Two years after the reshaping of the world, Cecil sat on the throne of Baron. It was early in the morning, so the throne room was quite. The throne room was usually noisy, bustling with life. Many individuals came to speak with the king on many matters, usually concerning the punishment of criminals captured by the Red Wings or land ownership disputes. These were the typical matters of the King of Baron.
Cecil felt like a prisoner in his own castle. He enjoyed being the King of Baron and guiding his people into prosperity, but there was a part deep inside of him that hungered for battle. Cecil had been trained as a warrior and found it hard to satisfy his warrior's nature cooped up in the castle all day. Unfortunately that was the way of a king, and these were peaceful times; the biggest problem lately has been keeping the overwhelming number of imps out of the city, not exactly an earth-shattering task.
Edgar, the King of Figaro, was on his way to Baron, on his way to see him. There were many rumors going around Baron about King Edgar's coming, ranging from his accepting the throne of Baron from Cecil, who showed outward appearances of not wanting to be king, all the way to his declaring war on Baron. Cecil had no idea why he was coming, nor did he have any reason to fear their meeting. He had no intention of handing over the throne, nor was he afraid to go to war. Baron's forces were the strongest in all the lands. Baron's Red Wings and Dragoon Warriors were a strong force that could stand up to anything Figaro could throw at it.
Cecil, not wanting to appear a pushover, was preparing to meet King Edgar on open ground, a showing of respect among royalty. To meet Royalty from another nation on neutral territory shows the other that you are not intimidated. Furthermore, Cecil saw this as an opportunity to get out of the castle.
Cecil was wearing a magnificent suit of armor. The Crystal Armor, which Cecil had worn in his fight against Zeromus, was made entirely out of a very powerful, and sturdy crystal found on the Lunarian moon. Cecil had a ceremonial sword befitting a king at his side.
The sheath was made of the finest leather with gold trimmings and designs near the mouth of the sheath, where the hilt of the sword emerged. The hilt was made of pure gold with sapphires and rubies in an intricate design. Cecil drew his majestic blade and marveled in its beauty. The blade was made of pure silver that shone brilliantly in the midday sun. On the blade itself was etched the ancient poem that foretold his coming:
"One born from a dragon
bearing darkness and light
shall rise to the heavens
over the still land
Bathing the moon in eternal
light, he brings a promise to
Mother Earth with a bounty
and mercy"
He carried the ceremonial sword around the castle as a testament to his legacy. It was a gift from the elder of Mysidia at his coronation.
Should the need for fighting arise, Cecil was prepared. His Ragnorak sword and Excalibur sword were behind his thrown. Though The Ragnorak was more powerful, Cecil had found that against undead creatures the Excalibur's holy essence could be a great advantage.
When Cecil really needed to fight, the Ragnorak sword or the Excalibur sword, which Cecil converted from the Legend sword he received on Mount Ordeals, would make mince meat out of any foe. Everyone knows that if Cecil draws a sword against you, you have two choices, run or die, and quite often the choice to run is stolen from you before you have the chance to decide.
Cecil looked over to the other throne in the room. It was at his left hand side, but there seemed to be something (of someone) missing.
"Why does it take her so long to get ready?" Cecil asked himself out loud.
Rosa was in her room at that moment getting ready to escort Cecil in his meeting with King Edgar, as would Kain, whom Cecil had chosen to be his personal guard, as if he really needed one, and captain of the Red Wings after he returned to Baron. Kain had left Baron after the fall of Zeromus.
"Sire, the advanced scouts report that King Edgar's Airship has landed on the southern shores. Edgar approaches the castle via chocobo carriage," Reported Kain as he entered the throne room.
The dragoon Kain was wearing the same armor he wore the day they destroyed Zeromus, except that his helmet had been removed from his head, and his golden locks fell around his neck.
"Excellent Kain, prepare three riding chocobos. We shall ride out and meet them on neutral ground as soon as Queen Rosa is ready," Cecil replied.
"Pardon me, your highness, but wouldn't it be safer if we just waited for him to arrive here?" Kain interjected.
"It would be easier, but inappropriate, Kain. Common courtesy among royalty says that the first meeting between two figureheads should be on neutral ground," Cecil informed Kain.
"Alright, but would it not be better to take an airship?" Kain questioned.
Kain, a proud warrior, was always trying to push the use of the Red Wings since he had gained command of them. He instituted a new mandate that a dragoon must be present on all Red Wing vessels departing from Baron. This did not set in well with the Red Wings at first, but soon enough they came to realize that having a dragoon onboard might not be such a bad thing.
