
"What do you want?" The King spat, tears forming in his eyes. "Please tell me! I don't want to die!"
"Listen carefully. Aden Malkini has an army of fifteen thousand highly trained warriors from Iceveng, Neah, and a Legion of Knights and over a dozen Knight Elites," Vecked said, exaggerating the armies strength greatly. "Now, the first thing I want is for your guard to surrender when we enter the city. All of them."
"Yes, yes! I'll give the orders now!" The King said, moving over to the monitor. He pressed his finger down on the old screen and a dim holographic keyboard appeared. He began to type in a few keys and then turned back to Vecked. "Its done, I promise. My guard will surrender when the army arrives."
"Good," Vecked said. "Now, lets take a walk."
***
Malkini emerged from his tent sweaty, his heavy leather army hugging his form tightly. "Now," He said. "Lets start this invasion."
"Hello boys," Vecked said with a smile.
"Are you familiar with this device, Master Princeton?" The Captain asked, pulling a small wooden orb from his pocket, a metal clip coming from its core.
"A grenade, that's tricky," Vecked said, swallowing slightly as he did. "Still, we can both play with fire."
***
The King paced in his room. His eyes were fixated on his small monitor screen. It was dirty and many years old; from the Capima Islands it had been imported. The screen showed his halls empty and his entrance guards minding their own business as they always did. Suddenly, the sounds of fighting and explosions came from outside his door. The King leaped at the sounds and grabbed for his rifle. He sat in the corner and aimed it nervously at the door. The sounds stopped and the door burst open. Vecked stood at the entrance and raised his hands in the air slightly.
"I wouldn't shoot," Vecked said, moving his hands slightly to show he had a grenade in each palm.
"What do you want?" The King spat, tears forming in his eyes. "Please tell me! I don't want to die!"
"Listen carefully. Aden Malkini has an army of fifteen thousand highly trained warriors from Iceveng, Neah, and a Legion of Knights and over a dozen Knight Elites," Vecked said, exaggerating the armies strength greatly. "Now, the first thing I want is for your guard to surrender when we enter the city. All of them."
"Yes, yes! I'll give the orders now!" The King said, moving over to the monitor. He pressed his finger down on the old screen and a dim holographic keyboard appeared. He began to type in a few keys and then turned back to Vecked. "Its done, I promise. My guard will surrender when the army arrives."
"Good," Vecked said. "Now, lets take a walk."
***
Malkini emerged from his tent sweaty, his heavy leather army hugging his form tightly. "Now," He said. "Lets start this invasion."
Artemis watched as maybe twenty Guards on the monitors headed for the main hall where the other Knights and associates were soon to come through. He aslo noted another group with very large man headed up the stairs toward the King’s room. A smaller man by the name of Vecked if he remembered correct was headed in the same direction. Artemis was not yet done with the loop but as the two guards at his feet groaned he came to realize that this system really wasn’t important and decided to help Vecked. He wasn’t sure how capable the man was, “And I can’t afford for you to ruin this mission.” He commented as he headed out.
He saw the two men (Vecked and the Guard Captain) exchange witty banter as they prepared to fight. Watching the man Artemis was willing to wager he was at least competent in combat but he was no doubt better at diplomacy than Artemis and so he dropped in. Literally. The Captain hurled the grenade at Vecked like a Major League Pitcher with a manic smile, one that was swiftly wiped from his face.
The grenade never hit Vecked as he had thrown it too, instead it met with a long silver blade wielded by a man in Silver Armor who had dropped from the rafters, a flowing black cloak following him. The Blade was held in a reverse grip and drawn across the lower peg of the explosive, slicing off the fuse and rendering it helpless. Or so he hoped, not really clear on what type of grenade it was.
Artemis turned to glance at Vecked, “I’ll handle the riff raff, you get the King to surrender!” he said as he dove at the enemy. His blade in his right hand, pistol in his left and a look of cold indifference his eyes hidden by the visor of his helm. He wasn’t going to kill them if he could avoid it, but he knew that he had to take these five down and hope that the others could take out the twenty in the main hall. “They are Elites after all.” He reasoned to himself.
The Guard Captain managed to out maneuver Artemis but he didn’t worry much. A distinct thud of a very large man hitting the ground follow his escape and Artemis smiled without looking away from the others, now realizing that Vecked was fairly capable in combat, “Ill count on it later then Mr. Princeton.” He said softly.
Being a Royal guard was a fairly boring job and as such he had a tendency to speak to himself in combat to avoid feeling lonely in a battle situation. He never really knew comrades who weren’t tools to be used, and so this whole operation made him feel strangely accompanied.
He saw the two men (Vecked and the Guard Captain) exchange witty banter as they prepared to fight. Watching the man Artemis was willing to wager he was at least competent in combat but he was no doubt better at diplomacy than Artemis and so he dropped in. Literally. The Captain hurled the grenade at Vecked like a Major League Pitcher with a manic smile, one that was swiftly wiped from his face.
The grenade never hit Vecked as he had thrown it too, instead it met with a long silver blade wielded by a man in Silver Armor who had dropped from the rafters, a flowing black cloak following him. The Blade was held in a reverse grip and drawn across the lower peg of the explosive, slicing off the fuse and rendering it helpless. Or so he hoped, not really clear on what type of grenade it was.
Artemis turned to glance at Vecked, “I’ll handle the riff raff, you get the King to surrender!” he said as he dove at the enemy. His blade in his right hand, pistol in his left and a look of cold indifference his eyes hidden by the visor of his helm. He wasn’t going to kill them if he could avoid it, but he knew that he had to take these five down and hope that the others could take out the twenty in the main hall. “They are Elites after all.” He reasoned to himself.
The Guard Captain managed to out maneuver Artemis but he didn’t worry much. A distinct thud of a very large man hitting the ground follow his escape and Artemis smiled without looking away from the others, now realizing that Vecked was fairly capable in combat, “Ill count on it later then Mr. Princeton.” He said softly.
Being a Royal guard was a fairly boring job and as such he had a tendency to speak to himself in combat to avoid feeling lonely in a battle situation. He never really knew comrades who weren’t tools to be used, and so this whole operation made him feel strangely accompanied.
"Weapons down!" The King called as he and Vecked emerged from his private quarters.
"I got us a deal but we have to head back to Malkini in less than ten minutes!" Vecked called to Artemis, running passed guards who had raised their hands in surrender.
"I got us a deal but we have to head back to Malkini in less than ten minutes!" Vecked called to Artemis, running passed guards who had raised their hands in surrender.
Demnix listened to his masterful plan unfold from outside the palace. "Good job." he chuckled, clapping slowly. He was used to being put on the sidelines while everything else unfolded around him. "I hadn't said who would take the palace, so that's ok. I don't much care for glory anyway. It turns men into savages. I just wish I could've seen it all happen." Demnix thought to himself. He left the palace area upon hearing Vecked yell "I got us a deal but we have to head back to Malkini in less than ten minutes!" He swiftly and silently approached the wall of the city. "Some plan of mine actually did this. I actually carried out an opperation for once." His moment wasn't hot headed and didn't last long. Malkini and his men were approaching the city and could now see him emerging from the gate. All Demnix could do was laugh. "One more minute." He laughed as his team members emerged beside himself. One more minute and we would have made it. Malkini stepped forward and looked like he was about to screem "I wonder what he will say."
Xeroux emerged from a side alley. He'd seen a small squad of city police and took off on his own to take them out. Of course, he hadn't killed them, but did shoulder check each into the wall, before tying them together, making sure none of them could move. He returned to the scene in front of the palace, seeing Vecked, King by his side, and the palace guards standing with their hands to the sky, hoping their king wouldn't be killed.
He folded his arms and fell in line with his comrades, watching as Malkini and his army approaching. Truth was, they didn't need the man to complete this mission, Vecked and a crack team of brutes could have achieved the same result they just had. The fact the the Knights were involved was a moot point. He couldn't help but hope that this would make the Army distrust Malkini's ability and leave him, deciding to set up their new order in the world rather than venturing off world to fight with a mad-man on a quest to reclaim his former glory.
He folded his arms and fell in line with his comrades, watching as Malkini and his army approaching. Truth was, they didn't need the man to complete this mission, Vecked and a crack team of brutes could have achieved the same result they just had. The fact the the Knights were involved was a moot point. He couldn't help but hope that this would make the Army distrust Malkini's ability and leave him, deciding to set up their new order in the world rather than venturing off world to fight with a mad-man on a quest to reclaim his former glory.
As the Knights emerged from the city they saw Malkini and the head of the army at the top of the dune just outside the walls. "Stay calm," Vecked said to his group. "I have a plan." Vecked pulled out a small wood cutting chip and jabbed it into his upper arm. Vecked gave a small sound and lost his footing slightly, not realizing how bad the pain would be. "Ok," Vecked whispered, carefully pulling the blade out and letting blood seep from his arm. "The plans in motion."
Malkini stood on the hump of his camel in leather army, a silk cape of ivory hanging off his shoulders. His hands were steadily placed on his hips as Vecked, Xeroux, Artemis, Demnix, Nai, and Sentrius steadily made their way up the sand dune toward him and the army. "And what exactly were you doing in there?" Malkini called.
"I, uh, tried to take the palace on my own," Vecked said, carefully reveling his arm to Malkini. "Not the best approach."
"And what were the Knights doing there?" Malkini asked, getting off his camel.
"They saved me from the dozen Guards in an alley trying to kill me," Vecked said slowly.
Malkini chuckled and grabbed Vecked's arm to examine it. "Oh Vecked. Your not a god, you have to learn to be part of a unit. This armies like a family and I'm the father. I can't have my boys going out and hurting themselves, you understand? It gives us all a scare," Malkini said smiling at Vecked who nodded at his words. "Can you still lead your men into the north of the city?"
"I think so, though I would like some bandaging first," Vecked said, rubbing the blood off his arm slightly.
"Of course; medics!" Malkini called, raising his hands. Two Kingsmen aids ran forward and began to escort Vecked into a tent. Malkini watched them go and then turned to the Knights with a smile. "That Vecked Princeton really is something. He goes in, starts a fight with a dozen guards in an alley, and gets out with only a stab. He's a strong one alright. Not the smartest, but a strong one. Anyway, get on your camels. Vecked should be out in a few minutes and then we start the charge."
Malkini stood on the hump of his camel in leather army, a silk cape of ivory hanging off his shoulders. His hands were steadily placed on his hips as Vecked, Xeroux, Artemis, Demnix, Nai, and Sentrius steadily made their way up the sand dune toward him and the army. "And what exactly were you doing in there?" Malkini called.
"I, uh, tried to take the palace on my own," Vecked said, carefully reveling his arm to Malkini. "Not the best approach."
"And what were the Knights doing there?" Malkini asked, getting off his camel.
"They saved me from the dozen Guards in an alley trying to kill me," Vecked said slowly.
Malkini chuckled and grabbed Vecked's arm to examine it. "Oh Vecked. Your not a god, you have to learn to be part of a unit. This armies like a family and I'm the father. I can't have my boys going out and hurting themselves, you understand? It gives us all a scare," Malkini said smiling at Vecked who nodded at his words. "Can you still lead your men into the north of the city?"
"I think so, though I would like some bandaging first," Vecked said, rubbing the blood off his arm slightly.
"Of course; medics!" Malkini called, raising his hands. Two Kingsmen aids ran forward and began to escort Vecked into a tent. Malkini watched them go and then turned to the Knights with a smile. "That Vecked Princeton really is something. He goes in, starts a fight with a dozen guards in an alley, and gets out with only a stab. He's a strong one alright. Not the smartest, but a strong one. Anyway, get on your camels. Vecked should be out in a few minutes and then we start the charge."
As Demnix mounted his camel the map he'd drawn fell out of his pocket and landed in front of Malkini's feet. Demnix cringed as he saw the parchment fall. "I should've burried that deeper in my pocket." Demnix thought as Malkini picked up the folded paper. Demnix could hear Malkini yelling at him. He could hear the speach in his head. "You, I told you to forget your endeavors. You shouldn't have done that. You need to work as a team, so what gave you the right do do your own thing." Demnix pictured that being yelled at him. As Malkini unfolded the paper, Demnix prepared for imminent doom.
Malkini was so foolhardy that he fell for their plan rather easily. Sentrius shook his head at the thought, wondering if anything went through the eager commander's head besides fame and glory. Now, this of course may seem highly hypocritical to some, especially considering that the thinker of these thoughts were Sentrius Tetran, but there were a few other things he took into consideration besides thoughts of grandeur.
"Er, Commander Malkini," Sentrius began. "If I may ask, what exactly do you plan to do once you conquer these rebels? Such a feat will certainly gain you fame, a nice beach house and Capima perhaps. A little extra income too. But what exactly are your definite goals after this?" Of course, technically these questions were only rhetorical as Malkini wouldn't accomplish these things, but Sentrius wanted to ask.
"Er, Commander Malkini," Sentrius began. "If I may ask, what exactly do you plan to do once you conquer these rebels? Such a feat will certainly gain you fame, a nice beach house and Capima perhaps. A little extra income too. But what exactly are your definite goals after this?" Of course, technically these questions were only rhetorical as Malkini wouldn't accomplish these things, but Sentrius wanted to ask.
Artemis saw as Vecked made some excuse for what they had done and Demnix dropped the battle plan and had a worried expression. It was expected, they were his subordinates, however so far the man hadn’t seemed to have changed from his foolish self. Maybe Artemis was over estimating him, but that look in his eyes still made him feel that Malkini was smarter then he let on.
Demnix had this look on his face of a child terrified that his father was about to see a test with a bad grade on it. It was sad in a way, still the man had helped him so Artemis decided to cut the man some slack.
“That, Commander, is Royal Guard business I was discussing with Master Demnix here and, while I don’t wish to be rude, is none of your business.” Artemis said swiftly as he plucked the page from Malkini’s hand before it could be fully opened. A side glance to Demnix, “And frankly I think you have a city to invade don’t you?” he added with a glance to Malkini. These small acts of defiance was Artemis’s way to remind the man that as he had said earlier by placing his pistol at the man’s throat he was here as an ally under higher orders and thus was in no way the man’s lackey.
“Now, I’ll see you all in the city, I’ve some business there of my own,” he said as he headed back into the city, needing to retrieve his pack before someone found it, and the bodies of the guards, and took his very valuable items. After retrieving them he headed over to the south wall to look out as the army closed in at last.
Demnix had this look on his face of a child terrified that his father was about to see a test with a bad grade on it. It was sad in a way, still the man had helped him so Artemis decided to cut the man some slack.
“That, Commander, is Royal Guard business I was discussing with Master Demnix here and, while I don’t wish to be rude, is none of your business.” Artemis said swiftly as he plucked the page from Malkini’s hand before it could be fully opened. A side glance to Demnix, “And frankly I think you have a city to invade don’t you?” he added with a glance to Malkini. These small acts of defiance was Artemis’s way to remind the man that as he had said earlier by placing his pistol at the man’s throat he was here as an ally under higher orders and thus was in no way the man’s lackey.
“Now, I’ll see you all in the city, I’ve some business there of my own,” he said as he headed back into the city, needing to retrieve his pack before someone found it, and the bodies of the guards, and took his very valuable items. After retrieving them he headed over to the south wall to look out as the army closed in at last.
Malkini raised an eyebrow at the idiots around him each babbling about some litter Demnix had dropped.
"We ready to go then?" Vecked asked, hopping onto his camel with a new brown bandage around his arm.
"Yes, very much ready," Malkini said, before turning to his troops. "Are we ready?" He called. His words were met with thundering applause. Malkini jerked his camel back toward the city. "Charge!" He yelled, pulling a longsword out and riding down, the army following. From the city lookout the guards watched as the sand on the dune rose, thousands of men coming from the storm toward the walls.
"We're supposed to surrender," One guard whispered to the other.
"Even if the King hadn't ordered it I would of surrendered," The other replied. "That's one hell of an army."
"We ready to go then?" Vecked asked, hopping onto his camel with a new brown bandage around his arm.
"Yes, very much ready," Malkini said, before turning to his troops. "Are we ready?" He called. His words were met with thundering applause. Malkini jerked his camel back toward the city. "Charge!" He yelled, pulling a longsword out and riding down, the army following. From the city lookout the guards watched as the sand on the dune rose, thousands of men coming from the storm toward the walls.
"We're supposed to surrender," One guard whispered to the other.
"Even if the King hadn't ordered it I would of surrendered," The other replied. "That's one hell of an army."
Artemis glanced over the roof he was laying on to see the army approach, watching as the King of the city stepped forward to stand before Malkini with a sheathed sword held out to him, a sign of their surrender no doubt. He could hear the King begging Malkini to spare his men and their home, never once mentioning himself.
Artemis wouldn’t be surprised if Malkini unsheathed that blade at that moment and killed the former King, now nothing more than a has been who was begging for the salvation of those he was powerless to protect. “Is this what your father had to endure Anora?” he asked himself aas he watched the incident unfold from various roofs and he hopped down, landing nimbly in an alley adjacent to the two leaders and awaiting Malkini’s reaction
Artemis wouldn’t be surprised if Malkini unsheathed that blade at that moment and killed the former King, now nothing more than a has been who was begging for the salvation of those he was powerless to protect. “Is this what your father had to endure Anora?” he asked himself aas he watched the incident unfold from various roofs and he hopped down, landing nimbly in an alley adjacent to the two leaders and awaiting Malkini’s reaction
Malkini rode around the emperor who had gotten on his knees, the cavalry of Kingsmen following his lead. They had one the battle before it was even started, but a battle it still had to be. Malkini rode into the city, his blade unsheathed. A guard raised his hands and Malkini chopped them off as he rode past, the cavalry following his lead...
Wing stopped his charge, throwing his blade over his shoulder. This wasn't what was supposed to happen! He watched in horror and disgust as the wounded, defenseless soldiers fell to their knees, howling in pain.
"Malkini! This has to stop!" He shouted after his commander, no, former commander." Before he knew it, he was gripping the reigns of a camel, having knocked the Kingsmen who was riding to the ground. His blade, in hand he charged after the madman.
"Malkini!" He shouted again, losing the gap between the two. His Helmet slid onto his head, concealing his face, and the fire burning in his eyes.
"Malkini! This has to stop!" He shouted after his commander, no, former commander." Before he knew it, he was gripping the reigns of a camel, having knocked the Kingsmen who was riding to the ground. His blade, in hand he charged after the madman.
"Malkini!" He shouted again, losing the gap between the two. His Helmet slid onto his head, concealing his face, and the fire burning in his eyes.
Artemis was disgusted at the actions of the man. Clearly he had overestimated Malkini completely, a man who had now shown himself to be a barbarian. He was a rabid dog who needed to be put down, and so Artemis opened a comm link and asked the same question as before in a flat and emotionless tone.
“Commander Roka, request permission to execute the traitor and coward Aden Malkini…”
“Commander Roka, request permission to execute the traitor and coward Aden Malkini…”
The quiet analysis had ended. No longer could she remain restrained, a silent observer to such a brutal beating.
"Are we really allowed to break character?" she asked, her red eyes burning with a need to retaliate. Such violence with no chance of remorse later was a truly despicable act. Nai saw Xeroux charge after Malkini. Artemis probably intending to do the same. Nai hesitated though, unsure if such a hasty action would have any unwanted reprocussions. Her hands tightened on the reins.
"The best strategy is to stick together, no?" she muttered, quoting her old caretaker, before unsheathing her sword and deciding to back up Xeroux.
"Are we really allowed to break character?" she asked, her red eyes burning with a need to retaliate. Such violence with no chance of remorse later was a truly despicable act. Nai saw Xeroux charge after Malkini. Artemis probably intending to do the same. Nai hesitated though, unsure if such a hasty action would have any unwanted reprocussions. Her hands tightened on the reins.
"The best strategy is to stick together, no?" she muttered, quoting her old caretaker, before unsheathing her sword and deciding to back up Xeroux.
As Nai unsheathed her sword a camel wizzed passed her. "You cant do this!" Demnix yelled, tailing Malkini. He looked like he'd had rage in his eyes for a while. "You're a dispicable man! How could you do something so vile?! We already took the damn city! If you don't stop this I will not hesitate to take action against you!" Demnix warned, getting ready to take down Malkini. He hadn't expected this from an exhonorated leader. "Stop!" he yelled once more.
"Operative do not harm Malkini, no matter what the cost," Roka spoke into the comm link slowly. "Me and Bogby's Legions are far west of the city, deep into the uncharted desert. We will return after Malkini has the city secure. Don't worry about it, I've got this handled."
***
Malkini laughed as he rode through the fire and smoke, striking down any heads he saw below him. He rode his camel through the main street of the city toward the gardens of the palace. Malkini rode forward into the dark green bushes. On the terrace above him stood Vecked.
"Your' here early," Malkini said slowly.
"I didn't strike any guards on my way here," Vecked replied slowly.
Malkini's eyes widened at his words. "Then go back and strike them," He said angrily. Vecked gave a nod and disappeared back into the palace, the only sound made was that of Vecked's blade being unsheathed. Malkini backed his camel into a corner and then turned toward the smoke of the city streets. From the smoke Xeroux, Nai and Demnix had all emerged, yelling at him to stop the madness.
"This is war," Malkini replied coldly. "If a war in the desert between a few thousand Kingsmen does not take place then a war on a planet between nine billion Usin natives will."
***
Malkini laughed as he rode through the fire and smoke, striking down any heads he saw below him. He rode his camel through the main street of the city toward the gardens of the palace. Malkini rode forward into the dark green bushes. On the terrace above him stood Vecked.
"Your' here early," Malkini said slowly.
"I didn't strike any guards on my way here," Vecked replied slowly.
Malkini's eyes widened at his words. "Then go back and strike them," He said angrily. Vecked gave a nod and disappeared back into the palace, the only sound made was that of Vecked's blade being unsheathed. Malkini backed his camel into a corner and then turned toward the smoke of the city streets. From the smoke Xeroux, Nai and Demnix had all emerged, yelling at him to stop the madness.
"This is war," Malkini replied coldly. "If a war in the desert between a few thousand Kingsmen does not take place then a war on a planet between nine billion Usin natives will."
Xeroux looked over his shoulder, seeing Nai and Demnix following his lead. He looked up in time to see Vecked raced back into the Palace, blade unsheathed.
"Keep on him!" He called over his shoulder, jumping from his speeding camel, and summersaulting onto a terrace above him. Landing on one knee, he jumped from Terrace to terrace, racing after Vecked.
"Vecked?!" He cried out once inside the castle. "Vecked, you don't have to do this. We've already taken the city, no one has to die. You don't need to prove yourself to that man! You're better than him!"
He turned a corner, finding Vecked, blade in hand. "You could rule this new Kingdom, without Malkini. You could lead your followers to a life of happiness and peace. I understand the urge to fight is in your people's blood, I do, but there's no place for murder. I know you know this. I know you're better than this."
He was next to Vecked now, hand outreached to rest on the young man's shoulder.
"Keep on him!" He called over his shoulder, jumping from his speeding camel, and summersaulting onto a terrace above him. Landing on one knee, he jumped from Terrace to terrace, racing after Vecked.
"Vecked?!" He cried out once inside the castle. "Vecked, you don't have to do this. We've already taken the city, no one has to die. You don't need to prove yourself to that man! You're better than him!"
He turned a corner, finding Vecked, blade in hand. "You could rule this new Kingdom, without Malkini. You could lead your followers to a life of happiness and peace. I understand the urge to fight is in your people's blood, I do, but there's no place for murder. I know you know this. I know you're better than this."
He was next to Vecked now, hand outreached to rest on the young man's shoulder.
“Damn you Roka!” Artemis replied as the man gave that order. He wasn’t sure if the link was open or not and in truth he didn’t care. He ran forward, launching himself onto a roof top and igniting the jets leaping ahead of the pack of defector to land on the roof above Malkini. Every chivalrous bone in his body screamed for him to being his blade down on the man right then and there, to shoot him immediately.
He drew his pistol and aimed down the sights to see the top of Malkinis head, his finger depressing the trigger in anger. He had only an ounce of pressure left before the high velocity bullet would break free of the shell and tear the man’s head apart, but Malkini was perhaps the single luckiest man in the entire republic.
As Artemis was deciding that the orders were not worth the carnage and was consciously preparing to disobey when the face of Anora shot through his head. If he disobeyed even Roka wouldn’t be able to discipline him, yet to show his face in the capital again Roka had to place his personal seal on the paper work along with the general’s. This was all that kept Malkini alive. “I can’t hurt him, but his men are another matter.”
Artemis dropped off the roof and landed on one knee between Malkini and the others who were charging at him and stood. “Halt!” he cried as he pointed the pistol at the two advancing camels.
He was breathing hard and his mind raced as he aimed his weapon at the people he agreed with most, guarding this fool Malkini who he desired nothing more than to strangle.
He drew his pistol and aimed down the sights to see the top of Malkinis head, his finger depressing the trigger in anger. He had only an ounce of pressure left before the high velocity bullet would break free of the shell and tear the man’s head apart, but Malkini was perhaps the single luckiest man in the entire republic.
As Artemis was deciding that the orders were not worth the carnage and was consciously preparing to disobey when the face of Anora shot through his head. If he disobeyed even Roka wouldn’t be able to discipline him, yet to show his face in the capital again Roka had to place his personal seal on the paper work along with the general’s. This was all that kept Malkini alive. “I can’t hurt him, but his men are another matter.”
Artemis dropped off the roof and landed on one knee between Malkini and the others who were charging at him and stood. “Halt!” he cried as he pointed the pistol at the two advancing camels.
He was breathing hard and his mind raced as he aimed his weapon at the people he agreed with most, guarding this fool Malkini who he desired nothing more than to strangle.
"What are you doing?" Nai asked, her voice level, raised only so she could be heard as her camel came to an abrupt halt. Her left hand tightened on the reins, the right loosening its grip on the sword, and she calculated whether reaching for her own pistol was worth it.
"Get out of the way," Nai ordered, her camel taking a few steps forward, "Are you honestly protecting him? This will get out of hand either way. A war is not without its reprocusions and we might as well nip this one in the bud. Do you want all these people to die!? Move. Now!"
With every word, Nai's camel stepped closer to the point it could almost touch Artemis by extending its neck. Her grip on the sword loosened, ready to draw the pistol she kept hidden if she needed to. The target was right there and she could spur her camel on and attack Malkini in a moment. Although by the looks of it, she wouldn't have the chance to even raise the sword if Artemis chose to shoot.
"Get out of the way," Nai ordered, her camel taking a few steps forward, "Are you honestly protecting him? This will get out of hand either way. A war is not without its reprocusions and we might as well nip this one in the bud. Do you want all these people to die!? Move. Now!"
With every word, Nai's camel stepped closer to the point it could almost touch Artemis by extending its neck. Her grip on the sword loosened, ready to draw the pistol she kept hidden if she needed to. The target was right there and she could spur her camel on and attack Malkini in a moment. Although by the looks of it, she wouldn't have the chance to even raise the sword if Artemis chose to shoot.
"Vecked!" He heard Xeroux call. "Vecked, you don't have to do this. We've already taken the city, no one has to die. You don't need to prove yourself to that man! You're better than him!"
Vecked turned to face Xeroux, his blade out.
"You could rule this new Kingdom, without Malkini. You could lead your followers to a life of happiness and peace. I understand the urge to fight is in your people's blood, I do, but there's no place for murder. I know you know this. I know you're better than this," Xeroux said.
"Xeroux," Vecked said with a small smile. "Don't worry about it." A scream suddenly rattled through the halls. "God damn it, not more problems," Vecked muttered running toward the opposite balcony and jumping off it. On the ground Vecked's soldiers stood, surrounding the body of Propriux. The fat man lay on the ground screaming, on the lower half of his body was a camel, on the camel was half a collapsed building.
"The building blew, sir! From the east!" The soldier spat. "Goddamn Davix Nobleton's blowing the place sky high!"
"Davix Nobleton is blowing the east of the city sky high?" Vecked repeated, scratching his chin. "That's annoying."
"Oh god, kill me now!" Propriux screamed in agony.
***
Malkini raised an eyebrow at the activity around him and raised his hands innocently. "Honestly, you should all calm down," He said with a grin. Suddenly screams were heard from around the palace walls. "Good lord, what was that?" Malkini muttered, turning his camel around the corner. On the ground in front of him lay Propriux, his camel and a building on top of him. "What happened?" Malkini asked.
"God kill me!" Propriux yelled.
Vecked whipped out his pistol and shot the man in the head. "Propriux is dead," Vecked muttered, turning to Malkini. "God damn Davix Nobleton is blowing the east sky high."
Malkini raised an eyebrow at Propriux's corpse, then at the Kingsmen soldiers Vecked at led, who all looked back at Malkini, and then at the Knights who had all threatened to strike him but never had. "Alright," Malkini said at last. "Fight's over. Get up to the top of that palace and place the flag."
Vecked gave a nod and began to scale the wall toward the palace balcony.
"Oh god," Nulix muttered as he rode his camel carefully around Propriux's body. "Malkini, I'm afraid Apulix died in the battle of the east bridge, sir, but we have the city firmly under our control."
"Battle of the east bridge, what are you talking about?" Malkini asked.
"Davix's opening attack consisted of blowing the east wall skyhigh and so the guards on the east who had previously been thought to surrender began to fight. Don't worry, Sir. Vorac came from the south and helped out. Casualties are very, very low, I assure you."
From the top balcony of the palace Vecked emerged, a massive sky blue flag in hand. Vecked extended it out over the city. "Victory!" He called, moving the flag back and forth. "Victory!"
"Victory!" A soldier yelled as the rest began to clap.
Malkini smiled as the call came from soldiers across the city. "So, Knights of Sor," Malkini said, turning his camel to the Knights slowly. "I'm happy to say that with your help we have won the battle of Tristanople and taken the first step in taking action to stop an otherwise unstoppable catastrophe on a planet much more important than this. And you helped. Congratulations."
Vecked turned to face Xeroux, his blade out.
"You could rule this new Kingdom, without Malkini. You could lead your followers to a life of happiness and peace. I understand the urge to fight is in your people's blood, I do, but there's no place for murder. I know you know this. I know you're better than this," Xeroux said.
"Xeroux," Vecked said with a small smile. "Don't worry about it." A scream suddenly rattled through the halls. "God damn it, not more problems," Vecked muttered running toward the opposite balcony and jumping off it. On the ground Vecked's soldiers stood, surrounding the body of Propriux. The fat man lay on the ground screaming, on the lower half of his body was a camel, on the camel was half a collapsed building.
"The building blew, sir! From the east!" The soldier spat. "Goddamn Davix Nobleton's blowing the place sky high!"
"Davix Nobleton is blowing the east of the city sky high?" Vecked repeated, scratching his chin. "That's annoying."
"Oh god, kill me now!" Propriux screamed in agony.
***
Malkini raised an eyebrow at the activity around him and raised his hands innocently. "Honestly, you should all calm down," He said with a grin. Suddenly screams were heard from around the palace walls. "Good lord, what was that?" Malkini muttered, turning his camel around the corner. On the ground in front of him lay Propriux, his camel and a building on top of him. "What happened?" Malkini asked.
"God kill me!" Propriux yelled.
Vecked whipped out his pistol and shot the man in the head. "Propriux is dead," Vecked muttered, turning to Malkini. "God damn Davix Nobleton is blowing the east sky high."
Malkini raised an eyebrow at Propriux's corpse, then at the Kingsmen soldiers Vecked at led, who all looked back at Malkini, and then at the Knights who had all threatened to strike him but never had. "Alright," Malkini said at last. "Fight's over. Get up to the top of that palace and place the flag."
Vecked gave a nod and began to scale the wall toward the palace balcony.
"Oh god," Nulix muttered as he rode his camel carefully around Propriux's body. "Malkini, I'm afraid Apulix died in the battle of the east bridge, sir, but we have the city firmly under our control."
"Battle of the east bridge, what are you talking about?" Malkini asked.
"Davix's opening attack consisted of blowing the east wall skyhigh and so the guards on the east who had previously been thought to surrender began to fight. Don't worry, Sir. Vorac came from the south and helped out. Casualties are very, very low, I assure you."
From the top balcony of the palace Vecked emerged, a massive sky blue flag in hand. Vecked extended it out over the city. "Victory!" He called, moving the flag back and forth. "Victory!"
"Victory!" A soldier yelled as the rest began to clap.
Malkini smiled as the call came from soldiers across the city. "So, Knights of Sor," Malkini said, turning his camel to the Knights slowly. "I'm happy to say that with your help we have won the battle of Tristanople and taken the first step in taking action to stop an otherwise unstoppable catastrophe on a planet much more important than this. And you helped. Congratulations."
"We've," Sentrius began, dumbfounded. Turning towards the others, he shook his head. "Well, none of that went as expected," Sentrius sighed, through clenched fists. "Malkini was more of bastard then we thought, huh?" Turning towards their former commanding officer, Sentrius started to follow, "Commander? You never answered my earlier question, but I'll restate it; What's your long term goal after all of this is accomplished. You've gone completely against protocol to organize an unauthorized army and start an illegal war campaign. But why? Do you want to be recognized as a hero? Is waging a pointless, illegal war really a path to glory? Or d you have an ulterior motive behind your misguided actions?"
"I already went over this, we are going to go to Usin and destroy the rebels there," Malkini replied.
"Yes, I understand this," Sentrius frowned. "My question wasn't what we were doing, it was why are you doing this. What drove you to put your position in Sora's most prestigious military on the line? Do you have anything to gain from this other than glory, and if it is just glory you want, wouldn't continuing a legal tenure in the Knights, instead of...this."
Malkini sighed. "A Usin world war could be catastrophic for our defense against Ulfire. Is preventing galactic war not reason enough, Sentrius?"
“I’m sorry, but I have to defend his life.” Artemis said as he looked Nai in the eye. After the tension dispersed he placed the pistol in his holster before turning to Malkini and Sentruis.
“And that end justifies the senseless murder of surrendered men?” Artemis asked with a shaking voice to Malkini.
He didn’t give him a chance to explain his reasoning; Artemis didn’t want to hear it. He stepped forward and grabbed Malkini by the neckline of his armor with his left hand, pulling him close before brining a right hook with an armored fist into the man’s left jaw and down. Hopefully he knocked out a tooth or two, and he released his armor at that moment to leave Malkini stumbling before the hook would hopefully drive him to the ground.
“We ensured no one need die for this foolish plan of yours and you demanded blood anyway!” Artemis roared, not caring if Makilini tried to have him executed or punished, “Consider yourself lucky that’s all the pain you must endure, and thank Bogby when you see him for ordering me not to kill you.” he said coldly before turning to head into the palace and find Vecked.
“I hope this is worth it.” he said to himself as he climbed the stairs to find Vecked.
“And that end justifies the senseless murder of surrendered men?” Artemis asked with a shaking voice to Malkini.
He didn’t give him a chance to explain his reasoning; Artemis didn’t want to hear it. He stepped forward and grabbed Malkini by the neckline of his armor with his left hand, pulling him close before brining a right hook with an armored fist into the man’s left jaw and down. Hopefully he knocked out a tooth or two, and he released his armor at that moment to leave Malkini stumbling before the hook would hopefully drive him to the ground.
“We ensured no one need die for this foolish plan of yours and you demanded blood anyway!” Artemis roared, not caring if Makilini tried to have him executed or punished, “Consider yourself lucky that’s all the pain you must endure, and thank Bogby when you see him for ordering me not to kill you.” he said coldly before turning to head into the palace and find Vecked.
“I hope this is worth it.” he said to himself as he climbed the stairs to find Vecked.
"Well that's great, just great," Nai muttered with a hint of sarcasm, seemingly frozen until she let out a sigh of relief. The anger in her eyes dulled until they became complacent and dull. She put her sword away, ignoring the others for the moment, wondering what had gotten into her. Impulsivness was one trait she continually worked on repressing, even to this day.
"There's gotta be sacrifcies right? People die every day, might as well give 'em a cause," she muttered bitterly, recalling ancient conversations, "Oi, Malkini, did that hurt?"
"There's gotta be sacrifcies right? People die every day, might as well give 'em a cause," she muttered bitterly, recalling ancient conversations, "Oi, Malkini, did that hurt?"
Demnix was in the vicinity of a handful of his fellow legionaries. Whom he was with? He couldn't tell. He was extremely distraught. "How could I let this happen? Is it best that an entire community gets slaughtered? What of the future?" He asked out loud, through a few stirred tears. "Should I just leave? I found a group which I could fight along side. But, this -this is just rediculous. How could such distruction happen at the hands of a knight? I might as well just go to the council about changing rank through 'The Trial'. I can't even report this to the council. It would only reflect our teams failure." Demnix was thinking outloud -and at a dangerously loud level. The only few that were around him didn't include the kingsmen or Malkini. In fact the only face that could be recognized was Nai's and Demnix wasn't sure she could hear him. He didnt care. He began to write a letter to whom he had yet to address.
"Demnix? Are you alright?" Nai asked, distracted as she heard him talking to himself apparently, since she couldn't clearly make out his words. She got off her camel finally and walked over to Demnix, trying to be as close as possible while still respecting their personal space.
"Hey," she muttered gently, noticing what appeared to be tears on his face, "Hey, what's wrong? I know this is an upsetting scene but I'm sure they tried to take the minimal possible. Besides, at least they didn't suffer and don't have to see any more suffering. Others still live, and we must focus on those."
"Hey," she muttered gently, noticing what appeared to be tears on his face, "Hey, what's wrong? I know this is an upsetting scene but I'm sure they tried to take the minimal possible. Besides, at least they didn't suffer and don't have to see any more suffering. Others still live, and we must focus on those."
Malkini paused as he was struck, as if he had forgotten what pain felt like. But, after a second, he snapped back to reality and looked at Artemis angrily. Malkini exhaled loudly and took a step toward the Artemis, doing an upper cut as he did to struck the man. Artemis grabbed Malkini's fist in his hand, and then the second fist that came. He did not block the knee in his stomach, or the headbutt that followed. Malkini adjusted himself as Artemis took a few steps back. "Remember, sir, that you may be a Knight of the Royal Guard; I'm Aden Malkini," Malkini said after a second before turning back to Vecked and the Kingmen troops that assembled. "Vecked, how many of the City Guard live?" Malkini asked.
"Um, in the north most of them, I'd say ninety-nine percent, same for the south," Vecked muttered, thinking about the routes he and Vorac had taken to conquer the city. "As for the west where you guys came from I'd say maybe forty percent survived, and in the east with Davix, god in heaven, maybe ten percent, if they didn't kill the prisoners. As for our numbers virtually zero died in the north, west and south, in the east I couldn't say. Commander Propriux and Apulix died, both because of Davix's brilliant attack strategy."
Just as Vecked said those words the other Kingsmen Commander of the army stepped into the group, dirt stains and blood on his face and armor, sweat mixing them together. "Hello all," Davix called with a smile as he approached the group.
Malkini responded with a punch in the face, which caused Davix to fall backward onto his Kingsmen soldiers, who helped him to stabilize.
"Well Knights, we've taken the city. You'll all be sleeping in the palace tonight, the soldiers will find you all a room," Malkini said, glancing up at the flag of victory that flew high at the top of the palace. "Davix.... no, Nulix. You will find the remaining Commanders, excluding Commander Vorac, and use them to rebuild the city, retrain the old guard, and all around keep the peace for tonight. Understand?"
Nulix gave a nod before scurrying off between two soldiers.
Malkini marched into the palace and disappeared into the darkness of the halls, his purple cape flowing behind him.
"Well," A soldier muttered, marching forward towards Vecked, Davix and the Knights. "Let us show you to your rooms."
"Um, in the north most of them, I'd say ninety-nine percent, same for the south," Vecked muttered, thinking about the routes he and Vorac had taken to conquer the city. "As for the west where you guys came from I'd say maybe forty percent survived, and in the east with Davix, god in heaven, maybe ten percent, if they didn't kill the prisoners. As for our numbers virtually zero died in the north, west and south, in the east I couldn't say. Commander Propriux and Apulix died, both because of Davix's brilliant attack strategy."
Just as Vecked said those words the other Kingsmen Commander of the army stepped into the group, dirt stains and blood on his face and armor, sweat mixing them together. "Hello all," Davix called with a smile as he approached the group.
Malkini responded with a punch in the face, which caused Davix to fall backward onto his Kingsmen soldiers, who helped him to stabilize.
"Well Knights, we've taken the city. You'll all be sleeping in the palace tonight, the soldiers will find you all a room," Malkini said, glancing up at the flag of victory that flew high at the top of the palace. "Davix.... no, Nulix. You will find the remaining Commanders, excluding Commander Vorac, and use them to rebuild the city, retrain the old guard, and all around keep the peace for tonight. Understand?"
Nulix gave a nod before scurrying off between two soldiers.
Malkini marched into the palace and disappeared into the darkness of the halls, his purple cape flowing behind him.
"Well," A soldier muttered, marching forward towards Vecked, Davix and the Knights. "Let us show you to your rooms."
Artemis glanced at Malkini as he made the comment. His fury gone after he has struck the man he regained himself. Even as the knee hit him he felt little pain, Malkini hit fairly hard but it was the same as sparing in the palace. He truly despised this fool’s massive arrogance. Commander, no Commander would act like he had. The man was challenging the very honor of the Royal Guard and in that instant His fury returned. Even as he stepped back it was not from pain or shock, he would have been shocked if Malkini hadn’t retaliated, it was in pure defense. If he stayed within striking distance of that man a moment longer he was sure he would do something regretful.
“Aden, the cards are on the table, you have proven yourself unworthy of the honor you seek,” he clicked the helm away, his time was up and he had to meet with Roka, “Pray your plan works for if it does not, I will be sure to be placed on the firing squad at your execution.”This statement alone was an insult, a man of Malkini’s station would be hung if not executed by the sword, firing squads were reserved for the lowest of street scum, it was the most dishonorable and frankly the cheapest execution used and to someone like Sentrius or another person obsessed with honor it would be considered a high offence.
With that he walked past the other Knights, “Have fun spending the night with these barbarians, I’ve a certain Knight Commander to visit.” He said to Nai and the others as he walked away. He would head to the desert, tracking the location of his last contact with Roka to meet with the man. Climbing over a dune to the Far East he looked out and saw the scene of an entire legion of Knights in formation and camp just beyond the walls. The Sun had set y then and as Artemis headed to the largest tent he drew out a holo device and activated it. An image of a strange Knight in a robe over his armor and carrying a halberd with a feathered blade appeared. “This is Artemis Maximus, Archon 33, CO 490-983. I must report to his majesty immediately.
“Hold a moment Sir Archon, I shall connect you.” the holographic Knight replied s Artemis entered the tent and looked to Roka and the General. He didn’t bow or salute he simply stepped forward and placed the holo tray on the table, the hologram growing to be several feet high, showing an elderly man in a flowing gold and silver robe sitting on a throne, his face hidden by a overhanging tapestry. Artemis bowed to the Hologram, ignoring the others. “Hail Your Highness, I’ve contacted you majesty as per my orders to deliver my report.”
“Ah, Artemis, and Roka and Bogby, my my,” the king laughed, “its good to see the Knights are still working well together.” The old man said. Artemis remained in a kneeling position as he awaited Roka’s and Bogby’s reaction.
