OoO( 36 )OoO

A fist slammed into a table, busting the furniture apart. Jack stood breathing heavily and seething inside. He turned quickly to Maze who was smirking, then punched him across the jaw heavily, sending the mage to the ground. "You...you knew about this!" he shouted. Maze stood up again, rubbing his sore jaw and smirking again.

"Would it have mattered if I told you? You would have done the same thing even if I had. Your ego is what got your prison destroyed Jack, not me. That little boy that you said was harmless and you could control easily just destroyed your biggest stronghold, and your only source for reviving your youth." he said. This time Jack snapped. He grabbed Maze by the throat and ran forward, smashing him through a bookshelf and hard against a wall.

"You seem as if you are enjoying my struggles a little too much wizard. I would have thought you smarter than that." he said as he took his other hand and placed it on Maze's forehead. Maze began to shout in pain as what little youth he had was drained from his body. His skin began to sink and his body became limp from his power loss. Suddenly, it stopped. Jack let go of Maze, letting him hit the ground and allowing his energy to be restored to him. "You are very lucky I still need you Maze. I suggest you don't do anything foolish, or I might have to recruit someone else who can read Old Kingdom." he said as he turned and walked away. Stopping at the door, he turned his head slightly. "And don't worry. Once I have the sword, I will make the guild my new stronghold." he said, then opened the door and slammed it behind him.

Maze struggled to his feet and limped down a small corridor and into the room of the small tavern. Laying on the bed, he breathed heavily and deeply. "No...once you set your hands on that sword, it will be the end of you Jack of Blades." he said in a waspy drained voice. "Even if it takes my life, I will be sure that I meet you in Hell." he said, then fell deeply into slumber.

OoOoO

The following day was a day of celebration. As soon as they arrived back at the guild, Lyle went and had his long awaited reunion with his sister and mother. Sitting in Maze's quarters, they all talked and told tales of life after the fire. Scarlet was very surprised to see her daughter alive and well after being dragged away by the bandits.

Theresa stood and hugged her mother very tightly, letting silent tears fall from her sightless eyes. "Mother...I thought you were dead for so long. It does me very good to know you are well again." she said as she embraced the older woman. Scarlet smiled and patted her daughter on the back.

"Its good to see you too Theresa. After so long of believing my family was gone, I had given up hope. But seeing you both alive and well makes my heart flow again with happiness. There is no prouder mother in all of Albion." she said as she looked at Lyle. Grabbing his arm, she jerked him over towards them. "Get over here you young rip. This is a family moment." she said. He smirked at her and hugged them both tightly as well. He too wanted to shed tears of happiness that his family was back together again. But he didn't, for he knew that they were crying enough for the both of them.

Theresa laughed briefly, receiving an odd look from them both. She raised her head and laughed again. "What's so funny?" asked Lyle confusedly.

She giggled once more before answering. "The last time I saw you was in that field the day of the raid. Thinking back on it now, I was just a country girl in love with my own daydreams. And you, you were just a little troublemaker from a small town. Look at us now though. We both have changed so much since we were children Lyle." she said. He smiled and nodded. "That little trouble maker became the hero of an entire country, inspiring people wherever you go to do whats right and just. I am proud to call myself your sister Lyle." she said hugging him tightly.

He hugged her back and smiled. "Well, look at you. That little daydreamer turned into a woman who became what she always wanted. She became a hero. The only reason I am called the greatest hero is because you never competed in the Arena sis. I've seen you fight, and its like nothing I have ever seen. You went from daydreamer to being admired by friends and guildmembers around you. I may be the greatest, but you are certainly the most admired." he said gently. She let go and punched him in the chest, forgetting that he had armor on. She swore silently as a thud! sounded. Laughing at herself, she pushed him back against the wall.

Lyle couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry sis."

She smiled. "Its quite alright. It happens now and again." she said giggling again as she heard a book fall from a shelf and whack Lyle on the head, causing him to slip and hit the ground. "As you can plainly see." she said smirking.

Lyle got back up and rubbed his head. "You amaze me you know that?" he said amused. Scarlet turned to the and took each by the hand. There is something I need to tell both of you..." she said as she looked at them.

They both looked at her. Lyle spoke up. "What is it mum?" he asked. Hearing him call her 'mum' after so long filled her with joy again.

"It...It's nothing. It can wait for another day. This is our occasion now. And I will not spoil it with such tales." she said happily.

OoOoO

The reunited family had spent the rest of the day together. The sun fell and rose again before Lyle awoke in the room alone. Getting to his feet, he left his armor and weapons where they were and travelled downstairs. He ran into Van when he hit the bottom of the stairs. Van was dressed in only a black pair of pants after cleaning himself of a hard nights work. As soon as the two saw each other, the war was on.

Lyle sprung off the bottom stair and crashed into Van, putting him into a headlock. Van rolled around for a moment before loosening the warriors grip and putting him into an armbar. Stretching his arm out, Van pulled visciously, making Lyle yell out in pain. But, the warrior weaved his way out and grabbed Van's foot, dragging him into the mess hall where most of the guild members where having breakfast.

