《Crystal Trouble.》


 Chapter 1: Thrifk

    Continuous flashes of green and purple illuminated the lower sections of the two sculptures that towered above the canopy of the forest. Thrifk soared through the darkening sky towards the eerily glowing statues. Had his wisp-form allowed him to smile, it would have cracked his face in two with complacency. Instead, the treetops below him lit up in a myriad of colors, reflecting his excitement and impatience for the ritual that would complete the installation of the artifact. The flashing statues; twisted, wicked resemblances of the Myln and the Murn were translucent at the top, gradually turning opaque towards the bottom. The colors below him flared up in excited anticipation, those statues were going to be impressive.


    The forest was quiet, all animals were long gone. Most fled as soon as the statues first crashed into the fertile soil and started to spread their corruption. Those who did not, had their shrunken, twisted and malformed carcasses covered by a fragile blanket of leaves and twigs. Skeletons of trees raised their branches towards the dim sky as if protesting the cruel exposure of their private hiding places.


    ¡°A new beginning should be heralded by death and decay.¡± Thrifk whispered to himself as his eyed the decaying trunks and rotten forest floor. He drifted towards the base of the statues. ¡°Aren''t all changes in the world brought forth by violence and fitting destruction?¡±


    The artifact seemed to shimmer in his sight, as if covered by a fine mist, sometimes materializing in thin air and then dissipating. It pulsated green and purple in the gloomy light of dawn, sending crackling forks of green and purple into the monstrous statues. Six multi-hued spheres of different sizes encircled the artifact in pairs. Each sometimes exploding in color, seeping their strength into the pulsating artifact. Thrifk puffed with pride at his magnificent handiwork and the wonderful sight, then concentrated and channeled earth, fire and water to assume his physical form. The soil, leaves and sticks underneath him flared up in bright colors then faded quickly as his body formed around his essence.


    The last part of the ritual needed control and subtlety that was hard to maintain in this esoteric form. After centuries of mastering the elements, manipulating the flows of the earth, water, wind and fire to his will, the first few wobbly steps in his body still felt peculiar. He swayed on his feet, struggling to keep his balance, but managed to stay upright. His vision blurred and moved before his eyes snapped together and formed a clear picture of the long, white finger that he held up. What a wonderful and dreadful sensation at the same time! The elemental power raged through his veins, its ecstatic power within reach of a thought. Smells of mold and decaying carcasses under the carpet of leaves fought for his attention but he quickly channeled air to stopper his nostrils. The clearing in front of him flared up in purple, then the only source of light were the crackling spheres. The inconveniences of the body were well worth the increased control and sense of ecstasy that it provided.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    With his vision clear and under control, he staggered towards the biggest of the spheres. He loved the peculiar feeling of unfamiliarity and how feeling returned to his otherwise alien senses. The sphere was twice his own physical size and contained a hulking Murn. Thrifk chuckled and the gaze of hate, anger and defiance of the Murn seemed to increase in intensity. The orb released crackling flashes louder and more often than before.


    ¡°Good. Show me that legendary rage. Show me how you want to tear me to pieces with your bare hands. How you want to strip this skin of my physical body.¡± Thrifk tapped the Murn on the forehead, raised his finger and pointed at one of the spheres. Channeling only a little of fire and wind, a small cyclone of fire slowly made its way to the smaller sphere. ¡°I wonder what happens if I hurt him¡±


    Opening his hands, Thrifk channeled a trickle more of the fire and wind and the cyclone transformed to a torrent of fire that circled around himself, then engulfed the smaller sphere in a sickly green sea of flames. The air around him shimmered as the sphere harnessed the Murns rage, then in a torrent of multicolored flashes and arcing lightnings, that power impacted the artifact. If the others were that strong, it wouldn''t take long before the artifact would be ready. Smiling, Thrifk looped the elements to keep the sea of flames from dissipating and turned himself to the second large sphere in the circle. Before long, the air buzzed with three spheres covered in water, flames and thorns while the larger spheres erupted in a constant stream of flashing crackles.


    The other Murn turned out to be as strong, one even stronger and it didn''t take long before the artifact stopped its shimmering and slowly materialized. Stars decorated the clear sky when finally, the artifact landed heavily on the soil. Waving his hand, Thrifk released the elemental loops around the spheres, then released his prisoners. They dropped to the ground motionless, but alive.


