Adventure Smiths

Introduction

It was a time of great expansion. King Rupart, may he rest in peace, looked to a mysterious continent in the west as something that must be conquered and claimed for the good of all. This was no easy task as a host of sea creatures guarded the coastline. The king, determined to claim the land, sent ships to the sea creatures (who called themselves the Brine). Scores of ships were lost before it was communicated to the Brine that the king wanted to meet with them for negotiations.

The ruler of the Brine, a rather large and slimy figure, looked almost human. His name was Kardish, and he was very suspicious of everyone, even his own counsel. Since the Brine spoke the language of the surface dwellers, speaking to them was easy. Acquiring safe passage through their waters to the continent beyond proved much more difficult.

It took an entire year for King Rupart to negotiate passage to the continent, which involved the agreement to share technology with the Brine that would allow them to live outside of their watery domain. Kardish also warned the king that the continent was overrun with aggressive creatures and that their journey through the land would be very dangerous.

When asked where the monsters came from, Kardish was very vague. He talked of a Brine who had left the sea and made his home on the land and experimented with conjuring a host of creatures for his bidding. It was unclear if Kardish opposed what this lone Brine had done or if he secretly approved it, possibly even ordering that it be done for the protection of the land. Either way, the king brought his best warriors to conquer the land.

It was war. To keep from being overrun, King Rupart brought more and more warriors to conquer the enormous number of monsters awaiting them on the continent. They marched from one end of the continent to the other, slaying monsters as they went and mapping the land for colonization later.

One thing that puzzled the king’s warriors was that when each monster was defeated, it vanished into a cloud of black smoke. Kardish explained that since the monsters were conjured, they held no bonds to this plane of existence and thus disappeared when killed. The king and his men were all glad to not have to deal with all the monster remains that would have been left otherwise.

As the land was cleared of opposition, unrest grew in the relations with the Brine. In the Brine’s opinion, the technology to bring them out of their watery domain was not presented to them at the rate they were expecting. King Rupart met with Ruler Kardish in an attempt to ease mounting hostilities. In a fit of rage, the Brine ruler killed the king and closed the safe passage to the continent.

The warriors returned from their western trek to find their ships in pieces and the sea alive with angry Brine. Since the technology to allow the Brine to survive outside the sea was not complete, the king’s warriors need only keep their distance from the water to be safe. They knew then that access to their home was cut off. This new continent was their home now.

The warriors became heroes. Their families, who came with them to the continent, assisted with the building of kingdoms near the coast. The mightiest of the heroes took up the roles of kings over these kingdoms. Spurred on by the children of the king, the kingdoms built a massive wall of war machines to fend off the sea creatures as they found the ability to venture out of the water and attack.

While the coast was being settled, other heroes trekked west, making great expeditions through thick forests and over tall mountains to start villages and towns seeking to form a great network of resource gathering. But all was not as peaceful as it seemed. The majority of the monsters of the land had been defeated, which allowed most to live in peace, but there would always be those who lived off the hard work of others and those who would rather take what they wanted instead of earning it. It didn’t take long before hero after hero fell to the ambush of thieves and raiders.

Sylvia, a great-granddaughter of King Rupart, was a hero of the land who married a fellow hero, Geruth Smith. Geruth had been pivotal in the aftermath of the great war killing many beasts that were leftover with his mighty warhammer. Sylvia, unlike her siblings, did not remain in the east to fight against the sea creatures or take up rule over a budding kingdom. She instead ventured west with Geruth to aid the expeditions. Her two brothers, though, became kings over two new kingdoms while her two sisters each founded their own kingdoms, each insisting on ruling alone as queen.

Halfway across the continent, Sylvia gave birth to two beautiful twin girls. This caused their expedition of thirty to halt and caused them to decide what they wanted to do next. They could either head back to the comforts of the east or remain and start a village on that very spot. They remained.

Supplies were quickly brought from the east, and buildings were constructed with haste as none of the wives of the expeditioners wanted to be without comfort for long, and the village was named Via Omphalos. “This will be the heart of our new country!” proclaimed Geruth Smith at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The Smiths remained in the village till their daughters were six years old. By that time, the village housed vast storehouses of building materials and daily supplies, setting the place to become the central hub that Geruth had envisioned, but Geruth was not content to remain in that one place. He wanted to move on to new territories and found new villages and wanted his family by his side for every adventure. Sylvia did not protest as this was her desire as well.

Almost every area where a new village would fit into the grand scheme of the resource network contained monsters left over from the war. Geruth did not shy away from any confrontation and led each charge to remove all opposition. Once each area was cleared, Geruth would hold a groundbreaking ceremony, dedicating each village to a predefined theme. These themes came from scrolls written during the war to map the land. Scholars of the east studied these documents endlessly planning out a precise direction for the proposed continental resource network. Once each village started making good progress on its own, Geruth and his family would move on to the next location on his maps.

As the Smith daughters grew, they desired to be just like their parents. Kaeryn admired her father’s bravery in battle and followed in her father’s footsteps by becoming a fighter. Sylvia fought mightily as well, but she held back when others were sick and injured and needed her aid. The kindness of her mother caused Kaeryn’s sister, Chrissy, to become a healer.

Kaeryn and Chrissy were also unusual in their appearance and abilities. Due to their light tan skin and light blue hair, they were referred to as Fairies. They could see in the dark and found that getting along with other humans quite easy. Their presence on any venture brought the anticipation of good luck, but Geruth was excited at anything that was out of the ordinary.

Shortly after the twins became of age, Geruth surveyed an area of land south of a great plateau to build another village. As plans for the village began, a thief poisoned Geruth and Sylvia and made off with Geruth’s great warhammer. The Smiths did not survive, leaving their teenage twin daughters alone. Kaeryn and Chrissy left the area immediately and sought refuge in the other villages they had previously lived in and helped start.

Years went by, and the village south of the plateau was finished. A messenger was sent out to find the girls and give them what had been left to them by their parents. The girls, having received the message, made their way back. This is where our story begins:

Chapter 1

It was a cold, dark morning in the forest. Kaeryn moved through the still air, hardly making a sound. She was a fighter and didn’t care too much about making a little noise; she could handle anything that jumped out at her. There were occasions, though, where she wished she possessed a little more stealth.

She was also not a very good tracker and was starting to feel a little lost on her way back. “Chrissy. Chrissy, can you hear me?”

There was a rustle of leaves near a tree, and a young woman peered out of a tent flap. “I’m right here, Kay,” she whispered back. Chrissy stood outside the tent and gave her sister a hug. “I missed you. You were gone for quite some time.”

Both girls stood a little over five feet in height, and both wore a green tunic, loose-fitting brown pants, and dark brown boots. Both carried a quarterstaff made of white wood for walking through tough terrain and for defense. Except for their eye color, both sisters were identical in appearance.

Kaeryn had been out in the cold air for long enough, so she guided her sister inside the tent. Although the outside of the tent was small and concealed under a pile of leaves, the inside was an entire living space. This was made possible through an old concept called null space. Null spaces are pockets of configurable space concealed inside various containers. The most common containers of null space were tents and bags. The girls kept their living space decorations simple with everything either tan, dull green, or brown. It made the place seem woodsier. There was a fire in the fireplace that instantly warmed Kaeryn when they entered.

Kaeryn sat a long bundle of cloth on the small table in the middle of the room. “I found it right where she said it would be, near Mom and Dad’s grave.” They took a seat on the edge of the large round rug and began to unwrap the cloth. Inside were two silver long swords each in its own white gold sheath. On each cross guard was a rose with brown leather vines wrapping around the silver handle, which ended in a silver ball hilt. On the opposite side of each crossguard was engraved a letter. One sword had the letter K, and the other sword had the letter A.

“These must have been Mom’s swords,” commented Chrissy. “They are very pretty.”

Kaeryn noticed a small note underneath the swords. She picked it up and read it aloud.

Dear Girls,

One day, when you are old enough, you will find this. I am leaving both of my special swords for you both to use. They are engraved with the initial of your first names. They were my inspiration and helped me through many tough journeys. May they come to aid you during your travels. Your Father has also left you some things. Seek out Mavlos in Tinderwood Village.

All My Love,

Mom

Kaeryn held back her tears, but Chrissy couldn’t stop them. She picked up the sword with the letter A engraved on it and held it close.

After a few minutes, Chrissy laid the sword in her lap, held up her hand, and called out, “Oh greatsword of wandering, aid me now!” A transparent greatsword appeared in the air near her hand. She grabbed it and pulled it down to cover the sword, which sat in her lap. “This is my mother’s sword which has been passed down to me. Take on its qualities so that her memory can live on in thee.”

The greatsword shimmered as a rose sprouted on its crossguard, and similar vines began to wind around the handle. It remained a greatsword, though, as her skills at fighting had begun with that weapon type. She then swung the greatsword onto her back like she was placing it inside a sheath, and it vanished.

Kaeryn reached out and took her sister’s hand. “Mom would be proud of you. You have taken your training seriously and are an aid to all those around you.”

“Thank you, Kay. What do you want to do now? Do you know who this Mavlos is?”

“First of all, we have got to remember to use our adventure names. Mom and Dad were poisoned by someone, and we do not know who that was. It is not enough that our appearance is totally different from them, but if you remember, we also decided to change our names as well. My name is Kaeryn Karmykle, and you are Chrissy Cobol. Now Mavlos may try to call us Kay and Alexa Smith, but let’s remember to tell him that we are now going by our new names. Ok?”

Chrissy nodded.

“As for Mavlos, yes, we know him. He was the general storekeeper at the village Mom and Dad would go for supplies. Dad would go elk hunting with him and bring back great tasting meat. You couldn’t pronounce his name right, so you just called him Mav. Remember when you lost your balance and fell against his shelves?”

After a moment of thought, Chrissy suddenly remembered and gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. “Yes. I broke one of his vials when it fell off the shelf.”

“Good thing it was only dragon toenails.”

“Yeah, but he started calling me Dragon Toes.”

Both girls laughed.

“Not one of my favorite nicknames.”

Kaeryn stood and attached her sword to the cord tied around her tunic. “I’m still cold and very hungry. Let’s make some lunch and then go to the village. It is close, and we will be able to make it while there is still light in the day.”

Chrissy sat down next to a large chest sitting near the fireplace. She opened it and shivered as it was an ice chest that kept the contents cold. She took out some meat strips and threw them into a pot that was hanging over the fire. She then took out a block of cheese and a bottle of milk. While the meat cooked, Chrissy poured them both a small glass of milk, cut a small slice of cheese, and broke off a piece of bread from a nearby loaf.

Kaeryn joined Chrissy by the fire when the meat was done.

“What do you think Dad left us?” Chrissy asked as they ate.

“I’m not quite sure. If he left it with a shop keeper, it could be anything.”

“I want to go home.”

It took all of Kaeryn’s strength and resolve to hold back tears at that moment. She could not let any sign of weakness or worry present itself in the sight of her sister. They never had a proper home. Their parents had always lived on the go, going wherever help was needed. They lived in each town for a few months as each one was founded while homes and businesses were built to sustain the people.

“We are home,” Kaeryn smiled and replied to Chrissy, but she knew it wasn’t enough. Even though their parents never stayed in the tent, the tent belonged to them. In each town they lived in, their parents would set up that tent in a concealed area of their dwelling. The girls would sleep there each night, allowing their parents to stay in much smaller dwellings than otherwise required. For as long as she could remember, the tent had been the home for her and Chrissy. Chrissy, though, was looking for a home outside of the tent. This thought was heartbreaking for Kaeryn as she had no idea what village they could call home.

“Do you mean Tinderwood?” asked Chrissy.

Kaeryn shook her head. “No, I mean this tent. This has always been our home and will continue to be for as long as possible.”

“But when we were with Mom and Dad, it felt more like home.”

“And what am I?” Kaeryn argued back, “a grizzly bear?”

Chrissy chuckled. “Of course not.” She grabbed a large nearby pillow and buried her face in it. She tried to talk, but her words were muffled by the pillow.

“Chrissy, I can’t hear you through that pillow.”

Chrissy raised her head. “I said, you’re my big sister.”

“Good, now let’s finish and get moving.”

After they finished eating, they cleaned up their area, and each grabbed their backpack and staff from behind the couch before exiting the tent. Chrissy rolled up the tent and attached it to the top of Kaeryn’s backpack before setting off towards the village.

“How is Mom and Dad’s grave?” Chrissy asked as they walked.

“It is looking well kept up,” replied Kaeryn. Kaeryn could have said more about the tall marble headstones and all the nice flowers that surrounded each grave, but she decided not to.

She had gone to the gravesite earlier that day alone because she knew that Chrissy was a very emotional person. She felt it was best to have Chrissy remain in the tent while she searched the ground around the gravesite for the package their Mom had left for them.

It had been five years since their parents had died. Five years that Kaeryn had been watching over her sister as they lived from town to town, hiding their true identities in fear that the one who poisoned their parents might come after them.

One month ago, a messenger from Mavlos found Kaeryn and gave her a message that their parents had left something for them and to come back. It was that message that led Kaeryn to her mother’s swords and their journey to Tinderwood. Maybe Mavlos had finally found her father’s lost warhammer. She could only hope; she longed to hold something of her father to remember him by.

“Chrissy, what do you remember most about Mom and Dad?”

Chrissy smiled. “Mom’s sugar root pie.”

Kaeryn’s mouth watered in remembrance. “You would have to think of that right after eating, wouldn’t you?”

“What do you remember the most about them, Kaeryn?”

“Dad’s battle cry as he charged full speed into a pack of androids! Those merciless, emotionless creatures were Dad’s favored enemy. Many hundred fell to the might of his warhammer.”

Chrissy slowed her pace a little and looked longingly at her sister. “Do you think it could have been an android that poisoned them?”

“I highly doubt it. Unless told to do so, an android does not possess the qualities to plan and carry out an attack such as poisoning. After we speak with Mavlos, we should get some clues as to who it was who poisoned them.”

This sent a chill down Chrissy’s spine and kept her quiet until they saw the village come into sight.

“There it is, Chrissy, Tinderwood village. Not so different from what I remember.”

“Do you think anyone will remember us?”

“They might. Let’s hurry then to the store.”

Tinderwood was set right in the middle of a thick forest. Apart from the paths leading from building to building, there were still plenty of places to conceal one’s self from sight. The two girls made it to the store, having only seen one other individual walking around, and that individual didn’t seem to notice them.

Kaeryn liked to be cautious, but the last time they had been in this village was over five years ago. After all that time, how many were to likely remember them? And even then, how many would likely go running off to some greedy assassin to inform him that they were still alive? Kaeryn pushed the thought aside as they neared the shop.

The outside of the shop was nothing out of the ordinary to look at. It looked like any other building. With just a sign saying “Items: Get ‘Em Quick,” no one would think there would be anything wonderful in here. But inside the shop, their eyes had plenty to gaze at. There were shelves upon shelves of your normal adventure gear and everyday grocery items, but on one wall hung masterpieces of art and style. Above the items on the wall hung four magnificent elk heads. Those had to be the trophies of when their dad and the shop keeper went hunting.

Chrissy walked up to the wall to admire all the well-crafted armor and weapons while Kaeryn browsed the shelves for any supplies they were running low on.

“Those are my personal collection of wares from master craftsmen from lands far and wide. I would be willing to part with any for the right price.” The sudden speech startled Chrissy, and she turned to face a tall, burly man with black hair and a thick black beard. When the man saw Chrissy’s face, his jaw dropped. “Why Dragon Toes, you have grown!”

Chrissy blushed. “Call me Chrissy, Chrissy Cobol.”

“Don’t worry, lass, your secret is safe with me. It was a tragedy what happened to your parents. Say, is your sister around?”

Kaeryn appeared from around a nearby shelf. “Aye, she is. Hello, Mavlos. You look well, and your shop looks well stocked.”

“Yes, well, we are a simple folk around here. But you can never tell when the odd happening might come our way, requiring some out of the ordinary items. What should I call you?”

“I am known by the name, Kaeryn Karmykle.”

“Then Kaeryn, it shall be, but please forgive as my old mind might stray and call you Kay like the old days.” Mavlos turned to the wall that Chrissy was staring at. “Each one of those weapons has seen its share of battle with monsters left over from the war.”

“Who wielded them?” asked Kaeryn.

Mavlos took an elaborate looking ax from the wall and began turning it over in his large hands. He grunted. “Each one of these was made for a specific purpose, a specific person. This ax, for example, was made for more than just chopping wood.” He opened his mouth again, but no words came out. He hung the weapon back on the wall. “None of these were meant to hang on this wall,” he continued after clearing his throat. “But by hanging them on this wall, I hope they will one day find a purpose.”

Kaeryn could tell by the sound of his voice that the ax held more special memories than any of the other items on the wall. Maybe the ax belonged to someone special, she couldn’t tell, and she wasn’t going to ask Mavlos. She would ask when appropriate. She walked over to Chrissy near the wall of equipment. “Impressive, but I doubt we have the money for such items. Sorry, Chrissy, but I can’t afford anything special yet.”

“Perhaps you won’t have to,” added Mavlos. The girls turned to face him with puzzled looks. “Come this way, I have something for both of you.”

They followed Mavlos to the back of the store, where he placed his hand on what looked like a normal stone on the wall only to have it slide inwards with a click. There was a creaking sound as a door swung open near the stone. Through the door was a small room. Mavlos lit several torches that lined the room, shedding light on the room’s contents. On a small table in the middle of the room sat two rather unremarkable backpacks, but they weren’t just ordinary packs, at least not to Kaeryn. She rushed up to them with awe on her face. “Are these bags of holding? I have heard of them, but I have never seen one.”

“Good eye. Yes, these were your father’s. He and I worked in a little modification so that they would be a bit more durable and not be too easily punctured from either the inside or the outside by pointy objects. Objects like your sword there. May I see it?”

Kaeryn unhooked the sword from her waist and handed it to Mavlos. He turned it over in his hand and noticed the rose on the crossguard. “This was one of your mother’s swords. I see that your sister has the other.” He looked over and saw the other sword hanging from Chrissy’s waist. “Your mother was our Rose Knight. She would come to the aid of anyone in need regardless of the situation. A visiting blacksmith took an entire month to craft these swords for her. When your mother wielded these, there wasn’t a creature that could stand against her.” He handed the sword back to Kaeryn.

“These bags come filled already with various items that you might need in your travels. I would periodically check on them to make sure they were still in working condition, but then I found that I didn’t need to do that. The funny thing about null space, things don’t seem to wear out as quickly in there.”

Mavlos directed them to one wall where hung two sets of clothing. One set was not much unlike what they were wearing now. The tunic was a dull green, tailored, and thick. The long sleeves would keep its wearer warm through cold nights. Around the bottom of the tunic was threaded a leather belt and buckled pouch. Below the tunic hung a pair of sturdy brown pants. “That was ordered by your father. It is an explorer’s outfit. It is sturdy enough for a long day’s climb yet thin enough for agile movement when caught off guard. It is meant for you, Kay.”

Meanwhile, Chrissy had begun to study the second set of clothes. They were more elegant looking made of white cloth embroidered with gold trimming. Pink roses decorated the white material with golden leaves throughout. The flowing, long-sleeved dress seemed to react to every breath that Chrissy exhaled. “That dress was made by your mother. She knew you were leaning towards the ways of a healer and the kinder side of life, so she prepared this outfit for when you were of age.”

Chrissy didn’t hesitate; she took the dress from its hanger, folded it into a square, and held it close to her chest. She did not know when she would wear it, but she loved it all the same. “Thank you.”

Kaeryn also took down her outfit and folded it up nicely and sat it on the table next to the bags. “Yes, thank you, Mavlos,” added Kaeryn, “these are splendid. Thank you for keeping them safe for us.”

“Hold on now, we are not done yet,” replied Mavlos. He pointed to another wall. It took a minute for the girls to see what he was pointing at because, at first, it just looked like a bare wall of blue stone. But as they walked closer, they could clearly see two sets of full armor. “We call them Celestial Full Flex Armor. There is a set for each one of you.”

The girls each reached out and touched each piece. They were so smooth. The material was blue like the stone walls and trimmed with thin strands of gold. “What material is this?”

“Have you ever seen mithril thread?” Both girls shook their heads. “Your father and ten master smiths took buckets and buckets of mithril shavings and turned them into the finest thread I have ever seen. Those suits will never rip, yet they are light enough and stretch just enough that they are in a completely different armor class than what they appear. They will protect your entire body and, at the same time, be comfortable enough to sleep in.”

Mavlos turned to a section of the wall and took down a shield made in the same material as the armor. He turned to Kaeryn. “This is for you since you are a fighter. It is the same material as your suit except it has been wrapped around a thin plate of steel.” After a few minutes of silence, Mavlos turned to leave. “I will let you two look over your things in private. I will be out in the shop if you need me.” He left the room.

“Kaeryn, do you see what Dad has left us? This is amazing! I love the vestments, but that armor. Kaeryn, do you think I am ready to fight wearing something like that?”

“Don’t worry, Chrissy, I will make you ready.” She thought for a moment and then took the tent from her backpack and set it up there in the room. “Let’s stow our packs in here and wear the bags of holding; I don’t know how null space would react when placed inside another pocket.” Chrissy removed the pack from her back, and they stowed them inside the tent along with the two outfits and two sets of armor. Finally, Kaeryn rolled up the tent and attached it to the bottom of her bag of holding. After putting the bag on her back, she proclaimed, “Wow, this is much lighter than that pack I was wearing. Put on yours and see if you feel the same.”

Chrissy pulled on her bag and nodded. “Yes, it will be much easier to walk with this bag on my back over that old one.”

The girls left the room and re-entered the front of the shop. They found Mavlos straightening some items on the shelves. “Where have you girls been all this time?” he asked without turning around.

“Hiding, mostly, in the towns that Dad founded,” replied Kaeryn.

“Is that old tent still holding up?”

