The smoke filled most of the landscape and the mighty Heartwood trees were billowing with it. A thick smell of burning meat overwhelmed the usual sweet smell of nectar and jasmine suckle that usually fill these lands. Crackling embers and screams drowned out the usual sounds of birds chirping and crickets playing their usual tunes.  It was utter chaos with death everywhere.

Three Duebacks stood over the three children, each laughing and waving their weapons around as if they were play fighting in the air. The blood and gore that was on the tips of the weapons flung this way and that, covering the children and surrounding area. All four of the kids cried and two of them covered their eyes. The sound of the town burning around them was crackling over their cries and the cheer of the men were dampened by those same flames. 

“We did it!” Dufandon shouted as began dancing around the children.He was a warrior and had tried three different times to take this town as it was a very rich town. His men had suffered a near complete loss the last time and thought it was foolish to come back, but this new champion of their leader came in and it looked quite possible. The rest of the clan had chosen to stay out of this fight, but those that were with him had seen their gamble pay off. The towns folk were either dead, captured or wishing they were dead. This small city had been defended by its champions for a hundred years without incident, but today these Duebacks had brought a champion of their own that could defeat the town’s champion. 

“I didn’t think he was going to win, but he certainly overcame that stupid old man. The city should have switched their champion years ago for someone much younger, but they kept their faith in that old fart. Now, they are ours! All Ours!” Dugragar shouted as his magical robes bounced around his dancing form. The children beneath him were going to be great sacrifices to his master and the riches within the town were going to allow him to retire from this stupid game for the rest of his life. “This is a great day! These children….”

“Are mine.” The voice came from behind them and was so thick, deep and horrid that all the dancing stopped.  All three men turned toward the voice. It was their champion and he stood extremely terrifying before them. He had a glowing green eyes and a silhouette that was formidable on its own, but matched with the overwhelming weapons and menacing face made grown men trimble. It was working perfectly on these three. “I did not come here for riches. I came here for them.”

“Wait, we get…” Dovonus started as he started to raise his spear, but Dufando stopped him quickly and put his left upper hand over the mans mouth. 

“They are yours.” Dufando stated.

“The master wants you to have them.” Dugragar stated as he stepped in front of the children and waved the champion on as he bowed before him.

“Good.” The Champion stated as his massive form stepped before the mage and pushed him to the side without actually touching him. The Champion’s body was muscle bound and organic metal. He was a Dalim and was rather aged since he was solo. His body had scars all over it from ancient battles and his body glowed slightly with green magic. Most Dalims couldn’t use magic of any sort, but a rare few could find a way around the rules. Dalims also used massive weapons, usually axes or hammers and this one was no exception as he had a massive hammer tied to his belt and a battle axe nearly his full six foot width on his back. He stood five foot four inches tall and the axe was slightly taller than him and cockeyed on his back. He looked formidable and vicious. “Move.”

Dovonus was forced to back up by Dufando and Dugragar simply moved away, staggering slightly. The three watched as the Dalim tied a magical rope round all four children and then forced them to their feet. He said nothing as he pulled them forward and marched past the mage. The children tried to struggle but the rope was impenetrable and they were far too weak to even put up a good fight.

The town around them was burning, the walls of every building were either crumbling, burning or destroyed and not one man still lived that wasn’t part of the gang that just took over the city. The fight between the Champions was amazing and lasted nearly two hours but finally the Dalim beheaded the old man and put it on a pike at the entrance to the city. The next thing their Champion did made all of their stomachs churn. He raised his hand and used some type of magic that infected the soldiers standing before him with Invilothon spores. They then grew within the bodies of the soldiers within seconds and began tearing their way out of their hosts and devouring their bodies while they were still alive. It was grotesque and amazing at the same time. Invilothon spores usually take months to grow and the victim has time to defeat them before they cut through the body, but these grew at an alarming rate. As the last soldier died, the Invilothon spores simply withered in place and became dust. It was horrid to hear the screams, but exciting to imagine the city being left to their devices.

