Chapter 2

Necro were foul and savage creatures of darkness that killed any and all for the mere pleasure of it. In form, they looked no different from the average man. But they had a mottled dark grey skin color and glittering red eyes. They are a barbaric tribe and very war-like constantly training their high battle skills and honing it on each other as well as the innocent people of nearby towns. They are very formidable warriors.

Tikoro and I were off in an instant full speed after the princesses and drawing our bows and notching an arrow as we went.

"Kiera! Faline!" Tikoro shouted. "Hide quickly!!"

They never heard him, nor did they see the black armor clad warriors heading straight for them with blood lust.

Suddenly I saw a sharp flash in the woods like the sunlight had reflected off of metal and instantly felt my stomach turn.

Shuriken!

I watched in horror as the sharp throwing star cut through the air and straight for Faline's head. But she tripped on something and fell to the ground narrowly dodging the sharp projectile as it embedded itself in a tree next to her. Wow…she was lucky.

Twing!

An arrow caught the lead Necro in his side as Tikoro fired and stalled him for a second yet he kept running at the princesses drawing his sword and raising it while unleashing a loud war cry. Now Faline and Kiera saw the creatures and screamed in horror when they saw the blades they carried.

I drew back on my bow, aimed…

Twing!

My arrow sailed through the air straight and true striking the lead Necro perfectly in the head and exploding out the other side causing blood to splatter everywhere. Its body somersaulted and landed exactly a few feet away from the terrified princesses blood pouring out of its skewered head and into the grass. The effect I wanted from his death was achieved. Quickly the other Necro skidded to halt in confusion after seeing their comrade fall giving Tikoro and I the few seconds we needed to reach our friends.

I quickly reached Faline and picked and gently picked her up from off the ground. "Are you alright?" I asked quickly.

She grimaced a bit. "I sprained my ankle…" she whimpered. But then suddenly her eyes got wide. "LOOK OUT!!"

Dozens of shuriken were thrown in our direction by the Necro when they finally recovered from their surprise and tried to take us out from long range. I ducked under a few and quickly sprinted off taking cover behind a tree a few meters off while Tikoro grabbed Kiera and did the same.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

I sat Faline down and covered us with my cloak to protect us from the sharp splintering wood falling all around. I looked at her carefully for any other injuries but she only seemed to be in a bit of a shock and breathing hard.

"Are you ok?" I asked again.

She nodded. "I'm alright…" she said shakily. "What about you?"

I only blinked in wonder. I was rather not really expecting that. Few people have ever shown concern for my safety other than Tikoro.

Suddenly the volley of sharp metal stars ceased and then I heard the cold sound of steel blades being drawn from their scabbards. I quickly glanced at Tikoro who was about seven yards to my right. He looked at me and nodded with the smallest hint of a smile.

I nodded back and then turned back to Faline and wrapped her in my cloak. "You stay here and don't move." I said.

She nodded calmly yet I could tell she was still scared out of her mind. I patted her head. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

I stood up and together, Tikoro and I walked out from behind the trees drawing our silver blades as we went. There were about two dozen of the warriors out there and they were all well armed. Many carried double edged broad swords and huge battle axes that looked to heavy for a normal man to lift.

I pointed my sword at them. "Leave now and we will spare your lives." I said simply.

There was a snarling laughter among the group and then a rather large Necro stepped forward wielding two heavy looking swords of iron. "Just who do you think you are little elf?"

I gave a small smile. "You wouldn't be alive long enough to remember my name..." I said quietly but with a dangerous edge in it.

He laughed a great bellow and took a battle stance. "Fool! I am a Necro General! A warrior to be feared! I will cut you down and the females you hide behind the trees. Tremble and pray for a swift death!" He charged out at me and leaped into the air. "Prepare for the end!!"

I watched him strike and only smiled dully.

He slashed down at me but struck nothing but air as I sidestepped and redirected his blow away from me and into the ground. He was shocked at my sudden speed and tried to retract but had no time. I calmly but swiftly brought my sword into a slice and cleaved him half. He had no time to even feel pain as the body slid to the ground and breathed his last into a pool of blood.

I took a battle position as did Tikoro and he gave a lighthearted smile. "Well now, mates. Now that negotiations are over, who's next?"

This sent an uproar throughout the battalion and they charged at us blades raised ready to taste our blood.

Tikoro and I walked toward them to meet them head on but just before the battle started, darkness covered the land as the sun disappeared over the horizon.

They reached my friend first. He maneuvered under the first blade and quickly ran his sword through the head of his attacker then dodged the attack of another grabbing his arm and slicing his stomach open. Another came at him from behind in a desperate move to catch him off guard but it was to no avail. Tikoro's speed kept him away from the sword and before the Necro even could realize what happened he found Tikoro standing right behind him before screaming a gurgled cry as Tikoro ran the sword through the back of his throat.

