STEEL BORN

NOCERA

The canoe that was carrying Cara, Santux and the Priestess of Light, arrived at the entrance to the Island leading to Nocera, it was paddled by a male servant from the Temple. They hiked a few miles into the Island and arrived at an area where a large flat rock formed the floor. There were patterns carved on the rock's surface, mostly seven lines from the outer side towards the center, the lines met at a circle in the center. The Rocky surface was thickly shielded by branches of tall trees which surrounded the spot. The Priestess was dressed in the regalia of her office - a round golden crown was on her head, her breasts were covered with golden pallets, she held a golden staff that was one feet taller than she was, the staff had a jewel on the top. Golden ornaments were used to craft a skirt for her waist, it dropped to her knees. She stood within the inner circle, she had handed her staff to Cara and was carrying a bowl filled with powdery substance. She began to sprinkle it walking around in circle and whispering incantations. She came towards Cara and Santux and retrieved her staff.

"Go and stand in the circle, both of you", she commanded. Cara was dressed in a dark harem and a body hug top, the gold surrounding her person were in place on her face, body, wrists and ankles. Under no circumstance were they to be removed, they were light weighted and comfortable. She was holding the decapitated sword of Buldagrash. Santux was dressed on a dark harem and a tight top made from linen. They both stood within the circle, the Priestess lifted her staff up and shouted incantations, Cara and Santux dropped on the ground like rag dolls, when she was done.

Last night, Cara had visited Santux after their meeting with the Priestess, she had been clutching the sword. She had told him about the second sign - the appearance of the sword to the Priestess.

"I am to visit Nocera before Docarock reaches his full strength",

"You are speaking of many things I don't understand", Santux had responded, he was seating in the parlor of his chambers. The Princess had refused to seat, she preferred to pace around, "Who is Docarock and where is Nocera?",

"Docarock is the evil spirit of an ancient druid, who once tormented my people using black magic. He brought plagues and pestilence upon Xion and was executed by my fathers as a result, black magic was outlawed later, when his followers had refused to give up. He had sworn to return with vengeance before he was slain. I was taught in history class that it was impossible for him to return, because he was imprisoned in his grave and would need a body - a living host to walk among the living",

"Yet you say this Docarock is here?",

"Yes", the Princess responded. "which means he has found a host".

"You said you are to go to Nocera, where is that?", Santux questioned.

"Nocera is not a where, it's a what", Santux was confused. "It's the land of the dead, it is where the ruby that was on this sword (she pointed at the vacant hollow of the hilt) was brought, one of my great grandfathers had to make the sacrificial trip many years ago, when Xion was a small place and threatened by her neighbors. He went to Nocera, into the Caves of Goil and returned with a ruby, it was used to make the sword of power which brought peace to Xion and enlarged her territories".

"Will it not be easier to find this host and Kill it?", Santux questioned.

"No. If he is killed, Docarock will find another",

"The land of the dead, you say? when will you return?", Santux was terribly worried and afraid.

"Yes, I leave tomorrow night and you're coming with me!". The Princess turned around and left. Santux's fear was reduced by a great deal, even though he had noticed she had avoided his last question. He was glad he would be accompanying the Princess, he would hate to lose her. He had vowed by all means to bring her back or die trying before he slept off that night.

He was training vigorously the following morning when King Raul stepped up to the training ground, the ground was built on the far walls of the Palace, a fleet of stairs led up to the platform. It was circular in shape and almost half a kilometer wide. King Raul was dressed only in a harem, his upper body was bare. There was sandals on his feet, he was accompanied by Kudo who stood at one corner. The King picked up an actual sword from the ranks of training equipments.

"You seem clumsy young man, is there no swords in Ludia just as there are no girls?". He mocked Santux. Both the master and Santux were so engrossed they didn't notice the King's entrance, they came to a halt at once. They bowed breathing hard, "Greetings your highness", they said in unison.

"Don't pretend you didn't hear me", the King said challenging Santux, the master took one look at the King and understood his intentions. He left the circle, he was fully aware of the skills of the King, he sat on the surrounding rock wall overlooking the sea.

"There are swords and girls in Ludia my...",

"Then prove to me why I should let you have my daughter", the King interrupted, attacking Santux. He blocked with the wooden sword and it broke, he dodged several blows making his way swiftly to the collection of training equipments, he grabbed an actual sword and they fought swiftly for some minutes. King Raul was one of the swiftest swordsmen in the Kingdom, he was formidable and feared among the soldiers. But Santux was able to hold his ground firmly and without sustaining any injuries, to the amazement of both Kudo and his master. The King was satisfied and impressed.

"Bring my daughter home and she shall be yours", King Raul said and left, he was followed by Kudo. The training was over.

Now, the Priestess planted her staff firmly in the soil. She went over to Cara and Santux lying on the stone floor and placed them on their backs. She placed the decapitated sword Cara had been carrying between them, and left to prepare a place for herself at the foot of one of the surrounding trees. She had brought a heavy blanket together with her charms, they would be gone for three days and she would be here to assist and receive them when they returned.