    ¡°You are here,¡± Thrifk caressed the blood red orb, with translucent white forks the surface. ¡°to witness the beginning of your society''s end. We all know these crystals have prevented your extinction. It''s an abomination, a thorn deeply driven into our souls, that you were able to cheat your way into the game.¡±


    The prisoners didn''t respond, their breathes ragged and shallow. Thrifk could see a twinkle of something in their eyes. Was it wonder?


    ¡°Though you may not know. We are the referees, we are the arbiters here and we have the final say. We should never have allowed these tools in the first place and now I found the way to undo what has been wrong for such a long time.¡± He said. ¡°A new start, for you.. A rollback before the time of ¡°Vlut and Grek. This orb is the cure to your disease. Soon your friends will realize that your salvation will be your downfall.¡±


    He channeled only a trickle of power into the orb. One by one, the chests of the Murn and Myln exploded into a thousand shards. Then, using those blood-covered shards, Thrifk started the long and delicate ritual to seal the artifact into the forest. Around him, the dead trees illumined in flashes of green and purple.

 Chapter 2.1: Battle-Twins

    The weapon almost tore itself from his grip as Skat slid across the rough stones of the sparring yard. Pain jolted through his head where the blaster had tipped his head and his vision slowly returned. His head throbbing and squinting against the bright light of the sparring yard, Skat clambered back to his feet. He reminded himself not to get blasted again. Though the weapon wouldn''t leave a wound, it would bruise everything it touched for days to come. Glima towered over him, at least a head taller than Skat, he was the example of a Myln in his prime.


    ¡°Was that all you have to offer?¡± Glima''s voice was filled with scorn, he turned around and strolled away from Skat. ¡°What happens if you get separated from Gert, huh?


    ¡°What happens if you get separated.¡± Skat mimicked at Glima''s back, then spat on the ground.


    Despite his throbbing head, he readjusted the grip on his cadazor and clumsily spun it around. A burst of laughter from the crowd reached his ears, but he maintained the spin then brought the weapon in ready position. The practice mode of the weapon allowed the wielders to spar, without the chance of lethal damage. Had the fight been serious, his head would have been disintegrated by the blasters touch. Though it was only a sparring match, the outcome had a huge influence on the graduation grade of the battle-twin rankings. He did not want to let Gert down.


    Glima his opponent whirled his weapon around, flowing from stance to stance to show off to the gathered crowd. Twirling the weapon around with ease, Glima spun around, striking at invisible enemies with incredible speed. Even though crowds gathered to laugh at Skat whenever he sparred, the crowds that Glima attracted were massive. Not for the first time, Skat wished that the battle master had chosen another opponent for him. Or that he was born with a strong physique and well developed motor skills. He had been a source of glee and vicarious shame for his peers as long as he remembered. Glima however, was everything a strong and young Myln could offer.


    ¡°That''s not gonna change anything.¡± He dismissed his thoughts about strength. It was wishful thinking. When he finished the Battle-Twin academy, he intended to stay away from hand-to-hand combat as much as he could. But for now, a short though intense humiliation would have to do. Glima always grabbed every opportunity to make fun of him with both hands, so he could afford a short breather. As expected, Glima was still showing off. He pretended to spin the cadazor around awkwardly almost dropping it, which resulted in a roar of laughter that erupted from the crowd. Even though this was the usual course of things, Skat could feel his cheeks light up. His knuckles showed white holding the cadazor as tight as he could.


    Gert turned towards him and glanced at Skat''s red face. ¡°Ignore them, Skat! Glima wants you angry. You know he likes to show how much stronger and better he is than you.¡± He shrugged.¡± You have a temper and he knows it¡±


    Annoyed, Skat whirled the cadazor around again.


    " I do not have..." He started heated as Gert slapped him gently on the back, laughing.


    "Yes, yes you do."


    He knew Gert was right, he was not going to admit it though. He gestured at Glima, who was still making fun of Skat. He strut around the sparring yard and dragged the cadazor behind him. How he wanted to wipe that self-indulgent smile of that perfect face. He really wanted to beat Glima just once. So far, he only managed to manage one out of three points in all the duels. He had never gotten close to winning an encounter.


    ¡°If only I could surprise him once.¡± Skat sighed. ¡°I might win just once if I can surprise him. The entire crowd might faint from shock.¡±


    Gert snorted. ¡°I''ve shared several ideas to do so, but you keep insisting its cowardice. I have another idea, but it might not be necessarily... safe or comfortable for you. I am sure he will not expect it at all and some might call it cheating. But if you manage to hit him, who cares?¡± He snorted again, obviously trying to refrain from grinning.