Now I finally entered the fray. One came at me in a quick stab but in two fluidic movements I deflected the blade and ran him through his chest. I twisted the blade and I heard the rib cage of the Necro crunch, mutilating his heart, and he quickly sank to the ground coughing up his own blood.

I turned to the others who were starting to surround me. "I'm waiting…" I said quietly.

They answered the taunt and came at me. Two came from both of my sides but I quickly slashed up into the side of one and withdrew it to block the attack of the next Necro and with a sudden burst of speed cut through his neck. He was alive for a full five second longer before his head just suddenly rolled right off and his body sank to the ground.

"Hauku watch out!" came a sudden cry from Faline.

I turned just in time to catch a cheap shot coming from another Necro and I quickly retaliated. He blocked my shots for a minute as I drove him backwards on the defense but I ultimately proved to be way out of his league. I made a quick circular motion with my blade, twisting his arm and sending his weapon into the air. Before he could react I slashed his knee out making him drop to his good knee on the ground before I caught his blade and held it up to his neck. The Necro quivered in fear as he felt the cold hard blades at his neck. He closed his eyes and his lips faltered with words.

"M-m-mercy?" he asked desperately.

I criss-crossed the blades opening his throat and I felt drops of blood splatter on my face. He rolled over onto the ground and drowned in his own blood.

I looked at the Necro with no feeling. "Too late for that…"

I was in a certain mode now. Merciless...cold of heart...unfeeling whatsoever. I would give mercy to none of these creatures right now.

I tossed his sword away and faced the rest of the troop to fight again. But now, they were done fighting. They looked around at the carnage done by two young elves, barely men, and then turned tail and fled back into the shadows of the wood.

I watched them go and then relaxed a bit and turned to Tikoro who was still finishing off a Necro that was left behind. He swept the legs out from under it and then let out a war cry as he let his sword fall into its chest cutting it cleanly through. The Necro convulsed a bit, its body hadn't realized it was dead yet, before finally ceasing to move permanently.

My friend stood up and wiped some sweat from his brow. "What a bloody mess, mate." He looked around at the dead bodies. "Yikes, there was a lot of them out here today…how many did you kill?"

I shrugged and we both wiped the blood from our swords. I figured not too many, but by tonight that would all change. He looked at me with a grin. "That wasn't too bad for a days work, aye?"

I smiled back. "Aye…"

We turned our attention back to our friends hiding back behind the tree. Through the darkness I saw the blue eyes of the two princesses peek out from behind their shelter carefully making sure we were the only ones standing. They took in the sight of all the blood and corpses lying about and shuddered. Apparently they really weren't that much used to being around death.

After seeing it was safe Faline and Kiera got up and ran over to us for protection…or at least Kiera was able to. Faline forgot about her injured ankle and ended up limping and then stumbling back into the grass. Tikoro smirked and walked over and helped her up and getting her steady on her feet. "Easy there, mate." He said. "How you feeling?"

She nodded ok. "You saved our lives. Thank you…"

"Yes, thank you." Kiera chimed in.

Tikoro and I both nodded. However, Faline did save my life too. Without her warning I probably would have been a goner. But I didn't offer a thanks. That was never really my style. Instead, I kept the fact close to mind that I now owed her one. I looked toward the sky and realized the stars and moon were out now. They shone brightly over the land and illuminated where we were standing and the shadows of the trees cast their reach all around us.

I sighed. "It's dark now…" I murmured.

Kiera gave me a look. "What is so wrong about the night?"

I pointed off into the distance where they were headed. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

She and Faline both looked in the direction I was pointing and then suddenly gasped. What had used to be the dried up trench they crossed earlier was now a huge and sparkling ocean that glinted under the light of the moon and stars. The sandy beach was beautiful all its own and its precious stones and minerals glinted off of its soft sands. I had to admit it was an extraordinary sight. The mysterious glow that the waters gave when the moon shone upon it gave you a tingling sensation in the back of your mind that almost felt like magic. Which kind of made me wonder…was there were magical properties or artifacts within the ocean?

Faline and Kiera were simply awestruck by the sight of the seemingly infinite ocean. We stood there for nearly two minutes as they stared through the trees gawking before Kiera slowly turned to Tikoro.

"What happen??" she cried nervously. "What is going on?"

Tikoro sighed. "You had till night fell to leave this place." Tikoro explained quietly. He made a gesture all around. "Its night now. You're trapped here like me and my mate here now…"

Faline glanced back at us. "But…but…only at night, right?" she asked hopefully. "In the morning we can leave?"

