The planet of Tenare had a thick atmosphere camouflaged by green clouds. Shafe flew over the tops of them in his flying device powered by the crystals set alight in the rear of the craft, providing propulsion power as they burned bright neon behind him. His light cloak flapped against the fast winds that snuck through the cockpit. This was his first real mission in the air, it was a simple scouting affair.

The ground below him was a wild zone home to many hazards, and none of them got along. Shafe had been sent to observe the Therminites from the sky. A nasty flame-throwing shape-shifting creature that slivered along the deserts slinking ever closer towards home. A monster that was extremely slow moving, slept most of the day, but at the same time was almost unkillable once it grabbed ahold of its prey.

The plane was piloted by two wooden foot panels for rudders to change horizontal directions, and two levers for vertical hand control. Flying was a process that required good strength from the operator and much training. A cadet could not graduate until a year was spent stationed at the castle Uput short gliding off the walls which guarded the edge of the kingdom for practice. The plane hit a patch of turbulence as it descended through the cloud cover that blocked vision. The craft's hull violently shook.

Orange sand, rocks, and canyons below got bigger as the distance shrunk. No signs of any shape shifters yet. There was a mining operation long abandoned ahead. The great metal building, once a hub for human activities has now collapsed and been retaken by the vines of nature. Shafe adjusted his flying goggles, removing the bug splat with a few wipes of his hand.

The aircraft jerked again; this time harder than all the last. As the pilot tilted his head around to see the rear view mirror he shook from shock, and fright. A large mass of fur and feathers had attached itself to the rear with talons. The ground was getting closer as the vehicle quickly made a mad descent to a fiery crash. Shafe pulled up with all his muscle, as the flight path started to even out straight just before certain impact. He looked back again as the large creature's beak ripped into the metal pulling out a piece to snack. Back up ahead, the barren desert soil formed a mountain towering above.

Desperate times called for desperate measures of the lever being firmly fitted to the floor before a hand pulled on it hard, fully uncapping the burning magma crystal in back. The vehicle shot to the sky and sideways, nearly swiping the large mound of soil. The razor-sharp talons moved in, shaving off the rear operator's head as all attachments to the crystal were pulled back by g forces burning blinding light. Shafe was still alive in the front seat, his face scrunched up under pressure of the throat threatening to shut off all air flow. The edges of vision began to grow increasingly black vignettes, as every moment threatened to become the last.

Down on the grounds at the castle Uput, the groundskeepers dragged away the green leaves that had fallen in the night. The three men attached themselves along the veins, slowly dragging it on along the path to the compost destination. Nearby the markets bustled with the ever churning exchanges of coins for wares. The band started their instruments, the one in front pounding away on the Terp music crystal resting above the stomach using padded drumsticks to keep them on time. The keys played their crystals providing melody as the king surveyed the population from above on a balcony.

King MERDIN the 4th was surrounded by his entourage of the coolest cats in the kingdom who slung blades, worked dice, cast spells, or brewed potions. The King's right hand mutant bodyguard rapidly extended a very long tongue from a scarred, disfigured, and scaly covered body made up of tiny bones called osteoderms. A lizard dressed to kill in Burtinion dwarf forged plate body armor strapped on with human leather stitches while gripped in the creature's claws; the spiked dried blood still caked its mighty flail. The slime dripped off the tongue now extended an incredible distance, unrolling and snapping up a stink bug before rapidly retracting back along a sharp venom-filled mouth. The King's mouth would now open.

“All is going to plan. Soon the gambling house will be completed, and seven more taverns will be opened with dancing girls nearby” said Merdin.

“Yes your highness, I will decree that to the builders at once” said Snaggy the Jester, and the royal information recorder.

“The Srippin coins, each of twelve unique restricted to the castle stamped on the other side, are the biggest banking success so far, as we use the surfs in our new government experiments, refining our system into a design optimization fit for the human population. It is good to be a member of the kingdom, wouldn't you say” cried the King.

“It is indeed with your genius now solving the issue of unregistered traders trading from castle to castle without the royal stamps of approval” declared the bootlickers among them.

