Chapter 5

It was another beautiful day in the Land of Lore. The sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky. The wind blew lightly, creating a soft song as it flew past the autumn leaves. The Gideon vast green carpet of tall grass blanketed the land. The weather was perfect to spend time outside.

However, the land around it was not as friendly as it seemed. South of Gideon were the same long chains of impassable volcanoes. The air was uncomfortably hot and thick with the strong scent of sulfur. The land seemed deserted. No single deer or cattle were found in the vast meadow. The sky was also scarce of birds. Only a few groups of birds were spotted flying to the South, seeking shelter from the harsh winter. From afar, the angry roar of the volcanoes could be heard, warning every traveler. Aside from that, the land was very silent, very lifeless.

This, of course, bothered Atrus. He walked uneasily, observing the surrounding. His hand rested on his sword; ready to draw it anytime threats came. His eyes were spying on the vast grassland around him. He even slowed his breathing, trying to get his hearing to full sense. Slowly he walked along the well-paved road toward the mountainous region.

Adriana Freesland walked next to him, sharing the same feeling. She kept on monitoring the terrain through her eagle eye spell. She had learned more spells on the way, and was very proud of her new firebolt spell. She was not ready to let her magic missile go for she was very skilled with that spell now. Being weaponless, she had learnt to cast spells faster. Her constant training with Atrus had gradually increased her speed. But right now Atrus needed her skill. She kept on trying to survey their surrounding.

Maya walked right behind her, protecting her six. She had her blade on her right hand and throwing knives between her left-hand fingers. She was also nervous with her surrounding. She had sworn that she would protect her master. This mission seemed to be dangerous, but she didn't care. She would follow him regardless of the danger.

Gideon was a prosperous border town in South Aragon. It was located in the mountainous region near the Forbidden Land. It was well known for its rich vault of copper and tin. The volcanic region kindly donated a large amount of these metals inside many natural caves in the mountain. Miners from across the land came to reap the wealth, making the town flourish. Although the land around the caves was infested by beasts from the Forbidden Land, many brave souls established trading posts and forts near the town. The lack of flat land for farming forced the citizens to live from trading with the neighboring farming villages.

And this was the real problem. The neighboring villages had lost contact with the town for nearly two weeks. According to the data from Tiras town hall, the citizens would have suffered from famine by now. Therefor the guild had asked them to go to Gideon and reestablish contact with the town and the citizens. The royal army would send a detachment in seven days and would rely on their report.

The journey to the town took two days, and they had not encountered a soul in their way. Anna had felt the trouble since they started their journey, but Atrus had taken her warning lightly. Now he knew better than ignoring her.

The sound of the wind was getting faint as if trying to whisper a silent warning to the party. It was slowly replaced by the angry roar of the volcanoes around them. In front of them the unbroken view of monstrous mountains welcomed them. The scent of sulfur was intoxicating. Anna produced three pieces of cloth to cover their nose and help breathing. The tall grass around them prevented clear view of their surrounding.

"Master, wait!" Maya broke the long silence among them.

She pointed at the vast green grass on their side.

"There was a patch on the grass ... there's something over there..."

She was right. A small portion of the grass was gone. Something was indeed there, lying on the grass. Maya slowly made her way through the grass with dagger in her hand. When she reached the patch, she screamed in terror.

Atrus and Anna rushed to her position. Anna arrived first and stood in her place, stunned by the view. It was a corpse of a man lying on his stomach. The body was in a very bad shape. His left arm was cut off from his body. His clothes were torn, his back was full of welts and bruises. A stone club was sticking on his right shoulder. A large pool of dried blood was formed on the grass.

Anna stepped back from the body, still stunned from the view. Atrus slowly moved closer and pulled the club from his body. The sharp edge of the club was coated with dried blood. The club was pretty simple. It was a hard stone with sharp edge, tied into a wooden stick with strong rope. The dried blood produced unpleasant smell. Anna tried her best not to puke.

"What do you think?" Atrus turned to Maya, who was still unmoved.

"I ... I think he had been dead for days..." she answered. Her voice was trembling.

