Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade and I do NOT make money from it

Copyright: This story and all my other stories are copyrighted as well as my characters and stories and movies (except real movies) that are mentioned in my stories, finally the names of my stories are also copyright and if I discover a name or story name and fictional movie I have created action will be taken...so there.

Legend

Last Few Miles

He had a pleasant rest and whilst he was asleep he and Hiro had traveled many miles.
He didn't expect his quest to have lasted as long as it did but now it was almost over he was happy...

He wake up.
"How long till we get there now?"
"Still tomorrow Ray, we're still a long way away."
"How long was I asleep for?"
"A long time."
His stomach rumbled.
"Hungry?" Hiro asked.

"Yes," he replied.
Definitely he was hungry.
Hiro reached out into the cart pulling out a sack and giving it to him.
"Enjoy," he said.
"Looks like you were prepared."
"Always," Hiro said.
"They're just leftovers from last night," he explained.
The sack had bread, cold meat, ale and cooked pieces of fish.
"Looks good."
"Cooked it myself," Hiro said.
"Now Darol will teach you more than fighting, he'll teach he how to survive in the wilderness, how to treat your injuries you get in battle, how to cook in the forests, how to hunt, how to farm and how to build structures in the forest in case you're out in the night, he will also teach you body language and how to make your own custom armors and weapons, I notice that sword you have there."
"It was my father's."
"Aril?" Hiro asked.
"Yes, I understand he was a student of Darol's?"
"Yes, sometime ago, I was only young when your father came through, you never explained...how did he die?" Hiro asked.

He remained silent for a few moments before answering Hiro's question.
Ray tried to word it in a way but he just had to say it the correct simple way.
"A Dark Knight from Vantenure, whilst I was away he found my mother and father, I don't know what exactly happened but when I came back he told me about Darol with his last breath," he explained, his eyes becoming tearful.

"He don't want to go on some kind of revenge hunt for the Dark Knight, right?"
"I don't even know what he looked like, he was wearing full armor, I only heard his voice."
"Believe me Ray, going over there is suicide, they don't allow anyone over there unless you're a native."
"How do they tell?"
"The mark."

He had never heard of a mark before.
It was strange that they would do that.
He sat and ate the food and eventually asked the question he obviously wanted answering the most.
"What's the mark?"
"When every of its citizen's are born they are branded with a very special mark, no mark is the same and the records, the drawings are all kept at a hall, trying to sneak over there is stupid, by every mark if the person is dead it says, don't go over there, when you get there they will check for a mark and then against their register, if you have no mark you could be killed on sight."

He went silent in thought.
It would be almost impossible to get on the Island.
Unless.
"What if I got myself arrested?"
"NO!" Hiro's outburst made he jump.
"Being arrested and sent to Vantenure prison is bad, you would get the mark of shame, if you broke out he would be identified and imprisoned, its said that if anyone actually gets out of its prison and they're caught, they get thrown into the Volcanoes."
"Vantenure is volcanic?"
"It's the most active island," Hiro replied.

"So, the mark, where do they come from?"
"They invented the mark so they could tell their own from the outsiders like you and me, the parents of the unborn baby design the mark and then its forged out of steel, once the mark has been branded the brand itself is destroyed so it cannot be used again, the drawing is drawn down and noted in archives with birth dates on and when the person dies it gets updated with the death note."
"Why isn't that destroyed?"
"Its kept so that there can only be one mark, if the mark already exists they have to redesign it."

This was interesting.
They must have a secret society if everyone was branded.
He wondered if any special marks existed.
"Are there special marks?"
"The Kings are banded with a lightening bolt I heard but that's about it for all I know, its an interesting Island, they don't allow visitors, it's totally secret and they're not very good at diplomacy, they don't attempt to talk to anyone outside its boarders, officials they've sent have all been murdered, its a very odd community."

"Where do people get branded?"
"On there right palm, so they can look at it and it reminds them of who they really are, they're marked for life, you can't remove that unless you chop his hand off, only then can he deny being a native."
"But what if they're loyal and loose the hand?"
"I have no idea, they probably will have something to do with it, or they're just cast out, I have no idea."

Now he had finished eating he tossed the empty sack into the back taking care not to break the bottle in the sack.

Ahead he saw an Inn.
"We will sleep here tonight," Hiro said as he got closer.
It was a very small place, smaller than the place he stayed at back in the City of Akeron.
It was two stories totally white washed in white paint covering the stone below, it looked beautiful but small.

Hiro pulled into the stables, it was empty.
"Looks like we're the only ones staying for now."
It was good to get back onto solid ground.
He stretched out his body totally and inhaled happy to be walking and moving again under his own strength.

Hiro hitched the horse and he followed him as he walked around to the stable entrance to the small Inn.
A man with dark brown hair greeted them.
"Ray, this is my Father, Darol's son."
"So, this is Darol's latest possible?"
"Yes sir," he replied.
"I hope you do better than the last, didn't even get past the first challenge...now he's dead."
"Dad!" Hiro almost shouted.
"Don't worry about dad, not everyone dies during the challenges."
"What was he doing?"
"Leaping a wall of fire, it was something to do with fire."
"Will I have to deal with fire?"
"No, it's different each time, you should be prepared for anything."
"Can he prepare me?"
"No, I'm not allowed to interferer with anything to do with the initiation tests at all, I'm sorry, I hope you understand."

He had decided to go to sleep early that night.
It was probably a good idea, he was exhausted, the sleep on the cart must have been a restless sleep.
A good bed under him would help Ray to relax.
New possible students to Darol got the second best bed in the entire Inn and of course the best room.

He woke up feeling totally refreshed.
Hiro stood over him.
"We have to go in a few hours, first you must wash."
"Wash?"
"One doesn't go to one of the best sensei's in our world smelling like they have rolled in a pile of manure."
"Oh."
"There's a spring out back, wash yourself and then come and get something to eat."

He went outside to the spring and removed his clothes and begun to wash.
There was some basic cleaning equipment by the spring, the cold water was ignored.

When he had finished washing he dried and got dressed in the new clothes that had too been laid out.
After his breakfast Hiro had told he to meet him outside in the stables.
He was there.
"Come on Ray, it's the last few miles..."

He was so close, so close...

Author notes

Beywriter: Now here's 25, his so close to Darol now.
Ray: Thanks to everyone for reviewing so far

Story- Beywriter
Editor- Lirin Sama