A stoic figure he was sitting on the edge of his bed in this now far from homeland of Minlas, staring at the etchings his father had inscribed upon a gold-plated tag attached to his luggage, "Prince Skarnum". It was given to him as a remembrance gift before he had left the capital city back home. Hybonia was the realm, his people. The Rock-Hyb were a battle hardened tough and proud race, where the average male stood six- and one-half feet tall, weighing a mere four-hundred pounds. They looked almost liked a cross between a minotaur and a human, typically only being slightly more mannered then the former and somewhat less intelligent then the latter.
He remembered vividly his father's disregard of their council and its protocol as it pertained to Syrus request of the chosen. It was quite a mess before it was all sorted out and the Hybonian council's approval to let the young prince travel to Desmonia was granted.
He was here now arriving only hours ago, he was slightly behind the others in regards to practicing his role within the chosen but he too was like Princess Kelsee in that he had actually been practicing for this role his entire life. He practiced not even knowing if it were going to be his role to have, but regardless of his being a chosen or not, the practice was still necessary as he was to be a Prince of Hybonia, and this meant something. It meant he would have to be smarter, stronger, faster, and more seasoned than nearly all of his kind, if he were to be accepted in his position. He smiled at how well prepared he was or so he thought.
The young prince opened his bags and noticed a letter on top of the inside of his baggage. It was in his father's handwriting. He sat down on his bed and tore open the note.
Skarnum,
I am sorry for all that I have done. I hope all goes well with your quest. The items I placed in the luggage box should help you guard the other chosen.
Watch over them well and return here as soon as you can.
Always Your Father,
Monarch Sellus
Well, it wasn't warm and fuzzy but for his father it was miles more then what he expected. Wondering what could be in the luggage case he opened it and tore off the old blanket that lay on the top. Skarnum gasped as he saw the red and black armor that lay beneath the blanket. It was the royal armor it was his father's armor or at least it was the armor he wore in times of war. It was rumored to have powers beyond belief.
There was the helm that was rumored to make the wearer nearly immune to all forms of magic, this type of armor is so very rare and costly, the young prince knew.
The breastplate would stop all but the strongest hit and much of the artillery most of his enemies would possess. The leg plates equally staunch in their construction and having the added benefit of making a wearer as quick an agile as a Hybonian Moctoit.
Skarnum read the note a second time as he glanced over the items he had just taken from the suitcase and laid upon his bed. His father was full of surprises he thought to himself.
"My apologies sir," a small, diminutive figure said as she entered the master suite of Skarnum's apartment on Desmonia.
The large Hybonian pulled himself from his thoughts to nod his acknowledgement of the creatures presence.
"I have taken the liberty of securing your belongings and getting them, all put away, with the exception of the suitcase that I was not to touch," the figure said as it nodded toward the suitcase that now lay open on the bed. "I have also prepared a meal for you, consisting of all of the foods you requested, and I took the liberty of preparing bath water should you feel the need to wash off the weariness of the road and relax."
Of course, the last statement brought about mixed results as Skarnum loved to eat so he was naturally pleased with the meal but as any Rock-Hyb will tell you baths are for the weak. So needless to so the latter part of this statement brought about a somewhat, shall we say a less then pleasant facial expression.
"No, Alova that will be all," Skarnum replied.
The female Gnome considered this her release for the evening; she gave a short bow as she exited the room. She also knew that her not so subtle hint of cleanliness would be ignored but still she shrugged to no one in particular and managed a smile as she exited the apartment. This would be an interesting assignment she thought to herself.
Skarnum chuckled to himself as he heard the front door shut. Gnomes were such a pointless race he thought to himself at least this was always the instruction from those ranked above him. Rising from his bed he placed his father's armor on a shelf in the room and entered the kitchen. As he turned the corner in the kitchen, he saw a lavish meal prepared for him with many of the favorites he had requested. The aroma he had smelled while in the back room now blasted him full force.
Monlavian roast with carrots and bread, seared potatoes with Albanian shredded cheese and shaved Iguine (a bolder flavored cheese) melted on top. For dessert there was a large platter filled with many of his personal favorites and to wash all of this down was a large mug of cold malt dark ale.
Next to the plates of food that lay upon the table sat a folded notecard, it simply said:
"Eat Well"
"Sleep Well"
"I will be here early tomorrow to make sure you are ready to attend your drills"
Alova
The young prince grinned pleased at what was laid before him, perhaps he should rethink his philosophy on Gnomes, he thought to himself as he pulled a small piece of roast from the pot and placed it on his plate. He smiled as he deeply breathed in the aroma from the meat and its juices. Perhaps he would indeed as he began to devour the food that lay in front of him.
What everyone need know about this situation is that watching a Rock-Hyb eat is much like watching a train wreck, you know its going to be difficult to watch and it most certainly is not going to end well yet you cant pull yourself away from watching it.
