 
### Tales of the Arter Gems

### Episode III

### The Chosen One

### Mario Walsh

Tales of the Arter Gems

Episode III

The Chosen One

Mario Walsh

Published by Mario Walsh at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Mario Walsh

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this free eBook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied or distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoy this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

Other books by Mario Walsh

Episode IV - A Twist of Fate

Episode V - Syra's Paradox

Episode II - The Pinnacles of Fate

Episode I - The Prophet and her Legacy

COMING SOON

Episode VI - The Syndicate of Time

Episode VII - The Mentor of Time

Episode VIII - The Guardian of Time

Episode IX - The Martyr of Time

Episode X - The Bounty of Time

Dedication to both

Life & Death

◊ Life ◊

DAVID WALSH

"The best writer that no one knows"

Thank you for all your wisdom. You've been an amazing father, and you did the best that you could at all times. Hope I've made you as proud, as you've made me.

◊ Death ◊

CHRIS JONKERS

27.1.1989 – 19.11.2012

"You are missed by many, friend. You have left quite a legacy, and I am proud to have known you. Your advice will never be forgotten, I look forward to seeing you again one day."

### Table of Contents:

Preface

I - Glow with the Flow

II - What becomes of the sweaty armpit?

III \- Your Mood can change like the Wind

IV - Getting to Grips with my Destiny

V - The Fate of a Warrior

VI - Seal, Kneel, Meal

VII - Arter, Arter, wherefore art thou Arter?

VIII - Staring Death in the Eyes

IX - The Arter Gem is Sweet, but Revenge is Sweeter

X - To kill or not to kill, that is the Question

XI – Breaking the Ice

XII - Time to get to Know Each Other

XIII - Little Do You Know

XIV - Cliffs? You Never Mentioned Cliffs...

XV - A Thorn in my Backside

XVI - Fighting, Escaping and That Familiar Feeling of Safety

XVII - To See or Not to See

XVIII - Point Me in the Right Direction

XIX - The Battle of Neca City

About the Author

### Preface

I'm dreading University and I'm not motivated to go. I'm eighteen going on thirty, living in a small country called New Zealand. Boys don't bother with me for two reasons; the first is the way I look on a daily basis. I'm short, have black shoulder length hair with red streaks that I constantly flick out of my face, and I generally wear baggy jeans and a sleeveless metal t-shirt. The second reason is because of my coldness towards men. My dad left my mum when I was very young and she had to work two jobs just to feed us, let alone pay the bills he left us with. To this day we still don't know why he left. Because of him I've become good friends with alcohol. It seems to solve my problems at the moment, although I'm permanently hung-over and I don't really have any desire to achieve anything. My mum has been nagging me for months to get out of my room and become something, anything. She suggested that I sign up to a university to study writing; and I made my decision, finally. My name is Syra, and as of tomorrow my existence will suddenly become a lot more important.

### I - Glow with the Flow

September 27th 2007 and the smell of the old man sitting next to me on this bus is making me gag. I'm sure he hasn't showered in weeks, clusters of flies are buzzing around his armpits. I'm minding my own business, listening to heavy metal on my CD player. Yes, CD player; I've been collecting heavy metal CDs since I was eleven, so why change with the times?

I look towards the back of the bus and see a group of guy's perving at the girls in front of them. Every guy I've ever met is like that. They don't care about feelings, looks always come first. Is it possible to meet a decent guy, someone who looks beyond a pretty face? I doubt it, they'll have to work hard to win me over.

Besides men another thing I hate are needles. My mum is such a hypochondriac, since I was a kid I've had to have a blood test every, single, week. This is also why I'm suspicious about Leviathan University. Since when are there compulsory blood tests at a university?

The bus brakes screech and I run for the door as soon as the bus stops, taking a deep breath of fresh air as I walk onto campus. My heart starts beating rapidly and my hands feel damp. A normal day consists of me drinking alcohol in my room alone, listening to heavy metal music and writing poetry. I'm quite cold to anyone who shows any kind of interest in me and I don't usually communicate with anyone except my mother so being out in a crowded place is rather nerve racking.

The university is quite old fashioned. The concrete walls and interior resemble an old hospital, maybe even an asylum; except for the main administration block, which is far more modern with a flat rooftop and white wooden walls. At the back of the university fields is a dense forest and I can make out students loitering around - I'd say it's a great place to get up to mischief on campus. I make a beeline for the infirmary so I can get this jab over and done with. I have class at 9am sharp, but this needle is more important; I bet my mother is laughing her socks off. Two birds with one stone: another needle for her daughter, and she gets me out of the house. But do you know what makes me the maddest? This is the only university that my mother would allow me to attend, because it was my father's last request. As if he deserves a last request!

I quickly cross the field, dodging athletics students, eventually closing in on the infirmary. I can't see anyone else heading here, why is it only me that seems to be having this needle?

The infirmary is the most run down building on the whole campus. It could have been a bloody abattoir with the old, brown paint peeling off. I waste no time heading for the front door; the inside has a musky sort of smell. The tatty green seats are rotten, as is the wooden floor, and the air in the room is damp and uncomfortable to say the least. The white, stained wallpaper is peeling from the wall; I'm pretty sure I'm in a building with the worst condition in all New Zealand.

While I wait patiently for my jab, a haggard old nurse resembling a witch walks in. She has straggly white hair with grey streaks covering her face, spilling out of the hood of a long black robe, and is wearing yellow dishwashing gloves.

"Fill out this form and your blood is mine," she says and walks off, scratching her bum and snorting. A cockroach scuttles past my shoe, sending a sharp shiver up my spine, distracting me slightly before glancing at the form she wants me to fill out. Pretty standard, until a section of the form catches my attention;

Tick one of the following:

\- Normal Blood Count

\- Further Blood Analysis

Curiosity gets the better of me and I tick the bottom box. What analysis could they possibly be doing? Why would they do this sort of analysis at a university?

After several seemingly never-ending minutes, the haggard old woman comes back and prompts me to follow her. I hear the sound of a Zippo and she leads me down a long, dark corridor towards a flickering light at the end. Haunting the corridor are faint screams of HELP! And NO! Am I hearing things? Did I tick the right box? The old hag leers with her beady eyes over her right shoulder.

"Don't be scared child; it's only a blood test," she says.

"What's all the screaming?" I reply, trembling.

"What screaming? It's all in your head, child," she says, snickering to herself.

I start to freak out. I know what I heard, and am still hearing. Or have I been locked away in my room so long that I've lost touch with reality?

Almost at the end of the corridor we stop in front of a door, last on the left. I notice the door at the very end is covered in velvet.

"What's in there?" I ask, pointing towards the velvet door.

"Another nosy student, aren't we?" she snarls.

"No! Just curious!" I snap back.

The old hag pulls out a ring with a dozen or so keys on it. I've always wanted to see one of those. She fumbles for thirty seconds or so trying to find the right key.

"I found it! Ha-ha, it takes a while sometimes," the haggard old woman growls.

I notice symbols glowing on her gloves. The emblem looks like an 'X' with four arrows in the gap.

"What's that symbol on your gloves?" I ask as she opens the door. The old hag smiles at me.

"What symbol?"

The symbols glow a neon blue colour before disappearing. Now, I'm not a drug addict, and I haven't had any of her 'needles' yet, so I know my senses are working perfectly. I don't give up though; I've made it this far so I don't want to throw in the towel. That all too human quality called curiosity has come over me, so I endure with what the old bat has to say and do.

"Do you want to be strapped into your chair?" she snarls.

"Umm, okay, is that really necessary?" I reply, trembling with fear.

Without a word she starts strapping my arms down to the chair, like I'm in an asylum for the criminally insane.

"Ouch!" I scream as the old hag takes my blood. The haggard old woman has her back to me and while looking through the cupboards she says;

"Okay child, I'm going to explain the basic effects of your injections."

"Injections?"

The old hag keeps speaking like she hasn't heard me.

"One, you will need to wear dark shades for a few months, as your eyes will go white whenever danger is near."

"What? Untie me!" I scream.

"Two, you may be able to see certain things that other people can't. I won't spoil the surprise."

I start to panic as she approaches me. Her eyes are glistening white, and the symbol reappears on her gloves. She wastes no time inserting the needle into my right arm, injecting a white fluid into my vein; it feels amazing. My eyes are picking up every fragment and molecule of dust in the air, and my sense of smell is magnified tenfold. What has she just given me? Definitely nothing I've ever tried in my teenage years of experimenting with recreational goodies. This pushes me beyond the point of paranoia.

After a few minutes the sensation wears off, and the old hag unstraps me and forces me out of the infirmary. She points me in the direction of my first class.

"Don't bother coming back here looking for answers. You won't find any."

Okay so what just happened?! It's way too much to comprehend and now I'm running late for my first day, better get to class. My first class is history. Damn. Boring! If I didn't have to do this class as a credit for my degree I wouldn't be here. How can I really soak in all this information, when I'm still buzzing from what I just experienced? The classroom is on an incline down to the blackboard, and I'm seated at the top, up the back. I have to be positioned far away from the frizzy ginger haired professor; I need to get a grip on reality. I can't concentrate. Am I dreaming? I can't be! Maybe I am? But a dream doesn't have this much detail! As I look around, most of the students in class look like mindless, heartless drones. Their undivided attention is focused on what the boring, mono-toned teacher has to say. One of the 'drones' looks at me. I smile at him, but he doesn't even register. It's as if he's staring straight through me. It's a little creepy! I feel a cold shiver run up my spine, as if something is walking over my grave. What is going on here?

I'm sitting in the middle of the field on my lunch break, staring in the general direction of the infirmary, and curiosity once again comes over me. I want to go back there, regardless of what that haggard old woman said. I stand up and start to stroll over, but I can't see the infirmary anywhere. I check my campus map and I'm definitely in the right location, what's going on? Suddenly, blue neon writing appears on the grass in front of me:

'9am – 11am'.

It's there for about fifteen seconds, then disappears. What does that mean? I have had enough of this creepy university for one day, so I decide to skip Italian and head home on the same smelly bus I had arrived in.

Back in my solitude, in the room I've been rotting in for so long, I lie on the floor with scrunched up bits of paper, trying to put my thoughts about today on a page. Staring at the heavy metal posters pinned on the roof and walls, I think about what had happened. I can't believe it. How does a building just vanish? I'm guessing that the infirmary is going to reappear tomorrow between the hours I saw written in the grass. I'm going to check it out first thing in the morning.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Get up Syra. You're late for Uni and it's only your second day!" Mum says after bashing a spoon against a pot right next to my ear.

"Roger Mum! Got the message!" I yell as I get my late little tush out of bed.

"Hurry up and get ready, and I'll drop you there," Mum says as she leaves the room.

After I shower and change into my clothes I go to the car, but Mum is already waiting on the old motorbike. It's been ages since she drove me anywhere and I forgot that the car broke down a while ago.

We silently cruise for about ten minutes; the breeze blowing through my hair is very relaxing. I fire a question at mum.

"Mum, I've always wondered - why do you have a chopper?" I ask.

"It was your father's, and I haven't got around to replacing the old car. This baby keeps going and going. It never needs repair, and it's like the gas tank is always full. No complaints from me."

"Well I wouldn't keep anything that belonged to that selfish prick," I snap.

"Hey, no need for that. We don't know what happened to him; I still believe that your dad was kidnapped," Mum admonishes as we pull into the Leviathan University car park.

Cool isn't enough to explain how I feel being dropped off. Students nearby rush over to see what all the noise is; it's just Mum and I, pulling up in our custom, old school eighties chopper.

"Have a good day at university," Mum says as she revs the bike.

"Thanks Mum, see you tonight," I reply, watching her leave.

I head back to the spot on campus where the infirmary had been; this time it is there. I look over my left shoulder at the university clock in the courtyard; 10:54am, just between the times in the blue neon message.

I approach and open the door, and blue neon writing appears on the floor.

"Leave now!"

A few metres further down the corridor another message appears,

"Please go back, don't go on!"

Nothing can scare me off now! I can hear a low growling from the end of the corridor. I'm on a mission to find out what is going on in this infirmary.

The next message catches me off guard and scares me a little. It's on the velvet door at the end of the dark corridor.

"Syra, for your own safety please turn back."

My name is in that message! Now I definitely have to keep going.

I put my ear against the door. As I listen I can hear the haggard old woman talking to something, which is growling in response.

"Here you go, I have a little treat for you from yesterday's victims," she says.

The thing growls in response.

I quietly turn the doorknob and peek in. The room is about as big as a lounge, with the same murky style as the rest of the infirmary, except for the bloodstains on the walls. There's a crate near the door; I slip in unnoticed and hide behind it, slowly peering over the top to see what the hag is talking to.

I can't believe my eyes. The old hag did mention I'd see things that other people couldn't see, but this? Freaked out would be an understatement of how I feel. I blink a few times to see if I am just imagining it, but I'm not.

A huge, hideous demon takes up a large portion of the room, in front of what looks like double doors. It has large fangs and sharp claws, and one eye about the size of a soccer ball. The demon's skin looks like a person with third degree burns, all hunched over with legs and arms as big as power poles. Thank the heavens it's chained up.

The haggard old woman is feeding it blood, straight from the innocent veins of the students from this very campus. Where did it come from? What is beyond the double doors it's guarding? What was I injected with? Was I infected or enhanced?

Suddenly, something grabs my wrist tightly, pulling me through the wall. I end up outside lying on my back. Somewhat dazed I sit up and see the person who grabbed me.

He looks about seventeen, has spiked black hair, is rather tall, and dressed in a short-sleeved white button shirt with a stripy tie and dress pants. Ha, what a nerd. Then I see his eyes, glassy white.

"Let me guess, you ticked the bottom box?" I ask.

"Yes I did, unfortunately. I've been regretting it ever since. Were you even keeping track of the time? It's 11am and the infirmary is in the process of disappearing," the nerd replies.

It dawns on me; he might have just saved my life!

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Vetor."

I smile, what a strange name.

"Yes, I know my name is goofy. I was orphaned, and the name was stitched on the blanket my adoptive parents found me in."

I've never met an orphan before and I can't imagine not knowing about where I came from. His mystery intrigues me enough to want to get to know him better. Vetor could be my first friend.

### II - What becomes of the sweaty armpit?

"What have you been seeing since having the injection?" I ask.

Vetor looks at me.

"Blue neon glowing 'X' like symbols."

"Blue neon writing," we say, at the same time.

"I want to see what's beyond that door, I don't care how scared I am or how dangerous it is," I say, trying to hide how freaked out I am.

"Okay, I'll join you if you accompany me to the white lecture theatre. There's a meeting there for everyone who chose to get further blood analysis. So, do we have a deal?" Vetor asks, offering his right hand to shake.

"You have a deal. Let's go then!" I say enthusiastically, and we head to the lecture theatre.

Walking through the concrete labyrinth of educational confinement it feels like we're being watched, like hundreds of security cameras are recording our every move. As we pass little groups of students, whispers and murmurs fill the air. I don't care what they think of us, as long as they keep their irrelevant comments to themselves, but we hurry along trying to avoid any unwanted attention.

On the white doors of the theatre we see the glowing blue symbol. Vetor looks at me with his eyebrows raised and opens the doors. My heart is beating like a lab rat as we quickly slip inside.

When we enter the students in the room turn around to stare at us like soulless drones. But we're becoming accustomed to being stared at. We apologise to the lecturer for being late and quickly find the two nearest seats, in the back left corner. Like all the lecture theatres here the room is on a slope, maybe forty-five degrees from top to bottom, and the lecturer is at the bottom looking up at the class. He looks about ninety years old, is wearing a white cloak with a hood, and has a mop of white hair. Those are some pretty good hair genes; most men I know are bald by forty. Most importantly, he has white glowing eyes, and the glowing blue neon 'X' symbol between his eyebrows.

"I am Vice Chancellor Zaruth, but in this theatre alone, you may call me Akiad," the old man says.

"Thank you Akiad," the class replies in a chant.

He continues.

"Selecting the lower box in the blood test was a very wise choice. Your second wise choice was respecting our wishes. By not returning to the infirmary, you have just saved yourself a lot of money. The school has decided to reward all you obedient students by paying your tuition fees!"

The class stands and starts cheering, whistling and clapping. Vetor joins in, but I sit there motionless, not moving a muscle. I must be sticking out like a sore thumb.

"Why aren't you excited? He's saving us a lot of money," Vetor exclaims.

"There's something weird going on here. He's paying everyone to stay away from the infirmary, and there's a demon guarding something in there. I want to see what's beyond the door," I whisper.

"Wait a minute, are you referring to that old woman?" Vetor replies.

"No, not her, an actual demon. Let's get out of here."

We slip out of the hall during all the commotion. We agree to meet at the infirmary tomorrow by 8:45am to see what is beyond that door. I have to know, and I know Vetor feels the same as I do. He seems like a genuine guy, hope he turns up.

During the rest of my classes all I can think about is what happened at the infirmary. I can't wait for the day to end.

Back at my house I sit on the swing chair attached to the Pohutukawa tree in the backyard, having a nightcap, staring at the beautiful Waitakere Ranges while the sun is setting. The hills are covered in trees all the way to the horizon, which gives a sense of beauty that transcends anything else.

What is in store for Vetor and me tomorrow? I still can't really believe what's taken place. In the midst of my deep never-ending loop of thoughts, Mum sneaks up behind me.

"BOO!" she says, suddenly grabbing me.

"Geez Mum, that's twice in one day!" I reply, reeling from the fright.

"Ha-ha, apologies beautiful. What are you doing out here?" Mum says, sitting down next to me on the swing chair.

"Just collecting my thoughts. I had some interesting lessons."

Beams of light through the tree suddenly blind me.

"I'm so proud of you, Syra. You're finally going to university and doing something with your life. Your father would be as proud as I am right now," she says, putting her arm around me.

"Why would you think of Dad in a situation like this? You're the only one who's been there for me in my life; why bother giving Dad any kudos?" I ask.

"Well, you're seated in a swing chair that I attached to this tree, which represents your father. I chose a Pohutukawa tree because it saved our life in a car accident years ago. It resembles the love we have for each other, and how death wasn't strong enough to separate us. He was a great man," Mum says, wiping a few lonely tears from her eyes.

"Aww, don't cry Mum. He disappeared without a trace, leaving you here to raise a toddler on your own. Are you sure that you're showing respect to a great man, or a great memory?" I say, rubbing her back.

"Your father is still out there somewhere. I can feel it, and this tree helps me," Mum says, smiling at me.

"Well, I hope you're okay. I'm going to wash my makeup off and crash out. I love you," I say leaning in for a hug.

"Okay beautiful, I'm going to stay out here for a bit; this view of the Waitakere Ranges is far too amazing," Mum says as I head inside.

Blinking while removing my eyeliner, I'm sure I see my black hair turn blonde in my reflection.

"Huh?"

I rub my eyes and lift my hair to check the colour but nothing is out of the ordinary. Am I going crazy? As I stare in the mirror my eyes change from glassy white to hazel over about a thirty second period. What does this all mean? I'm starting to get a little freaked out, I really need to get to the bottom of this.

It's exactly 08:49am at the site of the infirmary. I'm wearing my favourite baggy, black denim jeans, black boots and a low cut, tight fitting, black singlet. Vetor still hasn't arrived, I'm guessing he's not coming but I'm not really that surprised. Everyone except my mum has let me down in life so I'm already expecting a no show. I lean against a nearby tree and watch students walk around campus. Does none of them wonder what's so strange about this place? Is it really just me? Doesn't anyone find Akiad's way of running a university a tad odd? Why am I even here, waiting for a building to appear out of thin air? I still don't believe it. Well, at least this is the most outdoor activity I've had since the turn of the century; maybe I might actually get a tan on this pale skin of mine.

Suddenly, two hands cover my eyes from behind.

"Didn't expect me to show, did you?" Vetor chuckles.

"To be honest, I didn't even think about it!" I reply sharply.

"That's the biggest lie in the history of mankind."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you're blushing like a room full of strangers just saw you naked, it's hilarious!" Vetor says, bursting into laughter.

I ignore him, as I see something so breath-taking I can barely describe it. Out of nowhere tiny molecules form in the air, whooshing around in a circular, tornado style motion, increasing rapidly in speed.

"What's the time?" I ask.

Vetor stops laughing.

"08:59." We watch a hurricane of different colours in awe, and see a tattered, rundown building manifest in front of our eyes. I look at Vetor, and I'm not surprised to see his eyes are white; I can only assume mine are as well. If the old hag was right, danger must be near. We can't give up now though, I can feel we're close to finding out the truth.

We don't want to muck around once the infirmary has solidified, so we go straight in. Vetor and I creep down the dark corridor and head for the forbidden velvet door at the end. For a building that can manifest out of thin air, you'd think they could afford a cosmetic facelift, or at least some light bulbs. Only one light is working in the corridor now.

As we approach the velvet door, Vetor and I notice that blue neon writing has appeared.

'Syra, don't get Vetor involved, he isn't brave enough.'

Vetor chuckles.

"Technically that's not true. I may be a geek, but I am not afraid. I will prove that stupid message wrong. It's probably just some jealous bully trying to bring down my self-esteem!"

I smile at him, and reach for the doorknob. Quietly opening the door, we quickly enter the room taking post behind the same crate I hid behind yesterday.

"Umm okay; yesterday when you said 'demon', you really meant it!" Vetor whispers, his voice shaking.

"See, told ya!"

The demon is asleep; snoring so loud it could have woken the dead. Its one huge eye is so intimidating, and I could swear the reason the paint is peeling off the walls is its pungent aroma.

I look around the rest of the room, and the old hag is nowhere to be seen.

"Okay, here's our chance. I'm going to sneak through the door behind him," I whisper.

"Are you nuts?!" Vetor gasps.

I quickly put my hands over Vetor's mouth.

"Just listen to me and don't ask any questions, or you'll be the bait for that hideous demon, understood?" I whisper. "We're going to push this crate as close to it as we can. Let's go".

Vetor doesn't say a word; he just nods. We start pushing the crate, slowly and delicately towards the chained up demon. Every few hard pushes, it growls and snorts, but keeps snoring in its deep slumber. We push the crate until it's directly under its right armpit. Drops of armpit sweat drip into my hair. I can feel it running down my face, making my mascara run; this better be worth it.

Vetor gains some confidence and goes first, heading behind the demon and placing his hands on the knobs of the blue, double doors. He starts opening them and before I know it, it's my turn to make a move. I climb over the crate to head for the door but just as I get on top, it tips over with a loud crash.

The demon wakes and starts growling loudly. It starts running forward as far as possible and, reaching the end of the limit of the chain, starts charging backwards, buttocks first, towards the door. Vetor holds the doors open and we both dive through, slamming the doors shut just as it is about to make contact. We land on the ground and lie next to each other, breathing heavily, like we've just finished a race.

"Are you okay?" Vetor asks, gasping for air.

I nod, trying to catch my breath. Coming to my senses, I see that we're in an exact replica of the room we were just in. This room, however, is all white, with sterilised equipment, perfect white unstained wallpaper, and all the lights work. We cross to the door opposite the one we've just come through to find a corridor leading to the exit. The door is velvet and in mint condition and the corridor lights are working. The complex seems abandoned.

"Hey, it looks exactly like a cleaner version of the infirmary, don't you think?"

"Yeah it sure does," Vetor replies.

We head to what must be the entrance to this alternate infirmary, and open the door.

Stepping outside, we find ourselves in a barren desert that reaches as far as the eye can see. Sand whisks around like it has replaced the wind; keeping our mouths closed seems essential. There are no cacti, trees or any signs of life except for us, and an extremely short old man. He looks at least a century old, with long flowing white hair and a beard tied in a long plait. He's wearing a brown robe stained with blood with a satchel slung over one shoulder, sandals, and is holding the weirdest staff I've ever seen. It's a long wooden staff, with what looks like a tennis racket on the end of it. Not something you'd picture an old man holding. He looks at me, with concern on his face.

"Syra, welcome to the beginning of your paradox in time!" the old man says.

"Hey, how do you know my name? I've never seen you in my entire life! And what the heck is a paradox?" I yell over the whistling wind.

"My name is Modnar, and it is I that has been putting all the glowing blue messages in front of you both. A paradox is exactly what will unfold in front of your very eyes! I need you to come with me. I am your guide for the inevitable events that are to take place. You must have faith in me, as it is my destiny to guide you."

"Guide me? Guide me where?"

"You are about to embark on an important journey. Everything will be explained when we arrive at the village. There's a reason you've found yourself here. This is not just some random encounter."

Vetor starts laughing hysterically.

"What's so funny?" I ask.

"Sorry, its Modnar's name, it's so RANDOM!" Vetor bursts out as he continues his hysterical laughter.

Now I get the joke; Modnar spelt backwards is 'random'. I know now how dry Vetor's sense of humour is. I laugh a little bit, but as Modnar is standing right there in front of us, obviously not getting the joke at all, it's a bit hard to burst into a fit of laughter without feeling a little embarrassed.

"What is that random fin sticking out of the sand?" I ask.

As I say 'random' Vetor starts laughing again.

"This, my girl, is our ride. It's a native animal to the land of Tharp. It's called a Zabait."

Modnar stomps on the ground and the Zabait surfaces out of the sand. It's about three metres long and closely resembles a hammerhead shark. It has long hair all over its body, four small feet, the fin, and a long hump.

"Come on you two, let's get going, it's boiling out here," Modnar says.

I hesitate, then clamber aboard the Zabait, using its greasy, matted hair to pull myself up. I take a moment to process my thoughts. I wonder what Modnar meant by 'welcome to my paradox?' I don't even know what a paradox is. I wonder if Vetor knows, if he doesn't I wonder why he didn't comment.

The desert is beautiful in a way, no houses, no danger, and no life. Just us and this dirty Zabait going much too fast for my liking.

"Where are we going? And can this Zabait move any slower?" I ask, nervous about falling off.

"Well, we're currently crossing the Jonker desert, and will eventually arrive at the Village of Noradi. The Zabait was bred to move at this speed," Modnar replies, looking back while still guiding the Zabait. "I'll have you know, my girl, that Zabaits have never in the history of Tharp had a non-war related accident. It's a proven fact."

"Great, that's reassuring," I can't help but be sarcastic.

Vetor has his arms around my waist and is resting his head on my left shoulder, snoring loudly. I kind of like it. I'm not going to jump the gun, as I barely know the guy, and he is just sleeping. I'm interested in getting to know him though, to see if he's different from all the other guys out there. I stay awake and take in the environment, awaiting the arrival of the Village of Noradi.

### III - Your Mood can change like the Wind

The Zabait speeds for about an hour. I keep my mouth closed and enjoy the gentle whisking of sand against my skin while I gaze at the endless desert. However a change in scenery would be nice. The instant that thought crosses my mind, a cliff gradually emerges in the distance. I can sense Modnar getting excited, as he makes the Zabait go faster by pinching its hairy fin. The Zabait increases in speed to what feels like roughly 70 kph. Incredible to say the least; but the pace has my heart racing again. There's very little to stop us falling off. As we speed along, I see a giant tree appear in the distance. It must be at least a couple hundred metres wide, and it stands higher than the cliff. It resembles a much larger oak tree, right down to the style of leaves.

"THAT is a huge tree. How did it get so big? We don't get trees anywhere NEAR that size on Earth," I say.

Modnar replies in a storytelling voice,

"Twelve thousand years ago, the Village of Noradi was in a war with the Village of Soraki. It all took place in this part of the desert, not far from the Village of Noradi. Famine was common, as was death. Survival in these two villages was so hard; no one wanted to raise a child in such harsh conditions. The warriors of Noradi were losing and the war was coming to an end. The few hundred remaining Noradi warriors stopped fighting the warriors of Soraki, and started praying. They prayed to the gods, offering to sacrifice themselves for the Village of Noradi to give nutrition and hope back to the people. Someone listened that day, and a beam of light emerged from the sky. The clouds parted as the beam thickened rapidly. It killed all the warriors battling on both sides, and made a crack in the ground that spanned a thousand kilometres from West to East. The southern side of the crack dropped down at least eight hundred metres; the height of this cliff you see, leaving the Village of Noradi at the bottom. The bodies of the Noradi warriors floated in the air and turned into dust, sprinkling all over the ground. The remaining villagers of Noradi watched as a tree started growing around their village. Within minutes, the tree was the size it is today, the branches full of fruit for the villagers. Those warriors saved the Village of Noradi, by trading their life essence for the life of this tree."

"Well, I must admit old man; you're an interesting storyteller. I don't think I can compare any of Earth's history with that," I say still gazing towards the tree.

"Well thank you, my girl. I'm proud to tell the history of this great planet. Whoa, boy!" Modnar forces the Zabait to a sudden stop, waking Vetor.

I hop down willingly, glad to be dismounting the Zabait. I'm not exactly comfortable travelling at this kind of speed on an unknown creature.

"Here we are, folks. The base of the Village of Noradi," Modnar says, hopping off the Zabait.

The tree is massive. It has a moat around the base, with two huge waterfalls either side of it and a bridge crossing the moat in the centre. It's breath-taking to say the least.

"Holy cow, this is amazing. Am I dreaming?" Vetor asks.

"No, you are very much awake. According to Modnar we are at the base of the Noradi village. Where is this Noradi village, grandpa?" I say cheekily.

"My girl, didn't you listen to the tale? The tree grew around the perimeter of the village, so the village is inside the trunk," Modnar replies.

"Wow," say Vetor and I together.

"Yes well it is very fascinating, I must admit," Modnar adds quietly.

"Well then, let's get inside, I have to see this."

We walk up to the trunk of the tree. I look up, paying homage to this massive specimen, but I'm still confused.

"Where is the entrance?" I ask, very puzzled.

In response Modnar places his palms flat on the tree. The tree makes a weeping noise and the bark starts dropping off around his hands, forming the shape of a door.

"You see; things on Tharp are not always what you would expect. Earth is about three thousand years behind Tharp in species progression," Modnar sounds very proud.

"Like that wasn't obvious," Vetor adds sarcastically.

Once inside we hear a huge sigh behind us as the tree heals itself and seals the gaping hole. I look up again to assess the interior; as I expected, branches, bushes, and vines shroud the view any higher. I'm confused and fear briefly stops me. Modnar seems trustworthy, but we did only just meet him. Could he be leading us to our death? I really hope I haven't made a mistake, trusting him enough to hop aboard that Zabait.

"The village is up there," Modnar says, pointing above us.

A familiar sound comes to me. I can hear faint echoes of murmuring and laughter, so soothing it reminds me of Earth.

"How are we meant to reach it? It must be at least a couple hundred metres up to the branches, and that's not even the village!" Vetor gasps.

"The tree wants to take us to the village, it's just that no one has asked it yet," Modnar replies.

I jump as vines from the tree wind around our legs and arms, before throwing us into the air at a rapid pace. Now you'd think that I'd be screaming my head off, wouldn't you? Well, I'm not your typical girl. It's Vetor who's screaming at the top of his lungs. Modnar and I are calmer about this overwhelming stampede of bush; Modnar is actually yawning.

"Are you in need of a nap, Modnar? You tired?" I call out as the vines throw us through the air.

"No my girl! When you're as old as I am, you will be able to imagine how many times I have done this," Modnar replies.

The vines carefully place us at the village floor and finally Vetor stops screaming.

"Vetor, once we return home, I promise we'll have a pedicure together, okay?" I tease.

"Whatever! Guys get scared from time to time!" Vetor blushes.

The floor of the village is made of flaky wooden logs, much like that of a fern tree. Buildings are scattered through the branches and made from miscellaneous pieces of wood growing out of the side of the tree, as if the destiny of the branches were to eventually be houses for the people of this village. Small holes for windows, and similar for the doors, each house has its own unique look and feel. There's a wooden path weaving its way between the buildings all the way up the tree.

A weird creature approaches us, similar to a snake. From the waist down its body is a thick tail while the top half is more human with dark green, scaly skin. There are at least a dozen scars on its torso, most noticeably one on either side of its neck. It's wearing a small animal skin on the lower half of the body, and has long black hair pulled back into a braid. I notice it's extremely well built, with muscles everywhere. It could have competed in a body building competition back home.

"Modnar! Who are these inferior humans you bring to our peaceful village of Noradi," the male snake creature says in a very deep voice.

"This is the Chosen One that the prophet spoke about, all those years ago my old friend," Modnar replies, glancing across at me. I freeze like I've been caught stealing in a supermarket. He referred to me as 'the Chosen One'? What could he be talking about? And who is 'the prophet?'

"So you are Syra, I presume," the creature says, scratching his head.

"Yes I am; how did you know?" I reply, trying to sound confident but failing.

"This is amazing, and the prophet was right. It has been an eternity, but I'm truly humbled to be in your presence. I am Zekai, Chief of Noradi, and Lord of all the Oathient Serpents," Zekai says. He starts bowing towards me. I really have no idea what is going on, and I secretly fear my lack of knowledge may put us in danger.

"Please, it would be my honour to lead you through our great village," Zekai says, slithering ahead.

As we follow Zekai through the village, the Oathient serpents bow as I pass them. All the serpents look almost identical to Zekai, although except for Zekai only the females have long hair. The male serpents have shaved heads and an animal skin as covering. The females have beautiful long flowing hair, in a mix of colours and styles; from long ponytails, red in colour, to long black hair tied in a bun. And of course, there are small children too, smaller, cuter versions of these fascinating creatures.

I am in complete shock. What possibly makes an entire village of creatures think I'm some sort of god? Not even my mum worships me and I am her own flesh and blood.

We keep moving up to the top of the tree and arrive at an altar, with a sword lying on display. It's facing a bank of stone seats, in a half circle shape. It kind of feels like the altar was designed more for speeches, rather than what must be a legendary sword. Zekai suddenly turns around and calls out to the villagers.

"Anyone who can lift this legendary sword will become the chieftain of Noradi village. All are allowed to try."

I start to move towards the sword eagerly but Zekai stops me.

"Not you, Syra."

"Hey, that's not fair!" I yell, but Zekai winks at me.

When I look across at Modnar he's laughing his head off.

"What's so funny?" I ask.

"Ha-ha, you'll see soon enough!" Modnar replies, still chuckling to himself.

Vetor queues up with the rest of the town, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

"Ha-ha, I'm going to give this a shot. I would make a great chieftain. 'Vetor the Chieftain'. It's got a ring to it, what do you think?" Vetor asks, looking as excited as a ten year old kid.

"Umm yeah. Cool," I reply, rolling my eyes at him.

After a dozen Oathient serpents fail to lift the legendary sword, Vetor steps up to the altar. Even with his best effort he can't even make the sword flinch.

"Man, its freaking heavy," he says, looking very disappointed.

"Friends and fellow citizens of Noradi, I think Syra should have a go at lifting this sword now," Zekai yells.

I start laughing at the statement and notice the whole village is laughing with me. Fair enough too, as I've just witnessed a dozen burly serpents as well as Vetor try to lift that sword and they all failed. As if I'm going to make a difference.

I hesitantly approach the altar, rubbing my hands together and taking a good look at this sword. The blade alone is about a metre long and looks extremely heavy; shaped much like a really long spearhead with a carving of a phoenix going the whole length of the blade to the tip. The hilt has incredibly intricate designs on it with what looks like finger grooves, and a large pommel at the end.

Most noticeable are four indentations, each about the size of my little finger, positioned in a north, south, east, west style on the hilt just below the blade. It resembles some sort of ancient seal, possibly even some sort of compass.

I place my little hands around the hilt, and can't believe it. Is it luck or coincidence? My hands fit the finger grooves on the hilt, like it was tailor made for them. I lift the sword above my head with ease, and it feels as light as a tennis racket. How can this even be possible? What are the chances that 18-year-old Syra, from West Auckland New Zealand, is the Chosen One of this entire foreign world? It's getting hard to think with all the racket going on. The whole village have erupted into a frenzy of excitement, and the villagers are cheering.

"Hail Syra! Hail Syra!"

As I hold the sword over my head with only one hand, the cheering changes to a battle cry. I've never felt this powerful or respected in my whole life. How much your fate can change in a day, from a drunken loser to a hero? Quite a dramatic difference.

Zekai quickly slithers over to me and whispers in my ear.

"I can't believe the prophet was right all along, you are the Chosen One".

I close my eyes and soak in this feeling of glory, passion, and absolute faith from the villagers with an ear-to-ear smile plastered on my face. It's amazing to feel the trust they have in me. This is the best feeling I've ever had in my whole life. I really wish Mum were here to see me now; she'd be so proud.

While I'm soaking in this amazing feeling, Zekai approaches me again.

"Let me explain to you why it is that you are so special. Here, take this sheath for your sword and follow me."

As I follow Zekai, villagers I pass are dead silent, and then bow before me, touching their heads on the ground.

"I'll be back soon, okay? I'm going to speak with Zekai," I call to Vetor who nods and winks at me, making me blush as bright as a tomato. Vetor is quite cute. You have to take my situation into account though. I'm stuck in a village full of serpent creatures, and an old man. Vetor is definitely eye candy in comparison to all in attendance.

We arrive at Zekai's house and as I imagine it's the largest home here. There's a large animal skin covering his door, and the branches that form his home are the only branches with leaves. His home stands out from the rest. Zekai is a great host, offering me a seat and a drink; I've wanted a whiskey since I arrived. I look around his home. His bed resembles a hammock, a collection of vines hanging from one corner to another. There's a huge animal skin in the centre of the room, and I am seated on one of the only two wooden chairs, each displaying craftsmanship skills better than any I've ever seen. Ornate carvings start at the legs and twist all the way up the chair's wooden frame. The table has the same type of detail, and the table top is a huge carved map, I'm guessing of this world.

After a minute or so, he slithers towards me with our drinks in hand. It appears to be just water; not exactly what I'm craving, but probably what my body needs after a day in the desert.

"What I am about to tell you may seem unlikely or unbelievable, but it's the truth."

"No worries, spill the beans, I'm all ears."

Zekai nods slowly, giving me a blank stare. I don't think he understands me.

"Sorry, that is a saying that we have back where I come from. It means please tell me what you were going to say," I explain.

"Oh, great. Then let me begin. About ten thousand years ago, a prophet arrived on our planet. She arrived with the sword that you now have, and the Four Arter Gems of Tharp. Hardly anyone knew she was on our planet until she left, and while she was here, it was all business. She said she was on a quest to hide the four Arter Gems for 'the Chosen One' to collect one day and place into the indentations of that sword you now hold. She never told anyone where she was from, nor how the Arter Gems or sword were crafted. She did, however, give instructions to Modnar, as he is the time guardian. He informed me that it was to one day destroy the infamous evil wizard of Tharp, Akiad."

That name is so familiar. I try to remember where in the world I have heard this name before. Then it hits me like a freight train in the night. Could he be talking about Vice-Chancellor Akiad Zaruth of Leviathan University?!

"What's wrong? You seem a little bit distracted?" Zekai asks.

"No it's okay, I'll explain after. Please continue."

"Where was I...? That's right! The prophet spoke to Modnar, and he was sworn by the gods to deliver her message. She said it was all about the right timing. He was told about you, and the importance of your survival. Modnar has spent the better part of fifty years watching over your family, making sure everything in your life happened according to plan. He made sure your parents nurtured you correctly and most importantly made sure you attended Leviathan University. Syra, what you must realise is that it is in your blood to become legendary. You are a direct descendant of the prophet; she is your ancestor. It is in your destiny to defeat Akiad and place him to rest, forever. Do you want proof? The last person to hold up that sword was the one who put it there; the prophet, over ten thousand years ago. No one has ever made that sword even budge, let alone pick it up like you have today, before my very eyes."

After Zekai finishes, we both sit in silence for a minute. I'm letting all the information he'd just given me settle in my mind. Eventually I'm the one to break the silence first.

"If I'm really a descendant of this 'great prophet', then why did Modnar put all those neon messages in my way, warning me not to come here?" I ask.

"Because Modnar looked further into the future and saw something that he thought wasn't fair. He decided that it was wrong to lead you, based on what he saw," Zekai replies.

"What was it? Please tell me! What did he see?"

"Syra, this will be difficult for you to accept. I hate to be the one to tell you this but you will end up losing your life to save Tharp," Zekai says.

My stomach twists and turns like a ghost is gripping my intestines. The room is spinning, I'm lightheaded and queasy, and don't know how to handle this news. Let's be honest, it's not every day you find out how you're going to die.

### IV - Getting to Grips with my Destiny

We all know that one day we're going to die. Life is just a journey from point A to point B. Point A is birth, point B is death. It's just hard to stomach the reality of being told that point B is quickly approaching. I feel cold and useless. I imagine this is a pretty unique situation. Modnar, the Guardian of Time, told Zekai that I'm going to die saving the world. And not even my world; this world. How do I even process this information without going loopy? Even worse is I don't know what to tell Vetor. I only met him a few days ago, and I don't want to freak him out any more than he already is. I suppose, what Vetor doesn't know won't hurt him. I have to talk to the time guardian; Modnar, the man who should have all the answers.

"Syra, you seem rather distracted. Are you sure you're fine?" Zekai asks, concerned.

"Actually I'm fine, thank you. Your patience and hospitality have been warmly appreciated. I'm going to head outside and find Modnar, it's our turn to have a chat."

I quickly prepare to leave eager to talk to Modnar and get some answers. Could I change the future? Alter my fate perhaps? Up until now, I had no future planned, no purpose in life. Now all of a sudden, I'm a hero, but my destiny is to die as a legend. I don't even know how to fight; I have no clue.

"Syra, make sure you ask Modnar about the four sacred Arter Gems, as you will need them to destroy Akiad once and for all," Zekai says.

I nod and smile, before quietly leaving Zekai's living quarters.

As I walk around the village of Noradi, I notice everybody is partying. Everywhere I look, high and low, Oathient serpents are dancing. I'd heard loud noises start a few minutes ago. Maybe they're celebrating because I picked up the legendary sword? Hopefully Modnar can shed some light on why.

When I find Modnar, it's obvious he has been expecting me. He speaks before I can say anything.

"Syra my girl, I know why you have come to see me. It's difficult to see whether or not you'll be able to change your destiny, as it hasn't yet happened. Only time will tell that. But, you must realise it is your destiny to travel with Vetor, Zekai and me to find and recover the four sacred Arter Gems. These gems will unlock powerful attributes in your sword, and maximize your power against Akiad and all other forces of evil. We leave tomorrow, at dawn," Modnar explains.

I postpone asking Modnar any further questions, I've taken in enough for one day. Time to go find my Earthly companion.

Looking around the Village of Noradi for Vetor, villagers approach me to tell me how amazing I am, or that they're excited that I came. An ancient Oathient serpent slithers up to me, and I smile at how cute she is. She has a round piece of glass in front of her left eye held in by her eye socket, and she holds her head on a lean as she approaches me.

"You look just like her, child," the old serpent says in a croaky tone.

"Sorry, just like who?"

"The prophet. The resemblance is incredible," she says as she slithers away.

"Wait, tell me more about the prophet?" I yell back towards the old serpent, who doesn't seem to hear me.

I continue to search for Vetor wondering how and why I was chosen to be so special. And who is this prophet they keep mentioning? Apparently I have a ten thousand year old twin, is that possible?

After about ten minutes of walking around the village, I finally find Vetor dancing with some female, Oathient serpents. He looks like he's having a good time. Vetor spins around and upon seeing me approaching, he freezes, his cheeks turning bright red.

"Oh they're just some friends, I was dancing and umm, waiting for you to finish speaking with Zekai and the old man," Vetor says, continuing to blush while scratching his head.

"It's okay, I'm not your mother," I reply.

"Oh well, would you like to dance with me?"

"Umm, yeah sure, the music is rather strange though."

"Yeah, it is a bit weird, but you get used to it."

The music is really bizarre. It's a mixture of common noises; clanging pots, pans and chimes, with a bit of shattering glass thrown in. There are no consistent patterns or rhythmic beat. It seems as if it's just randomly mixed together.

There's a group of Oathient serpent males that make up what I'd say is the band. One serpent is smashing bottles into a bin. Another is banging two utensils that resemble pots together, and the third is running his dagger along some bottles that are dangling from strings, attached to a branch above his head. They're playing the concert around the Altar, where this sword lay just a few minutes ago. The entire area is filled with Oathient serpents, enjoying their native tunes.

I start head banging; this is what I do best back home. Rock and heavy metal is the only genre I care about when it comes to music. For me it's the only music worth listening to, and the only decent genre that doesn't constantly release songs that degrade women.

Vetor watches me for a few moments, obviously not expecting me to dance like this. Snapping out of it he joins in.

"I haven't done this since I was twelve! When I got into rock music my parents said it was too loud!" Vetor yells over the so called music.

"Isn't it great? It's the only sport I'm good at, so I do it daily," I yell back.

"Head banging is a sport, since when?"

"I was kidding. It's just the simplest way to release energy; with the music!"

I dance over to Vetor, undo his tie, and then tie it around his head.

"Loosen up, it's a party! You'll never get the girls with that thing on!"

As we continue head banging, I can see Modnar and Zekai talking in the distance. I try to ignore them, but I'm curious about what they're talking about so I inch myself a little closer to them.

"Modnar, do you really think Syra could defeat Akiad? It seems unlikely to me, but you seem to believe in her. I must say though, when I spoke to her, her presence did seem very powerful, I'm just not quite convinced," Zekai says, folding his arms and staring my direction.

"I have seen the future my friend and it's up to the experienced training of our old friend, Rodland. It's exactly as the prophet advised all those years ago. She will pave the way for a future without Akiad's existence; we just need to ensure her safety the entire journey. We must believe in her," Modnar replies.

"I will aid you, and I will guard her with my life; you have my word," says Zekai, bowing.

"We better get some rest my old friend, we leave for Toolore Village at dawn," Modnar says.

They both head towards Zekai's living quarters to retire for the night. Vetor and I want to relish this experience for a little longer. It's not every day that you end up a hero on a strange world.

"I'm starting to really like this music," I yell.

"Yeah me too. It's such a bummer I can't buy a CD to take home. Do you think they have a music shop anywhere?" Vetor asks.

"Ha-ha, I doubt it! Hey, we should actually get some rest soon. I'm guessing that we'll be leaving at the crack of dawn tomorrow and we don't want to be too tired," I say.

"Okay, lets head over to Zekai's humble abode," Vetor replies.

As we walk over to Zekai's living quarters, everyone in the village cheers and claps for us both; just like we're heroes.

"I could really get used to this respect thing. You deserve it! Come to think of it, I deserve it too! I'm your right hand man!" Vetor says.

"Yeah, we do deserve it don't we!" I say, it sure does feel amazing.

When we get inside Zekai's house, Vetor and I pick a spot on the floor each; within a few seconds Vetor is out. Zekai and Modnar are fast asleep too, but I'm struggling to get some rest so I stay awake a little while and seat myself at Zekai's table. When I was last in his hut, I was quite fascinated by this carving of their world, across the whole table top. It made me remember being a child, running my hand along an atlas with my father. It was one of my last memories with him. He was telling me something that I wish I could remember. Something about him travelling, but I'm not quite sure; I was too young. Wherever he disappeared to, I wish I knew. Where are you, Dad? I run my hands across the grooves of the map, trying to get a feel for something. When I think about everything that's happened in the past few days, it's all because of Dad. He suggested I go to Leviathan University, as apparently he went for an enrolment interview there when I was a child. It makes no sense, but I shouldn't think about it too much, I really do need some sleep. I lie back down on the ground and start counting sheep.

"Time to wake up; we have travelling to do," Modnar yells, walking around the room clanging two pots together. Such Deja vu; Mum did this to me only yesterday. It feels like I only just got to sleep, and now I'm being woken up. Back on Earth, I was plagued with this same problem. After I had been drinking, I would feel like I hadn't slept at all when I arose the next day. It's a sad, but true part of being an alcoholic.

"Okay Modnar, stop clanging those damn pots. I'm awake!" I yell.

"We depart in five minutes for Toolore village. Before we can even think about obtaining the Arter Gems, we need to get you both trained," Modnar says.

"What are the Arter Gems?" I ask.

"The four Arter Gems are enhancements for the legendary sword. The Gems fit into four indentations on the hilt. You, now the wielder of the sword, will be very powerful with the four Arter Gems in your possession, hence why we need to leave to get them immediately. Syra, finish your family's legacy, get the Arter Gems, and kill Akiad once and for all. I will see you at the northern exit to Noradi village in five minutes."

I nod and as Modnar leaves the room, I roll over to wake Vetor.

"Wake up, sleepy head," I say, shaking him.

"Aaaarrrrrrgggghhhh. Geez Syra, what's up?" Vetor yawns.

"We have to go. Modnar is leaving soon," I say, jumping quickly to my feet.

"Okay, okay. Give me a few minutes, I'll be up," Vetor says stretching and rolling over.

"Sweet as; meet you outside," I say heading towards the northern entrance to Noradi village to wait for Vetor and the others.

"Man, how long do we have to wait? It's been fifteen minutes already," Vetor moans.

The two of us are standing on a platform made of branches, at the highest point of the village. How are we going to exit the village of Noradi other than through the way we came in? There will probably be some sort of mystical way out of here. Maybe Modnar will teleport us out, or something crazy like that.

Modnar clearly stated that we would be leaving in five minutes. I'm usually pretty patient, but I must admit, this waiting around is getting annoying. Vetor has been pacing backwards and forwards for the last five minutes and he's getting increasingly impatient as each moment goes by.

"Syra, it's been twenty minutes now! How much longer do we have to wait?! Oh, here they are. The two most prompt and organized people in all of Tharp. We should run by their watch every day. What do you think, Syra?" Vetor says, as Modnar and Zekai arrive.

"Yup, I agree with Vetor. In fact, you two are so on time, that we can call it a day and head back to bed," I jokingly reply.

Modnar and Zekai start laughing hysterically.

"Modnar, for a time guardian, you sure know how to waste time," Zekai laughs.

I look over at Vetor, his arms are crossed and he's frowning. He doesn't seem too impressed with Modnar and Zekai's clowning around.

"Is everyone ready to depart?" Zekai asks, calming down.

"Yup, but could you possibly enlighten us on how exactly we are going to do that?" Vetor asks snidely.

"Sure, follow me," Zekai replies, leading us through the leaves.

Twigs and branches scratch at us, and I can feel them getting stuck in my hair.

"Isn't there some alternate way? No magical vines to lift us out?" I ask irritably.

"No magic, unfortunately. Toolore village is our destination, situated not far from here, in the Toolore Mountains. We must induct you into the Brotherhood of the Guytz," says Zekai.

"The Brotherhood of what? What do they do?" I ask.

"The Brotherhood of Guytz are the most elite collection of warriors on the planet. The word 'Guytz' gave a whole new meaning to 'racial equality'. In the Brotherhood, all races, and both genders male and female, are equal in hierarchy. Guytz also means that, if a human, an Oathient serpent, and a Zabait were in our presence, there would be three 'Guytz'. 'Guytz' is the binding of all races and species alike. Your home planet should give this way of life a go. It's revolutionary, and if everyone followed it, and believed what it stands for, it could bring peace, everywhere," Zekai explains enthusiastically.

I nod and raise my eyebrows towards Vetor. Looking ahead I notice that we're finally exiting the village of Noradi. Pushing the last few twigs and branches out the way, a foul stench hits my nostrils. It smells like a dumping ground. I can feel my stomach start to churn, but I have to act like a hero; like a warrior. The last thing I want to do is lose the faith of my companions. They believe in me, so I can't let them down. The further we push forward, the more my feet sink into a murky sludge. I realise we're now in a swamp which appears to be under some sort of a forest. The olive green swamp water is soaking my jeans all the way up to my knees. Dense fog clouds our vision making it difficult to see further than a few metres ahead of me. Specks of light appear through the fog, but not enough to get any sort of bearing on where we are. Vetor seems a little too excited given our current location.

"Cool! When I was younger, I read so many adventure books with swamp scenes in them; I've always wanted to see one," Vetor says, oozing with the excitement of a young boy.

"It smells disgusting. What's so exciting about this place?" I ask.

"I said see a swamp; not smell one," Vetor replies, sarcastically.

"Syra, Vetor, be on top guard, okay? This place is like a prison. All Oathient serpents that break the law are cast out here as punishment by the whole village. They look like regular Oathient serpents, but their skin has rotted brown from living in this swamp. The villagers branded them with a red letter X on their forehead, so the world knows they have done wrong. They don't pity anyone's existence, so ready your weapons and expect a battle," Zekai says, distinct caution in his voice.

I draw my sword, shaking a little. I certainly haven't ever killed anyone and I'm assuming neither has Vetor. It could well be a normal thing on the planet Tharp; but on Earth you get punished for such an act. I suppose we will need to become comfortable with combat pretty quickly.

"Hey, you gotta come up with a name for your sword. It's boring that it doesn't have a name," says Vetor, armed with a pocketknife, shaking it around without much confidence.

"Now isn't really the time to be thinking of names, don't you think? Actually, maybe it is; what are you going to name your pocketknife? Titan? No wait, Mammoth?" I say teasingly.

"Oh, that's nice of you. Can I borrow your sword, oh that's right, you're the only person that can hold it," Vetor snaps back, oozing with sarcasm.

I look into Vetor's eyes and notice they're white, just like they were back at the infirmary.

"What colour are my eyes? Are they white? Because yours are right now!" I say in a panicked voice.

"Yeah, yours are white too. I'm guessing trouble's coming," Vetor replies.

As we frantically look around us, we see Oathient serpent outcasts surfacing from under the swamp. They seem to be centering their focus only on me. Now I really am beginning to believe I'm important.

"Zekai, what are we going to do? We don't know how to fight!" I whisper.

"Don't worry, I can see your pupils are white. Did Akiad give you an injection?"

"Yes, Vetor and I both had this at the University."

"Then you'll both be fine, your enhanced instincts will fight for you, you'll see," Zekai whispers back.

The serpents slither closer, my hands are shaking and I can't seem to hold my sword still. Then I see something I can't believe.

Vetor sidesteps the first bloodthirsty serpent, and spins around until he is behind the serpents' neck, then quickly slices open its windpipe. Blood gushes out like water from a broken fire hydrant. My eyebrows rise as I look towards Zekai.

"See Syra, just defend yourself!" Zekai says with a cheeky grin plastered on his face.

Zekai's weapon of choice is a spear; holding it out in front of him he charges full speed towards a nearby serpent. He stabs the first serpent he comes across directly through the front of its face. As he pulls his spear out, blood and bits of brain spill into the swamp. Another serpent leaps over Zekai towards me, and he skewers it while it's above him, from the tail all the way through its torso, until the end of the spear sticks out of the top of the serpent's head. Blood and guts are spilling all over the place.

With the dead serpent still on his spear, Zekai stabs another serpent straight through the neck. A serpent slithers quickly towards me but I don't know what to do, I've never had battle training.

When the serpent lunges towards me, I instinctively swing my sword horizontally. I take the serpents head off at the neck causing blood to shoot out from its open wound. I'm shocked; how on earth did I do that?

"Zekai, did you see that! I took its head off!" I yell out in excitement.

"A little busy right now!" Zekai yells back.

Vetor leans his leg against Zekai for leverage, and pulls the dead serpent off Zekai's spear. He drops it into the swamp and jumps in front of me to attack another serpent. I can hear sloshing noises as he stabs it in the chest. Blood is splashing all over his face.

"Thanks Vetor," I gasp, wiping blood from my face with my forearm.

"No worries."

Modnar isn't helping at all. He's just standing there, leaning on his staff, staring at us.

"Modnar, do you mind? A little help, please!" I yell out, as I slice another serpents head off.

"I can't, I'll cause too much damage to the environment," Modnar yells back.

"We're running out of time, there are too many of them. Please Modnar, now!" I yell back.

"Aaaahhh, fine. Whatever you say, my girl," Modnar says, sighing.

He drops his staff, and looks into the air with his eyes rolled back in his head. He places his hands over his ears, and his eyes start glowing. Every serpent catches alight, and soon they're all engulfed in hot embers. There are at least fifty serpents, all screaming as their flesh sizzles like bacon on a frying pan. Screams of agony fill the air. The burning serpents start combusting, one by one. Blood, guts, limbs and fiery embers fly everywhere, setting the forest around us on fire.

"If we don't leave here now, we're going to be burnt to a crisp too."

I look at Modnar just in time to see him pass out, head first into the swamp.

"MODNAR! Quick, help me pick him up, and let's leave this swamp pronto!"

Vetor and Zekai quickly rush over to Modnar and lift him out, putting his arms around each of their necks.

"Syra, grab Modnar's staff!" Zekai yells.

"What's wrong with him?!" I yell in a panicked tone, while we all rush north out of the swamp.

"Modnar has been around for a while, more than ten thousand years. He is a very old man, and magic that powerful take its toll on him. We must make haste. We have at least two or three minutes of swamp left before we reach the Periko Plains," Zekai replies, as he and Vetor drag Modnar's unconscious body.

