"Uuuuugh!" groaned Mirana, reading words off a poster. Standing beside her was Purist, who was saying 'oh'. Yurnero could tell that Mirana's words were written on his lips, although he was far too polite to say them. Sven came down to see what the hullabaloo was about. Yurnero's friend marched up to the poster and with some difficulty began reading out the words. Mirana was repeatedly screaming "I refuse to! I refuse!" over and over again. Yurnero shushed her, allowing Sven to read in peace.
"The poster says that today is Emergency Warrior Training Day, or E.W.T," Sven turned to Yurnero. "We're supposed to test our survivability and weaponry skills. Just in case the home is ever under siege. Training will be held in the gym," Mirana gave a gasp of revolt and tossed her regal chocolate-colored hair back. She bounced out of the room and found a place to sulk. Somewhere in the room, Luna and Tresdin exchanged a fist-bump.
"Alrighty, who's gonna wake up Shendel? Last one to say 'not-it' had gotta do it!" grinned Rylai. "Not it!" More cries of 'not-it' rang out through the crowd. Even Dragonus said 'not-it'. He knew how livid Shendelzare could be if she didn't get her dose of good quality sleep.
The last one to say the two words was some kid named Razor, who had had an operation on his throat at the age of five. The operation had unmistakably altered his voice, making it sound like he was speaking into a tin can. It also made his words come out slower. The changes would last until he turned thirty. Razor cursed under his breath at the difficult task that lay ahead of him. Yurnero couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy.
"Urgh, fine," grumbled Razor. With the awake heroes following behind him (excluding Mirana), Razor entered Shendelzare's bedroom. Razor's presence seemed to cause Shendelzare to have a more disturbed sleep, as she snuggled into the quilt and rolled onto her other side. Razor drew in a deep breath and poked Shendelzare's arm. After four pokes, Razor accidentally managed to send a surge of electricity through Shendelzare.
"Argh!" shrieked Shendelzare, as the electricity coursed through her arm. She sat bolt upright and sharply swung her head side to side, searching for the person who'd electrocuted her and trespassed into her room. The room was empty, if you didn't count Rylai giggling her head off. "Rylai! Who did this?!'"
"Razor duuuuh," chortled Rylai through her laughter. Shendelzare hustled Rylai out of the room and got dressed into her E.W.T uniform and stormed downstairs. Razor timidly hid behind a couch. Rylai mounted the words 'dead meat' to him. Razor sighed and waited with uneasiness until Shendelzare made her intimidating appearance.
"Razor!" hollered Shendelzare, homing in instantly on his ineffectual hiding place. With a yelp, Razor leapt out behind the sofa in a fright. "Argh, I'm gonna kill you!" she screamed as she bounded after him. Soon, Razor found a crazed Shendelzare yelling barbarically pursuing him all over the home. After a couple of rather amusing minutes, a very battered up Razor returned and indifferently seated himself on a Yum Cha seat. Shendelzare looked satisfied enough with the damage she'd inflicted.
"Okay sweeties, make your way to the gym on the third floor," Miss Krobelus's voice echoed through the intercom system. Shendelzare ordered the heroes into a straight line behind her and she began leading the way to the gym. Yurnero had never seen the third floor, or a way to access it. It turned out that there was a rippling patch in the air near the bathrooms on the second floors. On the day of training, the rippling space clarified into an elevator door, which could only be used to access the third floor.
Yurnero entered the awaiting elevator and waited for the other heroes to enter. Shendelzare, who was crammed near the button-panel, pressed the green one and the doors closed. The elevator shot up at an astonishing speed. There was no tumbling around because everyone was already squished up so tightly. Yurnero felt pity for Traxex, who was claustrophobic.
When the elevator finally reached the gym, the heroes emptied out onto the dojo-straw-carpet. Yurnero took a glimpse at his new surroundings. Various training-stations had been set up around the room. There was a weaponry-cabinet in the corner of the gym. Target-dummies flanked one side of the room.
