The Dark Quest

The Dark Quest Part One

By Robert Rumery





Copyright 2014























































Prologue



The Dark Lord traveled away from the village across the great desert. The plains were rough and the sun beat down against his neck. He had fought hard, annihilating the village behind him. The village had stood no chance in surviving. If they had just given him what he wanted, he thought, they wouldn't have been slaughtered.

That didn't matter to him. He had gone to that village for one reason—to obtain the map hidden there, the map that would lead him to the Demon’s Temple, the location of the great sword Immortalus. He had ridden into the village, which was home to a few monks and intended to distract seekers from finding the Demon’s Temple. He had expected no trouble with the timid monks, but he was wrong and the monks turned out to be fierce fighters, protecting their village to the end.

If the villagers had not decided to fight, he would not have had to kill them. It was a pity, really. But he would have that map.

The map was the key to finding what he sought. The Dark Lord had lived thousands of years, as his soul was immortal. However, his body was not so each time his body wore out, he found another body to inhabit. When somebody was killed, he could jump into their body and make it live again. In that way, he could be immortal. Unfortunately, the bodies he took over were never immortal. His current body, though capable of great destruction, was starting to wear out. This annoyed him.

He had seen many things over the hundreds of years his soul had survived. He had gained great wealth, great power even. He has seen empires fall and watched kings and queens die off. It was time for him to take his place in the world. It was time for him to take his place among the gods.

To become a god, he needed to become immortal. His plan for achieving immortality lay with a legendary sword. This legendary sword had power beyond power. No mortal could wield it. It was a blade forged by the gods themselves and whoever wielded this blade would become a god also. The sword was called Immortalus, The Immortal Soul.

Taking the map from the small village was just a first step for the Dark King. He now would follow the map and find Immortalus and achieve real immortality and the greatest power imaginable. His face stretched into a wicked smile as he spurred his horse forward.



Chapter One



People in Bathum were talking about the slaughter of the nearby village. The only reason the village had been constructed was to ward off people looking for the Demon's Temple. The village had no name and was not meant to be found. Legend had it that a sword could be found within this temple, but that it was guarded zealously. No one was brave or stupid enough to try and see if it was true. Bathum was 60 miles due east of the now destroyed, unnamed village. Word spreads very quickly.

* * * *

The warrior sat by a grinding wheel inside a wooden shed in the village of Florin. His sword blade lay across his lap. The grinding wheel had stopped. His first priority had been cleaning and sharpening his sword. Now, he rested, weary from a recent battle. The warrior was larger than most men, with immense muscles used to long travels and fierce battles. He was dressed in nothing but rags. What looked like armor was laid out behind the grinding wheel on a table. He sat in deep thought and tried to avoid drifting off into slumber. Wounds crisscrossed his torso, sore and angry. The blood had dried up but the wounds still needed tending.

The battle had been fierce and he’d barely survived. The fighting had been insane. If it had not been for his sword fighting skills, he might have died. He was waiting for a healer to come and care for him. He couldn't be seen like this. That is why he had made this shed his resting place. He was a proud warrior and he couldn't let anyone know how badly he was wounded. The healer always knew when he arrived, needing her ministrations.

The warrior was from the village of Bathum and had stopped here on his way back to his village. He was bleeding too much to continue on. He knew the healer, a young maiden, would tend his wounds and get him in shape for the last leg of his journey home.

“Woman, hurry up,” the warrior muttered under his breath. He wasn't fully incapacitated, but he was still in a bit of pain. He grabbed his right shoulder. He needed to collect that bounty back in his town, so he could feed himself and help his family. Being injured like this wasn't good for him. His body was a tool he used to earn money, and money was hard to come by these days. He could not rest long. He had more battles to fight, more coin to earn. Pain was still shooting throughout his body. It would stop for a few minutes and it would start right back up.

“Damn it,” he said, thinking back to the battle. He should have thought this out a little better. Damn him for letting the money override his common sense when he accepted the mission to defend a village against that beast.

****

Juliana, the current healer in Florin, walked from her house carrying a bag full of medical supplies. She was used to the wounded warriors that came to see her. They came here because she was the only one that knew how to heal and patch up people. Those who called themselves doctors generally weren’t as good as she was, though she did not put herself above them. This was her life and healing was her calling.

Even with her many contacts with wounded warriors, she still did not understand their need to fight. She wondered about it as she briskly walked toward the shed. She wore a purple skirt with a white blouse, both loosely fit and comfortable. On her feet she wore soft leather boots that laced up to her knee. Her clothing was modest but attractive, and she was a pretty woman. Her blond hair gleamed in the sun and her blue eyes rivaled the sky in their clarity and beauty. She moved with grace that comes from confidence.

She shook her head and continued on her way, knowing she would never find the answer to her question. She knew where this man would be. He had sought her services before. She knew when he would was on his way to Florin, because a black crow always brought her the message of his arrival. She had nicknamed the warrior “The Black Crow.” She didn't know his real name. The name fit him, too, with his thick black hair, always tumbling across his forehead like a crow’s wing. He was larger than most men, as the crow outsized most birds. She could hear birds chirping and she passed a few people and waved to them. She had a smile on her face. She continued to walk.

She approached the shed where he always waited for her. She pushed the door open and the sunlight fell on the warrior’s body. Her eyes went wide when she saw him. His wounds were shocking, worse than they had been in a long time. He was nearly covered in dried blood and had several wounds that still bled. What kind of trouble had he encountered this time? She noticed the armor lying behind him. It looked nearly destroyed. Whatever this man had been fighting, it looked like it had got the better of him.

When she got near him, she placed her hands on his shoulders and studied his wounds. Such madness. She didn’t understand why he fought. Was it pride? Money? Destroying your body like this wasn't worth it. Still, she knew the warrior had trained long and hard to be who he was and that he was proud of his fighting abilities and would never change.

“Black Crow, what have you done to yourself now?” Juliana asked.

“Fix me up, woman, like you always do,” he said, his voice shaking slightly.

Juliana didn't waste time. She quickly began cleaning up his wounds, wiping them with a damp cloth first to wash away the blood. The wounds were deep and must be painful. She used some of her healing herbs on a few of the minor wounds. She dug supplies out of her bag and bandaged him up. When she was done, the top of his torso was covered with bandages, but at least she and her magic had stopped the bleeding. He would heal over time. She tried to heal up his shoulder a bit but her magic could not heal it quickly.

Juliana wondered how he could survive like this. Was the money really that good? From what she knew of him, he was a warrior who would kill for money. She wondered if he'd ever take a job against her village. She shivered slightly and prayed he would not.

Truth be told, it was kind of nice to have him around. She didn’t have a man of her own to patch up, except for maybe her brother, Jules and his wounds came from being stupid and not because he was a warrior. This man was a warrior. Her mind wandered. What kind of person was he when he wasn't out on the battlefield? Was he nice? Could he be a good lover? She blushed lightly at that thought. She shouldn't be thinking like that, but her hands on his body brought strange feelings and thoughts to her mind.

She was almost done. She used more of her white magic to make most of the other wounds heal. She was also trying to make his muscles relax. He was really tense. She liked the feel of his body under her hands, his muscles so strongly defined and his skin warm from the sun he’d ridden under to get here. Abruptly, she took her hands off of him and reminded herself that the only thing that should be on her mind was healing him.

She didn't ask him for money. He always left something behind for her. She assumed he liked to keep his actions private. She didn't really care about money. She just had herself to feed and the warriors were usually generous with the gratitude for her services.

“Woman, you do good work,” he had said, his dark blue eyes connected with her eyes. She blushed and looked away quickly.

What could this woman be thinking about? Cro wondered. He chuckled softly. Her hands lingered on his skin. Could she enjoy the feel of his body? Flustered by the thought, he stood up and his sword fell off of his lap and hit the floor. It made a thud when it hit the ground.

He looked down at his body and took note of the rags he wore. He turned his back to the woman and stripped off the rags he had on. She quickly turned away from the sight of the naked warrior and began packing away her supplies. Digging in his saddlebags, he found a pair of cloth pants, a pair of black leather boots and a black linen shirt. He dressed quickly and glanced over towards his armor.

The creature he had fought had been strong. He suspected it wasn’t from this world. It knew too many magic spells. It had a body of a man, the strength of a beast. Strangest of all, it had the tail of a lizard. Had the creature been cursed or had it come from another world? He should have asked these questions before agreeing to the battle. Thankfully, he had won the battle and destroyed the beast.

He had somehow found a way to slay the beast he had been fighting. He glanced around looking for his shield, and then remembered it had been shattered in battle. It had been made of the strongest metal that Bathum had to offer. He needed to find a way to fight better or find better metals to make weapons out of. He had noticed that the art of magic was becoming more popular. Maybe he should seek out a mage to teach him how to use magic. It might be the only way he would be able to come out of these battles in better shape. The battlefield was a dangerous place and even a warrior of Cro’s ability needed to adapt and learn. Every advantage was needed.

Battles and fighting had been escalating a lot more quickly in his region. What was happening in Tactum? Weird stories were being told lately, tales about the coming of the end of the world. Cro dismissed the tales as gossip, the talk of old tired men and women with nothing better to do. He was a warrior and would defend Tactum and all its villages, if it came down to it.

Impatiently, he realized he couldn't really think in a situation like this. He needed to get back to Bathum. He needed to think about the situation. He wondered if the creature he had slain was a lone being or were more like him lurking about? He had already heard talk of a mass slaying in another village. The whole village slaughtered for a map, he had heard.

“I take it that's as close to a thank you that I'm going to get from you,” Juliana said as she looked over towards the warrior. He did not respond.

“Very well, Black Crow.” Juliana added and sighed.

“Black Crow? Why the hell do you call me that?” He asked as he looked over towards the woman.

“You always send a black crow to me when you are injured, “ Juliana said. She blinked slightly. “Is that not your name?”

“No,” he said as he shook his head. “It's Cro, just Cro. And I have not sent you a crow, healer.”

“My mistake, Warrior,” Juliana mumbled, though she knew she was right and whether he knew it or not, Cro did send her a black crow when he was wounded. He was just not aware of it. His magic was undeveloped or perhaps he was not aware he even had magic in him.

Cro of Bathum. That was his title. He was a warrior. He was in his second decade but he felt much older. He bent over and picked up his sword. He walked to where his armor lay in near ruins and took up his sheath. He put his sheath on his back and then he put his sword in it.

His stomach growled and he realized how hungry he was. This was no time to think about food, but he needed fuel to finish his journey.

“You wouldn't happen to have any food in that bag of yours, would you?” Cro asked as he looked over towards Juliana.

“No.” Juliana said as she shook her head. “I could go bring you back some.”

“If you wish to. I'll be here,” Cro said, his eyes on Juliana. He would not ask for a favor, but if she chose to feed him, he would accept.

“I will,” Juliana said. She picked up her things and disappeared out the door.

* * * *

Cain was the blacksmith in the village of Florin. He was an old and wise man. His short hair was silver. Old age had caught up with him. When he was younger, he had been quite the warrior. He sat outside of his house in a wooden chair, smoking an old pipe. He puffed on the pipe. The smoke circled around his head. He blew some of the old smoke out. He watched the people pass by his house. He waved to them.

In his old age, he had become calmer. Calmer than his twin brother, he knew that much, he thought with a rueful shake of his head. The children of the village always liked to come and visit Cain. They loved hearing his glorious stories of being a member of the Florin Army. When the army was still young, Cain had been a warrior indeed.

The children loved the tales. He never had any children or grandchildren of his own but he just loved to spin stories and the young proved a rapt audience. Cain was the local storyteller. The kids were the future. He knew that. That is why he adored them so much.

The children would grow up and become adults. Each of them would walk different paths. One could walk the path of the hero and the other could walk the path of the demon. Few chose to walk the path of the demon, but it happened sometimes. Questing for power and dominance could lead one to walk the path of the demon. Cain had seen warriors fall due to the lust for power.

Cain had not always been on the path he was currently on. A few times in his life his path strayed from good to bad. Things happen during a warrior’s life and sometimes it changes a person. It changes what is important to him, even changes his perception of right and wrong.

In Cain’s opinion, something was wrong with the world today. Fighting was more frequent and much fiercer than before. He sensed something wrong, but could not point to any one thing. Traffic in and through Florin had increased. A normally quiet village, Florin usually didn't attract anyone from the outside world, except for the rare traveler or someone seeking Juliana for her healing powers.

Cain brooded on the matter. He was certain something was in the air. He wondered if it was time to form the Florin Army once again? The army has not been used in quite some time. Should the people in this village prepare to make a stand again?

What puzzled Cain was why? Why was this happening? Could there be a new threat to his people, a threat that they didn't know about? Too much thinking would make one person go insane, he thought with exasperation. Maybe he worried about nothing.

The stories spread like wildfires about the man that had slaughtered a whole village, all for a map. Cain shook his head. He had killed every person in the village for a map. That map had to be pretty important. What secrets did it hold?

****

Cro wondered where that woman had gone. She was supposed to be going to get food. His stomach was growling. Could something have happened to her? He wasn't used to worrying about her. It was just he was hungry and she was supposed to be going and getting food.

He needed to get out of this shed. It was getting to be a bit musty and it was getting to him. He walked over to the door and pushed it open. It slowly swung open. His eyes had to adjust to the light after the darkness of the shed. It had been barely light enough so that woman could see what she was doing.

He followed a stone path leading from the shed back to the town. He never really remembered how he got here. He would be at the end of a battle and the next thing he knew, he was in Florin, being tended by the healer.

He looked down at the stone path and noticed droplets of blood on them. Could that be his own blood or from someone else? He needed to keep his guard up. As he followed the stone path, it brought him into the main area of the village. He passed a few wooden houses as well as a butcher's shop and a blacksmith shop. He caught some of the locals looking at him. He was used to the stares, which he assumed was due to his large size.

Could it be that this place had been at peace for so long that the people in the village had forgot what a warrior looked like? His stomach rumbled loudly. Where had that woman wandered off to? He sighed softly. It looked like your average village. He watched a few kids run past him. It looked like they were playing.

He smirked softly. He wished he could be that carefree again. In times like this, you couldn't be carefree. He thought again of how he needed to find out more about that beast he had fought.

The world had become a dark and scary place. Order had fled and much was in chaos. That didn't bother him at the least. He watched more kids race past him. They would learn the hard way someday. Now they were just helpless children. He continued to walk. A few of the townsfolk looked over towards him. They would look away once he looked at them.

“Mister!” a kid said, tugging on his pants.

“What do you want, boy?” Cro grunted, looking down at the boy.

“Is it true that you killed a huge beast all by yourself?” the kid asked, his eyes wide.

“Yeah,” Cro said, nodding his head.

“That is so cool!” the kid shouted. He saluted Cro and ran off giggling and laughing with his friends. Cro shook his head and continued his search for Juliana.





Chapter Two



Everyone he passed as he walked through his village greeted Kaiser. He had supplies in a sack slung over his right shoulder and was headed back home. Bathum was bustling with activity today. He enjoyed socializing while on his foray throughout the village, but he was eager to get home to his wife and child.

He wondered where his son, Cro, could be. Had he came back from the mission or was he somewhere resting? He hoped his warrior son was not in trouble. He chuckled to himself softly. Cro in trouble? Never. He had taught his son better than that. His son was a brave warrior and his parents could only wait for his return.

His wife Mayumi did like to mother Cro a bit, although Cro rarely allowed it. He had always had a lone wolf attitude; so much like his father it was uncanny. He knew his son well. Cro was always pushing himself to make himself stronger. Sometimes he wondered why Cro wanted such strength. Was this the path of the warrior nowadays?

Kaiser kept on walking and waving to the other members of the village. He reached his home and walked into the house. The smell of pork roasting filled his nostrils. It was his favorite meal and his mouth watered. He took the sack off of his back and dropped it on the wooden table in the center of the kitchen. He opened it up. The sack held some food and a new carving block.

He liked going out for supplies because it got him out of the house and time to see other people as well. He left the carving block on the table. He put the vegetables in a cool place so they wouldn't go bad.

His wife Mayumi had been resting in the other room, reading a book, when she heard a noise in the kitchen. She put aside her book and moved into the kitchen. She smiled when she saw that Kaiser had returned. He was such a handsome man, her husband. His years as a warrior had left him strong and rugged, bearing scars of course, but nothing could change the way she looked at her man. He was the love of her life.

He had been gone for only a few hours, yet her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. She didn't like it when he had to go on long journeys. She loved his companionship and didn't really like being left alone with their son. Not that the baby required a lot of attention, as he mostly slept at this age. It was just too lonely for her.

She knew how much Kaiser liked going out on his little quests for food and goods. It was probably his way of trying to relive his glory days. She knew that the villagers admired her husband and paid him much attention, which the old warrior thrived on. She chuckled to herself and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. “Welcome back, honey. You didn't see our son, did you?” she asked Kaiser.

“No, don’t fret though. That boy will come home when he's done,” Kaiser added, with a warm smile for his lover. He had missed her as well and embraced her. Still a beautiful woman, Mayumi’s black hair fell to her waist and framed a heart-shaped face with large, brown eyes. Kaiser would swear he had never seen a lovelier woman.

“So when's that pig done? I'm starving!” Kaiser said, with a smile.

“You’re always hungry,” she said, rolling her eyes at him.

She walked over to where the meat had been roasting inside of the fireplace. It was a pig with vegetables. She grabbed a thick wad of towels and pulled the pan of meat out of the oven. She set the hot roast down on the wooden counter-top. She went into the cupboard and got out two plates.

Kaiser had walked over to the table as she dished out the food. It smelled so good. It was probably going to taste wonderful as well. His wife was a fine cook.

Both of them sat down to eat after Mayumi had dished out the food. Kaiser gobbled up his food rather quickly. That is what happens when you don't eat for a few hours. He was surprised that he had lost as much energy as he had. He needed to keep his strength up.

He could hear the sweet snoring of the baby in the next room. The bedroom was right next to the kitchen. It pleased Kaiser to think that the future of their world was sleeping in safety, oblivious to the worries of adults. A small smile formed on Kaiser's face.

He came from a long line of warriors. He guessed that is the way Cro was going now. He couldn't be prouder. If this child, Kasumi, gurgling in the other room, followed the path of the warrior, Kaiser would go to his reward a proud and happy man. A small smirk came over his face and he heard Mayumi coming up from behind him.

“You worried about him?” Mayumi asked, as she wrapped her arms around her husband’s back.

“Some, but he will be fine. He is a mighty warrior and braver than anyone else,” Kaiser said, smiling. He spun Mayumi around and planted a kiss on her lips. When he did that, their baby began to scream. He was hungry. Kaiser rolled his eyes as Mayumi kissed him back then quickly vanished into the other room.

“Oh, Kasumi.” Kaiser said, shaking his head. He walked into room to watch Mayumi tend the baby.

* * * *

Danzivar had a daunting task in front of him. He must try to stop the Dark Lord Nazar from taking over the world. Why did this asshole think he'd get to take over the world? It was an impossible feat and warriors like Danzivar would give their lives to stop the Dark Lord.

Danzivar lived in Guelder and his friend, Ezekiel, was the cleric of the village. A king and a queen ruled the village, giving out orders and making rules. Warriors, though, made their own decisions nowadays. Royalty would no longer pay their warriors for the missions they undertook, so warriors often took on paying jobs from small villages with no army. As a result, villages were often left woefully unprotected, yet the royalty clung to their fortunes.

Danzivar was usually quiet. He was known as the silent type. A fierce warrior, he was known to kill without even thinking, pushing himself up and beyond the call of battle. That was normal to him.

He sat on a stump of a large cedar tree and cleaned his sword. It had been covered with fresh blood, but the blade was clean and he sheathed it back to his side. He thought for a minute about the world around him. Something seemed to permeate the very air, something that drove nearly everybody crazy. It caused more people to launch attacks on his village. What were they looking for? He had heard about Nazar’s attack on the small village and Danzivar was furious. Nazar had annihilated the entire population, taking only the map to the Immortal Sword.

Should Nazar find the sword, he would rule the world. He was a Dark Lord and only bad could come should he achieve such power, in addition to immortality. Danzivar knew he would try to stop Nazar. No self-respecting warrior could ignore this threat to the world.

Guelder had not been the quiet village he grew up with lately. Something filled the air, something fearful. Something Danzivar feared was going to change everything; the way they looked at things and the way they lived their lives was going to change.

Before that happened, Nazar was a big task that needed to be dealt with. That man didn't know when or how to quit. He was a ruthless fighter and killer when he needed to be. He was very powerful and fluent in both black and white magic. That made him dangerous. Nazar surrounded himself with powerful allies.

He had no idea how Nazar could be stopped right now but he had to be stopped. Danzivar stared off into the distance. Was it worth it to leave this village to go after a madman like this? Would it be worth saving the whole world from someone like this? Danzivar usually didn't think like this. He bravely undertook the fiercest enemies without a second thought. However, this would be the most dangerous mission he'd ever been on. Saving the world was a big task, even for someone strong and brave like him. Danzivar knew what he had to do. He must push himself to the limit, both emotionally and physically. The showdown between him and Nazar was coming soon.

****

Ezekiel had been traveling to local villages lately, trying to find new techniques for him and the members of his village to protect their home. Saving his village was the most important thing to him. He was dressed in a robe and he carried in his hand a large scepter, which held great magic. His magic had more than once saved Guelder from attacks by outsiders. Whenever there was an attack, either Ezekiel or Danzivar was called to defend the village, and they usually responded together. No one could beat them together, but Ezekiel wondered how they would fare if divided.

