"Dear Mother and Father, I hope you and everyone else at the Guild are doing well. By the time you read this, we will have already departed the town to continue on our adventures but we are all doing well. We all recently took our Promotion Exams and have all gone up a level. Monk is now Steel Ranked, Rider was finally registered so he is Porcelain, while the rest of us are now Obsidian!"

"Since we sent you our last letter much has transpired. In order to ensure we had put some distance between us and the Dragon Executioner we moved through the swamp region only to find this had its own problems. Carnivorous trees, a rabid monster that seemed to be infected with the poison the Necromancer used and even an evil witch who claimed the swamp belonged to her. Needless to say, it will be a while before we traverse another swamp."

"Once out of the swamp we did encounter the Dragon Executioner once again, the fall into the gorge was not enough to stop him. Our battle moved from the surface to an underground cavern when he continued to smash the ground with his war hammer, we all ended up landing in the middle of a massive goblin nest. We got separated while leaving the Dragon Executioner to deal with the Goblin Champions. That battle itself was very tough, Rider had been seriously injured while protecting Scout. We did manage to slay all the goblins and saved several captive elves. As we exited the caves, we encountered another group of elves who had been dispatched to find their captured comrades and were quite thankful to see us."

"With all the surprises we encountered, I think the one that caught us all off guard was Rider and Scout entering into a relationship. I know she'll be a bit angry with me mentioning this, but I figured her mother would be happy to know that her daughter has found herself a mate, and they were quite loud on their first night. We have no idea where the Executioner has gone to, I pray he is still trapped in the cavern or killed by the goblins but I fear he may return and we will continue to be ready. When we reach another town or major settlement, we'll send another letter to let everyone know how we are doing. I hope everyone is doing well, we will be off on another quest to investigate a nearby village."

Half-Dragon Mother let a sigh of relief as she was happy to know her daughter and friends were doing well and for the time being, were no longer being tracked by the Dragon Executioner. She looked toward the others after reading, almost all of them had smiles on their faces except for Harpy Mother who sat upon her chair with her hands covering her face.

"She found a mate…I knew it was too early to tell her how I had met her father. At least she found someone she can trust and has been adventuring with them these past few months." Harpy Mother took in a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh as she prepared herself to face the truth of the situation. "The letter mentioned the adventurer was Rider, which one was he again?"

"Um, the Saber Rider is the barbarian with the saber cat companion." Half-Dragon Mother offered a weak smile as she looked toward her friend.

Harpy Mother once again sighed as she placed both hands over her face; Half-Dragon Mother was quick to come over and gently pat her friend on the back as the others laughed and cheered.

"Ha, ha, ha! Looks like the first of those girls has found someone to make them happy." Dwarf Shaman laughed as he drank his wine then looked toward the others in the guild with a wide smile. "I say we take bets on which one will get hitched next? Who's in?"

Before Lizard Priest and Elder Wolf Sister could protest, the rest of the guild was in an uproar as they joined in the mischief, some actually bringing out gold coins to begin the betting pool.

"I'll put down five gold coins that the dragon priestess will be the next lucky one." Heavy Warrior chuckled as she raised up his mug of ale.

"Then I shall put down five gold coins for the padfoot, she's got quite the energy about her." Female Knight smiled as she happily went to drink her own ale.

"So long as…they are both happy…it doesn't matter…who finds their companion…first." Witch drank her wine as she looked toward Spearman with a sensuous smirk.

"Grrrr. If anyone tries to claim my smaller sister, they must beat me first in combat! I won't allow anyone weak to take her from my pack!" Elder Padfoot Sister began to growl as her fur unconsciously stood up in her small fit of anger.

"Sir Mage, this seems like a bit much doesn't it?"

"It's all in good fun Scaly. You worried someone will end up taking your little girl away?"

"So long as she is happy, that will be the most important thing for me and her mother." Lizard Priest had a small smile on his face as he closed his eyes and nodded his head only for that smile to slowly vanish. "However, if this person would hurt her or make her sad, we shall definitely have words."

As the others laughed over the news from the letter, Goblin Slayer, his wives and their children were gathered at a nearby table. Sword Maiden had set her feet inside a small wooden tub as her daughter poured in hot water from a metal kettle.

"Brrr. Thank you, sweetie."

