(A/N: Its been a long time since I've updated. Sorry about that. Its just that college is taking up much more of my time and I barely have any for my story. I'm trying to update as much as I can. Anyway, moving on.)

Chapter Ten: The Journey Back

The potions effect wore off an hour later. Before that happened, I was already out of the Southern Woods and making my way through a wide dirt path that winded across meadows and up and down grassy hills. There were numerous wagon tracks in the dry mud on both sides indicating that these road was used often. I was walking straight ahead full of energy although some parts of my body, mainly my chest, felt numb. My thoughts were wandering on several things.

First, I was angry and disappointed about the whole quest. One of the main reasons why ever agreed on doing all this was because of my hopes of finding the Black Dragon Box. After all I've been through, I came went home without it. But then, I realized it wasn't really all that bad. I was still in one-piece and I haven't been burned down to a pile of charcoal and ashes along with the box lord back in the fort and I helped Maya with her trouble. I wasn't even sure that the Black Dragon Box was even there in the first place so I have no right to be angry or anything. Even so, this also means that I haven't gotten any closer on my mission to find Sir Jing's weapons and the Hydra lives another day. I sighed and quickened my pace, feeling an urge to hurry thinking that I haven't done any progress at all. Of course, I have no idea back then on how thankful I will be that I've finished Maya's quest and how great of a help it became.

Far ahead, about a mile and a half or so, lay the valley were Oaklore stood a little to the side of one of the mountains. It was already late afternoon and the cool evening breeze are beginning to pick up and gently swept through the open fields while the sky above exploded into an orange-golden color from the horizon signaling the end of the day. I continued on walking as I took a whiff of the cool air and without any warning, it happened.

It was all so sudden. One moment, I was sniffing the air, taking its cool scent when my heart felt like it skipped a beat and it felt like my whole body instantly shut down. My muscles lost control and I fell into the dirt. With much effort, I rolled to my back. Before I could even guess what's happening to me, another sensation exploded through my whole body, especially on my chest. Pain. Pain so intense it seem to tear apart every cell and tissue in my system and I couldn't even scream and can only make short raspy gasps. Blood roared in my ears and my vision was blurred as I lay sprawled into the ground. After about an agonizing minute, a small part of my mind that wasn't engulfed in panic finally wondered. What's happening to me? It's like all the pain that vanished after I drank all those potions were building up all this time only to be released with such a great intensity at some time afterwards. Were the potions the one causing all these? If it does, who would do such a thing? Could it be Maya? She's the one who gave them to me but I don't think she would do such a thing.

For the next few minutes, I just laid there, unable to do anything about the pain and just letting it flood through my very consciousness. My mind was racing with a lot of questions. After a few more minutes, everything finally calmed down, or so I thought as I felt a strange lightness in me that made me stop thinking of anything and made me forget all the pain. I closed my eyes and let myself spiral into nothingness.

- Dream Sequence -

I opened my eyes just to see….nothing. It was dark. So dark that I was afraid that I was blinded but it turned out that I couldn't just see anything, I also could hear and smell nothing. And then, my surroundings suddenly materialized. I found myself inside of what seem to be like a huge castle. There was a large brazier in the middle of the room that glowed bluish fire and illuminated the dull gray stone walls and columns in a shade of blue. Across the brazier from me stood large double metal doors with skeletal dragons engraved in it. The whole place seem to radiate evil and it made me uncomfortable. I am also sensing that I wasn't alone.

I jumped when the doors were suddenly opened and a young man about my age walked briskly inside. What surprised me more was that the man was no other than Drakath. He only looked a little different from the last time I saw him. He wore the same clothes, with the purple cape slung on his side. His blade was nowhere to be seen since I've broken it in our last encounter. His face nonetheless looked like pure evil. The bluish light and the shadows covering his face made him look more sinister.

He stopped in front of the brazier. He was staring somewhere above me before kneeling with his head bowed. "Master, our spy have reported success. They have sent him on a quest as you planned and everything was in order." He reported.

I was about to turn around to see who he was speaking and why was he being so respectful when a low voice behind me spoke up and it made the hairs on my back stood on end. "Very well, will that potion guarantee him a slow and painful death?"

"It was made with basilisk's blood and the knight assured me that he had slipped it inside the bag that the Loremaster gave him. He probably drank it already and might be dead by now" Drakath said but his tone was different, somehow more arrogant. "Why didn't just let me finish him off? He just got lucky the last time!"

"Silence!" the voice commanded. "You have already failed me. I never thought a worthless rogue like him could put such delay into my plans." I finally turned around to see who he really is. Several feet from where I was, across carpeted stairs, was an occupied throne where a large figure sat. I couldn't make out his features since he was covered with shadows. The light of the brazier barely reaching him and all I could see was the outline of his armor, his large dragonhead shaped helm and his broad blade about 6 feet long by his side.

"But I want revenge! I won't forgive him from destroying my Marquis blade and humiliating me!" Drakath protested.

