More than seeing the army that was arriving; I was awe-struck at how amazing we looked standing beside each other. I could only think how we would look with the whole army right before the war…
Everyone had gathered around to watch the army. But only Colloseus was able to see them due to his wide scope of vision. We had to wait a minute or so before the troops finally came into sight. I looked at Wade who, I think was smiling. He was still far and I couldn't make out his expression but happiness would be the obvious feeling, I suppose. Beside him, Adonis walked looking enthusiastic for a fight. I recognized very few out of the thousands of workers who worked in the Headquarters. Be it a manager, or assistant or a common laborer; all had agreed to join the fight. Their courage was praise-worthy and perhaps more than the DELTAs. They had sacrificed their normal life to work in the Headquarters forever. I wondered how Rock Flames had managed to get all these people.
I also noticed Master Polwern, using the wooden stick to walk although he had the energy to run and dash through us. He had to pretend to be weak considering his age but the techniques he knew in battle and the focus he had proved that age didn't matter. His students mixed into the group of the soldiers instead of following him. This showed the unity we had in the army.
Wade came in and hugged me tight. "Good to see you alive, Blaze!" He screamed in my ear which was unnecessary and perhaps unintentional. The man really needed to work on greeting people more nicely. It seemed as if he wanted all of us dead though he didn't. Master Polwern waved his hand and Adonis, being the energetic freak, came and slapped me on my back. It was supposed to be a pat but wasn't anything less than a slap.
A lot of chatting took place as the army made camp near the river bank. Hundreds of tents were arranged for the troops to rest. But no one was interested in a nap. Evidently, they were much excited to see us and hear our journey so far. They were fighting not because they were forced to; but because they wanted to be of some use to planet Darknor.
When Adonis met Oliver, everyone's eyes fixed on the scene which took place. Patting Oliver's shoulder, Adonis said, "You have been through a lot, kid. You don't show it but you still feel lonely. I must say, sacrificing the blade was a heart-breaking but necessary decision. You managed to do so. You are a true warrior, Oliver!" The weaponless warrior had tears in his eyes, remembering his precious sword, Tortunem. The fact that Adonis himself had created the blade added more to the despair. Then Adonis extended his hand sideways, his eyes never off Oliver. Immediately, a soldier came with something and placed it on Adonis's hand. The item was wrapped with cloth. Adonis did the grand reveal and all eyes were on the item. It was a sword!
Oliver looked at it in awe and then at Adonis. The weapon maker then announced, "Faster than any other blade, sharp enough to chop a tree down in one go, with a grip so firm, heavy and a hard-hitter yet light in weight, one of my greatest creations – Oliver, meet the Sword of Thunder, Hyperior!!!" Oliver's jaw was hanging and it wasn't until I nudged him that he came back to his senses. Adonis offered it to Oliver and still awe-struck, he handled the blade with shivering hands. My pal finally had a weapon of his own. The sword looked so intimidating and royal that enemies would themselves avoid the wielder in battle.
After a long time of greeting, hugging and narrating the journey, we finally decided to get on to the plan.
During the discussions, for some odd reason, people made me the leader of the army. I mean, I know that I am the stupid hero but there were much stronger warriors than me and yet somehow, I made it to the top of the list. Just because I had a tiny chance of killing the King didn't mean I had to be the center of the focus. (Actually, that's exactly why I was the center of the focus)
The army was divided under several Generals. Adonis was the Chief General of the west soldiers and Wade became of the east. Amanda, Mark, Xavier, Oliver – all were granted their own separate troops and they were positioned right in the center of the army, like the heart of the horde. Master Polwern was chosen to be the Chief of the southern troops. And the blows would begin with the northern troops of which I was the Chief General. My soldiers were supposed to be the most fiercest and wildest of all to scare the enemy on the first strike. And of course! When we talk about wild, Druk has to be on my team, massacring hundreds before they can even meet with the rest of the army.