When either of them had to fight, they had to keep this in mind, he knew. Both of them worked well together as a team. Enemies were going to figure that out and try to divide the team. Ezekiel knew he must be vigilant during battle.

Truth be told, Ezekiel and Danzivar would use the same strategy, trying to split up a team that was well oiled and that could beat them. It was just the nature of the beast, standard battle techniques. Every warrior wanted to survive so they could preserve the life of their fellow villagers, and they would do what was needed to stay alive.

Now that Danzivar was determined to pursue Nazar and prevent him from obtaining the Immortal Sword, Ezekiel was torn between his loyalty to his village and his loyalty to Danzivar. He feared that without Ezekiel’s magic, the Dark Lord would overwhelm Danzivar. As he considered the options, he returned again and again to the idea of a Dark Lord obtaining not only immense power, but also immortality. The world would change forever. He resolved to join Danzivar’s mission to stop the Dark Lord at any cost.

The world had been in chaos for a long time. Few jobs were available, people were poor and it was hurting everyone. Most warriors had to offer out their services as killers nowadays. It seemed like that was the only way to make ends meet now. It would be different if certain people weren't in power. Certain kings and queens of the villages hoarded all the money and didn't let people earn it back. These corrupt assholes kept it all to themselves and the people of the villages were made to suffer.



Chapter Three



The Dark Knight Nazar was miles away from Guelder, continuing his quest to find the Sword of Immortality, a sword that would grant him the power to live forever. With it, he could rule over the world until the end of time. Time never ended, but people's lives did. He wasn't going to let that happen to him. He was going to rule these lands for the rest of time.

He rode his horse through the desert. He took out the map that he had stolen from the village he had destroyed. That’s how he acquired the things he needed­—he took what he needed and moved on. He still marveled at the foolish people in that village. If they had not tried to stop him, they would still be alive.

A powerful warrior was rumored to live in one of the villages nearby, a small place named Bathum. He would send one of his minions, Kradox, to Bathum to kill whatever warrior lived there. He couldn't have someone from another village ruining his plans. He would also send another minion, Kruta, to Florin to make sure no one there could stand against him.

Nazar put his finger on the map. He had a long ways to go to find this sword. The Temple was on the other side of the world.

* * * *

Kruta and Kradox were ready for their mission. They waited upon the word from Nazar. The three of them traveled together. Nazar hadn’t been the only person attacking the fallen village. It wasn't like Nazar could do something like that alone. He needed help. The man was thickheaded and very strong. They felt like they would get the word soon. They were very impatient and looked forward to causing mayhem and destruction. They should have been named Mayhem and Destruction. They were not brothers, just partners that traveled the world doing jobs for the highest bidder, but they were much alike.

****

Cro hated being stuck in Florin and he really wanted to get back to Bathum. He missed his mother's cooking. He couldn’t find anything happening in the city. He wondered where that woman had gone. He was getting one of those feelings he usually got when something big was just about to happen, a vibration of foreboding that always got his attention.

Like any good warrior, he had not left the area without his sword. It was strapped across his back. He thought he could hear something coming from another part of the town. Then he smelled smoke. Had something been set on fire? He looked around. He couldn't see anything. Out of instinct, he unsheathed his sword and took it in his hand.

Cro had heard rumors of fire wielders living in this area. They were not exactly the nicest people in the world. His father had told him the story of having to battle one. The battle had been over nearly before it had begun, Kaiser said. In spite of his training, Kaiser was no match for fire, and he had survived only because the fire wielder seemed to suddenly lose interest and fled the area. Fire wielders could be easily distracted from battle, he learned from his father. Then again, Cro figured his father had made up the story. He knew that such beings didn't really exist in this world. Just a story his father would tell him at bedtime. Or was it?

His father was always pushing his own limits and Cro used his life as a model of how he lived his own life. Kaiser was a great warrior and was raising a family. In hard times like this it wasn't easy. Everybody was scrounging for money. That is why Cro did what he did; he went out and fought other people’s battles for money so that he could help his father feed his family and keep their home safe.

Something whizzed by his head, leaving a trail of heat, though Cro was untouched. He realized it was a fireball. Holy shit! He looked up and then looked in the direction the ball was headed in. It was on a collision course with a mother and her three children.

“Fuck!” Cro said and he ran as fast as he could. The fireball was getting closer to the woman. He dove in front of the fireball and then used his sword to bat it away. The fireball hit the ground a few feet away from him and the woman.

He stood ready for battle. He looked over towards the woman and the children he had saved. He watched them run off along with the rest of the scared villagers. He looked up and two fireballs were coming his way. He moved to the right, and the first one passed him by and hit a building made of stone. He used his hand to send the other fireball back towards the person that had thrown it at him.

The attacker was hidden. Cro couldn't see where the attacks were coming from. Then he saw a group of people coming towards him. They looked like a mix of hired thugs and bandits. They were all charging him. He did his best to ward off the attackers, killing most of the rag-tag group. What did they want with this village? He had heard rumors of powerful runes that were in the caves of Florin. Could that be it? Maybe they were after him. That couldn't be it; Cro’s enemies usually ended up dead. He could think of no one who would waste time chasing him.

As the battle continued, he killed the attackers. Bodies kept on piling up around him, covered in cuts and gouges from Cro’s sword. Something else was at hand. He still needed to find the person who attacked him earlier. Was this person going to show himself or was he just going to stay hidden? Did the coward hide himself in fear? Cro smirked, thinking that the man was wise to avoid this battle—he would never want to have to fight himself.

Now he would find the hidden foe. Cro walked slowly, trying to take in his surroundings. He could feel someone nearby. He felt the familiar buzz of coming trouble and knew the battle was not finished. This person had to be hiding either in one of the houses or on top of one of them. He looked around but he couldn't really see the roofs that well. While he was distracted, he was attacked from behind. Cro felt arms pick him up and throw him a few feet. A barrage of fireballs sputtered in the air, but luckily Cro was lying down, below the reach of the fireballs. He was unharmed.

So this is how it was going to happen. That was fine with him. Who was this attacker? Cro pushed himself up off of the ground. He blinked for a moment when he saw who he was fighting. It didn't look like anything he has seen before.

A man stood a few feet away from him, wielding a sword and a shield, both made out of fire. A fire wielder, as Cro had feared. Cro guess that his attacker had used magic to create his weapons. It didn't matter. This asshole was going to get cut down! He had to think about how to attack this person. He couldn't just rush in and attack.

“I don't care who you are. Just know I am going to cut you down!” Cro growled.

“Cut me down?” the man said, chuckling softly. “Don't make me laugh. No one this side of Tactum has ever cut down Pyrallis!”

He growled as their eyes meet. Sparks sizzled in the air around the two warriors. It would be a fierce battle. Neither warrior would give an inch.

It was time to see who was the better man. Who would walk out of this battle alive and who wouldn't be living again? Pyrallis’s intentions for being in Florin had not been made yet. Cro only knew one thing: he would fight to the death; as a warrior, his honor required it.

Two seasoned warriors were about to face off. The fate of Florin was in their hands. Pyrallis, a man hell-bent on destruction and opposing him was Cro, a bloodthirsty warrior from Bathum.

The scene was mad chaos. The few villagers who had remained outside their homes scrambled to get out of there. It was understandable since no one wanted to be caught in the crossfire. The warriors just stood there looking at each other, waiting for the other to make a move. It didn't look like either of them planned on taking the first step. Cro had his sword but no shield and Pyrallis had weapons made out of fire and could control fire itself.

Cro wondered again as he faced this enemy what the man could Pyrallis want with this city, except the obvious. He could mean simply to destroy it. That appeared to be his goal, to just show people that he was superior to them. Pyrallis looked like he was that kind of person. Maybe there was something here that he was after. What could be here that would be worth something to Pyrallis, Cro wondered.

It didn't look good for the town of Florin. Even if Cro did find a way to defeat Pyrallis, they might not have a village left after the battle. The town had a good chance of being destroyed in this fight. Already, several houses were on fire and homeowners scuttled around, trying to extinguish the fires without getting in the line of battle.

When two warriors are fighting, they don't usually think about the town they are fighting in or if it gets destroyed or not. Nothing would get in the way of two warriors fighting. The wind blew and both warriors just stood there.

Finally both warriors charged in at each other. They exchanged blows on each other. Pyrallis kicked Cro in the stomach and it sent him flying back a few feet. Cro took his sword and stuck it in the ground, digging into the dirt to slow down the movement of his body. Cro huffed as he regained his footing. He charged in after Pyrallis and swung his sword. It was met with Pyrallis’s own sword. They slammed against one another and Cro growled. Neither of them would be easy to take down. Both of them were going to give as much as they possibly could.

Cro kicked Pyrallis as hard as he could. It did little, due to Pyrallis’s fire armor. Cro growled once again. This was annoying him. Cro stepped back and then ran after Pyrallis with his sword. He jumped in the air with his sword and aimed for Pyrallis's head. It hit Pyrallis's head with a mighty thump. Pyrallis just looked up at Cro and grinned. It had no effect on this stranger.

Right at that moment Pyrallis let out a flurry of fireballs and Cro did his best to dodge all he could. He knocked a few of them away with his sword. Cro knew he had to beat this man, but he didn't really know if it was possible. Cro took a deep breath. The spirit of a warrior was within him. He rushed in once again.

They battled. Their swords clashed. They made a loud crackling sound as they pressed up against one another. Cro sneered at Pyrallis, although being so close to the warrior scorched Cro’s skin. He only sought to bring this man down. It was the way of the warrior.

The two warriors continued to fight. They fought all over the city. The villagers stayed inside of their homes. They didn't want to get into the middle of the action. Walls were broken as Pyrallis tossed Cro across the courtyard. The falling walls caused entire buildings to fall. Both of the warriors pushed themselves to the limit.

They continued to trade blows. Cro was beginning to look a bit beat up, with cuts from Pyrallis’s sword and burn marks from his shield. But it was the way of the warrior, always fighting and never giving up. When did the thought of defeat enter a warrior's mind? Never!

“You can't even touch me, fool,” Pyrallis gloated.

“Fight’s not over yet, Pyrallis!” Cro grunted.

Neither of them would be the same when they left the battlefield. That is, if they left the battlefield. Cro's black hair dropped down in front of his face. His eyes held intensity, a fire that had not been seen for such a long time. His eyes told the story. The icy stare of a warrior who would give his life rather than run from a battle.

He couldn't let Pyrallis leave this place alive. If he did, what would happen? Pyrallis would report back to his superior that he couldn't finish the job. Maybe he was doing this for another reason. It could just be some foolish random attack on what he saw as an unprotected village. He could be a disgruntled former member of the town. Maybe he was a former royal or elite.

The blood dripped from Cro's most recent wounds. He wiped the blood from his forehead. It had been trying to drip down into his eyes. He knew Pyrallis would use that to attack him. Attacking somebody while they’re blinded was not the noblest thing to do but it was effective.

It seemed like whatever he did, Cro couldn't touch this man. Fire energy was hard to fight. Maybe if he controlled the water elements, he would be able to make a dent in Pyrallis. He needed to think of something fast!

“What's wrong, warrior? You seemed so sure a moment ago,” Pyrallis said, chuckling softly to himself as he looked at Cro.

“You have a weakness, I will find it and I will FINISH YOU!” Cro shouted.

The war would rage on between the two warriors, both of them sure they would win. Cro had finally got a strike in on Pyrallis, but it didn't seem to do much. Cro growled out of frustration, what did he have to do to put this motherfucker down?

His ice blue eyes glared at Pyrallis. Where did Pyrallis come from? How did he know how to use such powers? He had to be trained at magic or the use of chi, or it could be a mix of both. Cro had never seen the warrior’s technique and combined with the fire wielding, it might well be his undoing.

Being a warrior, it was in his blood and it was something he would never lose. He wanted to be great like his father, Kaiser. Cutting down Pyrallis and saving this village was his only mission at the moment. He knew he'd have to push himself to his breaking limits. He smirked softly as he knew that was fine with him.

This man felt familiar to Cro and he didn't know why. Could this person have fought with his father? That couldn't be it. It could just be an odd coincidence, but he didn't trust coincidences. They probably crossed paths before when Cro was younger.

Pyrallis charged at Cro and Cro met his opponent with a clash of swords. Neither one would give up. Flicks of flame seared Cro’s skin and Pyrallis groaned under the superior strength of the younger warrior. They glared and growled at one another and pushed each other back. A few brave souls had peeked out from their houses to see what was happening. The fate of Florin was hanging in the balance.

No one joined Cro on the battlefield, which was fine with him. He was used to being the Lone Wolf. He heard from behind him the sounds of someone running to the battlefield. What kind of an insane person was going to come out and try to fight this thing? Cro was a trained warrior and he doubted another warrior was joining the battle.

“You son of a bitch!” A young man was on the battlefield, and Cro saw a light surrounding him. The young man launched an orb of energy towards Pyrallis, with a great huff as he watched the orb of energy being absorbed by the enemy. It had no effect on the warrior.

“You think you can come in here, and take our village from us!” the young man shouted. He shook his head.

“That ain't happening!” the young man added, his eyes filled with anger and pride. He wasn't letting some madman take over the village he had lived in for his whole life!

“I'm sick of your kind! This ends today! I'll be the one who cuts you down. I am Dask and I will be your undoing!”

“Foolish child,” Pyrallis said. He simply raised his hand and a gust of wind arose, pushing the young man back a few feet. The young man smashed into the side of a building.

“Asshole.” Dask said, pushing himself up off of the ground. “You think that'll stop me?”

“Kid, get out of here. This is something for the grown ups to deal with,” Cro said as he looked over towards Dask. The kid reminded him of himself when he was younger. That could either be a good or a bad thing. But this wasn’t the time to find out. Cro didn’t want the boy killed in a battle he was fighting.

Cro charged in once again, he wanted this fucker dead before he hurt the boy Dask or any of the villagers. He would not leave this village without Pyrallis's head under his arm. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but he was going to have this fucker's head on his wall.

Cro glared at his enemy. He wasn't going to give up the fight. Both of them continued to fight and as they clashed sparks flew from the force of metal hitting metal as swords crashed together. Dask couldn't do anything but watch the two warriors battle. Dask didn’t care that he stood in the middle of a dangerous battlefield. He felt like he should be there. He wanted to put his life on the line for his town. He continued to watch Cro and Pyrallis battle. Neither of them was giving up an inch. It could rage on for days, he knew. It wasn't going to be an easy fight, yet it was a fight that needed to happen.

“Come on, cut that bastard down,” Dask said as he watched Cro. “If you can't do it, I'll have my turn.”



Chapter Four

The mighty steed would bring her to the battlefield and she was determined to get there in time. She really hoped Cro wasn't in over his head, but knowing her best friend, he was. A slight smile came over Sara’s face as she adjusted her battle equipment. She had a sword strapped to her back, two daggers strapped to her side. A small shield was strapped on her back, under the sword.

The horse galloped through the forest that led from Azmar to Florin.

“Don't do anything stupid, Cro,” the woman said to herself, keeping her hands on the reigns. She slapped them down, and the horse began to run faster through the woods.

The thoughts of Cro getting hurt because of his ignorance, it made her shudder as she rode. They had been friends of most of their life and they shared a close bond. It was almost an unearthly bond. They could often feel and see what the other could feel and see. That is how she knew he was fighting. It was an odd thing and it helped in battle sometimes. A few times she had to pretty much save his ass, though the proud warrior would never admit it.

She wondered what had Cro so riled up that he was fighting. Could it be something to do with his father? It might be an old enemy was threatening Cro's family or the town he was in. The horse continued to gallop through the forest and she had to push a few branches out of her face as the horse made its way through.

It didn't take her long to get to a small village that was filled with people. This village isn't where her friend was, she could sense that much. The village was Estermount, a place where people grew food and bred animals. She had noticed that no one was around. It was usually busy, but maybe its residents were frightened by what is going on in the next town. People did get like that when a nearby village was under attack. It might happen in their village and they would either prepare for the battle to spread or hide from it.

It was odd seeing the place as a ghost town. She continued to look around some more. Something bothered her about the deserted village, but maybe it was just her imagination. She slapped the reins down on the horse again and it trotted through the village. She found a path that would lead them towards Florin, where she sensed Cro was. She still had a long ride in front of her. She slapped the reins down and the horse sprinted even faster. She would be there soon.

****


Dask was watching Cro and Pyrallis intently, although it didn't seem like either of them was going to make a move. Dask let out a low grunt of frustration. He wanted a chance to fight. Chances were that he would get hurt, but that was a chance he needed to take. Florin was his home; it had always been home. He knew Cro didn't live here and was just visited Florin to get patched up. Warriors were like that, he knew, never turning away from a challenge.

Dask was just an onlooker right now. He watched both of them. Dask had the ability to channel energy. He could heal himself with spells that he had learned. They wouldn't last long. It took time to heal one's body and it wasn't instantaneous. Also if he used his energy attacks, they would drain him badly. He could contribute little to the defense of Florin and he hated having to feel so useless.

Dask sighed as he watched. The existence of Florin was hanging in the balance; the battle of good and evil was raging on. It did look like the fight was at a stalemate for now. Neither warrior made a move. It would be hard to guess the outcome of this one. More onlookers ringed the battlefield. The villagers knew what was at stake, their town and their pride was on the line. Good didn't always prevail. Sometimes, evil won. Many of them were scared, but they were drawn to the battlefield to witness the fate of their village.

Many of the ex-soldiers of Florin looked on as well, thinking about the days they had defended Florin with their lives. It was bittersweet watching the young generation fight, something that they had once done with pride and valor. The soldiers had become old, weak and worn. There was no way they could even carry their sword anymore. During the peaceful times, their armor had rusted up and now was useless to them. They still had their memories and could give advice to the young generation. It was still hard to watch and not be able to fight.

They all had high hopes for the stranger that was standing up for them. They had no idea who he was or where he was from. Sometimes people are just in the right place at the exactly right time. The warrior looked tired. His pride probably wouldn't let him give up. He was a strong one, a very strong one. There is no doubt about that.

“So what are you really here for?” Cro growled. He was tired and in pain and this fight didn't seem like it was going anywhere.

“It's simple, I want what anyone else wants: Power. I seek the legendary Sword of Immortality. When I have it in my grasp, I will rule this world as a GOD!” Pyrallis ended with a shout. He smirked as he looked at the man standing before him, worn out and bleeding while Pyrallis did not feel any effects from the battle.

****

“I feel something is not right,” Ezekiel said with concern in his voice. He turned to Danzivar, his good friend. At first they had been rivals. Neither of them knew they were going to end up being friends. It's funny how things work out in life, Ezekiel thought.

The cleric placed his hand under his chin. Both Ezekiel and Danzivar had been noticing what has been happening in the world, the increasing violence and the lack of jobs. It seems like more people had become hired guns for the wealthy. Either the money was good, or they just liked to fight.

A whispering in the winds hinted at a Sword of Immortality, in The Caverns of Desdain. Were these rumors true? It'd be fun to find out. Danzivar was always trying to push himself to the breaking point and he wanted to be the strongest in the village. One’s body might die, but the spirit never dies. The spirit will always live on, it will always find another body to go into and that body will be stronger, it will keep on fighting. This is something Danzivar believed in.

Neither Ezekiel nor Danzivar had anyone to fight with for a long time. Maybe they should take a trip to Desdain, find this sword and get stronger on their way to the sword.

“This Sword of Immortality,” Ezekiel began, turning to Danzivar.

“I hear you old, friend. If it falls into the wrong hands, it could be terrible for Guelder and the whole world,” Danzivar said as he looked at Ezekiel.

“We might need an army to find these sword.” Danzivar said.

“No, together we have enough skill and strength to find this sword and cut down anyone who steps in between us and it.”

“When do we leave?”

“Nightfall, no one will be around then.”



Chapter Five

The training area was empty except for two women. One was an older woman, a veteran warrior, and the younger woman was just learning the ropes of how to fight. The younger woman lunged at the older woman, attempting to stab her. The older woman simply stepped out of the younger woman’s reach.

“Damn it, she's fast,” Vera, the younger warrior, said under her breath. The woman she faced, Gweniver, was her mother. They both had dirty blonde hair and light blue eyes and looked almost identical.

At a young age, Vera knew she wanted to be a warrior; she wanted to be the one to protect Guelder from the evil invaders it had experienced in the past. This training session made her feel weak, as sweat poured off her brow and she pushed her dirty hair out of her face. She looked over towards her mother, who never seemed to sweat and was as graceful as a swan.

“Alright, that’s enough for today,” Gweniver said. She walked out of the training area and Vera stood there and leaned on her sword that she had sticking into the ground. Everyone in the village was so strong, a lot of warriors and healers and even a few mages lived in their village.

She just wanted to be strong like everyone else and all she wanted to do was to be able to protect her loved ones. Her hard work would pay off one day and she would then show everyone how strong she was.

The world was changing, Vera knew. It wasn't as carefree as it used to be. The rumors about Immortalus, the Immortal Sword had been spreading like wildfires. Was it true or not? Many were going to venture off into the night in search of the legend.

* * * *

The rumor had caught the eyes and ears of the royals that resided in Guelder. Vathros, the prince of Guelder, had heard about the rumor and it intrigued him to no end. A sword with a power like that should be his! It shouldn't fall into the hands of a mere peasant. That could only mean one thing: Vathros was going to hunt for the sword and cut down anyone who got in his way.