"No, Kain, I know you take great pride in the Red Wings, as did I when I was captain, but in meeting another member of royalty, it is more appropriate to not show your nation's true power, which is why he travels by chocobo carriage," Cecil explained to Kain.
"Yes, your majesty, I shall make the appropriate arrangements," Kain replied. He bowed to the King and left the throne room.
Kain was a brilliant tactician and military leader, but he lacked any common sense when regarding matters of royalty, or of many other things for that matter.
Cecil stood up and retrieved the Ragnorak and Excalibur swords and secured them to his belt. He then proceeded to follow Kain out of the throne room.
Outside the throne room there were two side passages. One passage opened up to the west. It leads around to the western tower and the underground caverns that lead to the town of Baron. The other passage opened to the east. That passage leads to the Eastern tower, where the king's bedroom was. Cecil had once lived in room at the top of the western tower, but had moved into the Eastern tower with Rosa after they had been wed.
Cecil walked down the passage after Kain. As he approached the two side corridors, Cecil saw Rosa Emerge from the eastern passage. Cecil walked over to Rosa and greeted her.
"Rosa! You look absolutely fabulous this morning," Cecil said in sheer amazement. No matter how many times Cecil saw Rosa, he was totally enthralled by her beauty.
"Thank you, Cecil," Rosa replied with a slight giggle, beaming from the complement.
She slowly walked over to Cecil and embraced him warmly.
Rosa wore long white pants that hugged her legs; similar to the ones she wore during their adventure. Above her waist she wore a beautiful blouse. She had thrown this ensemble together rather hastily. She wanted to give the impression of royalty by wearing long intricate gowns, but since they would be riding on chocobos, she did not want the gown to get in the way. Still, Rosa made the outfit seem natural. Rosa let her hair hang loose since she loved the feel of her hair blowing in the wind.
Rosa, like Cecil, loved adventure and felt like a prisoner to her crown. She was excited about meeting the King of Figaro. It gave her the rare chance to leave the castle, go riding and be alone with her Cecil all at the same time. The thought of meeting King Edgar, whom she had heard was a very sweet playboy, was almost too good to be true.
"You will be happy to know that Kain will be our only escort today," Cecil said breaking their embrace with a smile on his face. He knew that Rosa was not thrilled about all the attention and guards that went along with being the queen.
Rosa returned his smile and then proceeded out to where the chocobo stables were hand in hand with Cecil.
They were always looking to find as much time to spend with each other as possible. Aside from being King and Queen of arguably the greatest country in the world they were also two young adults hopelessly in love. They are never in any real need of an escort. Cecil and Rosa could defeat a small army of ogres if the need arose without any help. Certain occasions allowed the king to choose the extent of his own escort. In these cases they always selected Kain to be their only escort. Kain understood that they needed their space and usually ran off ahead to scout the area, leaving the two alone. This gave Cecil and Rosa a rare chance to be alone.
Kain was at the exit of Baron Castle, waiting for Cecil and Rosa. As he saw them coming from down the hall he instructed the guard on duty to lower the drawbridge. He then went toward the royal couple to greet them. He glanced at Rosa quickly, and then took another look at Rosa. It was obvious that he thought she was beautiful, but he made no reference to it.
"Sire, three chocobos have been prepared for our departure. King Edgar approaches from the south..." Kain started to inform Cecil, who appeared uninterested in the details of their course.
Cecil was not paying any attention to Kain at that moment; he was too busy going over the coming meeting in his mind. 'What is King Edgar coming for anyway?' Cecil was inevitably wondering.
"Cecil, are you even listening to me?" Kain eventually asked, seeing that Cecil was in his own little world. Rosa turned her head as Kain said this.
"Hey, that's MY line" Rydia shot at Kain, who ignored the comment.
"Sorry, Kain, I was just thinking about this meeting," Cecil began.
"Uh Oh!" Rosa thought out loud, making a joke of Cecil.
Cecil turned to Rosa and tried to give her a look that told her that wasn't funny, but couldn't help it as a smirk crept onto his face. All three smiled, realizing they had too long been playing their roles in Baron, and not being themselves.
They had been friends a long time ago, but since Kain returned everything between them had been different. Their relationship seemed somehow strained. Furthermore, Kain seemed to distance himself more every day.
The sight of the two of them always so cold and formal made Rosa feel very uncomfortable.
