FiveSpires

the beginning of chapter 12

2009-07-11T21:36:00.001+08:00

now enters the first part for the next chapter...

Chapter XII: Arrival of the Wind

However, before Lady Yen could speak, the door was opened. A stranger of black robes entered the place. Lord Pivinesh immediately recognized her, and quickly stood up and bowed.
The stranger cast down her hood, and all bowed. She was Lady Sheila, or known as the Wind Rider, who was able to use the flow of the winds as her power of movement, combat and defense. Her face, smooth like the flow of high winds, was fair to look upon. Her silk-like hair contained a golden hue, which reflected light of many kinds.
“I heard that a great council is held here, and the Archknight of Koruskan is the one holding it. My lord bring to him great news. He’s the High Lord of the elven realm of Tiranwin, Lord Calvin, who pledged his allegiance to Queen Khoo, High Queen of the Elves of Istarugah.”
Queen Khoo then made her reply, “It was almost two thousand years since we last met in the frontlines. The Tiranwin Kingdom is hidden to all, yet its sights go far and wide, beyond any mortal anticipation. Then Lady Sheila continued, “He mentioned to me the name of the Order, and to here I seek him. Where is the Archknight?”
Quickly Master Shang stood up and answered, “I am, what is the message that Lord Calvin gave me?”
“Such was his message, ‘The Knights of Koruskan served as the defenders of the Light for almost eight centuries, which means since the formation of the Kingdom of Ossir. For long thou hath prevailed, but this time thy enemy is nigh to invincible. Conventional tactics art useless against Avernis, thus if thou permit my presence, I shalt travel to Koruskan, to show thee the lore of combat against demons like Avernis.’ “
“His identity is a mystery, unknown to all,” replied Lord Pivinesh, “thus can you give a better view?”
Lady Sheila was then invited to sit and participate in the discussions. She then said, “Your Honors, Lord Calvin was one of the people who chained Avernis in the deeps of the earth ages past. His kingdom of Tiranwin is hidden north of Istarugah, far for any realm, thus your maps will not chart our lands.”
Finally they knew why there as an elven kingdom without them even aware, but Master Shang immediately sensed something amiss, “Judging from your tone, my lady, I can deduce that this Lord Calvin is someone who has great importance in you. In addition, there’s something in your robes which glowed the moment you mentioned his name. What is it?”
But before she could answer, Lord Pivinesh cast a telekinetic grab and took that item out of her robes. It was a white jade, so white it was as though as it was a beam of light. Lord Pivinesh then called upon Lord Calvin’s name, and all secrets within the jade were revealed.
“I don’t know that this elven-lord has a girlfriend,” said Queen Khoo, “It’s a rare sight to see elves fall in love with each other. I’m sure that both of you had a good time, nonetheless.”
“Oh god, my Queen, we have no high-level relation between us,” answered Lady Sheila.
“I pity her,” said Master Shang, “as she was interrupted before she can even begin. Whether the ruler of Tiranwin Lord Calvin is our Wind Rider’s future spouse, it will be discussed when the council adjourns. Let the views be said.”
After all that long interruptions, Lady Yen stood up and started her speech, “The feud between the five factions of the Kingdom of Ossir surely deals great harm. The balance of power is threatened and the equilibrium of peace is disrupted. To make matters worse, up to recent months the Dragon-lords,” She looked at Lord Pivinesh, who lowered his head, and she continued, “…invaded our lands and thanks to the high grace of the Archknight, as well as the strength of the Knights, was their onslaught stayed. Great was their contribution, yet still some sought to discredit them. Thus to balance the scales, I leave the final judgments of these matters to the High King.”
“As for the recent crisis, Avernis is not an adversary who can be defeated by conventional means, as quoted. I feared that he can’t be handled even with all in one banner. However, the army of Avernis has their strength and weakness of their own, which the Dragon-lords should know. Thus to continue this council, and to let all know of their weakness, let Lord Pivinesh speak.”

it is still long... but comparatively shorter than previous ones... part 2 will come on the next week...

of part 6 for chapter 11

2009-07-04T21:23:00.001+08:00

finally, the last part for the long chapter...

Lord Pivinesh gave his views that agreed with holding the line at Nirven; however he also stated that although they repelled the enemy thrice, they could not stand long if they remained alone in this war. His concerns did not go overboard, his resources were fast depleting, and further ill news was delivered by Lord Reshan and Lord Len Jin. For ten years since he became the Dark Lord, never before he was so anxious and so constrained of time.
The council now focused back on who poisoned King Ashvin, and after half an hour without any agreement, they decided to move into another issue, which was due to the presence of different rulers of several realms, a high general must be chosen to lead the coalition to combat Avernis. “One must be chosen, in whom he must be able to make sudden decisions and be decisive, great in ways of warfare and skill, charismatic and finally, one who is experienced.”
The words of Lady Chie Kuan created uproar among all, as more than half wished Master Shang to take the post, but they knew he was rather reluctant to do so. The Magi, on the other hand, objected this proposal, as they could not accept the fact that one who was not of their order led them.
Against this, Queen Khoo whispered to Master Shang, “I know you’re very reluctant to take it, but now as you’re the acting High King, all judgments by right you have the final say. Do not let your doubts cloud your mind, trust in your soul.”
He sank into deep thought, trying to fathom the consequences of his actions should he refused to do so. But he was interrupted by Lord Jason, “We now await the view of the Archknight, who thinks that he for sure will be the commander of all of us. Never!”
This sentence invoked the anger of all. Master Ran stood up and rebuked him, saying that it would be right of all in the council to choose the one, not him. In reply, Lord Cheng retaliated that now as most of the council sided with the Knights, surely the outcome would not be fair.
At this moment Master Khai opened his mouth, being the one with the most justice in his heart, “If both the Count and Viscount think that the choosing is biased, then let the leaders of the respective orders give their views and it shall be debated.”
Everyone agreed, and Lord Shen stood up first. “The Rangers though did not suffer a direct threat from the evil that has risen. Nonetheless had a crisis, no less of extent than the Knights of Koruskan. Our lands are blighted, rendered dangerous and unsuitable for agricultural purposes. Fortunately the population in the north is sparse, or else famine will be widespread.”
Then he continued, “By far, the Rangers are the least powerful of the factions in the Kingdom, but we received help from the Knights of Koruskan. His Honored the Archknight did his best to defend his land and maintaining it as a shield of ours. Hence, he should be the one leading us standing in the front lines. The threat of the east can only be contained by a coalition led by a great leader. I beseech Lord Benjamin, Inquisitor of the Kingdom and Archdruid of Karazhan, to give his speech.”
“Lord Shen surely had a great hope upon the Archknight, and I believe that all agree on it. However, he may be wise, but not great. He lacked a calm mind to quell his anger. As he said before, ‘rage leads to the blinding of the mind, hence clouding the right of judgments, ruining the best of decisions.’ Thus we must find one who is both intelligent and not easily submit to rage. I admit that I’m not that powerful, hence I choose her Honorable the Archpriestess to take the post.” said Lord Benjamin, but he was attacked verbally by Lady Xue, who disagreed on the idea of ‘pushing’ someone to the post that is not wanted by the individual in question.
Immediately Master Shang dismissed all arguments, and he asked of the leader of the third faction to speak of his or her views, and when no one answered his call, he requested Lady Yen to speak, much to the surprise of others, as they all looked at her…

12th chapter shall commence next week...

of part 5 of the 11th chapter

2009-06-27T21:23:00.001+08:00

it has been more than 2 months since i have last updated, and now i hereby present part 5 for the particular 11th chapter

This question from Master Khai gave Lady Yen a bigger shock, who promptly dismissed it as a foolish question. However as she tried to leave, their styles changed towards the offensive.
“We understand that your Order intend to disrupt our council proceedings. To tell the truth, we overheard your conversation with Lord Jordan last night, as well as the discussions just now. We sensed something amiss, yet to be answered.”
“You overheard it? What do you all want? Though they may begrudge you, I honestly tell you that I don’t have any ill intentions against the Archknight, especially when he’s now practically the High King.”
Master Ran walked forth, and replied, “Gentlemen, withdraw your swords. But my Lady, we hoped that you’re not up to anything against him. We’ll protect him at all costs, as he did to us. We see that he trusts you a lot, hence just remember four words: don’t betray his confidence. “
Then they let her go, but someone at their back suddenly called them, which made their hand shiver and hair stand. Lady Chie Kuan cast down her hood, and spoke,
“Your suspicions are nonetheless having a bit of a point. The Magi had plans for all of you, but for her part, I believe that she harbored no ill-thoughts towards the entire Order of the Knights. Nevertheless, Master Shang is now under great pressure, and I could only wish, anor tor inor isildin”
“May the light of the sun not consumed by the shadow, but be protected by the moon’s grace.” said Master Ran. His long relationship with Lady Valerie has improved his elven tongue tremendously, being the most knowledgeable human in the language, ranked after Master Shang and Master Kang.
Lady Chie Kuan was rather delighted, “I see that you understand the deep part of the language, not just the basics. You two,” she pointed at Master Hong and Master Khai, “kindly brush up your mastery of the language. Doesn’t mean that if you’re outside Istarugah you forsake it.”
Both of them lowered their heads, and promised that they would improve.

The Rangers, led by Lord Shen, arrived at dawn the next day. Master Shang revealed himself after long last, and they looked at him, as though as sun has risen, as everything he wore was white, and his face was bright.
“Welcome to the city of Koruskan, the city and seat of the Knights. Let us enter, and discussions be commenced. It’s not worth of your time to be wasted like that.”
Master Shang then turned into the Tower, followed by the others. They then reached the council chamber, took their seats, while awaiting his word. Master Ran was prepared to defend should there was anything out of hand, as well as Master Hong and Master Khai.
One thing which was interesting to be noted was that this time the attendants did not sit according to their respective orders, but according to friendships, as evident with Lord Jordan sitting with the Magi, Lord Shen sitting with the Knights.
Next, Master Shang announced that the council commenced. Master Kang immediately stood up, and started speaking, “Ishnu-alah, as far as we know, Avernis the Nether Lord has once again risen. It’s a threat we can’t contain at all, not by conventional means at least. To make matters worse, our beloved King Ashvin was poisoned by curry, and now we discovered that the curry powder came from here, which by right shouldn’t even get out of here. Let us brainstorm, how did it come to his hands?”
“Greetings, High Master Kang. Things may be worse than we anticipated. Agents of Avernis has penetrated or infiltrated your lines of barricade, hence able to get it to the capital.”
Lord Pivinesh disagreed of Lady Crystal’s view, and he stood up, “Avernis probably not, I think it is Kil’Jadon the betrayer who murdered the former Lord of Torheven, he’s now the commander of the enemy. With the Scepter at his hands, his power has increased exponentially.
Many of them heard of its power, which was able to destroy entire fortresses at will. Even Master Shang feared that it will fall into the wrong hands, especially those powerful enough to unleash the full powers. Apparently the Dragon-lords knew it as well, thus it was kept away in vaults dark and deep for many years, until Kil’Jadon stole it.
“I agree,” said Queen Khoo, “Avernis though evil, he’ll never use dirty tactics such as poisoning innocents. He’ll use it only on generals of the frontlines. I dueled with him two thousand years ago, and with the help of allies, succeeded in chaining him albeit with the cost of many lives.”
“Then,” asked Lord Shen, “Surely your Majesty have a way to at least chain him, right?”
“Only one way,” answered Queen Khoo seriously, “One must cast a spell to start a chain reaction of events which can cripple his power, consequently casting another spell that renders him severed from his source of power. In that case, it was the Crown of Inorien; this time will be the Scepter.”
All of them were murmuring, as now they feared that there would be more artifacts that contain the power of Avernis. However, unbeknownst to them, there were only three artifacts which have the full might of the Nether Lord. The Crown of Inorien was destroyed, the other one was submerged in sea, and only the Scepter was left.
“No matter where the Scepter is now,” said Master Shang, “we have to first hold firm our ground ere we can strike. At the least the garrison at Nirven must hold. So Lord Pivinesh, what’s your say in regards of this matter?”

from now on, the sections will be as in a weekly basis again, as i am now free from the project bondage at last...

of part 4 of chapter 11

2009-04-04T21:14:00.001+08:00

continuation from the 3rd part...

“Alright, my Lady. The High King is now in such critical condition, that now…” He was reluctant to say anything related to Master Shang, but he continued, “he’s under the responsibility of taking the High King’s power. His Order will ultimately take over the rule.”
“No,” Lady Yen disagreed with his opinions, and gave her reply, “the Order of the Knights never intended to rule the Kingdom. I don’t understand why you all suspected them so much. With the support of the Rangers and the High Elves, they would have the legitimate power by now.”
Just as they discussed of this matter, Master Hong and Master Khai walked past and saw them. The duo was curious on their actions, thus they cloaked themselves, entered the hut, and listened to their words.
Lord Jordan said, “Our group will arrive tomorrow, and then we have another meeting to discuss the matters on how to let the Archknight have nothing to say, and allow us to take charge.”
The two masters were shocked, and they opened their ears wider, in order to get the message conversed between them. Deep in their hearts, they thought: Master Shang is in grave danger, not because of Avernis, but from the Magi’s schemes. They wished to know more, but Lady Yen ended the conversation, with the pretext of getting some sleep.
They were so disappointed for not able to grasp the vital points. Long had they persuaded Master Shang not to trust her, and now their fears were proven. In addition, Master Kang cannot know of this at all, as he would tell Master Shang, and invoke his anger.
However, they at least know that it will continue the next day, when the Magi arrives…

As expected, Master Ran and the others arrived at noon. While they were welcomed by Master Kang, both masters approached Master Ran as soon as he left them to Master Kang.
“We’ve to spy on them from now onwards.” said Master Hong.
“Why?”
“Our friend is in grave danger, as we suspected that the Magi are scheming something. Probably they’re the actual culprits who poisoned the High King in the first place,” answered Master Khai.
Master Ran was confused, as he wondered on how that was possible, the two masters told him about the rendezvous of Lord Jordan and Lady Yen and their conversation. At last Master Ran realized the threat of it, and he decided to keep a watch on her, with them assisting. They instantly agreed.
That night they clad themselves in a cloak and hooded themselves, and hid near the Teroston Gardens, patiently. For almost an hour they waited, but there was no sign of her. As time went past, they were getting more and more frustrated, and were preparing to leave when their target showed up, together with Lord Cheng, Lord Jason, Lady Xuan and Lord Jordan. Master Ran then asked to camouflage themselves among the flowers, just to avoid any suspicions.
“It’s of our advantage that the Archknight trusted on you so much, to the extent of giving you information very important to them,” said Lady Xuan with a smile on her face, “but I’m confused on why must we strike against him? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Lord Cheng felt the same as well, as to combat Avernis they had to unify their strength with all they can muster, and they cannot afford to lose any allies. However, Lord Jason said, “If this is the case, then through Lady Yen we can get his secrets and use it against him.”
All of them were surprised, and they gave a loud “what?!” response. Though they intended to ‘dominate’ the council over the Knights right in their own city, they never thought of discrediting anyone. They then chided him, but the masters now concluded that they were up to something.
The conversation lasted for another half an hour, and when at last they left they ensured that all of them were gone. Then they trailed her, and within five seconds two swords and a staff were pointing at her from three directions, much to her shock and surprise.
“Enjoying your discussions of scheming against the Archknight, aren’t you?”

5th part will be posted on the 11th april 2009...

of the 3rd part of chapter 11

2009-03-28T20:22:00.001+08:00

the tales of this chapter continues...

In the Anuran Restaurant, both Master Hong and Lady Xue sat on the same table, with a candle lit between them. Looking westwards, they knew that Master Ran and the Magi were on the way here, and they were worried as probably the guests would wreak havoc throughout the council.
“Who do you think that will spell the biggest trouble to us?” asked Lady Xue, and Master Hong closed his eyes awaiting an answer to pop up in his mind. Immediately he thought of Lord Jason, the one who always attempted to discredit them from King Ashvin’s eyes.
It seems that Lady Xue had the same thought, and she said that both of them have to prevent this, since they were both in the council. But Master Hong replied, “All the factions, including the Elven Queen and the Dark Lord of the Dragon are here. We can’t humiliate him just like that. The Magi probably will side with him, and we can’t debate on little matters for fear of delay. However, we can try to gangbang him.”
“Great,” replied Lady Xue, “but now both the Archknight and the High Master won’t take the initiative to offend him. Nonetheless, their wrath can’t be incurred, else everything will break loose. In addition, this council is right under their eyes, and they won’t tolerate nonsensical thought. He’ll be seeking trouble if he want to create havoc.”
Master Khai entered the restaurant suddenly, and said to them, “Sorry to interrupt your romantic discussions. However, Master Shang summoned all of us to see him immediately.”
Thus they went, and when they arrived they saw Master Shang sitting in front of them, with eyes closed, and much to their horror, he was full of anger. The moment they arrived he banged the table, so loud that the guards outside were scared.
“I wished to know, who sent the poisoned curry powder to the High King?”
“Wait,” replied Master Khai, “I thought the transport of curry was banned?”
“This is the questioning part! How in the heavens that they can bypass all my lines?”
They were all bewildered, as they were rather blur with the question itself, but Master Kang immediately gave an answer, which relieved his anger. He suggested that it’ll be one of the issues of discussion during the council. Then Master Shang asked,
“The Magi, how long will they take before they arrive?”
“A day and a half perhaps,” answered Master Hong.
The answer was given, and Master Khai spoke, “The Holy Guardian knows that the council won’t be done undisturbed, hence asked us to prepare points to counter-blast those who disturbs. Probably her vigil is far better than all of us.”
He was right. Lady Chie Kuan perceived that the Magi, ever opponents of the Knights, would seek the disrupt the proceedings. To make matters worse, Lord Jordan has arrived hours ago , and his presence worried her. If disunion was to dominate the people, then how on earth can they stage a defense against Avernis?

Nightfall came, and out of Lord Jordan’s request, Lady Yen met him at the Teroston Gardens. She was rather observant and kept vigilant, as she wished to evade the eyes of the Five and any Knights. She succeeded, and got to the rendezvous point.
“My Lady, greetings.”
“Lord Jordan, long time no see. Let us find a place to talk.”
He agreed, as well as requested her to lead him. They then went to tea hut, sat down, and ordered two cups of tea.
“The Archknight will never expect that both of us are here now. Good for him.”
“Can you not mention your Grand Master for a while? Now it’s just you and me.”

the next part will come on the 4th of april...

of part 2 of chapter 11

2009-03-22T20:48:00.000+08:00

the continuation of the chapter...

