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I'd like to give some thanks to hammerstroke for helping me out with the anchor tags. And just another note. I have said this before and I will say it again. Moggy a.k.a the scotty is supposed to talk like that it is part of his accent. This may be redundant but I want to get this point across. And I highly recommend that you read Ch.1. If you have not read Ch.1 then you won't be able to understand some aspects of this story. * * *

[Previous chapter](%5C)

• * * ##### Avatar Ch. 2 ##### by Mangy Mutt Down in the dark boundless lands long forgotten by time. Past osiris mountain, the vast oceans and all other areas separating salandra and the mysterious dark depths of demon territory. Down in the deepest darkest pit beyond all other lands. In the midst of this vile foreboding land there was a great unrest. In this area there resided a great but distorted structure. Its shape was similar to that of a living thing, more than that of any stone and brick structure. Long curving hooks protruded from the top giving it a grotesque look. And black spiraling pillars with skulls from various creatures adorned the front opening of this massive anomaly. Deep within the bowels of this very building there was an enormous pit-like chamber. All manner of objects resided within this chamber, from gnarled cursed weapons to assorted gems of high quality. Residing in the dead center of this room there was a massive throne that looked as if it had been formed from the very depths of hell itself. There were two prongs emerging from the top that seemed to have been carved from pure bone. Two long flat spear blades formed the armrests. And the edges of the blades themselves had been charred giving them a dark hue. The seat itself was comprised of what looked to be a massive opened rib cage from some long forgotten creature. But what drew the most attention to this room were not the materials in it, but the vile creature pacing about its mirrored floors. Growling irritably the demon kept a steady motion as it paced around the room. Erupting from the back of its pointed head were two long curved horns. The eyes black and pit less stared at the ground contorted in anger. All assortments of rings and studs protruded from its leathery skin causing it to hang loosely from its face. And its face was that formed from the very nightmares themselves. It bunched its blood red cloak about its body as it continued its pacing. "Where is he," the creature growled as it stopped its pacing to tap two long foot claws upon the floor impatiently. "You sent for me, my liege?" a voice whispered. Following the voice a wraith-like figure drifted in. Its entire body was enshrouded within a long ivory cloak. Where a face should have been there was only a hood with two flaming eyes staring out from the dark depths. No feet were visible from the bottom of the cloak. Instead only a light waft of smoke emerged from the bottom while it slowly drifted towards the horned demon. "Arellus, what is the status of the jigans I sent to dispose of the half breed?" asked the demon as it sank back into the throne. It placed both wet scaly hands together, clacking its claws upon one another while waiting for the answer. "They have not reported back my liege. But I doubt they ever will. The half- breed known as Zero will have probably dispatched of them already," the cloaked figure answered. Growling the creature slammed its fist against the throne's armrest causing a loud clang as its claws racked against the metal. Its face contorted into a fierce snarl revealing rows of razor sharp ashen teeth. "Damnit! That vile half-demon has been a thorn in my side for far too long! What must I do to be rid of him? Not a single assassin I have sent has been able to kill him!" He sat there tapping his claws together in deep thought. "My liege. May I suggest something?" asked the hooded figure. "You have freedom to speak Arellus. You need not ask." "Why not send a tiyan to dispose of him?" "What! Surely you must be joking. The tiyans may have once been our most powerful allies, but these days they are too few too make a difference in our war against the trolu. It is rare to even see one these days. And besides there is no tiyan that would be willing to undertake this task." "That is where you are wrong my liege. I have the perfect candidate for the job. This tiyan would be all too willing to dispose of the half-breed." "Hmm," the demon answered while stroking its spiked chin in thought. "Bring him to me. If what you say is true he might be of some use to us. He might even serve well in our upcoming attack on osiris mountain. Be off now. I tire of your presence." "As you wish," the cloaked figure bent over to bow and then turned to exit the chamber. Outside the chamber the cloaked figure made its way through the rancid dark halls. The very walls themselves seemed to be alive with unbearable anger. Various grotesque limbs protruded from the studded walls with their wet flesh flaking off and falling to the ground with audible hisses. Moans and wails were the only sounds that emitted as the ghastly array of demon limbs grasped at the air from their seemingly endless zone of limbo. From the walls a dark structure began to form, peeling itself away from all the deathly limbs. As it emerged it began to take the shape of a black orb of gas. Gray wisps of smoke fumed from its edges while it drifted to float near the head of the cloaked figure. Following the creature seemed to be its only aspiration, until the hooded head turned to acknowledge it. "So everything goes as planned?" a ghastly voice asked from the depths of the orb of gas. "Yes master. I told that fool of a leader about the tiyan I found. I am on my way to get him now." "Good, good, then all the pieces are forming together as they should." "Yes my master. That idiot still sits upon his throne none the wiser of our plans. But tell me master. I thought you needed the half demon alive?" "Yes Arellus. I do need him alive." "Then why have me send this tiyan to kill him? I doubt any trolu, even the half-breed would have the power to defeat a tiyan. The creature might prove too uncontrollable and end up killing the half-breed. After all the tiyan does have certain ties to the half demon that would make him do everything in his power to destroy him." A low seething laugh came from the dark orb causing it to shake violently. "I am counting on it. I would not have had you seek out the tiyan if I had any doubt in my mind that he would be capable of destroying the half-breed. The tiyan will prove more than a match for the young half demon. But even so, he is merely an instrument with which I will use to bring about the destruction of salandra. Now I shall take my leave of you Arellus. Be sure to do all I have told you." And with that the orb began to shrink until it dissipated into nothing but a thin vapor. "It shall be done my master," the cloaked creature mouthed as he turned to continue drifting down the halls. * * * * * The four travelers were well on their way. They had left the cavern early to get a good start on their journey back to the mountain. It was close to evening. The sky had already begun to darken a bit from a radiant blue to a murky gray. And the forest held an odd sense of tranquility about it. The leaves would sway to match the gentle movements of the branches. And the leaves themselves would give off a gentle rustling sound which for all the world sounded like a thousand voices whispering at once. The wind blew calmly through, giving its gentle caress to the darkening land. Zero and Lukara stayed mostly to the back. They were content with just being close to one another. Smiling she would give him a small nudge of her shoulder every now and then. Their venture they had had in the cave the night before was still fresh on both of their minds. Moggy looked back to see the two wolves fooling around. "Would ye look a' those two? Fer pity's sake would ye jus' git a damn room already an' be done wi' it?" he grumbled. "Oh leave them alone. If it makes them happy who are we to object? Or as you would put it: Can ye no' jus' leave them be," Kiari said with a smile as she attempted to mimic the scotty's accent. Moggy shook his head. "Nay lass, ye put far tae much stress on the words. Ye need a lot more improvement before ye can speak lik a true northerner." "Well I thought it was pretty good for a first try," she huffed out while crossing her arms. "Don' mind it lass. Wi' a li'l practice we'll have ye brawlin' wi' the best o' them. Tae tell ye the truth it took Zero three years before he could understand what the hell ah was sayin'. Although ah am sure he would deny it." Lifting his hand to his ear, he could catch a few faint sounds in the distance. "An' by the sounds o' it someone is already havin' a brawl oot there." He was indeed right. Loud angry yells could be heard emerging from deeper into the forest. Kiari began unslinging her longbow from her shoulder while Moggy simultaneously brought his paw to rest on the basket hilt of his broadsword. Even Zero raced to stand next to the scotty as the yells and shouts came closer and closer. As if out of nowhere a figure exploded from behind one of the wiry bushes. It was a dark blue fox. His orange eyes held a mischievous glint to them as he ran faster and faster. His booted feet kicked up dust behind him during his flight. And the loud echoing yells seemed to be getting heavier in volume with every passing second. The fox's foot hit an upraised root causing him to trip. Luckily Moggy and Kiari were there to catch him in an instant. The bushes shook again and they soon came face to face with the owners of the voices. There must have been at least eighty of them in all. Foxes, weasels, this group seemed to be comprised from many different species. Each one snarled as they wielded a mass array of weapons from two sided axes to massive halberds. They edged slowly closer with each of their steps making a soft crunch upon the fallen branches as they advanced while raising their weapons for attack. Zero decided to speak first. With his katana at the ready he took a few paces forward to address them. "Is there something I can do to help you?" They all let out a roaring laugh upon hearing this. They're supposed leader, a tall gray coyote, walked forward while hefting a scimitar over his right shoulder. A large black bandana covered his shaggy head, and his two front fangs seemed to be wrought from pure gold. "Yes you can indeed help us," he answered with a voice half between a snarl and a cough. "First you can drop all your valuables upon the ground and then you can give us that fox. He has stolen something from us and we will have it back." Zero looked back to the blue fox to see him glaring hatred at the group. He turned back to the face the coyote. "I do not question whether or not he has stolen something from you. But you do not seem to be the innocent victims in this. I am sure whatever he stole from you had already been stolen from some other innocent. And as for the valuables, we cannot help you there." The coyote chuckled while giving his scimitar an experimental swing. "Give the fox to us. This does not concern you. And as for the valuables," he said while roving his eyes over Kiari and Lukara. "Those two females look like they might be worth something, eh men?" All of the bandits behind him answered with a hearty laugh. "And that blade of yours would fetch a nice price," he said while examining the sword at the wolf's side. Zero stabbed his katana into the ground and began letting his magic gather to his hands. He looked up to the bandits with a grin. "I will make you a deal. If you can manage to land one blow on me whether it be by blade or fist then you can claim anything of ours as you see fit." The coyote leaned his head back roaring with laughter. The bandits upon seeing their leader laugh soon followed suit. "One strike he says. Well men lets give him his one strike," the coyote bellowed. About twenty of the bandits howled their battle cry as their feet stomped upon the shifting ground. The very ground itself shook during their stampede as they charged the red wolf. Zero thrust both of his hands forth in a fluent motion. There was an audible hiss and sparks began to radiate around his hands creating a glowing light. With a loud crackle streams of lightning bolts erupted from his hands in projectile motion. They emitted loud hisses as they snaked in the direction of the charging bandits. When it hit them they yelled in agony and immediately dropped all of their weapons clattering to the ground. They gnashed their teeth together while the electricity traveled through their bodies. All of the muscles within their bodies constricted prohibiting them from movement. They could do nothing but stand there as the lightning unleashed its wrath upon them. Zero, with the lightning bolts still shooting from him, lifted both hands higher into the air with the electricity following his gesture with a quick response. Following his hand movements the lightning gave out a loud crackle and began to lift the bandits into the air. Higher and higher they were lifted, screaming their protests as the lightning maneuvered their bodies. Zero gave a quick flick of his hands. Immediately following this gesture the streaking lightning bolts curved in an arc sending all the bandits crashing into the trees. The branches and beams snapped and shattered as the bodies were sent careening through the foliage. Splintering wood flew in every direction and the branches fell to the ground from the sudden intrusion. Zero dropped his hands and turned to face the remaining bandits. They all began backing away slowly with the fear showing clearly through their eyes as they strove to get away from the red wolf. But their retreat suddenly came to a halt when their leader berated them. "What are you a bunch of cowards? Get your asses up and take him out," he snarled at them. They were a bit hesitant at first. But the coyote lifted his scimitar menacingly and soon got them in motion. With a little coaxing, via the swinging scimitar threatening to dismember them, they were soon sent into yet another charge. Zero sighed and shook his head. "They never learn." He turned to the scotty. "Moggy, you want this one?" With a laugh the scotty took a few steps forward. "Sure why no'. After all ah cannae let ye have all the fun." The scotty bent over and slammed his hand palm first upon the ground. Everything was calm for a moment but then the