Part XC: Plans in Motion
Date: Kornun 30th, 114 A.U.
Arzjlan slouched against the tree, wondering why they still had to keep watch for the elven airships. He hadn’t seen any in all the times that he’d been on watch, and he’d been on a watch many time for their tribe of Sla’ad. Nevertheless, it was his duty, and it was a duty that he had sworn to fulfill.
Straightening up, Azjlan looked through the night vision goggles at the sky around and still saw nothing, before looking around at the hills around. Ever since the elves had taken control and few dared to walk in open ground, without anyone to hunt them, the wild beasts had grown more and more numerous and spread out, no longer confined to the places where they could best hide from them. That, in Azjlan’s mind, was what he most was to look out for: wild animals that could tear their camp to shreds. There had been quite a few times that he’d had to fend against them.
Azjlan turned again to gaze out at the night sky, running his gaze across the sky but still saw nothing.
Ten elves slowly slid down on ropes, guns in their teeth as they silently exited from the silent airship. According to the radar, there was one person outside the camp, on one of the hills around it. But he still had not seen them. Moving silently, they moved forward toward the tree where they had finally deduced that he was. For a sentry—if that was what he was, which most of the leaders had assumed—he had forgotten the most obvious rule. Never turn your back to one side. Once this Sla’ad was incapacitated, they would have free rein to drop their elves all around the other side of the camp and surround it before coming in.
Azjlan rubbed his head as he looked back up at the sky before looking at his watch. His watch should be over soon. It probably wouldn’t hurt to go back and see where his replacement was. Straightening up he moved beside the tree and by chance looked back. And Azjlan screamed.
Moving down the hill as fast as he could, Azjlan heard the shots firing behind him, feeling many of them bounce off his elusive flesh. Even the fact that the gun shots couldn’t hurt him seeing as he was a Sla’ad didn’t make Azjlan feel any better. He had failed his tribe. At a most crucial time.
"Attack! Attack! We’re under attack!” Azjlan roared as he rushed forward. “We’re under attack! Get to your arms!” Sla’ad started bursting out of the tent as Azjlan moved forward, watching with his night vision goggles as all around the outskirts of the camp, elves slid down on their zip lines. How could he have failed his people at such a crucial time?
Azjlan quickly joined the others, having left the elves behind for a moment as he turned toward them. “They’re surrounding us on our sides!” he said. “I beg your pardon—I failed-”
“None of that right now,” their leader, Zavarja roared. “Get all of the women and children behind us, Hzavlar. We can’t be compassed about on our sides. We will take down the elves from this side and then form a battalion to guard those behind.”
Azjlan turned around to see the elves coming down the hill, guns firing, as Hzavlar ran back to gather the rest of the people. Azjlan began to feel his spirits again moving upward. If the elves thought that the gun bullets would hurt them, they would be woefully unprepared for the revelation that gun bullets had no impact on Sla’ad. And after their Emperor had marked the corsha weapons as ancient and outdated, there would be no chance of them having the one weapon that could hurt them. Azjlan drew out his corsha rezquiert as the elves rushed upon them, the Sla’ad drawing their weapons to repel these foolish elves.
Suddenly, the elves twisted and turned, pulling glowing daggers out of their pouches as they suddenly hurled themselves upon them with a new vigor. Azjlan gave a cry as many surprised Sla’ad were instantly cut down, not expecting the elves to have corsha weapons on them. Swinging his rezquiert, Azjlan slashed the face of one the elves as the elf stumbled backwards as several Sla’ad behind him drew their guns.
Guns fired, but before they could meet their target, an orc behind the elves sent them flinging aside with his lightning bolts. No, no, no. Azjlan hurled himself forward, swinging his rezquiert around like a mad man. There was a sudden blow to his head. And, seeing stars, Azjlan fell back into darkness.
“I just got a message back from our commander,” the Watcher said. “Our forces quickly surprised and overcame the Sla’ad with an elaborate feint of pretended ignorance. They captured two of the Sla’ad for you to question—an older Sla’ad who was part of the defense forces at the capital city, and a younger Sla’ad, who may be a useful tool to get the older Sla’ad to succumb to our methods of re-education.”
“Very good,” Emperor Jaigran said. “Perhaps they would also know about the Sla’ad who stalks me.”
The Watcher bristled. “You are mad, Jaigran, if you still believe in a Sla’ad that stalks you.”
"I am not mad!” Jaigran snapped. “I have seen him lurking in the shadows, never leaving them for fear of being seen, but merely waiting and biding his time. I nearly died once before finding you. I will not let him get at me again.”
"You have mixed nightmare with reality,” the Watcher retorted. “For such a brilliant mind to have conceived the Great Upheaval, you already appear to be falling to the paranoia that have haunted so many a great ruler. It is such paranoia that have caused their downfall.”
“I will not fall for this,” Jaigran snapped, glaring at his ally. “I am following by your principles: namely, to leave nothing loose and to assume nothing about the enemy. I will not be defeated by some cheap assassination. We will question the Sla’ad about many things once they’ve been re-educated. Teach them all the things you want. But I will ask them my questions.”
“Very well.”
Question of the Day: What are your thoughts on the Sla'ad whom Jaigran thinks is stalking him?
