A/N: Hey, y'all! I have returned—and with a new name, too! = P (I didn't like the fact that FIVE other people had my old name; I wanted something original. So this name is MINE ALL MINE!!!!!!) Okay, enough of my insanity. This chapter is going to be a little different than the rest, cause I'm introducing an OC…Well, actually, I'm introducing a BUNCH of OCs. But first, let's answer some reviews, shall we?
Yumiko: I'm going to try to work in some Remy/Rogue stuff cuz I'm a HUGE Romy fan.
Barbara Ruiz: I try to keep things interesting. Don't want you getting bored!
Panther Nesmith: Hey, what pickpocket can resist a huge crowd??
Krazy Xanadu: I see you decided to get a new name too, eh? Now this is just a shot in the dark, but was the last chapter fun? Oh, and Rogue DOES have the Keystone. Now they just have to decipher the Eye…easier said than done.
Rogue151: So many things to respond to!! Ok, first, glad you liked the last chapter. Second, I know they haven't shown the Telling again, which stinks. Smith is supposed to be annoying, because otherwise things would get boring. And Vaughn better NOT be married! If he is, he better start signing those divorce papers ASAP. And how, how, HOW did Sidney wake up in Hong Kong after TWO FRIGGIN YEARS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? The one upside to all of this: if this is what the finale was like, imagine how cool the premiere will be!
Luna2: Don't worry, I have a personal rule against making my readers wait forever for an update. Plus, my writing keeps me sane. = )
Amanda14: You're right, I'm not even close to being done. I have big plans for this story. As for Rogue's power, I'm not really sure if she'll find a cure or not. It all depends on how I want things to turn out.
Now that that's done, on with chapter 8!!…er… 9…er…Just read it already!
Emperor L'Kal was *not* happy. It had been well over a year since he had sent his soldiers after the Amulet of Life. For twelve grueling months he had waited for them to return, only to learn that they had failed. An entire legion of his warriors, the fiercest in the world, and they had been outmaneuvered and outwitted by a bunch of old monks. It was embarrassing.
L'Kal rubbed his temples as he felt the pains of a headache welling up. Readjusting himself in the large throne, he eyed the General standing in front of him.
"Tell me again, General Nomed. *Why* do you not have the Amulet?"
The General kept his eyes pinned to the floor. "The Guardian escaped with it."
"And *how* did The Guardian escape?" L'Kal's voice barely hid his contempt.
"He portal jumped." L'Kal sneered.
"He portal jumped? Is that all you have to say? He *portal* jumped? You incompetent fool! Did I not warn you of The Guardian's magic? Did I not warn you that he would attempt to portal jump, and give you the *exact* counter-spell? Well?" The Emperor glared at the soldier. The General mumbled something into the floor.
"I'm up here, you idiot," L'Kal spat. The General met his master's eyes, and had to suppress a shudder.
"We did not have time to use the spell. He was already gone."
"What do you mean you didn't have time? Those monks couldn't have detained you *that* long."
"They were experienced in battle, and put up a good fight. By the time we breached the outer wall, The Guardian was gone."
L'Kal sighed. It was always depressing to learn that his army had failed…but there was still hope. A sudden thought came to him.
"General, how many survivors did you leave at the temple?"
General Nomed grinned.
"None."
That night a feast was held to celebrate the return of the soldiers after their yearlong journey (everyone chose to ignore the fact that the mission had been a complete failure). Five long tables were set up in the Great Hall, one of which was reserved for the returning warriors. A sixth table rested on a dais at the front of the room. All of the castles occupants had turned up for the feast, and four of the tables were completely filled. The fifth table, the one reserved for the soldiers, was empty. One of the castle guards stood in front of the dais. He was dressed in a black tunic, and a horn hung at his side. He raised the horn to his lips, and trumpeted once. The room fell silent.
"Welcome, everyone! Today, we honor the return of the soldiers who braved the wildlands in the name of our Emperor, may he live forever! It shall be my pleasure to introduce them to you all, but first, may I present His Lordship, Emperor L'Kal!"
A door at the back of the Hall opened, and in marched L'Kal, flanked by four guardsmen. He was dressed in black, flowing robes made of the finest silk. The sleeves and collar were trimmed in gold, and decorated with symbols that only the Emperor could understand. A gold band fit snuggly atop his head of pitch-black hair. In his right hand he held a scepter, the top of which was carved into a winged beast, half lion, and half eagle. The creature looked ready for battle.
L'Kal took his seat at the dais, and smiled…if such a face could ever really be said to smile. The mouth, with its thin, pale lips, was turned up in something akin to a smile. His sharp, hooked nose resembled the beak of the monster sitting atop his staff. And his eyes, his eyes were the stuff of legend. They were a vibrant gold, like the eyes of a lion, and they glowed in the light of the torches.
The Emperor looked down upon his people.
"Thank you, Fraydor, for the introduction. And thank you all for coming. I'm sure that you are all as excited as I am to sample the delicacies, which Chef has provided us. But first, let us first welcome home the heroes for whom we are having this feast! Fraydor, if you would."
The guard nodded, and pulled a long roll of parchment from his tunic. He took a moment to unroll it, and then began to read.
