NENGO 327年12月2日 4:37 PM - 29 Days Until Culmination
The party continues on their quest to gather the pieces of the statue.
MEANWHILE in Okremafort, in some room that looks like either a temple, or some high-up throne room, Vankar is seen knelt before a throne with a shadowy figure sitting with is face shrouded in darkness.
Vankar: "Master, our plans are proceeding just as you predicted they would. Chaos and upheaval are taking hold in the Human world, and the search for the lost Dragon Crystals is well underway."
master: "Excellent. How soon do you expect the remaining crystals to be collected?"
Vankar: "Very soon, Master. The operative I've dispatched last reported in two weeks ago. He reported collecting the Frost Drake, and was en-route to the Fire Drake. He was heading to some very remote locations, so it's possible he cannot find any means to communicate with us."
master: "I see. And, what of my invited guests?"
Vankar: "So far we've received no replies to our invitations. Forgive me, master, but I don't fully understand your reasoning for calling the Macha here. What purpose are they to serve?"
master: "Try not to concern yourself with what you don't control, Vankar. My reasoning will become clear soon.... very soon, in fact."
Not really satisfied, but knowing it to be pointless to question it further, Vankar responds "Of course, master."
master: "And what of the next phase of our operation in the human world?"
Vankar: "Earlier today I heard from our officer-in-charge in Sabretooth, and he says they are ready to move on your order."
master: "Good. Have them begin immediately."
Vankar: "Yes, master."
Just as Vankar said this, outside the chamber was the sound of someone running and screaming "LORD VANKAR!!". The voices of the guards at the door, while indistinct, questioned the person, then a minute later one of the guards enters the chamber.
Guard: "Please forgive the interruption, My Lord, but Lieutenant Kokichi is outside with an urgent matter to report to you."
Vankar looks back to the person sitting in the shadows, who nods at him signaling that he's excused. Vankar then stands up, bows to the shadowy figure, then turns and leaves the room. Outside, Kokichi stands in a cold sweat, fearing the repercussions of his bad news.
Vankar: "Kokichi, what matter is so urgent that I am interrupted like this?"
Kokichi (scared, nervous): "Lord Vankar, sir... I regret to inform you that I have failed in my mission. My unit has been wiped out, and the Dragon Crystals have been stolen from me."
Vankar, with a stone-like expressionless look on his face, says "Who has done this?"
Kokichi: "Well, you see, I'm not sure who, or what, they were...."
Vankar, now noticeably pissed, grabs Kokichi by his robe, picks him up and says in a quite fierce voice, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?!"
Kokichi, nearly pissing himself, responds "Well, it was a group consisting of Draconians and Humans... or at least they appeared to be human. They were extremely powerful, and one of them even morphed into a Draconian!"
Finding interest in Kokichi's rambling, Vankar sets him down, then in a more-calm voice says, "Continue..."
Kokichi: "It was at the village of Neglaford to the south of here. The village is occupied by the Dralani-Grynak tribe that was controlled by Lord Janxion of Xanthur until recently--"
Vankar: "What happened to Janxion of Xanthur?"
Kokichi: "The human who later morphed into a dragon, whom I think called himself Thrax or something like that, claimed to had killed Janxion and taken the FireDrake from him. This Thrax fellow indeed has the FireDrake. I saw it with my own eyes."
Vankar: "And then...?"
Kokichi: "Then the whole group of them engaged us in battle. They were far more powerful than Humans are supposed to be. One of them, whose eyes were piercing blue, was able to probe my mind and find out about your plans for the great weapon."
Vankar: "Who was this human who was able to read your mind?"
Kokichi: "I didn't catch his name... although the blue tattoos on his face are similar to the markings on your left arm."
Vankar: "And so, you've lost all the Dragon Crystals you were sent to find, and you leaked sensitive information to a group of HUMANS???? AND YOU LET THEM GET AWAY?!"
Kokichi: (shaking, stuttering) "I-I was overpowered, s-sir! They d-defeated my whole unit!"
Vankar (very pissed): "AND YOU HAD THE GAUL TO SHOW YOUR MISERABLE SELF IN MY COURT AFTER SUCH A HUMILIATING DEFEAT?!?" (to two of the guards): "Take him away. Show the other soldiers how we deal with failure."
The guards grab Kokichi by the arms and drag him out of the room as he kicks and screams. After they leave the chamber, the sounds of Kokichi screaming continued as machinery creaked ominously, then eventually a loud snapping noise was heard paired with Kokichi's screams coming to an abrupt halt with a squishing sound.
Immediately afterward, Vankar turned to the senior guard on his left and said, "Summon General Rajender to my chambers at once."
The guard nodded, then left the room.
Ten minutes later, a Myrmadon General enters Vankar's chambers, where Vankar is pacing back and forth in frustration.
Rajender: "You sent for me, My Lord?"
Vankar: "I should have known better than to send that sniveling wimp after the Dragon crystals, brother-in-law or not."
Rajender: "I assume you're referring to Lieutenant Kokichi..."
Vankar: "There's only 28 days left until our deadline. We need those crystals now, so that the final preparations will be in place at the appointed time. Rajender, I need you to send your most-trusted solders South to the village of Neglaford, and find these 'humans' who took the crystals from Kokichi. I also need the other crystals located quickly. I want every soldier you can spare scouring the lands for them. Follow any lead you can find. Do not let anyone rest until the Crystals are all accounted for."
Rajender: "Yes, My Lord!"
The general left the chamber, while Vankar reaches in his desk and withdraws an unusual-looking pipe and takes a hit from it.
----------
MEANWHILE in Mount Sabretooth...
guy on TV: "This is Jim Jameson reporting from just outside the city of Itsuka, where the situation continues to deteriorate by the day. More and more fighters have been showing up to help the insurgents who have pretty much seized the city and crippled the local government. Since it began about a week ago, this terrorist activity has remained localized here in Itsuka. So far we haven't heard any reports of any fighting of this magnitude happening anywhere else in Sabretooth Prefecture or in the U.P. As for who these guys are, and why they're fighting, the only clues we have for their motives are the chants of 'Liberty' and 'Revolution'. No one we have interviewed thus far seems to understand the terrorists' reasoning. In related news, the military detachment from Ghon-Ki who came in response to the King's plea for help arrived today. Upon assessing the situation, General Lakshmanan of the Ghon-Ki army told reporters that 'it's apparent that there is a coup d'etat in progress', meaning the government who requested their aid may no longer hold sovereignty of the prefecture. However, he said that since the fighting is localized in the city of Itsuka, he will deploy his troops along the boundary of the city to keep the fighting contained therein, and will stay there until security is re-established. This is certainly welcome news to the worried folks who live around the area, who have expressed concern for their safety if the fighting were to spill out of Itsuka and cover the prefecture. We'll keep watching the situation as it develops, and bring you the latest news as it happens. Reporting from outside the city of Itsuka in Mount Sabretooth Prefecture, I'm Jim Jameson with News 14."
No comments:
Post a Comment