irikandji balthazar

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Irikandji Balthazar

Part 1: Banish Of Irikandji!

I was bleeding in a million places. I was sword fighting with an experienced

soldier. My father thought I was so good that he called the King of Bondarg to come andbring one of his best fighters. What was worse? We were fighting with real swords, not

the wooden ones we normally practice with.

Aaaaaghhhh! The blade of my enemy sliced my side. The pain wasunbelievable. I couldnt take it. The scarlet liquid was gushing out.

I was at the brink of fainting. This guy was good, really good. I was doing prettywell myself but not well enough. I could quit right now and I would still be praised for

lasting that long, but I wont stop.

My opponent was getting overconfident. I saw my chance. His grip on his sword

loosened just a little. That was all I needed. I feigned like I was getting even more tired.

Then, with a sudden burst of all the energy I had left, I charged into him. I pushed my hiltunder his and wrenched his sword away. Before he could rise I had my sword at his

throat.

Irikandji! Irikandji! Irikandji! Irikandji! There were shouts everywhere. I hadwon. I had proven myself.

Mr. Balthazar!

Yes sire?

Your son has done a magnificent job. I am willing to make him a soldier within aweek of hard training.

Thank you! Thank you my lord!

Man, my father was so happy that all our neighbors were praising us and that the

king himself was proud. I thought he was going to start crying. My father was so proud ofme. He said he was going to buy me a pie (a rare treat in Bondarg). Even my older

brother, Gandorf, who I always fought with, gave me his first sword to keep. I didnt have

my own and he had a lot so I gladly accepted it.

A week later, I was a soldier. Gandorf was about 3 ranks ahead of me. I wasranked Minotaur. Our ranks are based on our enemies. Minotaurs were our leastthreatening enemies and only the soldiers ranked minotaur fought them. So the soldiers

fought the creatures that their own rank was. So if you were ranked Dragon, you fought

dragons. It was pretty organized.

King Borgon presented me with my own armor and sword so I gave Gandorf his

sword back. I named my sword Basilisk. Now that I named it, it was an official combat

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weapon. What I never knew was that Basilisk would be the most famous weapon of my

time.

In five minutes would be the monthly parade which I have always longed to be in.

Now I get my chance.

The trumpets blared and all the soldiers in their gleaming armor started to walk

slowly making elegant patterns with their swords. I was doing the Balthazar twirl which

my family was famous for. It included a series of complicated moves full of turns, twists,and mostly, twirls.

We were right at end of the parade and as the first line of soldiers reached the line,

as if out of nowhere minotaurs (creatures with the body of a man and a head of a bull,dark red eyes and covered in dark brown fur) jumped out. There were about a dozen of

them. They charged toward us. The soldiers got into defense position and a few others

charged at the minotaurs. I was one of the soldiers in defense. Truthfully I was freaking

out. This was the first and possibly last time I fight for my life. Our offensive soldierswere taking care of most of them but sometimes one or two got through and we took care

of them.

The last minotaur went down and we took a look at the casualties. There were

three down on our side and all down on their side. Other than that about twenty of our

soldiers were severely wounded and about fifteen others had minor wounds.

It was over but I had a feeling the battle was an easy win. It was a bit too easy if

you ask me. As if to support my thoughts, a minotaur charged out of an alley and wouldhave struck the king had I not shoved him out of the way. I quickly shoved my sword into

the side of the monster and wiped my brow.

I was bursting with pride for saving the king. But my pride only lasted about five

minutes. King Borgon, now with and ice pack to his forehead, was giving a speech.

That was an unexpected attack, the king sighed into the microphone we are

sorry for those who have lost loved ones. Our soldiers have fought magnificently and

fiercely. They shall be honored whether they are dead or alive.

I was waiting for him to get to the part where he would praise me for saving his

life but I was deeply disappointed.

Our newest soldier, Irikandji, of the Minotaur rank has fought well. He was even

ready when the thirteenth minotaur popped out. It was as if he knew where it was. Also,

he shoved me to the wall causing an injury to my head. I do not like it. I do not like it atall!

What! I saved your unworthy life from danger and you dont like it? Its not my

fault I thought the battle was over too easily!

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Thats it! Irikandji you have lost your rank and are now banished from my

kingdom! You have until tomorrow to get your face out of here.

You know what? I dont care. Id rather be banished than serve a selfish king

anyway I said. I gave him a cool steady stare full of anger and a small hint of regret.

I will now appoint two new trainees their soldier ranks. Uneccier Blazeheat and

Kerron Pipegrip please come here. The king took two swords and two sets of armor.

Uneccier Blazeheat, you now have the rank of Minotaur.

Thank you my lord. I will name my sword Cloudedge.

Kerron Flametongue, you too now have the rank of Minotaur.

Thank you my lord. I will name my sword Flamesteel.

They put on their armor and started walking toward me.

Soldiers! Please do not talk to the outcast.

Then, in unison, they said Im sorry my lord, but we go where our friend goes.

We only accepted the soldier ceremony because we need weapons out there in thewilderness.

I was on the floor laughing so hard I almost barfed. When they were becomingsoldiers I was mad at them because we were best friends since we were little. Now I was

so happy they were turning into outcasts for me.

Get out now all of you! Now! the king screamed.

Uneccier, Kerron, and I went to the kingdom bakery and got emergencyprovisions. The chef was a kind man with a weird accent. His brown eyes are always

twinkling. He has olive dark skin, blond hair, and was pretty chubby. He came lumbering

in and spoke with a weird accent.

What kind of trble harve ya guys gortten into ter get banished?

I saved his majestys life I said with mock respect to the king.

I always did tink about der majesty like dart he huffed he always had a selfisharttitude.

He gave us three huge backpacks full of food, gave us kisses on the heads and

cried like a mother.

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Go on you young whippersnappers.