I shook my head. "That ocean will always remain the same to us." I said. "We've been here almost a year and it hasn't changed since…I don't think there is an escape."

Tikoro elbowed me in the gut. "Hauku…" he hissed at me. "Would you please try to be a little optimistic?"

But it was already a little too late for that. Faline understood the fact that we had been trapped here a lot longer than they had and we haven't found a way out. The horrible truth hit her that she might not be going home. I saw her eyes water suddenly before finally a tear slipped out from under her eye and trickled down her cheek. After she realized she was crying she quickly turned away from us and just stared back toward the ocean. I felt her emotions strongly but not only hers but from Kiera too. She wasn't crying like her sister yet she was still very, very upset. Tikoro noticed this also and put an arm around her shoulders. "It's alright, mate." He said soothingly. "We just haven't found a way out yet, that's all. We're working on it." He turned to me. "Aren't we, Hauku?" he asked yet I detected the "don't go making them upset!" touch in his voice.

I nodded. "Yah."

Kiera said nothing. She only stared off into the ocean almost like she was trying to will herself a pathway home. Tikoro took her hand. "Come on, Kiera." He said. "You need a little rest."

Kiera leaned back against him for physical support but also for emotional support too. They began to depart back for the building but Tikoro looked at me and nodded off to Faline. Then, Tikoro used his magic and was gone before my eyes when he used his teleport ability.

I sighed and walked over to her. She was sitting down, I think her ankle was bothering her. Drat…I should have gotten Tikoro to heal it before he left but I had forgotten.

I kneeled down behind her. "Hey…" I whispered softly. "We gotta go…"

She jumped at my words like she had forgotten I was there. But then she slowly turned and looked at me with the saddest eyes I had ever seen. I never thought eyes like hers…so happy and beautiful…could ever look so sad.

"I want to go home…" she whispered back to me meekly trying to keep her tears at bay.

"I wish I could take you." I replied.

She said nothing and stared back off into the ocean. She didn't move a muscle. I guess she wasn't planning on going anywhere…I decided to just sit with her awhile till she was ready to move.

I un-strapped my sword from my back and laid in the grass next to me before leaning back and gazing into the sky. There were many stars out tonight and it was as clear as could be. It was the perfect time for a midnight stroll but I was stuck babysitting.

We sat there for nearly five minutes but finally I felt an urge for a conversation to try and get her mind off things.

"How's your foot?"

She looked down at it and tried to move it. "It hurts very much now but I can't move it anymore…" she replied quietly.

I also took a quick glance at her foot and realized it was swelling up a bit. I suddenly got up. "Here…"

"What…? Whoa!" she cried

"Just hold tight ok?"

"…Ok…"

I lifted her into my arms almost slinging her across my back like I usually did with people but instead carried her in a normal type of way close to my chest that kept her comfortable. I then began carrying her out of the woods and onto the sparkling sandy beaches and toward the water's edge. My soft travel boots made no noise across the sand's surface and I carefully scanned the area looking for potential threats but there was none of the sort. At least not yet. There were more things than just Necro that walked the night

As we went I felt a small tear drop that made a little wet spot on my tunic shirt. I looked down her. "Are you ok?" I asked for perhaps the fourth time today.

She nodded and said something but it was kind of muffled.

"What was that?"

She pulled her face away from my chest so I could hear her. "Yes…it's just…you reminded me of my father. He used to carry me this way when I was younger…"

I thought about that. Me being a dad? Or a father figure in the first place? Yah right…

I walked up to the water's edge and then set her down on the sand. "Soak your foot in the water." I told her.

She did as she was told and slipped her foot into the cool water. "Hey…that feels a little better." She said.

I nodded and reached into a pouch on my belt. "Just hold still a minute…"

I pulled out a pinch of sparkling dust from the pouch and then carefully removed her foot from the water and sprinkled the residue onto it. Then I dipped it back into the water.

A look of surprise came across her face. "My foot suddenly is numb." She told me.

"For right now that's all I can do for you. I'm no magic healer yet but I can use medicines perfectly fine." I explained.

"Where did you get that stuff?"

I really had no idea where it came from. I was given a small amount every time I had received an assignment from my superiors just in case I had any injuries during combat. But I couldn't divulge my sources so I told her I was once a medical apprentice some years ago and learned how to make special medicines.

She bought this and her eyes looked at me in wonder. "I never would have guessed."

Ha…me neither. I thought.

We sat there a little while more and Faline continued to stare into the distance eyeing the horizon. She was still pretty set upon returning even though there was no distinguishable path at the moment. And despite all my efforts to help her earlier and try to give her comfort I still felt woe in her essence. She was still thinking about her parents so I tried to get her mind off of it.