He had also heard that a few other people from Guelder were going to hunt for the sword. Interesting; maybe he could persuade them to join his fight, his crusade. That sword was going to be his! He didn't care what the other members of his family thought, he was going to do this and become the most powerful being in the world! He had a lot of plotting to do.

* * * *

For once Cro didn't know how to take a guy down, even with his superior skills as warrior. The man was too powerful. Cro didn't want to look weak in front of the townspeople of Florin. He knew he couldn't win the battle, but he needed to continue to fight. If an opening occurred, a weakness within Pyrallis, he was going to find it. He didn't want to let the citizens of Florin down. He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed.

He opened up his eyes and looked over at Pyrallis. If they had been on the same side, they would have made an awesome team. This warrior had a fire inside of him that wasn't going to die. Cro wouldn’t let the city down like this. He had to find a weak point in this guy. Everyone had a weak point; the secret was to find a way to exploit it. He wouldn't stop until he found it, but truthfully, he was tired.

The battle had been raging on for what seemed like forever. The villagers were afraid. They didn't know what was going to happen next. Dask was still near the battlefield, eager to jump in and try to help anyway he could. He had to keep his distance though, or else he knew he would be injured. How could Pyrallis be so strong, what was his secret? Dask looked over to Pyrallis and then back over at Cro. Dask knew in his heart that Cro would win. He had to win or Florin would be turned to dust!

Warriors were sworn to fight and die for their ideals, and it didn't matter how messy or dirty the fight got. They always defended their ideals. What did Pyrallis truly want here? Dask wondered. Could something have been done to keep this dastardly man from trying to destroy the village of Florin? Dask wondered bleakly if such dark times would ever stop.

Maybe if Pyrallis had found what he was looking for he would leave. Cro and Pyrallis started fighting again. Neither of them said a word. Their swords clashed, sending sparks flying into the tension-filled air. Neither of them was giving up. Cro's body was covered with cuts and he was bleeding heavily. Pyrallis didn't appear to have a single scratch on him.

Cro realized the enchanted armor was protecting Pyrallis. That was the only reason why Pyrallis wasn't injured and Cro needed to find a way to break that armor. When he would find a way to break the armor, then Pyrallis might be at a disadvantage, and that would be the opening that Cro would need.

Prince Vathros had disappeared into his training chamber. It was a large metal-lined room, with suits of armor on one wall and various weapons on the other wall. Training dummies were set up all throughout the chamber. The dummies were just steel suits of armor, filled with linen “bodies” which were stuffed with straw to keep them standing.

As

Prince of Guelder, his job was to stay strong and defend his people

from invading forces. Some warlords didn't like him and would do

anything to bring him down. He was arrogant and prideful, but he did

have the skills to back it up.

His

father had molded him, and the old man was a harsh teacher. That was

fine with the Prince as he knew the title of King would be his one

day and he would lead everyone in this town to victory and onward to

claim the world as his. Other towns waited to be conquered, and then

he would go on to conquer the four points of the world.

That

isn't why he was here right now, though. The legend and rumor

claimed that the Sword of Immortality would give you godly powers, as

well as eternal life. He trained now for his quest to find the

sword. He needed to trust his own skills that he had honed since he

was young.

He

walked over to the wall where the swords hung and he grabbed one. He

held it firmly in his hand. It has been a while since he had held a

sword in his hand. It felt good in his, like a familiar friend. He

ran towards one of the dummies and stabbed it in a gap in the armor.

He pulled his weapon back out. He ran at another dummy and slashed

it in the torso, tearing the linen in half and spilling straw on the

ground. He ran at a few more and slashed them in half as well. As

he continued training, sweat beads began to form on his forehead. He

huffed and dropped down to one knee.

How

could he be so out of shape? When he was younger, training like this

was easier. He had not seen battle in some time; he needed to get

back out onto the battlefield.

His

father would be so upset right now, seeing his youngest son

struggling just to battle straw men. Vathros should be the strongest

warrior in the village. He needed to do something and he needed to

do it fast. He realized what he needed to do was seek out stronger

warriors and by defeating them, build his own strength. He needed to

venture further out into the world and meet those stronger beings.

His strength as a warrior was buried deep down inside of him. He

just needed to find a way to let it out. Only real battles with real

warriors would release his bravery and strength.

The

young prince smirked slightly and he got up on both feet. He would

leave soon and he would find that strength and become the strongest

warrior in the world!

****

Kagami

spent most of the night riding and made it to Florin very quickly.

She found no one in the streets and the houses looked empty and

unused. Suddenly she could feel some energy nearby. Maybe it was

somebody that she could talk to who knew what was happening in this

land. She needed to know where Cro was and if he was okay. She shook

her head. That man was going to be the death of her. A child ran

over and stood next to her horse.

“Are

you here to help us?” The child asked, looking up towards the woman

on the horse.

“Help

you with what, child?” Kagami asked, looking down to the child.

“Fighting,

over there,” the child said, pointing down the road.

“Who's

fighting?”

“A

hero and a bad man,” the child answered, his eyes round with

wonder.

“What

does the hero look like?” Kagami wondered if this hero could be

Cro.

“A

big man, with long black hair and he was holding a big sword!” the

child explained.

“Then,

yes, little one, I am here to help,” Kagami said with a smile at

the child. She kicked her heels to spur her horse toward the battle.

Kagami

raced down the streets of Florin. She could feel a terrible energy

in the distance. She was a bit frightened about what she was going

to find. The horse ran fast down the road, and as they got closer

the energy got stronger. This had to be where the battle was taking

place.

“I

hope you haven't got your stubborn ass killed yet, Cro,” Kagami

said, through gritted teeth.

A

few moments later she had arrived at the battlefield. She looked

over towards the two that were fighting. One looked like a demon

from Hell and the other held his ground against the stronger warrior.

That had to be Cro, she thought with a sigh. She noticed a child

standing behind Cro.

“You'd

better not die doing this,” Kagami said, watching Cro. For once

she hoped he didn't see her. She didn't want to be a distraction for

Cro. She doubted that he could see her, because the two men were

fighting intensely.

****



The

two fighters continued to clash, swords whistling through the air and

clanging as metal met metal. The villagers were hoping that Cro could

defeat this man. Cro was moving slower and his arms did not lift his

sword as high as the other warrior’s sword. He must be getting

tired and weak. He wasn't going to be able to keep this up much

longer.

The

blades of the two warriors met again, raising sparks and Cro stumbled

backwards a few feet. They both grunted. One was going to die, and

the other was going to stand tall in victory. Cro was the type that

would never back down. He knew he was beaten and it was just a

matter of time, but he would not accept defeat. He narrowed his eyes

as he looked over at Pyrallis. The silence was deafening.

Pyrallis

knew his forces were almost done with their mission. He needed to

wrap this fight up soon. This battle was a mere distraction so no

one would go after his forces. He smirked, thinking of what a good

plan he had created. He hadn't known that this hero was going to

show up and try to challenge him. But it had been a good thing that

Cro had shown up; it gave him some playtime before he went back to

his own land. He hadn't had to actually work this hard in a fight

for sometime. He was still as strong as he had been at the beginning

of the battle. Weakness did not exist in Pyrallis’s world.

Cro

rushed in and attacked Pyrallis without warning. He got a few hits

on Pyrallis, who had momentarily let his fire shield drop. His

apparent success did not last long. Pyrallis raised his hand up and

threw Cro back fifty feet, where he crashed into a house. One wall

of the house crashed down on top of Cro but he was unhurt. He pushed

the rubble off the top of him and threw it to one side. He searched

for his sword and within a few moments he found it and grabbed it.

He rushed towards Pyrallis once more and again he got a few hits in.

Unfortunately, they had little effect on Pyrallis.

Pyrallis

slashed at Cro’s torso and was pleased when he saw that Cro had

started to bleed heavily. Pyrallis smirked at Cro and then with a

simple wave of his hand, he sent the warrior flying into another

house. This time he wasn't so merciful. He sent a large stream of

fire-based energy after Cro and it hit the house and set it on fire.

The fire caught Cro’s clothing but he was able to smack the flames

out and escape the burning house. He stood facing the battlefield,

covered with ash and blood, breathing heavily.

“It

has been fun, Cro but I must depart.” Pyrallis said. He waved his

hand as he noticed some of his forces coming out of the woods. Two

of his men carried a large wooden chest. A carriage with two horses

followed. The men loaded the chest onto the carriage and then got

into the carriage as well. Pyrallis had disappeared from the

battlefield, leaving Florin with his men in a flurry of dust kicked

up by their horses.

“You

son of a bitch!” Cro growled, holding his right arm with his left

hand. The arm was broken when he flew into the now burning house.

“Cro!”

Kagami yelled as she dismounted and ran over to Cro.

“What

are you doing here?” Cro asked as his friend neared.

“I

thought you were in trou-,” Kagami began to say.

“I'm

fine!” Cro said cutting Kagami off in mid-sentence.

“Forgive

me, old friend, but you do not look fine,” she said, nodding at his

broken arm. “Truthfully, you look like shit,”

“Yeah,

thanks.” Cro said, shaking his head slightly.



Chapter

Six



Ezekiel

and Danzivar set out on their grand adventure. They mounted their

horses and left Guelder. They didn't say goodbye to their loved

ones. They left town while everyone was asleep. They had packed

supplies to last a week or more, and little else. It was going to be

a difficult journey, but they were sure they could handle the

challenge.

“You ready, old friend?” Ezekiel asked as he looked towards Danzivar.

“Yup,” Danzivar said, nodding as he looked over his shoulder at his friend.

They had been mortal enemies at one time. It was a long time ago. They hadn't known any better and both had been strong willed. At the time, they each thought they were better than the other. It did lead to some epic battles between them, but ended up being good memories they would treasure forever.

The journey began with a single step. The legend of the Immortal Sword had been passed down from generation-to-generation. Most of them thought it was only a story. Ezekiel and Danzivar knew better and they didn't want that sword to fall into the wrong hands. They weren’t seeking immortality for themselves so much as they desired to keep it out of the hands of those who would use it for evil reasons.

They rode off into the distance and vanished from the town of Guelder. There were dark forces aligning against the world and the town of Guelder. They’d left behind people who could defend the town of Guelder. That was the responsibility of the prince and the Royal family.

The stars in the sky would guide Danzivar and Ezekiel to their destination. They both had a feeling where they had to go and they were relying on their instincts and the sky to point them in the right direction.

“Where do you think this sword is?” Danzivar asked Ezekiel, more to create conversation than to learn anything he didn’t already know.

“Legend says it's hidden in a dark cave on the other side of the world,” Ezekiel replied.

“That's great,” Danzivar replied, grinning broadly at his friend.

“That is just the legend,” Ezekiel said. He looked around for a moment. He thought he had heard something but saw nothing out of the ordinary. “I think it's closer. The legend could just be a way to throw people off of the true location of the sword.”

They rode off into the night, quickly putting distance between themselves and their home. The location of the sword might be unknown. It was going to take them some time to reach the sword and there would be many battles ahead of them if they truly desired the sword. It would not be an easy task. It was very daunting, yet each felt a great excitement at the thought of the adventure they faced. It would test their resolve and their friendship.

****

Pyrallis and his men rode through the desert for most of the night. They came to an abandoned town, where they were to meet the buyer. The contents of the box were important to this man. They rode through the town until they got to a large stone building, which resembled a small castle. Men surrounded the building. They wore swords at their hips and must be more hired guns for the buyer. Pyrallis got off of his horse and approached one of the men.

“We have retrieved the item. We need to see your boss,” Pyrallis said.

“Very well.” The man said. He turned to the rest of his men and motioned to let Pyrallis and his men go in.

Pyrallis walked back to the carriage and told the men inside to grab the chest. They were going to deliver it to this man and they would be paid handsomely. Pyrallis led his men into the stone building. Two of his men carried the chest.

Once inside the building, they went up three flights of stairs until they came to the buyer's chamber. The man was sitting in a large chair with his hands folded on his lap. A dark cloak hid his face and body. Pyrallis caught his gaze and he could see the man smirk.

“Did you encounter any trouble finding the item, Pyrallis?” the man asked.

“I ran into a little bit of trouble, but it wasn't anything I couldn't take care of,” Pyrallis said, he looked at the man.

Pyrallis didn't want to admit it but fighting Cro had done a number on him. He had still been the strongest in the fight, but he has never fought someone with such determination and drive. The warrior had been willing to put his own life on the line for a bunch of people he didn't know. No one in Pyrallis’s world would do such a thing.

He had been lost in his thoughts when he realized the buyer was walking towards him, heading for the chest. The buyer approached the chest and opened it. A single sheet of paper sat inside of the chest. The paper was a brownish-yellow color and appeared to be extremely old. The buyer grinned. He had been looking for this for his entire life. It was a set of runes that would translate the map to the hiding place of the Sword of Immortality. The sword was a legend and it was a fool’s crusade to seek it unprepared. He was impressed that Pyrallis and his men had found the runes so easily. They must have known where to look.

“You've completed your quest, Pyrallis.” He gestured toward the runes. “You start another one at dawn.”

“Oh?” Pyrallis asked as he looked down at the chest.

“I want you to retrieve the Sword of Immortality for me. With these runes and a copy of the map, you should be able to get there in no time,” the man said.

“In other words, I must find the map, as well,” Pyrallis said. “This is quite a quest you’ve set before me, sir.”

The man smiled tiredly. He coughed a bit. “I'd do it myself, but I'm too old for this journey.”

Pyrallis paused as if considering the quest.

“All right, I accept this quest,” Pyrallis said, he nodded and turned around to look at his men. It looked like another journey had started.

****

Kagami had helped Cro to an empty house in the village and Dask followed behind. When she got him into the house, she made him lie down on a bed. He had been badly burned and it would take him a few days to heal. If a healer lived in the village, it would take less time. She would go look for one as soon as Cro was settled.

She watched Cro winced in pain and her heart dropped. She hated seeing him like this, injured and hurting. A stubborn male, that is all he was. Still, she admired his bravery. Few warriors would have fought with such power and intensity defending a village to which he had no ties.

Cro winced as the pain shot through his body. It felt like his body was on fire again. He groaned, though he wanted to scream. He kept his eyes closed as long as he could. He opened them up and looked around the room. At least it wasn't the shed that Juliana usually brought him too. He looked to his left and he saw Kagami. He swore he had seen her leave. Maybe the pain was making him delusional.

He needed to pursue the warrior he had battled. He didn't like being beaten like this and he wouldn't be beaten again.

Juliana

walked into the room with a towel and a bowl of crushed up herbs.

She nodded briefly at Kagami and put the bowl of herbs on the table.

She poured some cold water over the towel. She took the herbs and

wet towel to where Cro was laying down. She sprinkled the herbs all

over his body and placed the towel on his chest. The herbs would

make Cro's wounds heal a little faster, as would her own healing

powers, but he would still need bed rest.

*

* * *

A few days passed and Cro's body was healing. He was well enough to get up and move around but most of his upper torso was still wrapped up in bandages. The house had been kept very neat and offered nothing to divert his attention from his pain. No one but Cro was in the house. He managed to get off of the bed and make his way out into the kitchen area. He grabbed a cup and got himself a drink of water. His mind traveled back to what had happened a few days ago. He had lost and that is one thing he couldn't accept and never would accept.

In the last few moments of the battle, before he had slammed into the side of a house, he had noticed something. Two men had appeared out of the woods carrying a chest of some sort. Was that what Pyrallis had been looking for? Could the fight between him and Pyrallis have been some sort of diversion? It was the only thing that made sense to him.

He stood looking out the window above the kitchen sink when he heard someone outside. He walked towards the door, just as someone knocked lightly.

He reached for the door and opened it. Kagami and the boy, Dask, walked into the house. They had arms full of supplies and food. They walked into the kitchen and put everything down on the table. Cro followed both of them into the kitchen and looked at all of the food. His stomach growled. He had not eaten solid food in a few days.

“How are you feeling?” Kagami asked.

“Better,” Cro said. “I just need to get back to training.”

“No!” she said sternly. “No training right now, you'd hurt your body more.”

“Fine.” Cro scoffed and he looked over at Dask and Kagami.

“We are leaving for a little while. There is something I need to take care of and Dask decided he wanted to come. I'll leave you be for now,” Kagami said. After a brief goodbye, she and Dask left the house, mounted Kagami's horse and rode off into the distance.

Cro had wandered back to the room where his bed was. He sat down on the bed and a few moments later he fully lay down. His mind was still going too fast, trying to reason out recent events. He knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep. He needed to relax first.

He looked over towards his blood soaked clothes and sword still lying in the corner. Another defeat. How could he come back from this? A warrior always asked himself that question. His black kimono and leather pants were on a table to his right, if he were to get up and out that is what he would wear. It was better than the tattered and hole-ridden-cloth-pants he had on right now. He tried to shut his mind off, but it was several minutes before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.



Chapter Seven



The city of Gastonia was under attack once again, gigantic creatures known as the Jiantes had climbed down from the mountains and attacked the city. They were hungry and wanted fresh meat.

“Hurry up, Clint!” A female voice rang out in pure desperation.

“I'm coming!” Clint yelled back as he ran towards the hordes of Jiantes. He drew two revolvers and started shooting at the Jiantes. The bullets did nothing but piss off his foes, so he put the revolvers back in their holsters and quickly grabbed the shotgun hanging off of his back and fired a few shots at the Jiantes. Still the same results; the bullets served only to annoy them.

As he was reloading his shotgun, it jammed.

“Fuck!” Clint exclaimed as he fought to remove the jam. He looked up and saw one of the Jiantes coming after him. Before he could run, it grabbed him and lifted Clint towards its mouth. Clint worked frantically and at last got the gun unjammed. He shot straight into the Jiante's mouth. The Jiante dropped Clint as it howled in pain. Clint fell about seven feet and luckily landed on a tin roof of one of the homes.

An army from a neighboring town had come to help the people of Gastonia fight their attackers. The Jiantes had slowly crushed the army, like so many ants under their feet. Clint watched on, knowing he could do little to help the army or defend his village. It was his job to protect the city against such threats as this. Right now he felt so weak. He couldn't help the people that were fighting. The Jiantes walked over the bodies of the fallen soldiers.

Clint would fight on, despite the terrible odds. He drew his shotgun and fired at the Jiantes as he jumped down from the roof of the building. With a thud he hit the ground below him. Until the end, that was his motto. He would fight until he drew his last breath. He narrowed his eyes as he looked on towards the Jiantes.

****

Cro woke after only a brief nap. He realized he felt much better and decided it was time to leave the house. He took off the cloth pants and put on his black leather pants and his black kimono and slid on a pair of black leather boots. He walked over to the corner and grabbed his sword. The blood had dried on his weapon, so he found a knife in the kitchen to scrape the dried blood off of his sword. When it was clean and serviceable again, he took it with him as he walked out the door.

As a child he had heard about the legend of the Monkey God. He supposedly lives in the mountains of Gastonia or near them. He needed some answers and maybe the Monkey God could give them to him. He looked around, he needed a horse or someway to get out of the village. He had a horse when he arrived in Florin but he wasn't sure what had happened to the animal. He started to walk around the town of Florin when an older gentleman approached him.

“Are you the young man that tried to ward off that attacker?” the older man asked Cro.

“Yes,” Cro said, nodding. “That was I.”

“Well, thank you. My name is Cain,” the older man said, extending his hand to Cro who shook it.

“Do you know what they were looking for, Cain?”

“I think so.”

“What?”

“The map and runes that show the location of Immortalus,” Cain answered.

“What's that?”

“A sword that holds a great amount of power,” Cain answered.

“In the hands of Pyrallis it could be ...” Cro began to say as he looked over to Cain.

“Very dangerous, all of mankind would be in trouble. All the surrounding villages and kingdoms would cease to exist,” Cain said looking soberly at the warrior before him.

“You need to find the sword before he does. You need to bring it back here,” Cain added.

“How do I find it?” Cro asked.

“Here,” Cain said. He pulled a map out of his back pocket and put it in Cro's hand. “I kept a copy of the map, I knew someone would come for it one day. It's up to you, Cro. Retrieve the runes Pyrallis stole and find this sword. Bring it back and may it finally bring peace to this land.”

Cain really did think Cro would be able to find the sword and bring it back. The fight he had with Pyrallis proved that. Cro didn't win but he had put up an admirable fight and a soldier doesn't always win the battle but sometimes weakens the enemy so that the next battle is a victory. That is what Cro's job had been. He wasn't meant to win against Pyrallis. The old man once was a solider and he knew what it was like to fight in a battle.

Cro stuffed the map into the right pocket of his leather pants. He had found a new quest. He needed to find a way to get stronger before starting on his way.

“So anywhere to get a drink around here?” Cro asked.

“Yes, there is a place down there,” Cain said, as he pointed to a building in the far distance.

Cro bid Cain goodbye and walked down the path where found a small cantina. He walked into the place, sat down at the bar and ordered a drink. He slapped down some gold on the bar and slammed down the drink. He ordered another one and slammed that one down. It was time for him to start his journey. He got up from the bar and walked out of the cantina.

He looked towards the sky, where dark clouds were forming in the sky. It was going to storm soon and he needed to find some means of transport. A horse would be best, of course. He walked down the path until he found a horse tied to a tree. He knew whomever the horse belonged to wouldn't mind if he borrowed it for a little while, once they realized he was trying to save their village. He mounted the horse and rode out of Florin.

