World Fire

Travelling

It took Dorothy the triceratops three days to break free from the sweltering dunes of the Sandara desert. The desert shifted into a rocky landscape where smaller dinosaurs roamed alongside leagues of two-legged feathered birds that were as tall as a human.

'That's a Kalbuk,' Miles said, pointing to the feathered birds. 'They look goofy, but you definitely don't want to go toe-to-toe with one. Its beak is strong enough to break through metal, and its talon can cut through your gut with ease. Don't underestimate them.'

In his free time, Locke had decided to spend his time at the front of the triceratops next to Miles so that he could learn more about the land outside of Arindel.

Every so often Arla would run up to Miles, offer a few words in secret, at which point the two of them would look back at Stag, who waved at them with a smug smile on his face.

'He just does it to annoy me,' Miles said as Arla returned to Stag. 'He wants to know "how long?" every few hours. What would it take for him to learn a bit of patience?' Miles handed Locke the spyglass. 'Look up that rocky spire far in the distance and to our left, what do you see?'

'I see a bird with a massive beak. The beak is a range of different colours. Blue in some parts, green in others, orange down the front.'

'What's it sitting on?'

'I think it's an egg.'

'I see, thank you for that.' Miles reached forward, grabbed a rein and wacked it hard against Dorothy's right side. The triceratops roared and all the dinosaurs below scrambled away. The beast made a sharp turn to the right and the wooden board was thrown off balance. 'Hold on tight!' Miles screamed at all the recruits.

Locke held the barrier of the platform tight, gritting his teeth as gravity and inertia fought to throw him off his feet.

'That's the Tulcania. The most dangerous bird in the world. Not only that, it's a Tulcania who is guarding her eggs.'

'Is it really that dangerous?' Locke asked as he recovered his balance.

'It's best you don't know what it's capable of. Let's just say that I am in no mood to see all these recruits die so soon.'

Dorothy went a kilometre or two south, at which point it thought that it was safe to continue east, and slowly carved its way to the east. Along the rocky landscape, trees of dried leaves pushed out from the brown rocks and from the great pillars of stone.

'Truth is, I could have killed it with my sniper, and we could have continued east undisturbed,' Miles said. 'But I am someone who does not kill unless there is a reason to. There are two kinds of hunters, young Locke. There is one who knows that nature rules all, and only kills what he needs with absolute respect. This hunter does not play with his food, and only kills in a way that does not create extra pain for the animal. That hunter is me. The other kind of hunter hunts for sport, and steals that which he does not need from nature. He thinks that he is above all else and boasts about his kills to his friends. That person is vile and a sinner. Do you understand, Locke?'

'I understand.'

'Did you ever hunt back in Arindel, Locke?'

'I went fishing a few times.'

'And what happened to those fish?'

'We'd cook them and eat them.'

'All of them?'

'Yes, all of them.'

Miles clapped his shoulder and beamed at him. 'I'm glad to hear it. You've got a good soul in there.' He pressed his fist against Locke's chest, just above the heart. 'I knew you had something admirable about you when I saw you back there, fighting Straza. Stag has high hopes for you, he thinks you've got a lot of potential. So do your best, will you?'

Locke felt pride swell up within him. 'I'll try my best.' Just wait, Fahrla.

'Oi, Locke!' Stag called out to him from the other side of the wooden platform.

'So, Stag can yell when he needs to.' Miles rolled his eyes. 'Yet he's always sending Arla. Quick, go on.' Locke handed back the spyglass and moved by the circles of soldiers to see Stag. Stag held out a pale blue crystal in front of him.

'Locke, do you know what this?' Locke shook his head. 'No? It's a bond crystal. Essentially, if I ever found myself wanting to keep a promise with someone, I'd use this to seal the deal. I want to create a promise with you.' Locke took a step back. 'Now, now, it's not what you think. I am just using supercilious words right now. For real promises, the crystal would be much clearer, almost white. This is a conscription crystal. Everyone in the Royal Army has signed an oath with one of these. It is simply used to say that you are a member of not only the army, but the Amber Army. WHen you've made an oath with this, I'll send this to the Royal Army office in Justisar and you'll officially be in this army.'

'I see. So, you really want me in this army, don't you?'

Stag raised his arms, as if to say "whatever". 'You must have already heard how unfavourably we are looked down upon in the army. People hear the Amber Army, and they want to throw up, that's how much people dislike us, and it's all because of politics. We get the hand-me-downs from other armies, we get the conscripts nobody wants, but our main source of soldiers are the survivors of the Black Hand's attacks.'

Locke gasped and looked around at the soldiers on the wooden platform. It had not struck him that so many of these people were in a similar boat like he was.

'But none have that same sense of conviction like you do. It is a hard thing to change the hopeless feelings of loss into determination. Many of these people look cheerful chatting and talking amongst themselves, but deep down they pain with the sorrows of loss. I desperately want you in this army. Not only because I think you will prove to be admirable and able in our efforts, but because I believe your efforts will inspire the other soldiers to act and grow. I know I talk harshly of the skills of these people, and of their weak character, but I believe that some of them may have great, untouched potential.'

'What must I do?'

'Agree to officially join my army. Sign to it with this crystal, so no other army can try and take you away from me. Then I want you to try your absolute hardest in taking down the Black Hand. Give your absolute all. Give it your damnedest effort. All of it, one hundred percent. Take back your precious Fahrla from the Black Hand, and your efforts will inspire your teammates and motivate them to act.' He lifted the crystal in front of his eyes. 'Touch it and the contract will be made.'

Locke let out a snort of laughter. 'Let me speak out of place. You must be an admirable captain, but a fool to think that I would ever need any convincing.' He touched the top of the crystal, and a blue aura surrounded the crystal. 'I will take back Fahrla if it is the last thing I do. I made a promise to her, and to keep that promise, I must make a promise to you.'

The crystal flashed white and then dimmed. 'Excellent. I feel that this is a good omen for things to come.' Stag ran a hand through his golden hair, a smile stretched across his face.