Quest Magic

By Mark Milliken

Grandma Hellen had to squint her eyes as she saw two figures approaching her house. Her sight wasn't as good as it used to be. Soon though, she could make out the twelve-year-old boy who was her grandson as one of the runners. His short blonde hair was brushed back and his ocean blue eyes were downcast. A smile came onto her lips, but soon it became a scowl. The boy's arm was wrapped up tightly in a white bandage and held with a stick. It was obviously broken. She turned her eyes to the other figure. It was a girl in her teens with gray steel eyes that gave the boy an accusing look as they ran towards the old woman. No more then sixteen or seventeen, she was only a foot and a half taller than the boy. Her jet-black hair was long and had two braids in it. She wore a sky blue shirt that marked her as an apprentice Quester. Around her neck was a pendant. The stone's color seemed to change between blue to gray as she moved.

"Well I can see that you got into a mighty bit of trouble Billo of the House of Biteson. What happened and why did your friend Adva come with ya?" asked Grandma Hellen. The boy winced as he heard the disapproving tone. He swallowed hard before speaking.

"Um.. uh.. I sort of broke my arm while climbing a tree."

"Well it looks like a Healer fixed you all up for you. So what's done is done."

"Um yeah, but the healer says that it probably won't heal properly. Too many fractures and breaks in it," muttered Billo. Grandma Hellen's face turned white.

"Oh that is just dandy! Now I have a crippled grandson! Lady Tella had a crippled grandson and you know what happened to her? She went straight to the poor house. Had to spend every penny she had to care for that poor boy. I can see it now, I'll sleep in a wooden box and only eat pigeons that I catch with my bare hands," said Grandma Hellen as she grabbed her forehead and felt a migraine coming. Billo turned to Adva.

"Do I have to do this?" asked Billo in a pleading voice. The girl's eyes showed a bit of sympathy then she sighed.

"It's your choice, do you want to live with a deformed arm for the rest of your life?" asked the girl. Billo turned back to his grandma who had a puzzled expression.

"Do what now? What is this about?"

"Grandma Hellen, there's something very important that I need to tell you," said Billo. His grandma's expression softened slightly.

"Oh it's ok grandson, I know you love your grandma. And I'll raise you as best as I can. I'll give you baths and feed you with my own hand to help you recover," said the old lady. Billo shuddered before speaking. He just had a disturbing mental image of his grandma forcing a spoon down his throat and almost choking him. Then another image came of her scrubbing his back with a sponge. Neither was appealing.

"That wasn't what I was going to say. Do you remember when I brought your cat Snuggle inside after he had fallen out of a tree? And you rewarded me with a bunch of cookies for saving the cat?" asked Billo. He sounded as if he desperately hoped she hadn't remembered.

"Oh of course I do. I was so proud of you! That was such a sweet thing you did," said Grandma Helen as her face lit up. Billo sighed and took a few deep breaths. He just had to say it quickly and be done with it. Try to make it as painless as possible.

"You threw a rock at my precious Snuggle!" screeched the old woman as she took a few steps towards the boy. It looked like she was going to break the other arm. She paused as the girl spoke up with a sweet voice.

"Everyone wishes to live

So take this chance to stop death

You must have a dark secret

One that has burdened your heart

One that another deserves to know

Reveal this secret and lay it bare

The greater the secret, the greater the healing

So ends the Quest!"

When the last words were spoken, the girl's pendant gave a bright blue flash of light. Billo's broken arm glowed with blue light as well and after a few minutes, it faded. Billo gently poked his arm. A grin slowly came upon his face. He unwrapped the bandages and threw the stick to the ground. His arm looked and felt completely fine. The old woman's eyes sparkled with realization at what had happened.

"So this confession was for the sake of Quest Magic," muttered Grandma Helen. Her face was less purple, but her face still had a scowl.

"Yep, thanks Adva. I just hope not all your-aacckkk."

Billo's grandma grabbed him by the ear and was dragging him to the front door. Billo made a feeble wave as he entered the building. Adva rolled her eyes and took a last look at the house. It was hard to believe that an old lady and young boy could own such a large house. The walls were made of dark marble and the door itself had an intricate carving of an owl. Adva knew of rich merchants who couldn't afford such a house. Rumor had it that Lady Helen's husband left her a fortune when he had died.

"I have to tell Master Yullie what I did," muttered Adva as she walked down the street. Pride was in her voice. She had never used that Quest before and wanted to tell her Teacher of its success. After only a few minutes of walking, she could already see the stone tower. It was one of the highest towers in the Ameth city. A metal fence with a gate surrounded the stone tower. Adva touched the gate with her hand and it opened with a high squeaking sound. The gate closed on its own after she pass through it. Neighbors always claimed that Master Yullie had demons and monsters that guarded his tower. The truth was that the fence was the only protection the tower held. And anyone could climb over it without worry of lighting bolts or fireballs coming down on them.

