The throne room in Shinji's castle finally broke from an awkward silence now that the situation had become more serious. Many of the women needed to keep themselves busy before his return but knew they would not have a chance to distract themselves now that the threat of Goldo's army was making its way back to them. There was much they needed to understand in order to be up to speed on how they managed to get themselves in this position. Shinji's fellowship was able to provide a condensed version of everything that happened over the multitude of battles along with explaining their capture of Jewel up to the battle of Yalebelle.

With all of the information that was given to them, Asuka looked over the map on the floor Mayumi set up observing, "Sounds like Shinji got to have his fun with the others out there. Nice to not have more heroes to worry about. And those elves out there, Yersia is trying to make sure they fight under her command now?"

Mayumi confirmed, "That is the essence of it. We don't know how many elves are still out there, but the ones from Yalebelle managed to provide us with a lot of help against Goldo's army."

Shinji recalled another part of the battle plan at work, "One of the runners will make their way here once his army is supposed to make its way to Skull Canyon."

The idea appealed to Mari as she realized, "We'll be able to have them trapped where they can't escape and then it's just a question of how long after that right?"

Ayanami searched for the location of the canyon in question asking, "That is an opportunity we would be afforded. Is the location not too close to where we are located?"

Mana denied the risk at hand answering, "That's why we're going to finish them off before anyone gets a chance to report our location. And this time we're not letting ourselves take any risks. Misato and Phanton have made sure we don't have to."

Misato took this opportunity to introduce her dwarf, "Well you heard them. Why don't you tell us what we're up against boys?"

Duotsurhur stepped forward to announce, "We have served under Goldo for many years. I can say with absolute certainty that whatever he is lured into a trap if he believes he has an advantage."

Duotsurhur agreed, "It will only be a question of how much of them will be able to get them through the canyon gorge. It is more than likely Goldo will lead the charge himself if he thinks he can take on the overlord again."

Phanton was next to ponder what they were up against as she recalled, "I saw Shinji destroy the axe that was supposed to be a mighty weapon for him. How do we know he is so interested in facing him again?"

Duotsurhur stuck to his original suggestion, "Even if forced with his bare hands he will not deny the opportunity to face the overlord himself. It even ties into how we know he will be willing to go with the gorge."

Mana looked at the canyon on the map before realizing, "He'll be taking the rock giants with him down there."

It was a strategy that Mayumi picked up on as she added, "He thinks he'll be able to handle whatever we throw at him from above because he'll have those giant things protecting him and probably a lot of his men. That being said, do you think we'll have to make sure he thinks that's what our plan is?"

Duotsurhur pulled on his beard before admitting, "That is what we need to be ready for. It would probably take a lot of soldiers to make sure that he thinks we're going to try and pick him off from there."

Everything that had been revealed made it seem the surprise attack could very well work in the favor of Shinji's soldiers. He was able to prove the loyalty of one of his recent soldiers and he knew he did not have to question the hypnotic effects of the enslaved dwarves who were revealing everything. Even having everything in his favor still managed to provide considerable room for error where things could still not go his way. Not without knowing exactly what Goldo was thinking at the moment.

One individual who was recently taken into his ranks was the closest case where he would be able to achieve that possibility. No one imagined one of the heroes would end up defecting to him considering what positions of power were at stake. A handful of onlookers were just as easily capable of stating it could have been the case considering how every woman Shinji was coming across was at one point or another falling into his arms.

While there was a lot of loose ends that could not be wrapped up in this meeting alone, Shinji pinned his hopes on some amount of certainty by asking Jewel, "Do you think Goldo would take the canyon if he knew I would be an easy target for him?"

Jewel realized she was dragged into the conversation before finally answering, "Well… He was a hardheaded one and he did like to kill his enemies. But it's like you said earlier, even trapping him will give him a chance to defend himself from above with those rock giants."

Ayanami tried to reason the impracticality of the scenario that was being suggested, "We might be able to trap him but if Shinji is stuck down there by himself, he could not possibly face the entire army on his own."

Asuka was not so intimidated by the warning as she reminded, "Maybe it won't be so bad actually. We have our own set of wings ready to drop us down there and handle them, right?"

The others saw Asuka gesturing his thumb towards Misato, Ritsuko, and Maya before realizing what she was referring to. Many of the soldiers would not be able to softly land to the depths of the canyon but an entire division of them did have the wings she was referring to. Even if it have to be done one at a time, Shinji would not be left to fend for himself as many were concerned.

