Maschinen Märchen

Gin was a man filled with hope, in almost any given situation, the Knight was above all else hopeful. Just like the Spring season that he would represent until his dying day, he was about clean starts and new beginnings, blossoming friendships and sprouting alliances. His soul, along with the powers he possessed, were deeply represented by everything that Spring stood for.

And just like Spring, this was the hour of new beginnings, raised from the ashes of defeat, and formed around a new, shinning -sparkling- hope.

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View attachment 3636Gin had just finished discussing the plan with the Kikkoman general. They would stay and continue supplying aid to the wounded refugees while Gin, along with Prince Fred and W'Saylia, would take their leave. The three would head towards Kikkoman in hopes of meeting up with Hrodland and The Princess. It would, no doubt, be beneficial having Prince Fred with them, thought Gin as he shot the young prince a trusting smile before mounting Fluffy.

He turned to W'Salia

"Until we get you your own means of transport, if it pleases you, ride with the Prince."

Gin had seen them talking away from the others and thought there may have been a spark between them.

" Now! We ride, my friends. Let us be valiant in our cause and just in our allegiance! Odoaker and Kikkoman! Two separate nations brought together by war! Our enemy has shown himself and now we must join together to rebuild, regroup and resew the seeds of our collective futures!"

Gin closed his eyes and threw his head back, shouting to the world with dedication.

" And in our triumph will be the defeat of evil, in our victory lies peace and in our glory will be the rebirth of old traditions! So be it! As I live each day with the hope that……"

Gin hadn't noticed but in the middle of his speech, Fluffy had begun to nibble on some fresh wheat, and her ears were the only ones who caught the last of his words. He looked to see The prince and H'Salia on Buttercup already a ways down the trail.

Gin kicked his steed and caught up with them to embark on their journey to Kikkoman.
​
 
Hrum otherwise kept his eyes closed during the remainder of the trip. A steady, but small trickle of water ran out of the corners of his eyes - it was essential to thaw his eyes carefully, as sudden defrosting could cause fracture in the gel and possibly lead to blindness. His life support chittered, hissing and redirecting pressure away from his head.

His eyes slowly opened, 'bloodshot', the vessels with their grey-blue fluid very apparent along the whites. He looked around him sleepily and grabbed the edge of the car, leaning his head over to stare into the water below. The water, disturbed by the cars movement through it, distorted his reflection. As if satisfied by this confirmation of his existence, he sat back in the seat and crossed his arms, tapping fingers on the inside of his bicep.

"What are we going to do afterwards? Did you know this was coming? Have you thought about what to do next? What is the long term plan?" With each question a small cloud of frost was snorted out of his nose, and he had a bad habit of tilting his head this way and that when asking questions, exaggerating what little sarcasm his drone could inject into the query.
 
[dash=pink]Prince Winiefred had stayed with W'Saylia striking up idle conversation for a short while, and trying to put his charm upon her as he was taught. After all, as a prince it was part of his duty to find a damsel to be his princess and future queen. Kikkomon's law stated that Winiefred had a right to choose whomever he pleased, as long as the king and queen agreed to the commitment. And, yet again, his philosophy was that anyone was fair game. After a short while of him chatting with the lovely W'Saylia, he escorted her back to the encampment.

Buttercup was busy grazing and fraternizing with Fluffy it seemed. Meanwhile, Gin was busy talking to the general. Winiefred's eyes gazed longingly in Gin's direction a moment, watching the way his lips moved to form each syllable of whatever the two were discussing. Winiefred went over as Gin explained the plan of action to him. He held on to every word uttered by the masculine knight, and nearly melted when Gin smiled toward him. He managed to keep his cool though. "It is a wonderful plan, you are a brilliant man!" Winiefred exclaimed with a smile and his arms out as if to hug Gin. "It is warming to see such hope in such times of despair! You truly are a wonderful man!" he said suddenly embracing Gin and then letting go. The general glanced curiously over at Winiefred, but he'd expected as much from the Prince.

