The Magic Wilds: Episode 1: From the Realm of Shadows

By Terrarian Pony

WARNING: Content of this story may include violence, gore, romance, same gender romance, swearing, and probably references to several video games and TV shows. This series is also written in script format. If anyone is offended by any of the content listed above, than please turn back now. You have been warned.

Introduction: Welcome to a world of magic, but humans are few, and are mostly undead. In this world, there are magical creatures who are just trying to survive, and endure the terrors of the undead, and the bureaucracy of the Pride's Alliance. But not all is bad, for in the Magic Wilds of Mythrolhia, you will always have friends to defend you.

Episodes

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...

Story: Terrarian Pony presents... The Magic Wilds

A Fiction Mythology Series

Episode 1

From the Realm of Shadows ...

???:" What is life, but our greatest enemy? What is death, but our worst nightmare? What is mortality, but a prologue to immortality? Only through the cycle, do we truly understand. But those who cheat, obtain no wisdom."

...

The Magic Wilds were a place of mystery. Only those who dare search the darker forests, only those who climb the highest mountains, only those who walk the long roads, could understand. But those are not the stories that are being told here. This story is of a group of simple, yet magical creatures, with much magic potential, beginning with three individuals.

The first is a purple, kitsune fox, named Terran, who bore three tails. His chin, belly, and the tip of his tails were all white, and he had blue markings covering his face. He was a brave knight, as well as a powerful wizard of both, illusions and conjuration. His core magic element is ice, being from an arctic origin. Terran is also very charismatic. Though that could just be his magic charm ability.

The second is an undead death hound, named Lost. His skin was torn at his belly, revealing only a rib cage. Any skin he had left was green, and mutated. All that remained of his head and tail were his skull and tailbones. Pale green mist emanated from his body, or what was left of it. Once a member of the Horde of Hunt, now fights against them after King Lee declared war against the Pride's Alliance. Despite being an undead canine, his body is quite durable, and agile. Lost doesn't have a core element, but uses a combination of shadow and blood magics, which are both very useful for undead creatures. Usually undead creatures burn in daylight, but the green mist protects him from sun damage.

The third one is a pale grey elementine, a feline who can only utilize magic from their core element. The name of this elemental cat, is Rumor, who's core element is chaos. But there is something special about her. Rumor is what is known to most, as a mutant, because of their alteration. Rumor is a byproduct of four souls merging into one individual body. Rumor has the ability to give control to one of these souls if they wanted to. Rumor refers to these souls as siblings.

Each of Rumor's siblings, when in control, has a different element. Mystery uses shadow magic, Zippy uses water magic, Tundra uses ice magic, and Blaze uses fire magic. Blaze is kept within a cage that Rumor built in a pocket dimension for their siblings, as Blaze tends to be quite destructive, and can overpower Rumor for control if they let their guard down.

Terran, Lost, and Rumor were carrying a very valuable package for someone. The three of them operate from a guild formed in a community not under jurisdiction of the pride's Alliance.

The Pride is mostly made up of lions and tigers, but some smaller or bigger creatures join, simply to serve the Pride King, Leo. Many say that King Leo VII is a respectable monarch, fighting his battles, instead of sitting on his throne while his army wages war. In his youth, he was a soldier, whom served under a different king, his father, and created a rebellion against him. Leo isn't cruel, but due to his father’s past, his leadership has been called into question many a time. In truth, the alliance was sloppy with bureaucracy, and Leo VII took the blame for either the incompetence, or the negligence of his own council, and of his father's cruelty.

The name Leo has been traditionally passed on from each Pride king, and it is no coincidence that they have been named after Leo, the zodiac constellation which shapes a lion. It is said that the first Pride King was born as a blessing of zodiac, Leo. The rumor says they fought hard to conquer and defend Mythrolhia a little over ninety years ago. Some say that they were simply born under constellation, but many in Law City disapprove of such theories, calling it blasphemy. The Law City media uses this to speak against magicborns, creatures born with magic. The current Leo is the seventh king of his line, making him Kimg Leo VII.

