The Legend of Tantus - Book 1

Chapter 4 - The Unexpected Battle of Vamyar

    The group entered the city of Hagen, one of the three largest worldwide. By determination of the kingdoms, the great cities like that had two types of leadership: military and civil. The military force, responsible for the protection and order of the city, was commanded by the captain of the defenses appointed by the king himself, while the civil administration took care of the popular interests, generally electing someone with the maximum experience to be the civilian leader and also recognized for the kingdom. Hagen was surrounded by tall, well-built stone walls, with several soldiers of the kingdom making the guard, all the houses were also constructed in the same way, small, medium-sized, mansions and mansions of two or three floors, with a remarkable architecture, with many trees all over the city. Another point that stood out was the various towers, but none of them compared to the Tower of Primadril South, so high it seemed to touch the sky, and from its top could be seen the ocean, huge and dazzling, was the symbol of the city, was built, as were the other two on the continents of Saitar and Lieben, by Tantaluz Primadril, the most powerful sorcerer of all times and still alive, at the height of discord of the power. Each of them had a huge crystal on its top, the crystals of Isil, creations of Tantaluz himself, who named them in honor of his son, who died early after contracting an illness. These crystals carried two unique powers, the first was the ability to strengthen anything to which they were attached, and the second was to observe everything that was within their reach, in this way were of extreme importance in monitoring the enemy armies, thus preventing many treacherous attacks of Zeijadel, though not all, for only a mighty sorcerer was able to see through them, and this was something few had the chance to witness. This was a great convenience, for allowing the armies not to need the lords to warn them of the dangers, which eventually made the lord of darkness curse this obstacle further. In the south tower he was able to see all the southern region, the north looked all over the north and so on respectively. Tantaluz fought in the discord of the power and played a key role in the victory over Zeijadel's army, he is the creator and bearer of Morgil, the most powerful staff of sorcerers, and he is also the great idol of Enghon, who met him shortly after embarking on trips with Arkan and John.

    The group decided to separate, going Enghon, Sumith and John to the south tower, because the young sorcerer wanted to see Tantaluz again, as well as listen to his advice, and for Iris not to please in great heights went with Thorgele to replenish the supplies for the trip. Everyone should meet at the shipyard at nightfall to continue the next day. Arriving at the tower, which was almost always open, the three entered, its interior was simple, with some lodgings and a small library, all climbed to the top and strangely the staircase was not as long as imagined, this was the work of the magic of Tantaluz, once there, were enchanted by the wonderful sight and the impressive crystal of Isil, twice as tall as a person and emitted a beautiful blue glow, but the sorcerer was not there, only one of his apprentices who lived in the tower came to talk with them. The young man said that his master had as his homes the three towers, he constantly disappeared without giving satisfaction and reappeared when he wanted to, this was Tantaluz. Enghon was saddened, but there was nothing to do, the three thanked and left.

    Not far from there, Thorgele and Iris bargained in the commercial area of the city. The shinobi was well experienced on the subject, but the girl did not at all, in fact she acted as if were his younger sister, following him and paying attention to everything, absorbing as much as possible, and Thorgele ended up fitting well in this role, as a dedicated teacher. Amidst the crowd Thorgele bumped into two women on the way, apologetically politely and moved on, but Iris, who came further behind, noticed that one of them remained looking at him a lot, and that both were twins, but the shinobi did not notice anything. Iris even thought she was annoyed, but soon dismissed the idea, they had just run into each other, maybe she was impressed by Thorgele's atesaki, which the summoner herself always admired. Finished the purchases the two went to the shipyard where they found Sumith and the others, they made a meal and rested to follow trip the next day.

    In the morning, after breakfast, they went straight to the north exit of the city. Outside the gates sighted, standing at the side of the road, two women, whom Iris immediately recognized, were the two twins of the previous day, one wearing white robes with a small cloak, very long hair, and carrying a small stone staff very well carved and worked, with a small crystal of Isil on the tip like a gem, was a sorceress. The other wore black suits with a long gray cloak, much shorter hair, and a long sword, an sss. Both had pale skin, light brown eyes and brown hair, they were beautiful, so beautiful that they looked like two princesses outside the castle. The sorceress approached the group and asked:

- Who among you is Sumith Maxlyeben? 

- It's me. – said Sumith.

- You and your group should not follow the road. – said quite seriously. – You are in danger.

- But who are you? – Iris asked.

- Sorry, my name is Solphie Sea, and that is my sister, Shayera. – said the sorceress pointing back to her sister.

- We are, or rather, we were the personal guard of the Lieben royalty. We currently do not serve anyone. – Thorgele then remembered the two, not the previous day, but winters ago, but nothing commented.

- Why are we in danger? – asked John.

    Solphie told them that the day before they had heard traders and hunters rumbling about goblins scurrying across the continent, and wandering around the city they found a small group of enemies sneaking through the alleys and sewers, listening to the words "group" and "Maxlyeben", shortly before her sister's attack, only one escaped alive, and that was more than enough, and since anything involving goblins means Kraven, that would not be pleasant. After learning that Sumith and the group were staying in the city they decided to take this attitude.

- We take the liberty of informing about you at the shipyard, excuse the rudeness.

- I see you are not lying. – said Sumith. – Thank you for your warning.

- If you do not mind, we would like to accompany you to the next town. We are also passing through the continent, but unlike you, I believe, we do not have a certain destination, besides knowing another safe way.

    Shayera, who had spent the entire time away, looked at Sumith in a seemingly hostile manner, but at no time had she interfered with the conversation. Everyone agreed with the arguments, and with the two newest members of the group, even if temporarily, they moved on.