"Your highness, our men will stay here and as discussed you will go with Gin back to the kingdom and let your father know of our exploits. We will send messengers with updates"

Winiefred smiled and patted his general on the back, "I have no doubts in your abilities General Soy. You are a good man" he smiled as the general nodded and left the company of the others to gather his men. Gin turned and mentioned that W'Saylia would be riding with Winiefred. Prince Winiefred turned toward W'Saylia and gave her a charming smile, "It would be my honor to ride with such a beautiful knight in training." He stepped aside and whistled for Buttercup as he trotted over with a soft snort. Pawing at the ground some, he waited for Winiefred to mount him. Winiefred got up first and then offered some help to W'Saylia to mount Buttercup. "Do not worry, Buttercup is a kind creature" he patted his horse as Buttercup whinnied again and waited. Gin went into another valiant speech, but Buttercup seemed to be bored of listening and had taken off halfway through already. So off they headed toward the Kingdom of Kikkomon. Once more Fred's thoughts wandered first toward Gin, then toward the lovely W'Saylia behind him, and finally wondering what the lovely Princess Sparkles was like. [/dash]
 
[DASH=purple]W'Saylia spent some of her time chatting with Prince Winiefred. It was a pleasant conversation, though she didn't talk much (however, she did listen). She was a bit confused on why he was so nice to her, though she paid no attention to it. After a little while, Winiefred strolled off to talk to Gin. W'Saylia again thought about her master, Hrodland, and Princess Sparkles. Then she wondered how Kikkoman would be and if there were to be any battles on their way there.
She was brought back to attention when Gin spoke to her. "Until we get you your own means of transport, if it pleases you, ride with the Prince."
W'Saylia's eyes glanced over to Buttercup. She had barely ridden a horse in her life. The idea of trusting another being's legs instead of her own somewhat discomforted her. She would have rather run on her legs instead of on a beast, but she knew that would be silly. So she nodded towards Gin. The Prince turned towards her again and smiled. "It would be my honor to ride with such a beautiful knight in training."
W'Saylia nodded towards him as well. He whistled for his horse and she saw it trotting along. It was a fine mount, looked healthy enough, though W'Saylia still had doubts. The Prince climbed up onto him and held out a hand for her. W'Saylia firmly took it and sat on it. It felt a little strange to her, but she sat still.
Gin then began talk some, and soon it became a speech. The horse suddenly took off. W'Saylia breathed sharply, clutching onto the beast. She later relaxed as they rode off towards Kikkoman.

Master...Princes...I am coming. I will be a knight.

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[BG="black"]Hrodland [/BG]
[BG="black"]Date: The Fifth of Trillena. Time: 6:14 PM
They had floated along the underground creek for what seemed like hours. Slowly and surely enough, the water level began to rise from the small creek. There was little sign of damages of the battle going on overheard. Even the bombing seemed to have died down.

"Well Hrum." Hrodland said. "Let us not focus on the future. We are currently in the here and now. If you need the most basics of answers, the Knight of Fall did have dark dreams that a day like this would come. I for one, do not always trust the power of foresight but it always better to be safe than sorry. However, one must also keep in mind that just because we had a phony war for several months, that we didn't prepare."

Reggie then yawned. "I've been up all night...I need some sleep. Can you take over for a while?"

Hrodland then nodded. He hated having to try and drive machines he had little interest in. Truth be told, cars always made him feel uneasy while on the surface. Too many distractions here and there. "Alright."

Reggie then crawled over into the middle seats and drew the princess in closer to her. Reggie wasn't exactly the motherly sort off the bat but she knew deep down that she needed more comfort than what a space cadet knight and a machine man could offer her. "There, there. It's okay Fran." She said.

Hrodland then focused on the stream ahead. This should be an easy task. Nothing was around to distract him...That is until sounds of footsteps started.

"HALT! WHO GOES THERE?" Shouted a man. He had an Odoaker accent. "Show yourselves now!"

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It seemed that the car's engine had got the attention of some of the soldiers that escaped the air battle above ground. The soldier than raised his lantern to see a car floating down the river. He could make the outline of a slim man but couldn't make out the man's face. He then ordered the soldiers to get ready to attack if necessary.

Hrodland then stood up and waved his arm and said with a smile, "It is I, Count Hrodland Adalbert." Gadget quickly reacted and got to the steering wheel before they would have crashed into the side of the tunnel's walls.

"Impossible," one of the soldiers said, "All the Knights got killed in the bombings. That's what I was told. This guy is clearly lying. I say we should attack them!" Several independent shots were fired at the car. Most of the soldiers were armed with weak arrows and were therefore reservists instead of regular soldiers. None of them hit home.