    "I''ll throw you straight at him. Full power. He won''t be able to dodge it. If you hit him hard, he might be disoriented and an easy target for the follow-up.¡± Gert smiled now, his face split open by feral smile. ¡°Woert will not be able to respond on time, instead he will charge at me, hoping to overwhelm me. After all these years at the academy, he still charges in every situation.¡±


    Skat stared at him in disbelief. Up to a few months ago, Gert always thought charges would solve everything, in every case. It had taken many beatings by smaller Murn for him to realize that the charge might not be the solution to every situation. He glanced back at Glima and considered his options. Horrendous as the idea was, continuing as always would lead to yet another humiliation. If he managed to land the hit, it might unnerve Glima enough for a chance of pace. He might be able to press his advantage this time. Tiring Glima wouldn''t work, he would be worn down and tired before Glima even started sweating. He nodded.


    ¡°Alright, let''s do this. But do it quick, before I lose my nerve. If this doesn''t work, it''s on you.¡± He readjusted his grip on the cadazor, the blaster at the tip of the weapon. ¡°Let''s get it over with.¡±


    Gert turned towards Woert and Glima and lodged his cadazor loosely into the scabbard on his back. ¡°Oi!¡± He shouted at them. ¡°Let''s get this over with right now.¡±


    Skat braced himself as Gert lifted him up with a deep grunt. He didn''t have time to question his own sanity. Gert launched him straight at Glima. He covered the distance faster than he imagined and twisted the cadazor so the blaster pointed straight at Glima''s face. The crowd gasped as Skat soared straight at a wide-eyed Glima. The weapon tore from his hands as it impacted explosively on target and knocked Glima off his feet. Skat rolled forward to absorb the impact of his landing, while Woert jumped over him to engage Gert in a wild charge. He got up and a wave of insults and out roars of disgust from the crowd washed over him. Ignoring the verbal harassment, Skat scanned the yard for his cadazor. Glima stood again and with shaking hands he touched the scorched cheek.


    ¡°You''ll pay for that!¡± Glima said, his face a mask of pure rage. He took a few steps forward towards Skat. ¡°You think such low tricks will take me down? You dirty dirty rat.. you..¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Glima stepped forward. He bumped the handle of the cadazor and almost tripped. He managed to stay upright by waving his arms. A demonic smile split his face in two as he realized Skat had lost his cadazor and it was laying at his feet. He charged.


    With no time to think, Skat dropped himself on the ground. The basher of Glima''s cadazor swooshed over his bead by inches. As soon as he hit the ground he rolled himself over and over to get out of Glima''s reach before the blaster connected. He didn''t allow himself time to see where Glima was, but instead got to his feet, to jump forward and roll again to increase the distance as much as he could. The intention was not enough, he jumped and crashed with his face onto the ground as he tried to roll. The crowd erupted with laughter as he planted his face heavily on the ground. He turned around and raised his arms to fend off any incoming attacks.


    ¡°Weak. So incredibly weak.. And lame to boot!¡± Glima sneered. The Myln along the sparring yard laughed and added their insults to Glima''s. Disdain burned in Glima''s eyes. He lowered his weapon and gestured with the basher at the cadazor that lay in the dust. ¡°Pick up your weapon, rat and let''s finish this. I''m not gonna try to chase a bunny hopping excuse of an opponent, cause he couldn''t keep track of his weapon.¡±


    As soon as Glima stepped backward, Skat sprinted towards the weapon and dove. He picked it up mid-air and rolled again to make sure he was out of distance. When he turned around to face Glima, he could barely whip the cadazor up to block a heavy sweep towards his head. The impact almost tore the weapon from his grip again, but he managed to hold on to it. Step by step, he staggered backwards under the pressure of Glima''s attacks. The shuffling of feet and heavy breathing behind him could only mean he was getting closer to the fight between the Murn behind him and that would be disastrous. He needed to find some opening, or a way out before the hulking Murn trampled him. Desperate, he threw the cadazor in an arc over Glima who just initiated a broad swipe. He ducked to avoid the swipe, then rolled forward to catch the airborne cadazor. With luck he grabbed the cadazor mid-air, then stabbed backwards with all his power. Bent forward, striking with all his power, he hit nothing but air. The heavy cadazor and the force with which he intended to strike Glima pulled him backward. He tripped and landed heavily on his ass. The weapon was torn from his hand with a loud crack, Glima has knocked hit out his hands heavily. Skat looked up, Glima''s face was contracted in a snarl, his eyes filled with contempt.