Dugragar watched as the masters sacrifices were hauled away by the new champion and the screams of three woman were heard over the crackling and destruction. They were the mothers of these children and they were in a cage off to the left side of the street. The buildings here were small and the streets rather wide. This was very comforting for merchants and accommodating for circuses but defense of a town wasn’t considered when the layout was made. These people were stupid and foolish enough to put all of their defense into a single champion. This was their undoing.

The town still had its circled walls to defend the nights beasts, but the walls were only made to encircle the town and not truly to keep anything out of real significance. Walls that are sealed in a perfect sphere would keep any of the night creatures out because they were cursed and unable to enter where there are barriers but the walls could be of grass to keep them out. These walls were not much more than the grass that grew within the Colemanian Plains. The grass was sturdy and defensible but nothing that would be considered true walls. These people were truly fools.

“This is a great day!” Dovonus stated as he looked around the small town. He had killed five women and taken two as slaves, putting them in the cage beside the street. He had run through two men, but left them alive so that they could witness him raping and killing their wives. “And I will not give up my spoils. That man has to be out of steam by now. We can take him.” 

“What?” Dugragar asked, amazed at how stupid that thought sounded.

“We are not strong enough to take on a champion like that.”  Dufando stated as he turned to look Dovonus in the eye. “I know that you just got your horns in, but that champion is far too great a foe for the three of us. I am powerful with my sword, you with your spear and he with this magic, but that is a Dalim and we are not prepared to take one of those on. Not to mention, we don’t even know all of his abilities. I was watching the fight and saw him use many techniques and a few abilities, but never did I see him use magic. We just witnessed that he kept part of his abilities hidden from us. It would be foolish to challenge him without that information.” 

“So you are saying that you are a coward.” Dovonus grinned as his two mouth tusks forced slightly upward and looked like daggers from the sides of his mouth. He put his right upper fist to his chest while the lower one covered his groin, a symbol of cowardice toward those that see it is directed. “Just getting old?”

“I am not old!” Dufando shouted and then turned, drawing his blade and launching himself through the air at the Dalim walking away. 

Dovonus and Dugragar followed suit as Dononus shot into the air and threw his spear, while Dugragar began chanting a spell. As Dufando landed his attack on the Dalim’s back, his sword shattered into a thousand pieces. He slammed hard into the Dalim’s back and found the space that once held a female Dalim for a hundred years was now healed over and filled with the same organic metal that made up his body. Thus his back was three times thicker than his front and the metal was nigh impenetrable. 

“You dare?” The champion gruffed and turned, throwing Dufando off to the side.

Dufando fell directly into one of the broken buildings and his cape started on fire. He pulled it off and stood, just as the small dagger drove its way into his left eye and forced its way into his brain, killing him instantly and leaving a gape mouthed warrior standing for a second and then collapsing to the ground. 

“YOU!” Dugragar shouted as the spear Dovonus threw shattered against the Dalim’s chest. The champion waved the remains of the spear away and then threw something with such force that it actually broke the sound barrier. The axe was flinging end over end, but was going so fast that it appeared to simply be in a single position and a blur moving at lightning speed.  As it dug into and then through the chest of Dovonus there was a strange grunting sound and then pink splatter and thick blood splashed on Dugragar’s face as he stood there in shock.

Dugragar tried to think of the right spell, but nothing came to mind. Nothing at all came to mind other than the massive shock of seeing his friends die so easily. Then there was a thought, a fleeting thought that sprang into his mind as he turned his view from his falling friend and back to the Dalim. It was then that he saw the massive dagger flipping end over end and into his throat, instantly stopping him from speech and breath at the same time. Dugragar tried to pull at the blade, but it was buried so deep that he couldn’t pull it out without… without…he was staring at the morning sky as the air that was still in his lungs were forced out and into his throat which whistled through the gaping hole. A gurgling sound followed as the magic user tried to use one of his spells to bring forth healing, but he could neither focus on the spell to use, nor get the air needed to chant the spell. Instead, he grabbed his throat with both hands and tried to pull on the knife, but it was thoroughly embedded in his spine and wasn’t going to budge. If not for the adrenaline coursing through his blood, he wouldn’t even have the ability to pull once due to the pain that followed each attempt.

