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sirmed1

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Posted September 17, '11 2:58am UTC

CHAPTER ONE
A TRAITOR AMONG US
"In peace, sons bury their Fathers, in war, Father bury their sons"
-Herodotus
It had been tough going for all three kingdoms, but it was by far the toughest for Greth, but after Angers legions met nothing but defeat, they spread like wildfire into the Greths' neighbours and allies, the T'Keth, and the Voranites. The western people of T'Keth were a proud, mysterious people who were known for their mastery of horses and swords. They were known also for their Powerful Knights, the Western Knights. They were feared by Anger's Troops, but their fear wasn't enough to stop the invasion. The people of T'Keth were being overrunâ¦
Lord Ankan rode towards the city of Niana. Well, not a city, more of a fort. It had wooden walls with a gate that was barely strong enough to keep the livestock from wandering off.
Ankan was tall, broad man, like most western people. His cloak was a dull-yellow, and his sword rested in a golden sheath coated in jewels. A few other Knights rode with him.
He was bearing news to the lord of these parts- bad news.
The people of Niana had been allies of T'Keth for a long time and they would give any assistance if needed. Unluckily, Anger had successfully and decisively cut through the three empires like a knife with his soldiers from a distant land across the sea. Anger Troops they were called by the Voranites, though they were really called the Hunter People. They were led by a Grethinite traightor called Anger. Niana used to be a beautiful land back then, though after the mass deaths of many species, particularly the Hershbes, and after they all died out due to their prized thick hide used for armour and clothing; the land became very dreary because of the chain reaction after they died. After the Hershbes, the Grey Vultures, and then the other creatures died out from lack of food. The Nianians had tried to reintroduce these species, but they were quickly wiped out again by the eager Poachers that scoured the land.
Ankan rode to the village gates. Some children ran to see the knight riders. Their thin faces looked up in awe. All of them looked dirty and ragged and all had pale skin.
They reached the plaza. A small wooden hold was in the middle. Anjido dismounted and went inside, the other knights fanned out around the entrance, standing guard.
It was one huge dark room. A few dying embers smouldered in the Hearth. A large table stood in the center of the area. A pale man with a grey beard sat in the middle. Anjido bowed. "Greetings, Jestispoten, king of the Heiamonds. I am Ankan, trusted advisor of Wi'Tor, king of T'Keth." He said respectfully.
The man smiled nervously. "Why are you here?" He asked, with a nervous tone in his voice. "I have news." Ankan said. "Anger's Legions are marching to this city as we speak. And one of the twelve is leading the invasion."
The king gazed at him, traumatized. "What is its name?" He gasped.
"It's Destiny." Ankan said, pronouncing Destiny Dest-eye-nee.
"Well - what do you suppose I do if Anger has cast his war-machine on my lands?" He asked.
"Wi'Tor suggested a safe spot close to the mountains, where it snows most. He knows that your magic is strong, and your peoples' skill with the bow is unmatched. You will be safe there, and the Anger Soldiers hate the cold. That lesson I won't soon forget."
The Heiamond king lowered his head. "We are not as strong as we used to be. All of our warriors are gone, long dead and we don't have the will or the means to replace them. We will fall soon. âIt is best we make our last stand here. And even if we flee, they will set our traitorous cousins after us."
Ankan narrowed his eyes. "Destiny's servants are too powerful for you to kill even one. It is said that they are faster than the falcons in the sky." He said. "You and your people deserve life, not death. You certainly do not deserve to die in vain."
There was a pause. Then the king sighed. "Some of my people will refuse to leave this land. I will have as many people leave to those parts as I can."
Ankan nodded. "And what is your fate?" He asked.
"I will go to the mountains as well, for my work here is not yet done. The Heiamonds will live on."
Ankan nodded again. "It is good you made the right decision. Now, I must be off." He said, and got up. He strode outside to see that it was snowing.
He looked at his knights. "Kasdid," he said.
The knight stepped forward. "Yes?" He responded.
"You are in charge now," Ankan said. "You must go to assist a small army in the Northeast of T'Keth, for they might be our last hope. Now, I must be off now."
"Where are you going?" The knight asked.
"That is my business." He said as he mounted his horse. "Farewell!" He cried, and rode off.
Kasdid groaned. "We still have work to do, Knights of T'Keth." He said, and the knights sighed wearily. "Now come, we must go assist our people, now. Come, ride!"
"Where Kasdid goes, we shall follow!" A warrior cried. Kasdid was a hero to his people, and the knights gladly followed him into the lowering sun.

* * *

A small army of Western horsemen went to rest by a grove of trees. The captain, Bastidil, was eyeing the hill sharply, for he thought he heard a noiseâ¦
"What are you looking at, sir?" Sinia, Bastidils' Shield bearer, said huskily as he walked up. He was carrying his helmet, and wore steel mail, and had a long, blonde beard. He was a big man, and had proved his warrior skills several months ago, when Anger started invading.
"I heard something," Bastidil said, keeping his eyes on the distant hills. "The sound came from over the hills." Bastidil wore a silver plate body over steel chainmail. He had long dark brown hair and a rough beard. He had his sword by his side, his hand on the hilt, ready to draw it. He was very broad, somewhat short, but very strong. He had proven what he could do on the battlefield against Anger's legions.
He looked back to his men, and even though they were sitting down to consume their miniscule rations, most of them had their spears and swords drawn and in their hands. T'Keth was hostile territory now, with Anger's warriors patrolling the land.
But we are patrolling this land just the same, Bastidil thought. This is OUR territory. Anger's men won't defeat us on Western soil.
The sound came again- a loud, hoarse shout. Many men heard it, leaping up and picking up their spears and swords and rallying around the army standard. The rest of the men did so too.
A man walked on top of the hill- he was cloaked, and carried a long sword with a golden hilt.
"Who are you?" Bastidil shouted hoarsely.
The man threw down his cloak, revealing his magnificent silver armour, and his helmet with a T shaped visor and a magnificent horse plume.
The men gasped and dropped their weapons as the War-Knight walked down the hill, followed by about twenty other Western Knights.
"What are you doing here, sir knight?" Bastidil asked, dumbfounded. He had never seen so many Knights together before.
"Lord Anjido sent me here," The Knight said. "He told me that any kind of aid to you would be sorely-." He stopped mid-sentence.
"What?" Bastidil asked a tone of awe still in his voice.
"The King's other armies have been destroyed," The Knight said. "The garrisons he sent out have been caught in an ambush of catastrophic proportions."
"So we are the only people out here-" Bastidil gasped at the thought- they could be attacked any minute. He looked at the Knight. "What is your name?" he asked.
The Knight took his helmet off. "Kasdid," he said.
Bastidil stared at awe. "You mean the Kasdid, the man who almost single handedly defended Vandieis palace?"
"I'd think so," he said. "There is a Hunter army, three times the size of this one. They know where you are, somehow, and there is no way of out-running them."
Bastidil opened his eyes wide. "We haven't even come into contact with the Hunters yet," he breathed, "There is a traitor among us."
An uneasy murmur spread through the crowd.
Bastidil sighed. "Well, what shall we do now?" he looked at Kasdid.
He put his helmet on. "Well," He said, "We have no choice but to stand our ground."
"How long do we have?" Bastidil asked.
"I would say about two or three hours," The Knight said grimly.
"Well, that leaves enough time for one last meal!" Bastidil called. The soldiers spread across the field cheered.
"And one more thing," Kasdid said. "The Troop lord Seftis is with them."
The men fell silent.

The army spent a whole hour preparing for battle. They ate their food, and started to get ready. They were to use the hills as their advantage, but the Troops could come from anywhere. Bastidil small army went into the open and stood, inspecting all sides.
They watched, trying to think of a battle strategy. "What is your plan, sir?" Sinia asked.
"I don't know." Bastidil said uneasily. "They'll probably outnumber us and outclass us. Most of our soldiers are just fresh recruits. We'll have to keep the Knights a secret until the last moment; hopefully they'll be shocked into submission by an elite enemy."
Sinia nodded. "Not much of a strategy, but it might work." He said. He mounted his brown charger and drew his sword as the red banner of Anger came into the distance.
The Hunter army was huge, but it looked as if it was disorganized. They formed up an even line, a row of archers safely behind ranks of swordsmen, and a small amount of Calvary defending the flanks.
They won't be a problem, Bastidil thought. They don't know about the Knights that we have. They have hidden the knights behind the main Hunter army, so they could quickly flank the enemy before they knew what hit them.
"FIRE!" The Hunter captain cried.
A volley of arrows flew into the front line of Bastidils soldiers, piercing feet and necks, bouncing harmlessly off helmets and armour.
"FIRE!" Bastidil bellowed in return.
"FORWARD!" The Hunter captain ordered.
Bastidil thought. They are advancing to get this over with.
"PREPARE TO CHARGE!" The Hunter captain ordered. They were only a couple strides away, a distance each army could cover in seconds.
Bastidil could hear everything- the heavy breathing of his men, the steady heartbeat of his horseâ¦
"CHARGE!" The enemies reared up, and attacked.
The Hunters clashed with the Western warriorsâ¦
Instant chaos! All lines were broken. All Bastidil saw on the battlefield was in disarray. He looked at his cavalry and drew his sword. "CHARGE!" he bellowed and rode into battle.
There, he saw, getting off his horse was the Hunter Lord Seftis. He drew his sword and ran into battle. The Hunters were pushing them back, and they only had one last hopeâ¦
Bastidil kicked a Hunter and stabbed it. "Kasdid, ATTACK!"
The Knights advanced forward. On sight the Hunters shrank back and hesitated, unsure of how to react. Kasdid drew his sword. "FOR THE KING! FOR T'KETH!" and leaped forward, using lightening fast attacks, taking down any enemy in his path. Some tried to run, but Kasdid was too quick. Any Hunter who fought him was utterly destroyed.
Then, Seftis attacked, starting with a slash. Kasdid blocked, and countered with a series of attacks that would spin anybody's mind. Seftis was thrown back. He backed away, and two warriors took his place.
Bastidil stopped to catch his breath after defeating another Hunter. He kicked his horse and galloped through a hunter to get to Sinia. "We are driving them back! We are winning!" He cried. His troops swarmed around him, bloodthirsty for the enemy that had attacked their families and homes for their own greed. He knew that he'd get many rewards for defeating a Hunter army three times the size of his, and even simply defeating Seftis would give him a reward, let alone his capture.
Bastidil was deep in thought as Sinia swung his sword at him, slicing off his helmets plume. Bastidil was so shocked he almost fell of his horse. He parried another slash. "What in the- you are the traitor?" He cried in disbelief.
"I am no traitor. I am not from the west." Sinia snarled as he attacked again.
"You are a Hunter spy," Bastidil shock was immediately replaced by contempt. He angrily leapt off his horse and tackled Sinia off his. He hit the ground and started striking him repeatedly. Sinia retaliated by drawing his dagger and swung it, slicing his cheek. Bastidil was stronger than him, and kept it to his advantage. He put his elbow to Sinias neck, and used his other hand to hold his dagger.
Sinia had surprising strength, and threw Bastidil back and jumped onto him, but Bastidil was quick, and he put his dagger in front of him and Sinia fell onto it. Bastidil pushed the man off him, who stood up, and tried removing the dagger in his chest. He spat out blood and fell over on his back.
Bastidil spat, for Sinia had sworn dedication to T'Keth and himself.
Bastidil slowly hauled himself to his feet, and then went to pick up his sword.
Meanwhile, Kasdid had been surrounded and ganged up by Anger Troops, including Seftis. He was hit in the neck by an assailant with a sling. He fell onto his knees, but still swung his sword threateningly. More Anger Troops surrounded him. Seftis walked up, ducking a sword blow, and then knocked him unconscious with the butt of his sword. The man with the sling went and picked him up. He would make a prized prisoner. Seftis saw that they were being rushed by the people of the west, who started a flood of routing Hunters.
"Retreat! We will fight another day!" Seftis called, waving his sword.
Bastidil made a sigh of relief, which quickly changed into a shout of victory.
The Troops were broken and fleeing. "Where is Kasdid?" Bastidil asked a Knight.
"He disappeared. I don't know!" The Knight answered, obviously disturbed.
Little did Bastidil know that Kasdid was not dead, but a prisoner.
"Wait a second- why did Seftis attack us?" I thought he was fighting the Grethinites." Bastidil asked.
"I don't know- but what I do know is that he's a very âHands On' person." The knight said. "He'll loot a blacksmith's house in an assault against a village if he'd get the chance, so I guess that's the reason he was in that small Hunter army. I've fought against his Legions before. Much stronger than any other Legion of any other Hunter Lord."
"There are more Hunter Lords?" Bastidil asked.
The knight just nodded.
Bastidil sighed and sat down. "I can count on one thing," he said. "Mans Telwar is in trouble. It isn't safe anymore."
The men's cheering finally ceased. "The battle is victorious, but at a crippling cost, it seems." Another Knight said, walking up. Blood stained his silver chest plate. "We've lost four knights in counting. The Anger Troops will be back again, this time with more than one Legion."
"I know," Bastidil said, sheathing his sword. "And we'll be ready next time."

Greth
Two days later
The people of the east, Grethinites, had the toughest time of all the Three Kingdoms. Anger's invasion started inside the Eastern Kingdom of Greth, and they are still being invaded. Luckily, the Grethinites are expert craftsmen, and have walls of stone.
But still, stone will be no match for Anger's Troopsâ¦
Here, the Anger Legions of Lord Barak and Oslan advance on the city of Oslita, ready to fightâ¦
After many days of siege, the Legions of Barak and Oslan broke through the walls
Daniel, chief general and commander of Greths armies stared at the three Legions advancing through the crumbled walls of Oslita. He drew his sword, and cried "CHARGE!!!" and plunged into battle. He was an excellent warrior, but the Hunter army was enormous. He had never fought such a force in his life. His spearmen were advancing on the enemy's sides, and successfully outflanked them, but the Hunters only advanced forward faster. They were taking more Grethinites warriors than his army could withstand. Cavalry charged the Troops and pushed them back. They still advanced forward, not caring about how many casualties their side lost. The Grethinites, however, couldn't take the casualties that were happening to them.
Daniel plunged his sword through another Hunter and made a low slash falling two others.
The swordsmen and the cavalry were taking the front while spearmen went to their sides. Archers and crossbowmen fired frantically at the surging army, spreading like a wildfire. Daniel ducked from a Hunter's swing of his sword. He countered with a successful thrust and kicked him.
Daniel felled another Hunter and shouted "Fall back! There are too many!" But the warriors bravely fought on. "FALL BACK!" Daniel roared again and again as a horseman rode to Daniel.
"The city is surrounded," The horseman said. "We have nowhere to run."
Daniel hesitated. Another city, he thought, under Anger's control! He overwhelmed his fear of death and pain and charged.
They couldn't hold them for much longer. All was lost, untilâ¦
A trumpet sound filled everyone's ears. "That's not ours, and that sure isn't a Hunter horn," Daniel said to himself in amazement.
Banners with eagles, hawks, and falcons rose high.
A huge army of Voranites charged the back of the Hunter army, pinning them in the narrow streets of Oslita. Battle cries roared louder than the clang of swords and the steady beat of war drums. Voranites wore paint on their faces and charged with spears, war hammers and swords in their hands. The Hunters sent their sights to the new enemy. They retreated from the city to finish the new barbarian forces and then finish the others off.
But the Grethinites were no fools. They charged the retreating Hunters. Their lines were destroyed. They had no orders. They were too disorganized to come together as a unit. Some ran, few stayed. Soon the enemy army was completely destroyed, being pinned inside the city walls.
There was a long pause. The only sound was wind. Then, cheering and roaring in victory, but mostly in cautious relief.
The Voranite General approached the Grethininites.
"A little late, are you not?" Daniel laughed, walking to them, wiping the sweat from his brow. "We thought you might have been destroyed on the way.
The Voranites lines opened up, and a tall, strong man with a grey beard walked up. "As if," he laughed. "We were delayed to go back to Voraia. An enemy Legion of Anger Troops and Hates was spotted by our borders. We were busy with them for a while."
"Well, at least you showed up at all, or we would have been destroyed without a fight." Daniel waved a hand at the small garrison inside the city. "We were waiting for more Grethinites reinforcements when they attacked."
The bearded man looked at him strangely. "It seems that they know just the right time to attack, have not you noticed?" he said. "They seem to know when we're at our weakest and more disorganized."
Daniel nodded. "And we know why," he said. "The people of T'Keth told us that they caught a spy giving away the location of their secret armies."
The man scoffed at the word secret, for Voranites were mostly open people and never held secrets. "Their armies are always larger then our original reports show." The man said, stroking his beard. "They must have some powerful magic in their hands."
Daniel nodded. "Anger was and still is a sorcerer and a magician. But I had no idea he had this much power- he could only do tricks that amazes a crowd, like the tricks a performer has."
There was a short pause. Then, "I must see Lord Joshua," The man said.
After an hour or so, Greths reinforcements came. They had, like the Voranites, been delayed. They were up against some powerful enemies, but not as much as they thought.
Daniel was sent with an army to clean up the rest of the Hunters.

Daniel led a huge army behind him. They were patrolling northwest, for there was an army spotted there by scouts.
Daniel scanned the rocky land. There was not a bird in sight. They decided to rest by a grove of trees. Daniel didn't eat. He ran his hand through his short brown hair. He saw something inside the trees- a quick red blur.
"What is that?" he looked closely. An arrow suddenly whizzed past his forehead. "An ambush," he said to himself, and then aloud.
"The Hunters are attacking!" People dropped their food and grabbed weapons as Hunters attacked them, most carrying bows, shooting the defenceless crowd.
Daniel drew his sword and charged, but no matter how many Hunters had fallen, they seemed to be replaced by new ones. The scout is a traitor, he thought. He got us to walk right into an ambush. He was furious now. He swung his sword swiftly, and never hesitated once. Ten Hunters were down in a flash. He attacked without any sign of wavering. He charged again, slicing quickly and efficiently, fighting ruthlessly. By now, his army was ready and fighting back, But there were simply too many Hunters and they were still too unorganized to stand a chance. They were surrounded.
Daniel was shot out of bloodlust as an arrow flew into his back. He gasped, but fought on. He cursed, for he was one of the last people left. He was shot again, this time in the heart, and the rest of the Hunters stopped, and Daniel, along with few others, were aimed and fired at by hundreds of archers.
All were dead. There was silence, except for one last man, an arrow piercing his shoulder.
The Hunter lines opened up, and Seftis looked at him. He then looked at the Anger Troops. "Take him. He will be of good use. I will interrogate him later."
The man still had strength. He picked up his sword- and took his own life with it.
As he fell onto the ground, the Hunter Lord sighed, and then looked at his men. "Very well," he said. "We shall go back to Anger, for his plan was a success." The Hunters raised their fists to their chests in triumph.
Anger had won a decisive battle, and the Grethinites had no idea.
The End has begun.
It is only a matter of time before the Three Kingdoms will break.

CHAPTER TWO:
THE FALL
"A house divided can not stand"
-Abraham Lincoln

Voranites, the war-like people of the north, are all but weak and feeble. They are well known for their work with spearmen and anti-horseman warriors as well as their Nizintia knights. The Voranites were caught in the middle of the war, and Anger is sending all he can to rid himself of the war like people.
But the Voranites will never give up their land without a fight. Anger must have the perfect warriors to do the trick- Hunter swordsmen are easy targets for cavalry, and his cavalry are perfect shots for spearmen. He has but one chance to battle the Voranites nowâ¦
Seftis and his army stormed into the city of Yestock. The inhabitants were rebel Voranites, disgraced by the throne- all have ran away being accused of treason, attempted assassination, armed assault to a superior, and worst of all- running away from battle. Even those who have a taint of disloyalty will be banished. Many have escaped prisons and away from death, torture, and execution.
They all had some type of weapon, but actual swords or spears were rare.
At first sight of the Troops, they picked up their bows and took aim, and they readied their weapons in preparation for battle.
Seftis waved his hand, signalling he meant no harm. A man with a thin sword and a ragged old greenish grey cloak pushed his way through the crowd. "Who are you?" he rasped. His nose was crooked and long, and walked with a slight limp. His back sagged.
"We are Hunters; we serve the great king Anger." Seftis said, trying to be polite.
"Anger- yes, we have heard of Anger." The man said. He looked down.
"Well, if you have not known, he is at war with the Voranites, the people who banished and sent away you people." Seftis said.
"They banished us," the man said blankly, obviously thinking. "We have wanted their destruction for since this city was built."
"Well, you can see them be destroyed, and you could, shall we say, join the cause." The Hunter Lord said.
"How?" the man was now alertly interested now.
"We now you used to be Voranites," Seftis said, his head to one side. "And at least some of you may know some secrets and weaknesses that they still have. Maybe, you can inherit Voraia if you share them with us."
The man smiled. "A pleasure," he said.
"But there is one thing you must do," Seftis smiled solemnly. "You must pledge allegiance to King Anger, and you shall inherit all of Voraia as your own. All you have to do is say you will die for him."
The man smiled, revealing a long line of crooked yellow teeth. "Yes! We will do anything to destroy the Voranites. Weâ¦" he turned to the people. "Will fight and die for Anger!" he raised his arm. The crowd cheered and raised their weapons.
The Hunter smiled, and turned to his men. "This will be easier than expectedâ¦"

The Voranites were the only people who had a wooden wall guarding their capital instead of a stone one. But if you would ask "Why do you not have a stone wall like the east and the west?" and the Voranite would raise his head high and say "We do not need any wall. We face the enemy with swords in our hands, and snarls on our faces. We don't hide behind anything."
But today, the Voranite capital, Kania was besieged, and they had to give up their old tradition. The Hunters suddenly withdrew, giving them time to call in reinforcements. The king met with the generalâ¦
"We were outnumbered, but managed to keep them out of the city," King Eraz said.
General Kizas snorted. "So much for old tradition." He then looked at the king and said "Word has it that Anger's forces are patrolling OUR land."
Eraz pounded the stone table with his fist, shaking it. "They will NOT get away with this! Send out your army, and CRUSH it. Those weaklings will not get away with this!" He was seething with anger.
"And one more thing," Kizas said grimly, "An army of Voranite exiles are with them."
A vein popped up on Eraz's forehead. "Anger is tampering with the dishonourable; disloyal cowards that had their pleasure snaking through my land! They are probably giving them our secrets! That Anger has gone to far this time!"
"They are headed for this city," Kizas said calmly. "We are preparing our defences." He started to leave when Eraz held him back.
"One more thing," he said, his fury stilled.
"Anything for you, oh king." Kizas said.
"Ready my horse," he said. "Nothing will pleasure me more than to see one of these cowards dead at my foot, granted they do not flee from the sight of true Voranites first."
Kizas grinned. "It shall be done, oh king."

The army of exiles came into view almost right after the king was on his horse. He smiled evilly as he drew his sword.
The Voranite spearmen cheered as he rode past. "Open the gates!" he roared. The warriors cheered even louder. The gates opened, and the army came out. He rode by his army, shouting loudly so all could hear. "Today we face exiles and cowards," he yelled. "They are people who have been charged with cowardice and disloyalty. Are you going to flee and run as they did?"
The army exclaimed in disgust. "They have all been banished for a reason," he cried. "They have shown poor skill and cowardice and have mocked the Voranite ways. Today they think they will defeat us in battle. Now, my friends show them what it is like to be a true Voranite!" The army roared and cheered.
Then, a Hunter army came behind the exiles. The cheering died down into taunting and mocking voices.
The spearmen were in front, followed by the archers and, and the horsemen guarded the flanks.
The exiles charged; all had spears and round shields. Most had red, green, black and blue paint covered on their shields and faces.
Of course, the exiles could not take down the Voranites in a frontal assault. The spearmen backed away, but they were supported by cavalry, charging the Voranites flanks.
The archers fired at them, but it didn't stop much, and then the Hunter army along with the exile warriors charged.
The king cried "For Voraia!" and charged. Two Exiles and a Hunter were crushed under the horse's feet. Eraz made slashes and cuts, precisely taking down one person at a time. He was outnumbered, but not outclassed, and he used that to his advantage. He charged a single exile, which hid behind his spear, and hit the horse, taking Eraz off his mount.
He got up, cursing. He charged the man who took his horse. He liked that horse. It had been given to him from Wi'Tor as a gift!
With a single slash, the exile was dead. "FOR VORAIA!" he cried again, raising his sword. "And for Agenthis!"
A Hunter archer fired his bow, narrowly missing his heart. It somehow got through his armour, piercing his skin. But it wasn't deep enough for it to cause any extreme pain, but the wound was serious. He yanked it out. Blood stained the tip. He held it high for the Hunter to see, throwing it down, and charging, the impact taking down the archer immediately.
His men were being pushed back. "Fall back!" he roared. "Fall back into the city!"
The men did as he ordered. He had to break the old tradition again.
He scanned the army, frantically searching for his lead General.
Where was Kizas? Was he dead? Or worseâ¦
The archers fired their bows, desperately trying to hold the enemy back- but it was no use. They were pushing in too hard.
Kizas rode to the king. His helmet was gone, and his black hair was in tangles. His armour was stained with blood. Some of it was his own, for there was a bad cut on his leg. "We can not hold them back, let alone defeat them!" he cried. "If they get inside, they will kill all of the women and children."
King Eraz lowered his head. "We have one last thing to do, I guess," he said shamefully. "We must get them and as many people out of the city as fast as we can before we are surrounded." Saying this, he knew that he had tainted and disrupted the reputation of his fathers, of his people, of his nation.
But if his people were to surviveâ¦
Kizas nodded. "I understand," he said. He turned and ran to give the orders.
Kizas gave the orders- the people were defeated, and all knew that the rest of Voranite resistance would be or probably already was crushed. The people who once were the proud war-like people of the north were finished.
King Eraz Immediately set out to the Capital of the east, to try to rally the last resistance of the three kingdoms in one last stand against Anger.
They also called the King of T'Keth and Greth to the capital of the east, the Grethinite capital. Sadly, there were many disputesâ¦

The three kings sat in the stone room of the castle of Greths capital, Kioda.
Eraz was furious with Greths king, Sref.
"It is YOUR fault my land is gone, your fault that we are in flight!"
Sref looked angry. "How is this MY fault?" he asked.
"It was YOUR servant that went mad. YOUR servant who has created the armies that now attack us, and YOUR servant that has destroyed me!" Eraz roared.
"You are wasting my time, blaming Greth as if we created Anger! You are not the only faced with annihilation!" Sref growled.
"But we have been hurt worst, for we have lost all of our land! We are being forced to flee into the hills with the wolves and the dogs!" Eraz cried.
"It is not my fault that you have been defeated. It is no ones fault but yours!"
"Do you not see?" Eraz lowered his head. "We are done for!"
"We are not, but you are," Sref retorted.
"You have destroyed us all!" Eraz snarled, his hand resting on his swords hilt threateningly.
"That's ENOUGH." The western king, Wi'Tor spoke for the first time.
They looked at him as if he were mad. "We are all facing the end of our kingdoms, which is frightening as it is immediate." He got up from his chair. "But fighting and accusing each other will not stop Anger, let alone save our people. We will help you, Eraz, and give you a home."
"We do not need your help!" Eraz snarled again.
"Help?" Wi'Tor snorted. "The reason we are all being destroyed is that we did not help each other. We were prosperous when we were together. And now, Anger is winning because we are too proud for any help."
"Anger would have never been a threat if we were united. But apart, we invite invasion. Think of how many lives we could have saved just by helping each other."
The two kings lowered their heads. "Daniel was a close friend of mine-" Sref started, and then lifted his head. "Wi'Tor-"
He stopped and looked down. "It is too late," he said. "We are finished as well. The news came to this city this morning. Oslita has fallen in the hands of Oslan and Barak's Legions. They are coming to destroy our last city here." He said.
Wi'Tor sighed. "I have only one city as well," he said. "And T'Keth is overrun with Anger's servants. My people and I- are destined to die, But as an old Voranite saying goes-"
He paused, and said "Freedom is my right, if death be the toll, then so be it."
There was silence as he was off.
The east's capital was surrounded. The last of resistance was failing- they were being destroyedâ¦
Sref sighed as the Hunters poured into the city, destroying the last resistance. He knew that this glorious city was finished. He was dressed in poor clothes, along with his wife. He had to pass as a peasant, or the kingdom would fall. His people were being defeated. Cavalry charged the Hunters, but it only held them back for a while. Archers fired volley after volley to take them down- but it was no use. The Hunters were advancing, however slowly. The cavalry fled, along with the rest of the army. The Hunters began looting the place. The east was done for- at least the king and queen were safe. He saw two warriors. Neither of them were Seftis, but he knew that they were the Hunter Lords Oslan and Barak. And they were both going up the palace steps.
Jacob, Sref's new advisor, was sitting in the king's throne. He had volunteered to die for the king in the hands of the Hunter Lord.
As Sref left the city with a few people, the two Hunter Lords overwhelmed the guards and broke into the palace. One faced Jacob.
"So," he said, "so this is the king of Greth?" He asked.
Jacob grunted in return.
"So," the Hunter Lord continued advancing forward. "Where are Greths mighty forces now?"
Jacob scowled.
"Seems that the mighty empire of Greth isn't as mighty as we thought." He said. He drew his sword.
"Surely you wouldn't kill an unarmed man." Jacob said.
The first Hunter Lord turned to the younger looking Lord who gave him a nod. "No." He said. He turned to the second one. Without words, the other drew his sword and tossed it to the other. "I'm killing an armed man."
Jacob caught the sword and went into a stance. He was a good fighter, but probably no match for a Hunter Lord. "Be my guest and start first." The Hunter Lord said.
Jacob wasted no time. He ran in with some slashes and cuts. He knew he would never be able to take down his opponent, but he could wound him. And wound him he did.
The Hunter Lord blocked them all, except for one, which caught the left side of his cheek. He howled in pain and clutched the wound. It was dripping a lot of blood. But the fight wasn't over yet. He blocked another of Jacob's slashes and countered with a powerful counter which stabbed Jacob through his chest.
He spat at Jacob's body. "Do you think this is their king?" Oslan asked.
Barak shook his head. "I've heard a description of this king and this man doesn't fit. And I don't think the king of Greth knows how to fight." He grimaced from the pain.
"I think it would be best to bandage that wound." Oslan said.
Barak nodded in return.
Wi'Tor reached Tiger's Eye city of T'Keth about a month later. The people were besieged. He was back home- but home can be a dangerous place sometimesâ¦
"My King, there is a Hunter army in the distance coming this way!" a scout cried to Wi'Tor.
This was bad news for the king. But he felt no fear. "How many are there?" he asked.
"They come from as far as I could see." The scout said solemnly.
The king sighed. "Prepare my son and my horses. Get my son out of the city and out of the war with as many people you can sneak through the passage. The last of my men and I will hold them off."
The scout sighed. "Yes, great king."

* * *

"WHAT?" Prince Richard roared in anger. "You want ME to leave the city and have my people die while I am riding safely away from the city?"
Prince Richard was not too happy about the fact that he would not be allowed to fight. They were in the stables. Three people were there- the scout, a soldier, and a blacksmith.
"They are not your people yet, young prince," the blacksmith said as he got Richard onto his horse.
"Watch your tongue, or you may have it cut off!" Richard said angrily.
"I may not have time," he said sadly. "I must stay with the king. I am guarding my house. At least I know my wife and children are safe."
Richard was still enraged. "Why can I not die with my father?"
"It is because you are only a boy, sir." The soldier said, chuckling. "And we need the king's blood so that at least the west would still live."
Richard sighed. "Someday, I will fight for my people. Someday, I will be a hero like my father."
The blacksmith sighed. "Someday," he echoed. "It would have been my pleasure to fight with you."
Wi'Tor drew his sword as the Hunters broke into the city. He had gotten the news earlier that the east was finished as well.
He raised his sword high and cried "For T'Keth! For the west!" and charged. He had four knights beside him as chaos erupted.
New enemies helped the Hunters- they were knights of The West traitors, who turned to Anger for wealth and money. They wore the same armour, but theirs' was red.
He charged into battle, slashing and stabbing and cutting continuously, falling Hunters by the minute. The city was surrounded, but at least his son, a third of his soldiers, and the woman and children would be safe as he and his men died- but most of the people would rather die or be slaves then leave the city. Many woman and young men took up knives and pitchforks and barricaded their homes.
The Hunters broke in on the other side of the city. "Well," he said to himself. "This is it." He was badly bruised. His leg was bleeding. He couldn't do anythingâ¦
He was engaged by two Hunters. He was badly wounded. He attacked, and fell the first, but was stabbed by the second Hunter. In his last breath, he made a defiant cry, and stabbed the second one. And it came to pass that the west was finishedâ¦

The leader of Greth, king Sref, passed as a peasant in Tiger's Eye city, a capital of the West for seven more years, but was soon betrayed by a friend, and was executed. The Three Kingdoms, the once powerful empire, was crushed.
Everything was hopelessâ¦

PART TWO
THE VAULT

CHAPTER THREE
REBELLIOUS STRANGERS
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with only a single step-" Lao Tzu
Clack! James' wooden sword clashed onto Charles'.
"Take this!" James laughed.
It was dusk. The two tramp kids playing "Swordfight" with some sticks they found lying around. They were hiding in a barren broken down house that no one had lived in for at least three years. It was cobwebbed and dusty, and ashes littered the ground from a forgotten fire, and some parts of the house looked like it was demolished with a hammer. The house was destroyed three years ago when some man killed a Hunter with a rock. He was then immediately taken away and his house was left to nature. The twin brothers knew that not even the Hunters bothered to come here anymore.
Tiger's Eye city was the last city to be conquered by Anger, the last city of the West. It was very hard to take, since the elite of the west had united behind the cities tall stone walls, and a stone wall enforced with Western warrior would have been impossible to take, but after the other cities were taken, Tiger's Eye was then surrounded. Nobody knows where the kings and heirs to the throne are, but most, preferably everybody, are told and now think of them to be dead.
James and Charles were two twelve year old boys who had more experience in surviving then most soldiers. They are twin tramp kids who, as boys, their parents were taken from them and they have to make a living on the streets. Unlike many siblings, they thought of themselves more as friends than brothers. They were identical in every way, but James had jet black, straight hair, while Charles had slightly curly, brown hair. They each had blue eyes, and were very thin. But, being identical on the outside, they were very different on the inside. James, was very athletic and acted boldly, loved playing practical jokes, and got bored real quick if he had to sit down, and always decided to express his feelings openly, and acted like he didn't care. Charles, however, was a quiet type of person, who was very clever and nice, he was not as athletic as his brother, but James owed his life to Charles, just as Charles owed his life to James. Each were good climbers and would climb anything worth climbing, whenever they could. James loves practical jokes, and once he had played many jokes that would have gotten him killed.
Like this one prank James had pulled about a month agoâ¦
"Come on, Charles! It'll be funny, and we'll get some food!" James said to Charles, but his brother shook his head.
"This is stupid, James, and how is dying funny?" Charles rolled his eyes.
They had both climbed a tree. James was eying a Hunter who was eating a meal. He was like most any other Hunter, tall, broad, slightly sharp teeth, always wore a red helmet unless they're eating, and they wear red armour with yellow stripes on their helmet. They don't carry any concealed weapons, (doing this out of pride and a sudden new sense of honour) and always have a knife that the twins figured could easily be thrown, and a long, thick sword. It was made of fine steel, and everyone had seen what it could do. It a lot like a T'Keth sword except with a different hilt.
James gave Charles a rock. "You throw this; we both know I'm faster than you." Charles bit his lip angrily, hating the fact that he told him that almost every day but, as always, he got over it and calmly said "Fine. Just don't die."
James grinned. "I won't." He remarked placidly. The plan was for Charles (In the tree) to throw a rock at the Hunter. He'll get up, and look for the person who threw it, but Charles would be concealed by the tree's thick branches and leaves. James would sneak by, steal his food (The Hunter always eats enough for five people to feast upon, and they always eat fast, so they had to act faster) and have a feast.
Well, Charles threw the rock, hitting him square in the chin. He dropped his knife after making a loud grunt and fell over. He might have been knocked unconscious. Not part of the plan.
But maybe he had seen him throw it and is faking it. Either way, James came and took the food just as two Hunter warriors walked by. They each saw a boy taking food from a friend with a bleeding jaw. They each drew their swords, cursing loudly, and shouting as James ran away, as swiftly as his skinny but quick legs could carry him.
Charles knew that Hunters don't grow tired for a long time, and after James will have to stop, and would be sliced into hundreds of pieces before he could say a word. He had four backup rocks, and he decided to take the fall for him, so he took his rocks, and threw one at one. It hit him in the neck, and he was furious. Then Charles threw another rock, this time hitting the other Hunter by the ear. They each forgot about James (They didn't compromise about one chasing James and another attacking the new enemy.) and ran to Charles, which was now easily seen. Charles threw a third rock. It struck home, right on the Hunter's nose. He was trying to climb the tree, and fell onto his friend, and both of them fell on the ground. The Hunter pulled his friend off him, only to be hit in the head with another rock.
James came running to Charles, who climbed down. James came and got the food, running away with it, as new Hunters came by angrily, with nothing to see but a bunch of unconscious friends.
That was one of many adventures that James and Charles had together. Others James saved Charles.

Now, they had been sword fighting for almost an hour and the day was fading and the common signs of night began to arouse. The sun set and the moon began to show its brilliant blue glow. James made a long slash at Charles's right side, but he blocked it and met with a combination of a thrust, a slash, another slash, and a cut to the legs. James blocked them all, but was being pushed back, and he was fully aware of it, because he then jumped to the side to avoid being cornered. He then slashed at Charles's leg. Charles blocked it and made a powerful diagonal slash made to go through James's left shoulder to his right hip, but he blocked, and with all of his might, he slashed for Charles's head. Charles quickly moved his weapon to guard his head, and as the two weapons collided, it was if they were really fighting- and then Charles's weapon snapped in half.
"Aw, no," James said angrily.
Charles nodded in agreement. "If only we had real swords, then they wouldn't break so easily." He then picked up some stick, and hit it against the brick wall that was concealing them. The stick broke, but moved the brick a little bit.
The brick fell, and they saw a Hunter standing with his back turned, just outside the house.
James covered Charles mouth to suppress a scream of terror boiling up inside him. The two boys saw him standing there-
"Troops don't come here," Charles whispered as James lifted his hand off his mouth. "What's he doing?"
"I don't know, but we need to get out of here fast," said James quietly. They snuck away like thieves. Most of the Hunters are gone out of the city, every month they give their reports to Anger. They travel in troops, and there is a Hunter captain in each one. An army of Troops are called "Legions" of about three to ten thousand men. All are led by the Troop Chieftain, the present one called Seftis, the boys have seen him once before, and they were one of the lucky ones. If Seftis dies, another Hunter Lord will instantly takes his place. Seftis is fabled to be the most powerful swordsman in the world, not to mention an undefeated General, or so the twins had heard.
They snuck past the Hunter, who didn't seem to notice the two twins. After several minutes of walking, they entered the city and into the town square, where they decided to go to the temple of Anger.
"Why there?" James asked.
"The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm. The Hunters never go there!" Charles ran to the Temple of Anger, James following closely behind him.
The Temple of Anger is a large white building dedicated to King Anger. Anger had recently turned himself into a god, and he expected all of his soldiers and his subjects (Or hostages as many people called themselves) to worship day and night.
One Hunter was sitting by the temple on guard. They thought they were alone with him as they hid, but he didn't see them; he was watching a gang approaching the Temple. There were about twenty of them, each wearing cloaks, and had daggers in their belts and most of them carried torches.
The Hunter leapt up and shouted "Who goes the-" before he finished his sentence, an arrow leaped out of the darkness and struck him in the neck. He gargled with a shocked look on his face, and then collapsed. Charles looked back at the gang and saw a man holding a bow. He gasped in fright.
The leader of the group drew a gleaming sword, and threw his torch inside the shrine. The others did the same. Smoke started to billow out the entrance, and fire was leaping out the windows of the former temple. The leader of the gang snapped his head to the left, and seemed to see something
"Move out!" he ordered, and the gang set back into the darkness.
Charles and James decided it was their time to escape, but James crept forward and took the dead Hunter's dagger.
Shouts rose and several Hunters ran around the corner and saw two kids, one holding a knife, a dead soldier, and a flaming shrine dedicated to their leader. The soldier who had come around the corner first drew his sword. "The captain is dead! KILL THEM!"
Two Hunters ran after the twins as the rest of the others frantically tried to bail out the burnt shrine to Anger. But the entire building was already covered in flames.
Thankfully, the gates are always open. The children escaped from the city to an old cottage and started banging on the door frantically- they had only seconds before the Hunters would see them!
The door swung openâ¦

TWENTY YEARS AGO
The city is besieged- the reinforcements were destroyed- The king is dead- and Tiger's Eye city was the last city not under Angers control.
Ratagi, the King's blacksmith, barricaded the door. Earlier he sent his wife and children to hide, away from Anger's Legions.
Anger has broken into the city and Hunters poured in.
Ratagi drew his sword. He had made it earlier, and his real sword was hidden. The door was destroyed by a fallen tree trunk. Two Hunters came in, swords drawn. Ratagi immediately attacked, viciously slashing, thrusting and cutting. The first Hunter had fallen, and another two leaped in, snarling in anger. He felled the other Hunter with a cut through the chest. They all backed off, and Seftis, Anger's chief general came in, and swung his sword with lightening speed, cutting Ratagi's knee. Ratagi still battled on, but he was no match for Seftis, who fell him with the butt of his sword. It hit him square in the head, and darkness swept over himâ¦

He awoke still in his home, but his sword had been taken from him. A Hunter walked up, grabbing his arm and lifting him up until they were eye to eye. "Lucky you," The Hunter growled, "you are going to live,"
"Lucky," Ratagi hissed. He struck him, but it seemed he probably had been drugged in his sleep, because it didn't hurt him that much. But the Hunters blow to his head certainly was.
"Anger is your king now," The Hunter chuckled. "Your little king has shown his true virtue, and has fled. You must obey Anger now, and he is letting you keep your blacksmith job." The Hunter waved a hand at Ratagi's anvil and hammer. There was an empty spot that a bundle of swords had been. "But if you make any swords or weapons, even a dagger, you will be killed."
"Why not kill me?" Ratagi spat at the Hunter.
"Because it is not my choice to make," The Hunter put his face to his so they could see eye to eye. Ratagi did not look away. "If it were my choice I would kill you myself right here, right now."
The Hunter stood up, and waved to his men. "We must be leaving now." He looked at Ratagi. "I'd suggest you get to work within the hour, scum," he spat.
"Why are you spending your time with a lowly blacksmith?" Ratagi asked.
"I don't know, exactly. It seems your new king has put an interest in you. You're very lucky. But I swear, soon, if it takes a hundred years, I will kill you." And with that, he and his men left.
Ratagi fell to his knees in his sacked old cottage and buried his face in his hands. Hopeless, he thought bitterly. Hopelessâ¦

Present day
Ratagi finished his work on the anvil. "Another fine horseshoe," he said bitterly. He dropped it in a water-filled barrel and sighed. It was the time of month where the Hunters inspect his home. He went and sat down on his old bed. "Hopeless," he said to himself. He felt dead. He felt empty.
There came a knock on the door. "Must be the old Major," he said to himself. He opened it, but it wasn't a Hunter. It was a man. He was tall, and his face was invisible in his hood and long cloak.
"Who are you?" Ratagi growled.
"A friend," the hooded man said
"And what kind of a friend might you be?" Ratagi asked.
"I promise to tell you, but if you don't let me in now, something tells me I won't live long enough." The man said bluntly.
Ratagi gestured in his cottage, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
The hooded figure walked inside the little cottage. "You do know who Anger is, do you not?" he asked.
After a moment, Ratagi said "Of course."
"You DO know that he conquered the Three Kingdoms?" he asked.
"Yeah- listen, I'm just about to put up a sign that will say âNO TRESPASSERS,' so I would quite like it if left, or stopped asking questions that even a child could answer. You think I don't know the man who brutally put down our armies and killed my family?"
The hooded figure ignored him and said "It seems you do let trespassers in quite a lot, it seems, you having Hunters inside searching the place every month, Ratagi."
He froze- "I haven't heard that name in eight years," he said, quietly after a pause.
The hooded figure didn't look surprised and said "Well, what if there were to be, shall we say, a resistance?" He lifted his hands up. "What if there are free men out there?"
Ratagi looked at him as if he were mad. "Anger is invincible," he said. "Nobody can defeat him. It is-" he paused, lowered his head. "Hopeless," he said, ashamed.
"Is it?" The man threw down his cloak and drew a long, gleaming sword. Under the ragged cloak was golden grey armour and fine clothes. He had dark black hair and a beard, and sharp hawk-like eyes.
"You are a War Prince," Ratagi gaped in awe. "You are a Knight of the west."
"No, I am no knight. But there is a resistance." The man said. "In the east, the King of the North and the West are in a city they call âThe Vault'."
"What about the king of the east?" Ratagi asked.
The man's face darkened. "The king of Greth is dead, don't you remember?" He asked.
"How do you keep this "Vault" a secret?" Ratagi asked.
"We travel in gangs, carrying any weapons we can get our hands on, or make ourselves. We wear ragged clothes to look more like outlaws and madmen than soldiers."
"What about the Hunters?"
"The Vault is by a forest, and is guarded by beasts like none other, but we are protected by magic- but if the Hunters DO come, the Vault doesn't take prisoners." He sheathed his sword. "We want you to come join the cause."
"Why me? I am just a poor old blacksmith." Ratagi snorted. "I don't think I am even very good with a sword anymore."
The man smiled. "I chose you."
Ratagi raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
The man ignored him and picked up his cloak. He tossed him a scrap of paper. "This'll help you." Paused, then added "No matter how impossible it seems to be, don't, repeat DON'T cross the bridge, or get into the sight of- of him."
"Who?" Ratagi asked.
"And never, NEVER eat the fruit along the way to the road- it may seem tempting, but one of the twelve lives around that place and guards the fruit."
After an hour of talking and planning, Ratagi agreed. The man was about to leave when he searched the map and called "What is your name?"
The man looked back. "Diamor," he said. And with that, he disappeared into the night.
Ratagi sat down and looked at the map, noticing that it was messily and somewhat recklessly drawn.
The Vault was surrounded by forest; it seemed that Diamor had been talking about the river. He even drew a path where he should go- yet Ratagi had been to the river before; it was a long chasm with a river at the bottom. There was a single bridge, carefully controlled by the Hunters- other than that, you can't pass unless you can fly, for it was thousands of miles long.
He studied the map grimly, and went to get ready. He got his supplies- some food, his dagger, which he concealed, a pair of thick boots, some gloves, some warm clothes (It gets very cold at night in Mans Telwar, whether it is summer or winter) two water bottles, a lantern, two torches and for the last- he went to his bed. He pushed his it to the side, and his rug under it, and with his dagger he removed the floorboards, and there it was- a concealed trapdoor. He went down into a dark room. Hidden by a pile of old yellowing maps was a case. He picked up the case and went back up the creaking steps. After he reached the top, he pulled a picture to the side, and pulled small silver key out of a crack in the wall. He clicked the key into the case, and opened it.
There lay a fine sword, hidden in its golden sheath. He picked it up and drew it. It was his father's sword a long time ago, and he had hidden it for a time such as this. He remembered each skill he had learned from twenty years back. His knowledge and excellent skill came back to him in a rush.
He made a battle stance. "Perfect." He said. The sword was perfectly fitted for him, so suited for him that it felt like an extension of his arm.
He drove it deep into a thick wooden pole. Strange lettering was etched onto the hilt, but Ratagi couldn't remember what it said. He stood for a few minutes trying to decipher the words, but realized that if he wanted to leave, he'd have to leave before the worst of the night cold set in.
He went to have the last meal at his home, but he heard something.
He came to the door, opening it quicklyâ¦

James stopped pounding on the door as it suddenly swung open. A large man stood in the house. He was tall, and very broad. He had to be in his late forties, at least. He wore a grim face, and dark brown hair, tainted with grey. He was holding something behind his back.
"What do you want?" the old man growled. He then added as if talking to himself, "I really should make that âno trespassers' sign."
"We need a little help, sir-" James said. "We need a place to hide."
"Hide?" the man lifted an eyebrow.
"It's a long story, just-" Charles began, and then he turned and saw the two Hunters lumbering after them, and both of them darted in before the man could object.
He would have gone inside searching for them, but the two Hunters came after them.
"Why hello, hunters." The man said, saying hunters with disdain. "What can I help you with?"
"Don't give me any of that, Blacksmith," the Hunter said, saying blacksmith like it was something he found on the bottom of his boot. "We saw two kids come inside. If you do not give them to us now, you will be executed for harbouring one or more outlaws."
"And what could two children do to you? Steal your food?" the man asked, still emotionless.
The Hunter spit on the man's boot and said "They destroyed the shrine of King Anger and killed a Hunter captain."
The man snickered, unsmiling. "Two kids killed a Hunter captain?" The two children saw a flicker of defiance in his eyes. The Hunter noticed it too, because he spat on his boot again. "Are you going anywhere, Blacksmith? You are sure dressed for it.
The two children, hiding under a table, looked at what the man had behind

