In Opposition

Act 3

Interlude

1^st Season, 1564

“Quiet, please! We are about to begin!"

Hush fell across the clan commons like a smothering blanket. A throng of kobold citizens sat on thin cushions, or in the window ledges and rooftops of their common homes for a better view of a clean, flat granite stage that dominated the corner of the chamber. It had curtains the colour of the rock walls arranged to block the back half of the platform, but little clawed feet shuffled about behind it as final preparations took place.

“Where're the smoke pellets?" a raised voice called beyond the curtain.

“Next to the distraction poppers! Are we sure we have enough cotton for the snow?"

The narrator hissed, “could you keep it down? I have to set the right ambience! Okay, lights!"

Several kobolds raised the light covers fitted to the intermittent braziers that lined the district streets, which left small slivers of light to pierce the darkness. Finally, the stage hands lit a set of four small hooded lamps around the corners of the stage, enough to illuminate the whole space but also leave the audience in the dark.

“And lo," said the narrator, almost unnoticeable on a balcony above the stage. “A winter, most bitter, blanketed the valley. Howling winds scattered snow across the vast overcave! Truly, a most treacherous place, inhospitable to drake-kind!"

The stage hands threw small balls of cotton wool across the stage as others fanned large, resin-hardened leaves.

“Enter, the man-kin, Irven!"

The curtains smoothly parted, though with little squeaks in the pulley mechanism, revealing a robed figure, standing still as his clothing billowed from the wind.

'Irven' stood on stilts that ended with wooden clogs, and his clothes were far too large on his frame. He also wore a leather cap stitched with a short wig of deer fur to represent hair and doe-skin gloves with sewn, fabric fingernails.

He rubbed his hands together, turned to the audience, and proclaimed, “fie! T'is a worrisome plague of overcave winter's woe! Only a misguided soul woulds't make such a undertaking! And yet, misguided I be! I flee certain doom, into a doom less certain!"

“Mwahaha, indeed!!" A malevolent and shrieky voice called out. A similarly robed and lanky figure, though with green scales and clawed feet, stepped forward into the light. He was wreathed in smoke which gave him an ethereal bearing.

Irven squealed and hid his eyes behind his hands.

The phantasm kept one arm up so his sleeve covered his green muzzle, and he whispered into Irven's ear, “t'is I, Brevshket, the heinous! The vile! The Corrupter! I shall hound you to the ends of Vliechov, nay, Aangorena itself, fool! Such is my evil, nay, humanish plan! I am sure that, in my haste to pursue you, I shan't fall foul of any cunning, devious plots from my many enemies, least of all a pitiful but plucky kobold! Mwahaha!!

(The crowd booed and hissed as) Brevshket then darted back into the shadows.

Irven walked in a wide circle, shielding his face as more snow showered on him and his robe contoured to his thin, spindly legs.

“Alas, Irven was lost in the vast overcave, with nary a rocky outcrop, nor sedimentary gradient to guide him."

While Irven was walking to one side, a flat tree seemed to roll by. As he walked behind the it, he suddenly gasped in exaggerated pain, then fell on the growing pile of snow.

“Forsooth! My strength has been sapped by the bitter cold! I hath fallen, and cannot stand up!!"

“Ought I to be able to assist, man-kin?" A female voice this time. “Though to end thine life or save it remains to be seen!"

An kobold somersaulted into the light, skidded on the excessive snow but kept her feet. She brandished a spear, which she pointed at Irven, and was clad in a fuzzy looking jacket that still left much of her sky-blue scales exposed.

(The crowd cheered. She broke character to bow to the crowd, then returned to threatening the fallen 'human'.)

“I am beset by drake-kin!" cried Irven. “I am truly in peril!"

“Nay, forgive my initial distrust, as I am humble but cautious, as a good kobold should be. Oh pitiful man-kin, perhaps this is fate, for I, too, am alone in this deathly cold! Rightly exiled, but forever seeking my redemption!"

“Ah, such mercy and beauty! And such a robust tail, sturdy horns and strong physique! And those scales, like the deepness of the late-day overcave sky! Truly, a paragon of the kobolds such as you can only lead me to greatness! What is your name, oh fair one?"

