Gay Erotic Stories

The Castle of Stromgard was busy as usual. At the castle courtyard, soldiers stood in rows, responding to commands from their trainers. Sound of metal clashing and heavy boots thumping on the ground filled the air. The instructors drilled the soldiers vigorously, yelling and screaming all the time, and were quickly answered with the same intensity. For most people, they found the environment noisy and annoying, for the sound could be heard throughout the city beneath the palace gate. For Maya Murdock, the sound was extremely annoying. She was a nature girl. She loved being in places where everything was natural. She loved being alone in the forest or vast grassland or near caves and waterfalls where she could hear the sound of life around her. As a slave at the busy town of Tiras, she had been confined from that freedom for a long time, but since she joined Atrus' cause, she had had plenty of time to unleash her heart's desire. Atrus... Atrus White Lion... Her master and hero. She could remember the very first day she met him. She could remember the fear, the amazement, and the excitement she had, blended together in their first encounter. Her vows remained that she would serve him completely, even if it would cost her life. Her hands grasped the metal talisman in her neck. Her father's last memory, the talisman had proven to be magical. Anna had confirmed it that the talisman magically increased the wearer's speed and agility, enabling her to move and run faster than normal humans. The talisman should indeed be useful for her, for speed was indeed her most valuable asset. Her mind shifted to Anna, Adriana Freesland, her mistress. As a priestess of Lycra, her magical ability was impressive. She was very smart, too, and in fact her vast knowledge impressed her the most. Just like her, Anna shared the same fate of her childhood. She was raped when she was only seventeen, and was therefore banished from the shrine. Yet she rose up from her grief and had become Atrus' most trusted ally. The noisy sound stopped, but the training was far from over. Instead, the soldiers grouped together near the fountain where Maya was sitting. Today was a special day in the training schedule, for there was a special event being held. It was a joust between Atrus White Lion and Captain Hawk. Captain Hawk was the head of the royal guard instructor team. Being the youngest captain in the royal army didn't mean he was incompetent, for he was the best man in lance and spear fighting. No one could match his spear skill. Atrus, however, was not good with spear, so he used his Rainbow Sword. He received the sword from Baron Stoke when they were battling the demons to save the town of Blackwell from destruction. Anna could not confirm it, but the sword was indeed magical. The metal was heavy and strong, but it was incredibly light in his hand. From her spot next to the fountain, Maya got a perfect view of the battleground. Anna was nowhere in sight, for she was taking a private lesson with a knight on how to ride a horse. Maya couldn't help but laughed, thinking of her mistress, trying to control the horse. Well, she is going to miss the fight... The soldiers sat quietly on the ground around the battleground. At the center, Captain Hawk stood proudly with his spear on his hand. The spear was real, with sharp blade at the end. Atrus stood defiantly, facing him. His Rainbow Sword rested on his back. "This is real, Atrus... Real weapons and real blood..." Hawk warned. "Indeed." Atrus answered calmly. "I've never fought a Ranger before... Let's see how awful they are..." he taunted. "Admit it, Hawk... You're too old for this..." The battle started as dashed at each other and swung their weapons. The weapons clashed together and the two warriors broke their engagement. As soon as they were apart, Hawk's spear broke into two parts. The crowds grasped as the sight. "Boy... this thing is pretty strong..." Atrus inspected his sword. "Guards! Get me another spear!" Quickly Hawk wielded a new spear with curled blade at the end, and charged Atrus with it. He played his spear with amazing skill, but Atrus also played his sword well, blocking every blow. Hawk was very skilled in using both ends of the spear and often surprised Atrus by using the other end. Atrus was indeed faster and was able to dodge the attacks. Suddenly Hawk leaped forward and swung the spear over his head. Atrus escaped the blow just in time as the blade sliced through the hard ground. He imitated the attack and made an overhead strike, but Hawk saw him coming and moved out of the way. The sword penetrated the ground and met the spear blade with a loud clash. When Hawk lifted the spear, the blade had been cut into two. Again, the crowd was amazed by the sword's strength. "Oh my... I'd better be careful with this..." Atrus wiped the dust off his sword. "Guards! Get me a lance!" The fight continued as Atrus charged for attack and put Hawk completely on defensive. The lance's thick body offered more protection to the sword's blow, and Atrus held himself back a little bit. However, whatever in the sword's way wouldn't last for long. The sword cut through logs, metal posts, and even water pipes, which were made of solid stone. Hawk answered the attack by continuously jabbing the lance on the ground, targeting Atrus' legs, but never found his mark. After fifteen minutes of harsh battle, the joust was decided a draw. Both men were exhausted, but no one scored any hits on each other. The losses, however, were high. Among those were 3 flag posts, 2 banner posts, 4 wooden benches, 8 lances, 11 spears, and a battleground itself. The entire battleground was filled with holes and cracks, that it badly needed repairs before it could be used again. The soldiers clapped their hands as both warriors bowed. Then the crowd was dismissed for a short break. Atrus sheathed his sword again and faced his opponent. "I have to say, that was a wonderful match. You are very good." "You're not bad yourself." Hawk smiled. "Your sword is very deadly." "It's rather new, but it keeps me alive until now..." Their conversation was interrupted when somebody approached. It was Anna, and she was not in her best shape. She walked limply, with bruises all over her arms. Her priestess costume was full of dirt. The dirt ruined the satin dress. Her short satin skirt was torn here and there. A wide bandage covered her forehead. Maya quickly jumped on her feet and ran to her to help, but she brushed her away. "Mistress...? What happened? Are you hurt?" "Is that an honest question, Maya? Or are you just mocking me?" Maya stepped back quickly and Anna felt terrible. "Sorry..." When Atrus saw Anna, he was completely shocked, but Anna cut him off pretty quickly. "Don't say anything, Ranger, or you're toast...!" "What happened with you? You got stumped by the horse?" Atrus asked anyway. "Yeah... twice... And got pulled by the horse all the way across the field..." "It can't be..." Hawk grasped. "He was the greatest cavalier trainer..." "Well, I'm not a cavalier." Anna grumbled and then looked at Atrus. "Don't give me that look." Atrus snickered. "I know I should have been the one to train you..." Again, their conversation was interrupted when a royal guard approached them. "Captain Hawk, Sir White Lion, the king wants your presence inside the courtroom immediately." Hawk turned to Atrus. "They must have finished making the alliance proposal." "The sooner we leave, the better. Come." Both men left for the castle leaving the girls. Anna just stood there, watching as Atrus walked away. Maya's hand softly caressed her shoulder. "Don't take it personally, Mistress... You know he didn't mean to insult you..." Anna reached out for the earrings on her ears. Atrus had given them to her on her birthday. She loved them. She treasured them. They were the sign of Atrus' unspoken care to her. "I know, Maya..." She smiled. "I know..." "Come, Mistress... Let me tend your wound..." The courtroom was silent. King Edward sat uneasily on his throne. Lord Garth, the royal advisor, stood quietly beside the throne. General Kepfer, the minister of war and foreign affairs, sat on his chair. Captain Hawk sat on the other side of the room, while Atrus stood before the king, unmoved. "This is the fateful day for the kingdom, Sir Atrus." The king slowly said. "The kingdom has lost a hero to the enemy, and has almost lost you. We have carefully read your report. Sir Stoke's betrayal is unacceptable, but he will be missed." Atrus stayed silent. Baron Anthony Stoke was a villain from the Southern Aragon that had almost sold the region to the demons. He was also Maya's former slaver and the killer of her parents. But her sincerity had turned the baron back from his wrong way and he gave his life to save hers. Finally, with his last breath, he gave them information vital to the kingdom about the demons' ultimate plan. "And if the baron didn't lie, the plague of the undead armies will spell doom to the realm." King Edward continued. "The practice of bringing dead people to life is forbidden throughout the realm." "Indeed." Lord Garth stared at Atrus darkly. "The demons have to be stopped." "The alliance must be forged, your majesty." Atrus answered. "The kingdom of Aragon would not stand a chance alone, but if we join hands with other kingdoms, we may succeed." "We have faith in you, young man, and your friends." General Kepfer spoke up. The king smiled, and lifted a scroll with his right hand. The scroll was made of fine paper, tied with a thin band. "This is the proposal from the kingdom of Aragon to forge an alliance with other kingdoms. I will entrust you with the scroll. Go and forge the alliance in the kingdom's name. Our lives may depend on your success." Atrus accepted the scroll. "I will do my best, your majesty." "And do your best you will, Sir White Lion, because I will assist you in any way. You will not travel alone. I have chosen an assistant who will help you in your travel, and he is Sir Hawk." Atrus was surprised and then turned to face his friend. Hawk just smiled from his seat. "That's right, buddy. I will go with you." "But you're with the royal guards..." "Sir Hawk has voluntarily left his position as the chief trainer for his new task." The king said. "He will be ready to go when you are." "Thank you, your..." The east door swung open with a crash, and a young man with complete plate armor barged in. Atrus had seen the man before. Prince Roberto was the king's second son, and as the foremost knight of the realm, Atrus had been forced to fight him to gain the king's trust. The battle had issued Atrus as the winner, and Roberto wasn't very excited with the result. "Father, if these people go, let me go too!" The people inside the court were surprised at his request. The king stared at his son, puzzled. "Roberto, are you aware how dangerous the journey will be?" "I am! I am the foremost knight of the realm. I fear no evil." "But, Prince Roberto, you are the heir of the kingdom!" Lord Garth exclaimed. "I don't care! I will go, and nobody can stop me!" The king was silent for a while. It was clear that nothing could stop the young prince from going with Atrus. Yet releasing the heir of the kingdom to enemy's territory would be foolish. "Very well... although your mother would not agree to this..." "I have talked to her. She agrees." Roberto quickly added. Finally the king nodded. "You may go. Pack your things up." He turned to Atrus and Hawk. "Please take care of my son." But Roberto cut him off. "I will be taken care by nobody!" Then he walked out. The court was silent for a while. The king sighed. "Please forgive my son, Sir White Lion, Sir Hawk. It's all my fault. I should have spent more time with him when he was young..." "Please, your majesty, you have taught him well!" Hawk spoke up. "Not well enough, I'm afraid. He is an able warrior, but he lacks experience and attitude. He keeps his pride high, and is willing to break his warrior codes. He is unworthy to be the king of Aragon. If I may speak frankly, I'd rather rule the kingdom from my grave than letting him take over my place." All people in the courtroom were shocked at the king's confession. He was indeed deeply grieved by his son's incompetence. Then General Kepfer rose from his seat and talked to the king quietly. Soon he, the king and Lord Garth were engaged in a serious discussion. "We have made an important decision." Lord Garth concluded the discussion. "We are to demote the prince from his royal position." "What?" Hawk blurted. "My son is no longer the heir of the throne, at least for the duration of his journey." King Edward explained. "He will become a commoner, a normal knight under your command." Atrus was stunned to find the king pointing at him. "My command? Your majesty, I can't do that... I mean, with the prince's safety at stake..." "You have proven yourself, Ranger." General Kepfer said slowly. "We trust that you can protect the prince and bring him back alive." "Please, Sir White Lion, I need your help. I need you to teach my son the real struggle of life, so we stripped him off his royalty to make your job easier. I'm growing old, and soon my time will come. I want to see my kingdom ruled by somebody worthy. I have confined my son for too long, and I'm too old to teach him anything. "I therefore ask you to teach him all things a king needs to know. He had been confined inside the castle for too long, and he had grown superior here. It's time that he meets somebody superior to him. I cannot drill him. I want the fate of life to drill him, and I want you to watch over him. He may be a difficult man, but the fate of the kingdom lies in his hand." The king stood up from his throne and stared at Atrus. "Sir White Lion, knowing the danger involved in your task, this is not an order. This is a simple request from the king of Aragon." And to Atrus' surprise, the king fell on his knees, and was quickly followed by Lord Garth and General Kepfer. Atrus was in the greatest confusion in his life. The king asked him sincerely, and refusing him would be against his will. But taking the annoying prince with him could jeopardize the entire mission. The young prince had proven to be a major nuisance. But the king was right. The prince needed experience outside the castle. He hated to hold the fate of the kingdom in his hand, but he knew he couldn't refuse. Atrus fell on his knees and bowed. "I will guard Prince Roberto with my life." Atrus and Hawk sat uneasily on the bed inside their room back in the inn. The girls were listening carefully to their story, and somehow Atrus could guess their response. "WHAT? That little brat is going to travel with us?" "Anna, I know this might sound crazy, but..." "Crazy? It's insane!!" Anna regained her breath for a while. "Atrus, do you know what it means? We have our vows to the Guardian! That Prince Roberto might hold the fate of the kingdom, but if we fail, the fate of the entire realm is at risk!" "Miss Freesland, may I point that..." Hawk spoke up. "Call me Anna, will ya?" She blurted outland then regained her breath. "Sorry, I'm freaking out. I just don't like the idea of having Prince Roberto in our party. What do you want to say?" "It's not Prince Roberto, Miss Anna. It's Roberto. He is no longer the heir of the throne." "What difference does that make?" Anna inquired again. "A lot." Hawk answered calmly. "He will have to follow you and heed your orders. I am there to make sure he does that." "Anna, you have to understand!" Atrus plead. "If you're in my position, you know that you can't refuse such request! We can still do our task. Hawk will help in dealing with the prince." "That's right, Miss Anna. I will be responsible for the prince's safety." Finally Anna agreed, although she still insisted that completing their quest was far more important than babysitting the prince. "Maya, we'd better start packing up. We will leave tomorrow morning." "Yes, Master." Maya bowed and left. Hawk stood up and took his leave. "I'd better do the same. We'll meet in front of the inn tomorrow morning. I will bring Roberto along." Then he left. Atrus turned to Anna. Maya had taken care of her bruises. It seemed that her training didn't go very well. He lay his hand on her shoulder, and she instantly winced in pain. "Did I hurt you?" Atrus asked. "I'm just a little tense, that's all... The training was harsh..." "Harsh?" Atrus sat on the bed before her. "Yeah... I never thought riding a horse will be that difficult." "It takes time..." Atrus said and then reached out to touch the earrings on her ears. They dangled beautifully beneath her long hair. Anna blushed. "I took them off during the training... I don't want to ruin them..." "I'm glad you like them..." "I... I treasure them..." She hesitated for a while and then boldly approached and kissed Atrus lightly on his cheek. "Thank you, Atrus... for the wonderful gift..." Atrus softly lay her body on the soft bed. He could feel the tense muscles all over her arms, limbs and shoulders. While he was not good at massaging, he knew how to make her feel better. He undid her red bow, letting her long golden hair fall on the bed, and stroked her hair softly. She hummed in delight at the treatment, and her muscles began to relax a bit. Anna was taken by surprise when Atrus' engulfed her small mouth. She gingerly accepted the kiss and almost ran out of breath when Atrus broke the kiss. Atrus continued his intrusion on her neck, arousing her. In his second kiss she was more prepared and responded fully. "Atrus... take me..." "No, Anna. You're tired. You need rest. I'll help you." Atrus softly pulled her dress down, revealing her cute breasts. Her nipples stood erect instantly upon contact with the cool air. Atrus expertly played with her breasts, cupping them and teasing her nipples, arousing her even further. Her breath was getting short. Tiny beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. When he touched her nipples, Anna almost jumped from the sensation. "Atrus... please... don't just tease me..." "Hush... just lie down and enjoy..." Atrus reached out under her skirt and slowly removed her panties. They were soaked with her vaginal fluid. Anna was blushed at the sight of her own panties. When Atrus touched her tender nether region, she moaned in pleasure. He slowly traced his finger along her hips, probing her lips and finding her clitoris. She responded almost instantly. Her hips jerked violently at his touch. He played with her clitoris for a while, making her crazy. "Atrus, please... please..." "Let it go, Anna... let it go..." Then he inserted his finger inside her pussy. She couldn't hold it anymore and exploded. "Atrus... I... I can't..." She arched her back despite all the bruises across her body. A silent scream escaped her lips as she reached climax. More vaginal fluid came from her vagina, drenching his finger. Her body tensed for a while before relaxing again. Atrus helped her to lie comfortably on the bed. He wiped her wet region with a towel. He then put her dress back on and wrapped her weak body with a blanket. Anna was in heaven. She was