Mouse sat on a branch watching the commotion happening in the town frowning.
"What do you mean, you don't want to join our ranks? Our queen wants you with us. She wants all of you... She's very kind and generous to those who follow her."
"Thud..."
He frowned as he watched them kick a towns person in the face. "This is a free city... We only follow ourselves... Not anyone else."
"Slllllappp!"
Mouse blinked as the towns person was slapped, shaking his head.
"That's what you get for bad mouthing our queen... When she gets here, she'll make you all followers of her... Whether you agree or disagree."
"Fu.... youuuuu."
Mouse gripped the branch tightly. "You better be killing him first Mouse. He nodded.
"He jumped from the branch and hid in the shadows on a nearby roof staring at his targets below. "We need numbers, and where they are... We can't miss any of them Mouse." Mouse looked around the town nodding.
"It also wouldn't surprise me, if that queen has some of her people amongst the towns people... You'll have to be careful when you attack." Mouse nodded, closing his eyes. He stood in front of Tofana smiling. "Its better if I just get an idea of the layout, and report back... If I attack now... Trolaiths might come and destroy this place... Better if the entire group is here." He saw her shake her head. "If what they said is true... Than the queen is coming here, this place will become a fortress... We'll need to get them and act before the queen arrives, and defend them when they attack again with the queen."
He smiled, hugging her. "That's a good idea... We drive them out, and regroup with the others, so we can defend the place from when the queen attacks." He kissed her forehead and opened his eyes, looking at the scene around him.
"Is she really coming?"
"Yes... I was informed that her vessel already left the port, and was on its way here. Should be soon... Than all these towns people will be following her."
"Yes. That's better... Than the trolaiths will also be able to eat... If the queen asks, no one can say no to her." Mouse watched as the group pushed more people into the small town square. "That's all of them who don't want to follow the queen."
"Why son? Why are you doing this?"
"The queen is my mother and father... Those who don't follow the queen, aren't my blood."
Mouse shook his head as he watched a soldier beat an older man crying out to him. He looked at the woman crying as the man was beaten.
"Do you want to be beaten next... woman?"
"You know who I am... Call me by my name... The name you have always used..."
"Slllapp!"
"Don't tell me what to do woman... You're nothing to me."
"Ahhhhh... Son. You hit your own mother... Just because of a woman you've never seen before?"
"I've seen her... She's beautiful, majestic, her body mesmerizing, and my queen... I'd do anything for her... She's my family... No other can be considered my family except for her."
"Slllap!"
He watched as the older man slapped the soldier in the face. "You don't say that to your family."
Mouse watched on as the soldier drew his sword and stabbed the older man, causing blood to splatter on the soldier's body. "You see that... My only family is the queen."
He shook his head at the soldier walking towards the older woman who was crying on top of the fallen man. "You're next woman... I'm sure you want to be with that wretched man."
"Kill meee..." He stood up on the branch and saw the woman stand up and walked towards him. "Kill mee... If I'm nothing all these years, than kill meee."
"No... I won't..." Mouse watched as the soldier put the sword back in its sheath." The queen wants you to follow her and be her servant while she's on these islands."
"Noooo! I won't serve her. Never will I serve her."
"Take her away... She'll change her mind once the queen arrives... Everyone does... No one is able to fight back against her." Mouse frowned as a small group of soldiers took the woman away, pushing her into a house.
"When will the queen be here?" Mouse leaned forward from the roof he was sitting on. "She should be here very soon... It shouldn't take her too long to arrive here."
"That's good... I miss her face and smile... I just want to see her again."
"We all will. She'll see our service and reward us."
"Really? Reward us?"
"We deserve it... We have done well here on the islands... All just for the queen."
Mouse stood up and jumped out of the village. "You better find the others... If that queen is coming, we need to be ready." Mouse nodded and jumped from branch to branch in the direction that the trees pointed until he was on a beach looking towards a nearby island. "Are they over there?" He nodded and jumped onto a nearby tree. He put his hand on it, closing his eyes, before feeling the branch started to move. He jumped as the tree threw him into the air.
He turned back, and looked at the tree smiling, and turned around focusing on the island ahead. He dove into the water and started swimming the rest of the way to the next island.
"You're not bad at swimming... Next time, I'll be the drowning victim, and you can come and save me." Mouse smiled as he reached the shore line of the next island, and started running towards the group.
"..."
"That was a good fight... Nice to see Cliffhopper and myself getting some training in. The fire eater unit has skills as well."
"They should... They're an elite unit after all. They've been training hard."
Mouse landed in front of them, signing at the firewarrior.
"Mouse... You're back... What have you been doing on the island?"
"Yeah, you missed a good fight... I'm sure you would have been able to take it out all by yourself."
"Can you brothers be quiet for a moment? Mouse finish your report..." Mouse nodded and continued signing to the firewarrior. Once he stopped he heard the firewarrior curse.
