[Vfw-times] MK Pennance and Retribution, Ch 6

[Oren Otter]

Chapter 6
Evil targeted

	"Here's the plan." said the only remaining Hipocci warrior as he pointed
to the dirt map on the ground.  "Sytet's commander is here for the express
purpose of keeping us out of the Strand's hair tonight.  We can assume
this.  He's not going to be satisfied with our faked concession.  Now that
he knows where we are, he's going to come down here and attack the camp in
order to keep us busy.  When he gets here, he's going to find a camp full
of people.  That will be Gornul creating the illusion of people while we
make our way towards the enemy.
	Rupert, I want you to be in charge of the first group.  You'll go around
the north side and come down near Mist Ocean's hold.  Take Felice with you
as a guide.  Take both of the knights, the six guards, and six strong
Hipocci boys and girls.
	At your earliest opportunity, make as much noise as you possibly can.
Grab their attention and keep it.  Be as disruptive as you possibly can.
And... if you should find my father, all the better.  However, I'm not
counting on his being alive once this spell gets underway."
	Rupert looked down at his employer, obviously distraught at the thought of
leaving him unguarded.
	"Desuka, you're in charge of the second group.  You'll be taking the rest
of the camp in the wagons and circling around to the south.  Go around the
lake, come up and stop about a quarter mile east of the Strand.  You'll be
our food and medicine team once we're out, as well as our emergency backup
if anything goes wrong."  In a quieter tone directed at Desuka, but loud
enough for Rupert to hear, he added "And whatever you do, keep Phil safe.
He's our resident inspirational figure."
	The ape allowed himself a smile of relief.  For all of his flaws, the
Panda was an excellent bodyguard.
	"I'll be taking the third group in from the west side.  Jesse... and
Charles" he added after a moment's hesitation.  "You're coming with me.
We're going to go straight into the town square and do whatever we possibly
can to break up that spellcasting.  Gornul, as soon as the lutins have seen
through your illusion, come and join up with us.  Let them follow you.  A
band of lutins can't do a thing to help the spellcasting go smoothly while
they're trying to kill us."
	"Oren..." said Phil, hopping up beside the otter.  "I know you want to
keep me safe, but I have to come with you."
	Oren shook his head in disbelief.  Was this Phil the rabbit?  Phil being
brave?  "But..."
	"The prophecy, Oren.  You need me."
	"I've never been one to base decisions on prophecy." Oren lied.  Think of
what Thomas would do to me if you got hurt."  He deliberately avoided
saying "Killed".  " Not to mention Rupert.  Or Clover, for that matter!"
	"I am thinking of them." said Phil, beginning to tremble slightly.
"That's why I have to come."
	Picking up the rabbit prince, Oren handed him to Desuka.  "Make sure
nothing happens to him."
	Phil protested, but in the end, the panda won out and placed him safely in
the wagon.

	* * *

	Misha held his torch as high as the low ceiling would allow.  As surely as
his name was Misha Brightleaf, he'd track down and free Danielle.
	"Peekaboo!  I see you!"
	The fox whirled to see the inky black form of Danielle behind him.
Immediately, he thrust his torch forward at the monster's face.  The
blackness seemed to shrink away.  He could hear gasping and a strangled
voice calling "Misha, help me!"
	The torch fluttered.  Misha risked a glance backward to see a darkman, his
faceless head thrust forward in a pantomime of blowing out a flame.  A
freezing wind emanated from the place its mouth should have been,
extinguishing the torch.
	Tossing the torch away to free both hands, Misha drew his axe.  Even in
total darkness, it proved a formidable weapon, and for a few moments, he
managed to keep both monsters at arm's length.
	Then something most extraordinary happened.  An enormous hand gripped the
fox.  He yelped in alarm as his entire torso became ensnared.  Seizing the
opportunity, the darkman leapt upon the helpless captain of the longs, its
ice cold skin blistering Misha beneath his fur.
	"Surprised?" asked the shell.  "Did you know that Danielle had these
powers?  She never used her skill at creating magical force barriers for
anything other than armor, but I know how to wield her power!"
	Misha smiled.
	"What?" the shell demanded in alarm.  She whirled around to see half a
dozen long scouts carrying covered lanterns.  With a synchronized motion,
they removed the covers, allowing light to flood the corridor.
	In a scream of pain, the darkman vanished completely.  The shell bellowed
in rage and dashed away down the passage to the safety of the shadows,
carrying a helpless Danielle with it.  "Stop struggling!" the being hissed.
 "You're mine!  Your soul is mine, now!  You are nothing but my internal
organ!"
	"It's weak!" Misha cried between heaving breaths.  "After it!"
	* * *