    ¡°Classy¡± Glima sneered. He smoothly spun the cadazor around, the whirring blaster aimed at Skat''s face. ¡°Given up already? After that dirty trick, I thought it might actually get interesting this time¡±


    The crowd cheered in response to Glima''s taunts. Skat''s ears rung as the cadazor exploded when it touched his forehead. A stinging jolt of pain spread from his forehead through his spine, followed by a blunt hit on the back of his head as the explosion slammed him backward. Clouds of black drifted through his vision as he got up and his head seemed ready to explode as he shook his head to regain his vision. He ignored the crowd that continued to scream and cheer, instead he shook his head and stretched his arms and legs as if warming up. He grabbed the cadazor at his feet and almost seamlessly flowed through a few of the warm-up routines. Despite his pounding head, his mind raced in circles, trying to find a way to score points against all odds. Once his vision was cleared, he straightened his back and smiled his most charming smile at Glima.


    ¡°You should have seen your face when I flew at you.¡± He widened his smile to infuriate Glima. ¡°If I didn''t know better, I though you''d soil yourself on the spot. At least you didn''t lose any arrogance in the process.¡±


    Glima''s cheeks reddened with rage and he visibly tightened his grip on the weapon in his hands. He opened his mouth to reply, but Skat forced the basher of his cadazor in a wide arc towards his head. He took one step back, dodged the basher and opened his mouth again. Before he could speak, the blaster whirled towards his head and he sidestepped that as well. Skat thrust the basher straight at Glima, who sidestepped it again and barked a laugh as he easily dodged three strikes in a row.


    ¡°Do you really..¡± Glima started, raising his cadazor.


    Panting, Skat swung the cadazor again in a wide looping blow. He expected Glima to take the single step back again. Mid-strike, Skat loosened his grip on the weapon, it slid in his hand and extended the range of the strike. If he missed, it would be over. He''d lose balance and Glima would have an easy time to finish his off. With a loud clang, the bashed dug itself into Glima''s helmet, denting the steel. Skat quickly pulled back the weapon in ready position. Glima staggered and then his knees buckled. The crowd subdued as Glima got back to his feet, his features contorted in rage and humiliation. He tore the helmet off his head and flung it at Skat, blood seeping down his face.


    ¡°You.. you maggot!¡± He shrieked, spittle flying from his lips in rage. ¡°You low life rat with your dirty tricks and your complete lack of honor. You!¡± He gestured at Skat with a disgusted look on his face. ¡°The acrobat, the tumbler and the staggerer. You have never bested me and you never will. Even with these tricks you resort to. I will crush you¡±


    His face was crimson now, his eyes almost popping out of his head. Glima was breathing heavily in his rage and seemed ready to explode. Skat second-guessed his desire to slap the self-indulgence and arrogance of Glima''s face, but didn''t have much time. Glima exploded in a whirlwind, the cadazor a buzzing blur around him. Skat blocked the first strike and another with luck, randomly flinging his weapon in the way of an incoming blow. He gave ground fast, not willing to test his luck with random blocks. Instead, he rolled away as soon as Glima initiated a heavy overhead blow that he could not block. It didn''t matter, anger and humiliation gave Glima wings and as soon as Skat got up, the basher knocked him on the side of his head. Another explosive thrust with the blaster knocked him off his feet and he fell sprawling on the ground. Slowly, his vision turned black and the sound of the crowd cheering and whistling faded in the background. Then everything went black.


    He woke up from a heavy thud on the ground next to him, he could hear the whirring of the blaster next to his ears. For the third time in mere second, agonizing pain shot through his body as the cadazor scorched his chest and knocked the air from his lungs. Fighting for breath, he heard Glima''s voice. He couldn''t make out what he said, but the tone was full of scorn. It was over. He showed his teeth as never before, but a loss was a loss and he hated losing. He wheezed heavily, fighting for a draft of fresh breath while the rest of his body twitched. He coughed when finally, fresh air filled his lungs. He took another controlled breath and settled himself on the ground to see the battle between Gert and Woert come to an end.


