{"id":2654,"date":"2020-06-19T13:45:48","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T17:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/?p=2654"},"modified":"2020-06-22T13:49:31","modified_gmt":"2020-06-22T17:49:31","slug":"3-realms-2-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/3-realms-2-21\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Realms 2-21"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Endeavor<\/em> finally arrived at the island and held position in its airspace. The plan was simple at first glance, but required the tightest of communication. Arsha would lead one team to distract Dr. Borg and her allies, Marshii would lead a medical team to get Melgem and Reb to the relative safety of the Endeavor<\/em>, and Penshek would lead a team to get the Scale Sword out of its hiding place. Arsha\u2019s team teleported to the island\u2019s rocky northern shores. The rocks were large and offered little comfort. The team took up positions for an ambush, mental communications only. \u201cArsha,\u201d Foresna called over the mental frequency, \u201cyou do realize Dr. Borg\u2019s most likely intercepted your transmission to Reb, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probable,\u201d replied Arsha\u2019s thoughts. \u201cIn fact, I\u2019m counting on it.\u201d Right on cue, Dr. Borg and Yulduk came up the steady slope. \u201cThere you are,\u201d Arsha purred to herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMight as well come out,\u201d Dr. Borg called. \u201cWe know you\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would have been insulted if you didn\u2019t,\u201d replied Arsha. She gave a hand-signal for everyone to hold their position. \u201cSo, what\u2019s Oyed promising you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s between me and him,\u201d dismissed Dr. Borg. \u201cYou have bigger concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike what?\u201d scoffed Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike us, for starters!\u201d called another voice. At that moment, five people revealed themselves from vantage points higher than anyone on Arsha\u2019s team. They were a female Naga, a male Ice Elf, a male Cecaelia, a female Slime, and a male human. They all had one thing in common; they had the same ashen skin and blue veins of light as Yulduk. The only thing that indicated the Slime was a Revenant was her core having the same veins as a Revenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe you know these Revenants,\u201d chuckled Dr. Borg. \u201cEltan Sontor, Sheendii Eltraa, Drelta Meltrek, Blenter Ansii, and Entran Deltar, the people who died under your command during your first encounter with Reb Rojam.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, I remember them,\u201d snarled Arsha. \u201cI also remember their funeral, you ghoul!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA worthless effort!\u201d burbled the Slime, Blenter. \u201cAll you did was put on a show and give the illusion that you would remember us!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour deaths still haunt me!\u201d argued Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo they?!\u201d hissed the human, Entran. \u201cOr is that what you tell yourself to help you keep up appearances?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTell us,\u201d demanded the Cecaelia, Drelta, \u201cdid you actually look our families in the eye as you told them we wouldn\u2019t be coming home or did you simply take the coward\u2019s way out and write condolence letters?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI understand you blame me,\u201d interjected Arsha, \u201cbut I made sure you were immortalized! To answer the question, I both wrote letters AND explained your deaths in person!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou still considered the coward\u2019s way out!\u201d accused the Naga, Eltan. \u201cJust know this, THIS is what your future will be!\u201d She gestured to herself. \u201cYou will die and it will all be because of Realmfleet!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur future has the potential of being tragic,\u201d interjected Foresna, \u201cbut it\u2019s not going to be Realmfleet\u2019s fault! You\u2019ve all been warped by Oyed and Dr. Borg\u2019s evil!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI guess Arsha never told you HOW we died,\u201d snarled the Ice Elf, Sheendii. \u201cA pirate ran his sword through my chest! A member of the Endeavor<\/em> saw it and did NOTHING!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would have executed Yotek!\u201d boasted Eltan. \u201cBut Oak wanted the glory! He held me back and allowed me to be cut down by Under-Splitter Golems!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo!\u201d declared Foresna. \u201cI don\u2019t believe that!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne day,\u201d proclaimed Blenter, \u201cRealmfleet WILL fail you! Then, you will believe!\u201d Arsha looked around before deciding on the next move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFIRE ON THE ROCKS!