Chapter 3

The forest of Labrador was calm as usual. Bird chirps could be heard from far away. Various animals were seen in every corner. The peace was overwhelming, but not for the two companions.

They made a camp two miles away from the village. Around them were thick walls of trees of the Labrador forest. The day was pretty hot for an autumn day. Atrus looked at the surroundings to make sure they were not being watched. His instinct told him it was safe.

He returned and found that the girl had made two piles of fallen leaves for both of them to sit on. She was eating her own meal. Atrus sat on the leaves, opened his backpack and took a sandwich Sylvia had made for him. They ate in silence. The girl sometimes looked at him, but he had learnt to completely ignore her. He knew the girl knew he was mad, but he didn't care. He could feel his anger was satisfied by his behavior.

Atrus finished his meal quickly, then using his backpack as a pillow he laid down to the ground. But instead of falling asleep, he quietly listened to his guest in front of him. He could hear her slowing down her eating. She was watching him, he thought.

But then he heard the voice he wouldn't expect to hear. It was a sob, and it came from her. He opened one eye and saw that she was sobbing softly. He grew tired of this annoying girl. His anger came again, and he quickly sat erect.

"WHAT?! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU, WHINER!"

But when he looked at his guest, he was startled. She was indeed crying softly. Her eyes were moist with tears. Slowly his anger faded away, replaced by regret that he had just yelled at her.

"Forgive me..." was all he could say.

Both of them were silent for while, until she spoke up with her choked small voice. "You ... hate me..."

Atrus was stunned with her words. He didn't argue. He had hated her all right. He just sat there, staring at the weeping little girl.

"Why... ?" She managed to say.

"Why what?" Atrus asked.

"Why would men be attracted to women just because of sex... ?"

"That's not true!"

"YOU'RE LYING!" She countered.

Atrus didn't answer. Something had to have happened to this girl that made her think that way, he thought. He let her draw another breath.

"You were kind to me so I will fall for you and make love to you..." She said.

Atrus couldn't accept such accuse. "I was not! I just wanted to thank you!"

"You're lying again. You have no right to call yourself a Ranger!"

"In the name of the Guardian, I'm telling the truth!" Atrus defended himself.

"SO BE IT! BANISH EVIL!!!"

She held her hands high over her head and produced a green ball of fire. Then the greenish fire shot out to Atrus' unmoved body. The fire quickly engulfed his body from head to toe.

"The holy fire will burn body and soul of liars like you! Feel the wrath of Guardian!"

Then she was shocked. Atrus just sat there, unmoved, looking at her. The fire was still burning around his body, but he didn't feel any pain. His body stayed intact. A moment later the fire disappeared. She looked at him in horror.

"It can't be ... You ... you're telling the truth..."

Then the little girl collapsed and fainted.

When she woke up, the forest was dark. The sun was gone, and the only light existed was the one came from the fireplace to her right. She was lying on a pile of leaves. She could feel the cold breeze touching her face, but her body was warm. Something was covering her; it was a blanket. She sat down slowly, fighting the dizziness in her head.

Then she saw him in front of her. He was sitting near the fire, cooking something. It didn't take too long until he noticed her waking up. She looked into his deep blue eyes, then the memories came back. She remembered everything she had done to him. Tears filled her eyes again. She wiped them out, hoping he didn't notice, but it was too late.

When she opened her eyes again, he was sitting right in front of her. This time he was very different. No sign of hatred existed in his eyes. His expression was calm and tender.

"You've been asleep for at least six hours. How are you feeling?"

Six hours? Had he done anything to her while she was asleep, she wondered. But she got rid of that thought immediately. She just nodded.

"Then you'll be fine. I examined your body. You were just all spent. You used up your power in your spells."

He examined her body? Again the same question arose. But he could read her mind.

"Don't worry. A Ranger won't do such thing." He stated.

She felt sorry for doubting him. She lowered her head and said, "I'm ... I'm sorry, I..."

"I understand. I'm sorry for being too harsh to you."

