Shiny
R’ahk
It was truly glamorous, a sight to behold. The capital city of R’ahk was astounding. Gold and red seemed to be th official royal colors, every building was decked with them. The night sky made the entire city all the more beautiful. As it was a rich area, most every building was made with a portion of gold from the Demengo mines. The moonlight made the square shaped buildings glisten and the pyramid shaped palace was all the more amazing as the moon seemed to spotlight it. Darq and Marlo asked around the port area until they received information on when the next ship left for WaiShai, where they could board it, and how much it would cost them. They found that they had but two days until they could hope to see the shores of WaiShai. Darq waited in the local tavern for Gello to show up, while Marlo dressed in his aristocratic, decked to the hilt with frills, green silk vest, oh-so prim clothing to meet with the king as an ambassador from the Klikeno tribes.
Gello showed up a little after sunset at the local tavern named “The Pet R’ahk.” He actually seemed satisfied as he approached Darq, who sat at the main bar counter guzzling some of that fine hooch. “Well my dearest drunkard. I have won this little bet. I reclaimed my stolen goods and paid the toll, 25 gold pieces,” Gello stated satisfactorily.
Darq spit out what ale he had in his mouth and slammed his left hand down on the bar counter. He turned to Gello with wide eyes, “You ham-fisted idiot! There was no toll. What in blazes is wrong with you!”
“What? No toll? Then,” Gello gasped in shock, “those ruffians….They shall pay for this insolence.” Gello rolled up his sleeves and tightened his brown, leather gloves. “I shall teach them a lesson they’ll not soon forget!!”
“There’s no time for that comrade, we’ve only got two days to eat well, get some cash, and see if we can’t make a few acquaintances with the opposite sex, if you catch my drift,” Darq said as he winked.
Gello shrugged and let out a sigh of submission, “Fine then Darq, I shall formulate a lesson and pay them back some other time.”
Meanwhile, Marlo presented himself at the royal palace gate. In front of the large golden gate stood two tall guards who wore large, gold-plated helmets and brown leather armor. Each held in hand a large axe and looked rather stern, that is until Marlo showed up in his gaudy clothing The guards all looked at him in shock, as if they’d never seen a 3 ½ tall bird person before; they hadn’t, but that’s besides the point. Marlo presented a formal decree, wrapped in a pretty bow, to the guard standing to the left of the gate. The guard carefully looked it over and opened the enormous gate. Marlo proceeded through and followed a path leading up to the palace door. He stopped for a second to admire the architectural artwork. The palace was a giant sandy fortress, a square pyramid of sorts. Giant banners hung from every corner of the palace, each with a giant black symbol in front of a red background. The banners all read “Terone” in the language of Mooshnai. Marlo turned his attention to the door and grabbed a hold of the knocker. He banged it against the door three times and waited patiently. Within two minutes, a surly female, with long, shiny, black hair, dressed in nothing but two white cloths, which covered her naughty bits, answered the door. Marlo gaped in astonishment at the girth of the palace interior and of the female servant. The amazon grabbed the shy young Klikeno by the arm and led him to a large wide staircase in the center of the lobby. The stairs were covered in red carpet and laced with Demengo gold. Within a few more seconds a shadow appeared on the marble wall. A figure soon met the shadow. It was a fairly tall man with long black hair pulled into a pony tail, a short full beard, long flowing red cape, and a large crown. His feet slowly graced each step with their presence as he descended the staircase. The man studied Marlo with his piercing, blue eyes and motioned with his golden gauntlet covered hand towards the dining room in the western section of the palace.
“Young…man, what brings you to my humble home?” the gentlemen asked as he poured himself a full goblet of Demengo ale and swirled it gently, while he sat in a large crimson chair at the head of the gratuitously big dining table.
“I…I am a diplomat from the Klikeno tribe in northern Kronus sir…From Yellow Forest.” Marlo replied with a shy tone.
“Klikeno eh? I honestly cannot tell you that I’ve heard of your…”tribe”, but I’m happy to accommodate you. I am King Terone, this is my house, my city, my kingdom. All that I have, is at your disposal.” With a snap of his golden fingers, five servants came rushing in and crowded around Marlo with golden platters of delectable food. With another snap, they set down the food and rushed back out. “Now then, I hear tell that you have brought a treaty scroll with you lad. Is this true?”
Marlo cleared his throat slowly as he finished swallowing his partially devoured roast venison. “Ahem, y-yes sire. One moment.” Marlo reached into his silk vest and relinquished the parchment scroll. Terone snapped his fingers once more and a servant sprinted in from behind Marlo, picked up the scroll, and delivered it into Terone’s raised left hand. Marlo snapped and the servant left; a cluck-like chuckle followed soon after. Terone cut his eyes at Marlo, then he settled himself. The King slowly reviewed the document, one word at a time. Marlo began to sweat under his large yellow feathers.
After five long minutes, Terone slammed the document to the table and took a large sip from his goblet. He set the goblet down gently and took out a huge, ornate knife and sliced the document up. “Do you really think that I would sign a treaty with a race that was made completely of tiny weaklings such as yourself? Hardly. I think I’d rather just hold you hostage, wait for a war with your nation, and enjoy the spoils of victory.” With that, Terone snapped his fingers and two hefty guards with giant pikes ushered Marlo out of the dining hall.
