07-11-2016, 07:35 PM
"Thank you." I say to him, hoping he understands, touching my lips to his open hand before we are walking again. Walking, I'm so tired. I just want to sleep but I follow him, because he had asked me too and because I would have anyways. I had to make sure Grumble was safe, that was what I was supposed to do.
We leave out of a different door, my eyes roving looking for anything that might be out of place even here deep within this fort that he had created. Of course he had created it, Grumble could do anything. Except, wait, he still didn't even know this tiny little man's name. "What would you want me to call you?" And Grumble only pauses a moment in our steps before we are walking. "Master is fine for now pet." And so I would. He was Master.
That first night I welcome myself to bed, sleeping much longer than I felt like I should have. Magic and fighting had worn me out and I didn't wake up until two days later, the morning. I jerk awake, practically panicking from whatever dream or thoughts that I had already forgotten. I look around for Grumble, glad that he was still asleep for the morning and gather myself up to my legs. I am steady and sure, no signs of weakness or fatigue and even then as I look at my young self I know that I cannot finish protecting him like this.
So I grow myself and it is painful, speed aging me that extra year that it takes to grow more fully into my body. To reach what is considered adulthood. I would grow myself more, age myself more maturely into my body but Master wakes up and I am immediately at his side. "What a nice surprise darling. Did you do that for me?" I can only nod and smile. "Of course, I could not protect you in that smaller body. This way I will be able to protect you to the fullest." And this makes him smile that little smile of his. "Very well, we have things to do." He is up and work begins.
He is brainstorming different ideas to protect the fort more fully. "What if we dig pits in the ground and add a few nasty animals in there for any ground troops? And we can place pockets of electricity in the sky that look like clouds for anything that might be in the air." Grumbles nods and goes about adding deep pits in the ground, filling it with all manner of nasty creatures. One holds no bottom, only a large mouth of a large forgotten worm. Another holds a large scorpion hidden just barely underneath a small layer of dirt. And then in yet another, there is a creature with bat ears and fangs, but hands and scaly skin. It lingers in one of the crevasses that Grumble has put in there for seemingly safe places to hide. Some even hold regular old stakes and other things that would impale or maim.
The clouds in the sky shift and camouflage themselves to match the sky. They match seamlessly so that anything that might fly through them die instantly. I watch as a flock of birds fly into it and fall down into the lake that acts like a giant moat around it. "What about water creatures for the moat?" And then Grumbles is adding creatures, thick sea dragons and large squids. Things that shouldn't coexist peacefully but they are because they are Master's. And then for that day we are done and I'm sleeping lightly in Master's room with him, my senses on high alert for anything that might be coming.
I can feel it, an itch between my shoulder blades that says something is brewing but for now I merely concentrate on fortifying the castle. I will learn to fly today so I might look over the fort better.
I wake early, leaving an unintelligent clone in my place while Master still sleeps. I leave it there to protect, to watch, and to send me a call should anything happen or Master wakes up. I am fairly confident so far that all will be well, that itch hasn't gotten any worse and I'm sure that that instinctual warning system is correct. So I find myself taking small jumps, gathering my wings and gliding my way down. Each one a little higher, until I can flap my wings once, and then twice. Until I'm flapping my wings and I'm not falling. I stay steady as I hover and feel some of my muscles scream in protest but I wing myself higher. It is tough work and I feel the sweat beading itself up across my body. I am careful to stay away from the spots I know the magical electric balls roam. I look over our fort, see a few places that we can make the defenses much better before winging back down to Master.
He was awake, just waking up my clone informs me before I vanish him away. Master eyes me and I explain. "I was learning to fly Master. I did not want to leave you alone and unguarded." I say despite the few other minions he had around that were going to serve as cannon fodder for the Trouble that was brewing.
"The walls, Master, they are weak. They should be reinforced with steel and we should add something to the outside that will make it so that anything that touches them is eaten by the wall. Then all will see their faces carved in horror...." "Bloodthirsty little beast...I rather like that idea." And I smile and watch as tiny beads of steel find their ways into the cracks and crevices of the rock, reinforcing them in no pattern, just whatever chaotic way was possible. There was no time to be straight and narrow, to take down the walls and start all over. Then I add glowing red magic to it. "You, attack the outside of the wall." I say to a small goblin who immediately does as I ask. Perks you see of being Master's favorite. The goblin takes a sword and exits the fort to go and start attacking the wall like he was an enemy. Just like that his hand sticks as he tries to climb first and then he is hacking at it with his sword. Too soon his screams are swallowed up as his body is eaten by the wall. A blurry image of his screaming face is soon seen carved into the rock. "Excellent." I smile.
Another night comes that I spend learning to fly better. I fly with some armor, fly without. I learn to do tricks and all manner of things to make myself more agile, to be better in the air. I must do all I can to keep Master safe.
And then dawn breaks and I can feel the itching between my shoulder blades tighten into an uncomfortable tingling. Soon, they will be here soon. "Master....it's going to happen soon." And he nods. "Ah yes, I imagine so." So another day is preparing the Fort, making it less a Fort and more of a Fortress. We add metal barbs to the top of the walls, making it practically impossible for anyone to climb or get anywhere near the outside of the walls. Inside I add shadow hounds, wickedly impossible beasts to control, that is if you are anyone except for Master who calls them to heel easily. They have their orders to protect and kill any that try to attack. They whimper and whine, but melt back into the shadows and wait...wait. I add minotaurs to the ranks, swelling them with numbers and brawn. Perhaps adjusting their genetic makeup a little bit to include intelligence to it as well.
We add more things to the sky, dragons that lay, ready to attack on each of the five towers. One of each species. A red fire dragon, a blue water dragon, a green earth dragon, a yellow air dragon and then a giant purple-black mind/spirit dragon. A smile curls my lips, imagining the attack power that they alone will possess. And then tiny little sparrow-like birds with tufted cat ears and four legs and a long tail fly around landing here and there. There were swarms of them around that would attack as well and maim.
And that night I sleep but before Master and I settle down in the fort, I do one last fly over, dropping a large dome over us all that add one more layer of protection.
Dawn breaks and I am already awake, that tingle between my shoulder blades painful. "Today." I murmur, and am sure that today will be the day. I am going to wake Master when the roaring of something outside makes me turn and I go, galloping outside. It's a roaring mass of blackness on the horizon and I can feel Master's hand on my shoulder. "They are here."
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