Jgal: (playing with a train set going round and round on the tracks)

Celtic Guardian: How long has she been playing with that toy?

Dark Magician: Almost six weeks now. She should be studying for her finals…

Jgal: (fiddles with figurines on top of the train cars)

Celtic Guardian: Maybe we need an intervention…

Dark Magician: Or a hypnotist…

Jgal: (Figurine falls on connector, separating the cars) Hmm… this could be useful…

Train falls over

Jgal: (Smirks wickedly)

QUEST FOR THE FORBIDDEN ONE

By,

Jgal

CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

DARK MAGICIAN

The Spellcaster gulped heavily at the suddenly cramped car filled with Scapegoats, stuffed with Dragons. A wave of dread washed over him at the through of all the Dragons released at once in one area. Dragons were a mysterious race that flew primarily in the higher reaches of the Mountain realm. Only a rare few leave their sanctuary to other lands. If every one of the lambs carried even ONE jar there would be enough to power a vast army. There was only ONE army that would go as low as to smuggling Dragons. "We have to stop this train before this shipment reaches the Black Rage."

"You've read my mind." Celtic replied nodding.

The two men forced themselves up from the woolly sea and searched the car for anything to stop the train, or free the Scapegoats of their 'cargo'.

Dark opened the door of the car to see if the cars could be disconnected The fierce winds of the fast moving train whipped around his face. The seal connecting the cargo car to rest of the train was magically fortified with a signature lock. Only the conductor could open it. Dark searched his card case for an alternative solution. He pulled out an emerald colored card that would surely override the lock's magic. Before he could charge up the spell the door to the next car opened.

"Not so fast!" bellowed a huge, heavily muscled man carrying a giant mace with a blunt blade welded to the side. Dark quickly jumped up, away from the force of the hammer throw that was thrust at him. The weapon struck the edge of the cargo car, sending tremors throughout the car. A chorus of terrified bahs rang out as the bar bounced on the tracks.

The mage clung onto the edge of the car's roof as he looked to his attacked.

The hammer fighter was a huge mahogany tanned man, with brawly muscled that barely fit his red and brown uniform. A rough tattoo of a scorpion bulged on his exposed arm and a scar graced his right eye .

"Another Warrior. It shouldn't take long to dispose of him." Dark thought to himself. Before he could aim his staff serpent of leather coiled around the rod with a snap. He gasped as his weapon was pulled from his hand and flew behind him. The mage watched to see another attacker in the same uniform. A female this time, with long chocolate hair and carried a whip.

"You've just been thorned." The woman smirked while she unwrapped the wizard's weapon.

Dark Magician's eyes narrowed. Now he was unarmed, against the skilled fighters atop of a fast moving train.

CELTIC GUARDIAN'S WILD RIDE

CELTIC GUARDIAN

The elf stumbled off his feet when the car shook suddenly. The echo of a thousands frightened bahs rang in his ear to the point of deafness, "What in Ra's name was that?" he turned to see a giant fallow Dark to the roof. He was about to go up to help when he heard a faint but distinct sound by the crates that lined the opposite end of the car. The sound was not that of a Scapegoat. He knew his sword quickly to the crates, "Show yourself!"

A scrawny petite boy with yellow spiky hair tied with a red band.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Celtic demanded, and the touch of a curved knife to his neck answered him

"You're worst nightmare."

On reflex the Warrior grabbed his assailant's arm and thrust his body forward, flipping the attacker over himself to the floor. The knife scraped the side of the elf's neck, enough to bleed but not fatal. He braced his sword tightly to the now two intruders, each in red with tanned armor. Celtic's eyes widened when his eyes caught the mark of the scorpion tattoos upon their right arms.

The boy sprung up from the crates and swung his hammer at the elf.

Celtic Guardian was able to thwart the attack easily enough, thought the clustering of the noisy Scapegoats was a distraction he kept himself between the lambs and the uniformed assailants, "I will ask one more time. Who are you people?"

The taller attacker smirked in response, "You must have been in a hole all your life, or very ignorant." The lenses of his glasses flashed, "We are the most notorious band of thieves in all the realms."

"The Dark Scorpions is our name, thievery is our game." the shorted thief added.

Celtic tightened his grip on the sword, "If you are here about these Scapegoats I cannot let you harm them."

They merely laughed, "Fool." Replied the older one, "We have been paid especially well to guard these lambs until the final stop."

Suddenly the train shook violently on the tracks, bouncing about the car. All three Warriors struggled to remain balanced. Celtic Guardian ducked at the last second as the ceiling above bulged down in a rounded depression with sharp studs sticking through the metal

The Dark Scorpions shouted, "Watch it Gorg!"

The battle ensued.

