Just finished that run and it was awesome, a definite rec to anyone. Now that I'm done with that which of the other volumes are equally good, I don't want to spoil my present image of them with some terrible storylines. That kind of thing tends to ruin franchises for me.

moneyallowed:

I feel you bro, the cross overs and "connectedness" can get confusing. It's why i don't like the X-men comics as much. I agree with you about Hawkeye, one of my favs.
I'd recommend Dr Strange: The Oath, it's pretty much in it's own universe, has a horror feel to it i like. Daredevil: Born Again is awesome, so much more than your typical fight fest. Basically Matt gets betrayed and he suffers, he really suffers.
Infinity Gauntlet....if you want a Thanos intro, look no further. It's pretty much standalone so that's a plus, and it'll prep you the most for the mcu.
Black Panther: The Client Vol 3 . This is essential man, i have friends who had no idea about BP, but after reading this, he became their fav superhero and it's just 5 issues so you'll be done with it in no time.

Planet Hulk....this is the most epic Hulk storyline and it's also the most self contained. From the title sef you should know.
Finally The Inhumans.....this got me into the Marvel Knights series. There is no better introduction to Marvel's royal family than this. Once again, self contained

Thanks a lot really appreciate some of the recs. I'm getting the Black panther and Dr Strange. For the Inhumans where do you reccomend I start from, is the current Charles soule run?

DProDG:


I usually buy torrent the whole event(all tie-ins and main issues) at once. If it isn't prearranged chronologically it usually comes with a 'checklist'. The issues contain everything you need to know so there's never a problem with continuity. I just started reading Fear Itself. It's got so many issues in it but great so far.

That is my issue with marvel, most of their events build on past events or require u to hav knowledge of it. Its not a problem for dc as I've been following Dem since d start of n52 so I understand everything going on and know all characters involved.
so I'm usually stuck reading characters not involved in marvel continuity or have very little history or connection to it. Its does kinds of comics in looking for in marvel

Okay not really following marvel comics since I like continuity a lot in my comics and with d history and weight behind most of their comics I can't get into it. Might start picking more up wen dey finish dis reboot they have going with secret wars.

I basically follow d fringe characters that are new. Miss marvel and spider Gwen are awesome. Two of my favorite characters. Matt fraccion run of Hawkeye was really cool and superior foes of Spiderman is easily d funniest comic book series I've read. Was following Miles Morales till I heard ultimate universe was coming to an end. The early ultimates series were great. Vol1&2 only and ultimate Spiderman. All new xmen too was alright till it had one too many crossovers.

that is about the sum of my marvel experience with comics. If u can recommend a great series from them I can read without needing to know anything about d characters or any history and isn't all connected with d main universe I'd appreciate it.

AN: Hope the grammar is better here.

Segun

“Give me my ada” Tolu barks at me as soon as she comes through.

My mind is still clouded by my exhaustion so I can only slur “ehnnnnn?”

“My ada, give it now” her voice rising in pitch as she points at the weapon I have clutched tightly.

“Oh that, no need to get testy” I scratch my head in faint embarrassment as I hand it back to her. She quickly snatches without as much as an acknowledgement and marches to where Tope is still whimpering from the venom flowing through her hand.

I hear a whispered sorry before the ada flashes down, neatly separating the elbow downwards from the rest of the body leaving only a stump remaining. Tope screams, her voice bathing the air with an unholy cacophony.

The shock on my face must have been very visible as she takes one look at it and gets defensive.

“It was necessary or the venom would have spread and killed her.” She says although that was not the source of my shock. It was the determination at which she went through with it, without pandering or hesitation of any kind. I am once again reminded that although they may look like kids, they are most definitely not and have survived for years in this very forest alone without any training and were kids at that time.
If this was the kind of situation we ran into in the first few hours of our entry in the forest and all of us here were somewhat experienced and heavily armed, a shiver runs down the length of my spine as I wonder how they had survived at all.

Sade despite the exhaustion written all over her frame she immediately moves towards the crying girl and touches the stump.

“There I’ve frozen it, the pain should stop now.” She says, her voice without the usual cheer that accompanies everything she normally says.

That above all else convey just how weak she was.

A strangled thanks filled with sincere gratitude comes out from Tope’s mouth before she moves the heart of an Iroko tree and rests her back on
it.

“That was a nice thing you did there.” I tell her as she moves to sit beside me.

“What can I say, I’m awesome.” She replies with a tired smile on her face.

“Yes that you are.” I reply and pause taking my time to really look at her. She had applied her authority the longest in that fight and using authority over time was not the easiest thing to do in even the most ideal situations.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“It’s me-“ she begins to reply in her usual casual tone before seeing the look on my face. “I will be fine.” She finishes.

