THE SECOND CRADLE - BOOK TWO OF THE IRON CRADLE SAGA Chapter 18: CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - Fire and Ice

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THE SECOND CRADLE CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Fire and Ice The two kobolds stared back at us. The thick, leather-bound robes they wore seemed a little over the top, but overall they almost looked like a blend of the same type of cloak and armor our rogues wore mixed with the bronze chain mail some of our Praetorians used. Neither of them said a word. I stepped up and knelt in front of both of them, taking ARi's hand as she stood next to me. "Can you understand me?" I asked. They looked at each other again and then nodded. "Good." I was about to start the same orientation I'd done so many times before when Red and Charlie came up and stood next to me. "Architect, perhaps this would go better if we did this part." I glanced up at ARi, and she nodded with a half smile, giggling softly. "What?" I asked, not understanding what was so funny. "With respect, Architect," Charlie said, "you always come across a little preachy when you do it." I looked around at the others, who were all nodding in agreement. "You guys are just telling me this now?" ARi pulled me up, and we took a couple of steps back while Red and Charlie approached the newest cohorts. Speaking to them in their native language, all four of them talked for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, Charlie and Red both tapped their chests, and the two mages saluted back by doing the same. Both of the mages walked up in front of ARi and knelt. "You don't have to do that," ARi said. "Why do they always do that?" she asked Charlie as he snickered. A new voice, gravelly and low, answered before Charlie could. "Ward, we were told that it was required to kneel in your presence. That we should show reverence to our Ward." ARi glared at Charlie and Red, who were now in tears and unable to hold back their laughter. The two mages glanced at each other and then slowly raised their heads. Jokes aside, I was surprised that the new kobolds I'd just spawned could already speak. I wasn't sure if it was because of their higher intelligence levels, their status as mages, or the fact that I'd brought them in at level three. It was an odd feeling to only spawn two cohorts and have it drain me like it did, especially since at this point I'd been able to easily spawn whole squads of other classes at a time. Realizing they'd been duped, one of the mages' eyes began to glow blue while the other's burned a fiery orange. Charlie and Red suddenly yelped as the stone floor beneath them began to glow hot and the helmets they carried in their arms started frosting over. Both of them gathered themselves quickly. Unhurt, but wary. Charlie grinned back at the two mages. "Lesson learned," he said, tapping his chest before reaching down to pick his helmet up off the floor. He grabbed Red's and handed it back to him as well. "Well, I guess that answers what kind of mages you actually spawned in there, Gav," Kyle said with a huge shitty grin. He'd been sitting off to the side with Tim, watching the entire encounter. ARi knelt in front of the mages. As she touched each of them on the shoulder, the inner lining of their cloaks changed to orange on one and blue on the other. "I think we're going to have to find names for you two." One of the mages looked down, worried he'd gotten in trouble for lashing out at the other kobolds. "Our apologies, Ward. We felt the misinformation about how to address you to be inappropriate." "It's okay," ARi said softly. "Honestly, I'm getting used to it. Kyle over here is going to take you guys aside and go over your responsibilities and try to figure out what your capabilities are. Is that okay?" "As you wish," the other kobold said. Both of them tapped their chests and moved over toward Kyle, who was ushering them to come sit down at the table with him and Tim. I helped ARi back up. "ARi, that was amazing. Could you imagine how powerful they could be as they level up? This could be a real game changer." "I agree, Gav, but the control point cost and expense is definitely the system bala