Chapter 6

The three bandits ran as fast as they could, holding the sacks of gold behind their backs. The darkness of the night helped to conceal their retreat. The surroundings were dark; the cloudy sky hid the otherwise-full moon. Their plan was perfect. Their timing was perfect. The village of Lindenwood hadn't expected their coming.

At last they arrived at their hideout. It was a small cave hidden behind waterfall. Inside the cave was another small lake with a small ledge at the other end. The strong smell of oil filled the air. The river was well known for its dangerous rapids, therefor the area around it was rarely patronized. Another perfect hideout, they claimed. Merrily they opened the sacks and divided their booty.

They had planned everything. They had never failed before. They had never been captured before. Their trail had never been tracked before. They thought they would never get captured. This time, they didn't plan one thing...

"Feeling lucky, thugs?!"

Adriana Freesland stood near the cave opening. Her priest costume was soaked by the waterfall. Her long hair was braided with a pretty red ribbon. She was standing in the middle of the lake. The water covered her waist. She was standing firmly despite the slippery surface beneath her boots. In her right hand was a metal mace.

Behind her was Maya Murdock. Her tight body suit was thoroughly soaked by the water, sending chill across her body. Her hair was tied in her usual ponytail. She held a silver blade and a torch. The fire illuminated the entire cave. She looked at the bandits cautiously.

"I'm afraid you'll run out of job pretty soon ... In the name of the villagers of Lindenwold, we're here to arrest you!" Anna said again.

One of the bandits stood up and stood on the edge of the ledge. "I'm impressed. You're the first mercenaries who actually find us. Too bad you picked a wrong job..."

"Give up now. There's no way you can escape from us."

"We won't escape from you ... We will kill you." He sneered. "Do you notice this smell?"

Both Anna and Maya did.

"Mistress ... this is ... natural oil... !" Maya exclaimed.

"Clever..." The bandit said. "You were standing in the middle of an oil pit. Unfortunately, you should know that bringing that torch is your biggest mistake..."

Without warning the bandit threw a small knife at Maya's torch, instantly knocking it out of her grasp. The torch fell into the water, and instantly the entire lake was ignited in flame. Maya screamed as the fire crept upon her body...

But she was not burned. Her body and Anna's were glowing. Anna had cast magic barrier bubble around them on time. The bubble kept the flame a few inches away from them, giving them extra space. But the barrier wouldn't last forever...

"A fast action ... But too bad ... We won't let you get out of here..."

One other bandit pulled a lever on the wall down. A metal cage fell from the ceiling at the edge of the ledge, sealing the ledge from their reach. A similar cage emerged at the cave opening from underwater, preventing any attempts to escape. They were trapped inside the blazing lake!

"The oil pit in this area is pretty generous, so I think the fire will not go out anytime soon..." The bandit sneered again. "Too bad ... we could have had a good time together ... but we will enjoy seeing how you will be fried ... slowly..."

The barrier around them was getting weaker, and the water was uncomfortably warm. Maya looked for a way to escape, but found none. But Anna had another idea.

"Maya, swim underwater! We must find a way to open the cage!"

"Right!"

Both of them dived underwater, then a second later the barrier gave up and vanished. The entire lake had been covered with blazing fire.

"Where did they go?" the bandit asked frantically.

Anna guided Maya to the cave opening. Soon Maya could touch the cage. She was right! If the cage was raised from underwater, then the locking mechanism had to be underwater. She only needed time for her hidden talent, disarming traps, to work.

Anna cast another barrier on the water surface, created another bubble, and held it open with all her might. Maya surfaced later, took another deep breath, and dived again.

Slowly she examined the locking mechanism of the cage. She recalled all the training she had received form her father. Every trap had a trigger. If she could find out how it worked and reversed the process, they might be able to escape...

"Maya, make it quick! The water is boiling!"

"So this lever held the gears in place ... and they held the cage closed ... So if I get rid of this lever, the cage will pull the chain..." Maya quickly pulled out her blade and stabbed it on the lever. The wooden lever was cracked, but the cage stayed unmoved.

