Twilight of a Hybrid

by Ryan Johnson

  “We have traveled with him to the Northern Region,” said Monico. “We’ve seen what the Shadow King could do, and we saw him take control of five Dragons and turn them into a large body with five heads. And we had no idea Uragiru was having an alliance with him. I was taught to not to serve any man searching for power, and Uragiru lost my respect.”

  “So what are you doing here?” asked Teutates.

  Monico and Wasso looked at each other then back at Geraldus and Teutates. “We wanted to rejoin Valverno,” they both said.

  Valverno smiled greatly, as his old two companions were thinking of joining him, but he saw their sad expressions.

  “But he too has a different changed form we don’t like,” said Wasso. “So, we’d thought of joining you, Geraldus.”

  Valverno sparked with great interest; despite the fact the twin sprinters were joining Geraldus. Wasso and Monico came riding with ten thousand horsemen, making their forces at about forty-five thousand. Thirty thousand men on foot and fifteen thousand horseback riders were going to fight against Uragiru’s seventy thousand men.

  Geraldus seemed he was willing to let the men join him, but Teutates was thinking otherwise. Teutates thought the twin splinters were spies for Uragiru. And when the twins would have an opportunity, they would backstab both Geraldus and Teutates. Teutates didn’t trust the two strangers.

  Before things could get any more complicated, Valverno flew down and landed behind Geraldus and Teutates. He made sure to get into view of Wasso and Monico.

  Wasso and Monaco’s eyes saw the hybrid landing so suddenly. “It’s you!” they both exclaimed.

  This caused both Teutates and Geraldus to look the way the twin splinters were seeing. And in the center of the village, even though Valverno has no fear of his appearance, a lot of eyes were gazing at the new form of Valverno.

  “I am an enemy of Lusìvar; are you allies of Lusìvar or are you my allies, Wasso and Monico?” asked Valverno.

  Wasso and Monico looked at each other and turn back to see the hybrid. “We will be allies in the battles to come and we will only fight for the will of the Living Life.”

  W

  Two days passed since Wasso and Monico were joining their forces with Geraldus and Teutates, along with Valverno who was the leader of three clans. The armies of the joining forces stayed rested in camps away from the nearby villages. The leaders of each army was discussing heavily of how they would handle the invading army coming their way. It was going to be forty-five thousand against seventy thousand.

  The chances of them winning were not in their favor. However, Valverno did state they did have a few White Knights with them: Geraldus and Sora. Valverno told Wasso and Monico Geraldus was the White Knight of Loyalty and Sora was his half-sister originally from Pangaea, like the demigod was, and the White Knight of Charity. He didn’t tell them about Teutates, as he didn’t want to be told he was a White Knight.

  This came as quite a shock to Wasso and Monico. Not only did they meet a White Knight of Charity in the Northern Region, but they are meeting with the original White Knight of Charity.

  Valverno went to explain he was forced into bathe in the Pool of Shadows when there was a whip aiming at Marina, who Valverno saved from being pulled into the Pool. He was dragged into the Pool where both he and the Leviathan drowned. The Titan told him about Lusìvar was a Titan and how he was to free the last imprisoned Titans.

  Wasso and Monico were also shocked by that kind of news and how Valverno went to say Belverda and Uragiru were planning to backstab Lusìvar and try to mind-control the Titans once they were free under the Summer Solstice in a matter of three years. It was only matter of time if Valverno would have found the last artifact and cleared all the obstacles getting in his way.

  W

  As the dusk was setting on the fortieth day, the scouts of the Eagle Clan have reported the invading army was several hours away and covered several distant foothills. The forty-five thousand men had set up camp dozens of miles away from Geraldus’s village.

  Valverno looked from the high sky to make sure no rogue soldiers would be infiltrating the army. His eyes haven’t caught the sight of any rogue soldiers sneaking in or out of Valverno’s army. There have been a few disturbances of soldiers who weren’t getting along and nearly broke out fist fights. But Valverno would be the one to hold back the fights before they could become brutal.

  He learned Geraldus stayed behind with a few hundred men to escort any civilians like peasants or blacksmiths. Basically, people who don’t know how to fight with axes or swords were escorted away from Geraldus’s village and moved to a saver location. Geraldus had been moving his people and any nearby villages or towns away from what a formidable battle.

  With no civilians who won’t be caught in the crossfires, Geraldus and his patrol guards returned to the encampment of the united army. And when he got back, it would be time to march.

  The invading army was on the horizon. Thousands of lit torches the darkening horizon. Many were spread for some wide miles. Marching was heard in the surrounding hills. Uragiru’s forces were on the move.

  The battle was coming and it was close!

  MARCHING FORWARD

  Valverno gave a loud roar to the army down below. The tens of thousands of men and women (mostly the female warriors from the Tigress Clan) started to rally their positons. The forces were quickly gathered to take their positions. In their gathering numbers, all the soldiers went square-shaped formations called battalions. Each battalion had been composed by swordsmen, spear men, or archers.

  The sword-maidens of the Tigress Clan served as the front guard, with them carrying long shields and long broadswords and long spears. The men of Geraldus’s army and the Cheetah Clan were piled behind the sword-maidens.