“Aden, the cards are on the table, you have proven yourself unworthy of the honor you seek,” he clicked the helm away, his time was up and he had to meet with Roka, “Pray your plan works for if it does not, I will be sure to be placed on the firing squad at your execution.”This statement alone was an insult, a man of Malkini’s station would be hung if not executed by the sword, firing squads were reserved for the lowest of street scum, it was the most dishonorable and frankly the cheapest execution used and to someone like Sentrius or another person obsessed with honor it would be considered a high offence.
With that he walked past the other Knights, “Have fun spending the night with these barbarians, I’ve a certain Knight Commander to visit.” He said to Nai and the others as he walked away. He would head to the desert, tracking the location of his last contact with Roka to meet with the man. Climbing over a dune to the Far East he looked out and saw the scene of an entire legion of Knights in formation and camp just beyond the walls. The Sun had set y then and as Artemis headed to the largest tent he drew out a holo device and activated it. An image of a strange Knight in a robe over his armor and carrying a halberd with a feathered blade appeared. “This is Artemis Maximus, Archon 33, CO 490-983. I must report to his majesty immediately.
“Hold a moment Sir Archon, I shall connect you.” the holographic Knight replied s Artemis entered the tent and looked to Roka and the General. He didn’t bow or salute he simply stepped forward and placed the holo tray on the table, the hologram growing to be several feet high, showing an elderly man in a flowing gold and silver robe sitting on a throne, his face hidden by a overhanging tapestry. Artemis bowed to the Hologram, ignoring the others. “Hail Your Highness, I’ve contacted you majesty as per my orders to deliver my report.”
“Ah, Artemis, and Roka and Bogby, my my,” the king laughed, “its good to see the Knights are still working well together.” The old man said. Artemis remained in a kneeling position as he awaited Roka’s and Bogby’s reaction.
"Nai," Demnix asked in an unsteady tone. "Is this anyting like you imagined the Knighthood would be? We failed our mission. We took the city before Malkini did anything, yet he still sought carnage. Do you think we were right to let the invasion happen?" Demnix looked to Nai. She was his first "friend" and, if not for anything else, Demnix would stay int this legion just to see that He gets to keep Nai as a friend. "Don't let your feelings get in the way." Demnix thought to himself, reciting a code of the Knights. He'd already failed that. He hated Malkini already, developed feelings for Nai, and disobeyed direct orders because he felt it was right. He sure was making his father proud. He looked to Nai admiring her with a smile and waited for a responce.
Roka stood and bowed at the image of the King. Bogby gave a slight nod before sipping his black tea once more. "Your Majesty, the King of Sor and the Capima Islands," Roka whispered at the image slowly. "I'm happy to see you still check up on the affairs on your former soldiers," General Bogby muttered slowly.
"Hold your tongue, Bogby," Roka spat, raising a hand. "You words are harsh, any harsher and they would be treason."
"Roka, how old were you when the revolution occurred?" Bogby asked, sipping his tea.
"I was nineteen," Roka replied slowly, "I was in training on Dormaney at the time."
"I was seven," Bogby muttered. "And I was on the Capima Islands, in the city of Urakas. I saw revolution that changed our system, the Sora System, from a Monarchy under that mans father to a republic under our glorious senate. And I was in the one city where it saw actually fighting."
"The one battle of the revolution, in the city of Urakas," Roka muttered. "The young Black Knight Sidnoise and the City Guard versus the Royal Capima Guard. After Sidnoise won the battle the King entered negotiations of power reform in the system."
"Without the revolution we would of collapsed, the Monarchs alone could not prepare Sora for a modern mechanized galactic war," Bogby muttered to Roka, before turning back to the King.
"The Book of the Matran tells us they freed us from the Helexicon, founded the Sora System, and restored the word of god to the lands," Roka replied bitterly. "If that does not make the Royal Family a respectable force I don't know what does. I am honored, and deeply moved, to see your concerns in this campaign, your majesty."
"Hold your tongue, Bogby," Roka spat, raising a hand. "You words are harsh, any harsher and they would be treason."
"Roka, how old were you when the revolution occurred?" Bogby asked, sipping his tea.
"I was nineteen," Roka replied slowly, "I was in training on Dormaney at the time."
"I was seven," Bogby muttered. "And I was on the Capima Islands, in the city of Urakas. I saw revolution that changed our system, the Sora System, from a Monarchy under that mans father to a republic under our glorious senate. And I was in the one city where it saw actually fighting."
"The one battle of the revolution, in the city of Urakas," Roka muttered. "The young Black Knight Sidnoise and the City Guard versus the Royal Capima Guard. After Sidnoise won the battle the King entered negotiations of power reform in the system."
"Without the revolution we would of collapsed, the Monarchs alone could not prepare Sora for a modern mechanized galactic war," Bogby muttered to Roka, before turning back to the King.
"The Book of the Matran tells us they freed us from the Helexicon, founded the Sora System, and restored the word of god to the lands," Roka replied bitterly. "If that does not make the Royal Family a respectable force I don't know what does. I am honored, and deeply moved, to see your concerns in this campaign, your majesty."
"I have to admit, I expected more," Nai replied, smiling back only to comfort Demnix as she crossed her arms, "Whether it was good or bad that I was expecting is irrevelant at the moment. Do I think it was right to let it happen? Of course not. I absolutely despise anyone who pushes someone down, and to kick them when they're on the ground is despicable. It only adds insult to injury, another wound on a bruise, another gasp of pain to a scream of torture.."
She shook her head, speaking as though from experience. Nai looked back at Demnix.
"Technically, I don't think this mission is over yet. The terms of it imply we still have much work to do, wouldn;t you agree? There's still hope, isn't there always?"
She shook her head, speaking as though from experience. Nai looked back at Demnix.
"Technically, I don't think this mission is over yet. The terms of it imply we still have much work to do, wouldn;t you agree? There's still hope, isn't there always?"
Gentlemen please, these matters are long irrelevant, what matters now is the report, what has happened Artemis?” the King said with a nod of thanks to Roka.
“Yes sir, the man known as Aden Malkini intends to use the army he has gathered to lead and assault on Usin, hoping to end this rebellion before it and destabilize the Republic and gain back his lost glory in the process.”
“Noble ambitions, and honestly rather needed, Usin cannot be ignored,” the king commented, “Continue, Artemis.”
“Your majesty, we assisted his conquest of a city on Iceveng in an attempt to fulfill our mission and provide intelligence for the Knights, “he paused with a look of slight anger to Bobgy, “however, even after we infiltrated the city and secured the guards surrender the man demanded blood and needlessly killed unarmed guards to further his own glory with false tales of a battle that was really a massacre.” He said with obvious fury.
“What? Roka, is this true?” The King inquired, false shock in his voice as his face was hidden.
“Yes sir, the man known as Aden Malkini intends to use the army he has gathered to lead and assault on Usin, hoping to end this rebellion before it and destabilize the Republic and gain back his lost glory in the process.”
“Noble ambitions, and honestly rather needed, Usin cannot be ignored,” the king commented, “Continue, Artemis.”
“Your majesty, we assisted his conquest of a city on Iceveng in an attempt to fulfill our mission and provide intelligence for the Knights, “he paused with a look of slight anger to Bobgy, “however, even after we infiltrated the city and secured the guards surrender the man demanded blood and needlessly killed unarmed guards to further his own glory with false tales of a battle that was really a massacre.” He said with obvious fury.
“What? Roka, is this true?” The King inquired, false shock in his voice as his face was hidden.
"Hey," Vecked said as he approached Demnix and Nai slowly. "Are you guys doing alright? You look shaken."
***
"True enough, they killed city guards in their direct path. Aden Malkini had himself and three separate Kingsmen lead the attack on the city. Vorac Brighton, Davix Nobleton, and Vecked Princeton. Now Aden Malkini finds himself in a difficult situation. He has his city and he thinks there are ships in his city but he will soon find out we took them when we left."
"So the city is useless," Bogby chuckled.
"We have him in a place where he must negotiate," Roka said. "It is your decision, your majesty, and the good General's, and overall the Senates decision, of what we negotiate for."
"We negotiate for the Republic he's created," Bogby muttered. "Aden Malkini and a bunch of dirty, filthy Kingsmen have created the first republic on Iceveng that has everything. Camel milk and silks in the mid-eastern deserts, the ivory of the west, and the metal works of the underground south. No longer will we have to pander to warring tribes for these trinkets, we just take it, from our new Iceveng Republic. And Aden Malkini will give it all to us for a few lousy ships so he can fight his war."
"If we were to take this republic we would have two options for its administration," Roka said, scratching his chin lightly. "We could give it to Elliot Kingson in the north, then he could unite his lands with it."
"I don't like that idea," Bogby interrupted, placing his tea down on the small table. "Elliot Kingson is the only Kingsmen on the Senate, he is the only Senator from Iceveng. He practically controls the planets trade, and no one objects because the planets just Iceveng. If he legitimately had the planet he could go on a real power trip, and as a senator that could be dangerous."
"That's why my second suggestion is the one I favor more," Roka began. "Give the republic to Princess Anora."
"What?" Bogby spat. "Absurd, its not a royal matter, its a matter for the Knights! A Knight General should get this land, not the royalty!"
"Calm yourself, Bogby," Roka said. "And think of interests other than your own. The Princess has proven herself a fair ruler in her provinces on Bao, and she has the least land of the royals. Raziel has a chunk of Dormaney and hes too young to even govern it and she has but just a few towns. The Republic of Iceveng could become a great under her rule, I think. More so than the rule of any Knight I say quite safely."
***
"True enough, they killed city guards in their direct path. Aden Malkini had himself and three separate Kingsmen lead the attack on the city. Vorac Brighton, Davix Nobleton, and Vecked Princeton. Now Aden Malkini finds himself in a difficult situation. He has his city and he thinks there are ships in his city but he will soon find out we took them when we left."
"So the city is useless," Bogby chuckled.
"We have him in a place where he must negotiate," Roka said. "It is your decision, your majesty, and the good General's, and overall the Senates decision, of what we negotiate for."
"We negotiate for the Republic he's created," Bogby muttered. "Aden Malkini and a bunch of dirty, filthy Kingsmen have created the first republic on Iceveng that has everything. Camel milk and silks in the mid-eastern deserts, the ivory of the west, and the metal works of the underground south. No longer will we have to pander to warring tribes for these trinkets, we just take it, from our new Iceveng Republic. And Aden Malkini will give it all to us for a few lousy ships so he can fight his war."
"If we were to take this republic we would have two options for its administration," Roka said, scratching his chin lightly. "We could give it to Elliot Kingson in the north, then he could unite his lands with it."
"I don't like that idea," Bogby interrupted, placing his tea down on the small table. "Elliot Kingson is the only Kingsmen on the Senate, he is the only Senator from Iceveng. He practically controls the planets trade, and no one objects because the planets just Iceveng. If he legitimately had the planet he could go on a real power trip, and as a senator that could be dangerous."
"That's why my second suggestion is the one I favor more," Roka began. "Give the republic to Princess Anora."
"What?" Bogby spat. "Absurd, its not a royal matter, its a matter for the Knights! A Knight General should get this land, not the royalty!"
"Calm yourself, Bogby," Roka said. "And think of interests other than your own. The Princess has proven herself a fair ruler in her provinces on Bao, and she has the least land of the royals. Raziel has a chunk of Dormaney and hes too young to even govern it and she has but just a few towns. The Republic of Iceveng could become a great under her rule, I think. More so than the rule of any Knight I say quite safely."
“Ah, I see, how unfortunate. Regardless the ships must be provided. As much as I hate to say it Malkini would be useful if allowed to go to Usin, if for nothing else then a distraction. Roka, do you think given three legions you could put down the rebellion should Malkini fail?” the king asked to the Knight Commander. “Think it over before answering that question my friend, as for who should lead this planet I have yet to hear your thoughts Artemis.”
“My lord, I would support Lady Anora of course, but she is currently still in shock from the events of before, may I suggest that she be given the planet but we let a local family act on her behalf?”
“Who do you have in mind?” the King asked leaning forward so that his mouth shown from beneath the veil.
“There is a set of two young brothers, and whille they may be inexperienced they have both shown a remarkable way with the people of this land. They call themselves the Princetons, and whie they are clearly talented in the art of governing and logistics, they are too young to have the Ambitions of older men, making them less likely to attempt an uprising.” He said still kneeled.
“Hmm, yes, I think that would suffice nicely don’t you Sir Knights?” the king said to the general and Roka. “And to placate you General Bobgy, I promise you the rights to the trade between Capima and Iceveng, should you supply Malkini with these ships.” He added. “I assure you that the Nobles of Capima have a rather high affection for the tapestry and silks of that world, it should prove very lucrative.”
Finally he turned back to Roka, “And as for my earlier question, if you have an answer I shall arrange for your forces.”
“My lord, I would support Lady Anora of course, but she is currently still in shock from the events of before, may I suggest that she be given the planet but we let a local family act on her behalf?”
“Who do you have in mind?” the King asked leaning forward so that his mouth shown from beneath the veil.
“There is a set of two young brothers, and whille they may be inexperienced they have both shown a remarkable way with the people of this land. They call themselves the Princetons, and whie they are clearly talented in the art of governing and logistics, they are too young to have the Ambitions of older men, making them less likely to attempt an uprising.” He said still kneeled.
“Hmm, yes, I think that would suffice nicely don’t you Sir Knights?” the king said to the general and Roka. “And to placate you General Bobgy, I promise you the rights to the trade between Capima and Iceveng, should you supply Malkini with these ships.” He added. “I assure you that the Nobles of Capima have a rather high affection for the tapestry and silks of that world, it should prove very lucrative.”
Finally he turned back to Roka, “And as for my earlier question, if you have an answer I shall arrange for your forces.”
Roka gave a soft smile. "Thank you your Majesty, but I am an old man, and a Commander. These Knights need me, and so do my own Knights. I could not go back to leading armies, I couldn't... try General Jakson, he's ambitious, and has many idle Legions in the Dark World Colonies. As for the control of the world, the Princeton Brothers seem like a fine choice."
"A fine choice!" Bogby yelled, spitting out his tea. "They are Kingsmen! Elliot Kingson is our one noble Kingsmen! If we give two filthy Neahian scamps ten times as much land as a Senator on a Senators planet he will see it as a direct challenge to his authority! This is outrageous! Outrageous!"
"If Elliot Kingson wants to challenge the King of Sor he is welcome too," Roka said. "And why can't a Kingsmen be land owners on their own planet, Bogby? Why not?"
"Because its not proper," Bogby replied. "We know nothing about these two Princetons. They could be lunatics, they could be sociopaths! We know nothing!"
"Vecked Princeton a sociopath? Nulix Princeton a lunatic?" Roka muttered with a raised eyebrow. "Seems unlikely, General."
"A fine choice!" Bogby yelled, spitting out his tea. "They are Kingsmen! Elliot Kingson is our one noble Kingsmen! If we give two filthy Neahian scamps ten times as much land as a Senator on a Senators planet he will see it as a direct challenge to his authority! This is outrageous! Outrageous!"
"If Elliot Kingson wants to challenge the King of Sor he is welcome too," Roka said. "And why can't a Kingsmen be land owners on their own planet, Bogby? Why not?"
"Because its not proper," Bogby replied. "We know nothing about these two Princetons. They could be lunatics, they could be sociopaths! We know nothing!"
"Vecked Princeton a sociopath? Nulix Princeton a lunatic?" Roka muttered with a raised eyebrow. "Seems unlikely, General."
“Enough,” The king said wearily, “I shall deal with Elliot, and the Princetons will act as stewards in Anora’s stead. As for Malkini, give him the ships and allow him to assault Usin. And Artemis-“ the King paused.
“Yes m’lord?” he replied looking up.
“About my other inquiry from before?”
“Yes m’lord, it seems your fears were correct, I suggest you take the necessary precautions that we discussed your majesty.”
“Very well, then here are your new orders, you will follow Malkini to Usin, and should his army fail to eliminate the rebellion you are to ensure that their Leaders do not remain a threat. Understood?”
“Yes your majesty, I shall do so with extreme predigest.” He said once again bowing low.
“Commander Roka, do you believe that Sir Artemis here has shown himself to be an honorable man?” The King directed to the Commander.
“Yes m’lord?” he replied looking up.
“About my other inquiry from before?”
“Yes m’lord, it seems your fears were correct, I suggest you take the necessary precautions that we discussed your majesty.”
“Very well, then here are your new orders, you will follow Malkini to Usin, and should his army fail to eliminate the rebellion you are to ensure that their Leaders do not remain a threat. Understood?”
“Yes your majesty, I shall do so with extreme predigest.” He said once again bowing low.
“Commander Roka, do you believe that Sir Artemis here has shown himself to be an honorable man?” The King directed to the Commander.
Nai gave a maidenly sigh and shook her head.
"This isn't new to me so I'm not that bad, been better though. Demnix on the other hand..." Nai let her sentence hang, looking quite sympathetic with the man in front of her. Still, she made no movements to physically comfort him such as a hug or at least a pat on the shoulder.
"This isn't new to me so I'm not that bad, been better though. Demnix on the other hand..." Nai let her sentence hang, looking quite sympathetic with the man in front of her. Still, she made no movements to physically comfort him such as a hug or at least a pat on the shoulder.
Roka gave a small nod. "Very honorable, but very young, your majesty."
***
Vecked scratched his brow slightly at the two. "Well, it wasn't that bad. It was a show, and a show was meant to have an impact. Overall I'd say maybe sixty or seventy percent of the guards are still alive so it was not a true massacre by any means. Do you two need anything? It was Nai and Demnix, right?"
***
Vecked scratched his brow slightly at the two. "Well, it wasn't that bad. It was a show, and a show was meant to have an impact. Overall I'd say maybe sixty or seventy percent of the guards are still alive so it was not a true massacre by any means. Do you two need anything? It was Nai and Demnix, right?"
"Yes and you're Vecked, correct?" Nai responded, frowning, "And losses could be cut down to ten percent had only key people been struck down, even fifteen percent with a few nobodies mixed in there. Besides, attack one man and you could forsake his entire family, dooming generations to come from that one single man. How is that not massacre?"
Nai paused, wondering if that wasn't a bit too far. Then again, it was somewhat true.
"I don't need anything though, thank you."
Nai paused, wondering if that wasn't a bit too far. Then again, it was somewhat true.
"I don't need anything though, thank you."
"Bah," Sentrius sniffed. "I think this whole situation has been extraordinarily tiring. First, our priority was to stop Malkini. Now it seems as if he's on our side all along." Shaking his head, and removing his helmet, Sentrius turned to look at Nai and Demnix. "But, I must say, despite the heavy losses that were suffered in that skirmish, it was all for the greater good. Rebellions have been quashed and order has been restored for the time being, even if the means to get there were sort of grizzly. But..., let's talk about lighter things, eh? Now that Malkini's got his slice of glory, it should be our turn soon enough. Hopefully the next mission will be a glorious one! And, uh, what about you, Princeton? What's next for the Kingsmen?"
"If Malkini had his way we'd go to Usin and destroy the rebellion, then come back and rule over our new republic on Iceveng, and get legitimized by the King and Senate and become a lawful trading center in Bako Bay," Vecked said. "That's Malkini's plan anyway. Theres just one problem. No government is a legitimate one in the eyes of the Capima Nobles unless they have a Senator supporting them."
"That's ridiculous," Jove muttered, folding his arms. "There are plenty of important government with no Senators."
"Name one," Vecked said, glancing at Jove, who remained silent at the question.
"There are plenty," Jove said after a second. "And why don't you just request a politician from Iceveng to become a senator?"
"Because Iceveng already has a Senator," Vecked replied. "In the far north there is another kingdom under control of Elliot Kingson. Kingson is Iceveng's only senator, and Iceveng only has one senator. Two Kingsmen Senators is a bit much for Sor's nobility. For our republic to be legitimized we need Elliot Kingson to renounce his senatorial position."
"You are angry little people," Jove muttered, yawning as he did. "Sun will be up in a few hours, and I'm not very interested in seeing the city go through its first Knights under Malkini's rule. Good night, gang." And with that Jove made his way into the palace halls.
Jove walked by several doors, a Kingsmen guard at each one. At one door he saw Malkini inside, buried deep within a harem of both men and women. Jove raised an eyebrow at the sight before the guards told him to move along to his room. Jove continued until a guard called out to him, saying that the room he guarded was the sleeping quarters for Malkini's Knights.
"Nice to know we have such a respectable title," Jove muttered as he entered the room. It was a small space, several pillows and sheets laid out for the group, all of them empty. Jove sighed as he lay down on a sheet and closed his eyes, his mind going back to his home to the peaceful Kingdom of Sumer, a planet secure in Sor's pocket. If he was back there then and there he could tell his friends and family all about Usin and Iceveng, the Kingsmen and the Natives, their different looks, their backward ways. Jove smiled to himself slightly at the thought as his mind drifted off into sleep.
"That's ridiculous," Jove muttered, folding his arms. "There are plenty of important government with no Senators."
"Name one," Vecked said, glancing at Jove, who remained silent at the question.
"There are plenty," Jove said after a second. "And why don't you just request a politician from Iceveng to become a senator?"
"Because Iceveng already has a Senator," Vecked replied. "In the far north there is another kingdom under control of Elliot Kingson. Kingson is Iceveng's only senator, and Iceveng only has one senator. Two Kingsmen Senators is a bit much for Sor's nobility. For our republic to be legitimized we need Elliot Kingson to renounce his senatorial position."
"You are angry little people," Jove muttered, yawning as he did. "Sun will be up in a few hours, and I'm not very interested in seeing the city go through its first Knights under Malkini's rule. Good night, gang." And with that Jove made his way into the palace halls.
Jove walked by several doors, a Kingsmen guard at each one. At one door he saw Malkini inside, buried deep within a harem of both men and women. Jove raised an eyebrow at the sight before the guards told him to move along to his room. Jove continued until a guard called out to him, saying that the room he guarded was the sleeping quarters for Malkini's Knights.
"Nice to know we have such a respectable title," Jove muttered as he entered the room. It was a small space, several pillows and sheets laid out for the group, all of them empty. Jove sighed as he lay down on a sheet and closed his eyes, his mind going back to his home to the peaceful Kingdom of Sumer, a planet secure in Sor's pocket. If he was back there then and there he could tell his friends and family all about Usin and Iceveng, the Kingsmen and the Natives, their different looks, their backward ways. Jove smiled to himself slightly at the thought as his mind drifted off into sleep.
“I wouldn’t worry about Elliot Kingston; he should be receiving a message from a very important person to discuss his future any minute now.” Artemis cut into Vecked Conversation as he came back into the Palace, he had been gone for just over an hour or so and having returned from his conversation with Roka and the King, oh and Bobgy but he wasn’t important enough to really mention. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but his crazed plan might actually work, at least to the point of getting us on Usin. Now, Mr. Princeton, if you could please find you brother and meet me on the upper balcony, there is something of great importance I must discuss with you.” He said to Vecked as he turned to head up the stairs.
“Oh, and Sir Demnix, Lady Nai, I apologize for stopping your attack against Malkini, but perhaps you can forgive me if you understand why. As wrong as he was to do what he did he is right about Usin, and, “he pause to glance back over his shoulder to them, “do you really think that if you killed him you would have made it out of the city alive?”
He left and headed up to the Balcony looking out over the calm city, thinking how odd it was that it was so quiet just after the “battle”. His thoughts wondered back to when the King had asked Roka if he was an Honorable man.
---Flashback---
“Very good, then as King of Sor and Holder of the Lands of the former Maximus family I do hereby return the titles of the Maximus Family; Artemis Maximus, for your valor I do name you Lord of the House of Maximus and bestow upon you the lands of your forbearers. Knight Commander Roka, you serve as witness to this decree.” He said with a very regal voice and wavy of his hand, the moment he had finished he spoke plainly again, “With that over with, you are Free of your vows of secrecy Artemis, and upon your return we will discuss your future as an Archon.”
“And you better survive till you get back Artemis!” came a female voice from outside of the Hologram.
“Is that Lady Anora?”
“Farewell Knights of Sor.” The king said, clearly enjoying the look of bewilderment on Artemis’s face.
“I should go and tell Malkini he will have his ships and inform the Princetons of their role in all this, good evening gentlemen.” He said as he bowed out to head back, grabbing the holoprojector and leaving the camp. He knew that if Roka had anymore orders he could send it via comm.-link so he didn’t worry to stay, he had to make sure Malkini wasn’t off killing random people again.
“Oh, and Sir Demnix, Lady Nai, I apologize for stopping your attack against Malkini, but perhaps you can forgive me if you understand why. As wrong as he was to do what he did he is right about Usin, and, “he pause to glance back over his shoulder to them, “do you really think that if you killed him you would have made it out of the city alive?”
He left and headed up to the Balcony looking out over the calm city, thinking how odd it was that it was so quiet just after the “battle”. His thoughts wondered back to when the King had asked Roka if he was an Honorable man.
---Flashback---
“Very good, then as King of Sor and Holder of the Lands of the former Maximus family I do hereby return the titles of the Maximus Family; Artemis Maximus, for your valor I do name you Lord of the House of Maximus and bestow upon you the lands of your forbearers. Knight Commander Roka, you serve as witness to this decree.” He said with a very regal voice and wavy of his hand, the moment he had finished he spoke plainly again, “With that over with, you are Free of your vows of secrecy Artemis, and upon your return we will discuss your future as an Archon.”
“And you better survive till you get back Artemis!” came a female voice from outside of the Hologram.
“Is that Lady Anora?”
“Farewell Knights of Sor.” The king said, clearly enjoying the look of bewilderment on Artemis’s face.
“I should go and tell Malkini he will have his ships and inform the Princetons of their role in all this, good evening gentlemen.” He said as he bowed out to head back, grabbing the holoprojector and leaving the camp. He knew that if Roka had anymore orders he could send it via comm.-link so he didn’t worry to stay, he had to make sure Malkini wasn’t off killing random people again.
Vecked raised an eyebrow as Artemis walked away before turning back to Nai, Sentrius and Demnix. "Well I better go find Nulix. But hey if you guys ever want to talk or anything I'm here, I could be your sort of none Knight buddy, you know? I mean you guys are always together so eventually you must get sick of one another, right? So, I'm the outside friend guy..." Vecked paused, realizing how bad his statement had sounded. "Of course not to say you guys don't like each other. Its just that groupings of Knight Elites are usually different than you guys. You got the fatherly Commander, the hero, the heroes love interests, then the rest are just distinctive personality friends... not to suggest you guys aren't friends just, you know, you got Mister Legionlover over here, Sentrius, then this boyfriender Demnix, then Mister do-it-himselfer Artemis, then this asexualist Nai... then that racist guy whose running around, and your all under the Command of Aden lovelover Malkini... its a weird group, is what I'm saying," Vecked paused once more, realizing his amendment made it even worse. "Um, I'm saying with such a weird group of Elites, you know, Vecked would be a welcome friend. Cause hes Vecked... you know... Vecked." Vecked gave a slight nod, before turning away from the group and walking off, cursing himself silently as he did.
Vecked walked through the streets of Tristanople. The buildings were scorched black and the bronze armored bodies of the old city guards were piled and set aflame, Kingsmen guards standing around them with buckets of water to make sure the flames did not spread. Each of the guards gave a slight nod of recognition as Vecked walked by. Vecked soon reached the old guard base, only a few streets from the palace. The bodies had been completely cleaned from this area, and the citizens of Tristanople, the desert Kingsmen, were once again roaming through the streets and returning to their houses. Vecked raised his hand to greet the guards who stood outside the base.
"Your brother is inside, so is Davix," One of the guards responded, not bothering to give Vecked a proper greeting.
"And wheres Vorac?" Vecked asked, wondering where the only other sane General in the ragtag army was.
"Not here," The guard replied with a small shrug.
Vecked nodded before pushing the door open and walking down the steps into the underground lounge of the base. Vecked coughed slightly as thick smoke from incense and cigars greeted him. Inside Nulix and Davix sat, along with several other guards, both from Malkini's army and from the city, silk bound desert Kingsmen girls in their arms.
"Well I don't know if I would say its fun," Nulix said, stretching his laying body slightly along the purple pillow, laying with him a dark haired dark eyed desert Kingsmen girl nearly half his height. "I mean I don't do much in the army, you know? I write speeches, for everyone, not just Malkini," Nulix said, before taking a pause to suck on his cigar. Nulix let the light brown rod drop from his mouth along with thick smoke before continuing his thoughts. "And the thing is you have to realize everyone wants something different from their speeches, they all want the speeches to work for them, you know?" Nulix said. "That's the problem with the army. Its a divided force, and a cowardly one if we don't have a huge advantage. That's the problem with us, with Kingsmen in general. We like to fight but we don't like to die."
"Do you ever think of leaving Iceveng?" The girl opposite of him asked, her accent much more Sorillian than his. "I think of it all the time," She muttered.
"I do, at times, but I couldn't go alone," Nulix whispered. "I hate being alone. Where would you go?"
"Neah, Reloda," The girl replied, before taking a pause to suck in the smoke from Nulix's cigar. "I would go there, take the initiation, live as they live."
"What is the initiation, its like being one with nature, being immersed with the Neahian history, the Neahian Roots," Nulix said.
"Something like that," The girl replied. "It shows the wonder and beauty of the Neahian world. It is so you can live through all the lives of thousands of years."
"And so that all Neahian offspring's like the Kingsmen can see that the Neahians are not the women killing slave masters that the Holy Book of the Matran says they are, right?" Nulix chuckled. "When so much of history is mixed with religion and politics one wonders what the true history of the Neahians are, what the history of these worlds are."
The girl gave a sigh and buried her head in a pink pillow.
"What?" Nulix asked.
The girl looked up and shook her head. "Its just," She began. "Well, can't anything be holy with you?"
Nulix opened his mouth to reply and then paused. "No," He said at last. "I see thinks too practically for any... spiritual beliefs or understanding to come into view. I won't go in the opposite direction of logic when analyzing things. I can't. You can, and you can also go back to your desert hut, herd sheep, and pray that one day God or the spirits of the Neahians fictitious past will transport you to Neah. Or you can choose to logically find a ship and get in it and fly there."
"Nulix, stop being a prick," Vecked called, pelting Nulix lightly in the head with a pebble. Nulix glanced up and smiled.
"Vecked!" Nulix exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. "Its good your here, you can settle something between me and Davix. Also, meet Alexane Lordton, from a village in the south of the city."
"I didn't realize there was a 'south of the city," Vecked said, giving a smile to the girl, before following Nulix through the crowd of people to Davix's booth. Davix lay alone, his hair soaking wet with water, and an empty bronze cup on the ground below him. "I assume Ms. Lancerspring didn't care for your brutish charm?" Nulix asked as they approached.
"Funny, how old are you again, Nulix?" Davix asked.
"You know how old I am, seventeen," Nulix said slowly.
"I'm sorry, how old?" Davix asked again, putting his hand to his ear.
"Alright, calm down," Nulix replied, clearly getting annoyed. "Vecked's here now so he can settle our problem."
Davix instantly sat straight at the words, his face serious.
"Heres the problem," Nulix started, sitting next to Davix. "The Guards in the city want certain people, mainly Generals Jeveck, Apulix, and Propriux, hung."
"For their massacre of the guards?" Vecked muttered.
"Yeah, see you and Vorac spared most of the guards on your path, and Malkini... well, a fair amount. But those three, they just massacred everything. Men, women, guards. Everything. You really don't want to go to the east side of the city, Vecked. You really don't."
"Alright, well Propriux already died in the attack, which you should share with the remaining city guards, Nulix. We'll hang the other two," Vecked shrugged.
"You do pick off Generals of our army rather carelessly, Vecked, especially considering you are one," Davix muttered.
"Hey. Jeveck and Apulix have no power in the army. Malkini will agree. Its better to have two dead useless Generals than a civil war in a newly conquered city," Vecked said. "So was that it?"
"No, they want Davix dead too," Nulix said.
Vecked paused. "Well... we can't have Davix dead, can we?"
"No, you can't," Davix muttered, lifting his glass to take a sip before realizing it was empty.
"I'll write a speech to win hearts plus minds," Nulix sighed, standing up. "You won't die while we still need you, Davix Nobleton."
"I know, Nulix Princeton," Davix said with a smile. "I know."
***
Nulix and Vecked emerged from the base and back into the city streets. "That was a very smokey room," Vecked commented as the two walked lazily back toward the palace. "If we got some sort of fire gas in there we could get the whole place in flames. Then Davix would die without anyone killing him, and his men would be neutral, if not slightly leaning toward the Princeton party..."
Nulix paused at Vecked's words, then chuckled, then sighed. "Vecked shut up. Your tired."
"I am," Vecked muttered, rubbing his eyes slightly. The sky was red and the sun was rising on the horizon. "God in heaven, its morning and I haven't slept," Vecked said as they walked up the palace steps. The two made their way to the balcony where Artemis was waiting in a wooden chair.
"Here he is, the man of the hour," Nulix said, sitting himself down opposite of Artemis. Vecked, lacking a chair, leaned against the balcony's ledge. "So, Artemis," Vecked began. "Whats up?"
Vecked walked through the streets of Tristanople. The buildings were scorched black and the bronze armored bodies of the old city guards were piled and set aflame, Kingsmen guards standing around them with buckets of water to make sure the flames did not spread. Each of the guards gave a slight nod of recognition as Vecked walked by. Vecked soon reached the old guard base, only a few streets from the palace. The bodies had been completely cleaned from this area, and the citizens of Tristanople, the desert Kingsmen, were once again roaming through the streets and returning to their houses. Vecked raised his hand to greet the guards who stood outside the base.
"Your brother is inside, so is Davix," One of the guards responded, not bothering to give Vecked a proper greeting.
"And wheres Vorac?" Vecked asked, wondering where the only other sane General in the ragtag army was.
"Not here," The guard replied with a small shrug.
Vecked nodded before pushing the door open and walking down the steps into the underground lounge of the base. Vecked coughed slightly as thick smoke from incense and cigars greeted him. Inside Nulix and Davix sat, along with several other guards, both from Malkini's army and from the city, silk bound desert Kingsmen girls in their arms.
"Well I don't know if I would say its fun," Nulix said, stretching his laying body slightly along the purple pillow, laying with him a dark haired dark eyed desert Kingsmen girl nearly half his height. "I mean I don't do much in the army, you know? I write speeches, for everyone, not just Malkini," Nulix said, before taking a pause to suck on his cigar. Nulix let the light brown rod drop from his mouth along with thick smoke before continuing his thoughts. "And the thing is you have to realize everyone wants something different from their speeches, they all want the speeches to work for them, you know?" Nulix said. "That's the problem with the army. Its a divided force, and a cowardly one if we don't have a huge advantage. That's the problem with us, with Kingsmen in general. We like to fight but we don't like to die."
"Do you ever think of leaving Iceveng?" The girl opposite of him asked, her accent much more Sorillian than his. "I think of it all the time," She muttered.
"I do, at times, but I couldn't go alone," Nulix whispered. "I hate being alone. Where would you go?"
"Neah, Reloda," The girl replied, before taking a pause to suck in the smoke from Nulix's cigar. "I would go there, take the initiation, live as they live."
"What is the initiation, its like being one with nature, being immersed with the Neahian history, the Neahian Roots," Nulix said.
"Something like that," The girl replied. "It shows the wonder and beauty of the Neahian world. It is so you can live through all the lives of thousands of years."
"And so that all Neahian offspring's like the Kingsmen can see that the Neahians are not the women killing slave masters that the Holy Book of the Matran says they are, right?" Nulix chuckled. "When so much of history is mixed with religion and politics one wonders what the true history of the Neahians are, what the history of these worlds are."
The girl gave a sigh and buried her head in a pink pillow.
"What?" Nulix asked.
The girl looked up and shook her head. "Its just," She began. "Well, can't anything be holy with you?"
Nulix opened his mouth to reply and then paused. "No," He said at last. "I see thinks too practically for any... spiritual beliefs or understanding to come into view. I won't go in the opposite direction of logic when analyzing things. I can't. You can, and you can also go back to your desert hut, herd sheep, and pray that one day God or the spirits of the Neahians fictitious past will transport you to Neah. Or you can choose to logically find a ship and get in it and fly there."
"Nulix, stop being a prick," Vecked called, pelting Nulix lightly in the head with a pebble. Nulix glanced up and smiled.
"Vecked!" Nulix exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. "Its good your here, you can settle something between me and Davix. Also, meet Alexane Lordton, from a village in the south of the city."
"I didn't realize there was a 'south of the city," Vecked said, giving a smile to the girl, before following Nulix through the crowd of people to Davix's booth. Davix lay alone, his hair soaking wet with water, and an empty bronze cup on the ground below him. "I assume Ms. Lancerspring didn't care for your brutish charm?" Nulix asked as they approached.
"Funny, how old are you again, Nulix?" Davix asked.
"You know how old I am, seventeen," Nulix said slowly.
"I'm sorry, how old?" Davix asked again, putting his hand to his ear.
"Alright, calm down," Nulix replied, clearly getting annoyed. "Vecked's here now so he can settle our problem."
Davix instantly sat straight at the words, his face serious.
"Heres the problem," Nulix started, sitting next to Davix. "The Guards in the city want certain people, mainly Generals Jeveck, Apulix, and Propriux, hung."
"For their massacre of the guards?" Vecked muttered.
"Yeah, see you and Vorac spared most of the guards on your path, and Malkini... well, a fair amount. But those three, they just massacred everything. Men, women, guards. Everything. You really don't want to go to the east side of the city, Vecked. You really don't."
"Alright, well Propriux already died in the attack, which you should share with the remaining city guards, Nulix. We'll hang the other two," Vecked shrugged.
"You do pick off Generals of our army rather carelessly, Vecked, especially considering you are one," Davix muttered.
"Hey. Jeveck and Apulix have no power in the army. Malkini will agree. Its better to have two dead useless Generals than a civil war in a newly conquered city," Vecked said. "So was that it?"
"No, they want Davix dead too," Nulix said.
Vecked paused. "Well... we can't have Davix dead, can we?"
"No, you can't," Davix muttered, lifting his glass to take a sip before realizing it was empty.
"I'll write a speech to win hearts plus minds," Nulix sighed, standing up. "You won't die while we still need you, Davix Nobleton."
"I know, Nulix Princeton," Davix said with a smile. "I know."
***
Nulix and Vecked emerged from the base and back into the city streets. "That was a very smokey room," Vecked commented as the two walked lazily back toward the palace. "If we got some sort of fire gas in there we could get the whole place in flames. Then Davix would die without anyone killing him, and his men would be neutral, if not slightly leaning toward the Princeton party..."
Nulix paused at Vecked's words, then chuckled, then sighed. "Vecked shut up. Your tired."
"I am," Vecked muttered, rubbing his eyes slightly. The sky was red and the sun was rising on the horizon. "God in heaven, its morning and I haven't slept," Vecked said as they walked up the palace steps. The two made their way to the balcony where Artemis was waiting in a wooden chair.
"Here he is, the man of the hour," Nulix said, sitting himself down opposite of Artemis. Vecked, lacking a chair, leaned against the balcony's ledge. "So, Artemis," Vecked began. "Whats up?"
"Weird guy," Sentrius noted as Vecked walked off. "Seems alright, though. Now, how about we get some rest you two?" Sentrius said, turning back to look at Nai and Demnix. "We'll need some eventually. Can't stay up forever. Perhaps once we leave tomorrow, we can all return to Capima for a hearty breakfast before our next mission." With that, Sentrius marched off to the group's tent, ready to get some shut-eye.
***
"Looks like the prototypes are almost ready," Waymaze Sidnoise mumbled, shuffling through his research papers as he watched overhead at a production line, manufacturing what looked like miniature tanks, about the size of a human child. "Now, if we can only get the funds from the higher-ups for my tech suit, we'll be golden," the Knight General continued, as he stepped away from the production line and walked down the stairs, the clanking of his armored boots resounding throughout the building. Waymaze Sidnoise once was a prestigious black armored knight, having excelled in all categories a knight could qualify for. At a young age he was promoted to a Knight General due to tremendous victories squashing various rebellions across Sor. He lived a life many could only dream of...and yet he was unhappy. His victories in the field of battle were great and numerous, but they were not what he wanted to be known for. Discarding his black armor, Sidnoise had asked the Knight Council if he could be "promoted" to a white armored Knight, a science officer. The council granted his wish and he couldn't be happier.
Soon, his advancement in Knights weapon technology, as well as armor enhancement, gave him more renown then he could've hoped for. It also supplied him with quite a steady paycheck from the Knights. Once he had enough money, he established his own lab on Capima, watched over by the Knights of course. While, he had created enough weapons and armor for the Knights, the Council often wanted more battlefield technology. And so he began to create several new weapons for the Knights to use. His current, Knight funded project was the Maxilo-Proto tank drones. Simple battlefield drones whose A.I could be accessed by any Knight General to perform strategic combative functions. Armed with a high tension, precise laser canon fire and twin gatling guns, the tank drones were a force to be reckoned with. If they were successful enough, maybe he could upgrade them to bipedal units.
Now, while all this benefited the Knights greatly, Sidnoise couldn't care less for it. He had other aspirations, other inventions, that could not only be used for military purposes, but can be used to the benefit the people of Sor. especially during the stressful time s of war. Unfortunately, non-military purposes means lack of funding from the Knight higher-ups, even if his inventions served a military purpose as well as a civilian purpose. For example, his current pet project, the Chronos Suit, would primarily serve as a construction aid. Paper thin, the inside of the suit was lined with microscopic needles, barely even visible and never even felt by the wearer. They would inject the wearer with a type of adrenalin enhancement that would increase their durability and reflexes immensely, while increasing the rate, their body regenerates itself, thus granting ian increased healing rate. The effects would last after the suit was taken off, for about thirty minutes anyway.
The two problems he ran into with the Knight council were that he couldn't find a way for the suit to augment strength without causing strain on the wearer's body, so he just removed that aspect entirely and that he couldn't find a way to lace the suit within Knight armor. And there went his funding entirely. After that lack of funding, Sidnoise began the process of asking each and every Knight General he knew for their approval on the project. After all, it would benefit construction workers, firefighters, all sorts of non-Knight public service workers and generally humanity as a whole. How could they say no? Well...quite easily it turned out. But, Sidnoise wasn't about to give up just yet. Especially as his assistant walked into the room, bearing news of whether Dragoon would grant approval.
"Well," Waymaze asked, hopefully only to frown as his assistant looked down shamefully. "Ah, I see...Well, it figures really. Dragoon was never too fond of our weapon designs in general. Not to mention the fact that he doesn't seem to need a suit to do inhuman feats. Well, back to begging, I suppose. Whose next? Roka, right? I hear the situation with Malkini's just been...well, rectified in a sense. At any rate.l Their whole unit should return to Capima soon. If I can get Roka, and perhaps the hero Malkini, on board, then I might be able to further my research on the suit."
***
"Looks like the prototypes are almost ready," Waymaze Sidnoise mumbled, shuffling through his research papers as he watched overhead at a production line, manufacturing what looked like miniature tanks, about the size of a human child. "Now, if we can only get the funds from the higher-ups for my tech suit, we'll be golden," the Knight General continued, as he stepped away from the production line and walked down the stairs, the clanking of his armored boots resounding throughout the building. Waymaze Sidnoise once was a prestigious black armored knight, having excelled in all categories a knight could qualify for. At a young age he was promoted to a Knight General due to tremendous victories squashing various rebellions across Sor. He lived a life many could only dream of...and yet he was unhappy. His victories in the field of battle were great and numerous, but they were not what he wanted to be known for. Discarding his black armor, Sidnoise had asked the Knight Council if he could be "promoted" to a white armored Knight, a science officer. The council granted his wish and he couldn't be happier.
