War in Kalakala

Back in the cave, we trained to fight every fight like our life depends on it, that our beauty is lethal, that every part of it is a weapon, among many other things. But most importantly, never to trust anyone, not even yourself.

Rona is sitting on a rock, still in the forest, meditating, but distracted by a thought, a thought of the very place she hates the most, a place she wishes never to return to, home. She remembers being in the midst of her sisters (moonwalkers), being taught a lesson, a lesson to ignore pain, to draw strength from it. In her remembrance, she's beaten down, weak, unable to move any part of her body, except her eye lids. And then, their master, Onelo comes to her front, and pours a cup of water on her face. She squats, close to Rona and whispers to her,

" The world out there isn't lovely, it isn't made for your skin or tenderness. It is my job to condition you to adapt to the world you're born into. The pain is only temporary. Soon you'll begin to enjoy it."

After saying this, Onelo takes another cup, but this time containing alcohol, and pours it on her, increasing her pain as soon as the liquid touches her bruised skin. She cries out aloud, and then passes out. She remembers this ordeal, and opens her eyes, finding a black mamba staring directly at her. Rona stares directly into the snake's eyes and smiles as she speaks,

" Hello friend. I see you've come to keep me company."

Black mamba, a snake capable of killing a person with a venom that acts in less than fifteen minutes. Rona isn't scared of this snake, she's comfortable with it. Show me your friend and I'll tell you who you are. For her, a fellow snake is in front of her, and she won't bite.

KALAKALA KINGDOM:

A teenage boy, Kiri is by a river, trying to catch fish, accompanied by his elder sister, Yunu, who's trying to amend a fishing net.

" Hurry up would you Yunu, the sun isn't gentle on my skin at all."

" I'm the one supposed to say that Kiri, not you, I'm the lady here."

" Say what? The hurry up part or the skin part?"

" Never mind and pass me the knife."

" And what's your plan? Cutting a hole through the net for better fishing?"

" Stop being stupid and pass me the knife."

Kiri passes his sister the knife and walks away from shore.

" Where are you going Kiri?" she asks as he replies

" To the bush, I need to take a piss."

Yunu hisses to this and smiles a little, looking at a necklace on her neck she had recently acquired, a gift from one of her admirers, the one she tends to have soft spots for too. And then, she hears a whisper from behind and turns, seeing a handsome man behind a tree, beckoning for her. The young man's name is Yakoza, a warrior and hunter, the one she has fallen for. Yunu smiles and looks around, seeing her brother far from her. She sneaks away, heading to Yakoza. She gets to him and speaks as he takes her hand,

" You're here!"

" Of course my lady, I told you I would come. Was that your brother?"

" Yes."

" How about your father?"

" He's not here. He went to a palace meeting, as a result of this sudden assault of the moonwalker, Umar of Urom."

" This is serious, the moon ladies taking interest in Kalakala. This was only a warning for the king to back off from the land he's struggling for with Giso Kingdom."

" You didn't come here to discuss political problems, did you?"

Yakoza smiles and replies,

" Actually, I did. The king is planning to deploy troops to the borders to protect us from Arida invaders. It's time for their big blood ritual."

Yunu's mood changes as she replies,

" The virgin blood ritual?"

" Yes."

"

Why would men be so cruel to appease forces that claim to guide us by killing the people they guide? Will you be taken from me by this conflict?"

" I have been taken Yunu, sent to the rocky lands to defend there."

" The rocky lands? That's a very dangerous place. There are Barbarians there."

" Yes there are Yunu, but I will not be hurt. I will fight to come back to you. I will be back before you know it."

" I will be waiting for you. Keep us safe."

Yunu feels bad, upon needing to say goodbye to a man she just met, sending him off to war, one that is bound to get hotter and claim lives.

And then, her brother comes to them both speaking in anger,

" What are you doing with this man Yunu? Father warned you of him, I warned you of him."

" Isn't he your younger brother? Why let him talk to you like that?" Yakoza asks as Kiri replies him in anger,

" Mind your words Yaki, and stay away from my sister. My family will have nothing to do with one of the king's dogs."

Kiri drags his sister away from Yakoza's grip as Yakoza gets offended and speaks in rage,

" You are fueling my rage little boy."

" Please stop, Kiri, stop," Yunu says as Yakoza suddenly senses danger and tries to get both of them to be silent. Kiri doesn't get this and flames up, pushing Yakoza,

" Don't call me boy Yaki, or I'll show you how extreme I can get with my fists."

" Get down!" Yakoza says, drawing both of them down as arrows suddenly start firing towards them. Yunu gets slightly cut on the hand as three of them take cover. Yakoza is with a bow and a few arrows, and he takes a perfect position. He takes a look and sites a lot of invaders approaching. Yunu asks in fear,

" Who are those?"

" Arida mafias. They've entered our land."

" But how could they? This is nowhere near the border," says Kiri as Yakoza responds,

" They must have taken the valley. This means that....."

" My village, it must have been attacked," Yunu says in surprise as she tries to move but Yakoza holds her down.

" What are you doing? Do you want to get yourself killed?"

" My mother, she's back at the village."

" Oh no, mother!" Kiri exclaims.

" Sorry to break this to the both of you, but we cannot go back there, not now. What we can do is escape this place right now. On my signal, run like hell. Kiri, take message to the military, tell them the enemy is already in our land."