completely exhausted from her orgasm, and was lying on the bed comfortably, wrapped in a blanket, tended by the man she loved. She looked at him lovingly; tears fell from her eyes. "Atrus... you're the best... Thank you..." Atrus kissed her forehead, just like a father kissing his daughter. "You're welcome, Anna. Sleep well. When you wake up, you will feel better." The next day, Anna felt a lot better. In fact, she got the best sleep ever. The sore muscles were healed almost completely, and she had no problem using her new energy to heal the bruises. Maya served them a light breakfast, and they checked out. Hawk came later on his horse, towing two other horses. He wore simple suit and trousers. A chain armor covered his torso. On his right hand he held a fine spear with crescent-shaped blade at the end. He also wore thick leather boots and metal gauntlets. His cloak bore the crest of the kingdom of Aragon. "Good morning. I'm ready to go. The prince is coming shortly." Atrus helped Maya load their stuff on her horse. Atrus then mounted the other horse. Anna was to ride with Atrus for the time being until she could ride by herself. As usual, she instantly clasped her hands around Atrus, cutting his breath. Prince Roberto arrived later on his black horse. He wore a full body armor, complete with helmet, steel boots and gauntlets. His long cloak greatly enhanced his dark appearance. On his hip hung the long sword: the four-foot-long Kaiser Sword. He stared at Atrus darkly. "You win, Ranger. I'm no longer a royal prince. Are you happy now?" "What do you mean?" Atrus challenged. "Don't push me, Ranger..." "Enough!" Hawk snarled then stared at the prince. "Roberto!" It was clear that the prince somehow feared Captain Hawk. He held his anger and nodded toward Atrus. "I'm ready to go." "Okay, here's the plan." Atrus began. "If we will move quickly, we can reach the nearest town, Lyrus, before dark. We will rest at Lyrus for a night before resuming our journey tomorrow to the border. If we do it right, we will reach the border somewhere at noon tomorrow." Once the direction was given, Prince Roberto raced his horse away, followed by Hawk. Atrus looked at the frightened Anna behind him. "Hold tight, Anna. We have to ride quickly. Tell me if you want to stop, okay?" Anna nodded nervously, and Atrus raced his horse toward the other two men as Anna's cry echoed across the town. Maya giggled at the sight, and paced her own horse. The journey went well. They stopped for lunch somewhere in their journey. Maya made a quick lunch of buttered bread with ham and lettuce. Roberto didn't join them for lunch. He seemed to bring his own ration. Maya didn't mind. She didn't really like the prince. Her other friends, however, were engaged in an interesting discussion, so she merrily joined them. They arrived at Lyrus on time. Lyrus was a small satellite town near the Human-Elven border. It was heavily fortified by a mix of soldiers and mercenaries, therefore slightly hindering the town's growth. They rented three rooms at the inn. The girls would share a room, and Atrus and Hawk would share the other, since nobody wanted to be in the same room with the prince. The party gathered again in the inn dining hall. Atrus and Hawk seemed to get along well, sharing their war stories and experience. Anna and Maya were also engaged in rather naughty conversation, with Maya teasing her about Atrus. A maid came to them with the dinner menu, and Maya busily inspected them, trying to find anything interesting to learn. "Diced beef with mushroom cream and vegetables... this sounds good..." Maya looked at the maid with his pleading eyes. "Can I watch while you prepare this meal? Please?" The maid blushed. "Of course... I guess..." "Don't worry, I'm not going to open a restaurant. I just want to learn." "Okay... I can teach you... The kitchen is..." The party fell silent as Prince Roberto approached. He found the maid standing next to Maya. He took the note from the maid's hand and read it. "Diced beef with mushroom cream and vegetables? Doesn't sound like your stuff!" "What's your point, Roberto?" Atrus said coldly. "She's a slave! A slave should eat leftover food, not main course!" The party stared at the prince in disbelief. Tears sprang from Maya's eyes and she began to sob softly. Atrus couldn't hold his anger anymore and stood up to challenge the prince, only to be stopped by Anna. Captain Hawk was speechless, unable to figure out what to do. "Roberto... Have I not make the vow to the king, you would have been dead by now!" "Atrus, take it easy..." Anna tried to calm him down. "Roberto, do you aware of what you just said?" Hawk snarled. "What? I said the truth! She's a slave!" "Damn you, Roberto!" "Master, stop it!" Atrus turned to Maya, who were looking at her with her teary eyes. "I thank you Master... But he was right... I... I'm not supposed to eat with you... Good night..." "Maya!" Atrus stopped her just before she left the dining room. "You are a slave. You are to obey my orders, right?" "Yes, Master." Maya answered. "You will do whatever I tell you, right?" "Yes, Master." "You will obey only me and people I tell you to obey, right?" "Yes, Master." "Then I order you to eat with us. Don't listen to this nonsense." Maya stared at her master for a while and then nodded. "I hear and heed, Master. Thank you..." Anna approached her. "Maya, the sun is still high. Why don't we eat dinner outside, just near the forest? I will spread several blankets for us to sit on. You can use the kitchen and learn how to cook that beef thing. You can even make your own dishes!" Maya's face brightened and she nodded readily. "That's a wonderful idea, Mistress... Master, can you take me to the market? I have some stuff I need to buy for my dishes." Before Atrus could answer, Maya grabbed her master's hand and dragged him outside the inn. Anna left the dining room to fetch the blankets. The maid left for the kitchen to prepare the meal. Prince Roberto turned to Hawk, but was welcomed by his fist. Hawk punched the prince on his jaws, sending him crashing on the wooden floor. The prince was ready to fetch his sword, but the young captain's cold stare stopped him. "Go on, Roberto! Kill me and make you father proud!" The prince didn't move. "You're a disgrace to your family! I can picture how happy your father will be when he hears this incident. I'm ashamed to hear such thing being said from a mouth of someone who will inherit the throne of Aragon! You're nothing but a damn little rascal!" Hawk grabbed Roberto's shirt, lifted it, and slammed his body against the wall. "Now I don't have time to baby-sit you. We're going to trust our lives on each other, so if you want to see them save your ass, you'd better change your wicked behavior right now! Lecture's over!" The knight dropped the prince down on the floor and left him. "One last thing." He said before he left for the door. "If Sir White Lion decides to kill you, the second blow will come from me." Hawk opened the door with a crash. Anna, who had been watching the few last actions, stepped down the stairs, dragging a pair of blankets with her. She stared coldly at the prince for a while before exiting the inn. The entire inn had been quiet since the incident started. All eyes were looking at Roberto. But he just stood up and walked toward the stairs and into his room. The dinner was wonderful. Maya memorized the recipe quickly and even added her own vegetables from the market. They ate while watching the sun go down. Hawk brought his wooden flute and played several songs, charming the party. They went to bed early, for they had to wake up early tomorrow. The journey continued as they paced their horses past the fort of Lyrus and toward the border. Different from the area around the village of Whitewater, which was covered with thick forest, this area was entirely grassland. The humans had erected a long chain of guard towers across the grassland to fortify the border. Although both nations were in cease-fire, the towers were all manned and alert. Beyond the grassland lay a small patch of swamp, the border of the nation of Elom, the Elven kingdom. And beyond the swamp, the unbroken view of dense forest of Elom filled the landscape. The swamp served as the border and a trap for any intruders. Atrus had heard the story of the Elves thwarting an entire human invasion by charging them when they were crossing the swamp. The defeat had become the thorn inside all older human generals. Atrus had learned many things about the Elves from Anna lately. The Elves allied themselves with their Mother Nature. They preferred staying in simple dwellings inside thick forests rather than cutting down trees to make better towns. The action of Humans destroying the nature was actually the main cause of the Human-Elven war. The Elves blamed the humans for destroying nature for their own benefits while the humans condemned the Elves' act in preserving the forest for themselves. The Elves were somewhat similar with humans, except for several things. The easiest detail to spot was their pointed ears, which were their primary identity. Humans also found the way the Elves talked interesting, as their words flowed in melodious tone, just like a song. Their hearing was also excellent, making them great hunters. Living inside their natural habitat, the Elves lived longer than normal humans did. An Elf usually died when they were around 300 years old. That was why the Elves were known to be highly skilled and wise in words and manner, for they used their time to develop their talents to the fullest. Fearing to ruin their Mother Nature, the Elves did everything to prevent destruction to their land. They wore leather suit from hunted animals. They gathered food from the forest, but didn't make room for farming. Their dwellings were made of logs taken from selected trees in the forest. Their industry was also environmentally friendly. Mining operations were performed carefully. A few paths were cleared around the jungle to ease the transportation, but they didn't have any paved roads or tiled streets in their land. The guards from one of the towers stopped them, but let them go as soon as they saw the royal crest in Captain Hawk's hand. The party descended toward the swamp and dismounted. They had to walk from now on, for the horses couldn't pass through the forest. They got all their stuff off the horses and started walking across the swamp. The mud engulfed their boots and covered their lower legs, but they found solid ground beneath the mud. During wartime, they could expect to see a wave of arrows, the Elves' favorite weapon, flying from beyond the trees into the swamp. But now everything was quiet. The party walked silently into the woods. Atrus led the way, followed by the girls. Roberto guarded the rear. The forest was very quiet. They might not be able to hear anything or see anyone, but somebody got a second pair of eyes. "A few life signs, dead ahead." Anna reported. Her eagle eye spell had never let her down. Atrus led the team forward. They had to find an Elf, for they didn't know the way to their capital. No humans had ever done that before and lived. "Wait a minute... a man... and a girl... She is frightened... I'm not sure..." She became really sure when they heard a girl's cry for help. The party dashed inside the woods toward the sound. A moment later, they found a middle-aged man holding a young girl in his grasp. The man was fully clothed, but the girl was naked. Her hands seemed to have been bound behind her back. Her beautiful breasts jiggled as she struggled for freedom. The man, seeing Atrus' coming, quickly placed a blade on the girl's neck, threatening the party. "Move a little closer, Mister, and the girl's neck will become a blood fountain!" "Please help me...!" plead the girl. The party didn't move. Atrus couldn't possibly attack him quickly enough to save her, and Anna couldn't use her spell without endangering the girl. "Slave traders..." Anna muttered. "These inhuman merchants deal in slaves. They don't recruit. They kidnap." "Subdue will be a better word, Lady!" The man grumbled. "By the way, you're quite pretty. We can sell you for a lot of money..." "Sorry, but I have something that occupies me right now." Anna answered. "Well, too bad... Your boobs are rather small, anyway..." Anna was clearly insulted and angered by the taunt, but Atrus took over. "Easy, lad, we're just nice travelers... You see, my friend Anna here is rather annoyed by the treatment, but my pal Hawk and I don't really mind with that... And my girlfriend Maya... Maya... Where is she?" Atrus looked behind, but didn't find her. The man began to panic. "What do you mean? There is another one? Where is..." When the man was distracted, Anna used her magical force and knocked the blade from his grasp. Before he could react, a silver blade was pressed on his neck. Behind him, Maya stood calmly. "I believe you will make a better blood fountain..." Maya sneered. The girl let herself go and fled toward the group. Anna nodded at Maya. "Nice move." "Not bad, Mistress... And thanks for the distraction, Master... Very convincing indeed..." "Anytime." Atrus walked toward the man and studied him carefully. Then he turned at the girl. "Well, let's hear your story. What's your name?" "I'm Wilma, Sir... I'm just a servant... I live in a farm near the towers... I just came here to get some water off the spring near the swamp when that man caught me and caged me. They said they're going to sell me to slavery!" "They?" Captain Hawk asked her. "Oh yes, Sir... He has friends... In fact they erected a camp nearby from here. I believe they still have some captives there..." Anna got some clean clothes from the backpack. "Wear these. We're going to free those girls. I believe this gentleman will lead the way..." "DIE!!!" The man suddenly reached out for Maya's belt, trying to get her one of her throwing knives, but he tripped his feet off. His body fell forward, and Maya didn't pull her silver blade on time. The blade slit his throat, and he died instantly. "Master... I... I'm sorry... I didn't..." "Not your fault." Atrus nodded and searched the dead man. He found nothing valuable. "Excuse me, Sir..." Wilma was now dressed in one of Anna's casual dresses. "I might be able to lead the way... I guess..." "Good. She can lead the way until I catch something with my spell." Anna proposed. "Sir White Lion..." Roberto suddenly spoke up from behind. "I must remind you that some of these traders are working legally. Slavery is one of Aragon's most profitable activities." "Stealing girls from their families to be sold as sex slaves?" Atrus asked. "I don't care if they do that legally or illegally. Slavery is slavery, and it is wrong." "It's a strong business! It provides the backbone to Aragon's economy!" "Strong perhaps..." Atrus answered coldly. "But it's morally poor." "I don't think this is wise, Ranger!" Atrus stared at the prince. "Wise? I'll teach you about wisdom, but I don't have time right now. If you can't wait and then stop me." Before Roberto could respond, Atrus left with Wilma, followed by others. It didn't take too long for Anna to find the slavers' camp. The slavers had built their camp near the border, but deep enough inside the jungle not to attract attention. The camp consisted of three caravans, neatly arranged around a simple fire-pit. Six humans sat around the site, roasting something by the fire. Wilma was to stay with Roberto and Maya, while the other took the action. The men were quickly alerted by their presence. "I don't recall that we are expecting guests..." One of them said. "And I don't recall that this is a legal camping ground..." Hawk countered. The other man laughed. "You're new, I see... You don't know who we are..." "We don't care. I'm afraid you'll be out of job really soon." Anna said. "Look at how the bitch talk!" One man yelled, and all men laughed. "A bitch like you should be properly trained to behave! We can teach you how to suck cocks!" Before Anna lost her patience, Atrus took over. "We don't want anymore bloodshed here. Leave immediately, and we will spare your lives." Atrus' offer was welcomed by mocking laughs from the men. "Guess what, he's trying to be a hero! See? You're outnumbered! Or perhaps we'll teach you how to count. BOYS!!!" Three men drew their short sabers and charged them, but Anna easily propelled them backwards using her magical force. The other men fetched throwing knives and threw them at Anna, but Atrus and Hawk whacked the knives away with their weapons. Hawk stayed at Anna's flank as Atrus dashed toward the nearest men and smacked him with the back of his sword. Two other men dashed toward him, but their cheap sabers were not a match for Rainbow Sword. Atrus parried their blows, and the swords were turned to bits upon contact. They were dazed by the destruction of their weapons, and before they could react, a pair of magic missiles hit them on the chest, knocking them down. "H... halt!" The fight stopped when the leader of the men gave the order. He stared fearfully to the other side of the forest and saw Prince Roberto standing there, flanked by Maya. Roberto held the Kaiser Sword tightly in his grip. Wilma, the little girl, stood behind the prince. "Prince Roberto...?" The man fearfully asked. "I can't believe it...!" "State your business here!" The prince barked. "We are here to collect prisoners of war, under the command of Baron Anthony Stoke of Blackwell. We are to catch wandering maidens to be sold to slavery." "And the reason?" "We're just following orders, Prince Roberto." The man smirked. "Plus, this can be a lucrative business..." Roberto found Atrus staring at him, and he regained his composure. "Lucrative, perhaps, but it's morally wrong." The men were shocked at the prince's statement. "But, Prince, The baron clearly said..." "The baron is dead!" Roberto barked, bringing more surprised expression from the men. The men didn't move for a while, staring at each other. The prince resumed his command. "As the heir of the throne, I order you to close your business and set the prisoners free!" "Prince, you can't..." "NOW!!!" The men rocked in fear and started walking away. Atrus found Roberto looking at him and he nodded approvingly. But in the corner of his eyes, one of the men suddenly drew a long knife from his belt. "Roberto, GET DOWN!!!" It was too late. The man dashed toward the prince and jabbed the knife on his back. The prince turned around and cried as the knife pierced his back shoulder. The slaver jumped back and produced three knives and propelled two of them toward the prince, but Maya stood on the way and whacked the knives away. He didn't have a chance for the third throw for Maya arrived first and knocked the knife down from his grasp. The man found a silver blade pressed on his neck and stayed still. Yet the prince refused to stay still. He grabbed the sword with his other hand and swung the sword toward the dazed man. The Kaiser Sword dove sharply, meeting no resistance. Maya felt tendrils of magical power encircling her body as Anna grabbed and pulled her