Before he could start out on his quest for Immortalus, Cro felt an urgent need to spend time with his family. Bathum was nearby and before long, he was happily ensconced in his family’s warmth, bouncing his little brother on his knee. All the stress and pain faded away under his parents’ ministrations. His mother had a hot meal ready in minutes, which Cro ate gratefully. Nothing tasted as good to him as Mayumi’s cooking.

His father looked on with a huge smile on his face. At last, his warrior son was home, battered, yes, but in one piece. He didn’t question his son about the many wounds he could see on his body. He was a warrior and scars were a mark of bravery and prowess. His son was turning into one of the finest warriors Kaiser had ever seen. Strong, large, brave and unrelenting, Cro was a source of great pride to the old warrior.

Once Cro was relaxed and fed, he told his parents of his plan to find the Immortalus. Kaiser frowned deeply while Mayumi sighed deeply.

“I’ve always thought Immortalus was just a legend,” she said. “Are you sure it is real?”

Cro nodded. “I’m sure, Mother. I fought a man who was in Florin to steal the runes to interpret the map to find Immortalus. I have the map myself.”

He pulled it out and laid it on the table so his parents could read it.

“Son, this is so far. A great journey to maybe end up disappointed,” Kaiser said. “You are your own man now, but I wonder if this is wise.”

Cro looked intently at his father, seeing not the lines of age or the gray hair, but the beloved face of his hero, the greatest warrior he’d ever known.

“Father, another person has destroyed the unnamed village which guards the temple where this map was always hidden,” Cro said. “He killed everyone in the village, just to get the map. I can not believe he would do that unless he was sure he would find the sword.”

Kaiser nodded. His son had a point. It seemed many sought this Immortalus. The lure of immortality was enough of a reason to go on a quest; the immense power the sword contained made the quest inevitable.

“Son, do you really crave power so much?” Mayumi asked in a soft voice. “Life is not about riches or power. Those things can be extremely bad. They can turn a good man into an evil one.”

Cro faced his mother solemnly.

“No, Mother, it’s not about the power or the immortality,” he said, reaching for her hand. “But think of what could happen if an evil man obtains the sword? An evil man would possess the power to rule the entire world! And he would never die, he would rule forever. Already our world is changing, and not for the good. I feel that getting to the sword first and keeping it out of dangerous hands is important enough for me to go on this quest.”

Mayumi’s eyes filled with tears.

“I should not have doubted you, Cro,” she said with a smile. “You are a good man, no matter the hard exterior you done for others. You would of course do the right thing with the sword. I’m proud of you.”

Cro grinned and squeezed her hand.

“Proud enough to find me some of your lemon cookies?”

Kaiser and Mayumi laughed as she rose to find a plate of cookies for her brave warrior son.



Chapter Eight

Cro spent the night at his parents’ home, but left early the next morning, before dawn. He needed to get on the way to Gastonia before nightfall, or he’d not be able to travel into the mountains in search of the Monkey God.

As Cro rode, he dug out the map. The first stop would be Gastonia. It was about thirty miles west of Florin and he should be in Gastonia by nightfall, hopefully. Tomorrow, he would seek the Monkey God and hopefully get advice on his quest.

It took him most of the day but he finally reached Gastonia. The horse wasn't really fast, and Cro wondered if the scrawny beast was sick. Maybe that is why it was tied to the tree. It could be the owner of the horse left it there to die.

He had noticed what looked like giant men attacking the city.

“Great!” Cro said as he jumped off of the horse.

“Find safety.” He instructed the horse, which trotted off promptly.

He felt somebody land next to him. He looked over towards the person. It was a man in a cowboy hat, a long overcoat. He wore a pair of jeans, and a pair of leather boots. The man drew his gun and started to fire at the giants

“You take the left, I'll take the right,” Cro said, giving the man a quick sideways look, not taking his eye of the giants.

“All right, but I didn't catch your name, son,” the man said.

“Not important, but I'm Cro,” Cro said with a grin.

“Clint.” The man replied with a nod. “Alright, Cro, let's cut these bastards down.”

With that both warriors did what they did best, fight. Cro had taken most of the Jiantes out on the left by cutting them in half with his sword. He watched Clint exterminate some of them with his guns. It was interesting watching someone else fight. It took only a few moments for the rest of the Jiantes to retreat. Both of them had worked up a sweat, but it was a nice work out. A few moments earlier it seemed like the town of Gastonia was doomed. Maybe if Cro hadn't wandered in when he did it would have been. Cro sheathed his bloody sword to his side and looked at Clint.

“Will they be back?”

“Most likely.” Clint said, he nodded and tipped his hat slightly. “Thanks for the help.”

“So you’re a gunslinger, huh?” Cro asked.

“Yeah, you must be a swordsman.” Clint added, nodding at the sword at Cro’s side.

“Yes.”

“What you doing in Gastonia?” Clint asked.

“Just passing through, on a quest.”

“Ah, hope you find what you’re looking for,” Clint said. He slapped Cro on the back and walked away. The town could celebrate this small victory.

It was getting dark and Cro needed to find some place to rest for the night. There had to be some sort of inn in the town. He wandered around Gastonia for a bit when he came across a quaint inn. A small, redheaded woman sat behind the counter. Freckles covered her otherwise comely face. Cro approached the counter and slapped some gold down on the counter.

“I need a room for the night,” he said.

“Alright,” she said. She grabbed one of the room keys and put it on the counter. She took his money and Cro took the key and strode up the flight of stairs. He found his room and unlocked the door. After taking off his sword and bloody clothing, he stretched out on the bed and soon fell asleep.

****

Danzivar and Ezekiel had found their way to the Dark Forest, where the goblins, trolls and other assorted creatures dwelled. Neither of them was scared to be in such a place. They had traveled through the forest before. The forest connected Guelder, Tarrant and Gastonia. Both of them wanted to stop and rest for a moment but they knew that was unwise. They may not be afraid, but they wanted to avoid wasting time fighting off a goblin or troll. Both of their horses slowed down a bit. It seemed like the horses had been spooked by something in the pathway.

A small man in a cloak stood in their way. Both of the horses stopped and Ezekiel and Danzivar looked at each other. Danzivar got down off of his horse and approached the small man. The man looked up at Danzivar and with a movement of his hand, flung Danzivar back a couple feet.

This was no normal man. He was the protector of the forest. He was a dark elf fluent in magic and extremely powerful. Those who entered his forest seldom left alive.

Danzivar pushed himself up off of the ground and looked over towards the man in the cloak. He needed to cut this evil elf down! He didn't want to be stuck in such a place and he knew the only way to be able to move forward was to defeat this dark elf. Danzivar lunged at the dark elf with his sword drawn, but when he got within a few feet of the dark elf, the tiny creature threw up a magical protection barrier. Danzivar sliced the barrier but nothing happened.

“I've cut down your kind before.” Danzivar growled.

Danzivar started to recite an incantation to a spell. A few moments passed and a bolt of lightning hit the dark elf's protective barrier. The spell didn't seem to do anything at first, but he took a few steps back as he watched the protection barrier slowly disappear.

The Dark Elf came rushing towards Danzivar. The elf's nails grew quickly into long blades on each finger. It lunged at Danzivar and made a slashing motion with both its hands. Danzivar put his arms up in front of his face, and the elf’s nails left slashes through the arms of his clothing.

This was an interesting turn of events, Danzivar thought with a grin. This fight might actually be a little fun.



Chapter Nine



Vathros had left the town of Guelder on his horse. His first stop was the town of Tannant. It was one of the neighboring kingdoms and maybe he could find clues about where he could find this sword. He was armed to the teeth. He had his armor on and his sword was in his sheath, his shield on his back. He rode into the distance. He rode through the forest and it took him only a few hours to get to Tannant.

When he entered the town, he was greeted as a prince should always be greeted, with open arms. His father had always been allies with Vexona, the queen of Tannant.

Their kingdoms had always shared resources and maybe the queen would know where he could find this sword. He got off his horse and tied it to a tree. He dug an apple out of his satchel and fed it to the horse and petted its head. He found a small tavern and walked in, slapped some gold down on the bar and gulped down the drink.

He walked out of the bar and looked up towards the castle. It was in the distance and the sight of it brought a smile to his face. It was like a homecoming for him. He walked through the center of the town, and he could feel all eyes on him.

At the castle, two guards greeted him.

“Prince Vathros to see the queen,” Vathros said. The guards briskly stepped aside.

He walked up the steps that led to the queen's throne room. The walls bore the royal crest on either side of the hallway. He climbed the stairs until he reached the door to the throne room. He banged the doorknocker and the door slowly opened. He pushed it the rest of the way open before he stepped inside the room.

He saw the queen's throne, but it was empty. He looked around the room and saw the queen over by the window. He approached her.

“Oh young, Vathros. It has been a while hasn't it? You should come over here. The view is breath taking,” the queen said.

“Ah, yes, my queen,” Vathros said. He walked over and stood next to her. He had his hands behind his back as they looked out at the town of Tannant. He had to admit it was breathtaking. It was like watching a bunch of ants move on an anthill. The people looked small and busy.

“How is your father?” Queen Vexona asked Vathros.

“Recently passed, I am sad to say. He died in battle protecting our town. I'm the next in line to take the throne,” Vathros said as he turned to look at Vexona.

“My condolences,” Vexona said as she looked over to Vathros. “It is a grave loss to myself, as well as your family and royal subjects. Your father was a dear friend.”

She took a moment to compose herself.

“So tell me, why are you really here?” Vexona asked.

“A legend, my queen.”

“A legend?”

“I seek…” Vathros began to say. “… Immortalus.”

****



The day had slowly slipped away and it was nighttime. The sky was dark and not yet filled with stars. The moonlight brightened the night enough to see clearly.

Cro had been sleeping but was awakened by the sound of howling outside of his window. A loud blood-curdling scream split the air. He jumped out of his bed and pulled on his clothes and boots and grabbed his sword. He rushed down the stairs and out of the inn. He saw four huge wolves surrounding a young woman. He drew his sword as he ran and stood in front of the girl. The wolves circled around them. What in God's name did these wolves want with the girl? Should he try and talk to these beasts? There had been legends of werewolves that lived in the forests of Gastonia.

He had noticed the young woman was bleeding on her upper arm. One of the wolves must have scratched her. She must be a brave girl to fight back against these behemoths. Few people, let alone women, would have the courage to defend themselves against a pack of wolves.

“Are you okay?” Cro asked as he turned to the girl.

“I'm fine.”

“What's your name?”

“Bella. It's short for Isabella.”

One of the wolves lunged at Cro. With a twist of his wrist, he swung his sword and cut off the wolf’s head. It fell at Cro's feet, and he watched the carcass of the wolf land a few feet away from the head. He kicked the head away and then something odd happened. The wolf’s head and body disappeared.

The remaining wolves circled around him and howled. He didn't take kindly to being attacked and even less did he appreciate a group of vicious beasts victimizing a young girl. The other wolves lunged at him. He braced his feet in the earth and spun around with his sword. His mighty blow killed the rest of the pack with one swing. He watched the bodies hit the ground and listened for the ‘thud’ of flesh hitting the earth. The bloody carcasses and the wolves’ bodies vanished like the first. Now that was strange, he thought. He grabbed a cloth out of his satchel and wiped the blood off of his sword. He turned to Bella.

“Are you all right?” Cro asked as he put his sword back in its sheath.

“Yes.” Bella said, she tried to stand up but her legs wobbled and she fell back down to the ground.

Cro walked over to the girl and helped her back to her feet. As curious as he was about the wolf attack, he needed to get on with his quest. He had no time for questions. What was he going to do with this girl though? He couldn't just leave her here, in case the wolves came back for her. Their disappearance unsettled Cro greatly.

He frowned deeply at the young woman. He wasn't a hero and he didn't care about most people. Still, he was a warrior, sworn to protect, and this woman definitely needed protecting.

* * * *

Cro may have defeated the wolves surrounding young Bella, but that didn't mean anything had been settled or that the conflict was over. Nearby, other wolves from the pack watched both Cro and the girl. It was time for the pack to return to the forest and to their king. They had news that the king wouldn't like. The pack vanished off into the night, into the forests of Gastonia.

As in any kingdom, they were simply soldiers under their leader’s rule. They were expendable and they all knew that, but they did the king's bidding. To do otherwise would mean banishment from the pack or, more commonly, death.

When they were deep enough into the forest and away from the humans, the wolves reverted to another form, a more human form. Their wolf ears and tails remained but their bodies assumed human shape. Clothing made of fur covered their bodies, and their hands and feet resembled a wolf’s feet and claws.

Only a few returned to their king, and they knew they faced punishment for not bringing the princess back with them. The king would send another pack out but he was never happy when something didn't go his way. They knew how important getting the princess back was and would submit to their punishment willingly.

The wolves made its way through the forest until they came to clearing. It was a makeshift camp with tents and a central fire. A female pack member stirred the contents of a black cauldron over the fire. Some of the other groups of wolves the king had sent out had not came back. They probably had fallen in battle.

The returning wolves wanted to stay out of sight until the king was in a good mood. It was going to be a long night. They approached the female and she even smiled at them. Whatever the woman was cooking, it smelled really good. Instead of pleasure at seeing the wolves home safely, she was happy to see they had not returned with the girl.

The pack operated like a family. Jake and Eddie were the two pack members that had just returned. They walked away from the woman who was cooking and found a log to sit down on. They could hear the king talking loudly in his tent. They cocked their heads towards the tent. They knew it would be their time soon. The woman had brought both of them a bowl of piping hot soup.

****

The girl’s name was Isabella Wolfsbane, she told Cro. She was the princess of the Wolfsbane Tribe. She had run away, because she didn't like the life anymore and just wanted to be normal. She knew she would never be normal, because whenever there was a full moon she would turn into a beast. She thought running away here would help her, bit it hadn't.

“Why did you help me?” Isabella asked as she turned to face the warrior. She had never experienced such kindness from anyone outside her pack.

“It looked like they were going to kill you, I had to jump in!” Cro answered.

Isabella's red cloak had fallen off her shoulders when the pack had surrounded her. She knelt down, picked it up and put it back on. She wanted to get as far away from this place as she could. She looked over at the man. She knew what was going to happen. The pack was going to come after him next. They

probably already had his scent. She had not seen someone like him before, a man who could defeat a pack of werewolves so easily. He most likely didn't realize they were werewolves. He probably just thought they were wolves trying to kill her.

“You eat lately?” Cro asked her.

“No.”

“Come on.”

He motioned for her to follow him and he led her into the inn and up to where he was sleeping. He sat down on the edge of his bed and grabbed his satchel. He pulled out a handful of jerky. He had put it in his satchel back in Florin and he handed a few strips to the girl.

“Where did you learn to fight like that?” she asked as they munched on the jerky.

“Been in a lot of fights,” Cro said in between bites of jerky. “I’m a warrior. Fighting is my job and doing it well is the only way to survive, you know.”

“You never told me your name,” Bella said timidly.

“Cro.”

The quest for the sword would have to come to a halt for now. He couldn't have this girl getting killed by whatever was after her. He wasn't a hero but he couldn't stand by and let someone get hurt. It wasn't who he was.



Chapter Ten



He heard a door slam downstairs. He drew his sword and looked over towards Isabella.

“Stay here,” Cro said, as he walked over to the door and opened it up. He slowly walked down the stairs with his weapon drawn. He looked around the darkened lobby but saw no one. A second later somebody swung a sword at him. He brought his own sword up in time in time to block the other blade.

“Where is Isabella?” the figure asked as it swung its sword again.

“Like I'd tell you,” Cro said. He dodged another blow and kicked the figure in the stomach. It sent the figure back a few feet where it slammed into a table and wooden chairs. He watched the figure fumble to get up. He walked over to and kicked the attacker in the stomach again. It fell to the ground and Cro pulled back its hood and held his sword at its throat. At the last minute, he paused and his eyes went wide.

It was a woman.

“Cro! Stop!” Isabella yelled as she ran down the stairs.

“Don't hurt her!!” She screamed as she rushed over to the woman. She lay on top of her and pushed Cro's blade away from the woman's throat. She looked up at him and gave Cro a grave look.

“Snow White, this is Cro. Cro, meet Snow White,” Isabella said, motioning to each of them.

“Such a charming man.” Snow said sarcastically. She wore pants with a full, ruffled blouse. Her cape was black as was her hair and her eyes. Her skin was translucent even in the dark.

“Wonderful,” Cro said, as he sheathed his sword and extended his hand to Snow White. She reluctantly took his hand and he helped her up off of the ground. Cro walked away from the women. He needed to wrap his head around what had happened recently.

“Okay, first it’s wolves, Isabella, and now Snow White?” Cro said, shaking his head. “What’s going to happen next?”

“Did you say wolves?” Snow White asked as she walked over to Cro.

“Yes, a pack of about five. They had the girl surrounded.”

“Oh, you’re marked for death now,” Snow White said, her eyes wide.

“Marked for death?”

“Those were the King's soldiers,” Snow White answered. “They were sent to retrieve Isabella.”

“Why?”

“I'm the wolf tribe's princess,” Isabella said quietly, looking at the floor.

“Great,” Cro said, shaking his head. “You didn’t mention that minor detail.”

With all this information, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. He could move on from this point. The wolves would just find him anyways. Maybe he should just have them come to him and he would cut them down. He looked at the two women again and decided what he needed was a stiff drink.

A storm was coming his way and only because he saved a girl. He walked out of the inn and he looked around. It was getting dark. Maybe he should depart on his quest. Snow White seemed to be handy with a sword; she could protect her friend Isabella.

Cro looked around the courtyard in front of the inn. Great, he couldn't find his horse. It probably got loose and ran off. It looked like he would be walking to Mirstone, and forget about finding the Monkey God. Taking that journey on foot would put him days behind on his quest.

He walked back inside the inn and found the women still talking in the lobby.

“Bad news, my horse ran away and I need to get to Mirstone,” Cro said. “I leave in the morning, on foot. I wish you well, Isabella, and leave you in the capable hands of Snow White here.”

“Mirstone?” Both women asked at the same time.

“Yes, it's about fifty miles northwest of here. I need to get there.” He took out the map and laid it down on one of the tables in the inn. He looked up at the women.

“I'm on a quest.”

“What kind of quest?” Snow White asked as she walked over to look at the map.

“Immortalus.” Cro said. He looked down at the map and his finger landed on the area named Cakulst Caves.

“I need to get there.”

“Immortalus is just a legend and The Cakulst Caves are on the other side of the Forbidden Lands,” Snow White said. “No one has ever came back alive from The Forbidden Lands.”

“I'm not just anyone though, Snow White,” Cro said, as he grinned and rolled up the map and put it back in satchel. He needed to move fast, he didn't want to waste time fighting off a bunch of pissed off werewolves.

****

Danzivar had the desire and the will to win the fight. He attacked the imp once more. It wasn't working. The imp raised his hand and blocked Danzivar's attacks and threw him back towards his horse. The imp walked towards Danzivar. He had a grin on his face as he knelt down next to the fallen warrior.

“If you want to beat me and leave this forest alive, you’re going to need to try harder than that,” the imp said. He grinned and let out a laugh. He vanished in a puff of black smoke and reappeared a few feet away. The imp watched Danzivar get back to his feet.

Ezekiel was watching from the distance. This was Danzivar's fight and his friend would not welcome his interference. If he were needed, Ezekiel would step in. He had faith in his old friend.

Danzivar growled and rushed in and attacked the imp once again. He aimed a flurry of sword blows at the imp, but the creature dodged every attack Danzivar threw at him. Danzivar jumped back and mustered up some of his magic. He formed a fireball in his right hand and threw it at the imp. The imp had formed his own fireball and threw it at Danzivar's fireball and the attacks cancelled each other out. They were at a stand still.

“It looks like you’re not as weak as I once thought,” the imp said, still grinning from ear to ear. He conjured up a powerful spell in his right hand, conjuring a ball of energy and out of that ball came multiple bolts of lightning.

“Strength doesn't mean anything if you can't defend yourself,” the imp added, as he took the ball and threw it at Danzivar.

“I summon thee, Ryujin,” Danzivar shouted. He held out his hand and watched the ball come closer to him. It was destroying everything around him. Almost instantly, his sword appeared in his right hand. The hilt of the sword had the head of a dragon. He swung the sword as the energy ball came towards him. The sword cut the ball of energy in half, causing it to explode. Danzivar shielded himself so he wouldn't get hurt.

What an interesting fellow that imp was, Danzivar thought. He never knew the bothersome creatures could be so powerful. A few moments later the sword disappeared from Danzivar's hand.

****

Cro was anxious to get out of the area. He didn't really want to deal with those wolves right now. He took all the stuff he needed for the journey and walked out of the inn. He walked around the town for a moment or two, trying to find his horse or even someone else’s horse. The two women had followed him. Eventually, he gave up on finding a horse. It was going to be a long hike. He really hated travelling by foot.

“So why are you really going on this quest?” Snow asked Cro as she caught up to him.

“What do you mean?” Cro asked as he turned to look at her.

“There has to be a reason why you want the sword,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Someone bested me in battle,” Cro ground the words through clamped teeth. “This defeat can not stand. When I get the sword, I'll kill him.”

He knew that wasn't the answer she was looking for. It was the truth though. Also he didn't want that sword in the wrong hands. The truth was that he didn't really trust anyone. Yet, he didn't want anything to happen to these two women, which was an odd circumstance for Cro. He didn't know why he wanted to protect them. But he could not help them now; they would merely slow him down.