She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. She felt no lies in his expression. She began cursing herself again for her past treatment. She wondered if he would accept her back.

"Perhaps we could start with some proper self introductions. My name is Atrus White Lion, a Ranger trainee."

He waited patiently until she spoke up. "Adriana Freesland, priestess of Lycra."

"A priestess? You're a priestess?" She heard him ask. Of course he would ask. The Lycra clan was one of the best magic users in the Land of Aragon.

A sharp pain stroked her heart as the painful memories came again. The memories that she wanted to forget. He noticed the change in her expression.

"If you don't mind, you can tell me what's wrong. I'm ready to listen."

She hesitated. Telling such story would be a disgrace for her, but she had no honor. No honor was left in her. She just lowered her head in shame.

"Very well, then, I understand." He turned away and headed back to his cooking. Her mind raced again. He might be the only one who could understand, she thought.

"W ... wait ... I will tell you ... But please don't tell anybody..." She hated it when her voice sounded very helpless, but she couldn't control it. If she held it any longer, she's going to burst.

He smiled. "I need to look at our dinner. I'll be right back."

She waited for him in confusion. She thought about the things she was about to say, but her mind was blank. She just looked at him as he checked their meal. Five sticks with fish on the end were around the fire. Then she realized how hungry and thirsty she was. Then he returned with two well-grilled fish and a glass of water. She drank greedily, the taste of cool fresh water cleared her dry throat. He sat down in front of her, handing out her fish, then looked at her expectantly.

She slowly began her tales. "I ... am no longer a priestess. I got kicked out..." She grasped for another breath. "Because ... I'm no longer ... a virgin..."

She waited for his reaction, but none came out. He sat there patiently, looking at her.

"I was an orphan. My mom left me in front of the door of the Lycra Shrine, North of Aragon. Then the priestesses adopted me and taught me the art of magic. However, I haven't made any friends there."

"How come?" She heard him ask.

"The Shrine head told me that I was born with bad luck in my blood. Everywhere I go and everything I do always brings trouble. That's why the priestesses hated me." Her voice was choked as she fought the tears in her eyes. "But I withstood everything ... until one day..."

This time she couldn't hold again and began crying softly. She then felt his hands took her small hand and squeezed it, trying to soothe her. She regained her strength. She's not going to stop. She was going to tell him everything.

"I was sent with some priestesses to a village near the shrine to help some war refugees. I was left in a camp alone to cure some wounded soldiers. I didn't know it was going to happen..." She hesitated, her voice was getting softer, "They ... they ... raped..."

Before she could finish her last sentence, Atrus grabbed her slim body and pulled her close to his body. "That's enough, Adriana. I'm sorry I made you remember this again."

New tears sprang from her eyes. She began crying in his arms, this time she didn't hold back. She cried and cried like a little girl, trying to release all tensions she had been keeping for all this time. Atrus tried his best to comfort her. He now understood everything. That's way she had been so harsh to him. Her memories kept her from accepting any men because of her fear. She thought all men were liars and sex beasts. He felt sorry for her. In her cry, he could feel her loneliness, her eagerness of having a friend she could trust. Quietly he vowed that if she wanted him, he would be ready to be her friend.

It took some time until she regained her courage again. She let herself go, then sat facing the fire. Atrus hadn't paid any attention on her since she slapped him. She wore her priestess costume with green ribbon on her hair. Her green eyes reflected the firelight perfectly. Her lips were small and delicate. Her face was very pretty. She noticed that he was looking at her.

"You're the first man I ever allow to examine me thoroughly." She said.

"I'm most honored." Atrus smiled. "So tell me, what are you doing here in this forest?"

Adriana took a sip of her tea, then answered, "I have nowhere else to go. Therefor I'm going to do the thing only fools might do." She paused for a while, looking at him. "I'm going to find the Champion of the Guardian."

Atrus couldn't hide his surprise. "You mean the guy in that prophecy?"

"You've heard the prophecy before, haven't you?"

"Yes, I mean, who hasn't? But nobody believes it. How could a man defeat the darkness by himself? Don't tell me you believe the bullshit..."

