This is a story that was written on the original LEGO Message Boards in late 2014, and is currently only readable on the archive site (which, apparently, might be shutting down soon, making the preservation Chima stories here important now more than ever). This one is particularly nostalgic to me, since I'd read a good chunk of it back in the day, but never finished it.
Like "Wings of a Lion, Roar of an Eagle", this is a co-write. However, unlike that story, the author changes for almost every chapter; so I'll be denoting each post with "by HyperSonicOne" or "by Epic".
The Quandary of Fire- Chapter 1, By Epicninja1
Today, I've decided to give up. I've had enough of this ice business. I wasn't made for this work. It puts a strain on my body and my mind. I don't think I hope I can resign quietly. I'm cer sure nobody will miss me. If I------
This is hopeless, Strainor thought, crumpling the piece of paper in disgust (it froze solid as he tossed it over his shoulder). He had been trying to write out a resignation form for hours, with little to no success. Even with a convincing argument, he was beginning to doubt that Sir Fangar would ever let him go. He was too valuble a soldier. If only he hadn't built such a reputation for himself.... But what was done, was done. He'd think of something to tell Sir Fangar...how he couldn't go on...how he needed to be... ...free? Words came back to him then, words Fangar had spoken to him not long ago: "We are prisoners of our own ice, as much as the tribes we collect. Everywhere we walk, ice and snow will follow. We can never be free of this, and so we must fight those who are our opposites, our flipside; those who wouldn't hesitate to destroy us if we tried to walk away from them. There was fire that's fair, once, but so far as we know, it's been lost. "We can't wander. We can't stay. We can only fight, because we will never be free...." Never be free.... Strainor shook his head. No. He couldn't--wouldn't--believe this. There had to be a chance...some way to ease the pressure of the world on them.... Setting his jaw, he pulled on another glove and bent his head over a new piece of paper.
Editor's note: I forgot to mention, the full title of this is "The Quandary of Fire: A co-written story", but I couldn't fit that and both of the authors' usernames on the subject line. The Quandary of Fire- Chapter 2, By HyperSonicOne
"The fire chi is a powerful force," Fluminox was telling Avian, the legendary winged lion. "But you are quite special. You completed the fire trials twice without breaking a sweat! "You have truly earned the power of the fire chi." Foltrax appeared with an orb of fire chi. Avian plugged it in his chest harness and then experienced an incredible rush of power. "Awesome!" he said, glancing at his now flaming wings. As Avian left the Phoenix Temple, he saw a battle underway near the Lion Temple. He decided to go to the temple to check the battle progress. "The Ice Hunters seem to be at some sort of disadvantage. It almost seems impossible; they normally have a strategic advantage!" Lagravis said. "I'll go join the fight," Avian said as he took off towards the battlefield.
-last edited on Mar 27, 2023 18:13:43 GMT by The J
Post by The J on Mar 27, 2023 18:13:15 GMT
The Quandary of Fire- Chapter 3, By Epicninja1
The ice tribes were losing ground, and Strainor knew it was mostly his fault. While he had been busy writing about weariness and resignation, Sir Fangar had spent an entire strategy-planning session wondering why Strainor wasn't there. Then, despite the protests of many, Fangar had started the march on the Lion Temple anyway. And now here they all were, paying for the mistakes and mishaps that had led them here in the first place. "Strainor!" Sir Fangar shouted, swatting a lion to one side. "Stop sleeping on your feet! Sykor'll-- NO! SYKOR!" With a roar of triumph, the saber-tooth berserker yanked his chains out of Strainor's unfeeling hands. Strainor grabbed at empty air, let out a growl of frustration, and fell on his face. It was over. He had seen Sykor out of control before. He could picture the berserker now, scrambling, scampering across the battleground, attacking friend and foe alike, doing much more damage than good. A foot landed hard on Strainor's back, and he lashed out behind himself. There was a gasp, and the foot moved away. Strainor sprang to his own feet to find the forces of ice failing miserably. Sykor was still on a rampage, still dealing dreadful blows to both sides. Sir Fangar shouldered his way through a tight group of fire soldiers, raising a hand in the air. Maybe, if they returned to the fortress, Fangar would admit that this was Strainor's fault, and that he wasn't up to the job of being in the fighting force. Maybe Fangar would decide to let him go.... "REATRE--" shouted Sir Fangar, but lions piled on top of him, cutting off the last sounds of the word.
