The Great Belligerency [Round 4: Static]

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Of course she would end up with it, wouldn't she.

"Fine. I suppose I have little choice but to humor you. What great lesson must I learn in order to prove myself worthy of this sword, oh great Spirit?"

As expected, Soft completely ignored his sarcasm. She did seem a bit taken aback, though; she hadn't thought quite that far ahead.

Then she saw the spot of darkness in the sky. Ah, that must be important! Something so strange was certain to be relevant to the story. Perhaps it was going to be a blight on the land or it represented a ruler's cruel heart that needed to be calmed.

Regardless, she had to guide Cole to it. The story would become clear from there, obviously.

"Right!" she said, pointing to it. "Do you see that black spot in the sky? You must confront that darkness. When you have faced the challenges it poses - hey! Don't just fly off, wait for me to finish!"

"No."

"YOU HAVE TO LEARN HUMILITY AND RESPECT! GET BACK HERE AND BE HUMBLE AND RESPECT ME!" she shouted. But he was already gone.

Why did he have to be such a difficult hero to deal with? She sighed, and began to follow him towards the beacon.

***

After slaughtering another three villages, Phil was feeling better. That unsettling, quiet village had put him a little ill at ease, but seeing his conquest continue had mostly taken his mind off it.

So he was more than a little shocked when his army stepped in and were greeted by the words "PLAY BALL!"

Curious, he brought two men with him and motioned to the rest to stay at the village entrance. He wanted to watch this.

A tribesman stood on a small mound of dirt, holding a rock in his hands. In front of him, another was holding a large staff. Behind that man was a third, crouched and holding out his hands as if he expected to grab something; and a masked tribesman was watching them all.

The man on the mound threw his rock. The man with the staff swung, but the rock was too low and bounced off the ground, into the waiting hands of the crouching man.

"STRIKE ONE!" the masked man shouted.

Phil was taken aback. They spoke his language, and they were playing baseball. Just how many weird villages was he going to find around here?

***

Carl sighed. The second village wasn't picking it up as fast as the first. How was he even going to have a real game at this rate, let alone a league?

But he wasn't going to give up. He had a dream, and dammit, he was going to make it a reality.

Some distance away, outside the village's borders, a robin swooped down towards a fieldmouse and clutched the struggling rodent in its talons.