Author's Note: Wow it's been hectic! Apologies on the lack of updating for a while, I was busy with the holidays and on top of that there is a war going on in DragonFable! Normally that takes priority, but I could feel this chapter wanting to be written so I took a quick break from the war to write it ;)

The Legacy of a Hero

Part Two: A Path is Chosen

Chapter Two

"Be careful on your way to Falconreach, Sir Pent says a great Hydra is guarding the bridge and there are bandits everywhere. You don't want a repeat from this morning." Captain Rolith cautioned.

Raven had just informed him of latest news regarding Lady Celestia and explained that she and Twilly were traveling to Falconreach.

"We will be careful." Raven assured him. Placing Twilly on her shoulder, she walked through the gates of Oaklore and turned toward the trail that would lead to Falconreach.

"Do they sell scythes in Falconreach?" She asked Twilly. He thought before answering. "Yulgar and his apprentice Konnan are the only weapon smiths in Falconreach, and I don't think they sell them. You could maybe ask them to make you one, they have filled out custom orders before." "I think I will do that, I really prefer fighting with a scythe." She said. "If you like fighting with a scythe, why do you have a staff?" Twilly asked, curious. "My scythe was destroyed. I am still searching for a replacement." Raven answered.

Out of the bushes, two Darkwolf bandits jumped out, blocking their path. Twilly hopped off of Raven's shoulder as a third bandit came out of the trees behind them and Twilly turned to face him. I should have seen this coming. Raven thought.

"HA! Another victim falls prey to the Darkwolf bandits. Your gold or your life…NOW!" One of the two in front shouted. "Hmm. How about YOUR gold or YOUR life." Raven shot back as she raised her staff. "Our gold? You've got some nerve mage; you would have made a good bandit. Too bad we have orders to waste you." Then he shouted to his comrades. "GET HER!"

They charged, but Raven was ready. She ducked as one bandit swung his mace at her head and aimed her staff at his legs in one smooth motion. Tripping over her staff, the bandit hit the ground and Raven cast a black fireball at the face of the second. He hit the ground on fire and screamed in agony. She lifted her staff, pointed jewel facing the ground, and brought it down on his flaming chest, piercing his heart and ending his suffering.

A quick glance in Twilly's direction told her that he was able to hold his own despite his small size. For a little guy he sure is resourceful. She thought as the first bandit got up off the ground and picked up his mace. Raven sent another fireball in his direction, but he ducked and it ignited the tree behind him. She parried his attack with her staff, his weapon slamming against hers.

But when she tried to pull away, she realized their weapons were stuck! The spikes on is mace had sunken in to the soft wood of her staff and embedded themselves into it. They both struggled, trying to unlock their weapons with no luck. The bandit lashed out with his boot and kicked her shin. Crying out in shock and sudden pain, Raven slammed her forehead into his. Dropping their locked weapons, the two stumbled back, each holding their heads. Note to self: No one wins in a headbut! Raven thought as she tried to stop the pounding in her head.

She looked up in time to see the bandit charge her, a dagger in is hand. His body slammed into hers, and they both hit the ground in a tangle of arms and legs, each trying to point the dagger at the other. Raven bit his wrist, and the dagger slipped from his grip. Both dove for it, but their efforts just pushed it farther away. The bandit jumped on top of Raven and wrapped his arm around her neck in a headlock. She clawed at his arm and struggled to breathe to no avail.

Remembering what Lance showed her once; Raven turned her head so that her chin pointed at his elbow and slipped out of his grip. He tried to grab her again, but a sharp elbow to the ribs sent him reeling. Raven dove for the dagger and her hand closed around the hilt. She rolled onto her back as the bandit wrestled her for small weapon. Raven slammed the point of the dagger into his soft neck and it sunk in, spraying them both in warm blood.

She stood up as the bandit made strange gurgling sounds before dying and turned to where she last saw Twilly just in time to see him knock the third and final bandit unconscious. "Are you ok?" She asked the little moglin in concern. He grinned and said. "Yep!" Returning is smile, Raven walked over to the still locked weapons and grabbed up her staff with both hands. Placing her foot on the mace, she pulled with all her might. Finally breaking free, she stumbled backward and almost fell but managed to recover her balance.