Then we went to the general store and bought hiking backpacks, flashlights,

binoculars, some daggers, a few bows and six quivers full of arrows, a book on how to

make arrows (were going to need a lot of arrows to hunt for meat), some tents, a lot ofbatteries for the flashlights, and a tinderbox. We would have bought a portable stove but

we cant buy gas every time we need it. Ironic isnt it? We have the same sort of

technology as yours but for a world full of fighting we never upgraded our weapons.

We said good bye to our parents and our kingdom, Bondarg, and set off toward

our destiny.

We were walking down a trail known as The Path of Despair. We walked for about 3

hours and Uneccier spotted a bird. We made a deal to not consume the provisions unless

were starving and we can find no other alternative food.

It was a wood pigeon. Uneccier was an excellent shot at bows. He calculated its

approximate location with his binoculars and took aim. The arrow touched his cheek andhe let it loose. The arrow struck true.

My share in the work was to skin and gut the bird. Its dirty work. You couldnt

bare the disgusting smell. I never really paid much attention at school so I accidentallytouched the heart many times. Each time I did, I was squirted with blood and disgusting

smell.

Kerron took the cooking. He sprinkled some salt and pepper on the tenderized

meat. Along with some wild herbs, he cooked the bird on the fire. It actually tasted pretty

good, which wasnt surprising because his father was a chef.

We pitched our tents, made a fire, and settled down for the night. Uneccier started

burping so we had a burping contest. I came last. We made the place all stinky so wewent on a short stroll of our surroundings.

We were walking through the peaceful forest and then Uneccier heard a sound.

Its probably just a deer man. Its a forest there are supposed to be sounds. It

would scary if there werent any I said.

Dude, I was trained as a tracker. I would know what kind of sounds there are

supposed to be in a forest. What I hear is not a normal animal. It sounds kind of like a

minotaur.

Man Im tired of these minotaurs. Cursed ugly beasts. They are the whole reason

were banished.

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We heard Kerron squeak.

Kerron? What appened? Kerron? Kerron? Whats wrong with him Uneccier?

Hes in shock. He saw something.

Then, something charged at us. It was a minotaur. I took out Basilisk and stoodready. I struck but Basilisk bounced off of its horns. It turned and charged at full speed. I

read in a book that if they charge at full speed, you can jump out of its way and it cant

stop. I tried it and it worked. We did the same routine about five more times and theminotaur caught on. I saw that it caught on too because it started to eye our legs to see

our movement. So I decided to fake it. This time I would act like Im jumping to the side

but I wont. I tried it and it fell for it. I quickly sliced its leg. It fell down screaming and

started to cry.

This is creepy I said to Uneccier.

Yeah, who ever heard a minotaur cry?

Dont hurt my son! the minotaur said to us.

Son? Which son?

The minotaur pointed at the forest. As we watched, a minotaur at about our agewalked out.

My name is Tauron it said.

The mother told us that she was running away from the rest of their minotaur clan.

She told us that she was going to die and to take care of her son.

We cant promise that. We are going to dangerous lands.

He can fight. Im not saying he is worth less. Let him join your group. Not all

minotaurs are bad you know.

Fine Uneccier and I said in unison.

The mother passed away and we buried her. We went to Kerron and splashed

water at his face. He woke up and saw Tauron. Kerron was about to kill Tauron had wenot stopped him and told him the situation.

There is a stream over there shall we take a bath? Tauron pointed to the west.We stared at him dumbfounded.

What? Minotaurs take baths too.

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Okay, but lets put some of the water in our water bottles before we muck it all

up.

We packed up our gear and folded up the tents. The stream was about two miles

from our temporary camp. We filled our bottles and waded into the water.

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Part 2: The Outcasts!

We should have a name for our group Tauron said.

Umm, Shadows?

No Kerron Uneccier sighed.

How bout Blades?

No too emo

I got it!

What Irikandji?

The Outcasts because thats what we are, outcasts

Me likey Kerron smiled.

Yeah me too, and Kerron? Dont say me likey anymore said Tauron.

Yeah, I know, no wonder he doesnt get any of the girls back at home Uneccier

said.

We all fell laughing. Even Kerron joined in after he was done staring at us with

angry eyes.

Shut up! I got some girls Kerron said, still laughing.

Oh yeah? Girls who are so ugly that they are desperate enough to go out withyou dont count man.

Nice one Irk.

Taurons head jerked up. He stood and started sniffing.

What up man? What are you smellin?

I dont know Kerron, but I think it might be an animal of reptile origins.

I scratched my head. I was freaking out. Reptiles in my world range from calm

turtles to crazy, violent monsters. One specific monster is a dragon as I mentioned earlier.

I was choking. Sweat was running like cataracts down my back. I managed a smallsqueak.

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Guys get dressed. Were moving out.

Whats the rush? Irikandji are you scared?

Scared isnt in my blood man.

Then why do you want to move out?

Shut up and do as I say! Im the leader of the Outcasts so you do what I say!

Who made you leader?

I did. The Outcasts wouldnt be here if I wasnt banished. So stop askingquestions Uneccier.

We went to Taurons camp and took down his tent, put his things in it, and rolled

it all up. For the rest of the day Tauron was pretty bummed out about his mother. Youcould notice it, even though he tried so hard to hide it. The relationship between Uneccier

and I has still been pretty bad. It was mostly my fault. I let my fear get the better of me. Ihavent told anybody what to do since that argument. Guilt was eating out my insides. I

had to apologize or I would never be the same again. I slowly walked up to Uneccier.

Im really sorry dude. You were right. I was scared. I thought it might have beena dragon. You know the bad relationship between me and my family.

About five years ago, my mother was taken away by a dragon. My father was somad that he was about to go to the dragons cave to get her back. My uncle and my

fathers closest friend convinced him to stay back. Ever since then, I wanted to kill any

dragon I saw but I was also really scared of them.