The Dalim watched as Dugragar struggled and then died before him. His cold eyes watched with disinterest and waited until the little man was no more. His reaction was nothing more than a shrug at the lives he just snuffed out, but the small crowd that now began forming saw this as a display of strength and power. Honor was all that the Dueback society understood and this Dalim now reached a pinnacle in their eyes, but this wasn’t the reason they all started gathering around the main square.

“You know it is rare that I venture to the outlaw side of Colemanian, usually keeping me and my people up in Cross Roads and under the areas that were conquered by Chris and his kin. I only come down here when there are true things that I must have. Such as my annual trip to this particular town to pickup my yearly stipends of pearls and Shomiage Bread. This is the only town that makes it.” A woman with long blond hair, brilliant green eyes and armor that looked like Melaney metal with its brilliant blues. She sparkled as she stood there but she stood alone and in this land that was more than foolish.

“You, woman, get out of my way!” The Champion shouted as he turned stopped and pulled the children behind him to protect them. His great axe was pulled and at the ready to his left, as there was no way a woman, of any stature, walked alone in these parts, unless they were extremely powerful or hiding some grand weapon. Neither of which appealed to him. “Kill her!”

The order came out to all the rest of the gang, which consisted of twenty Duebacks but also had two Xefelonians, five humans, and one Dark Rattle. Well, seventeen Duebacks now that the Champion had decided to end them. Those that were close enough to make a move right away started toward the woman as she simply stood there with no expression on her face. The first to grow close enough to attack was a Dueback warrior with two short swords and moved with such speed that he looked more like a dart flying across the ashen ground.

“Sorry, that doesn’t work on me.” The woman stated as she slapped him away as if he were nothing more than a gnat that came too close. The Dueback hit the ground and his body caught fire in an epic green blaze that lit the very ground around him and turned it into glass and his body to ash in less than a blink of the eye. His last sound was the stifled scream that only hit the air for a fleeting second before being snuffed into nothing, like his body. “Don’t do that again.”

The champions jaw dropped slightly as he witnessed the glass sheet that was left behind. He then looked at the woman and she was not moving at all, simply looking at her nails. He looked at two other Duebacks which were within striking distance, but had paused due to the scene before them. He motioned for them to attack and they stood for a second before starting their attacks.

The first, a Warrior with an axe and a small dagger, both of which were drenched in blood and gore from the many that he had killed only moments before. He looked at the woman and then dropped to an attacking position and darted toward her, but he was careful not to go directly at her, but rather stop a few steps before and he swung both weapons at her with all his force. 

The second, a magic user, which looked like a shaman, began casting a spell and drawing from his pool of magic to fulfill the necessary levels to manifest the spell. He was chanting quickly and moving his hands into intricate designs to increase the spells magnification. This was a trick that only a few magic types could use and that all aspired to, since it made simple spells become extremely powerful. 

The woman watched as the first approached and pulled a weapon out of what looked like thin air, as she deflected the sword into the axe and as such simply used the attackers own force against himself and sent him whirling to one side, while she threw a simple dagger into the air with perfect accuracy and as the magic user Dueback chanted, the tip of the dagger slipped directly between his teeth and into the back of his throat, severing his spine as it tore its way half through his neck. The hilt forced his mouth open and the tusk on his left was shattered by its metal ball while the one on the right forced the dagger sideways, cutting a larger hole into the back of his neck.

Staggered by his shifted attack, the warrior spun around and caught his footing, but nearly fell over from the inertia. He was surprised that she had been able to deflect both his weapons by simply hitting one, it was a master’s skill to do such a thing and most of those masters had been lost to time.