away from the man. She could only watch in horror as the sword cut through the slaver and split him in half before her eyes. The man died instantly, his blood spurting all over the place. Atrus had had enough. He approached Roberto and hit him on his jaws. The prince crashed against a big tree, completely dazed. "What do you thing you're doing?" Atrus snarled. "That man!!" Roberto pointed at the dead man. "He's trying to kill me!!" "But you could have killed her!!" Atrus pointed at the frightened Maya. "Master, I'm not hurt. It's okay..." "Silence!" Atrus barked. "What can you say about this, Prince Roberto?" The prince stared at Atrus darkly. "It's war. People die." The party was surprised at the prince's statement. Hawk was ready to swing his spear, but was shocked by the sight before him. Atrus' body was covered with bright tendrils of fire, fueled by his anger. His grip tightened and the sword was engulfed by the flame. He was ready to charge when a hand softly caressed his shoulder, unaffected by the flame. "Atrus, do not heed him." Anna's soft voice came. "We have a matter to attend." The flame subsided and Atrus was returned to normal. He nodded slowly, his eyes still staring piercingly at the prince. "Very well. I'll deal with him later." Atrus walked toward the caravans, followed by Maya. The slavers had abandoned their camp after their friend's horrible death. Anna approached the dead slaver and worded a silent pray for the dead. Hawk checked the fire-pit and was excited to find six half-roasted rabbits on the fire. Atrus climbed inside the first caravan. It was a small one, with two mattresses on the wooden floor and several bags. The contents were mostly uninteresting, except for several pouches of gold and silver. Suddenly a squeal was heard, followed by Maya's nervous yell. "Master! I can use a hand here... Ouch! Get your claws off my ass!!" Atrus ran toward the other caravan where Maya was inside and found that Anna was already there. But she was just standing in front of the entrance, staring inside with her jaws open. "Mistress! Don't just stand there... Help me! Master?" The caravan was a lot bigger than the other three. It seemed to be the place where they kept the captured slaves. Maya was lying on her stomach, grasping for breath. A young girl sat on Maya's back, pinning her body down. The girl was completely naked, with chains circling her neck, ankles and wrists. She sat facing Maya's lower body. The strange part was that Maya's lower body was stretched upward, with the girl's hand holding Maya's legs. Maya was bent backwards painfully on her back. "What do you say? Pretty neat, huh?" Anna asked him. "Yeah... She's strong..." Atrus mumbled. "Master... help...! She's trying to... dislocate my spine...!" Maya cried helplessly. "No! I'm talking about her ears!" Atrus spotted it! She got pointed ears! She's an Elf! "Amazing... I've heard stories... I've listened to folk tales... But I haven't seen an Elf this close before..." Anna's voice was full with amazement. "Indeed..." Atrus nodded. "There is something that tales can't describe..." Atrus was indeed amazed. He had heard many tales from his father about the wonderful beings that inhabit the great forest west of the kingdom, but he had never seen one before. The Elf before her was a young female, with exquisite body and beautiful face. Her naked body dominated her beauty, with two well-shaped breasts and slim hips. Her long light-brown hair crowned her with astounding beauty. "I heard Elves have melodious voice... Let's see if we can get her to talk..." Their discussion was interrupted when they heard Maya's fingernails scratching the wooden floor. "Master... I'm going... to die!" It took sometime for Atrus to return from his amazement, to figure out what Maya was doing down there, and to decide what to do. "Okay, girl... You can let her go now. We're friends." The Elf stared at Atrus for a while. "You have a slave. You're a slaver. You're one of them." The voice came like music. The tone in her words shifted beautifully, making it hard for him to decide her mood. "No, I'm not a slaver. We're here to help you." "That's right..." Anna nodded. "We would appreciate if you can let our friend go." The Elf stared at them for a while, thinking whether she could trust them or not. Maya was struggling for breath beneath, grasping whenever she could. Finally the Elf relented and let her lower body go, followed by Maya's grasp for air. She slumped on the floor, trying to get her lungs up and running again. "Thank you." Atrus bowed slightly. "My name is Atrus White Lion, a royal knight of the kingdom of Aragon. This is Adriana Freesland, a priestess and a honorary royal knight of Aragon." "Please call me Anna." Anna smiled. "And you have made acquaintance with our friend Maya Murdock, also a honorary knight." The Elf blinked for a while before smiling widely. "I suppose you're friends after all. Humans' names are hard to memorize. My name is Aurelia. Thank you for saving me!" Aurelia walked toward Anna. Anna offered a towel to cover her nakedness, but she didn't take it. Instead, she poked Anna's priestess costume. "This is so cute and pretty!" She exclaimed. "Can you make this dress for me?" "Eh... yeah... Sure... I guess..." Then she turned to Atrus. "You're very polite, Sir! I've heard many bad things about royal knights. My uncles used to warn me about knights being so evil that they will someday enslave me and do horrible things to me. But you seem to be a nice guy!" "Uh... Thank you, Miss Aurelia..." "Just Aurelia!" She snapped. "Elves have no titles, so call me Aurelia." "Atrus?" Hawk called from outside. "Is everything okay there?" "Yeah! We found a survivor! She's..." Before Atrus could finish his sentence, the Elf jumped out of the caravan, right in front of Hawk. He gazed at her, studying her face and her pointed ears, and took some time before realizing that she was completely naked. "YIKES!!!" His knighthood dictated that he turned around before naked women. "S... sorry, Ma'am... I... I didn't mean to..." "Hey! What's with you?" Aurelia asked and then ran around him and faced him again. "Look at me when I'm talking!" "YAAW!!!" Hawk turned around again, his face blushed in red. "S... sorry... I mean..." Then Roberto came out from one of the caravans and met gaze with Aurelia. He stared at her for a while, and finally blood spurted from his nose. "M... Miss Anna... You deal with this... I... I'll check the next caravan... Excuse me..." Roberto quickly wiped the blood off and ran toward the adjacent caravan. Aurelia watched him for a while before turning to Anna. "What's with him? Is he sick?" Anna gave her a nervous smile. "Uh... He's... Yeah... He's sick... Humans' sickness..." Maya came limply out of the caravan, her arm around Atrus. Maya and Aurelia exchanged piercing stare for a while and then the Elf suddenly circled her arm around Hawk, who jumped on his feet. "Look at that couple!" the Elf pointed at Maya and Atrus. "Aren't they romantic?" Hawk couldn't move, but his entire body was trembling. Cold sweat covered his forehead. "I know what to do!" the Elf suddenly declared, making Hawk jump on his feet again. "There's a small lake somewhere nearby! It's very beautiful! Come on, it's going to be really romantic!!" With that Aurelia dragged Hawk along with her. Hawk looked behind, gave the party a pleading please-save-me-or-I-will-die look before disappearing beneath the trees. "Tell me, Atrus... Will this make our journey easier... or worse?" "Honestly, I don't know..." "If you ask me, I don't like her..." Maya grumbled. "I don't need to ask for your opinion..." Anna grinned. "Let me take a look at your back." After a short lunch at the camp, they resumed journey through the forest. Atrus had explained their quest and Aurelia had agreed to safely guide them to their queen. Their journey would be easier, for Aurelia knew the forest really well, and she easily dismissed the Elven guards they encountered. The Elves stared at them suspiciously, carefully holding their bows and spears, but the party showed no sign of hostility. Due to the uneasy cease-fire, war might be over, but hostilities between the two races remained. Aurelia had proven to be quite a friendly Elf, despite Maya's constant grumbling. She took a great pride for herself, refusing to make any attempts of apology for her mischief back at the camp, although she thanked Anna for the priestess suit. She looked really cute in the suit; for the satin dress enhanced her long slim legs and well-shaped breasts. She seemed to quickly regard the party as friends despite the cold treatment the Elven guards were giving them. For unknown reason, she seemed to give special attention to Hawk, who had been sweating all the way. They arrived at a large clearing inside the forest. There were several Elven dwellings, neatly arranged around the clearing. They were mainly made of logs with layers of wide leaves as the roofs. Several Elves were seen doing their chores, and were quickly alarmed by their presence. A group of Elven warriors appeared from the bushes and carefully approached them, their spears and daggers ready in their hands. Due to Aurelia's warning, the party refrained themselves from drawing their weapons, for such action would be the sign of hostility. Aurelia and the guards were engaged in a discussion in language they could not understand. However, the Elves seemed to pay great respect to her. Then a big Elf approached them, wearing a full magnificent leather armor and holding a long spear with wicked blade. He seemed to be the commander of the Elven warriors. He stared at the humans coldly before turning his attention to the other Elves. Aurelia, on the other hand, quickly jumped on him and hugged him casually. He received the hug halfheartedly. "Everybody, I want you all to meet Farn, my older brother!" Aurelia declared happily. "That's Master Hunter Farn." The Elf declared with his thickly accented human language. His low melodic tone slightly justified his bad mood. "I heard that you rescued my sister from human slavers back in the border. I know that humans cannot be trusted!" "Brother! These people saved me! They are good humans!" Farn stared at the party for a while, studying their faces. "Nevertheless, you have done a great deed... at least for humans... I greet you, humans, but I do not welcome you. If you expect that you will receive great service from me for bringing my sister back, you are dead wrong!" Anna bowed slightly and spoke in her best manner. "We greet you back, Master Hunter Farn. My name is Adriana Freesland, these are my associates Ranger Atrus White Lion, his servant Maya Murdock, Captain Hawk, and Prince Roberto, the heir of the throne of Aragon. We come in peace." Farn walked casually around the still party and studied them one by one. He stopped before Roberto and gave an evil smile. "Well... We have the heir of the throne right here, far from his puny army's protection... Quite brave you are... Or perhaps foolish..." "Watch it..." Roberto tried to answer as silent as possible, but quickly found that all eyes were now staring at him. He just turned away. Farn turned to Maya, who didn't even dare to stare at him in the eye. "Look at this... A slave... the pride of human civilization... I will certainly enjoy the submissiveness in your eyes when we crush your pathetic kingdom! Perhaps we'll allow you to be our slaves... so you may feel proud..." "We come in peace, and is this the way you treat us?" Farn quickly turned toward the voice and found Atrus staring at him. "Well... the son of Captain White Lion... Don't ever think that having a famous father would make you special..." "I don't think that way!" Atrus boldly met his gaze. "But I do think that your behavior will spell doom to all beings in this realm, including the Elves!" "What are you talking about?" "The demon's invasion is growing near, and the realm is at stake! If you still keep that sentiment inside of you, we'll never be able to defeat them! Then Elom would fall as well as Aragon!" "HOW DARE YOU!!!" The Elf raised his spear, but a magical force bound his arm in place, freezing him. The party drew their weapons, but Atrus' raised arm stopped them. A female Elf appeared behind Farn. She was older than the rest of the Elves and wore more gracious clothing, with numerous colorful beads hanging on it. Her exquisite dress and elegant crown on her head only meant that she was an important person in the land. Atrus bowed before her. "We greet you, my lady. Thank you for saving my life." The Elf smiled. "You know that I'm behind the crowd when you're talking to my son. Captain White Lion has taught you well." "You know my father?" "Of course. Nobody in Elom knows him." She continued. "My name is Falencia. I'm the queen and the ruler of the land of Elom. I, in the name of the High Elves, greet you and welcome you." The party was just as shock as Atrus. The queen approached Atrus despite the shouts from the warriors around her. "Silence you all!" She declared. "If they had wanted to kill me, they would have laughed over my carcass by now!" "Mother! They killed father!" Farn cried. "What change does that make?" The queen asked. "Your father is gone, and he will stay that way! Killing the entire humans will not bring him back! You just want kill the living and blame the dead, and therefore you have disappointed him!" The queen's remark effectively silenced Farn. The rest of the Elves were also petrified. The queen turned back to the party. "Forgive my son, loyal servants of Aragon. I know that his attitude should be fixed anytime soon. Now that everything is straight, we can speak now..." "Forgive me, queen..." Hawk spoke up nervously. "If... If Farn is your son... and... and Aurelia is his sister... then... uh..." "That's right!" Aurelia grinned. "I'm her daughter! I'm also the heir to the throne of Elom!" Hawk's face quickly turned white. He had met the future queen of the Elves, and he had seen her naked! The queen noticed that, but she just smiled. "If my daughter bothered you in any way, I beg you to forgive her. After all, she's just sixty..." "WHAT?" Hawk's jaws dropped open. "S... sixty years o... old?" "Elves die when they're 300 years old." The queen explained. "So in human's equivalence, Aurelia is just eighteen years old. So she's just a little girl right now." "Mom, I'm old enough already!" Aurelia protested. "Anyway, humans, I know why you're here. The Oracle of Elom told me everything." The queen's tone got serious. "So Edward wants an alliance with our kingdom. Tell him that we are interested." "Really?" Anna's face grew brighter. "That will be wonderful! I suppose we can win this war after all!" "The war between Humans and Elves has wasted both lives and resources." Queen Falencia nodded. "I wish to end the war right now. This might be the beginning of a beautiful relationship. However, there is something the Oracle mentioned." "What is it?" Anna asked. "He mentioned about the prophets of the Guardian. Are they among you?" "Anna, Maya, and I were sent by the Guardian to rally all beings of the land to fight the demons." Atrus bowed. "It is unlikely that the son of Captain White Lion lies to us, but we have an obligation to test you." The queen continued. "You have to prove that you are worthy to lead us." "Of course." Anna nodded. "What do you wish us to do?" "Tell me, young lady. What do you know about Agar the dragon?" "A little." Anna confessed. "It's a childhood tale about the giant gold dragon and his fellow dragons who battle the evil in the land." "For humans, it might be just a tale." The queen nodded. "But for us, it's a part of our heritage. The tale has been passed for many generations in our heritage. Aurelia, you tell them." Aurelia nodded, and continued the story. "Many centuries ago, when the earth was created, the Gods argued about their power and authority in this realm. They feared that one day their creations would turn back and fight them. Because they can't kill their own creations, they agreed to create a creature so strong that no beings could match him. They created a giant black dragon and named him Kastor. Kastor's task is to destroy the entire realm on behalf of the Gods, but can only emerge when the beings betrayed their Gods. To restrain the creature, the Gods gave Kastor to Agamesh, one of the greatest angels in Heaven, hoping that he could control the dangerous creature. "However, drunk with power, Agamesh rebelled against the Gods and used Kastor to destroy Paradise. The Gods defeated him and banished him to the Underworld, where he became the Lord of Darkness. Kastor has been buried inside the earth crust and has been sleeping for many centuries, waiting to be invoked by his old master. Realizing the danger, Lord Guardian, the supreme ruler of the Gods, locked the dragon inside a containment spell and gave the key to the Fairies in Heaven. However, the danger remained. So Lord Guardian created another creature as Kastor's adversary. He created a gold dragon and named him Agar, the Guardian of Earth." The queen continued. "Agar has a dominion of lesser dragons under his control. With this force, Lord Guardian hoped that Agar could contain Kastor's mischief should Agamesh succeed in freeing him. To avoid making the same mistake, Lord Guardian gave Agar to the beings in the realm. He appeared before our High Elven ancestors and gave us an artifact. It was the Golden Statue of Agar, which can be used to invoke Agar from Heaven to destroy enemies that threaten the realm, including Kastor. We all vowed to use the artifact only when it's absolutely necessary." "Then something went wrong?" Anna asked. "That's true." The queen answered with mellow sorrowful voice. "We have failed our vows. A small group of renegade Elves who called themselves the Dark Elves raided our land a few weeks ago, stealing the statue. Without the statue, we can't invoke Agar to assist us." "And you want us to retrieve it?" "Yes!" The queen nodded. "The Dark Elves have maintained a stronghold at Mount Karigor, about a day west from here. The land surrounding the mountain is completely barren and cursed. The mountain itself contains many caves, in which the Dark Elves dwelled. We believe the statue is somewhere inside the stronghold. We've sent many warriors to get it back, but no one has returned alive. We hope for the best, but fear the worst..." "The Dark Elves are able warriors and excellent magic users." Farn suddenly added. "My warriors were easily defeated and only few returned. It seems they're more interested in taking a huge number of prisoners. I have no idea what they do to them." "Sir White Lion, your task is to retrieve the lost artifact of Agar." Queen Falencia declared. "If you can, rescue as many captured Elves as you can. If you succeed, we will grant you our trust and devote ourselves in the alliance." "Thank you, Queen, but there I something I would like to ask." Atrus said. "What is it?" "Under order of the Guardian, I'm supposed to find five warriors from five races of the land. One of them must be from the Elves. The warrior has