The Next Generation 20
Magicman: And so, the eternal struggle of the fanfic writer goes on. Creating inspiration...typing up new concepts...updating present ideas...it's a tough life. But guess what? As of August 20th, I am officially 17 years old! And four days later I got Goku's autograph!!! YAY! Well enough about me. Lets see how the good guys are doing.
News of Lord Dulcifor's death spread like wildfire through Palas. Coupled with the news that most of Asturia's neighbours had been invaded, this nugget of information was enough to send most of Palas' remaining civilian population scurrying for the hills. Only farmers bringing in the occasional wagon load of supplies and a few brave merchants came to the city now.
One of those brave merchants was there on Queen Millerna's special request. She had asked him to take her son out of reach of Basram's seemingly limitless influence.
"I don't know if there is such a place, but I'll give it a shot." So said the brave merchant, and he whisked away young Sashi, leaving his mother to wonder if she'd ever see him again.
Shortly after Dryden was away Millerna held a council of war.
As reigning monarchs, Millerna and Van sat at the head of the table. To their left was Eries, still a bit hung over from her night out. To their right sat Dilandau. Ranged around the rest of the table were the six leaders in charge of Asturia's army.
Millena looked around the table, looking everyone in the eye. Finally she nodded and began to speak.
"We all know why we're here. Basram has invaded our neighbours and their troops are massing on our boarders. My sister Eries has the full report." With a gesture to her sister, Millerna yielded the floor.
Rubbing her head slightly, Eries gave her report. "When the other scouts and I located the enemy a large contingent of troops was joining up with it. We can't be sure, but we believe that this army holds anywhere from fifty to sixty thousand."
A low whistle broke the sudden silence. Sixty thousand soldiers against Asturia's own army of fifteen thousand.
General Sageth, high commander of Asturia's armed forces stood up. "Are you sure about this?" The half-cat girl nodded. (A/N: I'm not sure, but I think she is half-cat girl.)
"And that's not the worst part. We've managed to infiltrate their camp and they have sorcerers with them. At least twenty. And a good-sized air fleet is coming to back them up. They're led by the Destiny." Eries looked frankly at everyone around the table. "The only reason they haven't attacked by now is that General Veers wants to destroy us himself."
Millerna sighed. "Well then what are our options for defence?"
"Whatever we do", said general Shoal, "We have to stay in the city. Out on the plains an army that size could outmanoeuvre us then surround and massacre whoever was left. In the city they'll be bottled up by the infrastructure."
Van slowly nodded. "That makes sense. There won't be much loss of civilian life since they've mostly fled. But if Veers has bombers with him then they could just bring the city down around our ears."
At this Air-commander Jasmine smirked. "Leave that to me Lord Van. My boys can handle any air attack they can make."
"Alright then. What should our goal be?"
"If I may?"
Everyone looked up as Dilandau strode forward, a map of the city in his fist. Rolling it out across the table, he pointed to various locations.
"We should try to hold them at the walls. Jasmine's air force ought to be able to keep their ships off our backs and they won't be able to use Guymelefs effectively, not in a siege like this. They'd have to come within range of the city's ballistae to be of much use. If they manage to break through, we should have the troops fall back to this point." He stabbed a finger at the entrance of the great plaza.
Sageth grinned. "And we'll have archers on the surrounding building ready to butcher them. Not bad, boy! Not bad at all!"
"There's just one question Dilandau". The city's mecha commander pointed at the map. "Where will your men and mine be? If as you say guymelefs are of little use in a siege-"
"Only for the attacking army! We will be waiting outside the walls, in the lee of the attacking force. When the battle is fully engaged we launch a surprise attack!"
The rest of the meeting went like that. The plan was modified to everyone's satisfaction, and the meeting was adjourned for the day.
"So, what's next?"
Millerna blinked at her husband's words. She'd just said goodbye to her sister, who was probably going to hang out with the cats again, and was caught off guard. "What do you mean?"
Van stood up and went to the window. The view encompassed the whole city and a good deal of the countryside. "Do we just sit here and wait for them to come, ready to fight to the last? Or do we try to save what we can while we can?" He sighed. "I'm not making sense, am I?"
"Not really".
"I'll try again." Van turned around and walked over to his wife. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he said, "Millerna I want you to take a leva-ship and get out of Asturia while you still can. You know what Veers did to Dulcifor, he might decide it would be fun to repeat that trick with you instead!"