"I do believe it, Atrus. It's not bullshit. The Dark Age is indeed here. All that we need is to find the lone warrior." She stated.

"But according to the prophecy, the guy you're looking for is supposed to be in the palace. He's supposed to possess royal blood. What are you doing here?"

Adriana looked at him deeply. "You mean you believe that Prince Roberto, son of King Edward? He's such a jerk! He can't be the warrior!"

"He's a good guy, I think ... Although he's a bit pervert ... But King Edward has only one son!"

"Haven't you heard that the king had another son, but he was lost fifteen years ago?"

"You mean Prince Alfredo? He's lost! Gone for years! Do you think he's the one?" Atrus kept on asking. But Adriana blew a sigh.

"I know it's dumb, and I won't ask you to believe me any further. But I'm going to look for him. And somehow I know I will eventually find him."

"I believe you will." Atrus nodded. He didn't completely believe that the prophecy was true, but he didn't think it was wrong. Until now every event was well predicted by the prophecy. The demons might be what the Dark Age was all about. Also, there seemed to be no end of this bloody war. If this long lost prince was really the chosen one, then he might be the lash hope of survival for every race in the land.

But he quickly switched his attention back to the present business. He yanked her hand that was holding the fish, reminding her that she forgot to eat her meal. "Eat before it gets cold. We will scout again tomorrow for the bandits. I have a feeling they're not far away from here."

Adriana just nodded, then began eating the fish. Not bad, she thought. "This is delicious. You should teach me how to make this."

"Nah, I believe you can do a better job." Atrus told her as he walked to the fire.

"I'm a priestess. I can't cook."

Atrus gave her a skeptic look and said, "WHAT? YOU CAN'T COOK? EVEN I CAN COOK!"

This time Adriana couldn't help but frowned. In the Land of Aragon, it was a big disgrace for a wife if she couldn't cook for her husband and family. Therefor, all girls had to learn how to do most of housework since they were young.

"AAARGH! MY FISH ARE BURNT TO ASHES!!!"

The girl tried to fight back, but her strength was no match for the bandit. The villain threw her to the ground and pinned her body with his. He then grabbed her thin fabric and tore it into pieces, leaving her naked. The girl, knowing that she had lost the fight, tried in vain to cover her nakedness. She could only cry as the bandit stared at her, stripping her pride.

The muscled thug then spread her legs as wide as possible that she yelped in pain and humiliation. The girl repeatedly begged for his mercy, but he didn't care. Without any proper foreplay he rammed his hard prick deep into her vagina. A loud cry of agony was heard throughout the forest.

The bandit began thrusting in and out her pussy. Blood poured down her vagina as he fucked her mercilessly. Only within a few minutes the girl fainted, but the thug pressed the tip of his lit cigar to her nipple, making her wail and bringing her back to the real world. The torture continued until the bandit reached his climax and shot his load deep inside her. Then he dropped the girl to the ground and let her fainted again. He looked to the sky and yelled a cry of victory.

The poor girl was not the only one. There were at least ten of them. They were being used and tortured in various ways around the bandits encampment. And all Atrus and Adriana could do was watch.

The two companions had found the bandits camp and were now spying on them. They stayed behind the bushes only a few meters from the camp.

"Atrus, can't we just charge them right now and free those girls?" Adriana asked. Her voice was full of misery.

"And make ourselves vulnerable to them? Only fools rush in, my dad always said. After all, if we attack now, we might endanger the hostages." Atrus explained quietly.

"We can disarm a few bandits and use their clothes to sneak in." Adriana suggested.

"And how about you? I believe you want some actions, am I right?"

Atrus' answer silenced her. He was right. There was no female bandit in the group. The only females were the hostages. If she appeared in person, their cover would be blown.

"So what should we do? I can't stand looking at these tortures any longer..."

"Going back to the village will be useless. They are pretty near to the village. We have to stop them ourselves." Atrus stared at Adriana. "I like your idea, though. You see those barrels?" Atrus pointed at a pile of wooden barrels sitting next to a tent.

