PART IV
Remora awoke still with everything quite blurry. He felt like he had been drinking ale for the last ten days, but without the happy memories. It was a surreal feeling, almost as if he was stuck between reality and the dream world. He slowly raised his hand and ran it down his face, feeling the distinct scar, he recalled the Griffin Slayer on top of him. Just as his memory crept back to him the hooded archer from the previous day stood over him.
‘Hey your Remora right? I’m sorry we couldnt get there sooner but Baron had to find me and Flare. My name is Evander. Got yourself in a little bit of trouble huh?
‘Wh..what? Where am I?’
‘We’ve managed to find a safe spot in the Ashram Grasses, Baron and Flare are on watch just a few yards from here’
Evander’s blonde hair and green eyes reminded him of Joshus, however he could sense the power and experience this paladin possessed. Remora recalled where he had seen his face before, in the hunting party that took down the Shadow dragon. His Elven bow rested on his back, as if part of him, although Remora was puzzled as to where his arrows were kept. They must have been concealed in his hooded cloak.
‘Rest now Remora, all four of us will set off in the morning, its going to be a tough day’
Just as the sun was beginning to break through the hazy skyline, Baron tapped Remora on the head
‘We gots to leave early no?’
Remora felt considerably better now that he had had rest. He stood up; his Fire Killer armour still gleamed in the light. He drew his tetra double edge; he cringed when he saw bits of the Griffin Slayer on his tip. Remora had his first proper chance to look at Flare, the mage that had helped rescue him when he was ambushed.
Flare was standing next to Baron talking. He was in a red cloak also with a hood that concealed much of his face. He looked big for a mage and a very experienced one. These fighters must have been the best to of took down the Shadow Dragon.
Without much of a pause the four set off into the Ashram Grasses. Many beasts prowled these lands and it was only a matter of time before Baron called to the rest of them as he drew his axe. This axe was almost the size of its wielder, and the force Baron could bring it down with could crush the skull of anything.
‘I think we might have company’
A few seconds later an orc type beast landed on Barons back and began to feast on his neck. He struggled and swung his body to shake the beast off him; as soon as he did they all knew what came next.
A great crunch could be heard, as Barons axe actually passed through the beasts skull, something told Remora that Baron had done some travelling alone previously. Flare then turned to Remora and asked for his Tetra blade.
‘What? Why the hell would you want my blade??’
‘Just pass it here, there’s a large group of Graunts up ahead and we could do without the confrontation.
Graunts were the ugliest creatures you could possibly find, they would eat any dead and rotten animal. Remora thought to himself they would probably eat their own %$!# if they felt slightly peckish.
Flare admired the tetra double blade then began to mutter a spell.
‘encactus mentay’
Gone.
Remora looked around puzzled, Flare was completely gone, nowhere to be seen. Although there was an occasional bit of air that reflected the light. Baron had already noticed this.
‘Flare, keep your blade low, its catching the light’
‘Ok’
Remora still could not see Flare, but he could certainly see the group of Graunts in the clearing, one of the group looked up and began to sniff quickly and the others followed suit. Although in a matter of seconds, there was a split second gleam in the air just before one of the Graunts moaned as it was sliced open. Another Graunts head simply came off, and in a couple of minutes there was a pile of divided up bodies of about seven Graunts.
Evander looked on admiringly as his companion proved his skill.
‘Sentay’
Flare appeared in front of Remora once more with a slight grin of satisfaction present on his face, he handed back Remoras Tetra blade. Blood covered the upper half of it, but it would only get bloody again if he cleaned it.
‘I spend years training and training to wield my weapon and you take it off me and slay all those Graunts with ease?’
‘Look, I spent years learning to wield the Swords, Axe’s, and bows. I wanted to learn how to physically fight before I started learning Dark magic. And it took me months of practise before I had learnt that invisibility spell well enough to use in combat. You have a lot to learn Remora, although I can sense you have already learnt a few spells yourself.’
‘Only some basic spells like added protection and mild healing’
‘Ask me when we have a spare moment, I can help you learn an advanced healing spell, it’s easy if you can do the mild healing one’
The group carried on walking through the thick grass and the occasional marshland, although something made Flare stop. Baron had felt it too, ahead in the distant was the first of three caves. Baron took out a notepad, which looked at least twenty years old. It read:
Cave I, Cave of Blood. Inhabitants: The Undead Hunter
Cave II, Cave of Trauma. Inhabitants: The Flaming Golem
Cave III, Cave of Etruria. Inhabitants: The Shadow Dragon
The first cave was only a kilometre or so away, Flare began muttering a long line of words, most of which made no sense to him. For at least a few minutes Flare had his eyes closed and his hands raised as he muttered these enchanted words, it was then that Remora acknowledged what he was doing.
The earth began to shake, and a gap appeared in the earth beneath Flare, the ground parted and he was left levitating above the growing hole. A giant hand reached out of the hole and began to climb up. Remora looked down. Moving underneath Flare was the greatest earth elemental he had ever seen, its Red eyes were burning with passion, it muttered a mighty roar before it knelt down below Flare and awaited its masters command.
Flare opened his eyes
‘Lets get moving’