Millerna shook her head firmly. "I'm not leaving my city. What kind of example would I set if I ran before the fighting even started? Besides, what if we call for a cease-fire, or a parley, or...something damn it! I need to protect my kingdom in any way I can, even if it means risking my life!"
For a moment van said nothing. Then he smiled and hugged her tight. "I should have known you wouldn't listen to reason. And I love you for it. But promise me you won't go near any fighting?"
Millerna lay into his chest. "As long as you promise not to get killed."
"It's a deal."
He sealed her laughter with a passionate kiss. With a happy sigh she deepened it. Arm in arm, they strolled to their bedroom before closing the door and locking it.
***
Dilandau-with-a-cowboy-hat: (Plays sappy violin music)
***
Yukari looked at her new mirror with a slight chill.
After owning it for only a day, it gave her the shivers. She didn't know what it was or why it was doing this to her, but Yukari was convinced that this hunk of fancy rock was the cause of her blanking out all the time. Pictures flashed through her mind at random intervals now, showing her...things. Some of the images she'd seen before. Others she hadn't a clue about. She had seen friends of her mother, long gone by now. She'd watched as her father carved a bloody path through helpless soldiers, laughing with glee all the while. And she'd seen images of the Mystic Moon, about the people who lived there and their lives. Dragon's had hatched, stars had risen, entire empires had collapsed while she watched them in stunned awe.
What was happening to her? She had no idea. Should she tell anyone? They'd think she was crazy. Could she stop all of these visions?
She intended to find out.
Her crimson eyes hardening, Yukari glared down at the crystal blue mirror where it lay on her dresser. Standing up from her bed, she stalked toward it, slowly, as though it were a wild beast liable to turn on her at any given moment. Reaching down a gloved hand, she grasped the handle and, with a swift motion, jerked it up to meet her gaze.
For a bare second she could see her face within its sparkling depths. Then, with a blinding light, she was pulled into the images again.
A man calmly ate a plate of eggs while he read the news sheet.
A young cat girl whistled merrily as she strolled through town.
Four men were playing poker.
Chesta was winning at poker.
A dragon roared in fury, billowing out a cloud of flesh eating flames.
Armies marched and counter-marched across fields.
A craggy face with braided white hair smirked cruelly over Mark's broken and bleeding body.
Yukari looked on in growing horror as all these scenes and infinitely more rushed past. She let out a low moan of despair. "What's happening to me?"
"The same thing that happened to me".
Yukari's eyes widened and the images and pictures suddenly stopped. She was now as she was, alone in her room. Except that she wasn't quite alone. "Mom?"
Hitomi smiled. "Either it's me or the Tooth Fairy."
"Who?"
"Never mind". Hitomi stood up from her chair and walked over to her daughter. She wore a proud smile and Yukari wondered what was going on. "Mom, what just happened?"
Hitomi sat down next to her daughter. "Yukari I always thought that you might have the talent. Do you know what it is you see when you look into that mirror?"
Yukari shook her head. "Not a clue. I keep seeing stuff happen. It doesn't happen just with the mirror anymore either! I can barely close my eyes without seeing some guy eating breakfast!" She scowled down at the mirror in her hand. "It's this stupid rock's fault. This all started when I looked into it!"
"Did it?" Hitomi was eyeing her daughter shrewdly, and under that gaze she hesitated.
"Now that you mention it...it happened one time when I was with Mark. I was dozing and I 'saw' a bunch of guys coming towards us." Another thought struck her. "Then there was the night that all this started. I was dreaming about assassins in the room, I wake up, and the next thing you know I'm fighting for my life with one of those damned sand guys!" Growling, her eye twitched in frustration. "Jeez! What the hell is going on?!"
Hitomi smiled again. "You sound like me when I was your age. For the exact same reason too." Yukari's head snapped up and she stared in shock.
"You mean...?"
"Yes. You have the gift of Sight. Just like me."
Yukari stared for a moment, not fully comprehending what she'd just heard. Finally realisation dawned. "You mean...all those things I saw...they were all true?" Hitomi nodded and Yukari broke into a smile. "Thank God! I thought I was going crazy!"
Hitomi burst into laughter. "Now you REALLY sound like me at your age!"
Yukari smirked slightly. Then she frowned. "But what does this stupid mirror have to do with anything?"