    ¡°That was a ballsy move.¡± Gert giggled as he settled himself next to Skat on the ground. Giggling sounded weird for such a massive creature. ¡°Too bad you landed on your backside. Next time, I suggest you check where your opponent is before putting all your power in such a move. You know, as soon as we have graduated, I think you should just stick to my shoulder, my tiny friend."


    Skat wholeheartedly agreed with that suggestion. "Did you see how angry we got Glima? I''m not sure whether he will be able to let this one go."


    "Only one way to find out." Gert chuckled.¡±Did you see Woert this time by the way? He is getting faster and stronger still, he almost had me cornered this time." He scratched his thigh where a scorched naked place indicated a connection with the blaster. "I hate it when I get hit twice on the same place."


    "Are you complaining about a little pain? How can it be that such a huge creature can be such a little girl" Skat sniggered and slapped his huge friend on the back with his flat hand. "Let''s visit the medical center before the bell rings."

 Chapter 2.2:

    The medical center was filled with Battle-Twin students and it seemed unlikely they could receive treatment before the bell that marked the next lessons rang. Both Myln and Murn filled the waiting room, many clutched burned patches of skin, or big multi-hud bruises. Skat returned the few greetings that were directed at him with half a heart. They found themselves a quiet seat in the corner of the waiting room. Skat felt satisfaction warming him from inside when he saw Woert sit on another bench across the room. A smile spread on his face, it meant Glima was in one of the treatment rooms and had a wound that needed attending. A wound that was caused by Skat. Unconsciously massaging the black, burned patches of skin on his face, he bumped Gert and gestured with his head at Woert.


    ¡°Look at that.¡± He said, the smile still on his face. ¡°I might have actually hurt that arrogant son of a.. ¡°


    He interrupted his sentence as Woert got up and in a few long strides bridged the breadth of the room. In contrast to Glima, who showed nothing but contempt, Woert was always warm and friendly to Skat. He often wondered how these two were such a good team.


    ¡°Congratulations on your almost win.¡± Woert laughed at him and sat down heavily on the already bend bench. ¡°I don''t think you managed hit Glima that often before. And in the face!¡±


    Skat smiled wider. Woert never complimented him before. The smile faded from his face when Woert looked around, then waved a large finger in front of his face.


    ¡°Glima was furious and determined to make you pay.¡± The bench wobbled up and down as Woert readjusted his seat. Again he waved his hand to interrupt Skat''s spluttering reply. ¡°I know, I know.. he has made more fun of you than you can ever do to him. But he feels like that.¡±


    ¡°It''s funny. You guys are so small, but your pride is so big.¡± Woert grimaced at Gert and then held his hands apart from each other. He tapped Skat on the upper arm with his huge finger which left a painful reminder of his physical strength. ¡°So small, yet you think you are so important. Good thing some of you have us Murn around to keep you with both tiny feet on the ground.¡±


    The smile returned to his face, he gestured towards Skat as he directed the next remark at Gert. "Or in your case, keep them off the ground...Shortly."


    Both Gert and Woert roared with laughter at this jest, Gert slapping Woert on the back. The bench both Woert and Skat were seated bent down dangerously as the slaps impacted on Woerts back.


    Gert laughed, "They do need some serious amount of supervision."


    Skat raised an eyebrow. They both knew the history of the Mumy Pact and what the baseline of their society was. Why they made jokes like that was a mystery to him. The Mumy Pact was based on the crystals of sharing, which allowed the Myln to share the battle-rage of the Murns and direct, guide and even exploit that rage of the Murn. The crystals were meant to make sure that the battle addicted Murn would not go berserk and try to destroy each other on the battlefield or die unnecessary deaths. But no, the Myln needed supervision. He scoffed. Before the Pact the Murn had been a solitary race that almost extincted cause of their battle lust and had needed to be tamed by the Myln in order to not be destroyed. Now the Mumy Pact stood strong cause of the crystals.


    Skat swallowed and bit back the sharp remark he intended to blurt out and eyed both of the Murn furiously. He caught a glimpse of expectation in the eyes of Gert and Woert was too engaged by the dirt on his hands for his liking. Obviously, they were mocking him and very much hoping he would take the bait. He would not allow them the satisfaction by biting in that juicy piece they dangled in front of his face. But knowing that, he still could not fully contain his anger, he could feel his cheeks heat up. Any kid within their society knew that the Myln were the glue that held the Pact together. Everyone knew that, but still both of them pretended to be their babysitters with such insolence.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Despite his resolution to not give these big dust-brained lumps of muscle any satisfaction, he spluttered. "Wh, what are.."


