E X P E D I T I O N
The Creature that throttled the Assassin had been unfortunate enough to have had many axes swung in its direction during its far-too-long life. The sound of Vulgora's swooshing blade pricked its ears. It released its hold over its prey at once and scurried away, gasping and gurgling all the while. It's frantic, hands-and-knees escape was cut short by King Cold's foot. He didn't quite kick the creature. Not at first, anyway. He simply stretched his leg out into the sweaty-thing's path. Once he had hit the floor, however? That was when the kicking started.
"Cold." N snapped bluntly, approaching the pair. "Cold stop it."
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"Stop it now."
"Yeah!" Nero added, a grin pinned to his lips. "Save some for the rest of us!"
Before the Half-Demon could join in the abuse, N's hand clapped down upon his shoulder.
"It's incapable of defending itself. Let it breathe."
Cold slowly turned on the spot.
"You dare to command me?" The King scoffed. "ME?"
"As the Ruler of the Kingdom of Plasma... I dare."
King Cold simply laughed. He raised his hands in mock surrender and stepped away from the would be assassin.
Bloodied and beaten, the creature clutched its chest, cursing and spluttering some old chant to itself.
"What is your name, friend?" N crouched down its side. He raised a cautious palm to its side. "It's okay... We won't harm you... Do you need healing?"
The creature slowly turned to face the King. The smell that wafted from the creature's lips was enough to make N regret coming to its side. Two tired, blue eyes pierced him. A hiss. A snort. The creature flashed its rotten teeth. Whatever it was, it was more beast than man.
"Manzies... stinking, lying manzies. Manzies beat us. Hurt us. Then help us. No. Trixies. More Manzie trixies. You mocks us... You mocks us!" The beast-man unleashed a flurry of long, wet coughs.
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[Gol-lum] "Yes... they mocks us..." [Gol-lum]
"Can I start kicking the disgusting creature again?" Cold chirped. "I am asking purely out of courtesy, of course.. Sooner or later, it's getting another beating... haven't had this much entertainment in weeks. Besides... there's hardly enough meat on it for it to be worth eating..."
King Cold raised his foot above the creature's head.
"Gah! Gwahh!" Gollum cowered. He raised his hands before his head and begged. "No bootzies! No more axies or bootzies!"
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"We yields! We yields!"
'Strung Up'
The two words seemed to shake Gollum above all overs. His hands drifted to his throat. What little color remained in his skin was flushed away.
"Strings!!" He wept. "No Elf-Strings! We hates them! Hates them! Don't bind us! Don't bind Smeagol!"
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"We'll be good! We swears it! We swears on the Precious we won't harm the manzies! We won't harm friends anymore!"
He wet eyes darted to Mat.
"Men don't come out here... We don't see Oasies in the Destert... You scares Smeagol! We thinks you came here to steal our homsies! We don't want to lose our homsies! No! We won't lose them! Not like we lost the Precious!"
The creature crumbled. He unleashed a series of loud, shrieking sobs.
"Lost! Lost! Lost! Manzies have come! Manzies have come and now it's lost! Lost! Lost! Lost!!"
He writhed around in the sand like a toddler throwing a temper-tantrum.
"LOOOOOOSSTTT!"
@Jeremi @Yun Lee @Capri @Space_Candy @Takumi
T H E - P I R A T E - P R O B L E M
Archie pursed his lips. Did his best to swallow his laughter.
"Aye, look at this!" He snickered. "A King bowing before a General! The world really 'as gone mad!"
Archie responded to Lelouch's bow with an overly dramatic bow of his own.
"Well-met, Lelouchie, well-met..."
Archie slowly straightened out his spine. With Nadia's requested noted, the Pirate turned back towards his ship.
"Aye, the Pirate King ye looking for is waiting inside. We'll join them shortly... when the others get here, of course..."
"The Others?" Cia chuckled. "You must be confused, Pirate. There are no 'Others'. The Aegis Union in its entirety stands before. We 5 Kings Command Forces and Wealth Unimaginable. With our support- if we chose to bestow it upon you- is more than enough to earn you International Recognition. You need no 'Others'"
"If the King wanted paper-recognition, yes, you would be enough..." A voice called from the end of the road. The hundreds of armored boots and two dozen horseshoes clatter its wake.
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"But the Pirate Kingdom may wish for the kind of recognition that cannot be undone with the swish of a quill..."
Trumpets sounded. The names of two nobles were announced in Black-Speech. Their Uruk escorts stood to attention and raised their banners. The Black-Eye of Mordor looked down upon the Aegis Union. The leaders of the Dark Caravan removed themselves from the backs of their beasts and completed the final stretch of their journey on foot.
"Ladies Riya and Yuka!" An Orc Bard proclaimed in Common-Tongue. "Rulers of the Vassal State of Shen, Acting on Behalf of their Bright Lord in the Kingdom of Mordor!"
The Twins removed their swords from their sheathes and knelt down before Achie.
"A gift from King Talion..." Riya bowed, offering the Pirate-General her blade. "Two blades forged from the finest Elvish Mithril. May these weapons serve you well... We shall fight many battle side by side, General..." Two Ologs approached the Twin's side. Two large chests of gold were clumsily dumped by their sides. Goblets, rings and beads rolled across the floor.
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"Additionally, we shall offer you the spoils of our the Bright Lord's War in the East." Yuka gestured towards the growing, shimmering pile. "I present to you, as Queen Cia put it... wealth unimaginable. I assure you. This mountain shall only grow."
Archies greedily two the Ladies' blades and swished them about wildly.
"Ayye... I like these. Pretty things, aren't they? Oh... and the swords are pretty fine two..." The Pirate roared with laughed. He carelessly tossed the swords onto the growing pile. As he did so, something else caught his eye. A diamond among diamonds. A star among stars. He plunged his hand into the golden pile. He placed a platinum ring upon his finger.
"What a beauty... What a precious thing..."
He threw a scuffed crown atop his head.
"Oh... oh look at this!"
He wrapped a velvet sash around his neck.
"Oh! Look at me! Ain't I vision! A-hah!" The Pirate bellowed. His eyes soon returned to his ring. "Oh, I could get used to this..."
"Believe me, General..." Riya's eyes met Nadia's. Yuka's met Lelouch. "You shall..."
With just a glance, the two twins sucked a little bit of the life from the word. The Sun grew slightly... darker. The air grew colder. A twisted chill scurried up the Rulers' spines. With each breath they took, the color seemed to drain from their surroundings.
Perhaps the pair had heard the stories. Perhaps they had read the reports. Or maybe they just knew, deep down in their hearts-of-hearts.
The two women the knelt before them had been there, at the Battle for the Black Heavens. Their clothes had changed. Their had done-away with their demonic mounts and guises. But they couldn't hide their true natures. Not entirely. Any Veteran of the War in Mordor could tell.
The Twins were Ringwraiths, the ghostly figures that had haunted the skies above Mordor.
"Aye... hold on a minute..." Archie wagged his finger. He didn't quite turn to face the Kings. His attention was fixed on the treasure he wore upon his other hand. "Ya see, I do like gifts... I love 'em. I must say, the King's partial to 'em to. So, you'll have to forgive me for asking..."
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"But what have YE brought us?! Tell me ye brought us somethin' good!"
@Atomic Knight @Capri @Takumi
