The Crimson Fang
Chapter 4 - The Gathering

“Very well. I would like you to replace a trustworthy person to take over you duties once you have been turned. We will take care of everything when we return,” King Artemus explained to Alice. “Whilst we are in human territory, I want you all to remember not to interfere with their lives, unless you have to. We will change out of these clothes, once we have left their lands. Drakenarius, you will simply have to deal with wearing them until then.” Draken must have complained after I went through the Mirror, Joseph thought.

Alice looked worried. “There is to be an inspection formed this morning. The lord of this village believes not that we can afford to own this home. Whatever shall I do, should they happen upon the body?” She was beginning to panic. “The inspectors should be arriving very soon.” Joseph walked to her, thinking. “How soon can you replace a replacement?” King Artemus turned to him. “Do you have a plan, Dragon?” Joseph nodded. “I believe that I may already have inkling, as to whom I may ask.” She hurried out the door. After a few minutes, she returned with another young woman. “This is Jewel. She has verily been my closest friend for many years, milord.” “Excellent. It is a pleasure to meet thee, Jewel. Allow me to explain what it is that we wish from thee.”

An hour later, there was an urgent sounding rap at the door. Jewel opened to replace the inspector standing there. “Come along, child, I do not possess the entire day to waste standing here, awaiting entry. Thou art not the young lady, nor her father, who we spoke to about this inspection. Where is she?” Jewel allowed the inspector, as well as his followers, into the house, showing them to the seating area. They were shocked, when they entered, to see not only Alice, but six others, whom they had never seen before. “What is the meaning of this? Who art thou?” the inspector demanded. “We are the noble Crimsoni family. Alice is our cousin. We have come to view our home, as well as to inspect how Alice and her father were getting on. Upon our arrival, we discovered that David has suffered an ill fate. The inspector looked at King Artemus suspiciously. “Thy home?” “Yes. We visit on occasion to escape the bore of nobility. I am Artemus, Duke of Carten. I feel that I should inform thee, we shall be returning with Alice. We have decided that she shall visit for some time, until which time we feel she has had sufficient time to cope with her father’s sudden passing. Jewel, here, has graciously offered to watch and keep up the building, whilst Alice is with us.” “How dost thou afford this home?” The question Artemus had been awaiting was finally asked. He smiled. “As I have told thee, I am a Duke.” The inspector, satisfied with Artemus’ answers, as well as the large sum of gold the king was about to hand him, to pay for the year’s taxes, departed the house with his entourage. “That was kind of fun,” Artemus laughed. “We’ll see you when we return. We can take care of everything then.” At that, King Artemus and his warriors departed.

When they were finally out of human lands, Draken was the first to tear his disguise off and change into more comfortable clothing. The others followed suit shortly after, obviously not in the same hurry as him. They were now in a forest, one that the humans in the nearby towns affectionately referred to as “The Woods of Shadow.” It was mostly named thusly, due to the sounds that travelled out of the trees at night. The Crimson Nobles could feel eyes watching them as they walked through the ancient trees. They watched, waiting for some foolish creature to strike. Suddenly, a group of hooded creatures pounced from the nearby bushes. Within mere seconds, the Crimson Fang had them pinned on the ground, weapons aimed at vital areas. The hood fell off one of the two creatures that Joseph had pinned. He recognized the cat-eared girl from the castle, and lifted his blade from her throat. “Your Majesty, it’s one of your guests from Crimsonia.” King Artemus walked over. “Ahh, Cyndi. Why would you attack us?” he asked, helping her up. “A thousand apologies, my lord, but we thought that you are humans, foolish enough to venture into the woods. Please accept our apologies,” she bowed, “but we were terribly hungry, and there have not been any animals that have come by.” “That does not surprise me. The Gathering certainly brings a large number of intruders through their homes, and they are most likely hiding. Oh well. Since we are all here, we might as well head to the appointed gathering place.” The group walked off together, the creatures continuing to apologize for attacking the Crimson Nobles.

After ten minutes of walking, the group came across a tree, where the leaders stopped. It was large, especially when compared to the rest of the forest, at least one hundred feet taller. King Artemus walked up to the tree and pressed his hand upon a knot. Five more knots appeared, and he pressed them in order, in the shape of a star. A pentagram appeared, hovered for a moment, before it disappeared. A hole opened in the tree, revealing a staircase leading down. The group looked around themselves to ensure that they were not being followed, and then made then way down the stairs.

They descended approximately fifty feet, before they entered a large, dimly lit room. There were benches carved into the tree. It was surprising to replace that the tree trunk grew so far underground. “Magic of the Elves made it so that the tree sank into the ground. It is the same magic that allows the tree to continue living.” Around the room, standing and sitting, were members of several different races. “These are the guardians that accompanied the representatives of the many races that make up our world. The representatives themselves are most likely already inside the Gathering Hall. Cyndi, we should be heading in, as well.” King Artemus turned to the Fang. “You five remain out here, along with the other guardians, until you are summoned into the Hall. There are important matters that we must discuss.” He turned and walked into another room, followed by Cyndi and a few other representatives, the door closing behind them. The Crimson Fang sat on one of the benches and waited.

