Chapter 47- First Entreatmeant for Newmen

  Savage Lands – In the Northern Jungle- Oct 23, 2008 (Early Morning)

  Lady Red, formally Red Lion

  Both Lady Red and Countess Ursu looked back at the huffing and wheezing massive man trying to catch up to them. “You clearly spend too much time in the b Baron.” The bear woman told the rger man.

  He seemed to want to say something, either to attack back or to defend himself, but he was too out of breath to do so. In the end, he just waved his thick hands at her.

  “Should I press on and…” the newly named Lady started to ask.

  The countess cut her off before she could finish. “No, we stay together. Remember those that we, offended, will be waiting there as well, and I will not just allow you to throw your life away… we move as a team.”

  ‘We die as a team.’ Lady Red thought the st of the code of conduct ingrained in them.

  A branch breaking made the two dies take defensive stances. Ahead of them and off to the right three human females stood staring at them. One of them with long flowing blonde hair took up a fighting posture as well, while the more timid one with dark brown hair hid behind the third. All three of them wore simir blue uniforms with bck lining and white icons of stars and birds.

  “You’re not a Cat person.” The blonde muttered.

  “Do you understand me?” Was said directly into her mind, it came from the third with the braided bck hair. Something about the woman told Lady Red that she was a friend.

  “Yes, and I understood your friend as well.” The feline answered her.

  “Dey speak English?” The hiding one asked in surprise.

  “We are civilized after all.” The countess told them. Red assumed that the bear dy was pleased with herself when she didn’t call them primitives.

  To keep things civil, Lady Red stepped forward and bowed at the three, and introduced herself. "Greetings, I am Lady Red, I speak on behalf of the masses of the Newmen. And you are?”

  The blonde rexed a little, while the one that spoke to her telepathically returned the reply. “I am Special Agent Dani Moonstar. We are agents from the office of the Strategic Hazard International Enforcement Logistics Directorate, and we were sent here to represent it and the World Security Council. I assume from your state of dress, you all are also going to Entreatment Day.”

  “World Security Council, the whole world attends this gathering?” The feline woman asked surprised.

  Special Agent Dani answered. “Oh, no. Most of the world thinks this pce is just a rumor, however our agency, and those we report to, have taken serious note of the power of Nath'aniel, and the Brotherhood of Mutants, with whom he is allied with very seriously."

  “I suppose people would be worried when a Powered can crush a soldier with their own armor.” Countess Ursu muttered, rubbing her chin.

  "Wait, who are we going to meet?" The timid girl asked from the back rather softly, so soft in fact it seemed as if her superior missed it.

  Because she spoke over the end of the woman’s question, when she commented. “That sounds more like a Magneto tactic to me. No, we are more concerned with the fact the Nath’aniel once wiped out a fortified camp with a meteor, from several miles away.”

  The three Newmen blinked at that for different reasons. The countess because she didn’t know what a meteor was. The newly entitled feline because she wasn’t sure how impressive destroying a fortified anything really meant, and the Baron because he was trying not to piss himself in fear, as he asked. “When you say meteor, how rge exactly?”

  The tan human had to think for a moment, before answering. “Our agency only got any measurements because it was briefly stolen from them, but I think it wasn’t that rge. Maybe about the size of a cargo container. I can recall that it weighed just under five tons, and was made up of mostly terrestrial metals.'

  "I can confirm its impact. I was a part of a team observing the site just as he destroyed it. Nath'aniel took out the site and three square miles of forest around it. We quickly had to reposition our transport, or be caught in the bst ourselves."

  All three of the Newmen understood that expnation, regardless of their expertise.

  “Do you know how he did this?” Ursu asked the agent.

  At that the two agents whose faces they could see became depressed, and the blonde one admitted. “At this point and time, no. No, we do not know how he did it.”

  Red then heard the baron approach and whisper to the countess. “We should accept whatever punishment that they settle on without question. Even HE couldn't stop such an attack."

  Instead of replying to the pachyderm, Ursu gestured towards the path. "Shall we not walk together, since our destination is the same?"

  Two of the three women shared looks before the special agent nodded. Then they all made their way onwards. The Newmen had to slow their pace, to allow the ‘humans’ to travel together.

  “Umm…” The timid one started to speak, and Red looked down at her. Then she must have found some once of courage, because she finally asked. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking… but, what is a ‘Newman’?”