"Oh dear." Hrodland said, "They don't believe me. Well I guess there is only one way to fix that up!"

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He then smirked and pulled his cape back and raised his arms. The temperature began to drop to freezing. Upon snapping his finger, the soldiers weapons were made useless as the gears that controlled the crossbows froze in place... The soldiers that fire prematurely fled from their posts, realizing that they had made a grave mistake. Others then quickly presented their weapons in honor of the Knight.

"That's more like it." He chuckled.

"Now, where we soldiers? Oh yes; it is I, Count Hrodland Adalbert. We have the princess with us and we need an escort to help us reach the Kikkomon Kingdom!"

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As the trio rode away from the battle, silence filled the air. It gave Gin a sinking feeling in his gut, but he had to push that away.

Away….

View attachment 3702Away from the battle, on towards a new hope. Although it greatly pained the spring knight to leave his home country, he had to no real choice. His selfless and unrelenting duty to the King was always in the forefront of every action Gin made, he just hoped that leaving Odoaker while she was being destroyed wouldn't haunt him in the nights to come. As it was his dreams had been plagued as of late. There was something coming, something unforeseen. These feelings sent a sharp shiver down his spine when he let his spirit dwell on them. A change in the world maybe? A terrible catastrophe? Whatever it was, Gin felt it, Just as sure as he felt the cold, chilling air on a December night.

The sounds of bombs had died down to a gentle thumping in the distance, and from the sound of it, it had almost completely stopped. By Gin's estimation they had traveled close to five miles, and were making great time. The road, that was once used to transport goods before the secondary travel route was established, was well worn away. In some spots it was nothing but dirt, but in others it was still in tact and served as excellent footing for the steeds.

View attachment 3703After another half a mile or so, the silence was replaced by the low sound of lightly rushing water. Gin knew this to be one of the mighty rivers that ran right through Odoaker and then went nearly all the way to Kikkomon before taking a sharp turn and heading west. This was a good thing, at least if today was a total loss, they were heading in the right direction. The trail turned and laid out before them, heading straight towards a bridge.

"My friends! There is the Bordeaux bridge! Beyond which lies the Eastern gates of Kikkomon! Just a little further and we've made it!"

Fluffy nodded her head agreeably. Perhaps she sensed that a nice rub down and some fresh hay was in the near future.

The three crossed the bridge while the Kikkomon airships circled defensibly overhead.
 
[DASH=purple]Gin, Fred, and W'Saylia rode on for a while towards Kikkomon. In the distance behind them, Odoaker in its bruised and battered state seemed to wave goodbye to the three. W'Saylia never once looked back. Her eyes were steady forward, even though she ached to just take one parting glance at her home. But her tougher steel side was determined to make it to Kikkomon with no distractions.

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As they rode on, the sun began to sink behind the line of trees far off. The sky was ablaze by shades of red, yellow, and orange. Soon night would be upon them and darkness would befall the land. Our enemies might have an advantage in the dark. W'Saylia thought to herself. But I don't need my eyes to fight. She later added with a hard tone. Her dark eyes glinted with orange as she looked towards the sky.

"My friends! There is the Bordeaux bridge! Beyond which lies the Eastern gates of Kikkomon! Just a little further and we've made it!"

Gin's voice rang out behind them. W'Saylia peeked out from behind Winiefred. Indeed, there was a bridge, arched over a whispering river. Soon they would be in Kikkomon and maybe in safety.
"We've made it..." W'Saylia repeated in a whispered voice. Maybe the tides will turn. In our favor, for once.
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Although Hrum tried his best not to look impressed, he could not help but let a look of dumbfounded awe spread over his face as he took in the extent of his liege's power. There was no rhyme, no reason, no Fluid that could explain how the Knight commanded the power of winter, yet he somehow did it. The machine in his shoulder clicked, a few switches thrown forward, as if in agreement. How was he able to do it? He would need to remove heat and redirect the lack of it on a large scale ... was there some sort of void machinery in the knight, a giant, endless heat sink that hungrily ate warmth and left behind nothing in its wake?

A pang of ambition sang through his still heart. The briefest of pangs, quickly suppressed by the endless deadening flow of Fluid through his veins.

