Kyngdom Survival Guide
*TALE: TWO KYNGDOMS
Chatterbox: KYNGDOM™ Power of Hoof
*TALE: TWO KYNGDOMS
*TALE: TWO KYNGDOMS
A Tale of Two Kyngdoms, Part One
By Zephyra
It was the worst of times. That much was obvious. Chaos everywhere. Claaws was dead. Jaaws roamed our land, jaws dripping with Brazen Goo. Catastrophe was always lurking, ready to fight anyone at the slightest provocation. I heard whispers of a “Mutant Army.” And B.I.G. crept ever closer to finding and activating all four of the Powers, which would lead to--what? Utter global destruction? To be honest, I was finding it harder and harder to go to sleep. Dark thoughts swirled through my brain at all hours of the night.
On one particularly hopeless mornings, as I was drooping over a mug of oak root coffee at the Bog & Burrow, I received word from my faithful network of spies that Dr. Cornelia Hornshaw was heading north, toward the Decoy Forest. My go-to tech wiz, Techibeetle, quickly tapped her phone and, after listening to a very disgruntled conversation she was having with one of her chief scientists, we learned that she believed the fourth Power--the Power of Hoof--was located there. In the forest.
Now, this was a little too close for comfort for me, my fellow spies, and the other Guardians. Because we knew that while the fourth Power wasn’t actually in the forest, it was nearby--very nearby, on the hoof of Regina the Silver Reindeer herself. I sent a message to Regina begging her to retreat to her mansion, and then I began planning my trip to the north.
(Another complication: I was supposed to be planning my nephew Little Crow’s Naming Ceremony. It was time. He was of age. But the party would just have to wait--and I felt terrible about it.)
After another mug of oak root coffee, I hit upon a plan that was simple, but so daring that it made me nauseous. I was going to do the unthinkable. I would try to intercept Cornelia before she went into the Decoy Forest, and I would…talk with her.
Yes, talk. A dialogue. I figured that I could use B.I.G.’s technology to make Cornelia understand what I was saying, and then I could explain how dangerous her behavior was. How it would put us all at risk--animals and humans. Naïve? Maybe. But sometimes the best route is the most direct, no? There’s a reason for the phrase “as the crow flies.”
Of course it was a terrible shock when, while flying over the Labyrinth, I heard something rustling about in the suitcase that was strapped to my back--and out popped Little Crow, squawking that he couldn’t let me go alone and he was practically an adult and why did I get to do all the fun stuff? I was furious that he’d snuck along, but it was too late to turn back. Cornelia’s train was literally zooming below us as we flew. Besides, I’ll admit it: sometimes it’s nice to have a sidekick.
When we arrived at Jökull, the mansion of the Silver Reindeer, Regina greeted us joyfully and gave us each a huge, steaming mug of Black Winter Cherry cider. Little Crow was shivering. I was exhausted.
“She’s coming,” said Regina, giving me a meaningful look.
“I loathe Cornelia Hornshaw,” spat Little Crow.
“Little! She’s done some terrible things, but she is a very lost, very confused woman,” I said.
“She thinks we’re stupid. She doesn’t respect the world we’ve built. Why do I have to like her?” said Little Crow.
I was flustered, jet-lagged, but Regina jumped in with grace. “You don’t have to like her, Little Crow,” she said, her mother-of-pearl horseshoes twinkling. “But what Cornelia Hornshaw lacks is empathy. She can’t put herself in our horseshoes, so to speak. So she’ll never truly understand us--or anything about the world, really. Zephyra is saying that if you try to empathize a little with her, no matter how much it angers you, then you will have already won part of the battle.
“And for the other parts--if empathy and reason fail, at least you have an entire network of spies and warriors on your side,” I added.
Little Crow’s eyes were drooping.
“Let’s go to bed,” I said. “Cornelia is probably staying at that human eyesore, the Wayward Villa, tonight, and won’t be striking off toward the Decoy Forest until morning.”
After Little Crow went to sleep, I turned to Regina.
“I’m worried,” I said. “The Decoy Forest never shows travelers the truth. But who knows what she’ll see there? Sometimes half-truths and white lies can lead to the real thing.”
Regina looked down at her fourth horseshoe--the one that was old, rusty, nondescript.