"Gunpowder?"

"Precisely. The tents were all made of fabric. I believe there are more barrels around the camp. If we can get close enough to the barrels and ignite them, we can burn their camp, and hopefully their supplies. Therefor they will have no choice but to retreat."

"Brilliant, Atrus." Adriana looked at Atrus in awe. "But how do I get past the guards?"

"We'll use your plan. We'll wait here until dark."

The camp was actually bigger than they thought. The surrounding was dark and gloomy. The bandits had started the fire and lighted the torches. Supper was being prepared. The thugs were gathering around the fire with their hostages.

Atrus walked slowly with the crowds. He wore one of the bandits' outfits from a fellow he had smacked earlier. Adriana followed only a foot behind him. Her skirt was ripped, revealing her well-shaped thighs. Her blouse was also torn here and there. She had taken off her gloves, boots, and ribbon. Two pairs of chains hung on her wrists and ankles. She didn't want to know where Atrus got these things. From afar, she looked like an ordinary hostage.

Adriana kept her distance as close to Atrus as possible, for she didn't want to attract any attentions from the bandits around them. Her manacles, although were locked loosely by Atrus himself, prevented her from moving freely. She tripped herself once and a while, only being held by Atrus before she fell. Luckily, the thugs around them were too hungry to pay any attentions to them.

Atrus' prediction was right. The barrels were scattered all over the camp. The bandits, not expecting an ambush, had set their camp recklessly.

As they approached a huge tent, Atrus moved slowly closer to the tent. Then in a quick succession, he slipped his hostage in behind the tent. Adriana immediately hid behind the tent and watched Atrus as he walked casually toward the campfire. Now everything was up to her. All she had to do was to sneak into the temporal guard post in the center of the camp, only a few meters in front of her. There she could have a clear shot to almost all barrels around the camp. Atrus would make some distractions to buy her time to escape the fire later. She quickly took off all the chains from her body then crawled stealthily to the base of the tower.

The tower was made primarily of bamboo poles tied up together with ropes. The construction was simple so that the tower could be taken off or reinstalled in an hour or so. A small wooden ladder was laid on west side of the tower. Adriana concentrated her instinct, trying to observe the top of the tower. One life form, looking at north, sleepy. She could see that he was carrying a curved sword and a torch. She felt lucky she had such skill. She began to wonder if Atrus would appreciate her skills.

No, she thought. Atrus was a great warrior. He didn't need her at all. Atrus wouldn't be interested in going after the Champion of the Guardian. He had his own life and she had hers. She had hoped Atrus would join her journey by promoting the prophecy and her crazy dream. Now she felt that she had been so selfish.

Then she felt a movement in her mind. The guard had turned East. This was her chance, she thought. She quietly climbed the ladder. The wood made cracking sound for every step she made, but the singing around the campfire had begun, concealing her noisy approach. Just when she was halfway to the top, she felt the guard moved again. This time he moved to her position!

She could see the guard at the top of the tower. He was a big man, all right. She stood still on the ladder, hoping that he would not notice her. The Guardian listened to her prayer. The guard just yawned then returned back to his post, facing east.

She wiped the sweat off her forehead then began climbing again. When she was about to reach the top, she quietly chanted the sleeping spell to the man. She didn't need too much power for that, for the man was already sleepy. The guard slumped to the floor then began snoring loudly.

The tower was basically simple and empty, but she could see nearly the entire camp complex from there. She began to note all the barrels lying around the tents. As a magic apprentice, she only had one harmful spell, magic missile. And she hadn't practice much for her accuracy. This time she had to do this right. Softly she prepared her magic missile spell.

The campfire was big and bright. Several men were roasting wild beasts on he fire. The others gathered around the fire, singing and yelling at one another. Some thugs were playing around with their poor hostages as their screams were joined by the bandit's laughter. The bandits had made this forest into their heaven. Now it was going to be their grave.

