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Fields of Zorandor

Introduction

God created all that was good. Even mankind had no hatred or malice in his heart during those first moments of history. However, man fell, and God banished them from the Holy Garden and created a new race. This race was the Beastmen.

-Bacchus

It was late at night when Xavier awoke with a start. Covered in a cold sweat, he realized that the nightmare had not ended. No, it had merely begun. Shaking his wife, Elly, awake: he looked into her eyes and saw the recognition of his fears reflected within her quivering eyes. The time had come. There was no longer any question as to the Dark One's arrival. Stoically, she rose from the bed herself and began to dress herself quickly. Soon, he knew, they would enter the dream together and it would become a new reality. After dressing, the two locked eyes across the room and affirmed their dedication to the task at hand. Both knew that what was to come was unavoidable.

He nodded to her as he bent to a nearby telephone and began to dial the number to his friend Ansel; a connection in the local police department. Elly, in the meantime, left the room to tend to their son.

As she entered his room, the four year old boy stirred lightly. Taking care not to wake him, she quickly and quietly prepared a small bundle of clothing and documents before finally stopping in front of a pendant hanging from a peg in the wall. Taking it gently off of the peg it hung upon, she went over to her sleeping child and gently fastened the chain around his slender neck before tucking the pendant under his pajama shirt. She took a moment to admire his strong face and lengthening black hair that she had, for the last years, so meticulously groomed and cared for. She longed to see those green eyes one more time before leaving him but knew it just could not happen. Then, picking up the bundle and the child, she left the room and began her descent to the lower living room where her husband was already waiting, nervously smoking one of his clove cigarettes.

Inwardly she smiled. He only smoked his precious cloves on special occasions. Of course tonight was a special, if dreadful, occasion. They had lived this life among the people of Earth for almost 40 years. Tonight was going to be the end of that. Tonight, they would leave one last time for their true home. The smile quickly faded away.

***********************

Thirty minutes later, a soft knock sounded at the door before Ansel came striding in without waiting for an answer.

"All of the preparations have been made your Majesty. I will deliver the child to your relatives as you have commanded."

Xavier violently smashed a spent clove into the spun glass ashtray that he and Elly had seen at a local market only two weeks before. He hesitated a moment, peering into the intricate colors and weaves of the artisan's handiwork. How strange now, how such small things made his mind wander from the seriousness of the current situation.

Here he was, the king of a land unbeknownst to the race of Man, and now that kingdom was at the brink of destruction. Could he have prevented this? No, he thought to himself, no one was prepared for this. No one could have seen this coming. Still, he stared a moment longer as the last wisps of smoke faded into the air above the man-made ashtray that now held his attention. It was a chaotic display of blue and purple, with small lines of white and silver somehow woven into the swirls of seemingly random color selection. These were the qualities that had attracted himself and Elly to it. The color combination was that of both of their favorite colors entwined together. It was a reflection of themselves as one.

Pulling himself out of his introspection, he turned to the big man that had just spoken to him. Ansel was going on forty years here in this realm, and it was beginning to show. Still, a truer friend had never been found. In their time together, Ansel had been a teacher of the fighting arts to Xavier during the king's early years of manhood. That was a time when no one was worried about war. For what enemy could reach them in their sacred abode? Even the wisemen thought that all was well. How wrong they had been. Still, the ability to fight was something passed down among the many tribes of their race.

Ansel was merely a Colonel in the massive army of the kingdom, but among martial artists, Xavier had seen none come close to the capabilities of his mentor. That relationship soon blossomed into a deep friendship as the two grew closer. Eventually, when Xavier's father died and he took the throne, he immediately called upon Ansel to become his top advisor. It took a bit of cajoling and no little bit of good beechnut beer to convince him.

Now here they were, fifteen years later and things had changed far more than anyone had ever thought possible.

Ansel cleared his throat and Xavier snapped out of his memories again and nodded to his friend. "Excellent. And the preparations for our departure have been made as well?"

"Of course," Ansel stated bluntly with a huff of indifference.

"Do you have the pills?" Xavier asked quietly, his mood slowly, but surely, darkening with each moment's passing.

"Yes." He said, handing two small white pills over to the outstretched hand that Xavier offered him.

Elly laid her son down gently on the couch and exited to the kitchen to retrieve a drink for them. Xavier stood and began to pace. He had been preparing for this for almost two years in case the worst possible scenario was indeed true. To be completely honest he hadn't believed the initial reports of what was occurring.

His kingdom had been divided for over a thousand years. Ever since the initial rebellion of the Dragon tribe and the lower clans that had followed them. Rats, hyenas, weasels; even half of the fox clan had decided to follow suit and separate from the Kingdom. Since that time, the Dragons had slowly become fewer and fewer.