“I am prepared to fight,” she said, simply.
submitted by Zephyra, Decoy Forest
(January 4, 2017 - 1:39 pm)
(January 4, 2017 - 1:39 pm)
Caligo~
Cendaren bolted to the window to get a better look at the oncoming army. Sanukans were pouring in from the trees, armed with deadly weapons and battle material.
Cendaren radioed all the field agents he could manage in the space of a minute, but none of them could provide intel on the attack.
"Sir, it's a surprise attack. We're only just now able to gague the numbers..."
The battle commanders were rallying the troops. Cendaren radioed Grimm, touched base with the other commanders, and hurried to Command Central--the highest point in the mansion, where he could watch the battle with eagle eyes, while Grimm watched from the ground--the edge of the battle.
Cendaren contacted all his Elites and all the other soldiers under him.
Who would go out in the fray? Who would bring the news of the Sanukans' strategy? Which walls were vulnerable? What were the enemies after? Would a diversion work?
These were questions Cendaren wished to clarify before anything.
"Grimm," Cendaren messaged, staring at the maps and screens before him, "let's see how nasty the Sanukans are willing to fight. Hold back on the best weapons until we know what's at stake."
(June 23, 2019 - 8:12 pm)
Tsuki~~
Deeja runs up to me. "The prisoners are free."
"Alright." I tell her. We continue running down the hallway , catching back up to Raven, Saoirse, Ashzan, and Granite.
We burst through the doors to hear the sounds of gunshots and screaming. Deeja winces and looks as if she's about to collapse.
"Deeja? Are you alright?" I ask her , rushing to her side.
"Yeah, yeah, it's just...I've never been in a battle before," She says.
" Really? Huh, I expected you to be the most experienced, " Saoirse says.
"Well, I've been in my fair share of fights. I'll do my best to help you out," I tell her.
Ashzan runs ahead to help Grimm.
"Alright," Raven says, " I say we pretend to be fighting against the Sanukans, but whenever we get the chance, we'll work against Catastrophe. "
"Sounds good!" Saoirse says. She and Granite fly off, Raven following.
I look out at the battlefield. "Alright, we'll split up. I'll head over to where Ashzan and Grimm are, you go to the other side."
~~~
(June 28, 2019 - 2:36 pm)
Kimi~
The prison tower is eerily abandoned, but the stillness is marred by the muffled screams and shouts coming from the battle outside. The noise is subtle but persistent, and to me, it's the sound of freedom.
Davina, Skylar and I hurry warily down the hall and to the stairs. Deeja escorts us swiftly and cautiously, standing straight in soldier fashion, but the twitching of her tail reveals her true emotions.
I'm expecting to see a guard pop around the corner at any moment, but Jökull is empty. On the floor below us, however, there is a thundering of footsteps.
"We have to go one more floor before you can get out," Deeja states, stopping at a wide, open set of stairs. At the bottom, a swarm of soldiers rushes like a river. "Just stay close to me."
Her radio crackles to life: Someone is wondering where she is.
"Hurry."
Deeja flies down the stairs and dives into the crowd, where we have to run to keep up. She makes a beeline for the wide-open back doors, where commanders are sorting their troops. Deeja plows straight through, and nobody notices us in the thick of the fray.
Sunlight washes over my fur as we step out into the snow. The smell of fear and adrenaline hangs heavy in the air.
"I have to go now. Good luck," Deeja tells us, and she races off in another direction.
"How are we going to get out? We can't run through the battlefront, can we?" I shout over the din. "Davina, you're the Sanukan! What do we do?"
(June 29, 2019 - 7:00 am)
Davina~~
"Follow me, I have an idea," I tell Kimi and Skylar. They follow me as I run to the edge of the battlefield . We are on a slope, and I look down at the other side.
"Down there! There's Sanukan medical tents. Tell them you're friends of Davina Starr and they'll welcome you." Kimi and Skylar nod, before running down the side of the slope . I begin to follow, but someone grabs me and pulls me backwards.
"Where do you think you're going, Sanukan?" A voice growls. I whip around and see that it's one of Catastrophe's soldiers. Behind him is a large group of soldiers. Looks like Kimi and Skylar will have to wait .
I roundhouse kick the soldier who's holding my arm. He stumbles back, releasing my arm. I pull out the pistol Deeja gave me.