“Who…who are you?” The warrior asked. His eyes were wide and mouth agape as he stuttered the words.

“I was trained by Chris Melaney and we trained together for nearly twenty years. That little trick took me ten years to perfect. If you want to see more tricks, please, come at me.” She replied in loo of telling her name.

“Ch..Chris Melaney!” The warrior turned and looked at the Champion, not unsure of anything. If she had been trained by any Melaney, he didn’t want to mess with her, but if it were truly Chris, then he wanted to run…now! “I apologize for attacking you. I didn’t know.”

“There is no way she was trained by Chris Melaney. He wouldn’t train a woman.” A Xefelonian stated as he sprang up from what was left of a burning wall. She knew he was there and had been waiting on him to attack, but he did not use the element of surprise to try and take her down. It was out of the ordinary, but after her display, she figured that he was not going to chance her speed against his. “She is probably a noble that learned sword play from a master. That said, she will be of no match for me.”

Xefelonians are known for their ability to fight and can take on even Rattles at a pace of three to one rather than the five to one that most races have to keep their fights. Those that had been taken into one of the clans were trained in expert level fighting techniques and those that made it to age twenty were usually extremely skilled. Most did not live past the age of about thirty or fourty at the most. Though some have made it quite a ways. This one was probably fifteen or seventeen judging by his body language and stance.

“Try me if you will. I plan on killing you either way, for what you did to this town. As such, you might as well give it a good fight.” The woman stated, her weapon now eerily missing from view. She stood with one hand on her hip and the other hanging to her side. The royal robe that she were were made of silk and were very comfortable, but she wasn’t used to such comforts and kept pulling at them as they showed a little more cleavage and leg than she liked. However, she had traveled with a Zadrack to get here and the clothing was her’s, so she could not complain much. She was wearing a short skirt that was not quite mid thigh, made of the same silk as the low cut blouse that she also wore. She was wearing a long trench coat as well, which had some fluffy animal at the top of it, which she hated, but didn’t want to offend the owner. She was in a pair of sandals which were actually very comfortable and she was wearing no bra, which annoyed her, but not as much as the panties which were nothing more than a small sliver of cloth that kept riding up her butt. She truly hated the clothes, but she was also a true diplomat. Either way, this was not the place for the clothes she was wearing.

The magic user finally hit the ground as he had stood there, choking on his own blood and trying to figure out why his body didn’t want to comply with his orders for a long while before gravity finally overtook his ability to sway and he fell forward onto the blade. The splashing blood sound would have been grotesque if anyone could have heard it over the other sounds in the area.

“It is midday and I grow weary of standing here under the blazing glow of Gamora. Make your move or simply die where you stand. Your choice.” She announced as she looked directly at the Xefelonian and then pointed to the lone moon within the sky as if to emphasize what she was saying.

He moved so quick that the human eye would have seen only a blur and his movements were so near perfect that he would have seemed invisible to the naked eye. The woman, however, wasn’t a human and had no issue with following his movements. As the boy lashed out with his daggers, throwing them precisely at her heart, she deflected the first one, bouncing it into the second and and both were thrown skittering across the ground in the other direction. The third dagger she caught in her hand and twirled it around a second before launching it directly in front of the boy’s path, forcing him to try and alter his direction at the last minute to get out of the way and only when the large bastard sword caught him in the chest and ran him through did he see his companion walking up with the bastard sword strung over his shoulder and protruding a great deal to his left, which was perfectly centered with were the boy was running. 

“That’s…that’s impossible.” The boy’s last words were neither profound nor funny. They would be lost to time.

Two Duebacks attacked next, but neither made it within striking distance before she simply killed them with similar daggers to the one she had thrown at the magic user. It was as if she were bored by their presence and annoyed by them wasting her time. She then leveled her gaze at the champion, who was tying his catches off to a post to ensure they would not get away while he fought the woman.