The Bootlickers were a gentle creature with many feelers on their fishy heads. The two in attendance knelt down to lick up some of the latest tastes collected from the cobblestones all over the kingdom. In water cities they would dwell, coming to land in order to spread their deep knowledge and feast before returning to their cities for egg laying in the springtime. The King kept them well stocked in order to have more information available to his inner circle of benefactors.

“Permission to speak, may I King” said the man, sweating as he remained still with the blue salute.

King Merdin the 4th motioned with his hand a sign of approval.

“Verminum come towards the castle in the sky we must engage in warfare to defend the walls,” said the soldier.

The King stepped back inside swiftly followed by his guard who also took up forward positions. Safety would be reached in the bunker command center while the troops fought valiantly outside, defending the walls. Merdin and his guard stepped onto the paternoster heading down to the belly of the castle. The stones were intersected by the ebony wood marking every floor. As the pulley lowered them down continuously, the cart carrying the men shook from an explosion hitting the castle upstairs.

Shafe’s aircraft, long out of control, slammed into a tower, exploding with him and the creature still attached. Rubble fell from the sky onto the marketplace as the crowds ran for cover. People knocked each other over, hid under stalls, or ran into buildings locking them up behind so that the next person was left beating on the wood trying to gain entrance. The rest of the crowd trampled on each other in a mad dash for the protection of the dungeon.

In the bunker command soldiers lined the walls talking into mouthpieces connectected to the dark frequency crystals broadcasting on the dome antenna above. The same Ninth crystals as played by the band are the 6th of 12 varieties while the Magma ranked 1st providing heat, plane propulsion, and powering the empire's engines. Each crystal color marked a special energy that could be used up in a battery to provide special powers to every empire who mined, bought or conquered them.

“The attack has begun!” cried Snaggy in despair already there as the King entered his roost.

“Snaggy is the escape craft ready?” asked one of the Bootlickers.

“Yes let us board now with my guards, and wait so as not to slow anyone down” said Snaggy as he began to escort the Bootlickers to safety.

“I need you here for your council” commanded Merdin the 4th.

“Yes your majesty” all three cried returning.

“King, we have established contact with one of the Verminum attackers!” yelled a man from one of the metal floor speakers who had heard it from above.

“What do they want?” said Merdin.

“Nothing yet,” yelled the speaker back.

“They want to eat us!” cried the two Bootlickers in harmony.

“Enough!” said King.

The people in the room went silent. Another explosion rocked above shaking a world map tapestry hung at the back of the room, as the faint beat of the pounding anti-air cannons on the walls above mixed with the static filled voices garbled together from all over the kingdom. The rest of the Speakers had now gathered all together around the line to the Verminum command as the King approached.

“They want a meeting now inside these very walls” cried the highest Speaker to the mighty receiver.

The High council who normally governed over Uput had gathered in their throne room. They sat in fancy robes directing the soldiers around them the proper process to set the banquet of meat and cheese from which they would gorge. Merdin ordered more men to the weak points of the walls, before he checked on the status of the reinforcement air units with another approaching messenger.

“Where is our favorite prince?” Snaggy asked the Bootlickers who sat across the feasting table.

“With one of the many maids he bangs while hiding from the action I suspect,” said the eldest amphibian.

“Or perhaps with the milkman again” said the other.

“Interesting, hey did you know yesterday prince number 72 was born?” said Snaggy in return.

The door burst open to the eatery as an officer ran into the establishment.

“The Verminum generals are heading to this room. Defend the King!” he yelled, crashing on the floor over one of the many buffet trays.

The eaters stopped themselves from further eating, as the soldiers swarmed in with drawn spears and swords, and the bowmen drew tight above. Clacking claws sounded outside as the royalty gasped, and one ran for the exit followed by another. Bending into the doorway too small a smooth silk figure entered, its pointed black fur ears touching the atrium ceiling as black tail waved playfully. Whiskers blew out as nostrils flared, and the rear paws stepped forward on the floor as another of the same cat creature entered behind.

“Hello humans” it hissed.

“Meow” said the other as it licked its lips exposing a sharpened gold fang.

“Let's do this deal quickly, what do you want?” asked the King.

“All your crystals meow” said the cat.

“In the dungeon you will find them all!” yelled the Slyman at the table.

The cats were back on their fours as they left out the door purring.