Atrus tugged his cloak closer to hide his face. The air was uncomfortably hot for his, for he didn't really like being in the crowds. His right hand rested on his sword, concealed by the cloak. He sat down on the grass, watching the bandits. All he had to do was wait for Adriana's signal.

Then suddenly somebody fell down on Atrus' back, pushing him forward. When he turned to face the threat, he saw that a hostage had been tripped by a group of bandits. She just lay on the ground, sobbing and breathing heavily. Her body was covered with mud and bruises. Her wrists were tied together with a piece of cloth. Her black hair was soaked with sweat and mud. Except for her restraint, she was practically naked.

"Come on, brother!" One of the bandits yelled at Atrus. "Do her! Give us a good show!"

The girl looked at him with her pleading eyes. Her body was trembling as she fought her tears. "Please, sir, have mercy..." Her voice was small, but full of fear.

Atrus quickly grabbed her small body and pinned her to the ground. She was too weak to fight back, but managed to let a loud scream. The men around them began to cheer him up. The girl gave up the struggle and let Atrus kissed her tender neck.

"Don't worry. We're here to help. Now moan as loud as you can." Atrus instructed her softly near her ear to prevent the bandits from hearing.

It took a few seconds for the girl to understand. She began to moan every time Atrus kissed her. Atrus just probed her body with his finger before kissing her earlobe.

"Take all hostages to the village of Labrador. I'll meet you there. Understand?"

The girl let a soft moan, signaling that she understood. Atrus sat near her crotch, spreading her legs wide despite her cry of protest. Come on, Adriana, he thought, give me your signal!

"Wait a minute, I know you!" One of the bandits exclaimed. Atrus turned to see him.

He was the bandit leader he had fought in the forest earlier.

"Uh, hi, pal, I'm Johnny, a bandit from the West..." Atrus quietly cursed himself for not being good at lying.

"Traitor!" The bandit yelled. "We have a traitor here..."

Suddenly a big ball of fire erupted from the north side of the camp. Suddenly the sky became really bright and fire appeared in some tents. The bandits were all stunned. Atrus quickly grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her through the crowds.

Once they were hidden in the crowds, Atrus suddenly yelled, "We're under attack! We're under attack!"

This created a great confusion among the bandits. They began running to their tents to grab their scattered weapons. When they were ready for combat, they couldn't tell who were their friends or foes. Another explosion occurred in the east side of the camp, engulfing the tents and creating a chain reaction with another set of barrels. The bandits, confused like crazy, began killing and stabbing each other.

However, Atrus had no time to be confused. He took the girl's hand and dragged her to the perimeter of the camp, telling her to stay there. Then he drew his sword and got into the fighting crowds again, looking for the rest of the hostages.

Adriana launched her last magic missile to the center of the camp. The white ball appeared from her hands and soared to the barrels, destroying them. Fire had engulfed half of the camp and Atrus was making trouble in the south part. The air was very hot, and she noticed that fire had begun to crawl near the guard tower. She had to get out of there, or she would be burned to death.

Her legs were trembling as she stepped down the ladder. The magic missiles she had launched had drained her energy. Her sight began to grow dim. Carefully she went down the ladder, using her hands to keep her from falling to the ocean of fire beneath her. Her consciousness began to fade and her grips grew loose.

"I'm ... sorry ... Atrus ... I ... can't..." Then her grips let go and she fell...

... only to find herself in Atrus' arms. "Adriana! Are you okay?"

She slowly opened her eyes. "Atrus? I ... can't..." She could feel the intense heat of the fire behind them.

"You can't give up now! I need your help!"

He needed her help, she thought! Atrus needed her help! Her brain began to work harder than ever, ordering her heart to beat faster. She could feel new power came to her. She began to regain her consciousness despite the extremely hot air around them. Her feet reached the ground and gradually supported her weight again. She looked at him in anticipation.

"What can I do for you?"

Atrus smiled at her. "Thanks for returning back to real world." He pointed to the west side of the camp. "I left some hostages there. Take them out of here. Run as far as you can go. I'll try to hold them off."