OoO( 9 )OoO
The traders back at the camp had prepared for their leave when Lyle returned. Together, they thanked and bade farewell to the camp, then set out into the dark forest again. Nobody said a word until they arrived at a giant structure in the center of the woods. Lyle walked forward and put a hand on one of the spirit jewels placed in its holder surrounding it.
"The Hook Coast Cullis Gate." said one of the traders.
Lyle stared at the center as if expecting the cullis gate to flare to life again. But, it did nothing... nothing but remind him about Alex. Quickly he walked past it and said, "Lets go. I don't want to waste anymore time." They continued, but not for long.
Four balverines dropped from the treetops and landed in between the traders and Lyle. Lyle spun and slashed ones arm off, making it howl loudly. All the traders backed off in fright and Lyle attacked them visciously. He tore through two with one swing, severing ones head and cutting the other in half. He turned to another that jumped at him, then thrust the blade forward impaling the beast. Lyle fell backwards from the wieght of the balverine, but put both feet against it and shoved it off hastily.
As Lyle continued to fight the last few balverines that had shown up as backup, the traders stared in fright at the bodies of the dead ones. Suddenly, the wounded trader held a hand to his stomach as he felt a sudden jerk. His body started to burn all over as it shifted for the transformation. His rib cage split open and separated, making room for a barrel like chest and black fur started to grow all over his body as he screamed in pain. The other traders looked at him and fell backwards as they tried to get away. The trader had completely transformed and began looking around through new eyes, then spotted its first prey.
The two traders crawled backwards as Lyle continued to fight against the other balverines, unaware of the terror behind him. "Sabre! A little help!" shouted one, making Lyle turn his head. One of the balverines he was fighting swiped at him and slashed a giant cut across his right cheek. Lyle yelled, then headbutted the balverine stunning it. He then slashed it across the stomach, spilling its guts onto the ground.
Turning around, Lyle grabbed his katana and hurled it with all his strength as the balverine behind him jumped at the two traders cowering on the ground. It struck the beast through the chest and sent it flying backwards screeching in pain. Lyle fell to one knee as he placed a hand over his wound. The two traders lay on their backs petrified that they were about to be eaten alive. Lyle got to his feet and helped the other two up. "Come on, we are almost there." he said. They nodded and continued on their journey.
They made it to a hundred feet from the gate of Barrow Fields when they were stopped in their tracks by the earth shaking beneath them. Lyle stopped and held the others back from going forward. "The gate is right there! We can make it!" shouted the trader.
Lyle shook his head and glared. "Thats what it wants you to think." he said, then stood strait. He held his sword in one hand and started a fireball in the other. Running forward, the earth exploded in front of him as an Earth Troll dug itself up from the ground. "I hate trolls!" shouted Lyle and he hurled the fireball into the trolls face, scorching its eyes and making it stumble and fall backwards. Lyle jumped into the air and landed on the trolls stomach, then punched it with all his strength. Fire shot from his hand, turning the troll into a living torch.
Flipping backwards and landing expertly, he watched with the traders as the troll burnt alive. "You know, keep this up and you'll go from Sabre to Troll Killer." said one of the traders. Lyle smiled at the thought, but was alert again as they all heard a loud howl in the distant forest. "What was that, another balverine?" asked the trader.
"No, that was no balverine..." said Lyle and he looked around. "I think we found the missing werewolf. Now lets get out of here before she finds us." he said. They followed him through the gate and into the bright sunshine of Barrow Fields.
OoOoO
He walked into the darkness of Hobbe Cave, his armor making him almost invisible in the darkness. He stepped forward silently, not in the best of moods since his encounter with Lyle.
"Yah! Yik yik!" shouted a hobbe guard as another tried to steal its bracelet. Van walked forward in the darkness and saw the two hobbes guarding the door. One of them pounced on the other and they started to fight. Van grabbed the sickle that one of them dropped and approached the two, completely surprising them, then slaying them with one swing. Silently, he pushed the door open and it creaked loudly.
"I guess its my turn now..." said a voice from inside. "Don't think I won't go without a fight."
"I would certainly hope not." said Van. Stepping inside, the candle light illuminated the dark mage.
