There had only been one group of people to wear that uniform in all of history. While very few would recognize the uniform; legends still persisted to frighten children. Most children in Astlan still quaked at the stories of the Anilords and their feared storm troops, the Time Warriors. Between the use of the Time Warriors and the dreaded Mind Reavers, the Anilords had conquered and ruled most of the world, two thousand years ago.
Until this moment, Maelen, like all of his compatriots, was convinced all traces of the Anilords had been destroyed. Wiped clean after the great Battle of Enfiel. Suppressed and mythologized by the victors. How could one have survived? More precisely, how could the tradition have continued, since obviously no one could have lived that long, not even a Time Warrior. Could a secret band of Time Warriors still exist?
Lost in his thoughts, Maelen allowed the two to pass almost out of sight in the other direction. He’d completely forgotten to try and translate what they were saying. He’d been taken more completely by surprise than he had been in two decades. He tried vainly to catch one last bit of their conversation. He could just barely make out a few more words as they faded in the distance. He still hadn’t translated them, but he swore his ears were playing tricks on him. One of the few words he thought he had heard, was Ramses.
Apparently, the sight of the man in the Time Warrior uniform had so completely distracted him that his mind was filling in words to the conversation that couldn’t be there. There was absolutely no way he could have heard the name Ramses. No way in the Abyss. Ramses, Commander General of the Time Warriors, the Anilord who supposedly trained and led the Time Warriors, had perished unequivocally at Enfiel. The records were quite clear on that. Sir Astemon had slain him in single combat. They’d burned his body. No, if he had heard it, it must have been as a historical reference to something else. Perhaps some way of inspiring fear in others.
They had certainly instilled fear in Maelen. He would definitely re-contact Johen tonight: get that backup prepared. He knew it had to be some sort of masquerade though. Maelen knew there was no possible way that he’d actually seen a Time Warrior, and even less of a chance that it had actually been Ramses the Damned.
Rupert stared out at the night sky above the city from his bedroom window. He’d gotten back and got dressed, then had proceeded to relive the afternoon’s fight several times in his imagination. He’d been waiting for the others to come by for dinner. Eventually Jenn, Alvea and their friends had knocked on the door. They were all going out into town and were checking if anyone wanted to go with them.
Rupert really didn’t feel like going around the town with a group of kids five to six years older than himself, unless Edwyrd was going to be there. Edwyrd and Gastropé still hadn’t shown up though. So Rupert told Jenn that he’d just wait for Gastropé and Edwyrd to return and eat with them. Jenn didn’t seem too upset by the idea. Rupert suspected she was about as happy about not having a little kid tag along as Rupert was happy not to have to go. The teenagers left and Rupert tried to read in the remaining light of late afternoon.
An hour or so later, there was still no sign of Edwyrd or Gastropé so Rupert wandered down to the cafeteria to get himself some food. Strangely, he really wasn’t hungry after all the excitement he’d had, but he felt he should eat anyway to keep his strength up, and besides, it was something to do. After eating, he returned to the room to still find no sign of Gastropé or his father. Rupert smiled at the word, it was so-thrilling-to be able to say that word, father.
Rupert wasn’t too concerned as he stared out into the starlit sky. He knew that his father could handle any problems they might have encountered, so they must just be doing grown-up things, whatever those were. Rupert inhaled the night air; it was so magnificent, the night sky. Rupert figured it would be really exciting to be soaring on the night winds above the city. Thinking back to this afternoon and how free and powerful he’d felt in his true form, Rupert smiled imagining being that way again and soaring above the city.
Not only would it be exciting, it would certainly beat being bored to death in the room. He saw no sign of Edwyrd or Gastropé returning soon, so he didn’t have much else to do other than sleep. Rupert was anything but tired, however. As he looked down over the city, a sly thought began to creep into Rupert’s mind. He knew it wasn’t probably the best idea. He knew he really shouldn’t, but it would be a lot of fun. Being himself was kind of like an addiction; the more he let his true, demon-self free, the more he wanted it to be free.
While human Rupert could crawl out the window, he doubted demon Rupert would fit. Rupert decided he’d just do it. He turned away from the window and extinguished the candles in the room. Quickly he stripped off his clothes so he wouldn’t have to get another set. Standing naked in the moonlight that was just starting to come through the open window as the first moon, Uropia, rose above the horizon; Rupert flexed his muscles in anticipation. Quickly he climbed up and out the window. He perched carefully on the outside of the windowsill. He looked around to make sure no one watching him, allowing his eyes to go demonic so he could see in the dark. Assured that no one was watching, he relaxed.
Once again the change came over him, swiftly and with only a mild tingling sensation. Taking one’s clothes off in advance was really a good idea, Rupert decided as he flexed his wings. He wobbled a bit, catching his balance as his toes and the ball of his feet had turned into hooves, but by that point his wings had been able to help.
Without further thought, Rupert turned and dove down and out over the city, his wings spreading to catch the wind as Tom had shown him. This was the life, thought Rupert as he swooped over the city like a giant bird of prey. As he reached about twenty feet above the courtyard near the palace, Rupert began to climb. He climbed high up into the sky. While he reveled in being himself and flying, he did not particularly like the idea of scaring the life out of the town’s people. Well, to be honest with himself, Rupert actually did want to scare the townspeople a bit. However, he figured it would end up causing more problems than the momentary fun would be worth.
Rupert circled the city, peering down at the goings on. Unlike most of the towns Rupert had ever been in. Freehold didn’t seem to go to sleep right after dark. There were several large torch lit streets as well as several major boulevards with some form of magical globe lighting. On the lighted streets, people milled and streamed, going from tavern to tavern, or to some shops that were still open. With his demon sight, Rupert could also see that there were people on the dark, unlit streets. These weren’t so many, and those that there were, tended to move more cautiously, or stealthily.
Rupert circled the city from high above for about half an hour before he decided to venture further. In his circling near the outer walls, Rupert had noticed campfires on the plain around the city. He was pretty sure they hadn’t been there when they’d entered the city. Rupert cruised over and above the campfires. Even in the dark, from several hundred feet up, Rupert had no trouble identifying the uniforms of the soldiers in the camp. He didn’t recognize the uniforms of course, but there could be little doubt this was the Rod of Tiernon.
Given that these soldiers were out hunting Rupert and his friends, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to be flying above them. On the other hand, Rupert thought, what could they do to him? He wasn’t little Rupert any more. He was a powerful... some order... demon. He didn’t know where he ranked in the demonic hierarchy. He knew everyone said Tom was fourth, so since his mother was human did that make Rupert the average of the two? Zero plus fourth, second? Rupert didn’t know. He really wasn’t sure what exactly determined who was a greater demon and who was an imp or whatever. Obviously, it was power, but how did one rank one’s self. Rupert frowned, that was a good question. It was pretty clear however that he’d been a lot stronger than the little guy he’d rendered today.