Raven frowned at the deep holes in her staff. Those holes will weaken this staff, with enough force it may break in two. She thought worriedly. Come on Waven, we are almost there!" Twilly shouted excitedly from further up the trail. "I'm coming!" She shouted back, but before she ran to join him, she saw for the first time that the bandit Twilly fought had wielded a sword, not a mace like most bandits. She picked up the sword and saw that it was more of a scimitar, the curved blade popular in desert places such as the Sandsea. Odd that this sword is found so far west. She thought. "Waven!" an impatient Twilly called. Deciding that it might be useful later, she placed the sword in her backpack as she ran to join the little red moglin. Catching up, she slowed to a walk and the two continued on side by side.

"I didn't know moglins were fighters, I thought they were just healers." Raven commented. "It used to be like that, yes. But for the past years we moglins were forced to learn a few fighting skills for our on protection and the protection of others." Twilly responded. "So you were Lady Celestia's guardian?" She asked him. "Yep!" He exclaimed proudly. Raven laughed at his exuberance.

Then Twilly frowned. "But not all moglins are healers, one of us is ebil." "Ebil?" Raven questioned. "Don't you mean evil?" Twilly shook his head. "No, Zorbak is ebil. He is a necromancer, not a healer. He creates armies of the undead and slimes and curses the trees and sends them to attack Falconreach every Friday the 13th. Sometimes the town is able to push back the waves, but sometimes there are just too many and the town is burned down." He said sadly.

"That's terrible Twilly!" Raven said. "Maybe I can help out the next time he attacks; I can fight for hours without rest." Twilly brightened up. "You would do that?" "Of course I would. Who knows? Maybe I will have a dragon fighting beside me, then we will really be able aid Falconreach." Twilly hugged her leg. "Thank you Waven." He said gratefully.

"SHHHH! Careful mage. You wouldn't want to wake this hungry, giant, sleeping, man-eating bear." Said a voice. Raven looked in the direction the voice came from, and saw a blue moglin sitting on a stump. His eyes glowed red and he had a scar stretching across his face. A torn blue cape cascaded from his shoulders and he held a wooden staff like Twilly, but instead of a leaf, his was topped with a small skull.

Looking at the trail in front of her, Raven saw a bear three times her size sleeping. Wondering how she did not the bear to begin with, she said. "Wow. That was a close call. Thank you moglin!" He simply nodded in response and Raven proceeded to quietly walk around the bear. Twilly tugged on her robes and when she bent down he whispered in her ear. "That is Zorbak." Raven's eyes widened and Zorbak shouted.

"HEY BEAR WAKE UP! LUNCH TIME!" "Shut up you little rat!" Raven hissed at him. But it was too late. With a big toothy yawn, the bear awakened and looked right at her. Uh oh. She thought as it got to its feet and walked closer.

Twilly rushed forward before she could stop him and crushed the bear's foot with his staff and leaped out of the way of its angry jaws. The bear charged him and cornered him against a tree. The bear reached out and swiped the moglin with his paws, but his razor sharp claws raked against a blue shield instead. Twilly shot her a grateful smile and Raven sent a black fireball at the bear. It exploded against its fur, tearing out a chunk of flesh and knocking it to the ground. The bear roared in anger and turned to face her.

Raven sent another black fall of flame towards the bear and it exploded at its feet sending chunks of dirt and grass flying. The bear turned and fled into the forest, deciding this meal was not worth the price.

"Interesting, I'll have to keep an eye on this one." Zorbak said before disappearing into a cloud of smoke. "So that is Zorbak?" Raven wondered out loud. "Yes. He isn't very nice, always trying to hurt people." Twilly answered as he walked to stand beside her. "Why? Why is he so morally different from all other moglins?" Twilly shrugged his little shoulders and said. "I do not know, I don't think anyone does."

Raven looked up at the darkening sky. "We are running out of daylight, we should keep moving if we want to reach town before night."

The two kept moving through the darkening forest and soon reached the end, coming out into a large clearing. The sky was a deep blue and Raven could see a few stars starting to shine. Looking over a large river separating them from Falconreach was a half moon.

"Careful Waven, the hydra is meaner at night." Twilly warned. "Maybe we should cross the bridge tomorrow?" "No, there are bandits in the woods as well as more forest animals separating us from Oaklore. Once we cross this bridge we will be safe until Falconreach." Raven said, already walking across the long wooden bridge.

