Hammer and Steel

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The Trials of Joshua



The bells were ringing, beating and clashing in the air. The sky roiled with fierce storm clouds turning midday into midnight, thunder clashing in the distance and lighting lancing down from the heavens. It seemed that even the gods were furious this day, saddened by the death of the man being laid to rest in the ground now. Joshua was numb, and not from the pelting rain that smacked and smarted his skin, but from the last words his father had ever said to him.

The coffin was settled gently into the steadily thickening mud in the pit, wet dirt and gravel pushed over it as the last rights were said by the nature priest Grahm. Victor's body was barely cool, and already there was infighting over who was to be the next leader of the Amerikan people. The Chinese and the Vietemese people had both put forward canidates, and both people and lashed out violently at each other. Three Chinese and four Vietemese had been killed when a riot broke out in the Old Section, and when Adelbard stepped in to try and quell the fighting, he'd taken a cobblestone to the face. By the time all was said and done, the Dutch had joined the fighting and killed two more Chinese and a Vietemese child, while four Dutchmen were beaten to death. Adelbard had been trampled during the infighting, not that it mattered much. His brains had been spread across the road after he fell, and now the only friend Joshua had once had was buried and gone. Madness, he had thought to himself. What hath the gods wrought for us now? What are we being punished for?

Sixty two people had been gathered up and imprisoned in the makeshift stone pits at the bottom of the hill, tied to trees with thick hempen rope. An equal split of Amerikans, Chinese, Vietemese, and Dutch were all there, many of them suspected to be the perpetrators of the riot. Three buildings had burned down, and looting had destroyed two shops, and the prisoners were being forced to rebuild all of it. Nobody had paid mind to Joshua though, except for old Nick and Jack.

Victor's words were still burned into his ears. "You were never good enough son. So now I'm dying out of hoplessness and the fact that you were the best offspring I could get. Let it be known that I wanted no pity from you, just a respite from having to deal with you for all of eternity."

Well I will show you father, and I will show you what I can do. And by the gods if you don't respect me then, once I die I will toss you into the pits of the Nine Hells just for you to enjoy what you have put me through all of my life.

The intonation of the priest was done, and now Joshua could feel the eyes of everyone of the assembly on him as he looked at his father's grave. He'd loved the old man deep inside with all his heart, unconditional love that a son gives a father, and he had been paid back with those words. Those damning words that said that Victor had not loved him and probably would have been better off had Joshua never been born.

He stood before them all now as the waited, watching him, waiting for him to speak about his father. Joshua's face curled into a look of utter hatred as he spoke. "He loved everyone but me, and he wanted no pity from his only son. I hope he enjoyed those words that he had." He dug the fragment of obsidian, carved with his father's name on it, and tossed it up into the air where it fell onto the burial mound. "I hope you enjoy it father. After all, you didn't enjoy anything else." And with that he left.


"Joshua sir?" The voice came from behind him, a creaky voice not that different from his house. Joshua set the papyrus scroll that he had down on the table and turned around in his chair towards the visitor. Old Nick stood there, a white beard and silvery hair covering most of his face, but wide bright eyes that spoke of what he had seen. Jack hovered outside as well, the mountain of a man waiting paitently. His milky eyes reflected the moon, unblinking and unseeing. A crow had slashed at his eyes with it's claws and claimed his eyesight when Joshua was still little.

"How is it going sir?"

"You do not need to call me sir, and you know that well enough Nick. What brings you here this evening."

"Nothing much sir, mind if I have a seat? My gout is acting up, so I can not be as active as I used to be. Not as spry as you now am I?" Nick gave a chuckle as he settled himself down in the seat Joshua offered him.

"So what does bring you here Nick? You have a reason for everything after all."

Scars from ancient wounds crisscrossed his face; Joshua's father had once said that old Nick had gotten the wounds when he had gone with Zach to bring the Chinese people under the banner of Amerika. His bright eyes were filled with a fiery sort of determination, something that he held onto in his old age as his physical prowress deserted his fragile body.

"I just came here to talk to you about what you did today."

Joshua sighed and shifted in his seat. "And that would be about what?"