		"I have to ask," said Jesse as he trudged along between Oren and Charles.
 "What exactly is it that we're going to do in order to break up the spell
casting?"
	"I don't know." Oren replied.
	Charles knitted his brow.  "Oren, you amaze me." he said.
	"DON'T ...push me, Charles." Oren responded.
	"What is that supposed to mean?"
	"Look, rat... my girlfriend is dying.  My father has been kidnapped.  I
just say my hometown lying in ruins, my people living like lutins, and
what's more, if I fail with this mission, everybody DIES!  The last thing I
need is further pressure from you!"
	Jesse slowed his pace to walk behind the combatants.
	"And you don't think I feel the same pressure?  Your world is threatening
to collapse underneath you.  Well so is mine, Oren.  If we fail, everything
is gone.  Yes, your beloved is dying, and I'm sorry, but if we don't make
it back, my fiancé will end up just as dead."
	Oren paused, his brows smoothing and his tail going still.  "Fiancé?"
	Charles seemed to quiet as well.  "Not quite, actually.  You asked me once
when I planned to propose to her.  I was planning to make it next week.
I'm..."
	Charles didn't finish.  It wasn't his way to express the emotion which he
was feeling.
	"Afraid." Oren finished.  "You're afraid that you'll never get the chance."
	The rat nodded, his facial features tightly squeezed, as if the admission
caused him great physical strain.
	Oren wanted to reach out and comfort his friend.  The time, however, was
not right.  He still felt betrayed, and knew, on a more intellectual level,
that Charles did, too.
	The three of them continued walking in silence.
	* * *

	Rupert made a point of knowing the names of everyone he was going into
battle with.  He would not be able to say them, of course, but it helped to
create a sort of comeradery which they would need to work as a team.
	Among the guards, there were Kaj and Kilix, the boys.  There were Jonathan
and Daniel, the two burly amazons, and there were Barnaeus the old squid
and Andrew the stegosaurus.
	Among the Hipocci were Two older boys named Leo and Xan.  Behind them
walked two healthy young women named Sambrea and Naomi.  The last two were
an elderly but strapping man named Dekay and the young one on whom he
perpetually kept one eye, the thirdak named Sandy.  There was much
objection at first over sending such a young child into battle, until Sandy
made it clear that while she was in the thirdak's body, there was almost
nothing the Stranders could do to her.
	There was of course, Sir Samantha and Sir Saulius.  Both seemed far more
alive than usual.  One could almost hear the blood rushing through their
veins.
	Felice, however, did not share the knights' joi d'vivre.  She was tense
and alert, but not out of any sort of joy at getting back into action.  Her
underlying emotions were rage and fear.
	Perhaps a fight song might lift her spirits.  Certainly, it could do no
harm to the morale of the others, and it would further their goal of
attracting attention.  Rupert gestured to Samantha to try to get her to
sing something.  It took several minutes for the knight to understand, but
once she got the idea, she nodded and smiled as her husky alto voice rang out:
	"When there is trouble who do they call?
	Who are the ones who never will fall?
	Who can take a curse and never even blink?
	Who boldly plunges on and never thinks to shrink?
	Who makes the most of being beast so wild?
	Who can slay a horde as a woman or a child?
	Who saves the day from their own front door?
	The warriors of Metamor!"
	After a moment of thought, she amended the last line.  "We're Hipocc and
Metamor!"
	At Rupert's encouragement, the others took up the song, timidly at first,
then with hearty gusto as they approached the enemy village.
	A tangible barrier stopped the group momentarily.  Without missing a beat,
each one produced a magic cancellation charm.  The Hipocci walked through
the magical barrier surrounding the town, followed by the Keepers, who had
only slightly more trouble.
	Rupert wanted to snap out something like "All right, boys and girls, we're
here to create a diversion.  Let's give these blighters the biggest
diversion we've got!"  Naturally, he didn't.  Instead, he pounded his chest
with both fists and issued forth a gorilla roar which made even his
comrades' blood freeze in their veins.
	The Stranders were slow to respond.  Of all the contingencies, no one had
been contemplated the arrival of a handful of marauders led by a great ape.
 For the first few minutes, at least, the allied warriors were enjoying
themselves.
	* * *