Terran, Rumor and Lost stopped at the entrance of a small village. The village itself seemed intact, but it was entirely empty. Terran sniffed the air. The scent of sulfur. But none of the small buildings were burned.

Terran:" Something's wrong here. Everyone, stand back."

They did so, as he raised his right paw towards the village, and uttered a single word.

Terran:" Clairvoyance."

His paw glowed blue, and transparent images showed in front of them, and they heard voices. Kids playing near the well, guards patrolling the entrance... there. A sheep-like figure, with horns and dragon wings, as well as a dragon tail right behind them. It was their client whom they were supposed to deliver to.

She seemed to be chatting with the guards about something. What seemed to be her negotiating for a smaller entry fee. Then all of a sudden, screaming, and the spell showed... something. The image was blurred. Terran couldn't make it out. It attacked one of the guards, forming a sort of shape around the guard, and they began to blur as well, which meant that they were likely still alive. After a while, the blurred image of the guard began to turn on the villagers. Meanwhile more blurry figures began to attack the villagers, blinking them out, one by one, which meant they were dead. Some of them were also turning into blurry figures, corrupted by the takeover from other blurry figures. Terran lost sight of the dragon sheep, but he hoped that she had gotten away safely.

Rumor:" Terran... what are these blurs?"

Terran:" I don't know. It may be the effect of an anomalous object... something that has no physical form in this realm."

Lost:" Liiike... a shadow?"

Terran:" Yeah, something like that."

Rumor:" Terran! Shadows!"

Rumor pointed a claw in the direction behind Terran. Terran turned around to see a dozen or more shadow-like beings, shaping from canines and felines to anthropomorphic figures. These creatures are made up of a "shadowy" substance. As Terran suggested earlier, they have no physical form, as if they were spectral, except they're alive. A black mist could be found emanating off their spectral bodies. They can mainly be found protecting users of shadow magic. They aren't normally to be hostile unless told to be. But these shadows, or "shadow beasts" as they're more often called, seemed viscous. Some of them took the form of blobby figures, that Terran and the others haven't seen before.

They began to attack without so much as a reason as to their provocation. A couple wolf-shaped shadow beasts made their way towards Lost, who used a bit of shadow magic to hold them in place. Shadow magic is a great heavy hitter against shadow creatures, and so is chaos magic. Rumor used a chaos light spell to vanquish the captured shadows. Terran did what little he could to contribute to the fighting, but his ice magic wasn't very much against that of the shadow element. Each time they defeated a shadow, it would disappear, but two more would take it's place.

Rumor:" Guys! I think something is bringing them here!"

Terran:" Well then we need to find the source and take it out! And hopefully they all just go away on their own!"

Rumor:" That's the idea! Mystery! Lead the way!"

A slimy black hole appeared under Rumor's feat. Their fur started to become shrouded by a pure darkness. Her figure changed to that of a shadowy male cat, with black mist coming from his body. His eyes were glowing yellow with no pupils, and his tail was long, and smokey. Mystery let out a yawn, stretching his body and legs, then went on to carelessly lick his left paw.

Lost:" Mystery! Cleanliness later! Find that source."

Mystery gave a sassy "Mrrrow" and began to sniff out the source of the shadow beasts. He was able to sense it quickly, and follow the scent to the back of the town, where a sort of anomalous rift was spewing out these shadowy figures. Rumor's figure began to reform from the shadowy cat, and she made her way over to the rift.

Rumor:" That thing is spitting them out like crazy!"

Lost:" How do we close it?"

Rumor:" My chaos magic should do the trick. It'll take some time, so keep them away from me. They shouldn't be able to come out while I'm closing it."

Terran:" We'll buy you time! Go!"

Rumor walked up to the rift, and raised her front paws at it. Her paws began to glow brightly, and soon after, the rift started glowing, and began to shrink, but it was also fighting back against Rumor's magic.

One of the blobby shadows pounced at Terran. He tried to repel it with his frost flame spell, but it was too late. The blob had grabbed Terran, and began to consume him. It felt cold, colder than anything he'd ever felt. Something felt very wrong.