"Maya! Hurry!"

This time she stabbed the lever with all her might. The lever broke down, the gears started to rotate, and the cage fell. The cave opening was open!

A sudden rush of air escaped from the mechanism. Water entered her lungs and she involuntarily exhaled to force the water out. She was running out of breath! Her body began trashing around as she tried to get to the surface...

But a hand grabbed her collar and pulled her body. She tried to fight frantically, but suddenly she found herself breathing again. The hand kept pulling her along the rocky ground and into another water. She found herself hugging a big rock.

"Hold tight! Keep yourself underwater!" It was Mistress Anna.

She took another deep breath and did what she was told. She could feel the rapid river water dragged her body away, but she held tight to the rock. Slowly the water cooled her body and washed away the oil around her suit.

After a while she got up and joined Anna near the cave opening. The lake was still burning and the bandits were looking at them, smiling.

"Again I'm impressed ... You escaped my best trap. But too bad, you can't reach us..." The bandit said.

"But you can't get out as well..." Anna answered.

The bandit lifted a bodysuit. "Asbestos armor ... We can cross the lake without getting burnt. We've planned everything. Pretty clever, huh... ?"

"Clever indeed." Anna said. "But how do you get out of that cage?"

"Simple. Just lift it up."

The bandit held the cage and lifted it, but he withdrew his hand quickly and roared in pain.

"AARGH!!! MY HAND!!!"

The metal cage! The metal cage was extremely hot! Anna had known about this.

"So you guys have planned everything, huh?"

The other bandits tried using the suit to lessen the heat, but again they failed. They had to hold the cage long enough to lift it. They had made the trap, hoping that they only needed to use it once. That was why they hadn't tested it and had missed an important detail.

"So ... you guys said this oil pit is pretty generous... ? It might take a loooong time before it goes out..." Anna shot back. Maya just giggled.

The bandits, however, were getting panic. They tried using the lever, pounding the gate with stone, and digging a hole on the wall, but nothing worked. They were trapped inside their own trap.

"We surrender!" One of them yelled. "Please help us! I don't want to die!"

Anna smiled. "Don't worry ... You have around an hour until the air become toxic and you will pass out. Just hope that the villagers will come to arrest you before it happens."

Anna turned to Maya and smiled. "Come on. We have to tell the villagers to pick them up later." She said. "And could you spend some time at the pub?"

"Yes, mistress..."

She walked a few paces before saying, "And good work on the trap." Then she walked toward the darkness. Maya merrily followed her, knowing that they had completed another mission.

Maya Murdock was sitting in the village pub in front of the counter. The surroundings were dark and gloomy. Few customers were chatting casually in the center of the room, but most of them chose to sit near the corners and concealed themselves in the darkness.

The village of Lindenwood was just a small farming village southwest of Aragon, but it was also a junction town that connected four other towns around it. Traders and merchants usually built trading posts and warehouses here to store their goods before delivering them to the major towns. This role made the little village significant in this area.

However the significance was not matched with the local security. The royal army had used to have a military outpost in this area, but since the demon menace arose, the troops had been put into active duty to defend many important defensive points across the land. Now Lindenwood was also patronized by rogues, bandits, and brigands. The trade routes that the village served offered many opportunities for those villains who wanted to take some cargo. It had only been three months ago that the village hall decided to start hiring mercenaries to help secure the traffic lanes.

And Anna and Maya had done their job well. They just captured the three most wanted bandits, the Drake brothers. These three scoundrels had not only been raiding the caravans. They had been raiding the village itself as well. The town council had offered the biggest bounty for those who could bring the three bandits back to the village, dead or alive, with or without their booty.

Their success in capturing the bandits had rewarded them a lot of cash, but cash was not what they needed. They needed fame. And they didn't do this for their own. They're doing this on purpose.

It had been six months since Atrus White Lion left the party. And it had been six months since both her and Anna started to look for him. They had been asking every people in every village, but nobody had heard or seen anything that matched Atrus' descriptions.