Until now. Now they had returned. From where he wasn't sure. The story that had been told to them by their leader was hard to believe. Hell, he wasn't even sure their leader was telling the truth about who he was. A half-dragon and half-demon? Surely the King of the Dragon clan would not have fallen that far in his grief these past thousand years, he thought to himself for the thousandth time. But after the attack on the northern forests, there was no doubt that he had meant what he had said about surrendering, or being destroyed. Xavier suddenly realized that the dark thoughts racing through his mind had caused him to begin clenching his fists so tightly, that his long nails had actually pierced his palm. He began to see small pinpricks of red appear on his flesh. No, Asmodeus had been deadly serious about that.

Elly returned with three small glasses and a small bottle. Ansel took a seat at last, as did Xavier and Elly. It was apparent from the faint redness surrounding her eyes, that she had finally allowed herself to cry for a moment in the solitude of the kitchen. She would not have wanted her husband to see that.

So proud and strong on the inside. Soon you will be that way inside and out again for good my love, Xavier thought.

He handed one of the two pills over to her as she poured a strong smelling liquor into the 3 glasses.

Xavier looked over to his son, swaddled in far too many blankets as mothers were wont to do. He had no choice now. He hated leaving his son, but his kingdom needed his presence at all times during this crisis. They needed the queen, Elhaym, as well. Together they could more easily plan and maneuver the kingdom's forces that either one alone. He did not feel a sadness at the thought of abandoning his son. He felt only fear. Fear of never seeing him again. But also, the fear of failing his son. If they were unable to defeat Asmodeus in Zorandor, there would be no true home for his son and many others as well.

The three quietly talked about the goings on of the war at hand until there was a soft knock on the door.

Ansel's hand moved swiftly to his waist where his specially made Luger pistol was holstered, but Xavier eased his friends tense posture with a quick wave as he lit another clove and reclined into the sofa. Elhaym quickly rose and moved to the door. She took a precautionary peep through the eyelet and then unlatched the door to reveal a peculiar pair of middle aged gentlemen.

The most peculiar of the two was short and balding and was engulfed by an oversized trench coat that his hands were stuffed into. He was obviously nervous by the way his wide eyes, which were made wider by the thick glasses upon his head, darted quickly between the outside and the people within. He flashed a quick smile to Elly in greeting.

The other was incredibly tall but slender and paused a moment at the door as his companion rushed inside. He was dressed completely in black which, along with his dark complexion almost made him blend in with the quiet darkness beyond the doorstep. His eyes were obscured by a highly polished pair of circular sunglasses and a quaint black bowler rested neatly upon his head.

He removed the hat and performed a quick bow with a slight flourish.

"Good evening Your Highness the Queen. You are as lovely as always and it is indeed a pleasure to be in the presence of your glory this night," he stated with a small bit of humor under the respectful words.

Elly gave a small giggle at the theatrics and blushed.

"Oh father, stop that.... Thank you so much for coming and bring Fritz with you. I'm glad I'll get to see you this last time," she said, her glee fading as the last of the words left her tongue.

Her father stood up quickly and placed the hat upon his daughter's head at a quizzical angle and then embraced her in a hug that took her small frame off of the ground. They stood holding each other for a moment before ending the affectionate embrace and Elly invited him inside and closed the door quietly.

Inside, the one that Elly had called Fritz was shaking hands with Ansel and Xavier as the nights plans continued to be discussed. Her father too shook the two mens' hands warmly and then proceeded to the small boy still resting on the couch to look and smile over him for a moment.

Finally, the group took their seats. Xavier and Elly sat together near their son. Ansel and Elly's father sat down together catching up on news of the war and strategies. Fritz in the meantime was taking extra care to remove his coat before sitting. The amount of jingling and tinkling going on as he was doing so made it quite obvious that the garment held quite a number of precious and fragile items that he had refused to leave behind. At last he succeeded in getting himself seated and joined the conversation.

Xavier gave a quick wave of his hand everyone became quiet to listen.

"Thank you all for coming tonight. You are some of my most trusted friends and advisers and that is why you are here," He looked at each and every one of his guests in the eye in turn before continuing. "For the last two years our kingdom has been at war with Asmodeus and his forces and things have only gone from bad to worse. Between the battles in our world, and his forces somehow reaching our people that live here in this one, we are fighting a war of attrition and losing it."

Everyone quietly and grimly nodded at his words. They all knew it was true, and that without finding some kind of meaningful advantage to tip the scales, things could only go from bad to worse.