very earth beneath their feet began to shiver. Even the trees rattled a bit from the quaking. From where the scotty had placed his hand a massive ripple was sent flowing through the ground. From the ripple enormous spires of earth erupted from the ground sending dirt and dust flying in all directions. More and more spires erupted causing massive cracks to from in the land as they released their fury. The bandits were sent rocketing into the air from each eruption as the earth exploded beneath them. Then the ground shifted and the spires changed their shape. They began twining around the unfortunate bandits. Wrapping around their bodies like thick vines, with the soil itself forming together to restrain them. All of the rocks and gravel fed into the moving earth allowing it to stretch to enormous lengths. It grabbed their bodies and slammed them against the ground with tremendous force sending chunks of debris cascading everywhere. The scotty lifted his hand away from the earth. And as soon as it had commenced it stopped. Even though the earth had stopped shifting, the spires were still wrapped tightly around their bodies. The ones who were restrained hacked their weapons into the spires chinking away at it to release themselves, and the few bandits who were not turned tail and ran as if being chased by the devil himself. Their leader also left, fleeing even faster than his comrades. The bandits yelled whilst they rushed to get as far away from the area as possible. Moggy laughed while cleaning the soil from his hand. "An' that's how ye get it done lad." "If I didn't know better I would say you were trying to outdo me Moggy," Zero mused while looking over all the spires. "What do ye mean tryin'? Ah obviously got rid o' the bastards a lot quicker then ye did." Zero bent low and also placed his hands to the ground. The spires began to slowly seep back into the ground. The earth resembled quick sand while it retracted itself back into the soil. Pretty soon the ground steadied itself and the earth looked as if it had never been disturbed from its rest. "But you left too much of a mess. You always were sloppy with earth manipulating. And as for you getting rid of them faster than me. I seem to recall a certain incident in the aruli pits when you--." "That 'twas no' mah fault and ye know it!" the scotty growled. "Do ye have tae bring that oop every time? What aboot that time in meriga falls, eh? Ye nearly got us killed." "Hey the place was coming down anyway. I had to react fast, the things were about to eat us." "Ha! Ah seem tae remember ye sayin' the same thing when we-." "Not that this conversation isn't thoroughly interesting but you two seemed to have overlooked something," Lukara interrupted as she pointed towards the blue fox. Zero immediately turned to inspect the fox. The fox's orange eyes seemed to never be still, they were constantly shifting in every direction. Covering his head was a large black felt musketeer hat. One of the hat's rims was curved up a bit giving it a roguish look. A silver trim lined the edges of the hat and a long ruffled blue feather had been stuck into one of the sides. His pointed ears poked out of two slits that had been cut into the wide hat. In his left ear there were three small brass hoops pierced right through. Shaggy bluish green hair came down in unruly platted locks to his shoulders. His attire was pretty odd altogether. His purple tunic was very baggy especially in the long sleeves, and his black vest straps held many pockets as they came over his shoulders. And a thick red sash was tied across his waist in belt fashion. His only weapons that could be seen were two rapiers, one strapped either side of his waist, and a long thin dagger tucked into his sash. The two rapiers were completely similar in every aspect. Both handles were made from polished bone with their ivory sheen contrasting against his dark clothing. Double loops of metal curved together forming the cross guard of both swords, and both pommels were carved from black gems into a triangle shape. The dagger's handle was of similar build to the rapiers. The only difference was a switch set right at the handle for some unknown purpose. But of all his garments and equipment it was his pants that were the true wonder. Every single section of his ebony pants seemed to be covered by dozens of compartments and pockets, and many of them were filled with one item or another. "Allow me to introduce myself," the fox said in a smooth leathery voice. "I am Rin," he said while extending his hand in a friendly gesture. Zero looked the fox over and ignored the hand being offered to him. "Before we begin with the introductions would you mind returning all the items you just stole from my companions." "Surely you jest good sir. I have nothing of value," the fox said with a smile. Wordlessly Zero reached into one of the compartments along his belt. He flipped it open and withdrew a strange red powder. He flung some of it onto the fox's pants. Within seconds a bright red glow began to emit from a few pockets along his pants. Pretty soon the glow began to take shape. Glowing from within the fox's pockets were Moggy's twin daggers and a silver bracelet. Moggy immediately became enraged. "Why ye li'l son of a bitch! Ah'll carve yer stealing head off ah will," he yelled while unsheathing his broadsword. Quickly holding his arm out Zero managed to restrain the berserk scotty from attacking the fox. Kiari also became furious when she spotted the silver bracelet. Instead of showing fear the fox actually smiled. "Ah, so it seems I have been found out." He pulled the two daggers from his pocket and tossed them to Moggy who caught them while scowling at the fox. And Kiari quickly snatched her bracelet from his hand and reattached it to her wrist. After which she immediately fitted an arrow to her bow and set its sight right between the fox's eyes. "I must admit it has been a while since anyone has caught me in the act. Allow me to bestow my true title," he said while taking a theatrical bow. "I am Rin, master thief, infiltrator, navigator, negotiator, spy, informant," he stopped to take a breath and then continued. "Master of disguises, blade combat, scavenging, and retaining information," he finished with another bow. "Well, you seem to have quite an extensive list of talents," Lukara mused. The blue fox immediately looked up and smiled in the black wolf's direction. "And who would this vision of beauty be?" He smiled and leaned down to kiss her hand. He was immediately halted as he felt two blades at his throat. The tip from one blade belonging to Zero's katana and the other to Lukara's saber. "Okay, okay I can see that she is taken," he said while backing away. "Well I believe our dealings with you are done," Zero spoke while sheathing his katana. "I suggest that you leave before those bandits return." "Actually I might just stick around," the fox said while flashing another one of his smiles. "Excuse me?" Lukara asked while turning. "Allow me to explain my situation. Those bandits you saw there had also heard of my reputation and sought me out for my services. They needed my help to pull off a heist of one of the royals' gems of the kingdom suir. Now the heist went off without a flaw. I mean there is no way it could have gone wrong with me on the job." "Well he sure is full o' himself," Moggy growled. "But instead of splitting the bounty with me as they had promised, the bastards instead knocked me unconscious, leaving me for the guards. I had to stay in that prison at least three days, which may not seem like much but is an eternity to a master thief such as I. Finally I managed to pick the lock and escape those pitiful compounds. Of course being the talented tracker that I am I soon found their trail. When I caught up with them I waited till nightfall and quickly took the gems from them for all my troubles. Unfortunately even those as great as myself tend to make mistakes. "Sure is modest isn't he?" Kiari remarked sarcastically. Ignoring all of the interruptions Rin continued. "I accidentally tripped over one of them and ended up waking the entire scraggly lot of them. I got a good head start on them but they eventually caught up to me. Well I had been running since morning then I ran into you fellows and you know the rest. "Yes, a very intriguing tale. But you still have not answered why it is that you need to stick around so to speak," Zero commented while raising an eyebrow. "Well here is the problem. What you just faced was not the entire crew. Those were just the lucky few who were fast enough to keep up with me. In all there must at least be around six hundred of the scoundrels. Now believe me I am no ruddy coward when it comes to fighting. But putting myself in an unnecessary situation such as fighting six hundred warriors by myself would simply be foolish. But you and your friend seem quite capable of dealing with them. So I think I might tag along with your crew for a while." "And what makes you think that we will let you?" Zero asked. The smile once again returned to the fox's face. "Because I can pay you for your troubles. All you have to do is escort me to the nearest town." "Ha, no way in hell are ye comin' with us," Moggy laughed. "And how much exactly would you be willing to pay?" Zero asked. "Surely ye cannae be serious? Yore actually considerin' the theivin' bastard's offer?" "Well Moggy, we are nearly out of provisions, mostly food, water, and other materials. We will need to buy more. And have you already forgotten that we haven't got a bit of gold between us? And his request seems quite simple." He turned to face the fox once again. "So how much will you pay us?" Rin reached into one of his pockets and withdrew a thin scroll. He began unwinding the cord around it and soon had it spread out before him. His eyes roved over the parchment mechanically. Almost as quickly as he had withdrawn the scroll it was lightly shoved back into his pocket. "Well the nearest town seems to be at least a two day walk from here. A town called alayin." "Yes, alayin. We were already on our way through there," Zero answered. "Well let's see now. I cannot pay you a great deal seeing as the town is only a two-day walk. How about two bags of gold? That seems about right mate." "Four," Zero answered. "Four? The town is far too close to be offering that much of the lot," Rin answered outraged. "You are not asking us to walk you to a city. You are asking us to defend you from those six hundred bandits who are trying to kill you. The price is four bags. Either you can take it or leave it." The fox laughed once again. "Well you drive a hard bargain mate. But I am in no position to argue. Four bags it is." He reached within his pockets to extract the payment. "And by the way, do not think of giving us those fake gold coins. If you do I will have to remove both of your hands," Zero said calmly while crossing his arms. Shock was written all over the vulpine's face. But it was soon gone in an instant. He laughed as he withdrew his hands from the pocket he had currently been digging in. "So I see. I am not dealing with ordinary travelers." He switched to one pocket after another withdrawing a large bag from each one, each bag giving a soft jingle of metal as he hefted them. He tossed them all to Zero who caught them deftly in his hands. Zero tossed two of the bags to Moggy and they both opened the tough leathery bags to expect their contents. He withdrew a few coins from the bag and peered at them closely. Satisfied he deposited them back into the bag. He turned to Moggy who nodded to confirm their authenticity. Zero grabbed the other two bags from Moggy. As he held them within his hands the bags began to slowly glow a light gray. They began to decrease in size steadily until they were roughly the size of one of the coins that they contained. He unzipped one of the compartments along his belt and deposited the bags inside. "So it seems we have a deal. We will take you as far as alayin. Then you can do whatever you please. Now we must hurry. It is almost nightfall and we should try to make a little more progress before we call it a night." Wordlessly Zero turned and began walking at fast pace through the forest. He was soon joined by Moggy, Kiari, and Lukara as their footsteps echoed through the now quiet forest. With a light shrug Rin soon followed after them. A few hours later the group had finally stopped to make camp. The now dark trees swayed in time with the evening wind. Their curving branches arcing above the travelers as if trying to shield them from the dark sky. The stars shone brightly standing out against the vast dark of the night, each one resembling a glowing gem. The two tents were once again set up and illuminated by the crackling glow of the fire. Kiari had already retired for the night and closed the flap of her tent to acknowledge it. The fire also illuminated one more figure through the dark of the night. The red wolf leaned against the tree watching the fading fire as its wisps of flame vented on into the unlimited depths of the sky. Zero sat against the tall tree, the weight comforting against his back while he kept watch over the camp. His green eyes kept close watch on the prone figure of Rin. He kept an eye on the thief to make sure that he did not try anything. He heard a rustle of the bushes behind him and felt something prod him in the back. Zero immediately turned half drawing his sword only to be met with a kiss. Lukara's lips lightly played across his. Quickly recovering from his initial shock he leaned in to return the kiss. Their tongues met once again exploring each other's mouths. It was a good few minutes before they broke the embrace to take a few breaths. "You know it's not good to sneak up on me like that," he said with a smile while stroking her cheek. "Its like I told you before. You take things too seriously. You need to relax," she said with a giggle. Grinning she rested her chin against his strong chest while gazing up into his eyes. "And speaking of relaxing my tent is open if you're up for a little fun," she cooed. He felt his arousal begin to peak. Every muscle within his body screamed to just pick her up now and take her. But he had to remember his duties. "As much as I hate to decline. And I really do hate having too. Someone has got to keep a watch over this camp and especially that Rin character. And I think Moggy has made it all to clear that he's not going to do it." They both looked over at the still shape of the scotty. His plaid hat was tilted to