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  “Okay Charlie, the first thing I’m going to show you is how to use your instincts,” said Ted, who now carried his sword in a brown sheath on his back and no longer had the bandage wrapped around his arm wound as he began to give Charlie lessons on surviving through the deadly mission that lied ahead of him. “You’ll need to know how to be aware of your surroundings.”

  “Sounds simple enough,” replied Charlie. “Now I don’t have another sword, so we’ll have to take turns.”

  Charlie looked around the area. They were standing in a clearing deep in the woods where the sun was shining brightly, lighting up the area around them.

  “Now I’m going to let you wear the ring,” said Ted.

  “Okay,” replied Charlie confidently.

  “It’ll work against most enemies, but not when in groups.” He then handed Charlie the Blue Ring, and Charlie slipped it over his right hand.

  To his surprise, the ring magically sized to his finger. Weird, he thought.

  Ted then turned to Sheila, who was examining a nearby tree with claw marks on the side, and a dead gremlin was next to it. It looked like a fresh kill.

  “There’s definitely been something here,” she said aloud.

  “You’ll be our lookout, Sheila,” Ted told her. “Get somewhere high.”

  “Roger that, Teddy,” she replied, and she then let out her giant bat-like wings and lifted herself straight up to the tallest point of the tree she stood next to. She landed on one of the big branches, where she stayed, ready to look out for enemies.

  “Okay,” said Ted. “I’ve brought you right outside of enemy territory, Charlie.”

  Charlie nodded his head, acknowledging what Ted was telling him. He then briefly glanced at the Blue Sword Ted held out in front of him, tip pointed to the ground.

  “Just over that hill is a group of screechers, mean, fierce creatures that will attack any other living thing in sight,” said Ted. “They jump, claw, bite, and kill.”

  Charlie just got a little bit of unsettling in his chest. “And you’re sure I’m going to be able to do this?” he asked.

  “Charlie, after seeing what happened last night, I’m more than confident that you can get through this. And right now all you have to do is watch.”

  “Alright then, let’s do this.” “You ready?”

  “I’m ready.”

  “This way.”

  And they began to walk up to the hill, where the so- called screechers lie on the other side.

  As they neared the hill, surprisingly, the Blue Ring that Charlie was wearing started to shine, becoming a bright blue. “What’s happening?” he asked.

  “That right there is the first sign of an enemy. Come on, we’re almost there.”

  Charlie and Ted then finished climbing up the hill, and right before they reached the top Ted pointed out a giant rock.

  “Get down,” he said, and Charlie got down with him behind the big rock and then Ted quietly whispered, “Now what I want you to do is slowly look behind you and tell me how many enemies you can count.”

  Charlie took a deep breath, then slowly he turned his head around to see the enemies known as the screechers.

  What he saw was beyond belief... there were about six gray-skinned, hunched over creatures with ugly sloth-like faces, with long, pointy claws. They were huddled around something, clawing at it. It was a dead animal, a small creature of some sort.

  Charlie then turned his head back to Ted, breathing heavily, his heart racing.

  “How many?” whispered Ted.

  “Six or seven,” he replied, looking as if he was about to have a panic attack.

  “Calm down,” said Ted. “We’re yet a good distance away from them. Now I’m going to go down there. Alone. And what I want you to do is watch my every move. Can you do that, Charlie?”

  Charlie nodded.

  “Now screechers flee before wings,” said Ted. “That is why I have brought Sheila. So just watch carefully.” And he then took off running towards the group of screechers.

  As soon as they were aware of Ted’s presence, they all looked up and stared at him with evil grins on their faces, ready to fight back.

  Ted didn’t stop to hesitate. He raised his sword up high, and with a giant leap, he came crushing down into their territory. He landed directly in front of one and sliced its head off.

  One got ready to jump onto his back. Quickly turning around, he kicked his leg hard, kicked it away from him before it would attack him. He left his armed hand open to swing at the one to attack a second later, and wounded it.

  He then swung the sword upward, back-flipping away from the other three, one nearly about to attack him.

  Charlie watched from the rock at Ted’s moves, astonished at what he could do with the sword. That’s incredible, he thought.