"Tonight," he continued, "myself and Elhaym will be leaving this world the only way we know how. That's where you all come in. Ansel has brought the medicine that will allow us to reach the trance-like state we will need under the circumstances and will make sure that our son reaches her brother Bacchus' house in the proper manner after this is done."

Ansel gave a grunt of agreement before interrupting his friend.

"Look Xavier, I know you've said since we came up with this plan that you want Bacchus and his wife to take care of the lad but I'm going to ask you again: Are you sure? His wife ain't one of us and has caused the poor fellow to damned near forget all about his own people."

Xavier nodded at his words, "I understand your concerns friend, but this has been the plan since we first thought it would come to this. I was hoping that the war would be over by now so that it wouldn't have to come to this, but Amanda has no idea about any of our true lives and that's for the best. She may not like us, but she agreed to be the caretaker in case of mine and Elly's untimely deaths. I have no siblings to take him so we have no choice. There is no way the law," he saw Ansel begin to form words again and quieted him a raised finger, "no matter how much pull you think you have, would allow anyone else to take him with them being around. Not only that, but his absence from our activities keep him and his family off of our enemies' radar. So that's settled, no more about that. Now Fritz, your part in this.."

He did not have the chance to finish before the jittery little man began digging in his coat. After a moment of rattling noises he produced a small, strange-looking device with wires entering and exiting all over its surfaces and two circular straps that had miniscule boxes along their lengths that attached them to the wires.

He gleefully began to speak, seemingly unaware that he had interrupted Xavier's words.

"Yes, yes I have it right here your Majesty! Hehe! This right here will monitor yours and the Queen's brainwaves so that we know once the transition has been completed and we can move on with the..uh...more morbid details of your plan....." His words faded off as his mouth finally caught up with his brain and the room grew quiet again.

Xavier cleared his throat and continued, "Yes, well everyone, Fritz here will monitor myself and Elly to make sure that we have indeed transitioned over to our realm. Once we have, all defenses can be pulled and the enemy will be allowed to reach us here. The rest, well, you know, the rest. But let me be clear about something right now..... We all know that this is necessary. Asmodeus has advanced further than anyone could have predicted. These new forces that appeared to aid him have given him an even further advantage. Therefore we have all agreed that myself and Elly that must do this and be with our kingdom in this time of need. We have fielded all of the arguments against and for this plan of action. But now the time for arguments is over..."

Again, the room grew quiet as he finished. Everyone looked around to find determination in each others faces. Their resolve grew as they did so, knowing full well that tonight was the last chance to save their leaders, and possibly even their kingdom.

Elly stood and gathered a few more glasses for the new guests. When she came back, she poured each of them some of the drink she had brought in earlier. It was green, strong smelling liquor that was hard to find anymore in its true potency. This however had been made by her own father during his younger days. It was aged so long that its effects would not take long to feel. It had been used in rituals by their race for centuries to better bring on the dream that brought them to their homeland. Tonight, again, its use was needed.

Having poured the drinks she took her own glass and returned to her husband's side.

They all rose together and clinking their glasses together in a toast, recited the ancient creed of their race.

"IN ZORANDOR I WILL SEE YOU! IN ZORANDOR I WILL BE WITH YOU! ON THE FIELDS OF ZORANDOR I WILL DIE WITH YOU!"

*******

A few hours later the group was gathered together in the bedroom of their King and Queen, Xavier and Elhaym. The couple lay in bed seemingly sleeping peacefully, but everyone present knew that it was just an illusion. The pills that they had taken with the ritual drink had made them near comatose, their labored breathing made that apparent at a close inspection.

Fritz had applied his strange-looking contraption upon the two's heads shortly after they had passed into unconsciousness. Now he watched the lights upon the box the headbands and wires were attached to religiously. The lights had been flickering rapidly for the first hour or so, but now, they lit only every so often and were rapidly slowing even further.

Elhaym's father lurked in a corner of the room, holding his grandson and remaining eerily quiet, as did the rest of the group. His presence drained the room of all brightness it might have had even without the pallid mood that was hanging ominously around the present company. Everyone else dared not glance toward that corner, their necks stiffened towards the goings on in the hands of the strange little man with the box.

Ansel stood directly behind Fritz and was obviously perturbed at the length of time that whatever was happening was taking. His hands were in his pockets and the bulges that appeared often through the fabric was a tell-tale sign that something was making the big man impatient. He was silently tapping his fingers against his thighs. Ansel was nothing if not patient.

Suddenly, the box lit up brightly, the lights flickering rapidly in an array of colors. Fritz and Ansel visibly jumped at the unexpected change in the activity. The corner, meanwhile, showed no signs of change.