“Let's go!” yelled the Slyman as all the VIPs ran out to the stairs leading to an air escape. The King took his special polished crown door that only he and his elite guard had access to. They were back on a cart heading up, driven by the large pulley. The King exited into the blowing winds as his aircraft waited on the second platform below the antenna connected to the dark crystal but still above the other royals below. Snaggy and the Bootlickers greeted Merdin the 4th as they boarded. Under each of the four corners of the craft, thrusters of Magma crystal began lighting hot red, powering up as they began to take off.

“How long until we are in the air?”

“Soon. 1 minute until takeoff” yelled the royal pilot flipping levers and turning on switches as the craft began to rumble.

Flapping wings as the dust began to blow up from the winds being sent down from the giant bird above. The antenna above the Kingsmen loudly shook its metal as a giant eagle swooped in with talons before grabbing ahold and dropping it off the edge to the population below. It flew off with the cloaked cat on its back claws dug gently, a sharp threat if the cat's flight path wasn’t properly followed. An even greater eagle now perched on the dark crystal as two cats climbed off its back. They tied up the prize with a rope to a harness on the bird's breast.

The King's craft slowly lifted off in the air as the thrusters shifted slightly sideways sending it in the other direction of the castle as the cats on their steads descended to get their paws on the crystals. The Kingscraft picked up speed zooming away just as the ceasefire broke and the cannons were firing again. Chaos erupted on the royal airstrip as crowds made a mad dash to the ships, some flying off prematurely with only a few fewer numbers than the max capacity boarded.

The Slyman waddled across the landing pad as a bird descended on him from above. Its talons dug in deep as it struggled to carry him off.

“Where do you think your taking me huh you filthy animals?” said the Slyman a relative of the frog.

The wings and the bird's heart gave out at about the same time as they plummeted to the ground. Gary splattered into a puddle before slowly reforming.

Prince Edward Longbottom was still deep within the castle walls with his harem. The party was 40 strong, and thus too big to fit out by plane. They were in the large armory already well armed with whips and wooden paddles.

“Commander Newton we will fight with you to the station where we will then fight our way out of this mess” said Prince Edward.

“Understood, we need all the strength we can muster” said the commander doing the blue salute.

On the rampart they ran out ready for violence. They sprinted past the rotating cannons, auto-fed from the funnel bins as soldiers dumped in the ammo, while others lugged out the boxes. The party was over a hundred descending the inside wall onto the grounds below. Edward ran out in front faster than all the others. A scream as a bird came down, ripping off a head before the cat pounced off, clawing a soldier in the face.

“Yesham, cast your magic tricks and protect us!” the prince cried loudly.

The woman in the blue dress let her hood down, and then undid her wrapped purple crystal.

“Prestami presto!” she yelled.

The purple lit up all around them, first a haze then mist before hardening into rigid force field walls as soldiers in the path were vaporized. The fierce cats outside continued their rampage ripping through the troops trapped outside the bubble. One of the cats looked like a porcupine, its fur full of arrows as it killed its last soldier before collapsing.

“Excellent work, now where is the big garage located anyway commander?” asked the prince.

“Just past the next bend” said the Commander.

“Very good, are you ready Nancy the necromancer?” the prince called.

The purple haired, well proportioned goth girlfriend of the Prince didn’t answer as they were currently fighting a vicious verbal spat that had caused the two to be repulsed by each other's former charms that everyone else seemed to enjoy.

A soldier up ahead had the metal door open as they all trickled inside the train station running by the line barriers closed to the public. The 4th crystal variety was yellow, only a small amount needed for super magnetic fields. The Train sat in the air above the tracks as the magnetic crystal in the tracks repelled the body of the locomotive into guide rails.

“Everyone aboard!” called the conductor another Slyman wearing a large traditional fur uniform.

The party hastily boarded the train cars from all around. Inside the cars stuck together and upholstered with purple fuzz on the walls and shag carpet on the floors. The prince and his closest lovers sat behind the best bar on board drinking Shlock, and eating crumpets.

“We will be leaving in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!” cried the conductor.

The train lurched forward at a high speed propelled by burning Magma thrusters bursting as the flames vented through an exhaust underground the station.