His thoughts were distracted and in disarray, so he busied himself staring at the cat - a mostly inanimate object, with no surprises and sudden movements. Idly, he had formed a small sphere of ice in his hand, and with deft movements of his fingers, kept it suspended in the air through small blasts of the fluid from his fingertips. Gears ratcheted and switches clicked as his machine worked to adjust the flow.

"... your allies (or your own soldiers? I can not remember your allegiances, my king) are easily swayed."
 
The princess was held closely to Reggie, both affectionately and protectively. Although not an experienced mother, she still had those intuitions, and defensive instincts when it came to children. Sparkles was her priority, too. Not just because they had a job to do... Compared to someone like Roland or Hrum, this poor girl was defenseless.

An event unfolded between the Winter Knight and some soldiers who weren't going to let them pass. Reggie was about ready to shout at those men. They didn't have any time to waste! Roland had the situation under control, though.

A smirk touched her lips when the soldiers were unarmed, and then she held the girl closer in an attempt to keep her from chilling. The temperature was significantly colder because of the knight's abilities. Beside her, Gadget was silently observing what was going on. He was given no commands as of late, so the robotic feline was idle.

"Won't have us any trouble, it looks like," she said out loud, more to herself. Reggie was tired and in no mood for more violence... She looked forward to the possibility of resting, if just for a little while.
 
[BG="black"]Hrodland [/BG]
[BG="black"]Date: The Fifth of Trillena. Time: 6:17 PM

"They are only reservists. Old men and young boys at best, not front line soldiers. Scared and panicky. We can let their fear off, this time around." Hrodland said.

"We are going to dismount from the car at this time, Reggie." Hrodland said. "We should assess the situtation here first. If these soldiers found their down here from the surface, it is my duty as a commander to make sure that they get escorted to Kikkomon first. Gimzo turn this machine off and watch over it. While we have ourselves a little chat with the officers."

Gadget did as it was told; though it never understood why Hrodland always called him Gizmo. The machine came to a halt and the hull of the car lowered to just above the waterline. Hrodland then opened the door and leaped to the hard brick floor that made up the sewers. He then turned around and helped Reggie to the ground and grabbed the Princess and handed her off to Reggie.

"THOSE FOOLS!" Sparkles barked, "They could have killed us!" She then stomped her foot on the ground. Reggie then patted her on the shoulders and led her away. They both needed rest and while Hrum and Hrodland would discuss their next moves with the military officers, they could get some much needed sleep.

"Roland," Reggie said, "I will keep the Princess with me. Go do what you need to do."

Hrodland then nodded his head and walked back to the car, where Hrum was still positioned. "Old friend," the Knight said, "Do you require any assistance out of this machine? You seem tired, if you need to rest; please feel free to inform me."
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Hrum gave him this look. It was a rather emotionless look. He just looked at him, eyes open, for a moment.

He hoisted himself up in the car. "I am .. OK," stated matter-of-fact. "If not, then I would just be a burden." With apparently little effort he swung himself out of the car and landed deftly on the ground. One of his feet missed the brick earth, sliding back into the water. As his sole dipped into the depths, a small patch of area around it froze, buoying up the leg and allowing him to retain balance.

There was a reason why he went barefoot. However, he looked slightly ridiculous as he stood lopsided with one foot standing on, and cemented to, a block of ice. This was quickly fixed with a small fit of kicking.

"I am not tired. But .. I, do not know .. if I, can provide, assistance in rallying .. the soldiers." It was true; Hrum was not tired. The neuro-chemistry in his brain had been drastically altered by the Fluid, in ways the tradition-heavy worship that his tribe gave the old technology would never be able to unravel. As a result, although he did not require long periods of mental rest to function, he frequently spent most of his time in a subpar level of alertness, speaking haltingly and only with rare flashes of mental quickness.
 
View attachment 3736Fluffy, The Spring knights noble steed, was never unpleasant company on long trips. She kept her head down and rode without so much as a neigh in protest. For this Gin loved her. Together they had rode into battle and over field and stream alike, and at the end of the day, Gin always found time to brush her mane and give her a nice rub down. He took care of Fluffy like she was his daughter. It had a lot to do with the fact that as a Knight, and elite soldier to the king, he had little time for actual relationships. This was probably the reason he would often times break into long winded speeches. Lack of human relations had caused Gin to be slightly awkward in social situations.