We sit in the comfortable silence you find between friends where talking is not at all necessary for the next few minutes as we watch the rest of our bedraggled group. Bankole is sitting with his Hammer beside him as he looks deep in thoughts, James muttering to himself as periodically he looks in the direction we just escaped from where a huge flame is burning. Makinde is pacing around looking at everybody, it is something of his process for dealing with pressure. Tola is quiet for once as he is sharpening the blade of his axes while shooting worried glances at his sisters. Both girls are hugging as Tolu is comforting the crying Tope.

“They are strong.” Sade says

“What?”

“The Bush babies, they have a kind of deeper strength that is humbling, not the strength that allows us to bend reality to our whims but something else. I don’t know how to define it beyond that. I don’t know if you get.” She says as she looks at me.

“I understand, they did live in the forest without any adult supervision. It takes the kind of inner strength you are talking about to survive it.” I reply

“yeah.”

I turn to look at her again before asking. “Sade, why are you really here?”

She gives a wry smile in response. “To help you.”

“I’m serious.” I reply my voice taking an edge.

She looks away before she replies. “Can you let this one go.” Turning to face me she takes my hand in hers. “Please drop it, it won’t do you any good.”

“Just like that, I should drop it? That is going to be hard.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Can you at least tell me if you going to oppose my real mission here?”

“I know how much you want to save your little brother and how much it means to you.” She says and stands up before kissing me on my head
and looking me in the eye. “Know that I’m being a good friend.” She says leaving my side to go meet the girls.

Funny how she didn’t answer the question I asked.

Illuminatus:
So, I read the Blood Song by Anthony Ryan. I just finished it and I admit that it's an entertaining book. Quite different from R. A. Salvatore's work. I particularly enjoyed the ending, the suspense that was built up and the intrigue that came with the revelation of the witcher's son. However, it was nothing like The Furies of Calderon from Codex Alera, which is what I was expecting. Shrug. Anyway, the first time Vaelin met his half sister, he made a comment about wondering why his father did something and how he now knew. That part didn't make full sense to me. What was he talking about?
I've looked for the second book. I couldn't find it from my trusted sites. Anyway, I guess I have to use torrents which I can't do with my iPhone. Could anybody help me with it somehow? Thanks.
In the meantime, I'll be reading The Martian by Andy Weir and probably The Blood of Olympus after that.

he was thinking the reason his father sent him to the order was to make room for his new family and that he was unwanted. This was before he learnt d choice was his mother

Chapter 4


Interlude: The Ex

The journey to Ijebu-Ode is a tense affair. The guild has never experienced a loss as big as this since the early days. Most of the older members were still shaken up about the events at the factory in Ibadan. From what I had learned since joining the guild treated itself closer than family, a byproduct of the high risk mission they took and the secrets that bound them together. The secrets I have been made privy to since joining had completely shattered my worldview and many of the foundations my life was based on has been destroyed.

I take a look at my fellow rookie, Akanni was looking as miserable as he felt, probably more and most likely he was blaming himself for what happened. That was perhaps one of his biggest faults, his ability to take the blame for anything that remotely goes wrong around him. Even after what we had learned when we were initiated into the guild he still managed to blame himself for everything that went wrong in that forest.

Thinking about that forest brought unbidden thoughts about Segun. I often wonder how he was surviving civilian life now. His entire life was built around military service and becoming an Ode especially after the incident with his mother and little brother. Losing his purpose in life like that is something to be pitied and cutting contacts with him was distasteful but was made necessary for me if she wanted to join the guild and now knowing what she knew she understood how necessary it was.

Shaking off that train of thought, I focus on the present. Putting my hands on Akanni I say.

“Hey, it wasn’t your fault.” His smile at her tells her he doesn’t believe me.

“There was literally nothing you could have done to save Wale in that situation.” I continue.

“Funny how doesn’t help him in the slightest. I don’t want to talk about this Bisi” is his caustic reply. At that he turns away indicating an end to the conversation. It was this kind of attitude that made me go with Segun instead of him when they both asked.

Looking away I see in front of the bus Oyabi and Martins in a furious argument as Dapo trying to play peacemaker. Those three have been
arguing since they left Ibadan to Eso Gbonka’s men.

The discovery of a hidden military base in the heart of our country was a major shocker and it throws a spanner into the plans of some powerful people or maybe it was part of it but from what I had learnt that is doubtful. That plus Oyabi’s refusal to wait for backup has been the cause of their arguments since the mission ended.

The bus soon stops at the gate into the forest of Irunmale. The journey here has been extremely fast especially with Oyabi using his military clearance to bully the Gate officials to transport our entire bus across the void from Ibadan down to Ijebu-Ode.

