Within the foggy trail of Mistwood, Leo, Rain, Erigg and Wick crept slowly through so not to alert any dangerous creatures.
"This fog is quite thick." complained Rain "How is anyone supposed to see where they're going?"
"I would use one of my spells." said Erigg.
"You have a spell to get rid of fog?" asked Leo.
"Yes. Well I used to... but unfortunately I don't have it at the moment." answered Erigg.
"Maybe you could conjure one up." suggested Rain.
"You don't understand. I have the correct materials to do that right now." started Erigg "The materials I need grow in much warmer climates, in valleys and woods. Not usually in swampy areas like this."
"So no spell?" frowned Rain.
"No spell." said Erigg.
As they continued through the swampy land Leo began to whispering winds echoing through the trees. He felt as something was watching and waiting. After taking another five steps shadowed figures jumped out from the tops of the trees. Leo tried to calm his horse, but he was knocked off by one of the shadowed figures.
"What's the meaning of..." started Leo, looking up at his attacker only to find out that it was the same one he saw in Vyskuer "You."
"Assassins!" commanded Ixnus "Attack!"
The shadow assassins leapt into action, trying their best to intimidate the four heroes. But they were not scared, the three fought back bravely. Rain, smashed the assassins with his club. Erigg and Wick threw potions to scare the enemies away. Leo stood up from the ground to face Ixnus on his own.
"You're one like me." said Leo, noticing that Ixnus was a turtle just like he was.
"I am nothing like you." said Ixnus, unsheathing the second katana, the twin of Leo's katana.
"You killed my master." said Leo, realizing the katana was similar to his own.
"Like master... like student."
Ixnus wrapped both hands on the butt of the katana and swung with all his might at Leo's right side. Leo blocked the attack with his katana, but Ixnus was quick and raised the katana above his head, bringing it down towards Leo's brow. Leo lifted his katana, blocking the shot. Leo pushed Ixnus away and tried to swing back at Ixnus' right side, but his katana was blocked. Ixnus swung his katana again, this time at Leo's left side, but Leo backflipped over the blade and tried to strike Ixnus. But Ixnus blocked Leo's attack. The stared each other down between blades, both with vengeance on their minds.
"You are better than I expected." Ixnus complimented.
"So are you." huffed Leo, trying to push his blade closer towards Ixnus.
"I wouldn't do that." said Ixnus, pushing back on Leo's blade, causing him to drop it on the ground.
Ixnus saw the opportunity to strike as Leo tried to grab his katana. Ixnus swung the blade at Leo's abdomen, but Leo jumped back in time, barely missing the attack and instead having ripped his armor in the middle.
"Foolish move." laughed Ixnus, pointing his katana at Leo's head.
"Not as foolish as the move you've just made." said Leo, before sweeping his leg into Ixnus' leg, causing him to fall on his back, dropping the katana.
Leo swiftly picked up both katanas before Ixnus could get to his feet. Leo scissored both blades on each side of Ixnus' neck.
"Call them off." commanded Leo.
Ixnus stared up at Leo, trying to think of a way to get out of his situation, but he knew that if he tried he'd be dead.
"Assassins! Fall back!" commanded Ixnus.
The shadow assassins locked at their leader, feeling confused, but they did as they were told without question.
"You have me where you want now. Go ahead and finish me." said Ixnus, ready to be executed.
Leo lowered the blades slowly as he signaled for Rain to tie up his hands.
"What are you doing?" asked Ixnus, feeling rope tightening around his wrists.
"You're one of my kind." started Leo "I was told to search for three others who were like me. Rain was the first."
"Nice to meet you." said Rain, pulling Ixnus off the ground.
"Erigg was second."
"Salutations." greeted Erigg.
"And you..." said Leo, looking Ixnus in the eyes "You must be the third."
"I am the Shadowlord's best assassin." growled Ixnus "Why would I go with you?"
"You'll have no other choices." said Rain, tossing Ixnus on the back of his horse.
"You will all pay for this!" shouted Ixnus "My assassins will come and finish you off after they've rescued me!"
"Your assassins ran off leaving you behind." said Erigg "They don't seem like the kind who would come back."
"If I were them I wouldn't either." laughed Rain, climbing onto his horse.
Ixnus let out a sigh as Leo and Rain started going deeper into the Mistwood. As they came closer to the end of the forest they stopped to make camp for the night. Rain, Erigg, Leo and Wick sat in the tent as Ixnus stayed outside, his hands tied around a tree.
