\u201cHow is this POSSIBLE?!\u201d roared Oyed as the evacuation to the Mid-realm was completed. \u201cTwo of the darkest races, having long turned their backs on the Divine Ones, and yet we STILL lost the Under-realm after they switched sides!\u201d He then fired blasts of energy all around him. Thankfully, no one was around and nothing of value was destroyed, so he could rant as long as necessary. It took a good 5 minutes until he calmed down. \u201cOkay, deep breath. There are still the Manticores and Sphinxes to consider. Now, remember what Tormo told you, the Sphinxes have been discovered and they\u2019re getting aid in regard to the barrier keeping them from any civilized areas. The Manticores still have the key, so you can easily convince them to join you. It will be easier to keep them than the Drows and Shadow Dragons\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNINCOMPOOPS! ALL OF YOU!\u201d roared Shefarn\u2019s voice. Oyed stopped and followed the voice to see Shefarn berating a group of people. \u201cYOU DIDN\u2019T PURGE ANY DATA WHATSOEVER?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t have time!\u201d protested a Robot. \u201cWe had to leave immediately!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d asked Oyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou know the evacuation of Plunder Island Stronghold?\u201d asked Shefarn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026What about it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey didn\u2019t purge any sensitive data, not even our current location!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWHAT?!\u201d Oyed was livid! \u201cYOU IDIOTS!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHey, cut us some slack!\u201d protested the Robot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll cut off your heads for this!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t afford any loss of numbers,\u201d called Dr. Borg\u2019s voice as she approached the group. \u201cThey will be punished later, my Lord. For now, we must prepare for our meeting with the Manticores.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe sooner we get them and the Sphinxes, the happier I\u2019ll be. I HATE deserts!\u201d growled Oyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Endeavor<\/em> landed on an island right at the southern exit of the Caltem river, the natural border between Aridu and the Regatim Oasis. \u201cShalvey, open a secure channel to all Captains and route it to my ready room,\u201d ordered Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAye, Captain,\u201d replied Shalvey. Arsha then went to her ready room and sat at her desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSecure channel is being requested for use,\u201d droned the computer. \u201cPlease verify your identity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRoyana, Arsha. Serial Number 5-5-4-7-9. Captain of the Endeavor<\/em>, Registry:CRS-2784. Secure Access code 7-9-7-8-7. Priority Alpha.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVerification complete. Awaiting input from recipients.\u201d Arsha needed to only wait a few seconds before all Fleet Commanders signaled they were on the channel. Aldarval then appeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAdmiral?! You\u2019re getting involved?! The briefing never mentioned that!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wanted it to be a surprise,\u201d answered Aldarval. \u201cThank you for organizing this, Arsha. This will make the briefing easier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the situation?\u201d asked a Minotaur woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEveryone, are you all in your ready rooms?\u201d asked Aldarval. Everyone confirmed that they were. \u201cGood. What you\u2019re about to hear does not go beyond your rooms unless necessary. Is that clear?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSounds pretty serious,\u201d muttered Arsha as she joined the others in confirming their understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is. Everyone, we\u2019ve finally discovered Dr. Borg\u2019s methods in dismantling Realmfleet. The reason she attacked Realmgate City is because any plans involving Realmgates will give her the means to shut our Realmgate network down and build her own. The reason she wants to shut ours down is that it\u2019s interfering with the construction of her larger Realmgates. She\u2019s trying to connect her personal Realmgates to a larger one but wants it to be under her command. The Drows and Shadow Dragons would have destroyed the original ones for her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGood thing they defected so quickly,\u201d said a male Ice Elf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHowever, there ARE other hibernating races throughout the Mid and Over-realms. Both Mid-realm ones are here on the Northern Continent, one I believe Arsha is familiar with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026The Sphinxes?! They\u2019re working for Oyed?!\u201d yelped Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMore like working for Manticores while the Manticores work for Oyed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cManticores?!\u201d gulped an elderly Mermaid. \u201cYou mean lions with large bat-like wings and a scorpion\u2019s tail?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe same.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd they\u2019re walking around the Continent?\u201d asked Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI guess we should find some elephants,\u201d joked the Ice Elf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBelieve it or not, we DID send an elephant. We\u2019re watching it now to see if the legend about Manticores being unable to kill an elephant are true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd what are we doing during this test?\u201d asked the Mermaid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to try and persuade the Sphinxes to ignore the Manticores and join us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026What about getting the Manticores to join us?\u201d asked the Ice Elf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOyed won\u2019t allow that to happen again with any more races,\u201d answered Arsha. \u201cFor all his short-sightedness, he\u2019s good at not repeating mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhich is why time is of the essence,\u201d urged Aldarval. \u201cArsha, the instant our Protectorate Pirate friends get here, I need you to brief them. Have them join you in a strike against the Manticores from the inside. I will lead half the fleet in an external strike. The other half will continue to work on the Sphinx barrier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt STILL isn\u2019t down?\u201d asked Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid not, despite all our best efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen the Sphinxes\u2019 nerves are probably frayed. They\u2019ll be prime targets for Oyed to recruit. Are you sure you don\u2019t need me there? I\u2019ve had some experience with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMerrim\u2019s had more experience since you last saw her. No, I need you on the internal strike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVery well. I\u2019ll make sure our late-comers are briefed\u2026and make sure they don\u2019t tear each other\u2019s throats out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, they AREN\u2019T exactly on good terms, are they?\u201d remarked the Mermaid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back at Plunder Island Stronghold, the cleanup was finished. Reb inspected everything and seemed satisfied. \u201cWell, my darlings,\u201d she purred to her new crew, \u201cit looks like my old home became MORE comfortable than ever! I\u2019d say we all made a SPLENDID choice in becoming Privateers, wouldn\u2019t you agree?\u201d The crew agreed. \u201cWell, I\u2019d say it\u2019s about that time. I need some volunteers to go with me and my DARLING husband to the Mid-realm to do what we can to wipe Oyed\u2019s HEINOUS presence off the face of the Realms. I need 50. Who wishes to go?\u201d Everyone raised their hands. \u201c\u2026All 1,800, I see. MOST difficult. Let\u2019s see\u2026\u201d She went through the rows and checked everyone. Those she chose, she gave a gold coin to. Once all 50 coins had been passed out, she and Melgem led everyone onto her new ship, a small Interceptor<\/em>-class vessel,the Divine Revenge<\/em>. The ship was a Mechanica, a male by the name of Divre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll decks report ready,\u201d reported Divre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd so do we,\u201d declared Reb. \u201cMr. Alndar, set a course for the nearest Under to Mid Realmgate, then get us to our BELOVED Arsha\u2019s position.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCourse laid in,\u201d reported Mr. Alndar, the Cecaelia Helmsman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTake us up.\u201d The Revenge<\/em> soon left the island and made its way towards a Realmgate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cHow is this POSSIBLE?!\u201d roared Oyed as the evacuation to the Mid-realm was completed. \u201cTwo of the darkest races, having long turned their backs on the Divine Ones, and yet we STILL lost the Under-realm after they switched sides!\u201d He then fired blasts of energy all around him. Thankfully, no one was around and nothing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3966,"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":[97,237],"tags":[482],"class_list":["post-3965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-three-realms","category-the-three-realms-book-4-trials-of-light-and-dark","tag-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3965","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=3965"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3965\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3967,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3965\/revisions\/3967"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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