"Still dealing with that cold huh?" Hero smiled as she saw her friend shiver involuntarily while having her body coved with a thick cloth.

"Unfortunately. In a true battle, I doubt my Protection would have been able to hold up to her Disintegration spell. So I had to hope that I could endure the freezing cold than she could."

"I was really worried when I noticed your skin was almost turning blue, I would not have imagined the legendary Sword Maiden doing something so reckless." Sage let out a heavy sigh as she shook her head looking toward her friend.

"Perhaps I have been picking up some bad habits from my dear husband." Sword Maiden smiled but to her surprise found Goblin Slayer handing her a cup. "For me?"

"Yes. A mixture of honey and lemon. I've also added some herbs that are helpful in recovering from a cold."

"Thank you love." Sword Maiden smiled as she brought the drink to her lips, letting out a sigh of contentment from the taste. "That is quite good indeed."

"You mentioned, this mad follower also spoke of orcs as well?" Priestess worried about the possible connection between what they had to deal with and what Hero and Sword Maiden has heard.

"Correct." Sword Saint frowned as she leaned against the wall and calmly tapped her fingers along the armor on her arms. "She said something about orcs and a kingdom. If only we had captured her before she fell, we might have been able to learn the truth of the situation."

"You also had to deal with your own problem with the orcs correct…that and something else with them." Guild Girl had a look of concern on her face as she looked to Priestess and the others.

"Yes. We finally saw what Goblin Slayer had mentioned, man-sized goblins capable of normal speech and much more organized in their combat than normal goblins." Half-Demon Thief shook her head as she recalled the battle against the figures in the village. "Their armor and weaponry were crude but effective in battle. Monsters were no different than the goblins as they went after the females, their boss mentioned gathering as many females as possible."

"So they might be trying to use them for…breeding purposes." Cow Girl sighed as she said this, the term and image it conjured up never sat well with her. "Even though it's not the best topic to speak of, there was a monster there that was the offspring of orc and human right?"

"Yes. It called itself an Uruk Hai." High Elf Archer remembered hitting it with her arrow and how little it reacted to the strike on its chest. "Big figure, kind of reminds me of our Lizard Priest and the Heavy Warrior combined."

"He had his left arm chopped off and received a deep stab wound from the Priest and hardly reacted." Priestess could easily remember the creature lifting up her Goblin Slayer as if he weighed nothing in all his armor. "A truly frightening creature."

The daughters all heard the conversation and could see the concerned look on the faces of their mothers. In their minds, they understood that it was a challenging monster but their family had easily dealt with the challenge and returned home safely. The young child with pink hair and two colored eyes looked off to her left to see her father nearby the window looking through the book he had recovered from her sister.

"Hmm. Nothing in here about these new creatures, just the orcs." Goblin Slayer closed the book as he sat there silently thinking about all that had occurred with these new creatures. "Orcs present near the capital and Frontier Town but using magic to escape. Maybe something similar to a gate scroll but not used as a weapon. Women are abducted and used for breeding like the goblins but the offspring is far different. These…Uruk Hai and the Orcs must be destroyed before they breed in excessive numbers. But where is their nest?"

Beneath the book was a massive map of the continent, with various drawings to mark the major cities and towns. Their lands were populated by more than just humans, elves, and dwarves but other races and monsters that roamed the lands. Goblin Slayer looked toward the map again, he wanted to focus his attention on the Capital, thinking these creatures might be taking advantage of the free people recovering from the Necromancer's evil ten years ago but stopped as he saw a familiar figure. Beyond the mountains, the lands, and mountains to the west near the ocean were the markings of another massive city with the symbol of a strange winged creature.

"This creature, I've seen this image before. What was it the Lich Queen called it?"

"A griffon Beloved. You really should expand your repertoire beyond just goblins and goblin-related monsters."

All eyes fell on Goblin Slayer as the Lich Queen's voice could be heard. Goblin Slayer them remembered the strange piece of metal he had recovered some time ago and reached into his pouch to search for it. He then placed the metal on the table, although heavily scratched, there was a visible mark of a red griffon facing towards its right side, the same as the markings on the map.

"I see."

"Papa? Is everything alright?" The young girl and Wolf moved to check on Goblin Slayer.

