Author's note:

Well hello there reader, I haven't done a note on this story yet, I am going to try and avoid doing them regularly because I feel like it breaks the story up. However I wanted to say thanks to those who have reviewed this, and say that if anyone wants to do so, please feel free to leave a review. It can be just a compliment or some useful criticism. I don't mind criticism if I can learn from it. As a warning the uploads of chapters can be very random as you may have noticed. I will try and not let it have a gap of more than a week or two. Hope you continue to enjoy.

~ Let the story continue ~

Markus let out a loud sigh as he scanned the small village square. No sign of Julia still. He turned around and started walking back towards the inn in which the three had been staying in. Garry was stood outside the door leaning against the wall, bag on the floor with his quarterstaff leaning next to him.

"No luck finding her then?" He asked as Markus drew near. At the shake of Markus' head, Garry picked up his belongings, swinging his bag on to his back and grasping his quarterstaff. The emerald glinted in the early morning sun as they headed east, guessing that Julia had continued in the same direction as before. The two followed along the main path, calling out every now and then.

"HELP ME!" Screeched a female voice though the trees. Markus and Garry looked at each. They didn't recognise the voice. Another plea for help screeched through the woods. They couldn't just stand here. The two started to run towards the direction of the voice. As they did so Markus drew his sword from its sheath and he also remembered to grab his shield from his back. It was a bit dented from where he had landed on it and the bone wolf, but it should still fend off a hit or two, at least he hoped.

The two ran through bushes and pushed past trees where they found themselves stumbling into a clearing. In the centre stood a female half elf, clearly the source of pleas, wearing tattered clothes and clutching her bag tightly to her chest in front of her stood another half elf, she was battered and bleeding however wearing leather armour and clutching a worn sword in both hands. In front of her stood 2 men, a dwarf and a half Orc. All clutching assorted weapons.

As they pushed themselves into the clearing the dwarf charged forward, swing her axe wildly in the direction of the half elves. They managed to get out the way however the one in armour tripped and fell to her knees.

Garry immediately muttered a prayer and again formed the arcane hand movements with his left hand before taping his quarter staff on Markus' back and running forwards towards the group of bandits. As Markus felt the tap on his back, he felt all of his muscles fill with energy and almost growing. He charged forwards, shield up, and slammed into the back of the dwarf. She staggered forward, dazed.

The half elf saw her opportunity open up. In one clean movement she managed to push herself up and slashing her blade at the chest of the dazed dwarf. There was a scratching and clicking sound, as steel sliced against studded leather, before a gruff yell of pain as the blade cut into the shoulder of the dwarf.

Seeing his comrade in pain the half Orc charged forward and put all his might into bringing his maul down on top of Markus' head. Markus flung his arm and shield over his head to try and stop the blow. The maul smashed into his shield, which in turn smashed into his face. Markus stumbled back, now literally seeing red as his blood went into his eyes.

One of the humans let out a yell as they swung there scimitar at the half elves face. The blade slashed across her arm and chest leaving a gaping wound. With a glint of menace in his eye, the bandit brought the blade around and went to slash at the now heavily bleeding half elf clutching her wounds and hardly hanging on to life. The blade flew through the air, whistling as it did so, but before it hit its mark it came to a lurching halt as it hit a wooden quarterstaff.

Garry was holding on to it with two hands and had only just got the end into the scimitars path. Garry was straining as the human put all the force he could into pushing the blade towards the half elf. Seeing all that was happening the last human got behind Markus and swung his great sword at his back. There was a clang as metal hit metal but the blow did little other than causing Markus to step forwards slightly.

The dwarf dragged herself up and glanced around at the battle happening around them. Spotting the priest she swung her axe over her head and jumped forward bringing her axe down on top of Garry. There was nothing he could do but watch the axe dig into his shoulder.

Garry didn't cry out, just grunted as the axe meet bone. Biting his lip, Garry begrudgingly let go of his quarterstaff, the human fell forwards as the resistance he was pushing against dropped away. Garry grabbed hold of the dwarfs armour with his good arm and dragged the dwarf closer. His bad hand lifted and rested itself on the dwarfs bare hand still clutching the axe dug into Garry's left shoulder. The dwarf was slightly taken aback and stared at Garry. There eyes locked and suddenly the dwarf realised her mistake but had no time to act.

"Die".

As soon as his hand touched the dwarfs bare skin the colour drained from her face as her eyes rolled upwards. Garry released his grip and the dwarf fell over backwards, ripping the axe out of his shoulder as she did so.

Dead.

As Markus stumbled forwards from the impact in his back, he shook his head whilst blinking rapidly hoping to clear some of the blood from his eyes, to no avail. He was begging to get annoyed with these fight. He smashed his shield upwards catching the half Orc in the jaw, at the same time he swung his sword around at the human who had attacked him in the back. His sword danced just in front of him but did little else. At least it caused him to jump back. Markus had a bit more room to move now, thankfully.

The half Orc roared in rage as blood trickled out of his mouth. As the anger consumed him, he swung at Markus again. Another thud as the maul glanced off Markus well placed shield. Perhaps he did still remember how to use it.