She nodded. “It’s holding its shape quite nicely.”

“A-frame tents tend to do that.”

“Mav, did Mom and Dad ever stay in the tent?”

He laughed a great, burly laugh. “Chrissy, your mom and dad set that tent up for you and your sister. They considered that your private space and never stayed in there a single night.”

“Mom and Dad were great warriors,” continued Chrissy, “yet they lived simple lives. We never lived in grand houses or fancy hotels like heroes normally did. No, we stayed in little houses and boarded with others. But we always had our privacy.”

“No, Mav,” Kaeryn broke in before Mavlos could inquire about taking a peek inside, “you cannot see the inside. As you said, that is our private space, and you are not allowed!”

Mavlos knew about null space; he had helped their father enhance their bags of holding. But he had never been inside a null space set up for living in. For years, he tried to get their parents to let him venture inside for a peek, but he never got the chance. From the sound of things, he was never going to get the chance.

Kaeryn put her arm around her sister. “Let’s go. I’ve got an idea.”

The girls expressed their thanks once again to Mavlos and left the shop.

“Where are we going, Kaeryn?”

“You’ll see.”

Chapter 2

Kaeryn led them both a short distance outside the village before taking a stick and began carving symbols into the dirt. After a few moments, a cloud of black smoke rose from the ground in front of them. Out of that smoke appeared a figure all in black. He was clad in black clothes with black gloves and a black cloth hiding his face.

“I am Odyhn, master of combat. Who was it that summoned me?”

Kaeryn stepped forward. “I, Kaeryn Karmykle, have summoned thee.”

A completely black bladed scythe appeared next to the figure. “And what is thy desire, Kaeryn of the woodlands?”

“I seek a training ground for myself and my sister so that we might break in the equipment that has been given to us by our parents.”

“A sincere and honest answer. I will grant your desire.” With a wave of his arm, a doorway appeared. The girls could see an open field beyond.

Kaeryn removed her bag from her back and untied the tent. She set up the tent and turned back to the dark figure. “Thank you. We require ten minutes to prepare.”

The figure did not protest as Kaeryn and Chrissy hid their bags under the tent and then entered the tent and closed the outer flap.

“Okay, Chrissy, we have his approval. Let’s change into our armor, and I will give you your first lesson.”

“What was that, and how do you know it is safe?” Chrissy asked as she began to disrobe and put on the new suit of armor.

“He is called a Combat Master. They are beings who are bound to a dungeon that exists on a different plane from ours. If we keep our wits about us, he will allow us the combat we need to get used to our new gear.”

“Combat? Dungeon? Plane? What does all that mean?”

“Well,” Kaeryn continued as she put on her armor, “combat means that I will be teaching you how to use your sword to fight against opponents. A dungeon is just another word for a controlled environment used for training. And plane of existence, well, that’s a hard one to describe. I will see if I can come up with a good explanation once we are out there.”

“And what if things don’t go as planned, what then?”

“We will cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Kaeryn was finishing attaching her sword scabbard to the side of the armor when she noticed that Chrissy was standing with her arms outstretched like a scarecrow. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m stuck. What do I do?”

“Force your arms down, really hard. The suit will compensate around you as you move.”

As Chrissy’s arms began to lower, she began to giggle. “That tickles.”

“Hurry up; we don’t want to keep the master waiting.”

Chrissy finished donning her outfit and attached her sword.

They left the tent and rolled it up. After attaching it to her bag, Kaeryn sat both their bags at the feet of the combat master. “I trust you to keep these safe until we exit.”

“And if you should fall?”

“Please see that they are returned to Mavlos in the village, but I don’t foresee a need for that.”

The pair of combatants passed through the doorway into the open field. Since there were no trees around, sunlight shown all around them. Even the air felt different in this place. Chrissy thought it was funny to call such a wide-open area a dungeon, but she assumed that this place could be a cave if the combat master wanted it.

After walking a few yards from the doorway, Kaeryn stopped. “Here would be as good as any to start. Now what to start with. Hmm. Combat Master!” she then called out in a loud voice, “I need two androids, level one. Equip each with light leather armor, a rapier, and no shield. Have them hold on combat until instructed to begin.”

There was a stirring of black smoke in front of them from which two tall, young-looking males appeared and stood watching them. As instructed, they wore leather armor and carried a rapier in their right hands.

“Those are known as androids. They are emotionless constructs who feel no pain and no remorse when attacking others. They should be easy for you to start with.”

“These aren’t the normal rats and spiders we are used to fighting out in the wild,” commented Chrissy.

“No, they aren’t. But I’ve seen you fight wolves and jackals before, so you should have little trouble.” Kaeryn laid down her staff and drew her sword; Chrissy did likewise. “You take the one on the right, and I will take the one on the left. Strike out at any unguarded spot, and don’t get hit.” Both girls stood before their opponent, and Kaeryn shouted, “Begin!”

The two androids approached their combatants swinging their rapiers, and both girls blocked with their swords.

“Now what you want to do, Chrissy, is…” Kaeryn started to say but stopped when she saw a puff of black smoke out of the corner of her eye.

Chrissy had struck her android hard on the side of the neck, causing a deep gash. But instead of falling to the ground in a bloody mess, it had just vanished into a cloud of black smoke.

“What happened? I didn’t think I struck him that hard.”

“Young one,” came the voice of the combat master from somewhere unknown, “when evil is defeated, it cannot retain its shape or remain on this plane. It must return to the plane from which it came.”

“There’s that plane word again. What does that mean?”

“He means plane of existence,” replied Kaeryn as she struck down her own android. “You could say that we too are in a different plane of existence when we passed through that doorway. Does that make sense?” Chrissy nodded. Kaeryn readied her sword, and Chrissy did the same. “Now, Chrissy, I was trying to say earlier that I want you to focus on blocking the attacks with your sword. The best way to learn a new weapon is to feel how it moves and how it blocks oncoming attacks. Practice blocking and dodging the attacks before taking it out. Do you think you could do that this time?”

Chrissy was a little confused and glared at her sister. “Why again are we doing this?”

“Because there is a thief out there who murdered our parents, and I want you to be ready should he show his ugly face.” Kaeryn felt her voice growing tense and took a deep breath. “I don’t mean to be harsh. I just want you to be ready to defend yourself. You can understand that, right?”

Chrissy nodded. She was excited to get back into training again and itched to just reach out and slash anything that came her way, but she knew this was her sister’s time to instruct her. She determined in her mind that she would have fun, even if it meant holding back a little.

“Good. Combat master! Could you bring back the same two androids for a second round?”

The same two appeared.

“Begin!”

The two sides came at each other swinging, but this time, Chrissy did as her sister asked. She blocked and moved around each attack, learning how to best swing her sword. After a few minutes of this, she struck the android on the other side of the neck, causing it to vanish. Kaeryn did the same.

“Having fun?” asked Kaeryn.

“Yes. Let’s go find ourselves a hammer thief!”

Kaeryn chuckled. “Chrissy, you can’t defeat a highly experienced thief after beating one round of androids. It’s going to take hours of training with many opponents. It took me years of study and work to get where I am now. It was the same for Dad; he didn’t become a hero overnight. Remember your training with Dr. Gorum? Did he complete your training after one lesson?”

Chrissy smiled in return. “No, he made me practice with that first greatsword for months! You’re not going to make me train here for months, are you?” Kaeryn shook her head. “Good. I can take maybe a few weeks of training, so let’s continue.”

“Okay, now let’s turn up the heat just a little. Combat Master, we would like three more pairs of androids at level three this time; make all the equipment the same. Make each pair appear after the previous pair is defeated.”

Seconds later, two androids appeared out of black smoke and began attacking the girls. Kaeryn was in her stride; she was a good fighter and practiced completely using her sword for offense and defense. She used her shield for balance only. She also kept an eye on Chrissy, dispatching her android right after Chrissy defeated hers. She noticed that Chrissy was getting better after each opponent.

Once the three pairs were defeated, Kaeryn noticed that Chrissy was smiling and swinging her sword in front of her in a confident manner. “Shall we keep going?”

“Bring it on,” answered Chrissy.

“Combat Master, please give us three more pairs of androids, same as before, but this time raise their level to five and add a shield to their equipment. Also, please include a pair of items of your choosing as treasure from the fights.”

Like before, a pair of androids appeared and began attacking the girls. After a few swings, Chrissy began to get frustrated. “Hey, Kaeryn, how do I get past this shield?”

“Try to get him to block you in some crazy way, then attack.”

It took some tries along with some fancy moves and noises, but Chrissy was able to get an attack in on the first android and dispatch him with little trouble. After two more, she was still ready for more.

After the last android vanished, Kaeryn noticed two dark blue cloaks lying on the ground. These must have been the items that she had asked for. As she picked them up, Chrissy asked, “Kay, what are those?”

A smile formed over Kaeryn’s face as she realized what they were. “These are cloaks of slashing. Here, put one on.” She threw one to Chrissy, and both girls swung them around to their back and fastened them around their necks. “They produce a pretty deadly attack when we spin, and they look pretty nice over our armor, don’t you think?” Chrissy nodded.

“Okay, Chrissy, let’s switch this up a bit,” Kaeryn said after they had admired their new cloaks long enough. “Sheath your sword and pick up your staff.” Chrissy did as she was told, and Kaeryn followed. “Combat Master, I need a goblin, level one, with normal goblin equipment.”

Seconds later, a very short creature appeared clad in light armor, carrying a short sword and wearing a wicked smile on its face between its long, pointed ears.

“Chrissy, this is a goblin. They are small and fast, but they are not so dangerous on their own. Go ahead and give it a good poke with your staff.” Chrissy walked up to the grinning goblin and poked it hard with the bottom of her staff. The goblin vanished in a puff of smoke. “Good. That wasn’t so hard. Now comes the fun part. I am going to ask for twenty goblins each, ok?” Chrissy nodded. “I want you to let them surround you, then spin around and see what your cloak does. Then start thwacking them with your staff any way you like.” Chrissy nodded again. “Okay, Combat Master, I need two sets of twenty goblins, all like the last one. One set will attack me, and the other set will attack Chrissy.”

Suddenly the area was filled with forty goblins all climbing over each other trying to reach their opponent. Both girls waited, defending the little attacks made by the goblins until they were each surrounded. Then they spun on the spot. Their cloaks waved through the air behind them, slashing anything within five feet with hardened sharp edges on the ends of each cloak. Several goblins vanished. Kaeryn and Chrissy beat furiously with their staves, catching three or four goblins with the same blow.

Minutes later, all goblins had been sent away. Kaeryn saw that Chrissy was beginning to look a little winded. “Getting tired, Young One?”

Chrissy laughed in response. “Not at all. Let’s do that again!”

“Okay, but you asked for it. Combat Master, please send us two sets of fifty goblins, same level and equipment as before.” Kaeryn stood ready with her staff firmly gripped in her hand and twitched her shoulders so that the cloak flexed menacingly.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder split the air as black smoke surrounded the girls. The deafening growling sound of one hundred goblins filled their ears. Both girls charged their oncoming groups, spinning as they went. Dozens of goblins vanished as they kicked and whacked away.

When Kaeryn had vanquished her group, she leaned on her staff and turned to see how Chrissy was doing. Her sister was still kicking and thwacking her group of goblins, but she was definitely growing fatigued. Kaeryn began walking towards Chrissy as she only had a few goblins left to deal with.

Kaeryn then saw something that made her walk turn into a run. Just after being struck in the head by Chrissy’s staff, one of the goblins pulled Chrissy’s sword from its sheath and vanished in black smoke, along with the sword! Chrissy dispatched the last of her goblins and fell against her staff.

“Chrissy, your sword!”

She felt for the hilt to be sticking out of the sheath but felt it not. “Where did it go?” she asked.

“Combat Master!” Kaeryn called out, “please bring back the goblin that stole my sister’s sword!”

Seconds later, a nasty looking goblin appeared swinging the sword like it was his own.

Kaeryn grabbed the sword away from the goblin and tossed it to Chrissy. She then picked up the goblin by its shoulder guards and held it at eye level. “That sword belonged to our mother. How dare you steal that from my sister! You are going to pay for that.” Kaeryn threw the goblin onto the ground, where it just laid there looking up at her, not making a sound. “Combat Master, are you the ruler of this dungeon and have complete say over all those you summon into this place, or are you not?”

“That I am,” came the loud reply sending the goblin into fits of shaking.

“I would like to pronounce judgment on this creature for poor conduct during the battle.”

“Proceed.”

“This creature is to be sent back to the plane from which it came with no chance of a return for at least fifty years. Also, this creature is to be sent with an additional, lingering reminder that proper combat must be followed by all creatures; stealing will not be tolerated in controlled combat situations like this. Begone!”

The goblin vanished, but not in a puff of black smoke like all the others had done. This time, the goblin vanished in a cloud of red smoke, twitching as it went. Chrissy shook her head. “That did not look pleasant.”

Suddenly, the Combat Master appeared before them. “Thank you,” he said and bowed. “That gave me much amusement.” He then vanished without another word.

“Curious,” commented Kaeryn, “that a combat master would find amusement in the punishment of a creature.” She shook the odd feeling off and glanced over at Chrissy. She was still leaning against her staff, but she was smiling. “Care for another round?”

Chrissy shook her head. “I’m worn out and done for the day. I got scratches on my hands, one on my neck, and one of those things tried to bite my ankle! He really only bit my boot, but I know I am going to have one nasty bruise.”

“That’s fine,” continued Kaeryn, “but I am not done yet. I am frustrated and as mad as a dwarf without food! Combat Master, I need a goblin, level five, with the same equipment as before. I just need one this time.”

A single goblin appeared out of the smoke, and Kaeryn began to hammer it with attacks. It took several blows before the goblin vanished. Kaeryn looked winded, but she was smiling. “There, I feel much better now. Now we can leave and get some rest.”

The two of them turned and headed for the doorway leading out of the dungeon, although each of them felt odd to think of an open field as a dungeon. When the girls approached the doorway, they found it blocked by the Combat Master. “Leaving so soon?” he asked.

“Yes. We require rest.”

“And why should I let you leave?”

“We will return tomorrow.”

The figure stood aside and allowed them to pass. But before they could walk by him, he held up his hand. “Do you both have your money pouches?”

“Yes, but we do not have much at the moment. Do we need to pay you for our time in your dungeon?” asked Chrissy.

“No, Young One, I mean to give you your earnings for the combat. If you could both open your pouches.”

Kaeryn and Chrissy both untied their small money pouches that hung from their belts. Almost instantly, they could hear the sound of coins hitting each other and filling up the pouches. Chrissy wondered if the pouches would overflow from the number of coins being added, but then she remembered that money pouches contained a small pocket of null space. This prevented the pouches from ever being full. The sound of the coins being added ended, and the girls closed their pouches.

They continued past the figure and found their bags where they had left them and proceeded away from the doorway into the forest. After walking for a way, Kaeryn found a spot under a tree where she could set up and conceal their tent along with their bags for the night. She also set up her normal traps to alert them should someone happen upon their concealed dwelling.

Chapter 3

Inside the tent, Kaeryn and Chrissy each had their own sections on either side of the fireplace. Kaeryn slept on an old brown couch. It was soft and smelt like cedar trees. It was also very easy for her to roll out and spring to her feet in the event of an emergency. Around the couch hung various weapons that she would use to train with as well as many tomes on fighting techniques. None of those weapons, though, were as special as the longsword from her mother.

Chrissy slept in a hammock on her side of the fireplace. She liked the swinging motion; it helped put her to sleep. Around her area sat various healing kits and potions. There were also plenty of tomes of healing and medicine. Each tome had several brightly colored tabs sticking out the top by which Chrissy had marked the pages that she referenced often.

“Kaeryn, I’m putting on some healing salve, do you need some?”

“No, thank you; I’m good.”

The girls each changed into their nightwear. Chrissy applied some salve to her hands, neck, and ankles before stretching out on her hammock and falling asleep. Kaeryn, on the other hand, laid with her arm hanging over the front of the couch with her hand touching her sword. Kaeryn thought of her father and finding his warhammer. Chrissy dreamed of becoming a Rose Knight just like her mother.

The following morning, Kaeryn woke to the smell of something cooking. She rolled off her bed and onto the floor, narrowly missing the sword. She continued rolling till she hit the side of the table. A small cup tipped over, and milk began to run off the table. Kaeryn opened her mouth to catch the milk, but the cold milk instead splashed on her forehead. Chrissy laughed. “I don’t think you’ll ever get that right.”

Kaeryn sat up and cleaned up her mess. Chrissy poured her a new cup of milk and ladled some soup into a bowl for her. “Good morning, Chrissy. What have you made for us this morning?”

“I made some hearty meat soup. Some meat strips had been sitting in the ice chest for quite some time, so I wanted to make sure we used them before they went bad.”

Kaeryn was halfway through her soup when one of her traps went off. Both girls sat down their bowls and quickly changed into their armor and boots. They buckled on their swords and grabbed their staves before exiting the tent. Outside of the tent, sniffing the ground around their concealment, were two large bison!

“Where did they come from?” asked Chrissy as she tried to shoo them away.

“Probably strays from a nearby herd.” Kaeryn leaped into the air and plunged the end of her staff onto the head of one of the beasts. It fell unconscious. She quickly turned and did the same with the other. “Good, we got some more meat for the ice chest,” commented Kaeryn. “But don’t let your guard down; who knows what heard that trap go off. Keep watch while I reset the trap.”

“Kaeryn, something is approaching.” Kaeryn finished with her trap and hurried over. Out of the shadows walked two, one-eyed cyclops carrying crossbows.

Chrissy drew her sword and charged. One of the cyclops raised his crossbow and fired at her. She tried to twist her body out of the way, but the bolt pierced her left shoulder, causing her to wince in pain. As the cyclops reloaded his crossbow, Chrissy struck fast and hard with her sword. She was able to strike a second time before the cyclops was done, which caused him to vanish in a puff of smoke.

Kaeryn followed Chrissy’s charge towards the other cyclops, except Kaeryn was able to deflect the bolt shot at her with her shield. A few well-timed swings sent the other cyclops back where he came from in a cloud of black smoke. It appeared that not all the monsters from the great war had been vanquished.

“Are you ok?” she asked.

Chrissy nodded while pulling out the bolt tip from her shoulder. “It’s not bad. I’ll apply some salve and drink a little healing potion, and I’ll be back to normal.”

“Let me see that bolt, I want to make sure…” Kaeryn stopped short of completing her sentence because she couldn’t find the courage to say the word, poisoned. She looked over the bolt after Chrissy handed it to her. After examining it closely and rubbing the tip, she threw it to the ground. “It’s fine. Let’s get you back into the tent so you can tend to that shoulder. We’ll go see our friend the Combat Master once you’ve had a chance to rest.” Kaeryn did not really think of the Combat Master as a friend, but at that moment, she had no other word for him.

Back in the tent, Chrissy went to her area to put salve on her shoulder while Kaeryn went to study some of her fighter tomes. “Kaeryn, do your tomes say anything about Combat Masters?”

“Funny you should ask. I was just looking them up.” A few minutes passed along with much shuffling through a few tomes until Kaeryn found one of interest. “Listen to this.

“It has been recorded that a peasant witnessed, from a distance, on a dirt road between two cities, a Combat Master attempted to get a passing traveler to enter his dungeon. Much to his dismay, the traveler refused and continued on his way. The Combat Master seemed to wrestle with the very air around him until he let out an agonizing scream and fell lifeless to the ground. The doorway nearby imploded and vanished. It can be assumed from this encounter that the purpose of each Combat Master is to attract individuals to train in their bound combat dungeons. Since this is the only recorded incident, we cannot determine the period of inactivity before a Combat Master is dealt with in this manner.”

“Wow, pretty strange stuff. What else does it say?”

Kaeryn walked over to Chrissy’s area and handed her the open tome. “Nothing much. Just this strange account by the peasant. You can keep reading if you would like. I am going to drag those two bison to Mavlos. He should be able to make us some good meat strips for our ice chest. I will return later.”

As Chrissy read, she heard the voice of Mavlos outside of the tent. “These sure are heavy. Good thing you asked me to help you. I will get this one if you could manage that one; it looks lighter.” Kaeryn must have brought him there to help her drag the bison back to his store.

When Kaeryn returned a few hours later, Chrissy handed back the tome. “I wonder what happened to his scythe.”

“Do you want to ask the Combat Master?”

Chrissy quickly shook her head. “I’m sure it’s some secret that no one is supposed to find out. Do you think you could wield a scythe, Kay?”

Kaeryn laughed. “I’m sorry, Chrissy, I shouldn’t laugh. A scythe is not something to be trifled with. It is presented to those with power over death. I’m sure that is why the peasant could not pick it up. I may be strong, but I would not dare attempt to wield such a blade.” Chrissy frowned and lowered her head. Kaeryn put her arm around her. “Do not fret, my dear sister. Just because you do not know some of the dangers out in the world does not mean you should be ashamed when asking about them. That is why you have me. I will teach you what I know when you are ready. Does that sound fair?”

Chrissy nodded. “What did Mav say about the bison?”

“Fat and tender will be the meat produced from these great beasties! That is what he said. I let him have one of the beasts so long as he gave us all the meat from the other that he could process. He said that the meat strips will be ready tomorrow.”

Now it was Chrissy’s turn to laugh. “Then I will enjoy cooking them for us. I think my shoulder is better. Are you ready for some more combat?”

Kaeryn nodded, and the two girls left the tent and packed it up. They headed for the Combat Master, who appeared to be waiting for them. As they passed him, Kaeryn tossed him a gold coin, and he caught it. “A master must always be ready for a new challenge,” said Kaeryn. She knew he had no need for money, but she thought it would be a good challenge for him to figure out what to do with it. He pocketed the coin, and with a wave of his arm, the doorway appeared.