Its all good man. I understand. I was just going to come apologize to you too.

Now, let us make you a real leader. All in favor of Irikandji being the leader of theOutcasts say I

I all of them said in unison.

All righty then. Lets move out.

The next day we moved out toward a plateau known as Dragon Land. I wasreluctant but a leader had to face his fears. This area was known for its vast population of

dragons. Somewhere around thirty to seventy dragons lived here. You may not think that

is not vast but it is pretty vast under my book. Dragons were really powerful beings butthey were really rare to encounter.

I took Basilisk out held onto it. I wasnt going to take my chances. The others felt

the same way. Uneccier took out Cloudedge, Kerron took out Flamesteel, and Tauron said

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a spell and a sickle shaped sword he called Dirbenlard popped up in his hand. Ive seen

Tauron do this like ten times already but it still creeps me out. Magic is an art performed

only by minotaurs.

Uneccier? I have a feeling we should turn back Kerron squeaked.

Calm down. We need more recruits if we want to bring down the king. Dragons

are perfect for the job. They are strong and silent if need be.

Dont be confused. That night we planned that we were going to take down the

king because we heard some scouts from the castle talking as they walked by us with no

clue we were there. They said that the king was planning a full scale assault on the

Minisgar, the kingdom of minotaurs, and another human kingdom known as Algerdorn.This was totally against the treaty made by the founders of all the kingdoms thousands of

years ago. All kingdoms were allowed to fight each other over little arguments but not

take over each others kingdoms.

Yeah, Kerron Im scared too but we have to do this. Not for our sakes, but for the

thousands of families who are going to lose loved ones for nothing but a mad kingsgreed.

If we do this we might even be accepted back into the kingdom and live in the

full glories of a soldier, a high ranked soldier to be exact.

Youre right Irk. Ive got to stop thinking of myself.

Oh my gosh! Run! Uneccier started to run for cover. I looked up and saw a red

dot in the sky. It looked like the sky was bleeding a single drop of blood.

Uneccier stop running. There is no where to hide anyway. This is a barren, rocky

plateau. You will just look like prey to the dragon if you run like that. You have to show it

that you are brave. Believe me Im more scared than you.

Yeah Uneccier. Listen to Tauron.

Lets do this guys.

I was really scared. I swear any guy in the right mind would start running. But

Tauron was right too. We waited for about three minutes and the blood-red dragon gotcloser. It blew a jet of fire into the sky and looked at us with something like a hint of

amusement in its eyes.

Puny creatures. I take it you are young ones? Three humans and a furry little

minotaur. Good dinner if you ask me.

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It made a gurgle type of sound deep in its throat. It was laughing. I stepped

forward, kneeled, and took a bow.

Greetings, dragon. What is your name if I may ask?

I am known as Stragor. Proceed.

Mighty Stragor. My small gang and I are known as the Outcasts. We have come

to ask a few dragons to join us and help us bring the greedy kings reign to an end.

Dragons do not work together young human.

Please call me Irikandji.

As I was saying, Irikandji, dragons do not work together. We used to, but things

have changed.

Trust me Stragor. The Outcasts have made many things happen. Making

dragons work together is child play. The hard part is recruiting them.

Ill do what you want but you will have to prove yourself.

Tell me what to do and I will do it.

You will fight me. If you win, I will help you. If you lose, I will eat you all.

What? That is so unfair! One human against a dragon, one! Irikandji will be

murdered!

Shut up Tauron! I will do what I have to do.

Do not worry. I will go easy on you. I will meet you again here at dusk onThursday.

That gives me three days to practice and train. I would have to train hard. That

dragon was cunning. It was using dusk because dragons can see perfectly well in the darkand humans cant.

Im not dumb Stragor. Dark is your best ally, and my worst enemy. We will fightat dawn and thats final.

Why should I not agree? Dawn it is!

I did some warm-up exercises and started sword fighting with Tauron. He was

really good. We were lucky to have him as an Outcast.

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Dude watch it I said as I was ducking to avoid a blow to the head from

Dirbenlards hilt.

Irikandji!

I turned toward Kerron. As I was distracted, Tauron landed his special hilt blow. Iwas instantly dazed. My vision started waving. Then, something started to glow. It was a

projected path sort of thing. I couldnt focus on Tauron but his weak spots were very

vivid and zoomed in.

I took advantage of this mysterious power and followed the path my eyes

projected. I weaved through all of Taurons blows struck him on each of his weak areas

with my hilt and as he fell, I put my sword at his throat.

Dang! How did you do that? It was like you saw my every move before it

happened!

It was something like that.

I described what I saw to them. Tauron was shocked more than anyone.

It is just like my grandfather described it. One person in every millennium is

born like this. They are called Berserkers. My namesake, the first Tauron, was the onlyminotaur ever that was a Berserker. It will be very helpful when you will fight Stragor.

Theres only one problem guys. This is the first time I experienced this berserkfeeling. I dont think I can turn it on when I want to.

Umm, I think I do.

Kerron? all of us asked.

Yes, I read a book on Berserkers once. The first Tauron was in it too.

Then tell us man!

One way is to be in a life and death situation which automatically triggers the

Berserker in you. The second, manual way is to well, you know that empty feeling you

get? When you just had a lot of fun and then you go home and do something boring?

Yeah, I think it is love.

No Uneccier, its actually something called chi. You have to seek that feeling.

Chi is what the berserk mode is fueled by. When you seek it, you trigger it. Try it Irk.

Okay.

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I tried it. A dark wave of emptiness hit me. I was an awful feeling. It felt like I

was falling down a dark and bottomless pit. Forever just falling.

After the sensation was gone, I started seeing the glowing path again. I looked at

my friends and saw their weak points focused in.

It works guys!

Cool!

I was so happy I was a Berserker. It gave me a really good advantage over

Stragor. The question was, is the advantage good enough? A Berserker might not be able

to dodge that pure white and scalding fire. One blast and all that would be left of me is apile of ashes.

