King of Days: The Veiled Guardians

19. Intervention

Karíto and the Orou were fully armed and ready for combat, only a few days of practice had passed, but he was told that the time was at hand. Each member had their own specific armor and weapons. Levour had a staff with a claw on one end and something like a fist on the other. He wore chainmail with some cloth and a hood. Joseph had full platemail which was black and had some cloth over it, crowning his head was a mask like an ox. He wielded a large two handed sword. Daniel had a chainmail mixed with leather, he had two hook like swords. Ben had claws for weapons and a knife in each shoe, over his armor he had what looked like black wolf fur. Nathan wore robes that seemed to glimmer and sway in the moonlight, yet they somehow also retained a dark color. He bore a half-moon knife and a sword. Radcliff had chainmail with black robes that made him look like a tree at night. He wielded a polearm with steel on the ends, in which a whip could be attached. He also had different throwables like leaf shaped projectiles and other things that caused the opponent to trip. Erik had armor that was both leather and chainmail, he bore two mallets and spiked shoes. Simeon had black platemail and a helmet that looked like that of a knight, he bore a spiked shield and a scythe. He also had on his arm a crossbow-like construct that shot quills. Sabu Goulu had wavy robes over his platemail that seemed to move separately from him. He bore a large two handed mallet that had a spike on the end. Tali wore black leather with no swaying parts, he had a mask covering his eyes underneath his hood. He bore a recurve bow that only he could pull back, and on his side a short sword. Jude wore chainmail that looked like scales and some swaying robes. He had a javelin and a spear with a complex blade, half of it was a normal blade, while the other was jagged like a saw. Last of all Karíto had chainmail covered with black robes and he bore two swords, one was his fathers, while the other one he had chosen from the armory.

The Orou moved through the night to the place Karíto had seen on top of the stronghold. They ran and jumped through the dense woods, like insects or spirits without bodies. He felt sluggish and inexperienced like his first days as a knight. He figured there would be a learning period, but he hated how slow he was learning. Karíto became fixated on his inability when his foot missed a branch, which caused him to fall and tumble to the ground. Embarrassed and frustrated he looked up into the murky void of night. He felt as if a hand was reaching out to him, so he reached out for it. The moment the hand grabbed him things became clearer. It was Sabu Goulu, he must have heard Karíto fall, but Karíto had not talked to him much, if at all.

"I know what you are thinking." Sabu said in his deep booming voice. " You think that I heard you fall, but you already fell when you gave into your frustration, that is what I heard."

Karíto dusted himself off and grumbled. "What, I can't be frustrated as an Orou?"

Sabu broke off a branch that was in front of Karíto "You can be, just don't hold onto it, it makes you blind and your decisions unclear. Breath and let it pass" Karíto closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, he felt a calming power. The power felt similar to that of Jude's when he had visited him on the day he became a personal knight.

He opened his eyes and the world became alight, hues of green, blue and yellow flooded his world. "What is this?" He said breathlessly.

Sabu smiled a big and radiant smile. "This is one of my powers, the night how it really is, it is not very dark now is it?"
Getting to the cave seemed like a dream, or a quick thought, now that he could see. All of the Orou stood outside of the cave, weapons drawn and faces covered, they moved into a W like configuration. Karíto looked inside the cave and it seemed like a black void, like a night with no moon or stars. He felt a chill run up his spine, as a soft screech reverberated from the cave. He looked to the other men, they stood silently waiting for a command, but no words came. Moments later, like a whisper in his ear, or a thought in his mind, words came that were not his own. "Courage brothers, hold fast to your instruction and rely on the One that sent you. We know not what the enemy is like, but defeat shall be theirs nonetheless. Victory is assuredly ours..." There was a pause as the men gathered themselves then Simeon spoke plainly. "Let us retrieve our brother!" Simeon stood in the center with Talí next to him, bow drawn. Simeon pulled out a vial then threw it into the cave.