Stannir looked around at the group staring at him in silence. He gripped Salina's hand tightly. "Hurry up... You should say something." He nodded as he scratched his hair. "Drummen and family hold this place, and build the tunnel for Nebi... Harnio and the professor will go to the Nebi fix it and bring it here through the tunnel... Mouse and the old shadow will go for Marcule and bring an end to his creations... Which means the priestess and I will go for Agnia, and stop her making more drones..." He turned and looked at the fire eater unit. "You will defend this place, and also start setting up training yards suitable for creating future fire eaters..."
"We've now got our roles... Now we must rely on the priestess to find them for us." He looked at Star with a smile. "We'll need your help to find their locations... I'll leave it to you... Once that's complete we'll be heading out." Stannir turned and walked away from the group looking at him. He stood at the base of the waterfall, turning to look at Salina. "Did I do the right thing? Should I be going after Marcule and not the queen?"
"You made the right choices... Those two will deal with Marcule... Its what they do best... Don't regret the choices you've made... Stick by them, and follow them through... I'm sure that Star will need your help more... Remember, put yourself in the most difficult situation." He smiled, nodding at her. "You always say the right things... I love you..." He watched as he saw her face redden. "Hurry up and get stronger general, than I'll show you my thanks in other ways." He felt his face start to heat up.
"You made good choices there general... I'm glad you listened to my advice about the monk... They're better at keeping a place safe... This place will never fall if they're here." He turned and saw the old monster walking through the forest, and stood staring at the waterfall. "They've turned this place into something special... A paradise... I think... A suitable name for it?" Stannir nodded in agreement. "Are you going to come with us?"
"No... I feel like staying here with your unit... I think I'll have them do some drills and training to make this place something suitable for future fire eater soldiers." Stannir smiled. "So, does this mean you'll just be around here, and not travel out a lot?"
He heard the old monster curse. "No chance... If there's a fight, I'll be in it... I may be old, and got a new scar thanks to you, but I won't ever back down from a fight... War's coming, I just want to make sure everything here is ready for that day..." Stannir nodded. "We'll be ready..." He looked at his metallic arm.
"Has she been teaching you the old language yet?" He smiled and nodded. "I'm starting... I just know some pronunciation... Can't hold a conversation yet."
"You better hurry it up, the mouth won't wait for you... Remember that... It'll try and take over the moment you show weakness... If you feel it approaching you must go to the swamps." Stannir nodded. "Don't worry... I'll get there in time."
"You better... I don't want to be removing a talented general, such as yourself." He looked at the ground, as he saw the old monster sit on a nearby rock, staring at him. "People will get hurt, and suffer in this... They'll be different from when you first met them... Some won't even make it back... You must be prepared for loss... Even if someone comes along with the best ideas, or the best strategy, you must be willing to accept loss..."
Stannir nodded. "I'm ready, and that's something I can accept... I may not put their names in my flames as you do, but I have my way to say farewell to anyone, friend or foe."
"Good... Good to hear... You've really grown these past few years... I hope to be able to see you shine as an excellent general." He watched as the old monster stood up, and walked back into the forest. "You should go and see the priestess... She's the impatient type... Once she's found her target, she won't stop... Maybe she'll let you ride her cloud, since you still move slowly." Stannir smiled and saluted at the old monster. "Stop doing that... You're the general here, we're just your support... We should be saluting you." He watched as the old monster stopped walking, turned and saluted him in return. "Be a strong... Fight well general."
Stannir stood in silence after the old monster walked away, staring at the waterfall. He cursed. "Great, now even he's calling me general."
"That's because, you're a general... You're leading people into battle, and you've already shown it around here... If I was you, I'd listen to what he said about the priestess... We both know how impatient she is." He smiled and nodded, holding Salina's hand walking back into the complex. He stood with his arms folded on his chest, watching the priestess stare at a large map in front of her.
"Where did you get a map that big?" He saw her turn around, looking at him. "I got it from a friend... I visited them on the way back, and she gave it to me... Its been recently updated..." He walked up to the large map and stared at it. "I don't see anything new on it at all..."
"Ass... See here in the firelands... It shows us, even the design of the forest... She really knows people around here, that can do that... I need to find out her secret." Stannir looked at her in shock. "Does that mean others know of our location?"
"No... As I said ass if you listened, she's a friend... She's also on our side, which is why she gave the map to us... There's no one better at map making then her... I hope to bring her here one day." Stannir let out a long breath, smiling. "That's good news... We have the space... A huge complex, and also with the brothers we can make more rooms... She'll be welcome here." He watched as the priestess smiled slightly. "Good... That wasn't me asking by the way... I was telling you that I'm going to bring her here... I'm sure her network of map makers will help us in our task."