"Everyone... Listen up... Mouse just informed me of some very important information... We need to move on this, or the island chains are lost."
"What is it?" Mouse looked and saw Harnio walk out of the tunnel, looking at him smiling. He walked over to Harnio and looked at his eyes nodding. He gave a thumbs up to him.
"Are you going to tell us, or is Mouse going to have to mime it to us?" He saw the firewarrior shake his head and waving his arms. "No... I'll let you know... The queen is coming."
"The queen? Who's that?"
"Mouse informed me that it is probably the person making all those drones..."
"She's coming?" Mouse turned and looked at Cliffhopper and Drummen. "Have you met this person before?"
"No we haven't met them, just met their drones, and being chased."
He saw Harnio look at the firewarrior. "Is it possible in that cloud was the queen?"
"Ahh. that's a good thought Harnio... It's entirely possible... Well she's going to land in a port town soon, and there're drones all over the place there."
"We need to go and rescue them before she comes... We should move out."
"If we attack the city, the queen will fight back... We don't know how strong the queen is, or anything about them... Just that they're a queen, and make people into her slaves."
"We take the city... Than we defend the city from the queen and her drones... This is a very important battle... Its the first one against our hidden enemy." Mouse nodded at the Priestess, signing in agreement. "He said. He agrees... If we're to fight, than this will be our first battle against the ones who made those trolaiths."
"Yes... Mouse and the priestess is in... What about you little brother?"
"If Mouse is in, I'm with him..."
"Firewarrior?"
"I'm in too. We need to free those people, and also stop them from releasing more trolaiths into this world... Mouse where do we go?" Mouse pointed in the direction he had come from and signed at the firewarrior. "Next island... That means we have to do some swimming... Let's move out."
Mouse ran with the group next to Harnio. "There's a lot I need to tell you about what happened on the Princess." Mouse nodded and pointed to his eyes. "Yes, that too... I found out what I need to protect." Mouse cocked his head and looked at Harnio as he ran onto the beach. "I protect the ones who haven't been made into soul batterys or sparks... I send them on their way back home." Mouse looked at him in confusion. "Don't worry, I'll explain it when we have some time... For now we need to prepare for the queen." Mouse nodded and pointed to the nearby island.
"That's the place the queen is landing... Fire eater unit lets get over there and get ready to set the town free, before the queen arrives."
"Fire eaters... Move out." Mouse watched as the others started swimming, except for Harnio who walked in the air over the water, and the brothers flying over the water. He smiled jumped onto a branch and soared into the sky behind him. "Mouse use this to jump again." He looked down and saw a solid platform of air start to form, he landed on it and jumped again landing on the beach on the other side. He turned and gave a thumbs up sign to Harnio.
"Nice work..."
"Mouse where's the town?" He pointed in the direction that he had come from and jumped into the trees.
"Drummen... Harnio... Any activity?"
"Nothing..."
"I've got nothing too."
Mouse smiled and signed to the firewarrior. "I agree... It seems this queen isn't fond of the beasts, and prefers people to act like the beasts themselves."
"Lets move out, carefully. We don't want them to know we're here... Outrider to the front... Mouse lead the way." He felt someone land next to him and smiled. "Where are we heading Mouse?" He nodded and pointed. "Fair enough... I'll do the rest..." He nodded and watched as the priestess ran through the forest. He jumped down and walked with the firewarrior and Harnio signing.
"He said. The town is defended by drones, and they've gathered all the people into a small town square... They're surrounded by drones with swords... Nothing special. Probably from raids, and locked another up in a house." Mouse frowned.
"What's the problem Mouse?" He signed at the firewarrior.
"He said. The drones could also be in the group... We have no idea if they've been sent by the queen to act or are actually in danger."
"That's easy... We can tell you who is who." Mouse looked at the brothers with a smile.
"How can you do that?"
"The same way they tried to chase us down before... Smell..."
"Not me... I can't do the smelling thing yet... Brother hasn't taught it to me." The firewarrior smiled. "Than Cliffhopper, with your scent you can identify who is drone and who isn't... Than we can deal with them."
"The place is very close from here... You'll have to be quiet. They'll be able to hear our movements." Mouse turned as the priestess walked into view. "Where's the best position to see into the town from?"
"There's no place to see in from, unless you're a mouse..." He smiled and pointed to the brothers and signed. "He said, or a bird... Brothers..." Mouse turned and looked at the brothers with a smile.
"Why is Mouse looking at us like that? What's my brother and I about to do?"
"The both of you are going to go on a little trip with Mouse here."
"Where are we going?"
"The three of you are going into town, to identify the drones from the people... Mouse will mark them, and than we'll strike the ones that are marked."
"Why can't Cliffhopper just go? He's the one who can smell them out?"
"But you're the guard, and need to keep him safe... Isn't that right uncle?" Mouse heard Drummen curse. "Fine... Lets go and find them."