to have a weird dream about the fabled Champion of the Guardian. I will bring the warrior along in my journey to meet with the Champion of the Guardian." "I know who that warrior is!" Aurelia suddenly declared. "It's me!" Suddenly all eyes were staring at her. "I'm serious! Mother, remember when I told you about my weird nightmare one day?" "Tell them your dream, Aurelia." Her mother ordered. Aurelia turned to Atrus. "It's weird... Like every time you dream and you wake up, the dream seems to vanish instantly, but this time it's very clear and real. I dreamt of a cursed land, where there were beautiful houses, but nobody lived inside, where there were vast forests with rotten trees, but no animals lived around, where there were a horde of people coming from south, but no soul lived in their eyes. It seemed so dead... so lifeless... I swear I could smell the thick scent of rotten meat everywhere..." Atrus fell silent for a while, trying to think of the dream. Suddenly something struck in his mind. "Oh no..." "That's right..." Anna also understood. "It's the prophecy of the undead army! Remember that Baron Stoke warned us about that danger? It's real, and it's going to come..." "You mean the demons are going to spread the undead plague across the land?" Farn asked. "If it's true, we're in grave danger." Queen Falencia said slowly. The crowd was silent for a while, not knowing what to say. Suddenly Aurelia spoke up. "Mother, let me go with them! I'm the warrior Lord Guardian mentioned!" The queen tried to argue, but found no way to stop her daughter. She just stared at her weakly. "I fear of losing you, Aurelia... The future of Elom is in your hand..." "But the demon's threat is more important!" She replied. "If the prophecy is true, and if the demons succeed, Elom is no more!" "I'm afraid she's right, your majesty." Anna politely said. "You must let her fulfill her own destiny." "Mother, let me go with her!" Farn spoke up. "I'll make sure she stays out of trouble! We can never trust these humans!" "No!" Queen Falencia finally said. "You will stay. My daughter will go with the humans. She has her destiny before her, and she will fulfill it." The queen turned to Aurelia and smiled. "My daughter, you have grown up faster than I expected. The spirits of Elom can teach you no more. The time has come for you to look for experience outside the kingdom. We all will pray that the spirits of nature will protect you always." Then she turned to Atrus. "Young Ranger, I respected your father beyond all humans, and I expect to see the same reflection of your father in you. Please take care of my daughter. Mother Nature is on your side, young Ranger. Use that power well, and may the Guardian speed your way." Atrus bowed, followed by all people in the party. "I will guard her with my life." "Then go now. Retrieve the statue for the prosperity of our newborn alliance." Aurelia's sudden stare before his face surprised him. "What are you waiting for? We have undead army heading this way, and you have time to daydream? Come on!!!" When Atrus saw her, she was ready. She held a small leather bag over her shoulder. On her right hand she held a well-polished wooden bow and another bag full with arrows. A short blade was strapped on her left hip. Her clothes had changed as well. She wore simple leather hunting suit. Her green sleeveless dress extended to her hips and served as short skirt as well. A leather belt circled her slim waist, with several pouches dangling from it. She didn't wear anything beneath her skirt, therefore showing her long, slim legs. She wore leather gloves and Elf-style boots with pointed ends. A headband circled her forehead, adorned with a long bird feather. "Oh, sorry." She smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll have an exciting journey ahead." "We hope so..." Anna mumbled. "Exciting is always different with safe..." "Ah, don't worry!" Aurelia cried and then jumped toward Hawk and clasped her hands around his head, pinning his head between her breasts. "I have a personal bodyguard!" Hawk fought frantically for breath for a while before turning white. "Aww, don't tell me it's another humans' sickness!" She turned to Anna. "Is it?" Anna was taken completely by surprise. "Uh... no... he... he's just excited..." When she realized her mistake, it was too late. Before Hawk could protest, Aurelia grabbed his neck and planted a forceful kiss on his lips. "I knew it!! You just like me too much! Oh, Humans are simply hard to understand! Come! I'll show you the way, handsome!" With that she dragged Hawk all the way across the village. Both Atrus and Maya gave Anna a 'look-what-you-have-done!' look before following them, followed by Roberto. This was just one of a few occasions that Anna didn't know what she was doing. Well, Hawk should be able to handle it... They reached the perimeter of the forest before dark. The view before them was awful. The land east of the forest of Elom was just like a wasteland. The earth was totally barren and rocky. Dead trees stood guard on the dead land; only stink fungus could survive the harsh environment. The air was thick with the smell of dead grass. Light fog already covered the ground. From their place they could see the faint silhouette of a huge mountain at the background... Mount Karigor, the Dark Elves' stronghold. "Mother Nature can't exist in this place..." Aurelia muttered, a hint of fear was in her voice. "Without Mother Nature as our ally, we Elves are weak. I hope you humans can make a difference." "Do you know the way to the place?" Atrus asked. "No... We have to cross the Swamp of Dread. We called it because this place has killed many Elves... We extremely fear this land..." "A swamp... a perfect place for an ambush..." Hawk mumbled. "Correct." The Elf nodded. "To make things better, the mountain itself is actually a huge maze. The statue can be anywhere inside that mountain. Getting in is already a trouble, and finding your way out will be twice as hard." "How strong are these Dark Elves?" Maya asked. "They're formidable opponents, that's all I can say. I haven't met them myself." "Can we use the decoy method?" Roberto suddenly spoke up. "What do you mean?" Atrus asked. "One of us can do something at the other side of the mountain to distract the enemy while the rest can infiltrate the stronghold and hopefully get what we want undetected." "It's too risky." Anna pointed out. "This is one of the times when we don't want to get separated." "You're right, but charging into the place is also suicidal." Roberto countered. "If we want to succeed, we have to..." His explanation was cut off when Atrus raised his hand. He looked around them and slowly drew his sword. "If anybody wonder how strong the Dark Elves are, we're going to find out really soon." The group quickly assumed the fighting stance. Atrus stood with his Rainbow sword drawn, flanked by Hawk and Maya on both sides. Hawk wielded his spear and Maya held her silver blade on her hand. Anna stood behind them, her mace ready. Aurelia guarded her back with her bow and arrows, and Roberto took the rear guard with his gigantic Kaiser Sword. It took a while for them to realize where they were. "Weren't we inside the forest before?" Roberto asked. He was right. They were no longer inside the forest. In fact, the forest was nowhere to be seen. They were in the middle of the swamp. The mist was growing thicker, preventing clear sight. Mud covered their boots and would surely hamper their movement. "Oh no... The legend is true..." Aurelia's voice was shaking. "What legend?" Maya demanded. "The Swamp of Dread... The survivors from the last battles said that the swamp could magically expand itself toward the forest of Elom... And it just devoured us... I couldn't believe it..." "Now how can a forest expand itself so quickly?" Hawk asked. "This land is cursed..." the Elf said slowly. "We're not going to make it, are we?" "Nonsense!" Atrus said. "Anna?" Anna, on the other hand, was extremely frustrated. "I can't do it! Something is preventing me from casting the eagle eye spell!" "Well, I'm not surprised..." Roberto muttered. "Something is out there..." "Stay close." Atrus ordered while trying to enhance his hearing. Even at this moment his Ranger training helped a little. The swamp seemed to produce eerie sound from somewhere. He couldn't concentrate and therefore couldn't detect the enemy. "Aurelia, pick a direction. We have to get back to the forest." The Elf swallowed nervously and then pointed at a random direction. The party slowly made their way toward it. Their boots and shoes made sloshing noise upon contact with the mud below. At this point there was no need to stay undetected. They were already trapped. "Master!" A dark figure materialized before Atrus and a short saber appeared from beneath the mist. Atrus was caught completely off guard, but Maya took the blow with her blade. The figure disappeared immediately after his failed attack, but another figure appeared behind her. This time Atrus parried the blow and Anna moved in for a counterattack, but again the enemy disappeared before the mace arrived. "Who are they?" Roberto was getting nervous. "They're the Dark Elves... our counterpart..." Aurelia slowly muttered. "Atrus..." Anna said slowly. "Give me more time. Something is not right here..." "Do whatever you want, but do it quick!" Atrus snapped. Another dark figure appeared beside him but vanished before he could attack. Both Hawk and Roberto attacked their nearest attackers, but failed to score a hit. Aurelia shot her arrows blindly toward the mist. Maya was also attacked, but she just dodged the blow and didn't attack back, fearing of leaving her mistress. Anna, on the other hand, was silent in her meditation. Despite the noisy environment around her, she was deep in her trance. Her constant training in the art of meditation had finally rewarded her well. She could see the tendrils of dark power around her. The tendrils encircled their heads, injecting evil seeds inside their brains. Something was terribly wrong. When she realized this, so did the enemy. Three figures appeared before Roberto and attacked simultaneously. Although the plate armor deflected the sabers, it was enough to make him angry. He swung his gigantic sword, and after knowing that he was hitting air he ran after his attackers, opening a gap in their defense. Before the party realized it, two strong arms grabbed Aurelia's shoulders and forcefully dragged her out of the circle. Another pair of arms yanked Anna painfully by her hair. Atrus heard Anna's shriek, but found the two girls floating in the air, held by invisible arms. Aurelia was held immobile in the air by her shoulders and Anna was hanging on her hair. Hawk leaped and tried to free them, but was pushed back by an invisible force. Maya made the same attempt, but was thrown off the ground as well. "LEAVE!!!" A deep voice suddenly snarled from nowhere. "Tell the Elves to reject the alliance with Humans... if you survive the Gauntlet of Death!!!" Suddenly a black swirling hole appeared behind Anna and slowly drew her inside despite her struggle. "Atrus...! It... it's a trick..." was her last word before disappearing into the mist. A similar black hole appeared behind Aurelia, sucking her in. She struggled, but she knew she was losing. "Believe in Mother Nature...!!!" And she was gone. Hawk turned to see that only the black holes were left, and the girls were nowhere to be found. Then he saw that the holes were slowly shrinking. Without even thinking anymore, he leaped into one of the bigger hole and disappeared before Atrus even realized it. Now the party was reduced to a small team with only Atrus, Maya, and Roberto in it. Roberto was quite petrified and Atrus hadn't recovered from his shock, therefore leaving only Maya fighting helplessly for her life. When Atrus returned from his dazed state, Maya was gravely wounded. Atrus joined the fight, although he could hit nothing with his sword. The mist seemed to offer protection for the Dark Elves. No matter how many times they tried to attack, their blows missed. "This is no good, Master... We need to retreat!" Maya said with her leftover breath. Atrus wished he could agree to that, but he had no idea how to do it. Together they could at least keep their enemies from making an attack. Then he realized that the young prince was still paralyzed and therefore vulnerable. "Roberto, get here now!" The prince didn't move. Instead, three dark shadows appeared behind him. Atrus dashed toward him with Maya following closely behind him. Suddenly he hit what it seemed to be an invisible wall and fell on the mud. Maya's attention was distracted for a while before finding that the attackers were gone. Atrus was on his feet again and both of them took a defensive position around the prince. "Roberto, what do you think you're doing?" Atrus snarled. "I... I screwed up..." His statement surprised both of them. "What do you mean?" "It's all my fault... Anna... the Elf... Hawk... they're gone... because I left my post..." A shadow materialized behind Atrus, but Maya scared him off. Atrus quickly assumed Maya's emptied position, giving the enemies no chance to strike. "Get a hold of yourself!" Maya nervously said. "They're undefeated... They're demons!!" "They're not undefeated!" Atrus shouted back. "Get a hold of yourself!" "Master, do you think your new power can guide us out of here?" Maya asked. Atrus knew she didn't ask for an answer, so he tried it anyway. He let his emotion flow and felt his anger rising from within him. Flame lit in his eyes and bright tendrils of fire enveloped his body. Amazingly, the same flame brightened the surrounding, sending the dark mist away and revealing four figures standing around them. Atrus was shocked at the sight, but Maya leaped on the nearest one and wielded her blade. This time she didn't miss. The blade found the Dark Elf's throat and killed him instantly. She leaped toward the next one and claimed another victim. Atrus recovered immediately and attacked the other two. The Dark Elves were still stunned by their friends' death and therefore fell victim of Atrus' sword. "Your flame can drive away the mist!" Maya noted. "We have to get back to Elom forest!" Atrus let more power flow through his body and the flame grew brighter. They soon found themselves standing in the middle of the swamp, surrounded by half-dozen Dark Elves. They could clearly see their enemies now. The Dark Elves were just like normal Elves, except for their darker skin color and longer nails and fangs. They wore casual clothes instead of armors, and wielded long curved swords. They stared at their dead comrades in horror. They could not believe that Atrus had broken their gauntlet of death. They quickly dropped their swords and abandoned the swamp, disappearing beneath the thick mist. Atrus stayed alert to make sure nothing threatened them before turning to his friends. Roberto was kneeling on the ground, leaning on his sword, and surprisingly, sobbing. He seemed to take the loss of their friends poorly. Maya was kneeling beside him, trying to comfort him. "I screwed up! I said I screwed up!" "Get a hold of yourself!" Maya insisted. "We have to get out of here!" "Just let me die here!" Roberto screamed. "I have no face to see my father!" "You will no longer have a face if you stay here!" Atrus snarled. "You!!" Roberto pointed at Atrus. "You bastard! The moment you demoted me from my royal status, you've dishonored me before my father! You know I want to make my father proud! Now I just screwed up! I hope you're happy with that!" "Happy with what?" "Don't act like an innocent! You've been blaming me for everything I've done wrong! All you have to do is just go back and report everything!" He roared in anger. "I'm a failure!! I'm an unworthy successor of the throne of Aragon!!" "Of course you are!!" Atrus shot back, surprising both Maya and the prince. "Look at you! You just made one terrible mistake! You're worthless! You should be sorry for yourself!" Roberto was clearly shocked at Atrus' sarcasm. Maya tried to protest but held herself. Atrus had decided to confront the young prince. She had been in this situation back in Castle Stoke before her old slaver Baron Stoke, and she knew she had to trust him. "You're a failure and it's good to hear that you know it! You've made one mistake," Atrus put more emphasis at his last sentence, "and now you want to kill yourself because of it! Well, you have two choices! Make your mind!" Atrus kicked the sword erect, lifted it easily and gave the handle to the young prince. "Here! Use your powerful sword! Go ahead and kill yourself! Make your father proud!" Roberto stared sadly at the sword. His hand trembled as he grasped the handle. Tears welded in his eyes. His pride had been severely beaten by his failure and regret took control of him. His grip tightened and he lifted the sword. Then his mind flashed back to King Edward, his father. He could remember his image. He could picture every line and curve in his aged face. He remembered how he loved his father. He remembered how he longed for his father's attention. He remembered how he wanted to make his father proud and would therefore notice him. He stared at his gigantic sword and thrust it into the mud. He couldn't do it. He couldn't make his father proud if he was dead. He stared at Atrus with determination. "What is the other choice?" Atrus' face softened. "We'll get out of here and plan our next attempt. We may even free our friends..." his voice halted for a moment, "or avenge their deaths..." Roberto let the word seep into his mind. Atrus was right. They were wasting time now, and time was very precious at this moment for the their friends' survival... or theirs. He rose up and nodded. "Very well. Let's move." Anna woke up with excruciating pain in her head. Her eyes struggled with the darkness around her. Her first instinct was to stir, but her first surprise was that she couldn't do it. She discovered that her body was encased in a dark green cocoon made of thick and strong jelly-like substance. Her head was the only part that wasn't encased. Her arms were held firmly beside her waist. She knew that her feet were slightly parted, for she could feel that her nether region was sitting on the cool goo. To increase her fear, she knew that she was stark naked, except for her boots, bracelets and collar. However, Anna was not a meek little girl. Instead of protesting like crazy, she took her time studying her new room. She found herself inside a huge dark cave. The only light inside the room was the flicker of torches coming from beneath. Then she found out that her cocoon was actually hung on the ceiling by a piece of strong rope made of the same substance. After a while her eyes grew accustomed to the darkness. She noticed that she was not the only cocoon inside the cave. There were many similar cocoons scattered around the air, hanging in the similar manner, except that their heads were completely sealed inside. She thought they were already suffocating to death, but she noticed that the cocoons were