    The group followed the road briefly to the north, until turning northeast and following an old and almost obliterated trail, long unused, that led to a small mountain range, a path, somehow difficult, but totally avoided the road. Solphie and Shayera had twenty-two winters old, identical twins and possessors of unusual beauty, but their resemblances stopped there. Solphie had a gentle and delicate personality, as well as being very kind and polite, but Shayera showed a strong and aggressive personality, was not to say much, and she had a mind as tempestuous as her way of being suggested. The group followed swiftly up the nonstop trail for the noon meal, at nightfall set up camp, rested and made their meal. Solphie appreciated Arkan's travelers bread, and after talking a little, Sumith, seeing Shayera alone and away, decided to go to her.

- Shayera, do not be alone, come join us.

- In my honest opinion, as they say, "son of fish, goldfish is", but in your case the best reference would be "coward". – said Shayera in a very offensive tone.

- I do not understand. – said Sumith in a mixture of surprise and anger.

- Sumith, son of Kin. – said Shayera standing up. – I am in your company for a reason, when all this ends I intend to settle my accounts with you, since your father deserted our army at the most important time of the great battle, you will pay for his cowardice!

    After this Sumith had to be restrained by Thorgele and John when drawing the sword, and all were startled and impressed by the confusion, but especially by the sss, who did not recoil an inch, not even in the gaze, even though she was before the powerful Laguna.

- Until then, stay away from me, or I will draw my sword mercilessly before the hour. – finished Shayera.

- Forgive my sister, please. – said Solphie talking alone with Sumith. – Sometimes she has too radical thinking. – And continued. – No one knows what happened to your father, but the vast majority, with the exception of some like my sister, doubt that he really has abandoned us.

    After the confusion, with nothing else to do, everyone went to rest. That night Sumith was slow to sleep, he was thinking a lot with himself, was his father really a coward? According to Solphie, Shayera was an extremely patriot woman, and that was the reason for her anger, but was not she right?

    The next day they continued on their way, had no surprises beyond some beautiful scenery. At the end of it they arrived at the small harbor that makes the crossing to the great island where is the city of Vamyar, paid, crossed and finally arrived the third largest city of the continent.

 *****

    Razinak and Razirouk were nervous, never before had they participated in a battle. In fact they were two cowards besides the account, who always took advantage of the defenseless people who attacked by the road, and almost always behind the back, never faced a willing and armed trader or hunter, always leaving it to the others of their troop. They cursed Kraven for having sent them to this war, they would have liked to remain silent and let the dust sit:

- Is the war really going to start? – asked Razirouk.

- The runners are scouring the continent. – replied Razinak. – Looks like they have not found anything yet.

    The scouts returned with news, Maxlyeben was seen in Hagen and headed northeast, the army captain correctly deduced that the group went to Vamyar, and ordered speedy march to the city and prepared for combat.

- But why an entire army to eliminate some people? – asked Razinak. – Was Kraven exaggerated or prudent?

- Just thinking of that shinobi annihilating our whole troop... – Razirouk trembling with fear.

*****

    Vamyar was a smaller city than Hagen and Surin, but it was still a big city. Surrounded by high walls built of high quality timber, many of the houses were also of wood, all nice and very well built, sharing space with the most recent made of stone, throughout its length there were many statues of knights and amazons, and in the center there was a large fountain. The group should wait in the city for Arkan, who would come to pick them up sooner or later without even having agreed exactly, so until then they separated to know the place. Sumith followed alone and thoughtfully, and after some time of walking walked down a street where he met Shayera, he had almost forgotten her, and now it seemed that she was willing to keep her word. Sumith knew he could hardly avoid this absurdly stupid fight, he thought it was unbelievable that anyone could have such a radical thought at that point, he needed to think of something, the sss was already preparing to draw her sword when they heard a great commotion in the city. Saved by the gong, all the people were heading for the south entrance, and upon checking they found Thorgele and the others.

- What happened? – asked Sumith.

- Two men from Surin have just arrived, saying that an army of goblins are marching in this direction. – replied Solphie.

- Kraven? – asked John.

- The war came earlier than expected. – said Thorgele.

    In fact it was Kraven. The city's defenses were organized in a hurry, there was never, and never would, argument with goblins in any way, the evil hatred they felt for all people was cold and violent, and reciprocal. All the men in conditions to fight were armed and sent to the army, the elderly, women, moghrans and children were taken to the north of the city for better protection. The captain of the soldiers was called Sigmund (there was no time to know his surname), and was a very strong man and famous for his great command. Archers were sent to the walls and towers, the gate was blocked in the best possible way, Sumith, Thorgele, Enghon, Shayera and John positioned themselves in the front line with the soldiers, Solphie went to one of the towers armed with a bow and many arrows and Iris, who had never witnessed such a situation and was terrified, was sent to the other women and children. The city's defenses had about three thousand men and one hundred moghrans soldiers, a low number for the mighty lions race, but their great magical abilities would be of spectacular help. Night was already on its way when the enemy arrived, about five thousand goblins and sixty cyclops, the battle was about to begin.