I practiced hard for the next three days. The days were slowly dragging by.

Anticipation welled up in our minds. Around four hours before the battle, we went tolook for some good rocks. I needed a good stone to hone my sword.

Tauron came back a few minutes later with a good stone. I spent the next hour or

so honing the blade to a near razor-sharp edge. You never want your sword to be razor-

sharp. I dont know why though. Its one of those things your parents tell you never to do

but never tell you the reason.

This is boring. I would rather be spending my possibly last moments doing

something exciting instead of sharpening Basilisk.

Stop whining Irk.

Okay. But this is seriously boring.

Time went by like a slow paced snail. The fight was drawing near. It took mearound an hour to finish sharpening Basilisk. The rest of the time, I did some stretches

and ate a quick meal from our provisions. We were depending on our provisions too

much. We couldnt find any food around here. Tauron ate grubs and beetles to save our

provisions though.

I looked at my watch. One and a half hours till the battle. Around the camp

Kerron and Uneccier were dozing in our tents. Tauron was reading a book that hemagically popped out of nowhere about all the Berserkers ever recorded. As I went up to

him, he did a quick spell to add my name to the list and added a whole section about me.

Im gonna keep adding to the story as our adventures prolongs.

Cool, but do you think its necessary to add my name to the book?

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Nonsense Irk, people have to know about the great Irikandji Balthazar! The

compliment made me blush. My cheeks turned into great rosebushes of red. You should

go take a nap. Ill wake you in forty-five minutes.

Thanks Tauron.

I went into my tent and lay down on by sleeping bag. The warmth quickly

dragged me into a much needed sleep. I had a dream. My dream was filled with me dying

in different ways and failing my friends. I was thrashing around and suddenly my dreamwent away. I thought it was over and then suddenly I was in a peaceful meadow. Around

me were some kinds of red jasmines. I pondered this. As far as I knew, jasmines were

white. My hands were red as well. Horror struck me as I realized that my hand was

coated in blood.

The jasmines were also coated in blood. At that moment, for the first time, I

looked down. In the grass was a dead body with Basilisk stabbed in the back. I pried out

Basilisk and turned the body.

Aaaaaaggggghh!

Are you okay Irk?

I opened my eyes and looked into the worried eyes of Kerron.

Yeah Im okay. Just a nightmare thats all.

Okay man. Get ready thirty minutes till the battle.

I washed my face with a bit of water from a small rock pool by our camp. I wasabout to get into my armor when Uneccier stopped me.

Do you want to fry to death? You dont see soldiers ranked Dragon wearingarmor when fighting a dragon.

No, but whats wrong with wearing armor?

The heat from the dragons fire will literally fry you inside.

Oh. Then Id better not wear any.

I got ready clad only in tough leather. It should block out some of the force in the

blows that I might get from the dragon.

Eeeeeeraaaak!

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We looked up and saw the little marble sized speck that was Stragor. He was a

one to two miles away. That gave me about fifteen minutes to get ready. I did a few quick

stretches and started practicing with Basilisk.

My heart was beating so fast, that thought if spaceships were that fast, they could

find another planet with life in under a minute.

The moment was drawing near. Now Stragor went form the size of a marble, to

the size of a watermelon.

I started sparing with Tauron. I didnt want to use Berserker mode yet. I would

save that for the fight.

Eeeeeeeraaaak!

This time it was much louder. Stragor was now about the size of Tauron in the

sky.

I stopped sparring knowing it was useless. Stragor was almost here so I wouldjust be tiring myself out.

As we watched Stragor made a perfect landing.

Hello Irikandji Stragor smirked lets move on with our rendezvous.

As you wish mighty dragon. I said, sounding more confident than I felt.

Stragor walked around in a large, wide circle scorching the ground with his

blindingly white fire as he went.

The rules are simple. The loser will be the person who dies, leaves the circle, or

admits defeat. Other than that, there are no rules. Understand?

Of course. But let me add one more rule. No flying.

Wow human. You drive a hard bargain. But then again, what should I expect.Humans cant fly.

Let us begin. I cant afford to waste anymore time.

As I was walking toward the circle, Uneccier caught my hand.

Be careful man. If your about to lose and can see no other chance, admit defeat

or leave the circle. We dont want to see you die.

Okay I understand.

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I closed my eyes for the third time. I tried, but I knew I cant take on a dragon

without Berserker mode. I charged again. Stragor, as he saw the ball of fire worked thefirst time, blew another one.

This time, I slid underneath the fire. The heat was unbearable, but at least it didntmake contact. As I slid, I saw that I would also go underneath Stragors legs. I put

Basilisk up and sliced his stomach.

Braaaakeeeeerk!

I hurt him badly this time. The stomach was the softest part of a dragons

stomach. When I came out of the other side, I sliced him again in the back. Stragorscreamed as he stood on his hind legs. I saw the spikes on his back were like the rungs of

a ladder. I took a hasty decision and started climbing. Stragor knew I was climbing.

Stragor was smart, but he wasnt smart enough to know that if he fell backward, Iwould be crushed underneath his weight. I clung on to his neck, stabbing him everywhere

I can. He kept blowing fire but none of it would reach me.

Ughh, I fell down. Stragor had dragged me off by giving his wings a shake.

He lunged at me. I thought it was over. All I trained for, all I worked for. It was allfor nothing. As I promised Uneccier, I was about to say I admit defeat. I opened my

mouth to speak but at the same time my Berserker mode lifted my arm to put the tip up.

Stragor stopped just in time, or he would have been stabbed right through the neck.

The tip of the sword went in about a millimeter. Stragor was about to pull back.

Move and Ill stab you before you can lift your head.

I knew I had him. He hesitated and I rolled over him and I was on top now. I hadthe sword on his neck.

Kill me. I am a failure as a dragon.