His sword was sheathed at his side. The fight with Pyrallis had played back in his mind so many times. How could he have been beaten? He needed that sword. He needed to beat Pyrallis! He couldn't be distracted on this quest. Immortalus was the only thing that was important to him right now.
He wasn't trying to make friends and he didn't really need allies. Yet something inside of him made him want to protect both of these women. He must be going soft; being around women did that to you.

The two women trailed behind him until Cro finally stopped and said, “I’m traveling alone, women. Now, goodbye.”

He turned resolutely and started walking.

Snow White hurried to catch him again.

“Cro?” He kept walking. “Please, listen. I am handy with my sword and can protect myself. But I definitely can’t protect Isabella from the wolves. They don’t come one at a time. They attack in groups. We won’t stand a chance alone.”

Cro groaned audibly. Damn women.

“Okay, fine,” he growled. “But keep up. No dilly-dallying and no crying! I hate a crying woman.”

The two women exchanged glances and Snow White said “We promise, no crying.”

Eventually, the odd trio left the town of Gastonia and started towards the town of Mirstone. It was dangerous in that village, Cro knew. He had heard the tales of people venturing into Mirstone's mountains and never coming out alive. Between Gastonia and Mirstone was The Dark Forest and no one ever left that forest alive. He ruthlessly pushed these thoughts out of his mind. He needed to stay positive.

They walked for most of the day, Cro leading because he had the map. He knew once night fell they wouldn't be safe. He looked at the map. Right before they got to the Dark Forest there should be a small village. They probably could rest there.

He looked behind him and saw Isabella and Snow White talking. They looked happy for a brief moment. Cro grunted. He knew that happiness would be cut away eventually, once her people found Isabella. He let the women have their moment.

For a moment he thought he heard something in the distance. He listened intently, but heard no more. He drew his sword just in case. Trees surrounded them on all sides and he sensed something hiding in them. He looked around, keeping watch for bandits that liked to ambush travelers. He heard a sound again, a grunt this time. Where the hell was it coming from? Was it someone behind one of the many trees? He watched something run behind one tree to the other. He guessed drawing his sword hadn't been such a hasty decision.

Four goblins jumped out from behind the trees. Each was uglier than the last, with faces covered with growths the color of dead mushrooms and a mouthful of huge, filthy teeth. Their lips were the color of a cow’s liver and stretched from ear to ear. Their skin was mottled shades of green and their legs and arms were ridiculously long compared to their bodies and height.

They had various weapons, one had a club, one had a sword, and two were armed with bow and arrows. The goblins were all aiming at Cro. Snow White and Isabella were a few feet behind Cro but they noticed he had stopped walking and had his sword drawn.

They both gasped when they saw the goblins. Everyone knew goblins were nasty little fuckers and they’d rip you limb-from-limb if they were given the chance. Cro knew the bastards loved human flesh, so he hated them deeply.

“You’re trespassing in our woods, human,” one of the goblins hissed.

“What ya doin' here?” One of the other goblins asked.

“On my way to Mirstone.” Cro answered the goblin.

“Ah, interesting. Not that you will leave our woods alive,” another goblin taunted.

“We will see about that,” Cro growled.

“Don't!” Snow White said. She put her hand on Cro's shoulder. “There has to be another way to Mirstone.”

“You have to be kidding me, Snow. They are in the way!” Cro growled.

“We did kind of trespass though,” Snow White said.

“That's impossible. This is the forest, there is no way that this is their land!” Cro said.

This woman didn't know who she was traveling with, Cro thought. He was going to continue on his journey. He wasn't going to let a bunch of lowly goblins stand in his way. He stepped in front of Snow White and looked at what he was up against. It wasn't going to be pretty, but they were going to move past these goblins.

“You can either stand aside and let us pass by peacefully,” Cro said to the goblins.

“Or?” one of the goblins asked.

“Things could get a bit messy,” Cro said, grinning.

He wasn't the type of person to start fights, but he was a warrior after all. It didn't look like the goblins were going to let them pass. None of them were making a move. He studied all four of the goblins and he was just waiting for one of them to attack him.

“Think about what you’re about to do, Cro,” Snow White whispered to Cro.

“You sound a bit concerned, Snow,” Cro whispered back, a smirk on his face. “Don't be.”

Cro charged into battle against the four goblins. He attacked them without hesitation. The goblins had no time to attack before their bodies fell to the ground. He had stabbed every one of them. The green blood dripped off of his sword as he looked at the dead bodies at his feet. He kicked the goblin corpses of out of the way.

He took a rag out of his satchel and wiped the blood off of his sword. He looked at Snow White, who had moved a few feet away from him, a look of horror on her face. He walked to her. They needed to get a move on before more of those goblins showed up.

“Come on, we got to get a move on,” Cro said as he sheathed his sword.

“How could you?” Snow whispered as she looked at Cro. “We could have found another way!”

She turned her back to Cro.

What could make somebody so ruthless? What had happened to him? She turned her head to look at him and instantly turned away again.

“They were in my way. If I hadn't disposed of them they would have killed us all!” Cro said.

“You don't know that!” Snow said as she spun around to look at him.

“I wasn't ready to find out if I was wrong, so I did what needed to be done,” Cro said. “I am a warrior. I fight, I kill and I survive. And this time, I protected you and your little friend. Now, get ready to move on.”

He turned around and walked away.

Crows, ravens and vultures had started to circle around the remains of the goblins. The birds landed on the corpses and began to pick at them, tearing the light green skin off and eating it. A tasty meal indeed. The flesh of a goblin was thick and rough, it took a while to chew and digest. The birds continued to pick at the bodies. As the birds did this, Snow White walked after Cro with Isabella.

Snow averted her eyes from the sight of the dead goblins. She was still trying to process what had just happened. She had been forced to kill before, but it was in self-defense or to protect someone she cared about.

Snow White and Isabella followed about twenty feet behind Cro. Snow watched Cro look back at her and then turn his attention what was in front of him. She had never thought that he was trying to protect her. She just assumed he was being a ruthless bastard. She wasn't going to think about it anymore.

She saw Isabella look at her with a worried expression on her face. Snow just smiled and put her hand on Isabella's shoulder. That is the way she showed her friend that she was all right. She didn't want Isabella to worry about her. They had to push on.

Cro had not been paying attention to the women walking behind him. He had other things on his mind. If those wolves could hunt by scent, they already had his scent and would be on them in no time. They needed to get out of the forest as fast as they could. About twenty more miles and they were going to hit that small town before they ventured into The Dark Forest.

The place wasn't called the Dark Forest for nothing. Besides the dense vegetation blocking out the sun, it was rumored to inhabit users of dark magic. The whole forest was supposed to possess dark magic.

He had had no choice but to kill those goblins. If he hadn't killed them, they would have killed him and the two women. They were not creatures to take lightly. The best policy was to kill them before they killed you. It was the way it was out here. He pulled the map out of his satchel once again and he looked down at it.

Something was making noises in the woods again. He thought he saw a few more shadows dancing behind the trees. The last time he saw shadows it was the goblins. Maybe this time it was just animals. He was going to tell himself that. He continued to walk on and kept one ear listening to the sounds in the forest. He really hated these long journeys, they gave him too much time to think.

They pushed farther into the woods. The two women were talking among themselves. He was going to have to find a way to protect them without coming across as an asshole. He knew that Snow was going to hold what he did back there against him. He was just trying to save them. They didn't get it.

He wondered what he would do if stronger goblins came and wanted to seek revenge against him? That would put the two women in trouble.

****

The man they were travelling with was so stubborn, and she couldn't stand stubborn men. He would probably get his ass killed during a fight or something. She didn't want to think about death right now. She looked over towards Isabella. She had been protecting Isabella since the day they met. They both had been on the run from something and they bumped into each other, literally. Ever since that day they had been friends.

She saw Isabella as a little sister. It had been nice to have someone to protect and share her time with.

“You ever find him?” Isabella asked. She looked at Snow with a hopeful expression on her face.

“Who?” Snow asked.

“You've forgotten already?” Isabella asked, she slapped her forehead softly and shook her head.

“Your prince,” Isabella said in a low voice.

“No, I haven't found him yet,” Snow said, smiling.

That was a topic that she didn't want discussed right now. Love wasn't in her cards right now and she didn't know if it ever would be. She had been battling so much in her life right now, being on the run from Queen Vexona and her regime. She knew the queen was evil, but she wouldn’t treat her subjects like that. It was a regime that Snow wanted to topple. It would happen, she just didn't know when. Snow was a very determined woman and always found away to overcome the odds.

It was starting to get darker. They would probably have to stop and make camp soon. Maybe she should go mention that to Cro. Would he listen to her? There was only one way to find out. She swallowed and started to walk up to Cro.

For a minute she thought she heard something, a whisper of sorts. She shrugged her shoulders. It must have been the wind. Isabella followed closely behind Snow. She heard the noise again; it sounded like whisper. She shook her head. It was time to get the cobwebs out of her head and her mind on something else. Her mind was playing tricks on her right now.

Snow approached Cro and when she did he stopped walking.

“Hold on,” Cro said. They all stood still as Cro listened.

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“The whispers.”

“I did a few times, but I thought it was the wind,” Snow said.

“I don't think we are alone out here.” Cro said.

The woods were a very dangerous place, especially if you didn't know where you were going or didn't know about the creatures that lived in the area. He had heard stories about creatures in the woods when he was a child, but he didn't believe the stories. He thought they were just stories to scare children.

He could feel the presence of something else in the woods with them. His warrior training made him alert to the slightest noises. He didn't want to stop. They would be sitting ducks for whatever was out there. He looked back at Snow and Isabella.

“We've got to move on. Whatever is out there will prey on us if we stay still,” Cro said.

They pushed on for the rest of the day. It didn't take them very long to find the little village to rest at. They all could use some rest and he was getting a bit hungry. He had had no chance to hunt for meat in the forest and he hadn't really seen many animals there.

The village was small, but it had a butcher shop, an inn and a bar. It was one of those villages that people stopped in to rest when they were on a long journey.

Snow and Isabella went to the inn to check all three of them in. They booked two rooms, one room had a double bed and the other room had a single bed. It was the last two rooms in the inn. Isabella took the single bed and that meant Snow and Cro had to take the double bed. Snow and Cro in the same bed; that wasn't going to turn out well. Snow settled down into her room and Isabella did the same thing.

While the women went to the inn, Cro had found his way to the bar to fetch them all some food. It didn't take the cook much time to whip them up something. Cro put the gold and silver on the bar and took the food in his arms. He made his way over to the inn and he asked the innkeeper where the rooms were. The innkeeper explained it to Cro and directed him to where the two women were staying at the Inn. He nodded and thanked the innkeeper and walked up the stairs.

He knocked on Snow's door and she opened it. Gladly there was a large table and he set all the food down. The food was mostly burgers and fries, the only thing a bar cook can cook up fast at short notice.

Cro walked over to the room next to Snow's and knocked on the door.

“Come on, kid. Food,” Cro said. Isabella's door was cracked a bit. He pushed the door open and saw that the girl was sleeping on the bed. She was wrapped up in her red hood. She looked sweet, but he wanted to wake her up and force her to eat. He would wait on that. It had been a long day for all of them.

Cro walked back to Snow's room and saw her sitting on the edge of the bed munching on something.

“Where is Isabella?” Snow asked.

“Sleeping.” Cro answered. “I didn't wake her. She looked too peaceful.”

Cro walked over to the table that held all the food. He picked up a burger and a few fries. He looked over at Snow. He had heard the stories of Snow White. She was rumored to be a warrior princess. He’d heard the stories, but not really believed them.

The stories you hear as a kid, you think they are all just stories. They have to have some truth to them, right? Like folklore, where it’s not all true but there is some truth to it. That is what he took the tale of Snow White to be, just another story. He finished his burger and fries quickly. He looked over to Snow White, who was still picking at her food. He walked over to where she was sitting and stood there and looked at her.

“So what's the deal with you and the girl?” Cro.

“Isabella? I've known her a long time. I'm kind of a big sister to her.”

“What does the pack want with her?”

“She's their princess. They need her to lead them when the king dies and he will die. The king of the pack is meant to defend the pack and that means he fights many battles. It’s inevitable that the king always dies,” Snow answered.

“Why doesn’t she want to lead her pack?”

“She is a free spirit,” Snow said with a smile. “The life she lives with the wolves is hard for a young woman. She does not like the fighting.”

After killing the wolves earlier, Cro knew he was marked for death by the king. He just wanted as much information on this pack as he could get. He hated going into a fight blind. He had to keep looking over his shoulder and he hated doing that. He couldn't let Isabella be taken back to the pack against her will, though. His honor wouldn’t allow it.

“You saved her,” Snow said. She stood up and walked close enough to place her hand on his shoulder. “There is good in you, I know it. Yet, I look into your eyes and all I see is conflict and darkness.”

She pressed her lips together, thinking about what she should say next. She knew this was going to be a tough man to figure out.

“You don't want to pick my brain, princess,” Cro said as he looked into Snow's eyes.

The mood had changed very drastically. In a way Snow was trying to reach out to Cro. She was trying to make him see the light inside of him. Maybe it wasn't time for him to see this light. Maybe he needed to venture into the darkness to see the light.

The inn wasn't very busy but she could hear a few footsteps in the hallway. They had to be the other people staying there. It was no reason to be alarmed.

She didn't say anything to Cro, but on the way here she had seen her face on a few wanted posters. She had thought about telling Cro about it, but decided he didn’t need to know that right now. He needed to focus on the task at hand, on getting them safely to Mirstone. It would be nightfall soon and they all needed to get some sleep. She was watching Cro look around the room.

“Please tell me there is another bed somewhere, Snow,” Cro said. He glared at her.

“No, there isn't,” Snow said, shaking her head. She wasn't excited about the sleeping arrangement either. She didn't know how this was going to work out.

They looked at each other, each feeling unsure of what to do. It was such a unique situation. Two people who didn't really get along and they had to share a bed for a night. Cro walked over to one of the closets and opened it up. He was looking for one extra blanket. He was just going to divide the bed. The princess would have her side and he would have his side. Oddly, the closet was empty. Scratch that idea, he thought glumly.

“I'll be back later, Princess,” Cro said. He walked over towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Snow asked.

“To think,” Cro answered, with a growl in his voice. He twisted the doorknob and left the room.

Snow watched him leave and she sat down on the end of the bed, staring at the closed door. Where could he be going at this hour? It was going to be night soon. She scoffed to herself. Men could be so stubborn. She knew Cro had to be going to the bar. That is where men tend to go and 'think.'

She fell backwards onto the bed. She lay in the middle of the bed looking up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and slowly drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

Little did she know, her wanted posters were plastered all around the small village. The wanted posters had made Snow's life a living hell, calling her ‘The Bandit Princess’ and offering a large reward for her capture.



Chapter Eleven

Cro walked the streets of the small village for a little while. No one in the village looked friendly and he assumed they didn't like outsiders. Many of them had scowls on their faces. He ignored them for the most part. He found the bar where he had ordered the food from and he entered it. The bar was pretty much empty, except for an older man sitting behind the bar, obviously the bartender.

He looked like a former warrior. The man had long white hair and a scar over his left eye. His head was drooping as he dozed. Cro waited for a few more people to come in, but no one entered. He was done waiting. He crossed his arms and finally took a seat at the bar. He cleared his throat and the old man came to life.

“A customer!” The old man said with enthusiasm.

“Yes.” Cro said, as he put a few gold pieces and silver pieces down on the bar. “Mead.”

“Right!” the old man said. He dove behind the bar and grabbed a bottle of mead for Cro.

Cro had never seen a bar this dead, and he wondered why the villagers had deserted it. He didn't really want to ask the bartender for gossip. He sipped on his mead, then he took a few drinks and the glass was empty. His curiosity was killing him; he really wanted to know where all the regular customers were. It was busy just a little while ago.

Curiosity killed the cat, but he wasn't a cat. He watched a few people come in, some wearing heavy armor. They were warriors who probably worked for a king or queen. He thought this village didn't have a king or queen, so that was odd. Maybe they were from another kingdom. He watched a few of them talk to the bartender and the bartender pointed to a picture on the wall. The men left.

“What was that all about?” Cro asked as he looked at the bartender.

“Some of the king's men from another land are looking for the Bandit Princess,” the bartender explained.

“Who?” Cro asked.

“Her.” The Bartender walked over to the wall and pulled a picture off the wall. He put it in front of Cro.

Cro's eyes went wide when he saw who it was. He knew there was something strange about that woman. There was no way any of those men would know where they were staying. She'd be safe for now, he thought. Then he looked out the window and saw more heavily armored men going towards the inn.

“Woman, I knew you'd be trouble,” Cro muttered to himself, he got up out of his seat and ran out the door. He watched them run towards the inn, and knew he had to get there first. He ran as fast as he could and reached the back entrance to the inn.

That woman better be worth this. This wasn't really his fight, but he didn't want to see her die. Something inside of him told him that if these soldiers got their hands on Snow she'd be killed.

How many times has he been in a situation like this? He's never had to fight so many warriors at one time before, but he felt no fear for himself, only for the two women. He pulled his sword from his sheath and put distance between himself and the king’s men. If he got caught fighting these assholes, he'd be in some deep shit. He needed to seriously think this through.

“Stand aside,” one of the men ordered.

“If I don't?” Cro sneered.

“We will have to kill you,” another said, with no emotion showing on his hard face.

There were a lot of them and only one of him. This could end very badly for Cro. He knew this, but he couldn't just let them cart off Snow White like she was some god damned prize. Against his better judgment, he was going to fight them.

That woman better be worth this, his blood and his scars. Bodies would litter the streets, because this time he wasn't going to hold back like before.

One of the king’s men charged in after Cro. Without much effort Cro jumped behind the man. He grabbed the warrior’s head and snapped his neck. The man dropped like a sack of potatoes. Cro wondered what crime he had just committed, was it treason or maybe aiding a fugitive? Either way, the penalty was death.

It was always a woman that got him into these messes, he thought glumly. It might be his stubborn attitude, too. All he knew is that he had more of the king’s men to fight and it wasn't going to be easy.

If they didn't have any wizards on their side, he wouldn't have any problem with them. He was weak against magic. That is why he lost against Pyrallis. He stared down one of the bigger warriors who held his sword tightly. Cro could see the blood lust in the man’s eyes. This warrior wanted him dead.

A sly smirk formed on Cro's lips. These warriors were so used to victory, it made him laugh. Obviously, this one had not yet faced a warrior like Cro. The thing about warriors was that they were headstrong and would do whatever it took to win.





The Dark Quest Part 2

























































Cro had found himself in another situation, like he always did and this time it was over two women. Why did he always find himself in these situations? He found himself up against an opponent he might not be able to beat. He needed to protect these women. He grimaced and had his sword drawn as the other man attacked him. He defended himself and pushed the other man back a few feet, he had to beat these people. They were all decked out in armor and he was in his normal clothes. This wasn't going to be very easy for him, nothing in his life was easy anyways.



“Give us the girls and we will let you go.” The Armored man growled.

“Never!” Cro growled back.





The loss to Pyralis was still fresh in hid mind, how could he lose to a bastard like that? Magic was his downfall and he needed someone to teach him how to counter it or he just needed to find away to get stronger. Strength is all that he really cared about at this point. The two men glared at each other and then they attacked each other, the fight was just a distraction. A few of the other armored men entered the inn that Cro was trying to defend. When they got into the inn they searched every corner of the place and couldn't find the girls that were staying there. They probably had enough time to get away this time. The other armored men exited the inn.



The man that Cro was fighting stabbed Cro and Cro fell down to the ground, he was clutching his shoulder that got pierced and he was bleeding pretty heavily. He held his shoulder as tight as he could. He got up to one knee and he growled as he watched the men leave. Who were they and why did they want the girls? Did they get away or were they hiding?



“Fuck!” Cro spat.



It looked like he couldn't do anything right, it was one lose after another. He needed to find himself, he needed to find his strength. He got back to his feet and stumbled back into the inn and sat down at one of the tables that was in the dining area and he threw his sword down on the ground, a few of the people that had been staying there had came down to see what the comotion was. He glared at them as they looked at him, he made his way to the kitchen and found some stuff to patch his shoulder up with and know it was time to see where those girls had gotten to. He couldn't leave them alone for a long time, with those armored men out there. They'd be scooped up and brought to whomever sent them and he couldn't let that happen. He was a warrior after all and he needed to start acting like one.



“Those two will be the death of me.” He muttered to himself.



****

Kagami had gathered her things and Dask, they had left town and were currently on the search for Cro. Knowing her bestfriend, he had probably already got himself into some trouble and was bleeding out somewhere after a fight. She shook her head as her and the kid rode on a horse, Cro had mentioned where he might be heading on his journey and she was going to listen to her gut and head that way. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that he had gotten himself into some trouble. A smirk came over her face, it was going to be just like old times. Fighting monsters and saving him from himself. Truth be told, she was happy and liked being around him.



Didn't know if it was love or if she just cared about him a lot. Both of them were strange and very uncommon to her, she has had a few lovers but they always ended up dead somehow or they ran away from her. Not her best friend, it seemed like he was always finding trouble and wanting to fight. His quest for strength annoyed her heavily, she knew it was going to be his demise one day. She didn't know why he wanted to be strong or why he felt weak. Cro was one of the strongest people that she knew. She kept silent as she rode, they rode for most of the afternoon and than they came to a small village and decided to stop and eat and rest for a few hours and then they would continue their journey. They found a small bed and breakfast and tied their horse to a pole outside of the bed and breakfast. Dask hauled all there stuff to the room while Kagami checked both of them in. They had gotten there just in time, one of the cooks was preparing a late lunch.