" And what will you do?" Kiri asks as Yakoza replies,

" I will stay back and learn more about these invaders, and kill a few in the process."

" No Yaki, you will die," says Yunu. Yakoza smiles and replies,

" No Yunu, I won't."

The invaders advance towards their position, lead by a furious sorcerer warrior of Arida, Gerok the mafia sorcerer. He speaks, looking around,

" I swear I saw a lady and two boys out here. Where did they go?"

His colleague and friend, Abass replies,

" The idea is to be subtle Gerok, grab a few maidens, check if they are still untouched, and bring them to Arida, and send a message to their king to intimidate them. You are not being subtle at all."

Getting closer to them, Yakoza begins to fire his arrows at the invaders, killing off a few in no time while Yunu and Kiri take to their heels.

" Kill that bush rat," Gerok commands as his mafias open fire on Yakoza. Yakoza withdraws brilliantly, going out of site, while Yunu and Kiri have gone too far to catch too.

" I think we've lost them," Abass says as Gerok replies,

" No, you've lost them. Now, its my turn."

Gerok takes out a piece of feather and spits on it, lighting it up in flames. His eyeballs turn black and he throws the burning feather forward, releasing a wave of fire that sweeps the forest. The flames catch up with Yunu and Kiri who quickly jump into a hole and take cover, while Yakoza hides behind a rock. So powerful and destructive, the actions of a mafia, part of the reason Arida military is the most terrifying in the whole of Bloodrock. Gerok smiles wickedly and speaks,

" Now boys, find me my virgins. I can already smell one not so far away."

The land of Kalakala has been thrown into chaos, with the news that mafias are close. Many maidens have gone as far as breaking their virginity the instant they heard the news. Many grip on to men, begging to advert this death penalty on their neck, but even the men are too busy running to save themselves. Message reaches the king of Kalakala, the one with the missing tongue, King Lanso, who's enraged by this. He's in the midst of his chiefs as one speaks,

" Why don't we just give them what they want? Finding virgins is not a problem."

The king speaks despite his speech not making much sense without his full tongue,

" Do you wish to die Chief Gbenga? Will you offer your daughter for this course? It is not about the virgins, it is about kissing the feet of Arida, and I will not tolerate that. Deploy all military units, active or inactive. Include our hunters, anyone who can handle a weapon."

ARIDA:

King Dilis is in his chambers, standing by his window. A maiden walks in, coming towards him and speaking,

"My king, you asked for... "

"Come in Maven, come closer. Come keep your king company. "

The maiden comes to Dilis who shows her the kingdom from a great height.

"Do you know how many years the bricks of this palace date to? It has never been dismantled, only added to. It is one of the oldest buildings in history. "

Maven speaks with a displeasing tone and mood,

"Why do you want me here? Why did you call for me? "

Dilis comes to her back, touching her hair and replies,

"I know you do not approve of my methods, but believe me when I say that I'm what's best for Bloodrock. "

"Is this what its about? Taking over Bloodrock? You can do that without killing virgins. "

"No I cannot. You must understand that sacrifices are necessary for spiritual fortification. Blood is a priceless material. Spilling it for any course draws power to the altar on which it is offered. Arida needs fortification for what's coming. "

"And what's that? The day you chop off the heads of your own people? When I told you to become stronger, I did not ask for a monster. You have become something else... "

"What I've become is the salvation of Bloodrock. Something's coming to this land, something revolutionary, capable of transforming everything about us, and putting us in extinct. Bloodrock has to be united to face this threat. "

Maven stares into Dilis' eyes in disappointment and replies,

"War does not unite. It turns good people into monsters, innocents to victims. "

"No one is good Maven, not in Bloodrock. I have sent out my forces to the ten kingdoms. It is time to shake the land, time to test the resolve of my fellow black skins. "

A maiden is on a horse, riding to an extraordinary place, a mountain, Alanor, the home of the moonwalkers. She arrives at this beautiful place, with nice luxurious structures and flowers all over, and caves around the mountain. The maiden comes to the main compound of their master, Onelo, meeting her in her living room, lecturing three young maidens.

"They will tell you that you're exceptional, make you feel exceptional. They'll manipulate you, and make you fall for their tricks despite knowing who they really are. That is the nature of men. Other maidens will fall for their tricks, but not moonwalkers. Moonwalkers take advantage of man's insatiable urge, and use it to get what they want. Now, do you understand why you three should not be seen sneaking out of Alanor to see that boy again? Next time it happens, he will be captured, and it will be up to one of you to kill him, especially you Filkri. "

The young maidens in question are terrified, and fidget as Onelo continues,

"You're afraid. It is permitted of you to fear only me, and no one else. Moonwalkers fear no one outside these mount of caves. Now, go join the others, and prepare to be punished. "

After saying this, the maidens leave while the one who just arrived speaks,

"Greetings master. "

"What is it daughter of the moon? "

"What you suspected is happening. Dilis, the new king of Arida has instigated a threat against all other nine kingdoms of Bloodrock, if they fail to provide ten virgins each for their blood ritual. "

"Interesting. Arida gets more daring with every new king it gets. "

"What will you have us do Onelo? "

"Patience Clarienta, patience. "