"May I see it?" Yukari handed it over and Hitomi stared deep into the reflective surface, as if searching for something. Her emerald eyes glowed slightly and Yukari watched, fascinated. Hitomi half -closed her eyes and seemed to go into a sort of trance. Suddenly Yukari felt alone in the room.
***
Hitomi entered the mirror to discover the truth. She passed through the sapphire surface swiftly and entered the part the contained it's history. Everything had its history, whether human, dragon, of rock, and they all had a part of them dedicated to storing that history. It didn't take long to find the mirror's history.
Through a blue film of energist, she watched as faces spoke over her. It hit her that this was from the mirror's point of view. 'Fascinating' she thought. She listened to the conversation above her and gleaned the information she needed before travelling back to the real world.
***
Magicman: I hope I'm not making Hitomi's powers too corny.
***
Yukari watched with some trepidation as her mother rejoined her in reality. "Well what's up?"
Hitomi paused for a moment, interpreting what she'd seen. "Basically, that mirror of yours is like my pendant. It was made by the Draconians long ago to help young women with the talent to realise it. Apparently it was to be a gift to some princess when the disaster occurred." She shrugged. "Basically it was activated when you looked into it that first time."
"How come it's made just for women?"
"Apparently we're the only ones with that gift."
Yukari sat down hard. Draconians, mirrors, visions, and women. It was a lot to absorb at one time. Suddenly a thought hit her and she jerked upright at the ramifications. Eyes wide, she turned to her mother and asked, "Does everything we see come true?"
Hitomi shook her head. "Not always. The future isn't set in stone, you know. Why?" Her eyes narrowed. "What did you see?"
Yukari was shaking, the scene replaying in her mind.
'A craggy face with braided white hair smirked cruelly over Mark's broken and bleeding body.'
"Where's Mark?"
The urgency in her tone made Hitomi hurriedly go into one of her trances again. She found his mind patterns swiftly and she hurried to calm an anxious Yukari. "Relax" she soothed. "He's with Van and the cat girls."
Yukari sighed in relief, collapsing back on her bed. "Thank God!"
"You saw him?"
"I saw him dead. Horribly dead, I might add."
Hitomi patted her head sympathetically. She knew how she felt. That first time when she'd seen Van killed by the dragon... She still had nightmares about it. "Listen Yukari, and pay attention because it's important. Just because you saw something does not, I repeat NOT, mean it will happen. This fate predicting thing is a tricky business. It depends on how you interpret what you see. It could be that it was a symbolic sort of dying. Or maybe it was a clone. A copy of someone." She added hastily, seeing Yukari's confusion. "Do you understand?"
"I guess so."
"Good". Hitomi patted Yukari on her back. "You really care about Mark, don't you?"
Yukari blushed and mumbled. Hitomi held back a grin. "Have you slept with him yet?" She laughed at the expression on her daughter's face. "Well I should go find your father. Knowing him he's probably beating on some helpless guards. See you later" She smirked and murmured, just loud enough for Yukari to hear, "Lover girl". She left the room laughing, just in time to close off the fit of cyrsing.
***
Kasar looked up from his crystal. General Veers sat across from him, a slight smile on his face. "So, the rumours are true, are they?" he murmured to himself. "It seems the sins, or in this case the gifts, truly do pass to the daughter. Well, well."
Kasar smiled hollowly. "I would hazard a guess that this is what 'fate can change for those with Sight' means. Shall I take care of them?"
Veers nodded. "Be open about it. I want them to know that we can roam their halls at will. If that prophecy is right, and they usually are, then those two are the keys to winning this war." The smiled grew. "Perhaps it was fortunate that Mrs. Albatou escaped when she did. She's led us right where we want to be." The memory of the escape brought a scowl to his face and a clench to his fist. Dilandau Albatou. He would enjoy months of Andrakus' most imaginative torments before he even began to pay for what he'd done. Which reminded him. "Are the Flashers loaded?"
Kasar nodded. "Six of them are ready and waiting your deployment orders."
"Excellent. We may need them to demonstrate our will in this matter. I won't enjoy it, but if it must be done, it must be done."
Magicman: Dun dun dun!
Smokegirl: Cool! Lots of beautiful destruction is coming soon!
Dilandau-with-a-cowboy-hat: Shhhh! Don't give away the next chapter!
Smokegirl: Oops.
Magicman: Anyway, please give me your opinions. I always like to hear what you think about my fics. So, I'll see you next chapter!