    The goblins knocked down a large tree and used it to break through the gate, which resisted for a long time, but not all night. During this time Solphie and the archers frantically fired their arrows, the enemies were hit and defended themselves as they could with their shields, and counterattacked in the same way. Although they had good protection in the walls and towers, several men were hit and killed, the sorceress saw an arrow shave her hair. Inside the city the frontline men gave way to the spearmen by order of Sigmund, who wisely foresaw the entry of the cyclops first, and when the gate finally came down almost half of the giants were killed or seriously wounded by these spearmen, but the others pierced the blockade and the goblins came soon after, starting the real battle. Three times the enemies were rejected, but the fourth time the armies collided with such violence that the sounds of weapons and shouts could be heard from afar. The archers fired their arrows relentlessly and still had to fight those who climbed the walls, Solphie's bow practically sang and she proved to be a great archer. When the arrows were gone they began to use the arrows of the goblins themselves that were stuck in the walls, and when these arrows finished they took their weapons and went to the direct combat. Several wizards goblins attacked with their spells. Solphie was not weak physically, but in terms of ability at this point she did not show great prominence, but she was agile in evasion and her speed of elemental concentration was extremely high, transforming the task of approaching her, unharmed, almost impossible. Her level was even higher than Enghon's! She was also an expert on defense spells and used them spectacularly to protect allies from enemy spells, while the young sorcerer attacked with all strength showing his power as well, and they formed a magical pair that demanded much respect and caution from their opponents. Shayera proved to be an absurdly ferocious warrior, being practically of the level of Sumith and Thorgele! But it was her strength the most impressive, far exceeding the average of men, being overwhelming and easily causing envy for the greatest of bullies. Her sister said that she was capable of winning a tug-of-war alone against nine soldiers, a real warrior! She was very dangerous in combat and Sumith thought about how he had gotten rid of such a great trouble to fall into another, eventually she would throw enemies away with punches or kicks, some would cross walls! She also killed three cyclops in a row, two with frightening ease, and the third, who managed to get close, to catch her sword and hold her by the head, had a golden chance in his hands, but he made a serious mistake by bringing her too close to him, counting with the egg inside the chicken, for with her left hand she, even with the sight covered by the giant's unpleasant hand, began to grope, comically, his thorax, the cyclops seemed to be intrigued by it, wondering what that woman could do in that situation, was when she finally reached the desired point, pressed his neck, crushed and tore! The poor fellow died drowned in his own blood, and with a bulging eye. Shayera was terrible! A fourth cyclops appeared from behind, surprising her, but had no chance at all, for Thorgele's sword pierced his head from ear to ear, both looked at each other for a second, raised their swords to each other, and touched their blades in one curious greeting, as if something were being born there... Lieben's young man, finally having his strength put to the test, except the fight with Thorgele, as expected did not disappoint, he, the shinobi, the sss and the thief fighting together formed a quartet terrifying to the enemies, pierced bodies, cut throats, severed arms, legs and heads, this was the basic summary of their attacks. The battle was terrible and several houses were burned by the goblins.

 *****

    Razinak and Razirouk were able to enter the city from the rear. Because they were cowards, they were only firing arrows and did not draw their swords because of fear, but they made the mistake of getting carried away after five or six fallen soldiers and approached dangerously of the shinobi that had decimated their troop, seeking revenge. But they were surprised by an explosion of fire, provoked by a frenzied white sorceress with a stone staff. Several were hurled away, and stunned they cursed everything again in fear. Damn Kraven for sending them to this damn war, damn shinobi for eliminating their troop, damn sorceress for blowing fire in their midst when they felt safe, and damn sorcerer of the silver staff, who charred the two together. This was the end of the cowardly brothers.

 *****

    Despite the bravery of the defenses the numerical superiority of the enemies spoke louder, but thanks to the important magical force of the sorcerers moghrans they resisted beyond the account. The battle had lasted a long time when Sigmund fell in front of the fountain, this was a great loss to the defenses, who began to retreat dangerously without their leader. Sumith, Thorgele and John took leadership initiative, and Thorgele's strange power to elevate allied morale was once again shown.

- Hold the position! – Thorgele ordered. – Soldiers, these enemies do not just want your lives, they want your city, your families, so fight! For them, for their lives, to the last warrior!

- This guy is awesome, he looks like a king! – said John.

- Thank God he is our friend! – said Sumith.

    The defenses were separated, Thorgele and several soldiers were pushed to the northeast part of the city, John and Solphie to the north, and Sumith, Enghon and Shayera to the west. The Lieben's young man was surrounded by several enemies while fiercely defending a woman and four children, but Shayera took some soldiers and saved him attacking from behind, although she did not show it, she was impressed with him, for he was brave and especially an exceptional warrior, an idea that she did not do about him. Sumith thanked her, but the sss said nothing, and the battle continued with the advantage of the enemies. There were only a few of the defenses left, and the hopes disappeared with a timid sunrise, when trumpets sounded outside the city, the reinforcements had arrived! The elder of the city, who was the civil leader, being his duty, sent two messengers, as soon as he heard of the enemy's march, immediately by the north exit before nightfall, taking advantage of the careless leadership of the enemies and on horseback, they went at full speed to the small harbor and to the town of Hagen in record time. A simple logical solution, and obviously there was no other way but to wait for the city to make soldiers available, and it worked. There were about a thousand men on horseback, who came down from their animals to let them rest and attacked on foot without delay. Those who resisted in the city gained new spirits, and now the goblins were attacked from both sides, the resistance was small and they were soon defeated, those who survived were harried to the ocean, where they jumped into the water and disappeared from view, "The Unexpected Battle of Vamyar" was finished.

    In the morning, those who fought all night gathered. In the group everyone was dirty and exhausted, some minor injuries and no serious bruises, except for Iris, who remained hidden with the other women. The only ones really injured were John and Thorgele, the thief received a wound on his forehead and his head was bandaged, and the shinobi was the last one to arrive supported by two soldiers, he received a cut on his left thigh and an arrow on his right chest, but thanks to the armor and a moghran soldier who protected him with the element of gravity, it was not fatal, though he needed extra care. Solphie offered to heal them, but it was Iris who took the lead.

- I feel ashamed that I did not help at all. – said the young woman. – I do not want to be just a burden, please, let me do it.

    No one really blamed her for this, on the contrary, they understood in many ways, she was still very inexperienced and innocent, had never heard of the horror of war, much less witnessed the terror of a battle, and in fact should not have to but they all admired much of her attitude and agreed (after all, she was the only one who was not filthy). The young woman treated John's forehead and Thorgele's thigh, the greenish glow of the element of life recovering the wounds impressively. As for the arrow, the shinobi himself asked anyone to pull it off at once, and Shayera immediately did so, after which Iris took care of staunching the bleeding, helping to recover faster. The summoner simply possessed a great level in the element of life, knowledge she inherited from Sorsha, after the cares all tried to rest in some way.