As soon as the crowd saw the human tornados coming towards them, they immediately surrounded the pair and began cheering as money was passed around again. The two went on for what seemed like hours, and the crowd never got bored. They had managed to wrestle all the way out into the courtyard of the guild and onto the grass. Lyle was sitting on Van's back with his arms locked around Van's chin, making the mage struggle for control of his head. Lyle pulled back more and Van called out in pain before he finally grabbed one of Lyle's hands and bucked, sending the warrior flying off of him.

Jumping up wearily, Van grabbed Lyle and stood him to his feet before sending him flying backwards with a large headbutt. Lyle rolled over in pain as he saw stars appearing before his eyes. Getting to his knees, he felt Van's hand grab his shoulder, then pulled the mage over his back and lifted him into the air, spinning around rapidly for a few moments, sending both of them flopping to the ground with the crowd still behind them. Van rose to his feet for a moment before falling backwards again like a drunk.

Lyle tried to rise, but as soon as he stood he found gravity pulling him to the left before sending him crashing to the ground again. The audience laughed in merriment as the two stumbled around in their dizziness like a pair of blind drunks. Finally, order was restored to their senses and they were at it again.

Alex was wearing her former apprentice robes as she walked across the lawn with an armful of beautiful flowers. She looked over at the crowd and curiosity got the better of her. Walking over to the group of people, she pushed them aside, then looked at the scene. Lyle and Van both had each other in some kind of leg lock. "What is going on here?" she shouted as she saw the two struggling to make each other submit.

They both looked up at her and immediately let go of each other. Standing up strait, they stood as if being punished by their mothers. "It's kinda a ritual we've had since we were younger. Every week or so, we would just beat each other til we couldn't anymore..." said Van, who got a startled look from Alex.

"Beat each other until you can't anymore? What kind of world is it where boys just go around and beat each other for no reason?" she asked huffily glaring at them both. They moped a second before a loud battle cry came to their attention.

"Hyyyyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaa!" came the shout from behind them. They all turned, and as soon as they did Lyle was hit with what felt like a cannonball. Talon slammed into him and wrapped her arms around his neck, locking him into a stranglehold. Van laughed loudly before diving into the melee and grabbing Lyle's leg again.

Suddenly, Aerika sprung from nowhere and landed on Van's back, locking his arm behind his head, shouting her own battle cry in the process. The crowd burst into laughter, and even Alex managed to giggle a moment before one of the girls spoke. Talon looked up at Alex and winked. "It's not just boys that get to have all the fun!" she said, then proceeded to finish off what was left of Lyle.

OoOoO

Lyle and Van walked away from the former battle ground beaten and weary. Both had worn themselves out on each other and after the girls joined the fight, niether of them stood a chance. As they stumbled towards the river in the guild, Lyle in his tiredness bumped into someone knocking them down.

Turning to the man, Lyle helped him back to his feet. "Sorry friend. You alright?" he asked politely.

"Woah man...that was a big fall...almost a thousand feet by my count..." said the man who was in some sort of hypnotic trance. Lyle and Van stared at him dumbly. "Hey you...you haven't seen a little green gnome runnin' about here have you? He stole my money and I haven't been able to find the little bugger since..." he said.

Lyle and Van looked at each other for a moment, both at a loss for words. Finally, Van burst out laughing as Lyle looked back at the man. "Ummm...are you alright mate? That fall didn't knock something loose did it?" he asked amused.

The man looked around panic-stricken. Grabbing Lyle's shoulders, he looked him in the eyes. "They are coming for me! The flying apes are back! They've come to steal my recipes! Avo help me!" he shouted then ran off in the direction of the building, waving his arms around wildly.

Van and Lyle just stared for a moment before falling to the ground in their laughter. When they were able to breath again, the two parted ways, still laughing at the happenings of the old man. Van left to clean himself again after their grudge match in the courtyard, while Lyle went to rest at the stream. Still sore from his match, Lyle began to rub his aching muscles when he felt his foot hit something.

Looking down, he saw something small laying on the ground at his feet. He knelt down and picked up a little blue toadstool, then stared at it for a moment. "Huh...you don't see these in the guild. As a matter of fact I've never seen these in Albion at all." he said. "Must be foreign." he said as he shrugged and stood up again. Taking the mushroom, he popped it into his mouth and walked on as normal.

After arriving at the stream, he sat down and let his feet rest in the stream. Taking an apple he had grabbed from a passing cart, he bit deeply into it and began to chew on the fruit. Suddenly, he began to choke and sputter as something bit is toe, causing him to nearly swallow the piece whole. After clearing his airway again, he checked the injury on his foot. "Huh...seems he don't like my feet being in his stream." he said with a smirk. "Well then..." he started as he crawled over and looked into the stream.

"I challenge you fish! For the right to use this stream!" he shouted jokingly at the water. He didn't expect a response, so when he got one his face was a mask of surprise.

"A challenge huh? And what sort of challenge do you speak of?" asked the fish as he popped his head out of the river. Lyle was speechless. He stared at the fish for a while before the fish spoke again. Jumping up, the fish slapped Lyle in the face with a fin before surfacing again. "I said what kind of challenge you fool!" it shouted.