Anna had been very distressed about this. She still felt that Atrus' leaving was entirely her fault. When they had nothing to do, Anna usually spent her time daydreaming. Moreover, she sometimes forgot to eat and drink in the process. Maya could notice that Anna had been losing weight a lot.

That was the main reason why Maya had advised her to take skill training in a town. She chose maces as her weapons of choice since priests and clerics were not allowed to use any wicked-looking weapons and could only use them for self-defense. Recently Anna had been practicing with Maya, and her skill developed quite well. However, her concern about Atrus' whereabouts still remained.

Then Anna had developed a new strategy. She had been accepting many mercenary tasks from the town halls or guilds to gain fame. She hoped Atrus could hear about her success and would be convinced to join them again. But Atrus' intention was unclear. Until now no news was heard about him.

Maya, however, had her own strategy. She had been spending time drinking at the pubs. Especially in towns like Lindenwood, there were many things she could learn from the fellows in pubs.

Thieves' guild was an illegal underworld organization that accommodated many needs of the villains across the land. During less troubled times, the royal army had been trying in vain to suppress this group. Honest merchants usually would stay clear of this organization, but some merchants had been known to make contacts with the group. Thieves' guild offered many unique services ranging from mercenaries for hire, raiders to put down competitors' business, until the dirtiest business, assassinations. For less aggressive people, Thieves' guild was the best source of information in the realm.

The barkeeper approached her slowly and passed on a mug filled with ale. Maya quickly drank it, feeling the burning sensation in her throat, then returned the mug. He looked at their surroundings and said, "The man you want to meet is in the left corner, next to the window. He has a rose stuck on his shirt. He knows you are here. Don't attract too many attentions." he talked again in low voice. He refilled the mug, then left her.

Maya took the mug and slowly turned around. She found the man. He was sitting in the corner. His dark cape covered his face, but the red rose on his suit was visible. He was surveying the pub patrons. Maya stood up and slowly made her way toward him, only to be stopped when a hand roughly grabbed her arm.

When she turned around she saw a short man ... a dwarf ... was looking at her. His long brown beard dominated his face detail. He wore a leather suit and a worker helmet. Strapped on his back was a vicious-looking battle-axe. His gaze was unfocused and his breathing was stink ... He was drunk.

"Aye ... Where are ye goin', lad ... We haven't had fun toogether..." His voice was rude and hardly audible.

"Let me go." Maya said.

"I 'now ye ... Ye caught tee Drakes ... Hey fellas... ! She caught tee Drakes!"

The entire customers stared at Maya, made a few stupid comments before returning to their business, paying no attention on the drunken dwarf. Annoyed, the dwarf pulled her body closer.

"Ye became quitte famous aroound 'ere ... How' bout some fun, eh... ?"

"Let me go!" Maya exclaimed.

"Gimme those busts!" Roughly he grabbed her breasts and pinched her nipples beneath her body suit. Maya squealed in distress.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!"

She produced a knife and threw it to the air. Then she pivoted her body and kicked the dwarf on the belly, sending him crashing into a table and on the floor. A few seconds later, the knife fell down on the wooden floor just a few inches from the dwarf's face. He stared at it in terror before fainting.

Again, the customers stared at Maya, made a few stupid comments before returning to their business. Maya turned to the barkeeper, but he just smiled.

"It's okay. He's a regular customer, so I can take care of him later."

Maya smiled, then made her way to the corner of the room. She approached the table, put her mug down, the sat in front of the man. He was a middle-aged man with no special feature. He looked at her in the eyes. His eyes were dark and his stare was cold. But she cast her fears off and stared back.

"I notice the other seats are empty..." He said slowly.

"You were looking for me." Maya answered in her serious tone.

Suddenly the man smiled warmly at her. "Anna Murdock ... The daughter of the great John the Plunderer ... It has been an honor..."

The response shocked Maya. "How do you know me?"

"I am one of your father's man. I admired him so much. You inherit three things from him; your knife-fighting style, the way you talk ... and your eyes..."

