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They were everywhere; on all sides, bringing their slimy fists down on him with an incredible amount of strength. Slamming into his face, his back, his ribs, and his chest. There was no room to breathe, and even if there was, the stench of the place was enough to kill. Ronin fought as hard as he could, twisting and turning, dodging what blows he could and absorbing the rest. He threw out what punches he could muster, feeling his fist collide with the bulk of a Boggan, only to receive two blows to the head in return. What Boggans he managed to fight off of him were quickly replaced by more and more – Ronin felt as though he would surely suffocate if it went on for much longer.
I have to buy them as much time as I can. The future of the forest depends on it!
The Leaf Man General fought and fought, until he thought he was sure to be overrun by Boggans. He was ready for them to finish him. It wouldn’t matter if he died – so long as the forest would be safe, and the new Queen would arise. That was what really mattered, not the future of the bold General of the Leaf Men.
The weight continued to pile on top of him. The number of Boggans continued to overwhelm him, until Ronin thought for sure he would either die of suffocation, or from being crushed to death.
Yet it all stopped suddenly, quicker than Ronin could have ever expected. And the one who ended it? It was none other than Mandrake himself.
“Enough!” The Boggan king roared, his strong voice echoing off the walls of his rotted fortress. The Boggans parted, shrinking away from Ronin at the word of their leader. Mandrake leapt from a higher ledge and landed effortlessly in front of Ronin, rising up to his full height before the General with a look of burning hatred in his amber gaze, yet a mocking smile spreading across his face. “The brave Leaf Man has already suffered enough.” He said, tapping his staff into his open palm as his army of brutish warriors cackled at Ronin, who had raised his fists to defend himself once more, unwilling to give up.
“You’re too late, Mandrake.” Ronin said, gritting his teeth, “The others are already on their way back to Moonhaven. By the time you find them, they’ll already be too far gone.” The Leaf Man smiled, turning his head for a second to spit out a mouthful of blood before turning back to Mandrake with a smirk. “You can’t stop them. When the full moon rises to its highest point-”
“Blah, blah, blah, a new Queen will be chosen and my army will be pushed back into this wasteland from which we came, the end.” Mandrake interrupted, rolling his eyes at the General with a mockingly twisted grin on his face, “I must say Ronin…that’s quite the fairy tale you have carved into that thick skull of yours.” The Boggan stepped forward, circling the exhausted Leaf Man carefully, fully aware of the chance that Ronin would lash out at him, but leaning in closely to make sure the General would hear his icy calm whisper.
“Tell me, was your beloved Queen Tara the one who put it there?”
Ronin’s blood turned to ice at the mention of Tara’s name, and he spun around to face Mandrake, his fists up and ready to fly, a scowl replacing the smirk on his face. “What are you going on about, you overgrown-”
Mandrake lashed out now, clutching his staff in one hand, and Ronin’s collar in the other, yanking the Leaf Man right up to his face until he could see his own reflection in the General’s eyes. “Not a word, Ronin.” The Boggan hissed dangerously, keeping an eye on Ronin’s fists, “We both know who has the upper hand here.” The Boggan king released the General’s collar and shoved him backward with a powerful outward push, though it didn’t take too much to topple Ronin, as he was already exhausted from fighting Mandrake’s numerous minions.
“Yes. Your friends managed to escape with the pod.” Mandrake said, the grin on his face disappearing to get onto more serious matters, “But do you really think that I would be so unprepared? I thought of every possible situation – every outcome, Ronin. I have waited years for this very night. And yet you think that I would just let this slip through my grasp?” The Boggan stepped forward, getting in Ronin’s face again with his mocking yellow grin. “Not a chance.”
The Boggan king looked up at his army, his voice once again echoing off the walls of the rotted fortress, “Ready yourselves! We take to the skies as soon as possible!”
The Boggans roared and cackled at their leader’s command, most of them swarming off into the rotted stronghold to prepare themselves for their final strike, leaving Ronin and Mandrake practically alone, aside from a handful of Boggans who knew they would have to stay behind to guard their new prisinor.
“You won’t be able to do it Mandrake.” Ronin said, scowling while struggling to his feet again. As confident as he appeared to be, Ronin was rather frightened by Mandrake’s determination. There was no doubt in the General’s mind that Mandrake was being totally honest with him – that he had been waiting with the Boggans for years, just for this. But how far would he go for victory? The Leaf Man General didn’t know. He didn’t particularly wish to find out either.
