The Land: Anarchy

Chapter 24: Grim's Rebels

They had walked for hours and were now at the entrance of the lost forest. It was a game of cat and mouse for them and the kingdoms. They had to pass the cities that were now taken over by the kingdoms. Keeping a low profile and with many connections that Grim had, they made it to the lost forest. Zuno knew that he was forbidden to enter the lost forest ever again. The feliones feared his power.

"Ehm sorry Grim? I made a pact that I shall never return to this place ever again." Zuno kindly warned Grim.

"Not to worry Zuno, Zyx should be here in a few moments. He shall explain everything again. For what I know, you are allowed to enter this forest." Grim reassured.

They all made themselves comfortable on the entrance of the forest. To enter, they need a felione to guide their way, because they will get lost without the felione's keen sense of direction. The lost forest is protected with ancient magic, despite what Zyx had told Zuno during their first encounter. Any unwanted visitors could be sent directly to the other side of the forest or be sent to wander the lost forest forever. The feliones said that it is an illusion type of magic, the trees give out scents that enhances the spell.

After a few minutes, Zyx and his fellow feliones came. Zyx approached Zuno, "We meet again Zuno." He greeted.

"Yeah, hello Zyx." Zuno replied.

"Last time we spoke, you warned me not to come back here but just a few moments ago Grim said that I'm allowed to enter. Would you care to explain Zyx?" Zuno asked.

Zyx took deep breath, "Well, it is true that I warned you not to ever return, EVER. But circumstances decided otherwise. We are now a part of the rebel army, our minds and hearts were opened when Grim came asking for aid. Since then, we agreed to let the rebels settle here and build a base." He coughed a little. "Then, she told us that you will be a great addition to the rebels and that you can stop this war and end all suffering. I personally disagree, but the decisions Grim has made had proven to always be the best options for us to take. So yes, now you are allowed back here.", Zyx hesitatedly explained.

"Alright then, that is settled. Let's head in." Grim said. They entered the lost forest. The number of men and women had joined from all over the land. They were not proper soldiers, just civilians who wanted to make a difference. Zuno, Wize and Sam stayed in the same tent. Zuno was called to Grim's tent. Arya, Grim, Zyx and Jennifer were already there. The people looked at Zuno as if he was a ghost, everyone knew that he was a shadow summoner. Somehow they feared him but also at the same time placed their hope on him.

"Glad you can join us Zuno." Grim said.

"Uhuh yeah, I'm glad too." Zuno replied. "What are we looking at?" He pointed at the map.

"This is the map of the Land Without Borders. This is where we will make our strike and free the cities and villages again." Grim declared.

"If I may ask, well I'll ask anyway. When we get the cities free again from the kingdoms, how are we going to prevent them from coming back?" Arya wondered.

"They are at war with each other, they wouldn't want to create another front to their war. Once we make them leave, they'll leave us alone. At least that's what I hope." Grim answered.

"Now, however we must train our people so we can take back our cities. Let's go and train our men shall we. Now I know that Arya is excellent with archery, Wize is glorious in sword fighting and Jennifer is extraordinary in magic. We'll make them in charge of training and I guess Sam should assist Jennifer while Zuno will just watch." Zyx advised.

"Hey! I can help...ish." Zuno insisted.

"Calm down, Zuno will assist me on recruiting more people from cities. Am I right?" Grim asked.

"Yeah, I guess." Zuno agreed.

They all agreed to their plans and so the hard training time began. The camp had a lot of civilians and just a number of mages. No knights or archers joined them. Wize cleared a part of the camp to make a little arena, Arya took some of the people further in the forest to practice archery and Jennifer created a forcefield around a small area in the camp. The rebels had few weapons so they had to take turns when practicing, except mages, they don't need equipments. Zuno was getting ready to go with Grim to recruit more men and women. Grim would also take Zyx and two felione to accompany her.

"Ready?" Grim asked.

"Yep, let's get this done." Zuno was thrilled. He now wore a fresh set or armors and a new longsword. This time he wore a red cape with no symbol. "So, where are we headed?" He asked.

"The city just next to us, Floran City. This time we'll make a mess and make sure to leave an impression on them." Grim was all fired up. She wore her black outfit with two swords on her back and two daggers on her thighs. For Zyx and the feliones, it is the first time they ventured out of the woods since the start of the war.

They ventured out of the lost forest. Zuno was swinging his sword right and left bragging his new weapon.

"You're going to kill someone if you keep doing that." Zyx advised.

"Ehm, that's kind of the point wielding this sword." Zuno answered in sarcasm.

Zyx shook his head and giggled. The feliones were a bit worried about what lies ahead and how the people will react when seeing them for the first time. But they know it is the step they needed to take.

"Alright men, get your head straight, we're entering the city." Grim warned.

They were now at the gates of Floran City. Ravenrock musketeers were seen on the walls and Landships could be heard patrolling the city. Ravenrock wouldn't just let anyone inside the city.

They all ready up and prepared to fight their way in if necessary, "Here we go." Grim said as took a long deep breath.