Nearing the capital of Konohal, Delilah and her party made a stop for the night in the dark Twili woods. There, she revealed her full identity as Princess Alaby of the Royal Family, and that she was on a mission to save her little sister, Philomena, from death at the hands of the treacherous Royal Council. Wandering off by her self, Delilah was found by Elijah, Captain of the Guard at Konohal Palace; the reunion was cut short by Elijah's betrayal to the princess. Delilah fought back against the rogue knights of Konohal and came across Sarai and Abram, two cavaliers that were once her friends; she quickly recruited them to her side. Eddy slew Elijah in a fit of rage later that evening.

Now the princess and her friends are getting closer to the palace every day, but will they be able to prevent the Council's coup?

Chapter 8: The Nomadic Mage

Underneath the twilight sky, surrounded on all sides by her fallen comrades and allies, her body broken and slowly dying, Delilah could only watch as the man in crimson armor stabbed his grand sword through Ed's chest, killing the boy once and for all. The man in crimson armor laughed cruelly as he kicked Ed's corpse to the ground. He saw Delilah watching him from afar, and he strode across the blood-strewn land towards her, his sword glistening with life force.

Delilah wanted to scream, to make him go away, but no voice came from her throat, as if there were something keeping her from speaking. The man now stood directly over her. She could see his browned skin, see every wrinkle in the tanned flesh. He reeked of death.

The cruel man raised his sword high above his head and brought it down in one fell swoop…

***

With a scream, Delilah awoke from her nightmare. She was not on a battlefield. She was not surrounded by corpses. Instead, she was in a tent, surrounded by some of the female members of her party. May was to her far left and Lee next to her sister, while Nazz was to her far right and Sarah was curled up beside her. Delilah touched her neck, where the man in her nightmare had swung his blade. Her head was still attached. There was not even a scar.

Wearily, Delilah placed a hand on her forehead and wiped away the beads of sweat that had formed there. This was the sixth night now where she had this dream: fighting a battle against a massive enemy, her friends and companions all dying before her eyes…could this be an omen?

"Whatever it is," Delilah sighed, "it's keeping me from sleeping. I'll just go relieve Sarai and Eddward from their post."

Slowly, so as not to wake the slumbering girls beside her, Delilah untied the knot on the tent's flaps and pulled the awning open. She gripped her iron sword at her side, so as to avoid being caught in an ambush. When she stepped outside, she took in a deep breath of the evening air. Autumn had come to Konohal, and with it came cool wind that nipped gently at Delilah's ivory skin. It was while staring up into the evening sky, drinking in the cool night air that the cloaked figure appeared on the other side of the camp. Right away, Delilah's hand reached for her sword. She scowled at the mysterious figure.

"Who are you?!" she shouted at the shrouded figure. If this were to escalate into a battle, she wanted everyone to be awake and fighting by her side.

"Relax," said the figure in a young-sounding voice. "I'm a friend."

A hand reached out from the cloak and pulled back the hood, revealing the familiar figure underneath. It was a boy, no more than twelve years of age, who had pale skin like Delilah's. His head was shaved, and in the place of hair was a blue tattoo of an arrow that ran all the way from the boy's brow down the back of his neck. He fully removed his dusty cloak, revealing his gold and orange monk uniform underneath. The blue arrow tattoos ran down his arms as well, and they were even on his feet. The boy's face was full of kindness and sorrow.

Delilah got down on one knee and bowed her head. "Avatar Aang, my apologies. I feared you were an enemy."

Aang smiled. "Don't worry, Alaby! It's not as though you actually attacked me, right?"

The princess chuckled awkwardly as she stood back up. She dusted off her leggings and walked over to Aang. "It's so good to see you, Aang," she said as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Honestly, when was the last time I saw you?"

"Three years. I suppose it's been a while." Aang's smile dimmed. "I have something I need to talk with you about, Alaby…"

"What is it, Aang?"

"It concerns…the Twilight Army."

Delilah's eyes grew wide with terror. The Twilight Army…her and her friends had encountered some of their forces twice already. She recognized the armor they wore, and knew that it was the armor the man from her nightmares wore as well. Before she could ask Aang what he meant, Eddward and Sarai appeared through the trees, their weapons at ready.

Sarai exclaimed, "Who are you?! What are you doing with Pri- I mean Captain Delilah?!"

"Answer the question!" shouted Eddward.

The cries of Delilah, Eddward, and Sarai were enough to rouse the other members of the party, and they quickly burst from their tents. Each gripped their weapons in hand. Aang looked around and sighed.