This display lasted for near an hour at which time, Skarnum retired to his chambers. He was worn out from the recent days of trains and planes and interplanetary rockets as navigating the dimensions of space and time often took its toll on both mind and body.
He undressed for bed not bothering with the ridiculous bed attire, what was it Alova called them oh yes pajamas. Ridiculous they were he thought to himself as he tossed them on the floor. And of course, he did not partake of the bath he hadn't battled in weeks what possible reasons would he have to bathe now he thought to himself.
His stomach was now full and with the traveling and the pressures of the past six days finally overwhelming him he gathered himself into the extremely large bed that was prepared for him. The last thing he remembered was his head hitting the soft pillow. There was one thought that lay prevalent upon his mind as sleep overtook him. He might definitely have to rethink what he believed in regards to gnomes.
With the automatic lights and Alova prodding him in the back he was very glad he had retired early the previous night. When it was clear that no more sleep was to be had he let his newly found gnome friend know that he was fully awake.
"I have taken the liberty of running you a new bath and I have prepared the mornings meal," Alova said as Skarnum turned to face her. "I can polish your armor and fetch you some clothes if you like," she added with a smile.
Skarnum waved her away as he sat up. "That won't be necessary Alova, I think I can get it from here, you are free to go."
Alova shook her head, "Regrettably I cannot go until I release you too Cog and Noggin."
"To what,who," Skarnum said still groggy from his nights rest.
Skarnum stood up, stretching he let loose with a very loud and boisterous yawn.
Alova turned her head somewhat embarrassed as all Skarnum was wearing was a pair of loose-fitting boxers. "Cog and Noggin," she repeated with her back still to the Hybonian Prince. "They are your Dwarven escorts, they will be the ones delivering you to and from your training facility. It is there that you will meet with Hawk, he will further your weapons and tactical training. He is said to be the best war tactician alive so you should be honored."
"Hawk, huh," Skarnum said clearly unimpressed. "He better be gifted with a weapon because I was number one in my class six seasons in a row and for the last three, I was number one in the entire academy, beating many of the instructors that were there to train me. This Hawk will be hard pressed to teach me anything," the prince said as he entered the bathroom to freshen up.
"We shall see my large friend, perhaps he will also teach you some humility," Alova said to no one in particular as she exited the masters suite and made her way to the foyer. For you see she knew what everyone else on Desmonia knew and that is for the last two hundred and some odd years Hawk had never been bested in battle, whether it was real or in a tournament.
As breakfast reached its end there was a loud knock on the door, Alova gracefully slipped out of the kitchen to answer it.
"Is he ready", came gruff voices from the other side of the door.
"Nearly", Alova responded.
"We have a schedule to be keeping too darling, you know how cranky Hawk gets when he has to wait," the visitor responded, once again in a gruff voice.
Alova nodded as she closed the door to check on her charge. As she entered the bedroom, she observed Skarnum retrieving his sword and armor from the shelf in the closet.
"You will not need any of that today, Skarnum," she said as hurriedly and politely as she could.
Skarnum gave her an inquisitive look, so she reiterated. "You will have to trust me when I say, you will not need those today, now let's go your escorts are waiting."
Skarnum sighed, clearly, he was somewhat disgusted as he thought about Gnome punting for the briefest of seconds clearly, he was rethinking what he had thought about rethinking when he laid down to sleep last night. He chuckled to himself and then shrugging he placed his stuff back in the closet and hurried to catch up to Alova.
She opened the door and Skarnum exited his abode, pausing to observe the figures standing in the hall. Dwarves he thought to himself, just great.
The Dwarves appeared equally unimpressed even though they had to look up to view this pup before them.
"My name is Cog, and this be Noggin. Now let's go. We are going to have to be quick if we are going to make it to the training room timely and trust me, we ain't for being late so you need to be keeping up," the dwarf growled.
Skarnum nodded that he understood.
He had heard about Dwarves from his father who almost talked about them with admiration. They were hard working and perseverant, they were intelligent with extreme attention to detail and most important they were pound for pound every bit as battle hardened as any Rock-Hyb his father had ever met. Even the females he would say with a grin, not that one could tell the difference between the two. He remembered this clearly as his father seldom talked in near admiration about anyone let alone an entire race.
In looking at these two he could understand what his father was talking about, but he was still far from impressed. It would take more than his father's words for him to respect a dwarf, they would both have to earn it.
Strangely enough similar thoughts were going through Cog's mind as he increased his run speed to a nearly maximum sprint. Noggin was confused for a second as he shot a sideways glance towards his partner. Catching the smile protruding from his lips Noggin understood. Perhaps today's lesson would start early.
Skarnum noticed the increase in running speed, so he adjusted his pace to keep up. He was somewhat shocked at how fast two creatures of their size in full battle gear could move and he was further impressed with how long they were able to sustain this pace.