  On an open valley with little hills and very few trees that stretched out for miles, the squared battalions have assembled. The people with spears took to the front lines and turned from square to rectangular positions. They slightly titled their spears as they stood proudly with fierce faces hidden behind helmets. The swordsmen took their positions behind the spearmen.

  For the archers, they positioned in tight corners between the swordsmen and behind the spearmen.

  And the calvary was spread into two rectangular formations: one was positioned as the far left flank and the other was the right flank; both at the farthest ends of the army assembling. Both were composed from the Lion Clan, which Teutates had commanded, and the other Wasso and Monico brought with them.

  Each squared battalion was spread out and gave room for each other if they needed to quickly spread more out or maneuver with ease. Each square battalion had enough space for other battalions to march with ease.

  From there, they marched a great open flat valley where it was a valley composed as a flatland. The leaders of the army, which composed by many soldiers, rode on horses.

  Geraldus, Flavius, and Sora rode in the center point. Teutates in front of one calvary squad and Wasso and Monico rode with the other calvary squad. The clan leaders, Orinù and Kelda, rode behind Geraldus and his son. Bjorg, who was fat as he could get, couldn’t ride on a horse and rode in a small carriage.

  Lastly, Valverno was flying high above the army walking slowly across the valley they were in. He could see the other army also moving slowly, but with the torches he saw meant the invading army was dozens of miles away. He made sure the Crystal Sword was strapped around him and needed to make sure this army would survive in the coming battle.

  W

  The army composed of Geraldus’s army, both calvarias from Teutates and Wasso and Monico, the three clans (Tigress, Eagle and Cheetah), and the swamp people Geraldus called from, halted when it was pitch black and there was nowhere to be go.

  Riskily, they had stopped to set up camp. They set up tents and they were going to going to have rest, knowing the invading the army was nearby. However, Geraldus and Sora were going to patrol and have set up barriers around the army. There wa
s no unnatural magic power that could penetrate any natural power from a White Knight.

  Valverno saw it as a risky move for the united armies to rest in the middle of the night, but they were humans. They were carrying all the heavy armor and heavy loads of weapons. He could sense the majority of the army he managed to bring together feeling exhausted all of a sudden. The humans were reaching their limits of walking and carrying the heavy metal.

  While the army was going to rest and sleep for the night and move out at first light, Valverno went scouting ahead of the plains and look for the army he possibly could eliminate with his own breath of fire. But he had an uneasy feeling the invading army may have bathed in the Pool of Shadows, or at least had their weapons and armor amplified by Uragiru’s usage of the Pool that could rival against Valverno’s combat power.

  As he headed out, Sora rode on a horse followed behind him. He saw her from a distance and he flew down closer to her. The horse Sora was riding was running five times faster than an ordinary horse, so it would mean she used her White Knight power to enhance the horse’s ability to run faster. “What do you think you are doing?” he asked her.

  “Going to make sure my reckless brother doesn’t do anything stupid. I’m going with you to where you are going to scout to.”

  “Always going with me everywhere I trail to. Lands can change but people can’t change their personalities. Best stick close.”

  “Easy for you to say. Look how you got the scar, along with the scars of poked holes across your body when you tried to go save your precious wife from a horrible death. Those scars could have killed you, but you ended up surviving. Someone has to make sure you don’t end up falling to the opposite side.”

  Valverno shook his head. It seemed Sora was acting as the older sibling. Now both he and Sora went ahead to scout the terrain for the enemy army. The torches they saw earlier were put out and there was little light where they could see the army could be camping as well.

  About some ten miles the half-siblings paced themselves and the united army. They rode and flew fast as the horse could run. Valverno could fly faster, but the horse’s speed wouldn’t be able to keep up with the demigod. So he keep his speed to a minimum and stay with his half-sister who doesn’t have the same speeding ability has he does.

  They came to a stop when they saw a large tent standing with a small roof and no walls. There were a dozen soldiers and each carrying a torch. There were four soldiers in black armor holding the tent’s roof. Within the tent, two people were standing.

  It was pitch black beneath the night sky and Sora couldn’t see the two figures, but Valverno could see them clearly: Belverda and Uragiru. His hybrid eyes can see in the dark if he could see them clearly in the daylight. His eye vision can change the night into light, only within his own eyesight.

  “It’s the two people I hate,” said Valverno.

  “What are they planning on doing?” asked Sora.

  “They’d want us to beg us for mercy. Basically, they want to negotiate about our surrender. They want us to put down our weapons, so they could kill us without their forces losing one man.”

  Sora spat.

  “Like they will want us to give up easily! I’m inching for a fight. If they want to surrender, it gives me more of a chance to kill more of them.”

  “Let’s just go and get this talking over with. These negotiations will be short, no matter what they have to talk about.” Valverno stood to the ground and Sora dismounted from the horse.

  They both slowly walked to the tent being held by just four soldiers. The rest of the black soldiers holding torches and carrying long spears hid their faces behind scary animal-shaped helmets.

  In the light the torches made, Belverda and Uragiru were waiting while they stood by, while waiting for someone from the enemy army to come. They both showed impatient faces as Sora and Valverno walked up beneath the open tent.