"I see I have some explaining to do," said the young mage.

"Please, do, Bald-Headed-Monk Boy!" Rolf growled.

Turning his back to the armed fighters, Aang walked towards the fire and stood on the opposite side of the flames from Delilah. He gestured to the ground with his hands, and everyone sat upon the earth floor. The boy adjusted the collar on his monk's robes, fidgeting a little, before Eddy yelled at him.

"Get on with it, baldy!" Eddy shouted.

"Fine, fine!" Aang said hurriedly.

"Like I told Alaby just now, I come with news concerning the Twilight Army. I am sure you have all heard of the rebel attacks occurring around the Lygriba countryside…the attacks are coming from the same source. They are a faction of rogue soldiers from Teratea, the kingdom in the desert, and they are led by a man from the desert tribes, Danaim. I don't know his exact reason for leaving the desert and attacking the nations, but I do know that his word has spread to the various rulers of Konohal.

"Already, there seems to be trouble stirring in the kingdoms. I tried to reach a friend of mine in the kingdom by the sea, Poseida, and we were barely able to escape...it appears as though the entire tribe is going to erupt into a civil war. Again, I reached out to the prince of Woldor, but he stubbornly refuses to cooperate with me and supply help for the other nations. While I have not yet been to Zumirba or Ryadina, there are mutterings in the air that there is to be a political upheaval in those lands."

"And what of Konohal?" asked Delilah. "Have you any news of my family?"

Aang shook his head. "No…I don't know anything about the situation in Konohal palace. I wish I could do more for you, Alaby, but right now, all I know is that there is a great disturbance in the realm of spirits. Something horrifying is going to occur soon, and unless we do something, Lygriba will fall to the vengeful demon hordes of T'rratus."

"S-s-s-s-so," Jimmy stammered, "we're t-t-t-talking about-t-t-t-t d-d-de-demons?!"

"Yes," Aang said gravely. "It is my belief that Danaim means to eradicate Lygriba with the help of the fallen demons of the past. There's a-"

"Hold on," Nazz whispered loudly. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what, Nazz?" asked Kevin.

The party looked deep into the woods and listened closely for any source of noise. From the bowels of the dark trees came the sound of growling and heavy footfalls. It seemed as though the noises were getting closer and closer by the second. The party all gripped their weapons close to them, to prepare them for an attack. Suddenly, without warning, a hulking beast burst from the trees and lumbered into the camp, smashing the tents in the process. The monster looked to be a fabled ogre of myth, towering over the rest of the party by several feet. Its legs were like thick tree trunks, its arms like great barrels. It reared back its great head and let out a roar, then raised its great fists into the air.

Aang was quicker than the powerful monster was. He nimbly leaped through the air and landed just out of the ogre's reach. The monk brought his hands together and began to chant.

"Aeros…nebulos…feng!"

The air around Aang began to spin rapidly and split into blades of green energy. Each of the blades was hurled through the air at the giant ogre, cutting deep into its flesh with each strike. The giant monster howled in pain and agony until one blade lopped its ugly head from its neck. Each member of the party was in awe of how Aang had been able to kill the ogre so quickly.

Just as quickly as he had appeared before the ogre, Aang was back before Delilah's friends at the fire.

"There's going to be more of them," said Aang cautiously. "We need to attack them with stealth, moving swiftly and silently, so that they don't know what hit them."

"A silent battle, basically?" asked Delilah. She looked amongst her party members. "Going to be tough with this bunch!"

***

Once Aang and Delilah had finished assigning everyone to a position, the party disbanded and moved out into the deep of the woods. Ed, Eddward and Eddy were to work together, with May and Lee moving with them for mobility and for defense, respectively. Johnny moved with Kevin, Nazz, and Rolf, so as to provide them with magical support. Aang and Delilah were to take the front, with Sarai, Abram, and Sarah giving them support. Jimmy, the one healer of the party, would be switching from group to group, with Abram and Sarah giving him protection along the way.

Delilah pressed forward with her group, trekking deep through the woods in search of the demons hiding in the darkness. Before long, they came upon a horde of dire wolves prowling about. Abram caught Sarai grimacing, and the older knight scowled at her and began to make signs with his hands. It was a unique system that the knights of Konohal used to communicate in such situations.

"What worries you, rookie?"

"I am not sure if I can strike a dire wolf, sir."

"Yes, they are quite fast, and-"

"No, I mean they are such beautiful creatures, right?"