The air is filled with gunshots as I run from the soldiers. Unfortunately, to get away from them, I have to go in the opposite direction of the Sanukan medical tents.
~~~
(June 29, 2019 - 8:15 am)
Kimi~
"Davina!" I scream as I realize she's not running with us. I turn around to find her racing off in the other direction, tailed by multiple armed soldiers. Oh no, they think she's part of the Sanukan army!
Skylar grabs my arm and jerks me forward. "Come on!" she shouts.
I glance back one last time, but Davina has disappeared--Where is she?
A Sanukan soldier yells at us and two of his comrades charge straight at us.
We bolt.
Weaving through the chaos, I can only hope Davina will evade the soldiers and make it safely to the medical tents.
The closer we get, however, the more Sanukans we pass. Unfortunately, they don't recognize us--and we are flagged as enemies.
We're no more than thirty feet away from safety when a shout sounds from directly behind us:
"PUT YOUR HANDS UP!"
I whip around and thrust my arms out towards the soldier--a gesture of anything but surrender. "Wait, wait!" I exclaim to the soldier. "We're friends of Davina Starr! She sent us here--to the medical tent."
Abruptly the soldier lowers his gun, and a bewildered expression shadows his gaze.
"Davina Starr, you said?" He glances around, almost uncertain. "Come with me."
He signals something to the surrounding soldiers, and then motions for us to follow him to the nearest medical tent.
-----
Moonlight, are you still around?
(June 29, 2019 - 1:20 pm)
Tsuki~~
The fighting is hard and bloody.
I do my best to avoid killing any Sanukans, instead just knocking them unconscious. Whenever I get the chance, I deal with a few of Catastrophe's soldiers.
I hear a gunshot, very close to me, and the sound of it hitting someone. I turn around to see Deeja falling to the ground. But it wasn't a Sanukan who shot her.
It was Grimm.
I look at Grimm. "You shot her!"
"She was a traitor. I just received word that she released the prisoners."
I freeze. How did Grimm find out?
"But that's not all. You helped her, didn't you? You, Saoirse, and Raven. I'm very happy I hid that recording device on Deeja." Grimm smiles. He points his gun at me, and fires. At the same time, there is a gunshot from behind me.
I leap quickly away, using my superspeed. Grimm falls to the dead, a red rose of blood blooming over his heart. I turn behind me to see Deeja, with two bullet wounds, stagger and then fall.
I run to her side. "Deeja!" I tell through tears. No response. I check her pulse.
Nothing.
I draw back, feeling horribly numb. I move over to Grimm. He wheezes, and attempts to stand up.
Anger overtakes me. "You killed her." I pull out my gun, and before he can stand , I shoot. He falls to the ground, permanently this time.
~~~
(June 29, 2019 - 4:16 pm)
Cendaren~
Cendaren abandoned his birds-eye post at the command tower, leaving his two lieutenant-generals alone and in charge--But not before he'd sent a radio alert to all commanders, making known the treason that had just occurred.
He raced down the stairs like lightning, and on his way outside, he grabbed a tranquilizer gun from the weapons rack that had been moved to the back door.
There was already a swarm of soldiers surrounding Grimm's lifeless body, and Cendaren only had to glance around for a second before spying Deeja's. They were both far too gone for any medical assistance to prove effective, but a medic had shown up at Grimm's side anyway.
As for Tsuki Natsu? She was gone--nowhere to be seen.
Cendaren snapped at the cluster of soldiers, "It only takes two to carry a body off the field. I want the rest of you to find the traitor that did this, a homoaquarius named Tsuki Natsu. Take her in however, alive or dead. Just get her to me as fast as possible."
The soldiers were off in an instant.
(July 1, 2019 - 8:57 am)
Davina~~
I begin to feel hopeless as more soldiers chase me. But then their radios crackle and they abandon me.
I manage to weave my way back to the Sanukan medical tents. I head towards the largest one, which is probably where my father is.
Before I enter, I hear voices.
"If you're such close friends with Davina," My father snaps, " Where is she? "
"I'm right here," I say and step inside. Victor Starr , my father and mayor of Sanukaville, looks up to see me. "And yes, they are my friends."
" Davina! " Dad says. "I haven't seen you in forever."
