The Book of Nunchuck V

"What troubles thee, my child, that I find you upon this cove forlorn?

"Who are you, that you come before me and inquire upon my fate?" for Ruth was startled, and ages had passed from the tales and legends of the days of old. Such is the resignation of the past in time.

"I have been raised by He Most Holy, and sent as servant and overseer of the land so that it may follow the one true path. I have found much sadness and tragedy, and fire and terror. I have witnessed the dimming of the stars from the smoke of war and the clouding of the water with blood and tears. I have found that the way is lost, and I fear it may never be found. Thus, I have taken to help where I may, limited though my capacity is. No longer am I the God of ages past who created and ruled the world, but only as powerful as the lowliest akelhian. Still I serve in the purpose I have been created for."

Ruth cried for joy. Her journey may find its end, and so she asked of Philip: "Where is the Femur, so that we may end this terrible conflict and restore order to our shattered world?"

Philip smiled gently, for the news was to be grim.

"My child of the forsaken people risen to the heights, your quest has been in vain. For the object of power that you seek has been where you can never enter, a place of despair that I suspect you know very well. For it was lost in the labyrinths of the palace of Sipte, in Kissling, where the Ony hold sway."

"Quick, we must go now, for if you have been sent then knowledge still lingers in this world of the femur, and knowledge of such is dangerous given the times."

With that, Philip took Ruth upon his back, and flew fast, faster than the stars twirl in the skies and the tides roll with the seas. He went with such haste and speed, they flew off the surface of the sims, and into the sky itself. And Ruth did witness, the roundness of her world, the poorly made cloud particles suspended from the sky, and around this great ball did they twirl in a waltz with the planet, and then, she saw the fields of her home which she had left so long ago in her hapless journey.

When the Fi-Suu saw that Ruth had returned, without the femur in tow, he cursed the heavens and the stars and all that he saw for he knew the battle was lost, and that they were all doomed, Qeosi and his minions would create their god and none but for the Grace of Nunchuck that Nhe may come down and see their plight would save them. And both the people and the akelhians ran from their cities and their towns, desperate to flee from the impending disaster.

"Behold, I have come among you, Philip the First and the Slain, Delivered by Nunchuck so that you may see and believe."

Fi-Suu scoffed at this, declaring, "Need we not of bygone losers and stories of ages past, for our need is great and our want of stories is small. Go home unless you know of the Femur and our salvation, lest you be swallowed by the ever growing Ony that I have so graciously held back for you."

"I am deeply saddened by your faith, for it is misplaced. I say to you all, those who hear and believe in Nhim, shall be saved by Nher Graces, but those who deny what is on their noses shall be burned in the fires of justice. For Nhe stands before you, and you deny Nhim. For this, I am saddened that you will face Nhis great Fury for such dismissals."

At this, Fi-Suu shoved him aside, and gathered the few akelhians left, and declared to all, "I intend to defeat Qeosi this day, and if I come back in tatters then at least our judgement shall be at hand and we need not listen to such imposters and scum." And with those words, they flew upon their magnificent wings off to Kissling and the Halls of Sipte and their almost certain doom.

And at this, Philip was saddened and deeply disturbed, for he spoke the faith but none save Ruth believed.

Meanwhile, in the halls of ruin that had once held the grand parties and balls of Sipte and his ministers and princes, Qeosi sat upon the throne of gold, not willing to slaughter but not satisfied with his people's lot in their world. He did not wish for destruction, but it was all he had ever known, and all he could ever know, creation was not his capacity.

"We should end this world, make it as black as our souls will be for eternity and stain it with the blasphemy of our creation. Is this not what their Nunchuck must want, for Nhe has allowed our very creation? Is this not Nher will?" spoke his advisers, and Qeosi saw wisdom in their advice, but he held no heart for a world like his people, for it was this world that he desired but could not have. He had bought his people time to search for the femur with his ruse, but even now he foresaw the coming of the akelhians, doing their earnest duty of protecting their flock.

And with this, he conceived of another plan to buy time. He went and found his fastest messenger, and he gave to him a map. Upon this map was an inscription, asking his forces to the south to hold the femur until the akelhians had advanced upon them. And Qeosi told his messenger to go past the akelhian hordes, and to not give up the map under any circumstances, and that if he had to he should eat it before it be captured. And he made the messenger swear upon his life that he would do so.

With the messenger off, he then went to his quartermaster, and told him to ready enough supplies for an army for three weeks, and that he should deliver these supplies as far south past the akelhians as he could and go past their lines. "But my Lord, whatever for? We have no one there!" he protested, but Qeosi made him pledge he would do so.

Finally, he took one of his brightest generals who had yet to see battle, and told him to take command of the southern army. "But my Lord, whatever for? We have no one there!" He exclaimed, but Qeosi made him promise to do so, and so he went to take charge of an army that did not exist. To all three, he told them not to mention a word to anyone of the enemy they should meet, not even under death.

So the messenger came first upon the akelhians, and they captured him and demanded to know his purpose. "I shall never tell you, rather I would die than disgrace my Lord!" He tried to eat the map, but Fi-Suu was too quick and too clever to allow that, and he looked upon the map and saw the preparations and plans by his enemy. "What is this, that he will flank us?" he declared, and so he strengthened the flanks of his advance, but he did not believe that any serious threat would come of it.

Then they encountered the quartermaster, and captured him as well, and they demanded to know his purpose. "I shall never speak a word of our plan, for I would rather be impaled by your blade than betray my Lord!" But they saw he had provisions for an army of thousands for many weeks, and Fi-Suu, with his wisdom, began to suspect that he might be able to seize an Ony army by surprise and thus cripple Qeosi, since he had just captured this army's plans and provisions.

Then they encountered the general, and captured him and demanded to know his purpose. Now, this general though intelligent had not the courage for the fate that awaited him. So he blurted out, "My master has ordered me to command an army to the south, I know not of its existence but he did order me and I did obey. I harbor doubts that such an army exists for I have never seen it, nor heard of it in My Lord's meetings with his advisers. Please spare me, and beware!" Upon this words, Fi-Suu was certain that there was a large Ony force to his south, for why would Qeosi send provisions, and plans, and a general to no place at all? Further, this general was obviously a good actor in his mind, and so Fi-Suu declared, "I shall surprise this Ony force, that I may defeat them without their battle plans, provisions, and command!" And so his armies turned south, that they would destroy a sizable part of Qeosi's army before meeting his city of death.

And so Qeosi, at the cost of a few supplies and an untrustworthy general, bought his people valuable time. But little did he know of Philip and Ruth, who continued to travel to his Hall in Kissling.