Author: FLIONESS Subject: Swords and Sorcery pt. 1 Posted: FEBRUARY 09, 1999 19:49 The battle was over. The Venomian air force almost completely destroyed. Totally devastated, Andrew angrily called his troops back to Venom. "Such INCOMPETENCE!" He raved. "Why can't I get some decent troops??! If that fool O'Donnell hadn't betrayed me..." He looked up at all the generals who stared at him blankly. Groaning inwardly, he stepped out of the room. ~Time to take another approach.~ He thought to himself. --------------------------------------------- "WhiteClaw, this is Chamille in LightFire, Requesting permission to dock." "Of course you may dock," Katt replied into her comm-unit. Minutes later, Chamille stepped into the control room, where her friends greeted her and debriefed her on the situation. "I see we've had some excitement," she commented. She then frowned nervously. "Look, guys, There is something I have to show you." Her friends stared at her blankly. Chamille gulped, then opened the automatic door. Her friends' jaws dropped. "Wolf..." Katt hissed quietly. "I see you remember me, Katt." Wolf replied calmly. Not bothering to speak to Wolf again, Katt turned to Chamille. "What is HE doing on my ship?" she snarled. Chamille shrugged nervously. "He...was going to die..." she explained. "So he deserved it!" Katt growled. "He's NOT on Venom's side, KATT!" Chamille snapped back. "He wants to become a Cornerian again!" "That may be true, Lieutenant," Katt replied, "but he must still pay for his past crimes. He's not like you. You never did anything wrong before you came to the side of Lylat. HE has. He has murdered several...he tried to rape me..." Wolf winced, placing his hand over his eyepatch. "Yeah, well I think he payed enough for THAT ONE when he lost an eye." Chamille continued. "Just give the guy a CHANCE..." Katt glanced at Flia, Perria, and Alton. "What do you think?" She asked them. They each shrugged, having no clue as to what to do. Finally, Katt sighed resignedly. "Very well," she said. "I will allow Wolf to stay with us. However, he must remain in a holding cell until we go back to Corneria. Once we are there, I will leave him to General Pepper." Her friends nodded in understanding, and even Wolf seemed pleased. "Come on, big guy," Chamille said, leading Wolf to his cell. "Better get you settled in for the night." --------------------------------------------- "I live to serve Your Majesty," An old mandrill woman, wearing a dark cloak and carrying a staff, bowed to Andrew Oikonny. He nodded to her. "Makita," Oikonny began, "what wizardry can you do to make Lylat mine? What secrets can you tell?" "Sire," the witch replied, "The way to rule Lylat is to gain the favor of but a small piece of it. I have learned of a way to do this..." "What is it?" Andrew inquired. "How do I do it??" "Well, Sire, it began long ago. There was once a planet in a far away galaxy called Leonias. It was inhabited by a species of lion, called Leols, which bore hidden wings. This planet was ruled by King Reynold deLeon, who had a son, Leonardo deLeon. Now, when the little prince was just a boy, their planet was destroyed by a giant meteor. The king sought refuge at Corneria, where he became a Cornerian Diplomat. "However, unknown to the rest of the universe, many of the Leols fled Corneria, wishing to have their own kingdom back. They possess a colony...their "kingdom"... on an unknown island in Aquas. They call this kingdom New Leonias, and hope to once again have a planet of their own. "The former Prince Leonardo's nephew now reigns as king, however they wish for the true king, Leonardo himself, to once again rule." "How does this help me?" Andrew asked impatiently. "You shall see," Makita replied. "The true king, Leonardo, has a daughter. Perhaps you have heard of her...Flioness deLeon...?" Andrew's eyes lit up. "Yes...she is a member of that infernal Claw Squadron..! What is your plan?" Author: FLIONESS Subject: Swords and Sorcery pt. 2 Posted: FEBRUARY 15, 1999 20:12 "ERG!" Perria groaned as Katt pinned her to the ground. "You REALLY need to practice," Katt gloated. "Give?" "Yeah, give," Perria snarled, muttering a few Spanish words under her breath. Katt chuckled as she glanced at Chamille. "Your turn, Chamie," she giggled. Chamille stared at her with contempt. "You know I hate hand-to-hand," she replied. "Can't I have another round of target practice instead?" "No," Katt answered her. "Hand-to-hand and swordplay are necessary if you are to be a good asset to this team." Chamille groaned and began the match against Flia. --------------------------------------------- "Entering Aquan Air Space," The reptilian soldier reported to his master. "Very Good, Caiman," Andrew replied. "Time to put our plan into action. Are you ready Makita?" The old witch merely smiled and cackled evilly. Andrew smiled at her response. "To... 'New Leonias'." --------------------------------------------- After several matches, Flia pinned Alton to the floor. "AGH!" He growled. "Give?" Flia asked in a mockingly sweet voice. "Give!" Alton snarled as Flia helped him up. "You know, I LET YOU win that one." Flia stared at him. "Oh REALLY?" She asked. "Yeah, REALLY," Alton replied. "You're not much more than a cub, Princess." Flia blinked in surprise. How did he know? Flia being in a daze for the moment, Alton took the opportunity to flip her over onto the mat and pin her by holding down her fists. "HEY! THAT WAS UNFAIR!" Flia roared, trying to struggle free. "Like I said," Alton gloated, "Not much more than a cub...princess." Flia blinked once again. "Um, Alton?" she stuttered. "Could I...speak with you privately...?" Alton smiled at her. "Sure," he replied as they walked out of the room. "Oooooooooooh...." their three friends giggled after they left. --------------------------------------------- "Alton," Flia began, "What is going on?" Alton stared at her confusedly. "What do you mean, Flia?" he asked. "Is something wrong?" "No..." the lioness answered. "It's just that...what's with the 'Princess' nickname?" "Oh that," Alton replied. "Well, it's true, isn't it? You're the daughter of Leonardo deLeon. Aren't you a princess?" "No I'm not," Flia answered him. "I have no kingdom, Alton. How can I be a princess?" "I dunno," he replied, sighing. "Wait," Flia said suddenly, "You're a Leol, aren't you?" Alton smiled and lifted his arms. Suddenly, wings emerged from the silver fur of his arms, as Flia looked on, amazed. "I don't believe it," she muttered. "I've actually met another like me..." "I know," Alton replied, smiling. "I never thought I would meet another Leol, until I learned your last name was deLeon. Then I knew...I knew in my heart that you were royalty." "God..." Flia muttered. "I wish I knew of others. But we're not allowed to reveal ourselves, Alton....the Cornerians...they don't know about us. Sometimes I feel like I'm denying who I am." She sighed. Suddenly, a robotic voice was heard coming from her comm-unit. "Urgent Incoming recording for Flioness deLeon from Corneria City." Flia sighed again as she pressed the button on her comm-unit. "Flia," a male voice spoke, "This is Dad. Mom is here with me. Honey, I don't mean to frighten you....but we're being held hostage." Flia gasped. "Several Venomian soldiers invaded our house, and are now holding us at gunpoint." Tears rushed down Flia's face as she heard the faint sound of her mother sobbing. "They want you to come down here....or...or.." Suddenly he was interrupted by a different voice, full of pure evil. "Or your family will DIE!"