The newly dubbed Sir Norton and lady Chrystal exited the war tent and peered over the field. "Let us hope the mages and mercenaries held the wall."
"Atlantis shan't fall that easily, milady. E'en if it does, the Aeons had orders to protect the inner wall. I organized them myself."
"And came back through enemy lines?!"
"Aye. In broad daylight none the less. Was nearly caught nine times."
"Why?"
"I won't abandon those I protect. That includes Atlantis, milady. She still stands." The princess was comforted by that statement. The knight commanded his troops to line up. They were officers and peace keepers from Col, but that was it. Not a trained soldier among them. They had blunted peace keeping swords and thin plate mail. Those were just for show. The strongest pieces of equipment they had were kitchen supplies. Knives, plates, forks, and spoons for weapons; and pots and kettles as helmets. They were surprisingly effective.
As Norton's utensil clad makeshift troops line up in croocked line-like bunches, the non-military personell were scattering to prepare for the day. Maids and cooks dove into their works. Medical officials were scurrying about to gather supplies. It was so busy, but that was every day in the Loyalist Army.
Today, there were two men standing amid the chaos. The older man saw the commander and motioned him over. "Well met," the man's heavy accent hard to understand, "I'm looking for the commander of this force."
"You are speaking to him. If I may, you sound foreign. Argondosea?"
"We prefer Do'Sen, but yes. I am a teacher of Alchemy."
"I am sir Norton of Atlantis." He held out his hand. The Do'Sen watched in mystery. The younger man spoke up. "It is a sign of greeting, friend. You exchange names after clasping hands." The other man nodded and took the knight's hand. "I am called Gobehyz the Wanderer."
"Why do you wander?"
"I am unsure of your customs here, but I will be keeping my reasons private. I do hope you will understand my curtness on the matter, sir."
"I understand. Forgive my intrusion." The knight then turned to Gobehyz's comrade. "And who are you, child."
"My name is Ryan, sir. I am training under Gobehyz. And, with all due respect sir, I am fifteen. I've been next in line for two years."
"I'm sorry young man. But, of whose house are you in line?" Ryan grew red, pale, and green all at once. Conflicting emotions raged a visible war on his face. Norton spoke up. "Ryan of house Reedman, correct? Don't even try to deny it; I can see it on your face. You've got a lot of nerve to come here now."
"I-I understand. I've come to apologize. I brought a large portion of the supplies he retracted. I brought weapons and armour and - "
"That is not the problem!" Ryan winced when the Emperor roared. "The damage is done," he continued, "So pack up and leave!"
"If I may, To'lel Ryan has been training hard in Archery as well as Alchemy. He is quiet skilled."
"I couldn't care, even if he where Q'Rohda come in the flesh!" Something snapped deep within the foreign man's head. The Emperor turned to leave. "We have one enforced law in Argondos; eye for an eye." All heads turned towards Gobehyz. "If you dismiss Ryan, I go with him."
"Fine then! Get out!" Gobehyz pulled a small vial out of his coat. "If we go, we go to Xander's army." The Emperor shook his head. "Kill them, Constable." A dark smile crossed the face of Gobehyz. "I am not like other Do'Sen Alchemists. I specialize in," Gobehyz uncapped the vial and let a single drop drip to the ground, "Poisons."
The small drop touched the ground. Nothing happened for a moment. Then a blade of grass turned black and withered into dust. Another blade turned black, then another, until all the grass within thirty feet of the drop had turned to dust. The ground dried up, cracked, and even shattered, until naught was left except a piece of charred black land.
"And that was one of my weaker poisons. Imagine what this would do if put into the Atlantian waterways? I do not believe in threats, your majesty. But if you dismiss us now, I doubt those of Xander's army would hold me back." Everyone froze. The princess spoke up. "Would you be willing to tell us the ingredients?" All eyes darted between the two individuals. It was as if war would erupt at any moment.
"Dried unicorn blood mixed with two parts hemlock and one part cooking oil." Chrystal smiled and held out her hand. "Put some on my hand."
"Why?"
"Unicorn blood is not lethal to humans, only plant life. You want to minimize casualties, and end the conflict quickly. That is why you and Ryan came here."
"And how do you know that?"
"You said it yourself 'an eye for an eye' . If it could kill me, you would need to offer an antidote or offer an Argondosea princess as a sacrifice." Gobehyz smiled again, this time gently. "A wise mind and a sharp eye. Good work, milady. I trust your judgement. But, I regret to inform you that I do not have the antidote, so I shall not indulge your curiosity."
The princess withdrew her hand. A soldier ran up to Norton. A situation had occured outside. A lone swordsman had just appeared, according to eyewitnesses. He stood there, motionless, just watching them. His dark red robe contrasted with his vividly decorated sheath. The five foot sword rested on his back. The soldiers tried to communicate to no avail.
Ryan stepped forward. "Who are you?" No reply. Ryan then said something in a different tongue. A rather lengthy reply followed. Both faced sir Norton. "His name is Ro'ahn. He hails from Loc and is part of a detachment of soldiers come from Daylon."
"A Judicator?"
"It appears so." Chrystal turned to Norton. "What are the chances of our victory now, sir?"
"Better than before."
No comments:
Post a Comment