  “I do not know how to answer that, we are what we are, but I think that Baron Ivory is better suited to answering this question.” The feline replied.

  The rge man let out a series of choughs before answering. "Despite our appearance and general differences, such as the continued practice of carnivore or herbivore, we Newmen are an artificial race, both equal and in some aspects superior to you humans.”

  "Artificial, doesn't that mean someone made you?" the blonde woman asked the much rger man.

  “Yes, HE made us.” The countess said from the front of their line.

  “Who is ‘he’ exactly?” Dani asked for crification.

  “It is what my fellow lords call the High Evolutionary. HE was the one that made us with his technology and chemicals.” Red expined to the smaller woman. She still felt so safe and friendly to her, and had no reason to lie.

  ‘Yet maybe I should have.’ She thought when the tan human stopped dead in her tracks.

  “He’s is still alive?” The special agent asked them.

  “When st we saw him.” The Baron admitted.

  "HE fled from the Brotherhood in a small space vessel with much of our leadership and surviving military." The countess added when she realized that they had stopped.

  The other women with Dani didn’t seem to understand the significance of the great one. As they looked at their, assumed, leader in confusion. Meanwhile with her hearing, Red heard the special agent mutter very softly to herself. "Not even to the gathering site, and we nd a massive lead." Then she cleared her throat and motioned for the blonde agent to continue on.

  And the six of them did. The three Newmen didn’t compin at the pace, but each of them knew that it was more than doubled how long it took them to get to the rge clearing, that seemed to be their destination.

  Many primitives, Red meant humans and beast-people had already gathered there ahead of them. She even saw a couple of small fires, and a small collection of tents had been erected. Indicating to her that some of the groups came early, or had to travel a greater distance than they had. There even seemed to be a wooden shack where an older feline couple was making and selling snacks and drinks.

  Some groups were clearly already established. Some of the beast-people and humans were already talking and chatting amongst themselves in mild tones. Some of the beast-people with bunny ears were talking with odd-looking lizard creatures, and some humans with rocks and bits of gss attached to their clothes. While another group of humans with odd white or bck paint were talking to another group of humans dressed in pnt leaf-based clothes. There were other clusters of isoted groups of three people.

  Many of the beast-people sniffed, just as Lady Red did, to identify the races before them. While most were known to her, some were unfortunately not. One of the scaled-tailed men hissed and growled at them. He then gestured and hissed in a simple tongue to himself, but a moment ter a pair of green circles appeared in the air on either side of him.

  A moment ter spears of wet driftwood erupted from inside the circles at them. Not them, but rather at the countess. Lady Red closed her eyes not wanting to see what the spears would do to the unarmored countess, who stood proudly at the attack.

  However, the sound of wood breaking against metal caused the feline to open her eyes. Standing in front of Ursu was not only the blonde agent, be in front of her was a massive pte of metal. The pte stopped and broke the spears as if it wasn't simple steel, but something stronger before them.

  And yet the pte effortlessly rose into the air at the will of the armored man floating above them. His purple cape was fluttering in the wind as he gred down at the lizardman. As if such a thought, let alone the act of breaking the peace of this gathering, was a personal insult to him.

  Lady Red was more surprised by the sight of the jungle to their left shimmering. As three men, seemingly made of metal, as she could smell no meat or blood from them, walked out. Two looked like helmed versions of their knights, while the one in the middle wore no armor, but carried on him a pair of heavy swords.

  She was further stunned when one of the knights punched their own chest and pulled out a small bck box from inside. A moment ter a green hourgss hovered above the box.

  “All are welcome to Entreatment Day." The floating image said. Red heard hissing and yipping come from the hourgss. She assumed that the device was transting to the beast-person. "But such actions, at our very doorstep are not only rude, but they can be seen as unfriendly. Are not the Swamp People friends of the Magi?"

  The Powered lizardman that had attacked them started to hiss back in his own defense, but another walked up and spped him across the face. It took Red a moment to realize that the second one seemed to be female, based on the creature's clothes. While she did, the second one hissed and yipped back to the metal men and the Powered in the sky.

  The feline’s good hearing allowed her to hear the box’s transtion. “The matriarch of the Sodden Town apologizes for her shaman’s childish behavior, and insists that the Swamp People are indeed friends of the Magi.”