[b]CHAPTER ONE\r\nA TRAITOR AMONG US[/b]    \r\n"In peace, sons bury their Fathers, in war, Father bury their sons" \r\n-Herodotus\r\n    It had been tough going for all three kingdoms, but it was by far the toughest for Greth, but after Angers legions met nothing but defeat, they spread like wildfire into the Greths' neighbours and allies, the T'Keth, and the Voranites. The western people of T'Keth were a proud, mysterious people who were known for their mastery of horses and swords. They were known also for their Powerful Knights, the Western Knights. They were feared by Anger's Troops, but their fear wasn't enough to stop the invasion. The people of T'Keth were being overrunâ�¦\r\n     Lord Ankan rode towards the city of Niana. Well, not a city, more of a fort. It had wooden walls with a gate that was barely strong enough to keep the livestock from wandering off.\r\n     Ankan was tall, broad man, like most western people. His cloak was a dull-yellow, and his sword rested in a golden sheath coated in jewels. A few other Knights rode with him.\r\n     He was bearing news to the lord of these parts- bad news.\r\nThe people of Niana had been allies of T'Keth for a long time and they would give any assistance if needed. Unluckily, Anger had successfully and decisively cut through the three empires like a knife with his soldiers from a distant land across the sea. Anger Troops they were called by the Voranites, though they were really called the Hunter People. They were led by a Grethinite traightor called Anger. Niana used to be a beautiful land back then, though after the mass deaths of many species, particularly the Hershbes, and after they all died out due to their prized thick hide used for armour and clothing; the land became very dreary because of the chain reaction after they died. After the Hershbes, the Grey Vultures, and then the other creatures died out from lack of food. The Nianians had tried to reintroduce these species, but they were quickly wiped out again by the eager Poachers that scoured the land.\r\n     Ankan rode to the village gates. Some children ran to see the knight riders. Their thin faces looked up in awe. All of them looked dirty and ragged and all had pale skin.\r\n     They reached the plaza. A small wooden hold was in the middle. Anjido dismounted and went inside, the other knights fanned out around the entrance, standing guard.\r\n     It was one huge dark room. A few dying embers smouldered in the Hearth. A large table stood in the center of the area. A pale man with a grey beard sat in the middle. Anjido bowed. "Greetings, Jestispoten, king of the Heiamonds. I am Ankan, trusted advisor of Wi'Tor, king of T'Keth." He said respectfully.\r\n     The man smiled nervously. "Why are you here?" He asked, with a nervous tone in his voice.       "I have news." Ankan said. "Anger's Legions are marching to this city as we speak. And one of the twelve is leading the invasion."\r\n     The king gazed at him, traumatized. "What is its name?" He gasped.\r\n     "It's Destiny." Ankan said, pronouncing Destiny Dest-eye-nee.\r\n     "Well - what do you suppose I do if Anger has cast his war-machine on my lands?" He asked.\r\n     "Wi'Tor suggested a safe spot close to the mountains, where it snows most. He knows that your magic is strong, and your peoples' skill with the bow is unmatched. You will be safe there, and the Anger Soldiers hate the cold. That lesson I won't soon forget."                         \r\n     The Heiamond king lowered his head. "We are not as strong as we used to be. All of our warriors are gone, long dead and we don't have the will or the means to replace them. We will fall soon. â��It is best we make our last stand here. And even if we flee, they will set our traitorous cousins after us."\r\n     Ankan narrowed his eyes. "Destiny's servants are too powerful for you to kill even one. It is said that they are faster than the falcons in the sky." He said. "You and your people deserve life, not death. You certainly do not deserve to die in vain."\r\n     There was a pause. Then the king sighed. "Some of my people will refuse to leave this land. I will have as many people leave to those parts as I can."\r\n     Ankan nodded. "And what is your fate?" He asked.\r\n     "I will go to the mountains as well, for my work here is not yet done. The Heiamonds will live on."\r\n     Ankan nodded again. "It is good you made the right decision. Now, I must be off." He said, and got up. He strode outside to see that it was snowing.\r\nHe looked at his knights. "Kasdid," he said.\r\n     The knight stepped forward. "Yes?" He responded.\r\n     "You are in charge now," Ankan said. "You must go to assist a small army in the Northeast of T'Keth, for they might be our last hope. Now, I must be off now."\r\n     "Where are you going?" The knight asked.\r\n     "That is my business." He said as he mounted his horse. "Farewell!" He cried, and rode off.\r\n     Kasdid groaned. "We still have work to do, Knights of T'Keth." He said, and the knights sighed wearily. "Now come, we must go assist our people, now. Come, ride!"\r\n"Where Kasdid goes, we shall follow!" A warrior cried. Kasdid was a hero to his people, and the knights gladly followed him into the lowering sun.\r\n\r\n*              *               *\r\n\r\n    A small army of Western horsemen went to rest by a grove of trees. The captain, Bastidil, was eyeing the hill sharply, for he thought he heard a noiseâ�¦\r\n     "What are you looking at, sir?" Sinia, Bastidils' Shield bearer, said huskily as he walked up. He was carrying his helmet, and wore steel mail, and had a long, blonde beard. He was a big man, and had proved his warrior skills several months ago, when Anger started invading.\r\n     "I heard something," Bastidil said, keeping his eyes on the distant hills. "The sound came from over the hills." Bastidil wore a silver plate body over steel chainmail. He had long dark brown hair and a rough beard. He had his sword by his side, his hand on the hilt, ready to draw it. He was very broad, somewhat short, but very strong. He had proven what he could do on the battlefield against Anger's legions.\r\n     He looked back to his men, and even though they were sitting down to consume their miniscule rations, most of them had their spears and swords drawn and in their hands. T'Keth was hostile territory now, with Anger's warriors patrolling the land.\r\n     But we are patrolling this land just the same, Bastidil thought. This is OUR territory. Anger's men won't defeat us on Western soil.\r\n     The sound came again- a loud, hoarse shout. Many men heard it, leaping up and picking up their spears and swords and rallying around the army standard. The rest of the men did so too.\r\n     A man walked on top of the hill- he was cloaked, and carried a long sword with a golden hilt.\r\n     "Who are you?" Bastidil shouted hoarsely.\r\n     The man threw down his cloak, revealing his magnificent silver armour, and his helmet with a T shaped visor and a magnificent horse plume.\r\n     The men gasped and dropped their weapons as the War-Knight walked down the hill, followed by about twenty other Western Knights.\r\n     "What are you doing here, sir knight?" Bastidil asked, dumbfounded. He had never seen so many Knights together before.\r\n     "Lord Anjido sent me here," The Knight said. "He told me that any kind of aid to you would be sorely-." He stopped mid-sentence.\r\n     "What?" Bastidil asked a tone of awe still in his voice.\r\n     "The King's other armies have been destroyed," The Knight said. "The garrisons he sent out have been caught in an ambush of catastrophic proportions."\r\n     "So we are the only people out here-" Bastidil gasped at the thought- they could be attacked any minute. He looked at the Knight. "What is your name?" he asked.\r\n     The Knight took his helmet off. "Kasdid," he said.\r\n     Bastidil stared at awe. "You mean the Kasdid, the man who almost single handedly defended Vandieis palace?"\r\n"I'd think so," he said. "There is a Hunter army, three times the size of this one. They know where you are, somehow, and there is no way of out-running them."\r\n     Bastidil opened his eyes wide. "We haven't even come into contact with the Hunters yet," he breathed, "There is a traitor among us."\r\n     An uneasy murmur spread through the crowd.\r\n     Bastidil sighed. "Well, what shall we do now?" he looked at Kasdid.\r\n     He put his helmet on. "Well," He said, "We have no choice but to stand our ground."\r\n     "How long do we have?" Bastidil asked.\r\n     "I would say about two or three hours," The Knight said grimly.\r\n     "Well, that leaves enough time for one last meal!" Bastidil called. The soldiers spread across the field cheered.\r\n     "And one more thing," Kasdid said. "The Troop lord Seftis is with them."\r\n     The men fell silent.\r\n     \r\n     The army spent a whole hour preparing for battle. They ate their food, and started to get ready. They were to use the hills as their advantage, but the Troops could come from anywhere. Bastidil small army went into the open and stood, inspecting all sides.\r\n     They watched, trying to think of a battle strategy. "What is your plan, sir?" Sinia asked.\r\n     "I don't know." Bastidil said uneasily. "They'll probably outnumber us and outclass us. Most of our soldiers are just fresh recruits. We'll have to keep the Knights a secret until the last moment; hopefully they'll be shocked into submission by an elite enemy."\r\n     Sinia nodded. "Not much of a strategy, but it might work." He said. He mounted his brown charger and drew his sword as the red banner of Anger came into the distance.\r\n     The Hunter army was huge, but it looked as if it was disorganized. They formed up an even line, a row of archers safely behind ranks of swordsmen, and a small amount of Calvary defending the flanks.\r\n     They won't be a problem, Bastidil thought. They don't know about the Knights that we have. They have hidden the knights behind the main Hunter army, so they could quickly flank the enemy before they knew what hit them.\r\n     "FIRE!" The Hunter captain cried.\r\n     A volley of arrows flew into the front line of Bastidils soldiers, piercing feet and necks, bouncing harmlessly off helmets and armour.\r\n     "FIRE!" Bastidil bellowed in return.\r\n     "FORWARD!" The Hunter captain ordered.  \r\nBastidil thought. They are advancing to get this over with.\r\n     "PREPARE TO CHARGE!" The Hunter captain ordered. They were only a couple strides away, a distance each army could cover in seconds.\r\n     Bastidil could hear everything- the heavy breathing of his men, the steady heartbeat of his horseâ�¦\r\n     "CHARGE!" The enemies reared up, and attacked.\r\n     The Hunters clashed with the Western warriorsâ�¦\r\n     Instant chaos! All lines were broken. All Bastidil saw on the battlefield was in disarray. He looked at his cavalry and drew his sword. "CHARGE!" he bellowed and rode into battle.\r\n     There, he saw, getting off his horse was the Hunter Lord Seftis. He drew his sword and ran into battle. The Hunters were pushing them back, and they only had one last hopeâ�¦\r\n     Bastidil kicked a Hunter and stabbed it. "Kasdid, ATTACK!"\r\n     The Knights advanced forward. On sight the Hunters shrank back and hesitated, unsure of how to react. Kasdid drew his sword. "FOR THE KING! FOR T'KETH!" and leaped forward, using lightening fast attacks, taking down any enemy in his path. Some tried to run, but Kasdid was too quick. Any Hunter who fought him was utterly destroyed.\r\n     Then, Seftis attacked, starting with a slash. Kasdid blocked, and countered with a series of attacks that would spin anybody's mind. Seftis was thrown back. He backed away, and two warriors took his place.\r\n     Bastidil stopped to catch his breath after defeating another Hunter. He kicked his horse and galloped through a hunter to get to Sinia. "We are driving them back! We are winning!" He cried. His troops swarmed around him, bloodthirsty for the enemy that had attacked their families and homes for their own greed. He knew that he'd get many rewards for defeating a Hunter army three times the size of his, and even simply defeating Seftis would give him a reward, let alone his capture.\r\n     Bastidil was deep in thought as Sinia swung his sword at him, slicing off his helmets plume. Bastidil was so shocked he almost fell of his horse. He parried another slash. "What in the- you are the traitor?" He cried in disbelief.\r\n     "I am no traitor. I am not from the west." Sinia snarled as he attacked again.\r\n     "You are a Hunter spy," Bastidil shock was immediately replaced by contempt. He angrily leapt off his horse and tackled Sinia off his. He hit the ground and started striking him repeatedly. Sinia retaliated by drawing his dagger and swung it, slicing his cheek. Bastidil was stronger than him, and kept it to his advantage. He put his elbow to Sinias neck, and used his other hand to hold his dagger.\r\n      Sinia had surprising strength, and threw Bastidil back and jumped onto him, but Bastidil was quick, and he put his dagger in front of him and Sinia fell onto it. Bastidil pushed the man off him, who stood up, and tried removing the dagger in his chest. He spat out blood and fell over on his back.\r\n     Bastidil spat, for Sinia had sworn dedication to T'Keth and himself.\r\n     Bastidil slowly hauled himself to his feet, and then went to pick up his sword.    \r\n     Meanwhile, Kasdid had been surrounded and ganged up by Anger Troops, including Seftis. He was hit in the neck by an assailant with a sling. He fell onto his knees, but still swung his sword threateningly. More Anger Troops surrounded him. Seftis walked up, ducking a sword blow, and then knocked him unconscious with the butt of his sword. The man with the sling went and picked him up. He would make a prized prisoner. Seftis saw that they were being rushed by the people of the west, who started a flood of routing Hunters.\r\n     "Retreat! We will fight another day!" Seftis called, waving his sword.\r\n     Bastidil made a sigh of relief, which quickly changed into a shout of victory.\r\n     The Troops were broken and fleeing. "Where is Kasdid?" Bastidil asked a Knight.\r\n     "He disappeared. I don't know!" The Knight answered, obviously disturbed.\r\n     Little did Bastidil know that Kasdid was not dead, but a prisoner.\r\n     "Wait a second- why did Seftis attack us?" I thought he was fighting the Grethinites." Bastidil asked.\r\n     "I don't know- but what I do know is that he's a very â��Hands On' person." The knight said. "He'll loot a blacksmith's house in an assault against a village if he'd get the chance, so I guess that's the reason he was in that small Hunter army. I've fought against his Legions before. Much stronger than any other Legion of any other Hunter Lord."\r\n     "There are more Hunter Lords?" Bastidil asked.\r\n     The knight just nodded.\r\n     Bastidil sighed and sat down. "I can count on one thing," he said.  "Mans Telwar is in trouble. It isn't safe anymore."\r\n     The men's cheering finally ceased. "The battle is victorious, but at a crippling cost, it seems." Another Knight said, walking up. Blood stained his silver chest plate. "We've lost four knights in counting. The Anger Troops will be back again, this time with more than one Legion."\r\n     "I know," Bastidil said, sheathing his sword. "And we'll be ready next time."\r\n\r\nGreth\r\nTwo days later\r\n     The people of the east, Grethinites, had the toughest time of all the Three Kingdoms. Anger's invasion started inside the Eastern Kingdom of Greth, and they are still being invaded. Luckily, the Grethinites are expert craftsmen, and have walls of stone.\r\n     But still, stone will be no match for Anger's Troopsâ�¦\r\n     Here, the Anger Legions of Lord Barak and Oslan advance on the city of Oslita, ready to fightâ�¦\r\n  After many days of siege, the Legions of Barak and Oslan broke through the walls   \r\n   Daniel, chief general and commander of Greths armies stared at the three Legions advancing through the crumbled walls of Oslita. He drew his sword, and cried "CHARGE!!!" and plunged into battle. He was an excellent warrior, but the Hunter army was enormous. He had never fought such a force in his life. His spearmen were advancing on the enemy's sides, and successfully outflanked them, but the Hunters only advanced forward faster. They were taking more Grethinites warriors than his army could withstand.  Cavalry charged the Troops and pushed them back. They still advanced forward, not caring about how many casualties their side lost. The Grethinites, however, couldn't take the casualties that were happening to them.\r\n     Daniel plunged his sword through another Hunter and made a low slash falling two others.\r\n     The swordsmen and the cavalry were taking the front while spearmen went to their sides. Archers and crossbowmen fired frantically at the surging army, spreading like a wildfire. Daniel ducked from a Hunter's swing of his sword. He countered with a successful thrust and kicked him.\r\nDaniel felled another Hunter and shouted "Fall back! There are too many!" But the warriors bravely fought on. "FALL BACK!" Daniel roared again and again as a horseman rode to Daniel.\r\n"The city is surrounded," The horseman said. "We have nowhere to run."\r\n     Daniel hesitated. Another city, he thought, under Anger's control! He overwhelmed his fear of death and pain and charged.\r\n     They couldn't hold them for much longer. All was lost, untilâ�¦\r\n     A trumpet sound filled everyone's ears. "That's not ours, and that sure isn't a Hunter horn," Daniel said to himself in amazement.\r\n     Banners with eagles, hawks, and falcons rose high.\r\n     A huge army of Voranites charged the back of the Hunter army, pinning them in the narrow streets of Oslita. Battle cries roared louder than the clang of swords and the steady beat of war drums. Voranites wore paint on their faces and charged with spears, war hammers and swords in their hands. The Hunters sent their sights to the new enemy. They retreated from the city to finish the new barbarian forces and then finish the others off.\r\n     But the Grethinites were no fools. They charged the retreating Hunters. Their lines were destroyed. They had no orders. They were too disorganized to come together as a unit. Some ran, few stayed. Soon the enemy army was completely destroyed, being pinned inside the city walls.\r\n     There was a long pause. The only sound was wind. Then, cheering and roaring in victory, but mostly in cautious relief.\r\n     The Voranite General approached the Grethininites.\r\n     "A little late, are you not?" Daniel laughed, walking to them, wiping the sweat from his brow. "We thought you might have been destroyed on the way.\r\n     The Voranites lines opened up, and a tall, strong man with a grey beard walked up. "As if," he laughed. "We were delayed to go back to Voraia. An enemy Legion of Anger Troops and Hates was spotted by our borders. We were busy with them for a while."\r\n     "Well, at least you showed up at all, or we would have been destroyed without a fight." Daniel waved a hand at the small garrison inside the city. "We were waiting for more Grethinites reinforcements when they attacked."\r\n     The bearded man looked at him strangely. "It seems that they know just the right time to attack, have not you noticed?" he said. "They seem to know when we're at our weakest and more disorganized."\r\n     Daniel nodded. "And we know why," he said. "The people of T'Keth told us that they caught a spy giving away the location of their secret armies."\r\n     The man scoffed at the word secret, for Voranites were mostly open people and never held secrets. "Their armies are always larger then our original reports show." The man said, stroking his beard. "They must have some powerful magic in their hands."\r\n     Daniel nodded. "Anger was and still is a sorcerer and a magician. But I had no idea he had this much power- he could only do tricks that amazes a crowd, like the tricks a performer has."\r\nThere was a short pause. Then, "I must see Lord Joshua," The man said.\r\n     After an hour or so, Greths reinforcements came. They had, like the Voranites, been delayed. They were up against some powerful enemies, but not as much as they thought.\r\n     Daniel was sent with an army to clean up the rest of the Hunters.\r\n     \r\nDaniel led a huge army behind him. They were patrolling northwest, for there was an army spotted there by scouts.\r\n     Daniel scanned the rocky land. There was not a bird in sight. They decided to rest by a grove of trees. Daniel didn't eat. He ran his hand through his short brown hair. He saw something inside the trees- a quick red blur.\r\n     "What is that?" he looked closely. An arrow suddenly whizzed past his forehead. "An ambush," he said to himself, and then aloud.\r\n     "The Hunters are attacking!" People dropped their food and grabbed weapons as Hunters attacked them, most carrying bows, shooting the defenceless crowd.\r\n     Daniel drew his sword and charged, but no matter how many Hunters had fallen, they seemed to be replaced by new ones. The scout is a traitor, he thought. He got us to walk right into an ambush. He was furious now. He swung his sword swiftly, and never hesitated once. Ten Hunters were down in a flash. He attacked without any sign of wavering. He charged again, slicing quickly and efficiently, fighting ruthlessly. By now, his army was ready and fighting back, But there were simply too many Hunters and they were still too unorganized to stand a chance. They were surrounded.\r\nDaniel was shot out of bloodlust as an arrow flew into his back. He gasped, but fought on. He cursed, for he was one of the last people left. He was shot again, this time in the heart, and the rest of the Hunters stopped, and Daniel, along with few others, were aimed and fired at by hundreds of archers.\r\nAll were dead. There was silence, except for one last man, an arrow piercing his shoulder.\r\nThe Hunter lines opened up, and Seftis looked at him. He then looked at the Anger Troops. "Take him. He will be of good use. I will interrogate him later."\r\nThe man still had strength. He picked up his sword- and took his own life with it.\r\nAs he fell onto the ground, the Hunter Lord sighed, and then looked at his men. "Very well," he said. "We shall go back to Anger, for his plan was a success." The Hunters raised their fists to their chests in triumph.\r\nAnger had won a decisive battle, and the Grethinites had no idea.\r\nThe End has begun.\r\nIt is only a matter of time before the Three Kingdoms will break.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[b]CHAPTER TWO:\r\nTHE FALL[/b]\r\n"A house divided can not stand"\r\n-Abraham Lincoln\r\n\r\n    Voranites, the war-like people of the north, are all but weak and feeble. They are well known for their work with spearmen and anti-horseman warriors as well as their Nizintia knights. The Voranites were caught in the middle of the war, and Anger is sending all he can to rid himself of the war like people.\r\n     But the Voranites will never give up their land without a fight. Anger must have the perfect warriors to do the trick- Hunter swordsmen are easy targets for cavalry, and his cavalry are perfect shots for spearmen. He has but one chance to battle the Voranites nowâ�¦\r\n     Seftis and his army stormed into the city of Yestock. The inhabitants were rebel Voranites, disgraced by the throne- all have ran away being accused of treason, attempted assassination, armed assault to a superior, and worst of all- running away from battle. Even those who have a taint of disloyalty will be banished. Many have escaped prisons and away from death, torture, and execution.\r\n     They all had some type of weapon, but actual swords or spears were rare.\r\n     At first sight of the Troops, they picked up their bows and took aim, and they readied their weapons in preparation for battle.\r\n     Seftis waved his hand, signalling he meant no harm. A man with a thin sword and a ragged old greenish grey cloak pushed his way through the crowd. "Who are you?" he rasped. His nose was crooked and long, and walked with a slight limp. His back sagged.\r\n     "We are Hunters; we serve the great king Anger." Seftis said, trying to be polite.\r\n     "Anger- yes, we have heard of Anger." The man said. He looked down.\r\n     "Well, if you have not known, he is at war with the Voranites, the people who banished and sent away you people." Seftis said.\r\n     "They banished us," the man said blankly, obviously thinking. "We have wanted their destruction for since this city was built."\r\n     "Well, you can see them be destroyed, and you could, shall we say, join the cause." The Hunter Lord said.\r\n     "How?" the man was now alertly interested now.\r\n     "We now you used to be Voranites," Seftis said, his head to one side. "And at least some of you may know some secrets and weaknesses that they still have. Maybe, you can inherit Voraia if you share them with us."\r\n     The man smiled. "A pleasure," he said.\r\n     "But there is one thing you must do," Seftis smiled solemnly. "You must pledge allegiance to King Anger, and you shall inherit all of Voraia as your own. All you have to do is say you will die for him."\r\n     The man smiled, revealing a long line of crooked yellow teeth. "Yes! We will do anything to destroy the Voranites. Weâ�¦" he turned to the people. "Will fight and die for Anger!" he raised his arm. The crowd cheered and raised their weapons.\r\n     The Hunter smiled, and turned to his men. "This will be easier than expectedâ�¦"\r\n     \r\n     The Voranites were the only people who had a wooden wall guarding their capital instead of a stone one. But if you would ask "Why do you not have a stone wall like the east and the west?" and the Voranite would raise his head high and say "We do not need any wall. We face the enemy with swords in our hands, and snarls on our faces. We don't hide behind anything."\r\n     But today, the Voranite capital, Kania was besieged, and they had to give up their old tradition. The Hunters suddenly withdrew, giving them time to call in reinforcements. The king met with the generalâ�¦\r\n     "We were outnumbered, but managed to keep them out of the city," King Eraz said.\r\n     General Kizas snorted. "So much for old tradition." He then looked at the king and said "Word has it that Anger's forces are patrolling OUR land."\r\n     Eraz pounded the stone table with his fist, shaking it. "They will NOT get away with this! Send out your army, and CRUSH it. Those weaklings will not get away with this!" He was seething with anger.\r\n     "And one more thing," Kizas said grimly, "An army of Voranite exiles are with them."\r\n     A vein popped up on Eraz's forehead. "Anger is tampering with the dishonourable; disloyal cowards that had their pleasure snaking through my land! They are probably giving them our secrets! That Anger has gone to far this time!"\r\n     "They are headed for this city," Kizas said calmly. "We are preparing our defences." He started to leave when Eraz held him back.\r\n     "One more thing," he said, his fury stilled.\r\n     "Anything for you, oh king." Kizas said.\r\n     "Ready my horse," he said. "Nothing will pleasure me more than to see one of these cowards dead at my foot, granted they do not flee from the sight of true Voranites first."\r\n     Kizas grinned. "It shall be done, oh king."\r\n     \r\nThe army of exiles came into view almost right after the king was on his horse. He smiled evilly as he drew his sword.\r\nThe Voranite spearmen cheered as he rode past. "Open the gates!" he roared. The warriors cheered even louder. The gates opened, and the army came out. He rode by his army, shouting loudly so all could hear. "Today we face exiles and cowards," he yelled. "They are people who have been charged with cowardice and disloyalty. Are you going to flee and run as they did?"\r\nThe army exclaimed in disgust. "They have all been banished for a reason," he cried. "They have shown poor skill and cowardice and have mocked the Voranite ways. Today they think they will defeat us in battle. Now, my friends show them what it is like to be a true Voranite!" The army roared and cheered.\r\nThen, a Hunter army came behind the exiles. The cheering died down into taunting and mocking voices.\r\nThe spearmen were in front, followed by the archers and, and the horsemen guarded the flanks.\r\n     The exiles charged; all had spears and round shields. Most had red, green, black and blue paint covered on their shields and faces.\r\n     Of course, the exiles could not take down the Voranites in a frontal assault. The spearmen backed away, but they were supported by cavalry, charging the Voranites flanks.\r\n     The archers fired at them, but it didn't stop much, and then the Hunter army along with the exile warriors charged.\r\n     The king cried "For Voraia!" and charged. Two Exiles and a Hunter were crushed under the horse's feet. Eraz made slashes and cuts, precisely taking down one person at a time. He was outnumbered, but not outclassed, and he used that to his advantage. He charged a single exile, which hid behind his spear, and hit the horse, taking Eraz off his mount.\r\n     He got up, cursing. He charged the man who took his horse. He liked that horse. It had been given to him from Wi'Tor as a gift!\r\n     With a single slash, the exile was dead. "FOR VORAIA!" he cried again, raising his sword. "And for Agenthis!"\r\n     A Hunter archer fired his bow, narrowly missing his heart. It somehow got through his armour, piercing his skin. But it wasn't deep enough for it to cause any extreme pain, but the wound was serious. He yanked it out. Blood stained the tip. He held it high for the Hunter to see, throwing it down, and charging, the impact taking down the archer immediately.\r\n     His men were being pushed back. "Fall back!" he roared. "Fall back into the city!"\r\n     The men did as he ordered. He had to break the old tradition again.\r\n     He scanned the army, frantically searching for his lead General.\r\n     Where was Kizas? Was he dead? Or worseâ�¦\r\n     The archers fired their bows, desperately trying to hold the enemy back- but it was no use. They were pushing in too hard.\r\n     Kizas rode to the king. His helmet was gone, and his black hair was in tangles. His armour was stained with blood. Some of it was his own, for there was a bad cut on his leg. "We can not hold them back, let alone defeat them!" he cried. "If they get inside, they will kill all of the women and children."\r\n     King Eraz lowered his head. "We have one last thing to do, I guess," he said shamefully. "We must get them and as many people out of the city as fast as we can before we are surrounded." Saying this, he knew that he had tainted and disrupted the reputation of his fathers, of his people, of his nation.\r\nBut if his people were to surviveâ�¦\r\n     Kizas nodded. "I understand," he said. He turned and ran to give the orders.\r\n     Kizas gave the orders- the people were defeated, and all knew that the rest of Voranite resistance would be or probably already was crushed. The people who once were the proud war-like people of the north were finished.\r\nKing Eraz Immediately set out to the Capital of the east, to try to rally the last resistance of the three kingdoms in one last stand against Anger.\r\n They also called the King of T'Keth and Greth to the capital of the east, the Grethinite capital. Sadly, there were many disputesâ�¦\r\n     \r\n     The three kings sat in the stone room of the castle of Greths capital, Kioda.\r\n     Eraz was furious with Greths king, Sref.\r\n     "It is YOUR fault my land is gone, your fault that we are in flight!"\r\n     Sref looked angry. "How is this MY fault?" he asked.\r\n     "It was YOUR servant that went mad. YOUR servant who has created the armies that now attack us, and YOUR servant that has destroyed me!" Eraz roared.\r\n     "You are wasting my time, blaming Greth as if we created Anger! You are not the only faced with annihilation!" Sref growled.\r\n     "But we have been hurt worst, for we have lost all of our land! We are being forced to flee into the hills with the wolves and the dogs!" Eraz cried.\r\n     "It is not my fault that you have been defeated. It is no ones fault but yours!"\r\n     "Do you not see?" Eraz lowered his head. "We are done for!"\r\n     "We are not, but you are," Sref retorted.\r\n     "You have destroyed us all!" Eraz snarled, his hand resting on his swords hilt threateningly.\r\n     "That's ENOUGH." The western king, Wi'Tor spoke for the first time.\r\n     They looked at him as if he were mad. "We are all facing the end of our kingdoms, which is frightening as it is immediate." He got up from his chair. "But fighting and accusing each other will not stop Anger, let alone save our people. We will help you, Eraz, and give you a home."\r\n     "We do not need your help!" Eraz snarled again.\r\n     "Help?" Wi'Tor snorted. "The reason we are all being destroyed is that we did not help each other. We were prosperous when we were together. And now, Anger is winning because we are too proud for any help."\r\n     "Anger would have never been a threat if we were united. But apart, we invite invasion. Think of how many lives we could have saved just by helping each other."\r\n     The two kings lowered their heads. "Daniel was a close friend of mine-" Sref started, and then lifted his head. "Wi'Tor-"\r\n     He stopped and looked down. "It is too late," he said. "We are finished as well. The news came to this city this morning. Oslita has fallen in the hands of Oslan and Barak's Legions. They are coming to destroy our last city here." He said.\r\n     Wi'Tor sighed. "I have only one city as well," he said. "And T'Keth is overrun with Anger's servants. My people and I- are destined to die, But as an old Voranite saying goes-"\r\n     He paused, and said "Freedom is my right, if death be the toll, then so be it."\r\n     There was silence as he was off.\r\nThe east's capital was surrounded. The last of resistance was failing- they were being destroyedâ�¦\r\nSref sighed as the Hunters poured into the city, destroying the last resistance. He knew that this glorious city was finished. He was dressed in poor clothes, along with his wife. He had to pass as a peasant, or the kingdom would fall. His people were being defeated. Cavalry charged the Hunters, but it only held them back for a while. Archers fired volley after volley to take them down- but it was no use. The Hunters were advancing, however slowly. The cavalry fled, along with the rest of the army. The Hunters began looting the place. The east was done for- at least the king and queen were safe. He saw two warriors. Neither of them were Seftis, but he knew that they were the Hunter Lords Oslan and Barak. And they were both going up the palace steps.\r\n     Jacob, Sref's new advisor, was sitting in the king's throne. He had volunteered to die for the king in the hands of the Hunter Lord.\r\n     As Sref left the city with a few people, the two Hunter Lords overwhelmed the guards and broke into the palace. One faced Jacob.\r\n     "So," he said, "so this is the king of Greth?" He asked.\r\n     Jacob grunted in return.\r\n     "So," the Hunter Lord continued advancing forward. "Where are Greths mighty forces now?"\r\n     Jacob scowled.\r\n     "Seems that the mighty empire of Greth isn't as mighty as we thought." He said. He drew his sword.\r\n     "Surely you wouldn't kill an unarmed man." Jacob said.\r\n     The first Hunter Lord turned to the younger looking Lord who gave him a nod. "No." He said. He turned to the second one. Without words, the other drew his sword and tossed it to the other. "I'm killing an armed man."\r\n     Jacob caught the sword and went into a stance. He was a good fighter, but probably no match for a Hunter Lord. "Be my guest and start first." The Hunter Lord said.\r\n     Jacob wasted no time. He ran in with some slashes and cuts. He knew he would never be able to take down his opponent, but he could wound him. And wound him he did.\r\n     The Hunter Lord blocked them all, except for one, which caught the left side of his cheek. He howled in pain and clutched the wound. It was dripping a lot of blood. But the fight wasn't over yet. He blocked another of Jacob's slashes and countered with a powerful counter which stabbed Jacob through his chest.\r\n     He spat at Jacob's body. "Do you think this is their king?" Oslan asked.\r\n     Barak shook his head. "I've heard a description of this king and this man doesn't fit. And I don't think the king of Greth knows how to fight." He grimaced from the pain.\r\n     "I think it would be best to bandage that wound." Oslan said.\r\n     Barak nodded in return.\r\nWi'Tor reached Tiger's Eye city of T'Keth about a month later. The people were besieged. He was back home- but home can be a dangerous place sometimesâ�¦\r\n     "My King, there is a Hunter army in the distance coming this way!" a scout cried to Wi'Tor.\r\n     This was bad news for the king. But he felt no fear. "How many are there?" he asked.\r\n    "They come from as far as I could see." The scout said solemnly.\r\n     The king sighed. "Prepare my son and my horses. Get my son out of the city and out of the war with as many people you can sneak through the passage. The last of my men and I will hold them off."\r\n     The scout sighed. "Yes, great king." \r\n\r\n*              *               *\r\n\r\n    "WHAT?" Prince Richard roared in anger. "You want ME to leave the city and have my people die while I am riding safely away from the city?"\r\n     Prince Richard was not too happy about the fact that he would not be allowed to fight. They were in the stables. Three people were there- the scout, a soldier, and a blacksmith.\r\n     "They are not your people yet, young prince," the blacksmith said as he got Richard onto his horse.\r\n     "Watch your tongue, or you may have it cut off!" Richard said angrily.\r\n     "I may not have time," he said sadly. "I must stay with the king. I am guarding my house. At least I know my wife and children are safe."\r\n     Richard was still enraged. "Why can I not die with my father?"\r\n     "It is because you are only a boy, sir." The soldier said, chuckling. "And we need the king's blood so that at least the west would still live."\r\n     Richard sighed. "Someday, I will fight for my people. Someday, I will be a hero like my father."\r\n     The blacksmith sighed. "Someday," he echoed. "It would have been my pleasure to fight with you."\r\n     Wi'Tor drew his sword as the Hunters broke into the city. He had gotten the news earlier that the east was finished as well.\r\n     He raised his sword high and cried "For T'Keth! For the west!" and charged. He had four knights beside him as chaos erupted.\r\n     New enemies helped the Hunters- they were knights of The West traitors, who turned to Anger for wealth and money. They wore the same armour, but theirs' was red.\r\n     He charged into battle, slashing and stabbing and cutting continuously, falling Hunters by the minute. The city was surrounded, but at least his son, a third of his soldiers, and the woman and children would be safe as he and his men died- but most of the people would rather die or be slaves then leave the city. Many woman and young men took up knives and pitchforks and barricaded their homes.\r\n     The Hunters broke in on the other side of the city. "Well," he said to himself. "This is it." He was badly bruised. His leg was bleeding. He couldn't do anythingâ�¦\r\n     He was engaged by two Hunters. He was badly wounded. He attacked, and fell the first, but was stabbed by the second Hunter. In his last breath, he made a defiant cry, and stabbed the second one. And it came to pass that the west was finishedâ�¦\r\n     \r\n\r\n    The leader of Greth, king Sref, passed as a peasant in Tiger's Eye city, a capital of the West for seven more years, but was soon betrayed by a friend, and was executed. The Three Kingdoms, the once powerful empire, was crushed.\r\n     Everything was hopelessâ�¦\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPART TWO \r\nTHE VAULT\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[b]CHAPTER THREE\r\nREBELLIOUS STRANGERS[/b]    \r\n"A journey of a thousand miles begins with only a single step-" Lao Tzu\r\n    Clack! James' wooden sword clashed onto Charles'.\r\n     "Take this!" James laughed.\r\n     It was dusk. The two tramp kids playing "Swordfight" with some sticks they found lying around. They were hiding in a barren broken down house that no one had lived in for at least three years. It was cobwebbed and dusty, and ashes littered the ground from a forgotten fire, and some parts of the house looked like it was demolished with a hammer. The house was destroyed three years ago when some man killed a Hunter with a rock. He was then immediately taken away and his house was left to nature. The twin brothers knew that not even the Hunters bothered to come here anymore.     \r\n  Tiger's Eye city was the last city to be conquered by Anger, the last city of the West. It was very hard to take, since the elite of the west had united behind the cities tall stone walls, and a stone wall enforced with Western warrior would have been impossible to take, but after the other cities were taken, Tiger's Eye was then surrounded. Nobody knows where the kings and heirs to the throne are, but most, preferably everybody, are told and now think of them to be dead.\r\n     James and Charles were two twelve year old boys who had more experience in surviving then most soldiers. They are twin tramp kids who, as boys, their parents were taken from them and they have to make a living on the streets. Unlike many siblings, they thought of themselves more as friends than brothers. They were identical in every way, but James had jet black, straight hair, while Charles had slightly curly, brown hair. They each had blue eyes, and were very thin. But, being identical on the outside, they were very different on the inside. James, was very athletic and acted boldly, loved playing practical jokes, and got bored real quick if he had to sit down, and always decided to express his feelings openly, and acted like he didn't care. Charles, however, was a quiet type of person, who was very clever and nice, he was not as athletic as his brother, but James owed his life to Charles, just as Charles owed his life to James. Each were good climbers and would climb anything worth climbing, whenever they could. James loves practical jokes, and once he had played many jokes that would have gotten him killed.\r\n     Like this one prank James had pulled about a month agoâ�¦\r\n     "Come on, Charles! It'll be funny, and we'll get some food!" James said to Charles, but his brother shook his head.\r\n     "This is stupid, James, and how is dying funny?" Charles rolled his eyes.\r\n     They had both climbed a tree. James was eying a Hunter who was eating a meal. He was like most any other Hunter, tall, broad, slightly sharp teeth, always wore a red helmet unless they're eating, and they wear red armour with yellow stripes on their helmet. They don't carry any concealed weapons, (doing this out of pride and a sudden new sense of honour) and always have a knife that the twins figured could easily be thrown, and a long, thick sword. It was made of fine steel, and everyone had seen what it could do. It a lot like a T'Keth sword except with a different hilt.\r\n     James gave Charles a rock. "You throw this; we both know I'm faster than you." Charles bit his lip angrily, hating the fact that he told him that almost every day but, as always, he got over it and calmly said "Fine. Just don't die."\r\n     James grinned. "I won't." He remarked placidly. The plan was for Charles (In the tree) to throw a rock at the Hunter. He'll get up, and look for the person who threw it, but Charles would be concealed by the tree's thick branches and leaves. James would sneak by, steal his food (The Hunter always eats enough for five people to feast upon, and they always eat fast, so they had to act faster) and have a feast.\r\nWell, Charles threw the rock, hitting him square in the chin. He dropped his knife after making a loud grunt and fell over. He might have been knocked unconscious. Not part of the plan.  \r\nBut maybe he had seen him throw it and is faking it. Either way, James came and took the food just as two Hunter warriors walked by. They each saw a boy taking food from a friend with a bleeding jaw. They each drew their swords, cursing loudly, and shouting as James ran away, as swiftly as his skinny but quick legs could carry him.\r\n     Charles knew that Hunters don't grow tired for a long time, and after James will have to stop, and would be sliced into hundreds of pieces before he could say a word. He had four backup rocks, and he decided to take the fall for him, so he took his rocks, and threw one at one. It hit him in the neck, and he was furious. Then Charles threw another rock, this time hitting the other Hunter by the ear. They each forgot about James (They didn't compromise about one chasing James and another attacking the new enemy.) and ran to Charles, which was now easily seen. Charles threw a third rock. It struck home, right on the Hunter's nose. He was trying to climb the tree, and fell onto his friend, and both of them fell on the ground. The Hunter pulled his friend off him, only to be hit in the head with another rock.\r\n     James came running to Charles, who climbed down. James came and got the food, running away with it, as new Hunters came by angrily, with nothing to see but a bunch of unconscious friends.\r\n     That was one of many adventures that James and Charles had together. Others James saved Charles.\r\n\r\n     Now, they had been sword fighting for almost an hour and the day was fading and the common signs of night began to arouse. The sun set and the moon began to show its brilliant blue glow. James made a long slash at Charles's right side, but he blocked it and met with a combination of a thrust, a slash, another slash, and a cut to the legs. James blocked them all, but was being pushed back, and he was fully aware of it, because he then jumped to the side to avoid being cornered. He then slashed at Charles's leg. Charles blocked it and made a powerful diagonal slash made to go through James's left shoulder to his right hip, but he blocked, and with all of his might, he slashed for Charles's head. Charles quickly moved his weapon to guard his head, and as the two weapons collided, it was if they were really fighting- and then Charles's weapon snapped in half.       \r\n     "Aw, no," James said angrily.\r\n     Charles nodded in agreement. "If only we had real swords, then they wouldn't break so easily." He then picked up some stick, and hit it against the brick wall that was concealing them. The stick broke, but moved the brick a little bit.\r\n     The brick fell, and they saw a Hunter standing with his back turned, just outside the house.\r\n     James covered Charles mouth to suppress a scream of terror boiling up inside him. The two boys saw him standing there-\r\n     "Troops don't come here," Charles whispered as James lifted his hand off his mouth. "What's he doing?"\r\n     "I don't know, but we need to get out of here fast," said James quietly. They snuck away like thieves. Most of the Hunters are gone out of the city, every month they give their reports to Anger. They travel in troops, and there is a Hunter captain in each one. An army of Troops are called "Legions" of about three to ten thousand men. All are led by the Troop Chieftain, the present one called Seftis, the boys have seen him once before, and they were one of the lucky ones. If Seftis dies, another Hunter Lord will instantly takes his place. Seftis is fabled to be the most powerful swordsman in the world, not to mention an undefeated General, or so the twins had heard.\r\n     They snuck past the Hunter, who didn't seem to notice the two twins. After several minutes of walking, they entered the city and into the town square, where they decided to go to the temple of Anger.\r\n     "Why there?" James asked.\r\n     "The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm. The Hunters never go there!" Charles ran to the Temple of Anger, James following closely behind him.\r\n     The Temple of Anger is a large white building dedicated to King Anger. Anger had recently turned himself into a god, and he expected all of his soldiers and his subjects (Or hostages as many people called themselves) to worship day and night.\r\n     One Hunter was sitting by the temple on guard. They thought they were alone with him as they hid, but he didn't see them; he was watching a gang approaching the Temple. There were about twenty of them, each wearing cloaks, and had daggers in their belts and most of them carried torches.\r\n     The Hunter leapt up and shouted "Who goes the-" before he finished his sentence, an arrow leaped out of the darkness and struck him in the neck. He gargled with a shocked look on his face, and then collapsed. Charles looked back at the gang and saw a man holding a bow. He gasped in fright.\r\n     The leader of the group drew a gleaming sword, and threw his torch inside the shrine. The others did the same. Smoke started to billow out the entrance, and fire was leaping out the windows of the former temple. The leader of the gang snapped his head to the left, and seemed to see something\r\n"Move out!" he ordered, and the gang set back into the darkness.\r\n     Charles and James decided it was their time to escape, but James crept forward and took the dead Hunter's dagger.\r\n     Shouts rose and several Hunters ran around the corner and saw two kids, one holding a knife, a dead soldier, and a flaming shrine dedicated to their leader. The soldier who had come around the corner first drew his sword. "The captain is dead! KILL THEM!"\r\n     Two Hunters ran after the twins as the rest of the others frantically tried to bail out the burnt shrine to Anger. But the entire building was already covered in flames.\r\n     Thankfully, the gates are always open. The children escaped from the city to an old cottage and started banging on the door frantically- they had only seconds before the Hunters would see them!\r\n     The door swung openâ�¦\r\n\r\nTWENTY YEARS AGO\r\n     The city is besieged- the reinforcements were destroyed- The king is dead- and Tiger's Eye city was the last city not under Angers control.\r\n     Ratagi, the King's blacksmith, barricaded the door. Earlier he sent his wife and children to hide, away from Anger's Legions.\r\nAnger has broken into the city and Hunters poured in.\r\n     Ratagi drew his sword. He had made it earlier, and his real sword was hidden. The door was destroyed by a fallen tree trunk. Two Hunters came in, swords drawn. Ratagi immediately attacked, viciously slashing, thrusting and cutting. The first Hunter had fallen, and another two leaped in, snarling in anger. He felled the other Hunter with a cut through the chest. They all backed off, and Seftis, Anger's chief general came in, and swung his sword with lightening speed, cutting Ratagi's knee. Ratagi still battled on, but he was no match for Seftis, who fell him with the butt of his sword. It hit him square in the head, and darkness swept over himâ�¦\r\n     \r\n   He awoke still in his home, but his sword had been taken from him. A Hunter walked up, grabbing his arm and lifting him up until they were eye to eye. "Lucky you," The Hunter growled, "you are going to live,"\r\n     "Lucky," Ratagi hissed. He struck him, but it seemed he probably had been drugged in his sleep, because it didn't hurt him that much. But the Hunters blow to his head certainly was.\r\n     "Anger is your king now," The Hunter chuckled. "Your little king has shown his true virtue, and has fled. You must obey Anger now, and he is letting you keep your blacksmith job." The Hunter waved a hand at Ratagi's anvil and hammer. There was an empty spot that a bundle of swords had been. "But if you make any swords or weapons, even a dagger, you will be killed."\r\n     "Why not kill me?" Ratagi spat at the Hunter.\r\n     "Because it is not my choice to make," The Hunter put his face to his so they could see eye to eye. Ratagi did not look away. "If it were my choice I would kill you myself right here, right now."\r\n     The Hunter stood up, and waved to his men. "We must be leaving now." He looked at Ratagi. "I'd suggest you get to work within the hour, scum," he spat.\r\n     "Why are you spending your time with a lowly blacksmith?" Ratagi asked.\r\n     "I don't know, exactly. It seems your new king has put an interest in you. You're very lucky. But I swear, soon, if it takes a hundred years, I will kill you." And with that, he and his men left.\r\n     Ratagi fell to his knees in his sacked old cottage and buried his face in his hands. Hopeless, he thought bitterly. Hopelessâ�¦\r\n\r\nPresent day\r\n     Ratagi finished his work on the anvil. "Another fine horseshoe," he said bitterly. He dropped it in a water-filled barrel and sighed. It was the time of month where the Hunters inspect his home. He went and sat down on his old bed. "Hopeless," he said to himself. He felt dead. He felt empty.\r\n     There came a knock on the door. "Must be the old Major," he said to himself. He opened it, but it wasn't a Hunter. It was a man. He was tall, and his face was invisible in his hood and long cloak.\r\n     "Who are you?" Ratagi growled.\r\n     "A friend," the hooded man said\r\n     "And what kind of a friend might you be?" Ratagi asked.\r\n"I promise to tell you, but if you don't let me in now, something tells me I won't live long enough." The man said bluntly.\r\nRatagi gestured in his cottage, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.\r\n     The hooded figure walked inside the little cottage. "You do know who Anger is, do you not?" he asked.\r\n     After a moment, Ratagi said "Of course."\r\n     "You DO know that he conquered the Three Kingdoms?" he asked.\r\n     "Yeah- listen, I'm just about to put up a sign that will say â��NO TRESPASSERS,' so I would quite like it if left, or stopped asking questions that even a child could answer. You think I don't know the man who brutally put down our armies and killed my family?"\r\n     The hooded figure ignored him and said "It seems you do let trespassers in quite a lot, it seems, you having Hunters inside searching the place every month, Ratagi."\r\n     He froze- "I haven't heard that name in eight years," he said, quietly after a pause.\r\n     The hooded figure didn't look surprised and said "Well, what if there were to be, shall we say, a resistance?" He lifted his hands up. "What if there are free men out there?"\r\n     Ratagi looked at him as if he were mad. "Anger is invincible," he said. "Nobody can defeat him. It is-" he paused, lowered his head. "Hopeless," he said, ashamed.\r\n     "Is it?" The man threw down his cloak and drew a long, gleaming sword. Under the ragged cloak was golden grey armour and fine clothes. He had dark black hair and a beard, and sharp hawk-like eyes.\r\n     "You are a War Prince," Ratagi gaped in awe. "You are a Knight of the west."\r\n     "No, I am no knight. But there is a resistance." The man said. "In the east, the King of the North and the West are in a city they call â��The Vault'."\r\n     "What about the king of the east?" Ratagi asked.\r\n     The man's face darkened. "The king of Greth is dead, don't you remember?" He asked.\r\n     "How do you keep this "Vault" a secret?" Ratagi asked.\r\n     "We travel in gangs, carrying any weapons we can get our hands on, or make ourselves. We wear ragged clothes to look more like outlaws and madmen than soldiers."\r\n     "What about the Hunters?"\r\n     "The Vault is by a forest, and is guarded by beasts like none other, but we are protected by magic- but if the Hunters DO come, the Vault doesn't take prisoners." He sheathed his sword. "We want you to come join the cause."\r\n     "Why me? I am just a poor old blacksmith." Ratagi snorted. "I don't think I am even very good with a sword anymore."\r\n     The man smiled. "I chose you."\r\n     Ratagi raised an eyebrow. "Why?"\r\n     The man ignored him and picked up his cloak. He tossed him a scrap of paper. "This'll help you." Paused, then added "No matter how impossible it seems to be, don't, repeat DON'T cross the bridge, or get into the sight of- of him."\r\n     "Who?" Ratagi asked.       \r\n     "And never, NEVER eat the fruit along the way to the road- it may seem tempting, but one of the twelve lives around that place and guards the fruit."\r\nAfter an hour of talking and planning, Ratagi agreed. The man was about to leave when he searched the map and called "What is your name?"\r\n     The man looked back. "Diamor," he said. And with that, he disappeared into the night.\r\n     Ratagi sat down and looked at the map, noticing that it was messily and somewhat recklessly drawn.\r\n     The Vault was surrounded by forest; it seemed that Diamor had been talking about the river. He even drew a path where he should go- yet Ratagi had been to the river before; it was a long chasm with a river at the bottom. There was a single bridge, carefully controlled by the Hunters- other than that, you can't pass unless you can fly, for it was thousands of miles long.\r\n     He studied the map grimly, and went to get ready. He got his supplies- some food, his dagger, which he concealed, a pair of thick boots, some gloves, some warm clothes (It gets very cold at night in Mans Telwar, whether it is summer or winter) two water bottles, a lantern, two torches and for the last- he went to his bed. He pushed his it to the side, and his rug under it, and with his dagger he removed the floorboards, and there it was- a concealed trapdoor. He went down into a dark room. Hidden by a pile of old yellowing maps was a case. He picked up the case and went back up the creaking steps. After he reached the top, he pulled a picture to the side, and pulled small silver key out of a crack in the wall. He clicked the key into the case, and opened it.\r\n     There lay a fine sword, hidden in its golden sheath. He picked it up and drew it. It was his father's sword a long time ago, and he had hidden it for a time such as this. He remembered each skill he had learned from twenty years back. His knowledge and excellent skill came back to him in a rush.\r\n     He made a battle stance. "Perfect." He said. The sword was perfectly fitted for him, so suited for him that it felt like an extension of his arm.\r\n     He drove it deep into a thick wooden pole. Strange lettering was etched onto the hilt, but Ratagi couldn't remember what it said. He stood for a few minutes trying to decipher the words, but realized that if he wanted to leave, he'd have to leave before the worst of the night cold set in.\r\n     He went to have the last meal at his home, but he heard something.\r\nHe came to the door, opening it quicklyâ�¦\r\n\r\n    James stopped pounding on the door as it suddenly swung open. A large man stood in the house. He was tall, and very broad. He had to be in his late forties, at least. He wore a grim face, and dark brown hair, tainted with grey. He was holding something behind his back.\r\n     "What do you want?" the old man growled. He then added as if talking to himself, "I really should make that â��no trespassers' sign."\r\n     "We need a little help, sir-" James said. "We need a place to hide."\r\n     "Hide?" the man lifted an eyebrow.\r\n     "It's a long story, just-" Charles began, and then he turned and saw the two Hunters lumbering after them, and both of them darted in before the man could object.\r\n     He would have gone inside searching for them, but the two Hunters came after them.\r\n     "Why hello, hunters." The man said, saying hunters with disdain. "What can I help you with?"\r\n     "Don't give me any of that, Blacksmith," the Hunter said, saying blacksmith like it was something he found on the bottom of his boot. "We saw two kids come inside. If you do not give them to us now, you will be executed for harbouring one or more outlaws."\r\n     "And what could two children do to you? Steal your food?" the man asked, still emotionless.\r\n     The Hunter spit on the man's boot and said "They destroyed the shrine of King Anger and killed a Hunter captain."\r\n     The man snickered, unsmiling. "Two kids killed a Hunter captain?" The two children saw a flicker of defiance in his eyes. The Hunter noticed it too, because he spat on his boot again. "Are you going anywhere, Blacksmith? You are sure dressed for it.\r\n     The two children, hiding under a table, looked at what the man had behind

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sirmed1

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Posted September 17, '11 3:00am UTC

his back, and gasped.
The Hunter became aware of the man with his hands behind his back. "What are you holding behind your back?"
"Nothing," the man lied.
The Hunter drew his sword and placed it to his neck. "Show me your hands, BOTH of them."
The man sighed. "Very well then." He then revealed a shining sword and slashed the Hunter sword away swiftly, bent his knees and stabbed him. He kicked him away, and slashed at the other opponent, who parried with his sword and slashed at his belly, aiming to cut him in half. He was then met with a block and a thrust straight through his chest.
The Hunter was kicked onto the ground. The man put the sword away and looked at the children. "You're in plain sight," he said, followed by "Get out." The children walked out of the house, and watched as the man walked out of the house and into the night.
They watched as he walked away.
"Let's go home," sighed James. "It's been a rough day."
"What home?" Charles said dryly. "We have no home. We have nothing, just the clothes on our backs. We have nothing to live by- besides; the Troops already know who we are. We're marked for death."
"Then where will we go, then?" James asked grimly.
They looked in the direction of the man, whose silhouette had faded in the distance.

Walking in the shadows, they followed the man, closely but quietly.
The big man was muttering to himself, looking at some kind of map. His cloak flew behind him in the night breeze. They came to a road, with a long line of trees on either side. The man came to a halt, and looked behind him, scanning the place, but saw nothing. The two kids hid just in time. The man started walking again.
After an hour of walking, James tripped and fell on the ground, and the man, swift as lighting, was upon him, and a dagger was pressed it to his throat. "I knew you were following me," he said, and then the moonlight shone on James's face. His eyes widened. "You," he said. He then put him down and concealed his dagger. "Get out of here," he said, "Go home!"
"The troops," said James, "You killed them."
"Troops? Um, yes, but it seems you have done the same thing too," he said.
"No, we aren't the people who killed the troop," Charles said as he walked towards them both.
The man groaned, and then looked at them. "Would you go home if I escorted you there?" He offered placidly.
"We have no home," said James, still trying to recover from the shocking near death experience that the man had given him.
The man lowered his head. "I can not take you with me; you are too much of a burden." He said.
"I am not a burden!" said James. "What's a burden?"
"We could be helpful sir," Charles interrupted, "We're experienced in hunting, and hiding."
The man gave a loud, low groan. "I don't want anybody to follow me," he said at last, "I can only take care of myself. I need to travel quicker and less conspicuously."
"We can take care of ourselves," said James, lifting his head high.
The man sighed, and after a moment of thinking, he said "I might drop you off at some place, so I guess I could take you for a little while, but I have some rules."
"Oh, thanks mister, thanks a lot!" said James loudly.
"No talking!" The man snapped.
"Okay." He squeaked quietly.
The man began to continue walking, and James ran after him, and, trying to keep to the man's pace, he asked "What is your name, Mister?"
After a moment of silence, only the sound of their footsteps and the breeze, he said "Ratagi."
"I'm James. My brother is Charles. You have a funny name!"
Ratagi rolled his eyes, and then stopped abruptly. "We shall rest here," he announced, "But after a while we need to keep walking. Perhaps I shall talk about my rulesâ¦

* * *

The Hunter captain walked up to a golden door. It was tall, and had the symbol of Anger on it, (two crossed swords with a strange deformed animal with horns behind) marked on it. Two large stone dragons stood tall, protecting the palace. Hunters stood guarding it, too. But the one that was living within needed no guards.
"I must go in," he said.
"Yes sir." One of the Hunters said and opened the door.
A long, dark bridge leading into darkness was there. Mist swirled around the Hunter's knees. He walked past a bridge to a narrow walkway, and there, shrouded in dark mist came a dark, whispering voice. "Hunter, why have you come?"
The captain bowed. "I have bad news," he said. "Tiger's Eye city has had two incidents: one, a captain was killed and the shrine to you was burned down-"
"Who was responsible for the crime?" the voice hissed.
"Two kids, if you will believe it."
"You Hunters have a reputation to uphold, and must not ruin it."
"There was another thing- the old blacksmith is missing, and two Hunters lay dead there."
There was a long pause. Then, the voice answered. "Send a full troop, and get them ready- and one more thing-"
"Anything for you, great king," the Hunter said, still bowing.
"Bring me the Hunter Lord Seftisâ¦"

CHAPTER FOUR
FORBIDDEN FRUIT
"But you must not eat from the fruit of the second tree, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
-Genesis 2:17
The two children groaned as their legs weakened. They had been walking all night and now it was the middle of the day. "Can't we stop just for something to eat?" James asked stoutly.
"Not for a while." said Ratagi stoutly.
"But I'm so hungry!" James cried.
"It was your choice you would follow me," Ratagi said, "And I told you no complaining."
"But I'm hungry!"
"I don't care," Ratagi grumbled. "We need to make it to the mountains as soon as possible."
"Why?" Asked Charles, and both Ratagi and James glanced at him strangely, for he hadn't spoken for hours.
"They say there are things more powerful than Hunters there." Ratagi said quietly, dodging the question.
"Where are you actually going?" James asked.
"I do not think I should tell you that," Ratagi said mysteriously.
"Why not?" James grumbled.
"Just keep walking! We will eat later!" Ratagi said angrily.
They were walking down a long, straight road. The sun was rising, the air was cool, and all was quiet. The road led to a hill. There were no signs of Hunters treading here. Ratagi wondered why.
They got to the hill, and James was still complaining.
"I haven't eaten in days! Why can't we eat now?"
"We are not eating until we reach the end of the road. Now stop complaining, because I will not feed you until then."
"But-" James began.
"If you do not stop complaining, I will make it longer." Ratagi was really tired now, and couldn't take James's complaining for much longer.
They reached the top of the hill, where a grove of trees fluttered in the wind. "Hey! Maybe there might be food somewhere over there!" James shouted, and charged off the path.
"Hey-!" Ratagi cried. "Do not go off the path!"
But it was too late. James was staring in awe at a tree that bore his most favourite fruit. "Apples!" he cried.
Ratagi was charging after him. "Do NOT eat any apples off the path," Diamor had warned.
"Stop! Those apples do not belong to you! DON'T-"
James grabbed an apple from the tree and took a huge bite out of it.
"-Eat it." Ratagi said dumbly.
The trees started to rumble as Ratagi and Charles got to James, happily feasting on the apple. The land parted and a huge crack in the ground appeared, and the companions fell into it. The top closed. We are in a room, Ratagi realized. The place was alight with candles.
"WHO DARES TO EAT MY FRUIT?" A powerful voice roared. A creature stood in the middle of the chasm. It had powerful body of a man, with wolf-like legs and the head of a vicious dog.
"I'm sorry! It was an accident; I didn't know that just one apple could hurtâ¦"
"Be quiet!!" The beast roared. James shrunk back.
The beast slowly advanced onto James when Ratagi went to guard him. His sword was in his hand. "Let us all go, and nobody gets hurt." He growled.
The beast laughed. "Why should I care if anyone gets hurt as long as it isn't me?" he lifted his hand, and the candles flared up to shine a light on the ground- human bones scattered the soil. "I have dealt with your kind before and I will do it again!" He roared.
"Not this time." Ratagi snarled. He swung his sword, but it was too late- the beast dodged and hit Ratagi on his chest.
He grunted, but was still on his feet. He lifted up his sword, but the beast lifted his arm and an invisible force took Ratagi's sword and flung it across the cave. "NO WEAPONS!" he snarled and charged. Ratagi was ready. He jumped out of the way and pounded on the beast's back. It groaned, but after a second it jumped up, knocking Ratagi off the ground.
Ratagi was still fighting, but the creature was too fast and too strong. It attacked viciously, and then shrunk back when Ratagi had a chance to fight back. But he was still on his feet. All he needed was another blow to the creature's head and it was down.
The creature lunged for the final blow, and, like lightning, Ratagi dodged and swung his fist, hitting the creature in its head. It fell over with a grunt. He lifted his fist in the air, but the creature got up and was facing him in a flash. "Do you think you can hurt me?" it growled. "I am the Great Ekogodne`, Lord of the Mountains! King Anger has given me possession of this land and all that goes with it! He gives me the trees which fruit are forbidden to everyone but me!"
"Why can't we eat it?" James whimpered.
"It preserves my immortality!" the beast roared. "Even now you will live many more years then before. I cannot let anyone know about this!"
"I won't tell, I promise!" James cried.
Ekogodne` then lashed out, hitting his opponent on the head, and Ratagi fell to the ground, motionless. He lifted his arm and some rope whizzed out of the darkness and wrapped around the two brothers. They both cried out as the creature walked towards James. "W-what are you going to do to me?" he stammered.
"They can't find out about the magic of the fruit," Ekogodne` said ignoring him.
His hands clasped around James's throat and started to squeeze.
Then, he cried out. He fell over, a dagger in his back. Ratagi stood behind him, staggering. His head was bleeding badly. He pulled James to his feet.
Ekogodne` roared in fury, grabbing Ratagi's leg, tripping him. He fell onto the hard rock floor. He went to James.
"Let us go!" James screamed. The creature hesitated.
"You have ONE chance to leave," the creature said blankly. "I will ask you a riddle. And if you answer it correctly, I will let you and your friends go. If you get it wrong, I will devour you and your companions."
James nodded. "Okay. Tell me the riddle."
The beast nodded back and began to speak: "A king decided to let a prisoner try to escape the prison with his life. The king placed two marbles in a jar that was glued to a table. One of the marbles was supposed to be black, and one was supposed to be blue. If the prisoner could pick the blue marble, he would escape the prison with his life. If he picked the black marble, he would be executed. However, the king was a cruel man, and he wickedly placed two black marbles in the jars and no blue marbles. The prisoner witnessed the king only putting two black marbles in the jars. If the jar was not see-through and the jar was glued to the table and that the prisoner was mute so he could not say anything, how did he escape with his life?"
James thought for a moment. How could he have done it?
"You have TEN seconds!" Ekogodne` droned.
Ratagi knew the answer. It was simple. But James never heard the riddle before, it seemed.
"Nine, eight, seven, sixâ¦"
He thought wildly for an answer.
"Five, four, three, two-"
"He swallowed it!" Charles blurted out.
The beast's dog-like ears rose. "What is your answer?" he asked.
"He swallowed it!" James repeated, suddenly understanding. "He swallowed the first marble he took out, and then showed everyone the second one, proving that he had chosen the non-black marble!"
The beast twitched. It knew that it had to go through its side of the bargain. Then he spoke. "You have answered well. You may leave. But if you tell anyone about anything about what you have seen-" Ekogodne' left the threat hanging in the air.
The chasm opened and sunlight poured in. Ratagi wearily got up. Blood was dripping from his forehead. He groaned. Ekogodne` waved his arm. His sword flew into his arms. He groaned even louder.
Stairs appeared leading out of the chasm. Charles went to Ratagi and helped him up.
When they were out of the hole, James heard a dark laugh. "Safe travels." Ekogodne` sneered, and the hole closed up again.
Ratagi groaned, clutching the wound in his head. They slowly made their way back to the road, and then he half fell, half knelt down onto the grass.
"What are you doing?" James asked.
He smiled at him weakly. "Time to eat," he said.
After a small meal of bread and water, Ratagi, James and Charles set off. The sun was now high in the sky. Ratagi's wound was bandaged, and they set off. Finally, the road ended. There stood a steep hill covered in grass. The road ended there.
Ratagi sighed, and started up the hill.
"Mister Ratagi!" James cried, as if trying to interrupt him.
Ratagi, now going up the hill, looked away from a scrap of paper he was reading and turned his gaze on James. "What?" He asked.
"I'm hungry again." He squeaked.
He scowled and kept on going up the hill, reading the paper.
"Sir? Did you hear me? I'm hungry!" James shouted.
"We just ate," Ratagi groaned.
Charles looked at him like their mother used to look at them when they were but children. Then he started up the hill.
James grumbled, but closely followed. It was a beautiful day- the sun was shining, the air was cool- but no bird sang. There was no quiet squeak of the dirt mice, or the scurrying of their little paws. There was nothing but the sound of the breeze ruffling against the trees and the bushes, and the steady pace of Ratagi, followed by the uneven pace of the twins, jogging to keep up with him.
Ratagi was reading the map to notice a small rock, which he stumbled and tripped on.
"Mister Ratagi! Someone's behind us!" James exclaimed.
He scowled, and got up to see three red helmeted soldiers following their trail. They were very far away, but close enough that they could be seen.
"Hunters," He breathed. "We have to move faster. NOW." He and the twins started picking up their pace.
"We will have to walk tonight as well," He announced, "if we are to outrun those Hunters."
"No, we can't!" James piped up, his voice high, panic vastly rising in him. "The Troops have noses like bloodhounds. The second they pick up our scent we're doomed!"
Ratagi sighed. "I admire your positive attitude, James. This is why we must keep out of their way." He cast a glance at the troop. A blood red banner with a golden V was raised high. The banner of Seftis, he thought grimly. I guess my leaving is more serious than I thought.
"What are you reading?" James asked, looking at Ratagi's map.
"Nothing. Just a map." Ratagi explained.
"I have a question," Charles asked. "Can I ask you a question?"
"No- fine. What is it?" Rata1gi asked in a strained000 tone.
"Where are we going?" Charles asked.
"YOU are going to safe place," he answered.
"What do you mean âyou'?" James asked.
Ratagi sighed. "I plan to drop you off someplace safer on the way. I cannot have you the entire way and risk you getting hurt."
Charles nodded. "Can I ask you another question?" he asked.
Ratagi groaned. Then he looked at him. "What?" he asked.
"There were a group of hooded people who burned the shrine to King Anger," Charles explained. "Do you have any idea who they might be?"
"It is said there is one type of people who oppose Anger. People who travel in gangs to look more like outlaws and thieves than a cohesive military unit. They go around Mans-Telwar, destroying anything Anger considers valuable. They do not hurt his empire much, but the Hunters cannot do anything about it. They are harassing them, now, but soon they will have enough people to attack small parts of his army. And I am going to join the resistance."
"Oh" was Charles' only answer. And "why do you call them Hunters?
Ratagi groaned.
There was silence for a couple of minutes, when a there was a long whiney of a horse, and a rider charged passed them, nearly knocking them off the path. They dare not even near it after the experience with Ekogodne`.
Ratagi shook his fist at him. It was very windy now, and his cloak flew like a cape, revealing his long, slick sword. The rider gasped and rode away. Ratagi gasped himself and used both hands to put the cloak over it, trying to conceal it. But the rider had seen it, for sure.
They got back and started on the road again. "I want to go to whatever resistance with you." Charles said after a minute of walking.
Ratagi chuckled. "I do not think I can not survive traveling half a week let alone a whole year with you kids. We have been traveling, what, a day now? And now I have a massive headache because you disobeyed a specific order."
Charles pointed a finger at James. "I had nothing to do with that," He said. James rolled his eyes.
"No," Ratagi said.
I don't think he has ever smiled before, Charles thought.
"I wasn't talking about James, but the headache you have given me from talking too much." Ratagi finished.
Charles laughed. But then he realized Ratagi wasn't telling a joke.

The Hunters slowly advanced up the hill, one at a time. Seftis sniffed the air. "I smell something- funny," he said.
"Probably that smelly Noble, Ekogodne`." a Hunter nodded. "Probably," he said, and then he saw a local farmer riding a horse. "I have seen something!" the rider cried. "On the rode ahead- a man and two boys- the man had broken city laws- he has a sword!"
Seftis frowned- and then smiled. "Fresh meat, oh, my brave Hunters. We have fresh meat."
The Hunters started chanting. "Fresh meat, fresh meat, fresh meat!"
The rider looked confused, then afraid. He rode away as fast as he could.
Seftis grinned. "We haven't any fun for years," he said, looking at the rider in the distance. Then he looked at his troop. "Come on! I think we have their scent!"
The Hunters answered with a chant. "Fresh meat! Fresh meat!"
Seftis laughed, and then pointed at three Hunters. "You there," he ordered. "You go scout ahead while we rest. Come back when you have found something. But if you come back empty handedâ¦" Seftis did not finish his sentence. He need not do that. The three Hunters gulped and then went forward. The others swiftly set up camp and started to feast on food.
"Well, brave Hunters," Seftis said, "We have fresh meat!"

CHAPTER FIVE
THE BRIDGE
"And the goat said, âDon't eat me up. I am very skinny, but a goat will soon come who is twice as large. He will fill you up'." And the wolf let him go."
-The Three Goats
Ratagi and the kids sat down heavily. Night was coming soon. They had to move to the nearest village as soon as they could. Ratagi had heard what terrors of the night await them.
The sun was starting to set. He sighed. The chasm was far in the distance. They were on a large hill, when they saw them- three Hunter Minors. The lowest rank of the Hunters, but still formidable foes. They were charging towards them. They looked angry.
Ratagi ran down to meet them. "Well hello, fine sirs," he said humbly. "Catch any good outlaws lately?"
The Hunters drew their swords. "Prepare to die, blacksmith," One snarled.
Ratagi drew his gleaming sword. One Hunter surged forward, making a series of combinations of slashes, cuts and thrusts. Ratagi met all of them, countering with more offensive attacks. The Hunter fell back towards the others. They began advancing forward, encircling him.
Ratagi may be a match for one or two Minors, but with his head still cut open and bleeding, he can't hope to take three alone! Charles thought. He picked up a rock. "James! Throw rocks at them!" he ordered. They could get the attention of one of the Hunters- Ratagi might possibly be a match for two- either way, it was worth a shot and they had no other choice.
James nodded and they started to pick up and throw rocks at them. One Hunter ran towards them. Ratagi fell the first one and started to fight the other. The third Hunter started up the hill the kids were on. They started taunting him, until he was up the hill.
"SPLIT UP!" Charles roared, and they parted their own separate ways. The Hunter went after Charles. Of course, he thought angrily. Go after the slow one.

* * *

Ratagi swung his sword threateningly, but he was afraid if he fought his hardest and exerted himself his head would bleed more heavily and the blood would blind him. But, as the Hunters sword actually cut off the hair over his eyes, he knew he had to fight. He swung fiercely, knocking ones Hunters sword clear out of his hands. As he scrambled to get it, he quickly slashed at the other Hunter. He parried, but Ratagi quickly recovered and stabbed the Hunter in the stomach. Ratagi kicked him away, and charged after the other Hunter still trying to get his sword.
The other Hunter reached his sword just as Ratagi reached him, screaming a furious battle-cry. He swung his sword and caught him in the back, quickly ending the Minors life.

Ratagi turned and ran up the hill, roaring at the remaining Hunter. He turned and saw Ratagi, and instead of fighting, turned to run. He started down the opposite side of the hill, but just then a rock flew out the woods, hitting him in the bridge of his nose. He fell onto the rocky ground, slid for several more feet, and came to a rest. Ratagi cautiously walked up, but realized that the Hunter was dead. James warily came out of the forest, while Charles ran down the other side of the hill.
Ratagi sheathed his sword. "We must get to the chasm before the others do! Let's go! But-" he went to two dead Hunters and rounded up their two short swords. He tossed them to Charles and James. "Use them wisely." He ordered, and they all started toward the chasm.
It took the whole night to walk, and the bridge to the chasm was in sight. James took a swig of water. "I'm still hungry." He complained. It was too dark to see anything, so they rested for a couple hours until the sun rose. The bridge was in sight- but someone was standing there. A man in dull grey armour, with a box shaped helmet and a T shaped visor. The man had a long, but still dull, sword. Everything about him was simple, without the elegance or beauty that Knights usually wore on their armour or weapons. The head turned to them. "What do you want?" the knight asked. Ratagi's eyes grew wide. Then he said "We would like to pass."
The knight shook his head. "Sorry, but I am afraid only Hunters may pass this bridge." He said firmly.
Ratagi scowled. "We are crossing. What do we have to do to cross? Name your price."
The knight shook his head. "No- you are not to pass as long as I am here.
Ratagi drew his sword. "Then I am going to have to make you pass," he growled.
The knight drew his sword. "You are making a big mistake," he said.
Ratagi shook his head. "YOU are the one making a mistake." He snarled. He charged the knight. It dodged two blows and countered with a series of combinations. Ratagi dodged and parried them all.
The fighting went on for a few minutes, both not giving an inch, until Ratagi hesitated in one attack. The knight took his chance and sent another volley of attacks. Ratagi dodged most of them, but he was not quick enough, and the knight sliced open his leg. It wasn't bad, but with the cut on his head he was significantly weakened. He roared and limped forward. The knight met all of the attacks, until Ratagi knocked him off balance. He was about to be cut in two, but as fast as lightning the knight's sword came to block the downward slash, and the knight started taking powerful attacks. Ratagi kept meeting each powerful slash and thrust and kept making more counter attacks. The knight parried his sword and swept forward, punching Ratagi in the gut with his Gauntlet. Ratagi's head hit forward, spraying the knight with blood. He staggered back, scrabbling at his eyes, but behind his helmet he couldn't reach. Ratagi quickly swung his sword and knocked his sword out of his hands. Ratagi kicked the knight in the chest, knocking him to his knees. He pointed his sword at his throat.
"No one has ever defeated me before-" the knight began. Then he lowered his head.
Ratagi hesitated. Then he shook his head and sheathed his sword. "You are a Shingan. A knight of the West."
The knight nodded. "I was captured- Anger put me in charge of this bridge, so no one could get out of this land- except Hunters. I was placed against my own will. There is only one more exit, and it is almost impossible to cross."
The knight rose. "I am free. You may pass."
Ratagi nodded. The kids were by him, looking at the knight. "Wow," James exclaimed.
The knight chuckled.
Ratagi and the two kids were passing the bridge when the knight asked "What is your name, soldier?" the knight asked.
He turned. Charles bumped into him and fell down. "Ratagi, I am a-a blacksmith."
The knight nodded. "Good travels Ratagi, knight of the west. Now, no Hunters shall pass by without my permission."
Ratagi nodded and continued on. Knight, he thought. He called me a knight.
To be a knight is something every boy of T'Keth, including Ratagi would dream of as a kid- but you must be of noble birth- not very noble, but noble as in "higher than a blacksmith" noble, like to be family member of a man who was a warrior. His father was never of noble birth, but he had the skill with a sword to be a knight. When Ratagi was young, every week they would leave Tiger's Eye city into a circle of trees and fought with swords- it was play at first, then soon Ratagi was always trying to beat his father in a fight. It got competitive and it was nearly impossible, though. He might have had a chance, but he would never actually beat him. He died, twenty years ago in the time of Anger's campaign. He had also lost hope about his wife and children being okay. They were dead. It was hopeless to think that they were alive.
"Hopelessâ¦"
"Mister Ratagi?"
Ratagi looked up, back into reality. They were off the bridge now, and passing two mountains. A group of hills were in the distance. The road looked like it had not been used for years, for it was grey and rocks were littered here and there, and weeds were growing.
The bridge was far in the distance now; the knight was a dull grey blur in the distance.
They walked. For a while, nobody said a word. Finally, when they got to the end of the two mountains, James spoke.
"I'm hungry."
Ratagi put his face in his hands. "Very well," he said after a moment. "We should rest here."
They sat down on a log as Ratagi went to get stones to make a fire.
He finally got it together, and his eyes lit up when they fire started to blaze.
They sat down until the sun started to set.
Charles yawned. James scratched his nose. After a while of just sitting there, James being James, spoke up. "I'm bored." He said.
Ratagi's face was expressionless. Charles laid his head down, and with only his raggedy cloak as a blanket, he started to snore.
James, remembering something, went to see his new little present, as he thought of it.
He drew his sword. It was short, like three feet long, but it was a perfect size for someone like James.
It had the mark of Anger on the hilt, though. "Charles and I used to play swordfight with branches we found," he said.
Ratagi's face remained expressionless.
"Do you ever smile?" James asked.
He sighed, looking at the fire. It was dying out, and they were out of firewood. The sun was going to set soon. And it gets very cold at night in these parts, or so he's been told. But it was getting cold, and it was only practical for him to go find some wood.
Ratagi stood up. "I need to search for more firewood. Do not go anywhere." And with that, he left. James sighed. It was still daylight, but Charles was asleep like a baby. He sighed and started to talk to him. He had never thought that he would be on any kind of adventure. Though to him, every day was an adventure.
Well, he thought. I guess I should wait until mister Ratagi comes back.
Night fell. And Ratagi did not return.

Ratagi groaned with the weight of the branches and wood on his arms. He was cursing himself for getting lost. His father used to teach him about how the sun set in the west and rose in the east- but there was no sun to see now. Nothing but pure darkness and the trees to keep him company. "I guess I will have to wait until dawn," he muttered to himself. "I just hope James doesn't panic and come looking for me."
Then he heard a noise. He dropped the bundle of wood and drew his sword. He saw a light. At first he thought it was his fire- and then he approached itâ¦
Hunters surrounded a huge fire. They were drinking ale and singing a song.
Ratagi gasped as he saw an old rival get up, waving his hand to silence the crowd.
"To King Anger!" Seftis roared. The crowd cheered, waving their mugs around. "And to fresh meat!"
The Hunters howled, and started to sing. "Fresh meat!" Over and over again, followed by words he'd never heard before.
Barbarians, he thought solemnly.
He then realized- the Hunters are here- that means they are way too close by for comfort! I NEED to find the kids! We need to get out of here before they can catch up to us!
He darted away. The closest Hunter heard the noise. "Hey! Hey! What was that? I thought I heard something."
"Oh, shut up." Another Hunter said. "It's probably just your stomach."
"No, I think I heard something!" The first Hunter said.
"You're probably just drunk."
Back at the camp, James had woken up Charles and both were afraid, and freezing and tired. The fire was gone, and the coals only had a small glow.
Then, a figure burst through the bushes.
"AH!" James screamed, drawing his sword.
"It is just me," Said Ratagi. "Listen, we have to get out of here FAST. There is a Hunter camp right next to us- come on, we need to leave!"
He trampled out the rest of the fire with his boot, took the kids and left.
They were sprinting until they reached the hills. There, a group of wild pigs were waiting for them there.
They were huge, about the size of a dog.
"B'On Boars," He breathed. "Back away, slowly, towards the tree."
The pigs charged. They climbed the closest tree frantically, high enough so they could not get them.
The pigs circled the tree for a while, and then got tired of waiting and the group walked away.
"Another reason to hate pigs," muttered Charles.
They all climbed down, and started on their walk again. It was freezing. The air froze them to the bones. A thick fog surrounded them, engulfed them. Ratagi had drawn his sword and was waving it around threateningly in front of him. They were walking really fast now, for the pigs would come back soon. They would not be able to take three let alone twelve boars. And that was probably the least dangerous threat down in this evil place. This land had used to be a village, but as Anger invaded, the soldiers were sent to fight Hunters off of the homeland, not fight off pigs, wolves and bears. The village was completely overthrown by the animals. Now, they roam this land freely.
This land was dangerous to even the Hunters. All the way to the forests, it was hostile territory.
Ratagi sighed relief as the fog cleared. (Slightly, at least.)
There, they saw a large group of big rats. Best avoid them, he thought.
A Grey Vulture flew overhead.
Ratagi waved his sword again. His eyes then lit up. "I forgot!" he cried.
He searched his pack and found a torch and a flint. He lit it up, and the whole place lit up. The rats scattered away. Then, to his surprise, it was not the torch that scared them off. A huge figure loomed out of the forest in the distance. It was very wolf like, but had streaks of white on its back and had horrible staring orange-red eyes.
"What is that?" Cried Ratagi.
"Is that Rohia?" James asked Ratagi, his sword also in hand.
"Rohia?" Ratagi echoed. "Huh?"
"My father told me that he is the protector of the animals and is very evil. He described it to me. I remember so clear!"
Whatever it was, it wasn't there to make friends. It roared and ran towards Ratagi, who reacted by swinging his sword instinctively, but the beast dodged and charged, knocking him off balance. It roared again, looking at James and Charles. They cried, dropping their swords and bolted away.
The wolf like thing was way too quick for them. They were out like a light in a second.
Ratagi was upon it like lightning, stabbing it in the neck with his knife. The creature roared in agony, threw him off, and was soon facing him, and he was unarmed.
It snarled. Ratagi knew he would have no chance unarmed against any wolf, let alone this huge one, or whatever James had said.
Then he remembered. Rohia. He was one of the Nobles! But what would Rohia be doing in these parts? And what was it doing, wasting its time with them? Then he remembered Seftis's wordsâ¦
"Anger has shown an interest in youâ¦" But why would Anger be interested in him? Him, of all people a blacksmith!
He had no time to think now. The wounds in Rohia's neck healed slowly. Soon, it charged. Ratagi tried to get out of the way, but Rohia was too fast. It knocked him off balance, and was soon clamping on his arm. Blood gushed from his arm out onto his cheeks as the wolf tried to tear it off. "AH!" he cried. Soon, his arm WOULD come off, and then it would have a good clean spot towards Ratagi's throat. He bellowed as Rohia pulled at his skin.
Then, Charles came to the rescue, throwing a rock at Rohia's head. It let go of Ratagi's bleeding arm and charged Charles.
"Ah! Whoa! HELP!" he cried as Rohia charged him. Ratagi went to take his sword with his bad arm. It seemed way heavier than it actually was. He waved it around menacingly to Rohia. It snarled, and charged him again. This time, he was ready. He swung his sword, and in an instant Rohia backed away, aware that his opponent had a new advantage. Charles was up, his sword in his hands, guarding James. Rohia might have been able to beat them one on one, but together he could not do anything. It ran into the forest again. James was up now. The forest was silent again.
Ratagi put his knife away. "We have a dangerous road ahead of us."

CHAPTER SIX
DANGEROUS ROAD
"Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it's always done with the noblest purposes in mind."
-Oscar Wilde
The walk was long and tiresome. The two kids were dragging themselves forward. "When are we going to stop?" James complained. "I'm tired!"
"We are stopping at a village. Maybe I can drop you off there." Answered Ratagi. He had made a make-shift cast with a piece of his clothes. Blood had soaked in it. Now what had been white was dull red.
James scowled. Ratagi groaned in return. "Maybe we should stop here. It will be better to rest now."
They went off the road (about fifteen feet off) and set up a small camp. Charles sat down beside James.
"I can't believe what's happened. Just a couple days ago we were living our lives, as happy as can be. Now look at us, fighting Hunters, and fleeing towards freedoms last chance!"
James snorted. "Happy as can be? We were scrounging for food, and hiding at night! We weren't happy, we were barely surviving." Charles looked at the ground, suddenly upset.
"But it wasn't all bad. Remember when we used to sword fight with our sticks?" Charles laughed. "Remember when we knocked out a bunch of hunters to steal some food?"
James looked down at his lap, smiling "That was pretty awesomeâ¦" He jumped "Hey, remember how we always wanted to have real swords, because the sticks kept on breaking?" Charles nodded.
"Well, here we are!" He picked up the sword Ratagi had taken from the dead Hunter. Charles leaped up, laughing. They started exchanging blows, getting faster and faster as they got used to the new weight and balance of the swords.
"Hey!" Ratagi called to them. "Don't fight too hard! I do not want anyone hurt."
The kids nodded and went back to their fight. James fought viciously, cutting and slashing as quickly as a cobra. Charles was using his wits as well as his strength. He knew that James was quicker and more agile. (James had never gone a single day without bragging!) So Charles kept his distance, carefully guarding every blow, countering when he had a chance, waiting until one time James would make a mistake.
Then he saw his chance. James let his guard down to do a downward slash. Charles immediately seized it and tried to get the sword to his neck, and he felt a feeling of DÃ©jÃ Vu. James made a powerful slash almost knocking Charles off balance. He cried out and heard a voice.
"HEY!" Ratagi put his hand on James shoulders. "Don't be rough."
"We aren't being rough," James said angrily.
Ratagi sighed. "Would you like me to teach you a little? It would make me feel much more safe knowing you knew how to use them."
James nodded, but Charles shook his head no, but then agreed after James gave him a scowl.
He showed them a little of the basics of sword fighting, like blocking, attacking, studying your opponent, and after a while they decided to try their skills out.
"It's two against one," James said. "This will be easy.
After about several more lessons, they were ready. Ratagi drew his sword. It was a whole foot longer than theirs. The kids went back. He'll take advantage of his distance as well as we'll take advantage of our numbers, Charles thought.
Ratagi made lightening-fast (but light) series of slashes that drove the kids back. Charles tried sneaking to the back of him while James took the front. But he easily saw what they were doing and backed away so he could see both of them. He then brought his sword over his head, and charged. James and Charles separated, trying to each take his sides. Ratagi (seeing their plan) jumped toward James, knocking the sword out of his hands. Ratagi put a sword to his throat. James put his hands up in surrender. "I win," he said. Then he felt a pinpoint on his back.
"Not quite." Said Charles, who had snuck up behind him. "Drop your sword."
Ratagi dropped his sword and put his hands up. "You are beaten." Charles Growled. Then he burst out laughing, so hard he dropped his sword. "I got you didn't I?"
Ratagi nodded. "You beat me fairly. You win." He said. Then he chuckled, unsmiling. "Pretty good."
James looked in awe. "We beat him?"
"I beat him." Said Charles proudly.
Ratagi nodded again. "Well, I think we must be going. Come on, we have to get to the village before the day ends.