Soon, his advancement in Knights weapon technology, as well as armor enhancement, gave him more renown then he could've hoped for. It also supplied him with quite a steady paycheck from the Knights. Once he had enough money, he established his own lab on Capima, watched over by the Knights of course. While, he had created enough weapons and armor for the Knights, the Council often wanted more battlefield technology. And so he began to create several new weapons for the Knights to use. His current, Knight funded project was the Maxilo-Proto tank drones. Simple battlefield drones whose A.I could be accessed by any Knight General to perform strategic combative functions. Armed with a high tension, precise laser canon fire and twin gatling guns, the tank drones were a force to be reckoned with. If they were successful enough, maybe he could upgrade them to bipedal units.
Now, while all this benefited the Knights greatly, Sidnoise couldn't care less for it. He had other aspirations, other inventions, that could not only be used for military purposes, but can be used to the benefit the people of Sor. especially during the stressful time s of war. Unfortunately, non-military purposes means lack of funding from the Knight higher-ups, even if his inventions served a military purpose as well as a civilian purpose. For example, his current pet project, the Chronos Suit, would primarily serve as a construction aid. Paper thin, the inside of the suit was lined with microscopic needles, barely even visible and never even felt by the wearer. They would inject the wearer with a type of adrenalin enhancement that would increase their durability and reflexes immensely, while increasing the rate, their body regenerates itself, thus granting ian increased healing rate. The effects would last after the suit was taken off, for about thirty minutes anyway.
The two problems he ran into with the Knight council were that he couldn't find a way for the suit to augment strength without causing strain on the wearer's body, so he just removed that aspect entirely and that he couldn't find a way to lace the suit within Knight armor. And there went his funding entirely. After that lack of funding, Sidnoise began the process of asking each and every Knight General he knew for their approval on the project. After all, it would benefit construction workers, firefighters, all sorts of non-Knight public service workers and generally humanity as a whole. How could they say no? Well...quite easily it turned out. But, Sidnoise wasn't about to give up just yet. Especially as his assistant walked into the room, bearing news of whether Dragoon would grant approval.
"Well," Waymaze asked, hopefully only to frown as his assistant looked down shamefully. "Ah, I see...Well, it figures really. Dragoon was never too fond of our weapon designs in general. Not to mention the fact that he doesn't seem to need a suit to do inhuman feats. Well, back to begging, I suppose. Whose next? Roka, right? I hear the situation with Malkini's just been...well, rectified in a sense. At any rate.l Their whole unit should return to Capima soon. If I can get Roka, and perhaps the hero Malkini, on board, then I might be able to further my research on the suit."
Good riddance, Nai thought as Vecked left, crossing her arms and turning back to Demnix and Sentrius. She was in a particulary bad mood, especially after all the comments made to her. do you really think that if you killed him you would have made it out of the city alive? What did these men know? They didn't know her. Only two people did and she intended to keep it that way. Of course, if that was true, their petty remarks would mean nothing to her. Asexualist... Was that even a word? Bah...
A weary smile came to her face, "For once Sentrius, you actually say something decent. Some rest sounds good, especially since it'll give me time to think alone..."
"Good night gentlemen," Nai muttered with a hint of sarcasm at the end as she decided to get some sleep.
A weary smile came to her face, "For once Sentrius, you actually say something decent. Some rest sounds good, especially since it'll give me time to think alone..."
"Good night gentlemen," Nai muttered with a hint of sarcasm at the end as she decided to get some sleep.
Artemis stood and headed over to the Balcony, leaning against the railing and looking out at the city, speaking to them without looking to them. “As you know, this system o government is horribly bias, even with this planet united at last there are only a few ways that it can be recognized,” he glanced to Vecked and then back to the city and closing dawn, “one is what you mentioned Vecked; if a Senator is given control over the majority interest of the planet then the nobles will recognize it and the Senate must approve. However, there are other options.” He turned about to look them in the eye. “If someone of higher clout than a Senator supported a different leader then they would no doubt have the blessings of the Nobility and the Senate.”
“Malkini will get his ships, and this planet will be united, under one name.” he showed the seal of his Princess Anora on his palm, “the 17th Princess of the Capima Family Anora de Sora.”
He let this sink in before giving Vecked a glance and turning back to the City, “With her name on the table for consideration the Senate and Nobility will have little choice, and Elliot Kingston won’t have any way to speak out without essentially committing political suicide, and with you two acting as her Regents the people won’t have anything to complain about.” He glanced back to be sure that they had heard him.
“The King has declares that after she has been granted the planet you, the Princetons, will rule in her stead from afar, assuming you accept.” He awaited their response, his hand drifted near his blade, reflex even though he shouldn’t fear attack.
“Malkini will get his ships, and this planet will be united, under one name.” he showed the seal of his Princess Anora on his palm, “the 17th Princess of the Capima Family Anora de Sora.”
He let this sink in before giving Vecked a glance and turning back to the City, “With her name on the table for consideration the Senate and Nobility will have little choice, and Elliot Kingston won’t have any way to speak out without essentially committing political suicide, and with you two acting as her Regents the people won’t have anything to complain about.” He glanced back to be sure that they had heard him.
“The King has declares that after she has been granted the planet you, the Princetons, will rule in her stead from afar, assuming you accept.” He awaited their response, his hand drifted near his blade, reflex even though he shouldn’t fear attack.
"Our republic stretching across the whole planet," Nulix whispered slowly. "We would need the rock villages from the far, far east, then the Iceveng sea, however small it is, and the islands in it. Those are the only places that may be hard to get, the rest of the planet will easily fall into line. And then there's Elliot Kingson."
"A united Iceveng, with us at its helm, sounds... wonderful. But, well... you can't kill Elliot Kingson, can you?" Vecked asked Aremis, almost hoping he would hear what he knew he wouldn't.
"A united Iceveng, with us at its helm, sounds... wonderful. But, well... you can't kill Elliot Kingson, can you?" Vecked asked Aremis, almost hoping he would hear what he knew he wouldn't.
Demnix didn't mean to ignore Nai, but the thought in his mind, the code he followed, led him to deeply consult himself on the days events. It was night now and Demnix sat in his tent, finally content with his answer. He spoke not a word and thought not a thought. Instead, he wandered the darkness to what rooming he thought belonged to Nai. He gently whispered her name, just loud enough for her to hear -if it was her. He clenched his flute and the thought of his actions. "What if she was asleep? What if it was someone else?" Eitherway, he'd forgotten to play his melody for her. "Now, remember it's F chord, D, F, B, C, D chord, F, A, C, C chord..." He droned on in his head. ((These are not based on any actual song or instrument))
Nai awoke within moments of hearing her name, having been a light sleeper since she had been a young child. A yawn escaped her as she walked over to the source that had disturbed her much needed rest. still, if she was needed then her weariness didn't matter at the moment. Sleep could be recovered later anyway.
"Yes?" Gareki muttered, making sure to keep her voice down, "Oh, Demnix. What are you doing here? Are you feeling better?"
"Yes?" Gareki muttered, making sure to keep her voice down, "Oh, Demnix. What are you doing here? Are you feeling better?"
It was as if suddenly Demnix had forgotten why he'd came to Nai. "I-I just wanted to appologize for earlier. I thought with my opperation there would be no casualties but things went wrong in my eyes. I acted out and ignored you afterward. I wanted to tell you. I'm sorry I was so strange, a-and thank you...for being there." His heart slowly pounded as he hid the flute. He felt confused all-of-a-sudden and didn't do a good job of concealing his instrument -though he thought he did. He waited for her responce. "I'm also sorry I woke you."
"No, its quite alright, I was wondering about your condition anyway. I would have asked or gone to see you before retreating to bed, but I wanted to wait till you were ready," Nai responded, catching sight of the flute. For a moment, she looked curious but her gaze quickly went back to Demnix, the same weariness as before showing.
"As for earlier, don't worry about that either. I bet there will be times when I will act strange as well, so I try not to let that get to me. After all, I wouldn't want any of you to be offended or anything when I do," Nai continued, not fully aware of what she was saying, "And if you still feel bad about it, how about letting me hear that composition of yours?"
"As for earlier, don't worry about that either. I bet there will be times when I will act strange as well, so I try not to let that get to me. After all, I wouldn't want any of you to be offended or anything when I do," Nai continued, not fully aware of what she was saying, "And if you still feel bad about it, how about letting me hear that composition of yours?"
Artemis sighed in relief as Vecked made a clear gesture of acceptance, but then came a question that made him pause, “No Senator has been assassinated on the order of the King, that said its always a shame when a Senatorial Transport Ship suffers a reactor leak or hull breach in route to Capima to vote in the Senate, but regardless of those events no Senator has ever been assassinated on the Kings orders.” He said being sure to face them only so that no one below could read his lips. He had also activated a local area jammer in his armor the moment they began speaking to be sure that no one bugged the area as he had bugged Malkini.
“Still, Elliot is the Senator of a currently war torn and low ranking planet with no high noblemen under his belt. To be blunt, he’s barely a Senator as it is and his power in the Senate is very low, I can’t think of a single issue where he led a committee to vote in an issue. He won’t pose a problem when he is confronted by the King and the nobles on his side, the reason that we are declaring the land to be Lady Anora’s is because Elliot would not dare challenge such less he loses favor of the noblemen, and only after she has taken the role officially will she name you two to be regents. I assure you that by that point Kingston won’t have any say in the matter.”
“So what do you say, do you accept?” he asked them outright.
“Still, Elliot is the Senator of a currently war torn and low ranking planet with no high noblemen under his belt. To be blunt, he’s barely a Senator as it is and his power in the Senate is very low, I can’t think of a single issue where he led a committee to vote in an issue. He won’t pose a problem when he is confronted by the King and the nobles on his side, the reason that we are declaring the land to be Lady Anora’s is because Elliot would not dare challenge such less he loses favor of the noblemen, and only after she has taken the role officially will she name you two to be regents. I assure you that by that point Kingston won’t have any say in the matter.”
“So what do you say, do you accept?” he asked them outright.
Vecked sighed, before glancing up at Artemis. "Sure. We'll talk more when Malkini's ships get here, for now I'm going to bed." Vecked moved from the balcony toward the halls of the Palace. "And Artemis, thanks for your efforts. Its a kind effort," Vecked said with a small nod, before continued into the darkness, yawning as he did.
"Artemis," Roka's voice suddenly whispered through the com. "I just finished talking with Bogby. We will come in two days, after things get really desperate. Don't tell Malkini about the deal before we arrive. If we come now and he knows what deal we have he is going to feel like he has power, like he is running negotiations. If we come in two days when his city has fallen apart on itself and he is going insane because the one place that has ships on the planet doesn't have ships he is much more likely to agree to anything. You can tell Princeton, you can tell the rest of the Knights, but don't speak of the plan to anyone else until we arrive." Roka paused. "So good luck soldier, and good work."
Nulix glanced up at Artemis and smiled. "Me and Vecked don't care much for politics," He started. "Rather we like more direct forms of control. Human roots like fear, basic wants. Vecked thinks he can rule people through fear. I like to think positive emotion wins over negative most of the time. I try to encourage the soldiers, keep the happy, even if it is through lies... faraway promises."
Nulix stood from his chair and stretched his arms slightly. "We don't like Iceveng, we don't do this for iceveng. I like Kingsmen, I like my people, but I hate this planet. And all the blackness it has in it. Elliot Kingson is a lord of trade, illegal trade. He has been stealing from farmers all over for years. He has many friends in the senate too, and in the west, Bako Bay. The east is a bit off limits, beyond the Capima Islands he doesn't have much influence, but, in Bako Bay, he has it all."
Nulix turned to Artemis and raised a tried eyebrow. "We study him a fair amount, Vecked and I. Anyway, I'm going to bed. Its six now so I'll sleep until noon or so. Goodnight Artemis."
And with that Nulix began to swagger off toward his room.
"Artemis," Roka's voice suddenly whispered through the com. "I just finished talking with Bogby. We will come in two days, after things get really desperate. Don't tell Malkini about the deal before we arrive. If we come now and he knows what deal we have he is going to feel like he has power, like he is running negotiations. If we come in two days when his city has fallen apart on itself and he is going insane because the one place that has ships on the planet doesn't have ships he is much more likely to agree to anything. You can tell Princeton, you can tell the rest of the Knights, but don't speak of the plan to anyone else until we arrive." Roka paused. "So good luck soldier, and good work."
Nulix glanced up at Artemis and smiled. "Me and Vecked don't care much for politics," He started. "Rather we like more direct forms of control. Human roots like fear, basic wants. Vecked thinks he can rule people through fear. I like to think positive emotion wins over negative most of the time. I try to encourage the soldiers, keep the happy, even if it is through lies... faraway promises."
Nulix stood from his chair and stretched his arms slightly. "We don't like Iceveng, we don't do this for iceveng. I like Kingsmen, I like my people, but I hate this planet. And all the blackness it has in it. Elliot Kingson is a lord of trade, illegal trade. He has been stealing from farmers all over for years. He has many friends in the senate too, and in the west, Bako Bay. The east is a bit off limits, beyond the Capima Islands he doesn't have much influence, but, in Bako Bay, he has it all."
Nulix turned to Artemis and raised a tried eyebrow. "We study him a fair amount, Vecked and I. Anyway, I'm going to bed. Its six now so I'll sleep until noon or so. Goodnight Artemis."
And with that Nulix began to swagger off toward his room.
Sentrius yawned, approaching Nai's tent as she spoke with Demnix. "Could you two talk any louder?" Sentrius shook his head, walking out of his tent three paces, before turning around, throwing his arms up in the air, and walking back towards it. "By the Matran...I can't even sleep anymore! And I was having an incredible dream too! You wouldn't believe it! I was commander of an entire fleet! An armada! My brother would be-..." Sentrius paused for a second. "You all should catch some shut eye before we leave tomorrow. Big days are ahead of us, amigos."
And, with that, Sentrius wandered back to his tent.
And, with that, Sentrius wandered back to his tent.
"Sorry, excuse me for a moment. My apologies Demnix," Nai muttered rapidly, remembering something. She ran after Sentrius and whispered rather loudly, "Oi, Sentrius! When Demnix and I were discussing earlier, you tried to tell me something. Do you still recall it? I do apologize about keeping you up, but I have to know."
"I was talking about my dream," Sentrius shrugged. "It was pretty glorious. I wore an armor with gold plating. Gold! Magnificent, don't you think? Anyway, I don't quite understand why you need to know. I barely remember most of it as it is..."
"Not about the dream, ealier on the ship when Demnix had been playing that flute of his," Nai replied, almost adding the word 'idiot' at the end, "As for the dream, well isn't that your goal? To gain all that glory. Seems like a dream you'd have every night if you asked me... Not exactly magnificent though."
She paused to yawn, making sure to cover her mouth as she did.
"And you have a brother?"
She paused to yawn, making sure to cover her mouth as she did.
"And you have a brother?"
"Not magnificent?" Sentrius questioned. "Ah, you must be tired. I was in GOLD armor Nai. GOLD armor. It was magnificent. I took down about twenty Phoenix on my lonesome. No that such a feat isn't possible for me anyway. And, uh, yes. I had a brother."
"So? Gold armor, blue armor, rainbow colored.. What does it matter when the price is paid? Magnificence is but a word as gold is a color. Think about it, what else comes with glory? Good and bad, evil if your mind sees it that way..." Nai replied, another small yawn escaping her, "If such glory is your desire, why haven't you done it yet? I'm sure there's greater glory for one who achieves all that at a much younger age than you.."
Nai smirked and looked away, "You had a brother? I don't mean to pry, and you don't have to answer if you'd like although it would stop me from pestering you in the future, but what happened to him?"
Nai smirked and looked away, "You had a brother? I don't mean to pry, and you don't have to answer if you'd like although it would stop me from pestering you in the future, but what happened to him?"
Artemis nodded as Vecked left, then heard Roka sending him a message about keeping the information to himself. He mentioned the Knights could be told but as he had only hinted at it with the Princetons and they were no doubt lost in the rest of his words he saw no reason to tell anyone at all.
He looked to Nulix as he spoke, he reminded him a lot of Raziel, the younger prince, “Nulix, your young still, but when you enter the world I believe you’ll see that there is a lot more grey out there than any other color, except for in politics. In Sorillian politics the only color is gold.” He said wearily. “Good night Princeton, there is much to be done and I think Malkini will call on you and your brother much more than me in the coming days.” He was referring to his striking the man, and frankly he was tempted to challenge him to a duel, however his honor would have to wait as now was not the time or the place.
He turned as Nulix left to gaze out at the city, the dawn just cresting over it, the peace and tranquility of the morning undisturbed by the atrocities of the previous night. “This land has many Scars, my lady, do you think you can heal them as you did mine?” he asked to himself as he watched the sun rise. The others would need more rest then he would, having been trained for long hours, and they deserved the rest.
Nai and the others probably thought of him horribly for having stopped them from assaulting Malkini, but having had a brief encounter with the man’s combat abilities he wasn’t sure they would have been able to kill him in one strike. He was a battle hardened man after all, but his cruelty made him a man of little to no honor. As this thought occurred to him he decided then and there that Malkini would never step foot in the Palace or on Capima again, for him there was only one end. If the coming war did not end the man’s disgrace upon the name of Sor, then he would.
He looked to Nulix as he spoke, he reminded him a lot of Raziel, the younger prince, “Nulix, your young still, but when you enter the world I believe you’ll see that there is a lot more grey out there than any other color, except for in politics. In Sorillian politics the only color is gold.” He said wearily. “Good night Princeton, there is much to be done and I think Malkini will call on you and your brother much more than me in the coming days.” He was referring to his striking the man, and frankly he was tempted to challenge him to a duel, however his honor would have to wait as now was not the time or the place.
He turned as Nulix left to gaze out at the city, the dawn just cresting over it, the peace and tranquility of the morning undisturbed by the atrocities of the previous night. “This land has many Scars, my lady, do you think you can heal them as you did mine?” he asked to himself as he watched the sun rise. The others would need more rest then he would, having been trained for long hours, and they deserved the rest.
Nai and the others probably thought of him horribly for having stopped them from assaulting Malkini, but having had a brief encounter with the man’s combat abilities he wasn’t sure they would have been able to kill him in one strike. He was a battle hardened man after all, but his cruelty made him a man of little to no honor. As this thought occurred to him he decided then and there that Malkini would never step foot in the Palace or on Capima again, for him there was only one end. If the coming war did not end the man’s disgrace upon the name of Sor, then he would.
"Hahaha," Sentrius chuckled. "Gold is a color of royalty. As is purple and I believe that was the color of my cape in my dream. As for all that other stuff you said about glory...it's complete nonsense. Good, evil, what are you talking about? Glory is being the one who singlehandedly saves an entire village from the brink of destruction. Glory is when just the mention of your name inspires people to do better and work harder. Glory is what every Knight should strive and live for. That and justice. Glory is being recognized fro your heroic nature and continuing to act upon it" Sentrius sighed. "And as for my brother. That's nothing you should be concerned about, really. Sacrificed himself in the name of the Knights."
"Red is the color of bloodshed, white is that of victory and purity, green is death.. " Nai uttered with a hint of irritation, "Glory is a reward for following orders blindly. Glory is what inspires selfishness and the need to do anything with or without reason. Glory is not what we should strive for, but honor, kleos! Justice and peace follow...The reward should be the knowledge of having done a good thing, everything else comes as a bonus. And aren't we all expected to sacrifice ourselves for such an organization?"
"I don't know about you," Sentrius smiled. completely oblivious to Nai's reputation. "But to me, Glory Just comes with the rest, including sacrifice. For instance, will Commander Yoff be glorified for his, erm, less than noble assault on Usin nad unfortunate death? No. But, will the Legendary General Grunzin be recognized for all eternity for his daring rescue attempt of Sor prisoners from Neahian clutches and his tragic execution at the hands of said Neahians as he ensured the prisoners escaped. Yes. And he will be honored forevermore. He achieved glory after death. Stories such as his. His glory, his legacy...inspire Knights such as myself and my brother before me...To continue to do great things. And once I become a Knight commander, I hope to do the same and show the universe my brother deserves some too. For even though his death was an honorable one, he...still receives no glory from it for...past misdeeds," Sentirus said. And, uh, let's not talk about sacrifice just yet," he added. I'm still an elite. I have a long way to go."
"Don't repeat such important men as though I haven't heard of them as well. I have heard of him, as well as many other great heroes so don't you dare assume I haven't! We are all knights and as we have all read the handbook, so too must we have heard tales of men such as the ones you mention," Nai muttered with a frown, "But what does that matter? He's dead and so will we one day. Generations to come will hear of the deeds we and those you mention have done, yet they will die too. Eventually, there will be no one left to hear of your precious glory. And if they were to survive, immortal even, what would it matter to us? To them? we'd be dead and not even able to care for such remembrance. A terrible waste, to only think about one's future, don't you think? A wise man once did."
She paused, remembering the long discussion she and Raven had once about the subject of death and memory. A brief smile came to her lips before a look of sad weariness came over her.
"Honor your brothr how you like, but I think living in the present would serve more rightly."
She paused, remembering the long discussion she and Raven had once about the subject of death and memory. A brief smile came to her lips before a look of sad weariness came over her.
"Honor your brothr how you like, but I think living in the present would serve more rightly."
"Let me ask you something," Sentrius started. "Why do you even want to be a Knight? The tales of Great Knight Heroes and Heroines were littered throughout the book every two chapters! Grunzin died over two hundred years ago. His name is still honored in throughout Sor. It is likely his name and deeds will never be forgotten Hell, you don't even have to read the handbook to know of him. He has a day named after him!" Sentrius growled, walking up to Nai, his eyes gazing down at her. "I'm sorry for whatever slum you grew up made you think like a overly glum homebody. But it's time to grow up now! You're in the Knights now, missy! Glory comes with the job! The ones who don't achieve are the ones who fade into obscurity. You spoke of honor and justice, but you're inspired by no one. It's not just me, but whole generations of Knights that remember, honor, and look up to the heroes of the past, long dead! You spoke of the present, but it seems like you're stuck in some perpetual shell waiting for the end to come or something! But hey, maybe I'm looking at this all wrong. Maybe when you're describing those knights with nothing to look forward to but the end, who have no respect for those who've died so that peace and freedom may live and ensured that we'd be here today, you're just describing yourself," Sentrius smiled smugly, before turning around. "I pity you, Tsukumo, I really do. I suppose most of us proper Knights would."
"Pity me?" Nai repeated and started to laugh, stopping abruptly, "Form your opinion how you wish of me. What does it matter to me when I know I am right? I dare not deviate from this line of thought until you or anyone else can show I have devoted myself to something completely wrong that is against Nature itself! I do now await the end, but acknowledge it with the respect it so rightly deserves for I must remind myself of it as well as life. I do apologize if I seem so cold and aloof from you and your ideals, but I cannot blame you for ignorance is truly an unsought thing. Glory is not eternal and neither is man. Eventually all things must end, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it now. I simply wish to convey the message that you shouldn't be so focused on glory for I fear it'll corrupt you eventually and tear you away from us.. However if I should be wrong, I apologize now for my obstruction."
Nai lowered her voice, knowing it had been raised a little within the earlier remarks, "You're wrong though for sure in one aspect. An heroine, by the name of Maurelia, have you heard of her? Piety and virtue shall be associated in my mind with her. Her tales many, her honor everlasting so long as a soul remembers her. Yet she never sought it out. She did was best for man at the moment and lived as one with Nature as any man or woman could. Reason was never lost from her mind and never once did she seek glory from doing so. Only the wellness of her brothers and sisters known as the knighst she served was her concern. Never cared for what other thought or did, focusing on the goal only. That is who inspires me, Maurelia, who has been mentioned to me by my beloved Raven. No one else seems to know her very well, and I doubt that she'll be mentioned very long.."
A fire burned in her eyes now, the drowsiness from before nearly gone, "I have listened to you and I'll admit glory can outlast you and of course you have been raised with this ideal that it is best to be outlived by such, but do you even acknowledge what I have to say? How can you say you're grown up when you won't even listen to another's view without getting so fired up over some simple comments. Are you truly grown? Have you come to terms that death of all things is guaranteed? Yet, is it really the end?Think what you'd like, I have only said what are my thoughts."
Nai lowered her voice, knowing it had been raised a little within the earlier remarks, "You're wrong though for sure in one aspect. An heroine, by the name of Maurelia, have you heard of her? Piety and virtue shall be associated in my mind with her. Her tales many, her honor everlasting so long as a soul remembers her. Yet she never sought it out. She did was best for man at the moment and lived as one with Nature as any man or woman could. Reason was never lost from her mind and never once did she seek glory from doing so. Only the wellness of her brothers and sisters known as the knighst she served was her concern. Never cared for what other thought or did, focusing on the goal only. That is who inspires me, Maurelia, who has been mentioned to me by my beloved Raven. No one else seems to know her very well, and I doubt that she'll be mentioned very long.."
A fire burned in her eyes now, the drowsiness from before nearly gone, "I have listened to you and I'll admit glory can outlast you and of course you have been raised with this ideal that it is best to be outlived by such, but do you even acknowledge what I have to say? How can you say you're grown up when you won't even listen to another's view without getting so fired up over some simple comments. Are you truly grown? Have you come to terms that death of all things is guaranteed? Yet, is it really the end?Think what you'd like, I have only said what are my thoughts."
"People die, legacies live on forever," Sentrius stated. "And yes, I have heard of Maurelia, but that doesn't matter. Who cares if they sought glory or not. What does that matter? They've achieved glory for doing great things. Who are you to belittle someone for having dreaming of doing something great one day? Ah, I remember. An absolute nobody. Well, not exactly nobody. You're more along the lines of the ultimate hypocrite the way you bark about people getting fired up over others opinions when you're doing the same. Hate to break it to you, but people people who do great things are remembered in the archives of history, whether that is their intention or not. No one should be put down for waking up every morning and thinking that they can one day accomplish something great and be remembered for it someday. I'm literally afraid to imagine what your childhood was like," Sentrius added smugly, before continuing, not quite knowing when to keep his mouth shut. "By, the way. All of that yakking you were doing about how you were only stating your opinion? There is such thing as a terrible opinion, as you've proven so gracefully tonight."
"Eh!" Jove exclaimed as he drunkenly walked between the two Knights and wrapped his hands around them. "I love you guys so much," Jove said, breathing into their faces as he pulled their heads toward him. "And I was just thinking about the charge and how Malkini was killing people and we all banded together and challenged him. That was great... and that's what being on a team of Elite's is about. We are the top ninety-five percent of Knights in the System. We ain't no Legionaries, we are Knight Elites! And that day when we stood up for our unified beliefs it made me realizes we are just like the famous Knights from the halls! Those teams that practically led themselves! We don't have the parent-like mentors but we have each other! And we love each other! Even if your a stinky Lutman Sentrius and Nai's a Baon peasant I still love you guys!"
Jove looked to each of them happily, burping slightly as he did.
Jove looked to each of them happily, burping slightly as he did.
Looking over the lower balcony as he headed down stairs he saw Nai, Demnix, and Sentrius speaking just outside Nai’s tent. Some debate about glory and honor and what it means to be a knight. Leaning up against the railing he listened to the discussion, easily amused by all this. He noted that Nai and Demnix had clear looks of annoyance toward Sentrius, clearly they were trying to be alone and this Knight wasn’t helping.
That was about when Jove stumbled up drunk as an academy student on their first leave. And he let out a laugh. Of course the laughter ended as he mentioned how they had all stood together against Malkini. He lost his smile as he thought about how it wasn’t Malkini who had stopped their advance,it was him. He had a lot to answer for in letting that incident go free, so he would have to start by allowing Nai and Demnix to lose these third wheels.
Vaulting over the rail he came to land behind Jove and Sentrius with a loud thud, the armor absorbing the shock from the twenty foot dropp as he stood and smiled to them. “Yes, well done Knights, you each deserese some rest and reward for your actions.” He put his arms around Sentrius and Jove and turned them about to point toward the nearest bar, “I hear this place has some amazing local breakfast cuisine, come on I’m treating.” He said merrily as he pushed them slightly toward the bar with him, leaving Demnix and Nai alone. “You know Sentrius, some of the more hailed warriors in all of Sor were once in the Royal guard, and I think you might just have what it takes to go through the training and learn our secret combat arts!” he said kindly to the man as he heaved a very drunk Jove with them. A glance over his shoulder to Nai and Demnis and he gave them a wink and pressed on with the other two Knights. Those two deserved some time to themselves, which was his opinion at least.
That was about when Jove stumbled up drunk as an academy student on their first leave. And he let out a laugh. Of course the laughter ended as he mentioned how they had all stood together against Malkini. He lost his smile as he thought about how it wasn’t Malkini who had stopped their advance,it was him. He had a lot to answer for in letting that incident go free, so he would have to start by allowing Nai and Demnix to lose these third wheels.
Vaulting over the rail he came to land behind Jove and Sentrius with a loud thud, the armor absorbing the shock from the twenty foot dropp as he stood and smiled to them. “Yes, well done Knights, you each deserese some rest and reward for your actions.” He put his arms around Sentrius and Jove and turned them about to point toward the nearest bar, “I hear this place has some amazing local breakfast cuisine, come on I’m treating.” He said merrily as he pushed them slightly toward the bar with him, leaving Demnix and Nai alone. “You know Sentrius, some of the more hailed warriors in all of Sor were once in the Royal guard, and I think you might just have what it takes to go through the training and learn our secret combat arts!” he said kindly to the man as he heaved a very drunk Jove with them. A glance over his shoulder to Nai and Demnis and he gave them a wink and pressed on with the other two Knights. Those two deserved some time to themselves, which was his opinion at least.
Any frowns on Sentrius' face due to Nai's statements or Jove's drunken rantings soon disappeared. "You really think so?" Sentrius asked. "Well, I'd always figured after I'd shot through the ranks and became the youngest Knight Commander in my generation, I'd have a go at becoming Royal Guard. I have a great sword arm, you know!"
"You know who the youngest Knight Commander was?" Jove said slowly as they walked. "His name was Teran Noble, and he was twenty-one when he became a Knight Commander. You know why you never hear of him? Because he's been erased from the history books completely, they say. A conspiracy, it is. You see Noble ruined his first mission so bad they expelled him from the Knights. He got his whole team of elites and six Legions killed. And then after he was expelled he disappeared, the secret companies of the Senate got him I reckon. They recruit people like that for their ranks, then they sail the skies and dispense justice outside the law. That's what I heard, at least."
As they walked through the morning streets a crowd of angry people began to move through. The mobs of Kingsmen were being held off by guards. In the center of the group of guards were two naked men, their hands cuffed and their legs tied to each others. "Those are two of Malkini's Generals," Jove muttered, getting a good look at them through the crowd.
As they walked through the morning streets a crowd of angry people began to move through. The mobs of Kingsmen were being held off by guards. In the center of the group of guards were two naked men, their hands cuffed and their legs tied to each others. "Those are two of Malkini's Generals," Jove muttered, getting a good look at them through the crowd.
Nai stared at the three men that were leaving, surprised to say the least at Artemis' action. Yet a small smile came to her lips and the argument she had in store left her mind, already having been somewhat forgotten when Jove had interrupted.
As she turned back to Demnix, hoping the music would put her in a relaxed state as before, she couldn't help but reflect on the argument. Sentrius had been irritating and foolhardy, but he had also made good points and saw some flaws she so desperately tried to hide from others. Hypocrite... That word stung her to her very soul. The comments about her childhood were only salt added to the wound. Nai was grateful to Artemis as she rubbed her eyes to be rid of the impending leaks in her shell.
"Sorry about that," Nai muttered with a small smile,no trace of the weakness left, "So do I get to hear your song now Demnix?"
As she turned back to Demnix, hoping the music would put her in a relaxed state as before, she couldn't help but reflect on the argument. Sentrius had been irritating and foolhardy, but he had also made good points and saw some flaws she so desperately tried to hide from others. Hypocrite... That word stung her to her very soul. The comments about her childhood were only salt added to the wound. Nai was grateful to Artemis as she rubbed her eyes to be rid of the impending leaks in her shell.
"Sorry about that," Nai muttered with a small smile,no trace of the weakness left, "So do I get to hear your song now Demnix?"
"Malkini's generals?" Sentrius questioned, looking at the commotion. "What's going on?" he asked, hoping either Artemis or Jove would give an answer.
Malkini opened his eyes wide as the morning light shun through a crack in his curtains. He quickly cleaned his eyes out and carefully stood up and began to walk toward his closet over several other sleeping villagers dressed in skimpy outfits. Malkini reached the closest and placed a purple robe on. He tied the garment by the waist and stuck his feet in leather sandals. Malkini emerged from his room where the eight privacy guards he had stationed saluted him. He moved into the main room of the palace. The King of Tristanople sat in the room along with Vecked, pouring himself a cup of hot tea. "Good-morning Commander," Vecked said, glancing up as Malkini marched toward the window. Outside a crowd surrounded a wooden stage where his two Generals Jeveck and Apulix stood naked with their hands bound. The City guards lowered rope around their necks and the floor from beneath them collapsed. As soon as the two fell the crowd erupted into cheers. "What the hell was that?" Malkini spat out the window where no could hear him. He then turned back to the two men sitting at the breakfast table. "What the hell was that?" He repeated.
"I believe Nulix Princeton executed the order sometime early this morning, at one or two," The King said, whipping a bit of cake off his lip with a napkin. "The people demanded they die. I told you Tristanople would not fold easily, Commander."
"Nulix Princeton is giving orders?" Malkini spat. "Since when?"
"Since you started your army and gave him orders," Vecked said. "Only his orders consisted of telling troops your orders. So in a sense he's been giving more orders then all of us put together."
"Sir!" The last remaining Knight General excluding Vecked and Davix yelled as he entered the room. Malkini turned to look at General Vorac, who had clearly come from the streets as his robes were covered in sand and dirt. "Take a look at this, Commander," Vorac said, handing Malkini a piece of parchment.
"Elliot Kingson, enemy of the people. The dog of the Senate and the obstacle between a free Iceveng and an oppressed one, the obstacle between you as war heroes or criminals," Malkini read aloud. His eyes dashed down the rest of the paper before glancing up at Vorac angrily. "Has this been handed out to the army?" Malkini asked slowly.
"Yes, since last night. Any soldiers whose been in any bar in the city, public or private, has seen this paper, and this as well," Vorac said slowly. "Do you want to see it?"
"Who wrote these," Malkini asked, the rage in his voice clear.
"Sir, do you want to read the second paper?" Vorac asked nervously.
"Who wrote these?" Malkini asked a second time.
"Nulix Princeton, Commander," Vorac answered, before looking down at the second piece of paper. "It says: Aden Malkini is a brute who intends to lead us all to our deaths. The man of questionable mental stability wants to lead us into battle on a far away land that has little to no influence on Iceveng's people or any other people beside its own. Malkini must be overthrown, and we must lead this army to Elliot Kingson's lands and overthrow him too so we can have the planet of Iceveng for us, the Kingsmen! All army Generals are on board, including General Davix, General Vecked, and..." The mans voice trailed off.
Malkini raised over the man, barely able to contain his anger. "What does the last part say?" He asked slowly.
"Sir, these are lies, all lies!" Vorac spat hysterically.
"What does it say!" Malkini yelled, grabbing a guards sword and raising it as if to strike Vorac.
"It says General Vorac!" Vorac cried. Malkini flung the blade down until it wedged itself into Vorac's side. The man let out a scream as Malkini pulled the blade out and let it fall to the floor along with Vorac's body.
"Well, would you look at that," Vecked muttered as he chewed a piece of cake. Malkini approached the table and flung it too its side, before marching out into the halls of the palace.
"Where are you going?" The King called.
"To find Nulix Princeton!" Malkini yelled as he marched down the hall. Vecked glanced at the King before jumping over the knocked over table and running after the Knight Commander.
***
"God in heaven," Jove muttered as they saw the two Generals hung from the rope. "We should get back to the palace. Something is happening."
"I believe Nulix Princeton executed the order sometime early this morning, at one or two," The King said, whipping a bit of cake off his lip with a napkin. "The people demanded they die. I told you Tristanople would not fold easily, Commander."
"Nulix Princeton is giving orders?" Malkini spat. "Since when?"
"Since you started your army and gave him orders," Vecked said. "Only his orders consisted of telling troops your orders. So in a sense he's been giving more orders then all of us put together."
"Sir!" The last remaining Knight General excluding Vecked and Davix yelled as he entered the room. Malkini turned to look at General Vorac, who had clearly come from the streets as his robes were covered in sand and dirt. "Take a look at this, Commander," Vorac said, handing Malkini a piece of parchment.
"Elliot Kingson, enemy of the people. The dog of the Senate and the obstacle between a free Iceveng and an oppressed one, the obstacle between you as war heroes or criminals," Malkini read aloud. His eyes dashed down the rest of the paper before glancing up at Vorac angrily. "Has this been handed out to the army?" Malkini asked slowly.
"Yes, since last night. Any soldiers whose been in any bar in the city, public or private, has seen this paper, and this as well," Vorac said slowly. "Do you want to see it?"
"Who wrote these," Malkini asked, the rage in his voice clear.
"Sir, do you want to read the second paper?" Vorac asked nervously.
"Who wrote these?" Malkini asked a second time.
"Nulix Princeton, Commander," Vorac answered, before looking down at the second piece of paper. "It says: Aden Malkini is a brute who intends to lead us all to our deaths. The man of questionable mental stability wants to lead us into battle on a far away land that has little to no influence on Iceveng's people or any other people beside its own. Malkini must be overthrown, and we must lead this army to Elliot Kingson's lands and overthrow him too so we can have the planet of Iceveng for us, the Kingsmen! All army Generals are on board, including General Davix, General Vecked, and..." The mans voice trailed off.
Malkini raised over the man, barely able to contain his anger. "What does the last part say?" He asked slowly.
"Sir, these are lies, all lies!" Vorac spat hysterically.
"What does it say!" Malkini yelled, grabbing a guards sword and raising it as if to strike Vorac.
"It says General Vorac!" Vorac cried. Malkini flung the blade down until it wedged itself into Vorac's side. The man let out a scream as Malkini pulled the blade out and let it fall to the floor along with Vorac's body.
"Well, would you look at that," Vecked muttered as he chewed a piece of cake. Malkini approached the table and flung it too its side, before marching out into the halls of the palace.
"Where are you going?" The King called.
"To find Nulix Princeton!" Malkini yelled as he marched down the hall. Vecked glanced at the King before jumping over the knocked over table and running after the Knight Commander.
***
"God in heaven," Jove muttered as they saw the two Generals hung from the rope. "We should get back to the palace. Something is happening."
Those are the two fools who lead the slaughter of the guards, and everyone in truth, on the eastern assault. They’re to be hung for their crimes, personally I’d like to kill them myself.” He said flatly as they walked on, he watched as a few stones were thrown and a few men with ropes stepped forward. “Hey!” he called over the roar of the crowd. “Don’t forget to make the drop short, wouldn’t want them to die to fast.” He suggested as he looked to the men with disgust.
“Wait.” He looked to Jove who had sobered up rather quickly and turned about to see one of the papers, he took them and turned to one of Malkini’s men, “You, who made these?”
“Wha- oh a Master Nulix sir, why?” he replied.
Artemis didn’t answer but instead turned about and giving Jove a hand to make sure he didn’t fall he headed back toward the palace. “Damn that kid!”
Arriving at the palace he saw Malkini in a rage. “Looks like I might have to fight him again, Sentrius, if you want a post as a Royal Guard in Lady Anora’s forces I can promise you such in a high position, just find Nulix Princeton quickly!” he said before heading toward Malkini, “You look agitated Commander, something wrong?” he asked in a sincere voice, one that Malkini would cleary see as mocking. If Artemis could piss him off enough he might forget Nulix, who hadn’t a chance, and throw his fury toward Artemis, who at least would stand.
“Wait.” He looked to Jove who had sobered up rather quickly and turned about to see one of the papers, he took them and turned to one of Malkini’s men, “You, who made these?”
“Wha- oh a Master Nulix sir, why?” he replied.
Artemis didn’t answer but instead turned about and giving Jove a hand to make sure he didn’t fall he headed back toward the palace. “Damn that kid!”
Arriving at the palace he saw Malkini in a rage. “Looks like I might have to fight him again, Sentrius, if you want a post as a Royal Guard in Lady Anora’s forces I can promise you such in a high position, just find Nulix Princeton quickly!” he said before heading toward Malkini, “You look agitated Commander, something wrong?” he asked in a sincere voice, one that Malkini would cleary see as mocking. If Artemis could piss him off enough he might forget Nulix, who hadn’t a chance, and throw his fury toward Artemis, who at least would stand.
"I'll say," Sentrius nodded. "Actually, shouldn't we find Malkini too? He should be pressed to know about this," Sentrius said, turning around towards his tent. "I'll go get my weapons and grab the others. I have a bad feeling..." Sentrius ran back towards his tent, grabbing a shield and his blaster/blade. Walking back towards nai and Demnix tent, Sentrius shouted, "Hey, you two! Get your butts in gear! We have a situation!"
"Out of my way!" Malkini yelled as he pushed Artemis to the side. He kicked open a door along the hall. Inside the room Nulix sat in a brown sleeping shirt and trousers, the covers of the bed everywhere but on him. As his door came crashing down Nulix sprang to awareness, falling to the ground as he did. "Commander!" Nulix said as the man marched over to him angrily.
"You little shit!" Malkini spat as he kicked Nulix's side, knocking him against a sink on the side of the room. Malkini grabbed Nulix by the hair and plunged his head into the water of the sink. Nulix struggled weakly under Malkini's grasp. "I'll kill you!" Malkini yelled as Nulix's face went red.
"Enough!" Vecked yelled as he charged into the room and pulled Malkini off of Nulix, who fell to the ground grasping for breath.
"I want the two of you and that traitorous Davix out of my city!" Malkini yelled, calming himself slightly. "If I ever see the two of you again I will end you!" And with that, the angry man marched out back into the halls of the palace.
"You little shit!" Malkini spat as he kicked Nulix's side, knocking him against a sink on the side of the room. Malkini grabbed Nulix by the hair and plunged his head into the water of the sink. Nulix struggled weakly under Malkini's grasp. "I'll kill you!" Malkini yelled as Nulix's face went red.
"Enough!" Vecked yelled as he charged into the room and pulled Malkini off of Nulix, who fell to the ground grasping for breath.
"I want the two of you and that traitorous Davix out of my city!" Malkini yelled, calming himself slightly. "If I ever see the two of you again I will end you!" And with that, the angry man marched out back into the halls of the palace.
Artemis was shoved, and stepped back holding his ground and gripping the handle of his second pistol, turning as he regained his stance he drew and took aim at the man’s head as he advanced on the boy, his finger depressing the trigger ever so lightly as the hammer was pulled back and readied to set off the chain reaction that would end this man’s life. He wasn’t necessary anymore, he wasn’t the only man who could take back Usin, if he failed then the Legions would not. He was finally ready to put an end to this as his finger pulled ever so slightly more.