The man in the cage stared at him a second before smiling brightly. "Oh, thank Avo! Please, you have to get me out of here." said the man.
Van walked up and looked at the lock. "Stand back." he said. The man stepped backwards and Van held his hand up. Lightning hit the lock and it shattered, letting the iron cage door swing open. The man jumped out and grabbed his weapon from the wall.
"Thanks mate, I owe you a big one." said the man. "My names Falco, I'm a treasure hunter, which is why me and my pals were here in the first place. I don't know where those hobbes took them, but I heard screams that would give any man nightmares for the rest of his life."
"I'll tell you what. I'm here on a mission right now looking for some kid that got lost here..."
"I feel sorry for the little guy..." said the man.
"Well, my mission isn't finished until I find the kid, whether he's dead or alive. I'll make you a deal, come with me and help me find the kid and you can keep all the treasure along the way." said Van. The man smiled slightly.
"You got yourself a deal. But, you don't want any for yourself?" he asked.
"Nah, the guild pays me when I get the mission finished." he said as they walked out the door.
"A hero huh, I feel much better about going into the cave now."
"Quiet now, I don't want to alert the guards until we are close enough to cut their throats." said Van. And together they crept down the dark hallway and into the darkness of Hobbe Cave.
OoOoO
Van and Falco had arrived at the final room. Van pushed the door and it creaked open as all the others had. They both had tired from fighting after running into so many hobbes, and were hoping for an easy victory. Van lit a fireball and tossed it into the air lighting the entire room. Both of their eyes widened as they saw an army of hobbes staring at the center of the room. All the hobbes turned and looked at the intruders, then broke into a charge as one of them yelled, "Rah ka ha yoh!"
Van looked at the center of the room and saw a giant round stone with runes etched into it. He turned to Falco and said, "Follow me." Jumping onto the edge of the stairway that he was standing on, he jumped off towards the stone and into the center of the hobbe army.
Falco sighed and jumped onto the rail. "Boy has lost his mind." he said. But, as Van landed fire erupted from the ground, clearing a path for them to reach the stone. Falco jumped down and ran after Van until both of them were standing on top of the giant stone. "Now what?" asked Falco nervously.
Van held out both hands and the runes on the stone beneath them started to glow. "Stand back." he said. Falco backed up again and dark figures appeared all around the two in the form of animals. Wolves, lions, giant hawks, hornets, and balverines now matched the hobbes in number. Not one to fight evenly, the hobbes ran in fright. All the shadow beasts attacked the army and slaughtered them mercilessly. The shadow beasts finished the army quickly, then vanished as if they never existed. Van fell to one knee and breathed heavily.
Falco stood wide eyed, then helped Van. "What in the hell was that? I've never seen anything like it!" he said.
Van smiled. "This stone is called a Focus Site. Nobody really knows what they are for, but they have been known to greatly increase ones magic effect. Thats why I jumped down here instead of attacking from up there."
"Please, help me!" shouted a high pitched voice from across the room. They both slid down the side of the stone and walked over to where a kid was chained to the wall. Van lit up another fireball and looked around, finally spotting what he was looking for. Grabbing an iron hammer that a dead hobbe was holding, he smashed through the metal cuffs and freed the kid.
"Follow us, we'll lead you out of here." said Van and together they left the room and began creeping down the dark hallway again. The kid was holding onto Van's belt as they travelled the cave. Looking around, he accidently kicked something. He looked down and saw a dead hobbe staring at him.
"Ah!" he shouted. Van and Falco looked at him and glared as they heard hobbes come from the doors around them. Together, they managed to kill off the rest of the hobbe guards.
Van turned to the kid and grabbed him by his shirt, lifting him off the ground. Staring into the kids eyes, he said, "Listen kid, I get paid whether you come back dead or alive. Now listen to me, if you scream again I will leave you here with those hobbes. Because believe me, it would make it much easier for me to bring you back dead." he said. The kid went silent. "Are you going to be quiet?" he asked and the kid nodded. "Good. Don't make another sound and we all will get out of here in one piece." Dropping the kid, Van turned around and continued down the dark corridor.