Lord Pivinesh looked at the tall, white walls of Koruskan in awe. The heart of the Order of the Knights was not that warlike at all, their architectural designs were great and fair to behold, with the River Korus so wide effectively dividing the city into two.
Master Kang welcomed him, and he greeted him with a bow. He had no grudges against of the Dragon-lords now, as the Knights were desperately in need of allies to combat Avernis. The same was in the mind of Lord Pivinesh, but he also had a strange feeling. What was once adversaries were now allies.
“How fares the Dragon-realm lately?” asked Master Kang.
“Not well at all,” replied Lord Pivinesh, “Apparently the garrison of Nirven is stronger than I thought, but as our supplies begin to deplete, I doubt we could stand any longer.”
“That’s why Master Shang wanted to hold the council now. Time is running out, and I think that the prospect of exercising the powers of the High King shocked him. King Ashvin is in a critical condition, and is unable to come.”
“What?!”
Master Hong came forth, and asked, “Thought that you said don’t tell anyone of it?” Master Kang however answered that straits have altered, they had to know, but it would remain in the dark from Avernis. “No point hiding facts from allies.”
Then they reached the Tower of the Guardian, and while Master Kang entered to report of their arrival, Master Hong stood there, and said, “Your old friend Lady Valerie is here, do you feel any anxiety that clouds your heart?”
“A bit,” replied Lord Pivinesh, “as I’ve once devoted to her, perhaps haven’t died out. However I hope that the Archbishop won’t begrudge me over this matter. True to my hearts I wished that their relations can last forever.”
Surprised was Master Hong, who did not expect such a reply from Lord Pivinesh, whose cunning and trickery had given them lots of trouble during their wars. He remembered the words, awaiting the confirmation of Master Kang.
Meanwhile, Queen Khoo quickly walked out to meet Lord Pivinesh the moment she knew of his arrival. They greeted each other, as acquaintances not met for a long time.
“How fares the realm of Istarugah, my Queen?”
“Peace at least,” answered Queen Khoo, “but your realm is in great peril. So as Ossir, where the High King is now in a catatonic state. Anytime he may die.”
“Heard of this matter. By the way, in the past, I heard that the Archknight is very powerful in swordsmanship. Long have I desired to see him. Where’s he?”
Queen Khoo did not answer directly, but just asked him not to be hasty. Master Shang promised to meet everyone as soon as all are assembled, thus just await for the Magi. He was not at all content with the idea. He resented the prospect of waiting long, but when she offered to take him to meet Lady Valerie, he was instantly over the moon.
Through bridges and buildings they walked, and they found Lady Valerie near a pool. Greetings were exchanged, and they sat down, waiting to narrate their tales.
“Ten years had gone past since we last met near Silvermoon. Within this period of time, there are many happenings which cost many lives. Though deep in Istarugah, where peace reigned, I was thoroughly tormented by sufferings of the world, and the great concern to Master Ran.” Then she continued, on how she resolved to go to Koruskan, the perils she encountered and her ultimate meeting with Master Ran, till now.
“Impressive, unfortunately the mantle of the Dark Lord has scared many out of sight.” said Lord Pivinesh, full of grief. For a decade he waged war against the Knights, and now he suffered under the onslaught of Avernis, he was tired and was desperately need of help.
Queen Khoo again said nothing, but she just commented, “As long as your heart remained true to your mind, there’s nothing considered evil in my eyes. The Knights and you are loyal, only serving different causes. Never let what you are cloud yourself.”
“Thanks, my Queen,” said Lord Pivinesh, “but most likely both the Archknight and the High Master will begrudge me for the long war. You know, they don’t simply trust anyone. Even so, the Knights probably despise me and my comrades.”
“The High Master won’t, believe me,” said Lady Valerie, much to Lord Pivinesh’s delight, “As for the Archknight, the Holy Guardian and the Archpriestess will try to negotiate with him to accept you. He only listens to them at the moment, not even the High Master can persuade him.”

the next part will come on the 28th..

beginning of chapter 11

2009-03-20T13:30:00.001+08:00

here begins the eleventh chapter in count..

Chapter XI: Council and Herald of Woe

“Dark have been the events of late,” said Master Shang, right at a hut near the River Korus which flowed through the heart of the city. Once again, Lady Yen was standing near him, looking at the city. It was about half an hour before dawn, and the moon still cherished the sky, unsullied by Avernis’ shadow. The white walls of Koruskan were like a mirror, reflecting moonlight from the moon to them, effectively illuminating the hut.
Such deep meaning was the pattern of architecture, and Lady Yen sat down, thinking of a reply, “Your burden is heavy, this I feel it out of you. The job of being an acting ruler of a kingdom is never easy, and many avoided, but I have to tell you. You’re not alone, we’re here to help. You have the Five, you have the Elven Queen and the Holy Guardian and most importantly, you have my wisdom.”
These words energized the mind of Master Shang, who immediately asked her to get all of them gathered at the hut at one hour’s time. She instantly agreed, knowing that her words had brought into effect. As she rose and left, Master Kang came, and sighed.
“As a fact, I know he had a very strong will, but I fear for him.”
“Why?” asked Lady Chie Kuan, who appeared suddenly out of his back, much to his surprise, “The Archknight seemed to be able to handle his job, even though he’s under immense pressure. Suffice to say that he won’t fail your hopes.”
Master Kang was rather bewildered, as he had no idea on why Lady Chie Kuan can fathom the inner thoughts of Master Shang. Not even his inner circle was able to discern anything from him without any information for the past ten years of their relationship. But she, one who was never close to him, managed to succeed in where they failed. How was this possible?
Perhaps it was telepathy, a means to commune through minds. Only few were trained in the art, and only five of them mastered it to the highest level. Or it was some affinity shared between them, unbeknownst to all.
Now that he desired an answer, he asked Lady Chie Kuan on the straits of recent affairs. She gave him the same answer, which was that with King Ashvin got food poisoning and was now in a comatose, Master Shang must exercise the true powers of the High King, by hope or by crook. It was an inevitable event in which it was a trial to him, one which will eventually proved to be the cause of his downfall.

Exactly an hour later, all the Knights were gathered at the hut, and Master Shang awoke from his trance, starting to give out commands such as defensive preparations, garrison fortifications and so, while the Knights just obeyed the orders without question, such was his power over his Order that he can actually give out commands by just words without threat.
Meanwhile in Ossiros, Master Ran managed to enter the Palace and meet Lord Cheng, who had gathered all the members of the Magi and the Guards, ready to go to Koruskan, only to be delayed by issues of the High King.
“You do your job well, friend,” said Master Ran, as he entered the inner part of the Palace, “and by the way, how fares the High King?”
“Not well at all,” replied Lord Cheng, “Lady Crystal diagnosed that he suffered a severe food poisoning due to overconsumption of arsenic elements. In addition,” he pointed towards the curry-pot, “we found out that the curry-powder used was somehow poisoned. Do you know where does it come from?”
Master Ran then told him another bad news, that Master Hong and Lady Xue discovered that the lands near Koruskan were defiled by the blight of Avernis, and to make matters worse, by the command of Master Shang all curry powder made there were to be destroyed. How on earth the curry powder could reach King Ashvin was totally a mystery.
They then entered the throne chamber, only to find that King Ashvin was awake that time, who quickly bade them to come forth, and he handed them a letter which was to be delivered to Master Shang in the event of his death.
“My King, you won’t succumb to this illness, you won’t die young. Please don’t say anything that deprives your will and degrades your health. We need you as our ruler and leader.”
King Ashvin just sighed, and replied, “I know my condition, not even the Archmage and the Inquisitor, who are the best healers of the Kingdom, could heal my illness. To make matters worse, probably the Archknight won’t expect this, thus please don’t tell him.”
Both of them obeyed, and they left the room, but Lady Crystal was there awaiting them.
“Greetings to the Archbishop, I suppose that you’re here to pay a visit to King Ashvin, and to…”
Before she could finish, Master Ran gave her an affirmative answer. They were all assembled , ready to go to Koruskan, but as King Ashvin could not attend, in other words Master Shang had to host it, and some of them were not keen on that prospect that one not of their order would lead them, thus Master Ran was worried that they would disrupt the council.

the next post will come either tomorrow or on the 22nd.. depends on the circumstances..

of part 3 of chapter 10

2009-03-17T16:44:00.002+08:00

this part has been delayed of its posting, and thus i now post it..

It was almost dusk, and they were about 50 leagues away from their destination. Queen Khoo requested to take a rest, and they heeded while Master Shang looked at the skies.
“What do you see?” asked Lady Yen, who already sensed something amiss ever since the summoning incident. He made no reply, but as she turned away, he saw four shadows of dust down south.
“Inor giliath tin tor en dagor,” muttered Master Shang, which meant for “the stars are veiled, battle is at hand”. Queen Khoo immediately knew what he meant, as she saw Master Kang riding towards them, with speed swift as wind.
Much to her surprise, both of the masters knew the coming, and they sent forth their respective light beacons, which were responded by Master Kang’s red light. Apparently they knew it was an ill omen, confirmed by Lady Chie Kuan, who somehow told them to ride to them head on.
They did, and it was just a few moment they met.
“Hail the Elven Queen of Istarugah, and as well the Holy Guardian,” said Master Kang, “I suppose you know our intent. Master Shang, you must host the council now!”
“What happened?”
“The High King is poisoned and unable to come to us. Moreover, by law, you are now in the power to exercise the authority of a High King of Ossir.”
The revelation proved to be a great shock to him, as he just asked to quickly finish the journey, forgetting whatever is befalling. The stars were veiled by a coming storm, but they were unaware that Avernis was repeating the same thing as he did, two thousand years ago. In addition, when he cast this spell, he arose from his circle of power, armed himself, and moved out of his chains.
The true assault has commenced.

tomorrow the 11th chapter will begin...

of part 2 of chapter 10

2009-03-07T22:04:00.001+08:00

a continuation from the previous post...

Dawn was swift to arrive the next day, as Queen Khoo and Master Shang met near the palace gates, and they mounted their horses. While waiting for others to arrive, she asked him something as a joke, which annoyed him to the core, and he replied, “Do not simply connect the both of us together in nonsensical ways, it’s preposterous and very damaging.”
“I don’t attempt to connect both of you together, but I can see that you have a hard time making your choice between the Holy Guardian and the Archpriestess. Your mind is not decisive in terms of this relation, and it will actually hurt all of you.”
The words of Queen Khoo always have the power of comforting minds, but this time Master Shang was scared. He felt scared, because he cared about the both of them, way too much. That was why anything that happened to them gave him a great effect to his mind. His emotions were easily swayed, and these emotions were the source of his intense power, thus allowing his emotions to flow through him, strengthening him. As a result, his anger was always apparent, and he sought to cure it.
At last, all of them arrived, and the four of them immediately began their ride southwards to the city of Koruskan, 200 leagues south of their starting point.

“Well, you say that the Elven Queen and the Holy Guardian are coming?” asked Master Hong, and he got an affirmative reply. Then he continued, “High Master Kang, I truly hoped that know the ways of combating Avernis, we are no match against him, not if he has now returned to full power.”
Master Kang sat down, deep in thought. Ever since he returned from Ossiros, the darkness has somehow lengthened further, and he also felt the dark summoning, albeit at a lesser degree. He knew that it was beyond him to contain this threat, thus he asked King Ashvin to come to Koruskan as soon as possible.
“Master,” entered Master Ran, who arrived a day after when he decided to change his direction of his journey, knowing that it was useless to tell the High King about the plight, “the Dragon-lords are coming here soon, and just for your information, the garrison at Nirven has once again repelled the assault.”
At last the two masters were relieved, as they knew that the Dragon-lords were not as weak as they had supposed. Perhaps they could actually hold them until a decision could be made. Now they had to await Queen Khoo to arrive, to discuss with them the incoming plans for it.
However, Master Khai suddenly ran into the room, and much to their surprise, Lord Cheng was following him. He struggled to stand firm and breathe properly, while they just waited, though they knew that it could not be anything good.
“Let me speak,” said Lord Cheng, “and may I know where the Archknight is? This is important, as he’s now the acting High King of Ossir. I know what you wished to ask me, King Ashvin is now in a critical condition, having himself poisoned due to overconsumption of curry-powder.”
“What?!”
“It’s true,” replied Master Khai, “thus he has to return as fast as possible!”
Now they all looked at Master Kang, who was appointed to be the acting ruler of Koruskan in the absence of Master Shang. He seemed to be aware of it, and he ordered Master Ran to go to Ossiros, while Lord Cheng followed to summon all of his order to attend the council. As for him, Master Hong, Master Khai and he himself will ride to meet their Grand Master with hopes of succeeding before midnight.
“Remember, all of you here,” commanded Master Kang before he left, “this news about the High King must be kept a secret, that is to say, no one else besides us should know of it.”

the next post will come on 14th of march... or 15th, depends on the circumstances...

of the beginning of chapter 10

2009-02-28T21:15:00.002+08:00

the tenth chapter of the 1st part at last...

Chapter X: The Dark Tide Invades

Inside the Ithilien Palace, the lights of the lamps shone through the Room of Healing. Within the room, there were only three people present, who were Queen Khoo who sat on a chair, Lady Chie Kuan who sat near her queen and Lady Yen, still haven’t recover from the aftershocks of the effect.
“What happened?” Master Shang rushed in, and he felt an intense headache in him. Immediately he collapsed, and Queen Khoo walked to him, trying to get him up. It was quite obvious that he knew that the queen knew what befell.
“Well,” said Lady Chie Kuan, “the waves of summoning were too great for her to withstand, thus she fainted. It can imply only one thing, which is that Avernis has returned to full power, hence the full strength of all the factions is needed.”
Queen Khoo began to channel her healing powers once again, in her attempt to heal the devastating effects inflicted on both Lady Yen and herself, but once again to no avail. The reason behind was that her powers were not applicable to heal, as the two forces cancelled each other out, rendering the process useless.
“I’ll go to the Elostirion Pool for a moment, by the way I feel that her hands are cold,” said Master Shang in concern, not for anyone, but for the safety of the two kingdoms. He left his sword at the bed where Lady Yen lie upon, then walked out.
“What do you feel from his sword?”
“Your Highness, a great aura emanates from it. One can feel warmth when the wielder’s intent is of benevolence, as it can cancel out all dark spells. The protection is divine and none better. Probably she’ll be awake in an hour’s time.”
That night the stars were veiled, moonlight has diminished. Right in front of it many High Elves perceived danger, some even knew what it implied. Master Shang, as the Archknight of the Kingdom of Ossir, felt himself obliged to call for a council soon. “Peril is coming forth, as the darkness is spreading.” He thought, but now he had only one thing in mind, which was to cure the aftershocks suffered by his beloved lady.
Apparently Lady Chie Kuan was right about the effects of Master Shang’s sword, as Lady Yen woke up about an hour later, asking of her whereabouts, and what happened. Patiently Queen Khoo told her everything, while she showed her the sword, the latter broke down, and all were surprised to see it.
“Where is he now? He cannot hide away like this.”
“Be calm, my lady,” replied Lady Chie Kuan, “I personally think that he’ll eventually return to Koruskan soon. He’s now in the Elostirion Pool, probably meditating to find out the truth and happenings in the Dragon-realm. Let me take you there.”
Lady Yen nodded her head, and both left to find him. They managed, but the face of Master Shang was so pale, greatly differed from his look about an hour ago. Wanting to know what happened, they quickly rushed there, only to find him greeting them in a strange manner.
“Don’t talk to me now. I feel very tired.”
Upon looking at him, Lady Yen said nothing but an elven sentence, “anor tor inor isildin” which literally meant “may the light of the sun not consumed by the shadow, and to be protected by moon’s grace”, much to Lady Chie Kuan’s surprise, who quickly asked her regarding her it.
“You… you can speak the speech of ours?”
“Important is one to master several tongues,” she answered, “I suppose that he understand it as well, as he always used this speech to converse with me whenever he had the chance. Perhaps you’re the one who taught him this, right?”
Lady Chie Kuan just stood there, “I’ll leave you with him, as I got to do some preparations for the travel southwards to Koruskan.” Giving her the sword of Master Shang, which she asked it to be returned to him, she then went off, leaving the two masters of their respective orders alone.
“How do you feel now? Are you still alright?” asked Master Shang.
Recalling the offensive words that he hurled at her before, she decided not to answer him directly. Thus she asked again, “Given your condition now, don’t you think that I should be the one asking you?”
“I know that you still begrudge me for being offensive at you. Sometimes I felt that I think too much , too vigilant of anything that moves. I should have faith in everyone whom I befriend, including you.”
Now she decided to ask him another question, “How do you know that I can learn the elven tongue from you at the first place?” Master Shang just smiled, and answered, “Instincts…”
He was now deadly tired, as unbeknownst to her, he transferred part of his energy to her via his sword just to cure the effects. All of a sudden he remembered the thing he treasured the most - his sword, which was like his life and wife to him.
“Master Shang, you proved your grace as the Archknight, in which I have not realized at all before. But by entrusting your sword to me, I know that you had placed your trust on me. Thank you, be united with it, as I know it’s your life. Good night, we have a long journey ahead soon.”
Expecting him to be silent, Lady Yen left, but Master Shang muttered, “ithil tor innor zin” which meant “the grace of the moon protects her corporeal embodiment”. Reunited with his sword, he hugged it and entered his dreams.

the next part will be posted on 7th march...

of part 2 of chapter 9

2009-02-21T18:05:00.001+08:00

the 2nd part of chapter 9

Lord Pivinesh was truly shaken by the sudden words of summoning in him. He fell from his throne, grasping his own heart to withstand the ominous words heard by him. As Lord Reshan was relatively unaffected by it, due to his less powerful mastery of their lore, Lord Pivinesh requested that he shall speak to whoever person who wished to speak to him.
He obeyed, and left the throne room. However, the moment he stepped out of the door, he heard words uttered in his heart. He knew some skills in telepathy, thus was able to feel the words, and made a reply.
“Who are you and what is your purpose?”
Through connection of minds, the receiving end was Master Shang himself, who told him of his identity and his purposes. Lord Reshan was delighted, as help would soon come, with the High Elves and the Ossirians agreed to assist them. However, he told Master Shang of the pain of Lord Pivinesh, which was much to his surprise that he knew of it already.
“Tell your Dark Lord, there will be a great council in the city of Koruskan next month. The precise date is yet to be decided. He’s cordially welcomed to attend this council in regards of the war with Avernis, in which his realm has suffered grievous harm.. Let it be done, enshu-falah-nah.”
The transmission was ended, and Lord Reshan stood there in great surprise. The Archknight of Koruskan managed to contact them telepathically, whom they deemed weak. Now they know that he was the de facto ruler of the eastern parts of the Kingdom. No wonder he could use the resources of the land with great efficiency, it was never a surprising thought for the Magi to feel scared and restricted was their power in the east.
Lord Pivinesh now called him to enter, and he said, “The Archknight of Koruskan and of the Ossir Kingdom invited me to present myself in Koruskan, right?”
“Yes. The Knights now managed to secure the support of the High Elves. They’ll be there on the appointed date. As for you, your dream love, the Elven Princess Lady Valerie will show up as well.”
Much to Lord Pivinesh’s disgust, Lord Reshan’s last sentence was a fatal mistake.
“Banorak-tin-batur, I hope that you watch your mouth,” said Lord Pivinesh, “The Masters of Koruskan have little tolerance towards the insolence of people. Years ago I heard that Lord Jason the Viscount got himself gangbanged by them for just befouling their Order with a foul word. They had great pride on their principles: honesty, righteousness, justice and loyalty.”
Lord Reshan had written a letter, to be sent to Master Kang in Koruskan. He needed to get permission to enter the city. Suddenly, Lord Sai Keet entered, and reported, “Bad tidings. The second assault on Nirven is now inevitable, the best part is, and our opponents are 200,000 strong.” While they were in the shock of the invasion, another Dragon-lord arrived to report that the assault has commenced.

chapter 10 will commence on 28th february 2008...

part 1 of chapter 9

2009-02-14T14:20:00.001+08:00

today begins the 9th chapter of the story:

Chapter IX: Plight of the Dragon-lords

The Great Tower of Dragon in Quinoros was the nexus of the power of the Dragon-lords. From there many decisions took place, such as every invasion against the Knights, quelling of any rebellion and schemes which can be said as diabolical.
Quinoros itself was the capital of the Dragon-lords for a time period of seven centuries. Built on a volcanic plateau near the volcanic mountain of Mt.Quindor, the sky above it was always dark and flaming red.
“How about the recent situations?”
“My Lord, Angobar was utterly destroyed. Avernis is heading forth, preparing a second assault against Nirven. We have repelled them once, but we can’t repel them twice. What about the aid you seek?” Lord Reshan responded in dismay.
Lord Pivinesh then answered, “I requested the Archknight in Koruskan, but you know, Lord Reshan, that months before we were constantly at a state of war. Never before we seek aid from our adversaries.”
“Then what’s the outcome?”
“By the grace of the Archpriestess of the Magi, the Archknight agreed, albeit reluctantly.” The Dark Lord looked at his subordinate, while Lord Reshan tried to know the full details. He managed to secure his line at Nirven and Osgorain from the minions of Avernis, however he knew it very well of a fact, that he was failing.
Meanwhile, Lord Sai Keet of Angobar managed to evade capture, and came to them. He reported that the city was completely destroyed, and Avernis had managed to grow into full power. Worse off, from this moment, he would probably begin to lead the attacks himself. “We cannot hold him at all,” he said.
“Your fears are right. Our forces cannot defeat him, and we’re fighting a losing war here. Help must come soon, as our time is never enough. Everyday lost hastens our defeat.” replied Lord Pivinesh.
“What about the High Elves of Istarugah?” asked Lord Reshan. He expected that help would eventually come and deliver them from their plight. The High King Ashvin has agreed to help should he can obtain the consent of the Knights. As for the High Elves, they had to wait, as they had no way to even go near the city itself.