I lead the way forward, slicing burning branches out of the way so we can safely rush through the swamp, becoming a bundle of nerves by the second. Is Modnar okay? Are we going to be all right? This forest is burning down, and we may end up a casualty with it. As we wade through the knee-deep swamp, I look up to see the canopy becoming engulfed in flames.

"The canopy is on fire! Keep moving people!" I shout.

"Not far now, keep up the pace," Zekai yells back.

Zekai and Vetor are moving the fastest they can with an unconscious Modnar in their arms, until they both fall over into the swamp. I rush back to help them get up.

"Quick! Quick! The fire is rushing towards us!"

I bend down to help Zekai and Vetor carry Modnar. As we inch closer to the exit of the swamp, the fire picks up in speed.

"Almost there, almost... there!" Zekai yells.

The fog is so dense I can only see the white of daylight, blinding my eyes.

"Dive, now!!" I yell.

We all dive out of the confines of the swamp, bringing Modnar down with us.

The moment we hit the ground, a huge fireball blows out from between the trees barely missing us, I can feel the immense heat on my skin. When we look back, the entire forest is on fire.

"We were lucky to make it out alive. Don't even start with the 'it is our destiny' dribble," Vetor says.

"Yes Vetor, maybe we were lucky this time," Zekai replies, still trying to catch his breath.

While we rest on the grass catching a much-needed breather, I roll over and tap Zekai on the shoulder.

"Okay Zekai, no mucking around, answer my question. How come Vetor and I fought so well today? Neither of us has had any melee training, yet we fought like we were elite warriors!" I say in a firm tone.

"I think it's our destiny to fight this well," Vetor replies.

"Vetor, as if that were true," I snap back.

"Well Syra, Vetor is kind of right. You see the fluid that was injected into you actually lives inside you for a few months. It searches your body for your strong points, and ignores the weak points. But where it gets extremely complicated is, it searches your genes for your ancestral bloodline too. You are both lucky you have ancestors that are proficient in melee combat," Zekai explains.

"That fluid is deadly, Akiad could form some sort of super army with it!" I reply.

"Yes, I have no doubt in my mind that this is his intention. Akiad developed the formula many years ago, testing it on his orc army with great success. Hence the importance of you getting the Arter Gems; so we can have an equal chance of fighting him and ending his existence once and for all," Zekai explains.

"Okay but wow it was such a weird feeling, Zekai. It felt like I wanted to kill those serpents. I felt so bloodthirsty," I say, concerned.

"I have to agree. Jokes aside, I felt exactly the same; I wanted to continue slaying serpents like a menace," Vetor adds enthusiastically.

"I can't say that I have experienced what you two have felt first hand, but I've heard that you can see in the eyes of Akiad's orcs that feeling you just described; bloodlust and a hunger to kill. The craving to continuously end life," Zekai says.

"So if we can fight this proficiently, why do we need to go to Toolore village?" Vetor asks.

"Because the fluid you have in your veins will be depleted in about eight weeks. We need to build up your natural fighting ability, unless you want to go back to your world and get Akiad to give you some more?" Zekai adds sarcastically.

"I'll pass thanks; I'd prefer the training."

As we get up Vetor's jaw drops wide open, like he's just seen a mountain of ice cream. I turn to see what he's drooling at, and the landscape is incredible. Green grassy plains stretch from here to the mountains in the distance, with a river running along the entire way. Sprinkles of trees, similar to pine trees dot the plains and there are creatures flying in the distance; all this gives me a feeling of home. I feel like I'm in the backyard of my uncle's place in Matamata; looking out towards the Kaimais. It is absolutely unforgettable.

"Ah, the Periko Plains; one of my most favourite locations in all of Tharp. We'll reach the river in about ten minutes. That's when we can stop to have breakfast," Zekai says.

"Let's not waste any time; I'm starving!" Vetor replies as he and Zekai pick up the unconscious Modnar.

The Periko Plains are amazing. Vetor and Zekai exchange witty banter, while I soak in the environment and think about our current situation. First thing on my mind is Modnar. He really saved us back there, but is he okay? I haven't known him that long, but I'm still worried about him. Second is about our impending training; I hope I'm good enough to prevail. I don't want to let down Modnar and Zekai, and of course, Vetor.

The river looks refreshing. If there is one thing I love about New Zealand, it's the fresh water rivers. Water so clean you can drink it there and then; exactly how the water in this river appears. There's a waterfall along the hill, pouring into a small lake.

"Wow Zekai, this truly is something else. Definitely a million times better than the swamp we were in," I say excitedly.

"Yes! The river! Cannonball!" Vetor yells, jumping in.

As Vetor surfaces, he looks rather disappointed.

"Zekai, where are all the fish? I'm starving," Vetor says, bobbing in the river.

"Fish? What's a fish? Is it a type of food back on your planet?" Zekai asks, scratching his head.

"Yeah, it's an animal that lives in water back on Earth. I could only see these grotesque looking shells that are growing on the sides of the rocks," Vetor says with a disgusted look on his face.

"That's what we're eating; they're called Dupat Shells... They're exquisite," Zekai says, licking his lips.

Zekai doesn't waste any time. He dives into the river; when he surfaces he has two handfuls of what must be Dupat shells.

"Vetor, help me collect the wood that's under the tree over there. We need to start a fire," Zekai says, placing his Dupat shells on the ground before heading off with Vetor.

"YYYAAAWWWNNNNN... Huh, how did I get here? Are we in the Periko plains, my girl? Dupat Shells! I can't wait, I am so hungry!" Modnar mumbles, after being awoken from his long slumber.

"Yeah we're in the Periko plains. You passed out because you cast an insanely powerful spell, which must have soaked up all your energy," I reply.

"That sounds about right. I'm just old, Syra. I've been a time guardian for centuries, so spells like that do take their toll on me," Modnar says, stretching his arms and clicking a few of his joints.

Zekai and Vetor arrive carrying an armful of wood each. As they drop the wood on the ground, they both realise that Modnar is awake.

"Modnar, are you okay?!" Vetor asks urgently.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you all for saving my life. I'm in debt to you all, honestly. Now let's get this fire ablaze and start consuming my favourite delicacy!"

"Some delicacy," I add snidely.

"Don't act all sarcastic now, my girl. Always create an opinion by trying something, rather than criticise something you haven't tried," Modnar replies before moving the Dupat shells closer to him.

Modnar kneels next to the stack of wood. He holds out his right index finger, and a ten-centimetre flame comes out. Holding it to the wood, he sets it ablaze...

"We have fire people," Modnar says.

Vetor and I look on with our jaws wide open.

"I'm not even going to ask what other little tricks you have up your sleeve," Vetor replies.

"Everyone; get a stick each and I will show you what you have to do, well except for you Modnar," Zekai says.

The Dupat shells look disgusting. They're about the size of a closed fist, but they're all different shapes with the same wavy pattern; much like a corrugated iron fence. They have barnacles all over them, and the thought of eating it makes me feel queasy. Zekai and Modnar put a Dupat shell on their sticks. As they hold it out over the hot flame, the shell starts melting.

"As the shell melts, put it in your mouth and enjoy," Zekai says as he and Modnar start chewing their shells.

Vetor and I hold our Dupat shells over the flame, screwing up our faces; I feel like I'm about to eat lamb's fry. In my opinion, it's the most revolting food I've ever eaten.

"Vetor! Paper, scissors, rock?" I ask.

"Okay, on three," Vetor replies.

After the count of three, we present our choice.

"Ha-ha, paper beats rock! I win! You're first, enjoy!" Vetor yells sarcastically.

"DAMN!" I yell back, disappointed.

My face is screwed up and my eyes are closed, I really don't want to go through with this. I bring the stick towards myself, dreading the thought of popping this muck into my mouth. My eyes are shut tight; I don't see Vetor approaching me. He pushes the food deep into my mouth and I choke a bit. I reluctantly chew for a moment, frowning at Vetor, then slowly start to smile. The Dupat shell tastes exactly like warm custard.

"How does it taste?" Vetor asks.

I ignore him and run straight for the river.

"Cannonball!" I yell, jumping in; within a few moments I surface with two new handfuls of Dupat shells.

"Oh my goodness, these shells are delicious! I promise I'll never judge a book by its cover, ever again," I exclaim as I sit down in front of the fire with my two piles of shells.

Vetor tries his shell as soon as I sit down.

"Oh my gosh! It's exactly like custard! I love custard!"

Within seconds, Vetor becomes a gluttonous pig and starts snatching Dupat shells from everyone.

"What? I'm hungry. And I'm a growing lad, so I need my food," Vetor says, stuffing his face.

We all laugh as Vetor shoves yet another melted Dupat shell into his mouth. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen.

Over the next hour, I feel complete, sitting here with my newly acquired friends. It's so weird to have that word in my thoughts. I'd thought I was stretching my luck having one friend, but three; I'm too lucky, and very grateful. Even though I know I'm destined to die saving this planet, knowing that I'd have these great friends at my funeral makes me feel more comfortable with my destiny. Very happy and very proud; of myself and of them.

"Vetor, I recommend that you stop eating now. When your food settles, you aren't going to be able to move," I say, patting my stomach.

"Ok, I'll just finish these... then get some... more for the road," Vetor replies with his mouth full.

"Where are we off to next, Modnar?" I ask.

"Well my girl, after we finish eating, we're going to trek across the Periko plains, until we get to the base of Toolore Mountain. There we have a test, which we must pass before we are allowed entry into Toolore village," Modnar answers, chewing on a Dupat shell, seeming quite relaxed.

"Is the test easy?" I ask.

"Syra my girl, I promise you won't even flinch."

YOU won't flinch? Does he mean that I'm doing the test? What is this test? I'm curious to find out; but I know there's no point nagging Modnar.

"We better get going. We still have a fair distance to travel before the Toolore village, and we don't want to get caught with nightfall while scaling the mountain, it's already dangerous enough," says Modnar.

After Vetor collects one more load of Dupat shells, we gather our belongings and start our trek to the base of Toolore Mountain.

Crossing the Periko Plains is like being in heaven. The weather is perfect, a slight breeze blowing through my hair, with the ambient sounds of our murmuring and flowing water. It's all sheer ecstasy to my senses until I peer into the distance. What looks like a huge statue; at least a hundred metres high is before us. It's sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"Wow Modnar, the architecture on Tharp is truly amazing. That statue must have been so hard to build!" I say in amazement.

"Ha-ha, statue? You'll be wishing it was a statue in about five minutes," Modnar chuckles.

"Huh?! It's... ALIVE???!!!!" I yell trying not to panic.

"Yes, it's alive; but only the Chosen One can partake in this test," Modnar says.

I'm really freaking out. I have to do this test on my own. No assistance this time around, no one to save me. Modnar has a funny way of not saying anything to me when it involves something important.

"Vetor, are my eyes white?" I ask, knowing the answer.

"As white as paper. You'll do great. Modnar wouldn't make you do something that you couldn't accomplish," says Vetor encouragingly.

"I know you're right. Thank you for believing in me." I say, smiling at him.

Modnar gestures towards the creature.

"You see, my girl, this giant Stone Golem has slept for ten thousand years. The last person to battle with it was the prophet. She told me you would be the next to challenge this golem. The only person allowed to take part in the test is the Chosen One; wielder of the legendary sword."

I draw my sword, and stand before the sleeping giant, wondering how I am actually going to hurt this thing. Surely my sword can't pierce stone? I look over my right shoulder and behind me; watching on from a safe distance, stand Modnar, Vetor and Zekai. They smile, clap and cheer my name. I feel a small dose of confidence in my mind and spirit, because of my friends watching on. I turn my focus back on the sleeping Golem, and do the craziest thing I can think of; I sprint towards it.

As I charge the Golem suddenly opens its eyes, and it immediately jumps to its feet. It makes me realise how nimble this huge mass is. I keep charging forward, holding my sword out in my right hand. The Golem lifts its huge foot into the air. I dodge as the Golem's foot comes crashing down, and the ground shudders around it.

"Aarrgghh! Are you okay?!" Vetor screams.

"What do you think? Do I look okay?" I yell sarcastically.

Vetor starts to run out to help me, but Modnar puts out his arm and stops him.

"Leave this fight to her; she is the sword bearer, so she must face this test alone," Modnar says.

"This is suicide!" cries Vetor.

I swing the sword down onto the Golem's foot and it's just as I thought; no effect!

"Modnar, what am I going to do?!" I yell.

"You need to work this out yourself. We cannot aid you," Modnar yells back.

Thud! The Golem's other foot comes crashing down right next to me. The vibrations cause me to go deaf for about fifteen seconds. It's like a grenade has just gone off next to me, and my bones are rattled. My hand is shaking and I'm finding it nearly impossible to keep my nerves settled. Just a day ago I was attending University, and now I am battling a Golem?!

The Golem starts running towards me as fast as it can, raising its hand in the air to crash down on me. As it gets closer I leap forwards, landing on its hand just as it slams to the ground. I start running up its arm, and instantly get flicked off like a hungry mosquito. I drop the sword when I land on the ground and lie there for a bit, trying to get my breath back.

I roll out of the way just as the Golems' hand comes crashing down again, but the impact makes me fly about ten metres through the air. I try to pull myself up, but I'm too winded. I can hear my friends cheering for me to get up and fight, but I am, unfortunately, comfortably numb.

Then I see it; what could be a weakness, and it's in the most bizarre place. The Achilles Heel of this Golem is, in fact, located on the Achilles heel. The slit is only about thirty centimetres high, and two metres long, as you can imagine it's quite small compared to the rest of this moving mountain.

I'm about ten metres away from my sword. I jump to my feet and start running full pace towards it but I know I'm too far away.

Crash! The Golem's huge foot slams into the ground, missing me by a few metres, but the impact sends me flying through the air again.

Here I am again, back on the ground. I look towards my sword, surely I'll get it in my next attempt. I quickly do a forward roll towards it, grab it with my right hand and immediately dive to the left, dodging the Golem's huge swipe.

I get off the ground and start running around the Golem counter-clockwise until I'm directly behind it. I hold the sword out in front of me, and run straight for the gash on his Achilles heel.

As the sword makes contact I start slashing repeatedly. The Golem starts screaming; it is so loud, so epic, that it starts to shake the land around us, even more than when his feet were thundering down. I sheathe my sword and start backing off towards my friends; I don't have the foggiest clue what is going on. The Golem continues to scream, looking at me as it drops to one knee. I stop when I notice the Golem has stopped screaming and is starting to speak.

"Chosen One, you pass the test. You are worthy, so you shall continue your journey," the Golem says in a deep, rumbling tone. It sits back on the ground and crosses his legs, immediately freezing again.

Catching my breath, I peer into the distance and can see Modnar, Vetor and Zekai cheering. I don't hesitate at all before running towards them.

"Well done. You should be very proud. You have proven to yourself, and your peers, that you are in fact the Chosen One of Tharp. Let's head to Toolore village," says Modnar.

I am so thrilled with myself. I used to think I was a joke to society, a waste of life. But maybe, I actually am cut out for this hero stuff. Maybe, my father knew to send me to that university? Maybe he didn't? All I know is it seems my fate is decided. It is time to become a warrior; the warrior of Tharp.

### V - The Fate of a Warrior

The terrain on Toolore Mountain is rough, cold and covered with snow. I start to shiver and I can't stop. My teeth are chattering and goose bumps quickly populate my arms. I'm not exactly dressed for cold weather and I can't wait for this to blow over.

What am I going to call the legendary sword? I've been giving it some thought ever since Vetor first mentioned it, but I can't seem to come up with anything. If my legacy is to be told as a story to the children of Tharp, I need a name with flair, with impact. It needs to last the test of time. I want the sword's name to have meaning, but it also has to sound cool. Death bringer? No, too boyish. Assassinator? No, still too boyish. I need a name to aid a story, my story. I have to think laterally, outside of the box. What does the sword represent? A tool, to end Akiad's life and bring peace to all of Tharp. I suddenly remember one of the Italian classes I took in high school, and this cool phrase we learnt. 'Finito, comprendere?' The teacher said it to one of the students that was being disruptive; it translates as 'Finished, comprehend?' That wasn't part of the curriculum; she just got frustrated with the naughty student. That's what I'm going to say to Akiad as I slay him. I am going to name the blade 'Finito', to remind me to say it to Akiad in his last breath.

"Vetor, I have a name for the sword. I am going to call it Finito. What do you think?" I say enthusiastically.

"Yeah! That's cool! What does it mean?" Vetor asks, just as excited.

"It's Italian and short for 'Finito, comprendere' which stands for 'Finished, comprehend'. I'm going to yell it at Akiad just before I finish him. So I'm calling the sword 'Finito' for short."

"That's great, but couldn't you have thought of a scarier name? Hey, could you call it Death bringer?" Vetor asks.

I smile at Vetor and wink. I'm happy with the name I've chosen for the blade; nothing is going to change my mind.

The four of us continue along the treacherous mountain trail. I can't bear the cold air anymore; I have to say my piece.

"Modnar, I'm cold. Can't you cast a spell or something?" I say, moaning like a five year old kid as snowflakes start to fall from the sky.

"Ok, seriously Modnar, it's now starting to snow, so it's going to get even colder," I say, whining.

He doesn't answer; he just holds both his index fingers in the air, casting a ring of warmth around him about six metres wide. Anyone within that ring couldn't feel any cold, even if a snowflake landed on your skin.

"Wow, thank you. How long will this last?" I say.

"Long enough to give me a break from all your moaning," Modnar replies as he smiles at me.

Grinning, I stomp my foot and don't retort; I just let him have his little joke. I have this whole journey to get Modnar back.

"Hey Zekai, do we have any warriors to worry about on this path?" Vetor asks.

"No, not at this time of the year. We just have to battle the weather, and watch out for... Aarrgghh!" Zekai yells as he grabs Vetor and dives out of the way.

Zekai and Vetor tumble to the ground as a large piece of debris falls off the side of Toolore Mountain, beyond the mountain trail. I'm busy gasbagging with Modnar and miss the whole thing. Better be more alert, just in case that ends up being me having to dive out of the way.

"Watch out for falling debris; that's what I was going to say," Zekai gasps as he holds tightly to Vetor.

"Thank you for saving my life! I'll keep an eye out next time, sheesh that was intense," Vetor replies, looking back up the mountain and trying to catch his breath.

The weather gradually becomes more treacherous. A blizzard starts blowing around us; so strong the wind is almost pushing us to the ground. It's relentless and unforgiving; snow is flying in our faces, making it difficult to navigate.

"Modnar!! This wind is too strong! It's going to blow us off the mountain!" I yell out across the wind.

Modnar looks over his right shoulder at me, nods, and a wooden stake appears in his right hand, embedded into the mountain path.

"Grab onto this! It'll make scaling Toolore Mountain much easier for us," Modnar yells back at us.

He waves his left hand as we head up Toolore Mountain in single file, and another stake appears, also embedded in the ground. As he lets go of the right stake another appears ahead, each one giving us something to hold on to as we struggle up the mountain. Vetor is falling behind so much that he's now at the back of the line, behind Zekai.

"You okay back there, Vetor?" I yell but Vetor can't hear me as he is too far away.

Modnar has put out about fifteen stakes; Modnar, Zekai and I are on the front six stakes at the top. Vetor is only on the fourth stake from the back and is lagging behind; that worries me. He's my only friend from Earth on this crazy trip and I'll be damned if I leave him to die.

"Modnar, I'm going to go back for Vetor. I'm worried about him," I yell, concerned.

"You do what you have to, my girl," Modnar replies, continuing ahead.

I struggle my way backwards, carefully passing Zekai while being pushed on by the sheer pressure of the blizzard. Moving slowly between the stakes, I approach Vetor.

Suddenly an amazing thing happens. Vetor starts rapidly spinning with his arms stretched out beside him. The wind that has been forcing us back is whooshing towards him as he approaches us, creating a tornado before our very eyes. It's about five metres wide, and I feel like a deer in headlights.

"Modnar, what are we going to do?!" I yell.

"Well my girl, I don't recommend breaking wind!" Modnar yells back.

What a time to joke around. As much as I love a good laugh, Modnar's sense of humour seems to crop up at the most inappropriate times. I ignore him and watch Vetor approach us, sucking up all the stakes on his way.

"Okay seriously Modnar, what do we do?!"

"It's okay. Vetor should pass straight through us, as that spell only affects the purest of evil; well, unless of course you're planning a coup?" Modnar laughs. Again Modnar is joking around. But come to think of it, this is what I like about him. He is the craziest old codger I have ever met, bestowed with this huge responsibility of guiding us to our destination, yet making sure we have a laugh while we do it.

Suddenly Vetor is about to hit me, still spinning in his tornado style fashion. I grab the stake directly in front of me and close my eyes as tight as I can. I count to ten in my head, awaiting the impact of Vetor. I can feel the stake in my hand shaking like a 10 on the Richter scale. It feels like my organs are rocking inside me as Vetor passes through me. I shut my eyes as tight as possible; I can feel the cold wind painting my skin; but just as soon as it is bothersome, it's over. I turn toward the others.

"Grab onto that stake and don't let go Zekai!" I shout.

Zekai does as I suggest and holds the nearest stake to him as tight as he can. Vetor whooshes by Zekai and quickly approaches Modnar.

Modnar drops his staff and holds out his right hand. As Vetor is about to make contact with him, he levitates Vetor over the edge and holds him there as the tornado increases in velocity.

After a few moments, something so amazing happens that it almost takes my breath away. The entire storm halting our progress starts pouring into Vetor's tornado, forcing him to spin faster and become thicker. Every whisk of wind funnels into his vortex and I have a mix of feelings; excitement for my imminent safety but fear for my friend. Once all the wind on Toolore Mountain has fused with Vetor's spin, Modnar calls out.

"Wish for the storm to be gone, boy. Send it to a much darker, sinister place!"

He reaches out and grabs Vetor's arm; Vetor's body goes limp, the clouds in the sky part and a huge funnel of wind launches from his body, touching down about a hundred kilometres away. The funnel resembles a rainbow, except it is made up of wind and snowflakes. Zekai and I each grab an arm of Modnar's as he pulls Vetor to the surface of Toolore Mountain.

We lie on our back, and the comforting sound of silence is upon us. The harsh conditions have left Toolore Mountain and Vetor, my only friend on the whole of Earth, is unconscious.

"Modnar, is Vetor okay?!" I cry in a panic.

"He's fine my girl. He'll just be out for a little while." He passes the unconscious Vetor to Zekai, who looks Modnar in the eyes, nods his head, and drapes Vetor over his left shoulder.

"Let's head to Toolore village. We need to get Vetor to safety," Modnar says, leading the way forward.

"Right behind you," Zekai replies, and I run ahead to walk behind Modnar.

The view from Toolore Mountain is finally given a real chance to be appreciated; it was hard to form an opinion of the view from upon this mountain when it was shrouded by a blizzard. There's grass as far as the eye can see, with trees sprinkled throughout the plains. There's a river expanding to the horizon; it's the same river we'd stopped at to rest and fill that gap in our stomachs. I can also make out bird's native to Tharp in the distance, flying around in an arrow formation, much like birds back on Earth. The view reminds me of home; sitting on that old swing chair under the Pohutukawa tree, gazing at the lush pastures.

I look ahead and see something in the distance.

"What's that? It looks amazing! Come on everyone!" I shout as I run ahead.

"She can obviously see Toolore Village, like the prophet could all those years ago. I know the village is around here somewhere; but don't ask me where," Zekai replies, looking around.

"I'm glad she can see it or we could have been searching a while," Modnar says.

I can't believe my eyes. I bet that I'm staring at Toolore Village. The architecture is exactly like that of a castle, but the bricks are perfectly crafted glistening slabs of ice. Like most castles, in the corners are huge circular towers with massive walls connecting them. However unlike most castles, rather than a drawbridge and a moat, there are floating slabs of ice leading up to the portcullis, and the castle is elevated off the ground. The sparkles that glisten off the ice slabs blind me with their raw beauty; it's so shiny I can see my reflection in the bottom step.

I climb the slabs and approach the portcullis; it opens without me having to knock at all. I enter and see Toolore Village spread out in front of me. A large circular courtyard made of what looks like white dirt is in front of me, surrounded by packed earth, scuffed from years of battle training; about a hundred warriors are training various melee techniques right now.

I can't tell how many buildings there are, as the rooves appear to be connected, forming covered walkways through the structures like a maze. Villagers are running errands and socialising.

Only the outside perimeter of Toolore Village is made of ice; almost everything inside the walls is made of wood. Along the right wall is a building made entirely of ice with stained-glass windows like a church; it's the same ice as the walls. Everyone stops what they're doing to stare at me.

"Does anyone know where I can order pizza around here?" I quip and giggle quietly to myself.

Everyone's wearing light blue armour with three centimetre spikes all over. The eye region is the only area of the face exposed through the helmet. The warriors are armed with two triangular weapons; wooden handles about twenty centimetres long with blades about thirty centimetres long, starting from each end of the handle and meeting to form a sharp point, like an isosceles triangle.

I see one warrior in the distance who looks different from the rest, swiftly pushing past the other warriors and heading my way. He's wearing darker blue armour with the spikes all over; except his shoulder pieces have ten centimetre spikes on them. This one isn't wearing a helmet so as he gets closer I can actually see his face. He has light purple skin, and the texture looks as rough as sandpaper. His hair is in big thick dreadlocks, fiery red in colour and down to his waist. He also has a huge sword in his hand; when he reaches me he pushes it against my neck.

"What brings you to Toolore Village, young one? Speak with haste or be removed of that privilege."

I'm petrified. What have I got myself into? Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Am I not the right person?

"Please...si...si...sir, pa pa please allow me to show you who I am," I reply shakily, and the head warrior removes his blade from my throat, but stays on guard.

I carefully draw Finito so as not to cause alarm, and hold it to the sky. Immediately, all the warriors drop to their knees and sink their heads to the ground. The head warrior drops to one knee.

"What is your name"?

"Syra."

The head warrior stands and turns to the crowd.

"The Chosen One!"

The warriors stand in unison and start cheering. The head warrior turns back to me.

"Many years I have waited for this moment to arrive at my doorstep. The ancient prophet was right all along. I am your light in this dark time. My name is Rodland, and I will aid you in your training to become a master of that blade, and a true defender of Tharp."

"It's so overwhelming to think that this has happened to me. Are you a hundred percent sure you have the right person?"

"That sword you hold in the air is the proof."

I want to ask more, but I suddenly realise that my friends aren't with me.

"Rodland, I have a few friends outside that I would like to accompany me. They are my guardians and will be with me until the end of my journey."

"Any guardian of the Chosen One is welcome in Toolore Village. What you must realise is that only the Chosen One and the occupants of Toolore Village can see its whereabouts. Here, sprinkle some of this Amora dust. Whatever it settles on will become visible to your guardians. Go Syra; get your guardians so we can prepare a feast in your honour. Many long days lie ahead, we would like to first welcome you comfortably." Rodland passes me a velvet pouch with some dust inside.

"Thank you. See you soon."

As I head down the floating ice slabs, Modnar and Zekai - with an unconscious Vetor over his shoulder - look toward me in amazement. It seems they could only see me walking on thin air, and then when I entered the village I had disappeared. My reappearance prompts them to hurry over.

"Please don't run away from us anymore. We had no way of protecting you, and you could have easily been killed. I bet Rodland was quite ruthless towards you; you're a stranger to their village," Zekai says, concerned.

"Don't worry about Rodland, I sorted him out quick smart," I reply cheekily then grab a handful of Amora dust out of the pouch and begin sprinkling it on the slab I'm standing on.

"This always amazes me every time it's done," says Modnar, quite excited.

"I agree my old friend," says Zekai.

Ascending backwards, I sprinkle Amora dust onto the slabs, one by one; gradually making whatever the dust settles on appear. It's a bummer for me, as it's something I'll never experience. Seeing a village magically appear would be pretty amazing!

At the portcullis, I grab a huge handful of Amora dust and throw it high in the air, when it settles it reveals the rest of Toolore Village.

"Poor Vetor, he's missing out on quite an amazing experience," Zekai says in wonder as they climb the slabs.

Modnar and Zekai eagerly push past me to get inside the village. I'm relieved I don't have to sprinkle Amora dust over the entire village, what a hassle that would be! Rodland approaches them and clasps their shoulders.

"Modnar, Zekai, my old friends. What an honour it is to have you among us once again. Syra never mentioned who her guardians were."

"It's good to see you, you look well," says Zekai as he hugs Rodland.

"Old friend, it's been too long. Far too long," Modnar says, hugging him as well.

"We will prepare the biggest banquet in honour of Syra and her guardians, two of whom are great friends. Titu! Titu! Come here at once!" Rodland yells out.

Titu looks like a normal warrior of Tharp with the same blue spiky armour, except he appears to be ranked a little higher as he also doesn't wear a helmet. He has pale blue skin, red eyes, and flowing long blonde hair; much like that of a woman. If he had his back turned, you'd swear it was a woman.

"Yes Rodland, my lord. Oh hello, my name is Titu," he says as he struggles to catch his breath.

"Take Syra and her guardians to their living quarters; post haste. I will catch up with you all at dinner," instructs Rodland.

"Thank you for your great hospitality," I say as we follow Titu. Titu starts chatting as we're heading to the living quarters.

"Don't worry about the warriors, friends. They will eventually lighten up. We don't get visitors here much, so they will seem a bit distant. Soon we will get some Flork in us, and we will all become a bit more amorous."

"Flork?" I ask, confused.

"It's the best tasting drink in all of Tharp. You will like it very much!"

As we walk around the interior of Toolore village, I notice how hard the warriors work. All they do is train in melee combat. Everywhere I look, Toolore warriors are in a ferocious melee duel, honing their skills.

The wooden structures that fill the village space have very intricate patterns. Some buildings have swirls carved into the wood, all heading in one direction like waves, crashing down on some innocent victims. Other structures have a meteor, crashing down onto a lone human. It is magnificent, but what does it all mean? Another has what looks like a tornado made up of insects carved across the side.

"Titu, what do these carvings mean? Some of the pictures, although very intricate, seem very brutal," I ask.

"Our people believe in the message of the prophet who spoke of a great warrior; strong enough to survive a thousand tidal waves; strong enough to stop a comet dead in its tracks; strong enough to save the world," Titu says.

"Wow, who might this warrior be?" I ask.

"I think Rodland may believe that it's you, Syra," replies Titu.

His comment hits me in the stomach. Finding out that this legend is supposed to be me, it just seems a little heavy to me.

"Titu, is that all you ever do? Work? No time for rest or relaxation?" I ask as we continue to walk.

"Yes, all we do is train. The warriors of this village all have the same life purpose. It is to learn the ways of the holy warriors of Tharp and to be in their peak physical condition, so that when the Chosen One arrives, they can assist in training that person to be powerful enough to slay Akiad. But at the end of a day we gather in the dining hall, then we eat and get merry drinking Flork. It's a simple lifestyle, but one we all love and have grown accustomed to." Titu chuckles.

"Fair enough, Titu. How much more walking is there; I'm over it," I say, as I'm getting quite exhausted.

"Well actually, there it is," Titu says as we arrive at the living quarters.

Popping my head in the doorway, I see the most bizarre thing. There are fifteen maids, preparing the room, like the queen was coming to stay and she was only a few minutes from arriving. They are all quite attractive, but with scaly blue skin. They are all wearing long red dresses that end at their knees, and the top half of the dress is similar to a corset. Their eyes are dark violet and they all have white hair, tied up in a number of different styles.

"Ladies, attention!" Titu yells at the top of his voice. Without a flicker of hesitation, the maids stand in a straight line, tall, proud and ready to receive orders. It is a crazy sight; like they were all in the army and Titu was their drill sergeant. "Please prepare the feast for our guests!"

"Yes Titu sir!" The maids immediately leave the room in single file.

"Syra, you look puzzled. What is wrong?" Titu asks.

"Well these maids are very quick and structured, like military soldiers back on Earth. So... they act like warriors do on Tharp. Why is that?" I ask.

"Well Syra, we train the women to know basic self-defence in case Akiad and his men find Toolore Village. On Tharp, strength in numbers seems to have a better success rate."

"I suppose that makes some sort of sense."

The room is like a five star hotel. There are two queen-sized canopy beds along the right wall, a mirror in the back right corner, with an ornately carved wardrobe on the back wall. A matching dresser with a mirror stands against the left wall, with about half a dozen small wooden crates in the back left corner. A cloth hangs over an entrance to another room; possibly a bathroom. The floor is varnished wood, and the walls are dark red; almost crimson, like the colour of blood. I walk up to the nearest bed and feel the sheets; they remind me of silk back home. They're a dark rose red - must be a common colour on Tharp. Maybe it's a reminder of the death that is forthcoming.

So what does fate have in store for the poor people of Tharp? When you look into their eyes you see a false sense of hope; pretending like 'the nothing' they have is worth fighting for. War; makes me angry because it never ends. I guess Earth and Tharp have that in common. I want to put a stop to it. I'm merely a freckle on the side of Earth, but on Tharp I can make a difference. No one will live in constant fear any more. I'll change the fate of Tharp, forever. I'll end the life of Akiad, and go down in history. This is my destiny.

Zekai is lying the unconscious Vetor on the second bed, so I approach Modnar.

"What are the crates along the wall, and why are there so many?"

"Why don't you peek inside, my girl? It would be much more exciting this way, don't you agree?" Modnar smiles back at me.

"Okay!"

I open the closest crate to me; the lid is on top and it opens like a chest. Ice-cold air escapes, giving me goose bumps all over my arms. I look at Modnar with raised eyebrows, and he smiles back, signalling me to continue. I push the lid of the crate wide open and reach in.

"Aarrrghhh!" Hurriedly pulling away from the crate I look at my index finger and notice blood is seeping out.

"Modnar! What just bit me?!"

Modnar and Zekai are chuckling away, but I ignore them as the cold air has stopped coming out of the crate. I approach the crate again, and this time I am a lot more cautious. I peer in and see a dozen bottles – they look like quarts of beer – surrounding a tiny animal, about the size of a guinea pig. It has a snout similar to a pig, four webbed feet, brown bumpy skin and a pulsating hole on its back, shaped like a volcano. When it pulled down and shot up, it spat out cold air.

The creature looks at me with its large blue innocent eyes and I just can't stop smiling. It's just so cute! I want one to take home with me. Look at the little cutie!

"Modnar, what is this little creature?" I ask, grinning.

"It's called a Targu, and its primary use on Tharp is to keep our bottles of Flork cold."

"Oh, similar to a refrigerator?"

"A refriger-a-what?" Modnar asks, confused.

I burst into laughter. This is gonna be a fun trip.

"I may be uneducated on Tharp, but you need to sit a course on Earth, ASAP!" I say, giggling to myself.

Modnar looks puzzled, but I turn back to peer into the crate with the startled Targu; the poor little thing looks so scared. I'm guessing it doesn't see many humans in a lifetime.

"Don't be scared little one. I won't hurt you," I say gently.

As I lean in to stroke the Targu's neck, it closes its eyes and starts snoring like a human. Its tail is stiff in the air, similar to a cat's tail when it is being stroked. Within moments the frightened Targu is comfortable again, and starts producing cold air. It's absolutely amazing to see; although if the human race used these instead of refrigerators, I can imagine many wouldn't produce cold air. People would get frustrated, yelling at the poor Targu, and it would be too petrified to do anything.

"Any of you feel like some Flork? I'm excited to give it a try, you know, see what all the fuss is about," I say.

Titu, Modnar and Zekai are quick to respond; "Yes please!"

I snatch four bottles out of the crate in front of me, but I almost drop them when I examine them more closely. The neck of the bottle has a slug jammed in, head first, wriggling around for its life.

"Modnar! Slugs?! Explain!" I shout.

"The creature is called a Goy, my girl. Each bottle of Flork offers an ultimatum. You may spare the Goy's life thus making the drink less potent. Or you can do this." Modnar pushes the Goy into the bottle and it dissolves immediately. He takes a huge swig on his drink, sighing and smiling at me. "It makes Flork three times as potent."

I pull my Goy out, walk outside and place it on the ground. The Goy looks at me, smiles and then disappears.

"Where did it go?" I yell out, shocked.

"Some people say they go to the after-life, some say that they have a village somewhere, most think they just disappear forever. But the truth is that no one really knows what happens," explains Zekai.

The others are chuckling about me freeing the Goy, but I don't care what they think; I'm never going to kill any of those poor little Goys. I'm going to save them all with no hesitation. I'm not going to have any part of it, ever.

I sip my Flork; it tastes amazing, kind of like lime fizzy drink. I'd thought it would taste disgusting, but it's my new favourite drink! I feel tingly all over, like I've had three shots of bourbon, but I've only taken a sip.

"Hey Titu, how much Flork can the average warrior of Toolore drink?" I ask.

Titu clears his throat.

"Warriors of Toolore always drop their Goy in. In the old days, Toolore warriors got merry on one bottle of Flork, never crossing their minds to attempt to drink two in one sitting. The prophet was the first to ever drink two bottles with the Goy dropped in. The entire village was amazed. She set the bar very high for us. So over the last few thousand years, we have managed to bump up our average to about three bottles of potent Flork per sitting. It's funny though; no one has ever let the Goy go, until you. For the people of Tharp, it is much easier to not question the fate of the Goy and just push it in the drink."

"Far out, I'm feeling quite light headed," I say, leaning against a nearby wall. My eyes are filling up with water every time I blink and everything in the room is spinning around. I stagger towards the nearest bed with my arms in front of me like I'm sleep walking, then fall forward onto it.

"The prophet lasted a little bit longer, didn't she?" Modnar says sarcastically.

"Come on, Syra is just a young girl. If my aged memory serves me well, you weren't such a heavyweight drinker when you first started either," Zekai teases. Modnar takes a swig of his Flork and chuckles.

"Ha-ha, I remember all too well my old friend. Gosh it has been a while. It's been fifteen years since Enaz arrived," Modnar says taking another swig.

"It was fifteen years ago? Wow has it been that long?!"

"Time really flies. Now old friend, how well do you think Syra will perform in her training?"

Zekai doesn't answer straight away. He takes a mouthful, then says, "She is the Chosen One. If she's everything the prophet said, she will do the training and succeed; this is certain."

"You can get quite light headed after one bottle, but maybe it's just me getting old. As you well know, I am a time guardian. I have the power to bend time, but I never want to have to use it. I merely view the future, to keep a steady eye on things. Syra will be successful, but make sure you keep encouraging her. Do not falter," Modnar says, putting his empty bottle on the ground and patting Zekai on the shoulder.

Zekai leaves as Modnar walks over to where Vetor is sleeping, and shakes him to wake him up.

"Man, what a headache. Where am I? Is Syra okay? What happened to us?" Vetor asks in a panicked voice.

"Vetor, do you remember passing out on the Cliffside of Toolore Mountain?" Modnar is calmly looking Vetor in the eyes and resting one hand on his shoulder.

"Last thing I remember was scaling the mountain in treacherous weather; now all of a sudden I'm here. I'm guessing you saved my life," Vetor says sincerely.

"Well it was actually you who saved us my boy," Modnar replies, smiling. Before Vetor can say anything Zekai slithers back into the room.

"Once you two finish having your moment, I'd like to let you know that the feast is nearly ready. When you hear the bell, proceed to the eating quarters."

Vetor looks frustrated.

"Modnar, you didn't answer my other question. What happened to Syra? Did she pass out as well or am I missing something? You two should always put her safety before mine," Vetor says, in a freaked out voice.

"Ha-ha Vetor, we definitely looked after Syra. She just had a bit too much Flork. I don't think she is going to kill any Goy's either," Zekai replies.

"Goy? Flork? Okay; can someone start speaking English to me, please? Remember I'm from Earth, not Tharp," Vetor says, confused.

Zekai grabs another two bottles of Flork, pushes the Goys in and gives one to Vetor.

"Vetor, come with me. Please, have a taste of our land's native drink, Flork" Zekai says.

"Mm! It is really tasty!" Vetor exclaims as he leaves the room with Zekai. Modnar lies down on the spare bed as I drift off to sleep.

I awake with a splitting headache.

"Modnar, how long have I been knocked out for? Where has everyone gone? Is Vetor okay? Aarrghhh! My head is throbbing. Have you got any paracetamol?" I say grumpily.

"You have only been asleep for about twenty minutes; and if you don't mind me asking, you wanted paraceta-what?" Modnar asks.

"Don't worry about the paracetamol; where has everyone gone? I can't believe that I was only out for twenty minutes? My headache feels like I was binge drinking the night before! Flork is some potent stuff, but ever so tasty! I think I might roll over and sleep off this hangover. Wake me when it's time to eat," I say as I lie back down on the bed.

"Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble but you can't just sleep," Modnar says, mystically lifting me about a metre into the air.

"Put me down at once!" I shriek.

"As you wish."

I stop floating in the air and fall to the floor.

"I said put me down, not drop me!" I say angrily.

"I know. Hence why I dropped you. If you had asked me to gently place you on the ground, I would have done so," says Modnar, giggling. He waves his hand and suddenly I'm back on my feet.

"No sleep for you my dear; we have a dinner to attend in your honour. You've got no excuses, you must attend." Modnar leads the way to the eating quarters.

My headache is bugging me. I'd only had a third of a bottle. I could swear I'd had an entire two-litre bottle of bourbon; that's what my hangover feels like. I respect the entire world of Tharp, my hat goes off to you all; great tasting beverage, at one heck of a cost.

"I'm thinking about making a speech at the dinner," I say, still nursing the sore head.

"What are you going to say my girl?"

"Oh, it's a surprise, you'll find out soon enough," I say with a cheeky grin.

"Well, let's not waste any time; follow me."

The eating quarters are the biggest place in the village; the large room has three long tables with at least a hundred Toolore warriors sitting at each one. The roof slopes up to an apex with a large chandelier hanging quite low; there are small candelabras on the tables and two large ones standing at the back of the room, next to some steps leading up to a stone altar. The warriors stand in unison and look at Modnar and me with infinite respect. At the far end of the middle table are three empty seats. I'm guessing the two next to Zekai and Vetor are for Modnar and me so we quickly head to our chairs.

Standing in front of my empty seat I close my eyes and let the feeling of total respect consume me. Never have I had a silent hall full of people, just for me. I open my eyes and speak.

"Everyone, please be seated".

Every warrior in the hall sits down and looks toward me. I'm feeling a bit nervous; doing a speech to all in attendance and not really being sure where to start. Considering I've spent most of my life socializing with a bottle of bourbon, I'm not the most confident public speaker. I take a deep breath.

"Thank you for your hospitality, I am very humbled by all of this. We are very honoured to be in your presence, and in your great village. I will personally make sure that I get to meet you all while I am staying here in Toolore Village. I also want to thank you for preparing this feast in our honour. Thank you! But I have one small request. While I am in your presence, please don't kill or harm any Goy from your bottle of Flork. You can do whatever you like once I've left; but please respect my request while I'm here."

At this, all the warriors in the hall start rudely murmuring amongst themselves. I can hear a mixture of different comments like 'who does she think she is' and 'Why should we just drop everything and listen to this little girl'. I feel a shiver run up my spine as my comment sinks like a lead balloon. The murmurs get louder until I hear a door slam open; Rodland is storming into the room. He points his right index finger toward the furthest candelabra and out shoots a huge fireball, about the size of a washing machine. As the fireball makes contact with the candelabra there's a huge explosion with lots of black smoke; once it disperses all that is left is a pile of black ashes.

The whole room is in shock, with all attention on Rodland. He's walking at a steady pace towards me; all I can think is how perfect his timing is.

"How dare you all disrespect Syra?! She came to our great village for help; for guidance. And what do you all do? Verbally slap her in the face. Did she ask you to cut off your arm? Did she? No! She didn't! Did she ask you to stop drinking Flork? No! She didn't! She just asked you to not kill any Goy when she is around. Yes, you can still drink Flork without the Goy dropped in; it just means you will need to consume more bottles to get in a merry mood. So, can you show Syra more respect? That's not a request from me; it's an order." Rodland commands.

Rodland is now standing next to me, and we look at each other and smile. The silence in the room is deafening. I swear that if I dropped a pin, it would echo. It's now obvious that Rodland is the most highly respected warrior in all of Toolore Village; I feel very relieved having him at my side.

"Syra, the Chosen One of Tharp; stand tall and proud; this is your moment," Rodland whispers as he puts his right arm around my shoulders. "Warriors of Toolore, this young woman, once trained, will be the rightful heir to the prophet's sword. Can't you see the determination in her eyes? Put your trust in her. I have, and I expect all of you to as well!" Rodland says passionately.

I know Modnar, Zekai and Vetor have got my back, but having the head warrior of Toolore Village as backup settles my nerves. I lean towards Rodland's ear and whisper,

"Thanks for sticking up for me. I really appreciate it".

"You are the one who will guide our world to a better, safer place. It is my duty; no, it is in fact the entire Toolore Village that holds responsibility for your success. Straight after dinner, I will induct you into the Brotherhood of Guytz. It is finally time for the Chosen One to join us in the fight against Akiad," Rodland whispers back.

"Oh yes, the Brotherhood. I was told about that. Sounds exciting, I'm all for it," I whisper.

"Good. I will explain everything to you after our meal. Please meet me in the central courtyard with Zekai, Vetor and Modnar when you're done; then I'll induct you into the Brotherhood. Sit back, have some Flork and enjoy the festivities. This is all for you," Rodland says as he stands up and leaves the table.

Looking at my Flork, I pull out the trapped Goy and place it on the table. As I look around the room, I see the warriors sparing the life of the Goy in each of their respective bottles. The tables are covered in slithering Goys, disappearing randomly. It's a truly beautiful sight to see. There must be over three hundred Goys, disappearing to wherever it is they go. It makes me smile; I know I've done a good thing. Maybe no one really knows where they disappear to, but at least it isn't into the bottle of Flork. Well, at least not when I'm around anyway.

I sit down and consume the remainder of my meal, knowing that no Goys were harmed in the presence of this Westie.

### VI - Seal, Kneel, Meal

"Forty-five minutes! Forty-five minutes! Can you believe this? Where are Vetor and Rodland? Was Rodland just kidding when he said for us to meet him in the courtyard? And where is Zekai?" I say to Modnar in pure frustration.

Modnar opens his mouth as if to speak, but before he has a chance to reply I hear faint laughter in the distance. As the two silhouettes come into focus, I can see that it is Rodland and Vetor; they have their arms over each other's shoulders, drunk as a skunk, with a bottle of Flork in each of their spare hands. As they get close to me I glare at them angrily.

"Sober are we gentlemen? Forty-five minutes late! What have you got to say for yourselves?" I say in a very grumpy tone.

"Four to five minutes late? What's all the fuss about? We were pretty fast then weren't we? Man, I'm so wasted," says Vetor, slurring every one of his words.

He looks at Rodland and they both start laughing out loud, which eventually makes me do the same. Modnar stands still, not understanding the joke at all. He looks at me and sees that I am in hysterics, and he too starts laughing. The harder Vetor and Rodland laugh, the harder we all laugh. It is good that we are all laughing so much. My instincts tell me that there is going to be a lot of pain in the road ahead.

It's the same on Earth; negativity and evil can often overshadow good and happiness. I'm going to make the most of the smiling and happiness, that's for sure. It's also good to see that Vetor is enjoying the journey through Tharp as much as I am. It's a unique planet that not many humans get to experience, and in that way we are lucky. But I have also been worrying about Vetor recently. When he passed out earlier on today, I really freaked out. He's my only friend from Earth; my world. I know I've only known Vetor for a few days, but to me it feels like I've known him my whole life. Vetor and I just gel together like bacon and eggs. I'd hate to lose him.

We gradually stop laughing and end up standing around looking awkward, wondering what it was we were all in hysterics about.

"What was so, hiccup, funny?" Vetor says, leaning on Rodland; it looks like he can't stand on his own.

"Slow down my boy before you wind up like young Syra, passed out on one of the beds" Modnar says.

Vetor just giggles and continues to swig from his bottle of Flork. Rodland also takes a swig from his bottle and says,

"Hic, can you please head to the, hic, Boardroom for the Brotherhood of, hic, Guytz induction".

"You blundering fools, stop attempting to walk and look at me," Modnar says, waving both his hands in random directions making Vetor and Rodland drop their bottles of Flork.

Modnar walks up to Vetor and Rodland and places his left palm on Vetor's head and his right palm on Rodland's head. Vetor and Rodland suddenly fall to the ground.

"Modnar! Why'd you do that?!" Vetor screams.

But moments later, they both realise that they are as sober as a judge, with no headache or hangover.

"Better than a hangover, that's for sure" Vetor says sarcastically.

"I'm truly sorry for getting carried away. It was irresponsible of me, especially when I have a responsibility. Please accept my apology," Rodland says as he kneels before me.

"It's okay Rodland, we all let our hair down from time to time. Maybe just pick your timing better next time. You're forgiven. Now let's go get this seal!" I say with a smile on my face.

We start to walk towards the Boardroom and as we approach the entrance door, I take a moment to analyse it. This is the building I mentioned before, the only building within Toolore village that is made of ice. It has a huge square door, which is at least three metres high and three metres wide, and it too is made out of solid ice. Cold steam is emanating from the surface area of the building, like the inside of a huge fridge; my arm hairs are standing on end because of this. The design of the building is similar to that of a church; big high rooves meeting at an apex, which points into the sky like tips of daggers. Beautifully crafted, exquisitely designed.

As Rodland places both his palms on the door, the solid door of ice instantly starts cracking and changing into water; but it is extremely amazing, because the water making up the door ripples like it would in the ocean, yet still remains in the form of a door.

"You may get a little bit wet, I apologise for that in advance," says Rodland, then passes through the sheet of water.

Modnar heads in without hesitation.

"What's all the fuss for?" Vetor asks as he leaps through the rippling door.

I stand outside and put my right index finger out. My finger dips into the door and the water ripples as if I'd dipped my finger into a lake. It feels like real water too, but it is strange how it stays in the form of a door, even when vertical. Without any further hesitation, I step through like everyone else; once on the other side I have to stomach the fact that I am completely drenched.

Rodland comes back to the door and places his palms on it once again. I can hear a crackling noise and see steam forming around the door. The water from the door is reforming into the solid block of ice that it once was.

"Okay, that was so worth getting drenched for, that's for sure," I say excitedly.

"Well, once you get the seal of the Brotherhood embedded on your skin, you will be able to open and seal this door as well. Oh, Zekai said he had to head back to the village of Noradi. He will meet us back here after you've both completed your training," says Rodland.

I nod, and then take a moment to soak in the environment of this room. The walls are made of ice and there is a carving of an Arter gem on each of the four walls; the windows are like stained-glass windows in a church back on Earth. Each window is a variety of different colours, each colour shimmering like a crystal. The ice walls have steam coming off them; it's very cold, and us being drenched doesn't help. The roof above us is quite high - and meeting at an apex like most of the other buildings in the village - In the centre of the room is an altar made ice, with a silk navy blue sheet over it, about the size of a handkerchief. It truly looks amazing.

Rodland and Modnar turn over their left wrists to expose a tattoo of some sort, and I'm taking a stab that it is the Brotherhood seal. It looks like a black 'X', with four coloured gems indicating the north, south, east and west directions.

The north gem is light green, the south gem is aqua, the east gem is white and western gem is red.

"Not everyone can be a member of the Brotherhood of Guytz, otherwise it would take the importance away. The only people that are allowed the seal of the Brotherhood are warriors that have been selected to be trained by my legion and me. Well, let's not waste any time. Can you please both hold out your left wrists," Rodland says.

Vetor and I look at each other, then reluctantly offer our left wrists to Rodland. Rodland takes my wrist in his left hand and Vetor's in his right hand.

"Well, you two, a few simple questions. Answer when I finish speaking. Do you both promise that you will keep Toolore village a secret? Do you promise that you won't mention your training that you received in this very village? Do you promise to treat all races as equals?" Rodland asks.

Vetor and I answer simultaneously.

"Yes."

Rodland lets go of our wrists and removes the silk blue cloth from the altar.

"Please place your left hand and wrist onto the altar, face up and don't remove your hand or wrist from the altar, regardless of how much it hurts," Rodland says.

Doing what Rodland says, I look towards Vetor. He looks scared, he honestly does.

"Vetor, are you okay? You look really scared," I say, slightly scared myself.

"I look scared because I am. I've never wanted to get a tattoo in my life and now I'm here, having to get one to show loyalty to the Brotherhood. Oh, the irony," Vetor says, rolling his eyes.

"Now you two, please bite your tongues" Rodland says as he puts the blue cloth over our hands and wrists.

I can feel a burning sensation on my wrist, similar to the burn I got from an iron when I was a kid, except that was only for a second; this is continuous. Vetor and I both scream. The burning goes on for about two minutes, continuously without any stopping. Vetor and I keep looking at each other, with screams of agony that seem never-ending. Does an actual tattoo from a real gun hurt this much?

Eventually Rodland removes the blue cloth and we snatch our wrists from the altar. Steam radiates from our newly acquired Brotherhood seals like it would from a piece of overcooked toast. The smell of burnt flesh fills the room and is making my stomach twist and turn.

As we closely examine our Brotherhood of Guytz Seals, we notice the weirdest thing happening. It is rotating in an anti-clockwise direction. A moving tattoo? Quite amazing I must say, yet a little freaky.

"Rodland, umm, the Brotherhood seal is moving? Please explain," I ask, in a panicked voice.

"This, my friends, is the seal of the Brotherhood of Guytz. It will never leave you; it's always there. The seal will rotate like this when you are in the vicinity of a fellow Brotherhood of Guytz member that you either haven't seen for a while, or haven't met before. This will come in handy when you are in a foreign town, needing help and you aren't sure who is a friend or foe. I trust everyone who's a member of the Brotherhood, and so should you," Rodland explains.

The seal is hurting a lot less now; it was tingling before, but the pain has calmed down now. This is my first tattoo and it's an ancient seal. I'm very proud and its SOOO cool.

"Not many get to don this seal, so be proud, but I'm sure you both are. Syra, Vetor. Welcome to the Brotherhood of Guytz. This will bind all races together, to unite in the fight against the forces of Akiad," Modnar says, shaking both our hands.

"Let's get some rest, as tomorrow you will begin your training. Modnar, can we speak for a few moments?" Rodland says.

He places his palms on the ice door so we can leave for our living quarters to get some much-needed rest. As I walk away with Vetor, I glance back and nod at Rodland and Modnar, because now I need to concentrate on sleeping.

The next morning while we're still asleep Rodland wheels in a huge gong, and starts swinging a pot against it as hard as he possibly can. Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Wake up! Wake up! First morning of training! Syra, time to get up," Rodland yells as he bangs the gong.

"OKAY! Enough clanging already! I'm getting up!" I yell back.

I'm not a morning person if you hadn't noticed already. I'm used to drinking all night in my room and sleeping all day, so I'm a tad moody in the mornings. I'm also keen for some bourbon. It's been a while and I can still feel withdrawals. I need to sweep this under the rug so I can concentrate on the training. I mustn't let this affect me, no matter what happens.

"Well, sorry my girl. If you could please put this training robe on, that would be greatly appreciated. I'll meet with you outside in a few minutes" Rodland says as he exits the room.

I quickly slip into my robe and stand in front of the mirror; the robe looks similar to a bathrobe, except its neon blue and feels like silk. It has four belts; one over my upper torso, one around my waist and one around each thigh. The bottom part is like wearing pants.

Rodland knocks on the door and enters after I call out a greeting.

"Hey Rodland, I'm sorry for getting mad at you before, I must start getting used to waking up early. Before you go I have two questions, one, where is Vetor's robe? And two, why neon blue for the colour? It's not 1984 in Miami, so why couldn't the robes be black?" I say.

"Sorry, I forgot his robe, so I will retrieve it shortly. As for the robe's colour; if you haven't noticed we like the colour blue here, so you will have to make do, I'm sorry. And by the way, what is a Miami?" Rodland replies, the last part in a confused voice.

"Ha-ha, don't worry about it. It's a city back on Earth," I say, chuckling to myself.

Rodland leaves again and Vetor walks in yawning, looking like he's just woken up.

"Vetor, we're starting training together! We need to be trained, if you're going to survive on the planet of Tharp," I say excitedly.

"I know, but are we nuts?! I don't know if I'm cut out for all this warrior training; I'm a nerd. It just freaks me out quite a lot. I'm sorry."

Vetor sounds really afraid.

"Please Vetor you're my only friend, well only human friend from our planet, anyway. I need you to do this, so you can be a valuable warrior to have at my side," I say, staring him dead in the eyes.

Vetor puts his left hand on my right shoulder and glances back at me.

"You have a deal. Back on Earth, no one would even talk to me, but you did. You make me feel very important on this quest with you, and I'd do anything for my only friend. I can see myself being friends with you for a long time".

He leans toward me and gives me a really tight, close hug. Wow, what do I do? We both gradually let go of each other, sliding our hands down to each other's hips, gazing into each other's eyes.