Terran:" No, no no no no no! Help! HELP!"

Lost tried to do something, but he got pinned down by a couple shadow hounds. Terran's body became entirely consumed by the shadow, and it began to shift into a form similar to his own, but larger, longer, and the three tails were much bigger. The creature opened it's hideously disfigured-looking mouth, and let out a terrifying scream as shadowy tendrils came out of it's back. With a final push, Rumor was able to close the rift, which caused a chain reaction that made all the shadows scream in agony, and they began to disappear, one by one. Some of them released creatures that were being held inside them, including Terran.

Rumor looked exhausted, and fell to the floor. Terran was shaking violently, and curling up into a ball. Rumor and Lost walked over to him, and the feline shook his body with a paw.

Rumor:" Hey, you alright?"

Terran looked up at them both, tears in his eyes. He looked as if he'd seen... or been inside a ghost. But that thing, it was alive.

Terran:" It's insides were cold, dark, and endless. I could feel it's evil washing over me like a bucket of ice, but colder than that."

Rumor:" Let me help."

Rumor put a paw on his head, and it began to glow. Whatever she did, it expelled the after effects of being trapped inside of the shadow. The other creatures that were trapped, however, were all unconscious, due to their longer exposer to shadow essence.

Rumor:" They'll be fine. They'll wake up soon."

Terran:" Wh- what were those things?"

Rumor:" Shadowsites. They're shadow beasts, but with the ability to latch onto a host, and take over their body completely. Users of shadow magic have been banned from summoning these parasitic shadow beasts. Anyone caught summoning one receives a prison sentence, and/or a fine of 2,000,000 embers."

Lost:" I'll keep that in mind if I ever decide to summon one of those things."

Rumor:" We need to find our client. Will you be alright?"

Terran nodded slowly, unable to look up at his friends. His ears were pivoted, and he still felt shook by the experience. He also felt a little bit embarrassed for showing such weakness in front of his dearest friends.

Lost:" Don't worry about it. It happens. What matters is you survived through it."

Terran:" Y-yeah."

...

Terran:" Hey, Sheepie! You here?"

Rumor:" Sheepie?"

Suddenly, they heard rustling in the bushes. Out from the bush came a sheep. But not just any sheep. This one had large, red dragon wings, with yellow webs. She also had the tail of a dragon, with yellow spikes running down it, and an arrowhead tip. She had yellow horns that pointed towards her folded wings.

Sheepie:" Oh my Flogar! You guys are okay! Are they gone? Are we safe?"

Terran:" All the shadow beasts are gone. It's weird. Shadow beasts don't just come over from the shadow realm on their own."

Rumor:" Yeah, this wouldn't happen to be your people's doing, would it?"

Sheepie:" Are you kidding? The Trans-Dimension Bureau would be shut down if they were involved in this mess! Besides, we're the T.D.B, not the T.R.B

The three creatures looked at her in confusion.

Sheepie:" The Trans-Realm Bureau, obviously. Which doesn't exist yet, but our government is trying to pass a poll to make it a thing. Problem is, it'd cause a division in jurisdiction, and the T.D.B is already having it's own problems as is."

Lost:" Question, what's the difference between realms and dimensions? Asking for a friend."

Sheepie:" Yeah, don't even get me started. The boys back home would love to tell you every little detail. I unfortunately, don't have the time, as I have to deliver the item you brought me. Speaking of which..."

Sheepie gestured to hand over the item.

Terran:" Right."

Terran opened his bag and pulled out a spherical object.

Terran:" One arcane matter generator. How do you guys not have this kind of thing in your dimension?"

Sheepie:" Well, as you know, each dimension is both equal and opposite of the last one. Dimensions, being the byproduct of a single universe, one may have certain raw materials the other doesn't. Now, if you were from the same dimension, but a different universe, there's a 87.3% chance that you will have the exact same technology, but..."

Rumor:" Right, right. A plethera universes, scattered across time and space, yada yada yada... can we please just give the nice sheep-dragon what she needs so we can get our reward and go home?"

Terran rolled his eyes, and handed over the arcane matter generator, while Sheepie dug out their reward of 1200 embers.