Queen Khoo saw all these in her meditation pool. From there, she then asked someone to summon Master Ran and Lady Valerie. They arrived within a few moments.
“Greetings, great Queen. What is your wish?”
“Tell Master Shang to contact the High King that I’ll go to Koruskan soon, to discuss of the matters of war. By the way, where is he?”
“Still in a discussion with the Holy Guardian.” replied Lady Valerie.
Meanwhile, at Elostirion Pool, Lady Chie Kuan gave Master Shang a bowl containing the water from the pool. The water was hallowed and should one drink it, his or her stamina would be replenished. He immediately drank it, aware of its effects
Lady Chie Kuan smiled, and gave him another bowl of water. However, as he tried to drink it, a bolt of fire appeared suddenly, much to his shock.
“This is what happens if a vigor of rage and anger is present in a soul. It will taint even the holiest of minds. Same goes to you, your anger and rage effectively scared her off your presence. Your emotions has nearly mastered you just now.”
“I know,” replied Master Shang, “this rage of mine is hard to control. I have my own principles to adhere upon. One mustn’t trust anyone so easily, vigilance is a must.”
She gave a sigh, grieved that her friend here had really lost control of his mastery to trust. Lord Len Jin of the city of Torheven delivered their plight to her, and she was fully aware of the fact that the Dragon-lords were desperate for help. As such, she had to be quick and decisive in action, as this cannot afford to be delayed. However, Master Shang’s anger served to be a blockage of this.
“I’ve spoken to her, and she asked you to agree on the Dark Lord’s request.”
“Where is she now?”
“Tower of the Light, if you wish. But please do not disappoint her anymore.”
He nodded his head, and left.
As both Master Ran and Lady Valerie left for Ossiros, Queen Khoo came to speak with Lady Yen.
“Are you still hurt by his words?”
This sentence, though only seven words long, was enough to comfort her. Thus she replied, “Your Highness, I’ve expected things like this to happen anyway. Even though so, he’s just trying to protect himself from any external harm.”
“I sensed something amiss,” said Queen Khoo, “there exists a possibility that you’ll be someone whom he worried. Backstab, I fear. By the way, he’s leaving soon.”
“Why?”
“To tell the Dragon-lords that we agreed to help them, and to invite them to attend a great council in the city of Koruskan. He may be threatening with his words, but he’s overall benevolent. He seems to care for you, no less than the Five, more than others. I advise you to see him before he leaves at dawn tomorrow.”
“Ishnu-dal-dieb, I will,” answered Lady Yen, who out of the blue heard something of summoning deep in her heart at the same time, and suddenly she felt so shaken. Never before was the effect so great, so great to such an extent that she couldn’t withstand it anymore. She fainted right at the spot, much to Queen Khoo’s surprise.
At this time, Lady Po Ee turned up, and also showed surprise at the scene. Queen Khoo immediately commanded that she was to be taken palace for healing. Immediately the order was obeyed, while Queen Khoo headed to the Elostirion Pool to get some healing water.
She met Lady Chie Kuan on the way, and asked for the whereabouts of Master Shang, who got the idea to leave Istarugah immediately to meet the Dragon-lords, was preparing himself for the departure, at the gates near the Inner Oriental Gate. Queen Khoo asked her to look for him.
With a speed swift as the high winds of the north, she ran through the pools and fountains all the way to the Gate, until she saw Master Shang with his horse. “Halt! Something is at hand!”
“I felt my heart shaking as well, my Lady. The face of mine looked pale, right?”
“Exactly. I think that something’s amiss. I suppose that you feel it right?”
Immediately when Master Shang heard this question, he replied, “The Archpriestess fainted due to a sudden surge of power from the East assailing her heart. This I felt, it shook the core of my mind. It will be a lie should I say that I’m unaffected.”
“Anar’alah belore, I know as well. Perhaps you should delay your trip there?”
“Though I can’t present myself there, I’ll still contact them via telepathy. Give me some time.”

the next part will be posted on 21st february 2009...

of part 3 of chapter 8

2009-02-07T20:04:00.001+08:00

part 3 from the previous

Meanwhile, Lady Xuan was fishing by the river, though it was almost midnight. Great was her concentration and patience, as she can remain in focus for more than four hours, provided with no serious external disturbances. However, some mutterings and cursing disrupted her tonight.
It was Lord Jason, who cursed all the while as he walked away to elude the wrath of Master Kang. Though annoyed, she nonetheless asked him, “What are you doing here?”
He then sat down beside her, told her about the arrival of Master Kang and his humiliation by the latter, and he e wished to play a prank on him. Lady Xuan, obviously, was surprised by the fact. She, like many others, did not expect Master Kang to come anyway, but she was disappointed at Lord Jason’s wish to play a prank on Master Kang, which she deemed irrational and inexplicable.
“So now you defended the damned High Master over me?” asked Lord Jason, but Lady Xuan ignored him and continued her fishing. Although she had no liking towards Master Kang, she saluted the wrath of his, who at last restrained Lord Jason’s mischief.
Now Lord Justin and Master Kang walked towards her, as the latter had a liking of fishing as well, and wished to learn something from her. To create surprise, Master Kang hooded himself once again, and continued walking.
Much to his surprise, his presence did not go unnoticed. Lady Xuan greeted Master Kang with a typical language of the Elves, which surprised him, and Lord Justin as well. Never did they expect that one in Ossiros can utter the elven tongue, let alone so fluently.
“From where you learnt this language?” asked Master Kang.
“I know all of the Five can understand the tongue of the High Elves. Even our Archpriestess also can speak that language. It’s possible that the Archknight conversed with her in that speech also, for many others don’t understand it. By the way, what do you seek from me?”
“I heard,” answered Master Kang, “that you have great concentration in matters of fishing.”
“That’s all? You’re so stupid, not worthy to be a Knight!” mocked Lord Jason.
This really enraged Master Kang, and he drawn his sword, pointing at Lord Jason, stating that it is never in his right to give a judgment in regards of his job and responsibility, while Lord Justin restrained him, and they sat down, commanding Lord Jason to be gone.
“I must see the High King tomorrow, straits are getting dire.” said Master Kang. He was so desperate to deliver his message to King Ashvin, as time was running out. Deep in his heart, he perceived the impending darkness enveloping the light of the sun and moon, and each day the darkness lengthened, heading westwards.
“Lord Cheng told me already, but who is thus Avernis?”
“An evil that has been chained for two thousand years.” replied Lady Xuan.
By now both of them were aware that Lady Xuan knew about the ancient lore, or at least heard Lady Yen spoke about it. Thus they decided to go to sleep, as an important meeting will be on tomorrow.

“Hail the High King of Ossir, your loyal subject beseeches your audience to an important letter.”
“Rise, High Master Kang. How fares the people of your Order?”
“Your Majesty, the Knights are fine at the moment. However to seek help, Master Shang with some companions are now in Istarugah. The Elven Queen was our mentor, this you know.”
Apparently King Ashvin did not know of the fact, so as those in the Hall, especially Lord Jason, who quickly took this opportunity to mock Master Kang by having a look of an elf, thus not human enough in him of his appearance, which angered everyone in the Hall.
“I admit that I don’t have a temper as intense as the Archknight,” said Master Kang, “but if he thinks that for this reason he can express his racism or xenophobic theories, then he is indeed wrong.”
“How come my theories are wrong when your rhetoric can be accepted, dumb?”
“Because we got proof of it, and have evidence for your promiscuity!”
Lord Jason was bewildered. He had no idea on what the word promiscuity means, and he just kept thinking of the meaning, until King Ashvin remarked that he should take note of where he was standing. Then immediately he knew the meaning, as he stood between Lady Kathleen, Lady Carrine and Lady Xuan in a distance very close, way too close.
“High Master Kang, you son of a donkey. How dare you imply the meaning that I’m a person who is a womanizer? You should ask your friend, who has and desired a one-to-many relation in him. Isn’t it worse than I am?”
“Ethereal thoughts can’t prove anything, let alone if he had never the thoughts in mind. But you, on the other hand, did it right in front of our eyes. That’s why I say that his presence alone can tarnish the good name of the Archpriestess.” replied Master Kang. Lord Jason was so embarrassed, and he pushed Master Kang, as well as struck him to the floor.
Master Kang just smiled, knowing that he has proven his theory right. Without the urge to even defend himself, he stood up and reported to King Ashvin about the crisis and their worsened plights. King Ashvin was shocked, he decided to meet Master Shang in person.
“High Master Kang, I’ll choose a day to meet your friend, to discuss ways of containing this threat. Please tell the Archpriestess as well, I’m in need of her to negotiate with the Dark Lord of the Dragon. As for this guy,” he pointed at Lord Jason, “be sure to tell her of his womanizing attitude during her absence. May the grace of the sun shines upon you at all time.”
“Your Majesty as well.” With a bow, Master Kang hooded himself again and left.

the next post will come on 14th february 2008, which means the 9th chapter...

of part 2 of chapter 8

2009-01-31T18:52:00.001+08:00

2nd part for the chapter:

However, unbeknownst to them, Master Kang has entered Ossiros, cloaked in black. He expected that the Magi will be at the Anazhan Temple, seeking proof to deny his statements. Master Shang contacted him and requested him to go to Ossiros to inform King Ashvin of the matter.
Upon entering, he heard Lord Jason complaining to Lady Carrine, “How can the High King not trusting us? It is evident that the Knights wished to overthrow us and banish us from Ossiros. Hence, the Archknight will effectively becomes the High King.”
“This cannot be,” said Lady Carrine, “as we know that the Knights have interest only in matters of defense and safety. They have no interest in administrations. Furthermore, they are fiercely loyal to the Kingdom and the High King. How can you say that they wanted to take over?”
Lord Jason was still stubborn. He do not care whatever she said to him, he was so adamant that the Knights wished to take over their “hold” in Ossiros. Then Lady Kathleen intervened, “We all know that the Knights can outsmart the Dragon-lords, that’s why they are able to hold them for so long. Who can guarantee that they wouldn’t use their trickery and cunning against us? In addition, the Rangers and the High Elves backed them as well. Fortunately, we have one in their ranks. Lord Jordan of Adim served as our spy.”
“However,” said Lord Jason, unknowing the fact that Master Kang has taken a seat near them, “the Five are smart, they don’t trust him as they are aware of his affiliations with us. It will be near impossible to discredit them.”
“Discredit…” thought Master Kang, whose presence was still unfelt by them, “the Archknight is aware of it. No wonder, he trusts them not at all times. Their theories are ridiculous.” However, he still held his tongue, while still listened to their words.
“The Archknight, though he remained in a stance of hermitage, has nonetheless desires of company. He had a liking towards our friend and as well as the Holy Guardian of Istarugah. Perverted he is, somehow I think desiring more. The Enchantress and the Fireseeker of the Elven realms are probably his targets as well.”
“Lord Jason,” said Lady Carrine, who now sat down beside him, “what makes you think as such? But no matter, the High King now is annoyed by your words. You now said that the Archknight is a womanizer, can you prove it?”
“No matter,” replied Lord Jason, “as long as we discredit him in the High King’s eyes.”
With a hit on the table, the High Master bellowed, “How dare you dishonor the Grand Master of the Knights? Don’t you know that he’s my friend as well?”
Lord Jason, annoyed by this sudden move, went forward and pushed Master Kang backwards, demanding of his identity and his purpose of shouting at him.
“Look at my face, before you do anything…” replied Master Kang as he cast down his hood.
Shock dominated the trio, as the great aura of Master Kang stunned them all. Never did they expect that they would be the first to meet him. Immediately Lady Carrine gave her greetings to him.
“Greetings, my lady. How on earth can the Viscount degrade others right in front of people? Especially when he is also involved in promiscuity. Thus it is of no wonder that the Chessmaster expressed his disgust towards him.”
“Eh… eh, you High Master Kang,” replied Lord Jason, “what Lord Shen said to me is none of your business. Why don’t you defend the frontlines in the east, but seeking to mess with me? I know, you’re a coward!” Then he laughed loudly, much to the disgust of Master Kang, who slapped him on the face.
“Your presence apparently is a dishonor to the Archpriestess Lady Yen and your Order. The fates are now with you, as this place isn’t Koruskan, or you would have suffered. Master Shang sent me here, to give two messages. One is to Lord Cheng the Count, another to the High King. Where is Lord Cheng anyway?”
Lord Cheng was in his residence doing his work, in his documents regarding diplomacy with the Dragon-lords which King Ashvin requested. Lady Carrine led Master Kang there, much to his surprise.
“Ishnu-alah, High Master. What brings you to my residence?”
Master Kang bowed to him, and continued, “The Archknight send to you a message, requesting you to warn Lady Crystal the Archmage and Lord Benjamin the Inquisitor. The shadow of our nemesis has lengthened, as the forces of the Dragon-lords diminished day by day.”
“What happened, High Master Kang?”
Master Kang sat down, and he narrated to Lord Cheng regarding Avernis, his rampage throughout the Dragon-realm. In addition, the shadow of Avernis and its lengthening, the increase of power and the dire straits of the Knights and Elves. Lord Cheng, hearing this plight, immediately used his powers to copy Master Kang’s letter and ordered his subordinates to send it to their respective places.
The arrival of Master Kang also surprised Lord Justin, and as he heard of Lord Jason’s incident he was shocked. Immediately he pleaded on Lord Jason’s behalf.
“If you are the one being mocked at, I believe that you’ll actually give him a tight blow. A great dishonor to the Knights it seems to me. How can all of you withstand his insolence?”
“He’s our friend,” replied Lord Justin, “and I supposed that the Archknight sent you here. How fares his life recently? I hoped that his mind will not be drained as the prospect of having an unreciprocated devotion clearly torments him.”
Master Kang did not give any reply, but just said, “Perhaps you should talk to him regarding this matter. Never think that he can show off if he has a foothold rule in the capital. Where’s King Ashvin?”
“In the palace, as usual. Let me take you there tomorrow.”

the next post shall come on 7th february 2009..

of part 1 for the 8th chapter

2009-01-24T16:02:00.001+08:00

today commences the eighth chapter...

Chapter VIII: Matters of Ranging and Promiscuity

The shadow of Avernis lengthened, and while the Knights and the High Elves felt it, in the western regions of the Kingdom, peace still reigned, and the people were still complacent in their present state.
King Ashvin was preparing another pot of chicken-head curry when Lord Shen, the Chessmaster came to meet him. He was the leaders of the Rangers of Quel’Zarin, at the northern lands, and he came to Ossiros to deliver his plight.
“Hail the High King of Ossir. The Rangers now bring to you a very important message, which has something to do with the recent happenings across the region.”
“What is it, my Lord Shen?”
“Your pardon, but have you sensed something amiss recently?” asked Lord Shen.
“Nope,” but King Ashvin’s reply was immediately interrupted by Lord Shen, who replied, “You’re too complacent! The shadow of Avernis has lengthened, the tides of darkness are approaching. With each day past, the Dragon-lords suffered more and more losses. The Dark Lord of the Dragon has called for help in all regions.”
“This is a lie!” said Lord Jason, who entered the Hall together with Lady Kathleen and Lady Carrine. He then continued, much to the dislike of King Ashvin, “The Rangers are allied with the Knights, and they can’t be trusted. It’s probable that they desired to seize power of the Kingdom and put their leader on the throne!”
“You shut up!” shouted Lord Shen, “The entire Kingdom knows that the Archknight Master Shang has no interest in becoming the High King at all, nor do I have as well. Thus, I implore your Magi Order not to think too much, and don’t be too emotional.”
Lady Carrine now opened her mouth, saying, “Lord Shen, can you please not hurting him in a direct manner? His dignity should not be tarnished, though true are your statements. Your words must not be so offensive.”
“So I’m right once again,” said King Ashvin, “that the devotions of the Viscountess to the Viscount is true somehow. Probably a high-level relationship may born from the flames of meeting. Isn’t it not, Lord Shen?”
The Chessmaster sat down, and replied, “The Archknight felt the waning of the light. We have received news that the city of Angobar has fallen. The next target will probably be the city of Osgorain or Duras.”
By now they have already run out of time, and as Avernis strengthened, their powers weakened. Both Master Shang and King Ashvin were all aware of this, and they were devising ideas to boost the defense for the Kingdom’s sake. The time had come for them as trials.
“Your Majesty,” said Lord Jason, “how can you actually believe in these nonsensical theories?” He, as of the others who resided in the western regions who were still unable to feel the shadow lengthening, as well as great concerns towards wielding of power.
“Silence! All proof are evident, and how can you assure that we will like to deceive?” replied King Ashvin. He then put another piece of chicken head, and continued, “No wonder the Knights dare not trust you at all.”
Lord Shen then bade himself to leave, and King Ashvin consented.
“Your Majesty, what Lord Jason said, although not true, still bears truth to some degree. We haven’t feel any dark power coming forth,” said Lady Kathleen, but now Lord Jason was annoyed, and while Lady Carrine tried her best to restrain him, he shouted out, “What the fish? Now you trusted them more than us?”
“Begone from here!” demanded King Ashvin, whose anger can no longer be restrained, “Your weakling mastery of the arcane may be the cause of our downfall! By the way, Lady Carrine, the High Master Kang is coming here soon. Probably you’ll want to listen to him.”
In anger, Lord Jason stormed out of the Hall.
“What do you mean, that the High Master is coming?” asked Lady Kathleen.
“Good question,” replied King Ashvin, “The arrival of the Knights are actually unknown to all, as they always choose to come by undercover. Only in special occasion did they reveal themselves. I think that the Archknight telepathically contacted him, to bring us a message.” Lady Carrine, now excited, gave her remark, willing to await Master Kang’s presence.

as well i want to wish every reader here a very happy new year! the next post will come on the 31st january 2009...

of part 3 for chapter 7

2009-01-17T22:06:00.001+08:00

followed from the 2nd part from last week:

“What’s so surprising? As the Head of the Magi, by right you should feel it as well. How in the heavens you can’t feel it?”
“Because she’s a noob in magic of warlock and shadow!” replied Master Shang, who appeared with Queen Khoo and Lady Chie Kuan all of a sudden without any warning. “All of us felt it as well, the lengthened shadow afflicted my concentration. In fact, it’s also of the arcane, thus by right she must perceive it as well!”
“Why must you be that extreme in matters?” asked Lady Angeline, and the reply shocked her, “In the Kingdom of Ossir there are five factions, which are the Druids, the Magi, the Rangers, the Knights and the Imperial Guards. One may think that the five factions are interrelated among each other. However, in reality, we’re always strife here and there, we sought to tarnish their honor and gain greater power…”
“But now… now, you people of different factions are here, for one single purpose. And this single purpose may have bind all of you in matters of friendship. Master Shang, the honored Archknight, do you treat her as a friend of yours?”
Shocked as others did at the sudden question, Master Shang nonetheless made his reply immediately, “I surely do so, with no regrets, though no more than the Five. However, whether is it the inverse, I’ve no idea. Deceit and lies may cloud the truth.”
“How can you say something like that?” asked Lady Po Ee, and yet Master Ran now stood at the side of his friend, asking her to refer to her close affiliations with Lord Jason, Lord Cheng, Lord Jordan and more. The reason behind this was that he meditated the night before, and had a vision of the meetings between the three lords and Lady Yen, and he discerned the word as “conspiring”. Coupled up with the words given by Queen Khoo, the two masters were in a boiling point of anger now.
“My Lady,” said Master Ran, “the High King is actually wrathful with this apparent thingy happening within the Orders. He has little tolerance with people who should abstain from any flirting relations and yet involved in it. The best part, he’s also worried, that they wanted to conspire against him.”
“How can this be possible at the first place?” asked Lady Angeline, and she continued, “All of us trusted them, they will not betray your Grand Master as suspected. By the way, where is Lady Yen?”
All of them looked around, yet there was no sign of her. Queen Khoo immediately admonished Master Shang with his sudden fury. “Now is not the time to accuse her, wait we have to. By the way, I will think of something.”
Then Lady Chie Kuan continued, “Probably we’ll speak alone tonight, and meet me at the Elostirion Pool near the Outer Sanctum at the first light of the moon.” Master Shang agreed, and together with Queen Khoo she left.

next week: chapter 8 part 1.. on 24th january 2008...

of part 2 of the 7th chapter

2009-01-10T19:48:00.001+08:00

continuation from the 1st part of the 7th:

Master Shang then sat down, in an attempt to clear out his mind, and once again he asked, “As for her, is it said that I was ‘meant’ to meet her, no matter what I do, where I am?”
“Destiny is always hard to behold, as in the secrets of the mist,” replied Lady Chie Kuan, whose feeling and care towards her friend here returned. She wished to show her concern to this Grand Master, whose mind was somehow devoid of true happiness for almost a decade. “There are times when even us are unable to see it. Nonetheless, nature has always its own way to work its purposes, id est. you’re meant to meet her, and she’s meant to enter your life.”
“But what I’m worried is that Avernis will attempt to take advantage on all of us, should he’s aware of this confusion.” Then Queen Khoo said, “Come on, let us go into the Outer Sanctum and have dinner later. You’ll miss much of the elven cuisine.”
“Anything,” replied Master Shang with a smile in his face, much to their delight, “but no chicken-head curry. The High King Ashvin cooked it before, and I felt like vomiting.”