"The whole city is abuzz with what you did at your father's funeral. Should you really have done something like that Joshua? Could you not let whatever had soured your relationship with your father go for just one day as you saw him off to the afterlife?"

"You did not truly know my father Nick."

"I knew him well enough, as I knew your grandfather. And what you did was a petty thing, and will not draw many people to your banner."

"Why should I care about if I draw people to my banner or not? The people of this city have treated me like , and I do not intend to be nice or helpful to them for my life as they continue to pay me back for it otherwise."

Nick looked sad now, and Jack had slowly eased himself into Joshua's house, his tall frame causing his head to bow against the cieling.

"Joshua, you need to draw people to you. You have charisma, you have intelligence, you are just being an awfully large prick right now. You need to do something, as your successes will be gauged against your ancestor's achievements. Do you really want people to do that for the rest of your life?"

Joshua gave a hacking cough, his entire frame folding over as his lungs contracted, and before he knew it it was over. Nick looked at him carefully as Joshua picked up the conversation. "Tell me Nick," Joshua said as he rubbed his hands together. "Tell me just how that would be different than how it has been for the majority of my lifespan? Tell me exactly how it would be different."

"For one, you would be hated. Most people look at you now and they see a young man with potential. Do not squander it Joshua. Think about that."

Nick stood up with his creaking joints, brushing by blind Jack long enough for the man to realize that they were leaving. And there they left Joshua in the house with his scroll and candle, contemplating all that he had said.


"Do you know what happened just now Joshua?"

His ears perked up slightly as he looked over the drawings on the papyrus scroll, the drawings of the finest legends that had been put down on the papyrus. So She had come to call again.

"No I don't. Care to explain?"

"You were just told off by a man with more common sense then you, which is a hard thing to say. When I knew him, he paid no heed to most advice and tips and blundered into things on accident or on purpose."

"Does your conversation have a point?"

"All of my conversations have a point. Right now, if you would look over to your right, you would see me right there in all of my corpeal glory, whispering to your mind."

Indeed, a cloud of mist shaped into the vague form of an opaque woman stood there, tendrils of white clouds drifting out and wrapping around the room. "My point is that Nick was right about all he said. You need to lead, and you need to not squander yourself, lest you end up with things that you regret. Everything that you do is important to your future, and you tiptoe across a thin wire for the fate of your people."

"They have never been my people, and you very well know that. They have always been Zach's and Victor's people, but people will always look at me and say 'There stands the greatest dissapointment to the mighty Zach and Victor. His accomplishments are unworthy to us.' I brought back the damned Dutch to our people, with less men than Zacharias had taken with him, and that's one more group of people than my father. He led here, telling them what to build and what not while I went out with them and worked."

"Do not begrudge your father. But tell me, what do you think will happen if you do not take power and lead your people?" The mist crept around the room, tickling Joshua's face as the candles guttered and sputtered.

"Life will continue. They will lead normal lives and have happy ones at that, enjoying themselves and everything that they do."

"That is where you are wrong Joshua. Would you like to know what will happen if you do not do anything?" The woman hovered towards him, the part where the face would have been turning darker with the mist to a grey sort of cloudieness as it brushed his face. "You all die."

A shiver ran down Joshua's spine as the misty woman receded to the edge of the room. "What do you mean we all die?"

She was quiet for a few moments as the mist drifted up and down, turning back on itself and going forward. "Would you like to see what will happen?"

He contemplated it for a few moments. "Yes."

The mist surrounding him turned grey, than shadowy, then completely black, obscuring all light save for Joshua's candle. Slowly he could hear voices, and the smell of smoke wafted on the wind, but everything was still dark as he groped around the room, the candle casting long shadows.

And then everything appeared. A tortured red sky, marred by wounds as smoke ascended into the air and marked the roof of the world with long black slash marks. Screaming and shouting people clogged the streets of the city, filling up it's broad walkways and moving towards the top of the hill. With a sickening horror, Joshua realized that it was Washington he was looking at. Washington was burning, burning and rioting as people beat each other to death in the streets, brotherhood and fraternity forgotten as they smashed each others heads and faces in. Nick was strung up by hempen rope on a wall, his black face being pecked away at by crows. Jack was strangled as he fought back, and Adelbard rose from the dead to seemingly take vengence on all of the people there.