Youre no use to me dead. I need you to recruit more dragons, or have you

forgotten your promise?

All right. I admit defeat. You are a great warrior Irikandji Balthazar, my master.

The compliment sent my ear tips red as blood.

Welcome, Stragor, as a new member of the Outcasts.

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The rest of them couldnt see what was happening because of the smoke and

clouds of dust. As Stragor and I walked out, they ran to us.

Irikandji Kerron asked who won?

Irikandji did. Stragor was sad he lost to a human. A lone, young, inexperiencedhuman.

Stragor, you are not a failure. Tauron, explain to him the power I have.

Okay. Stragor, follow me.

As they left, Uneccier and Kerron threw me an avalanche of questions.

All in good time, guys, all in good time. Right now, we have to plan our next

move.

Umm no. Right now we have to treat your injuries.

Fine.

I turned to look at Tauron walking toward us. Stragor was much happier now,

knowing that he hadnt lost to any normal human.

I will treat your wounds Tauron spoke to me, then, I will treat Stragors as

well.

Tauron made some awful smelling poultice from grubs and larvae. He smeared on

to our wounds and muttered a quick spell. The wounds vanished immediately. I jerkedback, surprised.

How did you do that?

I never told you why my mother and I were kicked out did I?

No, but were all ears. Uneccier sat down completely interested.

Well, when I was two years old, I found that I had magical powers far more

powerful than any other minotaur...

Part 3: Recruits!

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First, my parents were regarded with utmost respect. They were promised a

seat for me in the Lords Magician Council. My parents were really happy. Other

minotaurs came regularly to feed me their best food, so my parents didnt have to worryabout buying food for me. Many minotaurs gave me very good clothing. When turned the

age of three, magicians from the Lords Magician Council came to teach me the

necessary spells I would need for daily use. I was a quick learner. I learned what theytaught me and used them almost immediately.

As the years passed I exceeded all expectations. The magicians started gettingscared of me. I dont know why but they started teaching the spells at a much slower

pace. I mean, if you think about it, thats pretty stupid. If I were them, I would be really

enthusiastic that a minotaur was born with this ability, not some lowly human. Uhm, No

offense. I dont think of humans of lowly anymore.

I let the insult brush off. I knew Tauron didnt mean it. I looked around. Kerron

looked a bit steamed. Uneccier was just as calm as me and this time I noticed that

Stragor was listening intently as well.

Its all right, continue I said.

Where was I? Oh yeah. So I started to learn at a snails pace. My father started

hearing rumors spread around that I was a devils child. Less and less minotaurs started

coming over. My father picked a fight with some minotaur who tried to run me over withhis car. Later that week the same minotaur and a whole gang of his buddies came over to

kill my father.

Here, Tauron broke into tears. I felt sorry for him. I, at least, had a father, Tauron

didnt have anybody.

It is okay buddy, you dont have to tell us the rest. Uneccier sat by him,

speaking softly.

No, I will tell you. Well, they succeeded in killing my father. They would have

killed the rest of us, but our neighbors called the police. The police came and took the

thugs away. We were taken into protective custody. My mom was in tears, she clung to

my fathers body until they took it away to be cremated. I was no less. I was bawling onthe floor. I had loved my father. He gave me whatever I asked for. If that was bad enough,

the rumors about me reached the lord. He was really superstitious. He stayed well away

from me. As the rumors grew, he grew even more wary around me.

Soon, he couldnt take it, he banished my mother and I from Minisgar. We left

for the forests outside our kingdom. My mother and I were looking for food in the forestand she ran into you guys. From there, well, you know the rest.

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I was actually sprouting tears thinking about the hardships that Tauron faced. The

others were reacting the same way. Stragor was making a noise similar to his laughing. I

realized after a while, that he was crying.

Kerron, tell Tauron our part of the story, starting with the battle between me and

that one guy to prove I was ready to be a soldier.

Okay.

The rest of us went near the fireplace to discuss our next move in recruiting.

I will leave at the crack of dawn to recruit other dragons.

That would be reasonable, Stragor. I agree with you.

Irikandji and I can travel to Algerdorn to alert them of Borgons treachery.

Yes and Kerron and Tauron can travel to Minisgar to tell inform Lord Birdinger.

Do you really think that is smart Irikandji? Sending Tauron back?

Think about it Tauron. You actually think Birdinger will believe a bunch of

humans or his own kind? Banished or not?

I agree with Irikandji boomed Stragor.

Also sending Kerron would be of support to Tauron, incase of trouble. He

doesnt show it, but Kerron is the one who likes Tauron more than any of us.

Okay, Ill go tell Tauron and Kerron the plans. You guys go sleep.

As Uneccier spoke, it reminded me how exhausted I really was. I watchedUneccier go to the tent where Kerron and Tauron were. Stragor took off for his cave as

well. I retired to by own tent, set Basilisk by my sleeping bag, and lay down and went to

sleep.

That night, the same dream came back. As I turned the body, horror struck me

again. I knew what was coming but darkness clutched my heart once again.

Aaaaaghhhh!

I looked around. It was dawn already. I woke up, stretched, and went outside tosee Kerron rushing toward my tent.

You okay?

Yeah, same nightmare as last time.

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Why dont you make me?

I launched at him and we started wrestling in a play fight. Man, we havent had

one of those in years. It was good to forget everything and just mess around with your

friends for a while.

Hey. Hey. Hey! Calm down, youre not children.

Man, leave it to Uneccier to stop the fun.

Yeah, I know. Well Im gonna go explore the rest of this dang plateau. Theres

nothing else to do.

Okay, but wait up and well all go.

Aight.

I walked around, waiting for the rest of them to finish with what theyre doing.Tauron was finished first, so he walked around with me. After about five minutes Kerron

and Uneccier joined us.

Lets start over there. I pointed at a clump of weeds.