Kagami and Dask sat down at a table.



“Do you think we will find him?” Dask asked Kagami.

Kagami nodded. “Of course, he can't hide from me!” Kagami smirked.



They could smell the food cooking, it smelled so good. Both of their stomachs rumbled due to hunger. The owner of the bed and breakfast walked over to the table, he was an older gentleman with silver hair, blue eyes and was dressed in a white shirt and pair of overalls and he looked and smiled at the two.



“We don't get many visitors here.” The Owner said.

Dask looked at the man. “Why?”

“Due to our location, we are only a tiny village. There might be only twenty-five people living in this village. It's okay though, we are like a big family.” The Owner said, he smiled and put his hand on his neck and rubbed it softly, he waved and was on his way.

“Kinda odd.” Dask said as he looked at Kagami.

“Be nice.” Kagami scolded. “Just some lonely old man.”



“Lonely old man, huh?” Dask asked, he arched a brow as he watched the man walk away.



The food had come out rather quickly and when it was placed in front of the two they dug in. They ate like animals that had not ate for awhile. It had been days before either of them had a decent meal. They could feel eyes on them as they ate, neither of them cared. They were hungry and when they were done they wiped their mouths. They looked around, and everyone in the bed and breakfast was staring at them with amazement and horror. They looked at each other and smirked.



Kagami could feel in the pit of her stomach that Cro was alright, she still needed to get to him. He might do something brash and stupid, she also had another feeling. This town wasn't really what it appeared to be and the people were too nice, she always got cautious around overly nice people. She looked at Dask and the boy looked back at her, he had concern in his eyes. He knew there was something on her mind, she smirked. Cro used to give her that look when they were younger too.



They got up and made there way to their room, it wasn't a big room, it had two beds, a dresser in a small closet. They stashed all of their gear in the closet, they didn't need the other people in the bed and breakfast knowing what they did or where they were going. Kagami didn't trust many people, she looked over at Dask who was sitting on the other bed. Such a cute child, she smiled at him. Very ambitious and full of life, she was scared that if this kid lived the life her and Cro had, that he'd end up as cynical and dark as Cro was.



Lately she had been plagued with nightmares from the past. One nightmare inparticular. It was when she and Cro had been kids. They went up against this demon, Azarus, it had attacked her home town when she was twelve and luckly Cro had been there with her. They had fought it for two days straight and she was about to give up, but somehow how Cro had found the demons weakspot and killed it. Before it died, it had cursed Cro with a wicked power.



Before Azarus died, it touched Cro and transferred half of it's power to Cro. The catch was, the power would only activate when Cro was near death or when the power felt darkness flowing through Cro. If anyone knew Cro then, he was the most purest soul in the world. Now, not so much. Why hasn't the power activated now? She didn't know. She was just scared that maybe if he was in a bind and it'd activate and then Cro would lose control of himself and forget who he was. That was the main reason she wanted to find him.





“Don't worry about him, he's probably fine.” Dask said as he looked over to Kagami.



Kagami nods. “Yeah, your probably right, Dask.”



Still she couldn't help but worry, it was who she was. She looked up to the ceiling, she still had a lot on her mind. She put her hands behind her head and fell back onto the bed and her eyes never left the ceiling. She had a bad feeling, like something horrible was going to happen really soon. She closed her eyes, she needed to relax and she didn't know if she could.



****

Kaiser had been out during random missions and errands for the town folk of Bathum. A few errands had taken him outside of his town, the thoughts of his son had popped into his head while he had been running around. He knew that his son had to be okay, but he still worried. All parents worry about their children, it was just normal and he hated that he had to keep Mayumi home with his other child. It'd be more fun if his wife was with him while he was running around. He would be home very soon though.





He was twenty miles west of Bathum, in a town called New Vinewood, like the name suggests it was out in the middle of nowhere and the inhabitants had not seen a mortal man in quite sometime. Yet, reports of people screaming bloody murder in the night, it seems the towns folk believed that there was something attacking their quaint little town in the night. What the townsfolk described sounded like something out of a fairy tale or a children's book. A large half-man half wolf creature. The stories say that the villagers are disappearing in the night, what kind of a person would he be if he didn't check this out?





It just took on person to spin some ridiculous story and then panic would happen. He was very open minded, when he got into the town he hit up the local tavern. People liked to talk when they were drunk, when he walked in the place was dead. He noticed a woman behind the bar, she was washing a cup and getting drunks for the two old men that were sitting at the bar. They probably have seen some shit, he wasn't going to start a conversation with them just yet.



He pulled out a chair and sat down at the bar and looked at the bar tender.



“Beer, draft.” Kaiser said, he kept his eyes on the bartender as she got him his beer.

He took a sip off of it, he turned and looked at the two older gentlemen that he was sitting next to. It seemed like they were whispering to each other. He was a bit interested in what they could be talking about. He than turned his head and starting paying more attention to the bartender as he drank his beer. It had been a long journey and he was thirsty.



A few more people had piled into the tavern and Kaiser had ordered another beer. He noticed a few people had came in with large cuts on the torso, that interested in him. He took a sip off of his beer and got up and walked towards the people with the injuries. Could these people be the ones that were trying to fight the beast? He still didn't really think it existed, but maybe if he talked to the men he would get a few answers from them. He studied them for a moment before he approached them.





“You look a little banged up.” Kaiser said, he looked at the man.



“Yeah, it was a rough night.” The Man said, he was holding his side. He was bleeding out, blood started to drip down onto the floor and the man fell down to his knees.



He was in pain, Kaiser just watched him for a moment and than walked back to the bartender and told her to get a first aid kit, a few moments later she came out from behind the bar with a first aid kit and handed it to Kaiser. He walked back over to the man and patched him up the best he could, he helped the man back to his feet and to a nearby table so the man could sit down.



Kaiser grabbed his beer from the bar and ordered the man something strong. He sat down next to the man and started drinking his beer as he looked at man.



“Tell me everything.” Kaiser said, he looked at the man. “Name first.”



The man nodded. “Name is Abel, yours?” Abel said.

“Kaiser.” He said, smirked a bit as he looked at Abel.



Abel went on and told Kaiser a story about the thing that had appeared and started killing people, it had all happened a few nights ago, a huge wolf like creature that could walk on two legs had started to kill everyone in the town. No one knew why, there were a few theories that there was an wolf den near the town but no one was brave enough to go look for it. Abel was one of the men that had decided to try and fight it, that didn't do any good. All he got was hurt and almost killed. There wasn't anyone in the town that was strong enough to stand up to the wolf.





Kaiser was going to try and stand up to this thing and bring it down, they were not paying him that much for this job. It didn't matter, it was the right thing to do. He wanted to save these people from more suffering and he was going to do it by any means necessary, sure he had not been in a serious fight for sometime. That didn't mean he didn't know and remember how to fight. A warrior never forgets how to fight, they just get rusty every now and then.





The night would fall very soon and that is when that monster would strike. All he had to do now was wait. The hours had went by rather fast as Kaiser continued to gather information about the creature from the locals. It had started to get colder and darker fast. All the townsfolk had disappeared into their houses, they all thought Kaiser was crazy. He stayed out in an open area. He had his sword by his sword and he would be quick to draw at the moment of danger.





His senses were sharp, he hard something moving around by one of the houses. He could see a shadow of a beast, it wasn't as big as a man and it looked to be a rodent that was as big as a small dog. He ran over towards it and scared it off, he than went back to what he was doing. He was getting anxious for this thing to show up. He heard something howl, it sounded like a wolf. He smirked. It looked like it was finally party-time. It sounded like it was coming from one of the bigger houses. This was rather interesting, no one really knew why the wolves were attacking the city. A few had a theory that there was a wolves den around here or someone had killed a wolf and the wolves were coming back from revenge. It didn't really matter to Kaiser, the wolf was outside and it had transformed into a man. It somehow kept its tail when it transformed. That was new to him. The Wolfman was trying to bust into the house, it was kicking the front door as hard as it could and the door was wobbling a little bit, there were terrified screams coming from inside of the house and that meant Kaiser had to act.





Kaiser ran over and grabbed the wolfman by the shoulders and threw him up into the air. He jumped as high as he could and punched the wolfman in the stomach. The wolfman grunted, some blood spewed out of his mouth. Kaiser landed on the ground first, a few moments later the wolfman landed with a thud. It pushed itself up off of the ground and turned to look at Kaiser and it growled angrily.



“You bastard..” The Wolfman charged in after Kaiser, throwing a flurry of kicks and punches towards him. Kaiser blocked the wolfman's attacks with his sword, swaying left and right as the wolfman continued to attack him.





“Have you ever done this before?” Kaiser asked cockly.

“Shut up!” The Wolf Man replied.



Kaiser kicked the wolfman and it sent him flying back a few feet and the wolfman hit the outside of an abandoned house. Kaiser walked over towards the wolfman. He assumed it had been knocked out, his eyes went wide as he walked the beast start to get up and move around a beat. This wasn't going to be an easy fight, to a normal person this would be suicide.



****

As the night fell, Cro decided to pack up everything and leave. He was going to make his way to New Vinewood. There had been rumors circulating about a werewolf attacking the city, maybe it was the same wolves that had tried to take Bella. Also, it could be totally unrelated, it was still worth a look though. He found a horse and mounted it and he was off towards New Vinewood. He had a lot of things on his mind and he did hope Kagami and Dask were okay.





He didn't really like leaving them behind but he knew they'd try to talk him out of doing what he was doing. He was a stubborn warrior and Kagami knew that. He closed his eyes, a smirk came acrossed his face. He did care for that woman, she could be such a pain in the ass at times. Like when she would try to protect him when he didn't need it, now if the shoe was on the other foot and he tried to protect her when she didn't need it, she would rage at him. He didn't really get women at all. He yawns and scratched his head for a moment.





The journey didn't take him that long, he was on the outskirts of New Vinewood. He felt weird, like someone or something was following him. He stopped the horse and got off of it and drew his sword and he walked around for a few moments. He didn't see anything, but he sensed something. There was definitely someone or something around. It just needed to come out and fight him, then it would be all over and he could then get his answers about where Bella and Snow were.





Something howled attacked him and slashed his chest, he grunted and was pushed back a few feet by the attack and the horse ran off scared. Cro grunted, narrowed his eyes and watched his attacker come closer. It tried to slash him again, this time Cro blocked with his sword and swung the sword with all of his might. It hit the creature and pushed it back a few feet. Cro was bleeding and he had not been fully healed. What had he gotten himself into?



“Fuck!” He exclaimed.



He held his free hand over his chest, he looked down as he could see the blood slip through his fingers. This close to the city and being attacked? Someone didn't want him getting into the city.



There had been rumors about the city, that the founders had destroyed a wolf den so they could build the city. If that was the case, these wolves were just protecting their home, well, what was left of it. Why would he want to fight anyone that was trying to protect their home? He wouldn't want to do that. Yet, he was injured by these wolves and he wasn't going to let that go without some sort of consequence.





They attacked him again, they pushed him back much farther. Cro tried to ward off the attacks the best he could. The slashes hit him hard, he was bleeding out everywhere and he could barely move. Some warrior he was, being taken down like this, by these attacks. He fell down to his knees, the blood dripping through his fingers and he looked up at the group of the wolves that had done this to him. It took a group of them to take him down, they couldn't do it one on one. He wasn't at one hundred percent either, maybe if he had healed fully he could have taken them. His pride had gotten the best of him once again.



“Fuck..”



It was the only thing that he could think of to say, he tried to get back to his feet. He couldn't, this was going to be it. This was going to be how he died, the wolves surrounded him and snickered at him. They could just kill him and have it be over with. He blinked, he watched the wolves leave. What was that about? Why didn't they finish the job? Ugh. He wished they had killed him. He was in so much pain, he huffed loudly. He couldn't die, not here.





He felt himself start to get light headed, that wasn't good. Should he shut his eyes? Not and then he would pass out and die. His body started to go limp and he felt the impending darkness surround him. He knew what was going to happen, he tried to fight it. He eventually closed his eyes and that is when everything got hazy. It felt like he was being sent to some other place, the otherside. Could that be it? When he opened up his eyes, he was back on his feet and there was a person standing in front of him. The area was surrounded in fog. Who the hell was this person? He grabbed his sword and pointed it at this other being.



“Who are you? Tell me who the fuck you are!” Cro demanded.

“Cro, you are in no shape or form to make demands.” The Hooded man said.

Cro blinked. “How do you know my name?”

The Hooded Man smirked. “I know everything about you.”





The Hooded Man walked over to Cro and poked him in the forehead, he was still smirking. They had been together for such a long time and they had never meet face-to-face. It was ironic actually, they had a bond and Cro didn't really know that, but he was going to know about it very soon. See he was the power inside of Cro. Cro could call on his power whenever he wanted to, it was just that Cro was too stubborn to ask for help from anyone or anything. They had meet years ago and actually fought against one another. Yet somehow, this power got implanted inside of Cro.



“My name is Azarus. Well, it used to be before you and your female friend slayed me.” Azarus smirked, he backed a few feet away from Cro.





This wasn't death or anywhere inside of Cro's head. This was Azarus's realm, the demon had manifested out of pure necessity. He couldn't watch Cro die. There was so much potential in this man and he didn't want to see it wasted. In a way he was sort of a guardian angel and he would only appear when he was needed. He watched Cro try and figure out who he was and that was even after Azarus's telling Cro who he was, but he never told Cro why he was here. It'd be anticlimactic if he gave away all the information right now, it was fun to keep people guessing. He could be a real dick head at times.





Power had its limits, it wasn't absolute. Both of them knew this, Cro just stood there and stared at Azarus. What was he going to do? They had been together? What did that mean? Too many questions and not enough answers. He continued to stare at Azarus and took a few step towards him. Did this person really want to help him? They had saved him from certain death. There was usually a price to be paid if someone saved you from death. A debt would most likely be owed.



Cro looked at Azarus. “What do you want?”

Azarus smirked. “Just to help you, that is all.”

Cro crossed his arms over his chest, he nodded. “Sure, that has to be it.”



If he let Azarus help him, he could over throw those wolves that had beaten him, also if he took Azarus's help. It might cost him his soul and he wasn't ready to give that up just yet. He wanted to find away to get back at those wolves by himself. Also, he knew he couldn't do it alone and that was the situation he was in. He hated asking for help, he was very prideful and thick headed. Especially when it came to beating an opponent, he needed to be able to beat somebody by himself and not with the help of outside forces. Sad thing, he was considering this creatures help and he knew he wasn't going to get a direct answer of what Azarus was, he was going to have to deal with that.





Cro arched a brow. “Everything comes at a price, what is yours?”



Azarus smiled. “The price of my power is simple, I'm fused to your being and you can never be rid of me. Thinking of me as extra strength, you can call upon me when you need me but you can never truly get rid of me.”



Cro looked to be in deep thought for a moment. “So almost like a possession?”

Azarus shook his head. “No, nothing like that. We are already together. This place, well. It's just my realm. When you are near death. I can bring you here, it exists on the astral plane. We aren't in your world right now. After your all healed, you will be sent back to your world and to the naked eye it will look like you have just been laying on the ground for mere seconds.”





It was a stand still. Cro didn't know if he could really trust Azarus or not, it didn't look like he really had a choice right now. He closed his eyes and nodded. He would do it, he needed the power that Azarus possessed. He needed to become stronger by any means necessary. It was time to get back into the fight, he couldn't let those bastards get away with defeating him like that. It was like he was nothing, just some fool that decided to take on a pack of werewolves. He looked over to Azarus and told him that he would take his power and his help. They looked at each other and smiled. The realm they were in vanished and Cro woke up and all of his wounds had been healed and felt stronger, much stronger. He looked around for the wolves that had almost killed him.





Cro growled. “Bastards, where did you go?”



He looked around for the pack of werewolves that almost ended his life, where had they gone? Had they just up and ran away because they thought they had ended him? Maybe they should have gotten the job done. He grabbed his sword and went looking for the wolves. He made his way to the entrance of the town and he entered the town and still began to look around for the wolves, as he walked around. He could hear low growls from the shadows, a smile spread a crossed his face. Were they going to come out in play with him now? One wolf lunged at him, with a swing of his blade, he cut the wolf in half. Blood sprayed all over him and the carcass of the wolf fell around him. One down, only four more to go. Four more bodies, was this revenge? Nah. It was more like redemption at this point. Four wolves jumped out of nowhere and surrounded Cro. It didn't take Cro that long to defeat the wolves this time, a few swings from his mighty blade and they fell at his feet. More blood sprayed on him. He wiped the blood off of his blade and himself.





That was it and maybe that meant he could venture on and look for the women that had went missing. Also, he felt something familiar in the town. It felt like family, could his father be here? Had he taken a job in this town? He hoped that wasn't the case. He wouldn't want to leave his father in this place. This town was too dangerous for any human to be in. Especially his father, if anything happened to his father, he didn't know what he would do. He needed to make a decision, go search for the missing women or look around this town to see if his father was here or not.

Kaiser continued to square off against the werewolf. They were giving each other some space, both were very tired. They saw each other as enemies. Could they really be that different? They were both fighting for their races. Kaiser wanted to protect the people in New Vinewood and the werewolf was trying to protect his brethren, the other werewolves. Kaiser glared at the werewolf, even though the wolf was trying to protect himself and the pack. Killing people wasn't the way to go and he couldn't let anymore people die, he felt like this was something that he needed to do.





For a moment Kaiser thought he could feel someone else nearby. It felt like someone or something was releasing some sort of energy. He had never felt anything like that before, he looked over to the werewolf and he could see that the werewolf was feeling the same thing. Could the be a more powerful enemy on the horizon? Someone or something that he didn't know about. He really did hate surprises, he just wanted to move on from this mission and make sure all these people were safe. He rested for a few more moments, he needed to find away to the complete the mission.





There had been fighting near the entrance to the city, it had been a big battle and whomever was fighting had just won. Someone else had apparently came to help with the fight against the wolves, both Kaiser and the wolf charged in and started fighting one another again. The wolf had scratched Kaiser in the chest and Kaiser had slashed the wolf in the chest and a few other spots. They were both breathing pretty badly, Kaiser watched some of the wolfs wounds heal up by themselves. Great, the wolf had a slight healing factor. That was going to make things a little more difficult.





The blood that was being spilled soaked down into the ground, both of them huffed heavily. It was like watching two gladiators going at it. Both of them were trying to figure out what the other was going to do, they were getting very tired. They needed to end it as soon as they could. The wolf lunged at Kaiser and Kaiser raised his sword and stabbed the wolf through its stomach, he watched the wolf drop to his feet and die. Kaiser sighed as he looked down at the now dead werewolf.





He made his way to the inn and took a shower, washed all the blood off of him and patched himself up the best that he could. After all that was done, he hit the hay. He would collect the bounty tomorrow, right now all he needed was a good night's sleep. He missed his wife and young daughter, he wondered where Cro was. Probably getting into trouble or on some sort of an adventure, like father like son. They were so much alike it was uncanny. They would probably cross paths very soon.



****

Cro had decided to look around the town, looking for more trouble to get into. He had found a trail of blood and lead him to the center of the town. Stuff was broken and it looked like a very big battle had gone down there. It was interesting to him, what could have made this much damage? It had to be one of those werewolves. He had encountered some before he entered the city, he still felt kinda tired from his fight. He felt powerful at the same time, it was such an odd feeling. He sheathed his sword.





A child came running up to Cro. “Mister did you see that?”

Cro shook his head. “No, I didn't.”

The child frowned. “Aw, that sucks. It was awesome, there was a big battle here. A large man, wait.. He kinda looked like you! Well him and this wolf were fighting, this man slayed the wolf like it was nothing!”





He could do nothing but smile at the child. When he was younger, he was just like this child and always itching to watch a fighter and see the outcome. So his father was here, he needed to go and find him.



Cro finished talking with the child and decided it was time to go find his father, he walked around and talked to the townsfolk. They said they had seen the man that slayed the werewolf vanish into the inn for the night. He found the inn and tried to get into it, it seemed that they had locked up for the night. That seemed a bit strange to him. He went and found himself a bed and breakfast that was still open and he slept there for the night, tomorrow was another day and he would surely find his father in the morning. The oldman couldn't get far in the morning, unless he got up early and started his travels back to Bathum, it didn't matter. He needed rest. After a little while of fighting sleep, he did fall asleep.





While they slept, the world was still moving. There was dark energies aligning against Cro and his friends, a darkness that couldn't be defeated by just one person, it would take many people to take this darkness down and it would soon be unleashed over many lands. It was coming for the sword that everyone was seeking, it was coming for Immortalus.















2



There had been stories passed down from generation-to-generation about a being so powerful that it had to be sealed within a dagger, this being was pure evil and the only way to stop it was to either over power it or have someone that was pure of heart kill it. No one knew whatever happened to this being or where the dagger was. It was rumored that the dagger was in the possession of a powerful and dark king, the king would not call on the person trapped within the dagger but he'd use the dagger to call upon its power.





This power has ended many village and civilizations. It was unstoppable, everyone that has come up against it has died. The power was also very unstable and couldn't be used for very long. If the power was used for too long, the dagger would shatter into pieces and all the power would be lost. It took the dark king many years to find the dagger. With the help of the dagger he was able to take the kingdom from the former king, he ruled with an iron fist and was a vile and nasty person.