  One dead, one wounded, one bruised, and three unharmed, Ted waited for the three closest to him to attack.

  As soon as the first one leaped towards him he kicked it, swung at the next one, slicing that one’s head off, and then jumped up on top of a small hill. The third one missed him.

  He ran towards the other end of the hill to where the injured screecher stood in pain and the bruised one next to it. He jumped down, kicked away the injured one and stabbed his sword straight down through the bruised one.

  He pulled his sword back out of its body, then before he could kill the injured one, the remaining two that were unharmed came up towards him.

  He quickly threw himself up behind the one farthest from him and stabbed it. He then kicked it off of his sword. Four down, two to go.

  He ran up to the last one unharmed, and killed it. One left.

  The injured one, the very first one he touched with the sword, was laying there screeching in pain.

  “Kill it already,” responded Charlie aloud. Just then, before Ted could react, about a dozen new screechers crept up over the small hill to see Ted watching the miserable one in pain.

  “Uh-oh,” he responded as he saw the dark shadow of a dozen screechers behind him, ready to attack.

  He turned around to see the group of them eyeballing him, and then the shadow of a winged creature appeared between them. The screechers took off, frightened.

  It was Sheila who had scared them off.

  The injured one was still trying to get away but it couldn’t.

  “Oh no, you don’t,” said Ted as soon as he heard its screech. He turned around and threw his sword at the creature, as if throwing a dart. It went right through the creature’s chest.

  The screecher dropped dead, the sword through its body. Its body slowly slid down the blade until it touched the ground.

  Charlie was impressed. He ran down to where Ted and Sheila stood, surrounded by six dead screechers, two headless. “That was impressive,” he commented.

  “Isn’t he?” responded Sheila.

  “You both are.”

  Ted then spoke up again. “One thing you should know is to always be prepared to kick before you swing, Charlie.” He walked up to the dead screecher with his sword through it. He reached down and pulled his sword out of its body, pushing down on its back with his foot. The sword came out, bloody.

  He then pulled out what appeared to be a small rag of some sort from his pocket to wipe the blade off. “Nasty little creature,” he said.

  He turned back to Charlie. “We’re taking this back to the hut, I’ll need you to help me carry him.”

  Half an hour later, Charlie, Ted and Sheila were all back at the hut. Sheila was outside sitting at the doorstep, and Ted and Charlie were standing out in the front. Rocky was still asleep on the sofa inside.

  Ted was setting up something using thick tree branches, making a sort of cross-shaped post by tying the branches together with a bamboo
-like material. The dead screecher was propped up against the post.

  Ted turned to Charlie. “Okay, now I’m going to let you hold the sword this time.”

  “Alright,” he replied. “Here,” said Ted as he handed Charlie the sword. “Now first, remember what I told you. Be prepared to kick before you swing. Now I want your back towards the screecher, and what you’re going to do is place the sword out in front of you, like this.”

  He imitated holding the sword with his back towards the screecher. “You’re going to just about swing, then swiftly turning your body, kick your leg out at the enemy, trailing the sword behind you in case of any others.” He then imitated doing both steps in one single move. Quick and incredible. “Now let’s see you try it.”

  Charlie turned his back towards the dead screecher. Swiftly, he kicked his leg around at the creature, then trailed his sword behind his kick. The blade stopped to rest at the edge of the post, and he had sliced the dead screecher’s arm off.

  “Perfect,” commented Ted. “Now let’s see you try it again, but this time after swinging your sword, quickly pull your sword up and out in front of you, and you should end up a few feet away from your enemies.”

  “Okay,” replied Charlie. “I’m not the greatest at back-flips, but I’ll do my best.”

  “You’re destined, Charlie, remember that,” he said as Charlie stood there with the sword out in front of him.

  “You keep saying that, but what makes you believe it’s true?”

  Ted didn’t answer him. “Just do what I ask.”

  Charlie turned his back again towards the screecher. He threw another kick and a swing, then while driving the sword blade upwards, he threw his body into a back-flip that the power of the sword provided him, and landed it. He stood there breathing heavily. Did I really just do that? He thought.