Avian felt a little strange. The Ice Hunters seemed to try to escape, but none of them could. Strainor lost control of Sykor and seemed . . . guilty. Avian called for a strategy session. "What is wrong with the hunters?" Worriz immediately asked. "They almost seem to want us to win!" "No," Avian said. "They are obviously at a strategic disadvantage, but that seems impossible. "Maybe . . ." Then one thought flashed across his mind. Strainor. "Call back the troops." He said. "Why?!" Laval asked. "We're beating them back!" "Just do it" was his reply. "Fall back!" Laval roared. The troops went back towards the Lion Temple, and the Ice Hunters left for their fortress. "That was weird," Eris said, confused. "I know right?" Laval sounded just as confused. "Why did you do that?" "Something was wrong. I'm not sure what, but it was."
"Well, that was a disaster," said Sir Fangar, holding his hands to his head. He had called all his generals and captains into his chambers for a meeting--as if Strainor needed reminding of what had happened at the Lion Temple. "That's what you think, is it?" muttered Stok, one of the captains. "Well, I think it could've been worse, myself." Sir Fangar looked at him sharply. "What was that?" Stok smirked. "Nothing, sire." Fangar's eyes narrowed, but he nodded and turned back to the rest of those present. "Next time, we will do better. Next time, Scritch won't forget his part in the battle. Stealthor will have the caution I'm used to seeing from him. Strainor will actually attend our planning session. And maybe Stok will finally stop sniping at me." Strainor let out an internal sigh of relief, having expected worse than this. The two generals and two captains grunted collectively, and Strainor's mind turned back to the other matter.... "Well?!" Fangar suddenly burst out. Strainor blinked and looked up, startled. Fangar had stood from his throne and drawn his Glacior. "And what is it now, your dramatic-ness?" Stok murmured. Sir Fangar rapped him on the ear with the flat of his blade. "You will do better next time?" he demanded. "Yes, sire," said Stok smoothly. Again, Sir Fangar turned his attention to the other three. "And you?" "Yes, sire," they said in unison. Fangar lifted the point of his sword. "Do you swear, by the skin on your frozen bones, to give your all next time?" Each of them placed a hand to his unsightly skin (or what there was of it), and took the oath. "Good," said Sir Fangar, sheathing his Glacior. "Because we attack again tonight. Those 'do-gooders'...they practically let us go earlier...." Snorting in disgust, Fangar shooed them from the room.
This is a story that was written on the original LEGO Message Boards in late 2014, and is currently only readable on the archive site (which, apparently, might be shutting down soon, making the preservation Chima stories here important now more than ever). This one is particularly nostalgic to me, since I'd read a good chunk of it back in the day, but never finished it.
Like "Wings of a Lion, Roar of an Eagle", this is a co-write. However, unlike that story, the author changes for almost every chapter; so I'll be denoting each post with "by HyperSonicOne " or "by Epic ".
The Quandary of Fire- Chapter 1, By Epicninja1
Today, I've decided to give up. I've had enough of this ice business. I wasn't made for this work. It puts a strain on my body and my mind. I don't think I hope I can resign quietly. I'm cer sure nobody will miss me. If I------
This is hopeless, Strainor thought, crumpling the piece of paper in disgust (it froze solid as he tossed it over his shoulder). He had been trying to write out a resignation form for hours, with little to no success. Even with a convincing argument, he was beginning to doubt that Sir Fangar would ever let him go. He was too valuble a soldier. If only he hadn't built such a reputation for himself.... But what was done, was done. He'd think of something to tell Sir Fangar...how he couldn't go on...how he needed to be... ...free? Words came back to him then, words Fangar had spoken to him not long ago: "We are prisoners of our own ice, as much as the tribes we collect. Everywhere we walk, ice and snow will follow. We can never be free of this, and so we must fight those who are our opposites, our flipside; those who wouldn't hesitate to destroy us if we tried to walk away from them. There was fire that's fair, once, but so far as we know, it's been lost. "We can't wander. We can't stay. We can only fight, because we will never be free...." Never be free.... Strainor shook his head. No. He couldn't--wouldn't--believe this. There had to be a chance...some way to ease the pressure of the world on them.... Setting his jaw, he pulled on another glove and bent his head over a new piece of paper.
