Kingdom of Camelon:Ch4

Ch. 4
Armies Amass
         Niniar felt a sharp pain in the back of his head as he slowly regained consciousness. He had no idea how he got on the ground and why his head hurt. As he opened his eyes all he could see was the darkening sky. The sky was an orange purple hue with long streaming yellow clouds. A flock of birds flew over head in a diamond formation, squawking loudly as they passed over. Niniar could tell from the squawking that it was a flock of purple ravens, the spies of evil. He slowly got up feeling the back of his head. A little lump with blood had appeared at the back if his head. Then it hit him. Where was Amora? What had he done? Frantically he got up, wobbling from the pain he felt in his shoulder and head. He tried to figure out what had happened. He could see that blood was splattered in different places on the ground. Had he accidentally kill Amora?
“Amora!!” Niniar yelled, trying to see if she was still alive somewhere in the woods. “Amora!!” he repeated, this time even louder. Suddenly a hand touched him on the shoulder. Niniar spun around and drew his dagger. He grabbed the person and put the dagger at their neck.
          “Niniar its me!” Amora said worriedly.
Niniar quickly released his firm grip and hugged her. “I thought I had accidentally killed you.” He said in a sigh of relief.
         “No. I’m not dead yet. I had to knock you out because you killed a deeralope. Please if you’re hungry, just tell me. I have food in my pack.” 
         “I am most sorry Amora. I won’t do that again. It’s that when I am hungry I do things without thinking. It’s my curse for…” Niniar hesitated. “Never mind.”
         “Are you sure? You can tell me” Amora said encouragingly
         “No. I would rather not talk about it.” Niniar said with shame.
         “It’s ok about the killing of the deeralope. I knew it was a natural human reaction. Nature has a funny way of doing things. Trust me, I know”
The flock of ravens flew over head again. Amora looked up and said “We should leave. We are not safe in this evil kingdom. We are only two days away from Camelot.”
Amora whistled a double pitch tone.  It was so beautiful and calming that Niniar almost fell asleep. Then a thunderous squawk rang throughout the dead forest. In the distance a creature came galloping at fullspeed. As it got closer Niniar could see it was Fluffery, Amora’s griffen. Niniar noticed for the first time how majestic the creature was. It’s gallop so precise and fluid. It’s piercing eyes could paralyze any creature in its path. Fluffery slid sideways to a stop in front of Niniar and Amora spraying dirt in their direction.
         “ Fluffery. Why you do that?” Amora said in an authoritative look.
The griffin made a strange hissing noise while its eyes where closed. Niniar realized the griffen was laughing.
         “I’m sorry she just likes playing around with people. He has a playful spirit, just like his favorite human friend.” Amora said apologetically.
         “Its ok. I thought you were his favorite friend?” Niniar said
         “O no. I’m his master and mother figure. Both his parents were killed in battle back in the last great rebellion. I took care of the egg before it hatched and later of Fluffery when he hatched out.” Amora stated while petting the griffen behind its ear.
         “If my recollection of Camelon's history is correct, the last great rebellion was over a hundred years ago. That must mean that both of you must be old.” Niniar said in a puzzled voice.
         “Yes. That is true. I’m older than Fluffery by 300 years.”
Ninar looked in amazement. How old do elementals last? Niniar thought. As if knowing Niniar’s question Amora said “Elementals are know to last forever. They can only die if ripped apart back to their original state. Love elementals are the only ones to die by physical means. As for griffens they can last for about 200 years if treated right. So Fluffery is about 120 years old. He is at his prime. Enough talking for now, I’ll feel safer in Camelon.”
The griffen squawked in agreement. Amora jumped on the griffen and put her hand out to help Niniar up. He looked up at her and was mesmerized by her look. Her violet eyes were so deep and pure.
         “Ninar. Are you ok?” Amora asked smiling, knowing why he was not moving.
         “O sorry. Did anyone ever tell you your eyes were the most beautiful  thing they had ever seen.” Ninar said
Blushing she replied “No.”
         “Well they are.” Ninair said this while grabbing Amoras’ hand and climbing up onto the griffens’ back. Still blushing Amora gently hit Fluffery behind the side of his head. The griffen gave a powerful thrust with his wings. They shot up into the sky heading towards Camelon.