We all soon get down from the bus. The thirteen of us looking pathetic especially compared to the twenty that started this mission.

The wall of the cordon is huge, the white color shining brightly at night adds an additional element of stark beauty to the scenery. Built into the wall is a gate made of obsidian, a contrast to the cordon walls. Beside the gate is what can only be described as a fortress. The headquarters of the Border security was built as one of the first defenses against anything from the other side attacking humanity again. Filled with inscribed runes all of the place it was a veritable security against supernatural and physical attacks, coupled with the guards that are walking on top of wall armed with guns, bows and more esoteric weapons gives it the picture of impregnability.

“Bisi secure the packs.” Dapo tells me as he follows Oyabi to talk with the head of the Border security.

The packs themselves were kept in a container by the gate to the Border Security mission house. It is a squat building built only for its functionality like all the early military buildings. The container was marked Agaju Guild and was one of the few concessions Oyabi allowed the group to have. An urgent request for new weapons and provisions for the remaining members was put in and for once it seemed the Logistics
department as on time.

Opening the box, I begin to check the various materials and weapons in there to make sure everything requested for was in there and was up to the specifications indicated. I will not let my inefficiency lead to another clusterfuck. I soon focus my attention at the task at hand to distract myself from thoughts of the failure, the friends lost, the seriousness of the mission and past boyfriends.

The next twenty minutes pass like this and by then my checklist is complete, the package sorted out into packs for each member.

“Hey Dapo” I raise my voice. “It’s all done, should I begin sharing?”

He turns his head giving me a nod from where he is standing beside Oyabi who is giving the head of Border Security a tongue lashing that has him wanting to curl into a ball.

“Okay guys, come take your toys.” I say to the rest of the group who have been loitering about, some stretching while the rest are enjoying Oyabi at his best. The team comes and picks up their reinforced tools, weapons meant for heavy destruction. The guild isn’t taking any chances now.

After sharing I join the rest Bunmi and Chidera are always up for a discussion. Together we continue to watch Oyabi as he tears into the poor man who reallymust have a lot of courage has he had held up well all things considered. I try to catch Akanni’s eyes but he keeps avoiding looking to at me, the guilt of Wale’s death still fresh in his mind.

The mild entertainment is cut short when we notice a large explosion of white light inside the forest.

“What is located there?” Oyabi barks at the man.

“Nothing, nothing, that is the fury road, only a wild pack of Aja-Oro lives there. Nobody goes through there, not even the smugglers.” The man answers, his voice laced with fear.

At this Oyabi pulls out gun and points it at the man’s head. At his actions weapons are drawn everywhere with the Agaju guild pointing at the border security and vice versa.

Oyabi then speaks. His voice measured and filled with steel.

“Enough talking, you will open the gates for us now or I will blow your heads off and damn the consequence. Make you decision now.”

“Open the gates.” His tiny voice squeaks out. At this the border guards relax, some of them muttering against the guild as the gate is opened.

Turning to face us, Oyabi talks as if nothing just happened.

“Team formation, everyone move out.” And at that he darts into the forest.

“Balls of steels” I hear Chidera mutter as he shakes his head and falls into formation.

Balls of steel indeed.

I fall into formation and follow the rest as we head deep into the forest of Irunmale in a mission that might just determine the fate of our country.

XXXXXXXXXX

“Yeaaaaaah, I noticed.” Tola drawls while giving Makinde the stink eye.

“Any ideas.” Bankole asks as the monsters draw near, moving slowly wary of the effects caused by the statue. That won’t last long, immediately they notice the statue is no longer firing indiscriminate bolts of lightning anytime they draw near they would pounce on us.

“Well I have some but I would need time to set it up.” Tolu says, her voice shaky as she steadies her nerves, recovering from her near brush with the Aja-Orun.

“That I can help with.” Sade replies. She promptly moves towards Tolu, puts her hand on her shoulder and both of them disappear in a blur.

“Well there, a way has presented itself, we just have to keep them busy in the meantime.” Makinde claps his hands in forced cheer. “This is after all while I hired the best, a bunch of Aja-Oro shouldn’t be a problem for you guys.” He finishes rubbing his finger and chuckling slightly while everyone else stares daggers at him. He then twists a ring on his middle finger, a ring that definitely wasn’t there before.

I point at it and ask. “What is t-“ I shake my head as I forget what I was about to say.

“We need to form up.” Bankole says. “A tight circle to present us with our greatest chance of survival. He then stares at Makinde’s red body suit. “I assume that allows you to fight.”

“Well, it gives me some advantage.” Makinde replies, his hand still rubbing left fingers.

“Good, stand beside the girl and watch her back.”