* * *

The town was in the distance. It was small, and probably crawling with thieves and cut-throats. The villages around here were homes for bandits, with Angers troops not numerous enough to police every single town and village, crime had reached new heights in The Three Kingdoms. Diamor had told Ratagi that there is a bandit gang that tells you that there is a fee for passing through bridges or into city territory, and forcing you to give up everything you've got. Smoke rose from the plaza. The gates were open. A guard stood there. He wore grey armour, a spear and a rectangular shield.
"We would like to get into the city." Ratagi said.
"You need to be searched first," the man said. "We have nothing against weapons, but you must bring only one, and it must be in plain view."
Ratagi nodded. "Will I be given my second weapon back at the end?"
The man laughed scornfully. "If you could survive a stay at this city, you might."
Ratagi frowned, but handed over his knife, the one he usually concealed.
The man nodded and searched him and the two boys. He was about to search James' pack when he protested. "You are not getting your things on my stuff!" James yelled. He put his hand on his sword hilt.
The guard looked bemused. "Fine. What could a kid do anyway? Alright, you may go in."
After they entered the Village Ratagi grabbed James shoulder and slammed him into the wall. "What's wrong with you? You are going to start a fight with some guard? Just because you know how to use a sword doesn't mean you have to! Your hot-head is going to get us into worlds of trouble, and if this continues, you are gone! I'll leave you here to the cutthroats and thieves!" James was shaking
"I'm sorry Mister Ratagi! I didn't mean to-"Ratagi cut him off mid sentence by storming away, muttering under his breath.
The village was neutral to Angers cause, but a lot of the people would strip you clean without you even knowing it.
The village was compacted and all roads led to the plaza, where there was a gambling house and various shops that sold various items. Charles gasped as he saw three Hunters drinking beer. Hopefully they are not part of the troop with Seftis, he thought. But thankfully, they did not have the mark of Seftis. They were complaining about the brand of ale.
Ratagi lead the two kids to a small house. He knocked on the door. A short bald man opened the door. He had pale skin and a short brown beard.
"What do you want?" The man said in a voice that did not fit his appearance. It was extremely deep, but the man was thin and a head shorter then James and Charles.
"Diamor sent me." Ratagi explained.
The man's eyes widened. "Diamor! I have not seen him in long time. We were good friends, Is he well?"
Ratagi nodded. "Surviving." he confirmed, smiling.
The man smiled and beckoned them inside his house. "Come in, come in! You must be freezing out there!"
Inside the small house was really nice. A warm fireplace burned in the middle by two beds. A picture of a woman was held on the wall by the door. It was a two room house- the other room had a cooking range on it, and there was a pot whistling.
"I am so glad he is all right. Hey, do you want some tea?" The man babbled.
"No thank you." Ratagi said.
"Well, did he tell you about-" The man began, but then he lowered his voice. "The Vault?" he whispered.
Ratagi shook his head. "Nothing special. He told me about it, and gave me this map." He thrust the piece of paper at him. His figure hulked compared to the short bald man.
He studied it. "From Diamor's own pocket." He looked up. "Are you friends with Diamor, or something? Cause he is going a lot out of his way to help you."
Ratagi shook his head. "He looks familiar, but I do not think I have seen him before." He admitted.
The man stood there in silence for a while. Then he said "Opne`, at your service." He said. "So, tell Opne' more about what happened. Your journey so far, I mean."
After Ratagi finished the story of his journey, Opne` shrugged. "So, you are going to The Vault."
"That's right."
"Well, do you have any type of plans when you get there?" He asked. Ratagi shook his head. "No."
"Then why are you going, if you do not have any plans when you get there?"
"There was nothing for me back at Tiger's Eye city that I neither needed nor wanted, to say the very least. I am nothing there. From the old Western quote, âsomething and death, not nothing and life'. Kind of like the old Voranite quote."
Opne' nodded. "Passes around in new quotes, but the meaning stays the same. Well, I will let you stay one night. But that is all you can get. I do not want to look suspicious. I could be harbouring a rebel! Opne' loves life more than death. Opne' is not like fearless Voranites or T'Keths. I'm just a poor old man who makes friends with dangerous people. Well, you should rest."
Ratagi went to lie down in the bed. Opne' went into the other room.
"Opne'-"
Opne' went to see him. "What?"
"Can you take care of the kids while I go to the Vault? For at least a while?"
Opne' shook his head. "Opne' does not need kids. He needs peace and quiet. Sorry, but I cannot help you with that." And he left into the other room.
The two kids were already asleep. Perhaps I should do the same, he thought. He closed his eyes and fell asleep the moment he closed his eyes.
He awoke to see James and Charles waiting at the door, fully ready. "We need to go now," James said. "Opne' said so."
So they said their goodbyes to Opne' and were off, and soon were at the end of the city.
"Here is your dagger back." The guard said, tossing it to him.
Ratagi tried to catch it, but it fell out of his grasp and hit the ground. He scowled, but picked it up and put it back calmly.
After a while of walking James started to complain.
"I'm hungry!" he wailed.
"Well if you complain more it will only make things worse," Ratagi warned. "If you complain anymore, we are skipping lunch."
"But I'm hungry!"
Ratagi buried his face in his hands. "I give up." He groaned.
Charles shook his head. James lifted his arms in defence. "I'm just hungry."
Ratagi started searching his pack for something. He was still on the move and tripped on a rock. He cursed and got up, still searching his pack.
"I'm still hungry!" James cried. Ratagi tossed a small piece of bread at him. "Can I have more?" he asked.
"That's all I have!" He threw his arms in the air.
"But I'm still hungry!" James wailed.
"But you haven't eaten yet- oh, fine." He searched his pack, tripped again, and tossed him some dried up berries. "But I don't like berries!" he cried.
He groaned. "Charles, make him stop, please!"
Charles shook his head. "He won't stop until he gets what he wants." He said. "He does this a lot. I had to get used to it."
Ratagi groaned. "I have nothing left!"
"But I'm hungry!"
"I won't give you anything because I have nothing to give you!"
"But I'm hungry!"
"FINE!" Ratagi growled. He tossed him an apple. "I was saving that for myself, by the way."
James feasted greedily and remorselessly on the apple. When he was done, he said "Mister Ratagi?"
"What?"
"I'm still hungry."
He gave a long moan.

They finally approached a large town that used to be called Ri'Ti, (Pronounced Rite Eye) but is now called Sergo City, named after the Noble that controls these parts. Inside the city they had to conceal their weapons, (Ratagi had found a guard who would give his back at the end of the city.) for a rule (Sergo's rule, that is.) states that only the guards and Hunters may hold weapons in the city.
Ratagi had told them that Ekogodne` was a Noble, Rohia was one too, and Sergo. Anger had been given his power by them. Sergo is probably the least modest noble there is.
In the middle of the city was a large tower called The Tower of Sergo.
"Ha," Sneered James. "He sure likes to have his name heard a lot. Quite modest, isn't he?"
"Be silent!" Ordered Ratagi quietly and harshly. "Do not insult him whatsoever. If you're heard, he'll have us executed. Painfully. Do not say anything. Now, wait here, and do not move." He looked at a nearby shop and walked towards it, muttering under his breath.
Then, the twins heard bells and trumpets. "Make way for king Sergo." A Hunter drawled with a touch of boredom in his voice. A man rode by on a horse, covered completely in a black hood so you could not see his face.
"Ha!" James jeered. "For a guy who had posted his name on everything in sight, he sure is afraid of showing his face!" He knew what he said, and then he gasped and put his hands over his mouth.
But it was too late. Sergo's head swivelled to James' direction. "Seize him!" he snarled.
Two Hunters ran up and took the twins from behind. Kick and strain as they must, they could not get out of the Hunter's grasps.
Ratagi emerged from the shop. "Guess wha- hey! What are you doing?" He cried.
"He has mocked the name of Sergo, and they must be punished." The Hunter holding James said calmly.
"Hey, there must be some mistake! Those are my kids." He said, panic rising inside his voice.
"They must be punished." The other Hunter droned, with a tone in his voice that sounded like he was sickened to be doing this.
"Wait- I assure you they will not do this again! And really, they are just kids! Will you hurt a kid?" He asked.
"You can say that again," said the Hunter. "I'm as honourable as any Knight. But we need to follow orders, if we want to or not."
"NO! Just give them to me and I will leave the city. I promise!" Said Ratagi, panic stricken.
The Hunter dropped James, took out a club, and was ready to hit Ratagi, when Sergo spoke: "Do not!" he hissed. Then he turned to Ratagi. "You take your little demons and leave this city and never come back to taint us with your unholy words. And if you and I cross paths once again, I will kill you, and your two little vermin."
Ratagi nodded. "Yes. I promise."
The Hunter unhanded Charles. "Get out of here." He pointed to the far gates.
Then without further anything, they left.
"I'm hungry!" Complained James.
"Shut up!" Ratagi roared. "Shut up! You are the one who got us into this mess! Now we will probably starve before getting to the next city. It is YOUR fault we had to leave so soon. You just HAD to disobey everything I ask you. And now you are asking for food after we just ate?"
James shrunk back. "I'm sorry." He squeaked, timidly now. "I'm just hungry."
Charles said nothing. Ratagi was muttering to himself. He regretted letting these kids come. Now there wasn't nearly enough supplies to make it to the Vault. And now he had to take them there. And they have not been through almost any danger yetâ¦

* * *

Seftis and his Hunters finally reached "Sergo city." The Hunters jeered at the name. The Hunters and Anger's Nobles had a hatred for each other going back so long most people had forgotten what had started it. They marched up to Sergo's Palace, filled with arrogance. "We are looking for three traightor," he said. "One man and two boys. You saw them?"
Sergo nodded. "They brought with them tainted words that will hurt my city forever." He hissed.
Seftis scowled. "Spare us whatever unimportant things you have to say. Tell us where they went. The man has killed six Hunters so far, gone past three Nobles already: Ekogodne`, Rohia, and now you. The two kids have burned the temple of Anger and killed a Hunter captain. I am barely surprised that they defeated the likes of you, but these crimes are not going to be forbidden by those Loyal to the King." He sneered.
Sergo made a throaty growl. His bony hand rested on his sword longingly. Then he said "Anger tells me the two children did not do it. He is very smart. Some people, he says, are not loyal to the king. He says that they are in hiding, and running."
Seftis scratched the back of his neck. "I do not know why he did not tell me about that." He said, wondering.
"Do you expect King Anger to tell even slight information to a lowly Hunter like you?" Sergo rasped.
Seftis was fuming now. He drew his sword several inches out of his hilt, but one of his soldiers put his hand on his back, signalling him to stop. "My people are not lowly," he snarled. "You weak, spineless fool! Go crawl back to wherever you came from and let us do your dirty work."
Sergo nodded. "That is what Anger pays you for, to do my dirty work."
Seftis shook his head. "Save your childish talk for the next person to insult your looks. You sure have a nice enforced law here." The Hunters left. Sergo's bodyguards (Hunters) stared at him with scowls on their faces. Sergo scowled back and they went back to their work.
"Soon," said Sergo, "I will be standing over your cold dead corpse and I will be laughing." He said.
Seftis waved a hand. "Whatever you say, you fool." He said, still angry about what he had said.
He'd been angry to begin with. Yesterday he had to put up with the insane knight. It had taken an hour to get him out of the way, and that was for Seftis to fight him. He won, but it was close. And today Sergo was insulting him and his people. He had been pushed to his limit and now his trust in the king was shaken.
Seftis and his soldiers came to a stop. He bent down and looked at the footprints that led east. He took a glove off and picked a little dirt off the ground. He sniffed it. "Fresh meat," he said. "We have their scent! Lets go!" his voice changed, it was deeper and more menacing, like there were two voices. "We have their scent!"
The Hunters started chanting their little song: they called, over and over and over: "FRESH MEAT!"

Ratagi sniffed the air in the forest. The sun peaked through the trees and scattered in small parts across the ground. The trees ruffled to the breeze. He was feeling better now, and had tossed an apple to James, who just stared at it. "I'm not hungry anymore," he had said.
Ratagi ignored him. He felt afraid, with the Hunters right on their tail. It was an entire troop, probably at least a hundred men. And when they had their scent, hiding was their last priority, not to mention the straight road made them easy targets.
He looked back. The road was (to his chagrin) very straight with only hills to cover them.
White rats scurried across the path. James chased them into the forest. He decided to focus on the path ahead. It was long and weedy, with barely any signs of anything, except maybe a few Hunter leavings: coals from fires, old rags, and mouldy leftover bones from meat. Off the path was covered with trees and plants. To the right was a group of burnt, smoking trees and signs of a forest fire. The sun shined brightly on that side. Probably a leftover fire some Hunters were too lazy to care about, thought Ratagi. Soon, the forest went its different way. There was long yellow grass to their left. James's eyes were on a group of voles running around the leftover ashes of the trees. He charged off, chasing them away.
"Hey!" Yelled Ratagi. "Get back on the path!"
James was still chasing them around, but froze when he heard a long roar coming from the forest to his back. He charged onto the path. It sounded close by.
"But I thought we left Rohia a long way back!" Cried James. "You do not think he is following us!"
Ratagi shook his head. "Rohia probably isn't following us. But never underestimate a Noble." He felt the scar on his head.
"But Anger troops set a fire in the forest!" Exclaimed James, brushing a fly off his shoulder. "And Rohia didn't punish them or anything."
Ratagi scratched his head, and then swatted a fly. "The Hunters and the Nobles are well known to have a bad rivalry with each other," he explained. "The Hunters might have âaccidentally' set a tree on fire and just left it, maybe trying to make Rohia angry."
Charles swatted another fly off his face. "Say, there are a lot of flies around here. What's going on?" he asked.
Up ahead was a small swamp. It wasn't that big, but it was very time consuming to go around it- and they already have to beat the troop following them.
Ratagi jumped into the shallow but dirty water. The path went around it- but they had no choice- Go off the path or risk losing a lot of time and face the Hunters.
The flies were swarming him now. He felt a very uneasy feeling as cold dirty water poured slowly into his boots. Both kids were following him. James was splashing, obviously enjoying this more than Ratagi and Charles. The flies were coming in swarms now. They quickened their pace towards the end. Charles was however running too fast and the water seemed to grab at him as it got slightly shallower. He tripped and fell on his face into the cold water. He got up, muttering. James was ahead, but at the end he fell into deeper water- at first it was only knee deep for Ratagi, but now it was waist deep. He had to swim to shore, now. Flies were everywhere. Charles stood there, shivering.
"Come on!" He ordered.
"I can't." Answered Charles.
"Why not?" He growled.
"I cannot swim like James." He answered, obviously embarrassed.
Ratagi shook his head. "It's only up to your neck. You can wade across."
Charles nodded. "Fine." He said. "But I am a little- err, ah-"
"You're afraid of the water."
"Um, ah, I just get a little uneasy, is all." He said, shivering.
Ratagi groaned. But Charles then started to run, trying to make a running leap- but the land was obviously too far for someone like him. Also, he stumbled on a weed and fell face first into deep water. James was out of the water, and seeing the trouble his brother was in, leapt back in, and pulled him up. Ratagi went and leapt onto the shore. "Well, that could have gone better," he muttered. Charles nodded, shivering.
He heard an angry snarl. "We should get back on the path!" he said.
The two shivering boys nodded.
Seftis kicked a rock at the forest. "We shall camp here," he said. "They probably aren't too far anyway.
The Hunters sat down. Two others went to get some wood. One took out an axe and prepared to chop a tree down.
"NOT SO FAST!" A hard voice like iron tore through the Hunters' ears.
A large man went out of the woods. He had a grey beard and old ruined clothes, and cold yellow eyes.
"Oh, good, here comes the second Noble we see today." Seftis said, obviously bored. "Keep chopping the tree. He'll be fine."
The Hunter prepared to chop the tree again. But he dropped the axe as the man looked at him angrily. He walked behind Seftis. "You get out of my forest, vermin." He growled.
"We can go anywhere we want," Seftis said. "Be

his back, and gasped.\r\n     The Hunter became aware of the man with his hands behind his back. "What are you holding behind your back?"\r\n     "Nothing," the man lied.\r\n     The Hunter drew his sword and placed it to his neck. "Show me your hands, BOTH of them."\r\n     The man sighed. "Very well then." He then revealed a shining sword and slashed the Hunter sword away swiftly, bent his knees and stabbed him. He kicked him away, and slashed at the other opponent, who parried with his sword and slashed at his belly, aiming to cut him in half. He was then met with a block and a thrust straight through his chest.\r\n     The Hunter was kicked onto the ground. The man put the sword away and looked at the children. "You're in plain sight," he said, followed by "Get out." The children walked out of the house, and watched as the man walked out of the house and into the night.\r\n     They watched as he walked away.\r\n     "Let's go home," sighed James. "It's been a rough day."\r\n     "What home?" Charles said dryly. "We have no home. We have nothing, just the clothes on our backs. We have nothing to live by- besides; the Troops already know who we are. We're marked for death."\r\n     "Then where will we go, then?" James asked grimly.\r\n     They looked in the direction of the man, whose silhouette had faded in the distance.\r\n     \r\nWalking in the shadows, they followed the man, closely but quietly.\r\nThe big man was muttering to himself, looking at some kind of map. His cloak flew behind him in the night breeze. They came to a road, with a long line of trees on either side. The man came to a halt, and looked behind him, scanning the place, but saw nothing. The two kids hid just in time. The man started walking again.\r\nAfter an hour of walking, James tripped and fell on the ground, and the man, swift as lighting, was upon him, and a dagger was pressed it to his throat. "I knew you were following me," he said, and then the moonlight shone on James's face. His eyes widened. "You," he said. He then put him down and concealed his dagger. "Get out of here," he said, "Go home!"\r\n     "The troops," said James, "You killed them."\r\n     "Troops? Um, yes, but it seems you have done the same thing too," he said.\r\n     "No, we aren't the people who killed the troop," Charles said as he walked towards them both.\r\n     The man groaned, and then looked at them. "Would you go home if I escorted you there?" He offered placidly.\r\n     "We have no home," said James, still trying to recover from the shocking near death experience that the man had given him.\r\n     The man lowered his head. "I can not take you with me; you are too much of a burden." He said.\r\n     "I am not a burden!" said James. "What's a burden?"\r\n     "We could be helpful sir," Charles interrupted, "We're experienced in hunting, and hiding."\r\n     The man gave a loud, low groan. "I don't want anybody to follow me," he said at last, "I can only take care of myself. I need to travel quicker and less conspicuously."\r\n     "We can take care of ourselves," said James, lifting his head high.\r\n     The man sighed, and after a moment of thinking, he said "I might drop you off at some place, so I guess I could take you for a little while, but I have some rules."\r\n     "Oh, thanks mister, thanks a lot!" said James loudly.\r\n     "No talking!" The man snapped.\r\n     "Okay." He squeaked quietly.\r\n     The man began to continue walking, and James ran after him, and, trying to keep to the man's pace, he asked "What is your name, Mister?"\r\n     After a moment of silence, only the sound of their footsteps and the breeze, he said "Ratagi."\r\n     "I'm James. My brother is Charles. You have a funny name!"\r\n     Ratagi rolled his eyes, and then stopped abruptly. "We shall rest here," he announced, "But after a while we need to keep walking. Perhaps I shall talk about my rulesâ�¦\r\n\r\n*              *               *\r\n\r\n    \r\n     The Hunter captain walked up to a golden door. It was tall, and had the symbol of Anger on it, (two crossed swords with a strange deformed animal with horns behind) marked on it. Two large stone dragons stood tall, protecting the palace. Hunters stood guarding it, too. But the one that was living within needed no guards.\r\n     "I must go in," he said.\r\n     "Yes sir." One of the Hunters said and opened the door.\r\n     A long, dark bridge leading into darkness was there. Mist swirled around the Hunter's knees. He walked past a bridge to a narrow walkway, and there, shrouded in dark mist came a dark, whispering voice. "Hunter, why have you come?"\r\n     The captain bowed. "I have bad news," he said. "Tiger's Eye city has had two incidents: one, a captain was killed and the shrine to you was burned down-"\r\n     "Who was responsible for the crime?" the voice hissed.\r\n     "Two kids, if you will believe it."\r\n     "You Hunters have a reputation to uphold, and must not ruin it."\r\n     "There was another thing- the old blacksmith is missing, and two Hunters lay dead there."\r\n     There was a long pause. Then, the voice answered. "Send a full troop, and get them ready- and one more thing-"\r\n     "Anything for you, great king," the Hunter said, still bowing.\r\n     "Bring me the Hunter Lord Seftisâ�¦"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n    \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER FOUR\r\nFORBIDDEN FRUIT\r\n"But you must not eat from the fruit of the second tree, for when you eat of it you will surely die."\r\n-Genesis 2:17\r\nThe two children groaned as their legs weakened. They had been walking all night and now it was the middle of the day. "Can't we stop just for something to eat?" James asked stoutly.\r\n     "Not for a while." said Ratagi stoutly.\r\n     "But I'm so hungry!" James cried.\r\n     "It was your choice you would follow me," Ratagi said, "And I told you no complaining."\r\n     "But I'm hungry!"\r\n     "I don't care," Ratagi grumbled. "We need to make it to the mountains as soon as possible."\r\n     "Why?" Asked Charles, and both Ratagi and James glanced at him strangely, for he hadn't spoken for hours.\r\n     "They say there are things more powerful than Hunters there." Ratagi said quietly, dodging the question.\r\n     "Where are you actually going?" James asked.\r\n     "I do not think I should tell you that," Ratagi said mysteriously.\r\n     "Why not?" James grumbled.\r\n     "Just keep walking! We will eat later!" Ratagi said angrily.\r\n     They were walking down a long, straight road. The sun was rising, the air was cool, and all was quiet. The road led to a hill. There were no signs of Hunters treading here. Ratagi wondered why.\r\n     They got to the hill, and James was still complaining.\r\n     "I haven't eaten in days! Why can't we eat now?"\r\n"We are not eating until we reach the end of the road. Now stop complaining, because I will not feed you until then."\r\n     "But-" James began.\r\n     "If you do not stop complaining, I will make it longer." Ratagi was really tired now, and couldn't take James's complaining for much longer.\r\n     They reached the top of the hill, where a grove of trees fluttered in the wind. "Hey! Maybe there might be food somewhere over there!" James shouted, and charged off the path.\r\n     "Hey-!" Ratagi cried. "Do not go off the path!"\r\n     But it was too late. James was staring in awe at a tree that bore his most favourite fruit. "Apples!" he cried.\r\n     Ratagi was charging after him. "Do NOT eat any apples off the path," Diamor had warned.\r\n     "Stop! Those apples do not belong to you! DON'T-"\r\n     James grabbed an apple from the tree and took a huge bite out of it.\r\n     "-Eat it." Ratagi said dumbly.\r\n     The trees started to rumble as Ratagi and Charles got to James, happily feasting on the apple. The land parted and a huge crack in the ground appeared, and the companions fell into it. The top closed. We are in a room, Ratagi realized. The place was alight with candles.\r\n     "WHO DARES TO EAT MY FRUIT?" A powerful voice roared. A creature stood in the middle of the chasm. It had powerful body of a man, with wolf-like legs and the head of a vicious dog.\r\n     "I'm sorry! It was an accident; I didn't know that just one apple could hurtâ�¦"\r\n     "Be quiet!!" The beast roared. James shrunk back.\r\n     The beast slowly advanced onto James when Ratagi went to guard him. His sword was in his hand. "Let us all go, and nobody gets hurt." He growled.\r\n     The beast laughed. "Why should I care if anyone gets hurt as long as it isn't me?" he lifted his hand, and the candles flared up to shine a light on the ground- human bones scattered the soil. "I have dealt with your kind before and I will do it again!" He roared.\r\n     "Not this time." Ratagi snarled. He swung his sword, but it was too late- the beast dodged and hit Ratagi on his chest.\r\n     He grunted, but was still on his feet. He lifted up his sword, but the beast lifted his arm and an invisible force took Ratagi's sword and flung it across the cave. "NO WEAPONS!" he snarled and charged. Ratagi was ready. He jumped out of the way and pounded on the beast's back. It groaned, but after a second it jumped up, knocking Ratagi off the ground.\r\n     Ratagi was still fighting, but the creature was too fast and too strong. It attacked viciously, and then shrunk back when Ratagi had a chance to fight back. But he was still on his feet. All he needed was another blow to the creature's head and it was down.\r\n     The creature lunged for the final blow, and, like lightning, Ratagi dodged and swung his fist, hitting the creature in its head. It fell over with a grunt. He lifted his fist in the air, but the creature got up and was facing him in a flash. "Do you think you can hurt me?" it growled. "I am the Great Ekogodne`, Lord of the Mountains! King Anger has given me possession of this land and all that goes with it! He gives me the trees which fruit are forbidden to everyone but me!"\r\n     "Why can't we eat it?" James whimpered.\r\n     "It preserves my immortality!" the beast roared. "Even now you will live many more years then before. I cannot let anyone know about this!"\r\n     "I won't tell, I promise!" James cried.\r\n     Ekogodne` then lashed out, hitting his opponent on the head, and Ratagi fell to the ground, motionless. He lifted his arm and some rope whizzed out of the darkness and wrapped around the two brothers. They both cried out as the creature walked towards James. "W-what are you going to do to me?" he stammered.\r\n     "They can't find out about the magic of the fruit," Ekogodne` said ignoring him.\r\n     His hands clasped around James's throat and started to squeeze.\r\n     Then, he cried out. He fell over, a dagger in his back. Ratagi stood behind him, staggering. His head was bleeding badly. He pulled James to his feet.\r\n     Ekogodne` roared in fury, grabbing Ratagi's leg, tripping him. He fell onto the hard rock floor. He went to James.\r\n     "Let us go!" James screamed. The creature hesitated.\r\n     "You have ONE chance to leave," the creature said blankly. "I will ask you a riddle. And if you answer it correctly, I will let you and your friends go. If you get it wrong, I will devour you and your companions."\r\n     James nodded. "Okay. Tell me the riddle."\r\n     The beast nodded back and began to speak: "A king decided to let a prisoner try to escape the prison with his life. The king placed two marbles in a jar that was glued to a table. One of the marbles was supposed to be black, and one was supposed to be blue. If the prisoner could pick the blue marble, he would escape the prison with his life. If he picked the black marble, he would be executed. However, the king was a cruel man, and he wickedly placed two black marbles in the jars and no blue marbles. The prisoner witnessed the king only putting two black marbles in the jars. If the jar was not see-through and the jar was glued to the table and that the prisoner was mute so he could not say anything, how did he escape with his life?"\r\n     James thought for a moment. How could he have done it?\r\n     "You have TEN seconds!" Ekogodne` droned.\r\n     Ratagi knew the answer. It was simple. But James never heard the riddle before, it seemed.\r\n     "Nine, eight, seven, sixâ�¦"\r\n     He thought wildly for an answer.\r\n     "Five, four, three, two-"\r\n     "He swallowed it!" Charles blurted out.\r\n     The beast's dog-like ears rose. "What is your answer?" he asked.\r\n     "He swallowed it!" James repeated, suddenly understanding. "He swallowed the first marble he took out, and then showed everyone the second one, proving that he had chosen the non-black marble!"\r\n     The beast twitched. It knew that it had to go through its side of the bargain. Then he spoke. "You have answered well. You may leave. But if you tell anyone about anything about what you have seen-" Ekogodne' left the threat hanging in the air.\r\n     The chasm opened and sunlight poured in. Ratagi wearily got up. Blood was dripping from his forehead. He groaned. Ekogodne` waved his arm. His sword flew into his arms. He groaned even louder.\r\n     Stairs appeared leading out of the chasm. Charles went to Ratagi and helped him up.\r\n     When they were out of the hole, James heard a dark laugh. "Safe travels." Ekogodne` sneered, and the hole closed up again.\r\n     Ratagi groaned, clutching the wound in his head. They slowly made their way back to the road, and then he half fell, half knelt down onto the grass.\r\n     "What are you doing?" James asked.\r\n     He smiled at him weakly. "Time to eat," he said.\r\n    After a small meal of bread and water, Ratagi, James and Charles set off. The sun was now high in the sky. Ratagi's wound was bandaged, and they set off. Finally, the road ended. There stood a steep hill covered in grass. The road ended there.\r\n     Ratagi sighed, and started up the hill.\r\n     "Mister Ratagi!" James cried, as if trying to interrupt him.\r\n     Ratagi, now going up the hill, looked away from a scrap of paper he was reading and turned his gaze on James. "What?" He asked.\r\n     "I'm hungry again." He squeaked.\r\n     He scowled and kept on going up the hill, reading the paper.\r\n     "Sir? Did you hear me? I'm hungry!" James shouted.\r\n     "We just ate," Ratagi groaned.\r\n     Charles looked at him like their mother used to look at them when they were but children. Then he started up the hill.       \r\n     James grumbled, but closely followed. It was a beautiful day- the sun was shining, the air was cool- but no bird sang. There was no quiet squeak of the dirt mice, or the scurrying of their little paws. There was nothing but the sound of the breeze ruffling against the trees and the bushes, and the steady pace of Ratagi, followed by the uneven pace of the twins, jogging to keep up with him.\r\n     Ratagi was reading the map to notice a small rock, which he stumbled and tripped on.\r\n     "Mister Ratagi! Someone's behind us!" James exclaimed.\r\nHe scowled, and got up to see three red helmeted soldiers following their trail. They were very far away, but close enough that they could be seen.\r\n     "Hunters," He breathed. "We have to move faster. NOW." He and the twins started picking up their pace.\r\n     "We will have to walk tonight as well," He announced, "if we are to outrun those Hunters."\r\n     "No, we can't!" James piped up, his voice high, panic vastly rising in him. "The Troops have noses like bloodhounds. The second they pick up our scent we're doomed!"\r\n     Ratagi sighed. "I admire your positive attitude, James. This is why we must keep out of their way." He cast a glance at the troop. A blood red banner with a golden V was raised high. The banner of Seftis, he thought grimly. I guess my leaving is more serious than I thought.\r\n     "What are you reading?" James asked, looking at Ratagi's map.\r\n     "Nothing. Just a map." Ratagi explained.\r\n     "I have a question," Charles asked. "Can I ask you a question?"\r\n     "No- fine. What is it?" Rata1gi asked in a strained000 tone.\r\n     "Where are we going?" Charles asked.\r\n     "YOU are going to safe place," he answered.\r\n     "What do you mean â��you'?" James asked.\r\n     Ratagi sighed. "I plan to drop you off someplace safer on the way. I cannot have you the entire way and risk you getting hurt."\r\n     Charles nodded. "Can I ask you another question?" he asked.\r\n     Ratagi groaned. Then he looked at him. "What?" he asked.\r\n     "There were a group of hooded people who burned the shrine to King Anger," Charles explained. "Do you have any idea who they might be?"\r\n     "It is said there is one type of people who oppose Anger. People who travel in gangs to look more like outlaws and thieves than a cohesive military unit. They go around Mans-Telwar, destroying anything Anger considers valuable. They do not hurt his empire much, but the Hunters cannot do anything about it. They are harassing them, now, but soon they will have enough people to attack small parts of his army. And I am going to join the resistance."\r\n     "Oh" was Charles' only answer. And "why do you call them Hunters?\r\n     Ratagi groaned.\r\n     There was silence for a couple of minutes, when a there was a long whiney of a horse, and a rider charged passed them, nearly knocking them off the path. They dare not even near it after the experience with Ekogodne`.\r\n     Ratagi shook his fist at him. It was very windy now, and his cloak flew like a cape, revealing his long, slick sword. The rider gasped and rode away. Ratagi gasped himself and used both hands to put the cloak over it, trying to conceal it. But the rider had seen it, for sure.\r\n     They got back and started on the road again. "I want to go to whatever resistance with you." Charles said after a minute of walking.\r\n     Ratagi chuckled. "I do not think I can not survive traveling half a week let alone a whole year with you kids. We have been traveling, what, a day now? And now I have a massive headache because you disobeyed a specific order."\r\n     Charles pointed a finger at James. "I had nothing to do with that," He said. James rolled his eyes.\r\n     "No," Ratagi said.\r\nI don't think he has ever smiled before, Charles thought.\r\n"I wasn't talking about James, but the headache you have given me from talking too much." Ratagi finished.\r\n     Charles laughed. But then he realized Ratagi wasn't telling a joke.\r\n     \r\n     The Hunters slowly advanced up the hill, one at a time. Seftis sniffed the air. "I smell something- funny," he said.\r\n     "Probably that smelly Noble, Ekogodne`." a Hunter nodded. "Probably," he said, and then he saw a local farmer riding a horse. "I have seen something!" the rider cried. "On the rode ahead- a man and two boys- the man had broken city laws- he has a sword!"\r\n     Seftis frowned- and then smiled. "Fresh meat, oh, my brave Hunters. We have fresh meat."\r\n     The Hunters started chanting. "Fresh meat, fresh meat, fresh meat!"\r\n     The rider looked confused, then afraid. He rode away as fast as he could.\r\n     Seftis grinned. "We haven't any fun for years," he said, looking at the rider in the distance. Then he looked at his troop. "Come on! I think we have their scent!"\r\n     The Hunters answered with a chant. "Fresh meat! Fresh meat!"\r\n    Seftis laughed, and then pointed at three Hunters. "You there," he ordered. "You go scout ahead while we rest. Come back when you have found something. But if you come back empty handedâ�¦" Seftis did not finish his sentence. He need not do that. The three Hunters gulped and then went forward. The others swiftly set up camp and started to feast on food.\r\n"Well, brave Hunters," Seftis said, "We have fresh meat!"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER FIVE\r\nTHE BRIDGE\r\n"And the goat said, â��Don't eat me up. I am very skinny, but a goat will soon come who is twice as large. He will fill you up'." And the wolf let him go."\r\n                                       -The Three Goats\r\n    Ratagi and the kids sat down heavily. Night was coming soon. They had to move to the nearest village as soon as they could. Ratagi had heard what terrors of the night await them.\r\n     The sun was starting to set. He sighed. The chasm was far in the distance. They were on a large hill, when they saw them- three Hunter Minors. The lowest rank of the Hunters, but still formidable foes. They were charging towards them. They looked angry.\r\n     Ratagi ran down to meet them. "Well hello, fine sirs," he said humbly. "Catch any good outlaws lately?"\r\n     The Hunters drew their swords. "Prepare to die, blacksmith," One snarled.\r\n     Ratagi drew his gleaming sword. One Hunter surged forward, making a series of combinations of slashes, cuts and thrusts. Ratagi met all of them, countering with more offensive attacks. The Hunter fell back towards the others. They began advancing forward, encircling him.\r\n     Ratagi may be a match for one or two Minors, but with his head still cut open and bleeding, he can't hope to take three alone! Charles thought. He picked up a rock. "James! Throw rocks at them!" he ordered. They could get the attention of one of the Hunters- Ratagi might possibly be a match for two- either way, it was worth a shot and they had no other choice.\r\n     James nodded and they started to pick up and throw rocks at them. One Hunter ran towards them. Ratagi fell the first one and started to fight the other. The third Hunter started up the hill the kids were on. They started taunting him, until he was up the hill.\r\n     "SPLIT UP!" Charles roared, and they parted their own separate ways. The Hunter went after Charles. Of course, he thought angrily. Go after the slow one.\r\n\r\n\r\n*              *               *\r\n\r\n    \r\nRatagi swung his sword threateningly, but he was afraid if he fought his hardest and exerted himself his head would bleed more heavily and the blood would blind him. But, as the Hunters sword actually cut off the hair over his eyes, he knew he had to fight. He swung fiercely, knocking ones Hunters sword clear out of his hands. As he scrambled to get it, he quickly slashed at the other Hunter. He parried, but Ratagi quickly recovered and stabbed the Hunter in the stomach. Ratagi kicked him away, and charged after the other Hunter still trying to get his sword.\r\n The other Hunter reached his sword just as Ratagi reached him, screaming a furious battle-cry. He swung his sword and caught him in the back, quickly ending the Minors life.     \r\n\r\n   Ratagi turned and ran up the hill, roaring at the remaining Hunter. He turned and saw Ratagi, and instead of fighting, turned to run. He started down the opposite side of the hill, but just then a rock flew out the woods, hitting him in the bridge of his nose. He fell onto the rocky ground, slid for several more feet, and came to a rest. Ratagi cautiously walked up, but realized that the Hunter was dead. James warily came out of the forest, while Charles ran down the other side of the hill.\r\n      Ratagi sheathed his sword. "We must get to the chasm before the others do! Let's go! But-" he went to two dead Hunters and rounded up their two short swords. He tossed them to Charles and James. "Use them wisely." He ordered, and they all started toward the chasm.\r\n     It took the whole night to walk, and the bridge to the chasm was in sight. James took a swig of water. "I'm still hungry." He complained. It was too dark to see anything, so they rested for a couple hours until the sun rose. The bridge was in sight- but someone was standing there. A man in dull grey armour, with a box shaped helmet and a T shaped visor. The man had a long, but still dull, sword. Everything about him was simple, without the elegance or beauty that Knights usually wore on their armour or weapons. The head turned to them. "What do you want?" the knight asked. Ratagi's eyes grew wide. Then he said "We would like to pass."    \r\n     The knight shook his head. "Sorry, but I am afraid only Hunters may pass this bridge." He said firmly.\r\nRatagi scowled. "We are crossing. What do we have to do to cross? Name your price."\r\n     The knight shook his head. "No- you are not to pass as long as I am here.\r\n     Ratagi drew his sword. "Then I am going to have to make you pass," he growled.\r\n     The knight drew his sword. "You are making a big mistake," he said.\r\n     Ratagi shook his head. "YOU are the one making a mistake." He snarled. He charged the knight. It dodged two blows and countered with a series of combinations. Ratagi dodged and parried them all.\r\n     The fighting went on for a few minutes, both not giving an inch, until Ratagi hesitated in one attack. The knight took his chance and sent another volley of attacks. Ratagi dodged most of them, but he was not quick enough, and the knight sliced open his leg. It wasn't bad, but with the cut on his head he was significantly weakened. He roared and limped forward. The knight met all of the attacks, until Ratagi knocked him off balance. He was about to be cut in two, but as fast as lightning the knight's sword came to block the downward slash, and the knight started taking powerful attacks. Ratagi kept meeting each powerful slash and thrust and kept making more counter attacks. The knight parried his sword and swept forward, punching Ratagi in the gut with his Gauntlet. Ratagi's head hit forward, spraying the knight with blood. He staggered back, scrabbling at his eyes, but behind his helmet he couldn't reach. Ratagi quickly swung his sword and knocked his sword out of his hands. Ratagi kicked the knight in the chest, knocking him to his knees. He pointed his sword at his throat.\r\n     "No one has ever defeated me before-" the knight began. Then he lowered his head.\r\n     Ratagi hesitated. Then he shook his head and sheathed his sword. "You are a Shingan. A knight of the West."\r\n     The knight nodded. "I was captured- Anger put me in charge of this bridge, so no one could get out of this land- except Hunters. I was placed against my own will. There is only one more exit, and it is almost impossible to cross."\r\n     The knight rose. "I am free. You may pass."\r\n     Ratagi nodded. The kids were by him, looking at the knight. "Wow," James exclaimed.\r\n     The knight chuckled.\r\nRatagi and the two kids were passing the bridge when the knight asked "What is your name, soldier?" the knight asked.\r\n     He turned. Charles bumped into him and fell down. "Ratagi, I am a-a blacksmith."\r\n     The knight nodded. "Good travels Ratagi, knight of the west. Now, no Hunters shall pass by without my permission."\r\nRatagi nodded and continued on. Knight, he thought. He called me a knight.\r\n     To be a knight is something every boy of T'Keth, including Ratagi would dream of as a kid- but you must be of noble birth- not very noble, but noble as in "higher than a blacksmith" noble, like to be family member of a man who was a warrior. His father was never of noble birth, but he had the skill with a sword to be a knight. When Ratagi was young, every week they would leave Tiger's Eye city into a circle of trees and fought with swords- it was play at first, then soon Ratagi was always trying to beat his father in a fight. It got competitive and it was nearly impossible, though. He might have had a chance, but he would never actually beat him. He died, twenty years ago in the time of Anger's campaign. He had also lost hope about his wife and children being okay. They were dead. It was hopeless to think that they were alive.\r\n     "Hopelessâ�¦"\r\n     "Mister Ratagi?"\r\n     Ratagi looked up, back into reality. They were off the bridge now, and passing two mountains. A group of hills were in the distance. The road looked like it had not been used for years, for it was grey and rocks were littered here and there, and weeds were growing.\r\n     The bridge was far in the distance now; the knight was a dull grey blur in the distance.\r\n     They walked. For a while, nobody said a word. Finally, when they got to the end of the two mountains, James spoke.\r\n     "I'm hungry."\r\nRatagi put his face in his hands. "Very well," he said after a moment. "We should rest here."\r\n     They sat down on a log as Ratagi went to get stones to make a fire.\r\n     He finally got it together, and his eyes lit up when they fire started to blaze.\r\n     They sat down until the sun started to set.\r\n     Charles yawned. James scratched his nose. After a while of just sitting there, James being James, spoke up. "I'm bored." He said.\r\n     Ratagi's face was expressionless. Charles laid his head down, and with only his raggedy cloak as a blanket, he started to snore.\r\n     James, remembering something, went to see his new little present, as he thought of it.\r\n     He drew his sword. It was short, like three feet long, but it was a perfect size for someone like James.\r\n     It had the mark of Anger on the hilt, though. "Charles and I used to play swordfight with branches we found," he said.\r\n     Ratagi's face remained expressionless.\r\n     "Do you ever smile?" James asked.\r\n     He sighed, looking at the fire. It was dying out, and they were out of firewood. The sun was going to set soon. And it gets very cold at night in these parts, or so he's been told. But it was getting cold, and it was only practical for him to go find some wood.\r\n     Ratagi stood up. "I need to search for more firewood. Do not go anywhere." And with that, he left. James sighed. It was still daylight, but Charles was asleep like a baby. He sighed and started to talk to him. He had never thought that he would be on any kind of adventure. Though to him, every day was an adventure.\r\n     Well, he thought. I guess I should wait until mister Ratagi comes back.\r\n     Night fell. And Ratagi did not return.\r\n     \r\n     Ratagi groaned with the weight of the branches and wood on his arms. He was cursing himself for getting lost. His father used to teach him about how the sun set in the west and rose in the east- but there was no sun to see now. Nothing but pure darkness and the trees to keep him company. "I guess I will have to wait until dawn," he muttered to himself. "I just hope James doesn't panic and come looking for me."\r\n     Then he heard a noise. He dropped the bundle of wood and drew his sword. He saw a light. At first he thought it was his fire- and then he approached itâ�¦\r\n     Hunters surrounded a huge fire. They were drinking ale and singing a song.\r\n     Ratagi gasped as he saw an old rival get up, waving his hand to silence the crowd.\r\n     "To King Anger!" Seftis roared. The crowd cheered, waving their mugs around. "And to fresh meat!"\r\n     The Hunters howled, and started to sing. "Fresh meat!" Over and over again, followed by words he'd never heard before.\r\n     Barbarians, he thought solemnly.\r\n     He then realized- the Hunters are here- that means they are way too close by for comfort! I NEED to find the kids! We need to get out of here before they can catch up to us!\r\n     He darted away. The closest Hunter heard the noise. "Hey! Hey! What was that? I thought I heard something."\r\n     "Oh, shut up." Another Hunter said. "It's probably just your stomach."\r\n     "No, I think I heard something!" The first Hunter said.\r\n     "You're probably just drunk."\r\n     Back at the camp, James had woken up Charles and both were afraid, and freezing and tired. The fire was gone, and the coals only had a small glow.\r\n     Then, a figure burst through the bushes.\r\n     "AH!" James screamed, drawing his sword.\r\n     "It is just me," Said Ratagi. "Listen, we have to get out of here FAST. There is a Hunter camp right next to us- come on, we need to leave!"\r\n     He trampled out the rest of the fire with his boot, took the kids and left.\r\n     They were sprinting until they reached the hills. There, a group of wild pigs were waiting for them there.\r\n     They were huge, about the size of a dog.\r\n     "B'On Boars," He breathed. "Back away, slowly, towards the tree."\r\n     The pigs charged. They climbed the closest tree frantically, high enough so they could not get them.\r\n     The pigs circled the tree for a while, and then got tired of waiting and the group walked away.\r\n     "Another reason to hate pigs," muttered Charles.\r\n     They all climbed down, and started on their walk again. It was freezing. The air froze them to the bones. A thick fog surrounded them, engulfed them. Ratagi had drawn his sword and was waving it around threateningly in front of him. They were walking really fast now, for the pigs would come back soon. They would not be able to take three let alone twelve boars. And that was probably the least dangerous threat down in this evil place. This land had used to be a village, but as Anger invaded, the soldiers were sent to fight Hunters off of the homeland, not fight off pigs, wolves and bears. The village was completely overthrown by the animals. Now, they roam this land freely.\r\n     This land was dangerous to even the Hunters. All the way to the forests, it was hostile territory.\r\n     Ratagi sighed relief as the fog cleared. (Slightly, at least.)\r\n     There, they saw a large group of big rats. Best avoid them, he thought.\r\n     A Grey Vulture flew overhead.\r\n     Ratagi waved his sword again. His eyes then lit up. "I forgot!" he cried.\r\n     He searched his pack and found a torch and a flint. He lit it up, and the whole place lit up. The rats scattered away. Then, to his surprise, it was not the torch that scared them off. A huge figure loomed out of the forest in the distance. It was very wolf like, but had streaks of white on its back and had horrible staring orange-red eyes.\r\n     "What is that?" Cried Ratagi.\r\n     "Is that Rohia?" James asked Ratagi, his sword also in hand.\r\n     "Rohia?" Ratagi echoed. "Huh?"\r\n     "My father told me that he is the protector of the animals and is very evil. He described it to me. I remember so clear!"  \r\n     Whatever it was, it wasn't there to make friends. It roared and ran towards Ratagi, who reacted by swinging his sword instinctively, but the beast dodged and charged, knocking him off balance. It roared again, looking at James and Charles. They cried, dropping their swords and bolted away.\r\n     The wolf like thing was way too quick for them. They were out like a light in a second.\r\n     Ratagi was upon it like lightning, stabbing it in the neck with his knife. The creature roared in agony, threw him off, and was soon facing him, and he was unarmed.\r\n     It snarled. Ratagi knew he would have no chance unarmed against any wolf, let alone this huge one, or whatever James had said.\r\nThen he remembered. Rohia. He was one of the Nobles! But what would Rohia be doing in these parts? And what was it doing, wasting its time with them? Then he remembered Seftis's wordsâ�¦\r\n     "Anger has shown an interest in youâ�¦" But why would Anger be interested in him? Him, of all people a blacksmith!\r\nHe had no time to think now. The wounds in Rohia's neck healed slowly. Soon, it charged. Ratagi tried to get out of the way, but Rohia was too fast. It knocked him off balance, and was soon clamping on his arm. Blood gushed from his arm out onto his cheeks as the wolf tried to tear it off. "AH!" he cried. Soon, his arm WOULD come off, and then it would have a good clean spot towards Ratagi's throat. He bellowed as Rohia pulled at his skin.\r\n     Then, Charles came to the rescue, throwing a rock at Rohia's head. It let go of Ratagi's bleeding arm and charged Charles.\r\n     "Ah! Whoa! HELP!" he cried as Rohia charged him. Ratagi went to take his sword with his bad arm. It seemed way heavier than it actually was. He waved it around menacingly to Rohia. It snarled, and charged him again. This time, he was ready. He swung his sword, and in an instant Rohia backed away, aware that his opponent had a new advantage. Charles was up, his sword in his hands, guarding James. Rohia might have been able to beat them one on one, but together he could not do anything. It ran into the forest again. James was up now. The forest was silent again.    \r\n     Ratagi put his knife away. "We have a dangerous road ahead of us."\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER SIX\r\nDANGEROUS ROAD\r\n"Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it's always done with the noblest purposes in mind."\r\n -Oscar Wilde  \r\n    The walk was long and tiresome. The two kids were dragging themselves forward. "When are we going to stop?" James complained. "I'm tired!"\r\n     "We are stopping at a village. Maybe I can drop you off there." Answered Ratagi. He had made a make-shift cast with a piece of his clothes. Blood had soaked in it. Now what had been white was dull red.\r\n     James scowled. Ratagi groaned in return. "Maybe we should stop here. It will be better to rest now."\r\n     They went off the road (about fifteen feet off) and set up a small camp. Charles sat down beside James.\r\n"I can't believe what's happened. Just a couple days ago we were living our lives, as happy as can be. Now look at us, fighting Hunters, and fleeing towards freedoms last chance!"\r\nJames snorted. "Happy as can be? We were scrounging for food, and hiding at night! We weren't happy, we were barely surviving." Charles looked at the ground, suddenly upset.\r\n"But it wasn't all bad. Remember when we used to sword fight with our sticks?" Charles laughed. "Remember when we knocked out a bunch of hunters to steal some food?"\r\nJames looked down at his lap, smiling "That was pretty awesomeâ�¦" He jumped "Hey, remember how we always wanted to have real swords, because the sticks kept on breaking?" Charles nodded.\r\n"Well, here we are!" He picked up the sword Ratagi had taken from the dead Hunter. Charles leaped up, laughing. They started exchanging blows, getting faster and faster as they got used to the new weight and balance of the swords.\r\n     "Hey!" Ratagi called to them. "Don't fight too hard! I do not want anyone hurt."\r\n     The kids nodded and went back to their fight. James fought viciously, cutting and slashing as quickly as a cobra. Charles was using his wits as well as his strength. He knew that James was quicker and more agile. (James had never gone a single day without bragging!) So Charles kept his distance, carefully guarding every blow, countering when he had a chance, waiting until one time James would make a mistake.\r\n     Then he saw his chance. James let his guard down to do a downward slash. Charles immediately seized it and tried to get the sword to his neck, and he felt a feeling of DÃ©jÃ  Vu. James made a powerful slash almost knocking Charles off balance. He cried out and heard a voice.\r\n     "HEY!" Ratagi put his hand on James shoulders. "Don't be rough."\r\n     "We aren't being rough," James said angrily.\r\n     Ratagi sighed. "Would you like me to teach you a little? It would make me feel much more safe knowing you knew how to use them."\r\n     James nodded, but Charles shook his head no, but then agreed after James gave him a scowl.\r\n     He showed them a little of the basics of sword fighting, like blocking, attacking, studying your opponent, and after a while they decided to try their skills out.\r\n     "It's two against one," James said. "This will be easy.\r\n     After about several more lessons, they were ready. Ratagi drew his sword. It was a whole foot longer than theirs. The kids went back. He'll take advantage of his distance as well as we'll take advantage of our numbers, Charles thought.\r\n     Ratagi made lightening-fast (but light) series of slashes that drove the kids back. Charles tried sneaking to the back of him while James took the front. But he easily saw what they were doing and backed away so he could see both of them. He then brought his sword over his head, and charged. James and Charles separated, trying to each take his sides. Ratagi (seeing their plan) jumped toward James, knocking the sword out of his hands. Ratagi put a sword to his throat. James put his hands up in surrender. "I win," he said.  Then he felt a pinpoint on his back.\r\n     "Not quite." Said Charles, who had snuck up behind him. "Drop your sword."\r\n     Ratagi dropped his sword and put his hands up. "You are beaten." Charles Growled. Then he burst out laughing, so hard he dropped his sword. "I got you didn't I?"\r\n     Ratagi nodded. "You beat me fairly. You win." He said. Then he chuckled, unsmiling. "Pretty good."\r\n     James looked in awe. "We beat him?"\r\n     "I beat him." Said Charles proudly.\r\n     Ratagi nodded again. "Well, I think we must be going. Come on, we have to get to the village before the day ends. \r\n\r\n*              *               *\r\n\r\n    \r\n\r\n       The town was in the distance. It was small, and probably crawling with thieves and cut-throats. The villages around here were homes for bandits, with Angers troops not numerous enough to police every single town and village, crime had reached new heights in The Three Kingdoms. Diamor had told Ratagi that there is a bandit gang that tells you that there is a fee for passing through bridges or into city territory, and forcing you to give up everything you've got. Smoke rose from the plaza. The gates were open. A guard stood there. He wore grey armour, a spear and a rectangular shield.\r\n     "We would like to get into the city." Ratagi said.\r\n     "You need to be searched first," the man said. "We have nothing against weapons, but you must bring only one, and it must be in plain view."\r\n     Ratagi nodded. "Will I be given my second weapon back at the end?"\r\n     The man laughed scornfully. "If you could survive a stay at this city, you might."\r\n     Ratagi frowned, but handed over his knife, the one he usually concealed.\r\n     The man nodded and searched him and the two boys. He was about to search James' pack when he protested. "You are not getting your things on my stuff!" James yelled. He put his hand on his sword hilt.\r\n     The guard looked bemused. "Fine. What could a kid do anyway? Alright, you may go in."\r\nAfter they entered the Village Ratagi grabbed James shoulder and slammed him into the wall. "What's wrong with you? You are going to start a fight with some guard? Just because you know how to use a sword doesn't mean you have to! Your hot-head is going to get us into worlds of trouble, and if this continues, you are gone! I'll leave you here to the cutthroats and thieves!" James was shaking\r\n"I'm sorry Mister Ratagi! I didn't mean to-"Ratagi cut him off mid sentence by storming away, muttering under his breath.\r\n     The village was neutral to Angers cause, but a lot of the people would strip you clean without you even knowing it.\r\n     The village was compacted and all roads led to the plaza, where there was a gambling house and various shops that sold various items. Charles gasped as he saw three Hunters drinking beer. Hopefully they are not part of the troop with Seftis, he thought. But thankfully, they did not have the mark of Seftis. They were complaining about the brand of ale.\r\n     Ratagi lead the two kids to a small house. He knocked on the door. A short bald man opened the door. He had pale skin and a short brown beard.\r\n     "What do you want?" The man said in a voice that did not fit his appearance. It was extremely deep, but the man was thin and a head shorter then James and Charles.\r\n     "Diamor sent me." Ratagi explained.\r\n     The man's eyes widened. "Diamor! I have not seen him in long time. We were good friends, Is he well?"\r\n     Ratagi nodded. "Surviving." he confirmed, smiling.\r\n     The man smiled and beckoned them inside his house. "Come in, come in! You must be freezing out there!"\r\n     Inside the small house was really nice. A warm fireplace burned in the middle by two beds. A picture of a woman was held on the wall by the door. It was a two room house- the other room had a cooking range on it, and there was a pot whistling.\r\n     "I am so glad he is all right. Hey, do you want some tea?" The man babbled.\r\n     "No thank you." Ratagi said.\r\n     "Well, did he tell you about-" The man began, but then he lowered his voice. "The Vault?" he whispered.\r\n     Ratagi shook his head. "Nothing special. He told me about it, and gave me this map." He thrust the piece of paper at him. His figure hulked compared to the short bald man.\r\n     He studied it. "From Diamor's own pocket." He looked up. "Are you friends with Diamor, or something? Cause he is going a lot out of his way to help you."\r\n     Ratagi shook his head. "He looks familiar, but I do not think I have seen him before." He admitted.\r\n     The man stood there in silence for a while. Then he said "Opne`, at your service." He said. "So, tell Opne' more about what happened. Your journey so far, I mean."\r\n     After Ratagi finished the story of his journey, Opne` shrugged. "So, you are going to The Vault."\r\n     "That's right."\r\n     "Well, do you have any type of plans when you get there?" He asked. Ratagi shook his head. "No."\r\n     "Then why are you going, if you do not have any plans when you get there?"\r\n     "There was nothing for me back at Tiger's Eye city that I neither needed nor wanted, to say the very least. I am nothing there. From the old Western quote, â��something and death, not nothing and life'. Kind of like the old Voranite quote."\r\n     Opne' nodded. "Passes around in new quotes, but the meaning stays the same. Well, I will let you stay one night. But that is all you can get. I do not want to look suspicious. I could be harbouring a rebel! Opne' loves life more than death. Opne' is not like fearless Voranites or T'Keths. I'm just a poor old man who makes friends with dangerous people. Well, you should rest."\r\n     Ratagi went to lie down in the bed. Opne' went into the other room.\r\n     "Opne'-"\r\n     Opne' went to see him. "What?"\r\n     "Can you take care of the kids while I go to the Vault? For at least a while?"\r\n     Opne' shook his head. "Opne' does not need kids. He needs peace and quiet. Sorry, but I cannot help you with that." And he left into the other room.\r\n     The two kids were already asleep. Perhaps I should do the same, he thought. He closed his eyes and fell asleep the moment he closed his eyes.\r\n     He awoke to see James and Charles waiting at the door, fully ready. "We need to go now," James said. "Opne' said so."\r\n     So they said their goodbyes to Opne' and were off, and soon were at the end of the city.\r\n     "Here is your dagger back." The guard said, tossing it to him.\r\n     Ratagi tried to catch it, but it fell out of his grasp and hit the ground. He scowled, but picked it up and put it back calmly.\r\n     After a while of walking James started to complain.  \r\n     "I'm hungry!" he wailed.\r\n     "Well if you complain more it will only make things worse," Ratagi warned. "If you complain anymore, we are skipping lunch."\r\n     "But I'm hungry!"\r\n     Ratagi buried his face in his hands. "I give up." He groaned.\r\n     Charles shook his head. James lifted his arms in defence. "I'm just hungry."\r\n     Ratagi started searching his pack for something. He was still on the move and tripped on a rock. He cursed and got up, still searching his pack.\r\n     "I'm still hungry!" James cried. Ratagi tossed a small piece of bread at him. "Can I have more?" he asked.\r\n     "That's all I have!" He threw his arms in the air.\r\n     "But I'm still hungry!" James wailed.\r\n"But you haven't eaten yet- oh, fine." He searched his pack, tripped again, and tossed him some dried up berries. "But I don't like berries!" he cried.\r\n     He groaned. "Charles, make him stop, please!"\r\n     Charles shook his head. "He won't stop until he gets what he wants." He said. "He does this a lot. I had to get used to it."\r\n     Ratagi groaned. "I have nothing left!"\r\n     "But I'm hungry!"\r\n     "I won't give you anything because I have nothing to give you!"\r\n     "But I'm hungry!"\r\n     "FINE!" Ratagi growled. He tossed him an apple. "I was saving that for myself, by the way."\r\n     James feasted greedily and remorselessly on the apple. When he was done, he said "Mister Ratagi?"\r\n     "What?"\r\n     "I'm still hungry."\r\n     He gave a long moan.  \r\n     \r\n        \r\nThey finally approached a large town that used to be called Ri'Ti, (Pronounced Rite Eye) but is now called Sergo City, named after the Noble that controls these parts. Inside the city they had to conceal their weapons, (Ratagi had found a guard who would give his back at the end of the city.) for a rule (Sergo's rule, that is.) states that only the guards and Hunters may hold weapons in the city.\r\n     Ratagi had told them that Ekogodne` was a Noble, Rohia was one too, and Sergo. Anger had been given his power by them. Sergo is probably the least modest noble there is.\r\n     In the middle of the city was a large tower called The Tower of Sergo.\r\n"Ha," Sneered James. "He sure likes to have his name heard a lot. Quite modest, isn't he?"\r\n     "Be silent!" Ordered Ratagi quietly and harshly. "Do not insult him whatsoever. If you're heard, he'll have us executed. Painfully. Do not say anything. Now, wait here, and do not move." He looked at a nearby shop and walked towards it, muttering under his breath.\r\n     Then, the twins heard bells and trumpets. "Make way for king Sergo." A Hunter drawled with a touch of boredom in his voice. A man rode by on a horse, covered completely in a black hood so you could not see his face.\r\n     "Ha!" James jeered. "For a guy who had posted his name on everything in sight, he sure is afraid of showing his face!" He knew what he said, and then he gasped and put his hands over his mouth.\r\n     But it was too late. Sergo's head swivelled to James' direction. "Seize him!" he snarled.\r\n     Two Hunters ran up and took the twins from behind. Kick and strain as they must, they could not get out of the Hunter's grasps.\r\n     Ratagi emerged from the shop. "Guess wha- hey! What are you doing?" He cried.\r\n     "He has mocked the name of Sergo, and they must be punished." The Hunter holding James said calmly.\r\n     "Hey, there must be some mistake! Those are my kids." He said, panic rising inside his voice.\r\n     "They must be punished." The other Hunter droned, with a tone in his voice that sounded like he was sickened to be doing this.\r\n     "Wait- I assure you they will not do this again! And really, they are just kids! Will you hurt a kid?" He asked.\r\n     "You can say that again," said the Hunter. "I'm as honourable as any Knight. But we need to follow orders, if we want to or not."\r\n     "NO! Just give them to me and I will leave the city. I promise!" Said Ratagi, panic stricken.\r\n     The Hunter dropped James, took out a club, and was ready to hit Ratagi, when Sergo spoke: "Do not!" he hissed. Then he turned to Ratagi. "You take your little demons and leave this city and never come back to taint us with your unholy words. And if you and I cross paths once again, I will kill you, and your two little vermin."\r\n     Ratagi nodded. "Yes. I promise."\r\n     The Hunter unhanded Charles. "Get out of here." He pointed to the far gates.\r\n     Then without further anything, they left.\r\n     "I'm hungry!" Complained James.\r\n"Shut up!" Ratagi roared. "Shut up! You are the one who got us into this mess! Now we will probably starve before getting to the next city. It is YOUR fault we had to leave so soon. You just HAD to disobey everything I ask you. And now you are asking for food after we just ate?"\r\n     James shrunk back. "I'm sorry." He squeaked, timidly now. "I'm just hungry."\r\n     Charles said nothing. Ratagi was muttering to himself. He regretted letting these kids come. Now there wasn't nearly enough supplies to make it to the Vault. And now he had to take them there. And they have not been through almost any danger yetâ�¦\r\n\r\n*              *               *\r\n\r\n    \r\n       Seftis and his Hunters finally reached "Sergo city." The Hunters jeered at the name. The Hunters and Anger's Nobles had a hatred for each other going back so long most people had forgotten what had started it. They marched up to Sergo's Palace, filled with arrogance. "We are looking for three traightor," he said. "One man and two boys. You saw them?"\r\n     Sergo nodded. "They brought with them tainted words that will hurt my city forever." He hissed.\r\n     Seftis scowled. "Spare us whatever unimportant things you have to say. Tell us where they went. The man has killed six Hunters so far, gone past three Nobles already: Ekogodne`, Rohia, and now you. The two kids have burned the temple of Anger and killed a Hunter captain. I am barely surprised that they defeated the likes of you, but these crimes are not going to be forbidden by those Loyal to the King." He sneered.\r\n     Sergo made a throaty growl. His bony hand rested on his sword longingly. Then he said "Anger tells me the two children did not do it. He is very smart. Some people, he says, are not loyal to the king. He says that they are in hiding, and running."\r\n     Seftis scratched the back of his neck. "I do not know why he did not tell me about that." He said, wondering.\r\n     "Do you expect King Anger to tell even slight information to a lowly Hunter like you?" Sergo rasped.\r\n     Seftis was fuming now. He drew his sword several inches out of his hilt, but one of his soldiers put his hand on his back, signalling him to stop. "My people are not lowly," he snarled. "You weak, spineless fool!  Go crawl back to wherever you came from and let us do your dirty work."\r\n     Sergo nodded. "That is what Anger pays you for, to do my dirty work."\r\n     Seftis shook his head. "Save your childish talk for the next person to insult your looks. You sure have a nice enforced law here." The Hunters left. Sergo's bodyguards (Hunters) stared at him with scowls on their faces. Sergo scowled back and they went back to their work.\r\n     "Soon," said Sergo, "I will be standing over your cold dead corpse and I will be laughing." He said.\r\n     Seftis waved a hand. "Whatever you say, you fool." He said, still angry about what he had said.  \r\n     He'd been angry to begin with. Yesterday he had to put up with the insane knight. It had taken an hour to get him out of the way, and that was for Seftis to fight him. He won, but it was close. And today Sergo was insulting him and his people. He had been pushed to his limit and now his trust in the king was shaken.\r\n     Seftis and his soldiers came to a stop. He bent down and looked at the footprints that led east. He took a glove off and picked a little dirt off the ground. He sniffed it. "Fresh meat," he said. "We have their scent! Lets go!" his voice changed, it was deeper and more menacing, like there were two voices. "We have their scent!"\r\n     The Hunters started chanting their little song: they called, over and over and over: "FRESH MEAT!"\r\n     \r\n     Ratagi sniffed the air in the forest. The sun peaked through the trees and scattered in small parts across the ground. The trees ruffled to the breeze. He was feeling better now, and had tossed an apple to James, who just stared at it. "I'm not hungry anymore," he had said.\r\n     Ratagi ignored him. He felt afraid, with the Hunters right on their tail. It was an entire troop, probably at least a hundred men. And when they had their scent, hiding was their last priority, not to mention the straight road made them easy targets.\r\n     He looked back. The road was (to his chagrin) very straight with only hills to cover them.\r\n     White rats scurried across the path. James chased them into the forest. He decided to focus on the path ahead. It was long and weedy, with barely any signs of anything, except maybe a few Hunter leavings: coals from fires, old rags, and mouldy leftover bones from meat. Off the path was covered with trees and plants. To the right was a group of burnt, smoking trees and signs of a forest fire. The sun shined brightly on that side. Probably a leftover fire some Hunters were too lazy to care about, thought Ratagi. Soon, the forest went its different way. There was long yellow grass to their left. James's eyes were on a group of voles running around the leftover ashes of the trees. He charged off, chasing them away.\r\n     "Hey!" Yelled Ratagi. "Get back on the path!"\r\n     James was still chasing them around, but froze when he heard a long roar coming from the forest to his back. He charged onto the path. It sounded close by.\r\n     "But I thought we left Rohia a long way back!" Cried James. "You do not think he is following us!"\r\n     Ratagi shook his head. "Rohia probably isn't following us. But never underestimate a Noble." He felt the scar on his head.\r\n     "But Anger troops set a fire in the forest!" Exclaimed James, brushing a fly off his shoulder. "And Rohia didn't punish them or anything."\r\n     Ratagi scratched his head, and then swatted a fly. "The Hunters and the Nobles are well known to have a bad rivalry with each other," he explained. "The Hunters might have â��accidentally' set a tree on fire and just left it, maybe trying to make Rohia angry."\r\n     Charles swatted another fly off his face. "Say, there are a lot of flies around here. What's going on?" he asked.\r\n     Up ahead was a small swamp. It wasn't that big, but it was very time consuming to go around it- and they already have to beat the troop following them.\r\n     Ratagi jumped into the shallow but dirty water. The path went around it- but they had no choice- Go off the path or risk losing a lot of time and face the Hunters.\r\n     The flies were swarming him now. He felt a very uneasy feeling as cold dirty water poured slowly into his boots. Both kids were following him. James was splashing, obviously enjoying this more than Ratagi and Charles. The flies were coming in swarms now. They quickened their pace towards the end. Charles was however running too fast and the water seemed to grab at him as it got slightly shallower. He tripped and fell on his face into the cold water. He got up, muttering. James was ahead, but at the end he fell into deeper water- at first it was only knee deep for Ratagi, but now it was waist deep. He had to swim to shore, now. Flies were everywhere. Charles stood there, shivering.\r\n     "Come on!" He ordered.\r\n     "I can't." Answered Charles.\r\n     "Why not?" He growled.\r\n     "I cannot swim like James." He answered, obviously embarrassed.\r\n     Ratagi shook his head. "It's only up to your neck. You can wade across."\r\n     Charles nodded. "Fine." He said. "But I am a little- err, ah-"                                  \r\n     "You're afraid of the water."\r\n     "Um, ah, I just get a little uneasy, is all." He said, shivering.\r\n     Ratagi groaned. But Charles then started to run, trying to make a running leap- but the land was obviously too far for someone like him. Also, he stumbled on a weed and fell face first into deep water. James was out of the water, and seeing the trouble his brother was in, leapt back in, and pulled him up. Ratagi went and leapt onto the shore. "Well, that could have gone better," he muttered. Charles nodded, shivering.\r\n     He heard an angry snarl. "We should get back on the path!" he said.\r\n     The two shivering boys nodded.\r\n     Seftis kicked a rock at the forest. "We shall camp here," he said. "They probably aren't too far anyway.\r\n     The Hunters sat down. Two others went to get some wood. One took out an axe and prepared to chop a tree down.\r\n     "NOT SO FAST!" A hard voice like iron tore through the Hunters' ears.\r\n     A large man went out of the woods. He had a grey beard and old ruined clothes, and cold yellow eyes.\r\n     "Oh, good, here comes the second Noble we see today." Seftis said, obviously bored. "Keep chopping the tree. He'll be fine."\r\n     The Hunter prepared to chop the tree again. But he dropped the axe as the man looked at him angrily. He walked behind Seftis. "You get out of my forest, vermin." He growled.\r\n     "We can go anywhere we want," Seftis said. "Be

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sirmed1

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Farmer

Posted September 17, '11 3:02am UTC

"Besides, Anger has spoken. I have orders to bring three-"
"Two kids and one man, I know." The man said. "It would be better if I would find them myself."
Seftis laughed. "You cannot harm anything outside your forest. We can. And if they can pass you once, they can pass you again."
"They are going into my forest, anyway." He said."
Seftis laughed. "Fool. You know, it's only a matter of time before Anger gets bored with you vermin, and sends us Hunters to exterminate you, one at a time."
The old man scowled. "Get out of my forest," he said after a pause. "Or I will become angry."
Seftis laughed again. "And you say this is your fierce side?" He said.
"No, I this is my weak, passive side." He stopped, "You don't want to meet my fierce side."
There was a long pause. "Now get out of here!" the old man snarled, followed by a non humanlike roar.
The Hunters obeyed. Seftis scowled. The old man disappeared into the forest. "I think I like him better when he doesn't talk," he said.
The sun set. The chase was now officially on.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE Forest
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have miles to go before I sleepâ¦"
-Robert Frost

"This place is not to my taste, if you know what I mean." Ratagi said to himself. They were in the forest now, and the expanses of green trees and bushes went on as far as the eye could see.
They had been travelling for several days, and he was getting tired of the uneventful travel. Neither enemy nor animal had challenged them, and none of the group had seen any animal bigger then a small rat.
He was a Western person, after all. He missed the plains. He missed the open land of T'Keth. Greth wasn't much to his liking. The forest made him feel surrounded, gave him an uneasy feeling. He had been so tense that when he had seen a group of mice, he drew his sword. And not only that, but on the draw he got very close to cutting off James' head. He had flinched and saved himself, though. Now he didn't go near him anymore.
He wiped cold sweat from his brow. He took a mouthful of water. It felt great as it wet down his dry throat.
James was now five feet away now, anxiously avoiding Ratagi and his sword. Charles was silent, deep in thought.
They all knew that the Hunters will be upon them soon. It would have to be fight or flight- and flight wouldn't work because the Hunters do not run out of energy and could run for days on end. The only thing they could do was to hide in the forest and risk being seen by the all seeing Rohia.
James feet gave way and he had to be a hard slap to awaken him. They sat down, thinking a few hours rest couldn't hurt much. Ratagi had a strange feeling. He turned to Charles. "I'll be right back, stay with your Brother, and don't move." Charles nodded, still not talking.
Ratagi started walking towards the forest, with his hands stuck out in front of him blindly, while low-hanging vines slapped his face. Suddenly, the trees disappeared the Ratagi was looking down a fifty-foot cliff. He stopped; his arms wind milling as he tried to regain his balance. He back-peddled back into the forest, and as his heart stopped hammering, he slowly crept back to the cliff. He steeled himself and looked off the edge.
To his horror, several Hunters were there. One of them pointed at them, and soon all of the Hunters drew their swords and shouted.
"Run! Hide! The Hunters are here!" Ratagi ordered running back into the forest for Charles and James.
James and Charles went off the path to the right, while Ratagi went to the left and hid in some bushes.
The troop went by. Seftis stopped and started to sniff the air. "What is it?" A Hunter asked.
"They are hiding in the forest. Go and search!" he ordered.
Two Hunters went to search the left, Seftis and a few others to the right.
Ratagi was well hidden, for the bush masked his scent slightly.
James had his sword in hand, hiding behind a tree. He had no time to hide.
He sighed in relief as he heard footsteps going away. Then a Hunter (Seftis) snatched him by his cloak and lifted him off the ground and stared at him. "I have your kid and if you don't come out, he dies!" he shouted threateningly.
Ratagi went up, his sword in hand. He charged Seftis, but Several Hunters tackled him, knocking his sword out of his hand.
Ratagi stopped struggling. Five others went and bound him with ropes. Charles was found soon after. They were now in the hands of the Hunters.
Seftis looked at Ratagi. "Take them out onto the path; we will stop and then ask them questions."
The Hunters walked for a while, and then stopped to rest.
Seftis turned to Ratagi. "Long time no see, eh?" he jeered.
"Not long enough." Snarled Ratagi.
Seftis laughed. "You haven't changed a bit. Well, it is time for your questioning," he said.
He pulled Ratagi until they were face to face. "Now, where are you going?" he asked mockingly. "I mean, you went in such a hurry."
Ratagi shook his head. "Nowhere. To visit relatives. Nothing special." He answered.
Seftis chuckled. "And so killing six Hunters and turning people to take arms against their master is what you needed to do to see your relatives?" He laughed. Then his expression turned serious. "I want to know where you really want to go. Tell me." He hit Ratagi upside the head. "TELL ME!"
Ratagi shook his head. "Even if you threaten kill me, I will not tell you anything." He said defiantly.
Seftis widened his eyes. "Oh," he said, taking his dagger out. "So you probably wouldn't tell me if I kill-" he pressed the dagger to Charles' throat. "Him," he said.
Ratagi scowled. Seftis pressed it harder until blood ran slowly down his neck. He closed his eyes, obviously in pain, but did nothing. He knew there was nothing he could do.
James couldn't take it anymore. "There is a resistance!" he cried. "He had a map leading to a place where it is!"
Everyone looked at him in shock. Ratagi buried his face in his hands. Seftis put his dagger away. "Well, well, thank you, boy." He leaned next to him. "Where is the map?" he asked.
"He usually keeps it in his hands but when he isn't looking he puts it away." He squeaked.
Seftis smiled. "I like this one." He said. "Now go, find me the map." He said to some Hunter. They went looking through Ratagi's pack.
"Here it is, sir!" A big bearded Hunter said and handed him Diamor's map.
Seftis studied the map. "It seems it's called âThe Vault.' Funny little name. Well, this has been a very successful mission. It is time to head south, to Anger's Palace."
Ratagi's mind raced desperately. They were being dragged away from his destination, and to Anger himself. Not to mention he had just betrayed the resistance, and ruined any hope of freedom. How could things get any worse?

