Sara cocked an eyebrow. “I see my reputation precedes me.”
“I'm sure!” Gillan laughed.
“We've all heard of how cunning the Guardians can be,” Kamala said. “There are stories of how a small group of you once disguised yourselves and spied on us for several days. That’s why no one is allowed to wear their mask in the city anymore.”
Sara was stunned. “Really? I never heard of any assignment like that. Did you catch them?”
“No, they escaped, or that’s what they say. I don't know how we would survive without our ability to control the elements.”
“Can I see that?” Sara asked.
Slowing her pace, Kamala looked to the ground. With a wave of her hand, a melon-sized rock quickly floated over and hovered in mid-air just in front of her. “My caste, the Komodo, can control the earth.”
“I've heard.” Sara said. “The Typhon can control fire. The Draco, air. And the Leviathan-”
“Water,” Gillan said, forming a perfect, floating sphere of water in the palm of his hand.
Sara looked in awe. “Wait a minute. Where did that water come from? I thought you had to be within a certain distance.”
“Believe it or not, it's in the air all around you,” Gillan said. “In small amounts, of course.”
“Well, good to know dehydration won't be a problem,” Sara said, opening her canteen and holding it out for Gillan to place the water in.
Kamala cast the rock aside. “Of course, we have limits. Much like the Vesuvians, our level of control depends on the amount of practice.”
“At least you don't need to drink blood,” Sara said.
Kamala and Gillan cringed at the thought.
The group passed the boundary of the city. Several yards away was an outcrop of boulders surrounding the entrance to an underground tunnel.
“Oy!” A Vesuvian cried out, running towards the group with Caycee right behind him.
“Darek?!” Leon said. “What are you doing?”
“We're coming with, lad,” Darek answered.
Caycee was a little bit more dressed up, armed with a bow and arrows, and a rapier.
“I never would have figured you for an archer.” Sara said passively.
Caycee held her arms out and bowed. “In case you haven't heard, the Siena are the greatest archers in the world.”
Leon scratched his head. “By the time we get to the Shadow Realm, we're going to have an army.”
Darek grabbed Leon by the shoulder. “Why do you always want to go it alone?”
“The fewer people I have to worry about, the better,” Leon replied. “I'm going to take the lead, you cover the back.”
“Sure thing,” Darek said.
“Sara,” Leon called. “It’s going to be dark.”
Sara quickly gathered the material and used her flint to light the torches. In the cave, she could only see a few yards in front of her.
At first the cave was short and narrow, but after several minutes, they came to sections that were as large as several houses and some that were absolutely enormous. Openings in the earth allowed for some extra light.
Sara was near the back of the group by Caycee and Darek. “Do you use this cave often?” she asked.
“Not anymore, really,” Caycee said. “It's part of a much bigger system. There are dozens of ways in and out.”
“You could move an army through these caves,” Darek said.
After several hours, they came to a huge area with an amazing waterfall. A short distance further was a campsite with several large piles of wood strewn about.
“We'll rest here,” Leon said.
The group setup a small campfire and told stories.
“So there we were,” Gillan spoke. “The Typhon against the Leviathan. It was the final match to see who would be the grand champion. Fire against water!”
Kamala laughed. “You're never going to let it go, are you? You just love telling this story.”
“It's a good story!” Gillan insisted. “Anyways, the Typhon had to melt the Leviathan Glacier, and we had to stop the Typhon Komigi eruption. The Typhon were spitting their fire all over the place, pretty much engulfing the whole thing. We called up a huge storm around the mountain. Both sides were going at it for almost four minutes until-”
Kamala couldn't resist. “Until Gillan thought it would be a good idea to take the Glacier and cap the Komigi with it!”
Gillan pumped both fists in the air. “We won!”
“Please!” Kamala waved.
“I got bonus points for originality!”
“If ever there was a cheat.”
“Hey, the Typhon could have just as easily used Komigi to melt the Glacier.”
Kamala turned to Sara. “It caused the biggest uproar in the history of the Element Games.”
Several in the group laughed.
“It sounds like your people are very powerful,” said Sara.
“Young Gillan here is considered something of a prodigy actually,” Kamala said.
Janah snickered. “Tell Sara about your Hybrid.”
Nedim groaned tiredly and lied down.
“Hybrid?” Sara wondered.
“A famous Khothu legend,” Gillan answered.
“My kind likes to tell stories about one who mastered all the elements,” Kamala said.
“It's hard enough learning one element, let alone four,” Gillan added.
Kamala nodded. “But it's becoming very common to find Khothu that can control two elements fluently. And there are a few old ones that know three.”
“Wow.” Sara said. “A Hybrid would be very powerful.”
“That's what makes it a legend.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The group was on the move next morning.
Sara walked in back with Caycee and Darek.
Caycee, with her power of intuition, knew something was on Sara's mind and asked. “What are you curious about?”
Slightly unnerved, Sara stopped, allowing most of the group up front to move on before continuing. “Leon,” she answered.
“What about him?”
“He said he belongs to all of the Houses, but I don't see how that's possible.”
“Intriguing, isn't it?” Darek said.