"Now honeys, don't be afraid to try something new. I recommend that you take a partner with you to each station and train together." instructed Miss Krobelus, who was standing in the middle of the gym. Yurnero's hand reached out for Sven's. " Take a weapon if necessary. You may start training."
The heroes stampeded like a herd of rhinoceroses up to the weaponry-cabinet and flung open its doors, unveiling its contents. Inside the cabinet hung an impressive array of sharpened knives. Spears of all shapes and sizes were strapped to the back of the cabinet. Shining axes and spiked maces were pinned to the other sides of the doors. There was every weapon that you could name. Yurnero spied a single orange katana somewhere in the cabinet.
"That's mine," thought Yurnero as he fought his way to it before someone else took it. He yanked it free and escaped from the group of heroes struggling for weapons. Sven joined Yurnero at the sword-station, with a fancy Outcast Blade meant for wielding with two hands. Yurnero preferred the katana as it could be carried with one hand, but he wasn't as strong as Sven.
Yurnero tightened his grip around the hilt of his katana and drove the blade deep into a sack dummy, causing straw to spill out of it. After pulling it out, Yurnero performed a fade and threw the katana at a second sack dummy. The katana buried itself in the heart of the dummy up to the pommel.
Yurnero reminded himself that he couldn't stay at the sword-station all day, no matter how fun. After all, E.W.T was for training to defend the home. There would be some hazardous creatures that the katana would be useless against. He waited for Sven to halve his sack dummy with the edge of the Outcast Blade before finding another station to work at.
Even though the sword-station remained Yurnero's favorite, it turned out that some of the other stations weren't too shabby either. He and Sven visited the psychic-station, which got them involved in creating objects out of thin air in a zen state. Yurnero succeeded in creating a healing-ward that gave off an aura which cured wounds overtime. Sven was a more impatient type and came up with a magical gauntlet that could knock people unconscious.
After the psychic-station, Yurnero decided to focus back on weapons. Together with Sven, Traxex and Lyralei, Yurnero participated in the archery-station. Yurnero tried to recollect the tips that Lyralei had given him on Valentines Day, but most of it was fog. Lyralei showed Yurnero the different parts of a bow and demonstrated how to shoot an arrow. Yurnero still wasn't a toxophilite like Traxex or Lyralei, but he could shoot up to a standard that he was satisfied with.
"That was exhausting," wheezed Sven, stumbling out of the elevator for lunch. Miss Krobelus had hurriedly prepared some cold leftovers for them to eat. Yurnero wasn't picky. He gulped his food down and didn't let anything negative come out of his mouth, unlike Sven who was mumbling that the food reminded him of mashed dates. Thankfully, Abaddon dropped by and delivered some organic and juicy Bloodthorns. Sven said that they tasted of a mix of watermelon and orange.
When the heroes finished helping themselves to the Bloodthorns and cold lunch, Miss Krobelus announced that she'd be reviewing the skills the heroes had learnt individually. The training would be playing on a screen in each of the Runaway's rooms. Yurnero's mind focused on his katana and healing skills. He knew that Sven would be performing with his Outcast Blade. He wasn't sure about the talents of most of the other heroes.
"Oh hey there, Rylai, what are you going to be doing?" Yurnero asked his friend, aware that he was possibly implying that she was unable to do anything. But Rylai didn't see it that way. "You just don't really seem like the warrior kind of type.
"You'll see," said Rylai with a wink. "Aren't you and Sven doing that awesome blade thingamajig? Wish I knew how to do that, it looks really amazing. And someone told me you could create magical healing wards!" Yurnero humbly signaled for Rylai to stop; all her praise was causing him to feel egoistic. He prayed that no-one had been listening to her as he put his plate away and travelled back to his room to watch his screen.