    The soldiers who arrived were in charge of cleaning up the mess in the city. The bodies of the enemies were piled on the outside and burned. In the middle of the day the civil leader called a meeting, for an attack of this magnitude could not be so inexplicable, nothing of this size was seen since the discord of the power. The group took full responsibility, some people were nervous, which was natural after heavy losses, even when they revealed about the purpose of their mission and that a new war was beginning, in fact it was not something to believe simply, this until Iris, convinced by Enghon, to invoke Kurgan in front of everyone, even if quickly, his magnificent aura was enough to bulge many eyes and terrify others, being more than enough to end the doubts, although some have come to questioning why she did not use that immense power to win the battle for them, probably saving many lives, but the elder understood, watching the summoner's eyes and listening to her sad apologies, he saw a pure, fragile child who grew far away of the war, Sumith, Thorgele, John and Enghon closed her front to protect from some more nervous that began to speak more loud, the four were about to punch someone's face, but the civilian leader had them all shut up, closing the discussion.

- Shut up immediately! Do not dare make me a shame of this size, putting this simple child against the wall. She can not be blamed for anything.

- Thank you. – thanked Sumith, followed by the others.

    After this no one else blamed them, not a word of accusation was ever pronounced, understanding became something admirable, although it was not always so. The dead were nothing less than heroes who would contribute to all this, the elder himself had fought in the great war and understood better than anyone else.

- It's not today that this was announced, since the end of the great battles the kingdoms are preparing for the last war, we will have the chance to bury Zeijadel and all the evil that he caused us. – said the old man.

    John walked alone through the destroyed place, until he found a boy crying in his mother's lap, it was Sigmund's family, although the thief did not know it, he approached, and exchanged a few words with them.

- It's okay, little one, the danger has passed.

- My father... My father is dead!

- ...

- He told me that we would fish in the winter, that he would teach me everything about the sea, and the fish, but now he will never return.

- You are right.

- What?

- Your father will not come back, but that does not mean he will not be with you anymore.

- How? – The boy seemed more distressed. – But where will he be then?

- Right here. – said John pointing to the child's heart. – I did not know your father, but I know he was a brave warrior, and gave his life for you and your mother, so be brave as he is. Be very proud, because today your father was a hero. – ended up touching the child's head, who smiled even with tears in his eyes.

- Thank you. – said the woman, very low for John.

    Nobility and honest goodness, that was what was hidden behind the image of John, the playful, clumsy carapace camouflaged someone as dignified as could be, and Solphie watched him in the distance. Many arguments arose about it, even if they could not alleviate the pain caused by all that, from homes and families murdered, things were being clarified. The group set up camp in the central square, shortly after Arkan arrived, and was greeted with joy by his three crew. Curious to think of how the sailor knew exactly where they were, but the answer about it, even if by some miracle he gave it without his mysteries, would be irrelevant. He greeted Solphie and Shayera, because he already knew the two:

- Well well, old man, so you are responsible for them? – asked the always gross Shayera.

- Where do you know them from? – asked Enghon.

- Traveling the world is my specialty. – replied Arkan.

    He also greeted Iris and was honored to meet the new summoner, on meeting Thorgele, Arkan stared at him for several seconds, marveling at his weapons, could hardly believe that the legendary daughters of the lords were real, and even more so than someone so young was their master, but that was not what really caught the attention of the sailor in the young shinobi.

- It's good to have someone like you on our side. – said Arkan.

- Uh... Thank you. – replied the still confused Thorgele.

    Always mysterious Arkan, it seems that he knew something that no one else knew (or really knew), the sailor made sure to hear the whole story of the battle, detail by detail, showing that he loved a good narrative, and thus ended the day.

    The next day early the four young men and Iris bid farewell to the city, promising to honor those who sacrificed their lives the night before, and never allow it to be in vain. They headed for Arkan's ship, which was already prepared for the next voyage, and there they received the unexpected visit of Solphie and Shayera. As said before they only accompanied them to Vamyar, but apparently they had changed their minds:

- Good morning everyone. – said the always polite Solphie. – My sister and I want to join your journey, you need us, do not you?

- What about Shayera? – asked Sumith. – Will not cut my throat while I sleep?

- Not yet. – replied the sss always serious.

- So welcome. – said Arkan cheerfully.

    According to Arkan, the twins were the daughters of Kilik and Cindy Sea, the powerful couple of sorcerers, personal protectors of Lieben's royalty in the discord of the power. Both lost their lives in the campaign heroically, sacrificing themselves to save thousands of soldiers, leaving their posts for their daughters in the future. Shayera was in doubt about her own way of thinking, cowards would never be powerful, and a valiant warrior like Sumith would really be what she imagined? The fact was that, for her, it was still too early to say, and the young woman decided to observe a little more before taking her actions.

