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Humid and deathly silent lay Witchwood Lake as the dark clouds covered the sky, blocking out the sun and any sign of good whether. A loud clap of thunder sounded across the landscape as the clouds floating above lit up with the leashed lightning inside their chambers. The placid lake suddenly rippled as a fat drop of water fell from the sky and hit its surface like a comet, making the lake shimmer as the sound of cheering could be heard from a distance. Witchwood Lake was right down the road from the Arena, and this is why the white balverine had chosen it as its nesting spot. Many people walked the road to the Arena, either not caring for their own well being, or thinking that they would never get attacked. But they were wrong...
The white balverines main diet consisted of people who walked the road beside the lake; mostly stragglers and traders who travelled alone. But, today the road was silent and barren as the falling rain turned the dirt path into a muddy ocean, making it very hard to traverse. But this didn't stop Lyle, or the others from making their way down the slippery road and to the edge of the lake. They all stood at the edge of the water, staring around; looking for any sign of the tainted beast.
More people came down the road from the direction of Witchwood and saw the four standing by the water. Curious as to what was going on, a seventeen year old girl from the group stepped forward and instantly recognized the heros. She suddenly became excited. "Oh my...its Lyle! And Van...And Whisper too!" she shouted, instantly drawing the attention of the others in the group.
They all turned and stared at the girl murderously.
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He swam. Swam under the surface of the water; furious at himself. Never before had he felt pain, and when he finally did, he didn't like it in the least bit. But...but how? How could something pierce his skin? All other weapons that those humans used against him were futile, but this one weapon; not even as big as the others pierced him like he was a fish upon a skewer. Speaking of which, he hadn't eaten at all that day. He had planned on eating that woman he killed earlier, but then they showed up. Those accursed humans had not only taken his lunch from him, but also injured him in the process.
Swimming as good as any shark, he bolted forward in the water and snagged a fish in his mouth. He instantly downed it, swallowing it without it even chewing. He hated the taste of fish, but it would last him until he went searching for his next meal again. Suddenly, he stopped. He heard something...on the road! There was someone walking near the lake! Exellent! Now he could get his rightful lunch. Swimming quickly, he stopped just shy of the murky waters surface and stared up at his next meal. Then something hit him. That strange armor looked awefully familiar...
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The girl instantly cowered under the looks of the heros. She backed up slightly, blown away at the hatred that was shot at her. "D-Did I do something wrong?" she asked timidly. Then, time seemed to slow down for the girl as she saw a splash behind the four, and the giant beast that followed it. The white balverine flew out of the water and smashed into Lyle's back, knocking him to the ground like a rag doll. He rolled over and saw to his horror the giant white balverine flying through the air with its claws and teeth bared and aiming for him.
Van jumped just in time and slammed into the beast, knocking it away from Lyle and they both rolled along the ground. Van immediately jumped up and came up behind the stunned balverine. Snaking his arms under its shoulders and around its head; he securely locked it into a full nelson. Van yelled out loud as lightning surged through his hands and strait into the balverines cranium. It roared in pain, but still struggled to get lose from its captor.
"Lyle! Now!" yelled Van. Lyle nodded and grabbed the dagger that was tucked into his sleeve. Running forward, he jumped up and aimed it strait for the monsters heart. But the beast wasn't about to give up so soon. It raised both clawed feet and thrust them at Lyle, hitting him in the stomach and sending him tumbling to the ground. The dagger flew from his hand and pinged across the ground, landing with a thud; blade first in the soft soil next to the lake.
Whisper ran and shoved her spear forward, scoring as it sank into the injury that the dagger had caused before. Roaring again, the beast stretched its arms back and grabbed Van by the shoulders, then hauled him up roughly and slammed him to the ground. Raising a claw, it tried to skewer Van's head, only to be blown back by force magic.
After recovering his breath, Lyle got up and ran forward in a rage. He grabbed the spear from Whispers hands and jumped at the fallen beast. He landed on its chest, and shoved the spear into the open wound with all his might; causing it to go all the way through and out the other side of its shoulder. It gave an earsplitting roar and grabbed the spear, using great strength to hurl the warrior off its body and into the shallows of the lake.