"Hmm? Yes, everything is alright." Goblin Slayer looked toward his daughter and reached out to gently stroke her head. "Just something I'm looking into."

xxxx

The Amazons were feverishly cheering as their leader readied to do battle with one of the captives, the hated barbarian who had hunted a saber cat, or so they thought. Saber Rider stood within the dirt ring anxiously pacing left and right and he prepared for his fight with the Amazon Leader. Outside this ring were his companions who were all greatly concerned for his wellbeing; further back were the other captives forced to kneel down in the sand with their arms bound by their sides.

"You shall all see what happens to those who would dare oppose our leader."

The captives each had a scowl upon their face but would refrain from doing anything that might get them killed, but that would not stop them cheering for the barbarian.

"I don't like this. What guarantee do we have that these Amazons won't just turn and attack us." Wolf Brawler frowned as she looked around to see all the Amazons cheering for their leader or mocking Saber Rider. "Even Monk here has to keep his arms bound when with us."

"A small price to pay Huntress, but I am at least allowed to stand with the rest of my comrades." Monk had a small smile before turning his attention back toward the ring.

"We at least have our weapons so be ready to act if need be." Half-Dragon Priestess continued to frown as she turned her attention away from the others toward Saber Rider, all the while gripping the handle of her blade.

"Rider! You don't have to do this! We'll find Fang and break him out, fighting everyone if we need to." Harpy Scout was nervous as she watched the approaching Amazon Leader, practically a mountain of muscle.

"No. I need show her I not hurt Fang. I need to win to get brother back and not get others hurt." Saber Rider began to punch his right fist into his left palm, a frown still present on his face as he waited for the fight to begin.

The Amazon Leader stepped into the circle, completely oblivious of the cheers of her sisters as she latterly looked down upon the wildman.

"You shall face me barbarian. No weapons, no pelt, no spoils of the saber cat you butchered."

"I keep saying I not kill second mother! I need to win to get brother back!"

"The moment I knock you out of this ring, you will have lost!" Amazon Leader smirked as she began to flex her muscles, confident in her own strength compared to this young man.

"I only lose when I can no get back up! No matter how many times I get knocked down, I keep getting back up to fight!"

Amazon Leader had a scowl on her face as she looked toward Saber Rider, she could clearly see the determination on his face but was not sure why he was so insistent on continuing this lie.

"Fine. Then I hope you're prepared to suffer." Amazon Leader had a cold smile on her face before raising her left fist high into the air. "Sisters! Let us show those who would cross the Tiger Tribe that we will not yield!"

The Amazons, young and old, all raised their arms to the sky and cheered as their leader confidently smiled back at them, they all knew she would be victorious, it was only a matter of how much pain this foolish man could endure before he begged for mercy. Amazon Leader raised up her arms ready to fight; Wolf Brawler looked at her stance and noticed it was very similar to the techniques she and her sister had used.

"She knows grappling techniques."

"What's that? Is it going to be a problem for Rider?" Harpy Scout looked at her friend with a worried expression.

"It means she will use holds to subdue opponents in addition to heavy strikes. He'll need to avoid being grabbed by her otherwise she could easily break his neck."

Harpy Scout, Half-Dragon Priestess and Padfoot Monk were all concerned but now it was too late as the Amazons began to beat the drums. Amazon Leader and Saber Rider both stood within the ring as the drums continued; with a final beat of the drums both fighters rushed forward with an animalistic yell clasping hands as both attempted to overpower the other.

"You're strong indeed, but you won't be able to overpower me."

Amazon Leader smiled as she pulled her arms back, in doing so she also pulled Saber Rider towards her. Rider was surprised by her strength as he could not stop himself and when he was close enough, she went on the attack. Amazon Leader quickly raised her right leg to knee Rider in the stomach; the blow caused him to release his grip and clutch at his stomach as the wind was knocked out of him.

"Rider look out!"

Before he could understand what Harpy Scout was trying to warn him about, Amazon Leader struck him across the face with her right fist knocking him to the ground. The other Amazons let out a thunderous cheer as their leader towered over the downed barbarian; his comrades were ready to rush over and help him but other amazons crossed their spears, forbidding them from moving and closer. Saber Rider left out a gasp of air, a small amount of blood running from the corner of his mouth from where he had bitten the inside of his cheek.