"Here you go Vetor, I have your training robe. We start in a few minutes," Rodland says as he barges in and Vetor and I quickly let go of each other, looking awkward.

"Umm, sorry Syra, I'll get my robe on in the other room. Umm... I'll... umm... meet you at the... umm... courtyard?" Vetor says before awkwardly grabbing his robe off the nearby bed and exiting the room, tiptoeing backwards.

"Umm... yeah, umm Vetor, I'll see you soon," I reply, sounding just as awkward.

I grab Finito and before I leave the room I sit on the nearby bed, pressing my hand on my lips. What was that moment that Vetor and I shared? What if Rodland hadn't walked in? What if Vetor and I... kissed? I suppose I better postpone these thoughts, and get a wriggle on, before I get a bollocking from Rodland for being late; which would be fair because I'm totally like that with him.

When I arrive at the courtyard, Rodland, Titu and two Toolore warriors are standing there awaiting our arrival.

"Hello Syra, late are we?" Rodland says.

"Yeah, you got me. Sorry master," I reply with a grin on my face.

"You're forgiven. Titu please proceed," Rodland says, grinning back at me.

"Now I have just one request; please don't give up on yourselves. My warriors and I won't ever give up on you, so don't do it to yourselves. Today we aren't going to use weapons. You see, to have an eye for melee combat, one must have a strong repertoire of magic to fall back on. Almost anyone can be taught how to use a blade, but to successfully use elemental magic is the opposite side of the blade. Magic can be hard to adjust to for new users as it drains your physical energy quite substantially. You must learn to use it sparingly. If you could please watch Rodland's demonstration carefully, that would be most appreciated," Titu explains.

Vetor and I are excited. The looks on our faces are like a couple of five-year-old kids seeing a rabbit getting pulled out of a hat for the first time. It also gets me thinking. Doing magic? How are we actually meant to do that? But remembering Vetor spinning up Toolore Mountain like a tornado, I suppose it must be possible. As far as I can tell, Vetor is a human so maybe I would be struck with the same luck?

"Rodland, I just don't see how we are able to just do magic? Can just any human from Earth do magic?" I ask.

"No Syra, not just everyone on your planet has that luxury. Modnar is a time guardian and he has been watching over you both for a very long time. You think it was coincidence that you ended up here? Modnar knew that putting messages to stop you coming would entice you to get here. The same way that you found out your life span is cut short by saving Tharp, yet you await your training. You and Vetor are special, the last two remaining humans with a hint of Tharp blood in you. But since you both only have traces of your bloodline, it needs to be fully channelled" Rodland explains.

"Excuse me Rodland, Syra has traces of her bloodline but who am I related to?" Vetor seems very confused. Rodland doesn't say anything, he just looks at Vetor and stares a little while with pure empathy.

"Rodland, an answer would be nice?" Vetor asks. Rodland continues to stay silent and starts staring at the ground. He looks up and turns his gaze towards Vetor.

"I'm sorry I don't have an answer for you Vetor, I really wish I did".

It's sad that no one knows anything about Vetor. He too has been led here, and only I have my history practically mapped out, and he still knows nothing. Poor Vetor. I really wish I could shed some light on this.

"Let's get started on training. On the table - a few metres in front of you - is an empty bottle of Flork. I want you both to focus on the bottle of Flork and envision the elemental power of tempest completely decimating it. When you focus on the bottle, picture the sky turning dark, grey clouds filling the sky and a huge lightning bolt cracking down and disintegrating the bottle. Now, I will give you a demonstration," Rodland says.

Suddenly, what Rodland has told us to envision starts happening. As Vetor and I gaze into the clear blue sky directly above the village of Toolore, we see it suddenly getting filled with dark grey, almost black coloured clouds. The sky is rumbling louder than a hundred revving V8 engines and it gradually gets louder until a quick, bright flash blankets our vision and a huge bolt of lightning cracks down from above, decimating the bottle into dust.

Immediately afterwards, Vetor and I look into the sky and the dark clouds quickly move away in different directions; moments later the clear blue sky comes back.

"See you two, that is how it's done," Rodland says with his arms crossed looking quite chuffed with himself.

"Okay Rodland, let Syra and me try all this tempest stuff," Vetor says, rubbing his hands in excitement.

I look over my left shoulder towards Vetor. "Here goes nothing."

We both put our left palms straight out in front of us and focus on two empty bottles Rodland has put on the table, a few metres in front of us. I draw Finito and hold it behind me in my right hand whilst I still have my left hand held out in front of me. I start imagining what I have just seen Rodland do. I envision the empty bottle being decimated by a bolt of lightning. Vetor is struggling; I don't think he has any faith in himself. The difference between him and me is simple; I actually believe I can do this.

Suddenly to my surprise and delight, a grey cloud covers the area of the sky just above my bottle. The disappointing part is the size of the cloud; let's just say it could fit in the boot of a car. Just as the bolt of lightning strikes the bottle I close my eyes in excitement. When I open them seconds later, I see that the lightning has only stained the side of the bottle, knocking it over and making it roll off the edge of the table and smash on the ground; moments after my tiny grey cloud evaporates.

"Hey I destroyed it, does that count?" I say, laughing to myself.

"Awww, your widdle cloud was so cute," Vetor says, laughing hysterically.

I sheathe Finito and allow Vetor to laugh without saying anything. I'm actually quite proud of my, well, small achievement. I successfully cast a spell, so I should be proud. Humans don't usually just cast spells; it's just not a human trait.

Rodland approaches me and puts his hand on my shoulder.

"You should be proud of yourself. That was only your first attempt and you did remarkably well. You actually did better than......never mind. I'm proud of you, Syra."

I wondered what he was going to say, and am overwhelmed with pride. He is the head warrior, and to hear that from him is an honour. His comment gives me the confidence and determination to finish the training. I am going to do this, for me and for Tharp.

Every day is the same. Wake up, get dressed, eat, arm up, do your training, eat, drink Flork, then sleep. Same stuff, different day. Every day I learn something new, whether it is general knowledge, or a melee technique. Rodland is methodical in teaching us techniques that we can use in combat. Vetor and I, over time, become quite highly trained in the art of fighting, gaining much more confidence as each day passes. Vetor's weapon of choice is a single-handed axe and mine is, obviously, Finito. Vetor and I practise fighting each other in melee combat, but because he has an axe and I have a sword, it makes our battles slower; more strategic, rather than mindless slashing. Eventually, we get so good at melee combat that we are fighting each other with all our might and the battles seem like a fencing duel. My magic skills are also refined as I have finally mastered the tempest spell. Vetor, on the other hand, not so much. He actually never successfully cast the tempest spell once, but it's his melee skills that are what's to be raved about.

"Syra! Wake up, this is it! Our final test!" Vetor yells as he shakes me.

"What, Vetor? Why are you waking me up? Rodland said we can sleep in today to build up our energy," I complain, yawning and stretching my arms.

"Get up! Get up! We graduate, today!" Vetor continues to yell.

"Okay! I'm up! I'm up! Vetor stop yelling!" I yell back.

That makes me realise; it has been three months already. I could have sworn I had just arrived here, and here we are, about to do our final test. It's all us today, as the injection we had has worn off. It does make me a little nervous, but Rodland thinks we are ready and training is his speciality, so I'm going to trust him.

"Okay Vetor, go and put your robe on and I'll put mine on," I say, quickly getting out of bed.

"No worries," Vetor replies before vacating my room.

I quickly stretch and yawn, then slip into my training robe for the last time, and just as I finish getting ready Vetor walks into the room wearing his.

"You ready?" Vetor asks excitedly.

"As ready as I'll ever be. How are you feeling?" I reply.

"Yeah, a little nervous, to be honest," says Vetor, and he looks it.

"You'll be great, Vetor. I believe in you," I say, smiling at him.

Rodland barges into the room with something in his hands.

"You two should be proud of yourselves. Syra, Vetor, you have come so far these last three months. I came in to personally wish you good luck for your tests and to give you the robes that you will wear for your final exam and graduation," Rodland says as he hands us our robes.

"Wow Rodland! They're wicked!" Vetor says like an excited ten-year old kid.

I must admit, as I hold my graduation robe in my arms, it does feel special. It's almost the same as our training robe but it changes from black to gold depending on what angle you are looking at it. Silky smooth and brand new. I really wish I could take a photo of it, show people how amazing it is, but I suppose that's just how it is. Something that only Vetor and I will share; no one else.

Vetor leaves to get changed and I do the same, then wait outside my room for Vetor to arrive.

"Looking very smart," I say as Vetor approaches me wearing his new robe.

"Likewise" Vetor replies in a suave manner.

We both nod then walk toward Rodland; he turns around and walks in the direction of the training area, so we follow.

When we reach the training area, the whole village of Toolore is sitting around the main training area. There is a circular wooden fence going around the perimeter, creating an arena in the place of our usual training area. The wooden fence is about four metres high, with a wooden pole leaning against the fence for us to climb inside. Zekai is next to Modnar, and they are standing on the far side of the arena. Modnar is holding his hands stretched out in front of him, magically suspending four orcs in the air, above the middle of the arena floor. The orcs look identical in build and texture. A large, protruding jaw, perfectly ripped physic, purple skin and long black hair, ninety percent of which is in a ponytail. Rodland doesn't hesitate to explain the rules of our test.

"Syra, Vetor, both of you must use all that you have learnt to slay your opponents while staying in the designated area. You will each battle two orcs, and I'm sorry to inform you that the orcs are real. They were captured live; so yes they will try to kill you; just don't let them. Well, who wants to go first?" Rodland says.

Vetor and I look at each other, freaked out, and I say,

"Paper, scissors, rock?"

We both start shaking our fists and say, "One! Two! Three!" On three we chose our respective outcomes; I look down. I have scissors and Vetor has paper.

"Scissors beats paper Vetor, you're up," I say, sighing with relief.

"I suppose I am. Damn! Oh well, wish me luck," Vetor says as he starts scaling the pole into the arena.

When he reaches the top of the fence, he leaps into the confines of the arena and draws his axe. Rodland's holding some sort of worm like creature in his right hand, and is speaking into its tail. It seems to magnify his voice just like a microphone. He turns towards the crowd.

"Vetor has bravely decided to go first! Please show your support".

The crowd roars in support of Vetor. I'm so proud of him, as I am very nervous about my test, and he barely hesitated at all.

"Good luck Vetor!" I yell.

Vetor turns back to me and smiles while Rodland yells out at the top of his lungs.

"Three! Two! One! Fight!"

Two of the four orcs appear in the arena and start running towards Vetor, both wielding an axe in each hand. As the orcs charge Vetor, he doesn't react straight away. After about five seconds, he turns around and runs for the wall directly behind him. As Vetor's left foot makes contact with the fence, he continues running up the side of the wall. When he's three quarters of the way up the fence, he kicks himself off it, making his body back flip over the heads of the incoming orcs, landing on his feet behind them. The orcs slam into the fence and as their faces make contact with it, Vetor grabs the ponytail of the nearest orc with his left hand and cleanly slices his head off with his axe. The crowd yells out in approval.

"Yeah!"

Blood sprays out of its neck socket like a rocket launching into orbit. The headless orc slumps into a kneeling position, chest first into the fence, while blood sprays out over the top of the fence onto the nearby crowd.

Vetor continues to hold the dead orcs head by the ponytail in his left hand while his axe is ready in his right hand. The other orc swings his right axe towards Vetor who retaliates by bashing the dead orcs head into the weapon. As it connects with the orcs blade, the impact knocks it flying out of its hand. Vetor follows through with a chop, easily taking off the orcs right arm and causing it to fly over the arena boundary, into the front row of spectators.

The crowd roars, as Vetor gets more ferocious with his battle. Blood squirts out of the orcs arm socket as he walks towards Vetor, screaming in agony. Vetor continues to backpedal, keeping his axe at the ready, waiting for the orc to make a mistake.

The orc suddenly lunges forward swinging his axe, but every strike is blocked with the blade of Vetor's axe. Clang! Clang! Clang! The axes brutally clash together while the audience is on their feet, whistling and cheering Vetor.

The orc charges toward Vetor again with blood continuing to squirt onto the ground. Vetor looks ready to cast the finishing blow. The orc and Vetor make eye contact as they clutch their weapons. The orc leaps at Vetor, swinging his axe with all his remaining strength. Vetor drops straight to the ground on his knees and swings his axe horizontally through the orc's stomach, slicing it in half, the blood and inner organs from the lower section of the orcs body spilling all over Vetor. The crowd is roaring and chanting Vetor's name. I'm so proud of him. What a warrior!

"Yeah Vetor! Whooo! Yeah!" I yell in excitement.

Vetor's just standing there, facing away from the dissected orc. He has blood all over his robe, his body and face. As I'm yelling, I notice Vetor turn around towards the orc and ready his axe. The top half of the orc that Vetor sliced in half is somehow still alive. The orc is using his left arm to pull himself towards Vetor, with blood still flooding from his arm socket and organs still sliding out of its stomach.

Vetor stands next to the orc, puts one foot on his ponytail and his other foot on the middle of the orc's forehead. He looks up at the crowd and holds his axe in the air.

"For Tharp!" Vetor yells at the top of his voice.

The crowd is roaring and stomping on the ground in excitement. Vetor suddenly snaps the orc's head in the opposite direction, breaking its neck. The crowd continues to cheer as Vetor heads towards the arena wall nearest to me. He quickly scales the fence and lands next to me on the outside of the arena, looking in my direction with excitement; and no oxygen left in his lungs.

"I did it!" Vetor gasps, barely catching his breath.

"You were great Vetor. I'm so proud of you! You're... sooooo... awesome!" I reply excitedly.

"Give it up for Vetor! What a fine young warrior he has become!" Rodland says to the crowd.

"Good luck Syra. You will be great, I believe in you," Vetor says as I help him up off the ground.

"Thank you Vetor," I reply as we quickly hug before my test.

It's time for my test. I'm so nervous yet feel confident that I've trained enough to pass. I know I have the fate of Tharp on my shoulders, so failure isn't an option. I need to pass this test; or I'm not worthy to battle Akiad.

I gradually ascend the pole into the arena and when I reach the top, I sit on the edge of the fence with my legs dangling. I take a deep breath, collect my thoughts, wave to the crowd, and then jump in.

"Okay everyone give Syra, the Chosen One of Tharp, a round of applause," says Rodland.

I draw Finito and grip the hilt as tightly as I can. I close my eyes and soak in all the faith that the raging crowd has in me. The crowd is chanting my name and stomping on the ground, rumbling the arena floor and populating my arm with goose bumps. As butterflies quickly consume my stomach, Rodland begins the countdown.

"Three! Two! One! Fight!"

The remaining two orcs appear in the arena and run for me at full speed. I hold my left palm out and start concentrating on casting the tempest spell. The grey clouds fill the arena within seconds, casting a huge shadow over the village of Toolore. With my right hand I throw Finito at one of the orcs. The sword flies through the air at a great velocity, and just as Finito makes contact with the first orc, the lightning bolt strikes the blade and electrocutes the orc to death upon entry. The crowd start to roar!

"Go Syra!" The crowd is yelling.

The other orc suddenly swings his axes towards me.

"Aarrgghh!" I scream as one of the axes cuts my leg, slicing it open. It hurts so much that I fall backwards onto the ground. Blood comes gushing out of the fifteen-centimetre long gash. My stomach starts to curdle as I notice the bone that's now visible beyond all the blood flowing out of my leg.

I bring my attention back to my attacker who is relentlessly chopping towards me on the ground, so I keep rolling from side to side, dodging its attacks. I start rolling towards the dead orc, which is still convulsing from the lightning strike. Its skin is black, and steam is still rising off its corpse, polluting the arena with the smell of burnt flesh. I quickly stand up and forward flip over the dead orc, grabbing Finito from its corpse mid-flight. As I land, I turn around whilst holding Finito out in front of me, but because of the gash on my leg, I'm unable to stay standing for long.

Seeing me in a vulnerable state, the orc lunges at me, both axes over-head. While on my knees I drive Finito straight through the orc's abdomen. The crowd is whistling and cheering and not one spectator is seated. Both the orc and I are on our knees, pressed up against each other. I grip Finito as it uncomfortably sits in its stomach, so deep that only the handle is visible, with three quarters of the blade stuck out the orc's back. As the orc dribbles blood from his mouth onto my shoulder, I leave Finito embedded in its' stomach, and pull a fist to the crowd. They roar with approval.

Instead of pulling Finito straight out, I start to slash vertically. I slice the orc clean in half, from his abdomen, all the way down; past the groin. This time blood is the minority, as body parts of all sorts spill all over the arena floor and myself. It's so disgusting that I feel my stomach making bubbling noises; I just want to vomit! I can feel myself dry retching every time I blink. This makes me so glad that I haven't eaten yet.

I quickly push the dissected orc off me, stand up and wipe the majority of the orcs' organs off me, and stagger backwards. The crowd starts chanting my name.

"SYRA! SYRA! SYRA!" I limp around the dying orc, favouring my gashed leg, thinking of how to finish it off.

"AAAARRGGGGGHH!" The orc yells as it pulled itself towards me, leaving a trail of internal organs along the ground.

As it swipes for my left ankle, I chop off its' right hand. The orc jumps for my right ankle and gets same result; I chop of its' left hand.

"AAARRRGGGHHH" The orc yells as it looks at me, realizing his impending departure.

I limp towards the orc and hold Finito in the air. The crowd continue to chant my name; then I stab it straight through the middle of the orcs head. I leave Finito and stagger towards the side of the arena nearest to Rodland and Vetor. As I stand by the arena wall, I look down at my leg and blood is quickly flowing out. It's quite a deep gash, easily down to my bone.

Eventually, I climb to the top of the wall and sit there with my legs dangling over the outside of the arena; blood flows out of my leg. I raise my right fist in the air, and all of the warriors of Toolore start cheering and whistling. I feel so proud of myself. Vetor and I didn't fold at all during the heat of battle.

"Jump into my arms, I've got you!" Vetor yells as he holds his arms out, looking ready to catch me.

I jump off the top of the fence straight into his arms.

"You did so well Syra, well done," Vetor says with so much excitement in his voice.

"So did you Vetor, WE ROCKED!" I cry triumphantly.

Vetor gently puts me down and I leave my right arm around his shoulder; the gash on my leg is making it hard to walk. Rodland approaches us.

"Well done, both of you passed with such style and finesse. Syra, we will attend to your injury then you can clean up and prepare for your honorary feast".

"Thanks, Rodland," I reply.

"Give it up for the Warriors of Toolore; Syra and Vetor are victorious!" Rodland yells out and the warriors all start to cheer.

Vetor and I limp away from the arena, and I can't help the few tears that roll down my cheeks; we deserve this moment and I feel very proud indeed.

As soon as we get back to the sleeping quarters, the maids start to attend to my gash.

"Hope you will be okay. I'm going to go wash off and get ready for our feast. See ya soon!" Vetor says as he exits the room.

I nod in his direction, then Modnar and Zekai enter the room.

"Congratulations Syra. You should be proud of yourself. I'm honoured to be fighting beside such a highly respected warrior," Zekai says as he bows towards me.

"You sure are smooth, Zekai. Thank you," I say cheekily.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, old friend. You did exceptionally well my girl; but right now you'll have to try not to bite your tongue," says Modnar as he takes a Goy out of a bottle of Flork, and holds it between his right thumb and index finger while it wriggles for its life.

"What do you mean, Modnar?" I ask.

Rather than replying, Modnar closes his eyes and tips the Flork straight into my wound.

"Aarrgghh! Aarrgghh!" I'm screaming at the top of my lungs. Despite the warning, I bite my tongue then look down at my gash. The inside of my wound is bubbling like acid and before my very eyes, the gash is sealing up, leaving a scar. Just another amazing thing that happens on Tharp, I guess. I now have a fifteen-centimetre scar on my leg.

"Can you please stand up and try putting some weight on that leg, my girl?" Modnar asks.

Gingerly I stand up, then jump up and down, then walk to the door and back, putting full weight on my leg.

"Wow Modnar, excluding the scar, it looks and feels like new" I say, quite surprised.

"How's your leg doing?" Vetor adds, entering the room.

"Just like new, can you believe it?" I reply enthusiastically.

"Well, you may as well follow Vetor's' lead and get changed into your original clothing, as your robes are now stained with blood" Modnar says.

I walk off to the bathing area to get cleaned up and ready for the feast while the others leave shortly afterwards.

"Gentlemen, shall we proceed to the eating quarters and discuss our plans for tomorrow?" Vetor says to Modnar and Zekai.

The three of them leave and start walking to the eating quarters, Modnar leading the conversation.

"Well Vetor, to defeat Akiad once and for all, we need the four Arter Gems, so Syra can place them into Finito; this will give her the ability to pierce his skin. Then we need to get some petrifaction dust from Tarahe Tower, to throw into the open wound once Syra slices him open. But first thing's first. Tomorrow we leave for the Village of Puziac; the keepers of the eastern Arter Gem of Ice."

"Sounds good to me, grandpa. Man I'm starving," Vetor jokes before stopping at the entrance of the food hall.

"What's wrong, my boy?" Modnar asks.

"Just relishing this moment, gentlemen; just relishing this moment," Vetor replies before jumping up and down on the spot a few times.

When Vetor enters the food hall, everyone stands up and starts clapping and cheering. As the three of them head to their seats, it's clear that Vetor is an emotional wreck. He has tears rolling down his face and the more tears of joy that come out, the more the warriors cheer. This continues until Vetor, Modnar and Zekai take their seats at the end of the middle table.

I'm currently standing outside the entrance, passing time with my thoughts. I have just realised that this is the last time that we would eat at Toolore village. Tomorrow, we will be on the road, and the journey for the four Arter Gems will begin. I take a deep breath and push the doors open. Everyone in the hall stands up in unison and starts clapping and cheering. Vetor, Modnar and Zekai are also standing, clapping my arrival. Echoes of whistling and cheering fill the room and I can feel myself getting emotional; damn, too late! I start to cry, but its tears of joy, as I'm very honoured to have this sort of respect. I stand frozen while the tidal wave of support inflates my self-confidence in two seconds flat. As the warriors cheer, I blush, smile, and cry some more. So, I walk tall and proud and think about how I'm ready and proud to die for the land of Tharp.

Once I arrive at my seat, I notice Rodland standing about five metres behind me.

"Everyone, please be seated; excluding Vetor and Syra. Thank you," Rodland says.

Vetor and I look across at each other and smile, then turn towards Rodland and wait for what he has to say.

"Syra, Vetor, could you please approach the altar?" Rodland asks.

"We're not getting married are we?" I say sarcastically.

In the background all the warriors start laughing.

"No Syra, you are both being honoured for your weeks of extensive training. Please, both come kneel before me and close your eyes," Rodland replies. Once again Vetor and I briefly glance at each other and smile, then we kneel before Rodland, bowing our heads down with our eyes closed.

"Syra and Vetor, we are all very proud of you. Do you accept your fate as guardians of Tharp?"

After Rodland's blade touches my left shoulder and moves over to my right shoulder, then does the same on Vetor's shoulders, we simultaneously answer, "Yes."

"Congratulations, you are now officially guardians of Tharp. Well done," Rodland says and the warriors of Tharp can't contain themselves any longer, standing up and clapping and cheering. Vetor looks across at me and winks.

"We did it Syra" Vetor says.

I smile back at him.

"We sure did Vetor. Time to unwind, well at least for tonight," I reply.

We both smile and nod at Rodland, then look towards Zekai and Modnar; they look extremely proud of Vetor and me. The crowd continues to cheer while we take a long bow. I realise that at the crack of dawn tomorrow, training is finally over. The start of our quest for the eastern Arter Gem of Ice is upon us.

### VII - Arter, Arter, where for art thou Arter?

"Modnar, where are Vetor and Rodland? Are they going to make a habit of turning up to meet us late?" I moan.

"Give it time, they will come. Not everyone is as time efficient as you and I, my girl," Modnar says.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Wait, I hear something," I reply, putting my left arm above my eyes to block the morning sun's glare.

As I expected, Rodland and Vetor turn up to the meeting point, laughing their heads off about something.

"Ha-ha that's so true, Rodland," Vetor laughs, which in turn makes Rodland start laughing hysterically as well.

"Vetor, Rodland; so glad for you to join us. Oh my goodness, I'm getting this weird feeling in my body. Oh that's what it is, déjà vu" I say jokingly.

"I'm so sorry Syra that was my fault; I was the reason we were late. I've decided that I'm going to accompany you. I was so impressed with you and Vetor's' presence of mind during battle, that I'd be honoured to battle alongside you both to watch this blossom into something spectacular. Besides, how long would I have to wait to get another opportunity to accompany a Chosen One on such an important quest?" Rodland replies with a big smile on his face.

"Apology accepted, Rodland. It is an honour to have you accompany us on our journey," I say, shaking Rodland's right hand with mine.

I realised that I didn't have Finito; looking towards the middle of the courtyard, I see it still stuck in the orcs head, exactly where I left it. I head over and pull it out, stare at the blade for a few moments, then sheathe Finito before everyone gathers around me. Rodland pats me on the shoulder and speaks.

"Well everyone, let's prepare to depart. Friends and fellow warriors, today Syra, Modnar, Zekai, Vetor and I will depart in search of the four Arter Gems of Tharp. If I don't return, you know that I was proud to serve you all."

As Rodland finishes speaking the warriors of Toolore start cheering. They show the utmost respect for him; he's the strongest warrior in Toolore Village and by far the best person to lead this village, so he deserves all the respect that is given. With thousands of years training, he should be that good.

"Wait! Wait! Don't go yet! I want to go with you!" Titu yells as he pushes his way through the crowd.

"Great, just the person I wanted to speak to. Titu, I want you to be the person to fill my boots and be responsible for the wellbeing of Toolore village. I put you in charge, as I step down to embark on this journey with Syra and her companions," Rodland says.

"BUT!" Titu goes to say more but Rodland puts his left index finger against Titu's lips. He leans over and whispers into Titu's ear.

"When we depart, I need you to run an errand for me. Head straight to Dandum City, and ask around about Modnar breaking out of a prison. It sounds farfetched, but just ask; I'm a tad curious," Rodland whispers.

Titu nods then looks around at the warriors of Toolore, knowing that he has had an important responsibility bestowed upon him. He looks focused and very proud.

"Everyone, here he is, Titu, the new chief of Toolore village," Rodland announces as he shakes Titu's hand.

The warriors of Toolore start yelling, screaming and chanting Titu's name. Titu looks at me and smiles.

"Well, you lot, you better get going before the army of Akiad rots the land," Titu says.

Vetor, Zekai, Modnar, Rodland and I all give a simultaneous bow then exit Toolore village to the sound of a thunderous roar of supporters.

"Okay, we are floating in mid-air! Would someone care to explain?!" Vetor says in a panicked voice.

He realises the moment he steps outside Toolore village that he is floating in mid-air and starts to panic; he was passed out when I originally sprinkled the Amora dust.

"Oh! The Amora dust!" I say, grabbing two handfuls of Amora dust out of the little bag in my pocket and sprinkling it on the steps as I descend.

"Wow! The steps are just appearing out of thin air! This is way cooler than anything back on Earth!" Vetor says with real surprise in his voice.

"Don't count Earth short, my boy. When we get time to stop and relax on our journey, I'd like you and Syra to explain to us what great things Earth has to offer!" Modnar replies with much enthusiasm.

"Sweet Modnar, that sounds super," Vetor says enthusiastically.

I ignore them both and walk ahead towards a lone tree, directly opposite the entrance of Toolore village at the edge of the cliff. The tree resembles an acorn tree back on Earth, except it doesn't have any acorns. I lean on it with my left arm and look off the cliff at the view. While admiring a river running through seemingly endless, lush grass plains, I start to think about Mum. I've been away for three months and she hasn't heard from me. It makes me sad, as she probably thinks I'm deceased. I'm sure that if she knew what I have to do, that she would be proud of me. I'm sorry Mum is all I can say to myself, over and over like a recurring dream that never ends.

Modnar approaches me and stops about two metres away.

"Syra my girl, what's troubling you?" Modnar asks, concerned.

"I'm just worried about my Mum. She hasn't heard from me in three months," I reply sadly.

"Syra, I admire your bravery and perseverance. Your Mum will probably be worried sick about you, but you have a destiny to complete and you realise this. You will become a legend for the sacrifice that you've made, just keep your eyes on the prize," Modnar says, leaning on his staff and scratching his head.

"Thanks Modnar, you're a good friend. Will I ever get a chance to let her know that I'm alive?" I ask.

"I guarantee you will, my girl" Modnar says as he puts his hand on my right shoulder. I smile at Modnar, then lean in and give him a hug.

"Cheers Modnar," I say before we walk back to the others.

The five of us stand at the base of Toolore village, waiting for Modnar to suggest our next destination, and plan. I will happily make decisions for us, but I need a guide. I'm a cartographer for my own destiny; but where do I start?

"Well, we must first head East; to the small village of Puziac and ask the elder, Nini, if we are allowed to borrow the Arter Gem of Ice. I'm sure when you explain why we need it, she will allow us to part with it," Modnar says, smiling at me.

"Wait, I have to explain? I'm quite confused."

"You'll see my girl, you'll see. Let's depart!" Modnar says and we all follow his lead.

While we head east towards the village of Puziac I get curious about the Arter Gems, and want to prod Modnar a little; squash my curiosity a little bit.

"Modnar, can you please elaborate on the Arter Gems a little bit for me?" I ask.

"Well, my girl, as you know what the Arter Gems are, then allow me to elaborate; explaining their power. The Eastern Arter Gem is imbued with the power of Ice, the Southern Arter Gem with the power of Water, the Western Arter Gem with the power of Fire and the Northern Arter Gem with the power of Air. On your legendary sword you will find four indentations below the blade, on the hilt. They are in the shape of North, South, East and West. When you slot the appropriate Arter Gem into the correct corresponding indentation, you will be able to harness that power and channel it through your blade, to help you vanquish your foes. Once you get the hang of channelling this power, you will be able to channel more than one power at once. But this takes a lot of practice and confidence, and is also where it becomes quite complex, my girl. The prophet told me ten thousand years ago that you can harness the four Arter Gems of Tharp without them being slotted into the sword, but this takes years of practice, and shouldn't be attempted until the time is right. It can become very dangerous my girl, so be careful and take this very seriously. I can't teach you any secrets of how to channel the power; you will have to find it out on your own. The only person in the past - that I'm aware of - that's done this is the prophet," Modnar explains.

I don't answer him, I just smile and take a moment to look back at the Village of Toolore, thinking about what he said. I have to emulate the ability of an ancient prophet; without any help. This seems close to impossible; if I could achieve legendary status, would it be as legendary as her? Baffled is how I feel. We catch up with the others and begin our journey.

We gradually trek across the Toolore Mountain, and after a few minutes, the memory of relentless daily training is becoming more distant. I ignore Modnar for a moment, as I look ahead and see Zekai and Rodland pestering Vetor about something. I'm curious to know what they are talking about.

"Hold that thought, Modnar. Let's catch up to the others," I say, increasing my pace.

"So Vetor, is Syra your soul partner?" Zekai says with a large cheeky grin on his face.

"No! We're just friends," Vetor snaps back.

"And how long have you two known each other?" Rodland asks.

"We met about a day before we first got to Tharp, so not that long. But we just clicked, straight away," Vetor replies.

"So do you feel anything for her?" Zekai asks.

"Look you guys, Syra is very intelligent and very beautiful inside and out; but she is just a friend and that's it. Oh yeah, on Earth, I'm basically a geek. Even if she is interested, she'd never like a geek." Vetor can't hide the disappointed look on his face.

Zekai and Rodland look at each other with puzzled looks on their faces.

"What is a geek?" Zekai asks, confused.

"I was about to say the same thing," Rodland says in a similar tone.

"I'll answer that later. Can I please ask you both something?"

"Sure Vetor, go ahead. You can ask us anything you wish" Zekai says.

"How do you live your everyday life with all the relentless slaying on your agenda? On Earth, most people live their whole life without even the thought of killing on their mind. All you seem to do on Tharp is fight. I know that has no relevance to what we were talking about; but I've always wondered."

"Zekai, I've got this one. I've heard fables that it's a human's main function to procreate. If you look at all species of Tharp as a whole, we are bred for survival. Now I'm not saying that a human can't survive, I'm just saying that they must be taught. On Tharp it goes deeper from specie to specie. For example, an Oathient serpent infant will instinctively slither to the closest food or drink source. How does it know at such a young age? It's bred into them, it's as simple as that," explains Rodland.

"Wow," Vetor says, surprised.

"I'm sure there are some breath-taking things that happen on Earth, but we will discuss that later," Zekai adds before patting Vetor on his left shoulder.

Modnar and I arrive behind the others.

"Modnar, how far away are we from Puziac village?" Vetor whinges.

"It's not far, just over the hill. We should be there in a little while" Modnar replies.

"Modnar, what is Nini like? Is she a great person?" I ask.

Modnar, Zekai and Rodland start giggling amongst themselves. I'm getting used to this and not getting as mad, as Vetor and I have plenty of inside jokes that they don't understand as well.

"You see Syra, that's a hard question to answer. Nini isn't really a human as such; she's a statue. She will only speak to the bearer of the blade, and she will communicate with you using her thoughts," Modnar says.

"Cool! You mean she will be telepathically communicating with me?!" I yell as I jump up and down with excitement.

"I have decided that humans have a more advanced understanding of words and their meanings; I actually have no idea what that word meant that just came out of your mouth," Modnar says with a puzzled look on his face.

"The word was telepathically; the power to communicate without the use of words. So... would I just say I'm the bearer of the blade, give me the gem please? " I reply, smiling at Modnar.

"Ha-ha, not as such. You see, to get Nini to speak to you, you need to insert Finito into the empty sheath by Nini's hip, then she will loosen her grip on the Arter Gem in her left hand, and drop it on the ground," Modnar explains.

"Cheers for the update. Surely we must be getting close to Puziac village. Hey, where is all that smoke coming from?" I ask.

"Oh no! Let's Hurry" Modnar yells.

We all double our pace and I could clearly see an abundance of grey smoke in the distance; could it be the village? I am more than eager to find out.

"Modnar, what's on fire?" I ask.

"Syra my girl, the fire is coming from Puziac village!"

I draw Finito and start sprinting towards Puziac village. As my pace quickens I can see I'm passing dozens of decimated corpses, resembling humans. Some corpses are sliced in half, some are decapitated and some are burnt to a crisp; the stench of their corpses polluting the vicinity. Blood and internal organs are scattered all over the place and a few of the victims are still moving, moaning in pain.

"Syra, I'm going to stay back and assist the wounded. Be careful my girl," Modnar yells.

"Don't worry Modnar, I will!" I yell back as I run.

Rodland stays with Modnar, guarding the injured townsfolk with his huge sword drawn, ready to attack anyone who tries anything.

"Syra, wait up!" Vetor calls out as he races forward with his axe ready.

"Don't leave me out of the action you two," Zekai yells as he slithers along at full pace with his spear ready.

Vetor, Zekai and I are about eight hundred metres from the site of Puziac village. As we gradually edge closer all I can see is thick, black smoke and embers everywhere. I hate to be the first one to seem pessimistic, but I fear for this village, like there's nothing left here for anyone.

"Vetor, it doesn't look like much is left," I say, gasping for air.

"I know, but keep ready. Whoever did this may still be around," Vetor says.

We keep sprinting and when we are about two hundred metres from the village, we can see a civilian on their knees, begging for their life from a warrior. The warrior has every millimetre of its skin covered up with a faded yellow coloured bandage, similar to a mummy in Egypt.

"Please don't kill me, I'm innocent" The civilian shrieks.

The warrior chops the helpless civilian's head straight off with the small looking weapon in their right hand. It is too small to be a sword, but too big to be a dagger.

Blood sprays out of the civilian's neck like water from a hose; the warrior looks my direction and starts running towards me. I double my speed, throw all caution to the wind and charge straight towards it. I am running out of breath, as I'd been sprinting for well over a kilometre, but backing down is not an option. As the warrior starts to swing his dagger towards me, I power slide along the ground towards its leg; knocking it straight onto its face.

"Syra, lets attack this warrior together," Vetor stops running when he reaches me and starts circling the downed warrior with his axe drawn.

Zekai finally arrives and leans on his spear to watch Vetor and me.

"Not helping, Zekai?" Vetor says, jumping on his left arm, and I jump on his right.

"No, Vetor; I'm going to sit this one out."

We both have a cheesy grin on our face, watching the warrior squirming below us. We simultaneously slice down at the warrior's armpit, removing the arms from the creature with ease.

"Mine came off with one clean cut, you?" I say triumphantly as I hold the warrior's right arm.

"Yep, just one chop for me!" Vetor returns as he holds the warrior's left arm.

Blood is leaking from both sockets onto the ground, while the armless warrior screams for his life.

"Okay; now the feet!" Vetor yells.

I nod and move to the closest leg; I kneel on the warrior's right leg and Vetor has the left leg.

"On three! One! Two! Three!" I shout; then we simultaneously chop the legs off the warrior.

Vetor and I stand up, and for me; the fun was over. This warrior probably won't live long now; I won't give it the pleasure.

"Where are the others? Answer me!" I demand as I jam my left foot into the back of the helpless vegetable. Vetor and Zekai watch on, clenching their respective weapons.

"Are you deaf? Where are the others?!" I yell, shifting my foot to the back of the warrior's neck. He starts screaming, but there are pauses at random intervals during its scream. Could it be some sort of language?

"Speak English to me! I'm losing patience demon! I will take your head just as easily as you did to that innocent civilian! Don't tempt me!" I yell in pure frustration.

"Wait!" Vetor puts his left hand on the warrior's back and points his right hand my direction. "Speak up!" Vetor says as he kneels down next to its head.

Vetor is speaking to the warrior; he speaks in English and the warrior is replying in that same, annoying scream, with intermittent pauses.

"Yes and where is that? And why the brutality?" Vetor asks the warrior; like before, the warrior screams back.

"You better tell me or I will cut off your head!" Vetor shouts as he holds his axe over his head, ready to swing it down at the warrior's neck. The creature replies with a small scream and Vetor looks extremely frustrated.

"Well, your fate has been decided. Goodnight," Vetor says and chops down on the warrior's neck with his axe, taking its head off.

Blood oozes out all over the ground and the warrior's head rolls towards me, stopping right at my feet.

"Note to self; copy Vetor's silencing method for overly noisy creatures. Umm Vetor, what did those random screams that the warrior made mean?" I ask.

"What screams are you talking about? He spoke perfect English," Vetor replies with a puzzled look on his face.

"That's so weird. Maybe only you can understand it? It sounded like screaming to me," I say.

"It sounded like screaming to me too," Zekai adds.

Zekai suddenly digs his spear into the ground, crosses his arms, and looks Vetor dead in the eyes.

"So Vetor, how did you do that? No one that I know can understand the Ediex clan."

"I honestly don't know, it sounded like English to me. I just understood what he was saying, don't ask me how I can," Vetor replies, puzzled.

"What did it say?" I ask.

"Well, it said that I wasn't going to find anything out and was amazed that I could understand him; which makes more sense now. It said that the Ediex clan has been stalking Puziac village for some time and that they have stolen the sacred treasure. Then I ended its life," Vetor explains.

"Zekai, why are the Ediex clan all bandaged up?" I ask.

"Well, to get into the Ediex clan, you need to pass a test. You must run one hundred metres through open fire, which instantly makes you become a member. Everyone that survives gets the majority of their skin burnt, so the bandages are to hide their hideous new entity; they have adopted this as the colours of the Ediex clan," Zekai explains.

I start to think about how terrible the Ediex clan test was. I have never heard of anything that cruel in my whole life. It makes my stomach twist like a wet towel, right before unleashing pain. What sort of sick mind would create something so disgusting?

Modnar and Rodland approach us, with a wounded civilian each.

"Let's get these civilians to Puziac village and see if there is anyone else alive," Rodland says.

"Just as I suspected. The brutality you witness was from the hands of the Ediex clan. They are an Elite clan of warriors that are rumoured to live in a cave in the vicinity of Puziac village. They usually mind their own business, but something has rubbed them up the wrong way. The Ediex clan is also very smart. I think they found the old abandoned mining shaft that runs directly below Puziac village. That would be the most cunning way to attack the village," Modnar says.

"Okay then everyone, let's hurry and find Nini" I reply.

"Follow me everyone, the building at the end of this town is where Nini is." Modnar leads the way.

As we approach the site of Puziac village, there isn't much left to see. Everywhere I look there is fire. The buildings are made with a mix of wood and stone; the stone walls are the only thing of each building still standing, but the wooden doors, windows and rooves are ablaze. It's like a horror movie, like the ones I'd see as a kid that would scare the life out of me. We march through what is left of Puziac village and I feel sick in my stomach. Decimated corpses are everywhere. People are running out of their homes, ablaze and screaming; the last thing left to do as they burn to death. One civilian has hung himself on a rope, obviously not enjoying the outcome of his once peaceful village; we pass a mother burning on the ground next to us, huddling her kin.

Just as I start believing that nothing is left alive, I can hear a cry for help coming from my right.

"I'm coming to get you," I yell as I run in the direction of the plea. I move some planks of wood off a civilian and she speaks.

"Thank you, friend. It was the Ediex clan. They killed everyone. Grown or infant, it didn't matter. They are murderers. They must have sought after the Arter... Argh!" The woman has used her last breath to tell us.

"Okay, let's hurry. We need to see Nini!" I yell.

The five of us quickly move toward the building at the end of town. When we approach the building, black smoke is pouring out of the front door and windows; it's the only building in the town with its original form, as it is completely made of stone. It's a square building, with bars on the windows; like a prison. There are cracks and bumps all over the place and the fire blazing through the windows makes me fear for Nini's safety.

Modnar pushes in front of us all, leading us inside the building.

"I'll clear the fire, stay back," Modnar yells.

What Modnar does is really amazing. He holds out his left index finger and water sprays out like a fire-hose turned on full. It's so cool to see. He's like our own personal fireman.

We cautiously follow Modnar through the building and watch him put out any fires we come across. All the furniture is burnt; all the concrete inside is stained black from the fire and the smoke is quite thick. I say to myself, the Ediex clan is going to pay for this. I don't even know who they are, but I already hate them.

"We're here," Modnar says as he stops in front of a five metre high statue. My guess is that this is Nini.

There is a long silence as the five of us look at Nini. She looks beautiful, with long flowing locks and warrior armour with huge shoulder pads. There is an empty sheath attached to her belt and her left hand is almost a closed fist, with just enough room in her hand for something small to fit. We all stop, gazing at its amazing architecture and sheer size and, as usual, Vetor has to break the silence.

"It's quite small," Vetor says sarcastically.

I start cracking up laughing. His humour is so dry and his comic timing is brilliant. Modnar, Zekai and Rodland watch Vetor and I laugh.

"I missed the joke, what is so funny?" Rodland asks.

Vetor and I laugh harder. I know the timing isn't the best, but at this moment I really don't care. I know our lives are at stake, but we have to have time to lighten up, or I'm going to go crazy.

"Syra, if you could please focus for a minute. Look at Nini's left hand. The Arter Gem is missing," Modnar says.

"Don't worry, relax. I will sheathe Finito and speak with Nini; however I'm meant to do that," I reply sounding more confident than I am.

I place Finito into the stone sheath on Nini's belt and I notice an ominous red glow emanating from her. I can hear whispering in my thoughts, speaking to me telepathically; I know it has to be Nini.

"Syra, I'm glad you have come. Just because I'm a statue doesn't mean I don't see all that goes on. Muhbac, the leader of the Ediex clan, took the Arter Gem. The Ediex clan is smart; they must have planned this attack for many years. I don't know how they found out, but they know about the secret shaft that leads to the mineshaft that runs under Puziac village. The entrance is behind the bookshelf to my left, in the corner. It will take you through the catacombs and once you make it through there, you will be in the mines. The Catacombs of Puziac have dangerous creatures, so be very careful, Syra. Take care, Chosen One. Follow your instincts. You will do it. You have the same drive that your ancestor had. Make your bloodline proud," Nini says, then the ominous glow disappears.

I pull Finito out and sheathe it while looking over towards Modnar.

"What was it saying? You looked extremely serious and we couldn't hear anything," Vetor says.

"Nini explained everything to me. Muhbac of the Ediex clan took the Arter Gem, and the entrance to their hideout is behind that bookcase," I say, pointing to the bookcase in the corner.

Standing before the bookcase, I try to move it the only way I can think that the human world has been taught to open a secret passage.

"Open sesame" I command.

Vetor laughs as Zekai and Rodland simply push the shelf to the side.

"You're not going to reveal the secret passage by talking to the bookcase," Modnar jokes, giggling to himself. Vetor is laughing like he's at a comedy festival.

"Okay okay, I thought I'd try it!" I say as we enter the Catacombs of Puziac.

### VIII - Staring Death in the Eyes

"Man its dark. Night vision goggles, anyone?" Vetor jokes.

"Ha-ha, yeah a few pairs of those would be handy now. Umm Modnar; can you please illuminate the passage? It's quite dark," I say as I look around frantically, making sure we are safe and sound.

"Don't worry my girl, I'll do that now" Modnar replies.

He puts his right index finger in the air and a ten-centimetre flame shoots out to illuminate the area around us.

"Syra, once you have the Arter Gem of Fire in your possession, you'll be able to harness similar abilities if you practice" Modnar says.

"Cool! It'll come in handy if I start smoking" I joke.

"Don't smoke, it's a disgusting habit!" Vetor replies.

"Gees, you're acting like my mother!"

"Well, I was just saying. Not the best habit to get into," Vetor says, winking at me.

I smile back at him and pat him on the shoulder; then take a moment to analyse my surroundings. It's quite dark, so it's difficult to make out a lot of detail. The walls in the catacombs are made of what looks like ceramic bricks, but with green slime all over them. There are posts every fifteen or so paces used for lighting the vicinity, but we just don't have the time. The walls are about a metre apart, and we are all hunched over as we walk, as the roof is lower than my height; anyone with claustrophobia would be worried.

"How long can you hold that flame for, Modnar? Doesn't it drain your energy?" Vetor asks.

"No, it doesn't really. It's a weak spell so it doesn't drain too much. Don't worry; I won't be passing out anytime soon if that's what you were hinting."

"Shhh, quiet everyone. There's a noise ahead. Let's sneak to the end of the corridor," Rodland whispers.

Modnar stops illuminating the corridor so we are all hidden by the darkness. I can make out some quiet murmuring coming from the distance, in that same foreign dialect.

"Vetor, peek around the corner for us. Tell us what they are talking about," I whisper.

As Vetor places his hand on the corner at the end of the corridor, he slowly pops his head out and sees two warriors from the Ediex clan speaking to each other. He starts translating for us.

"Muhbac is so pleased with our results. The others must have returned with the Arter Gem by now. Do you think we'll get a promotion?" The left warrior says.

"A promotion? We didn't do all the work; it was the entire clan, and no, I don't think we'll get any reward. I don't think anyone will find this hidden passage and even if they do, they'll never make it through the mines alive," The right warrior replies.

"Did you hear the rumours? They say there is a new sword bearer? A descendant of the prophet from thousands of years ago. Muhbac has been on edge lately, worrying that the stolen Arter Gem will bring trouble to him?"

"Don't worry about it. Let's head back before anyone follows us."

The warriors walk away into the distance. Vetor looks back at us with a smile on his face.

"Okay, let's follow them to their hideout!" Vetor whispers excitedly.

I smile back at Vetor thinking of the conversation between the two warriors. If evil is afraid of me, then that's a good thing. It's been ten thousand years since they've had someone to fear. Good will prevail; I just have to be patient, as fear in the hearts of evil is the proof.

The five of us cautiously follow the two Ediex clan warriors, leaving a gap of about thirty metres between them and us. The torch that one of the Ediex clan warriors is carrying dimly lights the catacombs.

"How far away are we from the mines?" I whisper.

"If my memory serves me correctly, it is about ten minutes away, my girl," Modnar whispers back.

Vetor has been silent for a few minutes and I can tell by the look on his face that he's dying to ask some questions.

"How many warriors are in the Ediex clan? I want to know what we are up against and what they'd want with the Arter Gem of Ice." Vetor whispers.

"Well Vetor, the Arter Gems have the ability to channel their respective powers into whatever you please. The hideout of the Ediex clan is located inside Toolore Mountain, built directly around a dormant volcanic pit. If Muhbac uses the Arter Gem of Ice to fully freeze the lava, then all the remaining heat from Toolore Mountain will be gone. This will force all of Toolore village out of hiding. If all the warriors of Toolore die, the pendulum of power will shift in Akiad's favour," Rodland quietly replies.

"This isn't good, and he needs to be stopped," I say, but suddenly I turn my head towards the sound of faint screaming. It is the same screaming the Ediex warriors made when they spoke.

"Vetor, what are they saying?" I whisper.

"I'll run ahead and decipher; stay here" Vetor says.

Vetor gets closer to hear what the Ediex clan warriors are saying. He looks over his shoulder and starts translating to us.

"They're saying that they are going to die, and that some Tepkies are going to kill them. Does that make sense?" Vetor explains.

I quickly turn to Modnar, as he's usually the walking library with all the answers; he looks scared to say the least. We catch up to Vetor to see what is happening and I say to myself; what's a Tepkie?

As the distant silhouettes gradually come into focus, I can't believe my eyes. I'm taking a wild stab in the dark that it is some Tepkies that we are looking at. It's such a bizarre looking creature. It has legs similar to a horse and is about the same size, except that it has crimson coloured hair and skin. Its front two legs stand about thirty centimetres high while the back two are one and a half metres high, so the body is on quite a slant; its arms are in the most bizarre locations. One arm comes out of the rear where the tail is normally located on a horse, and the other arm comes out the front of the torso. It doesn't have a head or neck, just a huge mouth located directly below the front arm. It's truly disgusting to look at, and has left me gobsmacked. It looks so ferocious and the worst part of all; there are two of them.

As we continue to quietly observe, we witness the Tepkies showing exactly where they stand on the food chain; it is far from the bottom. One of the Tepkies grabs an Ediex clan warrior by the leg and holds it in the air like a rag doll. The Tepkie starts laughing arrogantly and turns its torso sideways, allowing his other hand to grab the warriors other leg. Then it pulls the legs apart quite suddenly, ripping the warriors torso in half, from the groin right through to the tip of his skull. Blood and body organs spill all over the ground. I don't know how I've become so casually accustomed to seeing such carnage, although to be honest I'm quite glad I have, because this is like a lion attacking its prey back home. It's easily the most savage thing I have ever witnessed.

After the warrior is ripped in half the Tepkie starts to scream; it resembles a human battle cry. The other Tepkie snatches the remaining warrior by the waist and shoves him head first into its mouth. We are watching the Tepkie eat the Ediex warrior like it is in a hurry to get it in its belly; it is chomping and swallowing the warrior at a very fast pace. Every time the Tepkie chews, you can hear slushing and bones cracking. Blood is all over the place and; including around both the Tepkie's mouths. The other Tepkie makes a quick meal of the two halves of the other dead warrior. Not a scrap left anywhere, no organs, nothing! Just bucket loads of blood all around them and dribbling from their mouths. Both the Tepkies start burping intermittently and the smell quickly drifts towards us.

"I think I'm going to be sick," I whisper as I feel my stomach curdle.

Suddenly, Vetor slips on some loose rubble while turning towards us. The two Tepkies freeze, instantly look in our direction, and within seconds they're both charging towards us.

"Heads up people, here they come," I yell in fear as we all draw our respective weapons.

My hand is shaking a little as I anticipate their arrival. I must say after watching them easily dissect two warriors like a pair of ragdolls, saying I'm a little nervous would be an accurate assumption. We all courageously face the Tepkies as they get closer. I know it is time to face our fears.

"Heads up people," I yell again, their attack imminent.

The first Tepkie lunges toward Vetor from about five metres away, but as it is about to make melee contact with him Vetor ducks to the ground and slides underneath it. When he's under its back arm, he jumps up and swings his axe down, taking its arm clean off. Green blood sprays all over Vetor and the Tepkie stops moving; it's screaming in pain in a higher pitch than we have previously heard.

"Awww your poor arm. Heads up big guy, here goes your legs," Vetor says in a sarcastic manner. Vetor slides towards the Tepkie and horizontally chops both its back legs off.

"Yeah, you are in lots of pain, aren't cha," taunts Vetor as he circles the wounded beast.

The Tepkie is flapping around on the ground like a fish out of water, spraying green blood all over the show. Rodland walks behind Vetor and holds his sword in the direction of the helpless victim; although he is sure Vetor has this.

In the background as Vetor taunts the first Tepkie, the other one leaps towards me. Before I can even make a move, Zekai lunges in front of me and rams his spear as far down the Tepkies throat as he can push it. The momentum of the charging Tepkie bowls Zekai over, and they soon slide in my direction together at a rapid pace; I dive out of the way to safety just in time. The Tepkie lies almost motionless on Zekai and his spear, but it's still twitching with the mere fraction of its life it has left. I can't understand how this thing could still be alive.

"Goodnight!" Zekai yells at the top of his lungs before pushing the spear so far down its throat that halfway down the Tepkies back, the spearhead sticks out.

"I'm not even going to ask how that felt; SPEAR me the details" Vetor quips.

Vetor is still teasing the live Tepkie as it flaps around the ground like a water balloon with a puncture, squirting its insides everywhere. It screams at the top of its lungs.

"What is it saying?" I ask.

Vetor continues to tease the Tepkie by tapping his axe blade on its body.

"Well, it's currently begging for its life. It stopped being lippy when Zekai topped his friend," Vetor replies, jamming his axe head into its chest.

Modnar walks towards Vetor to stand next to him, leaning on his staff. Modnar looks at Vetor, and starts to smile.

"Good work, Vetor. The Tepkie is helpless. Every foe has a weakness. It's just a matter of finding it. Let me finish this."

Modnar opens both of his hands with his palms facing the helpless beast. The Tepkie begins to levitate, and when it is two metres in the air, Modnar keeps it suspended at that height. The insides of Modnar's palms are glowing bright orange and when I glance back at the Tepkie, I notice its skin beginning to bubble, like water in a kettle when it's almost done. The Tepkie's skin also starts swelling, and the bubbling becomes even more frequent than before, with three times as many bubbles covering the rest of its body. A few seconds later, the Tepkie explodes; limbs, internal organs and green blood spray all over the five of us.

"That's revolting. Modnar, did you have to make the Tepkie spontaneously combust? Was that really necessary?" I say, wiping away bits of Tepkie.

"Ha-ha, well I didn't have to be; the Tepkie would've been quite brutal to us if it was given a chance, so please don't feel bad my girl" Modnar replies, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Okay fair call. Everyone, let's press on to the mines. We need to find the Arter Gem and keep it in the front of our minds or it could be too late," Rodland says, so we all sheathe our weapons and carry on ahead.

As we walk further into the depths of the catacombs, the passage starts going on an upward angle. We have been walking for the better part of two hours. The caverns are long, square, cold and dark; with only Modnar's finger as our source of light, a bit of sky would be nice. I'm getting a sore neck from hunching over the whole time. The moment I get out of here, I'm going to click every bone in my neck. Peering into the distance, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel, and for the first time in hours, I can finally see the blue sky.

"Hey everyone, I can see the exit up ahead," I yell in excitement.

"Sorry my girl, but it isn't really an exit. It's more of a breath of fresh death, between the mines and the catacombs of Puziac" Modnar says.

"Huh? What do you mean by a breath of fresh death?" Vetor asks.

"You'll see soon, we're nearly there."

As I walk ahead in anticipation, excitement consumes my mind. What is Modnar even talking about? 'A breath of fresh death?' It makes me extremely eager to get out of these dark catacombs, yet with caution.

When I step outside the catacombs, the daylight blinds me. Moving my right arm to cover my eyes, I click my neck, then assess our surroundings. The area the five of us stand in is a huge, circular open space, covered by rock walls around the perimeter. The area is at least two kilometres in diameter, so it's quite big. The clouds from the sky are drifting into the huge open cavern, as the altitude of where we are in Toolore Mountain is very high. It is beautiful, but far too silent.

"Okay, a big open area and no occupants? What's the catch, gramps?" Vetor says snidely.

"Shhh everyone, can you hear that squawking noise?" I ask.

"Yes I can! It's getting much louder!" Vetor cries.

Suddenly a huge bird resembling a vulture crashes down into the huge open area.

"Modnar, what... THE HECK IS IT?!" I yell in as I reach for Finito.

"It's a Vulcalt, my girl," Modnar replies calmly.

The Vulcalt is massive. It's about five hundred metres high and its wingspan is about one kilometre from one tip of its wing to the other. It has black feathers all over its body, a long orange beak, and four claws. Two claws are its feet and the other two are located at the tip of each of its wings. Its neck looks odd. It is a lot thinner then you'd expect on a bird that huge; not that it matters, as it's still very long.

