Thursday, July 3, 2008

A Turning Point

Much had changed in the last month. A step through the cards had brought fighting, and she had received her first wound. Prison followed on a loud, dirty planet of overwhelming order - bureaucratic accusations, discovery of "substance." She had found another child - a viper among men who killed those who reminded her of past hurts. The child told her much of "the way things were," or at least, what she felt them to be. Of particular interest were the thoughts that Zesiro and Taxchan were "Lords of Chaos."

Now, they waited in space above a planet newly conquered. Her armies had done well, and the performance of the barbarian was impressive. But he wished to travel onward, to continue conquest of this brave new world, and she was tired. Eager to discover the power that might await in the Courts of Chaos - to move on, now that he had his fun.

As their words became heated and altercations threatened, an agreement was reached. The Great Warlord would stay on the planet, accompanied by the vast majority of the legions, where he would wage war on this system until it was entirely under his control. The Mighty Queen would travel to the Courts, where she would find the answers she sought. Both would keep the paintings of the other, that contact would be maintained. And when the time came, they would reunite again, both victorious.

All that remained was the disposition of the passengers...

5 comments:

Mercurio said...

Ogmundr looks over to Taxchan. He smiles his typical smile. Not a smile of mirth, not a smile of levity, a smile of a predator, a smile that breathes fear, a smile of death.

"You!" he shouts as he points with his Death Hand. "You! Are a force of terror! You are a force of destruction! I would like you at my side. Rule and Destroy together!"

He turns to Ernst, extending his Flesh Hand, "What will happen is epic, though dangerous. You can be a great witness." He looks down, then looks back at Ernst, "I will need all my strength, my weapons. I think you know where this is going."

fishofdeath said...

Zesiro watches Ogmundr as he speaks, a sly smile on her lips.

"You fear you can not face your hordes alone? I would have expected more from you."

"My child and my servant are free to go where they wish. I am sure they will choose wisely."

da solomon said...

The iguanodon has been resting in a shadowed part of the bridge, curled and unobtrusive as a huge restful dog.

He lifts his head, and speaks. "Warfare . . ." The chambers within his hadrosauroid sinuses amplify and add a melodious quality to the word that lends it a philosophical air. ". . . or chasing the lies of a frightened species that has taken refuge within an imaginary order."

If you had not seen him in battle, then the great beast on the floor might seem more a pet than a monster. "Golem is the enemy. After him, any being or species that seeks the source for their own purposes." He seems even more placid now that he is carefully pulling his short forelimbs underneath his body and pushing himself up - and not without a good deal of shuffling and lazy grunting. "I care for the gardens of Mu Merai."

Now standing on the mitten-claws of his forelimbs, he begins to raise himself onto all fours. "Ernst must complete the portal to Mu Merai before I leave his side." He exhales - his nostrils are vents for the great heat that is welling in his core.

Sema4 said...

Ernst wishes he were a force of terror for a moment, then stutters anxiously as all eyes are again on him. He rummages through his satchel and returns Ogmundr's laser sword. "Yes, right. Opting for immortality again? I don't blame you... life's rotten."

Ernst digs through his satchel more thoroughly and pulls out a stack of large cards. Each is a masterpiece, an aesthetically exquisite rendition of Ernst and his companions. "I took the liberty of creating trumps for all of us, so we may never be separated. I'm still putting the final touches on portraits of Ogmundr and Zesiro, so you'll need to keep using the larger paintings until I can complete those final two trumps. Ten cards in all with two more on the way."

"I am a coward, so I pray that you let me live at least until I complete my landscape of Mu Merai."

da solomon said...

"Then I will remain here, in this cosmos," the dinosaur says, "as I await the opportunity to return to my lands." Taxchan raises its thumb claw to its armored earhole and scratches. "As I wait, I will aid Ogmundr. He will come to war against my enemies soon enough - Anna, what is your civilization called?"