“Watch me, Leaf Man.” Mandrake hissed back over his shoulder, his eyes gleaming with intensity, his voice icily calm, “But first…”
Mandrake spun around, his eyes burning with untamed rage. Without giving Ronin so much as a second to raise his fists and defend himself, the Boggan’s powerful fist collided with the side of Ronin’s face, sending the Leaf Man reeling once more, with Mandrake looming over him with a pointed, yellow-toothed grin of satisfaction. “That was for my son.” He leaned in, the smirk disappearing from his face and his voice lowering dangerously, “The one you took away from me.”
Ronin turned his head to face Mandrake, the bold smirk returning to his discolored face. “You mean the buffoon I shot with YOUR arrow?” he said, the defiance in his voice ringing out through the fortress for all to hear.
“His name was Dagda!” Mandrake snarled, looming over Ronin at his full height, “And I mean my son – my General that took your Tara away from you. So there, Ronin. We’ve both had someone we cared for taken from us by the other.” He scowled, and once again, his yellow smirk spread across his face, “But I don’t play this little game of ours to get even. I play to win.”
“You’ll never win, Boggan.” Ronin spat, blood splattering on the ground at his words.
Mandrake let out a rumbling chuckle, turning his back to Ronin, but keeping his head over his shoulder to say something.
“Funny. That’s exactly what your little Leaf Man friend said to me years ago. Before I-” he trailed off, spinning his staff around in his hand with a twisted grin, “Well, you know…”
Mandrake's words made Ronin's blood boil. He remembered as clear as day what Mandrake had done to his best friend - murdering him without mercy, and not only had Mandrake taken away Ronin's most trusted friend that day, but Nod's father as well. But before he could throw back a response, two Boggans, fully armed and ready for battle scrambled up to Mandrake, hissing and grumbling in their strange language so only Mandrake could understand their words. The Boggan king nodded his head at them and grinned with satisfaction. “Good…” he turned quickly and spun his staff in a practiced manner, pointing it right at two large Boggans who were standing not too far off, looking for orders. “You two! Get the others and watch this one.” He said, motioning to Ronin with a quick glance, “If he escapes, it will cost you dearly.”
Mandrake turned his attention once more to Ronin, walking right past him to summon his bat from the darkness of his fortress. “So long, General!” he called over his shoulder, “It is time I get my Dark Prince back from those….slimeballs. I think I heard one of them call themselves a Leaf Man.” He snorted, rolling his eyes at the General with a mocking shake of his head, “Really Ronin, I thought you were above recruiting slugs.”
“He’s a snail.” Ronin scowled, “And at least I don’t have a horde of brainless thugs-” he was cut off by one of the Boggans Mandrake had commanded to guard him, having been hit in the back by a mighty armored fist, which brought him to his knees.
“Then again, I can’t really blame you!” Mandrake said, ignoring the General as a large black bat flew out from the depths of the stronghold and landed before the Boggan king, allowing Mandrake to climb swiftly onto its back before shooting Ronin a final goodbye smirk. “You’ll need all the help you can get when my Prince arises!”
Lifting his head to the night sky, Mandrake let out a bloodcurdling roar, to which his Boggans replied with their own screeches. Ronin watched in shock as the multitude of Boggans rose from the earth and into the sky in a frenzy of wings and fur. The swarm was controlled, yet chaotic – and Mandrake could be seen leading them at the head, directing his warriors straight for Moonhaven, his war cry echoing out through the entire wasteland in a way that chilled Ronin to the very bone.
“By the end of this night, this forest will be ours!”
I have to buy them as much time as I can. The future of the forest depends on it!
The Leaf Man General fought and fought, until he thought he was sure to be overrun by Boggans. He was ready for them to finish him. It wouldn’t matter if he died – so long as the forest would be safe, and the new Queen would arise. That was what really mattered, not the future of the bold General of the Leaf Men.
The weight continued to pile on top of him. The number of Boggans continued to overwhelm him, until Ronin thought for sure he would either die of suffocation, or from being crushed to death.
Yet it all stopped suddenly, quicker than Ronin could have ever expected. And the one who ended it? It was none other than Mandrake himself.
“Enough!” The Boggan king roared, his strong voice echoing off the walls of his rotted fortress. The Boggans parted, shrinking away from Ronin at the word of their leader. Mandrake leapt from a higher ledge and landed effortlessly in front of Ronin, rising up to his full height before the General with a look of burning hatred in his amber gaze, yet a mocking smile spreading across his face. “The brave Leaf Man has already suffered enough.” He said, tapping his staff into his open palm as his army of brutish warriors cackled at Ronin, who had raised his fists to defend himself once more, unwilling to give up.
