Chapter: 3
On the Plain
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As you may have quessed, very few of the characters in this story belong to me. They are Ouji, Jade, Dark Wing, Fang and Claw, and their pets. The rest are owned by Glen Cook and Akira Toriama. They are used without permission in a way that is not meant to make any money. This story may only be reproduced if no profit is made, and all the text is left intact.
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The next day, everything was ready for our trip to the un-named fortress. We had loaded three carts with food, and one with supplies that would travel all the way across the plain. We were all ready to make the transition to the plain, except for one detail.
"Night Wing, it's time to get the key." Night Wing, still in his panther form, screamed to his birds, and they flew off to the forest that surrounded the fort. Minutes later, they returned with what looked like a canister, and dropped it into my hands.
"I'm glad that you two chose that design for the coach, we were one badge short."
"Actually, boss, we had a few badges stashed away for such an occasion."
I gave Fang, Claw, and Jade each a badge to pin to their shirts, and then hung a badge on a gold chain around Night Wing's neck. He was then hitched to a full cart. Fang and Claw released their beasts and hitched them to two more carts. Each of the beasts received a badge. Next to come was Jade's ice dragon. It too, was given a badge and hitched to a cart.
I turned to the gate that was now outlined by a stone wall. I reached the key through the gate and touched it to the path, which came alive. The first to go through the gate was Night wing. When he reached the gate, I reached down and touched his badge to the key, and then touched the key to the cart.
Next to go were Jade and her pet, then Fang and his snakes, and Claw and his lizard. Each badge and cart was touched in turn. I was last. I touched my badge, passed through the gate, and sealed it behind me.
That night, we stopped at a circle about half of the way down the path. We were making very good time. I placed the key into the socket in the middle of the circle, the circle was cut off from the rest of the path, and we made camp. The pets, which would not tire for at least a week, kept watch while we slept. Though shadows were not as common as they use to be, they were still out there.
The next morning, we were back on our way. I removed the key from the socket, and the path came to life once more. From there, we made our way to the center of the plain. We reached the un-named fortress at dark, and camped for the night. In the morning, we talked with Croaker.
I stood in front of the large golem pinned to the throne with daggers. The large golem's eyes opened and turned to me as the white crow landed on my shoulder.
"Croaker, we have had enough with being betrayed by two out of every three of our employers. We want to go somewhere where they don't know who we are, and have no reason to think they have to betray us."
The crow spoke into my ear.
"It is true that everyone who knows of the Black Company thinks that they have to betray us."
"Our brothers have explored all but one of the healthy gates. Would you allow us to explore this last frontier?"
"This will be an exciting adventure, because this new world has strange magic that even The Lady would not have been able to understand."
"What do you mean, she mastered all forms of magic known. I might never be able to comprehend half of what she knew when she was my age!"
"The magic of this world is a natural force that is not affected by true names. It is a type of energy created by the body that can be used as a weapon. This energy can also be used to levitate."
"What's so strange about that?"
"The power is increased with physical training instead of mental training. Their greatest warrior is a complete dunce."
"As strange as it sounds, I guess it makes sense. We have always known that there had to be another power out there equal to magic, yet completely different."
"If you feel you can come to accept this, I will open the road for your journey."
"We will head out in the morning."
I turned to go back to the others, but then had a thought.
"Croaker, where did you get the idea for sealing the coach in a badge?"
"I got the idea from a very interesting invention in the new world. It is a mechanical process that can put an entire house in a 'Capsule' the size of your thumb."
"And all this is done without magic? How impressive."
The next morning, we finished the contents of the first cart. We dismantled the cart and loaded it into the other three.
We then set off down the path that led to this new world. Being a gentleman, Night Wing allowed Jade to ride on his back because he was unburdened. This left the rest of us to grumble and moan about having to walk. After about an hour of our complaining, Night Wing gave us a look that probably meant something like,
"What are you complaining about? You only have two feet, and you didn't have to drag a cart for two days."
Even if Jade didn't, the rest of us knew that Night Wing had feelings for her. The thing we didn't know was why. What he didn't know, was that she "didn't mind" being around him.
That night, we made camp about half way down the path. We set out again that morning. The next evening, we stopped at the last circle before the gate and made camp. Before we turned in, Croaker sent his white crow to converse with us.
"Hey Croaker, what's the news?"
"There is something you must know about this new world. It is home to a very advanced race of man. They have created machines to replace most beasts of burden, though many are still used. Instead of animal drawn carts, they use machines called hover-cars that fly over the ground, powered by a force similar to lightning. There are also many other things that will seam strange. Be careful, but trust those who seek to befriend you."
With that warning, we all turned in. In the morning, our five-day journey across the barren Plain of Glittering Stone would be over, but our adventure would be just beginning.