Out in the open, Kaeryn breathed in the fresh air and readied her sword. She lifted her gaze to the sky and called out, “Combat Master, it is time for a little endurance test. We need pairs of androids, the same as last time, level seven with the same equipment. Keep them coming until we say to stop.” As the black smoke began to rise, Kaeryn turned to Chrissy. “Get ready. These won’t be too difficult but pace yourself. Keep defending till you are ready to strike.”

Chrissy was ready when the first one attacked. She blocked and parried, continuing to feel each twitch of the blade as it sliced through the air. When the first one fell, Chrissy readied herself for a second attack, but it didn’t come. As Kaeryn danced around her opponent with mocking defense, Chrissy kept watching for the black smoke. Kaeryn saw that Chrissy had defeated her opponent and quickly vanquished hers. Both girls looked around, but no black smoke appeared.

“I give you a brief period of rest between attacks.” The eerie voice was distant, but the message was clear. The girls used the breather to loosen up and stretch their muscles. They would go as long as their fatigue would let them. When the black smoke appeared again, they were ready.

Round after round they went. Kaeryn used her shield to throw the opponents off balance then went in for the final strike. Chrissy wielded her sword with both hands for extra power in each blow. When one finished their opponent first, they would gain the additional rest time that it took the other to finish off their opponent.

Kaeryn parried a blow as Chrissy struck a final blow on her opponent. She then saw Chrissy stagger a bit as she sheathed her sword. “How many is that now?” she called out.

“Twenty-nine for me,” came the reply from Chrissy.

“Same for me,” added Kaeryn as she sent her opponent away in smoke. “I think that will be enough for now. Combat Master, please make the next pair the last pair for today.”

When the next two androids had turned into black smoke, Chrissy collapsed onto a thick bed of grass. She was exhausted, and so was Kaeryn. “Come on, Chrissy, let’s get back to the tent. I will make some soup with some of the last of our meat strips and some good veggies.” Chrissy smiled and slowly got to her feet.

As they approached the doorway, they found it again barred by the figure of the Combat Master. “A peasant drops to the ground; he is still and does not make a sound.”

“A great venomous viper slithers past, unaware of the presence of the peasant.” Kaeryn was beginning to enjoy these verbal jousts with the Combat Master.

The Combat Master tilted his head and moved aside.

Kaeryn retrieved their bags and set up the tent. She then helped Chrissy inside and over to her hammock, where she laid down and promptly fell asleep.

While she slept, Kaeryn crept from the tent and set a small bottle of silver steel colored paint on a nearby stump. She would be back later for the bottle. She then crept back into the tent and began putting meat strips and veggies into the pot over the fire along with some cream and mountain stream water from the ice chest.

An hour later, Chrissy was woken by the savory smell of the soup. She smiled and yawned.

“Feeling better?” asked Kaeryn.

“Much,” replied Chrissy.

Kaeryn ladled up two bowls of soup for them. She could tell that Chrissy was enjoying hers as she would close her eyes with every bite. She also noticed that Chrissy would wince every time she moved her shoulders. After they ate, Kaeryn applied some healing salve to Chrissy’s shoulders and upper back. When she was done, Chrissy insisted that Kaeryn allow her to apply some salve to her shoulders and back. While Kaeryn had a much higher tolerance for pain than Chrissy, she welcomed the cool soothing healing that the salve provided.

Chapter 4

That evening, after Chrissy was sleeping, Kaeryn crept from the tent and found the little bottle of paint glowing in the moonlight. “Finally,” Kaeryn whispered. She then crept back into the tent and found Chrissy’s greatsword. She took it with her outside the tent and drew it from its sheath. After setting it onto the ground near the bottle, she laid a piece of parchment over the blade near the hilt. The parchment had a cut out of a rose. Kaeryn withdrew a small painter’s brush from her shirt pocket and dipped it into the small bottle of paint. Since she was no artist, she used the cut out in the parchment to paint an image of a rose onto the sword blade. She applied three coats of paint, waiting around ten minutes between each coating to let the paint begin to dry.

After an additional thirty minutes where Kaeryn sat either holding the spot where she had painted in the breeze or blowing on the paint to help it dry, she concluded that it would probably be safe to take the sword back into the tent. Before she did, though, she held the blade towards the sky and whispered, “Greatsword of Wandering, make this symbol of our mother shine like the moon every time my sister holds this blade.” As if to answer the request, the paint on the sword glowed brightly for a moment and then faded. Kaeryn smiled and returned the sword to its sheath before creeping back into the tent.

The following morning, Chrissy woke to an odd sound; it was Kaeryn snoring. She could see light coming in from the tent flap and knew that Kaeryn should have been awake by then, but she wasn’t. Chrissy rolled out of her hammock and began to fix breakfast. After picking some fruit from outside the tent, she peeled and cut the fruit and placed equal portions in two bowls. She then drizzled some cream sauce over the fruit in each bowl.

She set the bowls onto the small table in the middle of the room and waited, staring at Kaeryn while she continued to sleep. She continued to listen to her breathing until it paused and then started again. Chrissy smiled. “I know you are awake, silly; I can tell by the sound of your breathing.”

Kaeryn put a pillow over her head and growled. “Chrissy, eat your midnight snack quietly and wake me when it’s morning.”

“Um, Kaeryn, it is morning.”

Kaeryn removed the pillow and looked over at the tent flap. Sure enough, it was morning. How did she let herself sleep in! Kaeryn rolled out of bed and quickly did a few muscle-stretches before joining Chrissy at the table. Chrissy could not stop giggling. “Don’t laugh. I was up half the night preparing for our training today.”

“What’s different about today?”

“Remember that old greatsword you used to wield? I want you to use it again today in our training session.”

Chrissy punched her sister in the arm and replied, “My greatsword of wandering is not old! And why would I keep using that when I have Mom’s sword now? I mean, why stop training with the new sword so soon?”

“I’m not saying to stop using Mom’s sword; I’m saying that we should go back and forth so that your training includes both swords. A fighter must be versatile.”

Chrissy didn’t say another word during breakfast. She just assumed that the word meant that she should be good at using more than one weapon.

After they finished breakfast, she let Kaeryn do the cleanup. She looked over at her sleeping area and saw her greatsword lying under her hammock. She grabbed it and sat on the couch. It reminded her of when she had started training and of her old trainer, Dr. Gorum. As her mentor, he taught her all he knew about medicine and the healing arts, but he also taught her how to defend herself with his favored weapon, a greatsword. She felt odd about receiving training now from her sister using the same sword presented to her by her old mentor. “It would be okay,” she told herself, her sister was her caretaker now, and so was she for her.

Chrissy withdrew the sword from its sheath and noticed something glowing on the blade. It took her a few minutes, but she looked over at her sister and held up the sword. “Kaeryn, did you do this?”

“Do you know what that is?”

“It’s a moonbeam rose.” She smiled. “It makes me think of Mom.” Tears began dripping from Chrissy’s eyes. Kaeryn sat down next to her sister and put her arm around her.

“You are our mother’s daughter; she would be proud. I painted that rose. It is the custom of a fighter to paint a moonbeam symbol on their weapons as a sign of ownership and the ability to find one’s weapon after a large battle. To be honest, it is more of a good luck charm as a true fighter never loses her weapon. I thought it would bring meaning to your old blade.”

“Thank you.” Chrissy dried her eyes and raised the sword. “Do you think that the Combat Master would mind if I switched weapons?”

“Nope. He didn’t mind when we used our staves on those goblins.” They laughed. “How’s your shoulder? Want to get an early start today?”

With the sword still held high, she replied, “Does the Greatsword of Wandering miss a fight? Let’s go.”

After donning their armor, Kaeryn handed Chrissy two rings that she had found from rummaging through her new bag. They were both golden, but one had small green stones set in it, and the other had small blue stones set in it. “What are these?” asked Chrissy.

“They are some rings of shield and protection that I found in our bags of holding.” She held up her hand, showing two identical rings. “They will give you some extra protection as you fight today and re-train with your greatsword.”

Chrissy thanked her and put the rings on. She instantly felt a cool sensation over her entire body. It made her shiver slightly. “Cool.”

When they got to the Combat Master, Chrissy was all excited about her sword that she held it up and showed the glowing symbol to the Combat Master. “Look what my sister did!” The Combat Master stood there, emotionless. “I’m going to be training with my old sword today.”

The Combat Master nodded.

“Come on, Chrissy, let’s leave the master be. We have much to do.” Both girls entered the doorway into the familiar open field. “Now remember, Chrissy, grip your sword firmly with two hands and concentrate first on defending against their attacks. Get a feel for how the blade moves before attacking.”

Chrissy swung the sword around a few times before declaring that she was ready.

“Combat Master,” Kaeryn called out, “let’s begin today with the same as yesterday. Give us thirty androids at the same level fighting in pairs, one pair at a time until defeated.” The black smoke appeared, and the combat began.

Kaeryn swung her mother’s longsword with ease and dazzling skill, dispatching each opponent quickly so that she could turn and observe her sister. Kaeryn thought that Chrissy was dancing with her opponents by the way she skirted around them, parrying their blows and swinging her sword with grace, finding the gaps in their defenses, and swinging at just the right time. Her opponents scored some early blows as Chrissy got used to her old sword, but each one seemed to bounce right off her armor. Even the rings had an extra effect as they could swear that blows were bouncing off them more easily than before.

At the end of the thirty pairs of androids, both girls were ready for a break and headed towards the exit doorway. “A great fighter still needs to replenish her energy before continuing the battle,” announced Kaeryn to the Combat Master, who promptly stood aside and let them pass.

“What’s for lunch?” asked Kaeryn as they entered the tent.

“We used the last of our meat strips last night. Until Mavlos has our bison strips ready, we will have to do with bread and cheese.” Chrissy produced a little bottle of brown liquid from her shelves. “But we have this. It is some meat potion that I have been working on. It may not taste as good as meat, but it will give us the same nutrients.”

“Ha. Leave it to my sister to come up with a food alternative potion to keep us healthy.”

Chrissy didn’t mind the taste at all; in fact, she was pleased that her concoction turned out so well. Kaeryn, on the other hand, hoped that Mavlos would have the bison strips ready quickly.

After they ate, they stretched and made their way back to the Combat Master. Upon their return, he was overjoyed to see them again; he had to be. He was just as emotionless as ever, giving them every indication that he was bursting at the seams underneath that cold exterior. Chrissy was beginning to think that Kaeryn was the same way. She didn’t vary the program any. She continued to order up pair after pair of androids for them to fight.

After three days of this, Kaeryn was beginning to wonder what was taking Mavlos so long with the bison. Chrissy, on the other hand, was growing bored with the same training day in and day out. She hoped for something different.

“This training is what we call the grind,” Kaeryn told Chrissy one day after lunch. “It may seem like the same thing over and over, but don’t let that stop you. Study the moves of your opponent and figure out what attacks are working best for you and improve them. The more you train, the easier your actions will get.”

At the end of the third day, Kaeryn saw something that made her smile. Opponents were dropping sooner and sooner for her, but that was normal. What Kaeryn saw was Chrissy beginning to swing her greatsword with only one hand! It took her a bit more effort, but she was pulling it off.

“Looked like you were having some fun out there today,” commented Kaeryn as they were heading back to their tent.

“Thank you, Sis, for suggesting I go back to my old blade. It’s actually getting easier to swing. Do you think I should keep to swinging with two hands or attempt more one-handed swings?”

“Swinging a two-handed weapon with only one hand takes a lot more effort. In the heat of battle, the extra effort could mean the difference between an advantage or a disadvantage.”

“Do you mean the extra effort put into swinging the sword with one hand or the extra effort put behind a two-handed swing?”

“I mean both,” replied Kaeryn. “A good fighter knows what she is capable of and determines before any maneuver what would be best. As for training, let your body tell you which is appropriate. If you feel your wrist straining under the added pressure, then switch back to two-handed swings. Training is supposed to be a time of learning and exploration, but it is not a time of overexertion.”

Chrissy smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Kaeryn. I will keep that in mind.”

“Now, I am tired of waiting. Before it gets dark, let’s head over to see Mavlos. He should have our meat strips ready by now.”

Chrissy didn’t protest. Her meat potion was great, but even she was getting a little anxious for real meat again.

When they got to the general store, they found an odd sight. There was still daylight shining through some of the windows, yet leaning back in an old wooden chair behind the counter was Mavlos. Great snores were issuing from his bearded face.

The girls silently approached the counter. With a mischievous grin on her face, Kaeryn slapped her hand on the counter and said, loudly, “Good afternoon!”

Mavlos woke with a start, waved his arms helplessly, and fell with a crash to the floor. Thinking that the voice was from a prominent traveler of high regard, sprung to his feet quickly and stood at attention. “Yes, good afternoon. Sorry about that. How may I be of assistance?”

“First of all, good sir,” replied Kaeryn, “you can tell us why it is taking so long to prepare our meat strips!”

Mavlos let out a great sigh of relief when he recognized who it was who had woken him. “Kaeryn,” he growled, “I should throw you both out onto the side alley for pulling a stunt like that! But I guess I will hold off on that for now. As for your meat strips, they have been ready for the past two days.”

“Well then, why haven’t you brought them to us?”

Mavlos picked up the fallen chair and began to assess the damage his fall had caused. “I’ve heard that a Combat Master is hanging around outside the village. I do not dare to go near for fear of getting wrapped up in his dungeon of creatures. Steer clear of them, girls, for they are deceitful creatures who will use any means necessary to get you to compete in their dungeons. And once they have you inside, it is almost impossible to escape.”

Chrissy was about to say something when Kaeryn shot her a look that told her to be quiet. It was a good thing that Mavlos was looking down at his ruined chair at the time. He would have surely questioned her further. But to their amazement, he dropped the subject and led them to a large ice chest where he proceeded to pull out numerous small bags.

“Just one of those bison produced so much meat that I had to store most of it in the cellar. I reckon this is around one-third of one of the beasties and should be enough to last you a couple of weeks; come back when you need more.”

The number of bags he had given them was more than either girl could hold, so they were glad they brought their bags of holding. Chrissy had enough room in her bag, so they placed the meat in there.

After placing the bags onto their backs, Mavlos asked, “Is there anything else I can do for you both today?”

Without thinking, Kaeryn blurted out, “I need a fresh bottle of cream, fresh bushels of carrots and celery, and a few leaves of spinach.”

Mavlos quickly grabbed the counter to keep himself from falling. “I told you, Kaeryn, not to keep doing that,” he grunted, holding his chest with his free hand. “You sound as though you haven’t eaten in a month. What gives?”

Kaeryn withdrew a small clear bottle of brown liquid and placed it on the counter. “That! She has been feeding me that!”

“What is it?”

“It is a meat potion,” replied Kaeryn. “It is supposed to taste like meat and contain the same essential health benefits.”

Mavlos studied the bottle for a moment then roared with laughter. “Astounding! A meat potion is difficult to make. Kaeryn is either upset that you created something with terrible taste or else she is troubled for enjoying it while yet getting very frustrated for not having something to chew!” He picked up the bottle and handed it to Chrissy. “You keep right on with your brewing; you never know, you might brew something extraordinary one day.”

The girls bid their farewells and left the store. As soon as they got back to the tent, Kaeryn didn’t waste any time. She dropped a whole back of meat strips into the pot over the fire along with seasonings. She vigorously chopped up the carrots, celery, and spinach while Chrissy stuffed the rest of the bags of meat strips into an empty ice chest from the back of the tent. Once done chopping, Kaeryn dropped the veggies into the pot with the browned meat and poured in equal parts of water and cream. Lastly, she added extra seasonings to the pot.

After an hour of cooking and stirring, Kaeryn slowly began to add more cream; she was looking for a certain thickness and consistency. Meanwhile, Chrissy sat on her hammock, studying her potion-making tomes. Every now and then, she smiled as the savory aroma filled her nostrils. Kaeryn didn’t cook much, but when she did, it was always delicious!

Kaeryn’s eyes closed in raptured delight as she took the first spoonful of the completed soup. She couldn’t tell Chrissy that she would only drink her meat potion as a last resort; it would ruin her sense of self-accomplishment at potion-making. Kaeryn knew her healing potions were excellent, so she determined to never let any negativity slip about any of her potion attempts unless it was something that must be improved for a potion to be completed successfully.

Chrissy enjoyed the soup as much as Kaeryn did. “That was some wonderful soup! I am full. I was wondering, could I borrow your tome on fighting styles?”

Kaeryn was halfway through her second bowl of soup when Chrissy asked her that question. It made her start to cough. “Enjoying our lessons, I see.” She nodded. “Then I will let you borrow it for as long as you like. I have practically memorized that tome. If you see any technique in there you would like to work on, all you need to do is ask.”

Chrissy spent the rest of the evening reading the tome before going to bed.

The following morning, both girls sat eating some fruit and cream. “What will be our training today?”

“How about we change up things,” replied Kaeryn. “Let’s give the Combat Master a chance to choose some opponents for us. What do you say?”

“I don’t know, Kaeryn. Mavlos doesn’t seem to trust him. I am afraid of what he might call for us to fight.”

“I have my trust issues as well, but I don’t believe that he would bring us opponents that we would not be able to overcome. Our presence in his dungeon is preserving his existence. Let’s give him a chance. We can withdraw if it gets too much for us to handle.”

Chrissy nodded. “I will follow you into battle like always.”

As Kaeryn grabbed her armor and put it on, she laughed. “Chrissy, this is only training.”

“Why Kaeryn, have you forgotten a key phrase in your fighter tome? Treat every training session as a real battle. Only then can true learning be done.”

“You are correct, Young One.”

This time, it was Chrissy’s turn to laugh. “I get it. The Combat Master calls me young one because I am still learning and don’t know as much about combat as you do. It still makes me laugh, though.”

After donning their armor and grabbing their swords, they headed back to the Combat Master. He was waiting for them, or at least that is what it looked like. “You have returned.” He paused. “Another day, another hour.”

“Another swing, another sword,” replied Kaeryn.

The Combat Master bowed and let them pass.

Kaeryn and Chrissy took their positions like normal in the open field. “Combat Master, we would like to give you the opportunity to choose who we fight. Continue as we have done in the past sessions and give us one each until we are ready to conclude the session.”

There was silence, and then the eerie voice of the Combat Master filled the air. “Why grant me this power?”

Kaeryn didn’t need to think, she already had a response ready. “Redemption.”

Again, there was silence. Then black smoke began to swirl around two areas on the ground. The girls stepped back as the ground began to rise up in front of them. When the smoke had disappeared, two great bodies of earth and stone stood before them. “Do you still think this was a good idea?” asked Chrissy as she dodged around the large arms of her earth giant.

“These aren’t too bad,” replied Kaeryn as she severed the hand off one of the arms of her opponent. She spun around just in time to block the other hand from hitting her. After a significant amount of the creature had been cut away, it finally disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Chrissy, not being as strong as Kaeryn, took longer to chip away enough to get the smoke, but she did get the job done. After a brief respite, the black smoke appeared again, signaling the start of the next round. They made it through twenty rounds before calling for a break.

“I feel like a sculptor,” said Chrissy as they sat in their tent, eating leftover soup.

“I agree, but I also like his choice. It gives us a different mode of attack than the androids we had been facing. Are there any fighting techniques that you want to try?”

“Yes. There is one that I read about last night that I want to try.”

“Which one was it? I could help you; show you how it’s done.”

Chrissy shook her head. “Just wait. I think I’ve got it down. I will try it in our next session after lunch.”

At the first encounter after lunch, Kaeryn danced around her opponent so that she could get a good look at what her sister was doing. Chrissy waited until after dodging both arms. She then raised her sword with both arms, jumped into the air, then swung down with all her strength as she started to descend. The entire left arm of the creature was severed. After a few more chops, the creature disappeared.

“Come on, Kaeryn, give it a try.”

Kaeryn kept up her dance until the right moment presented itself. She then dropped her shield and raised her sword in both hands, as Chrissy did. The sword swung down, and with the extra power from leaping into the air, the sword went clean through the creature from top to bottom. It instantly vanished in smoke.

“Wow! That’s something I normally do with my staff. I will remember to use it when I need some extra power with my sword. Thank you, Chrissy.” Though the move was powerful, the leap into the air left her slightly winded. She would have to save that move for special occasions.

Fighting the earth creatures took a lot longer than the androids, and for some reason, it felt like the respites were a little longer as well. After only twenty-five rounds, it was already nearing supper time. Kaeryn appeased the Combat Master with a little bit of wisdom before the girls went back to their tent to finish the last of their soup.

When Kaeryn woke up the next morning, Chrissy was already up and dressed in her suit of armor. She danced around the inside of the tent with her greatsword in one hand and her other hand on her hip. “Wake up, sleepyhead!” she said when she saw that Kaeryn was watching her. “I feel my arm getting stronger. I am excited about chopping up some more earth monsters today. Get up and get dressed!”

Kaeryn rubbed her eyes. “Calm down, or you will wear yourself out before we leave the tent. And don’t put too much trust in the strength of your arms. A good fighter knows that strength is only part of the victory; each good fighter must also have the skills and the mind for wise combat.” Chrissy continued to dance around. “You look like a butterfly doing that.” Chrissy stopped for a moment, then both girls laughed.

Kaeryn put on her armor and then sat down at the table. “What have you made for us this morning?”

On the table sat two bowls around a clear bottle of milk. “Only your favorite breakfast; crushed nuts, berries, and oats. Let’s eat and be on our way.” Chrissy poured milk in both of their bowls. They ate and cleaned up and headed over to the Combat Master.

Chrissy was practically bouncing as they entered their normal training spot in the middle of the open field. “Okay, Combat Master. Let’s do the same thing today as yesterday. Give us twenty rounds of earth creatures, followed by a break for lunch and then twenty-five rounds after lunch to end the day.”

Black smoke indicated the start of round one. Kaeryn smiled as she watched Chrissy dance around each opponent, surgically striking at vital parts of each creature until they vanish into black smoke and that which they came from.