“You’re too late, Mandrake.” Ronin said, gritting his teeth, “The others are already on their way back to Moonhaven. By the time you find them, they’ll already be too far gone.” The Leaf Man smiled, turning his head for a second to spit out a mouthful of blood before turning back to Mandrake with a smirk. “You can’t stop them. When the full moon rises to its highest point-”
“Blah, blah, blah, a new Queen will be chosen and my army will be pushed back into this wasteland from which we came, the end.” Mandrake interrupted, rolling his eyes at the General with a mockingly twisted grin on his face, “I must say Ronin…that’s quite the fairy tale you have carved into that thick skull of yours.” The Boggan stepped forward, circling the exhausted Leaf Man carefully, fully aware of the chance that Ronin would lash out at him, but leaning in closely to make sure the General would hear his icy calm whisper.
“Tell me, was your beloved Queen Tara the one who put it there?”
Ronin’s blood turned to ice at the mention of Tara’s name, and he spun around to face Mandrake, his fists up and ready to fly, a scowl replacing the smirk on his face. “What are you going on about, you overgrown-”
Mandrake lashed out now, clutching his staff in one hand, and Ronin’s collar in the other, yanking the Leaf Man right up to his face until he could see his own reflection in the General’s eyes. “Not a word, Ronin.” The Boggan hissed dangerously, keeping an eye on Ronin’s fists, “We both know who has the upper hand here.” The Boggan king released the General’s collar and shoved him backward with a powerful outward push, though it didn’t take too much to topple Ronin, as he was already exhausted from fighting Mandrake’s numerous minions.
“Yes. Your friends managed to escape with the pod.” Mandrake said, the grin on his face disappearing to get onto more serious matters, “But do you really think that I would be so unprepared? I thought of every possible situation – every outcome, Ronin. I have waited years for this very night. And yet you think that I would just let this slip through my grasp?” The Boggan stepped forward, getting in Ronin’s face again with his mocking yellow grin. “Not a chance.”
The Boggan king looked up at his army, his voice once again echoing off the walls of the rotted fortress, “Ready yourselves! We take to the skies as soon as possible!”
The Boggans roared and cackled at their leader’s command, most of them swarming off into the rotted stronghold to prepare themselves for their final strike, leaving Ronin and Mandrake practically alone, aside from a handful of Boggans who knew they would have to stay behind to guard their new prisinor.
“You won’t be able to do it Mandrake.” Ronin said, scowling while struggling to his feet again. As confident as he appeared to be, Ronin was rather frightened by Mandrake’s determination. There was no doubt in the General’s mind that Mandrake was being totally honest with him – that he had been waiting with the Boggans for years, just for this. But how far would he go for victory? The Leaf Man General didn’t know. He didn’t particularly wish to find out either.
“Watch me, Leaf Man.” Mandrake hissed back over his shoulder, his eyes gleaming with intensity, his voice icily calm, “But first…”
Mandrake spun around, his eyes burning with untamed rage. Without giving Ronin so much as a second to raise his fists and defend himself, the Boggan’s powerful fist collided with the side of Ronin’s face, sending the Leaf Man reeling once more, with Mandrake looming over him with a pointed, yellow-toothed grin of satisfaction. “That was for my son.” He leaned in, the smirk disappearing from his face and his voice lowering dangerously, “The one you took away from me.”
Ronin turned his head to face Mandrake, the bold smirk returning to his discolored face. “You mean the buffoon I shot with YOUR arrow?” he said, the defiance in his voice ringing out through the fortress for all to hear.
“His name was Dagda!” Mandrake snarled, looming over Ronin at his full height, “And I mean my son – my General that took your Tara away from you. So there, Ronin. We’ve both had someone we cared for taken from us by the other.” He scowled, and once again, his yellow smirk spread across his face, “But I don’t play this little game of ours to get even. I play to win.”
“You’ll never win, Boggan.” Ronin spat, blood splattering on the ground at his words.
Mandrake let out a rumbling chuckle, turning his back to Ronin, but keeping his head over his shoulder to say something.