We started walking toward it and something flashed away from it.

We ran after it. Tauron, being the fastest, caught up and grabbed it.

Hahahahaha.

What you laughing at?

Its a dog. A little puppy. A German Shepherd to be exact.

I leaned closer to see that he was right.

What are the odds of that? A dog in the middle of nowhere.

I took it from Tauron and scratched its chin. I was pitifully skinny.

Lets take this little guy back to camp. We gotta feed im.Yeah, his ribs are sticking out. Let me hold him.

Yeah sure Kerron.

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I gave the puppy to Kerron and started thinking of names. Rex, Lucky, Buddy,

Gurgle, etc. Yeah, Im not really good with names.

I think we should call him Breeze. Cuz he was running like the Breeze.

Nice name Uneccier, I wouldnt have thought of that.

We took Breeze to the camp and fed him some beef patties we had in there. He ate

ravenously. He was biting into it with razor sharp teeth. He took instant liking to us. Hesat by us the rest of the day.

Time was drawing by and the sky started darkening. I wondered who would take

Breeze with them.

Hey guys whos gonna take Breeze with them?

I think Irk and Uneccier should take him. Most minotaurs attack dogs for noreason. I personally love dogs though.

Okay, well take him. I used to have a dog so I can train him as well.

Really Uneccier? How come you never told me?

Oh, I didnt? Well, my bad.

That night we traveled to the edge of the plateau together. It was a cheery night.The sky was clear, the stars and the moon were shining bright, and there was a light

breeze in the air. It was the kind of atmosphere that made you think back on your self. We

turned on our flashlights, which we havent used yet, and looked back.

Well, here we go. I looked at Kerron.

Yeah, sometimes I wonder, what were supposed to accomplish in life. Is it all

just fun and games? Care about yourself? Just work and support your family? Its all a big

fuzz to me.

I looked at Kerron and Uneccier. Deep down I knew they were right. Before, I

always thought of me, myself, and I. Now I see that its not about you, its about who you

care about. Look at where our selfishness brought me. I got banished. And for what?Talking back to the king because I lost my temper. I wonder what my father was going

through right now.

I looked at my watch. It was 12:34.

Time to go guys. We dont have much time. We already wasted like a half an

hour.

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All right then, see ya guys.

We waved to Kerron and Tauron. After they were out of sight, Uneccier and Istarted to walk slowly. I took Breezes leash which Uneccier made a few hours ago.

Breeze seemed pretty anxious. He walked around eagerly, sniffing every bush and crack

but staying quiet.

Uneccier and I were pretty sad. We didnt know why, but we just did. I think it

was because we were split apart from our friends. Im not sure. Its one of those timesthat you are really sad, but you dont know why. Im not talking about depression here,

but you get the message.

We walked silently for about hour and stopped for quick rest. I fed Breeze somejerky and lay down. Uneccier sat down beside me. Breeze lay down on the other side of

Uneccier.

Man this is a boring trek.

Yep. Theres nothing to do. For some reason, I thought this would be fun but it isreally boring.

At least Breeze seems to be having fun.

Uneccier laughed at my comment. He took Breeze onto his lap and started to pet

him. Breeze whimpered the way dogs do when they are happy. We rested for about forty-

five minutes and left once again. This time we kept talking so it wasnt that boring.

We entered stretch of woodland some two hours later and set up camp in a

clearing. While I struck up a fire, Uneccier made a comfy bed of ferns and moss forBreeze and tied his leash to his tent. I sat by the fire toasting my palms and watched

Uneccier teach Breeze some basic tricks. Stuff like sit, stand, rollover, etc.

Breeze didnt catch on but what would you expect? It was the first day. Uneccier

gave up and sat down beside me.

Looks like youre a good trainer, I smirked. Uneccier creased his eyebrows.

Lets see if you can do any better!

Im just joking man. Im tired. Im gonna go take a nap.

Yeah me too.

We retired to our tents, knowing that if there was any danger, Breeze would be

alert.

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That night I was back in the meadow. The red jasmines, the body with Basilisk in

the back and everything else like before. I turned the body, waiting for the shock that

would make me scream.

I woke up immediately. I was used to it now but it was still scary enough to wake

up. Light was streaming through the entrance to the tent. I walked out to see thatUneccier was still sleeping. Breeze woke up to the sound of me getting up. I fed him

some jerky and went to pack up my tent.

Dawn was still breaking so I thought that I would let Uneccier sleep for a while. I

ruffled Breezes fur and tried to train him. I took a tiny piece of jerky.

Sit. He wouldnt sit so I put him in the position and gave him the piece of jerky.Good boy! I took another piece of jerky. Cmon boy, sit. This time, he knew what he

had to do. He sat down in the position I put him in earlier. Good boy. I gave him

another piece. Now, I had to teach him to stand. I told him to sit again.

Now stand, boy. I put him in the position, gave him a piece of jerky and ruffled

his fur. Now to test him.

Sit! He sat.

Stand! He stood.

I heard a clapping sound from behind and looked at Uneccier.

Great job.

Thanks, didnt take long.

Oh yeah, I forgot to use snacks.

Yeah, and you call yourself a trainer.

Whatever, we should get going.

I already packed up my stuff. Im waiting for you.

Uneccier looked around to see that I was right. He quickly dismantled his tent andpacked up his gear. I took Breezes leash and we began our trek once again.

Meanwhile, Kerron and Tauron were playing tick-tack-toe in the dirt. They didnt have totravel as far as us. They were already halfway there.

Im bored. Tick-tack-toe is like a second grade game.

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Yeah I know. I wonder what Irk and Uneccier are up to. Probably in some battle

with some Bondarg scouts.

Dont exaggerate Kerron. If they picked a battle, it would give away their

position. Not a good idea if you ask me. I know theyre smart enough not to do it.

Yeah, youre right. Im gonna go get something to eat. You want something?