    Now the group was headed to Lieben, the continent with the largest number of summons, four in total. The plan was to reach everyone, since the passage would have two stages, no word was given to the old sailor about the loss of Galzon, Enghon's decision having confidence in Thorgele's words. Three days lasted the journey to Sumith's homeland, the sea was calm and the wind in its favor, making the trip quiet and tedious. Thorgele learned very quickly about the work on the ship with Arkan, two more arms to help, but again Shayera stole the scene, her ease in doing the ship's work was impressive, she seemed to have been born for it, and the old sailor ventured to say that she was the best crew member ever to board, John agreed, while Solphie and Iris did not do much, since they had no talent for it, but there was no problem at all, the sss did the work easily for all they! Enghon and Thorgele spent much of their time practicing, and sometimes Sumith and John also participated, on two of the three nights the shinobi and Lieben's youth man fought, not as enemies but as rival friends, always watched by Arkan and the other two while the women slept, their struggle was a spectacle apart. In the first they finished tied again by fatigue, on the second they were interrupted by a mischief of John, who poured water and soap on the deck of the ship turning everything into a mess of young people, and even the scholar Enghon participated, Arkan took this to send them washing the deck at once, which they ended up doing, were becoming best friends. Sumith and Thorgele had extremely peculiar fighting behaviors, which led all who knew them to inquire about themselves. Lieben's young man had as his main characteristic the emotions, although incredibly efficient and strategic, he could be considered an instinctive fighter at the same time, because he was carried away by the feelings of that moment, he did not plan footsteps ahead of the opponent, or hardly he would, just let it all come out naturally, as if the idea of what he would have just been born automatically. Thorgele was a silent fighter, he rarely said anything during combat, unless necessary, even opened his mouth, this led his opponents to imagine that he had no emotions in battle, even when hit, knocked over or wounded, nothing he showed, and so they could not imagine what kind of cunning he had, he had a disturbing silence. Both warriors considered, especially by their fellows, as unique among thousands, and of such opposing styles that they ended up synchronizing impressively, one against the other or side by side. Iris felt very happy in the permanent company of Solphie and Shayera, as much as everyone was friends, men are men and women are women. She also abandoned her old peasant dress and began dressing more appropriately with the company, in fact in Solphie-like attire, and according to the summoner, the twins argued hilariously about which color she should adopt, Shayera obviously voted for dark colors like hers, but, no one knows how, the sorceress prevailed. She also had a lot of talk with Sumith, and the boy seemed more and more enchanted by her.

- I like your scar. – said Iris, referring to the scar the young man won in his fight against Lekard as guardian.

- Oh really? – He turned red.

- Yes, it's charmin.

- !

    After some intimacy time she came to be considered as a younger sister of the two twins, obviously by age, but mainly by being smaller than both. Shayera was almost always watching Thorgele, and Solphie realized it, knew that she admired him, though she did her best to hide. The sorceress had always believed that her sister would find love on the day she met a man as powerful and aggressive as she was, in matters of power Thorgele was perfect in her conception, but as for his aggressiveness, he was her total opposite, calm and rational, however, as they say "opposites attract". Her parents were both sorcerers, and her sister chose the same path, but Shayera chose the way of the knights. As an sss she was trained to be an elite warrior, so she received all the masculine treatment possible, developing a great strength that was superior to the men, besides the natural talent with the sword, proving that she was right in her decision. Often she looked like a man in the way she spoke and acted, which, in a way, camouflaged her womanly charms. Solphie was impressed by the fact that her sister had never approached so many people, despite being highly esteemed by the military force of their kingdom, Shayera, who would say, created a lot of courage to make the first word with him, and this happened only in the third day shortly before arriving in Lieben. The day was slightly overcast and pleasant, Thorgele was quiet on the parapet, staring at the sea, the sss was nearby, watching him discreetly, but when she heard him singing an old and beautiful song, she could not contain herself:

“Life is like a boat in a bottle

You try to navigate

But there is no sea

Day after day this just gets harder

You try to scream, but no one cares

Through a glass you see the same faces

Hear the voices fading like homesickness

When your life is like a boat in a bottle

You are surrounded, floating by yourself

Do not leave me now

Stay one more day

With me

When you are sad, and nobody knows it

I will send you red roses

When your heart is in darkness and frozen

I will send you red roses

Far away, we will wait for each other

I am still on the road to nowhere

Kiss your reflection in the mirror

And imagine a red rose in your hair...”

    He quietly sang the beautiful lyrics, but to his great surprise, she seized the opportunity and approached also singing the rest:

“... Do not lose your faith

Share on another night

With me

When you are sad, and nobody knows it

I will send you red roses

When your heart is in darkness and frozen

I will send you red roses

Ten red roses

Ten red roses...”

- Do you know "Ten Red Roses"? – asked the surprised Thorgele.

- This was the song my mother sang to me when I was a child. – replied Shayera. – My sister was always fast asleep, and I was slow to close my eyes, but when my mother sang I could not resist. I love that song.

- So both know how to appreciate a good song. – And they both smiled.

    So Thorgele and Shayera knew each other effectively, and they approached, although he still had some fear, by the confusion with Sumith, but after that he began to see her with different eyes. She did not seem unfair, on the contrary, Solphie was right, she was just a patriot mind and radical, who needed understanding and time, but who was already charming. After this day the sss seemed to dream alone, Iris herself noticed it and nudged her (women always had a closer look at this sort of thing), leaving her totally ashamed. Thorgele, though she was probably the most beautiful and sensual woman he had ever seen, did not seem interested, being distracted and fissured in training, but after knowing her sweet and gentle side, so long hidden, he began to like her company, and soon became almost inseparable friends. Shayera had great respect and renown throughout the Kingdom of Lieben, this because of a feat simply spectacular and equaled by very few.

    At the age of eighteen, though still in the process of completing her elite training, the remarkable talent earned her the appointment of the great sorcerer Tantaluz Primadril, and as a consequence the important post of personal protector of royalty, with her sister, who stood out equally. The sss was almost always next to the princess of Lieben, Adria Alberich, then with fifteen winters, while Solphie accompanied the queen Litos, in this way they became very close, almost like sisters. One day, on a leisure trip to Mérit, near the city, their caravan was ambushed by a troop of about a hundred goblins in the morning, a totally unexpected act, taking into account the aversion to the light of the Sun, and their preference, except on cloudy days, by late afternoon. The five soldiers who accompanied them were the first victims, and with no alternative Shayera and Adria fled towards a small forest, but they were reached and surrounded, and there was no other option but to fight.

- Your Highness, I will hold them while you run away. – said Shayera.

- No! – said Adria. – If you stay here alone you will be killed!