cover his face and his chest slowly rose and fell to indicate slumber. Her face formed into a small pout. But finally accepting she gave a light shrug and leaned up to kiss him again. "Well another time then. But remember, you owe me." "Do I now?" he mused while lightly pulling back the bangs of her light blue hair with a soft caress to stare into her beautiful sapphire eyes. He felt as if he could lose himself within the icy depths of her gaze. There was a loud rustling and both of them turned towards the noise. Rin had risen from his slumber groggily and stepped on a twig during the process. "I don't trust him. I'm not sure what he might try while we are asleep," Lukara commented. "I wouldn't worry about him doing much of anything." "And why would you say that?" she asked. In answer she heard a loud bang and a shouted curse. She turned to see what had caused it. Rin had taken a few steps from his resting spot and had immediately been shot back by a glowing green barrier. The barrier itself held the shape of a dome. Light ripples were sent through it at the spot where the fox had tried to get through. But they soon calmed and the barrier began to slowly fade from sight. And the blue fox with a few muttered curses leaned back down to go back to sleep. Right after the incident there was a loud laugh. Both wolves looked around to see where it had come from, but to no avail. Ignoring it they both turned back to each other "Was that barrier your doing?" Lukara asked. He smiled down to her. "Just a slight precaution to make sure we don't wake up in the morning to find all of our stuff stolen." "Well I'll leave you to your guard," said Lukara while leaning up to give him one final kiss, this one lingering much longer than the others. With that she turned to make her way back to her tent. His eyes grazed along her figure as her curvy hips swayed back and forth with each soft step. The moonlight shining down only further pronounced her frame while she strolled away. With a sigh he trotted over and sat down by where the sleeping scotty. "You can cut the act Moggy I know you're not asleep. And I know that was you laughing." Raising his hand, the scotty lifted his hat up to reveal a huge grin on his face. "Ah could no' help laughin' mate. Ah cannae believe ye put a barrier on yon fox. Ha ha, the look on his face when he ran intae the thing was priceless. Ye be quite a cruel an' crafty beast Zero," he said with a chuckle. "The same could be said for you Moggy. Pretending to be asleep so I would have to take first watch," Zero remarked with a scowl. The scotty chuckled once more as he tilted his hat back down to cover his face. "Say what ye want. But ah will be damned if you think ah am to going take watch over the camp while yore gittin laid." "Jus go tae sleep an' shut yore mouth ye dirty bastard. Ah've had enough of yer fooling around fer one day?" Zero laughed bitterly while sinking to match the scotty's accent. "Well ah suppose ah would rather be a dirty bastard then havin' to stay oop keepin' guard," Moggy mumbled. And with that the scotty closed his eyes and within minutes was off to sleep once more, leaving his comrade to keep guard over the area for most of the night. * * * * * The morning sun was welcoming to the darkened sky. The dark blue of the night faded away more and more with the sun's light cutting into it ever so slowly. Extending its rays against the land slowly illuminating it inch by inch. Each leaf and branch within the forest slowly came to life, the life giving light from the sun causing a sense of rebirth along the land. The land seemed to regenerate itself from the sunlight bit by bit. Each plant and bit of foliage renewing their look as if being reborn once again into the world. The wind blew calmly ruffling the leaves, awakening them from the dark. A few of the leaves were blown from their branches. Gliding to the ground riding the currents of the wind. One of the leaves final resting places was the nose of the red wolf that was lying against the tree with both arms crossed behind his head. The wolf leaned his head back and blew the leaf off his nose sending it once again floating into the air at the mercy of the wind. Zero opened one eye lazily. Moggy had just fallen asleep from his guard. And Zero had taken all too much pleasure in waking the scotty up as payback for making him take first watch. He gazed up at the trees and reveled in their tranquility. His tail swished back and forth swatting here and there. And he stretched both legs feeling the strength return to his muscles. His ears flicked back and forth taking in all the sounds of the morning. But one sound caught his attention. It sounded like yelling voices and steel raking together. Seeing as he was a half demon his senses were much more attuned than that of mortals. The sounds were not too far off. So he figured that he should at least investigate it. He turned and walked over towards the scotty. He gave him a soft kick to the side in an attempt to stir him. "Moggy are you awake?" The scotty groaned groggily and rolled over while mumbling. "If ye kick mae again ah will rip yer blitherin foot off an' shove it oop yer ass," he grunted. "I'll take that as a yes" Yawning the scotty leaned up into a sitting position. He wiped the sleep from his one good eye to clear his vision. "What the hell do ye want?" "I heard some loud voices and sounds of steel. It sounded pretty close to this area." "Voices? Ye woke mae oop fer hearin' voices! What the hell is wrong wi' ye! Yore hearin' range is greater than that o' any regular mortal. So who's to say ye weren't jus' hearin' other travelers a couple miles off? Who knows an' fer the bally record who fuckin' cares." "I forgot how much of an ass you are in the morning," Zero said while chuckling. "An ass? Ye wake me oop fer this nonsense an' ye call mae an ass? Ye woke mae oop an' the sun has hardly even risen yet, what the hell did ye expect mae tae do, thank ye fer bein' sich a paranoid li'l bugger?" he yelled incredulously. "Well I'm going to check it out. And if the voices belong to the bandits then there might just be a chance of a battle breaking loose." Those were the magic words. Both of the scotty's pointed ears stood to attention when he heard the word battle. Not wanting to miss the chance of a fight the scotty got to his feet quickly and strapped on his broadsword over his right shoulder. He adjusted his kilt and tilted his hat. "Then what the hell are we waitin' fer. Let's be off." "Funny how much your attitude changes when you get the opportunity to fight something," Zero said while shaking his head. "Ach, Zero ye know mae well enough tae know ah cannae resist the thrill o' a good scrap," the scotty laughed while patting the wolf on the back. In moments they were off through the trees combing through them like shadows. * * * * * Growling the coyote slashed his scimitar through a thick tree branch in his anger. Splintering wood showered in every direction as the blade sliced through it. The others simply followed the coyote while watching him vent his anger on the passing foliage. There were only around sixty of them left from their encounter with the wolf and his group. "Damnit we almost had him. That bastard Rin never would have escaped if it weren't for those travelers." A weasel stepped up from the rest of the group. And he quickly asked the question that all the others were thinking. "Uh sir, why don't we just go back to the camp?" The coyote immediately turned and grabbed the weasel by his throat. "Why? I'll tell you why, because if we come back empty handed then the boss will skin us alive. We either go back with those gems or we don't go back at all." The coyote released his grip and the weasel fell to the ground coughing. A fox also walked forward to console the enraged coyote. "But you're the second in command. Surely you could tell him that we couldn't get the gems back. There is no way we are going to get them back from that wolf and the rest of them." "Listen, second in command or no those gems are worth much more than our lives to the boss. And I am positive that is exactly what he would say right before he killed us if we were to return without them. So stow your complaining before I cut your tongues out. Besides I don't think they would be up this early in the morning. If we sneak in quick we could probably get the gems and make it out of their in one piece. Now c'mon!" The coyote turned, but out of nowhere he heard a loud scream. He turned to look at the rest of his group. But nothing seemed out of the ordinary. All of them looked around baffled as to where the scream had come from. "Where did that come-," the coyote was quickly cut off as he stared in awe. Six of the bandits from his group suddenly shot into the air as if being pulled at by some kind of suction. The entire group broke and started running in all directions in their fear. Another number of the bandits were pulled into the trees by some invisible force. They would lift higher and higher and then disappear into the treetops through a veil of leaves. And branches fell to the ground from each intrusion of the treetops. The remaining bandits all grouped together. Cowering in fear they stared into the treetops wondering which of them would be next. A loud laugh emerged from the treetops causing even more fear. The leaves of the trees rustled and two familiar figures dropped from them landing on the ground. It was the wolf and the scotty that they had met earlier. The coyote shook from his shock and ordered his group to charge. The bandits enraged from the loss of their comrades were all too willing. Forgetting all of their fear and throwing caution to the wind they let out a loud yell while unsheathing all of their weapons. They ran towards their antagonists with anger burning in their eyes. Zero raised an eyebrow at the snarling bandits advancing towards them. "Clearly they must have already forgotten that we can use magic; either that or their just stupid." "Who the ruddy hell cares? A fight is a fight lad, screw the conditions fer it ah say," Moggy laughed while unsheathing his broadsword. Right when the bandits were about to hit the two warriors they instead broke the charge and encircled them. The bandits encompassed them in a large ring cutting off all escape. Each of them growled while they slowly edged closer and closer to the wolf and the scotty. "Och, this is goin' much tae slow for mah taste. If they won'start the damn fight then ah will." Moggy brought his sword arcing cutting one of the bandits clean in half right at the waist. All of the bandits stared stupidly while watching both pieces of their former comrade fall to the ground. Immediately they all roared and ran swinging their blades to commence battle. "Ha, that's more lik it," Moggy laughed while twirling his blade beheading two of the bandits that had gotten too close. The bandits were immediately repulsed by the wolf and scotty who fought like twin berserkers. They could not get a single strike in on either one of the experienced warriors. Moggy being too caught up in the thrill of the fight charged the bandits recklessly. His blade scythed through them cutting them down one by one. He was too enthralled in combat to notice a few of the fighters who had circled behind him. Zero turned from impaling one of the bandits on his katana. He saw the bandits sneaking up on the scotty and was about to yell warning but was immediately tackled to the ground by at least twenty of the crazed fighters. The bandits were right behind the scotty who was none the wiser of their presence. Each of them lifted their blades with the grim satisfaction shining in their eyes. They could already picture the scotty's dead body as each one of them swung their blades to end his life. They would have succeeded too if not for an unexpected coincidence. The entire group of bandits who had snuck up on the scotty suddenly yelled in agony and dropped to the soiled ground with their blood pooling beneath from the many slashes on their bodies. Hearing the screams the scotty quickly turned to see the dead bodies on the ground. "Hope you don't mind me cutting in," a voice said. Moggy turned to catch sight of the owner of the voice. It was Rin. The dark blue fox had both a rapier and his dagger drawn. The crimson blood dripped down the edge of the rapier from his dealings. "How the hell did ye git oot o' the barrier?" Moggy asked with surprise in his eyes. "I don't think that is important right now. And by the way, duck!" the fox yelled. The scotty immediately dropped to a crouch. Rin swung his rapier over the scotty's head stabbing one of the bandits right through the throat. Moggy stood back up and looked around. "Where the hell is Zero?" he asked. He turned and spotted the large huddle of bandits on the ground. And he was all too sure of what they were huddling over. He was about rush to the wolf's aid when he felt the earth begin to rumble beneath his feet. There was a massive explosion and all the huddled bandits were sent flying into the air. Zero emerged with his katana in one hand and a weasel in the other. His left hand held a tight grasp on the leg of the hapless weasel that flailed about in an attempt to release himself from the wolf's tight grasp. With a growl the red wolf rushed the bandits who mere seconds ago had been huddled over his body. His blade cut into them again and again. Flashing back and forth with mesmerizing speed. Whenever they got too close he would swing the weasel in his left hand like a club knocking them to and fro. He began to let his magic gather to his left hand. In response the weasel in his grasp let out a shrill scream as his entire body was suddenly engulfed in roaring flames. With a quick toss the flaming rodent was sent flying towards his comrades. When his body came in contact with theirs all of them burst into flames. They screamed and writhed as the crackling flames tore into their flesh. With a flip Rin landed right next to the wolf. The scotty charged through a large group of the bandits to join them. "How the hell did you get out of that barrier?" Zero asked while spinning his blade to decapitate one of the bandits. "Did I happen to mention that I am a master escape artist," the fox laughed. "And I find it somewhat funny that in the heat of battle the only thing you two seemed to be concerned about is how I got out." "I'll make sure to use a stronger barrier next time," Zero mused. "Yeah you do that." The fox was cut off from the wolf and the scotty. The bandits had managed to corner