"This is very good." said Rain, taking a big bite from a piece of meat that Erigg cooked.
"Didn't think scholars could cook." chuckled Leo, before taking a sip of his tea.
"Scholars are skillful in many fields my friend." said Erigg, eating a bite of his soup.
"What about our... friend outside?" mentioned Wick, taking a bite of his meat.
"I say let him stay out there and starve." said Rain.
"I do have an extra plate." said Erigg.
"I'll take some to him." said Leo.
Outside of the tent Ixnus sat, his hands still tied tightly around the tree. Leo placed the plate of food in front of him and cut the ropes with one of his katana.
"Why do you bring this?" asked Ixnus "Why do you torture me? Why don't end me?!?"
"Because you need your energy. And because I need help in taking down the Shadowlord."
"The Shadowlord will never be defeated by you. His assassins are loyal to me, and they will come and..."
"Is that why they left you?"
"Huh?"
"They left you to die. They didn't seem very loyal to me. Especially if they were truly trained assassins. They could have killed me and rescued you then and there, but they didn't."
"Don't you dare mock my assassins!" shouted Ixnus, throwing his plate only to be met with Leo's katana pointing at his face.
"Put your hands behind the tree." commanded Leo.
Ixnus leaned back, putting his hands behind him, around the tree. After Leo tied the ropes back around his wrists Ixnus spoke.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"You brought me food... you hesitate to kill me... why?"
"Not all of us believes that death is the only punishment for our enemies. Sometimes letting them live is punishment enough."
"Leo..."
"Master?"
"Leo... where are you?"
"I am here master."
"Leo... I... need you."
"Master!"
"Mmph!" screamed Leo, opening his eyes to see Ixnus standing above him with his right hand on his mouth.
"Shh."
"What are you doing here?" whispered Leo, pushing Ixnus' hand away.
"I saw some thieves outside." whispered Ixnus "They are stealing the horses."
"Is this some kind of trick?"
"If it was you would be dead already."
"What about the others?"
"Leave them, they'll just slow us down."
Leo, feeling a bit cautious, followed Ixnus out of the tent quietly. Near the trees he could see the dust being kicked up by the horses with thieves riding their backs.
"They're getting away." said Leo, chasing after them with Ixnus following close behind.
At a campsite in the clearing of the woods near a lake the thieves mounted their stolen horses to trunks of the trees around them.
"Tie 'em up good 'n tight." commanded the large, burly thief.
"A'ight." answered the short fat thief.
"These horses should fetch a fine penny, huh Cap'n?" laughed the scrawny, one-eyed thief
"Of course they will!" said the Captain, picking up a mug of beer "Some of 'em might even make a good supper!"
While the thieves laughed and drank, Leo and Ixnus stayed hidden behind two trees, listening to everything they were saying.
"Nothing but a bunch of dirty thieves." growled Ixnus "We can deal with them easily."
"Wait." said Leo "I don't want to kill them."
"Hey." said Erigg, popping out of the bushes "What are you two doing..."
Ixnus hurried towards Erigg, placing his hand on Erigg's mouth as the thieves looked up from their drinks.
"Ya hear that?" asked the Captain.
"Sounds like it came from the trees." said the burly thief.
"Go check it out then!" commanded the Captain.
Two of the thieves marched over to the trees with their swords unsheathed, but when they looked around them they found nothing.
"Nothing 'round 'ere."
"Musta been a wild animal or somethin'." growled the Captain.
As the two thieves walked away from the trees, Ixnus, Leo and Erigg popped their heads out from the bushes.
"We need to get our horses." said Leo, quietly.
"Maybe we can sneak past them." Erigg suggested.
"They may hear all three of us... unless..." Ixnus paused.
"Unless?" asked Erigg.
"Unless we had a distraction." answered Ixnus, looking at Erigg.
While the thieves drank and ate and laughed Erigg stumbled out from between the two trees. The thieves were ready to slice him up, but he began to speak.
"Greetings and salutations fine wanderers." said Erigg, cheerfully as the thieves pointed their swords at him.
"What be you?" asked the Captain "A talkin' lizard?"
"Actually, I am a turtle." chuckled Erigg "But not just any turtle, I am here to entertain."
"What kind of entertainment ya talkin'?" asked one of the other thieves.
"Magic." answered Erigg, making the thieves laugh.