\u201d she called. Everyone fired magic blasts at the rocks above them, making the Realmfleet Revenants lose balance and tumble with the rocks as Arsha and her team got away. The Revenants regrouped and attacked Arsha\u2019s team with Eltan making her way to Arsha. Arsha raised her hands in a defensive manner as Eltan assumed a Naga\u2019s combat stance. \u201cYou spew Oyed and Dr. Borg\u2019s lies!\u201d snarled Arsha. \u201cYou believe yourself to be a savior when, in reality, all you\u2019re doing is helping that pure-blooded Sprite enslave the Realms!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho\u2019s a pure-blood?!\u201d shouted Dr. Borg as she joined Eltan. \u201cMy bloodline is blended, thank you! And you claim I\u2019m enslaving the Realms?! I\u2019m liberating us all from the shackles of limitations! How was I ever so blind as to believe that we need limits?!\u201d She and Eltan then flanked Arsha and attacked! As they fought, more Revenants joined the fray. There\u2019s one advantage the Undead have over the living; they never tire out. The Revenants still battled as Arsha\u2019s team steadily became tired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cArsha, are we even doing anything?!\u201d gasped Gorfanth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust keep it up,\u201d panted Arsha. \u201cWe need to show them that our way is the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll fail miserably in the attempt,\u201d scoffed Dr. Borg as she continued the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

While the fight went on, Penshek led his team through the winding corridors of Dr. Borg\u2019s base. \u201cI can feel it! It\u2019s this way!\u201d whispered Penshek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what you said in the last corridor!\u201d hissed Bashoon. \u201cAnd the one before that! Heck, you said that in EVERY corridor we\u2019ve been down!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, do YOU have a better plan?!\u201d snapped Penshek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, actually,\u201d replied Bashoon. \u201cWe use the base\u2019s computer system to find the Scale Sword\u2019s location!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd risk alerting everyone here?!\u201d argued Penshek. As they argued, Elmar tapped Penshek\u2019s shoulder and alerted him to a pirate rounding the corner. The pirate looked bleary-eyed, as if he just woke up from a nap. He had a cup of coffee in his hand and just shuffled down the corridor until he could see Penshek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, who are you?\u201d he asked, slurring his words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEr, we\u2019re…uhm…\u201d stammered Penshek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re new recruits!\u201d supplied Bashoon. \u201cWe were told to report to where the Scale Sword was being held…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c…but we got lost on the way!\u201d finished Penshek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHuh? Oh, yeah, just take a right down the hall behind me,\u201d mumbled the pirate. The team thanked the pirate and began moving off…when the pirate slammed his hand on an alarm button! He guzzled the rest of his coffee and looked more alert. \u201cHow dumb do you think I am?!\u201d he snapped more clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Back at the fight with the Revenants, the communicator in Dr. Borg\u2019s arm buzzed. She tapped it and got the intruder alert. \u201cStop!\u201d she called to her Revenants. \u201cWe have intruders at the base!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut Arsha…!\u201d protested Blenter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s the diversion!\u201d realized Eltan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRound up the prisoners and bring them inside!\u201d ordered Dr. Borg. One quick stun spell from the Revenants and Arsha and her team were knocked out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\u201cNEW RECRUITS?!\u201d shouted Penshek as he and his team ran through the corridors of the base, trying to evade the soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI WAS PANICKING!\u201d replied Bashoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCAN WE CONCENTRATE ON RUNNING RIGHT NOW?!\u201d interjected Elmar. It was a good enough suggestion for the two Goblins, so everyone put their energies into their feet and legs. They dashed into a hangar and avoided the shots from the base\u2019s inhabitants. Just then, Penshek whipped out his wand and fired on the rafters. They crashed all around the enemy and almost crushed Elmar and Bashoon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSorry!\u201d he called.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSTOP HELPING!\u201d shouted Bashoon. While the enemy soldiers were trying to get around the rubble, Bashoon and her team found a good hiding place. The enemies then got around the rubble and tried to find them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere are they?!\u201d bellowed an Earth Dragon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must have doubled back!\u201d guessed an Elf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith me!