275 Stephanos

Thrumondi Krakhammer, son of Bumdael, son of Glorilgrin, son of Thrumondi, approached Tycondrius, wringing his hands.

"Snaaake... Is there uh... anything for me?"

Tycon's mouth twitched. The dwarf was a fool and a shameless one, at that.

"I have a small cask of Elven wine that I wished to sample with a few choice battle companions."

The Dwarven Patriarch frowned, "Bah, knife-ear swill. Why would I bother?"

Tycon responded with no change in expression, "We could sit around a fire, drinking ale, intellectually discussing its poor quality."

"I, Thrumondi Krakhammer, will devote my axe to your endeavors, Snaaake."

Arrogance. It made friends... Tycon found the honest dwarf's company acceptable and looked forward to sharing his company... as long as it was kept in small doses.

After the dwarves left to make their preparations, Tycon saw to the other allies as they approached, ordered by approximate faction strength. They all agreed to submit to his battle commands.

One of the nicest things about non-human assemblies was that the leader was generally easily agreed as either the strongest faction or the strongest individual. There were no weak leaders in non-human factions. Those that were, were quickly replaced. Violently.

All of the factions gathered were not large enough to stand on their own-- even the Krakhammer clan was only some sixty strong.

Isidor was a Gold-Rank Titan Snake. Tycon was a half-step away from Gold-Rank, as well... and a Warlord, a class that specialized in larger scale battles. Though no one in the cavern feared Isidor, everyone knew that he was the strongest creature in the mountain. It seemed Tycon was just as respected-- be it his aura as a peak Iron-Rank or his title, it didn't matter.

With the dwarves as the largest faction, the others would follow suit. Where he pointed his sword, the tides of battle would swell. When he demanded their arrows sing and their hammers fall, the humans would die.

Finally... it came the gorgon's turn to approach Tycon. Stephanos was... a peculiar cross between a longhorn bull, a centaur, and an animated set of full plate armor. Tycon wondered which brain he had inherited.

He was larger than the Manticore, standing on four cloven hooves at some 9 fulms tall. His bull body was huge and covered in metal scales. The 'human' arms and torso were molded like a Titanblood in peak physical condition. His short neck was like a thick tree trunk, supporting a horned bull's head.

And to further exemplify the creature's status as an unstoppable war machine, instead of a bull's tail, there was a tapered-metal whip-like appendage with what appeared to be a spearblade at its end.

The legends said the gorgons were killing machines created by mad Wizards... creative ones... with too much time on their hands.

The brutish, metal-bull-centaur should have been intimidating... However, for a reason Tycon could not explain, each of his observed featured only annoyed him more and more.

⟬ Stephanos, Gold-Rank Gorgon. ⟭

...It was the first time that he thought the System's assessment was untrustworthy.

« System, change specific class designation: Stephanos is an idiot. »

⟬ Understood. Stephanos, Gold-Rank Gorgon Idiot. ⟭

It made him feel a little better.

Tycon tried to hide his displeasure as he addressed the Idiot, "So the gorgons are with us..."

The large, metal bull-creature wore a wide, foolish grin, revealing great, flat, bull teeth, "Ivory PRINCE!! I haven't seen you in EE-POKS!!"

He meant epochs. Tycon assumed he meant epochs.

Tycon narrowed his eyes to thin, scrutinizing slits, "Have we met?"

He wanted to apologize for not remembering such a... gregarious personality, but he decided against it.

"I'm HUUURT, Brother-Tycon!!!" The bull placed his hand to his chest, his entire 4-legged body swaying backward.

"Then you'd best see to a healer... or an... Artificer, to have you repaired," Tycon nodded. "I believe the dwarves should--"

"BROTHER-TYCON!! We clashed briefly in Kasydon, but I was CERTAINNN I gave you a thrashing you'd NEVER forget!! Ahahahaha!!!"

Tycon's mouth twitched. He disliked being interrupted. But if Tycon wanted to strike the bull, he'd have to stand and jump up to catch Stephanos' horns... and his metal face would hurt his hands or dent his sword...

No... As tempted as he was, it wasn't worth the trouble

Tycon waved his hand in a calm gesture, "I lost my memories."

"Ehhhh?!!" The tip of Stephanos' tail touched upon his chin as he gazed up and away in thought.

He probably thought it looked wise. Tycon thought it looked stupid.

"No one... told me this... Was it... a Wizard's curse, Brother-Tycon?" The metal-bull offered.

"Probably."

When in doubt, blame the Wizards. Tycon blamed them for creating the gorgons-- no, that's terribly unfair... He blamed them for creating this particular one.

Stephanos knelt down onto the floor, tucking his legs beneath him, "Brother-Tycon... Surely you haven't forgotten Stephanos, the FIERCE KNIGHT!!?"

Tycon grimaced, "Stephanos--"

"--the FIERCE KNIGHT!!!"

...Tycon grimaced and took a very deep breath through his nostrils, before exhaling, "Are you quite done?"

"I am..." Stephanos nodded his fat, bull-head, "After we met in Kasydon, we joined forces, and not for a short amount of time! You MUST remember!! "

"I do not."

"Searching for the shards of the Shikon jewels with that weretouched fellow? That took FOREVER!!"

"Negative."

"The ATTACK on TITAN!!!???"

"That sounds like it would be memorable, but no."

"Sailing the sea on the Going Merry, searching for the Great Treasure, the 'One Piece'?"

Tycon hesitated, "That one sounds like it's made up."

Stephanos, the... Fierce Knight, leaned forward, lowering his voice to what he thought was a whisper, "Then... fighting against the Snake Cult in Caeruleum?"

Tycon squinted his eyes, "Why the hells are you whispering?"

"Brother-Isidor is quite partial to the Snake Cultists-- I figured you wouldn't remember that, either."

Tycon rolled his eyes, "Relying on their tributes is also why he's grown fat and lazy."

Stephanos sat up straight, laughing politely, "Hahaha... As great as Stephanos, the Fierce Knight is, I don't have the status to say such things aloud, Ivory Prince."

Tycon's eye twitched... If that was the case, why was the Gold-Rank Idiot speaking so forwardly to *him*?

"The battle..." Tycon wanted to get back on point, "Can we call on you for assistance, Brother-Stephanos?"

"--THE FIERCE KNIGHT!!!"

"...The Fierce Knight, yes."

The fool bull crossed his armored forearms across his chest, again placing the tip of his tail against his chin, "I dunno... I know they were going after Brother-Isidor, but... have they attacked anyone else?"

Tycon felt confusion creep onto his face. With all that talk of battle and adventure, was he really skittish about going to war with the humans?

"They killed a few Spider Breeders," Tycon reasoned.

Virgilia gasped at Tycon's side, covering her mouth with her wing, "Oh, no... Matriarch Feverbite won't be pleased..."

"Ehhhh..." Stephanos whined, "I didn't really know the Spider Breeders."

What a selfish bastard.

Tycon pursed his lips, "The Manticore, too."

Stephanos slammed his palms onto the ground, leaning forward in surprise, "They HHHH-WWWAAAAAT?!?"