  As Red listened to the transtion, she also heard the countess mutter. "What a man." Making Red look over and see Ursu staring up into the sky and the Powered, with vision she could see that the other woman's checks were a touch red.

  The feline stepped back and whispered to the Baron Ivory a question. “Would it work for the Countess?”

  “Yes, but she shouldn’t need it. She is still under the effects of the Sway and thus shouldn’t be in heat.” The pachyderm told her just as softly.

  “I heard that.” Ursu snapped back at them. “I may not have your nose, Lady Red, but my hearing is more than fine.”

  Then everyone forgot about the attack as a glowing hole was made from nothing. It quickly widened in the air by the edge of the jungle. Once it was rge enough, three people in odd robes stepped through. A short older dark-haired woman, led two equally older men, one tanned like Agent Dani, and the other scared and white-haired and very fair in skin.

  Despite the simirities, it wasn’t until the special agent muttered in surprise. “Uncle Standingbear?”

  The older tan man turned and looked at the woman near them, and frowned before responding. “Little Moonstar? You are looking good. Your grandfather will be pleased to know you are doing ok.”

  Then from the opposite side of the clearing, another glowing hole appeared. It took a little longer to open than the first one, and again three people stepped through. The first one through was a bald tan man, in a strange bck oversized dress, but unlike the other group that came through, its other two members were rather young. A boy and a girl, both were dressed the same as the older member. The younger members of this trio seemed even more excited and interested in the portal thing than where they were.

  "Isn't that the man who was exiled from Kamar-Taj for practicing necromancy?” ‘Uncle Standingbear’ asked, pointing at the older powered person opposite them.

  "Yes, it is." The older woman from his group said through gritted teeth.

  Before the rest of the groups could respond another Powered member of the Brotherhood emerged causing the jungle to their left to ripple again. He flew straight to the first trio of hole travelers, shields of light circling the flying man. The three-robed people bowed slightly to the red-skinned man as he nded near them.

  “Your leader is not among you.” The shielded man stated.

  “The Ancient One is not, I am Master Takeda, and I represent our faction for this Entreatmeant Day. Beside me are Master Standingbear and Master Keacilius." The two men nodded at him when their names were mentioned, and then she asked him. "Is there something we can help you with Exodus?"

  “No, you are not her, thus you do not have answers to my questions.” The man in bck said cryptically. Then everyone’s attention shifted again, as the sound of sticks and even logs sounded like they were being snapped and tossed aside, off in the jungle.

  A short moment ter a beast of a man jumped into the clearing, he almost fttened the shack and the older feline couple. However, again the man in red and purple armor saved people gathered here, as he lifted his hand, raising the beast into the air with it.

  "He even protects the elderly. What a proper lord." Baron Ivory muttered very softly behind her.

  As it struggled in the air, Red got a better look at the creature. It was as rge as any of the knights of the Newmen, even in their armor. Yet the creature wore only simple rags around its privates and an odd harness on its back. It looked like a mix of a human and one of the people, as it cked a proper fur coat, yet its forearms and calves were covered in fur.

  "My bad, I guess challenging him to a race for the st kilo was a mistake." A bck-skinned human said following the cleared path the beast had created. Like the beast, he barely wore any clothes, just pants and a vest.

  The Powered armored man greeted the newcomer. “Mercenary.”

  "Mutant… you mind putting him down, he jostled our leader enough I should think." The half-dressed man told the floating Powered human.

  “Leader? I thought Hard-case was the leader of his tribe.” Lady Red heard one of the agents mutter.

  Then the one wrapped in shields floated up to the armored one and whispered. “I feel light inside of the chamber sitting on the Man-apes back.”

  The ‘man-ape’ was then slowly lowered to the ground. Once standing under its own power, it flipped a pair of simple levers dropping a ramp and opening the pod it wore on its back.

  Once it was opened Lady Red could smell the scent of an alpha loin, for but a second. The smell seemed to wash out the inhibitor that Ivory had shot into her that morning, as her mind and body started again going into the now familiar desire to mate.

  The sound of a foot on a step made the Feline Newman look to the pod, she saw a halo surround a mature blossomed human woman, but then she had to correct herself, as the human had a smiling lion’s head in pce of a regur one.

  The two powered humans nded, and the armored one bowed slightly before addressing the woman. “Lady Hathor, of Helipoa, the Brotherhood is pleased to finally greet you. We have heard so much of you and your people from the Magi."