Turning to Kain, Cecil finally spoke again. "I do not care what course we will be taking today, just lead the way. Rosa and I shall not be TOO far behind," Cecil said, enjoying a moment with Rosa.
They then walked toward the now lowered drawbridge. As they reached the drawbridge their elated smiles faded somewhat. They were reminded as the drawbridge lowered of the devastation wrought on Baron two years ago. The whole world was reshaped and a huge 30-foot gorge was formed between Baron Castle and the city of Baron. The castle was now 20 feet higher than the town as well. The two rarely had reason to leave the castle, since the guards were so protective of their King and Queen. Rosa often found herself riding a chocobo around the castle (which was always good for a laugh). The drawbridge was lowered onto a ten-foot tall platform constructed on the other side of the gorge, allowing for a level crossing.
The canyon served as excellent protection from invaders, but was a painful reminder of the worldwide destruction two years prior.
The three walked across the drawbridge and walked to the chocobo stables at the south of Baron for departure. The stables were set up with several pens lined up in rows. Each stable was home to one chocobo. Outside the stables there were three of the finest chocobos waiting for Cecil, Rosa and Kain. They wore a light suit of armor that hung from the body under the saddle. A harness had been set on their heads with a leather rope coming around the head for the rider to hold onto, allowing the rider for easier control. Finally, there was a banner hanging under each of their necks. It was the royal crest of Baron.
Cecil, Rosa and Kain mounted their chocobos and began to trot southward. Off in he distance there were signs of life returning to the Earth. The once barren wasteland that remained after that day two years ago was now starting to beam with new life. A hint of green could be seen over the horizon, a small forest had remained, and was beginning to grow larger on the southern edges of their view.
"I believe that we should wait for our guests in the forest to the south," Cecil declared.
"That is a bit further than we were planning to go," Kain announced to Cecil who didn't seem to care.
"I know, but we could use to be out of the castle for a bit longer. Besides, I think that the forest is the ideal place to meet," Cecil replied.
Without another word, he kicked his chocobo in the behind and rode off toward the forest. Rosa followed right behind Cecil, but Kain held back. He was deep in thought, thinking about the past, about the events that lead to where they were now. Kain shook the thoughts out of his head and rode after the royal couple. There would be plenty of time later for him to fight off his inner demons.
Rydia stood on a high cliff facing to the south of the Tower of Babil, or at least what was left of it. The tower once rose high into the sky. It was so high that you could not see the top of it from the ground. The tower had stood there for generations, but now it was gone. The great disaster two years ago shook the tower to the ground. The tower now lay in ruins.
The Tower of Babil had been an important element in their quest against Goldbez. The tower served as Goldbez' headquarters during the time he was attempting to gather The Crystals. Rydia found herself returning here often, reminiscing of the days of old, of her adventures with Kain, Cecil and Rosa. She had not seen Cecil or Rosa since they had attended her wedding, to which Kain failed to show. She came with a few warriors of Eblan protecting her at the request her husband Edge, the king of Eblan.
Rydia needed a few moments alone, so she had slipped off while no one was looking. That had been a while ago, and they were just now realizing that she was gone. The warriors were in a clearing just past the foothills to the south of the mountains. She could see them in the distance below, desperately searching for her. She knew that they were not too worried about her. She may have been alone, but she far from helpless. She knew that they were worried about Edge's actions if he ever found out that they had allowed her to slip off.
Rydia served Cecil well as a Black Wizard and Summoner on their quest. However, since the disaster occurred, few of her summonses answered her call. Fortunately there has not been major need for them as of late. Rydia's spells were more than enough to ward off the beasts in the area. Though these beasts were far stronger than the imps that plagued Baron, there were typically less of them to deal with at a time.
Seeing her guards scramble around to locate her, Rydia knew her time alone was growing short. She turned around to view the ruins that were once the Tower of Babil one last time before she was discovered. The tower originated from somewhere in the underworld, and it rose into the heavens through a hole in the ground that was surrounded on all sides by mountains. The tower appeared to be intact underground, and there seemed to be a few levels above ground, where the structure apparently gave way, though it was now without a proper roof. Around the remains of the tower appeared scattered tower fragments that had fallen off as the tower fell. The rest of the tower had fallen to the West, where the highest floors had fallen into the ocean depths and the floors closer to where the tower broke apart were still in the mountains.
While she was looking at the scene before her, a glare hit Rydia's eye as it reflected off the water. The sun had shifted in the sky more than she had believed. It was later than she realized, and she knew it was time to return.