* * *

The troop walked for a couple of hours, and then stopped. The forest still loomed above them. The sun had set now.
Howls came into the distance. A Hunter got up and moved into the forest. One sought after him, but Seftis held him back. "Let him go," he said.
The Hunters then, as if on cue, sat down and began to snore. Seftis stayed on guard. He was humming to himself, in a different language.
"Seftis, I have a question," Ratagi said.
Seftis looked at him. "And what might that be?" he asked.
"What is the song you sing?" He asked.
Seftis smiled. "Back before we were taken to fight for Anger, we were a nomadic people. We had a name, but even that has been forgotten by most. Anyway, we were excellent hunters- and that's what Anger named us. Hunters. Our true name is for ourselves."
"We were the greatest trackers in the land- and when it was time to hunt all of the men and boys would join in." Seftis paused, remembering.
Then he continued. "When we would pick up a scent," He looked up. "We would sing a song- Fresh Meat, we would sing, in our language though." He finished and went back to going on guard.
"Well why you, the leader of the Hunter army, be chasing us?" Ratagi asked another question.
Seftis sighed. "Anger is not blind," he said. "Even before you told us, after so many times statues, shrines, and even Lawstones* have been destroyed. Anger fixed his eyes on the so called outlaws, and saw that there was a link between them all. He knew that there had to be someone stupid enough to defy him."
* Lawstones are statues of Anger with laws written down on them of a certain city
"Yes, but- why would you come after us?" He asked.
"Because," Seftis snorted. "I love to get my hands dirty, that is all."
"What's the real reason?" Ratagi asked distrustfully.
An eerie smile crossed Seftis' face. He turned away and was silent.
After a while, Ratagi and Seftis drifted off to sleep. Charles opened one eye, then the other. He sat up. Tired as he was, he sat up. He saw someone run past the forest. He was sure he saw it, but he decided to ignore it. No one was powerful or stupid enough to destroy a Hunter Troop, and since he was with one, he presumed he was safe. He soon fell asleep.
That day the Hunters advanced south, at a brisk jog that didn't get any slower as the day went on. After a hour or so, Charles and James had to be carried by Hunters, but Ratagi was simply whipped when he slowed down. It wasn't until midday when they stopped to rest. A warrior went out to scout the area. They were in a column, a higher type of land on either side.
Ratagi hadn't spoken since yesterday. He just sat and stared at the sky. He must have been deep in thought.
Charles sighed. "You know what? I kind of miss Tiger's Eye city. A couple of weeks ago I would have jumped at the chance of leaving the stupid place. Now I miss it, do you miss home James?"
James shook his head. Then he spat. "I never want to see that place again," he said. "I would rather die."
Charles looked away. He had never heard James say something like that. He felt regret. He had wished he would have just stayed back at Tiger's Eye. Now they are in the hands of the Hunters, a spot he had successfully avoided for years.
He stared at Ratagi. What is he thinking about? He wondered.
Ratagi was thinking regretfully about this whole stupid trip. Angers reach was as strong and far reaching as everyone had said. It might have gone better if the children had never come along. Then the Hunters would never be following him. They would have never met Ekogodne' or encounter the anger of Sergo. This quest was a desperate attempt for freedom. A resistance? They couldn't actually get anywhere near matching the forces of Anger.
"Hopeless," he muttered staring into the blue sky. Not one cloud was in sight. This was probably the one spot you could see the sky clearly in the Dark Forest.
Then, the troop came rushing down the hill. Just as he arrived, a arrow hissed out of the forest and hit him in the back. "We are-" he tried to talk, but he collapsed and moved no more.
They heard a sound. A group of people in ragged torn cloaks, holding bows, daggers, hatchets, spears and swords on each side of the hills.
One drew his sword and called a familiar battle cry. "FOR THE KING! FOR THE VAULT!" he roared and the Hunters were charged on either side. Arrows whizzed past, hitting the Hunters' unarmoured necks with deadly accuracy. They were in chaos. "What will we do?" James cried.
Then he remembered. The knife! The knife he had gotten from the captain when the journey began. He had forgotten all about it. He reached until he found the knife in his boot. He took it out and started cutting his rope. After he was done he untied Ratagi, and then Charles. Ratagi saw Seftis fighting two opponents. He saw his sword on a Hunters back; He took James knife and stabbed him in the back, just before he struck down a defeated resistance fighter. He grabbed the sword, and ran away. A stray arrow whizzed past a Hunter and sliced across his arm, slicing it open.
He bellowed in pain and agony, but went on. He took the kids and ran into a safe area away from the battle.
"Why can we not fight?" Charles asked. They had both found their swords.
Ratagi shook his head. "They do not have enough men to take them down, it seems. It is an impossible battle." He sighed. "We have no map, no supplies- it seems we will die before we make it to the Vault."
"Worse yet, the sun is setting." Charles said.
Ratagi sighed. "I guess we shall have to brave the night alone."

The night came swiftly. There were howls, closer to them.
They marched forward, but suddenly James stopped. He turned, and walked in the opposite direction. Ratagi called angrily, "Hey! What are you-" He stopped midsentence. Ratagi started running after James, Charles close behind. Ratagi's foot hit a root sticking out of the ground, and fell forward. It was if a bucket of cold water was dropped on his head. He had been entranced by the howl of the Tiadal wolves. They were bigger than ordinary sized wolves, and it is said a dark sorcerer had given them a howl that lured humans and animals to their deaths.
And now, they were running towards them. Most were black.
The three of them ran up the tree- the largest wolf, a black one with a red scar across its left eye bit off a piece of James' cloak. Ratagi tried to swing his sword, but the branch he held onto almost gave way, and his sword fell and clattered to the ground.
They circled the tree. They howled and snarled. Then, a new sound came. A new creature approached. It was black with streaks of white along the back. It was something Ratagi hoped never to see again.
"Rohia," Charles whispered.
Rohia answered with a long, evil howl. It took a running leap and jumped so high that its claws brushed James' boot.
"We need to climb up! Higher!" Ratagi ordered. "NOW!" The three of them started climbing. Rohia roared in anger. The wolves joined in. As Rohia changed, his form began to change: its face turned into an old man's, then a leopard, then back to the wolf like head. The howl never changed.
Charles held onto the tree for dear life. James had his eyes on the small tree branch that was the only thing that held him up- if the small thing snapped; he would be falling to his doom. It groaned under his weight.
Ratagi kept his eyes on the wolves. There were at least ten of them, excluding Rohia and the leader wolf.
He closed his eyes as the branch he was holding onto started to creak.
He held on onto the early hours of the morning...
Ratagi opened one eye. The wolves were long gone. He had a long sigh of relief.
He jumped down, picked up his sword, and looked at the kids. James saw him and jumped down, followed by Charles, who tried climbing down, but one of the branches snapped and he fell onto the ground. He got up, muttering to himself.
"Where are we?" James asked.
Ratagi shrugged. "I have as much a guess as you do." He said. We are way off track, now. We need to get to the Vault without a map."
He pointed forward. "That is north," he said. "If we can get out of here, we can probably figure out where the city is. It is in the next forest after this one."
James exclaimed aloud. "Look!" he pointed to something and ran into a circle of trees.
Ratagi sighed and started after him.
James was caught right away by a cursing Ratagi. "This place is not Tiger's Eye!" he growled. "You are not to run around wherever you want. And you are never to leave my side without any permission."
James nodded. "Yes sir." He said.
"Alright." Ratagi said; the worry still in his voice. He then looked at the sky, pointing, making marks in the air with his finger.
"Okay," he murmured to himself. "We are going north, out of the forest. Then we will be able to make it to the Vault's forest. And that will be the problem, as not even Hunters go there." He started forward, and James ran after him.
"Mister Ratagi! You left me out of my sights again!" he cried.
Ratagi groaned in exasperation.

Elsewhere, the battle between the Hunters and the resistance soldiers was coming to an end.
The men began to falter and hesitate, and soon the Hunters gained the upper hand. They had taken many losses, but the men have taken more. Soon, they retreated. The Hunters jeered as they were out of sight. Some waved and roared a victory cry. Seftis waved his hand.
"Why did they attack us, with such poor numbers and weapons?" He asked.
"I don't know, maybe they saw the prisoners give away their secret." A hunter said.
"Speaking of the prisoners, where are they?" Seftis wondered, scratching his head.
The Hunters started to groan and roar in fury. "We have lost the prisoners!" one snarled.
"We need to find them again!" another yelled in panic. Soon the camp was full of uneasy murmurs.
"Quiet!" Seftis roared. The Hunters all were silent. "We have caught them once, we can catch them again," he said.
"We are Hunters. We were the ones who shattered the three kingdoms. We were the ones who fought with the vicious Voranites and the people of T'Keth. We were the ones who have undone the things that could not be undone!"
The Hunters nodded, and soon they were all shouting and roaring in agreement. "We are," he said, "We are the San Rimita!" He roared. "AND WE HAVE FRESH MEAT TO CATCH!"
The Hunters cheered, and started to sing.
* * *
Ratagi ran through the forest, the two kids' right behind him. James was panting like a dog, but Charles, however, remained silent.
The forest was as ugly as you could imagine. It was dark, crawling with strange insects that anyone would ever dare touch. The trees loomed before like dark giants, watching them closely as they walked by on the moist, mossy ground. The air was damp, but it was still very hard to breath. They could not tell if it was day or night, as the trees guarded the floor from the sun.
Charles was in the very back. He felt like he was being watched and occasionally looked back not to see anything. Every once in a while he would notice a shadowy figure standing in the trees, but the moment he focused on the figure, it disappeared. Charles wasn't even sure he had really seen anything.
They had been travelling for almost a week now, and the supplies were so low, they could only eat once a day and they would have to share a cracker or something. James had stopped his whining a while back. Nobody usually said anything, but from time to time Ratagi would stop and look at the sun; see what direction he was going. The sun was about to set when Ratagi saw something and yelled "AHA!"
The two kids went to see what he was doing, and then started to groan and sigh in relief.
There, the forest's end was in sight. It was about a mile away. They picked up their pace, as the sun was starting to set.
The forest had ended, finally. "The light, at last!" James said.
"Savour it, for the sun is going to set," Ratagi explained with contempt.
Charles turned to the woods. Strange unseen sounds came closely. He backed away and ran to Ratagi.
He could have sworn he had heard a peculiar sound: a low cackle.

"Where are we?" James asked.
"I have no idea where we are!" Ratagi answered, exasperated. "I have no map, no directions, nothing!"
"Well, if we go straight, it might get us somewhere," James pointed out.
"I doubt it," said Ratagi, shaking his head. "One way can go on for weeks. It could lead us to Voraia, for all we know. We have no where to go- unless you want to go back into the forest and try and find the trail again."
Both kids shook their heads. "I am NOT going there again," James said stubbornly.
Charles didn't say anything. He just looked back at the dark trees sullenly.
James looked at the plains ahead of them. "Hey, Mister Ratagi, I think I see something- come on!" he cried. He dashed towards the yellow plains. Ratagi hesitated, but then followed.
Well, he thought, this is where the road ends.

CHAPTER EIGHT
INTO THE SHADOWS
"How lonely is the night without the howl of the wolfâ¦"Anonymous
James reached the top of a hill, where he stared at the huge land ahead of him- nothing but miles and miles of yellow plains.
The sun had already set. Ratagi went to see what James was looking at. Both gazed in awe at the magnificent sight. The very end, though, seemed dark, even by the night's standards.
"Hey! Come over here!" Charles's voice caught both of them out of their trance.
Ratagi jumped down, towards Charles. "Ah!" He cried in delight and relief. "The trail!" He gawked at the brown, old, unused trail, like a long abyss cutting through the plains.
"What if it's the wrong trail?" James asked sceptically.
"It's simple," he said a-matter-of-factly. "There is only one brown-stoned trail in all Mans Telwar; it was built during the Voranite rebellion- which was crushed, eighteen years ago. The so called city of âThe Vault' was built in that time as well. The Hunters wouldn't notice any difference, though."
"It's leading to the dark spot over there," James pointed to the dark horizon.
Ratagi closed his eyes. The memory of Diamor's map came into mind.
"Land of the Mist," he said to himself.
"What?" James asked.
"This place- if we are to get to the Vault then we need to cross the land of Hazaia- and then the land of Destiny."
"Don't you mean, âDes-tih'-nee?'" James asked.
"No, I mean Dest-âI'-nee. That's how you say his name."
"Who's name?"
"Destiny's name, of course."
"No, I mean- who is Destiny?" James asked, scratching his noggin.
"A person."
"Mister Ratagi, you're being annoying." James growled.
Charles chuckled.
"Destiny is one of Anger's Nobles," Ratagi explained. "Like Ekogodne`, and Rohia."
"Rohia," James echoed impassively.
"And Ekogodne`." Ratagi said, obviously trying to annoy him. But after he said that, he frowned and put his hand on his forehead. Behind his hair was a black mark Ekogodne` had given him. It seemed to take a strange shape now- an upturned V. "Keep alert now, and I would prefer you to be silent." He said after a pause.
"Why?" James asked.
"Diamor told me that there is someone who wanders these lands." Ratagi replied vacantly.
"Who is Diamor?"
"He is seen walking about these plains, he said. They call him âHaze.'" Ratagi said, ignoring him.
"Who is âHaze'?" James asked uncomprehendingly.
"He is said to be one of Anger's Nobles." He answered. His hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword.
Charles turned. "Um, guys," he said, frightened.
The others turned to see the forest- there, a huge wolf, a Tiadal Wolf came running after them. It snarled, and howled. They sprinted away.
"We'll never outrun it!" Charles screamed, overcome by panic.
He is right, Ratagi thought. It is faster and could run longer distances. No matter how fast we run, we will soon tire and it will be upon us. He sighed. "It is only one!" he cried. He drew his sword and turned to the wolf. "I think I can take it!"
The wolf hesitated at his armed opponent, but snarled and charged. It had a scar- it was the same one that he had seen in the forests! Ratagi stood steadily- but then saw dozens more wolves charging at full speed towards Ratagi as well. "Oh no!" he shouted, sheathing his sword and sprinting away. The boys were far ahead of him, now. James still ran as fast he could, but Charles was slowing down. He soon came to a halt. He turned to the wolves, drawing his sword. Ratagi gave a shout, ran to Charles and stopped.
"You cannot fight them all!" He roared. "Keep running!"
"I can't! I-" Charles said, panting like a dog. He then got to his feet. He started to run, but it was too late. The ravenous wolves were already upon them. They were less than twenty feet away. The leader slowly advanced, and then leapt- but right by them, the wolf stopped, and backed away. It started sniffing the ground. It sat. Ratagi looked at where the wolf stopped. Sure enough, a long, thin line was there- it was hard to see in the dark, but he could still see it.
The wolf snarled, and then howled. Ratagi felt a dab on his shoulder. He looked up at the sky- there; a thin, straight line on a dark grey cloud parted the spot the wolves were to them. The other side, the wolf's side, the stars were shining and the moon was in sight. Ratagi's side, thick grey clouds roofed the sky. It wasn't normal, the cloud's parting was so straight- like it marked the border, from one land to another.
He stopped thinking about it and started for James, who was already out of sight.
It started to rain.
It was already cold, but the cold, hard, freezing downpour made it all the worse. It wasn't like any ordinary rain, for it was much colder and it stung slightly as it hit your skin.
Charles didn't feel like staying within arms reach of these voracious beasts and dashed towards Ratagi.
"James!" Ratagi called. "Where are you?"
"I'm right here!" was the nervous answer.
He ran to James, who was shuddering, and panting. "I'm f-f-f-freezing!" he stammered.
Ratagi shuddered. Unexpectedly, the raining ceased. Charles caught up with the others.
"What just happened?" Charles asked, thunderstruck.
"I don't know," Ratagi said, shivering.
Charles shot a worried eye back to the snarling wolves, still waiting for them to come back. What was funny, though, is that the road stopped at the border where the wolves went.
"Well," Ratagi confirmed, "the road ends here."
"Why didn't they follow us?" Charles asked.
"I- don't know," Ratagi replied unsteadily. James was lying down with a blanket he had been given and was trying to sleep.
He sat down and searched his pack for something to eat. "We- we're out of food!" He groaned. He got up, and put on a brave face. "You stay here with James- I'll try go and find some food." He announced.
Charles nodded. "But- you aren't going to get any game with your sword." He pointed out.
"I didn't say I'd be hunting," he said. He advanced deeper into the shadows.
It was a long, bendy dark land ahead of him. He took out his knife. "I'm not finding any berries in this place," he growled to himself. "And I can't catch any game- or can't I?"
He jumped at the sound of a crow- no, a raven.
It was larger than usual, and its eyes were like a snake's, piercing reddish orange.
It cawed angrily as it hungrily fixed its eyes on him.
He looked away. "Now, where am I?" he asked as he tried to fix his eyes on- on what? There wasn't anything he could see, except for the dark sky ahead- and- and that stupid bird. Why am I here anyway? He thought dryly. I should be back at home, making tools for the-
The raven squawked angrily, its eyes trained on him. Ratagi couldn't take it anymore. He roared, and with all his might, he threw his knife at the bird. It hit its wing, and it lost a few feathers- but it cawed angrily and flew away. Ratagi roared, and cursed as loud as he could. Then, strangely, it started to light up- and he saw the land- slightly. There, he realized that from his knee down was nothing but mist. He was glad he couldn't see the ground, somehow.
Ratagi roared angrily- and stopped himself. What was he yelling at? Why am I feeling so angry? Then, he suddenly remembered what this place was called on Diamor's map.
"The Valley of Hatred," he said to himself. Apparently it wasn't just some name to scare people away- mostly. It made him feel- hateful. He felt like he hated everything. Some kind of spell, he guessed.
"Huh?" He shielded his eyes. The clouds barely shielded the sun's power. The sun had come out.
"Wait a minuteâ¦" That means that he had been gone for hours! But he had only been here for twenty minutes, at least.
Without thinking, he dashed towards the kid's direction. He didn't think, he just ran.
After a few minutes of running, he heard the kid's voices.
"Mister Ratagi!" The voice sounded panic stricken.
Soon, hey came into view. James was in the back of Charles, who had his sword drawn and was facing a huge snake. It looked orange with black stripes, but it seemed to change colors, from black to red to green. Its piercing red-orange eyes, though, stayed the same.
He drew his sword. The snake hissed and faced its new opponent. Charles started to advance, but the snake lashed out, like lighting, and had Charles back away. Ratagi, seeing the creature's speed, advanced with more caution. The snake was huge, almost twenty feet long. Its eyes looked eerily familiar.
"Charles, James, get as far away from here as you can," Ratagi ordered. "I'll take care of Snaky here."
The snake seemed to understand him and turned its gaze to the kids. It slowly slithered towards him, though he, however, just waited. If I could just get into striking distanceâ¦ he thought. Yes! He swung his sword in an arc with all his speed and might. The snake twisted its body and was quickly on Ratagi, trying to get one bite at his throat.
This isn't any ordinary snake, he thought. He grabbed the snake with his hands. He squeezed as tightly as he could. It fought only for a moment, and then went rigid.
Ratagi tossed it into some bushes. He went to get the kids. He walked for a few minutes, and then stopped to rest by a dead tree.
"A shame, isn't it?" A cold voice like a knife cutting through rock said.
Ratagi turned, picking up his sword. There, stood a pale man. He wore a dark black cloak with a hood. On his cloak was a design- a snake. He seemed to have appeared out of no where. Ratagi had been preoccupied, but this man came out of no where, and the dead leaves everywhere made it so he couldn't have exactly snuck up.
"Who are you?" He asked.
The man chuckled. "I am what your kind call âHaze.'" He said. "And I wasn't finished."
"Finished what?"
Well, I shall say it again." He said. "It is a shame, that snakes are depicted this way."
"Depicted- in what way- who are you-?" Ratagi asked feeling perplexed.
"I already said, Ratagi, I am Haze." He said. He was petting a snake in his hand. "Snakes are such wonderful creatures, though, don't you agree? They are not as bad as they are portrayed." His mind seemed to drift away. The snake was white with stripes of red along its back.
Charles and James ran up, and backed away as they saw Haze.
"What is your purpose in these lands?" Haze asked.
"We didn't mean to- we were following a path, we were chased by wolves- we're just passing through." Ratagi stammered, trying to hide his fear.
Haze smiled malevolently. "I can see," he said, looking into Ratagi's eyes. He stared into the strange light blue eyes. He realized for the first time, that Haze was completely blind. "He told me someone would come someday," he sad to himself. "Someone who means harm, whose motives are wicked and spiteful."
He stared at him. "He said that he will bring two young ones." His hand pointed to the kids. The snake slithered out of the bush and wrapped itself around Haze's leg. He stared at his snake. "Mithria means no harm. Snakes are no pests. They are good. Tis' a poorly thing that only I, yes, I, can see their good side."
Ratagi raised his sword. "We're going to pass." He said.
"Sorry, but I won't let you," Haze said.
"No, I said we are going to pass," Ratagi said, feeling this has happened to him many times before. "I'm afraid you cannot do anything to stop me."
Haze smiled maliciously. "I'm afraid?" he echoed. Then he stared at him. "No, you are NOT going to pass." He said sternly.
Then he looked at his snake. "This place used to be called the Land of Serpents," he said to himself. "There was a small village here- right were you're standing."
Ratagi looked down at the mist. His feet felt numb, keeping him from feeling the ground.
"It was overrun by snakes. They did everything to keep their land safe." He kept talking to himself. "But, alas, they inevitably had to leave- and the land was renamed Valley of Mist- but after King Anger invaded, some fled here and renamed this place Valley of Hate."
Ratagi took a small step back- than a bigger- than a biggerâ¦
"Going somewhere?" Haze asked. Ratagi, strangely, stumbled and fell, and landed in something hard but hollow.
Ratagi swished his hand back in forth, clearing the mist, and on the ground Human bones were scattered across the forest floor. "Many people have tried to pass here," he said, half to himself. "Many people have tried."
Ratagi tried to get up, but an invisible force kept him on the mass of bones. He looked straight at a snake that was a few feet away.
"They all tried," Haze continued to himself. He looked Ratagi, who was trying to get up. "Do not struggle," he said. "Or it will hurt more."
The snake went forward, closer to Ratagi. "You're a madman," he said. James started climbing the tree to escape the snake, but it started moving under his hands.
Haze smiled evilly. "Aren't we all madmen?" He asked.
James screamed as he stared at a brown, hundred headed snake.
Haze smiled. "They all tried." He echoed. "They all failed."
"They did what?" Ratagi asked unsteadily. He was trying to buy time so Charles could back away.
Haze, as if reading Ratagi's mind, turned to "see" Charles.
"Not so fast," he growled. He pointed a finger at Charles- and nothing happened.
"What?" he said to himself. "He must be-"
A wicked smile crossed his face. "You-" He pointed at Charles. He started to walk forward to Charles, who was already frozen in fear.
James, as fast as he could, drew his sword and charged Haze.
Haze was talking to himself as he approached Charles and didn't notice.
James plunged his sword into Haze's back. He looked stunned for a moment, "looking" at James' blade that went straight through his chest. He looked amazed for a second. Then he fell over on the ground. James went and retrieved his sword. Thick black blood oozed off the blade- which melted off its hilt!
"Thanks," Charles said, trying to stomach what just happened.
James dropped the hilt of his sword onto the ground and looked around. "Where is mister Ratagi?" He asked.
"Over here," came the answer. There, Ratagi stood tall, his sword drawn, and facing the dead tree- which was now actually a dead tree.
"What just happened?" Charles asked, looking at Haze- his body had completely disappeared, there was only his cloak- and the red snake he had called Mithria.
Ratagi sheathed his blade. "I think we should go now- or something else might happen." He assumed.
The two kids nodded. "Well," Charles said tiredly. "The road officially ends here."
Ratagi laughed. "Now you're catching on." He said.

CHAPTER NINE
HIMADIA
"Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories."
-Sun Tzu

Ratagi cursed as little white snowflakes touched the ground. "Oh, good." He muttered. It was snowing- lightly, but this was the cold part of the land, no doubt.
"I'm cold!" James complained. His nose, cheeks and ears were red.
"Do you want to turn back?" Ratagi asked, raising an eyebrow.
James shook his head and was silent.
Nothing was going as planned: they had no map, no trail, and no idea where they were. Now, they didn't have a simple idea about where they were going. And it was snowing!
"I'm hungry!" James complained.
"You ate all the food," Ratagi sighed.
"But I want something to eat."
"Well, I guess you've just got to wait." They reached a long, snowy path.
Ratagi bent down to look at a trail on the ground. "Footprints," he breathed.
James sniffed. "Whose footprints?" He asked.
"Not who's, what's." Ratagi said. "No man made these footprints."
"A wolf?" Charles asked.
"No, too big to be a wolf." He explained. "A lion, or a tiger, maybe?"
"Then why are we following its trail?" James asked.
"Good question," Ratagi said. "We should turn back."
"We're going forward," James ordered.
Ratagi raised his eyebrow. "You got it, chief." He said. "Besides, these footprints could be a week old, for all we know."
Ironically, at that time a powerful wind came, and brushed the footprints away.
"I don't think they're old," James said.
"I don't either." Charles nodded, chuckling earnestly and worriedly.

After a while, they sat down to rest in between two mountains. Charles went forward to explore the place a bit.
The snow didn't do much of a good job masking what was a long green flatland. Green grass poked out of the snow occasionally. Charles decided to go past the Twin Mountains and scout ahead. He didn't get too far, though.
He spotted a cave. He, curious as he was, went to investigate. It was too dark to see what was inside. It was like a wide yawning mouth.
"Whoa," Charles said, and, (unlike himself) he impulsively went inside- not very deep, though.
Movement- a quick white blur swiftly and nimbly sped past him. Charles turned back- but something was blocking the entrance.
It was a Likro Panther. It bared its teeth. It roared, and slowly approached.
"Ratagi!" Charles called out calmly as he drew his blade.
The Likro slowly advanced towards Charles.
It was in striking distance. Charles swung his sword as fast as he could, but it leapt safely out of the way. It gave Charles a good rout out of the cave. He slowly backed out. The Likro slowly went forward.
"Ratagi!" Charles called again, more uneven now.
There, Ratagi went to see what was going on. Yes! Charles thought. But then, he saw that Ratagi didn't have his sword with him at the moment. He gave a shout as he saw the Likro.
He reached for his dagger- but it wasn't there. He had thrown it at the raven a while back. He cursed angrily to himself, for the dagger had belonged to his father.
"Go get your sword!" Charles cried.
"No time," He said. "Also, hello. So glad to see you've been listening to my rules."
Charles ignored Ratagi's sardonic remark. "What am I going to do?" He asked, backing away faster now. He knew that these types of creatures could tell if someone was afraid or not. The Likro advanced faster now, this making Charles back away faster, where he stumbled and fell on his back. The Likro leapt! A rock soared through the air and hit it on its back. It turned to Ratagi.
"Come here!" He yelled to the Likro. He waved his arms and started to yell, thinking the Likro would back off.
It didn't. Ratagi's shouts ceased. He lowered his arms. The Likro pounced!
Ratagi threw another rock, hitting the beasts back again.
Suddenly, an arrow whizzed into the Likro's back. It stopped in its tracks, and fell to the ground, lifeless.
"I didn't know that I had such a hard throw- oh," Ratagi said dumbly as he realized he hadn't killed the beast.
At the end of the mountain, a person stood with a bow. His face and head was masked with a scarf and a hood. He wore nothing but dark clothes.
He walked down. He bent by the dead beast and retrieved his arrow.
"Uh, thank you, for saving me, sir." Ratagi said, still trying to get over his shock.
The masked person glared at him.
"What is your name?" Ratagi asked.
The masked person took off her hood. "Himadia." She said. She looked very young, not much older than James. Her hair was light brown and cut short.
She drew another arrow from her quiver. "Who are you?" She asked.
"We are just passing by," Ratagi said, raising his hands.
"Strangers are not welcome here," she said. "No one is welcome to our city."
"I did not know there was any city here." Ratagi explained. "I do not have a map right now, so I didn't know-"
"Strangers are not welcome here," he repeated. "Now tell me your purpose here and where you are going."
"I have no purpose here," Ratagi said "except to pass through."
"Pass through? Where will you go after you âpass through'?" She asked.
"Around the mountains- to reunite with some old friends," He told her reverently.
Himadia lowered her bow. "Are you Hunters?" she asked.
"Do we look like Hunters?" He answered.
"Are you servants of Destiny?" she asked. "No. We are no servants of Anger." Ratagi said.
"You will still have to come with me," she said plainly. She raised her bow. She looked past Ratagi's shoulder. "There was a third one. Go and get him." She ordered.
Ratagi nodded. He and Charles started to go. "Keep him here with me." She said, looking at Charles. "In case you don't come back."
He hesitated, and then nodded. "Fair-enough," he said. He went to find James.
Once he came back, Himadia drew an arrow and aimed it at James. "Give your sword to me." She ordered.
He hesitated again and respectfully but reluctantly handed over his sword.
"Alright. Come with me," she said expressionlessly.
Regretfully, they followed.
After a few minutes of walking, and after James had fallen face first into the snow twice, they reached the village. At first Ratagi didn't see it- but oddly, it appeared before his eyes. He stared uncomprehendingly at where once was a grove of trees, was a small walled village.
The gates were small and wooden, and only half finished. Some pail faced men wearing the same clothes as Himadia were working on it. Swords and daggers all hung limply at their sides. Some stopped from their work to see the visitors.
The village was very small and very plain. All of the huts and houses were all stone with wooden roofs, all of the same color.
Nothing, the houses, the clothes, nothing bore even a distinctive difference.
The plaza, though, was different. A white flag with unique maze-like designs rose high. There, a small citadel stood in the middle.
More pale people went to look at the alien people. Most people, even the women and children had weapons- knives, daggers, bows, swords, axes, and hatchets.
One pale man, bald with a long brown beard, took a step forward. "Who are these outsiders doing here, Himadia?" He asked with an outlandish accent in his voice.
"They are them," Himadia said.
"Wait, who is them?" Ratagi tried to say. "Who are you?"
The men drew their swords and drew back their bowstrings. "We are the Heiamonds," he said. "We are a free people of the cold north."
A man poked Ratagi in the back with a spear. They slowly enclosed on the three of them."
"Hey-!" Ratagi shouted. "Stop that!" He struck one man out as another man with a club hit him in the head and he was out.
Ratagi awoke in a damp, dark, cold prison. "What happened?" He asked.
"I don't know," James said, right beside him. "I heard that they are selling us to someone called Destiny."
"Destiny?" Ratagi asked. "No, Dest âI' nee. So they are servants of Destiny?"
"I don't think so," Charles said. He sat flaccidly in a corner. "Or else they'd abandon their âFree People' obsession."
Ratagi sighed and buried his face in his hands. He started muttering angrily to himself. He had gotten so far, so far! He had gone so close to making it to the Vault! For what- to be captured and sold to Destiny?
Is this my fate? Ratagi asked himself. Is this how it ends?

CHAPTER TEN
DEAD ECHOES
"I wasn't sure where I was going but I was determined to set a speed record getting there."
-Laurence j. Peter

The next day was a festive one, and most of the guards were off duty. Only one guard patrolled the prison area. And even he left after a little while.
There was a distinctive blur of festive noises, singing, shouting, and some harp-like instrument.
Ratagi groaned as he rubbed the spot he was clubbed on- which, as irony would have it, was in the same spot Ekogodne` cut him. He was murmuring to himself in despair. Then, he heard a noise. He took it for granted it was another guard, but he realized it was coming towards the cell that he was kept in.
He heard another noise, and looked up. The cell door was open, and there stood the person who brought them here.
"What are you doing?" Ratagi asked, wincing through the hideous pain in his head.
"I'm setting you free," Himadia said.
"Wait- why?" He asked. "You are the person who took us here."
"Yes, well," she sighed. "Maybe you do not know, but I discovered that we are selling you to Destiny."
She scoffed. "All for money we do not need to help our enemy. So I decided to set you free."
Ratagi looked at the two kids. They were fast asleep. Charles, though, had his eyes open just a slit.
James was awake too, though he had just woken up.
Charles got James up and they were both on their feet.
"Follow me." Himadia beckoned. They got up.
"Wait," James said, "how can we trust you?"
"It's rather you trust me or you get back in your cell." She said.
"Sorry for angering you, sir, er, m'am." James said.
The festive noises were way louder now when they reached the room where the people all danced and sung. Nobody seemed to notice them sneaking through their little party. Finally, they got to the exit unseen.
"I'm hungry," James said as they were out of the room and outside. Few grey clouds did nothing to mask the silver stars and the crescent shape of the moon. Snow had melted off the roofs of houses, unlike the day before. There was still snow on the ground, but it cloaked the grass like the clouds cloaked the stars.
"I must come with you," Himadia said.
"Why must you come with us?" James asked.
"You wouldn't know the way at all," She answered.
"We would so!" James snapped.
"Um, James," Ratagi said, "no we don't."
They reached the gates of the city- which were almost finished, already.
"How did they-?" Ratagi gasped at how they could achieve so much in one day- half a day, actually.
"The Heiamonds are expert builders," Himadia explained. "They can accomplish much work in little time.
They finally reached the end of the city, where the workers hadn't finished yet. One by one, they reached the end.
"Come with me," She said, and pointed east. "This is where you were going, were you not?" She asked. "Across the mountains, into Destiny's territory?"
"How did you know-?" Ratagi murmured.
"We had been told by Destiny- our long time enemy- that two boys and a man would pass through here, wishing to go east- and would make a story about how they would wish to go south, to the mountains."
Ratagi was silent. "He must be all-powerful like Haze to know about the story we would-" he said after a long silence, but was interrupted by Himadia.
"You have seen Haze?" She asked, disbelieving.
"We came from his territory, yes," Ratagi mumbled sleepily. He was really tired now.
"Haze isn't all-powerful," James said. "He's dead!"
"No, he is not dead." Ratagi sighed. "He cannot die by weapons like-" he remembered how James sword had disintegrated. "Weapons like yours." He continued after a pause.
"Which reminds me," Himadia said. "I still have your sword." She handed over the long, steel blade still inside its sheath.
"Good," Ratagi said, snatching it away. "I feared you wouldn't give it back." He unsheathed it. His eyes rested upon the strange letters. He was still trying to figure out what it meant.
"I'm hungry." James complained.
He groaned. Then, something whizzed past his ear. He glanced back to see an arrow lodged in the tree he was leaning on. He tore his head around, only to see many angry men with bows and swords were running towards them. Ratagi stood to face the enemy. He knew there were at least five- but only two with swords. He could probably take them. Another arrow flew into the ground by his feet. He sheathed his sword, and took heel. "Curse those archers," he growled to himself.
Another arrow flew past his head, lodging in a tree.
After a while of running, the men, just like the wolves, stopped chasing them after a short distance.
He caught up with Himadia. "Why did they stop?" Ratagi asked.
"Destiny knows his territory and all that lie within too well. They fear-" She hesitated. "He knows every single spot of the territory he controls."
"So, he knows we're here," James asked uneasily.
"Probably." She answered. There was a long pause. Then, she ended their conversation with a warning. "Watch out for Dead Echoes."
"Dead echoes," Charles repeated. Himadia looked at him strangely. Ratagi realized she had never actually heard him speak before. "I have heard that name before."
"You heard that? From whom?" Himadia asked.
"I- I think my father had talked about it once."
All were silent.
There was nothing but tree stumps and red clay as far as the eye can see. You could tell there used to be a forest- long, beautiful grassy forest- but now, it was a barren wasteland, with nothing but tree stumps. A thick cloud of smoke was in the distance.
"What's a Dead Echo?" James asked.
"Servants of Destiny," Himadia answered. They do not leave Destiny's lands. Only one of our kinds has killed one before. They are known for their speed."
James peered into the smoky distance. "Can't we go around it?" He asked.
"No time," Ratagi said. "We need to get to The V-" He stopped himself when Himadia glanced at him curiously.
"What?" She asked. "The What?"
Ratagi was silent. He quickly looked away, and he saw something in the distance, a blur. But it disappeared.
"What was that?" James asked who was looking at the same thing as Ratagi.
"What was what?" Himadia asked. She had her bow in her hand now; her voice was shaky and unsteady.
There was a long pause. Then, a voice. "Going somewhere?" It was like a knife cutting through iron.
All four of them turned to see five men in dark hoods. The leading man in the middle had spoken. "Dead Echoes," Himadia whispered.
The man's head turned. He made a small cackle. "We are the Dead Echoes," He hissed. He turned his head. "What are you doing here?" He asked Himadia, who was pointing her bow at him.
"What are you doing here?" Ratagi asked.
The lead Dead Echo smiled. "King Anger has told me about you," he said. "You must be Ratagi, the defiant blacksmith."
He nodded. "You must be Destiny."
Destiny smiled. "And you must be Ratagi. Heard so much about you. I would like for you to meet a friend of mine." The Dead Echoes all drew their swords. All of them were long, and curved. Each one had a sword in each hand.
Destiny tilted his head slightly, and all of the Dead Echoes ran around so fast, they were nothing but a blur.
"Soon, you will see the wrath of Destiny," He cackled. "Be readyâ¦"
Himadia fired an arrow at Destiny. But he was even faster than the Dead Echoes. His arms shot up and caught her arrow with one hand, which would have reached his heart if he hadn't caught the arrow first.
Ratagi swung his sword. Three Dead Echoes ganged up on him. He waved his sword frantically, trying to catch all of their slashes, cuts, and stabs.
Destiny drew his two swords. He charged Himadia, who shot her arrow at the oncoming blur.
It almost hit its target. It shot through Destiny's hand. He dropped his swords and stared at it in disbelief. He slowly pulled it out. He glared at Himadia with fury. He charged, and the force knocked her off balance. He picked her off the ground by the neck, and started to squeeze her.
James took out the Hunter throwing knife. He aimed- and threw it, aiming for Destiny's head. Without looking, Destiny caught it by the blade with two fingers. He dropped Himadia onto the ground, which clutched her throat in pain.
"This is a Hunter knife," he said to himself. He dropped it. Its blade pierced deeply into the moist, red dirt.
James slowly walked back as Destiny slowly walked forward. Charles, who had been busy with the fourth Dead Echo, ran to aid his brother. He stood guard by James.
Ratagi, who had been fighting three Dead Echoes at a time, was getting tired. He hadn't slept in two days, and was exhausted.
Finally, he faltered and fell over. One Dead Echo slowly approached him for the kill blow.
An arrow whizzed deep into his neck. He groaned in pain as blood oozed from the fatal wound. He fell over. One Dead Echo went to treat him. Another charged Himadia.
Himadia dropped her bow and drew two knives. She leaped forward, a snarl on her face.
But two one foot long blades wouldn't do much against two three feet blades.
Charles tried hysterically to fight off the Dead Echo, but it was no use. He was too fast and too powerful. Finally, it knocked the sword out of Charles' hand. "Ha! Ha! Ha!" The Dead Echo howled in triumph, but had no time to celebrate because Ratagi charged it. Its smile turned into a frown as he knocked it off balance. He landed on it and started hitting it until it stopped struggling. He got off to face the Dead Echo Himadia was facing. He, Charles and Himadia stood facing Destiny and the Dead Echo. The two others had fled, leaving the other Dead Echo (who was still alive) to die. The other Dead Echo was as close to dead as he could be. He would live, though, but he was unconscious.
The Dead Echo saw it was hopeless. It sprinted away, only a blur.
Destiny stood, facing his three opponents. He was the man to make the first attack. He charged and met every attack from Charles, Ratagi, and Himadia. Ratagi was leading, and knew that he could have probably taken him alone if he had the energy.
Destiny was an expert swordfighter. He met each attack with the precision and style of an expert. No matter how long and how powerful the three of them were, Destiny did not falter. Actually, he was driving them back.
After a few minutes, Ratagi backed away and collapsed, too tired to fight any longer.
The battle was tilted for Destiny with Ratagi on their side, but with him gone the battle of hopeless.
One of Himadia's daggers wee knocked from her hand. Destiny then knocked her off balance, and soon, out of consciousness.
It was no way Charles could fight Destiny at his full potential! Both Ratagi and Himadia were out. How could he take down an opponent who took down two expert fighters?
Charles' sword was knocked out of his hand and he tripped over a tree root. Destiny walked over and pressed his sword to his throat. He cackled. He was about to make the kill blow, but he hesitated.
Then, he whirled around, hands ready to intercept James knife that was whirling at him. However, Charles kicked out, catching Destiny in the leg, knocking him off his balance. At that moment James's dagger flew right into his chest. He gasped, dropping his swords. He stumbled. Ratagi had regained consciousness and saw what happened. Destiny took the dagger out of his chest. Now, James had one of Himadia's daggers, and Charles had his sword.
Destiny dropped the dagger, and bolted.
After a few moments, Charles started laughing. "We beat him!" He said.
"I beat him." James said; feeling like this moment was familiar.
"You beat him," Ratagi said, trying to get up. "But he'll be back- with more Dead Echoes."
Himadia nodded, who was up now. "You must be on your guard at all times." She said.
Ratagi strained to get up, but couldn't. He groaned.
Himadia sighed. "This is where I must go back, I fear." She said.
"Back to your village?" James asked.
"Something like that," she said. She took out a map. "You'll get lost, I think." She said. "I think you should take this." She gave him the map and with that, she was off, but in a different direction.
"Where are you going? The village is that way!" James said. But she was already too far to hear.

After a while, Ratagi (After a good sleep) was feeling better.
The rising smoke was closer now, much closer. Close enough they could smell its rotten fumes.
He saw something in the distance- a city, of some sort. It had no walls, and looked very small.
Ratagi stopped. "We should rest here," he announced. Once they set up a small camp, he asked a question that had been bugging him since they'd fought the Dead Echoes. "James?" he asked.
"Yeah?" James said.
"Where did you learn to throw a dagger like that?" He asked. "I've seen captains with less skill at throwing daggers like that."
James was silent for a moment. "When I was five," he said finally, "my father taught me before he was taken by the Hunters. He taught me lots of things."
Ratagi didn't say anything.

* * *

The weary troop reached the palace of Yor. Seftis raised his hand. "I will go in alone," he declared. He went into the stone palace and left the Hunters.
The sky was darkened by thick black clouds. Heavy rain poured onto the Hunters' helmets and armour.
There was a long pause as they waited for Seftis' return. Finally, the Hunter Lord emerged from the dark marble doors. "Anger has spoken," he announced. "We shall make an army worthy of the Seven Hills*!"
All cheered.

*Note: The Seven Hills is the distant land the Troops came from.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
AT HELL'S GATE
"The gates of Hell are open night and day; smooth the descent, and easy is the way: but, to return, and view the cheerful skies; in this, the task and mighty labour lies."
-Virgil

"Where are we?" James asked uncertainly.
Ratagi shrugged. The smoke was long behind them, and the graveyard of trees had ended. The smoke came from thin air, once you look close enough. Far ahead a wall stood, stretching for as long as the eye could see in each direction.
Charles hadn't talked since their encounter with the Dead Echoes. James had tried to start a conversation, but he was completely lost in thought. Both Ratagi and James had wondered what he was thinking about.
What was he thinking about?
The wall was rising in the distance. Soon, an iron gate came into view. "What's that?" Ja