OoOoO
Van was glad to be out of the darkness of the cave and into the sunlight of Greatwood Forest. Falco was checking his belt to make sure he hadn't dropped any of the treasure during the fight. Satisfied, he turned to Van and held out his hand. "Good doin buisiness with you mate. I live in Knothole Glade, so if you ever need a partner for treasure hunting, I'll be happy to help out." he said.
Van shook Falco's hand and smiled. "Yeah, you'll be the first one I want to be by my side. I'll tell you if I need you again." he said, then turned to the kid. "As for you, I'm sorry to be so harsh, but you can't scream in a cave without the entire place hearing it."
"No, its alright. You were right, but I saw what happened to his friends and it wasn't pretty."
"Well, lets get you back to your grandmothers." said Van.
"No way!" shouted the kid.
Van looked at him oddly. "I thought you would want to see her again..."
"Are you kidding, she is the one who sent me down there in the first place. I came back one day with a piece of gold that a hobbe had dropped at the entrance of the cave, then she sends me back to get the rest of the gold."
"Thats strange, she seemed like she really wanted you back home when I talked to her."
"She does, but not for the same reason you might think. Please, you can't take me back there. I'll do anything, just keep me away from her."
Van thought for a second, then said, "Have you ever heard of the Phoenix Guild?"
"Yeah, all the greatest heros came from there. Agrias the Paladin, Merik Bladewing, Balric Graden, Lyle the Sabre..."
"Don't mention that name around me." said Van. The kid nodded and Van continued. "How would you like to become a hero?" he asked.
"That would be great!" shouted the kid.
"Good, then stay here until I talk to your grandmother. I'll tell her that I didn't find you, then you will come with me to the guild." he said.
OoOoO
Both traders sat enjoying the sunshine after delivering the package to the next trader. Lyle stood staring at the gate on the far side of the fields. Oakvale read the sign. He stood there staring at the gate, his mind racing. His hometown was now right in front of him, he wondered what it looked like now that it was rebuilt. Taking a step forward, he walked into the town.
As he entered the town, he was surprised to see that much of the town had not changed. The stores, houses, and even the tavern all looked the same as they had before the attack. Lyle ran down the streets until he came to a stop at a certain house, his old one. He stared at it for a while until the door opened. A man came out and Lyle saw his father, Brom, walk out the door. Shaking his head, he looked again and saw that he had been hillucinating. The man didn't even look like his father.
Two kids came running out of the house screaming and yelling at each other. A boy and a girl, just like him and his sister. The flames came back and Lyle was surrounded by the entense heat once again. Falling to his knees, he stared at the bandits torturing his sister and mother.
"Tell us where he is!" shouted the illusion, but the two remained silent.
Tears came to Lyle's eyes as he watched them kill his father. Brom's body fell to the ground lifeless right in front of him.
"Hey mister, are you alright?" Lyle shook out of his trance and saw the two kids looking at him.
"He looks like someone took his bear away." said the girl who was squeezing tighly to a white furred teddy bear.
Lyle smiled and wiped his tears away. Taking his money bag from his side, he said, "Hold out your hand, both of you." They did so and Lyle put their hands together and set the entire sack of money in their hands. "Please, don't argue with each other. You are brother and sister, and should always be nice to each other. Because you never know when something might take the other away, then you will always regret not being nice to them." he said, then stood up and walked away.
The kids watched him leave, then opened the bag. Their eyes widened as they saw the thousands of gold placed in their hands. They looked at each other and ran to the house. "Mom! Dad! You won't believe what happened!" they shouted excitedly.
Lyle walked down the street staring at the sky, when a familiar voice called to him. "Lyle! Over here!" Lyle looked down and saw Maze standing in front of the tavern. Lyle ran up to him and stopped. "I figured you would be coming here soon, so I thought I would stop by and give you a heads up on the hunt for your sister."
Lyle held up a hand. "Wait, I have to say something first." he said. Maze nodded and he continued. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. You were right about that bandit."
Maze smiled. "Don't worry Lyle, I knew you had good reason to. I guess we all have to let loose sometimes. Anyway, we haven't heard much more about your sister, but we know how we might be able to find out if she is alive or not."
