Chapter nine: Calm Before the Storm
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-THOMAS-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Thomas sighed as his team of Ruby and Elaine were positioned in the main yard just outside the front door, waiting for Tuta to get ready. He knew that Julian would be coming with the soldiers and would be REALLY wanting revenge on him for being fired and humiliated.
"Master Thomas," Elaine said. "My group and I never knew what this council was like, as we joined well after this Julian jerk was fired. What exactly happened the first time he invaded?"
Thomas looked down. "Well, he and the other council members who were fired wanted to make profit on this castle because it's technically on Zexen land. Of course, no one at the castle wanted to go down without a fight, and we ended up going to battle with Julian and several Zexen soldiers."
Elaine raised an eyebrow. "How many people did you have recruited at the time that could fight? How much help did you get?"
Thomas sighed. "Cecile, Juan and mister Piccolo, of course, Toppo, Nei, Shabon, Mel, Twaikin, Augustine and Koroku."
Elaine's eyes widened. "You defeated that fat loser with just that many people?!"
"Well, not exactly. I DID recruit others who could fight, such as Belle, Gadget Z and Kenji, but they weren't strong enough to fight in the battle."
"Well, just think of how much damage we could do now that there are more than a hundred people here!"
"Yeah. I hope this works."
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-TOPPO-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Toppo, Sharon, Mel and Juan were all sitting around the fountain, waiting to be given a spot to be positioned at. Well, Sharon and Mel were sitting on the fountain. Toppo was pacing around and Juan was lying on the ground, practically asleep.
Mel could see Toppo's nervousness as the juggler continued pacing. "Toppo, why are you so nervous? You look like your life is in danger." She joked.
Toppo stopped pacing and looked at the blue-clad girl. She had no idea how close to the truth she was. Toppo decided to show them and nodded.
Mel's eyes widened. "What?! What's wrong?!" She asked frantically.
Toppo sighed and extended his left hand to show Mel and Sharon the rune. Juan was down so low he wouldn't see it anyway.
After inspecting the rune, Sharone looked back up at Toppo. "What's so wrong? It's just a new rune?"
Mel's inspection was just as fruitless, so she looked at her 'friend', Branky. "What do YOU make of it, Branky?"
Mel put Branky close to Toppo's hand, as if to show her the rune. Suddenly, Branky's jaw fell open. The puppet quickly grabbed Toppo's hand and put her face closer to it. The sudden jerk caused Toppo to get pulled forward slightly, his hat nearly falling off his head.
"I don't believe it!" Branky cried. "It's the True Rage Rune! I see why Toppo's life is in danger! If he holds it for more than seven hours, he goes insane!"
Sharon gasped at this, and Juan's eyes sprang open, even though he didn't move from his spot on the ground.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-PEGGI-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Peggi stood alone in the Blacksmith, looking around to see if anyone was around. When he decided that he was alone, he set his hammer aside and walked towards a shelf.
Reaching under the shelf, Peggi grabbed the handles of an old case. He pulled it out into the open. Giving an excited grin, he slowly and carefully opened the case. Inside the case sat an old, steel weapon. A Lizard Clan sword.
Peggi gently lifted the weapon from the case and held it up, getting a good look at it. Despite being in the case for two years, it was in remarkably good condition. It wasn't even dull!
Giving a grin, Peggi wrapped his arms around the weapon, careful not to hurt himself. "Oh, Gertrude! I've missed you so much..." Peggi whispered, which was a rare thing for the Lizardman. "Two years you've waited, and now, after so long, it's time for me to raise you in battle again..."
Not wiping the smile off his face, Peggi walked over to his anvil and set the weapon, which he called 'Gertrude', on it. Grabbing his hammer again, Peggi started banging it against the sword, making sure it was good and sharp.
In the meantime, Dupa and Bazba hid in the bushes across from the Blacksmith, and heard what Peggi had said. The two lizard's looked at each other.
"'Gertrude'?" Dupa asked.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-REED-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
"Are you sure about this, Kathy?" Reed asked his girlfriend, clearly worried about her decision to fight at the ranch.
Reed, Edge and Watari were at the ranch, as was Kathy and her team of Elliot, Mamie, Scott and Gordon. Bazba had gone with Dupa to check on Peggi, but was expected back quickly.
"Don't worry, Reed." Kathy laughed with a wink. "My team and I can take care of ourselves against these soldiers."
Reed sighed. "Okay, Kathy. I guess I can't change your decision." He was silent for a couple seconds. "However, my team and I have volunteered to stand guard ahead of you and take on any soldiers that try to get through."