Lunch that day consisted of “rabbit food” as Chrissy called it, a bowl full of vegetables. After lunch, it was right back to more rounds of earth creatures. Should either of them get tired before their creature was defeated, all they had to do was stay out of its reach as they were very slow.

When the last earth creature was defeated, both girls sheathed their swords. Chrissy balled up her fists and tried to flex her arm muscles at which Kaeryn burst out laughing. “Chrissy, you don’t get muscles by swinging a sword.” As they turned to leave, Kaeryn noticed two black clouds begin to form. “Combat Master,” she called out, “I thought we were done for today. What is the meaning of this?”

“Always expect the unexpected,” came the eerie voice through the air.

“Get ready, Chrissy, I don’t like the sound of that.”

Both girls drew their swords and watched as two androids with longswords and shields appeared out of the smoke. “Ah, look, Kaeryn, the Combat Master is just giving us a pair of our favored enemy. I’m sure they will be a piece of cake. Come on, let’s finish them quickly.”

As they began to fight, Kaeryn felt that something was different. Kaeryn’s android was blocking her strikes with ease, and Kaeryn found it difficult to block its attacks.

“These seem quite a bit harder than the last ones we faced,” yelled Chrissy.

“Just keep doing the things that I have taught you,” replied Kaeryn.

Minutes passed as each pair fought. Kaeryn knew that Chrissy was growing fatigued, so she pushed herself to find any opening quickly and struck at each opportunity. At one point, Kaeryn knocked her opponent to the ground so that she could get a good view of how her sister was doing; what she saw horrified her.

As Chrissy parried a strike with her sword, the android struck Chrissy’s head hard with the side of its shield. She dropped her sword and fell to the ground.

Kaeryn yelled, startling the android and getting its attention. Taking her shield off her arm, she threw it at the android and hit it squarely in the head, causing it to vanish in a puff of smoke. She then turned to her own android and stabbed it, causing it to vanish. She then ran over to Chrissy, whose head was bleeding over her right temple, but she was breathing.

Kaeryn sheathed their swords and took up her sister in her arms and headed towards the exit. When she got there, the Combat Master stood in the way. “Let us pass,” demanded Kaeryn. The Combat Master held up his hand, and black smoke began to surround Chrissy. “What is the meaning of this!”

“She has been struck down in combat. She must wait till called for.”

Kaeryn tugged her sister out of the smoke. “This is uncalled for. I am her sister, and am responsible for her. We did not ask for those last two opponents, yet I defeated them anyway. You have no hold over us, so I say again. Let us pass!”

After a moment of contemplation, the Combat Master moved aside and allowed Kaeryn by.

Kaeryn did not stop for their tent or bags but headed straight for Mavlos’s shop.

Chapter 5

“Mav, come quickly,” she called out as she entered, “Chrissy’s been hurt.”

Mavlos emerged from behind the counter and motioned for her to follow him to the back of the shop where he had a spare bedroom set up for emergencies. Kaeryn laid Chrissy on the bed and covered her up as Mavlos soaked a cloth in some warm water and began to clean her wound.

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t look bad,” commented Mavlos as Kaeryn paced back and forth by the bed. “What happened?”

“It’s all my fault,” Kaeryn blurted out. “I should have been paying more attention.”

Again, Mavlos asked, “What happened?”

“We were ambushed by a pair of androids. They were quite skilled, and Chrissy was caught off guard and struck in the head by one of their shields.”

“Those uncompassionate constructs are always getting in the way of the gentlefolk. You weren’t hurt, were you?”

Kaeryn shook her head. “I managed to defeat them both before hurrying here. Is she going to be ok?”

“Yes, she will be fine, but if she hadn’t been wearing these, she could have been killed.” Mavlos removed the two rings from Chrissy’s hand and placed them on the small table by the bed. “Where did you get these?”

“They were in our bags of holding.”

“Ah, yes. Your dad was always on the lookout for the odd piece of equipment that might come in handy. These rings, though, appear to have come from across the sea with King Rupart. They must have been passed down through your mother’s side of the family. Keep them safe. I will leave them off for now so that they don’t try to block the healing of my salve.”

Mavlos applied some healing salve, wrapped Chrissy’s head with a clean cloth, and turned to Kaeryn, who had stopped pacing. “She might be out for quite a while. That shield left quite a bump on her head and a nasty cut. Come now, let’s give her time to rest. Join me for some supper; you look like you’ve had a long day.”

Kaeryn did so, but due to frustration and fatigue, she didn’t say anything the entire meal. Mavlos observed this and respected her wishes by remaining silent as well. After the meal, Kaeryn went back to Chrissy’s bedside and took her hand in hers.

“I’m sorry, Chrissy. This is the second time I wasn’t able to protect you. Please come back to us. Please.” Kaeryn remained by her sister’s side until she fell asleep.

The next morning, Chrissy remained motionless. Her eyes were still closed, and her breathing slow. Kaeryn stood looking down on her sister in despair. “Chrissy, I have to go for a while and work off some of this frustration. I will be back later to check on you.” Kaeryn lightly kissed her sister’s forehead and left the room.

With armor on and sword in hand, Kaeryn found their bags and tent resting safely by the Combat Master. When she approached him, he held out her shield to her. Kaeryn took it with disgust.

“I return here today because of my sister. In her absence, she would want me to continue to give your existence meaning, but I am frustrated and concerned. I am also as mad as a grizzly bear!” The Combat Master lifted his arm, and the doorway appeared. Kaeryn proceeded to the center of the field and called out, “Give me androids, one at a time, until I have had enough.”

The black smoke appeared. She didn’t even give the opponent time to prepare before she started striking with her mother’s sword. She slashed over and over, dealing precise blows with each strike. Again and again she struck out; with each hit, she let out a cry of anguish that knew no bounds. She continued like that throughout the entire day, not stopping for even a midday meal. As the day turned into evening, she collapsed to her knees, supported by her sword.

“That is enough, Kaeryn of the woodlands. Go now and get rest.” The eerie voice did not comfort Kaeryn and caused her to stand straight with her sword ready.

“Don’t you dare tell me what to do! I blame you for the state that Chrissy is in now. ‘Expect the unexpected.’ I agreed with that, but you didn’t have to give us opponents that strong.” Kaeryn paused, tensing up her face. “If she dies, I will never again speak your name with any ounce of dignity or respect.”

“And if she lives?”

“If she lives…” Kaeryn thought for a moment. “If she lives, I will leave judgment up to her.”

Moments later, as Kaeryn stood unmoving, black smoke appeared yet again. Kaeryn threw all she had left into her sword. The android disappeared after the single strike, and Kaeryn felt herself fall to her knees again. “Okay,” she whispered, “that will be enough for today.”

She gathered whatever strength she had left and walked to the doorway, leaning heavily on her staff. For some unknown reason, the Combat Master did not stand in her way but let her pass without a word. Kaeryn paused like she was about to say something, then continued walking.

When she got back to Mavlos’s shop, she found supper waiting for her on the counter. She ate in silence before joining Chrissy at her bedside. As Kaeryn walked into the bedroom, she saw a lady dressed all in white, dabbing her sister’s forehead with a cloth.

“Good evening, Miss,” said the lady in a soft and kind voice as Kaeryn approached. “I am Elisabelle, from the village temple, but everyone just calls me Belle. Mavlos asked me to look after your sister while you were out. I have changed the sheets and dressed her in some more comfortable clothes. I hope that was ok with you.”

Kaeryn managed a smile. She felt bad to not have done these things herself, but she welcomed the help. “That is fine, thank you. How is she doing?”

“Mavlos continues to apply healing salve to her wound every few hours. We will know more in the morning.” Belle placed a fresh cloth on Chrissy’s forehead before turning to leave. “These cloths are to help keep her temperature down. If you could, re-soak them in cold water when you can. I will come back and check on her throughout the night.” Belle left the room, and Kaeryn sat down in the chair by the bed.

Kaeryn was exhausted, so she merely said, “Goodnight, Chrissy,” before laying her head down beside her sister and falling fast asleep.

Kaeryn woke to find Mavlos wrapping another cloth around her sister’s head. He had a fresh pot of healing salve nearby. “How is she doing, Mav?”

Mavlos shook his head. “My healing salve does not seem strong enough; the wound is not healing as it should.”

Kaeryn’s heart sank. “Is there anything that can be done?”

“If Chrissy was awake, she would be able to concoct a salve strong enough to heal anything. Might you know if she made any recently?”

Kaeryn shook her head. “We have just used the normal stock from general stores in the villages we have visited. She has not made any salve of her own in years due to the scarceness of the ingredients.”

“Then it will be up to you to heal your sister.”

Kaeryn sat up, instantly awakened by his words. “What do you mean it will be up to me?”

“Years ago, when you and your sister were young, Chrissy was injured by an unknown blade. She was cut so deeply on her arm that the normal healing salve appeared to not help at all. Your mother brewed a very strong healing salve and applied just a finger full to the wound on your sister’s arm. After just one night’s rest, the arm was healed.

“Your father, not wanting the salve to fall into the wrong hands, hid it away in a cave to the north of here. I have never gone to the cave, so I cannot give you advice on how to proceed. What I can give you is the note which your father found. It is because of this note that your father decided on the location for which to hide your mother’s salve.”

He handed the note to Kaeryn. As she read the note, a chill crept up her spine.

That which was simply known as Oaksguard was ofttimes glossed over by many geographers and historians, but several generational lumberjacks and miners of nearby towns, swearing by their ancestors, warned many travelers and adventurers of the living malice contained within its earthen corridors. Its landmark was recognized as a lone oak, aged with grey bark over the decades, that rooted up against the weathered face of Malk's Plateau. Nothing else could grow there amongst the sharp bits of scree, as though nature itself could only sacrifice a single tree to conceal the gaping maw; that is, a star-shaped cave mouth of impenetrable blackness. Entry forfeited one's shadow into the surrounding darkness, leaving behind light's warm embrace. The dank air, as it invaded one's nostrils, felt heavy, as though some unseen force sought to squeeze the life out of every intruder. The only sounds were a cacophony of dripping water, in which any brief moment of silence, a heavy skittering in the foreboding distance could be heard. Several moltings lined the walls and flanked the center of the early path downwards, only to be outnumbered by the various humanoid skeletal remains as one ventured deeper.

“Who was Malk?” asked Kaeryn when she had completed reading the note.

“Malk was the original surveyor of this land,” replied Mavlos. “He created maps of the area, allowing others to determine where to build towns and roads to connect the Great Sea to the east and the Sea of Sorrows to the west. It is said that when his work was completed, he built a great house atop the plateau, after which it got its name.”

“Great. How far is this cave?”

“It is half a day’s walk north of here.”

“Good, I will strike out first thing after breakfast.”

“Now hold fast there,” came Belle’s gentle but stern voice from the doorway of the room. “Before I allow that, you are going to get out of that armor and take a proper bath. Then you are going to put on some clean undergarments and eat a proper breakfast. Only then will I allow you to go journey after this precious salve that will save your sister’s life.” There was a moment of silence before Kaeryn and Mavlos burst into laughter. “I mean it! You are not going to go off saving the world in dirty clothes, my dear; you stink!” This statement only made them laugh harder. Belle grabbed the dirty cloths before leaving the room. She made sure they did not see her smiling.

After Kaeryn stopped laughing, she did as she was told.

Kaeryn enjoyed being clean, but she didn’t enjoy the overabundance of smells; a proper bath meant that she had to endure some very strong perfumed soap. After putting on her fresh undergarments, she quickly donned her armor. Too much food sat on the breakfast table, so Kaeryn only ate bits and pieces of it.

As soon as she had eaten as much as she would allow herself to eat, she ran from the shop to the Combat Master. “I am leaving on a quest to heal my sister. When and only when my sister is healed, will I return here. If I never return…” Kaeryn stopped; she could not continue. She stood at attention and simply bowed her head. She then grabbed Chrissy’s staff which was lying by their bags and stuffed it inside one. She then grabbed up the bags and the tent and hurried back to Mavlos’s shop, where she placed the items by Chrissy’s bed.

Then, with her shield on her left arm, mother’s sword hooked to her waist, and staff held firmly in her right hand, she looked down at her sister. “I go now to retrieve the healing salve that was created by our mother. When I return, we will see you well again.”

Kaeryn left the shop and headed north.

She made her way along the paths through the village behind the shop. Even after leaving the village, the forest seemed to stretch on for miles before coming to an open field. As she stepped out into the field, she could see the high plateau looming ahead in the distance. Thankfully, the field was void of creatures, but an hour passed before Kaeryn reached the opposite side.

At the edge of the field, Kaeryn entered another area of trees. This area was not as thick as the forest around the village. She could see the plateau getting closer through gaps in the branches. Time passed until the plateau rose high above her. She stepped from the cover of the trees into an area of barren earth filled with dirt and rock. All signs of life ended at the tree line. In front of her stood the wall of earth that was the base of Malk’s Plateau.

Kaeryn need only look a short distance to her right to find the lone oak spoke of in the note. Behind this long-dead tree sat the deep black entrance. Kaeryn entered the black, pausing to let her body get used to the dank air and her eyes to get used to the lack of light. She was thankful at that moment for her ability to see in the dark, although she did come prepared with a few matches should a torch present itself.

The inside of the cave held nothing remarkable other than its dirt walls. A solitary corridor led further into the heart of the plateau; Kaeryn proceeded slowly. She could hear the slow drip of water coming from the depths.

As she walked deeper down the corridor, she thought of her sister. How could she have been so careless to allow them to take on those androids? She was not happy with her decision and wished she could have walked away. But if they had tried to walk away, surely the Combat Master would have not allowed them to pass.

Kaeryn was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn’t notice the bones. The skeletons of creatures who were long dead lined the floor of the passageway.

Suddenly, a huge claw snapped right in front of her. She reacted instinctively and raised her shield just in time to block a second claw. As she fought to strike back, she peered into the darkness and saw many legs attached to a large body. A giant scorpion stood blocking the passageway ahead.

How was she to deal with a scorpion in her state of mind? She pushed her thoughts away and focused instead on deflecting the claws of the creature in front of her. There had to be a weak spot somewhere, and Kaeryn needed to find it.

It was all Kaeryn could do to block the snapping of the claws that she dropped her staff. Instead of picking it up, she drew her sword and slashed desperately. None of the strikes did any good at breaking through the thick shell of the creature. Maybe it was the narrowness of the corridor that prevented her from getting full swings, she couldn’t tell. All she knew was that slashing and stabbing did nothing.

As she fought against the monster, she peeked past and saw an open area in the darkness beyond. That must be where her prize sat, but she was helpless to reach it. That is how she felt every time her sister was injured or in trouble. She knew her sister was not a baby, but healers live a kinder life than fighters. It just wasn’t in Chrissy’s nature to be aggressive. For every shortcoming, Kaeryn felt she had to step in and make up the difference. She had to be successful here, for her sister.

After a few minutes of battling the claws, a new danger struck out from overhead. The scorpion had positioned itself so that its long, poison-tipped tail could strike at Kaeryn. She desperately dodged and slashed at the tail, but she again could not penetrate the thick shell even on the tail. Every time she dodged, she smashed into the wall of the cavern.

Kaeryn saw quite a bit of loose dirt, but throwing handfuls at the scorpion did nothing. She tried piercing the eyes with her sword, but she couldn’t get close enough. Grabbing the tail seemed like a good idea. Maybe she could get the scorpion to sever its own tail by thrusting it into the snapping claws. The scorpion was too smart to allow that to happen.

Kaeryn knew she was in over her head, so she backed away far enough to safely turn and run from the cave. She ran to the trees and out onto the open plain. She only stopped once for a drink of water from a nearby stream before continuing her flight over the rest of the open area and into the forest that separated her from Tinderwood.

The last ray of sunlight was fading when Kaeryn burst into Mavlos’s shop. “Did you get it?”

Kaeryn shook her head and tried to speak, but she was very out of breath. “Monster… blocked… my path… had to… turn back.”

Mavlos pulled out a chair for her. “Now, sit down and tell me what happened.”

Kaeryn sat and told Mavlos all about the journey to the cave and the scorpion she found inside.

“I couldn’t even kill a scorpion, Mav! I’m a better fighter than that. I even dropped my staff back in the cave and couldn’t retrieve it. What am I going to do? Chrissy is counting on me to get that salve.”

Mavlos stroked his beard and thought. After a few odd facial movements, he stood, walked over to a wall containing exotic weapons and armor, and took down an elegant looking warhammer. It was made of blue steel with a heavy rectangular head, flat on one side with a single spike on the other side. A long shaft that connected the head was wrapped with brown leather on the other end, forming a nice grip for the hands.

He handed it to Kaeryn. “Here, take this. This will surely break through the shell of that creature.” Kaeryn took it in her hands and instantly felt the power in the weapon simply from its weight. She found the balance point and smiled. It was perfect for running through the forest. “Its proper name is Cerulean Impactor, but I just call it Blue.”

Kaeryn laughed. “I like it! How much do I owe you?”

Mavlos shook his head. “It’s yours as a gift. Just go get that salve so that we can cure your sister. You’re going to need to get used to the weight first. I tell you what, in the morning, we will find a challenge for you and that hammer. What do you say?”

Kaeryn shook her head. “No, I need something now.”

“All right. Follow me.” Mavlos led Kaeryn out of the shop and around back where there sat a large old stump of what must have been a massive tree. “Biggest tree I’ve ever seen. I took it as a sign and cut it down to build my shop here. Practice on that for a while. Once you’ve mastered that, come and see me inside.”

Mavlos turned and disappeared around the side of his shop. Kaeryn eyed the stump and smiled. “This is going to be fun.”

After just three well-aimed swings, the stump broke in half. Kaeryn then started swinging diagonally, pushing each half to the side. Once the stump had been sufficiently pulverized, she walked back inside the shop. She found Mavlos in the back, hanging up watermelons by rope in a hallway. “What are those for?”

“Your training,” replied Mavlos. “I would suspect that the cave you found the scorpion is pretty narrow. I want you to hit and smash each one of these melons with the hammer. If you can do that, you should have no problems breaking through the armor of that creature.”

That was easier said than done. The hallway, just like the corridor in the cave, was too narrow for a full swing of the hammer. Kaeryn sized-up a melon that hung over her head. She gripped the hammer tightly in both hands and jabbed upward. Nothing. “Hey, Mavlos, are you sure these aren’t large stones painted to look like watermelons?”

Mavlos laughed. “Here, give me that hammer.” He pulled the hammer low and jabbed up at the melon; it burst, showering them with juicy bits. “No stones here. Now let’s see you do the same.” He walked into the next room and came back carrying another melon. He hung the melon in the same spot and handed the hammer back to Kaeryn.

She took the hammer and twirled it a few times in her hands, testing the weight. When she felt she had the balance just right, she pulled the hammer low and thrust it high against the melon. It burst into a million pieces. Kaeryn smiled, held the hammer close to her chest and did a little twirl. When she stopped, she jabbed at the melon to her side; it burst open. After another twirl, she jabbed down at a melon sitting on the floor. It burst open the same as the other two.

Mavlos had to back away quickly as Kaeryn danced around the room, bursting each and every melon that Mavlos had setup. When the last melon burst open, she cried out, “Take that you water-filled piece of fruit!”

It was getting late, and she knew she needed sleep for the journey the following day. She wasn’t going to wait. She must get the special salve as soon as possible. Her sister’s life depended on it.

Though it was difficult, Kaeryn managed to get some sleep before waking and packing some food into her bag. She smiled as she put a bottle of Chrissy’s meat potion into a pouch on her belt. She said her goodbyes to Belle, who was just coming in to check on Chrissy, and to Mavlos, who was tending to a customer in the front of his shop.

She took her time going to the cave. Along the way, she practiced swinging and jabbing the hammer, getting more of a feel of how it flowed through the air and how best to control it. The journey seemed almost peaceful, a far different picture than the inside of the cave. Outside of the cave, she pulled a rather thick branch off the lone oak and wrapped the end with some burning cloth she had brought with her. After lighting it, she proceeded inside the cave.

With the torch in her left hand and the hammer in her right, she approached the place where she had been attacked. The hammer gave her new confidence that she did not have before. It felt good in her hand, and she anticipated smashing it against the shell of the creature that stood in her way.

She saw it crawl into the passage and waved the torch in front of her. It recoiled slightly due to living all of its life in the black of the cavern. Thrusting the torch at the eyes of the scorpion, Kaeryn thought she could get it to back up, but the scorpion snapped at the torch, causing her to withdraw. She noticed a hole in the wall and jammed the end of the torch inside, freeing her left hand to hold the hammer firm.

“So, it’s a fight you want? I’m ready this time.”

Blue steel glimmered off the torchlight as the hammer struck each claw as it came close to Kaeryn. After each hit, she heard a crack in the shell. It didn’t take long before the claws became an ineffective mess of crushed shell pieces. She then crouched low and waited for the stinger to come at her from overhead. “Is that all you got?” Kaeryn yelled. She saw the creature react to her yell and crouched low, giving room to send its long, spiked tail towards Kaeryn.

She dodged the tip of the tail the best she could and struck out each time the tip passed overhead. Finally, she pinned the tail against the ceiling and pressed hard, twisting the hammer from side to side. The tail snapped, and the end fell to the floor.

Kaeryn grabbed the torch from the wall and thrust it towards the defeated scorpion. With nothing left to attack with, the scorpion retreated into the larger room behind it. With a mighty dash, Kaeryn rushed the creature, leaped into the air, and struck the head with the full force of the hammer. The hard shell cracked, and the creature stopped moving.

After retrieving the torch, she began to examine the room. On one side of the room sat a shelf of old tomes. On the other side stood a forgotten wardrobe. But in the back sat a table. The light of her torch illuminated a short, round container sitting on the table. Was this what she had been searching for? It had to be. The label on the top read, “Smith Salve.” She grabbed the container and stuffed it into a large empty pouch she had brought with her and tied it to her belt. Not wanting to remain in the cave for another moment, she promptly retrieved her staff and exited.

