Author's Notes: Hey hey! Just thought I'd let you all know that I will be on vacation next two weeks, so I won't be able to update Arelle. I'm going to my very first Anime Convention, Anime Central ~.^ I'm so excited! Well, I just thought I'd let you know and all. No more updates for two weeks. But the schedule resume as soon as I get back, k? Thanks for reaidng Arelle!

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Last time on Arelle…

Suddenly, the room lit up in a blaze of flame. The party gasped and looked on in horror as they saw at least a hundred Cutthroats filling the room, all with torches and weapons drawn, grinning evilly.

"Ah, so you've arrived—Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat."

"Respitas!" Akinen exclaimed, horrified.

"You seem surprised, old friend!" Respitas said grinning widely. "I didn't expect you so early…but no matter. At least I had a proper greeting awaiting you," Respitas smiled.

"Respitas, stop this madness!" Akinen said. "Ye kidnapped Arelle, then ye try to kill me and my companions? We were once friends and companions! Has your greed really blinded ye so?"

"Companions?" Respitas snarled, "Friends? You know well enough, Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat, that I hated you from the day you arrived at the Cutthroats. I tried to get rid of you in every way I could think of, and continually plotted your demise. Our relationship, Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat, is far from friendship!"

"I was willing to be yer companion, Respitas! I never held a grudge against you," Akinen said.

"Yes, you are right, Aka," Respitas said. "And that's another one of our differences. You were always trying to be companions, when it was obvious we were destined to be rivals!"

At this, Respitas charged Akinen, sword drawn. Akinen blocked the attack with his sword, watching Respitas's expression change to an angry scowl.

"ATTACK!" Respitas yelled to the Cutthroats. Suddenly the party backed up as they saw the crowd of Cutthroats coming towards them. Drahkin and Lilliah glanced at each other and nodded before taking fighting stances. Drahkin drew his sword, and Lilliah began casting a spell, while Respitas charged Akinen again.

Moren was searching for any trace of Arelle. How could he find her in this huge room of Cutthroats, if she was even in this room at all? Suddenly, he caught sight of something hanging from the ceiling, somewhere close to the middle of the huge room. It appeared to be a huge, gray cage.

Moren squinted, looking hard. Yes, it was a cage. And it looked like Arelle was in it, too. Suddenly, he saw one of the Cutthroats jabbing his spear at her through the bars of the cage. Moren's anger overcame him as he saw Arelle avoiding the spear that he thrust at her, and he began running to towards the cage, through the crowd of Cutthroats.

Moren used his sword to wildly cut through the crowd, making his way to Arelle. He yelled in fury, and those in his way either moved or were cut down quickly in Moren's rage. Moren's eyes rarely left the cage that held Arelle as he made his way through the room full of Cutthroats.

In the cage, Arelle was dodging the attacks of the Cutthroat as he thrust his spear at her from below. The cage was made completely of iron bars, so it was pretty easy for someone tall enough to reach the cage to fit his spear through the holes in the bottom. The reason Respitas had ordered to raise the cage holding Arelle in the first place was because the Cutthroats kept trying to kill her by sticking swords through the bars and slashing at her, and Respitas needed her alive for ransom. Never before had Arelle known of people who wished to kill just for the pleasure of it. Just the thought of it made her shiver.

Arelle glanced around the cave at her companions as they fought off the Cutthroats before she leapt to the other side of the cage to avoid another jab from the Cutthroat below. Being up high, she had a good view of what was happening below, and she grieved for her companions. They were facing a hundred Cutthroats for her sake!

More than ever, this incident had made Arelle wish she could use magic. She had a basic understanding of magic now, thanks to Moren, but Moren had never actually taught her any spells, or ways to manipulate the flow to do the things she wanted, such as healing or fire spells. Basically, she was useless against her Cutthroat captors. How Arelle wished to be a Spell-caster like Moren or Lilliah!

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Moren making his way through the Cutthroat crowds, heading straight for her cage. She was surprised—he cut down men without a second thought. He was in a blind fury. Arelle had never seen Moren like this, and it made a shiver run up her spine when she saw the expression on his face. She was distracted from her thoughts, however, by another jab from the Cutthroat below, which she nimbly avoided.