"Really?!" Kathy asked excitedly.
The Tinto soldier nodded with a smile. "Yes. Edge agrees with me for sure. He seems to be worried about Mamie about as much as I am about you." He looked over to where Edge was and saw the young man embracing the young cook, despite the constant insults from the Star Dragon Sword. "Bazba says it's a good idea and Watari doesn't seem to care."
"Well, I'm glad that you'll be there for me if anything goes wrong" Kathy said.
Watari watched as Reed and Kathy embraced. He sighed. "I REALLY need a girlfriend." He muttered to himself.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-LANDIS-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
"Go-Go-Gophers watch 'em go-go-go. Hehehehe I love that song!"
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-NADIR-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Nadir sighed as he pulled a case out from under the stage, unlike Peggi's, it was thin as opposed to wide. Opening up the case, Nadir pulled out an old sword. It was a little duller than he expected. He'd have to take it to Peggi. He was alone in the Tavern, so he didn't need to worry about being seen.
Suddenly, Nadir heard footsteps coming from behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Nadir spotted Apple walking over to him. She had a concerned look on her face. Nadir sighed. "It's been ten years since I've used this sword, miss Apple." He said. "Now I have to wield it again."
Apple placed a comforting hand on the director's shoulder. "Hey, at least you're on the right side this time."
Slowly, Nadir nodded. "Yeah. I guess so. I just hope that no one recognizes me."
Apple laughed. "Just be thankful that you're not in the same unit as Futch or Viki."
Nadir let out a soft chuckle. "Heh. You're right. If Viki found out who I was, no one would ever hear the end of it."
Feeling a lot of confidence now, Nadir stood to his feet and turned to Apple. "Thank you, miss Apple." He said. "I just need to get this sharpened and I'll be ready."
Nadir walked past Apple and out of the Tavern. Apple watched him go and smiled. "You're welcome, Culgan." She whispered with a smirk.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-GUILLAUME-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Guillaume walked out of the back room of the Appraisal side of the large building in the main area, clutching his spear in one hand.
He sighed deeply as he set the spear against the counter. He never thought he'd see the day when he'd have to raise his weapon against the enemy again. This time, though, he was fighting in an army instead of fighting alone. Granted, he didn't win a lot of duels, but at least he could fight.
Slowly, Guillaume reached into a pocket on his jacket and pulled out a small, gold locket. Opening the locket, he saw the picture of a beautiful woman, her kind smile shining brightly. He soft, dark hair was shining just as bright.
Guillaume felt his eyes fill with tears looking at the picture. He looked out the window of the shop and into the sky. "Mother, don't think I've forgotten about you for a minute. You've always been the first thought that comes to my mind." He sobbed softly. "I hope your enjoying yourself up there. I hope I'll make you proud. I promise I'll do my best here." The middle-aged man's lips quivered. "I miss you, mother."
Suddenly, Guillaume lowered his head and buried his face in his hands, sobbing his heart out. He collapsed to his knees to continue crying.
However, he hadn't noticed Melville standing outside, staring in through another window. The young boy's eyes widened in shock. Could Guillaume really be THAT soft?
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-TUTA-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Tuta stood in the Infirmary, searching through a medical bag. Mio stood back, watching him, clearly concerned.
"Doctor Tuta, please think this over!" Mio pleaded. "If you died out there, there'd be no doctor here!"
"Please relax, Mio." Tuta said, not bothering to turn around. "I'll be fine. You know that I fought in the Dunan army several years ago." He pulled a roll of tape from the bag. "Ah, here it is." He started wrapping tape around the area on his hand between the thumb and index finger.
"But doctor Tuta!" Mio said.
"Mio, please." Tuta laughed, turning around to face the nurse. "You needn't worry about me. You should be more worried about Toppo."
Mio looked down and sighed. There was no way she could talk the doctor out of fighting, and the only way she could help was to take care of the injured.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-DIOS-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Dios stood in the basement, practicing his sword fighting. It had been a really long time since he pulled his sword from its holster to raise it in battle, and his fighting abilities had gotten a little rusty. Dios swung his weapon continuously at thin air, making sure that his skills were perfected for the battle against the soldiers.
Hearing footsteps, Dios stopped training and turned around to see Sanae Y walking over to him.
The young fighter smiled at the Harmonian general. "So, you're practicing as well, are you, Sir Dios?" She asked.
"I am forced to, young Sanae." Dios replied. "I haven't raised my weapon in a very long time, and I desperately need the practice."