The round didn’t fire, and the pistol was aimed away as one Vecked Princeton came barging past him to pull Malkini away. The man was still furious, and as he marched away banishing those who he was furious at and storming away. “His city? His Army? This man is a pompous fool if he thinks any of this is his.” He said to Vecked, calling after Malkini
“And what do you think you’ll do without any Kingsmen in your leadership to lead this Army you assembled? What chances do you have to lead an army of men who have no allegiance to you beyond that to your leaders?” he called as he placed the pistol in the holster, fighting the urge to finally end this. If only he could do so without killing the man.
He turned to Nulix, “I’ll meet you two at the Holder Inn in the southern part of the city, we’ll figure out where you can stay until this fool is dealt with. Who is he to claim this land anyway?” he asked with a frown as he to walked off to find a quiet place to think. “God I want to kill that bastard.” He cursed.
The round didn’t fire, and the pistol was aimed away as one Vecked Princeton came barging past him to pull Malkini away. The man was still furious, and as he marched away banishing those who he was furious at and storming away. “His city? His Army? This man is a pompous fool if he thinks any of this is his.” He said to Vecked, calling after Malkini
“And what do you think you’ll do without any Kingsmen in your leadership to lead this Army you assembled? What chances do you have to lead an army of men who have no allegiance to you beyond that to your leaders?” he called as he placed the pistol in the holster, fighting the urge to finally end this. If only he could do so without killing the man.
He turned to Nulix, “I’ll meet you two at the Holder Inn in the southern part of the city, we’ll figure out where you can stay until this fool is dealt with. Who is he to claim this land anyway?” he asked with a frown as he to walked off to find a quiet place to think. “God I want to kill that bastard.” He cursed.
"Artemis!" Vecked called to the man. "We won't meet you at the inn. We're leaving, but we'll be back later on." Vecked glanced at Artemis and then turned back to Nulix who was wiping blood from his nose.
"Are you alright?" Vecked asked.
"Lets find Davix and get this settled," Nulix muttered, standing up bitterly.
"Are you alright?" Vecked asked.
"Lets find Davix and get this settled," Nulix muttered, standing up bitterly.
“What- No Vecked, wait! We can’t act rash…” Vecked and Nulix were out of earshot by then, “ly, may the Matran curse this day, this entire operation banks on that fool being reasonable.”
He finally decided it would be a good time to rest. Heading into the town to purchase a room at the Inn he had mentioned, hoping they would come find him so that he could arrange their way off planet and to a defensible position, they were too important to let wonder the sand, the King’s order was clear. Arriving at the Inn he headed up to his room and closed the door, removing the armor he wore and heading to shower. He rested against the wall with the shower running, his mind quiet. All he could do now was await Roka and the others to at last arrive.
He finally decided it would be a good time to rest. Heading into the town to purchase a room at the Inn he had mentioned, hoping they would come find him so that he could arrange their way off planet and to a defensible position, they were too important to let wonder the sand, the King’s order was clear. Arriving at the Inn he headed up to his room and closed the door, removing the armor he wore and heading to shower. He rested against the wall with the shower running, his mind quiet. All he could do now was await Roka and the others to at last arrive.
Demnix had no clue what had just happened but decided to "let it rest as it had fallen". "Sure." Demnix said blandly. "We're obviously too loud here though. Do you know where I can play that wouldnt wake anyone else?" Demnix made no further attempt to hide the flute. Actually, as if in defeat, he held it out in front of him. He waited for Nai's responce, playing the song over in his head. He did this to make sure it was the right one. Yes it was. "They sure love to talk, don't they?" Demnix laughed, watching Sentrius and the drunken Malkini trail away.
"Yes they do," Nai responded with a small smile, looking a bit distracted as she gazed out at nothing in particular, "As to where to go, I have no idea really. How about we just walk around and find a place to go?"
Malkini slammed the door of his personal room. "You!" Malkini spat, pointing to a Kingsmen servant who stood with her head down in the corner of the room. "Whats your name?"
"Nieca Castles," The girl said slowly, glancing up slowly.
"You are the new Supreme General of the Propro Army," Malkini said. "Now, your first order of business is to assemble my army at the town wall."
The girl gave a quick, confused nod, before exiting the chambers. Malkini gave a long, angry sigh as he dropped his robes to the floor. "I swear these brutes will be the end of me," He said sourly.
***
Vecked and Nulix walked hurriedly through the bright morning streets heading toward the city walls. From behind a corner Davix jumped out, his body concealed by a cloak. He jumped out to grab Nulix, who hastily dodged his lunge. "What the hell was that?" Nulix asked.
"I swear to god, Nulix, I'll kill you!" Davix spat. "The soldiers turned on me in my office! They've been after me all morning! I just found these!" Davix threw the crumpled up fliers at Nulix's face. "Why in gods name would you do something like this?"
"I told him too, Davix, now calm down," Vecked said abruptly, standing between the man and his younger brother. "Now that your in this mess with us you have two options. You can join us or you can run."
"Join you in what?" Davix asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Join us in taking Iceveng," Vecked said. "Step one involves gathering the old city guard."
"They won't gather for me, they want me dead, remember?" Davix asked.
"Don't worry, tell them Vecked Princeton wants them assembled," Vecked said slowly as the group began to walk out onto the desert beyond the city wall.
***
A Kingsmen soldiers knocked hard on Artemis' hotel door. "Oi, Knight!" The Kingsmen yelled. "Hairis Malkini and the new Supreme General Castles are going to give a speech by the town wall! The army is assembling and he wants all his Knights at his speech!"
***
"Excuse me, Sir Knights," A Kingsmen soldier said as he entered the room where Sentrius and Jove were standing. "Malkini and that new General hes got are giving a speech by the town wall. You lot are invited."
***
"Lady Nai, Sir Demnix," A Kingsmen soldiers said, entering their tent massively. "I've got some good news and some not so good news. The bad news is that all your Commander's Generals are dead because they are traitors and he killed them. The good news is that you've been invited to a triumphant speech about their deaths. Malkini's gathered the army outside the wall. You two, and the rest of the Knights, are expected to be there."
"Nieca Castles," The girl said slowly, glancing up slowly.
"You are the new Supreme General of the Propro Army," Malkini said. "Now, your first order of business is to assemble my army at the town wall."
The girl gave a quick, confused nod, before exiting the chambers. Malkini gave a long, angry sigh as he dropped his robes to the floor. "I swear these brutes will be the end of me," He said sourly.
***
Vecked and Nulix walked hurriedly through the bright morning streets heading toward the city walls. From behind a corner Davix jumped out, his body concealed by a cloak. He jumped out to grab Nulix, who hastily dodged his lunge. "What the hell was that?" Nulix asked.
"I swear to god, Nulix, I'll kill you!" Davix spat. "The soldiers turned on me in my office! They've been after me all morning! I just found these!" Davix threw the crumpled up fliers at Nulix's face. "Why in gods name would you do something like this?"
"I told him too, Davix, now calm down," Vecked said abruptly, standing between the man and his younger brother. "Now that your in this mess with us you have two options. You can join us or you can run."
"Join you in what?" Davix asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Join us in taking Iceveng," Vecked said. "Step one involves gathering the old city guard."
"They won't gather for me, they want me dead, remember?" Davix asked.
"Don't worry, tell them Vecked Princeton wants them assembled," Vecked said slowly as the group began to walk out onto the desert beyond the city wall.
***
A Kingsmen soldiers knocked hard on Artemis' hotel door. "Oi, Knight!" The Kingsmen yelled. "Hairis Malkini and the new Supreme General Castles are going to give a speech by the town wall! The army is assembling and he wants all his Knights at his speech!"
***
"Excuse me, Sir Knights," A Kingsmen soldier said as he entered the room where Sentrius and Jove were standing. "Malkini and that new General hes got are giving a speech by the town wall. You lot are invited."
***
"Lady Nai, Sir Demnix," A Kingsmen soldiers said, entering their tent massively. "I've got some good news and some not so good news. The bad news is that all your Commander's Generals are dead because they are traitors and he killed them. The good news is that you've been invited to a triumphant speech about their deaths. Malkini's gathered the army outside the wall. You two, and the rest of the Knights, are expected to be there."
His rest was disturbed by a loud knocking and he drew his pistol from the corner of the shower. After a moment he realized what was going on and got into his under armor heading to the door. “Malkini demands his Knights eh?” Not my problem, I’m a diplomat, not one of his Knights.” He said as he dried his hair.
“Still I suppose I should go.” He sighed and closed the door, emerging later after the man had left in his armor. Heading down stairs he saw some of the mercenaries that were in the city befor the battle and walked over to them. “Gentlemen, remember that down payment I gave you? I have a job that needs doing.” He said as he placed his case on the table and opened it. A few minutes later he arrived at the stage just before the others and stood off to the side.
Glancing at Malkini he nodded in greeting, “Nice to see your back to your grand plan.” He said not following him up to the stage. When asked by one of the guards why he wasn’t stepping up he said, “I’m not Malkini’s Knight, and I doubt he wants me up there when I’m the most opposed to him.”
“Still I suppose I should go.” He sighed and closed the door, emerging later after the man had left in his armor. Heading down stairs he saw some of the mercenaries that were in the city befor the battle and walked over to them. “Gentlemen, remember that down payment I gave you? I have a job that needs doing.” He said as he placed his case on the table and opened it. A few minutes later he arrived at the stage just before the others and stood off to the side.
Glancing at Malkini he nodded in greeting, “Nice to see your back to your grand plan.” He said not following him up to the stage. When asked by one of the guards why he wasn’t stepping up he said, “I’m not Malkini’s Knight, and I doubt he wants me up there when I’m the most opposed to him.”
"Yeah, and some food, finally," Jove muttered in agreement as the two made their way out of the palace and onto the streets. They walked through the dry streets and toward the wall where the army was assembled in front of a wooden platform. On it Malkini stood in a flowing red robe. Jove sighed as he pushed his way past some Mercenaries who stood on the sidelines and made his way through the army toward the stage.
"Sentrius, Jove!" Malkini exclaimed as the two came. "Excellent, looks like we have all arrived then." Malkini turned to the army, who were assembled with more than a little hostility toward their fearless leader. "Now I know it is a shock to us all that our gracious Generals would pull a stunt like this," Malkini started, looking out at the army. "They have spread lies in parchments and prints, and sent it out to all of you as truth, hoping to manipulate what they thought were simple minds, simpler than theirs for they are richer than you, for they are of better birth than you!"
"Vecked Princeton was a cub from the streets you traitor!" A soldier spat angrily.
"The Princeton brothers were once indeed one of you men, but money has corrupted them. Dreams of power have corrupted them," Malkini said.
"That's you ya lying bore! Ya Sorillian scum!" A soldier spat.
"Silence!" Malkini yelled. "You are all greatful for even being in my army! You are not a Legion, you are not Royal Guard, you most certainly aren't Knights! Your Kingsmen, and this is more of a life than any of you would ever have under anyone else! You should all be grateful that you haven't been shot yet!"
A bullet suddenly flew through the back of Malkini's leg, causing him to fall forward onto the stage.
"Oh I'm sorry," Vecked Princeton said as he walked up behind Malkini, a smoking barrel pistol in his hand. "I was under the impression that if this army went to Usin they would get shot and stabbed by the citizens of the fourth largest planet in the Sora System, with one of the largest armies in the world!"
The soldiers looked up at Vecked silently. "Now, gentlemen!" Vecked said, turning to the army. "We know what we must do now! To take control of Iceveng in the eyes of Sor we must get rid of anyone who speaks against us! Elliot Kingson speaks against us!"
The army let out a roar. "Now!" Vecked continued. "Who wants to join me on a march North to the lands of the Kingsons! Who wants to join us, the Princeton Brothers, in destroying Elliot Kingson's power once and for all!"
The army burst into cheers at Vecked's words. Nulix emerged from behind the stage which caused the cheers to grow louder. "Now!" Nulix yelled, stepping slightly ahead of Vecked. "Lets march out of this city!"
"Those who would come, come," Vecked yelled. "Those who would stay, stay!"
The army cheered as they began to move. Malkini began to raise himself off the ground, causing Vecked to shoot him again through the other leg. "Goodbye Aden, promise me you'll get those wounds checked out, eh?" Vecked said with a smile, dropping the pistol in front of Malkini before hopping of the stage, Nulix following. Malkini raised himself up by the arm and grabbed the pistol, lazily aiming at Vecked as he left with the majority of the army. Malkini aimed at Vecked's head and pulled the trigger, though no bullets emerged. Malkini tried again, and then another time. Nothing came out. Malkini dropped the pistol and fell to the ground bitterly. Two medics approached him as Vecked, Nulix and most of the army left the city. Behind them Davix marched, the city guard following him.
"Vecked and Nulix Princeton," Malkini spat as the medics looked at his legs. The army had left the city when the medics got the bullets out and bandaged his legs. Malkini stood weakly with the help of his medics and looked out onto what was left of the army. Less than fifty troops and his new General. "Get me on the wall," Malkini said slowly. "I need to see how far away they are." The medics helped Malkini up the walkway along the wall until he reached the top. In the distance he saw an army. "Is that them?" Malkini asked. Jove squinted at the army approaching. "Vecked is long gone, Commander. That's not him. Look at the flag, its Sorillian blue! Its Bogby and the Legions!"
The Legions marched orderly, their muskets on their shoulders, leading them were Roka and Bogby in shinning armor and flowing capes, riding white horses. "Commander Malkini!" Roka called out as he approached the wall. "We have come with the ships! Will you negotiate?"
"I will not. I accept whatever terms you have," Malkini called back weakly.
"Very well, sir Knight!" Roka called. "Ready your army for transport! Your going to Usin! Congratulations!"
Malkini looked down at them tiredly. "If only I had an army to ready, Commander. If only I had."
"Sentrius, Jove!" Malkini exclaimed as the two came. "Excellent, looks like we have all arrived then." Malkini turned to the army, who were assembled with more than a little hostility toward their fearless leader. "Now I know it is a shock to us all that our gracious Generals would pull a stunt like this," Malkini started, looking out at the army. "They have spread lies in parchments and prints, and sent it out to all of you as truth, hoping to manipulate what they thought were simple minds, simpler than theirs for they are richer than you, for they are of better birth than you!"
"Vecked Princeton was a cub from the streets you traitor!" A soldier spat angrily.
"The Princeton brothers were once indeed one of you men, but money has corrupted them. Dreams of power have corrupted them," Malkini said.
"That's you ya lying bore! Ya Sorillian scum!" A soldier spat.
"Silence!" Malkini yelled. "You are all greatful for even being in my army! You are not a Legion, you are not Royal Guard, you most certainly aren't Knights! Your Kingsmen, and this is more of a life than any of you would ever have under anyone else! You should all be grateful that you haven't been shot yet!"
A bullet suddenly flew through the back of Malkini's leg, causing him to fall forward onto the stage.
"Oh I'm sorry," Vecked Princeton said as he walked up behind Malkini, a smoking barrel pistol in his hand. "I was under the impression that if this army went to Usin they would get shot and stabbed by the citizens of the fourth largest planet in the Sora System, with one of the largest armies in the world!"
The soldiers looked up at Vecked silently. "Now, gentlemen!" Vecked said, turning to the army. "We know what we must do now! To take control of Iceveng in the eyes of Sor we must get rid of anyone who speaks against us! Elliot Kingson speaks against us!"
The army let out a roar. "Now!" Vecked continued. "Who wants to join me on a march North to the lands of the Kingsons! Who wants to join us, the Princeton Brothers, in destroying Elliot Kingson's power once and for all!"
The army burst into cheers at Vecked's words. Nulix emerged from behind the stage which caused the cheers to grow louder. "Now!" Nulix yelled, stepping slightly ahead of Vecked. "Lets march out of this city!"
"Those who would come, come," Vecked yelled. "Those who would stay, stay!"
The army cheered as they began to move. Malkini began to raise himself off the ground, causing Vecked to shoot him again through the other leg. "Goodbye Aden, promise me you'll get those wounds checked out, eh?" Vecked said with a smile, dropping the pistol in front of Malkini before hopping of the stage, Nulix following. Malkini raised himself up by the arm and grabbed the pistol, lazily aiming at Vecked as he left with the majority of the army. Malkini aimed at Vecked's head and pulled the trigger, though no bullets emerged. Malkini tried again, and then another time. Nothing came out. Malkini dropped the pistol and fell to the ground bitterly. Two medics approached him as Vecked, Nulix and most of the army left the city. Behind them Davix marched, the city guard following him.
"Vecked and Nulix Princeton," Malkini spat as the medics looked at his legs. The army had left the city when the medics got the bullets out and bandaged his legs. Malkini stood weakly with the help of his medics and looked out onto what was left of the army. Less than fifty troops and his new General. "Get me on the wall," Malkini said slowly. "I need to see how far away they are." The medics helped Malkini up the walkway along the wall until he reached the top. In the distance he saw an army. "Is that them?" Malkini asked. Jove squinted at the army approaching. "Vecked is long gone, Commander. That's not him. Look at the flag, its Sorillian blue! Its Bogby and the Legions!"
The Legions marched orderly, their muskets on their shoulders, leading them were Roka and Bogby in shinning armor and flowing capes, riding white horses. "Commander Malkini!" Roka called out as he approached the wall. "We have come with the ships! Will you negotiate?"
"I will not. I accept whatever terms you have," Malkini called back weakly.
"Very well, sir Knight!" Roka called. "Ready your army for transport! Your going to Usin! Congratulations!"
Malkini looked down at them tiredly. "If only I had an army to ready, Commander. If only I had."
"Ah, Commander Roka!" Sentrius greeted. "Glad you could finally make it. See, there's been a bit of a situation here. You see, Malkini's army has, er, left. With the Kingsmen, at that. Terrible shame really. Malkini took two shots to the leg himself. If I had arrived in the nick of time, he would've been a bit more lucky, but alas...I was caught in the crowd."
“Artemis couldn’t help but smile as he saw the Princetons make their grand entrance. As Vecked strode past him he grabbed his shoulder and leaned close, speaking low, “You know, you could have told me about this little plot first, I would have loved to have gotten a shot at that man.” He patted the man on the shoulder and walked over to the stage to head up and stand near the rest.
As Malkini cursed and threatened and howled in his treatment Artemis got bored, heading to the wall ahead of time to watch the armies depart. Later being joined by the rest as the Legions approached.
“You’re late Commander Roka!” Artemis called down from the wall as he leaned against it and looked over to them.
After the “negotiations” Artemis stepped over to stand with Roka and Bobgy, clearly displaying his allegiance. “So, what if you had an Army? Would you take up your nation’s flag again and head to Usin to kick that rebellions ass, leaving the Princetons to do as they will?” he asked, “Or as others will of them.” he added in a hushed voice.
As Malkini cursed and threatened and howled in his treatment Artemis got bored, heading to the wall ahead of time to watch the armies depart. Later being joined by the rest as the Legions approached.
“You’re late Commander Roka!” Artemis called down from the wall as he leaned against it and looked over to them.
After the “negotiations” Artemis stepped over to stand with Roka and Bobgy, clearly displaying his allegiance. “So, what if you had an Army? Would you take up your nation’s flag again and head to Usin to kick that rebellions ass, leaving the Princetons to do as they will?” he asked, “Or as others will of them.” he added in a hushed voice.
"I would fulfill my duties as a General of the Knights and as a servant of God," Malkini called. "But now that won't happen. Vecked and Nulix Princeton have turned the army North to kill Elliot Kingson."
Roka sighed as he rubbed his brow in his leather gloves. "Artemis Maximus, this is not good," He said after a moment. "This was not the plan we wanted."
"What of Usin?" Malkini called. "How will I deal with the rebels now?"
"You'll get your Legions or you'll get a prison cell, I don't know which is more appropriate right now," Roka said. "But for now we are on the same side. Bogby's Legion's are entering the city.""
"Which Legions?" Malkini asked.
"Two-hundred and second and Two-hundred and third, both from Urakas, Commander," Bogby called proudly.
Malkini gave a slight nod before turning to his medics who helped him down the steps of the wall. The Legions marched proudly through the city, a war horn playing as they did to announce their arrival to the citizens. Bogby, Artemis, and Roka strode after the Legions to greet Malkini and his Knights. "And who are these fine people?" Bogby asked as the Knights approached.
"The one with the bent teeth are Joven, the tall ones Sentrius, the girl is Nai, the one with the flute tucked in his pocket is Demnix, and the heroic looking buffoon is Xeroux. They are all, miraculously, Knights of Sor," Malkini muttered.
"I see, and whats left of your army? Anything?" Roka asked.
Malkini turned to look at the small wooden stage. On it was his only General, and in front of it were a couple dozen troops. "There we go, that's the army of the republic, right there," Malkini said, before turning back to the military men who stood in front of him.
"Malkini, we have a small problem," Roka said slowly. "Our original plan was to supply you with ships, you would fly to Usin, do what you could do, then the republic you created here would become territory of the royal family under rule of Princess Anora, with the Princeton Brothers being the administrators of the land."
"But now they shot a Knight Commander, stole an already illegal army, and plan to go to war with a Senator of Sor," Bogby muttered. "What in gods name are we going to do?"
Roka sighed as he rubbed his brow in his leather gloves. "Artemis Maximus, this is not good," He said after a moment. "This was not the plan we wanted."
"What of Usin?" Malkini called. "How will I deal with the rebels now?"
"You'll get your Legions or you'll get a prison cell, I don't know which is more appropriate right now," Roka said. "But for now we are on the same side. Bogby's Legion's are entering the city.""
"Which Legions?" Malkini asked.
"Two-hundred and second and Two-hundred and third, both from Urakas, Commander," Bogby called proudly.
Malkini gave a slight nod before turning to his medics who helped him down the steps of the wall. The Legions marched proudly through the city, a war horn playing as they did to announce their arrival to the citizens. Bogby, Artemis, and Roka strode after the Legions to greet Malkini and his Knights. "And who are these fine people?" Bogby asked as the Knights approached.
"The one with the bent teeth are Joven, the tall ones Sentrius, the girl is Nai, the one with the flute tucked in his pocket is Demnix, and the heroic looking buffoon is Xeroux. They are all, miraculously, Knights of Sor," Malkini muttered.
"I see, and whats left of your army? Anything?" Roka asked.
Malkini turned to look at the small wooden stage. On it was his only General, and in front of it were a couple dozen troops. "There we go, that's the army of the republic, right there," Malkini said, before turning back to the military men who stood in front of him.
"Malkini, we have a small problem," Roka said slowly. "Our original plan was to supply you with ships, you would fly to Usin, do what you could do, then the republic you created here would become territory of the royal family under rule of Princess Anora, with the Princeton Brothers being the administrators of the land."
"But now they shot a Knight Commander, stole an already illegal army, and plan to go to war with a Senator of Sor," Bogby muttered. "What in gods name are we going to do?"
“Roka, how do you think we were going to remove Kingson? Personally I think their method might work in our favor” he added cautiously in a low voice to the man as he walked over to the others.
“Here is what I think you should do Aden; you’ll lead these legions with Bobgy to take on the army directly, mean while Roka and the rest of us will move behind their lines and capture the Princetons.” He suggested as he grabbed a longsword from the nearest soldier and held the handle to Malkini, “And for that action, you will be given a chance to lead another force to Usin, and if successful there we will find a way to suspend your sentence.”
“Does that satisfy you and the General, Commander?” he asked to Roka.
“Here is what I think you should do Aden; you’ll lead these legions with Bobgy to take on the army directly, mean while Roka and the rest of us will move behind their lines and capture the Princetons.” He suggested as he grabbed a longsword from the nearest soldier and held the handle to Malkini, “And for that action, you will be given a chance to lead another force to Usin, and if successful there we will find a way to suspend your sentence.”
“Does that satisfy you and the General, Commander?” he asked to Roka.
Demnix smiled brightly. "Sure." Demnix stood outside Nai's sleeping quarters, waiting for her to get ready. When she was, he left and followed her on her walk. "Even though I ignored you earlier I heard what you were trying to do. Thank you for being there. You're my first friend outside of the academy and my only friend as of now." Demnix gave a smile and continued with Nai.
Roka sighed. "They outnumber us at this point. You army had six-thousand men, Aden."
"Plus another thousand from the city guard they took with them," Malkini added.
"And we have two Legions," Jove muttered. "That's seven-thousand Kingsmen against two-thousand Legionaries. We have superior fighting power but still we're outnumbered."
"The army will be easy to defeat if it has no leadership," Bogby said. "If we eliminate the Princeton's the army will collapse on itself."
Malkini nodded slowly. "Its about at three day trip to the edge of the Kingson's lands. At the edge from the south the lands are blocked by a lake. Now, above the lake are rock formations and it is possible to move atop the rocks and the pillars to reach the northern side. I believe Vecked may try to move an army across it to save time. Going through the lake instead of across it could save a man a good four or five days of traveling."
"Elliot Kingson would have snipers stationed all throughout the pillars of the lake," Jove muttered. "Vecked's army would be destroyed."
"Completely destroyed if they didn't even have Vecked to guide them," Bogby finished with a smile.
Malkini glanced up. "We'll move the two Legions across the lake from the North and tell Elliot Kingson the situation. Meanwhile the Knights will go in and arrest Vecked and Nulix, leading the army in Davix's hands. He will changelessly wander the army across the lake on the pillars, they will loose a good four-thousand men by sniper fire, and then we will finish off the last three-thousand men at the end. Three-thousand Kingsmen versus two-thousand Legionaries is a fight, admittedly, but an easy one."
Roka gave a nod. "Excellent. Does anyone have anything to add to the plan?"
"Plus another thousand from the city guard they took with them," Malkini added.
"And we have two Legions," Jove muttered. "That's seven-thousand Kingsmen against two-thousand Legionaries. We have superior fighting power but still we're outnumbered."
"The army will be easy to defeat if it has no leadership," Bogby said. "If we eliminate the Princeton's the army will collapse on itself."
Malkini nodded slowly. "Its about at three day trip to the edge of the Kingson's lands. At the edge from the south the lands are blocked by a lake. Now, above the lake are rock formations and it is possible to move atop the rocks and the pillars to reach the northern side. I believe Vecked may try to move an army across it to save time. Going through the lake instead of across it could save a man a good four or five days of traveling."
"Elliot Kingson would have snipers stationed all throughout the pillars of the lake," Jove muttered. "Vecked's army would be destroyed."
"Completely destroyed if they didn't even have Vecked to guide them," Bogby finished with a smile.
Malkini glanced up. "We'll move the two Legions across the lake from the North and tell Elliot Kingson the situation. Meanwhile the Knights will go in and arrest Vecked and Nulix, leading the army in Davix's hands. He will changelessly wander the army across the lake on the pillars, they will loose a good four-thousand men by sniper fire, and then we will finish off the last three-thousand men at the end. Three-thousand Kingsmen versus two-thousand Legionaries is a fight, admittedly, but an easy one."
Roka gave a nod. "Excellent. Does anyone have anything to add to the plan?"
“Agreed, though personally I’m against leaving the army to be slaughtered, if we take Davix they would just disperse.” He reasoned, not wanting to cause unnecessary bloodshed.
“As for distractions, do those ships you brought have weapons?” he asked. “Any fighters you have could easily be used to cause some major hell and give us a chance to move in under the radar.”
Thinking for a moment more he said, “And first, I think I’ll go in alone ahead of you guys, regardless of what they have done they should still be thinking I’m on their side.” he said, thinking that they weren’t far off.
“As for distractions, do those ships you brought have weapons?” he asked. “Any fighters you have could easily be used to cause some major hell and give us a chance to move in under the radar.”
Thinking for a moment more he said, “And first, I think I’ll go in alone ahead of you guys, regardless of what they have done they should still be thinking I’m on their side.” he said, thinking that they weren’t far off.
"Artemis, don't," Roka warned. "You can't take an army alone. And if Vecked is smart you'll have to get through an army to get to him. The Knight's travel together. Nai, Demnix, Artemis, Jove, Xeroux and Sentrius. Only unified can you all defeat the army leaders."
He almost began to retort when he realized they were right, if he left not everything would go as planned. “Very well Commander, then what’s the plan? I could get us into a city easy enough but a pillar with an army, unless you have a cloaked ship or an orbital drop system I’m at a loss.” he asked. While the others hopefully had trained for drop operations Artemis had never dropped from sub-orbit to infiltrate an enemy position, it would be a bit loud now that he thought about it.
"I'm sorry I woke you, Nai." Demnix said, fiddling with the flute as they walked. He was waiting for her to pick a spot. He was just happy to be walking and talking with her. His head was spinning with questions he'd been asking himself. "Do I actually like her? Of course she's a good person and a good friend, but do I like her more than that? Does she like me? Would it be ok for us to date if we did like eachother? Would she even want to?" He stopped himself from asking those questions. He looked down at his old bamboo Pan Flute and smiled. "I learned more than you dad."
"Ah, no, no its alright," Nai reassure Demnix, "I apologize if I seem a bit out of sorts, its just the news that soldier brought has me thinking. Ah, but I'm sure its nothing."
Nai smiled at Demnix, her mind already past the argument of before. Her mood seemed to have improved and the only sign of preoccupation was in her eyes which glanced from time to time in the direction the soldier had gone. Otherwise, her attention was solely on Demnix and the anticipation of listening to his song.
"Your welcome for earlier and I'm glad I mean something to you," Nai continued, beaming, "For some reason I've always found it difficult to form bonds with others, especially with my own parents. Ah, but anyway, I think this spot will do."
The spot she chose was a litte ways off the camp. It was remote enough so they could talk in private yet close enough that if they were needed, they would be easy to find. She sat down on the ground and motioned him to take a seat as well.
Nai smiled at Demnix, her mind already past the argument of before. Her mood seemed to have improved and the only sign of preoccupation was in her eyes which glanced from time to time in the direction the soldier had gone. Otherwise, her attention was solely on Demnix and the anticipation of listening to his song.
"Your welcome for earlier and I'm glad I mean something to you," Nai continued, beaming, "For some reason I've always found it difficult to form bonds with others, especially with my own parents. Ah, but anyway, I think this spot will do."
The spot she chose was a litte ways off the camp. It was remote enough so they could talk in private yet close enough that if they were needed, they would be easy to find. She sat down on the ground and motioned him to take a seat as well.
Demnix sat close to but across from Nai. "Shall I begin?" Demnix began playing his flute. The melody was calm and light. As the sound filled Nai's ears, it seemed to rejuvinate her. He played with precision, his eyes closed. He pictured the music sheet in his head. He twisted his hands round the flute like before. The notes were more hollow but at the same time filled with emotion. He played effortlessly. His sound was perfect. The open air accepted each note with full ears and transfered it directly to Nai. The sweet melody continued and soothing song attempted to lull Nai to sleep. This wasn't tiring, it was just so peaceful.
As the melody wove its magic into Nai, her eyelids felt heavy and her mind cleared. The limbs so tightly wound from impending danger loosened and her posture slackened a little from its usual uptight position. The thoughts that cluttered her mind, making it impossible to analyze the situation without some grief, now aligned themselves in a way they could be looked over and quickly forgotten. Sleep beckoned with tantalizing words of fulfilling promises yet one thing prevented her from accepting those enticing notes of utter surrender.
Just like the man, even the thought of Sentrius was absolutely irritating. Her composure was lost to him, that ignorant imbecil! She was trying so hard to align herself with Raven's teachings to become a better knight and yet it was impossible with him around! Or maybe it was the teachings themselves that were doing that exact thing. Perhaps the fact she didn't want to be a knight in the first place? No! It had to be that man. It just had to be. Sentrius, why couldn't she be rid of him from her mind..
Nai closed her eyes, about to fall into a light doze. A small smile lit her face as a feeling of peace washed over her, truly delighted by Demnix's playing. Her last thought a comforting one as she realized that in case of anything, the other knights could find them quickly.
Just like the man, even the thought of Sentrius was absolutely irritating. Her composure was lost to him, that ignorant imbecil! She was trying so hard to align herself with Raven's teachings to become a better knight and yet it was impossible with him around! Or maybe it was the teachings themselves that were doing that exact thing. Perhaps the fact she didn't want to be a knight in the first place? No! It had to be that man. It just had to be. Sentrius, why couldn't she be rid of him from her mind..
Nai closed her eyes, about to fall into a light doze. A small smile lit her face as a feeling of peace washed over her, truly delighted by Demnix's playing. Her last thought a comforting one as she realized that in case of anything, the other knights could find them quickly.
Demnix noticed Nai's sleepy position. He softened his playing so the notes quieted. He ended hispiece ad smiled at the dosing Nai. "Why do you make me smile s much?" He quietly asked, unsure if she was sleeping or not. He smiled quite a bit even then. His eyes darted around her figure. He let out a quick sigh and another smile before stagazing and enjoying the night air. "What could you be thinking about, Nai? What is going on in that ever-stern mind?" Demnix looked back to his last few days in the academy.
Demnix walked the court. He was distraught and frowning. "What's wrong?" A girl asked, approaching him. "Hello Rachel. I'm waiting for master to finish my report." Demnix looked around. "You'll do fine." Rachel said, walking away with a smile. "You're always head of the class." Demnix paced back and fourth. "She's so nice." He thought to himself. His hands crossed behind his back. A man came out of the building behind him. "Demnix Valorai," He said, his voice scruffed. "You are rushed and tactical. You overthink yourself and overprocess your thoughts." Demnix looked down. His field report was on his mind for months. "You remind me of myself." He laughed. "Relaxing your mind doesn't make you less of a night. You'll make a fine guardian. I'm passing you." Demnix smiled as he was given his report. "Thank you sir."
His master then walked to another person. "Richard," Richard erected himself. "You're an easy going rebel who doesn't see the big picture when it's nearest." Richard grinned. "You are passing because you have great combat skills. Just remember that if you don't get serious, you're going to die." Richard left. "This concludes the field report."
Looking back further Demnix realized that Sentrius reminded him of Richard and Nai of Rachel.
Demnix walked the court. He was distraught and frowning. "What's wrong?" A girl asked, approaching him. "Hello Rachel. I'm waiting for master to finish my report." Demnix looked around. "You'll do fine." Rachel said, walking away with a smile. "You're always head of the class." Demnix paced back and fourth. "She's so nice." He thought to himself. His hands crossed behind his back. A man came out of the building behind him. "Demnix Valorai," He said, his voice scruffed. "You are rushed and tactical. You overthink yourself and overprocess your thoughts." Demnix looked down. His field report was on his mind for months. "You remind me of myself." He laughed. "Relaxing your mind doesn't make you less of a night. You'll make a fine guardian. I'm passing you." Demnix smiled as he was given his report. "Thank you sir."
His master then walked to another person. "Richard," Richard erected himself. "You're an easy going rebel who doesn't see the big picture when it's nearest." Richard grinned. "You are passing because you have great combat skills. Just remember that if you don't get serious, you're going to die." Richard left. "This concludes the field report."
Looking back further Demnix realized that Sentrius reminded him of Richard and Nai of Rachel.
Xeroux stood in the doorway of the bedroom, a small smile on his face despite what had happened that evening. He enjoyed Demnix's playing, and saw the happiness it brought Nai. A small picture of peace in a war crazed universe. He sighed, turning his back to the pair, mind on Vecked.
"Why, Vecked? Why did you use such extreme measures to attain what you could have otherwise gotten by acting civil?" He shook his head, an uneasy feeling in his gut. How many other "friends" would turn enemy? If this is what it meant to be a Knight, betraying those you come close to, he wanted out.
He stepped from the ship and an idea struck him. He wasn't going to quit, or lose hope. Instead he was going to change the way things were done, he would rise though the ranks and begin an overhaul, make the Knights keepers of peace, not the harbingers of war he was starting to see.
"I can't do anything in this blue armor though..." He smiled pulling its communicator from its holder in a small compartment on his leg.
"Knight Elite, Xeroux Falcus?" Came the boy's voice on the other end as Xeroux opened the communicator. "Yes, Identification number 937-689-425-287."
"Okay. What can I help you with today, Sir Xeroux?"
A Devilish grin crossed Xeroux's face as he said, "Please ship my proper armor to Iceving via our ship's transporter. I realize it is only to be used for staple items, but this is a special case. Authorization can be attributed to myself. I'll accept any repercussions that may arise for using the transporter, although I don't foresee any issues."
Xeroux could hear typing on the other end as the paige searched his terminal. "Okay sir let me just search your armor in the system really quick, and- Y-you're a black Knight? My apologies sir, I wasn't aware, the armor will be sent as soon as it has been gathered from the armory. I see that the alterations have been completed and the armor software is up to date with the latest technology, even some features your current blue armor doesn't have!"
"Thank you, and I'll be waiting. Have a good rest of your day!" He closed the communicator, snapping it back into its compartment.
He headed back to the ship, to wait by the transporter.
"Why, Vecked? Why did you use such extreme measures to attain what you could have otherwise gotten by acting civil?" He shook his head, an uneasy feeling in his gut. How many other "friends" would turn enemy? If this is what it meant to be a Knight, betraying those you come close to, he wanted out.
He stepped from the ship and an idea struck him. He wasn't going to quit, or lose hope. Instead he was going to change the way things were done, he would rise though the ranks and begin an overhaul, make the Knights keepers of peace, not the harbingers of war he was starting to see.
"I can't do anything in this blue armor though..." He smiled pulling its communicator from its holder in a small compartment on his leg.
"Knight Elite, Xeroux Falcus?" Came the boy's voice on the other end as Xeroux opened the communicator. "Yes, Identification number 937-689-425-287."
"Okay. What can I help you with today, Sir Xeroux?"
A Devilish grin crossed Xeroux's face as he said, "Please ship my proper armor to Iceving via our ship's transporter. I realize it is only to be used for staple items, but this is a special case. Authorization can be attributed to myself. I'll accept any repercussions that may arise for using the transporter, although I don't foresee any issues."
Xeroux could hear typing on the other end as the paige searched his terminal. "Okay sir let me just search your armor in the system really quick, and- Y-you're a black Knight? My apologies sir, I wasn't aware, the armor will be sent as soon as it has been gathered from the armory. I see that the alterations have been completed and the armor software is up to date with the latest technology, even some features your current blue armor doesn't have!"
"Thank you, and I'll be waiting. Have a good rest of your day!" He closed the communicator, snapping it back into its compartment.
He headed back to the ship, to wait by the transporter.
“Gareki, are you listening?”
Glance back at him and tell him you’re paying attention. Smile to be rid of those scrutinizing eyes. Stay awake and listen. Be distracted and wander the sights. Does anyone else see this? I see it. His eyes are blazing, a greedy flame consuming the countless pages of a drama long dead. Ancient words emblazoned onto his heart, recited for the vessel upon which the ashes of regret settle. His mouth recites the word perfectly, embellishing the heartless actions with a flick of his hand, a pulsing vein, a tear for dramatic effect. Another brilliant performance.
Don’t hit me.
He pauses, his lips parting to reveal those shiny white teeth. His tongue is like a snake the way it darts out and moistens his lips again, slithering back in after being exposed to the air. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tasted my fear. Did he taste theirs? I bet he heard their screaming. Perhaps felt their limbs quivering. Probably smelled their lives. For sure, he saw the light leave their eyes.
“Are you paying attention Gareki?”
Another quick smile, fast before his face reddens even more. Don’t flinch when he slams the right hand. He’ll pay close attention to you. His officers paid close attention to him. They said he was a maniac, insane, too rowdy for his team. (His words, not mine.) A threat! A menace! An animal! No, worse. A MONSTER. He doesn’t look like a monster. At least a monster looks like what it is.
Don’t touch me.
Your old skin no longer shines and rusts in the evening sun. Were you ever in the sun? I wonder what they did with your armor when you were thrown out. I would have cast it into fire and made it into weapons. That way, you can continue doing what you once did. Did you forget your own sins? You rant on and on, venting your pain and rage on me, forever preaching you were a saint among sinners. I wish I had your armor. You tell me it used to protect you against the blows of your old friends as they “suddenly” assaulted you. Are you sure it wasn’t you throwing the punches?
“Gareki! Listen!”
He moves, that old wolf, making sure his wool isn’t ruffled. His eyes focus on me, the dying embers, a torrent of fire to cast upon his enemies in those maddened eyes! Yes, he must not give up. I must leave.
Don’t look at me.
Ah you see it don’t you? You want to seize me and hold me up to the sky. They will pay. They must pay. They just have to!
“Pay attention Gareki!”
Revenge. You see them in my eyes. Revenge. You can hear their shouts now. Revenge. Don’t. Revenge, Please. Revenge. Not me. Revenge.
Don’t love me.
~*~
Nai opened her eyes, her breaths coming in gasps as sweat ran down her forehead. She wanted to cry hysterically, scream, run. Demnix was looking at her.
"A dream," Nai muttered weakly as she covered her face with her hands, "It was just a dream."
Glance back at him and tell him you’re paying attention. Smile to be rid of those scrutinizing eyes. Stay awake and listen. Be distracted and wander the sights. Does anyone else see this? I see it. His eyes are blazing, a greedy flame consuming the countless pages of a drama long dead. Ancient words emblazoned onto his heart, recited for the vessel upon which the ashes of regret settle. His mouth recites the word perfectly, embellishing the heartless actions with a flick of his hand, a pulsing vein, a tear for dramatic effect. Another brilliant performance.
Don’t hit me.
He pauses, his lips parting to reveal those shiny white teeth. His tongue is like a snake the way it darts out and moistens his lips again, slithering back in after being exposed to the air. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tasted my fear. Did he taste theirs? I bet he heard their screaming. Perhaps felt their limbs quivering. Probably smelled their lives. For sure, he saw the light leave their eyes.
“Are you paying attention Gareki?”
Another quick smile, fast before his face reddens even more. Don’t flinch when he slams the right hand. He’ll pay close attention to you. His officers paid close attention to him. They said he was a maniac, insane, too rowdy for his team. (His words, not mine.) A threat! A menace! An animal! No, worse. A MONSTER. He doesn’t look like a monster. At least a monster looks like what it is.
Don’t touch me.
Your old skin no longer shines and rusts in the evening sun. Were you ever in the sun? I wonder what they did with your armor when you were thrown out. I would have cast it into fire and made it into weapons. That way, you can continue doing what you once did. Did you forget your own sins? You rant on and on, venting your pain and rage on me, forever preaching you were a saint among sinners. I wish I had your armor. You tell me it used to protect you against the blows of your old friends as they “suddenly” assaulted you. Are you sure it wasn’t you throwing the punches?
“Gareki! Listen!”
He moves, that old wolf, making sure his wool isn’t ruffled. His eyes focus on me, the dying embers, a torrent of fire to cast upon his enemies in those maddened eyes! Yes, he must not give up. I must leave.
Don’t look at me.
Ah you see it don’t you? You want to seize me and hold me up to the sky. They will pay. They must pay. They just have to!
“Pay attention Gareki!”
Revenge. You see them in my eyes. Revenge. You can hear their shouts now. Revenge. Don’t. Revenge, Please. Revenge. Not me. Revenge.
Don’t love me.
~*~
Nai opened her eyes, her breaths coming in gasps as sweat ran down her forehead. She wanted to cry hysterically, scream, run. Demnix was looking at her.
"A dream," Nai muttered weakly as she covered her face with her hands, "It was just a dream."