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2 Days Later

Abaddon was in his massive quarters reading the book History and Power of Excalibur. He read the book to take his mind off the fact that he was going to attack the might kingdom Camelon and take its resources. Abaddon's room was enormous, with a high arched ceiling and large and large pillars supporting parts of the ceiling and decorating the walls. Abaddon had collected many artifacts over his long life time, from unicorn horns to Alezan's magic shield, to Elder scrolls stolen from Merlin’s library. He even had a large collection of rare sorcerer stones used by ancient warlords to conquer foreign lands. Abaddon liked surrounding himself with great and rare things.
         Abaddon was so engulfed in the book he did not notice anything around him. He daydreamed of having Excalibur and hacking away at his enemies. The chaos around him drowned the screams of his victims. He just kept hacking away at innocent people, giving no mercy. His hands were covered with the blood of each soul he had stolen. Suddenly a knock came to the door throwing him back to reality.
         “May I come in my lord.” Larsin’s voice came from behind the door.
         “Co…Co…Come in.” Abaddon’s was out of breath.
The door swung open and Larsin walked in, his hoofed feet clattering on the stone floor.
         “My lord, the last of the armies has arrived. Would you like to see them?” Larsin said as he starred at Abaddon in a weird manner.
         “Yes, of course. Let me get into something more suitable. I will be ready in 5 mectars.”
Mectar was the name for minutes used in Nolava. Abaddon’s hate for Camelon was so great he changed the names of many things so they would not be the same as that of Camelon. Hectars were hours and sectars were seconds.
         “What are you starring at?” Abaddon said still a little out of breath.
         “Are you ok my lord?” Larsin said while pointing to Abaddon’s hands. Abaddon looked down at his hands and was terrified. With his eyes wide he slowly lifted his shaking hands. They were covered with thick red blood. It dripped in large globs, splashing onto the floor.
         “I…I…I’m fine. Just leave me alone. I will meet you in 7 mectars. Leave. Now!”
Larsin sprinted out of the of the room. “Sorry, My Lord. I will wait for you in the courtyard.”
         Abaddon just kept starring at his bloody hands. “What is happening to me?”

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         Barmond was waiting in the gate yard, the yard in between the outer gate of the castle and the castle, for the arrival of Amora and her shady guest. He didn’t trust her guest, especially if it was the person he had heard of that lead the attack on a traveling group of women and children just for revenge. After the transmission 2 days ago Barmond feared Amora had been killed. But then he got a message this morning saying that Amora was coming at noon.
         A horn rang through the sky, signaling the arrival of Amora. A loud squawk blasted through the air. Barmond looked up and saw a large flying creature. It dive bombed towards Barmond at a high speed. The large creature cut through the air like a hot knife through butter. Just before closing his eyes Barmond saw the creatures honey colored eyes and felt a sudden calmness go over his body. He knew he was safe. A large gust of wind hit Barmond, but did not knock him down. He heard the thud of the creature as it hit the ground. Barmond stood still and slowly opened his eyes. Big glassy eyes starred at Barmond, showing signs of happiness. Barmond stroked the creature’s beck, only a few inches away from his face.
         “Hello Fluffery. How’s my favorite griffen doing” Barmond said in a childish tone.
         Fluffery purred as Barmond stroked its head.
         “And how are you doing Amora.” Barmond said as Amora came from behind Fluffery. She had entered through the front gates as she always did when arriving to Camelot.
         “Aww.  You didn’t get scared.” Amora said in a pouty voice.
         “Well this is like the hundredth time you’ve done this. You are going to have to find another way to scare me.” Barmond’s voice seemed triumphant, like one of a child proving his worthiness. Barmond walked up to Amora, while she gave a bow. He gave a nod while saying “there is no need to bow Amora, we are friends.”
         “I shall always bow to the ruler of this great kingdom”
         “So where is this ‘friend’ you where talking about. What knowledge can he give us”
         Niniar walked in from the gate way looking at everything around him. He had never seen such beauty in his whole life. All the intricate metal work and carvings overwhelmed his mind. He swore that magic made everything around him. He came up to Barmond and saw that he was a tall medium build man. He had blond hair and green eyes with a delicate face. He looks nothing like a leader, more like a young playful boy. Niniar thought. He then remembered that Amora had told him that Barmond was Fluffery’s best human friend. She told him how they would play for hours. No wonder his people don’t like him. It’s a surprise the kingdom hasn’t already fallen.
         Niniar gave a deep bow out of respect. “Stuart of Camelon, I am Niniar Valdesee Carvos, Captain of the Guards and Defense of the Kingdom of Nolava. I am here to serve you and your kingdom and not bring harm to this magnificent place of beauty. I pledge…”
         Barmond put his hand up to signal to stop Niniar from talking.
