Strengthening The Army!

The battle had ended and the stars twinkled in the dark sky. We had killed the King's brother. If Jalaar hadn't been too angry till now, he would surely be after this.

Cryopter's body seemed to melt inside the ground, the same land he could once control. Maybe that is nature's way of revenge. It will take away your talent if you misuse it.

Amanda pulled out Blizzard and kept it back into her scabbard. I found Oliver at a distance, on top of his hermit, sending people to a safer place. Xavier had stopped firing from above and soon landed to check up on the update. Mark came to us using Quester from a destroyed structure. The land had been totally wrecked but everything was now under control. Scared citizens came out of their hiding places. Thankfully, only the first few buildings of the town were destroyed and the destruction hadn't spread to the entire region.

I saw the students of the Variaries clan helping the people. According to Amanda, they had helped a lot before Oliver and I had arrived. I looked at Master Polwern. He smiled and I walked up to him. "Let us talk in the Variaries Headquarters." He said and went off. I waited for the others.

After a few minutes, we made our way to the Variaries clan gate. Of course we needed to say the obvious password again. "Hail Variaries." Mark declared and the gates flung open. We were allowed inside. The students were staring at us. No one moved an inch as we entered the headquarters.

I led the others directly into the house and inside was Master Polwern sitting in his usual position. He sat on his knees which according to them, tested their patience and skills. That may answer why I never sit on my knees. Master Polwern looked at us smilingly and raised his hand, a sign for us to sit.

All of us sat silently. Something about this place felt different. Whenever I entered this area, I felt an urge to be silent. That was how Master Polwern had raised his headquarters here. "I am glad you DELTAs came. Without you, defeating Cryopter would have been impossible." Master Polwern expressed his gratitude. Xavier immediately replied, "Please don't thank us. We are the reason the monster entered the town in the first place. He was tracking us to kill us."

"That doesn't matter." Master Polwern said. "I have heard that King Jalaar's army is starting to reform. It will not take long before the King himself awakens. There's no stopping that now. All we can do is to prepare for the future." The students around us looked a little tense the moment they heard the word King Jalaar. Funny it was that I was the guy's son.

Then Master Polwern looked around with a worried look. His voice cracked in between but he continued. "I don't see Lily present here. What happened to her, Blaze? Where is she?" The more I heard Master Polwern's worried voice, the greater the guilt felt. I just wanted to break the bad news to the clan and run away, never to be seen again.

I hesitated, "Uh, Master. Li-Lily… she… she was a brave warrior." I announced. Everybody around looked like a lightning bolt had just struck them. Thankfully, they didn't kill me immediately. Amanda continued, "She sacrificed her life to kill Raptor. Raptor died and the ceremony had almost stopped. But then we came to know that Raptor had got a boon due to which he could relive after his first death." As she narrated the tale, she looked around to see the students' reaction. "Because of Lily's brave sacrifice, we can now kill Raptor the next time we meet him and he will be dead."

Master Polwern's face was hard to read. He had got a shock for sure. But a lot more expressions were seen. Lily was like his daughter. Losing her had sent him in trance.

I decided that he needed time to think straight and hence, got up. I told everyone to go outside and give him some time. Once everyone was out, I said, "We have come here seeking your help. They took away your daughter. And I know that you want to retaliate. That is why we came here. We need your army's strength, Master. Think about it for some time." Saying so, I closed the door, letting him be alone for as long as he wished.

After about ten minutes, the doors opened. The students, who were sitting on the floor, looking at the rising Saphrop, got up. Everybody became alert. Sounge was also present there. From inside came Master Polwern. He had a serious look on his face. "The Variaries Clan will help the DELTAs in the upcoming war. We will fight for Darknor!" He yelled and raised his hand. The students cheered for him and all around, praises of him was heard. Master Polwern had managed to put aside the bad news and was ready to face King Jalaar's army. Though old, I could tell that he was still a brave warrior. He had his usual wooden stick that he carried with him.

Then he raised his club towards North, the direction of Stilton town and announced, "The Abandoned Palace of Mysteries – that's where the battle will be held. That is what the legend tells. We shall march there and fight till our last breath on the day of war. We all are the fortunate ones to be an instrument in the greatest battle that will be held in the history of Darknor. Feel yourselves lucky for the opportunity you all have got." Master Polwern explained for which he got even more cheers and applause.

Dang, the man knew how to give speeches. All the DELTAs looked happy about Master Polwern's decision. "Master, that settles it. You are coming with us to the DELTA Headquarters. It's our time to show our territory now." Oliver cheered. Master Polwern laughed but I knew he was faking it. After such news about Lily, none of us were ready to take on King Jalaar but forced ourselves to.

The students went on to pack their bags. Till then, I took a walk with Master Polwern. We were roaming the whole Headquarters. As we did, I confessed, "Master, I am sorry. I feel guilty about what happened to Lily. I was standing closest to her but was too awestruck by her bravery to realize that I too needed to help. By the time I came to my senses, it was all over." Master Polwern stopped walking and looked at me. He smiled and said, "As I said, child, this is going to be the greatest battle of the Darknorian history. And in war, people die. Even the brave ones. I am proud of Lily that she learnt to sacrifice. It was because of you DELTAs that she became what she could never become. She learnt to sacrifice – to think less of herself and more of her allies. She learnt one of the greatest lessons before going." I could see tears in his eyes. "She was the best child I could ever wish for. I am sure that even while dying, she thought about war. And if I cannot help you in the war, I am not capable of being called as her father."

He was about to break down when Xavier arrived. "Guys, everything is set. Master, your students are ready. This time, we will win." He said. And so, the Variaries clan joined us in our j