Master Ran looked down to the commerce center of Istarugah, surrounded by the walls of the Outer Sanctum, which in return was surrounded by eight magnificent bridges, His gaze drawn the attention of Lady Yen, who came to look as well.
“Nice scenery this city gives to us. Everything seems to be alive here, and the best part, the elves are so tall. Taller than even the tallest in our Kingdom.”
“And who on earth will he be?”
“Master Ran, the one I speak of is Lord Jordan of Adim. However, any idea of why are they so tall?”
“Well, my highly honored Lady, for this, ask your Archknight for the answer.”
This greatly annoyed Lady Yen, who in return demanded a reason for the apparent reply Master Ran gave her. The latter, however, gave no reply, which annoyed her eve more, and she got herself emotional, until two familiar figures came.
“What the? How is this possible? It has been months since you left.”
They were Lady Angeline, the Innkeeper, and Lady Po Ee, the Enchantress, who was promoted to the head of defense of the Outer Sanctum. Their sudden appearance surprised Master Ran as well, who was so immersed in his gaze of the city, and thus he greeted them.
“Ishnu-alah, my ladies. I’ve returned to this city after a decade, together with the princess and with the ‘pair’ of leaders of their respective orders.”
“Greetings,” replied Lady Po Ee, “I’ve heard that you’re now the Archbishop of the Kingdom of Ossir, ranked third in the Order of the Knights of Koruskan. Isn’t it so? Anyway, the fair lady standing here, aren’t you the Archpriestess? How fares your Archknight of late?”
“Another one,” muttered Lady Yen in an annoyed manner, “You better make sure that he doesn’t get to hear it. He hates the prospect that people are owning him, only he can own people. If you wished to ask where he is, together with the Queen and the Holy Guardian he’s currently with.”
Lady Angeline then replied, “My friend, Istarugah is a city with architecture blending in nature. The people here always placed great emphasis on the delving of nature. The Tree of Light is the heart of elven civilization, located in the far north of our lands.”
“Not that we knew it beforehand, but this scenery is simply too great for us to behold. In reference, ask the Five for more. Oh yes, by the way, where is Master Shang?” asked Lady Po Ee.
“Didn’t we say that he’s currently with the Queen and the Holy Guardian?” replied Master Ran. He was actually extremely annoyed by their sudden appearance, which disrupted his mood of sight-seeing. “The shadow of Avernis lengthened, even places as far as here can feel it.”
“What?!”

the next part will be posted on the 17th january...

1st part of the 7th chapter

2009-01-01T22:49:00.001+08:00

the seventh chapter commences:

Chapter VII: Secrets of the Mist

“They’re now gone, so what’s all these about?” asked Master Shang.
“Ishnu-dal-dieb, be patient. This is a secret, kept for long and none but the Holy Guardian and I know. We’ve seen in our meditations, that one whom you trusted might be conspiring against you to aid the Dragon-lords, or we feared, Avernis to destroy your Order and the Kingdom of Ossir.”
“What?!”
Looking at his surprised face, Lady Chie Kuan calmed him down, “Don’t worry, it’s just a vision. No one can be sure that whether it’s true or otherwise. Nonetheless, you best be careful not to simply trust anyone. The two Kingdoms can’t afford to lose you to the clutches of death.”
“Well, what did you see in it?”
“Believe me,” answered Queen Khoo, “you do not want to know at all. If you still wished to know, then let me tell you. I saw Lord Jason the Viscount, Lord Cheng the Count, Lady Xuan the Countess, Lord Benjamin the Inquisitor, as well as two Dragon-lords, and… and even…”
“What is it? Tell me now! One must be able to defend himself from any harm.” Master Shang, now intrigued by the vision, began to ask for the roots of it.
“Even your Archpriestess is in it as well,” continued Lady Chie Kuan, in assistance to complete the previous sentence. This revelation shocked him to the core, although he somehow suspected conspiracy, never did he thought of this.
“I know it’s a heavy blow to you, but you’re once under my tutelage, and both of us wanted to protect you from harm’s way. It’s best that you find someone whom you can trust, as this future is shrouded with mist.”
“Your Majesty, there’s something I need to ask you. Is it a grave mistake which I’ve done to leave Istarugah and joined the Knights, ultimately meeting her? Is it a foolish move for me to look upon her for more than once?”
Now Queen Khoo patted his head, and said, “The High King of Ossir surely knows the potential of his subjects well, or else you won’t even become the Archknight, let alone standing here to deliver his plight. As for your question, before I can answer you, I wished to ask you again, isn’t being a defender your greatest passion?”
“Yes. I admit that when comes to matters of defense, I’m keen of it.”
“That’s why,” continued Queen Khoo, “You’ve found your destiny by embracing your own desires. It’s never a wrong move to do this. You’re meant to become what you are. Ask the Holy Guardian here, what she has seen in you, your destiny, your fate and your life.”
“Yet it seems that I’ve been robbed of my smile and happiness ever since I took this office four years ago. I feel that not even the Five can fathom my thoughts. It’s a great agony and pain in me. For all these long years, I served the Order for the sake of the Kingdom’s survival, but what did I get in return? I know it full well that I couldn’t suppress my rage effectively, and thus scared many people out of my sight. Now I’m alone, though many sought to help me.” Then Master Shang gave a deep sigh, as though as he grieves his own fate.
“Maybe you should think of this.” answered Queen Khoo, “You’re aware of your weakness. Your rage is my biggest pain in the past. If you truly liked a person, then you should know what she likes. Helpfulness and kindness are two greatest qualities in which man can possess. Do use it wisely and comply to any requests your friends needed. However, if you think that you’re not appreciated, then the next time you may as well consider not bothering to help them at all.”

the next one shall come on the 10th january.. and henceforth, will only be posted once per week.. due to the beginning of the school term...

part 3 of chapter 6

2008-12-29T16:26:00.002+08:00

the continuation....

“Wait here while I report to Her Royal Majesty.” said Lord Jerome.
“Well, besides the Queen, there’s one more person I think you will like to meet.” said Master Shang.
“Who’ll be the person whom I wished to meet?” asked Lady Yen.
“One who is equivalent with you, a great master of lore of druidism and arcane, perhaps divine magic as well. She’s the head of the Order of Tirisfil, religious order of the elves, ranked after the Queen only. She… is the Holy Guardian of Istarugah, Lady Chie Kuan, heir apparent to the throne.”
“You still remembered her?” asked Master Ran, “After all these years we left here? Now that we’re once again here, for sure you’re anxious to see her, isn’t it not?”
“Yes…”
All of a sudden, two figures appeared out of nowhere. All of them bowed down, as they knew what it implied. Queen Khoo and Lady Chie Kuan appeared right in front of them, bade them to rise.
“Your Majesty, Your Honors, it has been a decade since we last met. High winds of time becomes a tide of darkness, and out of all choices, we’re here to seek your counsel to combat your old nemesis, the Nether Lord Avernis.”
Lady Chie Kuan replied, “Can the formalities. Ten years I haven’t see you, and now you’re the Archknight of the Kingdom of Ossir, the greatest defender of the eastern front. The grace of sunlight is with you for sure. As for you, Master Ran, you’re not only the Archbishop, but somehow had the affection of our Royal Highness here.” She looked at Lady Valerie, who just turned away, face turned red.
And thus they entered the Palace, while Queen Khoo bade them to sit. “Dire straits are the words I can describe in regards to our current situation. Another city of the Dragon-lords fell, and each day past hastens our downfall.”
“Agreed with,” said Master Ran, “for out of this reason we came to you. We’ve no idea on who this Nether Lord is, nor do I think anyone within the Kingdom will know as well.”
“You’re taught to learn the elven lore since you first came here. Nonetheless, the elven lords had a council the day before, and we decided to hear your opinions in regards of aiding the Dragon-lords in their defense.”
All eyes now looked downwards, as though something has clouded their minds. It was near midday, and the sun shone above the Palace in a majestic manner. Though it was summer the tall trees kept the place cool.
After long last, Master Shang broke the silence, “Your Majesty, the Dragon-lords, for long, are our greatest enemies ever since the founding of the Order. This you know. Even so, the people of the eastern frontiers desired peace. Thus, it can be said that we should aid them against Avernis, but in return they must relinquish all enmity between both sides as well. Should we not help them, and they fall, then both kingdoms will be directly exposed. By then Avernis would have returned to full power, and will be well nigh invincible.”
Queen Khoo was satisfied with her former apprentice’s analysis, and she replied, “I’ll tell you, that one of you must contact the High King of Ossir as soon as possible. I’ll have the need to commune with him. Who among you all can do that for me, do it quickly. As for you, Master Shang, kindly stay here later, as we have secrets to tell you. For the others, the city is open to all of you. Feel free to explore it yourself. If there’s nothing in say, let it be. You have my leave to go.”

the seventh chapter shall begin on the new year!
"happy new year to all of you here!" -- the archknight

part 2 of chapter 6

2008-12-26T16:17:00.001+08:00

the continuation from the previous:

“My Lady, he’s just a little lowly human. What is the matter that we fear him?”
“Silence!” ordered Queen Khoo suddenly, and all voices of arguments died down. “I know of the Archknight, he was once my student. Now that he’s riding to us, no point we despise him. Don’t underestimate him, as I heard that he can combat 11 Dragon-lords at one time. Can you do that?”
This statement effectively silenced Lord Timothy, and now Lord Afdal spoke, “My queen, it’s true that this Archknight is a strong adversary of the Dragon-lords. He’s a combination of swordsmaster, mage and ranger. Formidable is his defenses and nigh invincible.”
“What the?” asked Lord Jerome, who looked surprised. “The Order of the Knights in Koruskan is strong, well-famed, but a Grand Master of this aptitude is somehow unexpected. I shall meet him in person.”
“He may be powerful, but do not underestimate those whom followed him. The Archbishop Master Ran is a master of staff using. The Light is with him and he’s like a paladin. The healer of the Five, his help ensures the survival of his troops, even in the direst situations.”
“Well, Lord Timothy, you’re right. Coupled with our princess, the Five will surely survive the incoming ordeal. What of the lady who follows them? I heard big rumors of her.”
Concern was apparent on the face of Lady Chie Kuan. She wished to know about Lady Yen, as she felt that the latter was equivalent to her, one whom both Queen Khoo and King Ashvin would not look upon her lightly. Even Queen Khoo now lent her full attention, as she desired to know about the greatest leaders of the Kingdom of Ossir, long her neighbor since the foundations of the Kingdom were laid by the first High King about eight centuries ago.
“The Head of the Order of the Magi in Lithorien is the protector of the high seas far in the southern lands. Her powers over the arcane and nature are significant, in which not even the Druids of Karazhan or the stronger Knights of Koruskan can underestimate.”
Immediately after Lord Jerome finished his word, a guard entered the Citadel, waiting to report.
“My Queen, our guards saw a great white light. We think that it was emanated from 20 leagues south of here. It may be that we’ll have visitors coming here very soon.”
“Great,” replied Queen Khoo, and she held her scepter and sent out another beam of light, so bright that it can be seen far away. “You have my leave to go now.”
The light stunned everyone, and Lord Timothy asked of the happening.
Queen Khoo said nothing, only muttered a few words, “The Archknight… he’s coming soon.”

A day later, the four riders arrived at the gates of Istarugah. As the one leading, Master Shang called forth, “I, the Archknight of the Kingdom of Ossir, together with three companions which include your princess, hereby requests entrance to the city.”
Reply came from Lord Jerome, “Our Queen expected your presence long ago. She ordered that we welcome you to the Ithilien Palace.” He then opened the gate, and they entered.
“I’ve not seen architecture of this kind.” said Lady Yen, who never set foot to this elven capital before, was stunned upon looking at the great spires that rose above the buildings. The lights were lit, not by lamps, but by wisps that shone like torches. “It seems to me that… that they… are alive.”
“The elves have great power in magic of all forms. They’re druidic in nature, but their mastery in the arcane is no less either. The five of us were once tutored here,” said Master Ran, but Lady Valerie added on, “We have little tolerance for insolence, as in your city. Her Royal Majesty though, has a great sense of humor.”
“Oh yes…” asked Lady Yen, “is Istarugah the elven capital for the last two thousand years? Who is the de facto ruler? What is the structure of the elves?” She wished to ask more, but Lady Valerie just answered in a way that made her face red, “These… ask your Archknight to answer for you. He dwelt here for almost 20 years, should know what is all these about.”
“Inner Sanctum,” said Master Shang, as they passed through another wall. The Ithilien Palace was in sight now, and all except Lady Yen were deep in thought, recalling memories years ago. The Five, under the tutelage of Queen Khoo, became very powerful in their respective fields. They then left Istarugah to join the Order of the Knights, now becoming the leaders of it. The high winds of time were indeed swift, a decade gone past since they left.

next post comes on the 29th december...

of the part 1 of chapter 6

2008-12-24T15:06:00.001+08:00

the sixth chapter commences:

Chapter VI: Councils of the Elvenkind

The city of Istarugah was the capital of the High Elves, and it was built in a wall of silver hue. Great trees grew around the walls, serving as a shield. Arcane towers and guardian rune stones were erected by the elves as a means of protection.
Within the walls, the city itself was divided into parts: the Outer Sanctum and the Inner Sanctum. The Outer Sanctum was the heart of commerce, trade and lore of the elves throughout the elven realm, serving as the shield towards the heart of Istarugah, the Inner Sanctum.
Temples, spires and libraries dominated the Inner Sanctum, where it was the heart of all religious activities of the Order of Tirisfil, the religious body of the elves. Within the Inner Sanctum, at the centre stood the long-revered Ithilien Palace, where the great mind, far-sighted Queen Khoo,, High Queen of the Kingdom of Istarugah reigned for two thousand years. The Palace was the nexus of the councils of the five regions.
This day, Queen Khoo sat on her throne, looking at her loyal subjects. Standing beside her was the Holy Guardian Lady Chie Kuan, who was the head of the Order of Tirisfil. She was the embodiment of starlight, whose face reflects so.
In front of them stood Lord Afdal, Shaman of Azjoldin, Lord Timothy, Minstrel of Alterin and Lord Jerome, Arcanist of Silvermoon. Being the leaders of their respective regions, they were all summoned by Queen Khoo to answer the threat of Avernis.
“You’re all hereby summoned here to take council of the threat of Avernis, the Nether Lord who was chained by the combined powers of elves and humans two thousand years ago. Now it has broken its chains and burst forth from the crevice in Anarakor, and ravaged the lands of the Dragon-lords. The Dark Lord of the Dragon Lord Pivinesh has requested for aid. What is your will?”
Lord Afdal, one who was very short, quickly said, “Your Highness, the Dragon-lords are our foe, thus unworthy for us to help. Let us sit back, and see their destruction, thus eradicating our darkest enemies for the last five centuries.”
“I object the Shaman’s opinion on this matter, as the Dragon-lords, though evil in nature, serves…” Lord Timothy stopped for a while, “serves as the buffer zone for us. If it fails, then we’ll be exposed under the direct threat of Avernis, and we’re no match against him.”
“So what’s your conclusion?”
“Your pardon, Holy Guardian, but I wished to say that we can ‘use’ the Dragon-lords as our allies for the moment, and when the war ends, we can take the advantage to destroy their lands once and for all.”
This greatly appalled everyone, and Queen Khoo was dismayed, while Lord Jerome rebuked him, saying, “We’re the elves, and thus immortal. We’re protected by the Light, and we’re tasked to use our Light-bind powers to make the lands a better place. How can we ever consider that to take advantage over others in distress?”
“Then, Lord Jerome, what is your will?” asked Lord Timothy.
“The Dragon-lords can be treated as our buffer, but we mustn’t assail them. Instead, we must help them with all our might. Then they can relinquish their hatreds against us voluntarily. One enemy less is always better than one enemy more.”
This sentence seemed to invoke the thoughts of Lady Chie Kuan, as though as she recalled something of the past. Thus she said, “If you’re thinking of assisting the Dragon-lords, you’ve to ask for the opinions of the human Kingdom of Ossir down south, especially the Knights of Koruskan, who are staunch enemies of them since the founding of the Order.”
“We have no time to ask their opinions. They’re just humble people, not worth it!”
“Lord Timothy, if you’re to say the statement days later, you are dead for sure. The Archknight and the Archpriestess from the Kingdom of Ossir, together with the Archbishop and our princess are now on the way to here, to seek the council of us to ally against Avernis. Just for your information, the one who leads them have little tolerance to insolence and ridiculous statements.”

part 2 comes on the 26th december...

of part 3 for the 5th chapter

2008-12-22T16:26:00.001+08:00

the last part for the 5th chapter:

This scared her a bit, and she walked up to the tower summit in a nervous manner, much to the amusement of Master Shang, who commented on her with sarcasm,
“Apparently the Magi took pride of their punctuality, but what I have seen today is of complete inverse. The Archbishop is right, you’ll somehow disappoint me…”
“If not because of my efforts, I don’t think you can get the reason of Dragon-lords’ request. Does that answer your question now? If yes, then can I have a seat, and to help me answer my doubts?”
Knowing that it was unwise to begrudge her, he bade her to sit down.
“Alright, Lady Yen. What are your doubts that trouble you and your mind?”
As though as blood was drawn through the first prick of the needle, this question surprised Lady Yen completely. Nonetheless, to avoid incurring his wrath, she then told him the full story of the Holy Guardian’s message, which involved the breaking of the crevice, eruption of Mt.Quindor, darkening of the skies, culling of Adium, the purge of Torheven, threat towards Quinoros and many more, eventually the feeling of all these were coming true covered their minds.
“To Istarugah for once is your wish, right?”
“What are you thinking of now?”
“All these things that you told me, half of them have happened, while the threat of Quinoros is now present. I need the help from the Elven Queen now, it is beyond me…”
“Beyond you? But you are the Archknight, the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights, and deputy head of the Five. Great are your powers, and now you telling me you cannot handle it alone?”
This remark really annoyed Master Shang, and he shouted in a manner so scary that he was like a lion roaring “What is this? You think that I’m more powerful than a god? You think that I’m divine? Too much you think of!” Then he suddenly stopped, as though realizing his error, and said, “I’m truly sorry. Even though I’m not beyond godlike, I shouldn’t have raged. Nonetheless, I expect that four of us will be ready to travel. Have some sleep under the grace of the stars.”
He left the summit, and left her to be alone there, though not before he gave her his robe to cover her from the winds. A thought arose in him, “If the Holy Guardian sees you, surely she’ll be very delighted, as one who mastered divine magic meet the master of arcane and druidism. One who beholds the grace of the moon, the other beholding the light, inevitable…” It struck to him that eventually something will happen soon, perhaps sooner than he expected…
Meanwhile, thoughts of anxiety engulfed the mind of Lady Yen. The High King has expected that she can relieve the feud and estrangement between the Knights and the Magi. Now, deep in the city of the Knights, she felt that though they were still accepting her presence, there was something amiss, something which has riled her heart for some time.
The Dragon-lords, knowing very well that they cannot meet the leader of the Knights in person, requested her to send forth their request and message to him. Knowing that she will risk the wrath of Master Shang, but got the sake of fulfilling their dire request, she took the risk and brought them up to him. It ended up that she was to go to Istarugah with him, to find the Elven Queen to answer their doubts. To her it is totally a surprise, and she resolved not to think of it anymore, until she entered the city of Istarugah. Thus, with a deep heart, she walked down the tower and walked towards her chamber, having a date with her dream.

chapter 6 commences on the 24th (or if delayed, 25th december..)

merry x'mas to all!!! -- the archknight

part 2 of chapter 5

2008-12-19T18:55:00.002+08:00

a continuation from the previous part...

