Mordred 9.2

The New Realm

During the Lancelot distraction, Rumpel pulled me to safety. He threw up the strands of strings to create a diversion before we slipped off into the tavern again. Chiton followed on close behind but when we reached the counter, she stopped.

“You leave with Rumpel.” Chiton told me. She then looked at me. “Rumpel, we will meet later.”

Rumpel took me through the back and into the basement. We fled along the wet and humid stairs down to the lower levels and then into the tunnels. We rushed along it and taking turns at the cross sections. I asked Rumpel on the planned tunnels but there was no reply. We came out of the tunnels into a small clearing. Rumpel ran towards the nearby tree lines and uncovered the green and brown camouflage cover. The cover soon reverts to the strands of string and woven itself into Rumpel virtual ball of strings hidden inside his jacket.

Under the cover was the single Seater 'Track Speed Bike'; a robust bike with the essential weaponry; mounted cannons on its right side of the front frame. It was designed to tackle high-speed movement on any dry terrain. It has a built in comms unit and a mounted dynamic personal aide in the built-in processor, which would assist the rider in its riding condition, with a built-in on screen data update on the mechanics and performance of the bike projected on their visor. 

It was a mean machine for one likes to ride wild.

“We do not have the horses given the rationing then we had to cull them for food. Ours and the dragons.” Rumpel smiled. “You knew then too. Or you did not know what you chomping. So we improvise.”

I smiled and grabbed the helmet off Rumpel.

“I will take the rider position.” I placed the helmet over on my head and watched the system calibrate for my weight and height for the best suspension adjustment. Rumpel climbed on the back seat and muttered away. I gave the machine the nod for its machine to start the engine. The bike pulled off from the cover and roared along the tree lines before it jumped onto the tarmac road. Its rimless wheels held its grip on the debris lined path, where its weave past the random laid pieces with ease. The foot wide wheels were supported by a dynamic frame which allowed it to adjust for the terrain; riding low on smooth surface, and retracted to rise up on rougher terrain for better gravity control. The bike was powered by a large powerful core engine, which ignited the power hungry and allowed it zoom distances in seconds. It was not my vintage Honda CBR1000RR; the nine hundred ninety nine cc liquid cooled inline four cylinder sport bike with the top speed a hundred and seventy miles per hour.

“Do you do this all the time?” Rumpel was communicating with me through the com-link when we were doing over two hundred miles. The trees and hills were just drifting by our eyesight and wind; it was under control by the art crafts of mine. I ignored him and rode to feel the freedom of my shackles as the Guardian. I once rode on a dragon and that was in battle over the skies, and when we swooped down, it may have exceeded the speed I was on with the bike.

“Just in case if you do want to know. I borrowed this bike from the Councillor.” Rumpel voiced out. “At the speed you were doing, we have alerted their knights.”

I looked sideway and saw the approaching knights on those swift dragons. Those were specially trained dragons for speed in pursuit and there are only a few. They stand out like the sprinter among the other breeds of horses. There were three of them.

“Anyone I may have known?” I asked Rumpel.

“Probably yes. They are part of the Twelve Knights of Arthur.” Rumpel replied. “Sir Percival led them. Lamorak and Tristan.”

I recalled them all. They were a trio always; with Percival being the leader. Percival was the loyal one to Arthur; some questioned his loyalty was to the man or the lady that the man was wedded to. Percival was the loyal one to Arthur; some questioned his loyalty was to the man or the lady that the man was wedded to. Guinevere was never a saintly figure for a lady with her affair with Lancelot known by few and whispered by more, but Percival was the far flung lover whom she occasionally flirt with. Lamorak; the son of Pellinore. He was also the younger brother of Percival. He was best seconded only to Lancelot among the twelve knights. And there was Tristan, the archer who hardly missed. It was said that he held the bow that once belonged to Athena the Goddess but it was only a rumour.  

Without a warning, I swerved the bike to the right just as the arrow went passed us but it nicked me at the left lower arm. I bit down on my lower lips to quell the pain I felt. It was Tristan doing then but the time for the next action was mine. I directed the bike towards the trio instead of fleeing.

“Are you out of your mind?” Rumpel cried out but he was already moving into offence mode. He called up the strand of string and from it soon a trio of hand sized ball appeared held together by the entwined strand of strings of over ten feet in length.

“Throw it.” I shouted at Rumpel.  The other did as I said while I called on the wind to lent its weight to the propulsion of the throw; moving it to a high speed while the ball of strings were building up with the sands on its surface coated with the moisture to become hardened mud. The trio of mud caked balls sped on towards the dragons with my enhanced winds. It was aimed at the left dragon mounted by Lamorak. He was tough one and with his build, his dragon was larger than the other two. The balls hit at the dragon’ extended neck and winded itself over it. It was then I pushed out my craft of fire to blaze it. The dragons may be able to cast out fires from their jaws but they feared the fire generated by man. It was a different type of fire element from theirs, and it hurts them when it burns beneath the scales.

The dragon shrieked out in pain and went into a frenzy of twist and turns. In its need to get rid of the ring of fire, the dragon crashed into the middle one rode by Percival and cause a mid-air collision. The collision soon hit the other dragon and the pursuit was over. It was then I kicked in the brakes and course the bike to a standstill near the edge of the cliff. The grasses along with the sands were brought up into a storm of dust by the sudden stoppage.

‘Don’t you ever do it again?” Rumpel called out to me. I looked at the man disbelieving.

“It was you who told me to do it.” I replied.

“No, I did not. I heard you in my …mind.” Then it occurred to both of us that we were right. We did not give the instruction. Someone did it on us.

It can only be one who could do that.

Merlin.