         “There is no need for that. If Amora trusts you as a friend of the kingdom then I trust you. Welcome to the Kingdom of Camelon. You are a guest here. Let’s go talk inside.”
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         Abaddon had taken a little longer to get ready due to the slashes he had on his wrists. While reading the book, he was pushing his wrists on the edge of the table, slowly cutting into him. This explained why his hands were covered with blood. He left to inspect his armies on his          accompanied by Larsin on his            . As they approached the armies, Abaddon saw the thousands of creatures that had formed a massive campground. This great sight brought Abaddon to tears. Now he could final accomplish his goal to gain respect from the north Kingdom of Camelon and resources for his people. He circled over the 300,000 unorganized creatures, getting a glimpse at all of the different species of creatures. The first group he noticed was the Orcs, with their bulky dirty armor and black smoke rising from their camp area.
         Orcs are dark green colored beasts. They have black hair that is often long but sometimes put in to short ponytails. They are taller than most humans and have bulky muscular bodies. There bones are thicker than humans and they can withstand large amounts of wounds, much greater than humans. Orcs are savage creatures that are not to smart.          
         Orcs are related to elves, evolving from the same Elvish species. About 100,000 years ago four Elvish tribes named Dore, Remi, Dodo, and Tido migrated to the southern mountains, now in the Nolava Kingdom. They went in search of a mystical stone said to have been touch by God. The stone posed the power to control all and give the bearer great knowledge and providence. The four tribes wanted the stone to better there species and bring everlasting peace. They saw the potential danger humans could be and wanted to prevent this. The search went unfruitful and the tribes slowly adapted to the harsh conditions of the land, gaining muscle and thicker bones. They slowly grew with hatred as each attempt to find the stone failed. As time past they where no longer Elvish, but had evolved in what is now Orcs. There skin had turned green due to the lack of nutrition and there knowledge of magic was forgotten. The Orcs had reverted back to savagery. Tribes split even more battling for power make the Orcs spread through the land. Only the Dore tribe stayed together and still remembered of the stone.
         Abaddon was now over the Goblin armies. He noticed their lighter armor and archery weapons organized into diamonds. The Goblins are a dark olive color and have a smaller built body. They are more agile than Orcs and use lighter weapons, their favorite and best being the bow and arrow. They are more intelligent than Orcs.
         The Dore tribe delved deep into the caves of the mountain range in one final attempt to find the elusive stone. This final attempt was done at the beginning of the First Age of Camelon. This attempt miserably failed. The tribe got lost in the caves after, either by sabotage or accident; the main entrance had caved in. The environment was harsh; cold, damp, and dark. The Orcs bulkiness diminished due to no need for muscles in small places. Their eyes enlarged due to the darkness. They had evolved into Gobilins, which they named themselves there first leader Gobilin Drakin. They eventually found a way out; spreading their evil on the land. The tribe broke into smaller factions, some joining Orc tribes.
         Abaddon flew to the front of the camp where all of the leaders of the different armies meet. He landed in front of an elaborate tent larger than a two story house.
         “Welcome King Abaddon. I am Vesna, spokesman for this camp. Come with sire, we have much to talk about.” Abaddon and Larsin followed the Dark Elf into the tent. In the tent Abaddon could see it was fully lite masking the fact that it was dusk. A thick central beam with smaller beams supported the cloth tent. Many commanders were conversing around wooden tables. All stopped what they were doing and looked at Abaddon. A rodentious, a rat humanoid, walked in front of the others and said in a squeaky voiced “Sos tis is tes Grets Abdons. Rulers ffs tese lands frs centres. Ise expecs ase largers, strongers creeturs. Ise didn’ts expecs its tos bese ase patetics humans. Ise guess stories gets ovrs…” Blood started coming out of the Rodentious’s mouth. He looked down and saw several daggers sticking out of him. Abaddon’s arm was out stretched, with one dagger in his hand. His face did not show anger, but of a crazy happiness.
         “Thank you for your introduction. Does anyone have a better introduction for me? No, well then get back to what you were doing.” Abaddon’s smile could creep out the strongest minded demon.
         “So Vesna, what do you have for me?”

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         It had only been 2 days and Wilner was already losing hope on his journey. Demanston and Wilner had been walking nonstop, eating snacks as they walked.
         “I’m hungry. When are we going to stop and rest? We’ve been walking for two days straight. Hey. Wilner, are you listing to me. Wilner!” Demanston said trying to get Wilner’s attention.