About half a year ago, Lord Reshan, the Black Lord, has captured one of the most-wanted traitors in the Dragon-realm. The traitor was named Kil’Jadon, who betrayed the Dragon-lord of Torheven and slain him. While escaping, he stole a very dangerous artifact.
Thus when Lord Reshan interrogated Kil’Jadon, he was horrified that the traitor had the artifact with him. It was the Scepter of Darnas’khan, a scepter of great arcane powers and demonic magic, and the key to the prison of Avernis lies in it. Kil’Jadon used it to threaten everyone nearby, but Lord Reshan was undaunted.
Enraged, Kil’Jadon fled from his prison and came to the very crevice that imprisoned Avernis, and with a chant of the spell, a loud explosion occurred. The Nether Lord was released from his custody.
Thus from that point onwards, the peace in the Dragon-realm was shattered. Undead minions were summoned everywhere, while he wreaked havoc on the villages, severely hampering the war effort of the Dragon-lords against the Knights, as well as endangering the entire realm.
Word reached the city of Quinoros about a week after the release of Avernis, and Lord Pivinesh was greatly troubled. He knew that the Grand Legion cannot repel a being of such power. As a result, he resolved to seek help from anyone he can, even the Knights.

Master Shang was greatly disturbed by this ill news. It seemed that the condition was worse than expected. If he decided to reject the request, ultimately he will be deprived of allies should war encroached Koruskan. However, should he decided to accept, then Koruskan will be susceptible to frequent stalking by the outsiders, which he hated.
On the other hand, Lord Pivinesh was desperately in need of aid, He has no other intentions towards the Knights. Thus he was scared as well, as he knew that the Archknight who was standing in front of him do not trust any outsiders, especially former enemies.
“I decide,” suddenly voice came out of Master Shang’s mouth, “that ere I agree to help you, I’ll need to go to Istarugah, in seek of counsel from the Queen. She was, nonetheless, involved in the chaining of Avernis about two thousand years ago.”
Disappointment engulfed the face of Lord Pivinesh, and he asked, “How long will it take to travel from here to there? I fear that we won’t have enough time to…”
“Five days travel, as the wolf runs. But for the Archpriestess and me, two and a half days will suffice. I’ll send your dire requests to the Queen, but pray that it’ll be answered, as I do not know her well.”
This at least calmed down Lord Pivinesh a bit, and he bade Master Shang farewell, awaiting his reply at Quinoros. He then walked down. Immediately Master Ran asked him about the outcome.
When he heard about it, he was relaxed. Then he said to Lady Yen, “I think that he is waiting for you now. But be careful, he is quite disappointed with your apparent lateness. Heaven knows what he will do to you.”

part 3 (the final part of this chapter) continues on the 22nd of december...

part 1 of the fifth chapter

2008-12-17T17:56:00.000+08:00

beginning of chapter 5:

Chapter V: Messengers of the Dragon-lords

That night, the wide plains of Koruskan were touched by a wind, and were shined upon by beams of moon and starlight. Despite the skies were veiled in the mask of darkness in the east, it was yet unsullied in the west, indicating hope still exists.
From the summit of Tower of the Guardian, there stood two men, observing the plains of peace and tranquility. They were Master Shang, together with Master Ran, who was also known as the Archbishop. High above the white city of Koruskan, they looked across the skies.
“Damn, she is late.” said Master Shang, who was already annoyed by the apparent late coming of Master Ran, now even more. “How in the heavens can she come late when she is the one requesting something for answer?”
Master Ran, who was cool in nature, replied, “No wonder she is scared of you. You get yourself so enraged even on a small mistake. By the way, I thought you wished to speak to her alone? If so, why call me up here?”
“I dare not speak to Lady Yen alone, for some reason. It is because the pain in me that fuels my anger, and I feared that I could restrain myself no longer, and commit an assault with my sword. I called you up, is as well to shut the mouth of others. Anyway, you’re going to Istarugah with me.”
“What?!”
Delighted by Master Ran’s sudden reaction, Master Shang smiled, then continued, “Your so-called girlfriend is from Istarugah, and I expect that she wants to return there as well. Four of us must go together, while the High Master will keep guard on this city.”
The darkness of the night was deepening, and both of them were getting impatient. An hour gone past, yet still no sign of her. After all these waiting, they were both getting angry.
Yet, all of a sudden, two figures appeared from behind and surprised them. They were Lady Yen, as well as a stranger. Master Ran was ready to point his staff at the stranger, but was immediately restrained by Master Shang, who somehow recognized the stranger.
“One standing beside the Archpriestess, you are Lord Pivinesh, Dark Lord of the Dragon as well as the Dragon-lord of Quinoros. What’s you message you want to deliver?”
Lord Pivinesh, upon hearing Master Shang’s remark, said, “I’m deeply sorry that I came here without any prior notification, thus caused surprise to both of you. I apologized also for using the Archpriestess as a bridge to seek your audience.”
“Why should you seek apology from me when the one you used is the Archpriestess? I’m not her, yet you wished to connect the both of us in some sort of chains.” replied Master Shang, whose sarcastic look was no longer concealed, much to the dislike of both Master Ran and Lady Yen. They then decided to intervene in his matters.
However, Lord Pivinesh wished to speak to Master Shang alone, and they were both forced to go back down.
While they were gone, Lord Pivinesh then bowed, and said, “Master Archknight, you and your Knights must help us. We the Dragon-lords can hold his minions no longer. The Nether Lord Avernis has ravaged Adium, Torheven and Nirven, soon he’ll strike the city of Angobar. We don’t have the strength to repel him.”
Now this really roused the interest of Master Shang, “Avernis, was the evil who was imprisoned by the combined forces of the lands about two millennia ago. What happened until he broke forth from his prison?”
Lord Pivinesh was stunned, stunned because Master Shang managed to strike his mind by the first question, and thus he narrated the whole tale.

part 2 will come on 19th december...

part 3 of 4th chapter

2008-12-15T14:47:00.001+08:00

third part of the continuation of the chapter:

Meanwhile back in Ossiros, King Ashvin has just finished his pot of chicken curry, and was desperate for more curry powder. However, there was a meeting going on in his place, and he cannot ask anyone to go out to buy some of it. Thus, he attempted to resist the hunger for curry, and his face turned red, much to the amusement of others.
“What’s so funny?” shouted King Ashvin. His nose has come out smoke as a result of his intense anger. Again they laughed, and Lord Jason answered, “You’re either angered because of your curry, or is it something else?”
“I hear of your concern regarding the Archpriestess who is now in Koruskan, but to tell the truth, she has ways of her own to handle them. Believe that all will turn out fine.”
“What?!” exclaimed Lord Jason, “As far as we know, the Archknight rarely admits outsiders into the city. Furthermore, she went there alone. Who knows that by his word they’ll gangbang her? Who knows by his word, they’ll send her forth to danger? Who knows…”
“So you admitted that you, not the Archknight, have feelings of devotion to her!” King Ashvin was so enraged, and he reprimanded Lord Jason, “As far concerned, you wished to go to Koruskan with her, to humiliate the Knights for their failures in relationship. However, you know what? You know nothing!”
“Your Majesty, how on earth can you assume that he knows nothing about it?”
The speaker was Lady Carrine, who resolved to defend him from King Ashvin. She continued, “He had quite a great deal of knowledge in ways of socializing, as in all in my group. Please don’t forget, that he is now quite popular with the ladies here.”
“Popular, so what?” King Ashvin now stood up from his throne, “The Knights of Koruskan can’t accept his insolence. You tried to defend him, I suppose you’ve something for him. Devotions, isn’t it not?”
This greatly annoyed both Lord Justin and Lady Kathleen, as a result, both replied in unison, “How can you assume such? This is too much!”
“Silence! I’ll argue with all of you later. The ritual of summer is drawing near, thus we must be prepared for it. One must take the responsibility to conduct the entire ritual.”
Why did King Ashvin pose a concerned stance about this summer ritual?
The answer was actually quite simple. The ritual itself actually was intended to ensure the flow of weather and power is as they desired. The weather has been unpredictable of late, for the dark clouds were advancing westwards, creating disruptions. In order to counter it, the ritual must be done.
“Your Majesty,” said Lord Jason, “you’ll need someone of great mastery, as this can’t be messed. I personally think that only the Magi have the necessary concentrations to perform the ritual.”
“Still biased you are, it seems. Don’t forget the Druids in Karazhan, the matter of nature are within their field of power. I think let us have Lord Justin to give out his opinions tomorrow, as I’m desperately tired. By the way, to ease your worries, the message has been successfully delivered. Celebrate as you wish, the council ends.”
With King Ashvin left, they left the Hall happily, knowing that their friend was safe.

chapter 5 will begin on the 17th december, along with shortened parts, due to various comments regarding the length of it...

part 2 for the 4th chapter

2008-12-12T17:57:00.001+08:00

continuation from the previous...

Within the Tower there were long flights of staircases to the center, and it took them a while to reach there.
Right in front sat Master Shang, and he was looking at Lady Yen, with fixed eye contact. Then he said, “Bring forth the message, and please don’t be scared, I won’t eat you up.”
She handed first the letter from Queen Khoo, and he read it at once,

To the Archknight of the Kingdom of Ossir,
Greetings. When you receive this letter I believe that two of your former enemies have arrived to seek your help. They are sincere in their intent, as evil has ravaged their lands.
The evil was actually one who returned. In the distant past, we, together with combined effort, sealed this demon lord in a crevice. Now after two thousand years, it has returned to destroy both Kingdoms.
I perceived that this threat could not be contained with one power alone, thus I request that you will answer my call for assistance. Time is running short, the skies are darkening and every moment lost hastens our defeat.

Yours in honor,
Queen Khoo of Istarugah.

“This is the Queen’s message. Now of the High King’s.” He put the letter aside, waiting for the second letter. Immediately Lady Yen handed to him the High King’s letter, enveloped in red.
The enveloped was opened, and he read,

To the Order of the Five Spires in Koruskan,
Greetings. I, hereby bid to you a dire request, in which our messenger will inform you of the details. Recent tidings have been very bad, and we are desperate. As you have known, Karazhan was invaded shortly before. Yet now, the biggest threat of all time it seems, has risen. Even the Elves are worried of it.
The Elven Queen and the Holy Guardian of Istarugah perceived this threat a repeat of events long before our time, and its power is somehow beyond our skills to contain. Thus we must combine all powers to combat for our sake. The Holy Guardian attached here the full details. Read it, and reply.

Yours in friendship,
High King Ashvin of Ossir.

“So it seems,” said Master Kang, “that you have to go to Istarugah for once, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and I won’t be going alone. Heaven knows what the two of them have in store for me. Their forests are enchanted, and any stranger who are foolish enough to enter their woods, will almost never find their way out.”
“But master, you know that the Queen wishes to see you, to explain the tides of the world. Under the Queen there is the Holy Guardian, together with the Enchantress, They are welcoming to you.”
“Master Khai, one should know that Istarugah rarely admit any outsiders. If we are to see the Queen, one must be able to traverse through the woods. The Elves kept a guard throughout the realm, eradicating anything which they deemed a threat…”
“You’re not talking sense,” replied Lady Yen, whose words shocked both the masters standing there, and she continued, “As you know, the Dark Lord of the Dragon Lord Pivinesh is coming here very soon, most likely tomorrow. I suppose that you have known of their purposes. Probably you better decide to go to Istarugah after we see him.”
With agreement deep in his mind, Master Shang nodded his head, but he asked, “I thought you have something to ask me. What is it? If this is quite urgent, I’ll see you tonight. For now I need to look into the mists of time, and investigate the unknown.”
Then he left, leaving her and the two masters there.
“I know both you and Master Kang are scared that people of my order will come here, incurring his wrath. The Lord of Adim Lord Jordan somehow is the exception. Anyway, I think that Master Shang thought too much. All of my order has no intention to come here.”
Bewildered, Master Khai asked, “Why? The Knights have nothing negative against them. Our Grand Master may not be welcoming, but overall he is vigilant towards anything that moves. Heaven knows that Lord Jason has said something in front of them and spoiled our good name.”
“They’re actually scared of him. The temper of his is very unpredictable. Sometimes he can just rage at anyone at anytime, ‘out of the blue’ is the word I can use. As you know, we cannot trifle with him or risk getting hurt. Obviously they linked him to all of you, effectively scaring them.”
They then reached the main door of the Tower. Master Kang then asked Master Khai to leave for a while, then he said to Lady Yen, “My lady, actually what is your true intent of coming here this time? From your eyes I perceived that your intent is not just sending messages, but something deeper.”
“High Master Kang, you’re indeed vigilant. I think that there is some question within Master Shang, and he knows that I’ve some inquiries for him either. It is next to impossible to cover something from his sight. He knows, yet he did not ask. What is his intent?”
“He occludes his mind even from us. No way can you know.”
“I don’t think so,” replied Lady Yen, “the Holy Guardian of Istarugah seemed to know his thoughts very well. It doesn’t matter anyway. By the way, how fares the Archbishop and the Archduke now?”
Master Kang laughed, and he answered, “You wish to see them. The Archbishop has started a relationship about a year ago. His partner is none other than Lady Valerie, the Elven Princess of Istarugah. The reason behind this is unknown. The Archduke on the other hand, was a big surprise to us. The fairest lady in this city, Lady Xue, fell for him few months ago. Both couples are now at the northern tower. They are all right.”
“Then I hope that grace of moonlight shines upon you.” said Lady Yen, with curiosity drawn towards the city, “as I want to explore this city.”

part 3 comes on the 15th of december...

part 1 of chapter 4

2008-12-10T20:03:00.001+08:00

finally, here comes the 1st part of chapter 4, which will be considerably shorter compared to the previous one..

Chapter IV: Tidings from the Queen and the High King

Two days later, Master Khai the Judge was having lunch with Master Shang, and they purposely had their meal near the balcony, so as to look outside.
“You seemed happy today. Quite an unexpected sight.”
“Master Khai, if you know that someone you devoted is coming to you, what’ll you feel?”
“Oh… I knew it!” exclaimed Master Khai, “The Archpriestess Lady Yen is coming today. Am I correct for this?”
Master Shang nodded his head, his patience failing with every moment past. He had already two sleepless nights in anticipation of the coming of Lady Yen, thus he looked quite tired, though he worked hard to cover it up. Then Master Kang entered the scene, and he said, “There’s no need to feel like that, as grief will cloak your clear mind in one way, endangering your friends and foes.”
“If you are the one waiting for her two days and two nights, then you’ll feel the same as well. Master Khai, kindly look westwards, report any sightings to me.”
He then left, and Master Khai spoke,
“He is surely happy, but as you know, there is something in him that grieves his heart. I pray that the Archpriestess will come alone. If she arrives with Lord Jason behind, he’ll surely be infuriated, and he’ll try to kill him as well.”
“I don’t believe it, why?”
“Master Kang, you see that he has an unpredictable manner of anger. For some reason, anger can change the nature of the person entirely. It is of his nature to admonish without any questions asked. His unreciprocated love also hardened his heart. He is no longer that welcoming to any outsiders anymore.”
This statement shocked Master Kang, as he had never expected it. He then took his time, drank his coffee, and continued the discussion.
“Well, this simply means that we must try our best to restrain our friend from getting violent, am I right?”
“Yes,” said Master Khai, “Furthermore, if people like Lord Jason arrived with her as well, we must also block him from the presence of Master Shang, for his own good.”

Three hours later, out of the western walls they saw a rider of great power riding a unicorn (white in color) riding towards the gate in haste. Initially both of them did not recognize her, but when the rider emanated a white light from her staff, they were finally aware.
“Tell him that she has arrived.”
Master Khai obeyed the order from Master Kang. To him, unity between them was of utmost importance, and thus he was steadfast to the friendship between them, to the extent of taking orders without question.
On the other hand, Master Kang opened the city gates, and awaited her right in front of the Tower of the Guardian. The rider cast down her hood, and he bowed as a sign of respect.
“Master Kang, I send my greetings to all of you. There is no need of the formalities, as now I am a messenger to you. By the way, how fares the Archknight?”
Though he expected that, he nonetheless answered, “Greetings, Lady Yen. For your knowledge, he is not right for these few days. It seems to us that he is trying to keep something from us.”
“What?!”
“Apparently he expected that you won’t come alone, and he is trying very hard to conceal it. Yet, we know him too well. He can’t hide from us.”
The doors were opened, and from within came Master Shang and Master Khai.
“Greetings,” said Master Shang, whose voice did not seem to be any different, but there was something in him concealed, “I hear that you bring messages from the Elven Queen, the High King and from you. Times are getting perilous, and the Elves brought to me ill news. By the way,” in a sarcastic manner he asked, “where have Master Ran and Master Hong been?”
Master Khai smiled, glad at the good mood of his friend, and he answered, “Both of them have their ‘special someone’ to devote to, thus they are currently somewhere in the city.”
Both Master Shang and Master Kang laughed at that answer, and the former said, “Then leave them alone with their romantic stances. Let us enter the Tower and discuss the important matters.”
“Is your friend always like that?”
“No,” answered Master Kang, “but what do you see in him?”
“He is looking very tired, and he is cloaking his own concern in his mind.”
“Well, my lady, this is a long story. It has been so since you nominated him to be the Archknight and was sent here. He feels that it is an exile from Ossiros. Thus, every time he thinks of you, his mind will be very unstable.”
Lady Yen was shocked by the High Master’s words, and she could withhold it no longer. “To him I must explain, I never tried to convince the High King to put him in this. I now bear the risk of incurring his wrath by coming here. I’ll need your help.”
Then Master Khai interrupted, “There we go. The Archknight hates to wait for us.”

part 2 will come on 12th december 2008...

part 5 (final part) for the 3rd chapter

2008-12-08T14:34:00.001+08:00

at last, the fifth and the last part for this long chapter...

He now once again read through the letter from Lord Afdal Rizal, Shaman of Azjoldin.

To Master Shang the Archknight,

Greetings. The patterns and flows of the world have somehow changed, and our Elven Arcanist Lord Jerome had a vision of the fall of both our realms, be it elven or human. To make matters worse, the adversaries perceived are somehow not of the Dragon-lords, which confounded me.

Thus by suggestion of Lord Timothy, Minstrel of Alterin we, the council of Elven Lore masters resolved to seek help. We knew of your might and wisdom, and the Order of the Knights had a great reputation throughout both realms.

As the full details probably will be sent later to you, we can only tell that Mt.Quindor is no longer a dead volcano. The anomalies of meteorological matters have greatly affected the Dragon-lords. They’ll eventually seek our help. I hope that you won’t reject them.

Finally, Her Royal Majesty Queen Khoo may send Her Honored Holy Guardian to see you, on the beginning of next month. May the grace of sunlight shines upon you.

All honors,

From Lord A.Rizal.

All the elves apparently knew the vision, and now he finally understood, that this was no ordinary matter. It is out of the circle, to such an extent that even the eternal-lived elves were very concerned of it.

Everything was getting out of hand, as even his long time adversaries the Dragon-lords asked help from him. He was greatly troubled in mind and was desperate for some rest, somewhere in the places of tranquil.

However, he knew that he cannot, as his responsibilities as the Archknight “chained” him. He has nowhere to go, but to wait. Yes, he had to wait. He knew that Lady Yen was still two days away from Koruskan, but even so was enough to keep him happy.

Thus was the decision of Master Shang, wait for her to come to Koruskan…

part 1 of chapter 4 will enter as the 20th post on 10th december...

of part 4 for the 3rd chapter

2008-12-05T13:15:00.001+08:00

still the continuation...