"True ... He died three days ago, I guess. Looking at his condition, I don't think he died in peace..."

"Whoever killed him ... was a monster... !" Anna found herself saying.

Atrus slowly turned the body around. The front part of the corpse was no better than his back. Multiple bruises were found on his chest. His eyes were staring blankly to the sky. His mouth was open wide as if trying to scream a silent wail. The expression in his face was full of pain and agony, and seemed alive in his lifeless form.

Then he noticed something was sticking on his belt. It was a paper. He slowly took the blood-soaked paper and opened it. It was a short text that looked like a letter. Half of the letter was drenched with blood, but it was still in one piece. The handwriting was awfully ugly, showing that the author had written the letter in a hurry.

Atrus withdrew from the body and joined the girls. Anna had regained her strength and looked at the letter curiously.

"Is that his?"

He nodded. "I found it on his belt. The handwriting is horrible, but readable. Whoever that man is, he died when he defended this letter."

"Why don't you read it for us, master?"

He nodded again, took a deep breath and then began reading.

They just appeared from nowhere. We don't know where they came from. We don't know who they are, but they're certainly no elves. They are powerful warriors. We haven't seen such evil threat for ages.

We are losing. Northern and western forts were destroyed. One by one our man vanished. We lost contact with the main cave. That might be the source of our trouble.

By the time anybody read this letter, our town might have been ruined. Please avenge our death.

If you receive this letter by accident, please pass it to the palace.

Leonard

Mayor of Gideon

The party went silent for a while. Atrus silently said a prayer for the poor soul who had carried the letter to warn the palace. Now it had cost him his life.

"He must be one of the villagers." Maya broke the silence.

"And he tried to escape from whatever had attacked the town." Atrus stated. "If not elves, then who else?"

"Or what else?" Anna spoke up. "They're monsters! Look at the dead body! Only monsters can do that!"

They looked at the dead man again. Judging at his wounds, the killer couldn't be human. Even the strongest knight couldn't swing a stone club so that it pierced so deep inside the shoulder. The terror in his lifeless face showed that he had been in horrible pain in the brink of his death.

Atrus approached the man, closed his eyes and mouth. "May you rest in peace, brother, your death will not be in vain." When he withdrew his hand, it was drenched with blood.

Anna looked at his hand in disgust. "If I were you, I would have puked..."

Atrus stared at her. "Aw, come on! The journey just started! You'll see many things like this later!"

"Well, I'm not like you! You have the blood of a killer! That's why you're not scared!"

"And what do you have? A blood of a coward?!"

"I'M NOT A COWARD!!!" She snapped.

"MASTER!!! MISTRESS!!!"

Again, Maya managed to stop the quarrel, but she was not looking at them. She was looking elsewhere.

"Look! A smoke, coming from that way!" she pointed at the western sky...

... At the direction of where Gideon was located...

"We're not too late! The town is under attack!" Atrus yelled. "Let's go!"

The town of Gideon was losing the battle. One by one the town defenders were slaughtered. Arrows with flame on their tips pierced the wooden roofs and engulfed them in fire. Corpses were collected in the town center and burned into ashes. Cries of men and women and children filled the sky. The small town of Gideon was turned into a sea of fire as the raider pillaged the town.

A group of goblins raided and searched every house for valuables and survivors as the orcs shot flame arrows with their crossbows. Their monstrous roar joined the cry of agony of the town people. With their blood-thirst nature they savagely tortured the surviving villagers. As the last defender fell to the ground, the town was utterly destroyed.

The goblins started to gather all females and maidens outside the burning town. Their pleas were ignored as manacles were fastened on their wrists, ankles, and necks. Slowly they were marched out of town and toward the volcanoes. Sometimes goblins would take maidens away from the group and raped them in the open.

Jenna was one of the maidens in the last group. She barely escaped the assault, but was discovered by one of the raiders when she tried to cross the river. The intense heat of the fire made the water extremely hot, and her painful cry led to her capture. She was dragged to the center of the remaining group of maidens surrounded by dozens of foul folks.