Demnix couldn't help but blush and look away as Nai caught him staring. "I-I'm sorry." he apologized absently. He looked around for a second. His eyes drifted constantly to Nai. "What is it about her?" He thought to himself. "What is it that makes something inside me burn?" He set the flute down and looked down, then back to Nai. His lips parted as if to say something, then he sighed. Finally getting his words, he looked to her again. His lips parted and he closed them awkwardly. "Why can't I speak." Every fiber of his being told him to get -no- to be closer to her. Every fiber but the small one screaming "Remember protocol!" He'd forgotten protocol. He swallowed a lump in his throat. "She can definitely tell something's wrong. Just don't let it show any more. Say something!" He yelled at himself. His head was buzzing. "Get closer." something whispered. Another lump was swallowed. "So.. A-Are you ok?" he stuttered. It was barely a question. He reddened slightly. "Why am i stuttering? She probably doesn't care for me." "You seem a little startled." He finished in a lighter tone.
The army of Kingsmen marched across the the rocky walkway of northern Iceveng. Snow had began to fall down upon them as they went. From the end of his housebound caravan Vecked watched the sky. His legs hung off the end of the caravan and in his lap was a small book bound in leather.
"Vecked," Nulix spoke quietly as he stepped from the shadows of the caravan. "I don't like this."
"I know you don't, Nulix," Vecked replied slowly, his eyes unmoving from the sky. "But that is why, at times, you have to not ask questions and trust your elder brother."
"We're not cattle, Vecked," Nulix replied. "I'm not a sheep. It doesn't make sense what your doing. We had a deal with the Artemis, he had a plan for us! The King of Sor had a plan for us and then you went and stole Malkini's army."
"An army of Kingsmen, the Neahians of Sora, Nulix. Elliot Kingson has an army, a real army from the far west, defending him. We must defeat that army, in an epic clash. That would be fitting," Vecked whispered.
"Elliot Kingson would be out of the picture if we listened to the Knights!" Nulix spat.
"The Knights would see me dead!" Vecked said, his voice raised. Vecked turned to look up at Nulix angrily. "I'm a Phoenix, Nulix Princeton. You know that. You know I've had to hide my powers from everyone in the army, from Malkini, from the Knights!" Vecked raised his hand out, small sparks flying from his fingertips. "Do you see that, Nulix? That determines what the King of Sor has for us, that determines what the world has for me. If Artemis knew I was the Matrana's most hated object do you still think he would rush to help me in any situation?" Vecked asked, his voice getting calmer as he spoke. "I'm a Phoenix, and with such great power I can either be high or low. I can stand as a god or a corpse. There is no middle-ground, there is no medium existence. I love you, Nulix. Are you with me?"
Nulix looked down at Vecked and sighed. "You make things very hard, Vecked. But I'm with you."
***
Jove shook his head as he walked to their tents, set up outside the city walls. When morning arrived the Knights, Sentrius Tetran, Xeroux Falcus, Nai Tsukumo, Demnix Valorai, Artemis Maximus, their Commander, Aden Malkini, and himself, Joven Flynn, would begin to track the treacherous Princeton brothers. Jove approached a tent and paused, his eyes turning to the large full moon that hung above the desert. Nearly three months of being a Knight and this was what he was doing. Jove resumed his course and opened the tent's curtain and walked in on Demnix standing above a laid down Nai.
"Wow, what is this?" Jove asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Vecked," Nulix spoke quietly as he stepped from the shadows of the caravan. "I don't like this."
"I know you don't, Nulix," Vecked replied slowly, his eyes unmoving from the sky. "But that is why, at times, you have to not ask questions and trust your elder brother."
"We're not cattle, Vecked," Nulix replied. "I'm not a sheep. It doesn't make sense what your doing. We had a deal with the Artemis, he had a plan for us! The King of Sor had a plan for us and then you went and stole Malkini's army."
"An army of Kingsmen, the Neahians of Sora, Nulix. Elliot Kingson has an army, a real army from the far west, defending him. We must defeat that army, in an epic clash. That would be fitting," Vecked whispered.
"Elliot Kingson would be out of the picture if we listened to the Knights!" Nulix spat.
"The Knights would see me dead!" Vecked said, his voice raised. Vecked turned to look up at Nulix angrily. "I'm a Phoenix, Nulix Princeton. You know that. You know I've had to hide my powers from everyone in the army, from Malkini, from the Knights!" Vecked raised his hand out, small sparks flying from his fingertips. "Do you see that, Nulix? That determines what the King of Sor has for us, that determines what the world has for me. If Artemis knew I was the Matrana's most hated object do you still think he would rush to help me in any situation?" Vecked asked, his voice getting calmer as he spoke. "I'm a Phoenix, and with such great power I can either be high or low. I can stand as a god or a corpse. There is no middle-ground, there is no medium existence. I love you, Nulix. Are you with me?"
Nulix looked down at Vecked and sighed. "You make things very hard, Vecked. But I'm with you."
***
Jove shook his head as he walked to their tents, set up outside the city walls. When morning arrived the Knights, Sentrius Tetran, Xeroux Falcus, Nai Tsukumo, Demnix Valorai, Artemis Maximus, their Commander, Aden Malkini, and himself, Joven Flynn, would begin to track the treacherous Princeton brothers. Jove approached a tent and paused, his eyes turning to the large full moon that hung above the desert. Nearly three months of being a Knight and this was what he was doing. Jove resumed his course and opened the tent's curtain and walked in on Demnix standing above a laid down Nai.
"Wow, what is this?" Jove asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sentrius paced back and forth in his tent. He was concentrating on the mission at hand. And as such, he couldn't sleep. On such restless nights, he'd often re-read the Knight Handbook. He left his room and walked out of his tent, reciting various rules and regulations aloud. "...Reference Page 599: Sub-Section T, indicates that a Knight should always place such requests towards the council afte-" Sentrius paused in his recital. It was that damn music again. Demnix's music. How was it that every time he wanted to have a peaceful moment to himself, that music interrupted it? He was probably playing to Nai. No surprise there. Those two know-nothing-Knights were meant for each other. And he had held out hope for Nai, too.
Sentrius shook his head and began to walk towards the source of the music. It had just stopped, but enough was enough. It was time to give that washout a little lesson in what it means to be a Knight. It means when a mission is on hand, there was no time for leisure and free time. Their full concentration should be focused on capturing the Princetons and their stolen army. Facing the tent where the music had come from, Sentrius saw that it was Nai's tent, strangely enough. She had taken up the flute too? And Jove had decided to walk in as well. Was he going to berate them too? Or was he enjoying that Godawful display of music? By the Matran, is he the only quality Knight in this pathetic squad of recruits? Shaking his head, Sentrius entered the tent...to find...
"Hey what's the big-?" Sentrius paused his words once more. This time in confusion. They were-, well Nai had appeared to have just woken up as Demnix was just standing over her. Nai seemed upset. Demnix seemed nervous. And now seemed like the perfect time to jump to (completely logical) conclusions. "Valorai, why the hell are you doing breathing all over her face!? What are you even doing here whiles she's asleep?" Sentrius asked before resting one hand on his forehead and waving the other in front of him. "Wait, don't tell me. I'm not sure if I want to hear the answer. You've just committed enough violations to fill two Knight Handbooks. I think a report should be filed. Court Marshall maybe."
Sentrius turned to look at Jove. "Flynn, you call some medical specialists, possibly a decontamination unit. We don;t know what could've been done to her," He shook his head, his eyes squinting, before he looked at Demnix once more. "Unless YOU can explain yourself Valorai, I see no way out for you. At least nothing legal." And at this, Sentrius' overreaction was over as he folded his arms waiting for an answer.
Sentrius shook his head and began to walk towards the source of the music. It had just stopped, but enough was enough. It was time to give that washout a little lesson in what it means to be a Knight. It means when a mission is on hand, there was no time for leisure and free time. Their full concentration should be focused on capturing the Princetons and their stolen army. Facing the tent where the music had come from, Sentrius saw that it was Nai's tent, strangely enough. She had taken up the flute too? And Jove had decided to walk in as well. Was he going to berate them too? Or was he enjoying that Godawful display of music? By the Matran, is he the only quality Knight in this pathetic squad of recruits? Shaking his head, Sentrius entered the tent...to find...
"Hey what's the big-?" Sentrius paused his words once more. This time in confusion. They were-, well Nai had appeared to have just woken up as Demnix was just standing over her. Nai seemed upset. Demnix seemed nervous. And now seemed like the perfect time to jump to (completely logical) conclusions. "Valorai, why the hell are you doing breathing all over her face!? What are you even doing here whiles she's asleep?" Sentrius asked before resting one hand on his forehead and waving the other in front of him. "Wait, don't tell me. I'm not sure if I want to hear the answer. You've just committed enough violations to fill two Knight Handbooks. I think a report should be filed. Court Marshall maybe."
Sentrius turned to look at Jove. "Flynn, you call some medical specialists, possibly a decontamination unit. We don;t know what could've been done to her," He shook his head, his eyes squinting, before he looked at Demnix once more. "Unless YOU can explain yourself Valorai, I see no way out for you. At least nothing legal." And at this, Sentrius' overreaction was over as he folded his arms waiting for an answer.
With a rough shove to Demnix (that may have had more force than necessary and may have been more of a punch to the face rather than a shove), Nai stood up in a panic and stared at the three men in her tent. Her frame of mind was a bit off, leaving her looking quite shaken up and in dire need of comfort. The dream lingered in her mind, making her wary of the men before her. Demnix who had violated her bubble of space, Jove, and the idiot Sentrius who seemed to actually have the ability to show concern. For a girl, this didn't seem like the best way to wake up. Well unless the girl was weird..
"What are you guys doing in my tent?" Nai snapped, feeling the intital surprise turn to irritation. She hadn't minded Demnix before, but now with what she had woken up to (surely she had gone from one nightmare to another), somehow she felt the only acceptable course of action was to beat him thoroughly. Killing wasn't out of the question either.
"Look, nothing happened. I must have fallen asleep from exhaustion and Demnix.. " Nai paused, scrambling for an explanation, "That doesn't matter. Thank you for your concern Sentrius, but please, let's not bother the.. the.. the higher authorities. No one else needs to know this since nothing happened. I'm perfectly fine. Besides we need to focus on the mission right? So can you guys leave? You too Demnix. We all need to rest and I need to be alone. So leave now."
"What are you guys doing in my tent?" Nai snapped, feeling the intital surprise turn to irritation. She hadn't minded Demnix before, but now with what she had woken up to (surely she had gone from one nightmare to another), somehow she felt the only acceptable course of action was to beat him thoroughly. Killing wasn't out of the question either.
"Look, nothing happened. I must have fallen asleep from exhaustion and Demnix.. " Nai paused, scrambling for an explanation, "That doesn't matter. Thank you for your concern Sentrius, but please, let's not bother the.. the.. the higher authorities. No one else needs to know this since nothing happened. I'm perfectly fine. Besides we need to focus on the mission right? So can you guys leave? You too Demnix. We all need to rest and I need to be alone. So leave now."
"Duh okay," Jove said with a goofy shrug. Jove turned to the Tent's exit, bumbling stupidly around Setnrius and Demnix as he did.
Artemis had been resting atop the high wall of the inn, hearing the music played and the city sleep, deep in thought as he watched the sky above. He had just been granted his families rank again, and his name was once more his own, so what was he to do now? “Anora, would I be myself if I go along with this?” he asked to himself as he looked at a small locket in his hand, her picture smiling t him, she was not as regal as she appeared at court. This was how he saw her, like a normal woman with beauty beyond compare. He rubbed his chin, the stubble rough against his hand, as he thought hard about this affair.
He slid from the rooftops, landing nimbly on the ground as his cloak like cape felt behind him. He had heard a ruckus over near Nai’s tent again and this time found it to be Sentrius shouting accusations and Demnix hanging over Nai. Nai almost punched the poor man in the face, demanding they leave her tent, and Artemis was happy to oblige. “Allow me Nai.” He said as his hands closed on the shoulders of Demnix and Sentrius as he dragged them back out of the tent, shoving them both out into the courtyard. He expected young Jove to exit on his own.
He shoved the two out in front of him so they were facing each other, his voice low like a growl, “Are you two completely out of your minds? The eve of battle and you, who are supposed to be officers in the battle, start a fight with the troops just outside the walls?” he looked between the two of them, “Don’t cite regulation either, you Demnix have been acting like a love sick puppy all week and you Sentrius are behaving like a spoiled child. Punch each other in the face and get it over with but tomorrow you need to be in top form.” He was going on like a drill sergeant at the academy.
“Knight Elites indeed, you two have your heads so far up your asses you’ll just get us all killed tomorrow.” He made comment before tossing two small cylinders to the ground before them each. They were training sticks, batons that gave a nasty shock. “Kick the crap out of each other and get over it before you get everyone screwed.” He finished before heading back over to Nai’s tent and knocking on the post for permission to enter. He really didn’t care what the other two did, though he kind of hoped that Demnix clocked Sentrius for being the definition of third wheel.
He would wait for either permission to enter from her or for silence, in the case of the latter he would just leave her be, if she let him in he would just be certain she was alright.
He slid from the rooftops, landing nimbly on the ground as his cloak like cape felt behind him. He had heard a ruckus over near Nai’s tent again and this time found it to be Sentrius shouting accusations and Demnix hanging over Nai. Nai almost punched the poor man in the face, demanding they leave her tent, and Artemis was happy to oblige. “Allow me Nai.” He said as his hands closed on the shoulders of Demnix and Sentrius as he dragged them back out of the tent, shoving them both out into the courtyard. He expected young Jove to exit on his own.
He shoved the two out in front of him so they were facing each other, his voice low like a growl, “Are you two completely out of your minds? The eve of battle and you, who are supposed to be officers in the battle, start a fight with the troops just outside the walls?” he looked between the two of them, “Don’t cite regulation either, you Demnix have been acting like a love sick puppy all week and you Sentrius are behaving like a spoiled child. Punch each other in the face and get it over with but tomorrow you need to be in top form.” He was going on like a drill sergeant at the academy.
“Knight Elites indeed, you two have your heads so far up your asses you’ll just get us all killed tomorrow.” He made comment before tossing two small cylinders to the ground before them each. They were training sticks, batons that gave a nasty shock. “Kick the crap out of each other and get over it before you get everyone screwed.” He finished before heading back over to Nai’s tent and knocking on the post for permission to enter. He really didn’t care what the other two did, though he kind of hoped that Demnix clocked Sentrius for being the definition of third wheel.
He would wait for either permission to enter from her or for silence, in the case of the latter he would just leave her be, if she let him in he would just be certain she was alright.
"Erm," Sentrius mumbled at first. He didn't think this was any fair at all. He was doing his duty as a Knight in trying to assist Nai, yet when Artemis waltzed them out of her tent, he was treated with the same disrespect as this washout? Sentrius had this and a bit more to say to Artemis, but he held his tongue. "Y-yes sir!" Sentrius stated, saluting. "Trust me, such an offense will not happen again, sir!" Sentrius shouted before Artemis walked off. As the Royal Guard finally left them to go check back up on Nai, Sentrius spat on the ground where he had been standing before. If getting on Artemis' good side didn't provide him with a possible chance to join the Royal Guard, Sentrius wouldn't have bothered holding in his thoughts. Looking at the shock baton, Sentrius frowned at Demnix, before tossing it in the ground.
"Make no mistake, Valorai, you do deserve to be pummeled by me," Sentrius frowned. "But unlike you, I'd rather concentrate on the grander scale of things. Capturing, the Princeton Brothers for one thing." Sentrius sneered, storming back to his tent.
"Make no mistake, Valorai, you do deserve to be pummeled by me," Sentrius frowned. "But unlike you, I'd rather concentrate on the grander scale of things. Capturing, the Princeton Brothers for one thing." Sentrius sneered, storming back to his tent.
Nai pressed the palms of her hands to her forehead and applied a bit of pressure, almost as though she were trying to physically push out the recent events and sights out of her head. She closed her eyes, only to spring them open again, fragments of the dream lay behind obscured sight. Wetness upon her cheek. Shaking hands. A sudden weariness in both body and mind.
"Honor the dead right?" she muttered with a hint of distaste as though the very words left a bad taste in her mouth, "Even if they're where you wanted them."
D had taken care of her, nurtured her, taught her the cruelty of the world as well as its beauty. These thoughts along with the deep breaths began to relax and composer her. Sure he would have scolded her for missing an opportunity tonight, but no punishment would ensue. Tomorrow she would be able to unleash it all upon the task at hand. Demnix and Sentrius, those two she would have a talk with as well. But for now, some much needed rest.. Well that was until she heard the knocks.
"Come in," Nai said, "Unless you're Senrtius of Demnix and in that case, you can stay out. I have nothing to say to either of you until after our mission is done."
"Honor the dead right?" she muttered with a hint of distaste as though the very words left a bad taste in her mouth, "Even if they're where you wanted them."
D had taken care of her, nurtured her, taught her the cruelty of the world as well as its beauty. These thoughts along with the deep breaths began to relax and composer her. Sure he would have scolded her for missing an opportunity tonight, but no punishment would ensue. Tomorrow she would be able to unleash it all upon the task at hand. Demnix and Sentrius, those two she would have a talk with as well. But for now, some much needed rest.. Well that was until she heard the knocks.
"Come in," Nai said, "Unless you're Senrtius of Demnix and in that case, you can stay out. I have nothing to say to either of you until after our mission is done."
"I think we all need to relax," Jove muttered, raising his hands in front of Sentrius and Demnix. "Listen, we are Knight's of Sor, we have to put all these disdains for each other behind us. I have. I mean look at the two of you, Sentrius is a mongrel whose family comes from the Betalus Provinces or some godforsaken hellhole like that, and Demnix is some migrant from the Baon edge of the fringe. I'm pure Sorillian, with central and Helexicon ancestry but I still tolerate the rest of my team because we have to be a unit."
Jove paused, before pulling a small piece of paper from his coat pocket. The wind and the desert sand nearly blew it out of his hands but he held on tight. "This is update from Urakas. Dragoon's Knight's just saved the system from an Tryptian infiltration unit on Orlesa. They graduated at the same time as us and they managed to save the system a war while we started one on Usin and are now in another on Iceveng against two kids. You want to know why the rest of the Knight Elite are doing better then us?"
Jove looked from Sentrius to Demnix, his eyes wide. "Because they are a team, and we aren't."
Jove paused, before pulling a small piece of paper from his coat pocket. The wind and the desert sand nearly blew it out of his hands but he held on tight. "This is update from Urakas. Dragoon's Knight's just saved the system from an Tryptian infiltration unit on Orlesa. They graduated at the same time as us and they managed to save the system a war while we started one on Usin and are now in another on Iceveng against two kids. You want to know why the rest of the Knight Elite are doing better then us?"
Jove looked from Sentrius to Demnix, his eyes wide. "Because they are a team, and we aren't."
"You have a lot of guts, insinuating that we need to act like a team when you flat out insult us like that," Sentrius frowned. "But, I can't deny that you're right. I've been trying to get all of you clowns to get your act together from the very beginning! I'm going back to my tent to attempt to sleep. Hope we can all get this ridiculous situation settled by tomorrow."
Xeroux smiled, holding the obsidian breast plate in his hands. The intricate, customization he requested shimmering in the ships light. Two silver lines, simple, sweeping from the bottom of the plate, wrapped around where they’d meet the back plate, and run parallel to his spine. On the breast plate they wove themselves together in large loops. The largest resting in the center, over his heart. The rest of the armor was accented with sliver detailing. The left waist plate contained a specialized holster to mount his blade, as did the back plate. He liked wearing one on his hip and the other on his back, in case he needed it. Wearing both on his hips would be quite the distraction while marching.
“Thankfully I put in for the new model that retract into the armor when the sword is drawn.”
He said with a smile, reaching for the helm. The most important piece of armor he wore. It was bullet proof, scratch proof and fire retardant. It could be worn on its own, or as an extendable piece of the back plate, coming to his aid just by tapping a sensor on his neck.
He hesitated at first, stripping the blue armor he’d grown familiar with, laying each piece in the same specialized case the black armor had come in. He smiled, and with one last sigh, he closed the lid and hit the button on the transporter. The armor would remain his, and would serve as a back up in case the new, almost prototypical Black armor he was about to don, failed.
Stepping into the desert night he felt nothing, not the wind, or the biting cold that comes from a place where no heat can be trapped. He wondered among the tents, most were asleep, but a few were awake. He flipped the helmet into place, seeing Sentrius, Demnix and Jove, a small smirk wiggling its way across his face. Sentrius was about to lose it, and from the looks of things, he had already started to.
“Evening.” He said, standing beside Jove. His black armor glinting in the moon light.
“Thankfully I put in for the new model that retract into the armor when the sword is drawn.”
He said with a smile, reaching for the helm. The most important piece of armor he wore. It was bullet proof, scratch proof and fire retardant. It could be worn on its own, or as an extendable piece of the back plate, coming to his aid just by tapping a sensor on his neck.
He hesitated at first, stripping the blue armor he’d grown familiar with, laying each piece in the same specialized case the black armor had come in. He smiled, and with one last sigh, he closed the lid and hit the button on the transporter. The armor would remain his, and would serve as a back up in case the new, almost prototypical Black armor he was about to don, failed.
Stepping into the desert night he felt nothing, not the wind, or the biting cold that comes from a place where no heat can be trapped. He wondered among the tents, most were asleep, but a few were awake. He flipped the helmet into place, seeing Sentrius, Demnix and Jove, a small smirk wiggling its way across his face. Sentrius was about to lose it, and from the looks of things, he had already started to.
“Evening.” He said, standing beside Jove. His black armor glinting in the moon light.
Artemis heard permission to enter and did so, letting the tent door lower behind him, this was the first time he had been this close to her since they had met, and he looked smaller in his under armor and basic gear without the plating that usually covered it and the exo-suit. “Hey.” He said with a hint of concern, “You alright? You seem frazzled.”
He leaned against one of the interior poles, “If you want to press charges against any of them I’ll send them through express, but most girls would be pleased to have two knights pining for their attention.” He added. It wasn’t hard to tell, he had seen plenty of that in the palace. The number of suitors (and what they would do) was an everyday entertainment for the guards. It had been but a glance at how Demnix and Sentrius were acting and he had to keep himself from laughing. At least in this tug of war there wasn’t small nations futures on the line with assassinations and scandalous affairs involved… the guards have a strange idea of entertainment…
He leaned against one of the interior poles, “If you want to press charges against any of them I’ll send them through express, but most girls would be pleased to have two knights pining for their attention.” He added. It wasn’t hard to tell, he had seen plenty of that in the palace. The number of suitors (and what they would do) was an everyday entertainment for the guards. It had been but a glance at how Demnix and Sentrius were acting and he had to keep himself from laughing. At least in this tug of war there wasn’t small nations futures on the line with assassinations and scandalous affairs involved… the guards have a strange idea of entertainment…
"Most girls don't wear armor," Nai muttered with a small, wry smile, "Besides, I don't think Sentrius has any interest in me like Demnix does apparently. We've gotten on the wrong foot and I fear that if it weren't for the rules, Sentrius and I would rarely interact unless we had to. Not even fighting words would be exchanged.. Pressing charges against Demnix would not only cause problems but they would falsely made. I'm perfectly fine and there is no evidence he intended to do something so vulgar."
Nai paused and placed a hand on the right side of her face, looking tired as she closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"Besides two suitors for me? Ha, not likely," Nai said with a small laugh, "Thank you for your concern Artemis, I appreciate it, but I'm fine. I suppose it was just the shock of the nightmare and the anxiety for the mission tomorrow. I think after a good rest and a pleasent dream, I will be over it soon enough."
Nai paused and placed a hand on the right side of her face, looking tired as she closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"Besides two suitors for me? Ha, not likely," Nai said with a small laugh, "Thank you for your concern Artemis, I appreciate it, but I'm fine. I suppose it was just the shock of the nightmare and the anxiety for the mission tomorrow. I think after a good rest and a pleasent dream, I will be over it soon enough."
Jove watched as Sentrius bitterly walked off to his tent before turning to Xeroux. Sentrius wasn't well liked among, well, anyone really, but Jove appreciated him for what he was. Honest. Sentrius himself wasn't but his nature was. He wanted to be a legend like the ones he, they all, had heard of. Sorillian culture was poisoned with glorification. You were a peasant, you were a lord, a criminal, or a Knight. The Knight's were perfect, in every way, to everyone. They fought evil, they civilized, and then they returned to the city of Sor for a meeting with the King. A Knight had to be educated, heroic, and strong. And above all a Knight had to be able to do the impossible, to win a victory for the Sora System when no victory was in sight. This was what Sentrius had been striving for, but, understandable, the impossible was quite hard to achieve. And that was the problem.
Jove paused as he thought. The Knight's didn't have a terribly healthy culture, he had to admit.
"Well, this is rather depressing, isn't it?" Jove asked Xeroux quietly. "Three months in and this is what we're doing. Lets just hope that this fiasco turns out better then Usin."
Jove paused as he thought. The Knight's didn't have a terribly healthy culture, he had to admit.
"Well, this is rather depressing, isn't it?" Jove asked Xeroux quietly. "Three months in and this is what we're doing. Lets just hope that this fiasco turns out better then Usin."
Xeroux shrugged, deactivating his helm, Jove had known who he was, despite the new armor. "This won't turn out like Usin. That's exactly why we're here, to make sure things go down differently." He folded his arms over his chest. "Personally, I feel that Vecked taking Malkini's army did us a favor, I'm still confused as to the why the Top Brass feel otherwise. First we're told to disband Malkini's army, now we're told to get it back...I'm not sure I'll ever understand the chain of command, but we aren't here to ask questions."
He gazed out into the distance, "We aren't supposed to question things, just do as we're told. We all saw what not following suit looks like, We were blamed for treason. I for one am not looking to kill either one of those boys, or even really punish them, Vecked is a natural leader. He commands his army's respect and they give it to him. He's no Malkini, looking to restore his former glory, no, Vecked is trying to make a better world for his people. Who are we to stand in their way? This isn't our world, its there's ya know?"
He sighed, shaking his head. "Sorry, I'm just a little upset about the turn of events."
He gazed out into the distance, "We aren't supposed to question things, just do as we're told. We all saw what not following suit looks like, We were blamed for treason. I for one am not looking to kill either one of those boys, or even really punish them, Vecked is a natural leader. He commands his army's respect and they give it to him. He's no Malkini, looking to restore his former glory, no, Vecked is trying to make a better world for his people. Who are we to stand in their way? This isn't our world, its there's ya know?"
He sighed, shaking his head. "Sorry, I'm just a little upset about the turn of events."
"This is Iceveng. This was Sora's world before there was such thing as a Kingsmen," Jove muttered. "I don't understand why Vecked would steal the army. We were on his side, for gods sake, and then he goes and steals the captured army and wants to use it to kill a Senator."
Jove sighed, looking up at the full moon, a white orb in a sky of stars. "This is a pretty place at night. It won't be that pretty when the sun comes out, though. Which is why I best head to sleep while I can." Jove turned to Xeroux and smiled. "I like you, ya know. Gengrolin, true Sorillian world that is."
Jove began to walk to his tent. He opened the flaps of the dark shelter when he paused and turned backward. "He could be a Phoenix," Jove whispered, referring to Vecked. "That would explain why he stole the army. He could be trying to gain a foothold of power. But that's probably wrong. The book of the Matran says that there are no Neahian Phoenix's. Still, I suppose it is possible. The Princeton's could have some bad blood in them or something. Anyway, goodnight Xeroux. See you at dawn."
And with that, Jove disappeared into his tent.
Jove sighed, looking up at the full moon, a white orb in a sky of stars. "This is a pretty place at night. It won't be that pretty when the sun comes out, though. Which is why I best head to sleep while I can." Jove turned to Xeroux and smiled. "I like you, ya know. Gengrolin, true Sorillian world that is."
Jove began to walk to his tent. He opened the flaps of the dark shelter when he paused and turned backward. "He could be a Phoenix," Jove whispered, referring to Vecked. "That would explain why he stole the army. He could be trying to gain a foothold of power. But that's probably wrong. The book of the Matran says that there are no Neahian Phoenix's. Still, I suppose it is possible. The Princeton's could have some bad blood in them or something. Anyway, goodnight Xeroux. See you at dawn."
And with that, Jove disappeared into his tent.
"Yeah, you got that vibe too?" Xeroux whispered, nodding his goodnight to Jove. He stood in the sand for a moment, trying to imagine the possibility of Vecked being a Phoenix, and the difficulty of the battle ahead if that were the case. He turned on his heel, and headed for his own tent, choosing not to remove his new armor. He might as well get used to it, break it in a little bit. Tomorrow was full of surprises, and he knew he'd need to be ready to face whatever came at him.
“Well, if you’re sure then, good night.” He said like a teacher to a student as he left the tent to see another black knight there, wait, he knew this guy, “Xeroux… you’re an elite? Looks good.” He commented as he headed over in time to hear the comment on Vecked being a phoenix.
“A Phoenix eh? It’s possible, he was much more potent in a fight then I expected.” Artemis commented as he looked over to the legion camp, “I suppose that would make him our enemy regardless of circumstance… a pity.” He said before resting against a rock nearby their tents, he had set his pack and armor down there and leaned against them for cushion, “Still, he’s a good man, no matter what he’s done he fight for a purpose.” He added. Looking to Xeroux, “Tell me, would you hate him for being a phoenix?” he asked with genuine curiosity.
He had been raised without the typical prejudice, and while most hated them and followed the Book of Matran that they were evil he never did quite buy into that. The way he saw it hatred of Phoenix’s was nothing but politics. They were an evil for the masses to rally against, a monster for the people to fear and thus feed a government to protect them from, they were a scapegoat. He felt that men in a position of reason and power such as himself or Malkini or Roka should not buy into such foolishness, if they did they too became puppets of public opinion and as leaders they couldn’t be such.
“A Phoenix eh? It’s possible, he was much more potent in a fight then I expected.” Artemis commented as he looked over to the legion camp, “I suppose that would make him our enemy regardless of circumstance… a pity.” He said before resting against a rock nearby their tents, he had set his pack and armor down there and leaned against them for cushion, “Still, he’s a good man, no matter what he’s done he fight for a purpose.” He added. Looking to Xeroux, “Tell me, would you hate him for being a phoenix?” he asked with genuine curiosity.
He had been raised without the typical prejudice, and while most hated them and followed the Book of Matran that they were evil he never did quite buy into that. The way he saw it hatred of Phoenix’s was nothing but politics. They were an evil for the masses to rally against, a monster for the people to fear and thus feed a government to protect them from, they were a scapegoat. He felt that men in a position of reason and power such as himself or Malkini or Roka should not buy into such foolishness, if they did they too became puppets of public opinion and as leaders they couldn’t be such.
Xeroux shook his head. "I don't think I can hate anyone for being who they are. Only for what they've done, and even then, every one does things because they believed in their mind that it was the right choice."
He smiled, looking at Artemis. "Could you hate me for simply being born?"
He smiled, looking at Artemis. "Could you hate me for simply being born?"
Artemis chuckled slightly as he looked to Xeroux, “No, I don’t buy that bull, a man’s life decides his stature, not his birth.” He stretched slightly then laid back and closed his eyes, still speaking.
“People like you and me are not so easily sway yes? The Public is like sheep, herded by the bark of the dogs that are the senate. We are not pawns of the government…” he looked over with one eye open, “We, sir, are knights.” He added with a smile before seeming to slip into a light sleep, but on closer inspection his hand was tightly clasp around the handle of his pistol and hilt of his blade. To get too close suddenly would be unadvisable. Artemis was resting but not asleep per say, he would sleep when this was over, the trick was he slipped into these little naps several times a day so he could stay alert at almost any time.
“People like you and me are not so easily sway yes? The Public is like sheep, herded by the bark of the dogs that are the senate. We are not pawns of the government…” he looked over with one eye open, “We, sir, are knights.” He added with a smile before seeming to slip into a light sleep, but on closer inspection his hand was tightly clasp around the handle of his pistol and hilt of his blade. To get too close suddenly would be unadvisable. Artemis was resting but not asleep per say, he would sleep when this was over, the trick was he slipped into these little naps several times a day so he could stay alert at almost any time.
Xeroux sat, hugging his knees. "Perhaps then, someone else should start barking, maybe not loudly, but loud enough to gather some of the sheep. Then, start to bark louder, until their message is heard, and all of the sheep follow a new pattern of belief." He shook his head, "Don't get me wrong, there are only a few issues that should be worked on this way, criminals are still criminals."
With that he too laid back, hand behind his head, and slept lightly.
With that he too laid back, hand behind his head, and slept lightly.
Jove lay in his tent, his body huddled beneath his sheets. Jove had been unable to sleep, which was bad seeing as they only had a few hours before the sun rose. Jove sighed as he moved to his side. The sand flew against the outside of his tent, making a small scattering sound as it did. Jove closed his eyes, trying to get the coldness and the sounds of the desert out of his mind. Iceveng truly was a wretched place.
Jove awoke to a poke in the stomach. He opened his eyes to find Malkini standing overhead, the rest of the Knights behind him, all dressed in their armor and ready for the day. The sun was only slightly above the distant horizon. "Wake up, Mister Flynn," Malkini said. "And please prepare your tent."
"Yes sir!" Jove said, quickly putting his armor on and folding the cloth of his tent up into his pack. "I must of overslept."
"Yes, you must of," Malkini muttered before turning back to his squad. "Well," He began. "This little incident did not turn out too well, did it?"
"No, Commander Malkini, it did not," Roka began loudly. The group turned to see the man approach, behind him came Bogby, several Legion soldiers, and another man outfitted in the armor of a Black Knight.
"So," Roka said, looking at the group. "You all know your mission, yes? To capture or kill the fugitives Nulix Princeton, Davix Nobleton, and Vecked Princeton, to apprehend the stolen citizen army, and to make sure all administrative power of the Propro Republic gets handed to the Sora System or the Royal Family of Sor."
"We are aware, Commander," Malkini interrupted. "Now, out of curiosity, what will happen to me after this goose chase ends?"
"That's not up to me to decide," Roka replied. "But if it was up to me, Aden Malkini, you would not be able to reenlist in the Knight's as a Legionnaire's cook."
Malkini gave a small smirk. "Well then, good thing its not up to you, eh?"
"Um, excuse me Commander's, but who is this?" Jove asked, pointing to the man on Roka's left, the Black Knight.
"Allow me to introduce Rasmus DeTylmerand, a product of Mt. Ravin," Roka said with a proud smile. "A Knight of extraordinary ability. I worked with him heavily when he graduated from the Academy, when I was a General. After I became a Commander he went on to help handle the Fleet withdrawal discussions with Ulfire. He came in from the Capima Islands last night, and will be accompanying you on your mission."
"And why did you request for your friend here to join us?" Malkini asked, crossing his arms. "Don't you have faith in me, Kristopher?"
"It was not my decision," Roka replied. "He was sent here by Major General Sidnoise, who has seemed to of taken an interest in your squads activities."
"Has he?" Malkini muttered, unamused. "Very well then. Rasmus DeTylmerand, welcome aboard."
Jove awoke to a poke in the stomach. He opened his eyes to find Malkini standing overhead, the rest of the Knights behind him, all dressed in their armor and ready for the day. The sun was only slightly above the distant horizon. "Wake up, Mister Flynn," Malkini said. "And please prepare your tent."
"Yes sir!" Jove said, quickly putting his armor on and folding the cloth of his tent up into his pack. "I must of overslept."
"Yes, you must of," Malkini muttered before turning back to his squad. "Well," He began. "This little incident did not turn out too well, did it?"
"No, Commander Malkini, it did not," Roka began loudly. The group turned to see the man approach, behind him came Bogby, several Legion soldiers, and another man outfitted in the armor of a Black Knight.
"So," Roka said, looking at the group. "You all know your mission, yes? To capture or kill the fugitives Nulix Princeton, Davix Nobleton, and Vecked Princeton, to apprehend the stolen citizen army, and to make sure all administrative power of the Propro Republic gets handed to the Sora System or the Royal Family of Sor."
"We are aware, Commander," Malkini interrupted. "Now, out of curiosity, what will happen to me after this goose chase ends?"
"That's not up to me to decide," Roka replied. "But if it was up to me, Aden Malkini, you would not be able to reenlist in the Knight's as a Legionnaire's cook."
Malkini gave a small smirk. "Well then, good thing its not up to you, eh?"
"Um, excuse me Commander's, but who is this?" Jove asked, pointing to the man on Roka's left, the Black Knight.
"Allow me to introduce Rasmus DeTylmerand, a product of Mt. Ravin," Roka said with a proud smile. "A Knight of extraordinary ability. I worked with him heavily when he graduated from the Academy, when I was a General. After I became a Commander he went on to help handle the Fleet withdrawal discussions with Ulfire. He came in from the Capima Islands last night, and will be accompanying you on your mission."
"And why did you request for your friend here to join us?" Malkini asked, crossing his arms. "Don't you have faith in me, Kristopher?"
"It was not my decision," Roka replied. "He was sent here by Major General Sidnoise, who has seemed to of taken an interest in your squads activities."
"Has he?" Malkini muttered, unamused. "Very well then. Rasmus DeTylmerand, welcome aboard."
Xeroux stood opposite the new Black Knight, Rasmus. He hadn't heard of the man, but it wasn't surprising, a fresh Black Knight wasn't handed a list of others who shared his rank. Besides, until yesterday he was a "Blue Knight". At this, he cleared his throat,
"Um, excuse me Commander Malkini...Commander Roka, I have here my documentation that states I am allowed to wear this new armor. I apologize for not being completely truthful with you both about my rank." He turned to his squad-mates, "I hope you can forgive me as well." He took an apologetic bow before handing Roka his test scores.
"As you can see I scored high in the Blue, Red and Green Knight fields. I guess I'm a primary knight." He chuckled at his poor joke before snapping to attention. "Excuse me, sir."
"Um, excuse me Commander Malkini...Commander Roka, I have here my documentation that states I am allowed to wear this new armor. I apologize for not being completely truthful with you both about my rank." He turned to his squad-mates, "I hope you can forgive me as well." He took an apologetic bow before handing Roka his test scores.
"As you can see I scored high in the Blue, Red and Green Knight fields. I guess I'm a primary knight." He chuckled at his poor joke before snapping to attention. "Excuse me, sir."
Artemis was standing tall atop a nearby building looking down at the knights as they spoke to one another. His cape had been switched from the desert to a long flowing white with the royal seal embroidered in the middle. It had a silver laid trim, the color worn by the Archons… actual royals had a gold trim. The silver armor he wore was shining in the morning light. “If you girls are done, there is something you should see…”
He waved his arm forward and the street under him was flooded with no less than 50 royal guards men swarmed into the central area to surrounding the commanders and knights. At first their riles were pointed at the knights as they moved to encircle them. Then as Artemis made a downward fist pump with his hand they snapped to attention in a salute. Two tanks pulled up the opposite sides of the street. “Ten Royal guard squads and one Armor unit,” Artemis explained as the guards formed up into their typical formations, “Courtesy of the King.” Artemis dropped from the roof and landed nimbly on the ground near the commanders.
He spoke low now, so that only the closest to him, the commanders and general, could hear, “Though don’t get any bright ideas, they are under Roka’s command through me.” He added.
He waved his arm forward and the street under him was flooded with no less than 50 royal guards men swarmed into the central area to surrounding the commanders and knights. At first their riles were pointed at the knights as they moved to encircle them. Then as Artemis made a downward fist pump with his hand they snapped to attention in a salute. Two tanks pulled up the opposite sides of the street. “Ten Royal guard squads and one Armor unit,” Artemis explained as the guards formed up into their typical formations, “Courtesy of the King.” Artemis dropped from the roof and landed nimbly on the ground near the commanders.
He spoke low now, so that only the closest to him, the commanders and general, could hear, “Though don’t get any bright ideas, they are under Roka’s command through me.” He added.
A large grin came upon Jove's face at the sight of the soldiers. "And here I thought you boys were going to send us off into the heat alone!" He exclaimed. "Oh god, I can't believe this. Mister Nobleton and the prince o'two will be mince meat with this fire power. And you brought guns! Twelve inch guns, on wheels!"
"You are Knights, but not even a Knight can bring down an army alone," Roka said with a small smile. "Keep your heads up, lads, and ladies. The Princeton brothers will be captured dead or alive by this time tomorrow. I guarantee it."
"You are Knights, but not even a Knight can bring down an army alone," Roka said with a small smile. "Keep your heads up, lads, and ladies. The Princeton brothers will be captured dead or alive by this time tomorrow. I guarantee it."
"Gentlemen, gentlemen, I am sure we can all get along." Rasmus spoke in a jovial tone.
Rasmus wasn't fully armored entirely yet. His black greaves donned his legs in shimmering black armor that resembled polished onyx. His hands coated in a fine metal mesh, plated ceramics fused to an alloy of some type made him particularly quick on the draw while affording him a modest measure of protection. Rasmus stepped forwards, his flaming red hair and pale skin stood out amongst them. His hair fled down to the middle of his back, and flailed with the zephyrs calling. His light amber orbs seemed to illuminated as his he stepped from the dark and into the light where they shined like gem stones.
As he emerged from the shadows of being called upon, he lifted his arms, resting them on the shoulders of Roka and Jove. With a smiling facade, he glanced towards Roka, and pointed with the hand nearest to Jove.
"That man there, well, he is THE most classy guy I've met these past few years. Come on, Roka. Tell them about that woman you met that one time..." Rasmus would try to incite Roka into an embarrassing moment that they had had, and that Rasmus often picked on him for.
Rasmus wasn't fully armored entirely yet. His black greaves donned his legs in shimmering black armor that resembled polished onyx. His hands coated in a fine metal mesh, plated ceramics fused to an alloy of some type made him particularly quick on the draw while affording him a modest measure of protection. Rasmus stepped forwards, his flaming red hair and pale skin stood out amongst them. His hair fled down to the middle of his back, and flailed with the zephyrs calling. His light amber orbs seemed to illuminated as his he stepped from the dark and into the light where they shined like gem stones.
As he emerged from the shadows of being called upon, he lifted his arms, resting them on the shoulders of Roka and Jove. With a smiling facade, he glanced towards Roka, and pointed with the hand nearest to Jove.
"That man there, well, he is THE most classy guy I've met these past few years. Come on, Roka. Tell them about that woman you met that one time..." Rasmus would try to incite Roka into an embarrassing moment that they had had, and that Rasmus often picked on him for.
"Oh please, the Supreme Cardinal is a lovely lady, and all we had we had was tea, I can assure you," Roka said, giving a large smile.
"Well that's fantastic, Kristopher, but we have an errand to run," Malkini said, stepping forward. "We make our way north. If we jog we can make it there soon. Knights and Royal Guards on foot can travel much quicker then an army."
"What about the tanks?" Jove asked.
"Tanks move fast, Jove, now stop being an idiot," Malkini replied, turning to look at his team. "So, are we ready?"
"Me and the General have to stay within the city, with the Legion I'm afraid," Roka muttered.
"Yes, but don't be too worried, old boy," Bogby said, twirling his mustache slightly. "I'm sure you'll be fine. They're only Kingsmen."
"As you can see our group is not the most conventional," Jove whispered to Rasmus. "Still, we make do."
"Well that's fantastic, Kristopher, but we have an errand to run," Malkini said, stepping forward. "We make our way north. If we jog we can make it there soon. Knights and Royal Guards on foot can travel much quicker then an army."
"What about the tanks?" Jove asked.
"Tanks move fast, Jove, now stop being an idiot," Malkini replied, turning to look at his team. "So, are we ready?"
"Me and the General have to stay within the city, with the Legion I'm afraid," Roka muttered.
"Yes, but don't be too worried, old boy," Bogby said, twirling his mustache slightly. "I'm sure you'll be fine. They're only Kingsmen."