“Hey I protest that.” Tope says but Bankole ignores her and continues.

“Tola beside your sister, and you Segun follow suit.”

I grunt my acknowledgment.

“James will stand beside me. Everyone get ready, the longer we hold out the greater our chances of escape with whatever the girls are concocting.” He then takes a look at James who is still looking very pathetic. “Get your head out of your arse or I’ll take it off for you.

My respect for the man increases. The way he took control of the situation and organized us, distracting us from our imminent death is worth noting, then again he was an Aja-Orun. This kind of situation must not be new to him.

We move into our positions and not a second too late and one particular courageous Aja-Ojo sniffs the air and moves into the range of the statue and it howls before charging at us.

I feel a slight change in the speed of the wind on my hand and suddenly I’m gripping Tolu’s blade. It is one of the fully enchanted blades given to Ode’s upon initiation, a powerful item and would serve me better than my blade or bow in this battle.

I mutter a thanks to her and encouragements that she hurries up whatever she is doing with Sade in her period of slowed time.

The Aja-Oros charge and soon we are engaged in a furious fight for our lives.

I dodge the first one swipe for my head using the sword to open its belly, the ada singing a whistling tone as it parts the Aja-Oro into two. I move to attack the next one that approaches me but then I choose to feint twisting beside it to strike at the third one. Tola’s axe neatly takes the second one head off.

“Cover me” Tola shouts and immediately I drift to his front while he shifts back and I start to dance with the next Aja-Oro. He mutters some weird phrases and suddenly the ground in front of me turns into a sinkhole taking the Aja-Oro I was fighting and the one behind it with it.

He smiles at me and was no doubt about to give a smart line before he is interrupted by a scream beside him. Tope’s chain snaps around one of the monsters, the enchantment breaking as the monster sinks his teeth into her hand.

Tola throws one of his axes at it, the weapon burying itself into its snout forcing it to release its grip on her hand but the damage is already done, she falls to her feet clutching at her injury while still screaming. Makinde smoothly steps in front of her and punches the creature. The monster freezes in one place as its skin takes the shade of his suit before disintegrating into dust.

A blur drags Tope into the middle of the circle and we are forced to close ranks on her, our very small circle further reducing in size. Sade's work.

The next few seconds are frantic, I continue slashing at anything that comes close with no time for style or skill, just the desperate drive to prevent the monsters from getting too close. Tola driven by rage and the whimpering of his sister in the circle fights with a careless abandon. James lobbing small explosive lights into the midst of the monsters, his own face driven by fear.

It is then I see the leader, the one with my arrow sticking out of his left eye. He has been waiting his time, letting the others throw themselves at us to weaken us. It is now he chooses to attack me.

I am saved by the bell as Sade and Tope reappear both holding themselves while Tope clutches a doll with her left hand

“Join hands.” she screams.

Tola quickly grabs my and I stretch out my hand to James. Immediately his fingers touch mine.

We disappear into the void in a way not too different from my travel through the gate. A couple of seconds later we return back to our reality, all of us landing in a different section of the forest.

I collapse to the ground and take stock of our group. Tope continuing to whimper as she clutched her hand, the venom of the Aja oro coursing through her veins. Sade tittering on the edge of consciousness caused by her pushing her authority as far as she did. James standing off to one side, tears glistening in his eyes. Makinde face changing back to normal but leaving some extra lines on it, showing the strain he has kept on his body. Bankole is the only one that looks unfazed by the events we just faced but even he is breathing heavily.

We haven’t spent up to six hours in the forest and we are already exhausted, tired, injured and some of us broken.

Our journey has just started.

The shadows stop advancing after a bit instead choosing to start circling us. All apparent avenues of escape blocked. A couple of seconds pass like this before one of the Aja-Oro detaches from the crowd and walks forward, its eyes menacing as it shines with an ethereal light.

It was at this Tola mumbles. “That’s good, good.” Her voice filled with relief as she brings her sword down to appear non-threatening.

“Good!” I exclaim. “How is being surrounded by a horde of these monsters good?” I continue after managing to bring my voice down.

At my tone she rolls her eyes, why that was an eye rolling situation is beyond my understanding. It is not like we weren’t surrounded with things that want to kill us in a very dangerous forest.

“It means they are open to negotiation.” She says as she cautiously approaches it.

“Be careful” I call out, pointing my bow at the Aja-Oro. She may be willing to take that risk but it never hurts to be cautious.

She turns backs and says in a whisper. “Can you keep pushing your emi into the ground, Tolu will manage redirecting it into ase.”

