TRACK 8 –

The movie ended and the screen faded to black. I blinked my eyes open and I was back in the ship with everyone else. All of my friends were silent for a bit as they processed what they had just seen.

“What you have just seen is the Class of Legends before they were known as such, prior to the last Affinity War.” Robyn explained.

“That was the guy who took over WA!” Bron shouted.

“Yeah, and that was my mom.” Ivanka chimed in. “She never told me about this. Why should I believe you?”

All the other students began shouting out questions in a free for all. After a few moments of raucousness, a high-pitched whine went out, silencing everyone and making us all cover our ears, a few seconds later it cut off.

“Sorry about that, but you were all getting a bit unruly. Now, I will answer all of your questions but for now please let me explain and after that we can take any remaining questions. Ok? Good. Where was I? Ah yes, you see each of the newly formed nations had sent their best and brightest students to train and form a bond between them. The rest is going to have to wait we are approaching the island of Rick.” Robyn finished.

“Already? It took me days and days to get to WA from there last time.” I said incredulously.

“Yes, well we are in an airship not a rowboat with a tiny sail.” The AI scoffed. “I also may have taken the liberty of putting you all into a rest mode while you watched the memory and more time may have passed than normal.” He said the last quietly.

“How much time?” I growled.

“Oh, just a day.” He replied sheepishly.

“A day!” I screamed, as the room erupted at the news.

The piercing sound rang out again and the room immediately quieted, now knowing what is was and who was causing it.

“Every one of you need the rest whether you wanted to admit it or not and the sprites agreed with me. Besides, what’s done is done, why worry about the past when we are in the present and all that. Ah there is Rick now!” Robyn said, changing the subject.

“We will talk about this later Robyn, you too Tuki.” I growled, giving my sprite a sever look. Then I turned my attention outward and to the small island in the distance, with the little flying folk coming our way.

“Who or what are they?” Lancelot asked, from my side.

In response everyone’s AR-2’s pinged and I accessed the info with everyone else.

THE FAM

Led by their charismatic chieftain, Rick, and his wife and the Chieftess, Tae, the Fam is a tribe of sentient flying monkey birds. The Fam is good natured and spend most of their days hunting for fish by diving in the ocean and collecting fruits from their island’s rainforest. They are also very playful, spending whatever time they aren’t hunting or sleeping by having fun. Hospitable and generous, not to mention courageous, honorable, and most of all, loyal, are just some of the words that describe the Fam.

“Hey brotha! Is that you Hiro?” A familiar voice called out.

Grinning, I closed the window and turned to the sound of the voice. The flock of Fam were just a hundred feet from the LDS, with Rick flying at their head, his bright red fur and multicolored feathers a riot of color in the bright blue sky. I studied him quickly and could already tell he had aged, there was more grey hair around his beak then their used to be, if my memory served me right. One thing hadn’t changed though, his huge smile.

“Rick!” I called back, waving and smiling from ear to ear. I couldn’t help it the Fam and their irascible old leader had that effect on me.

He waved back and gestured to his fellows and they adjusted their course then swooped down towards us, and in a minute they all landed gracefully on the deck, railings, and basically, wherever there was room. Rick chose the spot directly next to me on the railing. As soon as he was down, we shared a hug. He was a lot smaller than I remembered. I squeezed my old friend tight, realizing now just how much I had missed the old flying surfer dude. His squawk though, jogged me from my musing.

“Jeez brotha, take it easy, you’re a lot bigger and stronger than you used to be.” Rick said, laughing and releasing the embrace.

“It’s been a while my friend.” I replied.

“Yes, it has, man, what have they been feeding you?” Rick joked.

I was about to answer but it was then that I noticed the new additions to my flying friend, he was armed and armored. He had a trident, that looked like it was made from some type of rainbow-colored coral, strapped to his back and various pieces of mish mashed leather armor around his body. He had, he reminded me of a barbarian warrior, albeit, a flying bird monkey barbarian warrior. A quick glance around and it confirmed that all the Fam were wearing armor and carrying different weapons. Rick saw my gaze then sighed, before giving me a hard look.

“Things are different since you were last here brotha.” Rick said solemnly. “Come, we will go back to the home and talk of things. Bring all your friends, everyone is welcome. The Fam’s hospitality will never change, even in the midst of war.”