"As you can see our group is not the most conventional," Jove whispered to Rasmus. "Still, we make do."
“Very well. Company, move out!” Artemis called as he signaled for his guards to move as directed, “They’ll follow your command for now Malkini… to an extent.” He informed before moving forward to stand behind his troops, next to Roka.
He spoke low again, so that only Roka could hear, “Any last minute orders I should know of?” he asked.
He spoke low again, so that only Roka could hear, “Any last minute orders I should know of?” he asked.
"Take them alive," Roka whispered. "Unless Vecked's a Phoenix. Yes, I've heard the rumor of his power, I heard it from the Legions. If he's a Phoenix... make sure you don't take him alive." Roka gave Artemis a stern look before nodding.
"Uh-huh, I'm sure that is all you had....For that sitting."Rasmus insinuated teasingly before walking backwards and away. He then easily lifted his corslet of polished black metal and slid it over tightly woven mesh shirt. He interlocked the pieces with the rest of his armor setting his pauldrons on each shoulder and then finally tying his black cape that had a sliver lining and silver markings to the front of his armor. At the end, he slid the helm slowly onto his head. Once he did so, the air about him would seem to dramatically change. He was now more focused on the mission at hand.
Artemis nodded and headed off with his men out of the city ahead of the others. The tanks waited, allowing Malkini and his knights to ride on them. Artemis would move with his men, who were staying in a loose formation, each with their weapons ready. The platoon leader who headed the group came over to him and spoke with him softly. It was quiet enough so that it would be difficult to hear even with the equipment in the knight’s helms.
“Orders Archon?” the lieutenant requested.
“We enter the camp as Malkini orders… but take the Princetons alive at all costs.” Artemis instructed
“But sir, what if the boy is a phoenix… the Commander said.”
Artemis placed a stern hand on the man’s shoulder as they walked. It would look to the others like he was walking kindly with him, but he was being very rough and assertive in truth, “At all costs.” He repeated. The man nodded and headed off to spread the word.
“Orders Archon?” the lieutenant requested.
“We enter the camp as Malkini orders… but take the Princetons alive at all costs.” Artemis instructed
“But sir, what if the boy is a phoenix… the Commander said.”
Artemis placed a stern hand on the man’s shoulder as they walked. It would look to the others like he was walking kindly with him, but he was being very rough and assertive in truth, “At all costs.” He repeated. The man nodded and headed off to spread the word.
"Finally, we get this mission underway," Sentrius sighed, fitting his helmet on as he walked forward to march with the rest of his group, shield and blade in hand. "Exactly how far are we from the enemy camp and are we taking any strategic positions beforehand? Or are we following the ever crafty plan of blindly charging in, swords swinging?" Sentrius asked, offering a rare bit of good natured humor before the mission. "Perhaps we should send one of us to scout the enemy camp up ahead, Commander Malkini."
Xeroux surveyed the troops, all were fit and ready, he hoped they wouldn't lose to many of them. He looked back at the tanks, one driving his way, to ride on, with these, the army was sure to win this battle.
He looked over to his squad-mates, if you could call them that, to him they were little more than strangers. They didn't get off on the right foot, and Usin only ripped them apart, he was to blame for that, taking the blame the way he did. Yet, it didn't matter, this was a new fight, a new challenge. They could come together and led the army to victory, apprehending the Princeton brothers.
He tapped the base of his neck and his helm snapped over his face, shrouding the Knight Elite in mystery.
"Today is a day that will mark who are at this moment in time. We're not the best squad, but maybe that's because we keep trying to be the best. For now, we should focus on who we are, not who we could become!"
He stepped on to the tank's massive treads as it passed by him, gripping the main cannon for support he stared out into the desert, awaiting the battle that was to come.
He looked over to his squad-mates, if you could call them that, to him they were little more than strangers. They didn't get off on the right foot, and Usin only ripped them apart, he was to blame for that, taking the blame the way he did. Yet, it didn't matter, this was a new fight, a new challenge. They could come together and led the army to victory, apprehending the Princeton brothers.
He tapped the base of his neck and his helm snapped over his face, shrouding the Knight Elite in mystery.
"Today is a day that will mark who are at this moment in time. We're not the best squad, but maybe that's because we keep trying to be the best. For now, we should focus on who we are, not who we could become!"
He stepped on to the tank's massive treads as it passed by him, gripping the main cannon for support he stared out into the desert, awaiting the battle that was to come.
"We don't know where they are Sentrius!" Malkini exclaimed as he held onto the gun of one of the tanks. "That's the fun! We just go north until we hit them!"
One of the regular Legion soldiers watched as the small army marched off, the tanks in their center. The man bit his finger furiously before turning to his unit major.
"Permission to report to my tent, sir?" The Legionnaire asked.
"Why?" The unit major with a large mustache asked, glancing at the soldier.
"Stomach ache, sir. Nasty business," The Legionnaire muttered. "I'm from Ceegum, sir. This heat is unnatural to me."
"Very well, make sure you get it sorted by six," The unit major replied. "If its not better see the medical doctor. He's sure to have a potion to make the unease go away."
"Yes sir, thank you!" The Legionnaire said with a small salute, before making his way past the rest of the Legion and over a dune. He quickly ran through the empty campsite and reached his brown tent. Inside was a small sleeping rug, a backpack of equipment, a few good books, and a small machine with writing keys. The Legionnaire turned the machine on hurriedly and began to furiously type a message.
***
"The men will mutiny if they have a leader, Vecked, you know this to be true," Nulix muttered as he placed a cup to his mouth lazilly.
"Please, Nulix, spare me," Vecked replied as lay back onto his cushions. "The men will be Kings if this works."
"So you want to lie to them about the danger?" Nulix asked with a raised eyebrow.
"There is no lying involved, I tell them nothing but the truth," Vecked replied with a smile. "I tell them of the danger, and of the reward. Its their mind they can make up."
"They follow you still because if they don't they will have nothing," Nulix said, falling head first into a stack of cushions. "We ruined their lives, Vecked. I feel bad," Nulix spoke as he lay.
"Don't feel," Vecked replied. "Its not us who started this."
"God in heaven!" Davix spat as he pushed the curtains of their large tent open. Several of the tents candles flickered violently as the wind from outside flew through the space.
"Problem?" Nulix asked, sitting up.
"Yes theres a goddamn problem!" Davix muttered, not bothering to sit down. "News from Legionary Quinn Young. The King of Sor has sent fifty of his Guards here to take care of business, along with two tanks. Two tanks with twelve inch iron guns."
"Oh my god," Nulix began, his head sinking into his hands.
"I know, and according to Young they left minutes ago with the Knights and a new black Knight, so that's always good, right?" Davix explained.
"We can beat them with superior strategy, and tanks are slow," Vecked said, his mind silently racing.
"Not these tanks, they move as fast as the men," Davix replied.
"So they're more like... motor karts then actual tanks, right?" Vecked asked.
"Motor karts with guns, Vecked, motor karts with big guns," Davix said.
"What size?" Vecked asked. "Are they the size of regular tanks?"
"Doesn't say," Davix replied. "But I'd assume so."
"So this is it?" Nulix asked, raising his head for the first time since Davix had entered. "We're done. Any hope of the King of Sor helping us, gone. We are enemies of the Sora System."
"Calm yourself," Vecked began.
"Enemies of the Sora System, Vecked! And we live in it!" Nulix yelled, standing up.
"I know that, Nulix," Vecked said slightly louder, also standing. "But you have to realize that I am smart. I am very, very smart and I can get us out of this. Do you want to get out of this, Nulix, because you have to say yes."
"I do," Nulix replied quietly. "But I don't see anyway for that to work at this point. I really don't."
"Alright," Vecked said, going back to his state of thought. "We are approaching the cliff sides, where the land breaks apart. The walkway's there are just a few feet wide. Past that is Elliot Kingson's palace. We ambush the army when they come up to the walkways and pillars of stone in the cliff sides. We'll set explosives, and blow the very pillars they stand on."
Vecked gave a small smile to himself before turning to Davix. "Tell the troops to pack up camp, as quick as they can."
"Alright," Davix said with a nod.
"And Nulix," Vecked said as he grabbed his hat off the ground and placed it on his head. "Keep your head up."
"Aye," Nulix muttered unenthusiastically. "Where are you going?"
"Out. For a bit of scouting," Vecked said before exiting the tent.
Nulix watched him leave and sighed.
"Whats your problem?" Davix said.
"We will fight, and we will die, if we continue to follow him," Nulix whispered. "I don't want that, Davix. I really don't."
"What do you propose then?" Davix asked.
"I don't know yet," Nulix began. "How many of the men are feeling mutinous?"
"A good quarter or more," Davix replied.
"Do you know which?" Nulix asked.
"We... have begun to compile a small list, yes," Davix muttered.
"Give it to me," Nulix said. Davix paused for just a moment before handing Nulix a paper he had in the pocket of his waistcoat.
"What do you plan on doing with them?" Davix asked as Nulix glanced over the names.
Nulix looked up at Davix and shrugged. "Whatever I can. Are you with Vecked?"
"Aye, and I will be to the end," Davix said with a small smile.
"I see," Nulix muttered. "I suspect I'll be gone when Vecked returns. So goodbye, Davix Nobleton. And I'll try to buy you boys some time."
Davix paused for a moment as he realized what Nulix was about to do. "Alright then," He said at last. "Goodbye, Nulix Princeton. Goodbye and farewell."
***
Jove tried his best to hang onto the large shaking machine as it moved over the desert hills with the guards. "At this speed we will reach them in less than a day!" Jove called out happily to his teammates.
One of the regular Legion soldiers watched as the small army marched off, the tanks in their center. The man bit his finger furiously before turning to his unit major.
"Permission to report to my tent, sir?" The Legionnaire asked.
"Why?" The unit major with a large mustache asked, glancing at the soldier.
"Stomach ache, sir. Nasty business," The Legionnaire muttered. "I'm from Ceegum, sir. This heat is unnatural to me."
"Very well, make sure you get it sorted by six," The unit major replied. "If its not better see the medical doctor. He's sure to have a potion to make the unease go away."
"Yes sir, thank you!" The Legionnaire said with a small salute, before making his way past the rest of the Legion and over a dune. He quickly ran through the empty campsite and reached his brown tent. Inside was a small sleeping rug, a backpack of equipment, a few good books, and a small machine with writing keys. The Legionnaire turned the machine on hurriedly and began to furiously type a message.
***
"The men will mutiny if they have a leader, Vecked, you know this to be true," Nulix muttered as he placed a cup to his mouth lazilly.
"Please, Nulix, spare me," Vecked replied as lay back onto his cushions. "The men will be Kings if this works."
"So you want to lie to them about the danger?" Nulix asked with a raised eyebrow.
"There is no lying involved, I tell them nothing but the truth," Vecked replied with a smile. "I tell them of the danger, and of the reward. Its their mind they can make up."
"They follow you still because if they don't they will have nothing," Nulix said, falling head first into a stack of cushions. "We ruined their lives, Vecked. I feel bad," Nulix spoke as he lay.
"Don't feel," Vecked replied. "Its not us who started this."
"God in heaven!" Davix spat as he pushed the curtains of their large tent open. Several of the tents candles flickered violently as the wind from outside flew through the space.
"Problem?" Nulix asked, sitting up.
"Yes theres a goddamn problem!" Davix muttered, not bothering to sit down. "News from Legionary Quinn Young. The King of Sor has sent fifty of his Guards here to take care of business, along with two tanks. Two tanks with twelve inch iron guns."
"Oh my god," Nulix began, his head sinking into his hands.
"I know, and according to Young they left minutes ago with the Knights and a new black Knight, so that's always good, right?" Davix explained.
"We can beat them with superior strategy, and tanks are slow," Vecked said, his mind silently racing.
"Not these tanks, they move as fast as the men," Davix replied.
"So they're more like... motor karts then actual tanks, right?" Vecked asked.
"Motor karts with guns, Vecked, motor karts with big guns," Davix said.
"What size?" Vecked asked. "Are they the size of regular tanks?"
"Doesn't say," Davix replied. "But I'd assume so."
"So this is it?" Nulix asked, raising his head for the first time since Davix had entered. "We're done. Any hope of the King of Sor helping us, gone. We are enemies of the Sora System."
"Calm yourself," Vecked began.
"Enemies of the Sora System, Vecked! And we live in it!" Nulix yelled, standing up.
"I know that, Nulix," Vecked said slightly louder, also standing. "But you have to realize that I am smart. I am very, very smart and I can get us out of this. Do you want to get out of this, Nulix, because you have to say yes."
"I do," Nulix replied quietly. "But I don't see anyway for that to work at this point. I really don't."
"Alright," Vecked said, going back to his state of thought. "We are approaching the cliff sides, where the land breaks apart. The walkway's there are just a few feet wide. Past that is Elliot Kingson's palace. We ambush the army when they come up to the walkways and pillars of stone in the cliff sides. We'll set explosives, and blow the very pillars they stand on."
Vecked gave a small smile to himself before turning to Davix. "Tell the troops to pack up camp, as quick as they can."
"Alright," Davix said with a nod.
"And Nulix," Vecked said as he grabbed his hat off the ground and placed it on his head. "Keep your head up."
"Aye," Nulix muttered unenthusiastically. "Where are you going?"
"Out. For a bit of scouting," Vecked said before exiting the tent.
Nulix watched him leave and sighed.
"Whats your problem?" Davix said.
"We will fight, and we will die, if we continue to follow him," Nulix whispered. "I don't want that, Davix. I really don't."
"What do you propose then?" Davix asked.
"I don't know yet," Nulix began. "How many of the men are feeling mutinous?"
"A good quarter or more," Davix replied.
"Do you know which?" Nulix asked.
"We... have begun to compile a small list, yes," Davix muttered.
"Give it to me," Nulix said. Davix paused for just a moment before handing Nulix a paper he had in the pocket of his waistcoat.
"What do you plan on doing with them?" Davix asked as Nulix glanced over the names.
Nulix looked up at Davix and shrugged. "Whatever I can. Are you with Vecked?"
"Aye, and I will be to the end," Davix said with a small smile.
"I see," Nulix muttered. "I suspect I'll be gone when Vecked returns. So goodbye, Davix Nobleton. And I'll try to buy you boys some time."
Davix paused for a moment as he realized what Nulix was about to do. "Alright then," He said at last. "Goodbye, Nulix Princeton. Goodbye and farewell."
***
Jove tried his best to hang onto the large shaking machine as it moved over the desert hills with the guards. "At this speed we will reach them in less than a day!" Jove called out happily to his teammates.
Rasmus was prepped and ready to go along wither Artemis's team. Yet as they waited, to officially track their targets, Rasmus, having not seen his long time friend Kristopher Roka for some two years now walked up to him. His arms folded over his chest as he looked out over an arid world. Desert sands blowing in the wind obscuring the otherwise noticeable from sight. Meanwhile, the wind itself seeming equally uneasy, as though it were trying to hide something...greater.
"Roka, " Rasmus said, not taking his eyes of the world before them. " Do you hear that? The world is screaming. It doesn't want to see the color red. It doesn't want to have to soak up our blood. Its telling me something, whispering it to me but its faint- it so faint, like a murmur when you're half asleep and you don't know what someone's said. Damn. Got a bad feeling about this." Rasmus shook his head, frowning.
" I'd better get going, don't think Artemis is going to like waiting around for a diplomat." Rasmus rolled his eyes sarcastically before chuckling. Afterward he would settle back down, and sober before continuing. " Can you believe the way Vecked's betrayed us? What a damn fool." Rasmus shook his head once more before grinning cockily. "Would you hunt me down and kill me if I turned rogue?"
"Roka, " Rasmus said, not taking his eyes of the world before them. " Do you hear that? The world is screaming. It doesn't want to see the color red. It doesn't want to have to soak up our blood. Its telling me something, whispering it to me but its faint- it so faint, like a murmur when you're half asleep and you don't know what someone's said. Damn. Got a bad feeling about this." Rasmus shook his head, frowning.
" I'd better get going, don't think Artemis is going to like waiting around for a diplomat." Rasmus rolled his eyes sarcastically before chuckling. Afterward he would settle back down, and sober before continuing. " Can you believe the way Vecked's betrayed us? What a damn fool." Rasmus shook his head once more before grinning cockily. "Would you hunt me down and kill me if I turned rogue?"
"So, we're going in blind?" Sentrius sighed, his shoulders sagging. "Ah, well. It'll make our venture sound all the more heroic in papers, right?" Sentrius kept pace with the rest of the group, observing their forces as they traveled alongside them. Of particular interest were the tanks. "That's some impressive tech," Sentrius nodded. "Haven't read anything a about those models before. Nice of the higher-ups to let us borrow them, though."
"If you turned rogue I'd help you, Rasmus. Probably. I've helped rogues before," Roka said before pausing. "Good luck, and make sure Vecked dies if he does turn out to be more then he seems. Phoenix's are a blight, and we are the cure."
***
"Thank the King of Sor, Sentrius!" Malkini laughed as the desert sand blew past them. "He gave us all this! Probably has a motive, the old bastard, buts its still interesting."
***
"Thank the King of Sor, Sentrius!" Malkini laughed as the desert sand blew past them. "He gave us all this! Probably has a motive, the old bastard, buts its still interesting."
"Hahahahah...Oh do behave Roka. We both know you'd like to get those steely fingers around my neck after what happened on Dal. And lets not forget those memorable times when were nearly hung on Bao. Ahh, just lovely times." Rasmus said in an equivocal tone, eying the older man from the corners of his eyes. His wit hadn't left him after so much time.
" Well, I got a fugitive to kill. " He gripped the hefty appearing handle, flicking the switch causing the bright illumination of the beam based weapon to shine. He then flicked it of and called back in a serious tone towards Roka while going off to meet the others. "I'll make that son-of-a-bitch squeal for ya Kristopher. You count on it."
Once he had caught up with the remainder of the group, he looked towards the tanks themselves. They were splendid alright. Heavily armed, and a somewhat more maneuverable model. However, what the made up for in speed they took out in defense. It was only natural to assume a lighter, faster tank meant less armored over all. But nothing felt right to Rasmus like duel between to beings of high caliber, and the winds that shaped their destinies the way an orchestra shaped a symphony. Soon, his time would come.
" Well, I got a fugitive to kill. " He gripped the hefty appearing handle, flicking the switch causing the bright illumination of the beam based weapon to shine. He then flicked it of and called back in a serious tone towards Roka while going off to meet the others. "I'll make that son-of-a-bitch squeal for ya Kristopher. You count on it."
Once he had caught up with the remainder of the group, he looked towards the tanks themselves. They were splendid alright. Heavily armed, and a somewhat more maneuverable model. However, what the made up for in speed they took out in defense. It was only natural to assume a lighter, faster tank meant less armored over all. But nothing felt right to Rasmus like duel between to beings of high caliber, and the winds that shaped their destinies the way an orchestra shaped a symphony. Soon, his time would come.
“The King, Sentrius, has a particular flare for engineering. His hobby is to design different technologies to help protect and better the lives of his people. These tanks, “He gestured to the one he sat atop and the one next to it, “Have his typical thought process, ‘The best weapon that you don’t have to use because it’s just that damn terrifying.’ That’s how he puts it anyway. You remember those twelve towers on the outskirt of the capitol?” He asked the man, “Their actually each an artillery base meant to defend the city from the sea, land or air. Still working the bugs out on the orbital rail guns though… they have a tendency to overload.” Artemis commented making polite conversation. One of the men in the tanks opened a hatch and handed Artemis a print out, “Ah, Sentirus, I promised you a chance at the Royal Guard yes?” He said as he hopped over to the other tank.
He handed the papers to him, “I keep my word. Have Malkini ink those papers after this is over and you’ll have your shot.” He said, “Assuming you could deal with being my subordinate.” He added before hopping back to the other tank. He sat back for a ways until Malkini made a comment about the King being an Old bastard and the Company stopped. The Tanks had halted and the Guards were clearly gazing at the man. Artemis looked around and stifled a chuckle, “Move on, there’s no time to lose!” He ordered after a moment and the men began moving, glancing at Malkini he lowered his voice, “Sorry about that, these guys might be impressive to look at but their all newer recruits, and so they’re a bit touchy.”
He became stern for a moment, “This is a bad idea, there knights and Guards are impressive but they are far from ready to take on an army. With is a platoon, not a legion. This is still near suicide… you know that don’t you?” he said to Malkini.
He handed the papers to him, “I keep my word. Have Malkini ink those papers after this is over and you’ll have your shot.” He said, “Assuming you could deal with being my subordinate.” He added before hopping back to the other tank. He sat back for a ways until Malkini made a comment about the King being an Old bastard and the Company stopped. The Tanks had halted and the Guards were clearly gazing at the man. Artemis looked around and stifled a chuckle, “Move on, there’s no time to lose!” He ordered after a moment and the men began moving, glancing at Malkini he lowered his voice, “Sorry about that, these guys might be impressive to look at but their all newer recruits, and so they’re a bit touchy.”
He became stern for a moment, “This is a bad idea, there knights and Guards are impressive but they are far from ready to take on an army. With is a platoon, not a legion. This is still near suicide… you know that don’t you?” he said to Malkini.
"Kingsmen with rifles, Artemis. Kingsmen with rifles," Malkini said, stretching slightly.
"Artemis is right, we need some sort of tact before we go out and get them," Jove muttered as he helped Rasmus up onto the moving tank. "Kingsmen with rifles can be bloody hard to get rid of when they outnumber us by the dozens. They have four thousand men, Commander, we don't."
"Stop being an idiot, Jove, we aren't on Somer anymore. We're not slaves who buy into ridiculous gibberish," Malkini yelled.
"What!" Jove spat, "How exactly is it gibberish? They have four-thousand men and we have just over fifty! We need a plan."
"Artemis is right, we need some sort of tact before we go out and get them," Jove muttered as he helped Rasmus up onto the moving tank. "Kingsmen with rifles can be bloody hard to get rid of when they outnumber us by the dozens. They have four thousand men, Commander, we don't."
"Stop being an idiot, Jove, we aren't on Somer anymore. We're not slaves who buy into ridiculous gibberish," Malkini yelled.
"What!" Jove spat, "How exactly is it gibberish? They have four-thousand men and we have just over fifty! We need a plan."
"We're Knight Elites. We're supposed to make use of our small numbers. Isn't that what it says in the Handbook Sentrius? Article 7 paragraph 12 subsection B, I believe." He said with a smile under his helm. "Everything will be okay Jove. We can handle this. Have some faith in our abilities. This is our first real fight, our first real show of our skills to one another. We've got this."
Feeling hurt and confused, Demnix fled the camp in the commotion. When Nai shoved him back, he'd smashed his flute against his armor. Holding the shattered instrument, he let one silent tear fall. He then turned his face to the sky and closed his eyes. A second passed and he sighed. He dropped the Pan Flute and burried it's remains where he stood. "I'll never forget the notes.. but the memories will fade away." He whispered to no one in the night. Demnix turned toward the camp, facing the light with an undirected glance. "I'm the third wheel holding this whole unit back." He slicked back his hair and smiled up at the sky. "I'm not much of your image, am I father?" He then sat on the ground and began humming a tune he'd wanted to play for Nai before the night's events.
Rasmus quickly took a hold of the younger knight's arm and swung himself on board. He didn't immediately release the young man's arm, merely shook the entire length in an extended form of a handshake. "Thank-you Knight Joven." He said gratefully.
"Kingsmen with rifles, Artemis. Kingsmen with rifles," Malkini said, stretching slightly.
"Artemis is right, we need some sort of tact before we go out and get them," Jove muttered as he helped Rasmus up onto the moving tank. "Kingsmen with rifles can be bloody hard to get rid of when they outnumber us by the dozens. They have four thousand men, Commander, we don't."
"Stop being an idiot, Jove, we aren't on Somer anymore. We're not slaves who buy into ridiculous gibberish," Malkini yelled.
"What!" Jove spat, "How exactly is it gibberish? They have four-thousand men and we have just over fifty! We need a plan."
Rasmus surveyed the field of battle himself. There were certainly a lot more of them them the Knights.
Kingsmen and rifles. he quietly contemplated.
He looked around at the environment itself. Sandy covered hills. His Phoenix intuition merging with his tactical genius. Looking back, the tanks produced a lot of kicked up particles. Rasmus's eyes narrowed he formulated a plot. Fermenting in his rain was the scenario. He finally stepped forwards, stepping along side Artemis and Malkini.
"These tanks kick up an awful lot of dust and sand. What if we made a human made sand storm to mask our approach? Get in close and we can use the tanks as diversions and sneak in ourselves to get a more..comfortable approach." We could set up saboteur groups to starve and dehydrate them so that even if they wanted to stay they couldn't. They'd have to go for water sometime or another."
"Kingsmen with rifles, Artemis. Kingsmen with rifles," Malkini said, stretching slightly.
"Artemis is right, we need some sort of tact before we go out and get them," Jove muttered as he helped Rasmus up onto the moving tank. "Kingsmen with rifles can be bloody hard to get rid of when they outnumber us by the dozens. They have four thousand men, Commander, we don't."
"Stop being an idiot, Jove, we aren't on Somer anymore. We're not slaves who buy into ridiculous gibberish," Malkini yelled.
"What!" Jove spat, "How exactly is it gibberish? They have four-thousand men and we have just over fifty! We need a plan."
Rasmus surveyed the field of battle himself. There were certainly a lot more of them them the Knights.
Kingsmen and rifles. he quietly contemplated.
He looked around at the environment itself. Sandy covered hills. His Phoenix intuition merging with his tactical genius. Looking back, the tanks produced a lot of kicked up particles. Rasmus's eyes narrowed he formulated a plot. Fermenting in his rain was the scenario. He finally stepped forwards, stepping along side Artemis and Malkini.
"These tanks kick up an awful lot of dust and sand. What if we made a human made sand storm to mask our approach? Get in close and we can use the tanks as diversions and sneak in ourselves to get a more..comfortable approach." We could set up saboteur groups to starve and dehydrate them so that even if they wanted to stay they couldn't. They'd have to go for water sometime or another."
"A sand storm," Malkini muttered. "Its worth a shot. Now just to find their damn camp. I swear to god if it takes us over a day to find these bastards-"
Jove dazed off as Malkini ranted, his mind in the lens of his spyglass as it moved across the desert horizon. Suddenly something caught his eye. From beneath a dune the sand was rising, as though something was moving. Something big. "They're here," Jove whispered. "And they aren't camped, they're advancing."
Jove dazed off as Malkini ranted, his mind in the lens of his spyglass as it moved across the desert horizon. Suddenly something caught his eye. From beneath a dune the sand was rising, as though something was moving. Something big. "They're here," Jove whispered. "And they aren't camped, they're advancing."
Artemis nodded as Jove made his comment and his hand rose silently in the air with a fist. He made three fingers stand and gestured to the right and left respectively and lowered to two fingers pointed fore and aft. The Company moved silently as well .Three squads to each side and two art the front and rear. They drew their assault rifle and fixed their bayonets.
The tanks cannons moved and swiveled as Artemis made to slide off, “Load all shell types. Prep flares and smoke screen.” He said into the com. They were not a group of pure knight elites, but they were royal guards, they were skilled.
The tanks cannons moved and swiveled as Artemis made to slide off, “Load all shell types. Prep flares and smoke screen.” He said into the com. They were not a group of pure knight elites, but they were royal guards, they were skilled.
Jove gritted his teeth as the sand cloud grew higher. As soon as the army made its way over the dune and into view the battle would begin, he knew it.
***
As Demnix lay alone in the desert a figure approached him, casting a shadow over his view. Demnix looked up to see the form of Kristopher Roka before him. "You've been here for hours," The old man began slowly. "The Knight's have left to defeat the Princeton Brothers in the north, they've taken a guards from Sor with them."
The man looked down at Demnix and smiled. "You are son of Valorai, a great man. I'm sure many a proud to see you follow in his footsteps." Roka paused before sitting down next to Demnix. "What ails you, Valorai? Why have you brought yourself here, alone, and not come back?"
***
As Demnix lay alone in the desert a figure approached him, casting a shadow over his view. Demnix looked up to see the form of Kristopher Roka before him. "You've been here for hours," The old man began slowly. "The Knight's have left to defeat the Princeton Brothers in the north, they've taken a guards from Sor with them."
The man looked down at Demnix and smiled. "You are son of Valorai, a great man. I'm sure many a proud to see you follow in his footsteps." Roka paused before sitting down next to Demnix. "What ails you, Valorai? Why have you brought yourself here, alone, and not come back?"
Rasmus placed a hand upon Jove. His armor a stark contrast to the bright emerald green that shone brightly beneath the sun's glimmering heat soaked rays. Black as charcoal, black like soot covered steel it was an armor all its own. A number of upgrades, a heads up display in the helm that also had a tinted visor with com channels. There were several extensions on the left arm, that gradually, decreased in size. These would be reminiscent of a birds wings, though, as they might have extended in the form of one great black metallic wing, it would not be capable of flight. Instead, it was ingenious defense and offensive piece of equipment.
The tips of the 'feathers' were serrated and more than capable of cutting a man in half should he chose to angle himself and extend it. But more practical, was its defense. The armor plating was reinforced with a light alloy that was extremely durable-not indestructible- but durable enough to take extensive damage with out him having to sacrifice a limb to get the job done. He was mostly a close-quarters combatant, though from time to time he would use firearms- if he had to. He was surprisingly well adapted to his armor model. Though it was a heavier issue, the weight didn't seem to slow him down, at least, not that much. His armor also proclaimed he was, overall, a masterful knight quite capable in any situation that called for being adept at being highly adaptable.
Yet, regarding this fact, he wasn't the kind to grow completely arrogant. Cocky at times, but what soldier didn't grow cocky at times? Rasmus flipped his visor's tint off, he looked at Jove.
"Calm yourself young master Knight Jove, anticipation builds a reckless fighter. To occupy your thoughts, look to your environment. Tell me, what do you see?"
The tips of the 'feathers' were serrated and more than capable of cutting a man in half should he chose to angle himself and extend it. But more practical, was its defense. The armor plating was reinforced with a light alloy that was extremely durable-not indestructible- but durable enough to take extensive damage with out him having to sacrifice a limb to get the job done. He was mostly a close-quarters combatant, though from time to time he would use firearms- if he had to. He was surprisingly well adapted to his armor model. Though it was a heavier issue, the weight didn't seem to slow him down, at least, not that much. His armor also proclaimed he was, overall, a masterful knight quite capable in any situation that called for being adept at being highly adaptable.
Yet, regarding this fact, he wasn't the kind to grow completely arrogant. Cocky at times, but what soldier didn't grow cocky at times? Rasmus flipped his visor's tint off, he looked at Jove.
"Calm yourself young master Knight Jove, anticipation builds a reckless fighter. To occupy your thoughts, look to your environment. Tell me, what do you see?"
Demnix looked to Roka. "You're not here to yell at me." He said gratefully. "I'm not sure what to think right now." He spoke. "With that last invasion being horribly brutal; and with the incident hours ago... A knight can have friends. Can he love?" Demnix looked around and shook his head. "Thank you, Roka." Demnix smiled and stood up. A piece of his shattered pan flute poked through the sand. It was green against the red sands.
"Calm myself," Jove said slowly, readying his blade and getting into a fighting stance. "Right."
From atop the dune Nulix emerged on camel, followed by his cavalry, and then by the marching troops. They were all drifting out of formation and had their hands raised in the air. Malkini leaped from the tank and onto the sandy grounds, where he took out his pistol and shot Nulix's camel in the side, causing it to fall onto the ground. Nulix hit the sand hard and slowly tried to raise himself.
"We surrender!" Nulix screamed. "We surrender!"
"This isn't the whole army, this isn't even half of it," Jove muttered as he rested on the tanks gun. "Nulix Princeton, did you mutiny on your own brother?"
"He plans to lay a trap, he plans to blow the ground below you up and have you plunge into freezing waters, I'm here to help!" Nulix said as Malkini grabbed him. "Don't believe a word this rat says!" Malkini called as he punched Nulix in the stomach repeatedly.
***
"A Knight can love, but it is hard." Roka said slowly. "A Knight is a symbol, and to the common citizen of Sora, while they may admire or wish to be us, they cannot love us... as Knights. And finding love within the Knights is even harder. While we are heroes in shinning armor to the people everyone who joins the Knights has a reason for wanting to be that. And those reasons often stand in the way of any deep feelings emerging."
Roka gave a small smile to Demnix. "Don't feel bad, Master Valorai. This time in to my Knighthood I was laying in a swampy ditch, low on food, not knowing if I could or could not pop my head out to take a look around, or if it would get blown off if I did."
From atop the dune Nulix emerged on camel, followed by his cavalry, and then by the marching troops. They were all drifting out of formation and had their hands raised in the air. Malkini leaped from the tank and onto the sandy grounds, where he took out his pistol and shot Nulix's camel in the side, causing it to fall onto the ground. Nulix hit the sand hard and slowly tried to raise himself.
"We surrender!" Nulix screamed. "We surrender!"
"This isn't the whole army, this isn't even half of it," Jove muttered as he rested on the tanks gun. "Nulix Princeton, did you mutiny on your own brother?"
"He plans to lay a trap, he plans to blow the ground below you up and have you plunge into freezing waters, I'm here to help!" Nulix said as Malkini grabbed him. "Don't believe a word this rat says!" Malkini called as he punched Nulix in the stomach repeatedly.
***
"A Knight can love, but it is hard." Roka said slowly. "A Knight is a symbol, and to the common citizen of Sora, while they may admire or wish to be us, they cannot love us... as Knights. And finding love within the Knights is even harder. While we are heroes in shinning armor to the people everyone who joins the Knights has a reason for wanting to be that. And those reasons often stand in the way of any deep feelings emerging."
Roka gave a small smile to Demnix. "Don't feel bad, Master Valorai. This time in to my Knighthood I was laying in a swampy ditch, low on food, not knowing if I could or could not pop my head out to take a look around, or if it would get blown off if I did."
"Commander Malkini, stop!" Sentrius called, reaching for Malkini's shoulder in an attempt to haul him off of Nulix. If Princeton is to be believed, then we might need to stop in our tracks now and take his troops prisoner. After we question them, we can decide on our next move!"
"It's interesting," Rasmus said, stepping off the heavy weapon of war. His boots sank into the sands that covered the ground. Walking nonchalantly towards Nulix, his head cocking from side to side as though curiosity had grasped him, a slight smirk carried itself as though hung on his features. His arms lfted, walking towards the prisoner of war. Though something seemed strange.
"Your brother, what was his name..." He back snapping his fingers before he pointed at Nulix. " Vecked. Vecked shot our man Malkini here, and took of with a battalion of soldiers-our soldiers. Now you stroll out here with camels and surrender." Rasmus lightly clasped his hands together, walking right up to Nulix himself. He e stopped just shy of a couple feet from Nulix, lifted one hand and waved his index finger. " This is over when WE say it is. Your brother Vecked is going to be hunted until he gets tired of us chasing him, or we run him through for high treason." Rasmus' voice would sound very sober in his speexh, and cast an air of cold indifference about him.
"Your brother, what was his name..." He back snapping his fingers before he pointed at Nulix. " Vecked. Vecked shot our man Malkini here, and took of with a battalion of soldiers-our soldiers. Now you stroll out here with camels and surrender." Rasmus lightly clasped his hands together, walking right up to Nulix himself. He e stopped just shy of a couple feet from Nulix, lifted one hand and waved his index finger. " This is over when WE say it is. Your brother Vecked is going to be hunted until he gets tired of us chasing him, or we run him through for high treason." Rasmus' voice would sound very sober in his speexh, and cast an air of cold indifference about him.
Demnix faced Roka and Clasped his forearm with his hand allowing Roka's to do the same -a sign of Comradship. "You are a good man. I'd be honored to call you friend."
-Demnix turns to the battlefield as Malkini begins assaulting Nulix-
"What's going on over there?" Demnix said as he pulled his rifle out, using the scope as binoculars. "Malkini's assaulting one of our own." He answered himself. "What the hell is going on?" He was afraid to go investigate and was hoping that Roka had answers.
-Demnix turns to the battlefield as Malkini begins assaulting Nulix-
"What's going on over there?" Demnix said as he pulled his rifle out, using the scope as binoculars. "Malkini's assaulting one of our own." He answered himself. "What the hell is going on?" He was afraid to go investigate and was hoping that Roka had answers.
Artemis didn’t bother to just ask Malkini to back off, he was more direct. A bullet cut air and rang out above their heads, “Aden… try acting more like a commander and less like a Ulfire barbarian. Roka gave clear instructions to capture the Princeton’s unless they were phoenix… now if you want to tell me Nulix is one then please by all means, we could all use a good laugh.” He dismounted that tank while holstering his pistol and walked over to the men.
Grabbing Nulix he hauled him to his feet, “Since when did Knight Commanders stoop to the level of common thugs… we are Capima Gentlemen here are we not?” he looked at the other Knight… he was cold, calculating, vengeful, your average knight… Artemis didn’t trust him.
The lieutenant came up and got close to Artemis, “Sir, uh… Commander Malkini sir… your orders?” he asked. Artemis didn’t object. He had made his feelings clear. The bullet wasn’t to stop Malkini from beating up Nulix, he didn’t care so long as he didn’t kill the boy… it was a warning, one spoken between men like Malkini and Himself… it read, These are good knights and guards… if you get them killed I’ll kill you myself.
“If this is a trap then we need to rethink our position… you’re the veteran commander here and Roka gave the men orders to follow you, so lead… like a Capima Gentlemen.” He added as he himself kneed Nulix in the stomach and let him fall.
Grabbing Nulix he hauled him to his feet, “Since when did Knight Commanders stoop to the level of common thugs… we are Capima Gentlemen here are we not?” he looked at the other Knight… he was cold, calculating, vengeful, your average knight… Artemis didn’t trust him.
The lieutenant came up and got close to Artemis, “Sir, uh… Commander Malkini sir… your orders?” he asked. Artemis didn’t object. He had made his feelings clear. The bullet wasn’t to stop Malkini from beating up Nulix, he didn’t care so long as he didn’t kill the boy… it was a warning, one spoken between men like Malkini and Himself… it read, These are good knights and guards… if you get them killed I’ll kill you myself.
“If this is a trap then we need to rethink our position… you’re the veteran commander here and Roka gave the men orders to follow you, so lead… like a Capima Gentlemen.” He added as he himself kneed Nulix in the stomach and let him fall.
"Enough!" Xeroux shouted, picking Nulix from the ground, shielding him with his own form. "The boy surrendered and told us his brother's plan. He hasn't tried fighting back, so I doubt he's a Phoenix. He'd have already attacked us, not to mention his men would have attacked you for the uncalled for and brutal display you men just performed." He tilted his head to the side, his helm still covering his face. "You yourself said it Artemis, we are men of Sor. We have morals and codes. When a man surrenders we give him the chance to speak. Then we take them prisoner. We don't kill them anyways!"
He took Nulix to the side, pulling a pair of handcuffs from one of his side compartments and linked Nulix to the back of one of the tanks. "Artemis, have your men lock up the rest of these men. Once that's done, we can formulate a plan to counter Vecked's plan."
He folded his arms over his chest, waiting for the Royal Guard to follow Artemis' command.
He took Nulix to the side, pulling a pair of handcuffs from one of his side compartments and linked Nulix to the back of one of the tanks. "Artemis, have your men lock up the rest of these men. Once that's done, we can formulate a plan to counter Vecked's plan."
He folded his arms over his chest, waiting for the Royal Guard to follow Artemis' command.
"Nulix and Vecked Princeton stole Malkini's illegal army," Roka said, stepping forward and looking out over the scene. "Looks like Nulix brought some of it back. Go on, catch up to them. A battle is coming, and they need you, Demnix."
***
Nulix backed his feet up into the sand, toppling over as he did and falling into the side of the dune. "Oh my god!" Nulix exclaimed in horror as he touched his nose, completely bent in and bloodied. Nulix clumsily crawled behind Xeroux and stood behind him as though he was a wall. "You Sorillian folk are insane!" Nulix spat. "Back to the Islands with you!"
"You're from Iceveng Fals, Nulix, your more Sorillian then any of us," Malkini said, pulling out a golden Rapier from his hip. "Now, stand still. I'm going to execute you."
"Due process!" Nulix spat, grabbing Xeroux like a shield. "What can you even legally kill me for? Being a traitor of a traitor of a traitor? I'm bringing you your illegal army and this is what I get!?"
"Not for being a traitor, Nulix Princeton, but for being a confirmed Phoenix," Malkini said, stepping toward Xeroux.
"Let's not do this," Jove muttered as he lifted Nulix up. "How many men have mutinied from the army, Nulix?"
"Um, this is basically it, it was mainly a small groups, under dozens, that left before," Nulix explained hurriedly. "This is the first that was... in the hundreds."
"Are these men loyal to you?" Malkini asked as he examined the Kingsmen, who had been watching the scene unamused.
"Yes," Nulix said, gaining his composure slightly. "The one's who weren't loyal left my group about twelve hours ago upon our exit of Elliot Kingson's lands."
"And you let them leave," Malkini asked.
"I'm not a General," Nulix replied. "Sorry."
"Good god, you are just... completely useless," Malkini sighed. "But we don't have many options at the moment so... welcome aboard, Mister Princeton. You're men have just given us an army."
Malkini squinted as he looked at the noon sun. "Back on the tank gang, we move now! Royal Guard first, Kingsmen second!"
The Royal Guard instantly got ready to travel once more. The Kingsmen did not. Nulix turned to them and sighed. "You heard him, boys. Formation."
The Kingsmen gave nervous salutes before performing Malkini's orders. The Knight's, and Nulix got back on the tanks and they began to move again. "So?" Malkini asked as they traveled. "How many men does this little group entail, Nulix? It looks like two hundred or so."
"Just under three-hundred men," Nulix replied. "Vecked still has about a thousand, take a few deserters. Also, we were going to swarm a base for Elliot Kingson's guards, and you can expect at least a hundred Kingsmen died in that attack, if Vecked did not find a way around it."
Jove sighed. "Fifty Royal Guards, Two Tanks, Three-Hundred Kingsmen with Rifles, and eight Knights versus a very smart could be Phoenix and one-thousand mutinous Kingsmen. I have to say, I'm liking our odds."
***
Nulix backed his feet up into the sand, toppling over as he did and falling into the side of the dune. "Oh my god!" Nulix exclaimed in horror as he touched his nose, completely bent in and bloodied. Nulix clumsily crawled behind Xeroux and stood behind him as though he was a wall. "You Sorillian folk are insane!" Nulix spat. "Back to the Islands with you!"
"You're from Iceveng Fals, Nulix, your more Sorillian then any of us," Malkini said, pulling out a golden Rapier from his hip. "Now, stand still. I'm going to execute you."
"Due process!" Nulix spat, grabbing Xeroux like a shield. "What can you even legally kill me for? Being a traitor of a traitor of a traitor? I'm bringing you your illegal army and this is what I get!?"
"Not for being a traitor, Nulix Princeton, but for being a confirmed Phoenix," Malkini said, stepping toward Xeroux.
"Let's not do this," Jove muttered as he lifted Nulix up. "How many men have mutinied from the army, Nulix?"
"Um, this is basically it, it was mainly a small groups, under dozens, that left before," Nulix explained hurriedly. "This is the first that was... in the hundreds."
"Are these men loyal to you?" Malkini asked as he examined the Kingsmen, who had been watching the scene unamused.
