Adam couldn't believe his eyes. Fire and black smoke took center stage in his mind as different Fablefolk ran around in fear. Adam watched in horror as the knights of the order that he had wanted to be part of were behaving no better than raiders. He had always pictured the Warriors of the Sun as peacekeepers, protectors of the innocent and brave heroes. But all those views were broken by what he was looking.
The knights were ridding on their horses holding up their swords as Fablefolk creatures ran in fear.
The cries of the Fablefolk echoed in Adam's head before Jackie's voice broke him out of it.
"What are they doing?" Jackie asked, horrified by the sight.
"I don't know? This has to be a mistake," Adam said. "The Warriors of the Sun would never do this. They are protectors not common raiders."
"We'll they apparently are doing it," Star said as she watched the buildings burn.
Adam couldn't hear her words, he needed to do something. He couldn't allow this to continue.
"You two stay here and stay out of sight," Adam said before he ran down towards the town.
"What is he doing? He's going to get himself killed," Jackie said.
"That seems about right," Star replied as Adam ran. "Well it was nice knowing him."
Jackie shot the princess a glare causing her to squint.
"Alright, we'll go help him," Star said before they both ran after Adam.
Adam ran towards the burning village as fast as his legs could take him. He felt his heart beating against his chest as he ran. He didn't know what was going to happen but he knew he had to find out what to do. Emotions swirled around inside his head, like a whirlpool pulling him down into the dark reaches of the bottom without any form of air. There had to be an explanation to what the Warriors were doing, Adam thought to himself. But every step brought him closer to the feeling of the burning buildings. A scream caught Adam's attention.
Adam spotted a group of dwarves trapped inside a burning building. He rushed towards the building and pulled at the door but it was stuck. He looked inside the building. He saw that the people inside were trapped by a downed column and the room was filling up with smoke. The terrified faces of the dwarves made Adam feel emboldened to try something, he couldn't waste any time.
"Hang on!" Adam called out before pulling back his ax.
Adam brought down the ax against the door, sending splinters and burnt pieces with every strike. He swung the ax again and again, slowly cutting down the door. After five heavy strikes, the door was finally torn apart, allowing Adam to help the dwarves escape. Adam coughed before he ran to where the burning column was crushing a dwarf.
Two dwarves were trying to lift the burning column.
Adam picked up the column, wincing from the pain. He lifted the column with the aid of the other two dwarves. After the column was raised, Adam held it up as the third dwarf was pulled out of the rubble.
Once the dwarves were free they turned to Adam as he dropped the column before holding his hands in pain.
Adam turned to the dwarves before pointing to the exit.
"Go! Now!" Adam instructed as the dwarves ran out of the building.
The dwarves rushed out with Adam right behind them, coughing from the smoke. Once outside, Adam was able to breath fresh air before seeing the Warriors of the Sun gathering in the center of the village.
Adam rushed towards them with ax in hand, hoping to get answers for their actions.
In the center of the village, five knights surrounded a humanoid frog creature wearing a black shirt, grey gladiator style skirt and spiked shoulder pads. He held a broad sword in his hands, ready to face his enemies.
"We'll ask you once more, Fablefolk," a knight asked. "Where are your weapons?"
"There are no weapons here! There only be peaceful creatures here!" the frog man said. "Now come and face me like men!"
"Like we'd ever lower ourselves to meet you in the ground," another knight laughed.
The Warriors of the Sun unsheathed their swords and charged at the frog man. They swung their swords downwards trying to cut down the Fablafolk creature. But the frog man would not be brought down so easily.
The frog man blocked the swings of the swords with his broadsword before jumping high in the air with his strong legs. He held his sword high in the air before bringing it down on one of the knights, knocking him off of his horse. The knight grabbed hold of the frog man's arm. The frog man felt the burn of the iron armor forcing him to jump back, only to be knocked back by a morningstar.
The frog man was sent to the ground as the knights circled around him with their swords drawn and ready to strike.
"You shall pay for attacking a human city, Fablefolk," the knight said as he held up his sword. "Any last words?"
"Cowards," the Frog man replied.
The knight got ready to strike down the frog man with his sword only to be blocked by another blade.
The frog man looked up to gasp in surprise as another human with an iron ax blocked the sword.
The knights all stared with surprise as a human stood in between the knight and the frog man.
"What are you doing boy?" the knight asked. "This monster attacked us."
"Why are you attacking this place? These Fablefolk weren't doing anything!" Adam said as he struggled to hold the sword back with his ax. "You were setting their homes on fire."
"They attacked a human city!" the knight said before drawing back his sword. "They must pay! And no traitor will get in out way!"