At the very top of the hill, the assorted prisoners that had been bound themselves were unfettered, milling about and shouting foul curses at the people underneath the massive oak tree adorning the top of the hill. Tall and proud, warriors of all races, women, and finally.... Joshua himself. All stood there and looked out at the sky, hempen rope around there neck, binding them. All were standing on chairs several feet high, pushing them up into the air.

The command was given. One by one the chairs were kicked out from underneath the people, as they jerked and twitched. The ropes had been purposely tied so that the people would kick until they suffocated to death or broke their own necks, the light slowly going out of their eyes till they were glassy and cut down from the tree. Each one of them kicked one by one, all the others watching until the former died and there lot came up.

When they reached Joshua, many of the people there had choicier words for him, before one of them took his hand, pressed it against the tree branch, took a hammer and smashed his hand with a hammer. The cracking of the bones made the vision Joshua howl in pain, with the real Joshua wincing. Then they played a game with him as they laughed; hoisting him up and letting him kick till his face was blue and he began to stop breathing, then cut him down and put him back up again and again and again and again, till the sounds of screaming nearly made the real Joshua black out. Finally, they took the knife and sliced upwards into his abdomen, all the way into his throat. A grievous wound that made him bleed and spasm, blood showering everywhere as the vision Joshua coughed till he was hoarse and his throat started to bleed before they lit him on fire. A savage frenzy of crying went up, with the men saying "Burn creature, burn!"

"That is what will happen Joshua unless you do what must be done. I sincerely hope that you understand."


"By the power vested in me, Joshua, son of Victor and grandson to Zacharias the Undying, I pronounce all of you guilty and therefore your lives or forfeit. Your sentence is to hang by the neck until dead. May the gods have mercy upon your soul."

Several of the men begged, and many of them had a look of fear in their eyes as they saw the cold golden eyes of Joshua watch them as he gave the command. One by one, they kicked and gagged till they were dead, Amerikan, Chinese, Dutch, and Vietemese alike. There would be no favorites, no pardons at all.

From afar Nick looked approvingly at Joshua. He had not agreed at first with what Joshua had planned to do, but a show of force was neccessary to give a warning to the entire city that Joshua would not tolerate anything that they tried to do.

The last one that hung was one of the sons of Humphrey himself, and the look that he gave Joshua was so icy it was surprising that his eyes did not glass over and freeze. "Many men die," he said quietly. "But the beast will come back for you. It shall have it's revenge." The noose was tied, and the man relaxed, before he dropped and jerked in the air, pulling at the noose with his hands.

And far away, peoples from a distant land watched the proceedings in Washington, some of them praying to their Pharoah.

Well finally got the new update out. Any ideas you have for what you want to see in the next update? More fluff/legends, or a new portion of the main tale?

I hope you enjoyed.

They had told Torry to tell them everything that he had known, but he hadn't really taken them seriously at first. He'd thought that they were friends of Alfryn's, coming to antagonize him for fun and not much more. But oh god had he been wrong.

When he refused the first time, they had broken his nose and put pieces of glass in his mouth as the smashed his face with a crowbar. The blood seeped from the cuts on his face and his bleeding gums as the glass crunched and scratched away at the fragile interior of his mouth. Two molars had cracked and fallen out.

When he refused the second time to tell them anything, they had takne his hand and strapped it to the table. His left hand was strapped to his chair, and Torry's head rolled around, his swollen eyes opening as wide as they could as they brought out the spiked hammer. One by one, they smashed the joints of his fingers, and the bones themselves, driving holes into the table his hand was strapped on. His screams had echoed in his head as they cauterized each wound slowly with a blowtorch, and towards the end he could only whimper. His hand had been reduced to a bloody and broken form at the table, unable to be looked at without making Torry visibly sick. Fingerbones and fragments of the white material punched through the skin, and to drive home the point that these men were dead serious about what they said they had pumped him full of adrenaline to make sure he didn't pass out.