"Yes," Nulix said, gaining his composure slightly. "The one's who weren't loyal left my group about twelve hours ago upon our exit of Elliot Kingson's lands."
"And you let them leave," Malkini asked.
"I'm not a General," Nulix replied. "Sorry."
"Good god, you are just... completely useless," Malkini sighed. "But we don't have many options at the moment so... welcome aboard, Mister Princeton. You're men have just given us an army."
Malkini squinted as he looked at the noon sun. "Back on the tank gang, we move now! Royal Guard first, Kingsmen second!"
The Royal Guard instantly got ready to travel once more. The Kingsmen did not. Nulix turned to them and sighed. "You heard him, boys. Formation."
The Kingsmen gave nervous salutes before performing Malkini's orders. The Knight's, and Nulix got back on the tanks and they began to move again. "So?" Malkini asked as they traveled. "How many men does this little group entail, Nulix? It looks like two hundred or so."
"Just under three-hundred men," Nulix replied. "Vecked still has about a thousand, take a few deserters. Also, we were going to swarm a base for Elliot Kingson's guards, and you can expect at least a hundred Kingsmen died in that attack, if Vecked did not find a way around it."
Jove sighed. "Fifty Royal Guards, Two Tanks, Three-Hundred Kingsmen with Rifles, and eight Knights versus a very smart could be Phoenix and one-thousand mutinous Kingsmen. I have to say, I'm liking our odds."
"I offer a diplomatic solution," Rasmus's tone sounded cold, but absolute. " If one could call it that."
He began to step between the three arguing. First he would come to revolve around Malkini.
"This isn't about vengence." Rasmus said bluntly, continuing on his way by. His eyes staring into the man's, as he came around, he went then to Xeroux.
"This isn't about personal honor."
His eyes staring out with intensity and severity and finally he came to Artemis. Stepping up to the silver plated knight. Easily being shorter than Artemis, he nonetheless, held a very commanding presence.
"This isn't even about how prisoners should be treated....Artemis, the state is on the brink of war with the Ulfire Empire. Ask yourself, what are we doing out here that requires the Soran Republic to expend valuable forces, forces that could be put to better use defending the fringes of the Republic itself?We are hunting down traitors to the republic. Now I've dealt with many things in my long career. I've dealt with runaways, I've dealt with spies. I've even dealt with uprisings from native cultures.But one thing the Republic will not stand for, is someone who willfully sabotages and attacks its own army and causes mass desertion. They no longer are consider prisoners, they are to be tried as traitors. So in all likelihood- he will be executed anyways. So your men will interrogate him find out where his brother is-exactly- and I alone will go negotiate his immediate surrender. Meanwhile, you will build a pyre, and tie him to a stake. If they do not surrender- burn him. If they ty to use me as a negotiating pawn- burn him. We don not negotiate with terrorists nor traitors."
He began to step between the three arguing. First he would come to revolve around Malkini.
"This isn't about vengence." Rasmus said bluntly, continuing on his way by. His eyes staring into the man's, as he came around, he went then to Xeroux.
"This isn't about personal honor."
His eyes staring out with intensity and severity and finally he came to Artemis. Stepping up to the silver plated knight. Easily being shorter than Artemis, he nonetheless, held a very commanding presence.
"This isn't even about how prisoners should be treated....Artemis, the state is on the brink of war with the Ulfire Empire. Ask yourself, what are we doing out here that requires the Soran Republic to expend valuable forces, forces that could be put to better use defending the fringes of the Republic itself?We are hunting down traitors to the republic. Now I've dealt with many things in my long career. I've dealt with runaways, I've dealt with spies. I've even dealt with uprisings from native cultures.But one thing the Republic will not stand for, is someone who willfully sabotages and attacks its own army and causes mass desertion. They no longer are consider prisoners, they are to be tried as traitors. So in all likelihood- he will be executed anyways. So your men will interrogate him find out where his brother is-exactly- and I alone will go negotiate his immediate surrender. Meanwhile, you will build a pyre, and tie him to a stake. If they do not surrender- burn him. If they ty to use me as a negotiating pawn- burn him. We don not negotiate with terrorists nor traitors."
Xeroux scowled under his helmet. "You offer what should be a last ditch effort!" He shouted at Rasmus. "What we're doing now, turning the army on itself, also madness!" He looked around. "These men were fighting side by side the very people we're going after. Now you ask them to kill their own kind? This isn't what any of them signed up for! The wanted better lives! They defected Vecked's army so they didn't have to fight anymore. They don't want to fight anymore!"
He let out a scream of frustration "We should just interrogate them, and detain them till after the battle with the remaining forces and Vecked. That is the best option."
He folded his arms across his chest. He was a Black Knight Elite, and he wasn't going to let this new guy treat him like a cadet. He was older sure, but still just an Elite.
He let out a scream of frustration "We should just interrogate them, and detain them till after the battle with the remaining forces and Vecked. That is the best option."
He folded his arms across his chest. He was a Black Knight Elite, and he wasn't going to let this new guy treat him like a cadet. He was older sure, but still just an Elite.
Artemis could not help but think that his assumption of this man was right but was respectful enough not to cut him off, though his face did not soften. It must have been very tense for the other knights; these three monoliths of men were clearly squaring off constantly in a duel that barbs might sing of. Rather poetic. Artemis finally spoke, deeply and clearly asserting that while he would not disrespect the man blatantly before the troops he wasn’t going to just kneel like a house pet, “Don’t for a moment think that I under estimate the consequences that are at stake here, and do not presume that you are completely aware of every side of this war.” He hinted, while the other two fought for various parties, Rasmus for the Knights, Malkini for his own Glory, and Artemis for the Royals.
He looked at Nulix as his nose bled and sighed, “Very well, we shall do as you ask… but I’ll handle the interrogation personally. And then the knights shall accompany you and Malkini to confront Vecked, you’ll need them if he is a phoenix. I, meanwhile, will remain here with the troops and await your signal to advance.” He suggested bluntly as he looked at the darkening sky, “We’ll set up camp on that ridge for the night, its defensible and solid, they won’t be blowing the pillars there.” He turned to the other two clear leaders, “Any objections?” he asked, while he knew they had several hours left to march he felt that at the current time the situation had changed enough that they should halt their march until they had a clear picture again.
He looked at Nulix as his nose bled and sighed, “Very well, we shall do as you ask… but I’ll handle the interrogation personally. And then the knights shall accompany you and Malkini to confront Vecked, you’ll need them if he is a phoenix. I, meanwhile, will remain here with the troops and await your signal to advance.” He suggested bluntly as he looked at the darkening sky, “We’ll set up camp on that ridge for the night, its defensible and solid, they won’t be blowing the pillars there.” He turned to the other two clear leaders, “Any objections?” he asked, while he knew they had several hours left to march he felt that at the current time the situation had changed enough that they should halt their march until they had a clear picture again.
"We honestly don't have time to discuss this now!" Sentrius stammered. "We should go with what Xeroux and Artemis mentioned. Artemis stays and interrogates, while the rest of us march on to confront Vecked!" Sentrius gave a disdainful glance towards Malkini before he continued. Malkini was starting to seem less and less capable of handling this mission. He was letting his personal vendetta with the Princeton's to get the best of him. Better someone else of sterner mentality take the helm for this one. As for who that would be...well, that would have to wait until a bit later.
As for the moment, they have a few Black Knights as well as a Royal Guard on their squadron. Prime candidates for a temporary leadership position. But if Sentrius wanted to prove himself worthy, he'd have to do something that would make him worthy. Now was not the time for that either, however. "It's too dangerous to keep Princeton and his armies around," Sentrius continued. "Better safe than sorry, right?"
As for the moment, they have a few Black Knights as well as a Royal Guard on their squadron. Prime candidates for a temporary leadership position. But if Sentrius wanted to prove himself worthy, he'd have to do something that would make him worthy. Now was not the time for that either, however. "It's too dangerous to keep Princeton and his armies around," Sentrius continued. "Better safe than sorry, right?"
"Enough!" Malkini spat, "I am the Knight Commander here and I am the one who decides what we do."
Malkini sighed, before turning to his squad. "We can't afford to move forward without all our forces, even if that forces could betray us." Malkini paused, placing his forehead in his fingers for a moment, rubbing out tension that had built in his brow. "We strip the Kingsmen of their weapons and the Royal Guard will be responsible for keeping them in check. If a battle breaks out we should hope that they are on our side."
"We could still be walking into a trap, sir," Jove said quietly.
"I know, which is why we keep Nulix with," Malkini said, grabbing Nulix by the jaw and putting him in an arm lock. With his left hand Malkini took out his pistol and aimed it at Nulix's ear. "I know the Princeton's, I started this army with them, and if there's one thing I know its that they love each other. Vecked would parlay with us before he saw his brother dead, that I know."
Malkini looked at the group, before throwing Nulix to the ground. "You lot are responsible for keeping a gun at Nulix's throat while we travel. When the sun goes down and we set up camp we can conduct a proper interrogation. But that is an issue for a later hour, for now we must ride, for each minute we waste Vecked Princeton gets closer to Elliot Kingson."
Jove glanced at Malkini for a second, before looking down at Nulix. "Well," He said after a moment. "Aye aye, Commander."
Malkini sighed, before turning to his squad. "We can't afford to move forward without all our forces, even if that forces could betray us." Malkini paused, placing his forehead in his fingers for a moment, rubbing out tension that had built in his brow. "We strip the Kingsmen of their weapons and the Royal Guard will be responsible for keeping them in check. If a battle breaks out we should hope that they are on our side."
"We could still be walking into a trap, sir," Jove said quietly.
"I know, which is why we keep Nulix with," Malkini said, grabbing Nulix by the jaw and putting him in an arm lock. With his left hand Malkini took out his pistol and aimed it at Nulix's ear. "I know the Princeton's, I started this army with them, and if there's one thing I know its that they love each other. Vecked would parlay with us before he saw his brother dead, that I know."
Malkini looked at the group, before throwing Nulix to the ground. "You lot are responsible for keeping a gun at Nulix's throat while we travel. When the sun goes down and we set up camp we can conduct a proper interrogation. But that is an issue for a later hour, for now we must ride, for each minute we waste Vecked Princeton gets closer to Elliot Kingson."
Jove glanced at Malkini for a second, before looking down at Nulix. "Well," He said after a moment. "Aye aye, Commander."
"You offer what should be a last ditch effort!" He shouted at Rasmus. "What we're doing now, turning the army on itself, also madness!" He looked around. "These men were fighting side by side the very people we're going after. Now you ask them to kill their own kind? This isn't what any of them signed up for! The wanted better lives! They defected Vecked's army so they didn't have to fight anymore. They don't want to fight anymore!"
"Then I suggest, master Xeroux, that you sign up elsewhere. However, I owe my allegiance to the republic itself. Not in some false, illusionary moral that magically makes things all better!" Rasmus argued. "This is war and this has to be put down before it garners any further support by would be insurrectionists. The only way to make the ants come out of their hole, is to fan smoke-into the hole. Do you really think that courts will have the ears for his pleading for "mercy" when they read the official statements that read and I quote: " Aided in the attempted murder of Knight Malkini, also aided in capturing a sizable force of loyal soldiers." Oh, but I'll put your sincerest words in there and may be they'll "think" about, eh? Don't be so naive boy." Rasmus turned towards the other black knight. His arms held up.
"The tensions are high, and the people are crying out- for one excuse- just one to go to war. Now I have spent seven years of my life keeping us from total all out fighting with the Ulfire. But we give the Soran's that excuse, we give them a reason to down the very foundation of their republic, then we mine as well be killing each other right here and now. Just mark this world as another blood bath like Ulsin." Rasmus 's rebuttal would be hard to dismiss.
“Very well, we shall do as you ask… but I’ll handle the interrogation personally. And then the knights shall accompany you and Malkini to confront Vecked, you’ll need them if he is a phoenix. I, meanwhile, will remain here with the troops and await your signal to advance.”
“We’ll set up camp on that ridge for the night, its defensible and solid, they won’t be blowing the pillars there.” He turned to the other two clear leaders, “Any objections?”
"Very good, master Artemis. A small contingent of Knight, Malkini and myself will confront Veckerd. I will signal a flare should he be perished in combat or he comes willingly. It will be a green smoke. If neither happens and we are forced into open confrontation, then the smoke will be red." Rasmus spoke directly.
Stepping past Artemis, he stopped, looking over his shoulder at the taller, more broad shouldered knight. " Make no mistake, master Artemis," He started. " I do know every aspect of these skirmishes of yours and your men. I make it my business to know. I wasn't elected chief diplomat between Sora and Ulfire because I was clumsily reading reports- I've been there. I know what goes on. Commander Roka can tell you as much. Now, I'll go elect volunteers for this task before us while we set up camp.
"I know, which is why we keep Nulix with," Malkini said, grabbing Nulix by the jaw and putting him in an arm lock. With his left hand Malkini took out his pistol and aimed it at Nulix's ear. "I know the Princeton's, I started this army with them, and if there's one thing I know its that they love each other. Vecked would parlay with us before he saw his brother dead, that I know."
Malkini looked at the group, before throwing Nulix to the ground. "You lot are responsible for keeping a gun at Nulix's throat while we travel. When the sun goes down and we set up camp we can conduct a proper interrogation. But that is an issue for a later hour, for now we must ride, for each minute we waste Vecked Princeton gets closer to Elliot Kingson."
"Very well spoken master Malkini. It's just as I thought-we have our ace in the hole." Rasmus commented, looking down at Nulix.
He would give the poor bastard a grim smile through his helm's visor. He represented an angel of death and Malkini an angel of chaos.
"Then I suggest, master Xeroux, that you sign up elsewhere. However, I owe my allegiance to the republic itself. Not in some false, illusionary moral that magically makes things all better!" Rasmus argued. "This is war and this has to be put down before it garners any further support by would be insurrectionists. The only way to make the ants come out of their hole, is to fan smoke-into the hole. Do you really think that courts will have the ears for his pleading for "mercy" when they read the official statements that read and I quote: " Aided in the attempted murder of Knight Malkini, also aided in capturing a sizable force of loyal soldiers." Oh, but I'll put your sincerest words in there and may be they'll "think" about, eh? Don't be so naive boy." Rasmus turned towards the other black knight. His arms held up.
"The tensions are high, and the people are crying out- for one excuse- just one to go to war. Now I have spent seven years of my life keeping us from total all out fighting with the Ulfire. But we give the Soran's that excuse, we give them a reason to down the very foundation of their republic, then we mine as well be killing each other right here and now. Just mark this world as another blood bath like Ulsin." Rasmus 's rebuttal would be hard to dismiss.
“Very well, we shall do as you ask… but I’ll handle the interrogation personally. And then the knights shall accompany you and Malkini to confront Vecked, you’ll need them if he is a phoenix. I, meanwhile, will remain here with the troops and await your signal to advance.”
“We’ll set up camp on that ridge for the night, its defensible and solid, they won’t be blowing the pillars there.” He turned to the other two clear leaders, “Any objections?”
"Very good, master Artemis. A small contingent of Knight, Malkini and myself will confront Veckerd. I will signal a flare should he be perished in combat or he comes willingly. It will be a green smoke. If neither happens and we are forced into open confrontation, then the smoke will be red." Rasmus spoke directly.
Stepping past Artemis, he stopped, looking over his shoulder at the taller, more broad shouldered knight. " Make no mistake, master Artemis," He started. " I do know every aspect of these skirmishes of yours and your men. I make it my business to know. I wasn't elected chief diplomat between Sora and Ulfire because I was clumsily reading reports- I've been there. I know what goes on. Commander Roka can tell you as much. Now, I'll go elect volunteers for this task before us while we set up camp.
"I know, which is why we keep Nulix with," Malkini said, grabbing Nulix by the jaw and putting him in an arm lock. With his left hand Malkini took out his pistol and aimed it at Nulix's ear. "I know the Princeton's, I started this army with them, and if there's one thing I know its that they love each other. Vecked would parlay with us before he saw his brother dead, that I know."
Malkini looked at the group, before throwing Nulix to the ground. "You lot are responsible for keeping a gun at Nulix's throat while we travel. When the sun goes down and we set up camp we can conduct a proper interrogation. But that is an issue for a later hour, for now we must ride, for each minute we waste Vecked Princeton gets closer to Elliot Kingson."
"Very well spoken master Malkini. It's just as I thought-we have our ace in the hole." Rasmus commented, looking down at Nulix.
He would give the poor bastard a grim smile through his helm's visor. He represented an angel of death and Malkini an angel of chaos.
Malkini put down his foot and Artemis couldn’t help but chckle. “Very well Aden, you win, we’ll play this your way, but take a few of your knights and leave Nulix in my hands… if you don’t trust me then leave Jove here as well. You can have the tanks.” He added, the tank commander nodded and closed his hatch.
He looked to the diplomat, “We got out muscled here Rasmus, the Commander actually has a backbone and unfortunately he’s the boss until Roka says otherwise.” He added with a shrug. He was still smirking at the thought of the man’s last comment. He had said that he understood everything Artemis was thinking, the man wasn’t that clever. While the others were thinking how can we pull this off, or what will happen with Ulfire all Artemis was thinking was whether or not he should switch sides and help Vecked kill these knights before they became thorns in the side of the family and senate or wait to see which could be saved from corruption and which must be put down. The knights had proven themselves to be a cancer in this war, and as of the moment Artemis was the only cure available to the King.
It was strange that while he glanced from knight to knight was was gaining respect for them, well most of them, and he was finding it harder and harder to plan every second how he would eliminate them if he had to. Malkini and Rasmus were different, they were old and as such lacked the purity the others showed, Artemis was finding it easy to contemplate their demise should the need arise. At the current time his plan for Malkni was ever more elaborate, the current favorite involved a camel, several courtesans, a Sorilian midget, and three tons of sand… that one was a fun idea.
Time was still being wasted and he signaled for his men to head over toward the large rock formation, not wanting to risk a sand trap being sprung for them. “Come now Nulix, you and I have basic honor and integrity to discuss.” Artemis said as he grabbed the boy and drew his pistol which he pressed hardly into the youth’s neck while dragging him forcibly along.
He looked to the diplomat, “We got out muscled here Rasmus, the Commander actually has a backbone and unfortunately he’s the boss until Roka says otherwise.” He added with a shrug. He was still smirking at the thought of the man’s last comment. He had said that he understood everything Artemis was thinking, the man wasn’t that clever. While the others were thinking how can we pull this off, or what will happen with Ulfire all Artemis was thinking was whether or not he should switch sides and help Vecked kill these knights before they became thorns in the side of the family and senate or wait to see which could be saved from corruption and which must be put down. The knights had proven themselves to be a cancer in this war, and as of the moment Artemis was the only cure available to the King.
It was strange that while he glanced from knight to knight was was gaining respect for them, well most of them, and he was finding it harder and harder to plan every second how he would eliminate them if he had to. Malkini and Rasmus were different, they were old and as such lacked the purity the others showed, Artemis was finding it easy to contemplate their demise should the need arise. At the current time his plan for Malkni was ever more elaborate, the current favorite involved a camel, several courtesans, a Sorilian midget, and three tons of sand… that one was a fun idea.
Time was still being wasted and he signaled for his men to head over toward the large rock formation, not wanting to risk a sand trap being sprung for them. “Come now Nulix, you and I have basic honor and integrity to discuss.” Artemis said as he grabbed the boy and drew his pistol which he pressed hardly into the youth’s neck while dragging him forcibly along.
Xeroux followed Artemis. "I'll stick with him." Was all he said, unable to bring himself to argue any longer with the new obsidian knight. He followed Artemis, wishing he'd put the gun away, it didn't seem like him to be so ruthless. Xeroux was sure it was a show, to prove that even a Royal Guard would listen to a "Commanding" officer. He could see through it, or at least hoped he was. He hoped Artemis was better than them all, and would show he was by defeating Malkini and this new guy. Roka was a true Knight commander, and he wished that Roka would adopt their team, and make them into better knights.
"You boys really do mean business!" Nulix exclaimed as he was dragged along. The army raced off over the dune and forward north. The sun trailed over them as they went, but they were not hot. It had became colder and colder as they went forward, and the desert sands had become harder and harder as they went, eventually going from golden hills to black rock. Clouds grew in the distance as they continued forward and the sun lowered down upon them. The land itself had become jagged, and they had began to walk on rocky pathways and ledges that fell off into blackness.
"What's down there," Jove whispered, his words flying past his face as steam.
"Water," Nulix whispered as he walked beside the tank with Artemis and Xeroux. "Ice Water. Don't fall boys, if the impact doesn't kill you the cold will."
Malkini glanced at Nulix before continuing on. They eventually reached a stone area, large enough to make camp. "We stop here," Malkini said to the group as he jumped off the tank. "Men, prepare camp."
The Royal Guards nodded and began to take out supplies from their packs. Nulix practically collapsed on the ground, having walked the whole day, not once being able to ride in the tank, and not being built to walk like the Guards had. Jove glanced around their surroundings, although he couldn't look far given the darkness. "You sure its wise to camp here, we could be attacked," Jove muttered.
"I don't know if its wise," Malkini said as he oversaw the Guard's setting up their tents. "But I know we can't fight Vecked in darkness, or unrested. Tomorrow we fight him, he can't be much farther..." Malkini let out a heavy sigh, before rubbing his chest for a moment. He suddenly raised his head as though he had gotten an idea. "Alright now, Knights. Take Nulix into that tent over there and get some answers out of him, understood?"
"What's down there," Jove whispered, his words flying past his face as steam.
"Water," Nulix whispered as he walked beside the tank with Artemis and Xeroux. "Ice Water. Don't fall boys, if the impact doesn't kill you the cold will."
Malkini glanced at Nulix before continuing on. They eventually reached a stone area, large enough to make camp. "We stop here," Malkini said to the group as he jumped off the tank. "Men, prepare camp."
The Royal Guards nodded and began to take out supplies from their packs. Nulix practically collapsed on the ground, having walked the whole day, not once being able to ride in the tank, and not being built to walk like the Guards had. Jove glanced around their surroundings, although he couldn't look far given the darkness. "You sure its wise to camp here, we could be attacked," Jove muttered.
"I don't know if its wise," Malkini said as he oversaw the Guard's setting up their tents. "But I know we can't fight Vecked in darkness, or unrested. Tomorrow we fight him, he can't be much farther..." Malkini let out a heavy sigh, before rubbing his chest for a moment. He suddenly raised his head as though he had gotten an idea. "Alright now, Knights. Take Nulix into that tent over there and get some answers out of him, understood?"
As they made camp, Sentrius quickly ran to the trees and raised his blade to cut branches off for firewood. Gathering an armful of tree branches and placing them in the middle of the camp. Reaching to the ground for a rock, he drew his blade and struck it against the rock, igniting it on fire. He then quickly tossed the stone into the pile of wood, thereby starting a campfire. Sighing, he paced around the campfire. Walking up to Rasmus, Sentrius greeted, "Hail, er, Rasmus was it? So I hear your good friends with General Roka?" Sentrius asked. Perhaps if he could get in good standings with this new edition to their team, he'd be able to pass on the word to Roka. Never hurt to get a little recognition.
Artemis was being overly rough with Nulix and forced him into the tent hard. He looked to Xeroux and then to the others. “He’s a sly one, we need to do this right or else we won’t get the right answers, Sentrius, you and Jove wait outside until I whistle, when I do storm into the tent and rough him up a bit… don’t break anything.” He instructed, “Make sure to injure him in a way that fades, I don’t think he can take much throbbing pain. Xeroux, you and I will to the majority of the talking.” He said taking a deep breath, he looked at Rasmus and gave a moment’s pause before leaning in closer to the knights, “And one last thing… keep him out.” He added before turning to enter the tent.
The guards were in a bustle but were skilled and a squad placed several anchors on a large rock and rappelled over the side of the path toward the water, they would take turns watching for a naval assault. Another squad spread out around the camp and took up patrol posts. This was the kind of precision one doesn’t get in the legion, only in the knights or guards.
Artemis entered the tent and immediately his face changed to one of disappointment rather than anger. Firstly he raised his pistol that had been aimed at the man’s head for the past few hours and pulled the trigger, a click and nothing happened, it had been empty the whole time. He reached out and took hold of Nulix’s nose hard, a quick twist and he popped the bone back into place. Taking out a cloth he handed it to him, “Tell me, do you and your brother want to forward your stupid ideas now or do I have to wait to be surprised by your idiocy?” he asked loudly. The men outside could only just hear him… the tent was large and sharp sided, with thick canvas that was abnormally sound proof. While Artemis was speaking at a generally loud level that they could hear him at he was merely testing it. his voice went back to his usual level as he spoke quieter, “I assume that you had your reasons, but I wish you had come to me, I might have been able to help.”
The guards were in a bustle but were skilled and a squad placed several anchors on a large rock and rappelled over the side of the path toward the water, they would take turns watching for a naval assault. Another squad spread out around the camp and took up patrol posts. This was the kind of precision one doesn’t get in the legion, only in the knights or guards.
Artemis entered the tent and immediately his face changed to one of disappointment rather than anger. Firstly he raised his pistol that had been aimed at the man’s head for the past few hours and pulled the trigger, a click and nothing happened, it had been empty the whole time. He reached out and took hold of Nulix’s nose hard, a quick twist and he popped the bone back into place. Taking out a cloth he handed it to him, “Tell me, do you and your brother want to forward your stupid ideas now or do I have to wait to be surprised by your idiocy?” he asked loudly. The men outside could only just hear him… the tent was large and sharp sided, with thick canvas that was abnormally sound proof. While Artemis was speaking at a generally loud level that they could hear him at he was merely testing it. his voice went back to his usual level as he spoke quieter, “I assume that you had your reasons, but I wish you had come to me, I might have been able to help.”
Nulix looked at Artemis, in fear and in shock. "Artemis," he began slowly, his eyes wide. "There is no plan, this isn't a trap... I betrayed Vecked..." Nulix looked down and pressed his face into his palms. "I betrayed Vecked," He sobbed slowly. After a moment he collected himself and looked up. "Listen, the further we go the deadlier the terrain gets. The North is dead, Artemis, and the water gets lower and lower while the rocks get higher and higher. Soon enough we will be walking on foot wide rock pillars hundreds of feet above the water. That's where he will attack us, we discussed plans of an ambush on you guys... before I left."
***
"Pretty massive," Jove said quietly to Sentrius. "Pretty massive action going on here..."
***
"Pretty massive," Jove said quietly to Sentrius. "Pretty massive action going on here..."
"Hail, er, Rasmus was it? So I hear your good friends with General Roka?"
Rasmus stared out into the void, the darkness a familiar thing because it was the only comforting thing he felt inside. He was tired. Just so damn tired anymore. Most of all, he was tired of the endless bloodshed.
Over what? He thought to himself. Resources? Rights? What about his people's rights? They weren't all oppressive. There were ill men amongst the Sorans and the definitely the Uflire. Many of the "republics" acted more like "empires" anyways. He swallowed the knot in his chest. His anxiety building again. The damn thing didn't know when to quit threatening the life it belongs to.
What about Roka? His conscious leaned the opposite way. What about him? Rasmus asked himself inside. He's you're friend, he'd give any thing for you. His conscious inquired. He'd give anything for me as a Soran. I'm not Soran. Not Ulfire. Not anything but a Phoenix.
Rasmus exhaled slowly, jettisoning a thin cloud of gray smoke into the air by his right ear as he aimed the smoke with his lips. His hand lifting to pinch the cigarette between two fingers in a casual manner, flicking the built up ashes off by simply tapping the cigarette. He turned when he heard his name, spilling his vibrant red locks along the black onyx colored armor.
"Ah, master Sentrius I presume. Very impressive resume. " Rasmus said aloud, letting out a free hand to shake hands.
Rasmus stared out into the void, the darkness a familiar thing because it was the only comforting thing he felt inside. He was tired. Just so damn tired anymore. Most of all, he was tired of the endless bloodshed.
Over what? He thought to himself. Resources? Rights? What about his people's rights? They weren't all oppressive. There were ill men amongst the Sorans and the definitely the Uflire. Many of the "republics" acted more like "empires" anyways. He swallowed the knot in his chest. His anxiety building again. The damn thing didn't know when to quit threatening the life it belongs to.
What about Roka? His conscious leaned the opposite way. What about him? Rasmus asked himself inside. He's you're friend, he'd give any thing for you. His conscious inquired. He'd give anything for me as a Soran. I'm not Soran. Not Ulfire. Not anything but a Phoenix.
Rasmus exhaled slowly, jettisoning a thin cloud of gray smoke into the air by his right ear as he aimed the smoke with his lips. His hand lifting to pinch the cigarette between two fingers in a casual manner, flicking the built up ashes off by simply tapping the cigarette. He turned when he heard his name, spilling his vibrant red locks along the black onyx colored armor.
"Ah, master Sentrius I presume. Very impressive resume. " Rasmus said aloud, letting out a free hand to shake hands.
Nai didn't know what to make of the turn of events. This was a knight's job, to defend and protect justice as well as the people it corresponded to. These people, her squad, seemed to hold that idea very close to their hearts. Perhaps she had misjudged them, came in with the wrong idea of what wearing the armor meant. Perhaps Raven had just been the exception, and without knowing anything but the stories he could weave, it made her believe he was the rule. They were mere humans in the environent of war, the natural state to some. The end is what matters, was it not?
As Nulix was secured, Nai still felt uncomfortable with what the job entailed. The days of the academy seemed like nothing compared to this. They had taught her, armed her, but only physically and somewhat mentally. Tales of glory and tales of corruption played havoc in her mind, making her will falter. She would apologize later to Demnix for her reaction and try to restrain herself around Sentrius. Her problems would resolve themselves, she told herself, as she sat near the others and listened to them talk.
As Nulix was secured, Nai still felt uncomfortable with what the job entailed. The days of the academy seemed like nothing compared to this. They had taught her, armed her, but only physically and somewhat mentally. Tales of glory and tales of corruption played havoc in her mind, making her will falter. She would apologize later to Demnix for her reaction and try to restrain herself around Sentrius. Her problems would resolve themselves, she told herself, as she sat near the others and listened to them talk.
"Why yes. Yes it is in fact," Sentrius nodded, shaking Rasmus' hand. FINALLY some recognition for his, honestly above average performance record back in the academy. "Practically had to lead my own squadron of trainees after our commanding officer was injured during a training mission. It was tough, but someone had to step up to the plate. And that was me," Sentrius sighed proudly, looking off into the distance in reminiscence. "You must have quite an impressive record yourself to be hand picked for such an important mission. I believe I might've missed your name on the historical records though. Were you in the same squadron General Roka was as a young elite?"
Xeroux stood opposite Artemis, behind Nulix. The boy broke down, but told them what Vecked's plan was. He sighed. He was still confused as to why Vecked would go through such drastic measures. Surely he didn't believe the Knights would just leave him be. Though, Xeroux was sure, it's something the boy probably hoped for. "Is there another way we can take to reach your brother and his army? Somehow surprise him?" He walked in front of Nulix slowly. The boy was young, but he was smart, and scared. Xeorux couldn't blame him though, at the moment, he was everyone's enemy. He had no friends. Not the Knights, and certainly not his brother.
"Nulix, you can take a deep breath. I'm not here to hurt you. In my book, you're going to be getting a lighter punishment. You've betrayed your brother, that was the right thing to do. You've told us of an impending trap, another notable deed. You are doing the right thing telling us these kinds of things. Is there anything you can, or should tell us? Something else that will look good for the report I'll have to write regarding this interrogation. The more you help us, the better things can be for you."
He knelt down to the boy's level, looking into his green eyes, trying to make the point of a lighter punishment hit home, so Xeroux and Artemis could inform the team of a new plan, should the need arise for one based on Nulix's potential information.
"Nulix, you can take a deep breath. I'm not here to hurt you. In my book, you're going to be getting a lighter punishment. You've betrayed your brother, that was the right thing to do. You've told us of an impending trap, another notable deed. You are doing the right thing telling us these kinds of things. Is there anything you can, or should tell us? Something else that will look good for the report I'll have to write regarding this interrogation. The more you help us, the better things can be for you."
He knelt down to the boy's level, looking into his green eyes, trying to make the point of a lighter punishment hit home, so Xeroux and Artemis could inform the team of a new plan, should the need arise for one based on Nulix's potential information.
Artemis suddenly spoke up cutting Xeroux short slightly, “He’s a Phoenix…isn’t he.” It was more a statement then a question.
He sighed and looked at the entrance to the tent, “We need to either take another route or get rid of Malkini, I won’t sit by while all my men are led by that incompetent man to a slaughter.” He said as he clenched his fist tighter.
After a few moments he sighed again and looked to Nulix, “Brace yourself kid… and keep quiet no matter what.” He advised as he whistled loud enough for the others to hear. He had gotten most of what he needed, but the characid had to continue.
He sighed and looked at the entrance to the tent, “We need to either take another route or get rid of Malkini, I won’t sit by while all my men are led by that incompetent man to a slaughter.” He said as he clenched his fist tighter.
After a few moments he sighed again and looked to Nulix, “Brace yourself kid… and keep quiet no matter what.” He advised as he whistled loud enough for the others to hear. He had gotten most of what he needed, but the characid had to continue.
"There is no other way," Nulix said, standing up. "Vecked and Malkini both want an epic battle, and they will get it. That's all that awaits us north. Or we could run."
"Why yes. Yes it is in fact," Sentrius nodded, shaking Rasmus' hand. FINALLY some recognition for his, honestly above average performance record back in the academy. "Practically had to lead my own squadron of trainees after our commanding officer was injured during a training mission. It was tough, but someone had to step up to the plate. And that was me," Sentrius sighed proudly, looking off into the distance in reminiscence. "You must have quite an impressive record yourself to be hand picked for such an important mission. I believe I might've missed your name on the historical records though. Were you in the same squadron General Roka was as a young elite?"
"Ah. Mt. Ravin. Was a nice place." I made one of the volcanoes my home during the extensive stays out in the wilderness. The animals wouldn't dare come near it. When the Bearer of Arms found, ooh, he was considerably pissed. " Rasmus chuckled. " I was always the one to find "another way" of doing something. Especially when it came to combat tactics. When I graduated, I was the first they heard of as far as classes were concerned. They graduated me as black, it wasn't because I had met the "average" scores. It was because I was an enigma and had past with one hundred percent on all of the major scores. I was under Roka's command a lot, and when the other knights were either too dumbfounded by his seemingly single minded pursuit of his enemies or to injured- I went alone with him into any mouth of traps. Sometimes he saved me, sometimes I saved him. He's honestly the only brother I have really had. And if anybody were to harm him- they will come through me first. My name is Rasmus DeTylmerand. Would you kindly excuse me."
Rasmus said as he stepped over to the tent that Artemis and Xeroux were interrogating Nulix in. His armor made a distinctive tone when it met the ground. An added feature were bell so that the enemy knew where he was at all times. He was a combatant first, and few had a pair to actually contend with him. Surprisingly, though, his appearance was a scarlet haired angel in combination. He had no distinctive markings except and undulating "tribal" tattoo given to him for defeating- and killing- the chieftain of a world that had not been part of the Soran collective in his youthful days with Roka. He parted the front of the canvas, and stepped inside. In his he held the cigarette between his middle and index phalanges which he rose to his lips and drew upon before menacingly blowing smoke out of the corner of his mouth with an air of indifference towards Nulix's obvious fear.
"Run you say? Well..." He mildly chuckled." If we ran, then we wouldn't be here in the first place...No, there will be no running. Not while I am here."
"Ah. Mt. Ravin. Was a nice place." I made one of the volcanoes my home during the extensive stays out in the wilderness. The animals wouldn't dare come near it. When the Bearer of Arms found, ooh, he was considerably pissed. " Rasmus chuckled. " I was always the one to find "another way" of doing something. Especially when it came to combat tactics. When I graduated, I was the first they heard of as far as classes were concerned. They graduated me as black, it wasn't because I had met the "average" scores. It was because I was an enigma and had past with one hundred percent on all of the major scores. I was under Roka's command a lot, and when the other knights were either too dumbfounded by his seemingly single minded pursuit of his enemies or to injured- I went alone with him into any mouth of traps. Sometimes he saved me, sometimes I saved him. He's honestly the only brother I have really had. And if anybody were to harm him- they will come through me first. My name is Rasmus DeTylmerand. Would you kindly excuse me."
Rasmus said as he stepped over to the tent that Artemis and Xeroux were interrogating Nulix in. His armor made a distinctive tone when it met the ground. An added feature were bell so that the enemy knew where he was at all times. He was a combatant first, and few had a pair to actually contend with him. Surprisingly, though, his appearance was a scarlet haired angel in combination. He had no distinctive markings except and undulating "tribal" tattoo given to him for defeating- and killing- the chieftain of a world that had not been part of the Soran collective in his youthful days with Roka. He parted the front of the canvas, and stepped inside. In his he held the cigarette between his middle and index phalanges which he rose to his lips and drew upon before menacingly blowing smoke out of the corner of his mouth with an air of indifference towards Nulix's obvious fear.
"Run you say? Well..." He mildly chuckled." If we ran, then we wouldn't be here in the first place...No, there will be no running. Not while I am here."
Demnix aproached the group a new man. He flicked a communicator shut and shielded it in a nitch in his armor. "I've just received a call from my higher ups. I've been upped a rank." He said, tearing the "Third Tier Leutenant" badge from his shoulder. "I've been ranked at general. It appears someone leaked footage of my tussle with an old squadron to the Administrators." He followed protocol and burned the patch, laying it to the sands. '"For extraordinary valor."' He quoted with a chuckle. He stooped to think for a minute. "How should we go about an assault?" He asked Malkini, who still appeared razzed in the confusion. "And what just happened?"
Artemis looked at Rasmus as he entered, “Isn’t it? This whole campaign is just a fools errand… Vecked is trying to secure his people, if he was a man who was directly allied with a powerful senate committee we would be here saying we were going to capture him while we really assist him… it’s just because he is against Elliot that we are even here… well, Malkini is here because its his only chance at avoiding the gallows, but the rest of us are here for the preservation of a senator... that's what democracy means.” Artemis said with a look of disgust as he leaned against a pillar in the tent.
“This whole campaign is a farce, and it’s going to get a lot of good men killed. If I had know Malkini would be leading us I wouldn’t have called for these men.”
“This whole campaign is a farce, and it’s going to get a lot of good men killed. If I had know Malkini would be leading us I wouldn’t have called for these men.”
"I could care less about Malkini or his affairs for the matter. I am a prefect. I am beyond the normal, shall we say...'standards and practices' that bind normal Knights and even Royal Guards." Rasmus said dispassionately, stepping further into the tent. As he took each step, he removed his helmet entirely rather than just sliding the visor down. Long flowing tresses fell just along his shoulders, and his eyes held a truly chilling cold gaze in their depths. Like he had the void of space in their depths.
"I honestly think he should be hung for his misdeeds, and I were Vecked- I would have made sure he died. But the truth is-I am a piece to be toyed with just as everyone here is. I just intend to be the bigger piece than my compatriots." He slowly turned his head to Artemis, staring as he finished his statement. He then continued, "There's no room for doubt; when all there is is questions, nothing tends to get done. But I guess all a 'republic' is is an empire too lazy to get off its ass and stop pondering philosophy of why the sun is so hot, yet space is so cold. It instead tries to believe in the dogma of democracy- that every soul is equally shared by life and so in its murder, is paid for in blood. It is a truly pitiful theory. We are not all equal. You are not as strong nor as privileged as me, and I am not as strong or as privileged as a Senator. Therefore, democracy cannot truly exist- only when there is anarchy is there true freedom." He ended the statement, into a container of hydrating liquid, water from his canteen before he took a drink, placed the cap back on the container. He then turned to Nulix and threw him the canteen with a grim smile.
He would respond to Nulix's unavoidable stare of confusion at his 'generosity'. " Wouldn't want you to die of dehydration before we got all the information out of you, now would we?" His gaze would then resituated on Artemis while he stood with his arms folded.
"I honestly think he should be hung for his misdeeds, and I were Vecked- I would have made sure he died. But the truth is-I am a piece to be toyed with just as everyone here is. I just intend to be the bigger piece than my compatriots." He slowly turned his head to Artemis, staring as he finished his statement. He then continued, "There's no room for doubt; when all there is is questions, nothing tends to get done. But I guess all a 'republic' is is an empire too lazy to get off its ass and stop pondering philosophy of why the sun is so hot, yet space is so cold. It instead tries to believe in the dogma of democracy- that every soul is equally shared by life and so in its murder, is paid for in blood. It is a truly pitiful theory. We are not all equal. You are not as strong nor as privileged as me, and I am not as strong or as privileged as a Senator. Therefore, democracy cannot truly exist- only when there is anarchy is there true freedom." He ended the statement, into a container of hydrating liquid, water from his canteen before he took a drink, placed the cap back on the container. He then turned to Nulix and threw him the canteen with a grim smile.
He would respond to Nulix's unavoidable stare of confusion at his 'generosity'. " Wouldn't want you to die of dehydration before we got all the information out of you, now would we?" His gaze would then resituated on Artemis while he stood with his arms folded.
Demnix stepped forward. "Would you mind bringing me up to speed?" he asked in a steady voice. "I've just been promoted to equal, I guess." He approached the group and finished. "I'll be getting my new patch at the ceremony when this conflict is resolved." Demnix wasn't certain how to act. He knew to act his part and act himself but other than that he felt like an outcast.
Artemis couldn’t suppress his smirk at this man’s assumptions of position and privilege, “I’m sorry to be so blunt but your wrong…” he crossed his arms as well, “You are no more privileged then I or even Nulix here… not right now, we are all soldiers.”
He sighed and headed for the tent’s exit, “And if he is to be believed, which I believe he should be, we may all be dead very soon.” He looked hard at the man, “I’ll be returning after reporting to the Commander, I expect him to be in as good a condition as he is now when I get back… if not…” he left, letting the man’s imagination wonder. If he had know the man was a phoenix Artemis would have been more cautious, but he was unaware… not that it made him any less dangerous, Phoenix are dangerous… but not immortal, cut them and they bleed, shoot them and they die. You just need a big enough gun.
Artemis headed off and over to the Commanders tent, considering the location it might be one of the few times that the man wouldn’t be in the middle of an orgy. Still Artemis was looking up when he entered just incase so he didn’t come into something he could never unsee. “Commander…” he said before glancing down. If it was safe he would look the man in the eye, “Nulix continues to say that this is a trap… and to be blunt I believe him. I think we need to find another way or else many good men will die."
He sighed and headed for the tent’s exit, “And if he is to be believed, which I believe he should be, we may all be dead very soon.” He looked hard at the man, “I’ll be returning after reporting to the Commander, I expect him to be in as good a condition as he is now when I get back… if not…” he left, letting the man’s imagination wonder. If he had know the man was a phoenix Artemis would have been more cautious, but he was unaware… not that it made him any less dangerous, Phoenix are dangerous… but not immortal, cut them and they bleed, shoot them and they die. You just need a big enough gun.
Artemis headed off and over to the Commanders tent, considering the location it might be one of the few times that the man wouldn’t be in the middle of an orgy. Still Artemis was looking up when he entered just incase so he didn’t come into something he could never unsee. “Commander…” he said before glancing down. If it was safe he would look the man in the eye, “Nulix continues to say that this is a trap… and to be blunt I believe him. I think we need to find another way or else many good men will die."
