The fae woke up in a snap of terror.

The sun had set and rose since he had found Blackstone, disturbing the warrior's respite.

A bandage and medical aid had been applied to the mystical being. The fairy turned to see a small campfire burning and Blackstone on the other side. Fish had been cooked and a meal sat within the green man's reach.

"Great...Blackstone...I--I have come--come to call on your sword...to aid...my queen!"

"Tell me your name," the warrior replied.

"I-I am Haze. Proud fae, commander of the Winged Guard...of the immaculate Spice Queen."

"Cassia," Blackstone answered back. "I do not lend sword nor gun to the Queens and their battles." The Queens were a collection of fierce warrior women who constantly battled for the Multiverse Fractal Crystal - a jeweled object of unimaginable power said to be able to either control multiple realities or destroy them. The Queens each ruled powerful nations and commanded fearful armies against one another.

Several of the rulers had sought out Blackstone's skill to tip the war in their favor. He routinely denied their requests. While he had shared many adventures and bed with a Queen, he never involved himself in their conflicts.

"Eat your fish and be gone, Haze," Blackstone finished.

"But you have to come with me!"

At the sound of being ordered, Blackstone's eyes burned bright and hummed with a ferocity that the fairy could hear over the crackle of the flames near him. He put his hands up in apology.

"F-forgive me, I meant no disrespect. It is only that...my queen, our land will surely die without your help. It was all I could do to summon strength as she commanded me to find reinforcements. I knew of several orc camps, a nest of undead and a network of robotic commandos but I had heard whispers that the great Blackstone was nearby. So... I came for the best that is, a living legend - Blackstone the Fearless, Blackstone the Powerful, Blackstone the Indomitable..."

"None of those titles mention Blackstone the Patient....and not all legends are as one would expect. I do not engage in the Queens' battle for the MFC."

"But that is just it, warrior, the Spice Queen is not fighting for the MFC...she is battling invaders from the stars and fighting for the very life of her kingdom!"

Blackstone rose to his feet and whistled.

It was a few seconds before a rumbling could be heard in the distance.

As the chorus of demons finished singing in the roaring of the mighty transport, Blackstone' armored vehicle "Rapture" pulled up at the call of its master. Covered in blades of metal, spikes and armed with cannons and rocket launchers, the killing machine hissed and rumbled in wait.

The horned man stood before the sliding door to the tank-car.

"You have wasted your time and energy, fae," Blackstone announced. "I will not accompany you back."

To Haze's dismay, the horned warrior entered the Rapture and drove off.

###

Blackstone drove the Rapture through the winding road alongside the great forest. Suddenly, up ahead, there was a collection of trees that were not present moments ago.

Wrapping around the trees was a unique vine with blooming beautiful green buds which grew into brilliant emerald flowers.

The horned man sighed aloud and slowed his bladed vehicle to a stop.

He exited the Rapture and stood in the green stillness.

Blackstone exhaled.

"Let us do it then," he spoke aloud. "I do not have all day and you know I dislike suspense."

It was a moment when the forest seemed to breathe.

Leaves rustled. Branches creaked.

Without further wait, the forest came alive. Part of the greenery, a collection of bark, a swirl of leaf, all elements moved together in unison until they formed a creature what was part of it all. He had a head that was a blend of goat and tree, he was adorned with horns but also with mighty branches jutting from his forehead. His body was sturdy and vines and roots made for a form of large muscle groups and cloven feet.

The two beings stood close enough to one another that it seemed as if a battle was inevitable.

Until the large, woodland entity smiled wide.

He reached up and touched the wildly growing, exotic vine and brilliant blooms. "Do you like it, warrior? I have cultivated it to grow but I have not a name for it yet. Any ideas?"

"Annoying."

The green man of leaves and trees smiled and from within him grew a mighty laugh. The soil, the tress, the bushes and the very lake trembled with his joyous sound.

"IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU, BLACKSTONE!" His voice boomed but there was a boundless appreciation for his armored friend.

The horned-helmeted man was unmoved; of the two he was clearly the less emotional.

"You are away from your normal fields, Elke," the warrior replied.

"Well, I wanted to check on you...the aroma of burning armor could be smelled for miles. How is dear Scorch?"

The warrior grunted. "Willful."

Elke smiled and shrugged playfully. "When one rescues a dragon pup, one agrees to raise it."

There was a pause between the two.

Blackstone inhaled. "You did not stop my exit to lecture me on reptilian parenting."

The wood spirit walked and grass leapt to life under his footsteps.

"The fae was correct. You need to go and aid the Spice Queen."

The warrior's glowing eyes simmered. "I have never seen a wood spirit go mad until now."

The breeze blew between the two beings.

The lake rippled.

Life soared overhead.

It swam in beneath the waters.

"The Queens balance one another," Elke continued. "But what now challenges the Spice Queen will upset their...harmony."

The horned wanderer looked away from the antlered entity.

"The trees of Omani talk to the grass, the grass to the seedlings that soar on the wind. They tell of so much screaming. So much death. The Spice Queen will fall," Elke said further. "And so will the innocent people of Omani and eventually Kymera. You may be terse, Blackstone. Blunt and brutal. But above all else, you come to the aid of those in need. After the Spice Queen falls, it will not be long before Iana is defeated as well as the others. And these inhuman, star-soaring beings will have control of the MFC."

The large muscular warrior walked around Rapture, wiping dirt from the hull of the vehicle.

"The World Army should deal with this," he said.

The wood spirit raised an eyebrow. "The politicians, wizards, kings and queens who run this world will never unite fast enough to halt these invaders. But one lone warrior could make all the difference."

"It is too late," Blackstone responded. "By now, Haze is half-way back to Omani."

"No," the entity replied. "I blocked his exit as well. He is waiting for you on the other side of this outcrop."

The horned warrior inhaled with a breath that threatened to suck all the air out of the woods.

"I dislike you," Blackstone responded finally.

Elke smiled on his semi-goat, semi-wooded face. "Good luck, my friend."

The forest parted and the Rapture and its driver sped through.