#hrada

[caylista-art]

Character designs for a semi-original story.

[ohyeahmagi-nation]

"Naroom World Order" The Battle of Naroom, Part 5 by Edward Bolme Based on the results of When a Tree Falls, a global storyline tournament. Read Part 4 "War of the Woods"

Warrada walked through the battleground, her sinuous body swaying like a cobra with her easy, assured gait. Once Vash Naroom had fallen, Evu had happily led the Dark Twins to the secret entrance of the Great Library. Now it, too, had fallen, despite the best efforts of its caretakers. The ravages of chaos reigned all about. Scorch marks marred the grass; great trees, partially formed into carillions, lay uprooted and shattered; and the sticky black ooze of corrupted dreams dripped and pooled throughout the area. Warrada noted all of this as she moved, but most of all she listened with great satisfaction to the shards of animite that crunched underfoot, the broken dreams of the citizens of this ruined land.

Truly it was a beautiful scene. Her face broke into a smug smile, eyes half-lidded in confidence.

She saw Hrada, lying in the center of a vast blast zone, just barely beginning to sit up. One hand tightly clutched his aching head.

As he teetered uncertainly, Warrada sidled up. "You are the Dark Ruler, brother," she murmured softly. "Get up. Now."

A feeble, pained noise escaped Hrada's throat as he slowly complied.

"And don't whine," she whispered as she moved past. "It makes you sound like a wimp."

She moved past the tree-dwellings that had once housed the caretakers of the Great Library; they now burned brightly, set ablaze either by chance or by deliberate act of the rampaging nightmare creatures.

Yes, she decided, this place is looking downright homey again. I may have to move back here. Needs more brambles, though, she thought. With a gesture, she caused a clot of brambles to erupt from the blackened earth at the base of a large tree. They grew rapidly and began to strangle the life from the great baloo.

In the distance she heard the hideous, warbling cry of glee of one of the nightmare creatures as it pursued a terrified refugee, but the noise did not distract her in the slightest. Such sounds were music to her ears.

She moved through the battle-ravaged area until at last she approached the prize she'd sought for so long. Great trees stood throughout the area, with massive wooden-bound books perched atop. So great were these trees that one had to climb ladders to read the tomes, and so huge were the books themselves, that even the largest Magi could lie down on one, pull a page over as a blanket, and sleep peacefully.

Warrada paused at the edge of the Great Library. Her heart thrilled within her. All this power, all this knowledge, now it was hers!

Hrada staggered up to her side, feet dragging, one hand clutching his aching head and the other holding the small of his back. He paused next to her unsteadily swaying. She turned to him and cocked her head to the side and raised one eyebrow. "Thank you, my dear brother," she said, batting her eyes, "it's just what I've always wanted."

"You're welcome," he mumbled, then he fainted face-first into the dirt.

Abruptly a hardened look crossed her features. "Now we can start plotting the conquest of the whole world," she said. Warrada chuckled quietly and menacingly, then sauntered for the nearest book, stepping on the unconscious form of her brother.

---

What happens next? Read the Pillar of Black Stone, coming soon.

[ohyeahmagi-nation]

"When a Tree Falls..." The Battle of Naroom, Part 1 by Edward Bolme What happened before? Read "Scattering of Shadows"

"One by one, we raised our shadow geysers," said Hrada as he stalked back and forth in the chamber that had served as Agram's headquarters. "One by one, they started to convert the lands around them into beautiful ashen areas, lush with thorns and bracken. And one by one, the geysers were all destroyed by that savage little Kyros! Worse yet, he took down our leader, and now Agram is defeated and trapped back in the dark heart of the Core!" Hrada slammed his fist into the wall, and cracks flared out in the rock from where his knuckles hit.

"Indeed," said Warrada from her seat at the huge meeting table. "But now Kyros has left the Moonlands."

"Eh?" shouted Hrada, who hated being interrupted in the middle of a good tantrum. "How do you know that?"

"I have my ways," mused Warrada quietly, as she idly spun a black jellybean on the polished tabletop.

Hrada paced back and forth a few times, working back up to his lather. "So he's left, has he?" grumbled Hrada. "Now I won't even get the pleasure of blasting him in revenge! That sneaky little inconsiderate jerk! He leaves me with nothing!!!"

Warrada winced ever so slightly. Sometimes manipulation seemed like much more work than it was worth. "And I thought he'd stay in Naroom," nudged Warrada gently.

"Naroom," Hrada growled, "they are the cause of all our misfortunes, especially recently. They harbored this Kyros--at least they say he was Kyros--driving off Korg and Zet before he could be captured. They re-taught Kyros the lessons he was missing. They gave him a base to work from as he foiled our plans one by one. I HATE NAROOOOOOOM!"

"So do I," said Warrada quietly. "They have so much knowledge."

"It seems to me they've been the center of things for too long," said Hrada.

"Oh, I agree," Warrada purred. "They defeated Agram, and they think we are defeated too. But you know better. They should be punished for their insolence."

"They should. And we shall do it. Now, when they least expect it, we should attack Naroom!" said Hrada with a gloat.

"An excellent idea," Warrada bubbled with a tone that was entirely believable. "And who better to punish them for their interference than you, dear brother?"

"Yessss!" hissed Hrada, his arms outspread and his eyes wide with malicious delight. "I can see it now! We'll use the old geyser's site for our gateway; it'll be easier there, because it's already been touched by our magic. We'll boil up from the Core and storm the woods! We'll swarm over everything and put the whole forest to the torch, a pyre to touch the sky! BWAH HAH HAH HAAAAA! (cough cough)"

"Hrada, dear," said Warrrada, "please don't burn the Great Library. There are so many secrets there..."

"Eh? What?" blurted Hrada. Getting interrupted twice in one day was more than any overlord should have to deal with.

"I want the Great Library," repeated Warrada.

"Of course," promised Hrada. "And you shall have it. "Anything to keep my sister happy.

"Given what we've already learned from Evu," he added, talking to himself, "taking the Library itself shall give us unbelievable power!"

---

Read Part 2 "The Axe Rises"

[goteamphoto]

This year's #HRADA #autoshow was #ok I even won a dollar from the local radio station.

[goteamphoto]

At the #HRADA #autoshow

[goteamphoto]

A friend sent me 2 tickets to the #HRADA #autoshow can't wait to go. Hopefully I'll be able to make a video of it, like I did the past two years. Anybody else got tickets yet? #cars #newcars #virginiabeach @GOTEAMPHOTO