"Besides, Anger has spoken. I have orders to bring three-"\r\n     "Two kids and one man, I know." The man said. "It would be better if I would find them myself."\r\n     Seftis laughed. "You cannot harm anything outside your forest. We can. And if they can pass you once, they can pass you again."\r\n     "They are going into my forest, anyway." He said."\r\n     Seftis laughed. "Fool. You know, it's only a matter of time before Anger gets bored with you vermin, and sends us Hunters to exterminate you, one at a time."\r\n     The old man scowled. "Get out of my forest," he said after a pause. "Or I will become angry."\r\n     Seftis laughed again. "And you say this is your fierce side?" He said.\r\n     "No, I this is my weak, passive side." He stopped, "You don't want to meet my fierce side."\r\nThere was a long pause. "Now get out of here!" the old man snarled, followed by a non humanlike roar.\r\n     The Hunters obeyed. Seftis scowled. The old man disappeared into the forest. "I think I like him better when he doesn't talk," he said.\r\n     The sun set. The chase was now officially on.\r\n                   \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER SEVEN\r\n\r\nTHE Forest\r\n"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have miles to go before I sleepâ�¦"\r\n-Robert Frost\r\n\r\n\r\n "This place is not to my taste, if you know what I mean." Ratagi said to himself. They were in the forest now, and the expanses of green trees and bushes went on as far as the eye could see.\r\n     They had been travelling for several days, and he was getting tired of the uneventful travel. Neither enemy nor animal had challenged them, and none of the group had seen any animal bigger then a small rat.\r\nHe was a Western person, after all. He missed the plains. He missed the open land of T'Keth. Greth wasn't much to his liking. The forest made him feel surrounded, gave him an uneasy feeling. He had been so tense that when he had seen a group of mice, he drew his sword. And not only that, but on the draw he got very close to cutting off James' head. He had flinched and saved himself, though. Now he didn't go near him anymore.\r\n     He wiped cold sweat from his brow. He took a mouthful of water. It felt great as it wet down his dry throat.\r\n     James was now five feet away now, anxiously avoiding Ratagi and his sword. Charles was silent, deep in thought.\r\n     They all knew that the Hunters will be upon them soon. It would have to be fight or flight- and flight wouldn't work because the Hunters do not run out of energy and could run for days on end. The only thing they could do was to hide in the forest and risk being seen by the all seeing Rohia.\r\n     James feet gave way and he had to be a hard slap to awaken him. They sat down, thinking a few hours rest couldn't hurt much. Ratagi had a strange feeling. He turned to Charles. "I'll be right back, stay with your Brother, and don't move." Charles nodded, still not talking.\r\nRatagi started walking towards the forest, with his hands stuck out in front of him blindly, while low-hanging vines slapped his face. Suddenly, the trees disappeared the Ratagi was looking down a fifty-foot cliff. He stopped; his arms wind milling as he tried to regain his balance. He back-peddled back into the forest, and as his heart stopped hammering, he slowly crept back to the cliff. He steeled himself and looked off the edge.\r\n     To his horror, several Hunters were there. One of them pointed at them, and soon all of the Hunters drew their swords and shouted.\r\n     "Run! Hide! The Hunters are here!" Ratagi ordered running back into the forest for Charles and James.\r\n     James and Charles went off the path to the right, while Ratagi went to the left and hid in some bushes.\r\nThe troop went by. Seftis stopped and started to sniff the air. "What is it?" A Hunter asked.\r\n"They are hiding in the forest. Go and search!" he ordered.\r\nTwo Hunters went to search the left, Seftis and a few others to the right.\r\nRatagi was well hidden, for the bush masked his scent slightly.\r\nJames had his sword in hand, hiding behind a tree. He had no time to hide.\r\nHe sighed in relief as he heard footsteps going away. Then a Hunter (Seftis) snatched him by his cloak and lifted him off the ground and stared at him. "I have your kid and if you don't come out, he dies!" he shouted threateningly.\r\nRatagi went up, his sword in hand. He charged Seftis, but Several Hunters tackled him, knocking his sword out of his hand.\r\nRatagi stopped struggling. Five others went and bound him with ropes. Charles was found soon after. They were now in the hands of the Hunters.\r\nSeftis looked at Ratagi. "Take them out onto the path; we will stop and then ask them questions."\r\nThe Hunters walked for a while, and then stopped to rest.\r\nSeftis turned to Ratagi. "Long time no see, eh?" he jeered.\r\n"Not long enough." Snarled Ratagi.\r\nSeftis laughed. "You haven't changed a bit. Well, it is time for your questioning," he said.\r\nHe pulled Ratagi until they were face to face. "Now, where are you going?" he asked mockingly. "I mean, you went in such a hurry."\r\nRatagi shook his head. "Nowhere. To visit relatives. Nothing special." He answered.\r\nSeftis chuckled. "And so killing six Hunters and turning people to take arms against their master is what you needed to do to see your relatives?" He laughed. Then his expression turned serious. "I want to know where you really want to go. Tell me." He hit Ratagi upside the head. "TELL ME!"\r\nRatagi shook his head. "Even if you threaten kill me, I will not tell you anything." He said defiantly.\r\nSeftis widened his eyes. "Oh," he said, taking his dagger out. "So you probably wouldn't tell me if I kill-" he pressed the dagger to Charles' throat. "Him," he said.\r\nRatagi scowled. Seftis pressed it harder until blood ran slowly down his neck. He closed his eyes, obviously in pain, but did nothing. He knew there was nothing he could do.\r\nJames couldn't take it anymore. "There is a resistance!" he cried. "He had a map leading to a place where it is!"\r\nEveryone looked at him in shock. Ratagi buried his face in his hands. Seftis put his dagger away. "Well, well, thank you, boy." He leaned next to him. "Where is the map?" he asked.\r\n"He usually keeps it in his hands but when he isn't looking he puts it away." He squeaked.\r\nSeftis smiled. "I like this one." He said. "Now go, find me the map." He said to some Hunter. They went looking through Ratagi's pack.\r\n     "Here it is, sir!" A big bearded Hunter said and handed him Diamor's map.\r\n     Seftis studied the map. "It seems it's called â��The Vault.' Funny little name. Well, this has been a very successful mission. It is time to head south, to Anger's Palace."\r\n     Ratagi's mind raced desperately. They were being dragged away from his destination, and to Anger himself. Not to mention he had just betrayed the resistance, and ruined any hope of freedom. How could things get any worse?\r\n\r\n                      *              *              *\r\n     \r\n     The troop walked for a couple of hours, and then stopped. The forest still loomed above them. The sun had set now.\r\n     Howls came into the distance. A Hunter got up and moved into the forest. One sought after him, but Seftis held him back. "Let him go," he said.\r\n     The Hunters then, as if on cue, sat down and began to snore. Seftis stayed on guard. He was humming to himself, in a different language.\r\n     "Seftis, I have a question," Ratagi said.\r\n     Seftis looked at him. "And what might that be?" he asked.\r\n     "What is the song you sing?" He asked.\r\n     Seftis smiled. "Back before we were taken to fight for Anger, we were a nomadic people. We had a name, but even that has been forgotten by most. Anyway, we were excellent hunters- and that's what Anger named us. Hunters. Our true name is for ourselves."\r\n     "We were the greatest trackers in the land- and when it was time to hunt all of the men and boys would join in." Seftis paused, remembering.\r\nThen he continued. "When we would pick up a scent," He looked up. "We would sing a song- Fresh Meat, we would sing, in our language though." He finished and went back to going on guard.\r\n     "Well why you, the leader of the Hunter army, be chasing us?" Ratagi asked another question.\r\n     Seftis sighed. "Anger is not blind," he said. "Even before you told us, after so many times statues, shrines, and even Lawstones* have been destroyed. Anger fixed his eyes on the so called outlaws, and saw that there was a link between them all. He knew that there had to be someone stupid enough to defy him."\r\n* Lawstones are statues of Anger with laws written down on them of a certain city\r\n     "Yes, but- why would you come after us?" He asked.\r\n     "Because," Seftis snorted. "I love to get my hands dirty, that is all."\r\n     "What's the real reason?" Ratagi asked distrustfully.\r\n     An eerie smile crossed Seftis' face. He turned away and was silent.\r\n     After a while, Ratagi and Seftis drifted off to sleep. Charles opened one eye, then the other. He sat up. Tired as he was, he sat up. He saw someone run past the forest. He was sure he saw it, but he decided to ignore it. No one was powerful or stupid enough to destroy a Hunter Troop, and since he was with one, he presumed he was safe. He soon fell asleep.\r\nThat day the Hunters advanced south, at a brisk jog that didn't get any slower as the day went on. After a hour or so, Charles and James had to be carried by Hunters, but Ratagi was simply whipped when he slowed down. It wasn't until midday when they stopped to rest. A warrior went out to scout the area. They were in a column, a higher type of land on either side.\r\n     Ratagi hadn't spoken since yesterday. He just sat and stared at the sky. He must have been deep in thought.\r\n     Charles sighed. "You know what? I kind of miss Tiger's Eye city. A couple of weeks ago I would have jumped at the chance of leaving the stupid place. Now I miss it, do you miss home James?"\r\n     James shook his head. Then he spat. "I never want to see that place again," he said. "I would rather die."  \r\nCharles looked away. He had never heard James say something like that. He felt regret. He had wished he would have just stayed back at Tiger's Eye. Now they are in the hands of the Hunters, a spot he had successfully avoided for years.\r\n     He stared at Ratagi. What is he thinking about? He wondered.\r\n     Ratagi was thinking regretfully about this whole stupid trip. Angers reach was as strong and far reaching as everyone had said. It might have gone better if the children had never come along. Then the Hunters would never be following him. They would have never met Ekogodne' or encounter the anger of Sergo. This quest was a desperate attempt for freedom. A resistance? They couldn't actually get anywhere near matching the forces of Anger.\r\n     "Hopeless," he muttered staring into the blue sky. Not one cloud was in sight. This was probably the one spot you could see the sky clearly in the Dark Forest.\r\n     Then, the troop came rushing down the hill. Just as he arrived, a arrow hissed out of the forest and hit him in the back. "We are-" he tried to talk, but he collapsed and moved no more.\r\n     They heard a sound. A group of people in ragged torn cloaks, holding bows, daggers, hatchets, spears and swords on each side of the hills.\r\n     One drew his sword and called a familiar battle cry. "FOR THE KING! FOR THE VAULT!" he roared and the Hunters were charged on either side. Arrows whizzed past, hitting the Hunters' unarmoured necks with deadly accuracy. They were in chaos. "What will we do?" James cried.\r\n     Then he remembered. The knife! The knife he had gotten from the captain when the journey began. He had forgotten all about it. He reached until he found the knife in his boot. He took it out and started cutting his rope. After he was done he untied Ratagi, and then Charles. Ratagi saw Seftis fighting two opponents. He saw his sword on a Hunters back; He took James knife and stabbed him in the back, just before he struck down a defeated resistance fighter. He grabbed the sword, and ran away. A stray arrow whizzed past a Hunter and sliced across his arm, slicing it open.\r\n     He bellowed in pain and agony, but went on. He took the kids and ran into a safe area away from the battle.\r\n     "Why can we not fight?" Charles asked. They had both found their swords.\r\n     Ratagi shook his head. "They do not have enough men to take them down, it seems. It is an impossible battle." He sighed. "We have no map, no supplies- it seems we will die before we make it to the Vault."\r\n     "Worse yet, the sun is setting." Charles said.\r\n     Ratagi sighed. "I guess we shall have to brave the night alone."\r\n             \r\n     The night came swiftly. There were howls, closer to them.\r\n     They marched forward, but suddenly James stopped. He turned, and walked in the opposite direction. Ratagi called angrily, "Hey! What are you-" He stopped midsentence. Ratagi started running after James, Charles close behind. Ratagi's foot hit a root sticking out of the ground, and fell forward. It was if a bucket of cold water was dropped on his head.  He had been entranced by the howl of the Tiadal wolves. They were bigger than ordinary sized wolves, and it is said a dark sorcerer had given them a howl that lured humans and animals to their deaths.\r\n     And now, they were running towards them. Most were black.\r\n     The three of them ran up the tree- the largest wolf, a black one with a red scar across its left eye bit off a piece of James' cloak. Ratagi tried to swing his sword, but the branch he held onto almost gave way, and his sword fell and clattered to the ground.\r\n     They circled the tree. They howled and snarled. Then, a new sound came. A new creature approached. It was black with streaks of white along the back. It was something Ratagi hoped never to see again.\r\n     "Rohia," Charles whispered.\r\n     Rohia answered with a long, evil howl. It took a running leap and jumped so high that its claws brushed James' boot.\r\n     "We need to climb up! Higher!" Ratagi ordered. "NOW!" The three of them started climbing. Rohia roared in anger. The wolves joined in. As Rohia changed, his form began to change: its face turned into an old man's, then a leopard, then back to the wolf like head. The howl never changed.\r\n     Charles held onto the tree for dear life. James had his eyes on the small tree branch that was the only thing that held him up- if the small thing snapped; he would be falling to his doom. It groaned under his weight.\r\n     Ratagi kept his eyes on the wolves. There were at least ten of them, excluding Rohia and the leader wolf.\r\n     He closed his eyes as the branch he was holding onto started to creak.\r\n     He held on onto the early hours of the morning...\r\n     Ratagi opened one eye. The wolves were long gone. He had a long sigh of relief.\r\n     He jumped down, picked up his sword, and looked at the kids. James saw him and jumped down, followed by Charles, who tried climbing down, but one of the branches snapped and he fell onto the ground. He got up, muttering to himself.\r\n     "Where are we?" James asked.\r\n     Ratagi shrugged. "I have as much a guess as you do." He said. We are way off track, now. We need to get to the Vault without a map."   \r\n     He pointed forward. "That is north," he said. "If we can get out of here, we can probably figure out where the city is. It is in the next forest after this one."\r\n     James exclaimed aloud. "Look!" he pointed to something and ran into a circle of trees.\r\n     Ratagi sighed and started after him.\r\nJames was caught right away by a cursing Ratagi. "This place is not Tiger's Eye!" he growled. "You are not to run around wherever you want. And you are never to leave my side without any permission."\r\n     James nodded. "Yes sir." He said.\r\n     "Alright." Ratagi said; the worry still in his voice. He then looked at the sky, pointing, making marks in the air with his finger.\r\n     "Okay," he murmured to himself. "We are going north, out of the forest. Then we will be able to make it to the Vault's forest. And that will be the problem, as not even Hunters go there." He started forward, and James ran after him.\r\n     "Mister Ratagi! You left me out of my sights again!" he cried.\r\n     Ratagi groaned in exasperation.      \r\n    \r\nElsewhere, the battle between the Hunters and the resistance soldiers was coming to an end.\r\n     The men began to falter and hesitate, and soon the Hunters gained the upper hand. They had taken many losses, but the men have taken more. Soon, they retreated. The Hunters jeered as they were out of sight. Some waved and roared a victory cry. Seftis waved his hand.\r\n     "Why did they attack us, with such poor numbers and weapons?" He asked.\r\n"I don't know, maybe they saw the prisoners give away their secret." A hunter said.\r\n     "Speaking of the prisoners, where are they?" Seftis wondered, scratching his head.\r\n     The Hunters started to groan and roar in fury. "We have lost the prisoners!" one snarled.\r\n "We need to find them again!" another yelled in panic. Soon the camp was full of uneasy murmurs.\r\n     "Quiet!" Seftis roared. The Hunters all were silent. "We have caught them once, we can catch them again," he said.\r\n     "We are Hunters. We were the ones who shattered the three kingdoms. We were the ones who fought with the vicious Voranites and the people of T'Keth. We were the ones who have undone the things that could not be undone!"     \r\n     The Hunters nodded, and soon they were all shouting and roaring in agreement. "We are," he said, "We are the San Rimita!" He roared. "AND WE HAVE FRESH MEAT TO CATCH!"\r\n     The Hunters cheered, and started to sing.\r\n                   *                *                  *\r\n     Ratagi ran through the forest, the two kids' right behind him. James was panting like a dog, but Charles, however, remained silent.\r\n     The forest was as ugly as you could imagine. It was dark, crawling with strange insects that anyone would ever dare touch. The trees loomed before like dark giants, watching them closely as they walked by on the moist, mossy ground. The air was damp, but it was still very hard to breath. They could not tell if it was day or night, as the trees guarded the floor from the sun.\r\n     Charles was in the very back. He felt like he was being watched and occasionally looked back not to see anything. Every once in a while he would notice a shadowy figure standing in the trees, but the moment he focused on the figure, it disappeared. Charles wasn't even sure he had really seen anything.\r\n     They had been travelling for almost a week now, and the supplies were so low, they could only eat once a day and they would have to share a cracker or something. James had stopped his whining a while back. Nobody usually said anything, but from time to time Ratagi would stop and look at the sun; see what direction he was going. The sun was about to set when Ratagi saw something and yelled "AHA!"\r\n     The two kids went to see what he was doing, and then started to groan and sigh in relief.\r\n     There, the forest's end was in sight. It was about a mile away. They picked up their pace, as the sun was starting to set.\r\n     The forest had ended, finally. "The light, at last!" James said.\r\n     "Savour it, for the sun is going to set," Ratagi explained with contempt.\r\n     Charles turned to the woods. Strange unseen sounds came closely. He backed away and ran to Ratagi.\r\n     He could have sworn he had heard a peculiar sound: a low cackle.\r\n     \r\n     "Where are we?" James asked.\r\n     "I have no idea where we are!" Ratagi answered, exasperated. "I have no map, no directions, nothing!"\r\n     "Well, if we go straight, it might get us somewhere," James pointed out.\r\n     "I doubt it," said Ratagi, shaking his head. "One way can go on for weeks. It could lead us to Voraia, for all we know. We have no where to go- unless you want to go back into the forest and try and find the trail again."\r\n     Both kids shook their heads. "I am NOT going there again," James said stubbornly.\r\n     Charles didn't say anything. He just looked back at the dark trees sullenly.\r\n     James looked at the plains ahead of them. "Hey, Mister Ratagi, I think I see something- come on!" he cried. He dashed towards the yellow plains. Ratagi hesitated, but then followed.\r\n     Well, he thought, this is where the road ends.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER EIGHT\r\nINTO THE SHADOWS\r\n    "How lonely is the night without the howl of the wolfâ�¦"Anonymous\r\n  James reached the top of a hill, where he stared at the huge land ahead of him- nothing but miles and miles of yellow plains.\r\nThe sun had already set. Ratagi went to see what James was looking at. Both gazed in awe at the magnificent sight. The very end, though, seemed dark, even by the night's standards.\r\n"Hey! Come over here!" Charles's voice caught both of them out of their trance.\r\nRatagi jumped down, towards Charles. "Ah!" He cried in delight and relief. "The trail!" He gawked at the brown, old, unused trail, like a long abyss cutting through the plains.\r\n     "What if it's the wrong trail?" James asked sceptically.  \r\n     "It's simple," he said a-matter-of-factly. "There is only one brown-stoned trail in all Mans Telwar; it was built during the Voranite rebellion- which was crushed, eighteen years ago. The so called city of â��The Vault' was built in that time as well. The Hunters wouldn't notice any difference, though."\r\n     "It's leading to the dark spot over there," James pointed to the dark horizon.\r\n     Ratagi closed his eyes. The memory of Diamor's map came into mind.\r\n     "Land of the Mist," he said to himself.\r\n     "What?" James asked.\r\n     "This place- if we are to get to the Vault then we need to cross the land of Hazaia- and then the land of Destiny."\r\n     "Don't you mean, â��Des-tih'-nee?'" James asked.\r\n     "No, I mean Dest-â��I'-nee. That's how you say his name."\r\n     "Who's name?"\r\n     "Destiny's name, of course."\r\n     "No, I mean- who is Destiny?" James asked, scratching his noggin.\r\n     "A person."\r\n     "Mister Ratagi, you're being annoying." James growled.\r\n     Charles chuckled.\r\n"Destiny is one of Anger's Nobles," Ratagi explained. "Like Ekogodne`, and Rohia."\r\n"Rohia," James echoed impassively.\r\n"And Ekogodne`." Ratagi said, obviously trying to annoy him. But after he said that, he frowned and put his hand on his forehead. Behind his hair was a black mark Ekogodne` had given him. It seemed to take a strange shape now- an upturned V. "Keep alert now, and I would prefer you to be silent." He said after a pause.\r\n     "Why?" James asked.\r\n     "Diamor told me that there is someone who wanders these lands." Ratagi replied vacantly.\r\n     "Who is Diamor?"\r\n     "He is seen walking about these plains, he said. They call him â��Haze.'" Ratagi said, ignoring him.\r\n     "Who is â��Haze'?" James asked uncomprehendingly.\r\n     "He is said to be one of Anger's Nobles." He answered. His hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword.\r\n     Charles turned. "Um, guys," he said, frightened.\r\n     The others turned to see the forest- there, a huge wolf, a Tiadal Wolf came running after them. It snarled, and howled. They sprinted away.\r\n     "We'll never outrun it!" Charles screamed, overcome by panic.\r\n     He is right, Ratagi thought. It is faster and could run longer distances. No matter how fast we run, we will soon tire and it will be upon us. He sighed. "It is only one!" he cried. He drew his sword and turned to the wolf. "I think I can take it!"\r\n     The wolf hesitated at his armed opponent, but snarled and charged. It had a scar- it was the same one that he had seen in the forests! Ratagi stood steadily- but then saw dozens more wolves charging at full speed towards Ratagi as well. "Oh no!" he shouted, sheathing his sword and sprinting away. The boys were far ahead of him, now. James still ran as fast he could, but Charles was slowing down. He soon came to a halt. He turned to the wolves, drawing his sword. Ratagi gave a shout, ran to Charles and stopped.\r\n     "You cannot fight them all!" He roared. "Keep running!"\r\n     "I can't! I-" Charles said, panting like a dog. He then got to his feet. He started to run, but it was too late. The ravenous wolves were already upon them. They were less than twenty feet away. The leader slowly advanced, and then leapt- but right by them, the wolf stopped, and backed away. It started sniffing the ground. It sat. Ratagi looked at where the wolf stopped. Sure enough, a long, thin line was there- it was hard to see in the dark, but he could still see it.\r\n     The wolf snarled, and then howled. Ratagi felt a dab on his shoulder. He looked up at the sky- there; a thin, straight line on a dark grey cloud parted the spot the wolves were to them. The other side, the wolf's side, the stars were shining and the moon was in sight. Ratagi's side, thick grey clouds roofed the sky. It wasn't normal, the cloud's parting was so straight- like it marked the border, from one land to another.\r\n     He stopped thinking about it and started for James, who was already out of sight.\r\n     It started to rain.\r\n     It was already cold, but the cold, hard, freezing downpour made it all the worse. It wasn't like any ordinary rain, for it was much colder and it stung slightly as it hit your skin.\r\n     Charles didn't feel like staying within arms reach of these voracious beasts and dashed towards Ratagi.\r\n     "James!" Ratagi called. "Where are you?"\r\n     "I'm right here!" was the nervous answer.\r\n     He ran to James, who was shuddering, and panting. "I'm f-f-f-freezing!" he stammered.\r\n     Ratagi shuddered. Unexpectedly, the raining ceased. Charles caught up with the others.\r\n"What just happened?" Charles asked, thunderstruck.\r\n     "I don't know," Ratagi said, shivering.\r\n     Charles shot a worried eye back to the snarling wolves, still waiting for them to come back. What was funny, though, is that the road stopped at the border where the wolves went.\r\n     "Well," Ratagi confirmed, "the road ends here."\r\n     "Why didn't they follow us?" Charles asked.\r\n     "I- don't know," Ratagi replied unsteadily. James was lying down with a blanket he had been given and was trying to sleep.\r\n     He sat down and searched his pack for something to eat. "We- we're out of food!" He groaned. He got up, and put on a brave face. "You stay here with James- I'll try go and find some food." He announced.\r\n     Charles nodded. "But- you aren't going to get any game with your sword." He pointed out.\r\n     "I didn't say I'd be hunting," he said. He advanced deeper into the shadows.\r\nIt was a long, bendy dark land ahead of him. He took out his knife. "I'm not finding any berries in this place," he growled to himself. "And I can't catch any game- or can't I?"\r\nHe jumped at the sound of a crow- no, a raven.\r\nIt was larger than usual, and its eyes were like a snake's, piercing reddish orange.\r\nIt cawed angrily as it hungrily fixed its eyes on him.\r\nHe looked away. "Now, where am I?" he asked as he tried to fix his eyes on- on what? There wasn't anything he could see, except for the dark sky ahead- and- and that stupid bird. Why am I here anyway? He thought dryly. I should be back at home, making tools for the-\r\nThe raven squawked angrily, its eyes trained on him. Ratagi couldn't take it anymore. He roared, and with all his might, he threw his knife at the bird. It hit its wing, and it lost a few feathers- but it cawed angrily and flew away. Ratagi roared, and cursed as loud as he could. Then, strangely, it started to light up- and he saw the land- slightly. There, he realized that from his knee down was nothing but mist. He was glad he couldn't see the ground, somehow.\r\nRatagi roared angrily- and stopped himself. What was he yelling at? Why am I feeling so angry? Then, he suddenly remembered what this place was called on Diamor's map.\r\n"The Valley of Hatred," he said to himself. Apparently it wasn't just some name to scare people away- mostly. It made him feel- hateful. He felt like he hated everything. Some kind of spell, he guessed.\r\n"Huh?" He shielded his eyes. The clouds barely shielded the sun's power. The sun had come out.\r\n"Wait a minuteâ�¦" That means that he had been gone for hours! But he had only been here for twenty minutes, at least.\r\nWithout thinking, he dashed towards the kid's direction. He didn't think, he just ran.\r\nAfter a few minutes of running, he heard the kid's voices.\r\n"Mister Ratagi!" The voice sounded panic stricken.\r\nSoon, hey came into view. James was in the back of Charles, who had his sword drawn and was facing a huge snake. It looked orange with black stripes, but it seemed to change colors, from black to red to green. Its piercing red-orange eyes, though, stayed the same.\r\nHe drew his sword. The snake hissed and faced its new opponent. Charles started to advance, but the snake lashed out, like lighting, and had Charles back away. Ratagi, seeing the creature's speed, advanced with more caution. The snake was huge, almost twenty feet long. Its eyes looked eerily familiar.\r\n"Charles, James, get as far away from here as you can," Ratagi ordered. "I'll take care of Snaky here."\r\nThe snake seemed to understand him and turned its gaze to the kids. It slowly slithered towards him, though he, however, just waited. If I could just get into striking distanceâ�¦ he thought. Yes! He swung his sword in an arc with all his speed and might. The snake twisted its body and was quickly on Ratagi, trying to get one bite at his throat.\r\nThis isn't any ordinary snake, he thought. He grabbed the snake with his hands. He squeezed as tightly as he could. It fought only for a moment, and then went rigid.\r\nRatagi tossed it into some bushes. He went to get the kids. He walked for a few minutes, and then stopped to rest by a dead tree.\r\n"A shame, isn't it?" A cold voice like a knife cutting through rock said.\r\nRatagi turned, picking up his sword. There, stood a pale man. He wore a dark black cloak with a hood. On his cloak was a design- a snake. He seemed to have appeared out of no where. Ratagi had been preoccupied, but this man came out of no where, and the dead leaves everywhere made it so he couldn't have exactly snuck up.\r\n"Who are you?" He asked.\r\nThe man chuckled. "I am what your kind call â��Haze.'" He said. "And I wasn't finished."\r\n"Finished what?"\r\nWell, I shall say it again." He said. "It is a shame, that snakes are depicted this way."\r\n"Depicted- in what way- who are you-?" Ratagi asked feeling perplexed.        \r\n"I already said, Ratagi, I am Haze." He said. He was petting a snake in his hand. "Snakes are such wonderful creatures, though, don't you agree? They are not as bad as they are portrayed." His mind seemed to drift away. The snake was white with stripes of red along its back.\r\nCharles and James ran up, and backed away as they saw Haze.\r\n"What is your purpose in these lands?" Haze asked.\r\n"We didn't mean to- we were following a path, we were chased by wolves- we're just passing through." Ratagi stammered, trying to hide his fear.\r\nHaze smiled malevolently. "I can see," he said, looking into Ratagi's eyes. He stared into the strange light blue eyes. He realized for the first time, that Haze was completely blind. "He told me someone would come someday," he sad to himself. "Someone who means harm, whose motives are wicked and spiteful."\r\nHe stared at him. "He said that he will bring two young ones." His hand pointed to the kids. The snake slithered out of the bush and wrapped itself around Haze's leg. He stared at his snake. "Mithria means no harm. Snakes are no pests. They are good. Tis' a poorly thing that only I, yes, I, can see their good side."\r\nRatagi raised his sword. "We're going to pass." He said.    \r\n"Sorry, but I won't let you," Haze said.\r\n"No, I said we are going to pass," Ratagi said, feeling this has happened to him many times before. "I'm afraid you cannot do anything to stop me."\r\nHaze smiled maliciously. "I'm afraid?" he echoed. Then he stared at him. "No, you are NOT going to pass." He said sternly.\r\nThen he looked at his snake. "This place used to be called the Land of Serpents," he said to himself. "There was a small village here- right were you're standing."\r\nRatagi looked down at the mist. His feet felt numb, keeping him from feeling the ground.\r\n"It was overrun by snakes. They did everything to keep their land safe." He kept talking to himself. "But, alas, they inevitably had to leave- and the land was renamed Valley of Mist- but after King Anger invaded, some fled here and renamed this place Valley of Hate."\r\nRatagi took a small step back- than a bigger- than a biggerâ�¦\r\n"Going somewhere?" Haze asked. Ratagi, strangely, stumbled and fell, and landed in something hard but hollow.\r\nRatagi swished his hand back in forth, clearing the mist, and on the ground Human bones were scattered across the forest floor. "Many people have tried to pass here," he said, half to himself. "Many people have tried."\r\nRatagi tried to get up, but an invisible force kept him on the mass of bones. He looked straight at a snake that was a few feet away.\r\n     "They all tried," Haze continued to himself. He looked Ratagi, who was trying to get up. "Do not struggle," he said. "Or it will hurt more."\r\n     The snake went forward, closer to Ratagi. "You're a madman," he said. James started climbing the tree to escape the snake, but it started moving under his hands.\r\n     Haze smiled evilly. "Aren't we all madmen?" He asked.\r\n     James screamed as he stared at a brown, hundred headed snake.\r\n     Haze smiled. "They all tried." He echoed. "They all failed."       \r\n     "They did what?" Ratagi asked unsteadily. He was trying to buy time so Charles could back away.\r\n     Haze, as if reading Ratagi's mind, turned to "see" Charles.\r\n     "Not so fast," he growled. He pointed a finger at Charles- and nothing happened.\r\n     "What?" he said to himself. "He must be-"\r\n     A wicked smile crossed his face. "You-" He pointed at Charles. He started to walk forward to Charles, who was already frozen in fear.\r\n     James, as fast as he could, drew his sword and charged Haze.\r\n     Haze was talking to himself as he approached Charles and didn't notice.\r\n     James plunged his sword into Haze's back. He looked stunned for a moment, "looking" at James' blade that went straight through his chest. He looked amazed for a second. Then he fell over on the ground. James went and retrieved his sword. Thick black blood oozed off the blade- which melted off its hilt!\r\n     "Thanks," Charles said, trying to stomach what just happened.\r\n     James dropped the hilt of his sword onto the ground and looked around. "Where is mister Ratagi?" He asked.  \r\n     "Over here," came the answer. There, Ratagi stood tall, his sword drawn, and facing the dead tree- which was now actually a dead tree.\r\n     "What just happened?" Charles asked, looking at Haze- his body had completely disappeared, there was only his cloak- and the red snake he had called Mithria.\r\n     Ratagi sheathed his blade. "I think we should go now- or something else might happen." He assumed.\r\n     The two kids nodded. "Well," Charles said tiredly. "The road officially ends here."  \r\n     Ratagi laughed. "Now you're catching on." He said.\r\n\r\nCHAPTER NINE\r\nHIMADIA\r\n"Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories."\r\n-Sun Tzu \r\n\r\n\r\n       Ratagi cursed as little white snowflakes touched the ground. "Oh, good." He muttered.        It was snowing- lightly, but this was the cold part of the land, no doubt.\r\n     "I'm cold!" James complained. His nose, cheeks and ears were red.\r\n     "Do you want to turn back?" Ratagi asked, raising an eyebrow.\r\n     James shook his head and was silent.\r\n     Nothing was going as planned: they had no map, no trail, and no idea where they were. Now, they didn't have a simple idea about where they were going. And it was snowing!\r\n     "I'm hungry!" James complained.\r\n     "You ate all the food," Ratagi sighed.\r\n     "But I want something to eat."\r\n     "Well, I guess you've just got to wait." They reached a long, snowy path.\r\n     Ratagi bent down to look at a trail on the ground. "Footprints," he breathed.\r\n     James sniffed. "Whose footprints?" He asked.    \r\n     "Not who's, what's." Ratagi said. "No man made these footprints."\r\n     "A wolf?" Charles asked.\r\n     "No, too big to be a wolf." He explained. "A lion, or a tiger, maybe?"\r\n     "Then why are we following its trail?" James asked.\r\n     "Good question," Ratagi said. "We should turn back."      \r\n    "We're going forward," James ordered.\r\n     Ratagi raised his eyebrow. "You got it, chief." He said. "Besides, these footprints could be a week old, for all we know."\r\n     Ironically, at that time a powerful wind came, and brushed the footprints away.\r\n     "I don't think they're old," James said.\r\n     "I don't either." Charles nodded, chuckling earnestly and worriedly.\r\n     \r\n     After a while, they sat down to rest in between two mountains. Charles went forward to explore the place a bit.\r\n     The snow didn't do much of a good job masking what was a long green flatland. Green grass poked out of the snow occasionally. Charles decided to go past the Twin Mountains and scout ahead. He didn't get too far, though.\r\n     He spotted a cave. He, curious as he was, went to investigate. It was too dark to see what was inside. It was like a wide yawning mouth.\r\n     "Whoa," Charles said, and, (unlike himself) he impulsively went inside- not very deep, though.\r\n     Movement- a quick white blur swiftly and nimbly sped past him. Charles turned back- but something was blocking the entrance.\r\n     It was a Likro Panther. It bared its teeth. It roared, and slowly approached.\r\n     "Ratagi!" Charles called out calmly as he drew his blade.\r\n     The Likro slowly advanced towards Charles.\r\n     It was in striking distance. Charles swung his sword as fast as he could, but it leapt safely out of the way. It gave Charles a good rout out of the cave. He slowly backed out. The Likro slowly went forward.\r\n     "Ratagi!" Charles called again, more uneven now.      \r\n     There, Ratagi went to see what was going on. Yes! Charles thought. But then, he saw that Ratagi didn't have his sword with him at the moment. He gave a shout as he saw the Likro.\r\n     He reached for his dagger- but it wasn't there. He had thrown it at the raven a while back. He cursed angrily to himself, for the dagger had belonged to his father.\r\n     "Go get your sword!" Charles cried.\r\n     "No time," He said. "Also, hello. So glad to see you've been listening to my rules."\r\n     Charles ignored Ratagi's sardonic remark. "What am I going to do?" He asked, backing away faster now. He knew that these types of creatures could tell if someone was afraid or not. The Likro advanced faster now, this making Charles back away faster, where he stumbled and fell on his back. The Likro leapt! A rock soared through the air and hit it on its back. It turned to Ratagi.\r\n     "Come here!" He yelled to the Likro. He waved his arms and started to yell, thinking the Likro would back off.\r\n     It didn't. Ratagi's shouts ceased. He lowered his arms. The Likro pounced!\r\n     Ratagi threw another rock, hitting the beasts back again.\r\n     Suddenly, an arrow whizzed into the Likro's back. It stopped in its tracks, and fell to the ground, lifeless.\r\n     "I didn't know that I had such a hard throw- oh," Ratagi said dumbly as he realized he hadn't killed the beast.\r\n     At the end of the mountain, a person stood with a bow. His face and head was masked with a scarf and a hood. He wore nothing but dark clothes.\r\n     He walked down. He bent by the dead beast and retrieved his arrow.\r\n     "Uh, thank you, for saving me, sir." Ratagi said, still trying to get over his shock.\r\n     The masked person glared at him.\r\n     "What is your name?" Ratagi asked.\r\n     The masked person took off her hood. "Himadia." She said. She looked very young, not much older than James. Her hair was light brown and cut short.\r\n     She drew another arrow from her quiver. "Who are you?" She asked.\r\n     "We are just passing by," Ratagi said, raising his hands.\r\n     "Strangers are not welcome here," she said. "No one is welcome to our city."\r\n     "I did not know there was any city here." Ratagi explained. "I do not have a map right now, so I didn't know-"\r\n     "Strangers are not welcome here," he repeated. "Now tell me your purpose here and where you are going."\r\n     "I have no purpose here," Ratagi said "except to pass through."\r\n     "Pass through? Where will you go after you â��pass through'?" She asked.\r\n     "Around the mountains- to reunite with some old friends," He told her reverently.\r\n     Himadia lowered her bow. "Are you Hunters?" she asked.\r\n     "Do we look like Hunters?" He answered.\r\n     "Are you servants of Destiny?" she asked.    "No. We are no servants of Anger." Ratagi said.\r\n     "You will still have to come with me," she said plainly. She raised her bow. She looked past Ratagi's shoulder. "There was a third one. Go and get him." She ordered.\r\n     Ratagi nodded. He and Charles started to go. "Keep him here with me." She said, looking at Charles. "In case you don't come back."\r\n     He hesitated, and then nodded. "Fair-enough," he said. He went to find James.\r\n     Once he came back, Himadia drew an arrow and aimed it at James. "Give your sword to me." She ordered.\r\n     He hesitated again and respectfully but reluctantly handed over his sword.\r\n     "Alright. Come with me," she said expressionlessly.\r\n     Regretfully, they followed.\r\n     After a few minutes of walking, and after James had fallen face first into the snow twice, they reached the village. At first Ratagi didn't see it- but oddly, it appeared before his eyes. He stared uncomprehendingly at where once was a grove of trees, was a small walled village.\r\n     The gates were small and wooden, and only half finished. Some pail faced men wearing the same clothes as Himadia were working on it. Swords and daggers all hung limply at their sides. Some stopped from their work to see the visitors.\r\n     The village was very small and very plain. All of the huts and houses were all stone with wooden roofs, all of the same color.\r\n     Nothing, the houses, the clothes, nothing bore even a distinctive difference.\r\n     The plaza, though, was different. A white flag with unique maze-like designs rose high. There, a small citadel stood in the middle.\r\n     More pale people went to look at the alien people. Most people, even the women and children had weapons- knives, daggers, bows, swords, axes, and hatchets.\r\n     One pale man, bald with a long brown beard, took a step forward. "Who are these outsiders doing here, Himadia?" He asked with an outlandish accent in his voice.\r\n     "They are them," Himadia said.\r\n     "Wait, who is them?" Ratagi tried to say. "Who are you?"\r\n     The men drew their swords and drew back their bowstrings. "We are the Heiamonds," he said. "We are a free people of the cold north."\r\n     A man poked Ratagi in the back with a spear. They slowly enclosed on the three of them."\r\n     "Hey-!" Ratagi shouted. "Stop that!" He struck one man out as another man with a club hit him in the head and he was out.\r\n     Ratagi awoke in a damp, dark, cold prison. "What happened?" He asked.\r\n     "I don't know," James said, right beside him. "I heard that they are selling us to someone called Destiny."\r\n     "Destiny?" Ratagi asked. "No, Dest â��I' nee. So they are servants of Destiny?"\r\n     "I don't think so," Charles said. He sat flaccidly in a corner. "Or else they'd abandon their â��Free People' obsession."\r\n     Ratagi sighed and buried his face in his hands. He started muttering angrily to himself. He had gotten so far, so far! He had gone so close to making it to the Vault! For what- to be captured and sold to Destiny?\r\n     Is this my fate? Ratagi asked himself. Is this how it ends?\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER TEN\r\nDEAD ECHOES\r\n"I wasn't sure where I was going but I was determined to set a speed record getting there." \r\n                                                         -Laurence j. Peter\r\n\r\n\r\n    The next day was a festive one, and most of the guards were off duty. Only one guard patrolled the prison area. And even he left after a little while.\r\n    There was a distinctive blur of festive noises, singing, shouting, and some harp-like instrument.\r\n    Ratagi groaned as he rubbed the spot he was clubbed on- which, as irony would have it, was in the same spot Ekogodne` cut him. He was murmuring to himself in despair. Then, he heard a noise. He took it for granted it was another guard, but he realized it was coming towards the cell that he was kept in.\r\n    He heard another noise, and looked up. The cell door was open, and there stood the person who brought them here.\r\n    "What are you doing?" Ratagi asked, wincing through the hideous pain in his head.\r\n    "I'm setting you free," Himadia said.\r\n    "Wait- why?" He asked. "You are the person who took us here."\r\n    "Yes, well," she sighed. "Maybe you do not know, but I discovered that we are selling you to Destiny."\r\n    She scoffed. "All for money we do not need to help our enemy. So I decided to set you free."\r\nRatagi looked at the two kids. They were fast asleep. Charles, though, had his eyes open just a slit.\r\n    James was awake too, though he had just woken up.\r\n    Charles got James up and they were both on their feet.\r\n    "Follow me." Himadia beckoned. They got up.\r\n    "Wait," James said, "how can we trust you?"\r\n    "It's rather you trust me or you get back in your cell." She said.\r\n    "Sorry for angering you, sir, er, m'am." James said.\r\nThe festive noises were way louder now when they reached the room where the people all danced and sung. Nobody seemed to notice them sneaking through their little party. Finally, they got to the exit unseen.\r\n    "I'm hungry," James said as they were out of the room and outside. Few grey clouds did nothing to mask the silver stars and the crescent shape of the moon. Snow had melted off the roofs of houses, unlike the day before. There was still snow on the ground, but it cloaked the grass like the clouds cloaked the stars.  \r\n    "I must come with you," Himadia said.\r\n    "Why must you come with us?" James asked.\r\n    "You wouldn't know the way at all," She answered.\r\n"We would so!" James snapped.\r\n    "Um, James," Ratagi said, "no we don't."\r\n    They reached the gates of the city- which were almost finished, already.\r\n    "How did they-?" Ratagi gasped at how they could achieve so much in one day- half a day, actually.\r\n    "The Heiamonds are expert builders," Himadia explained. "They can accomplish much work in little time.\r\n    They finally reached the end of the city, where the workers hadn't finished yet. One by one, they reached the end.\r\n    "Come with me," She said, and pointed east. "This is where you were going, were you not?" She asked. "Across the mountains, into Destiny's territory?"\r\n    "How did you know-?" Ratagi murmured.\r\n    "We had been told by Destiny- our long time enemy- that two boys and a man would pass through here, wishing to go east- and would make a story about how they would wish to go south, to the mountains."\r\n    Ratagi was silent. "He must be all-powerful like Haze to know about the story we would-" he said after a long silence, but was interrupted by Himadia.\r\n    "You have seen Haze?" She asked, disbelieving.\r\n    "We came from his territory, yes," Ratagi mumbled sleepily. He was really tired now.\r\n    "Haze isn't all-powerful," James said. "He's dead!"\r\n    "No, he is not dead." Ratagi sighed. "He cannot die by weapons like-" he remembered how James sword had disintegrated. "Weapons like yours." He continued after a pause.\r\n    "Which reminds me," Himadia said. "I still have your sword." She handed over the long, steel blade still inside its sheath.\r\n    "Good," Ratagi said, snatching it away. "I feared you wouldn't give it back." He unsheathed it. His eyes rested upon the strange letters. He was still trying to figure out what it meant.\r\n    "I'm hungry." James complained.\r\n    He groaned. Then, something whizzed past his ear. He glanced back to see an arrow lodged in the tree he was leaning on. He tore his head around, only to see many angry men with bows and swords were running towards them. Ratagi stood to face the enemy. He knew there were at least five- but only two with swords. He could probably take them. Another arrow flew into the ground by his feet. He sheathed his sword, and took heel. "Curse those archers," he growled to himself.\r\n    Another arrow flew past his head, lodging in a tree.\r\n    After a while of running, the men, just like the wolves, stopped chasing them after a short distance.\r\n    He caught up with Himadia. "Why did they stop?" Ratagi asked.\r\n    "Destiny knows his territory and all that lie within too well. They fear-" She hesitated. "He knows every single spot of the territory he controls."\r\n    "So, he knows we're here," James asked uneasily.\r\n    "Probably." She answered. There was a long pause. Then, she ended their conversation with a warning. "Watch out for Dead Echoes."\r\n    "Dead echoes," Charles repeated. Himadia looked at him strangely. Ratagi realized she had never actually heard him speak before. "I have heard that name before."\r\n    "You heard that? From whom?" Himadia asked.\r\n    "I- I think my father had talked about it once."\r\n    All were silent.\r\n    There was nothing but tree stumps and red clay as far as the eye can see. You could tell there used to be a forest- long, beautiful grassy forest- but now, it was a barren wasteland, with nothing but tree stumps. A thick cloud of smoke was in the distance.           \r\n    "What's a Dead Echo?" James asked.\r\n    "Servants of Destiny," Himadia answered. They do not leave Destiny's lands. Only one of our kinds has killed one before. They are known for their speed."\r\n    James peered into the smoky distance. "Can't we go around it?" He asked.\r\n    "No time," Ratagi said. "We need to get to The V-" He stopped himself when Himadia glanced at him curiously.\r\n    "What?" She asked. "The What?"\r\n    Ratagi was silent. He quickly looked away, and he saw something in the distance, a blur. But it disappeared.\r\n    "What was that?" James asked who was looking at the same thing as Ratagi.\r\n    "What was what?" Himadia asked. She had her bow in her hand now; her voice was shaky and unsteady.\r\n    There was a long pause. Then, a voice. "Going somewhere?" It was like a knife cutting through iron.\r\n    All four of them turned to see five men in dark hoods. The leading man in the middle had spoken. "Dead Echoes," Himadia whispered.\r\n    The man's head turned. He made a small cackle. "We are the Dead Echoes," He hissed. He turned his head. "What are you doing here?" He asked Himadia, who was pointing her bow at him.\r\n    "What are you doing here?" Ratagi asked.\r\n    The lead Dead Echo smiled. "King Anger has told me about you," he said. "You must be Ratagi, the defiant blacksmith."\r\n    He nodded. "You must be Destiny."\r\n    Destiny smiled. "And you must be Ratagi. Heard so much about you. I would like for you to meet a friend of mine." The Dead Echoes all drew their swords. All of them were long, and curved. Each one had a sword in each hand.\r\n    Destiny tilted his head slightly, and all of the Dead Echoes ran around so fast, they were nothing but a blur.\r\n    "Soon, you will see the wrath of Destiny," He cackled. "Be readyâ�¦"\r\nHimadia fired an arrow at Destiny. But he was even faster than the Dead Echoes. His arms shot up and caught her arrow with one hand, which would have reached his heart if he hadn't caught the arrow first.\r\n    Ratagi swung his sword. Three Dead Echoes ganged up on him. He waved his sword frantically, trying to catch all of their slashes, cuts, and stabs.\r\n    Destiny drew his two swords. He charged Himadia, who shot her arrow at the oncoming blur.\r\n    It almost hit its target. It shot through Destiny's hand. He dropped his swords and stared at it in disbelief. He slowly pulled it out. He glared at Himadia with fury. He charged, and the force knocked her off balance. He picked her off the ground by the neck, and started to squeeze her.\r\n    James took out the Hunter throwing knife. He aimed- and threw it, aiming for Destiny's head. Without looking, Destiny caught it by the blade with two fingers. He dropped Himadia onto the ground, which clutched her throat in pain.\r\n    "This is a Hunter knife," he said to himself. He dropped it. Its blade pierced deeply into the moist, red dirt.\r\n    James slowly walked back as Destiny slowly walked forward. Charles, who had been busy with the fourth Dead Echo, ran to aid his brother. He stood guard by James.\r\n    Ratagi, who had been fighting three Dead Echoes at a time, was getting tired. He hadn't slept in two days, and was exhausted.\r\n    Finally, he faltered and fell over. One Dead Echo slowly approached him for the kill blow.\r\n    An arrow whizzed deep into his neck. He groaned in pain as blood oozed from the fatal wound. He fell over. One Dead Echo went to treat him. Another charged Himadia.\r\n Himadia dropped her bow and drew two knives. She leaped forward, a snarl on her face.\r\n    But two one foot long blades wouldn't do much against two three feet blades.\r\n    Charles tried hysterically to fight off the Dead Echo, but it was no use. He was too fast and too powerful. Finally, it knocked the sword out of Charles' hand. "Ha! Ha! Ha!" The Dead Echo howled in triumph, but had no time to celebrate because Ratagi charged it. Its smile turned into a frown as he knocked it off balance. He landed on it and started hitting it until it stopped struggling. He got off to face the Dead Echo Himadia was facing. He, Charles and Himadia stood facing Destiny and the Dead Echo. The two others had fled, leaving the other Dead Echo (who was still alive) to die. The other Dead Echo was as close to dead as he could be. He would live, though, but he was unconscious.        \r\n    The Dead Echo saw it was hopeless. It sprinted away, only a blur.\r\n    Destiny stood, facing his three opponents. He was the man to make the first attack. He charged and met every attack from Charles, Ratagi, and Himadia. Ratagi was leading, and knew that he could have probably taken him alone if he had the energy.\r\n    Destiny was an expert swordfighter. He met each attack with the precision and style of an expert. No matter how long and how powerful the three of them were, Destiny did not falter. Actually, he was driving them back.\r\n    After a few minutes, Ratagi backed away and collapsed, too tired to fight any longer.\r\n    The battle was tilted for Destiny with Ratagi on their side, but with him gone the battle of hopeless.\r\n    One of Himadia's daggers wee knocked from her hand. Destiny then knocked her off balance, and soon, out of consciousness.\r\n    It was no way Charles could fight Destiny at his full potential! Both Ratagi and Himadia were out. How could he take down an opponent who took down two expert fighters?\r\n    Charles' sword was knocked out of his hand and he tripped over a tree root. Destiny walked over and pressed his sword to his throat. He cackled. He was about to make the kill blow, but he hesitated.\r\nThen, he whirled around, hands ready to intercept James knife that was whirling at him. However, Charles kicked out, catching Destiny in the leg, knocking him off his balance. At that moment James's dagger flew right into his chest. He gasped, dropping his swords. He stumbled. Ratagi had regained consciousness and saw what happened. Destiny took the dagger out of his chest. Now, James had one of Himadia's daggers, and Charles had his sword.\r\n    Destiny dropped the dagger, and bolted.\r\n    After a few moments, Charles started laughing. "We beat him!" He said.\r\n    "I beat him." James said; feeling like this moment was familiar.  \r\n    "You beat him," Ratagi said, trying to get up. "But he'll be back- with more Dead Echoes."\r\n    Himadia nodded, who was up now. "You must be on your guard at all times." She said.\r\n    Ratagi strained to get up, but couldn't. He groaned.\r\n    Himadia sighed. "This is where I must go back, I fear." She said.\r\n    "Back to your village?" James asked.\r\n    "Something like that," she said. She took out a map. "You'll get lost, I think." She said. "I think you should take this." She gave him the map and with that, she was off, but in a different direction.\r\n    "Where are you going? The village is that way!" James said. But she was already too far to hear.\r\n    \r\n    After a while, Ratagi (After a good sleep) was feeling better.\r\n    The rising smoke was closer now, much closer. Close enough they could smell its rotten fumes.\r\n    He saw something in the distance- a city, of some sort. It had no walls, and looked very small.\r\n    Ratagi stopped. "We should rest here," he announced. Once they set up a small camp, he asked a question that had been bugging him since they'd fought the Dead Echoes. "James?" he asked.\r\n    "Yeah?" James said.\r\n    "Where did you learn to throw a dagger like that?" He asked. "I've seen captains with less skill at throwing daggers like that."\r\n    James was silent for a moment. "When I was five," he said finally, "my father taught me before he was taken by the Hunters. He taught me lots of things."\r\n    Ratagi didn't say anything.\r\n\r\n                                     *                           *                             *\r\n    \r\n    The weary troop reached the palace of Yor. Seftis raised his hand. "I will go in alone," he declared. He went into the stone palace and left the Hunters.\r\n    The sky was darkened by thick black clouds. Heavy rain poured onto the Hunters' helmets and armour.              \r\n    There was a long pause as they waited for Seftis' return. Finally, the Hunter Lord emerged from the dark marble doors. "Anger has spoken," he announced. "We shall make an army worthy of the Seven Hills*!"\r\n    All cheered.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n*Note: The Seven Hills is the distant land the Troops came from.    \r\n                                                     CHAPTER ELEVEN\r\nAT HELL'S GATE\r\n "The gates of Hell are open night and day; smooth the descent, and easy is the way: but, to return, and view the cheerful skies; in this, the task and mighty labour lies."\r\n-Virgil\r\n\r\n    "Where are we?" James asked uncertainly.\r\nRatagi shrugged. The smoke was long behind them, and the graveyard of trees had ended. The smoke came from thin air, once you look close enough. Far ahead a wall stood, stretching for as long as the eye could see in each direction.\r\n     Charles hadn't talked since their encounter with the Dead Echoes. James had tried to start a conversation, but he was completely lost in thought. Both Ratagi and James had wondered what he was thinking about.\r\n     What was he thinking about?\r\n     The wall was rising in the distance. Soon, an iron gate came into view. "What's that?" Ja

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sirmed1

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Posted September 17, '11 3:03am UTC

"What's that?" James asked.
"I don't know," answered Ratagi.
They finally approached the tall red gates. Two tall red knights with their heads lowered, leaning on their swords stood on either side.
When they noticed Ratagi they lifted their heads.
They were Western knights! They had the same armour, but their armour was painted red.
"What is your business here?" The knight on the left asked sharply.
Ratagi drew his sword, his eyes burned with rage. "Corrupts," he spat.
"Corrupts?" James asked. Ratagi ignored him.
"Get out of my way cowards," He growled bluntly. "And open the gates."
The two âCorrupts' shook their heads. "No." The one on the right said in monotone.
"I was hoping you'd say that," Ratagi said. He raised his sword. What was common sense was now overwhelmed by patriotic arrogance.
The knights did not flinch nor even move for that matter. "Leave this place." The knight on the left ordered.
"Make me," Ratagi said with childishly defiant tone in his voice.
The knight on the right was the first one to move.
With the grace of a leopard and the strength of a lion, the Corrupt lunged at him, slashing precisely.
Ratagi, acting defensively, blocked each attack and countered with the same attacks the Corrupt was using.
It wasn't long until the second Corrupt joined the fight. The fight was on the Corrupts side now. Ratagi was being pushed back too quickly.
Charles drew his sword to go and assist Ratagi. The second Corrupt, the one that had been on the left, went out of the fight to deal with Charles.
Ratagi, now on the offensive, started to push the other Corrupt back. It was a very skilled warrior, but he obviously hadn't fought or trained in a while, and still had to fight its opponent's anger and renewed energy.
He backed into a gate. Ratagi lunged for the final blow, and the Corrupt fell down from what should-be a fatal wound, though he knew a Corrupt couldn't be killed that easily, but it would take him a while to be ready to stand, let alone fight.
Charles hardly ever fought, he practically only ran away from the evil knight that was chasing him.
His skill was no match against his opponent- until Ratagi came to join the fight.
This Corrupt, though, was more skilled than the last one. He fought with a long sequence of slashes and cuts, moving with the speed, skill, grace, and the strength of an expert.
Though Ratagi had expected that, though. He had fought masters before. He had fought his father; he had fought Seftis; and the Shingan on the bridgeâ¦ and many more.
But he was well rested then, and now he was weary from many weeks of non-stop travel.
Though beating the knight on the bridge was just good luck, that's all. He had also never beaten his father eitherâ¦ and Seftis? He had never stood much chance against him. After all, he's one of the legendary Hunter Lords.
Nonetheless, Ratagi was still determined to beat the Corrupt. He fought on, unwavering, his eyes focused on his enemy.
A Corrupt was what used to be a knight of the West, bribed by Anger by being granted immortality and riches. Traitors, he thought. He had fought and killed Corrupts before in the siege of Tiger's Eye and he planned to do it again, without actual knights by his side though.
How would one be so easily seduced into such cowardice and treachery just to live longer? Well, Ratagi thought. I guess I'm shortening some of their lives.
The Corrupt had the skill and determination of a regular knight of the West, but Ratagi was fighting nastily against his foe. He had been pushing the knight back, but he was still blocking his best attacks with ease. But he was tiring out. Charles stood as still as a statue; he did not dare come and help Ratagi. He would be slashed to pieces before he could even think. He knows he did fight superior opponents before, but a knight? He knew that wasn't possible, even with Ratagi on his side.
James got ready to throw his knife, but couldn't get a clear shot. Ratagi and the Corrupt were moving around too much, and he knew he might hit Ratagi as well. Besides, he knew that the knight was heavily armoured and there was a chance it would bounce off his helmet or plate.
Ratagi backed off after a swift counter-attack. He underestimated his opponent's speed after he found a large fissure in his defence. He had risked taking a lunge at his exposed side, but the Corrupt immediately took a step back and made a diagonal slash at him. He had to back away after a series of powerful offensive attacks. He was now standing squarely and facing his opponent. He was panting now, but his resolute foe showed no signs of tiring or weakness.
He blocked another slash and countered with a slash and a thrust. His sword tip almost touched he Corrupts armour, but he backed away and hit him with the butt of his sword, who, after his thrust was vulnerable to attack.
Ratagi fell on the ground, groaning in pain. He felt blood drip from the back of his head as the Corrupt went to finish his foe.
There, James threw his knife at the Knight! It hit him in the neck, right in the place he wasn't armoured.
The knight hesitated, and took a few steps back. Finally, it took the knife out of its neck, and cackled. "No weapon can defeat me," he growled. He started after James, who bolted away without thinking.
Ratagi was up. He threw a thrust. It was weak, but it was strong enough to penetrate his armour and through the front.
The Corrupt gasped, and fell over, stunned. He had killed one of their kinds before. Each had a weak spot located below the heart.
The Corrupt fell over. Ratagi turned his head to the gates. They towered above him. They seemed way bigger now than, almost as big as Tiger's Eye city's walls.
The gates were completely red.
"How are we going to open them?" Charles asked, walking up.
He shrugged. He peered into the distance. A huge mountain stood surrounded by several smaller mountains.
All gazed in awe at the tall wall. "Hell's Gates," he breathed. "I have heard stories of this very thing, but I never thought I would see it up close!"
James retrieved his knife. He leapt away from the fallen Corrupt with a yelp. "Maybe I can climb it," James volunteered. "I'm a good climber."
Ratagi shook his head. "Only Destiny or one of his servants can open these gates." He explained. "We might have to go the long way."
"I thought we didn't have time," Charles said hesitantly.
"We don't," He sighed. "But there's only one way."
As he spoke, the gates opened. Slowly, but then faster, until they were completely open.
"What the-" He gasped. He looked for any sign of danger. There was nothing around; no signs of life except themselves.
James was the first to run past, disregarding Ratagi's uneasy shouts. Charles paused, but then crossed.
"Come on, Mister Ratagi!" James called. "You'll be fine!"
He hesitated, but then crossed. He saw that nothing changed. "But-" he started suspiciously. Why did the Gates open? He looked back. There was smoke wafting above the tree line, but it was on the horizon, leagues away at the least. "What is that smoke?" he asked himself.
He sighed and turned his head forward. "Probably some Coup between the Nobles and the Hunters," he said finally, "wouldn't be the first time."
"I'm hungry," James said as he stared like a ravenous wolf at some berries off the path.
"Don't," He warned. "Don't eat any berries off the path."
"I thought you said fruit," James complained.
"Berries are fruit- oh, never mind. Just keep on the-oh." Ratagi realized that the path had slowly disappeared.
Charles sighed. "I'm hungry too, I have to admit." He said.
Ratagi said nothing. He himself was starved. He hadn't eaten in days. (James and Charles both had some dry berries they found.)
They did have some water left, though.
The mountain loomed high above them. He looked at the map- and gaped. Himadia's mp showed more of the north. He looked at the mountain. "Ekos Mountain," He breathed.
"What is âEkos?'?" James asked.
"âEkos' means Cold, or isolated." Ratagi explained.
"So, why do you look so surprised?" James asked.
"I have heard tales of evil that lurks within the mountain," he said. He sat down. "I'll tell you if we could stay here for a while."
The both sat down. The grass was very green, and the terrain was flat aside from some large rocks here and there. It was beautiful.
"So, long ago, when the Nobles were known only as âThe Twelve,'" he began.
"Why did you pick a fight with the Shingan back there?" James asked.
Ratagi groaned. "One question at a time, James." He said. Then he continued his story. "Back in the time when the Nobles were known as âThe Twelve', where they were constantly bickering, and that was why they had no chance to fight the three kingdomsâ¦" he paused.
After a minute, he continued. "After a while, a smart one of the Twelve- I am going to refer them to The Twelve from now on- snuck into this very mountain." He paused again to take a deep breath. "He snuck into the largest mountain in Mans Telwar to make a secret army. His name was âHourglass.'"
"The spider?" Charles asked.
Yes, the spider." Ratagi replied.
"Well, Hourglass did name himself after the spider- when it is a year old it is only the size of a mere man's hand, but after the tenth year, it could be the size of a full grown man, even bigger!"
"How big were they?" James asked, enthralled by the story. No doubt he was too mesmerized to notice how stupid his question was.
"I just told you- oh, never mind. Anyway, so Hourglass raised these huge spiders. He was known to change his shape, just like Rohia. He was so insane that some from the land say they saw him come out only once after he went in. A village used to rest here, but it is said that it was overrun by marauding dragons.
"Dragons?" Charles asked, clearly interested.
"Aye, I said dragons." He said. "They were numerous back then, but after the three kingdoms united, and they fought against them, the Twelve either killed them all for their hard skin for armour, or they took them and rode them. Some say that some dragons still live in there.
"Why didn't the three kingdoms destroy the Twelve when they had the chance?" Charles asked.
"They tried, but their borders were protected by magic." He explained. "Alright, now, I'll finish my story."
He hesitated, and then went on. "So, Hourglass finally rested back into the mountain, and has never come out since," he said. "Some say the mountain is filled with Hourglass Spiders. "No one ever came back with the story, though many have tried. One has made it; his name was Rishka. Rishka was a Voranite who came in with many fearless Knights- Nizintias; they were called, ventured into the cave. Only Rishka returned, but refused to tell the tales of the mountain." He finished the story and was silent.
At last, James spoke. "I'm hungry."
He groaned, and then looked up at the cloudless sky. "I think we should rest here," he announced.

CHAPTER TWELVE
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOUNTAIN
"If you want to live and thrive, let the spider run alive."
-American Quaker Saying

Charles stared at the night sky. Now, he spent time to think of how much he missed Tiger's Eye. The stars had shone brightly there, and the moon, at least, was there. In these parts, the moon does not shine nor show itself, and the stars' glow was dull.
So, Charles thought about Tiger's Eye. He knew that he would have missed so much if he had stayed clear of that stupid shrine that started this whole thing. He started to think of all the adventures that he and James had back at Tiger's Eye. How much fun they had, or at least James had, pulling pranks on Anger's Troops.
He turned his head to the others. Both were sleeping. He suddenly felt like he was being watched. He turned his head to the looming mountain ahead of him. It was surrounded with smaller mountains about an eighth of its size. It loomed over them. "What a great idea to sleep here in the open," he muttered. He looked up and almost screamed as he saw a pair of eyes in the tree he was leaning against. He put his hand to his heart, and saw that it was a raven.
It certainly looked like a raven, but the eyes- the eyes were not raven eyes. They were like snakes, orange red in color.
The raven gave a screech and Charles put his lips to his mouth and frantically whispered "Shut up! Shut up!" He said. The bird was silent. Charles sighed. "You scared me, didn't you, little birdie?" His voice was much softer now as he slowly approached the tree. The raven was resting on a low branch, low enough for Charles to reach.
"You're a good little birdie, aren't you?" He said as he slowly walked forward.
The raven didn't do anything. It kept its eyes trained on Charles, like a predator stalking its prey.
Charles was almost within arms reach with it. He took another step. The bird, surprisingly, still sat still.
"Charles," the raven said. "Charles!"
Charles opened his eyes. James was leaning over him. "You're awake, finally!" He said.
"What time is it?" Charles muttered, still half asleep.
"It's past midday, if you want to know," Ratagi said. "You've been asleep for a while."
Charles got up. The first thing he did was look at the tree he had been leaning against. "No bird," he breathed.
"Bird?" James asked. "What bird?"
"Um, never mind." Charles said, still looking at the tree. He then turned his gaze to the mountain. "Are we going through or around the mountain?" He asked.
"Diamor told me not to go through any mountains; it will be safer to go around them." Ratagi answered.
"I don't know, but it will take a long time to go around the mountains." James said. "And who's Diamor?"

Charles finally got the weird dream out of his head as they sat down to rest a while. The smaller mountains were actually pretty big, bigger than other types of mountains. Though how big they were, they were small compared to Ekos Mountain. There was something about it that was different from the others. It seemed too- eerie.
James started complaining about being tired and bored. Ratagi told him to play a game, so he asked him if he wanted to swordfight again.
"Sorry, but we need to keep moving. Play a game that can be played on the go, got it?"
"Okay. Can you give me some food so I can eat while I think of a game?"
Ratagi grumbled, and passed him a biscuit. "I don't like biscuits!" James complained.
Ratagi groaned.
Charles was watching the sky at a large black raven ascending to the small clouds that blanketed the sky overhead. Charles then decided to look at something else, to take his mind off the dream he had. It unsettled him somehow, like he was missing something.
The grass they walked on was long and uneven, and grey rocks scattered the place. There were no signs of life to see there, but you could easily sense that many small eyes watched them, unseen. As they walked, the mountains grew, and they became more and more intimidating. The biggest mountain was more than five times the size of any other mountain. The clouds masked the top of it, so you couldn't see how big it actually was.
"I'm bored."
"Than play a game."
"I can't think of one!"
Ratagi groaned for the third time. "Well what am I going to do about it?"
"I don't know," James said, "But I'm so bored!"
"Maybe you're bored because you're hungry," Ratagi told him. "Here, have something to eat." He handed him a biscuit.
James turned it down. "I don't like the taste of them!" He cried. "And I'm bored!"
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Ratagi asked.
"Make a game up for me." James said. "I'm bored."
He sighed. "Fine. How about a game where we have a contest- a contest of how long you can't talk for. The first person to talk or make a noise loses. Okay- go!"
James didn't say anything for a while. Then, Ratagi sighed in relief. "Finally," he muttered. "He's quiet."
"I win!" James cried. "What game will we play next?"
"Why don't we play that same game again?" Ratagi said.
"No, I'm bored of that game." James explained. "Let's think of another!"
He groaned.
"Are you angry?" James asked.
"Hey, um, where are we?" Charles asked.
"What?" Ratagi asked. They all looked around them. The mountains were way closer to them now. Once more, the sun was about to set.
"We've been walking for how long?" Charles asked.
"Three hours, give or take. It was past noon when we left, and the sun sets early here." Ratagi said.
"And how did the mountains get so close?" Charles asked. "They were at least a few miles away five minutes ago! Now they're so close you can make it to there in about ten minute jog."
"I'll race you to it," James dared Charles.
"Um, I don't think that's a good idea-" Charles began.
"Are you afraid, Charles?" James mocked. "Afraid I'm going to beat you?"
"Alright, fine!" Charles said.
"Actually, I just don't think that is a good idea." Ratagi said, eying the part where two mountains parted. He had a bad feeling inside, like he sensed that something was thereâ¦
"Readyâ¦ GO!" James roared, and they were both off, racing towards the mountain. James won easily. Charles followed up a few seconds later. They were right at the mountain. Its shadow loomed over them menacingly. "I'mâ¦" Charles panted. "Soâ¦ Tired!" He leaned against the mountain as James, still packed with energy, went to check out a strange black rock. It had a strange shape- an hourglass- on it. James went over to check it out. "What is that?"
He was running toward it, but stopped in his tracks.
"Ah!" He cried, and bolted away.
Charles sighed. He went to see what he was so afraid of. He looked down to see a small black spider on the ground. He chuckled. "Hey, little guy." He said, leaning down. James had always been terrified of bugs since he was a little boy when he had encountered a beetle that had bitten his arm. He flung his arm around, but still, the beetle held on, until his father got to pull it off. That was seven years ago, but James still turned from a lion to a lamb when he encounters anything that has more than two or four legs.
"What is it?" Ratagi called out.
"It's just a spider." Charles explained. His hand slowly moved toward it. He had always been fascinated by spiders, being different from others, like them having eight legs instead of six, like the other bugs, and the fact that they spun silk to catch others with.
"Don't touch it!" Ratagi called out, worriedly. "It could be poisonous!"
The spider didn't move. "What if it's not?" Charles asked. Charles didn't usually act impulsively, but his curiosity got the best of him sometimes. He was going to pick the small spider up when he heard a noise. He stood up, and gazed at the spot where two mountains parted. He heard a strange hissing noise. He started slowly towards it.
"Charles, come back!" James called. "There could be more spiders that could possibly be poisonous!"
Charles looked at what looked like a spider- a big spider, about the size of a dog at most. It moved closer, slowly. "AH!" Charles screamed. He darted away, as fast as his feet could carry him. He ran past Ratagi and James.
"What in-" Ratagi began, but when he saw what Charles was running from, which was starting towards them faster- it was black, with a long red hourglass across its back.
James squealed and dashed away, passing Charles. Ratagi didn't bother running away, but he knew he couldn't fight the huge thing, on account he'd become the spider's own meal.
The Hourglass stopped, curiously at first, but then cautiously as it saw his sword.
It acts as if it has seen a sword before, He thought. He backed away, slowly at first, but then as if he was running backwards. The Hourglass started crawling forward, faster than what Ratagi could run frontwards, let alone backwards. No turning back now, he thought. He waved his sword around threateningly, and the Hourglass hesitated, and then backed off. It turned away and crawled back through the mountain gap.
Ratagi sighed, and then started chuckling in relief. "That was easier than I thought," he sighed. But then, the Hourglass returned- with a few friends. About five more of them inched towards him.
"Uh oh." Ratagi sprinted away, sheathing his sword. He tripped, but got up again. He saw James and Charles, nearly half a mile away.
Charles had lagged behind, and was now panting for breath.
Ratagi looked back. About a couple hundred feet back the Hourglasses had given up- at the very start when he had started running away.
He ran up to Charles. "I am not touching a bug again," he exclaimed.
Ratagi sighed, and nodded. He was too tired to say anything. He tried, but all that came out was "I-huh- they-huh."
"Come on," Charles said. "Let's go catch up with my brother before he reaches the next country."
Ratagi nodded, still panting. He slowly followed him up a hill covered with yellow grass.
It took James an hour or two to get over the fact that he had been chased by a spider the size of a dog. He was shaking all over, but after a while, he finally realized that the spiders hadn't been chasing them for a few hours, now.
"I'm afraid of spiders," he said. "They're scary."
Ratagi nodded. "I've figured that out. Why are you so afraid of them?"
"Because they're icky."
"Besides that."
"Because they're scary and unpredictable!." James was wrapped in a blanket. The sun was setting, and Ratagi and Charles were trying to make a fire with no luck, and now they were sitting by a fireplace with no fire.
"Where are we?" Charles shivered. It was very cold out. And all he had was a ragged old blanket that he had turned into a cloak. James had himself wrapped himself into a cocoon. If he was shivering rather from the cold, or the bugs he had seen today, Charles did not know.
Ratagi ran towards a hill to the far left to scout out the place. To his delight, there was a small walled village through a valley about a five mile walk away.
"YES!"
"Huh?" Charles dropped the sticks he was trying to light a fire with, and got up, looking at Ratagi strangely. "What is it?"
"There's civilization just a few miles away." He explained. "It'll take just a day's walk to get there."
"Should we leave now?" Charles asked.
"No, it's too late. After a night's rest we'll be on our way to human life again, not just some bugs-"
"BUGS?!" James shot up. "Where?"
"â¦and animals." He finished.
"There's no bugs, don't you worry." Charles said.
"G-good," James stammered. "I'm scared of bugs." He laid his head down and closed his eyes.
Ratagi sighed, coming down from the hill. "Well, it will be best if we go to sleep." He said. "Tomorrow we'll be able to rest, and to be happy."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

DISPUTES
"There are no lazy veteran lion hunters."
-Norman Ralph Augustine

Everything was an early day for everyone. It had been a while since they've seen actual humans- not including Hunters, the Dead Echoes, and no Heiamonds, who Ratagi thought to look a lot like Hates, whatever that was. James and Charles had gotten right before the sun got up to get Ratagi. They had packed quickly, and were on their way.
For the first time, Ratagi looked at his extra map, the one he would have packed anyway.
"Says the city's name is Cislan, which means undaunted." He said. "Well, it's probably not given that name for a reason."
"Yeah, probably." Charles said, uneasily. "But even if it was, why would they name it that?"
James bolted ahead. "Hey!" Ratagi called. "Don't go that far!"
"Why not?" James asked.
He scowled. "I liked you better when you were quiet and scared."
"Well I liked you better when I didn't know you!" James called. He laughed, and fell back.
"I'm hungry," he said.
"We're out of food." Ratagi explained. "That's why we're going to that city."
"But I'm hungry!" James whined. He went over to a small bush with berries on it. He started to pick them when a hand shot out and stopped him.
"Don't even think about it." Ratagi growled. "Don't you remember the last time you've eaten something off the path?"
"Then what am I supposed to do?!" James cried hysterically. "I'm hungry!"

