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"Legend of the Twelve Regions"
Paradwyn... Not from the touch of the hands... from within. Deep in the jungles of Paradwyn, the obscene noises of the swamp drowned out the usual music of bird and beast. The sounds of guttural laughter, breaking branches, and slinging mud besmirched the air almost as much as the stagnant stink that rose from the Bograthian camp. >Kioko and Liriel crept closer to the invading forces, pulling up behind a large, floral bush. Carefully, noiselessly, they pulled the fronds of the bush apart to peer at the gathered forces. In what used to be a glade with a clear pond filled by a small, bubbling cascade of water, a knot of Bograthian Magi lounged with a hundred or more dream creatures. A dank green mist hung in the air. Moss quidos drooled from overhanging branches. Green stuff burbled and gluggered on the surface of the pond. The pond itself looked brackish, like stale tea. A fog hyren slowly and deliberately tore apart a stately tree. The Magi laughed and cavorted, and everything they touched ended up smeared with a bit of the muddy goo that caked their skin and clothes. "We can take them," said Liriel through clenched teeth. "Not alone, we can't," said Kioko. "There are too many." "But we have surprise on our side. C'mon, it'll be fun." "Yeah," conceded Kioko, "but once we pounce the first two Magi, we lose that surprise, and the other half dozen will send all those creatures at us." "Then we get our own creatures ready first," growled Liriel. "Do you think you can pounce with a dozen creatures and keep your surprise?" asked Kioko. "My bagalas won't make a noise." "And how many bagalas do you have?" asked Kioko. Liriel watched for a moment, then shook her head. "Not enough," she admitted. |
Suddenly the two Magi pressed flat against the ground. One of the Bograth Magi, a huge one, got up and lurched over to their position, taking huge, heavy strides. He reached down, grabbed the bush, and yanked up, pulling off several of the giant flowers. He held these up to his nose... and blew hard with a nasal honk that resounded in the jungle. Then he crumpled the wad of petals up and dropped them on the ground and walked back to his compatriots, carelessly wiping his hand on his coat. "That was close," whispered Kioko with relief. "I just don't get it, Kioko," Liriel whispered back, "why can't we hold them off? We always have before." "Because they're all coming at once," said Kioko. "If they came in singly, or in small groups like they have in times past, we'd ambush them, pounce on them unawares, and send them running back into the swamp. But there are too many. We can't take them all at once." "Why not?" protested Liriel. "We have the skill!" "How fast can you eat a mushyfruit?" asked Kioko. "Two minutes," said Liriel after some thought. "I could eat a whole mushyfruit in two minutes." If Kioko didn't quite believe that bold claim, he showed no indication. Instead, he simply said, "So you could eat ten mushyfruit in twenty minutes." Liriel paused, then nodded hesitantly. "Or thirty mushyfruit in an hour." Liriel glanced at Kioko. "I don't think I could fit thirty mushyfruit in my whole body," she said. "My point exactly," said Kioko. "What we need is someone to teach us a new way to duel these Magi. Stalking and pouncing won't save us this time."
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