The trio continued on over the bridge and through a vast, uninhabited country side. Up ahead was a forest, of sorts, where many tall ever greens poked their heads up towards the horizon. At this point the sun was beginning to set and Fluffy, despite being a great adventurer, was beginning to tire underneath her rider.

Once they passed through the walls of the forest, Gin turned to his human companions.



View attachment 3738"Dark is steady approaching, and I hate to admit it while in her company, but Fluffy will be needing a rest soon."

They came to a nice clearing surrounded by a particularly large group of pines. Gin dismounted and began taking the saddle and reins off of Fluffy, taking care to tie her up near by some sprouted wheat so she could graze.

Sooner than expected, night had fallen over the land, but by this point they three had a nice fire going. It was too dark to tell, but Gin suspected that the Kikkomon air fleet was still patrolling over head.

"My friends! Tonight we rest, but as soon as dawn cracks the morning sky, we ride! I imagine that we will meet with our allies, the Winter Knight and his companions, once we get there tomorrow."

Gin realized that in the confusion of the day he hadn't packed any provisions.

"Unless either of you have some bread or meat? I am afraid we must wait to dine."
 
[DASH=purple]They crossed the bridge and entered Kikkomon territory. W'Saylia had never been to Kikkomon. She had heard stories of the kingdom but had never once ventured into it. Right now they seemed to be in a country section of the kingdom where no one lived. W'Saylia studied everything carefully with her eyes, absorbing as many details as she could. Ahead, she could see a deep green forest. A slight pang of comfort rolled throughout her. There was something about wooded areas that she loved. She often went into forests to train herself. The peaceful atmosphere and scenery of the nature area was very relaxing to her. Hopefully there were no bandits, as they always loved to make their hideouts there. W'Saylia could handle them.

Once inside the forest, W'Saylia couldn't help but take a deep breath of air. A wave of freshness filled her lungs. W'Saylia almost smiled, but the corners of her lips stayed down. Her eyes glittered with satisfaction. Soon, the sunset turned into night and darkness filled the forest like a water filling a pool. Gin stopped his horse and turned toward her and Winiefred.

"Dark is steady approaching, and I hate to admit it while in her company, but Fluffy will be needing a rest soon."

W'Saylia nodded. It was getting dark and traveling would be dangerous. They reached a clearing and set up camp.

"My friends! Tonight we rest, but as soon as dawn cracks the morning sky, we ride! I imagine that we will meet with our allies, the Winter Knight and his companions, once we get there tomorrow."

W'Saylia nodded again, setting herself down on the earthy ground. She began to think and ponder some of the recent events, but then Gin's voice broke the silence again.

"Unless either of you have some bread or meat? I am afraid we must wait to dine."

W'Saylia shook her head. No, she had not packed food or basic supplies. When the war had hit, she was training herself. She never brought food when she went to train. Though W'Saylia looked off into the deep reaches of the forest and had a sudden idea. "Sir Gin, what if we were to hunt? I'm not a hunter, but it's good to try."
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[dash=pink]Winiefred had remained quiet for most of the daunting ride. His thoughts were only broken the few times that Gin had called forth to speak to them all. During which he would feel that same warmth in his pit and the flutter in his stomach. When they reached a territory just within the Kikkomon Territories, though it was nearly uninhabited, Winiefred knew generally where they were.

When they finally stopped to rest for the night, Winiefred dismounted and Buttercup, who seemed to have taken a liking to Fluffy. Buttercup would soon find his way next to Fluffy, and start to graze with her. Gin had begun to make a short speech again. It was so grant how his voice carried in such a manner, and his words rang clear and crisp in Winiefred's ears. Before Gin got to the part about food, Winiefred's thoughts had already shifted. Buttercup would probably want a good rub down since they'd stopped, so Fred made his way over to Buttercup.