Adva's room was halfway up the tower. The tower had at least a dozen rooms inside the spiraled stairs that reached to the top. Adva opened the door to her room and gasp with horror. Her bed sheets were ripped to pieces. Books lied opened all over the floor, with their pages ripped up. And furniture was toppled over. What surprised her more than even this was the fact that Master Yullie was sitting on her ruined bed.

"I found your room quite a mess when I came here Adva. I do believe that someone was searching it," said Master Yullie. He was a middle-aged man with a large belly that came with too much drinking. His hair and beard was a fiery red that Adva had always envied over her own dark hair. He was dressed in a brown robe that marked him as a Teacher.

"What.. I..," muttered Adva as she surveyed the destruction. Whoever searched her room, had made sure to do as much damage as possible.

"Do you have the Quests?" asked Master Yullie. Adva slowly nodded while touching her pouch on her belt. She kept all her Quests in a small book that was the size of her hand. Adva felt her eyes begin to water. The books and papers in her room held vital research, rumors and stories of where Questers were. It would take years to find such information again. Master Yullie moved his bulk off the bed and walked up to Adva. He gave her a comforting squeeze on the shoulder.

Then slowly he placed his other hand inside his pouch. He pulled out three yellow and orange leafs. Adva didn't recognize what plant they came from. He began tearing up the leafs while muttering words in a strange language she didn't understand. She knew he was casting a spell, but of course didn't recognize what it was. The only kind of magic she had ever studied was Quest Magic. He threw the yellow and orange specks in the air. The air seemed to shimmer and Adva's eyes widened. A transparent snake had appeared in the air. Its scales were gold and the snake's eyes glowed white hot.

"Those who summon me risk my wraith! Those who summon me risk damnation! Those who summon me-"

"-Yes, yes, I get the picture. Now mend all these books, the bed sheets, and the furniture. Then place them in their proper places. I expect this place to be cleaned up by the time I get back," said the wizard as he dragged Adva out of the room.

"Very well, but I don't do windows," hissed the snake as the door was closed.

"What was that?" asked Adva as they walked up the steps.

"A lesser elemental of Light. They're not very powerful, but even they can put together most materials that were torn apart. You're belongings should be as good as new in an hour. If they had been burned, then we would have a problem," said Master Yullie. Adva brought up a mental picture of the gold snake and wondered if she would ever command such creatures.

Most apprentices my age can cast spells just like that now. But I didn't have a single Quest in my book that can put paper back together. Am I just dense because I'm studying a magic art that many people say is dead?

Adva shook these doubts away. She had picked her path and knew that she had to stick with it. Quest Magic would either be her salvation or her doom. Only time would tell.

Finally they reached the top of the tower to Master Yullie's office. The door to his office was made of redwood and a golden symbol of a flame was on it. It was the symbol of the House of FlameLance, which was both Master Yullie's and Adva's House. Master Yullie was a distant cousin of Adva, which was a good thing since he was her Teacher. He became her Teacher ever since the death of her parents.

The two entered the room that Adva visited almost everyday. A simple desk and chair was near the window at the back of the room. Against the walls were shelves of books. Adva had always hoped one day to have as large a collection of knowledge as Master Yullie had. The Teacher took his seat behind the desk while Adva sat on a couch against the wall.

"I think we both know who the most likely suspect is for this crime," said Master Yullie. Adva nodded in agreement. Master Yullie only had three other students other than Adva. And only one of those students ever showed any resentment towards her.

"Do you think Nyloe will try to search my room again?" asked Adva as she gave the culprit a name. Nyloe was an apprentice Chaos Magister. He was also part of the House of SunLion. A noblemen house that wouldn't want Nyloe to be accused of anything unless there was positive proof of it. Both of them knew that the most Master Yullie could do was question Nyloe and of course he would deny it. Master Yullie sighed.

"I don't think so. I plan to have more security in the tower after this and he won't want to be caught in such an act. I know you want to keep searching for these Quests Adva, but maybe it would be best if you switched to a new form of Art. You're still young enough to change to another Art," said Master Yullie. He knew the answer that was coming before she spoke. Her eyes had hardened with determination.

"Quest Magic was the art that my mother studied Master Yullie. And it's an Art that I want to learn as well. Someone needs to try to find all the Quests," said Adva. Master Yullie gave an amused smile at hearing the passion in her voice.

"Very well, where were you today anyway?" asked Master Yullie. Adva's eyes lit up with excitement.

"I just tried out this Quest that heals people. The Quest is that the person must reveal a dark secret about doing wrong to a person. The reward for finishing the Quest is to be healed. Billo did the Quest and it worked," said Adva. Master Yullie nodded. He remembered the blonde kid who sometimes hung around the tower.

"Why don't you go to the training room and work on your staff fighting?"