He hoped for everyone to accept the plan at hand as he decided, "That should settle it then. We should get ready to move out as soon as we can."

Preparing to make her way out for battle, Mana took hold of her spear asking, "I don't think we're fully prepared Shinji. I know you want to trust everyone, but we can't be assured that everyone is eager to rush into battle."

Sending everyone into battle was not something Shinji was eager to do but he was able to tell what Mana was trying to warn him about. Both Ritsuko and Maya were not enthusiastic about throwing themselves into this upcoming battle after having now been converted from their human forms. He not only felt feelings of regret boil up from what he brought the two of them into but realized the risk of them possibly throwing a wrench in what was set up.

Being forced to remember this concern made Shinji admit, "They aren't Misato. They didn't care about me that much when I worked for them before. Right now the best I can probably hope for is that they still want to fight for their own lives."

Asuka entered the conversation to warn, "And you won't be able to help them at all if you die out there."

It was a difficult truth to debate against, but Shinji maintained his plan reasoning, "If I'm not out there now, he will never fall for what we're setting up. All I can do is just hope they don't see Goldo as anyone they should be fighting for."

Ayanami warned them of the danger headed their way suggesting, "We might be able to convince them if we come out of this next battle victorious."

Accepting there was no more time for him to contemplate what he had done earlier and what the others might be going through, Shinji accepted, "Then we should get going now."

The narrow cliffs that formed Skull Canyon had been still and silent for many years. That peace from conflict was about to be interrupted now that a battle was making its way towards the castle of the new overlord. One of the surviving heroes was determined he would have the honor of saving the world from that supposed dark force. At least once he was finished with one individual he believed to be one of his best assets in battle.

Looking through the forest, Goldo kept himself shielded from the arrows that rained from the branches above him. The elves had gained a newfound sense of conviction against their attackers now that the battle of Yalebelle was settled. It was also a challenge he found himself taking advantage of.

One of his men did not share the vision as he was warned, "My lord! If we do not hurry in there, the prince could be slain!"

Watching the rogue division of his men run off in the depths of the forest, Goldo pushed him aside correcting, "That boy believes he can rule better than me. If it is what he believes then he will be given the chance to prove it once he is left to rule over the wilderness."

These words left many shaken as they heard their king dismiss the life of such an important member of royalty be dismissed. None of them even considered the thought of questioning him though as soon as he gestured his hand to one of the nearby trees. It was the only signal the rock giant behind him needed to throw a boulder through the air and knocking down the tree in the distance.

Goldo continued his march through the forest ordering, "Remain behind them! We will rout those traitors and we will slaughter what elves remain in our way!"

The dwarven army was in an advantageous position when it was tasked with pursuing the soldiers that were deserting it. It was also the only advantage Yersia had when she led the elves behind her through the tree branches and away from Goldo's forces. The rock giants that stomped their way through the forest uprooted and knocked down more of the untouched trees while threatening to crush her and her people at the order of the dwarven king. Danger remained constant for the three forces in their attempts to find a path through the land.

Yersia was reminded of this danger as she heard one of the elves leap to a branch next to hers and asked, "How do we know we are making the right route?"

Yersia hoped to reassure her fellow soldier by answering, "Goldo is chasing after them, not us. We have to keep ourselves in between them both."

Another tree fell close behind them that caused several elves to leap through the air. The chaos was causing Yersia's followers to scramble as they searched for the best opportunity to save their lives. The position of the elves made organizing the ranks a difficult task as they managed their best to push against Goldo's forces.

There was a brief calm from the elves as they positioned themselves out of sight while one of them asked Yersia, "Are we even achieving anything? At best they seem to be slowing down."

Another one agreed, "Even if we help those escaping ones, I don't think we can count on them being thankful."

Yersia reminded them of the one advantage they had, "If the runners can be relied upon, we should be luring them into Shinji's trap anyway."

Another tree fell as one of the elves protested, "We can't be sure the king will follow them in if they enter!"

Yersia could see what a fatal error this could be but added, "The only other way to lure him is to use ourselves as bait. I will not put any more of our kind at risk."

The gathering of elves found themselves conflicted by the rationale that was presented. On one hand they knew Goldo could not possibly be motivated to enter the canyon without their involvement. They were also left uncertain if he was vengeful enough to want his son's head for himself. Any approach they took left the plan for trapping Goldo in jeopardy.

One of the elves looked into the distance lamenting "We may not know until it is too late."

Not even Yersia herself could argue that she felt secure in relying on hope for a plan to work out. Being caught between two divisions of the army they were tasked with fighting left them little room to gain a significant advantage. The only assurance they had was with the division they were chasing being traitors on the run. Most significantly the desperate hope of the crown prince.

