Anything in italics is action text, which means that something's either happening of someone or a setting is being described.

Person: Text is the format I use to show that a character is saying something

Chapter 11: The High Council

Rook falls on to his back, his sword knocked clear from him and landing behind him. Jack stands over him, sword aimed at his throat.

Jack: Guess you'll be my fourth kill, sorry, you are just too much of a threat to let go.

Jack raises one of his swords and brings it down on Rook. Rook raises his arms and blocks with the chain mail armor on it. The sword meets with resistance against the armor, but cuts straight through the left arm before finally stopping, being caught in the chains of the right arm.

Rook: Gah!

Jack: This sword is always getting caught at the worst times! I swear...

He strains himself and finally manages to pull the sword free from Rook's armor. He steps back a few steps from the recoil of doing so.

Jack: Now, let's try that again..

Timmy is watching the battle from on top of his bird.

Timmy: This couldn't really be that easy, could it? Perhaps we are all more powerful than we thought...

His scouter blinks rapidly and red lights flash desperate warning messages.

Timmy: What?! No way!

Phil-domo is watching the battle from a short distance, and Timmy flies immediately above him.

Timmy: INCOMING! THIS ONE IS TROUBLE, HEADS UP!

Phil-domo looks over and sees Graider riding into the city on a white horse. The entrance bears a resemblance to a heroic white knight riding to the rescue.

Phil-domo: So he's here after all. That kind of throws a wrench into things.

He looks over the Kyler, who has put Will to sleep next to him with a lullaby.

Phil-domo: Go warn the others, they need to drop what they're doing and shift all their focus to the general! Huh...

He looks back and Graider is already gone, his horse now left with no one riding.

Phil-domo: Where did he-?!

Jack is bringing his sword down on Rook again, but as he does he is hit blocked by Graider, who extended his pole-arm over Rook's body to save him.

Jack: Who the hell? General Graider! I've heard of you! Didn't think we'd get to meet face-to-face so soon.

Graider: Why are you attacking my city!

Jack: Just to prove we can, of course. You Militia think you can govern the whole game, we proved that we can't be pushed around by any of you! And you're no exception!

Jack leaps over Rook and lands behind Graider, turning quickly to try to slice at him with both his swords. Graider simply puts his pole-arm behind him and blocks both of the attacks. Without even turning around, he twirls his pole-arm and causes Jack to back off.

Jack: So you have a little power to back yourself up, but that won't do you any-

Graider rushes towards Jack, and Jack puts his swords in front of him to defend himself. Graider shoves him pole-arm straight into him and connects with Jack's swords. Jack is sent flying back from the impact of the attack. He hits a wall hard and collapses to one knee.

Jack: You--why you--lucky shot!

Jack charges Graider, then stops suddenly and runs a circle around him before finally finishing his charge, his swords glowing with black energy as he does.

Jack: SPRINGRO-

Before Jack can even get his attack off, Graider smacks him hard across the chest with his pole-arm. Jack goes flying sideways and rolls across the ground, his swords flying from his hands.

Jack: *cough* How--you--did I lose--I can't...

Kyler is gathering the other members together.

Kyler: Both Austins and James, hold off the rest of the Militia! The rest of you are to focus all our attention on General Graider! Hurry!

General Graider watches as the group charges at him.

Graider: Such insolence...to try and defeat the Militia with such a small group...

Ryan tries to punch Graider, but Graider sidesteps and smacks Ryan across the back of the head with his pole-arm, . Jaime fires several shots from his gun at him, but Graider swiftly avoids all of them, charging towards Jaime as he does. He is blocked by a colossal wall of ice. Maggie leaps off the wall, trying assaulting Graider from the air with ice blasts as she does. Graider twirls his pole-arm around him, destroying the ice blasts. Maggie lands close to him and begins an physical assault of punches and kicks, which Graider blocks by twirling his pole-arm in front of him. Every time the pole-arm and Maggie's attack collides, shards of ice go flying in all directions. Graider finally pushes back on one of the attacks, forcing Maggie away just far enough for him to slam her across the chest with his pole-arm, sending her flying into her on ice wall. The ice wall collapses around her when she does.

Osmond: This guy is so fucking cheap! One shot from that pole-arm of his...GAH I'll teach you to be cheap!

Osmond launches a swift assault on Graider with his Halberd. Osmond's speed is incredible, but Graider matches it hit for hit, dodging and blocking the attacks. Graider drops down to his hand and kicks Osmond's legs, tripping him, then quickly back-flips and kicks Osmond flat across the chest, knocking him away. Osmond's Halberd lands blade first onto the ground, and Osmond lands hard against it.