"What was he thinking?!" Worriz inquired angrily. "We could have beaten them!" "Calm down Worriz," Eris said calmly. "He must have had a good reason for it." Meanwhile, Avian was at Lavertus' old base. He needed some peace and quiet, and no one had been there since the Ice Hunters started attacking. "What was wrong with strainor?" he wondered. "Something wasn't right. It was like he didn't want to fight." He left the base and went towards the Ice Fortress. He didn't have any fire chi, but that meant he could sneak around without melting anything. He saw Sir Fangar and decided to go the other way. Then he stumbled across the room they kept the chi in. He was about to take some when Strainor walked into the room, closing the door behind him. He saw Avian and slipped on an orb of chi. "Wh-what are you doing in here?" "I wanted to ask you something. What happened at the battle?" "You probably won't believe me but, I want to resign from Sir Fangar's army." Strainor admitted. "I think I could work something out," Avian said. Just as they were leaving, two guards saw Avian and froze him!
"No--no!" shouted Strainor, shoving the guards to either side. He placed a hand to the ice, right over the griffin's heart. "What have you--I mean--" Quickly, he forced a lopsided smile onto his face, sneering at the guards. "G-good work! I'll take this straight to Sir Fangar!" The guards shared a confused glance as Strainor lifted the ice block containing the griffin and stepped back into the fortress. As soon as he turned a corner, Strainor set the ice block against a wall and waited. The griffin's eyes seemed to flick around inside the cold prison, but aside from this, nothing happened. Strainor squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced. What now? "You're the one, aren't you?" he whispered, certain the griffin couldn't hear him. "You were the one I saw at the Lion Temple. The one I saw right before the lions pulled back." The griffin (of course) didn't reply. Strainor growled and clawed viciously at the ice, but this didn't help; if anything, the ice actually grew thicker. A strange feeling rose within him, one he hadn't experienced in a long, long time: sorrow. He actually felt bad for this griffin he barely knew. Was he getting soft? Or was this a good thing? Gritting his teeth in frustration, Strainor kicked at the ice block, breathed on it, pounded a corner endlessly; he tried everything he could think of, but nothing freed the griffin from his icy prison. And when he tried to lift the block again, it had frozen itself to the wall. If Strainor had been able to cry, he probably would have shed a tear then. "Listen," he hissed through his teeth, even though he knew the griffin couldn't listen. "I'm--I'm sorry you're in there. Really, I am." As before, the griffin didn't reply. Strainor exhaled. He knew how crazy it would look if he left the fortress, carrying the same prisoner he'd walked in with. Somehow, he would have to smuggle him out.
Avian was caught up in his thoughts. "How could I have been so dumb? Of course there would be guards! Who knows how long I could be in here?" He suddenly had a scary thought: "What will Sir Fangar do to me?" He pondered that question while Strainor lifted him up and carried him back into the Ice Fortress. Meanwhile, back at the Lion Temple: "Where is Avian? He should be back by now." Laval had called his friends together. "What do I care? I'm glad he's gone!" Worriz said instantly. "There was no sign of him my friends," Razar said as he and Eris came back from the Outland base. "I do hope he's doing okay." Eris said, worried. "Well, if he's doing a spy mission, we wouldn't want to draw attention to him by 'rescuing' him," Cragger replied. "If you say so. . ." Eris said.
Strainor wrapped a final strip of cloth around the ice block, then stood up. It was now completely covered in old rags, sashes, and bits of a tent, and the griffin inside could no longer be seen. Anyone looking at it would probably assume it was a bundle of weapons or, better yet, Chi. Strainor had seen others carry similar bundles, mostly on covert missions for Sir Fangar. Carrying this out of the fortress seemed easy enough. Or so Strainor thought. Grunting, he heaved the diguised ice block over his shoulder, stepped out the door to his chambers-- --and bumped straight into Sir Fangar. "What are you doing?" Fangar hissed. "I sent you urgent summons to another strategy-planning session hours ago!" Guiltily, Strainor looked down to find a frost-encrusted scroll lying next to his door. Ordinarily, it would have been hard to miss; but when he had entered his chambers not long ago, he'd been dragging a griffin-sized block of ice.... "Well?!" Sir Fangar practically yelled. "Where is it?" asked Strainor quickly. "The planning, I mean." "The Hall of Frozen Prisoners," Fangar spat through his teeth. "I expect you to--" "I'll be there at sundown," Strainor promised; then he ducked a Glacior thrust, dived around Sir Fangar, and ran as fast as he could down the passageway, ice-bundle over his shoulder. Right before he reached the gate of the fortress, he bumped into someone else, someone carrying a bundle of rags almost identical to his. "Sorry," Strainor growled, and sped past the other. The guards at the gate looked particularly puzzled at the sight of Strainor. "State your--uh--what is it now--?" one of them asked, but Strainor rushed past them, too, speeding down the icy stairs and away from ice-held lands.