As she made her way across the open field, she saw an unusual sight. A man was frantically driving a cart being pulled by two horses. When he saw Kaeryn, he turned the cart and headed straight for her. “Help me! Help me, please!” Kaeryn heard the man yell.

“What is all the trouble?” she asked as the man got nearer.

“It’s my brother,” he replied, hopping down from the front of the cart, “he was attacked by a mountain lion.” He pointed to the back of the cart, where a second man lay shaking under a blanket. When the driver took off the blanket, Kaeryn could see that his arms and legs were covered in blood.

Kaeryn turned away. She was no healer, that was her sister’s job. Her sister… She needed to get back to her sister, but these people also needed help, her help. She thought quickly. “Do you have any water?”

“Yes, Ma’am, right here.” He brought her a jug half-filled with water from the corner of the cart.

“And I need that blanket too,” she said, pointing to an unused blanket that also sat in the corner.

She tore a piece of the blanket off, dipped it into the water, and began to clean the man’s wounds on his arms and legs. She then took out the container of healing salve, tore off another piece of the blanket, spread some salve onto the blanket piece, and then started rubbing small amounts of the salve over every wound. Finally, Kaeryn tore the blanket into long strips and wrapped each strip around each of the wounds. After a few moments, the man relaxed. Kaeryn returned the container of salve back to its pouch.

“Thank you, Miss. You have saved my brother’s life. What do I owe you?”

“Nothing. Go on your way with no worry. I must be on my way as well, for I am in great haste!”

As Kaeryn ran off, she could hear the man calling, “Thank you again, and good luck!”

Hours later, Kaeryn burst into Mavlos’s shop and held up the container. “I found it!” she proclaimed.

Mavlos hurried around the counter and took the container. “Good. Let’s go change her bandage and apply it right away.”

They hurried to the room where Chrissy lay still unconscious. She was breathing peacefully. Mavlos unwrapped her head and threw away the cloth. He then grabbed a smaller clean cloth and spread the new salve on it before placing it over the lingering cut on Chrissy’s forehead. He then wrapped her head with a long, clean cloth.

“There, that should do it. We will check back in the morning.”

“Thank you, Mavlos. I will remain here until then.”

Mavlos nodded and left the room.

Kaeryn was exhausted and didn’t feel like fixing anything to eat, so she withdrew the bottle of meat potion from her pouch and held it up. “To you, my sister. May you get well and come back to us soon.” She drank the liquid, laid her head on the side of the bed, and fell asleep.

Chapter 6

Golden rays of sunlight fluttered in through the window next to Chrissy’s bed. Kaeryn squinted as the rays bounced off her face and woke her from her sleep. She blinked and tried to comprehend the sight that presented itself before her eyes. Chrissy was sitting up, holding the blue steel warhammer, and she was smiling.

“A mighty weapon for a brave sister of mine,” she commented.

Kaeryn threw her arms around her sister. “Chrissy, you’re awake! It’s good to have you back.”

“How long have I been sleeping?”

“Days.”

“What happened? The last I remember was fighting those androids. I felt a sharp pain on my head, and then I woke up here.”

“It was the Combat Master’s fault. He should have never given us such strong opponents.”

“Now Kaeryn, it wasn’t his fault. He was just doing what he thought best. I’m sure he had no desire for what happened to me.”

“Well, the only thing that matters now is that you are going to be ok.”

“Tell me, Kaeryn of the woodlands, where did you get this?” She held up the hammer.

“Mavlos gave that to me. I needed it to fight off a huge scorpion to get the healing salve our mother made for us years ago.”

“Wow, that sounds like quite the adventure,” Chrissy replied, handing the hammer back to her. “Now what’s for breakfast? I’m starving.”

“Mavlos!” Kaeryn turned to the doorway and yelled, “Chrissy’s awake!”

Mavlos came panting to the doorway. When he saw Chrissy sitting up, he put his hand over his heart and said, “Kaeryn, I swear, you will be the death of me with how much you startle me!” He walked over to the bedside and smiled down at Chrissy. “Good to see you awake. Now let’s check on that head of yours.” He unwrapped the cloth and removed the bandage. The wound had healed. “It looks like your mother’s salve did the trick.”

“Doctor Mavlos,” Chrissy chuckled, “just imagine a burly man like you…” her words trailed off as she looked down and realized she was in fresh clothes. “Wait a minute. You didn’t…”

“Good morning, Miss.” The cheerful voice of Belle thankfully interrupted what Chrissy was about to say. “And don’t you worry yourself a bit. That great oaf did nothing. I did all your dressing and caring and such. I’m Belle, from the village temple.”

“It is nice to meet you, Belle. Thank you for looking after me.”

“You can thank me later. Now you look ok. Your head is much better, your temperature is normal, and you are not talking the crazy talk. I think it’s time we get you something to eat.”

When Belle left the room, Chrissy looked up at Mavlos, who stood there, not moving.

“I’m touched that you are glad to see me better, Mav, but would you mind if I get dressed now?”

He shook as if coming out of a trance and cleared his throat. “Uhm, yes, of course.” He left the room and shut the door.

The girls laughed. “Kaeryn, could you get me my vestments that Mom left me?”

She nodded and set up the tent. After disappearing inside, she emerged a few minutes later with the folded-up clothes. Chrissy tested her balance as she stood. It took a few tries before she found the strength to stand.

“Do be careful, Chrissy. Your muscles are weak.”

Chrissy smiled as she changed into the clothes her mother had made for her. They fit perfectly. “You can open the door now,” she said as she sat back on the bed and began to put on her boots. Brown hiking boots didn’t exactly go with her dress, but she was glad the dress didn’t drag the ground to cover them up. After her boots were securely in place, she spotted her rings by the bed and placed them back on.

Belle brought fresh fruit and milk for breakfast, of which Chrissy ate her fill.

“Why my dear, you look quite pretty in that dress. What do you plan on doing?”

Chrissy looked over at her sister with a serious look. “Kaeryn and I have something we must take care of. Don’t worry, it won’t take long. When we return, I would like to see this temple of yours, Belle.”

Kaeryn knew what Chrissy was planning. She decided to keep her armor on just in case.

After breakfast, both girls took up their staves and started walking out of town.

“Do you know what you are going to say?”

Chrissy shook her head. “I have a million things floating around in my head. Which one I end up saying, I can’t be sure. What are you going to say?”

Kaeryn chuckled. “While you were asleep, I said my peace. You say what you need to; I will be right there beside you.”

Chrissy approached the Combat Master. He showed no signs of emotion at Chrissy’s return. “Master Odyhn.” She paused and lowered her head. When she lifted it again, tears streamed down her cheeks. “Master Odyhn, I want to believe that you did not mean any harm by what you did.”

“Young one, I…” the Combat Master began to reply, but Chrissy held up her hand, and he fell silent.

“But I want to be perfectly clear; I was injured by your choice.” She paused again, looking him straight in the face. “I also want you to know that I forgive you. I am going to spend a few days recovering with my sister. If you are still here when I return, I will continue my training.”

The Combat Master did not speak but bowed his head. Chrissy turned and walked back to Kaeryn. They headed back to Mavlos’s shop. When they got back, Chrissy went to the temple with Belle, and Kaeryn remained at the shop with Mavlos.

“Mavlos, I have a confession to make,” said Kaeryn as they stood in the main room of the shop. “I know how you dislike the Combat Master that is outside the village, but we have been training inside his dungeon for days now. It was an android of his bidding that struck Chrissy and injured her.”

Without another word, Mavlos marched up to his wall of weapons, selected a rather large sword, and proceeded to the front door, which was then blocked by Kaeryn.

“Stop, Mavlos, you cannot do this.”

“Chrissy could have died. This Combat Master must pay!”

“It is not his fault,” argued Kaeryn as she continued to block Mavlos’s attempts to move through the doorway.

“It doesn’t matter; he should have had more restraint and common sense. I blame him.”

“Then you should blame me as well. I was the one who summoned him in the first place.”

He stopped and stared at her. “How could you do such a thing? Don’t your fighter tomes tell you anything? They are not to be trusted!”

“I needed a controllable environment to train with my sister. This seemed like the best option. Even after all that has happened, Chrissy has already said she would return and continue her training. In the meantime, I would suggest we find some suitable helmets.”

Mavlos reluctantly returned the sword to the wall. After searching through a section of helmets, he tossed two small leather caps to her. “There, that’s all I have in your size.” Made of soft brown leather, each cap came down to cover the ears and back of the neck and came around to attach under the chin. Kaeryn didn’t protest, but she knew that these would only offer a small amount of protection. Anything was better than nothing.

Mavlos walked back behind his counter. “I will stay away from the Combat Master this time, but if I hear of anything else happening to either one of you, no one will be able to restrain me.”

Kaeryn nodded and headed to the back room. She entered her tent and began rummaging through her tomes. She was looking for anything dealing with metal thread. She didn’t want to ask Mavlos in his current mood. After a few hours of searching, she found nothing. There was no record of any smith work similar to what her father had done to make their armor. It looked like the caps that Mavlos had given her were going to just remain simple caps.

When she exited the tent, she heard the voices of Belle and Chrissy returning. “How was temple?” she greeted them.

Chrissy was beaming with happiness. “It was great. I prayed gratitude to the Great Creator for healing me. I then got to meet the old temple patron. He was kind and wise. As we were talking, a sick man walked into the temple with a bad cough. I watched as Belle treated him. After she gave him a bottle of liquid to help with the coughing and sent him on his way, I noticed that a line had formed outside the temple. I was told that around that time each day, people would line up for healing. As each one walked in, I stayed and assisted Belle to treat each one.”

“And she did a wonderful job too,” added Belle.

“Did anyone recognize you?” asked Kaeryn.

“A few did, but don’t worry, Sis. Belle helped keep our cover by explaining that we had been just visitors passing through the town for supplies.”

“Kaeryn, you are welcome to join us at temple as well at any time.”

Kaeryn shook her head. “Thank you, but maybe another time.”

Since Mavlos had fallen asleep in his new chair behind the counter, Belle asked the girls to join her in the kitchen in the back to prepare some lunch. “What are we having for lunch?” asked Chrissy.

“On days when we go to temple,” replied Belle, “I like to keep it simple. I’ll make us some tomato, onion, and cheese sandwiches.” She handed Kaeryn a few large onions and Chrissy a few large tomatoes. “You girls cut those into slices, and I will go get some cheese.”

Belle instructed the girls to cut enough slices for ten sandwiches, and it was a good thing she did. Mavlos woke and was very hungry. He alone ate three.

“I apologize, Kaeryn, for my attitude earlier. You can see that my hatred for the Combat Master is very great. I also realize that those caps aren’t much to look at. If you can find me some mithril bars, I will make you something nice and offer better protection.”

“Thank you, Mavlos,” responded Kaeryn. “Where might we find some?”

“A short distance south of here is the small mining town of Mineral River. They are one of the towns pioneering the resource network. They mine ore and make various blocks of metal. Blue mithril is what your father used to make your armor. The ore came from that mine. I’m sure you will find some there.”

“Did you see how our father made the armor?”

Mavlos shook his head. “Alas, I did not. He went off with ten smiths to make the armor. I had my shop to tend to, so I couldn’t go with him. I sure wanted to, though. Smithing is a passion of mine.”

“I didn’t know that,” commented Chrissy. “Where’s all your equipment?”

“In a locked shed on the far side of the village. By the time you girls return, everything will be ready.”

After lunch, the girls set about going over their supplies in preparation for venturing south to the mining town. Belle popped her head into their room and spotted Chrissy sifting through some items in her bag.

“Are you sure you are up to such a journey so soon after your injury?”

“Yes. I’m not quite up to training yet, but I am certain I am ready for a brisk walk. Traveling to this town should be fun.”

Belle handed her two strips of white cloth. “The dust can get pretty bad around mining towns. If it gets difficult to breathe, you and your sister can cover your faces with these. It will help.”

“Thank you, Belle,” replied Chrissy as she found a spare belt pouch for them.

The following morning, they headed south, dressed in their woodland outfits and holding their staves. Their armor, weapons, and fancy outfits were stored in their tent as they didn’t anticipate trouble.

“Kaeryn, do you have a problem with me continuing my training?”

“Why, of course I don’t. Why do you think I’m going to this mining town? I see your interest in fighting every time I pick up one of my weapons. If you don’t learn from me, then you will learn somewhere else, so it’s only right that I am the one to train you.”

“How much longer do you think I have left?”

“That is difficult. We don’t know what is out there waiting for us. While we aren’t training for a competition, we are training to be ready for whatever we might come across. Don’t worry, I will know when we are ready to move on.”

For some reason, Chrissy wasn’t convinced that Kaeryn would be able to tell when she would be ready to move on, but she pushed it aside as they walked and began to see a grand river off in the distance.

“There it is, Kaeryn, I can see the river!”

Kaeryn scanned the horizon and saw buildings near the side of a mountain and next to the river bank. “And there is the town. It’s going to take us the rest of the day to cross this valley. We’ll pitch our tent then and get to the town around midday tomorrow.”

It was just as Kaeryn had predicted. They walked into the town the following day. Many buildings sat covered in dust in spite of heavy use. The girls immediately covered their faces with the cloths that Belle gave them to prevent breathing in the dust.

The people here were dirty and unkempt. They assumed that many worked in the mines and with the ore that was brought out. Cart tracks led to many of the shops where smoke rose out of their chimneys. These were the smelting houses where they turned the ore into bars. There were larger buildings with tracks leading to them; these buildings had to be the storehouses for the bars. The nicer looking smaller buildings had to be the trade houses where the sale of the bars took place. Kaeryn thought it best to start in one of those houses.

They entered the closest house and found two men talking near the counter.

“Tell me, friend, what are you planning on doing with all that gold and silver?” the smaller of the two men said to the taller.

“I’m going to make me a scimitar that is fancier and stronger than anything ever seen before.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“I am going to fold the gold and silver so many times that nothing will ever break the blade. So beautiful will be the pattern, and so sharp will be the blade that everyone will want it.”

“I would be cautious,” warned the shorter man, “there is a thief in these parts who is stealing all manner of fancy things. They call him the Snake.”

“I’ve heard of him. Lives out by Terracogga Lake. Well, I won’t have to worry about him or his warhammer. I’m taking my metal to the east. I’ve got a cousin who knows one of the kings out there. He is going to let me use his palace forge to make my master weapon.”

“There you go, sir,” said the man behind the counter and handed the taller man a slip of paper. “You can pick up your metal in the large building with the sign reading Yellow 10.” The taller man thanked him, and the two men left the shop. The shop keeper turned to the girls. “How may I help you today?”

“We would like to purchase some blue mithril bars.”

“Finally,” replied the shop keeper, “someone to buy them. Everyone wants silver mithril, but no one wants, what I consider, the finer of the precious metals, blue mithril. I will sell them at twenty thousand a bar. How many would you like to purchase?”

“Five bars,” replied Kaeryn.

“That will be one hundred thousand gold coins.”

Kaeryn took out her money pouch and began to pour out coins. Once she had the equivalent of one hundred thousand, she pushed them across the counter. After depositing them into a locked chest, he withdrew five dark blue bars of metal from underneath the counter. “I keep a small supply of each kind of metal here for quick sales. If you had ordered even one bar more, I would have had to send you to one of the back storehouses.” Kaeryn opened her bag and deposited the bars.

“Let me ask you something. I heard two men talking about a thief in these parts. Someone named the Snake. What do you know of him?”

“Not too much,” replied the shopkeeper in a low voice. “Thieves, like the Snake, don’t come around towns like this. They aren’t looking for supplies; they are looking for the finished product.”

“I’m sure you get wealthy folk coming through here to buy the various metals. What keeps bandits from robbing your customers?” asked Kaeryn.

“Got their eye on a bigger treasure, I reckon. Say, what you girls got planned for that mithril?”

“Just a small project. Need some head protection. Good day.”

The girls left the shop and started their journey north, out of the town.

“You don’t want to stick around and ask for more information about this Snake person?” asked Chrissy.

“No,” replied Kaeryn, with no hesitation. “For one thing, the town is just way too dusty. And another, they won’t know much. They are focused on mining and smelting down that ore; they don’t chat much. When they do get off work, they eat and go right to sleep.”

“But don’t they have families?”

“I’m sure many do. They work in shifts. They work for three months and then head off to their home towns for three months while the next shift comes in. It’s not an ideal life, but I think they get paid well.”

“Not something I would like to do,” added Chrissy. “Also, the gentleman at the shop said the Snake had a warhammer. Kaeryn, do you think?” Chrissy did not want to complete her question.

Kaeryn was silent. For some time, neither of them said a word. Then Kaeryn broke the silence.

“I don’t want to ask Mavlos as he will most likely say and do anything to keep us from investigating the matter further. But we could ask someone else. Perhaps the barkeep in the village would know more. Let’s ask him when we get back.”

That evening, Chrissy thought about the Combat Master and wondered if he still waited for them. Meanwhile, Kaeryn thought of nothing but the thief who called himself the Snake. Finally, the clues began to point to this thief to be the one who poisoned their parents. She felt strongly that it could be no one else.

Chapter 7

The following day, they presented the bars to Mavlos. “Why, thank you, girls, but I’m sure I could have done the job with just four bars. You didn’t need to purchase five.”

“Then, the fifth bar is for you. Make whatever you like,” Kaeryn answered back.

Mavlos took the bars and sat them on the counter. He then disappeared into the back of the shop and returned, followed by Belle. “Belle, I need you to look after the shop for a few days.” He turned to the girls. They could see a fire in his eyes and excitement in his face. “Thanks to you both, I am going to relight my forge. Do you have the two caps I gave you?” Kaeryn opened her bag, found the two caps, and handed them to Mavlos. “Thank you. I will have them back to you in a few days.” And with that, he grabbed the bars and rushed from the shop.

“My, my, what was that all about?” asked Belle.

“We will tell you all about it over supper,” replied Kaeryn.

While Kaeryn and Chrissy went back to the kitchen to make supper, Belle tended to the shop and closed it for the evening. Afterward, she joined the twins for supper. As they ate, Kaeryn and Chrissy told Belle all about the mining town. When they got to the part about the thief, Belle froze.

“Belle, are you ok?” She shook her head. “Just take a deep breath.”

Belle did so and found her voice. “Of all the thieves that plague our land, the Snake is the worst. If he sees something he wants, he takes it. It doesn’t matter who you are or what he has to do to get it.”

“Has he ever been seen in the village?” asked Chrissy

“No. He does not appear to see anything of value here, or maybe he just sees more things of value elsewhere. I hope I never get the opportunity to meet him.” Kaeryn tried to ask another question about the Snake, but Belle stopped her. “If you girls are done with your food, I would suggest we clean up, otherwise let’s have no more talk about the thief.”

The girls finished their food in silence. It was clear that either Belle did not know if this thief was the one who killed their parents or she did not desire to tell them. Either way, Kaeryn decided it was best to continue their information gathering from someone else.

The next day, Kaeryn took Chrissy to the village tavern. Inside stood a long bar with many stools. Behind the bar sat all sorts of bottled beverages and glasses. The rest of the place was filled with round tables and chairs. Every surface in the place had a polished look. “Why if it isn’t the Smith twins. Welcome back to our village.” The bald bartender stood behind the bar, cleaning out shot glasses. He was very muscular like he had seen his share of bar fights.

“How did you know?” asked Kaeryn as she scanned the large room for anyone who might have heard the bartender. She only saw one elderly gentleman sitting in the corner. His long grey beard and sleepy expression spoke of a man who wasn’t at all concerned that life was passing by right in front of him.

“I would recognize the daughters of Sylvia and Geruth Smith anywhere. Where have you both been these past few years?”

“Traveling,” replied Kaeryn. She walked up to the bar and took a seat. “What do you know about a thief who calls himself the Snake?”

The bartender slammed down the shot glass he was cleaning so hard onto the bar that it shattered. “Plenty. I’ve seen almost every great war hero from the war come through this bar. Well, all except those who stayed out east. One by one, stories started coming in about war heroes either being killed by the Snake or forced into hiding.”

“Do you know where he calls home?” asked Chrissy.

The bartender thought for a moment. “Terracogga Lake. It’s somewhere northwest of here in the mountains, but no one knows the exact location.”

Kaeryn thought about her next question. If she asked about the warhammer, she knew that the bartender would make a connection with her parents. She had to know, so she asked anyway. “I have heard that the Snake has a mighty warhammer. Is it our father’s?”

The bartender turned his back to the girls, appearing to check some labels on the beverage bottles. After a few moments, he replied, “Yes.” There was silence. “I knew your parents, Geruth in particular. He would come in here while your mother went to temple. He was polite and always interested in the exotic flavors of my beverages, but he never allowed himself to get drunk. He talked about you two plenty of times and even brought you by on occasion. When I heard that they had been killed, I told myself that enough was enough. That thief had to pay.

“So, I gathered together a search party and went looking for the hidden lake in the mountains. We never found the lake and had to go home, defeated.”

“Did Mavlos go with you?” asked Chrissy.

The bartender turned back to the girls. “Yes. At the time, he was our village smithy. Many of the items in his shop were forged by his own two hands. After the great heroes of the war started being killed by thieves for their mighty weapons and armor, Mavlos let his forge grow cold and unused. His hammer sits untouched in a building to the east of here. I fear he will never be the same.”

“Times might be changing,” replied Kaeryn, “Mavlos is there now restarting his forge. At his request, we have brought him some bars of blue mithril. He means to make us some helmets to go with the armor that was left to us by our father.”

“Is that so? When he is done, I will have to see if he can put a new edge on my blades. They have become worn over the years.”