Yeah sure, get me some cider.

Tauron heard something. It sounded like rustling leaves followed by a scratching

sound. Tauron got up, and walked toward Kerron.

Dont be alarmed, but I think were being watched, Tauron whispered.

All right. Which direction?

Dont look but I think its to our left. With that Tauron started laughing to make

the intruder think theyre too preoccupied. That was hilarious!

Kerron quickly caught on. Yeah, I know, no one can make better jokes than me.

Okay, stop, I cant breathe. He acted like he was laughing so much he couldntbreathe.

The stalker took the bait. Thinking they too occupied in some joke, he charged.Tauron was ready, saying Dirbenlard, he brought up the sickle shaped sword and

deflected his opponents sword. The stalker was caught off guard. Kerron took out

Flamesteel and brought it down on the intruders back. He took care not to slice too deep.

As the intruder retched up in pain, Tauron brought Dirbenlard to his throat.

Who are you? Taurons face was contorted in anger.

Whats it to you?

Whats it to us? Whats it to us? You tried to kill us, thats what it is to us. Now

tell us who you are or Ill kill you.

Kerron calm down. Ill deal with this.

No Tauron this idiot is ticking me off.

Did he just say Tauron?

Yeah, I did. You got a problem with that? Huh?

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The intruder ignored Kerron and spoke to Tauron.

Its me Tauron, Bartik!

Tauron let his grip loose, taking Dirbenlard off Bartiks neck completely.

You lie! Bartik would never ambush me like that. He is too good of a friend.

I wouldnt have either, if you didnt hang out with this bloody human. TheTauron I knew was too loyal.

If you are Bartik, what was our promise four years ago?

Easy, we promised we would become warriors together.

Tauron hugged Bartik immediately.

I never thought I would see you again. What are you doing here?

Its a long story, but Ill make it short. We hit this one guy when he was making

fun of you. Then, he made up a story that we teamed up with you and were going to

destroy the kingdom.

So now, we got banished and were stuck here-

You keep saying we, who are we?

Henger, Gullith, and I.

Really? Call them.

Follow me.

As they followed Bartik, Kerron came up to Tauron.

Who are they?

They were my best friends when we were younger.

Oh, cool, but he better not make comments about me or any human!

Okay, Ill tell him everything that has happened to us.

Can we trust him?

Yeah.

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They reached a little clearing where two other minotaurs were camped. When

they saw Kerron, they were about to attack but Bartik stopped them and told them what

Tauron told him on the way.

They quickly accepted Kerron and were eager to help warn Minisgar.

Irikandji and Uneccier were reaching an intersection. They were planning to hitch a ride

to Algerdorn. Not too many people knew they were outcasts.

I think it will take a while.

Maybe, maybe not.

Hey look, that car has an old lady. Old ladies are nice.

We waved our thumbs in the air and the car stopped.

Hello boys, need a ride?

Yes mam. Are you going in the direction of Algerdorn?

Yes, Im actually going to visit my cousin there. Is it just you two or anymore

people?

Umm just us and a dog.

Oh, no sweat. I take dogs all the time.

Thanks mam.

Hop in.

Cmon Breeze!

Breeze ran toward us and sat in Unecciers lap. We reached Algerdorn in about an

hour or two. The lady was pretty nice. Sometimes you get suspicious of people being toonice, but this lady was the real deal. Algerdorn looked pretty much like Bondarg. Same

streets, same stores, same everything. Of course, it wasnt like they were copies or

anything.

We still had a lot of money that our parents gave us as they cried. What I dont

get, is what good money will do when there are no stores in the open country. We still hada week and a half left for the deadline, so we thought we would enjoy ourselves the next

day.

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Uneccier and I booked a room in a cheap motel. We both took showers. The kind

with soap. We felt much better. Those brief swims in pools didnt get rid of the muck. We

also bought some clothes and threw our old ones in the laundry. Then we slept. It feltgood to be sleeping on a bed again. That night, the dream came back. Im getting used to

it though.

The next day we left Breeze in the room and headed out to an arcade. Man, have I

ever wanted to play video games so badly in my life. After that, we called our parents.

They were really happy to listen to us. We told them what we were going to do. Myfather said he was against what the king was planning too.

We bought a real collar for Breeze. The crude substitute Uneccier made was

making Breeze itch. We also bought him some real fattening dog food. He had alreadygained a lot of pounds on his beef diet we gave him before. This would really help.

Man Uneccier, life is good. We missed so much when we were out on our own.

Yeah, but life outdoors has its own thrills as well.

True, very true.

Hey, we should buy some batteries. You never know when we need flashlights

the most.

Yeah, lets go buy some.

We went back to the motel and left the stuff we bought. Then, we left again. We

took Breeze with us this time. He was comfortable in his new collar. He really liked being

around people. People thought he was cute and came to pet him. This made him reallyhappy.

We went to a store called Neo-Mart. Its kind of like your Wal-Mart. Breeze hadto stay outside. We bought a lot of batteries, some chips, and soda. As we paid, the

cashier spoke to us.

You guys got a party going on at your house?

Yeah, you could say that. Though I gotta say, those guys can eat like crazy.

Yeah, when my son throws parties, I gotta spend like half my paycheck.

We all laughed at that. It was kind of funny. Spending half your paycheck on foodand drinks. The total we spent that day excluding the motel costs was like a hundred

bucks. We still had way more money though. My father always let me keep a copy of his

debit card and he also gave me the pin for withdrawing at ATMs.

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We took Breeze and headed for the motel. Tomorrow was a big day. We had to

speak to the king of Algerdorn. If I recall correctly, the king was supposed to be Razor.

He was a relatively nice king despite his name. We ate some of the chips and some hotdogs we bought earlier that day and retired to our beds once again.

Every night I was bothered by that dream. The same one every time. I was wokenagain and realized it was time to go to Castle Algerdorn. I woke Uneccier up and fed

Breeze and we left.