“I am Kayl, formerly of the great clan Star-Sail. If you wish for succour, then walk with me, man-kin, and let us share a meal, and thus, share our spirits to fend off this bitter chill."

“And lo, Irven the human met Kayl the kobold."

(Darkness overtook the scene, and the scrape of straw on stone as the snow was swept away in the shadows, followed by the clatter of wood as planks and panels are slotted together.)

“So they did retreat to Kayl's refuge, cunningly concealed at the far end of crevice seventy two, a deep colony of crag-biters. Our heroes ate and grew accustomed to one another as if true kindred, instead of a species apart, but little did they know that foulness approached!"

(The curtains once more pulled apart, revealing a campsite, a large wooden archway painted grey and covered in pebbles, complete with Irven and Kayl sitting beside the fire. They pretended to eat from empty bowls.)

Irven suddenly pressed his fingers against the side of his head. “Egads! I fear the evil Brevshket approaches! Some malady has me in a terrible fright!" He stood and retreated backstage.

Kayl stood, arms akimbo, and grinned. “Such an opportunity is all but perfect for the Star-Sail Scout creed; for every intruder, a trail. For every strike, a weakness. For every defence, an opening. They shall be found!"

(A few cheers came from the scouts in the audience) as she took up her spear and performed a strange, ritualistic dance that finished with a pop and a cloud of smoke obscuring her form. After a few seconds (and with a stiff breeze despite being inside a cave), the cloud dispersed to reveal two Kayl's, side by side, (though one had some thin wires attached to her clothes.)

The original Kayl climbed on top of the stone archway, while the other remained and relaxed by the camp.

“Enter, the enemy of Clan Star-Sail! Enter, the foul one, Brevshket the Corrupter!!"

Brevshket entered, along with three other looming figured wearing armour and plain masks. The sinister leader cleared his throat and announced, “I am here, Irven! In which corner do you reside, cowled in fear and shadow!? But what is this? A meagre, feeble kobold? What folly doth Irven employ, to have such a pitiful wretch attempt to delay me, the mighty and vile Brevshket, The Corrupter!?"

“Delay? Of course not. I shall take your life!"

The Kayl by the camp leapt at Brevshket with sword and threw a smoke pellet down on the floor (along with a few more by the stage crew) which created a wider haze over the whole camp.

Brevshket launched a fluorescent disk at the campside Kayl, who dodged and stabbed under the arms of two of the tyrant's followers before Brevshket raised his hand, and (the wires drew upward as they) lifted campside Kayl in front of him.

“Be undone!" Brevshket sneered. He threw a glowing dart at Kayl (which bounced harmlessly off of her chest.)

She let out a shrill death-scream and dropped her to the ground.

Just as one Kayl fell, the other, still hiding above, dropped. She landed on top of Brevshket with her spear poised in a downward thrust and rolled as she hit the floor.

“I am undone!" Brevshket yelped and fell (off of his stilts), rasped, coughed a few times, rolled over, coughed again, then died.

The remaining minion of Brevshket pushed a sword under Kayl's armpit, and cackled, “aha! Take that!"

Kayl staggered to the side as the minion raised his hands in triumph, and Irven returned.

He said, “with Brevshket slain, I am restored! But what tragedy is this! Foul one, behold my new and untapped powers!" Irven raised an open hand toward the minion and a scattering of white spheres burst into tiny explosions, to which the minion threw himself behind the curtain.

Irven then ran to the fallen Kayl, but before he could reach her, a giant claw pulled her off stage, to which he raised his hands and cried, “my saviour! Taken by crag-biters! Noooo!"

The curtains were closed on the scene, and the narrator said, “and lo, torn apart by cruel fate, our heroes remained in peril, despite the brave assassination of the evil Brevshket, The Corruptor! But the wise Kayl left Irven a parting message through her doppelgänger to rise and pursue. So ends act one."

* * *

The actual Irven said, “I don't know if I'm supposed to feel insulted or I if should just laugh at..." He paused and gestured aimlessly at the stage with wild hands, then continued “whatever in the saints' hallowed hells that was."

The genuine Kayl snorted and held back her laugh. “They do like to embellish, but it's all in good fun, Irven. And besides, it's still valuable practice for the scout teams on how to move on stilts, aim their distraction tools and test their viability and more. Now come, my dragon, it's time for the briefing."

* * *