Having seen the priest take down his friend, not realising the energy it took from Garry was considerable to say the least, with such ease decided to attack him instead of the now unconscious half elf. He kicked the quarterstaff away and swung the scimitar at Garry, aiming to slash him across the chest. There was nothing he could do to stop it so even more of Garry's blood fell to the floor as the scimitar danced across his chest.

The bandit swore as Markus sword missed his face by centimeters. Continuing to swear and curse, the bandit brought his long sword down once again, this time for it to be stopped by the sword which had only just missed his face seconds ago.

Markus strained under the the strength of the human pressing the sword down. With a roar and help from the magic still surging in his muscles, Markus threw the sword off his own and the swung at the wrists of the human. Not even a second later, the long sword clattered to the ground as the bandit stumbled backwards clutching what remained of his hand.

Garry fell to his knees, clutching the open wounds spilling blood around him and staining his robes. It was times like these he cursed the oath he had taken. Using what little was left of his energy, he dragged himself into touching distance of the half elf. She was hardly breathing. On death's edge. With the last of his strength he muttered another pray and touch the half elf as he collapsed. A holy light suddenly shined though the wounds of the near dead woman. As it did so her wounds started to close up and her eyes flickered open and her breathing normalised. She looked to Garry to see the bandit swinging his scimitar down. She yelled a cry of anger and despair.

Yet that cry could hardly be heard over the cry of another. The human bandit looked up just in time to see two rays of orange searing heat fly towards him and continue on through his chest leaving burn marks behind. He screeched in pain before falling to the floor, writhing in agony. Julia stepped out of the bushes on the other side of the clearing hand falling back to her side as she ran over to Garry.

Markus heard Julia cry but didn't turn to look. He had to dodge another blow from the half Orc but the blood in his eyes was making things a lot harder. The half Orc thundered forwards, maul raised to strike again. It came swinging down, meeting the shield on the way. Markus let out a groan of pain as he felt his body absorbed the blow. He was pretty sure he heard something crack as the maul made contact. As soon as the Orc had made the blow, Markus lunged forwards and his blade pierced his armour and then into skin and organs.

The bandit finished wrapping rags around what was left of his hand to slow the bleeding and looked up. Half of his group was either dead or dying and he was seriously injured. There was no way they could win this. He decided to yell the retreat and tell the half Orc to pick up the other human. Before turning and running. The half Orc did as he was told, after he swung his maul one last time. As he bent to pick up his friend, Markus' sword fell out of his latest wound.

Markus dragged himself to his feet, since the last blow had hit home, before making his way of the to Julia who was fusing of Garry. She had her book open on her leg as she read from it and performed the correct hand movements. Her hands once again glowed and she pressed her them against the gaping wound across Garry's chest. The wound glowed before beginning to close itself up. Garry coughed and spluttered as he sat up to see Markus, Julia and the two half elves staring at him.

A little while past as they waited for Garry to regain his strength. They waited in the clearing, away from the blood mind you, sat in a circle. They had just finished digging a grave for the dead dwarf, after taking anything which could be of use. They had found a few gold coins but mostly copper.

As they sat the half elves didn't stop thanking them for their help.

"It's not a problem, really"

"Yeah honestly it's fine, although you can't talk much Julia." Taunted Markus to Julia's frustration.

"Cut it out would ya!"

"Markus don't stop until she stops randomly running off!" Joined in Garry, who started laughing than almost instantly regretted it.

"Ha serves you right!" Julia said whilst nudging Garry in the ribs with her foot.

When they were finally ready to move on Luna and Ana, the two half elves, again thanked the small party for there help before parting on their separate ways. As they walked ever East, Garry brought up the point that they hadn't really found out what the two had been doing out in forest or what they normally did. They thought on it for a while but nothing really came to mind.

The two half elves didn't say another word until they were in the nearby village, entering the tavern. Luna order herself and Ana a drink and then went and joined her sister at a table.

"We are really lucky those guys came when they did. Without them we would e nothing more than corpses in a shallow grave."

"I thought we were mean to be safe once we got into the fabled taint barrier" Ana said bitterly.

Luna sighed and shifted her armour slightly so that the broken leather was closer together.

"That's only for the dark and tainted creatures. Which those guys were not. Although they were vicious. There is also rumour that the taint barrier is failing."

The two said little more until they were through another drink or two.

"You know I'm not even sure why we are doing" Luna got cut off mid sentence by a great rumbling. The noise was growing louder. The glass was beginning to rattle and things jumped around on the tables. The two half elves rushed outside. The glanced around and all of a suddenly they were plunged into darkness only to get light back in mere seconds as the trembling peaked and started to subside. Luna noticed a great shadow in the sky traveling the way they had just come. It was giant, wing span of at least a town. The scales caught the light and they were suddenly blinded by the glow of green from the creature as it traveled very quickly to the horizon, the trembling decreasing as it did so.

The sisters glanced at each other, both had expressions of surprise and bewilderment on their faces.

"Was that"

"A dragon?"

"Yeah, might Have been."

"But I thought that they where"

"Evil?"

"Well maybe, but ever way, never thought they could be that large!"