Magicman: And so, the eternal struggle of the fanfic writer goes on. Creating inspiration...typing up new concepts...updating present ideas...it's a tough life. But guess what? As of August 20th, I am officially 17 years old! And four days later I got Goku's autograph!!! YAY! Well enough about me. Lets see how the good guys are doing.
News of Lord Dulcifor's death spread like wildfire through Palas. Coupled with the news that most of Asturia's neighbours had been invaded, this nugget of information was enough to send most of Palas' remaining civilian population scurrying for the hills. Only farmers bringing in the occasional wagon load of supplies and a few brave merchants came to the city now.
One of those brave merchants was there on Queen Millerna's special request. She had asked him to take her son out of reach of Basram's seemingly limitless influence.
"I don't know if there is such a place, but I'll give it a shot." So said the brave merchant, and he whisked away young Sashi, leaving his mother to wonder if she'd ever see him again.
Shortly after Dryden was away Millerna held a council of war.
As reigning monarchs, Millerna and Van sat at the head of the table. To their left was Eries, still a bit hung over from her night out. To their right sat Dilandau. Ranged around the rest of the table were the six leaders in charge of Asturia's army.
Millena looked around the table, looking everyone in the eye. Finally she nodded and began to speak.
"We all know why we're here. Basram has invaded our neighbours and their troops are massing on our boarders. My sister Eries has the full report." With a gesture to her sister, Millerna yielded the floor.
Rubbing her head slightly, Eries gave her report. "When the other scouts and I located the enemy a large contingent of troops was joining up with it. We can't be sure, but we believe that this army holds anywhere from fifty to sixty thousand."
A low whistle broke the sudden silence. Sixty thousand soldiers against Asturia's own army of fifteen thousand.
General Sageth, high commander of Asturia's armed forces stood up. "Are you sure about this?" The half-cat girl nodded. (A/N: I'm not sure, but I think she is half-cat girl.)
"And that's not the worst part. We've managed to infiltrate their camp and they have sorcerers with them. At least twenty. And a good-sized air fleet is coming to back them up. They're led by the Destiny." Eries looked frankly at everyone around the table. "The only reason they haven't attacked by now is that General Veers wants to destroy us himself."
Millerna sighed. "Well then what are our options for defence?"
"Whatever we do", said general Shoal, "We have to stay in the city. Out on the plains an army that size could outmanoeuvre us then surround and massacre whoever was left. In the city they'll be bottled up by the infrastructure."
Van slowly nodded. "That makes sense. There won't be much loss of civilian life since they've mostly fled. But if Veers has bombers with him then they could just bring the city down around our ears."
At this Air-commander Jasmine smirked. "Leave that to me Lord Van. My boys can handle any air attack they can make."
"Alright then. What should our goal be?"
"If I may?"
Everyone looked up as Dilandau strode forward, a map of the city in his fist. Rolling it out across the table, he pointed to various locations.
"We should try to hold them at the walls. Jasmine's air force ought to be able to keep their ships off our backs and they won't be able to use Guymelefs effectively, not in a siege like this. They'd have to come within range of the city's ballistae to be of much use. If they manage to break through, we should have the troops fall back to this point." He stabbed a finger at the entrance of the great plaza.
Sageth grinned. "And we'll have archers on the surrounding building ready to butcher them. Not bad, boy! Not bad at all!"
"There's just one question Dilandau". The city's mecha commander pointed at the map. "Where will your men and mine be? If as you say guymelefs are of little use in a siege-"
"Only for the attacking army! We will be waiting outside the walls, in the lee of the attacking force. When the battle is fully engaged we launch a surprise attack!"
The rest of the meeting went like that. The plan was modified to everyone's satisfaction, and the meeting was adjourned for the day.
"So, what's next?"
Millerna blinked at her husband's words. She'd just said goodbye to her sister, who was probably going to hang out with the cats again, and was caught off guard. "What do you mean?"
Van stood up and went to the window. The view encompassed the whole city and a good deal of the countryside. "Do we just sit here and wait for them to come, ready to fight to the last? Or do we try to save what we can while we can?" He sighed. "I'm not making sense, am I?"
"Not really".
"I'll try again." Van turned around and walked over to his wife. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he said, "Millerna I want you to take a leva-ship and get out of Asturia while you still can. You know what Veers did to Dulcifor, he might decide it would be fun to repeat that trick with you instead!"