They were halfway across the bridge when it started to shake. Knowing what was coming Twilly grabbed Raven's hand and shouted. "RUN!" The two raced to the other side, but it was too late. The bridge exploded in front of them and a massive green head rose out of the splinters. It towered above them and hissed, green scales glittering like emeralds in the dim light.

The giant serpent lunged for them and they dove out of the way. Twilly recovered first, and stabbed the hydra in the eye with his staff. The serpent roared in pain and thrashed about, a strange cloudy liquid spurting from its eye. Raven took the opportunity to regain her footing and cast a spell at the hydra. "Fireta!" She shouted and a black ball of flame shot out of her scarred palm and hit the hydra's neck. "Energy!" Twilly shouted. "It is of the water element, it has a weakness to energy!"

Taking his advice, Raven cast an energy spell toward the hydra. "Enertheca!" She shouted as black lighting raced from her palm and hit the hydra. It let loose an ear splitting roar… no, it was more like a scream that shook the bridge and made the waters tremble. Pressing the advantage, Raven cast a second energy spell and the hydra collapsed onto the bridge. She reached into her backpack, pulled out the scimitar and jumped on the neck of the hydra. She slammed the sword into its flesh as hard has she could, the sharpened blade cutting deep. The serpent thrashed her about, but Raven hung on and continued cutting. Finally, the blade cut through the last piece of flesh and the severed head rolled off into the waters.

The body however, continued to thrash about and Raven was thrown onto the bridge, the sword falling from her grip and chasing the hydra's head into the watery depths.

Twilly rushed to her side and handed Raven her staff. Standing, she watched in horror as the hydra's body did not fall into the water as she expected it would. Instead, it was regrowing its head! No, not one head, but two!

The two heads, though smaller than the first were just as deadly. One lashed out at Twilly and she cast a shield around him, the hydra's nose bumping against it in an attempt to reach the moglin inside. While she was distracted, the second head made a strange coughing sound, and Raven turned just in time to see a wall of water heading straight for her.

Lacking time to block it, the water slammed into her like a herd of gorillaphants and sent her reeling. Raven tripped over a loose board in the bridge and fell flat on her back. The head reached out and bit her leg, razor sharp teeth sinking deep into her flesh. She screamed out in pain, and hit the hydra's temple with her staff as hard as she could. It let go, the sudden pain deterring it only for a moment before it lunged again but was met by a ball of black lightning.

Twilly came running to her, chased by the first hydra head. Casting a shield around them both, Raven leaned on her staff and tried to stand as the two heads bit at the blue bubble protecting them. Twilly raised his tiny staff and instantly the pain in her leg was gone as his healing spells repaired her wounds.

"Now what?" Raven shouted at Twilly. "The water! Cast an energy spell at the water between the two heads!" He shouted back. The two hydras slammed against her shields, and she could feel her mana draining at an alarming rate to keep it in place. "Enertheca!" She shouted, and pointed her palm at the churning waters between the two heads. Black lightning flew toward the water, and hit it with a sizzling pop! The water turned a bright blue as it reacted with the water, and the energy raced up the necks of the two heads, consuming them in lightning. Raven jumped back as the two heads thrashed about in agony as black smoke billowed from the hydra and an electrical smell filled the air, mixing with the smell of fried fish. Their skin turn black and transparent, and Raven could see their bones as they screamed, their cries mixing with strange buzzing and popping sounds. One head fell into the bright blue waters, and the second fell into the broken bridge, its head getting stuck between the two sides. Raven tensed, knowing that more heads could come out of the water at any minute.

"I think that is the last of them." She said after a few minutes. Slowly, she approached the hydra's head and poked it with her staff. Other than a few wisps of energy still dancing along its scales, all was still. "Is it safe?" Twilly asked. "I think so." Raven answered.

Carefully, the two crossed the hydra's head and make it to the other side of the bridge without incident. Raven sighed. "I'm glad that's over." "Twillys is too." The little moglin agreed.

It was fully dark now, and the two walked toward Falconreach with only the moon and stars to lighten their path. They walked in silence until Raven sniffed the air and asked. "Is something burning?" In the distance, they could now see Falconreach, but a red glow seemed to hover above the town. "Falconreach!" Twilly exclaimed. "It's under attack!"

Author's Note: Next chapter will hopefully be up soon ;)