actually squirming. The prisoners inside were struggling against their rigid bonds. Soft muffled moans filled the cave. Then she struggled to look down. Her cocoon tilted slightly and she could see the cave floor deep below. She knew somebody else were there because of the flickering shadows on the wall. Suddenly another muffled scream was heard from below. She quickly found the source. There was a group of Dark Elves standing on a circle. At the center she saw a naked young Elf, whom she quickly identified as Aurelia, their newest Warrior of the Guardian. Ropes on her wrists, and ankles bound her tightly. Her elbows were tied painfully on her back. Her scream was securely muffled with a piece of cloth. "Let her go!!!" Anna found herself saying, which was her worst mistake. Now they knew that she was awake. "Look at that! The squirming Human talks!" Different from other Elves, Dark Elves' tone was dull and level when compared to the Elves' melodic voice. Their manner was gruff and menacing but Anna knew better than fearing them. "I said let her go!!" Her voice echoed across the cave walls. "Fight me fair and square!!" "We did, bitch! And you lost!" The Dark Elf snarled. "You tricked us! You used mist to trap us and magic to create those illusions!" "And you're fool enough to believe it! You're lost, and you're ours!" The Dark Elf made his point clear by reaching out and grabbed Aurelia's left breast roughly. She squealed in protest and tried to kick her assailant, but she missed. "What do you want from us?" "You mean what we want from her?" He pointed at the struggling Aurelia. "We want to build the greatest wonder ever known in this realm!" "The greatest wonder...?" "The new Gate of the Underworld! With the demons' help, we're totally undefeated! We will raze every building in the realm! We will slaughter every man and enslave every woman! We will rule!" Anna couldn't see his eyes, but she could imagine his menacing stare as his tone became serious. "We have only one problem... We don't have the fabled Titan gem. Then we discovered that we don't even need one. We have a... replacement... The Greater Elf's vaginal juice!" Aurelia screamed in protest and tried to kick her captors, but again she was helpless as they caught and pinned her down. "You can't do that!" Anna yelled. "The entire realm will be destroyed!" "Of course!" The Dark Elf grinned. "But not our realm. We will rise as the ruler of the land next to the demons! And for those who contribute to our victory, we will reserve special places in our slave ranks!" His laughter echoed throughout the cave, shocking the rock. "As a slave-in-training, you know too much! But don't worry... you won't go anywhere!" Anna just watched helplessly as the Dark Elves dragged Aurelia's struggling form out. She tried to buy more time, but her mind was totally blank. They were indeed in grave danger. "One more thing..." He said slowly. "We're good slavers. We don't usually leave our slaves...entertained. Do you know what that thing around you is?" Anna looked at the cocoon that wrapped her body. The substance was unknown but she could feel that something, somewhere inside, was moving. It seemed that the cocoon was alive! "I believe you're familiar to green Solarean mountain oozes?" Anna was. In fact, mountain ooze was the last thing she would want to see. The oozes were renowned for its wicked treatment toward their victims. They would suck their victims' bodily fluid slowly until the bodies turned into disfigured rigid carcasses. She could remember the horrible plague of oozes several years ago before the mages warded them away. Since then the oozes had been living around the swamps and caves and attacking unwary travelers. Red oozes were extremely poisonous, blue oozes could spit acid, but green oozes were pure fighters, preferring to tangle and slowly suck their victims to death. The Dark Elf could feel the growing panic in Anna and chuckled. "Don't worry... The ooze around your body has been... domesticated. It will not kill you... well at least not that fast. It has been trained... Instead of draining your bodily fluid, it will force you to keep on producing fluid until you die. Some methods can be pleasing... so might have a chance to die smiling!!" With a wicked laugh he exited the cave, leaving her alone with many other prisoners trapped inside their oozes. The oozes seemed to torture the prisoners, for Anna could hear their muffled moan and cry. She tried her magical spells, but she was too weak. She tried squirming, although she knew it was useless. The ooze had trapped her completely. Suddenly she could feel that the ooze was alive. She could feel it moving and pulsing around her body. With a yelp she felt the slimy surface around her petite breasts tighten, loosen, and repeat the process. This was not the massage she would enjoy. She tried to squirm again, but the ooze continued its intrusion on her breasts. The surface lightly brushed her nipples, which stood erect involuntarily. A soft moan escaped her lips. She cursed herself for being aroused by the monster around her body, but there was nothing she could do. She tried to shift her thought to something else, but again the ooze regained her attention by massaging her slim legs and buttocks. Then she felt numerous tentacles probing her body and arousing her even further. When a pair of tentacles brushed her vaginal lips, she let out a loud moan. Then she felt the head of a larger tentacle pushing on her pussy, teasing it until it was wet. Now she knew what the Dark Elf had meant by 'forcing her to produce fluid'. This ooze could keep her aroused and she would feed it with her vaginal fluid until she died. And she knew it wouldn't happen soon. Her mind shifted to Atrus, the man she adored. She knew that the monster was slowly taking over her will. She knew that even her love wouldn't save her. Atrus would definitely do anything to rescue her, and that really relieved her fear. All she could do was pray that he wouldn't be too late. She cried hard as the tentacle penetrated her pussy and began violating her wet vagina. She tried to trash around, but the monster hugged her body and held it rigid. She could only move her head and moan as the intrusion continued. She could feel the monster pulsing around her, draining her sweat and vaginal fluid greedily. And all she could do was moan and, of course, suffer from it. Atrus... whatever you're doing... do it quickly... Maya Murdock quietly stirred the boiling soup before her. The sweet fragrance filled the air, but it didn't bother or amaze her. She was not in mood to cook. Why would she cook merrily if no one wanted to eat her food anyway? They had finally arrived back to the Elom forest and made a small camp there. Atrus had been staying on guard for almost two hours by now. As strong as he was, she knew that he had been completely smashed by Anna's loss. He had asked her to leave him alone and keep an eye Roberto for a while. He had also politely declined her offer of dinner. She knew he was depressed and she wanted to help him, but she decided not to argue with her master for now. She'd spent her time bandaging her wounds before starting to make the meal. The pain in her wounded shoulders and hips had vanished now, thanks for Anna's hand-made potion of recovery. She heard someone drawing near and sighed a relief to see Roberto approaching slowly. He, too, had been greatly discouraged from the last battle. The once-proud prince and the foremost knight of the realm was no more. He got nervous quickly never let his Kaiser Sword away too far from him. "Do you want soup, Prince Roberto?" Maya kindly offered. "I'm not a prince anymore." He answered gruffly, cutting her smile. She fought to suppress her anger and frustration. Since her freedom she had never met anybody who answered her willing love and affectionate with rejection and complete ignorance. Both Atrus and Anna had actually treated her like their sister, despite her worshipping nature. Now she found in Roberto a completely different personality. Maya could see that in spite of his gruff manner, he was indeed hungry, so she poured a good amount of steaming soup and gave it to the prince. Roberto accepted groggily and ate in silence. Darkness crept upon them as the evening came. They might have to stay for the night, and to do so Maya realized that they needed ample dinner rather than just simple soup. "I'm going to catch rabbits for dinner." Maya said. "Feel free to join me." Then she took a pair of throwing knives and went deeper into the forest. Hunting was not her specialty, but her late father had used to take her for a camp out in the woods, where she had learnt the necessary skills. If she were lucky, she would catch rabbits foolish enough to be outside their nests this late. And she was indeed lucky tonight. She ran across one not too far from their camp. Rabbits' hearing was far superior to Humans', so she had to be completely silent. If she had a bow and an arrow, her job would be much easier, but with her throwing knives she had to get closer. She crept slowly, hoping that she wouldn't attract too much attention. The fallen autumn leaves, however, did a terrible job at hiding her presence as the rabbit got suspicious. Maya held her breath as the rabbit's ears twitched, trying to pick any threats. Suddenly the sound of cracking branches was heard and a gigantic sword, the Kaiser Sword, flew in the air and landed behind the rabbit. The rabbit, following its instinct, ran the opposite way, which was where Maya were hiding. It leaped past Maya, but she was quicker this time. Her throwing knife flew and hit the rabbit squarely on its leg. When she approached the animal was twisting on the ground with its leg wounded and therefore unable to escape. She drew her silver blade and ended the rabbit's misery. Maya proudly picked her trophy and sheathed her weapons. Roberto was picking his sword in silence. She approached and grinned. "That was not too bad. You hunt a lot?" "Sometimes..." he answered, halted, and continued, "Usually with Hawk..." She could sense the grief in his voice. "Hey, stop blaming yourself! It's not your fault..." "We've had this discussion before!" He cut her off. "I screwed up, and there's nothing you can do that will make me feel better, so knock it off!!." Maya shrugged and advanced toward the camp. Roberto sat quietly near the fire. Uneasy silence crept upon them once more. Maya expertly skinned the animal and slowly roasted it. "Do you think it will be enough?" He asked suddenly. "The rabbit?" Maya asked. "Of course. You will have one half, and Atrus will have the other. I can eat the soup." His eyes narrowed. "I don't understand. You're willing suffer for that man?" "Master Atrus is a great man!" She insisted. "You should know him better!" "Hah! Just say that you love him!" He mocked. Maya ignored him. He might be true, but there was no point in discussing that matter now. Her feeling didn't matter. The safety of her mistress and new friends were at the top priority. She could just trust that her master was still working on a plan to rescue them and get the job done. After a long moment of silence, Roberto uttered a question she didn't understand. "Why?" "Why what?" "I don't understand you! I don't understand any of you at all!" Maya just stared at him. "What do you mean?" "You're all acting weird!" He roared. "You've seen how a horrible man Atrus is! He demoted me from my title! He pressed and intimidated me! But why? Hawk respected him just like a brother! The entire Elves looked at him as if he was truly a god! And you... you let him enslave your life! Can't you see?" Maya let out a long sigh. Finally, this guy talks... "Well... Do you give yourself a moment to try to understand him?" "Why should I understand him?" "How can you expect somebody to understand you if you don't even try to understand him?" "Because... because I'm the heir to the throne!" Maya's eyes narrowed. "And that makes you special?" "Huh...? Of course! I mean... Yes! I am special!" "Very well and then..." Maya unsheathed her silver blade and gave the handle to Roberto. "Make a long cut around your wrists. If you survive and then I will admit that you're special." He stared at the blade nervously and slowly shook his head. "I can't..." "Being the prince of Aragon doesn't mean you can expect people to understand you all the time. You have to try to understand them as well. Friendship and understanding are mutual. They work both ways. If you expect people to understand you, you must be willing to do the same." Roberto stared at Maya for a while. His expression softened. "Why are you telling me this?" "Because I understand you." Maya noted. "I understand you because you explained your problem. Master Atrus doesn't understand you because you haven't told him anything. If you want people to help you, you have to speak up." Roberto fell silent for a while. "Perhaps and then, you are right. I... I owe you an apology..." Maya's face brightened and she smiled warmly. "You owe me nothing. But you do owe an apology to Master Atrus. Your father asked him to take care of you. No matter how much you hated him, he fought hard for your safety. How much you despised him, he struggled to protect you despite his friends' losses. That's why he has been very strict to you; he doesn't want you to get into trouble." "My father... That old man...!" Roberto said coldly. "He left me... All that he cares is the kingdom of Aragon's many affairs." "Have you tried to understand him?" Maya asked. "The king may have little time with you and his own family, but he loves you. He sends you on this journey because he wants you to mature and learn what it takes to be a king, something he can no longer teach. No, he doesn't hate you. You have no right to accuse him like that." She choked her last word. "At least don't make the same mistake I did..." "You made the same mistake?" the prince asked. Maya nodded slowly. "My father was a criminal, and he led my life into disaster. I hated him so much that I despised him, even after his death. But later when I found that he was not what I thought he was, I felt devastated. The truth is, his unspoken love to me lasts until now. I don't want you to feel the same regret I've felt. Try to understand your father. He loves you more than anything in this realm." Then Maya saw the prince's eyes grow heavy with tears. "I... I really don't know..." His words are trembling. "What have I done...?" "The damage is not done yet." Maya said in her best comforting tone. "Turn back now, before it's too late and you're left with eternal regret." He nodded slowly. "Thank you... for understanding me... Please excuse me. I have an apology to make." He rose up and walked slowly toward where Atrus was on guard. Hawk's head hurt. In fact, it hurt so badly that it took a couple of minutes for him to regain his awareness. He found himself lying on a rocky ground inside a huge cave. The surrounding was dark, illuminated only by torches scattered around the room. He sat up and observed his surrounding further. He was sitting behind a huge boulder at a corner of the room. At the other end of the cave an arc-shaped tunnel provided the only exit from the room. What am I doing here...? His mind trailed back to the event at the Swamp of the Dread, when they were trapped in the dreaded Gauntlet of Death. He remembered seeing Aurelia being sucked into a dark hole and he leaped into the hole shortly. He remembered grasping one of her legs as they traveled inside a weird colorful tunnel. He remembered the bright and blinding flash of light followed by Aurelia's pitiful scream of agony. He remembered the sudden pain in his muscles, forcing him to let her go. Then he remembered nothing. It seemed that he had been dumped inside this weird cave. The fact that he had not been captured by the enemy surprised him. The big boulder had kept his unconscious body hidden from the enemy. His spear was gone, probably left at the swamp, but finding a new weapon was not a big problem. Finding a weapon without alerting the enemy was the real problem. I'm the youngest and brightest captain in the royal army rank. I can do this... He searched the room, finding nothing more valuable than rocks and gravel. Several wooden barrels were arranged neatly at one corner, but they were empty. The room seemed to be an abandoned storage room. He picked a torch from the wall and held it in his left hand. The torch would be his only weapon for this moment. He slowly made his way into the dark tunnel. The tunnel had many branches, but he had no time to inspect all of them. For the first time in his career, he decided to trust his instinct. Women trust their intuition when dealing with men and it proves to be quite right anyway! He soon saw a hint of light at the end of the tunnel and carefully proceeded. The cave was just as large as the last one. Again, it was another storage room with plenty of barrels inside. The only difference was that this room was guarded. Two Dark Elves stood at the center of the room and were chatting in language he couldn't understand. He took a careful note of his enemies. The Dark Elves wore studded leather armors and wielded curved swords and knives. Their dark skin welded well with the darkness around them. Then one of the Elves moved to the other end of the room. Hawk crept from one barrel to another, carefully approaching the lone Elf. He took a solid rock and threw it at the nearest barrel. The Elf took the bait. He walked casually toward the barrel to check the sound, thus bypassing Hawk's spot. Hawk quickly grabbed him and snapped his neck. Unfortunately, his fellow saw him and instead of attacking him he ran for the tunnel. Hawk retrieved a blade from the fallen man and threw it. The knife hit the other Elf squarely at his neck. The Elf fell on the ground, struggled for a while, and then stayed still. The search on his victims only gave him a curved blade and three combat knives. He hoped to find a spear or lance, but found none. The barrels were filled with fruits, which reminded him how hungry he was. He took two apples and began eating. Then he suddenly realized that he was not alone. He could see nobody inside the cave, but he could feel their presence. He could hear distant sound of ragged breath and pitiful moans. Could it be that this cave is haunted? He could hear the eerie voice around him. A trickle of water could be heard from the corner... Water? This is a wasteland! When he turned around, his fear returned. Before him was a pool of green slime, bubbling on the ground and creeping slowly toward him. He'd heard stories about green ooze, but he'd never encountered one before. He readied his blade and knives and prepared his fighting stance. If they touch me, I'm dead meat... Suddenly the slime propelled itself toward him. He was prepared and got out of the way. He threw two knives that found their mark, but to his horror the ooze was unaffected. The slime simply left the knives stuck on the rocky ground and went after its victim. My weapons can do no harm! He fought to remember what he had heard