The knight swung his sword forcing Adam to jump back, avoiding the a cut to his head.
This chaos gave the frog man the opening to reclaim his sword and kick back one of the knights.
Adam tried to regain his footing but the knight kept swinging. All his practice with the tree had not prepared him for all these swings, but he had to think of something
"Wait for the opening!" the frog man instructed as he uppercutted a knight in the face.
Adam heard the instruction. He tried to figure out the rhythm and the patterns of the knight's attack to find an opening. He began counting, one, two, three. Adam counted the swings twice before spotting his opening. But by every time he tried to block or dodge the attacks, he was cut and scratched by the knight's blade. A cut on his arm, one in his left cheek and another one in his right arm.
The knight jumped forward with his sword aimed directly at Adam's chest.
Adam took this chance. He sidestepped to the left before swinging the blade of his ax directly at the knight's face. Bringing him down.
The blade went into the helmet's visor imbedding itself in the knight's head. Killing him there.
Adam stood in shock as he had actually killed another human being. He had never killed someone before. His hands were shivering as he let go of the ax. But before he could process what had happened another knight came from behind and punched him to the ground.
"Betrayer!" the knight called. "You shall pay for betraying your kind!"
Adam's eyes went wide as the knight prepared to stab him. But the attack never came.
"EXPLODING CRYSTAL CUPCAKES!"
A purple light followed by crystals shaped cupcakes struck the knights sending them flying.
Adam looked in shock as the knights flew away from him. He then looked towards the origin of the crazy magic and saw the source of it.
Princess Star Butterfly. And standing next to her was Jackie.
"Oh, yeah, I was so dying to do that!" Star called out like a girl in a candy shop. "Are there more knights to knock around?"
Jackie rushed to Adam's side and helped him get back to his feet as Star looked for the knights to blast once more.
"Are you alright?" Jackie asked. "We need to get you out of here."
"Y-Yeah, we have to get out of here," Adam said regaining his senses.
"What? But I was just getting into it," Star whined before firing another blast of magic at one of the runaway knights.
"This way, follow me!" the frog man called to the three young adults.
Adam grabbed hold of the sword of one of the fallen knights before he, Jackie and Star took off after the frog man. They ran following the frog man through the smoke and the fire. They coughed a little as they arrived at the border of the burning village. The heat of the fire was still on their skin when they ran into the forest.
Night had fallen and the now four person group gathered around a camp fire. Adam kept looking at his hands and was quiet for the most part. Jackie remained by his side as she tried to calm him. Star for her part was sitting close to the fire, taking in the heat of the fire. And finally, the frog man stared at Adam with his sword at the ready.
"Is it the first time you killed a man?" the frog man asked, getting Adam's attention.
"Is it that obvious?" Adam asked looking at the frog man.
"Well yeah, you're shaking like a leaf," Star said, earning a glare from Adam. "But at least you popped your killing cherry. Congratulations!"
Adam didn't answer. He was more focused on the fact that knights of the Warriors of the Sun had attacked a seemingly peaceful Fablefolk village.
The frog man took this chance to speak.
"So you are the human that kidnapped the daughter of queen Moon?" the frog man asked. "I expected a trained killer, not a young human that cannot stomach a kill."
Adam stood up against that claim.
"I didn't kidnap Star. I found her knocked out in the woods and foolishly brought her home and then all this mess started," Adam snapped. "Now were in the midst of war and it's all my fault."
"Adam, no one blames you for what's been happening," Jackie said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I do," Star mumbled under her breath.
The frog man stood up looking directly at Adam. He was looking for any signs of deceit in his words but he found none. He had been face to face against many humans in his life, but rarely would he find one that was truthful with his words.
"What is your name human?" the frog man asked.
"My name is Adam Lakestone," Adam replied. "What is your name?"
"My name is Buffrog," Buffrog replied. "What is it that you seek?"
"I want to fix my mistake," Adam said. "I want to stop this war that's started because of my actions. I don't want people to get hurt. Human or Fablefolk."
"How do you intend to do that?" Buffrog asked.
"We found out that the Gospel of Glossaryck was written in two versions, that's what started the first conflict," Adam replied. "But we need a witch to translate the notes."
Buffrog didn't say anything at the moment, he thought of what he had just heard. The human had proven that he wasn't a liar and that he wasn't a killer. Buffrog was not going to get involved in this, he had to find his people and help them relocate. But if this human and the other two Fablefolk were going to go poking their nose into this then he had to do something for them. He spotted his sword.
"Pick up your weapon," Buffrog said before grabbing his sword. "The sword you grabbed will do."
"What?" Adam asked.