"What's that?" James asked.\r\n     "I don't know," answered Ratagi.\r\n     They finally approached the tall red gates. Two tall red knights with their heads lowered, leaning on their swords stood on either side.\r\n     When they noticed Ratagi they lifted their heads.\r\n     They were Western knights! They had the same armour, but their armour was painted red.\r\n     "What is your business here?" The knight on the left asked sharply.\r\n     Ratagi drew his sword, his eyes burned with rage. "Corrupts," he spat.\r\n     "Corrupts?" James asked. Ratagi ignored him.\r\n     "Get out of my way cowards," He growled bluntly. "And open the gates."\r\n     The two â��Corrupts' shook their heads. "No." The one on the right said in monotone.\r\n     "I was hoping you'd say that," Ratagi said. He raised his sword. What was common sense was now overwhelmed by patriotic arrogance.\r\n     The knights did not flinch nor even move for that matter. "Leave this place." The knight on the left ordered.\r\n     "Make me," Ratagi said with childishly defiant tone in his voice.\r\n     The knight on the right was the first one to move.\r\n     With the grace of a leopard and the strength of a lion, the Corrupt lunged at him, slashing precisely.\r\n     Ratagi, acting defensively, blocked each attack and countered with the same attacks the Corrupt was using.\r\n     It wasn't long until the second Corrupt joined the fight. The fight was on the Corrupts side now. Ratagi was being pushed back too quickly.\r\n     Charles drew his sword to go and assist Ratagi. The second Corrupt, the one that had been on the left, went out of the fight to deal with Charles.\r\n     Ratagi, now on the offensive, started to push the other Corrupt back. It was a very skilled warrior, but he obviously hadn't fought or trained in a while, and still had to fight its opponent's anger and renewed energy.\r\n     He backed into a gate. Ratagi lunged for the final blow, and the Corrupt fell down from what should-be a fatal wound, though he knew a Corrupt couldn't be killed that easily, but it would take him a while to be ready to stand, let alone fight.\r\n     Charles hardly ever fought, he practically only ran away from the evil knight that was chasing him.\r\n     His skill was no match against his opponent- until Ratagi came to join the fight.\r\n     This Corrupt, though, was more skilled than the last one. He fought with a long sequence of slashes and cuts, moving with the speed, skill, grace, and the strength of an expert.\r\nThough Ratagi had expected that, though. He had fought masters before. He had fought his father; he had fought Seftis; and the Shingan on the bridgeâ�¦ and many more.\r\n     But he was well rested then, and now he was weary from many weeks of non-stop travel.\r\n     Though beating the knight on the bridge was just good luck, that's all. He had also never beaten his father eitherâ�¦ and Seftis? He had never stood much chance against him. After all, he's one of the legendary Hunter Lords.\r\n     Nonetheless, Ratagi was still determined to beat the Corrupt. He fought on, unwavering, his eyes focused on his enemy.    \r\n     A Corrupt was what used to be a knight of the West, bribed by Anger by being granted immortality and riches. Traitors, he thought. He had fought and killed Corrupts before in the siege of Tiger's Eye and he planned to do it again, without actual knights by his side though.\r\n     How would one be so easily seduced into such cowardice and treachery just to live longer? Well, Ratagi thought. I guess I'm shortening some of their lives.\r\n     The Corrupt had the skill and determination of a regular knight of the West, but Ratagi was fighting nastily against his foe. He had been pushing the knight back, but he was still blocking his best attacks with ease. But he was tiring out. Charles stood as still as a statue; he did not dare come and help Ratagi. He would be slashed to pieces before he could even think. He knows he did fight superior opponents before, but a knight? He knew that wasn't possible, even with Ratagi on his side.\r\n     James got ready to throw his knife, but couldn't get a clear shot. Ratagi and the Corrupt were moving around too much, and he knew he might hit Ratagi as well. Besides, he knew that the knight was heavily armoured and there was a chance it would bounce off his helmet or plate.\r\n     Ratagi backed off after a swift counter-attack. He underestimated his opponent's speed after he found a large fissure in his defence. He had risked taking a lunge at his exposed side, but the Corrupt immediately took a step back and made a diagonal slash at him. He had to back away after a series of powerful offensive attacks. He was now standing squarely and facing his opponent. He was panting now, but his resolute foe showed no signs of tiring or weakness.\r\n     He blocked another slash and countered with a slash and a thrust. His sword tip almost touched he Corrupts armour, but he backed away and hit him with the butt of his sword, who, after his thrust was vulnerable to attack.\r\n     Ratagi fell on the ground, groaning in pain. He felt blood drip from the back of his head as the Corrupt went to finish his foe.\r\n     There, James threw his knife at the Knight! It hit him in the neck, right in the place he wasn't armoured.\r\n     The knight hesitated, and took a few steps back. Finally, it took the knife out of its neck, and cackled. "No weapon can defeat me," he growled. He started after James, who bolted away without thinking.\r\n     Ratagi was up. He threw a thrust. It was weak, but it was strong enough to penetrate his armour and through the front.\r\n     The Corrupt gasped, and fell over, stunned. He had killed one of their kinds before. Each had a weak spot located below the heart.\r\n     The Corrupt fell over. Ratagi turned his head to the gates. They towered above him. They seemed way bigger now than, almost as big as Tiger's Eye city's walls.\r\n     The gates were completely red.\r\n     "How are we going to open them?" Charles asked, walking up.\r\n     He shrugged. He peered into the distance. A huge mountain stood surrounded by several smaller mountains.\r\n     All gazed in awe at the tall wall. "Hell's Gates," he breathed. "I have heard stories of this very thing, but I never thought I would see it up close!"\r\n     James retrieved his knife. He leapt away from the fallen Corrupt with a yelp. "Maybe I can climb it," James volunteered. "I'm a good climber."\r\n     Ratagi shook his head. "Only Destiny or one of his servants can open these gates." He explained. "We might have to go the long way."\r\n     "I thought we didn't have time," Charles said hesitantly.\r\n     "We don't," He sighed. "But there's only one way."\r\n     As he spoke, the gates opened. Slowly, but then faster, until they were completely open.\r\n     "What the-" He gasped. He looked for any sign of danger. There was nothing around; no signs of life except themselves.\r\n     James was the first to run past, disregarding Ratagi's uneasy shouts. Charles paused, but then crossed.\r\n     "Come on, Mister Ratagi!" James called. "You'll be fine!"\r\n     He hesitated, but then crossed. He saw that nothing changed. "But-" he started suspiciously. Why did the Gates open? He looked back. There was smoke wafting above the tree line, but it was on the horizon, leagues away at the least. "What is that smoke?" he asked himself.\r\n     He sighed and turned his head forward. "Probably some Coup between the Nobles and the Hunters," he said finally, "wouldn't be the first time."\r\n     "I'm hungry," James said as he stared like a ravenous wolf at some berries off the path.         \r\n     "Don't," He warned. "Don't eat any berries off the path."\r\n     "I thought you said fruit," James complained.\r\n     "Berries are fruit- oh, never mind. Just keep on the-oh." Ratagi realized that the path had slowly disappeared.\r\n     Charles sighed. "I'm hungry too, I have to admit." He said.\r\n     Ratagi said nothing. He himself was starved. He hadn't eaten in days. (James and Charles both had some dry berries they found.)\r\n     They did have some water left, though.\r\n     The mountain loomed high above them. He looked at the map- and gaped. Himadia's mp showed more of the north. He looked at the mountain. "Ekos Mountain," He breathed.\r\n     "What is â��Ekos?'?" James asked.\r\n     "â��Ekos' means Cold, or isolated." Ratagi explained.\r\n     "So, why do you look so surprised?" James asked.\r\n     "I have heard tales of evil that lurks within the mountain," he said. He sat down. "I'll tell you if we could stay here for a while."\r\n     The both sat down. The grass was very green, and the terrain was flat aside from some large rocks here and there. It was beautiful.\r\n     "So, long ago, when the Nobles were known only as â��The Twelve,'" he began.\r\n     "Why did you pick a fight with the Shingan back there?" James asked.\r\n     Ratagi groaned. "One question at a time, James." He said. Then he continued his story. "Back in the time when the Nobles were known as â��The Twelve', where they were constantly bickering, and that was why they had no chance to fight the three kingdomsâ�¦" he paused.\r\n     After a minute, he continued. "After a while, a smart one of the Twelve- I am going to refer them to The Twelve from now on- snuck into this very mountain." He paused again to take a deep breath. "He snuck into the largest mountain in Mans Telwar to make a secret army. His name was â��Hourglass.'"\r\n     "The spider?" Charles asked.  \r\n     Yes, the spider."  Ratagi replied.  \r\n      "Well, Hourglass did name himself after the spider- when it is a year old it is only the size of a mere man's hand, but after the tenth year, it could be the size of a full grown man, even bigger!"\r\n     "How big were they?" James asked, enthralled by the story. No doubt he was too mesmerized to notice how stupid his question was.\r\n     "I just told you- oh, never mind. Anyway, so Hourglass raised these huge spiders. He was known to change his shape, just like Rohia. He was so insane that some from the land say they saw him come out only once after he went in. A village used to rest here, but it is said that it was overrun by marauding dragons.\r\n     "Dragons?" Charles asked, clearly interested.\r\n     "Aye, I said dragons." He said. "They were numerous back then, but after the three kingdoms united, and they fought against them, the Twelve either killed them all for their hard skin for armour, or they took them and rode them. Some say that some dragons still live in there.\r\n     "Why didn't the three kingdoms destroy the Twelve when they had the chance?" Charles asked.    \r\n     "They tried, but their borders were protected by magic." He explained. "Alright, now, I'll finish my story."\r\n     He hesitated, and then went on. "So, Hourglass finally rested back into the mountain, and has never come out since," he said. "Some say the mountain is filled with Hourglass Spiders. "No one ever came back with the story, though many have tried. One has made it; his name was Rishka. Rishka was a Voranite who came in with many fearless Knights- Nizintias; they were called, ventured into the cave. Only Rishka returned, but refused to tell the tales of the mountain." He finished the story and was silent.\r\n     At last, James spoke. "I'm hungry."  \r\n         He groaned, and then looked up at the cloudless sky. "I think we should rest here," he announced.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER TWELVE\r\nIN THE SHADOW OF THE MOUNTAIN\r\n"If you want to live and thrive, let the spider run alive."  \r\n-American Quaker Saying\r\n\r\n    Charles stared at the night sky. Now, he spent time to think of how much he missed Tiger's Eye. The stars had shone brightly there, and the moon, at least, was there. In these parts, the moon does not shine nor show itself, and the stars' glow was dull.\r\n     So, Charles thought about Tiger's Eye. He knew that he would have missed so much if he had stayed clear of that stupid shrine that started this whole thing. He started to think of all the adventures that he and James had back at Tiger's Eye. How much fun they had, or at least James had, pulling pranks on Anger's Troops.\r\n     He turned his head to the others. Both were sleeping. He suddenly felt like he was being watched. He turned his head to the looming mountain ahead of him. It was surrounded with smaller mountains about an eighth of its size. It loomed over them. "What a great idea to sleep here in the open," he muttered. He looked up and almost screamed as he saw a pair of eyes in the tree he was leaning against. He put his hand to his heart, and saw that it was a raven.\r\n     It certainly looked like a raven, but the eyes- the eyes were not raven eyes. They were like snakes, orange red in color.\r\n     The raven gave a screech and Charles put his lips to his mouth and frantically whispered "Shut up! Shut up!" He said. The bird was silent. Charles sighed. "You scared me, didn't you, little birdie?" His voice was much softer now as he slowly approached the tree. The raven was resting on a low branch, low enough for Charles to reach.\r\n"You're a good little birdie, aren't you?" He said as he slowly walked forward.\r\n     The raven didn't do anything. It kept its eyes trained on Charles, like a predator stalking its prey.\r\n     Charles was almost within arms reach with it. He took another step. The bird, surprisingly, still sat still.\r\n     "Charles," the raven said. "Charles!"\r\n     Charles opened his eyes. James was leaning over him. "You're awake, finally!" He said.\r\n     "What time is it?" Charles muttered, still half asleep.\r\n     "It's past midday, if you want to know," Ratagi said. "You've been asleep for a while."\r\n     Charles got up. The first thing he did was look at the tree he had been leaning against. "No bird," he breathed.\r\n     "Bird?" James asked. "What bird?"\r\n"Um, never mind." Charles said, still looking at the tree. He then turned his gaze to the mountain. "Are we going through or around the mountain?" He asked.\r\n     "Diamor told me not to go through any mountains; it will be safer to go around them." Ratagi answered.\r\n     "I don't know, but it will take a long time to go around the mountains." James said. "And who's Diamor?"\r\n     \r\nCharles finally got the weird dream out of his head as they sat down to rest a while. The smaller mountains were actually pretty big, bigger than other types of mountains. Though how big they were, they were small compared to Ekos Mountain. There was something about it that was different from the others. It seemed too- eerie.\r\n     James started complaining about being tired and bored. Ratagi told him to play a game, so he asked him if he wanted to swordfight again.\r\n"Sorry, but we need to keep moving. Play a game that can be played on the go, got it?"\r\n     "Okay. Can you give me some food so I can eat while I think of a game?"\r\n     Ratagi grumbled, and passed him a biscuit. "I don't like biscuits!" James complained.\r\n     Ratagi groaned.   \r\nCharles was watching the sky at a large black raven ascending to the small clouds that blanketed the sky overhead. Charles then decided to look at something else, to take his mind off the dream he had. It unsettled him somehow, like he was missing something.\r\nThe grass they walked on was long and uneven, and grey rocks scattered the place. There were no signs of life to see there, but you could easily sense that many small eyes watched them, unseen. As they walked, the mountains grew, and they became more and more intimidating. The biggest mountain was more than five times the size of any other mountain. The clouds masked the top of it, so you couldn't see how big it actually was.\r\n"I'm bored."\r\n"Than play a game."\r\n"I can't think of one!"\r\nRatagi groaned for the third time. "Well what am I going to do about it?"\r\n"I don't know," James said, "But I'm so bored!"\r\n"Maybe you're bored because you're hungry," Ratagi told him. "Here, have something to eat." He handed him a biscuit.\r\nJames turned it down. "I don't like the taste of them!" He cried. "And I'm bored!"\r\n"Then what am I supposed to do?" Ratagi asked.\r\n"Make a game up for me." James said. "I'm bored."\r\nHe sighed. "Fine. How about a game where we have a contest- a contest of how long you can't talk for. The first person to talk or make a noise loses. Okay- go!"\r\nJames didn't say anything for a while. Then, Ratagi sighed in relief. "Finally," he muttered. "He's quiet."\r\n"I win!" James cried. "What game will we play next?"\r\n"Why don't we play that same game again?" Ratagi said.\r\n     "No, I'm bored of that game." James explained. "Let's think of another!"\r\n     He groaned.\r\n     "Are you angry?" James asked.\r\n     "Hey, um, where are we?" Charles asked.\r\n     "What?" Ratagi asked. They all looked around them. The mountains were way closer to them now. Once more, the sun was about to set.\r\n     "We've been walking for how long?" Charles asked.\r\n     "Three hours, give or take. It was past noon when we left, and the sun sets early here." Ratagi said.\r\n     "And how did the mountains get so close?" Charles asked. "They were at least a few miles away five minutes ago! Now they're so close you can make it to there in about ten minute jog."\r\n     "I'll race you to it," James dared Charles.\r\n     "Um, I don't think that's a good idea-" Charles began.\r\n     "Are you afraid, Charles?" James mocked. "Afraid I'm going to beat you?"\r\n     "Alright, fine!" Charles said.\r\n     "Actually, I just don't think that is a good idea." Ratagi said, eying the part where two mountains parted. He had a bad feeling inside, like he sensed that something was thereâ�¦\r\n     "Readyâ�¦ GO!" James roared, and they were both off, racing towards the mountain. James won easily. Charles followed up a few seconds later. They were right at the mountain. Its shadow loomed over them menacingly. "I'mâ�¦" Charles panted. "Soâ�¦ Tired!" He leaned against the mountain as James, still packed with energy, went to check out a strange black rock. It had a strange shape- an hourglass- on it. James went over to check it out. "What is that?"\r\n     He was running toward it, but stopped in his tracks.\r\n     "Ah!" He cried, and bolted away.\r\n     Charles sighed. He went to see what he was so afraid of. He looked down to see a small black spider on the ground. He chuckled. "Hey, little guy." He said, leaning down. James had always been terrified of bugs since he was a little boy when he had encountered a beetle that had bitten his arm. He flung his arm around, but still, the beetle held on, until his father got to pull it off. That was seven years ago, but James still turned from a lion to a lamb when he encounters anything that has more than two or four legs.\r\n     "What is it?" Ratagi called out.\r\n     "It's just a spider." Charles explained. His hand slowly moved toward it. He had always been fascinated by spiders, being different from others, like them having eight legs instead of six, like the other bugs, and the fact that they spun silk to catch others with.\r\n     "Don't touch it!" Ratagi called out, worriedly. "It could be poisonous!"\r\n     The spider didn't move. "What if it's not?" Charles asked. Charles didn't usually act impulsively, but his curiosity got the best of him sometimes. He was going to pick the small spider up when he heard a noise. He stood up, and gazed at the spot where two mountains parted. He heard a strange hissing noise. He started slowly towards it.\r\n     "Charles, come back!" James called. "There could be more spiders that could possibly be poisonous!"\r\n     Charles looked at what looked like a spider- a big spider, about the size of a dog at most. It moved closer, slowly. "AH!" Charles screamed. He darted away, as fast as his feet could carry him. He ran past Ratagi and James.\r\n     "What in-" Ratagi began, but when he saw what Charles was running from, which was starting towards them faster- it was black, with a long red hourglass across its back.\r\n     James squealed and dashed away, passing Charles. Ratagi didn't bother running away, but he knew he couldn't fight the huge thing, on account he'd become the spider's own meal.\r\n     The Hourglass stopped, curiously at first, but then cautiously as it saw his sword.\r\n     It acts as if it has seen a sword before, He thought. He backed away, slowly at first, but then as if he was running backwards. The Hourglass started crawling forward, faster than what Ratagi could run frontwards, let alone backwards. No turning back now, he thought. He waved his sword around threateningly, and the Hourglass hesitated, and then backed off. It turned away and crawled back through the mountain gap.\r\n     Ratagi sighed, and then started chuckling in relief. "That was easier than I thought," he sighed. But then, the Hourglass returned- with a few friends. About five more of them inched towards him.\r\n     "Uh oh." Ratagi sprinted away, sheathing his sword. He tripped, but got up again. He saw James and Charles, nearly half a mile away.\r\n     Charles had lagged behind, and was now panting for breath.\r\n     Ratagi looked back. About a couple hundred feet back the Hourglasses had given up- at the very start when he had started running away.\r\n     He ran up to Charles. "I am not touching a bug again," he exclaimed.\r\n     Ratagi sighed, and nodded. He was too tired to say anything. He tried, but all that came out was "I-huh- they-huh."     \r\n     "Come on," Charles said. "Let's go catch up with my brother before he reaches the next country."\r\n     Ratagi nodded, still panting. He slowly followed him up a hill covered with yellow grass.\r\n     It took James an hour or two to get over the fact that he had been chased by a spider the size of a dog. He was shaking all over, but after a while, he finally realized that the spiders hadn't been chasing them for a few hours, now.\r\n     "I'm afraid of spiders," he said. "They're scary."\r\n     Ratagi nodded. "I've figured that out. Why are you so afraid of them?"\r\n     "Because they're icky."\r\n     "Besides that."\r\n     "Because they're scary and unpredictable!." James was wrapped in a blanket. The sun was setting, and Ratagi and Charles were trying to make a fire with no luck, and now they were sitting by a fireplace with no fire.\r\n     "Where are we?" Charles shivered. It was very cold out. And all he had was a ragged old blanket that he had turned into a cloak. James had himself wrapped himself into a cocoon. If he was shivering rather from the cold, or the bugs he had seen today, Charles did not know.\r\n     Ratagi ran towards a hill to the far left to scout out the place. To his delight, there was a small walled village through a valley about a five mile walk away.\r\n     "YES!"\r\n     "Huh?" Charles dropped the sticks he was trying to light a fire with, and got up, looking at Ratagi strangely. "What is it?"\r\n     "There's civilization just a few miles away." He explained. "It'll take just a day's walk to get there."\r\n     "Should we leave now?" Charles asked.     \r\n     "No, it's too late. After a night's rest we'll be on our way to human life again, not just some bugs-"\r\n     "BUGS?!" James shot up. "Where?"\r\n     "â�¦and animals." He finished.\r\n"There's no bugs, don't you worry." Charles said.\r\n     "G-good," James stammered. "I'm scared of bugs." He laid his head down and closed his eyes.\r\n     Ratagi sighed, coming down from the hill. "Well, it will be best if we go to sleep." He said. "Tomorrow we'll be able to rest, and to be happy."\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER THIRTEEN\r\n\r\nDISPUTES\r\n                  "There are no lazy veteran lion hunters." \r\n                                    -Norman Ralph Augustine \r\n\r\n    \r\nEverything was an early day for everyone. It had been a while since they've seen actual humans- not including Hunters, the Dead Echoes, and no Heiamonds, who Ratagi thought to look a lot like Hates, whatever that was. James and Charles had gotten right before the sun got up to get Ratagi. They had packed quickly, and were on their way.\r\nFor the first time, Ratagi looked at his extra map, the one he would have packed anyway.\r\n     "Says the city's name is Cislan, which means undaunted." He said. "Well, it's probably not given that name for a reason."\r\n     "Yeah, probably." Charles said, uneasily. "But even if it was, why would they name it that?"      \r\n     James bolted ahead. "Hey!" Ratagi called. "Don't go that far!"\r\n     "Why not?" James asked.\r\n     He scowled. "I liked you better when you were quiet and scared."\r\n     "Well I liked you better when I didn't know you!" James called. He laughed, and fell back.\r\n     "I'm hungry," he said.\r\n     "We're out of food." Ratagi explained. "That's why we're going to that city."\r\n     "But I'm hungry!" James whined. He went over to a small bush with berries on it. He started to pick them when a hand shot out and stopped him.\r\n     "Don't even think about it." Ratagi growled. "Don't you remember the last time you've eaten something off the path?"\r\n     "Then what am I supposed to do?!" James cried hysterically. "I'm hungry!"

offline

sirmed1

56 posts

Farmer

Posted September 17, '11 3:04am UTC

"We'll eat when we're there." He said. Then he looked up. "Where's the other one?" He asked himself.
He groaned. "Now Charles is lost. Now what?"
"Excuse me, mister Ratagi, what if the city isn't filled with humans?" James asked. "What if it's filled with troops?"
"Nonsense," he said, and called out "Charles!"
"Over here," a voice squeaked, far ahead.
They both ran over to Charles, who was sitting down. "What are you looking at?" He asked.
"Those," Charles pointed to some birds flying high.
They were rising above a hill. They had black and grey feathers, and huge talons. They were all calling loudly a warning. "Grey Vultures," Ratagi gulped.
A loud roar burst through the valley. The birds soared away.
"They're crying a warning," He breathed. He drew his sword.
"What's going on?" Charles asked, panic stricken.
"I'm scared!" James said.
"Split up," Ratagi growled firmly.
Over the hill a huge beast rose up. Its skin was grey. Its legs were large and strong, kind of like a cat's. Its eyes were small, but its head was large, and its mouth was open in a snarl, revealing rows of huge menacing teeth. It walked on all fours, and it gave another roar.
"A Hershbe!" He cried. "I thought they were extinct!"
The Hershbe roared again, and leapt towards the people who invaded its territory.
It eyed him with the eyes of a lion watching its prey, with the eyes of a predator.
It kept its gaze on Ratagi, at the weapon that it no doubt has seen and despised before. It snarled, and leapt towards him with the speed and agility of a falcon, but with the power and strength of a lion. It was almost twice the size of a bull, and no doubt has seen a battle by the looks of scars across its face.
Ratagi leapt out of the way fast, and slashed at the beast's side. It bellowed in pain, but then what was pain turned into fury, and it turned, knowing that this was now personal. It looked at Charles, who had his back to a tree. It took the easier target. It reared itself and powered its legs, pushing it off the ground.
It lunged at Charles, who jumped out of the way just in time, and the tree that he was leaning against was history.
The Hershbe shook its huge body, and sniffed the air. It turned back to Ratagi, and slowly approached him.
"What is that thing?" James cried. The Hershbe turned its head to him, and roared. James squealed almost equally as loud.
"Hey!" Ratagi snarled. He waved his sword around defiantly. "Over here!"
The Hershbe turned back to its first enemy, the one who was challenging him. It snarled, and got onto its hind legs. It roared as loud as it could. Everyone's ears rung, but he got over it.
If the years my father had taught me about these beasts, I'll know what to do, Ratagi thought. He tried making himself look bigger, and he bellowed as hard as he could. He knew that if he had encountered one, the best thing to do is stay tall, never show your back to it, and don't get it angry. The Hershbe was like a rhino, peaceful and concerned, but very territorial. It ate plants as much as meat, and would never hurt any human that stayed out of its territory.
Sadly, Ratagi had to go through, and the only way to is with the Hershbes permission, and he knew that the Hershbe, with a gash at its side given by him, wouldn't be letting him pass anytime soon.
The Hershbe went back on all fours, and charged him.
If this doesn't work, I'll be that beast's next meal, he thought. He charged. "YAAAH!!" He hollered, and, to his relief, the Hershbe stopped. It backed away, and snarled.
Ratagi roared in triumph. "Run back to your little home," he said. "I don't want you to get hurt." He waved his sword around. The Hershbe snarled, and ran away.
Charles and James charged down the hill. "That was AWESOME!" James yelled, exited and relieved at the same time.
"You scared that monster away single-handedly!" Charles said, enthusiastically, yet quiet because he was out of breath. "That monster was so scared of you it ran away!"
Ratagi sighed, relieved. He sheathed his sword. "Well, he might be back soon, so we best are going on now," he said. Then he saw, from over the hill, the same Hershbe was charging, full speed towards him.
"Get out of the way!" He cried, and everyone leapt out of the way from the Hershbes deterring charge. He lunged, slashing wildly at the beast's strong hide. It bellowed with each of his slashes. At last, he made a final prevailing downward cut that finished it off. The beast groaned, and fell over.
He spit as he put his sword in his scabbard. He turned his back and walked away.
That was a mistake.
The Hershbe, weak as it may be, got up and put every last ounce of strength in its legs, and pounced on Ratagi. It had him in its claws.
Ratagi stared at the snarling face that would have demoralized Dragons. One more final blow and he would be broken in half.
Neither he nor anyone else that that was at that very spot that day could tell how lucky Ratagi had been.
The birds circled around, crying warnings again. The Hershbe looked up, and then sniffed the air. It scowled at him, and charged away.
Charles ran to Ratagi and helped him up.
"My back," he groaned. "I think-"
"No time for talk now," Charles Interrupted. "There's a group of men with weapons coming this way. And I think they were what scared the Hershbe away."
Ratagi, along with any other citizen of T'Keth would have stayed and fought valiantly, but knowing that they scared away a Hershbe would scare him anytime. At least, if they were all the more dangerous than the huge Hershbe that was about to kill him earlier. "Hide!" He ordered. James and Charles were already on it.
Ratagi ran and hid under a bush as a group of ragged men ran up. All were dressed in rags, some had small round shields, and most were armed with spears and bows, and the leader- an old beardless man wearing a cap over his head, with white hair dangling through a hole in it, a crooked nose and a deformed face and walked with a slight limp-carried a sword.
"I know I heard a Hershbe- I knew it!" One of the men said, who carried a bow in one hand, a spear in the other and a shield on his back said.
"You were wrong, Infudan," the leader said. "There aren't any Hershbes anywhere; they've almost all died off."
"Hey," A large, dark skinned man with a long, slightly curved sword said, bending down. "Hershbe blood- I think Infudan is right. There are signs of a struggle here." He moved his hands around the flat grass.
"And look- Hershbe tracks." He pointed to the spot where Ratagi had charged the Hershbe. "And it seems it had gotten in a fight."
"Two Hershbes?" The man named Infudan asked.
"No- there was a man here, no doubt fighting the Hershbe. It had spilt its blood, but did not kill it." He looked up at the hill. "The Hershbe tracks lead to- what is this?" He looked at James's tracks.
"A small child was here?" He looked up from the tracks, which lead to the bush James was hiding in. "What do we have here?" He asked. "The child is still here." He ran to the bush, and picked up James one-handedly.
"What is a kid doing around here?" The leader asked.
"Let me go!" James snarled. He kicked and he squirmed, but the man was way to strong for him.
"Mister Ratagi! HELP!" He cried.
"Who is Ratagi?" asked Infudan. He turned to the man holding James. "And what would we do with a kid? We should go find the Hershbe, Othron!"
"Be quiet, you fool," Othron snarled. "Noble Oth told me of three people, coming this way, and they are the key to the fall of any resistance left in this kingdom, and he said if we bring us their heads, he will reward us greatly- or else, he will have our heads."
"Did you call me a fool?" Infudan growled. His arm went to his quiver.
"Yes I did," Othron said. "And I think that this boy is worth more than Hershbe skin."
"Nothing is worth more than Hershbe skin," Infudan said. He had his arrow at the ready.
"Were you not raised correctly?" Othron chuckled. "Hershbe hide cannot buy everything. Look at our village now! Over the hundreds of Hershbes we have killed could have bought us a palace for what you think it is worth. Fool."
"Call me a fool again," Infudan warned. "I dare you."
Othron chuckled. "Or what? You're going to kill me? You more stupid than I thought." Infudan fired his bow. With lightning speed, Othron go out of the way. He threw James at the small group that had assembled to see two alpha males fight.
Othron, quick as lightning, got out his curved sword and charged. Infudan, too slow to block the impending attack, dropped to the ground in pain, his left arm on the ground beside him. He bellowed in agony. James gasped. Othron turned to James.
"I forgot about you," he said, and grabbed James as one of the other Hershbe hunters went to put Infudan out of his misery. "You are coming with me. I am sure the great Noble Oth will give me a great reward."
"Hey!" One of the hunters growled. "What's in it for us?"
"Nothing, of course." Othron said. "And you can take it up with me if you have a problem."
"As a matter of fact," the same man said. "I do. We don't kidnap children!" He and many others charged Othron. He got ready, and the others hesitated. That was just enough time for Othron charge and fall three opponents in one stroke of his sword.
He turned to the rest. "Is there anyone else who has a problem with that?"
There were six people left, and all shook their heads.
"Leave me." Othron ordered. "I am to deal with this young pest and deliver his head to Oth."
"You are as stupid as Infudan," another man said. "Oth wishes for them all back alive."
In fury, Othron made a swipe of his sword and dropped the man. "Okay then. Though it is a good idea to bring him back alive."
He looked at what was left of his team. "Go find and kill the Hershbe," he ordered. "You take credit for that and I will go deliver this little boy to Oth."
The group, afraid of Othron, agreed, and reluctantly went to find the wounded Hershbe.
When they all left, Othron smiled. "Well, you certainly put up a fight." He held James up by the collar. "If only I could gather up all three of you. I could become the most powerful man in Mans Telwar, with the exception of the Nobles and Anger. Or maybe even stronger."
He sighed. "If only I could catch all three of you." He repeated.
"You can." A voice growled.
Ratagi got out of his hiding place, sword in hand. "Drop the boy."
Othron laughed. "You're mad. Do you really want to fight me?"
"Drop the boy," he repeated.
Othron hesitated. Then, he lowered his head. "Very well," he said, and let James go, who started hitting him. He chuckled. "Doesn't seem your friend wants to be let go." He shoved James aside and got his sword at the ready.
Ratagi charged down the hill. He leapt up, and his sword clashed with the weapon which had claimed many more lives in the past. It has claimed its last life today, Ratagi thought.
He started with a series of slashes and combinations which would have made any inexperienced warrior's head spin. Othron, though, wasn't an inexperienced warrior. He seemed to be toying with Ratagi, manoeuvring him where he wanted him to go. "What is the name of the man I fight?" He asked, evading Ratagi's deadly blows. "You are very brave and very stupid to face me, and I want to know the name of the man my sword will claim next."
Ratagi hesitated. "Why would I tell you anything to a man like you? You are as dishonourable as your kind gets."
He chuckled. "In the Voranite eye, you are dishonourable." He blocked another slash and followed up with a thrust. "But aren't we all dishonourable?" He jumped out of the way of a cut, and ran up a hill.
"I am the strongest warrior this world has ever seen," he said. "My people were the exiles, the dishonourable; the worst of the worst Voranites- but look at them now."
Ratagi lunged at him and came in with a thrust and a slash. "That explains quite a lot." He said, supposedly to himself, but he said it aloud.
Othron chuckled. "Well, dishonourable or not, I will kill you either way."
The fighting went on for a while, but when Ratagi saw a small opening in his adversary's defences, he lunged only to be blocked and put on the defensive. Othron's defence was excellent, but his offense was even better. He attacked, with a long line of slashes and cuts, each one was used perfectly. Ratagi, though, a very experienced warrior, braved the seemingly endless volley of cuts that Othron had at his disposal. Ratagi blocked each one, watching for any openings, any gaps, any imperfections, but Othron never made any mistakes, perfecting each move, making a toy out of his assailant. Though, a brave warrior as he was, Ratagi still fought on.
Pretty soon, Othron saw imperfection in Ratagi's side. He blocked another slash and used his sword as a sickle to knock Ratagi off his feet. He landed face first in the dust. He coughed, and attempted to get up, but Othron stamped on his hand. He bellowed, and looked up to Othron.
He chuckled. "You are the strongest opponent I have ever faced," Othron said. "It is too bad most fighters could be like you." He raised his sword, and Ratagi lowered his head, knowing in a matter of seconds his head would be removed from his own shoulders, but thenâ¦
"Ratagi!" Charles charged down a hill, his sword in hand.
Othron laughed. "And you call yourself honourable?" He asked Ratagi. "You have little kids fight your own battles for you." He turned to Charles, and roared as loud as he could at Charles. He squealed, dropped his sword and ran away.
He turned to Ratagi again, who was up now, and ready to fight again. "Ha! Don't you see? It is hopeless for you to defeat me!"
Hopeless. Ratagi had heard that word enough times already. He looked up- and jumped forward, bringing his sword down in a powerful overhead slash. Othron blocked the slash, but he was thrown slightly off balance. He tried blocking every slash, cut and thrust that was thrown at him, but Ratagi fought with a renewed energy, renewed power. He fought way more aggressively now.
When Ratagi mad a quick lower cut, he mad a deep gash in Othron's leg. He roared in agony. From far off, there was a distinct roar in return.
It all ended up with Othron on the ground, and Ratagi with his sword pressed against his throat.
"Spare me," Othron said.
"What?!" Ratagi roared. "How many lives have you spared? You've killed countless people before, sparing no mercy yourself, but when you're in the same place as they, you say âspare me?'" Othron lowered his head.
Ratagi never fought much, and has only killed a few times before, and it was only if his life depended on it. And, as deserving as this man deserved death, he didn't want to kill anyone.
At last, he sighed and sheathed his sword. "Leave, go back to your Oth," Ratagi spat. "Tell him that you have failed." He turned to leave. Othron, though, had other plans.
"Mister Ratagi, look out!" James and Charles both cried. But it was too late. Ratagi had no time to react to Othron, who had gotten back his sword and was charging him.
However, Othron wasn't fast enough for the Hershbe.
The massive beast, faster than lightning, quickly caught up to and overpowered a screaming Othron, and crushed him with its own body.
James screamed.
The beast snarled, and James fell silent.
Seems the Hershbe came back because of how loud Othron was, Charles thought. He backed away, when he heard a voice.
"Do not be afraid." An old man jumped off the Hershbe. He had white and grey hair, and was dressed like the other exiles. He walked with a limp.
"Who are you?" Ratagi turned his eyes to the man. He was trying to stomach what had just happened, like the fact that Othron should have cut him in half about now.
"I am the, shall we say, the last Hershbe Shepherd. My name is Anjido."
"Hershbe Shepherd?" James thought aloud. "What's that?"
"Come; follow me to a secluded spot before some other Voranite Exiles come to find their âmissing' friends."
"âMissing?'" Ratagi asked. "You killed the others?"
"There are too few Hershbes left to be joking around," Anjido said coldly. "Now come. Before they come back with more people!"
"Why should we trust you?" Charles asked suspiciously.
"Because I'm the only choice you've got." He answered. "Now come!"
James shrugged. "Best not to get him mad if he rides one of those things."
They started to follow him, and they left the Hershbe behind. "What's he going to do with the bodies?" James asked.
"Anything he wants to," Anjido said.
"You mean he could eat them if he wants?" James asked.
"Maybe. Meat food is scarce in these parts, now because of those pests killing off all the animals here."
"Ew!" James exclaimed.
"I don't mean to ask, but, um, where are we going?" Ratagi asked.
"To a safe place." he said.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE SHEPHERD'S GIFT
"The power of the earth is never dead."
-John Keats

It took a few minutes to get there, but they finally got to a mouth of a cave. "Come," he said passively.
"You mean you want us to go into that gross cave?" James exclaimed. "There could be bugs in there!"
"Oh, yes, plenty of bugs." Anjido said.
"Um, I want to stay outside." James said.
"There are more bugs on the outside than in the inside." Anjido explained.
James jumped. "I'm scared of bugs!" He cried.
"Oh, just shut up for once." Charles growled. "Most bugs around here aren't poisonous."
Both Ratagi and Anjido were already inside when they finished talking. Charles entered first, followed by James, calling "Wait for me!"
"Quiet!" Anjido whispered forcefully.
"Why?" James asked, but then saw a large Hershbe. He squealed. "Monster, I'm outta he-" The Hershbes head poked up. It growled softly and shuffled its body a little bit, revealing four small Hershbe cubs the size of a small dog.
"Aw, that's so cute." Charles said.
"Why did you bring us here?" Ratagi asked.
Anjido smiled. "I know of your little quest to get to the last Voranite city called the Vault. My magic is strong. That is why Hershbes are still alive. I breed them."
"You're a wizard?" James asked. "And can I pet the baby monster?"
The old man chuckled. "Yes, I am a wizard. And, yes, you can pet it, if the mother permits it."
James reached his hand out slowly. The mother Hershbe growled softly, but then saw that James was no threat. He touched the baby, took his hand back, and said "I'm afraid."
Charles wasn't, though. He reached his hand out, and stroked the baby Hershbes soft fur. It made a purring noise.
"Well, tell us your story," Ratagi said. "And we will tell you ours."
Anjido sighed. "I was a Voranite wizard. I still am now. Well, I used to travel around Voraia, doing tricks to amaze the crowd. Well, one day I was accused of being an evil sorcerer of the Twelve known as Oth, so I was banished to live as an exile. Then, the Hunters came. They influenced all of the exiles to fight for them against the Voranites."
"I still thought of myself as a Voranite, and I also know I was falsely accused, but it was not the king's fault." He paused. "I left them in disgust. I left far away to Greth." He sighed.
"I had always loved nature, it- it fascinates me how sometimes they work together, say; a Grey Vulture is protected by a Hershbe in exchange to be its eyes, to warn him of incoming dangers." He cleared his throat. "Well I moved to Greth, where Hershbe numbers were quite numerous back then, when Voraia, Greth and T'Keth fell. I had much company with the Hershbes, when the exiles moved here. They cut down the trees, and they killed all the inhabitants, mainly the Hershbes because their hide is so tough it could stop a sword blow."
"Why do you not banish them away from here?" Ratagi asked. "Unless your magic isn't as strong as you said I was."
Anjido smiled. "My magic is strong, but, alas, I am too peaceful to harm anything or anyone. If I did, though, I would be a match for one of the Twelve."
He sighed, and went to sit down and cuddle by the mother Hershbes leg, who didn't mind. Charles was petting and playing with the now wide awake Hershbe cubs. "Well, I made this cave protected by magic that only those I allow to come in can penetrate through the barrier."
"Well, why do you bring us here?" Ratagi asked.
"To save you," he said. "Inside this cave is a healing energy that puts an end to wounds."
A loud noise came from the cave. "Here comes Alomna," he said.
The Hershbe that had both saved and nearly killed Ratagi entered the cave. Its wounds that he had given him slowly shrunk until they were no more. It growled when it saw him, but Anjido shook his head and frowned, and the Hershbe shrunk back a bit, and then slunk past them to see the mother.
"Well, as I was saying, I know about the Vault, and how it opposes King Anger, and I wanted to give you this." Anjido handed Ratagi a small purple pendant necklace.
"You want to give me a necklace," he asked blankly.
"It protects you from the fury of nature, and it gives you strength and courage in battle." Anjido explained. "And when you need me the most, I will come and help you in battle."
"But, you just said you do not fight." He said.
"No, but Alomna can," Anjido waved a hand at the huge Hershbe.
Ratagi gulped. He had seen what it was like to be on the opposing side of a Hershbe. He wondered how much help it would be if it were on his own side.
"Well, thank you, but- I don't expect to use this, though." He said. "And if so, when will I know how to use it?"
Anjido smiled. "You will know when to use it."
He looked up. "It's getting dark out," he said.
"How do you know that?" James asked.
"Because the sun has set," Anjido said pointedly. "Maybe you should rest here tonight."
Ratagi sighed. "I guess it might be a good idea not to travel in the dark."
Anjido nodded. "Well, I must be off now," he said.
"Where are you going?" Charles asked. "I don't want you to leave us alone with a Hershbe that probably wants a second shot at us."
Anjido smiled. "Your pendant will protect you," he said. "I have to go attend to some things that need doing." And with that, he walked away, and with a pop! He disappeared into thin air.
Ratagi went to sit down. Charles had finished playing with the little Hershbes and was already asleep, his head unknowingly pressed against the beast that had nearly killed him earlier. It didn't seem to mind, luckily.
"Well," James announced, "I'm going outside to find something to eat."
He got up to leave, but Ratagi grabbed him by the collar. "Oh, no you don't," he warned.
"But I'm hungry!" He whined.

* * *

It was pretty hard to get Charles to wake up, who had been mindlessly cuddling with the father Hershbe the whole night. When he woke up to the story, he was terrified and kind of amused at the same time. When he awoke to actually see the Hershbe looking down at him, annoyed, he nearly screamed.
In the end, they got to leaving, gathering their what meagre belongings they had left, and before they were off, the father Hershbe went out, and made a strange high call. It waited a few moments, and several Grey Vultures went to rest on its back. It then went away, back in the direction of its territory.
"So, um, what's the plan?" Charles asked. "I mean, what we are going to do, with the town we were going to is inhabited by murderous Hershbe hunters, where are we going to go?"
Ratagi sighed. "I don't know." He was deep in thought, wondering where they actually were. Then, he looked up at a hill and an idea popped up. "Wait here," he said and ran up the hill.
The valley was kind of a small, and the sides were covered with rocks. Ratagi went to climb them, seeing if there was any signs of a place they could go.
He finally climbed to the top of the rocks after three attempts, and stood up, taking a breath. When he finally got up to scan the area, he stared out in awe.
"What is it, Mister Ratagi?" James called out.
"It seems the Vault is closer than I expected," he said.
James climbed up, much faster than Ratagi had, with only one attempt, and went to see what he was looking at. "There's no Vault," he said. "There's nothing but trees."
"Aye, trees," Ratagi nodded. "The forest of Akilar, A place no man would go. The Vault is hidden somewhere in that place."
"Then, um, why would we go to a place no man would go, let alone a kid like me?" James asked shakily.
"Because the path to the Vault is there. Where's your sense of adventure, and the thought that it may be fun?" he said sardonically. He got up. "Where's Charles? Charles!" He called.
"I'm over here," Charles replied, obviously scared.
Ratagi jumped down, and crept to see Charles. He was hiding behind a bush, and he could see why. A group of Hershbe hunters, armed with spears, swords and bows, surrounded the father Hershbe.
"We've got it," the old man leader that they had seen the day before was there, too. He waved his sword around.
"Come on, we have to save it." Charles said. He tried to run out of his hiding place but Ratagi suppressed him back.
"No," he said. "There are too many of them over there.
"So what are we going to do?" Charles cried. "We can't just let him die, he saved us!"
"There are too many! It's an impossible battle." he said.
The Hershbe cried out a warning. It got on its hind legs, and roared.
"Seems we have a fighter here," the old man said.
"It's fully grown," another man said. He took his spear and threw it. It stuck into the Hershbes side. It bellowed in agony. Many others threw ropes around it, suppressing it down. The old man went up to it. He raised his sword above its head. In a moment or two, he would behead the Hershbe. It groaned, knowing it was the end. In just a second, the Hershbe will be dead.
Charles had a tear in his eye. "We have to help him," he cried.
Ratagi shook his head and groaned. "It's time to return the favour," he said to himself, getting out of his hiding place, and drawing his sword.
"Hey!" He snarled, and charged.
"What the-" the leader said. "Get him out of the way!"
Two hunters fired their bows at Ratagi, both missing.
Just a second after he had left his hiding place, he felt that attacking twenty people armed with bows and spears alone to save an acquaintance that had nearly killed him before was a bad idea.
The old man leapt at Ratagi. He slashed wildly in the air, brutally and relentlessly. He was a skilled swordsman, but this was one fighter Ratagi could defeat. He blocked each stroke precisely, and countered with powerful yet swift slashes and thrusts. A few seconds later, his opponent was on the ground.
Two others drew their swords and charged, but Ratagi took care of them easily. This time, the Hershbe knew what was going on, and it took advantage of everything. It leapt up, and roared. It tossed aside hunters like they were rag dolls. After thirteen fell at the hands of the Hershbe alone, the rest fled.
The Hershbe stared at Ratagi. He knew the beast staring at him had the power to easily overwhelm him and break him apart easily. It walked slowly towards him, but to his surprise, it wasn't walking towards him, it was walking to the old leader, who was going to kill it earlier. He was crawling away, slowly. The Hershbe grabbed him by the legs. He cried loudly.
"Let me go!" He grabbed out a knife and slashed at the Hershbes arm, but it was as useless as a pin prick to it. It didn't even pierce the skin.
The Hershbe threw him away as far as it could. Ratagi never saw where he landed.
The beast turned to him. It lowered its head and growled lightly. Ratagi took the hint and said "Let's go."
Charles followed him excitedly. "Did you see what you did? You were like fighting people with your sword, and the Hershbe was like jumping around and throwing the people away, it was insane!"
"This is the most you've talked since I've met you," Ratagi said. "You almost talk as much as James does."
Charles laughed. "Oh, wait- you're being serious." He laughed even harder.
"Speaking of the little guy, where is he anyway?"

They found James, petrified, staring into the grass.
"What are you looking at?" Charles asked.
"B-b-b-BUG!" James cried. Charles moved his head to the ground.
"It's just a beetle, don't be a baby." Charles said.
"I'm not a baby," James said.
"Yes you are."
"No I'm not!"
"Yes you are."
"No I'm not!
"Yes you are."
"No I'm NOT!" James yelled. "I'm not talking to you ever again."
"You just talked to me." Charles said.
"No I didn't!" James yelled, getting upset.
"You just talked to me again!" Charles laughed, and James bellowed in anger.
Ratagi sighed. "I remember when I used to fight with my brother." He said.
"Ah! Another bug!" James cried.
"Don't be a baby," Charles said.
"I'm not a baby." James said, and stuck his tongue out at Charles.

After a while, James and Charles made up, and everything went to normal. James started complaining about being bored and hungry, and Ratagi told him for the thousandth time that he had no food and that he could make up a game. Charles, though, was as quiet as a mouse now. "I want to play a game, and I'm hungry!" James complained.
"THEN EAT THE BERRIES THAN!" He cried, not baring it anymore.
"Okay." James picked many dark red berries and tossed them in his mouth.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea-" Charles began, about a second too late.
"EW!" James spat all of the berries out. "They taste awful."
"-I'd think so," Charles said to himself.
"What's that?!" James cried. A group of wolves had gathered round and were walking around with them. Ratagi had his sword drawn, but they weren't interested in them at all, they were just curious.
His hand moved to the purple pendant that Anjido gave him.
"It protects you from the fury of natureâ¦" "We're safe, don't worry." He said. He sheathed his sword and kept on.
After a few minutes the wolves left. "I still feel like I'm being watched," James said, troubled.
"Me too, but I don't think we have anything to worry about. The pendant will pro-" Ratagi said, before nearly walking right into a spear.
They were surrounded by about thirty people in cloaks.
"Spies!" One hissed. "Spies!"

PART THREE
A STORM IS COMING

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE VAULT
"A wise man in times of peace prepares for warâ¦"
-Horace
"DROP your sword," one of the men demanded harshly.
He did so.
"Hates!" The youngest person in the group said. "Servants of Destiny!"
"I'm not a servant of Destiny." Ratagi said calmly.
"Let me at âem, master," the young man said. "One slash and I will cut their heads all clean off."
"Ezekiel," A tall old man with a white beard sighed, taking his hood off. "I do not think these are Hates."
"Hates," Charles snorted. "You really have some intelligent names for your enemies."
"Yes, they are too young, and you-" He pointed at Ratagi. "State your name."
"I am Ratagi, of T'Keth." He said respectfully. "I have been sent here by Diamor, for a reason I am not aware."
The small crowd gasped. "The Diamor?" Ezekiel asked.
"Well, I only know one." The old man said. "And who are these young gentlemen?"
"I am Charles," Charles said.
"I am James," James put his fist to his chest."
"He made a Hunter sign!" Ezekiel snarled. "Kill him!"
"Ezekiel, be quiet, will yah," the man pointing his spear at Ratagi said.
"Lower your weapons, everyone." The old man said. He looked at Ratagi. "I am Orbain, knight of T'Keth."
Ratagi gasped. "You're a-a-" he stammered.
"A Shingan rank twelve," the old man said.
"Wow, it is an honour to meet you," He said. He bowed his head. "I have traveled a long way to get here, to this, this, Vault, as Diamor put it."
Orbain laughed. "Now I'm sure you're not Hates or Hunters."
Ratagi nodded. "Yes, but, um- I have a little problem." He said.
"What?" Orbain asked.
"Well, I'll tell you once I finally get inside the city. I've been travelling nearly three months to get there."
Orbain nodded and smiled. "I'm sure, I'm sure. Come this way." He turned and left. "Follow me."
After a minute, Orbain called out "Ezekiel, you come too."

It took about an hour or so, but they got there, finally. A huge city with small stone walls came into sight. Orbain walked to the gate and banged his fist three times. "Let me in! It's Orbain!"
"Yes sire," A Grethinite soldier called out. Ratagi could barely believe it. "I haven't seen a Grethinite soldier in twenty years."
"Well," Orbain said as the Iron doors opened, "Welcome to the past."
There, Ratagi couldn't believe his eyes. Hundreds upon hundreds of people were doing everyday things, and kids played in the streets.
"This is exactly like I remembered Tiger's Eye to be," He breathed.
"Tiger's Eye was like this?" James asked. "I'm confused."
Ezekiel sighed. "I want to go home, is that alright?"
Orbain smiled. "Yes. That's alright."
Ezekiel ran away and disappeared in a crowd.
"Well, that was a nice guy." Ratagi said sardonically.
Orbain frowned. "That's not a way to talk to your superior."
It was Ratagi's turn to frown. "Superior?" He asked, confused.
"He's my squire," Orbain said. "A knight in training."
Ratagi opened his eyes wide. "Wow. I used to know many knights, who have, well, died in fighting in T'Keth."
"Ezekiel!" Orbain called. "Show these kids around."
"Awesome!" Both kids exclaimed as they ran to him.
"Poor guy." Ratagi said.
"Wha- Poor guy? How?" Orbain asked.
"Those little guys got a little bit annoying after spending a day with them." He explained.
"Oh," Orbain said, and laughed. Then he frowned. "All new people must report to one of the kings," he said. "Come on, I will take you there."
A small stone throne room lit with torches. Two Shingan guarded the entrance. "I'm to see King Richard," he said in the form of an order. The two Shingan parted.
A small lit room; there was a young man, with a dark black beard and long hair. A long sword in a golden sheath hung at his side. He looked up from his work. "Who is this?" He asked.
"This is Ratagi," Orbain said. "He was sent here by Diamor. Says he has news."
Ratagi's eyes opened wide. "Young Richard!" He cried. "I helped you on your horse in the siege of T'Keth, remember?"
He stood up. "You're still alive, it seems. Maybe you can fight alongside me after all." He smiled. His smile faded. "What news do you bring?" He asked.
"I bear bad news," Ratagi explained solemnly. "On my journey here, Hunters captured me and they took the map to the Vault, the one Diamor gave me.
"Diamorâ¦" King Richard said blankly. Then "They know where the Vault is?"
"Maybe- some people from the resistance had been spying on the group and the Hunters were attacked by them. That's how I escaped."
Richard smiled again. "Well, it's a good thing they were taught a good lesson." He said. "Diamor's soldiers are out there. Though he usually is never with his troop. Comes and goes at will, they say. Mysterious man, that Diamor. Good thing he's giving you maps and directions, you don't want to get on his bad side."
Ratagi sighed. "I need a few directions around here. Do you know anyone who could-?"
Richard smiled. "Of course. I've got nothing much better to do."
"Where will we go first?" James asked Ezekiel. The poor guy had been planning to go to sleep after a very rough day of training, and now he had to babysit some kids.
"Let's go to my home first," he said. "You've probably had a rough day and could use some rest." He managed a smile.
Charles yawned. "Yeah. I guess so. I'm tired too."
Ezekiel sighed in relief.
"Hey, I want to go check some places out!" James said indignantly.
"How about this- I'll find somebody to watch over you, while Charles and I go to rest. How about that?"
"Sure," James said.
Ezekiel sighed. "Okay, now, to find you somebody to look after you- hey, I know!"
Ratagi stared in awe at the city. "I feel like I'm back in the old days," he said.
"Oh, yes." King Richard said. "In this sacred city, all will knowâ¦"
He paused. "That a small bit of Mans Telwar lives." He looked up at the sky. "Storm clouds. Hey, you best be finding yourself a place to shelter yourself from the rain."
Ratagi nodded. "Yes, we should-"
He gasped as a familiar face ran up.
"Hey, mister Ratagi!" James called. "I've met a million people here, and they're all nice, and my tummy hurts from eating so much, and-"
Ratagi groaned. He looked at King Richard.
"Hey, you best be going inside, I think a storm is coming." He sighed. "I need to go to the Daroj, now."
"Daroj?" Ratagi wondered.
"It's a Voranite training place," he explained. "I'm learning how to use this."
He drew his long, wonderful sword. "With this sword I shall claim back the kingdom that is rightfully mine. I'm training with the knights of each kingdom. Cool people, those knights. Always going with the times."
Ratagi sighed as Richard blabbered on, until he left. Yes, Richard. He thought. A storm is coming. It is only a matter of time.

"Yah!" Charles cried as he saw a dark grey knight staring at him. He fell over, and started crawling away.
Ezekiel chuckled. "That armour belonged to my father. Soon I will be allowed to wear it."
"Where is your father?" Charles asked. They had both reached his house. It was very small, and it had only one room with two beds.
Ezekiel fell onto the bed. "I'm so tiredâ¦" he said.
Charles studied the armour. It had lots of intricate carving designs, and some were of birds, of trees, and of swords. The helmet was big, and had a T shaped visor and a long plume. "Wow," he said. He yawned. "I wonder where Ratagi and James are right nowâ¦"

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
DI'AMOR'S RETURN
"The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other ******* die for his."
-George S. Patton

"We'll eat when we're there." He said. Then he looked up. "Where's the other one?" He asked himself.\r\n     He groaned. "Now Charles is lost. Now what?"\r\n     "Excuse me, mister Ratagi, what if the city isn't filled with humans?" James asked. "What if it's filled with troops?"\r\n     "Nonsense," he said, and called out "Charles!"\r\n     "Over here," a voice squeaked, far ahead.\r\n     They both ran over to Charles, who was sitting down. "What are you looking at?" He asked.\r\n     "Those," Charles pointed to some birds flying high.\r\n     They were rising above a hill. They had black and grey feathers, and huge talons. They were all calling loudly a warning. "Grey Vultures," Ratagi gulped.\r\n     A loud roar burst through the valley. The birds soared away.\r\n     "They're crying a warning," He breathed. He drew his sword.\r\n     "What's going on?" Charles asked, panic stricken.\r\n     "I'm scared!" James said.\r\n     "Split up," Ratagi growled firmly.\r\n     Over the hill a huge beast rose up. Its skin was grey. Its legs were large and strong, kind of like a cat's. Its eyes were small, but its head was large, and its mouth was open in a snarl, revealing rows of huge menacing teeth. It walked on all fours, and it gave another roar.\r\n     "A Hershbe!" He cried. "I thought they were extinct!"    \r\n     The Hershbe roared again, and leapt towards the people who invaded its territory.\r\n     It eyed him with the eyes of a lion watching its prey, with the eyes of a predator.\r\nIt kept its gaze on Ratagi, at the weapon that it no doubt has seen and despised before. It snarled, and leapt towards him with the speed and agility of a falcon, but with the power and strength of a lion. It was almost twice the size of a bull, and no doubt has seen a battle by the looks of scars across its face.\r\n     Ratagi leapt out of the way fast, and slashed at the beast's side. It bellowed in pain, but then what was pain turned into fury, and it turned, knowing that this was now personal. It looked at Charles, who had his back to a tree. It took the easier target. It reared itself and powered its legs, pushing it off the ground.\r\n     It lunged at Charles, who jumped out of the way just in time, and the tree that he was leaning against was history.\r\n     The Hershbe shook its huge body, and sniffed the air. It turned back to Ratagi, and slowly approached him.\r\n     "What is that thing?" James cried. The Hershbe turned its head to him, and roared. James squealed almost equally as loud.\r\n     "Hey!" Ratagi snarled. He waved his sword around defiantly. "Over here!"\r\n     The Hershbe turned back to its first enemy, the one who was challenging him. It snarled, and got onto its hind legs. It roared as loud as it could. Everyone's ears rung, but he got over it.\r\n     If the years my father had taught me about these beasts, I'll know what to do, Ratagi thought. He tried making himself look bigger, and he bellowed as hard as he could. He knew that if he had encountered one, the best thing to do is stay tall, never show your back to it, and don't get it angry. The Hershbe was like a rhino, peaceful and concerned, but very territorial. It ate plants as much as meat, and would never hurt any human that stayed out of its territory.\r\n     Sadly, Ratagi had to go through, and the only way to is with the Hershbes permission, and he knew that the Hershbe, with a gash at its side given by him, wouldn't be letting him pass anytime soon.\r\n     The Hershbe went back on all fours, and charged him.\r\n     If this doesn't work, I'll be that beast's next meal, he thought. He charged. "YAAAH!!" He hollered, and, to his relief, the Hershbe stopped. It backed away, and snarled.\r\n     Ratagi roared in triumph. "Run back to your little home," he said. "I don't want you to get hurt." He waved his sword around. The Hershbe snarled, and ran away.\r\n     Charles and James charged down the hill. "That was AWESOME!" James yelled, exited and relieved at the same time.\r\n     "You scared that monster away single-handedly!" Charles said, enthusiastically, yet quiet because he was out of breath. "That monster was so scared of you it ran away!"\r\n     Ratagi sighed, relieved. He sheathed his sword. "Well, he might be back soon, so we best are going on now," he said. Then he saw, from over the hill, the same Hershbe was charging, full speed towards him.\r\n     "Get out of the way!" He cried, and everyone leapt out of the way from the Hershbes deterring charge. He lunged, slashing wildly at the beast's strong hide. It bellowed with each of his slashes. At last, he made a final prevailing downward cut that finished it off. The beast groaned, and fell over.\r\n     He spit as he put his sword in his scabbard. He turned his back and walked away.\r\n     That was a mistake.\r\nThe Hershbe, weak as it may be, got up and put every last ounce of strength in its legs, and pounced on Ratagi. It had him in its claws.\r\nRatagi stared at the snarling face that would have demoralized Dragons. One more final blow and he would be broken in half.\r\n     Neither he nor anyone else that that was at that very spot that day could tell how lucky Ratagi had been.\r\n     The birds circled around, crying warnings again. The Hershbe looked up, and then sniffed the air. It scowled at him, and charged away.\r\n     Charles ran to Ratagi and helped him up.\r\n     "My back," he groaned. "I think-"\r\n     "No time for talk now," Charles Interrupted. "There's a group of men with weapons coming this way. And I think they were what scared the Hershbe away."\r\nRatagi, along with any other citizen of T'Keth would have stayed and fought valiantly, but knowing that they scared away a Hershbe would scare him anytime. At least, if they were all the more dangerous than the huge Hershbe that was about to kill him earlier. "Hide!" He ordered. James and Charles were already on it.\r\nRatagi ran and hid under a bush as a group of ragged men ran up. All were dressed in rags, some had small round shields, and most were armed with spears and bows, and the leader- an old beardless man wearing a cap over his head, with white hair dangling through a hole in it, a crooked nose and a deformed face and walked with a slight limp-carried a sword.\r\n     "I know I heard a Hershbe- I knew it!" One of the men said, who carried a bow in one hand, a spear in the other and a shield on his back said.\r\n     "You were wrong, Infudan," the leader said. "There aren't any Hershbes anywhere; they've almost all died off."\r\n     "Hey," A large, dark skinned man with a long, slightly curved sword said, bending down. "Hershbe blood- I think Infudan is right. There are signs of a struggle here." He moved his hands around the flat grass.\r\n     "And look- Hershbe tracks." He pointed to the spot where Ratagi had charged the Hershbe. "And it seems it had gotten in a fight."\r\n     "Two Hershbes?" The man named Infudan asked.                    \r\n     "No- there was a man here, no doubt fighting the Hershbe. It had spilt its blood, but did not kill it." He looked up at the hill. "The Hershbe tracks lead to- what is this?" He looked at James's tracks.\r\n     "A small child was here?" He looked up from the tracks, which lead to the bush James was hiding in. "What do we have here?" He asked. "The child is still here." He ran to the bush, and picked up James one-handedly.\r\n     "What is a kid doing around here?" The leader asked.\r\n     "Let me go!" James snarled. He kicked and he squirmed, but the man was way to strong for him.\r\n     "Mister Ratagi! HELP!" He cried.\r\n     "Who is Ratagi?" asked Infudan. He turned to the man holding James. "And what would we do with a kid? We should go find the Hershbe, Othron!"\r\n     "Be quiet, you fool," Othron snarled. "Noble Oth told me of three people, coming this way, and they are the key to the fall of any resistance left in this kingdom, and he said if we bring us their heads, he will reward us greatly- or else, he will have our heads."\r\n     "Did you call me a fool?" Infudan growled. His arm went to his quiver.\r\n     "Yes I did," Othron said. "And I think that this boy is worth more than Hershbe skin."\r\n     "Nothing is worth more than Hershbe skin," Infudan said. He had his arrow at the ready.\r\n     "Were you not raised correctly?" Othron chuckled. "Hershbe hide cannot buy everything. Look at our village now! Over the hundreds of Hershbes we have killed could have bought us a palace for what you think it is worth. Fool."\r\n     "Call me a fool again," Infudan warned. "I dare you."\r\n     Othron chuckled. "Or what? You're going to kill me? You more stupid than I thought."             Infudan fired his bow. With lightning speed, Othron go out of the way. He threw James at the small group that had assembled to see two alpha males fight.\r\n     Othron, quick as lightning, got out his curved sword and charged. Infudan, too slow to block the impending attack, dropped to the ground in pain, his left arm on the ground beside him. He bellowed in agony. James gasped. Othron turned to James.\r\n     "I forgot about you," he said, and grabbed James as one of the other Hershbe hunters went to put Infudan out of his misery. "You are coming with me. I am sure the great Noble Oth will give me a great reward."\r\n     "Hey!" One of the hunters growled. "What's in it for us?"\r\n     "Nothing, of course." Othron said. "And you can take it up with me if you have a problem."\r\n     "As a matter of fact," the same man said. "I do. We don't kidnap children!" He and many others charged Othron. He got ready, and the others hesitated. That was just enough time for Othron charge and fall three opponents in one stroke of his sword.\r\nHe turned to the rest. "Is there anyone else who has a problem with that?"\r\n     There were six people left, and all shook their heads.\r\n     "Leave me." Othron ordered. "I am to deal with this young pest and deliver his head to Oth."\r\n     "You are as stupid as Infudan," another man said. "Oth wishes for them all back alive."\r\n     In fury, Othron made a swipe of his sword and dropped the man. "Okay then. Though it is a good idea to bring him back alive."\r\n     He looked at what was left of his team. "Go find and kill the Hershbe," he ordered. "You take credit for that and I will go deliver this little boy to Oth."\r\n     The group, afraid of Othron, agreed, and reluctantly went to find the wounded Hershbe.\r\n     When they all left, Othron smiled. "Well, you certainly put up a fight." He held James up by the collar. "If only I could gather up all three of you. I could become the most powerful man in Mans Telwar, with the exception of the Nobles and Anger. Or maybe even stronger."\r\n     He sighed. "If only I could catch all three of you." He repeated.\r\n     "You can." A voice growled.\r\n     Ratagi got out of his hiding place, sword in hand. "Drop the boy."\r\n     Othron laughed. "You're mad. Do you really want to fight me?"\r\n     "Drop the boy," he repeated.\r\n     Othron hesitated. Then, he lowered his head. "Very well," he said, and let James go, who started hitting him. He chuckled. "Doesn't seem your friend wants to be let go." He shoved James aside and got his sword at the ready.\r\n     Ratagi charged down the hill. He leapt up, and his sword clashed with the weapon which had claimed many more lives in the past. It has claimed its last life today, Ratagi thought.\r\n     He started with a series of slashes and combinations which would have made any inexperienced warrior's head spin. Othron, though, wasn't an inexperienced warrior. He seemed to be toying with Ratagi, manoeuvring him where he wanted him to go. "What is the name of the man I fight?" He asked, evading Ratagi's deadly blows. "You are very brave and very stupid to face me, and I want to know the name of the man my sword will claim next."\r\n     Ratagi hesitated. "Why would I tell you anything to a man like you? You are as dishonourable as your kind gets."\r\n     He chuckled. "In the Voranite eye, you are dishonourable." He blocked another slash and followed up with a thrust. "But aren't we all dishonourable?" He jumped out of the way of a cut, and ran up a hill.\r\n     "I am the strongest warrior this world has ever seen," he said. "My people were the exiles, the dishonourable; the worst of the worst Voranites- but look at them now."\r\n     Ratagi lunged at him and came in with a thrust and a slash. "That explains quite a lot." He said, supposedly to himself, but he said it aloud.\r\n     Othron chuckled. "Well, dishonourable or not, I will kill you either way."\r\n     The fighting went on for a while, but when Ratagi saw a small opening in his adversary's defences, he lunged only to be blocked and put on the defensive. Othron's defence was excellent, but his offense was even better. He attacked, with a long line of slashes and cuts, each one was used perfectly. Ratagi, though, a very experienced warrior, braved the seemingly endless volley of cuts that Othron had at his disposal. Ratagi blocked each one, watching for any openings, any gaps, any imperfections, but Othron never made any mistakes, perfecting each move, making a toy out of his assailant. Though, a brave warrior as he was, Ratagi still fought on.\r\n     Pretty soon, Othron saw imperfection in Ratagi's side. He blocked another slash and used his sword as a sickle to knock Ratagi off his feet. He landed face first in the dust. He coughed, and attempted to get up, but Othron stamped on his hand. He bellowed, and looked up to Othron.\r\nHe chuckled. "You are the strongest opponent I have ever faced," Othron said. "It is too bad most fighters could be like you." He raised his sword, and Ratagi lowered his head, knowing in a matter of seconds his head would be removed from his own shoulders, but thenâ�¦\r\n"Ratagi!" Charles charged down a hill, his sword in hand.\r\n     Othron laughed. "And you call yourself honourable?" He asked Ratagi. "You have little kids fight your own battles for you." He turned to Charles, and roared as loud as he could at Charles. He squealed, dropped his sword and ran away.\r\n     He turned to Ratagi again, who was up now, and ready to fight again. "Ha! Don't you see? It is hopeless for you to defeat me!"\r\n     Hopeless. Ratagi had heard that word enough times already. He looked up- and jumped forward, bringing his sword down in a powerful overhead slash. Othron blocked the slash, but he was thrown slightly off balance. He tried blocking every slash, cut and thrust that was thrown at him, but Ratagi fought with a renewed energy, renewed power. He fought way more aggressively now.\r\nWhen Ratagi mad a quick lower cut, he mad a deep gash in Othron's leg. He roared in agony. From far off, there was a distinct roar in return.\r\n     It all ended up with Othron on the ground, and Ratagi with his sword pressed against his throat.\r\n"Spare me," Othron said.\r\n     "What?!" Ratagi roared. "How many lives have you spared? You've killed countless people before, sparing no mercy yourself, but when you're in the same place as they, you say â��spare me?'" Othron lowered his head.\r\n     Ratagi never fought much, and has only killed a few times before, and it was only if his life depended on it. And, as deserving as this man deserved death, he didn't want to kill anyone.\r\n     At last, he sighed and sheathed his sword. "Leave, go back to your Oth," Ratagi spat. "Tell him that you have failed." He turned to leave. Othron, though, had other plans.\r\n     "Mister Ratagi, look out!" James and Charles both cried. But it was too late. Ratagi had no time to react to Othron, who had gotten back his sword and was charging him.\r\n    However, Othron wasn't fast enough for the Hershbe.\r\n     The massive beast, faster than lightning, quickly caught up to and overpowered a screaming Othron, and crushed him with its own body.\r\n     James screamed.\r\n     The beast snarled, and James fell silent.\r\n     Seems the Hershbe came back because of how loud Othron was, Charles thought. He backed away, when he heard a voice.\r\n     "Do not be afraid." An old man jumped off the Hershbe. He had white and grey hair, and was dressed like the other exiles. He walked with a limp.\r\n     "Who are you?" Ratagi turned his eyes to the man. He was trying to stomach what had just happened, like the fact that Othron should have cut him in half about now.\r\n     "I am the, shall we say, the last Hershbe Shepherd. My name is Anjido."\r\n     "Hershbe Shepherd?" James thought aloud. "What's that?"\r\n     "Come; follow me to a secluded spot before some other Voranite Exiles come to find their â��missing' friends."\r\n     "â��Missing?'" Ratagi asked. "You killed the others?"\r\n     "There are too few Hershbes left to be joking around," Anjido said coldly. "Now come. Before they come back with more people!"\r\n     "Why should we trust you?" Charles asked suspiciously.\r\n     "Because I'm the only choice you've got." He answered. "Now come!"\r\n     James shrugged. "Best not to get him mad if he rides one of those things."\r\n     They started to follow him, and they left the Hershbe behind. "What's he going to do with the bodies?" James asked.\r\n     "Anything he wants to," Anjido said.\r\n     "You mean he could eat them if he wants?" James asked.\r\n     "Maybe. Meat food is scarce in these parts, now because of those pests killing off all the animals here."\r\n     "Ew!" James exclaimed.     \r\n     "I don't mean to ask, but, um, where are we going?" Ratagi asked.\r\n     "To a safe place." he said.\r\n   \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER FOURTEEN\r\nTHE SHEPHERD'S GIFT\r\n                                "The power of the earth is never dead."  \r\n                                                   -John Keats\r\n\r\n\r\nIt took a few minutes to get there, but they finally got to a mouth of a cave. "Come," he said passively.\r\n     "You mean you want us to go into that gross cave?" James exclaimed. "There could be bugs in there!"\r\n     "Oh, yes, plenty of bugs." Anjido said.\r\n     "Um, I want to stay outside." James said.\r\n     "There are more bugs on the outside than in the inside." Anjido explained.\r\n     James jumped. "I'm scared of bugs!" He cried.\r\n     "Oh, just shut up for once." Charles growled. "Most bugs around here aren't poisonous."\r\n     Both Ratagi and Anjido were already inside when they finished talking. Charles entered first, followed by James, calling "Wait for me!"\r\n     "Quiet!" Anjido whispered forcefully.         \r\n     "Why?" James asked, but then saw a large Hershbe. He squealed. "Monster, I'm outta he-"       The Hershbes head poked up. It growled softly and shuffled its body a little bit, revealing four small Hershbe cubs the size of a small dog.\r\n     "Aw, that's so cute." Charles said.\r\n     "Why did you bring us here?" Ratagi asked.\r\nAnjido smiled. "I know of your little quest to get to the last Voranite city called the Vault. My magic is strong. That is why Hershbes are still alive. I breed them."\r\n     "You're a wizard?" James asked. "And can I pet the baby monster?"\r\n     The old man chuckled. "Yes, I am a wizard. And, yes, you can pet it, if the mother permits it."\r\n     James reached his hand out slowly. The mother Hershbe growled softly, but then saw that James was no threat. He touched the baby, took his hand back, and said "I'm afraid."\r\n     Charles wasn't, though. He reached his hand out, and stroked the baby Hershbes soft fur. It made a purring noise.\r\n     "Well, tell us your story," Ratagi said. "And we will tell you ours."\r\n     Anjido sighed. "I was a Voranite wizard. I still am now. Well, I used to travel around Voraia, doing tricks to amaze the crowd. Well, one day I was accused of being an evil sorcerer of the Twelve known as Oth, so I was banished to live as an exile. Then, the Hunters came. They influenced all of the exiles to fight for them against the Voranites."\r\n     "I still thought of myself as a Voranite, and I also know I was falsely accused, but it was not the king's fault." He paused. "I left them in disgust. I left far away to Greth." He sighed.\r\n     "I had always loved nature, it- it fascinates me how sometimes they work together, say; a Grey Vulture is protected by a Hershbe in exchange to be its eyes, to warn him of incoming dangers." He cleared his throat. "Well I moved to Greth, where Hershbe numbers were quite numerous back then, when Voraia, Greth and T'Keth fell. I had much company with the Hershbes, when the exiles moved here. They cut down the trees, and they killed all the inhabitants, mainly the Hershbes because their hide is so tough it could stop a sword blow."\r\n     "Why do you not banish them away from here?" Ratagi asked. "Unless your magic isn't as strong as you said I was."\r\n     Anjido smiled. "My magic is strong, but, alas, I am too peaceful to harm anything or anyone. If I did, though, I would be a match for one of the Twelve."\r\n     He sighed, and went to sit down and cuddle by the mother Hershbes leg, who didn't mind. Charles was petting and playing with the now wide awake Hershbe cubs. "Well, I made this cave protected by magic that only those I allow to come in can penetrate through the barrier."\r\n     "Well, why do you bring us here?" Ratagi asked.\r\n     "To save you," he said. "Inside this cave is a healing energy that puts an end to wounds."\r\n     A loud noise came from the cave. "Here comes Alomna," he said.              \r\n     The Hershbe that had both saved and nearly killed Ratagi entered the cave. Its wounds that he had given him slowly shrunk until they were no more. It growled when it saw him, but Anjido shook his head and frowned, and the Hershbe shrunk back a bit, and then slunk past them to see the mother.\r\n     "Well, as I was saying, I know about the Vault, and how it opposes King Anger, and I wanted to give you this." Anjido handed Ratagi a small purple pendant necklace.\r\n     "You want to give me a necklace," he asked blankly.\r\n     "It protects you from the fury of nature, and it gives you strength and courage in battle." Anjido explained. "And when you need me the most, I will come and help you in battle."\r\n     "But, you just said you do not fight." He said.\r\n     "No, but Alomna can," Anjido waved a hand at the huge Hershbe.\r\n     Ratagi gulped. He had seen what it was like to be on the opposing side of a Hershbe. He wondered how much help it would be if it were on his own side.\r\n     "Well, thank you, but- I don't expect to use this, though." He said. "And if so, when will I know how to use it?"\r\n     Anjido smiled. "You will know when to use it."\r\n     He looked up. "It's getting dark out," he said.\r\n     "How do you know that?" James asked.\r\n     "Because the sun has set," Anjido said pointedly. "Maybe you should rest here tonight."\r\n     Ratagi sighed. "I guess it might be a good idea not to travel in the dark."\r\n     Anjido nodded. "Well, I must be off now," he said.\r\n     "Where are you going?" Charles asked. "I don't want you to leave us alone with a Hershbe that probably wants a second shot at us."\r\n     Anjido smiled. "Your pendant will protect you," he said. "I have to go attend to some things that need doing." And with that, he walked away, and with a pop! He disappeared into thin air.\r\n     Ratagi went to sit down. Charles had finished playing with the little Hershbes and was already asleep, his head unknowingly pressed against the beast that had nearly killed him earlier. It didn't seem to mind, luckily.\r\n     "Well," James announced, "I'm going outside to find something to eat."\r\n     He got up to leave, but Ratagi grabbed him by the collar. "Oh, no you don't," he warned.\r\n     "But I'm hungry!" He whined.\r\n\r\n                                    *                       *                        *\r\n\r\n   It was pretty hard to get Charles to wake up, who had been mindlessly cuddling with the father Hershbe the whole night. When he woke up to the story, he was terrified and kind of amused at the same time. When he awoke to actually see the Hershbe looking down at him, annoyed, he nearly screamed.\r\n     In the end, they got to leaving, gathering their what meagre belongings they had left, and before they were off, the father Hershbe went out, and made a strange high call. It waited a few moments, and several Grey Vultures went to rest on its back. It then went away, back in the direction of its territory.\r\n     "So, um, what's the plan?" Charles asked. "I mean, what we are going to do, with the town we were going to is inhabited by murderous Hershbe hunters, where are we going to go?"\r\n     Ratagi sighed. "I don't know." He was deep in thought, wondering where they actually were. Then, he looked up at a hill and an idea popped up. "Wait here," he said and ran up the hill.\r\n     The valley was kind of a small, and the sides were covered with rocks. Ratagi went to climb them, seeing if there was any signs of a place they could go.\r\n     He finally climbed to the top of the rocks after three attempts, and stood up, taking a breath. When he finally got up to scan the area, he stared out in awe.\r\n     "What is it, Mister Ratagi?" James called out.\r\n     "It seems the Vault is closer than I expected," he said.\r\n     James climbed up, much faster than Ratagi had, with only one attempt, and went to see what he was looking at. "There's no Vault," he said. "There's nothing but trees."\r\n     "Aye, trees," Ratagi nodded. "The forest of Akilar, A place no man would go. The Vault is hidden somewhere in that place."\r\n     "Then, um, why would we go to a place no man would go, let alone a kid like me?" James asked shakily.\r\n     "Because the path to the Vault is there. Where's your sense of adventure, and the thought that it may be fun?" he said sardonically. He got up. "Where's Charles? Charles!" He called.\r\n     "I'm over here," Charles replied, obviously scared.\r\n     Ratagi jumped down, and crept to see Charles. He was hiding behind a bush, and he could see why. A group of Hershbe hunters, armed with spears, swords and bows, surrounded the father Hershbe.\r\n     "We've got it," the old man leader that they had seen the day before was there, too. He waved his sword around.\r\n     "Come on, we have to save it." Charles said. He tried to run out of his hiding place but Ratagi suppressed him back.\r\n     "No," he said. "There are too many of them over there.\r\n     "So what are we going to do?" Charles cried. "We can't just let him die, he saved us!"\r\n     "There are too many! It's an impossible battle." he said.\r\n     The Hershbe cried out a warning. It got on its hind legs, and roared.\r\n     "Seems we have a fighter here," the old man said.\r\n     "It's fully grown," another man said. He took his spear and threw it. It stuck into the Hershbes side. It bellowed in agony. Many others threw ropes around it, suppressing it down. The old man went up to it. He raised his sword above its head. In a moment or two, he would behead the Hershbe. It groaned, knowing it was the end. In just a second, the Hershbe will be dead.\r\n     Charles had a tear in his eye. "We have to help him," he cried.\r\n     Ratagi shook his head and groaned. "It's time to return the favour," he said to himself, getting out of his hiding place, and drawing his sword.\r\n     "Hey!" He snarled, and charged.\r\n     "What the-" the leader said. "Get him out of the way!"\r\n     Two hunters fired their bows at Ratagi, both missing.\r\n     Just a second after he had left his hiding place, he felt that attacking twenty people armed with bows and spears alone to save an acquaintance that had nearly killed him before was a bad idea.\r\n     The old man leapt at Ratagi. He slashed wildly in the air, brutally and relentlessly. He was a skilled swordsman, but this was one fighter Ratagi could defeat. He blocked each stroke precisely, and countered with powerful yet swift slashes and thrusts. A few seconds later, his opponent was on the ground.\r\n     Two others drew their swords and charged, but Ratagi took care of them easily. This time, the Hershbe knew what was going on, and it took advantage of everything. It leapt up, and roared. It tossed aside hunters like they were rag dolls. After thirteen fell at the hands of the Hershbe alone, the rest fled.\r\n     The Hershbe stared at Ratagi. He knew the beast staring at him had the power to easily overwhelm him and break him apart easily. It walked slowly towards him, but to his surprise, it wasn't walking towards him, it was walking to the old leader, who was going to kill it earlier. He was crawling away, slowly. The Hershbe grabbed him by the legs. He cried loudly.\r\n     "Let me go!" He grabbed out a knife and slashed at the Hershbes arm, but it was as useless as a pin prick to it. It didn't even pierce the skin.\r\n     The Hershbe threw him away as far as it could. Ratagi never saw where he landed.\r\nThe beast turned to him. It lowered its head and growled lightly. Ratagi took the hint and said "Let's go."\r\n     Charles followed him excitedly. "Did you see what you did? You were like fighting people with your sword, and the Hershbe was like jumping around and throwing the people away, it was insane!"\r\n     "This is the most you've talked since I've met you," Ratagi said. "You almost talk as much as James does."\r\n     Charles laughed. "Oh, wait- you're being serious." He laughed even harder.\r\n     "Speaking of the little guy, where is he anyway?"\r\n     \r\n     They found James, petrified, staring into the grass.\r\n     "What are you looking at?" Charles asked.\r\n     "B-b-b-BUG!" James cried. Charles moved his head to the ground.\r\n     "It's just a beetle, don't be a baby." Charles said.\r\n     "I'm not a baby," James said.\r\n     "Yes you are."\r\n     "No I'm not!"\r\n     "Yes you are."\r\n     "No I'm not!\r\n     "Yes you are."\r\n     "No I'm NOT!" James yelled. "I'm not talking to you ever again."\r\n     "You just talked to me." Charles said.\r\n     "No I didn't!" James yelled, getting upset.\r\n     "You just talked to me again!" Charles laughed, and James bellowed in anger.\r\n     Ratagi sighed. "I remember when I used to fight with my brother." He said.\r\n     "Ah! Another bug!" James cried.\r\n     "Don't be a baby," Charles said.\r\n     "I'm not a baby." James said, and stuck his tongue out at Charles.        \r\n     \r\n     After a while, James and Charles made up, and everything went to normal. James started complaining about being bored and hungry, and Ratagi told him for the thousandth time that he had no food and that he could make up a game. Charles, though, was as quiet as a mouse now. "I want to play a game, and I'm hungry!" James complained.\r\n     "THEN EAT THE BERRIES THAN!" He cried, not baring it anymore.\r\n     "Okay." James picked many dark red berries and tossed them in his mouth.\r\n     "I'm not sure that's a good idea-" Charles began, about a second too late.\r\n"EW!" James spat all of the berries out. "They taste awful."         \r\n     "-I'd think so," Charles said to himself.\r\n     "What's that?!" James cried. A group of wolves had gathered round and were walking around with them. Ratagi had his sword drawn, but they weren't interested in them at all, they were just curious.\r\n     His hand moved to the purple pendant that Anjido gave him.\r\n     "It protects you from the fury of natureâ�¦" "We're safe, don't worry." He said. He sheathed his sword and kept on.\r\n     After a few minutes the wolves left. "I still feel like I'm being watched," James said, troubled.\r\n     "Me too, but I don't think we have anything to worry about. The pendant will pro-" Ratagi said, before nearly walking right into a spear.\r\n     They were surrounded by about thirty people in cloaks.\r\n     "Spies!" One hissed. "Spies!"   \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPART THREE\r\nA STORM IS COMING\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER FIFTEEN\r\nTHE VAULT\r\n"A wise man in times of peace prepares for warâ�¦"\r\n-Horace\r\n    "DROP your sword," one of the men demanded harshly.\r\n     He did so.\r\n     "Hates!" The youngest person in the group said. "Servants of Destiny!"\r\n     "I'm not a servant of Destiny." Ratagi said calmly.\r\n     "Let me at â��em, master," the young man said. "One slash and I will cut their heads all clean off."\r\n     "Ezekiel," A tall old man with a white beard sighed, taking his hood off. "I do not think these are Hates."\r\n     "Hates," Charles snorted. "You really have some intelligent names for your enemies."\r\n     "Yes, they are too young, and you-" He pointed at Ratagi. "State your name."\r\n"I am Ratagi, of T'Keth." He said respectfully. "I have been sent here by Diamor, for a reason I am not aware."\r\n     The small crowd gasped. "The Diamor?" Ezekiel asked.\r\n     "Well, I only know one." The old man said. "And who are these young gentlemen?"\r\n     "I am Charles," Charles said.\r\n     "I am James," James put his fist to his chest."\r\n     "He made a Hunter sign!" Ezekiel snarled. "Kill him!"\r\n     "Ezekiel, be quiet, will yah," the man pointing his spear at Ratagi said.\r\n     "Lower your weapons, everyone." The old man said. He looked at Ratagi. "I am Orbain, knight of T'Keth."\r\n     Ratagi gasped. "You're a-a-" he stammered.\r\n     "A Shingan rank twelve," the old man said.\r\n     "Wow, it is an honour to meet you," He said. He bowed his head. "I have traveled a long way to get here, to this, this, Vault, as Diamor put it."\r\n     Orbain laughed. "Now I'm sure you're not Hates or Hunters."\r\n     Ratagi nodded. "Yes, but, um- I have a little problem." He said.\r\n     "What?" Orbain asked.\r\n     "Well, I'll tell you once I finally get inside the city. I've been travelling nearly three months to get there."\r\n     Orbain nodded and smiled. "I'm sure, I'm sure. Come this way." He turned and left. "Follow me."\r\n     After a minute, Orbain called out "Ezekiel, you come too."\r\n     \r\n     It took about an hour or so, but they got there, finally. A huge city with small stone walls came into sight. Orbain walked to the gate and banged his fist three times. "Let me in! It's Orbain!"\r\n     "Yes sire," A Grethinite soldier called out. Ratagi could barely believe it. "I haven't seen a Grethinite soldier in twenty years."\r\n     "Well," Orbain said as the Iron doors opened, "Welcome to the past."\r\n     There, Ratagi couldn't believe his eyes. Hundreds upon hundreds of people were doing everyday things, and kids played in the streets.\r\n     "This is exactly like I remembered Tiger's Eye to be," He breathed.\r\n     "Tiger's Eye was like this?" James asked. "I'm confused."\r\n     Ezekiel sighed. "I want to go home, is that alright?"\r\n     Orbain smiled. "Yes. That's alright."\r\n     Ezekiel ran away and disappeared in a crowd.\r\n     "Well, that was a nice guy." Ratagi said sardonically.\r\n     Orbain frowned. "That's not a way to talk to your superior."\r\n     It was Ratagi's turn to frown. "Superior?" He asked, confused.\r\n     "He's my squire," Orbain said. "A knight in training."\r\n     Ratagi opened his eyes wide. "Wow. I used to know many knights, who have, well, died in fighting in T'Keth."\r\n     "Ezekiel!" Orbain called. "Show these kids around."\r\n     "Awesome!" Both kids exclaimed as they ran to him.\r\n     "Poor guy." Ratagi said.\r\n     "Wha- Poor guy? How?" Orbain asked.    \r\n     "Those little guys got a little bit annoying after spending a day with them." He explained.\r\n     "Oh," Orbain said, and laughed. Then he frowned. "All new people must report to one of the kings," he said. "Come on, I will take you there."\r\n     A small stone throne room lit with torches. Two Shingan guarded the entrance. "I'm to see King Richard," he said in the form of an order. The two Shingan parted.\r\n     A small lit room; there was a young man, with a dark black beard and long hair. A long sword in a golden sheath hung at his side. He looked up from his work. "Who is this?" He asked.\r\n     "This is Ratagi," Orbain said. "He was sent here by Diamor. Says he has news."\r\n     Ratagi's eyes opened wide. "Young Richard!" He cried. "I helped you on your horse in the siege of T'Keth, remember?"\r\n     He stood up. "You're still alive, it seems. Maybe you can fight alongside me after all." He smiled. His smile faded. "What news do you bring?" He asked.\r\n     "I bear bad news," Ratagi explained solemnly. "On my journey here, Hunters captured me and they took the map to the Vault, the one Diamor gave me.\r\n     "Diamorâ�¦" King Richard said blankly. Then "They know where the Vault is?"\r\n     "Maybe- some people from the resistance had been spying on the group and the Hunters were attacked by them. That's how I escaped."\r\n     Richard smiled again. "Well, it's a good thing they were taught a good lesson." He said. "Diamor's soldiers are out there. Though he usually is never with his troop. Comes and goes at will, they say. Mysterious man, that Diamor. Good thing he's giving you maps and directions, you don't want to get on his bad side."\r\n     Ratagi sighed. "I need a few directions around here. Do you know anyone who could-?"\r\n     Richard smiled. "Of course. I've got nothing much better to do."        \r\n     "Where will we go first?" James asked Ezekiel. The poor guy had been planning to go to sleep after a very rough day of training, and now he had to babysit some kids.\r\n     "Let's go to my home first," he said. "You've probably had a rough day and could use some rest." He managed a smile.\r\n     Charles yawned. "Yeah. I guess so. I'm tired too."   \r\n     Ezekiel sighed in relief.\r\n     "Hey, I want to go check some places out!" James said indignantly.\r\n     "How about this- I'll find somebody to watch over you, while Charles and I go to rest. How about that?"\r\n     "Sure," James said.   \r\n     Ezekiel sighed. "Okay, now, to find you somebody to look after you- hey, I know!"\r\n     Ratagi stared in awe at the city. "I feel like I'm back in the old days," he said.\r\n     "Oh, yes." King Richard said. "In this sacred city, all will knowâ�¦"\r\n     He paused. "That a small bit of Mans Telwar lives." He looked up at the sky. "Storm clouds. Hey, you best be finding yourself a place to shelter yourself from the rain."\r\n     Ratagi nodded. "Yes, we should-"\r\n     He gasped as a familiar face ran up.\r\n     "Hey, mister Ratagi!" James called. "I've met a million people here, and they're all nice, and my tummy hurts from eating so much, and-"\r\n     Ratagi groaned. He looked at King Richard.\r\n     "Hey, you best be going inside, I think a storm is coming." He sighed. "I need to go to the Daroj, now."\r\n     "Daroj?" Ratagi wondered.\r\n     "It's a Voranite training place," he explained. "I'm learning how to use this."\r\n     He drew his long, wonderful sword. "With this sword I shall claim back the kingdom that is rightfully mine. I'm training with the knights of each kingdom. Cool people, those knights. Always going with the times."\r\n     Ratagi sighed as Richard blabbered on, until he left. Yes, Richard. He thought. A storm is coming. It is only a matter of time.\r\n\r\n     "Yah!" Charles cried as he saw a dark grey knight staring at him. He fell over, and started crawling away.          \r\n     Ezekiel chuckled. "That armour belonged to my father. Soon I will be allowed to wear it."\r\n     "Where is your father?" Charles asked. They had both reached his house. It was very small, and it had only one room with two beds.\r\n     Ezekiel fell onto the bed. "I'm so tiredâ�¦" he said.\r\n     Charles studied the armour. It had lots of intricate carving designs, and some were of birds, of trees, and of swords. The helmet was big, and had a T shaped visor and a long plume. "Wow," he said. He yawned. "I wonder where Ratagi and James are right nowâ�¦"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER SIXTEEN\r\nDI'AMOR'S RETURN\r\n"The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other ******* die for his."\r\n-George S. Patton