Although the girls were dressed in their everyday outfits, they kept their swords attached to their belts should anything or anyone come against them. Kaeryn also had her hammer strapped to her back. This just caught the bartender’s eye, and he began to wonder about the girls’ intentions.

“Now I can tell you all day not to go seek out the Snake, but I can see that you are already putting the pieces together about what happened to your parents. I won’t try to stop you, and I won’t say anything to Mavlos.”

“Thank you. Would you be able to remember where you looked when you went searching before?”

The bartender disappeared into a back room and came back carrying a large, handwritten map of the area west of the village. He then marked on the map all of the locations that they had searched years ago. After folding up the map, he handed it to Kaeryn. “By giving you this, I am not advising you to go, but this will give you the locations of where we have already searched. Should you ever find the lake, come straight back here and alert myself and Mavlos.”

“Thank you.” Kaeryn took the map and tucked it inside her belt.

“You two had best be running along now. The bar will be getting busy soon.”

The girls took their leave and headed back to Mavlos’s shop. For the next two days, Kaeryn took Chrissy to the area right behind Mavlos’s shop. They exercised, practiced the form of swinging their swords, and even fenced a bit against each other. All the while, keeping busy until Mavlos returned. Which he did one evening carrying two impressive-looking caps.

“This is some of my favorite work,” said Mavlos as he held up one of the caps to show to the girls. “They are a hybrid of plate and chain mail.” The caps were a beautiful blend of blue metal and brown leather. The top of the cap was a solid blue metal plate that covered the top of the head down to mid-forehead, just over the ears, and partly down the back of the head. Soft leather lined the inside of the plate and was woven into the bottom parts of the plate through various slits and holes. The leather continued down past the plate to cover the sides and back of the head down to cover the wearer’s neck. Hundreds of small rings of blue metal were woven into the leather providing the chain mail-like protection that Mavlos had mentioned.

Chrissy took one of the caps first and tried it on. As Mavlos hoped, it fit perfectly. “It’s a little on the heavy side, but I’m sure we will get used to the weight. I’ve never had a real helmet before. It looks awesome, though, Mav. Thank you.”

Kaeryn tried on the other cap. She thought the weight was fine as she had worn plenty of helmets during her training. She hadn’t, though, worn a helmet since her parents died. They hindered her perception and reflexes, so she decided it would be better to not wear one. Since her sister was injured, she had changed her decision. “I like it, Mavlos. Your craftsmanship is plainly evident. These will look great over our armor.”

“I’m glad you like them. What are your plans?”

We are going to finish our training and find the Snake. Those words floated to the surface of Kaeryn’s mind, but she didn’t say them. Mavlos would not have approved. “Chrissy has promised to continue her training, so I will not stand in her way. We go back to training tomorrow. What are you going to do, Mavlos? Do you plan to keep your forge lit?” Kaeryn thought about telling Mavlos about the bartender’s request to get his blades sharpened, but she stopped herself. He would wonder why she was talking to the bartender.

Mavlos paused. “Many of the weapons that are now in the hands of thieves were forged by my hands. I stopped smithing to prevent more from ending up in the wrong hands. I will not argue that it gave me a thrill to relight the forge again and work with shaping metal, but I must let the forge grow cold once again.” He turned away from the girls and proceeded to take inventory of his shop.

Kaeryn thought about walking up to Mavlos and telling him that once they stop the Snake and any other thief that was in the area, that he would be able to go back to forging weapons again with no worry. That clearly would have put a stop to her plans, so Kaeryn remained silent.

The girls went back to the spare bedroom, where they had set up their tent. They found it nicer to have the tent set up indoors than outside. That evening, they hit each other in the head repeatedly with spare pillows while wearing their new helmets. Beyond the training benefits, it was just fun, and the girls needed some fun after all they had been through.

The following day, it was Chrissy who approached the Combat Master. He seemed to not notice that they were wearing new helmets along with their armor and mother’s swords. “A woman knows who is in control; she lights the fire and feeds the soul.”

“The woman is wise, and the man is strong; the house will stand above it all.” At the Combat Master’s words, the doorway opened, and the girls walked out onto the open field like before.

“The woman in control?” asked Kaeryn. “Good one, Chrissy. I like it.” They stopped walking at the usual spot. “Let’s take it easy today. Combat Master! Give us pairs of low-level androids like before, one pair at a time.”

As before, the black smoke appeared, and so did a pair of male androids. Kaeryn had no trouble defeating each of hers with one strike. Chrissy, on the other hand, returned to focusing on blocking first and then striking. This made Kaeryn smile. “You’re doing a great job, Chrissy. How about we switch things up.” She told the Combat Master to stop giving them androids.

“What did you have in mind?” asked Chrissy.

“I haven’t seen you call for your Greatsword of Wandering in a while. Let’s give that a try on some of those earth monsters.” Kaeryn sheathed her sword and grabbed her warhammer from her back. “I will see how they do against my warhammer. What do you say?”

Chrissy nodded and held up her left hand to the sky. “Oh, Greatsword of Wandering, aid me now!” The transparent blue greatsword appeared above her hand and hovered there.

“Okay, Combat Master, we need some earth creatures, two at a time.”

Kaeryn’s warhammer smashed through every creature like they were watermelons. Chrissy’s floating greatsword also carved up the creatures with ease; Chrissy had only to point to where it was to attack.

This continued for two days until Chrissy couldn’t take it anymore. “Kaeryn, I appreciate all this training, but I think it’s time we move on.”

“Chrissy, I see much improvement from when we started, but I’m not sure if you are quite ready for the dangers that lie out in the wild. If we are going to go after the Snake, I would suggest a bit more preparation. Don’t you think?”

Chrissy shook her head and yelled, “Combat Master, I need one young adult red dragon. We have woken him from his sleep, and he has exited his cave to eat the trespassers!”

“Chrissy, what are you doing?” asked Kaeryn as a massive red dragon appeared out of the black smoke roaring and looking very agitated.

“Stand back, Sis, I’ve got this.” She held up her left hand and cried, “Greatsword of Wandering, aid me now!” The greatsword appeared, and Chrissy pointed to the head. “Keep its head busy so that it doesn’t breathe on me.” The sword rose and began striking the head.

“Kaeryn, you’ve always protected me and looked after me,” Chrissy said as she stood her ground, deflecting the mighty claws of the dragon. “Even when I was injured, you fought for me and brought back my mother’s salve.” Just then, one of the claws tried to grab her head. She dropped to the ground and held up her left hand. “Greatsword of Wandering, aid me again!”

Another greatsword appeared and started striking the right claw after Chrissy pointed to it.

“Training in this open field has really honed in my skills,” she continued as she slashed and jabbed at the claw on the left. “I’ve learned much about how to attack and how to deflect oncoming attacks. I know now that a defensive stance is better in the long run than an offensive one.” Even with just the left claw left to worry about, Chrissy could still not reach the main body of the dragon. “Greatsword of Wandering, aid me once again!”

A third greatsword appeared in the air as Chrissy pointed to the long-fingered, bony left claw of the dragon. Even with nothing directly attacking her, there was still no open path to the body of the creature.

“But at some point, defense reaches its limit, and you have to rush in and take a chance.” Chrissy pulled her sword in close and crouched like a runner about to start a race. “Master Odyhn, may I keep a trophy from my opponent?”

“Young One, I will permit one trophy. Choose wisely.”

Before Kaeryn could say anything, Chrissy darted forward and slid underneath the outstretched claws. The dragon lifted up its right foot to step on her, but she swung her sword just in time and severed the foot, which fell to the ground without disappearing in smoke. As the great beast began to rock unsteadily on its remaining leg, Chrissy thrust her sword into the unprotected belly. The dragon roared in defiance as black smoke engulfed it.

Chrissy stood, wiped her sword clean, and sheathed it. She looked down at the severed foot. “I could use something to carry that in.” A brown sack appeared out of nowhere and landed next to the foot. “Thank you.” With much disgust, she dropped the dragon foot into the sack and tied it closed. Then, shouldering the sack, she marched past her sister, without saying a word, and out through the doorway. “Coming, Kaeryn? I’ve got some dragon toes to deliver to Mav.”

Kaeryn shook off the disbelief and hurried after her sister.

“Chrissy, that was amazing! What gave you the idea to fight a dragon?”

“Your tomes. They said that the height of a fighter’s abilities is displayed through fighting a dragon. I then found an account of how someone successfully defeated one and modified his approach to work for me. And now I, Chrissy Dragon Toes, will present Mavlos with fresh dragon toenails!”

“Such a presentation demands a reward. What do you have in mind?”

Chrissy thought for a moment. “I’m going to need your help with that one. It has to do with the Combat Master and his training dungeon since we are now complete with our training.”

Back in the shop, Chrissy sat the sack onto the counter. “What’s that?” asked Mavlos.

“Take a look.”

Mavlos picked up the sack, opened it, and let the dragon foot fall out onto the counter.

“That’s a dragon’s foot. Where did you get it?”

“You won’t believe me,” began Kaeryn, “but Chrissy just killed her first dragon! We were in the training dungeon when Chrissy suddenly asked the Combat Master for a dragon.” Mavlos made a face, but Kaeryn held up her hand. “I had no idea that she was going to do that, and no, it wasn’t the Combat Master’s idea either. She asked to keep a trophy, and he let her keep that.” Kaeryn pointed to the foot.

“Chrissy, that was reckless and dangerous. I should be furious with you. But to take down a dragon… That was quite the feat. What possessed you to do such a thing?”

“Kaeryn’s fighter tomes,” replied Chrissy, assuming that it was normal to prove to one’s trainer that they had achieved a level of training that was acceptable. “Defeating a dragon was a personal goal of mine, and one that I read proves one had completed her training. I distracted it with my greatswords of wandering and rushed in for the final strike.”

“You are correct,” Mavlos replied reluctantly, “killing a dragon is considered by many as the height of combat abilities. But it is usually attempted by those much older than you.” Mavlos paced back and forth, clearly not happy with her choice of combat, yet also impressed with her achievement. He did not desire to punish her, so he grabbed the dragon foot and placed it back into the sack. “Come with me,” he said and led them back to the same room where he had given them the items from their parents.

He approached the wall where the suits of armor had hung. He took down what appeared at first like a round section of the wall only to see that it was a second shield. Chrissy’s face broadened into an excited smile when she saw the shield. “Is that for me?”

“It is. Since your initial training in fighting focused on a two-handed weapon, your sister and I thought it best to hold off giving you the shield until you were ready. Whether or not you use it, it is yours none the less.”

Chrissy took the shield and slid her left arm through the strap and grabbed the padded handle. It felt good and gave her an additional connection to her sister like that she had longed for. “This is wonderful. Thank you, Mavlos. I will indeed use it.”

Calls from customers in the front of the shop meant that Mavlos could stay no longer to chat. He bid his pardon to the girls and hurried from the room.

“Now, I’m sure that shield isn’t what you were talking about earlier,” commented Kaeryn. “What did you need my help with?”

“Master Odyhn needs combatants in his training dungeon in order to preserve his existence,” began Chrissy. “I would like to see his existence continue since he made my training possible. That means we need to find people to agree to train in his dungeon. How can we do that?”

Kaeryn thought for a few moments. “So, you want to convince some people to fight ‘who knows what’ for the Combat Master?”

“Yes. Isn’t that what you did with me?”

“You have to understand that I knew what I was doing when I called for him in the first place. Perhaps we should go to the bar and convince all the drunks to go.” Kaeryn paused, and then both girls started laughing. “You know, Chrissy, it may be funny but that isn’t a bad idea. The tavern should be busy around this time. All we need now is a sign-up parchment with a stipulation of, say, no more drinks if they sign up and do not participate. What do you think?”

“I think that’s a wicked plan,” Chrissy replied between giggles. “Let’s get some parchment and pen from Mavlos. Then we can plan what we want it to say.”

Mavlos had the parchment and pen and didn’t ask what they wanted it for, which was for the best. Kaeryn took the parchment to the small table in their tent and began to work out what it should say.

After much trial and error using up the entire front and back of one of the pieces of parchment, Kaeryn wrote the following. She titled the document, Combat Challenge. Underneath she wrote, by signing below, I agree to compete in the training dungeon of the Combat Master known as Odyhn just outside of the village of Tinderwood until such time that the Combat Master deems appropriate. Should I renege on this agreement, I will no longer be given service at the Tinderwood Tavern again.

Kaeryn handed the document to Chrissy for review. “Sweet, wicked, and awesome,” were the comments that she uttered as she read.

Both girls changed into their normal day wear and walked over to the tavern, which sounded full of people. It was indeed full of people, which made it difficult to get to the bar inside. Chrissy pulled out a handful of large gold coins from her money pouch, which was her earnings from defeating the dragon, and placed them onto the counter in front of the bartender. “Will this cover a pint of your finest ale for everyone here?” asked Chrissy.

“I should say so, lass,” replied the bartender. “What is the occasion?” Kaeryn showed him the parchment. After a few chuckles, he banged his fist on the bar three times, after which the place fell silent. “Attention! These fine ladies have bought you all a round of the good stuff!” The tavern erupted in cheers which prompted the bartender to call for silence. “Now, there is a catch. These ladies are looking for some real men who can hold their own in a fight. And we are all real men, am I right?”

“That’s right,” yelled one man in the middle of the crowd of people, “we are real men and can handle any fight. Just tell us what we must do.”

“You must fight in a combat dungeon of a Combat Master,” answered the bartender.

The man marched up to the bar and held out his hand to shake the hand of the bartender. “Count me in.”

Instead of shaking the man’s hand, the bartender handed him a pen and put the parchment in front of him. “Sign here.” After signing, the bartender handed him his pint.

To the girls’ astonishment, the man drank the entire pint and slammed the empty mug onto the bar. “That was the best pint I have ever tasted! I am going right over to pick a fight with this Combat Master. If any of you men out there would like to join me, sign this paper, get your pint, and let’s go! You could always get your pint later in celebration, I don’t care. But I will tell you this. I will not drink with anyone who doesn’t sign up.” The man tipped the bar with a silver coin and left the bar through the front door.

Immediately, half the people in the tavern rushed to sign the parchment saying they would return later for their pint. The other half sat around talking before slowly walking up to the bar and signing the paper saying that they would get around to the Combat Master the next day and took their pints back to their tables.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you, ladies,” the bartender said as he pushed the pile of silver coins towards Kaeryn and Chrissy.

“No, you keep that,” replied Kaeryn, “we’ve made quite a bit ourselves.” She patted her money pouch on her belt.

“Much obliged.” The bartender grabbed a white cloth and went back to cleaning the empty glasses and mugs.

“He sure does keep a clean place,” commented Chrissy as they left the tavern. “I wonder what Belle would say if she knew we just bought a bunch of people beer.”

“Sometimes, it’s the only way to get folks to do something. But I wouldn’t go telling Belle, she might not understand.”

Chrissy giggled. “Okay, Kaeryn, I will keep our little secret.”

The following day, Kaeryn and Chrissy went to see the Combat Master. When they got there, they saw many doorways open with people from the tavern beyond them fighting. He bowed when the girls approached.

“Good day, Master Odyhn,” greeted Chrissy, “I see you have been busy.”

“Yes, Young One,” came his eerie reply. “They began coming last night and have kept me quite entertained. Would you know anything about this?”

“Yes,” Kaeryn replied, “we do. After Chrissy’s defeat of the dragon, we feel that our time in your training dungeon has come to a conclusion. That is not to say that we will not ever come back, but that we have other matters we need to attend to. I hope you can understand that.”

“The tide cometh and is then drawn back into the sea; thus, is the nature of things. Should you find the great warhammer, please bring it to me; I would much like to see it.”

Kaeryn was puzzled at this last statement. How did he know they were going after their parents’ murderer? And even so, what did he want with the warhammer of her father? These were questions that Kaeryn would ponder endlessly, but she did agree to bring it to him should she ever find it.

The Combat Master then waved his hand in front of the girls, and they felt something cold rest against their necks and chest. “A gift for the entertainment that you have brought me.” Kaeryn and Chrissy looked down to see a small black bladed scythe charm on a necklace of gold around each of their necks. “Should you come across any of my brethren on your travels, that symbol will command their respect. You will be safe to enter any of their training dungeons.”

The girls thanked him and walked back to Mavlos’s shop.

“Kaeryn, do you think we will find any other Combat Master?”

“I don’t know, but I can tell you this. One Combat Master is good enough for me.”

Chrissy agreed. Everything is unknown, even in controlled combat situations. She was glad to be leaving Master Odyhn with what they had given him. It was time for them to move on; time for them to explore the mountains.

Chapter 8

Kaeryn and Chrissy sat in their tent, looking over the map that the bartender had given them. There were gaps in where the bartender indicated they had searched. “What’s there?” Chrissy asked as she pointed to one of the gaps.

“I’m guessing that is a mountain peak or somewhere they couldn’t get to. It also looks too small to be a lake. Now take this spot here.” Kaeryn pointed to a rather large empty spot on the map. “It’s too large to be a peak, and if it is a valley, there should have been a way for them to get down to explore it.”

“And if it was a valley, they should have been able to see if there was a lake in it,” added Chrissy.

“That’s right. So, let’s set that spot as one to check out.” She marked a few more spots on the map as possible places to look for the lake, then she got up and walked to the back of the tent. She came back carrying a large hook and some climbing rope. “I found this in the back. It should be helpful for climbing in the mountains.”

Kaeryn and Chrissy combed through their old backpacks as well as their new bags of holding. They wanted to make sure they had enough equipment and supplies so that they would not have to purchase any from Mavlos.

“Look at this,” Chrissy said to Kaeryn as they were going through the bags of holding, “a boomerang! Now, why would Dad put that in here? Let’s see what else we have. I see a chain, some canvas, ear trumpet and earplugs, a folding ladder, and how cute, a hammock and teddy bear.”

“That is a bit out of the ordinary,” replied Kaeryn. “I have an hourglass, a lock, a magnifying glass, and manacles. I wonder who I will be locking up.”

“Kaeryn, I see buried down in here a signal horn, sealing wax, and a snorkel. Dad must want me to go swimming or something. I hope we don’t have to swim to get to the Terracogga caves.”

“I wouldn’t worry. I don’t see a thief like the Snake having to swim to his own hideout.”

Once they had all the items back into their bags, they crawled inside the tent for the night.

In the morning, they sat two climbing hooks and rope behind their couch so that they will be easy to grab when they needed them. Kaeryn dressed in her explorer’s outfit that was left for her from her dad. Chrissy put on her armor just in case they ran into trouble. They strapped on their swords, and Kaeryn strapped the hammer to her back, but they decided to keep their shields in the tent. Finally, after a hearty breakfast of trail mix and milk, the tent was rolled up, their bags strapped on, and they headed out of the shop and traveled west to the mountains.

Kaeryn did not want to beat around the bush, so they headed straight for the large, unsearched area on the map. It took three days to get there. They immediately saw why the area was unsearched. A high wall of rock stretched straight up for as far as the eye could see. This was either the hiding spot for the Snake or nothing at all.

“I’m going to get the climbing hook,” said Kaeryn as she unpacked the tent and set it up. She knew it wouldn’t be any use, but she had to try anyway. After coming back out with the hook and climbing rope, she rolled back up the tent and attached it to her bag. She tied the rope around the end of the hook and threw it as high as she could, hoping that it would catch onto something. It slid down the side of the wall without grabbing onto anything.

“Don’t give up,” encouraged Chrissy. “Come on, let’s see if we can find something to hook onto around on the other sides.”

Each side they checked was the same, the climbing hook found nothing to catch onto. “Kaeryn, I don’t understand. We’ve been all around this thing, and there seems to be no way to climb it. I haven’t seen any openings either. Are you sure this is where we should be looking?”

“I’m sure,” replied Kaeryn. “It’s the only place big enough that wasn’t searched by Mavlos and the bartender and their group.”

“How does the Snake get in and out then?”

“There’s something that we are not seeing. We will just have to keep looking.”

Suddenly, Kaeryn took the blue steel warhammer from her back and swung it hard against the side of the stone wall in front of them; there was no change to the stone. “I had to try.”

“I can see that,” replied Chrissy with a slight laugh. “But it is starting to get dark. Perhaps we should find a good spot for the night.”

Kaeryn found a spot that was quite secluded and most likely to be unnoticed by anyone coming around. She set up the tent, hid the bags, and set up her traps before going inside with her sister.

“Kaeryn, the lake has a name. Doesn’t that mean that someone found it and named it? Do your fighter tomes say anything about the lake?”

Kaeryn shook her head. “The lake is as much a legend as it is a mystery. I don’t know if the Snake really does live at the lake or if he just uses it as a device to throw people off his trail. I’m going to have to go back through my tomes and find any reference to Terracogga Lake. There’s got to be something I have missed.”

“Can I help?” asked Chrissy.

“Sure.” Kaeryn tossed her one of her smaller tomes. “Start with this. Look for anything talking about a hidden lake, a lake no one can find, or the water of deceit. There has got to be a clue somewhere.”

As the girls started reading, they knew this was going to be a boring task. They were not reading to gleam forgotten wisdom from the past but to find any clues left behind about Terracogga Lake and where its entrance might lie. Kaeryn stayed awake half the night, but Chrissy fell asleep near the end of her first tome.

“Wake up, sleepyhead.” Kaeryn skipped about the tent-making breakfast in spite of not finding any helpful clue about the hidden lake in any of the tomes she had read the previous night. “How is it that I can go to sleep hours after you and still wake up before you?”

“Good morning, Kay,” answered Chrissy as she wiped her eyes and looked down at the open tome in her left hand. Her eyes widened when she saw what was on the page she had stopped reading on. “Hey, Kay, listen to this.” Chrissy began to read from the tome.

“’I arrived in the village in mid-morning. As I turned down the street, there was a man caught in a fit of coughing. I helped him to the village doctor. After examining the man, the doctor took an unusual white flower and ground it into a tea. After drinking the tea, the man was released from his fits of coughing. When I asked the doctor about the flower, he said it was from a hidden lake in the mountains.’”

