Sectaurs Issue# 2
Story Title: The Deadly Fog
In the central courtyard of Castle Lightkeep in the city of Prosperon, capital of the Shining Realm. . .
Pinsor has finished attaching a sting launcher to Battle Beetle's saddle and exclaims his readiness for the journey ahead. However, he objects to Dargon and Mantys accompanying him as he would much rather travel alone. Dargon reaffirms his commitment to investigating the attack on Pinsor's village. The young prince is determined to discover what horror the Dark Domain has in store for his kingdom. Mantys, in turn, will go along to learn what he can. Zak turns just in time to see a very angry Regent Galken heading their way with Belana trailing behind him. He just barely alerts Dargon to the approach of his irate uncle. Galken cuts Zak's warning off, chiding him for trying to to warn his disobedient nephew. "I have already witnessed his insubordination with my own eyes!" he says infuriated. Belana turns to Zak and asks if he is a part of this. . ."Treason!" Galken states as he finishes the sentence for Belana. Galken confronts his young nephew impatiently accusing the prince of going to the ravaged village against his decree. Dargon replies that he respects the decisions set forth by his uncle in the absence of his father, King Markor. But the royal heir points out that the security of the Shining Realm will one day be his responsibility, and he is determined to discover what role the Dark Domain may have had in the tempest which assailed the Shining Realm. Galken brushes aside such accusations. The storm was the work of heretics practicing the arcane arts of the ancients and the Dark Domain had no reason for attacking the Shining Realm because the two kingdoms were at peace. Pinsor counters that the den of heretics the Dark Domain attacked was the simple farming village he once called home. Galken is shocked by a revelation he is only hearing for the first time and conveys his intent to launch a full investigation. Dargon declares that very premise as the course of action he, Pinsor, and Mantys are about to take. "If there were Keepers in Pinsor's village," he continues, "and if it were they who raised the storm----we should arm ourselves with that knowledge to prevent them from ever doing so again! And, should it turn out that the Dark Empress lied. . .well, I should think that the council would want to possess that information, too!" Galken thinks through his nephew's reasoning and acknowledges them as convincing. Mantys agrees quietly to himself, conveying a pride in the princely display Dargon has shown. Galken consents to the mission Dargon is about to undertake on two conditions. The crown prince is not to jeopardize the peace between the Dark Domain and the Shining Realm, and he is not to risk his own royal life. Dargon reassures his uncle that he is well protected by Mantys, Pinsor, and his father's fabled broad skall, Symator. Galken is taken aback at the sight of his brother's sword in his nephew's hand and asks how Dargon obtained it. Mantys replies that the King left the sword in his care to give to Dargon should a day come when the royal heir would need it to protect the Realm. Again, Galken dismisses such threats as nonexistent. There is no danger poised at the Shining Realm. "Except for the occasional unexpected storm!" Zak responds smartly. Galken, enraged at Zak's comment, reminds him that he has already lost his command of the royal guard. . .his next step will be cleaning the insectoid stables! The Regent turns to the young prince one last time, warning that if he violates either of the two conditions his royal birth will do nothing to protect him from his uncle's wrath. Galken storms off. Zak congratulates his lifelong friend on the success of his reasoning and enthusiastically suggests the group of them march off to face the enemy. Belana questions how her betrothed could revel at the thought of danger. Pinsor offers that danger is part of every soldier's life. Dargon intervenes saying he would prefer Zak to stay home. With Dargon, Mantys, and Pinsor away at least one skilled warrior should stay behind to keep an eye on Regent Galken, and Zak's it. As Dargon and the others begin their journey, Zak protests being left behind. Belana voices that she will be here with him, although she secretly says her heart will accompany the prince. "I suppose I should be thankful for that Belana!" Zak replies as he wonders how Dargon escaped betrothal at birth. "Princes have all the luck," he thinks.
As the trio make their way to Pinsor's village they pass by evidence of the storms destruction. People can be seen making repairs to buildings damaged by the storm. Pinsor wonders about the condition of his own village as he walks along. Mantys compliments Dargon on how he handled his uncle's anger and remarks that there is much of his father the king within the young prince. Dargon's thoughts turn to his father as he remembers how young he was when his father left on his quest. He wonders if his father could still be alive. Mantys allows for hope but stresses the need to act. Pinsor suggests they stop at Stellara's Pub for provisions.