When he refused the third time, the tall one called Epsilon grew angry and yelled at him for a few minutes until he was calmed down by Cambridge. Cambridge then took out the pair of rusty pliers, his face not making a sign at all.

And then quiet little Cambridge pulled off Torrie's index finger without a single change in his face as the blood spouted over his face and his dark glasses, falling into his hair.

By the fourth time Torry still refused figuring that they would stop eventually. No men could be truly this evil and be alive at the same time. Cambridge even prayed for god's sake, Torry could hear him behind the door whenever he left when he thought it was night. He couldn't really tell at all.

But the fourth time, Cambridge hadn't made a single facial expression, and Epsilon had taken Torrie's healing nose, pulled it sharply upward till he cried out, then slammed Torrie's head into the table till he blacked out in an ocean of pain.

When he'd awoken, his left eye couldn't see a thing and his right eye was swollen and almost shut, tears leaking out of the broken flesh. Dried blood caked Torrie's lips and another tooth had fallen out as he reached to rub his left eye. And found it missing.

He had cried himself to sleep that night, thinking of his home back in Washington, warm and cozy and not here in this godforsaken part of the world. He missed it terribly, wanted to return to it, and by this point in time he was willing to give up any information at all. He wondered if these were the Nachrichtenkorps, those dark men who had earned a horrid reputation internationally for many things that could not even be mentioned, and probalby put what these two men had done to him.

He awoke that day (morning?) and sat there for several hours, handcuffed to the metal chair, which itself was bolted to the floor of this place. God have mercy, I never did anything wrong, I am a good person, I've done well in life and done what needed to be done, so why is this happening to me? I've been a good man haven't I?

Moments, seconds, minutes, hours, seemingly days passed by until the door flew open and tall Epsilon swept into the room in his black trench coat and dress, Cambridge following right behind him. Epsilon had a perpetual frown on his face that cut deep into his flesh, scars lancing out from the corners of his mouth. Epsilon's voice was no better; deep and scratchy, like sandpaper rubbing on raw skin. And Cambridge... never talked, never coughed, never made a noise, and always had that placid look on his face as if he was merely watching a boring game on television while Torry had his face smashed apart. If his chest didn't move from time to time as the blond haired man breathed, Torry could have sworn that he was a walking corpse.

"We give you one chance now captive." Epsilon's voice was like a soft whisper on a plague filled wind, full of malice and hatred. "Tell us what you know, and we I will tell our superior to let you go."

A scab broke on Torrie's face above one of the bruises, fresh blood trickling down his face and on his neck. "Can I have a cup of water first."

"No. Unless you want us to make you bleed again."

Torry shifted in his seat, handcuffs chafing on the raw skin. "What do you want to know?"

"Why did you come up here to the North? Where is your friend Alfryn? Who told you come up here?"

"His blog... he said that it would be evident that the way into the Deep Roads would be up here..."

"Who said it Torry?" Epsilon towered over him now. "Who said it?"

The words spilled out of him quickly now. "He did, he doesn't have a name, but he's got a large following online, he said that it would be up here, he said so much would be evident if we came up here. So I listened to him and travled up here to see if he spoke the truth, for god's sake I just wanted to look around I swear to you. I never did anything wrong, I just came up here to see if he was right or not-"

Epsilon grabbed Torrie's broken hand and promptly squeezed hard while seemingly moving the knuckles around underneath the skin. Torry howled with pain at that.

"Epsilon."

Cambridge stood there, a hand on the taller man's shoulder as the tears of pain trickled out of Torrie's swollen eyelids. "We need him alive right now."

Epsilon slammed Torrie's hand down on the table, a snarling expression written all over his face as Torry bit back a scream of pain. "Now tell us, where is your friend? Alfryn. Where is he? Tell. Me. NOW."

"Alfryn, he's somewhere in Washington right now, said he was going to go visit family. I don't where he is truly, I just know that he is there at the moment." Torry swallowed bile coming up his throat. "Can I go now."

"Hang on with that thought for a moment." Epsilon pulled out a handheld device, moving his fingers along the screen for a few seconds before putting it up to his ear. "Yulai, this is Epsilon. Can we let the rabbit go now?"