That night, in Koruskan, Master Kang walked with Master Hong on the city walls, discussing about their recent predicaments. The moon was waning, as it was the later times of that month. They were both one of the Five who were the strongest Knights, and the leaders as well.
Master Kang, who was also addressed as the High Master, was the second-in-command of the Knights. Though he was the shortest among the Five, he emanated an aura so great that it can comfort anyone, regardless of the situation. He has no fear, and was renowned for his honesty.
On the other hand, Master Hong, better known as the Archduke, was slightly taller. He was wise in the ways of strategy devising, and his skills with a bow was unmatched by all. He was very handsome, and so cool, thus many girls liked him. Even with his welcoming nature, his heart only devotes to one, which is Lady Xue the Archduchess, and it was due to this relationship that rumors about him were widespread.
“The Archknight somehow seemed troubled, isn’t it so?” asked Master Hong.
“We know that something bad is going to happen very soon, and he, as the head of the Knights, must think of a solution. By the way, do you know what is the intent of the Black Lord and his messengers, who came to Adim today?”
“Lord Jordan somehow has something in mind. I feel that they will be coming here tomorrow.”
“What?!” shouted Master Hong, “Does the Archknight knew about it?”
“He knows, and he told me that there’ll be a greater surprise for him very soon.”
“Don’t tell me that the Archpriestess is coming here. If that’s the case, I think Lady Xue for sure will want to meet her. Master Kang, I don’t think that the Archknight can sleep well for the next few nights.”
“Like you and your lady years ago when she said that she loves you, and you were so happy that time. So high was your feelings, until all of us have to restrain you. We nearly gangbanged you.”
“Damn, High Master. Stop ridiculing me.”
“Well, we have to become wise people, thus devotions of feelings were forbidden. The Archknight lifted the ban about a year ago, but he still restrains himself now.”
“Why?”
“Cause he is scared that he’ll neglect his duties as the Archknight, Grand Master of our Order. He needs to concentrate on matters of importance. The Dragon-lords somehow have stopped their invasion, leaving us bewildered. Now the Black Lord is asking for help from our ranks. Obviously we are all worried.”
Master Hong was very surprised at Master Kang’s remark, and he replied, “Through the seeing-stone I perceived a dark power further east. The Archknight not only perceived, he felt it shaking his mind. In fact you noticed the darkened skies, right?”
“Agreed with,” answered Master Kang boringly, “and this somehow we need the knowledge of the High Elves. We were once mentored by Queen Khoo, and she predicted great doom on us. The prediction is becoming true, somehow.”
“The scarier part is, that the Archknight somehow liked the Holy Guardian at one time, and I personally think that the feeling hasn’t died down. It is of no wonder that they say ‘one in the north, one in the eye, but not reciprocated.’ “
However true the statement is, Master Kang only replied, “Watch your tongue, Master Hong. If the Archknight gets himself angry, I can’t help you. Time is getting late, let us have some sleep.”
Thus they left. However, now, deep in the Tower of the Guardian, stood Master Shang, the Archknight and the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights. He wore a white robe, with two swords hanging at his belt. He wore a pair of red spectacles, signifying his mastery over fire and lightning. His eyes radiated an aura of wisdom and aggression, and somehow reflect the light of the sun, thus anyone near him can feel safe, yet still scared, as his temper was unpredictable.
Now he was deep in thought, he knew that both Queen Khoo and Lady Yen have message for him. Lord Pivinesh of Quinoros and Lord Reshan of Adium came to him as well, seeking help to combat the evil that has risen in the east. What is their intent? Why will they seek Koruskan? How dire is their situation? Where was the origin of all these? He had no answers at all, and he somehow knew that Lady Yen had something in store, awaiting his answer. Perhaps questions dwelling in both minds can be resolved by each other when they meet.
The High Council of Ossiros decided to grant him the post of Archknight four years ago. From that point onwards, he led the Knights to defend the Kingdom from the Dragon-lords. As a result, he was also known as “Defender of the East” by some, though not universally accepted. Even so, Master Shang still held to his principles, steadfast towards the High King of Ossir. He was alone all the while, and the agony tortured him constantly. If it were not of his close friends, he would have given in to rage, succumbed to madness.
He then looked at the stars. The stars were veiled, and he cannot study the future through it. Time was running desperately short, and he had to be prepared to answer whatever questions thrown at him.

part 5 on the 8th december..

of the 3rd part of the 3rd chapter

2008-12-03T18:09:00.002+08:00

the continuation from the previous post:

This left everyone in the Hall rather bewildered, and they just looked at him. He actually wanted to get the attention, which was rather pointless, as everyone was ready to hear his words.
“An hour past, so what is your decision?”
Immediately Lady Kathleen came forth, and said, “Since Lord Jason is so eager to exhibit his own abilities, let him go, while we wait.”
“What the hell? Your Majesty, the High Master doesn’t trust me at all. He’ll gangbang me like goblin clockwork. Please, don’t send me!” Lord Jason pleaded, and everyone laughed.
“Gangbang?” asked King Ashvin, “You’ll only get gangbanged when there are two or more guys coming after you. Or you fear sodomy? Fear not, they have people of interest of their won, and they are not gay for certain.” This caused a greater laugh in the Hall, and some even failed to stand properly.
“Of course I know that they are not gay, but will they beat me up? Especially the Archknight, he is vindictive of my close relationship with…”
This annoyed Lady Carrine, and she ridiculed him with sarcasm, “You know better, the whole Kingdom knew that you desired the Archpriestess more than anything else, and you seek to hurt the Archknight through her refusal, right?”
“Shut up, you know that we are just friends, nothing else.” replied Lord Jason, who was really emotional by now, but King Ashvin interrupted his words, “Now I know why the Five can hardly restrain themselves from gangbanging. Still I recall something, someone said to me before that someone here has something special in her in which others don’t have at all. Anyone knew? But don’t tell me is Lord Jason.”
Excitement rose once again, and they delved into their memories as deep as possible. King Ashvin added another packet of curry powder into his curry pot, and he looked at the treasury, as though missing someone…
Suddenly the Hall was quiet, and all voices died down. King Ashvin was astonished, but immediately he knew what they meant, and he fixed his eyes at Lady Yen, who did not speak anything since the meeting commenced about one and a half hours ago, until a voice rose.
“Your Majesty, it is quoted by the High Master months ago, during our grand meeting. He said that she is the only one that the Archknight will never get enraged while conversing. According to him, looking at her is like looking at the moon itself.”
“Very impressive, Lady Kathleen. He told me before as well. However, I see something stirring in her heart, a mixture of feeling, which is rare if compared to others.”
“You are funny, my King. No wonder Queen Khoo always laughed when I mentioned you in front of her.”
Lady Xuan’s words somehow made his face blushed, and he again tried to cover it up by shouting “Malaysia Boleh!”. Immediately Lord Jason spoke to King Ashvin, which will make everyone laugh and look at him in wonder.
“Are you serious that you want her to send the message to Koruskan? What if the Five did not believe her tale and gangbanged her? What if they commit sodomy? What if…”
Everyone laughed at Lord Jason’s wrong use of vocabulary. Then King Ashvin answered, “I’ll never believe that your mastery of language is good. Sodomy is a backdoor act, thus incorrectly used, considering the Five never backstabs. Secondly, you worries are nonetheless correct. I see that she is somehow scared of the Archknight.”
After long last, Lady Yen broke her silence, and repelled the statements of King Ashvin, “I, for one, somehow feel awkward. Why must all of you avoid the Five as though as they are something scary? The Archduke and the Judge are welcoming, the Archbishop is neutral stance. Even the Archknight and the High Master, you say that they trust no one, is actually a vigil towards enemies. By the way, your Highness, what did the Archknight said about me, and why did you say that I’m scared of him?”
King Ashvin once again looked into his curry-pot, his mind shocked to the core. The same were felt by everyone else in the Hall. He then answered, though quite scared, “The Archknight, actually said that your appearance and… and complexion is… is similar to the moon. The fair moonlight is reflected from your eyes, together with your radiance. As for my reason for the last, it is due to you seeking protection from Lords Cheng, Jason and Jordan of Adim as well, just to keep a distance. I… I noticed as well, you dare not look into his eyes directly.”
All of them laughed, as King Ashvin’s remark was somehow amusing. Lady Yen, though happy at the compliment, was nonetheless annoyed by the latter half of it. Thus she said, “If I deliver Queen Khoo’s message to Koruskan, what’ll you promise in return?”
“Err… this, ask the Archknight for it.” King Ashvin then handed to her another letter, which was also need to be delivered to the Archknight as well. Then he announced, “Her Honored the Archpriestess vowed to take the letter to the Five in Koruskan. May the grace of moonlight protect her for the next three days of her journey. The council adjourns.”

“The High King was so funny just now. He ridiculed everyone in the Hall. Even Lady Yen our friend here was ridiculed with sarcasm. However, she’ll be seeing the Five soon… and I’m scared that the Archknight will do something…”
“Lady Carrine, the Archknight will never be able to sleep for nights should he got wind that our friend here is visiting him, though of important matters.” said Lord Justin. He knew that the Knights will be delighted for such things to happen.
“Well, I pity Lord Cheng here, who was not allowed to enter the Great Hall.”
“Lady Kathleen, personally I don’t give a damn about the High King anymore, nor is anything that happens in the east. Who cares when one can enjoy his own life?”
The sentence invoked much laughter among them, but they have to finish their dinner fast, as there will be an important ceremony incoming, and King Ashvin doesn’t tolerate mistakes.

part 4 comes on the 5th december...

of part 2 of the 3rd chapter

2008-12-01T18:05:00.001+08:00

the second part comes..

“Stop ridiculing me, Lord Justin. The High King here will probably stuff his chicken-head curry to our mouths should we continue. And yet…”
The wooden door was pushed wide open, Lord Cheng, upon seeing his lady in her fair complexion, the natural blend of her silk-like hair and her tall height, quickly said in an exciting manner.
“My dear lady, it has been ages since we have been separated by the Knights with their vile schemes! Now that you have returned, I will not let anyone separate both of us again!” Then he ran towards her and hugged her tightly, to the wrath of King Ashvin, even more when she returned the favor.
“My dear Lord Cheng and Lady Xuan, this is the Great Hall of the palace, not a church or cathedral. This is a place where all important matters are taken into discussion, evaluation, debate and conclusion, not to deal with your idiotic matters like this!”
“You shut up!” Lord Cheng’s intonation gave the impression that he was to challenge the High King himself. “I believe that you have not been involved in relationships of any form, thus unable to understand the agony of sundering!”
“Silence!” shouted King Ashvin. He had not succumbed to anger for a long period of time, and he was really angered that time, “Should I say that, for the last time, Ashvin, not Cheng, is the High King of Ossir, thus the authority must not be challenged! As for you, Lord Cheng, get out of my sight, now!”
Finishing his last sentence, King Ashvin left the Hall, leaving them bewildered.
“Well, friend, you shouldn’t speak like that to the High King. His majesty was right; this is not the place to consolidate your relationship. Anyway, let’s go see Lady Carrine.”
All of them left the Hall, and walked towards the Temple of Anazhan.

“I really do not know whether the High King has feelings or not in his heart. A person of ordinary heart will have a surge of devotion when he meets his long-sundered friend. However, he…” Lord Cheng continued no longer, as he looked into the eyes of Lady Xuan with intense feeling.
“The High King is right this time, Lord Cheng. The Great Hall is simply not the place to do it. But I see something in him.” said Lady Carrine, whose voice aroused the mind of Lord Justin, who stood up and looked southwards.
“What is it?”
“I received a message; Lady Yen and Lord Jason are coming here. I think that they are coming to visit you.” replied Lord Justin.
However Lady Xuan said, “They’ll be very surprised this time. Ill news will be told. I had just barely narrated halfway to the High King when Lord Cheng entered. In fact, Queen Khoo prophesized that messengers will reach the Knights, asking for assistance. These are actually of genuine intent, but were long at war with them.”
“Do you mean the Dark Lord of the Dragon Lord Pivinesh will send…”
“Yes,” replied Lady Xuan once again, interrupting Lady Carrine’s words, “but the High King is worried that the Knights will not accept them. The Holy Guardian of Istarugah as well sent a message to the Five, which is now in my hands. It is regarding the full details of Queen Khoo’s vision.”
All of them were excited to know the contents of the letter, but she just kept it a secret, not even her beloved Lord Cheng was able to discern anything of worth.
Two days later, again everyone was in the Great Hall, except for Lord Cheng, who was forbidden to set foot into the place. However this time, Lady Yen and Lord Jason were in as well.
“Now that all awaited arrived, we’ll now decide, who’ll send the important message to the Knights of Koruskan. I need one, who can handle, communicate and most importantly, negotiate with the Five at once. Who will you recommend?”
Lord Jason, eager to help and desiring to exhibit his maturity to his beloved lady, said, “Your Highness, our High Priest here is able to perform everything listed just now. Thus, I’ll recommend that he be sent there.”
King Ashvin, however, replied in a manner that Lord Jason blushed his face, “The High Priest, as we can say, is one of the best negotiators we have. However, the High Master does not seem to trust him. The Archduke also posed a cold stance to him as well. Anyone else?”
Now all of them fell into discussion, and King Ashvin looked into his curry-pot, cooking another dish. The others were busy in thought, to find for a person who can negotiate with all the Five at once. It was nigh to impossible, as the Five had different styles and mood, which they had no hope to comprehend at all. At the same time, Lord Justin was deep in thought, attempting to recall the favorites of the Five, but to no avail.
The discussion lasted for about an hour, and King Ashvin was getting impatient. He ate a bowl of the curry and suddenly got himself emotional by shouting “Malaysia Boleh!”

part 3 comes at 3rd december...

of part 1 for chapter 3

2008-11-28T18:05:00.001+08:00

the first part for the third chapter:

Chapter III: Visions of the Elves

It had been seven days since the gang left Karazhan following their victory, the High King returned to the capital, and Lord Justin followed his long-time friend back to Lithorien.
That morning, Lord Cheng and Lord Justin had breakfast together. They had a thorough discussion about the recent affairs now. The calm winds and tides of the sea did not seem to soothe the heartache of Lord Cheng, and it was very noticeable.
“You missed her, aren’t you?”
“Lord Justin, now that all our friends are here, I wish to ask you. What is the true intention of the Knights? By their advice, the High King sent her to the capital of the High Elves of Istarugah, splitting both of us apart. Why must they do something like that?”
“Indeed you are as the High King said, out of date at things like this. She is coming back very soon. There is a message to be sent from the Elven Queen herself.”
“How do you know of such matters?”
“The Archmage told me of it, and she knew it through a letter.”
Who in the heavens is this lady who has made Lord Cheng has a change in mood? She was Lady Xuan, or known as the Countess, one of the Magi and member of their coalition. She was sent back to Ossiros to deliver a message of utmost importance.
Upon hearing the news, Lord Cheng immediately took a horse and rode all speed back to Ossiros.
Lord Justin was stunned at the swift reaction, but Lady Crystal just said to him, “To him, the return of the Countess will mean something very significant to him. However, I think that something is amiss. How come she returned out of the blue to Ossiros?”
In fact Lady Crystal was right. Something was amiss. Meanwhile, at the summit of the Tower, Lord Jason and Lady Yen stood beside each other, looking outwards to the sea. The strong winds at the summit of tower brought the winds of the sea towards them, as well as the refreshing coolness.
“Well, did you know that Lady Xuan is returning to Ossiros?”
“What?” exclaimed Lady Yen excitedly, “this is somehow… surprising. For a long time I have not seen her. Now that she is returning, I will personally return to Ossiros to meet her. Will you follow me on the journey?”
Waiting for this question, Lord Jason instantly agreed, and before they left, the guardianship of Lithorien was temporarily given over to Lady Crystal, whom preferred to stay. Lord Justin left with them as well, although an hour earlier.

At the Great Hall in the palace, King Ashvin, together with Lord Justin and Lady Kathleen, met Lady Xuan in a will of knowing the reason of her sudden arrival.
“Greetings towards the High King. Your majesty, on behalf of Queen Khoo, ruler of the High Elves of Istarugah, I hereby bring forth a message from her.”
King Ashvin, desiring the contents of the message, bade her to continue, while he ate a bowl of chicken-head curry. Lord Justin and Lady Kathleen also lend their ears to hear the message as well.
“Queen Khoo has seen in her seeing-stone, that some dark power is lurking in the east. A great shadow is creeping forth. It is not of the Dragon-lords’ work, but something even more terrible. Soon the Dragon-lords will send forth a messenger, seeking help to contain the evil. By the way, she asked me to deliver this to the Five in Koruskan.”
“This is very dangerous,” said Lady Kathleen, “the Archknight must be warned of this matter!”
“I thought that you despise the Knights and do not hope to have dealings with them?”

the next part will come on monday, 1st december 2008...

of part 2 for the 2nd chapter

2008-11-24T15:22:00.001+08:00

the continuation of the 2nd chapter:

“Well,” said the messenger, “these axe men are quite different from the adversaries we have seen before. These used magic and it is among the best in their arsenal. I fear that Lord Benjamin has perceived that Karazhan will inevitably fall, unless aid can be sent by Her Honored the Archpriestess to us, as she is an adept magic user and knows the lore of it.”
Lady Yen then appeared from behind, said, “If he requests aid from me, then I will gladly answer. The Lord of Karazhan is as well my friend, and I will send word to Ossiros, ensuring this will reach the ears of the High King.”
The messenger thanked her, and then left.
Meanwhile back in Ossiros, King Ashvin was busy preparing another pot of chicken-head curry. Then he said to Lord Justin, “It’s been days since they left for Lithorien, and word has reached me that they arrived. The Archpriestess has answered your questions.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t be hasty, Lord Justin, as haste will lose us our ability to make proper judgments. What she said was that the vision is indeed an invasion. The Knights confirmed this to me as well. Thus, I need one to go to Koruskan, and see their situation now.”
All of a sudden, Lady Carrine entered the Great Hall.
“Hail to the High King, your loyal subject reports something of great urgency!”
“Rise,” said King Ashvin, “and tell me what is the business now?”
“The axe men of the Western Marches are invading areas around Karazhan. The Inquisitor is in dire need of help now. He hopes that aid can come as soon as possible.”
“Alright Viscountess, your request I have heard. Perhaps the High Priest can follow me to the city of Karazhan. Let us be prepared, Lord Justin, and off we go.”

The city of Karazhan was built near the mountains of Dalarin, and it was once the home of the axe men, The Kingdom expanded its power to the area long ago, and built Karazhan as a stronghold and shield against the attacks from the west. Rule of the city was given to the Cenarical Druids, which Lord Benjamin was their current leader. They have power over the flows of nature, and for long they held the barbaric axe men at bay, until recently.
The main building of the city was the Eternal Circle, where the Druids performed their rites and rituals. Here they welcomed the Magi.
“Greetings, my lady. It is of precise timing that you people arrived here. How is the High King in Ossiros? How fares the Archknight and the High Master in Koruskan?”
The speaker was Lord Benjamin, ruler of Karazhan. He wore a robe and wielded a long rod made of oak. He was taller than average people, and his appearance somehow emanated an aura of excitement towards everyone nearby.
Lord Jason then replied, “Thanks for the compliment, and of the High King, he is fine for the moment. However, of the two leaders of Koruskan, you know that we don’t deal with them, hence have no idea of their condition.”
Then they all sat down, and they discussed for a long time, mainly discussing topics about devising strategies, defensive positions, assault stances etc. until night has fallen.
That night, when all have fallen asleep, Lord Jason invited Lady Yen to the garden. It was a night of full moon, and the bright moon hung high above the sky. Moonlight shone upon the greenery of the garden, as though as the garden was a mirror.
“The Druids, it seems, they have a love of nature over everything else. It is so nice, and so special. The best part, I perceived...”
“What is it, Lord Jason?”
“I recalled something said by the Archknight beforehand, that your face reflects the elegance and radiance of moonlight. What he said in this is somehow true, I’m now a believer.”
Looking towards the night, Lady Yen then asked Lord Jason, “The stars are veiled, and when you set your sights eastwards you sense a dark power there. The Knights so far has barely managed to contain it. I have to tell you something else; the High King is coming to Karazhan.”
“What?!” exclaimed Lord Jason, “Tidings of course reach his ears fast. It is barely a day when he resolved to come to our aid. Does it mean that Lord Justin is coming as well?”
“As well.”
“Great, this time we will prove to the Knights that we don’t need their help to contain any evil. We are a strong group, capable of balancing the power between them. In addition, we will eventually take their holds in Koruskan…”
However, the remark made by Lord Jason was immediately rebuked by Lord Benjamin, who just entered the garden. “If you think that you do not need to depend on the Knights to defeat your adversaries, this will only prove that you will not burden the Knights. They will be very happy, the Archknight quoted before, ‘should they are able to defeat all evil west and south, we can then focus all strength towards the Dragon-lords in the East.’ He will be proud of the one who lead the Magi.”
As night’s shadow grew deeper with each passing moment, the moonlight gradually waned. Lord Jason looked at the sky, feeling disappointed, but both Lord Benjamin and Lady Yen just looked deep in thought, such was their power of concentration in matters they were undisturbed, despite Lord Jason’s constant praising of the garden’s scenery.