Demnix felt ignored. Maybe he was being talked to, but he could not discern who was addressing him if he was. "Can someone bring me up to date? I don't see myself as privileged. I just want to know what the hell is going on. I leave my call with the 'higher ups' only to return feeling disgraced and now I hear talk about traps and see Malkini assaulting one of our own? I would appreciate being told what to do for this instance." He let out a sigh, having exploded on the few still in the tent. About to appologize for his outburst, Demnix was cut off by the feel of vibration near his side. He withdrew his communicator and flicked it open. "Yes?... I see... I don't think now is a good time to reasses my position... There were more videos?... Demotion?... I didn't think it was that bad... He doesn't diserve that though... Yes, sir... As soon as this ruse is over, I will come straight to the court... Call again if you have an update... Yes, sir." He closed the communicator and looked midway between devastated and confused.
"Now, can someone please bring me up to speed. I appologize for the outburst and the interuption." He stood at attention for a moment before relaxing his muscles. He looked to the nearest person -who happened to be Nulix.
"Now, can someone please bring me up to speed. I appologize for the outburst and the interuption." He stood at attention for a moment before relaxing his muscles. He looked to the nearest person -who happened to be Nulix.
Xeroux stood in the corner, watching the events transpire. They were falling apart. The addition of this new Black Armored General was driving a stake through their already collapsing group. He shook his head at Demnix ignorance, but it couldn't be helped. Sure, he may be a general now, but the wore the same armor, and that merited respect no matter what rank someone was.
"Currently we are interrogating the boy," He gestured to Nulix, "In hopes that he can get us through to his brother so we can effectively cut his resistance down, if not stop it all together. At the moment we are torn on how to go about this, as there is apparently a trap waiting for us. More or less, the pathway beneath us is set to be blown apart, sending us into the water below." He sighed. "As far as meaningful things going on, that's it. The rest of the mess is all personal issues between those people involved. I suggest staying out of it, as you will not be heard."
He stepped out of the tent, shaking his head. He kicked the tread of a tank in frustration. This wasn't what he'd signed up for. How could they become a better team? How did it seem he was always put into teams that couldn't work as a team? Maybe it was his destiny to build teams, not kill and conquer for glory. His destiny was to teach new knights, help them become strong teams, and ask the best of everyone.
He shook his head, picking up a small rock before skipping it across the Tank's gun barrel. "A silly dream." He whispered. Right now he'd have to hone the skills to create a good team, he needed to get the others to compromise, make them aware that all their lives, their successes were inexplicably linked. He wished he could just make the others get along. There had to be some way!
"Honestly, we may need this trap to be sprung just to see how close we really are...Would we stop to help the injured? Would we say they'd hold us back and leave them to die?" He hoped they'd help one another. At the end of the day they were all Knights, that at least counted for something right? It'd had too...
He watched Artemis walk into the Commander's tent, wondering what kind of plan he'd formulated, and the resulting arguments that would come from the idea Artemis had come up with. Maybe the bickering and arguing was just their way of showing they all cared. Perhaps their arguments were a way of looking after the other's safety...only time would tell.
"Currently we are interrogating the boy," He gestured to Nulix, "In hopes that he can get us through to his brother so we can effectively cut his resistance down, if not stop it all together. At the moment we are torn on how to go about this, as there is apparently a trap waiting for us. More or less, the pathway beneath us is set to be blown apart, sending us into the water below." He sighed. "As far as meaningful things going on, that's it. The rest of the mess is all personal issues between those people involved. I suggest staying out of it, as you will not be heard."
He stepped out of the tent, shaking his head. He kicked the tread of a tank in frustration. This wasn't what he'd signed up for. How could they become a better team? How did it seem he was always put into teams that couldn't work as a team? Maybe it was his destiny to build teams, not kill and conquer for glory. His destiny was to teach new knights, help them become strong teams, and ask the best of everyone.
He shook his head, picking up a small rock before skipping it across the Tank's gun barrel. "A silly dream." He whispered. Right now he'd have to hone the skills to create a good team, he needed to get the others to compromise, make them aware that all their lives, their successes were inexplicably linked. He wished he could just make the others get along. There had to be some way!
"Honestly, we may need this trap to be sprung just to see how close we really are...Would we stop to help the injured? Would we say they'd hold us back and leave them to die?" He hoped they'd help one another. At the end of the day they were all Knights, that at least counted for something right? It'd had too...
He watched Artemis walk into the Commander's tent, wondering what kind of plan he'd formulated, and the resulting arguments that would come from the idea Artemis had come up with. Maybe the bickering and arguing was just their way of showing they all cared. Perhaps their arguments were a way of looking after the other's safety...only time would tell.
Two of the Guards dragged a Kingsmen into the camp. His clothing was dirty and stained. "And this is?" Malkini asked, emerging from his tent.
"A messenger," One of the Guards said.
"Is he, now?" Malkini asked, pulling a blade out and raising it to the man's neck. "Then messenger, I suggest speak your message."
The man look at Malkini petrified, but was careful not to swallow with the silver steel on his adam's apple. "Vecked Princeton would like to meet," The man blurted out as quick as he could. He and the men are ahead, in the dead lands overlooking the frozen sea. He would like to find a peaceful solution to this unfortunate situation, Sir Knight."
"Oh, would he now?" Malkini laughed, his chuckled making his blade shake slightly. "Well then I suppose I don't have much choice the to accept."
"He and his men have laid their arms down and will wait as long as it takes disarmed," The messenger said.
"Good to know," Malkini said with a fake smile. "Chain the messenger up, chain Nulix up, and prepare to move out."
"You do know this is a trap right?" Jove muttered from beside the Commander.
"Of course I do," Makini replied. "But traps are made to be countered."
***
"We can stop whatever battle is about to happen," Nulix said desperately to the men in the tent. "But I will need to speak with Vecked. That's the only way this can be prevented."
"A messenger," One of the Guards said.
"Is he, now?" Malkini asked, pulling a blade out and raising it to the man's neck. "Then messenger, I suggest speak your message."
The man look at Malkini petrified, but was careful not to swallow with the silver steel on his adam's apple. "Vecked Princeton would like to meet," The man blurted out as quick as he could. He and the men are ahead, in the dead lands overlooking the frozen sea. He would like to find a peaceful solution to this unfortunate situation, Sir Knight."
"Oh, would he now?" Malkini laughed, his chuckled making his blade shake slightly. "Well then I suppose I don't have much choice the to accept."
"He and his men have laid their arms down and will wait as long as it takes disarmed," The messenger said.
"Good to know," Malkini said with a fake smile. "Chain the messenger up, chain Nulix up, and prepare to move out."
"You do know this is a trap right?" Jove muttered from beside the Commander.
"Of course I do," Makini replied. "But traps are made to be countered."
***
"We can stop whatever battle is about to happen," Nulix said desperately to the men in the tent. "But I will need to speak with Vecked. That's the only way this can be prevented."
"We can stop whatever battle is about to happen," Nulix said desperately to the men in the tent. "But I will need to speak with Vecked. That's the only way this can be prevented."
Rasmus grinned mischievously, nay, with sinister intent. With all of the others outside the tent and to far from it to hear the utterances spoken within its confines--he took this moment to deliberate with the foolhardy, naive little traitor. He calmly strode over, fluidly kicked a chair around and sat in it backwards with his arms messily draped across the back.
"You want to stop all this from happen, but you can't. You won't be able to. Because fore surely, while you may be intent on saving your brother--those that have amassed are expecting and will get a different outcome. Man's depravity, you see, knows--no bounds." Rasmus took a calm, nonchalant sip of coffee. As though the massacre surely awaiting didn't bother him in the least bit. His eyes told Nulix other things, however. The way they glimmered, like he were waiting for something. Maybe some event that would not come to him now, but his eyes held the depths of his patience.
Setting down the cup, he then lifted the fore fingers of either hand, from shoulders width apart--up.
"You see, it is man's destiny to die. That fool Artemis, heh, he doesn't even realize..." Rasmus then smirked again, baring his canines like a wolf snarling quietly. He then leaned closer to Nulix, gazing him directly in the eyes.
"When its all said and done, the world will go out--not with a bang, but a whimper. Tell me Princeton, what do you see when you look into my eyes?" Inquired Rasmus as he looked straight into Nulix's soul.
The way the light caught Rasmus' eyes, they looked like flames. Burning, burning, burning. Burning a hole through him. Burning a hole through, not just what he cherished most in his life--pride, money, fame--his brother--but through the complexities that they were all encompassed by. It was like he could burn a hole through the very galaxy itself. There is where the revelation would strike him like a sledge hammer. Seeing this truth come to fruition in Nulix's eyes he nodded sadistically whispering a faint "yes..." like the serpent on the tree of knowledge.
Rasmus then leaned closer still, whispering in a calloused tone, a dreadfully cold voice that would surrender unto him gooseflesh and chills as though he were becoming hypothermic.
"What better way to burn a house down than to saturate it first with gasoline and let it soak into the wood itself. You see, I am the wolf dressed as a sheep, biding my time. I have great patience--a life time of hiding who you are from everyone, even your family, your closest friends will give you that. Now every alliance, every decision I make ultimately adds another card to my hand for me to play. What this galaxy will be like set on fire when two of the most powerful forces this side of the universe collide in war. How man worlds will be razed then? How many people--militant or civilian will be executed when it is all over? I don't care if I rule or not--I just want to watch everything burn around me, because to me--its all lies anyways."
Fluidly Rasmus would stand erect, kick the chair back under the table adjacent, and pick up his helmet.
"I have no qualms about you running outside screaming your little head off about me being a Phoenix--not that they would believe you anyways--it would simply give me a reason to be a lone with you--trust me, it won't be as nice as our little chat." He said with a smile and a wink before sliding his helmet back on and stepping outside.
Rasmus grinned mischievously, nay, with sinister intent. With all of the others outside the tent and to far from it to hear the utterances spoken within its confines--he took this moment to deliberate with the foolhardy, naive little traitor. He calmly strode over, fluidly kicked a chair around and sat in it backwards with his arms messily draped across the back.
"You want to stop all this from happen, but you can't. You won't be able to. Because fore surely, while you may be intent on saving your brother--those that have amassed are expecting and will get a different outcome. Man's depravity, you see, knows--no bounds." Rasmus took a calm, nonchalant sip of coffee. As though the massacre surely awaiting didn't bother him in the least bit. His eyes told Nulix other things, however. The way they glimmered, like he were waiting for something. Maybe some event that would not come to him now, but his eyes held the depths of his patience.
Setting down the cup, he then lifted the fore fingers of either hand, from shoulders width apart--up.
"You see, it is man's destiny to die. That fool Artemis, heh, he doesn't even realize..." Rasmus then smirked again, baring his canines like a wolf snarling quietly. He then leaned closer to Nulix, gazing him directly in the eyes.
"When its all said and done, the world will go out--not with a bang, but a whimper. Tell me Princeton, what do you see when you look into my eyes?" Inquired Rasmus as he looked straight into Nulix's soul.
The way the light caught Rasmus' eyes, they looked like flames. Burning, burning, burning. Burning a hole through him. Burning a hole through, not just what he cherished most in his life--pride, money, fame--his brother--but through the complexities that they were all encompassed by. It was like he could burn a hole through the very galaxy itself. There is where the revelation would strike him like a sledge hammer. Seeing this truth come to fruition in Nulix's eyes he nodded sadistically whispering a faint "yes..." like the serpent on the tree of knowledge.
Rasmus then leaned closer still, whispering in a calloused tone, a dreadfully cold voice that would surrender unto him gooseflesh and chills as though he were becoming hypothermic.
"What better way to burn a house down than to saturate it first with gasoline and let it soak into the wood itself. You see, I am the wolf dressed as a sheep, biding my time. I have great patience--a life time of hiding who you are from everyone, even your family, your closest friends will give you that. Now every alliance, every decision I make ultimately adds another card to my hand for me to play. What this galaxy will be like set on fire when two of the most powerful forces this side of the universe collide in war. How man worlds will be razed then? How many people--militant or civilian will be executed when it is all over? I don't care if I rule or not--I just want to watch everything burn around me, because to me--its all lies anyways."
Fluidly Rasmus would stand erect, kick the chair back under the table adjacent, and pick up his helmet.
"I have no qualms about you running outside screaming your little head off about me being a Phoenix--not that they would believe you anyways--it would simply give me a reason to be a lone with you--trust me, it won't be as nice as our little chat." He said with a smile and a wink before sliding his helmet back on and stepping outside.
Artemis watched with his trade mark frown as the messenger was treated so roughly, “Have you me no honor?” he had to question, thankfully he didn’t see any of his men in the tent, which probably meant that Malkini was much less trusting of Artemis then he thought (and he thought he hated him… apparently it was more like loathed) which was smart… maybe Malkini was only partially ignorant.
He listened to Malkini’s decision and turned on his heel to head off a group of guards who made to exit the tent and head for Nulix, “Hold…” he instructed before walking past them, “I’ll handle the prisoner…”
One guard puffed up at Artemis, “Who do you think you are questioning the Commanders orders? Do you not trust us?”
“No I don’t…” he said bluntly as he exited and headed back to Nulix. He passed by Rasmus as he exited the tent and looked at the man hard, his eyes boring holes into the knight’s soul. His hand on the hilt of his sword, he would take no chances.
Entering the tent alone he turned and tied the entrance shut before turning to Nulix, “You alright kid?” he asked as he headed over and unbound Nulix letting him up. “What did that knight say to you?”
He listened to Malkini’s decision and turned on his heel to head off a group of guards who made to exit the tent and head for Nulix, “Hold…” he instructed before walking past them, “I’ll handle the prisoner…”
One guard puffed up at Artemis, “Who do you think you are questioning the Commanders orders? Do you not trust us?”
“No I don’t…” he said bluntly as he exited and headed back to Nulix. He passed by Rasmus as he exited the tent and looked at the man hard, his eyes boring holes into the knight’s soul. His hand on the hilt of his sword, he would take no chances.
Entering the tent alone he turned and tied the entrance shut before turning to Nulix, “You alright kid?” he asked as he headed over and unbound Nulix letting him up. “What did that knight say to you?”
Sentrius oversaw as two other Knights followed Malkini's orders and ensnare the messenger in heavy iron chains, tossing him in front of Malkini's tent. As soon as they were finished, Sentrius marched back over to Malkini, watching Rasmus leave and Artemis step into the tent the younger Princeton was bring held captive in out of the corner of his eye. "Commander! I don't mean to question your tactics, but to just...agree to meet Vecked Princeton, just like that? Surely, you must have some kind of plan devised in case this truly is a painfully obvious trap...right?'
"We all die sometimes ladies! I would rather go out with the biggest bang I could have. I say if Vecked's is planning an attack he'll use it any way he can. Rather it to spread out and swallow us from our own asses--or split us twain. " Rasmus gripped the hilt of his beam enabled weapon, essentially a much broader, stockier and deadlier doppelganger of a meat cleaver. Slamming it down, he drove the unactivated blade into the solid rock beneath his feet. Even unactivated, the sheer of the blade uncannily sliced into the wall of rock sending fissures wide spread. Leaving it there he stepped forwards towards Malkini with somewhat of a taunting approach.
"General Malkini, you are above being slain by such trickery as cowards hiding in the foot hills, are you?" Rasmus took a step to the side, orbiting the commander while his diplomatic side bargained for the blood of traitors.
"We are knights, and Knights serve not the few whims and cries of children," Rasmus stopped, eying two of the more-obvious objectors to the cause. Continuing on he would spill his words like ink flowing from a pen. "Nay, we are knights. We fight. We die. All the good women and drinks wont accompany us in the times of our deaths--and in in our death beds, we will wonder if we have ever made an impact in our lives that stands out for years afterwards. None of us want to be mistaken. Forgotten. Decrepit in not just mind and body but name as well. No...We want immortality. We want that one moment to define us as who we really are."
He ground his boots against the loose sediment, pivoting sharply to turn to Malkini personally, making it seem like nothing else existed around them. Staring at the man unfettered by the restraints of fear that the commander would have instilled in his normal ranks. He then strode directly towards Malkini, causally stopping a few shy feet away.
"It can't believe Malkini--an inveterate, albeit bloodthirsty soldier--is afraid of some booby traps--by his own former men no less."
"General Malkini, you are above being slain by such trickery as cowards hiding in the foot hills, are you?" Rasmus took a step to the side, orbiting the commander while his diplomatic side bargained for the blood of traitors.
"We are knights, and Knights serve not the few whims and cries of children," Rasmus stopped, eying two of the more-obvious objectors to the cause. Continuing on he would spill his words like ink flowing from a pen. "Nay, we are knights. We fight. We die. All the good women and drinks wont accompany us in the times of our deaths--and in in our death beds, we will wonder if we have ever made an impact in our lives that stands out for years afterwards. None of us want to be mistaken. Forgotten. Decrepit in not just mind and body but name as well. No...We want immortality. We want that one moment to define us as who we really are."
He ground his boots against the loose sediment, pivoting sharply to turn to Malkini personally, making it seem like nothing else existed around them. Staring at the man unfettered by the restraints of fear that the commander would have instilled in his normal ranks. He then strode directly towards Malkini, causally stopping a few shy feet away.
"It can't believe Malkini--an inveterate, albeit bloodthirsty soldier--is afraid of some booby traps--by his own former men no less."
Shameful. Completely shameful. To Sentrius waiting in the camps for the higher-ups to make a move was infuriating. All he could do was sit there as various decisions and ideas were being made by one commanding officer and shot down by another. More babbling ensued, spewing off into the indecisive cesspool of incompetence Sentrius saw before him. He could barely stand it. And yet...he was a bit thankful for it. All of this arguing and prattling meant that those in the camp, namely him, were free to do as they chose. And what Sentrius chose to do was what he thought should have happened an hour ago.
Truth be told, he had begun to agree with Rasmus the most. As Knight,s it wasn't they're duty to sit on their asses and bicker about what decisions they needed to make. Knights make their choices out on the field. Frankly, he was surprised Malkini hadn't thought the same way. Or maybe he did and had other reasons for this little pit stop. Who knew? Either way, Sentrius knew that tackling Vecked's army of Kingsmen head on was a terrible idea. Better to get a pinpoint on them, spy on their ranks and bring some extra heat just in case he was put in danger. He wasn't going to accomplish either of those things with just his plasma blaster and shield. Oh no. He was going to need supplies.
Making sure to look and see if no one was spotting him, Sentrius snuck into the Royal Guard supply tent, and borrowed a pair of binoculars as well as a handful of shock bombs. He carefully tucked the bombs into a pouch on his belt and made his way over to the campfire. He grabbed a a roasted deer, roasted over the fire and skewered by a dagger. The scout who hunted it wouldn't miss it. He then looked around to see if he'd be discovered. He wasn't. everyone still seemed fit to bicker endlessly. Without so much as a word, he trekked off towards the forest.
Once he was sure the camp was out of sight, he quickened his pace to a sprint throughout the forest, stomping through muddied waters and fallen branches until he saw a camp in the distance under the cliff he was currently stationed on. Making his way further up the cliff, Sentrius wound up a little closer than he had intended to. Then the sky started to darken a bit as sleet drizzled down from the sky, muddying the ground.
Sentrius sighed, and picked the binoculars from his pocket. The sleet steadily grew heavier. Sentrius lay his stomach to the hillside, pulling himself forward with his arms and elbows until half his body was hanging over the cliffside. He looked at where the main forces were stationed. He steadied the binoculars and looked at the goings-on of Vecked's camp. No arguing from their side. At least none he could see from where he lay. He spotted Vecked as well, appearing to have a casual conversation. Some troops in the back. Sentrius wondered what...He turned around, feeling the ground start to slide beneath him and the sleet starting to make clanging noises on his helmet. Planting his hands in the ground to stop himself from sliding further, he accidentally let slip of the binoculars. The binoculars flew over the edge of the cliff and Sentrius reached out to grabbed them which soon proved to be a big mistake. Sentrius slid off of the cliff.
With a panic he attempted to grasp on the to the face of the cliff as he descended to the ground. He succeeded, but it did him no good as the cliff was muddied as well. He slid downward until he landed on the ground with a painful and loud thud. The noise alerted several Kingsmen and Sentrius groaned, pulling out a wristbound communication device as he signaled the camp radio. "Located Kingsmen camp...In trouble," Sentrius grunted. "Send backup. Giving off coordinates now." As Sentrius read off the coordinates, he struggled not to drift into unconsciousness as more and more Kingsmen approached.
Truth be told, he had begun to agree with Rasmus the most. As Knight,s it wasn't they're duty to sit on their asses and bicker about what decisions they needed to make. Knights make their choices out on the field. Frankly, he was surprised Malkini hadn't thought the same way. Or maybe he did and had other reasons for this little pit stop. Who knew? Either way, Sentrius knew that tackling Vecked's army of Kingsmen head on was a terrible idea. Better to get a pinpoint on them, spy on their ranks and bring some extra heat just in case he was put in danger. He wasn't going to accomplish either of those things with just his plasma blaster and shield. Oh no. He was going to need supplies.
Making sure to look and see if no one was spotting him, Sentrius snuck into the Royal Guard supply tent, and borrowed a pair of binoculars as well as a handful of shock bombs. He carefully tucked the bombs into a pouch on his belt and made his way over to the campfire. He grabbed a a roasted deer, roasted over the fire and skewered by a dagger. The scout who hunted it wouldn't miss it. He then looked around to see if he'd be discovered. He wasn't. everyone still seemed fit to bicker endlessly. Without so much as a word, he trekked off towards the forest.
Once he was sure the camp was out of sight, he quickened his pace to a sprint throughout the forest, stomping through muddied waters and fallen branches until he saw a camp in the distance under the cliff he was currently stationed on. Making his way further up the cliff, Sentrius wound up a little closer than he had intended to. Then the sky started to darken a bit as sleet drizzled down from the sky, muddying the ground.
Sentrius sighed, and picked the binoculars from his pocket. The sleet steadily grew heavier. Sentrius lay his stomach to the hillside, pulling himself forward with his arms and elbows until half his body was hanging over the cliffside. He looked at where the main forces were stationed. He steadied the binoculars and looked at the goings-on of Vecked's camp. No arguing from their side. At least none he could see from where he lay. He spotted Vecked as well, appearing to have a casual conversation. Some troops in the back. Sentrius wondered what...He turned around, feeling the ground start to slide beneath him and the sleet starting to make clanging noises on his helmet. Planting his hands in the ground to stop himself from sliding further, he accidentally let slip of the binoculars. The binoculars flew over the edge of the cliff and Sentrius reached out to grabbed them which soon proved to be a big mistake. Sentrius slid off of the cliff.
With a panic he attempted to grasp on the to the face of the cliff as he descended to the ground. He succeeded, but it did him no good as the cliff was muddied as well. He slid downward until he landed on the ground with a painful and loud thud. The noise alerted several Kingsmen and Sentrius groaned, pulling out a wristbound communication device as he signaled the camp radio. "Located Kingsmen camp...In trouble," Sentrius grunted. "Send backup. Giving off coordinates now." As Sentrius read off the coordinates, he struggled not to drift into unconsciousness as more and more Kingsmen approached.
Two Kingsmen guards, decorated in their loose uniforms consisting of common clothes and loose navy jackets, ran toward Sentrius, who lay on the ground. The two guard's looked down at the Knight, and then at each other.
"Who are you?" One of the Kingsmen asked, pulling out his blade and pointing it at Sentrius. "I repeat, who are you?"
***
"It doesn't matter. We should take this to Vecked," A distant voice said over the communicator. Malkini stood over it, as well as the rest of the Knight's who had been subject of the journey.
"So it seems that Vecked Princeton has taken a Knight of the Elite hostage," Malkini sighed. "Prepare the Royal Guard. Get Nulix out here, have his loyalists armed and ready for combat. I want this army ready to move by midnight. We do not permit hostages of this caliber to be kept. We do not allow a man who has been Knighted by the grace of the Holy Matran and the Sora System to be captured by a peasant. A peasant who has mutinied against the Knight's, has caused harm to the Knight's, has caused harm to System, and who has planned to capture and murder a senator of Sor."
Malkini looked up at the army that had surrounded. Dozen's of Royal Guards, clad in their silver armors that had been dulled by the sands of the desert, surrounded by Kingsmen soldiers, who faces were dirty from weeks of travel. "Gentlemen, ladies," Malkini began as he raised himself up from the table on which the communicator sat. "We fight tonight. And I will be damned if we loose."
***
Sentrius was taken into the large tent which had been set up in the center of the camp which lay on the edges of rock cliffs that overlooked a frozen sea. The Two Kingsmen soldiers dragged Sentrius before Vecked and threw him to the ground before him.
"Sir Tetran of the Knight Elite," Vecked spoke slowly at the man who stood below him. "Rise, at your convenience."
"Who are you?" One of the Kingsmen asked, pulling out his blade and pointing it at Sentrius. "I repeat, who are you?"
***
"It doesn't matter. We should take this to Vecked," A distant voice said over the communicator. Malkini stood over it, as well as the rest of the Knight's who had been subject of the journey.
"So it seems that Vecked Princeton has taken a Knight of the Elite hostage," Malkini sighed. "Prepare the Royal Guard. Get Nulix out here, have his loyalists armed and ready for combat. I want this army ready to move by midnight. We do not permit hostages of this caliber to be kept. We do not allow a man who has been Knighted by the grace of the Holy Matran and the Sora System to be captured by a peasant. A peasant who has mutinied against the Knight's, has caused harm to the Knight's, has caused harm to System, and who has planned to capture and murder a senator of Sor."
Malkini looked up at the army that had surrounded. Dozen's of Royal Guards, clad in their silver armors that had been dulled by the sands of the desert, surrounded by Kingsmen soldiers, who faces were dirty from weeks of travel. "Gentlemen, ladies," Malkini began as he raised himself up from the table on which the communicator sat. "We fight tonight. And I will be damned if we loose."
***
Sentrius was taken into the large tent which had been set up in the center of the camp which lay on the edges of rock cliffs that overlooked a frozen sea. The Two Kingsmen soldiers dragged Sentrius before Vecked and threw him to the ground before him.
"Sir Tetran of the Knight Elite," Vecked spoke slowly at the man who stood below him. "Rise, at your convenience."
Sentrius didn't get up when first asked. He was much too frustrated. "Damn it, I was too hasty. Too careless!" he thought to himself. And so he lay still on the ground for a minute or two before one of Vecked's guards kicked him in the ribs. With a groan, Sentrius slowly drew himself to his feet. Glaring at Vecked, he wheezed, "Princeton. You've managed to gather yourself a pretty decent sized army. Though your brother and his handful of troops don't seem to see eye to eye with you. I don't suppose you can find it in you to tell me whether there was really a schism between you two or just a carefully planned ploy to lull us into a trap?"
"Nulix, while wallowing in his own fears and overcome with self-pity, found, behind my back, other's within the army of a united Iceveng, who too felt as he did. They left freely and I accepted that," Vecked replied quietly as he sat down in an oak chair that stood center in the tent. "Now he wishes to turn the few troops he has and make them pawns of the Knights. We are on Iceveng now, Sir Tetran, and you fight with Kingsmen, Neahian's who sold their souls to Sor out of fear and that fear still runs through their blood. They are loyal to Nulix because he shares their fear, but I guarantee you, when we begin to fight, they will help whoever the fight favors. Be that you good men of Sor or I. They are sincere, and they lead you not in a trap, but their loyalty is not a factor you can count on."
Vecked gave a small smile as he looked down on the man. "The army that your friends control, an army of two-hundred Royal Guard's and a thousand Kingsmen stragglers, is now forced against my army of eight-thousand, in desperation to retrieve you and in fear of my advance on Elliot Kingson's lands. Your chances of winning this war do not look good. But don't worry too much. I will take Iceveng from Kingson, drain what I want from it, and then partition it to the Lord's in the south, from the Fals, the Kingdom that me and my brother hail from, and western Iceveng will once again be a world of Sor."
Vecked reached his hand out to Sentrius. It was bruised and blackened. "The only battle that needs to happen is the one between this army and the personal guard of Elliot Kingson, and I assure you that is not much of a battle at all. The Royal Guard, the traitorous Kingsmen, and the Knight's who now march to free you can all be spared. But someone must make you first move. Will you join me, Sir Tetran, and support me, both in the city of Sor and here, in the north-most corner of Iceveng?"
Vecked gave a small smile as he looked down on the man. "The army that your friends control, an army of two-hundred Royal Guard's and a thousand Kingsmen stragglers, is now forced against my army of eight-thousand, in desperation to retrieve you and in fear of my advance on Elliot Kingson's lands. Your chances of winning this war do not look good. But don't worry too much. I will take Iceveng from Kingson, drain what I want from it, and then partition it to the Lord's in the south, from the Fals, the Kingdom that me and my brother hail from, and western Iceveng will once again be a world of Sor."
Vecked reached his hand out to Sentrius. It was bruised and blackened. "The only battle that needs to happen is the one between this army and the personal guard of Elliot Kingson, and I assure you that is not much of a battle at all. The Royal Guard, the traitorous Kingsmen, and the Knight's who now march to free you can all be spared. But someone must make you first move. Will you join me, Sir Tetran, and support me, both in the city of Sor and here, in the north-most corner of Iceveng?"
Sentrius' eyes fleeted to the hand offered for a few minutes, narrowing his eyes as they drifted suspiciously up to Vecked. Then he shook his head and chuckled, "I'm not so easily bought, Princeton. Once...If you take down Kingston, who's to say you'll stop there? How many misguided, failed revolutions were launched and lost due to people claiming they'll take 'only one strip of land.' The orders are to stop you and we'll be following through on that." Sentrius nodded and smiled to himself smugly. Not soon after he gave his short rant, did his eyes drift back to the burnt hand Vecked had held up. One could see the beginnings of a question forming on his face, but he reneged before he asked.
"Do you think I care about this world, Sentrius?" Vecked asked as he retracted his hand. "This is just the currency I need for a future transaction. There are things greater then worlds in this system, greater then politics, greater then people... There are questions of history that need to be answered, questions of how we now can effect the future..."
Vecked's words trailed off slightly as he spoke. He looked down, as though in disappointment, before turning back to Sentrius with his eyes wide. "I cannot say why I want Iceveng but I tell you now... it is not to rule."
Vecked's words trailed off slightly as he spoke. He looked down, as though in disappointment, before turning back to Sentrius with his eyes wide. "I cannot say why I want Iceveng but I tell you now... it is not to rule."
Xeroux rested his head in his hands and sighed. "This is going to be a long night..." He muttered under his breath. Sentrius had gone on his own, shocking, but not once Xeroux stopped to think about it. "Poor guy wants to gain fame so bad he just runs off without thinking, now he could end up dead. That'll get him famous."
He looked up to where Malkini sat, "Now he has a reason to push this fight forward and justify this grandiose display of military power." He wasn't upset about the fight not by a long shot, he was annoyed with how many soldiers there were in the same area operating on the same mission. He wished it was just them. They started this mission, they should be the only ones involved in its final stages.
"Hang on Sentrius, we'll be there soon. Just don't go getting yourself killed because of that attitude of yours."
He looked up to where Malkini sat, "Now he has a reason to push this fight forward and justify this grandiose display of military power." He wasn't upset about the fight not by a long shot, he was annoyed with how many soldiers there were in the same area operating on the same mission. He wished it was just them. They started this mission, they should be the only ones involved in its final stages.
"Hang on Sentrius, we'll be there soon. Just don't go getting yourself killed because of that attitude of yours."
Sentrius snickered, "Sorry, but if you're not going to tell me anything about what you hope to accomplish, then I'll have to assume the worst, Princeton! And even if conquest isn't in your plans, I'm one hundred percent certain that whatever you're thinking of doing isn't in the best interests of Sor.Me? I fight for the good of Sor," Sentrius sighed. "Now can you take me to my cell, or whatever you rebels hold up you prisoners in? I'm done talking to you."
Vecked looked down at Sentrius and frowned. "You have chosen.... poorly," He whispered, before motioning for his guards to take him away.
***
Malkini marched the army through the forest, as the night went on and black storm clouds darkened the stars. Rain began to fall over the dying forest as they continued on until at last they reached the cliffs that overlooked Vecked's camp which lay beside the icey water.
"There they are," Malkini muttered wearily as he the hard rain hit his hood. He turned back to his Knight and sighed. "I don't suppose any of you want to lead a charge, eh?" He whispered.
***
Malkini marched the army through the forest, as the night went on and black storm clouds darkened the stars. Rain began to fall over the dying forest as they continued on until at last they reached the cliffs that overlooked Vecked's camp which lay beside the icey water.
"There they are," Malkini muttered wearily as he the hard rain hit his hood. He turned back to his Knight and sighed. "I don't suppose any of you want to lead a charge, eh?" He whispered.
Artemis shook his head in shame as the powerful Commander asked who would lead the charge like a scared private fresh out of the academy. He turned to the Royal guards, still in close and organized formation while the other ragtag soldiers had lined up on the dunes in hiding. Artemis whistled like a bird song and the troops looked to him. His hand raised and went through a flurry of signals that were intently watched by the guards. The Knights also had been in a decent formation and would understand the signals.
Two fingers straight up, that meant two platoon teams. One pounded fist, go in hard. A knife palm raised and lowered swiftly then brought in a semi-arc around to the sky again, that one was the formation order, a phalanx to be exact. Three raised fingers spread and lowered individually, three formations. A fist placed to his right then center then left, the formations would spread out on all flanks at once. A single open and then closed palm, move in unison to target. He pointed with a knife hand toward the largest tent, in the center of the camp, which was to be the objective.
The guards all lightly tapped their gun spears on the ground and raised the large riot square shields before them as they split like a well-oiled machine. Artemis turned to Malkini, “You knights have been proving your abilities for years, now let us Guards show you what we can do.” He made a forward wave with his hand and the three tight nit formations started forward, every inch of the guards covered by their shields or armor and 200 rifles all pointing in every direction. The Phalanx had been the formation of kings; it had conquered Capima for the royals centuries before, and still was a formidable force. The extra 40 guards who hadn’t formed into a formation were in a half circle behind the tanks and the commanders.
“Watch carefully, gentlemen, and see how those who guard Capima fight.” The Royal Guards were the private army of the capitol city. Throughout Capima they were present, but whereas other cities boasted police and militia units the capitol city was singularly secured by the Guards. It used to be the job of the Knights to guard that city, but that had changed some ten years back. Having witnessed some of the corruption within the Knights for himself, Artemis was beginning to understand why. But he was also aware that while the Guard were well trained and numerous in the city, they were a tiny force compared to the Knights.
Two fingers straight up, that meant two platoon teams. One pounded fist, go in hard. A knife palm raised and lowered swiftly then brought in a semi-arc around to the sky again, that one was the formation order, a phalanx to be exact. Three raised fingers spread and lowered individually, three formations. A fist placed to his right then center then left, the formations would spread out on all flanks at once. A single open and then closed palm, move in unison to target. He pointed with a knife hand toward the largest tent, in the center of the camp, which was to be the objective.
The guards all lightly tapped their gun spears on the ground and raised the large riot square shields before them as they split like a well-oiled machine. Artemis turned to Malkini, “You knights have been proving your abilities for years, now let us Guards show you what we can do.” He made a forward wave with his hand and the three tight nit formations started forward, every inch of the guards covered by their shields or armor and 200 rifles all pointing in every direction. The Phalanx had been the formation of kings; it had conquered Capima for the royals centuries before, and still was a formidable force. The extra 40 guards who hadn’t formed into a formation were in a half circle behind the tanks and the commanders.
“Watch carefully, gentlemen, and see how those who guard Capima fight.” The Royal Guards were the private army of the capitol city. Throughout Capima they were present, but whereas other cities boasted police and militia units the capitol city was singularly secured by the Guards. It used to be the job of the Knights to guard that city, but that had changed some ten years back. Having witnessed some of the corruption within the Knights for himself, Artemis was beginning to understand why. But he was also aware that while the Guard were well trained and numerous in the city, they were a tiny force compared to the Knights.
Demnix approached from behind, keeping a low profile. "I appologize for my absence. There was a lot I had to explain in court. Two men in my old squad were murdered resulting in a round of demotions. I had to attest to a suspect's whereabouts. All-in-all... it was tiring." He glanced around and assessed the situation. "Would someone mind filling me in on the situation?" He recognized two faces: Artemis and Malkini, instantly. "Good to see you two again."
Malkini turned to Demnix happily in the rain. "Well, Vecked Princeton has an army of eight-thousand men, has Sentrius captured, and plans to march onto the lands of Elliot Kingson, at which point he will be the most powerful man on Iceveng and we will be blamed for letting another planet turn into revolutionary hell, now how many more words of we are in trouble would you like me to conjure up?" Malkini glared at Demnix before turning back to their overlook of Vecked's camp....
A portal opened up in the middle of Vecked's camp.
"What the," Darius muttered, stepping through and glaring. "This isn't the castle... Or... maybe it is!" Darius stopped, shocked. "I must have traveled through time! I have emerged in the past... or the future... where this is no castle." Darius considered. "It must be the past. Must be. There would be traces of rubble... otherwise it would have to be thousands of years later..." He shrugged. "Well, it's a possibility."
"What the," Darius muttered, stepping through and glaring. "This isn't the castle... Or... maybe it is!" Darius stopped, shocked. "I must have traveled through time! I have emerged in the past... or the future... where this is no castle." Darius considered. "It must be the past. Must be. There would be traces of rubble... otherwise it would have to be thousands of years later..." He shrugged. "Well, it's a possibility."
Five years later...
Vecked Princeton sat on the dirty ground, watching the storm cascading down the mountains of northwestern Ceegum. In one hand, he clasped his sword, a prototype model that connected a small revolver into the hilt of the blade. The other idly toyed with a small flower, white and intricate.
Behind him, he could hear the sounds of climbing. It wouldn't be long now until his brother arrived, and then... Vecked smiled grimly. To think his own brother would betray him. And for what? He still wasn't sure he knew the answer.
Tossing the flower aside, Vecked prepared himself as he turned to face Nulix's final steps to the top of the mountain Vecked stood on. For a moment, the two siblings simply looked at each other, and then finally, Vecked spoke.
"Good to see you, Nul," Vecked said, purposefully using the childish nickname he had given Nulix many years ago. "You look well."
"How did you find me?" Nulix demanded, fists clenching. "I thought we were done."
"You can't just walk away from family," Vecked smiled. "I came to bring you back. We can start over again. Come on, don't you want things to be the way they were?"
"Vecked..." Nulix said, hands shaking as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a gun. He aimed it at Vecked. "Don't you understand anything? That's why I left, that's why I stopped you all those years ago. I don't anything to do you with anymore, just leave me the hell alone!"
"I can't do that," Vecked said, frowning at the weapon in Nulix's hands. "But I'll depart for now. Just remember, Nulix. The more you run away from your past, the more it will come back to haunt you."
Turning, Vecked began walking down the mountain, half-expecting his so-called brother to shoot him in the back. What was a bullet compared to the knife Nulix had plunged in five years ago, on the eve of their victory? But no shot rang out, and after a moment of walking, Vecked relaxed. He had time, plenty of time. The Phoenix were rising in a revolt, it was said. After decades of impotence, it seemed they had finally found champions to carry their cause, to strike back against the Knights and Sor.
He had tracked his brother down upon hearing rumors of Nulix's involvement with this group, and the more he heard about it, the more his anger grew. Nulix would rather run with a group of wild Phoenix then his own brother? Phoenix were inferior, they were less than garbage.
Vecked's fists clenched. He would do all he could, he decided. He would stop at nothing to crush Nulix and his new friends. If the Knights got in his way, he would crush them too. This Ultimate Organization was going to die, by his hand, and soon.a
Vecked Princeton sat on the dirty ground, watching the storm cascading down the mountains of northwestern Ceegum. In one hand, he clasped his sword, a prototype model that connected a small revolver into the hilt of the blade. The other idly toyed with a small flower, white and intricate.
Behind him, he could hear the sounds of climbing. It wouldn't be long now until his brother arrived, and then... Vecked smiled grimly. To think his own brother would betray him. And for what? He still wasn't sure he knew the answer.
Tossing the flower aside, Vecked prepared himself as he turned to face Nulix's final steps to the top of the mountain Vecked stood on. For a moment, the two siblings simply looked at each other, and then finally, Vecked spoke.
"Good to see you, Nul," Vecked said, purposefully using the childish nickname he had given Nulix many years ago. "You look well."
"How did you find me?" Nulix demanded, fists clenching. "I thought we were done."
"You can't just walk away from family," Vecked smiled. "I came to bring you back. We can start over again. Come on, don't you want things to be the way they were?"
"Vecked..." Nulix said, hands shaking as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a gun. He aimed it at Vecked. "Don't you understand anything? That's why I left, that's why I stopped you all those years ago. I don't anything to do you with anymore, just leave me the hell alone!"
"I can't do that," Vecked said, frowning at the weapon in Nulix's hands. "But I'll depart for now. Just remember, Nulix. The more you run away from your past, the more it will come back to haunt you."
Turning, Vecked began walking down the mountain, half-expecting his so-called brother to shoot him in the back. What was a bullet compared to the knife Nulix had plunged in five years ago, on the eve of their victory? But no shot rang out, and after a moment of walking, Vecked relaxed. He had time, plenty of time. The Phoenix were rising in a revolt, it was said. After decades of impotence, it seemed they had finally found champions to carry their cause, to strike back against the Knights and Sor.
He had tracked his brother down upon hearing rumors of Nulix's involvement with this group, and the more he heard about it, the more his anger grew. Nulix would rather run with a group of wild Phoenix then his own brother? Phoenix were inferior, they were less than garbage.
Vecked's fists clenched. He would do all he could, he decided. He would stop at nothing to crush Nulix and his new friends. If the Knights got in his way, he would crush them too. This Ultimate Organization was going to die, by his hand, and soon.a
Reviews
18/30
Characterization: Proficient
Plot: Proficient
Depth: Proficient
Style: Advanced
Mechanics: In-Progress
Overall: Proficient
StandardFiend wrote:Definitely a unique experience. The setting confused me greatly, though. The space opera elements and the order of knights elements don't mesh all that well for me. It's a vastly intriguing area to explore, but I think this RP has a little ways to go before it finds the right balance. The knights themselves are extraordinarily archaic in many ways, and while that is obviously not in itself a bad thing it doesn't play nice with the highly futuristic elements that want to define the universe. I think there is a lot of potential, though. Myy favorite aspect of the RP is the character names. All of them are interesting and beautiful in their own right, and while the pair of Japanese names initially stood out the GM was able to properly integrate them into the universe by momentarily exploring the culture and suddenly they became very okay with me, only adding to the depth of the world. Perhaps my biggest critique here would be for the mechanical elements of the writing. All of the authors here show strong talent for crafting story, but there seems to be a lack of proofreading. I enjoyed the varied lengths of the posts; conversations took place as one- or two-liners but there were longer, more elaborate posts spaced out elegantly, and altogether the manuscript was very aesthetically pleasing to read. I am astonished at how many posts this RP has racked up, and I hope it continues to go on strong. Well done.
24/30
Characterization: Proficient
Plot: Advanced
Depth: Proficient
Style: Proficient
Mechanics: Advanced
Overall: Advanced
Absenthia wrote:Most certainly a interesting take on what a knight is, and what it means to uphold the honor of a kingdom. This tale revolves around a set of Elite Knights in a science fiction setting, but it seems more fantasy than scifi. Worth reading, and worth watching.