Epsilon put it on speakerphone seemingly so that they all could hear. "Go bugger yourself. He's not leaving that area. Are we clear?"

"Perfectly." Epsilon ended the call and drew a massive pistol from a holster hidden inside his trench coat. "Sorry chap, but I'm afraid we can not let you go." He started loading bullets into it now, methodically humming to himself while doing it, tune to 'Death of a Crofter's Son'.

Torrie's blood had turned icy cold now, the blood trickling on his face warm and sticky. "But you said you would let me go!"

Cambridge turned towards Torry now, looking at him with those masked eyes of his, shrouded by the sunglasses. "Seems to me, he promised to tell them to let you go. Yulai apparently doesn't want that to happen."

The last of Torrie's self respect and dignity was running down his leg now as he looked at Epsilon with a horrified look. "But I told you everything I knew! I answered all your questions!"

"Yes, but we can't have witnesses now can we?" Epsilon finished loading his gun, cocked it, and pointed it square between Torrie's eyes. "Would you like to ask me anything else?"

"Why?"

"Because we can."

The gun sounded off as Torrie's brains blew out the back of his head.

Epsilon turned to Cambridge now. "Get the material in here, no evidence left behind. Can you do that."

"Sure can."


The fire burned nicely as they drove away, the shack behind them dwindling away in a bright orange haze. It was almost beautiful from afar, and would no doubt eventually stop on it's own or be smothered out by the falling snow. Epsilon smiled to himself as the car traveled down the highway; a simple mission and an easy one to complete. "Radio Yulai and tell him we are done."

"Already done. Yulai tells us to report back in Washington and take two days off for leave."

"Great, vacation is always nice. I was thinking about taking the missus and the kids out to the beach one day so that we could relax. What are you going to do?"

"Visit family in New York what else?"

"Mmmm. True, true." A sign by the side of the highway caught Epsilon's attention. "A breakfest inn. Nice. Want to get some pancakes and waffles?"

"Come to think of it, I'm rather hungry. Let's stop. Maple goodness and buttery pastries are the best sort of treat after a long job."

"Isn't that the truth?" Epsilon roared with laughter as they sped down the asphalt.




WASHINGTON HERALD

MAN KILLED IN BRUTAL HIT AND RUN

Alfryn Bates was walking home Sunday night when a black SUV reportedly hit the pedestrian as he was crossing Xanders Street in Southern Washington. Walking home from a visit to his parent's house, Mr. Bates was killed almost instantly on impact with the pavement. The driver has yet to be found.

A tearful Mary and Roger Bates said to reporters today that their son was a hardworking individual of the People's Parliament and had worked hard to have his power bloc pass many important bills and laws before his untimely death. 'He always worked for the good of the people,' Mrs. Bates said to reporters.

A candlelight vigil will be be held on the 21'st of this month for the man in Jacopo Plaza, with over two thousand people slated to come already. Today, we all mourn the death of Mr. Alfryn Bates.

Next up, the seven day weather report for central America.

Sorry about not updating for awhile, had a lot on my plate to sort out, two projects to do and even more work to finish. A rather downer ending for the above fellows, but I hope you at least enjoyed the Joshua update, as I squished two updates together for it.

Hope you are enjoying the story as always, and thank you for reading.

All right! This story is STILL awesome!

this is one awesome story

Thanks for the praise! Still working on next update at the moment.

Bloody. But it will be interesting to see how that ties in with the rest.

Executive Order 676
Dispatch agents Epsilon, Cambridge, Yulai, Ripper, Jackie, Oxford, and Delta to take down detain four seperate people. All other surrounding individuals are expendable. Use caution and skill in taking them down, we need them alive for questioning.

The cigarette was quite nice, had that southern flavor to it that those braggarts on the Neck liked to boast about. Didn't mean that Cambridge didn't enjoy it all the same. He breathed in with the filter clamped between his teeth and allowed the smoky fingers to settle in his lungs. At least it was warm; during this time of the year, the Frozen Sands lived up to their name at being colder than a frozen hell.