He nodded. "I agree... Now what about our headings... Do you know where we're going yet?" He smiled at her nod. "It wasn't hard to find them... I already gave them a map of their location... All that's left is to give them a proper farewell, and then we'll also have to go to her... I'm sure she'll be waiting..."
"Where are we heading?"
"We're going to the city of endless rains... Eternia." Stannir nodded. "Never been there, nor have I heard about it before."
"Its an interesting place... It never stops raining, but if she's there, that means there're many drones also there waiting for us... You must be ready." He nodded and waved his hand at her. "I'm ready... Are you ready to take her head?"
"Don't worry about me ass... I'm a priestess... I know how to look after myself." He smiled. "Where are the others waiting?" He followed her finger and pushed open a large set of iron doors.
He walked up to the group in the stone hall smiling at them. "Its time... We have our locations and our duties... Whatever happens there, we'll be back here to make this place... Our home stronger... If we fight, we win... Losing is not acceptable... We stand for Athlos, and those against the land must perish..." He looked at their faces, nodding with them. He felt his heart start to race as he felt his words wash over him. "I'm not for giving words, but everyone here in this room, I'll stand by and be happy to call them brother or sister on the field of battle... If we fall, we fall knowing we did everything for the glory of Athlos, and not for anything else."
"FOR THE GLORY OF ATHLOS!"
He smiled as he lifted his metallic arm into the air. "GLORY OF ATHLOS!" He looked at the group chanting in front of him. He lowered his arm. "You all have your mission... Your duties, and your roles... If you don't see victory, fall back and we'll join you for a new advance... If you fall... I shall see you again when its my time." He looked at the priestess and pointed his head to the far doors. "Lets go. We can't keep them waiting, especially when they have dates with our blades." He pushed open the doors to the courtyard and stood looking at the lands in front of him. "Paradise... This place... Our home is Paradise... Lets call it that... An open call for people to join our Paradise!"
He turned in silence watching as the priestess formed a cloud and stepped onto it, flying high into the sky. He looked down, and watched as the others left in different directions. "Don't worry ass... You'll see them again... They aren't weak at all... Also we'll be seeing Nebi and the one who broke the monk's heart... I've always wondered what she looked like... Soon we'll know." Stannir smiled and closed his eyes as he felt the strong wind on his face. "You must like it up here in the clouds... You can see everything, and feel everything." He opened his eyes, and looked at the priestess staring into the distance. "She's focused general... Let her mentally prepare... We also need to start preparing."
He nodded. "That we do... This is her fight, I'm just going to clear the drones for her... She wants to take her head so I'll just take care of all the drones..."
"Firewarrior... Stannir... Leave Agnia to me... You can deal with everything else... I know where's waiting for me... I'll face her alone." Stannir nodded at her back. "Don't worry... I'm not planning on interfering with your fight... I'm going to be busy taking care of all the drones..."
"There'll be many of them... Make sure you give them a good death... That's if she turned them to drones." Stannir looked at her. "Where exactly in Eternia are we going?"
"We're going to a circus... She's there waiting for me... Ironic isn't it Stannir?" He looked at her in confusion. "What is ironic?"
"The place of my training, my old life, and my adopted family is at that circus... A full circle... Instead of coming back as a hero bringing her to justice... I'll be fighting my way through those that helped me start this journey." He watched as her shoulders shook, and looked away. "If they're drones, they'll receive a quick and painless death... I won't cause them any pain..."
"Thank you Stannir... That I know you can do..." He looked at her, before looking at the ground far below them. "What about you? Will you also give Agnia, a similar death?"
"No... I will give her a death that she deserves..." He felt a tiny amount of iciness in her voice. "What death does she deserve?"
"A quick death... No pain, no hurt, no suffering... A death that no one will see, hear or even be aware of... A silent death... No crowds crying out her name, just silence."
Stannir nodded. "That's a sad death... If that's what she deserves, than the one who carries the justice of the mountains, that's your duty to give... I hope you don't let your family down."
"I won't... They've been silent for a long time... Now I'll do what they couldn't do." He nodded, and sat in silence staring at the ground turning into sea below him. "This is a very interesting way to travel... I think I'm going to like this..."
"Who said I'm going to be flying you around always... I'm sure those wings of yours lets you travel around a bit." He smiled, nodding. "They do, but compared to this, I move like an old bird or something."
"Hahahaha... Funny... Thank you. I needed that... Be silent... I must focus." Stannir nodded and closed his eyes, staring at the alluring Salina. "That's why you're a general... That's why you needed to come with her... Good work my general." He smiled at Salina. "We too must get ready for the drones that're probably standing in our way..."
He watched as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm sure you'll be ready, and give them what they deserve." Stannir nodded. "Yes... I'll make sure she stands before the queen... The rest will be up to her."