Rock-Hyb's by nature were proud and stubborn as any dwarf so if these two thought they would lose him this easily, they were in for a big surprise.
He smiled as he continued to focus on his escorts, Cog had red hair and a full beard. His armor was plate, most probably adamantine a very rare and expensive material. His helm had two ivory horns protruding from it.
His breastplate was of a golden hue, he had no arm guards. His gloves were of a mesh type metal. His leg guards were a deep blue hue. His boots were a gold color much like his breastplate. A red wooden shield and a beautiful hand axe were strapped to his back.
Noggins equipment was different to that of his counterpart in that it was made either entirely of cloth or leather. He wielded two weapons instead of one. In one hand he wielded a dagger and the other a somewhat longer blade, probably a sword. Both weapons were in their sheaths, so it was difficult to tell. Noggin's hair was browner then red and instead of a full beard he had only a mustache and a thick, bushy goatee.
Skarnum's chest was beginning to heave from the strain of running at near top speed for what was now nearing ten minutes. From the look of things, he could tell he was not the only one operating at maximum speed, it appeared that both of his escorts where tiring and having a hard time catching their breath. Despite these facts there pace did not appear to be lessening.
At long last they turned out of the main hall; they followed this smaller corridor to its end. From there they turned right following this hall until it too ended, turning left (their only option) they followed this corridor which ended abruptly at a door.
Upon arriving at the door Cog looked at his timepiece and then back to Skarnum, who nodded indicating that he was indeed ready.
Cog then placed his fist close to the door and knocked.
"You may enter," came a voice from within.
Turning the knob Cog opened the door and proceeded to enter the training facility.
"Right on time Cog, just as I have come to expect," said a figure from behind the now opened door. Skarnum had not yet entered the room, so he was still not able to view the speaker.
The Dwarf bowed slightly showing his appreciation for the compliment and then moved out of the entryway to make room for Noggin and Skarnum.
Skarnum rounded the corner admittedly he was somewhat excited to meet his new trainer. However, upon first glance this excitement quickly turned to disappointment.
"An Elf, the council has sent an Elf to train me on how to use a sword. Is this some sort of joke," Skarnum said with mocking laughter?
"Oh crap", Cog said under his breath as he backed up to stand by Noggin. All Noggin could do was to simply shake his head and stare at the floor.
"Who told you I was going to train you on how to use a sword boy? Obviously, you did not think this to be the case as you failed to bother to even bring one," the figure responded in a somewhat jovial manner.
"I was told not to," Skarnum responded silently cursing Alova.
"And so, you will not need it for if you have not learned to use one at this point then we are all in more trouble than we originally thought", the Elf retaliated.
"I have been taught to use a sword," Skarnum professed.
"I would expect as much from a student of General Gaclave," the slim figure responded.
Skarnum looked at the Elf questioningly. "He is the finest weapons trainer our world has ever seen and one of the few teachers that I could never beat, but still he said I was his finest student. How do you know of General Gaclave," Skarnum asked somewhat confused by this Elf's recognition of his teacher?
"Well, I was his trainer", the Elf said with a bow.
"Your lying", Skarnum said a bit more defensively then intended. "General Gaclave was trained by Brigadier General Hawthorne, and I know this to be a fact as he told me this personally," Skarnum finished with a smug look on his face.
The figure standing in front of Skarnum did not miss a beat as he gently pulled the hat from his head and bowed deeply, "General Killian Hawthorne at your service, but to all that know me I am simply Hawk."
Skarnum stood dumbfounded as the he now realized the figure that now stood before him was the teacher to General Gaclave, who was thought to be the greatest Hybonian Swordsman to have ever lived. And According to the General from his very lips, the last and only person to ever beat him since he had graduated from the Academy was the person that was now standing in front of him.
The stories the General told of this man were something written of legend and now he was standing here in front of him and not only was he standing in front of him he had made a fool of himself by insulting him.
Hawk must have guessed this as he quickly dismissed Skarnum's concerns. "Think nothing of it son, you were naturally just being protective of your teacher as would any good student, or at least you thought you were. I would like to know if I can expect this type of treatment every time, I am trying to instruct you on something," he said with a half-hearted chuckle.
"Um, no sir," Skarnum said as he shook his head.
"Great that will make things go a little smoother then, won't it," Hawk responded. Of course, the question was rhetorical.
"As I said my friends call me Hawk. Not General since I am long retired and definitely not Killian since I won't answer to that name. I of course would be honored if you would do the same," he said as he walked over to the Dwarves and muttered something to the both of them.
They both looked surprisingly at each other and then back at Hawk, who just gave them a look. Shrugging they both nodded and bowed as they exited the facility.
"They would end up just getting in the way," Hawk said as he made his way over to Skarnum.
"This is my training facility", Hawk said as he gently placed one hand on Skarnum's shoulder and using his other he gestured around the large room they occupied. "Have a look around while I go and get our gear."