Rydia slowly climbed down from her cliff and began to walk back to the clearing where she had left her followers. She walked through a tight ravine, where two high rock walls protected her from wandering monsters. As she walked along the ravine, Rydia noticed that it was beginning to widen, and that the walls were slowly becoming lower. As she walked along the ravine, Rydia noticed that there were small bushes along the sides of the ravine. She thought she heard something somewhere behind her a while back, but when she turned around, there was nothing.
The cliffs were about 12 feet high now, and about 10 feet apart. The campsite was still out of sight, but she figured she could make it back in 5 minutes or so. She continued on, when she thought she heard a sound behind her, she again turned around and saw nothing. Rydia turned around and continued walking.
She had not taken two steps, when she heard a loud growl from above her. She looked up to see a young flamedog jumping down on her from above. She attempted to dive out of the way, but she was too late and the flamedog landed on her back. The flamedog pressed its front claws into Rydia's shoulders and began to bite on her left shoulder, eliciting a loud scream of pain from her.
She slowly pressed off of the ground and planted her knees. She was about to make a move when a boomerang came out of nowhere and hit the flame dog in the head; causing it to loose it's focus. While it was unfocused, Rydia shifted her weight to one side and threw the flamedog off of her.
As she got to her feet, she saw a man step up and pick up the boomerang that had hit the flamedog in the head. The man had a very pretty boy look to him. His short brown hair was pulled back, and fastened with a navy blue bandana. He wore a white short-sleeved shirt with a blue leather vest over it. He wore blue leather pants and leather gloves. Around his belt was one sword sheathed on his left side, and several boomerangs on the right side of his belt. He stood up and fastened the boomerang to his belt and looked to Rydia.
"Are you alright," The man asked, stepping closer.
"Yes, thank you," Rydia answered.
As the man was about to introduce himself, the flamedog struggled to his feet. The man drew his sword and began to step forward, the flamedog leaped at the man. The man lunged the sword forward and up, impaling the flamedog. The flamedog was immediately extinguished, as its life was likewise extinguished. The mysterious man lowered his sword to the ground and pushed the dead carcass off of his sword with his boot. He took out a cloth from his side pack and wiped the sword clean before replacing it in its sheath.
The mystery man walked back toward Rydia and rustled around in his pocket for something. Rydia stood there a little startled. This man had just helped her out, not that she really needed it. She was about to get the better of the monster when he attacked. Now this man was pulling something out of his pouch, and Rydia couldn't be sure of his intentions. She was, after all, a Queen and a viable target for someone looking for a ransom and this man was clearly some sort of a thief. As the man pulled a vial out of his pouch, a shiver ran up her spine. The man then held out the vial in his open hand, offering it to her. She eyed the man closely and made no move.
"Here," the man said as he lifted his hand up further.
"No thank you," Rydia said with fear in her voice.
"There is no need for you to be afraid anymore," the man began, "the beast is dead and I am here to protect you"
Rydia's eyes shot open. 'The nerve of this man, does he know who he is talking to?'
"I thank you for your help there, but I assure you it was not necessary. I was about to make my move," Rydia explained as she closed the man's hand and push it away.
"Yeah right!" the man said, almost mocking her "The beast had you pinned to the ground, and would have killed you any second if I had not been here."
Rydia began laughing aloud. The gall of this man was uncanny. He truly believed he had saved her life, and that she would have died without his help.
"Look, you must be used to finding a damsel in distress on your travels, but I assure you that I am neither a damsel, nor was I in distress. However, your help was appreciated nonetheless. I am Queen Rydia of Eblan, and I am quite proficient in the ways of battle," she assured the man. "Now that I have introduced myself, I believe I deserve the same courtesy thief."
"The name is 'Bandit', and I am not a thief," he began "I AM A TREASURE HUNTER."
"A treasure hunter huh?" Rydia said somewhat in disbelief.
"*Sigh* Why is everyone always like that," 'Bandit' began to ask, but was cut off by sounds of battle in the distance.
The sounds caught them both off guard as they grew in intensity.
"Oh no, my people!" Rydia yelled in concern, before running off in the direction of the fighting.
'What does she think she is doing? She is going to get herself killed' 'Bandit' thought as he turned and ran after her.