" Yeah, I stole a fake Power of Hoof and got captured by Catastrophe. But I'm back now. Where's Gamgi? "
Before my father can answer, and before Kimi or Skylar can say anything, we are interrupted by a commotion outside.
We all step outside.
An out of breath Tsuki is standing there.
"Wait! Don't shoot!" I yell. "She's a friend of mine. She helped to free me."
Tsuki looks up and her eyes give me a wordless thanks.
I step up to Tsuki, Dad right behind me. "What happened?"
" Grimm...Grimm killed Deeja. And... I killed him. I need somewhere to stay. And I also want to end Catastrophe and all his friend's lives. By the way, my name is, um, Tsuki, uh, Natsu. "
My dad seems lost in thought. "Well Tsuki, how would you feel about going by a code name for the rest of your life and becoming an assassin for us?"
She seems a bit shocked--but my dad is sort of strange, and this sort of thing is kinda normal to him. "Well, sure. As long as the code name is cool."
"I was thinking Leviathan."
~~~
So I've actually been playing around with the idea of Tsuki donning a fake name and becoming an assassin for a while, and I'm glad it actually worked out well. I have a few plans for her new outfit as well.
(July 1, 2019 - 1:19 pm)
I am so sorry! I am here just really busy!
~Skylar
Deeja is dead, Tsuki is going to be an assassin, This dude is Davina's father, Grimm is dead, What about me? I'm lost in my own thought again, a bad habit of mine, when suddenly a bomb blows part of the maedical tent apart. Of course that is where I was standing. I fly past Davina, Tsuki and Victor and roll across the floor.
I get up wincing from a pain in my shoulder and look outside. "I'm going to help them" I say and bolt out the door before anyone can stop me. I draw the pistol I have, load it and look for Cendaren.
"It only takes two to carry a body off the field. I want the rest of you to find the traitor that did this, a homoaquarius named Tsuki Natsu. Take her in however, alive or dead. Just get her to me as fast as possible." Cendaren says.
I smile and pull up my hood. I whisper some words and use the dark magic. I make myself invisible and walk over to Cendaren. Putting the pistol up to his head I reveal myself.
"Hello there," I say. "Long time no see" Never have I seen a man more afraid. Then there is a pain in my shoulder. I turn to see another soldier who shot me. I turn invisible again walk over to him shoot him. HE collapses and I rush back to the tent. Rapidly losing blood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(July 2, 2019 - 5:35 pm)
Ashzan~
Enemies are enemies. Close friends are enemies. Who to trust; who to kill? The tracker I put on Tsuki's gauntlet shows her in the enemy's medical tent. Grimm is dead, and the prisoners are free. Whelp, I guess I'd better kill the prisoners. Invigorating. I choose the hooded one. Before I scan the area for her, I kill five Sanukans with two shots. Honestly, if they knew anything about fighting THEY WOULDN'T ALIGN THEMSELVES. I chuff, looking down at their limp bodies. I mentally switch targets and rush for Tsuki in the tent, struggling with whether or not to kill or just wound her. She's what, twelve? And she's been my friend since this entire ordeal... But she kept secrets from me and her plots endangered everyone. I throw open the tent flap, having charged through most of the ranks invisibly, only to get shot through the lungs. Blood bubbles on my lips and everything goes dark, leaving me in a state of painful stasis. Why aren't I dead yet?
~
I don't know what I'm doing here. WHELP have fun.
(July 3, 2019 - 12:09 am)
Tsuki is 14, by the way.
Tsuki~~
Someone comes running into the mostly wrecked tent behind Skylar. I instinctively shoot and hit them in their lungs. Then I realize it's Ashzan.
"Ashzan!" I yell. I go to save her, but hesitate and step back. I can't trust her. She's loyal to Catastrophe, and that means that she'll kill me as soon as she can.
I turn away from her, and as I do I can almost feel my soul getting colder. But this is the path I've chosen. This is my life now.
Davina sees what I'm doing and she looks me right in the eye. "You've changed."
I notice a small grey object stuck onto the gauntlet on my right hand, the non-robotic one. A tracker. I take off the gauntlet and smash the tracker. I watch as medics come in. They tend to Skylar first, then Ashzan. They tie Ashzan up and take her to their prisoner tents.
Kimi comes in. She and Davina walk off somewhere, leaving me alone with Victor.
"This is probably alot for you to take in all at once," Victor says.