-last edited on Mar 28, 2023 17:48:14 GMT by The J
Post by The J on Mar 28, 2023 17:48:03 GMT
The Quandary of Fire- Chapter 10, By HyperSonicOne
"Alright, we've waited long enough," Eris was walking out of the Lion Temple as soon as Cragger spoke. "I have an idea " she said. "Razar and I will fly to the Ice Fortress and try to rescue Avian. "Then, Cragger and Laval will bring their tanks into the swamp in case we need backup. Finally, Gorzan, Bladvic, and Rhogon will wait at the Outland base as a fallback position. Is everyone with me?" Everyone nodded. "Good." Eris and Razar were nearing the Ice Fortress when they noticed a saber-tooth running away from the fortress. "Eris to Laval, we see a saber-tooth leaving the Ice Fortress, with something large over his shoulder." "Got it, it's probably a weapons transport. C'mon Cragger, maybe we can bring in some weapons to study." They started their tanks and drove out to block the hunter's path. Strainor, startled by the tanks, slipped, and the"weapons transport" went flying into some nearby trees. Razar and Eris went to check out the bundle, and Laval and Cragger started to question Strainor. "What was in that package?" "I-It was-uh..." Strainor couldn't find words. Then Eris called, "Guys, you might want to come check this out."
Strainor didn't know what to do. In seconds, Laval and Cragger would stumble upon the block of ice--and the griffin. Would he be blamed? Should he run? Wasn't this what he wanted? He fidgeted, tensing his legs in case he did have to run. "Oh!" came Laval and Cragger's voices. Strainor bolted. But before he could get very far, someone tackled him from behind. "Not so fast, my friend!" whispered Razar in his ear. Strainor growled and resisted the urge to freeze him. Just like that, he would be trapped, like the griffin.... Keeping a firm hold on one of Strainor's arms (the one that had more skin on it), Razar got to his feet and rooted through a cloth pouch in his other hand. "Nothing to see here," he grumbled, thrusting the pouch into Strainor's hands. Only when Razar pulled him up, too, did he realize it was his pouch. Strainor blinked confusedly, then stumbled after Razar as the raven tugged him back toward the others. "Put Avian in the cargo hold," Laval was saying to Cragger and Eris. Then he turned to Strainor and raised his eyebrows. "And you're the one who did it," he said flatly. Strainor, however, wasn't paying attention. His eyes followed Cragger and Eris as they carried the ice block toward the lion tank. "Well?" said Laval. "What've you got to say for yourself?" Strainor squinted his blue eyes. "Avian?" he growled. "Did you say the griffin's name was Avian?" "Yes," said Laval, rather impatiently. "What's it to you? You did freeze him, right?" Avian. The name sounded familiar to Strainor somehow.... Turning his mind away from such thoughts for now, he considered Laval's question. Of course he hadn't frozen Avian, but if he said this, the lion almost certainly wouldn't believe him. So he stared into Laval's eyes and kept silent. "Your silence tells me more than you know," Laval said eventually. Yeah, right, thought Strainor. "We'll see what Avian says when we thaw him out," Laval went on. "But first, you're coming back to the Lion Temple with us."
The Quandary of Fire- Chapter 12, By HyperSonicOne
Sir Fangar was already furious. "Where is he? This is the second planning session he hasn't appeared at!" He was talking about Strainor, of course. "That does it! We are going to bring him back here, whether he likes it or not! Stealthor! Organize your scouts. Vardy! You and your vultures will assist them from above."