"Why not just give up? You are not the first man to challenge me and none have ever beaten me." Amazon Leader's body was covered in scars from all her countless battles over her years as a warrior. "Do you really believe you are strong enough to beat me?"

"You…you are very strong."

Saber Rider gave a shake of his head as he got back to his hands and knees, slowly he soon was back on his feet, wiping the dirt and blood away from the corner of his mouth.

"I not leave or quit until I get Fang back. No matter how strong, I keep fighting."

"Then you better show me more of your resolve."

Saber Rider rushed forward, keeping himself low to the ground to avoid the swing of the Leader's fist and crashed into her midsection. Amazon Leader grunted, forced to take a few steps back but avoided being knocked over. Saber Rider wrapped his arms around her waist as he continued to push, desperate to knock her to the ground. Amazon Leader brought her hands together and raised them high before bringing them down up his back. Saber Rider grunted, the heaviness behind her blows shook his body but he did not release his grip. Amazon Leader repeated her crushing blow three more times, but now Saber Rider went on the attack punching her right side with his left fist; Amazon Leader gasped as he continued to slam his fist into her bruised side.

"E, enough!"

Amazon Leader grabbed his side and suddenly swung his body, tossing Saber Rider out of the ring. The barbarian hit the dirt and rolled a few times as he struggled to push his body back up.

"Rider!" Harpy Scout looked on with wide eyes as she watched his struggle to get back up.

"Come on Rider! Get up!" Half-Dragon Priestess was eager to help her friend but knew the other Amazons would simply allow her to jump in.

"Come on friend, do not allow her to beat you so easily." Padfoot Monk looked ahead, his ears telling him that Rider was struggling to catch his breath from all the blows he had received when he suddenly felt a slight discomfort on his left shoulder. "What…Talon?"

Talon had landed on Monk's shoulder, the large bird's sharp nails slightly digging into his skin but soon enough the bird let out several loud screeches but then bent its head down to pick at the ropes around Monk's arms.

"Ah, you have my thanks friend." Padfoot Monk looked back to the fight to avoid drawing any further attention as the bird continued to bite at the ropes.

Saber Rider slowly got back to his feet and gave a shake of his head as he looked past Amazon Leader to search for Talon.

"Wha, what? What you mean…rocks moving?"

"What's wrong? If you're ready to quit then walk away now!"

"Stupid Muscle Woman need shut up!"

Saber Rider rushed back to continue his fight with Amazon Leader, Amazon Leader purposely did this to make him act recklessly. She waited with open arms as the barbarian charged at her; mere moments before he could reach her, she moved to her right as Saber Rider moved past her. She quickly maneuvered behind Saber Rider and wrapped her left arm around his neck and used her right arm to pull it tightly toward herself. Amazon Leader continued to pull back and lifted the struggling Rider off the ground as he grasped at her arm to break free.

"Oh my gods! She has him in a strangle hold!" Wolf Brawler's eyes were wide as she watched her friend struggle to break free, her anger rising as she worried about what might happen if this continued.

"What's a sleeper hold?"

"She going to continue squeezing until he passes out, and perhaps until he stops breathing." Wolf Brawler's clenching her fists as she grew ready to charge over.

Harpy Scout looked to see Half-Dragon Priestess clutching at her weapon, with every deep breath a bit of fire escaped. The rope dropped to the ground around Padfoot Monk's arms and now he was free to move, he reached out to place a firm hand on Harpy Scout's shoulder to reassure her was ready to act. The Amazons were cheering as Amazon Leader continued her attack against the barbarian, unaware of the four adventurers and their animal companions ready to jump in but they would not get the chance as she yelled out.

As he saw his vision begin to grow dark, Saber Rider was reminded of what happened in the cave with the goblins, and he would not allow himself to lose consciousness when others needed his aid and bit down on the amazon's arm, drawing blood as she continued to squeeze. Amazon Leader quickly released her hold around Saber Rider and tossed him aside as she looked at her left forearm.

"He…he bit me! Never expected a man to act that…"

Amazon Leader suddenly looked up to see Saber Rider charging at her and landing a mighty blow against her jaw. Amazon Leader stumbled backward as Saber Rider used this opportunity to tackle her, this time knocking her to the ground. Saber Rider continued to pummel the downed Amazon Leader, the other amazons were in disbelief as he continued his assault. His comrades were surprised by his ferocity but could not stop themselves as he was now on the offensive.

