A small man, he had never completely understood the whole appeal of
being tall.  Until today.

Now it was quite clear to the man exactly why everyone cared so much. A
hero, they called out.  The man had thought not.  After all, how could a
tall warrior ever manage to defeat the speed and quickness inherent in
any fighter of the art of Nerds.  Any Nerd fighter could easily defeat
any warrior, the man was quite sure of that.  And all the talk by the
townsfolk of this great warrior had been just that - talk.

But now, the man saw him, Krackel, tall and powerful, yet with a subtle
dexterity that belied his stature.  Well, the bigger they are, the
harder they fall, as it was said in the ranks of Nerds.  The man grinned
as he watched the meeting between Krackel and the Warrior Priestesses.
Soon enough, the Nerds fighter would have a real challenge at last.

"You will fall Krackel," the man vowed to himself.  "Or my name isn't
Zagnut."

>o< >o< >o<

	The Starburst Crystal
	Created by Ardweden

	Chapter Thirty-Nine: A Red Hot Predicament
	By Jeremy Fogelman

>o< >o< >o<

Carob got an uneasy feeling as Krackel reached the Crystal Warriors.
"They look... frightened? But how can that be? Krackel is a great hero,
renowned far and wide.  Perhaps I had better make sure there is no
jealousy between them."

Carob walked quickly between the Crystal Warriors and Krackel. He held
up his hands and grinned winningly.  "Krackel, we of Frango welcome you!
May I introduce you to the Crystal Warriors?"

Krackel stared directly at the Warriors, his gaze not wavering in the
slightest.  "We've met."

"Um, I see.  Well, that is wonderful.  We have a special banquet
prepared in celebration of your arrival."

Krackel turned to face the shorter Carob.  "Is that so?" Suddenly he
whirled, hand on his enormous sword's hilt to face... a small girl,
tugging at his leg.

"Mr. Krackel? This is for you!" She held up a small necklace of flowers.

Krackel accepted it and draped it over his shoulder.  "Thank you," he
said, while staring at the Crystal Warriors.  "I appreciate the gift
greatly, young one.  You know, you remind of my sister."

The little girl smiled brightly and hugged Krackel's leg tightly, before
letting go and running off into the crowd.  Krackel watched her go with
a solemn expression.

He turned back to face the disoriented Crystal Warriors.  "I can easily
tell you are surprised by my appearance.  I can assure you all, that is
how I intended it.  I am certain that word of my impending arrival to
this village moved quite fast."

Kyouji frowned, remembering the last time they had met.  "What exactly
do you want, Krackel? I would've thought you'd stay away from us."

Yumi sighed.  "Are you here to attack us? Or do you need our help? Is
your sister in trouble? Just tell us."

"Or knock you senseless," Tsugiko added, hefting her hammer.

Krackel shook his head and sighed deeply.  "I am afraid I must speak to
you privately, as soon as possible.  I give you my word, I will not
attack you.  Can you trust me on that?"

Kyouji looked warily at Krackel and exchanged glances with Tsugiko.
Neither one looked too pleased with Krackel's request.  "I don't know,"
Kyouji started to say.

"Oh, of course, that'd be fine," Yumi said cheerfully.  "Let's go talk
right now!"

Kyouji and Tsugiko looked at their friend incredulously.  "She's nuts,"
Tsugiko muttered to Kyouji, who knew better than to dare to disagree.

Krackel nodded in acquiescence and moved toward a secluded area away
from the crowds.

Carob's eyes flickered nervously between them.  "Um, friends, there
won't be a problem, will there? We can still have our honorary banquet?"

Yumi smiled brightly at Carob.  "Of course! No problem at all! Right,
guys."

"Right," they mumbled halfheartedly.

Carob breathed a sigh of relief and moved off into the crowd, greeting
and grinning as he went.

* * *

Wintergreen sat on her throne and snarled.  "Ah...  Watch it! I said I
wanted a pedicure, not a foot rub, fool!" She roared.

Rollo cowered and hid her head.  "Sorry, milady.  It won't happen again.
I just wanted to make sure I didn't hurt you."

Wintergreen sneered.  "Not much chance of that, young Rollo.  Not even
your loving brother could manage to hurt me!"

Rollo bowed low to the floor.  "Of course not, milady.  Please allow me
to continue."