Chrissy closed the tome with haste and began grabbing for her tomes that she kept around her hammock. She threw one to Kaeryn. “According to that tome of yours, there is a special healing flower that grows around our hidden lake. I believe that we might find more clues in my healer’s tomes. Will you help me, Kaeryn?”

“Good job, Chrissy. Sure, I will help you.”

It was Kaeryn’s turn to fall asleep, for these were not the normal texts that she enjoyed reading. Endless notes about medical diagnoses began to put her into a trance, but she fought back the fatigue. She was a fighter, after all. After much reading and a few bowls of meat soup, Kaeryn found the next clue.

“The Terracogga Flower from Terracogga Lake in the mountains has a few medical properties, but the main one is a soothing of the throat when turned into a tea. It is said to cure the fiercest of coughs. Since the lake is hidden, any healer who comes across the flower has tried to cultivate a crop, but many find that the flower is very difficult to keep alive. That was the past. Now that the flower can be grown anywhere, finding the hidden lake is no longer a priority for healers.”

Kaeryn looked up from the tome. “So, here is another account that proves that the lake exists, but no one is looking for it, which means that finding the entrance is not getting easier. Let’s keep looking.”

A few minutes later, Chrissy beamed enough for Kaeryn to notice. “What did you find?” she asked slowly.

“Listen to this. My horse is not just my transportation and mule, but he is also my pet and friend. It is good to take care of my friends, so I make sure that I treat my closest friend with the very best of trail mixes.”

Kaeryn began to laugh. “Chrissy, that’s nice, but that isn’t going to help us find our hidden lake.”

“You may think it doesn’t,” continued Chrissy, “but it gets better.” She continued to read. “The special blend of this trail mix keeps my horse happy and healthy. It was by mistake that I even found the flower that makes the mix so great. I was traveling in the mountains when I came across this very spooky looking tree. My horse bucked, and I fell, but I felt myself falling longer than I expected.

“After sliding and tumbling down a wet stone slide, I found myself at a vast lake surrounded by trees and greenery and white flowers. The flower was so unusual that I grabbed a bunch, tossed a nearby rope up the slide, and was pulled out by my trusty friend.

“The flower turned out to have some amazing soothing qualities, and after my horse ate one, I started mixing the petals into his trail mix. Since then, he has seemed to take on a new and much healthier life. Because of the stone slide, I hated going back to the lake, so I only went back until I had enough flowers to grow my own crop.

“Kaeryn, there’s a stone slide next to a spooky tree. That’s the entrance to Terracogga Lake!”

“A spooky tree, aye? We will start first thing in the morning.”

“The morning? Why wait? Of all people, I thought you would want to get out right away and find this spot. Well, I’m going searching now. You can come if you want to.”

Kaeryn would not let a challenge drop. She donned her armor and followed her sister out of the tent. After packing up the tent, it wasn’t five minutes before Chrissy pointed at one of the trees next to the stone wall. “Now that tree is very spooky.”

“Chrissy, there are at least ten of those trees around the spot where the Combat Master stands.”

“Exactly. Don’t you think it is spooky?”

Kaeryn shook her head. The Combat Master may be spooky, but that tree isn’t. And I doubt it would spook a horse.” Chrissy just stood on her spot, staring at her sister. “What? Do you want me to go get a horse and prove it?” They laughed. “Come on, Chrissy, let’s keep looking.”

They rounded a bend in the trail, and Kaeryn grabbed Chrissy’s arm. She pointed to a gnarled tree with thick branches sticking out at odd angles. Her first instinct was to turn the other direction and leave the area, but she knew better. This was the kind of place you would find a thief.

A chill shot down Chrissy’s spine as they approached. “Kay, that tree is not just spooky, it’s haunted. Where do you think the slide of stone is located?”

Kaeryn grabbed her sister’s arm, suddenly causing her to stop walking. “Watch your step. If the man in the story fell onto the slide from his horse, it could be anywhere around here. If the slide is uncomfortable to traverse even when you know where it is, I imagine you would not want to slide down it on accident. Let’s set up the tent over there out of the way and find the way in tomorrow.”

That evening, they set out their suits of armor, swords, shields, helmets, and climbing ropes. Chrissy filled her belt pouches with bottles of healing salve and potions. Kaeryn had a more difficult time determining what to put in her pouches as most of her items were too large to fit in a tiny pouch. She ended up selecting a bottle of meat potion and a signal whistle. Just before going to bed, Kaeryn spotted a skeleton key sticking out from a pile of stuff. She grabbed it and stuffed it inside the same pouch as the whistle.

During the night, Kaeryn woke several times to noises from outside of the tent, but thankfully none of her traps went off. She imagined the Snake and his bandits going to and from their hideout. She was thankful when the morning came, and there was no one in sight.

“Be careful, Chrissy,” advised Kaeryn as they stood by the spooky tree dressed in their full armor and shields and swords and belt pouches. “Use your staff to poke around for the entrance and be careful not to fall in.”

While Chrissy poked around, Kaeryn tied the climbing rope around the base of the tree. She was careful about where she walked and poked her staff against the plants that grew in the area. One area of plants slid too easily under the jab of her staff. Chrissy got down on her knees and brushed away the plants revealing a gap beneath the wall of stone. “I’ve found it!”

Kaeryn tied the end of the climbing rope into a loop, and Chrissy positioned the loop under her shoulders. Kaeryn then lowered her sister carefully down the stone slide. “Do you see anything?”

“Yes,” replied Chrissy, “I can see the opening at the bottom. Almost there. Okay, I’m at the bottom.”

“How does it look? Do you see the lake?”

Chrissy walked out of the opening into bright sunlight. There was a vast lake surrounded by thick green trees and hundreds of white flowers. “It’s beautiful,” she called up to her sister, “there are so many flowers!”

Kaeryn lowered the two bags one at a time and then came down after. She was amazed by the sight of so many flowers. As she stared at them, she felt herself falling into a trance. Suddenly, she shook herself free and grabbed her sister. “Quickly, let’s get to those trees before someone sees us.”

“Um, yeah, good idea.” They rushed to a tree near the lake’s edge and found a spot to hide their bags. “Where should we look first?”

Kaeryn scanned the lake for the caverns but was distracted by something she wasn’t expecting. “He has his own Combat Master?” The familiar visage of a man in black robes and a black hood holding an enormous black bladed scythe stood not too far from the water’s edge and where they were hiding. He was waving in their direction. “Oh no, he has spotted us.”

“Do you think it’s Master Odyhn?” asked Chrissy.

Kaeryn shook her head. “No. Master Odyhn would not wave at us. We had better go see what he wants before he alerts any of the Snake’s bandits.”

As they approached, they realized all too quickly that this was not the Combat Master they had previously met. “Good day to you, ladies. Would you care to step inside my combat dungeon?”

Kaeryn placed her hand over her chest beneath her amulet. “We might, but we need confirmation first that there will be no trickery.”

The Combat Master noticed the amulets on both girls and straightened to attention. With a wave of his hand, the amulets glowed slightly. “I see that you have been in contact with another of my kind.” His voice sounded nervous as though the girls could sense some hidden motive.

“We know Master Odyhn. He is the one who gave us these amulets. I am sure he would be very displeased should you have ulterior motives.”

“You know Master Odyhn? Well then, I will assure you that there is no trickery in my request.”

“We seek the master of this lake, a man who goes by the name the Snake. Would you know him?”

“I do. But I reserve my knowledge until thou hast completed my challenge. If you would step into my dungeon, the challenge will begin.” At the wave of his arm, the doorway appeared.

Kaeryn and Chrissy walked through the doorway into a dark cave. Dozens of torches lined the walls revealing a large room half covered in water. Kaeryn did not want to think how deep the water went or what kind of creatures the Snake enjoyed battling. They readied their swords and shields as Kaeryn called out, “Combat Master, we are ready.”

The water nearest them began to ripple. A round shape began to rise from the depths and walk towards the girls. The creature had an oval, semi-transparent body, two black eyes, and what appeared to be a mouth. The only limbs the girls could see were two short legs and wide feet on which the creature lumbered about. As it got closer, slimy tendrils began to extend from the body and lash out at the girls.

Chrissy was the first to strike. She severed one of the tendrils; it fell with a splash to the cave floor. “Yuck!” she exclaimed.

Kaeryn struck as well, severing a second tendril, but as soon as they were severed, a new one grew back in its place. Other than being extremely messy, the creature didn’t seem to pose much of a threat. Kaeryn struck the body of the creature, but her sword passed right through the creature, doing no harm.

“Kaeryn, how do we defeat this thing? My strikes do not appear to be hurting it at all. Do you think your hammer might work better?”

“No, it would just get stuck in all that slime.”

As Kaeryn slashed away at the tendrils, she noticed a grey blob in the center of the creature that appeared to pulsate. Maybe that was some sort of heart for the creature. “I have an idea,” she said to Chrissy. “When I give the signal, strike the side of the creature on your right. I will strike the side on my right. This will sever all the tendrils at once. I will then strike three times. After my third strike, I want you to strike horizontally through the center, making sure you hit that grey thing in the middle. Do you see it?”

“Yes,” replied Chrissy, “just tell me when.”

Kaeryn waited for just the right moment when the tendrils seemed to relax. “Now!” Chrissy slashed her side, and Kaeryn slashed hers. With all tendrils gone, Kaeryn swung twice diagonally forming an X followed by a downward strike, making sure that each strike hit the grey blob in the center. Following this, Chrissy struck horizontally, striking the grey blob as well. The grey mass began to shake violently until the creature exploded.

“Eww,” exclaimed Chrissy as she wiped slime from her face. The explosion had covered both girls in semi-transparent green slime. With their swords also covered in slime, they did not sheath them but proceeded to the exit doorway. Upon passing through, the slime disappeared.

“I congratulate you both on a job well done,” commented the Combat Master.

Kaeryn waited, expecting to hear the soft clinks of coins going into her money pouch, but there was no such sound. “Don’t we get coins for defeating your slime creature?”

“I am sorry, my lady, but you do not. The Snake has ordered that only he receive compensation from challenges defeated in this dungeon.”

“Surely, the Snake does not have power over a Combat Master.”

“He does not. We have come to an agreement regarding payment in this dungeon.”

Kaeryn was about to ask where they might find the Snake when they were surrounded by several finely dressed men carrying rapiers. One man stood out from the rest. His hands were covered in gold plated leather, and his feet, arms, and legs were covered in the same. His chest was covered in a large gold breastplate. This man did not care one bit about parading around in the things he did not earn. This could only be one man, the thief they had been looking for.

If his bald head, skull tattoo, and thick, trimmed beard weren’t intimidating enough, his deep, foreboding voice did the trick. “Well, well, what do we have here?” he mused, thumping a grand looking warhammer against his open hand. “You have trespassed into my home. Who are you and what are you doing here?”

“I’m guessing that saying, ‘we are here to pick the flowers,’ isn’t going to work,” commented Chrissy.

“Yes, the flowers are quite helpful, but I doubt that is why you have come.”

“We have come for the warhammer of our father!”

The Snake twirled the warhammer in his hands. “So, your father is the unfortunate soul who wielded this magnificent weapon. That was not his to keep. It is mine now, and I am not giving it up.” He thought for a moment then looked over at the Combat Master. “I see you have been enjoying my training dungeon. Did they complete the challenge?”

“They did indeed,” replied the Combat Master.

“Impressive. The slime creature does not kill, but it can prove to be a very frustrating opponent. My men train in there for hours. Those that defeat it are given all the comforts they can steal.”

“Boss, what do you want us to do with them?” asked one of the other men.

“They have nothing that I don’t already possess. Lock them up. I can’t have them running all over telling others of the location of this lake.” The Snake turned his back as his men took hold of the girls.

“You can’t do this!” cried Kaeryn, “Mavlos will come looking for us. He will find you, and you will not be able to stop him.”

“Mavlos? That old fool? He couldn’t find me before, and he won’t find me now. But don’t worry, we will take care of him soon enough. I’ve ignored his little shop for long enough.”

Kaeryn and Chrissy struggled, but it was no use. The men led them around the edge of the water into a cave on the far side. Upon entering the cave, they saw gold everywhere. It was appalling to think just how many had been robbed by this thief and his men. There was no lack of comfort in each room they passed until they turned down a side hallway, which led to a cell behind a large grate of iron bars.

The men took the girls’ helmets, weapons, shields, gloves, pouches, and belts; placed them into a locker outside of the cell; then thrust the girls into the cell and locked the door.

All comfort stopped at the bars of the cell. Inside the cell sat a cot, a small rocking chair, and a very old looking rug. Chrissy sat down in the rocking chair and began to rock back and forth. They weren’t hurt, so she was content at the moment to see how things panned out. Kaeryn, on the other hand, paced back and forth in front of the bars, not content to be confined in any space.

“Kaeryn, sit down. They haven’t hurt us. I’m sure we can think of a way out of here.”

“I can’t, Chrissy. I can’t believe we allowed ourselves to be duped by that Combat Master and captured by that thief!”

“You think that the Combat Master lures travelers into his dungeon only to have them captured by the Snake?”

“Yes.” Kaeryn stopped as Chrissy began to look around the cell. “I know; we are the only ones here.” She realized what she was saying. If the Combat Master was a lure, where were all the other travelers who had been captured? Were they at the bottom of the lake? Kaeryn shuddered at the thought.

“So, how are we going to get out of here?”

Kaeryn started pacing again. “I don’t know. Give me some time to think.”

After a few minutes of pacing, a wave of frustration came over Kaeryn, and she kicked the door of the cell. Nothing happened; the door and wall of bars were as solid as the day they were built. Kaeryn sat hard on the cot, defeated. She had no words to describe how she felt, and even worse, she had no plan of escape.

As she watched her sister put her face in her hands with nothing to say and no hope to provide for their situation, Chrissy reached inside her armor and withdrew a small piece of parchment. It was the note they had found with their mother’s swords. She handed it to Kaeryn.

“What’s this?” she asked as she took the note and read it. Kaeryn smiled and turned to her sister. “You keep this with you?”

Chrissy nodded. “It helps to think about Mom whenever I can. She may have been kind and helpful, but she was also a strong warrior, like you, Kaeryn. I draw strength from that. If she can endure, I can too.”

Kaeryn handed the note back to her sister. “Thank you.”

While they had been looking at the note, they failed to notice one of the Snake’s men quietly approaching them. “I know you,” he said, looking at Kaeryn. “You saved my brother’s life.”

Kaeryn looked at him, but recognition did not come quickly enough.

“What’s he talking about?” asked Chrissy.

“In the field north of Tinderwood, I ran across this young lady as I drove my cart with my injured brother in the back. He had been attacked by a mountain lion. She treated his wounds and saved him.”

Kaeryn stood, remembering him. “Can you get us out?”

He nodded and opened the locker, pulling out all their gear and placing them onto the floor outside the cell. He then unlocked the cell with the nearby key. As the girls hurried out, he jumped into the cell and shut the door.

“What are you doing?” asked Chrissy.

“You tricked me and lured me too close to the bars to grab my key, switch places, and escape. Now go; I will be fine.”

Kaeryn and Chrissy re-equipped their gear. “Stay behind me,” Kaeryn said as she readied her warhammer.

As they neared the turn in the hallway, they heard footsteps. Kaeryn pushed Chrissy against the wall and motioned for her to be silent. Two men appeared around the bend. Kaeryn knocked one out with the flat end of her hammer and the other with her shield.

“Kaeryn, what’s your plan?”

“I’m going to find this thief and end this once and for all. On the way in, I saw one room that looked like a meeting room with a lot of spoils. I’m guessing that is where we will find the Snake. Let’s hurry before he realizes we have escaped.”

Three more of the thief’s men fell to the blunt effects of Kaeryn’s warhammer before they reached the room in question. The Snake, having heard the commotion, was ready for them. As she entered the room, Kaeryn placed the hammer in its holder on her back.

The thief laughed. “Sheathing your hammer so soon? You can’t beat your father’s weapon with a shield alone.”

“I don’t have just a shield.” Kaeryn let roar the war-cry of her father before rushing the Snake and grabbing the warhammer with her free hand. “Unhand my father’s warhammer, you thief!”

“Not that easy!” he yelled as they struggled. Kaeryn tried every move she could think of to overpower her opponent and hit any available body part with her shield; she found none.

“You steal and think nothing of those you steal from. You have no shame, and I have no pity.”

With a yell of rage, the Snake threw Kaeryn from him and hit her hard in the shoulder with the hammer. Her shield fell to the floor, as did she. Her opponent was about to bring another smashing blow from the hammer when Chrissy’s shield came flying out of nowhere. The thief deflected it only to be followed by Chrissy grabbing the hammer with both her hands.

“Give that back, you slime-filled creep!”

Both grappled and twisted the hammer, each trying to pry the long weapon from the other’s firm grasp. Clearly, Chrissy wasn’t strong enough to pull the hammer away, so she decided to improvise in the only way she could think of. Using the gripped hammer as leverage, she leaped into the air and kicked the thief with both feet in his stomach. He staggered slightly but kept a firm grip on the hammer. She kicked again and again, but the results were the same.

“Kaeryn, if you have anything left, now would be the time.” Even though she was wearing gloves, which gave her a good grip on the hammer, she felt her grip beginning to slide.

Even though Kaeryn could still move her left arm, the extreme pain in her shoulder prevented her from putting any strength behind its movements. She reached for her hammer and drew it from its holder. Thankfully, the Snake’s back was turned to her, so he didn’t see her draw her hammer. Kaeryn saw that his back was unprotected, but she didn’t know if she could manage a full swing in her condition. She saw her sister losing her grip, so she had to try something.

“Chrissy, I can’t do much. Pull that hammer with all you got!”

Before she lost her grip, Chrissy stepped up onto the chest of the Snake and used the extra strength in her legs to apply more pull on the hammer. With his back arched in the strain of holding onto the weapon of her father, Kaeryn gathered all the power she could manage in her right arm and swung her own hammer against the man that had plagued her nightmares. The head of her hammer hit with a crack onto the back of the thief, and he fell, releasing the hammer.

Chrissy fell to the floor with her father’s hammer in her arms. She quickly, though, hurried to her sister’s side. “Are you ok?”

Kaeryn nodded. “It’s just my shoulder.”

Chrissy untied one of her belt pouches and withdrew a round container. It was her mother’s healing salve. She applied a small amount to Kaeryn’s shoulder, and the pain subsided. “What about him?”

Kaeryn scanned the room and saw a nice pair of golden manacles. It seemed almost fitting. “Help me turn him over.”

They rolled the thief over onto his stomach and locked his wrists in the manacles. Chrissy pushed up the back of the man’s shirt until she saw the red and black bruise from where her sister’s hammer had made its mark. She then took a finger full of her mother’s salve and rubbed it over the wound.

“What are you doing?” asked Kaeryn.

“I don’t know if that salve will treat a wound that bad, but I will not leave him in that state.” Chrissy returned the container to her belt pouch and stood.

After helping her sister to her feet, Chrissy handed her the hammer of their father. She held it close and turned her back on the thief. She had no words for him. “Chrissy, let’s get out of here. I don’t want to stay any longer than what we have to.”

“What about me?” grunted the Snake.

“Your men will come around and take care of you,” replied Kaeryn. She had to stop for a moment and fight back wave after wave of anger. “What my sister did was very merciful,” she continued without turning around. “I doubt you would have received the same from me. Know this, though; if I ever hear of you stealing from anyone, I will come after you, and you will not have my sister to save you.” Kaeryn walked out of the room. Chrissy retrieved her shield and staff and followed her sister.

They left the cave straightway. There were other items in the cave that should be returned to their owners’ families, but that was not their concern at the moment. Once word got out that the Snake had been defeated and that the location of his hidden lake had been found, others would come and restore the stolen goods to their rightful places.

Chapter 9

It was late afternoon, and the sun had gone down behind the stone wall that surrounded the interior. The girls returned to the tree near the entrance and retrieved their bags. Chrissy set up the tent and disappeared inside. She came back out a few minutes later carrying a large pot. After putting handfuls of soil into the pot from near the lake’s edge, she began uprooting several of the white flowers and placed them in the soil inside the pot.

“What are you doing?” asked Kaeryn.

“I’m gathering some of these flowers so that I can start a crop of my own. They have great medicinal properties, and they are one of the ingredients to my mother’s healing salve.” She winked.

As Chrissy continued to fill the pot with soil and flowers, Kaeryn turned the warhammer over and over in her hands and thought of her father. She thought of his laugh every time she had tried to pick up the mighty weapon when she was a child. She thought of the poor pumpkin at harvest time that wasn’t ripe enough for carving; it was smashed to bits by the very thing that she now held in her hands. She thought of all the times the hammer was used to keep evil away from the innocent. She smiled as she felt closer to her father than she had in a long time.

Once the pot was filled, Chrissy put it back into the tent and emerged to find Kaeryn staring up at the stone slide entrance. “How do you want to get back up there?” she asked.

“Stay right there, I’ve got an idea.” Kaeryn disappeared inside the tent and came back out a minute later, carrying a sharp ax.

An hour later, Kaeryn was tying the posts of the tent to a wide bundle of tree branches making a bushy sort of sled. She tied their bags to either side of the tent so that they wouldn’t drag the ground. “Get inside,” she said to Chrissy, “we’re going to pull ourselves up.”

Chrissy entered the tent, and Kaeryn pulled the makeshift sled to the bottom of the stone slide. After grabbing the climbing rope, she entered the tent. Both girls stood inside the flaps of the tent pulling on the rope; the sled began to move up the slide. After several minutes of pulling, they reached the top and pulled the sled onto level ground.

After exiting the tent, the girls untied the tent and their bags from the sled. They hiked at least a mile away from the spooky tree before finding a suitable hiding spot for the night.