Fritz looked up to Ansel, "They're over the line, they're no longer within the Earth realm. They've crossed over."

Ansel's hands stopped their tapping. He immediately began a flurry of activity, firstly getting onto his mobile radio and beginning a frantic and sharp-edged conversation with some nearby fellows keeping a lookout. After getting the gist of the situation, he looked in turn to Fritz and the deathly shadow in the corner.

"It's time. We go now. There are forces entering the perimeter at this time. So far the forward guard has not been spotted. I have given them the instructions to stand down and retreat. Let this little game come to an end."

Fritz and Elly's father immediately began to mill about discreetly, gathering up their belongings and anything else that they deemed necessary. Within a few minutes the trio were headed out the front door. They proceeded to their vehicles, Fritz and Elhaym's father getting into the solid black, restored 1955 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback. The tall man took care when reaching into the back to hand the small bundle to his friend.

Ansel, in the meantime, sauntered over to his custom police cruiser. Unlike the fleet Interceptors, he drove a supercharged 1969 Hemi Charger. It was painted with standard Police logos except for the trunk. There, was a custom painted mural of a golden bear charging some unseen enemy, completely detailed down to the slaver coming form the jowls of the massive ursine. He took a moment to study his surroundings and seemed to catch a foul scent in the air as his nose wrinkled up in a clear sign of disgust. Shaking his head he sat down behind the wheel of his cruiser and started the car. As he began to drive away he gave a long last look to his old friend's house and grinned. Then he was on his way.

He and the other two and been on the road for around 15 minutes when the sounds of an explosion rocked the still night air. Ansel suddenly burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Surely those bastards didn't think that you weren't gonna take as many as you could with you did they Xavier?! Ha! We sure got them, we sure did........." he said as his laughter died off and silent tears began to appear in his eyes.

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A few hours later the group arrived at the home of Avi, Elly's father. It was a far different place than the suburban blandness of his daughter' home. Set out side the city in a secluded patch of dense fir trees, this large stone house was more like a castle from old. Avi was the head of a very well-to-do engineering firm. His amazing understanding of physics and construction had allowed his firm to be able to cater to some of the most extreme requests for exotic architecture. The business had become an instant success. Avi had paid in cash for the land and home as soon as possible. While it was being built he had constantly monitored the project down to its tiniest detail. He had even rolled his sleeves up on several occasions to stop standing around and actually get his hands dirty again.

Avi was still carrying his grandson when the three entered his home through the large double front doors. Fritz and Ansel made themselves at home in a nearby guest room. Avi carried his grandson to the room that was specifically for him on the occasion on which the family would visit or just drop off Lucian for some quality grandpa and grandson time together. After tucking the young boy gently in he stopped to admire him for a bit and let the events of the evening finally come to his mind at last. It was time to accept facts. Of course, it wasn't like they were gone for good, he thought. If everything had gone off as planned he would be seeing them tonight once he slept. If he could sleep. He smiled as the fact that Lucian had not once woken up during the evening's events. He was as sound as he was sturdy. Avi knew that Lucian had definitely taken after Xavier in the physical sense. At the age of 3 he was already more than a bit bigger than his playmates. Still, his daughter's personality shone through the brutish physique. He was as kind as gentle as she had ever been.

Shaking his head to clear his way out of an unwanted trip down memory lane, Avi took a last look at his grandson before joining the other two men in the guest room.

Ansel had already poured a few glasses of scotch. It looked as though he was already on his second pour, as well. Fritz in the meantime was being his usual nervous self, timidly sipping at the drink and wringing the glass with his small hands. Avi picked up the untouched glass on the bar and looked around the room. Much like the remainder of the home it was set in a dark tone. The light was sparing coming only from the fireplace set just right in the center of one of the walls. The location allowed the flames to reflect amazingly well from the vaulted ceiling and strategically placed mirrors in the corners of the room. Other than a few aged-looking high-backed chairs and an over stuffed leather sofa, the furniture was also miserly. The bar itself was hardly that at all. The small serving set looked as though it could cause the old wood's collapse at any moment.

The three just stood and sat there for several minutes before Ansel finally broke the silence by clearing his throat. Fritz jerked so violently at the sound, that he almost nearly dropped his glass. Having regained his grip, his composure quickly followed suit.

"Look, I know no one wants to admit what just happened, but it _did_happen. What is our next step Avi? You've been at the head of this plan since we found out that there were some of the enemy somehow still in this realm. Xavier put you in charge here as well as Zorandor if, and that's a BIG if, anything went wrong. And nothing went wrong! Right, Fritz?"