"I see." The young girl said. "Do you think we'll win against all these soldiers?"
Dios nodded with a smile. "Of course. After all, we defeated an army of inhuman monsters led by a chaotic man in black."
Sanae Y let out a chuckle. "Yes. I guess we did."
Dios looked down nervously. "You think you can keep a secret?" He asked.
The young warrior raised an eyebrow. "Yes." She replied.
"I'm a little nervous about all this." Dios stated. "I've never fought anything like this before."
"Don't worry, Sir Dios." Sanae laughed. "If anyone is injured, we have Mio, Luce and Iku to help the wounded."
"Yes, I guess you're right."
"Hey, do you mind if I join you in training?" Sanae asked.
"Not at all." Dios replied.
Sanae stood beside Dios, but far enough away so neither of them would get hurt. Both continued training, slashing the air with their respective weapons.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-CECILE-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Cecile stood in front of the main gate to Budehuc, waiting for the rest of her team. To be honest, she was scared stiff about this whole thing. She wasn't scared going against the council or even against Luc. This was something different altogether.
She stood alone, always ready to protect anyone when the time came. After protecting the castle for so long, she had grown to love the castle master Thomas. She and Thomas had gone for dinner a few times, and the two had become really close. But because of these recent events, hey hadn't spent a lot of time together, and Cecile was worried that either she or Thomas would die in the council's invasion.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Cecile turned around to see Chris, Mua and Fubar running over to her.
"You ready, Cecile?" Chris asked.
Cecile nodded. "Yes, lady Chris."
"Let's just hope that we all pull through this alive." Mua said. Everyone else, even Fubar, nodded.
"EVERYONE!!!"
Cecile turned to the voice and saw Goro standing on the balcony to the castle. Everyone else in the area also turned to the young man.
"THEY'RE COMING!!! THE SOLDIERS ARE APROACHING IKSAY!!!!"
At hearing this, everyone in the castle ran to find his or her team and get to their positions if they weren't there already.
The battle was about to begin.
To be continued...
Author's notes: Man! I can't belive I've been working on this story for months already! It's taking me so long! Well, at least I've only got a few more chapters to go. Thanks for letting me tie into your 'Unhappy Childhood' fic, DEL! I really appreciate it!
Please read and review!
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-THOMAS-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Thomas sighed as his team of Ruby and Elaine were positioned in the main yard just outside the front door, waiting for Tuta to get ready. He knew that Julian would be coming with the soldiers and would be REALLY wanting revenge on him for being fired and humiliated.
"Master Thomas," Elaine said. "My group and I never knew what this council was like, as we joined well after this Julian jerk was fired. What exactly happened the first time he invaded?"
Thomas looked down. "Well, he and the other council members who were fired wanted to make profit on this castle because it's technically on Zexen land. Of course, no one at the castle wanted to go down without a fight, and we ended up going to battle with Julian and several Zexen soldiers."
Elaine raised an eyebrow. "How many people did you have recruited at the time that could fight? How much help did you get?"
Thomas sighed. "Cecile, Juan and mister Piccolo, of course, Toppo, Nei, Shabon, Mel, Twaikin, Augustine and Koroku."
Elaine's eyes widened. "You defeated that fat loser with just that many people?!"
"Well, not exactly. I DID recruit others who could fight, such as Belle, Gadget Z and Kenji, but they weren't strong enough to fight in the battle."
"Well, just think of how much damage we could do now that there are more than a hundred people here!"
"Yeah. I hope this works."
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-TOPPO-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Toppo, Sharon, Mel and Juan were all sitting around the fountain, waiting to be given a spot to be positioned at. Well, Sharon and Mel were sitting on the fountain. Toppo was pacing around and Juan was lying on the ground, practically asleep.
Mel could see Toppo's nervousness as the juggler continued pacing. "Toppo, why are you so nervous? You look like your life is in danger." She joked.
Toppo stopped pacing and looked at the blue-clad girl. She had no idea how close to the truth she was. Toppo decided to show them and nodded.
Mel's eyes widened. "What?! What's wrong?!" She asked frantically.
Toppo sighed and extended his left hand to show Mel and Sharon the rune. Juan was down so low he wouldn't see it anyway.
After inspecting the rune, Sharone looked back up at Toppo. "What's so wrong? It's just a new rune?"
Mel's inspection was just as fruitless, so she looked at her 'friend', Branky. "What do YOU make of it, Branky?"