"Time for your rub-down, boy. Normally I'd have the servants do this, but I didn't' bring them with me…so I guess I will be giving you one old boy." With that Winiefred took the reins and turned to lead Buttercup toward the supplies for his rub-down. Buttercup, being bigger/stronger, simply stood there, not wanting to budge from his spot. The result was a rather comical display as Winiefred moved forward forcefully thinking that Buttercup would follow, Winiefred's body went one way, while his arm stayed the other. The result was a slight yank backward as his hand slipped from the reins and he fell onto his back staring up at his horse. Buttercup simply chewed idly on some grass as if nothing had occurred. A few of Winiefred's men chuckled, and Winiefred just glared up at the uncaring Buttercup. Getting quickly to his feet, Winiefred began to scold Buttercup who simply ignored the complaints.
During this was when Gin had made mention of provisions. W'Saylia suggested that they hunt, and it was at this point that Prince WIniefred had returned to the others to hear the tail end of that conversation. His mind drawn away from his stubborn horse, he smiled faintly. Perhaps he could be at least somewhat useful and not a complete dud as his father sometimes thought. The firelight danced upon his complexion, showing his strong features, but almost giving him an effeminate appearance as he spoke.

"You are within the company of royalty, need I remind you" He said with a soft chuckle toward Gin, "My men came with provisions of a month's supply. We weren't sure how long we were going to be needed at your side. There should be enough for the night at least to hold us over until we are well within my Kingdom"

The provisions were brought and divided among all. I wonder who I shall be sleeping next to tonight were the next thoughts in Winiefred's mind as he sat quietly at the campfire next to Gin and ate his meal.
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View attachment 3773Gin was impressed by W'saylia's eagerness to hunt for food. He could already tell that she was going to make a great Knight one day, and almost told her so, but thought better of it. After all she was not his apprentice. So In stead he opted for a simple

"You would make my Fellow seasonal Knights proud."

He gave her a firm clasp on the shoulder, accompanied by a warm smile. Just then, Prince Fred chimed in. There would be food after all.

As the three sat by the fire, with the freshly darkened sky overhead, something stirred in the shadows.

Unknown to Gin, or the others, this particular forest was occupied by a group of Bandits, not humans, but goblins. In the years past the road they were traveling on had been used to transport goods, but because of the goblins and their thievery it was now a lonely path. The Bandit Goblins made this little piece of forest their home, they felt victorious, for the fact that they had caused the Humans to completely abandoned the trade route. But now, with three Humans setting up camp in their home!? The Goblins were infuriated.

View attachment 3774They were armed with swords, spears, axes and whips. Across their chests was steel armor and on their heads, pointed steel helmets. They were vicious brutes, and at this very moment marching towards the place where Gin, W'saylia and prince Fred now sat. Luckily for the three, they were none to silent, as the crunching of sticks and low guttural goblin voices could be heard.

Fluffy stirred uneasily as Gin looked to the faces of his friends, eyes wide.

"I think we have company, but fear not! For I am here, A seasonal Knight! We will fight together. My Winter knight's loyal apprentice and the Royal prince! After the days catastrophe, nothing will stand in our way, no man or beast will lessen our pace! In order to reach our collective……"

Gin was cut short as a spear thunked into the tree just over his head.

The Goblins rushed the Camp, weapons drawn.
 
[BG="black"]Hrodland [/BG]
[BG="black"]Date: The Fifth of Trillena. Time: 6:17 PM
"I understand." Hrodland said, "Then in the meantime I will ask that you assist Reggie and the Princess in any matters that they may need."

The Winter Knight then draped his cape around his slender body again. He then leaped from the floor level and up to the stone stairway. It was a good five foot jump for any normal human to undertake but he seemed to do with with easy. "I will back in..." He pulled out a chained pocket watch from under his cape. "I'll say in less than 20 minutes."

"Welcome Sir Knight!" Two soldiers saluted him, "The officers are meeting in the room right over there!" Hrodland nodded and walked into a root cellar that was converted into a make shift headquarters. He could hear the cries of the wounded but do not see any directly. They were probably deeper into the complex underground tunnels. Around him some soldiers saluted, while most were dazed and confused.

"Count Adalbert is present! Attention!" Someone said as Hrodland finally entered the room. Around him were reservist officers and one very angry looking regular officer. They debated if they should continue on the fight or wait...

Later...

"Listen," Hrodland said, "I don't need to hear your excuses and arguments. Gentlemen, I need you to be my eyes and ears. Go back to your farms and put your weapons away."

Several of the officers nodded in argument; all save for the single Major that worked for the Regular Army instead of the reserves.

"Easy for you to say! You have magic to defend yourself! You've never used a rifle or energy crossbow in your life! You probably belong to one of those outdated religious circles that have no killing vows!" The officer snarled.