	A bush on the outskirts of the refugee camp made it's report to Kayrok.
"The Keeper caravan left in an easterly direction less than an hour ago.
However, a large number of both Hipocci and Keepers have stayed behind."
	Kayrok could barely make out the form of Norebo within the talking bush.
Scrawny the lutin from the ironfoot tribe may be, but he was a wiz at
disguises.  "Anything else to report?" asked Kayrok.
	"Well..."
	"Go on.  If you have something, I wish to know."
	"I've noticed something odd in the camp.  People appearing in a certain
place only to show up in another location seconds later."
	Kayrok stared toward the camp.  "Good work, Norebo.  Lutins, stay here."
The dark green commander instructed as he walked toward the enemy.
Striding along as though he belonged there, he walked right up to a pair of
humanoid rats... and through them.
	"It's an illusion!" called Kayrok.  "There is no one here.  Look at the
tracks on the ground."
	Instantly, the existing tracks multiplied.  Wheel tracks and footprints
littered the dirt."
	"Hornbeam!" called the commander."
	"Here, Sir!" replied a wispy looking lutin.
	"There is a psionic being somewhere in the vicinity which is projecting
false images into our minds.  Use your nose to track it down and destroy it!"
	"As you command!"
	* * *

	As he had been instructed, Gornul beat a hasty retreat, eager to leave the
lutins behind and rejoin his friends.

	* * *

	"There." said Kayrok.  "The tracks are clear, now.  The enemy went in
three directions.  A large band of fighters to the north, a smaller group
to the east, and the caravan around the shore of the lake."
	"Do we follow the fighters, Sir?" asked Sujan.
	"No.  That's what they're expecting.  They want us to follow and create
utter mayhem trying to fight them in Devil's Strand.  It's what I would do.
 No, we follow the caravan.  That's where the civilians will be.  The old,
the young, the wounded... We capture the caravan and the fighters will come
to their rescue.  We'll face them on a battlefield of our choice and on our
own terms."
	"Brilliant!" cried Sujan.
	"Don't kiss up to me." said Kayrok, lightly.  "You've got a brilliant mind
of your own, and you're of much more use to us all if you exercise it."
	"Yes, Commander." said Sujan, simultaneously abashed and proud.
	"Lord Kayrok!" someone called.  It was subcommander Redfoot.  "Kayrok, we
have a problem!"
	"What is it?"
	"It's Dimtorch, Sir."
	Kayrok massaged his brow.  There were few lutins who considered a lack of
intelligence a significant weakness.  For Dimtorch, however, they made an
exception.  He truly lived up to his name, and thus far, had proven to be
so thick in the skull that his chief purpose to date was to act as a
humanoid shield for his fellow warriors.  "What did he do?"
	"He drank from the lake, Sir.  Just like Mist Ocean warned us against."
	As redfoot was delivering his report, a huge beast came lumbering into the
camp.  It looked like a blue polar bear with a dolphin's tail, except for
the finlike ears on its head.  "Dimtorch sorry." said the beast.  "Dimtorch
not mean to make boo boo."
	Kayrok studied the beast which Dimtorch had become.  With his newfound
bulk, claws, teeth, tough hide, and obvious aquatic prowess, he began to
make Kayrok think that Dim's stupidity might just have some advantages
after all.
	* * *