him. But this did not worry him in the least. Rin quickly brought his dagger up to his mouth and grabbed the handle between his teeth. He brought his other hand down to unsheathe his second rapier. He stood with both rapiers twirling in his hands and the dagger sticking from his mouth. The bandits all closed in on him, intent on revenge on the one who had stolen their prize. But they had not been expecting the ferocious assault that came down upon them. The fox fought like a madman. His two rapiers flashed like lightning as they scythed and parried against all the other blades. Both of his arms moved with such speed that they literally became a blur. He became a whirlwind of blade and fur twirling his weapons into their flesh. Blood sprayed in all directions as his two blades unleashed their fury. Four of the bandits who had managed to find an opening all lunged their blades towards him. Rin saw the approaching weapons and curved his body so that the swords came right towards his face. He bit into the dagger handle hitting the switch on it. The blade of the dagger immediately split into three separate blades. The middle blade staying right where it had been and the two others separating from the sides like two prongs. The dagger now resembled a trident. All four blades of the bandits got caught in a crevice between the middle blade and the right blade. Rin bit into the switch on the handle once again. The blades all snapped close like a vice, once again becoming one solitary blade. When the blades snapped closed they immediately broke and shattered the four swords to pieces. He continued his assault swinging his rapiers with surgical precision disemboweling all who attacked him. And the sword-breaking dagger clenched within his mouth immediately destroyed any of their weapons that managed to get past his defenses. "This is starting to wear thin on my nerves," Zero growled. "Aye. Yon scoundrels are oot fer blood. An' ah am getting' tired of these wee l'il bastards." And with that Moggy began letting his magic gather to his hands. He squeezed the handle of his broadsword letting his magic transfer from his hands into the weapon. His magic traveled up through the handle and past the basket hilt into the sword blade. The blade itself began to vibrate and give out a loud hum. Humming louder and louder the wide sword blade began to gather heat. While vibrating violently the blade began to absorb copious amounts of more and more heat. Nearly causing his arms to shake from all the vibrating the sword was suddenly set aflame with white fire. The ivory flames fumed and crackled erupting from the very edges of the sword. They began expanding beyond the blade with a loud hiss. Satisfied the scotty gave the broadsword a mighty swing in the direction of the bandits. Swirling waves of the white flames flew from his blade crashing into them. They screamed in terror while the flames bore down upon them. Their bodies were destroyed instantly when the crackling fire came in contact with their furred flesh. They scattered like ants to get away from the fiery wrath of the swinging sword blade. Unfortunately for the bandits their path of fleeing led them right towards Zero. The red wolf's demon blood was roused and he felt its essence begin to enter him. He looked to one of the trees to his left. It was of considerable size. The dark reddish brown bark led up to the tall depths of the long curving branches. And numerous crevices and rents could be seen along the edges of the trunk, but despite this the tree still held strong. Wordlessly he ran up to the tree. Wrapping both arms around the hulking trunk he began to pull with all of his might. He let his demon strength flow into his body, but he made sure to maintain his control over it. Amazingly the tree gave out loud creaks in response to his pulling. He gave one mighty heave and there was an audible crack. The tree roots came pulling up from the soil as it was torn from the ground. Branches at the top snapped and shattered while the tree was being maneuvered. He then brandished the tree as if it were a massive club. Curving it around his shoulder while taking up a batter's stance. "What the fuck?" Rin mouthed as his eyes lay on the sight of the massive tree. He instinctively dropped to the ground knowing what was coming next. Zero's muscles tightened while he pulled them back. He planted both feet firmly into the ground for proper leverage. And with a mighty roar he swung the massive tree in an arc. The bulking timber zipped threw the air with impressive speed, its leaves swaying with the sounds of hundreds of angry wasps. There was no time for the bandits to dodge. They could do little else but yell their death cries with their last breaths. When the flailing tree hit them it instantly claimed their lives. Their limp lifeless bodies were sent scattering with every swing of the enormous timber. The wood splintered and cracked each time it came in contact with the bodies of the retreating bandits. Between the swinging tree and the roaring flames they made quick work of the few remaining bandits. The coyote, who had stayed back during the entire fight, now stared in awe at the corpses of all his dead fighters. Zero, Rin, and Moggy soon spotted him and began to advance in his direction. "So Trius we meet again," Rin laughed bitterly while approaching slowly towards the coyote. "You fucking coward. We both know you wouldn't have the balls to face me if you did not have those two magic users at your back." This remark had obviously stricken a nerve within the fox. His eyes hardened and he held both of his arms out to halt the wolf and the scotty behind him. They both got the message and backed away. "I am many things Tirus but a coward is not one of them. So why don't we settle this one on one." After saying that he reached into one of the many pockets along his pants. He withdrew a small red bag. He judged the distance and gave it a quick toss. It landed right in between him and the coyote with a soft plop. It was of equal distance between both of them making it fair game. The fox then sheathed his dagger and one of his rapiers. But the rapier in his right hand however remained at the ready. "Those are the gems I took. If you can manage beat me in combat then they are yours." The coyote looked up with a grin as if being given an early christmas present. He could hardly believe his ears. "And the two spell casters?" He asked while pointing to Zero and Moggy. "They will not interfere," Rin answered. He then crossed his left hand behind his back and extended the rapier in fighting position. Laughing the coyote stood and gave his scimitar an experimental swing. "Any conditions to this fight that I should know before I end your life," He said while bearing a sinister grin. Rin shook his head. "One blade per fighter. And it's a fight to the death. That's all you need to--" The coyote had charged him without letting him finish. He brought his scimitar in a vicious arc right towards Rin's head. But the fox nimbly jumped back dodging the curved blade. Stabbing and lunging his rapier came. His sword hand was never still for a second. The coyote could not get a single strike in. He had to keep his scimitar in constant defense against the flashing rapier. Loud clangs emitted echoing through the forest each time their blades met. Tirus swung his sword hastily and brutally with anger. But Rin maneuvered his blade parrying each strike like a seasoned expert. The coyote dropped low to a crouch and swung his scimitar at the fox's ankles. Rin quickly jumped and brought both of his boots down trapping the wide sword blade beneath his feet. He quickly brought his blade up slicing off a piece of the coyote's ear. Tirus yelled out in pain and immediately pulled on his sword to yank it free from under the fox's feet. Rin lifted both feet so that when the coyote tugged on his sword he fell flat to the ground. Blood streamed down from the shortened stump that had once been his ear. He brought his hand up to feel it and was enraged when his saw the crimson liquid on his fingers. "I will take you down even if I have to do it one piece at a time," Rin muttered. The coyote jumped back up. He immediately reached his free hand behind his back while rushing towards the fox. He withdrew a second smaller scimitar. He swung both blades at the fox with loud snarl. Rin blocked the first blade with his rapier. And his other hand swung to meet the smaller scimitar. With a flick of his hand the fox produced a small dagger out of thin air. And with a quick flash of he brought it slicing through the air cutting off the coyote's left hand at the wrist. The coyote's hand fell disconnected to the earth with the second scimitar still firmly in its grasp The coyote hollered and dropped his other scimitar in pain. The bloody stump at his left wrist sprayed blood in small spurts. And severed veins could be seen dripping from the opening. A little white nub of bone was all that remained of his hand. "Well it looks like you just became left handed," Rin laughed humorlessly. Hate and malice shone brightly in the coyote's eyes. But there was also a hint of fear. He knew that his life was in peril so he quickly thought something up to save his own skin. "Hah, you think you have won. The boss already knows where you are. He'll come with his crew and kill you and your little friends. You're screwed no matter what you--." Rin immediately brought his rapier up in arc cutting the coyote's tongue straight from his mouth. The coyote dropped to the ground writhing and rolling back and forth with both hands covering his mouth. Small streams of blood ran down through his fingers as he did so. "You're a terrible liar Tirus. I know your leader has not the slightest clue as to where I am. And unless you know sign language I doubt you will be able to tell him now that you can't speak. It's actually kind of funny. I remember rolling on the ground like that when you knocked me down and left me for the guards at suir," Rin said with a laugh. "Irony's a bitch ain't it? But you know what Tirus I'm going to be nice about this. I'm going to give you a ten second head start before I finish it." The coyote got up slowly. A few tears running down his face from his obvious pain. "1, 2, 3, 4," Rin began. Yelping in fear the coyote got up quickly and began hobbling away as fast he could. "5, 6, 7, 8." He stumbled and had a hard time getting back up with only one hand. He was almost a fair distance away. The coyote scrambled through the trees with newfound energy while thinking he had escaped. "9, 10." Immediately following Rin took aim. Everything else in his vision blurred out. The only thing that his eyes focused on was the hobbling figure of the coyote. He pulled back his arm with the rapier and with his target in clear sight. Then like lightning he sent his arm surging forward throwing the rapier like a spear. It soared through the air like and arrow straight and true. The coyote turned around to see if he had gotten far enough away. As soon as he turned the rapier blade came thudding into his head right between the eyes. Bone fragments and spurts of brain matter surged out as the blade went straight through his skull and out the back. He fell to the ground with both of his eyes still staring in surprise as they began to film over in the haze of death. Zero and Moggy stood there wordlessly, watching the fox walk up to the body of the dead coyote. He grabbed the handle of his rapier and gave it a light tug. It came free from the coyote's head bringing along with it a thin smear of gray brain matter that had stuck to the blade. Before turning to walk back he kneeled and rubbed the blade of his sword against the grass to wipe all the stains from it. He then made his way back to where the two warriors were standing making sure to pick up the bag with the gems in it along the way. As soon as Rin walked back he looked up. All traces anger immediately left his face to once again be replaced by the wide carefree grin. "Well now that that's taken care of." "Ah'll say lad," said Moggy while looking over the battlefield with slight amusement. "Ye had a mighty braw fight wi' yon coyote. But ah daresay ye probably could have moved faster if ye weren't wearin' those wee weird pants. Nae offense lad but yer bound tae move slow wi' all those pockets weighin' ye doon." "And this is coming from someone who runs around in a skirt?" Rin said while raising an eyebrow. "It's a kilt ye jackass! An' if ye mock it once more ye will taste the edge o' mah blade," Moggy yelled heatedly. "And by the way," said Zero interrupting them both, "did you not specify to the coyote that you were supposed to both only you use one blade. So did you not indeed break your own rule by using the dagger?" Rin merely laughed. "It was that little jackass who broke the rule first by using that second scimitar. So after he ignored the obligations of a fair fight I felt no reason to acknowledge them myself. And its like I always say. It is better to live and love than to die fighting fair." "Next question. What drove you to come out here and help us? You have paid us to keep the bandits away from you. Do not think because you helped us kill the bandits that you will get your money back," Zero said menacingly. "You can keep the gold. I don't really need it. And to answer your other question coming out here was far from my choice. You see, as soon as I escaped that damn barrier of yours I decided to walk around and have a little stretch," he grumbled. "Well no sooner do I do this your two little female friends wake up. When they saw that you weren't there they immediately thought I had done something to you two. I tell you I couldn't get out of that camp fast enough. That Lukara or whatever her name is started slashing at me with that saber of hers like a psycho." To prove this the fox turned around. And there were indeed numerous small slash marks across the back of his vest. "And that is nothing compared to that collie. I swear she fired so many arrows at me you would think it was raining the damn things." He pulled his hat off and inspected one of the rims. There were two arrows sticking right through it. "Well looks like these two almost had my name on them. This is my favorite hat two. It'll take hours to repair this," he muttered grumpily while pulling out the two arrows and placing the hat back on his head. "Ha, yon lass almost had yer life wi' those arrows," Moggy laughed. "One more crack and I'll cut off that little skirt of yours." "I'll told ye no' tae