Uh, okay seems she hasn’t taken complete leave of her senses and decided to trust the monsters like I thought.
She stands in front of the monster before giving a small courtesy

“ Eka ro, Se-“ That is as far as I got before her voice falls into the unintelligible words of the forgotten language. She continues speaking in that language, her voice smooth and gentle as the Aja pays careful attention to what she is saying. I’m impressed, to be able to speak fluently in the forgotten language is a skill possessed by very few.

I start pumping my emi into the ground. The action usually meaningless without the direction that changes it to ase but as it enters it is absorbed by Tolu’s ase bolstering whatever he and his sister were doing to the ground. He looks at me and we exchange a nod.

“They want James. Due to consideration for us” gesturing to the fellow bush babies. ”They would spare the rest of us Tola’s voice ring out in the clearing as she announces, still facing the lead Oro.

“Oh well then I guess it is settled then.” Tolu announces with a smile on his face before turning to face James. “Sorry guy, it was a short acquaintance, wished I could say I would miss you.”

“What? No..No..you can’t do that.” He stammers out, his face gains a deeper shade of fear. It was morbidly fascinating to watch a man become even more fearful than you previously thought was possible. He must have really done something to warrant this fate.

“No, I’m sorry but that won’t be happening.” Makinde says as he puts his hand on James to calm him down.

“Why not? I’m not eager to risk my life for a liability especially to something like that” Tope barks out angrily as chain twists and slithers towards James.

“Do we really have a choice though? We are surrounded and outnumbered.” Sade chips in.

“It is non-negotiable, James is crucial to regaining the package and you receiving your ends of the bargain.” Makinde says, and then frowns, his face looking terrible due to the red substance clinging to his entire body.

“Uhm, guys make up your minds quick, they are getting restless.” Tolu calls out as the Aja-Oros begin circling faster. Slowly closing in.

Our decision is taken from our hands when James throws a ball of light at a section of the monsters all the while screaming.

“No!!!! I won’t allow my self be taken by this monsters.”

What he hoped to accomplish by doing that is another thing beyond my understanding.

Several things happened immediately afterwards.

The light exploded, wiping out a couple of the monsters caught in its effects. The Aja-Oro talking with Tolu lunges at her, the ground opens up, a rock with runic inscriptions written on it slides upwards with a hole beside it.

The area quickly devolves into chaos. The remaining Aja-Oro charge at us.The arrow leaves my bow neatly taking the Aja-Oro jumping at Tolu in the eye, buying her some time to get her bearing. I immediately fix another one and prepare to fire, this time imbibing it with some explosive properties.

The statue starts glowing as it sends lighining strikes at the Aja Oros that venture too close. Tola himself jumps in combat with one of them wielding his twin axes with expert skill. Sade shoots at one of the monsters and it appears to wither on the spot before seemingly disappearing and reappearing beside the statue before she shoots at another of the Aja Oro.

“Head into the Hole, It is a safe house” Tolu screams as she slides beneath one with my arrow in the eye.

James hears this and immediately bolts for the hole, a constrast with Bankole who ppearss to be playing monster golf as he strolls towards it using his ridiculous hammer to punt any of the monsters that get to close to him. Ridiculous overpowered Aja Orun.

Tola and Tope move towards the hole together. Tope using her chains to keep the monsters at bay while Tola using his axes to battle the ones that get to close. As I run towards the statue I notice Tolu who appears to have some problems avoiding the Aja-Oro who is closing on her.

I shoot another arrow aiming directly at the space between Tolu and the monster. It explodes giving Tolu more distance from the monster. She closes in on where everyone is while The Aja Oro shoots a hate filled glance in my direction. I smirk back at it and jump into the hole after Tolu.

It was another stupid mistake as it ensured I had an enemy especially gunning for me throughout my stay in the forest.

It was also mistake in the immediate short term as the Beast lets out an unearthly shout of fury that echoes on several planes of existence. It shatters the statue removing all protections it was granting and it changes the landscape, somehow taking the entire ground to the level of the hole we were in effectively destroying our supposed safe house.

“Well, I guess this is a bit of trouble.” Makinde says as he lets out a little laugh

Wit is a char that has been appearing in most of Brandon aanderson's work. He is part of a larger story we have only seen bits of.
I suggest Mistborn from Brandon if u haven't read it yet and Raven shadow.

The Fury road is the least guarded point of entry into the Irunmale Forest. This part of the forest is said to be the resting grounds of a host of vicious overgrown Aja Oro, beyond that it is widely believed that this was where Agbako lives and that serves as a very effective deterrent to would be smugglers. According to Tola there is a saying amongst the guardsmen that if you survived entering through the fury road well you
deserved to be there.

Our entrance was as quiet as it could be with the bush babies leading the way, their natural instincts proving far better tool than even my sensor. They spotted traps and danger zones I could not detect with it and managed to help us navigate through the beginning part of the journey with several narrow misses of the Aja-Oro.