At the Crimson Claw, Pinsor catches sight Stellara and runs up to her in greeting. Stellara returns the greeting, but expresses her wish that she could join them on their journey to the borderlands. A warrior leaving the pub snidely comments on the thought of a woman journeying with "warriors." Sorely offended Stellara grabs the warrior by the cuff of his neck, slightly lifting him off the ground, and throws him against the wall. She expels him from the pub and tells him never to show his face around here again. Pinsor shakes his head, "Still the same old Stellara!" he says. "Not so "old" that I can't remember riding into battle by your side, Pinsor," Stellara replies. Pinsor lays a comforting hand on Stellara's shoulder and begins to recall how she was only a young spawn he found crying and frightened in front of the burnt out remains of her family nest. But when she grew up. . .what a fighter! Stellara also recalls the old days with fondness. . .up until the day she lost her insectoid in battle. Pinsor concurs that the telebonding between insectoid and master is a strong one. "--we suffer the greatest psychic trauma should the bond be broken," he says. However, he adds that unlike most warriors who suffer from such traumatic loss, Stellara survived the bond break. Perhaps one day she might telebond to another insectoid. Stellara considers the thought, and indeed it is tempting. And yet the fear of facing such incredible agony again. . .she shakes off the horror of the memory and the thought of telebonding to another insectoid with it. It's far easier and safer to stay behind the bar and tend the pub. Dargon walks up to Stellara and voices his support of her. He had long heard of the "Savage Stellara" and her battle ready spirit and submits that if she ever did telebond to another insectoid, any Sectaur in the Shining Realm would be honored to ride beside her. Stellara accepts the compliment both humbly and uplifted. The provisions are obtained and the friends bid farewell to each other. But the brave knights are unaware that other eyes are watching as they depart. Skito and Toxcid hide under a bridge as Dargon and company pass by. How fortunate that the storm delayed their attempt to leave the Shining Realm, Skito thinks, otherwise they would have missed seeing the Shining Realm prince leave Prosperon without protection. Perhaps some profit could be made from such information. Dargon and his friends ride forth and Pinsor points out there destination. At the base of the mountains in the far distance is Pinsor's home village, or what's left of it at least.
In a direction opposite the heroes in the Dark Domain, another group assembles to make way to Pinsor's village. Spidrax sits atop Spiderflyer as he orders his troops to attention. Two individuals look on from a balcony off of Castle Grimhold as Spidrax leads a new army off to find the source of the power which wiped out his previous one. Skulk is revolted as he watches "that barbarian" heading for the hyve in the border lands. Waspax comments that Spidrax instills so much fear the troops dare not oppose him. "That is why your revered step-mother, our Empress Devora, chose Spidrax to lead the forces of the Dark Domain over me," he says, a note of rivalry in his voice. Skulk is disgusted with the idea that Spidrax is rewarded with a new army to lead instead of being punished for getting the original one destroyed. And the power he is sent forth to seek is power the General would no doubt prefer to keep for himself. Devora walks out onto the balcony interrupting the conversation. Skulk questions why Spidrax was sent on this mission. Waspax adds to the inquiry by asking why he and Skulk were not sent along with the General. They were both extremely loyal to the Empress. Devora states that their loyalty is not in question. Spidrax's is. The Empress is well aware of her sadistic General's ambition. She is betting on his hunger for power to drive him to find the hyve despite all risks. Then after he has surpassed all danger and claimed the power, she will claim it from him.
Spidrax flies on Spiderflyer a short distance in front of his troops to scout ahead. He stops suddenly as he sights a familiar looking valley filled with an equally familiar yet sickly looking red fog. "Halt," he shouts to his troops, "Our destination lies below." Spidrax looks down at the killer mist. Somewhere down there lies the remains of his troops and a hidden hyve. Being inside the hyve when the mist was released was the only thing that saved his life and the lives of Skulk, Waspax and their insectoids. Now he had to find a way to break through the mist and discover the power which once contained it. He orders his soldiers to begin a descent into the fog filled valley. One of his soldiers questions the order, ". . .isn't that the same fog that slew the last army you led?" Enraged at being questioned, Spidrax lashes at the insubordinate with his venom whip. Compelled by the show of force, a group of soldiers begins the deadly descent into the fog. Immediately upon being submerged the lethal mist strips all the flesh off the Skull Soldiers. Spidrax watches with a mixture of horror and fascination. He knows now that there is no way he could possibly coerce his other soldiers into entering the fog. Suddenly, Spiderflyer begins to growl fiercely. Noting his insectoids agitation, Spidrax lifts his trinoculars to locate the source. The trinoculars show three figures approaching from the other side of the valley; Dargon, Pinsor, and Mantys.