Celtic was able to hold his own against the two Dark Scorpions Cliff the Trap Remover, and Chick the Yellow while the train car rumbled roughly, causing the lambs to stir anxiously. The bandits were not in his level of offensive might, but they were still cunning and crafty. He blacked Chick's hammer attack easily enough with his sword. But he realized that these bandits were stalling for time, but for what? He knew that he had to end this fight quickly and help Dark. His eyes glanced around to see Dark's leather care case on the floor. The made must have left it behind accidently. With a swift motion he sprinted to the case and drew a card from inside, "As much as I'd like to chat with you two, I have other things to do."

The trap card in his hand began to glow.

Cliff quickly pulled a card of his own and flung it you the one in the elf's hand. The two cards flickered and sparked madly, their conflicting energies surged until both disappeared into flames.

"What the-?"

The bandit smirked, "They don't call me 'The Trap Remover' for nothing."

Celtic Guardian grunted. She shifted his sword ready when, unexpectedly, the train turned sharply. The car tremored and tilted onto its side wheels. The Warriors, crates, and sheep rocked and fell to the side of the car. The elf grunted as they fell into a massive group pile.

A green magic card slipped out from Cliff's pocket and slid across the floor. One of the Scapegoats, a wooly pink ewe, picked up the card with its teeth.

"Let go of that you mindless cotton ball." The thief protested and tried to grab the little lamb.

Bleating, the Scapegoat hopped out of the way and neared the point eared elf. She released the card before the swordsman and baahed loudly.

Celtic starred at the little goat for a brief moment, then look to the card, "Another Remove Trap?"

The lamb baaed again and happed away. Where the lamb shoot was the Dragon Capture Jaw that they 'discovered' earlier. "If I use this spell to break the jar then the Dragon inside would be free. But how do we know if it is one that will help us. For all we know there could be a Red Eyes Black Dragon in there…" he took hold of the jar and slipped it in his pocket, just in case.

The smallest bandit, Chick scrambled out from the stack of cargo, "Hands off the merchandise elf boy!"

Celtic pulled himself back up to his feet once the car was back on all wheels. He held the jar and Trap Removal card.

The two bandits stood away from the warrior elf, not wanting to provoke him to release the Dragon. "Don't do anything foolish elf. You'll end up killing all of us if you break that jar."

The guardian held the item firmly, "Just tell me what I need to know and no one gets hurt." Before he could interrogate the bandits further he spotted his friend through a window. Immediately he threw the card out the window to the constricting chains.

DARK MAGICIAN'S WILD RIDE

DARK MAGICIAN

The large strongman swung his mace at the wizard with an earth shattering thrust.

Dark jumped out of the way to miss the attack, leaving the weapon to strike against the top of the car, leaving a deep depression where he once stood.

"Watch is Gorg!" a voice shouted from the other side.

"Someone is in there with Celtic!" Dark thought. That momentary distraction would cost him immediately as his focus was split a bladed Kunai with Chain coiled around his arms and waist, tightening around him with constricting force, "Gah!"

Meanae of the Dark Scorpions grinned widely, "Hit him again Gorg!"

"With pleasure sister!" the giant Warrior replied and swung his ball mace again.

The wizard bit back a painful grunt as he was knocked from the rooftop and swung along the side the car. The Kunai with Chain tightened around his frame. He swung along the side of the car. The seeping tired over the tracks roared in his ears, bit is wasn't enough to drown out the voices of the thieves above.

"Fishing for wizards." The woman laughed, "Think I should throw it back?" she tugged the chain tauntingly, causing him to fall closer to the tracks.

Gorg the Strong walked over the depression he made to Meanae, "Let's make him into a trophy."

"Great idea. There's probably a huge bounty on his head we can cash in." Gorg reached for his belt and pulled a magic card of his own. He slapped the card against his iron mace which began to glow in an eerie dark light. The handle started to form grotesque veins that pulsed with blood lusting energy.

"For power beyond compare,

Turn my weapon to the Axe of Despair!"

The beating venom enveloped around the entire shape of the mace. The blunted blade shot out and formed a sharpened age, cutting the very air with ease, "Get him in range."

The chains snapped unexpectedly and fell apart. Dark quickly focused his magical energies to prevent himself from falling onto the track and levitated back on top of the train, about a care away from the Dark Scorpions, "Now it's MY turn." He crossed his arms, chanting lowly.

Out from the very shadows of Yami itself come living chains of blackened iron that surrounded Meanae and Gorg. A single pull by the enchanted links entrapped the bandits together so quickly that the strongman's Axe of Despair flew from his hand.

Dark smirked as he approached them, "Never mess with a DARK sorcerer in his own realm." He pulled his staff free from the thieves "Now to get back to Celtic before-" his thought was cut short as the car tremmuered suddenly. The cars near the front of the train began to speed up further away from the cargo car they were on. The connectors between the sections had been severed by the blade of a giant axe. Dark sprinted to catch up with the rest of the train, but is had already moved too far ahead, "Looks like we're on our own now…" He climbed back into the car to find Celtic Guardian standing above two more bandits, who were bound and gagged, and pinned down by a herd of lambs.

"What took you so long?"

Sorry it's not as long as i would have liked. Finals have left me spiritually drained. R and R and enjoy