Date: Kornun 30th, 114 A.U.
Arzjlan slouched against the tree, wondering why they still had to keep watch for the elven airships. He hadn’t seen any in all the times that he’d been on watch, and he’d been on a watch many time for their tribe of Sla’ad. Nevertheless, it was his duty, and it was a duty that he had sworn to fulfill.
Straightening up, Azjlan looked through the night vision goggles at the sky around and still saw nothing, before looking around at the hills around. Ever since the elves had taken control and few dared to walk in open ground, without anyone to hunt them, the wild beasts had grown more and more numerous and spread out, no longer confined to the places where they could best hide from them. That, in Azjlan’s mind, was what he most was to look out for: wild animals that could tear their camp to shreds. There had been quite a few times that he’d had to fend against them.
Azjlan turned again to gaze out at the night sky, running his gaze across the sky but still saw nothing.
Ten elves slowly slid down on ropes, guns in their teeth as they silently exited from the silent airship. According to the radar, there was one person outside the camp, on one of the hills around it. But he still had not seen them. Moving silently, they moved forward toward the tree where they had finally deduced that he was. For a sentry—if that was what he was, which most of the leaders had assumed—he had forgotten the most obvious rule. Never turn your back to one side. Once this Sla’ad was incapacitated, they would have free rein to drop their elves all around the other side of the camp and surround it before coming in.
Azjlan rubbed his head as he looked back up at the sky before looking at his watch. His watch should be over soon. It probably wouldn’t hurt to go back and see where his replacement was. Straightening up he moved beside the tree and by chance looked back. And Azjlan screamed.
Moving down the hill as fast as he could, Azjlan heard the shots firing behind him, feeling many of them bounce off his elusive flesh. Even the fact that the gun shots couldn’t hurt him seeing as he was a Sla’ad didn’t make Azjlan feel any better. He had failed his tribe. At a most crucial time.
"Attack! Attack! We’re under attack!” Azjlan roared as he rushed forward. “We’re under attack! Get to your arms!” Sla’ad started bursting out of the tent as Azjlan moved forward, watching with his night vision goggles as all around the outskirts of the camp, elves slid down on their zip lines. How could he have failed his people at such a crucial time?
Azjlan quickly joined the others, having left the elves behind for a moment as he turned toward them. “They’re surrounding us on our sides!” he said. “I beg your pardon—I failed-”
“None of that right now,” their leader, Zavarja roared. “Get all of the women and children behind us, Hzavlar. We can’t be compassed about on our sides. We will take down the elves from this side and then form a battalion to guard those behind.”
Azjlan turned around to see the elves coming down the hill, guns firing, as Hzavlar ran back to gather the rest of the people. Azjlan began to feel his spirits again moving upward. If the elves thought that the gun bullets would hurt them, they would be woefully unprepared for the revelation that gun bullets had no impact on Sla’ad. And after their Emperor had marked the corsha weapons as ancient and outdated, there would be no chance of them having the one weapon that could hurt them. Azjlan drew out his corsha rezquiert as the elves rushed upon them, the Sla’ad drawing their weapons to repel these foolish elves.
Suddenly, the elves twisted and turned, pulling glowing daggers out of their pouches as they suddenly hurled themselves upon them with a new vigor. Azjlan gave a cry as many surprised Sla’ad were instantly cut down, not expecting the elves to have corsha weapons on them. Swinging his rezquiert, Azjlan slashed the face of one the elves as the elf stumbled backwards as several Sla’ad behind him drew their guns.
Guns fired, but before they could meet their target, an orc behind the elves sent them flinging aside with his lightning bolts. No, no, no. Azjlan hurled himself forward, swinging his rezquiert around like a mad man. There was a sudden blow to his head. And, seeing stars, Azjlan fell back into darkness.
“I just got a message back from our commander,” the Watcher said. “Our forces quickly surprised and overcame the Sla’ad with an elaborate feint of pretended ignorance. They captured two of the Sla’ad for you to question—an older Sla’ad who was part of the defense forces at the capital city, and a younger Sla’ad, who may be a useful tool to get the older Sla’ad to succumb to our methods of re-education.”
“Very good,” Emperor Jaigran said. “Perhaps they would also know about the Sla’ad who stalks me.”
The Watcher bristled. “You are mad, Jaigran, if you still believe in a Sla’ad that stalks you.”
"I am not mad!” Jaigran snapped. “I have seen him lurking in the shadows, never leaving them for fear of being seen, but merely waiting and biding his time. I nearly died once before finding you. I will not let him get at me again.”
"You have mixed nightmare with reality,” the Watcher retorted. “For such a brilliant mind to have conceived the Great Upheaval, you already appear to be falling to the paranoia that have haunted so many a great ruler. It is such paranoia that have caused their downfall.”
“I will not fall for this,” Jaigran snapped, glaring at his ally. “I am following by your principles: namely, to leave nothing loose and to assume nothing about the enemy. I will not be defeated by some cheap assassination. We will question the Sla’ad about many things once they’ve been re-educated. Teach them all the things you want. But I will ask them my questions.”
“Very well.”
Question of the Day: What are your thoughts on the Sla'ad whom Jaigran thinks is stalking him?
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