Abram grunted and lightly rapped Sarai on the head with his glove. He gestured at Delilah, who responded with a nod. Quickly, the cavalier rode out into the horde of wolves, striking one down instantly with his lance. The other wolves scattered when they saw their comrade fall, which offered the others a chance to come out and attack the wolves. Aang leaped out and shot a bolt of fire from his fingers, which incinerated one beast and singed another. The one left burned was gutted by Delilah, who slashed deep into the wolf with her iron sword. Sarah hit one wolf in the leg, but it was not enough to fell the wretched beast, so Sarah had to parry against a paw swipe from the savage wolf. The girl blocked the attack with her blade and stabbed upwards through the wolf's head, killing it instantly.

When it came time for Sarai to attack, her horse leaped out from the bushes, but she fell from its saddle and landed on the ground. Her lance fell from her hands and rolled away from her, right towards a dire wolf. Sarai rubbed her sore back and got up, but she was immediately attacked by a dire wolf. She held back its powerful jaws with all her strength, but she was still bitten in the hand from one of its attacks. Abram knocked the wolf away with a smack of his lance, allowing Sarai the chance to pull her sword from its sheath. She squeezed her eyes shut and lopped off the wolf's head in one fell swoop. She opened one eye hesitantly and then looked away for fear of vomiting at the sight of the dead beast.

"So," Sarah chuckled as she wiped her sword clean on her red cloak, "looks like these dogs won't have their night, eh?" This prompted Sarai to release all her light dinner of rations upon the base of a tree.

"I can fix that!" said Jimmy as he rushed over and healed Sarai's hand.

***

While Delilah and her group battled against the dire wolves, Kevin led his group deeper into the woods. When they came upon a group of shuffling undeads, Kevin raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Never thought we'd see these things again, right, Rolf?" he whispered quietly to the fighter beside him.

"The son of a shepherd knew that this day would come again, Kevin Boy," replied Rolf.

"Pipe down, you two!" Nazz whispered to her companions. "Even if these things are nothing but rotting piles of flesh, we still need to keep quiet, in case they've got some friends around."

"Gotcha!" Johnny said in response. He crept out from the bushes and flipped open his magic tome. With a wave of his hand, the mage boy created a fireball that engulfed the nearest undead in flames. It howled in agony as the magic fire tore apart its flesh, alerting the other undeads to the location of the party members.

Kevin growled, "Great job ruining the element of surprise, Johnny." He burst out from the protection of the trees and gored the nearest undead with his lance, and then hacked its head off with his iron sword. When he noticed Nazz was still hiding in the trees, Kevin looked over to Rolf.

"Protect Nazz!" his eyes screamed.

The blue-haired fighter nodded his head in response, and he moved himself so that he was blocking the path to the tree. When one undead journeyed too close to him, Rolf swung his axe and cleaved the beast from head to toe. Nazz fired an arrow straight through the skull of the next undead, and fired a second one into the place where its heart would be. It fell to the forest floor, dead once more. The shepherd looked up into the branches of the trees at the blonde archer.

"Nice shot, blonde archer!" Rolf said excitedly.

"Gee, thanks, Rolf!" she replied. "Hey, what's that?"

Through the bushes across from them came a horde of undeads, lurching forward with bloodthirsty scowls on their faces.

Nazz's eye twitched in frustration. "I knew you imbeciles were too loud…" she muttered as she notched another arrow to her bow.

***

"I told you, Eddy, you were being too loud!"

Just like Nazz and the others, the Ed boys found themselves surrounded by the forces of darkness, pinned on all sides by dire wolves and undeads alike. The boys were all scarred from the ongoing fight, Ed and Eddy taking most of the damage. While there came some support from May and Lee, the boys were hoping to avoid having the girls become embroiled in the battle themselves.

"Yeah, yeah…" the short thief grumbled. "At least we ain't dead yet."

"I…feel woozy…you guys," said Ed as he stumbled on his feet after chopping an undead apart. "Think…I need…to rest…"

"Don't fall asleep, Big Ed!" May shouted as she threw a lance through a dire wolf. "I…we need you!"

Eddward reached into his hip satchel and fished around for an herb. Unfortunately, there wasn't a single leaf left inside. Cursing inwardly, he shouted to Ed, "Ed! I haven't got a single herb left, so you must use a vulnerary!"

Ed's eyes snapped open somewhat.

"No thanks, Double D!" the tall boy chuckled stupidly. "I…I feel better already…"

"ED!" Eddy shrieked as he fought off a dire wolf's attack, "If you don't hurry and drink the bloody medicine, we're gonna die!"