Wintergreen idly raised a hand.  "You may."

Riesen sneered as he watched the queen get pampered by the young girl.
"Such a foppish and useless girl.  I don't know why Wintergreen doesn't
just lock her up in the dungeon.  Surely that would far better induce
the 'perfect'Krackel to perform his duties."

Something about Krackel's latest 'expedition'didn't sit right with
Riesen.  He was supposed to be on his standard 'defeat Crystal Warriors,
find all Shards'mission, but Riesen didn't trust the former hero in the
slightest.  People who were to be used, should be used then discarded,
in his opinion.  Keeping Rollo and Krackel alive was just unnecessarily
dangerous, Risesen thought.  Then again, perhaps the queen would reward
him if he uncovered any treachery or betrayal by Krackel.

Riesen chuckled.  Yes, reveal Krackel's betrayal.

Whether it existed or not.

* * *

Krackel rubbed his chin thoughtfully as looked over the Crystal
Warriors.  "Perhaps I was overhasty the last time we met.  The truth is,
I do indeed need your help.  Neither my sister Rollo nor I truly wish to
serve Wintergreen - precisely the opposite in fact.  We could sincerely
use your help."

Kyouji cleared his throat and shook his head.  He wondered if there was
any connection to the dream he had the night before.  "And how exactly
could we help you? If we decide to actually help you, that is."

"And why should we trust you?" Tsugiko put in.

"Guys!" Yumi protested.  "Don't be like that! Krackel and poor Rollo
need our help, and as Crystal Warriors, we are duty-bound to help them!"

"I guess," Kyouji grumbled.

Tsugiko snickered.  "I bet you're just still mad because you could never
defeat him."

"That's ridiculous!" Kyouji yelled.

"Protest too much, methinks?" Tsugiko grinned.

Krackel sighed and wiped his brow.  "This is getting nowhere fast," he
said.  "Can you make a decision please? If you can't help us, then I
suppose we will continue being enemies.  And I suppose then I would be
forced to take the crystal shards back from you."

Kyouji started to stand up, face reddening, and Tsugiko bristled.

"Guys!" Yumi looked sternly at Kyouji and Tsugiko.  She turned back to
face Krackel.  "Well, sir, I think we would be far better as allies than
as enemies.  I'm sure we can put our past issues behind us.  Don't you
agree?"

Krackel said.  "If I did not, I would not have come to you with the
proposition in the first place."

Yumi grinned.  "Great!" She held out her hand.  "Allies?"

Krackel accepted her hand and shook it firmly.  "Allies."

Tsugiko rolled her eyes and shook her head.  "Well, 'ally', I hope you
weren't just expecting us to waltz into Wintergreen's palace and rescue
your sister.  After all, if it was that easy, we would've beaten
Wintergreen by now."

Kyouji nodded in agreement.  "Sorry, but we have to retrieve the rest of
the crystal shards first.  Otherwise, there's no real point in attacking
Wintergreen's palace."

Yumi frowned as she looked over at the other Crystal Warriors.  They
seemed to be agreeing an awful lot recently, especially when it came to
disliking Krackel.  Yumi couldn't help but feel a little jealous of
Tsugiko and Kyouji sharing something, even something so unimportant, but
she stood resolute.  'Better an ally than an enemy, that much is for
sure.'

Krackel nodded and sat back against a rock.  "Indeed, I do have a plan.
But it involves the retrieval of an ancient artifact, with danger
surrounding it at every turn.  I am certain I can convince Wintergreen
that it would be prudent to spy on you while in fact assisting you
subtly.  With this artifact, we can far more easily rescue my sister,
and perhaps defeat Wintergreen as well."

Yumi nodded as she tried to focus on what the tall warrior was saying.
"Well, I suppose we can make a detour from the road to Guylian if it's
for a good reason.  What exactly does this artifact do?"

"Good question," Kyouji said, nodding.  Yumi beamed at him, while
Tsugiko rolled her eyes.

"I cannot say," Krackel replied apologetically.  "All I know is that it
is well known for helping an infamous criminal from many years ago.  He
was always able to escape his imprisonments, without fail."

"Wait, so you're basing this 'detour', which could cost us quite a lot,
you realize, on some silly legend?" Tsugiko snorted in disbelief.  "I
think we'll need a little more than just talk."