Mantys suggests that they leave their insectoids behind until the state of the valley has been secured. The three warriors look down at the fog covered valley below them. Pinsor's village is enshrouded within the deadly mist. All that can be seen of the Dark Domain's troops are bones and armor. There is no sign of the villagers and Pinsor is beside himself with worry. He blindly charges ahead toward the killer mist desperate to find his family and neighbors. Dargon tackles the old warrior and restrains him. Mantys lays a hand on Pinsor's forehead and allows the healing force of Kai, a force at the command of every keeper, to break him out of his blind grief. Pinsor apologizes to his friends who quickly convey their understanding. Mantys suddenly identifies the reddish fog as the deadly Meander. Dargon is puzzled. Meander was said to exist in the Valley of Lost Hope. How in the world did it get here? Pinsor comments that ". . .crossing and surviving the Valley of Meander is the sacred rite of passage from callow young spawn to warrior adult for all telebonded Sectaurs!" Mantys says that Meander is far more than a ritual. "It is a by product of the ancients ecological sciences! A product so deadly that it had to be controlled by mechanisms in the lost hyve!" Pinsor curses the ancients and their arts. Mantys reasserts that it is the misuse of the ancient science that led to destruction. The ancients had contained Meander, and the devastation which they are witnessing is the responsibility of those who released it. Empress Devora's troops. Dargon is now set on finding the hyve before the Dark Domain does. But how can they possibly traverse through the fog to find it?
Spidrax realizes the only reason Dargon and the others could be there is to find the lost hyve. The Shining Realm Knights seem unaware of the presence of the dark forces and Spidrax chooses to use that to his advantage. The general will survey the movements of his adversaries and let them find a way to reach the hyve for him.
As the Shining Realm Warriors make their way around the valley, Mantys offers that there is a shrub called the Sentinel Plant whose leaves offer protection from the effects of Meander. Dargon questions where the plant can be found. Pinsor assesses their position and recognizes it as terrain familiar to those who lived in his home village. The rocky crevice was referred to as Dread Ravine, and the village young spawn used to train their climbing insectoids there. The fast flowing black waters below were called the River Rage. Mantys states that to find the Sentinel Plant, both the rapids and ravine must be crossed. Dargon can surpass both quite easily by flying on Dragonflyer, but he asks Mantys how he and Pinsor plan to get across. Mantys thinks quietly to himself that he could surpass the obstacles by traveling in his phantom state, but he does not want Pinsor to know he is a keeper just yet. He telepathically orders his mountain bred insectoid, Raplor, to shoot a web line across the ravine, but the web line is not long enough and falls short of its destination. Dargon decides to go on ahead and advises Pinsor and Mantys to follow the best they can. Pinsor expresses some uneasiness in the split up. Regent Galken had ordered them to guard the prince against danger. Mantys stresses that the Shining Realm itself is in danger and that Dargon must do as he must.
Dargon soars ahead on Dragonflyer and finally tastes the freedom of what he was born to do, without a stifling royal court to smother or stop him. He finds the Sentinel Plant and reaches down to grab it while announcing to the world at large that the plant's properties will protect them from Meander. Spidrax appears from nowhere and, after overhearing Dargon's statement, steers Spiderflyer straight into Dargon and Dragonflyer driving them away from the plant. Spidrax gloats at the young prince describing how he and his troops have been following the Shining Realm Knights the whole time. Dargon suddenly realizes that Spidrax used them to find a way into the hyve. Spidrax concedes that his plan is indeed to master the power inside the hyve. The acknowledgement hits Dargon hard. Everything Mantys said and suspected was true. The Dark Domain was in search of the hyves power to possess and wield for their own sinister design. Dargon and Dragonflyer charge toward Spidrax and Spiderflyer head on. As far as the Shining Realm prince is concerned, the Dark Domain will never possess that power. Spidrax mocks Dargon's impassioned statement as he questions who could possibly stop him. Dargon pulls up his shield to protect himself from Spidrax's venom whip and defiantly announces himself as the one to stand in the way of Spidrax's lust for power. The young prince fires his stun darts at Spidrax, but Spidrax retaliates by having Spiderflyer beat his wings to create a powerful wind to repel the darts. The prince and the general continue their battle, until Spidrax telepathically commands Spiderflyer to bite through Dargon's saddle straps. The saddle gives way and Dargon falls. Spidrax leaps to the ground, intent on finishing off his opponent. He lashes out at Dargon, but Dargon leaps to the defense quickly and lets the venom whip wrap around Symator. Spidrax is stunned, "You recover your broad skall and stop my venom whip in mid-strike? No Sectaur could move so swiftly!" A set of spears go flying past Spidrax just barely missing him. "Dargon of the Shining Realm can, villain!" comes a shout from behind. It's Pinsor riding on Battle Beetle, and the spears came from his sting launcher. At the sight of Dargon's friends, Spidrax leaps onto Spiderflyer. He claims he could take them all on, but why fight when he could claim the Sentinel Plant without effort. With a flick of his venom whip, Spidrax snatches the Sentinel plant. Dargon throws his sword at Spidrax's whip, slicing it in half. The Sentinel plant falls back in the hands of Dargon as he retrieves both it and his sword. Mantys and Pinsor reunite with Dargon, congratulating him on a job well done. Spidrax attempts one more counter attack but Pinsor manages to drive him off with another round from his sting launcher. Spidrax retreats back to the Dark Domain, but vows that he has merely lost one battle, not the entire war. Pinsor watches as the dark warrior escapes, "If this is Regent Galken's idea of peace, I wonder what he thinks war is like!" Dargon maintains that neither side will speak of the battle which took place. Spidrax won't talk for fear of retribution from his Empress. The Shining Realm Warriors will keep silent to preserve the peace and sustain the decree set forth by Regent Galken. With Sentinel plant in hand, the warriors venture out to face Meander.