On Yurnero's monitor, Shendelzare was being filmed taking some weapons from the for usage. She pulled out a plasma disc of some sort and thrust it around. A bluish-white projectile shot out of the disc and lodged into a dummy, disintegrating it. Apparently, Shendelzare had been training at the psychic-station too, as she had the ability to materialize mystical missiles. To finish off, Shendelzare displayed her well-known Nether Swap. Miss Krobelus looked impressed. She dismissed Shendelzare and called for Mortred.
Names were called and Runaways were dismissed from the Training Gym. Rylai and Sven hadn't had their go yet. Yurnero had begun to drift off to sleep, when Miss Krobelus's voice calling his name snapped him awake. He frantically glanced around his room, searching for the door.
"Yurnero? Please report to the Training Gym!" called Miss Krobelus. Yurnero rushed out the room and raced to the elevator. The metal doors slid open and Yurnero bolted into the elevator and repetitively activated the button to go to the third floor. Within dragging seconds, Yurnero found himself back in the Training Gym and took deep breaths to calm down from the adrenaline and exertion.
Where was that special weapon? Buried among the diverse weapons was the orange katana that Yurnero had worked with during the training session. Yurnero walked over and gathered up a couple of dummies that he could target. He aligned them before wielding the katana and taking his position three metres away from the his target.
Yurnero stared intently at the tip of the blade and the bullseye of the target, calculating the direction that he'd need to propel the sword in. Rearing back, Yurnero threw the katana. A brief, short thunk echoed around the room as the weapon flew through the air like one of Lyralei's arrows and sunk into the middle. Miss Krobelus jotted some notes down. Yurnero retrieved it and made a small cut in his arm, preparing for his next talent. A healing ward appeared and began giving off a green glow, healing the wound in his arm.
"Is that all?" asked Miss Krobelus, but not in a way that provoked the thought that she was disappointed. Yurnero nodded. "You may be dismissed." He exited the room, pleased with himself. Once he'd arrived in his room, he flopped on his bed to watch the rest of the broadcasting. "Rylai, please report to the Training Gym."
"This will be interesting," muttered Yurnero to himself. Rylai stepped across the dojo-straw-carpet, stopping at a gold crested with a blue adornment that looked like an ice crystal. She placed herself about two metres away from one of Yurnero's previously used dummies and gave the staff a wave. A pellet of ice shot out and smacked into the sack, causing it to freeze up and shatter. Rylai had the power to create ice with her staff.
Sven was called up next. As Rylai passed Yurnero's door, he opened it and gave her a 'well done'. She beamed in recognition and went on her way. Yurnero returned his attention to the screen, just it time to see Sven launch his magical gauntlet at an iron dummy.
Training Reviewing Time was closed off as the last candidate left the Gym. The elevator on the second floor faded away, readying itself for the next annual E.W.T. Yurnero chose to resume his nap, as there was a still a long period until dinnertime; a portion of the heroes had done the same. He cleared his mind and was about to enter a subconscious state, when...
YURNERO! Wake up!" nagged Rylai. Yurnero grumbled as he always did when someone interrupted his sleep. He particularly hated it when someone like Rylai with a voice that could blow a hole in a battleship did it. "Wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up!"
"Rylai! What was that for?" scolded Yurnero, the slits in his mask narrowing in irritation. "Couldn't you see that I was trying to sleep?! Like, is today 'Wake Everyone Up' day? Didn't think so! In case you can't remember, it was your idea to wake up Shendelzare!"
"But it was for a very good reason!" retorted Rylai. "Have you heard yourself snoring? You sound like a pig choking on its own saliva! A couple of nights ago, I could hear you through all the walls and whatnot. I even have a tape to prove my point, wanna hear?" Yurnero grunted and shook his head with jerky movements. "My sentiments as well." Rylai exited the room, huffing as she went.
Yurnero sighed; this time he wouldn't be able to sleep, after being woken up multiple times. He tossed and turned, agitated, around in bed, still furious with Rylai. Was he imagining, or was there a thumping noise coming from outside? No, it was real. Thump, thump, thump. Yurnero hurried over to the curtains and pulled them aside. A strange black monster with a luminous yellow spot on its forehead was heading for the home.