"You need to learn how to fight," Buffrog said. "You move good with an ax but you need a better weapon. And you need to learn how to fight with it."
Adam did as Buffrog instructed. He grabbed hold of the sword he took from the knight and walked up to Buffrog. He stood in front of the more experienced Fablefolk, feeling the weight of the sword in his hands. He had used and worked on swords for many years but only now did he feel the weight of the weapon. However, he also knew that this was part of the path that he was on.
"We shall start with the beginning positions," Buffrog said standing in front of Adam. "Do as I do."
Buffrog assumed his first combat stance. He lowered his legs and spread them, holding the sword with both hands in front of him, pointed at Adam.
Adam imitated the position that Buffrog had and assumed his own stance.
"The blade of your weapon is an extension of your body," Buffrog said. "And your body is an extension of your eyes."
Buffrog then began to change his stance with Adam following his movements. Going from a defensive position to an attack. The second stand showed the sword striking down and pushing forwards. The third position was once more a defensive movement with spinning the sword upwards with both arms. He then pulled back the sword before doing a circular slash in the air and bringing down another strike.
Adam did all of the movements that Buffrog was showing him and coping them.
"Why are they doing all this stuff?" Star asked. "I let things just happen and do little to nothing. And things always turn out great for me."
"Personally, I can see why they do this," Jackie said, getting Star's attention.
"Why do you say that?" Star asked.
"Humans aren't like us Fablefolk, they may be born with some natural talent or might be better at somethings than others," Jackie recalled. "But they still have to work for everything. This is just one of the many things that they have to learn."
Adam and Buffrog continued on with their lessons as the night went on. They repeated the stances and then proceeded to do some sparring between the two of them.
"Are you sure we shouldn't practice a little more?" Adam asked.
"In real world you only get so much practice before the real deal comes swinging," Buffrog replied. "Now, get ready. First position."
Adam assumed the first position and prepared himself for the spar. He jumped in swinging his sword and clashed blades with Buffrog. Buffrog jumped back before Adam attacked once more. Adam held the sword high hoping that was where the attack would come from but Buffrog surprised him by launching his tongue hitting him in the face. Adam fell on his butt before rolling back to his feet.
"What was that?!" Adam asked, wiping the saliva from his face.
"A real battle is never as predictable as you may think, young man," Buffrog said before resuming his attack. "You must be unpredictable and strategize on the fly. If you wish to survive in this world."
Adam got ready and jumped back into the fight. He went for a horizontal slice only to be blocked by Buffrog's own blade before being pushed back. Adam steadied himself and tried to find a pattern for Buffrog's movements. If he didn't have the same years of experience as Buffrog then he'd have to improvise. Adam rolled to his right avoiding a downwards strike from the experienced fighter before getting back to his feet and charging once more with his sword. But Buffrog jumped out of the way with ease, avoiding Adam's attack. Adam then realized how to defeat or at least get an edge in the battle.
Adam focused on Buffrog's legs and charged once more to fight. He swung his sword low to catch the legs and to force him to continue hopping.
"You're wasting energy with these swings!" Buffrog said as he jumped.
As Buffrog was saying that, Adam took this chance to spin in a circle to strike at Buffrog while in the air.
Buffrog saw the attack and was only barely able to block it, earning a scratch on his chainmail shirt. Surprisingly, Buffrog laughed at the scratch that Adam had been able to inflict despite his short amount of training.
"What-what did you think of that?" Adam panted.
"You did good, young man," Buffrog said, patting Adam in the back. "In a few years, you may become a fierce swordsman."
Adam fell down to the ground exhausted after the day.
"it's been a long day," Jackie said as Star laughed.
The smoldering remains of the Fablefolk village were being approached by Captain Mina and some of her knights. She jumped off of her horse before spotting the remnants of the fallen knight with the ax still imbedded in its skull.
"So, the milksop has indeed turned traitor to his own kind," Mina said as she tore the ax along with the knight's head. "I knew I smelled a coward in him."
She turned to the other knights and signaled them to get closer.
"Bring the beast here," Mina ordered.
Two knights pulled an metal cage by a pair of chains. Inside of it was a tall green scaly creature with an amethyst stuck in its left eye. The creature was much like a lizard with spikes on its shoulders, sharp claws, and a long tail.
"You have a mission, Rasticore," Mina said with a dark smile on her face. "You should be happy, you won't be skulking in the city sewers waiting for your master. Now you will help us find the key."
Rasticore growled within his cage as Mina walked up to it with the ax in her hand.
"Sniff and lead us to the key," Mina commanded, raising the ax up to Rasticore's nose. "Doctor's orders."