She couldn't stand straight as her legs were burning with pain. One of the goblins stepped forward and grabbed her long hair with his massive hand. She cried in pain as he pulled her hair, forcing her to stand on her toes. He wore a full body armor and seemed to be the leader of the raiding bands.

"So you tried to escape... ?" His voice was hardly audible.

"You ... attacked our village ... You won't get ... away with this..." She answered.

"Ha! So who do you think will save you?" His answer was followed by laughter from the rest of the goblin bands. "Pitiful Aragon armies will be crushed under our mighty horde. You humans will never survive our wrath!"

With one quick yank, the goblin tore Jenna's clothes from her chest to her crotch. Her young breasts sprang free from their confinement. Her hands tried in vain to cover her nakedness.

"Perhaps we will let you all live ... if you serve us..." he whispered under her ears.

"I'd rather die..."

"Alright, folks, GANGBANG TIME!!!"

The raiding bands turned alive once more as the goblins attacked the captured maidens. Jenna watched in horror as her friends were bound and raped by the foul creatures. The view was horrible and she tried to look away, but the goblin leader held her face firm so she was facing the scene.

"Watch, little one, for your turn will come..."

"No ... please..."

The agony of the prisoners before her was unbearable. Their wrists and ankles were bound by metal shackles, and a thick leather collar was placed on their necks. Each girl was raped by at least two creatures. Their bodies were thoroughly used and violated.

"Okay, fun time is over. Now it's your turn. Prepare her!"

Four goblins grabbed her trashing body and pinned her to the ground. Metal cuffs with short chains circled her wrists and ankles. The goblins pulled the shackles to four different directions, spreading her arms and legs. At the end of each chain was a metal stake which was quickly hammered deep to the ground as soon as her body was pulled. Now she was lying spread-eagled, so open to her assailants. Her muscles were throbbing as the chains pulled her body taut.

To her horror, the goblin leader was now standing in front of her crotch. She could feel he was rubbing her panties with his filthy boots. His dark eyes were staring at her, drinking her fear. When he knelt down, Jenna knew what was going to happen.

With a loud ripping sound, her panties were no more. Her pussy was now open and accessible for her assailants. She could feel the goblin's rough hand probing her hips and crotch. Two other goblins roughly grabbed her breasts and began playing with them. Against her will, she began to feel aroused as her body betrayed her. The leader plunged his finger inside her pussy, making her yelp in pain, before drawing it out. The finger is soaked with her love juice. She looked away in shame, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Now ... for the finale..." the leader pulled his filthy member out of his leather pants. Jenna's nightmare had come true.

"No ... please ... I'm still a virgin..." she begged.

"Then I will pop your cherry with pleasure..." He placed his member in front of her pussy. It slowly spread her pussy lips and entered her vagina. She tried to close the opening with her muscles, but was rewarded with throbbing pain as he forced his member inside. Finally, the member reached her unbroken hymen. She looked at him with her pleading eyes, but he just sneered at her. The worst was about to come.

"It's going to hurt..." he grabbed her breasts roughly. " ... a lot..."

"NO... !!!!!!"

"GRRRAWLLL!!!"

She didn't feel any pain. She even felt the member inside of her was drawn out. When she opened her eyes, the massive body of the leader fell beside her. A silver knife was stuck on his neck, gushing with blood. When the second goblin fell on her chest and smeared her body with his blood, she figured out what to do and began crying out hysterically.

Atrus dashed forward like a madman, slashing at everything that stood (assuming that all that stood on the ground were bad guys). Maya followed him closely with her combat knife ready in her hand. Adriana stood outside the scene, firing firebolts to any unlucky goblins who were still busy with their captives.

"Anna! Try to put the fire down! Maya, follow me!"

Anna ran to the burning village. It seemed too late, half of the houses had been reduced to ashes. Slowly she concentrated her power to summon the spell. Human were parts of nature. If they lived peacefully with nature, they might use the mighty power of nature to serve them. Priests of Lycra used this power to help others in need. She smiled as the power of nature enveloped her body, waiting for her order.

"I hereby call the spirits of water, banish the fire with thee power!"