“You picked a bad day to come here, woman. I am going to kill you now. First, however, My name is Dethlovian Degnoth, the lone pupil of Battle Ax. My skin is easily as hard as his and my magic makes me a god-slayer in my own right. Who is it that I am about to kill?” The champion stated, more to strike fear into his foe than to actually announce his true name. He actually only knew Battle Ax is passing and they had shared a drink once, but throwing a name around like that was enough to scare most of the populace as Battle Ax was one of the most revered hunters on the probe.

“I apologize, where are my manners?” The woman bowed low and allowed her hair to cover her entire face as she did so. She cleared her throat and with her head down she stated, “I am Queen of Shenor and Daughter of Thurgood Donagun. My name is Queen Lara Donagun but everyone knows me as Queenie, Conqueror of Nations. You can call me Queenie or Ma’am.”

The others of the gang instantly started looking for a way to get away or hide while the champion nearly stopped breathing. If this woman were whom she stated to be, then this fight was just shy of unwinnable. Given a chance, he would rather fight with Battle Ax than the Conqueror Queen, but if this were her, then she would not have come to this, or any town without a royal complement. And on Colemanian, the royal complement would be the Reachers. If that were the case, then they were far more than screwed, they were dead.

“Is that truly your name?” The champion asked, he was quietly drawing mana into his pool from the dying or dead around them, converting as much of it into his pool as he could and drawing as much into himself as possible for a spell that would hopefully allow him to get away. 

“That is truly her name.” A man’s voice stated to the champion’s left. He turned and there, on a broken wall was a man that looked more like seven massive hives of bees all swarming under a cloak and a few escaping here and there. His voice was ominous and deep and sounded like it came from a thousand mouths all at once. “She announces true.”

“Yes, that is truly her name.” Another man stated to the champion’s right, this man was short, hovering over the burning ground about three inches and holding one of the Duebacks from escaping the area. This little man was purple, with an outfit that was deep blue and near skin tight. He was wearing a metal helmet and his brilliant red eyes glowed like two lanterns in the midday shadows. If the champion wasn’t wrong, this was most definitely Raycore, the direct defender of Cross Roads and the Champion of every city among the Chris-line coast which made up the old empire of Chris Melaney. This man could take on a god-slayer in truth, and has.

“She is under the protection of the Reachers and as such you have attacked the Reachers.” Another voice started from behind the Queen. This person was in a suit of pure diamond amor that covered every portion of his body and looked like that of a Praying Mantis, one of the most feared and revered insects of the time. Praying Mantis, as he was called, was the leader of the Reachers and an incredibly powerful person known for his military strategy and his ability to outthink virtually anyone on a battlefield or in a fight. “All of you lay down your arms, or face off with us.”

“Please, don’t lay down your arms.” A man stated as he walked up behind two of the Duebacks that were slowly moving toward a burning pile that would hide their escape. This man was completely black and only his eyes were glowing green, but the rest of his body was nothing more than a silhouette. It was as if he were Death Stalker directly and the only being on the probe that had that ability was Total Darkness, the strong arm of the Reachers and one of the most powerful Black Magic users of all time. “I would love a workout.”

“We can not fight you. We are not in your league.” Dethlovian stated, but he did not drop his axe. He knew that if they were going to attack, there was nothing he would be able to do to stop them and his best attack would be nothing more than a crumpled paper thrown at their armor. He would not, however, go down without a fight.

“You mean like the people of this town to you?” Queenie asked as she stepped forward. It was only in her moving forward that Dethlovian noticed the man standing behind her. He wasn’t certain if the man had been there the entire time or had teleported there from somewhere else, but he knew who he was looking at and he began to sweat.

“Queenie here is saying that we should not give you mercy since you did not show any of them mercy.” The man stated as he stepped out from behind her to show his complete form. He was six foot two or so and had long blond hair. If Dethlovian was correct, this man was known as Repellor and was a strange being that never seemed to stay down when attacked. He had fought god-slayers as well, but a couple at a time. No one truly knows his powers but all were weary of them. He and Total Darkness are stated to be brothers, but he didn’t see how.