"Don't talk about my father!" She snapped. "Having him as my father had been a disgrace for me."

"You never forgive him, do you?" he asked. "He is a great man..."

"Stop it already!" She took a deep breath. "Back to the business, do you have what I want?"

He smiled. "You are looking for your master, Ranger Atrus White Lion. I'm quite surprised you were willing to enslave yourself for him. He must be a great man. I should meet him sometimes..."

He paused for a while, enjoyed her annoyed look, then continued. "I don't know where he is, but perhaps you can figure this out. Tell me what you know about what has been happening in the past few weeks in the southwestern region of the kingdom"

Maya thought for a while, then answered. "Several surprise attacks by unknown forces were reported on several villages in that area. All seven small villages and a town were utterly destroyed in the attack. No survivor was found."

"Quite right..." the man smiled. "But there's one thing that's not right. The attack didn't destroy all villages. One village is still intact, but the royal army lost all contact with the village. It's still there, hidden behind the enemy line. Rumors said they were rebelling."

"How do you know... ?" Maya asked skeptically.

The man's smile grew wider. "I thought you still believe, Miss Murdock, that we thieves know more than any souls that inhibit this land..."

"Of course." Maya agreed. "It's a small world."

"The forest around those villages is now infested with foul folks. It is possible that those demons were the unknown attackers. They succeeded in conquering those villages and killed all peasants ... except one village. The name is Whitewater. The elves called it Mantanadaria ... or in their language ... the Blessed Land."

The man moved his body closer to her and lowered his voice. "The village is located next to the Elven border. It's the farthest one from the kingdom, so it's really weird to know that it stays intact while the closer neighboring villages were destroyed."

Again the man glanced to his surrounding, then continued. "Rumors said that the village is protected..." The man stared at Maya's eyes. He looked serious. "It's protected ... by an angel ... Local peasants had seen a lone figure slaughtered a large band of foul folks by himself ... They called him Bakara, or in their local language, the Wingless Angel."

Maya was drowned in her thought. A lone figure who slaughtered a large band of demons ... There was only one man she knew who could actually do that ... Atrus White Lion...

The man drank his ale, then stood up. "I know you're worried about your friend, but that's all I know. If you want to investigate this thing, I must warn you that the journey may be dangerous. Expect a tough fight on your way to the Blessed Land." Then the man turned around.

"Wait ... I must pay you..." Maya stopped him.

The man looked back and smiled. "A smile from the daughter of a man I honor most in my life is the greatest payment I can receive."

Maya blushed, then smiled warmly. "At least tell me your name..."

The man turned around and wrapped the dark cloak around his body. "Don't hate him, Miss Murdock ... Your father was a great man..." Then he made his way to the door.

Maya sat on her seat for a while. The thought of his father bothered her. Her father was the one who had taught her many things ... who had equipped her with skills to stay alive ... who had inspired her in many ways ... But he had also made her lost her childhood ... he had made her lose her virginity ... he had made her lose ... everything...

But this man was still loyal to him even years after his death ... why... ? There were many things about her father that she didn't know ... For many years she had seen her father as her symbol of disgrace for putting her life in misery ... She hated her father ... but why... ? Was it because he had caused her to endure the slavery? But she was just like him ... Her skills ... her attitude ... her eyes ... She could remember his charming eyes that had always soothed her when she was only a little girl ... That warm and loving gaze she had always received from him ... The care and love he had given her when she was small was the same ones she always wanted to give to Master Atrus...

But she quickly set the deepening conflict in her mind aside and finished her ale. Then she walked out of the pub and headed to the inn. She had to tell the happy news to Mistress Anna...

And Anna had the same thought with her, and it didn't take too long for her to decide. They left Lindenwood the next morning. The villagers had urged her to stay longer so they could plan a party, but she politely declined. The villagers insisted that she take the heavy leather backpack they gave. Maya had to carry the extra weight over her shoulder, but neither she nor Anna wanted to offend the kind villagers. After a few miles from the village, they opened the backpack and were surprised to find food rations that were enough for at least a week.