Millerna shook her head firmly. "I'm not leaving my city. What kind of example would I set if I ran before the fighting even started? Besides, what if we call for a cease-fire, or a parley, or...something damn it! I need to protect my kingdom in any way I can, even if it means risking my life!"
For a moment van said nothing. Then he smiled and hugged her tight. "I should have known you wouldn't listen to reason. And I love you for it. But promise me you won't go near any fighting?"
Millerna lay into his chest. "As long as you promise not to get killed."
"It's a deal."
He sealed her laughter with a passionate kiss. With a happy sigh she deepened it. Arm in arm, they strolled to their bedroom before closing the door and locking it.
***
Dilandau-with-a-cowboy-hat: (Plays sappy violin music)
***
Yukari looked at her new mirror with a slight chill.
After owning it for only a day, it gave her the shivers. She didn't know what it was or why it was doing this to her, but Yukari was convinced that this hunk of fancy rock was the cause of her blanking out all the time. Pictures flashed through her mind at random intervals now, showing her...things. Some of the images she'd seen before. Others she hadn't a clue about. She had seen friends of her mother, long gone by now. She'd watched as her father carved a bloody path through helpless soldiers, laughing with glee all the while. And she'd seen images of the Mystic Moon, about the people who lived there and their lives. Dragon's had hatched, stars had risen, entire empires had collapsed while she watched them in stunned awe.
What was happening to her? She had no idea. Should she tell anyone? They'd think she was crazy. Could she stop all of these visions?
She intended to find out.
Her crimson eyes hardening, Yukari glared down at the crystal blue mirror where it lay on her dresser. Standing up from her bed, she stalked toward it, slowly, as though it were a wild beast liable to turn on her at any given moment. Reaching down a gloved hand, she grasped the handle and, with a swift motion, jerked it up to meet her gaze.
For a bare second she could see her face within its sparkling depths. Then, with a blinding light, she was pulled into the images again.
A man calmly ate a plate of eggs while he read the news sheet.
A young cat girl whistled merrily as she strolled through town.
Four men were playing poker.
Chesta was winning at poker.
A dragon roared in fury, billowing out a cloud of flesh eating flames.
Armies marched and counter-marched across fields.
A craggy face with braided white hair smirked cruelly over Mark's broken and bleeding body.
Yukari looked on in growing horror as all these scenes and infinitely more rushed past. She let out a low moan of despair. "What's happening to me?"
"The same thing that happened to me".
Yukari's eyes widened and the images and pictures suddenly stopped. She was now as she was, alone in her room. Except that she wasn't quite alone. "Mom?"
Hitomi smiled. "Either it's me or the Tooth Fairy."
"Who?"
"Never mind". Hitomi stood up from her chair and walked over to her daughter. She wore a proud smile and Yukari wondered what was going on. "Mom, what just happened?"
Hitomi sat down next to her daughter. "Yukari I always thought that you might have the talent. Do you know what it is you see when you look into that mirror?"
Yukari shook her head. "Not a clue. I keep seeing stuff happen. It doesn't happen just with the mirror anymore either! I can barely close my eyes without seeing some guy eating breakfast!" She scowled down at the mirror in her hand. "It's this stupid rock's fault. This all started when I looked into it!"
"Did it?" Hitomi was eyeing her daughter shrewdly, and under that gaze she hesitated.
"Now that you mention it...it happened one time when I was with Mark. I was dozing and I 'saw' a bunch of guys coming towards us." Another thought struck her. "Then there was the night that all this started. I was dreaming about assassins in the room, I wake up, and the next thing you know I'm fighting for my life with one of those damned sand guys!" Growling, her eye twitched in frustration. "Jeez! What the hell is going on?!"
Hitomi smiled again. "You sound like me when I was your age. For the exact same reason too." Yukari's head snapped up and she stared in shock.
"You mean...?"
"Yes. You have the gift of Sight. Just like me."
Yukari stared for a moment, not fully comprehending what she'd just heard. Finally realisation dawned. "You mean...all those things I saw...they were all true?" Hitomi nodded and Yukari broke into a smile. "Thank God! I thought I was going crazy!"
Hitomi burst into laughter. "Now you REALLY sound like me at your age!"
Yukari smirked slightly. Then she frowned. "But what does this stupid mirror have to do with anything?"