         Wilner’s mind had drifted off, admiring the beautiful sunset and the endless sea of grass in front of them. To the left he could see in the distance a thin line of tree tops. From his studies of maps and travelers stories, Wilner knew that was the Great Redwood Forest. Wilner saw the wind blow the grass in large waves. He truly felt small in the vast grassy plain. The purple and orange hues melted in the sky with a fewer stars visible above the sunset.
         A small rock flew across the air and hit Wilner on the back of his head.
         “Awo. What the frack was that.” Wilner yelled as he grabbed the back of his head.
         “Well I was screaming at you and you still weren’t listening to me. You get so zombie like when you admire things. Anyway like I was saying, we should camp tonight. I’m tired and hungry.”
         “That freaking hurt man.” Wilner kept complaining scratching his head.
         “Quit being such a baby. I barley threw that pebble. So are we camping.”
         Demanston always had a tendency to over exaggerate things. He also used more strength than was necessary.
         “Let me see how far we have gone.”
         Wilner took out a large folded paper from his large back bag. He carefully unfolded the paper, revealing the map. The map showed all of the inner Kingdom of Camelon.
         The inner kingdom was the most populated part of the kingdom. Its borders were defined by the Satanic mountains to the west, the Angelic mountains to the north, the Atlantis sea to the east, and the Great Wall of Farus, Gate City mountains and the Towers of Alezer to the south. The Kingdom of Nolava begins to the south. To the west and north are the lands of the outer kingdom. The outer kingdom has many exotic creatures and plants. To most people the outer kingdom is not considered that important; so many maps don’t include it. In the Council of Truth, a group of elected people that represent the different regions of the kingdom, only one person represents the outer kingdom.
         Wilner drew his wand from his wand holster around his waist. He drew a rectangle around Ferfeild, Tafilin, and the blinking ink star that indicated where the map itself was. He tapped the map, instantly making the rectangle area expand, zooming into the area. The rectangle grew to the size of the paper. Wilner could see Tafilin at the bottom and Ferfield to the top of the page. The blinking ink star was about halfway on the page.
         “Well we’ve gone        miles. Ferfield looks like it’s another two days away. Yeah I guess we can rest.”
         Wilner looked up from the map and saw Demanston had already unpacked some food and a large blanket.
         “Are going to join me?” Demanston said chuckling
         “You were going to camp here no matter what I said, right.”
         “Yup”
         “So why didn’t you just say we were going to camp instead of making me pull out the map.”
         “Why are you getting so flustered? It’s not such a big deal.”
         “ The problem is that you do things no matter what. Just do it and don’t make me go through all the trouble. You always do this. It annoys me crazy.”
         Demanston just looked up with a face full of bread and honey, smiling at Wilner. Angered Wilner put his pack down and took out a leather water bag to drink.
         The sun had finally set to the west revealing the onyx black sky. The stars twinkled in the sky like fireflies. A cool breeze  blew across the field chilling Wilner.
         “We should start a fire. Its getting a little cool and harder to see in the dark.” Wilner said straining his eyes to find some stones to make a fire perimeter.
         The only light came from the large cratered moon and stars. Erie shadows covered Demanston’s face making him look a little demonic. He was very sleepy and wanted to sleep.
         “Let’s just go to sleep. I’m tired.” Demanston said as he yawned.
         “I’ll just make a small fire to warm up this dry jerky.”
         Wilner put a few rocks he found into a circle. Pulling out his wand, he pointed it to the patch of grass in the middle of the circle.
         “Infuego perenio”
         Instantly a small fire ball jetted out of the wand and hit the grass. Some of the grass caught fire but it was still to small to cook anything.
         “We need wood. That should make the flames larger and make the fire last longer.”
         “We need to sleep. Aren’t you tired. Besides where are we going to get wood from? We’re in the middle of the Pixel Plains, there’s no wood for miles.”
         A rustle came from behind Wilner, causing him to jump forward and roll into the small fire. The light instantly disappeared, the pitch black darkness consuming back the area.
         “What was that?” Wilner’s voice trembled as he readied his wand.
         “It was probably a rabbit or some other small creature. Just go to sleep Wilner.” Demanston said in a sleepy voice.
         “Fine. I just need a little light to get my blanket out.” Wilner repeated the magic words he had said earlier to make the small fire. He grabbed his blanket from the side of his pack and put the fire out. The darkness felt a little peaceful to Wilner. He went to sleep next to Demanston unknowing of the small creatures that stared at both of them.