Something in Yurnero's instincts was telling him that this monster was a test, a challenge even, for the Runaways. Miss Krobelus could possibly be programming the monster, to put the newfound skills of the heroes to action.
The ringing of the doorbell reverberated through the building as the creature rang it. Carl was already running up to the door, other heroes trailing behind him. Yurnero hurried downstairs and leapt in front of Carl with his extraordinary speed. The black brute Yurnero had sighted outside crashed through the door, dropping a range of weapons, each one suited to a specific hero.
Yurnero scrambled around on the floor to retrieve a jade-green katana. All the Runaways had leapt on the poor beast and were driving it to its death. The typical archers were peppering it with arrows. Mortred was launching agony-filled daggers at it. Carl had summoned a meteor that looked more like a meatball. After much abuse, the creature fell and they pushed it out of the entrance. But there was something left behind.
"The Aegis is mine!" declared Carl, thrashing around in attempt to grab a piece of red stone bordered with black. Why did everyone want it so badly? Even Purist, who was usually demonstrating a positive manner, was fighting for the 'Aegis'. Throughout the squabbling, Terrorblade managed to pick up the stone. Like Yurnero and Sven, he was clueless to what it did. He took it under his arm and disappeared into his room.
"He doesn't even know what it does," complained Carl under his breath, throwing his hands up and stomping. "And even if he did, I need it more than him." Aiushtha directed a glare of sheer loathing at Carl and rolled her blue eyes that had slightly lost their color. The other heroes left, but not in great disbelief like Carl. Yurnero didn't want to ask Rylai about the Aegis, because he was still holding a small grudge about her.
"Hey Lyralei!" called Yurnero. Lyralei's trademark ginger head turned around, facing him. "What's the whole deal with the Aegis? What does it do? What was that black monster?" Lyralei walked back to Yurnero so she could answer his question.
"Oh, the black monster? That was Roshan. He visits us once every year after training is over and we're supposed to take him down. Every time we do this, he drops one of his Aegises of Immortality. They give you, well, immortality for about half a year. Right now, he's probably respawning back at his cavern because he always has an Aegis for himself. Was that helpful?" Yurnero nodded. "Do you want to hang out in my room?" Yurnero accepted the offer and took Lyralei's hand.
On the way to Lyralei's room, Yurnero caught sight of Shendelzare carving in a new name on a blackboard. Written on the border in gold was 'AEGIS WINNERS'. Now carved into the board was 'Terrorblade', just above Lyralei's name. Shendelzare finished her job and went into the kitchen to help Miss Krobelus cook dinner.
"Did you really win the Aegis once?" asked Yurnero, reading her name on the blackboard. Lyralei said yes, but didn't take it like big deal. Yurnero wondered what Lyralei would have done with her immortality. She could've possibly encountered Balanar and been torn to shreds. "And how did you use it?"
"Hmm, I think Traxex wanted to practise hitting a moving target. And then she wanted to practise on me," confessed Lyralei. "Oh, pshaw, it's not a big deal anyway, I don't see why people want it so badly." Yurnero thought of how all the heroes had been fighting to claim the Aegis for themselves. But Lyralei was right. Apart from Balanar, there were really no dangers in the home.
Meanwhile, Terrorblade flipped the Aegis around in his hands, pondering its uses. The black monster and the stone that was now his made no connection. But it had to be something of great worth, if everyone wanted it. It was the kind of thing Magina would want to steal. Terrorblade felt rather defensive of this stone, even though he didn't know what it did.
"Acha ozh." declared Terrorblade quietly in his demon tongue. It had been a long time since he'd spoken in his traditional language. Furion had banned him from speaking it as his brother saw it as a way to tease him. But Terrorblade had never said anything negative about Magina anyway. He wasn't permitted to.
Translation: Acha ozh translates to 'now mine'.