“We will not surrender!” The Dueback in front of Total Darkness shouted as he turned and sliced into the thin air where Total Darkness had been standing. Then he felt a presence behind him as the blade cut through his back and into his right lung. 

“I’m fine with that.” Total Darkness agreed as he turned his fist and the blade within the Dueback’s back twisted, leaving the Dueback gurgling and writhing in pain. He struggled a second and then went limp. “Are you going to fight as well?”

The Dueback that was standing to Total Darkness’ right looked shocked and turned slightly white before gaining back his composure. He narrowed his eyes and looked upon the black silhouette with new resolve. He was definitely going to fight and thought he might have a chance. He was rather wrong.

Turning, spear in hand, the Dueback tried to slam the head of the spear into the silhouette’s back, but all he met was the back of the Dueback, which forced his spear down as the body went limp and he tried to pull the spear free, but he had used so much force that it had pierced through the chest and would not easily release. He tugged twice to get it free, but it was not budging. He started to put a foot on the carcass and press down, but then realized that there was someone directly behind him.

“You should drop weapons that are no longer viable in battle. Never take the time to retrieve something when you are in battle or you will leave yourself wide open.” Total Darkness stated as the Dueback felt the small dagger rip through his skin and into his chest. The heart that was beating only moments before stopped short as blood spattered through the front of his chest. “A lesson learned the hard way.”

The rest of the Duebacks each met a similar fate at the hands of different members of the Reachers. Each one died so quickly that the entire ordeal took less than a couple of minutes to complete. All save the Dark Rattle and the Dalim were now dead on the field and the people they were killing or taking prisoner were either fleeing or crying in place. 

“Is there going to be a fight between us, or are you simply going to surrender to your fate?”  Queenie asked of the Dalim, who had been eyeing only her and avoiding looking at anyone else. He didn’t want to get the attention of anyone else. At least with her he might have a chance, but with her he may be able to win and with that win gain his life.

“If I fight and win against you, do I go free?” Dethlovian asked as he looked at Praying Mantis for the first time. He knew that Praying Mantis was in charge of the Reachers and would be the person to talk with on any negotiations. He hoped that they would at least give him a fighting chance.

“Queenie is the one to ask on that. This was her adventure, not mine.” Praying Mantis’ strange metallic voice was hollow as if some robot were talking. 

“I agree to those terms. If you defeat me, that means kill me outright, then these men will allow you to leave without any issues.” Queenie agreed as she nodded toward Praying Mantis who agreed to the order and every one of the Reachers stopped in place and made no moves toward either the Dark Rattle or the Dalim.

“What of the female in your group?” Dethlovian asked, knowing that there was a woman that traveled within the Reachers and not wanting to be tricked in the end.

“Faith will do nothing either. She is here, but she will stay hidden until this is over. Either way, if you live, we will allow you to walk out of here without any attack. Further, if you win, you can also leave with whatever treasure you have found here.” Mantis explained.

“Without the children, though. I will not allow you to leave here with the children. Not alive, anyway.” Repellor stated flatly as he picked up a rock and began throwing it high into the air and letting it hit him in the face, over and over again. It was almost comical to watch.

“Agreed.” Dethlovian agreed as he threw his great axe directly at Queenie’s head. It hurled with such force that it would have easily beheaded even a Dalim, but he wanted to ensure that he would win and fired off the spell he had readied only moments before. He had originally wanted to use “Wall of Overgrowth” which would have allowed him to run, but since running was no longer an option, he changed the magic to spell to “Cannon’s Heart”, which would make it so that anything he aimed it at that was already moving would gain double its damage and double its speed. He hoped it would be enough.

“Amazing.” Queenie was watching the axe coming at her and pulled forth her energy and pushed her hand forward as if to catch the axe. The axe, after coming in contact with her energy dissolved into nothing more than a metal goo that broke the entire thing down as it splattered to either side of Queenie and onto the ground behind her. Mantis had already vanished from sight. 