As she uttered the spell, the wind blew hard from the east. Soon a group of dark clouds appeared from the eastern sea. The wind guided the clouds and put them over the burning village. To her delight, rain began to pour down, fighting the flame. Slowly the fire gave up and went out. However, the village was half-destroyed.

Still upset, Anna ran back to the battlefield. Atrus was still attacking the goblins, while Maya secured all the prisoners. Suddenly she spotted a lone goblin ran toward her with a wicked looking club in his hand. Anna didn't waste anymore time.

"Take this, bastard!" She let loose a firebolt that hit the goblin right on his chest. He growled in pain, then fell to the ground and was still. Another goblin ran to her and swung his club, but Anna dodged it easily and countered it with her firebolt attack. Slowly she made her way through the battlefield toward where Atrus was. The goblins were overwhelmed by their attack and began to disperse.

Atrus had multiple welts and cuts around his leather armor, but seemed unaffected with them. His vicious fighting style quickly spread fear among the goblins, which began to abandon the captives and run away. As Anna approached him, he was looking at the fleeing party. His breath was heavy and uncontrollable. His hand gripped the bloodstained sword tightly.

"Atrus... ? Are you okay... ?" Anna carefully asked. When she looked at his eyes, she could see the anger burning inside of him. He didn't answer her. An uneasy silent fell upon them despite the painful cry of the dying goblins or pitiful sob of the captives. She could recall the last time she had this kind of situation.

The forest of Labrador ... a sweet yet painful memory. There, she had been on the edge of despair. In that time, she had been about to meet her ultimate fate. Also in that time, Atrus had saved her life and vowed to accompany her in her quest. However, Atrus had terribly blamed himself for putting her life at risk. He, burned with anger incited by his guilt, had defeated the bandit king in one blow. The coldness of his heart was very apparent in her nightmare. Now she felt the coldness again.

"Let them go, Atrus ... They've had their lesson..." Anna said again.

"We're too late. The village..." He left his answer hanging.

"Don't blame yourself." She quickly replied "There's nothing we could have done to save the village. Those captives should thank you for saving their lives."

"I know..."

"Come ... We need to check on the villagers..." She offered her hand. He didn't take it.

"You go back and help Maya with them. I will secure the surrounding..."

"No, you stay here with them." Anna answered. After thinking for a while, she continued. "I will do that."

Atrus stared at her in disbelief. "What? It's too dangerous..."

"Atrus, trust me!" Anna quickly snapped back. She took his left hand and closed it in her palms. "I'll be alright, okay... ?"

Her assuring stare defeated him. He gave her a faint smile. "Okay, but get back here before dark. Don't make any contact with the creatures."

"I promise..." She lightly kissed his sweated cheek before running toward the mountainous region. Atrus watched carefully as she disappeared from sight, trying to notice any danger, but he found none. Slowly, he sheathed his sword and walked back to the village.

Adriana Freesland observed her surrounding for the fifth and last time with her eagle eye spell. The goblins were nowhere to be seen. Atrus's attack had to have scared them all like hell. She sighed in relief, then turned back to the village. The sun was setting down behind the mountains and the land grew darker. Mist came down the mountain, trying to drift her from her path, but with her spell, she wouldn't get lost. She pulled her cloak closer to her body as the mist grew cold...

... Cold... ? But this was a volcanic region ... Her mind raced to find the reasonable explanation. She didn't really like the result, though...

"Whoever you are! Show yourself!"

The mist around her grew thicker until she couldn't see anything but herself. The chilly air assaulted her body to the bones, and she could feel her body quivering from the cold. Her spell power began to degrade as her skin grew numb. Slowly a shadowy form shaped in front of her. It was a form of a tall young human, but she knew better.

"Lucius ... the ruler of the Water Realm ... I know you're him..." Anna slowly spoke up.

The shadowy form cast the mist away, revealing a figure of a man with deep blue full body armor. His face assembled a handsome and charming young man, but his blue eyes told otherwise.

"I'm amazed, Priestess Freesland ... You are the first human who recognizes me..."

"You're not welcomed here, Lucius ... You are our sworn enemy..."

"Yet you as my welcoming party will suffice ... It seems to me that you're still looking for the man of your dream... ?"