mock mah kilt! I'll rip ye to pieces ye ruddy vermin," Moggy yelled while running towards the fox. Zero had to grab hold of both the scotty's arms from behind to keep him from mauling Rin. "Could ye two just cut it out with the insults for just a few minutes. This is getting ridiculous." Moggy eventually calmed down. He crossed both arms and began muttering darkly. "One thing still eludes me. I understand why you came out here. And I can understand why you wanted to help us fight the bandits. After all who would not want revenge on those who those who have betrayed him. My question is why are you still here? The bandits are gone and with them went the threat of you being tracked down." Rin simply shrugged. "Well yeah their leader has no chance of finding me now that his scouting group is nothing more than a load of corpses. So basically I'm a free man. But to tell you the truth the best reason I'm still around is probably curiosity. I mean two spell casters and two female warriors going through all this just to get to the city of alayin, I think not. So what is the real reason that you are venturing through these lands?" said Rin while giving them both a questioning look. "Should we tell the li'l asshole," Moggy whispered to Zero out of earshot. "Well I would say so. He has merited an explanation, after all Moggy he did save your life," Zero said while whispering back to make sure that Rin did not overhear them. Moggy shot him an angry look that could have melted ice, but then nodded in agreement. "He has a point. I did save your life so you should try being a bit more hospitable," Rin laughed. Both Zero and Moggy turned with a look of shock written upon their face. "Did I happen to mention that I have incredible hearing?" said Rin while waggling one of his ears. Zero then turned and explained to Rin the reason for the journey; the vision the god tresanix all of it. But quite unexpectedly instead of becoming terrified at the thought of a god coming to destroy the lands the fox actually became thrilled. "Well that sounds like quite a good bit." "I would expect your reaction to be one containing a bit more discontent," Zero said looking over the fox reprovingly. "What? No this is perfect. I definitely will have to accompany your group. You won't get very far in figuring out the meaning of this vision without one with talents such as mine." "For some reason you do not take me as someone who would be worried about the fate of salandra." "Hmm? Oh that, no you have got me there. I really couldn't care less what happens to this place. But the reason I am willing to join you is partly do to my curiosity, but the biggest factor would have to be boredom. I have been nearly bored to tears these days. Back in the good old days there was much loot to steal, many lands to travel, and especially many ladies to please," he said with a grin. "Why else do you think I would help some scruffy bandits steal some jewels? I helped them for the pure thrill of it of course. And this here sounds like quite the thrill indeed." "So you are the kind of fur who gets his kicks from putting his life in mortal peril?" "No you misunderstand. I don't get my thrill so to speak from the danger. I get my as you like to put it kicks from being able to get through the danger. It's like a challenge to me. The more perilous the venture, the more of a challenge it is to me. After all the greatest thieves are not those who run from danger, but walk hand in hand with it." "Well, you are quite the odd one aren't you? I'll allow you to join us, but I hope you are not thinking of stealing anything when we reach osiris mountain," Zero mused. "Who me," Rin gawked feigning innocence. They both laughed and all turned to make their way back to the camp with a scowling Moggy walking close behind. Later they came walking close to the camp. The mood had lifted considerably since the fight. Even Moggy had stopped scowling and joined in the conversation between Rin and Zero. The soil crunched beneath their feet as they came closer and closer the camp. "So you two are trolu huh? Well that would explain the weird magic," Rin said while stretching his arms. "Yes indeed there are times when our magic is needed," Zero answered. "Yeah but the tree swinging was kind of creepy." Lukara and Kiari were huddled around the fire when they entered the camp. Both were staring into the contents of a large bubbling cauldron. When they heard the approaching footsteps they both looked up. Lukara pawed at her saber and Kiari immediately lifted her bow and fired two arrows at once right towards Rin. Zero dashed in front of the fox quickly catching both of the arrows before they could strike. "It's okay Kiari he is with us," Zero said while walking over to the collie to return her arrows. Kiari immediately ran over to Moggy. She looked him over thoroughly to see if he had any cuts or wounds. "Are you okay? I was worried," she said. And then Zero saw Moggy do something that he had never seen in his entire life, he blushed. When the collie asked him if he was okay he went scarlet in the face. He actually began stammering his words out nervously. "Er...ah am all right lass...eh...nae worries," he blurted out with a lopsided grin. Satisfied she then walked back over to the sit around the crackling fire beneath the cauldron. Moggy crossed his arms and turned away from the rest of the group to hide his face. The entire group then moved to sit by the fire. There were wooden bowls and spoons nearby so that they could partake in the bubbling substance in the cauldron. It turned out to be a thick stew. Chunks of meat and vegetables bobbed up and down within the dark liquid. And many unknown ingredients bubbled to the top. It tasted rather spicy though. But the feel of the warm liquid sliding down their throats gave them a content feeling. "So where did you two go," asked Lukara. She gently set down her empty bowl having emptied it of its contents. "We went to deal with the last of those bandits. And it appears that Rin will be joining us back to the mountain." He then explained to them everything that had happened with the bandits and with Rin. "I don't have a problem with you joining us. Just know that if a single one of our possessions goes missing. You're the first person I'm coming for," Lukara said to Rin while giving him a warning look. Rin quickly drained his bowl and laughed. They all sat there relaxing after the meal. Zero had left the group to stand alone a bit farther away from them. He stood there with both of his eyes closed in concentration. It seemed that he was going through his training paces once again. His figure rippled and suddenly split into three separate forms. There were now three identical red wolfs standing there. Two of them backed away from the third and took up a fighting stance. The third red wolf seemed to be the original seeing as he did not move a muscle but simply waited for the other two to make a move. Both of the wolves suddenly rushed the third. The first wolf moved as if doing weird dance and brought his foot up in strong kick while the other brought his fist surging forward. The third wolf that had been waiting for their attack sucked his stomach in so that the fist fell short of hitting him. He flipped his entire body upside down dodging the kick. Balancing his entire body with one hand in a weird handstand the third wolf swung both legs spinning into the other wolves with two strong kicks. They fell back but seemed to immediately recover. They both came attacking him in the weird fighting style once again. All the rest of the group sat there watching the three wolves fight in fascination. "So which one is Zero," Lukara asked. "They are all Zero lass," Moggy answered while scratching his chin. "But how is that possible?" "He is able tae split his form intae more than one fer a limited amount o' time. Bit o' a show off if ye ask mae." A loud thud echoed through the clearing as two of the red wolves were suddenly slammed against the ground. The third wolf stood there smirking. There was a bright flash and the three wolves suddenly collected back into one. Zero sat there for a couple of seconds waiting for his body to settle. After a few moments he regained himself and began walking back over to the group. "Okay we should all get packed up now. With a good start we might be able to reach alayin before sunset." Zero helped Lukara pack in the cauldron and all the other utensils. The cauldron being too large to be carried by any other means was soon shrunken with a dull pop and pocketed into one of the compartments along Zero's belt. Kiari had taken down both tents and rolled them up. She tied them either side of her pack. Although she had a slight bit or trouble trying to fit the leather straps of her pack and her longbow across her shoulders. Moggy seeing this quickly padded up to her and asked her if she wanted him to carry it for her. She smiled and handed him the pack, which he quickly slung over his shoulder. With another smile she patted him on the shoulder and strolled to the fire to put it out with Moggy watching her walk away with another nervous look. Having gathered up everything in the camp the five travelers were soon off once again. Their trek through the forest was quite calm to say the least. The sky was a tranquil fluorescent blue. And their footsteps were barely audible among all the trilling sounds of the forest. Rin who had clearly become bored with the traveling began flirting with Kiari. He laid his charm on thick with a great grin playing across his face. But Kiari simply ignored him. Whenever he said something the collie would just roll her eyes and shake her head. Zero and Lukara walked side by side. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders and her arm around his waist. She looked ahead and something caught her gaze. She reached with her other hand and tapped Zero lightly on the shoulder and pointed ahead with mild interest. Zero followed her hand and looked upon the scene before him. While Rin stood there flirting with Kiari a dark green mist, similar to the one Zero had formed not too many days ago, had begun to form over Moggy's head. He looked over at Rin with a truly vicious scowl. Moggy clenched his fist and cracked his knuckles so loudly that it caused Rin to jump slightly. The fox got the message and immediately shut his mouth. Moggy gave the collie a sidelong glance and the mist above his head automatically turned a deep crimson red. "Why is the mist turning that color?" Lukara asked while looking up at Zero. "Not sure," Zero lied. He knew exactly why the mist above Moggy's head had turned that color. A bit later on the forest began to get thinner and thinner. Instead of being stuck together to form one tangled mass of foliage the trees had actually begun to span out having more space between them. Zero held out both hands. A faint glow had begun to emanate from around them. Small sparks of light had appeared between them. What had started out as a few sparks began to form into a small white orb. He maneuvered his hands around as if cradling the orb while feeding more and more of his magic into it. It grew larger and larger until it was roughly the size of a small melon. Lukara's eyes watched his hand movements fascinated by his magic. "Oi Zero, yer no' experimentin' again are ye?" Moggy asked while looking at the orb curiously. "Yes I am," Zero answered in a level tone. "Why can't ye jus' stick tae the main magic lad? Ah swear ye keep bendin' the rules lik that an' there is bound tae be trouble." "What does he mean by 'bending the rules'?" asked Lukara. "Well there are certain rules when using magic. We don't just simply toss it around. We have to use our minds to give it shape and form. And let's just say that I like to tamper with these rules so to speak. Push them to their limits." "Aye an' sometimes mess things oop because o' it." "But you must admit that many of my experiments have proved to more powerful than conditional magic. It's like I always tell our dren. You must have an open mind and push every possible limit as far as it can go" "What is a dren?" Kiari turned back to ask. "The trolu are separated into five orders. The first order is comprised of young ones whom we call curuli, who have been discovered to posses the potential for magic. Sometimes they come to the mountain alone or are sent by family members; once accepted the first orders are collected into groups called drens. These drens can consist of up to fifteen curuli each. It is the obligation of the higher orders to teach the drens how to control their magic. Well since Moggy and I are of the higher order we were assigned a dren to train." "So if you and Moggy are supposed to be teaching this dren then why were you two sent out to go kill those demons by yourselves," Lukara questioned. "Since we are fifth orders we are often given missions that require us to leave the mountain. So the drens are assigned at least four higher orders each to instruct them in case one or two of them have to take a mission." "Aye. Ah think Windpaw an' Tressa would be teachin our dren while Zero an' ah are oot." Moggy shot a warning glance at Zero after pulling his eyes from the glowing white orb. "An ye need tae stop wi' that experimentin'. Ah remember a while back when ye were doin' the same thing yer doin' now an' then ye--." "Your fur grew back so I don't see what you're complaining about," Zero growled. "And besides I only did it to get you back for setting me on fire." "Ah told ye it was an accident!" Lukara stifled a laugh while watching the two of them argue for the remainder of the trip. It was around midday when they finally reached alayin. The forest had ended and there was nothing but hard stiff ground when they approached the town. Alayin was much larger than any normal town. It resembled a castle in a way, but the structure was a bit varied. Instead of having the tall towers of a traditional castle the wall was instead formed into what looked like a massive circle. Dusty bricks and stones that formed the wall had been curved to give it the weird shape. Circling around the perimeter of that structure was a large moat. The land around the town had been excavated into a wide trench to form the deep moat. It was a pretty steep drop from the top to the bottom. And Murky gray water sloshed at the bottom in loud splashes. With their infinite depths looking all but inviting. At an odd juncture in the circular build of stone a massive drawbridge had been built. Many logs had been tied together with long thick