“Don't worry,” Caycee said. “It's understandable. Leon isn't a Vesuvian like us. He wasn't born as much as he was created.”
“What do you mean?” Sara asked.
“When the Pelasgians invaded Rhea, it wasn't enough that they outnumbered us. They had a group of three warriors called Myrmidons. No one could stand against them. The Council didn't want to risk their lives, so they came up with the idea of creating a special Vesuvian.”
“Leon?” Sara asked.
“Yes,” Caycee said. “Blood was taken from each member of the Council. Alexia used her power to create Leon, but...I mean...not to say that it backfired. The thing is that he kinda turned out to be a better weapon against his own people. Some of his powers are similar to the Houses', but he has other abilities that defy what should be possible for even the strongest Vesuvian.”
Sara was definitely intrigued. “Like what?” she asked.
“Sunlight, for instance. It would kill any other Vesuvian almost immediately, but it doesn't affect him, and there's rumors that he can control it.”
Darek laughed. “They call it the Vesuvian Starlight. But I think Leon was just messin’ 'round in his house, and that’s if it really happened, which I doubt. If you ask me, the Turin slipped up.”
“No way,” Caycee said. “Marus insisted that there was no break in the cloud, and there are a few people who claim they not only saw it come from Leon’s house, but they were actually burned by it.”
Darek shook his head. “Too bad our bodies quickly heal; else they might have been able to prove it.”
Sara asked. “So what exactly went wrong with Leon?”
“No one knows.” Caycee answered. “He fought the Myrmidons several times, but he could never beat them.”
/>
“Then why not make more Vesuvians like Leon?”
“There's no way that'll ever happen.” Caycee said. “It's his power, the Council is afraid of it. Why make it worse? Besides, when the Pelasgians backed off, the Council had no use for Leon, so they put him in charge of making sure no one ran off in the middle of the night making bedtime visits.”
“Are you afraid of him?” Sara asked.
“Nah,” Darek answered. “He's a good bloke.”
“Admired by the young, resented by the old,” Caycee added.
The group emerged from the cave into a large canyon with a fast flowing river, until only Caycee and Darek were left.
“Oy!” Darek cried.
“We're stuck here 'til the sun passes,” Caycee said.
Leon threw his head back in frustration.
Darek shook his head. “And here I thought you had a plan.”
“I did!” Leon retorted. “It just didn't include you two.”
Sulking against the cave wall, Darek said. “Walk slow.”
Sara observed the sun's position. “Either way we go it won't be safe to come out until the sun sets.”
“We need to move on.” Leon said. “Caycee, you know the way so catch up as soon as you can. Kamala, Gillan, bring up the rear.”
Several hours passed as the group made its way through the canyon.
Walking with Leon, Sara asked. “Do you ever get nervous about what you might run into?”
“Not really. You?”
“I find this kind of exciting. I never thought I'd be on an assignment with a bunch of Rheans.”
“I've got a feeling this won't be the last time.”
“I hope so,” Sara said. “Any other assignment would pale in comparison.”
“Any other assignment would be a whole lot safer than this one,” said Leon.
“True, but being a Ranger isn't exactly the safest job.” Sara said, nimbly following Leon around a few large rocks. “I've been meaning to ask how you learned to fight. You're like a warrior monk from the Synchin Mountains.”
“The Turin,” Leon answered. “They may not look it, but when it comes to skill – they're the best.”
At that moment three large people emerged from around several rocks ahead of the group: two male, one female. Each was at least seven feet tall and muscular. Their clothing was unkempt and their skin had a decayed appearance.
“Prometheans,” Leon said, concerned.
Sara reached for her equinox.
“No,” Leon whispered sternly.
Janah came up behind Sara. “Whatever you do, don't do anything hostile. These guys hate everyone and love to fight.”
The Prometheans, Arloff, Lugos and Elsa, approached the group. As they got closer, they spread themselves out to block anyone from going anywhere but back.
“Leave this place,” Arloff demanded.
Leon spoke. “We're not here to fight, but we have to move on.”
“No one is allowed to trespass!” Arloff said.
“Please,” Nedim pleaded. “We are trying to stop the invasion in the Netherworld.”
“Which means we're trying to help you,” Leon said.
“No!” Arloff growled. “We may be dead, but this is still our land. We don't need your help!”
“We need to get to the Netherworld.” said Leon. “Your portal is the only one we know of.”
Arloff's naturally menacing look became even more so when he asked. “You want to go to the Netherworld?”
Leon stepped back. “Yeah, but-”
“Then I'll send you there!” Arloff yelled as he swung at Leon, who just barely managed to get out of the way.
Nedim, unable to react fast enough, was grazed by Arloff's forearm, knocking him unconscious.
Elsa charged in.
“Move!” Janah said, she and Sara jumping in different directions to avoid the attack.
Lugos went after Kamala and Gillan.
Using her ability to control the earth, Kamala launched a horse-size rock at Lugos, only for him to crash through it without stopping.
“Oh!” Gillan said, astonished.
Lugos came within a few feet when Kamala opened a crack in the ground big enough for him trip over, though he quickly got back up, growling in anger.