Sheepie:" First of all, it's dragon sheep. And second, thanks for doing business again."

Terran pulled out a round glass bottle filled with a glowing essence. This object is called a flame flask. Sheepie was able to pull a similar object from her bag, and a flaming light began to flow in a current from Sheepie's flask to Terran's.

These flame flasks are meant to hold a magical currency called "embers", which can be traded from one flask to another by using simple magic. When transferring embers, the flask is enchanted to recognize a trade, and transfer the exact amount that was agreed upon. It is almost impossible to trick the enchantment, as many have tried, and very few have succeeded.

Terran:" How do you earn embers from another universe anyways?"

Sheepie:" Simple. We have secret embassies in certain dimensions where we are able to trade different currencies. Now, if that's all, I really gotta get going, or my boss is gonna lecture me again."

Sheepie pulled out a small cubical device, pushed some buttons on it, and a white, rectangular hole opened up in the ground.

Sheepie:" See ya!"

She hopped into the portal-thing, and it closed instantly.

Rumor:" Welp. Time to get back to the the guild. Just in time for lunch, too."

Terran:" Let's hope that Bruma hasn't gotten to spicy cockatrice wraps yet! Last time, he ate the whole tray, including the tray!"

Lost:" Aren't you an ice elemental?"

Terran:" I can still like spicy foods. As long they aren't too spicy."

Rumor:" I'm sure they'll be there when we get back. Come on."

...

It was a short trek back to Spring Borough. It was a beautiful town, surrounded by forest on all sides. There was a lake on the east side, and in the west, the market district. In the middle of town was the Lionhearts Guild, named after it's wise leader, Avery, a lion who stands by her guild mates no matter the danger. Though instead of Guild Leader, she prefers to be called Captain, as she was previously a Captain in the ranks of the Pride. The name Captain Avery just stuck with her.

The guild was a relatively large building. In the front was the guild crest: a golden silhouette of a roaring lion, with a blue shield, and a red sword and spear crossing behind it. As Terran and the others approached the guild, a small, white bird dove down towards them, cawing a tune before spreading it's wings to slow it's decent. Terran raised a paw, and the albino crow landed on it. He reached into his bag, and pulled out a flesh worm. It was long, green thing, with bits of flesh dangling from it's body from which it is constantly shedding. And for some reason it was this crow's favorite treat. The crow downed it with a slurp, and cawed in satisfaction.

Terran:" Good Ghost. Do me a favor, inform Avery of our arrival."

Ghost cawed once more, before flapping off, through the guild balcony, and into Avery's quarters. Ghost is technically wild, but likes to hang around Terran as if he were the fox's pet. It isn't uncommon for creatures to "tame" other, more feral creatures, but in other high society it is frowned upon to treat wild creatures in such a way, believing that wild creatures should either be given a quick and merciful death or left alone in the the magic wilds, regardless if they are magically evolved or not. Since Ghost is a wild creature, he is unable to communicate the way civilized creatures do, and therefore it just sounds like animal noises to them. There was a time when magically evolved creatures were able to teach wild creatures to be civilized, as they had once lived like wild creatures themselves. Unfortunately, there are very few in Mythrolhia now, who are able to utilize such a talent, thus, "taming" seems to be the next best option for some. Avery poked her head out from the balcony, looking down towards Terran's guild team. Avery sighed, and turned towards Ghost.

Avery:" Gone off on another mysterious job request, instead of one the official requests. I wander what it was this time."

...

Terran and the rest went inside, Ghost propped on his head. Many of the night shift guild members were just coming back from quests of their own. One of them was an ape named Gunnar. His large exterior made him quite the elephant in the room, his hair was black, and he was wearing a mana regeneration band. Whenever he wasn't on guard duty, he had his face buried in one of his books, which he was reading now.

Terran:" Hey Gunnar."

Gunnar:" Avery is expecting you in her quarters."

Terran:" I figured."

Gunnar:" What did you three do this time?"

Rumor:" Possibly saved the space-time continuum to some extend. You know, the usual."