Epsilon drummed his fingers impatiently on the will, the leather gloves beating a constant tattoo in all of their brains. Yulai was in the back typing away at the laptop assigned to him by the state, doing god knows what. And Delta was outside loading the anti material rifle, preparing the assualt of the property beyond them.

Any other time of the year it would have been a nice place; sandy beaches, warm winds, maybe some nice plants perking up. But right now it was snowing in full force, with flurries streaming down from the sky and a temperature hitting thirty two below zero, unprecedented in this area before.

"Should we get some pancakes Cambridge?" Epsilon drummed his fingers faster on the wheel of the car as he continued to watch the lights in the mansion shift and turn. "No use in going on a mission on an empty stomach."

"Only if Yulai and Delta agree."

Epsilon rolled down the window letting a frigid blast of air and snow flakes into the interior of the car as he leaned out the window. "Delta, get in the car now!"

The wiry man jumped in the car gladly, the antimaterial rifle covered in a canvas wrap and protected from the harsh elements. Delta called it Sally, and could hit a man with a bullet between the eyes at two miles out.

"What is it Epsilon?" Delta got that out before he was thrown backwards into the rear of the car along with Yulai and a box of flash drives as Epsilon punched the gas, allowing himself a smile.

Yulai was not happy with this change of plans and said as much to Epsilon, but not nearly as polite. He threatened to call headquarters and have Epsilon suspended, but he and everyone else knew he didn't have the guts; Epsilon would mount his head on the dashboard without stopping the car to adjust it.


"Four platters of your best pancakes ma'am, extra syrup and butter. Low fat milk for all of us, and maybe some fruit on the side." Epsilon flashed the waitress a winning smile, plump and weasel faced as she was. She smiled back and scurried back into the kitchens to get the order. Epsilon continued to smile as he turned back to the table that they were all sitting at and picked up his newspaper, beginning to read about the soccer match between Manchester United and the New York Leauge.

"Could you not have waited to get flapjacks Epsilon?" Yulai was had not smiled since forever, and frowned so deeply it was hideous. "Couldn't you have just waited? We would have gone to a waffle house after we did what we were supposed to do."

Epsilon lowered his newspaper, staring at Yulai with those black sunglasses of his across his eyes masking the true malice that they contained. "I don't think you understand Yulai." He spoke quietly and sweetly, so much so that it dripped with poison. "I. Love. My. fudging. Pancakes. So you can take your waffles and shove them up your-"

The waitress interrupted them at that point delivering piles of pancakes to them all and smiling at Epsilon, who handed her a twenty dollar bill before he took his knife and started devouring his meal, Yulai and Delta watching him with amazed expressions. How could one man eat that much and still function?

Another group of patrons decked out in camaflouge shirts, sporting beerguts and baseball hats with cheesy slogans on them ate bacon and sausage while watching Epsilon like he was some sort of zoo animal. After several minutes of that, one of them piped up and said in a thick drawl "Ya'll wouldn't happ'n to be wanting those pancakes now would'ya?"

Epsilon's fork paused halfway to his mouth, maple syrup slowly dripping and curling down in a long stream. "Me and my friends would prefer to keep our paid for meals good fellows."

The same man that had asked them for their food laughed and turned to his friends. "Looks like we have some 'lifetime buddies' here. Tell me, do you fellers have some fluffy pink scarves I can give to my dogs?" He roared with laughter at that along with his buddies, not paying attention to Epsilon. Mistake number one.

Moving faster than should have been humanly possible, Epsilon finished his pancakes and took the fork in his hands, taking aim at the man who had made fun of them. The fork sprouted from his eye as he shrieked in pain, moreso after the ceramic plate collapsed his windpipe. Several fragments were picked up by Epsilon and shoved into the man's remaining eye.

Mistake number two? The others tried to fight Epsilon. One had his arm ripped out of his socket as he screamed in pain, two others had their skulls caved in after Epsilon beat them within an inch of their life.

The final one made the final mistake. He attempted to reason with Epsilon. Not going to happen. His words earned him a fist to face, pushing his teeth into the back of his throat.


"I understand why you killed the backwoodsmen," Delta said. "But why did you burn down the entire establishment?"

Epsilon shrugged as the fires dwindled behind the van. "I was bored, plus we can't have witnesses now can we?"