Mel put Branky close to Toppo's hand, as if to show her the rune. Suddenly, Branky's jaw fell open. The puppet quickly grabbed Toppo's hand and put her face closer to it. The sudden jerk caused Toppo to get pulled forward slightly, his hat nearly falling off his head.
"I don't believe it!" Branky cried. "It's the True Rage Rune! I see why Toppo's life is in danger! If he holds it for more than seven hours, he goes insane!"
Sharon gasped at this, and Juan's eyes sprang open, even though he didn't move from his spot on the ground.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-PEGGI-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Peggi stood alone in the Blacksmith, looking around to see if anyone was around. When he decided that he was alone, he set his hammer aside and walked towards a shelf.
Reaching under the shelf, Peggi grabbed the handles of an old case. He pulled it out into the open. Giving an excited grin, he slowly and carefully opened the case. Inside the case sat an old, steel weapon. A Lizard Clan sword.
Peggi gently lifted the weapon from the case and held it up, getting a good look at it. Despite being in the case for two years, it was in remarkably good condition. It wasn't even dull!
Giving a grin, Peggi wrapped his arms around the weapon, careful not to hurt himself. "Oh, Gertrude! I've missed you so much..." Peggi whispered, which was a rare thing for the Lizardman. "Two years you've waited, and now, after so long, it's time for me to raise you in battle again..."
Not wiping the smile off his face, Peggi walked over to his anvil and set the weapon, which he called 'Gertrude', on it. Grabbing his hammer again, Peggi started banging it against the sword, making sure it was good and sharp.
In the meantime, Dupa and Bazba hid in the bushes across from the Blacksmith, and heard what Peggi had said. The two lizard's looked at each other.
"'Gertrude'?" Dupa asked.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-REED-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
"Are you sure about this, Kathy?" Reed asked his girlfriend, clearly worried about her decision to fight at the ranch.
Reed, Edge and Watari were at the ranch, as was Kathy and her team of Elliot, Mamie, Scott and Gordon. Bazba had gone with Dupa to check on Peggi, but was expected back quickly.
"Don't worry, Reed." Kathy laughed with a wink. "My team and I can take care of ourselves against these soldiers."
Reed sighed. "Okay, Kathy. I guess I can't change your decision." He was silent for a couple seconds. "However, my team and I have volunteered to stand guard ahead of you and take on any soldiers that try to get through."
"Really?!" Kathy asked excitedly.
The Tinto soldier nodded with a smile. "Yes. Edge agrees with me for sure. He seems to be worried about Mamie about as much as I am about you." He looked over to where Edge was and saw the young man embracing the young cook, despite the constant insults from the Star Dragon Sword. "Bazba says it's a good idea and Watari doesn't seem to care."
"Well, I'm glad that you'll be there for me if anything goes wrong" Kathy said.
Watari watched as Reed and Kathy embraced. He sighed. "I REALLY need a girlfriend." He muttered to himself.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-LANDIS-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
"Go-Go-Gophers watch 'em go-go-go. Hehehehe I love that song!"
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-NADIR-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Nadir sighed as he pulled a case out from under the stage, unlike Peggi's, it was thin as opposed to wide. Opening up the case, Nadir pulled out an old sword. It was a little duller than he expected. He'd have to take it to Peggi. He was alone in the Tavern, so he didn't need to worry about being seen.
Suddenly, Nadir heard footsteps coming from behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Nadir spotted Apple walking over to him. She had a concerned look on her face. Nadir sighed. "It's been ten years since I've used this sword, miss Apple." He said. "Now I have to wield it again."
Apple placed a comforting hand on the director's shoulder. "Hey, at least you're on the right side this time."
Slowly, Nadir nodded. "Yeah. I guess so. I just hope that no one recognizes me."
Apple laughed. "Just be thankful that you're not in the same unit as Futch or Viki."
Nadir let out a soft chuckle. "Heh. You're right. If Viki found out who I was, no one would ever hear the end of it."
Feeling a lot of confidence now, Nadir stood to his feet and turned to Apple. "Thank you, miss Apple." He said. "I just need to get this sharpened and I'll be ready."
Nadir walked past Apple and out of the Tavern. Apple watched him go and smiled. "You're welcome, Culgan." She whispered with a smirk.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-GUILLAUME-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Guillaume walked out of the back room of the Appraisal side of the large building in the main area, clutching his spear in one hand.
He sighed deeply as he set the spear against the counter. He never thought he'd see the day when he'd have to raise his weapon against the enemy again. This time, though, he was fighting in an army instead of fighting alone. Granted, he didn't win a lot of duels, but at least he could fight.