"Fair enough," Krackel nodded.  "Let me investigate the matter, and meet
up with you in. . . Guylian was it?"

Yumi nodded.  "That's right."

"Yumi, can I talk to you privately a moment?" Kyouji interrupted with a
sense of urgency in his voice.  "Please?"

Tsugiko looked at Kyouji sternly.  "And what am I supposed to do while
you two are off talking privately? Knit?"

"You can keep an eye on our 'hero'here," Kyouji reasoned.

Tsugiko rolled her eyes again, but nodded.

Yumi looked thoughtful.  "Well, okay, let's go."  Kyouji got up and
started walking away, Yumi following him.

Krackel smiled slightly at Tsugiko.  "Perhaps you had a question for me,
Priestess?"

Tsugiko frowned.  "Perhaps.  Why can't you just go get the artifact
yourself?"

Krackel sighed.  "I doubt I'd be able to explain the search to the
queen.  But if you were nearby at least, you wouldn't even need to
assist me.  Your presence would be reason enough for my proximity to
satisfy Wintergreen, I am sure."

Tsugiko looked thoughtful.  "Well, you make a good point.  But I'm not
quite sure..."

* * *

Zagnut gasped as he saw the two Crystal Warriors walk away.  "Now's my
chance! Finally, a true challenge! I'll be a hero among my fellow Nerds!
Not that those fools are worth much of anything, though.  Why, I can't
remember the last time any one of them presented me with anything
resembling a good fight.  But never mind all that.  I have a challenging
match to win." The short man walked confidently over to Krackel and
Tsugiko.

Tsugiko looked at Zagnut oddly.  "What do you want, little guy?" she
asked.

Zagnut bowed to Tsugiko.  "Greetings, Warrior Priestess.  Let me just
say that I, as well as all of Frango, are honored to have you with us.
However, I am actually here to speak with the, ahem, hero."

Krackel raised an eyebrow.  "Is that so?"

"That's right." Zagnut grinned, and whipped off his robe, revealing a
small suit of armor that seemed to be made entirely out of red crystal.
"Krackel, I challenge you!"

Krackel chuckled as he looked the diminutive man over.  "Challenge me?
Very well, I could use a laugh.  I accept."

Zagnut sneered at the taller man.  One of the most important tenets of
the Nerds Warrior clan was to intimidate your opponent at all times.
"Believe what you wish, big man.  But I, Zagnut, fighter unparalleled
among all Nerds Warrior, will prevail!"

Krackel's eyes widened and he arose quickly to his full height, towering
over the challenger.  "A Nerds Warrior? Not again! When will you fools
quit? I will defeat you handily in front of the Warrior Priestess!"

Tsugiko held up her hands as she leaned back to watch.  "Don't do me any
favors, big guy.  You can't go five minutes without a fight, can you?"

Zagnut did not understand Krackel's reaction, but responded as he always
did when presented with something he didn't like - he ignored it.  He
unsheathed his sword, a short rapier made out of glowing bright red
crystal.  In response, Krackel slowly pulled out his own sword, over
three times as long as the shorter man.

Zagnut screamed a battle cry and threw himself at Krackel, moving so
fast that he scored a small hit on the taller man's leg before Krackel
could react.

"Good hit," Krackel conceded.  "But you will not get another one, I
assure you, insane Nerd!"

"Insane?" Zagnut repeated, confused.  He shrugged.  Well, whatever
worked.  The short fighter leapt into the air and yelled, "Attack!"

* * *

Yumi sighed.  Normally, the idea of being alone with Kyouji would be
exciting, but now...  "Kyouji, come on! He wants and needs out help! His
poor sister is in Wintergreen's clutches.  If one of us was captured,
we'd go to rescue them without a second thought."

Kyouji shuddered as a vision of Akie in a cage came to mind before he
forcibly dismissed the image.  "Yes, of course, but we'd make sure we
had some sort of plan first.  And it would one of us, not a former enemy
who was still being manipulated by Wintergreen! I just think we should
tell him to find out more about the artifact, then get back to us.  At
least then it would give us more time to think about it.  And if we
decide to just forget about him, we could just ditch him."

Yumi considered.  "Well, that sounds like a good plan.  Let me think
about it for a minute."