"You…need…quit! Give…back…Fang!" Saber Rider struggle to speak as he continued to strike as Amazon Leader's face.

Amazon Leader quickly raised up her left arm and knocked his fist back, then countered with a right cross from her other fist that force Saber Rider to get off her.

"GET OFF!" Amazon Leader, still on the ground, gave a quick kick of both legs towards his stomach once again knocking him back down.

There was a hushed silence among everyone as they watched the two staggering as they got back up to their feet, each one breathing heavily as they stared one another down.

"You…you certainly don't hold your back against your opponents." Amazon Leader wiped the blood from her mouth, hissing as she could feel the sensitive spot on her bruised face.

"Can't…stop. Need…to rescue Fang." Saber Rider's hands hung down as he hunched over but forced himself to stand up straight. "You very strong. Even if you…capture me…I enjoy fight."

Amazon Leader was slightly confused as she looked back at the young man as he struggled to catch his breath, a large red mark present from where she had been trying to choke him out.

"You certainly are a stubborn one." Amazon Leader smirked, a brief chuckle escaping from her mouth, but she soon got her arms back up to fight. "But I'm still not convinced that you haven't kept that saber cat as your own pet or trophy."

"Then I prove it when I beat you." Saber Rider raised up his fist to continue the battle.

Saber Rider and Amazon Leader once again moved toward one another and went about striking in an attempt to secure their victory. The Amazons knew that ordinarily, the moment someone was thrown out of the ring, the contest of strength would be concluded but that was not the case here. They had confidence that their leader would, she seemed to have taken less damage in the fight but had to respect the barbarian for continuously getting back up no matter how many times he was knocked down.

Talon flapped his wings and flew off Padfoot Monk's shoulder to find a higher spot to observe the battle, the amazons had taken notice of the hawk but ignored it as they refocused on the fight. Talon soon noticed several of the saber cats meowing as they clawed at the wooden posts trying to reach for him. As the two continued their fight, a new sound drew the bird attention as it turned toward its left. Talon then flew over toward the edge of the massive wooden gate and peered out over the beach, to see something massive scuttling into the ocean. Talon let out several screeches, many turning their attention to the bird but were quick to refocus back on the two fighters.

"Talon you be quiet! I not care about big bug in water!"

Amazon Leader suddenly rushed in and grabbed Rider's right arm and began to spin, Rider struggled to keep up with her as she continued to spin until she released her grip. Saber Rider stumbled and fell rolling several feet away until he crashed into one of the nearby wooden tables. The other amazons all moved aside before he had crashed through the table, the sound of it cracking and snapping heard by everyone in the village.

"You don't have the luxury of being distracted, barbarian! We're in the middle of a fight."

Saber Rider groaned as he turned his body over and looked ahead to see the Amazon Leader already walking toward him to continue their fight.

"Damn. Woman really strong. Much stronger than me but can't…I smell fish. Where it…"

Saber Rider looked to his side and could see several fish on the ground, these had been some of the ones caught by the amazons and allowed to dry out on by the sun.

"Hold on! Wait!" Saber Rider, still sitting on the ground, held out his arms and open palms to ask the Amazon Leader to stop.

"Why are we stopping?" Amazon Leader stopped, actually grateful for a moment to catch her breath, but maintained her calm expression. "Are you finally ready to surrender and leave the saber cat with us?"

"No surrender yet." Saber Rider then looked toward the fish and reached for one, beating at the scaled as he tore the flesh away. "Just want to get something to eat first."

Everyone was left speechless as they watched Saber Rider continue to eat at the raw fish. His comrades were indeed surprised but should have expected this type of behavior from him.

"You're taking a break…to eat some food?" Amazon Leader's frown quickly vanished as she too looked on with a puzzled expression.

"No fight on empty stomach." Saber Rider tossed aside the remains of the first fish and was quick to place another in his mouth. "Here, you eat too. Fish good."

Saber Rider scooped up another fish and threw it toward Amazon Leader, she caught the fight the fish looking at it in question then back at Saber Rider before smiling and eating the food given to her.

"These actually taste much better when they're cooked." Amazon Leader chuckled as she followed the Rider's example and tore at the fish meat.

"No time to cook. Have to eat raw." Saber Rider chuckled as he continued to eat.