My eyebrows rose at the last and he just shook his head and mimed later.

“Follow me, you can dock your boats at my home.” Rick said, leaping off the railing and flying ahead of us, the rest of the Fam following his lead and doing the same.

Justin, along with everyone else on board, came up next to me, faces full of wonder and mirth as they watched the colorful Fam fly ahead.

“Those bird things are amazing.” Ari said.

I laughed and gave my teammate a smile.

“That’s the Fam, they literally saved my life, and the lives of your uncles.” I said.

“Really?” Bron asked, turning the ships wheel to follow after the Fam.

“Yeah, and they are just good people. You’ll see.” I told everyone.

Questions hit me from every direction up to the point where I had to beg off asking for Robyn’s help. He took over the answering duties and I turned back out to watch the island grow larger as we approached. It was different then I remembered, and I closed my eyes picturing the place I had been not so long ago. When I opened them again, I shook my head, many things had changed.

Gone was the idyllic little village that I had last visited. In its place was a, I hesitated to call it a fortress or a castle. The most I could call it was redoubt or enclosure maybe. There were five structures built upon tall wooden pylons, which looked to be made from the trunks of palm trees. They were connected like bunches of reeds and then stacked upon one another until they were over a hundred feet tall. A wall surrounded the Fam’s home that was crafted out of bamboo and palm. As we closed in on the home I could see inside, and the building were made of the same materials.

Rick hovered and made gestures towards the ships to where he was, directing both ships to dock at two makeshift piers that were being finished by teams of the Fam. Basically, it was just a conglomeration of bamboo and palm tree, but it did the job.

“Things are pretty different here boss, I’m going to hop in the Affinity Plane for a bit with the other sprites, see what’s going on.” Tuki said, I nodded in response and he popped out of existence along with quite a few of the other sprites.

The ship came to a stop with a small thud and the gangway was lowered. Both ships had docked on the mountain side of the camp. The mountain that used to a be a volcano before my teachers had come and saved the Fam, along with the help of Lord Rhys, who was currently sleeping in the captured NRE Ship.

“Come on Hiro and all the rest of you. Tae and the rest of the Fam have prepared food and drink, but first all of you must use the hot springs. Just saying, all of you are a little ripe.” Rick said, miming fanning a stink from his nose.

“Tact wasn’t something you learned with the fort building while I was gone, was it?” I asked sarcastically.

“Aye, you still have that sass you little jitterbug, you stink the worst! Show your friends the way.” Rick said, in mock anger, finishing his statement by laughing and shaking his head as he walked away.

I watched him leave grinning from ear to ear, I couldn’t help being in a better mood being around the bird monkey.

“Hey, Qupie, where’s the damn bath, I’m starving?” Justin griped, shoving me slightly in the back as he came up.

Leave it to the Belmont to ruin the mood. Sighing, I pointed and started walking my friends and fellow students following along, talking and marveling at the Fam’s home. I wanted to share in the enthusiasm going around but couldn’t, the atmosphere wasn’t quite right. Not only that, but the Fam’s home was completely different than when I left, hopefully Rick would explain everything after our baths.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Maggie asked, coming up next to me.

I turned looking at my girlfriend as I walked. She was looking around at everything as well, but every now and then she’d look at me smile and give me a questioning glance.

“I was just thinking how different this place was now, from how it was when was last here.” I replied, smiling at my girl.

“Well, I don’t know what it was like before, but this place is ridiculously amazing, and those bird things, wow!” Maggie exclaimed, gesturing at the surroundings and at the Fam in general.

“They are pretty amazing, not only that, I probably would have died if it wasn’t for them, on my way to Warrior Academy.” I explained.

“Really? That’s amazing! Tell me…” Maggie started saying.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

A loud sound, like a klaxon alarm drowned her out and confusion rippled around my friend and fellow students. I spun in place, along with the rest of the new arrivals, looking for the source of the sound. The Fam flew in all directions, taking defensive positions along the walls. Rick flew in and landed next to us, while gesturing and calling out orders. He turned his attention to Maggie, Anna, who had just walked up, and me.

“We’re under attack brotha!” Rick said. “I know you just got here but can you and your…”

“Of course, Rick, we’d be…” I began.

Anna cleared her throat and gave me a look that said, who’s in charge here? I swallowed and snapped my mouth shut. Anna nodded and turned to the village leader.

