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  After a few minutes of rest, Charlie and Ted were ready to enter the next room of the Black Cave. It was time to begin the next task.

  “You ready?” asked Ted.

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Come on.” Ted got up from the bench and stepped up to the big door next to them. “You first.”

  Charlie first entered the next room in the cave, which was completely dark except for one particular spot in the center of the room, where a blue light shot straight up from what appeared to be a sword. He already had his Blue Ring, and now he just needed a sword. Charlie’s very own sword.

  Time to kick some butt, he thought.

  Ted stepped up beside him. “This is your chance to prove yourself worthy of your destiny that lies ahead, Charlie,” he said.

  The creepy voice of the cave keeper then returned again. “You’ve made it to the next task...you must retrieve the sword from the stone and once it is in your hands you will fight until every last one is no more.”

  All around the room Charlie and Ted could hear strange noises as if a million eyes were watching him. Strange, demonic whispers were heard from nearby, circling them.

  “Charlie, I’m ready whenever you are,” said Ted, removing his sword from his sheath, preparing to fight whatever was in the room with them.

  “I’m ready,” said Charlie as he went to grab the sword from the stone under the blue light.

  He took a deep breath and walked slowly towards the sword.

  He then slowly picked up the sword from what appeared to be a glimmering blue stone, examining it as he did. Finally, Charlie had a sword of his own in his hands.

  Suddenly the light from the stone began to grow brighter, lighting up the entire room with the blue light. And what appeared to be about fifty hunched over, slender black creatures with sharp, pointy fangs and pointy ears stood there around the room, waiting eagerly to bite into their dinner.

  “Charlie, NOW!” ordered Ted as a creature leaped towards him, and more followed.

  Ted swung his sword at the few creatures that first attempted to attack him, slicing off their vampire-like heads, and continued to swing at whatever bloodsucker tried to attack.

  Charlie then began doing the same.

  One of the creatures leaped towards Charlie, who swiftly stabbed it with his sword, then turned and sliced through three or four in a row right off the bat.

  There was no time to plan their moves. It was swing or die.

  Ted swung at another bloodsucker, then elbowed one from behind. He then turned and killed one next to him, then back-flipped and performed a similar method.

  Charlie stabbed one then turned around, kicked one from behind, his sword trailing with his kick, and stabbed another. He then back-flipped and landed low like Ted had taught him. He then swiftly sliced one’s head completely off and kicked another away from him.

  The two were now on a roll as they diced and sliced every one of them as more and more came out of the darkness at them.

  Charlie was surprised at how capable he was at kicking bloodsucker butt. He used whatever moves he could, soon becoming completely fearless as he realized that he’s already killed at least a dozen of the creatures.

  Ted as well continued to swing his sword, already had killed about the same as Charlie. About half of them were down now.

  One leaped up behind Ted as he was taking out another couple of the bloodsuckers, and grabbed a hold of him. The thing let back its face, opened its mouth extra wide, and bared its teeth. Saliva began dripping down the bloodsucker’s two long and sharp fangs that resembled a vampire’s.

  The creature just about sunk its teeth into the back of Ted’s neck when Charlie grabbed the creature and threw it off of him with his bare hands, throwing it at a couple others. He then turned and killed one that was leaping into the air at him.

  Ted stabbed one that was about to attack Charlie next to him, then turned to stab another behind him.

  Charlie literally then made a brave move and back- flipped into the center of the group of bloodsuckers huddled around the few that got wiped out and with one swift swipe of his sword, he cut through four of them.

  Two then leaped up onto him, and he flipped back the other way again, taking them with him.

  One fell off of him, which was then killed by Ted. Charlie threw the other one off of him and stabbed it.

  Ted stabbed one straight through its face and out the back of its head that was just about to fly directly at his face, pulling his sword back out of it and then turned to notice that there were only two bloodsuckers left.

  Charlie stabbed one and Ted got the other one.

  The two final bloodsuckers then collapsed in place to the floor of the room they were standing in. They were now surrounded by what were a bunch of dead bloodsuckers laying around the room. The room was clear.

  Charlie couldn’t believe his eyes. He had just killed at least twenty of the creatures.

  “I knew you could do it,” said Ted proudly.

  Charlie smiled. “Well...I’m starting to consider what you’ve been telling me to be true a lot more than I did earlier.”

  The voice of the cave keeper then interrupted them abruptly as it once again echoed throughout the cave. “You’ve now made it through the second task. Please exit the room.”

  Charlie and Ted exited the room through another pair of doors that opened next to them. On the other side was another resting area.

  “For the third and final task ahead, you must escape the dragon’s lair, break both barriers blocking the portal’s gate, and unlock the gate. Once through, the portal will lead out of the cave. You may now rest once again. When you are ready to continue, please step forth to the door at the end of the hall and pull the lever. Enter at your own risk.”

  Charlie became nervous. He never thought he would have to escape a dragon’s lair!

  “You’ll be alright, Charlie, let’s take another break for now,” said Ted.

  Chapter 19