- I am your protector! Dying for you is included in my duties.

- No. – And the princess already poured discreet tears. – I can not leave you, Shayera!

- Adria, let's be frank, if I have to fight with you by my side, it will only make things worse.

- But...

- But if I stay and hold them, you can save yourself.

- Do not ask me that! We both still have a lot ahead of us.

- There are many things that I desire, many things to see and feel. But it is with great pride that I will give my life for you, my little sister.

    Shayera attacked fiercely, thus paving the way for Adria's escape.

- Go! Now!

    The princess fled in tears as her protector seized powerfully all the enemies, who in anger, forgot the other and invested only against her. Shayera fought like never before, like a real beast defending what she believed, and with every downed enemy the fear of the others increased. She had an arrow in her right hand, thigh and shoulder, the pain was great and the constant attacks did not allow her to recover with the element of life, the goblins laughed already imagining her end.

- Hahahahaha... This way you can not turn your sword, you are doomed, you stupid woman! – said the leader. – I think I will take your beautiful face as a trophy.

    But she did not surrender, wielding the sword with her left hand in a more terrible way than with the right, Shayera became even more powerful, cutting off her opponents one after the other and faster. Nothing else went through her mind, only to fight and kill, to resist and to overcome, and after many distressing minutes of battle, the last survivors, desperate for her strength and determination, turned away and fled in panic, including the leader himself. Meanwhile Adria arrived at Mérit, and desperate for Shayera, ordered the immediate formation of a troop of soldiers and returned to save her protector. When they finally reached the forest they found only the severed bodies of the enemies.

- Shayera! – Adria looking for her. – Shayera!

- But what is this? – said a soldier. – There are so many dead goblins.

- But was not she alone? – said another.

- You are kidding, there are at least a hundred of them here!

And finally they found her, leaning against a tree, her sword serving as a support, dirty and bathed in blood, eyes closed, seemingly lifeless.

- Shayera! No! – shouted Adria, who was only crying and hugging her protector, and the soldiers all headed down by this loss.

- You are pushing me too hard, Adria... I can not breathe...

- What? – All the soldiers there.

- You bully! – Adria. – You gave me a big scare!

- Why?

- You are monstrous!

- Are you calling me a monster?

- I am talking about your strength, you brute! – And she cried and hugged her at the same time.

- Who would say, the princess's protector is a giant in combat!

- Greet the warrior Sea, the slayer of a hundred!

    After this day she came to be known as "the slayer of a hundred", and was honored as one of the most powerful warriors of the new generation of Lieben. But unfortunately, two winters later, Adria died... Shayera became as bitter and depressed as Litos herself, and then Solphie decided that both should temporarily leave their duties to mature. But in truth, she just wanted her sister to recover from sadness, imagining that traveling and getting to know the world would help cheer her heart over time, which actually worked. The sss was improving slowly, and returned to smiling after a winter and a half, but it was only after hitting a man in the commercial area of Hagen, a few days ago, that she returned to have the same brightness in the eyes of the past days.    

    The twins also had incredible unparalleled peculiarity, they were stunningly scented, especially Shayera, something that aroused a great curiosity, considering the life she had as an elite warrior, she was obviously not vain, it provoked a feeling of envy in many of the women who knew her, because according to the shinobi, the sss was more fragrant than a rose, and also confessed, long after, that to smell that perfume was tempting and almost intoxicating. While Solphie once said, that the man who could approach to feel this, would fall madly in love... Even though it scared her at first, Shayera began to admit to herself that she loved him, even though she did not know his feelings and being impatient, she knew she should wait, and something told her that this wait would be rewarded.

    Another of the more curious things they discovered in the twins was their great appetite, they simply loved to eat, and always very educated, both at this point, something that really pleased men, especially John, who was also a glutton. In the case of Shayera this was understandable, she was an sss, very strong, of few words, but powerful in actions, but Solphie, with her graceful and delicate appearance, impressed them all, and according to her, both were always encouraged by their father to eat like this.

- How these creatures can eat so much, and not get fat! – said Iris – Thorgele, can you handle devouring so much?

- I would better get away from the table, or they are able to take my meal too.

- No problem for me. – said John.

- You are another freak, John. – said Iris.

- One point for you, Iris. – Thorgele.

    Arkan's ship arrived at Menegost Harbor in the afternoon, they bid farewell to the sailor and hurried to the center, glimpsing a large city very similar to Hagen in Zelante. The architecture was very similar and the great central tower was perfectly identical to the south tower, on its top another beautiful crystal of Isil guarded the whole central region of the world, and again Tantaluz was not there, to the frustration of Enghon. At the shipyard, Sumith was received by many greetings from old friends, it was normal for him to be so celebrated on his continent, and the day ended quietly. At night Sumith invited Iris for a walk, the young woman was particularly happy with the invitation, and he even more because she accepted. In fact she felt the same charm for him from the moment they met, but by her shyness Iris was able to hide it in an impressive way, but it was obvious that it would not be forever. The nights in Lieben are usually cleaner than in other continents, and it is known as "the continent of the heavens and the stars", many entertainment options were pleasantly displayed, of all kinds, one of the most perfect places for leisure, so they had fun around the city. Thorgele and Shayera returned to the central tower, where they enjoyed the wonderful view of the city and the Moon in the night sky, Enghon, John and Solphie stayed in the busy shipyard, and the sorceress showed her partying side, enjoying the music, drinking beer, telling stories and laughing a lot with the two friends and the other people of the place. She also proved to be a tremendous card player, overtaking Enghon, who was good, and John, who was almost unbeatable:

- I do not believe! – said John. – This princess face hides the game, you are a great cheater, more than me, and look I am a thief.

- Talent does not mean cheating, my dear friend. – replied Solphie.

- Hahahahahahaha... – Enghon.