****

Kagami and Dask had hit New Vinewood before day break, little did they know they were closer to Cro than they thought. There were a few people outside of their houses trying to fix the damage from the werewolf attacks and the fight that had happened last night. There wasn't much damage just enough for it to be a pain in the ass. Kagami and Dask were hungry, there had to be some sort of grotto in the town or a diner. It had been a long journey, they walked around the town for a little bit.



After wandering around for a little while, they found a small and quaint place to eat at. They were the only people in the place, they found a nice table. They both watched the people that were working at the establishment and Kagami noticed that they had a bar. They must start serving drinks when the lunch crew came in. A waitress came over and took their order, both Dask and Kagami ordered some steak and eggs, a coffee for Kagami and some hot tea for Dask. They did need to keep their energy up for today's events. There was some muttering from a few of the cook and waitresses about what had happened last night.



Dask looked to Kagami. “A small town like this, news must get around fast.”



Kagami nodded. “Yeah, that is how small towns work. Don't really like it that much, probably a lot of gossip in these parts too and I hate gossip.”





After about fifteen minutes of waiting the waitress came over with the food and set the plates and drinks down in front of Kagami and Dask.



The waitress smiled. “There you go.”

Kagami and Dask looked at her, smiled and said thanks at the same time.





Kagami began to shovel food into her mouth as she looked over to Dask. He looked worried, she stopped eating and stared at him for a moment. Kagami blinked, being this adult female figure for a kid was rather new to her, she hasn't ever had to do it before. She didn't really know what she needed to do. She just thought about Cro and how she always had to keep him inline and out of trouble, she reached over and put her hand ontop of the boys hand.



Kagami smiled at Dask. “Whatevers got you down. Don't worry about it, everything is going to be fine and eat up. You will need your strength.”



Dask forced a smile and nodded. “Alright.”

They both ate their breakfast up, it was the most important meal of the day anyways. Fighting bad guys and saving people took a lot of energy out of you. Dask didn't actually fight the bad guys, he sorta just stands there and watches people fight the
badguys. One of these days, he was going to be strong and he would be able to save everybody and he wouldn't be a bystander anymore. He was a hero in the making.



Kagami was cleaning her mouth with a napkin as she looked over to Dask. “Hope your full, we won't be eating for a while.”

Dask smiled and nodded. “I am full, thank you kagami!”

Kagami smiled and reached over and patted the boys head. “Anytime, little man.”



****

Kaiser had been awake for a few hours, he was still going over what had happened last night. He had never been okay with taking someone else's life, it didn't matter how bad they were or even if they were close to taking his life. He found killing a person or being was pointless. Sure, the money was good and this town was finally safe from the werewolves. He was questioning his motives, he has been doing that a lot lately. It was because of his new babygirl, he wanted to be around when she was older and he didn't want her to grow up around violence.



He had shown Cro this violent life and he had embraced it so fast. His son was just like him and sadly he didn't like it, there wasn't anything he could to really stop it. He knew he had to get to the bar to collect his money, that is where the man who had hired him would be. After this he was going back to Bathum and he was going to be a better father and not take so many missions, this might be his last mission. He would miss all the action and fighting, it was just like being a solider. Except no one commanded him except himself. It was a life that he has embraced for so long.



Kaiser smiled. “Mayumi, after this I'm coming home. This time it might be for good.”





Kaiser exited his room and made his way to the bar where had meet Abel the night before. He wondered if that man would be there at this time of the morning, no one drank this early. He entered the bar and it was dead, there were a few of the locals lounging around at a few of the tables. No one was drinking though, he needed to dig up the man that was going to pay him. He sat down at one of the empty tables and he waited for him, he yawned. It had been a rough night, his body wasn't used to fighting like this again. The man that Kaiser had been waiting for came in and he talked to the man and got the money and left the bar. He was going to go back to Bathum now, hopefully nothing exciting would happen on his journey back home.





****

Cro had an uneasy feeling as he got up, he was thinking about the power that he had just obtained. It was going to take a toll on his life, he knew that. He would need to find away to train with his new power. He knew one thing about power, if you coulden't control it would start to control you. He didn't want to be one of those people that would let something control him. All he wanted to do was protect his family and the people around him that he loved. Sure, he was a stubborn lone wolf and wouldn't really show much emotion to the people around him. That didn't mean he didn't care about them. He could just keep his feelings in check.



Cro looked down at his hands. “What have I done? I feel stronger, but I know this strength has came at a price. Everything comes at a price.”





He rushed down to the front desk and paid the person that let him stay there and he was off. He needed to see if his father was here, something told him that his dad was here. He stepped outside and looked around. There were a bunch of people running around and a few crowds milling around the village. Ugh, how was he going to find his father in these crowds of people? He pushed through the crowds. A few people scolded him and swore at him. He didn't really care about that, he wanted to find his father.





Cro pushed through another crowd. “Fucking people..” He felt someone smack him. He growled, what were these people doing? He saw two people come out of a diner. He blinked, it was Kagami and the kid. Wait, did they come looking for him? Ugh. Why did they have to be here? He didn't want to explain himself to Kagami. He always had to explain himself to that woman, for once he wished that the woman would just leave him alone for once. He slipped into a crowd of people so she wouldn't see him. Sometimes he thought she was part blood hound, she could sniff him out where ever he hide.



****


There were rumors about a troll problem in Old Rockwood, it was an old village that was hidden in the mountains. Stories about trolls attacking the village, these trolls stood about eight feet tall and were very mean. They would kill anything that moved, it seemed that before it was a village, it was home to the trolls. Like in New Vinewood it seemed like it was the former beings that lived in the village was trying to take the village back. Also there was rumor of a Shaman that lived North of the village. The trolls could be attacking the village because of him as well, it could be that it wasn't the trolls faults for the attacks on the village.





It would take someone very strong to come and save this city, someone with strength that they never knew that they had. Someone that could survive an intense beating. The city needed to be saved and there wasn't anyone in Old Rockwood that was up to the task. Maybe the stories of what was happening in Old Rockwood would bring that warrior that would step up and try to help. If no one would step up, all there would be left of the city would be rubble and trash.





The townsfolk were tired of burying the people that tried to stop the trolls. Some of the people that tried to stop those monsters were outsiders and some of the townsfolk think they had what it took to stop those monsters, but they ended up dead as well. It was a very dark situation. It was very hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, because there was no light to be seen. Right now all they could do was and pray and wait, they hoped a savior would come to them soon. They didn't really want to live like this anymore, they wanted to a live a normal life and not worry about dying.



****

Cro had successfully ditched his friends and started to look for his father. He sighed, there was no sign of his dead. If he had been here he must of left. He would catch up with him eventually and then he heard two people talking to each other, he didn't get a good look at them but was close enough to overhear what they were talking about. There was a troll problem in Old Rockwood, that was a village in the mountains. There was also rumored to be a Shaman that lived there too, that gave Cro an idea. That'd be the perfect place for him to test his powers and maybe the shaman could help train his new found powers as well. It looked like he had another quest he was going to go do. The Immortal Sword and looking for the two women would have to wait. He had a chance to his newfound powers under control.





Cro smiled. “One journey ends, another starts.”



From New Vinewood to Old Rockwood would be a day journey and he wasn't going to do that on foot. There had to be someone in this town that would sell him a horse, he didn't have much money left. He walked around the city and by luck he found a person who had a horse that they were willing to depart with. He paid the man with the rest of the money he had, mounted the house and rode out of town towards Old Rockwood. To Kagami and the kid, this would just be another fight he was trying to get into. To him it was much more than that. To him this is how he was going to control this power and use it for good instead of evil.

By not meeting up with his friends he felt like he was protecting them, what he did was dangerous and they knew that. He didn't know why they insisted on following him and putting themselves in harms way. He couldn't stand it. They probably thought he went off alone so he could get all the glory, it was just that it was too dangerous for them to come with him. His friends did cross his mind every time before he went into battle, he always wanted to come back to them. He knew when they finally found him he would be heavily lectured. He was a bit tired too, maybe he should have rested a little more before deciding to go another journey and getting into another fight. He hoped there was a bounty on these trolls, he needed some more money.



****

The Trolls were attacking the city again, everyone was running and screaming for their lives. It was hell, the people that tried to stand against these invaders were cut down. It was like watching a scene from a war movie, bodies and blood was everywhere. The smart people had stayed inside of their houses and were hiding. The warriors in the town fell like flies, every warrior that approached the trolls and tried to fight them got swat away like annoying little flies. The more they tried to fight, the quicker that they would die. It seemed like they had a death wish.



A boy had his face pressed up against the window watching the massacre.



“God this is horrible.”

He blinked again, he continued to watch the madness outside the window. He closed his eyes, a dead bloodied body slammed up against the house and fell down to the ground, the side of the house was covered in blood. The Troll walked over and picked up the bloodied body snapped it in half and began to eat it. The Troll threw the rest of the body onto the ground and continued to fight the other men that were foolish enough to step up and die where they stood.





The boys father was one of the many that was doing the fighting, it didn't look good for him. He might be the next one to fall. A bunch of men with swords surrounded one of the trolls and they all attacked the troll at once. The attack barely did anything, not even a scratch on the troll. With one swing of the trolls mighty arm, it knocked over the men and left them defenseless for a moment. The men scrambled to grab their swords, that was the only weapon they had to use. It was their only defense.





One of the men scrambled for his sword, he grabbed it and picked it up by its hilt and forced himself to stand up once again. He was in such pain it wasn't funny. He didn't want his family to think he was a coward, he would go on fighting with his pride intact. If he died, he died. Death was all apart of life and it came for all of them at one point in their life. He narrowed his eyes and pointed his sword towards the troll.



“Today will be your last day fucker. I will go on fighting until my last breath. If today I draw my last breath.” The Man closed his eyes and then opened them again and looked up at the troll before him. “Then so be it. I'll die with honor.” The man smirked as he charged in after the troll. This might be the last thing he ever does in his life, so be it. He welcomed his death with open arms, little did he know a cloaked figure was watching the battle from a far. This figure was perched up in a tree watching the action.





The Figure smirked. “Foolish men, I could give you the power that you seek. All you need to do is call my name and I'll be there and we will make a deal.”



The Figure continued to watch the battle, after a few moments a few more men died and The Figure shook his head. He had the power to save this town, but at a price. He wouldn't save it for free, he had foreseen someone coming to this towns aid and that would make the power he could offer these people useless. Oh well, he continued to watch the fun from his perch and then it got too boring for him, he snapped his fingers and disappeared in a cloud of greyish smoke.



The fighting continued and the men continued to die. Would there really be a savior that rode in on a white horse and saved them all? They had somehow found away to push the trolls back a little ways. Some of the fighters fleed for their lives and vanished back into their houses. That left only three men defending the city. The trolls against three men. It didn't look good for the town, maybe it was time to give up and retreat like everyone else. If they gave up their pride they'd live.



Running for your lives meant you were a coward, it was better to die with pride and dignity than live with being a coward for the rest of your life. The three men continued to battle the trolls. They give it their all, but they too got cut down by the trolls and that meant there was no one else around to defend the town from the trolls. The trolls began destroying houses, invading house and killing whole families and eating the remains. Without men to defend the city, it was like a human all you can eat buffet.



****

He had traveled for most of most of the morning, through the woods on a horse. It could be tiring and all the silence was getting to him and he was getting tired. He noticed a sign that said there was a village nearby, maybe he would stop for a few hours and get some rest. His stomach growled and he remembered that to get the horse he had to part with the rest of his money. So right now, he was broke. He ventured into the village anyways. The village was called Knotsway, everything in the village was made with wood and it looked like that might be it's way of making money, it looked like it was a lumbering village. There was a giant sawmill in the middle of the village. He saw a general store and it looked like a few of the old timers were sitting outside of the store and they were talking.



He stopped infront of the store and got off his horse, he patted the back of the horse and then walked up to the old timers that were talking. He cleared his throat to get the attention of the old timers and they both looked at him.

“What do you want stranger?” One of the men asked.

“Looking to make some quick money, anyone hiring around here?” Cro asked, he crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at the men.



The man pointed towards the sawmill in the center of the town. “Go there, ask for Henry. He will give you a job if you can swing an axe.”

Cro nodded. “Alright.”





This guy probably wasn't going to be that hard to find, he walked to the center of the town and walked to the saw-mill, he pushed open the door and looked around. There were a few shutes that were loading up logs and cutting them into pieces. It was going to be interesting doing this, he just needed to make enough money to stay for a few hours and get some food for his journey. Of course, he wasn't going to tell this guy that he wasn't staying. It's not like it really mattered. It seemed that the saw-mill was operated by one person, he saw a large muscular man loading a log onto one of the shutes and the log went down the line and got cut in half.





The man looked like he could take down a tree by himself, he wouldn't want to get into a fight with this man and he approached the man.



“So are you, Henry?” Cro asked the man.

The man nodded. “Aye.”

“I need a job.” Cro said.

The man smiled and handed Cro an axe. “Knock down a free trees, put them in the river and the current will bring them back to me.”



Cro took the axe and nodded. “Alright.”

With that he walked out of the saw mill with axe in hand and he found a piece of land that no one was at and he started working. Chopping down trees with an axe, he worked for most of the day dropping trees and throwing them into the river. He would take a few minutes to rest every know and then. He didn't expect to be here for half the day. Maybe this would get him enough money to get a room and sleep. He could still make it Old Rockwood by nightfall. He didn't know when the trolls attacked also he didn't know if this story was true or not. He had noticed that the sun was going to set soon. He'd need to get back to the saw mill to get his money from working all day.



He walked back to the saw mill that was at the center of the town and talked to Henry. Henry paid Cro enough to get a room and maybe a meal later on. He was so worn out, maybe if he ever decided to not go out on missions and fight people, he might come back here and become a normal working person. Cro thanked Henry and gave the axe back and walked out of the saw mill and found an inn and paid the man some money to stay for a few hours. He got settled in and laid on the bed and started to stare at the ceiling.



“This power is dangerous..” His eyes were fixed on the ceiling, he didn't know what he was going to do. He was hoping there was a Shaman in Old Rockwood and maybe that shaman could help him understand his powers and how to control it. He wanted to unlock his potential and become a better fighter too, he was sick of watching the people closest to him get hurt.



“Dad, hope you get home safely.” He said softly to himself.



He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, it wasn't an dreamless slumber. He actually had a nightmare that he had lost everyone close to him and it was because of the demon that was in his head. He wasn't asleep for a very long-time, he woke up covered in sweat. He sat up and put his face in his hands and wiped the sweat off of his face. His sword was sitting on a chair and his leather boots were at the foot of his bed. Maybe he should go now, he couldn't wait any longer.





It was hard watching the people you cared for get hurt, even if it was in a dream. He hated dreams like that, sometimes they came true. He needed to be careful and not involve the people he cared about in this shit. Yet, they were stubborn and would find away to be involved. Sometimes there wasn't really anything he could do about it. He just needed to move on, he grabbed his sword and slipped on his boots and left the inn and got onto his horse and made his way towards Old Rockwood.





Kaiser had made it safely back to Bathum, his wife was happy to see him. He had been tired from the rode and Mayumi had made him a nice meal and left him alone to relax. He had a lot of time to think while he had been traveling back to Bathum, he didn't know what he would do if he stopped doing missions. It was almost like a drug you got addicted to, the action and the pain. The money wasn't that bad either. He knew it took a toll on Mayumi and that is why he stopped doing it so much. He wouldn't lie, he did miss it. He missed being a solider. Maybe that is why his son did it, the feeling of being a solider and protecting people. Maybe his son had other reasons and he wasn't here so Kaiser couldn't ask him at the moment.





Relaxing was something that was new to him, he didn't really know how to do it. He found himself outside at the woodpile. There was his axe still stuck in a log, this is what he did when he wanted to get his mind off of things. He knew Mayumi was going to be asking him what was on his mind pretty soon. He didn't want to lie to her and he didn't really want to let her in on what was bothering him. He picked the axe out of the log, but a piece of wood on the chopping block and chopped it. He had chopped wood for a solid hour and half before he took a break. He wiped the sweat off of his brow, a few drops fell down into his eyes and they stung for a bit. The pain subsided a few moments later, it was a nice out. There was a breeze, he held his axe in his hand and pushed the chopped wood off of the chopping block and sat down on it.



He watched people in the town live their lives, some of them didn't have a care in the world and the others were stressed to the max.

It was funny how life was, it could go by so fast and so slowly at the same time. He has been doing a lot of thinking lately, what would he do if he didn't have bad guys to fight? It seemed like everytime he tried to settle down and down the family man thing. Something else came up, a new bad guy would appear and he would rush to the frontline just to fight. Sometimes he wondered if he did that because he was bored.

Bathum was a wonderful place to live, it was quiet and everyone knew one another and for the most part everyone kept to themselves and kept their noses out of each others business. You got the drama that every small town had, but that didn't bother him. He could always block shit like that out. He just wanted the simple laugh, he chuckled and shook his head at himself. He kept on making shit more complicated.





“You alright?” Mayumi asked.

Kaiser turned around to see Mayumi and he nods. “I'm fine.”

Mayumi walks over and wraps her arms around Kaiser. “Just making sure.”



They had been through a lot, both of them were stubborn and always thought they were right. It was amazing that they had lasted this long, it was mostly because Kaiser was hard headed and didn't like to listen to reason most of the time. Cro was like that too. Mayumi was caring and loving, they balanced each other out. It was a nice little relationship they had and they did love one another, it was just hard to love each other sometimes. It all worked out though, they would never leave each other. No matter how hard things got, now that was love and not many people were like that anymore. People usually split up at the first sign of trouble. When that happens, your not really in love. Kaiser and Mayumi wandered back into the house to spend a little time together. Kaiser was going to stay home for a little while. Not gonna go look for trouble anytime soon.



****

The trail that he was on wasn't a very happy one, it didn't take Cro that long to get to Old Rockwood. It looked like a scene out of a horror story, there were body parts everywhere and bodies of half eaten men laying on the ground in pools of their own blood. The blood was a dark red now, it had been sitting for a while and had dried up on the ground. When he entered the town he found a place to park his horse and tie it up. He started to look around. What had he gotten himself into? He never backed down from a fight and thats all this was. Just another fight, there was a high chance he might die if he fought these monsters. Could he really let this go on? He looked over to one of the houses. It had been almost demolished. How strong were these trolls, he walked around and started to talk to a few of the brave townsfolks that had decided to venture out of their houses. The townsfolks were all scared and that was understandable, he would be too. From what he gathered, the troll attacks were pretty random and that had all of the townsfolks on edge. Good thing that there was a pub in the town, he would need a few drinks in him before he decided to go pick a fight with a bunch of trolls. If these things were like any of the other monsters he fought, they were probably angry and mean and not very nice creatures. He took it as it was, so these monsters must only attack the village when they got hungry. That's the only reason he saw for such randomized attacks on the town.





You know that little voice in your head that tells you not to do something because it might be suicide. It was talking to him and telling him that exact thing. Being here and fighting these trolls was suicide, he was the type not to listen to that voice. If he had listened to it, he wouldn't have had the amazing adventures he's had or meet the people that he has meet. That voice needed to shut up, he couldn't let all these people live in fear. That was no way to live, he never saw himself as a hero. He was just someone looking to pick fights and get stronger. He was as stubborn as the day was long. These people probably thought he was some sort of savior that was going to save them from evil. That was the farthest thing from the truth. Many people thought he had a death wish for doing shit like this. He liked the rush and how his sword felt in his hands.



People often asked him why he pushed himself so much, to be honest. He didn't have an answer for that question, he didn't know why he pushed himself so much either. He'd lie to himself and say he pushed himself because he wanted his friends and family to be safe. It had to be more than that, it was probably just the addiction to fighting and watching his blood pour out of his body and watch his opponents lifeless body fall at his feet. That was one explanation and there was another one as well. He didn't want to have boring a life, he didn't want to be that person that settles down and has children, not just yet. He had a lot of fight left in him.



When you have been fighting so long, it just seems like second nature and that was how it was with him. He didn't think he could stop, if he tried he would crash and burn. Bring everyone down with him as well, he didn't like to get close to anyone. Only people he was really close with was his family and they could get on his nerves too. He withdrew from people, it was just the way he was. He was the lone wolf, the lone warrior and it was going to take a lot to change that.



He found his way to the nearest pub and walked into it, surprisingly it was dead. He actually figured more people would be in there drinking away their sorrows. If he lived here he'd be drinking all the time. He made his way to the bar and put some money down and ordered a beer and a shot. If he was going to do this suicide mission, he was going to relax first. Maybe he should try and get some more information about what was happening here. He watched a few more people walk through the door and take seats at a few of the tables inside of the pub.





It was a bit strange, there wasn't a single woman in the place except for the bartender who acted as a waitress too. That was a bit strange. Could all the women scared to go out of their homes? That was a bit far fetched. It had to be something else, like the men saying they couldn't go out because they were scared that they might not come back. After he finished his beer and a shot, he ordered another beer and shot. He watched everybody in the room, he was studying them and they probably knew that and he didn't care. There was something else going on in the town and he just couldn't put his fingers on it. He downed the beer and shot and slammed the glasses down on the bar. Almost shattering both of the glasses, sometimes he didn't know his own strength. He stayed in the bar for a few hours, ordered a few more drinks and a burger with fries. The small crowd that was there slowly disappeared. So many thoughts in his head and so many questions. Why were the trolls attacking this place? That was the main one and he didn't have an answer for that.