Graider: There, I didn't have to hit you with my pole-arm. Satisfied?

Osmond: Hubba? *cough*

Jack is watching from a kneeled position on the ground. He punches the ground hard with his fist.

Jack: Is this guy really that much stronger than us?! How is that possible?! After all that training! It's not fair!

Timmy's bird hovers above the ground just a few feet above Phil-domo.

Timmy: This guy just as powerful as you were afraid of, Phil. I guess we should put the contingency plan into action.

Phil-domo: Yes, gather Maggie and Austin W, I'll get started.

Phil-domo draws his sword from its sheath, and walks calmly towards the battlefield.

Timmy: Psh, a please would have been nice.

His bird flies high above the battlefield.

Osmond goes flying away from Graider once again.

Graider: That's the third time already.

Osmond: Point being?

Graider: You can't win.

Osmond: Point being?

Graider: Fine, I'll just finish you next time!

He steps towards Osmond, but a barrier of blue light blocks the way.

Graider: Huh?

He sees Phil-domo walking slowly towards him from behind, sword ready.

Phil-domo: You will not be able to defeat all of us single-handedly. I picked the members of this group too carefully.

Graider: I've been doing fine so far. And that's because the noble will always beat the arrogant.

Phil-domo: Nobility is overrated. Let me show you what some less-than-noble tactics can accomplish.

His sword glows, and a blue aura surrounds it. The sword seems to expand for a moment, and the aura grows as well in size. Pretty soon the entire area is engulfed in a massive blue aura. Graider searches around.

Graider: So you intend to attack me while I can't see, huh? I've dealt with worse.

He holds his pole-arm out defensively, but instead is lifted off the ground and out of the aura by a giant ice wall. His hands and arms are trapped inside the wall. Maggie looks down from Timmy's bird, controlling the ice with a smile.

Graider: Damn! Where did that come from! No matter...

He struggles to break loose. His eyes widen.

Graider: Why...can't I break free!?

Austin W sits behind the ice wall, back pressed up against it, smiling.

Austin W: Amazing what you can accomplish with a simple glitch.

Phil-domo looks up at Timmy's bird.

Phil-domo: Finish this, Timmy!

Timmy: Alright, but if I don't get a please next time, you'll be doing it yourself.

He unhooks two of the strings from his wrist and pulls them tight with his other hand. He ties dice to them and then releases the strings. The strings snap forward and the dice and strings go flying at Graider at an extraordinary rate. When they hit him, there is a massive explosion going from Graider, back through the ice wall and through the closest building behind it. The ice wall and the building both go collapsing to the ground in a fiery mess.

Timmy: Just a three and a two? I could have had much more explosive results.

The remaining members of the Militia begin to back off from Austin K and James.

Militiaman: General Graider...lost?

Militiaman: Is he dead?

Militiaman: They...are just too powerful!

They flee into the inner section of the city, many dropping their weapons as they do.

Timmy's scouter continues to blink.

Timmy: Phil, I don't think that killed him. We shouldn't linger here, that tactic isn't going to work twice.

Phil-domo: This will only take a second.

He walks calmly through the now unguarded entrance to the inner city. People begin to gather around, frightened but curious.

Phil-domo: Listen up. The winners of this game have already been decided. The group I have formed is called the High Council, and we already called rights to victory in this game and the prize money that goes with it. As you have just witnessed, nothing can stand in the way of our victory. However, there is hope for all of you. We want to put an end to this game quickly, and with as much force as we can possibly gather. So we are putting together an empire, a massive group of players to fight directly under the orders of the High Council. Every member of the empire will be entitled to one-thousand dollars out of the prize money for fighting for us, which may not be as much as a High Council member but still better than the nothing you are entitled to if you lose. All members of the empire shall also be equipped with the best equipment that money can buy, funded by the reaches of the High Council's treasury. And any member who proves himself incredibly strong or useful will have a chance to advance through ranks, becoming entitled to more of the prize money and a possible chance to become an official High Council member. Think it through, you can be with the winning side or you can lose. Spread the word.

Timmy flies down to Phil-domo. All of the other members are already on the bird. Phil-domo jumps onto the bird and they fly away from the city.

Osmond: High Council? Who gave you the right to name us? We all know that I'm the leader!

Phil-domo: Sigh...this is going to be a long flight, isn't it?