"Any bright ideas on how we are going to hurt this thing? My axe will give this bird a massage," Vetor jokes.

Before anyone can reply the Vulcalt takes two steps forward and flaps its wings. The first three times it flaps, the gust knocks all five of us over; with ease, I might add.

"Modnar, I give you permission to combust the Vulcalt, like you did to the Tepkie," I yell as I pick myself up off the ground.

"The Vulcalt's slightly bigger, wouldn't you say?" Modnar replies.

"Let's do what we're trained to do," says Rodland as he draws his huge sword.

The Vulcalt is flying on the spot - low to the ground - so Zekai charges forward with his spear held out in front of him. He stabs the Vulcalt's claw – its right perching claw – with all his might. The Vulcalt looks into the sky and quarks really loudly, but only the smallest amount of blood trickles out. Zekai's spear literally does nothing. I feel lost and confused. This is harder than any test I've done.

The Vulcalt looks down at Zekai and knocks him flying with its left wing. Zekai flies fifty metres through the air and groans loudly when he lands; Modnar runs to his aid, making sure he's okay.

"Come here and face my wrath!" Rodland screams, raising his huge sword and charging towards the Vulcalt.

Rodland is almost at the same right claw that Zekai attacked, with pure anger in his eyes.

"I'm going to dissect you into pieces you oversized bag of feathers!"

When Rodland reaches the Vulcalt's right perching claw, he starts relentlessly chopping at it with his sword, like a man possessed.

The Vulcalt sees Vetor and I charging towards it; ignoring Rodland, the Vulcalt sends us flying through the air, landing next to Modnar and Zekai.

"Winning?" Modnar quips, crouching next to Zekai.

"What do you think?" I reply sarcastically.

"It seems indestructible?!" Vetor yells.

"It isn't; you just need to find its weakness" Modnar replies.

"And where would that be Mr Know-it-all?" Vetor says sarcastically.

"It'd be no fun if I told you, would it now," Modnar jokes.

Vetor pokes his tongue out at Modnar, then runs up next to me. We ready our weapons and run towards the Vulcalt.

The Vulcalt grabs Vetor and me with the claws at the end of each wing. Vetor is in the left claw and I'm in the right claw. The Vulcalt's wingspan is so big that Vetor and I are now too far apart to hear each other. Vetor is making hand gestures but I just can't make out what he's saying. Before we're too high in the air, Vetor starts hacking away at the Vulcalt's wing with his axe.

The Vulcalt begins squawking, then throws Vetor through the air; he flies several hundred metres through the air, taking about nine seconds to hit the ground. When Vetor eventually makes contact with the ground; the impact dislocates his right arm and left kneecap. He coughs and renders the environment red.

"AARRRGGGGHHHHHHH!" Vetor screams in agony as he rolls around and convulses in pain. He's extremely lucky that he didn't die from that drop.

Modnar leaves Zekai's side and runs towards Vetor, cradling him in his arms.

"VETOR!" I shriek, panicking and realising there's nothing I can do. I need to concentrate on the problem at hand, or I will end up this Vulcalt's lunch. Then I have a brainwave on how to defeat this mammoth bird.

My cunning plan is this; I want the Vulcalt to eat me. I will follow my gut reaction, which is the Vulcalt's neck. It easily seems the weakest point on this bird, and I'm going to kill this thing my way.

I sheathe Finito and the Vulcalt gradually pulls me closer to its beak. The closer I get to the Vulcalt's, the wider its beak opens.

"Well, here goes nothing" I say aloud as the Vulcalt pops me into its mouth.

"SYRA!" Modnar screams.

"NOOOOOOO!" Rodland yells as he continues to chip away at the Vulcalt's claw; blood squirts out of the claw, but not enough to warrant any major injuries.

"Rodland, I don't think that chopping is doing anything. Go check on Vetor and Zekai" Modnar shouts.

"Don't worry about it! I've got it under control," Rodland yells back as he sheathes his sword and runs towards Vetor and Zekai.

"Hope you are safe, Syra," Modnar mutters to himself as he starts shooting fireballs from his palms towards the Vulcalt's stomach.

Meanwhile, the Vulcalt has thrown me inside its mouth; I'm so glad it wasn't head first, because that would have made things a little more complicated than it already is.

The neck is actually really tiny, small enough for a human. He must have to really chew a lot to fit something large down there. I slide down the Vulcalt's oesophagus, and manage to pry my legs apart, gripping my boots onto either side of its small throat. I'm definitely right in thinking that its throat is the weakness, I can truly feel my theory is right.

I'm gradually slipping down its throat; drips of saliva lands all over me. I look down, and I'm glad I don't slide any further, its pitch black down there. Once I get a comfortable grip with my feet, I draw Finito and jam it through the Vulcalt's oesophagus. It easily punctures through; I don't need to force it at all. Once I have pushed the blade all the way to the hilt, I stop gripping the inside of the Vulcalt's throat with my feet and quickly hold onto the handle of Finito with all my body weight.

As I hold Finito, the combined weight of the sword and I pull the blade further down the Vulcalt's throat, into the darkness. I feel like I've lost my stomach as I scream in excitement; closing my eyes to stop the litres of blood splatting onto my face.

"AAARRRRGGGHHH!" I yell as I continue to grip Finito with all my might.

I fall for about two hundred metres until I suddenly come to a halt. The neck of the Vulcalt is sliced fully open from just below the top of its throat all the way to the bottom. The huge creature struggles to breathe and starts regurgitating. Vile smells and bubbles rise from the bowels within, fumigating my nostrils with its putrid stench. Luckily, after the longest five seconds of my life, I come flying out of its throat with the first lot of spew. I grip onto Finito like a dog to a bone, as that sword is so important to our mission, right now; my life.

While I fly through the air like a rocket on a mission to space, Modnar casts a huge ice slide that starts right below my backside. Sliding safely to the ground, I turn around to look at the Vulcalt. It's trying to quark, but it can't. Spew shoots out of the huge vertical slice going down its neck.

"Let's run for the opening on the other side of this open area! Let's head for the mines!" Rodland yells.

We have no choice but to run. The amount of spew coming out of the Vulcalt's neck is enough to drown a hundred elephants and the worst part is that it isn't water; it is spew!

Modnar is carrying Vetor and Rodland is carrying Zekai. They are both wounded, and moaning in agony.

"Good job, Syra! You... AAARRRGGHHHH... one crazy warrior!" Zekai yells.

"Thanks, Zekai. How was your sleep?" I jokingly yell back.

Zekai giggles, but seconds later he starts favouring his stomach. I look back as we run, and more than half the canyon is full of spew. The Vulcalt is in a sitting position and looking like it is close to the end of its life, which makes me realise that my ridiculous plan actually worked. Sometimes, paying attention to something even so minor can make such a big difference.

When we arrive at the entrance to the mines, we are all puffing and wheezing.

"Rodland, are we under prepared? Or was that a heck of a lot of running we just did?" I ask, breathing heavily.

"We are constantly running, so you will have to get used to it. And no, I don't think we are under prepared. When you're running for your life, you'll always end up more exhausted. Anyway, we cover a lot of ground from day to day with minimal rest. That's hard to do, so you should be proud," Rodland replies, putting Zekai down on the ground.

"Let's get you two healed up" Modnar says putting his left hand on Vetor's forehead and his right hand on Zekai's forehead. Vetor and Zekai start shaking like they are having a seizure; foam is dribbling out of their mouths and landing onto their chests. They shake for about thirty seconds, and then Modnar takes his hands away and stands up. Vetor and Zekai promptly arise and appear to have no injuries.

"Wow, I feel no pain at all. Thanks gramps" Vetor says with a big smile on his face.

"Yes, thank you my old friend" Zekai adds.

"Look everyone!" I shout as I point in the direction of the dying bird.

We look back at the Vulcalt and watch it crash down onto the ground, neck first. As it hits the ground, the spew beneath it flies for a hundred metres in every direction and the ground shudders for kilometres.

"Grab the walls everyone!" Modnar yells.

The five of us huddle under the archway of the door, holding onto the cavern walls of the narrow hallway. The ground in the open area starts cracking.

"This isn't good!" I yell.

When you're fighting creatures, the fate of your life is in your hands. When you're fighting the elements, the fate of your life lies with the planet gods.

A few moments later, the shaking stops; the ground doesn't rip apart, but the open area that the dead Vulcalt lies in now has a huge crack in it; the dead bird's neck is dangling below.

Eventually we turn back in the direction of the dark passage, and I notice Vetor isn't there.

"Modnar, where is Vetor? Please light the surroundings!" I say.

The instant Modnar illuminated the area, we see Vetor being held captive by an Ediex clan warrior, who is holding a large dagger to his throat. He starts screaming and as usual, we can't understand what he is saying.

"Vetor, what's he saying?" I say, worried for Vetor's life.

"He said if we don't do what he says, he will detach my head from my shoulders. Yeah, I'm quite keen to keep my head on my shoulders, so can we do what he says?" Vetor says sarcastically as the warrior briefly giggles to himself.

"Tell him that we'll listen to what his demands are. What does he want us to do? Can you ask him, Vetor?" I say, still shaking.

"What do you want us to do?" Vetor asks.

The Ediex warrior starts screaming and Vetor translates.

"He said that we must follow him to the Ediex camp and not to even think about trying to rescue me," Vetor says.

"Okay, let's just follow this dimwit to his base and hopefully we can steal the Arter Gem," I reply as we start to trek through the mines.

The first fifteen minutes of our travels are through a dark, skinny corridor, mirroring what we had previously travelled through before we met the Vulcalt. If you were claustrophobic, forget about it. You'd be scared to death; literally. This long, hunched over walk through this seemingly never-ending tunnel is bothersome.

What little light we have is from Modnar, lighting the passage ahead, until we reach the actual mines; which sneak up on us.

They are almost like a mine back on Earth, well at least the formula is the same. For example, on Earth mines have tracks for the mine carts to carry the goods on, where in these mines there are two huge wooden poles running along the roof. Instead of mine carts to transport the goods, they have Vulcalts with harnesses on, which keep them attached to one of the wooden poles, but still with enough room left to fly. The Vulcalts fly along the poles and carry a huge crate with their bottom two claws; these Vulcalts are less feral and more disciplined in comparison to their dead counterpart, and are much smaller in size. Their wingspan is about three metres from tip to tip and their height is about the same. One of the poles on the roof is for Vulcalts dropping off the collected minerals, the other pole is for Vulcalts heading back to pick up more minerals.

The texture inside this cave is quite typical; dark brown rock all over the roof and walls, with mud on the ground, and sporadic patches of water everywhere. Quite dull and depressing, really. I must admit, the most amazing part as we walk through the mines is the tame Vulcalts. They are just so obedient. Working without hesitation or fuss. It is like pure poetry to watch.

When we get to a huge open area, another amazing sight dawns on us. There are Vulcalts everywhere, and on the roof of the mines above us is a network of poles; a spaghetti junction of wooden poles if you would. I can't make any sense of where they are going, but the Vulcalts sure can. On the ground below there are hundreds of piles of silver, glittering rocks, which are at the bottom of a sixty-metre deep pit. These weird looking little creatures are whipping the Vulcalts and loading up their crates with the silver glittering rocks. The creatures have brown skin and little bumps over every cubic millimetre of their body; they spoke English, which is always a good thing.

"Modnar, what is the name of those brown creatures that are ordering the Vulcalts around? And what is that silver rock that they are mining used for?" I whisper as we continue to follow the Ediex warrior.

"My girl, the mineral is called Raloid, which eventually gets turned into Ralop; the currency of Tharp. The creatures ordering around the Vulcalts are called Nogleps. They're usually part of the lower working class members of Tharp's society. But in saying that, they are also highly respected for their hard work. Without them, there is no currency. No currency means no structure for the wealthy, and no structure for the wealthy means chaos on Tharp. So everyone tends to leave them alone, even the Ediex clan," Modnar whispers back.

"Your world has a highly respected working class? The justice system on Earth will never show respect to the working class, ever," I whisper back snidely.

The Ediex warrior starts screaming at us and Vetor signals us to stop talking; Modnar and I nod at him and quickly kill our conversation.

As we travel deeper into the mines, I can hear the Nogleps yelling at the Vulcalts. Different demands like, 'Hurry up, you're slowing our production schedule down!' and 'pick up the pace!' The Nogleps also have a weapon of some sort. It looks like a whip, but with leaves like a vine and with the texture and colour of leather. When the Noglep cracks the 'whip' down on the Vulcalts' flesh it emulates the same cracking sound as a whip, and it makes a huge slice. I know one thing for sure, I've just slain a Vulcalt, so I know how hard it is to kill one, and if there ever is an uprising, the Nogleps will be in big trouble.

As we approach the end of the mines I can feel the temperature dropping quite significantly.

"Vetor, can you politely ask the warrior to light a fire or something? I'm freezing," I say, shivering.

Before Vetor can give me an answer, Modnar cuts in.

"The Arter Gem of Ice. Muhbac must be discovering its power. He can't be allowed to learn how to fully use the gem, or we will encounter a big obstacle".

The closer we get to the end of the mines, the colder it becomes. I can feel goose bumps quickly populating my arms, and my teeth start chattering quite loudly; cold air is exhaling from all our mouths.

"Modnar, can you please cast that warmth bubble to keep us warm? I'm freezing!" I ask as my jaw continues to chatter.

"Yes, I agree Modnar, it is getting quite cold, and I live in the Toolore Mountains," Rodland adds.

Modnar nods and attends to our whinging. He casts the same warmth bubble he cast when we were scaling up Toolore Mountain.

The Ediex clan warrior starts screaming to himself, then chuckles. Before I can say anything, Vetor also starts laughing, then translates.

"The warrior actually thanked Modnar for casting the warmth bubble. The Ediex clan base is extremely cold at the moment," Vetor says, still laughing a little to himself.

This makes us all chuckle. I'm glad we can still have a laugh even in our awkward predicament. The Ediex warrior screams again.

"Vetor, what did he say?" I ask.

"He said that we are very close to the Ediex clan base and that we should prepare to give the utmost respect to his master, Muhbac" Vetor explains.

I look over towards Zekai and noticed that he seems a little bit out of character.

"Zekai, what's wrong? You seem quite distant," I say.

"I just can't wait to mix words with that evil tyrant. It's been such a long time," Zekai replies with vengeance in his voice.

"Why, what happened?"

"Sorry, it's a very personal subject. I apologise for being rude, but can we change subject?" Zekai replies.

"It's okay Zekai, I'm sure you'll tell me later," I reply, seeing the sadness in his eyes.

Zekai, the brave warrior of Noradi, has a weakness. It bothers me that he doesn't say anything; I'm one of those people that just have to know everything when I care about the person in question. When I actually think about it though, every time Muhbacs' name was mentioned, Zekai would get quiet. Now that I know that, his silent patches of late make sense.

When we reach the entrance of the Ediex clan base, all I can see is a twenty metre high wooden fence, made out of individual tree trunks, around the perimeter of the base. The front gate is the same height as the walls, also made from wood, and is guarded by another Ediex clan warrior, armed with a large dagger. The two warriors put their right palms on each-others' left shoulders, scream at each other for about fifteen seconds, and then stand a metre back from each other and nod.

"They are merely greeting each other and showing their signs of respect," Vetor explains.

It's quite funny because Vetor is quickly becoming quite a great little translator. I don't even need to say anything anymore; I only need to glance at him. Maybe he's just sick of me asking.

As the guard opens the doors to the Ediex clan base, they swiftly take Zekai's spear, Modnar's staff, Vetor's axe and Rodland's sword. After confiscating all my friend's weapons, they approach me last. The guard holds his hand out for me to hand over Finito. I throw Finito towards the guard; it easily knocks him over, landing on his neck. The other Ediex warrior starts screaming.

"Syra, lift Finito off the guard's neck! He's choking!" Vetor yells.

I walk over to the guard and pick up Finito from his neck, leaving the Ediex warrior frantically gasping for air.

"So can I keep my weapon? Or do you still want to confiscate it?" I say as I sheathe Finito.

The Ediex warriors scream and throw their hands in the air.

"They said that you better not be teasing them or they will cut your pretty face off," Vetor says.

I think about saying something cheeky, but I bite my tongue; maybe right now's not the most appropriate time.

Once we enter the main courtyard of the Ediex clan base, a hushed silence comes over the two hundred plus Ediex warriors, and what I assumed to be Muhbac, slithering towards us. I actually can't believe my eyes, so much in fact that I start rubbing them. He's an Oathient serpent, just like Zekai; and he is the same colour. You would think he'd be the same colour as an Oathient Outcast because of his despicable behaviour; but he isn't. He must have been important when he was once associated with Zekai.

He has long grey hair, which is tied into a ponytail and goes halfway down his back. He has a very similar build to Zekai and is covered in scars all over, but looks a lot older and has gold piercings on his face and ears.

Muhbac slithers right up to Zekai, ignoring everyone else, and looks him dead in the eyes. They stare into each other's eyes without saying a word for about a minute. Not a living being in the vicinity coughs, whispers or even murmurs; the silence is deafening and the tension can be cut with a knife.

Muhbac finally breaks the silence.

"Zekai, what a surprise. I never thought I'd ever see you again. I don't know if I should kill you first, or kill you last? I can't let you leave here alive, now that you've found my people and I. How is my old friend? I haven't seen him either since that day. Is it true he killed that female friend of his? He is a ruthless soul, just like me," Muhbac says in a menacing tone.

"I haven't seen him in many years. To be fair, he was more my friend than yours. These savages are your only people, as you are a disgrace to our people! It would give me great pleasure ending your existence," Zekai replies.

"End my life? Oh, is this some sort of petty revenge over the death of that pathetic excuse of a woman? Or are you nervous that I'll give 'him' the same fate as your loved one?" Muhbac says, as he laughs like you'd imagine a menace with power would; when he eventually makes eye contact with Zekai again, Zekai speaks.

"Muhbac, you will die in my arms before dusk tomorrow; that I promise." There is vengeance in his eyes.

Muhbac doesn't reply. They continue to stare into each other's eyes without saying a word. It makes me realise what Zekai was upset about. Over whoever 'him' is and over a woman, that Muhbac must have killed. It was probably a true love of Zekai's. I can say one thing; Zekai is going to slay Muhbac. I suppose the question now is; how?

### IX - The Arter Gem is Sweet, but Revenge is Sweeter

Muhbac orders for the five of us to be immediately tied up to huge wooden poles. Unfortunately for all of us, one per pole and this makes our plans for escape grim, at best.

As I survey the area, I can see warriors scattered around the vicinity, while resting and drinking Flork. I realise that the Ediex clan base is nothing spectacular. It's about half a kilometre in diameter with a huge wooden fence going around the outside. There isn't that many huts for the clan to live in, mostly huge leaves or animal skins pitched like tents by pieces of wood - except for Muhbac.

He has a huge wooden structure at the back of the base, typical of the leader. Wooden walls, wooden roof, wooden everything; all the logs cut the same thickness and length. It has three tiers, similar to a wedding cake, and there are carvings of ice fragments all over the front door. I wonder if he'd planned on stealing the Arter Gem of Ice all along. In the middle of the base is a small circular lake of lava, but it has frozen over; not solid, but ice has definitely formed strong enough for someone to walk on. It could very well be that we are now in the middle of a dormant volcano.

I look towards Zekai and he's looking at the ground, completely sad about something; it's almost a guilty look. It makes me want to speak to him.

"Psst! Zekai. So it's a girl, that's why you hate Muhbac? And who is the guy he's speaking of?" I ask in a whisper.

Zekai doesn't answer right away. There is a long silence. Zekai looks so hurt, like his heart has been torn out. Love must be every living beings possible weakness; love for something. Here is the prime example right now. Zekai is a big, burly Oathient Serpent, who is physically superior in almost every battle. Then you throw a little revenge and love in the pot, and that big, burly Oathient is a broken mess. I honestly never saw that coming. Guess I should be more open minded.

"It was a long time ago and I have never loved since. I would have died for her, but instead she ended up dying for me. The friend he was speaking of is someone who means a lot to Rodland, Modnar and I, and obviously: Muhbac. I should have watched over them better, and they'd both still be alive. I feel such pain for my mistakes, especially Fewmira.

If I think about her, or what happened, it distracts me. She was one in a million and I will most likely never love again. My main focus now is keeping you alive and if I'm distracted, I'll make mistakes. If you make too many mistakes, people die." Zekai says before returning to his hollow state of mind.

"You can't keep kicking yourself for what happened. If they were alive and saw you now, would they be proud of the thoughts you have and the burden you carry?"

Zekai waited about thirty seconds before answering, as he appears to really be thinking of his reply. He raises his eyebrows and looks my way.

"I don't want to answer that, Syra. I really don't," Zekai says with his head bowed.

"On Earth, the majority of the male race confides their deepest secrets to the female race. They do this because females are much more sensitive than males. They generally have a better understanding of how to process their feelings. I'm guessing that males on Tharp have battle knowledge and that'd be about it. How is battle knowledge going to help your feelings, Zekai?" I say, raising my eyebrows.

Zekai takes a deep breath and looks towards me, then glances back at the ground. He looks like his soul has been torn from his body and he has nothing left to live for. When we eventually make eye contact, I can really see his pain and almost feel it. Poor Zekai. I've never been in love so I can't compare to his pain; but I'm sure I can help him.

Zekai coughs briefly then speaks.

"It was about sixteen years ago. Muhbac and I were like brothers. Between the two of us, we equally led the Village of Noradi. We didn't have a hierarchy between us, fifty-fifty on everything. I promise you Syra, Muhbac was so close to me that he was actually like a brother. We fought together, hurt together, bled together. Everything between Muhbac and I was perfect; until Fewmira arrived. She was an Oathient female who never revealed where she was from, ever. That gave her a different aura, made her unique. She had light purple hair that went right down to the base of her spine, and the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. And those eyes, they were dark purple and so beautiful that they could tell a thousand tales. Anyway, enough about her perfection, where was I? Fewmira left her home in search of a safer place to live, hence coming across the village of Noradi. When I first lay my eyes upon her, it was like love at first sight. The problem was; it was love at first sight for Muhbac as well. It was so obvious that my close friendship with Muhbac was rattled; rotting away like knuckles being rubbed against a rough, hard surface. I never really tried to impress Fewmira, it was just the looks we exchanged, our eyes saying 'I love you'. But as each day went on, Muhbac started to detest me more and more, because he could clearly see that Fewmira loved me and not him. We became life partners, and this put even more tension on our friendship. Eventually, Muhbac and I had a disagreement over something, and he beat me nearly to death over it. Shortly after, he vanished without a trace. Five years passed without a word from Muhbac and I could honestly say that I thought I'd never see him ever again. In his absence, Fewmira and I fell more in love. For quite a long period of time, I felt so lucky. We ruled Noradi together like we were King and Queen. Then without any warning, my old friend surfaced; Muhbac returned to Noradi village with a few dozen warriors of his newly formed clan, 'the Ediex clan'. When I first lay my eyes on Muhbac, I was excited to see him. Fewmira and I approached Muhbac and his entourage and greeted him warmly, but when we spoke, it was like talking to a brick wall. Muhbac paused before replying.

'I have come to take your life, Zekai,' Muhbac said and immediately drew his sword and plunged it forward. Before I had a chance to even process my thoughts, Fewmira jumped in front of me and had taken the full stab through the stomach. Muhbac didn't care at all. Do you know what else he did? With a grin on his face, he lifted his head up and as soon as he made eye contact with me, he pulled his blade upwards, splitting Fewmira in half, from her torso to the top of her head. His arrogance made me weak. I fell straight to the ground, holding the dissected Fewmira in my arms, as her blood, guts and internal organs spilled all over me. I was in tears for the first time in my life. All Muhbac said as he left the village of Noradi forever was 'Pathetic Zekai, I'll leave you to it'. After he left, I never saw him again. The whole thing happened so quickly that I didn't have a chance to defend her. She took the whole stab without hesitation. That was me that was meant to die, not her. So for this betrayal, I will get my revenge on that despicable being for what he did. I swear that on Fewmira's life." Tears are streaming down Zekai's face.

I, too, am now in tears. I can't believe what Zekai has just told me. That's the saddest thing I've ever heard. Muhbac deserves everything he has coming. I would usually say fighting doesn't solve anything, but Fewmira was Zekai's true love and if he doesn't avenge her death at this opportunity, I think it will affect him through this entire journey. I miss the carefree and funny Zekai, so he better do this.

"Zekai, be patient. You will get your chance. I give you my word that we will not leave here without two things; the Arter Gem of Ice and Muhbac's life," I say, before sniffling the tears around my nose.

"I will avenge Fewmira honourably and move on with my life once and for all. Thank you for making me realise the importance of letting go and moving forward. I will always have a special place for Fewmira in my heart," Zekai replies, and we both continue to cry.

An Ediex warrior approaches us and starts screaming. I look towards Vetor, waiting for his translation.

"He said the lights are going out, so it's time to go to sleep. He also said we better be able to sleep standing, he doesn't want his dinner spoilt."

"Remember your training everyone, don't let this situation get to you," Rodland whispers.

"Goodnight. Let's plan our escape in the morning," Modnar whispers.

"Okay Modnar, sounds like a plan, which I hope we come up with, as I'm not keen to be eaten?" I say.

The Ediex warrior walks around and pinches out all the lit torches, and we all prepare for the night's sleep.

Akiad: The lord of Evil

Principal Zaruth's office looks like any other principals office. Papers and ornaments scattered over the desk and a couple of seats. The weirdest objects are; the two metre high mirror in the corner of the room, and the large wooden closet. 'Knock Knock'.

"Principal Zaruth, are you there? Please let me in," a strange voice says as they knock.

"Yes, come in Gurdon" Akiad replies.

Gurdon looks human and he is about six feet tall. He wears a denim jacket, jeans and black leather boots. He is a skinhead, with a big puffy black beard and a black shirt on. He looks exactly like a rock star from the eighties.

As Gurdon enters the room, Akiad speaks.

"If you weren't my only friend from Tharp with me on this 'tip' of a planet, I would silence you quickly! What could possibly be so important, can't you see how busy I am!" Akiad yells in frustration.

"I have heard a lot of interesting things, my old friend, in fact I have some good news," Gurdon says.

"What have you heard?" Akiad asks.

"Do you remember the prophet?"

"How could I not remember the one who delivered the instruments of my destruction to our land? Why do you ask?"

"Well, she was right. Syra, has arrived and she has the legendary sword in her possession. She is trying to find the four Arter Gems of Tharp."

"And where is all the good news in all of this?" Akiad demands.

"Well, we have Modnar captured. He is in Dandum Prison as we speak," Gurdon says, smiling.

"Wait... That is GREAT news! We will leave soon to pay my old friend a visit. About Syra, don't worry about her too much. We must concentrate on making sure she doesn't get any of the Arter Gems. If she ends up as powerful as the Prophet predicted, then that's no good for anyone. And we must make sure that Modnar never finds her," Akiad says, trying not to sound worried.

"Akiad my lord, I will meet you outside for our departure to Dandum Prison in a few minutes."

"Will do. See you soon" Akiad says as Gurdon exits the office.

Akiad leaves his seat and approaches the huge mirror to stand in front of it. He takes a big breath, and then starts talking to his reflection in the mirror.

"So, this Syra, is she going to cause me any problems? I need to stop her from getting her dirty hands on the Arter Gems of Tharp. I can safely assume that she will retrieve the first Arter Gem from Muhbac. The problem I now face, is not knowing the locations of the remaining three Arter Gems. I will not give up my plan for total domination of Earth and Tharp. I will rally up as many warriors as I can gather and comb the planet for those gems. If I have to slay everyone, I will. Syra and her guardians will not find them, and if she thinks she'll ever get all four Arter Gems, then she will have to pry them from my hands; this I guarantee," Akiad says before laughing to himself like a maniac.

### X - To kill or not to kill, that is the Question

As usual, I am the first to wake. Not the most comfortable sleep I've had, as we're tied up to a wooden pole and standing; as one can imagine I'm irritable and fatigued. No guards are awake at all, no one on patrol, not a thing. I quickly look around at my companions and they too are fast asleep. Zekai is murmuring in his sleep, so I try to wake him up first.

"Psst! Psst! Zekai, are you awake?" I whisper.

Zekai doesn't answer. He is so involved in his dream that any outside interference won't wake him.

"Psst! Psst! Zekai! Please awaken, we need to plan how we are going to escape!" I whisper slightly louder.

The rest of my friends have woken before Zekai; he starts to yawn, and shakes off the cobwebs of his dream.

"I have a plan. You see, Muhbac has a huge ego and I plan to entice him into a one on one melee duel to the death. He will not back down; I'll word it in such a way that he won't decline my invitation!"

"Zekai... you're a genius! You see why I accepted your offer to join me? Because I had a feeling there were some brains tucked under all of that brawn. Fewmira would be so proud of you. Now make her even more proud; avenge her death. Finish Muhbac!"

"I will, and thank you for the courage you've given me. I would have never thought that it took the motivation of such a younger being to light a fire under me. I will do this for Fewmira, for myself and for you. I love her, Syra; forever and always," Zekai whispers, a lone tear rolls down his cheek.

"Okay everyone, look asleep. Let Zekai work his magic," I say, and the five of us pretend to be asleep.

The entire Ediex clan starts arising from their tents and filling up the area, forming a circle around the frozen lava pit. Muhbac slithers right up to Zekai and looks him dead in the face, breathing heavily all over him. I can smell his breath from here; it stinks of last night's Flork.

"Are you awake, you pathetic excuse for a serpent!" Muhbac yells.

Muhbac turns and looks at his clan, doing an extremely cheesy, fake laugh. When he turns back to Zekai, he is awake, frowning, returning that cold stare straight into Muhbac's eyes. He looks so angry, like he could have been stabbing Muhbac with his eyes. It's like a lifetime of hatred, all built up into one menacing stare. I'm excited to see how this pans out.

"Oh, the big cowardly leader has arisen. Everyone give him a round of applause," Zekai says sarcastically.

"And why would you call the great Muhbac a coward?" Muhbac replies arrogantly.

"Because in front of all your loyal warriors, you will slay your only true challenge in all of Tharp; and you don't even give me a chance to defend myself! I issue you a challenge in a barehanded fight to the death, if you have the courage! I don't expect you to accept, coward," Zekai yells so everyone can hear him.

Muhbac's jaw drops open. He looks truly shocked at what Zekai just said. He looks like he has the rug pulled out from under him; and everybody is watching, so no room to hide the evidence of embarrassment. With his jaw still wide open, Muhbac turns around and noticing all his warriors are cheering his name. I think Zekai's reverse psychology may have worked. How could Muhbac turn that ovation down? He has to accept, and Zekai was dead right all along. Muhbac has such an ego that when Zekai offered the challenge to him, he's too afraid to back down in front of his Brethren. I have to hand it to Zekai. He's much smarter then he leads on, and for that I'm very glad. In this instance, it may just save our life.

Muhbac is slithering around the inner perimeter of the circle that his warriors have created. He has his eyes closed, soaking in all the cheers of encouragement from his screaming brethren. He's smiling and waving his hands in the air, prompting the warriors to make more noise. Zekai looks over and smiles at me.

"You see Syra, I know exactly what makes him tick, as once upon a time he was my best friend. Don't worry, I won't fail you, trust me," Zekai says quietly as he winks at me.

"You've got this," I reply, winking back at him.

Muhbac slithers towards Zekai; the two of them exchange the coldest stare, without even breathing a word. The warriors in the background are so silent you could hear a pin drop. Every person in attendance is dying in anticipation of Muhbac's answer.

"I accept your challenge, Zekai!" Muhbac yells at the top of his lungs, and the Ediex clan erupts in excitement.

While Muhbac slithers behind Zekai to untie his wrists, Zekai smiles at me the whole time. When he's almost fully untied, he slightly nods at me and winks. Muhbac starts whispering into Zekai's ear.

"Time to die, my old friend. But don't get sad, brother; you'll soon join 'him' and that pathetic excuse of a women you once loved."

Zekai slithers about twenty metres forward, then stops in the middle of the frozen lava. Muhbac slithers towards him, and when he gets close enough, Zekai lunges forward and elbows Muhbac in the face. The crowd yells. "Ooohhh!"

Muhbac starts favouring his busted top lip, and blood trickles out ever so delicately. He throws a wild left hook and Zekai smacks his hand to the right, then grabs a handful of piercings in Muhbac's right ear.

"Aarrgghh!" Muhbac yells as Zekai holds onto him.

Zekai follows through with a huge head butt, knocking him to the ground. It's such a heavy shot, I think Zekai broke Muhbac's nose. Blood gushes out all over the place and I start cheering.

Zekai opens his bloody right hand to reveal Muhbac's ear.

"Aaarrggghhhh!" Muhbac yells, pulling himself upright.

"Go Zekai, get him!" I yell in excitement.

Zekai puts both of his fists in the air in a defensive position, similar to a boxer. Zekai throws a left jab towards him but before it can connect, Muhbac ducks and punches Zekai in the stomach, making him double over. With Zekai's head facing the ground, Muhbac follows through with a right upper cut to the face. Blood squirts all over the place, and Zekai flies through the air crashing down on the ice face first. The impact makes him bounce and hit the ground a second time. Zekai's blood has stained two areas of the ice, and my stomach starts to sink. He can't lose this fight. He is destined to win!

Both of the warriors are now bleeding profusely from the face. I haven't ever seen this much blood in a fist fight before in my entire life. It's bloodier than any boxing match I have ever seen, and come to think of it, any movie either.

Muhbac slithers towards Zekai and picks him up off the ground. It looks as easy to him as a grown man picking up an infant. Muhbac briefly looks Zekai in the eyes, then head butts him back down to the ground. Blood flies through the air, and my heart skips a beat. The crowd is cheering for Muhbac as he's clearly the crowd favourite right now. This isn't good. Zekai must prevail!

"Get up Zekai! Look at you, bleeding everywhere! You really thought you would beat me in a fistfight? You are truly out of your mind!" Muhbac yells arrogantly.

Zekai convulses and rolls backward and forward on the ice. As he coughs, blood stains the ice red like a rose that could be on his grave. I have to yell something out. I can't stand seeing Zekai like this.

"Zekai! Get up! Don't fail her! Get up! Get up! Come on!" I yell.

Zekai looks my way, and starts to pull himself up off the ice. As Oathient serpents don't have any legs, it's such a disadvantage to be on the ground in a battle; it's hard for them to quickly rise.

When Zekai props himself up, Muhbac connects with a huge right jab, making Zekai spin three times in mid-air before crashing back down; face first on the ice again. He moans in agony, and more blood dribbles from his mouth when he opens it.

"Ha-ha you're getting rusty in your old age, Zekai! Why don't you just give up? It's just like fifteen years ago; I'm going to beat you all over the place. Let me send your spirit away to join your pathetic women!" Muhbac bends down and punches Zekai in the stomach.

When I look at Zekai, I see that he has blood running down his face, and he looks so furious. The look in Zekai's eyes could have burnt a village. Muhbac suddenly throws a huge right punch and Zekai catches it with his left hand; then suddenly twists Muhbac's right wrist around until it snaps, leaving it dangling, separated from his arm.

"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" Muhbac screams as his wrist flaps around aimlessly. Am I a bad person to be smiling at this point? Nah.

Zekai suddenly throws a right punch and it smacks Muhbac in the face, sending him flying ten metres through the air. The moment Muhbac hits the ground you can hear bones cracking all over his body. The pendulum has just swung, big time. Zekai has just acquired the momentum of battle, and by the smile on his bloodied face, you can tell he knew.

As Zekai stands there on the ice, bleeding profusely from his face, he looks around at the Ediex clan. Zekai spits blood onto the ground next to Muhbac and then starts to make cheeky remarks back to him as he slithers closer to his dilapidated body. The Ediex warriors aren't making a noise and neither am I; there's a hushed silence from everyone in attendance.

Zekai drops a left elbow down onto Muhbac's face, then turns over and jabs his left fist repeatedly into Muhbac's right eye. Muhbac squirms around on the ground, softly groaning while trying to keep his eyes open; they are beaten badly and his face is covered in blood. Zekai lies over him and starts alternating left and right jabs into Muhbac's face; Zekai is clearly now dominating this battle.

Zekai props himself upright and starts to slither around Muhbac's body, eventually spitting on his chest.

"So Muhbac, how do you feel right now? I thought you were a friend of mine, in fact I could have called you a brother; but you aren't. You were actually looking after number one; yourself. Do you even care about your loyal clan? You make them sleep in tents while you live in a wooden palace. Seem a little lost for words, don't you Muhbac? Fifteen years ago, you left me alive, and I'm thankful that you made that mistake. Today my old friend, you won't be so lucky," Zekai says, spitting blood onto Muhbac's face.

The helpless serpent doesn't say a word. All he can do is splutter out blood and moan in agony. Every time Muhbac coughs, blood shoots out of his mouth and lands on his chest. Zekai lies down on the ground and cradles Muhbac's neck and head in his arms; he starts wiping all the blood off Muhbac's face.

"I've waited a long time for this moment. You, lying helplessly in my arms, looking in my eyes, begging me for forgiveness. Your problem is that I don't care. I'm enjoying the fact that you're helpless. Do you want to know why? Because I also felt helpless, holding Fewmira all those years ago. I didn't even get to say goodbye; so nether will you. Unfortunately Muhbac, Fewmira won't be accompanying you in the afterlife, because you will be going to a much darker, more sinister place. No friends, no family, no one to help you. You will be all alone, until we send Akiad to that very same place. So Muhbac, prepare for your end!" Zekai tightens his grip on Muhbac's head and suddenly twists his neck until it snaps.

Zekai drops Muhbac's lifeless corpse to the ground, stands up and moves towards me, panting like he has been slithering for days on end; he's exhausted. He'd been in a fight to the death and came out victorious. As Zekai is untying me, I speak my mind.

"Good on you Zekai! Fewmira would be so proud of you, just like me," I say, smiling broadly.

"Good work, old friend," Modnar yells.

"Yeah, what the old codger said. Good work, Zekai!" Vetor adds.

Zekai nods and smiles, then quickly slithers towards Rodland; he nods towards Zekai, acknowledging his victory.

"Was it worth the wait old friend?" Rodland asks, as Zekai unties him.

"Yes, it was. It's been a lifetime since I saw him, and about time I took his life."

Once Zekai has untied all of us, he starts slithering towards Muhbac's living quarters. After a few moments, he stops and looks back at us.

"Don't fight the Ediex clan, they're helpless now. You know why? They have no leader. The Ediex clan can't think for themselves, they are one hundred-per cent subservient to their master. Muhbac and his actions were evil, so the Ediex clan had to follow in their master's footsteps. They didn't have to kill the people of Puziac village, they were instructed to. Muhbac would have instructed them to get the Arter Gem by any means necessary, and they would have obeyed without question. I'm going inside to collect the Arter Gem, then I'll bring it straight to you" Zekai says.

Zekai continues to slither towards Muhbac's living quarters. He's still bleeding profusely from the face and favouring his injured ribs. The entire Ediex clan moves to stand in front of Muhbac's living quarters.

Zekai approaches the Ediex clan and the most amazing thing happens. He is definitely right about his theory of them; the entire clan parts, allowing Zekai passage into Muhbac's living quarters. When he's standing in the doorway of Muhbac's quarters, he turns around and sees that the entire Ediex clan is on their knees, bowing towards him. It's amazing to see, because Zekai is so battered and bruised, but the look of fulfilment on his face tells a thousand words. While Zekai looks on, he starts a long bow towards the Ediex clan and they all start screaming. Obviously, I have no idea whether they are screaming or speaking, so I look towards Vetor; my helpful interpreter.

"Vetor, can you please translate," I ask.

"The crowd is saying mixed things. Some of them are cheering, some are saying 'master' and some are yelling his name. It may seem like noise to you, but I can hear them as clear as day. He should be very honoured; we on the other hand are very lucky. Can you imagine fighting these creatures? I wouldn't like our odds very much. In fact, I'm sure we'd quite likely come off second best!"

"Well, you're not wrong. I'm sure we would have put up a decent fight, but death would be inevitable," Modnar replies.

"Ha! I disagree; we would have won!" Rodland adds brightly.

Vetor and I look at each other and crack up laughing. Can you believe Rodland? Yeah we are greatly trained, but so are they and there are way more of them. I can laugh easily as it feels safe to; because Zekai has killed the problem. He has finally got his revenge, and saved us from a far worse fate.

I walk towards Finito and pick it up; as I hold it in my hand, a weird sensation of relief comes over me. It's like Finito has become a part of me, and the two of us struggle when apart from each other. I guess it would be like taking drugs away from an addict. The two just can't live without each other, like my sword and I.

I attach my sheath and continue to hold Finito, looking at my reflection in the blade. Even though I'm looking at a reflection of myself, I honestly feel it's the blade looking back at me, like I'm its servant. It makes me a little bit nervous, because if I'm right and this blade does have a mind of its own, what is going to happen when I reunite it with the Arter Gem of Ice? Will I be able to handle it? It makes me slightly worried, because no one can actually help me with this situation. I know Modnar has theories of what to do, but he hasn't actually physically dealt with it himself.

"You seem a little bit worried? Is something troubling you?" Modnar asks as I continue to stare at my reflection on my blade.

"I'm just worried about the Arter Gem and whether or not I'll be able to handle all the power? Or even be able to harness it? I'm very confused and scared. Any thoughts?"

"Sounds like you're after the next piece of useful information that I can provide you with. When you get the Arter Gem, you must insert it into the corresponding slot on Finito. Once it's been inserted, you must speak to the gem, so it can tune into your voice waves, as it will only recognise the voice of the Chosen One. The only words it will recognise from you are 'Arter', followed immediately by the corresponding power. For example, you would say 'Arter Ice' when you get the Gem that Zekai is collecting. Does that make sense, my girl?" Modnar explains.

"Perfect sense, Modnar. I'll keep that in mind."

Just as Modnar and I finished conversing, Zekai emerges from Muhbac's living quarters holding the white Arter Gem of Ice. He holds it high in the air as he slithers down the steps towards me. He yells out

"Fewmira, I love you! This is for you!"

The Ediex clan are patting Zekai on the shoulders and clapping him as he slithers towards me with the Arter Gem. I'm so proud of him that I can't contain myself. I sheathe Finito and run towards him.

"You did it, Zekai! You saved the day! And I'm telling you right now, Fewmira would be proud of you too! What you have achieved has saved us all, and cut down a lot of time," I yell, and give Zekai a huge hug.

"Thank you, Syra. I think I have something that belongs to you," Zekai says letting go of me, and putting the white Arter Gem of Ice into my hands.

I grip the Arter Gem of Ice and feel its power rushing through my veins. My breath while I hold the Arter Gem is ice cold. The cold breath coming from my mouth is populating my arms with goose bumps, as the temperature of my breath would easily be about negative ten degrees.

"Well, that's step one of four done. Let's give the Ediex clan some chores for the damage they have caused and be on our way" Zekai suggests

"Where are we headed next, Modnar?" Vetor asks.

"I think the group needs to split in two for a day. Syra and I are going to the Yenom Grasslands to allow her to practice her newly acquired power. It would be extremely dangerous to the group if she miscalculates the power that she has in her hands. I think you should start repairing Puziac village and get the Ediex clan to help you. You don't have to complete it, just get the Ediex clan started so they can finish it on their own. I don't even know if many of the townsfolk were left alive, but that village is hard to look at in its current state" Modnar says.

"Well, that sounds like our plan of attack. Modnar could you please cast your healing magic on Zekai, he's in a lot of pain," Rodland says in a concerned voice.

While Modnar is healing Zekai, Vetor approaches me with an extremely sad look on his face. He gives me a long hug and as he pulls away he looks me in the eyes.

"Please be careful. You're my only friend on Earth, so don't go dying on me, okay? Promise me?" Vetor says.

"Awwwww, Vetor, you're such a nice guy. I promise I'll be careful, just for you" I reply and we hug each other again.

As Modnar and I walk off, we wave goodbye to Zekai, Rodland and Vetor, and they wave back. I'm going to miss them and hope they keep themselves safe. Time to practice my magic; I only hope I don't get us killed.

### XI - Breaking the Ice

After a few hours of traveling beyond the site of Puziac village and down the other side of Toolore Mountain, I start firing questions at Modnar, breaking the silence between us.

"It's really quiet without the other three, what do you think? And why did you want me to accompany you alone?" I ask.

"Well my girl, learning the ways of the Arter Gems is not only dangerous, but difficult also. I thought that having the others around might make you feel rushed. I want you to give it your all, and not rush, because I want it to sink in."

"That's logical; I fully agree with you. Vetor and Rodland's clowning around would distract me. And I have to say, what a great idea getting the destroyers of Puziac village to repair the damage that Muhbac made them cause. Hope the others are okay, and I bet my bottom dollar, that Vetor will be moaning like a ten year old having to repair a village," I say.

"Haha you're probably right about that, my girl," Modnar laughs.

"Yeah, definitely. I'm glad that this side of Toolore Mountain isn't as windy or cold as the other side, and while I'm at it, I'm glad it's not treacherous either!" I say, quite relieved.

"Yes my girl, it's the geography of how the mountain is. One side of Toolore Mountain is treacherous and windy, where this side of Toolore Mountain gets a nice breeze and the weather is far more pleasant all of the time. At certain times of the year, both sides of the mountain are this pleasant," Modnar replies.

"That's good to know. So where are we going to be practicing?" I ask as we continue to walk.

"You'll see my girl; we are nearly there," Modnar replies.

When we reach the bottom of the Toolore Mountain trail, I take a moment to soak in the landscape in front of me. The setting sun makes the Yenom Grassland truly something amazing to look at. It could be replicated on Earth, but I am yet to see it on such a grand scale and so perfectly laid out. The river from the Periko plains makes an appearance here, crossing the grasslands and heading off into the distance. There is metre high grass as far as the eye can see, sun on the horizon and what looks like pine trees sprinkled across the grasslands. The grass is blowing delicately in the light breeze that is whisking past us, lifting my hair softly into the wind. It's as refreshing as a swim in the ocean on a hot summer day and is truly breath-taking to lay your eyes upon.

"Wow Modnar, this is amazing," I say, my eyes wide open, soaking in the view.

"I'm glad you like it because this is where you will practice using Finito with the Arter Gem of Ice. First Syra, I want you to take the Arter Gem of Ice and insert it into Finito. Place it in the eastern indentation of the four; the Arter Gem of Ice is the Eastern Arter Gem" Modnar says.

I listen to Modnar's instructions with the utmost concentration. To be honest, I have paid more attention to Modnar on this journey than any of my lecturers at my entire short-lived time at university. I definitely consider myself his student, in some sort of weird way. Who knows, maybe one day I could teach him something?

I insert the Arter Gem into the right slot of the four, where east would be on a compass. The gem glows white and makes the whole blade flash white. Finito starts shaking and white Beams shoot intermittently from the blade in all directions.

"Now my girl, now speak to Finito. You need to say 'Arter Ice' to activate its power, and calibrate it to your voice" Modnar explains.

I do as Modnar says and speak to Finito.

"Arter Ice" I say and Finito starts shaking in my hands like a ten on the Richter scale.

"Modnar! What's happening?" I yell as I hold Finito with two hands in front of me, trying to get it to stop shaking.

"Don't worry, you must focus now. If you do not concentrate, you will struggle to control the power that's in your hands. Be the master, Syra; control this power; make Finito submit to you," Modnar says encouragingly.

As I stare at my reflection on Finito's blade, I notice that cold air is emitting from the blade. I'm taking a wild guess that the blade is calibrating with the Arter Gem. What if I can't control it? Is this blade too much work for me? Am I destined to struggle with its power? I'm nervous of the unknown outcome. Goosebumps are now all over my arms; nerves have taken over my body.

"Modnar, it's not stopping!" I yell.

"Keep focused, my girl. You can do it," Modnar replies with confidence.

Just after he speaks the shaking stops.

"Good Syra, you are now in control of the blade. Now it's time for the fun part, creating your powers. The catch is, that you must have the word 'Ice' in the name of your spell, or when you speak to Finito to cast this desired power, it will not recognise what you are requesting," Modnar explains.

What type of spell should I create? It's quite exciting. If I'm just able to channel my thoughts, then I'll be able to create my own magical powers. Modnar glances at me and sees the look on my face.

"What's wrong, you look puzzled?" Modnar asks.

"I have no idea what type of spell to create. I've just been given maximum power with no limitations, but no instruction manual on how to use it. As you can already tell, I am quite confused" I say.

"You do have unlimited power, so just come up with anything. Think hard about it, there is no rush. You and I are here to harness your power. Take your time, and then unleash your creation within the safety of the Yenom Grasslands. Just make sure that whatever you're casting is created with the power of Ice. If you don't like what you've created, delete your idea and start again," Modnar says and winks at me.

I stand in the Yenom Grassland, scanning my brain like a federal agent looking for a suspect, thinking about what to create. It is annoying because my mind's gone blank. I really wish I'd been thinking about it on the way here, rather than chatting with Modnar. All the ideas my mind could have come up with if I had a little bit more of a warning. I want to come up with something unique, but all that is popping into my mind is just a plain brick wall. Wait just a minute; that's a perfect idea.

With my eyes closed, I strike Finito forward and yell with all my might.

"Ice wall!"

When I finish swinging, I open my eyes and in the distance is an ice wall moving across the Yenom Grassland at about sixty kilometres an hour. The ice wall is about four metres high and six metres wide. Everything that the ice wall passes through is frozen solid, as hard as an ice cube. The ice wall only travels for a hundred metres before it shatters into a few dozen ice bricks; but it's still a magic spell that I cast.

I walk up to the blades of grass that are frozen and gently tap them with my right foot. The frozen grass shatters into hundreds of tiny ice pieces.

"Great Syra, an ice wall. What a great spell to have been created, considering you looked so puzzled just before," Modnar says enthusiastically.

I smile in his direction but don't answer. I'm having far too much fun, slashing away at all the frozen blades of grass, shattering ice all over the place. I just can't help it. I'm giggling away like a mindless three-year-old.

"Small things amuse small minds, I suppose," Modnar mutters to himself.

I didn't mean to act this way; it's just that I can't believe what I'm doing. I swing Finito again towards a huge tree that is nearby.

"Ice wall" I yell.

The huge ice wall flies out of Finito and freezes everything it makes contact with, but when it makes contact with the tree it only freezes the bottom four metres. I walk forward swinging aimlessly, shattering blades of grass until I'm three metres from the tree.

"No Syra! Don't do it! The tree will come crashing down on top of you!" Modnar yells in warning.

But it's too late. I've already swung towards the frozen section of the tree and as I connect, that section instantly shatters into thousands of little ice shards. The unfrozen part of the tree falls over like it has been chopped down with an axe.

Modnar sprints in my direction and tackles me out of the way, while the remainder of the tree comes crashing down just to the left of us.

"You see my girl, dangerous, just like I said. You can have fun, but please be more careful. But, I'm very impressed. It seems like you cast a very powerful offensive spell. But please my girl, just remember to be very careful," Modnar says sounding concerned.

"You're impressed with that; pfft! I'm just getting started! I recommend that you stand a few metres over there!" I say with excitement.

Without any hesitation, I stab Finito into the ground and yell at the top of my lungs.

"Ice spikes!"

I grip the handle and immediately around me - in a one-metre diameter - ice spikes shoot up from the ground. They are as sharp as knives and are about a metre high. The ice spikes stay until I pull Finito out of the ground, causing them to retract instantaneously.

"My goodness Syra, you are getting the hang of this quite quickly. I remember when meeting the Prophet ten thousand years ago, that she assured me that with my guidance, you would pick this up very quickly," Modnar says proudly.

I sheathe Finito and lie down in the grass on my back and look at the sky.

"Wow, she did? What an honour. Can I ask you a question? Modnar, come lie down next to me. I used to do this in the summertime, when I was a kid. Watching the clouds as they slowly drifted past," I say.

Modnar comes over and lies near me, about a metre away. We both start staring into the sky.

"Ask away," Modnar says.

"Did you ever meet my Dad?" I ask, holding my breath for his answer.

"Who, Zane? Of course. He was an amazing person. In fact, you are both more similar then you realise. I haven't seen him in fifteen years though. He disappeared after that 'Neca City Elimination Tournament'. Amazing determination, if you should copy anything about him; copy that," Modnar replies.

"Really, a hero? Well he's not my hero; he just ditched mum and me. But if he ended up here, then why? Why did he ditch us, and leave us in the cold? We struggled for years. That's no 'hero' in my eyes," I say sharply.

"Well, you 'hate' him for whatever reason helps you sleep at night, my girl; but the truth is, we'll never know why he came to Tharp fifteen years ago, so no need to get all wound up about it. Being mad at the world accomplishes nothing Syra, remember that," Modnar replies.

Modnar has a point. As we share a comfortable silence for about a minute, I think of something less negative to talk about. My personal negativity that I have towards my Dad is my beef, so I shouldn't project that to the world. What's the point allowing negativity to seep into your life? He's right; it accomplishes nothing.

"Can I ask you another question?" I ask.

"Am I going to get my head bitten off this time?" Modnar replies sarcastically.

"Not too much" I say, giggling.

"You have my undivided attention," Modnar smiles.

"When Vetor and I first arrived in Tharp, you said 'Welcome to the beginning of your paradox in time', what exactly did you mean by that?" I ask, eagerly awaiting his answer.

"I had to say that to you, and I have no idea why," Modnar replies, sounding genuinely confused.

"If you had to say it, then who told you to?" I say, keeping my eyes locked towards the sky.

"The Prophet did. She never went into much detail about it, just gave me instructions and I follow them to the best of my ability."

"You know what? I'm glad we met, Modnar. It gives me goose bumps that I know someone that has been alive long enough to meet a Prophet" I say, lifting my arms in the air, marvelling at the goose bumps on my arms.

"Well my girl, it's in fact an honour to meet a prophet, who told me your exact name, and gave me explicit instructions on where, when and how to help you; and here I am, meeting 'the Chosen One', just like she said," Modnar replies proudly.

"How long ago did these events happen?" I ask, still gazing at my arms.

"About ten thousand years ago, if my memory serves me well," Modnar replies, sounding slightly unsure.

"TEN THOUSAND YEARS AGO?! How old are you grandpa?" I am shocked.

"Old enough my girl, old enough," Modnar replies.

"No kidding" I quip.

"Seeing you now with that cheeky look upon your face, reminds me of an old friend. She said I was destined to be great, and see a lot of amazing things in my time. How right was she," Modnar says.

"Quite right I suppose. You want to know something else that amazes me? When I was a little girl, I would not only lie in the long grass and look at the clouds all day, but I would lie and stare at the night sky as well. Whenever I'd gaze at the stars, I would always wonder what else was out there, beyond Earth. I would have never thought in my wildest dreams that the answer to that question was behind a sealed door, on Earth, in New Zealand! Nor would I have ever thought that I'd be the one to find this other place! I just assumed that the answer would be to get in a shuttle and blast off to the moon, or further and beyond. I'm truly lucky Modnar, and I just wanted to say thank you for guiding Vetor and I to this amazing place" I say sincerely.

Modnar doesn't respond to my question; he just looks in my direction, smiling and soaking in everything that I have said. After a few moments, he turns his gaze towards the stars. The two of us lie silently for about two minutes, mesmerised by the beauty of the stars. I'm not sure if Modnar is lost for words, or merely thinking. We have been lying here chatting for a while, so maybe he's baffled for something to say. But the thought leaves my head as Modnar looks back towards me and smiles.

"Syra, I apologise for being silent for so long. I'm just starting to look at Tharp and all of its inhabitants in a new light. The sky has been there for all the many years that I've been around, and I have never once lain in a field gazing at it, wondering what else was out there. Don't forget those helpless, little Goy's. Never once in my lengthy existence have I ever considered their feelings, their thoughts. I know that is only two things of the many that you have mentioned on our journey, but what has captivated me is your whole philosophy on life. You really have inspired me, Syra. I thank you for that," Modnar says with a huge smile on his face.

Suddenly, I have a brain wave. I actually have a brilliant idea.

"Wait Modnar, get up, quick! I have the perfect new move! I know it's taken me a while to think of it, but it's going to be spectacular!" I yell enthusiastically.

I quickly jump to my feet and draw Finito. I hold it in the air in my right hand, and once again yell at the top of my lungs.

"Ice shower!"

As I hold Finito in the air, it becomes impossible to move. The weight of the sword starts to show itself, pushing my arm behind me, so I'm barely holding it off the ground.

"Modnar, what's happening?! I can't move Finito at all!" I yell in confusion.

"It seems, my girl, that you have cast one very powerful spell; so powerful in fact that you have become immobile. Hopefully, it doesn't completely drain your energy!" Modnar yells back as he stands up.

Finito stays in place and it is now against my own will, forcing my arm to hold it in place, feeling all the added weight. Then all of a sudden, as fast as rain, hundreds of clumps of ice crash onto the ground around us. The clumps of ice are all different shapes, but are all roughly the size of a soccer ball.