"I have no interests in using guns. My knowledge lies with Shahla, not magic..." Hrodland said in response. He then chuckled, "No good sir. I have never taken such a vow. I am more than capable of making the killing strike if there was no other way, but I don't ever treat it lightly."

"Whatever." The officer said, "However, don't expect help from the regulars if you are just going to run and hide in Kikkomon. We're going to continue the fight with or without the help of the Knights. You all were a hindrance on the military anyways." He then slammed his fist on the table and walked out of the room.

"Well, he was rather unpleasant." Hrodland said under his breath.

Following the meeting...

Hrodland was now back with Hraum, Reggie, and the Princess. Following behind him where two young soldiers dressed in white baggy trousers, white shirts,a blue vest, and a blue hood-like hat. They had traveled with him in a motorbike "I'm back. It took a little longer than 20 minutes, I do apologize. The soldiers wanted to bring along their toy."

He then smiled when he saw the Princess, whom was sleeping in Reggie's lap.

"It seems that most of the reservists plan on going home. The regulars might continue their fight for sometime longer. We supposedly will have two soldiers join up with us for defense until we reach Kikkomon's borders."

He then handed Reggie some water in a canteen, "Do you think that the machine can hold up for several more miles? I don't think we should attempt to reach our neighbor's borders on foot. Goblins and other nasties..."

Reggie nodded, "She'll have enough fuel to last us...Maybe 30 more miles."
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[DASH=purple]After W'Saylia suggestion of hunting, Gin seemed pleased and proud. W'Saylia caught these emotions in his body languages and facial expression.
"You would make my Fellow seasonal Knights proud."
W'Saylia was somewhat surprised at this comment. But her heart filled with a consuming warmth at those words. He laid a firm hand on her shoulder and smiled. W'Saylia tensed up at first, but relaxed. She nodded towards him. It made her very pleased to hear someone say that she would become a knight and possibly a good one. She almost smiled. It was a sign the day she would become a true knight was getting closer.
"You have my most dearest thanks, Sir Gin." W'Saylia said, casting her gaze somewhat downwards.
She heard Winiefred's voice from somewhere behind and besides her. "You are within the company of royalty, need I remind you" He said with a soft chuckle toward Gin, "My men came with provisions of a month's supply. We weren't sure how long we were going to be needed at your side. There should be enough for the night at least to hold us over until we are well within my Kingdom"

Food was soon given to Gin and W'Saylia as they sat around their campfire. Winiefred sat besides Gin; W'Saylia sat some ways from them. She wanted to be alone, to think. The feeling when she would have a Knight's Symbol pressed upon her armor...it would be a great one. Her body faced West, where her hometown was. There, her family still resided. One day, she would return to them as a knight. It had been so long since she last saw them. Already she could imagine her mother's small but warming smile, her fathers hearty hug, and even her older brother's teasing. Their shock and happiness at her knighthood.
W'Saylia didn't realize she was clutching her sword tightly. She relaxed her hands and loosened her grip. Soon I will return. I can only imagine. Especially Ried. He would be too surprised to tease me.
Soon W'Saylia heard the not too distant sound of crunching of leaves and guttural grunting. We are not alone... W'Saylia stood up and unsheathed her sword. The others stood up too. They had heard it as well.
"I think we have company, but fear not! For I am here, A seasonal Knight! We will fight together. My Winter knight's loyal apprentice and the Royal prince! After the days catastrophe, nothing will stand in our way, no man or beast will lessen our pace! In order to reach our collective……"
A spear hear flew through the air, cutting him off. It landed on a tree, not too far from his head. She saw them; ugly Goblins, rampaging into the camp with their weapons drawn. W'Saylia took in a deep breath, than exhaled. She took off, propelling her body forward. Goblins surrounded her and tried to wound her with their weapons. However, W'Saylia was able to block them with a sweep from her sword. Her arms moved through the air at an intense speed, almost a blur. The goblins were confused and tried to catch her off guard but they could not break her barrier. Soon enough, all of them fell to the ground, large clean slash marks across their chests.

"Goblins." She uttered a single word and continued fighting.


[/DASH]
 
"You want to send the reservists home?" Hrum's voice was slightly shocked. "How .. do, do - " and he paused, as if it was taking a great deal of difficulty for him to formulate this thought: "what is going to happen to them? Do you think they are going to be treated well?" His voice ran quicker and quicker, building into a small crescendo. "Isn't a mass evacuation necessary? What if .. " And here his mouth could no longer keep up with his thoughts, and his speech degenerated into disjointed phrases and babbling. However, his eyes were not rooted to the ground, but firmly on the the face of his liege, although a slight flush spread across his face, likely from his embarrassment.
 