After some time, long enough that Ami had fallen asleep on Sakura’s shoulder, a small group approached the Fang. It was an odd group, consisting of two werewolves, a vampire, three small golems and a Minotaur. “It would seem as though the Crimson Nobles are out of able warriors. They send children to guard their king!” The group laughed at the werewolf’s joke, and the vampire added, “The only capable warrior they have ever produced was Reinhardt, and even he snapped like a twig against the Altros!” At this comment, Joseph and Draken both took to their feet. “Would you care to repeat that?” The vampire growled, “I will do better. I WILL SHOW YOU!” The group charged at the duo, unable to see the grins on their faces. Two of the golems, the werewolf who initiated the conflict and the Minotaur charged at Joseph, while the others attacked Draken. Joseph wasted no time in subduing the golems; as soon as they were close enough, he threw them across the room. They slammed in a wall, landing on the bench below them. The Minotaur threw his huge fist into Joseph’s stomach. He took the blow, and leaped into the air, his foot colliding with the Minotaur’s head, knocking him out. The werewolf jumped at Joseph, his claws and teeth ready to tear him to shreds. Joseph merely flipped him over, and pinned him on the ground. ”Who are you?” “I’m Drakenarius, but you can call me Draken. This is Joseph.” “Son of Reinhardt.” The entire room hushed, even those cheering the fight.

The attendant to the “Watcher,” a man who overlooks, records and mediates all gatherings, entered the waiting room expecting commotion. Instead, he was greeted by dead silence, the room’s occupants staring at a group in the center. He cleared his throat and informed the guardians that they could now enter the Gathering Hall.

Once inside, the Watcher’s attendant instructed the guardians to stand behind their ambassadors. The Fang moved to stand behind King Artemus, the other guardians following suit. Once everyone was in place, the Watcher began calling out names. Some names were familiar, such as “Cyndi, of the Nekoites,” and “Artemus, King of the Crimson Nobles.” Other names, including “Viscara, Lady of the Water Nymphs,” and “Arkhen, Prince of the Pixies,” were new to Joseph. As the Watcher called out their names, the owners of said names raised their hand, paw, tendril, wing or whatever they had, signalling that they were present. Throughout all of this ceremony, Joseph could not shake the feeling that there was something amiss. He couldn’t explain it, but there was definitely something wrong.

“First and foremost,” the Watcher began, “is the issue regarding the humans. They seem to be trapped in this ‘Dark Age,’ as they so put it. Their technological advances have been extremely few and far between, and this has led to them expanding their borders, some of which are getting dangerously close to our own. If things continue the way they are, then the humans are bound to stumble across some of the hidden races, revealing our world to them. This could lead to more wars being fought, which I know many here do not wish for. Are there any ideas among us as to how to prevent this?” The Minotaur representative, by the name of Revla, was the first with a suggestion. “Let the humans come! We will crush the puny humans like little bugs!” Arkhen spoke next. “That is all well and good for the Minotaur, but there are many of us who cannot fight them. What of those of us who are too small to stand against their forces? Will the Minotaru defend us, knowing that it could leave their borders exposed?” Revla sat back down, having seen the error in his strategy. King Artemus stood and cleared his throat. “If it please those gathered here, the Crimson Nobles could impart some of our knowledge on the humans. Enough that it would put an end to their expansionist ideals, but not too much that it will create a state that they become bored, thinking there is no more to discover. It would create that spark of creativity that they need to continue living the way that they are, without the need to expand their borders.” This idea seemed to go over well with the ambassadors. All around the stone table, where the Gathering was being held, there were nods of agreement. Few shook their heads to disagree, but were barely noticed. “Then it is agreed,” the Watcher stated, motioning to King Artemus. “The Crimson Nobles shall provide the humans with new technology at regular intervals, henceforth. Now, on to the other pressing matter at hand.”