"Magic? There's no such thin!" laughed the scrawny thief.
"Oh no?" said Erigg, throwing down a smoke bomb, disappearing and reappearing behind the thieves.
The thieves turned around to see Erigg holding a mug in his hand.
"Mind if I have a drink?" asked Erigg, pouring the beer through his sleeve.
Erigg threw down the mug and clapped his hands once. He showed the inside of his sleeves to thieves who watched in amazement. He snapped his fingers and took off his hat. He picked up the mug and poured the beer straight into the mug from the hat.
"Ya!" cheered the thieves.
"That was really good." said the Captain "Do another."
"Another one coming right up." chuckled Erigg.
As Erigg continued to entertain Ixnus and Leo prepared for their getaway with the horses.
"Let's try not to alert their attention." suggested Ixnus, getting on Rain's horse.
"Agreed." nodded Leo, hopping onto the wagon.
The two moved silently behind the thieves as Erigg prepared for his one last trick.
"And now I will make something disappear." said Erigg "How about... those horses?"
Erigg pointed to where the horses were tied. The thieves turned their heads to see the horses have gone. When they turned back around they saw that Erigg had gone as well.
"He tricked us!" growled the Captain "Get your other horses men! We're goin' after 'em!"
After they had made distance between themselves and the campsite Leo, Ixnus and Erigg heard the thieves closing in from behind.
"They're coming fast!" panicked Erigg, riding pass Ixnus.
"Ready your weapons!" ordered the Captain "Attack!"
The thieves bucked their horses in the sides, making them run even faster. The first turtle they caught up to was Ixnus. The big burly thief knocked him off of his horse and onto the hard ground, knocking him out cold. The Captain, with fire in his eyes, ordered the scrawny thief to use his bow. The scrawny thief aimed at the wagon Leo was mounted upon, pulled back the string and let the arrow fly. The arrow hit the wheel of the wagon, causing it to fall, bringing both Leo and the horses down with it.
"My spells!" yelled Erigg, catching up with Leo.
The thieves kept riding after the turtles, until the Captain looked up and noticed the sun was starting to rise.
"Halt!" commanded the Captain "Turn back!"
As the thieves turned back to go back to their camp, Erigg caught up to the wagon and immediately jumped off his horse and ran to it.
"My spells! My precious spells!" cried Erigg, opening the back hatch to see if anything was broken.
"Where's Ixnus?" asked Leo, stumbling towards Erigg.
"I-I don't know." said Erigg, shakily "Could you help me get this wheel back on?"
Leo picked the wheel off the ground while Erigg gently lifted the wagon. Leo pushed hard and knocked it into place.
"There." huffed Leo, shaking the wheel to see if it was sturdy.
"Good, now let's get out of here before those thieves decide to come back."
"I'm going after them." said Leo, walking over to the horse Erigg escaped on.
"You're going after them? Why?"
"They must have taken Ixnus."
"Let them have him."
"Erigg!"
"He's a Shadow Assassin, one of the Shadowlord's right hands."
"Which is the reason why I'm going back to get him."
"You're insane if you think he's going to help you defeat the Shadowlord!"
"Maybe so, but I'm still going back."
Leo turned his horse around and began in the direction of the thieve's campsite.
"Go get Rain and Wick! I'll meet you there!" yelled Leo back to Erigg.
In the campsite within the tent Ixnus lay unconscious in a chair. When he came to he saw the the thieves standing before him and felt himself tied down to the chair he sat.
"Let me go." Ixnus snarled.
"Yer a servant of the Shadowlord, aren't ye?" asked the Captain, looking down at Ixnus.
"How did you know?" asked Ixnus.
"I once worked under the Shadowlord." said the Captain, sitting in a chair across from Ixnus "Was one of his top assassins I was. Until he left me 'ere."
"He abandoned you?" questioned Ixnus "What about your fellow assassins? Did they not stick by you?"
"They would've if they weren't so scared of being stricken down by their master."
"Why do you tell me all this?"
"Ye ever 'ear of Mutant of Mistwood mate?"
"I have heard tales. But it is but a myth."
"Oh… yer about to find out… it ain't no myth."
As the Captain stood up from his chair his shadow began to grow bigger, wider. His skin ripped open, showing an insect-like shell underneath. His head sprouted antennae, and his face became that of a roach with eight eyes. Ixnus looked up at the monstrosity in disbelief.
"I… am that myth."