[BG="black"]Hrodland [/BG]
[BG="black"]Date: The Fifth of Trillena. Time: Night

"We will organize once we reach Kikkomon. There will be several other governments in exile there." Hrodland said. His tone wasn't as carefree sounding as normal. "My duty is to the King foremost. I was entrusted to watch over his daughter. What the soldiers do, is too of their own accord. I would rather see them be safe than face retribution at this time of uncertainty."

With that statement, Reggie started up the car again. Less than a hour of rest was not enough for her but she knew deep down that the odds were high that whomever planned the attack on the Kingdom was going to pursue them.

Later....

The car halted. "Shit and a pile of it!" Reggie groaned. "Roland do you know if the soldiers in the motorrad have spare fuel? If not, we are going to be stuck walking to reach the rendezvous point."

Hrodland then raised his hands and the soldiers parked their vehicle. "There seems to be something wrong with this machine...Fuel I guess." Hrodland said. One of the soldiers nodded and opened a compartment and pulled out a tan canister of fuel. "This should be enough to get to the Eastern Gates. We'll have to be careful then." Reggie then stepped out from the car, grabbed the canister and began to fill up the gas. She wasn't sure if this would work or not...

"Why's that bub?" Princess Sparkles then asked as she leaned over the side of the car. The soldier quickly saluted the young princess. "Princess! It is because of..." Sparkles then rolled her hand around, telling him to hurry up. "Goblins and bandits...They scared away most of the farmers in these parts..."

"Seriously?!?! Hrodland, why are you sending me through a place full of icky green monsters!!!!" Sparkles asked boldly. "Don't be all mouth and trousers!"

Before he could respond, Reggie started up the car and began to speed up as fast she could. "If there are indeed goblins, that means we need to get the hell out of dodge."

Behind them the two soldiers jumped into their motarrad and began to speed slowly behind them!
[/BG]
 
View attachment 3805Gin was fierce in combat, his normally civil attitude transformed into that of a killer, a true knight knows no fear, only that he must, until his dying breath, uphold that which he defends. And at this moment, Gin was defending his friends, he was defending the Kings mission, and in an offhanded sort of way he was defending princess Sparkle.

The goblins swarmed like locust upon a crop field. Their wide, red eyes beamed with hatred and malice. Their thick, drooping lips glistened with slime and drool. Although it was difficult to tell, a few of them appeared to be smiling, while yellow rows of vicious teeth were exposed. It seemed that they had waited a long time for this, as most of the humans had abandoned the area years ago.

Gin caught one around the chest and spun its body, back facing him, his blade held at its neck. He pulled his blade away and black blood sprayed. The Spring knight jabbed, parried and slashed at the green devils. Their bodies began to mount, but they kept on coming, like bees from a disturbed hive. It was all happening in a surrealistic sort of blur. Gin had a split second to gaze into the distance and what he saw sent a chill down his back.

This wasn't just a rouge Goblin patrol, it was an entire battalion.

Hope seemed bleak as Gin called to his allies

"We must retreat!"

As his blade struck home, cleaving a Goblin head right down the middle, he spoke again.

"I fear if we do not, this may be our final battle, my friends!"

All at once a sound filled the air. It was the low humming of pistons being pumped by either steam or gas. A vehicle?, Thought Gin, Motive transportation? It was coming from the trail, and headed right to where the Goblins faced their opponents. Gin had a moment to see a face. The sight of that one face sent joy leaping up through his chest.

The Spring Knight jumped to cover, grabbing The Prince around the waist and W'Salia by the arm.

"To Cover! It is our Allie! My friend the Knight of Wint…."

Gin's words were cut off by the sound of rotating Gatling guns as they spit out round after round into the horde of Goblins. It was over as quickly as it began, under the vehicle what appeared to be thousands of spent casing lay, shinning under the crescent moon. Gin slowly got to his feet, arm still clasped around the Princes skinny waist.

Fortune shinned down upon them this day, as the two groups were united, in turn forming the party that would decide the fate of the world.

End of Episode 2
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