Meanwhile, Lilliah and Drahkin were still facing off against the crowds of Cutthroats. Fortunately, most of the Cutthroats weren't that tough—they were much less skilled than Lilliah or Drahkin, and none of them appeared to be Casters.

Before the battle had even really begun, Lilliah had cast a spell on the crowds of Cutthroats that made their movements slowed down. The spell only effected about thirty of them, but it still helped a lot. After the slowing spell, Lilliah began casting fire spells, and the Cutthroats were horrified when they felt the flames wrap around their feet and spread up to their bodies, scorching them.

Meanwhile, Drahkin had his huge sword drawn and was making quick work of the Cutthroats around him. With one swing of his huge sword, he could fell two or three at a time, and few could get near enough to hit him because of his swiftness.

But while they were doing well against the crowd of Cutthroats considering how many there were of them…In reality, they were losing. There were just too many Cutthroats! The archers were the worst, shooting Lilliah and Drahkin from a distance, and as the battle waged on, they became surrounded completely by Cutthroats, which made it harder to defend themselves.

"Where's Moren?" Lilliah cried to Drahkin, as she let loose another fire spell.

"I don't know! He ran off before the battle even started—probably to find Arelle!" Drahkin said, slicing a man with his sword.

"I hope he saves her…" Lilliah muttered.

Arelle watched as Moren came closer and closer to the cage, chopping down any in his path. Her heart beat inside her chest—soon she would be free from these Cutthroats!

"Moren…" she sighed, and then jerked as she saw a huge Ogre attack Moren. The Ogre's heavy club came down on an unsuspecting Moren, and Moren barely slipped out of the way enough to only be brushed by the side of it. Moren quickly jumped away from the Ogre and ran on, leaving the Ogre trotting after him.

Arelle watched worriedly, jerking whenever a Cutthroat hit, or almost hit, Moren. Suddenly, the spear came from below Arelle again, jabbing an unsuspecting Arelle in the foot. Arelle gasped in pain as she toppled over, blood spurting from her injury. She saw the Cutthroat below her grin as he prepared to jab at her again—this time, though, she would be less able to dodge, with her foot injured. His thrust was fast, and Arelle barely managed to roll out of the way, seeing the spear come up within inches of her stomach. She heard him chuckling evilly beneath her, and she gulped, preparing to try to roll out of the way again, but knowing that she had little chance of avoiding him for long.

Squinting in pain, she watched as he prepared to stab at her again. Fast came his spear, and Arelle rolled over quickly, trying to avoid his spear again. But the spear never came through the bars.

Arelle looked down to see why he had stopped in the middle of his attack. Below her, she saw Moren standing on the body of the Cutthroat that had been attacking her, pulling his sword out of the Cutthroat's back.

"Moren!" Arelle exclaimed, astonished.

He looked up at her, the rage in his eyes leaving now.

"Arelle!" he replied.

Suddenly, Arelle saw behind Moren the Ogre he had barely managed to escape. It had caught up with him!

Arelle gasped as she saw the Ogre raise his club, preparing to smash the unsuspecting Moren.

"Moren! Look out!" Arelle cried. Moren turned just in time to see the Ogre's club coming down on him…

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Well, as I said in my Author's Notes above, I will be on vacation for the next two weeks, which means no more updates till I get back. I'm really sorry about leaving you at such a cliffhanger--really, I am!--but I can assure you that Moren does not die. Just so you know and all. Sorry! Please don't hate me! .

Blue the Echidna: Wow! Thats a lot of cutthroats! Hope everyone makes it out. Drahkin has returned, Yay! Impatiently waiting for the next chapter. :)
Amai's Reply: It is a lot of Cutthroats, isn't it? When my proof-reader, Tess, read it, she was like, "Goodness that's a lot of Cuthroats! ...Are you sure they can handle that many?..." ^.^ And yes, Yay! indeed, for Drahkin has returned. Yet you still don't get to find out about his past yet! Yay for mysterious bounty hunters with troubled pasts!

Aniviel Freespirit: Whoa too many cutthroats! I was wondering when Drahkin was coming back hope he gets Respitas. :) Waiting for next chappy!
Amai's Reply: Yes, Drahkin's been out of the fanfic for quite some time now. It's nice having him back, I guess ^.^ Thanks for the review!