- I wanted to see you defeat Arkan. – said John. – The old man is the greatest deceiver in the world!

- This I would pay to see. – said Enghon.

- I will have my chance, but now pay what you owe me!

- Calm down, princess! – John. – The night is just beginning!

- More beer! – asked Enghon to hear everyone laugh.

    The next day Solphie and John woke up with a terrible headache, and went to breakfast with Shayera, Thorgele and Sumith, who obviously did not restrain themselves in having fun at their expense. Iris and Enghon were not, which made them slightly concerned, but soon they arrived, the young woman was carrying a long staff, which was made of fine wood, extremely well made and worked, with all the elemental symbols perfectly carved on the handle, and with a simple crystal on the tip.

- Iris, what do you do with it in your hand? – asked Thorgele.

- Enghon made for me. – replied the girl. – I would not feel good being absent in any other situation, I am with you now, and it's my duty to help you.

    For Enghon this was just an improvised staff until she got another one for real, but his work on the weapon was so well done that Iris decided to make it her permanent staff. The job of making a staff was not simply to make a kind of stick or club, for that is only what they will be if there is no magic there, and the most basic way to achieve this was by using some precious stone, that is what guaranteed the primary magic properties to enhance the power of a sorcerer. Enghon used to carry one or two elementally filled crystals, in the case of some necessity, as now, using in the new staff of Iris. The summoner also ended up filling it with her element of life, and thus made it even more powerful. The young sorcerer was very talented in the art of carving on wood and also in carpentry, which was much easier using magic. The young summoner was trained in the arts of the stick by Enghon himself, and with the aid of Sumith, Thorgele and Shayera, soon became an efficient fighter, despite the fragile appearance, was no longer that helpless girl of before, now she retaliated.       

*****

    The survivors of the battle of Vamyar were able to return to the Pandemonius. The remaining leader, Sandir, the goblin in charge, was to report the failure to Kraven, who was already in a bad mood, probably already knew the result.

- My lord, our army was defeated. – said Sandir.

- For your stupid face, I can guess. – said Kraven. – But how did this happen?

- They reached the city of Vamyar, we would have won, but they managed to ask for reinforcements.

- I imagine I have told you to eliminate them before reach some big city.

- Yes.

- Where is Debelzak? – asked Kraven.

- The commander died in battle, my lord.

- The actions of the army reflect his leadership, at least the incompetent Debelzak has already paid with his life for failure.

- My lord, please forgive us. – asked Sandir with his face on the floor.

- I am not cruel enough to sacrifice you like this, my dear Sandir.

- My lord?

- You will continue to serve me in the army.

- Thank you for your kindness, my lord.

- Your punishment may come sooner or later, and I will not apply it.

- My lord?

- Now get out.

    Kraven showed no mercy even to his subordinates, they feared him more and more, and so they followed him, for fear of him and Zeijadel. The black sorcerer stood alone in his living room, and sat down as if meditating, the whole atmosphere of the place grew heavy, the darkness began to consume torchlight and candles burning in place, strange and humanoid forms seemed to appear and disappear without sense, as if they were bringing and leaving something, and the weak aura of the lord of darkness could be recognized. If there was scent for the evil will, it could be felt there.

- My master. – said Kraven. – I failed.

- I know, my servant. – said a dark voice, which echoed briefly by the place.

- My life is yours to punish.

- Patience, my dear pupil, time is in our favor, and there are still many ways of redemption.

- As you wish.

- I have countless tasks for you now, order no one to bother because I will be speaking.

    Kraven's conversations with Zeijadel were puzzling and almost always very long, but this lasted all night. His goblins and cyclops did not dare to pass in front of his room, fearing some punishment. Zeijadel would pass on to Kraven the next steps of his plans, and no one had any idea of what was to come, even after a defeat like the one suffered in Vamyar, they did not even care to throw away the life of an army.

 *****

    The group traveled southwest, leaving Menegost straight to Delta Mountain, where, according to Enghon's studies, the temple was located. Only two days on a simple route, without obstacles and already seen the extraordinary mountain, its top could not be seen, because it was beyond the clouds, it was so mysterious as beautiful, no one could never say what was there, many brave challengers tried to climb the mountain but no one returned. Some said that perhaps the great God lived up there, and it was not his will to be disturbed. The group had to turn around almost to the coast where they found a stone with the ancient runes revealing the location of the temple, and when they found it they noticed that it was identical to the one of the Sacred Forest, deducing that all would be thus. On this continent there were four summons, two in this temple in the south, and two in the north. This time they all came in and found the two great statues of summons, on the left was Ilias, the summon of thunder, a man in gray armor and crown set on his helmet, wore a long red cape and carried a large mace, on the right was Raman, the summon of fantasy, a moghran with beautiful silver costumes of sorceress and a long golden staff. Iris and Sumith went up to the altar and the young man read to her the scriptures, very similar to the last temple, except for the names of the summons, and both appeared before Iris while Sumith retired. The gleams of Ilias's armor and Raman's staff were almost dazzling, magnificent as they should be. Solphie and Shayera, who witnessed this for the first time, did not conceal their great contemplation, after a brief presentation the young woman underwent the ordeal again, and passed with success.

- At your service, master. – said both summons.

    Now there were three summons in the pantheon of Iris, though they were to be four. It was still daytime, so they set out on the journey back to Menegost, and at nightfall they set up camp and rested. This night something in particular happened to Iris, the girl saw three shooting stars incredibly close together before falling asleep, in the middle of the night she woke up thinking she heard sounds of swords well in the distance, and simply walked in one direction. She was already a long way from the camp when she saw four men fighting after a small plain and behind a large bush. The sounds of swords that were once weak were now frightening, as she watched more closely the young woman noticed that three of them were attacking one in a fierce battle, the man who was being attacked was none other than Sumith! But how was this possible if he was sleeping in the camp? The young woman rubbed her eyes, but there was no mistake, it was Sumith. He wore very different dark suits, plus a long cape and hood (at the moment the hood was behind), carried a magnificent shiny sword with two blades of greenish flame. Iris could also see inside the waistcoat a very intense glow that she had seen before:

- The swords of Thorgele? – Iris asked to herself.