"Modnar! I'm scared; what if one of them hits us?"

"Don't worry my girl, as long as you concentrate, the ice rocks won't hurt anyone that you don't want them to! You wouldn't want the ice rocks to hurt you and me, right?"

"That's right! No harm will come to us, will it?"

Ice rocks rain down from the sky, and none of them hurt us. Several make contact with us, but they pass right through, affecting only the area around and below us, freezing all that they touch. According to Modnar, I have control of whether the ice rocks hit us or not. It makes me think. I wonder if I'm able to channel all the ice rocks to one point. I think that may be a little bit advanced for me at the moment, but practice will make perfect I suppose.

They continue to rain down and my arm is quickly getting tired. One huge ice rock \- about the size of a car bonnet - passes through Modnar and I, shattering on a tree behind us. I'm not going to lie; I am a little worried.

The instant the spell ends, Finito falls out of my hands and I drop to my knees, putting both my palms flat on the ground. I'm breathing very heavily and I feel extremely weak.

"Syra, stay with me now!" Modnar gasps, rushing over to me, but before he can do anything, I collapse.

Modnar sits next to me with his right palm resting on my back, making sure I'm all right.

"Well my girl, obviously we should call it a night. We will continue tomorrow. Things are progressing along nicely," Modnar says before he rolls over on his side and goes to sleep.

The upside of being a Gemini is that we don't like to waste time. Why sleep your life away, when you can be awake for it? So, as usual, I'm up early, practicing my magic. Modnar is fast asleep and snoring like a baby pig. I suppose that's normal for someone who is a few centuries old. I let the old codger sleep.

I'm practicing about twenty-five metres away and am getting quite comfortable with my newly created spells. To be honest, I didn't practice the ice shower spell; might leave that one for when Modnar wakes. The last thing I want to do is put my friend in danger.

While practicing, I'm thinking that the Yenom Grasslands would be a good place for us to stop and rest when Modnar and I pick up the others. It's such a relaxing place and I'm sure the others will love the idea of us taking a breather, especially considering they've been working like Trojans to get the village repaired. Somewhere by the river, so we can enjoy some food as well. I will ask Modnar when he wakes up.

Twenty minutes go by and as I look around I notice that a majority of the grass in the vicinity is frozen due to my spell practice. I have been practicing my 'ice wall' and 'ice spike' spells, and I can comfortably say that I've become quite proficient at casting them. I look forward to trying them out in our next life and death situation. That's the only way for sure to bullet point the theory in my mind.

Suddenly, I hear the longest yawn I have heard since my time on Tharp, coming from Modnar's direction.

"Good morning sleepyhead, how was your sleep in? I've been practicing my spells for the last forty minutes or so," I say, slicing Finito through the air.

Modnar continues to yawn and he stretches his arms. Once he has properly woken up, he looks my way.

"Good morning to you too my girl! Sorry, I was so tired. I didn't mean to sleep in," Modnar says, then yawns again.

"It's okay Modnar. It gave me time to practice and let's be honest; time is not something we have much of. I feel ready to carry on our journey to the next Arter Gem now. I feel confident when I'm casting, and I'm in tune with my thoughts. I haven't tried ice shower again, but I'm confident with my other two spells," I say, sheathing Finito.

"Well the main thing is that you feel ready. If so, then our job here is done. I can see that you've been practicing, because half of the Yenom grassland is frozen solid. Ha-ha, good work my girl!" Modnar replies, chuckling.

"Great, well let's gather our things and leave for Puziac village."

As we head back up Toolore Mountain, I realise that business is starting to pick up. We have come so far and this quest couldn't get more real to me. A few months ago I was a university student. Now, I'm a protector of a planet. I'm determined to end this once and for all. We will succeed; we just need to keep plugging along at a hundred kilometres an hour. The only other thought on my mind is how the others are? I hope no harm has come to them, as they help us make up the unbreakable chain that Akiad has to eventually deal with. The fire and wrath that brought down Akiad; that will be our story, told for generations to come.

### XII - Time to get to Know Each Other

The Ediex clan has arisen and continue to rebuild the village they had previously destroyed; Vetor on the other hand is currently giving the longest yawn he'd ever done in his life.

"Phew, how long did we sleep in? The sun is overhead, so it must be about midday," Vetor yawns.

Zekai and Rodland both awaken, yawn their heads off and start stretching.

"I agree, that was such a great sleep, considering our last sleep was standing upright," Zekai says.

"I too feel a lot more revitalised," Rodland replies, clicking his neck and wrists.

"Hey, what's that faint yelling coming from the distance?" Vetor shouts as he springs to his feet.

I start running towards Vetor, Rodland and Zekai, while Modnar continues to walk.

"Hey guys! We're back!" I yell.

I realise that Modnar and I have only been away for a day, but I really missed the three of them so much. Just as I'm about to make contact with Vetor, I dive for him, knock him down to the ground and give him a big hug. As we are hugging I say,

"How are you, silly goose?" Vetor smiles at me and says,

"I'm great!"

I quickly jump to my feet and hug both Zekai and Rodland.

"And how are you two doing? Enjoying your holiday?" I say jokingly.

They both simultaneously answer "Holiday?" which makes me start laughing.

I laugh so much that it makes me fall to my knees. Vetor's laughing too, and my friends from Tharp watch us blankly, not getting the joke at all. Baby steps, I suppose; they'll eventually get it, just takes a little time. Tharp could learn a thing or two from Earthlings, in terms of our sense of humour. But it's time to get back on track.

"Well, it's good to see you all. Are we almost ready to depart?" I ask.

"We need to touch base with the Ediex clan. They slept for a little while, but they must have woken up and continued working, because six buildings are now completed. It's unbelievable! Puziac village could cater for an entire village by the end of the week!" Vetor replies enthusiastically.

"That's incredible! I actually can't believe it! To me, this town was a pile of rubble before we left, but now look at what you've all accomplished! I'm very impressed!" I say.

"What you have done is phenomenal; you should all be very proud," Modnar says as he approaches the four of us.

Rodland and Zekai rush towards Modnar and greet him with hugs.

"It's really good to see you two. Syra is coming along well. You will be amazed at her progress, just as I am with yours. It's starting to look like a village again!" Modnar says, putting his left palm on Rodland's face and right on Zekai's.

"Vetor, work your magic. The four of us will wait for you over here," I say as I nod and smile towards him.

"I will stand next to him also. I'm their appointed leader, so I'll help instruct Vetor on what to say before we depart," Zekai adds.

Vetor proceeds to mount an empty Flork crate, and Zekai slithers over and stops next to him. To be fair, I'm quite excited to hear what Vetor says to them all. I haven't heard him do a speech, so I'm intrigued to see how he gets on.

"May I please instruct you what to tell them?" Zekai whispers.

"Yeah, no worries Zekai. Go for it, when you're ready," Vetor replies, patting him on the back.

Vetor leans over towards Zekai who whispers into Vetor's ear for over a minute. Rodland, Modnar and I look on in anticipation.

"Thank you Vetor, please let them know," Zekai says as he slithers back to the three of us.

Vetor puts his two index fingers into his mouth and whistles, stopping the Ediex clan from working; they immediately head towards Vetor, and realise that he has something to say.

"Attention everyone, this message comes straight from your new master, Zekai."

Vetor points at Zekai and the Ediex clan start clapping and screaming; my guess is they're all happy that he is their leader.

"He said that you all will gain full redemption for all negative actions, upon repaying two debts to society. One debt is nearly done; the rebuilding of Puziac village. You should all be very proud of what you have achieved so far. The other is to aid the five of us in battle against Akiad, and his forces of evil, when the time comes. You're all talented warriors and this debt would help not only us, but the world of Tharp. Zekai has also said that when you have completed the restoration of Puziac village, you are free to relax until summoned; but the catch is that you have to stick together, so that if you are summoned, you aren't all over Tharp in different locations. Is that understood?" Vetor says loudly.

The Ediex clan start screaming really loud. They all start hugging each other and waving their arms in the air. One lone Ediex clan member walks right up to Vetor and screams at him, then walks off. Vetor walks towards us and starts smiling.

"They are all cheering of how happy they are. They can't believe you're letting them rest. For that, they would die for our cause, without question.

You just tell them when and where, and they will be there as soon as possible. They are truly thankful and they promise their infinite loyalty," Vetor says proudly.

"I wanted the best for a group of warriors that were exploited. They never had a fair chance at life, since being under the control of Muhbac. I just offered them what Muhbac should have offered them in the first place. Now I get treated like a hero, just for being fair to them. It's ironic, but very rewarding!" Zekai replies, looking quite proud himself.

Seeing the reaction of the Ediex clan is something quite remarkable; and something you don't see every day. It was like a few hundred slaves being given their freedom. They are all jumping around, like a bunch of jail inmates that have been cleared of their entire sentence. But it's much greater than that, because these 'inmates' deserve the freedom they have just been granted. I know they killed an entire village of citizens just a day ago; but if their leader asked them to protect that village instead, they would have guarded it with their life. I want them to change their nature and become pure and good; this is a great start. I'm getting butterflies from the excitement of setting these warriors free; let's hope it doesn't backfire.

When we are just about to depart, one of the Ediex warriors walks up to us and starts screaming while pointing towards the southwest. I turn my head Vetor's way, curious as always for an interpretation.

"What's he saying, Vetor?" I ask.

"He's saying that Muhbac had no intention of joining Akiad, but he also had no intention of joining us either. He was going to send the Ediex clan on a secret mission, to the Catacombs of Newace," Vetor replies.

"What's there? Why would Muhbac what them to go there?" I say, no doubt looking as puzzled as I sound.

"Akiad has one hundred and fifty thousand orcs in hiding, so Muhbac was going to send the Ediex clan to investigate; maybe even kill the whole lot," Vetor explains further.

So, while we're off chasing the Arter Gems, the Ediex clan could be busy lowering Akiad's numbers. Sounds like a logical move to me; and a necessary one.

"Tell them to carry on as planned, and meet us for the final battle with Akiad afterwards. We would be honoured to have their help, and tell them to complete this mission with every breath in their body; do this for Tharp," I say, facing the Ediex clan.

Vetor interprets what I'd just said to the Ediex clan, they all look our direction and bow briefly, and then we turn around to depart. I'm glad they are on our side, or else we'd be in trouble.

"We all bid you farewell! We will be in contact when we need your blades in combat!" Vetor yells out.

As we walk away from Puziac village, we wave back at the Ediex clan. It's a little bit sad to leave them, as they seem like they want to continuously impress us, to earn their redemption; but they will get their chance. They have this secret mission and the battle versus Akiad. Both will be brutal and both sides will suffer heavy losses, I can feel it in my blood.

"Hello! Earth to Syra! Are you in your own little world again?" Vetor asks.

"Yeah, I'm good, just thinking, as I do a lot. How are you, anyway?"

"I'm great! I'm really digging this 'understanding all languages' power that I have. I actually feel important to the team!" Vetor says enthusiastically.

"Vetor, don't be like that. You were always useful to the team. And even if you didn't have that power, you're an amazing warrior and a good friend."

"Thanks; that means a lot. Let's get going" Vetor says, leading the way.

The five of us walk down Toolore Mountain, sharing stories about our time apart. A lot of laughing, which never makes me complain, and once we arrive at the bottom of Toolore Mountain, Vetor finally sets his eyes on the Yenom grasslands.

"Wow! It's just grass and trees for kilometres. Well, except for the one fallen tree over there, any explanations?" Vetor says jokingly.

Modnar and I look at each other and begin laughing.

"Yeah... about that. Obviously, we came here so I could practice my magic, and that tree just got in the way!" I reply, still giggling a little bit.

Vetor begins laughing with us.

"What did you cast, a meteor shower?" Vetor laughs.

Modnar and I look back at each other and erupt into an even bigger fit of laughter.

"Yeah, I suppose you could say that!" I say, laughing so hard that tears are rolling out of my eyes.

"Do you have any idea of what they're laughing about?" Zekai whispers to Rodland.

"No idea, I'm sorry. I missed the joke," Rodland whispers back.

"I'm sure we'll get their humour someday. It's going to be a long journey," Zekai pats Rodland on the back.

"Tell me about it," Rodland smiles back at Zekai.

I walk in front of the other four and face them, speaking while I walk backwards.

"Okay, you lot. Modnar mentioned a small river - about the size of a stream, but deeper - about a few kilometres across this field. I think we should set up camp there for a day, I want time to relax, stop thinking about 'the mission' for a day. We can get to know each other and just spend a day relaxing. What do you think?" I ask.

The four of them answer with an assortment of 'yes' and 'that sounds great'.

"Great! Well let's head to the river, I'm exhausted and a swim could be in order!" I say, turning back around to walk in the right direction.

It is a good fifteen minute walk to the river. I'm excited as I'm extremely hungry and tired; about time for another fix of Dupat shells as well. They tasted so good last time we ate them, and there is always plenty to go around, so there's no reason to be guilty. I must remember to grab some for the road ahead; I forgot to take some last time, and you never know when our next opportunity will be to get some more.

As I glance over at the four lads, they all look exhausted. I think my decision for a breather is a good one. We all deserve and need this break, for sure. The last night that we all spent together was a long one, tied to wooden poles and standing upright. No wonder they all look tired; I, on the other hand, can generally function on very little sleep, even after drinking. But regardless of that very helpful trait, I'm rundown and need a breather too.

When we get within fifty metres of the river, Vetor and I get so excited. We both drop our weapons and start to run towards the river.

"Race you!" I yell at Vetor.

"You're on!" Vetor yells back.

We both sprint for the river and unfortunately Vetor is winning. I'm not losing by much, but I'm just so tired. I will beat him in a sprint one day, mark my words, but unfortunately that might not be today.

"Ha-ha Syra, I'm going to beat you!" Vetor yells when he is a few metres from the river.

When he reaches the river he cannonballs in, and I follow him a second later. A few moments later we come up for air, then look at each other and start laughing.

"You're getting slow in your old age" Vetor says, teasing.

"You beat me by a second Vetor, how do you feel?" I reply in a similar tone.

"Like a champion! Do you know what; I'm glad we met. You are such an amazing person, and being with you on this grand journey, it's almost like it was destiny," Vetor says with a smile on his face.

Vetor's comment threw me off guard. I'm expecting him to still be joking around, but the sincerity in his comment knocks me off balance. It makes me blush a little bit; a guy hasn't made me do that in a long time.

Before I have a chance to answer, Vetor speaks again.

"Well, what are you waiting for? There's an endless supply of Dupat shells down here!" Vetor yells and dives underneath the water, followed shortly by myself.

Once we all have food, the five of us sit around a fire - in what resembles a circle - with one stick each, eating our Dupat shells, much like the last time. I have a pile of about a dozen, Vetor has about a dozen left, Zekai and Rodland have just finished their stash and Modnar hasn't eaten anything.

"Modnar, are you okay? You haven't eaten anything in days. You should have a bite to eat!" I say concerned.

I throw two Dupat shells in Modnar's direction and they land in his lap. He looks over at me and smiles.

"Thank you, my girl. I've just been processing my thoughts from our journey. We all have come so far together. Zekai overcoming his past, Rodland giving out all the necessary training, Vetor and you coming from a completely different world and just adopting this lifestyle without a problem. And on top of that, you never knew each other until your paths crossed; it was inevitable," says Modnar.

"You haven't done too bad yourself, my old friend. And Syra, I haven't had a chance to say thank you. You really gave me the courage to overcome my horrific past and end the existence of Muhbac. The weight has finally been lifted off my shoulders. I just wanted to say thank you for that," Zekai says sincerely.

"Anytime; that's what friends are for. We've got to look out for each other!" I reply, smiling in his direction.

"Wow, that's such a great camaraderie that your race has. Are all humans from your planet like that? Do you even wage war like we do constantly?" Rodland asks.

"I've got this one, Syra. Of course humans wage war. I think it's in everyone's nature to want to fight. On our planet, war is waged over power. You could compare it to Akiad. He is after power, so he starts a war. In our history, we've had many wars; so many in fact, that I stopped caring. But there is one big difference between Tharp and Earth involving war. You see on Earth, humans are riddled with fear. People on Tharp only really get scared when an axe directly approaches their neck. It's quite amazing to see how relaxed you all are with such a horrific thing," Vetor explains.

"Well I guess it's because war is how we live; we live to fight. What about on your planet? What do humans live for?" Rodland asks.

"Vetor, my turn this time. I hate to say it, but on Earth, we live to work. It's a shame to admit it, but it's true. To live comfortably on Earth, you've got to get an occupation and earn money. The more money you have, the more comfortable life is. On Tharp, if you are well trained in melee combat, do you live more comfortably?" I ask before popping another Dupat shell into my mouth.

"If you are well trained in combat, it gives you a better chance at survival, and you can then proudly defend Tharp when requested. But this 'money' you speak of, is it like our Ralop? You see, Ralop on Tharp is purely for purchasing pleasurable material items, so you don't require 'money' to live on our planet," Rodland says.

"Well you're right. Money is Earth's version of Ralop. The main difference is that money is compulsory for survival, not optional. I hate the system Earth has in place and totally disagree with the power that is held around it. That's why I'm enjoying my time on Tharp so much. To me, it's a breath of fresh air. Yes, it's a little bit scary travelling and battling minions; but at least it's something different and we don't have to worry about earning an income," Vetor says, then stuffs three Dupat shells into his mouth.

"Can you please tell us about your modes of transport; that's what amazed me when I had my various trips to Earth" Modnar asks.

"Well, our modes of transport on Earth are quite different. Yes, we do have creatures that we can occupy to make transport faster and more comfortable than trekking by foot; but our most amazing creation is technology. It's like human magic in some weird way. Our most common forms of transport aren't living creatures, they are mechanical, which means that humans created the 'creatures'," I say.

"Mech...cana what? Are they alive? What age do the human creatures live to?" Rodland asks.

"They don't really live; they exist for a finite amount of time, much like the human race."

"It's a shame the human race don't get to live as long as races on Tharp," Zekai says, sounding quite sad.

"No, it's okay; humans don't deserve to live as long as you. We are clearly still growing as a species and the longevity isn't really necessary, nor is it going to help us," Vetor replies.

"All species deserve to live, but to truly appreciate life, one must be comfortable with death," I say before standing up and stretching.

"That's exactly right, my girl. My Mentor said the same thing to me when I was at university," Modnar replies before popping another Dupat shell into his mouth.

"You went to University?!" Vetor and I say simultaneously, before saying "Jinx!"

"I said it first!" Vetor says pointing at me.

"No I did!" I reply and jump down onto the grass next to him.

"What are you two saying?" Rodland asks.

"You stole the words from out of my mouth," Modnar adds.

"It's a game we play back home. If you say the same thing at the same time as someone else, you and that person have to yell 'jinx'. The winner is whoever said it first," I explain.

"Sounds like a challenging game," Rodland says, scratching his head.

"Modnar, where did you study?" I'm very curious.

"I studied back on my home planet of Mastodine."

"You're not from Tharp?!" Zekai and Rodland yell simultaneously, then look at each other and say "Jinx!"

Modnar, Vetor and I giggle amongst ourselves while Zekai and Rodland bicker about who said jinx first. How quickly you can spread a fun game to complete strangers. It makes me happy to be having this break from our forthcoming destiny.

"So, what other games do you know? And I wanna know more about your vehicles," Rodland says as he sits cross-legged and puts a Dupat shell on the end of his stick.

"Looks like we have a lot to teach them," says Vetor, looking my way.

"Go on then; you start," I reply, gesturing him with my hands to begin.

Rodland, Zekai and Modnar look at Vetor and I like they are in their first year of pre-school, listening to the teacher tell a story. They just can't get enough of what we are talking about. They're firing questions left, right and centre about Earth. It feels amazing, and I guess this is what a movie premiere is like for an actor, or a pre-album launch party for a rock band.

Vetor starts by explaining vehicles and their importance. He then moves onto our education system; before I take over for a while with employment and entertainment. Eventually the direction of the conversation goes back to vehicles; our Tharp counterpart's favourite subject. Modnar, Rodland and Zekai continue to listen and they give Vetor and me their undivided attention. I glance over at Vetor and we smile at each other. I can see the glint of excitement in his eyes, so I know that Vetor can feel the same thing I am.

"From the sounds of it, Vetor claims that more than seventy per cent of the human race relies heavily on cars to get from one destination to another," Zekai says.

"Yes, it's true. Humans get taught to drive young, so they can be independent at a young age, not needing to rely on their parents. Next to no one walks anymore, if they do, it's for recreation, for fun" I reply.

"That's so fascinating, please continue. So humans walk for fun?" Modnar asks.

"Yes, that's right. We do it for exercise, similar to training in Toolore village, except no brutal killing involved," Vetor replies.

"I can't believe you walk for fun? I'm currently enjoying myself travelling with you all, but we have a purpose; we're not exactly doing it for fun," Rodland says, running his fingers through his dreadlocks.

"I could listen to you both talk about Earth for hours," Zekai adds, chewing on a Dupat shell.

So we talk for hours; well into the night. We speak about philosophy, wealth, greed, more on transport, and goals we have excluding our current one. Zekai and Modnar are so interested in what Vetor and I have to say; they look at us blankly if we aren't teaching them something about Earth. It makes me proud to be a Kiwi, and about my time growing up in West Auckland; Vetor adds a few personal details into the conversation too. I love being from New Zealand, but to expand on that in a more relevant manner; I'm also proud to be from Earth, that is certain.

Much later in the night, all the males are asleep, so I decide to go for a swim in the stream, just to relax. I have stripped off my clothes down to my bra and knickers, and enjoy bobbing in the water; it's fairly calm, almost no current and quite warm. I am lying on my back, floating with my arms and legs wide apart, collecting my thoughts about past and future events, while staring at the stars that populate the night sky.

"Cannonball!" Vetor yells, doing just that into the water right next to me.

"Gosh Vetor, you nearly scared me to death!" I scold as he surfaces from below the stream.

"Sorry, I thought it would be funny. I won't sneak up on you anymore," Vetor replies.

"Ha-ha, it's okay. I just thought you were all asleep, I wasn't expecting any visitors. Where's your clothes?"

"They're just over there. What are you doing out here anyway? Wait, let me guess, thinking again?" Vetor says sarcastically.

Rather than answering, I leap towards Vetor, flailing my right fist. I almost connect with his right shoulder.

"What was that for?" Vetor asks.

"Because... you already know me so well. It's true; I was just lying here digesting my thoughts, whilst gazing at the stars. I guess because I'm so used to being alone that I haven't had someone to trust before. Maybe that person could be you, Vetor?" I say.

"Well you are my best friend; my only friend. You don't ever need to ask me to be that person, I already am. If sharing your thoughts will help you get through the day, then do so. I don't mind because that's what friends do, after all. They're there for each other."

"Thanks Vetor."

"It's funny, we hardly know each other, yet we're so close. What are your parents' names?" Vetor is bobbing in the water about a metre away from me.

"My mother's name is Linda, and god I miss her," I reply, glancing at Vetor, feeling as blue as the river.

"And your father?" Vetor asks, tilting his head to the right.

"Sorry can we change subject."

"I merely asked for his name; I never asked why you despise him so much," Vetor says, tilting his head to the other side.

I swim back a little bit, and lift my eyes towards him, trying to hold back the lone tear that is building up in my left eye socket; but letting it go is so much easier, and I feel comfortable around him to do it.

"I'm sorry for making you cry," Vetor says as he bobs in the river.

"You never made me cry; it's just tricky with my father," I reply, wiping my face.

"Why?"

"Because all of my life I've hated him for leaving me and my mother, but the last three months have messed with my head a little," I'm looking at the water when I speak.

"How are things different?" Vetor is giving me his undivided attention.

"Well, Modnar said that he died on Tharp years ago. If he was actually sucked into this world just like we were, then maybe he wasn't such a bad guy? It's a weird realisation to have after fifteen years of hating someone. It's just a teeny bit of a touchy subject, I'm sorry Vetor." My bottom lip quivers, prompting imminent tears.

"Hey please don't cry, Syra; ask me something," Vetor says enthusiastically.

I sniffle and wipe my tears on my arm, then smile at Vetor; he really knows how to quickly change my mood, and in this instance I am glad.

I think of a discovery question and fire it in Vetor's direction.

"So Vetor, what are your parent's names?" I ask.

"I never knew my real parents, I'm an orphan; but my foster parent's names are Helena and David." Now it's Vetor who is looking down into the water.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Here's me moaning about my absent father, when you had absent parents."

"No need Syra; our circumstances are slightly different. I never knew my parents, so in my eyes, my foster parents are my real parents. You on the other hand, had a father who vanished with a trace; much sadder outcome if you want my opinion," Vetor replies before staring into my eyes.

"You know Vetor, it's freaky to think that we're destined to know each other," I say, swimming closer to him.

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it. If I hadn't been as curious as you were to check the infirmary," Vetor starts, and I finish his sentence saying "we wouldn't have met."

We smile and glance towards the stars in the sky. Both of us are lost for words, and frightened of what to do next. I decide to spark up the next topic.

"Hey, thought I'd tell you something, considering you're my best friend," I say.

"Sure."

"Zekai told me that my destiny is to die," I say and dive underwater to do a somersault; then surfacing and flicking the excess water out of my hair.

"Really? That's terrible."

"Not much you can do about it, Vetor. We have the advantage of a Time Guardian in our midst, but some things about the future I'd rather not know. Oh well, too late now," I say, trying not to sound disappointed.

"I hope you're okay," Vetor asks.

"I'll get there, Vetor; but thank you for being there for me."

"Don't say thanks to me; thank you for wanting to know me. I didn't have any mates at Leviathan."

"Who wouldn't wanna be friends with you? Especially now that you're so awesome with your axe. Imagine when we get back to Earth and... wait... I guess... I don't really head back," I say, feeling depressed about dying again.

"Live each day as it comes, Syra; maybe we can change that fate. Maybe you won't die if I'm around?"

"But what about 'the inevitable'? I'm meant to die."

"Well, now that we know that you're going to die, let's stop it from happening; stop the event from taking place."

"I really don't think we can, Vetor; but thank you for even suggesting it, means a lot to me." I can feel myself starting to blush.

Vetor smiles bashfully at me, and I swim over and hug him. We hug for about thirty seconds. He is such a nice guy and is the first male that wasn't an utter pig. He is being so nice and patient, listening to everything I have to say. What is he doing to me? I'm getting goose bumps on my arms.

As we pull away from our hug, we stop and look each other in the eyes; staring for the better part of thirty seconds. I'm so nervous and my heart is racing like a lab rat. The goose bumps continue to cover my arms and I'm becoming more lost in the moment.

"What are you two up to?" Zekai says as he slithers toward us, yawning and stretching.

Vetor and I quickly swim apart from each other and look completely awkward. If I was Zekai right now, I would be in a mad fit of giggles.

"Oh umm yeah, we... were... just chatting. Did we wake you, with all our umm, chatter?" Vetor asks in an awkward sounding tone.

"No, not at all. I just discovered that I'd dozed off on a huge, jagged rock. As you can imagine, it was quite splendid on my spine!" Zekai jokes.

"You want to jump in and join us?" I ask.

"No, it's fine. I was going to suggest that you both go to sleep soon. We depart first thing in the morning for the Southern Arter Gem. We're making good time, so yes we can afford to take some more time resting, but we should splash those opportunities across the whole journey. Good night, you two," Zekai says as he slithers back to his spot to doze off.

"He's right; we'd better go to sleep. Thanks for chatting with me. We're back on the road tomorrow, so we are going to need our rest," I say, quickly exiting the stream and gathering my clothes.

"Have a good sleep and... it was my pleasure," Vetor replies, smiling at me from in the river.

I find myself a cosy spot and before I fall asleep, I am once again exchanging thoughts with the stars. What lies ahead of us, in tomorrow's wake? I know for a fact that Modnar knows more about my destiny then he lets on. But the question is; how do I get the information out of him? He is constantly drip feeding me what I need to know, but only just before I actually need to know. He does tell me, just not much and not until he absolutely has to. Oh well, not to worry. I've made it this far, so I'm sure I'll be okay. One Arter Gem down, three to go. Tomorrow we continue our journey South, through the marshes of Jabi.

### XIII - Little Do You Know

"Hey, stop! Huh, What?! Who the?" I awake yelling as what feels like a bucket full of water is dropping onto my head.

Modnar is walking up to each of us, one by one while we are fast asleep, holding his right index finger above our heads, making water flow out like a tap. As you can imagine, I'm not the only person that's moaning. A similar reaction is coming from Vetor and Zekai.

"I don't think that will WASH well with Rodland," Vetor quips.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. I've known Rodland for a long time. He won't complain at all once he opens his eyes and sees that it's me waking him up," Modnar replies with a big cheesy grin on his face.

Modnar walks over to the unaware Rodland and holds his right index finger over his head. As the water flowing out of Modnar's finger makes contact with Rodland's face, his reaction is the most forward of us all.

"Modnar! How many times have I told you not to do that?!" Rodland yells, shaking his dreadlocks.

Modnar looks a little bit worried about what Rodland is going to do, but seems prepared for his reaction. Rodland jumps straight to his feet and starts chasing him towards the river, and Modnar runs away like his life depends on it; Rodland looks like he's going to break Modnar's neck.

When Modnar is about a metre away from the river, he points his right index finger towards the ground and bounces across the river; easily clearing it. When Rodland attempts to leap over the river to chase Modnar, he only manages to make it halfway across before plunging into the water below.

As Rodland surfaces, he looks so mad that his skin is almost as fiery as his hair.

"Curse you Modnar! I'll get you back! I'm very patient too. You just wait, old friend!" Rodland yells, half of a cheeky grin on his face.

Modnar, Zekai, Vetor and I are all laughing at the top of our lungs. It's so hilarious; especially seeing Modnar act a few centuries younger. It's good to see that there's a kid in all of us, no matter how old we get; and throughout my entire journey, I'd like to keep that same ethos in place.

While Rodland is bobbing in the river, we all swim past him to the other side to meet Modnar.

"Rodland, we'll WET for you on the other side," Vetor jokes as he swims past him.

We all start laughing again, while we all wait for Rodland; we keep giggling about him dropping into the river. I must admit that I do feel slightly bad for laughing in front of him; but I just can't help it; a funny joke is a funny joke.

When Rodland eventually exits the river, he approaches Modnar; Vetor starts laughing harder than the rest of us.

"Rodland, what took you so long? I thought I'd ask, but I didn't want to JUMP to any conclusions!" Vetor jokes.

All of us except Rodland start sniggering, and he seems more frustrated than amused.

"Ha-ha, very funny. I'll get you back one day, Vetor; you just watch me!" Rodland replies, smiling at Vetor.

"Just drop it Rodland, because I was thinking WATER waste of time all this revenge is" Vetor jokes again, walking ahead laughing.

"VETOR!" Rodland yells from the back of the pack.

All of us excluding Rodland are laughing with Vetor, but the reality is that we need to gather some bearings of where we are going. While Zekai and Vetor continue laughing and Rodland continues bickering, I start firing questions at Modnar.

"What are our next few stops? Are we approaching the Marshes of Jabi soon?" I ask.

"Yes my girl, that's correct, good memory. The Marshes of Jabi are about an hour from here. It's a decent length of wading through waist-high marshes. The worst part the smell; the foul stench of decomposing flesh. There are rotten corpses in the marsh, because this is where all of Tharp dispose of the dead warriors that have fallen in battle."

"Modnar, that's disgusting; truly disgusting. Is there any other way to the Southern Arter Gem?!" I say, holding my stomach, trying not to vomit.

"Sorry to disappoint my girl; this is the fastest way. But the good news is, that there's a small island halfway through the marshes, which we can rest on," Modnar explains.

"And by rest, you mean ferment, right?" Vetor adds sarcastically

Modnar nods, laughing with the rest of us. Vetor's comic timing is brilliant. When I get back to Earth, I'm personally going to add to his curriculum vitae part time comedian.

After about an hour, we approach the end of the beautiful Yenom Grasslands and stand before the start of the Jabi marshes. I hate to admit it, but Modnar was right. If you have never smelt a rotten corpse in your entire life, you're not missing much. Actually, if you can avoid having to smell such a thing, good job and lucky for you. Dirty socks that haven't been washed in a month smell like a bed of roses compared to this. In fact, a field of dirty socks would be heaven in comparison. I'm not looking forward to this part of the journey at all.

"All right Modnar, you lead," Zekai says with a big smile on his face.

Modnar sighs and rolls his eyes at Zekai, but as we all know; we have to do this, especially if we intend on beating Akiad to the Arter Gems.

"Sorry everyone, this is inevitable. Please, follow me in single file; it will be easier as I will clear a path for you all," Modnar says before turning around to take his first step into the marshes.

"This is sooo disgusting!" I say in a whiny voice.

As we wade through the Jabi marshes in single file it's extremely hard to stay focused, because of the rotten fumes in the air. Modnar leads the way, followed by myself, then Zekai, Vetor and Rodland is at the back. There is fog so dense that you can only see a few metres around you, and once we are only about fifty metres into the marsh, looking over your shoulder reveals just as much fog; our surroundings are now fully shrouded.

The marshes are disgusting. Dark brown in colour, with leaves resembling lily pads, scattered all over. I run my fingers through it and feel the slimy texture of the marshes on my skin. I gag a little, but I must be strong and avoid hurling. It's hard to conjure up anything nice to say about the landscape that we are forced to trudge through. I wish I had a peg for my nose right about now, because I just don't know how much more my stomach can take. I can feel bones, limbs and fleshy leftovers knocking against my legs. Apart from the curdling taking place in my stomach, the smell I'm forcing myself to block out is too strong not to comment on.

"This smell is making me feel sick," I say, blocking my nose and breathing through my mouth.

Vetor suddenly stops moving and puts his hands on his knees.

"Please, can everyone stop?" Vetor says.

He turns his head to the left and spews, right next to where he's standing. I'm not going to say that he's soft, because my stomach feels exactly the same. The only one of us that the stench of the marshes doesn't seem to affect is Zekai.

"Zekai, doesn't this smell make you feel like vomiting?" I say, then have to vomit myself.

"Not at all my girl... It's very unpleasant to the nose, but I'm used to it, because of the swamp at the top of Noradi village; although I must admit that this smell is far more potent!" Zekai replies, rubbing me on the back.

Modnar looks over his left shoulder at Vetor and me puking and can't help but follow suit; not that he wanted to, it just smells that bad.

"Can everyone please... damn," Rodland says, before hurling to the right of where he is standing.

"I can't stop... spewing," I manage before vomiting again.

"Are you... wait," Modnar says before projectile vomit shoots a few metres out of his mouth.

"I... can't... stop," Vetor replies as last night's dinner sprays everywhere.

I really can't handle all this vomiting; it's making me weak. I feel that I've chucked enough times to cover a night of binge drinking; and it's only been a few minutes since we entered. Since Zekai is unaffected by the smell, he can take over leading the way.

"Zekai, can you please lead? It's easier this way considering the smell has no effect on you," I say before closing my mouth, catching all the spew that was about to fly out.

"Sure thing," Zekai casually replies, slithering to the front of the pack.

A few hours pass wading through the marshes, and everyone - bar Zekai - has stopped to throw up a few times. Honestly, nothing on Earth would make my stomach churn as much as the Jabi marshes. To take my mind off the smell, I sift through my memories for something that was more disgusting, but much to my dismay, nothing is coming to mind. Sorry Jabi marshes, you reign supreme in the 'most disgusting' category and I'm quite certain that it'll keep its title for all eternity.

I start to squint my eyes, and I'm sure I can make out an island through the fog. The distance we have travelled has made me green around the gills, so am I seeing things? Is it the island Modnar had spoken of? Some island it is. I'm not even going to bother to describe it, as I'm sure Vetor will make some sarcastic comment soon enough.

"I see it Modnar, the tropical island you spoke of! Vetor says sarcastically.

I start sniggering, as I knew full well that Vetor and his sarcasm would make me see the bright side to our situation. The island literally is a mound of grass, sticking out of the marshes, with just a lone dead tree in the center. It's quite a huge tree and the branches arch high in the air, the dark green leaves bent over to shroud the whole island. The island itself is only about a five-metre diameter, so as you can imagine it is quite small.

"Well folks, almost there. A well-deserved rest is upon us," Modnar says before burping and spewing.

Zekai and Modnar arrive at the island first with the rest of us not far behind, and the second my feet make contact with land I drop straight down, face first, with my arms and legs wide open like a starfish.

"Home, sweet home," I say as I hug the grass on the island. We all put our respective weapons down and get ready to have a well-earned breather.

"Hey! Is that three bottles of Flork over there, under the tree?!" Zekai shouts with excitement.

"Race you and Rodland there!" Vetor yells.

I don't say anything, nor do I care. I'm quite content with my current position, face first in the grass, hugging the freshest thing I have smelt, for what feels like an eternity. As I inhale, the blades of grass from the island stick to the inside of my nostrils. If only I could make this smell stay forever; I know that we will be back in that disgusting marsh soon enough.

Rodland, Zekai and Vetor dive towards the bottles of Flork like their life depends on it.

"Such gentlemen you three are; thank you for offering us a drink. Just remember to not kill the Goys, or you will really get on my nerves," I say before kissing the grass with my puckered lips.

Then suddenly, the weirdest thing happens; when Zekai, Rodland and Vetor put their Goys on the ground, they don't disappear like they usually do. Instead, once the three Goys are on the grass, they slither towards a hole in the base of the tree.

"Did you guys see that? The Goys didn't disappear into thin air; they went into this tree! Now don't you agree that's a little bit weird?" I say.

"Weirder than disappearing? I'm not really sure," Vetor replies.

"Well, I'm going to check it out," I say as I jump to my feet and run for the tree.

I'm curious to find out where the Goy's have gone, so I kneel down, close my left eye and peek into the hole in the tree with my right. Blinking, I try to see what is in there.

"What do you see, my girl?" Modnar asks.

Before I can reply, green gas oozes out and sprays me in the eye. I have this weird tingling sensation all over my body and I can't stop rubbing my right eye.

I look around at everyone, and they all seem to be getting larger than me, as I'm rapidly getting closer to the ground; the blades of grass around me are suddenly as tall as trees. Just as I suspected; the green gas has made me shrink.

"Hey! Help me!" I yell at the top of my little lungs.

"Hey guys, look at Syra! She's shrunk to the size of a mouse!" Vetor yells as he kneels down towards me.

I'm not sure what to do, as they obviously can't hear what I'm yelling at them. As Vetor moves his head closer to me, I start pointing towards the hole in the tree.

"She's pointing at the hole in the base of that tree! That's it! The gas that came out of the tree must have shrunk her! I'm going to let the gas shrink me as well, so I can communicate with her!" Vetor says.

"Count me in!" Modnar replies, approaching the tree.

"I'd do anything for you all, so count me in as well!" Zekai says as he also slithers towards the queue in front of the tree.

Rodland stands at the back and is the last to respond.

"I'm in too, just give me a moment," Rodland says with a very mischievous look upon his face.

As Rodland kneels down, he looks at Zekai, Vetor, Modnar and I with a big smile on his face. We are all miniature in size and he seems like a giant in comparison.

"Look how small you all are and how big I am!" Rodland says, laughing hysterically to himself.

Then suddenly, he picks up Vetor by his right ankle and dangles him in front of his face.

"Payback time, Vetor!" Rodland says as he carries Vetor over to the edge of the island, giggling to himself.

Rodland kneels down and starts dunking Vetor's head in and out of the marshes, in the exact same fashion that a human dunks a teabag in and out of a cup of tea.

"So Vetor, how are things with Syra? Hope I'm not DIPPING too much into your personal life," Rodland jokes.

"Please stop Rodland! Glug! Glug! Glug! I thought we were pals, you know friends?! Glug! Glug! Glug!" Vetor exclaims whilst Rodland dunks him into the marsh.

Rodland can't hear anything Vetor is saying, as he is far too small. It sounds like a high pitched, buzzing sound; so he just continues to dunk Vetor in and out of the marshes, making humorous comments the whole time, while Vetor is spewing continuously.

Several minutes pass of this hilarious act of revenge, and my cheeks are sore from all the laughing; with Modnar and Zekai rubbing their cheeks, it's safe to assume they find it as funny as I do. Rodland walks over to us and lies the fully drenched Vetor on the ground next to us. He then bends down and peeks in the hole in the tree; shrinking him down to our size. Rodland walks over to me, looking at the bedraggled Vetor with a huge smile on his face. Vetor is soaking from head to toe in sludge, from the marsh.

"Vetor, I see you've allowed time to SOAK in the environment," Rodland quips.

We all laugh hysterically, well; all except Vetor. What goes around, comes around, that's all that I'm going to say. I'm just glad we all have a sense of humour, as it allows us to relax from the stress we embrace.

"Yeah, okay Rodland; you got me. Are we even?" Vetor says as he offers his hand for Rodland to shake.

"I accept," Rodland replies as he shakes Vetor's hand.

"You got me back, real well. But the pranks won't stop there, I'll get you back sometime soon!" Vetor says, wiping the leftover spew from around his face.

"Ha-ha, you can try, Vetor... you can try," Rodland replies, laughing.

"Well, let's head into this tree. I want to see where those Goy's went!" I say.

We all approach the hole in the tree, and I decide to go in first. I'm in a small state of ecstasy, because a few minutes ago we were human size; and now we're the size of a mouse, maybe even smaller.

While I stand inside the doorway, I look up and glance around the inside of the trunk. It looks like the inside of any normal tree; brown, old flaky bark, mud all up the tree and all over the bark floor in front of us.

"Aarrgghh!" I scream as I start sliding down a bark slide, which goes around the inside of the tree; starting right at the entrance.

I can hear screaming echoing in the background, so I know the others have followed me. I curl my feet in the air, and race down the bark slide at top speed; I'm losing my stomach, similar to the feeling you get on a roller coaster. We are easily racing down at about fifty kilometres an hour; so I put my arms straight down against my sides, and stretch my legs out straight, causing me to fly down like a speeding bullet. My heart's racing and excitement has consumed me. What's at the end of this slide? Soon enough I'll find out.

The bottom of the tree arrives quicker than expected; I crash down into a big pile of mud, spilling it all over me. The entire inside of the trunk is mud, every square millimetre. I quickly move out of the way of the shoot; once I'm standing the mud comes up to my waist; but that's probably because I'm only ten centimetres tall.

The area I'm now in is identical to the entrance area; it's like we were gradually descending the height of this tree, to unknowingly arrive at the base.

"Cannonball!" Vetor yells as he approaches the mud, landing right next to me.

"Hey!" I reply, scooping up some mud with my right hand.

"Sorry, I was just having a bit of fun, that's what this journey is about, am I right?" Vetor says with a smile on his face.

"Haha, Sorry Vetor, I suppose you're right," I say as I throw some mud in Vetor's face.

"Hey! Watch out!" Vetor yells as he points towards the slide.

Modnar, Zekai and Rodland land in the mud one after another.

"Well, where do we go from here?" I ask.

"Your guess is as good as mine, my girl," Modnar says, spitting mud out of his mouth.

No one answers as they all have no idea of where to go. Let's face it; we did come across something pretty weird. Then, I see another hole on the opposite side of the room.

"What about that hole over there in the side of the trunk?" I say as I run for it, wading as fast as I can.

"Woooo hoooooo!" I scream as I slide down another bark chute, but this time, there's mud running down the chute as well, making the trip even faster.

"Syra! This... is... AWESOME!" Vetor yells as he slides on his stomach behind me.

"Face first; are you nuts?!!" I yell as I spin around to face Vetor; making me slide down backwards.

"BACKWARDS?? Whose nuts now?" Vetor yells, putting his arms out in front of him to gain more speed.

Vetor does have a point. I'm now sliding down backwards and am about to hit the bottom; landing in another pile of mud. Vetor flies out and bounces off my back with his chest, landing him on the other side of the room; the others aren't far behind. I stand up and start to wipe the mud out of my eyes. It takes me about fifteen seconds to realise that it has suddenly become silent enough to make me fearful to turn around. What has stolen the volume from my companion's mouths? I start by looking up, and turn around with my eyes glued to the ceiling; I notice that we're now in a massive underground cavern. Stalactites cover the cavern roof, and mud has dried everywhere, adding to the colour. There is a small mud waterfall on the left and right wall, and a huge mud pool in the background. Random drops of water sporadically drop all over the room, at different times. I don't even want to taste, just in case it's from the marshes, because I would lose my lunch; and my stomach is sore from dry retching.

Then, I too lose my ability to speak. I rub my eyes, as I can't process in my mind what I'm staring at. I continue to rub them, to make sure I'm not dreaming.

What is before us is at least a fair few thousand Goy's, facing my way, not moving at all. They are all a lot bigger; because we are now their size. Pretty scary looking things when you're this small and can analyse what they really look like. I look on with my mouth wide open, and my body remains motionless. I gaze in the direction of Vetor, my trusty translator.

"Now I know why you were all silent. Vetor, can you please ask them something? I want to know why they led us here," I whisper.

"Do you really believe that they led us here?" Vetor whispers back.

"Yes, I actually do. Please just work your magic. I want to know why!"

"Okay, if you say so."

It's scary, we are now in the domain of the daily victim, and to top it off, we're their size. Every day, thousands of Goys sacrifice their humble existence just to make a drink more potent, or keep it fresh. It's a very sad thought. But in this tree, we're now the victims. In about thirty seconds, we will find out what our fates are with them.

Vetor approaches what appears to be the leader of the pack. This Goy doesn't really look any different to the rest; it's just in front of them all. Vetor points towards me as he speaks.

"Greetings everyone, this is Syra. She is the legendary chosen warrior of Tharp and we are her guardians. We're on a mission to end the life of Akiad, the evil wizard. Syra believes that you have led us to this place; she has asked me, to communicate with you, to find out why?" Vetor says.

After thirty seconds of silence, the Goy in the front speaks. Their speech sounds so strange. It sounds like the bubbling noise that's created when you fart underwater; except it is in intermittent intervals, denoting individual words.

"Psst! PSST! What are they saying, Vetor? All I can hear is bubbling?" I whisper.

Vetor lifts his left index finger and presses it against my lips, and shortly after the bubbling stops, Vetor explains what the Goy has said.

"I guess you're wondering why our home is a mess. Why no one has kept it maintained and tidy? That's because for thousands of years, we've been nothing but a seal for a tasty beverage; all thanks to that prophet!" Vetor explains.

"Wait a minute; what did the prophet do? I thought she was a hero?!" I say, confused.

Vetor translates what I'm saying, then I wait for him to translate their response. The bubbling noise is still tripping me out; but why is this Goy slanging the prophet? I just have to find out.

"He said that the prophet made the first suggestion for a person to push the Goy into the Flork. We used to have our lives spared; but the prophet changed that. I can never forgive her for what she did to our race." Vetor sounds quite shocked.

"She surely mustn't have done it on purpose; she was a good person!" I snap, impatiently awaiting for Vetor to translate.

Vetor is patiently listening to the 'chief Goy', making sure he gets all of what he says. I'm frustrated and want to know what his response is.

"Well, she may have done it by accident; but that small mistake almost cost us our race; until our young saviour arrived. No one since our point of origin has cared for us like young Syra here. Not even a living entity from our planet has ever questioned our rights as living creatures. What you see before you, are the Goy's that have been saved, since Syra made a stand on our behalf. We are humbly in your debt, and we led you here so we could tell you that. You're the saviour of an entire race that was doomed to extinction! I'm not the leader, I am just the first Goy that was rescued by you, and so everyone else put me in charge!" Vetor says before he opens his palms wide apart, emphasizing his translation.

I can't believe the magnitude of the simple thing I have done. It was such a small thing to me, almost a default way of thinking. I'm surprised the Brotherhood of Guytz didn't pick up on this with their belief of equal rights and hierarchy to all species? Hmm, it makes me wonder. Awesome idea, all it needs is just a little bit of guidance to fully pull it off properly. I take into consideration what the Goy said about the prophet and decide to remember that later; it's time to change the tide of this conversation.

I walk up to the Goy that spoke and give it a huge hug.

"This is the way that our race gives its thanks and at the same time, it can also accept a new friendship. Syra is accepting your race as our allies!" Vetor explains.

Every Goy in sight props up on their tail, like a dog on its hind legs, and starts making bubbling noises.

"They're cheering for you Syra!" Vetor says, a huge smile plastered on his face.

I start jumping up and down. I'm excited about what I've achieved. I run over and give Vetor a big hug, then I hug Zekai and Modnar. Rodland just stands in the background, clapping away. Hope he doesn't think he isn't getting a hug. I charge towards him at full speed, almost bowling him over as I hug him. I knew that saving the Goy's in Toolore village was a good thing, I knew it deep in my heart; but I never expected to see what I'd achieved by saving the Goy's, and I'm so glad that I have.

Once all the commotion has died down, the main Goy slithers over to me. The cavern is silent, as everyone is anticipating the next conversation between the two of us. The Goy starts bubbling away and I just stand there, wishing I knew what the cute thing is saying. I feel Vetor put his left hand on my right shoulder, standing behind me.

"He said it is an honour to have met such an amazing living entity. He also said that if you continue to save Goys all around Tharp, that you may save an entire race from extinction. Oh, do we have two different bowls available?"

"Bowls, what for? What would the Goy want bowls for?" I ask.

"I'm not sure. I'm just translating what he said."

"Here's two bowls, my girl" Modnar says, as he approaches us with a bowl in each hand, pulled out of his pouch.

The Goy speaks some more and as usual, more bubbles come out of its' mouth. Vetor stands next to me with his arms crossed, smiling in my direction, as he knows what Goy is saying.

"The Goy said that if I haven't figured out already, he is male and the Goy to the left of him, is female. They are both going to vomit in one bowl each, respectively. The female will spew in one bowl and the male in the other."

I screw up my face while I hold one of the bowls in front of the male Goy; my stomach is churning. They both empty their guts into their respective bowls, and it doesn't sound or smell any different to human spew; mind you, I'm accustomed to this sound and smell. All those nights binge drinking, listening to heavy metal music; the night always ending with the lush sound of regurgitation. After about ten seconds, each bowl is overflowing with vomit, and after both Goys have finished regurgitating, they burp; then the male Goy starts speaking again.

"Vetor, can you please translate again?" I ask.

"The contents of the male's bowl, once consumed, will allow you to levitate for a long period of time, hence allowing us to safely exit the village. Then the female's spew, once consumed, will settle your genes and allow you to return to normal size within seconds," Vetor explains.

I scrunch my face up again and look towards Vetor; his face looks like how I imagine mine as he glances back at me.

"Umm, does it have to be vomit? Don't you have any potions or anything else we could consume? I see some chunks of food in there!" I say sounding like a whinging child.

The Goy starts bubbling, replying to my question and Vetor is no longer smiling.

"Vetor, what did he say? Any alternative?" I ask.

"He apologised and said that there is no other way. Besides, it is a delicacy to their race, so an alternative method would be disrespectful."

"Thank you for your hospitality and we all look forward to trying this delicacy soon. We will continue to save your species all over Tharp; but unfortunately we have to leave now to continue our quest. Vetor, can you please translate," I say.

Vetor begins to translate to the head Goy, but all that's on my mind is chewing animal spew. Seriously, this is the most disgusting thing I'll ever have to do. I take a deep breath, then step up to the male spew first, just to show my guardians a thing or two about the strong-headed female race. Trust me, I'm just as disgusted to swallow a mouthful of spew, but I have to step up and do it.

I scoop both my hands into the spew, and swallow most of what is in my hands; the excess dribbling over the edges of my hands back into the bowl. I'm picturing a cheeseburger with extra cheese as I swallow, disguising the truth of what I'm tasting; I notice my feet becoming slightly lighter, so the others quickly follow my lead and seconds after they swallow the spew; they too start to float off the ground.

"Vetor! I'm flying! Woo hoo!" I yell in excitement.

"It's such a weird sensation not having my tail on the ground!" Zekai replies.

"Quick! Someone get the female bowl of spew!" I yell as I float uncontrollably higher in the air.

I grab onto the bark chute and pull myself through the opening, into the room above; I then let go of the bark chute and float to the top of the tree at a rapid pace.

I look down and the base of the tree trunk is getting much further away. I can barely make out Zekai coming through the small hole at the base.

"Zekai, did you get the bowl with the female spew?" I shout.

Zekai doesn't reply, as he's too far away from me. What do I do? I may end up floating into the sky just to fall to my death. I hope someone brought the female bowl with them!

I gradually float towards the exit to the tree, grabbing onto the first bark slide we'd gone down. As each moment passes, the levitation is becoming harder to control. While it's amazing to float in the air, the uncertainty of my safety messes with my mind.

When I finally reach the entrance of the tree, I hold onto the sides of the door as tight as I can. My legs are flying in the air towards the sky and my teeth are chattering; the wind is so strong and it's blowing my hair into my face and mouth. If I let go of the tree, I'll float into the sky and drift quite far away; as you can imagine I'm holding on for my life.

At the precise moment that Zekai exits the trunk, I grip his hand and force him to grab onto the edge of the door.

"Don't let go! We will float away if we do. Who has the bowl to allow us to return to normal size?" I yell.

"I don't know! Hopefully someone grabbed it, as I definitely didn't!"

Vetor comes through the hole, places the bowl onto the ground and grips the tree.

"Hang on, Vetor! You will float away otherwise!" I yell, pulling myself down the side of the doorway towards the bowl.

When I'm nearly at the bowl, I look back over my shoulder towards the others.

"I can't hang on much longer!" Zekai yells.

"Don't worry, Zekai! I'm nearly there!" I yell back.

I grip the bowl with one hand and hold on as tight as I can, gripping the tree with my other hand. Vetor is still hanging on for his life, and looks quite keen to just stay where he is rather than risk going further.

"Pull the bowl towards you so you can tip it into your mouth!" Zekai yells.

As I tip the bowl towards my mouth, I lean towards it and gobble the spew, quick smart. I can feel, and see, my body rapidly returning to its normal size. I grab the tiny bowl of spew and hold it in my left palm.

I look down and see all four of my companions hanging onto the tree. I scoop them up with my right hand and hold on to them very tight.

"Here you go, enough spew to go around. Hurry up and each take a handful, and consume; I don't want you returning to normal size whilst I'm holding you in my hand!" I say as I put them next to the bowl.

Within a few moments, they all take a handful of spew and look towards Vetor.

"Everyone swallow on three, two, one, go!" Vetor yells.

On 'go', they all swallow the vomit in their hands; I let go of them all and dive out of the way, as they all rapidly return to their normal size.

"You saved our lives, thank you. I'm glad all our weapons are still here!" Rodland says, gasping for air.

"Of course, that's where every thief wants to look for things to steal; in the middle of a disgusting swamp" Vetor jokes.

"Don't mention it! Modnar, where's our next stop?" I ask.

"Well my girl, we just continue heading South through the marshes till we eventually get to our second destination. The location of the Southern Arter Gem is Neca City," Modnar replies.

"Okay everyone, you heard Modnar. Let's get going!" I say as I pick up Finito.

"But, can't we have a LITTLE rest, first?" Vetor says, emphasising the word little.

We all look at each other and burst into laughter. The laughter helps us muffle out the reality; trekking through the remainder of the marshes. I'm not keen to do that again; and I'm sure the others aren't either.

### XIV - Cliffs? You Never Mentioned Cliffs...

"Oh my god! I'm going to run! It's land! Oh land, precious land!" I yell, wiping vomit from around my mouth.

"Then it's a race!" Vetor yells back.

We both try to run through the marshes as fast as possible. It's as hard as trying to run through waste deep water, except when you land after leaping, you can feel arms and legs, rubbing against your thighs and ankles. Occasionally you can feel one of your feet kick a skull or pile of bones out of the way; I have to ignore this because Vetor is winning this race.

"I'm going to beat you!" Vetor says as we both continue leaping to the end of the marshes.

"No you're not! Not today!" I reply as I've thought of a brilliant idea.

I pull out Finito and swing forward yelling 'Ice wall'! The instant the ice wall races forward, it freezes all of the marshes it makes contact with. I quickly leap up on the frozen marsh and slide all the way to the landmass on my belly. Vetor quickly clambers onto the frozen section and slides to the land next to me.

"I won! I won!" I yell as I jump up and down in excitement.

Vetor stands up, looking extremely frustrated at the second place position he just pulled. It's the kind of look I used to give when a dairy owner would rip me off, by short changing me on purpose.

"You cheated! You used magic!" Vetor accuses as he folds his arms.

"Well you never said we couldn't use magic. I deem it cunning, not cheating!" I say cheekily as I sheathe Finito.

"Well, that's very true. Cunning you were, but how about a magic ban next time?"

"Okay deal, but only if you admit I won?" I say, winking at him.

"Syra, you're the champion of the Jabi marsh sprint," Vetor says as he shakes my hand.

I have a huge grin on my face. It gives me great satisfaction beating him and it's true, he said nothing about magic. Oh well, we're now a tie; he won the last race, and I won this race. Better make sure I win best of three, just because girls always beat boys.