“Funny. That’s exactly what your little Leaf Man friend said to me years ago. Before I-” he trailed off, spinning his staff around in his hand with a twisted grin, “Well, you know…”
Mandrake's words made Ronin's blood boil. He remembered as clear as day what Mandrake had done to his best friend - murdering him without mercy, and not only had Mandrake taken away Ronin's most trusted friend that day, but Nod's father as well. But before he could throw back a response, two Boggans, fully armed and ready for battle scrambled up to Mandrake, hissing and grumbling in their strange language so only Mandrake could understand their words. The Boggan king nodded his head at them and grinned with satisfaction. “Good…” he turned quickly and spun his staff in a practiced manner, pointing it right at two large Boggans who were standing not too far off, looking for orders. “You two! Get the others and watch this one.” He said, motioning to Ronin with a quick glance, “If he escapes, it will cost you dearly.”
Mandrake turned his attention once more to Ronin, walking right past him to summon his bat from the darkness of his fortress. “So long, General!” he called over his shoulder, “It is time I get my Dark Prince back from those….slimeballs. I think I heard one of them call themselves a Leaf Man.” He snorted, rolling his eyes at the General with a mocking shake of his head, “Really Ronin, I thought you were above recruiting slugs.”
“He’s a snail.” Ronin scowled, “And at least I don’t have a horde of brainless thugs-” he was cut off by one of the Boggans Mandrake had commanded to guard him, having been hit in the back by a mighty armored fist, which brought him to his knees.
“Then again, I can’t really blame you!” Mandrake said, ignoring the General as a large black bat flew out from the depths of the stronghold and landed before the Boggan king, allowing Mandrake to climb swiftly onto its back before shooting Ronin a final goodbye smirk. “You’ll need all the help you can get when my Prince arises!”
Lifting his head to the night sky, Mandrake let out a bloodcurdling roar, to which his Boggans replied with their own screeches. Ronin watched in shock as the multitude of Boggans rose from the earth and into the sky in a frenzy of wings and fur. The swarm was controlled, yet chaotic – and Mandrake could be seen leading them at the head, directing his warriors straight for Moonhaven, his war cry echoing out through the entire wasteland in a way that chilled Ronin to the very bone.
“By the end of this night, this forest will be ours!”
Suggested Collections
”Good and Evil may hate each other, yet they are blind to the suffering they each cause one another – and it will remain so forever.”
I am still focused on the movie Epic – there was so much they left open for fans to fill in with their own stories and what not that I had to keep writing about it. Talking to my friends does not really help me either.
But it is not like I don’t enjoy writing these! Though, I think maybe this could have turned out better. ;w; You will have to tell me what you think about that.
A big thanks to *Zap-Zap-Forever and ~serrianightshadesnow for inspiring to write this – it takes place obviously when Mary Katherine and Nod are forced to leave Ronin behind in Mandrake’s stronghold, and I just wrote what I thought may have happened after that little cut scene. Perhaps it could have involved more…fighting between Ronin and Mandrake, but I must admit, I am not that good with describing violent scenes. :C I am sorry. But I hope you enjoy it anyway!
Writing by ~Starlight-Syndicate with special help from *Zap-Zap-Forever and ~serrianightshadesnow
Mandrake/Ronin/Nod/Mary Katherine/Tara/Mub/Grub/Leaf Men/Epic are all owned by Blue Sky Studios
I hope you enjoyed!
Please keep all comments friendly and constructive~<3
If I said something wrong, please tell me. English is not my first language.
I am still focused on the movie Epic – there was so much they left open for fans to fill in with their own stories and what not that I had to keep writing about it. Talking to my friends does not really help me either.
But it is not like I don’t enjoy writing these! Though, I think maybe this could have turned out better. ;w; You will have to tell me what you think about that.A big thanks to *Zap-Zap-Forever and ~serrianightshadesnow for inspiring to write this – it takes place obviously when Mary Katherine and Nod are forced to leave Ronin behind in Mandrake’s stronghold, and I just wrote what I thought may have happened after that little cut scene. Perhaps it could have involved more…fighting between Ronin and Mandrake, but I must admit, I am not that good with describing violent scenes. :C I am sorry. But I hope you enjoy it anyway!
Writing by ~Starlight-Syndicate with special help from *Zap-Zap-Forever and ~serrianightshadesnow
Mandrake/Ronin/Nod/Mary Katherine/Tara/Mub/Grub/Leaf Men/Epic are all owned by Blue Sky Studios
I hope you enjoyed!
Please keep all comments friendly and constructive~<3
If I said something wrong, please tell me. English is not my first language.
© 2013 - 2024 Starlight-Syndicate
Comments12
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This is really great! Is English really not your first language? This is very clear and easy to understand. 