There was a soft chuckle among the other amazons as they saw this display while Half-Dragon Priestess and her friends looked on in amazement.

"What the hell is he thinking?" Harpy Scout could see her friend was heavily bruised yet seemed to be enjoying himself.

"I believe he has found a kindred spirit in the leader of this village." Padfoot Monk could not hide his smile nor his laughter as he looked ahead. "Remember how he mentioned he would like to fight with me again?"

"Yeah, he did say that a while back." Wolf Brawler looked toward Monk with a raised eyebrow.

"Then he is finding the same enjoyment as he fights with the Amazon. She may be stronger and is clearly the more knowledgeable fighter, but he's found someone he can enjoy fighting against." Padfoot Monk smiled but soon his ears picked up footsteps off to the side and he turned toward their direction. "What's that?"

"My leader, something to drink then." One of the Amazons rushed toward Amazon Leader with a leather pouch filled with a liquid.

"You have my thanks sister." Amazon Leader drank from the pouch, the taste of wine went well with the fish she had just eaten. "That was good. Hey! Warrior!"

Saber Rider finished eating his final piece of the fish when he saw something flying toward him, he caught the pouch and could feel the liquid contents within as he looked back at the smirking Amazon Leader. Saber Rider nodded his head and took a big swig of the contents, happy to have food and drink in his belly.

"I think Monk is correct, Rider may actually be winning over the Amazon Leader. Perhaps we'll be able to walk away from this without anyone having to lose their lives." Half-Dragon Priestess had a smile on her face as she loosened her grip on her weapon, no longer feeling the tension she did earlier.

"I hope you're right." Harpy Scout clasped her hands together as she nervously looked at Saber Rider. "Come on Rider. Don't you dare die on me."

Saber Rider got back on his feet and tossed the pouch aside as he let out a loud grunt of relief before hitting his stomach a few times. Soon the two were back to looking at one another, Amazon Leader taking in a few deep breaths before slapping her arms while Saber Rider stretched his neck to one side then the other and went about opening and closing his fists.

"Are you ready to go again?" Amazon Leader was practically barking at him but there was a genuine smile on her face.

"I ready!" Saber Rider gave a deep roar of his own before charging forward to continue the fight.

xxxx

Fang hissed and snarled at the Amazons while anxiously pacing back and forth within his cage. Three of the amazons calmly watched the large beast snarl and attempt to claw at them, but they of course kept a safe distance from the saber cat.

"The poor thing acts so vicious because of the treatment he must have endured at the hands of that barbarian."

"Indeed. I hear that he had the nerve to challenge the leader to combat to win back this creature."

"Even if he was to win, none of us would allow him to take back this noble creature. I've seen the trophies he claimed from another saber cat, perhaps this one's father or mother. He'd do the same once this saber cat has failed to serve him any further."

"What do you mean if he wins? Our leader has never lost before, and this fight will be no different. He may assume she is weak because she is a woman, but he will soon discover."

"I don't want to miss any part of this fight, let's go!"

The amazons soon left Fang within his wooden cage as they joined the others in watching the fight. Fang continued to hiss as stuck it claws out of the cage but now one else came toward him. Fang could then hear the familiar voice of Saber Rider, from the cage it could see his brother fighting with someone. The moment Rider was first knocked to the ground, Fang was now roaring as it continued to push at the wooden cage. Every strike Rider received continued to enrage the large saber cat, the wood around the cage creaking and cracking as the cat pushed. For Fang, it's instincts were telling it to break free and move to save his brother from the one attacking him.

xxxx

Saber Rider let out another grunt as he fell to the dirt, Amazon Leader towering over the fallen barbarian with her fist still raised.

"You fought well, I shall acknowledge that, but you have lost. Just quit and I shall allow you to leave with your comrades."

"N, no. Won't leave…Fang." Saber Rider struggled to push his body up beyond his hand and knees. "Can…can keep fighting."

"So be it. Then I'm going to full knock you out so your friends can take you from here." Amazon Leader sighed as she brought her hands together, determined to knock the man out in one blow. "I'd rather not kill you since you fought well for so long. I can't allow you to further hurt…"

There was a deafening roar before the sound of wood breaking apart, everyone's attention turned to the side to see Fang now free of his cage roaring loudly as it looks towards everyone.

"F, Fang?"