Every step was another one towards safety but Golding could not say that he or any of his men were any further away from his father. His men also knew this was the case as they struggled to hold on to what strength they still had or take a breather behind any of the nearby trees for defense. It only left them open to the barrage of arrows that rained down upon them from Goldo's division in the distance.

Golding remembered hearing one of his men observing there were elves in the trees, a sight that had not been seen for many years. Most importantly that they were only interested in the division his father was leading. He would still have casualties in his escape but he could hold on to the bit of hope that his men could still make it out of the jaws of death.

He realized he would have to answer with his own judgment as he heard one of his men ask, "Why are the elves not aiming for us? I would imagine we are the easier targets."

Golding placed himself behind a nearby tree to avoid a series of arrows that came his way before answering, "They are hoping to be through with them first. They do not want the king to threaten them."

Another one of his men observed, "My lord you're bleeding!"

Golding looked at his shoulder realizing he had been hit with an arrow. It now accompanied the slash across his cheek he had been forced to endure in defending himself against his father for his defiance. He knew he should have been concerned for his men but looked around to see more of them still dying in the pursuit. If he did not survive this battle, his men would have died for nothing.

Breaking the tail end of the arrow from the back of his shoulder, Golding ordered, "Do not lose focus! We cannot rely on the King's mercy anymore!"

Preparing to continue in his escape, Golding saw one of his men make his way towards him reporting, "My lord, I can see where we are headed! Skull Canyon is dead ahead and we are headed right for the entrance!"

It was a dangerous idea to allow him or his men to be caught in a mighty chasm like the one they were headed to but Golding suggested, "Perhaps dangerous is what will assist us for now. Order the other men to make their way right into it. I will be at their side."

Unable to muster the courage to question such an important matter, the soldier shouted to the gathering of soldiers, "To the mouth of the canyon! We will make our way through there!"

The new plan for the followers of the dwarven crown prince were not unnoticed as one of the elves made his way up the nearest tree before finding Yersia nearby. She and the others were fending off against the forces of Goldo while moving back to defend the lives from the return fire. Discussing battle plans was becoming more difficult by the second but did not become any less crucial.

He tried to keep himself firm in this a face of adversity by announcing, "I have heard where the prince is headed. He is planning to take the others right into the canyon."

Hearing this made Yersia turn her head to ask, "Directly into it? He is taking that as his plan?"

Another one of the elves reasoned, "I'm not sure there was much else they could have chosen as an alternative. If Goldo does see them headed into the chasm, he will probably take advantage of it with his rock giants."

The grave error Yersia made in hoping to guide the dwarven army to Shinji's trap made her announce, "Provide me with assisting fire! I will hold them back as best I can!"

Before anyone had a chance to inquire the plan, the elves saw Yersia leapt down from the beaches and onto the forest ground where the dwarven army was treading. In front of her was all of Goldo's army remaining undeterred in its charge for their enemies. Facing them all herself was an impossible task for one fighter such as Yersia, but also the best choice to deter them from discovering Golding's plan.

Goldo looked out to the distance to see her standing before his army and demanded, "It is one elf! Do not stop charging!"

Taking charge of his army and their attack, Goldo grabbed a pair of axes from his sides. He threw one after another towards the area where Yersia stood while his army fires their arrows along with him. All expectations he had of seeing her readily meet her end were undone as he saw her remain firm and prepare to respond in kind.

Yersia dived towards Goldo's army as she wove her body through the barrage of arrows. Several managed to get light scraped across her body but did not deter her from her counterattack. She had the exact moment necessary to arm her bow and arrow and fire towards the pair of axes making their way towards her.

The first axe was hit on its side and flew towards the head of a dwarf unfortunate to be in its path. The other was hit on its head and crashed to the ground to the feet of the approaching army. Yersia took her chance to shoot into the incoming crowd where she saw one of the dwarves next to Goldo fall at her attack. She was denied the chance to take the king herself as she realized the archers prepared to fire another volley upon her.

Yersia made a dash across the forest grounds where she avoided being hit. The elves that were there to support her fired their own volley upon the dwarven army only to give a less impressive demonstration. Even without gathering she many casualties, the elves were still able to achieve their intended goal of preventing the dwarven army from taking another step towards the canyon.

The sight of the two forces stuck at a standstill was an assuring sight for Yersia. She also knew it was only the first step in making the reported plan work as intended. The fate of Golding and his men was another matter she would have to allow to play out.