“You..you.” Dethlovian was so confused that nothing even touched her that he was in a state of shock. He had seen that same attack bring down Mage Worms in the field, but she batted it away as if it were nothing more than a small spout of water. “How?”

“My turn.” Queenie stated as she turned her hand toward him and an energy rocketed out of her fist with such speed and force that it flowed through his body as if it were nothing more than paper being ripped through by a very sharp knife. He tried to move, tried to stop the pain, tried to do anything, but the gaping hole in the center of his chest had gone all the way through his spine, leaving him paralyzed and in shock. “Was that too much?” 

“I think that he has lost.” Mantis stated, floating in the air about twenty feet above them.

“Oh. That’s upsetting, I thought that we would have a real fight. A Dalim with magic should have been able to at least defend against a single shot. Thought he would use some magic to defend it or something, but there was nothing. I feel cheated.” Queenie wasn’t acting, she was actually annoyed with how quickly this had finished.

“I apologize, maybe the Dark Rattle will be a better fight.” Repellor stated as he turned toward the Dark Rattle that was standing just outside of the destruction area. 

“I would put up no better fight than the Dalim. Of that I can assure you with the amount of power I see within you. I can fight you if you wish, but I would rather leave here without being killed.” The Rattle explained. He was about four foot five inches tall and his black scales were covered in dust. His long nose had blood on it from one or another death he had dealt to one of the towns people. His claws still had skin under them with blood dripping from his fingers. He was standing there in Rattilian Battle armor which consisted of an arm shield and a shoulder guard and nothing else. The fact that he wore them at all meant that he was disgraced in his home village. “Shall we fight?” 

“I don’t think so. If you are not going to put up a better fight, then I would rather just get the things that we were here for and leave. I leave your fate in the hands of the Reachers.” Queenie explained as she walked over to the children and released them from their shackles. She then walked slowly over to one of the towns folk and removed the ropes that she was tied with. The woman was young and had been molested in one way or another by the looks of her outfit and the way she shied away, but she would know what was going on in the village and would be able to answer her questions. “Please let me know where Vethanu Bogolu’s shop would have been. Maybe he is still alive.” 

“Vethanu…Bogolu?” The woman looked confused and her long black hair, though cinged, was gorgeous and Queenie admired the beauty she held even in such a strange time. “Venthanu’s shop is in Gramdia.” 

“Right. Gramdia. So where is the shop?” Queenie asked again, now confused.

“This town is Goliad.” The woman explained as looked up at Queenie. Her eyes were beautiful and a lovely brown. Queenie was mesmerized for a moment, until she realized what the woman ment. 

“Wait, this isn’t Gramdia?” Queenie hoped she had heard her wrong.

“No. This is Goliad.” The woman countered.

“Well, isn’t that funny. We were in the wrong place all along. Guess that is just the way things go. Thank you peasant girl and I apologize for taking up your time. Mantis, we need to travel to the Northwest to get to the town. My apologize, I thought this was the place.” Queenie stated as she turned and walked out of the town as if there was nothing going on around her. 

“Understood, miss.” Mantis stated. “Reachers, finish this and lets get a move on.” 

“Agreed.” Faith stated as she stepped into view from behind some of the debris. She then twisted her hand into some sort of strange symbols a couple of times as she threw a spell at the Dark Ratle. The Rattle vanished from view and then was no longer anywhere Goliad. He counted himself lucky, even though he was hundreds of miles from his home. At least he was alive.

A sound behind him caught the Dark Rattles attention as he looked into the darkness of the cave he was standing. His night vision cut through the darkness much less than he was used to, but he didn’t need to see to know what he was hearing as the metallic “Tink-Tink-Tink” told him that he luck was no longer holding to be good. For he was in the great mountain known as Mt. Spidrix and he was far enough in the mountain to come into contact with the Spidrix themselves. He would be lucky to get out of this without being eaten, or at the vary least, alive. It was going to be an interesting day after all.