"I come out here to walk sometimes…" I said gazing into the dotted sky. "When the moon and stars are out like this. Kind of helps me think about things."

If there was anything I liked best about this world, it was its frequent full moons and long nights. There was actually a time within the year that night remains perpetually. For me, I thought that was the greatest time of the year. I turned back to the young girl. "Do you like the moon?"

She nodded.

I leaned back again resting my head in the warm sand. "The stars too?"

She nodded again. "My mother and I go outside all the time and look at them whenever we can."

Faline suddenly looked down and I saw tear beginning to form in her eyes again. So much for getting her mind off of home. I didn't know what else to do. As far as I knew we were stuck here and there wasn't much I could do about it. But I tried to comfort her anyway.

"Don't worry, I promise you, Tikoro and I will take care of you guys until we can get you back home." I said. "I know we can find a way."

She continued to sniffle and I almost sighed in annoyance. How does Tikoro do it? He should be the one comforting this girl right now not me…

I thought about all the many things Tikoro might have done and one idea came to mind. At first, I didn't think I was up to doing it, but then I found my curiosity didn't care what I felt so I did it anyway. Hesitantly but gradually, I extended my arm and touched her shoulder. My hand lingered there for only a moment before I finally slid my arm across her back then to her other shoulder and then with a slight tug I pulled her close to my side. I didn't know what was going to happen now and for a millisecond, I had the thought she might slap me or get upset or something, but nothing of the sort happened. Instead, she warmed up to my embrace and leaned against my side scooting as close as she could and placed her head on my chest. She was grateful for the compassion I was showing. She needed somebody to hang onto and support her and I was there.

We sat there close together and silently for almost ten minutes and for a while only just stared out into the water listening to the sound of the waves break themselves on the shore of the beach before being sucked right back into the deep waters. And as I listened, my mind also began to wander as well. Surprisingly toward the young girl cuddled up next to me. Out of the corner of my eye I watched her. She was hugging her knees and staring out into the waters almost in a trance. It almost appeared as if she was about to fall asleep. I noticed she wasn't sad anymore but she seemed to be thinking about something though not her parents. I only stared at her, almost within a trance myself. I couldn't make mind not think about the fact that she was so beautiful. The moon shone in her eyes illuminating them like bright crystals. I then became aware of her soft delicate skin touching my own and some part of me ached to remove my gauntlet since only my fingers could feel through the heavy glove.

A soft wind blew in our faces causing her hair to brush across my face. It was so soft…softer than silk. She even had a distinct scent to her…

I blinked. "Wait…what am I doing…?"

"Ah…ummm…we need to go." I said suddenly removing my arm and standing up quickly.

"Oh…" she said. Those beautiful blue eyes looked so sad again…but I don't it was because of the fact she couldn't get home… Thinking about that possible fact made me rather uneasy and tongue tied and I coyly looked away.

"Can you help me stand?" she asked.

I nodded and grasped her arm and helped her to her feet. However, with her foot as num as it was, she had some trouble keeping steady.

"C-c-can you stand pretty girl….good!" I said quickly catching myself. "Can you stand alright?" I prayed she didn't notice my stutters and my slip. Fortunately she only nodded. But I did happen to see a ghost of a smile on her face. That didn't really help my worries any.

But then, Faline turned back toward the ocean and for a few seconds said nothing. "Will…will we ever be able to return home, Hauku?" she asked softly.

I sighed. "Honestly…I don't know." I felt that sadness immediately come back so I quickly added something else. "But I swear to you, Faline, I will always be around to protect and take care of you." I turned her around and looked her straight in the eye. "I promise you that…"

I had really meant it too. Maybe not as passionately as it might have seemed but I still meant it.

Suddenly out of nowhere, Faline wrapped me up tightly in a hug. To tell the truth, I was so surprised I almost thought she was attacking me. But I finally figured what was going on and relaxed a bit but none too much. At first I only stood there dumbfounded before finally getting the courage to hug back. "Umm…so I'm guessing you feel a little better right?" I asked meekly.

She nodded.

I gave a nervous laugh. "Then let's get going then." I began walking back toward the woods but then stopped. In my haste….I had forgotten Faline couldn't walk at the moment.

"Ummm…."

I then walked back over to her. "Well…I guess I'm carrying you then."

Faline only giggled.

-------- I hope chapter 2 was good too. I've spent a lot of time on the fight scenes rewriting them in such and i just might do it again but not now. You've seen a shadow of Hauku's true self while he was fighting and a bit of his soft side as well. I hope that balances out his character. I'll upload the next chapter soon after i see if this story is doing well or not.

Adios!-----------