The canyon Shinji brought his soldiers to was left waiting for its newest occupants to make their way in. Many of the Rei clones kept themselves on the ground of the cliff tops while waiting for the first order to make the attack. The sight of the forest entrance in the distance was the only signal that their plan would be successful.

At the entrance of the canyon stood Shinji himself with his weapon at the ready. Once again facing the dwarven king and with more of his army behind him seemed to be an inevitable outcome given the plan that was set. He found his plans beginning to expose problems as soon as he found himself face to face with the occupants of the canyon.

He managed to make his way through the canyon cavern before finding an exposed river. It might not have been the ideal place to stop and wait for Goldo to arrive, but he knew it was the one place where he would not have to deal with the King's forces. This was assurance he had until he heard the first words that broke his sense of security.

"Look who it is boys, some little tosser who lost his way!"

Shinji turned around to see who uttered the insult before realizing who was observing him. He saw a pair of human men holding up a pair of banners bearing black painted torched flames on both sides of a drawbridge. More important to him however was the sight of the men holding weapons that showed them ready for combat if things became so desperate.

Shinji raised his hands to ask, "Who are you?"

One of the men stepped forward answering, "We are the Black Flame Bandits. And you are in our territory."

Shinji wished he had the luxury of commenting on the originality of the name of the canyon or the bandits he had just encountered. Right now he realized he might have another fight on his hands if he said anything wrong. Even more alarming was the new challenge that threatened to undo his plan.

Keeping his hands raised, Shinji appealed, "I don't mean to intrude, I won't hurt any of you."

Another one of the bandits raised his sword while grinning, "That's perfect. We'll have ourselves an easy job that way."

The threat made Shinji step back appealing, "We don't have to fight. There's an army headed this way and they won't spare any of us."

One of the bandits who bore more equipment than the rest of his men stood out announcing, "Sounds like you're trying too hard to intimidate us now boy. The Empire has a reward for your bounty. That army you say is headed to us sounds like it could be our ticket to picking you apart once we're finished with you."

Shinji realized what sort of stakes he was being forced into with that observation. He was caught between the army that he tasked himself with guiding into the canyon behind him and a band of criminals he had no knowledge of beforehand. He had no idea what sort of situation he had just placed himself in, but now he found himself in a dangerous situation he did not anticipate.

Keeping hold of his mace, Shinji apologized, "I'm sorry this had to happen. I didn't want to kill more people than I had to."

The bandits were not so remorseful as they prepared to challenge his position as the overlord. Shinji was indeed stronger and had powers he doubted any of the bandits did, but they had the advantage of numbers and Shinji's reluctance. Seeing things go against what he was hoping would unfold still managed to be a personal obstacle that kept Shinji from decisively achieving whatever was demanded of him.

Being forced to deal with so few opportunities made Shinji back away to the entry cave he came in from just as the bandits began to fire their arrows towards his area. He blocked one of them with his mace before the first few bandits made their way towards him while swinging their swords towards him. The first battle within Skull Canyon started sooner than anyone anticipated while another number of key participants was making their way inside.

The pursuit of his army was finally easing as Golding led his men into the depths of Skull Canyon where they found themselves no longer being pursued by the forces of the king. The absence of other living things made the location optimal to regain their bearings in preparation for Goldo to find them. Moving further into the canyon caverns made them realize they were not the sole occupants to hide within the canyon.

Golding took charge of searching through the area before finding out there was indeed a conflict sounding its way through the air. He could see humans in the distance that stuck next to their banners in the distance but were not part of any army he recognized. The one individual he did recognize, however, was someone he did not think he would have to immediately address so soon.

One of his men made his way up to him to ask, "My lord, is that someone we should know out there?"

Realizing he was speaking to someone who had not seen all of his prior experiences made Golding reveal, "That is the overlord himself. Standing with nothing but his own strength of all things."

Another one of his men, one who had stuck with him asked, "You say he is the one who spared your life that day? That he saw value in your life being protected? I must admit, seeing someone so unimposing does make me see how someone can be more merciful than what we might have assumed."

Golding did not let his guard down as he warned, "Do not let his weak look fool you. He was given the mantle for a reason. Even now we witness him holding his own against these bandits alone."

Another one of the soldiers watched the battle at hand asking, "He is supposed to be powerful, but he does not seem so eager to demonstrate his prowess in battle. Against such lowlife humans like these no less."

The soldier next to Golding hoped to receive confirmation about the battle by asking, "Does that make him arrogant or cowardly?"