Meanwhile, at the Lion Temple: "You brought an ice hunter here? Are you insane?" Lagravis had seen a lot of things since the Ice Hunters had awoken, but this? He just couldn't take it. "He could sneak around, and just freeze everyone here!" "Calm down Dad," Laval told him. "He seems to have a reason for being here. He was running away from his Ice Fortress!" "Oh boy," Lagravis said. "We just thawed Avian out." Eris was walking towards Lagravis with Avian by her side. Strainor had said nothing since he arrived here. He was afraid that anything he said might turn the Lion King against him. "Why so quiet?" He looked up. The voice belonged to the griffin, Avian. "Can we talk in private?" "I suppose." Strainor replied. They walked up to the roof of the Lion Temple. Avian also brought Eris, for she was very understanding. "So, sorry you were frozen." Avian looked up at the sky. "Thanks. I don't suppose it was your fault. Now, why do you want to leave the Ice Hunters?" Eris looked surprised as he said this, but remained silent. Strainor took a deep breath, and began. . .
"Ever since the Chi...well...brought us back, I've been tired. When you've lived this long, it's hard not to be. At first, though, nothing felt out of place. We woke up from the ice ready for revenge, to pick up where we left off. But now I see... ...something's changed." Strainor's eyes hardened as he remembered the days before the Illumination. He had actually enjoyed himself then... ...but he'd also actually been alive, with two real legs and all of his skin and fur. "Go on," said Avian, interrupting his troubled thoughts. "I've had enough of war," growled Strainor. "But Fan--Sir Fangar won't stop until you're all frozen. And I'm one of his best strategists. He won't let me go until it's over, one way or another." Avian and Eris exchanged a glance, the meaning of which was lost on Strainor. The saber-tooth had never been close enough to anyone to convey feeling or share understanding with a mere glance. But maybe there was time for that to change? "You could join us, you know," said Avian thoughtfully. "That's right," said Eris. "You--" "No," said Strainor quickly. "That wouldn't be best for any of us. The phoenixes don't trust me, and they never will. Besides, they'd be right. Even if I don't want to fight, I'm still your enemy, and you're stil mine." Avian raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't make complete sense...." Strainor spoke his mind: "It makes the only kind of sense. If I joined you, I'd still have to fight. Against my former...allies. And--and--look at the floor." Avian and Eris looked. Everywhere Strainor had stepped, a patch of frost had sprung up, and he was standing in a circle of spreading ice. Strainor sighed at the looks on their faces. They were nice, decent creatures. He knew nothing of how they lived, or what it would be like to be among them. Even his voice came out as a rough growl, while theirs were rich and smooth. They were talking to him intelligently. They were listening. But could they possibly understand him as they understood each other?
The Quandary of Fire- Chapter 14, By HyperSonicOne
"Eris, stay here with Strainor. You are the most understanding, and you can explain the situation to anyone without them. . ." Avian's voice trailed off as he leapt off the roof of the Lion Temple. He spread his wings and took off toward the mountains, in hopes he could figure something out. I know exactly how you feel, he wanted to tell Strainor. But for some strange reason, he couldn't. Why? He came to a small area on the mountainside, and landed there. It turned out there was a small cave, so naturally, he went in. He found a large door, with a "Do not enter" sign. He entered. There was a huge lab behind the door; someone was in the room with his back facing Avian. "Dark." Dark jumped up about ten feet when he heard the voice. "Avian, you startled me. Where have you been keeping yourself?" "Fighting the Ice Hunters. And I have a problem." He proceeded to tell Dark all about Strainor. "You and I both know what it's like to be different," he said when he had finished. He said this because Dark was an Eagle/Raven hybrid. "Yet we still make it through life. Let me show you what I've been working on." They walked over to a container. "This potion will turn someone back to their normal form. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to use it. . ." Avian rolled his eyes at this. "However, Strainor would seem to like this. All I need is some golden chi, but there hasn't been a speedor race lately." Avian shot a golden chi blast at it. "That good enough?" "Yes, now let's go to the Lion Temple." They went to the temple, only to find a large part of it was covered in ice. And Sir Fangar and his troops were on the roof, surrounding Eris and Strainor. "If you don't come back willingly, I will personally drag you back to the Ice Fortress!" Sir Fangar shouted at Strainor. Just then, Avian and Dark landed on the roof, and Dark was holding the potion behind his back. . .
