Stannir watched as the alpha was shot up into the sky. He looked at Mouse, while slicing through smaller trolaiths. "Not yet... Our storm demon is next... Than you finish it off." He saw Mouse nod, and he focused on everything around them. He cursed. "These blasted things never stop... There must of been thousands of them hiding underneath..."
"We're lucky that Mouse warned us... He must have a nose for them or something?" Stannir nodded. He swung his sword and turned a small pack of two legged trolaiths into dust. He watched out of the corner of his eye, Mouse getting ready to fight the alpha.
"BOOMMM!"
Stannir smiled. "That would be Harnio... Mouse your turn. Go finish that alpha off so we can turn it into dust. He watched as Mouse ran and jumped toward the alpha as it started to fall towards the ground. "He's not going to make it. I think he's going to need a little push from you." He looked at Salina and smiled. He jumped and formed his wings and flapped to join Mouse. "Grab my leg Mouse... I'm going to give you a boost." He felt as Mouse grabbed onto his leg, and he aimed for the alpha, sending Mouse towards its direction with a powerful kick.
"Shouldn't you be joining him fight the alpha?" Stannir smiled and nodded. "I'll join in a bit... He hasn't had a good fight, so I'm letting him vent and have that good fight."
"Clever general... Don't wait too long, or he might fall to the ground and hurt himself." Stannir shook his head. "Even if he fell from here, I don't think he would hurt himself at all... A mystery he is, and that's how he likes to be... I guess." Stannir watched from a distance and nodded.
"Its time to join the battle." He flapped his wings and threw a fireball towards the falling alpha. "HEY ALPHA... DON"T FORGET ABOUT ME! I KILLED YOUR SPAWN IN THE SWAMPLANDS!"
"ROARR!"
He smiled. "It sounds angry." Stannir saw a bright light come from the body of the alpha and shielded his eyes.
"BOOOMMMM!"
Stannir waited for the light to die down, and opened his eyes looking around in confusion. He looked down at the ground and saw Mouse standing on the tops of the trees and flew down to him. "Mouse... What happened?" He watched as Mouse signed at him. "It blew up, by itself?" He saw Mouse nod and frowned.
He looked around searching for the other trolaiths and cursed. "Where did they all go?" He looked towards the keep. "There's no sign of them at all... Why did the alpha do that?" He sighed and scratched his head in confusion. He looked at Mouse. "It doesn't matter right now... Lets just go back to the others, they're probably worried about that bright light and all." Mouse nodded and started to walk back through the forest. "Mouse... Not this time. We need to hurry back. No holiday stroll. The morning is upon us, and we also need to make sure they're fine, with no injuries."
Mouse looked at him with a smile, signing at him. "Sure... We can race next time. Now get on my back... We're going to fly." He watched as Mouse shook his fists as him, and slowly climbed onto his back. "Hold on Mouse... You're about to experience what flying is all about." Stannir jumped into the air, formed his wings and flew straight back to the keep. He looked up at Mouse as he was flying and saw his toothy grin.
"Hahahaha... I thought you would like it... See by flying we're here already..." He watched as Mouse jumped off his back and landed on the keep walls. Stannir withdrew his wings and landed next to him. "Are you all fine?" He looked around. "Are there any wounded or hit by their acidic blood?"
"Firewarrior, we're fine... This was a fun battle... Short, but fun... What was that bright light before in the sky where the both of you were fighting?" Stannir looked in the distance. "That was the alpha self exploding."
He heard Drummen curse. "They can do that?" Stannir nodded. "It seems so, however do you see any of their bodies around?" He looked around in confusion, and saw Salina staring at him. "It was a test, wasn't it? He allowed this to happen, to see if we had the strength to fight against an unknown enemy." He watched her nod. "It seems this Supreme has a few nasty tricks up his sleeve... If we failed this test, we would be dead..." Stannir nodded in thought. "That makes sense why the alpha exploded... To hide the evidence of the battle... This was his idea of the final trial for the guard."
"You better keep this to yourself... If the others knew what you're thinking, it will cause a few issues." Stannir nodded. "I'll keep this quiet and find out on my own, and when the timing is right, than I'll let the others know."
"What are you thinking about firewarrior? You've been staring into the distance for a while now." He turned and looked at Harnio waving him off. "I was just thinking about the battle, and going through it in my mind."
"Ahh research, to see how to improve and become stronger?" Stannir nodded. "Something like that... We should go and see the others." He looked at Mouse and watched as he signed something at him. "See... He also thinks the same as us... There's no one better at finding things than him... Let him be the one to find the truth." Stannir nodded, and leaned towards Mouse whispering in his ear. "I think the same... I leave the discovery up to you... Once you find out, let me know."
He took a step back, and stared into Mouse's eyes nodding. "Good... Than we are agreed." He put his hand out and shook Mouse's. "After that battle, I can officially welcome you to the team."
"What are the both of you doing? Come the sun is going to rise soon, and they'll be here to see the battle." Stannir smiled and nodded, waving at Drummen. He turned and put his hand on the wall as he walked. "Do you think these walls were destroyed by them in the past?"