"Why is it that everywhere we go with you, there is a trail of bodies left behind?"

Epsilon shrugged again. "Maybe because I get bored a lot. After all, what goes better with pancakes than killing seven people?"

"You're a menace you know that?"

"No more than the rest of you."

"More so, we didn't kill a person."

"Not there at least."

_______________
Another fluff update until the next part is hashed out. Working on the history book style next and it's hard to make.

Verarde said:

Bloody. But it will be interesting to see how that ties in with the rest.

Click to expand...

After a few more I will show a bit of what it ties into.

Heh, the moment that guy asked if they were going to finish their food, I knew where this was headed. XD

Actually, that sounds a lot like me to my brother. Lucky he's younger and doesn't kill me.

this is one bloody story...... Me likes

Thanks! Hope you all like it, and the next update is tomorrow.

I. Love. My. fudging. Pancakes.

Sorry fellows, there was something that cropped up and threw a wrench into my plans . I'll push out two updates tomorrow to make up for the fact I failed to get one out today.

No problem. RL should always take precedence.

The harbingers of the God-King Ramsayes the Ninth were welcomed to the bustling city of Washington as it continued to grow and expand, the revolt and bloodshed that been waged after the death of Victor of the Shadow put down by his son Joshua. These people came from distant lands, brown and black skin showing of their hard work from the deserts that they had once come from. The traveling warriors were feasted into the city, and given several gifts by Joshua and the old Chinese leader Qin, gifts to let the Egyptians know that they would be good neighbors. Not a single outbreak of violence erupted during the period of the distant people's arrival, and indeed it looked like piece would thrive between the nations forever.

The Egyptian warriors left in time however after seeing Washington and promising to bring word back to their people, accepting the new stone swords that were being crafted by the new swordsmith Nathanial, son of Nick. These new swords were much more efficient than the old clubs used in olden times and the Egyptians took them gladly. They would need them in their travels across the wildlands.




The body of Humphrey the Crow was returned to Washington in a stone coffin carried overland by four of his men. The old man had died a bitter person, two sons dead in Washington, another dead in the wildlands, with only one son and two daughters left and a wife dead before her time. Joshua was the one who established the vigil ritual for the prominent leaders of the Amerikan society for them to watch until the dead's souls had passed into the next world as they ascended to the heavens. It was said that Joshua prayed after all the others had fallen asleep, asking for Humphrey's forgiveness of what had happened.

The scouts continued their scouting, many of the old flock of Humphrey passing away and having their sons join the scouting expedition. Two of Joshua's sons, Ryam and Calab clamored to go and went, forfeiting their right to rule after their father died.

Indeed, two years after his sons's departure, Joshua passed away at the age of seventy two. He'd been kept alive for thirty years by the moon flower plant that supposedly Caparin had brought out of deep caves, but even a man like Joshua could not live forever.




The flock met the men of Rus and their cruel leader Ivan Mecha Otrekshiesya, or Ivan of the Forsaken Sword. Jacobs, son of Torry, son of Joshua met and parlayed with the leaders on equal grounds at the Black Fords between the rivers Nineper and the river Ash. The men of Rus were cautious towards the Amerikans and their stone swords, which Jacobs traded freely with the people of Rus as a show of goodwill, fraternity and peace.




The flock continued on, and soon met people polar opposite of the Rus. The horse lords of the Apache.




These horse lords of the Apache rode thin but hardy ponies when they met the Flock of Humphrey, but they were a kind people and a just sort as well, sharing their food and their drink with the provision starved scouts of Amerika. Taking this as a sign of good faith, a peace agreement between the leader of the Apache and Harrison of Amerika was made and created, one that would stand the test of time for ages to come.

Washington though was not idle. It continued to grow, expand and thrive, becoming a thriving metropolis the sort of which had not been seen before in living memory. It became a wonderous creation, a place where some people said was blessed by the gods, and indeed it seemed such at times.

And later on tonight, we get to see the return of the sociopathic Epsilon and his merry band of cohorts complete their mission . And also there will be a third update tomorrow unless something crops up (which shouldn't happen).