Dressed in cloaks made of Sentinel leaves, the three make their way through the Meander covered village. The leaves absorb the corrosive properties of Meander thus protecting the warriors, but the insectoids had to remain behind. Pinsor stares around at the remains in disbelief, "My village!" he says, "my poor village!" Mantys comforts him pointing out that the only bones they've seen so far belong to that of the enemy. Dargon suggests the three split up so they can cover more ground. Pinsor despondently looks to his family home, becoming ever increasingly doubtful that he will ever see any member of his family alive again. It was within this nest that Mighty Pinsor grew to adulthood. When he enlisted in the army of the Shining Realm, the nest became his brother's. Many happy moments has Pinsor spent here. But now only ghosts speak in silence. As Pinsor searches through the empty nest, a glint of something catches the light. He locates the source as an amulet with an inscription like none he has ever seen. But how did it get there?
Meanwhile, outside in the village square, Dargon continues his search for survivors. How odd it is that there are no bones of the villagers, he thinks. Suddenly his attention is drawn to muffled sounds emanating from an enemy slave transport. The captive villagers are alive and trapped inside the transport.
After some exploration Mantys finally finds the elusive hyve. As he enters the hyve, he finds the bones of a brother keeper, the same keeper Skulk had captured earlier. The Meander dissolved him completely on release. As Mantys wanders around the hyve, he thinks of the perceptions most Sectaurs have of Keepers. Mantys doesn't view the ancients as gods, but instead recognizes the great good that could come from the knowledge the ancients had. It could very well lead to another golden age on Symbion. Mantys examines the instrumentation inside the hyve and realizes that the mechanisms are not only intact but active. He had hoped to study them, but now understands that there is no opportunity. The power stored inside is far too dangerous. What if another storm is accidentally created and released? Mantys works furiously to discover how the instruments before him work to avoid any possible release.
Pinsor rejoins Dargon out in the village street and is welcomed with the news that the villagers are alive within the slave transport. Pinsor wonders how they will free them when surrounded by the Meander. Just then, a strong breeze coming from the direction Mantys went in sweeps the Meander away. The village is cleared of the deadly mist. Dargon and Pinsor hack away at the lock and free the villagers who are more than relieved to be released from their prison. However, Pinsor's family is not with the villagers and their bones are no where to be found. Without warning, Mantys is seen running towards them and yells for all to seek shelter. He managed to use the hyve to disperse the Meander, but in trying to shut the instruments of the hyve down he unintentionally activated a self destruct system. The hyve explodes in a bright flash of light.
The first hyve to be discovered is destroyed. Dargon and his friends have seen the power of the hyves for both good and evil. The decision is now placed before them. If the Shining Realm doesn't locate the power of the remaining hyves first, the Dark Domain will. On that day, all of Symbion will be enslaved. . .
Commentary
Again, another great story with more depth of background to whet the appetite. We find out that Stellara was orphaned and taken in by Pinsor, that she had been a warrior at one point until the death of her insectoid, and we see the consequences of psychic trauma incurred to any Sectaur when the telebonding between master and insectoid is broken. Stellara dreams of going out into battle, yet the fear of facing such pain again keeps her behind the bar where it is safe. We're also given history of Pinsor, his family, and home village. One thing I do have a problem with is Zak. In the first issue, Zak gets enthusiastically mushy when he sees Belana. In this issue, after being told he has to stay behind, he virtually flips her off as an inconvenience, actually wondering at how Dargon escaped betrothal. "Princes have all the luck!" Where did this come from? Does Zak have feelings for Belana or not? I just felt it was kind of inconsistent and it didn't paint Zak in the greatest of lights either.