Happy Father's Day!

I do not own.

Roy glared at Van Klaus as he reached to take the orbs from his shadow creature. But before he can collect it, a fireball knocked it out of the creature's hand. All but one orb scattered across the grounds.

Van Klaus turned his head to where the attack came from. Conrad stood panting with his arm still outstretched.

"You second rate magician!" He snarled at Conrad. "You think your little parlor tricks can stop me."

"His parlor trick certainly seemed to foil your plan." A voice came from behind them.

Van Klaus whirled around to see Senarius and the master. An orb had rolled to a stop at the feet of a knight in green. He scooped it up and handed it to the wizard next to him. Conrad had picked one up as did Reselda.

"Ah Senarius, sticking your nose into other people's business again, I see." Van Klaus said sneeringly.

"This is my business. You are attacking my betrothed's home. You are threatening my friends. You have made one of us a traitor." Senarius said in a low dangerous voice.

"Bah, he came to me." Van Klaus said dismissively. "And you picked poorly."

A startled cry came from Reselda as a shadowy tendril snatched the orb from her hand and another wrapped itself around her.

"Let her go." Senarius snarled.

"When you hand over all the orbs." Van Klaus smiled slyly.

"No, don't do it! He'll…" A tendril wrapped around her mouth before she could finish.

"I want all the orbs or the princess will also be broken into 5 pieces." Van Klaus snapped.

Senarius started to lunge but his master stuck on hand out to stop him.

"We mustn't be hasty." The master said serenely. "Perhaps we can discuss this."

Van Klaus gave a mirthless chuckle. "Stop wasting time. I have no patience especially when I am so close to ultimate power." The tendrils tightened around Reselda. She grimaced.

"But do you even know how to use the orbs?" The master asked. "They are powerful yes but a layman such as yourself would not be able to use them properly."

Van Klaus' eyes flashed. "You underestimate me." He pulled off the glove on his left hand.

The master narrowed his eyes. "I thought I felt something wrong. It is an abomination to take a fey's arm as your own."

"Abomination to you but power to me!" He suddenly blasted a bolt of lightening from his hand. Senarius and the master jumped out of the way.

"Uh brother, what's going on?" Roy had made his way to his brother.

"No wonder he's so powerful." Conrad said through his teeth. "He has done the most forbidden thing. Grafting onto oneself a part of a magical creature is cursed indeed."

"He did what? Ewww." Roy turned up his nose. "Well, then I guess we're going to have to fight magic with magic." He formed his new sword and charged Van Klaus.

"Roy! Wait!" Conrad was too late. Roy was recklessly heading toward Van Klaus.

Unimpressed the tyrant pointed his fey arm and lightening knocked Roy onto his back. "You are wasting my time. Give me the orbs or you'll be gathering the pieces of the princess." With that the tendril around Reselda tightened even more.

Conrad and the master moved to hand the orbs to Van Klaus when they each used the orb to send a blast at him. Van Klaus grabbed the two orbs offered by his shadow creatures and absorbed the blast. While he was fending off the attacks of Conrad and the master. Senarius ran to Reselda and tried to slice the tendril. His sword passed through harmlessly. The body of the shadow creature rose from the ground with its other arm it attacked Senarius. As Senarius' weapon was useless against the shadow creature, he was thrown back. The creature was about to stab him when a flash of light through his core left the creature prone on the floor and then slowly melt into the ground. Senarius had the presence of mind to leap to catch Reselda as she fell. When she was safely on the ground, Senarius saw Roy was glowing blue.

"Roy, don't let Van Klaus get your orb." Senarius told him. "It has the power to defeat these shadow creatures as well as Van Klaus."

"Of course I won't! Don't worry, he's not getting my… woah!" Roy stopped in mid-sentence when several shadow creatures surrounded him. "Uh sorry fellas, my dance card is full."

The creatures swarmed all over Roy who sliced them into ribbons. Unfortunately, the ribbons gathered together to reform a bigger shadow creature.

"Huh, that's new." Roy said nervously. The creature loomed over him. "I don't suppose we can talk this through?"

Roy could have sworn the creature said no as if reached down towards him.

Reselda got in front of Roy and blasted it her small little flame magic. The creature recoiled but recovered and started advancing.

Meanwhile the master and Conrad with their orbs continued attacking Van Klaus with his orbs.

Van Klaus absorbed their attacks and turned it against them. Then for good measure used the orbs to enhance his own attacks from his fey arm. Conrad and the master nimbly avoided them. Conrad then used the arb to amplify his own magic.

"I'll show you a parlor trick." Conrad's fireball grew as it flew towards Van Klaus.

"I grow tired of these games." Van Klaus said unimpressed slapping the fireball aside.

"Then give us your orbs and leave." Roy suggested angrily .

Van Klaus laughed evilly. "I think not." He raised his grafted arm and the shadow creatures flocked to him. They swirled around him. A second later Van Klaus was wearing an armor of shadow creatures. He then whistled. The galloping sound of horses' hooves reached Roy's ears.

"Uh oh, he has reinforcement coming. That's bad." Roy gulped.

A group of 20 soldiers appeared at the edge of the group. Roy recognized the dragon crest and the wolf crest. They were the same soldiers who had tried to kidnap Reselda.

"I gave you a chance to do it the easy way, but if you want to suffer who am I to deny you?" Van Klaus asked sarcastically. "Men! Take no prisoners!"

The small army advanced upon our heroes.

I'm almost done. Sorry that it's taken so long. But between the needs of my parents, job, and kids it's hard to find time to write. But today is Father's Day after all. Fathers need all the love and support we can give. For some reason fathers don't seem to be valued but research has shown that fathers are very important in teaching their kids. So, tell those fathers or father figures in your life that you appreciate them.

Happy Father's Day.