"Not sure... Since they were made by a man, it is possible a different form of them existed, but the only people who were around at that time, have no memory of what happened." Stannir frowned. "You shouldn't worry about that general... We need to focus on the present, and our own digging we have to do..." He nodded at Salina. "You're the smart one in our team... Glad you're with me, and not against me."
He saw her face redden. "Glad you know who's the boss in this relationship of ours." He looked at her and smirked. "Relationship? When did that happen?" He watched as she shook her head. "The moment we joined back in the ice and snow... That's when our relationship started." Stannir nodded. "Yes... It did, and will never end."
"Stannir... Glad to see you and Mouse in one piece... You know my brother and I still want to fight him and see what he can do." He nodded at Drummen and Cliffhopper. "Come together... Lets meet the attendants together when they come to observe the test." He looked at the team standing in front of him with a smile on his face. "After this final trial we have become guards to the Supreme... We'll be sent far and wide, to defend and to attack... Just for the name of the Supreme... Fulfill your role well, and serve Athlos to the best of your ability."
"You're all here... Why aren't you back in your own keep?" Stannir turned and watched as a group of attendants arrived with soldiers around them. He smiled, and pointed to Drummen as he held up the flag now covered in food. "Last night they surrendered, so we came over to take the flag and decided to eat together with them... See, they're over there too."
"So Stannir and your team are the winners of the capture the flag trial?" He nodded. "Was there anything else that we should know?" Stannir shook his head and looked at his team. "Was there anything out of the ordinary that happened last night?"
"There was one thing..." Stannir looked at Drummen with a glare.
"What do you want to report?"
"Well... My brother and I were talking to the others, and one of them mentioned they ate a whole roast tuskwalker.... To me that's out of the ordinary... Can you picture anybody, ever eat a whole tuskwalker by themselves? You would share it with others... Well that's what I would do, but noooo... He ate the whole thing himself..."
"You know brother, I was thinking... What if it was just a baby tuskwalker?" Stannir shook his head, covering his smile with his hand. He looked at them and nodded.
"That's not really worth reporting about... It seems this fort is in excellent condition... Well, Stannir and your team congratulations... Come with me, and we'll go meet the Supreme and complete the ritual."
Stannir waved at the others, and together the group followed the attendants and soldiers out of the forest area, and back into the Capital. They watched as the doors to the keep opened up. "That is a door... No gaps, no seams... You can't even see the door if you didn't know it was there." He turned to look at the proud attendant staring at the open door, and sighed. "A door is a door... Made for opening and defending..." He watched as the attendant pointed to the walls around the door. "These walls are unclimbable, the moment you try to climb them, you just fall back to the ground." Stannir sighed. "Yet... We were able to pass through these walls without trouble... A wall doesn't keep you safe." He took a step towards the attendant. "Do you want to know what keeps you safe attendant?"
"Your going to say people, aren't you firewarrior?" Stannir turned and looked at the voice who said that and got down on his knee bowing. The others followed him, except for Mouse who only bowed at the waist. "Ahh Supreme... This attendant didn't know you were there waiting..."
"Don't worry about it... Are these the warriors who completed the third trial?"
"Yes, my Supreme, they already had the flag before we arrived in the morning... I guess most of their fighting happened during the night."
"Ahh... So we have guards that like to prepare well before they attack... Interesting... I hope your skills serve you well on the battle field... It's a pity that the attendants didn't get to see you fight for the flag... but rules are rules... So please stand up and follow me... We need to complete the ritual, and than make an address to the world that the guard has been chosen, to be sent on their first mission... Come come, don't be slow. We have much to do in a short time... Cough... cough..."
"Supreme... Are you fine?" Stannir saw the Supreme nodd and wave off the attendant. "I'm fine... Just a small cough... I will go see a doctor after this... Now come on guard... Lets go." Stannir turned and saw Drummen hiding his face beneath his hood, and looked at him in confusion. He was about to ask a question, when Drummen cut him off with a hand. "I'll talk about it later..."
"Lord Daikish's apprentice... For some reason, I knew you would become a guard... You've already done more than she did... I hope you protect my people as well as her... I'm expecting a lot from you." Stannir turned to Drummen and watched him curse and shake his head. "I'll bleeding tell you later."
"Ohh... Your friend apprentice... He can't come through to the final part of the trial... He'll have to wait in the waiting area. He's support after all... Am I right, and not anyone special or has any special qualities? Isn't that right Lord Daikish's apprentice?" Stannir cursed under his breath and looked at Cliffhopper who was nodding towards him. "Yes, he is a support for Drummen... He'll wait for us to complete the trial... You don't need to worry about him."
"That's good... Than come the five of you... Attendants wait in the waiting area as well... Through here is where I sit on the throne and watch over Athlos, and it will also be where the ritual will commence... Follow me." Stannir watched as the Supreme opened the door revealing the throne room and watched as he sat on the throne. "Come in... Lets finish the ritual." Stannir nodded and the small group entered the throne room closing the door behind them.