Chapter 2

It was a nice afternoon in the Land of Lore. The sky was clear and the autumn wind sang through the trees. Far away bird's songs were heard, praising the beauty and glory of Nature and her Creator.

The Labrador forest was at peace. The wind played with the branches, creating musical tunes that could be heard throughout the woods. Various animals played happily around the trees as Mother Nature cuddled them with her warmth. The harmony was all every human ever wished to have. The forest floor was loaded with yellow leaves of many kinds that added the final touch for the colorful autumn days. Just before the long and treacherous winter came, it was the desire for every being to enjoy this beautiful view.

Atrus readjusted his backpack for the seventh time that day. The weight was light that the bag could easily slide down his shoulder because of the wind. He had told his dad that he hated the silken backpack, but his dad insisted that it was a gift from his grandmother, so he had to use it. He vowed that he would buy a new leather bag in town after he delivered the letter. Quietly he felt sorry that he took this dumb job.

Atrus was a Ranger. Among the Humans, the Rangers' clan was the second honorable clan next to the Knights. While the Knights were skilled with swords, poles, and horses, the Rangers relied on their speed and expertise in using blades, bows, and arrows. Many Rangers had become heroes in many wars, making the clan highly respected in the Kingdom of Aragon.

The kingdom was in war. The Eleven Kingdom, the closest neighbor of Aragon had been the biggest rival. There had been a long-term war between two kingdoms. The other kingdoms, such as Dwarven Kingdom and Fairies Kingdom, had refused to join the rivalry, although the Fairies had been known to help both sides.

But a new threat had showed up. A new race had appeared, the Demons. They appeared from nowhere, but had been pillaging and plundering the entire land. They consisted of foul folks that didn't belong in this land. Their power was not to be ignored, for they could ruin a town in no time. Their whereabouts were still unknown, but they could appear anywhere. Their existence had been a plague across the land. This encouraged Humans and Elves to engage a temporary cease-fire. All races had tried to repel the new threat, but no one had seemed to prevail.

And he was a Ranger. It was his greatest dream that one day he would march into battles and walk home with pride and glory. Moreover, he was not an ordinary Ranger. He was the only son of the leader of Ranger clan, Captain White Lion, the greatest hero of the clan. White Lion had led his men into war and had never been defeated even once. Rumor said his Sword of Holy had been protecting him from even the most fatal blows from enemies.

Atrus himself was really eager to learn his father's skills. However, he was different from other Rangers. He couldn't handle bows and arrows, and his aiming skill was poor. But he showed great potentials in handling swords, especially long and straight swords. His father had said that he would fit into the Knights clan. Although he was not as powerful as the Knights were, his constant training with other Rangers had given him more speed, something that most Knights lacked. However, his father had seen that young Atrus would not be able to improve his skills in the clan. Therefore, he sent Atrus on a journey to look for experience. Atrus was only nineteen at that time. When he was old enough and had had enough experience, then he could go back to the clan and become a true Ranger.

However, his father had only given him a short dagger and food for three days for his journey. He had to work to gain money and live. Now it had been a week since he left Ranger training camp. He had met a wounded man in the forest who had been attacked by bandits. He had begged him to deliver a letter to the mayor of the Town of Labrador. He had been short of work (and cash), so he had agreed. Here he was, the son of the greatest Ranger, now a delivery boy.

The forest was getting thinner. The town was only on the other side of the forest. Atrus couldn't wait to get there, rent a room, and have a nice nap until noon. He had been walking for almost three days. He felt lucky he had bought a tent and a sleeping bag in the previous town. His empty stomach began to whine again, he thought. He hastened his pace.

Then suddenly, he heard a cry. He stopped for a while. He had lived in nature for his whole life, and he could swear that was not natural. It was a woman's cry. The forest fell silent, but his instinct quickly told him that the sound came from his left. He rushed into the thickness of the trees. After a few quick paces, he scanned the forest around him. He could hear soft moans coming from the bushes a few steps in front of him. He quietly walked to the bushes, set it aside and peeked.

It was not a woman, but a young girl. She was lying on the forest floor on her back. Her hands were secured behind her back, and her mouth was muffled by a piece of cloth. Around her were three tall men, watching her squirming and struggling. Bandits, Atrus thought.

"Give it up, little bitch! You're in the middle of the forest and only one people passes in three hours. Nobody will come and save you."

"Yeah. Just be a good girl and let us enjoy your extra-tight cunt. How's that?"

One of the thugs made her sit and began playing with her breasts. The girl made a loud protest, but was answered by laughter from the bandits. Another bandit forcefully spread her legs open and rubbed his hand on her crotch, making her scream and struggle even harder. The view was very erotic, even for the noblest Ranger. Atrus felt his member was getting hard. Not bad, he thought.

CRACK! He had accidentally stepped on a broken branch and broke it. The sound was enough to get the bandits' attention.

"Who's there? Come out now!" One of the bandits yelled.

Atrus didn't move. He didn't want to look for trouble, not just yet.

"Come on, Fred, perhaps it's only a pair of dumb, ugly baboons making love behind the bushes..."

"NOBODY CALLED ME BABOONS!!!" Atrus found himself saying.