Carob suddenly appeared, running up to them in a great hurry.
"Warriors! You must help!"

Yumi gasped.  "What is it, Carob?"

Kyouji frowned.  "It's Krackel, isn't it?"

Carob nodded.  "Yes, sir, it is.  One of our people, a warrior by the
name of Zagnut, has challenged Krackel and they are fighting right now!
You must help us break it up!"

Kyouji smirked.  "I don't think there'll be much trouble.  Krackel is
very talented, I'm sure it'll be over in a minute or so."

Carob shook his head.  "No, you don't understand.  Zagnut is a Nerds
Warrior, a clan of warriors who are sworn enemies of Krackel's clan.
And Zagnut is one of the top warriors of his clan! They might destroy
the entire town with their battle!"

Yumi looked over at Kyouji and nodded.  "All right, let's go."

* * *

Krackel snarled as his armor was scratched yet again by the lightning
fast strikes of Zagnut.  "This is getting tiresome! Crackling Blade!"
Krackel swung his blade, which let off an intense blast of electricity.
Zagnut jumped out of the way easily, grinning all the while.

"You'll have to do better than that.  Tastes Like Lemon!"  Instantly
Zagnut's armor and sword changed color to bright yellow.  "Ha! Now I'm
three times as powerful!" Zagnut jabbed quickly at Krackel, who barely
managed to parry the strike.

"Curse you damn Nerds! Why can't you leave me alone?" Krackel demanded.

"What are you going on about, anyway?" Zagnut demanded.  "I've never
even met you before! All I wanted was a good challenge for once."

Krackel blinked.  "I thought you said you were a Nerd Warrior."

"I am!" Zagnut agreed.  "So what?"

"Your clan declared war on my clan!" Krackel said angrily.

Zagnut scratched his head with the hilt of his sword.  "Is that so? When
my colleagues jabber on about tall folk, I tend to just stop listening,
truthfully.  Do you really have a clan too?"

"No!" Krackel yelled.  "I have no clan! Your foolish comrades invented
this so-called clan war and have never ceased to attack me at every
turn!"

Zagnut chuckled.  "That sounds like them all right.  But I must tell
you, big man, I never knew about this so-called war.  I just wanted a
good challenge."

"Oh," Krackel said, relief flooding his face.  "Well, all right then.
Shall we continue?"

Zagnut nodded and grinned.  "Indeed.  Tastes Like Licorice!" The Nerd's
armor and sword changed color to pure black.  "Not my most powerful
attack, but hopefully it won't come to that.  Huzzah!" Zagnut and
Krackel began exchanging blows at a furious pace.


Tsugiko smirked as she watched the battle.  "Well, that was
interesting."

"Tsugiko!" a voice called out.

Tsugiko turned to see Yumi, Kyouji, and Carob racing towards her.
"What's the problem guys? Is there someone attacking? It isn't Twizzler
is it? I swear, if it's her, I'll rip that hussy in two!"

Carob shook his head, out of breath.  He leaned on Kyouji for support.
"No, no, I ran to them because we need to break up the battle between
those two most hated enemies."

Tsugiko raised an eyebrow.  "Well, I wouldn't call them 'most hated
enemies'really.  They're just having a friendly sparring match."

"Blaze of Nuts!" Krackel slammed his massive sword into the ground,
causing a wave of tiny rocks burst from the ground and sped toward
Zagnut.

Yumi whirled at the sound.  "Are you sure? It looks pretty serious to
me."

"Nah," Tsugiko answered, waving her hand in a dismissive fashion.
"They're both just pretty powerful guys.  Nothing mean or nasty
involved."

"But, their clans are at war," Carob protested.  "I heard it from the
Nerds themselves."

"Krackel doesn't have a clan," Tsugiko pointed out.  "The whole clan war
was just a big understanding."

Kyouji looked at Tsugiko.  "How do you know so much about this 'clan
war'anyway?"

Tsugiko just smiled.

>o< >o< >o<


----------------------------------

Well, it looks like my very first SC chapter is done.

I'd like to thank the following good people:


Nicholas Juzda: For providing sweet, delicious prereading.  Mmm,
prereading.

Ardweden: Oh, she knows why.

Capfox: For being brave enough to fly to Illinois and leave behind that
which we call the LAND of the terps.

Kudos!

-Jeremy Fogelman