Golding watched Shinji fend himself against the Black Flame bandits while remaining locked upon the portion of land he was able to claim. He did not have any reason to make their current battle play out the way it was when he had far more power to demonstrate. It also proved to be a perfect opportunity for Golding to take now that Shinji was more exposed to an attack than he had been when he last saw him.

He also knew he could not contemplate the current state of the overlord with his men right behind him waiting with bated breath. Even without the favor of the king they served, they could not perceive of a time where they would not want to challenge the being who was supposed to be the greatest threat to their world. Most of it came from the simple fact that most of them did not get the chance to see what sort of man on the battlefield Shinji was. What should have been an advantage for Golding instead served to be a detriment that made him second guess taking advantage of the situation.

One of his men brought him back to this line of thinking as he was asked, "My lord, do you even focus on what is happening before us right now?"

Golding shook his head to look back to the others answering, "There is much I do not know about this boy here. I imagined he should have been a vessel of destruction everywhere he went. What you all heard about him sparing my life however, that is what I have witnessed."

This revelation caused a stir among the soldiers while one of them proclaimed, "He spared your life? My lord, he and his henchmen are slaying the great heroes! We cannot allow his kind to continue running rampant through the land without abandon!"

Golding realized this was the perfect opportunity for him to reveal his great concern by assuring, "I do not like this either. We have also been asked to commit acts that should have weighed against our conscience. Hoarding the gold of the world aside, we could never have seen causing such a time of strife to be worth the trouble. Even the little news we received from Heaven's Peak makes it seem as though the loss of the heroes has been providing a better life for the people who were under their reign."

Recalling all of this information only caused the soldiers to gain a sense of unease in what was revealed while one of the soldiers asked, "But what does that men my lord? Does that mean the overlord is right where he should be in this land?"

It was here that Golding realized what he was going to have to answer for. He needed to give an answer of what he was going to command his men to approach with the new overlord here and now. He could not allow any more contemplations to prevent him from taking any more action. Even then he knew he could not have the complete support of his men as soon as he gave an answer for his ultimate decision.

His answer would not be readily accepted but Golding kept hold of his axe to announce, "Our ancestors fought overlords indeed. The forces of evil challenged our ways of life for as long as they did that we were able to find a way to stand united. But look at us now. We have been reduced to fighting one another even when we are supposed to be facing a force of evil we should be united against. I want to believe that his death could bring about the end of this conflict, but I fear that we may only be bringing about the beginning if we continue along with the usual course."

Golding found he was right in his original assumption as he heard another of his men warn, "That sounds like the first step towards the darkness if anything."

Another one added, "There is no possibility that we could ever end all conflict by resorting to a man who brings wanton destruction with him."

A third asked, "So what are we supposed to agree to then? You believe we are going to have him see reason just by cornering him out there?"

Golding once again found himself being asked to make a hard decision but managed to convince them, "I may not know what sort of man this Shinji is, but I believe there is one thing we can all agree on. That we are better having him under our thumbs than he is free to live up to whatever dark potential he has."

One of his men stood up for him in support encouraging, "Look at it this way boys, we have some slaughtering to do before we take down the overlord himself!"

Another raised his axe agreeing, "Then let's grab our axes and surround him!"

Yersia hid herself behind another tree as she tried to prepare herself for the next attack. The other elves kept themselves in the branches of the trees behind her while she herself continued to make sure Goldo's army remained as slow as it could be. She found her strategy was about to reach its end as soon as she made her way to the edge of the forest that led to the sight of the true battle. The entrance to Skull Canyon.

Looking around the area, Yersia found there were a handful of footsteps that were imprinted upon the ground. It served as the only indication that the army under Golding's command had made its way into the chasm they hoped would serve as shelter. All she needed to do now was make sure Goldo himself was about to make his way into the canyon so things could proceed as planned.

She rushed ahead to the footprints before using a swift sweep of her feet to brush away any signs someone had been walking in the area. Goldo's army was approaching but the depths of the forest were still obscuring their vision as they made their way to the canyon entrance. Her final warning came as soon as she saw some of the elves following her leap down from the trees and rush up to her.

One of the elves announced, "They are coming! We cannot hold them back any longer!"

Yersia looked at the edge of the forest agreeing, "Shinji should have the means necessary to keep them down this path.

"I can't imagine there is a way we can be certain of it."

Yersia corrected him as she turned to face the entrance of the canyon, "There is one way. We just need to make sure Goldo can at least see some of us once we begin to make our escape in there."