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Skan bade Kitra farewell at the edge of the forest and wasted no time in getting back to the Guild. Dawn was approaching, and Skan yawned. It was no use going back home, he'd just snatch a few hours of sleep in his room at the Guild. When he got there, the Guild was still quiet and dark, but lights were on dimly, and a few early risers would whisper him a good morning. If Skan answered at all, it was by a glare. He was tired, and the adrenaline of battle that kept him up had worn away.
As soon as Skan entered his room, Raptor squeeked a greeting at him and leaped up to perch on his shoulder. He only made it half way up his arm, but Raptor grabbed on my his sharp claws and scrambled up to Skan's shoulder. Skan sighed.
"One day, you're going to start flying, little guy!" Skan stifled a yawn, and Raptor jumped off Skan's shoulder to land on the pile of pillows. Skan threw his coat to the side, and Raptor scurried into it, using it as a blanket. Skan setled down in his chair and quickly nodded off. But it was only a half hour later that Skan was awakened by a quick rappping at the door.
"Sir, you had better see this!" said someone with a Russian accent.
Skan yawned and snatched his coat. Raptor, also tired, hissed at him and scurried under all the pillows. Skan understood completely, but ignored him. Skan pulled on the coat grumpily, and the knocking came again.
"I'm coming, damnit!" Skan snapped. He opened the door, scratching his side. "What!?"
The man there, Skan recognized him as a mechanic named Nalsean, swallowed and scratched a small, Amish like black beard. "Um, and emmisary from Bart's Company is here..."
Skan hurried past him, and Nalsean quickened his pace to show him the way. Skan tightened his grip on his vermillion whips. He couldn't possible bluff his way, like with a gun, and he may actually have to do battle, however much he hated it. But Skan promised himself he wouldn't be bossed around.
There were three emmisaries, dressed in the uniform green and gray of Bart's Company. Also there was Nisemeisho, exchanging glares with the three men. Skan nodded a greeting to Nisemeisho and turned to the emmisaries.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"Skandranon Rashkae Erreden, you have attacked our base and are held responsible for the deaths of seven men. And you have stolen what is rightfully ours!"
"I challenged that base, to take over in a contest of comabt. I succeeded. All deaths are therefore justified, and all items in that small particlar region were ous for the taking." Skan said coolly.
The emmisary turned red with rage. "You had no right to-"
"I had every damn right!" Skan roared. Everyone except Nisemeisho flinched, even the emmisaries. His anger of the dead woman, losing to a pack of were wolves and needed rescuing, and lack of sleep all exploded at once. "That base was mine months ago!! Until your damn company snatched it away! Stealing from a small new company. Like taking candy from a baby! Have you no pride?! I-"
Skan was cut off by the emmisary hitting him in the jaw. Skan was knocked down, but before he did, Nisemeisho moved like a blur. In the same motion, he rapped an emmisary on the head with the staff of his naginata and kicked the other in the stomack. They both went down, but Nisemeisho never stoped moving. Still in the same move, he whirled around and grabbed the person who had hit Skan by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the wall. "You had better not do that again! Ever!"
Skan sat there for a moment, rubbing his jaw and composing his anger. Your anger slips, and this kind of thing happens. "Temper, temper," Skan muttered, standing up, either to himself or the emmisary. He wasn't sure.
"How appropriate, 'Emmisary of Bart', but a little barbaric, don't you think? Do you want to talk, or would you rather arm wrestle?"
Still held against the wall by Nisemeisho, the emmisary glared at Skan for a while. Then he knocked Nisemeisho's hands away and pointed an accusing finger at Skan.
"We know you have the map, Erreden! The Zodiac Stones are ours, do you here me? OURS!! There's more than one map, you know. We will be there, at this weekend, and if you are also there..." the emmisary walked away a few steps. He roused his friends who groggily joined him with, glares at Nisemeisho. "...just remember that we cannot fight over a find!"
Skan wasted no time, he held a meeting direcly after that. He was no longer tired, excitement fueled him. All of the major staff were there, with the exception of Densetsus Lumina, who was expelled for not attending any meetings.
Skan stood up from his seat at the end of the table, to quiet everyone, and all the noice dissapeared as the staff looked up at him expectantly. Skan sat back down.
"You all may have heard this morning, an emmisary of Bart's Company came." Skan began.
"You mean he hassled and assaulted you!" cried out Zanial Triance, slamming a fist against the table. "We should sue the heck out of them!"
"I, for one, agree," said Geodar Leara. His face made stone look soft, it seemed chiseled from rock. "But instead of taking it to court, we should 'challenge' them for more 'land'. We are strong enough, now!"
"No," said Skan. "They are bigger and stronger. The only reason Bart's Company doesn't overwhelm us is purely political." Skan scratched the back of his neck, then stood up, olding his two whips straight out in front of him. "But they can have a way of destroying us without the public knowing." Skan made a motion with his fingers like a gun being shot. "The Zodiac Stones."
After a moment of disbelief, and seeing the sober and serious look on his face, everyone began gasping and murmuring to themselves. Skan held up a hand for silence.
"What are we going to do?" asked Sana Heartsong.
"Yes," said Gava Van Spilwhick, his voice think with accent, "We cannot stand up to the power of a Zodiac Stone."
Skan leaned back into his chair. "They don't have them yet."
"WHAT!?" cried out Chris Rellim, standing up and placing both hands on the table. "Then we just wait? Not knowing if or when they can kill us? We have to organize some sort of defense! e have to-"
"Nobody needs to be killed, actually, except Skan and I, and the computers destroyed to take out the Guild..." mumbled Thom, but no one payed him any attention.
Skan motioned for silence again. Everyone sat in silence, and again, the expectation was so think a knife could cut it. Skan leaned on the table, resting on one arm. "I know where the Zodiac Stones are..." he said quietly.
Much like he expected, the silense shattered. Everyone began yelling, at him and each other, in surprise, anger, wonder, and outright disbelief. Skan motioned for silence. None came. Skan shot his gun out an open window. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him in shocked silence.
"Aquarius and Pisces," said Skan. "Those two are what I've found, and they both still have the evil Lucavi in them. One of them is below the sea, the other, in the sky. I will take Thom Seladon, Nisemeisho, and Teron Blaze with me. The rest of you will stay here and gaurd the Guild, under Kanchaka Yaniar's and Geodar Leara's orders." Both Geodar, and Kanchaka, a man dressed in a heavy suit of bio armor, nodded. "If Bart's Company gets the stones before we do, it's all over. I'll need as many major staff here as possible."
Everyone looked at each other. Finally, Geodar said, "I think that may work just fine."
Zanial and Chirs nodded, and Sana said, "Yeah! Yeah, let's do that!"
Soon, a cheer was pulled up. "Skan Erreden! Erreden! The Engineers Guild! The Engineers Guild!" , and not even Skan's motions for silence could quiet them.