Fang ran forward, many of the amazons quickly moving aside to avoid being in the path of this enraged beast. They could see the beast heading directly toward the downed Saber Rider and Amazon leader, many believing it was going after the cruel human that had hurt him. Amazon Leader initially believed this but could tell in the creature's eyes that its rage was directed solely at her. She quickly moved away as the saber cat attempted to slash at her while moving closer toward Saber Rider. The amazons were surprised by this, but before they could grab their weapons, Half-Dragon Priestess and the others rushed to help Saber Rider back up.

"Rider? Are you alright?" Harpy Scout grunted as she helped get her mate back up on his feet.

"Pretty Bird. Thank you." Saber Rider offered her a weak smile then turned his attention toward Fang and calmly patted its back. "Good to see you Fang. You alright?"

Amazon Leader was surprised by the sudden appearance of the saber cat and how it stood in front of the injured barbarian. Now that his comrades had joined him all other Amazons readied their weapons while the older saber cats stood by their human companions and roared back at the adventurers. Amazon Leader took a further step back when she saw the saber cat lean forward and attempt to swipe at her but then her own saber cat moved to stand in front of her, snarling at the other saber cat that tried to attack her.

"Stripe. He came to protect me."

"Looks like we'll have to fight our way out of here." Wolf Brawler raised her fists as she looked over amazons armed with spears, arrows and swords.

"I would feel better with my staff in hand, but I am trained in fighting unarmed." Padfoot Monk too raised his arms but kept his hands open like a martial artist would.

"Let me get a quick breath of fire and I can clear us a path. Rider, you should get on Specter, he'll be able to…"

"Wait Lizard Girl, everyone…I still need to finish fight."

"Rider what are you thinking? This isn't some childish fight you have to win because of your pride." Harpy Scout looked at the still unsteady Saber Rider who stumbled past them.

"Pretty Bird, not need to worry, I not die. Need to prove that I not cause harm to my brother." Saber Rider patted Fang on the back as he moved in front of the saber cat. "You stay still Fang. This my fight."

Fang turned its head toward Saber Rider, no longer growling, as it let out a deep meow as he moved forward.

"The look in that saber cat's eyes was just like Stripe. He moved to protect the barbarian, not trying to attack him." Amazon Leader continued to look at Saber Rider who now stood in front of the saber cat with fist raised, she now moved to pat her saber cat atop its head. "Stripe. No need to worry. This fight is concluded."

Amazon Leader's saber cat stopped its own snarling as she pet him then calmly walked to meet with saber Rider. She came to a halt just a few steps in front of Saber Rider who still stood ready to continue their fight.

"What wrong? I still able to fight."

"I can see that. I can also see that I was wrong, your saber cat came to defend you. He would not have done that if you had mistreated him like I originally thought." Amazon Leader had a small smile on her face and then raised her left arm up high. "Sisters, lower your weapons!"

The other Amazons were shocked by the response of their leader but relented and lowered their weapons. Half-Dragon Priestess and her comrades were just as surprised by the Amazon Leader's words but Saber Rider was still ready to fight.

"Barbarian, no Saber Rider, I was wrong. I can see you truly do care for your brother here. I'm sorry for saying such things to you. I surrender."

"You, you lose? I win? Fang able to come with me?"

"Yes. You are a very strong fighter, you have my respect." Amazon Leader chuckled as she bowed her head toward Saber Rider.

"You strong too." Saber Rider smiled as he gave the amazon a slap on her right arm. "I think, I not able to beat you. You stronger than me but it good fight."

Though some of the Amazons were shocked by the sight of Saber Rider slapping their leader, she broke out into hearty laughter and patted him on the back several times.

"I like you Rider. Let's get you treated so you and your party can continue on your journeys."

Amazon Leader led Saber and his comrades were led away to a nearby wooden shack where Amazon Leader and Saber Rider would have their wounds treated while the other captive men were led back to the wooden cells, though they were hopeful this change in the Amazon Leader's attitude might also mean they would be allowed to depart. The other amazons soon went back to their normal activities, surprised by the Leader's actions but also impressed that Saber Rider had lasted as long as he did. Talon remained high on one of the wooden posts to avoid the other saber cats but turned back to the ocean, there were no more of the large rocks, or rather bugs, moving from the sand back into the ocean.