cords of ropes. And although they looked aged and dried they still held strong. A mass system of pulleys and metal cogs resided above the bridge, no doubt the system that operated it. A little ways behind the town there was large steep mountain. Deep cracks rented along it edges, and dark puffs of smoke could be seen coming from the top. The smoke clouds would come out in thick bellows but would soon after harmlessly mist into the air. "Doesn't that thing make it dangerous for them to live here. I mean it looks like it could erupt at any second," Rin muttered while pointing to the fuming mountain. "No. Some sort of enchantment has been put upon it to keep it from erupting. Although I know not the origins of this enchantment, I do know that it has held for many a year." "Hell, enchantment or no. I just don't want to end up getting barbecued by any flaming rocks." Lukara looked up at the massive drawbridge and then looked down into the massive trench of the moat spanning between them and the building. "So how exactly do we get them to drop the bridge?" Zero and Moggy began searching the ground for something. They both kicked up the stiff dusty ground in search of it. They continued this for a while until Moggy whistled over to Zero to let him know that he had found whatever they were looking for. Moggy had managed to dig up some kind of weird rope. He gave it a hard tug. As soon as he pulled it a weird structure shot up from the ground raising a minor dust cloud as it did. Two large rusted bars formed the sides of it. And between those bars rested a rather large bell. It's surface looked a bit tarnished. The bronzed metal had long since lost its sheen. Zero reached and pulled at a small metal rod protruding from the bottom of the bell. He shook his hand back and forth to ring the bell. Despite its old ragged look the bell's sound was extremely loud. It's ringing echoed through the air in a piercing wail. Zero then stopped ringing the bell and let his hand drop to his side. They sat there waiting a few moments for a response. There was a loud creak and the bridge began to slowly descend. Slowly but steadily it came down lower and lower. Then with a loud thud it fell to the ground spanning the gap between them and the building. Almost immediately after it fell a large group of soldiers came running out from the town. Most of them had stout chain mail mesh covering their chest while some had light plated armor. Their weapons flailed back and forth as they charged across the bridge. The wood of the bridge vibrated and shook which each of their footsteps. And suddenly they just stopped. They all stood there as if waiting for something. Finally out of the large group a figure emerged. It appeared to be a large gray bear. He came striding forth separating himself from the rest of the crows. And brought forth a massive mace and let the head of it rest on his shoulder. His eyes narrowed and there was a long silence before he spoke. "What is your purpose for coming to alayin?" the bear asked. Lukara and the rest of the group looked to Zero and Moggy. But the two trolu did not budge an inch or even make a move to say anything back. They just stood their staring at the bear with impassive expressions. "Not willing to answer eh?" the bear growled. "Fine, then we will personally escort you off this land." The bear raised his mace into the air in what looked to be some kind of signal. His hand tightened its grip around the handle and he looked as if he were about to swing it. His arm leaned back and then he made to swing the mace. Before his arm could drop Zero's hand flew forward. He extended two fingers in a shooting position. Light particles began to gather to his two fingertips in a kind of suction. Small orbs of energy gathered to his fingers quickly until they began to glow blue. He took aim and released his magic. A thin arcing lightning bolt erupted from his fingers. It flew with speed so great that it could barely be seen by the naked eye. Faster and faster it went until it hit its target. The lighting bolt hit the mace's handle in a shower of sparks causing it to fly from the bear's hand. "Come on Jasc you know I'm quicker than that," Zero said with a grin. Some smoke was still fuming from his fingertips from the lightning. Lukara, Kiari, and Rin all simultaneously brought their hands to their weapons. All three of them braced themselves, expecting a fight to break out since Zero had just blown away the leader's weapon. But what happened next left them all gaping in surprised. The bear began snickering. After a few moments barely being able to contain it any more he leaned his head back and roared with laughter. All of the soldiers even joined in his amusement. But what truly surprised them was that Zero and Moggy also joined in the laughter. The bear and his soldiers began making their way towards them. Lukara held her saber at the ready. Still chuckling a bit Zero turned to her and the rest of the group. It's okay. You can all put up your weapons. They won't do us any harm." "Won't do you any harm? Ha, I ought to break your arm for that," the bear laughed while walking up to them. He gave both Zero and Moggy a hard pat on their shoulders. "Zero it's been a while. And Moggy you old salty dog, what happened to your eye there?" "Tis a long story lad. Best told over a heavy mug o' ale an' a braw feast," Moggy laughed while tapping his eye patch gently. t "Well by all means come in. And bring your friends there with ya. What would me ole gran say if I refused you two hospitality?" "How is the old gal anyway?" Moggy asked. "Still as vicious and rotten as ever mate. Why this morning she brought out the old stick and knocked me a good one for not bringing her pipe," the bear laughed ruefully while pointing to a small bruise over his left eye. "Ha! Ye should know better than tae mess wi' ole gran's pipe weed. She'll lay ye flat in a second." Zero and Moggy walked across the drawbridge and towards the entrance to the town while reminiscing with the bear and the soldiers over old times. With a shrug Lukara and the others soon followed after them. Despite the barren outside appearance the town was all but quiet within. Furs ran in every direction, while either carrying some heavy items or running toward different buildings. There were various wooden stands set up alongside each other where merchants did their bidding with the townsfolk. Despite the late time of the day the inhabitants still hustled about dealing, selling, and buying everything they could get their hands on. "Ah, feels good tae be home," Moggy yawned while stretching his arms. "But I thought you lived on osiris mountain?" Kiari asked while looking towards the scotty. "Aye lass, ah do live on the mountain. But ah was born in this very town. I did no' discover ah had a talent for magic until ah was fourteen. Then after that ah made way for osiris mountain." "So your parents are still here?" "Nay. Me mum came tae this town one night alone. As soon as she got in she went intae labor an' had mae. But sadly she died from givin' birth." "That's horrible." "Aye. But do no' go feelin' sorry fer mae lass. Ole Hurgey practically raised mae himself until ah left fer the mountain, so nae regrets eh?" "Yes. But I would say old Hurgey rubbed off a little too much on you. Unfortunately you inherited his attitude," Zero chuckled. "Tis a warrior's mindset he would say," Moggy laughed causing his moustache whiskers to waft. "And a word to the wise Rin. I wouldn't recommend trying to steal anything from this lot. They'll have your head for it." "Well that would just make it all the more tempting now wouldn't it?" Rin's orange eyes shifted back and forth lighting up whenever they caught view of something valuable. "Just remember I warned you." Zero then looked up the sky to see the sun begin to set. The sky had turned a dark orange while the sun crept lower and lower. "Okay everyone its almost evening. So we should try to take care of a few things before we go to the inn to get rooms." "Well my blade could use some sharpening," Lukara muttered while running her paw along her saber to test its edge. "And I could use more arrows. I'm beginning to run low," Kiari mouthed while examining her quiver. Zero reached to his belt and opened a compartment drawing forth two small items. With a dull pop the resumed their natural size. It was two of the gold bags that Rin had given them. Zero gave both bags to Lukara and Kiari. "Here. The blacksmith and forge are in that direction," he said while pointing to the left. "When you're done come meet us at the inn." They both nodded and Lukara leaned up to give him a quick kiss and then whispered something in his ear. His tail shot up in attention to what she was whispering. Then they both turned and made their way off through the crowd. Moggy looked over to Zero and noticed a big grin on his face. It was rather rare for his friend to be smiling at all so he concluded that it must have had something to do with whatever Lukara had whispered to him. "Is there perhaps anywhere around this place for a bit of gambling," Rin asked. "Are ye kiddin mae? Alayin is famous fer its gamblin'. The place tae be is in that direction," Moggy spoke while turning to face the fox. But when he turned to face Rin there was nobody there. He turned to look to his right and saw a blue blur dashing towards the direction he had just pointed in. "Well I guess we should go take care of the food and the other provisions. Were going to need it for all the traveling that were doing." They both turned and made their way towards an old rickety shack. Once inside they both ducked instinctively as a large pot went sailing overhead. Looking up their eyes laid upon the figure that had thrown the pot. It was an extremely ancient old bear. A weird hat had been tilted over one side of her head. And an extremely large gray shawl was wrapped tightly around her neck. She sat there atop the counter with both legs crossed. Her crinkled wrinkly fingers were wrapped tightly along the handle of a long walking stick. Both of her eyes shone like wild fire. But fierce her eyes may be they still looked comical seeing as the right one was always opened wide while the left one squinted. And a long wooden pipe protruded from in between her withered lips. "And who the fuck might that be," she growled while brandishing the stick menacingly. "Ah'll give ye three guesses," Moggy laughed. She squinted hard while her eyes looked over both of them. "I'd recognize that damn awful accent anywhere. Young Moggy I presume. And I'm guessing that great lump of an ass next to you would be Zero." "Its good tae see ye ole gran. Still jus' as salty as ever." He ducked again narrowly dodging the long stick that swished by him. "Who are you calling salty?" "Relax gran it was jus' a simple jest. We only came here to get some food." "And I expect you'll be wanting it for free?" she growled while swinging her stick once again. Chuckling Moggy dodged the stick once again. "Nay gran. Don' worry we'll pay ye." "You'd better." She tapped her stick twice along the counter. A section of it opened up to admit them into the back. Just before they made their way into the back the old bear stretched her stick out to tap Moggy on the chest to get his attention. "And you tell that grandson of mine that he better never forget my pipe weed again. Or that bruise will be nothing compared to what I'll give him next time." "Ah will be sure tae tell him." The back of the shop seemed to be some kind of butchery. Long strips of meat hung from hooks extending into the ceiling. All different kinds adorned every edge of the room, some with different textures and some with different colors. Zero scouted around pushing back some hanging rib strips as he did. A certain rack of meat caught his eye. It held a kind of blue hue to it. And curving patterns were imprinted into the blue flesh. Moggy walked up and also spotted the rack of meat. "Ah, canduran meat. Tis quite rare tae catch one these days." Zero pulled it from the hook and hefted its weight. Satisfied he turned with the meat still in hand and explored the rest of the room. Within fifteen minutes both the wolf and the scotty came back to the front counter carrying at least six different types of meat each. The old bear cackled when she saw them walk back in. "And how the hell do you expect to carry that around," she asked. Zero handed all of the meat he was carrying to Moggy. He then reached down and clicked at a link in his belt. A small box fell into his hand. He then placed the box on the ground and gave it two taps of his hand. Immediately there was a loud pop and the box instantly grew large enough for Zero himself to fit in it. The old bear jumped slightly at seeing the box's sudden increase in size. She jumped down from the counter and stared at it curiously. She gave it a few prods of her stick for good measure. Zero grabbed the box by one edge on its top and pulled it open. It turned out to be a lid. He swung it open with a loud creak. The old bear peered inside the box. "You're gonna need some salt to keep that meat preserved, or else it's gonna spoil on ya fast." "That won't be necessary," Zero answered. He placed his hand on the inside of the box. The air around his hand suddenly began to collect into a light mist. It swirled around his hand and slowly turned a light blue. Suddenly the temperature dropped and small icicles began to form on the inside of the box. Along with the small icicles a thin coat of ice seeped out from his hand and slowly covered every inch of the inside. After the ice had completely coated the inside he quickly lifted his hand away. A light waft of cold smoke drifted from inside the now frozen box in long wisps. He shook his hand until the light blue color faded and his hand once again became the flaming red it had been before. "There that should be able to preserve the meat for a good while." Moggy then moved to dump all of the meat into the frozen depths of the box. Once it was all deposited Zero closed the lid. He tapped his hand once more and it shrunk back to the size of a small cube. With another click he slid the box back along his belt. "Bah, fucking magic. Never trusted it that much," the old bear growled. "Now, about my payment. Usually I would charge a full bag of gold for that amount of meat. But since it's you Moggy I think I might lower it to half a bag." "Well gran what's wi' the random act o' kindness?" "You had better pay me before I change my goddamn mind. And don't get used to it, this is a one