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sirmed1

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Farmer

Posted September 17, '11 3:06am UTC

Ratagi yawned as he got up from a long sleep. He went to explore the fortress a little bit more. He had found a nice empty wooden house to sleep in. The people were constantly building, but they weren't today. He walked down the busy road, towards a group of men gathered around a table.

"Hey!" James called. He was with a few other kids, who were playing some kind of game that involved sword fighting with sticks.
"I just saved you from a Hunter warrior by killing him," a kid said to James.
"Well, I saved you from a Hunter, too."
"No you didn't," he said.
"Well at least I've fought a Hunter in real life!" James said.
"Oh, no! More Hunter troops!" The kid yelled, and they continued to wave around their sticks and making fighting noises.

"Hello," a smiling man said, walking up. "What's your name?"
"Ratagi. Why?" He asked.
"I remember everyone's names in this place," he said, walking up. He was almost a head taller than Ratagi, was very muscular, and had a dark grey beard. Ratagi wasn't good at solving riddles, but he knew he was talking to a Voranite.
"I am King Aldale of Voraia." He said. "I love meeting new people here. I know every man, woman and child by name."
Ratagi gasped. He's never met a Voranite before, let alone a king. Or, he's never seen a true blood Voranite.
He bowed. Aldale laughed. "No need for bowing, as we are all equals here," he said. "And that is how we will crush Anger."
"How?" He asked.
"Our spies are the best in the land," Aldale began, "We are raising an army big enough to destroy Anger and his army of bribed warriors."
"Bribed?" Ratagi questioned.
"Yes, bribed," said king Aldale, "Anger alone bribed all of the Hunter tribes to fight for him. Dishonourable as it is clever and simple."
"How did he bribe them?" Ratagi asked.
"He defeated each tribe's best warriors." Aldale snorted. "I'm no expert, but my people were the fierce Sistinan tribe, or Voranites. We had the same customs- if you are a leader that is challenged, you fight, or you die. If you lose, you lose the title as well as your life. Anger defeated all of the tribe's best warriors and united them all under one banner."
"Oh." Was all Ratagi could say. What else was there to say?
He chuckled. "Well, I must be off. A busy day, that's what days like today are."
Ratagi nodded as Aldale left. He sighed.

* * *
"What are the plans, great king?" Seftis asked the dark form that was one with the mist. "We have assembled three Legions to attack, but if we wait a while longer, there could easily be four, possibly even five."
"Silence!" The voice hissed. "We have been patient. Now is our time to strike!" A hand reached out.
"But if we are patient a little while longer victory will be assured!" Seftis cried.
"Victory is already assured!" It said impatiently. "Assemble the three Legions you have prepared before me and crush this âVault' and any other kinds of resistance!"
He hesitated. "Yes, great king." He said.
"And one more thing."
"Yes, great king?"
"Bring me the boy called Charles."
"Who is Charles?" Seftis asked.
"He is one of the boys who you have failed to capture," it said.
"But, why do we want to capture an unimportant boy?" He asked.
"He is the one that was chosen," it hissed. "And the moment it realizes its true origins, that will be the moment of our doom."
"And how is that?" Seftis asked sceptically.
"Stop asking me questions you fool and prepare the Legions!" The voice snarled. "We attack immediately."
Seftis bowed. "Yes, great king."
As he left, the mist swirled around, and two eyes came into view. "And you can stop watching me!"
Charles gasped as he woke up. "What a dream," he muttered, his heart pounding.

"So, how do I play this game?" Ratagi asked.
"It's easy." Said a Voranite gambler. He took a sip of his ale. "You pick up cards from your deck; throw them down, and who has the best hand wins."
"What are the stakes?" He asked.
"Each man playing must put in five Keps. The winner takes all. If you want to keep playing, throw five more Keps in. Simple enough?"
Ratagi nodded. "Yes, that seems fair." He reached in his pocket, and placed five golden Keps in the middle of the table. He took five cards.
Yes, he thought triumphantly. Three Doggies and two fours.
He was about to throw down when a hand grabbed him from behind.
"Are you crazy?!" Ezekiel said. "These men have been gambling their whole lives. Don't gamble them unless you have money you want to give away."
Already a T'Keth with grey hair won. "I had three Doggies, though!" Ratagi said. "I would have won!"
"Oh," Ezekiel said.
"Well, why'd you help me?" He asked. "Well-" Ezekiel began, but his eyes opened wide.
"What is it?" Ratagi asked.
Ezekiel bolted away.
A crowd had assembled before the gates. "What is it?" He asked again.
"Who goes there?" The Grethinite guard shouted.
"Let me in." A quiet, yet firm and cunning voice ordered.
"Uh, yes sir." He said.
The gates slowly opened, and there, standing tall was a tall man in a dark hooded cloak. He had short dark stubble for a beard.
"Diamor," Ratagi said blankly.
"Where's your troop, Diamor?" Ezekiel asked.
"Dead. All of them," he answered plainly. "They had followed a troop while I was away doing my own business when they attacked them. None had survived."
"You're a lousy leader," muttered Ezekiel. "You've had lead way too many people to their deaths already."
Diamor stared at Ezekiel with the eyes of a hawk. "What was that?" He growled.
"Nothing." Ezekiel squeaked.
"It was not my fault they were killed," Diamor said. "It was not my fault they were stupid enough to go and attack a troop with Seftis leading it."
Gasps and uneasy murmurs spread through the crowd. "What would he be doing in a troop?" One asked uneasily.
"If you're so brave why don't you lead your troop to death or victory like you're supposed to?" Ezekiel said.
"Be careful to whom you are speaking to, fool." Diamor snarled.
Ezekiel was silent.
"What are you waiting around here for?" Diamor shouted. "You should get ready for the impending attack!"
"Attack?" A man asked.
"Yes!" He growled. "I have been scouting around, and somehow," He glanced at Ratagi "They discovered the whereabouts of the vault."
"And now they have prepared an army to take care of this resistance."
"How many?" A person asked.
"Three Legions, at the least." Diamor answered. "And they'll be here in two weeks, at the most."
He waited for everyone to stomach the news he had brought. Most of the people, including the two kings had gathered.
"How will we prepare an army in that time?" Richard asked. "How will we be able to make an army to match one Legion?"
"I don't know, frankly." Diamor said. He lowered his head for a second. "But if this is to be the Vault's last stand," he began, raising his head high. "We have them take a walk through Hell before we go down!"
He turned to king Aldale. "And as an old Voranite saying goes," he said, "a Voranite does not go down without a fight."
Aldale nodded. "For Voraia!" He raised his hand. Every other Voranite raised their fists.
"For T'Keth!" Richard roared, raising his fist. All others, including Ratagi, did so.
"What about Greth?" Charles wondered aloud. He knew he was raised in the West but his true heritage was from Greth.
A few Voranites chuckled. "The East is finished," one said. "There is no heir to preserve the throne."
"What happened to the old king?" Charles asked, walking up.
"He was betrayed by a friend," the same man said. "And was killed."
"Oh." Charles said. "Why don't they find a new king?"
The Voranite laughed scornfully. "Only a true heir is allowed to take the throne." Charles slowly walked away, feeling embarrassed about the whole thing.
Diamor was walking away to who-knows-where when Ratagi ran up and tapped him on the shoulder.
Diamor turned around. "Who- oh, I see you have made it." He stuttered.
"I have a few questions." Ratagi said.
"Um, sure." Diamor said uncomfortably.
"Why did you bring me here?" He demanded.
"Because-" Diamor asked. "I thought we could use a strong fighter." Well, the great Diamor sure seemed confident when speaking to a crowd, but when he talked to Ratagi, he became uncomfortable and awkward.
Ratagi didn't buy it. "Why did you bring me here?" He asked again.
"It's a little complicated right now, and I don't have time for answering questions." Diamor said.
"Fine," He let that question slip, for now. "But I still have a few more questions."
"What?" Diamor asked impatiently.
"I want to know how you became kind of famous around here, because it seems you appear mysterious to everyone's eyes."
Diamor sighed and hesitated, thinking of unwanted memories. "I had once fought off a whole troop of Hunters single handedly, because they had discovered this place." He held his arms out around the Vault. "I had taken down them all, including a famous captain. I was recommended to be promoted to a Shing-an, but I refused."
"Why would you refuse to be a knight?!" He cried. "Any T'Keth would die to receive that honour. Why did you refuse?"
"Because I didn't see to breaking old tradition, being not of noble birth." Diamor explained. "But I don't know if my father was of nobility or not. He had to stay in T'Keth because of some âhonour code'."
He's MAD! Ratagi thought. He speaks nonsense. He mocks the code, and treats it as if it were stupid and irrelevant. He looked very familiar. He just couldn't put his finger on it. And the same question passed his mind. Why did he seem to put a liking into me, and why does he shut up whenever I asks any questions?
"Any more questions?" Diamor asked.
He hesitated. "No." He said at last. He knew that wasn't completely it, but Diamor wouldn't answer any of them, so what was the use?
Whenever he passed someone, they shut up and play nice. But when he talked to Ratagi- he was the one playing nice.
"Would you want to go to the Daroj?" He asked. "Or do you still have some unpacking to do?"
Ratagi sighed. "I don't see why not." He said. "But why?"
He shrugged in return. "I would just want to see how skilled you are." He said.
When they finally got to the Daroj, a large man with a sword guarding the place came into view. It was dark out.
"Who goes there?!" The man snarled.
"Me." Diamor said.
The man smiled, and a worried look crossed his face. "Well, welcome, Diamor!" He greeted him warmly.
Diamor passed. Then, when Ratagi attempted to go through, the man pressed a sword against his throat. "The common folk aren't allowed in here," he growled. "Get out of here."
"He's with me." Diamor said.
"Well, any man of Diamor's is a friend of mine!" He answered. He looked at Ratagi, a smile on his face. "Here," he whispered, giving him small silver Kep. "Don't tell anyone."
Ratagi pushed his hand away, and went inside.
The place was just a long narrow corridor with several rooms on either side. Each room was big enough to fit twenty people inside.
"Here, come on." Diamor called. He was at the very end, and in the room there was a huge room. Training shields armour and wooden swords littered the place.
"Doesn't seem warriors clean up much anymore," Ratagi said. "When I was your age, you would be beaten if you laid things lying around."
"Well, you're not my age anymore, are you?" Diamor said, drawing his sword.
"Um, aren't we supposed to be wearing protective armour, and using wooden weapons?" He asked.
"Well what would be the fun in that?" Diamor said, waiting for Ratagi to draw his sword.
And as soon as he did, Diamor was on him with the speed of a falcon, the grace of a leopard, and the strength of a lion.
Ratagi evaded about twenty blows before he saw a chance to swap from defensive to offensive. He quickly made a quick slash to his assailant's right side, and, just as he had planned, Diamor blocked it. His plan was to follow up with a combination of attacks that would no doubt take his opponent down.
But, as he didn't plan to happen, after Diamor blocked his blow he countered with a powerful slash to his right.
Ratagi blocked it and followed up with a slash, a cut, and a thrust. Diamor blocked the slash and the cut, and jumped backwards away from the cut.
A few Shingan, Nizintias, and Irita knights stared in awe at the man who had challenged Diamor.
"Fifteen Keps on Diamor," a Nizintia said.
"Fifty Keps on Diamor," an Irita said.
"Seventy Keps on the new guy," said a Shingan.
"Ezekiel, you are insane." Somebody said. "Do you honestly think he could take him?"
Ratagi dodged another cut and blocked another slash, and followed up with the strongest combination he had at his disposal. A series of slashes, thrusts and cuts, and it all ended with a downward cut. "I like your fan club," Ratagi said.
Diamor grunted. He was trying to concentrate. He had quite a hard time dodging and blocking everything, but he did- until the ending downward cut, which caught him off guard and disrupted his game plan.
"Oh, Whoa!" Diamor exclaimed.
In the end everything was back to normal. Ratagi's game plan had failed, and his adversary had blocked his strongest combination.
He decided to kick everything up a notch. He sent a huge volley of attacks, each being precise as it could be, moving Diamor where he wanted him to go.
Diamor had been moved to the other end of the room. "I've been holding back, Ratagi," Diamor said as he dodged another blow. "Now it's time to kick it up a notch."
A few murmurings went through the crowd of knights.
"I had a dream like this once," Ratagi said. "Fighting a very powerful rival in front of cheering knights."
"Yes, except the knights were probably cheering for you," Diamor said. "And your âpowerful rival' would be no match for me. I am your worst nightmare!"
When Diamor said "Kick it up a notch", he definitely meant "kick it up a notch." He met each of Ratagi's blows, and countered with a few hundred ruthless and aggressive slashes and cuts, all landing where he wanted them to land. His blows never hit Ratagi, but he was being manoeuvred backwards.
I see how he took down a whole troop of Hunters now, he thought. Diamor never stopped his endless series of attacks, fighting aggressively and relentlessly yet controlled and accurate.
Ratagi, though, didn't really feel like he wanted to be taken down and embarrassed in front of many knights.
Diamor saw an opening and, faster than lightning, took a lunge at Ratagi's exposed side.
Though, Ratagi had been planning to make it seem open, yet it was more protected than it seemed. He quickly blocked the risky move, and made a downward slash, knocking the sword out of Diamor's hands. He took a kick at Diamor's already unbalanced legs, and his adversary was on the ground with a sword pressed against his throat.
There was silence for a minute.
"I'm rich." Ezekiel said, clapping his hands and ruining the moment. "You all lost your bets."
Orbain sighed. And so did every other knight, who all made excuses to pay the young knight later.
Diamor sat there, dumbfounded. "How could I have-" He said.
Then he said "You have fought well, Ratagi." He said. "I have put each strategy to perfection, and yet I still fell for your trap."
Ratagi sheathed his sword. "That was one of the hardest fights I have ever, er, fought." He said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Diamor grinned. "What was your hardest fight?" He asked.
Ratagi looked up and hesitated. "I don't know," he said blankly.
Diamor laughed. Then he sighed. "Well, we've a big day tomorrow, and I must be off now." He turned to leave, but stopped. "Maybe, when this is all overâ¦" He began.
"What?" Ratagi asked.
"â¦Maybe I can get a rematch." He finished.
Ratagi knew that that wasn't it, but he decided to let it go. He never usually held onto small problems long.

Charles sighed. "Sometimes, I wish that we stayed in Tiger's Eye."
"You mean we should stay in Tiger's Eye where we live in the streets, scavenging for food, and having nothing to do?" James laughed. "I'm having a great time here. I hope we never leave!"
"We had plenty of things to do," Charles said. "Remember the pranks you used to pull?"
"Oh, do I." James laughed again. "I used to pull the best pranks ever."
"Well, why don't you make a prank here?" Charles asked.
"So, what, you're for me doing pranks now?" James asked. "I thought you hated my pranks."
"Well, I'm kind of missing the old days, you know? The old days where we used to call Hunters troops." Charles said. "I was always on the inside, laughing myself to death after you've made a prank. Remember that prank on the Hunter when you found that slingshot?"
"Yeah. You bothered me for a week about it."
"You nearly got killed that day." Charles laughed. "Now I just sometimes want to re-enact some of the times when you would get yourself into trouble, you know?" He asked.
"Well, sure, I- I guess so."
"Okay, I just feel like it'd be fun if you and I could pull a prank on someone."
"Sure." James said. "But who?"
Charles thought for a moment. "I know!" He said, and started whispering in James's ear.

"Money, money, sweet as honey, I win it when somebody loses a fight, yes. Yes!" Ezekiel sung when he went into his small house. As he opened the door, a huge bucket filled with water dumped on his head. "What the-" he cried.
The twins were laughing so hard, they didn't notice that the bucket was stuck on Ezekiel's head. Until, that is, when he yelled "It's stuck!"
Finally, when the boys had gotten the bucket off his head, he started chasing them. "Why did you put a bucket filled with water on my door?!" He cried.
"Because we couldn't find any slime!" James was laughing so hard, his sides hurt.
It was a good thing Ezekiel was in a good mood that day, because when he caught up with them, he was laughing. He got them to be quiet and go to sleep.
"Tomorrow's going to be a busy day," Ezekiel said to himself.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE ROAD AHEAD
"The will to win is worthless if you do not have the will to prepare."
â" Thane Yost

Today was a pretty busy day from the start. Everyone had wakened up fairly early and went to prepare for the coming "storm" as people were calling it. Everybody, the children, the woman, everybody chipped in to help get prepared.
"Where is Diamor?" Ezekiel growled. "That coward is running away from the fight. Or at least from work."
"Certainly not, fool."
"Where did you come from?" Ezekiel cried, staggering back and falling into a small water trough. James laughed so hard he started choking on the apple he was eating and Charles had to hit him on the back.
"I came in just a few minutes ago," he said.
"Where were you?" Ezekiel asked.
"The front where the battle will take place," he said.
"What front?" Ezekiel asked. "I thought the battle will take place here."
"No, it won't." Diamor said. "Richard and I have been planning this battle all night."
"And how did you do that?" Ezekiel asked.
"We played Chess."
Ezekiel laughed. "Oh. You're serious."
"Yes, we set up our divisions of soldiers and where they go." He sighed. "Even if we work day and night for three weeks, they'll still outnumber us a good three to one."
"We still have a chance, though, right?" James asked.
Diamor nodded. Ezekiel shook his head.
"Where is Richard, anyway?" Ezekiel asked.
"He's at the Daroj, training." Diamor explained. He groaned. "I must be off now."
"Where are you going?" Ezekiel asked.
"Nowhere special," Diamor said.
Just then, a short man charged into Diamor. "I'm sorry! Oh, I must tell the king. Oh, we're doomed!"
"What in the world are you blabbering about?" Diamor barked.
"Seems that you were wrong about the Hunters coming here in about a week," the man said. "They're going to be here tomorrow!"
"What?" Diamor gasped. "What kind of powerful magic is at work here?"
"Excuse me, I must warn King Richard," he yelled, and bolted away.
"The Daroj is that way." Diamor pointed right.
"Oh," the man said, and turned the other way. "Must warn Richard!"
"What was that?" Ratagi asked, walking up.
Diamor sighed. "The battle is coming earlier than I expected." He said. "We are up against some powerful sorcery here."
"Wha-" Ratagi began. "Well, when will they be here?" He asked.
"Tomorrow." Diamor explained.
"What?" A man asked. "Tomorrow?" He panicked. He ran, screaming in the streets. "The Hunters will be here tomorrow! We're doomed!"
Diamor put his face in his hands. "This is pitiful."
Pretty soon the whole streets were going around, screaming "The Hunters are here! We are all doomed!"
Diamor groaned. "You're all pathetic."
"How is screaming in the streets going to help us?" Charles asked.
"You make a pretty persuasive argument there, kid." Said Diamor irreverently.
"Then why don't you tell them?" Charles asked.
"Maybe they'll get this out of their systems." Diamor groaned.
"They won't get this out of their systems until they actually get here," Charles said. "And this is demoralizing as much as it is annoying."
Diamor nodded. "Stop panicking!" He called. The people stopped to see what Diamor wanted to say. "How is screaming and crying going to help anything?" He asked. "Never before in my life have I seen people of your kinds act so pathetic before."
Everyone stopped then to listen to Diamor, but it wasn't Diamor who was going to continue. "Yes, and so what if they're coming here tomorrow, today, or in a week?" Charles said. "When I first heard of this place, I though of people laughing at the face of danger. Laughing at the face of death or defeat. One thing I've learned from living in the streets of Tiger's Eye, or the journey I had to get here is-"
A fairly large crowd had gathered to see a young kid making a rallying speech. "-If you get knocked down, you get up again. You don't wait for death, you fall down; you get up and fight back!" Charles continued. "If I hadn't followed that philosophy, I wouldn't be here right now."
"And I thought when I got here that if anyone here were faced with adversity or hardship on the road today, you wouldn't look at the hardship-you look to the road ahead. To see what lies ahead."
Some murmurs went through the crowd. Diamor was nodding. "Didn't think I could have said that as well as you could have." He mumbled.
Charles little speech had quite a bit of an effect on everyone else, because they got to work, working tenfold.
"How did you do that?" James asked, obviously shocked. "I've never heard you talk like that before."
"I don't know, it just-" Charles mumbled, embarrassed.
"Well, I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat." James said. "Oh, and while you're at it, there's a very mean person who hangs around and plays cards, and I think I have a perfect prank for him, but I need your help-"
Charles laughed. "James," he said, "It's good to have you back."

* * *

"Here we are," the Hunter Lord said loudly. "The Dangerous Forest of Gan, or so the Hunters call it."
"Is it given that name for a reason?" A young Minor asked. He hugged his spear tightly, obviously afraid of what dangers that await him inside.
"Aye," Seftis smiled viciously, "it is."
The Three Legions were resting by the forest's borders. All was silent, except for a light wind that ruffled the trees. Soldiers went about their duties discreetly, keeping an eye on the forest.
Seftis just stared at the forest with a cruel and grim smile across his face. He knew that this battle will be a massacre. The enemy rebels weren't ready for anything. They couldn't have raised up an army a fourth the size of one of their mighty Legions, and because of the help of Anger's unmatched power, they got their nine times as fast as they hoped for.
"Sire, we have company." A Corrupt walked up, holding his full face helmet by his side.
"What company?" Seftis asked.
"Many Nobles are here." The knight said. "Ekogodne`, Destiny, and a few more have come. What shall I tell them?"
"Tell them to get away from my Legions before they taint their loyal hearts like they tainted the hearts of the people they call Hates!" Seftis howled. "Three whole Legions of battle-hardened Hunter warriors can take care of a few common rebels."
"But it is best not to get on their bad sides," the knight said.
Seftis grinned. "Like they could mess with an all powerful Hunter Lord like me."
The knight bowed his head. "Yes, great lord." He put his armoured fist to his chest and left.
A few moments later, a tall man in a dark black cloak, holding two curved swords approached Seftis. He turned and chuckled. "Go away," he said. "We can finish these rebels without your help."
Destiny scowled. "I want to fight by your side as little as you do, but it was Anger's wish, not mine."
Seftis moaned. "Fine," he said at last. "But I am in charge of this battle, not you."
Destiny chuckled. "It is said the most influential and powerful warrior on the field is the leader." He said.
"Hmm," Seftis laughed. "You must do more research to back up your source, for it is the man who controls the best army."
"And if you'd like, we could pit my Legions against your Hates, and we'll see who is superior." He hesitated. "And we'd still be strong enough to take down the rebels hiding in the forest."
Destiny scowled. "Fine. I put my Hates under your command."
Seftis laughed loudly. "It would be a great dishonour to command weak militia warriors. And if I do, I wouldn't use them if my life depended on it."
Destiny nodded. "You will use them," he hissed. "Or you will encounter my bad side."
"So that was your good side," Seftis laughed.
"It was, and you won't like my bad side." Destiny said. He disappeared. Seftis shook his head. A large War Chieftain ran up. He wore ceremonial beads, and carried a large warhammer, and had two others in his belt.
"What are your orders, great lord?" He asked.
"Put the Hates in the back of my Legions," Seftis said. "And, unless the circumstances were dire, do not send them into battle."
"It shall be done, my lord." The Chieftain said, and left. He started barking orders to other troops.
Seftis smiled. "This will be fun." He drew his sword. "Outcaster shall be used again."
But deep down, he wanted to lose. He wanted to go back home. He hadn't seen his family in twenty years. And he'd like to go back. But, of course, he had to deal with these rebels first.
"Time to move!" Seftis barked.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

SO SHALL IT BE
"All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty."
-George S. Patton

Ratagi put on his helmet. He was ready to die, or to live. He was ready for victory, or to be beaten. He had used his sword many times in his journey to get here, but this time, he knew he would use it the most now.
"Let's get this over with," He said to himself. He drew his sword, and noticed the strange lettering. He still couldn't make out what it said. Probably doesn't mean anything, he thought.
He went outside, and saw many soldiers- some young, some old, some his age. All were wearing grim faces, hoping for the worst.
The Voranite king looked like he was bred for war. He held two axes in his hands, a mace in his belt and a sword on his back. He didn't wear any armour, and was painted all over his face and chest.
All knew the battle would take place in the open plains. Large groups of Shingan were going to guard the western flank by guarding a mountain pass that the enemy could flank them with.
The Voranite army was posted in the east. Prince Richard, the rest of the people of T'Keth and the meagre warriors of Greth were posted in the middle, to fight head on in battle.
The enemy outnumbered them a paltry five to one at the least, and that was yesterday. There could easily be reinforcements coming by to get to take them down.
It had taken a while to get ready, but they were prepared for the worst when the banners of the three Legions came into view. And holding the banner, in the very front line, was none other than-
"Seftis," Ratagi hissed. It had been more than twenty years when he had lost against him, and he was eager for a rematch.
"My fellow T'Keths and Grethinites and Voranites," Richard called, riding his white stallion. "Long ago, we had been crushed by the raging armies of Anger and his vast armies. He had enslaved us, hurt us, and murdered us."
"But now," he continued, "There is chances renewed to win back our freedom!"
He hesitated. "If we are to fall," he continued, "If we are to die, then so shall it be. So shall it be. But no weapon they've got can take away what's true and pure to us!"
He drew his sword. "Our freedom is a right that has been given to us, and we are not going to let them take it away!"
"And what they don't know is that if death is the toll, then so shall it be." He raised his sword. "So shall it be. And what else they don't know is that if we die, we don't die as slaves." He pointed his sword to the enemy. "We die as free men!"
The soldiers cheered loudly.
"And today, we unite the Three Kingdoms to fight as one!" Richard roared. "For Voraia!"
The men cheered.
"For Greth!" The soldiers cheered again.
"For T'Keth!" Richard then roared at the top of his lungs "FOR MANS TELWAR!" This time, every man cheered, whether he was a Voranite, a Grethinite, or a T'Keth, they all cheered as loudly as they could.
The enemy was very close. It was so vast, that the army couldn't see the end of it.
The Hunter lines parted, and a man ran out. "You seem to have started up quite a fuss," he said. "How about you surrender now, and we assure you, not all of you will die."
An arrow flew at the man's feet. He gasped, and leapt back, running away. Arrows started flying at either side. The battle had truly begun.
"I'm hungry," Ezekiel said to himself.
"Then you should have eaten before you came here," a big knight snarled.
"I tried, but there was no time," Ezekiel said.
The knight shook his head. "I wonder why they put us here," he said to himself. "There is no way the enemy even know about this mountain pass."
"Actually-" Orbain began, staring at the distance. "Never in all my days-" He started.
A huge black army rose by the mountain pass. "These are no Hunter's I've ever seen before," the knight said shakily.
"They're Hates." Orbain said. "They were the normal shock troop of the Black Empire before the Hunters arrived.
"They look pretty creepy." Ezekiel said unsteadily.
Orbain laughed grimly. "Haven't you noticed there's none of them around?" He asked, and answered his own question. "Because they've become obsolete! They're not half as good as the average Hunter is. They're all intimidation."
Ezekiel made a short sigh of relief. "They sure are coming at us fast," he pointed out. "Seems they're eager to die."
"Wait, who is that?" The knight pointed at a person in the back.
The few hundred knights all gasped. "That is no Hate," Orbain said. "That is-it's-"
"Destiny," Destiny said, smiling. He charged, along with the Hates. They both clashed.
It was massacre! The Hates stood no chance against T'Keths most brutal and most well trained force. The Hates fell by the tens and after a minute the hundreds- but one thing was a problem. Destiny was little faster than the Shingan. He was also as brutal as they were. He played with them, charging around them, a blur to the naked eye. He went here and there, slashing wildly at the T'Keth knights. He didn't kill anyone, but he demoralized them and ruined their games plan. But there was someone who came into view who did know how to kill.
"What is that?!" Ezekiel cried as he finished off another Hate. There, standing on a hill, was a wicked looking beast with the body of a huge muscular man, but the legs, hands and head of a huge jackal.
Ekogodne` sneered as he leapt toward the knights, throwing them aside like ragdolls. He leapt up and kicked the Shingan right in the face.
Orbain charged Ekogodne` with the agility and cunning of a fox. He took down three Hates on the way, and threw a volley of slashes and cuts that would break any other attacker into pieces. Ekogodne` blocked all but one cut, which nearly severed his hands. He howled in pain, and ran away, squealing.
Destiny charged Orbain, who put his sword in front of him. Destiny, though, jumped out of the way just in time, only to be cut by Ezekiel. He gasped, and jumped away to a safe distance.
The Hates all fled and were replaced by more Hates. The knights had barely any losses, but the Hate's were awful. They stood no chance against them at all.
"They're retreating!" Ezekiel cried.
"Perfect." Orbain said to himself. "But the battle has only begun."

Ratagi leapt out of the way of another Hunter's cut and charged and fell another enemy soldier. The main battle was utter chaos. Nothing but the sound of the clash of sword and shield, and the thundering of the horse's hooves as it pounded the ground with a mighty force.
"I can barely breathe," he muttered to himself as he choked on the dust that the horses and the feet of thousands mustered from the ground.
He saw a huge Chieftain watching him. He pounded his war hammer, sending three men flying. He charged Ratagi.
He definitely has a height and strength advantage, he thought to himself. He leapt out of the way just in time as the Chieftain's war hammer hit the ground full force that could have smashed his bones into a thousand pieces.
It was Ratagi's turn. He leapt towards the attacker, slashing at him with extreme speed. The Chieftain, though, was fast enough to bring his big hammer to guard him as his sword's stroke fell.
The Chieftain then used his hammer's long handle to hit Ratagi straight in the face, sending him flying. He got up, and saw the Chieftain moving up to finish the job. He quickly stuck his sword into his relentless adversary. The Chieftain dropped his hammer, but did not fall. He grabbed Ratagi by the throat and started to choke him.
He dropped his sword and started striking his hands with all his might. The Chieftain's hands lost grip, but he still held on. Ratagi struck him in the face. He groaned, and it was just enough time for Ratagi to pick up his sword, and drive it right through the Chieftain. He groaned, and fell over.
Ratagi wiped blood off his nose and spat on the ground. He continued fightingâ¦

"Has the battle started yet?" James asked, peering at the long line of soldiers. It was very far away, but there were so many soldiers there, he could easily see them.
"No James," Charles said sardonically. "They're greeting each other before they fight."
James rolled his eyes. They were both sitting at the city's wooden walls, watching as the two lines of people clashed. The battle was on open grassland, and at the far left there was a small grey group fighting a large line of dark colored warriors. The knights, no doubt fighting whatever the Nobles could give them.
"I wonder where mister Ratagi is," James asked himself. "I hope he's okay."
"I don't know," Charles muttered. "It could be anybody's guess.
Both of them jumped as they heard a long, powerful roarâ¦

"What is that?" A knight cried as a strange wolf like creature with two stripes across its back came into view. It charged the nearest warrior, its claws going through armour like butter. The warrior screamed in pain, flying through the air.
Orbain charged. He slashed at the beast, but it was too quick. It leapt out of the way, and, behind him, pounced. Its claws tore through Orbain's side, slicing through his armour.
He cried, and fell on his back as Rohia slowly moved in on its prey.
"NO!" Ezekiel cried. He charged Rohia and made a series of wild slashes. One, as luck would have it, caught Rohia in the back of his neck. He groaned in pain, turned to his new attacker, and leapt at his opponent.
Ezekiel instinctively put his sword in front of him, where Rohia leaped into it, unable to stop in time. The sword was buried up to its hilt in Rohia's chest, and he gargled helplessly, then collapsed.
Ezekiel got up and took his sword out of the lifeless beast. "Orbain!" He cried. He ran to his master. "Are you okay?"
But it was too late. Orbain lay on the ground, lifeless. "No, no, NO!" Ezekiel cried. He got up, and charged the mass of Hates.
"This is for Orbain!" He snarled. "You will pay for what you have done!" He sent a volley of slashes. Many Hates turned to run, but none got escaped of the newfound power possessed by Ezekiel. Only three Hates survived, running wildly away.

"Where am I?" Ratagi muttered to himself as the battle turned from chaos to confusion. People were bumping against their enemies as they tried to find their own sides again- and right after that, they attacked again, more furious than before.
He fell another Hunter and tried to get away from this mass confusion. Then, something magnificent happened- the Hunters started falling back, running away.
"They're retreating!" Richard cried. The warriors all cried and cheered wearily in triumph as the enemy ran away.
Ratagi then remembered something that had been told to him long ago. "Hunters do not retreat," he said to himself. "They are going to get reinforcements."
Then he saw that the army they were fighting was way too small to be three Legions. This was one Legion. They didn't even commit more then a third of their forces, and the Vaults army was already exhausted and beaten.
"They aren't running away!" Ratagi shouted desperately.
But it was too late for that. Because then, the Hunter Army came over the ridge, three times bigger then before. It was their main force. Chieftains held banners high and proudly as the three Legions closed in on them.
"Oh, no!" Richard cried. He rode around, shouting "Reform the lines! Reform the lines!"
And over by the enemy's side, Seftis was smiling "This battle has only just begun."

CHAPTER NINETEEN
RETURNING THE FAVORS
"No dictator, no invader, can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, Castles and tyrants and armies cannot stand."
-J. Michael Straczynski

Charles shifted his weight to the side uneasily. "The Hunters are coming back for a second round," he said to James, panic stricken.
"Hey, you remember when we used to call the Hunters âtroops'?" James asked.
"This is serious!" Charles said.
"So am I."
"There are so many Hunters that they make our force seem like a bug."
"Ew! Don't use the word âbug'." James said.
"Oh, shut up." Charles rolled his eyes. "I hope Ratagi's all right."
"Well, I'm sure he is." James said. "It'll take more than just a few Hunters to stop him."

Ratagi took down another Hunter and leapt back as he saw a Chieftain. Don't want to pick a fight with one of those again, he thought, spinelessly. Then, he noticed a big Hunter with a long sword, and an angry look on his face as he fell brave soldiers by the minute. It was Seftis.
Ratagi charged at him, slashing wildly at the Hunter Lord, who blocked them all with ease and countered with a quick slash that he quickly dodged. Then, suddenly, as if under a spell, his bravery left him completely. He ran away, as fast as his feet could carry him. Seftis smiled, and followed him closely.
Ratagi ran away so fast, he left the battlefield.
He panted, leaning by a tree.
"Why'd you run?" Seftis asked, making Ratagi jump. "I wanted you to die in front of your infidel comrades." He made a fast slash to Ratagi's head, and he ducked to dodge it.
"You know, I have to thank you for all this," Seftis said as he made a short combination of cuts and thrusts. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be here."
He smiled. "Thanks to your map, we wouldn't have found this place." He laughed, and made a quick thrust, which was repelled. "Because of you, this resistance will be crushed and Anger shall reign invincible once more."
Ratagi couldn't take it anymore. He sent a quick volley of attacks, which was blocked by a very confused Seftis.
He then made a quick thrust and a cut, and Seftis had to leap back to dodge it. But that gave him a chance to attack. He sent a long combination of cuts and slashes, driving Ratagi back. Then, he immediately started fighting back, viciously slashing and cutting, and dodging and/or blocking every single counter that Seftis could throw at him.
At last, Ratagi hit him in the helmet. Seftis groaned, and took it off, throwing it aside and putting his hand on his head. Ratagi quickly leapt at him, slashing wildly, when Seftis saw a small gap in his defence, and made a quick slash at it.
He howled in pain, clutching his side as blood started dripping off his leather armour.
Seftis laughed. "Now," he said, raising his sword, "You die."
Then, something remarkable happened. He heard a noise, turned, and saw a huge Shingan knight in very old armour walk up.
"What the-" Seftis began, but it was too late. The knight made a slash with his mighty sword, and Seftis fell over, groaning in pain from a cut in his chest.
"You-!" Ratagi began.
"Yes, Ratagi of the west," said the knight. "I came here to return the favour."
"Well, how did you get here?" Ratagi asked, still clutching his side.
"Well, it wasn't easy," said the knight. "But I have my methods of travel."
"Well, why did you come here?" Ratagi asked.
"To simply return the favour," the knight said. "I knew about the Vault all along. I'm a T'Keth, you know."
"Well, thank you, great knight, but I must be on my way back."
The knight nodded. "And, just so you know, I do have a name," he said.
"You have never told me, though." Ratagi said.
"I am Kasdid. Twelfth rank Shingan."
Ratagi gasped. "I have heard legends about you," he said. He then turned back. "I have to go," he said. "And thank you for helping me."
"You speak as if you go alone," he said. "But I intend to go with you."
"Why?" He asked.
"I still have some unfinished business to take care of," he said, and went towards the battle. "It's a good thing Seftis won't bother us anymore. He beat me in a fight across the bridge and forced me to let him pass.
Ratagi followed him.

"There is so many of them," said king Aldale, falling a Hunter with a swing of his axe.
"Well, Voranites have been outnumbered before," sad Richard, riding up. His armour was coated in blood, some his own, for there was a very bad leg wound from what looked to be a spear wound. "Do you not remember the Battle of the Summits?"
Aldale made a face. "That hurts just to look at it; you should get out of here and attending your wound, Richard." He said.
"I must fight still, because if I go and treat my wound yet we lose the battle, I die still." He explained. He grimaced from the pain. "I do not flee today." He turned to two figures; one armoured walking slowly towards them. "Who are you?"
"I am Ratagi," he said.
"And I," the knight said, taking the helmet off his head, "am Kasdid."
"I thought you were killed in battle!" Richard cried. "You were my father's most prized knight."
Kasdid smiled. "No. I was imprisoned, but now I am free. And I plan to have revenge on these Hunters." He turned, and charged the mass of warriors.
Ratagi sighed, tore off his leather mail and a piece of his shirt, and wrapped it around his wound. He then rejoined the fray.
"He has more courage than I thought," said a Noble named Chaos.
"Yes," said a voice. "And it's time I interferedâ¦"
Charles sighed, and drew his sword. "I wish I could help fight," he said. "I would be a hero. I would be-"
"Dead," James interrupted. He was looking solemnly as the Legions of Anger pushed the meagre warriors of the kingdoms back.
Charles looked up. "Oh. It's just that stupid bird." He picked up a rock and threw it. "Stupid bird!"
"I don't see any bird," James said. "You're crazy."
"But I do see him," Charles said. "It's as plain as your mind."
James stuck his tongue out at Charles, who rolled his eyes. The black bird went slowly towards the battle. "Maybe it isn't any ordinary bird," he said. "Maybe it's a Noble who is spying on us."
James chuckled. "You sure have a strange imagination, Charles."
"You're the one with the imagination, James." Charles said, watching the bird fly towards the battle. "And I really did see that bird."
Ratagi was surrounded by Hunters. He tried everything to repel them off, but there was too many of them. He waved his sword around, knowing that it would only postpone his doom. Then, he remembered something.
"You will know when to use itâ¦" The soft words the old man repeated in his mind. He sighed as he repelled another Hunter slash. "Help me!" He shouted, his hand moving slowly towards the pendant around his neck.
At first, there was nothing. Then, out of nowhere came a huge grey beast, saving Ratagi as it swatted Anger's troops away like flies.
"It's a Hershbe!" Someone cried.
"A what!?" Another man cried.
"RUN!" The Hunters scrambled away from the huge beast. It turned to Ratagi, and he knew that it had returned a favour.
"I knew you would remember," said a soft voice in Ratagi's mind.
The Voranites all drew arrows and pointed them at the Hershbe. It roared.
"No! Stop! The Hershbe has come to help us." Ratagi said." He turned to the Hershbe, who lowered his head, beckoning for him to come closer.
"Eh?" Asked a Voranite, confused.
Ratagi walked up, and the Hershbe kneeled on the ground. "You want me to- to ride you?" He asked in disbelief. The Hershbe waited patiently.
Finally, he shook his head. "You go find somebody who wants to-" The Hershbe twitched its head, and Ratagi went sailing onto its back. "Ah!" He cried, and looked down at the ground. As a little boy, Ratagi had been afraid of heights, and now, all the fear was returning to him. Then, he stared ahead, and saw a raven going at him at full speed. "Hey!" He cried as the raven flew straight at his face, scratching him with its talons.
He groaned and fell off of the Hershbe. His head ached from the ten foot fall and his face stung from the raven, which was going for a second attack.
He shielded his eyes, but it wasn't a raven coming down on him anymore- it was a beast with dark black fur and claws, and two marble like eyes.
The panther quickly overwhelmed him and started snapping and biting at him, but Ratagi immediately got a surge of energy and he threw it off as it shape-shifted into a huge, thick snake.
It hissed, and Ratagi's first instinct was to attack it- and so he slashed with his sword- and it chipped a scale.
The snake lunged at him, and coiled around him and started to squeeze him.
He couldn't breathe in, or out. He struggled, but he couldn't move as the snake's face moved close to his. He knew it could kill him with a single bite with its huge fangs. But just before it could, the Hershbe came back, and peeled the snake's mighty grip off and threw it away. It roared.
Ratagi got up to see what was going on. Then, he saw him.
Seftis had come back. His eyes burned with a fire like none he has ever seen. His eyes were set on him.
He charged. He blocked, and he knew deep down this will be the most difficult fight he will ever have to do.