The weather was fine, although the sky was cloudy. The worst time of winter had passed, and the wonderful spring was coming. Birds from the south had returned and sang their beautiful symphony. The wicked snow was gone, replaced by vast carpet of grass. Flowers of many kinds had blossomed and filled the air with their fragrance. This was definitely the best time of the year.

The journey to the southwestern region normally took four days, but they could get a ride on a hay cart that was going in the same direction. On the second day, they arrived at the edge of the area of dispute. An army camp was built by hired soldiers at the forest clearing by the river. The soldiers were confused when Maya explained that they were going to go farther into the forest. They told them about the Army of Darkness that still roamed the forest, but it didn't stop Anna. Lastly the soldiers offered a shelter for them for a night, but again Anna declined and continued walking toward the forest. Maya followed her.

Deep inside Maya could understand her mistress' feeling. Mistress Anna hated hired soldiers and mercenaries. They didn't fight for the people; they fought for money and fame. They paid no respect to the peasants and villagers. Moreover, they had created a painful scar in Anna's memory, and the pain seemed endless. She had been brutally raped by those people. It seemed that she had been destined to hate those people for the rest of her life.

Until now Anna had only told this story to her and Master Atrus, her two most trusted friends. Slowly Maya felt happy that she had been treated as Anna's trusted friend. She ran after her and tried her best to cheer her up.

Halfway through the jungle they arrived at a large clearing. A large ruin that had used to be a village was there. It was utterly destroyed. The houses had been burned to ashes, and only a few scorched pillars stayed erect. The thick scent of smoke and burned material filled the air. Slowly they made their way through the ruin. On a clearing outside the town were rows of stones put on the ground disorderly; probably a small cemetery built carelessly by the soldiers for the villagers. Anna approached the graves, prayed for the poor souls, and then blessed the graves. Suddenly her muscles grew tense. Maya saw the change in her expression, and unsheathed her long dagger.

"I sense something." Anna said slowly. "We're being watched..."

Maya tried to listen to her surrounding, but she could sense nothing.

"The village of Whitewater was only a few miles west from here. We had better arrive there before dark. Keep your eyes open." Then she reached for her mace and held it tightly in her right hand. Slowly she made her way through the dense forest before them.

The forest was dark and gloomy. The small path through the woods was covered with weeds and wild grass, giving hint that the village of Whitewater didn't have a good relation with the neighboring villages. They met several deer around the forest having lunch. They watched the two girls carefully as they made their way through the bushes. Suddenly one of the deer ran away toward the darkness of the woods, followed by others. Anna signaled Maya to stop and quickly observed the land with her spell.

The forest turned silent. Occasionally there were strange sounds coming out of the thick bushes along the path, but the light wind made exactly the same sound. Maya couldn't recognize anything hostile around them, but her feeling told her otherwise.

Without warning Anna loosed three quick bursts of firebolts toward the bushes ahead. Several loud groans were heard, and suddenly several angry roars were heard from every corner of the woods. A pack of orcs appeared in front of them, blocking the path. Another group appeared behind them, pinning them down. Anna faced the first group, her mace was ready in her hand. Maya faced the other group, covering Anna's rear.

The pig-like creatures were staring at them. Wicked-looking axes were in their hands. Their thick leather armor provided them with extra protection. Instead of boots, their feet were wrapped with thick cloths, enabling them to advance around the woods without causing too much noise.

"Ah ... humans, you seem to be in the wrong place and the wrong time..." One of them said.

"I disagree. We are here to teach you all a lesson..." Anna responded.

"Alright, gang! Let's have our lunch!" The orcs roared and approached them.

"MAYA, COVER MY BACK!!"

A huge orc dashed at Maya, but he was not a match for her superior speed. Two throwing knives found their marks on his forehead, sending him down. Another one charged at her, but again she was faster. Before he could eves swing his gigantic axe, Maya tackled him down, sat on his back, and slit his throat. Then she spotted an orc tried to throw his axe toward Anna. Again she dashed while screaming. The orc was surprised, but prepared. He successfully blocked Maya's knife. The rest of the orcs lost interest on Anna and tried to surround Maya. Maya readied her long silver blade and began dashing from one orc to another, trying to score a kill.