"I want to hear nothing more of your childish complaints." The voice called back. "I've already given you a second chance of retrieving the Black Dragon Box and I've even summoned the Hydra to draw everyone's attention away from it. I will not accept further failures!"

"That rogue seem to interest me though." Another voice, this time a little high-pitched, came from the throne but I couldn't see who it was. Unless that person in the throne, whoever he is, is a ventriloquist and is having a split personality, I'm pretty sure there's only one person sitting there.

"What for?" The deeper voice asked, his head facing his blade as if talking to it. "He is just another rogue."

"He might be something else…" The tinier voice said. "Maybe he's the one"

"Impossible!" The other said incredulous. "I don't see any reason why he would be. I've already taken every possible step to prevent that prophecy."

"Sepulcher. As ignorant as always." the other cackled. So that was the guy's name. "You can never prevent prophecies. I thought that what happened to you will make you realize that."

The one called Sepulcher just gave a low growl and then turned to Drakath once again. Drakath still kept his head bowed though he's growling as well after being denied by Sepulcher. "You may leave. Do not fail me again!"

Drakath huffed, stood up, turned around and strode out of the room. Just then, a strange bluish liquid light appeared on top of the brazier. It then materialized into the image of a Pactagonal knight. He seemed to be acting nervous since he shifted from foot to foot and wouldn't stay put. When he saw Sephulcer, he hastily knelt down and spoke in a terrified voice. "F-forgive me Master Sepulcher!" He stuttered. "I bare some bad news."

Sepulcher growled again. "What is it now?"

"I-it's the p-potions m-master!" He continued to stutter. "I-t s-eems that I-ve only put one of them inside!"

"Get to the point you nave!" Sepulcher sounds really aggravated now. The knight seem to cower.

"I have divided the dosage into the two potions and I only switched on of them." He replied quickly. "Half of the dosage will only give him a major discomfort but it will not kill him!"

I could hear Sepulcher's controlled breathing. "Anything else?" he said with a warning tone.

"The last time I saw him, he was unconscious and was taken by a Pactagonal knight. I couldn't approach him and finish the job since it might blow my cover."

Sepulcher's mood seem to worsen after hearing these news but he struggled to keep his composure. "Very well, if it weren't for you're valuable position as our spy in Oaklore, I would've obliterated your very presence right these moment! Resume your duty and report back to me in two days time."

"As you say master!" and the image shimmered into nothing.

"So now what?" The invisible voice said.

"Good for nothing fools!" Sepulcher mutterred as he stood up, picked up his blade and with a mighty roar, impaled it onto the stone floor creating a very loud crash.

-End of Dream Sequence-

I woke up with a jolt, certain that I heard that crash from here. I sat up and immediately felt dizzy. I don't know if it's just me but I seem to hear a female's voice whisper softy in my ears as if it was carried by the wind. "Beware, hero. Beware."

I looked around me. It was already past dark, there was a sliver of moon partially covered by thick dark clouds. I was in a wagon of some sort. I was lying in dry hay and there were crates full of fruits and plants beside me.

"Oh good you're awake!" A voice behind me said. "I found you an hour ago sprawled in the dirt."

"What happened to me?" I asked, my voice still a little hoarse. I turned to see that it was a knight. Could he be the one that the spy mentioned to Sepulcher?

"Poisoned." The knight said as a-matter-of-factly. "I've found this in your inventory" He then held up a nearly empty red potion bottle that drank a while earlier but the liquid has turned green instead of red which was its original color. "Basilisk blood with crimson daisy for red coloring, why would you drink such thing?"

I explained to him what happened, about the quest with the fort, the spy and the trick with the potion and he seemed to be convinced.

"I've been suspecting a spy inside the very gates of Oaklore for the past one and a half years or so." The knight explained his with his back turned and his hands on the reins of the two horses. "Knights often fail their quests and one of their main reasons was it was as if the enemy knows what they were about to do before they even get it done and they get ambushed frequently, espescially when it comes to bandits. I don't know why Rolith hasn't done much about it and neither does Valence."

I nodded. So it wasn't just a dream after all. It really happened and there really is a spy in Oaklore. "Thanks by the way. My name's Vincent."

The knight turned around and extended one of his arms and I shook it. "Sir Vey, naturalist extraordinaire. It took me a while to fix an antidote but it turns out that the dosage was insufficient to cause you any real trouble but I gave you one anyways."

"Thanks. I don't what would've happened if you didn't find me." It was true. What if that spy got to me first?

"It was nothing. Nothing at all. Just doing everything to help." Sir Vey replied with a friendly tone. "You better rest up. Oaklore is half an hour away and you got a story to tell Rolith. If what happened to you didn't convince him, I don't know what will."

"Ok" I didn't need to be told twice. I laid my head back and my eyelids felt heavy and I instantly fell asleep.

(A/N: It's kinda short but anyways, I'll try to back it up as soon as I can. Please read and review! Iron Raven out...)