The castle was relatively big and made of tall red stone. It had huge granite doors

and the guards were huge dudes.

Umm hello guards.

What do you want kids?

We need to speak to the king, a really important message.

Tell me and I will tell the king.

This is not for normal ears. It is a highly important message.

Very well, but I must search you.

Go ahead. Here take our swords as well.

We left our swords, daggers, and Unecciers bow on a huge table inside the gates.

Then, they searched us, and, finding nothing, took us to the kings suite. We had to wait

like a half an hour until they let us go in. King Razor invited us in with an amusedtwinkle in his eyes.

Hello young ones, I hear you have an important message for me?

Yes sir, I would like to start at the very beginning. Tell him everything

Uneccier.

King Razor was shocked when Uneccier got to the banishing part. I cut in.

We may be outcasts, but we are still good people.

As Uneccier came to an end, King Razor had an astonished look on his face.

Wow, so youre a Berserker? Wow. Strangely, I believe every word you say. I

mean an outcast wouldnt dare com into any kingdom to lay false rumors. Now, can you

tell me your message?

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Umm, I dont know how to say this. Algerdorn and Minisgar are going to be

attacked by Bondarg in about a month. Weve decided to form a group called the Outcasts

to stop them. So far our members are three humans, a minotaur, and a dragon. Uneccierand I are here to warn you and rally your force with us. Stragor, our dragon, is out to

recruit more dragons, Tauron, our minotaur, and Kerron are out to warn Minisgar.

The king was stunned at our message. His face was contorted with anger. He

looked like a red balloon filled to its limit.

Bbbut you cant launch a full scale attack without declaring a war! Its

against the law!

I dont think Borgon cares about the law. If he did, he wouldnt banish us likethat and he wouldnt launch full scale attacks without warning the opponent.

Well spoken young Uneccier. I will warn my kingdom and my soldiers. Some of

my captains will follow you to your rendezvous point at the plateau. Rest well for a weekand I will have my chauffeur drive you to the plateau in my sports car. Oh, and I can have

my professional trainers train this Breeze of yours to the finest war dog training. He is ofthe perfect age to begin.

That sounds great. How long will Breezes training take?

With my trainers working together, he will be ready by the time you leave.

Thank you my lord, thank you.

As we walked out, I was bursting with happiness. We reached the motel quickly

and sat down on our beds.

A job well done, dont you think?

Yeah Irk. I just hope its all good with Stragor, Kerron, and Tauron

Yeah if they succeed, its over for Borgon.

Tauron, Kerron, Bartik, Henger, and Gullith were walking toward the gates of Minisgar at

the same moment. As they entered, Kerron noticed that it was relatively the same as

human kingdoms. There were cars, stores, bikes, and everything.

They too, just like Irikandji and Uneccier booked a large room at a cheap motel.

The manager looked suspicious.

Dont I know you four? You guys were on TV.

Who us? Man we would be lucky if we were on TV.

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Kerron fared the worst. He had to be wrapped by tents and put on a wagon so no

one would see him. When they entered the room, he was unwrapped.

Man, I cannot breathe in there.

No duh. We only put a few holes in that tent.

Tauron, I dont like this Gullith guy.

Deal with it. You tried killing me the minute you saw me. Look at us now.

Yeah, what ever. Lets get this over with we got a week to get back to the

plateau. We have to do this, and we have to do this fast.

Right. Humans arent as stupid as I thought.

Shut up Henger.

The next day, they went to Castle Minisgar. It was an elegant combination of Iron,steel, limestone, and remarkably, marble. The guards were sort of sleepy so they didnt

ask many questions. They just took their weapons, did a quick search and took them in.

Lord Birdinger, despite all the attacks he has launched, was a really nice fellow. Ittook a while to calm him down though.

Who let you in? Youre outcasts.

We may be outcasts, but were still loyal to Minisgar. We came to tell you

something important. Kerron will elaborate.

All right Bartik. So it all started when

Lord Birdinger was even more astonished than King Razor at the news of the

attack of Borgon.

I am sorry I ever doubted you Tauron. I am sorry for banishing you too Bartik,Henger, and Gullith. Kerron, if it wasnt for you, I would have believed that all humans

were like Borgon. I will announce that you are once again welcome to the kingdom and

that humans are as well. Except Borgon and his gang.

Great well call Irikandji and tell them that its all good here.

You do that. I look forward to working with the Outcasts.

See ya!

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With that, they left. Now, Kerron didnt have to be shoved in a bag. Some

minotaurs charged but the lord has set security with them. All the security did was that

they flashed their badges and the chargers stopped in their tracks.

That was pretty easy.

I know Kerron, I wonder if it worked out with Irikandjis group.

Well, call him Bartik.

Bartik took the phone and called the information service in Algerdorn. They gave

them the number that belonged to the room Ian Balthazar was staying in. It was the fake

name they all agreed on for Irikandji.

Hello? Who is this?

Umm, Im Bartik.

Okay, who are you?

Oh yeah, you dont know me. Tauron! Take the phone.

Hello? Irikandji?

Yeah, its me. What up?

We just called to see if it worked out with you guys.

King Razor believed us. So its all good. You?

Same here.

Great! Anyway, whos that Bartik guy?

Long story, Ill tell you at the plateau.

All right, bye.

See ya!

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Part 4: Rebellion!

Kerrons group had to leave earlier than mine because they had to walk. About

two days later Uneccier and I left. It took us relatively forty-five minutes to get there.Kerrons group still hasnt arrived.

Breeze was like the best trained dog in the world. He can understand like

everything we say. He even has a silent dog whistle. We cant hear anything, but he canhear it like thunder rumbling.

Right now, it was just Uneccier, Breeze, Kevin, Robert, and I. Kevin and Robertwere the captains that King Razor said he was going to send with us.

irikandji balthazar

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