Then he realized that the bandits were staring at him, awed by his 'sudden' appearance.

"Um ... sorry, folks, I just passed by ... Please continue... ?"

The girl looked at Atrus with her pleading eyes. His heart was touched by her plea.

"Well, boy? We're busy here. Why don't you go back to the bushes and make your way back to town. I'll pretend we never met."

"Yeah. Your baboon lover is waiting."

The bandits laughed in unison, but Atrus didn't move.

"Let her go." His voice was calm.

The bandit leader looked at him in surprise. "You don't know who you're talking to, boy." He unsheathed his silvery blade. "You want to die, eh?"

Atrus reached for his dagger. He recalled his entire Ranger training in his memory.

"Very well. BOYS, KILL HIM!"

Two other bandits ran to him with blades in their hands. However, they were no matches for the young Ranger. Atrus easily dodged every blow they delivered. In one quick move, he slammed the back of his dagger to the back of the bandit's neck. The thug fell to the ground with a loud groan and didn't move again. The other thug jabbed his blade to Atrus' stomach. He didn't dodge fast enough and the knife made a long cut on his left arm. Fresh blood came from the wound through his torn shirt.

"This is my only shirt I have ... I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!"

He felt a great rush of energy flow through his body as his anger rose. He ran to his enemy as fast as he could and delivered a fatal blow to the stunned bandit's neck. The bandit had no time to react. Blood sprayed out of his torn neck, and fell to the ground in a crash. Atrus turned to the bandit leader; his dagger was now colored with fresh blood. The bandit leader looked at the dagger in horror.

"O ... Okay ... You want her... ? Sure ... Go ahead ... Want money ... here..."

He dropped his leather pouch, and then ran away to the forest. Atrus silently prayed for the dead bandits according to Rangers' tradition that the souls rested in peace, then he scanned around him.

The little girl was still there, looking at him with frightened eyes. She was roughly at his age. Her body was slim. Her golden hair lay to her shoulder, braided with a neatly tied red ribbon. Her clothing was really weird to him. The upper part was a simple white dress made of satin that hung on her shoulders, covering her chest but revealing her neck. She also wore a strange collar around her neck with a black gem on it. Her lower dress was a white satin miniskirt. She wore a metal lightly sculptured belt around her slim waist with a huge gem in the center. Her hands and feet were covered with gloves and long slim boots. Metal necklaces circled her small wrists, full with similar sculptures with the belt.

His constant staring began to annoy her, as she struggled for her independence. He quickly reached out for the piece of cloth that gagged her, and found out that it was a pair of girl panties! Wait a minute, he thought, she's the only girl here. Following his instinct, he turned to her still-opened crotch and found out that she had no longer worn any panties. The bound girl was surprised.

"YOU PERVERT!!!" She swung her right leg and scored a hit on his chin. The blow was not severe, but enough to bring him back to his senses.

"Uh, sorry. Here, I'll untie you."

He cleaned the blood from his dagger with his shirt, and then cut the rope that tied her wrist together. She rubbed her wrist together to let blood flew through her veins. Then she stood up and turned to face him. She was pretty tall for a little girl, about his shoulder's height.

"Turn around and show me your wound." Her voice was small and soft, but clear.

"Really, it was nothing..."

"Turn around and show me your wound."

Atrus had no other reason to argue with her, so he showed her his wound. Softly, she mumbled something he couldn't understand. Then he felt cool, soft air blew through his wound, and the pain suddenly vanished. Then he noticed that the cut was gone. Only blood trail remained. No other marks or signs of injuries were present.

"I want to say..." when he turned around, the girl was gone. He was alone in the forest again. He thought everything was just an illusion, but the dead bodies showed that it was not an illusion.

" ... Thanks..."

The Town of Labrador was not exactly a town. It was only a small farming hamlet with a population of 100 people. The land surrounding the hamlet was filled with farms and fields. The apple trees were all ripe with apples and ready to be harvested. From a distance the tall post of town hall could be seen. The houses were mainly made of bricks and logs from nearby forest. The roads were not paved, but very clean. The houses were built in orderly fashion, giving the taste of modesty to the little village. Around the farmland, farmers merrily plough the fields, while the maids harvested the apples for the upcoming winter.

It was getting dark when Atrus reached the hamlet. The mayor was very thankful, telling him that the letter was from a mayor from another town. He gave Atrus 500 gold coins and a free lodging for a night in nearby inn.

The little town was very quiet as it got dark. All the shops were closed, including the weapon shop in front of the inn. The only place that was still alive was the tavern. The little pub was very crowded with farmers. The interior was fairly gloomy, with only four pairs of oil lamps on each side of the wall. Atrus ordered a glass of ale, and then picked an empty spot in the corner next to the window. The view of the small church filled the view. The light inside the church was on, and a soft hum of night prayer could be heard. The crowds were really noisy, but he could relax and enjoy the starry night sky.

Just when he was about to fall asleep, a loud crash was heard. When he turned to see what happened, he saw a man fall to the wooden floor. The man was heavily wounded and drenched with blood. Soon the people began to gather around him. A moment later, the mayor entered the tavern. He ordered the people to lift the wounded fellow to nearest table and give some space for him to breathe. Then the old man began to question him.