    Sumith also carried Andriel and Andurel, Iris was so confused that she did not even pay attention to the other three guys, and it was at this moment that they attacked with impressive speed and violence. Lieben's young man countered only two, as the third was faster and hit him in the back, a painful and decisive wound in a battle, Sumith fell to the ground as his blood ran, the young woman went into despair, but it was too far to do something and the three were already preparing to eliminate him, but she concentrated all her power on the element of life, and in a huge effort, managed to cure Sumith even the long distance. This was a great demonstration of power, even consciously or instinctively, as the summoner did, since only high-level users achieved such a feat, yet it was not advisable to use this often because of excessive expenditure of force. The exhaustion was such that she collapsed on the floor, but she succeeded. Sumith rose and escaped from the enemies, then his eyes began to shine as she had seen in the Sacred Forest, the shadow of the guardian appeared behind him, the girl also noticed another silver glow, similar to Lekard's earring, emanating of his wrist, looked like a bracelet, but curiously Lieben's young man did not become the great dragon, the great power of the guardian could be felt, but he remained in common form... Sumith used a cut of light much more powerful than the one seen before, the three managed to defend themselves using strange powers that did not seem to be elemental, but they were knocked away at once. The enemies were astonished by the new strength of the adversary, and talking in an incomprehensible language, they turned away and disappeared in the blink of an eye, then Sumith, with his eyes still "blazing", looked toward Iris, the young woman closed her eyes, when opened them she saw Lieben's young man walking towards her, his appearance was exactly the same, but his stance carried something different, had a spectacular grandeur, like a warrior revered in legends. Then she closed her eyes again, this time unconscious.

    Iris woke up in the morning and felt fine, everyone was already eating breakfast, including Sumith, the girl still remembered what happened, but obviously it did not seem like something to be understood in this way, so she was convinced that everything was just a dream.

    In the middle of the day they stopped to rest and have a meal. They were already preparing to continue when Sumith, who was alone, heard a voice among the trees calling his name:

- Hello, Sumith. – said the voice, which to him seemed familiar.

- Who are you? – asked the young man as he tried to find the owner of the voice.

- It does not matter at the moment, now listen to me: there are three people in the town of Oxe, northwest of here, who will need your help.

- What you mean? I do not know who you are, and you want to give me orders?

- Pay attention, your head hollow!

- ...

- ...

- This is not an incentive to convince me.

- Kin Lyeben would not deny help to someone in need.

- ... – And after a few seconds. – Three people? But who are they?

- Ask for the three lights of Darkan, you will know when to find them. Do not ignore this message, Sumith, many things depend on it, never forget. – The voice ended.

    Sumith was thoughtful for a while, of course he was trying to figure out what it was, whether he should trust it or not. How to answer a stupid voice from beyond telling him something crucial? It seemed like a fairy tale story, but he suddenly disappeared, perhaps for curiosity, or for the basic impetuosity, the group, that had missed him, waited and searched for a long time, until decided that they could not delay any longer and continued the journey.

- I believe in Sumith. – said Thorgele. – He will come back, I am sure.

    Everyone also decided to trust him, Shayera herself decided not to think for the moment, incredible as it may seem, but in fact, for her, if Sumith did not return, it could mean that she was right, besides she had changed her way of thinking a lot due to the coexistence with the friends, especially Thorgele.

    The group took three days to return to Menegost, waited for Sumith for a day, and he actually returned to Arkan's ship.

- Where were you? What happened? – Iris asked, showing great concern.

- I just had issues to resolve. – replied Sumith. – Do not worry, trust me.

    In fact, everyone was worried, and they were relieved to see him. It was at this moment that John dropped a silver bracelet from his dress, even as he quickly gathered it, Iris saw it and noticed that was similar to that seen in her supposed dream.

- What is that bracelet, John? – The young woman asked.

- Bracelet? What bracelet? I do not use anything like that. – replied the thief, rather awkwardly.

- I am going to put you in a theater school, John. – said Arkan, who was at the rudder. – Your performance was very bad.

- Did you know old man? – asked John.

- I knew you had taken it from my other artifacts. – replied the sailor. – But if I knew that they would find him here and not before, I myself would have delivered it to Sumith.

- For me?! – wondered Sumith.

- This is the "Guardian's Artifact", a gift from the lords, in your case, a bracelet. – said Arkan, taking the bracelet from John. – I imagine you could not control the power of the guardian, correct? For this is what will enable you to do so.

- Wait, how do you know I have become a guardian? – asked the young man, trying to understand.

- Zeon gave me this, to pass to you when the power woke.

- Do you know Zeon?

- I know everybody, boy.

- ...

- The power of the guardian is not something our common minds can control, so the lords have gifted them with these artifacts, with a special spell devised by Galadril Polaris, Lord of Life, your control will be complete now.

- Come on, old man, this mystery of yours still kills me! – said Enghon, while John nodded and the three women laughed at each other.

- I have always been like this, and even for those who know me shortly, should have understood, right, accomplice? – said the sailor, leaving the sorcerer slightly frightened by the proximity. – It's my charisma, it's my personality so remarkable, do not you think? – Arkan finished as the three women burst into laughter.

    Sumith put the bracelet on his left wrist, at this moment the same glow enveloped him and went out soon after. All this calmed down a lot of Iris, and she really began to believe that she had only one dream, although there was still some doubt. Sumith now had control over the guardian's power, and, according to Arkan, the bracelet would never separate from him unless it was his will, and Solphie and Shayera now knew about it, the journey went on.