As I turn around, I finally assess the terrain I'm about to travel through. All I can see in front of me is an endless canyon, dusty yellow in colour; and the only way to cross is along one long rock path, which is only a metre wide, with what looks like a bottomless pit on either side. The heat is so hard to notice, because the dense fog has shrouded us from it.

Zekai, Rodland and Modnar eventually join Vetor and me at the end of the marshes, and add their two cents worth to what we see.

"Ah, the Naryp Canyon. Why do you look so puzzled, my girl?" Modnar asks as he rests his hand on my left shoulder.

"I'm thinking about why you failed to tell me about this section of the journey? Last I heard we were heading for Neca, the city of water. I don't recall you mentioning Naryp canyon? I don't see an abundance of water, Modnar. If anything, this canyon is screaming for a bit of water. Yes, I'm well trained in combat and I thank Rodland for that, but he never gave advice on fearing heights!" I say before gulping and peeking into the bottomless abyss.

"Well my girl, I did say to 'eventually get to our second destination'. If I had of explained all the places that we will pass through before Neca City, I could have wrote a story!" Modnar jokes.

"Its fine, I'm just going to crawl across, okay?" I say, getting down on my hands and knees.

"Sweet as. We will collect the remaining four Arter Gems and meet you on the other side of the cliff path?" Vetor jokes.

I raise my eyebrows and smile.

"Ha-ha, very funny. Let's rush over, okay?" I reply in a snarky tone.

"No one said we were going to rush across; but I think crawling may take a little too long!" Zekai adds.

"Well, I'll walk first, so everyone can move at my pace. I really don't want to meet my doom this way. And I want to make it clear that heights freak me out a little. Hope you're all fine with that?" I say.

"We won't nudge you too much, we promise," Rodland replies, sniggering.

We all get into single file; I'm at the front, followed by Vetor, then Modnar, Zekai and Rodland at the back. When I finally take my first few steps onto the cliff path, it's my natural instinct to look down. I get an instant feeling of vertigo, and all I can see is blackness; it's too far to see the bottom. You wouldn't survive that drop. There's no water to be seen either, so I'd hate to be too scared to finish crossing the Naryp Canyon.

"Don't look down; it'll just freak you out, and make the journey take longer. Just look ahead at the path in front of you and try to ignore your peripheral," Vetor says as he gently pushes my back.

"It's a little hard to just ignore your peripheral. Height is a fear of mine, so I'm sorry in advance; but I'm going to be fairly scared the whole way!"

"I don't mean to scare you my girl, but if you feel a lot of wind rushing through the canyon, drop to the ground as quickly and safely as possible!" Modnar says.

"Thanks for your comforting words, Modnar. This trek across the canyon just got a whole lot easier!"

The five of us travel across the extremely narrow path in single file, and I'm constantly mindful of where I put my feet. Heights are a fear I have failed to mention. You see, on Toolore Mountain, it wasn't so bad, because we were a safe distance from the edge of the cliff. But a one-metre wide cliff path, with a bottomless looking canyon either side? That's another story. I haven't been crawling the whole way, but you may as well have given me a Zimmer-frame because I'm going about that speed.

Once again my natural instincts take over, causing me to look down into the canyon. After peeking, I look up and take a deep breath.

"If you keep looking down, it's going to take us longer to cross this path. I'm scared as well, but I'm trying to pretend that I don't see what's below me. It's also what I do in melee combat; block the danger out, otherwise I'd be far too scared to be useful to any of you," Vetor explains.

"He's right; be strong and carry on. That's what Fewmira would say to me when I thought about Muhbac!" Zekai adds.

"Thanks everyone, I'll take your advice and refrain from looking down. We need to persevere beyond the Naryp canyon!" I reply confidently before increasing my pace.

A few hours pass and we are quite a bit further along the Naryp canyon path. The sun is so hot and the five of us are getting heat stroke by the minute. We're constantly nagging Modnar for a drink of water and for the last few minutes, I can feel a refreshing gust of wind blow our direction.

"AAAAAHHHH, that gust of wind is nice," I say, slowing down my pace.

"Modnar, can I please have more water!" Vetor whines, almost pushing me over as he leans on me, halting my movement.

"Vetor, be careful," I say, turning around to face my companions.

"Sorry; sooooooo thirsty," Vetor replies before opening his mouth wide open.

Modnar holds his right index finger in the air above Vetor's mouth, and sprays water directly in there. Modnar continues to spray water into all of our mouths, one by one. I'm the last one to be offered, and before I get an opportunity, I turn my head to the right, and the water squirts the side of my face; I can't help it, as I see something in the distance.

"Modnar, is that what I think it is! Please say it isn't another Vulcalt; it's as big as the one from Toolore Mountain!! So that's what is creating the gust! You failed to mention that too! How are we going to slay the Vulcalt without falling off the edge of this path?!" I yell in frustration.

"My girl, we will speak of this later, hit the ground!" Modnar yells back.

The Vulcalt is quickly flying towards us, and as it passes it barely misses our heads. It flies into the distance towards the west, makes a huge arc and comes back towards us again. When it swoops in, everyone else drops to the ground, but the gust of wind generated from the Vulcalt blows me off the edge.

"Argh!" I scream at the top of my lungs.

Zekai grabs my wrist, holding me over the bottomless pit.

"Thanks Zekai! Don't let go!" I yell back.

I look down and all I can see is my legs, dangling over the blackness. Feeling a little scared, I look Zekai in the eyes.

"Pull me up Zekai, please!" I say, gripping his right arm with both my hands.

The huge flying landmass arches around in the distance and zooms towards us for its third pass.

"Incoming!" Vetor yells.

The Vulcalt misses us all again but this time, the gust of wind blows Zekai off the edge, just after he has pulled me up. Rodland and Vetor dive to the ground and catch Zekai by his tail; Modnar points his staff towards the Vulcalt as it is circling around for its fourth pass.

"Aarrgghh!" Modnar screams as he holds his staff towards the Vulcalt, a frenzy of intermittent fireballs flying out of his staff.

"Take that!" Modnar yells.

The stream of fireballs fly towards the Vulcalt at a rapid pace. When the Vulcalt eventually straightens up to swoop towards us, an entire flurry of fireballs make contact. It gives off a huge yell and its flight plan is about fifty metres above our heads. I can see burnt feathers delicately floating down from the sky.

"Pull Zekai up, now!" Modnar yells.

They pull Zekai up onto the ledge, but when the Vulcalt swoops past us this time, the gust of wind pushes me off the edge again. Luckily, I manage to grab the edge of the ledge with my hands. I pull myself up and out of the way of Modnar and his carnage.

"You want more fire?! You asked for it!" Modnar yells as he points his staff towards the Vulcalt, shooting more fireballs in its direction.

Modnar swiftly changes the direction of where he is pointing his staff to directly above his head, and the Vulcalt flies straight through the flurry of fireballs. At least two-dozen fireballs hit the Vulcalt; right in the stomach.

The Vulcalt screams in agony, as it gradually burns like the remains of an act of arson. I quickly prop myself up and draw Finito.

As the Vulcalt speeds forward for its sixth pass, I swing Finito forward, yell 'Ice wall', and a huge ice wall flies towards the Vulcalt, shattering on impact; putting out all the flames Modnar has caused.

While the Vulcalt flies over the top of us, its wings flap slower, feeling the effects of the spell I cast. It circles around for a seventh pass and I can see cold steam emanating from its body.

"Syra! Cast it again, now!" Zekai yells.

I swing Finito in the direction of the Vulcalt again and yell 'Ice wall'. The wall fires towards the Vulcalt and shatters on impact, yet again. This time, it seems to affect the Vulcalt even more, as it's flapping its wings even slower than before and is dramatically nose-diving in altitude.

"Ice wall!" I yell as I swing Finito towards the Vulcalt for a third time.

This time, the ice wall passes right through the Vulcalt and the huge bird is frozen like a block of ice. The momentum that the Vulcalt was moving at causes it to crash into the side of the canyon path, shattering into thousands of pieces of ice on impact; before dropping into the black abyss below. The Vulcalt's impact shakes the cliff path, and the five of us kneel down and grab the edge of the path, so we don't lose our footing.

"Man, that Vulcalt seems quite shattered!" Vetor jokes while we all gasp for some oxygen.

We all start laughing. That was the last thing I expected him to say, especially considering the battle conditions we just endured. Like I've said many times; I'm glad my geeky friend is on this journey with me.

The reality of the situation is that we're all very lucky to still be alive. We just battled that Vulcalt while standing on a path that's a metre wide; see what I mean by lucky? I'd hoped to never have to battle that huge bird ever again; and we just finished slaying it in a much harder environment. I'm very proud of all of us.

We are all quick to ask Modnar for some water, and he's happy to top up our thirsty gobs, before we shake off the effects of the battle and persevere with our journey.

While we continue our slow walk across the canyon path in the burning hot sun, I realise that our battle with the Vulcalt has made me more comfortable with the path we are crossing.

"Hey Modnar, I have a bone to pick with you. Why didn't you tell me about the Vulcalt? You mentioned that the wind picks up in certain areas, not once did you mention that it was generated by a Vulcalt!" I say, utterly frustrated.

"Well my girl, there are a few reasons why I never said anything. Firstly, you were already freaked out by the height, so mentioning the Vulcalt would have scared you more. Secondly, I had a feeling, that if you faced it unknowingly, that you'd become comfortable with yourself afterwards. So anyway, how are you doing now? Are you comfortable with walking along this path yet?" Modnar asks before winking at me.

"Well to answer your question, I'm much more comfortable with walking along this canyon path now!"

I turn around and start walking backwards, then look towards Modnar, and he giggles at me; after I turn back around to walk forwards, I realise what just happened; I've become quite comfortable with being this high up, on this narrow, canyon path. Well, I gather that's the case as I was just walking backwards for a few metres, without any hesitation.

"Thanks Modnar, I'm glad that there's a method to your madness," I say over my right shoulder.

"There always is my girl," Modnar replies, squirting water from his right index finger into Vetor's mouth.

A few more hours go by as we continue along the path. It isn't all straight. There are some hills, dips and slight curves to the left and right; the only consistency is the width of the path and the pit of darkness either side.

"The path up ahead looks a little unstable. It's still holding in the shape of the path, but all cracked and crumbled. Can we trust it?" I ask.

"Well, just don't go jump up and down on it, my girl. We will cross that section slowly, one at a time. Syra, you first!" Modnar replies.

The affected area of the canyon path is only about two and a half metres long, but I'm more concerned about the stability of the path. I'm not just concerned about me, but my companions too. It's the only part of this long, narrow path that has given us any concern; other than the Vulcalt.

"Here goes nothing," I say over my left shoulder.

My companions reply with a mix of 'be careful' and 'good luck', and I begin to step onto the crumbled section of the path; my heart racing as fast as a drummer doing a double kick. Little bits of rubble from the bridge drop into the canyon below; then, without any countdown, I tiptoe at a fast pace across the crumbled section.

"Yes, I made it! Come on Vetor, you're next!" I yell.

Vetor just briskly walks across, acting like there is nothing wrong at all.

"That was easy! Come on you three! She's just paranoid, ignore her!" Vetor yells out.

Modnar is next to head across the crumbled section, and he doesn't seem the slightest bit phased. He walks across quite briskly, but is biting his lower lip as he looks down at the path.

"Almost there Modnar!" Vetor yells.

"Yes, you made it!" I yell out in excitement.

Modnar turns around to face Zekai and Rodland, and wipes the sweat from his brow.

Zekai approaches the damaged area of the canyon path and cracks his knuckles in preparation for his crossing.

"Okay Zekai, your turn!" I yell out.

As he slithers across, the path crumbles a tiny bit more. The integrity of the bridge is still intact but you can hear little bits of rock breaking off and falling below.

"That wasn't too hard" Zekai says as he makes it across.

"You're up, Rodland" I say.

"Easy now" Zekai says.

I fear for Rodland as he is the heaviest of us all, not just for his sheer size, but also because of his armour.

Rodland places his left foot on the damaged path, and it starts making a louder crumbling noise. Rodland is frozen stiff.

"Rodland! Run now! Quickly!" Zekai yells out in a panic.

Rodland's first step is heavy, shaking the damaged area of the path. Each step that he takes makes the crumbling become louder and more rubble falls below. On his fourth step, his foot falls through the path as it crumbles beneath him.

"No, I won't let go of you!" Zekai yells as he manages to grab hold of Rodland's right gauntlet.

"NOOOOO!" Vetor, Modnar and I yell simultaneously.

"Zekai, my hand's slipping out of the gauntlet! Please do me a favour; tell Princess Mevana that I will always love her, and that I was coming for her!" Rodland says as he starts to cry.

"Anything you request, brother!" Zekai says as tears flow from his eyes.

Zekai goes to grab Rodland's hand after it slips out of the bottom of the gauntlet; but he falls too fast.

"RODLAND!!!!"

Zekai turns around towards us, crying as he holds Rodland's right gauntlet. I push past Vetor and Modnar to stand before Zekai.

"I couldn't hold him Syra, I'm so sorry," Zekai says as he continues to cry.

I am a ball of tears, as I can't believe what has just taken place. Five minutes ago I was joking around with Rodland; and now he's dead.

I hug Zekai and we continue to cry together. Vetor looks like he is going to cry, as his eyes are red and watery, but he's holding it in. He pushes past Modnar and hugs me from behind. Modnar's looking down at the ground and isn't crying at all, but you can see the pain on his face. Modnar is thousands of years old, so I imagine that he has seen a fair share of pain in his time; thus being a lot more comfortable with situations like this.

"Everyone, let's get going. I'm sure that Rodland wouldn't want us to sit here and mourn. He would want us to continue our quest!" Modnar says, and turns around to walk away.

I push past Vetor and start to walk behind Modnar; I'm extremely pissed off. I wipe the tears from my eyes and get prepared to verbally rip into him.

"Do you not care at all, Modnar?" I say angrily.

Modnar ignores me at first and continues to walk forward; after a few moments he replies to my question without stopping.

"Of course I care, Syra. Rodland was an old friend of mine. To be fair, Zekai and I have known him for over ten thousand years. But I speak the truth as much as it may hurt you to hear it; I know Rodland would want us to press on. If we just sit here and mourn his death, we wouldn't get time to fit in his request. When we get to the end of this path, we will rest for a while; then we will get Zekai to explain where Mevana is, so we can pass on the message to her. I'm guessing that Rodland had an ulterior motive to joining our cause; but that's fine, he was a great friend, and we will fulfil his dying wish. Hopefully that answers your question my girl," Modnar says, walking on.

I don't say a word. Modnar will always cement his point of view or opinion of a situation. It's hard to reply to him, as he is so direct. But with his style, came the truth. How he suggests we tackle the obstacle is the most practical angle. I trust him as he does have a few thousand years of experience over me. So, I suppose whatever he says, goes. Now to fulfil the wish of our dead brother.

### XV - A Thorn in my Backside

The last twenty minutes of the journey is dead silent; no one is saying a word and I can't even hear anyone breathing. The heat blazing down from the sun doesn't bother us, as the loss of Rodland has taken its toll, more than this heat ever will. I haven't lost anyone in my life to death, so I haven't dealt with this before; the empty sick feeling curdling in my stomach. I have so many questions to ask, but I'm in a pickle. You see, I don't really want to be the one to break the silence between us. I could have sworn that Vetor would have normally tried to say something funny, but even he hasn't. He remains as silent as everyone else. But it isn't just Vetor; we all have blank looks on our faces. I guess everyone is taking a page out of my book; disappear into their own little worlds and think about life.

Zekai, Vetor and I are looking down at the canyon path; Modnar remains the only person with his chin up. I notice that we are just a few metres away from the end of the canyon. There are more cliffs ahead, but at least the pit of darkness either side of the thinnest path ever, is finally at an end.

Once we get onto flat land we don't stop walking; rather, we all continue to follow Modnar, who is heading towards a huge tree which resembles a Kauri tree; native to New Zealand. It's dead in a fork in the road. The two ways look exactly the same. They both have five hundred metre high cliff walls, either side of a path that is a metre wide, which leads into the distance. Dead flat the whole way that we can see and completely straight, too. Come to think of it, it's exactly like the path we have just traversed; except high walls either side of the path rather than bottomless pits.

Modnar stops under the shade of the huge tree, and we all take the time to relax – well, as much as we can under the tragic circumstance that has taken place. Who's going to break the silence first, I say to myself; I'm becoming really edgy about all this silence. I know none of us are mad at each other, we are merely mourning Rodland's death. I start to realise that if I don't get up and motivate everyone, it could very well end up like this for the rest of the journey.

I suddenly spring to my feet and start pacing backwards and forwards. I'm shaking my head rapidly while pacing, because I'm searching for what to say. I'm upset that Rodland is gone, but I'm also sick of the silence. Why do we have to be this way? The truth is; we don't. This is changing, right now.

"Okay you lot, this is ridiculous! We've all been silent since Rodland died! Just to let you know, I too, am very upset about this whole thing. I cried for the first fifteen minutes of the trip, post his death. Rodland was a loyal guardian, a legendary mentor and warrior; and a good friend. So yes; I have mourned for his death. To be honest, I think we all have. We've been silent for too long now, and I'm demanding that this stops now! Zekai, Rodland had a last request that he wanted you to fulfil. Our duty as friends of his is to complete that request for him. Can you please shed some light on the subject? Tell us about Mevana. Who is she? Why did Rodland not tell us about her? Please tell us!"

Zekai props himself up off the ground and gets ready to speak, while I sit myself down to listen to what he has to say.

"Thank you Syra. I think you definitely covered how I'm feeling, and hopefully covered how you two feel as well. Well, as you have probably picked up, Mevana is the love of Rodland's life. A long time ago, Rodland and Mevana were madly in love and very much together. Love at first sight; that was how Rodland described it. He would travel from Toolore village every few weeks to visit his love, Mevana. She stayed in Fonewar Castle, which is at the end of the left route here. After a few years, Rodland went to Mevana's father to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. The king said no, and that Rodland wasn't good enough for his daughter. When Rodland left after visiting Mevana, the king was extremely mad. He cast a spell; a permanent spell. The few kilometres of field leading up to the castle was covered in thorns. The thorn-covered vines were covering every possible space of the property, and they were so thick that it would have taken a week just to chop through one. Rodland returned to Toolore village and continued to live his life. He never ventured back to Fonewar Castle, as he was afraid of being denied by Mevana's father again. Rodland wasn't one for dealing with failure very well; every student Rodland taught passed, every opponent he faced died. The only woman he loved, he lost. So that became his weakness. Whenever you looked at Rodland, and he seemed a little bit distant, that's why. His thoughts were wrapped around Mevana."

"Wow, that's really sad and he didn't even make it to his true love alive. That's it! We will drop this gauntlet off to her. She deserves the gauntlet, and the truth. On top of all of this, the king is getting a piece of my mind. What world is he living on, to think that Rodland wasn't good enough for Mevana? Well I've had enough of resting, and you lot look so down in the dumps. Let's head to Fonewar castle; we rest once we return," I say enthusiastically, moving to leave the vicinity.

Zekai slithers past me and stops right in my way, then turns around to face me.

"Syra, did you not hear my story? The thorns are too big and thick. There is no easy way to get into the castle!"

"You're giving up before you even try! When have we given up in the past? You didn't throw in the towel when you fought Muhbac! You wanted to avenge Fewmira's death so much! We all supported the decision you made. Rodland gave us a request and you promised to follow through for him. If none of you follow me, then fine. I will trek alone and meet you back at this point!" I reply angrily.

I storm off down the left path in the direction of Fonewar Castle, but after about twenty steps I hear a yell so I stop walking.

"Wait, you know I'm with you!" Vetor yells as he runs towards me.

"Count me in! Rodland was a good friend!" Modnar adds as he walks briskly.

Modnar and Vetor watch on as Zekai slithers right up to me, looking me in the eyes.

"Once again you are right. Rodland was a great friend and he had this request; so we are going to take this gauntlet to the love of his life, where it should reside. Let's go!" Zekai says, then messes up my hair and slithers ahead.

As we travel through the narrow path towards Fonewar Castle, I start to feel quite claustrophobic. The path is only a metre wide, and the cliffs either side of the path are at least five hundred metres high. It's quite freaky walking between them, as opposed to looking at the path from the fork in the road. I keep looking up to make sure we don't get killed from falling debris, and I'm getting a sore neck from checking.

I glance towards Modnar, Vetor and Zekai, and they all look like they have got their focus back, which is great. The last thing I ever want is all four of us to be out of focus. That's how you end up losing more lives, and I never want any more of that to take place, not while I'm alive.

After about half an hour of travelling, we are at the end of the long canyon, in front of a plethora of thorns. The few kilometres of field leading up to the castle is covered in thorns. They are ten metres high and as thick as tree trunks; with thirty centimetre thorns everywhere. I step towards a gap in the thorns, and try to put my body through it.

"Argh! Ouch! Argh!" I yell as Zekai pulls me out.

"Are you crazy?! I'm sure Mevana would have already tried that," Zekai says as he pulls out a few thorns that are stuck in me.

"Argh! Argh!" Vetor draws his axe and rapidly starts chopping at one of the huge thorn branches.

"Not to burst your bubble, but I think Rodland would have tried that," I say.

"Okay, well who's the person with the next bright idea? Honestly, I'm not giving up on Rodland, but how are we going to get rid of all this?" Vetor says, catching his breath.

"Well, the thorns were a spell cast by the king, right? I'm guessing that we may need a spell to remove it." Zekai says, raising his eyebrows and glancing towards Modnar.

"Yes, I could use a fire spell, but that would take weeks for it to burn all this down. And besides, all the thorns would still be there in the mean-time," Modnar replies.

I draw Finito and jump to my feet, facing the thorns.

"I have an idea and it just may work!" I say with a smile on my face.

I swing Finito forward and yell 'Ice wall', and a huge wall of ice races forward at a rapid pace; it passes through a hundred metres of thorns, but doesn't freeze them fully. I proceed to swing again.

"Ice wall!"

After the second ice wall passes through the thorns, they look slightly more frozen; but just not cold enough.

"Keep going my girl! You may be on to something!" Modnar says with his arms crossed.

"Vetor, ready your axe. Attack the thorns on my command!" I explain.

Again, I swing Finito forward and I yell 'ice wall'. The third wall goes through the thorns.

"Okay Vetor, NOW!" I yell as Vetor and I simultaneously attack the frozen thorns.

As we make contact with our respective weapons, chunks of ice fly everywhere, and we fall straight to the ground where the thorns were originally. Vetor quickly springs to his feet, and starts chopping frozen thorns with a big smile upon his face.

"Woohoo! You're awesome! We are going to get to Mevana in no time!" Vetor yells as he continues to chop through the frozen thorns.

"Well done my girl. What seemed like a ridiculous spell to you at the time of creation is proving to be a very powerful spell indeed!" Modnar says.

"Yes, well done Syra," Zekai adds, offering his hand to help me up.

"We know we have to do this. Rodland was a great friend," I reply, as Zekai pulls me up.

"Say no more. Work your magic!" Zekai says.

I look towards the one hundred-metre indentation I'd made in the thorns and I can see that Vetor has hollowed it out. He is so fired up from destroying frozen thorns that he starts to chip away at the next section, which still remains frozen.

"That's not going to work. I'm coming to help you!" I yell as I run towards him. "Ice wall!"

I do the same as last time. I cast three 'Ice wall' spells towards the thorns; completely freezing the next hundred metres after the third wall contacted with the thorns. The thorns are frozen, with cold steam emanating from them.

"Argh! Ha-Ha!" Vetor yells as he starts frantically chopping at the frozen thorns, shattering them on impact.

"Glad someone's entertained. Hope he realises that we will be destroying thorns for at least an hour" Zekai giggles to himself.

Before I know it, just as Zekai said an hour passes, and Vetor isn't as enthusiastic about chopping frozen thorns as he once was. But in saying that, something has put some more juice back in the tank.

"Hey, I can see the castle! Syra, one more section to go!" Vetor says sounding excited.

After I freeze the last section of the thorns, Vetor chops through it all. While he's taking a much needed breather, I take the time to look at the castle. The huge grey stone castle has mould and vines all over the outside walls; the portcullis is closed.

"How strong do you think those vines are, Modnar? Could it hold our body weight?" I ask.

"Definitely not our weight... but maybe yours, my dear. Would you be fine heading inside the castle alone?" Modnar replies.

"I should be okay, but have your weapons at the ready," I say, rubbing my hands together.

I approach the vine in the corner of the castle, which looks like the strongest and thickest one. I sheathe Finito and put both my palms around the vine, gripping it as tight as I can. I place my right foot against the castle wall, lift my weight off the ground and start climbing the vine. The walls of Fonewar Castle are about a hundred metres high, but I'm determined to make it; I'm giving that King a piece of my mind.

"Be careful Syra, don't slip! The mould will be quite slippery!" Zekai yells.

Zekai is right; I can feel my feet slipping every time I use the wall for leverage. It isn't proving too difficult, until I get about half way up the castle wall; I place my left foot on the wall, but this time, I fully slip, which pushes me away from the wall; swinging about a metre away, my momentum forces me to crash back into it.

My lip hits the wall, busting it open on the inside of my mouth. I can taste my blood, delicately seeping between my teeth, eventually trickling down my throat.

"Are you okay up there?!" Vetor calls out.

"Yes I'm fine. I might just use my arms to pull me up the rest of the way. I don't want to slip like that again, I could fall!" I yell back, then spit a mouthful of blood below me.

"You can do it, my girl! Remember your training!" Modnar yells encouragingly.

As I pull myself up the vine, I let my legs dangle this time. I have no leverage, so it puts a lot of strain on my arms to lift all my body weight up the vine. Every couple of metres I'm swallowing blood from the gash on the inside of my mouth; it's so disgusting, but unavoidable. I'm determined to make it to the top, and no one is going to stop me.

Right arm, left arm, right arm, left arm. I'm quickly becoming very fatigued, but I have nowhere to rest until I reach the top.

"Just a few more metres. You can do it!" Zekai yells.

"Aarrgghh! Aarrgghh!" I scream as I pull myself up the vine.

My left hand grabs the top of the castle and I purposely give a huge sigh of relief. I place my right foot onto the side of the castle for leverage but my foot slips. My stomach crashes into the castle wall.

"Aarrgghhhhhhh!" I gasp, as I have just had all the oxygen escape the confines of my little stomach.

"Be careful, my girl. Don't let go!" Modnar shouts.

"I can't hang on much longer, Modnar! What am I going to do?"

"Not much we can do, my girl! Give it your all! One more time! We made it all the way here so you've got to persevere!" Modnar yells back.

I can feel myself slipping off the edge of the castle wall; this will make or break me, literally. I start to count to three in my brain, and on three, I jump for the top of the castle wall and pull myself up as hard as I could, yelling all the while.

As I pull my body over the top of the castle wall, I allow myself to drop onto the other side, about a metre drop. I lie on my back, swallowing blood while starting to relax my muscles.

"Wooohooo!"

"Great work, Syra! Could you please come down and raise the portcullis?" Zekai yells out.

"Gees, give me a minute" I yell, lying on my back, catching my breath.

I stand up and peer over the edge of the castle wall at my friends. It is quite a long way down, and I'm extremely glad to not have fallen; it would have been the end of me.

"Give me a few minutes; I'm going to have a look around first!" I call out.

"Wait Syra, don't go alone! It could be dangerous!" Vetor yells.

I ignore Vetor and venture into the castle via a spiral stairwell, ascending from the roof. I walk down the staircase, brushing cobwebs out of my face and making sure I keep my mouth shut. Wind is whistling down with me, making the silence seem more noticeable, and slightly creepier.

Once I get to the bottom of the staircase, it's easy to establish that the castle is abandoned. To be honest, I could have made that bet from outside by the condition of the castle. Definitely not 'fit for a king', that's for sure. There are spider webs everywhere, big thick ones. I draw Finito and start to chop through them; I'm sick of brushing them out of my face with my hands.

Inside the castle everything is constructed from stone; the walls, the floors, even the staircases; everything except doors and furniture. The only objects in this room are a few wooden cabinets that are tipped over, a broken table with an assortment of goblets scattered over the top, and another staircase in the far corner, which I assume leads down to the portcullis.

Approaching the top of another long spiral staircase, I begin to ponder. I really don't want to let the others in yet. I'm keen to meet Mevana, and tell her face to face what a great guy Rodland was; and tell her how distant he felt without her love. Naughty of me, I know; but that's how I do it. Considering he died, a female's touch on this matter might smooth it over like butter over bread.

I quickly descend the spiral staircase, and as I thought, I'm next to some double doors - with large round rings for handles; which I bet the portcullis is behind. Opposite the double doors is a long straight set of concrete steps, leading to a single door.

I avoid letting my friends in and start to scale the steps, with Finito in my right hand. I grip the handle as tight as I can, and to be fair I don't know what's come over me, wanting to venture in this castle alone. Maybe I've lost my marbles? Or maybe I'm just a junkie for adventure.

While I ascend the steps one by one, I'm still cutting spider webs out of the way. It's so disgusting, just to put it mildly. Who wouldn't be slightly bothered; they're constantly getting caught in my hair and face, and if your mouth gets caught open; in there too. I'm eager to get to the door at the top; I'm guessing it's the King's quarters. I so badly want to mix words with that pig, so I decide to try his room first. But I still have my doubts that anyone is actually in this castle.

Approaching the door, I sheathe Finito and place my palms on the round handle; gently easing it open. The door creaks open like it hasn't been opened in a century. When the door is only partly open, I decide I want to peek inside before pushing any further.

As I peer through the tiny gap, I see something very sad. It's something you don't see every day, and something they don't prepare you for in school, either. My stomach churns like a blender turning chunks of steak into a liquid drink. I'm not going to throw up, but it's not how I thought this 'Rodland situation' was going to pan out.

In the middle of the room is a stool, which is tipped over. Attached to a wooden board going across the top of the room is a rope. The noose on the rope is wrapped around the neck of a skeleton wearing a purple dress. On the floor beneath the body is a scroll, tied up with a red ribbon and a beautiful crown. I reluctantly put two and two together, and I'm guessing that this is Mevana.

I bend down by the body and pick up the scroll, which is covered in dust. Blowing the dust off, I start coughing as it spreads, polluting the air around me. There's so much dust I have to wipe the remainder off with my hands. I decide that I won't read the scroll by myself, as I have already seen enough; I better get back to the others. I will keep the contents of it secret, until the others get inside.

I quickly exit the room and I approach the doors, opening them without hesitation; excitement consumes my little mind. I always wanted to open a castle gate when I was a kid, but Mum would tell me that castles aren't around anymore. Well, she can scrub that old wives tale, because I'm now gripping a chain attached to the portcullis of a castle; I can't contain the inner child inside me.

As I pull the chain down, I can hear the cogs clanking and see the portcullis rising.

"Won't be a moment everyone!" I yell.

I continue pulling the chain down, until the portcullis is completely up.

"Syra, are you okay?" Vetor says, as he comes running into the castle.

"Yeah, but I have a feeling this scroll contains some bad news."

Modnar and Zekai are just behind Vetor, and I lead the three of them to the room containing the remains of the late Mevana. When they lay eyes on her, they seem as speechless as I was. What do you say when stuck in a situation like this?

"Quite a shock, don't you think? In a way, I'm glad Rodland didn't see this; he may have ended up next to her," I say.

"You may be right my girl. I'm very surprised to see Mevana like this," Modnar replies.

"Well, I found a scroll earlier, do you want me to read the contents?" I ask.

"Yes, go ahead. We need to hear it," Zekai says.

"Okay, here goes." I untie the ribbon, blow off remaining dust and hold the scroll open, preparing to read it aloud.

To whoever finds this letter

Thank you for the time you are about to spend reading this letter. I am Princess Mevana of Fonewar. You're probably asking yourself, why would a princess do this to herself? Where do I begin? My mother died when I was very young. It was hard growing up with only a father, and the only man I ever loved wasn't good enough in his eyes.

Rodland. What an amazing person he is. I cry as I write this, ending my existence because I can't be held in his arms every day. Don't worry my love; I will see you in the afterlife. There we will spend an eternity together, without my father; who will not get an afterlife for the foul deeds he has committed. When Akiad came to this castle all those years ago, demanding that he be his servant, he never even put up a fight. He allowed Akiad's men to slay all the warriors and staff of Fonewar Castle, and worst of all; he gave me an ultimatum, to marry Akiad, or be banished to this castle forever. I am disgusted to be related to him.

So here I am, writing this letter. Whoever reads this, I ask two things;

1. Find Rodland of Toolore village and tell him I love him, and I will see him in the afterlife.

2. Find my father, King Gurdon of Fonewar, and take his head; he doesn't need it where he's going.

In love forever

Mevana, Princess of Fonewar.

I can feel my throat choking up as I'm coming to the end, and by the time I finish I'm in tears. I'm horrified to read that letter; Modnar, Vetor and Zekai don't look like a bag of laughs either.

"Okay, that was a very sad letter, about a very touchy and personal subject. She was the true love of a good friend. But now we need to think; what is our plan? What are we going to do?" I ask.

Modnar walks up to the nearby window and wipes all the dust off it, peering outside at the kilometres of thorns.

"Modnar, what's wrong? Who's King Gurdon?" I ask, coming to stand behind him.

"Well, I can't really say I was ever close to Gurdon, that's certain; but I never knew he turned on his people, his warriors and worst of all; his own blood. It's making me very wild inside. Gurdon is Akiad's right hand man. I had assumed it was someone with the same name; not the King of Fonewar. It just shocked me a little!" Modnar replies, peering out the window.

I put my left hand on Modnar's right shoulder and spoke to him.

"Its fine Modnar, lets press on. Akiad is mine and Gurdon can be yours, okay? You better book in early because I'm pretty sure that Zekai and Vetor are quite keen to have a piece of him too!"

I partially draw Finito so I can look at the Arter Gem of Ice, then sheathe the blade again. It motivates me to press on and find the next Arter Gem, to become powerful enough to wipe all the scum off the face of this planet. I've got the power to change things on Tharp; and that is what I'll do; for the better.

"Let's go. I'm not even going to suggest checking the rest of the castle. We have to continue on to the Southern Arter Gem of Water. Zekai, can you please give me Rodland's gauntlet? I'll meet you all outside in a minute," I say.

Zekai hands me the gauntlet and the three of them leave the room.

I place the gauntlet on the ground next to Mevana's crown, and I realise something. What we have witnessed is so horrific. Back home on Earth, this would have been on the six o'clock news without fail. In Tharp, she doesn't even get a funeral. All she gets the promise of four warriors, that we will take Gurdon's head. I know that we will, you can count on that.

### XVI - Fighting, Escaping and That Familiar Feeling of Safety

After a few hours of walking, we finally arrive back safely at the fork in the road, and stop under the huge tree.

"Everyone, we need to focus. I know a lot has happened in the last day. We lost a close friend, and found out that the love of his life was dead too; but we need to put that behind us, and avenge their deaths honourably. Let's collect some wood from this tree and stay here for the night, take a well-deserved rest" I say as I start climbing the tree.

"I'll help! It sounds like a great idea!" Vetor replies as he approaches the tree to scale it.

"Hold on you two; we can't stay here over night. It would be safer to walk all night than rest here. The Givou that stalk this area, prey on the flesh of any travellers that stop to rest in the vicinity, and they always hunt in packs of six, minimum" Modnar explains.

"So? One of us stays guard all night? We can alternate for a period of time each? We need to rest now because if we don't, when will our next opportunity be? I'll start the shift" I reply.

"Well, don't blame me if trouble comes; but you are our leader my girl, and a great one at that," Modnar says, tapping me on the shoulder.

Nightfall consumes the sky and the men are all asleep. It's about half an hour into my shift. Typical of me coming up with this ridiculous idea, 'I'll watch first'. Watch what? It's dead quiet. If I was on Earth, I'd be able to hear an abundance of crickets. Then all of a sudden, I can hear a faint noise in the distance; it sounds like howling. It's coming from behind me, from the direction of Fonewar Castle. I draw Finito and turn towards the howling, but now I can hear howling behind me.

Turning around again, I can see what must be a Givou creeping slowly towards me. It looks like a grey wolf, with a mane like a lion as white as the moon. I glance into its red eyes, and the stare I receive in return is fierce. It starts snarling and showing its teeth with saliva dribbling from its mouth. We are clearly its dinner.

"Come boy! What are you waiting for? Come on!" I say as I hold Finito out in front of me, gripping the hilt.

I continue to taunt the Givou. I turn around again, and can now see a whole pack of Givou. Modnar was right all along; now I'm just waiting for the first Givou to make its move.

"Come on! What are you waiting for?" I taunt the Givou.

Out of the corner of my eye I notice Vetor arise. He starts quietly waking the others. As the first two Givou jump towards me, I stab Finito into the ground and yell,

"Ice spikes!"

The two Givou are in mid-flight when the ice spikes skewer them right through their stomachs. Blood and guts gush out like a water fountain. I retrieve Finito from the ground and prepare to fight, as the ice spikes that killed the Givou retract into the ground, leaving their bloody corpses.

The third Givou jumps towards me, so I drop to the ground and allow it to leap over me. When I try to get up, Zekai slithers in front of me and stabs his spear straight through the Givou's head from above.

I jump back to my feet, and two more Givou are charging towards me. Vetor leaps at one from the side, slicing it in half horizontally; blood and organs spill out onto the ground. The fourth Givou is leaping towards me, so I duck straight to the ground onto my back and slice from right to left, taking its head clean off. Blood squirts out all over me as the head rolls away like a soccer ball.

Modnar points his staff towards two more of the incoming Givou, and his flurry of fireballs engulfs them; the two Givou run around in circles screaming as they burn to death. Zekai jams his spear through one of the burning Givou and holds its body over the fire.

"Great! Anyone for dinner?" Zekai says sarcastically as he's toasting his burnt Givou like it is a shish kebab.

The last burning Givou is running around, burning and yelping like an injured puppy. As it passes me, I drop to the ground and stab diagonally down through the head, pinning it to the ground.

"Is that all of them?" I ask.

"Probably not. Keep on your toes; I expect them to try surprise us with another wave!" Zekai replies.

"Yes, Zekai is right. The Givou will attack with another wave shortly; it's inevitable!" Modnar says, looking around frantically.

The four of us are quite out of breath. Modnar predicted this attack, and worn out is a mild translation of how we're feeling; we're panting like we'd just finished running a marathon.

Suddenly, I hear more growling in the distance. We keep our weapons drawn with our backs to each other, rotating so we have all our directions covered. I am facing south, Modnar is facing west, and Vetor is facing north and Zekai to the east. Givou have surrounded us from every direction. I can see at least four Givou approaching from the south, let alone what the others could see.

"Psst Modnar; ummm; are we going to die?" I whisper.

"Of course not, Syra. How confident are you with your Ice Shower?"

"I've used it once, so yeah as you can imagine, I'm an expert," I say sarcastically.

"Well it would help us wipe out a lot of them. I never told you, but when you originally cast that spell, three of your ice meteors hit me; just passed straight through me, like I was invisible. I think it only hurts those that you want it to. That's how much power you have. You didn't realise that?" Modnar whispers.

"Okay, I'll try that spell again. I'm sorry in advance, if I manage to hurt any of you."

"Cast it, Syra! We trust you, and our time is running out!" Zekai whispers, looking over his right shoulder.

The Givou are closing in on us. I have no choice but to do as Modnar instructed. Hopefully, no harm will come to my friends.

I point Finito in the air and yell at the top of my lungs.

"Ice shower!"

The same sensation

instantly comes over me; my arm is stuck in the air behind me, holding Finito in the direction of the stars, and just like before, huge ice rocks start crashing down onto the ground directly around us. Each ice rock is much bigger than last time, about the size of the average car; each piece connects with the ground and shatters into smaller pieces. As the car sized rocks falls from the sky, it almost seems like I have some sort of control over them; one ice rock fall from the sky and as my hand is stuck in place, my mind is able to control the flight path of the ice rock. I crash one straight into the pack of four Givous in front of me. When the ice rock makes contact with them, it squashes them like an elephant standing on a rout of snails – not the best way to go. The shrapnel from the ice rock flies into another Givou. I stare in that Givou's direction and guide the next ice rock straight into it. When the ice rock shatters the Givou explodes all over us.

"Woohoo! Modnar, I'm doing it! I'm guiding the ice rocks to where I want them to go; just like you said!" I yell towards Modnar excitedly.

"That's it, my girl! Now kill them a little further away, if that's possible" Modnar replies.

As more ice rocks crash into the ground all around us, I call out to my companions.

"Just attack, the ice rocks won't hurt you all! Ignore them, I've got it under control!" I say as another Givou dies.

Modnar, Vetor and Zekai back away from me and start approaching the Givou in their own style.

"Come to me, don't be scared!" Zekai yells as he holds his spear out in front of him.

Two Givous jump towards Zekai, who leans back and stabs both of them through the stomach with just one thrust. He smiles when he sees the two dead Givou on his spear. Zekai plunges his spear towards a third Givou, jamming it straight down its throat. Ice rocks continue to crash down all around us; making a quick mess of any Givou they make contact with.

Vetor is vigorously sweeping his axe backwards and forwards in a horizontal motion. As each Givou leaps towards him, they all get the same outcome; sliced in half, horizontally through the mouth.

"Come on Modnar, you're getting slow in your old age!" Vetor says sarcastically.

Three Givou in the distance set their eyes upon Modnar, but he doesn't look the slightest bit fazed.

"Umm Modnar, would you stop biting your nails and attack them?!" Vetor yells in frustration.

Modnar stands there in a casual manner while ice rocks are crashing down all around him, continuing to bite his fingernails on his right hand; at the same time he waves his left hand in the air, toward the incoming Givou. A powerful gust of wind comes from Modnar's backhand, and blows three Givou flying off the cliffside.

Vetor rapidly charges two Givou and leaps towards them, and while mid-flight, he flips and comes down with a huge vertical chop; helpful that they're in single file. The insides fly towards Vetor, and he slips on the ground from all the excess blood.

"Vetor, I thought I'd SLIP in a joke," I quip, as an ice rock flattens three Givou before shattering everywhere.

"Not the best time to joke!" Vetor replies, swiping at another Givou.

"There's always time to joke" I reply.

Zekai slithers my direction, and starts to guard me; two more Givou approach us. I really hope this spell ends soon; or I could end up lunch.

"Zekai, you've got this" I yell.

"Easy for you to say, you're behind me."

"Well, some of us can move; just saying" I joke.

Zekai launches towards one of the Givou, and stabs straight through its' left eye; the spear easily pierces through and stabs straight into its midsection.

"Hungry?" Zekai quips, bashing the other Givou with his spear.

As he finishes his strike, the Givou on his spear flies through the air, and connects with the other Givou; they both fall off the cliff. Zekai slithers towards me and protects me while I'm still frozen in place.

The last ice rock falls from the sky and crushes a nearby Givou; but when the rock connects with it, something quite different happens. The ice rock morphed into what appears to be a snow leopard, female too. It's about the size of a car, and shimmering like a block of ice. Its dark blue eyes hypnotize me with their beauty; they make you see this raw innocence, but are ferocious at the same time. There are black patches scattered all over its' white coat; it looks exactly how I imagined it to. Its' tail is quite long, and becomes slightly bushier towards the end; the black patches are a little larger on the end of the tail. I love its' beautiful snow white hair, making up the underbelly of its fur. I could marvel at its beauty all day; but now's not the time.

I finally gain control of my arm, and drop Finito; the snow leopard growls at my companions and approaches me.

"Wait, wait, wait. Modnar, explain?" I say, walking backwards, away from the snow leopard.

"Did you summon this?" Modnar asks.

"I don't know, explain later? Calm down big cat, calm down."

The large snow leopard continues to stalk me; I'm starting to believe Modnar, maybe I summoned this. The Givou makes me think of how much I love snow leopards. So maybe this is why a snow leopard manifested itself from a block of ice.

"Stay back," Zekai says, holding his spear in front of him.

"It's fine Zekai. Syra, control it, don't fear it" Modnar replies.

The snow leopard approaches me, and I can hear it purring. I reach forward and run my fingers through the fur on its face; my teeth start to chatter, as my fingers feel like frozen chips. The snow leopard closes its eyes and tips its head sideways.

"Chase away the Givou for me" I say, before pointing at the remaining Givou.

The snow leopard turns and roars in the direction of the Givou, sending them away in fear; then turns towards me and shatters into thousands of small fragments of ice.

I drop to my knees in complete exhaustion; I'm so glad the Givou look like they're escaping, as I just don't have the energy in me. I look around and notice that there are mushed bodies, guts, and pieces of ice everywhere. It looks like an entire massacre took place here.

"Syra, what just happened??" Vetor asks.

"I don't know, but I think Modnar was right; I summoned that snow leopard."

"Wow" Vetor replies.

"I'm glad you did, as their numbers were overwhelming" Zekai adds.

"Well done, my girl. That was a powerful summon indeed. Hopefully you can control it next time?" Modnar says.

"Modnar, can you please be on watch next? I'm shattered!" I ask.

"Not a problem at all, my girl. I don't think we will see any Givou for the rest of the night, but better to be safe than sorry. And well done everyone; that battle became a tad hairy then. And Syra, a special mention for you. Your ice powers saved the day."

Everybody briefly starts clapping.

"Awwww shucks, no need to clap. We really should try get some sleep everyone. See you in the morning," I say, rolling on my side.

As Vetor, Zekai and I start to go to sleep, I watch Modnar nibble at his nails for a few moments; I'm still trying to make sense of our battle. How did I summon a snow leopard? It was clearly available for my protection; but that doesn't really answer my question. Am I able to summon it whenever I cast my ice shower spell? I suppose I can prod Modnar for information tomorrow; now is the time for sleep.

The next morning, I awake to the beautiful rays of the sun, glaring into my eyes. I look straight at Modnar, who is still standing in the exact same place; he hasn't moved a muscle. The only thing that has changed is that he isn't chewing his fingernails. Vetor yawns and starts to wake.

"Good morning, Modnar; do you want a few minutes sleep? Or maybe even an hour? You never woke any of us up to swap shifts," Vetor asks, stretching and yawning.

"No, it's fine. My efforts were minimal compared to the melee tussle that we had before. Your bodies must have been exhausted. Don't worry; we'll depart in a few moments, once everyone is ready."

I actually feel a little sorry for Modnar, but what can you do? He's as stubborn as my mum.

Zekai wakes and starts to stretch his arms and click his fingers. While yawning, his back starts to click in several different places, prompting him to finally say something.

"Good morning. I'm quickly becoming accustomed to falling asleep on the ground; I slept like the deceased and didn't wake once," Zekai says, propping himself up.

"Good morning, Zekai. That's great you're adjusting, because there's not much we can do to make it more comfortable," I say as I help Vetor back to his feet.

"Everyone ready to depart?" Modnar asks.

"Yes," we all reply simultaneously like a bunch of whinging five year olds.

"Let's go" Modnar says.

This time when we leave our camp spot, we take the right path. Nothing is visually different to the left path at all; it contains the same high cliffs, either side of the narrow, one metre wide path. It also gives me the same claustrophobic feeling as well. We are heading through this narrow trench in single file. I'm leading, followed by Modnar, then Vetor third and Zekai at the back. I'm walking at a fairly brisk pace, so we can progress towards our goal that little bit faster.

"Modnar, how far are we from the Southern Arter Gem? Have we anything to worry about?" I ask while we walk.

"No, nothing for you to worry about. We've established that you and Vetor can swim, so I don't see any hassle," Modnar replies.

"Well, can you expand on this a little? How much swimming are you talking about; anything to worry about?"

"Just the Zilphee tribe, but they haven't attacked anyone in years. We should be fine."

"And... continuing with the expanding" I say sarcastically, waving my left wrist around, signalling him to continue.

"Well the Zilphee tribe are an underwater race of warriors. Essentially, they are half human, half fish; they can't live on land at all. So if the Zilphee caves ever dry up, then their race will quickly become extinct."

"And their underwater skills? Are they excellent fighters? Should we be worried? Do they pose a threat to us?"

Zekai jumps in at this point.

"Modnar, I've got this. The Zilphee tribe aren't the best fighters, but compared to how much underwater melee experience we have, they could give us a little bit of trouble. Don't worry; I'm quite adept at underwater combat, so we shouldn't have too much to worry about. It's quite likely that they won't even attack us. Their way of eating is sucking their victim's blood through their gills."

"I'm actually quite calm, nothing to worry about, right?" I joke.

"Nothing at all Syra, nothing at all."

I'm a tad nervous for this underwater section of our journey. Battling underwater isn't something that Vetor and I trained for; so some improvisation will be in order, this is certain.

We finally reach the end of the long, claustrophobic cliff path, and in front of us is a huge cave. The opening to the cave is large enough to fit a few people, sloping downward into deep water.

"Vetor and I are humans, so we can't just breathe underwater; we have to hold our breath, and that's for a maximum of thirty seconds, if that. Sorry, that's not going to make life any easier is it?" I say.

"Well, in certain sections of the Zilphee caves, there are areas where the water, doesn't touch the top of the cave. You can pop your heads up to breathe in those areas. They are like pockets of air, within the cave. Zekai can breathe underwater, but I too must get air. So you, Vetor and I are in the same situation," Modnar replies, messing my hair with his left hand.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you all. Wait here a few moments, I'll swim down and assess the cave; see if it's even realistic to send you all down there," Zekai says before tightly gripping his spear and diving into the water.

Other than being dark, the water is quite clear. Zekai swims around down there for about thirty seconds before surfacing from his descent, explaining what he's seen.

"Well, no sign of the Zilphee tribe yet, but roughly about every ten metres is an area you can surface for air, so no need to worry," Zekai says as he bobs in the water.

"Here goes nothing," I mutter to myself before diving into the water.

The four of us dive under the surface of the water and into the Zilphee caves. I hold my breath and swim forward, following Zekai. I'm a much more confident swimmer than Vetor, so I grab his wrist, and help him swim to the first air pocket.

"Yes, air! Thanks for helping me, I'm not the best swimmer" Vetor gasps as we both surface. I nod at Vetor's response as Modnar surfaces.

"I've been alive for millennia, I'll be damned if I die in this horrid place" Modnar says as he gasps for air.

I look below me and Zekai is in battle mode. He is holding his spear out in front, glancing in every direction, prepared for any hostile activity.

"Are you two ready? We dive on three! One, two, three!" As I say three, Modnar, Vetor and I dive under the water and swim to the next air pocket. Zekai leads the way, with his spear out in front.

As we swim, I'm getting extremely nervous. At the moment, Zekai is the only person who's useful. All that Modnar, Vetor and I can do is swim for our lives. I can't use ice powers underwater, it would freeze the water, thus freezing us. Even Modnar is somewhat limited; Zekai is our only hope.

"Sweet you two, we're doing great! How much more is there of this? Much further?" I say, moments after surfacing in the second air pocket.

"We have at least a few more kilometres of swimming, sorry to say" Modnar replies.

"Great, that's the best news I've heard all day," I say sarcastically.

"Now, now. If we took the long way to Neca city, it'd take us a few more weeks, rather than a day. Let's dive back under on three," Modnar says, then counts down.

On three, we dive under the water for the third time. Zekai is protecting us, like we're as important as the President of the United States. He's like our own personal armed guard. It makes me feel a little safer, knowing that we have someone who can defend us, as we are defenceless. It gets me thinking though. I feel suspicion sweep over me like a cold shiver; why has no one attacked us yet? It's far too quiet for my liking; in my mind I had been betting that we would have been attacked by now, but we haven't.

As we reach the third air pocket I feel bubbles rush past my legs. I quickly look around before I surface, but it's too dark to see anything.

"Did you two feel the bubbles go past your leg? Honestly I felt it! It's got to be the Zilphee tribe!"

"It may be them, but what are we going to do? We've made it this far, so we must carry on! Zekai, up here!" Vetor replies.

I start waving my hands, encouraging Zekai to surface next to us.

"Zekai, did you feel the bubbles go past you before? The Zilphee tribe are closing in for the kill, aren't they?" I ask.

"Yes, they are near. My Oathient instincts are picking up their movements. We will move on three to the next air pocket," Zekai says before starting the countdown.

After the count of three, we dive under and swim towards the next air pocket; all except for Zekai. His instincts make him move slower and stay underwater. He knows that a Zilphee attack is imminent. I can only hope the fate of my friend doesn't end up like Rodland's.

Zekai overtakes us and we follow him. I feel bubbles rub against my skin again, which makes me panic a little.

Suddenly, three of the Zilphee tribe come out of hiding and rush towards Zekai; I finally get to properly see what they look like. They don't have mouths, just eyes. A small yellow fin runs from the top of their head half way down their back; and their scales are blue in colour, which shimmer silver occasionally. Gills are on their chests and the bottom half of their bodies are a huge fish tail.

With his spear out in front, Zekai doesn't show the slightest bit of fear. Modnar, Vetor and I slip past them towards the corner of the underwater cave to get to the fourth air pocket.

The three attackers circle Zekai, like sharks surrounding their prey; but he doesn't move a muscle. He stays still, grips his spear and looks forward. The Zilphee tribe are taunting Zekai, circling him, pretending to rush forward to attack but not going through with it. I can see the frustration on his face.

As Modnar, Vetor and I bob in the air pocket, I begin thinking; I just wish I could go down and help Zekai kill them. I've had enough and decide to speak my mind.

"I don't care what you two do; I'm heading down to help Zekai. They are only attacking him because he appears to be stronger than them, and he's alone. I'm guessing that's how the Zilphee tribe operates" I say, before diving underwater.

"Are you crazy? Zekai said not to go there, and you went there! Wait, she can't hear me can she? Modnar, I'm heading under as well!" Vetor says as he joins me under the water.

The Zilphee tribe continue to circle Zekai, but I can't wait any longer. I grab the tail of the next passing Zilphee warrior, which makes it look my direction. I swim away as fast as I can, and the Zilphee warrior chases me, bowling Vetor out of the way in the process. I quickly grab a breath of air, and dive back underwater.

The warrior swings towards me, and I swim down as fast as possible; then grab a handful of gills and start to pull on them. The Zilphee warrior starts to twitch like crazy. I suppose I'd do the same, if someone grabbed a hold of my lungs. At the same time, Zekai starts defending himself from the attackers. One of the Zilphee warriors swims towards Zekai; he instinctively ducks and stabs it through the stomach. The other Zilphee warrior grabs Zekai, forcing him to let go of his spear; he begins wrestling with the warrior.

As they relentlessly punch each other, all you can see is red blood infest the water. I let go of the Zilphee warrior I'm tussling with, and swim back up for air. The Zilphee warrior follows me, but stays very clear of the air pocket, which I think is weird.

"Modnar, will air kill these creatures? It seems scared to approach the pocket of air. We have nothing to lose if you're unsure. I'm going to try push him out into the air, but I'll need some help," I say quickly between breaths.

I dive underwater to approach the Zilphee warrior, and Vetor has already grabbed its tail. As it turns around to attack Vetor, I rush in and get a handful of its gills, gripping as hard as I possibly can. Bubbles start rushing through my fingertips, so I tighten my grip on its gills, pulling it to the surface. Vetor pushes the Zilphee warrior from underneath, and it wriggles to try escape our grasp. Modnar dives underneath the water and helps us pull the creature to the surface.

From all the movement underwater and the pollution of blood, I assume Zekai is still fist fighting with the warrior below us. In a clear patch of water we finally see Zekai and the Zilphee warrior wrestling; after a few punches from Zekai, blood gushes from the Zilphee warrior making the water bloody again. Zekai and the warrior are both trying their hardest to break the others hand first. Zekai wraps both his arms around the attacker's shoulders so he could barely move, and delivers a powerful head butt; he hits the warrior so hard that he breaks not only the warrior's nose, but his own as well. A shark back home on Earth would have a field day in these waters. In fact, there's enough blood in the water to attract all the sharks in the Southern Hemisphere. Isn't that a scary thought?

Suddenly, Zekai swims right up to the warrior. He puts his arms around it, like he is trying to give it a hug. The Zilphee warrior squirms, desperately trying to escape Zekai's grip, but he doesn't let go. His grip gets gradually tighter, until we hear the muffled sound of the bones in its neck and back snap.

Once the bones in the warriors back are broken, Zekai lowers the warrior down until its head is by Zekai's waist. He puts its neck under his right armpit and locks his grip; he clenches so tight that he detaches the warrior's head and leaves it to float around in the water, along with its body. To tell the truth; body organs aren't any prettier floating about in the water either.

During Zekai's battle, Modnar, Vetor and I keep trying to pull the other Zilphee warrior to the surface, and it's wriggling as hard as it possibly can.

Zekai pulls his spear out of the dead warrior, and rushes to our aid. He shunts the Zilphee warrior really hard from underneath; its head is out of the water, exposing it to the air.