It made for a very tense thirty minutes as everywhere was quiet as Makinde wove his ase into the air to keep our movements quiet. It was a very subtle piece of power and it was beyond what I could do.

The change when we entered the forest was gradual, the trees stopped conforming to nature and seemed to come alive. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was welcoming us as the branches swayed and the shrubbery parted ways before us. It was not a good feeling and it felt like we were being welcomed to our deaths.

I receive the first sign of wrongness a few minutes later. It was a split second but I saw it from the corner of my eye. A monkey standing on its haunches, its skull laid bare for the world with its visage in the shape of a twisted snarl, it’s thighs was as red as blood a contrast to the midnight black of its entire body. Light shines from its mouths and armpits. Its stare fixed on me. I turn to raise alarm but before I can say anything it is gone, like a trick of light. The unsettling feeling of wrongness grows and seems to seep into the forest around me.

My second mistake was not alerting anyone to what I saw.

We eventually make it to a clearing when Tope raises her hand and with a minor application of ase disperses makinde’s silence field.

“We have to stop here for now.” She announces to the rest of us as she stomps her feet on the ground. I feel her ase moving into the soil causing it to obey her whims as it twists and turns.

“Wait, what, rest here? No, not possible, we have to move forward, this place is to dangerous.” James stammers out, the fear on his face is a very sorry sight.

Tolu scoffs as he answers. “If you wanted to avoid danger, you shouldn’t have entered the Forest of Irunmale.” He turns his back at James as he joins in passing his ase into the floor, strengthening whatever his sister is doing.

James looks like he is about to cry when Sade asks, an odd look on her face.

“They carry your scent, don’t they?” the look on his face is enough answer.

At this observation my eyebrows raise of its own accord. For the Aja Oro to carry your scent means you have been marked an enemy of theirs until they die, any moment they smell that scent they would hunt the person down no matter how long time has passed from when the first collected the scent. It is even said they passed the carried scents amongst themselves so you were not safe from any Aja-Oro that has been in contact with the original carrying your scent. They also do not collect scents lightly as the offence against them must be very grave for them to mark someone like that.

“What?” Tope screeches, she whirls to face Makinde “You brought a marked person into the forest with us? Are you mad?”

Makinde raises his hands in a placating gesture. “Well he has been covering his scent. It is not going to be a problem. Besides we are already here, no use crying over spilt milk eh.” He says with a smile on his face. I move away when Tope continues to curse him with many inventive words.

I head to where Tola is standing, muttering some phrases as she continues to twist the earth to her will. Some of the things is on par with what
Bisi could do and Bisi was the best in commanding the earth back in the academy. I shake my head to clear the thoughts of Bisi away, no use depressing myself on the mission.

“What exactly are you and your brother doing?” I gesture towards Tolu, his face screwed up in concentration as he continues to pump ase into the ground.

“We are opening the door to one of our hideouts that litter the parts of the forest we dare go to, it would be a tight fit but it should serve until morning when the Aja-Oro would leave this part to go hunt.” She answers as she waves a firefly away from her face before looking at Sade with amusement “What is She doing?” She asks pointing at her.

Sade was moving around poking at the trees as she took notes on a small notepad.

I shake my head and answer. “I have long given up hope in trying to presume to know her actions.”

Tola smiles at me and says. “Yeah I know the feeling.” At this she spares a glance to her brother.

I laugh “It is no wonder the two get along so well then, hope your brother isn’t getting his hopes up.”

“At this point your hope is already to late.” She says as she shakes her head. “He is used to having a broken heart.”

At this point Sade’s voice cuts across the clearing, silencing the girl cursing out Makinde.

“Is it just me or is the forest getting darker?’ she asks. It is then I notice it. the branches on the trees melting into the shadows, whole trees beside where Sade is standing disappearing into the darkness, the stars in the sky blinking out one by one.

At this I open my mind to my hunter’s mask and at what I sense I let out a gasp.

It is not darkness at all, it is a whole band of Aja-Oro nearly 20 in number, each single one bigger than the one Akanni and I took down during our initiation.

At this realization, I unsling my bow and nock it. I see others doing the same thing, Sade brings out her gun, a very special piece of enchantment as technology usually breaks down in the forest. Tola draws out her ada, its latent power humming in the air, Tolu his pair of axes. Bankole holding one of the biggest hammers I’ve ever seen

Tope looks to Makinde as her chain uncoils from her hand while he simply mutters some phrase and his body is covered with a red substance that sticks to his skin.

“Not going to be a problem eh?” She asks Makinde.

