NINE YEARS LATER…

It's been nine years. We were trained with weapons of the finest quality in Neverwinter. A small girl with pink hair came to us, explaining that she ran from the Underdark. She joined us. Synval and the cloaked kid (later on we found out his name was Hiroji) left us. She said that she felt she didn't belong here. Hiroji followed soon after. I wonder if I'll ever see her again? Oh, well. The nine of us (me, Daven, Elvie, Arden, Oza, Kyo, Jiro, Arma, and Lyrra pink haired girl) have formed a group of well-trained warriors. It's a good thing Shinji passed hid knowledge of combat on to us. Basically, we keep the trouble out of town. But I sense something's coming to change our fate…

Elvie wrapped her tail around a small ball and slung it into a net.

"Yes, we win!" she cheered. Rei and Arma jumped and Lyrra clapped her hands.

"Aww, great. That means…" Daven turned to Arden.

"We do the dishes tonight. AGH!" Arden huffed.

"S'kay, guys! Have fun!" Elvie patted Jiros shoulder and ran off to join the other girls.

"Come on, Oza. We lost. It's our night to do dishes," Arden grumbled.

"Hows a dog gonna do the dishes?" Daven asked.

"He can fetch the water." Arden said.

"But that's my job!" Daven fretted.

"Then you can dry them!" Arden aid exasperatedly.

"But that's Jiros job!" Daven flipped.

"Why are you so eager to do work?" Arden asked. No one seemed to notice that Kyo took off.

"Yeah, why?" Jiro asked.

"Uh, I uh…" Daven began.

"Guys! Look what we found!" Rei was running back to them, followed by Arma, Elvie and Lyrra. She was holding a cherry wood box.

"What is it?" Jiro asked.

"We don't know yet. It's locked. Hold on…" Elvie dug in her pocket and pulled out a lock pick kit, "There. See?"

It's a flute!" Rei gasped, "look! It has my name on it...?"

"Its like someone wanted you to find it…" Jiro said.

But I don't know how to play a flute." She picked it up and it began to glow, "Huh… now I do…"

"Lets go show your mom!" Jiro said all excited-like.

"Alright, come on!" they ran to the temple. Shinji was talking with Aribeth.

"Shh… look!" Elvie whispered.

"What, what are they talking about?" Arma asked, trying to hear it with her weak human ears. Rei listened intently.

"…so the Underdark is gathering an army?" Aribeth said.

"Yes mistress. If we don't act soon, all of Neverwinter will be gone in days. Maybe even hours." Shinji said.

"Hmm…" she sat in deep thought," I guess we'll send in our army, then.

"Kohoku village has sent their army to help us. With them, we shall win." Shinji said in a confident voice.

True. And surely our soldiers will be of a great assistance. Our children…" Aribeth finished.

"Huh? Is she talking about us?" Elvie asked.

"Where are we going?" Jiro asked.

"I've heard about this before. I think were going to war." Rei said, solemnly.

"But were only teens!" Arma fretted. Kyo appeared,

"We… have a problem… some… things… coming." He panted.

"Kyo, where have you been? What's wrong?" asked Rei.

"I… was doing the dishes… elementals… they, they…" he showed them a gash in his left arm. It had scorch marks all around it, "I… they… sorry." He looked down in shame.

"Oh, no!" Arden cried.

"Sh-shush!" Elvie reprimanded.

"We gotta go stop them!" said Lyrra.

"Come on!" Rei ran into the kitchen, taking out her zanbatou . The others followed, drawing their weapons.

"Shit," Shinji mumbled, "they're here."

"Agh! They're fire elementals!" Elvie slashed at one with her tonfa.

"Augh!" Arden cried, "Burn!"

"I… got to go… get help" Kyo said, still bleeding.

"Epu Solenu Somadka! " Rei cried out, a cone of cold blasting from her hands, freezing an elemental a it shattered to the ground. A moment later, Kyo returned with Aribeth and Shinji.

"Oh my lord…" Shinji groaned.

"Eeyah!" cried Arma slashing another elemental with her rapier.

"Augh, help us!" Lyrra cried, spotting them while she blocked a blow with her chainsaw sword.

"Ha ha ha! I emerge victorious!" Jiro said a little too triumphantly, not noticing he was about to be ambushed by another.

"Heh, heh… still too big-headed aren't you, Jiro." Said Elvie as she cut down the ambushing elemental.

"I…" he said (anime sweat bubble appears on his head) "damn…"

"Anymore?" asked Rei. She spun around slashing the remaining elementals with her zanbatou.

"I think that's it!" Daven gashed the last one.

"Kyo!" Jiro called, running to him. He was out cold.

"No!" Rei ran to him, "Kyo… wake up, come on… wake up!" she shook him slightly.

Aribeth walked over to them, "Hold on. Let me handle this." She gently took his injured arm in her hands and healed it.

"Kyo?" Rei asked silently.

"I… don't.. feel so…" he put his hand to his mouth in attempt not to vomit. Rei backed away a little bit, "uh, you okay?" she asked him. Elvie pushed a bucket nearby him.

"He's sick!" Jiro exclaimed.

"The side effects of my Lay on Hands spell will make him dizzy for a while, but he'll be okay." Aribeth said.

"I'm fine…" he vomited into the bucket Elvie gave him. Rei held back his hair, and Elvie got him a cup of water.

"Dude…" Arden droned, looking at his scorched mace. The flames were dying out on the walls around them, and left scorch marks behind.

"I'm not going to the Underdark without Kyo." Jiro said angrily, flaring his wings up at Aribeth.

"How did you know about that?" Aribeth asked him.

"We overheard your speech. We won't leave without him. That's the point. And why are you offering us up like this? What if we don't want to go to war, mother?" Rei protested.

"I thought id never have to tell you this, Rei… Daven. I am not your mother.' Aribeth said in a solemn tone.

"… oh, then what's this?" Rei handed her the flute from earlier.

"this is your real mothers. She wanted you to have it. Btu she never got a chance to give it to you. Because she lost her life to your father."

Kohaku village- a village near a big forest. Created by Mew, it's the war village of the story.

Zanbatou- a halberd like weapon. It consists of a long wooden or metal stick, with a thick, heavy blade at one end, and a metal blunt at the other.

Tonfa- if you've played soul calibur, then you know what this is. Its talims weapon. If not, a tonfa is a small blade with a horizontal handle. When you hold the handle, he blade should go up your elbow.

Chainsaw sword- Lyrra's weapon, consists of a blade with spikes sticking out of it