“It’s the two people I hate,” said Valverno.
“What are they planning on doing?” asked Sora.
“They’d want us to beg us for mercy. Basically, they want to negotiate about our surrender. They want us to put down our weapons, so they could kill us without their forces losing one man.”
Sora spat.
“Like they will want us to give up easily! I’m inching for a fight. If they want to surrender, it gives me more of a chance to kill more of them.”
“Let’s just go and get this talking over with. These negotiations will be short, no matter what they have to talk about.” Valverno stood to the ground and Sora dismounted from the horse.
They both slowly walked to the tent being held by just four soldiers. The rest of the black soldiers holding torches and carrying long spears hid their faces behind scary animal-shaped helmets.
In the light the torches made, Belverda and Uragiru were waiting while they stood by, while waiting for someone from the enemy army to come. They both showed impatient faces as Sora and Valverno walked up beneath the open tent.
“So, someone has come, but I thought someone else would come,” said Belverda.
“It’s the hero and its sister: the White Knight of Charity,” said Uragiru.
“I assume you’re here to talk about your surrender,” said Valverno.
“Surrender? Bah!” scoffed Uragiru. “Your worldwide accouchement had impeached me, hybrid. The island sent their regards to me and eliminated their loyalty they once have from me. Even the Shadow King himself has heard about my plans to kill him. He withdrew all the forces he had, turn tail, and sailed away. Now the only thing I have left is this army. And I’m going to use this army to wipe down all you rebels and everyone around you.
“Not to mention our allied forces in the Northern Region, the Snake Clan, had immediately retreated and they all disappeared,” said Belverda. “We still have a few allies among us, but all those allies of us are on the Eastern Shorelines. They would surely take too long to take to get here. No thanks to you, we lost everything. The least we can do is kill you and all those you hold dear.”
“Then you should turn tail while you can,” said Valverno. “I’ve manage to gathered forces that will rebel against you. They are fearless as they come.”
“Fearless? Don’t make me laugh,” said Uragiru. “I know you have a smaller army. You want to negotiate? Here are my terms: you all will die. I’m going to take my army and kill your army, because my army has enchantments from the Pool of Shadows exclusive to weapons and armor. Death is what waits for those who follow you… Project Vaeludar! You will die.”
Valverno snared at the name, the name Belverda gave him. Now the two people he hated were there and he could kill them right now. “So be it, but you will be the ones who will die, and I’ll be sure it will be I who will kill you both! You mark those words exactly: I. Will. Kill. You. Both!”
Valverno turned and walked away. Sora mounted on her horse and walked with Valverno. As they walked away from the tent, the horse began to trot and Valverno flew into the air. They both dashed back to the camp the army encampment.
Calculating from the distance, Valverno knew they were about thirty miles away from each other and they would be on open field. The united army would easily be surrounded in the wide, open valleys when they would meet the enemy army head-on.
“I’m going have to find a way to minimize their numbers if we’re going have a chance of winning. Going through a large field with little hills, a few trees, and no mountains aren’t going to work in our favor. My power may not have effect on them, as the king said they went in and out of the Pool, so maybe the terrain is what I can change around here.”
“We may not have the odds, but you were right about one thing, brother.”
“What’s that?”
“The negotiations were short.”
Valverno laughed at that and both went back to the encampment and would stay there until the next morning had come.
The both of them returned to the camp without finding any danger on the way. They went through the invisible barrier with ease. Sora dismounted from the horse and led it to a group of resting horses. Valverno soared ahead and went to go find Geraldus and Teutates.
He spent nearly fifteen minutes trying to find them both until he found a large sized tent wider and slightly wider than the average sized tent that could rest two-to-three soldiers. The large tent he found could fit ten soldiers.
Valverno landed down by the front entrance, where he saw two guards with heavy armor standing guard. He looked in and saw Geraldus and Teutates standing over a large table with small toy-like figures and a large map of Shimabellia. He entered right through the entrance and the guards didn’t bother to lower their spears.
“I’m back,” Valverno said.
“Where have you been?” asked Geraldus.
“Went to scout ahead and see the enemy was lurking,” said Valverno. “Uragiru wasn’t going to accept surrender nor was he going to surrender.”
“You went to negotiate with him? That is dangerous!”
“I already know that. You don’t have to tell me twice. And I didn’t go alone. Sora went with me when I went to soft a small talk with Uragiru and Belverda. The negotiating was short: we kill them or they kill us. Simple as that.”
“I knew Uragiru can’t be reasoned with, and he would do anything to stay in power or what will power he has left.”
“He doesn’t sound like the man I used to