On the Plain
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As you may have quessed, very few of the characters in this story belong to me. They are Ouji, Jade, Dark Wing, Fang and Claw, and their pets. The rest are owned by Glen Cook and Akira Toriama. They are used without permission in a way that is not meant to make any money. This story may only be reproduced if no profit is made, and all the text is left intact.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next day, everything was ready for our trip to the un-named fortress. We had loaded three carts with food, and one with supplies that would travel all the way across the plain. We were all ready to make the transition to the plain, except for one detail.
"Night Wing, it's time to get the key." Night Wing, still in his panther form, screamed to his birds, and they flew off to the forest that surrounded the fort. Minutes later, they returned with what looked like a canister, and dropped it into my hands.
"I'm glad that you two chose that design for the coach, we were one badge short."
"Actually, boss, we had a few badges stashed away for such an occasion."
I gave Fang, Claw, and Jade each a badge to pin to their shirts, and then hung a badge on a gold chain around Night Wing's neck. He was then hitched to a full cart. Fang and Claw released their beasts and hitched them to two more carts. Each of the beasts received a badge. Next to come was Jade's ice dragon. It too, was given a badge and hitched to a cart.
I turned to the gate that was now outlined by a stone wall. I reached the key through the gate and touched it to the path, which came alive. The first to go through the gate was Night wing. When he reached the gate, I reached down and touched his badge to the key, and then touched the key to the cart.
Next to go were Jade and her pet, then Fang and his snakes, and Claw and his lizard. Each badge and cart was touched in turn. I was last. I touched my badge, passed through the gate, and sealed it behind me.
That night, we stopped at a circle about half of the way down the path. We were making very good time. I placed the key into the socket in the middle of the circle, the circle was cut off from the rest of the path, and we made camp. The pets, which would not tire for at least a week, kept watch while we slept. Though shadows were not as common as they use to be, they were still out there.
The next morning, we were back on our way. I removed the key from the socket, and the path came to life once more. From there, we made our way to the center of the plain. We reached the un-named fortress at dark, and camped for the night. In the morning, we talked with Croaker.
I stood in front of the large golem pinned to the throne with daggers. The large golem's eyes opened and turned to me as the white crow landed on my shoulder.
"Croaker, we have had enough with being betrayed by two out of every three of our employers. We want to go somewhere where they don't know who we are, and have no reason to think they have to betray us."
The crow spoke into my ear.
"It is true that everyone who knows of the Black Company thinks that they have to betray us."
"Our brothers have explored all but one of the healthy gates. Would you allow us to explore this last frontier?"
"This will be an exciting adventure, because this new world has strange magic that even The Lady would not have been able to understand."
"What do you mean, she mastered all forms of magic known. I might never be able to comprehend half of what she knew when she was my age!"
"The magic of this world is a natural force that is not affected by true names. It is a type of energy created by the body that can be used as a weapon. This energy can also be used to levitate."
"What's so strange about that?"
"The power is increased with physical training instead of mental training. Their greatest warrior is a complete dunce."
"As strange as it sounds, I guess it makes sense. We have always known that there had to be another power out there equal to magic, yet completely different."
"If you feel you can come to accept this, I will open the road for your journey."
"We will head out in the morning."
I turned to go back to the others, but then had a thought.
"Croaker, where did you get the idea for sealing the coach in a badge?"
"I got the idea from a very interesting invention in the new world. It is a mechanical process that can put an entire house in a 'Capsule' the size of your thumb."
"And all this is done without magic? How impressive."
The next morning, we finished the contents of the first cart. We dismantled the cart and loaded it into the other three.
We then set off down the path that led to this new world. Being a gentleman, Night Wing allowed Jade to ride on his back because he was unburdened. This left the rest of us to grumble and moan about having to walk. After about an hour of our complaining, Night Wing gave us a look that probably meant something like,
"What are you complaining about? You only have two feet, and you didn't have to drag a cart for two days."
Even if Jade didn't, the rest of us knew that Night Wing had feelings for her. The thing we didn't know was why. What he didn't know, was that she "didn't mind" being around him.
That night, we made camp about half way down the path. We set out again that morning. The next evening, we stopped at the last circle before the gate and made camp. Before we turned in, Croaker sent his white crow to converse with us.
"Hey Croaker, what's the news?"
"There is something you must know about this new world. It is home to a very advanced race of man. They have created machines to replace most beasts of burden, though many are still used. Instead of animal drawn carts, they use machines called hover-cars that fly over the ground, powered by a force similar to lightning. There are also many other things that will seam strange. Be careful, but trust those who seek to befriend you."
With that warning, we all turned in. In the morning, our five-day journey across the barren Plain of Glittering Stone would be over, but our adventure would be just beginning.