about how to defeat the green oozes when it attacked. He barely escaped the attack with the creature touched a part of his shirt. He reflexively tore the part smeared with the green substance and threw it away. He couldn't allow the creature to gain contact with his body. If he wanted to kill the ooze, he had to keep his distance... Suddenly he remembered that melee attack didn't work against the monster. The most effective way of dealing with oozes from within a range would be... by using magic! He cursed himself for not being able to do magic. He wished that Anna was around this time, but he had to free her first. He would be delighted to see her fry the oozes to crisp... Then his gaze was locked on the closest thing he could relate with the word 'fry'. The torches! I can use the torches! He evaded the next attack easily and dashed toward his last position. His torch had fallen down when he struggled with the Elf, and he was happy to find that it was still there. He threw his blade aside and held the burning torch defiantly. Oven though it couldn't see, the monster could feel the increasing heat and stopped its advance. Hawk regained his confidence and dashed toward his opponent. The torch hit squarely on the ooze's surface and suddenly the entire surface burst in bright flame. The green substance were burnt slowly and turned into rigid, black charcoal. He paused for a while to regain his breath. He just slain his first ooze, and he did that without knowing one spell. But he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was not alone in the room. The eerie voice remained, poking his mind with weird thoughts. Slowly he looked up... And was horrified by the view before him. The dome-shaped ceiling was filled with dozens of green oozes, forming cocoons of various sizes. But he could see that there was something inside the cocoon. Something was wiggling and moaning inside of it. Could it be that they are the Elven prisoners that they have to free? Could it be that the entire prison cave was actually ooze's colony? He prepared his torch and combat knives. He had a lot of work to do. Atrus took a deep breath, feeling the cold air fill his lungs. He stirred as the howl of a lone wolf far away gained his attention. He was happy. He was back. He had been spending the last couple of weeks in civilized area. Now he was back to nature, back to the wilderness. He was once again free. But he was not here for a holiday. He had to retrieve the dragon statue to seal the Human-Elven alliance. He had to rescue the captured slaves from the Karigor stronghold. To make the problem worse, both Anna and Aurelia had been captured, and Hawk had been missing in the Swamp of the Dread. Maya was wounded and Roberto was deeply shaken from the last battle. It had taken him a while to get rid of those thoughts from his mind and concentrate on the present problem. To accomplish those tasks, they had to successfully reach Karigor by passing the Gauntlet of Death. After a few experiments and constant meditation despite his hungry stomach, he'd finally found the answer. He let the thin mist caressed his skin. Then he ignited his inner power, covering his body in bright flame. He still felt the soft caress against his skin. Unlike the event in the swamp, the mist was unaffected by the flame across his body. The flame aura was known to protect him only from harmful things, which had enabled Anna to once touch him without being burnt. There could only be one conclusion. The mist in the swamp was faked. It was only animated mist summoned by magic, used to create illusions of the Dark Elves and hide their actual positions. 'Believe in Mother Nature' Aurelia had said. Nature was a Ranger's greatest ally. A Ranger fought alongside with it and used its power. Now he would use its power to strike terror to the enemy. He could sense Maya approaching. "We're ready to go." He said. "Yup!" Maya answered in her usual merry tone. "We're also ready!" Atrus winced. "We?" "Yes, I'm coming." Roberto appeared from behind the trees, wielding his gigantic sword. Atrus faced him. "You're okay now?" "Yes, I'm all healthy. Thank you." Atrus winced again. This was the first time he heard the word 'thank you' from the prince's mouth. The prince saw the expression in his face and hung his head. "Look, I... I owe you an apology. I know I've been such a jerk. I'm sorry..." "Now what is this all so sudden?" "Your sla... uh... girl here... She has straightened me up. I... I think I have to learn to understand people better rather than demanding them to understand me. I was wrong. I'm sorry." A long silence hovered over them. Then Roberto felt that Atrus grabbed his shoulder firmly and gave a friendly shake. "You know what? Your father must be proud of you." "My... my father...? You mean you're planning the whole thing?" "Your father cares about you. He sent you in this journey for your own good. Being a king is not an easy task. I hope you learn your first lesson?" "You mean the first lesson to become a king is to understand people?" He asked. "No." Atrus smiled. "It goes without saying. Your first lesson is to say that you're sorry." Aurelia woke up and found herself lying on a hard and cold stone. She also discovered that she was shackled on the stone. The chains were loose enough to allow her to struggle, but strong enough to keep her from escaping. She was also stark naked. The cold stone beneath her body sent shiver through her bones. She was at the center of a large cave, on a slightly raised platform made of solid stone. She could see nobody, but she could see their shadows against the cave walls. They were humming soft and eerie chanting that echoed in the cave and hurt her ears terribly. "Stop it!!" She screamed. "Let me go!!" A Dark Elf appeared in her limited vision. He wore unusual clothes, which looked like a priest suit, except for the tooth-necklace and the skull-topped staff. His face was full with scars. His evil grin revealed the poorly tended teeth, giving her creeps. "At last... The Elf is awake!" He said, followed by the cheers from across the room. "What do you mean? Of course I'm awake! Now let me go!!" "We can't, Elf, because you will become the sacrifice for our ritual!" "What...?" Her gaze was suddenly locked on another figure on her side. It was bigger than normal Elves. As the nearby torch illuminated the figure, Aurelia screamed in terror at what she saw. The figure was a dark-green monster with badly disfigured face and multiple horns and tusks all over his body. His studded leather armor was decorated with bloodstained spikes, enhancing his wicked appearance. "You... you're a demon!!" She found herself saying. "That's right, Elf!" The demon spoke with his harsh tone. "And you're going to be the peace offering for our alliance!" "A... alliance?" "The Dark Elves and demons are forging an alliance to counter yours." The other Elf said. "We will definitely crush your pitiful country and rule the realm together!" "You're a fool!" Aurelia snarled. "The demons will kill us all! Your race is included!" "Hah! We demons value long-term goal for our race." The demon snarled. "We will forge this alliance and, unlike Humans and Elves, we honor our oath! We're not engaged in your little silly pillow fight!" Aurelia stared at her opponent sternly. "I know what you're up to! You can fool these people, but you can't fool me!" "How dare you...?" The Dark Elf snarled. "Worry not, my ally..." The demon said calmly, dismissing the priest's anger. "She's going nowhere, especially after the ritual is completed. Then you can enjoy her sensuous scream!" Panic grew in her mind. "What ritual? What are you going to do to me?" "Say goodbye to your virginity..." The priest chuckled. The two dark figures withdrew, leaving her struggling in her bonds. The chains were not taut, enabling limited movement, but were very strong and solid. In fact, she knew that her wiggling naked body would provide the best entertainment for her captors. Realizing this, she stayed still. "Why, my dear, don't you keep your sexy struggle? But don't worry. We'll provide the encouragement from here..." The Dark Elf muttered. Then the Dark Elves around the cave resumed their chanting. Their voice echoed along the cave walls, inside her ears and into her mind. Being a High Elf had granted her sensitivity surpassing Humans, and she could feel the souls of evil spirits filling the room. The spirit circled her body and probed her mind, sending shiver down her spine. She knew, at that time, that she was in a deep trouble. Suddenly the stone circle beneath her began to glow in dim green. The cold glow seemed to cover her body and enveloped it with its frigid caress. Then the sensation started. She let out a small moan as her body responded to the sensation. Something was covering her, and it was stimulating her! She tried to wiggle to evade the glow, but she couldn't escape the chains. The green tendrils of power had had her in its grasp. The green tendrils reached for her exposed breasts and began to massage them softly. She moaned in protest, but to her dismay her nipples stood erect instantly upon contact. Then she could feel more tendrils reached out for her nether region and began teasing her crotch. She tried to concentrate and resist the temptation, but the evil spirits around her probed her mind, forcing her to submit. Again and again she resisted, and again and again she was defeated. "Surrender...!" The priest muttered, his voice echoing in her mind. "Surrender...!" "No... stop it..." "You like it... Don't deny your desire... You enjoy it..." "No... no..." "Yet you are wet... Very wet indeed..." Overcome by her shame, her defiance grew weaker. Slowly parts of her mind submit to the intrusion. Her body involuntarily began to wiggle around to enhance the sensation. In her deepest conscious, she knew that she had to resist, or she would be defeated. The tendrils around her nether region increased their intrusion and began to push their way inside her pussy. She shrieked and renewed her struggle, but everything was in vain. The pain shot out through her brain as she cried in agony, and she knew that her virginity was no more. She had been deflowered in a shameful and degrading manner. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She was hopeless. She knew that she would never be the same again. Slowly the pain vanished, replaced by the wonderful sensation. Her aching vaginal muscles kept on sending pleasure waves to her brain, again weakening her defiance. She knew she was no longer one of the High Elves. She knew that her mother, her brother, and all her people back in Elom would not accept her back, for she was dirty and tainted. She had been violated by the evil power, and she enjoyed it. "Surrender... surrender..." Then the picture of her new friends came into her mind. Atrus... Anna... Hawk... where are you...? Have they killed you...? Or have you abandoned me...? Finally, in her deepest frustration, the sensation reached its peak and she cried as her first climax overcame her. She body shuddered and her vaginal juice flowed freely from her pussy. New tears sprang from her eyes. She knew that she was lost. She knew that she had been defeated. Atrus stood silently on a solid rock. Her two friends were behind him, watching his flanks. His trusted sword was strapped safely on his back. And before him was the view of the Swamp of the Dread. The darkness of the night, enhanced by the thick mist covering the swamp, prevented him from seeing practically anything. But he knew that the mist was unreal. Both Anna and Aurelia had sensed the anomaly in this swamp. He knew that Mother Nature didn't exist in this swamp. But they had to cross the Gauntlet of Death to save their friends. And to do so, they had to ask for help. Silently he invoked his power. Until now he hadn't completely understood his power, but he knew that it had never disappointed him before. He discovered it by accident when he lost himself to his anger in Gideon. Now he knew that anger would be too dangerous, for he would have no control over it. His urge of freeing his friends had been his best reason to invoke the power. He smiled in delight as bright flame soon covered his body from head to toe. The smile didn't last for long. They got a job to do. He turned toward his friends. "Ready?" "I'm ready, Master!" Maya answered in her usual cheerful manner. "I have your back covered, partner!" Roberto answered sternly. Atrus smiled at the young prince. Roberto had recovered from his shock and depression, and he could feel the young prince's excitement for this upcoming battle. He turned toward the swamp and withdrew his sword, which was quickly covered with flame. "Mother Nature would lead the way." He declared. He reached out with his left hand and touched the air, and to his delight the mist withdrew from him. He let the flame grow brighter, and more mist withdrew from him. Then the surrounding was covered with the same thick mist which was unaffected by the flame. Mother Nature was truly in their side. The real mist would now conceal their position from their unwary enemy, while their own fake mist would lead them through the Gauntlet of Death and hopefully toward the Stronghold. "Come. Keep your eyes open." Atrus said and then began walking. The flame kept their surrounding clear while they walked. The thick mist retreated from them completely that they could even see where they were standing. Yet behind them, the real mist refilled the space. Then Atrus could feel the strange force probing his mind. He knew somebody was near. He let his flame grew even brighter, illuminating a large space of land and revealing several enemies around them. The Dark Elves didn't know that the party could see them and was taken by surprise when Roberto charged them. While the enemies stared at the gigantic sword in amazement, Roberto swung his sword casually, taking three lives with it. The sword easily cut through their bodies and split them in half. The other Dark Elves were petrified, but soon fell victim of Kaiser Sword. The rest of the enemies tried to run, but Maya's knives did a short work of them. The battle attracted more Dark Elves, but when they arrived the swamp was filled with thick fog. They could not see through the mist for it was the real one, but Atrus could. The Dark Elves were panicking, therefore creating a lot of noise. Atrus easily pinpointed their positions and charged them with his sword. Soon, the first part of the Gauntlet of Death had been defeated. Atrus smiled at his companions and walked forward. They knew that they would succeed. They knew that Mother Nature was truly on their side. Now they were going to strike fear to the heart of the enemies. Anna cried and wiggled madly as another orgasm overcame her, but the ooze held her rigid. The monster had been keeping her in constant simulation for almost three hours, violating her vagina and asshole while keeping her from fainting. She could feel that the monster occasionally inserted a needle under her skin and injected some of the fluid to keep her from dehydrating. This would enable her to keep on producing fluid for the monster for a long time. She knew that the Dark Elves wanted her to die, and they wanted her to die a slow, terrible death. She moaned in protest as the violation continued. The sticky goo around her breasts kept on massaging her nipples, sending pleasure sensations throughout her brain. Her defiance was pushed back again as another orgasm claimed her. She could feel how wet her crotch had become, and how greedy the monster had consumed her vaginal fluid. The ooze had grown considerably in size and had almost covered her neck. She knew that if she surrendered, she might end her life trapped inside the ooze for a long time. She couldn't imagine how miserable the end of her life would be. She could picture herself being kept to feed the monster with her unholy lust. She knew that her life as a priestess had ended. She knew that her journey with Atrus was over. Then she felt a sudden heat coming from the creature. She was delighted at the thought that the ooze had decided to slay her immediately, for the heat kept on coming and increasing. Yet soon the heat became unbearable and she cried in pain. The creature, however, seemed to stir and scream in its own way. And then the creature suddenly let her body go and she slid down and fell toward the ground. She felt that somebody caught her body before she hit the ground and lay her on the ground. She couldn't help but moan at the touch of the cold ground, but to her delight, she recognized the voice. "Miss Anna? Are you okay? Miss Anna, wake up!" "Hawk..." Anna murmured weakly. "Is that you...?" "Praise Guardian, you're okay!" Hawk's voice came again. "Open your eyes. We're fine." Anna opened her eyes and smiled at the sight of her new friend. "I suppose I owe you my life. Thanks for saving me." "My life debt on you is paid. We'll call this even." Anna struggled to stand erect for her legs had turned fragile from the ooze's constant violation. Hawk undid his cloak and wrapped it around Anna's body, covering her nakedness. She gave him a grateful smile and looked around her. They were not alone. In fact, there were at least ten other people in the room, and they were all High Elves. "They are the prisoners." Hawk explained. "They were kept inside the mountain oozes, just the way they kept you. We're still freeing more as we speak. Many have died from dehydration, but it's so good to know that you're okay." "I'll be fine." Anna answered. "So you use magic to kill the oozes?" "No, but the Elves are very good at using bows and arrows." Anna nodded, noticing that the Elves were carrying bows and a pack of arrows on their backs. "They just light the tip with fire and burn the monster t ashes, just the way they freed you." One of the Elves approached her, gave a short salute, and greeted her with his melodious voice. "You must be one of the Humans who were sent to rescue us. We thank you." "No, I thank you for saving my life." Anna smiled. "But we should be on our way now. Princess Aurelia is in danger. She is going to be sacrificed for the new Gate to the Underworld. If they succeed, the Stronghold will provide the second access to the Nether Realm and the land of Elom will be overrun by the demons." "Very well, Humans." The Elf nodded. "We shall aid you in any ways possible. We'll just free some friends in this room and we'll be following you soon." Then he left. "Where's Atrus?" Anna asked with concerned tone. "I don't know." Hawk shook his head. "I hope he's all right. "But there's no time to look for him. We have to free Aurelia!" "B...but Atrus... We have to look for him! He could still be trapped in the swamp right now... We have to help him..." "But there's a problem with greater priority right now!" Hawk insisted. "If the Gate is opened, the land of the Elves is lost!" "But I'm worried about him! In fact, we need his power!" "Look, Miss Anna, do you believe in him?" Anna stared at him. "In Atrus? Why, yes!" "Then he will come. All we have to do is stop whatever they're