"May I see it?" Yukari handed it over and Hitomi stared deep into the reflective surface, as if searching for something. Her emerald eyes glowed slightly and Yukari watched, fascinated. Hitomi half -closed her eyes and seemed to go into a sort of trance. Suddenly Yukari felt alone in the room.
***
Hitomi entered the mirror to discover the truth. She passed through the sapphire surface swiftly and entered the part the contained it's history. Everything had its history, whether human, dragon, of rock, and they all had a part of them dedicated to storing that history. It didn't take long to find the mirror's history.
Through a blue film of energist, she watched as faces spoke over her. It hit her that this was from the mirror's point of view. 'Fascinating' she thought. She listened to the conversation above her and gleaned the information she needed before travelling back to the real world.
***
Magicman: I hope I'm not making Hitomi's powers too corny.
***
Yukari watched with some trepidation as her mother rejoined her in reality. "Well what's up?"
Hitomi paused for a moment, interpreting what she'd seen. "Basically, that mirror of yours is like my pendant. It was made by the Draconians long ago to help young women with the talent to realise it. Apparently it was to be a gift to some princess when the disaster occurred." She shrugged. "Basically it was activated when you looked into it that first time."
"How come it's made just for women?"
"Apparently we're the only ones with that gift."
Yukari sat down hard. Draconians, mirrors, visions, and women. It was a lot to absorb at one time. Suddenly a thought hit her and she jerked upright at the ramifications. Eyes wide, she turned to her mother and asked, "Does everything we see come true?"
Hitomi shook her head. "Not always. The future isn't set in stone, you know. Why?" Her eyes narrowed. "What did you see?"
Yukari was shaking, the scene replaying in her mind.
'A craggy face with braided white hair smirked cruelly over Mark's broken and bleeding body.'
"Where's Mark?"
The urgency in her tone made Hitomi hurriedly go into one of her trances again. She found his mind patterns swiftly and she hurried to calm an anxious Yukari. "Relax" she soothed. "He's with Van and the cat girls."
Yukari sighed in relief, collapsing back on her bed. "Thank God!"
"You saw him?"
"I saw him dead. Horribly dead, I might add."
Hitomi patted her head sympathetically. She knew how she felt. That first time when she'd seen Van killed by the dragon... She still had nightmares about it. "Listen Yukari, and pay attention because it's important. Just because you saw something does not, I repeat NOT, mean it will happen. This fate predicting thing is a tricky business. It depends on how you interpret what you see. It could be that it was a symbolic sort of dying. Or maybe it was a clone. A copy of someone." She added hastily, seeing Yukari's confusion. "Do you understand?"
"I guess so."
"Good". Hitomi patted Yukari on her back. "You really care about Mark, don't you?"
Yukari blushed and mumbled. Hitomi held back a grin. "Have you slept with him yet?" She laughed at the expression on her daughter's face. "Well I should go find your father. Knowing him he's probably beating on some helpless guards. See you later" She smirked and murmured, just loud enough for Yukari to hear, "Lover girl". She left the room laughing, just in time to close off the fit of cyrsing.
***
Kasar looked up from his crystal. General Veers sat across from him, a slight smile on his face. "So, the rumours are true, are they?" he murmured to himself. "It seems the sins, or in this case the gifts, truly do pass to the daughter. Well, well."
Kasar smiled hollowly. "I would hazard a guess that this is what 'fate can change for those with Sight' means. Shall I take care of them?"
Veers nodded. "Be open about it. I want them to know that we can roam their halls at will. If that prophecy is right, and they usually are, then those two are the keys to winning this war." The smiled grew. "Perhaps it was fortunate that Mrs. Albatou escaped when she did. She's led us right where we want to be." The memory of the escape brought a scowl to his face and a clench to his fist. Dilandau Albatou. He would enjoy months of Andrakus' most imaginative torments before he even began to pay for what he'd done. Which reminded him. "Are the Flashers loaded?"
Kasar nodded. "Six of them are ready and waiting your deployment orders."
"Excellent. We may need them to demonstrate our will in this matter. I won't enjoy it, but if it must be done, it must be done."
Magicman: Dun dun dun!
Smokegirl: Cool! Lots of beautiful destruction is coming soon!
Dilandau-with-a-cowboy-hat: Shhhh! Don't give away the next chapter!
Smokegirl: Oops.
Magicman: Anyway, please give me your opinions. I always like to hear what you think about my fics. So, I'll see you next chapter!