  “So, someone has come, but I thought someone else would come,” said Belverda.

  “It’s the hero and its sister: the White Knight of Charity,” said Uragiru.

  “I assume you’re here to talk about your surrender,” said Valverno.

  “Surrender? Bah!” scoffed Uragiru. “Your worldwide accouchement had impeached me, hybrid. The island sent their regards to me and eliminated their loyalty they once have from me. Even the Shadow King himself has heard about my plans to kill him. He withdrew all the forces he had, turn tail, and sailed away. Now the only thing I have left is this army. And I’m going to use this army to wipe down all you rebels and everyone around you.

  “Not to mention our allied forces in the Northern Region, the Snake Clan, had immediately retreated and they all disappeared,” said Belverda. “We still have a few allies among us, but all those allies of us are on the Eastern Shorelines. They would surely take too long to take to get here. No thanks to you, we lost everything. The least we can do is kill you and all those you hold dear.”

  “Then you should turn tail while you can,” said Valverno. “I’ve manage to gathered forces that will rebel against you. They are fearless as they come.”

  “Fearless? Don’t make me laugh,” said Uragiru. “I know you have a smaller army. You want to negotiate? Here are my terms: you all will die. I’m going to take my army and kill your army, because my army has enchantments from the Pool of Shadows exclusive to weapons and armor. Death is what waits for those who follow you… Project Vaeludar! You will die.”

  Valverno snared at the name, the name Belverda gave him. Now the two people he hated were there and he could kill them right now. “So be it, but you will be the ones who will die, and I’ll be sure it will be I who will kill you both! You mark those words exactly: I. Will. Kill. You. Both!”

  Valverno turned and walked away. Sora mounted on her horse and walked with Valverno. As they walked away from the tent, the horse began to trot and Valverno flew into the air. They both dashed back to the camp the army encampment.

  Calculating from the distance, Valverno knew they were about thirty miles away from each other and they would be on open field. The united army would easily be surrounded in the wide, open valleys when they would meet the enemy army head-on.

  “I’m going have to find a way to minimize their numbers if we’re going have a chance of winning. Going through a large field with little hills, a few trees, and no mountains aren’t going to work in our favor. My power may not have effect on them, as the king said they went in and out of the Pool, so maybe the terrain is what I can change around here.”

  “We may not have the odds, but you were right about one thing, brother.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The negotiations were short.”

  Valverno laughed at that and both went back to the encampment and would stay there until the next morning had come.

  The both of them returned to the camp without finding any danger on the way. They went through the invisible barrier with ease. Sora dismounted from the horse and led it to a group of resting horses. Valverno soared ahead and went to go find Geraldus and Teutates.

  He spent nearly fifteen minutes trying to find them both until he found a large sized tent wider and slightly wider than the average sized tent that could rest two-to-three soldiers. The large tent he found could fit ten soldiers.

  Valverno landed down by the front entrance, where he saw two guards with heavy armor standing guard. He looked in and saw Geraldus and Teutates standing over a large table with small toy-like figures and a large map of Shimabellia. He entered right through the entrance and the guards didn’t bother to lower their spears.

  “I’m back,” Valverno said.

  “Where have you been?” asked Geraldus.

  “Went to scout ahead and see the enemy was lurking,” said Valverno. “Uragiru wasn’t going to accept surrender nor was he going to surrender.”

  “You went to negotiate with him? That is dangerous!”

  “I already know that. You don’t have to tell me twice. And I did
n’t go alone. Sora went with me when I went to soft a small talk with Uragiru and Belverda. The negotiating was short: we kill them or they kill us. Simple as that.”

  “I knew Uragiru can’t be reasoned with, and he would do anything to stay in power or what will power he has left.”

  “He doesn’t sound like the man I used to know,” said Marina’s voice.

  Valverno turned his head and saw Marina walking into the tent. The Siren gave the demigod a stare before walking to the long table holding the large map of Shimabellia. “He was such an honorary father, but I now see a monster before my eyes as I see monsters everywhere. But I can’t tell the difference between the good ones and the wicked ones.”

  Geraldus and Teutates remained silent of the matter. It wasn’t until Valverno broke the silence and spoke, “Well, what we have plan on this set?”

  Valverno walk to the table holding the large map of Shimabellia. It was very large and very well sized covering much of the interior of the tent.

  It was made in a bronze medal stone. Every detail splattered on the stone map was exactly how the island was, and nicely built stone structures: tall mountains, small valleys, foothills, and every landscape on Shimabellia. Every earthly detailed was carved in bronze metal.

  “What do we have planned so far?” asked Valverno.

  “What we have planned far so far is what we have here,” said Geraldus. Geraldus pointed on the central point of Shimabellia, near a line of points of the borders of the Western Region and the Central Region. There was a large area of small hills and open valleys with little mountains in the way. “We are exactly at the border of the Western Region, and just ten miles to the northeast is the Central Region. The region the capital city is in.”

  “Hm, if that is the case, I’ve met Uragiru about thirty miles away from here. What I’ve managed to find out from him is that the armor and weapons his army holds have been washed in the Pool of Shadows.”