doing to Aurelia. That way we can buy more time until Sir Atrus arrives." Anna tried to argue, but she knew he was right. "I... I'm sorry... I'm just worried..." Hawk grasped her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Miss Anna, I know that you care about him, but I'm sure what we're going to do is the right thing to do. I know it, you know it, and Atrus knows it. Let's make him proud." Anna nodded, closed her eyes and chanted her spell. Then two invisible magic barriers appeared around them, protecting them from magic from any angles. "This should help for a while." "Good. Let's go. We have a party to crash." Atrus charged the nearest Dark Elf and finished him, and the last guard of the Karigor Stronghold fell to the ground. They stopped for a while to regain their breath. The battle had been intense, but they were barely wounded. The mist had done a good job at hiding their positions all the time until they met the archers. The archers used fire-tipped arrows to illuminated the area, and Atrus and Roberto had to work hard to protect Maya as she threw her knives at the source of the arrows. Finally they defeated their last enemy, and more importantly, the Gauntlet of Death. The party stared at the huge cave entrance before them. The cave was dark, but they could see flickering light at the end of the tunnel. It was completely unguarded. It's either that this is a trap, or the Dark Elves are having a birthday party... "Come." Atrus muttered. "Our job is not finished. Keep your eyes open." Aurelia let out a loud yelp as the evil tendrils of power increased the intensity of their intrusion, raping her body and violating her mind. Her breathing became ragged as her will power diminished slowly. She could only stare in horror as the stone circle beneath her glowed brighter. "The time has come." The evil priest said. "With your sacrifice, the alliance with the land of the Underworld is forged!" "I DON'T THINK SO!!!" The Dark Elves around the room quickly took cover as a pair of fireballs flew and exploded harmlessly on the ground near her. She could see the image of the little priestess at the corner of her eyes. "Anna... help..." Suddenly the Dark Elf priest stood between her and Anna, holding his skull staff and waving it on the air angrily. "If you're going to interrupt, you will have to go through me!" He let loose a pair of fire bolts which Anna easily avoided but the third bolt exploded against her invisible barrier, knocking her down. She got on her feet and retreated through the tunnel, still firing fire bolts blindly. The priest yelled a war cry and ran along the tunnel, followed by a large group of Dark Elves. Then another figure showed up beside her, standing on top of the stone circle. "Hawk! It's so good to see you! Help me!" Aurelia pleaded. "Hang on there. I need to cut these chains. Now close your eyes!" She obeyed and Hawk swung his spear down. The blade hit the chain with a loud clank, creating sparks, and the wrist chain was cut. Expertly he cut her other chains and she was free. She stood unsteadily on the cold stone. When she saw her savior before her, she jumped on him and hugged him tight. "YIKES!!! Aurelia... I mean... Princess... you... you're naked...!" "I don't care! You're my hero! Thank you!" Suddenly Hawk sensed the danger, threw Aurelia aside and deflected the incoming blow with his spear. The demon's cutlass was stopped only a few inches from his face and he threw his opponent away. He signaled the other Elves to take Aurelia to safely and faced his enemy. The demon was bigger than him, and wore wicked thick studded leather armor while he was wearing only simple chain armor. The cutlass had many sharp and jagged teeth around the blade. It could hurt terribly if the demon scored a hit. "Pathetic Human! You can't kill me with that pole!" "Well, it depends... You might be foolish enough to get killed anyway..." The monster roared in anger and charged him. Hawk was technically quicker on his feet and easily deflected the blow. But the demon wielded a cutlass, which enabled him to attack faster in comparison with Hawk's spear. Hawk withdrew slowly, deflecting every blow the monster delivered, but he could see that the demon was trying to pin him against the cave wall. He looked for a window of escape and quickly found one. The demon thrust the sword and jammed it in a standing rock. Hawk ran past him, only to find a group of Dark Elves ready with their curved swords. They charged him, but he dove low and swept their legs with a full swing of his spear. The first wave of Elves fell on their knees and Hawk jumped over them and attacked anything in his path. The tactics worked and the Dark Elves kept their distance. The demon roared in anger, pulled the sword with all his might, and the rock came tumbling down. He ran toward Hawk and shoved the wall of struggling Elves aside. He picked a Dark Elf by his neck and cruelly threw him at Hawk. He was caught off guard and both men fell on the hard ground. Hawk was expecting at least a dozen curved swords pointing at his nose when he opened his eyes, but was amazed at the sight of the Dark Elves attacking the demon. They had finally realized the demon's intention! Hawk silently retreated toward his friends. Aurelia, despite her weakened state, defiantly led the Elven archers in their fight. But their attackers were turning back as more and more Dark Elves were attacking the demon. Suddenly a loud roar echoed in the cave. To everybody's horror, the central stone circle where Aurelia had been shackled sank into the ground, swallowed by a large, gaping, black hole. And finally, monsters and demons of various ranks appeared from the hole. They were too late! The Gate to the Underworld had been opened! Anna only stopped for three seconds to regain her breath when three fire bolts hit her barrier in a rapid succession. She couldn't take it anymore. Her muscles were all screaming. Her breath paced almost as fast as than her heartbeat. Her body was drenched with sweat. A sharp pain soared across her nerves as the barrier gave way and the missiles got through. Another pair of fireballs hit her, and she fell down on her back. She could feel the sharp pain as the evil priest's boot was pressed on her neck. She knew the Dark Elf wanted her dead, and she knew he was not going to let her die in peace. "Ready to repent from your sins, bitch?" He sneered. "Burn in hell!" Anna screamed in agony as the wave of pain swept across her body. She didn't know what kind of spell it was, but she knew it hurt so much. "You want the taste of hell? You have it." She screamed and screamed again, but nothing could ease the pain. Her body jerked involuntarily in agony. Tears fell along her cheek as the pain became more and more unbearable. "All you have to do is beg for your life, bitch!" The priest snarled. "I'd... rather... die..." "I don't think so... At least not after I have my fun with you..." Then the priest hooked one of the horns on the skull staff on Anna's cloak and pulled down violently, tearing the only clothing she wore and baring her cleavage. She struggled frantically and was rewarded by a sharp and agonizing pain from the spell. She was not the kind of girl who got tamed easily, but against this spell she was completely helpless. "Now if you cooperate, this might be an enjoyable journey to your death..." The priest pressed the tusk on her delicate breasts and began probing them. Anna stayed very still, fearing that the tusk might damage her flesh. This left the priest with free access to her breasts. He casually massaged her breasts and nipples, forcing them into involuntary hardness. Then she found that Dark Elves who had been chasing her were now standing around them, enjoying the sight. "Now, I really hope you like gang-bang..." The priest sneered and laughed as Anna's eyes widened in terror. "I don't really think so..." That voice...! "Atrus! Help me!" She screamed. The staff and the boot on her neck were removed, but she was too weak to escape on her own. The Dark Elves had also left her lying on the floor. Desperately she tried to regain her power. "I see you have come to meet your death!" The priest said. Atrus stared at his opponent darkly. "I have come to reclaim what belongs to me!" Anna stirred at the thought of being Atrus' belongings. "Now you shall pay for your treachery!" "KILL THEM!!!" The Dark Elves rose up to meet them, their curved swords armed. Roberto dashed forward and went berserk, pushing the army back with his ferocity and spreading terror with his Kaiser Sword. The priest raised his staff and swung it in the air, signaling a challenge. Atrus turned to Maya. "Get Anna and bring her to safety." "Yes, Master. Be careful." Maya nodded obediently. Atrus dashed forward, knocking some Dark Elves down and charged the priest. The priest raised his staff and fought Atrus with equal effort. The distraction created by both fighters was enough to give Maya enough time to grab her paralyzed mistress and dragged her to the corner of the cave. "Mistress Anna... It's so glad to know that you're okay..." Maya said nervously. "Don't worry, Maya..." Anna smiled. "I'm okay. Go and help Atrus." Maya produced a small vial from her backpack, which Anna quickly identified. "It's the potion of recovery you gave me, Mistress. It healed my wounds, thanks to you." Maya helped her mistress to sit up and held the vial near her lips. Anna drank the content slowly, feeling the burning sensation the green potion gave to her throat. Then the potion began to take effect as she could feel her power returning to her body. "Thanks, Maya... Now go and help them. I'll be fine by my own." Maya looked at her mistress with worried gaze before nodding. She drew her blade and joined the battle. Roberto did a good job at spreading terror to the enemies as more and more Dark Elves were discouraged on attacking him. Their curved swords were definitely no match for Kaiser Sword. When Maya joined the fight, nobody dared to challenge her. Atrus, on the other hand, fought a harder fight. The skull staff might look fragile, but looks could deceive. The staff, just like Rainbow Sword, was highly enchanted with magic, therefore enhancing its capability and durability. Atrus, superior in agility, continuously delivered his attack, only to be deflected by the invisible force field. The priest possessed strong magic he couldn't match. He thought the fight would last forever when a sharp pain surged across his body. He had never felt magic so powerful that even his fire aura couldn't deflect. He staggered on his feet, trying to contain the pain. The priest let out a sinister laugh. "I see that the proud warrior is not a match for me!" Atrus screamed as more wave of pain washed over him. He fell on his knees, his sword lying beside him. Roberto came for his aid, but was knocked down as soon as the spell hit him. Maya turned around and grabbed her throwing knives, but before she realized it the Dark Elves seized her arms and caught her. She struggled frantically in her bonds as the wave of pain swept through her body. Anna, who stayed unnoticed, watched in dread as the priest tortured her friends. She knew that in her current state she was no match for the evil priest. But she couldn't understand it. First of all, Atrus' fire aura was more than capable of protecting him from spells. Then if the spell was truly powerful, how come she couldn't detect it? Even though she was not fully trained, she got the necessary skill to see through what normal Humans couldn't see... unless... Suddenly she found it! Everything from the swamp to the event before her became clear. It wasn't a spell! Just like the way he had tricked them in the swamp into believing that the Dark Elves attacked them, he was tricking them right now! The Dark Elves in the swamp had done nothing but watched them fighting false enemies, until they found the chance of abducting her and Aurelia. The enemies they fought in the swamp didn't exist! Now it seemed that the priest was torturing them, but the reality was that he wasn't doing that. He just made them believe that he was doing that. That was why she couldn't detect it. That was why Atrus couldn't deflect it. The pain didn't exist! Slowly she gathered whatever was left in her and concentrated her power. "BANISH EVIL!" The spell created a wave of good power around the priest that charged him with mind-damaging attack. The spell didn't hurt him much, but was enough to make him break the mind control over her friends. "Atrus! It's just an illusion!" Anna yelled before a fireball hit her on the chest, throwing her to the far wall. "Fools! Now you die!" Atrus recovered quickly and dashed forward. The priest saw his advance, summoned his mind control ability, and was delighted to see Atrus scream in pain. However, he missed one important detail. His sword was gone, and when he realized it, it was too late. The Rainbow Sword were flung from Atrus' hand and penetrated the priest' lower abdomen. The priest stared at the sword in terror. He could manipulate anybody's mind, but the sword was mindless. When he raised his head, Roberto was standing before him, holding the Kaiser Sword. With one quick stroke, he beheaded the evil priest. His frantic scream echoed in the tunnel. The staff fell down and the skull shattered upon contact with the ground, releasing waves of evil spirits into the air. The Dark Elves saw the death of their leader in horror and quickly abandoned them and ran along the tunnel. Atrus quickly ran across the room and retrieved Anna's body from the crumbled rocks. She was alive yet badly hurt. "Atrus... the priest..." Her voice came weakly. "He's dead. It's all over." Atrus answered. "No... it's not..." Quickly she explained what the Dark Elves were trying to do to Aurelia. "You must stop them! You can't allow the Gate to be opened!" Suddenly from the end of the tunnel, a battle cry was heard, followed by loud clanking of metal. A battle was happening, and there could only be one explanation. The demons were here! "Master..." Maya knelt beside him. "I'll take care of her. You and Prince Roberto should go and help Captain Hawk. The demons must be stopped!" "But you're also hurt!" Atrus snapped. "Master, I'll be okay. We'll meet you at the cave mouth. Now go and stop the demons!" Atrus nodded, retrieved his sword and joined Roberto at the tunnel. He looked at the source of the noise, and from his expression Atrus knew he was nervous. "It looks like we're going to fight a huge battalion of angry demons there..." He muttered. "We can do this!" Atrus shook his shoulder. "Come on. Let's make your father proud!" Roberto nodded. "After you, partner!" Hawk tripped himself a couple of times trying to keep pace with Aurelia. The Elf was definitely faster on her feet, mainly because she wore simple clothes while he had his chain armor on his body and a lance in his hand. He was also tired from the battle. He was quite happy to see that the Dark Elves were now attacking the demons. They had left the battle quietly and he had been following Aurelia throughout the maze. "Where are we going?" He finally asked without slowing is pace down. "I'm looking for a potential ally!" She answered. "Ally? What ally?" "The one we need to defeat the demons!" He wanted to ask more questions, but there was no point on maintaining a conversation with her in this kind of situation. He could just hope that she knew what she was doing... and where she was going, because if she asked him to lead the way back to the main hall, they would definitely get lost. Totally deserted, the tunnel ended with a steel door, fastened with a padlock. "Somebody doesn't appreciate visitors..." Aurelia murmured. Aurelia shook the padlock with all her might, but the padlock didn't give way. She glanced at Hawk. "You can do lock-picking?" She asked. "Yeah, sure... Stay back and watch..." Hawk swung his spear and hit the padlock in a clank, spreading bright sparks. The padlock fell on the floor and the door was opened. They quickly ran inside... ... Only to find that the room was infested by a swarm of oozes... An ooze jumped at the unwary Aurelia and quickly engulfed the Elf. Hawk ignored her cry for help, knowing that he could do no good, and ran back to the tunnel. He grabbed two torches from the wall and fried the oozes that tried to chase him. More oozes came out of the room, crowding the tunnel. Hawk slowly made his way to the room, herding the oozes back. When he returned, he spotted Aurelia's struggling form, covered by the oozes. Hawk dashed toward her, dropped the torch on the ooze and set guard. The ooze shrieked in pain as the fire engulfed it and Aurelia was free. "Quick! Get the torch and watch my back!" Aurelia grabbed the fallen torch and stood next to Hawk, their backs facing each other. The oozes tried to attack, but the torches did a good job at discouraging them. "Are you okay?" Hawk asked. "I'm stripped off my dignity!" She grumbled. "I need revenge..." "Okay... Let's give them..." The cry of war was shouted and both heroes attacked their enemies. The Human burned the oozes that were stupid enough to stand on his way and the Elf moved swiftly as the wind and defeated her enemies. Soon the room was littered with ashes and scorched mud. "Just as I thought!" Aurelia suddenly cried. She ran toward the corner of the room and revealed a small chest carved into the wall. She groped the surface, found the handle and pulled the lid. Suddenly the ground shook and a large boulder fell down behind the door, covering the entrance. And the worst was yet to come. The ceiling, which turned out to be flat, began to descend slowly. The entire room was a trap! "Aurelia, what are you doing?" Hawk turned at his companion, finding that the Elf was holding a small statue of a dragon's head. The surface was made of solid gold and the eyes were made of small ruby stones. The dragon's horns and mandibles were extended from the main piece, yet the surface was smooth, as if the entire statue was made out of a huge solid gold. Unlike normal dragons' favorite poses, the golden dragon's expression showed no threat or intimidation. "Agar..." Aurelia mumbled. "The Guardian of Earth... So magnificent, isn't it...?" "Yeah, nice to meet your friend too..." Hawk said nervously while looking at the ceiling. "But if we don't get out of here really soon, the ceiling will turn us all into pancakes!" "Have a little faith!" She snapped, still looking at the statue. "Agar will help us!" "Yeah, sounds like a plan... But make it quick!" Aurelia closed her eyes and chanted a spell unknown to him. He couldn't tell if he was dreaming or not, but he could swear he saw the dragon's eyes glow in red. The surface stayed rigid, but the statue seemed alive. He just stared in awe as light appeared from the golden surface. "Agar, the Guardian of Earth!" Aurelia cried. "I summon you! Please help us!" When Atrus and Roberto reached the main room, the battle was heating up. There was a huge stone platform on the center and a swirling black hole was on it. The Dark Elves crowded around the hole and killed every demon that