The Zilphee warrior's flesh is burning like hydrochloric acid on human flesh. We grab as much of the warrior as possible, and hold it in the air pocket. It's spectacular to see, and reminds me of when you put salt onto a snail. Its flesh is bubbling and pieces of its head start dropping into the water, like ice cream falling from a cone melting in the sun. I hope it dies soon, because I know I'm almost out of breath, and I'm pretty sure that Modnar and Vetor are too.

Floating on the surface of the water above us are pieces of flesh, so I can't see much of the deceased. I have to let go and rush up to the surface for air. Modnar and Vetor follow my lead and come up for air too.

As soon as I gasp for air, pieces of the creature's skin float into my open mouth. I immediately spit them out and start gagging.

"Zilphee flesh is disgusting!" I say, catching my breath.

"Yeah, I bet. I was in dire need of some oxygen, but we had to continue to hold that creature out of the water! Is it dead?" Vetor asks.

"I'll check," I say as I wipe the flesh from my face.

I brush the water with my hands, moving all the chunks of flesh out of the way; then peer into the water. The Zilphee warrior doesn't have much of a head left. It's quite disgusting, but relieving. The whole situation is freaky, I feel useless not being able to fight or use magic. I'm sure Vetor and Modnar feel the same as me and are just as frustrated.

Zekai stabs the dead warrior as well, just in case it's still alive, and when he surfaces, he catches his breath and speaks.

"I'm so proud of all of you. Very risky tactic indeed, but it worked. I really appreciated your help. I wasn't exactly scared, but you never know when your time's up. We all know that now, as what we saw with our late friend, Rodland. Let's have a few minutes rest and collect our thoughts, then continue."

Looking at my companions, I can see they all share the same look of exhaustion. I think we should rest after these caves; we didn't exactly get a proper rest before these caverns because of the Givou.

"Ready, on three, then we dive under! Zekai, could you please dive under and take position. One, two, three!" I say.

Zekai leads the way for us and gives us safe passage to the next air pocket. We're all on alert for the Zilphee tribe attacking us again. Without much hesitation, we continue from one air pocket to the next. We haven't been in trouble since our last tussle; it's like they are too scared after the last few of their brothers were brutally murdered. I'm glad that we've put that much fear into them; leave us alone already.

Thirty minutes of swimming pass, and when we surface in the last air pocket of the Zilphee cave, Zekai surfaces with us and speaks.

"The exit to the caves is just up ahead. A few moments after I dive under, you three head for the exit and wait for me, understand?"

"Okay Zekai. Modnar, Vetor, you two follow my lead!" I say.

After Zekai dives under the water I quickly swim behind him, with Modnar and Vetor following closely. Modnar is holding Vetor's left wrist, pulling him through the water. We approach the exit of the Zilphee caves, excitement making us increase our swimming speed. Zekai stays behind us with his back towards the exit, protecting us and making sure of our safe escape. He nods our direction, signalling us to escape above his head.

Modnar, Vetor and I exit the underwater cave, and lie down to catch our breath, awaiting Zekai's arrival. Zekai looks over his right shoulder towards us, making sure that we are all safe, when the Zilphee tribe attack. Two warriors bash into Zekai's stomach, instantly winding him.

"I wonder if Zekai is alive. I'll head over to the water and see" I say, walking over and peering into the water.

Zekai drops his spear, and is pinned to the cavern floor by the two warriors. Squirming with all his might, he can't free himself.

"I'm going in! He's in trouble! Stand guard here!" I say.

I dive under the water, and see Zekai struggling to escape their grip. I swim up to one of the two Zilphee warriors and grab a handful of gills. The warrior lets go of Zekai and starts twitching. Faced with only one opponent, Zekai's retaliation begins. He grabs the other Zilphee warrior and starts repeatedly punching it in the face. I let of the warrior's gills and swim full speed for the exit, letting myself fly out of the water.

The Zilphee warrior stops right by the surface, scared out of its wits; it stares at me from below the surface of the water, like I'm an option on the menu for dinner.

Zekai sees an opportunity arise, and stops battling with the Zilphee warrior; he accelerates towards the warrior that's staring at me, and rams into its back, causing it to fly out of the water and land outside of the Zilphee caves. As its body makes contact with the air, it starts burning like acid. The warrior flaps around like a fish out of water. Its skin is bubbling away as the air burns it off; it sounds like bacon frying on a pan.

"Where's Zekai?" I yell as I scramble onto my feet.

Zekai doesn't bother to retrieve his spear. Instead, he waits patiently by the exit of the caves for the warrior to approach him. The warrior starts wrestling with Zekai, both of them slugging each other with a flurry of punches. Zekai head-butts the warrior, knocking it back about five metres. In response, it swims towards Zekai at full pace; Zekai grabs the warrior around the waist and uses its momentum to force them out of the water.

Zekai immediately lets go of the Zilphee warrior; it starts to bubble away and flap around. It's disgusting to look at, yet relieving in a crazy way.

Zekai lands on his arm as he hits the ground, squinting his face in pain.

"Aarrgghh!" Zekai yells.

"Zekai, it's dislocated; this is going to hurt a little. I'm going to crack it back into place. One, two, three!" Modnar says as he wrenches Zekai's arm back.

It's the loudest cracking noise that I've ever heard. If you had cracked a whip, that would have made less noise.

"Aarrgghh! That did the trick, thank you. The saviour, every time!" Zekai says, rotating his shoulder.

The four of us stand in silence, watching the dying warriors in front of us. Both of them are moaning as they flap around, sizzling like a couple of BBQ sausages hot on the grill. Within a few minutes, both Zilphee warriors are reduced to a pile of ashes.

"They really like air, don't they?" Vetor jokes.

We all start laughing hysterically. Typical of Vetor to say such a comment at an extremely serious time, but it's good to have a laugh. The last section of the journey has been less comedic, and losing Rodland took its toll on the four of us. So I must say, getting the giggles back into us is a good thing.

As we recover from our fit of laughter, we focus into the distance. I can see a small town several kilometres away. The path to the town is dead straight, and it's dirt all the way. Beautiful trees are a few metres away, on either side of the dirt road, all the way to the town, and just beyond the trees there is grass as far as the eye can see.

"This is giving me Deja vu of the Waikato; Modnar, what's that city in the distance?" I ask.

"To be honest my girl, I don't know. I never knew there was a city between the Zilphee caves and Neca City."

Modnar pulls out an old map of Tharp and starts searching for the town.

"I didn't know there was a village there; it has to be new" Modnar says, sounding puzzled while he looks at his map.

"I never knew a city was here" Zekai adds, sounding equally puzzled.

This makes me confused as well. Between Modnar and Zekai, we usually have someone who knows what we are approaching. But mixed with my confusion is excitement. None of us have seen this town, so it is uncharted territory to all of us.

I look into the distance and notice three human looking elderly men approaching us.

"'Allo luv, welcome to our village which remin's us of 'ome. We 'ave travelers of Tharp stop in our village while they're passin' through the area," the elderly man says.

Before I reply, I soak in what has just happened; an elderly gentleman – with two friends; appears to be from Earth, and speaks with what sounds like a Yorkshire accent. The three gentlemen are dressed in clothes that look like they're from Earth, and they are also wearing cloth caps. From where we are standing, the village looks like it's from Earth too. As I look to the right of the village, I can see cows in a large, fenced off area, which makes me extra suspicious. Now, I have some questions.

"Sorry luv, m' name is Brian. I'm the Mayor of tha Village of Elte. An' these are m' friends, Michael an' John," Brian says.

"Hi Brian, I'm Syra, and these are my friends from left to right. Vetor, Modnar and Zekai. Vetor and I are from Earth as well! I'm from a small country called New Zealand. We found Tharp through some sort of magical rift in our local university. Did you get here from that same rift?"

"Well Syra, our 'ole village lives in Tharp now. We're all gettin' on in life, and w' lookin' for some excitement, to mek the remainder of our existence worth livin'. Our local doctor Corey, was always goin' on long trips an' never dropped any 'ints of where 'e went. I stumbled across this suspicious lookin' door at the en' of the infirmary in our village. When I opened the door, this 'uge demon guarded some large double doors. I sneaked past when it were sleeping, went through the doors, an' ended up in an exact replica of the room that I was just in. It was actually a duplicate of our infirmary back 'ome. Once I lef' the buildin', I saw Corey constructin' an 'ouse in this great land. 'E wer shocked to see me at furst, but I 'elped him in tah build 'is 'ouse. We eventually tol' the village, and wi all moved to Tharp. WI 'ave bin 'ere for abart a year an' couldn' be 'appier," Brian says.

Before I answer, I put my hand on Vetor's right shoulder and signal him to follow me.

"Can we have a moment please, Brian?" I ask.

Vetor and I move a few metres away from Brian and his friends and mix words.

"Vetor, this is quite serious. What if word gets out? Yes Tharp has its own issues, but if Earth found out about Tharp, humans would be all over this place like an infectious rash!" I whisper.

"Let's just take each moment as it approaches us, and find out more about the town and its occupants. I too am a little bit suspicious."

"Sounds like a plan!" I say, putting my right hand out to shake his before walking back towards Brian.

"So Brian, lead us to the pub. Can I assume that your village has a pub? We're all a little bit thirsty!" I say, smiling. Brian grins broadly.

"Aye lass, what would a Yorkshire village be, wi'out a pub. Am reet bloody proud, tah 'ave finally met some other people from back 'ome. Am reet proud, an' that's a fact," Brian replies.

We head towards Elte, and I finally feel at home for the first time in a long while. But my instincts are on high alert. I don't want us to relax so much that suspicion gets swept under the rug.

### XVII - To See or Not to See

As we enter the village of Elte, Brian proudly waffles on about his town, while I survey the area. The houses are all made of stone with rooves of slate; much like a village in Yorkshire. The building to the right of us has smoke coming out of the chimney; I assume there are occupants inside. There is a large two story house near the centre of the town, and in the actual center, where the crossroads meet, is an unusually vast empty space, where you'd normally have a well, monument or a flower garden. It's suspiciously open, and it flares up my intuition like a roman candle on Guy Fawkes Day. Zekai already mentioned that this town's uncharted on his map. Any normal person would class that as suspicious; it's enough of a reason to investigate further.

While I remain locked away with my own thoughts, Brian is leading us towards the building with the smoke coming out of the chimney. The sign above the front door says it all; 'The Leaky Boot'. I'm assuming this is the pub. Great place to start Brian, I'm excited. The front door has an old round metal handle, in the shape of a ring, just like an old castle or dungeon, which Brian opens without hesitation.

"Welcome 'ome," Brian says as he signals us to step inside with his right hand.

We all mutter 'Yes' together and step inside; the moment we enter the pub all the locals stop what they're doing and look our way. They start murmuring between themselves - a mix of different responses, too hard to make out anything - then carry on with what they were doing, after a wink and a nod from Brian.

The ambience is exactly what I expect, and secretly desire; from the fantastic smells of bacon and eggs, to the pungent aroma of earthy piped tobacco smoked by several of the local males. An elderly woman and man are igniting a fire in the fireplace, while some villagers are busy playing dominos; a group of people are playing poker, while others are having a game of darts. My body is tingly all over, and I'm filling with excitement by the second; I'm witnessing a taste of Planet Earth, and I want more.

Paintings are pinned up around the room; the taller wooden tables have stools around them; the lower tables are part of a booth. The entire pub is made out of old, very strong wood; looks like oak. Varnished wooden floors, wooden ceilings that arched into a triangle, with wooden beams two metres apart, running parallel the entire length of the ceiling; wooden bar top - with a few selections of local beer on tap - and wooden doors. The patterns in the wood are trippy to me, because they have so many rings. I was taught in school that this determined the age of the wood; clearly the wood used in here must be very old. Amazing architecture and breath-taking environment, giving me nostalgia for home. Now that I think of it, the place really does remind me of what I've seen of old English pubs. What an honour it is to finally be in one, I can remove it from my bucket list.

Vetor and I run full speed for the bar and as we both arrive say simultaneously,

"One glass of whiskey and cola please!"

We turn and look at each other.

"Hey, I said it first!" I say, laughing.

"No, I'm quite certain I did! But hey, ladies first!" Vetor replies.

"Thanks Vetor, that's very sweet of you," I say, blushing a little.

"'ere yeh are, two Whiskeys an' that'll be six Ralop tah," the bartender says, sliding our two drinks on the bar top in front of us.

I turn towards Vetor and we look at each other; Vetor's face has such sad expression on it, and I'm guessing mine is the same.

"Don't worry Fred, 'ave got this. Jus' put it on m' tab," Brian says to the bartender.

"Righto Brian," Fred replies.

"Thank you so much, Brian. We've both been craving a whiskey and cola for such a long time!" I say gratefully.

"Now you younguns, why are yeh both armed to the teeth?" Brian asks, washing some glasses in the sink at the bar.

Before I have a chance to reply, I look down at my left wrist; my Brotherhood of Guytz seal is moving.

"Psst Vetor, there's a Brotherhood member somewhere in this town," I whisper in his ear.

Vetor looks alarmed, then glances down at the seal on his left wrist and notices it moving as well.

"Excuse me Brian, we'll be back soon. We don't mean to be rude," Vetor says.

Vetor looks at me and nods, then we proceed to start searching the room.

The only table in the room that's free is in the far left corner. I don't know what it is, but I have a strange feeling about that table. I approach the table and sit down, and a few seconds later I can hear someone whispering.

"Psst! Is that you Syra?" the voice says in a distinctive Kiwi accent.

I almost fall out of my chair. I can feel chills go up my spine and if I had hairs on my back, they'd be standing! Where is this voice coming from??

"Please don't panic; meet me outside the back of the tavern in three minutes. Don't tell anyone, okay?" the voice says, and the chair on the opposite side of the table gently moves away from it; enough for a person to stand up from. Shortly afterwards, I see the back door to the pub open and close, with no one visibly doing it. It's not hard to guess that this man is invisible.

His voice sounds like a kiwi male in his forties, but knowing that doesn't make me any less worried about his whereabouts. The scariest part is that the Kiwi accent flowing out of his mouth is familiar.

I quickly approach the back door of the pub, but before I can open it, I feel a tap on my right shoulder.

"Syra, is everything fine? Why are you heading outside?" Modnar asks, sounding quite suspicious of my actions.

"I'm just getting some fresh air. Phew, this whiskey is going straight to my head! Meet you inside in a few minutes" I reply before sculling the rest of my glass of whiskey.

I pass my empty glass to Modnar, then head outside the pub.

When I look around, all I can see is lush green pastures, fenced off paddocks, an abundance of cows, and one lone tree, right by the fence. I say to myself; this invisible entity could be anywhere.

"I'm outside now, where are you? I don't have time to just muck around, show yourself!" I yell out.

I draw Finito and hold it out in front of me. I won't lie; I'm a little afraid. How can you hurt someone you can't see?

"Getting violent won't solve anything, Syra. You're too gentle to attack without reason!" the invisible being says.

I look around frantically and I still can't see anything. In the movies, invisible people have at least a shimmer, or something. This person has nothing. Is it even a person? I can't tell as I can't confirm anything, as I see nobody.

"I'm not going to hurt you, so please feel free to sheathe your weapon. I shall reveal myself as soon as I feel your nerves have settled," the invisible being says.

"Are you part of the Brotherhood? Why is your voice so familiar, yet I haven't met you before? Explain that invisible man!" I reply in a sarcastic tone.

"There's no way that you could have heard my voice before. I have heard of you before, because your existence on Tharp is so honoured. When I first heard news of you, I found it hard to believe that a human could possibly be the saviour of Tharp; humans are so powerless in general, compared to any other race on Tharp. But I suppose we can't be picky. I believe that 'fate' decides the way the cards are dealt, and I'm never going to question that; I deal with the inevitable actions of fate every day," the invisible man says, empathetically.

"So, you think that I'm not worthy, invisible one? You don't think I am capable of saving all of Tharp?" I reply, still frantically looking in all directions.

I'm becoming more impatient as the seconds ticked by, and a little frightened as well.

"Please show yourself. I won't attack you; I give you my word!" I say as I sheathe Finito and try to settle my nerves.

"I'm just going to wait a little longer, until you're completely calm; you still seem a little bit on edge. I haven't let anyone see me in a long time, so trust is what I need to establish with you," says the voice.

"I gave you my word, invisible one; and I don't lie. I'm calm, relaxed, and my nerves are settled. Please feel free to show yourself" I reply calmly.

As I look towards the lone tree that's about ten metres away, a person emerged out of thin air. He has a grey and black Van Dyke, and long black shoulder length hair with grey strands evenly through it. He's wearing a long black trench coat, with worn black denim jeans and a black vest. I can see two handles - for what I assume to be swords - behind his back; one handle behind each shoulder. I think that his back is a cool place to keep his swords sheathed; and it's great that someone appreciates the colour black as much as I do!

He draws his two swords, which resemble samurai's, and stabs them straight into the grass, then stands there and stares in my direction with his hands behind his back.

"I wanted to prove to you that I mean you no harm. My name is Enaz, and yes I'm from the Brotherhood. It's an honour to finally meet you."

"You know what; not only do you sound freakishly familiar; you look it too. Anyway, how can I help you?" I ask.

"Well, I've been living in this area for quite some time; at least a few years anyway. I've been tracking a man called King Gurdon. Have you heard of him?"

"Yes of course; King Gurdon, of Fonewar Castle. We're currently pursuing him and Akiad Zaruth, the evil wizard. Why are you pursuing King Gurdon?" I ask, folding my arms and frowning.

"Well, you hear a lot through the grapevine of whispers and secrets. Recently, I've heard that King Gurdon was setting his evil heart upon the Arter Gem of Water. I know there are guardians protecting all the gems, but I have heard that a portal to Earth existed close to this gem. I know that if King Gurdon found out about this portal, he'd use it to his advantage. I have patiently waited, and lived in the area for years, waiting for someone on Earth to activate a portal from their end. One day, the first person from Earth discovered where the portal was, and the replica infirmary appeared. Then the humans from Earth arrived and started building this town around the infirmary, disguising its location; I decided to stay in the area and wait for King Gurdon's arrival."

"Well, our primary focus wasn't Gurdon initially, but if you expect his arrival from a portal located in this village, then we shall wait a day with you. When do you expect him to arrive?"

"I'm not really sure when he will arrive. But if you are saying that Gurdon is associated with Akiad, then you can bet your bottom Ralop that he's aware of where you've been and where you're going. I'm also betting that they know about the portal in this area, too!"

"Enaz, where on Earth does this portal end up? Have you been through it? Let me guess; the portal is in the huge space, in the middle of town?"

"Yes, you're right; the portal resides in the center of town, between the pub and the two story house. It ends up in a village in Yorkshire, England. I've been there a few times, but I don't like to stay for long periods of time; I don't know Earth as well as I know Tharp, so I tend to make my trips brief."

"Ha, I knew it was there! Well I might keep you around, Enaz. You share one common thing with my companions and I; we all hate King Gurdon! We'll seek revenge on him, you have my word!" I offer my left hand to shake.

"Wait, someone's coming; I'll be back!" Enaz suddenly disappears.

The pub door creaks open and Vetor walks outside towards me.

"What are you doing out here, Syra? Do you want to talk?" Vetor asks.

"No it's okay you silly goose; I was just soaking in the environment. Let's head inside and share another whiskey. How does that sound?" I say.

"I'll race you!" Vetor says before dashing through the back door of the pub.

I look around to see if I could see Enaz; but I can't. It makes me wonder where he went. I notice that his two samurai swords are gone, so I know he's around somewhere.

As I grab the door handle, I freeze for a moment and wonder why I didn't tell Vetor the truth. Something is prompting me to lie to protect Enaz. It just feels weird that I would lie to a friend about a complete stranger. I know I'll tell my companions soon, but I want Enaz to trust us completely; hopefully he will reappear and begin to soon enough.

I enter the pub and sit back down at the table. I can see Enaz's chair is still out, and I hope that he will build up the courage to come and sit down. I look over my right shoulder and see Vetor, Zekai and Modnar; they are all gasbagging with Brian at the bar. I want to speak with Vetor, so I whistle out to him; practically everyone in the pub hears me, except him.

"Vetor, come here!" I yell.

He turns and immediately runs over to me.

"Can you please get us another Whiskey? Then come and sit with me," I say.

Vetor nods, then walks off to get our drinks. I wonder if Enaz is sitting at the table.

"Psst Enaz, are you there?" I whisper towards the empty seat.

"Psst, yes I have been here the whole time. Who's that kid? Your boyfriend?" Enaz whispers back.

"No! What makes you say that?"

"Who are you speaking to?" Vetor asks as he sits down and places my drink of whiskey and cola in front of me.

"Oh, I spoke? I was just day dreaming to myself. I didn't even realise that I said anything? Gosh I must be tired," I reply as I yawn.

"Okay well, I'll get Modnar and Zekai, so we can discuss our next destination!"

When he is a few metres away from the table, Enaz speaks again.

"Psst, did your boyfriend speak of Modnar, the time guardian? I'll show myself if it is him, as I trust Modnar with my life! I'll meet you outside in a few minutes; bring everyone, including him," Enaz says before vacating his seat.

As Enaz leaves the pub, the rest of my companions sit down at the table with me.

"Modnar, Vetor, Zekai; I have met a warrior who would like to speak with us outside the pub in a few minutes. When I spoke to him, he heard Vetor mention Modnar's name; he immediately became very excited to speak with us all; especially you," I say, looking at Modnar.

"Someone who knows me? That cuts down who it could be to about a few thousand. You're not going to tell me who it is, are you?"

I shook my head with a huge grin on my face.

"Well in that case, let's just head outside and speak to this warrior; the anticipation is killing me," Modnar replies.

Once we leave the warm confines of the pub, I look everywhere for Enaz; but not surprisingly I can't see him anywhere.

"Modnar, is that you?" Enaz's voice comes out of nowhere.

"That can't be; it just can't. You vanished all those years ago; well you know what I mean," Modnar jokes.

"Well Modnar, great to see you still have your sense of humour, and I'm currently standing directly in front of you," Enaz says, appearing right in front of Modnar.

Modnar looks so shocked to see him. He puts his hands on either one of Enaz's shoulders, and looks up and down his torso to make sure it really is him, then hugs him tightly.

"It's so good to see you. I can't believe you're alive! This is such great news. How long has it been? Fifteen years? I thought all those years ago, I lost a great and loyal warrior; but here you are, standing before me," Modnar says as he pulls away from Enaz and leans on his staff.

"Not I, old boy; too tough for my own good," Enaz replies, then giggles to himself.

It's good to see that Modnar knows Enaz, because it makes him not such a stranger after all. If Modnar trusts him, I trust him too, without any hesitation.

"Everyone, this is Enaz. One of the finest warriors I've ever fought alongside. Zekai, obviously you remember young Enaz?"

Zekai nods with a blank look on his face; he obviously can't believe what he's seeing.

"Come here" Enaz says, holding his arms out, indicating a hug.

Zekai doesn't hesitate in hurrying towards Enaz; the friendship here is obvious.

"I thought you were dead," Zekai says, hugging Enaz.

"You can't be serious?" Enaz jokes.

"I thought you died in that tournament?"

"Na, just disappeared for a while; you know me."

"Still a cheeky little one, aren't you?"

"SWORD of" Enaz jokes, emphasizing the word 'sword'.

They both chuckle and hug one last time. I love seeing old friendships rekindle; it's something of beauty.

"Do you all mind if I walk with Enaz for a while? I'd like to speak to him in private," Modnar says before putting his left hand around Enaz's shoulders and smiling back at the rest of us.

"Not a problem at all; you two catch up, and we'll head back to the pub. We'll see you in there," I say leading us inside.

"See you soon, old friend" Zekai says before heading inside the pub.

Modnar and Enaz walk in the paddock and catch up on lost time. Without them noticing, I slip back outside and hide behind a nearby barrel...

"Where have you been, Enaz?" Modnar asks.

"I was instructed to disappear, and never tell anyone anything. I was told not to say who told me to hide, or why; I apologise for my secrecy," Enaz replies, as they walk together.

"With me being a time guardian, and given that I'm secretive in my own right; I'm not one to question your motives. It's just great to see you, Enaz."

"How's Syra? She finished her training, right? Does she have the legendary sword, or any of the Arter Gems? I had to lie to her, and I really hate lying. I never told her why I'm actually here," Enaz says, sounding a little disappointed.

"She's doing great my old friend. She has the sword, and the Arter Gem of Ice; she's even cast a summon spell. Now, what did you tell her?"

"She's cast a summon spell, already? She really is the chosen one. Now, to explain; I've actually heard a rumour that Gurdon was going to head for the Arter Gem of Water, so I told her I was chasing him. There is actually a little truth to that story, as I naturally don't want him getting his grubby hands on her property."

"We'll stop him Enaz, you have our guaranteed help."

"Oh, before I forget; can I ask you something?"

"Of course, you don't need to ask."

"Well, word is traveling through the land of your epic escape from Dandum Prison. You started an uprising with the prison inmates, and broke everyone out. You're being branded a hero. Is this true?" Enaz sounds quite excited.

"Haha Enaz, that must be a myth; I've been protecting Syra the whole time," Modnar replies, chuckling to himself.

"That's so strange. I was in Neca City yesterday and heard some travellers in the pub talking about it. I'm generally a good judge of character, and wouldn't consider these folks liars; but obviously I'm taking your word over theirs."

"Well my old friend, that is rather odd; but I assure you that I was with Syra the whole time. Let's keep this between us?"

"You have my word. Anyway, let's go join the others for a drink. I'm so thirsty!"

"Sounds like a great plan, my old friend."

I quickly slip inside the pub and hurry back to my seat...

Modnar and Enaz enter the pub, and when they approach our table, they look extremely shocked. The entire table is a mix of empty glasses and bottles; courtesy of Vetor and Zekai. Vetor is already slurring his words, and Zekai even looks quite hazy. I quickly begin swallowing shots of tequila, which has hit me pretty fast.

"Sith down and takeith a sheet hiccup," Vetor slurs.

"You lot are animals! I haven't gotten drunk like this in years! Bartender! Get us two rounds of whiskey shots, and another bottle of tequila; time to catch up for lost time!" Enaz yells in excitement.

"What is this horrid drink you consume? It smells terrible!" Modnar asks, sniffing an empty glass.

"It's whiskey! It's in every pub on Earth! It's my favourite type of drink! I'd say it is Vetor's' too, which explains the empty glasses in front of him. Better make your drinks weaker then, ay old fella? Did someone say headache?" I joke, pointing towards Vetor.

Everyone except Vetor starts laughing. He looks so spaced out and has clearly consumed far too much alcohol.

"Who shed here's cake?" Vetor says, slurring his words.

We start laughing even harder than we already were, and when I see Enaz laughing with us, I realise how comfortable I am with him already. I'm not sure why, but I put that to one side in my mind, as my main problem now is trying to get Vetor to speak a language that we all understand.

### XVIII - Point Me in the Right Direction

I decide it is my time to leave when the entire pub starts playing bingo; I just find it mindlessly boring. It makes me feel like a zombie, and does nothing but put my brain to sleep; just like the guy reading out the numbers. He has obviously never learnt how to modify the pitch in his voice.

Brian, Vetor and I leave Modnar, Zekai and Enaz at the pub to socialize; I'm guessing Bingo caught their fancy. Bet it was Modnar who caved and wanted to play.

"Brian, do you have anywhere we can stay for the night? My friend here has drunk a little too much," I say, trying to hold Vetor up.

"Well lass, 'ere are the keys to mah place. It's the only two storey buildin' in the 'ole village, an' its jus' thirty metres away from yeh. Why don' you an' yeh friends stay there the night? Ahm 'eading back tah Earth tah pick up a few things, so ah won' be usin' it toneet," Brian says, throwing me the keys.

"Thanks so much! I don't know how to repay you!" I say enthusiastically.

"Don' mention it! Why, it were bloody great tah meet yeh both. I'm off yeh younguns," Brian says as he walks off.

We start staggering to Brian's house, but as I look back over my left shoulder, I notice a building appear out of thin air in the courtyard; it is in the same manner as the infirmary back on Earth. I lean the semi-conscious Vetor against the door to Brian's, and hide behind a nearby pillar. Brian is dressed like he is stepping into a blizzard on the other side of that door, and there's a suspicious look about him. I decide that, since I have the keys to his house, I'll take a look around inside.

"Well my drunken friend, doesn't that look familiar?" I say to Vetor as I point towards the infirmary.

Before he can answer, he power chucks all over the ground, right in front of us.

"Well, no carrots. Suppose that's got to be a good thing!" I mutter to myself.

I look back at Brian to see him leave through the building, and suspicion overruns my mind like an overwhelming stampede of elephants. I'm sure there is something odd about this town, I just can't put my finger on it. It isn't Enaz, as Modnar has confirmed that he's an old friend, so this must be it. The big open area is the site of the infirmary, just like Enaz said. Now to find some evidence to prove my theory that Brian is shifty.

I unlock and open the front door to Brian's house; its pitch black, I can't see a thing, and I have the now fully unconscious Vetor draped over me. I drag him towards the couch, put him down, then sit next to him and collect my thoughts while he snores away.

"He always igSNOREs me," I chuckle to myself.

In spite of my joke, my obsession with Brian's suspicious actions quickly takes over. What's Brian hiding? It seems weird that he would be just shouting complete strangers unlimited alcohol all night, as well as a place to lay their heads. There must be a clue; I'm going to start by searching his house.

Meanwhile, back on Earth...

Brian arrives on Earth safely and heads straight to his house; the only one with smoke coming out the chimney. Its night time and snow is falling. As soon as Brian gets inside his house, he goes straight to his phone and makes a call.

"Could I please talk tah Principal Zaruth? Let 'im know it's me, Brian."

Brian paces around his house with his portable phone, looking like he fears for his life; biting his fingernails while he waits for Principal Zaruth to answer.

"Mr Zaruth, 'ow are yeh? ... Oh, get tah tha poin' yeh say? ... Well sir, Syra an' 'er friends' ar' at Elte village sleepin' at my 'ouse ... Pardon sir? ... Gurdon is comin'? ... So 'e's leavin' New Zealan' now? ... Orright, ah'll see 'im in a few days... 'E's comin' through a portal, an' will be joinin' me in two minutes?" ...

The line went dead.

"What a bloody rude, arrogant sod 'e is!" Brian mutters to himself as he places his phone back on the charger.

Back in the much warmer climate of New Zealand...

"Gurdon, did you hear that? Syra and her guardians have arrived at Elte village. I'm going to create a portal for you to get to Yorkshire, and you'll meet with Brian. I don't want you to kill Syra, or anything like that. While they all sleep, you will get a few hours head start on them, and steal the Arter Gem of Water. They'll arrive at Neca City, and it'll be gone. I actually don't have a use for it; but they obviously do. If we have that gem, then they will truly struggle to defeat us. We'll have the upper hand my friend" Akiad says, and laughs to himself evilly.

"As you wish, Akiad. I'll do as you command. You want me to go to Yorkshire; then consider it done! I will be so stealthy they won't even know I've been there."

"And if you see Modnar, ask him how he escaped Dandum Prison! That's been annoying me for a while now, and I want answers!"

"Not a problem, my lord. Let's stop Syra and her companions; once and for all."

Gurdon and Akiad share a sinister laugh.

Deep in the night, back in Elte village...

All I need is a clue. One small clue. You'd swear I'm looking for a needle in a haystack. The hard part is, I don't know what it is that I'm looking for. I'm upstairs searching through Brian's drawers, bedside cabinets, backpacks, all his personal belongings; looking for anything that will reveal something of importance to me; but so far no luck. I'm searching quickly, but trying to be careful to put everything back exactly the way it was.

I can faintly hear Modnar, Zekai and Enaz in the distance, stumbling towards the house, laughing and giggling to themselves.

"Syra, Syra wherefore art thou Syra? Brian said we could crash here too," Enaz says as he stumbles through the front door.

His comment makes me realise something suspicious about him. If he has only had a brief trip to Earth, through the Yorkshire portal, then how does he know English literature? I'm sure a warrior from Tharp would put that at the top of his priority list when they enter a new land; let's stop and think about how much reading I've done since being in Tharp? See; my point exactly.

I zone my thoughts back into the room to see a drunken Enaz drag himself up the stairs.

"Syra, what... are... you looking for?" Enaz says as he stumbles towards me.

"Something is just not right about this town; nostalgia aside, there is a whiff of suspicion floating about casually in the air; you smell it when you look beyond what's really there. See, you're a stranger to me, and yet still I trust you more than this town or its occupants," I reply, still scurrying through several of Brian's drawers.

"Well, I think you should start your search in Yorkshire; and speak with Brian directly. I've noticed that the infirmary appears at two intervals during the day, for fifteen-minutes each time; at midday and midnight," Enaz says.

"Sweet as; you and I will go through the portal to interrogate Brian. We will find out what's going on once and for all!" I reply, taking a final look through a few ornaments and a last search of the top of the drawers.

As Enaz and I start descending the stairs, something catches my eye in a small opening in the glass cabinet in the lounge.

"Enaz! What's that shining in the cabinet over there?" I say as I run towards the glimmer.

I open the door on the glass cabinet and set my eyes upon what must be the clue I am looking for. It's a medieval crown; beautifully crafted out of an assortment of gold, and jewels. If this was brought to Earth, it would put the world's most elegant crown to shame.

"I'm guessing that this is the crown of King Gurdon," Enaz says.

"I'm going to agree with you on that one. Here, catch!" I throw the crown to Enaz, making eye contact as he caught it.

"Good instincts Syra. The others are asleep, and I think that's what we should do too. We'll tell everyone your discovery in the morning," Enaz says as he heads over to an unoccupied chair.

"Can't we leave now? We must catch Gurdon" I ask, crossing my arms in anticipation.

"Tired Syra... Enaz must sleep. We'll depart in the morning" Enaz says as he curls up like a ball on an old rocking chair.

He looks like a cute little kid sitting in that chair, but he's going to have a rough night's sleep. I walk over to him and pull the lever to let the footrest spring up.

"Enaz, stretch out now; it'll be far more comfortable," I say, moving his legs for him and stretching him out.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH... mmmmm," Enaz mumbles sleepily.

I giggle to myself as I head back upstairs. Brian said we could stay at his house, so I'm going to take full advantage of this. I make a beeline to Brian's double bed; it's SOOOOO soft. I haven't had such a comfortable place to sleep in a long time. I lie down like a starfish and start to ponder. What could Brian be doing on Earth right now? Why would he need to leave at midnight to do something? Couldn't it just wait till the morning; what's the rush? To speak with Akiad; that crown is the proof. Tomorrow at midday I will get my answers.

"Syra; time to wake up! The pub owner insists on cooking us a huge breakfast, and the best part is that it's free of charge! Get up, get up!" Vetor says, shaking me as if I were unconscious.

I must have slept in. It's such a comfortable bed, and I guess because our sleep locations as of late have been outdoors; the second I got into a real bed I slept like a baby.

"Okay Vetor, gosh I'm still alive, no need to shake the life out of me. Hey, don't you have a hangover?" I say, before Vetor descend the stairs; and I nosedive into my pillow.

"Yeah I did, but the smell of bacon and sausages took that away almost immediately! Thanks for looking after me; hate to always be a DRAG," Vetor jokes.

"Don't mention it," I yell before giggling into my pillow.

A few moments later, I get out of bed and walk over to peer out the window. The infirmary isn't there yet, and I can see Vetor entering the pub. There's still time to eat, I suppose, so I better go make the most of it; I put on my clothes and head for the pub.

I creak open the front door of the pub and the smell of an assortment of Earthly foods enter my nostrils. I stand still with my eyes closed and breathe in this rare, tender smell; it's sheer bliss and I could stand here forever.

Opening my eyes, I look at the corner table we'd sat at the night before. The others are already seated, ready to eat. Zekai is holding a knife and fork in each hand, looking very confused, while the others are chatting amongst themselves; they don't notice me sit down, and I can't help but giggle at Zekai's expense.

"Zekai, why the puzzled face?" I chuckle.

"Oh good morning Syra. I'm just puzzled, because I want to know, what are these weak weapon-like instruments? This here looks like a blunt dagger."

"The utensil in your left hand is a fork, which is primarily used to hold your food. The utensil in your right hand is a knife. Not sharp enough to fight with, but it's sharp enough to cut the food held by your fork," I explain.

"Oh, I suppose that's fairly logical," Zekai says, practicing on his empty plate.

"SSYYYRRRAAAA!" Vetor says enthusiastically, and everyone else adds a mix of 'hellos' and 'good mornings'.

"Vetor, good morning, and same to all of you, good morning," I reply cheerfully, grabbing my knife and fork and looking over my shoulder.

"Grub's up. Just sing out, if yeh want owt else!" the chef says as he places several plates on the table.

My mouth is watering. I'm not knocking the piles of meat and Dupat shells we've eaten; but it's great to have a meal from Earth for the first time in ages. Every plate has something different on it. One plate is stacked with white and wholemeal toast. Another plate has huge piles of crispy bacon; In fact, there is enough bacon on that plate to feed the entire village. There is salad with lettuce, cheese, tomato, carrot and even salad dressing. Another plate has sausages, which appeared to have been cooked on a grill, just the way I like it. Garlic bread, pork, fried eggs, all kinds of foods that you'd have at a barbecue. Last but not least, the thing that gave it that English touch; steaming hot mugs of English tea. A meal fit for a king.

"Modnar, Zekai and Enaz. Welcome to a typical feast on our homeland of Earth. This is the type of meal I would eat with my mother for breakfast, at least once a week."

I stood up at the table and raised my mug of tea.

"It's an honour to dine with you all here today. Thank you. Let's raise our mugs and say cheers to us being here, alive and together!" I raise my mug in front of me.

As we clang our mugs together, I have a moment of clarity. I now have friends, a purpose and a goal. My mother has been pushing this for years, and now I have something. It's probably not a goal that she would have approved, but it's a goal nonetheless. I just wish she were here to see it, or that I had a camera to document it.

"Alreet you lot, dig in!" the bartender says as he stands next to us.

He reaches over and takes a sausage, but then it wouldn't have mattered if the whole pub helped themselves; there is more than enough food here.

"Dig in everyone, what are you waiting for!" I say, and start to pick from the assortment of breakfast goodies.

We laugh and enjoy breakfast for well over an hour, eating like kings. I don't usually pig out this much, but I don't know when next time will be that I come across my native food, especially on a foreign world; I make the most of it.

"Hmmmmmm, this is so good. It's a miracle cure for a hangover. I don't even feel like I consumed any alcohol at all last night!" Vetor says as he stuffs his mouth with two sausages.

I giggle at Vetor's comment and glance across at Enaz, who looks me in the eyes and nods. I don't know why, until he looks out the window at the empty space in the courtyard where the infirmary will appear; I had completely forgotten that Enaz and I were meant to pass through when it appears at midday. I guess I had the sin of gluttony consume me.

"Excuse me, I'm just going to head outside for a few minutes," Enaz says as he leaves his chair.

"I'll go see what's wrong with him. Back in a tick," I reply as I follow.

"I wonder where they're going." Vetor says, before stuffing another sausage in his mouth.

"Don't worry Vetor, they'll be back. Just enjoy your meal" Modnar replies.

"Enaz, what's wrong? I followed you, because I was wondering if you could help me decide my next move," I say once we're outside.

"Well, we must go alone. Smaller numbers are easier to camouflage; and we both know exactly what's going on. We must leave soon, or we may miss our opportunity. If we interrogate Brian when he gets back to Tharp, it will cause havoc amongst the villagers. We don't want Akiad knowing we are here."

"Should I tell the others?" I ask.

"Yes, I'll wait here, and you meet me back here in five minutes?"

"Okay, sweet as," I reply before walking back into the pub.

As I approach the others, I glance out the window and see Enaz waiting for me; a reminder to make this short and sweet. I sit down at the table and signal the others to huddle in closer, allowing me to speak to them quietly.

"I have something to tell you all. Enaz and I are going through the village portal to head back to Earth. Last night we found King Gurdon's crown in Brian's house. We are suspicious of Brian, and we want to dig a little bit further to find the truth about him. I want to request that the three of you relax here, and rest up for the journey ahead. We will be back as fast as we can. Is that clear?"

"Yes my girl, but be careful. If you find no dirt on Brian, it'll cause quite a stir with the townsfolk, and put us in an uncomfortable position!" Modnar replies.

"I promise that we'll be careful. Don't worry; my gut has been accurate so far. I have a feeling that something is crook with Brian, trust me on this one!"

"Can you trust Enaz, Syra? We hardly know him!" Vetor asks.

"He's an old friend of mine and Zekai's, Syra is in good hands!" Modnar snaps, with a mouthful of food.

"Okay Modnar, you're thousands of years old, so no need to risk your poor heart by snapping at me. Help out your poor heart, and your health, maybe even lengthen your existence? Here have some bacon!" Vetor jokes.

"We all wish you the best of luck! Come back to us, alive! And make sure Enaz does, too! We could use another good warrior at our side!" Zekai says, biting into a piece of chicken.

"Zekai! You don't eat the bones!" Vetor says, screwing up his face.

"Why not, it tastes great!" Zekai says happily, while chewing the entire piece of chicken.

"Syra, before you go," Modnar says, popping more food into his mouth.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"My mentor thousands of years ago was a smart woman. She gave me great advice once; 'The more you listen, the more you learn'. Listen to Enaz, Syra; he has much to teach you," Modnar says before chewing on some bacon.

"I'll make sure I'll try; that's great advice, she must be a smart woman. See you all later!" I say, and head outside to the courtyard.

I run towards Enaz while processing what Modnar said; he trusts Enaz and says for me to listen to him? I hardly know him, but I somehow trust him; maybe I should pay a little more attention.

"Well done, you were very quick! From the way you were shovelling in your breakfast earlier, I thought you'd be a few minutes longer!" Enaz says.

"Nah, I just told them what my plan was, and they all listened. I'm not bossy or unfair, but I've become comfortable being the leader. Giving orders fairly, which could sometimes put a life at risk. In this case; it's yours and mine. But I've a gut feeling about Brian; he's hiding something."

"I know what you mean. Stand back, because the suns overtop, so the infirmary is on its way!" Enaz says before jumping back a few metres and gently pulling me with him.

Then we see it. The exact same thing happens with this infirmary as the one back home. It whooshes around like a tornado. I can't pick up on all the molecules like before, as the injection we had has worn off, but it's still amazing, seeing it manifest in front of our very eyes.

"It really does look the same as the infirmary back home on Earth! I bet the insides are the same, too!" I say as I run for the front door.

I run up to the door and grip the door handle; I quickly glance at the infirmary, to make sure it's identical to the one that Vetor and I originally passed through. I'm quite certain it is; all I need to do is open the door and see for myself.

"Like I said, exactly the same!" I say when I peer inside.

The infirmary is in pristine condition, and it's an exact replica of the infirmary that led us to the desert; the one on the other side of the demon. Same lobby, same hallway, same amount of doors and lights, same everything; one hundred percent identical, even down to the white wallpaper. I'm guessing that the Earth version of this infirmary is run down, just like the Earth version of the other infirmary.

We quickly scamper down the hallway and approach the door at the end of the hall. My heart's racing and the adrenaline is pumping. Enaz and I glance at each other.

"Ladies first," he says, then opens the door.

"Get your swords ready; behind the double doors in this room will be a one eyed demon! May as well silence him before we proceed, wouldn't you think?" I ask as I draw Finito and grip it tightly.

"Agreed," Enaz replies, drawing his two samurai swords.

We enter the room and approach the double doors, leading back to the mirror version of this room on Earth.

"Are you ready?" I ask, holding one of the doorknobs with my left hand.

"As ready as I'll ever be. I'll take the demon down!" Enaz replies as he grips his samurai swords.

As I prepare to open the doors, Enaz takes a huge run up; his back is against the single door on the other side of the room.

"Okay Syra, open them, now!" Enaz yells as he charges the double doors in front of me.

I quickly open the left door, and Enaz slides into the room on his knees, with his swords at the ready. We see the same type of one eyed demon that guarded the infirmary back home; as soon as Enaz is directly underneath, he swings his swords out, cleanly slicing the huge tree trunk legs through the kneecaps.

"TIMBER!" Enaz yells, diving from beneath the demon and back into the room I'm in.

Looking at the back of the its legs, I can slightly make out huge slices through each of its knee joints; blood is trickling out ever so delicately and the more the huge one eyed demon wriggles, the more his body slides on the base of its legs; now they look more like tree stumps than trunks.

"Sheathe your weapon, and follow my lead," Enaz says, then we both run and dive underneath it, sliding far beyond where it is chained up.

The demon screams and tries to move towards us; its thighs slipping off the bottom section of its legs, spilling blood all over the floor.

"If only we attacked it first time around; much easier. Good work Enaz," I say.

"Thanks, now to finish it off!" Enaz replies, then runs around to the back of the chained demon, sheathes his swords, and scales its back.

Seated behind its neck, he draws his swords and I wait to see what his next move is. Enaz tips the blades down into the top of its scalp; he looks at me and winks.

Moments later, Enaz pushes the two samurai swords deep into the demons head; then starts twisting them around like he is stirring a coffee. While the swords are twirling around, you can see the huge eyeball of the demon loosening from its socket, and hear the huge thing make its final groan of life.

"Do you really have to do that? We know its dead!" I say, placing my hand on my stomach, feeling it curdle a little.

"You can never be too careful, you have to make sure he doesn't try swipe at us!" Enaz replies as he continues to twist his swords round and round.

After Enaz finishes speaking, the demon's eyeball drops out of its socket and rolls along the ground towards me. My stomach is churning, so I know it's time for me to exit.

"Okay, I'll wait for you outside the room. Feel free to join me when you're done!" I say as I exit the room.

I end up in the hallway, standing in a replica of the New Zealand infirmary. It's run down, with stained blood red paint peeling from the roof, only one light working and no noises coming from any of the rooms; they are all empty. The wind whistling down the hall is making the hairs on my arms stand up. I wonder how long Enaz is going to take; standing here alone is beginning to creep me out; I feel like the old woman is going to walk down the corridor and try to entice me to another needle.

Thankfully a minute later, Enaz finally joins me, closing the door behind him. He's wiping the blood off his swords with an old cloth, and has splatters of blood all over him.

"I think it might still be alive; better go check!" I quip.

"You're quite lippy, aren't you? Do you get that from your mother or your father?" Enaz asks, sheathing his swords.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It doesn't matter; we need to think about continuing. We have to see what Brian is up to, I have the same gut feeling as you." Enaz replies and walks off ahead.

I scratch my head and run up to him. His odd comment throws me off a little, but before I can speak, I am cut off by 'Mr Always Talking'.

"The entire village will be in Elte, so we should be able to head over to Brian's unnoticed. His is the house in the property on the other side of the street. Prepare for a chill; it's always cold this time of year in this part of Earth."

How does he know so much about Earth, if he's only been here once or twice? And how does he already know where Brian's house is? He must have been here more than a few times. This all makes me a little wary, but I must press on.

Once we reach the lobby, I ignore the rat that scuttles past my foot and reach for the front door.

"It'll be quite cold outside, so be prepared," Enaz says as he rubs his hands together.

"I'm sure I'll be just fine, I'm a big enough girl to worry about myself," I say as I open the front door, instantly getting goose-bumps all up my arms as I'm blasted by the cold wind.

"Enaz! It's freezing!" I slam the door, my teeth chattering.

"Well Syra, we have got to bite our tongues and head straight for our destination," Enaz replies, opening the door and peeking through the small gap. He looks back at me, and says,

"There, across the road! The house with the lights on and chimney going. Let's go!"

"Easy for you, with your big trench coat on. You in the mafia?" I joke.

Enaz looks at me in a frustrated way, then steps outside and waits for me. He crosses his arms and frowns, which makes me realise I'm taking far too long.

I step outside, and the snow falling from the sky doesn't hesitate to land on me. We began wading through it, and the snow is up to our knees. The worst part of all this is that I don't have a jumper or anything to keep me warm. Damn, where's Modnar when you need him?!

The surroundings are similar to what I'd seen from the old British shows my mum would watch. The street is littered with old stone cottages; they have slate rooves, with stone walls sectioning off each property, and a wooden gate. Each of the cottages on the street look very similar, but each have their own unique look and feel. On the door of each cottage is a Christmas wreath. Must be about that time of year. This town is definitely a place I wanted to visit sometime in my life. I'm proud to be here.

We cross the street - which is only slightly wider than the width of a car; we open Brian's gate with a creak and close it carefully behind us, then approach the occupied house. I stand, shivering, slightly to the left of the door, while Enaz knocks on the front door as hard as he can.

"Brian, if you can please open," Enaz says, then...

BOOM! CLICK! CLICK! BOOM! Half the door is blown off.

"Enaz! Brian has a shotgun! It's a human weapon! Take cover!" I yell from the left side of the front door, while Enaz is stationed on the other side.

"Calm down Brian!" Enaz yells.

"Brian, let's not get crazy now; put the shotgun down, we only want to talk," I say in a calm voice.

"No!" Brian yells back, and we can hear him reloading.

He fires another two shots. BOOM! CLICK! CLICK! BOOM!

"Ha-ha, yeh can't win! Akiad is too powerful!" Brian yells, reloading his gun.

BOOM! CLICK! CLICK! Goes the shotgun before Brian stops firing.

I take a deep breath and peek my head around the corner; BOOM! Shrapnel from the doorway smacks Enaz in the face, while I dive into the snow behind me.

"Enaz!!" I yell out, quickly wiping the cold snow from my heatless body.

"Yeah, it's just a little blood!" Enaz yells back.

Enaz has blood running profusely from a cut in his forehead, staining the snow red all around him. He pulls out a cloth and holds it in his left hand, pressed against the cut.

"Okay Brian, we either do this the easy way or the hard way! Easy way, is that you tell us what you know, and you live. The hard way; well, you won't enjoy that very much!" Enaz yells out.

BOOM! CLICK! CLICK! BOOM!

"Tek tha'!" Brian yells.

"Okay Syra, here goes nothing," Enaz says before disappearing in front of me.

All I can see is footprints appearing in the snow, and no one making them. They head in the direction of the rear of the house, leaving a few drops of the blood along the way; staining the snow like a red cocktail on the rocks.

I peek into the doorway and I can see Brian reloading. He places his left hand into his pocket and slots the two shells into his gun.

CLICK! CLICK! BOOM! CLICK! CLICK!

Brian fires another shot at me; with the shot hitting the other side of the doorway. I dived back into the snow to avoid the shrapnel.

I quickly jump to my feet and while wiping excess snow from my body I can hear choking. I run to the door to see what's happening; Enaz appears behind Brian, with his right forearm around his neck. I run inside and snatch the shotgun out of Brian's hands.

"I'll look for some tape!" I say as I run for the kitchen.

As I scurry through the kitchen, Enaz holds Brian by the collar on his shirt with his right hand, while his left hand holds the cloth against his cut.

"Firing a shotgun; are you mad? I don't care about me; but an eighteen year old girl?!" Enaz yells, before letting go of Brian and punching him square in the face.

While I'm in the kitchen, I can hear Enaz beating Brian; but that's not what tickles my curiosity. I see a jar on the windowsill, with what looks like a little moth inside. As I examine it closer, I realise it looks like a locust. It reminds me of when I was a kid. Dad and mum would watch this horror movie together; it was about thousands of flesh eating locusts, and was quite a scary movie. This little locust looked just like it. Its torso is about five centimetres long, and it has two sets of wings; two long back legs, and four other smaller legs. It's a desert yellow in colour, and blood is dripping from its mouth. I notice that in the jar with the locust, is a human finger that has been nibbled on. The locust couldn't have done this, surely?

I stand up and cautiously approach the jar; I tap the side and it irritates the locust. It devours the finger within a second, and the jar is covered in blood; the jar flies off the windowsill towards me, and smashes on the ground. I carefully walk backwards as the locust is flying my direction; it lands on my face and I close my eyes. My heart races, and as I open my eyes, I see the locust buzzing its wings in front of my eyes. Why is it not killing me?

Before I get a moment to think, the locust launches off my face and shoots through the window like a bullet. I quickly run to the window and look at the damage; a perfect bullet hole, from the impact of the locust. Incredible is the only word that comes to mind.

While avoiding the broken glass, I quickly turn the kitchen upside down, and can't find any tape. What I've found is some bandages and a black balaclava. I don't know why these two objects feel like they're speaking out to me, but they are and I must act on that. I pick them up and run towards the lounge. While Enaz punches Brian in the face, I lean against the archway connecting the lounge to the kitchen, and quickly become interested in Brian's taste in music. Records of legendary rock bands from the seventies and eighties are wrapped in plastic, covering every space on his ceiling; I am in heaven. There is a Christmas tree in the corner and decorations are scattered throughout the room. It's sheer bliss, as I don't need to do anything; Enaz has it all under control.

"What do you know of Akiad? Tell me, now!" Enaz yells just before he punches Brian in the nose, which is clearly already broken.

"Aarrgghh! Yeh already broke mah nose, yeh bloody idiot!" Brian yells as he tries to stop the blood from running from his nose.

Enaz punches Brian again in the face, splashing blood all over the furniture and the window.

"Ignore the nose, and answer my question! What do you know about Akiad?" Enaz yells before kicking him in the stomach.

"Ah want summat tah tek mi mind off tha pain in mah nose!" Brian yells back.

"Oh, so you won't answer me? You want your mind off the pain in your nose?" Enaz says, then grabs Brian's left hand and breaks his thumb.

"Aarrgghh! 'ell, what did yeh do tha' fo'?!" Brian yells out in agony.

"Well, now I have taken your mind of the pain in your nose!" Enaz replies.

"Wi brekkin' mi thumb!" Brian yells back.

Enaz looks like his patience is being tested. He wants Brian to cough up what he knows; but he isn't listening. I can tell Brian's lying; why else would he shoot at us?

"Listen to me very carefully Brian. I'm losing my patience, and very quickly I might add. If you want me to continue hurting you, then fine; I can do this all day, and all night, if that's what you like?" Enaz says as he cracks his knuckles.

"What else are yeh goin' tah do tah mi?" Brian replies as he backs off as fast as he can, trying to get away from Enaz.

Fear consumes Brian's face; he's scared out of his mind. Enaz draws one of his samurai swords, and stares at his reflection in the blade as he speaks.

"Brian, I'm getting serious now. If you had to pick between life and death, what would you pick?" Enaz says in a very sinister tone, only removing his eyes from the blade for a mere second.

"Life! I'd choose life!" Brian yells back immediately.

"Good. All right now, because you chose life, which limb would you prefer to keep? Foot or hand?" Enaz says, still sounding very sinister.

"NO! NO! NO!" Brian yells.

"I don't remember no being an option! Foot or hand?! If you don't answer me, I will take both!" Enaz says.

"Ah'll tell yeh what yeh want tah know abart Akiad!" Brian cries.

"Brian, do tell us what you know! Spill!" Enaz is holding his samurai sword against Brian's throat.

"Wait, before you start," I say, throwing Enaz the bandages.

I enter the lounge and hand Enaz the black Balaclava. He wraps bandages around his cut - going right around his whole head - and he smiles at me as he ties it around his head.

"Great fit, Syra. Now Brian, spill the beans" Enaz says.

"Tha portal to Tharp 'as been a secret o' this village for a few centuries. Ar ancestors built this village aroun' the infirmary, so no one would wanna investigate it. No one ever questioned its existence, or even though' abart seein' what were in the buildin'; this was until wi 'ired a local doctor, Corey. 'E would tek these long trips an' it was never investigated, by any o' the villagers, until I decided to check inside this ancient structure. An' as I explained bifore, the 'ole village eventually found out, and wi all started livin' there. But o' course, I though' this were too good to be true. Somethin' 'ad to be wrong," Brian says.

Brian stops talking and starts coughing. His throat sounds as dry as it would after a cup of sand.

"Mah throats bloody dry, any chance of a cuppa?" Brian asks.

Enaz holds his samurai sword right up against Brian's neck.

"You're lucky you've still got a throat! Get on with it!" Enaz replies.

Brian clears his throat and wipes the perspiration from his worried brow; then continues.

"Anyway, one day ah come back to mi 'ome 'ere, on Earth, just to 'ave some peace; ah do this sometimes tah jus' 'ave a break while everyone else is enjoyin' their new life on Tharp. Akiad the bloody wizard, an' King Gurdon turned up on mah doorstep. Akiad said 'e has bin watchin' ar village fo' a lon' time, an' knew wi were guardin' one o' the ancient portals tah Tharp. 'E also knew tha' we were livin' at the other end of the portal. 'E promised no 'arm tah tha villagers if wi follow 'is instructions wi'out 'esitation. An' by we, 'e meant me. Only I was allowed tah know abou' this arrangemen' and ah weren' allowed tah tell anyone, even mah bloody wife. This brought on so much stress, and that's why ah'm so 'ostile an' reluctant tah part wi' any information. Part of the arrangement was tah report tah my 'ome an' contact Akiad of any updates, or report tah 'im if anyone stays at Elte village. An' that's why ah'm 'ere. You lot came to Elte village, and ah 'ad tah report tah Akiad immediately. This is where ah got scared. A few weeks ago, Akiad said that 'tha Chosen One' wer' 'eadin' south, tah get tha Arter Gem of Water. 'Er name was Syra. Akiad also expressed in'erest in allowin' Gurdon to slip through tha portal, an' get an 'ead start on Syra, 'opefully getting' the Arter Gem of Water furst. I'm sorry, but tha' event 'as already teken place; ah'm so sorry. Akiad would 'ave seen me speakin' wi yeh an' 'e will now kill us all. Please don't kill me!" Brian says before he burst into tears.