    Before he could finish, both Murn howled with laughter, holding each other as if they had just won the lottery.


    Between bursts of laughter, Gert breathed, "See that reddish color on his cheeks?" he giggled, his voice filled with mirth, "I''m not sure" He entrusted Woert, dropping his voice, "But I think he''s angry."


    Woert turned toward Skat with a skeptical expression on his face. He edged his face closer to inspect Skat more meticulously. His face lit up slightly as he pointed a large sausage sized finger at Skat''s face, his smile barely suppressed. "You mean this spot?"


    Skat pushed the sausage-like finger away forcefully, "Yes, He means that spot." He lashed out just as the bell for he next lessons rang "Now leave us before Glima returns.¡±


    The waiting room changed into a milling mass of Murn and Myln that suddenly got reminded of their classes.


    ¡°Nice¡± Skat flailed his arms in frustration and got to his feet. ¡°No healing, no food and now I have to battle Captain Klunt for the rest of the afternoon. This is going to be great.¡±


    Captain Klunt always demanded full effort during the battle-strategy sessions. He stretched, strained and hung Skats mind to dry during the sessions. Though he fully enjoyed the intellectual challenge, he always felt wrong out and completely void of creative energy after the intense battles. Woert stopped in his tracks as he heard Captain Klunts'' name.


    ¡°Captain Klunt?¡± A thoughtful, but mostly skeptical expression on his face. ¡°Captain Klunt is your strategy opponent?¡±


    Skat merely nodded an acknowledgment as Woert eyed him skeptically. He shot a questioning look at Gert, who also nodded. A hint of respect flared up in his eyes. Captain Klunt was the oldest commander in the Pact and considered a strategic mastermind. The Captain only battled the Myln with the highest potential and his trainees enjoyed a certain measure or respect. For the Captain to battle a student on a regular basis, was to admit that he was training a commander of his own caliber.


    ¡°Maybe if I can get as creative on the battlefield as I was in the sparring yard, I might actually have a shot for once.¡± Skat laughed bitterly. He hated losing, but the Captain was not one to be defeated easily. He felt confident that he would never beat the Captain, but Woert did not know that. He shrugged as he turned to go. ¡°He says he expects a lot of me, but I only see mass-destruction among my ranks wherever I look. The greatest thing I have shown him, is how I can get overrun or stomped into the ground.¡±


    He snorted and started on his way to the door, but held back and glanced at Woert. "Please don''t tell Glima," He asked Woert. "Or anyone else for that matter."


    Woert looked as if he was just pummeled in the face by an iron fist. " What do you mean, don''t tell them" he demanded. "You are the only senior student at the Battle-Twin academy to even face Captain Klunt in the simulator. You should announce this every day at breakfast. You know, it might stop others from laughing at your sparring training.¡±


    ¡° You knew this ofcourse. And you never told any of us.¡± He rounded on Gert who had a sheepish expression on his face. When Gert simply nodded, he continued: ¡° Do you know the respect and fame that would go along with this? All the other battle-strategy students would be green out of pure jealousy!" His expression delighted at the expected turmoil when that particular piece of information would become public knowledge.¡±


    Skat lightly slapped Woert on the wrist, " I''m already an easy target for their scorn, letting them know I train with Captain Klunt will probaby be the last nail in my coffin. For anyone else, the jealousy would stay an emotion. If they know it is I who trains with Klunt, it might and most probably will, turn into a more physical matter. Please... I beg you, please don''t tell anyone." Skats'' tone had become pleading towards the end.


    He tried to force Woert to give in with sheer will power while he cursed himself for being careless in his haste to get away. He should never have mentioned Captain Klunt and after he did, he should have denied he ever did. Stupid, stupid, stupid!


    Luckily, Woert seemed to understand why Skat made his request "I will hold my tongue." He turned around and with big strides returned to his seat on the other side of the waiting room.


    "You wanted to keep it a secret!" Gert told Skat, "But you got to guard your tongue better if it is to remain like that."


    Skat groaned, he didn''t need Gert of all people, to explain him he had made a mistake.


    "I know," He acknowledged. They both turned towards the door.


    "Shall we meet at the sparring ground after?" Gert suggested, "I wanted to try to go through the forms in one go, while you shoot targets at the same time." Without waiting for Skat to respond, he stalked away in the direction of the sparring ground.


    "Good luck to me too" Skat mused as he started in the direction of the simulator.