"I'll…only drink it if…Eddy has one…too!"

"For Pete's SAKE!" Lee shouted. "Fine! Eddy, drink the vulnerary!"

Eddy paused after cutting the wolf's head open. "But…" he groaned, "but it's so nasty…"

"Bloody hell!" May cried out as she lopped the head off an undead. "Drink the medicine, Eddy, or so help me, I'll get Marie to come after you!"

With the mere mention of the other sister's name, Eddy began quaking in his boots. "Fine!" he said, "Give me the vulnerary!" Eddward passed a bottle of the brown liquid to him and Ed, who needed help uncorking the bottle.

The two boys raised the bottles to each other. They both said, "Cheers," before downing the medicine. Instantly, the boys seemed to get better, their wounds healing and closing up.

Ed held his sword up into the air with one hand. "I feel better already!" he shouted.

"I sincerely hope so," Eddward said anxiously. "Because we're going to need all the muscle we can get!"

Out from the trees came a giant ogre, like the one that had invaded the camp beforehand, smashing its way towards the group. It held in its gnarly hands a giant wooden club, easily twice the size of Ed. The beast roared, baring its yellowed teeth, and swung its club at Lee, throwing the heavily-armored girl back into a large tree.

"Lee!" May screamed before narrowly avoiding a swing from the wooden club.

"We need some help here!" Eddward shouted as he began preparing the Flux spell.

Just then, Sarai, Sarah, Abram and Jimmy all burst out from the trees, their weapons ready, while Delilah and Aang came from above in a sneak attack. Delilah leaped onto the ogre's meaty shoulders and began stabbing into the monster's back, while Aang launched miniature fireballs at the ogre. Abram and Sarah both drew close for an attack on the monster, and the two of them slashed across the ogre's knees with their swords. Despite all the attacks being launched at it, the monster stood tall and unwavering, not yielding at all to the attacks of the party.

"How do we kill this thing?!" Eddy shouted as he threw a knife straight into the beast's eye.

"With time and patience," said Rolf as he slammed his axe into the beast's back. He appeared with Kevin, Nazz, and Johnny, all of whom were looking worse for the wear, particularly Kevin.

"All melee fighters: gather around the ogre and start hitting it with everything you've got!" Delilah exclaimed at the top of her lungs. "Long-range attackers: get behind a melee fighter and let loose!"

With the plan in mind, everyone began an all-out attack on the ogre. Sarah continuously maneuvered around its hulking body, tearing away at the gruesome flesh with her blade, while Abram worked beside her, stabbing at it with his iron lance. Delilah and Eddy worked hand in hand, dodging the beast's attacks and slicing into it whenever they saw an opening. Despite their weariness, Ed and Rolf repeatedly struck at the monster with their weapons, causing significant damage. Nazz's arrows and Johnny's, Eddward's and Aang's magic complimented the onslaught nicely, creating a powerful strike that would tear any ordinary foe to shreds. Finally, at long last, the ogre fell to its knees, brutally beaten by all the warriors surrounding it. Lee moved through the crowd and, with a mighty strike, planted her lance directly into the ogre's head, striking its brain and killing it instantly.

As the entire group recovered and rested, Eddy looked up and asked, "Well, that didn't take very long, did it?"

"No, and I'm glad for it," Aang replied as he caught his breath. "I can't stand having to kill living things. It sickens me sometimes."

"It's the way of the world, kiddo," Eddy remarked. "I'll tell ya about it some other time."

"So, Princess," Sarai asked to Delilah, "what do we do now?"

"Now? Now we head straight to the palace and rescue my family. Come!" the thief girl exclaimed as she sheathed her sword. "We'll rest up and move out by morning's break! To KONOHAL!"

***

In the throne room of the ancient Konohal Palace sits a lonely figure. Queen Gertrude sits atop her velvet throne, pondering in the dead of night. She has had a vision of a great battle in no more than a day's time. One of those battling would be her daughter, Alaby, but the other…the other would be the wretched demon from Teratea.

"My love," asks Lorence as he strides into the room, Philomena sleeping in his arms, "why did you ask that I bring our daughter here?"

"There will be a battle on the morrow, Lorence," the queen replies. "If we stay here, we will die. The council will kill us."

"You need not worry about Alaby, Gertrude," says the king. "I have sent word out to our allies. There will be help from our friends. Alaby will prevail, you'll see. Tomorrow…shall be a day that changes this land forever…

TO BE CONTINUED…