The big man looked over at Fritz and the squeamish fellow suddenly perked up and began to go over the details of his findings during the event.

"You see, it's all very simple. The two had been in the dreaming stage of sleep for at least an hour before we left. My device, which monitors brain activity but is only attuned to certain abnormal types of activity, namely, the type of brain waves determining that they had indeed left the corporeal reality we know here. Therefore, without a doubt based upon time taken, heart rate at said time of traveling event, as well as the deepness of their breathing all comes together as a simple, yet complex, determination....", the words withered away under the confused look that Ansel had plastered on his face.

"Yes, you dolt, they arrived in Zorandor at least an hour before we even started to leave the house. As far as I can tell, all went well."

Avi finished what was left in his glass and reached for the bottle for another drink.

"Very well then, we proceed as though this stage of the plan has went off without error. Where...", he left off and looked to where his hand was still reaching for a bottle only to find that it was not there. He quickly turned to Ansel who, sure enough, had grabbed the scotch before he could even think about getting a refill. His friend did however pour the older man a good portion before replacing the cap and setting it on the table for Fritz to take another, whenever that might be. It looked as though not a bit had disappeared from his glass. He really wasn't a drinker.

"Ahem," Avi began again, "Again, at this stage everything is assumed to be going in the correct order. Xavier and Elhaym should have safely made the transition between planes and arrived in Zorandor. This will keep them from Asmodeus' radar for some time hopefully so that the king's plans will be the most secure and unpredictable where we need them to be, namely, the front lines."

Looking to Ansel, Avi's face took on a severe cast as he maneuvered swiftly into the familiar role of leader and tactician. "Your sheriffs are informed and aware of the information to report and document concerning tonight's activities, correct?"

The big man nodded, "Yep. All media coverage, what little there will be once the story of a gas leak spreads, will be kept at bay. The lil one was with you at the time of the incident. Any and all enemy casualties will be dealt with in the most discreet and appropriate manners."

"Good. Fritz, you and Ansel will be returning to your own abodes shortly. As soon as you return I want you in contact with all of our eyes and ears as possible. Tonight was to appear as a victory to Asmodeus and his vermin. I want to make double-sure that they're damned positive it was. Other than that, you get to sleep and to Zorandor asap. Same goes for you Ansel. I will be handling the care and transport of Lucian starting tomorrow until the final details are taken care of with Bacchus."

Avi could tell that noone, especially Ansel, was in the mood to go to sleep, but both knew the importance of returning with haste. If their rulers had not safely transferred their souls then things were about to get extremely complicated.

Ansel looked at the carafe of whiskey with a fair amount of longing, but in the end he placed his lass upside down on the bar, signaling that he at last was ready to continue on with the task at hand.

Fritz stood up at last and did the same with his now empty glass.

The sadness in the three's eyes reflected a much deeper fury, embodied in the dancing flames crackling in the fireplace. They exchanged their goodbyes. Ansel and Fritz left out the door. With a barrage of clicks and whirs, Avi shut the door behind them and silently strode to the room where his grandson was still quietly sleeping. As he stood there, watching the quiet rising and falling of the boy's breath, his resolve began to fail as the burden fell upon his shoulders.

At first, his hand began to tremble against the door frame that it rested upon. Then, all strength left his knees and he fell, careful as he could be to muffle the sound of his knees striking the hard floor. He blinked his eyes against the tears that tried, and succeeded to come. He tried his hardest to cling to his facts and signs that she had made it, but without knowing for sure all his walls came down.

Avi knelt and wept quietly in the doorway as he clasped his hands and opened up his inner self to the pain he feeling. It washed over him in a torrent of rage and sadness. But he was not unaccustomed to the pangs of grief. He sought the shining light beyond the darkness that sought his heart and grasped onto the hope that his dear Elhaym was waiting for him. As the light consumed his fears he finally began to whisper a prayer into the dark, unforgiving nite:

"Almighty One, you have led me this far into a war not only for us, but the lives of our brethren you taught us to see as our own flesh and blood. Although they have forgotten us, we remember the rites and laws set forth from the beginning of our exile from your Holy place. Let this now be a part of this fight, and right with your all-seeing view upon us. Please, see my grandson through the battles he shall now face without the ones who should have raised to be the warrior for you we wanted. Guide him to see what you have made him and realize your Commandment to the fullest. Amen."

His prayer finished, he at last wiped the final wet from his eyes and rose. A smile crossed his face and he gave one last look to Lucian, his grandson, the hopeful retainer to the crown of Zorandor, and walked out the bar for a last drink.

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