"The war shall be beginning by the dawn of tomorrow. King Jalaar has awakened and reached the Abandoned Palace. Raptor and the others creatures are all set for battle. How do you think we should go about with the strategies?" I asked. The time was already four o'clock meaning that it wasn't long till the war would commence. "If by 6:00 am, they don't show up, we will charge towards the Palace! Till then, our troops can rest. Our main aim is King Jalaar. There will be hundreds of deadly creatures protecting him but no matter what, all of us need to work together to send Blaze to the King. After that, it's all on you, Blaze!" Wade declared. Everyone except me nodded, agreeing to the plan which would probably result in my death.
"Drakolleus will be confronted by me. I will keep him from attacking you." Colloseus said. The dragon was all set for a good fight with his brother. "In a few hours, we will avenge Lily's death!" Xavier roared. The place was then filled with cries and cheers. Everyone retired to their tents. Xavier took a nap on the grass after the hard work he put into restructuring features of the warship. The machine was parked nearby, fully tanked up with weapons and metal walls for fight. Oliver and I decided to go scouting at the enemy camp whereas Druk and Mark were having a practice battle, Wade being the judge. Master Polwern too joined in the fight after a while. Druk was taken aback by the deadly moves of the old man and Mark too faced difficulties in standing his ground.
Oliver and I were hidden behind trees, looking at the Palace. The fear I had inside me of not going close to the Palace due to the barrier had vanished. Our troops could freely and in large numbers invade the territory now without any disruption. I felt something behind me and jumped. Sounge looked at me and himself jumped out of fear. Oliver laughed and muttered, "He is really growing on you. After Lily, you might just be the new master!" I replied, "Sounge has no master. He is my dear friend." Saying so, I rubbed the his head fur and he seemed to like it.
"In the prison, I noticed a lot of things. Every minute, a guard would show up to make sure we were still inside. I have seen numerous faces during all these days. Once when all of us were asleep and I was just barely awake; I heard the conversation of two guards. They were speaking of the King. Apparently, he mostly didn't fight anyone. He simply used to sit and watch the war going on. Only once, when all the strongest warriors had come together two thousand years ago, he was forced to fight. But in a few strikes, they all died. If the Legend is true, we are facing the deadliest enemy of all times. One strike from his weapon and a dozen soldiers will be down. How are we supposed to fight such a creature?" Oliver explained. I had no good answer but replied, "We'll know what to do when the time comes. Thinking about it now will only tense your mind." Oliver nodded.
Time was going by and it was now five o'clock in the morning. An hour left to strike. The Saphrop was barely visible as a line rising up in the horizon. Our scouting duties didn't pay off much. We weren't spotting anything important. Once in a while we spotted a few soldiers roaming around but most of them were inside the central tower, probably discussing and listening to the orders of King Jalaar.
As Oliver and I were scouting, I heard Druk and Amanda yelling at each other in the back. Turning around, I asked, "What's going on?" Druk's eyes had become red with rage, though not savage. It was a friendly fight between them. "This girl… she's insane!! Just because she is half your cousin, I am keeping my claws to myself. Otherwise, the lady would have her face torn apart! I told you I hate teaming up with girls." Druk complained. Amanda walked up to me and shouted, "Where did you find this idiotic beast? I was tired after using the Zantai power to bring you to us. I went to sleep. He fights so rashly – while fighting Master Polwern, he broke a tree branch and aimed at him. It missed and hit me on the stomach!"
At such a point, you should ask whether the person was okay or injured. Oliver and I simply were trying to hold my laughter. Both of them were childishly fighting. You would expect the warriors to be mature. These two were simply shouting for unnecessary reasons. Druk protested, "I told you to move away from the field. It was a battleground for men!" Druk's inclination towards men was always visible. Amanda replied, "For men?! You yourself are an animal! And if you want a fight, I'll show you what girls are made off. But watch out, if I crush your ego, it's not my fault!" These insults kept coming from both sides until Oliver interrupted and tried to resolve the matter.
I didn't pay much heed because I knew both Amanda and Druk well. Though hot-headed, Druk always comes back to his senses. Amanda was always smart and her anger too would dissipate quickly. "Are the troops ready?" I changed the topic. Amanda turned towards the camp and said, "Yeah! They're up and just waiting for orders. It's your call, Blaze!" The time was quarter to six.
I said, "Alright! Get the troops! We're invading!"