He's so scared of losing his life and I actually feel sorry for him; just another pawn in a much larger galactic chess game.

"It's okay, Brian; we won't harm you. Just promise me you won't tell Akiad or Gurdon that we were here? In fact, don't tell anyone except myself or my companions," I say.

"I already told 'em. Sorry," Brian is still weeping.

"DAMN. How many hours ahead is Gurdon?" I ask.

"Ah'm sorry tah tell yeh, but 'e went through the portal to Elte village a little after midnight; if 'e 'asn't stopped travelling, 'e will be at least a few 'ours ahead of yeh!" Brian replies.

"Thanks so much for your help Brian! Don't worry, the end is near for Akiad!" I say.

"Sorry about the beating, chief; Syra, we need to go! If he's a few hours ahead, then he's going to get his grubby hands on the Arter Gem well before us! We must tell the others. And we need to run! The infirmary is going to disappear on the Tharp end of the portal!" Enaz yells as we exit the house and run towards the front gate.

"Are you sure the infirmary is still there on the Elte village end of the portal? Or has it disappeared?" I reply as we run across the road and into the yard with the infirmary.

"I don't know, let's hurry!" Enaz yells as we open the front door to the infirmary and head into the warmth.

As we run down the corridor towards the back room, we look at each other while gasping for air. We can't miss this opportunity to get back.

"Kick the door open!" Enaz yells, and I run ahead of him and kick the door open to the demon's chamber. I hold my breath as we enter the room, as its corpse has already started stinking. The entire floor is covered in blood and internal organs, and we slide across the surface like we are skating on ice.

Enaz and I leap over the slain demon, and slam straight into the double doors that it guarded: we quickly hop off the ground, and double our pace. I run ahead and open the door that connects to the final corridor.

"Sprint Enaz! We have got to jet!" I yell.

I can feel the floor disappearing, quickly turning into molecules below me as I run.

"Faster Enaz, the building's disappearing!" I yell.

As we approach the exit door, it is starting to swirl like a tornado; the whole building is being sucked through a tiny hole.

"Jump!" I yell and we leap for the reminder of the door.

Enaz and I fly through the door like its thin air, and drop onto the ground outside, right in the middle of the courtyard.

"Wooohooo! We made it! We made it!" I yell as I lie on the ground, panting like I've just finished a marathon.

I look over at Enaz and he's lying on the ground, holding his ribs.

"Enaz, are you okay?" I ask, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm just getting too old for this stuff; I've really got to retire," Enaz pants.

"Are you two hurt?!" Vetor yells as he runs over to us.

"Na, we're both fine thanks. Where are Zekai and Modnar? We have to leave," I say, standing up.

Before Vetor has a chance to reply, Zekai and Modnar approach us and help Enaz off the ground.

"Zekai, grab our equipment and belongings. We have to head to Neca City, to get the Arter Gem of Water," Enaz says.

"I'll go collect our things!" Zekai replies as he slithers off towards the pub.

When Zekai returns, Vetor finally makes a comment about our dramatic entrance.

"Well, I'm glad you two can DROP by," Vetor quips and the five of us start chuckling.

While we all laugh, I realise it's time for us to head South for Neca City; I hope we aren't too late, but I guess we'll soon find out.

### XIX - The Battle of Neca City

As we walk towards the distant Neca City, Enaz explains everything that has taken place on Earth. Modnar, Zekai and Vetor listen the whole way; they're like three kids in kindergarten, listening to their teacher; they don't even ask any questions. What makes the story so interesting is that Enaz is very expressive. He's doing all the actions of a shotgun being loaded, punching Brian while interrogating him, every little detail is acted out by him. Modnar explains the history of the Vasnear Pastures – what we're currently walking through; I'm listening a little bit, but I'm mostly using this time to collect my thoughts and soak in the environment.

We're currently travelling along a straight dirt path, all the way to the base of some cliffs in the distance. You can faintly make out a huge white structure, and a waterfall, but we are at least twenty kilometres away, so it's too far away to make out any great detail. All around us in every direction is thirty-centimetre high grass, blowing delicately in the wind. It feels like the calm before the storm.

"Argh, it frustrates me a lot! I should have seen that coming! Akiad's not silly, and neither is Gurdon! He will put up a decent fight, even against all of us! We must be careful!" Modnar says in a frustrated voice.

"Why is Gurdon so dangerous?" Zekai asks.

"Akiad cast a permanent spell on Gurdon which allows him to morph into a dragon whenever he feels too threatened. As soon as we become hostile within his vicinity, he'll change!"

"And how powerful is Gurdon in his dragon form?" Zekai asks.

"Very powerful. I'll have to pull out some equally powerful magic before I even think about fighting him. But the real catch is; Gurdon won't be alone. I guarantee Akiad's disposable warriors will be waiting for us as well!"

"So what's the plan of attack?" Vetor chimes in.

"Being our leader, I'll answer this. Enaz, Modnar and I will go for Gurdon! I need to get that Arter Gem, by any means necessary. Vetor and Zekai, can you two handle a few troops?" I say.

"Consider it done! I'm sure we can handle a few troops. Wouldn't you agree, Vetor?" Zekai says confidently.

"Yes! I agree!" Vetor replies in much the same manner.

"Sweet as. Modnar, can I please talk to you in private?" I ask.

"Yes my girl, we'll walk behind the others so we can talk. What's the matter?" Modnar asks as he and I slow our walking pace slightly; I don't reply until Enaz, Zekai and Vetor are well ahead, to give us more privacy.

"Modnar, something just doesn't fit with Enaz; he's funny and if you think he's loyal, then I believe your word one hundred percent; but what's he hiding? Every time I look into his eyes, I feel like I know him. Do you know if he's hiding something or if he has a secret? Or am I just paranoid?"

"Well my girl, you're not paranoid; he does have a secret, but it's obviously not mine to tell. Besides, you must build up the courage to ask him yourself; you're our leader. All I'm going to say is; make sure your timing is good when you ask him, otherwise your reaction could distract us all. If your focus is not in the moment, your life will come to a quick end."

"Okay Modnar, thank you for the heads up. I just have a few more questions to ask."

"Ask away my girl."

"Something weird happened when I was in Yorkshire."

"What happened?"

"I watched a locust devour a finger within seconds, it then lands on my face, and doesn't harm me. After being on my face for a few moments, it flew away. What does this mean? Why did it not hurt me?"

"I'm not really sure."

"You must know, you're a Time Guardian?" I joke.

"And I say it's time for your next question" Modnar grins.

"Okay, well I'm worried that the snow leopard will make an appearance again. What if I can't control it?"

"You must believe in yourself, my girl. You are the chosen one of Tharp; this is your destiny. Be confident and if the snow leopard arrives, steer it in the right direction; you just need to believe."

I smile at him and feel myself becoming more comfortable with what's to come. I'm just glad he's here.

"Cheers Modnar, you always fill me with confidence. Hey you lot! Wait for us!" I say before running ahead.

As I run towards the others, I think about how good my instincts are; I thought for a while I was going crazy, but Modnar has just proven that my instincts are accurate; Enaz is holding a secret from us. The question is; what is it? I have just got to pick my time and ask him. That time is not now; that's for sure. Modnar dodging my question about the locust is bugging me too; I wonder if he's being honest? Is he not really sure?

As the sun is setting, I take the time to look at us all. We all look extremely tired. We've been walking all day in the blazing sun, and could really use a rest. It's soothing to the soul that the sun is finally setting, but a sleep right now would be nice. I'm quite relieved as we're only about ten kilometres away from Neca City.

In the distance is a cliff that stretches as far as the eye can see to the East and West; a huge waterfall, at least ten metres wide, spills from the top of the cliff into Neca City. I can't see the architecture of the City as there's a wooden fence around the entire perimeter, and black smoke is polluting the air. Suddenly, I get distracted from what I'm seeing in the distance by an observation from Vetor.

"Modnar, what's that emerging from the distance?" Vetor asks.

"Well it looks like a lot more warriors then I expected! The five of us may be tied up for a while!" Modnar replies as he grips his staff tightly.

Enaz screams as he draws both his samurai swords and holds them in front of him. Vetor readies his axe and looks over at me.

"Good luck!" Vetor says. I smile back and nod at him.

"You too, Vetor; it looks like a fight to the death! This is what we all trained for!" I reply.

Zekai has his spear ready, spinning it around above his head like a helicopter propeller; I run ahead of my companions and turn to face them, running backwards.

"Well team, this is it! Shortly, we're all going to stop moving and take defensive positions. I'll stand a few metres ahead of you, okay? I have a plan; it won't get rid of all the warriors, but it'll definitely make less of them for us to kill!" I say, then turn around and start jogging forward.

We continue to move at a brisk pace, but all we can see are warriors in the distance, running towards us. After about thirty seconds we stop and take our defensive positions; three metres apart, Modnar on the far left, then Enaz, followed by Zekai, then Vetor; I'm in the middle, a few metres further ahead of them.

I look back over my shoulder, staring my companions in the eyes with my trusty sword held out in front of me.

"Good luck to you all. Keep your focus on the prize, the Arter Gem of Water. We must succeed for Tharp! And Vetor; this is for Earth!" I yell.

My companions start a simultaneous battle cry, spinning their respective weapons in the air. As my companions roar, I have my favourite heavy metal track playing nonstop in my head. The thunderous sound of the tom drums being hit from left to right, moments before the chugging guitar comes into the song, followed by the second guitar wailing away; it always gives me the motivation to do anything. I feel a rush of adrenaline and courage fill my veins. I stare death in the face and move Finito so I'm gripping it behind me, to the right.

"Keep it up! You're firing me up for one heck of a fight! Keep going!" I yell as I start to scream along with them.

I can hear the vocals from my favourite song, which is still playing loudly in my mind. It's pumping me up to slay thousands of Akiad's warriors who are trying to stop me from my destiny. Bring it on, I say; I'm ready.

The enemies are about a kilometre away, so now I can make out what they look like. They are orcs – all extremely built, with dark purple skin and wearing an animal skin down below, protruding jaws and long hair; all are armed with duel hand axes. There are about fifty orc driven wooden contraptions, which are built like huge catapults, and about a dozen orcs pushing a cart of ammunition beside each one. I fear the worst for Neca City.

I watch as the orcs sprint toward us. I'm counting down the distance of the enemies in my head; three hundred metres; I'm ready to fight, although I hope none of my companions die in this tussle.

"Are you ready?! You attack on my cue, got it?" I yell to my companions, who yell back at me.

The roaring thud of wailing guitars and thunderous drumming echo in my head; my time to battle is imminent.

When the orcs are about a hundred metres away, I start my attack.

"Ice wall!" I yell and swing Finito forward; a huge ice wall flies in the direction of the incoming orcs, freezing everything it passes through.

I immediately fire another two ice walls; one to the left of the first ice wall and the other to the right.

"ATTACK! NOW!" I yell.

There are about five hundred orcs frozen by my ice wall; we don't hesitate to charge towards them.

"Yeah! It's go time!" Vetor yells as he starts slicing left to right, shattering the frozen orcs.

Modnar flicks his right hand and pushes about two hundred orcs with a strong gust of wind, forcing them to shatter on the orcs that are still charging; frozen meat chunks fly through the air like bullets from a gun.

Zekai is furiously stabbing orc faces. Enaz is next to Modnar; they are already battling living orcs.

"How many are there, Modnar?!" I yell as I slice an orcs head off.

"Well over a few thousand and more coming!" Modnar yells back, blocking several orc attacks with his staff.

The odds are dire, even after my opening spell. I hope the citizens of Neca City are safe; all that fire coming from the city can't be a good thing.

Finally the frozen orc warriors are decimated; there are thousands of tiny pieces of frozen flesh all over the battlefield. Vetor is relentlessly chopping, cleaving through orc flesh and bones like a butcher to meat; he slices at least eight orcs through the midsection, one after the next.

"Aarrgghh!" Zekai yells as he thrusts his spear forward, stabbing it through the face of two orcs, one in front of the other; with the two dead orcs still attached to the spear he swings it around above his head, using the dead orcs to club every orc in the vicinity.

Enaz is truly an amazing warrior. He's constantly moving, fighting two warriors at any one time. As he stabs one orc through the stomach with his left sword he slashes the next orc diagonally from shoulder to waist with his other sword. He then throws his left sword into an incoming orcs face, before doing the same with his right; he retrieves his swords, then disappears.

Modnar is the battle veteran, eliminating the most orcs of us all. He's using powerful magic; running on an angle, strafing from left to right, rapidly firing fireballs - each about the size of a Pilate's ball; instantly engulfing any orc they make contact with. I can hear screams of agony from dying orcs all over the battlefield; the tide of battle is evening out.

I run forward until I almost have warriors all around me.

"Ice spikes!" I yell as I stab Finito into the ground, killing nearby orcs with the spikes that emerge beneath them.

The ice spikes retract the instant Finito exits the ground, and I immediately stab the ground again, ice spikes stabbing another lot of orcs. After doing this several times, I have dead orcs all around me; in a perfect circle, I might add. It looks like a sandbag wall of dead orcs, although the aroma is definitely not as pleasant, that's for sure. The wall of bodies is about a metre and a half high, so it is a decent height to hide behind too.

Two orcs peek their heads over the top of the pile of warriors and I slice their heads off, spraying blood all over the place.

"Everyone, cover me, I'm going to try my ice shower spell, but I'll be immobile!" I yell out.

Modnar and Enaz are still nearby; Vetor and Zekai drop back to cover me. I stand within the wall and hold Finito high in the air. Zekai and Vetor are stabbing and slicing orcs left, right and center, stopping any orcs from interfering with my plans.

"Ice shower!" I yell and dark grey clouds cover the sky; it starts raining heavily. Huge pieces of ice roughly the size of a bus crash down from above. The enemies aren't freezing anymore, the pieces are splatting orcs as easily as you could crack an egg in the palm of your hand. Limbs are flying everywhere, and chunks of ice are crashing down all over the battlefield.

"Modnar, how are the numbers looking?!" I shout.

"Below a thousand now thanks to you; the pendulum is starting to swing in our favour, my girl" Modnar keeps shooting fireballs at incoming orcs.

Huge chunks of ice are crushing orcs, splatting fleshy chunks all over the ground. The battlefield is starting to resemble an abattoir. Each ice rock shatters on the ground, and smaller pieces bounce and fly through the air, taking orcs heads, arms and legs off. I gaze at the storm of ice rocks and I'm wishing the snow leopard would arrive; I need its help right now.

"Enaz, I can't move! Behind me!" An orc is swiping at me from behind.

Enaz quickly shifts to the area behind me, but something distracts him from being helpful. A huge ice rock crashes down next to him; the snow leopard has arrived. It starts swiping at nearby orcs, turning them into solid ice; Enaz is shattering every victim from the onslaught of the snow leopard. I'd be lying if I say that I'm not feeling safe right now.

The rain stops and the grey clouds part, allowing me to regain control of my arm. I feel drained; pins and needles rush through my arm as I start to move it again.

"I can't use magic for a while, so once I can lift my arm I'll join you in melee combat. Thanks for the support back there!" I yell to everyone.

"Anything for you Syra; it's our duty!" Vetor replies, slashing at another orc.

"Come here girl!" I shout, gaining the attention of the snow leopard.

The snow leopard quickly runs over to me, stopping to breathe cold air at some incoming orcs, freezing them in motion; their bodies fall and shatter on the ground. It bends its head down to the ground, as if it wants me to mount it; I sheathe Finito and do just that.

Scaling the back of the snow leopard, I grab a handful of its hair and pat its neck; cold steam is emanating from each individual strand of hair. Goosebumps quickly gain dominance of my skin.

"Good girl. Follow them!" I say, patting and directing the snow leopard towards my companions.

The five of us charge forward; I'm leading the way, mounted on the snow leopard. There's a light at the end of this tunnel, as I can see large gaps in their army. We could actually win this battle, if we play our cards right.

Enaz is swinging his swords, the right sword going right to left then coming back, and the left sword doing the opposite, cleaving orcs in half through the midsection, one after the other. Blood is showering around like a hose and body parts fly everywhere. He makes killing seem like poetry. Seemingly effortlessly, he ends the lives of countless orcs. He trades each life for death, like a surgeon of brutality. He's the most violent warrior I've ever seen. He would make a samurai proud.

The orcs charging at me get the shock of their life. The snow leopard strikes and kills the first three orcs, then breathes cold air at the next wave of orcs charging me; I draw Finito and shatter some of the frozen orcs as we ride past.

"Good girl" I say, patting the snow leopard.

Vetor and Zekai are battling together, doing tag moves. Zekai stabs one orc in the chest and holds it there for Vetor to follow through and chop its head off. Then, as Vetor twirls around, he chops the next two orcs heads off with one big swing. Zekai slithers forward and strikes another orc through the face, still leaving the last dead orc on the end of his spear.

"What about these huge catapults?" I yell as I ride towards one of them.

"What are you doing?!" Modnar shouts.

"Syra! Wait!" Vetor yells before chasing me.

"Run girl, straight into that catapult!"

The snow leopard follows my instructions; we're heading straight for one of the catapults. The orcs that we trample become frozen solid; chunks of cold flesh fly through the air after connecting with Finito. The snow leopard increases in velocity, so I prepare to dismount. We crash into a catapult, shattering into thousands of ice particles upon impact, freezing the lower section; I flip off and draw Finito mid-flight. Upon landing, I charge towards the frozen section of the nearby catapult.

"AAARRRGGHHHH!" I yell before slashing through the frozen wood.

I can hear my companions cheering in the background; I take a deep breath and begin to charge towards the next catapult.

I chop a few orcs out of the way, then begin clambering up the side of the next catapult - it's huge up close, at least a hundred metres high, but I'm determined to climb it; the first catapult crashes down on some orcs, crushing them on impact.

I jump onto a dangling rope attached to the apparatus that holds the cannonball before launch. As I climb I see an orc chopping away at it from above.

"Wait till I get you!" I yell as I clamber up.

The orc keeps cutting until I get near the top and hold my spot; I quickly draw Finito and fire an ice wall at him. It shatters on the catapult and the orc drops back into the cradle.

I sheathe Finito and climb as fast as I can, trying to make it before it's too late.

Right before I reach the top, the catapult launches and we go flying through the air. I immediately let go of the rope, and the momentum throws me to the middle of the huge machine.

"Where to go, where to go?" I mutter, looking around for a clue.

I look up and see three orcs descending ropes directly above me; the ropes lead to the cockpit of the contraption. I step back a bit to allow the orcs room to land, before drawing Finito and inching forward.

"Come on, I don't have all day!" I yell, taunting the orcs to run at me.

A new spell idea pops into my head; I swing forward and say

"Ice spray", instantly freezing the orcs with cold air, spraying from the tip of Finito; I swing horizontally and their ice fragments drop either side of the ledge.

"Watch out below" I quip, then climb the middle rope.

At the top, the driver comes over to the window and pulls me inside with him. He turns me over and goes to punch me in the face, but I dodge and slide underneath him. I knee him in the crotch and hope it works like it would to a male human; guess it paid off, because the orc bends over the side of the cockpit to vomit. I lift his leg like I was a wrestler eliminating an opponent in a Battle Royale over the top rope; but in this case out of the cockpit, falling a few hundred metres to his death.

"How do I drive this thing?" I ask myself as I move one of the five wooden levers in front of me.

The catapult starts raising in the air, and the cannonball in the cradle drops, landing on the middle section of the chassis, crushing right through it. I can feel the cockpit tipping towards the ground.

"That was quick; just when I was getting the hang of it" I mutter before getting ready to jump out of the cockpit.

"Run!" Vetor screams as he runs towards Modnar, Zekai and Enaz, who all turn and run the other direction.

The cannonball rolls onto the ground, squashing everything it makes contact with. Orcs scream for their life on the ground; it mutilates them, but doesn't kill them, leaving them to suffer. No sympathy in a world that thrives off war; no medics here. Akiad's orcs will rot on this battlefield.

Just as the catapult is about to connect with the ground, I leap from the cockpit and land in a roll; just like Rodland had taught us. The catapult shakes the ground when it lands; my back's sore as I lie on the ground for a brief moment, trying hard to shake the cobwebs.

Vetor runs over and bends down to pick me up.

"Up you get, Syra; it ain't over yet" Vetor says

"Thanks Vetor, where's the others?" I reply as orcs charge us again.

"A... little... tied... up... at... the... moment!" Vetor says, his axe in full motion, slicing through several orcs.

I jump towards Vetor and cut through two orcs near him; suddenly he realises that no more enemies are nearby.

"Follow me!" Vetor yells, before I follow his lead.

We're quickly running away from Neca City, towards the rest of my companions. I can see flashes of red nearby, so I know that has to be Modnar. Vetor and I are attacking only the necessary orcs; allowing us to cover more terrain quickly. I see the others and excitement consumes me. I really feel safe when it's the five of us; we are a formidable force.

"Syra! We need to end this battle now! These warriors are merely pawns in Akiad's big plan. Gurdon will be getting away with the Arter Gem! Cover me while I end this!" Modnar yells as he drops his staff and puts his open palms in the air.

"Let the embers of the underworld, engulf you all!" Modnar yells as his eyes roll into the back of his head.

The ground starts shaking for about a kilometre around us. The orcs stand on the spot, wondering what's happening. Specks of light appear from beneath the ground, all over the battlefield; moments later, a pillar of fire comes from beneath every orc on the battlefield, reaching to the sky. It's truly breath-taking to see; Zekai, Enaz, Vetor and I look on in amazement. There are hundreds of beams of fire; even the orcs driving the remaining catapults are suffering at the hands of Modnar. The catapults catch fire and become a blistering inferno within a matter of seconds. Everything on the battlefield is now ablaze, burning for the remainder of their pathetic existence.

The orcs are quickly burnt to a crisp; not one is left alive. The smell of burnt flesh fills the air and when the beams eventually disappear, Modnar drops to the ground and passes out.

"Modnar!" The four of us sheathe our weapons and run towards him.

"Oh no, what are we going to do!?" I say in a panic.

"Don't worry; I'll stay with him. You three head for the Arter Gem. We'll be there as soon as possible. You must not let Gurdon get his hands on the Arter gem!" Zekai says as he bends over to cradle Modnar in his lap.

"Thank you Zekai! Good luck! Okay everyone, let's go!" I lead the way to Neca City.

As we run we drip blood all over the road, leaping and dodging all the brutality at our feet. We quite possibly may have been in the most brutal battle in the history of Tharp. There's nothing but carnage; burning corpses and catapults, moans of agony, and black smoke everywhere. The smell of death is in the air.

"I can't wait for our next break, I'm so shattered!" Vetor says as we run.

"Don't think about holidays just yet! Prepare for our hardest battle yet, King Gurdon!" I reply.

We approach the gates and as expected they are sealed shut. They are made of large thick logs, and are very strong. They have sharpened tips to stop people climbing over the top; the wall going around the perimeter of the city is built the same as the gate, but are slightly taller in height. The intensity of the thick black smoke coming from beyond the gate is not a good sign; neither is the abundance of silence. All I can hear is fire burning, and there's a delicate breeze keeping them ablaze; we need to find a quick way inside.

"Stand back, I'll take care of the gate!" Enaz says as he approaches the huge wooden gates, placing his palms on them.

The gates begin smoking, steam coming from under his palms; as he removes his hands, the gates are fully ablaze.

He steps back and stands next to us as we watch the gates of Neca City burn to the ground; now, the wall either side of the gates are ablaze.

"Enjoy your break; because we won't get another for a while! Once these doors drop, we head straight for that evil scum, King Gurdon!" I say, drawing Finito and eagerly awaiting our safe passage into the city.

I breathe deeply to prepare for the scariest thing I've faced to date. Nothing has ever scared me this much in my life, last battle included.

Once the gates burn to the ground, we leap over the debris and run into the confines of Neca City; horrified is the first thought that springs to mind. Every building in the city is heavily demolished and on fire. Thousands of citizens are dead. A group of Oathient serpent children are dead right by the gate; it almost brings a tear to my eye, but I must be strong for my companions and keep an eye on the prize.

I take a moment to survey the city. A waterfall is opposite us in the distance - which drops into a lake below - and we're in the back right corner of the city. White stone houses are all around us, which are built in rows - the heights of each house vary - gradually declining towards the lake; it reminds me a lot of Athens, and the way their buildings are constructed. A large round Colosseum is in the distance, taking up the left side of the lake.

The side of the Colosseum - that is closest to the lake - is caved in, and the other side kept a lot of its original shape. To the right of the lake is a clock tower - the top half of it, is on the ground by the lake; nearby there also appears to be a multi-storey building, could be a hotel.

"This wasn't you, was it? You only destroyed the gates with fire, right" I ask.

"This will be Gurdon's doing! He must have the gem, hence why he has no need for the town, or its occupants! What a shame, it was such a beautiful city. Even the stadium is heavily destroyed; even though it's been abandoned for years, a lot of history has taken place there," Enaz replies sounding quite disappointed.

The only thing that wasn't completely destroyed at the hand of the orcs is the huge waterfall, dropping from the top of the cliff at the back of the city into the huge lake at the bottom, which the city has been built around. What a shame I missed out on seeing what seemed like a beautiful city. Gurdon will pay for what he's done.

When I bring my attention back ahead of me, I notice a man standing there; I'm not going to lie, he looks pretty badass. He's about six feet tall, with a shaved head and a huge black bushy beard. He is wearing a blue denim jacket, faded blue jeans with holes around the knees, black leather boots and a black shirt. I'm taking a wild stab in the dark that he's Gurdon, and he's holding the Arter Gem of Water in his hand.

"You all thought you'd get this, didn't you?" Gurdon says, then turns and runs for the waterfall.

There is a staircase made of rock behind the waterfall. The steps have no railing, and each step is a decent height above the last; you'd have to be careful if you ran up them. About a hundred metres up the steps is a ledge, sticking out beyond the waterfall. That must be where Gurdon is heading.

I run after him, but Enaz is calling out to me.

"Syra, wait! Remember we have to pursue Gurdon at a safe distance. If we threaten him at all, he'll morph into a dragon, and that's no good for anyone. We must be diplomatic!" Enaz shouts.

"I'll be careful!" I reply, before leading the way to the rocky steps.

We realise that we have to ascend the stairs in single file, as they are only a metre wide. Below the waterfall is the huge lake, forming a little safety if we fall for some reason.

"Be careful everyone; I'm our leader, so I'll head up first" I say, running up the stairs as fast as I can; I have to catch Gurdon, and he's nearly at the platform.

Vetor and Enaz are lagging behind as I'm scaling much faster up the stairs. I'm the Chosen One of Tharp, and I'll be damned if I let that sleazy King have his hands on my property. I have to get it, for the future of both our planets.

I finally arrive at the top and approach Gurdon. He's standing near the edge of the platform with his back to me. There is a small altar, about the size of a shoebox, in the middle of the platform, just beyond the waterfall. I'm betting my lunch money that this is the resting place of the Arter Gem of Water. Gurdon knows I'm here, and speaks without turning around.

"So Syra, we finally meet. You've come here for this, haven't you? Well, you need to answer a few of my questions first," Gurdon says as he holds out his left hand, revealing the Arter Gem of Water.

I'm so close to the second gem that I can taste it. I need to snatch it from this scum. I clear my throat, then speak.

"I suppose I have time to answer a few questions before I slit your throat."

"No need to get lippy, so you better cut it out; you don't want me getting mad. Now how did Modnar escape 'Dandum Prison?,kn," Gurdon asks, keeping his back to me.

"I speak how I want, when I want, to who I want. So don't try to tell me what to do. Now about Modnar, he hasn't left my side, for the entire time I've been in Tharp; I swear I'm telling the truth" I reply, sounding frustrated.

"LIAR! I punched him in the face, about a week ago. He broke out a day later!" Gurdon yells while black smoke starts emanating from his body.

"Calm down, Gurdon. I'm sure there's some sort of explanation. Where is this prison you speak of?" I ask as he has sparked curiosity within me too.

"On the western continent, and the place is fortified beyond comprehension. It makes no sense; TELL ME HOW!" Gurdon yells as black smoke pours out of every visible orifice.

"You weren't supposed to threaten him!" Enaz says as he finally arrives at the top platform.

"Sorry he was being extremely lippy; I couldn't resist giving him a taste of his own medicine. I had to say something!" I reply sarcastically.

The Arter Gem of Water drops from Gurdon's hand, and we see two huge black wings emerge from the smoke. The wingspan from tip to tip is about ten metres.

As the black smoke evaporates, the dragon is now before us. He's about six metres high, with bright red eyes and a mouth full of sharp, white teeth. It has black scales, similar in texture to a snake; with claws on the tip of its wings and instead of feet. It stares at me and black steam starts seeping out of its nose.

I make a sudden dash for the Arter Gem, which is beneath the dragon's lower claws. When I'm a few metres away, Gurdon takes a big breath and starts blowing it my direction.

I dive onto my stomach, sliding under the dragon's claws; I snatch the Arter Gem of Water, but my momentum makes me fall off the edge of the platform. I'm hanging on by only my left hand, while my right hand grips the Arter Gem.

"Hang on Syra! I'll take care of this dragon!" Vetor yells, charging straight for the dragon.

"No Vetor, don't! He's too powerful!" I yell back as I dangle.

Vetor has his axe out in front of him, but the dragon turns and starts to fly away. At the last instant, Vetor leaps off the edge of the platform and grabs his tail.

"Here, take my hand!" Enaz says as he lowers his hand towards me.

"Thanks." I reply, then look at the Arter Gem of Water.

"I've finally got it, Enaz!" I say excitedly as I land on the platform.

"Hurry Syra, activate the Arter Gem" Enaz replies.

I place the Arter Gem of Water in the Southern indentation of Finito and the whole blade flashes dark blue.

"Arter Water!" I yell.

The blade shakes for about twenty seconds. I feel a surge of power come over me, the same as when I inserted the Eastern Arter Gem; but now I can control it. This new power that Finito has acquired rushes through my body like blood in my veins. Finito is now listening to me.

After the blade stops shaking, I look towards Enaz.

"How are we going to get Vetor?" I ask.

"Not sure, they're too high in the sky for us to get at. We will have to use some innovation!" Enaz says.

I walk to the edge of the cliff and decide to do something about it! Use some innovation, if you will. I slash Finito forward and yell

"Water tube!"

A huge tube of water starts streaming out of Finito, and I yell

"Ice wall".

The ice wall freezes the entire water tube. I look at Enaz and smile.

"Ice bridge, anyone?" I joke.

I take two steps on the Ice Bridge and slip, landing face first.

"It's slippery!" I say.

"I think I've established that Syra," Enaz replies sarcastically.

Vetor is hanging onto the dragon with all his might; I'm so proud of him, and angry at the same time! That's so dangerous; if he falls, he's dead. He starts scaling the dragon's back as it flies.

Enaz and I crawl along the ice bridge; I decide to be human and spark up some conversation.

"I don't really know what I'm doing, I'm just making it up as I go along" I say as I crawl in front of Enaz.

"Yeah, I know," Enaz laughs.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just funny; you remind me of your mother."

"Huh?! What do you mean by that?"

Before Enaz can reply, the dragon flies into the side of my ice bridge, destroying it on impact; Vetor slips down the dragons back, but continues to hang on; Enaz and I are rapidly falling towards the lake below.

I sheathe Finito and curl my legs up.

"CANNONBALL!!" I yell, plummeting to the lake below.

"That looks fun!" Enaz yells, and curls into a ball.

We land in the water; crashing into the bottom of the lake.

As we surface, moaning in agony, we look north to see an unbelievable sight.

"Enaz, there's a huge white dragon flying this way!" I yell.

"Damn, another one?!!" Enaz yells back.

"Aarrgghh!" Vetor screams as he plunges into the water below.

Vetor hits a rock on the lake bottom, which slices open his leg. Blood pollutes the water, and my best friend's agony fills the air.

"Aarrgghh!" Vetor screams as blood gushes out of his leg.

"Gurdon is nose diving towards us," I yell before diving under the water and swimming towards Vetor; just missing some fire from the dragon swooping down.

Enaz and I surface and take a huge breath. I look up and see that the dragon is stalking us in the air; circling the sky like a hawk, watching its prey. We're running out of time, and we need to get Vetor to safety.

When we get to Vetor, we put his arms over our shoulders, then drag him back to shore.

"It's going to be okay Vetor," I say as Enaz and I drag him to shore.

Vetor doesn't answer; he just quietly moans in agony. From the look on his face, you can tell he's in a lot of pain; and there's absolutely nothing I can do.

The dragon continues to circle us in the air; I'm not going to lie, but it's scaring me much more than I had anticipated.

When we reach shore, I roll over between Vetor and Enaz.

"Vetor, thanks for being so brave. You're the best friend I've ever known. I hope to stay friends with you, forever!" I say, wishing for bigger lungs to inhale more air into my exhausted body.

I roll towards Vetor, and hug him tightly, until we hear several different roars from the southern direction. We turn to look, but before we have a chance to assess what is happening, Zekai slithers towards us.

"Are you three, hurt?" Zekai asks.

"Vetor's quite injured, but Enaz and I are fine; I'm just worried about Modnar!" I reply.

"Oh here he is now," Zekai says, looking into the sky.

A white dragon \- carrying Modnar's staff in its claws - is flying towards us from the north, and it looks as scary as the black one. A large trail of white smoke is being left behind when it flaps its wings. It has a different glow about it, more positive; could that be Modnar?

"Is that him?" I ask, gazing into the air.

"Yes Syra; that's Modnar," Zekai says, watching Modnar fly towards us

The two dragons meet in the air. Modnar is flying above the Northern end of the lake; Gurdon is flying at the same altitude, but under the waterfall. They both start growling while they hover opposite each other.

"Well... argh... Gurdon's asking Modnar how he escaped Dandum Prison... argh" Vetor says as he rolls on his side, favouring his leg.

"That's odd; Gurdon asked me the same thing. What does he mean by that? It makes no sense" I reply, confused.

"I'm not sure, Syra; look!" Enaz yells, pointing towards the dragons.

Modnar flies towards Gurdon and strikes him with his left claw, then blows fire directly in his face, scolding him.

"Aarrrrggggggggghhhh!" Gurdon yells, rubbing his face with his left claw.

Modnar flies towards Gurdon and starts slashing his right claw at him, but misses every swing. Gurdon flies down then back up straight into Modnar's stomach, winding him on impact. I bite my nails as I watch two dragons battle in the sky above us; it's not something you see every day. It's brutal. Modnar goes for a huge right-handed swipe, but misses. Gurdon counters with a short breath of fire.

"Rraagghh!" Modnar roars.

I look at the lake below Modnar; blood is dripping off his left wing into the water below. Gurdon flies quickly towards Modnar and smashes his face with his left claw, busting Modnar's face open; more blood drops into the lake below, followed by Modnar's staff.

Modnar starts flying towards Gurdon and crashes straight into him; the momentum causes them to crash into the cliff, landing on the platform.

"What's happening? They landed on the platform" I say, standing on my tippy toes, trying to see what's happening.

Before anyone can respond, the two dragons fly out from behind the waterfall; Gurdon strikes Modnar with a huge right hook, cutting open Modnar's face.

Modnar stays still, hovering, holding his lower claws open towards each other. He starts building a big ball of kinetic energy that gets bigger by the second, eventually becoming the size of a small car. Gurdon is circling in the air, preparing to fly straight towards the stationary Modnar.

"Rraagghh!" Modnar screams as he flies full speed towards Gurdon, still powering the huge kinetic ball of energy between his lower two claws.

What's Modnar doing? He could get himself killed! Is he crazy? I jump to my feet, and can't take my eyes off them.

The two dragons collide, and the ball of kinetic energy becomes the size of a bus, shrouding them from being seen.

A few moments later, the ball of energy disappears through a hole in the air about the size of a golf ball, and Modnar and Gurdon have disappeared.

"Modnar!" I yell as tears run down my face.

I drop to the ground on my hands and knees and can't stop crying. Zekai, Vetor and Enaz are as silent as me; speechless is a status we all share. Where is Modnar and Gurdon? Are they dead? I have so many questions; and the man with all the answers is nowhere to be seen.

After some silent weeping, I stand up and walk off. I ascend the stairs behind the waterfall and sit on the edge of the ledge in the waterfall, dangling my feet above the lake. I draw Finito and lie it across my lap. I'm in a daze, staring at the Arter Gems, processing everything I've been through. Rodland is gone and now Modnar is too. I feel like my world is crumbling all around me, and there's nothing I can do.

Vetor's still injured by the lake, and Zekai watches over him. I hear a noise behind me, and I know it's Enaz; he comes to sit next to me, and starts rubbing his hand on my back in a circular motion.

"I'm really going to miss Modnar, you know. He has always watched out for me and was the closest thing I had to a father," I say, sniffling away.

"Well, that's not entirely true, Syra. You do have a father."

"What do you mean? You say such strange things, sometimes."

"Your father; his name is Zane, right?"

"Yes! How in the world did you know that?"

"Well Syra, what's Zane spelt backwards?"

###

### About the Author

Firstly, thank you for supporting my book; Episode III: The Chosen One. A lot of hard work and time has gone into completing this story. I've been writing this series of books since September 2007. I released Episode III first as I felt it was necessary to tell Syra's story first. I released Episode IV second, then Episode V - my personal favourite in the series, recently released Episode II and now Episode I. The order that I will release the rest of the series is Episode VI, VII, VIII, IX then X - and now that the first five are out, you can read them in chronological order as well. Start from Episode I and read to Episode X.

A bit about me

I am a 31 year old author from West Auckland, New Zealand. Currently living in Australia. I love Science Fiction - especially time travel - and action; this series is my attempt of merging both these loves into one.

One last thing. My books have a lot of violence in them, which does not mean that I condone it in the real world. You see I dissect a scene in my head and describe it on paper how I see it. It's just how I have always been; I love vivid detail.

I have added the first chapter of Episode IV on the next page, and I hope you enjoy it.

Again, a big thank you from the bottom of my heart, if you enjoyed reading this book, could you please take a moment to leave me a review at your favourite retailer?

Other books by Mario Walsh

AVAILABLE NOW

Episode IV - A Twist of Fate

Episode V - Syra's Paradox

Episode II - The Pinnacles of Fate

Episode I - The Prophet and her Legacy

COMING SOON

Episode VI - The Syndicate of Time

Episode VII - The Mentor of Time

Episode VIII - The Guardian of Time

Episode IX - The Martyr of Time

Episode X - The Bounty of Time

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### Tales of the Arter Gems

Episode IV

A Twist of Fate

###  Preface

Where do I begin? Do I start with the fact that I'm stuck in a foreign world without a map? My only guide was a ten thousand year old time guardian, who literally just disappeared; through a ball of kinetic energy. I'm sitting on a ledge high in the air, looking down on a city that's been completely destroyed, with no sign of life anywhere. I have two of the four Arter gems of Tharp and have no clue of where to go next. So, as I said before; where do I begin?

### I – And then there were four...

How am I supposed to deal with what's happened in the last few days? Weak-minded people would turn to drugs, or even the knife; but not me. I'm too important to choose either of those options. I have to face my issues, head on, exactly like a Westie always does. 'Water off a ducks back' is what my mum would say to me; how accurate is she in this situation? Quite accurate.

Enaz and I are sitting on the ledge beyond the waterfall, looking down at my feet dangling over the edge, feeling quite blank. How else did Enaz expect me to act; what he has just told me isn't exactly something I expected to hear.

"You haven't said anything for several minutes now. I know I didn't pick the best timing to tell you, but I had to say something. I wanted to tell you when we first met, but Modnar informed me not to. I'm sorry," Enaz says, with much sincerity in his voice.

"Sorry, I've just been processing my thoughts; it's something that I do by the way, but I suppose you wouldn't know that though, would you? And with you being my father, you expect me to just start calling you dad? I still haven't fully forgiven you for what you did to Mum and me. You just took off. No note, no messages, no visits; nothing. You just left us there to rot. I know I now share the same air as you; I have wound up on Tharp and been here for the past three and a half months, and I haven't made contact with her to say that I'm okay. Just imagine how your wife and child felt for the past fifteen years? Look Enaz, I'm not ready to let the others know that you're my father. Sorry what can I say; the timing just isn't right!" I say, before diving off the ledge into the water below.

While I'm swimming to shore, I see Zekai wrapping some cloth around the gash on Vetor's leg.

"Sorry Vetor, no Modnar to spontaneously heal your wounds anymore. We have to do this, the old fashioned way!" Zekai says, while Vetor wriggles in pain.

"Argh man its sore! Wish we had some Flork on us, heal it up right away!" Vetor replies as I approach him.

"That looks really sore. Are you okay?" I ask, while crouching next to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Where's Enaz? How are you doing?" Vetor replies while Zekai wraps his injury.

"Enaz is still on the platform. I've just been digesting everything that's taken place in the last twenty minutes. Just can't get over any of it. But, we must press on. We have to quickly find the Western and Northern Arter gems; but now that our Tharp tour guide is gone, I wouldn't know where to start! Any ideas, Zekai?"

"Well, as you may have guessed, we're at the southernmost town on Tharp. Simple logic would suggest that we continue through Neca city, and leave via the Western exit. I'm sorry to say Syra, but once we head west, then we have travelled beyond my knowledge of Tharp. I'm a warrior; Modnar is the cartographer."

Enaz walks towards us and when he enters the vicinity, he begins to speak.

"I have never ventured very far West; there are tales of warriors not making it through the 'Whispering Forest' alive," Enaz says, a shiver goes up my spine.

"The Whispering Forest?" I reply.

"The Whispering Forest is filled with these creatures called 'Roobes'. They live in the trees; and they can smell your worst fear. All you hear in your mind when you travel through here, is the Roobes whispering your worst fear to you."

"That doesn't sound all that bad?" Vetor says.

"Well, if the whispering doesn't scare you, they'll jump down and attack; hence why no one has made it through alive," Enaz explains.

"Well let's not go through there then! Let's back track and head the long way to the last two Arter gems!" Vetor jokes.

"Vetor, we really can't really afford to do that. The amount of time that we would waste backtracking, would cause us to become behind schedule. We must travel through the Whispering Forest!" Zekai says.

"Are you sure that no one has made it through alive?" I ask.

"Quite certain. I suppose if someone has survived, then I'm sure we'll come across that legendary individual soon enough. I know I haven't heard of any survivors in all my years on Tharp, and I spend a lot of time in Neca City, at the old pub. Man I'm going to miss that place," Enaz adds.

"Well the sun is starting to set, so I think we should set up camp and leave at daybreak. Vetor and I are going to wander around the city ruins, see what we can find," I reply, helping Vetor to his feet.

"Be careful you two," Enaz replies as we walk away.

"We will!" Vetor yells back.

Vetor is resting his left arm around me, as I help him limp around the remains of Neca City; it's sad to see the state it's in. A plethora of ruins and bloody corpses; and it's now the second city on Tharp that we haven't had the pleasure of seeing, before being destroyed. I can't even really describe the city, as it's an interesting blend of black stains, ashes and large slabs of rubble. As I look left, remains of all the houses are everywhere. I can make out streets in between the rubble, with black smoke and dead bodies everywhere. The only structure remaining which bares any similarity to its former self; is the Colosseum. I want to head there now and check it out. Enaz says that a lot of history has taken place there; its history that I'll never see, but part of me still wants to stand in something so legendary.

"I'm glad you survived that battle with Gurdon and his army. It got a bit crazy, and I was scared of losing you," I say, as we continue to walk.

"It did get really crazy, didn't it? I'm glad we survived too! Rodland really trained us well; and he'd be so proud. We fought off hundreds of orcs and I'm not being macho, but I wasn't as scared as I thought I'd be!"

I giggle for a few seconds, but choose not to reply to Vetor. Instead, I stare his direction and smile. Sometimes in life, it's better to just take a step back and assess a situation, and if it's unnecessary to speak, then don't. I believe that you must do what needs to be done; and nothing more. Right now, I need to stay silent and let Vetor feel like we're doing okay, because in my honest opinion, until we progress closer to the next Arter gem, I don't feel like the fact that we are alive is enough to be happy about.

Suddenly, in the midst of the battle I'm having with my thoughts; I see a middle aged woman crawl out of a building in the distance. She is wearing a light blue gown that has been charred from fire; her skin is light, and stained black from the ash.

"Vetor! I have to go help her!" I yell, sprinting towards the survivor.

I approach her, bend down and cradle her neck in my lap.

"Don't you die on me! I'm Syra, the chosen one of Tharp! Did Gurdon and his orcs do this to you?" I say, wiping the blood off her face.

"Cough! Cough! We knew that death was coming to our beautiful city, Daweson saw it in that cursed pond! If only I had of listened to what he said, then me and my family could've escaped. It doesn't lie! The future is what it tells, yes it does! Cough! Cough!" The woman replies, coughing blood all over the place.

"What pond? Where in the city is that pond? Surely you don't mean the lake? Do you know where the Western or Northern Arter gems are?"

"Cough! Cough! The forest..." the woman says, in her last breath.

"Damn!" I say, gently laying her on the ground, and closing her eyes with my left hand. Vetor limps towards me as fast as he can.

"What did she say?" Vetor asks.

"She mentioned something about a cursed pond, and that she should have listened to Daweson, who said that the pond doesn't lie?"

"Well I can't say that I know what she was talking about, but we must definitely ask Zekai and Enaz about it."

"Well, let's continue to the stadium," I reply, as I put Vetor's arm over my shoulder.

Vetor and I slowly continue hobbling through the ruins of Neca City, and it quickly became apparent that there is nothing and no one left. While we continue in the direction of the Colosseum ruins, I look back over my left shoulder, and see Enaz and Zekai in the distance; they are seated in the same spot, chatting to each other. I'm keen to leave them to it. We'll be fine by ourselves.

It's sad to see a Colosseum in this state. The front entrance - which I'd imagine to have been breath-taking - is seventy percent collapsed. In its prime era, this Colosseum would have stood at least one hundred metres high.

I approach the remains of the doorway to feel the material of the structure; see if it's even similar in any way to our Colosseum in Rome. As I'm rubbing my finger along the pillar, it does feel like the piece of rock my high school teacher brought to class; Travertine, which is a limestone that the Romans used to construct the Pillars and exterior of the Colosseum back on Earth. Makes me wonder how they found these materials on Tharp? Guess some things you actually never find out knowing; such as life.

"Should we enter?" Vetor asks, while still leaning on me.

"Yeah, of course; I want to stand in the centre, and breathe in the history that I'll never get to see," I reply, before leading Vetor and I inside.

A few moments pass, and we are now inside the Colosseum; I'm looking up and marvelling at the architecture, which is simply breath-taking. It's modelled so well after the Colosseum in Rome; that you'd think I'm on Earth rather than a foreign planet. The Western side of the Colosseum is fully demolished; just a pile of large slabs scattered everywhere. The stands on that side have fully caved in; dust and sand are everywhere. The Eastern side is quite intact; it's like Gurdon purposely attacked one side. The Eastern stands have only been affected by debris from the Western side, which has clearly flown across and destroyed a lot of the seating. It's not hard to guess that the catapults did all this; what a real shame.

I look down, returning my focus to the arena floor; the dust slowly parts and I see a few hundred civilians, huddled around a fire. They aren't making a noise; just staring my direction, with fear plastered on their faces.

"Who are you?!" A female civilian yells.

"We mean you no harm," I yell back, slowly walking forwards.

"I asked who you are. Please don't come any closer!" A male yells, armed with a small sword.

"We are here to help, please lower your weapon," I say, calmly.

"We don't want to die!" A young girl yells, running out towards me. I kneel down and speak to her.

"Gurdon and his army are dead. Sorry we arrived too late."

"Are all the bad orcs dead?" The little girl asks.

"Yes. I promise all the orcs are dead."

"Is this true?" a male asks, approaching the girl.

"One hundred percent true. Gurdon and his brethren of orcs are dead."

"And who killed all these orcs, you?"

"Yes, my guardians and I."

The male starts laughing, before a few other males join in. I had an idea, I just had to execute it quickly.

I stab Finito into the ground and close my eyes.

"Ice pillar!" I yell.

Seconds later, one massive ice pillar breaks through the Colosseum floor, and stands a few metres in the air. I walk up to it and run my hand along the freezing cold ice. I then clap my hands, and the snow leopard leaps out of it, landing next to me; shards of ice fly in every direction. She starts growling at the civilians, but I don't mind; they need to believe what we're saying. I've also been thinking of a name for her, and I think now's the time to let the snow leopard know.

"This is Krenshi," I say, running my fingers through her cold fur.

"AARRRGGGHHHH!" the majority of the civilians scream.

"No need to panic; I'm merely proving to you that we did in fact slay all the orcs," I reply, before clicking my fingers, making Krenshi shatter into thousands of ice fragments.

The civilians slowly huddle closely again, and all begin cheering. They run up to Vetor and me, and shower us with appreciation. We hear mixes of 'thank you heroes' and 'you saved us'. When the survivors settle down, I speak.

"We're really sorry that we couldn't save your city."

"Don't apologise; it was inevitable. It couldn't be stopped anyway," A female replies.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Daweson, the owner of the pub told me that," the female adds.

"Sorry, told you what? I don't understand, what was inevitable?"

"The destruction of Neca city. Daweson told me that it was doomed to be destroyed."

"How did he know all of this?" I'm intrigued to find out."

"Well, he said that ten thousand years ago, he and a few others shared an evening with the Prophet, whom revealed this all to him."

"Wow really, with the Prophet? Where is Daweson now?"

"He died in his bar. He refused to let the orcs take it, so he perished defending it. We are the last alive of our great city."

"I'm sorry that this has happened. We will make Akiad pay for what he's done, you have our word!" I yell, drawing Finito and holding it above.

The survivors start cheering again and this gives me a feeling of hope. This event motivates me to rid the planet of Akiad and his pestilence, let alone everything else he has done.

Once they stop cheering, I begin to speak.

"Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support. Vetor and I would like to look around the remains of the Colosseum. We wish you all the best of luck."

I look around and notice Vetor isn't with me. I see him behind me, so I run towards him.

"Vetor, where are you going?" I ask while gasping for air.

"To see the holding rooms; it's where the warriors would relax before a showdown in the arena. That's what I used to find interesting in history class; what is was like, moments before you fought to your death," Vetor replies while the survivors cheer for us.

"Well, you could have waited for me!" I reply, messing up his hair.

Cobwebs are the first thing that spring to mind while entering this dark corridor, which runs directly under the Eastern stands. The whistling wind sounds like a plea for freedom; souls, trapped here from years past, begging for their release from this existence.

Leaves start blowing out of a doorway further down the hallway; third from the left.

"Syra, did you see that?" Vetor asks while limping slightly ahead of me.

"Yeah, the leaves blowing out of that room. Let's check it out."

Upon reaching the doorway, Vetor peeks in and starts smiling to himself.

"What's so funny?" I ask.

"Well, the leaves are explained. There's a tree growing through the side of the Colosseum; there's even bird nests in the branches. Wait look!" Vetor replies, before entering the room.

The room itself is quite small. There's a broken wooden table in the centre, and the wall - opposite the door - is cracked, and has branches growing through. Six chairs are tipped over in various places of the room; the echoes of chirping birds fill the ambience and make me smile from ear to ear. I look over at Vetor and see a small bird on his head. It's small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, has beautiful black feathers and its tail is a palette of different colours, which glisten in the light.

"Wow," I say, standing next to Vetor while he pats the small bird.

"Yeah, I was about to say the same thing."

"It's so beautiful. Quite nice to see after all the carnage we've endured."

"Hey, look at that," Vetor replies before pointing towards something that's behind me.

Scratched into the wall - next to the door - was something I really didn't expect. There is an infinity symbol and a message written below it; 'infinite loop of time'. I'm baffled as what to say, but intrigued to investigate this further. I run my finger along the scratches and grooves, before looking down and seeing a nail; it's in immaculate condition, could almost be brand new.

"What's that?" Vetor asks.

"A nail; exactly like one you'd find back home. The strangest part is the condition of it. It looks brand new," I reply as I bend down and pick it up.

The nail feels as immaculate as it appears. Rubbing it between my thumb and index finger makes me feel how untarnished the nail is. I think I might take it with me as a souvenir; I'm sure nobody will care. I put the nail in my pocket before Vetor taps my shoulder.

"What do you think the message means?" Vetor asks.

"Infinite loop of time....I'm actually not sure. If only Modnar were here, he'd be able to shed some light on it. I miss him so much already," I reply, before Vetor starts rubbing my back.

"Let's head back to the others; it's becoming dark, and we should get some sleep," Vetor says before leaving the room.

I glance at the message one last time, not knowing who did it, or who it was for. But it makes me think about life and how weird it's been for me; and obviously someone else.

Enaz and Zekai have prepared a fire, cooking Dupat shells over it. Vetor and I approach them and the smell of wonderful food fills my nostrils.

"Where did you two go? Did you hear cheering from the Colosseum," Enaz asks.

"Well, we just had a wander around the city; we found survivors in the Colosseum, and a woman that mentioned something about a cursed pond? Does that ring any bells?" I reply.

"Survivors? That's great; how many? Now, come to think of it, I've heard something about a cursed pond; in the middle of the Whispering forest. From what I've heard, when you look into this pond, the reflection you see is of yourself, but not immediately like any other reflection. What you actually see is a reflection of yourself directly after your next major fate altering decision that you have to make. For example, your reflection may be of you in a month's time, it could even be of you in twenty years' time. It really just depends on you and the choices you make," Enaz explains.

"That's so cool, but freaky at the same time! What do you think, Syra?" Vetor asks.

"Umm, yeah it's very.....cool," I reply, while being distracted by my thoughts.

I really don't want to look into that cursed pond. I have a feeling of what I will see in there, and I really don't want to know if I'm right. Zekai told me a few months ago that I'm going to die. If my calculations are correct, then that means when I look into the pond, I shouldn't even have a reflection; and that just gives me the shivers. I've been comfortable about my fate until now, but this pond is making me a tad nervous.

As nightfall consumes the sky, we are lucky to only see stars and the moon. This makes my bed for the night, easy. On the ground by the lake, falling asleep, to the sight of the stars. Enaz and Zekai are asleep on the ground about five metres away from me, and Vetor's going for a late night swim.

"No way! It can't be!" Vetor yells as he dives underwater.

I quickly spring to my feet, as I'm curious to see what Vetor is yelling about. The water is dark and murky; Vetor's been underwater for about twenty seconds, and I still can't make out what's going on.

"Yes! I thought it was that!" Vetor yells as he surfaces.

As he swims to shore, I notice that he's holding onto a long object. I can't believe it, if it's what I think it is.

"Vetor, is that Modnar's staff?!" I ask as Vetor swims to shore.

"Yes, it is! I saw it when I was swimming underwater!"

Vetor slowly limps out of the water and hands me the staff; it's definitely Modnar's, there's no doubt about that.

"Well Vetor, you are my best friend as you know, and I already have quite a lot of responsibility on my plate as it is. Are you able to look after Modnar's staff until we find him again?" I ask.

"Yeah, with honour! I won't let you down," Vetor replies enthusiastically.

"Well, that was some good spotting. Maybe we should get some sleep; we have to rest for the Whispering forest tomorrow. Sleep tight," I say, lying back down.

I start looking at the stars, letting a lot of thoughts blend about in my mind. I think about my mum. I miss her so much, and it makes me wonder what has happened to her in the last few months? I hope for her safety, and wish her the strength to persevere and not give up on me. Modnar is the next thing I ponder about; I have a hunch that he isn't dead. He just can't be. He's such a powerful wizard and I just know that he's alive somewhere, I'm sure of it. And my father 'Enaz', what to do about him? I know that after this is all over, I'm going to make him apologize to mum, that's for certain. At the moment I'm still mad, but I don't want him to know that. He's a great asset to my cause, and I don't want to jeopardize that. I will tell him when the time is right; and I'm sure that my timing, will be better than his. And the cursed pond. What will I see when I peer in there tomorrow; assuming our own fears don't scare us to death before we make it.

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If you have enjoyed this chapter, please head to your favourite Ebook retailer and download 'Tales of the Arter gems: Episode IV - A Twist of Fate' to carry on your journey in the land of Tharp.