time thing." Zero pulled one of the bags from his belt and emptied half of its contents into the old bear's hands. She immediately shoved the gold coins into a large pouch. The wolf and the scotty were already at the door. Moggy quickly turned with a wide grin. "See ya gran hope yer no' so damn bitchy the next time ah droop in." He was immediately out the door chuckling as a wave of pots, knives, and anything else the old bear could get her hands was sent flying after him. It was a few more hours until they finished everything else. After that they both looked up to the sky. Night had descended and the white orb of the moon shone brightly against the darkening sky. Even the hustle of the townsfolk had slowed to a turtle pace compared to what it had been earlier. "Well we told the others we would meet them at the inn. Guess we should go there and wait for them." "Aye, ah bet ole Hurgey will be surprised tae see mae. After all it has been a while." As soon as they walked up to the inn there was a loud crash. Two foxes had been sent flying out the window shattering the glass with them. "Jus' lik ole times," Moggy laughed while watching the two foxes get up and stagger away drunkenly. Inside the inn there were large masses of wooden tables, each one housing at least four inhabitants, each of which who ate and drank their fill hastily. It seemed that the inn was also a bar. Zero and Moggy let the door close behind them and walked in. As if on cue a loud voice shouted throughout the bar. "Now if anymore o' ye sons o' bitches crosses the line then ah'll send ye oot the fucking window jus' lik ah did tae yon foxes," a loud voice called out with an accent that was all too similar to Moggy's. Both of them turned to spot the speaker. It turned out to be a short mountain goat. His fur was mostly black with a few patches of gray here and there, no doubt from his old age. His clothes were almost identical to Moggy's. A gray ruffled shirt covered his chest, and an ebony sash was tied going over his shoulder. And his kilt instead of being plaid was midnight black with a few stripes of scarlet red near the hem. Despite his old age the goat's horns still looked strong. Curving from his head like two thick branches. His eyes were always closed and he never seemed to open them unless he was yelling or doing something important. And clenched between his teeth was a large basket pipe. The goat stroked his beard while opening one of his eyes to inspect the inhabitants of the inn. Moggy not being able to restrain himself ran full charge towards the goat. When he reached him he grabbed the old goat and hoisted him off the ground in a barbaric bear hug. "Ach, ole Hurgey tis good tae see ya," the scotty laughed. "Put mae doon ye damn heathen. Ye will crush mah old bones wi' all o' this damn rough housin'. Ah am far tae old fer this shit," the goat said with a scowl. "But no' tae old tae deal wi' some o' those drunken scoundrels ah see," Moggy laughed while setting the old goat back down. Hurgey closed both eyes once again. The goat took a long puff of his pipe and let the smoke stream from his mouth. "So Moggy what brings ye an Zero here," he asked. "Ah, no' much. Jus' passin through and makin' our way back tae the mountain," Moggy shrugged. "A trolu, who would've thought?" Hurgey laughed while patting the scotty on the shoulder. "It's funny. Ye never showed any signs o' magic while ah was raisin' ye. That is until that one day when ye accidentally set one o' the customers on fire." The goat suddenly turned in the direction of two fighting raccoons. It was amazing how he could know exactly where they were without ever opening his eyes. "Oi, ye two. Cut that shit oot afore ah come over there an' put ye doon mahself." One of the raccoon's turned to give the goat the middle finger and then turned back to continue fighting. Both of the goat's eyes snapped wide open upon seeing the crude hand gesture. "So, ye think ye can come in here an' get away wi' something lik that do ye?" With a loud growl the goat charged right towards the two raccoons. His hoofed feet made a loud cracking noise each time they hit the ground. When he reached the raccoons he gave them both a fierce head butt. His long horns added much power to the impact. He hit them with such tremendous force that they were both lifted clear from the ground and sent sailing out the window. "Now I see where you get it from Moggy," Zero chuckled while watching the goat slowly pace back up to them. His eyes closed once more. "By the way, do ye know that lad right there? Says he's waitin' fer ye two." The goat pulled the pipe from his mouth and pointed it to their left. There sitting at one of the tables was Rin, The blue fox sat there swigging ale while flirting with one of the waitresses. "Yeah unfortunately we do know him. And we have two others that we are still waiting for.'" "Than ah won't keep ye. Besides ah got business tae take care o'. Jus' go tae the counter an' see Rald when yer ready to get yer rooms ye ken?" And with that the goat was off once more yelling through the crowds. Zero and Moggy walked over to where Rin was sitting and seated themselves at the table. Zero asked the waitress for a round of drinks and she was soon off. "So how did the gambling go?" Zero asked while turning towards Rin. The fox merely smiled and tapped one of his many pockets. There was a loud jingle proclaiming that the pocket was full. He looked up from his pocket and his eyes went wide when he looked behind Zero. Curious as to what had caused Rin's reaction Zero turned and looked behind him. And he soon spotted the cause. Walking towards them with their drinks was a female skunk. And she looked much different from the other waitresses. Her body was a work of art. Large breasts, shapely hips, and long slender legs; to put it simply she was a dead knockout. All of the other patrons immediately looked up from their drinks and began drooling while watching the skunk pass by. Her black and white tail swished back and forth with each twist of her hips as she slowly approached them. "Here you go fellas," she said cheerfully while setting their mugs down on the wooden table. Zero merely accepted his drink without casting the skunk a second look. He simply sat there taking a long swig of his ale, letting the rough burning liquid run down his throat. His face remained impassive and he paid the skunk little to no interest. Rin on the other hand could not take his eyes off her. He sat there with his mouth wide open as if he was about to drool. But she did not seem interested in either of them. Her eyes stayed on Moggy the entire time. She let her hand rest on the scotty's shoulder. "And let me know if there is anything else you might need," she said with a seductive smile while trailing her hand across his chest. But then Moggy did something completely unexpected. He waved the skunk off and told her wasn't interested. With a loud huff she immediately turned on her heel and walked off. Rin looked at the scotty in shock. "Are you fucking insane? Why the hell did you turn her down?" Moggy shrugged. "Just wasn't interested that's all." "Well I sure as hell am," Rin laughed. Rin immediately shot up from the table and ran after the retreating skunk. "Tell me Moggy," Zero spoke while setting his drink down. "Would your not being interested in that skunk have anything to do with a certain female collie?" Moggy went red in the face once again. "Damn, I must be right. I haven't even said her name and your blushing. And since when do you blush anyway?" Rin came back to the table and sat down. On the right side of his face was a large red handprint. But despite that the mischievous grin was still on his face. "She slapped you didn't she?" Zero asked. The fox didn't answer, but just sat there with his drink tilted to his mouth. "I don't even want to know what you did to get her that pissed off." Zero then turned his gaze back to the scotty. "So back to the subject. Moggy, you obviously have feelings for Kiari am I right?" Rin set his drink down and suddenly became interested in the conversation. "An' what makes ye say that lad?" Moggy asked while trying to look nonplussed. "Example one. Whenever Kiari is around you start acting different from your usually rowdy self. Example two. You take quick glances at her when you think she is not looking. Example three. When we were walking here the ether mist above your head turned red, and we both know what that means." "And example four. You turned down an extremely sexy lady who was interested in you. Why she was I will never know," Rin chipped in. "If that's not infatuation my friend then I don't know what is. And I have never seen a female have such an effect on you," Zero added. "She's different," Moggy defended. "She must be. She's the only female that I've ever seen that can make you nervous." "Aw, he's just a big old softie," Rin laughed while swigging more ale. Moggy scowled and gave a wave of his hand. Rin's mug that he had been drinking from immediately set fire and exploded spraying all of its contents over his face. But the fox merely shrugged and licked some of the liquid from the fur around his mouth and lifted his hand to order another round. And another one of his grins passed over his face when he saw that it was the same skunk from earlier who was bringing his new drink. "So Moggy, if you feel so strongly towards Kiari then why don't you just tell her? From what I've seen she seems pretty interested in you." "Ha, why would the lass be interested in mae? Ah haven't even got both eyes fer fuck's sake," he laughed bitterly while pointing to his eye patch. To his dismay Zero started chuckling. "An' jus' what the hell is so fuckin' funny?" Moggy asked with a growl. "You want to know what's so funny? The same Moggy who has fought massive hordes of demons, deadly specters, creatures larger than most castles, the same Moggy who has faced things that would make anybody else piss themselves in fright, and this Moggy who has faced all of these things and has never shown not even the slightest drop of fear. And yet this same Moggy is completely intimidated by one female." "An' ye find that funny do ye?" Moggy grimaced. "Yes, actually I find it pretty damn hilarious," Zero added with a laugh. The skunk finally made it to their table. Then there was a small tearing sound and then a loud smack. They both turned to see what the noise was. The curvy female skunk stormed away in anger while refastening the buttons on her shirt. Both the wolf and the scotty immediately turned towards Rin. There was now a second red hand print, except this one was on the left side of his face. Rin opened his eyes and there was a satisfied grin plastered on his face. "Ah, now that one was definitely worth it. We thieves don't have quick hands for nothing." Moggy shook his head and was about to make a retort to what Zero had said when suddenly a large bag full of gold plopped down in the middle of the table. All three of them looked up. It was Lukara and Kiari. Zero looked up to see Lukara's grinning face right above him. And he glanced to his right and noticed that the collie's face seemed to light up when she spotted Moggy across the table. "That's the gold that's left over from what you gave us," Lukara said before any of them could ask. Zero took the bag and shrunk it before placing it in his belt compartment. "Well now that we are all here we should go see Rald about the rooms." They all followed Zero and Moggy as the two of them walked towards the counter. Sitting behind the counter was a large kangaroo. He was resting against the wall behind the counter with both of his hands behind his head. A long scar crossed over his left eye. And his fur was dark reddish orange. Moggy laughed mischievously and leaned over the counter. He cupped both of his hands around his mouth and yelled to the tops of his lungs. "Everyone to the front line demon attack!!!" Both of the kangaroo's eyes immediately snapped open. He stood straight up and began tossing out lightning fast punches in every direction. His fists could barely be seen they moved so fast. Moggy immediately leaned back so as not to be hit by any of the punches. The kangaroo stopped punching and looked to his left and then to his right. "Where did they go? Where are they? I'll take em all on," he bellowed. "Ha once a fighter always a fighter eh Rald?" Moggy laughed. The kangaroo looked down towards the scotty. It took him a while to realize what had happened. He let out a short laugh and relaxed. "I should have your head for that you little son of a bitch. I should've known it was you mate." "Still havin' flashbacks from the ole campaignin' days eh?" "The best days of me life. Back when we used to patrol these lands fighting demons night and day. Ah, but I've gotten too old. Had to retire and pass on the torch the younger generation eh?" The kangaroo smiled and both of his ears twitched. "So mates what brings ye here?" "We need rooms," Zero answered. The kangaroo nodded and opened a large compartment behind the counter. Inside there were mass arrays of keys. "So there are five of you. Will that be five separate rooms then?" he asked. Suddenly an idea hit Zero. "No, we will only need three. Me and her will share a room," he said while pointing to Lukara and a smile passed between them. "He can have a room by himself," Zero said while pointing to Rin. "And those two will also be sharing a room," he finished and pointed to Moggy and Kiari. Moggy ears perked up in surprise. While the kangaroo searched through the keys he edge over towards Zero. "What the hell do ye mean that mae an' Kiari will be sharin' a room?" he whispered nervously, his face once again turning scarlet red when the collie looked over towards him. "Look if you're so worried about telling her how you feel about her then here's your chance. Consider it a friendly gesture on my part. And besides, I refuse paying extra for you to have your own separate room just so you can play the shy guy." "But--," Moggy tried to get in but was immediately cut off. "But nothing," Zero answered while accepting the three keys from the kangaroo. "But--" "No worries you can thank me later," Zero muttered while cutting the scotty off once again. "But--" "Here," Zero said while pushing the key into the scotty's hand. Rin had already taken his key and walked off towards the back. And Lukara stood there waiting for him. Moggy knowing that there was no arguing muttered a long unending string of curses and once again became nervous when Kiari smiled in his direction. Before