"How is that?" he asked curiously.
"Down the beach from here is a cavern. On the other side is a clifftop that is the headquarters for a bandit group, whos leader is a man named Twinblade. He is a giant and used to be a hero from the Phoenix Guild. Some say that he might be the one who caused the attack on Oakvale so many years ago." said Maze.
"No he's not."
Maze looked at Lyle curiously. "What makes you think that?"
"Because, the man that caused the attack was no giant. He wore a blood red cloak and had a voice like a ghost." said Lyle.
Maze flinched uncomfortably. "How do you know this?"
"I saw him. He was in one of my nightmares, and as soon as I saw him, I knew he was the one who took everything away from me." said Lyle as he stared at the ocean.
"Hmmm...we'll have to look into this. Anyway, Twinblade has by his side a seer, someone who can see the past, present, and future. I'm not saying this will work for sure, but maybe she can help us find out what happened to your sister."
"So, I go to Twinblades camp and talk to this seer?" he asked. Maze nodded.
"I have other news as well. You know that little girl that you rescued when I found you here? Well, she decided to move back here to Oakvale a while ago, so if you want to see her, she is around somewhere."
"Help! Robbery!" shouted a man and they both turned and looked at the store. A figure dressed in all black ran out of the store and strait in Lyle's direction. Lyle looked at Maze, then ran forward. Taking his bow, he stopped ten feet away from her and smiled. The thief looked at Lyle, then dashed to the right. Lyle aimed the bow and fired an arrow. It soared like a bullet and the theif flew forward and hit the ground.
"He...he killed the thief for taking food?" asked a horrified woman.
Lyle smiled and walked over to the thiefs body. Kicking the thief, he said, "Get up, the fall didn't hurt that bad." The thief coughed and rolled over onto their back. Sitting up, the thief pulled the arrow from a shoulder pad where it had barely missed the shoulder. Lyle pointed the sword at the theif and said, "Now, off with your...hood." The thief slowly reached up and pulled the hood off, reavealing a girl. She had bright green eyes and dark hair that was cut off at her shoulder blades.
"What the hell! You could have killed me!" she shouted.
"If I wanted to kill you, I would have. Now stand up." he commanded. She stood up and stared him in the eyes. "Are you with Twinblades camp?" he asked.
"No, I have nothing to do with them." she said.
Lyle smiled and said, "May I offer you a drink?"
OoOoO
Lyle sat at a table in the tavern, and across from him was the thief he had caught, stuffing her face with food. She grabbed an apple and took a giant bite, then began to tear into a plate of meat. As she downed a tankard of cider, Lyle spoke. "You know, you shouldn't eat that fast. Its not healthy." he said.
She glared at him and continued eating. After she finished, she sat back in her chair and stared at him. "So, why exactly did you bring me here and feed me. If your looking for sex, then don't even think about it. I'm too young for that anyways." she said.
"I didn't come here for that. Why else would someone steal food instead of the other valuable items the store has to offer? You were hungry, so I fed you." he said.
"So, there are no strings attached?" she asked.
"Not exactly, I do need your help with something." he said.
She sighed. "I knew it. What is it? You want me to be your slave? You want me to off someone for you?" she asked.
Lyle started laughing. "Nothing like that. I just need your help getting into Twinblade's camp." he said.
"I already told you, I'm not a part of Twinblades horde." she said.
"I know, and thats why I'm trusting you. Normally I would have killed you without asking questions." he said. Her expression changed from annoyed to nervous. "But I need someones help to get in. As you can see, they aren't exactly going to let me walk right in. Plus, you will get payed when we leave."
"Okay, so let me get this straight. If I help you get into Twinblades fortress, then you will let me go and I get paid when I get back out?" she asked.
"Yes, but if you betray me, then I will treat you as if you were any normal bandit. Don't think that just because you are a girl, I won't kill you." he said.
She swallowed. "When are we going?" she asked.
"In the morning. I've been through enough today as it is." he said and stood up. "Whats your name?"
"You can call me Talon. What about you?" she asked.
"You can call me Sabre. Now pick a room, because we are staying here for the night." he said.