King Ashvin arrived at the gates of Karazhan around noon the next day. He immediately summoned the Magi and the Druids to the Eternal Circle for a special meeting.
“I hereby summon all of you to here, with a will of meeting of reports regarding recent activities in this region. Lord Benjamin, kindly report on the matter.”
Lord Benjamin then rose, and spoke, “Your Majesty, the regions and lands of Karazhan are at peace for long years, until very recently. The reason was that the axe men of the mountains have returned with a greater force. This new wave of enemy has magic attacks in their arsenal, and our druidic magics are useless against their powers. I fear that Karazhan will fall, and our people slain.”
King Ashvin only smiled, then he replied, “I had already a plan in my mind, and I will need some people to execute it. Lord Cheng, can you help me?”
Upon hearing this, Lord Cheng instantly agreed, and the meeting adjourned soon after that.
The Druids built a base at the foot of the mountain the next day, and both King Ashvin and Lord Cheng were there, awaiting reports from their infiltrator. When he returned with good news, they decided it is the right time to strike…
The axe men were still sleeping soundly, after a crazy party last night. According to the infiltrator, the defenses are scattered across the mountains, but were somehow down due to their drunken state. It was a perfect chance for them.
They planned to form a two-pronged attack against the whole tribe of axe men. Stealthily they ascended the mountain from their respective sides. For about half an hour, they encountered only minimal resistance and it was before long they arrived at the axe men’s base camp.
With a word, King Ashvin led the assault, shouting the war cry, “Malaysia Boleh!” whenever he killed an enemy. The axe men were indeed caught off guard, and they were unable to put up a proper defense. Within an hour, everything was over. The chief of the axe men has been slain, and they majority of them fled far behind, eluding the wrath of Lord Cheng and the battle cry of King Ashvin.
The raid was successful, Karazhan was kept safe, and all of them returned.

the part 1 of 3rd chapter will come this friday...

of the first part of the second chapter

2008-11-21T15:41:00.002+08:00

attached below is the first part of the second chapter.. split into parts due to comments of late regarding the long length of one chapter..

Chapter II: Terror of the Plains

The white light faded gradually, and Lord Jason got himself so excited the moment he saw the beautiful face behind the light, so excited to such an extent that Lord Cheng and Lady Crystal had to restrain him from running forward.
The figure appeared more and more corporeal as the light faded. An elegant lady of five feet and four inches of height, her long hair was as though as it was touched by the light of the moon. Her eyes emanated an aura, great to behold, her white robe blends with her appearance well, as nature blends itself to the flows and tides of the world. Her face reflected the elegant shine of the moon, in which all revered her in awe and great respect.
She, as known to the world, was Lady Yen the Archpriestess, the head of the Magi of Lithorien and by extension, the entire Kingdom. Her wisdom was so great that even the High King and the Knights of Koruskan consulted should there was help needed.
“Greetings, it has been ages since we last met. We have double crisis for the moment. The Five Spires are spreading their rhetorical lies to the High King, and Lord Justin suffered visions of nightmares for some time. We…”
Upon hearing this remark from Lord Jason, Lady Yen just replied, “The High King has telepathically told me that the Knights are preparing for war. The Archknight is sending his words and requests to us. Their situation is in great straits, and it is not fake. He knew Lord Justin’s vision as well.”
Lord Cheng was surprised at her far vision, but he now knows, the Knights reported true things to King Ashvin. Then he said, “These regions of the south are very peaceful, but things are getting bad in the city of Karazhan. Lord Benjamin the Inquisitor told us that axe men of the Western Marches have advanced steadily.”
“Then to Karazhan we must go,” replied Lady Yen, “and through telepathy I will contact the Archknight of these recent matters. He and the High Master, together with the Five, have defended the eastern regions for years now. Thus this invasion of the west, we must inform him, but we cannot burden him anymore.”
“Why?”
“You see, the Cenarical Druids of Karazhan are the actual defenders of the west. The High King gave them the power to govern the region, thus having the same position as we are. For long we have been friends to each other. On the contrary, Koruskan has few dealings with anywhere else of the Kingdom, though they are the strongest of the five regions. Furthermore, they cannot split their strength as they need it to repel the dark power of the east.”
“So,” asked Lord Cheng, “do you mean that we have to aid Karazhan alone?”
Lord Jason, who was all the while happy, replied, “This is her actual will…”
The following day, a messenger came to the gates of Lithorien, saying that he was sent here to deliver a message.
“I came on behalf of Lord Benjamin the Inquisitor, High Lord of Karazhan. Our borders are in dire straits due to the onslaught of the axe men from the mountains. Thus, we hereby request aid from the Lady of the city. Please direct it to her.”
Upon hearing the urgent message, Lord Jason welcomed him in. Then he asked, “I thought the strength of Karazhan is able to hold the onslaught? What happened?”

the next part will come on monday, 24th november 2008...

of the beginning of the story

2008-11-14T21:22:00.002+08:00

before i officially "declare" that the story will begin its post, i will like to post the disclaimer and the reason of writing.. so as to make things clear

this story is written by the hand of the archknight alone and as such, all copyrights are reserved, to serve a purpose of original creativity. there is always a reason to write a story, let alone a story of this length...

entitled "The Legend of the Order: A Tale of the Spires", it is very obvious that this story is dedicated to the order of the five who are, all the while, the closest friends of mine and it is also meant for some others with a lesser extent...

encompassing 36 chapters, which will be posted once per week.. certain chapters will be split into parts depending on the length of the chapter itself.. it is a tale of sorrow where the main character, under great pressure, crisis, lack of trust and his doubting nature caused his downfall from grace, which is to say, turning evil. the combined effort of his friends and as well as his mentor, did help in his redemption, as he ultimately redeemed himself and vanquished the evil that has called for him throughout his life..

thus, to shorten the message, let us begin the first chapter...

Chapter I: Arise of Predicaments (part one)

The premonition shocked the High Priest from his deep slumber, and he immediately woke up, in an attempt to recall as much as he can of his dream. It may be an ordinary nightmare to any ordinary person, however this is simply too realistic for the far-sighted priest to contain.
His name was Lord Justin, High Priest of the City of Ossiros. Though young in his age and was yet to grow to full stature, his counsels were indeed deep in meaning and his far-sighted opinions won the hearts of many.
He then took his staff and walked down his tower. The first rays of sunlight were just beginning to give out its rays of majesty, and starlight which dominated the night sky waned. Dawn has approached and a new day commenced.
All along the route the premonition plagued him constantly, he was more and more scared. Eventually he resolved to see the High King, who was King Ashvin at that time. The doors opened before him, and quickly he entered.
Upon entering the Great Hall, King Ashvin was sitting on the throne, looking at the subject’s reports of regional activities within the Kingdom. The former then bowed down, and spoke.
“Hail the High King, your humble subject seeks your counsel!”
“Can the formalities, rise you may.”
Lord Justin then stood up once again, and he smelt something of great taste. It was a pot of curry boiling right in front of King Ashvin, but when he looked into the pot, he was stunned.
The pot contained curry, but full of chicken heads!
Obviously he was disgusted, and he asked the King Ashvin,
“How can you eat such… such disgusting heads?”
“It is a typical dish of the High Elves in the north, and it’s delicious. By the way, what is the matter you came to seek my audience?”
Only now he remembered his purposes, and he told him about his premonition, his scaredness and the details in which the High King requested. Then the latter sank into thought for some time, until he replied,
“Call for the Viscount, the Count and your so-called girlfriend.”
Lord Justin, quickly annoyed by this remark, replied, “Though she told me that her heart belongs to me, however we are not engaged in a courtship yet.” Then he left.
Looking at the shadow of his High Priest, King Ashvin once again sat down on his throne, setting his sight towards the eastern sky. From the narration of Lord Justin, he perceived that something was going to happen once again. However, he did not possess the knowledge to decipher this premonition, He will need to wait for the others to arrive.
Moments later, four figures of average height entered the Hall. Lord Justin had summoned forth Lord Jason the Viscount, Lord Cheng the Count and Lady Kathleen the High Priestess, together they saluted King Ashvin, and the latter spoke,
“You are hereby summoned to answer the question the High Priest posed to me this morning. He had a vision, in which lightning flashes constantly through the sky, and the wide plains of the realm were burning fiercely. Further in the east, Mt.Quindor exploded.”
These words left them rather stunned, but King Ashvin just looked at them. Then Lord Justin spoke, “Your Majesty, the visions I had recently actually signifies something bad.”
“Obviously it is bad, but up to what extent?”
Then Lady Kathleen, who had always defeated her good friend from the sarcastic remarks of the King, answered in a manner in which everyone laughed, “As the same extent as how disgusting your curry is.”
King Ashvin, not annoyed by the remark, only asked, “Then can you decipher it for me?”
“Personally I think,” said Lord Cheng, “that the vision may have a two-fold meaning. I had one as well days ago, with similar traits with the High Priest. Then I discussed with both priests here, and they suggested that we should consult one who has the wisdom of such matters.”
“Which is who?”
“Who is the person your majesty should know.” said Lord Justin.
“Oh!” exclaimed King Ashvin, “now I know, all your old friends in the city of Lithorien. If that is the case, I have to send someone there. Who will take the errand?”
“Me, I want to go. Long time I do not see her already.” replied Lord Jason.
“I disagree that the Viscount goes there, he will somehow tarry there for a long time.”
Then King Ashvin was curious, and he asked, “Why shouldn’t we let him go, my dear priest?”
“Due to his somehow too-welcoming nature, which will make him feel welcome in the city, and will delay our timing.” replied Lord Justin.
“This is lame. I do not believe it. Lord Viscount, you will go with the Count to Lithorien, seeking counsel of this premonition either from the Archpriestess, or the Archmage. You have my leave.”
And thus Lord Cheng and Lord Jason left the Hall. King Ashvin then sighed.
“What is wrong? I thought you trust in them?” asked Lady Kathleen, whose curiosity somehow overwhelmed her heart. She looked at Lord Justin, then once again looked at King Ashvin.
“The Archknight and the High Master are not going to be happy now.”
“Why? Their power doesn’t run here, or in Lithorien, they can’t do anything there.”
“Cause,” said King Ashvin, “they somehow knew of something bad is going to happen. Their city in Koruskan had a constant watch over the eastern regions, and they reported to me recently, that Mt.Quindor will soon erupt, and the Dark Lord of the Dragon will begin the assault.”
“You believe in their rhetorical nonsense? Your majesty, this is simply preposterous, not possible to happen.” This was the sentence that really angered King Ashvin, and he replied,
“What is all this? A subject who sought to admonish me with her better view? I know there is some confrontation between you and the Knights, but for god’s sake, Lord Justin, I request that you control her mouth, before I stuff the curry into her!”
After that, King Ashvin left, and the pair walked towards the city.
“Why in the heavens does he feel so concerned when Lord Jason was to go to Lithorien to seek counsel?” asked Lady Kathleen, still enraged at King Ashvin’s remark. Lord Justin, though expected to answer, did not make a sound.
The reason behind was actually that he wanted to keep the Magi of Lithorien alone, most notably the two of the most powerful and influential members, who were the leaders of the order. They were known to the world as Lady Yen the Archpriestess and Lady Crystal the Archmage, to keep them alone simply means that he fears that the two magi will somehow take over his power should they appear in Ossiros, which is absolutely impossible, as they were very loyal to him for that time period of his reign.
Moments later they reached the Temple of Anazhan, the nexus of all activities of lore within the Kingdom. There they met Lady Carrine the Viscountess, the keeper and guardian of the Temple. A young lady whom they befriended almost a decade ago, they now shared a very close friendship between them.
“Greetings, what is your matter here?”
“Well,” said Lord Justin, “the Viscount is in an errand to somewhere, and it is very important.”
“What is it?” asked Lady Carrine.
“Well old friend, the Viscount going for an errand, this is not a big matter. What matters is actually that, the message will be delivered to the Magi in Lithorien. The main concern is that, the High King is not happy with the idea at all, for fear of delay in timing.” answered Lady Kathleen, who then continued, “Given that the Knights are spreading their rhetoric o the High King, I am somehow scared that they are going to break us up.”
“Impossible,” replied Lord Justin in a manner that surprised everyone, “as they will never give false matters to the High King. I went to their city recently, and the Archknight told me their situation and hold is deteriorating day by day. The skies are darkening.”
To this remark Lady Carrine agreed, and she said, “In fact if it were not of the Knights, the whole Kingdom will have been destroyed long ago. Additionally, they seldom deal with us, save in great need.”
“Nonetheless,” and suddenly thunder blasted through the skies, which shocked them once again. Before Lady Kathleen could interrupt, Lord Justin continued, “The Five Spires of Koruskan needs aid now. Their situation is now getting to look dire. Hopefully the Magi of Lithorien could answer their call should help is needed.”
The storm clouds were covering all over Ossiros now, and rain poured from it. The trio, in order to shelter themselves from the heavy rain, entered the Temple..

For two days and nights Lord Jason and Lord Cheng rode southwards, until the Grand Spire of the Tower was within sight, The gates of Lithorien opened before them, as though they were VIPs of the city itself,
Lithorien was built by the bay of the sea, and its Heart of the Tower had seven spires which dominated the sky. Travelers will see it far away, indicating that they are near. It was the city of the Magi and the headquarters of the southern regions of the Kingdom.
The duo was welcomed by Lady Crystal, who was also a long-time friend of theirs. Short was her hair, yet the radiance in her eyes were great to behold, as equivalent to the light of the High Elves. Many were charmed by her eyes, but more were attracted to her emanating power of wisdom.
“Welcome, old friends, to the city of Lithorien. It has been ages since we last met.”
“Agree,” said Lord Cheng, “but we have come to you only because of great need. There are two things to be said. One from the High King, in request of deciphering the vision of the High Priest. Secondly, we fear that the Knights are going to threaten us.”
The remark only let Lady Crystal made her reply, “Preposterous, but not impossible, The Knights in the eastern regions have long set their sights towards us, to take our power and hold over the High King. This we must.. there may be spies here. Let us get in.”
The Grand Atrium of the Tower was magnificent. Huge granite pillars served as support to the entire structure, Alabaster statues decorated the hallways, and obsidian mirrors served as a design of architecture, which was an ethereal image of the corporeal object, reflecting the basic wisdom of the Magi.
They walked down the main path as they gasped in awe. Then suddenly Lord Jason asked Lady Crystal, “We have talked for so long, and we have entered this place for so long, but where is the other good friend of us?”
“I know what you mean, you are seeking for Lady Yen. Unfortunately for all of us, she is now meditating near the top of the Tower, and cannot be disturbed, To worsen matters, the length of her time of meditation seems to have lengthened for a past few weeks. You mentioned that the Knights are conspiring against us, Lord Cheng, and to dispose us. I think that is part of the reason. By the way, today is longer than usual.”
Lord Jason was astonished upon hearing it, but he did not show it out. Instead he only said, “Times are getting darker, day by day, and every moment past darkens the heart as well.”
Looking at their watches, they knew that the sun will soon set, and they were very worried at Lady Yen’s absence. It has been nearly a quarter of a day since they arrived, and the calm tides of the sea did not ease their hearts at all.
Nightfall has arrived after long last, and still no sign of her. A bright white light suddenly appeared from above their heads when they decided to go for some dinner, and they were surprised at the fair appearance…

to be continued the next week... kindly comment on the story in terms of language, word usage and structure of sentences.. all comments will be taken into consideration and if needed, this chapter will be edited in accordance to the comments posted -- the archknight, 14th November 2008, 9.38p.m.

of the leaving of pn.phang, as well as the wind rider

2008-09-29T09:20:00.002+08:00

"sunder", a word in which equivalent with the meaning of "parting, farewell", is one word we do not really want to come across, as sadness, grief will follow, dampening our spirits. as such, i do not have a clear view on how is the word...

yet right now i grasped the feeling of it.. considering the fact that 2 things has happened (which will be described later) besides obtaining a clear point of view towards the word "sundering", i had as well fully grasped the meaning of "high winds of time do not stop, and even when you are waiting for it, it can still give you surprises"

26th september will be a date long remembered and lamented upon, as one of the teachers who had served the school since its foundation left us for retirement. she is known to the school as pn.ohang, a teacher with a motherly-look in her face, with an aura of countenance. being the maths teacher of the students, her departure is a great loss.. in terms of being the advisor for the prefects, it is a loss hard to bear actually...

a devotion for a span of 15 years is not to be looked upon lightly, as many things can be done in that time frame.. but all these i will not mention (as some other did it). however one thing i can truly emphasise is that, she is indeed a very kind person, willing to help whenever help is needed. i had a first-hand experience with it, and she came to my help in the darkest tide... (7th april 2008, what is 'the darkest tide' i will not mention, rather humiliating..)

her departure may be unexpected and surprising to certian people, but to me and some others, it is already an anticipated thing, just a matter of time. as in the conversation with pn.ti during the kh seminar in the jpwp building, 19th july 2007...

"Pn.Phang is coming here today, to do something."
"What is it?" i asked inquisitively..
"Don't you know? She intended to retire soon.. and she is here to apply for it."

such was a reply that it gave me a shock, and i had expected it... even though so, the news of her retirement which spread at the end of august 2008 brought me surprise as well... i got to admit, even when you have expected something, the news and decision can still bring a surprise

and so she left, corporeally. however the high winds of time will never blow away or erase the legacy in which she left us, nor is her dedication, devotion and achievements denied, especially among us who was once taught by her..

now for the second one....

13 weeks ago pn.margaret gave us a shocking relevation: 4 trainees under training will be coming to our school for 12 weeks to complete the final stages of their training. our feelings were rather mixed that time, full of anticipation, anxiety...

thus one day when pn.margaret entered our class as usual, there was a young lady who followed her behind, and all of us knew what it meant... she, known to us as miss sheila, will be the one teaching us for the next 12 weeks....

the moment we looked at her we felt that it was nigh impossible to dislike, so kind, humorous is she, to such an extent that many of us awaited the coming of english period, for that was the subject she teach...

and under her, we get to enjoy group work such as discussions, presentations, research and most importantly, debate. these are the times when the 2 factions will literally "mock" each other with facts and evidences... but none prevailed, so everyone think that it is a relaxing moment...

besides that, she has her own story to tell.. while some people managed to find out who her bf is, the whole class was literally on the seventh heaven, wanting to even know more, all these she politely denied our request, but the stories went on.. and it became a central of focus of our humor during that time...

so now after 12 weeks has gone past, her final stage of training adjourned. on the last day she revealed her thoughts in regards of us, giving out sweets and made a final debate regarding the superstitions, customs of human sacrifice...