On the other side of town, Gello was competing in a traditional game of Mooshnai dice outside a pub frequented by brigands. Darq stood behind him with his mallet and watched, just in case someone tried to take advantage of Gello’s overly weak physical being. Three large ruffians sat opposite Gello and watched another bulky gentleman throw his large dice. “13, pipsqueak! You owe me 200 gold pieces, cough it up, now!” Gello stroked his chin and carefully studied the dice. He flicked over the first di and did so again, three more times. Each time the number ten showed up. On the other di, three did the same. “What’re ya doin’ runt! Oh, so you think ya caughts me uh? Well, I ain’t’s goin’ down so easy!” As the man finished his sentence, his buddies began to circle around, each with a particularly menacing grimace on their faces. The cheater began pounding his fist against his hand, threateningly.
“Now now sire,” Gello said cautiously, “I’m sure you didn’t intentionally…DARQ!” Gello ducked and Darq picked up Manus, reared back, and gave the cheating slob a well earned thwack in the jaw. Darq brought the mallet up, and next brought it back down in one swift motion, knocking the hooligan out cold. The three other hoods closed in on Darq in two winks of an eye and started pounding their hands together and brandishing rusty knives and daggers. “Elesio Razor!” Darq watched as the three fellows hunched over and fell to their knees. As they fell, Darq could see Gello’s rapier flashing bright yellow, and burning with electrical power. “Hahaha, and you said I’d need help. Shows you. I’m the man, I’m the…” Darq put his hand over Gello’s mouth and rolled his eyes.
“Listen guy, we’d better scram before their pals come to pay us a friendly visit. Marlo said he was going to the palace, so let’s see if he can squeeze a room reservation in for us.” Darq’s mouth watered, as he thought of all the palace food he could consume in one whole night.
“Darq….Darq. Good fellow what’s the matter with you.” Gello conked him on the head with the hilt of his sword. Darq recouped and shook his head. “If we’re going, let’s go and be off with it.”
“Right then….I wonder what Ricarde’s doing eh.”
“Hmmm…whatever it is, I’ sure it involves blood, fur, steel, and two pounds of raw lard,” Gello replied. Darq nodded his head in agreement as they walked towards the grand palace gate. As they came to the gate the two guards nodded at their request to see Marlo and let them through. The same female servant opened the door as they knocked violently.
“Hotchey mama!” Darq said as he studied the woman carefully. “Hey lady, whenever you’re free, how’s about you and me go for a drink downtown, and then have a little rendezvous at an inn next door?” The woman shrugged as she grabbed them both by the arm and led them to the dining hall. “Whoa whoa whoa, I didn’t mean now lady, I never kiss on the first date.”
As they were dragged into the hall, Terone cut his menacing eyes at them. “Good evening gentlemen,” he said as he took a sip from his ale-filled goblet. “I have been informed that you are constituents of the young diplomat, Marlo? Is this correct?”
Darq and Gello looked at each other as if they knew something was up. Darq gave Gello a wink and turned toward Terone. “Constituents, no no no. We’re his…superiors…yes that’s it. We are to retrieve him. Sort of take his place. So if you please sire, we would like you to kindly trade us for him.” Darq finished rambling and thought to himself—“Oh sweet gods. Finally! We’re gonna get Marlo’s suitet, the royal treatment, and awesome food. Yes yes yes!”
Terone nodded and snapped his fingers. The gigantic woman picked Darq and Gello both up by the collar and carried them away, into the dungeon. She smacked them against a hard, marble wall, rendering them unconscious, and took their weapons and money, leaving them nothing. After opening the steel barred door to a dungeon cell, she hurled them against the dark, wet, brick wall, without a hint of emotion, and slammed the door shut.
“Well, well, well, Darq,” said Gello candidly, “looks like you’ve gotten us into another fine—“
“Oh, stuff it Gello!” Darq replied, “I thought we were gonna get to spend some time in the royal lap of luxury, I didn’t intentionally mean for them to throw us in prison, geez!” Darq was fuming. In the corner of the cell, something stirred. “Don’t look now Gello, but it looks like we’ve awakened the alpha male here. You try to talk him out of fighting, and if that doesn’t work, you can die first.”
“What kind of plan is that you oaf?” Gello asked. The figure stepped into the light and revealed itself. “OH…Marlo, what are you doing in here?”
Marlo lifted his head slowly and responded, “Terone had me flung in here. I told him that I was a diplomapotamus, but he j-just said that he was gonna take over Yellow Forest and, and, and I’m sorry.”
Darq shook his head. “Don’t worry pal,” he said as he petted Marlo’s beanie-topped head, “it’s not your fault that guy’s a jerk. Let’s just get some rest and hope we can bust out before that ship leaves.”
The three weary prisoners laid themselves down in separate stacks of hay to sleep for the night. Darq practically flopped onto the hay and slipped into a liquor-induced coma. Gello tossed, turned, and complained all night. Marlo looked out the window all night, waiting for some sign of escape. When the night was half-gone, he saw that hope in the form of a hulking figure with wild hair and a giant axe, running to the barred window, not but one foot tall from the ground outside of the palace. It was getting closer and closer, until all Marlo could see were boots coming towards him. Knees hit the ground and hairy hands grabbed the bars. The window was ripped off and tossed to the side like garbage. The two large hands reached inside the cell and seemed to await Marlo’s grip. He grabbed ahold with both feathery hands and closed his eyes. In seconds he was pulled from his dungeon cell and brought into the palace moors. Marlo slowly looked up to see that unmistakable scarred nose and square chin. It was Ricarde, come to save the day.