heading off with Lukara Zero tapped Kiari on the shoulder. He leaned down and whispered something in the collie's ear. Her eyes went wide in surprise and she looked over in Moggy's direction with a small knowing smile. After this the red wolf immediately dashed off in Lukara's direction and swept her up in his arms. Moggy who was now sweating bullets walked towards the door to the room with Kiari right behind him. * * * * * It was a little later in the night. Lukara looked to her left and gazed out the window of the room. The bright circle of the moon enveloped within the dark sky answered her gaze. She sat crossed legged upon the bed inspecting her saber for any flaws. But there were none to be found on the sword. Its brightly polished blade reflected her image in it. She sheathed the blade and set it aside. Zero stood next to the bed while taking off his tunic. His raw muscles showing clearly through his velvet fur as the tunic was lifted off over his head. "So Moggy really has feelings for Kiari?" Lukara asked. "Yep. And for some reason he's been far too nervous to tell her," Zero answered. "So that's why you had them share a room?" "So you caught on to that huh?" he laughed. "Well I think it goes both ways. Whenever I mention his name she starts blushing," Lukara added. "Well I gave them both the opportunity. It's up to them to take an advantage of it," he said while shrugging. "Speaking of taking advantages," Lukara mused. Suddenly she leapt from the bed and pounced him knocking him to the ground. Her eyes stared at the red wolf beneath her as a mischievous grin began to light up her face. "What's gotten into you?" Zero asked. "No, it's what hasn't gotten into me," she murred while staring into his emerald green eyes. "A woman who knows what's she wants eh?" he laughed. "And gets it," she giggled. He lifted her up off him and took her in his arms. Enveloping her in a deep kiss while he moved to satisfy both their burning desires. * * * * * It was mostly quiet within the room. The only thing that seemed to disrupt this tranquility were the sharp sounds of grating metal. Moggy sat there on the floor sharpening his sword. He was using a block of some unknown material to do so. The block gave out a loud screech every time it was rubbed against the silvery white metal of his sword blade. Kiari sat on the bed winding the string of her longbow. She lifted the bow and gave the string a light pluck. The long string vibrated with a light hum. The tightened stringed cord held strong from the pluck she had given it. Satisfied she set it down and rested her chin upon her hands as her gaze fell upon the scotty. Her eyes roved over his body while watching him sit there tending to his blade. She watched his arm moved back ad forth gliding along his sword. He had taken off his shirt so she could see the large muscles in his arm pull each time his arm moved back and forth. His well built chest also flexed in tandem with his arm's movements. The only garment covering his body was the long red and green plaid kilt. He looked up and caught her gaze. She looked away blushing. Silently she got up from the bed. She pulled off her cloak slowly letting it fall from her shoulders ever so gracefully. It fell to the ground lightly making no sound as it hit the floor. The only clothing on her body now was the red tunic and brown pants she had been wearing underneath. She slowly unbuttoned the front of the tunic taking her time while her fingers worked their way along it. Within moments she had the tunic undone and pulled it off over her head exposing her chest and slim torso. Just as quickly as she had undone the shirt she unfastened the belt at her pants that fell crinkling at her ankles in a heap. Her nude body was now fully exposed. Moggy having been focusing all of his attention on sharpening his sword finally looked up. The block fell from his hands clattering to the ground. His jaw dropped and his one good eye nearly popped from his head as his gaze fell upon the sight before him. The collie's body was perfectly sculpted. Lighting from the lamp reflected off her golden brown fur giving it a delicate sheen. Her blonde hair draped down past her shoulders in long soft locks. And her slim waist led down to her rounded hips, which were shaped in perfect proportion to her body. Her legs although well muscled were long and slender with each supple thigh leading down to her well formed calves. She was simply stunning. Kiari turned her head a bit and her eyes met with the scotty's He blushed deeply and looked back to his sword. Despite the depth of his thick gray shaggy fur the scarlet red could still be seen clearly through it. Kiari turned back around with a thin smile playing around her lips. She knew his eyes were still on her so she moved deliberately slow as she bent over to open her pack. Her long sleek tail curved blocking her nether regions from view. She unbuckled the straps on her pack and withdrew a long silk gown. She slipped the soft material on over her head letting the smooth silk descend upon her body covering every inch of it. The gown accentuated her body greatly. Letting every single curve and bend of her figure be shown through the thin material. She pulled back the thick woven blanket and dove under. The bed was surprisingly warm. She leaned her head against the cushiony pillow feeling the feathery soft material collapse beneath her head. Curiously she leaned up a bit to look at the scotty. "Don't you plan on going to sleep?" Silently he stood sheathing his sword back within its scabbard. He looked up with a smile. "Sure lass. Ah can take the floor if ye want the bed tae yourself," he said with a nervous laugh. She smiled. "No that's fine. There is enough room for both of us." Shrugging he walked over to the lamp turning a light that made the small fire within shrink so that the light in the room dimmed to almost pure darkness. He got in at the other side of the bed. They were both on opposite angles of the large bed. And the space separating them might as well have been a mountain between them. Both of them turned to face away from each other. Moggy crossed his arms behind his head letting it sink into the pillow more and more. He closed his one good eye and slowed his breathing. There was a shift of weight in the bed and he felt something warm and smooth rub up against his leg. Ignoring it he kept breathing slowly while trying to sleep. But then he felt the bed shift again. Immediately following this he felt something weigh down on his chest and the rest of his body. He opened his one good eye to be greeted by the sight of Kiari's grinning face. Her large autumn brown eyes gazed at him as she sat there lying on top of him. A few streams of her golden hair trailed down the front of her muzzle making her if at possible even more attractive. The soft fur of her face held a light glossy look against the dimmed light. Moggy opened his mouth to speak but was immediately silenced as she placed a finger at his lips to keep him from talking. "You don't need to say anything. Zero already told me that...you have feelings for me," she said while keeping her eyes steadily upon him. Moggy grimaced and looked away. He cursed Zero inwardly. But to his surprise she gently took hold of his face and pulled his gaze back to her. "But the truth is...that I feel the same way towards you," she whispered while leaning closer to his face. Complete and utter surprise flashed through his face. She leaned in closer until her nose was almost touching his. He could make out every particle of her large brown eyes. Every breath she took wafted across his face and the smell of her breaths drifted to his nostrils. The smell itself was both sweet and intoxicating. Her eyes narrowed as she leaned down more. He could feel her soft fur brushing against his face. Slowly her eyes closed while her mouth found its mark. She pressed her lips to his in a slow passionate kiss, giggling slightly when she felt the whiskers of his moustache brush up against her face. Moggy reached one hand up to let it rest on the back of her head while he leaned up to return the kiss. Kiari moaned into his mouth with her hot breath drifting through both their mouths while her tongue sought out his. Finally meeting, their tongues seemed to move in an odd dance, grazing against one another swapping their essence between them. She lifted her head away and he lifted his left hand up and let it trail down letting his fingers comb through her hair. A smile formed on her lips when she felt something stiff poke her belly. Grinning mischievously she ducked her head under the covers of the bed. There was barely any light under the thick woven blanket. All that surrounded her was calm dark. Still she strove lower and lower allowing her breasts to brush across his chest. Stopping she gave his chest a long slow lick, and she felt his body twitch in response. She crept lower and felt something rigid brush up against her cheek. Her hands moved threw the dark seeking out their target. Finally her hands found the thick strap that held his kilt on. She quickly undid the strap and let it fall loose. The kilt immediately fell open. But there was another barrier between her and her prize. He had been wearing short cloth trousers that reached to his knees beneath his kilt. She stifled a small laugh. She didn't think that he wore anything beneath his kilt but had been proven wrong. Something hard bumped against her forehead and she looked up. The large bulge in his pants soon came into her vision. Her eyes lit up and she sat there staring at it hungrily. With incredible speed her hands moved across his shorts quickly unsnapping them and removing them in one deft motion. His cock immediately popped free. She grabbed it with one hand barely being able to fully wrap her fingers around his throbbing girth. Leaning down she ran her tongue slowly from base to tip. Moggy let a loud moan when he felt her ridged tongue glide over his flesh. When she reached the head she gave it a quick kiss and then continued to lap at his cock. Every time her tongue hit a sensitive spot she would receive a loud gasp in recognition. While her tongue tended to his shaft the head rubbed against her face leaving a thin trail of pre on her cheek. Finally she lifted her head and slowly formed her lips over the engorged head. She slowly descended her head taking as much of him as she could until she felt the tip hit the back of her throat. Her head bobbed up and down taking him again and again. And her tongue swirled across the underside bringing forth many moans from him. She lifted her head away from his need with a loud gasp for air. Suddenly the woven blanket was pulled back. She was no longer shrouded by darkness. Looking up she could see Moggy's face looming closer to her. He embraced her with a strong kiss while his hands moved to quickly remove her gown. They rolled on top of the bed still caught up in their lust. Kiari was now lying on her stomach. She could feel Moggy on top of her trying to reposition himself. She got up on all fours and her tail flicked up caressing his chest and inviting him to continue. And one of his hands ran over her breast making her moan softly. He rubbed his hand against her wet slit causing her to shudder with pleasure. Kneeling behind her he let both of his hands rest on her hips and pushed himself forward to guide himself to her. He felt his cock press up against her entrance and trusted forward to enter her. Kiari gasped and bunched the sheets between her fingers as she felt him push into her. Her opening stretched wide to accommodate his throbbing girth farther and farther into her depths. After pushing in to the hilt he slowly began to pull back until only the head was left inside and then he pushed back in burying himself once again within her warm folds. He thrust into her again and again with long slow strokes while feeling her tight walls pulsate around his member. She moaned loudly and began to push back against him to match his strokes. Her moist sex clamped down on him every time he pulled out aching to have his cock buried within them once more. Moggy picked up speed and began thrusting faster stretching her to the limit. She let out a breathless moan and opened her mouth in a low gasp while feeling waves of her orgasm wash over her. Her walls convulsed and she came sending her juices spurting out around his shaft. Her clenching walls sent him into his own release. His cock began throbbing madly and he felt his balls tighten. With a groan he released, firing hot gooey spurts of his cum into her while he kept up his pounding. The fur of their bodies was matted with sweat. And the warmth of their ecstasy could be felt around the room. Kiari cried out in pleasure when his length probed against a sensitive spot within her. His cock moved back and forth along her canal grazing against the soaked walls of her tight sex. A loud murr escaped her lips each time she felt his heavy sac slap against her clitoris. Fire gathered between her legs and she cried out while screaming, "Ahh...Mrrrr...Fuckkkk...Mmm...Meee," and came so hard that she felt her heart skip a beat. Her juices practically sprayed out soaking her legs and drenching the sheets beneath her. Her pussy was now raw from his pounding, but since this made her flesh more sensitive it amplified the pleasure from each of his thrusts at least ten fold. She cried out hoarsely each time he slammed into her. And her intense orgasm ripped through her with such ferocity that her vision blurred and she nearly passed out. Moggy's hips became a blur as he hammered into her. Her soft warm flesh sent ripples of sensation through him causing his breathing to become heavy. He felt every muscle inside his body tighten, every fiber of his being wrenched through. With one final powerful heave he slammed into her spraying jets of his seed deep within her womb. A loud moan erupted from his throat while he came again filling every crevice of her depths with his essence. He pulled out sending the remainder of his spooge splattering all over her back and her ass. And even more of the white goo oozed out of her hole dribbling down her legs. He collapsed on top of her panting heavily. The sheets were practically soaked through with all of their juices. But none of this mattered to them. All that mattered to them was each other. Kiari turned her head and kissed him deeply feeling the warmth of his embrace. Their kiss lasted for what seemed an eternity for neither one of them wanted to pull back or let go.