SIRcumalot:

I just glance through that chapter again and you're right
I understand why janus is the mad king now, his plan was really stupid.
their are easier ways of passing the kingdom lyrna and Al sorna.
Except the author is using to prolong the book
Why the dahrena hate ? I though she was alright.
What do you think happened at the ending of the book ?
No mention of al sorna love interest in the blood song at all

That's why I think there is another layer to his plan that we have not seen. The plan was to secure his legacy when he dies and make sure d realm cant revolt wen he dies. He is d first king of d unified realm.
Dahrena comes off as a Mary sue, d perfect girl and she is boring also I prefer Vaelin and Lyrna. So I'm hoping dahrena dies .

Sherin is apparently on a bus, Vaelin said last he checked she was happy and with someone else.
As for d end im not sure, it happened out of the left field. Some boy apparently burned her again probably with the dark.

I missed it the first time but when Janus was talking with Lyrna in d flashback dat he told her to save Vaelin and not Malchius. (another surprise, book 1 led us to believe it was part of Janus plan all along) she said that his plan ended in utter defeat and he replied along d lines that d plan was for d invasion to fail so dat her and vaelin would rebuild d realm.

Another was wen she was talking with the shield, he said Janus glorious plan was a failure, her mental thought was that was the point.

frentis storyline was boring and I skipped most of it d first tym but a second read made it worth it, it was a great standalone story but d fact it didn't follow d main story esp at d beginning hurt it. It revealed a lot of gems, master grealin as aspect of the 7th order and d love story was better.

The order doesn't teach reading and his mother tried but it is implied he has some form of dyslexia so she couldn't before she died.

yeah I preferred Blood song too, it took me a second read to truly appreciate Tower lord, still hate reva and dahraena though. The layers of plans of Janus is epic, he purposely set up d war to fail etc. I'm sure book 3 will have more of his plans revealed. No other book does plot twists that doesn't end in d main char dying lyk raven shadow.

just finished reading The little prince by Antoine de saint exupery. The most touching book I've read this year. A book written to kids for adults to read. The lessons there are profound and I can see why its a classic

Rereading Ravens Shadow by Anthony Ryan, nearly finished. That is a fantasy novel that turns most fantasy cliches on its head with a lot of unpredictable new twists. Will go for another read of Stormlight after this cause that story is just that awesome

The snippets posted with interlude on top are from a different perspective. The names beside indicate who it was. It is only those snippets that are from a different POV than segun and those will b posted immediately a chapter starts.

The reason for this is that there is a lot more going on beyond what Segun can see so to compromise since I want the story to be in first person i'm using the interlude concept to show some of what is going on. I'll try and add some more clarification to indicate a switch, check it does it help?

The Aganju Guild was mentioned back in the prologue. The person whose perspective was the focus was mentioned in the snippet and back in the prologue.

A.N: This part pushes this story to over 20k words. it came as a surprise to me considering I've never started a story that passes 1k before. So I want appreciate everyone here reading or commenting on this story. It is very encouraging to see it receiving this much reception and that has been one of the things pushing me to continue the story. This new chapter also moves the story from the Introductory part to the first major arc of the 3 planned arcs in the story, the tale has grown on me while writing as originally I was looking at most 50k words, obviously that will not be possible now. What started as an exercise in discipline has changed into a story i very much would like to read and I hope you are all enjoying it as much as I am enjoying writing it.
On the editing thing, I fully agree. I am not doing beyond the most basic spell check on the story to prevent me from being bogged down like in the past. The main aim of this story is to force me to write a full-length novel with every other thing secondary. I am planning to wait till the end before rewriting and editing it. Now on to the story



Segun

Our journey past the cordon was surprisingly uneventful.

The Cordon is one of the largest pieces of protective enchantments in the country. Built to surround all the Great forests that sprung up around the Gates in the aftermath of the Red night. It is maintained by the Border Guards who constantly channel their ase into the enchantment to maintain its strength against all creatures that wish to leave to the forest.

It however has weaknesses that can be exploited, first of all it was created to keep things in not out so getting in is not in the realm of impossibility if you knew where to look. Evidently the bush babies knew where to look. Secondly and perhaps most important, the border guards were stretched thin, the Hanged Jackals being able to exit and re-enter the forest spoke of exactly how thin they were stretched.

The moon was full tonight, the midnight sun illuminating our way as we walked through the trees beside the infamous fury road. The forest here was unnaturally quiet, no chirping crickets or stinging mosquitoes, the hoots of the owls and songs of the birds missing as if no animal lived here.
It made for a very disquieting trip.

“The animals here know what lies behind the cordon, they know and are afraid so they have fled. You would be hard pressed to find any animal of any level of sentience still living in this parts.” Tola, the usually quiet one of the bush babies says as she answers my unasked question.