Talon had grabbed the dagger and scanned for the right time to throw the instrument at the balverine. Finally, the opportunity presented itself when the beast threw Lyle off of itself. She ran forward and hurled the dagger with all her might, making the blade fly through the air like a whirlwind of death. Aimed strait at the balverines heart, it flew; only to be cut off as the monster raised its arm in defense. The blade sank right through its arm and through the other side. Again it roared in pain and Talon cursed at her luck.
Van grabbed the dagger and ripped it from the monsters apendage and attempted a stab at the creature, only to be backhanded by the creature in the process. The balverine was about to dive onto its opponent when Lyle wrapped his arms around the beasts legs and stopped it from moving. At the same time, Whisper tackled the beast and it fell backwards with a loud thud. She attempted to hold the beast down, but did little good against the powerful arms of the monster.
"Whisper! Move!" shouted Lyle and she rolled off the beast getting away with only a scratch across her arm. Lyle jumped in the air and attempted to land on the beast with his heavy armor, but it quickly countered by flipping around and sending Lyle onto his back. The monster; now standing over Lyle, grabbed his shoulders and began snapping at him, trying to take the warriors face off. He moved his head side to side; dodging the snapping jaws as the beasts claws attempted to break through his armor. But, the armor was too strong to be slashed through by its claws. "A little help here!" shouted Lyle. Suddenly, the balverine stopped moving; then fell over dead.
Whisper stared in amazement at Talon's action. The sixteen year old now stood on the beasts back with the dagger implanted into the its heart. Lyle stared at her as well as she pulled the dagger free from the monstrosity. She breathed heavily and looked at the others. "What?" she asked.
Lyle stood and smiled. "Thanks. You saved my life." he said.
"Are you sure that things dead?" asked Van. Lyle looked down at the corpse.
"Only one way to make sure." he said. Walking over to the beast, he hauled it up and grabbed its head. A curious look crossed the others face, as they wondered what Lyle was doing. Suddenly, they all cringed at the sound of a sickening crunch. Lyle had twisted the beasts head and completely shattered its spine with a loud crack. Its head fell loosely onto its shoulder as Lyle looked at Talon. "Toss me the dagger." he commanded. She gently threw it to him and he caught it; then stabbed it into the throat of the balverine and began to sever its head.
"What are you doing?" asked Van.
He looked up at the mage and said, "Do you plan on carrying its body all the way up that hill in the mud?" he asked. Van shook his head and Lyle smiled. "Its a little gift for Graden. Maybe now he will be more caring about the people outside the gates as well as inside." he said. After he had finished, he stood up holding the bloody head of the white balverine in his left hand. He wiped the dagger on the wet grass and looked at the others. "Well, lets get this body into the lake and get back to town."
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The entire town was ready to celebrate when they saw the heros approach the gate. Graden stared down at the four and Lyle looked up and noticed the man standing on an archer tower. Lyle smiled and waved at the man; who then climbed onto the ladder and slid down onto the ground. The gates opened wide and Graden approached the four.
"Did you bring good news with ye?" he asked. Lyle smiled and held forward the severed head. Graden smiled back and grabbed the head by the tuft of hair on its scalp. Turning around, he threw his arm into the air, presenting the head as a trophy. The entire town, which had been standing on the hill towards the gate cheered, sending up a deafening roar.
Lyle smiled and walked into the town of cheering people with the others close behind him. Then, something caught his eye. It was a carriage sitting under the shelter of a stable, similar to a merchant cart; but much larger and much more extravagent. It was made of a dark colored wood and had colorful silk curtains covering the small windows. But the most noticable thing was the two horses that were tied to the front. They were both pure white horses that wore beautiful saddles and had ridiculus clips that shot a giant feather of the top of their head.
Lyle walked over to Graden and nudged him. The man turned around and said, "Yes?"
"Who owns that?" he asked.
"Oh, we had a visitor drop by while you lot were fightin' off the balverine. Its Lady Grey, the mayor of Bowerstone." he said. Lyle's eyes widened.
"Lady Grey is here? How come?"
"Well, she doesn't have a husband; as you've probably heard. So she comes to the Arena every other day to scope out the challengers and see if she can't find a suitable husband. Very picky she is. Word has it that Thunder is trying to win her heart; but for some reason, she just isn't interested."
"So, she only picks Arena Champions huh?" he asked. Graden nodded. "I guess that throws me in with the mix doesn't it?" he asked.
"Gettin' a little ahead of yourself arent ya? You have to win the Arena to become a Champion, not just fight in it."