emerged. A couple of High Elves stood at another corner of the room, supporting their dark counterpart with arrows. Atrus quickly approached them. "You must be Atrus, one of the Humans sent to rescue us." One of them spoke in his melodious tone. "Yeah... how is it going?" Atrus asked. "Bad... No matter how many demons we kill, they keep on appearing!" "Atrus, we got a company!!" Roberto yelled. The cutlass missed Atrus by an inch as Atrus reacted to the warning. The huge demon attacked the High Elves and quickly scattered them. Before more damage was done, Roberto attacked. His Kaiser Sword might be light in his hands, but his plate armor wasn't. The demon quickly overpowered him before Atrus joined the fight. "Hah! Puny Humans! You all are no match for me!" "We'll see about that!" Atrus charged the demon, followed by Roberto. The demon skillfully parried their swords, but had no chance for counterattack. As vicious as it was, the cutlass was not as powerful as the two other swords. Roberto leaped up and swung his sword down. The cutlass parried the sword and, unable to contain the power, was smashed into pieces. Atrus, seeing the opportunity, invoked his power again. "LIGHTNING SLASH!!!" Atrus dashed past him and a long cut across the demon's chest was created. The demon fell on his knees and groaned in pain and anger. Then he found that Roberto was standing in front of him. "In the name of the knighthood of Aragon, I sentence you, death!" He declared. "Say goodbye to your horns, demon!" The Kaiser Sword dove in and sliced the dazed demon in half. The demon's shattering cry echoed across the room, cheering the Elves and spreading terror to the demons. Flame burst from the halves and soon there was nothing left but two piles of ashes. A loud roar around the cave suddenly interrupted the fight. Strange hot air began to blow around the room. When Atrus looked up, he saw a huge gold dragon flying in the air. The dragon's skin was entirely golden with two flaming red eyes. The wide wind was flapping in the air, creating wind turbulent around it. Moreover, the dragon was staring specifically at him. "Do not attack, Atrus White Lion." The dragon's deep voice echoed along the cave walls. "I am Agar, the Guardian of Earth. I must thank you and your friends for freeing me from captive." "Freeing you...?" Atrus asked and then he saw the form of Aurelia and Hawk waving at him merrily from the dragon's back. "Oh..." "We must get out of here, Atrus White Lion." The dragon continued. "Come and climb on by back." "But the Gate is still open!" Atrus protested. "And it will never be closed until the time has come." The dragon replied. "Mother Nature will take care of it." "What is that lizard talking about?" Roberto spoke up. "There's no time to explain!" Aurelia shouted from the dragon's back. "Hop in quickly!" "Can you take more people along?" Atrus asked. "I can take as many people as this realm can contain." The dragon simply answered. "All right!" Atrus turned to the group of High Elves. "Climb up that... uh... thing... now!" The High Elves complied without questions. The dragon landed and lay its wings so that they could climb up. Atrus turned to the battle at the center of the room. The Dark Elves were still fighting the unending wave of demons. "Roberto, climb on that... whatever that thing is! I'll be right behind!" Atrus ran toward the battle without waiting to hear Roberto's protest. He found an 'idle' Dark Elf who was tending his wound and spoke to him. "Climb on that... lizard... We're going out of here!" The Dark Elf stared at the dragon in terror and then dropped his head in shame. "Agar is here. That means we're doomed. We have angered the nature and the Gods. The time has come for us to repay our crime." "What are you talking about?" "We invited these abominations. Therefore we will die with them. Mother Nature has finally spoken." "Mother Nature? What do you mean?" Atrus' question was soon answered as the ground shook. The ceiling crumbled and huge boulders started falling. A loud explosion was heard from afar. "Go, Human!" The Dark Elf ordered. "We'll hold the demons while Mother Nature does her justice. That will be the least we can do to repay our crime." Before Atrus could protest, he felt the air turbulent near him as the dragon approached and landed nearby. "We must go, Atrus White Lion. There's no time to waste." Atrus stared at the battle before him. He didn't want to leave the Dark Elves despite what they had done to his friends, but they were determined to fight to the death. Nobody retreated in spite of the crumbling ceiling over them. Nothing could change their mind. Still unsatisfied, he ran toward the dragon and climbed up. Soon he sat on the dragon, holding one of many spikes along the its back. More boulders fell from the ceiling as the cave was collapsing. Another explosion occurred at one corner of the room and molten lava gushed inside. The golden dragon quickly took off and flew gracefully toward the tunnel. From behind Atrus could hear pitiful cries and wails as the lava devoured anything that stood on its way. The ceiling along the tunnel began to collapse as well, but the dragon skillfully evaded the falling boulders. The golden dragon flew swiftly along the tunnel as the huge wave of molten lava flowed in and crept along the tunnel. Then something struck his mind. "Anna! Anna and Maya! They're waiting near the entrance! We must pick them up!" "I can't stop, Atrus White Lion. You must hang on my claws and retrieve them." Atrus turned toward Roberto, who was sitting next to him. "Can you help me get the other one?" Roberto stared at him nervously and swallowed hard. "I can try..." They slowly made their way along the dragon's body and under its wings. The flapping created much movement on the dragon's body, making it hard for them to get strong support. They finally made it to the dragon's feet. Atrus hung on the right feet while Roberto was on the left. The dragon opened its claws, allowing them to slip their legs inside the gap and hang on them. Roberto seemed to have extra trouble due to the heavy plate armor and the gigantic sword strapped on his back. "We're nearing the entrance. Get ready." The dragon signaled. Atrus could see the entrance clearly, but in inverted way since he was hanging upside down. He could see two figures on the cave. One was lying on the ground, and he knew it was Anna. He took a deep breath and prepared himself. "ANNA!! MAYA!! GET READY!!" His cry echoed along the tunnel. Anna didn't move, probably because of the horrible view of the gushing lava behind them. Maya, however, read the situation quickly and stood a few feet away from Anna. The dragon lowered its flight so that Atrus and Roberto almost touched the ground and flew straight toward them. The next action happened so quickly. Roberto grabbed Maya's both arms firmly and held her body. To reach Anna, the dragon had to extend the claw, allowing Atrus to grab her arms. She was clearly taken by surprise as she grasped his arms in panic. Then the dragon climbed to the air sharply as it passed the cave mouth. The mist had gone and the clear view of the Swamp of the Dread appeared beneath them. Then another explosion occurred behind them. From afar, Mount Karigor began to erupt and spit balls of fire into the air. Beneath them the wave of molten lava washed over the swamp, destroying everything in its path. Another huge explosion occurred behind them. When the sound wave reached them, the dragon's flight deviated, shaking the occupants. Roberto held Maya's arms firmly, but Anna lost one grip and was hanging on one arm. "Atrus...!" She looked at the burning hell below. "D...don't let go..." "Don't look down!" Atrus yelled. She tried to close her eyes, but the fear remained. Her hands began to shiver and sweat from fear, and Atrus could feel her grip loosening. "Anna! Don't look down! Look at me!" Then she fixed her gaze at Atrus. Her memory traced back to the first time she met him. She could remember the loving eyes he had. She could remember the tender, comforting gaze. She realized how much she needed that loving gaze. Those eyes remained the same. And for that moment she forgot about her fear. "On my mark, swing your arm with all your might. Ready... NOW!!!" She swung her arm and Atrus readily caught it. Then fire aura engulfed Atrus' body without hurting her or the dragon. Slowly Atrus lifted her petite body and helped her to grab the dragon's feet. Atrus followed her shortly, and he could see that Roberto and Maya were doing the same thing. The dragon, knowing that they were safe, turned its claws around and partly closed them so that they could sit on its feet. Anna finally found herself sitting next to Atrus, holding him tightly. Her body was still shivering from the last experience. "Atrus... you came..." She said slowly. Atrus glanced at Roberto and Anna, who were smiling at him. "Actually, we came..." "Don't break the mood, Master!" Maya yelled cheerfully. Atrus held Anna's body tenderly. "Hey, I'm not going to leave you behind..." She smiled at his response and laid her head on his chest. Together they saw the scene of the volcano behind them erupting and spitting rocks and thick smoke to the air. Beneath the mountain was the Gate, buried deeply underground by the rocks and molten lava. Mother Nature had finally done her justice. Adriana Freesland stood silently on top of a small hill outside the forest. She took a deep breath, feeling the sweet scent in the air entering her lungs. Slowly she opened her eyes. A smile appeared in her lips as she saw the beautiful landscape before her. A vast area of thick, brown soil replaced what had been the dreaded Swamp of Dread. Mount Karigor, which once had been the main stronghold for the Dark Elves, now was a tall mountain standing gracefully around the plains. Again she let the scent of fresh soil enriched her spirit. She knew that in a few months, the soil would be filled with grass, bushes, and finally trees, and the plains would become a brand new ecosystem for many living beings. They had spent almost a week since their daring escape from the stronghold, living among the Elves, recuperating from the battle. And for the whole week they had been witnessing Mother Nature recuperating as well. The lava had cooled down, leaving a thick layer of fresh, fertile soil. The volcanic dust had also fallen down on the ground, adding richness to the soil. Anna had succeeded in persuading the Elves that they could actually use the land for farming without destroying the nature. The plans for the farm had been made, and with help from their new Humans allies, the first farm should be settled by next week. They had retrieved the lost Statue of Agar, the Guardian of Earth. They had rescued many prisoners from the stronghold. They had defeated the demons and buried the Gate deep underground. They had done so many things. Yet something still bothered her. Before her eyes, Atrus White Lion stood alone, enjoying the view as well. He seemed very satisfied with the view before her. He kept on telling her how Rangers used the nature as their ally. She smiled to herself, knowing how happy he would feel for being in the nature once again. But the feeling remained. She knew that the problem lay within her. She loved him. She loved him more than anything else in the realm. The more she tried to resist the feeling, the more it grew. During their journey she had faced many different questions concerning her true feeling, but now she knew the truth, and she was afraid to accept it. He had had a place in her heart nobody could ever take. He had taken her fears away by just looking into her eyes. His gaze calmed her stormy mind and gave her peace. She just wished that she could possess that gaze forever. Yet another figure appeared before her eyes. The slim girl ran toward Atrus, her pony-tailed hair swinging on her back. Then she hugged him tightly and joined him in their private session. For a while she felt pain in her heart as jealousy took over, but she brushed it away. Instead she cursed herself for not being the first one. She let out a long sigh, yet it didn't help. She knew that Maya's love for Atrus was pure. No matter how much she loved him, her love would not match Maya's. Maya didn't just love him; she worshipped him, basing her love on ultimate loyalty and eternal gratitude. She knew that no matter how much she tried, she would only find defeat. "You won't succeed unless you try." A voice came from behind her shoulder. Anna looked back and smiled as the young Elf came beside her. "Princess Aurelia... I... I mean... please join me..." "Don't try to change the subject, Anna. And please call me Aurelia. I'm a part of your party anyway." "Aurelia... What do you mean?" The Elf sighed. "Anna, you won't get him if you can't be honest to yourself." Anna hung her head in defeat. She should know better than lying to her. "Sorry... I... I just don't know what to do..." "Go to him and speak your mind!" Aurelia answered. "Let him know how much you love him! Let him know how much you care for him! Let him know that you're willing to die for him!" "I wish it could be that easy... I mean..." Anna struggled to find the right word. "I mean it might be too soon, and he might be surprised, and..." "Anna! You can wait, but you can't wait forever!" Aurelia insisted and then let out a sigh. "Let me tell you a story. You've met my brother Farn, right?" "Of course." "Don't tell him that I tell you this." She smirked. "Do you know that he's a loser in love?" Anna shook her head. "Yes... He once had an elf-girl of his dream, though. She was a fine elf-maid from one of our settlement east from here. He kept his feeling for himself quite well, although he would praise her before me all the time, knowing that I'm the one who can understand him. "But he was too afraid to ask her. He was too afraid to tell her about his feeling. He was so sure that the right moment would eventually come. Until finally, the moment never came, and it was too late." "What happened?" Anna asked. "Some Humans rogues raided the settlement and burned a large chunk of the forest. Farn led a band of warriors to reclaim the survivors, but she was not among the slaves. Her body was never found." Anna was silent for a while. "I'm sorry... That explains a lot on why he hates Humans..." Aurelia nodded. "But he knew that the Humans are not responsible for that, or at least not all of them. He realized that it was his fault that he didn't let her know. If he had let her know of his feeling, she wouldn't have had to go through all that." "Well, you can never know..." "My point, Anna, is that our life is very fragile. Many things around us easily affect us, and one of them was fate. You may think that the right time will eventually come, but if you wait too long, fate might do something nasty and you will be sorry for the rest of your life." Anna looked at the couple as they walked together slowly toward her. "But I really don't know what to do..." "Tell him how much you love him." Aurelia repeated. "You might get refused, and your heart will be broken. Yet you know that you have told him your feeling. You'll be glad you do." "But I'm afraid of it... I'm afraid that he didn't feel the same..." "Listen, Anna..." Aurelia whispered softly. "Having your love refused is bad, but there's nothing worse than wanting to love somebody but never telling the person about it." Anna let the word seep in and by the time it did Atrus and Maya approached her. "You're enjoying the view?" He asked. "Um... yeah... I mean..." "Yes, she enjoyed it a lot!" Aurelia cut her off. "She also talked a lot about how you enjoy nature as well, you know...?" "Oh really?" Atrus asked again. Anna just blushed. "Yeah..." the Elf continued, playfully playing with her long ears. "She was quite amazed how a battle-hardened person like you can actually appreciate nature that much!" "Why, thank you, Anna!" Atrus slightly bowed. Anna's face was now flushed in red. "By the way, are we ready to go?" Atrus asked. "Yes, Master." Maya replied. "Prince Roberto and Captain Hawk volunteered to carry our backpacks. Oh, there they are!" Roberto and Hawk appeared, carrying their luggage. "All set, partner!" Roberto said. "Okay, Aurelia. You want to show us your newest trick?" "Sure..." The Elf produced the small golden statue of a dragon from her backpack and held it before her. Slowly she chanted the spell and the statue glowed slightly. The wind started to pick up around them, signaling that the spell was working. "Agar, the Guardian of Earth! We summon your dragon horde to come for your aid!" She exclaimed. Nothing happened for a while. Then suddenly Anna spotted three tiny dots in the sky. She pointed at the direction and everybody saw them. "There they are!" Aurelia said. "Agar has sent us the help we asked!" The dots slowly turned to forms of dragons. Two of them were green and one of them was dark-blue, and they were all almost the same as Agar, except for the color and the size. They were smaller dragons. They approached the party and landed before them nicely on the ground. "We are sent by Agar to assist you in any way we can." One of the dragons spoke up in its deep, yet clear voice. "Can you carry us on your backs?" Aurelia asked. "We are at your command, heroes." Then people started to carry their stuff on the dragons' backs. Anna quickly grabbed her backpack, went to the nearest dragon, and stopped suddenly when Atrus lay his hand on her shoulder. Instantly her heart beat twice as fast. "Anna... Um... Could you... I mean... Would you want to ride with me...?" Atrus asked. Anna looked into his eyes and blushed. "I... I thought you would never ask..." "What?" "Oh, never mind..." Anna blushed even more. "Sure... I'd love to..." They went to the blue dragon, which willingly lowered its wind so that they could climb up. Atrus climbed up first, sitting comfortably on its back. Anna was even more surprised when Atrus motioned her to sit right in front of him. Hesitantly she complied. Once everybody was strapped in, the dragons lifted off the ground and flew in tight formation. Anna looked at Atrus over her shoulder. "So why did you ask me to sit at the front?" "Well... If somebody has to drive this thing, it won't be me..." "What?" Anna's jaws dropped. "You ask me to ride with you so that I can drive this dragon?" "That's one reason, yes..." Atrus smiled and then slipped his hands and wrapped them around Anna's slim waist and drew her closer. "Plus, I can always use a company..." "Atrus, you jerk!!!" "You call me jerk? What do you mean by that?" "Hey guys!" Roberto called from the other dragon. He was riding with Maya. "What's wrong with you?" "Why do I have to ride with this pervert in the first place?" Anna exclaimed. "Because you like it!!" Aurelia answered from the other dragon, riding with Hawk. "WHAT?" "Anyway, guys, we'll drop the subject for now..." Atrus said. "We have a work to do." "Lead the way, fearless leader!" Hawk stated. "Alright... Dragons! We're going to the Land of the Dwarves!!" To Be Continued... Contributed by vipers101@hotmail.com