Rasticore sniffed and inhaled the scent on the ax. The reptile creature rattled inside its cage feeling the need to follow the trace.
"Let's make Glossaryck's last commanded," Mina said before the door of the cage was opened and Rasticore jumped out. "Time to hunt."
The sun had risen in the forest, the leaves of the trees rustled in the wind as the morning mists were being pulled away into the earth. The undergrowth was covered with the morning dew.
After spending the night practicing and learning from Buffrog, the group decided to split off to find Star's friend, Janna.
Adam shook hands with Buffrog.
"Thank you for all the help Buffrog," Adam said. "You sure you don't want to come with us?"
"I'm afraid that I cannot, I must find my people and help them rebuild," Buffrog said. "War will be upon everyone in the land and we must prepare. Whatever path you may take, I wish you good fortune. You two better keep an eye on him."
"Thanks, we'll look out for anything weird or wild," Jackie said.
"Have a nice trip, Buffrog," Star waved.
Buffrog smiled as he turned around and began walking down the other end of the trail.
"May the world and the fates be with you all," Buffrog said waving goodbye to the trio of travelers.
Adam, Jackie and Star waved back before heading towards their next destination. As they walked down the path, Adam looked down to his new sword and held its handle. He could feel that the world was now getting much bigger, but even more dangerous.
The trio walked through the forest for hours until the sun laid above them as the birds chirped above them. Adam could even feel like nothing could go wrong this day. Jackie had been very observant of her surroundings like a child seeing the forest for the first time, but being careful enough to not step on a flower or an insect. Star was skipping as usual, like nothing was wrong in the world.
As they walked through the woods, little by little the colorful leaves and trees turned black and spooky. The trees appeared to become more and more twisted. The branches resembled clawed hands with leaves sprouting from them to block out the sun. The trunks of the trees had purple and blue colored markings, glyphs, Celtic marks and runes. Mushrooms grew from the ground and the bottom of the trees. Boulders and rocks around the path -that had been carved with faces of different gods and monsters- were covered by moss, and roots from the trees.
Adam couldn't help but feel like they were walking towards the mouth of the wolf. He kept his left hand on the sword's sheath, just in case.
"So, Star, is this the right way?" Adam asked.
"Yeah, calm down already," Star said. "I know the way to my girl Janna's pad like the back of my hand."
"This place sure is creepy cool," Jackie said as she watched a spider capture a butterfly the size of a bat in its web.
"Yeah," Adam added as he saw the butterfly eating the spider. "creepy sure sounds right about this place."
The trio continued to walk with Adam feeling more and more uneasy as the trees blocked the light of the sun.
Jackie looked back and saw how uneasy Adam looked. She remembered something that she read in one of her books. Jackie stepped in front of Adam, startling him.
"Whoa, Jackie, don't-" Adam began only to be cut off by Jackie kissing him on the lips.
The kiss was quick and on the lips, putting Adam in utter shock.
"There, now do you feel better?" Jackie asked.
"Um what was that suppose to be?" Adam asked as a blush crept on his face.
"I read it in one of my books, apparently humans get very brave when someone kisses them on the lips," Jackie said. "So, did it work?"
Adam didn't know how to respond. On one hand, Jackie had tried to get him to help him out. Which was a nice thing. But on the other hand, she had kissed him with no knowledge on what that might mean.
"Um, Jackie, a kiss -like the one you gave me- is often something that happens when two people like each other," Adam tried to explain. "In a romantic way. Not saying that it was bad, but it's something that you can't do with just about anyone."
Jackie took in the information and suddenly her eyes grew wide and an embarrassed blush appeared on her face.
"Oh, I am just going to walk ahead then," Jackie turned back and walked to catch up with Star.
Adam wanted to kick himself for making the situation so awkward. He wanted to take back what he said and just try to act cool, but he felt he just couldn't leave it like that.
However, as Adam had his own mental rant, Jackie had a small smile on her face. Even if it wasn't aware of the meaning of the kiss she was happy that Adam was feeling a little better.
They continued to walk until they came upon a house. The house was more like a rundown shack with a black tile roof and a purple wood door, and purple smoke came out from the small chimney. The garden in front of the shack was filled with pumpkins that smelled like bananas.
"This is the place!" Star said pointing to the shack. "Welcome to Janna Banana's Pumpkin House!"
"I have so many questions," Jackie said looking at the shack.
"You and me both, Jackie," Adam added. "You and me both."
"Come on let's go get this bonding cut!" Star said as Adam and Jackie followed behind her.
"You know she's probably going to kill us," Adam said. "Right?"
"Yeah, most likely," Jackie replied sheepishly.