*KLOT* *KLOT*
*KLOT* *KLOT*
*KLOT* *KLOT*, was the only sound that could be heard coming from anywhere. Even the forest creatures seemed to be hushed as three armored chocobos trotted southward towards their destination, the forest south of Baron. Cecil and Rosa trotted along slowly while Kain had taken point about 20 feet ahead.
The roads had been way too quiet today. They had made it most of the way to the forest already, and there had been no sign of any creatures. It was as if all the creatures in Baron were in hiding.
The forest was within 50 yards of their current position. The trees had started to thicken and their visible light was beginning to be reduced. As they grew closer to the thick of the forest, Kain fell back and waited for Cecil and Rosa.
Kain, Cecil and Rosa continued forward, looking for a main road that would take them into the forest and to the other side, where they planned to wait for King Edgar. They found the road with little trouble and began walking through the forest.
As they approached a sharp curve in the road, a troupe of 9 imps jumped onto the road from the bushes, and held their wooden spears up at the adventurers. They had expected them to give up without a fight, seeing as they had them outnumbered 3 to 1 (Man, these imps are dumb).
Cecil, Rosa and Kain only looked at each other in disbelief. They knew they could easily dispatch of these imps without much problem, but decided to afford them the chance to leave. Could these imps really be that stupid?
One of the bigger, and consequently bolder, imps approached Cecil and pressed the spear up towards him grunting something in its guttural tongue. Cecil could not understand a word of his speech, but understood from the way it was threatened him with it's spear that it was inevitably going to attack.
Cecil swiftly drew Ragnorak from its sheath and sliced the spear in half, ultimately reducing it to toothpicks. The imp stumbled back from a combination of the force of the attack, and the shock of the power they possessed.
Cecil dismounted his chocobo and gave the reigns to Rosa and then readied his shield. Rosa quickly fastened the reigns to her saddle and drew her bow and arrow. Kain, meanwhile, pulled out his spear and readied it for an attack. As the three readied themselves to attack, 11 more imps wandered onto the battlefield.
"Hmm, 20 imps verses 3 human beings, that hardly seems fair," Rosa said half to herself.
"You're right, maybe you should fight on their side Rosa," Kain said with a small smile on his face.
"Nah," Rosa decided.
There was a tranquil air around as the two sides faced one another in a contest of will. Cecil stood in the middle of the road, with Kain flanking left, and Rosa on the right. It was the calm before the storm, the quiet before a massive battle would break out. This massive battle, however, was sure to be a one sided affair.
One of the smaller imps was nervous and accidentally stepped on a twig, sending the other 19 imps into battle frenzy.
Rosa immediately shot her arrow and imbedded it in the chest of one of the imps and then another into the neck of the imp directly next to the first one. The two fell backward on top of two other imps. This caused the imps to create a roadblock and allow Rosa to ready another arrow.
Kain lined up his spear level with the imps and kicked the chocobo forward. The chocobo flanked left and brought Kain directly outside the perimeter of the imps, just close enough to drive his spear through the imps on the outer fringe. When Kain came to a stop on the other side of the enemies, he had skewered three imps on his spear. Kain threw the spear to the side of the road, dismounted his chocobo and drew his sword, as 5 more imps appeared to surround him. Before they could get too much of an advantage, Kain saw an arrow protruding through the stomach of one imp, and another arrow just being fired at another. Now there were 3 imps surrounding him.
Cecil was hard pressed as 6 imps charged him. Two were coming at him in the lead, while another four came in behind them. The two lead imps attempted to skewer Cecil, but he raised his shield to block. The two spears struck the crystal shield and immediately snapped in half, rendering them useless. Cecil then rammed the shield into both of their guts at once and followed up with an uppercut like strike with the shield rendering them unconscious. This threw the two imps flying, landing on top of three of the imps behind them. The last imp swung its small sword at Cecil, who raised his sword to intercept, causing the weak blade to snap in half. Cecil ended the poor creatures life with a single slash severing the imp's head from its shoulders.
Meanwhile, the imp that had stepped on the twig was now standing there in total shock. He had been the one to set this whole bloodbath into action. The imp, seeing that 10 of his companions were killed within 10 seconds, and that none of his kind had scored even a single blow, lost his nerve to fight. He slipped off into the woods looking for a place to hide. There was no way he was going to fight one of those "monsters".
Rosa had just fired her fourth arrow, imbedding it in the neck of one of the imps surrounding Kain, reducing his enemies to 3 imps. As she turned back to the pileup, she noticed that the three remaining imps had freed themselves and were making their way over to her. She quickly put her bow over her shoulder and drew her sword. It was a slender blade, but it was made out of one of the strongest metals in the world, Mythril. She had spent the last two and a half years learning how to wield the blade, and was now about to try it out on a more practical target.