	When Gornul caught up with the others, he replayed the scene at the camp.
	"He's going to go after the caravan." said Oren.
	"How do you know?"
	"This Kayrok fellow was studying the tracks in the dirt.  He's going to
see that the bulk of us went with the caravan."
	"Phil..." Charles whispered.
	Oren paused.  For a moment, he turned towards the lake, gazing out at the
point where the caravan would be.
	"We don't know it for sure." said Jesse, calmly.
	Oren wembled.  He thought that if he had to choose between an individual
and the Keep, the choice would be obvious and easy.  Yet the thought of
being blamed for the death of the Prince of Whales was rather heavy.  He
started back.
	"Oren, no!"
	It took the four Keepers a moment to figure out where the voice had come
from.  It was Phil, the rabbit, hiding behind a bush and trembling.
	Oren would have been livid were he not so surprised.  "Phil, what are you
doing here?"
	"I followed you." said the rabbit as the otter brought him out into the
open.  You need me.  Your people's prophecy says that you need me."
	"Phil..."
	"The Stranders' spell is vulnerable to light.  I've been studying fire
magic.  I haven't told anyone until now, but you need my new abilities."
	"Phil, we're going to be putting ourselves in mortal danger!"
	"I know that, Oren!" said the rabbit, now trembling so hard that he looked
as though he were in the middle of an earthquake.  "But Clover is in peril
as well.  If we fail, my beloved will die."
	"I understand." said Charles.  "All this time, my thoughts have been of
Lady Kimberly."
	Gornul flashed an image of his girlfriend, Natalie.
	Oren nodded.  "And of course, the chief reason I am here is for Ana."
	"Don't look at me." said Jesse.  "I'm a happy bachelor."
	"Does Rupert know that you're here?"
	"No."
	"Does Desuka?"
	"No.  He doesn't realize it, but Desuka is watching over Zuzu's pet hare,
Nibbles."
	The otter would have chuckled, except that he was too busy being so amazed
by this behavior which was so abnormal for the self-proclaimed cowardly
rabbit-prince.  The events of the past season were bringing out a part of
Phil which even he might not have known was there.  Indeed, it seemed as if
everyone was changing.  Even Oren himself had become so incredibly serious
and sober.  It was as if...  With his back to the others, Oren chuckled to
himself.
	"What's so funny?"
	"I'm not childlike."
	"What?  But you are..." said Jesse.
	"No.  I've allowed this whole experience to change me for the worst.  I've
become some sort of brooding war chief."
	Charles came up behind Oren.  "It's easy to do.  We all..."
	No one expected what the otter did next.  Lifting his hands to the sky he
cried out "I AM OF YESHUA!  No weapon formed against me shall prosper!  I
will not be manipulated by the evil one!"
	Only Phil seemed to display confusion at the outburst.
	Turning to Charles, Oren said "My dear friend MattRat, I wish to say I'm
sorry.  I should never have spied on you."
	Charles smiled weakly.  "And I apologize for keeping score against you."
	"I've been a fool.  I've allowed my spirit to be chained by the evil one."
 Right then and there, he prayed aloud.  "Father, protect my... our spirits
and our minds from the attacks of the enemy."  Looking back at Charles and
Phil, he said "My friends, I want to pull down all the barriers between us
right now.  With your permission?"
	Charles hesitated, but nodded.  Gornul and Jesse would have to know, soon.
	"My friends, we have five unique and powerful abilities represented, here.
 You know of mine.  I am almost completely immune to magic.  Like all
Hipocci, I am also highly trained in magic negation.  Unlike my kin,
however, I have had time to study magic in detail at the Keep, even though
I am incapable of performing it.
	Gornul's power you also know.  He is a psionic with the ability to
generate images with only a thought.  His ability has also been augmented
by special knowledges only found at the Keep.
	Jesse Roo is the last of a line which has been held in reserve for this
moment.  His eldritch missile spell has been one of the most carefully
guarded secrets in Lorland until his power was made public at the trial.
	Phil has recently begun the study of fire magic.  His previous experience
as a firemaster gives his a double dose of power, one magical and one
scientific.
	Charles..."
	The rat cringed, visibly.
	"You may have heard me refer to Charles as the "Rat of Might" on occasion.
 This isn't a jest.  He has a powerful source of magic within him which
makes him incredibly strong.  Jesse, Gornul, this secret you must guard
with your lives.  You know because you need to know.  Tell no one."
	Both the kangaroo and the dragon nodded.  Phil still seemed somewhat
bewildered by the whole affair.
	A gleam came to Oren's eye.  He was struck with an idea, and as he set
about explaining his idea, the old Oren, the one who had once risked life
and limb on little more than whimsy, began to show through once more.



-Oren the Otter
8=-3
tlhaQ biQ Ha'DIbaH
The Changing Workplace: http://www.geocities.com/duster_skunk/strips.htm