The bartender told him that they were closing up and that he would have to leave soon. Without a single word he got up and walked over to the door and left the pub and know all he had to do was wait. He could feel something in his bones, something bad was going to happen tonight. A wave of worry came over him, he never had feelings like that before. The universe might be trying to tell him something, again the voice in his head told him that this mission was suicide and like before he told the voice inside of his head to shut the fuck up. He had to do this, he had to defend these people. This is something his father would have done if the roles had been reversed. For once, he was a noble warrior and not doing this entirely for the rush of a battle. He wouldn't lie, he smiled. He loved the rush of a battle, that feeling of adrenaline that hits you like a drug. It's an amazing feeling, when you almost die and somehow come back from the dead.





The almost dead city got to him, he has never seen a place like this. People weren't enjoying themselves and there weren't any kids running around and playing. That worried him, he didn't like children all that much but it seemed odd to not see them around. He could see some of the townsfolk peering at him out of their windows. It must be odd to see a single man ready to goto war for a bunch of people he didn't know and didn't care about. Tonight he was going to slay those devils, it didn't matter if he lost his life tonight or not. He was going to bring peace to this place one way or another. The voice inside of his head stopped talking to him, it probably realized it was pointless trying to talk sense into him. He was going to do whatever he wanted to anyways.





Like always, he was ready for anything. Time seemed to pass very slowly and drag on forever, that is usually what happened when you were waiting for someone or something. Why weren't these trolls attacking? A few thoughts had crossed his mind. Maybe the rumors weren't true or maybe the attacks weren't as random as the townsfolk had thought. It could be that they had been sent a specific time to cause mayhem and discontent. Maybe they had been looking for something or working for someone, it didn't really matter to him either way. He heard something, it sounded like a howl of some sort. Could it had been a wolf killing its dinner? He gently unsheathed his sword. He wasn't going to go after what had made that sound. He had more pressing issues at hand right now. He could see some people watching him. He never got used to that.





Cro growled. “Where are you monsters?”





He looked around and a bunch of people had came out of their houses. He guessed they wanted to watch the slaughter, he grimaced as he watched the horizon. He kinda felt like he needed to taunt these monsters so they'd come. He couldn't put his words back into his mouth like he could sheath a sword or wipe the blood from a sword. He wasn't going to run his mouth, it never got him anywhere anyways. The sky began to darken and he continued to wait for these monsters to come. A few moments he could hear something thunderous coming towards the town.





This had to be what he had been waiting for, he caught a glimpse of one of the trolls. It was ugly and mean looking, he readied himself as the trolls became clearer in his sight. This was going to be a very hard battle, in the end it would be very rewarding in the end. His sword was fully unsheathed. He didn't have any doubts in his abilities, just doubted that he could bring these monsters down. He didn't want this place destroyed more than it was right now. He wanted to help everyone in the town, the trolls got closer. He was anticipating the very first attack. The first attack always hit the hardest and it would set the pace of the battle. He knew that he would have to take these bastards down quick, the faster that he could eliminate them the better off he would be. He didn't want to get stuck in the middle of a war and he feared that is what he was doing, getting stuck in the middle of something that was bigger than this one battle.



****

Kagami had gotten word of The Troll Problem in Old Rockwood and she knew Cro would probably try and help everyone in that city. She decided to goto Old Rockwood maybe she could talk some sense into Cro. She had left Dask behind, this was no place for a child. It could get dangerous and she didn't want anything to happen to the child and she knew if she had taken the child. He would want to fight, it was just strange how Cro and the child were like. They were both childish and brash. That just might be the male gene as well. It didn't take her that long to get to the city. It seemed dead at the moment, she had this feeling that was going through her. It said that something bad was going to happen and she should turn back. She wasn't going to listen to that feeling, she was going to stay.





She got a chill, she tied up her house and started to walk around the town. Why was everyone in their houses? She could feel eyes upon her. Somebody was watching her. Didn't people in this town ever see people from the outside before? She really wanted to tell people to stop staring. She kept her mouth shut, this wasn't the proper time or place to open her mouth and just spew stuff. She continued to walk around, she could hear something come. They sounded like monsters, she looked behind her. In the distance, that is what she had seen. Monsters. They were coming towards the city and she was in their path and she jumped onto someones porch and she watched them barely miss her. Are those the things that Cro wanted to fight? Those monsters? Was he on a suicide mission or was this something completely different? He didn't have anything to prove. Not to her or anyone.





Kagami smirked a bit. “Cro, you are stubborn as the day is long.”





Apart of her knew that he could do it. It was just the thought of him getting hurt because of his stubbornness and his pride. She wanted to be fighting right next to him. She knew that he didn't she was there and if he had. He would probably tell her to leave and then they'd get into a big fight, and he'd probably die because his head wasn't in the fight because of her. She hated being on the sidelines and just watching, especially when it came to him. Being friends with someone so long, you form a bond and you start caring about people and that was odd. 'Cause neither of them really cared about people except when it came to each other. Deep down, she loved him. Well she thinks she does and she wasn't really sure. Love wasn't something that came to her very easily and it usually too fast and ended too son. She wasn't going to fuck something like that up with Cro. She just wasn't going to tell him.



****



The oncoming storm that he had been fearing was here and he wasn't going to back down. He held his sword with both of his hands and he watched the trolls come towards the town. He could hear the thunderous feet of the trolls, again something inside of him told him that this was suicide. It wouldn't be long until the townsfolk would start screaming bloody murder, that is why he was here. To protect everyone, he had to keep reminding himself of the mission and what he was : a protector. It was something that he had always done and he never really thought about it much, there was always someone in his life that needed to protected or defended. So early in his life, he had taken up fighting for people. At the time it was because he just liked to fight. Now, it was because of something more. He wanted to be that noble warrior and not someone that just quested for power. This new power he had acquired. He didn't look for it or ask for it, he just took it. He made a deal with the demon inside of him.





He watched one of the trolls go for the house and that is where he made his move. With the sword in his hands, he swung it and took off one of the trolls arms. The arm of the troll fell to the ground and the troll howled in pain, dark green blood gushed out of where the trolls arm had been. A smirk came over his face and he took the sword and stabbed it through the troll. It killed the beast and that is when the rest of the trolls took notice to him. He was eager to fight these bastards, he could feel eyes upon him. He glanced to one of the homes and a child's face was pressed up against the glass, it was like they were watching two gladiators go at it. Those kids should goto bed, he didn't want this fight to give those children nightmares.





He knew he was a marked man right now and that didn't really bother him at the moment. This is the most excitement that he has had in such a long-time. He still wanted to get down to why these monsters are attacking the village. It wasn't like these monsters could speak like he could. A troll grabbed him and started to squeeze him hard, he could feel his back and spine crack. He dropped his sword on the ground and he could barely move. He closed his eyes, the pain. It was shooting through out his body. He than started to head-but the troll and after a few head buts the troll dropped him. He was still in a lot of pain, he could move but not very fast. He still had the trolls attention and that meant if there were any people out and about, they could get away right now.



****

Dask had been taken somewhere safe away from the action and he protested this. He wanted to be knee deep in the action, but for some reason he was being treated like a child! There wasn't much to do in this place anyways, he found a corner and he stayed in it. He forced a smile everytime someone tried to talk to him or come over and say hi to him. The person who was taking care of him was one of Kagami's friends, her name was Jasper and she was a teacher that taught kids out of her home. It was an interesting profession. All the kids that were there tried to talk to him and he simply ignored them, all of them. He didn't need friends. He heard the other kids say stuff about him and that made him made and he wanted to fight all of them, he had to behave though.



He had snuck into the kitchen to grab something out of the fridge to drink, he spotted a jug of lemonade and he picked it up put it on the counter and looked around for a glass. There was some newly washed glasses in dish strainer, he grabbed one and wiped it off and poured himself a glass of lemonade, he drank it and through the glass into the sink and put the lemonade back in the fridge. He didn't like this, he was bored and he sighed. He looked out into the living room from the kitchen and he watched Jasper teaching the children. He was glad that he wasn't apart of the lesson. He could hear Kagami's voice in his head telling him this was for his own good and that she would be back for him soon. Sure, he scoffed. He found a door in the kitchen that lead outside and he found a big oak tree and laid under it. He was staring at the clouds in the sky and he watched them pass by. Those clouds had not a care in the world.





Dask frowned. “I could help him if I was there, but no I'm HERE.”



He wasn't too happy about that, he pushed himself up off of the ground and he began shadow boxing with an invisible opponent. Training and fighting experience is what he lacked, maybe if he proved that he was useful than Cro and Kagami would let him tag along on their journeys. He knew the kids didn't know about his energy abilities and he'd have to keep those hidden until they left for the day, he didn't know if Kagami told Jasper about his powers. He didn't want to scare the poor woman. He was itching for a fight, some action. He had to lay low and not start any trouble, maybe if he wandered around for a little while he'd find some bad guy that needed a beating. Also if he left the property, Jasper would probably notice and that wouldn't be good. He'd most likely get a tongue lashing, this was such a drag for sure.



****

Jasper had let the children go a little early today, it was due that her home was now a mess and she couldn't really deal with the kids anymore today. She had called the parents and told them that their children were ready to be picked up. After the children were gone she started to clean her house, she sighed. She loved having children around, but they could destroy things so easily, she wondered why she kept teaching these children. She couldn't have her own kids, so she latched onto other peoples kids.



That was how she was living her mother fantasy, she had noticed that Dask had somehow slipped away from all the other children. She knew he wouldn't get along with the other kids, she smiled for a moment. That kid reminded her so much of Cro when he was younger. That man never got along with other people, even when he was younger. Herself and Kagami were Cro's only friends and they both held him close to their hearts and would do anything for that man. They had all meet by chance, but stayed together by fate and destiny.





She always thought Kagami had something for Cro but she'd never ask if there was anything there. Both Cro and Kagami were stubborn people and would never admit that they had feelings for each other. She cleaned her house and put everything back where it should be. She let out a sigh of relief and then plopped down on the sofa and closed her eyes for a few minutes. She was thinking about the past and she wondered how Cro had been. She hasn't seen that man in years, but she already knew that he was still the same way he was when they were kids. That is why Kagami had left Dask here, she was going after Cro and wanted to help him. She just hoped that neither of them got their dumbasses killed. She didn't want to be out two friends because of a battle and their prides. She had seen enough of her friends die, some of her friends had become soldiers and fought in wars and died, she didn't want that for Kagami nor Cro. She knew they could handle themselves that didn't mean she wouldn't worry.





She caught a glimpse of Dask through the window. What was he doing? Shadow boxing? Training? She got up off of the sofa and walked over to the window to get a closer look. Again, she was feeling like the past was coming alive. That was something Cro did all the time, he trained like there was no tomorrow. He always told her and Kagami the reason why he needed to train was to get strong so he could protect everybody. She wondered if that is why Dask did it. Did he have the same desires that Cro had? It was interesting how history repeated itself every once and a while.





****

It looked like his back was against the wall, it didn't matter how many trolls that he killed. More would just pop up out of nowhere, he had to figure out a way to cut all the trolls down. If the trolls got the message that he wasn't going to be intimidated, maybe they would flee. The odds were against him and in most of his fights the odds were always against him and he was under pressure. It was normal for him. He always seemed to over come the odds, he loved fighting people and monsters that were stronger than him. That was a way to test his strength and to prove to people that he could do it. He had this strange feeling that Kagami was on, if she was here he hoped she didn't get in the way. He didn't need any distractions while he was fighting, he was lost with his thoughts as it was and that wasn't good.



Cro growled. “Come on!”



He rushed off into the next wave of trolls, they tried to grab him but they efforts were worthless. He cut off a few of the arms of the trolls and stabbed them in the chest and cut off their heads. The bodies hit the ground with a loud thud. He was covered in green blood, he wiped the blood off of his face and he saw more trolls coming. They didn't know when to give up. One of the trolls got behind him and grabbed him, tossed him in the air and punched him in the stomach. He hit the ground with a large thud. His sword has been knocked out of his hand and he was in pain, lots of pain. One of the trolls kicked him in the stomach and stepped on his head. Lots of pain was shooting through his entire body, he wasn't going to die here. His sword was only a few feet away from him but at this point in time it felt like it was miles away from him and he could barely move. The troll picked him up by the head and threw him into a building. He hit hard, the building collapsed all around him, he wasn't moving. He mustered up enough energy to throw the rubble off of him. He was on his feet, he could barely move. His clothes had been torn and he was bleeding heavily, his red blood dripped down onto the ground.



Cro growled. “What did you think, huh? That I was going to roll over and die after an attack like that?”



It was going to take more than that to kill him, he walked till he found his sword. He bent down to pick it up and fell down to one knee and he began huffing heavily. The blood continued to pour out of his body, it was like it was water coming out of a faucet. He held his sword firmly in both of his hands.



Cro smirked. “I'm a warrior.”



He didn't want to admit it but he needed medical attention and he didn't know of any healers in the town and he didn't want anyone to know that he was injured. If Kagami was here and she saw him like this, she would definitely come running to his aid. It wouldn't take that long, she probably didn't have any medial supplies anyways. He needed to rethink how he wanted to take this fight, he needed a different strategy.





Kagami felt her heart fall down into her stomach, she felt like crying. This couldn't be the end to him, could it? Had Cro reached his limit? It had been a hard hit and she watched Cro push the rubble from the house off of him and he was standing there and bleeding all over the place. Her eyes blinked, a form smiled on her face. She was relieved that he was okay, she knew he couldn't be beaten so easily. She just didn't know how far he could go in terms of strength. She knew for a fact that he wasn't at his full strength. Something made her want to run to his side and help him. She knew what would happen if she did that though, he'd growl at her and push her away in front of everybody and then she would feel like an idiot for trying to help.





Her eyes were glued to the battle as she looked on. She pressed her lips firmly together, like she was going to say something. Nothing came out, her mind was racing though. Again, she knew he could win but that didn't mean she'd stop worrying about him. He was brash and stubborn. Two qualities that always got people killed in the middle of a battle. At moments like this she wished they could go back to just being children and not have any worries as adults. She just wanted things back the way they were, she wanted to just be with both of her best friends again without the worry of anyone getting hurt. She tried to sway Cro from going down this road, she didn't like him fighting as much as he did. She'd just get the speech that he was doing it so he could protect the people he loved.



Yada, yada. She has heard it so many times and at this point, she was starting to believe it. Everytime Cro got into a fight, she was the one that had to pick up the pieces and nurse him back to health. He would give her that cocky smile and disobey her every order to stay in bed and get better, he would be back to training the sameday and pushing his body to its limits and beyond it. He was overly stubborn and half the time she didn't know what she was going to do with him.



The urge to rush to his side was still strong within her and she didn't really know what she wasnt going to do. She couldn't exactly run to his side at the moment. If he was going to do anything right now, he needed to win and she knew that. That was one of the reasons she wasn't running to his side right now, she would just be a distraction. If he lost it would have been all her fault and she couldn't bare something like that right now, so for now she would watch from the shadows.





****

This is how he was, the brave warrior. Well that is how everyone else saw him, he was just too stubborn to give up or die. A few things were running through his head right now, he was trying to formulate a plan to make these monsters go away for good and it didn't seem like they were getting the hint that they should go away and he wasn't going to let these monsters get the best of him. He saw a few of the townsfolk creep out of their houses, they were seeing if it was safe to come out and it wasn't. He hasn't done his job, he felt in a pain in his head. It was the demon trying to come out and it probably thought it could get the job done and he wasn't ready to lend his body over to the demon just yet. The pain was unbearable, something he would never wish onto an enemy, ever.



For a moment it felt like time stopped, everybody was frozen and so were the oncoming monsters. Maybe this was a sign and that is when the demon appeared in front of him. The air became very dense and smoke appeared around him and the demon, a few moments passed, the smoke cleared and it was only him and the demon.



The Demon had a sword and he pointed it at Cro. “You ready to take my help, old boy?”



Cro smirked and shook his head. “Not yet, I know I can beat these monsters by myself.”



The Demon lifted his sword and rested on his right shoulder and tilted his head to the side a bit and smirked. “You think so.”





The battle up to know it had all been him, he wasn't going to let anyone lend him power at this point. This was the pride that was going to do him in one day, a thought crossed his mind. He wanted to see how strong this demon was. A spar in this world might be useful. It probably wouldn't look like they were moving to the outside world, he knew this was some sort of demon realm that the demon cooked up. It was the only way the demon could talk to him. It wasn't liked this demon could actually shout inside of Cro's head, to talk they need some sort of physical place to speak.





The Demon smiled and snapped his fingers. “Until we meet again, old boy.”



The Demon vanished and Cro was back where he had been all this time and he was watching more of the monsters come and the people had vanished back into their house. Again, he knew this wasn't going to be easy and he was going to try and clear out all these monsters. He needed help, a lot of help. He didn't know if he had any friends in the area that could help him with this mess. Looked like he would actually have to play lone wolf now.





The voices had always been there and they always told him that he wasn't good enough, that he couldn't save anyone even if he tried. He listened to this voices for half of his life, until he meet a few people that had faith in him. They became his friends and they protected him for the most part, a man is supposed to protect the people he cared about and loved. It wasn't supposed to be the other way around. He could still hear the demon whispering in his ear, begging him to let him out for a minute so he could play and mop up this mess.





It just wanted to fight and cause mayhem, he knew this. The extra power might have been helpful. He didn't want to win a fight like that though, he really did hate taking help from other people and especially outside forces like a demon of sorts. He could hear them coming and he began to sweat, still after every battle he has fought and all the monsters that he has put down. He still gets a bit excited when he fights beings that are stronger than him. He ran at one of the trolls, he was at arm length of this beast. He swung his sword and cut off the trolls arm and then went for the head, one swing, he chopped off it's head and it fell to the ground. Blood squirting every where, it poured out onto him and he wiped it away with his hand. Three more of the trolls came at him and they all suffered the same fate, severed arms and there heads chopped off. More blood was spilled onto him and he wiped it off, mostly from his face so he could see what he was doing. Wave after wave of the trolls came and he put them all down like they were sick dogs. He huffed, it was all done and he was tired and covered in troll blood.



Cro looked into the distance. “Please tell me that is the last of you guys.”

He stuck his sword into the ground and leaned on it for support. People started to come out of their houses and they looked at the tired and wounded warrior, he was bleeding all over the place and the townsfolk started to clap for him. This was their way of saying thank you. He didn't know if he really deserved this praise. They could come back, if they found their dead comrades, most likely they would come back and seek revenge against whomever killed their friends. He guessed he would have to stick around for a few days to make sure they didn't come back. Also, he needed to see the shaman that lived in the mountains. He could be the one that was responsible for these monster attacks. He didn't know what the shamans motivation would be for attacking the village like that. It looked like there were more questions than answers at the moment.





He had to find someplace to rest at, he wasn't going to be any good to anyone in the condition that he was in. He found his way to the inn and he didn't have to pay a thing to stay there, he had decimated the problem that the town was facing and that gave him a free pass for the night. When he got to his room, the first thing that he did was to take a shower and wash off all the blood. He was a mess, his blood was mixed with the trolls blood. After the shower he decided to relax and rest for a few moments. There were still things going through his head, like what would happen if those monsters ever came back. It wasn't like he was going to move to this village and defend it, he had a sword that he needed to find and he needed to get back to his own home after awhile. He bet his mother was worried sick and his father was doing the best he could to calm the woman down. A smirk formed on his face, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.





For once, he slept the night through and woke up somewhat refreshed and energetic the next day. Someone had came by and layed out new clothes for him, the battle torn clothes that he had the night before were gone. It probably was one of the room keepers that did this. He threw on the clothes and made his way out of the room. He checked out, he needed to start looking for that sword again. He knew the sword was going to solve all of his problems. He walked outside and then started to look for his house, he forgot where he tied the house off at. After a few minutes of looking around, he found the horse and mounted it and was about to leave the village, that is when he saw a hooded man blocking the entrance to the village.



It looked like another obstacle stood in Cro's way to obtain this sword. The warrior in him wanted to cut down this hooded man where he stood. He wasn't really in a mood to fight at this very moment. He glared towards the hooded man.



Cro growled. “What do you want?”

The Hooded Man smirked. “You are very strong, hm, I wonder where you had obtained such a strength. You took down my monsters without much trouble.”



Cro growled again. “So it was you, the person that sent all those trolls to the village.”



Cro jumped down from his horse and landed infront of the hooded man and grabbed him by the throat. Answers, that is all he wanted and he might be able to get them.



The hooded man smiled under his hood and grabbed Cro's hand and pulled it off of his throat.



The Hooded Man smiled. “So you are as strong as the stories say. I knew these attacks would draw you out. I may have a job for you in the future, or we may fight but not now.”



The Hooded Man disappeared into thin air and that left Cro confused. He climbed back up onto the back of the horse and took out a map and looked at it. Time to find that sword, he couldn't waste anymore time with random fights like this. The next fight he was going to be in would actually mean something and now he left the village of Old Rockwood and he headed towards The Desert, it was whare the sword was supposedly. It was supposed to be in some cave that was guarded by a beast and he knew when the time came to fight this beast, he was going to win. He had to. This sword couldn't fall into the wrong hands and he wasn't going to let that happen. He knew Kagami would find him eventually and for once he might actually accept her help. It was going to be a great adventure for sure.





The End.