* * *

The moment Cara and Santux collapsed, Niobe propelled upwards from where he was seated in his secret room beneath the Temple, his eyes were wide and fiery. The gates of the land of the dead had opened, that could only mean two things and none of them were good. It's either someone alive had entered or they had come out. It seems someone was up, to challenge him, he had to leave Worth at once.

He quickly packed up the books he had stolen and his charms. He carefully lifted the globe containing the scepter and placed it in a sack. He went up to his chamber within the Temple and packed a few things, he got on a horse and sped off to the Wharf. There were two docked Ships, he inquired as to which destination they were headed, and chose the one going to Meal, because it was leaving in few hours instead of some days. He planned to travel on his horse down to Orlean - a City in the suburbs of the Eastern region. He would ride by night and sleep in hidden places during the day. He would have to raise his army in Orlean and match towards Worth when he was ready.

"This city must pay for this", he murmured in his little cabin.

His chief apprentice went looking for him in the morning, he knocked severally, when no one responded, he opened the door and went into the chamber. "Sir, are you here?... There are soldiers here to see you". He was saying, when he noticed that the chamber was deserted. For months now, the Priest had made the chamber his regular abode during the day. It was strange to find it empty. The room was perpetually dark and never neatly arranged, it wasn't strange that everything was in disarray, he had turned around to leave when he noticed the clothesline was empty. The Priest owned a few clothes and they were always hung on the line.

He returned to the soldiers and reported his findings. The soldiers had been sent to the Temple to inform the Priests and Priestesses about a meeting with the King scheduled for that evening. The soldiers followed him to the empty chambers and confirmed his claims. They returned to their commander and logged a complaint, their commander in turn visited and informed the chief commander, and a manhunt was launched for the Priest. The manhunt had began with the purest of intentions.

"Is there anywhere your master visits sometimes?", the responsible soldiers questioned the chief apprentice, that afternoon, after they had waited for the Priest's reappearance without success.

"Not during the day", he responded, "he doesn't come out of his chamber at all during the day",

"There's a place he visits at night though", another apprentice said, "it's an enclosure beneath the Temple, I followed him once, he was beginning to get strange".

"Take us there", the soldier commanded, they entered the inner part of the Temple, removed sticks of fire from the stone walls and began descending the stone stairs to the lower part the Temple. They didn't find the Priest in the enclosure, but the soldiers picked up strange items pointing to the usage of black magic, including a book the Priest had mistakenly forgotten. The soldiers reported back to the Chief commander and he visited the Priest's secret room himself. He preformed a thorough search and found the key to the City's library cellar.

"My King, the chief commander is here to see you", Kudo announced, the King was working on a new pot and worrying about his daughter. "Send him in".

"Greetings your highness", the chief commander said.

"What is the matter", the King questioned without taking his eyes from his work. The chief commander reported the discovery they had made. The King washed his hands, dressed up in Royal armor and followed the soldier to the library. He was aware of the cellar and it's contents, so were the select few who knew about the sword of Buldagrash. They were led to the entrance of the cellar by the chief caretaker who wasn't aware that a key existed that could open the lock.

"Here is the entrance to the cellar, my King, but I can assure you it hasn't been opened in years". The chief librarian said. The commander produced the key and they entered the cellar, they discovered a few books were missing.

"This could only mean one thing", the King said in anger, "Niobe is the host of Docarock and he has been hiding under my very nose... Find him", he commanded.

* * *

Cara and Santux found themselves in a different world. The sky was thickly covered by black clouds. They could see properly only because they saw through their minds like in dreams. They had a mission, it was to reach the Caves of Goil and return with rubies, they were to find one large ruby each. Cara was holding the decapitated sword, Santux had no weapon. They knew the direction without being told and began towards Goil.

They were hiking in a thick shadowy forest. It was silent at first, they began to hear creaking sounds from every direction around them. Some things were approaching, Cara poised with the sword and Santux armed himself by braking off a long, thick, dry branch from a nearby tree. They stood back to back, turning around slowly. The trees surrounding them began to sway, a giant spider appeared in front of Santux. It was so huge. The trees surrounding them were tall, but the spider was almost half as tall on it's legs.

"Run", Santux yelled. Cara obeyed but they couldn't out run the spider. It caught Cara by the legs and she fell, it began to lift her towards it's fangs before she could hit the ground. Santux bounced on a nearby tree and jumped on to one of it's legs, he began to clobber it with the branch he was holding. The sword Cara was holding had fallen away when she fell, the spider threw her down screeching in pain. It began to struggle with Santux, Cara rolled towards the sword and retrieved it. She rolled back towards the spider and cut off one of the legs with a single swing. The spider flung off Santux in a flash and ran towards Cara. Santux arose the moment he hit the ground, ran towards the spider picking up his stick along the way, the spider had knocked Cara down and was beginning to wrap her up in web. He stabbed it hard on it's large abdomen from behind and the stick penetrated, it screeched again and left Cara. She grabbed the nearby sword and stabbed it again from under. She was weakened but still fighting. Santux ran over, pulled the sword from the body of the spider and stabbed it again. It began to draw back and finally disappeared. They were both covered in slime by the time it was over. It had happened very fast. Santux helped Cara up and they continued.