“Just tell us where you need us. Any friend of Hiro’s is a friend of ours. Your fight is our fight.” Anna told Rick, saluting and bowing her head slightly.

“Ah, thank you little lady.” Rick replied, bowing his head slightly. “Hiro, your friends are just as valiant as you are, now, Anna is it? Please take half your forces to the south east wall and the other half to the southwest wall. Reinforce the defenders there please.”

“Ten-four, Hiro, you take the southwest with the contingent from the LDS, I’ll take the rest.” Anna said, then nodded and barked out a few more orders, then took half of us to the southeast wall.

“Good luck!” I called out, turning and moving off, my friends right behind me as I ran.

Rick had flown ahead and was already on the wall by the time we arrived. I took a place next him and looked out.

“What in the hell is that?” Tomoe called, pointing out towards the ocean.

I followed the line of her finger and looked out, enhancing my vision I could make out a disturbance a hundred yards out into the water. I squinted my eyes focusing on what looked like fins slicing through the ocean, white foam spitting out in wakes behind them. There were dozens upon dozens of them, there were all different shapes and sizes of fins, and all coming our way, fast. The SNES girl had asked the right question.

“What in the hell…” I said, echoing Tomoe as I trailed off.

“Those are our attackers. The Shark Clan is coming.” Rick answered, ominously. “Prepare yourselves Fam! The enemy comes, no retreat, no surrender!”

Rick pulled his trident off his back and thrust it out into the air, yelling in defiance, the Fam echoing the primal scream, as they leaped from the walls en masse.

“Well crap…” I said.

“Why in the hell did they all leap off of this perfectly good wall?” Anna yelled, from her position on the other wall. Robyn was kind enough to let us talk in real time, so I got the full force of her, personality.

“I have no idea.” I called back, keeping my eyes on the Fam as they flew towards their enemy in perfect formation.

The Fam was formed up in a flying wedge with Rick in the lead, glowing rainbow Trident in his hand. I squinted and focused in on the weapon, my AR-2 dinged a second later and I accessed the info.

TRIDENT OF RAINBOWS AND SUNSHINE

I closed the window and nodded to myself impressed. The trident was pretty Billy. Just then Rick yelled some commands and the fliers spread out, readying their weapons, then as one they tucked their wings and began diving towards the water as one. It was like watching my Sensei’s old WWII movies, like Tora Tora Tora, and the Japanese were about to hit Pearl Harbor. Affinity Power started to surround the Fam as they picked up speed, different colored glowing auras shining around each fighter. Rick’s changed every second, going all colors of the rainbow, one after another

When the Fam was less than thirty feet from the ocean the water began to roil and the shark fins burst into color, different colored Affinity Powered auras coming to life just as the Fam’s had. Then the water exploded! It was like a bomb went off and whitewater and spray went everywhere, a giant cloud of watery air, obscuring my vision for a second. Then, all the proverbial hell broke loose.

The sharks were out of the water and streaking upwards towards the diving Fam. There were all kinds of sharks. I saw Hammerheads, Mako’s, Tiger, Bull, and many more. The Shark-Men, that’s what they were, wore similar armor to the Fam and had weapons that were also alike. Even the magical Affinity auras surrounding them were the same. My AR-2 pinged and I quickly checked the information.

SHARK-MEN

I quickly dismissed the window as the two sides crashed into each other, with clashes of arms and Affinity Power. The cloud dissipated and I could see the battle unfolding clearly. The Fam and Shark-men clashed once, then twice, and separated, hits being scored on both sides. Monkey-birds flew back up into the sky and the sharks dropped back down into the ocean. Rick led his fighters back to the wall and back to their previous positions and the Sharks reformed up and continued towards us and the Fam’s home.

When they reached the pylons in the water, they began to circle the structure. Rick landed a moment before they did and I gave a questioning look and raised my hands up in a. what the hell, gesture. Rick sighed and looked me in the eyes before speaking.

“We have a little bit before they attack. It’s time I filled you and your friends in on what’s going on.” The leader said.

“You think?” I asked sarcastically.

“Yes, yes, I do.” Rick replied, as if I wasn’t. “Grab your friends and let’s head back to my hut.”

“Anna heard.” Robyn said, in my ear.

I nodded and followed Rick to his home.