Kyth Pasts the Dru Trails and Makes A Giant Life decision.

[youtube:https://youtube.com/watch?v=H63BJCAUheU]Story Script:

After being convinced there was nothing left of value in our camp, the bandits grouped up, and continued on their path. I watched from my hiding spot and eventually when I was sure they were all on the move, followed.

Stopping at the bodies of my friends Fredeo and Choggah, I quickly searched them for their vials. I was fairly certain I had taken all the Iron had what I needed, her vials of Gold. In her cloak, in a secret pocket that we glippers used for vials, I found three! I looked up at the moon, silently vowing that I would rescue my friends.

———-

Fortunately, the pillagers were easy to track. I was certainly no ranger, but with so many men moving through the forest, they weren’t exactly subtle. I suppose they felt invulnerable in a group that large.

Finally, several miles later, they pitched camp. I found a climbable tree nearby I could sit on top, watching for an opening. I watched two of the larger pillagers pull my friends into one of the larger tents in the middle of the camp. It was nearly time.

Pulling open my pack, I opened 3 vials of Enderium and started mixing.

————-

“Enderium?” Jom asked.

Kyth laughed a hearty chuckle. “After all the things I’ve mentioned, Enderium is the one you stop on?”

“It’s like the song”

Kyth raised an eyebrow, “I know of no song that mentions this.”

\*singing\*

[quote]

> Though they move with not a wing
>
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> They fly without a sound,
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> Mankind first, abandoning,
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> The small ones took to the ground.
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> The graceful old ones left to die
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> Took one last look around
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> There was no place, low or high
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> Where soon life could be found.
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> Cast the spell, the mighty mage,
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> Open up the blight
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> Sacrifice yourself, this age,
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> He saved us from this fight.
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> Dead, yet rises up once more
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> The elf king’s people come,
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> One day they will return to us,
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> With fair enderium.
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> -The Tail of Man's Betrayal
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>

————-

A long silence stretched between the old man and boy. “I’ve never heard that, where did you learn it?” Kyth asked.

“Sometimes on our long walks, my tutor will sing songs. She says she used to be married to a bard.”

“It’s a good song. Do you know the story it speaks of?”

“It’s a tale of Man’s Betrayal. But it’s not true, just a fairy tale.”

Kyth nodded, “fairy tale… hmmm”

“Well, this is the Enderium, from your fairy tales.” Kyth pulled out another vial of the magenta liquid and handed it to the boy. “Does it feel real to you?”

Jom quietly studied it, “where does it come from? It seems to glow.”

Ha! “It does glow if it is dark enough.” Kyth looked far off as the two continued down the road, “If it is dark enough.”

—————

After some more time of silently walking, Jom asked if the man he had known as his grandfather would continue the story.

My two friends, Gibby and Hef were in the Pillagers tent. I needed to move. Quickly I applied the Gold vial first, it would make me move lightning fast, agile in unnatural ways, and be a very difficult target for crossbows to hit. After applying the Gold to my abdomen, Iron to my chest, and diamond on my arms, it was time.

Gold glippers are known as Dancers, for good reason. I moved with incredible speed across the field between me and two of the pillager guards, who were hardly paying attention. They never saw me coming until my dagger slipped across their throats. Picking up the bolts for their crossbows with my Iron affinity, I could throw the bolts harder and more silently than their basic crossbows could.

I took out more than 10 before the first shout of alarm. Activating my full Gold rune, I moved even faster, busting into the main tent, sending recovered crossbow bolts through the chest after chest. There were far more pillagers than there should have been.

Pulling my sword, I made quick work of the rest and stood ready when the reinforcements came. It was like slicing butter. With my enhanced speed, power, and essentially no fear of taking a blow, as long as my diamond glyph was active, I had to play no defense.

That night, I slew 35 pillagers. There had been a second camp just out of sight from my hiding spot. I couldn’t have known. Still, by the time I was done and my glyphs faded, I was standing waist-deep in the corpses of my dead.

————-

There was no keeping it to me at that point. The other Glippers knew what… and who I was. I rose quickly through the ranks, though I never knew why. Was I the best, or is it that I was the prince and heir to a very powerful throne?

I kept Gibby with me, each promotion I got, insisting he come with me. I needed him. He was honest, and I could trust him. It was only a few months later that the first attempt came on my life.

We were running a drowned practice squabble with real Drowned. They were supposed to be unarmed, so my squad could practice our underwater maneuvers. Once we submerged, it was obvious, this test was real. Instead of the 4 drowned expected, there were 9 and worse, all armed with tridents!

You must know, one can not apply glyphs underwater. Now, we have certain helpful things for underwater combat, but none of that was in play that day. Two of my squad were killed before the rest escaped. That we even got out, was largely thanks to my friend.

My instinct was to take the drowned on, always attacking. Gibby insisted on a retreat to dry land where we could glip and have the advantage. I’m convinced to this day, had he followed my orders blindly to attack, the attempt on my life would have been successful.

From that point on, there was never any pushback from the Drus about keeping my friend with me.