Gunnar:" Very funny. I wouldn't keep the lioness waiting."

Terran:" Right. You guys take a break, I'll go see Avery. I'll meet up with you guys later."

Lost:" That is if she doesn't eat you, first."

Terran tried not to look concerned. He knew Avery wouldn't actually do such a thing, but sometimes he wandered. Terran walked up to the Guildmaster's quarters, Ghost resting snuggly on Terran's back. When he opened the door to her room, Avery was sitting outside on the balcony, looking up at the sky. He approached slowly next to her, before sitting down himself.

Terran:" What are you looking at?"

Avery:" The stars, of course. They're always so beautiful, and yet, they hold so many mysteries. I've heard stories in my time, that each star is home to a celestial being, including the Zodiacs themselves. And each being watches over us as guardians."

Terran:" What, like the constellations? Those kind of Zodiacs? Do you believe in that?"

Avery:" I like to keep an open mind. I do not simply believe what I am told, but I do find that there is truth in even the most fictional of stories. That being said, I do believe in a celestial race."

Terran:" Hah. I never thought you'd be the type to believe in aliens."

Avery:" There are many things we have yet to understand. Even I cannot know everything, and this is why I have taken an apprentice such as yourself. Not only do I get to teach, but to learn from you as well. Tonight, however, I fear I may learn more than I wish to know. I take it you're 'secret client' has called upon you once more?"

Terran:" Ah... uhm. Y-yeah, about that..."

Avery:" I have no qualms with you and your team taking any uncanny quests. However, I would appreciate it if you could at least take one of the guild approved quests from time to time. It would certainly improve our reputation as a guild."

Terran:" Ah... yes ma'am. Will do."

Avery:" That's what you said last time."

Terran:" This time I mean it."

Avery chuckled.

Terran:” By the way, we came across something strange this time."

Avery:" Oh? And what is that?"

Terran:" During our last delivery, we ran into a bunch of rogue shadow beasts that had come from the Shadow Realm via a strange rift, and attacked us. Rumor closed the rift and they disappeared, but it troubles me. Shadow beasts are normally passive, controlled by summoner mages."

Avery:" That is indeed a rather concerning occurrence. Tell me more about this 'rift'."

Terran:" Not sure what else to tell. Except that it's best dealt with using chaos magic."

Avery:" This makes sense. Chaos magic is the bane of shadow elementals."

Terran:" There were also these... shadow parasites. One briefly took control over me, until Rumor closed the breach."

Avery:" And you’re sure there are no lingering affects."

Terran:" I don't know. Sometimes I feel as if I'm not the same person. Actually, I suddenly feel myself craving for… chocolate milk."

The captain did not look amused.

Avery:” I will look into these... shadow rifts. In the meantime, do me a favor, and take one of the guild approved quests next time."

Terran saluted with one of his tails, while wearing a goofy grin, as she walked back into her room.

Terran:" Yes sir, Captain Avery, sir!"

Avery sighed as Terran jumped from the balcony, and Avery couldn't even hear his paws hitting ground. She sat and thought about her time in the Alliance. It wasn't all bad. The soldiers she fought with were humble, noble. She defended them with all her might, she loved them like siblings, and she weeped for those who died. But she hated the bureaucracy, and all the more corrupt officials.

She looked at the letter on her desk. It was from Alice, her adoptive daughter. Avery had found her when she was barely two months old, took her in, made her a part of a family. Alice was now a young adult white tiger, with a bit of an orange pigment on her forehead, in the shape of an arrowhead. Avery picked up the envelope and opened it with one her incisors. Pulling the letter out, she studied the design of the paper. Royal blue with gold markings around where the message was meant to be. Alice loved using this kind of paper. It reminded her of home, where the Stripes originated, before they joined with the alliance.

Avery admired the paper because of it's design. The way the gold markings would curve, the feeling of the parchment, even the shade of blue she thought was lovely. She ran a paw through the them as she read them.