3 imps paced around Kain looking for an opportunity to attack. They circled clock ways about 90 degrees, then began circling back. Still they found no opening for an attack. They outnumbered him 3 to 1, but he had already proven that numbers mean nothing. Eventually Kain shifted his weight too much on purpose, giving the imps what they thought were a perfect opening. They all ran forward with their weapons for a strike. Two imps were holding spears, while the other had a short sword. As they drew close, Kain planted his feet and waited for the right moment. When the imps were a mere foot from him, Kain jumped high into the air and, with a back flip, landed facing the imps. The imps had crashed into each other and were now in a heap on the floor. The two spear wielders had imbedded their spear in the shoulder of each other, and the third imp's sword came down on the spears and brought the other imps down on top of him.
Cecil was attacked once again by three of the imps that remained. They had gotten out from beneath their two fallen comrades, who had been bludgeoned to death by Cecil. They now came at the paladin with heightened fury. The largest of the three came directly at Cecil, while the two smaller ones flanked the larger one, resulting in a pincer like attack. Three swords came in on him at once, fortunately they were all from the front. The largest imp's blade came in higher than the other two blades, so Cecil set his shield low to neutralize the lower attacks, and sent his sword high, blocking the incoming high attack.
Unfortunately Cecil missed the sword, however he did manage to sever the imp's hand off of its arm, sending the sword in hand flying. Not wasting any time, Cecil lunged his sword forward, and through the imp's chest. Knowing it would take a minute to retrieve his sword, Cecil let it fall back with the imp, and quickly drew his Excalibur. As he looked at the two remaining imps, he saw fear in their eyes. Cecil stepped forward quickly and finished them off.
Rosa stood next to her chocobo and waited for the imps to approach. When they were within distance, Rosa attacked. She threw an attack at the lead imp, aiming for its right side. The imp got its sword up to block, but it did not hold up long against the Mythril blade. The imp had a large gash in its side, but was not down for good, yet. Rosa quickly punched the now weaponless imp in the face, and it fell back in pain. The other two imps quickly circled around their injured companion. They both swung at Rosa, but they were too slow. Rosa quickly side stepped them both and fluidly swung her blade in a crescent shape cutting the nearest imp. The imp's arm dropped to the ground. It turned to look at Rosa with hate in its eye, but stopped short when it realized that the slice had cut through more than its arm. The Mythril blade had cut through half of its body. The imp fell to the ground dead.
Kain walked forward to the pile up that ensued after the imps failed to successfully charge him. He took his sword and deftly pressed it through the pileup, pressing it through the abdomen of each imp. Kain seemed almost disappointed. He pulled the blade out of the pile, and went to retrieve his spear from the side of the road.
After finishing off his last imp, Cecil retrieved his Ragnorak from the dead imp, and cleaned off both of his swords before placing them back in their sheaths. Cecil turned to Rosa to see if she needed any help, but was relieved to see her finishing off the last of the imps. Cecil walked over to Rosa as she was cleaning off her blade (I have a thing for warriors cleaning blades, could you tell?) and smiled. Rosa smiled back, and after sheathing her blade ran to Cecil and enveloped him in a warm hug.
"We should get going," Kain said, walking over to the royal couple with his spear in hand and his chocobo in tow. Cecil and Rosa both acknowledged Kain with a small nod and approached their chocobos. They were about to mount them, when they heard the bushes ruffle slightly down the road, and a large great imp walking onto the road, dragging a small imp behind him. Had they paid attention earlier, they would have noticed the imp was the one that ran off after stepping on the twig.
The great imp, whom they supposed was the ringleader of the troupe, looked at the small imp in disgust. He pointed to the three adventurers and asked the small imp something in the common guttural language that the imps all spoke. The small imp nodded and tried to say something, but was cut off by the large great imp (who was no more than four feet tall by the way) the great imp threw the imp toward the adventurers and commanded the imp to do something. The imp looked very nervous as it approached the adventurers, with its weapons drawn. It was about 10 feet away when it turned around, going back toward the great imp, who shouted something that made the imp freeze in its tracks.
The imp was about to head toward the group again, when an explosion was heard where the great imp was, followed by a flash of light. When the light faded, the great imp stood there asunder. The great imp then fell forward onto the ground, very dead.