That night, Kaeryn slept soundly with her hand holding her father’s hammer. Chrissy slept with her filled pot of flowers by her hammock with the thought of continuing her mother’s medical research. These thoughts helped the girls greatly on their three-day journey back to Tinderwood Village.

As they walked into the village, Kaeryn directed their steps to the tavern. It was early enough in the day that they would be the only ones in there. But to their surprise, there were quite a few people in there sitting at the round tables, talking and enjoying drinks.

“Why so busy at this hour?” asked Kaeryn to the bartender.

“It’s that Combat Master. Some just can’t get enough of the combat in his dungeon. They come in here at all hours of the day now. Business is good. So, what brings you both into my bar today?”

Kaeryn placed the warhammer of her father onto the bar in front of the bartender. His eyes went wide as he recognized the weapon. “The mighty warhammer of Geruth Smith. Where did you find it?”

“In the possession of the thief known as the Snake.” The bartender clenched his teeth and his fists. Kaeryn took a deep breath and continued. “The hidden lake is located in that large unexplored section on your map. The entrance is a stone slide by an old, spooky looking tree. You can’t miss it.”

“At last,” replied the bartender with a grin on his face, “we can put an end to the reign of terror by the Snake. How long ago were you there, and what was the state of the thief when you left?”

“Three days ago. The Snake was injured but alive. His men were knocked out. I trust you will see that all the items that were stolen are returned to their proper families?”

The bartender nodded. “Don’t worry, we will see to that.”

“Thank you.”

The girls left the bar and headed to Mavlos’s shop. They found him mounting a very shiny new ax to his wall of exotic weapons. “Did you make that?” asked Kaeryn.

“Yes, I did,” replied Mavlos as he continued to carefully secure the object to the wall. “The bartender insisted that I keep the forge lit. Where have you both been this past week?”

“Retrieving this.” Kaeryn held up the weapon of her father as Mavlos turned to face them.

“I see you have found the warhammer of your father. I also assume that means you found and faced the Snake. I should scold you and tell you how foolish that was, but it appears that you both made it back in one piece.” He held his arms wide and embraced both girls. “Now, we can put the memory of Geruth Smith to rest.” Kaeryn winced under the pressure of Mavlos’s arm against her shoulder. “Kaeryn, are you ok?”

“Yes. My shoulder is still a little sore from a blow from that thief.”

“What about you, Chrissy? You ok as well?”

Chrissy nodded with a smile. “Yes. I brought back some flowers from Terracogga Lake. I’m going to continue my mother’s research and refresh my stock of medicines and salves. Could I see your stock of ingredients sometime?”

“Of course. Now let’s stop talking about work and celebrate!”

That evening, Mavlos and Belle treated Kaeryn and Chrissy to the most extravagant supper they had seen in a long time. The girls told them all about how they had found the lake, their capture by the thief, and their escape.

“Were you afraid?” asked Belle.

Kaeryn shook her head. “I was more frustrated with myself for allowing that to happen and for not being able to figure a way out of his cell than afraid.”

“Good.”

Mavlos looked at Kaeryn. “What do you want to do with your father’s warhammer? Do you want to see it mounted on my wall?”

Kaeryn shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I do have one more thing I need to do with it tomorrow.” She turned to Belle. “And I would like to visit your temple tomorrow morning if I could.”

Belle smiled with excitement. “You would be most welcome. I will tell the patron you are coming.”

The girls bid goodnight to Belle and Mavlos and took their things to the back bedroom.

“Kaeryn, what do you think will happen to the Snake?” asked Chrissy from her hammock.

“I don’t know, Chrissy. If he changes his ways, good for him; I just hope I never see him again.”

“Do you think there are other thieves out there?”

Kaeryn was silent. She knew that there would always be thieves in the world, but she didn’t want to worry her sister. “Sleep with ease, Chrissy. The worst of them have been dealt with. Others will think hard now before continuing their ways.”

Chrissy fell asleep, expecting her sister’s words to be true.

The following morning, Chrissy dressed in her finest. The best that Kaeryn had was her explorer’s outfit, which she put on. As they approached the temple, Kaeryn was impressed. The outer walls stood tall made out of round stones of all sizes held together by mortar. They passed through a foyer into the main auditorium in which sat rows of white pews covered in red padding. Kaeryn noticed colored light coming in from various stain glass windows. Each one depicting another aspect of the Great Creator and his mercy to the world.

As they neared the pulpit, an elderly gentleman approached them. “Welcome back, Chrissy, I was told you were coming. Is this your sister?”

“Yes, Patron, this is my sister Kaeryn.”

“Welcome, Kaeryn, to the temple of the Great Creator. I am Patron Marcus. I oversee the services here and the help of those in need. What brings you in today?”

“My sister. She has been learning the ways of a fighter from me. I thought it would be only proper for me to learn from her. I am here to learn anything you can teach me about being a healer.”

Patron Marcus took her hand in his. “You have come to the right place. It is still early, but in about an hour, villagers who are in need will enter our temple and seek our help. Many just want food, but some need medical care and others who just want to talk. Stay and you will be blessed.”

Over the next hour, Chrissy and Marcus showed Kaeryn the rooms where they treated and counseled the villagers. After touring the rooms, Marcus went off to the kitchen to aid the food preparation while Chrissy took Kaeryn to the rooms where the medical supplies were stored.

“So, this is what it is like to be a healer?” asked Kaeryn. “You are a doctor, a cook, and a counselor.”

“Yes,” replied Chrissy with a bit of a giggle. “We are whatever we are called to be to assist another person in need.”

“Does that include being a chiropractor?” she asked an hour later as she tugged on a lady’s arm.

“Sometimes.”

By the time lunch rolled around, Kaeryn had fed two hungry families, mended a broken toe, broken arm, three cases of coughing fits, and ten cases of a broken heart. Kaeryn and her sister helped serve sandwiches stuffed with generous amounts of meat and cheese and various toppings to those who remained at the temple.

“I have to take care of one more thing this afternoon,” said Kaeryn to her sister as they ate. Everyone else had been served their lunch, and it was their time to eat.

“I will come with you.”

They said their goodbyes to Patron Marcus and went back to Mavlos’s shop. “Let’s change first.”

The girls changed into their suits and strapped on their weapons.

“Are we going to fight something?” asked Chrissy.

“I hope not.”

Kaeryn grabbed the warhammer, and they headed out of town to the spot where Master Odyhn still stood.

Kaeryn presented the mighty warhammer to the Combat Master, who took it reverently with both hands. “This is the great warhammer of my father,” she said, “I have recovered it from the thief who stole it.”

“Dotengle Warenholf.”

The Combat Master’s words meant nothing to Kaeryn. “I don’t understand what that means.”

“That is its name. It means, Dog of War. Stand back.”

Kaeryn took a few steps back and watched as the Combat Master began to swing the warhammer in front of him with amazing skill. It twirled and sung with every move like it was in its owner’s hand. Finally, Master Odyhn threw the weapon into the air with a mighty cry and caught it masterfully upon its return.

Kaeryn was awestruck, not by the toss but by the cry. She recognized it all too well. “Father?”

He let the hammer rest onto the ground and bowed his head.

“What? How can this be? Where is Mom?”

With the wave of his arm, a figure appeared next to him all clad in the same black garments. Though completely covered, one could easily tell that this was a female.

Kaeryn could not believe her eyes, and neither could Chrissy, who stood silent and wide-eyed.

“Mom, Dad, is that really you?”

The female turned to Odyhn and held out her hand. “It is time.”

Odyhn held out his hand in return and replied, “Yes, it is time.”

When their hands touched, a strange thing happened. The black clothes began to dissolve and change form. Moments later, there stood before Kaeryn and Chrissy a handsome couple. The man wore an outfit that was much like the explorer’s outfit that Mavlos had given Kaeryn except this one had gold trimming. The lady standing next to him wore an elegant white dress embroidered with gold and roses throughout, like the one Chrissy had been given.

Both held their arms wide and embraced their children.

“Dad, I’ve missed you so much,” cried Kaeryn.

“Mom, I just knew you were still here, somewhere,” said Chrissy.

They hugged and switched places and hugged some more before letting go and taking a seat on the ground out of sheer exhaustion.

“Okay, Dad,” Kaeryn began, “what happened? How are you and Mom still alive? We buried you.”

“It’s a long story,” replied her father, “but I will do the best I can to explain.

“As your mother and I lay dying from the poison, we were visited by a figure dressed all in black. He asked us both if we would like to have a second chance. A second chance at what, life? We, of course, wanted to get well again, but that is not what he had in mind.

“He said that we could be given a second chance to remain among the living, but we would have to become what he called Combat Masters. I had never heard of such a thing, so I asked him to explain. He said a Combat Master was a fallen hero who was given a second chance to remain in this world but be, for all intents and purposes, dead to the rest of the world by identity but live on with the ability to influence those around him still.

“We accepted in the hope that it would allow us to in some way to continue to guide you both on your journey to adulthood. But alas, we could not go anywhere unless called for. Though we still had our personalities and memories, we were bound to a strict set of rules and guidelines. We could not even tell anyone who we were or why we were there. Our purpose was to teach and allow happen through combat.

“But when you called for a Combat Master, Kaeryn, I knew I had to be the one to respond. Even though I had to be strict and uncaring and could not tell you who I was, I was glad to be near you again.” He stopped and lowered his head. Then he looked up suddenly and said, “If you will excuse me.” He stood and walked a few paces and swung his warhammer hard onto a rock, which was pulverized into powder. After a few seconds, he hit another rock. Then he hit another and another.

Kaeryn turned to her mother. “Mom, is he ok?”

“He will be all right,” she replied. “He is just releasing five years of frustration and pain.”

“Then may I ask you, why did he call for those extra androids? Did he know that one of us might get hurt?”

“He had no choice. He is required to give anyone who fights on his training grounds unexpected challenges. I assure you that he never intended on Alexa getting hurt.”

Kaeryn smiled. “At the time, I was mad! My sister was all I had. I now know that it was unintentional. Say, what do you think of us using different names now?”

“I don’t mind at all. If you both ever feel you are in danger, feel free to go by whatever names you feel best.” She turned to her husband. “Okay, dear, you can stop now. Come back and join us again.”

He rested his hammer and sat back down. Kaeryn turned to him with a smile. “I forgive you, Father. I know now that you meant no harm to Chrissy.” With tears in his eyes, he returned the smile.

“I see you girls found my swords. How are they working out for you both?”

“I love mine,” replied Chrissy, “Kaeryn has been a great teacher!”

“Have you ever thought about using both?”

Chrissy shook her head. “Since each one has one of our initials, it’s only right that Kaeryn keeps the one with her initial on it. Besides, I have learned to balance with a shield in my other hand.”

“And I see that you have found yourself a warhammer of your own,” commented their father.

“Yes. No offense, Mom, but I ran into a situation where I could not slash my way through using your sword. Mavlos gave me this hammer, and it did the job.”

Her mother shook her head. “None taken, sweetheart.”

“It is very elegant,” added her father. “It is also not as long as mine and much easier to manage.”

“And not as heavy. I can wear the hammer on my back while wielding my sword and shield and still keep a good balance. It’s perfect.”

“Is Mavlos still around?” asked their father.

“Yes, he is,” replied Chrissy.

“Then we should go see him.”

Their father stood and strapped the mighty warhammer to his back. The girls stood as well and followed their parents through the woods into the village. Kaeryn had to restrain herself from running ahead of her parents. She was so overcome to have them back. She dreaded the thought that this moment might not last long.

“Thank you for the things you left for us,” Kaeryn said as they entered the village.

“Did you like the bags? They hold quite a bit.”

“Yes, we did. And these suits of armor are really comfortable!”

Their father laughed. “Mavlos thought I was crazy for wanting to make a thread out of mithril, but I did it anyway. It was light, super strong, and I liked the color.”

“And I really like the dress,” added Chrissy, “it makes me think of you, Mom, every time I see it.”

She beamed. “An elegant dress for an elegant daughter.”

They approached the door to Mavlos’s shop, and their parents entered first.

“Mavlos, ya old dog, you in here?”

In response to the call, noises of a man stumbling around reached their ears as Mavlos hurried into sight. “Geruth! Sylvia! What are you both doing here? We thought you were dead.” He ran up to them and embraced them both.

“It’s a long story, but I will tell you everything. It begins with us being poisoned. Sylvia and I were given a second chance as we lay dying. I’m sure by now you have heard about a certain Combat Master who has been residing outside the village. That was me.”

Suddenly, without warning, Mavlos punched Geruth in the face. The girls quickly restrained Mavlos, preventing him from any further blows.

“What are you doing?” the girls cried out.

“How dare you!” Mavlos yelled. “Chrissy almost died because of what you did.”

Geruth massaged his jaw but was otherwise unstaggered from the blow. He looked straight into the enraged eyes of his old friend. “Believe me, if I had known the life I would be stepping into when I made the decision to accept the offer, I would have never become a Combat Master. Thankfully, that part of my life is over now.”

Mavlos relaxed a bit at hearing those words. “If what you say is true, that you are coming back to us not as a Combat Master any longer, that still does not excuse what you did.”

The girls released Mavlos as a wave of relief and joy came over them as they began to ponder what it would be like to have their parents back in their lives again. But their father’s next words suddenly threw doubt on all of that wishful thinking.

“That is not entirely true,” replied Geruth.

“What do you mean?” The girls saw Mavlos tense up as he said those words.

“It means that we only have a short time to spend with you before we must go.”

“Where do you have to go?” asked a worried Chrissy.

“To the great beyond to be with the Great Creator,” replied Sylvia, their mother. “We were told that we would have one chance to spend one last time with the ones we loved as we once were. But this time would be very brief and not last for very long.”

Mavlos held out his hand. “I’ve never trusted any Combat Master, and I probably never will. But I trusted Geruth Smith once, and if you say that you had no choice, I will believe you.”

Geruth shook his hand. “Thank you, my friend. I wish I could explain to you all the mysteries of the Combat Master, but we do not have the time. Suffice to say that they live in mystery and are not keen to reveal any part of their true nature or purpose. If you come across one, I cannot tell you if they will be benevolent or malevolent.”

“Father, after you are gone, what would you have us do?”

“I would first have you come out of hiding. Yes, I know you have been concealing your identities all these years. That time is now over.” He looked at Mavlos. “And I want you to see that they have a proper home built. They deserve somewhere to call home and not have to live from town to town in hiding. And I want you to look after them.”

“Oh, Dad, we don’t need anyone to look after us. We are grown women now and can look after ourselves.”

Mavlos laughed. “Not if you want your meat strips!”

“Meat strips!” Kaeryn cried. “Mom, Dad, can you stay the night? There’s simply something you must try!”

Geruth looked at his wife, and they held a silent conversation, after which they both nodded.

“Okay, Mav, I need meat strips, celery, carrots, spinach, cream, and water! We’re making soup!”

“Then come with me.”

Mavlos led them down some stairs in the back of the shop to a cold basement. There in the corner of the room sat the very thing that Kaeryn was looking for. “Meat strips!” There was quite the bounty of food in his storeroom, but only specific items stood out in Kaeryn’s mind: carrots, celery, and spinach.

She first walked to the far side and picked up a jug of cream and handed it to Mavlos. “Take this up with you. I need you to stoke the fire and put a large iron kettle over the fire to heat up.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” replied Mavlos as he took the jug and headed up the stairs.

Kaeryn then grabbed two large bags of meat strips and handed them to her father. “Take these to the kettle and start browning them.” She untied a small pouch that was around her waist and handed it to him as well. “Sprinkle some of this on the meat as you brown it. It is my own special mix of seasonings.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he replied and headed up after Mavlos.

Next, Kaeryn grabbed two bushels of celery and handed them to her mother and grabbed two bushels of carrots, and handed them to Chrissy. “I need you to take these to the kitchen and rinse them and cut them into small pieces.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” they replied with a slight chuckle and proceeded up the stairs.

Kaeryn had only to grab two handfuls of spinach leaves and head up the stairs herself.

She saw her father stirring the meat as Mavlos stood by and watched.

“The mountain lion didn’t know what hit him,” her father was telling Mavlos. “I broke it’s back with the first blow.”

“Reliving old fighting stories, are we, father?”

“Yes. It’s difficult to fight some faster creatures with such a slow weapon as my warhammer, but sometimes you just get lucky.”

She shook her head in amusement and walked into the kitchen to find her mother and Chrissy rinsing their items as instructed. When they were done, Kaeryn rinsed her spinach leaves and cut them up only slightly before placing them into a bowl. The three of them then set about the task of chopping the celery and carrots.

When the bushels were almost all chopped, Geruth walked into the kitchen and proclaimed, “The meat is browned to perfection.”

“Thank you, Father,” replied Kaeryn. She picked up the bowl of spinach leaves and took them into the other room, where she poured them over the top of the browned meat in the kettle. She did the same with the chopped carrots and celery. Turning to Mavlos, she said, “I need you to fetch a jug of mountain water.” As he walked from the room, she grabbed a large wooden spoon from the kitchen and approached the kettle. “Father, sprinkle in more of the seasonings as I stir everything together.”

The smell of seasonings mixing with the cooking items filled the room and made everyone’s stomach rumble in anticipation. When Mavlos returned with the jug of water, Kaeryn grabbed up the jug of cream that had been brought up earlier. Together, they poured in equal parts of each until the kettle was full. Kaeryn gave the kettle a final stir before hanging the spoon over the top. She then pulled on a nearby chain to raise the kettle further away from the fire, allowing the soup to simmer.

“Good job, everyone. Now we just let this simmer until morning.”

“Kaeryn, I am very proud of you,” said her mother. “I would have thought that Chrissy would have been in charge of a meal like this, but you did everything just right. I look forward to trying it in the morning.”

Her father nodded in approval. He then stood and walked to a wall covered in weapons. He selected two swords. “If Kaeryn can cook, I need to know if Chrissy can swordplay.” He turned and tossed one of the swords to Chrissy, who caught it. “En Garde!’

Everyone backed to the edges of the room as Chrissy and her father began to parade around the room, clashing their swords in a fencing manner. They both laughed as the movements were fluid and almost comical. Then Chrissy felt her father begin to add more pressure to each swing in his sword. The laughter stopped, and she began to focus more on blocking each strike.

At one point, Chrissy decided to increase the strength of her swings. One particular swing proved more difficult for her father to deflect, and the swords appeared to freeze in mid-air with both father and daughter applying as much pressure as they could to each of their swords. Finally, Geruth staggered and his sword fell to the floor. Chrissy swung her sword behind her and prepared for a powerful stab, but instead, she touched the point of the sword softly against the chest of her father and smiled.

Her father picked up his sword and swished it vertically in front of his face. “I yield.” Chrissy saluted in the same manner with her sword. “Nicely done! I see Kaeryn has taught you well.”

Chrissy handed her sword back to her father, who returned them both to the wall.

“Mavlos, my wife and I have not had a proper night’s sleep in years. Might you have a room we could sleep in?”

“Yes, right this way.” He led them to the back of the shop to a nicely furnished bedroom.

“This is the same room I stayed in when I was injured,” commented Chrissy.

“It is the nicest room in the village,” added Mavlos.

“This will do just fine,” said Sylvia.

They all said their goodnights and retired to their places of sleep. Mavlos went to his loft above the shop, and the girls set up their tent and went inside for the night. Throughout the night, Kaeryn could not sleep, so she got up every hour to stir the soup. She hoped that she could accomplish something other than fighting to make her parents proud.

In the morning, all awoke to the savory smell of Kaeryn’s soup. They all passed through the kitchen and were handed an empty bowl and spoon by Mavlos as they headed into the large room were the soup had been simmering all night. No one made a sound as Kaeryn filled each bowl with her masterpiece.

As they took their first spoonful, Kaeryn’s eyes were on her father. His eyes were closed as he relished every sensation. When he opened his eyes, his face was beaming. “I declare this the best meal I have ever had!” Everyone else cheered; Kaeryn blushed. Such joy filled her that she felt she was going to explode. She had to wait till they were done eating to give him a hug for fear of spilling the soup.

Once everyone had their fill of the soup, Geruth bid them follow him. He led them to the place where his scythe still stood. Approaching Kaeryn, he looked deeply into her brown eyes, which were tearing up as she anticipated what he was about to say. “It is time for us to go. But before I do, I wanted to give you one last thing, your heroic name. From this day forth, you will be known as Lady Kay Smith, The Steelhammer.”

At the same moment, Sylvia approached Chrissy and looked deep into her blue eyes, which were also tearing up. “My daughter, you have made me very proud as well. I see benevolence flowing from every part of your being. I bestow upon you the title of Lady Alexa Smith, Rose Knight.”

Both girls hugged their parents.

“Mavlos, I want you to have this.” Geruth took his warhammer from his back and tossed it to Mavlos. “Add it to your wall of great weapons.” Mavlos nodded but remained silent.

Geruth and Sylvia approached the scythe and turned to face the rest. “Do not fret or worry,” said Geruth, “we will see each other again.” Geruth grabbed the scythe, which burst as if casting off an outer shell to reveal a completely golden scythe beneath. The girls each looked at each other and saw that their necklaces had turned from black to bright yellow gold. When they turned back to their parents, they dissolved into a cloud of golden mist which then disappeared. They were gone.

Days passed before the girls emerged from their tent. They only emerged after Mavlos repeatedly called their names. “What is the matter, Mavlos? Your call sounded urgent.”

“I know you just lost your parents again, but there is a nearby town where many are falling sick. They need a healer, and you are the only one for miles.” He looked at Chrissy.

“We will pack up some extra supplies and be on our way,” she replied.

The girls, now unhindered by the mysteries of their past and no longer in hiding, looked forward to whatever lay ahead of them. Maybe one day they would venture forth and see the great kingdoms of the east. For now, there were those in need of their aid. Maybe, one of those is you.

The End.