They discovered that things in Nocera were monstrously big, they fought a giant bird, two giant cockroaches, a family of giant rats, a giant ant, and a giant lizard, giant mosquitoes were constant problems. They crossed different terrains, climbed a few mountains and swam across rivers filled with hostile animals. Santux rescued Cara a few times and Cara had to rescue him as well, before they arrived at the Caves of Goil.

The Cave was dark, they had to make a stick of fire using pieces torn from their already tattered dresses. They had sustained injuries on various parts of there body, Santux had broken an arm and two ribs. Cara had broken a rib and was limping. They had bruises all over their bodies.

They were tempted in the Cave, Santux saw Faro carrying a pitcher of water, "Come and have a drink sir, you must be very thirsty", the apparition said. He was almost going towards it when Cara noticed what was happening and slapped him repeatedly, back to his senses. The apparition disappeared, "don't listen to them", she advised.

Cara also saw Morinda with a tray of fruits, she slashed the air with the sword. They arrived at the bottom of the cave, there were rubies of different colors embedded in the rocky walls. They found one green ruby each and awoke as soon as they pried it lose from the walls.

The Priestess was standing over them, she had performed incantations and rituals whenever she saw them twitching. Their bodies twitched physically on the rock's surface where they lay whenever they were fighting some spirit in the land of the dead. She helped them to seat up, the injuries they had sustained had followed them to the land of the living, even their clothes, were tattered. Santux grabbed Cara hugging her, there was a large green ruby in each of their right palms. The servant that had paddled the canoe that brought them, had returned with two other servants, in anticipation of the end of their visit to Nocera, dead or alive. They helped them to the canoe, loaded up the Priestess's belongings and headed back to Worth.

* * *

Faro arrived in Ludia, his path towards home passed through the market, he was seated in a Royal carriage. People watched the carriage from all over, some who were in houses heard the noise and ran to their windows to see it. Horses were rampant in Ludia but carriages were rare. Only the Duke of Ludia owned a few carriages and rarely moved around with them in the city. Apart from that, it was known that only the rich owned the kind of carriage Faro rode in. The carriages owned by middle class citizens of Ludia didn't conceal the people in them, and they were mostly used for carrying goods. The one Faro rode in was dragged by three horses and driven by a coach man, there was no way to view the occupant of the carriage coupled with the fact that three soldiers on horses were surrounding it. His mother and sisters ran out to hug him when he alighted from the carriage at their home.

He visited Santux's parents in the evening of the same day knowing how fast news could fly, it would be wrong to let them worry over their son whom he had traveled with and who was now his boss. He was carrying the mini bags of gold coins in a sack. He rode on a horse and was followed by the soldiers who had accompanied him from the Wharf, the rest remained on the Ship.

"Greetings sir Bogina", he said when Santux's father answered his knock on the door. Bogina was surprised to see the accompanying soldiers. They had actually heard about Faro's grand return, he and his wife were planning to visit Faro's house later that night, to inquire about their son.

"Are we in trouble?", Bogina questioned looking at the soldiers.

"No sir, relax", Faro responded and was let into the house. He was followed in by a soldier who was carrying the heavy sack. He placed it on the ground beside the chair where Faro had been asked to sit and retreated to the door where he stood watching over Faro, the other soldiers remained outside.

"You are looking very well Faro", Bogina complimented. Faro was putting on expensive apparels, clothes he had bought in Worth.

"You think so? Wait until you see Santux", Faro responded.

"How is my son", Maya questioned coming out of the kitchen, she was carrying a tray of cookies and a cup of milk.

"Your son may become the Prince of Xion, Mrs Maya", Faro responded and watched their grim expression relax into surprise, "and I'm only but his servant", he finished, sipping from his cup. He took a bite of his cookie, "hmmm, Mrs. Bogina you still make the best cookies", he complimented, whilst chowing. The couple had taken seats around him. He gradually told them about their visit and stay in Worth, "and he sent me to bring you two over", he concluded.

They were delighted by the thrilling news they heard. Bogina and Faro talked and laughed for sometime, Maya was silently observing. "Well, my dear Faro, you have done well. But I cannot leave my father's land, who will I leave my responsibilities here to?... No, we cannot move to Worth with you".

"Santux will be very disappointed", Faro said.

"He promised to return", Bogina snapped.

"I assure you he would have if it was up to him, I'm certain he will one day visit Ludia", Faro said.

"He better", Bogina warned.

"He had anticipated your diffiance though and has sent these for your up keep", Faro stood and lifted the sack onto the table. Bogina opened it and was surprised at the quantity of gold. They happily ate dinner together and Faro left.

Nina visited Faro the following morning, she had waited as he had asked. He was happy to see her, he proposed marriage and a date was fixed. Faro and Nina wedded four days after his return, Bogina and his wife attended with many other citizens of Ludia. It was a colorful celebration, there were lots to eat and drink. The party lasted long after he had taken his wife back to his parent's home. He traveled back to Worth on the seventh day, accompanied by his new wife.