\u201d called a Centaur. The enemies left the hangar, leaving Bashoon and her team to pant alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBoy, we sure did a lot of running,\u201d gasped Bashoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd as soon as we catch our breath,\u201d panted Penshek, \u201cwe\u2019re gonna be running some more!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHopefully towards the Scale Sword,\u201d muttered Elmar. He then noticed something. He gestured for the two Goblins to carefully follow him towards a door with a golden light emanating from a door near them. The door had a numerical keypad near it, so it was a safe bet to believe it was passcode protected. Penshek then produced a device and held it near the keypad. The device bathed the keypad in green light and exposed which numbers were the ones that had been pressed the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, we know the numbers are 3, 4, and 7,\u201d muttered Penshek. \u201cNow, if only we knew what the sequence is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAllow me,\u201d offered Bashoon. \u201cTime to try something Thangred and I cooked up.\u201d She pulled out another device with a keypad, keyed in the digits, and then brought it near the door\u2019s keypad. The new device bathed the keypad in blue light for three seconds, then displayed 734 on its screen. Bashoon then keyed in 734 on the door\u2019s keypad and the door opened! \u201cWe\u2019ve already got a contract with Realmfleet to make more of these for security reasons and covert operations,\u201d chuckled Bashoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNifty little gadget!\u201d praised Penshek. \u201cI hope the contract\u2019s good to both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is, Penshek, I assure you,\u201d replied Bashoon. The three then entered the room and were stunned when they saw where the glow was coming from. The light was a forcefield that held a Goblin-sized sword with the hilt\u2019s cross-guard styled to look like a set of balance scales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs that…?\u201d asked Elmar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is!\u201d breathed Penshek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Scale-sword of Yunshul!\u201d Bashoon confirmed in a reverent whisper. The two Goblins were about to make a grab for it before Elmar held them back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is too easy,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s right,\u201d muttered Bashoon as she shook herself out of her trance. \u201cThere should be more defenses than this. The sword IS Dr. Borg\u2019s bargaining chip.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCircle the room,\u201d directed Elmar. \u201cWe\u2019ll approach it from three different angles.\u201d The Goblins nodded, then went slowly along the walls, their eyes darting all around to make sure they weren\u2019t caught by surprise. The entire three-person team then crept forward towards the forcefield. Nothing happened yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis makes no sense,\u201d muttered Bashoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEr, Ms. Barmek,\u201d observed Penshek, \u201call of the pillars surrounding the forcefield have gold light for trim, right?\u201d Bashoon then observed the three pillars and, while it was true that two of the pillars had gold light, one of them had red. As Bashoon looked closer at the pillars, a memory stirred…then a frightful image!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSIR! GET BACK! THAT\u2019S JANSHA!\u201d she warned Elmar. Too late. The pillar Jansha used as her disguise fell off of her and she grabbed Elmar\u2019s head before slamming him into the forcefield and knocking him out! The two Goblins then pulled out their knifes and set their wands into them. Jansha\u2019s eye then glowed brighter until she fired a torrent of red light at them, a massive stun spell, knocking them out. Jansha shut off the spell and checked herself over. A couple of pirates entered the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right,\u201d she assured. \u201cThe sword\u2019s still safe. We just have some morons to throw into the brig. Get them there.\u201d The pirates nodded and took the prisoners to the brig while Jansha reported to Dr. Borg about the situation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Endeavor finally arrived at the island and held position in its airspace. The plan was simple at first glance, but required the tightest of communication. Arsha would lead one team to distract Dr. Borg and her allies, Marshii would lead a medical team to get Melgem and Reb to the relative safety of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,95],"tags":[482],"class_list":["post-2654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-three-realms","category-the-three-realms-book-2-the-rise-of-living-metal","tag-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2654"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2660,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654\/revisions\/2660"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}