  “What did I tell you?” responded Ted.

  “Well I-I,” stuttered Charlie. He didn’t know what to say.

  Sheila was still watching from the doorstep of the hut. “Wow, Charlie,” she commented aloud.

  “Okay, now there’s just one thing I’d like you to improve on,” said Ted.

  “And what’s that?”

  “Try landing with more of a lower stance, with the sword out in front of you... and try taking perhaps a final swing. Let me see the sword.” He took the sword from Charlie. “Alright, so you’ve got your kick, swing, and then you stand your ground,” he said as he kicked, swung at thin air, then drove the blade upward, throwing himself backwards, higher than Charlie’s back-flip, then landed on his feet. He then made a final swing with the sword as he landed low with the blade out in front of him.

  “You’ve got this,” he said, and he then handed the sword back to Charlie, who took it.

  Charlie got ready to repeat the move one more time, this time adding the final swing at the end. He turned his back to the creature again.

  “Oh, and Charlie, also, this time try using more of an upper kick and swing at the enemy,” said Ted.

  “Alright.”

  Taking a deep breath, Charlie kicked his leg up and around at the dead screecher, this time aiming his kick higher on the creature’s chest. This time he sliced the head off. He then back-flipped higher than he has before, and landed with a final swing low to the ground. The perfect move. Perfected.

  “Outstanding,” commented Ted.

  Over the rest of the day, Ted brought Charlie out to fight enemies on his own. Screechers. He killed at least ten of them. Gremlins. They won’t even come around the forest anymore. And even another breed, dark furry beasts with long tails that live in the trees called furries.

  Charlie turned his back towards a tree as one of the creatures called a furrie slowly crept down it from behind. Swiftly he turned around and stabbed it. He pulled his blade out and quickly threw it before him like a dart at another, killing it.

  “Alright, Charlie, you’re ready,” responded Ted as he walked up to the dead furrie to examine it. “We’re going to the Black Cave tonight.”

  With these final words, they set out on their journey to the Black Cave.

  Apart from the fact that Muri has gone to the Lake of Souls to return Joe James to his body in the civilian world in order to get the Book of the Underground, Dultona was furious with Muri that the Hunter hasn’t returned with the boy yet.

  A minute later, Muri was facing the back of Dultona’s throne again. “I’ve returned, Dark Master,” he said.

  “All went well?”

  “Yes Master, the Soulkeeper plans to have the man returned to his body tonight.”

  “And the boy?”

  Muri went silent.

  “Muri!!” yelled the Dark Master.

  Muri shook nervously.

  “Where is he?!”

  “Master-I-I.”

  “No excuses Muri!! I’ve given you enough chances to prove yourself worthy!!” Dultona roared in anger.

  “Master, please, there is no doubt that the Hunter has found the boy.”

  “Then where is he??”

  “From what I’ve gathered, he is traveling with another human. The Hunter has been trained to call to the trees in time of need when a certain area is under circumstances of protection from enemies.

  “He would have had to have found help from another individual with the ownership of a Blue Ring or Sword in order to protect Charlie from harm. The trees would have continued to pull Charlie back to the castle. Therefore, I believe he is with an old acquaintance, one of the four humans who have tried to escape those years ago.”

  This was bad news for the Dark Master. “You will set out on foot with Bouldan and a few of his men within the next hour, take the portal to the Black Cave, and return with the boy and the others,” he ordered.

  “Yes, Master,” replied Muri.

  “And if you don’t return with the boy I will sentence you to the Room of Torture tomorrow afternoon, Muri,” threatened Dultona.

  “Yes, Dark Master. I’m on my way.”

  And with that Muri began to walk out of the room.

  Dultona stopped him. “Muri?”

  “Yes Master?” he replied, turning around.

  “Once you’ve captured them, you may free your dragon from the Black Cave. I believe he is imprisoned in the third task.”

  Muri grew a slight smile on his face. “Thank you, Master. I will return soon.” And he was off.

  Bouldan, who happened to be standing next to the front doors, was listening to the plan. He followed Muri out the doors and down the long narrow hallway on the other side. They were on their way to the Black Cave.

 

  Chapter 14