"Dear mother, I hope you are well. What am I saying, of course you are. I just hope you aren’t overworking yourself. Anyways, I'm having a good time here with the Guild of Knowledge. I'm glad you can understand why I decided to join a different guild. I truly believe that knowledge is the greatest power there is, and if you ever need it, I would be happy to help you anyway I can, as long as it does not betray the rules of the guild. I have learned so much on old legends, and ancient magics. I still have much to learn, but I will do my best, just like you taught me. I haven't forgotten all you've done for me. I wish you well, and I'll visit whenever I can, mother. ~Alice.

Avery smiled. Alice was always the curious type. Learning everything was her goal. Even if it was futile, she was still so determined. Avery found it amusing to watch Alice conduct experiments at the age of 1 and half, and Avery was proud of the tiger she'd become. She wasn't at all surprised that Alice wanted to join the Guild of Knowledge. She had to admit, though, she was a little concerned that Alice may not be accepted, and she'd be so disappointed that she would give up her dreams. She didn't say that to Alice of course, but Avery was relieved that that wasn't the case. She heard a knock at the door of her quarters.

Avery:" Enter."

Gunnar came in through the door.

Gunnar:" Commander Ross is requesting entry into Spring Borough. What should I do?"

Avery's eye twitched. The commander had been bugging Spring Borough for weeks, attempting to extend an olive branch to the isolated village. Spring Borough has always been independent, which is why many wolves came. Wolves ran with packs, but were independent for the most part. They trusted pack members only, so when Avery told them they could stay, they were reluctant. They hated relying on others for anything. But Avery assured them that neither she, nor the villagers would do anything they didn't ask for, and they were free to stay as long as they did not cause any harm to the village.

Avery:" Tell the commander I'll be with him in a moment."

Gunnar:" Yes, Captain."

Gunnar went back through the door. Avery knew the commander's real intentions. Most of Mythrolhia was ruled by the Pride, but many settlements were not directly occupied by the military. King Leo VI would have pushed for forced occupation, even if it meant harming civilians. The problem was that his army was spreading too thin, and many of his soldiers would desert because of his cruelty. That changed only weeks after the new king, King Leo VII, rose to power. Many of the soldiers respected him, and he gave the deserters a chance to return to duty, which many of them did. Since then, the Pride had been attempting to occupy using diplomacy. It worked to a certain extent, but Spring Borough was still among the independent. And Avery intended to keep it that way.

...

Avery watched as the large gate slowly opened. As it did, she could see the reveal of a bashful, and proud tiger, sporting blue and gold body armor, the colors of the Stripes before they’d been integrated into the Pride's Alliance. The armor covered the front half of his body. The commander was the only soldier not wearing a helmet.

Ross:" Captain Avery."

Avery:" Commander Ross."

The commander walked in, lions and tigers following close behind. Avery walked beside him a fair distance.

Avery:" Spring Borough does not need military occupation, least of all from you. The guild is all the protection this town needs."

Ross:" Do the citizens agree with you?"

Avery:" We held a town meeting after your first offer. The decision was unanimous. We are self sustaining, and if we ever need assistance, we have the backing of neighboring guilds."

The commander stopped.

Ross:" Really? And what of yourself? You were a soldier. A great one. What happened?"

Avery:" I woke up. And I am not going back."

Ross turned to his soldiers.

Ross:" Wait here for me."

The soldiers stopped, and sat down, staying vigil. Avery could see they were tired, even through their extremely convincing masks of bravery, courage and humbleness, while the commander strolled around with the expression of a smug politician with leverage to negotiate. Avery kept a straight face, but she could tell his soldiers were likely miserable being under his command. But as a soldier, they had to show absolute loyalty. She didn't want to pity them, however, as she felt pity was the most dishonorable thing to have towards a good soldier. And these were good soldiers.

Avery took Commander Ross through the guild hall. Many creatures, magical and non-magical, looked at him with disdain. They all knew the commander by now. Avery could see Terran watching his every movement. Avery gave him a nod, and he climbed up in the ceiling to stalk them. Terran had much reason not to trust Commander Ross. Mostly because the commander had a superiority complex, and Terran didn't particularly like anyone who acted more important than someone else.