Arloff's frustration grew with each attempt to hit Leon. Every swing either missed or shattered rock.
Leon took the first chance he had to land a series of hard blows to the gut with no effect.
Arloff quickly seized Leon and violently threw him, but Leon landed on the canyon wall like a fly and counter-attacked with a kick to Arloff’s face.
Sara and Janah took turns attacking Elsa from different angles. Their weapons slashed and pierced the skin with some difficulty, accomplishing little besides making her increasingly angry.
“I could use a little help here!” Kamala cried out, desperately launching everything she could to stop Lugos, only to have every pebble and rock simply bounce or crumble against his body.
Gillan drew forth a powerful stream of water from the river, sweeping Lugos off his feet.
The impact of a large Promethean hitting the ground threw plenty of debris around.
Sara, backpedaling away from Elsa at that moment, slipped and fell.
Without hesitation, Janah jumped on Elsa's back and tried to choke her with one arm while blinding her with the other, giving Sara the chance she needed to get back up and out of the way.
Arloff was being taken apart piece by piece with every slash from Leon's sword. The first things to go were his right hand and left arm, but even then, he attacked relentlessly with his legs – until Leon cut those off too, leaving Arloff an undead pile of limbs.
Elsa stumbled around with Janah holding tight.
Sara jumped in driving her equinox into Elsa's gut. The blade exited out her back, narrowly missing Janah's legs.
“Whoa!” Janah hollered.
Elsa, partially blinded, managed to grab hold of Sara while inadvertently falling into the river.
Unable to help, Leon yelled. “Gillan!”
Seeing the women being swept downriver, Gillan immediately jumped in.
Lugos turned his full attention to Kamala. Standing only a few yards away, he was about to make his move when a yellow ball of energy burst through his torso, causing so much damage his body simply couldn't function and collapsed.
It was then Kamala saw Nedim standing with yellow smoke emanating from his hand.
Gillan moved through the water with incredible speed. After easily catching up with Sara and Janah, he grabbed both and used his abilities to wash them ashore.
After catching their breath, Sara and Janah were back on their feet.
Leon stood by. “You two okay?”
Janah gave a thumbs-up.
“Thanks, Gillan.” Sara said exhausted. She holstered her equinox. “Geez, I hope we don't run into those guys again.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Night fell. Moving with a sense of purpose, the group had found its way out of the canyon. Now, with their hooded cloaks on, they were on rocky terrain that was uneven and littered with dead trees. Light rain and fog set in, making it slightly difficult to see.
Leon was some distance ahead making sure there were no surprises waiting for the group.
Sara, Kamala and Nedim worked together through the dead forest’s maze of trees, bull-size rocks and thick brush. Further behind, Gillan and Janah made sure nothing was following them.
Kamala struggled up an incline. “I hope it's not much further.”
Sara took hold of Kamala's arm to help. “After that run-in with those guys back there I don't see the hurry. Isn't it their city we're going to?”
“Yeah,” Kamala said. “It should be mostly abandoned, but with everything that's going on I wouldn't be surprised to be surprised.”
“So what's their deal?” Sara asked.
“Long story short, the Pelasgians wiped them out. We're in what used to be thei
r land.”
“That big, ugly guy made it sound like it still is.”
“Their portal lets them come back whenever they want. No one even knew what happened to them until after the war, and everyone agrees this land is even less safe now that they’re undead. The Fenrir around here know that better than anyone.”
Sara became somewhat anxious. “Fenrir? You don’t think we’ll run into one, do you?”
“Out here? I can’t believe we haven't ran into a whole pack of them yet,” Kamala said.
A howl could be heard not far off in the distance, followed by what sounded like a small explosion.
Leon crouched by a large rock and waved for the group to catch up. Everyone scampered over to him as quick as possible.
“I was hoping to avoid these guys,” said Janah.
“We might be able to,” Leon said. “It sounds like someone is fighting. It's a little hard to see, but the city is right in front of us. We just have to lay low and stick close together.”
Leon led the way past several rocks and trees. As they got closer to the city, its ruins began to show through the fog. The sounds of grunting and growling could be heard, along with the occasional cracking of stone and smashing of glass.
The group ducked into the nearest building.
“Everyone against the wall,” Leon instructed. “Stay away from the windows.”
“It sounds like there are a lot of them,” Nedim said.
“There's a way out back that should take us to an alley,” Leon said. “We can use it to get most of the way there.”
“Now wait just a minute,” Sara demanded. “How far is it?”
“Don't worry,” Leon assured. “If we're where I think we are, it should just be a few minutes away.”
The building suddenly shook.
“This way,” Leon said, heading towards the back.
Running down the alley, Sara looked between the buildings as she passed and caught glimpses of the battle.
The group came to a halt at an intersection with a street. Huddling against the wall, they looked on as a Promethean and three Fenrir were in a standoff.
The Fenrir were vicious little things that looked like a cross between a wolf and a chimpanzee. Their attire consisted of clothing that exposed their arms and lower legs; along with earrings, bracelets and necklaces. “Go back where you belong!” one of them growled.
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