Who armed the drowned that day was never discovered, but the fact is, my quick rise through the ranks was ruffling feathers. Though Gibby seemed convinced it was a rival kingdom, sending a spy to the Zygon Lair, I think most likely, it was another student I had passed over.

Either way, the lesson was hard-earned. Two students died under my leadership. From that moment on, I surrounded myself with friends who could watch my back.

————

The old man stopped walking and turned to address the boy. “Though I am not technically your grandfather, we are blood, and I care about you very much.” He sighed and crouched down to look eye to eye with the youngster, “You must surround yourself with people you can trust with your life because if they are surrounding you, your life is in their hands after all.”

“I trust you, pawwww…. Well, Kyth I suppose.”

Kyth chuckled as the two resumed their walk down the gravel road. “Paw is just fine for me, Jom.”

“If you’re not my grandfather, how are we related?”

A long pause lingered between the two. “Grandfather, in a sense, though probably some 12 or 13 generations removed.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ll tell you, in time, Jom. To understand how we are family, and what that truly means, you must understand my story. For now, though, the sun is setting, and we should make camp. Let us move off the road.”

The following morning, the two broke camp and started down the road early. “I believe we can make it to Castle Caraway by dusk if we make good time.”

“I can walk faster with a good story, Paw.”

Kyth smiled, and took a breath,

I passed the Dru trials shortly after my friends had been ambushed by armed Drowned. For most students, a trial is a one-day affair, run by your primary teacher. For me, though, it stretched for 7 days, as each of my Drus was allotted one day to test me, both physically and mentally. It was exhausting.

The hardest day was the 7th. It was my Bone trial. It was done in secret as that ability, at the time, was Forbidden. I don’t know that it is even known at this age, but then, it was feared. That trial was so difficult, I was recovering for a week.

Still though, not to brag, truly, there was no danger of failing for me. My two closest friends, Gibby, the Con, and another student I had grown close with during my last year at the Zygon Society, Thom. Thom was a charger and had a tough time with his trial. He wasn’t as gifted as Gibby or myself in Glipping, but my oh my, could he shoot an arrow. The three of us were quite a team.

After passing our Dru trials, we spent the days training, both ourselves and students, and our nights drinking at May's Pub. It was there, in fact, I met your great great great… well, and so on, grandmother. Her name was Jommey.

She and I hit it off immediately and became infatuated with each other. After only a few months, she became pregnant with a child. I was overjoyed, but at the same time, fearful of what kind of world my child would see.

We were wed at Castle Grexly, inviting the whole kingdom to celebrate. The Zygon Society attended in force, oh, it was such a celebration! Both a royal wedding and heir to the throne all in one. It was at my wedding feast that I first heard about the meeting.

———————-

The Nether War was raging, and it was going poorly for man. The elves and dwarves had left us, and a brutal attack on Port Breigh had just barely been beaten back. The rumor is some thieves planted TNT under a Zombie Pigmen command saving the city, for the time being, anyway.

A meeting was called, the entire Zygon Society was required to attend. I can not express how odd this was. In all my years at the Zygon Lair, there had not been even one meeting requiring students, Drus, and faculty to attend. Grandmaster Lawson addressed us.

“Prince Rydar Bahrkin,” he nodded over his shoulder to the man sitting in a white military uniform behind him, “is organizing a force to take on the Nether. We can not discuss the plan, except in that we believe it has a chance to work. It may even end the war entirely. Prince Rydar has requested our most powerful Drus to accompany him in this gambit. There is no guarantee of a return.”

Hands raised all over the amphitheater, but the Grandmaster shook his head, “I can not answer any questions whatsoever.”

The [[[Rydar Bahrkin Donao|prince]] stood and approached the lectern. “I realize what this sounds like. A strange man walks into your Lair and asks the bravest and best to accompany him to war. It is true. I’m asking you to come with me, and I can not tell you any of the details until the moment before we go, but I can tell you this. I believe in this mission. I believe it will work, and it will end the war. We must do this now because I also believe the war will end soon if we don’t, but not in our favor. The Nether army is relentless. They know of no retreat, no fear, and can open portals anywhere in the world with no warning. It is impossible to fight an enemy who can attack you from any direction at any time.”

“Then what’s the point?” A random voice came out of the crowd. The murmurs began to grow louder.

Grandmaster Lawson started to call out to silence them, but the Prince stopped him with but a simple glance. This man knew how to lead, I thought.

My gambit, though I can not share details, will not only end the war, but it will end all future wars. If it works, and I am confident that it will, the Zombie Pigmen will never attack us again.”

The people fell silent. At that moment, I still can not explain what happened, but I found myself standing and walking to the line. My vision was blurred by images of my child burning at the hands of the [[Piglin|Pigmen}]. Just a few short weeks after that, Gibby, Thom, and I entered the nether.

People In the Story:

* Kytholique Comely

* Thom Thawkins

* Rydar Bahrkin Donao

* Lawson

* Gibby

* Fredeo

* Choggah

* Jom Comely

Locations are shown in Cinematics:

* Cheekyfoxglove

* Cordaria

* Small House just south of Foxgolve Farm

* Dairy

* Drunken Sheep Winery

* Emory's Hollow

* The End Temple

* The Great Fir Forest