They walked into Avery's office, and immediately Ross opened his mouth. Avery however, would not give him the pleasure of having either the first nor last word of the conversation.

Avery:" We are a peaceful people, Commander. You may tell me that without rules, there would be anarchy. But I would like to point out, that Spring Borough, under my rules, has never been called into question, even once."

This caught the Commander off guard. Avery learned a few things about politics herself. She didn’t like it, but when she needed to, she’d treat it as a game. One important rule, always get the first and last word.

Ross:" Well… perhaps they should. Might I remind you, you are a guild leader, not a protector."

Avery grinned proudly. Another rule, know when to boast.

Avery:" It's not impossible to fill both roles at once. But it does take hard effort, and dedication, both of which I have fulfilled."

Protectors were known all throughout Mythrolhia. A protector basically plays the role of a sheriff, but is made to lead by example, to inspire others to learn to help themselves. And that's exactly what Avery has done.

Ross:" Surely, you don't believe you are actually fit to protect this village on your own."

Avery:" Which is why I've created a council made up of seven creatures, including myself, three guild members, and three civilians, to ensure that my decisions regarding Spring Borough are fair, lawful, and will not cause havoc between the guild, and the citizens of Spring Borough. What do you have?"

Ross:" Believe it or not, I am trying to help you."

Avery:" Help me? If I wanted help, I would seek it from a fellow guild. I respect Leo, but if he wants Spring Borough, he'll have to come down here and convince me himself."

Ross:" A king who has studied the art of war, and refuses to benefit from such knowledge, should not be king. Were it up to myself, I would simply take what is rightfully ours."

Avery:" Feel free to say that to your king. In the meantime..."

Avery tilted her head towards the door.

Ross:" You think yourself a greater leader than I?"

Avery:" That's not the point."

Ross:" Than what is the point?"

Avery:" We don't want, or need, you or your lap dogs, in our village. Are we clear on that?"

Ross leered at her a moment before answering.

Ross:" Crystal."

Avery let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Ross:" Although there is... one thing. We will occupy Spring Borough."

Avery:" And what makes you say that?"

Ross grinned, confidently.

Ross:" Just a hunch."

Avery bared her teeth.

Avery:" Get out."

She watched as Ross practically slithered away, and closed the door behind him. Terran came down from the ceiling, and landed next to her.

Terran:" He's up to something. I just know it."

Avery:" You let me deal with it, understand?"

Terran:" Yes ma'am. I just… I wish I could give a peace of my mind."

Avery smiled down at the fox, placing a comforting paw on his head.

Avery:" If I let you, he would gain leverage. And that is one thing we don't want him to have."

Another rule of the game, never give your opponent leverage.

Terran sat quietly. She was right. He had nothing to prove, and everything to lose. It wasn't a smart choice. They watched from the balcony as Ross and his soldiers left.

Terran:" Should I keep an eye on the commander?"

Avery:" I appreciate your concern. But I need you for other matters. Get some rest. You and your team have done good work tonight."

...

In the darkest part of Maullburry Woods, a shadow stepped through shadows. But this one wasn't like the others. Not a servant, but a master. The man was covered in black armor, a black mist emanating from the helmet. The temple was just up ahead. It would be his temple now, and Ara'Khan couldn't do anything about it. Delving deep inside the temple, his shadow hounds walked beside him. He stopped at the doorway to a large room, filled with offerings to the Lord of Shadows, Ara'Khan. In the middle of the room, was a small pool of water. The knight was half surprised by the lack of security.

The knight pulled out a small bulb. It's dark green leaves were closed, resting stiff, even as he carried it. He placed the bulb in the middle of the pool, and the bulb opened it's leaves, revealing a black, oval-shaped object. The knight watched as it bloomed, but could still only feel anger and hatred for the Shadow Lord. He would correct all that Ara'Khan has done. He would enact justice against the cruel and evil false deities that ruled the holy lands of Mythrolhia. He would not stop until every corner of Mysticia was purged of all so-called divinity. The egg glowed slightly in the dim lighting of the room. The knight began to leave, tearing open another rift as he left.

To be continued...