"I know, but its my way of life. I don't lose because I plan to win. Its as simple as that."
"A little misguided aren't ya?"
"Ah, leave me alone. Its worked so far, and it will keep working." he said.
"Well, look who it is." said a voice to their right. They both turned around and saw Lady Grey standing at the door of a nearby shop. She smiled at them both as they looked at each other; wondering which one she was talking to. "Lyle...is it?" she asked.
He looked at her and nodded. "Yes ma'am, my name is Lyle." he said nervously.
"Come here for a moment, I would like to speak with you." she said and turned back into the store.
Lyle and Graden stared at each other a moment before the man shoved him forward. "She wasn't talkin' to me, now get in there!" said Graden with a smile.
Lyle nervously walked forward and into the store.
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"I finally found where you're hiding." said a sinister voice from atop a tree. The dark figure sat clad in an assassins outfit with a black belt from hip to shoulder; carrying hundreds of sharp needles in its hold. He stood balanced on the top limb of a high sycamore tree; waiting and watching for her. But now he had found her. Drawing several of the needles, he jumped from branch to branch as quick as a squirrel and landed firmly on the ground. "You have run from me for long enough!" he said to himself and he quickly climbed the city wall.
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As Lyle entered the store, he was immediately set upon by Lady Grey. She walked over and grabbed him by the arm, then pulled him into a different room. She silently shut the door and turned to him. He stared at her nervously as she walked over to him and looked him up and down.
"I've heard a lot about you Sabre." she said. "How you killed that troll, and how you murdered that bandit." His mood seemed to darken as she mention the bandit. "And how you defeated Twinblade, the unstoppable Bandit King. Even here in Knothole Glade, you keep proving yourself a valuable asset to Albion." she said. He looked at her oddly and she laughed slightly. "Yes yes, I heard about it. And I also saw it as I came here. I was going up the road in my carriage when I saw you bravely fighting off that white balverine." she said.
"My friends helped me defeat the balverine..."
"Yes. But they are not who I am interested in." she snapped. She raised a hand and casually slid her hair behind her ear, still staring at him. "You Lyle, not the others, are who I am looking for."
"Why are you looking for..." he said, but was silenced as Lady Grey put a finger to his lips.
"I have a request I must ask of you. As many people know, I have been looking for a husband. Not just any man will do! He has to be strong and powerful, yet gentle in the same sense. I see this in you Lyle, but I also have a reputation to keep, so I can't just marry somebody off the street. You must become Arena Champion to be able to marry me, but don't think for one second that if you win then I'll automatically select you as my husband. After all, there are others with the same qualities as you have out there. So, here is my request. Win the Arena and become the Champion, then I will decide who to be my husband afterwards. And, if you win, then I will most definately have my eye on you. Do you understand?" she asked. He nodded silently and she smiled. "I'm glad we are on the same level. Now go hero, you must rest now, for tomorrow is your big day." she said. Then she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips.
He was shocked at her action, but didn't move to break the kiss. She pulled away and smiled seductively again. He just stared at her as she turned and walked out the door.
OoOoO
Van, Talon, and Whisper had all gone to the tavern with the towns people to celebrate the slaying of the white balverine. People were singing loudly songs that spoke of great days and cold beer; which seemed to describe that day perfectly. Van sat at a table with Talon across from him and a young teenage girl attached to his arm. Whisper meanwhile; was over at the bar, singing and outdrinking most of the men in the town. Over all it was a nice day...until they all heard a loud scream.
Van, Talon, and Whisper immediately stood up and ran towards the scream, quickly followed by everyone in the tavern. When they arrived, they saw a woman standing over the body of a dead guard. Van walked forward slowly and knelt down to the body. Three needles had punctured the mans throat; killing him instantly. Van frowned as he looked around.
"What is it?" asked Whisper.
He continued to scan the area as he answered the question. "Three needles in his throat, and it wasn't an accident. They were lodged firmly into his jugular; making sure he was dead." After scanning his surroundings, Van stood up and turned to the woman. "Did you see who did this?" he asked. She mearly shook her head, then fainted. Van caught her as she fell and turned to the others. Then, he noticed the terrified look on Talon's face. "What's wrong?" he asked.
She looked at him and back to the body. "N-Nothing...I just need some air." she said and ran in away from the scene.