Anna, on the other hand, had an easier fight. She created an invisible force that pushed her opponents backward. The orcs fell on the ground, and before they recovered, Anna had begun her counterattack. She jumped from one orc to another along the path, bashing their skulls with her mace. Soon the path was once again clear. She turned around and loosed several firebolts toward the group that pinned Maya down, giving her a chance to escape.

"Quickly! This way!"

Despite her fierce fighting, Maya was wounded. A stray axe swept through her leather suit, creating a long cut on her left shoulder. Behind her the angry group of orcs were still pursuing them, throwing smaller axes blindly along the path. Slowly she retreated, following Anna and keeping the flying axes away from them. Anna later came to her aid, bashing the axes away with her mace and shooting firebolts at the pursuing party.

Maya led the way through the thick bushes in front of her. Her wound was bleeding and she had many smaller cuts around her body caused by the shrubs along the path. Her vision began to blur as fatigue overcame her body. Suddenly she found out that the ground underneath her was collapsing ... It was a trap! But it was too late. Her body fell down into the pit trap. Anna involuntarily joined her shortly.

They were trapped inside a pit that had been dug on the path, concealed by the thick bushes. The pit was dug deep enough so that it would take a while to get out of there. Anna got on her feet again and found out that the pit mouth was now surrounded by a dozen of orcs. The creatures sneered at them.

"Look at them humans ... Trapped like animals..."

Anna was about to loose some firebolts when she saw Maya's figure lying on the ground, unmoved. She quickly ran to her and turned her body around. She was groaning in pain.

"My ... my ankle..." Her left ankle was sprained.

Anna tried her healing spell, but it could only soften the pain. Her power was drained already. Meanwhile the enemies were still around. Healing Maya completely wouldn't save them anyway.

"Well, how can we cook them... ?" The orc sneered again. "We can rain fireballs into the pit ... It can be an interesting show..."

"How do you like your meal? Do you like it well done or medium?" The other orcs laughed lavishly at the joke. Anna could only stare at them.

"Mistress ... leave me ... Save yourself..." Maya's voice was weak.

"No. We came here together, we'll go through this forever." Anna answered.

"But ... Master Atrus ... you must find him..."

"WE will find him ... I'm not leaving you here ... We will..."

Her words were interrupted by a long wail of one of the orcs. The group left the pit mouth, and a battle was happening outside. Suddenly an orc's head, cut from its body, fell into the pit, right beside Anna. The eyes were staring at her in agony. Despite her battle experience, Anna still didn't really like that kind of surprise. She yelled at the top of her voice, then quickly ran to the corner away from the head and dragged Maya's body with her. But the battle was not finished. One by one the enemies' body parts fell into the pit. An orc hand fell right on her head, making her scream. She ran from one corner to another, dodging the corpses that fell from the pit mouth.

While she was still terrorized by the corpses around her, she heard the sound that raised her spirit as well as gave her chills...

"LIGHTNING SLASH!!!"

Atrus White Lion!!!

Both Anna and Maya were paralyzed by the voice they just heard. Lightning slash was one of Atrus' fighting style. It couldn't be wrong. They had found him!

But the forest fell silent again. No angry groan was heard from outside. They were alone once again. When Anna recovered from her fright, she began calling him.

"Atrus! Atrus! We're down here!"

There was no answer.

"Atrus! Maya was hurt! Please help us!"

But the forest was silent. He had left ... He didn't hear her ... or he tried to evade them ... The bitter memory of the battle of Gideon came back to her mind. She still remembered clearly how she had betrayed his trust. She had accused him as a fame-thirst ranger. No matter how many times she had apologized to him, she knew that her words had hurt him deeply.

"Atrus ... why haven't you forgiven me..." She sobbed softly.

"Mistress ... I'm sure he just didn't hear us..."