Ratagi yawned as he got up from a long sleep. He went to explore the fortress a little bit more. He had found a nice empty wooden house to sleep in. The people were constantly building, but they weren't today. He walked down the busy road, towards a group of men gathered around a table.\r\n\r\n     "Hey!" James called. He was with a few other kids, who were playing some kind of game that involved sword fighting with sticks.\r\n     "I just saved you from a Hunter warrior by killing him," a kid said to James.\r\n     "Well, I saved you from a Hunter, too."\r\n     "No you didn't," he said.\r\n     "Well at least I've fought a Hunter in real life!" James said.\r\n     "Oh, no! More Hunter troops!" The kid yelled, and they continued to wave around their sticks and making fighting noises.\r\n\r\n     "Hello," a smiling man said, walking up. "What's your name?"\r\n     "Ratagi. Why?" He asked.\r\n     "I remember everyone's names in this place," he said, walking up. He was almost a head taller than Ratagi, was very muscular, and had a dark grey beard. Ratagi wasn't good at solving riddles, but he knew he was talking to a Voranite.\r\n"I am King Aldale of Voraia." He said. "I love meeting new people here. I know every man, woman and child by name."\r\n     Ratagi gasped. He's never met a Voranite before, let alone a king. Or, he's never seen a true blood Voranite.\r\n     He bowed. Aldale laughed. "No need for bowing, as we are all equals here," he said. "And that is how we will crush Anger."\r\n     "How?" He asked.\r\n     "Our spies are the best in the land," Aldale began, "We are raising an army big enough to destroy Anger and his army of bribed warriors."\r\n     "Bribed?" Ratagi questioned.\r\n     "Yes, bribed," said king Aldale, "Anger alone bribed all of the Hunter tribes to fight for him. Dishonourable as it is clever and simple."\r\n     "How did he bribe them?" Ratagi asked.\r\n     "He defeated each tribe's best warriors." Aldale snorted. "I'm no expert, but my people were the fierce Sistinan tribe, or Voranites. We had the same customs- if you are a leader that is challenged, you fight, or you die. If you lose, you lose the title as well as your life. Anger defeated all of the tribe's best warriors and united them all under one banner."\r\n     "Oh." Was all Ratagi could say. What else was there to say?\r\n     He chuckled. "Well, I must be off. A busy day, that's what days like today are."\r\n     Ratagi nodded as Aldale left. He sighed.\r\n\r\n                                                 *                         *                         *\r\n     "What are the plans, great king?" Seftis asked the dark form that was one with the mist. "We have assembled three Legions to attack, but if we wait a while longer, there could easily be four, possibly even five."\r\n     "Silence!" The voice hissed. "We have been patient. Now is our time to strike!" A hand reached out.\r\n     "But if we are patient a little while longer victory will be assured!" Seftis cried.\r\n     "Victory is already assured!" It said impatiently. "Assemble the three Legions you have prepared before me and crush this â��Vault' and any other kinds of resistance!"\r\n     He hesitated. "Yes, great king." He said.\r\n     "And one more thing."\r\n     "Yes, great king?"\r\n      "Bring me the boy called Charles."\r\n     "Who is Charles?" Seftis asked.      \r\n     "He is one of the boys who you have failed to capture," it said.\r\n     "But, why do we want to capture an unimportant boy?" He asked.\r\n     "He is the one that was chosen," it hissed. "And the moment it realizes its true origins, that will be the moment of our doom."\r\n     "And how is that?" Seftis asked sceptically.\r\n     "Stop asking me questions you fool and prepare the Legions!" The voice snarled. "We attack immediately."\r\n     Seftis bowed. "Yes, great king."\r\n     As he left, the mist swirled around, and two eyes came into view. "And you can stop watching me!"\r\nCharles gasped as he woke up. "What a dream," he muttered, his heart pounding.  \r\n                  \r\n     "So, how do I play this game?" Ratagi asked.\r\n     "It's easy." Said a Voranite gambler. He took a sip of his ale. "You pick up cards from your deck; throw them down, and who has the best hand wins."\r\n     "What are the stakes?" He asked.\r\n     "Each man playing must put in five Keps. The winner takes all. If you want to keep playing, throw five more Keps in. Simple enough?"\r\n     Ratagi nodded. "Yes, that seems fair." He reached in his pocket, and placed five golden Keps in the middle of the table. He took five cards.\r\n     Yes, he thought triumphantly. Three Doggies and two fours.\r\n     He was about to throw down when a hand grabbed him from behind.\r\n     "Are you crazy?!" Ezekiel said. "These men have been gambling their whole lives. Don't gamble them unless you have money you want to give away."\r\n     Already a T'Keth with grey hair won. "I had three Doggies, though!" Ratagi said. "I would have won!"\r\n     "Oh," Ezekiel said.\r\n     "Well, why'd you help me?" He asked. "Well-" Ezekiel began, but his eyes opened wide.\r\n     "What is it?" Ratagi asked.\r\n     Ezekiel bolted away.\r\n     A crowd had assembled before the gates. "What is it?" He asked again.\r\n     "Who goes there?" The Grethinite guard shouted.\r\n     "Let me in." A quiet, yet firm and cunning voice ordered.\r\n     "Uh, yes sir." He said.\r\n     The gates slowly opened, and there, standing tall was a tall man in a dark hooded cloak. He had short dark stubble for a beard.\r\n     "Diamor," Ratagi said blankly.\r\n     "Where's your troop, Diamor?" Ezekiel asked.\r\n     "Dead. All of them," he answered plainly. "They had followed a troop while I was away doing my own business when they attacked them. None had survived."\r\n     "You're a lousy leader," muttered Ezekiel. "You've had lead way too many people to their deaths already."\r\n     Diamor stared at Ezekiel with the eyes of a hawk. "What was that?" He growled.\r\n     "Nothing." Ezekiel squeaked.           \r\n     "It was not my fault they were killed," Diamor said. "It was not my fault they were stupid enough to go and attack a troop with Seftis leading it."\r\n     Gasps and uneasy murmurs spread through the crowd. "What would he be doing in a troop?" One asked uneasily.\r\n     "If you're so brave why don't you lead your troop to death or victory like you're supposed to?" Ezekiel said.\r\n     "Be careful to whom you are speaking to, fool." Diamor snarled.\r\n     Ezekiel was silent.\r\n     "What are you waiting around here for?" Diamor shouted. "You should get ready for the impending attack!"\r\n     "Attack?" A man asked.   \r\n     "Yes!" He growled. "I have been scouting around, and somehow," He glanced at Ratagi "They discovered the whereabouts of the vault."\r\n     "And now they have prepared an army to take care of this resistance."\r\n     "How many?" A person asked.\r\n     "Three Legions, at the least." Diamor answered. "And they'll be here in two weeks, at the most."\r\n     He waited for everyone to stomach the news he had brought. Most of the people, including the two kings had gathered.\r\n     "How will we prepare an army in that time?" Richard asked. "How will we be able to make an army to match one Legion?"\r\n     "I don't know, frankly." Diamor said. He lowered his head for a second. "But if this is to be the Vault's last stand," he began, raising his head high. "We have them take a walk through Hell before we go down!"\r\n     He turned to king Aldale. "And as an old Voranite saying goes," he said, "a Voranite does not go down without a fight."\r\n     Aldale nodded. "For Voraia!" He raised his hand. Every other Voranite raised their fists.\r\n     "For T'Keth!" Richard roared, raising his fist. All others, including Ratagi, did so.    \r\n     "What about Greth?" Charles wondered aloud. He knew he was raised in the West but his true heritage was from Greth.\r\n     A few Voranites chuckled. "The East is finished," one said. "There is no heir to preserve the throne."\r\n     "What happened to the old king?" Charles asked, walking up.\r\n     "He was betrayed by a friend," the same man said. "And was killed."\r\n     "Oh." Charles said. "Why don't they find a new king?"\r\nThe Voranite laughed scornfully. "Only a true heir is allowed to take the throne." Charles slowly walked away, feeling embarrassed about the whole thing.\r\n     Diamor was walking away to who-knows-where when Ratagi ran up and tapped him on the shoulder.\r\n     Diamor turned around. "Who- oh, I see you have made it." He stuttered.\r\n     "I have a few questions." Ratagi said.\r\n     "Um, sure." Diamor said uncomfortably.    \r\n     "Why did you bring me here?" He demanded.\r\n     "Because-" Diamor asked. "I thought we could use a strong fighter." Well, the great Diamor sure seemed confident when speaking to a crowd, but when he talked to Ratagi, he became uncomfortable and awkward.\r\n     Ratagi didn't buy it. "Why did you bring me here?" He asked again.\r\n     "It's a little complicated right now, and I don't have time for answering questions." Diamor said.\r\n     "Fine," He let that question slip, for now. "But I still have a few more questions."\r\n     "What?" Diamor asked impatiently.      \r\n     "I want to know how you became kind of famous around here, because it seems you appear mysterious to everyone's eyes."\r\n     Diamor sighed and hesitated, thinking of unwanted memories. "I had once fought off a whole troop of Hunters single handedly, because they had discovered this place." He held his arms out around the Vault. "I had taken down them all, including a famous captain. I was recommended to be promoted to a Shing-an, but I refused."\r\n     "Why would you refuse to be a knight?!" He cried. "Any T'Keth would die to receive that honour. Why did you refuse?"\r\n     "Because I didn't see to breaking old tradition, being not of noble birth." Diamor explained. "But I don't know if my father was of nobility or not. He had to stay in T'Keth because of some â��honour code'."\r\n     He's MAD! Ratagi thought. He speaks nonsense. He mocks the code, and treats it as if it were stupid and irrelevant. He looked very familiar. He just couldn't put his finger on it. And the same question passed his mind. Why did he seem to put a liking into me, and why does he shut up whenever I asks any questions?\r\n     "Any more questions?" Diamor asked.         \r\nHe hesitated. "No." He said at last. He knew that wasn't completely it, but Diamor wouldn't answer any of them, so what was the use?\r\nWhenever he passed someone, they shut up and play nice. But when he talked to Ratagi- he was the one playing nice.\r\n     "Would you want to go to the Daroj?" He asked. "Or do you still have some unpacking to do?"\r\n     Ratagi sighed. "I don't see why not." He said. "But why?"\r\n     He shrugged in return. "I would just want to see how skilled you are." He said.\r\n     When they finally got to the Daroj, a large man with a sword guarding the place came into view. It was dark out.\r\n     "Who goes there?!" The man snarled.\r\n     "Me." Diamor said.\r\n     The man smiled, and a worried look crossed his face. "Well, welcome, Diamor!" He greeted him warmly.\r\n     Diamor passed. Then, when Ratagi attempted to go through, the man pressed a sword against his throat. "The common folk aren't allowed in here," he growled. "Get out of here."\r\n     "He's with me." Diamor said.\r\n     "Well, any man of Diamor's is a friend of mine!" He answered. He looked at Ratagi, a smile on his face. "Here," he whispered, giving him small silver Kep. "Don't tell anyone."\r\nRatagi pushed his hand away, and went inside.\r\n     The place was just a long narrow corridor with several rooms on either side. Each room was big enough to fit twenty people inside.\r\n     "Here, come on." Diamor called. He was at the very end, and in the room there was a huge room. Training shields armour and wooden swords littered the place.\r\n     "Doesn't seem warriors clean up much anymore," Ratagi said. "When I was your age, you would be beaten if you laid things lying around."\r\n     "Well, you're not my age anymore, are you?" Diamor said, drawing his sword.\r\n     "Um, aren't we supposed to be wearing protective armour, and using wooden weapons?" He asked.\r\n     "Well what would be the fun in that?" Diamor said, waiting for Ratagi to draw his sword.\r\n     And as soon as he did, Diamor was on him with the speed of a falcon, the grace of a leopard, and the strength of a lion.\r\n     Ratagi evaded about twenty blows before he saw a chance to swap from defensive to offensive. He quickly made a quick slash to his assailant's right side, and, just as he had planned, Diamor blocked it. His plan was to follow up with a combination of attacks that would no doubt take his opponent down.\r\n     But, as he didn't plan to happen, after Diamor blocked his blow he countered with a powerful slash to his right.\r\n     Ratagi blocked it and followed up with a slash, a cut, and a thrust. Diamor blocked the slash and the cut, and jumped backwards away from the cut.\r\n     A few Shingan, Nizintias, and Irita knights stared in awe at the man who had challenged Diamor.\r\n     "Fifteen Keps on Diamor," a Nizintia said.\r\n     "Fifty Keps on Diamor," an Irita said.\r\n     "Seventy Keps on the new guy," said a Shingan.\r\n     "Ezekiel, you are insane." Somebody said. "Do you honestly think he could take him?"\r\n     Ratagi dodged another cut and blocked another slash, and followed up with the strongest combination he had at his disposal. A series of slashes, thrusts and cuts, and it all ended with a downward cut. "I like your fan club," Ratagi said.\r\n     Diamor grunted. He was trying to concentrate. He had quite a hard time dodging and blocking everything, but he did- until the ending downward cut, which caught him off guard and disrupted his game plan.\r\n     "Oh, Whoa!" Diamor exclaimed.  \r\n     In the end everything was back to normal. Ratagi's game plan had failed, and his adversary had blocked his strongest combination.\r\n     He decided to kick everything up a notch. He sent a huge volley of attacks, each being precise as it could be, moving Diamor where he wanted him to go.\r\n     Diamor had been moved to the other end of the room. "I've been holding back, Ratagi," Diamor said as he dodged another blow. "Now it's time to kick it up a notch."\r\n     A few murmurings went through the crowd of knights.\r\n     "I had a dream like this once," Ratagi said. "Fighting a very powerful rival in front of cheering knights."\r\n     "Yes, except the knights were probably cheering for you," Diamor said. "And your â��powerful rival' would be no match for me. I am your worst nightmare!"\r\n     When Diamor said "Kick it up a notch", he definitely meant "kick it up a notch." He met each of Ratagi's blows, and countered with a few hundred ruthless and aggressive slashes and cuts, all landing where he wanted them to land. His blows never hit Ratagi, but he was being manoeuvred backwards.\r\n     I see how he took down a whole troop of Hunters now, he thought. Diamor never stopped his endless series of attacks, fighting aggressively and relentlessly yet controlled and accurate.\r\n     Ratagi, though, didn't really feel like he wanted to be taken down and embarrassed in front of many knights.\r\n     Diamor saw an opening and, faster than lightning, took a lunge at Ratagi's exposed side.\r\n     Though, Ratagi had been planning to make it seem open, yet it was more protected than it seemed. He quickly blocked the risky move, and made a downward slash, knocking the sword out of Diamor's hands. He took a kick at Diamor's already unbalanced legs, and his adversary was on the ground with a sword pressed against his throat.\r\n     There was silence for a minute.\r\n     "I'm rich." Ezekiel said, clapping his hands and ruining the moment. "You all lost your bets."\r\n     Orbain sighed. And so did every other knight, who all made excuses to pay the young knight later.\r\n     Diamor sat there, dumbfounded. "How could I have-" He said.\r\nThen he said "You have fought well, Ratagi." He said. "I have put each strategy to perfection, and yet I still fell for your trap."\r\n     Ratagi sheathed his sword. "That was one of the hardest fights I have ever, er, fought." He said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.\r\n     Diamor grinned. "What was your hardest fight?" He asked.\r\n     Ratagi looked up and hesitated. "I don't know," he said blankly.\r\n     Diamor laughed. Then he sighed. "Well, we've a big day tomorrow, and I must be off now." He turned to leave, but stopped. "Maybe, when this is all overâ�¦" He began.\r\n     "What?" Ratagi asked.\r\n     "â�¦Maybe I can get a rematch." He finished.   \r\n     Ratagi knew that that wasn't it, but he decided to let it go. He never usually held onto small problems long.\r\n     \r\n     Charles sighed. "Sometimes, I wish that we stayed in Tiger's Eye."\r\n     "You mean we should stay in Tiger's Eye where we live in the streets, scavenging for food, and having nothing to do?" James laughed. "I'm having a great time here. I hope we never leave!"\r\n     "We had plenty of things to do," Charles said. "Remember the pranks you used to pull?"\r\n     "Oh, do I." James laughed again. "I used to pull the best pranks ever."\r\n     "Well, why don't you make a prank here?" Charles asked.\r\n     "So, what, you're for me doing pranks now?" James asked. "I thought you hated my pranks."\r\n     "Well, I'm kind of missing the old days, you know? The old days where we used to call Hunters troops." Charles said. "I was always on the inside, laughing myself to death after you've made a prank. Remember that prank on the Hunter when you found that slingshot?"\r\n     "Yeah. You bothered me for a week about it."\r\n     "You nearly got killed that day." Charles laughed. "Now I just sometimes want to re-enact some of the times when you would get yourself into trouble, you know?" He asked.\r\n     "Well, sure, I- I guess so."\r\n     "Okay, I just feel like it'd be fun if you and I could pull a prank on someone."\r\n     "Sure." James said. "But who?"\r\n     Charles thought for a moment. "I know!" He said, and started whispering in James's ear.     \r\n     \r\n     "Money, money, sweet as honey, I win it when somebody loses a fight, yes. Yes!" Ezekiel sung when he went into his small house. As he opened the door, a huge bucket filled with water dumped on his head. "What the-" he cried.\r\n     The twins were laughing so hard, they didn't notice that the bucket was stuck on Ezekiel's head. Until, that is, when he yelled "It's stuck!"\r\n     Finally, when the boys had gotten the bucket off his head, he started chasing them. "Why did you put a bucket filled with water on my door?!" He cried.\r\n     "Because we couldn't find any slime!" James was laughing so hard, his sides hurt.\r\n     It was a good thing Ezekiel was in a good mood that day, because when he caught up with them, he was laughing. He got them to be quiet and go to sleep.\r\n     "Tomorrow's going to be a busy day," Ezekiel said to himself.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER SEVENTEEN\r\nTHE ROAD AHEAD\r\n"The will to win is worthless if you do not have the will to prepare."\r\n                                            â�" Thane Yost\r\n\r\n    Today was a pretty busy day from the start. Everyone had wakened up fairly early and went to prepare for the coming "storm" as people were calling it. Everybody, the children, the woman, everybody chipped in to help get prepared.\r\n     "Where is Diamor?" Ezekiel growled. "That coward is running away from the fight. Or at least from work."\r\n     "Certainly not, fool."\r\n     "Where did you come from?" Ezekiel cried, staggering back and falling into a small water trough. James laughed so hard he started choking on the apple he was eating and Charles had to hit him on the back.\r\n     "I came in just a few minutes ago," he said.\r\n     "Where were you?" Ezekiel asked.\r\n     "The front where the battle will take place," he said.\r\n     "What front?" Ezekiel asked. "I thought the battle will take place here."\r\n     "No, it won't." Diamor said. "Richard and I have been planning this battle all night."\r\n     "And how did you do that?" Ezekiel asked.\r\n     "We played Chess."\r\n     Ezekiel laughed. "Oh. You're serious."\r\n     "Yes, we set up our divisions of soldiers and where they go." He sighed. "Even if we work day and night for three weeks, they'll still outnumber us a good three to one."\r\n     "We still have a chance, though, right?" James asked.\r\n     Diamor nodded. Ezekiel shook his head.\r\n     "Where is Richard, anyway?" Ezekiel asked.\r\n"He's at the Daroj, training." Diamor explained. He groaned. "I must be off now."\r\n"Where are you going?" Ezekiel asked.\r\n"Nowhere special," Diamor said.\r\n     Just then, a short man charged into Diamor. "I'm sorry! Oh, I must tell the king. Oh, we're doomed!"\r\n     "What in the world are you blabbering about?" Diamor barked.\r\n     "Seems that you were wrong about the Hunters coming here in about a week," the man said. "They're going to be here tomorrow!"\r\n     "What?" Diamor gasped. "What kind of powerful magic is at work here?"\r\n     "Excuse me, I must warn King Richard," he yelled, and bolted away.\r\n     "The Daroj is that way." Diamor pointed right.\r\n     "Oh," the man said, and turned the other way. "Must warn Richard!"\r\n     "What was that?" Ratagi asked, walking up.\r\n     Diamor sighed. "The battle is coming earlier than I expected." He said. "We are up against some powerful sorcery here."\r\n     "Wha-" Ratagi began. "Well, when will they be here?" He asked.\r\n     "Tomorrow." Diamor explained.\r\n     "What?" A man asked. "Tomorrow?" He panicked. He ran, screaming in the streets. "The Hunters will be here tomorrow! We're doomed!"\r\n     Diamor put his face in his hands. "This is pitiful."\r\n     Pretty soon the whole streets were going around, screaming "The Hunters are here! We are all doomed!"\r\n     Diamor groaned. "You're all pathetic."\r\n     "How is screaming in the streets going to help us?" Charles asked.\r\n     "You make a pretty persuasive argument there, kid." Said Diamor irreverently.\r\n     "Then why don't you tell them?" Charles asked.\r\n     "Maybe they'll get this out of their systems." Diamor groaned.\r\n     "They won't get this out of their systems until they actually get here," Charles said. "And this is demoralizing as much as it is annoying."\r\n     Diamor nodded. "Stop panicking!" He called. The people stopped to see what Diamor wanted to say. "How is screaming and crying going to help anything?" He asked. "Never before in my life have I seen people of your kinds act so pathetic before."\r\n     Everyone stopped then to listen to Diamor, but it wasn't Diamor who was going to continue. "Yes, and so what if they're coming here tomorrow, today, or in a week?" Charles said. "When I first heard of this place, I though of people laughing at the face of danger. Laughing at the face of death or defeat. One thing I've learned from living in the streets of Tiger's Eye, or the journey I had to get here is-"\r\n     A fairly large crowd had gathered to see a young kid making a rallying speech. "-If you get knocked down, you get up again. You don't wait for death, you fall down; you get up and fight back!" Charles continued. "If I hadn't followed that philosophy, I wouldn't be here right now."\r\n     "And I thought when I got here that if anyone here were faced with adversity or hardship on the road today, you wouldn't look at the hardship-you look to the road ahead. To see what lies ahead."\r\n     Some murmurs went through the crowd. Diamor was nodding. "Didn't think I could have said that as well as you could have." He mumbled.\r\n     Charles little speech had quite a bit of an effect on everyone else, because they got to work, working tenfold.\r\n     "How did you do that?" James asked, obviously shocked. "I've never heard you talk like that before."\r\n     "I don't know, it just-" Charles mumbled, embarrassed.\r\n     "Well, I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat." James said. "Oh, and while you're at it, there's a very mean person who hangs around and plays cards, and I think I have a perfect prank for him, but I need your help-"\r\n     Charles laughed. "James," he said, "It's good to have you back."\r\n\r\n                                               *                    *                    *\r\n\r\n     "Here we are," the Hunter Lord said loudly. "The Dangerous Forest of Gan, or so the Hunters call it."\r\n     "Is it given that name for a reason?" A young Minor asked. He hugged his spear tightly, obviously afraid of what dangers that await him inside.\r\n     "Aye," Seftis smiled viciously, "it is."\r\n     The Three Legions were resting by the forest's borders. All was silent, except for a light wind that ruffled the trees. Soldiers went about their duties discreetly, keeping an eye on the forest.\r\n     Seftis just stared at the forest with a cruel and grim smile across his face. He knew that this battle will be a massacre. The enemy rebels weren't ready for anything. They couldn't have raised up an army a fourth the size of one of their mighty Legions, and because of the help of Anger's unmatched power, they got their nine times as fast as they hoped for.\r\n     "Sire, we have company." A Corrupt walked up, holding his full face helmet by his side.\r\n     "What company?" Seftis asked.\r\n     "Many Nobles are here." The knight said. "Ekogodne`, Destiny, and a few more have come. What shall I tell them?"\r\n     "Tell them to get away from my Legions before they taint their loyal hearts like they tainted the hearts of the people they call Hates!" Seftis howled. "Three whole Legions of battle-hardened Hunter warriors can take care of a few common rebels."\r\n     "But it is best not to get on their bad sides," the knight said.\r\n     Seftis grinned. "Like they could mess with an all powerful Hunter Lord like me."\r\n     The knight bowed his head. "Yes, great lord." He put his armoured fist to his chest and left.\r\n     A few moments later, a tall man in a dark black cloak, holding two curved swords approached Seftis. He turned and chuckled. "Go away," he said. "We can finish these rebels without your help."\r\n     Destiny scowled. "I want to fight by your side as little as you do, but it was Anger's wish, not mine."\r\n     Seftis moaned. "Fine," he said at last. "But I am in charge of this battle, not you."\r\n     Destiny chuckled. "It is said the most influential and powerful warrior on the field is the leader." He said.\r\n     "Hmm," Seftis laughed. "You must do more research to back up your source, for it is the man who controls the best army."\r\n     "And if you'd like, we could pit my Legions against your Hates, and we'll see who is superior." He hesitated. "And we'd still be strong enough to take down the rebels hiding in the forest."\r\n     Destiny scowled. "Fine. I put my Hates under your command."\r\n     Seftis laughed loudly. "It would be a great dishonour to command weak militia warriors. And if I do, I wouldn't use them if my life depended on it."\r\n     Destiny nodded. "You will use them," he hissed. "Or you will encounter my bad side."\r\n     "So that was your good side," Seftis laughed.\r\n     "It was, and you won't like my bad side." Destiny said. He disappeared. Seftis shook his head. A large War Chieftain ran up. He wore ceremonial beads, and carried a large warhammer, and had two others in his belt.\r\n     "What are your orders, great lord?" He asked.\r\n     "Put the Hates in the back of my Legions," Seftis said. "And, unless the circumstances were dire, do not send them into battle."\r\n     "It shall be done, my lord." The Chieftain said, and left. He started barking orders to other troops.\r\n     Seftis smiled. "This will be fun." He drew his sword. "Outcaster shall be used again."\r\n     But deep down, he wanted to lose. He wanted to go back home. He hadn't seen his family in twenty years. And he'd like to go back. But, of course, he had to deal with these rebels first.\r\n     "Time to move!" Seftis barked.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER EIGHTEEN\r\n\r\nSO SHALL IT BE\r\n"All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty." \r\n                                             -George S. Patton\r\n\r\n\r\n     \r\nRatagi put on his helmet. He was ready to die, or to live. He was ready for victory, or to be beaten. He had used his sword many times in his journey to get here, but this time, he knew he would use it the most now.\r\n     "Let's get this over with," He said to himself. He drew his sword, and noticed the strange lettering. He still couldn't make out what it said. Probably doesn't mean anything, he thought.\r\n     He went outside, and saw many soldiers- some young, some old, some his age. All were wearing grim faces, hoping for the worst.\r\n     The Voranite king looked like he was bred for war. He held two axes in his hands, a mace in his belt and a sword on his back. He didn't wear any armour, and was painted all over his face and chest.\r\n     All knew the battle would take place in the open plains. Large groups of Shingan were going to guard the western flank by guarding a mountain pass that the enemy could flank them with.\r\n     The Voranite army was posted in the east. Prince Richard, the rest of the people of T'Keth and the meagre warriors of Greth were posted in the middle, to fight head on in battle.\r\n     The enemy outnumbered them a paltry five to one at the least, and that was yesterday. There could easily be reinforcements coming by to get to take them down.\r\n     It had taken a while to get ready, but they were prepared for the worst when the banners of the three Legions came into view. And holding the banner, in the very front line, was none other than-\r\n     "Seftis," Ratagi hissed. It had been more than twenty years when he had lost against him, and he was eager for a rematch.\r\n     "My fellow T'Keths and Grethinites and Voranites," Richard called, riding his white stallion. "Long ago, we had been crushed by the raging armies of Anger and his vast armies. He had enslaved us, hurt us, and murdered us."\r\n     "But now," he continued, "There is chances renewed to win back our freedom!"\r\n     He hesitated. "If we are to fall," he continued, "If we are to die, then so shall it be. So shall it be. But no weapon they've got can take away what's true and pure to us!"\r\n     He drew his sword. "Our freedom is a right that has been given to us, and we are not going to let them take it away!"\r\n     "And what they don't know is that if death is the toll, then so shall it be." He raised his sword. "So shall it be. And what else they don't know is that if we die, we don't die as slaves." He pointed his sword to the enemy. "We die as free men!"\r\n     The soldiers cheered loudly.\r\n     "And today, we unite the Three Kingdoms to fight as one!" Richard roared. "For Voraia!"\r\n     The men cheered.          \r\n     "For Greth!" The soldiers cheered again.\r\n     "For T'Keth!" Richard then roared at the top of his lungs "FOR MANS TELWAR!" This time, every man cheered, whether he was a Voranite, a Grethinite, or a T'Keth, they all cheered as loudly as they could.\r\n     The enemy was very close. It was so vast, that the army couldn't see the end of it.\r\n     The Hunter lines parted, and a man ran out. "You seem to have started up quite a fuss," he said. "How about you surrender now, and we assure you, not all of you will die."\r\n     An arrow flew at the man's feet. He gasped, and leapt back, running away. Arrows started flying at either side. The battle had truly begun.\r\n     "I'm hungry," Ezekiel said to himself.\r\n     "Then you should have eaten before you came here," a big knight snarled.\r\n     "I tried, but there was no time," Ezekiel said.\r\n     The knight shook his head. "I wonder why they put us here," he said to himself. "There is no way the enemy even know about this mountain pass."\r\n     "Actually-" Orbain began, staring at the distance. "Never in all my days-" He started.\r\n     A huge black army rose by the mountain pass. "These are no Hunter's I've ever seen before," the knight said shakily.\r\n     "They're Hates." Orbain said. "They were the normal shock troop of the Black Empire before the Hunters arrived.\r\n     "They look pretty creepy." Ezekiel said unsteadily.\r\n     Orbain laughed grimly. "Haven't you noticed there's none of them around?" He asked, and answered his own question. "Because they've become obsolete! They're not half as good as the average Hunter is. They're all intimidation."\r\n     Ezekiel made a short sigh of relief. "They sure are coming at us fast," he pointed out. "Seems they're eager to die."\r\n     "Wait, who is that?" The knight pointed at a person in the back.\r\n     The few hundred knights all gasped. "That is no Hate," Orbain said. "That is-it's-"\r\n     "Destiny," Destiny said, smiling. He charged, along with the Hates. They both clashed.\r\n     It was massacre! The Hates stood no chance against T'Keths most brutal and most well trained force. The Hates fell by the tens and after a minute the hundreds- but one thing was a problem. Destiny was little faster than the Shingan. He was also as brutal as they were. He played with them, charging around them, a blur to the naked eye. He went here and there, slashing wildly at the T'Keth knights. He didn't kill anyone, but he demoralized them and ruined their games plan. But there was someone who came into view who did know how to kill.\r\n     "What is that?!" Ezekiel cried as he finished off another Hate. There, standing on a hill, was a wicked looking beast with the body of a huge muscular man, but the legs, hands and head of a huge jackal.\r\n     Ekogodne` sneered as he leapt toward the knights, throwing them aside like ragdolls. He leapt up and kicked the Shingan right in the face.\r\n     Orbain charged Ekogodne` with the agility and cunning of a fox. He took down three Hates on the way, and threw a volley of slashes and cuts that would break any other attacker into pieces. Ekogodne` blocked all but one cut, which nearly severed his hands. He howled in pain, and ran away, squealing.\r\n     Destiny charged Orbain, who put his sword in front of him. Destiny, though, jumped out of the way just in time, only to be cut by Ezekiel. He gasped, and jumped away to a safe distance.\r\n     The Hates all fled and were replaced by more Hates. The knights had barely any losses, but the Hate's were awful. They stood no chance against them at all.\r\n     "They're retreating!" Ezekiel cried.\r\n     "Perfect." Orbain said to himself. "But the battle has only begun."\r\n     \r\n     Ratagi leapt out of the way of another Hunter's cut and charged and fell another enemy soldier. The main battle was utter chaos. Nothing but the sound of the clash of sword and shield, and the thundering of the horse's hooves as it pounded the ground with a mighty force.\r\n     "I can barely breathe," he muttered to himself as he choked on the dust that the horses and the feet of thousands mustered from the ground.\r\n     He saw a huge Chieftain watching him. He pounded his war hammer, sending three men flying. He charged Ratagi.\r\n     He definitely has a height and strength advantage, he thought to himself. He leapt out of the way just in time as the Chieftain's war hammer hit the ground full force that could have smashed his bones into a thousand pieces.\r\n     It was Ratagi's turn. He leapt towards the attacker, slashing at him with extreme speed. The Chieftain, though, was fast enough to bring his big hammer to guard him as his sword's stroke fell.\r\n     The Chieftain then used his hammer's long handle to hit Ratagi straight in the face, sending him flying. He got up, and saw the Chieftain moving up to finish the job. He quickly stuck his sword into his relentless adversary. The Chieftain dropped his hammer, but did not fall. He grabbed Ratagi by the throat and started to choke him.\r\n     He dropped his sword and started striking his hands with all his might. The Chieftain's hands lost grip, but he still held on. Ratagi struck him in the face. He groaned, and it was just enough time for Ratagi to pick up his sword, and drive it right through the Chieftain. He groaned, and fell over.\r\n     Ratagi wiped blood off his nose and spat on the ground. He continued fightingâ�¦\r\n\r\n     "Has the battle started yet?" James asked, peering at the long line of soldiers. It was very far away, but there were so many soldiers there, he could easily see them.\r\n     "No James," Charles said sardonically. "They're greeting each other before they fight."\r\n     James rolled his eyes. They were both sitting at the city's wooden walls, watching as the two lines of people clashed. The battle was on open grassland, and at the far left there was a small grey group fighting a large line of dark colored warriors. The knights, no doubt fighting whatever the Nobles could give them.\r\n     "I wonder where mister Ratagi is," James asked himself. "I hope he's okay."\r\n     "I don't know," Charles muttered. "It could be anybody's guess.\r\n     Both of them jumped as they heard a long, powerful roarâ�¦\r\n\r\n     "What is that?" A knight cried as a strange wolf like creature with two stripes across its back came into view. It charged the nearest warrior, its claws going through armour like butter. The warrior screamed in pain, flying through the air.\r\n     Orbain charged. He slashed at the beast, but it was too quick. It leapt out of the way, and, behind him, pounced. Its claws tore through Orbain's side, slicing through his armour.\r\nHe cried, and fell on his back as Rohia slowly moved in on its prey.\r\n     "NO!" Ezekiel cried. He charged Rohia and made a series of wild slashes. One, as luck would have it, caught Rohia in the back of his neck. He groaned in pain, turned to his new attacker, and leapt at his opponent. \r\n     Ezekiel instinctively put his sword in front of him, where Rohia leaped into it, unable to stop in time. The sword was buried up to its hilt in Rohia's chest, and he gargled helplessly, then collapsed.\r\n     Ezekiel got up and took his sword out of the lifeless beast. "Orbain!" He cried. He ran to his master. "Are you okay?"\r\n     But it was too late. Orbain lay on the ground, lifeless. "No, no, NO!" Ezekiel cried. He got up, and charged the mass of Hates.\r\n"This is for Orbain!" He snarled. "You will pay for what you have done!" He sent a volley of slashes. Many Hates turned to run, but none got escaped of the newfound power possessed by Ezekiel. Only three Hates survived, running wildly away.\r\n\r\n     "Where am I?" Ratagi muttered to himself as the battle turned from chaos to confusion. People were bumping against their enemies as they tried to find their own sides again- and right after that, they attacked again, more furious than before.\r\nHe fell another Hunter and tried to get away from this mass confusion. Then, something magnificent happened- the Hunters started falling back, running away.\r\n     "They're retreating!" Richard cried. The warriors all cried and cheered wearily in triumph as the enemy ran away.\r\n     Ratagi then remembered something that had been told to him long ago. "Hunters do not retreat," he said to himself. "They are going to get reinforcements."\r\n     Then he saw that the army they were fighting was way too small to be three Legions. This was one Legion. They didn't even commit more then a third of their forces, and the Vaults army was already exhausted and  beaten.\r\n     "They aren't running away!" Ratagi shouted desperately.\r\n     But it was too late for that. Because then, the Hunter Army came over the ridge, three times bigger then before. It was their main force. Chieftains held banners high and proudly as the three Legions closed in on them.\r\n     "Oh, no!" Richard cried. He rode around, shouting "Reform the lines! Reform the lines!"\r\n     And over by the enemy's side, Seftis was smiling "This battle has only just begun."\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER NINETEEN\r\nRETURNING THE FAVORS\r\n"No dictator, no invader, can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, Castles and tyrants and armies cannot stand."                                                                              \r\n                                      -J. Michael Straczynski\r\n                                     \r\n    Charles shifted his weight to the side uneasily. "The Hunters are coming back for a second round," he said to James, panic stricken.\r\n     "Hey, you remember when we used to call the Hunters â��troops'?" James asked.\r\n     "This is serious!" Charles said.\r\n     "So am I."\r\n     "There are so many Hunters that they make our force seem like a bug."\r\n     "Ew! Don't use the word â��bug'." James said.\r\n     "Oh, shut up." Charles rolled his eyes. "I hope Ratagi's all right."\r\n     "Well, I'm sure he is." James said. "It'll take more than just a few Hunters to stop him."\r\n     \r\n     Ratagi took down another Hunter and leapt back as he saw a Chieftain. Don't want to pick a fight with one of those again, he thought, spinelessly. Then, he noticed a big Hunter with a long sword, and an angry look on his face as he fell brave soldiers by the minute. It was Seftis.\r\n     Ratagi charged at him, slashing wildly at the Hunter Lord, who blocked them all with ease and countered with a quick slash that he quickly dodged. Then, suddenly, as if under a spell, his bravery left him completely. He ran away, as fast as his feet could carry him. Seftis smiled, and followed him closely.\r\n     Ratagi ran away so fast, he left the battlefield.\r\n     He panted, leaning by a tree.\r\n     "Why'd you run?" Seftis asked, making Ratagi jump. "I wanted you to die in front of your infidel comrades." He made a fast slash to Ratagi's head, and he ducked to dodge it.\r\n     "You know, I have to thank you for all this," Seftis said as he made a short combination of cuts and thrusts. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be here."\r\n     He smiled. "Thanks to your map, we wouldn't have found this place." He laughed, and made a quick thrust, which was repelled. "Because of you, this resistance will be crushed and Anger shall reign invincible once more."\r\n     Ratagi couldn't take it anymore. He sent a quick volley of attacks, which was blocked by a very confused Seftis.\r\n     He then made a quick thrust and a cut, and Seftis had to leap back to dodge it. But that gave him a chance to attack. He sent a long combination of cuts and slashes, driving Ratagi back. Then, he immediately started fighting back, viciously slashing and cutting, and dodging and/or blocking every single counter that Seftis could throw at him.\r\n     At last, Ratagi hit him in the helmet. Seftis groaned, and took it off, throwing it aside and putting his hand on his head. Ratagi quickly leapt at him, slashing wildly, when Seftis saw a small gap in his defence, and made a quick slash at it.\r\nHe howled in pain, clutching his side as blood started dripping off his leather armour.\r\n     Seftis laughed. "Now," he said, raising his sword, "You die."\r\n     Then, something remarkable happened. He heard a noise, turned, and saw a huge Shingan knight in very old armour walk up.\r\n     "What the-" Seftis began, but it was too late. The knight made a slash with his mighty sword, and Seftis fell over, groaning in pain from a cut in his chest.\r\n     "You-!" Ratagi began.\r\n     "Yes, Ratagi of the west," said the knight. "I came here to return the favour."\r\n     "Well, how did you get here?" Ratagi asked, still clutching his side.\r\n     "Well, it wasn't easy," said the knight. "But I have my methods of travel."\r\n     "Well, why did you come here?" Ratagi asked.    \r\n     "To simply return the favour," the knight said. "I knew about the Vault all along. I'm a T'Keth, you know."\r\n     "Well, thank you, great knight, but I must be on my way back."\r\n     The knight nodded. "And, just so you know, I do have a name," he said.\r\n     "You have never told me, though." Ratagi said.\r\n     "I am Kasdid. Twelfth rank Shingan."\r\n     Ratagi gasped. "I have heard legends about you," he said. He then turned back. "I have to go," he said. "And thank you for helping me."\r\n     "You speak as if you go alone," he said. "But I intend to go with you."\r\n     "Why?" He asked.\r\n     "I still have some unfinished business to take care of," he said, and went towards the battle. "It's a good thing Seftis won't bother us anymore. He beat me in a fight across the bridge and forced me to let him pass.\r\n     Ratagi followed him.\r\n     \r\n     "There is so many of them," said king Aldale, falling a Hunter with a swing of his axe.\r\n        "Well, Voranites have been outnumbered before," sad Richard, riding up. His armour was coated in blood, some his own, for there was a very bad leg wound from what looked to be a spear wound. "Do you not remember the Battle of the Summits?"\r\n     Aldale made a face. "That hurts just to look at it; you should get out of here and attending your wound, Richard." He said.\r\n     "I must fight still, because if I go and treat my wound yet we lose the battle, I die still." He explained. He grimaced from the pain. "I do not flee today." He turned to two figures; one armoured walking slowly towards them. "Who are you?"\r\n     "I am Ratagi," he said.\r\n     "And I," the knight said, taking the helmet off his head, "am Kasdid."\r\n     "I thought you were killed in battle!" Richard cried. "You were my father's most prized knight."\r\n     Kasdid smiled. "No. I was imprisoned, but now I am free. And I plan to have revenge on these Hunters." He turned, and charged the mass of warriors.\r\n     Ratagi sighed, tore off his leather mail and a piece of his shirt, and wrapped it around his wound. He then rejoined the fray.\r\n     "He has more courage than I thought," said a Noble named Chaos.\r\n     "Yes," said a voice. "And it's time I interferedâ�¦"\r\n     Charles sighed, and drew his sword. "I wish I could help fight," he said. "I would be a hero. I would be-"\r\n     "Dead," James interrupted. He was looking solemnly as the Legions of Anger pushed the meagre warriors of the kingdoms back.\r\n     Charles looked up. "Oh. It's just that stupid bird." He picked up a rock and threw it. "Stupid bird!"\r\n     "I don't see any bird," James said. "You're crazy."\r\n     "But I do see him," Charles said. "It's as plain as your mind."\r\n     James stuck his tongue out at Charles, who rolled his eyes. The black bird went slowly towards the battle. "Maybe it isn't any ordinary bird," he said. "Maybe it's a Noble who is spying on us."\r\n     James chuckled. "You sure have a strange imagination, Charles."\r\n     "You're the one with the imagination, James." Charles said, watching the bird fly towards the battle. "And I really did see that bird."\r\n     Ratagi was surrounded by Hunters. He tried everything to repel them off, but there was too many of them. He waved his sword around, knowing that it would only postpone his doom. Then, he remembered something.\r\n     "You will know when to use itâ�¦" The soft words the old man repeated in his mind. He sighed as he repelled another Hunter slash. "Help me!" He shouted, his hand moving slowly towards the pendant around his neck.\r\n     At first, there was nothing. Then, out of nowhere came a huge grey beast, saving Ratagi as it swatted Anger's troops away like flies.\r\n     "It's a Hershbe!" Someone cried.\r\n     "A what!?" Another man cried.      \r\n     "RUN!" The Hunters scrambled away from the huge beast. It turned to Ratagi, and he knew that it had returned a favour.\r\n     "I knew you would remember," said a soft voice in Ratagi's mind.\r\n     The Voranites all drew arrows and pointed them at the Hershbe. It roared.\r\n     "No! Stop! The Hershbe has come to help us." Ratagi said." He turned to the Hershbe, who lowered his head, beckoning for him to come closer.\r\n     "Eh?" Asked a Voranite, confused.\r\n     Ratagi walked up, and the Hershbe kneeled on the ground. "You want me to- to ride you?" He asked in disbelief. The Hershbe waited patiently.\r\n     Finally, he shook his head. "You go find somebody who wants to-" The Hershbe twitched its head, and Ratagi went sailing onto its back. "Ah!" He cried, and looked down at the ground. As a little boy, Ratagi had been afraid of heights, and now, all the fear was returning to him. Then, he stared ahead, and saw a raven going at him at full speed. "Hey!" He cried as the raven flew straight at his face, scratching him with its talons.\r\n     He groaned and fell off of the Hershbe. His head ached from the ten foot fall and his face stung from the raven, which was going for a second attack.\r\n     He shielded his eyes, but it wasn't a raven coming down on him anymore- it was a beast with dark black fur and claws, and two marble like eyes.\r\n     The panther quickly overwhelmed him and started snapping and biting at him, but Ratagi immediately got a surge of energy and he threw it off as it shape-shifted into a huge, thick snake.\r\n     It hissed, and Ratagi's first instinct was to attack it- and so he slashed with his sword- and it chipped a scale.\r\n     The snake lunged at him, and coiled around him and started to squeeze him.\r\n     He couldn't breathe in, or out. He struggled, but he couldn't move as the snake's face moved close to his. He knew it could kill him with a single bite with its huge fangs. But just before it could, the Hershbe came back, and peeled the snake's mighty grip off and threw it away. It roared.\r\n     Ratagi got up to see what was going on. Then, he saw him.\r\n     Seftis had come back. His eyes burned with a fire like none he has ever seen. His eyes were set on him.\r\n     He charged. He blocked, and he knew deep down this will be the most difficult fight he will ever have to do.

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sirmed1

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Posted September 17, '11 3:07am UTC

CHAPTER TWENTY
UNRAVELING THE MYSTERIES
"End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path... One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass... And then you see it."
-JRR Tolkien

Seftis started with a volley of attacks, and followed up by a lunging thrust. Ratagi blocked them all, but nearly lost his balance dodging Seftis's last attack. He countered with three quick cut combination, followed up by a thrust. Seftis kept back, contemplating his next move. Then, he started advancing, jumping from the left to the right, then charging, jumping up, and making a powerful downward slash. Ratagi got out of the way because that powerful attack would cut his weapon in half as well as himself.
He leapt up and attacked Seftis's side, but the Hunter was too quick. He leapt out of the way and countered with a volley of slashes and quick cuts, but Ratagi was quick also. He dodged and blocked them all, and countered with many powerful quick attacks.
It was Seftis's turn, now. He countered with a powerful and aggressive slash which caught Ratagi off guard, but he fought on.
"He fights so bravely against the Hunter Lord- he seems all but invincible."
"I got him to falter once; I can get him to falter again."
"Sometimes it will take more than cold bits of magic to kill a man."
"Well, I'm sure he will go down soon or later. He stands no chance against Seftisâ¦"
The group of Shingan built a small wall to keep the Hates out. They rested, tired from fighting for nearly ten hours. The sun was going to set. And the whole battle had been a draw so far, but their forces were falling back. They had sent a small group of Shingan to go to the main fray. Ezekiel was with them, walking slowly, his head down.
"You haven't spoken in hours," a knight called Goram said. "Maybe you should take some rest."
"Do not need rest," said Ezekiel to himself.
Goram nodded. "If that's what you want- but we all could use some rest." He sighed. He knew that they had to go make a large morale boost to the main army, but their morale was already dead low.
Ratagi blocked another slash. The battle they had fought had nearly been going on for an hour, with neither person going down or faltering. The battle raged on, and the two battling warriors fought on, never hesitating, never wavering. It seemed like they were taking turns on the offensive and defensive. Each fought with the brutality yet control of an expert.
Seftis fought aggressively and relentlessly, but still always put in a terrific defence to match his offense. Ratagi fought controlled and accurately, yet he was a very aggressive attack-er.
He was by far the strongest and most skilled opponent Ratagi had ever faced. Whether it had been Kasdid, the Hershbe hunter or even Diamor, Seftis was by far more skilled. Though, Seftis had already overwhelmed and defeated Kasdid.
It was a battle of opposites: Brawn versus speed, power versus cunning, controlled versus ruthless. But each warrior had similarities in the style they fought. Each warrior fought unyielding and steadfast, and both were extremely experienced fighters who have fought since they were young.
There were no gaps in either one of their defences, until finally Seftis saw his chance. He quickly made a slash to Ratagi's leg.
He gasped in pain, and fell to his knees, when Seftis moved in with a thrust. He moved just in time, but Seftis still got his sword straight through his shoulder. He screamed in sheer pain and clutched his shoulder as he felt the stinging sensation as Seftis pulled the sword out. He knew the Hunter Lord was the victor as he raised his sword.
Ratagi lowered his head, but then saw one last chance, one last slim chance.
He grabbed his sword, and immediately made as fast as he could, a thrust. The timing was just right.
Seftis howled in agony as Ratagi's sword went between his ribs and through his back. He dropped his sword, and fell back, taking the sword and throwing it to the ground. Blood ran through his fingers as he clutched his wound. He screamed in pain, and then saw that Ratagi was in much worse shape. He ran towards his opponent, and leapt on him, striking him several times in the face. Ratagi groaned in pain, but then saw a short blade not to far from him. He, with every last ounce of strength in him, pushed Seftis off of him.
He grabbed Seftis's blade with his bad hand, and stood up, trying to make a fighting stance.
Seftis grabbed Ratagi's sword, and the fight started again. They swapped swords a minute later. Both were in awful and weak condition. Finally, Seftis saw his chance in Ratagi's defences, and made a wild slash, cutting him in the leg. He winced and groaned in pain as he fell down.
Seftis started to laugh. "I-" he said weakly. "Am victorious once again!" He was clutching his chest. He was bleeding way too much. He fell to his knees, and then on his face.
Ratagi got up, limping on his leg. Both his good leg and his good arm were completely useless, and if he didn't get pressure on it immediately, he will have the same fate as he did.

"Seftis is-"
"He's dead!" Chaos screamed. "But- how could an amateur like him defeat the strongest swordsman in the world?"
"Don't be too sure," the voice said softly. "Ratagi may encounter the same fate."

There, Ratagi tore a piece from his cloak and wrapped it around his arm. He then tore another piece and wrapped it around his leg. His hand was dripping with dry blood- his blood.
He groaned. It was the hardest and most painful battle he had ever fought. And now he had to fight the pain from the wounds Seftis had given him: on his right side, his left arm and his left leg. He saw the battle wasn't over yet.
"What?!" The voice cried. "Impossible!"
"It seems he's smarter than we thought," Chaos said. "It had been a draw, but he was smarter than the Hunter Lord.
"That's IT!" The voice roared. "I'm going to finish what has been started!"

Ratagi grimaced in pain. He looked at his surroundings. There was nothing but chaos, and he was trying to get out of there.
"What is that?!" Someone cried. If it was a Hunter or someone on his side, he did not know. A huge light came and lit up the night. It turned anything, Hunter or Voranite or Grethinite or T'Keth it encountered to ashes. It stopped, and it took shape- until it was a hooded figure whose face was shrouded, wearing a long cloak and walked with a limp, and two piercing snake-like eyes.
"What are you?" Ratagi asked, stumbling, trying to get away from it.
"You are the one who started everything," it said. "I knew you were going to start every-thing, and I saw the power you possessed."
"You're- you're-" Ratagi stuttered.
"I am Disitrus Anger. Yes," Anger nodded. "But what I didn't know was that you had the power to match some of my strongest Nobles, such as Rohia."
"And I was surprised you actually made it to this place." He lifted up his hands. "But I thought that Seftis would defeat you, I was wrong about that too."
"But what I did know," he continued, mostly to himself, "is that you would bring the two heirs to the throne of Greth with you."
"Wait, wha-" Ratagi was very confused. "They aren't the heirs to Greth! It- it isn't-"
Anger chuckled. "King Sref had retreated to Tiger's Eye after Greth fell. After seven years of searching, we found out where he is from the words of his closest friend. We took him away, and left his kids for dead. I thought that they wouldn't be a threat in the streets, but when you took them with you, I was afraid that when you took them on your little journey they would figure out who they really were. Think about it. They're twelve. Seven years ago you remember your Grethinite king getting killed. Put two and two together for me." He took a step forward. "Charles, that is. The other one is as stupid and impulsive as a Hate. Charles, though, when he showed his courage and valour against Haze, who was powerless against him, I knew that he was the true heir to the throne."
"When I first saw him, I sensed much wisdom, much influence." Anger took a step forward.
"And now," he continued, "I'm going to finish what I've started." He leapt towards Ratagi, who got out of the way just in time.
He was confused. How could Charles be the heir to the throne? It wasn't possible! Was it?
"And when I'm through with you," Anger continued, "I will go find and kill the child before he even knows who he is yet." He lifted up off the ground, and he charged Ratagi. He took a swing of his sword.
Anger laughed. "Do you think normal cold steel can kill me, you fool?" He asked. "You're more stupid than I thought." He flew towards him a second time. He got away and made a futile slash again.
"Oh," Anger said. "I forgot to give you this." He tossed something on the ground by Ratagi. He picked it up.
"My knife," he said to himself.
Anger laughed. "You had thrown it at me, and I've been waiting for a chance to give it back."
He gasped. "You were that raven," he said.
"Well, I'm glad you're not as stupid as I thought," Anger said wickedly. "I hope you've noticed that I have taken you here myself so I can kill you. I had, shall we say, called off my dogs so you can actually get here."
Ratagi gasped. "You stopped those creatures from-" he didn't finish.
Anger flew straight at Ratagi. He put his sword in front of him, and this time, it actually hit him.
"AH!" Anger screamed, as he fell to the ground. He got up. "Seems that weapon of your isn't completely normal steel," he muttered. "No matter, though. I can kill you here." He charged Ratagi, who slashed again with his sword. This time, it didn't work again. Anger went straight on him.
"It's time to finish what you have started," hissed Anger as he choked him with hands as freezing as death.
Ratagi couldn't bare the cold grip of Anger. He reached for his dagger- and stuck it in Anger's leg. He roared in pain, and he quickly took his sword and thrust it through Anger's hood. He screamed. Ratagi saw as the sword break in half and, before his very eyes, Anger screamed in agony as he slowly turned to stone. "How?!" He cried. His very last words.
Ratagi dropped the broken blade and clutched his throat. His hand was cold and covered in dry blood, but it felt great against his freezing and choked throat.
Anger was turned completely to stone- and he burst into a thousand pieces, falling slowly to the ground, making small pitter pattering sounds- but it wasn't the remnants of Anger, it was the pitter patter of little droplets coming from the sky.
It started to rain.
Ratagi fell down on the ground, and let loose a long yell.
And the Hunters? When they saw both the remnants of Anger's body, and Seftis's body at the same time, the all fled.
Ratagi, staring as little droplets of rain, fell out of consciousness.
He opened his eyes to see Ezekiel, Charles, and James staring at him. "Are you okay?" Charles asked. "Ezekiel found you lying in a pool of your own blood. You had lost a lot of it after your bandage fell off."
"You are a hero," Ezekiel said. "You killed both Seftis, and Anger in one battle."
Ratagi attempted to get up, but it pained him, and he fell back down. He was in his bed in his one home in the Vault. "What happened?" He asked.
"You should be quiet; you've lost a lot of blood." Ezekiel explained.
"You're lucky you're alive," Charles said.
Ratagi made a second attempt to get up. He saw his arm in a sling. He got up. "My leg's feeling a bit better," he said. He stood up.
"Wait- you can't go!" Ezekiel cried. "You're too ill."
He shook his head.
"But you'll miss the victory celebration!" Spoke James for the first time. "You are the man of honour."
He sighed. He looked on the floor, and there was his blade. He picked it up.
"What use it that thing to you?" Ezekiel asked. "It's broken."
Ratagi shook his head again. He started to gather up his things. "What are you doing?" Asked Charles. "You'll miss the victory celebration!"
Ratagi sighed again. He was already out the door. The sun was shining bright, and people were running about happily, attending the wounded soldiers. Richard was nearby, his leg covered in a bandage. Aldale had his arm in a sling and a bandage over his eye. Ratagi had to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight. He started jogging on a limp towards the city gates. They were open.
Charles asked "Where are you going?"
Ratagi turned to him, and for the first time since Charles, James, or anyone for that matter had met him, smiled. "Home," he said. His smile faded, and he slowly walked out of the Vault, a place he had nearly risked his life to get to.
When the gates closed, Charles turned to Ezekiel. "When are we going to the victory celebration?" He asked.
"We are not going anywhere," said Ezekiel grimly. "I am going to bury Orbain."
"Orbain is dead?!" James asked.
Ezekiel nodded. "The victory celebration is that way." He pointed right.
James walked away, but Charles started following Ezekiel. "Why are you following me?" He asked. "You'll be late for the victory celebration."
"I'm going with you," Charles said. "Orbain was kind of my friend too."
Ezekiel smiled slightly. "Well, okay. But you and I and probably his kid will probably be the only ones there."
Charles nodded. "I still want to come with you."

One month later
Ratagi sighed, and hammered the sign into the ground. He ran back, put his hands on his hips, and stared proudly at his "work of art" as he so put it.
The sign read "No Trespassers, please."
After he got home, he was seen as a public hero. They had even erected a statue in his honour at the Vault, as his friends had informed him. Life was good, after that. He had gone back to making swords and shields for the men who he had fought with, protecting freedom for their country.
"Another fine day," he said, looking up at the sky. There were very few clouds, and the sun shone brightly at its very peak in the sky.
"A fine day indeed." A voice said.
Ratagi turned to see a familiar face. There he stood; one hand on his hip, the other limp at his side. The wind blew at his cloak, revealing his slick sword. The very man who had gotten him to start this whole journey. "Diamor." He breathed.
"The very same." He smiled.
"Well, what are you doing here, for?" He asked.
"A rematch." Diamor smiled wickedly.
Ratagi smiled. A habit he had gotten to know since he left the Vault. "Wait here." He said, and went indoors. When he returned, he held a sword in its sheath.
Diamor drew his sword. "You don't stand a chance." He said.
Ratagi grinned again. "We'll see." He said. And Diamor leapt towards Ratagi. And for the first time in years, Ratagi never felt so alive.

EPILOGUE
After the great victory, King Richard and Aldale went to re-conquer their lands, and pretty soon, Charles discovered what had happened to his father, the King of Greth, and took the responsibility of being his heir. As he grew to the age of sixteen, he became known as Greths Greatest King, spawning the new golden age of not only Greth, but of all Mans Telwar.
Ratagi, keeping his promise, went home, to have things back the way they were. He became a good friend of King Richard, and died at the age of seventy five.
James, Charles's brother, became a powerful lord and noble, and the commander of all Greths armies. He served under his brother, not without friction, but the Brothers never forgot their love for each other.
Anjido, the old nature loving wizard was never seen again, but everyone heard his message, and Hershbe numbers grew again.
Opne`, the nice old man became very rich and famous, and soon became the leader of the area he lived in.
Kasdid, the famous knight that had been saved by Ratagi, quit being a knight and started to write books.
Himadia, the young girl who saved Ratagi and the others became queen of the Heiamonds, and became good friends with James and Charles.
Diamor? He was never seen again. Or so you might think. But that's another story.
The Hunters took Seftis's body back to their homeland, where his brother, Oslan, vowed his revenge on Mans Telwar.
Ezekiel, the rebellious young knight, went on many more adventures, and then stayed in the Vault and had a child named Bursan, who will soon become the one who helps save Mans Telwar from the Hates and the Hunters once again.
But that's another story.

CHAPTER TWENTY\r\nUNRAVELING THE MYSTERIES\r\n"End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path... One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass... And then you see it."\r\n-JRR Tolkien\r\n    \r\n     Seftis started with a volley of attacks, and followed up by a lunging thrust. Ratagi blocked them all, but nearly lost his balance dodging Seftis's last attack. He countered with three quick cut combination, followed up by a thrust. Seftis kept back, contemplating his next move. Then, he started advancing, jumping from the left to the right, then charging, jumping up, and making a powerful downward slash. Ratagi got out of the way because that powerful attack would cut his weapon in half as well as himself.\r\n     He leapt up and attacked Seftis's side, but the Hunter was too quick. He leapt out of the way and countered with a volley of slashes and quick cuts, but Ratagi was quick also. He dodged and blocked them all, and countered with many powerful quick attacks.\r\n     It was Seftis's turn, now. He countered with a powerful and aggressive slash which caught Ratagi off guard, but he fought on.\r\n     "He fights so bravely against the Hunter Lord- he seems all but invincible."\r\n     "I got him to falter once; I can get him to falter again."\r\n     "Sometimes it will take more than cold bits of magic to kill a man."\r\n     "Well, I'm sure he will go down soon or later. He stands no chance against Seftisâ�¦"\r\n     The group of Shingan built a small wall to keep the Hates out. They rested, tired from fighting for nearly ten hours. The sun was going to set. And the whole battle had been a draw so far, but their forces were falling back. They had sent a small group of Shingan to go to the main fray. Ezekiel was with them, walking slowly, his head down.\r\n     "You haven't spoken in hours," a knight called Goram said. "Maybe you should take some rest."\r\n     "Do not need rest," said Ezekiel to himself.\r\n     Goram nodded. "If that's what you want- but we all could use some rest." He sighed. He knew that they had to go make a large morale boost to the main army, but their morale was already dead low.\r\n     Ratagi blocked another slash. The battle they had fought had nearly been going on for an hour, with neither person going down or faltering. The battle raged on, and the two battling warriors fought on, never hesitating, never wavering. It seemed like they were taking turns on the offensive and defensive. Each fought with the brutality yet control of an expert.\r\n     Seftis fought aggressively and relentlessly, but still always put in a terrific defence to match his offense. Ratagi fought controlled and accurately, yet he was a very aggressive attack-er.\r\n     He was by far the strongest and most skilled opponent Ratagi had ever faced. Whether it had been Kasdid, the Hershbe hunter or even Diamor, Seftis was by far more skilled. Though, Seftis had already overwhelmed and defeated Kasdid.\r\n     It was a battle of opposites: Brawn versus speed, power versus cunning, controlled versus ruthless. But each warrior had similarities in the style they fought. Each warrior fought unyielding and steadfast, and both were extremely experienced fighters who have fought since they were young.\r\n     There were no gaps in either one of their defences, until finally Seftis saw his chance. He quickly made a slash to Ratagi's leg.\r\nHe gasped in pain, and fell to his knees, when Seftis moved in with a thrust. He moved just in time, but Seftis still got his sword straight through his shoulder. He screamed in sheer pain and clutched his shoulder as he felt the stinging sensation as Seftis pulled the sword out. He knew the Hunter Lord was the victor as he raised his sword.\r\nRatagi lowered his head, but then saw one last chance, one last slim chance.\r\nHe grabbed his sword, and immediately made as fast as he could, a thrust. The timing was just right.\r\n     Seftis howled in agony as Ratagi's sword went between his ribs and through his back. He dropped his sword, and fell back, taking the sword and throwing it to the ground. Blood ran through his fingers as he clutched his wound. He screamed in pain, and then saw that Ratagi was in much worse shape. He ran towards his opponent, and leapt on him, striking him several times in the face. Ratagi groaned in pain, but then saw a short blade not to far from him. He, with every last ounce of strength in him, pushed Seftis off of him.\r\nHe grabbed Seftis's blade with his bad hand, and stood up, trying to make a fighting stance.\r\n       Seftis grabbed Ratagi's sword, and the fight started again. They swapped swords a minute later. Both were in awful and weak condition. Finally, Seftis saw his chance in Ratagi's defences, and made a wild slash, cutting him in the leg. He winced and groaned in pain as he fell down.\r\n     Seftis started to laugh. "I-" he said weakly. "Am victorious once again!" He was clutching his chest. He was bleeding way too much. He fell to his knees, and then on his face.\r\n     Ratagi got up, limping on his leg. Both his good leg and his good arm were completely useless, and if he didn't get pressure on it immediately, he will have the same fate as he did.\r\n     \r\n"Seftis is-"\r\n     "He's dead!" Chaos screamed. "But- how could an amateur like him defeat the strongest swordsman in the world?"\r\n     "Don't be too sure," the voice said softly. "Ratagi may encounter the same fate."\r\n     \r\n     There, Ratagi tore a piece from his cloak and wrapped it around his arm. He then tore another piece and wrapped it around his leg. His hand was dripping with dry blood- his blood.\r\n     He groaned. It was the hardest and most painful battle he had ever fought. And now he had to fight the pain from the wounds Seftis had given him: on his right side, his left arm and his left leg. He saw the battle wasn't over yet.\r\n     "What?!" The voice cried. "Impossible!"      \r\n     "It seems he's smarter than we thought," Chaos said. "It had been a draw, but he was smarter than the Hunter Lord.\r\n     "That's IT!" The voice roared. "I'm going to finish what has been started!"\r\n     \r\n     Ratagi grimaced in pain. He looked at his surroundings. There was nothing but chaos, and he was trying to get out of there.\r\n     "What is that?!" Someone cried. If it was a Hunter or someone on his side, he did not know. A huge light came and lit up the night. It turned anything, Hunter or Voranite or Grethinite or T'Keth it encountered to ashes. It stopped, and it took shape- until it was a hooded figure whose face was shrouded, wearing a long cloak and walked with a limp, and two piercing snake-like eyes.\r\n     "What are you?" Ratagi asked, stumbling, trying to get away from it.\r\n     "You are the one who started everything," it said. "I knew you were going to start every-thing, and I saw the power you possessed."\r\n     "You're- you're-" Ratagi stuttered.\r\n     "I am Disitrus Anger. Yes," Anger nodded. "But what I didn't know was that you had the power to match some of my strongest Nobles, such as Rohia."\r\n     "And I was surprised you actually made it to this place." He lifted up his hands. "But I thought that Seftis would defeat you, I was wrong about that too."\r\n     "But what I did know," he continued, mostly to himself, "is that you would bring the two heirs to the throne of Greth with you."\r\n     "Wait, wha-" Ratagi was very confused. "They aren't the heirs to Greth! It- it isn't-"\r\n     Anger chuckled. "King Sref had retreated to Tiger's Eye after Greth fell. After seven years of searching, we found out where he is from the words of his closest friend. We took him away, and left his kids for dead. I thought that they wouldn't be a threat in the streets, but when you took them with you, I was afraid that when you took them on your little journey they would figure out who they really were. Think about it. They're twelve. Seven years ago you remember your Grethinite king getting killed. Put two and two together for me." He took a step forward. "Charles, that is. The other one is as stupid and impulsive as a Hate. Charles, though, when he showed his courage and valour against Haze, who was powerless against him, I knew that he was the true heir to the throne."\r\n     "When I first saw him, I sensed much wisdom, much influence." Anger took a step forward.\r\n     "And now," he continued, "I'm going to finish what I've started." He leapt towards Ratagi, who got out of the way just in time.\r\n     He was confused. How could Charles be the heir to the throne? It wasn't possible! Was it?\r\n     "And when I'm through with you," Anger continued, "I will go find and kill the child before he even knows who he is yet." He lifted up off the ground, and he charged Ratagi. He took a swing of his sword.\r\n     Anger laughed. "Do you think normal cold steel can kill me, you fool?" He asked. "You're more stupid than I thought." He flew towards him a second time. He got away and made a futile slash again.\r\n     "Oh," Anger said. "I forgot to give you this." He tossed something on the ground by Ratagi. He picked it up.\r\n     "My knife," he said to himself.\r\n     Anger laughed. "You had thrown it at me, and I've been waiting for a chance to give it back."\r\n     He gasped. "You were that raven," he said.\r\n     "Well, I'm glad you're not as stupid as I thought," Anger said wickedly. "I hope you've noticed that I have taken you here myself so I can kill you. I had, shall we say, called off my dogs so you can actually get here."\r\nRatagi gasped. "You stopped those creatures from-" he didn't finish.\r\nAnger flew straight at Ratagi. He put his sword in front of him, and this time, it actually hit him.\r\n     "AH!" Anger screamed, as he fell to the ground. He got up. "Seems that weapon of your isn't completely normal steel," he muttered. "No matter, though. I can kill you here." He charged Ratagi, who slashed again with his sword. This time, it didn't work again. Anger went straight on him.\r\n     "It's time to finish what you have started," hissed Anger as he choked him with hands as freezing as death.\r\n     Ratagi couldn't bare the cold grip of Anger. He reached for his dagger- and stuck it in Anger's leg. He roared in pain, and he quickly took his sword and thrust it through Anger's hood. He screamed. Ratagi saw as the sword break in half and, before his very eyes, Anger screamed in agony as he slowly turned to stone. "How?!" He cried. His very last words.\r\n     Ratagi dropped the broken blade and clutched his throat. His hand was cold and covered in dry blood, but it felt great against his freezing and choked throat.\r\n     Anger was turned completely to stone- and he burst into a thousand pieces, falling slowly to the ground, making small pitter pattering sounds- but it wasn't the remnants of Anger, it was the pitter patter of little droplets coming from the sky.\r\n     It started to rain.\r\nRatagi fell down on the ground, and let loose a long yell.\r\n     And the Hunters? When they saw both the remnants of Anger's body, and Seftis's body at the same time, the all fled.\r\n     Ratagi, staring as little droplets of rain, fell out of consciousness.\r\n     He opened his eyes to see Ezekiel, Charles, and James staring at him. "Are you okay?" Charles asked. "Ezekiel found you lying in a pool of your own blood. You had lost a lot of it after your bandage fell off."\r\n     "You are a hero," Ezekiel said. "You killed both Seftis, and Anger in one battle."\r\n     Ratagi attempted to get up, but it pained him, and he fell back down. He was in his bed in his one home in the Vault. "What happened?" He asked.\r\n     "You should be quiet; you've lost a lot of blood." Ezekiel explained.\r\n     "You're lucky you're alive," Charles said.\r\n     Ratagi made a second attempt to get up. He saw his arm in a sling. He got up. "My leg's feeling a bit better," he said. He stood up.\r\n     "Wait- you can't go!" Ezekiel cried. "You're too ill."\r\n     He shook his head.\r\n     "But you'll miss the victory celebration!" Spoke James for the first time. "You are the man of honour."\r\n     He sighed. He looked on the floor, and there was his blade. He picked it up.\r\n     "What use it that thing to you?" Ezekiel asked. "It's broken."\r\n     Ratagi shook his head again. He started to gather up his things. "What are you doing?" Asked Charles. "You'll miss the victory celebration!"\r\n     Ratagi sighed again. He was already out the door. The sun was shining bright, and people were running about happily, attending the wounded soldiers. Richard was nearby, his leg covered in a bandage. Aldale had his arm in a sling and a bandage over his eye. Ratagi had to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight. He started jogging on a limp towards the city gates. They were open.\r\n     Charles asked "Where are you going?"\r\n     Ratagi turned to him, and for the first time since Charles, James, or anyone for that matter had met him, smiled. "Home," he said. His smile faded, and he slowly walked out of the Vault, a place he had nearly risked his life to get to.\r\n     When the gates closed, Charles turned to Ezekiel. "When are we going to the victory celebration?" He asked.\r\n     "We are not going anywhere," said Ezekiel grimly. "I am going to bury Orbain."\r\n     "Orbain is dead?!" James asked.\r\n     Ezekiel nodded. "The victory celebration is that way." He pointed right.\r\n     James walked away, but Charles started following Ezekiel. "Why are you following me?" He asked. "You'll be late for the victory celebration."\r\n     "I'm going with you," Charles said. "Orbain was kind of my friend too."\r\n     Ezekiel smiled slightly. "Well, okay. But you and I and probably his kid will probably be the only ones there."\r\n     Charles nodded. "I still want to come with you."\r\n     \r\nOne month later\r\n     Ratagi sighed, and hammered the sign into the ground. He ran back, put his hands on his hips, and stared proudly at his "work of art" as he so put it.\r\n     The sign read "No Trespassers, please."\r\n     After he got home, he was seen as a public hero. They had even erected a statue in his honour at the Vault, as his friends had informed him. Life was good, after that. He had gone back to making swords and shields for the men who he had fought with, protecting freedom for their country.\r\n     "Another fine day," he said, looking up at the sky. There were very few clouds, and the sun shone brightly at its very peak in the sky.\r\n     "A fine day indeed." A voice said.\r\n     Ratagi turned to see a familiar face. There he stood; one hand on his hip, the other limp at his side. The wind blew at his cloak, revealing his slick sword. The very man who had gotten him to start this whole journey. "Diamor." He breathed.\r\n     "The very same." He smiled.\r\n     "Well, what are you doing here, for?" He asked.\r\n     "A rematch." Diamor smiled wickedly.\r\n     Ratagi smiled. A habit he had gotten to know since he left the Vault. "Wait here." He said, and went indoors. When he returned, he held a sword in its sheath.\r\n     Diamor drew his sword. "You don't stand a chance." He said.\r\n     Ratagi grinned again. "We'll see." He said. And Diamor leapt towards Ratagi. And for the first time in years, Ratagi never felt so alive.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n                  \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n                     \r\n                [b]EPILOGUE[/b]\r\n     [i]After the great victory, King Richard and Aldale went to re-conquer their lands, and pretty soon, Charles discovered what had happened to his father, the King of Greth, and took the responsibility of being his heir. As he grew to the age of sixteen, he became known as Greths Greatest King, spawning the new golden age of not only Greth, but of all Mans Telwar.\r\n     Ratagi, keeping his promise, went home, to have things back the way they were. He became a good friend of King Richard, and died at the age of seventy five.\r\n     James, Charles's brother, became a powerful lord and noble, and the commander of all Greths armies. He served under his brother, not without friction, but the Brothers never forgot their love for each other. \r\n     Anjido, the old nature loving wizard was never seen again, but everyone heard his message, and Hershbe numbers grew again.\r\n     Opne`, the nice old man became very rich and famous, and soon became the leader of the area he lived in.\r\n     Kasdid, the famous knight that had been saved by Ratagi, quit being a knight and started to write books.\r\n     Himadia, the young girl who saved Ratagi and the others became queen of the Heiamonds, and became good friends with James and Charles.\r\n     Diamor? He was never seen again. Or so you might think. But that's another story.\r\n     The Hunters took Seftis's body back to their homeland, where his brother, Oslan, vowed his revenge on Mans Telwar.\r\n     Ezekiel, the rebellious young knight, went on many more adventures, and then stayed in the Vault and had a child named Bursan, who will soon become the one who helps save Mans Telwar from the Hates and the Hunters once again.\r\n     But that's another story.[/i]

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sirmed1

56 posts

Farmer

Posted September 17, '11 3:13am UTC

*Note: I am not the author of this book, I am merely the editor in chief. If you want to talk to the author, please go to http://www.armorgames.com/user/sirmed2

I would also like to thank the creaters, and more importantly the moderators of Armorgames for allowing us to publish such massive amounts of text. Thank you very much armorgames!

Anyway, feel free to critque the story any way you want, both me and the author would deeply love to have every single flaw pointed out, as long as it's actually there... no figurative flaws, please.

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sirmed1

56 posts

Farmer

Posted September 17, '11 3:14am UTC

If the link above does not work, the author is also in my friends list, known as "Sirmed2"

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KeenuTehUneek

91 posts

Nomad

Posted September 17, '11 5:28am UTC

Whoa.
Sorry, but tl;dr.
I'm not exactly a fan of reading, you see. :l

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sirmed2

165 posts

Scribe

Posted September 18, '11 3:30pm UTC

Oh, and I renamed a couple of the chapters...

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Joe96

2,226 posts

Peasant

Posted September 19, '11 1:42am UTC

Wow...
You must hate writing
I'm assuming that if you make stories as complex and detailed as this, you want to be an author, right?

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MuArt

4 posts

Peasant

Posted September 20, '11 5:07pm UTC

holy cr*p is this really your story ?

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Nyanjoe

22 posts

Nomad

Posted September 20, '11 6:47pm UTC

holy $hit that's alot of writing good story dude

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wolf1991

3,437 posts

Farmer

Posted September 20, '11 6:57pm UTC

And so I make a brief reappearance to offer you advice.

The story, while having a credible plot unfortunately seems to rely on tropes, more commonly known as stereotypes. While this is not necessarily a bad thing for inexperienced writers to do, I strongly discourage the use of tropes. While using tropes is often times unavoidable it is best to refrain from using too many, because they often bog the story down into a predictable rut of events.

Moving on to diction. Diction is where you can tell if a writer is truly experienced in writing. Your choice of diction reflects your relative inexperience with writing. simple words, while they can be effective, become repetitive and underplay much of the tones you try and set within the story. Diction also is a tell tale sign in your dialogue. The characters simply remain wooden in how they speak, at least to my eye. I cannot fully picture these people in some form of reality speaking the way you have them speak. That, to me, is the point of a novel, or any story. To suspend an audience's disbelief while being engaged within the world being created.

That being said, the world created here is...shallow. I understand the difficulty of creating a fully imersive world, I've spent the past five years drafting and re-drafting notes and maps for the world I have finally begun to set on the page. While making up names is fun, you must account for those names, and the character behind them. You must account for the culture in which those names derive, simply spitting out names that SOUND interesting does not create depth. While I notice some depth at times throughout the story it is not simply flushed out to its full extent. Believe me, with work, th posibility is there.

Descriptions. Another staple in creating the previously mentioned suspension of disbelief.

The army spent a whole hour preparing for battle. They ate their food, and started to get ready. They were to use the hills as their advantage, but the Troops could come from anywhere. Bastidil small army went into the open and stood, inspecting all sides

The above passage is clunky to my eyes and ears when read aloud. It jars the senses away from the story and makes the reader pause for a moment. Simply adding various details again does not create depth. Allow me to create a similar description using your above passage.

Bastidil's army prepared itself in the surrounding hills and upon the plains below; weapons and armor mended, kits inspected and ranks formed, they marched out into the open, prepared for anything.

True my example is not perfect, and whether it is an improvement is up for debate, but I believe it makes my point well enough.

However, I do recognize that you have talent, the problem becomes what you intend to do with that talent. Writing is an art form that needs to be honed and developed. You must be willing to accept the criticism of others in order to develop your own unique style as a writer. Do not always listen to those who praise you, because while praise is often wanted it is not always needed. However, the reverse is true as well. Do not always listen to those who tell you that you are no good, but if someone does criticize make sure to recognize how they are making that criticism.

All in all I enjoyed the story, though it is in need of much improvement. Keep working.

And so I make a brief reappearance to offer you advice.\r\n\r\nThe story, while having a credible plot unfortunately seems to rely on tropes, more commonly known as stereotypes. While this is not necessarily a bad thing for inexperienced writers to do, I strongly discourage the use of tropes. While using tropes is often times unavoidable it is best to refrain from using too many, because they often bog the story down into a predictable rut of events.\r\n\r\nMoving on to diction. Diction is where you can tell if a writer is truly experienced in writing. Your choice of diction reflects your relative inexperience with writing. simple words, while they can be effective, become repetitive and underplay much of the tones you try and set within the story. Diction also is a tell tale sign in your dialogue. The characters simply remain wooden in how they speak, at least to my eye. I cannot fully picture these people in some form of reality speaking the way you have them speak. That, to me, is the point of a novel, or any story. To suspend an audience's disbelief while being engaged within the world being created.\r\n\r\nThat being said, the world created here is...shallow. I understand the difficulty of creating a fully imersive world, I've spent the past five years drafting and re-drafting notes and maps for the world I have finally begun to set on the page. While making up names is fun, you must account for those names, and the character behind them. You must account for the culture in which those names derive, simply spitting out names that SOUND interesting does not create depth. While I notice some depth at times throughout the story it is not simply flushed out to its full extent. Believe me, with work, th posibility is there.\r\n\r\nDescriptions. Another staple in creating the previously mentioned suspension of disbelief. \r\n\r\n[quote]The army spent a whole hour preparing for battle. They ate their food, and started to get ready. They were to use the hills as their advantage, but the Troops could come from anywhere. Bastidil small army went into the open and stood, inspecting all sides[/quote]\r\n\r\nThe above passage is clunky to my eyes and ears when read aloud. It jars the senses away from the story and makes the reader pause for a moment. Simply adding various details again does not create depth. Allow me to create a similar description using your above passage.\r\n\r\n[i]Bastidil's army prepared itself in the surrounding hills and upon the plains below; weapons and armor mended, kits inspected and ranks formed, they marched out into the open, prepared for anything.[/i]\r\n\r\nTrue my example is not perfect, and whether it is an improvement is up for debate, but I believe it makes my point well enough.\r\n\r\nHowever, I do recognize that you have talent, the problem becomes what you intend to do with that talent. Writing is an art form that needs to be honed and developed. You must be willing to accept the criticism of others in order to develop your own unique style as a writer. Do not always listen to those who praise you, because while praise is often wanted it is not always [i]needed[/i]. However, the reverse is true as well. Do not always listen to those who tell you that you are no good, but if someone does criticize make sure to recognize how they are making that criticism.\r\n\r\nAll in all I enjoyed the story, though it is in need of much improvement. Keep working.

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sirmed1

56 posts

Farmer

Posted September 23, '11 11:13pm UTC

Thank you Wolf, you show that you understand how to critque writing.

I know that the writing itself is clunky, and in some times inadequte, but I ask you, when in the story are there tropes in the story? If anything, I find the story unique, and if you're saying that the entire medievel setting is a trope, then I have to disagree.

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