12 weeks = 84 days, this time period is one of the memories i desired to preserve the most, as never again in my life probably i will encounter this 84 days again...

btw, for those who wanted the pictures of pn.phang's farewell, there are two links to choose:
i) http://s37.photobucket.com/albums/e77/osiriswarlock/farewell%20of%20pn%20phang/
ii) http://920509145061.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!90C6E6C837678ADD!1200/

all are meant for grabbing to put in your respective blogs, only with one condition: please give me credit on these pictures..... the next post will probably fall on 30th october 2008... as the final year exam is drawing nigh, farewell yourself well! -- the archknight

of the workshop and the days followed

2008-08-24T13:20:00.008+08:00

it seems to me that something is eclipsing my mind... probably because of this holiday had only a few things to do...

on the 17th of august, as said before, i went to millineum tower to facilitate a workshop. (the objective i think was mentioned in the previous post) there were 8 of us there, taking charge of the entire event.. interestingly i was given charge to a group which consists of all ladies... wht the??

laughter was apparent when the workshop started, the rules were given in a very hilarious manner, and among them were "you are not allowed to say 'i dun know', 'i dun want'"... i actually wanted to say "i dun care"... then they were all divided into 4 groups, which were known as "friend, ship, moon, cake" (quite a funny name)

the ice breaking itself consists of people required to call out the names of others with their respective gestures, with a rhythm of course... it went on, until round 2 started... this time there were more people, so it is more difficult to remember the names and gestures.. at last one of them made a mistake, and all of the group were asked to sing a nursery rhyme... they did, and sung "twinkle twinkle little star"... (see below) proves that human memory is not that powerful

secondly, we were asked to sit with them to discuss of their ultimate targets, and estimate the time needed for the entire group to achieve the ultimate goal... a lot of jokes happened there as well...

third event was the so-called wargame... in which the groups were given materials (which was of course not enough) to build a tanker, a flag of their respective countries and a masking time to mark their boundary... unfortunately one of the groups failed to mark their boundary and was exposed to the raids, which involves stealing of stuff...

the game itself took 45 minutes, and we constantly make fun of them by putting the "a-bomb" to halt all their activities.. some of them were even unable to stop on time and was taken to "jail" for 30 seconds... and 30 seconds is a big waste of time, as this job cannot be done by strength and wisdom of one alone...

at last time was up, and all their tankers and flags were inspected and given marks for stability, height, and how nice it was. sample tanker and flag:

next was lunch time, and i took the 1 hour interval to show people some of the examples of funny exam answers done by students during their examinations, many laughed until....

immediately after lunch was the jenga game. what on earth is it? very simple, as the groups were required to use the given chopsticks and transport the jenga blocks to the end, while the last person was to build a tall and stable tower... which means that coordination and cooperation as well as knowledge in building matters as well, again it was a gangbang work..

minds were tested for logic and knowledge during the next session, in which they were given questions to answer, most of them do not require any usage of language and grammar, just logical thinking... proven to be that most of them do not have enough logic in their minds... i laughed the moment i looked at their faces...

then was the charade, not much to be said, but there was one notable thing to say... the last question was "reproduction", and all the groups tried in vain to perform it out. what to do? all of them acting were girls, obviously they are shy of doing things like this... imagine if guys act it out, what will actually happen? dare not even imagine....

next came the core of the workshop itself, which is "the essence of success"... for about an hour nigel the missionary stood in front and gave his speech, including jokes, tactics and even a story about reproduction, which made all of us laugh like mad... he also gave out his chemistry notes, not to show off, but to show his way of making notes... rather impressive, short and direct... probably i will take his tactic as well...

the penultimate event was the sharing of thoughts -- which in the facilitators' mind, "emo" time... i sat there with the group, listening to their thoughts attentively, and suddenly i felt something, somehow i can listen to strangers better than those i know. perhaps it is due to the lack of knowledge about them that draws on my curiousity. after about 40 minutes of sharing, they were given letters from their parents and they read... some of them even shed their tears... try imagine if your own parents write things to you in which they don't usually say...

after that was the cert-giving ceremony and prize-giving as well... then all the facilitators grouped up and had some photos taken....

to tell the truth, this workshop actually let me know the truth of certain things... a mind is not impenetrable as always, there are always times when it proves to be a weakspot. persevere, and one can discerned the thoughts of the person. secondly, there are things in which one cannot complete alone, the elements of cooperation, coordination and reasoning matters a lot in the success of it. never before was my mind so calm after an event, though exhausted...

even better, i got RM 50 for the job, which is yet to receive by now...

the next post will be discussing the choral speaking performance on 29th august.. until then, this will mark the end of this post... may the grace of the stars shines upon you at all times..

p.s. as for the pictures (for both the independence and the workshop ones), kindly refer to my old msn space, as i have no idea on how to upload photos here in a bulk and in a slideshow form yet..

of issues of great arguments and the independence month opening ceremony

2008-08-16T18:22:00.004+08:00

a controversial week it seems, as suggested by the title above, as 2 things happened, and it has practically ruined the union of the class utterly... 1 into 2...

the reason behind was that the relevation of an incident which has been kept secret, and to describe it, the incident was in regards of a group of people (about one third it seems) had used some illegitimate tactics to during examinations...

obviously this incident will cause great ripples to occur, and the effects were devastating. the union of 4s1 was completely ruined, with one class literally torn into 2 opposing factions... throughout the week, i read the blogs of others... most of them gave their respective views in regards of the incident, with some can be considered offensive... even more when considering the fact that the perpetrators had lack of remorse in it...

as said, views differ from each other, thus kindly refer to their respective blogs to have a full view of it, though i cannot guarantee that there will be no bias statements within... as of me, wht do i think of it??

to define the word "examination", one can say that it is a divine indicator of the mastery of a person within a subject, hence the results must be measured properly... somehow this principle has not obeyed by certain people, much to the sorrow of others... including those who may have the chance to get the top seats "legitimately"... but utterly ruined...

as for the reaction.. some abused words of great offense towards others, which actually exhibits the lack of remorse... not to say that they are of mischief or otherwise, their plight could be fathomed. just imagine that you had done something unchecked for years, and suddenly was exposed to the light and furthermore indirectly humiliated.. if i were to be in their stand, probably i will as well have the same emotions as they are...

besides this, great destruction it wrought, but the full extent of incidents i will not write it down here, until i am able to confirm everything thrown against, and wht was spoken in their defense...

i always strived to earn something legitimately i.e. through legal methods and without defying my principles... and i always advised people to do so. should it turned out to be a failure, there is nothing to be ashamed of, as it is never the endgame...however if one is to use tactics and deceit to achieve success, then that is utterly meaningless and pointless...

however this event shook me as well, as i tried to know who can i trust upon. i consulted pn.khoo elven queen once again for guidance, and this was wht she said to me...

"Sometimes there are always people who befriend you just to get the advantage out of you, you should know your instincts well and decide on who should you trust. As for her, it is best that you don't tell her anything, as I know that she may effectively betray your confidence. Even if you wished to confide things to her, do remind her that it is confidential and not be said. Above all, do not let your emotions master you, you will scare her and I'm sure that you do not want it..."

again i was reminded not to let my emotions rule my heart, as evident in certain situations... my own mind is always on action, in thoughts of things in which i desired answers out of it, and yet sometimes i think too much, as evident during physics paper... worried too much, as in presentations for fear of being laughed upon... think too deep and detail, until the conclusion i get is out of logic and rationality...

it is actually possible that i included my emotions during my thoughts and it effectively clouded my judgements, thus committing a great deal of things that made me regret... some of it include the unpredicted rage, extremity in usage of words and so on... this week holiday can serve as a refresher, as i can cool down my mind to prepare for the next 2-3 months...

but from there, i know that there are always people who will side with me.. even in the darkest of tides... at least now i feel comforted, no longer need to worry of determining people whom i can place my confidence upon...

forget about the matter... yesterday was the opening ceremony of the "merdeka" month, and some classes performed some shows... the 2 best ones i can say is the choir from 4s2 and 4a... as well as the drama performance of 4s1. they both put up a great show, indirectly telling the audience that hard work, endurance coupled up with interest and enthusiasm can yield spectacular results... which is actually true..

rather anxious of the finals tomorrow... why? as malaysia may have the chance to win its first gold medal since its first participation on the year of 1956... as our badminton player chong wei is going to square off against the crrent world no.1 player lin dan at 10.30 am tomorrow...

in fact many of our hearts jumped quite fast the moment we know that malaysia is playing that particular round.. and although almost of them lost, they do put up a spectacular fight. and on thursday, during the quarterfinals, we were all like awaiting the latest news... win or lose, dead or alive... until when mr.karuna announced to us that ching wei won, then we actually jumped up.. so happy with the apparent success.. and felt proud with it...

the next post will be probably be posted either tomorrow.. or on monday night, after i uploaded the 4s2 video up...

of the training in the millineum tower

2008-08-09T22:14:00.002+08:00

as far concerned, this day was somehow a special day for many people... especially for those who attended the farewell thing, as one may have the opportunity to have fun, dance with his/her "special someone" and so.. wht about the archknight here?

apparently i have no interest in getting involved in any form of social affairs, preferring interaction with nature itself. thus, i chose not to go at all, so as to avoid letting my mind and heart bleed dry...

however, days before i received an invitation.. in regards of a workshop on the 17th august 2008, and a training session beforehand, which is today....

thus i decided to "play traunt" in a legal manner (having submitted the letter to pn.khoo elven queen beforehand), and i arrived at millineum tower minutes before 9am.

as usual, i took the lift to 13A floor, and turned into the office, where some people were already there waiting... then i realised, i'm so late !!

for some reason, nigel, the one in charge of this session also arrived late as well, nonetheless it did not matter at all, as everything begun at time... from there i thought, it doesn't matter with punctuality actually, as long as one is efficient in dealings with matters at hand, efficiency is the best one can bring should one arrived late in any occasion...

the session starting with some of us stood to the front and gave their "prepared" talks, as though as giving instructions towards the students who are to turn up on that day itself. convincing were their way of speaking, such that even i myself felt as though i'm one of the participants...

then we discussed the slots that are to be conducted on that day, such as ice-breaking, instructions and as well, a "war" game! there were lots of laughs as most of us, in an attempt to adapt ourselves in the game styles we had just devised, made quite a number of mistakes... the best part was during the jenga game, where we were required to use chopsticks to transport jenga blocks through everyone of us, and the last person was to build a tower.. (won't be explaining explicitly, as tales regarding the actual event will be posted on either the 17th or the 18th august)

the outcome? many of us did not succeed in transporting the blocks to other people...

meanwhile, as time went past, came the time when we were shown the questions which are to be asked on that day... the english questions were piece of cake, but the maths questions, they required some logic to solve it... and the last one was a killer....

after that, for some unknown reason, nigel went off and the staff went off to buy lunch for us, leaving us with some free time. taking advantage on the time, some of us used the laptop to read blogs and such... the best part was, there was a corner where a red dot appears, we attempted to click it, and it never ends... (the red dot thing will be posted later)

moments later, lunch arrives. we immediately finished off the chocolate indulgence thing, then quickly ate the pizza as though as we haven't eat for 5 decades.. the only thing not so good was hat someone said that the pizza tasted like... blood. i nearly choked myself upon hearing it...

after lunch was the time to "emo"... we sat in a circle to listen stories from each other regarding their views, perceptions about their parents and to tell whether they ever offended them or otherwise.. all gave a good story, and nigel was there to give comments on it...

this training session "officially" adjourned on 2pm.. i went down, took a couple of shots on the millineum tower, and left... hopefully i can play my role as a facilitator of the workshop well on that day, which is next sunday, after this intersting session...

My First Post!!!!!

2008-08-09T21:58:00.001+08:00

Booooooooooooooo!!!!! I'm da most quiet boy in da class!!!!! This is my first post T_T (so touched xD)..................................................................Got nth to say wor...................Hmm today i went to school lor O_o ther ther all the lazy dumb ah nvr go to skool 1 all sleep at home (exception for prefects =D ).Then during sivic pn nadatul talked bout our future wit us. After that she talked bout some phychology things (I think so).She said that most of the quiet boy will make crime(she mentioned raping girls) in the future...WTF?! So offensive to me T_T

of the comments in regards of the monthly test and the incoming games..

2008-08-07T22:42:00.000+08:00

in reply of the statement made previously.. i can only say sth, too many bad words (which i have little tolerance with), though it is fairly analysed..

the outcome?? chelsea pwned malaysia's head for 2-0.. indicating on how "noob" our country team is (no offense, but if u compare it against our national team 30-40 years ago, one can see the obvious difference)

i agree with the statement of "not worshipping them", wht's the use of worshipping a footballer like a hero or a god like some people do?? no point, as he is not related to your bloodline or anything.. in fact though fun, it is a waste of ur energy...

forget about football, as there is something even better coming at hand...

the monthly test just adjourned today, and for the past few days, i seen something as well...

1st, the archduke mun hong found out ways to kill time after finishing his test papers.. which is to play a fool with his calculator. by the use of the functions of constant and letters, he can make out some funny sentences which can cause most of us to laugh... i learned his tactic as well, and made good use of it, just to annoy him for borrowing my calculator and pencil too frequently...

2nd, insensitivity towards certain matters.. i have no idea on what is so funny in regards to the call of the mosque for prayers at 1.10 everyday, as it is their duty to perform it everyday... probably because of the voice of the person who called it, or is it something else, i have no idea... however, this actually is a reflective mirror towards what people today thinks... they will probably assume anything singing or calling are like R&B songs off-pitched.. which is rather a deragotary term for others... especially calls from the mosque..

3rd, the teachers who made the questions are somehow quite "humane" this time, as most of the questions (except for physics) are somehow easy, or even easier than expected.. the reason behind this is probably because they think that they shouldn't put the full difficulty in this small monthly test, which means a greater increase in difficulty for the final one 2 months later....

now that the monthly test is finally over, i will make no mention of it anymore... to the games now

8th of august 2008, 8.08pm, 8th second... this exact time will mark the start of the 2008 beijing olympics..as it was the 2nd time which the olympic games are held in asia (the 1st time being in tokyo, 1964), it will be a great opportunity to watch it live. if you missed it, you may never get to see it again...

our country sent a contingent of about 32 people to participate in the games, and the medals aimed are as follows: badminton, diving, archery, athletics.. (there may be more, but i forgot) furthermore, it seems that our government put forth great concern towards their performances, as seen in their vow to give a reward of 1 million ringgit for any gold medal obtained (silver = 300k ; bronze = 100k)

no matter of wht their efforts are, as a citizen of our beloved country, the spirit of patriotism shall be in us. let us support our representatives and hope they will win some medals back, and to raise the fame of our country!!! malaysia boleh!!!

of the Chelsea

2008-08-07T20:49:00.001+08:00

ahh, yes, I'm bored so i think i should post.
Anyway, i found this article in The Star Newspaper (3rd Aug 2008) rather shocking. It was written by Andrew Sia (probably some guy who works for The Star).

It was actually regarding to the chelsea players coming to Malaysia.

So are you interested to read more?
If you answered NO, please click this button
If your answer is YES, Are you a chelsea fan?
If you answered YES, i think you should click this button.
or Okay, if you're still reading, i assume you're interested in knowing what happened. Good for you, Bad (or maybe good?) for Diehard Chelsea fans, because i might ( i said might, not will) be fucking the Chelsea players all around.

-------------------------------------------
Now, what really happened was.
the chelsea players came to M'sia on the 29th July 2008. (from now on, its based on truth and facts, not a stupid 15 year old kid who hates chelsea and is trying to insult them)

Locals fans have waited for hours to book the best standing spots at the team's hotel, desperate for a morsel of affection from their idols. And did you know what they did to return our love?

Most of them just walked past, listening to their mp3, they didnt even have the time to wave to their fans even though the fans are cheering and waving the flags. (hooray)

And we also welcomed them with Sarawakian cultural dances and again it seems that we are "bothering" them. "Atleast stop and enjoy the dance for a little while la."

A StarSports writer said, "From their faces, they must be thinking, "aiyoh, what-lah, coming to this sakai country." ".

In other words, it looks like we gave Chelsea the red carpet treatment and got a cold blue shoulder back.

While a select few, probably with connections to the organisers or someone higher up, managed to get onto the pitch for their autographs and snapshots, many of the die-hard fans could only watch from the stands -- anger seething and tempers flaring.

Hopefully, when other bigger teams come here, local media will not have crumbs thrown their way and the fans will be given their money's worth!

Summarized from the starting part of "Worshipping the West"
3rd August 2008, The Star newspaper

Now wtf is this? who the fck they think they are? imagine a hardcore fan, waiting for hours and hours for them to appear, and yea, they did appear, and what's their reaction? nothing, just plain nothing, as if we are a bunch of bloody monkeys standing beside them screaming some kind of foreign language.

Oh, so you think you're a superstar. So what? fck you. what am I and what are you? Humans, that's who we are.

I hold no grudge to them or anything, but do you think we deserve this? Atleast smile at us lah, or wave hands with us, you mat salleh. Never judge a book by its cover. <-- So true. The article is actually quite long, and the above is just a starting part of it, so if you're interested in reading it, go get a piece of 3rd August 2008's The Star newspaper's Starmag page 2.

Conclusion: let's not worship them, let's just admire them,respect them of how good they can play in football, how handsome and charming they are, but not learning how dumb they are.

peace~

of the birth of the blog

2008-08-02T21:11:00.000+08:00

yes, i got pissed off with shang hwah's msn blog because you have to log in to read it. So as a darling friend, i decided to make a new blog under blogspot for him. And in return, he gave me permission to be part of his blog. wheeeeee~

So, i won't be posting much, because...
1. No one will effing care about my life. Unless you love me, of course. =)
2. My daily life revolves with alot of people, especially my school friends, so i won't be posting about school's event because THEY will be doing it. and when everyone does it, it will be the same old story.
3. Yes, i repeat, no one effing care about my life.
4. And yes, same goes with number 1 and 3.
5. I'm a happy kid, i got not much of a problem that is worth posting in here.

and i will be posting, because...
1. if something BIG, I MEAN, BIG'S BIG happen, yea, i might consider posting.
2. ~~Maybe i just wanna show off my stuff. like, travelling to other countries, or i got a new bike.~~ Nvm,decided not to do this.
3. giving opinions on many stuff.
4. Fucking around. no, not that fucking, but in a way, when i get pissed off, i might post about it.
5. yes, i know i said i'm a happy kid. happy in a sense of "no problems or stress", not "no anger".
6. and YES, i know i literaly, say bad words here. but hey, what are blogs for. du aqbnacc ouin ehhan vaamehkc which means to express your inner feelings. OOh, and to whoever know what language i'm speaking, i'll give you ice cream. =)

Okay, if you don't know what i'm crapping about, please, dont bother reading it.

and P.S. hello, i said P.S. kay, notice that shang hwah doesn't type this kind of english, and he never will. because I'M NOT SHANG HWAH --> extra info for those blur asses out there.

of the beginning of the eighth month

2008-08-02T18:41:00.000+08:00

never did i ever thought that i will post my stories here... credit goes to the judge khai hou for creating this for me...

when one tried to recall the lost time, one will actually feel that he enjoyed this year too much... as it seems that within the blink of an eye, seven months swept past us in the form of high winds.. and within this period of time, many things happened, many people succeeded, yet more suffered... knowledge were gained, wisdom increased..

so as usual, anything worth of interest for the last week of july? the answer: yes!

pn.khoo the elven queen as usual gave us surprises, as she gave us things 2 days in a row... 1st day lollipops, 2nd day chocolates... so sweet... touched was my heart the moment i knew of this matter... as quoted by the viscountess beforehand: "so dedicated she is, everyone loves her way of teaching..." it is safe enough to ask, how many teachers will actually be so kind giving out sweets even for once ??? personally i think i can use my fingers to count it...

one of the focus of this week by the people of 4s1 was the oral performances, and out of the 5 groups, 2 of them was the attention of the week.

1st was the "titik-titik perjuangan" done by the count's group... their attires were all so hilarious, as seen below...

nonetheless, attires alone were not enough, their acting skills were prevalent that time that it became the laugh of everyone. so interesting and hilarious it was, until even pn.hasliza couldn't resist her smile...

they.. as usual, are the ones who will make a dead atmosphere in a class turn alive, and with their existence, laughter will never die down. some may not like it, but one couldn't deny.. that their way of life is the antidote or rather medicine for our pressure, stress and everything we suffer...

later that week, came the more focus issue of the oral performance, which was the debate itself... for some reason, the days leading to it results in me having a few sleepless nights. probably i thought too much, as i'm not the one who will take the marks, yet i showed more concern than the six of them who were to present... for only one reason....

thus on the 1st of august 2008, tables were set up to make way for the "big" event.. cameras, phones, were all set up to make a recording of it... as for myself, i set up my own camera to record was because that it was a rare chance to witness a debate scene in malay... so rare that i wouldn't think that i have the chance of watching it anymore... unlike other reasons that other people may say... (the pictures of the debate itself, and those of the oral presentations.. were all in my own msn space, which i still do not know how to post it up here in a bulk....)

the debate went well, and there were some hilarious scenes in which some were taken down.. one of those was that the countess put up her hand for about 4 times throughout the entire length of the debate and yet no one answered her.. pity.... the outcome? the pro-side won the debate, though the anti-side got the best debator award...

while these oral presentation did took much attention, there was one more issue in which we all took heed on: some time before, our current eng teacher, miss sheila had inadvertantly left her handphone open, and some people saw a picture within, entitled "dear..." and it portrays a guy who was known to us as "calvin

when it happened, the dark lord pivin immediately took the issue to a joke, ridiculing miss sheila with full of sarcasm, and soon it became the talk of the class, which greatly annoyed her.. the best part was that when i asked what stage it is currently... her face was so red that one would probably think that she just put some red ink on her face to attend a chinese opera show...

i thought back after then, and i somehow realised that this was not the 1st time we discuss something like this, from the "HIV" case to the "M&M" case, we ridiculed the couple involved (rather 'unfortunate') with sarcasm, and yet after some time all these will just die down... until when new issues arise...

so now that the eighth month has arrived, rather quick, what will be the focus of the month? probably the 1st week will be the monthly test, 2nd week until national day will be the choral speaking, the week after holiday will be on the archduke's trip....... how true will it be?? only the high winds of time could tell the full truth....