~~~
(July 3, 2019 - 10:22 am)
Ashzan~
I wake up, chained to a wall. My wounds are nothing but an ache in my ribs. I growl. Tsuki must have shot me. Anger builds up in my heart. I thought we were friends! Slowly, I calm myself and concentrate on getting back to Tsuki. It couldn't have been too long since I was shot, so I think I know where she is. I picture myself right behind her, a hand on her gun and a force field around us. Suddenly, I hear her cry of alarm. I open my eyes.
"Tsuki Nastu!" I rip the gun from her hands and destroy it. Fear floods her eyes. That, and something else. "Why did you shoot me?" She backs up to the wall of the force field and readies herself to tackle me. I shoot a hand out towards her, and she is incapacitated.
"Alright! Alright! I shot you because I was startled. I thought you were an enemy!"
"If I am not an enemy then why didn't you heal me after realizing your mistake?" Rage enters my eyes when she does not answer. "If it is because of my "loyalty" to Catastrophe then hear me now, friend."I hope she notices the dry blood, still on my lips. I walk closer to her, letting her smell the smoke still remnant on my body. I hold up my arms, showing her the numerous burns. "I was taken, against my will, just like you. Unlike you, I have a sense of what actions might kill me, and which may not. Catastrophe is an exteremely powerful person. I am laying low as to keep my head from being blown off."
~
Heheheheheheheh this is fun
(July 3, 2019 - 1:40 pm)
Tsuki~~
I stare at Ashzan, choosing my words carefully.
"I am not the same Tsuki that you met on our first day at Jokull. And if you aren't loyal to Catastrophe, why did you come to kill me, even though you obviously still considered us friends?"
Ashzan pauses. "I-"
"We can make amends when the war is over. But for now we are two soldiers on opposite sides of the battle." She looks slightly startled at my harshness , but something inside broke when Deeja died. It was as if there was a bomb inside of me, and Deeja's death flipped the switch and detonated it.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Tsuki?"
"Catastrophe took everything from me. Of course I do."
"He didn't take me from you."
I look at her in the eye. "Actually, I believe he has." I summon a light bolt and fling it at her . She dodges, but it shatters the force field. I step out of its reach. Victor is pointing a gun at Ashzan's head.
"This is the last time I'm sparing your life. Leave now, because although I might, I know Victor will not hesitate to kill you."
~~~
Basically Tsuki is bit of an anti-hero. She's much darker now.
(July 3, 2019 - 3:26 pm)
Ashzan~
My eyes smoulder. All around us, guns break into their respective parts. All except Victor's, which I take easily by slowing time for him. I point it into my own mouth.
"Here's a shocker, I didn't come to kill you. I came to join you." I put a finger to the trigger. "Stop me if you care." Tsuki stares at me, and I see the darkness of the new Tsuki fighting the previous Tsuki. "I know my friend is in there. Who kept you alive by helping you in training? Deeja? No shade on her, though. She was an amazing person, and I miss her as much as you do."
"How can I trust your words?"
"You can trust my words because I trust that you won't kill me. I will admit I wasn't expecting the light bolt. My reaction would have been too slow. You aimed away." Her hands glow.
"I could kill you now." Her eyes flicker strangely as I cock the gun.
"I could kill me now. Only you have the power to stop me. Just say so. Then again, I die, I kill everyone in a ten mile radius. Curse of the forest elf. But it rests on your choice. It's called conscience, Tsuki. Let's see if you still have yours." I open my mouth wide and slowly move the barrel of the pistol closer to my face. Lightening fast, Tsuki's hand stays mine and she puls the gun out of my hand. It breaks in hers. I smile. "Let's kill people's enemies together, shall we?" I stick a hand out. Who knows, being a hired assassin could be fun.
~
I just don't want Ashzan to lose Tsuki. She's literally all Ash has now. That's mostly the reason for the 'Your choice, my life' scene.
(July 4, 2019 - 12:02 am)
Ooh, they would make a really cool assassin duo!
Tsuki~~
"Let's kill people's enemies together, shall we?" Ashzan sticks a hand out , and I grab it.
"We shall." I say. My whole life may have changed, but at least it will be by Ashzan's side now. "Now all we need to do is get you a cool code name." We smile .
~~~
(July 4, 2019 - 11:09 am)