"Y...You can talk!" said Lyle in a stuttered voice. The fish smiled.

"Of course I can talk you lout! Us fish are the smartest creatures in the world." he said.

Lyle sat down, still staring dumbly at the fish. "But...how come you never talked before?" he asked.

"Well, you never really talked to me before, have you?" it asked.

The warrior thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Well...no. I mean, talking to a fish...thats ridiculous..." he said. Then sighed when he realized he was talking to a fish at that moment.

"Oh, sure. Talking to a fish is ridiculous. But screaming challenges to it in the river is perfectly normal." said the fish as it crossed its fins. Lyle scratched his head for a moment. "Now my dear boy, you said you would like to challenge me for the right to use this river, did you not?" it asked.

Thinking for a moment, he nodded. "Yes...I guess I did..."

"Well very good. If you are going to waste time by not issuing a challenge, then I'm going to do it. How about this? I'll tell you a story, a very funny story. And if you can keep from laughing, then I give you the right to this river."

OoOoO

The guildmaster walked across the peaceful lawns of the guild in high spirits. Aside from Maze being sick, this was a rather pleasant day. Lyle was back from Bargate in one piece and his mother was safely in the guild as well. No more dangerous missions, no more troll attacks, no more arenas, no more bandit kings, no nothing. Nothing but peace and quiet.

But, as the man walked along the river, he heard loud laughing. Getting a closer look at the culprit, he spied Lyle laughing like a mad man and pointing to an ordinary fish in the river. "Wow...I've never heard that one before!" shouted Lyle as he burst into laughter again. "You know, you really aren't bad company!"

The guildmaster stopped and stared at Lyle. "Oh dear..." he said to himself. "The boy has finally lost his mind..." he said as he went to fetch the healers and the priests.

Lyle had finally stopped laughing when the fish spoke again. "Hey, wanna see something even funnier?" he asked. Lyle nodded and the fish smiled. "Good, now come a bit closer, its here in the river." it said. Lyle got to his knees and bent down so he could get a closer look. Suddenly, the water exploded as a gigantic fish jumped up and aimed for Lyle's head. The warrior reacted quickly and hurled himself backward, screaming in surprise. He ran to a tree and put his back against it as someone ran to his aid.

"Eh? What is it mate? Are the beetles at it again?" asked the apprentice.

Lyle pointed at the river and shouted, "There's a monster living in that river!" he shouted. The apprentice looked at the river, then turned back to Lyle, who was running at high speed towards the archery range.

"I think he's had one too many." he said as he went back about his buisiness.

OoOoO

The warrior sat in the bushes, peering out at the giant creatures stalking all around him. They were trees, and they were watching him, searching for him. He couldn't let himself be found. If they found him, they would torture him until he told them where he hid the king of their kinds treasure, the magic Cooking Apple. They would do anything for it, but he wasn't going to let them have it. Not without a fight.

With that apple, he would finally be able to get his three wishes. To have his own castle made entirely of water, and to get a sword that could cut through air. Those three were going to be his, and no walking tree holding a giant mallet was going to take that away from him. Finally, he saw an opening, then made a dash for it. He ran across the grass dodging back and forth as the giant trees swung at him with various objects. One came close to hitting him with a cow, but he was too fast for that.

Finally, he made it to the building of the guild and dove inside. Looking around, he saw nobody. He went to go forward when five people jumped into his way. In the center was a bald man with a massively large head and bulging green eyes. The others were all large beetles dressed in what looked like white armor.

"Lyle! There you are! Hold still a moment!" said the man with the large head as he walked forward a few steps.

"Don't come any closer you fiend! Or I'll slay you with this!" he shouted as he reached for something in his belt. The guildmaster gasped as Lyle went to draw a weapon, but his fear quickly turned to relief as he saw Lyle brandishing a long loaf of bread. "Have at you fiends!" he shouted as one of the healers in white robes walked up to grab Lyle. Taking the loaf of bread in both hands, he swung and knocked out the healer with a loud thud.

The guildmaster looked stunned for a moment, then looked at the loaf of bread. "How bloody old is that thing? What kind of food do we serve here?" he asked outraged. Lyle took his chance and dashed for the stairs. Running up the stairs, he ran into his room and closed the door behind him. He walked forward to the window when he felt his shirt start choking him.

Grabbing the garment, he pulled it over his head and threw it on the ground. He did the same with his pants when they started to move his legs for him. He stood there completely naked, brandishing the loaf of bread at the haunted clothing. "Stay back! I have a weapon!" he shouted. But they came closer and closer.

"You never take care of us!"

"The king is after you warrior! You never suspected he would send us after you! Now! Get him!" shouted the pants.

Lyle backed against the wall, then looked around for any way out. Then he looked over and spotted the window. Throwing his weapon at the apparition, he grabbed a broom from the corner and fended them off until he reached the window.

OoOoO

Everybody in the guild courtyard stared as the warrior shouted as loud as he could and ran across the grass, naked, and swinging a broom like it was a sword at imaginary beasts...