The feeling of uneasiness that Joseph felt now crept over the rest of the Fang. They all turned their attention towards the door. Joseph and Draken made their way over. Joseph readied his blades, while Draken had a sword out. “This must be pretty serious if you’re using a weapon,” he grinned. Draken chuckled and nodded. The sound of the duo caught the attention to the rest of the occupants of the room, having now seen that they were waiting at the entrance to the room. The uneasy feeling grew stronger, until it was replaced by something else, something worse. As the feeling grew to near unbearable levels, the door to the gathering hall flew open. Standing on the other side of the doorway were two creatures as unlike each other as they were everyone else present. “Demons!” A scream was heard from the back of the room. King Artemus calmly gave his order, “Cut off their heads. They will fall quickly.” Nodding in acknowledgement of the order, the two charged. Before anyone could react, a head was rolling along the floor. Joseph grinned, having struck with one blade as the demon watched the other. The other demon, whose head withdrew into its body and reappeared elsewhere every time a blade struck, was proving to be more difficult for Draken. The purple mass that made up the body didn’t make things any easier for the warrior. As Draken’s sword struck, the viscous mass merely allowed the blade to pass through its body, quickly filling in the spot where he had struck. After watching the two warriors attempt to defeat the creature for nearly ten minutes, Ami came up with an idea. She walked over to the door, raising her hands. A blue, smoke-like substance streamed out, enveloping the purple, viscous mass that made up the demon. As the smoke cleared, they could see that the demon’s body had become frozen. Ami looked at Joseph and nodded. “Nowhere to run now,” he said, grinning, as his blades came down upon the frozen neck, beheading the creature. The members of the Gathering clapped and cheered, acknowledging that the battle had been won. “I would like the three of you to stand outside, in case any more unexpected surprises show up.” Artemus was now by the door as he gave them their order. The three warriors bowed their heads in confirmation. “I would also like one of my guardians to stand watch,” Lady Viscara stated, turning to the Water Nymph on her right. “Get to know them better,” she whispered to her guard. “They are quite an elusive race, and it wouldn’t hurt to become more, shall we say, familiar with them.” She winked at her guard, who giggled, before moving to join the Crimson Fang.

“My name is Lakilia,” the Nymph politely introduced herself. “What are yours?” Draken answered, “I am Drakenarius. This is Joseph and Ami.” The two nodded their heads politely. Lakilia smiled. “Well, we are going to be here for quite some time, so we may as well get to know each other. Why don’t you tell me about yourselves?” “Actually, I’m much more curious about you.” Draken stepped toward her. “How does a water Nymph fight, when there is no water in her vicinity?” Lakilia held out her hand, as if she were expecting something be placed in it. Suddenly, water began to fill her palm, like a cup. “We can use the water in our bodies, allowing us to create more water in the area around us. This drains us quite a bit, though, and we need to replenish our supply by submerging ourselves in any body of water. This is how we create lakes and rivers. We water Nymphs are responsible for most of the small bodies of water in the world.” She was absolutely beaming with pride now. She began telling them all about herself and her people. Then it struck her. I’m supposed to be learning about them, she thought to herself, but I am only speaking of myself. She turned to Ami. “Tell me something about yourself.” “I apologize, but she doesn’t speak,” Joseph informed her. “Oh. Then how about you, handsome?” She would not let this deter her. They were obviously skilled at taking the subject off themselves. They had made her talk about herself, when she was trying to learn about them. She was interested now, and when a Nymph becomes interested in something, she doesn’t give up until she has it, even something as minor as information. “There is not much to tell, to be honest. My tale may be viewed as quite boring to some, I am sure. As you know, my father was Reinhardt. As such, I have spent the majority of my life training to be a warrior, and now, I am here, with you.” Joseph finished his sentence with a smile. “How long have you been a member of the Crimson Fang?” “What time is it?” If this is his idea of a joke, it is not funny, Lakilia thought, intrigued. “I believe it is around 5 in the afternoon, by human time.” Joseph chuckled. “Then, it has been a day.”

Lakilia’s eyes went wide. “A day?” The trio nodded. “The Fang was formed yesterday, as a result of a tournament we held, to determine the greatest warriors.” “In the entire Crimson Noble race,” Draken added, his chest swelling. “And you are the greatest of all your people?” She could now see why they had so easily dispatched the demons and defeated the group that attacked them, even in their small numbers. She had never heard of demons being defeated in a fair fight. Any stories of demons attacking and being repelled had ended in the demons being forced to retreat, and even those survivors had numbers of two hundred for every demon. These three managed to slay two demons without breaking a sweat! Their smiles and friendly demeanor towards her certainly didn’t betray their power, though. Yet, there was something else about them; Something that gave her the desire to be their friend. They continued talking for hours, becoming more comfortable as time went on, and laughing about small things. This was the beginning of a grand friendship.

The doors to the gathering room opened and the emissaries and their guardians began to pile out. The four outside wasted no time in replaceing their people. Lakilia waved to the other three as she went to Lady Viscara’s side. She whispered something to her, causing a smile to cross the Lady’s face. Once the trio reached King Artemus, he filled them in on the important details of the Gathering. The most important detail was involved the demons that attacked. The decision had been made to keep watch on the Altros seal. This decision was reached based on the fact that the demons hadn’t been so open and brazen since the last time their masters had been free.

“Well, now that all of this business has been taken care of, let’s go home,” Artemus began. “We can deal with the seal once we’re there. I will also have to appoint somebody to the task of teaching the humans.” The group made donned their human clothes, and began to make their way back to town, to the Conduit.