"I will find him! Then he will destroy you forever!" Anna snapped.

The man produced a hissing sound. "How pathetic ... You haven't realized your effort is futile ... Now you bring some friends to join your so-called holy quest ... Shame on you..."

"They come with me willingly! And we will succeed in our quest!"

"Really... ? You're wrong ... They follow you because they have to ... They have no desire to follow your ideals..."

"You're wrong! You're just trying to incite tension between us! You will not succeed!"

"Well, see for yourself..."

The mist in front of her turned glassy and a vision appeared. It was the village of Gideon. Atrus was observing the land around him. His expression was as cold as before. In the background some girls were laying on the ground, sleeping with earth as their beds and torn clothes as their blankets. Maya was among them, tending the injured villagers.

"Why are you showing me this?" Anna grew restless.

"You said they followed you willingly... ?"

The image turned into Maya. She was patiently applying bandages on a maid, whose arm was injured by goblin's claws. The maid winced a little, then relaxed herself on the ground. She turned to Maya.

"I must thank you for saving my life. But how do you know our village was under attack?"

"We met one of your villagers..." She paused for a moment. "We found the letter..."

"But why are you here? Isn't the letter enough to scare you away?"

"No ... of course not. I have no reason to be scared." Maya smiled, then turned to where Atrus stood. The two of them watched Atrus for a while.

"You like him, I suppose..." The maid broke the silence.

"More than that..." Maya blushed. "He changed my life forever. I vowed that I would follow him no matter where he goes or what danger awaits us. I'm even ready to surrender my soul just to see him live..."

The words stabbed Anna to the heart. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It ... it can't be...

"A holy quest to save humanity ... What a pathetic excuse ... She doesn't know what she is here for ... Blind love ... What a nice reason for finding the Champion of the Guardian..."

"It's a lie! This is not true!" Anna yelled.

"You are dreaming something that will not come true, Priestess Freesland..."

"What are you talking about?!"

"Your dream ... your wish ... your secret desire ... your love ... They will not come true..."

"SILENCE!!!" She couldn't hide her anger.

"Now you fear that they will leave you, true... ? You fear that nobody will help you fulfill your quest ... your dream ... your love..."

"SHUT UP!!!"

The image flickered for a while before revealing the image of Atrus. He was sitting on a rock, looking nervously at his surrounding. His sword hung on his back. Unaffected by the darkness around him, he kept on staring at the mountainous region. Another figure approached him from behind. It was a maid from the village. Her long black hair was blown by the night wind, but Anna couldn't see her face.

"Sir, may I know what you're doing?"

Atrus didn't turn his head. "Looking at the sunset..."

"But the sun sets already..."

"I know."

The maid sat on the ground next to his feet, looking at the same direction as Atrus. A moment of silence fell upon them. The maid began to shiver from the cold. Her clothes had been reduced into shredded rags. She tried in vain to warm herself up, but the cold air had their victory. Suddenly Atrus stood up, took off his cloak, then wrapped it around the girl's prone body and embraced it lovingly.

"Sir... ? What are you..."

"Your body is freezing, miss. Warm yourself up..."

"Jenna ... That's ... that's my name ... May I know yours... ?"

"Atrus, Atrus White Lion. It's nice to know you, Jenna."

"No, Sir White Lion ... the pleasure is all mine. You must be Captain White Lion's son, I presume..."

"Yes. How do you know... ?" Atrus asked.

"Your father's name is well respected throughout the land, Sir. No soul in this world ever hears his name and doesn't tremble."

"I know..." Then he fell silent again.

"Um ... Sorry, did I offend you in any means... ?" Jenna asked nervously.

"No..." Atrus smiled. "I'm just thinking ... Will I ever be like my father... ? I suppose that's why I'm here ... I want to be like him..."

"You mean you're going to join the military?"

"No ... I mean everybody praises my father's name..." He stared into the darkness. "I ... I want to be praised as well, you know..."

Anna couldn't believe it. Now she knew Atrus' true intention. He was not there for her. He was not there for the sake of humanity. He was there for himself. Tears began to fill her eyes.

"Perhaps one day you will be praised more than your father, Sir. You will be praised and loved..."