"Presenting, the Twenty-Second Infantry, lead by Captain Chast!"
Twelve soldiers, all dressed in gray uniforms marched to the reserved table, and took they're seats.
"The Archery Division, lead by Captain Reed!"
A score of soldiers marched through the doors. They were wearing the same uniforms as the Fifth Regiment, but with one difference. Each of them had a crest with a drawn bow on their chests.
Fifteen minutes later nearly all the soldiers were seated. Only the most honored and elite group of warriors remained. All eyes turned to the doors in the back.
"And finally, it is my honor to present to you…the Shiran!"
The doors burst open, and out marched General Nomed, followed by fourteen of the fiercest-looking warriors in the room. They were dressed in full battle uniforms, unlike the soldiers that had entered before them. Leather boots reached halfway up their calves, topped by leather pants. Black sleeveless tunics were cinched with belts around their waists. On the left hip of each man hung a sword, on the right hip, a long dagger. Another belt ran along the lapel of their tunics, and each man had no less than five knives sheathed there. Red bands were tied around their left arms, midway between elbow and shoulder.
A few of the men had added extra, personal touches to their uniforms. One man had on spiked plates over his shoulders. Another wore a battle-axe on his back. Several of them wore red headbands.
The Shiran marched purposefully toward the dais, and sat down around the Emperor. At a nod from L'Kal, Fraydor announced that the feast was to begin. Everyone began eating, and the food diminished rapidly. During the meal, General Nomed turned to L'Kal, whom he was seated beside.
"You have outdone yourself with this feast, m'lord," he said. The Emperor waved the compliment aside.
"Oh, surely you agree that your men are deserving. After all, you have been gone for a year. You deserve a good meal."
Nomed chose his words carefully. "Emperor, you seem to have had a change of heart. May I ask why?"
"Ask whatever you want. That doesn't mean I'll answer." Nomed took that to mean that L'Kal wasn't in a talking mood. He turned his attention to the conversations going on around him. On the far end of the table, to men were arguing over weather speed or strength was better in battle.
"It's not 'bout how strong you are. If you can hit him afore he hits you, you'll win."
"Aye, but if he's stronger than you, your blows won't hurt him, now will they. An' when he rounds on you, you're a dead man."
"Not if you ram six inches of steel into his jaw." The man demonstrated by making an upward motion with his steak knife.
Nomed soon tired of the argument, and focused instead on the conversation the axe-man was having with the man with spiked shoulder plates. The axe-man was recounting the tale of a past battle.
"We were outnumbered, ten to one, easy. They surrounded the five of us, bristlin' with swords and spears. But we weren't goin' down without a fight! So I swung my axe over my head an' shouted 'Take 'em down!' an' we charged. It was the greatest fight I ever saw, 'till I became a Shiran, o'course."
Nomed sighed, and devoted all of his attention to his food. Suddenly a voice broke into his thoughts.
"General, would you mind telling that story of how you fought that band of barbarians?" Nomed turned to the man who had asked.
"Certainly, Rosco. I had been travelin' for three days in the desert, and I came across a tribe of cannibals…"
Jennsen Turlock had never seen a metal bird before. She had seen metal blades and chains, and even metal wagon wheels, but never a metal bird. Especially not one that came out of the ground.
She had been wandering through the woods, and had just come upon a nice little clearing, when she felt the ground begin to tremble. Then, to her horror, the very earth beneath her feet began to split apart. Jennsen had cowered behind a nearby tree. She had watched, terrified, as the ground opened up. A monstrous, droning roar came from within the hole.
Something inside began to move. It rose from the earth, a metallic giant, large enough to swallow twenty men at once. Its wings were held out stiff, never once flapping. The beast had no feathers, no beak, no mouth. Light glinted off of its black hide. Once the bird had risen above the trees, it began journeying northward. As it did, the ground closed up again, leaving no sign that it had ever been open.
Now Jennsen crept out from behind her tree, inching over to the clearing. She tested the ground with one foot. It *felt* solid enough. Warily she stepped on the ground, half expecting it to collapse under her. Nothing. It was as stable as the rest of the forest floor. How curios.
Satisfied that the ground was safe, Jennsen sat down at the base of a tree. She reached inside her cloak and produced a small, gold disk. In the center of the disk there was a star, encrusted with jewels. The center of the star was a diamond, and each of its eight rays was a different colored jewel. Words were inscribed on the edge of the disk.
Jennsen stared thoughtfully at it. "So much trouble, and violence, and death, all because of you," she said to the disk. "What will I do with you?" Not surprisingly, the disk didn't answer, and Jennsen put it back under her cloak. She glanced up at the sky, where the metal bird had been. She started when she noticed the sky's color. It was blue.
How curios.
A/N: I hope that wasn't TOO confusing. If it was, don't worry. Things should start to make sense here pretty soon. If you have any questions about what happened here, feel free to ask.
Next chapter will focus on Rogue again, promise! Scout's honor! (Ch, as if I were really ever a scout! Ha!)
Forty reviews! Yippee! Watch communicators for everybody!!!!!!
And if you review this, you'll get Cyke's car from X2! ^_^
Bye, Y'all.
~Terminatrix T-X