Hey guys, it's chapter three! Hope youve all enjoyed the story so far. and I hope you enjoy it even more.

Thanks goes to AquilaTempestas and Nazrita for reviewing tha last two chapters.

And so our story continues...


The group were nearing the great mage city of Dunamis. All of them were on horseback, Max keeping rear guard so no one got left behind.

"Are you sure about what you said last night?" asked Tala quietly to Rei, making sure Salima didn't hear him. "That Salima will gain her confidance to fight?"

"Yes, I did mean it Tala. She was the same when I tried to teach her how to play a piano. She kept letting her fears of not being good get in the way, but now... she's a thousand times better than I am" smiled Rei.

The horses galloped as fast as they could until they came to a stop. A huge tree, lay dead on it's side on the path infront of them. Tala jumped off his horse to inspect the situation.

"Bandit's" whispered Salima to Rei. "There's no way a tree like that could fall by itself"

"I hate to be captain obvious" shouted Max. "But we've got company up ahead!"

Out of nowhere, bandits sprang out of all hiding places and brandished their swords. They all sprang upon Tala, who did not see them coming and two of them held him by his arms. While their leader appeared.

"Well well well. What have we here? Travellers, or soldiers? either way, kill them boys!" The leader boomed out.

Tala's face showed that of panic. He cringed, waiting for the final strike. But something unexpected happened. Once he opened his eyes, he saw Rei, standing in front of him with his sword and the two bandits that held him lay on the floor dead, in a pool of their own blood.

"Argh! i dont know who you are, but you killed some of my good men! Attack!" Cried their leader.

Salima, and the others dismounted and drew their weapons.

"Get ready for them" shouted Rei, with his sword ready to cut them down. Salima stood with her back pressed to Rei's, holding her staff up as it began to glow, as if resonating with the magic within her.

"Now!" cried Max.

The battle became quickly instense. Rei struck down the first charger with his blade, but his sword got stuck in his fallen opponent. He struggled to get it out of the dead corpse as a second bandit struck at him. Rei quickly dodged and brought his right hand into a fist and struck the bandit in his chest, winding him. As the bandit recoiled, Rei knocked his scimitar out of his hands and picked it up for himself and stabbed the bandit in the chest, killing him instantly. looking down at the other dead bandit before him, Rei picked up his scimitar and battled dual-bladed. Using one blade as a distraction for them to parry, as he finished them off with the second scimitar.

Max threw himself into the thick of the action right from the beginning, using his staff to pound the living daylights out of anyone who got close to him. He even accidently conked Julia on the head too.

"Draciel Staff! Water Blast now!" He cried out, suddenly, he shot up into the air. He then suddenly realised he had the staff pointing the wrong way round! He kept going up and up until he hit his head on a treebranch and fell back down. landing on top of a couple of bandits in the process.

Salima was trying her best to fend off her attackers, but became quickly outnumbered due to being the weak one. They backed her up against a tree, thinking they had cornered her off. Salima then screamed and stabbed the bottom of her staff into the ground. It then caused a small shockwave that knocked the bandits around her off their feet, to which Rei and Tala quickly came in to finished them off.

Mariam kept dodging in and out of opponents, keeping the crystal ball she possessed close to her chest. She then ran vertically up a tree and leapt into the air and pointed the crystal ball down at the floor. It began to glow and suddenly a rushing stream shot out of the crystal ball and onto the ground, soaking and half drowing the bandits, that's where Julia came in, she shot lightning from her hands at the water, which gave the bandits in the water electric shocks. Killing them slowly and painfully. Tala then jumped in and froze the water, effectively freezing the bandits as well.

Max then gathered himself from off the ground and got back into the fray, pointing his staff correctly this time, dealing some devastating damage to them.

"Phew, I think that's all of them" panted Max.

"You havent won just yet!" shouted the leader, running towards Max at speed, sword raised. He went for a strike, but Max used his staff in a spring like style to keep himself out of harms way.

"You'll fight me then" shouted Rei confidantly, pointing both of his scimitars at the leader.

Both of them rushed towards each other and their blades clashed, echoing around the forest area they were in. The leader had more power than Rei, and began to force him backwards with every block he made. Then the leader made his offence, Rei desperately trying to parry his attacks, only just managing too. He eventually tripped and fell backwards, the leader then grinned with satisfaction and held his sword aloft, ready for the final swing. Salima looked away, unable to watch. Rei smirked, then grabbed one scimitar and slashed at the leaders right leg, cutting half of it off. Resisting the urge to suddenly vomit, Rei took out the other one. The leader fell to the floor in a heap as Rei grabbed the other scimitar and plunged both of them into the leaders chest. Blood shot out of his mouth at the stabbing and then his head fell to one side as if his neck was broken.

"Well done Rei, you handled that battle very well" smiled Tala. "Keep this up and you'll almost be as good as me!"

Max then suddenly earned himself a slap across the back of the head from Mariam.

"Ow, hey what was that for?" sniffed Max, clutching the back of his head in pain.

"For being such a dolt! Hold your staff the right way round next time" she said sternly.

"Ugh, god. Mariam, could you lend me a hand?" shouted Rei to her. "My family sword has got stuck in this corpse"

"Hold on Rei, I'll be right over" she replied, but not before giving max a few more words. "I'll be speaking to you about your screw up later!"

Mariam then went over to Rei and helped him to try and get the sword out of the corpse, it was struggle, but it eventually flew out, knocking both of them over and Mariam landed on top of Rei.

"Awkward" said Rei as Mariam blushed and quickly stood up to hide it. "Thanks for the help by the way, Mariam" he added smiling. "I really appreciate it"

"Okay guys, now they we have disposed of them, let's keep moving" said Tala as he jumped back on his horse, everyone else did the same a few seconds later.


A few hours later

"Here we are guys" smiled Tala. "The city of Dunamis!"

And it was a sight to behold. The third largest city in the world of Valen lay ahead of them, only Kuljia, the Ceril capital and Exidoia, the capital of Iorka, could make a bigger claim. This jewel of a city was literally huge! it seemed to span on for miles. Rei looked out at it and then around at his fellow companions, he noticed that Mariam was looking at him dreamily, then quickly looked away when she knew he was looking.

"let's get down there shall we?" smiled Max as they proceeded onwards towards the fortress, which was where mage commander Kane was instructing some recruits.

thirty seven minutes later.

"Excuse me" said Tala to Kane, who was busy with his instruction. "Pardon our intrusion, but we need to speak with you" Kane then stopped what he was doing and turned around.

"Captain Tala Valkov, of the Ceril army. What business do you have here?"

"I'm leading an uprising against the evil and corrupted King Kai Hiwatari, I was wondering if you would like to join our cause?"

"I don't trust you... Valkov, it's not personal against you, but you can't expect me to hand you my soldiers without some proof that you can be trusted"

"Very well, Kane, what shall we do to earn your trust?" asked Rei, entering himself into the conversation.

"I was hoping you would ask, you see we are having problems with a band of anti-mages, calling themselves "Mage Hunters" they have captured my assistants, Jim and Goki. You must bring them and the Mage Hunters' leader back to me alive! or at least eliminate the Mage Hunters"

"Very well" said Tala "We'll get onto that now"

"Good luck Valkov, your gonna need it against them!"


End of Chapter Three