"Excuse me... ?" Atrus queried.

"Praised ... and loved..." She grabbed Atrus' neck and planted a deep kiss on his lips. Atrus was unaware of this intrusion and unwillingly accepted the kiss. Jenna, however, refused to let go. She quickly took off her torn dress and guided Atrus' palms to her soft breasts. Involuntarily, his hands started to massage her breasts and play with her nipples. Jenna's body created an erotic dance around Atrus'. Soft moans of pleasure escaped her lips.

Then the image disappeared. Adriana just stood in place, unmoved. She was defeated. She used to have her friends to rely on. She used to have Atrus as a friend she could trust. Now she could trust nobody. In fact, now she had nobody.

"As you can see ... you're alone ... they deserted you..."

Anna didn't answer him. She was too much occupied by her own thought ... her own pain. She hated Atrus. She hated Anna. Moreover, she hated herself.

"Now ... how can YOU alone find the Champion of the Guardian, eh?"

"SILENCE!!!"

There was no more love in her, no more compassion in her heart. Only anger and despair overflowed her feeling.

"I will do this myself! I need no help from them! I'll show them I can do this by myself! I'll show them I can defeat you by myself!"

The shadowy figure produced a silent smile. "Then ... the challenge has been issued..."

The mist around them subsided, and Anna felt her power returning. She let her power flowed through her body and prepared her best spells.

"Damn you, Atrus ... I'll show you what I can do..."

And the fight began...

"Stop it, Jenna."

"Sir... ?"

Atrus picked her small body up and away from him. Jenna couldn't understand it. She looked at him in disbelief.

"Do ... you find me unattractive, Sir... ?"

"No..." Atrus answered. "You are very attractive ... But the time is not right for that."

"You ... you lied ... You find me dirty because I was almost raped..." She was sobbing uncontrollably.

Atrus took the discarded cloak and put it back around her body. She gingerly accepted it.

"It ... it's all about that girl ... right... ?"

"What girl?"

"That ... that sorcerer ... You love her..."

"What ... I ... I..."

"You like her because she is strong and capable, and I am weak. That's why you don't like me, right?

"No ... you misunderstand..."

SLAP!!!

"I want to hear from you no more!!!" She cried after slapping him hard. Then she ran into the darkness of the night. Atrus stood alone, trying to figure out what was happening.

"Did I pinch her nipples too hard... ?"

He sighed, then return his stare into the darkness. His palms rested on his sword.

"Anna ... where the hell are you... ?"

"Atrus... !"

"Ow, mom ... I don't want to go to the training today..."

"MASTER ATRUS!!!"

"Wha ... OWW!!!"

And Atrus was awoken from his childhood nightmare as his head bashed the rock underneath. When he was fully awake, he noticed that he had fallen asleep the night before, laying his head on a rock. His entire muscles were protesting, and his throat was sore. Maya was sitting next to him, looking at him merrily.

"Rise and shine, master! And sorry about the rock ... I couldn't stop your head in time..."

"Never mind that..."

The morning was beautiful. The sun shone brightly up in the sky, bathing the land with its warm sunlight. The vast carpet of green welcomed his gaze. Maya was also in her usual manner, happy all the time. She held a wooden bowl of soup. Atrus couldn't recall when the last time he had any meals.

He slowly tried to recall why he had slept in the wilderness if he could have stayed warm in his tent. Then he remembered that he had been waiting for Anna to return until ... Anna?!!!

"Where is Anna?"

Maya's smile disappeared. "You mean you don't know, master? I thought she was with you all the time. I noticed her tent is empty..."

"No ... she hasn't returned..." Atrus answered.

"Maybe she got lost..."

"With her eagle eye spell running? I doubt it..." He thought for a while. "Unless she is..."

" ... In danger." Maya finished the sentence. She didn't like the sound, but that's the only reasonable answer.

"Oh, no..." Atrus quickly put his sword on and looked at the volcanoes far ahead. "I will look for her. You wait here until I get back."

"You're not going without me, master..." Anna also put her dagger on her belt. Her face was full of defiance.

"But you need to take care of the town-people..."