She and her sister are walking beside me and Makinde, while Sade and the brat Tolu scout out in front. Bankole and James at the rear to round out the group. This arrangement was what was agreed on to prevent any stupid fighting in group by separating those likely to cause trouble. i.e Myself, James and Tolu. My quarrels with both of them already known. Tolu though had taken to needling james every opportunity he got and the only person in the group apart from his sisters that could stand his presence was Sade so he was paired with her.

“How do they know this? The cordon has been up before any forestry appeared on this side.” I ask.

“Animals are more attuned to things of the spiritual realm than humans recognize,” This time, it is Tope, the louder sister with braids that answer. Her voice gaining a smooth cadence gained by repetition.

“Who told you that?” I ask turning my face slightly to face her. It is then I notice it, a slight twitch before it is covered up.

“None of your business.” She replies with a bit of anger in her voice before she leaves my side and moves forward to continue scouting with her brother.

“What did I do?” I say as I look at Tolu bewildered at the turn of events.

She shrugs and answers “The person who taught us that is dead. Killed by our hands in our first stay in the forest. Kind of a touchy subject for her.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, Oh.” She says with a smile.

It is then I see the Cordon for the first time.

It is a bright white wall. Taller than I would expect and at night it looked like it reached the stars itself. The walls shining with a shimmering intensity. It looked otherworldy in a forest that was from the otherworld itself.

“And here is the majestic Cordon in all its magnificence.” Tolu says startling me as he suddenly appears besides me. Sade giggles beside him, appears she is up to her usual tricks again.

“Beautiful isn’t it.” He continues with a smile on his face. I refuse to rise to his bait, fortunately Makinde is there to prevent anything.

“Ah, so how do we get in?” Makinde directs his question at Tola. “I’ve paid to arrange a little bit of distraction for the period you specify but the cordon still looks solid as ever.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get in and the cordon isn’t as solid as it looks. The enchantments have been weakening in this section, not so much as to attract the attention of the Border guard but enough to serve our intentions.” She answers as she moves forward towards the Cordon.

James and Bankole soon join us, both dressed for war. Bankole in a state of the art armor with some runic symbols that mark its status as an Aja-Orun and a large warhammer in one hand while James is dressed in a simple hunters camouflage with a hunting rifle slung across his back.

Tola soon gets to as close as the cordon as she dares, she stoops and begins to carve some unrecognizable symbols on the ground with a blade that seemingly materializes out of nowhere. She is soon joined by her sister and Sade who begins to ask questions of what they exactly they are doing.

I tune this out and focus on the Cordon itself using my hunter’s mask to increase my sense of the emi behind the ase the wall radiates. It is then
I hear it, a faint song playing in the background, I strain my senses towards it to listen more and it suddenly becomes clear. It is beautiful, haunting, celestial, an orchestra of heavenly voices that I want to reach out and touch, the melodies and harmonies, the greatest symphony I have ever heard, sounds I have never heard fills my ears with the most glorious song.

I am suddenly cut off from it by a slap across my cheek, the sheer anger at the person who dares to remove the greatest thing I’ve heard from me unconsciously makes me to draw my ada before I come back to my senses.

“Snap out of it Segun.” Sade says with concern in her voice as she looks into my eyes. “Your eyes entered a daze and you were walking towards the cordon.”

I look around and see what she says is true, I am far closer to the wall than before and all my companions are looking at me weirdly.

“I was hearing the song of the Wall.” I say, immediately I’m aware of how foolish that sounds. I look around and yes, the weird looks increase with perhaps the exception of Bankole who looks thoughtful but then again that is his default look.

“Weird.” Sade says summing up my thoughts. She frowns for a bit. “Can’t sense anything, maybe you should keep away from using that, pointing at my hunters mask, near the cordon. It is a very powerful bit of enchantment after all.

“True.” I answer and move back to where the bush babies I’ve just finished their carving.

“All set” Makinde asks. Tola nods in the affirmative and moves to the center of the carving which looks like a spiral of letters now that it is completed.

She utters some phrases in the forgotten language that I do not know and the carving lights up. A similar carving lights up on the wall and after a couple of seconds a blank space appears where the carving on the wall was.

“That’s it?” I ask

“Yeah, pretty easy when you know the weak spots.” She replies. “it won’t stay for long though we should make our way across quickly.

And so the 7 entered the forest of Irunmale in a journey that would become one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I would make bigger ones in that forest.

A.N: This part pushes this story to over 20k words. it came as a surprise to me considering I've never started a story that passes 1k before. So I want appreciate everyone here reading or commenting on this story. It is very encouraging to see it recieving this much reception