Slowly, Guillaume reached into a pocket on his jacket and pulled out a small, gold locket. Opening the locket, he saw the picture of a beautiful woman, her kind smile shining brightly. He soft, dark hair was shining just as bright.
Guillaume felt his eyes fill with tears looking at the picture. He looked out the window of the shop and into the sky. "Mother, don't think I've forgotten about you for a minute. You've always been the first thought that comes to my mind." He sobbed softly. "I hope your enjoying yourself up there. I hope I'll make you proud. I promise I'll do my best here." The middle-aged man's lips quivered. "I miss you, mother."
Suddenly, Guillaume lowered his head and buried his face in his hands, sobbing his heart out. He collapsed to his knees to continue crying.
However, he hadn't noticed Melville standing outside, staring in through another window. The young boy's eyes widened in shock. Could Guillaume really be THAT soft?
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-TUTA-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Tuta stood in the Infirmary, searching through a medical bag. Mio stood back, watching him, clearly concerned.
"Doctor Tuta, please think this over!" Mio pleaded. "If you died out there, there'd be no doctor here!"
"Please relax, Mio." Tuta said, not bothering to turn around. "I'll be fine. You know that I fought in the Dunan army several years ago." He pulled a roll of tape from the bag. "Ah, here it is." He started wrapping tape around the area on his hand between the thumb and index finger.
"But doctor Tuta!" Mio said.
"Mio, please." Tuta laughed, turning around to face the nurse. "You needn't worry about me. You should be more worried about Toppo."
Mio looked down and sighed. There was no way she could talk the doctor out of fighting, and the only way she could help was to take care of the injured.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-DIOS-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Dios stood in the basement, practicing his sword fighting. It had been a really long time since he pulled his sword from its holster to raise it in battle, and his fighting abilities had gotten a little rusty. Dios swung his weapon continuously at thin air, making sure that his skills were perfected for the battle against the soldiers.
Hearing footsteps, Dios stopped training and turned around to see Sanae Y walking over to him.
The young fighter smiled at the Harmonian general. "So, you're practicing as well, are you, Sir Dios?" She asked.
"I am forced to, young Sanae." Dios replied. "I haven't raised my weapon in a very long time, and I desperately need the practice."
"I see." The young girl said. "Do you think we'll win against all these soldiers?"
Dios nodded with a smile. "Of course. After all, we defeated an army of inhuman monsters led by a chaotic man in black."
Sanae Y let out a chuckle. "Yes. I guess we did."
Dios looked down nervously. "You think you can keep a secret?" He asked.
The young warrior raised an eyebrow. "Yes." She replied.
"I'm a little nervous about all this." Dios stated. "I've never fought anything like this before."
"Don't worry, Sir Dios." Sanae laughed. "If anyone is injured, we have Mio, Luce and Iku to help the wounded."
"Yes, I guess you're right."
"Hey, do you mind if I join you in training?" Sanae asked.
"Not at all." Dios replied.
Sanae stood beside Dios, but far enough away so neither of them would get hurt. Both continued training, slashing the air with their respective weapons.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-CECILE-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Cecile stood in front of the main gate to Budehuc, waiting for the rest of her team. To be honest, she was scared stiff about this whole thing. She wasn't scared going against the council or even against Luc. This was something different altogether.
She stood alone, always ready to protect anyone when the time came. After protecting the castle for so long, she had grown to love the castle master Thomas. She and Thomas had gone for dinner a few times, and the two had become really close. But because of these recent events, hey hadn't spent a lot of time together, and Cecile was worried that either she or Thomas would die in the council's invasion.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Cecile turned around to see Chris, Mua and Fubar running over to her.
"You ready, Cecile?" Chris asked.
Cecile nodded. "Yes, lady Chris."
"Let's just hope that we all pull through this alive." Mua said. Everyone else, even Fubar, nodded.
"EVERYONE!!!"
Cecile turned to the voice and saw Goro standing on the balcony to the castle. Everyone else in the area also turned to the young man.
"THEY'RE COMING!!! THE SOLDIERS ARE APROACHING IKSAY!!!!"
At hearing this, everyone in the castle ran to find his or her team and get to their positions if they weren't there already.
The battle was about to begin.
To be continued...
Author's notes: Man! I can't belive I've been working on this story for months already! It's taking me so long! Well, at least I've only got a few more chapters to go. Thanks for letting me tie into your 'Unhappy Childhood' fic, DEL! I really appreciate it!
Please read and review!