Adva got up and gave a bow before leaving. Master Yullie gritted his teeth in frustration. He wanted to kick Syloe out of his tower that instant, but politics called for him to not be so rash

Many wizards scoffed at Quest Magic. Teachers sometimes dabbled in it. But a few spent their whole lives trying to find the Quests and use them. They were known as Questers and they were now few and far apart. Master Yullie had never met a Quester though he did have three Quests that he sometimes used. He gave the three Quests to Adva and couldn't help, but be proud of her. She had spent years looking for other Quests. After visiting two other Teachers, she had a total of eight Quests. Many apprentices, who first wanted to be Questers gave up because they couldn't even, get five Quests after a few years of searching.

What Adva truly wanted though was to meet a real Quester. She had questioned any wizards that visited Master Yullie about Questers. She had talked to traveling bards and merchants in the marketplace as well. If there was one trait Adva had then it was determination. Nyloe had almost destroyed all her chances of finding one though.

A frown came upon Master Yullie's face as he though of Nyloe. The boy had chosen the Art of Chaos Rituals. It was an Art that involved sacrificing of blood and summoning of demons. It was a legal Art under the eyes of the law… barely. Master Yullie was extremely thankful that Necromancy was outlawed. He was sure the boy would have taken that Art if he could have. Nyloe wanted only the kind of power that would make others fear him. He would kick the boy out if he didn't fear the wrath of his House.

The training room was had a layer of cushion on the floor. Against the wall was a rack of weapons of all sort. And a few stuffed dummies were against the other wall for people to practice on.

Adva made a thrust with the staff in her hands. It was smooth and sturdy. The staff was the traditional weapon that all wizards used. Tradition also called for a wizard to learn to use one other weapon depending on what Art they chose. Adva once heard from a bard that the Quester's traditional weapon other than staff was longbow. When she was recognized as a true Quester, she planned to start training with one. But first she had to master the staff. According to Billo she still 'couldn't hurt a wingless fairy' with her staff.

A sobbed escaped Adva as she covered her face. She was sitting at the edge of a fountain. Surrounding the fountain were various stalls and wagons, which contained all sorts of goods from fish to jewelry. She was in the center of the Marketplace of Ameth. She had come to once again look for new bards and merchants who traveled the country to question them of Questers. Only after a few hours of entering the Marketplace, she realized that her pouch wasn't hanging on her belt. She knew then that she had become the victim of a cutpurse.

She didn't care about the gold she lost. It was nothing compared to the little book that was also in her pouch. The only one that contained her Quests. She had literally been stripped of her magic. Another sob escaped her lips as she tried to suppress her emotions. Most people who came near her, ignored her completely. A few kinder people who passed her gave a soft pat on the shoulder, but even they didn't speak or ask what was wrong. No person in their right mind would involve themselves in the affairs of a wizard apprentice. The general philosophy of the Ameth people was; don't get involved with wizards or their apprentices because it'll just bring trouble.

"Hey is this yours?"

Adva looked up with her tear stained eyes. The eyes widened as she saw her pouch only a few inches away from her face. She quickly grabbed the pouch and then saw the holder of it. A blonde hair boy stood before her while scratching his head. The boy was dressed plainly, but the clothing was made of good material. She could see a little bit of blood under the boy's nose. The boy quickly wiped it with his sleeve.

"I.. yes, thank you," whispered Adva. Her voice made it clear that she really was grateful. The boy grinned and nodded.

"I saw some jerk cut it off your belt while you weren't looking. Had to give him a black eye before he gave it up," said the boy proudly as he puffed his chest. Adva looked inside her pouch and was relieved. Nothing was missing.

"What's your name? I'm Adva of the House of FlameLance. I'd like to repay you," said Adva as she got up. Her face looked much prettier now that she wasn't crying her eyes out.

"I'm Billo of the House of Biteson. Don't worry about repaying me though. I'll walk with you to Master Yullie's tower. Just to make sure you don't lose it again," said Billo as they walked down the road. Adva seriously doubted that she would lose it on the way home since she planned to keep the pouch in a death grip till they got there. But she was glad for the company.

Billo was the first person she met whom she felt comfortable with besides Master Yullie. The other apprentices either stayed neutral or sneered at her because she studied Quest Magic. Once they got to the tower, Billo showed her where to place her pouch on her belt so no one could cut it off without her noticing. He also showed her how to make good knots to keep any pickpockets from opening the pouch. He was a boy much more experience with city life then she was.

They had become good friends despite over a five-year age difference. Adva would watch Billo do tricks with his throwing knives. Sometimes he would juggle them while other times he could hit small targets such as letters on a sign. When Adva asked where he learned to use throwing knives he said someone in a traveling carnival taught him.

Billo even helped her question travelers about Questers. The boy seemed to know the best places to find such people. Billo lived his whole life in Ameth and was a true native of it.

"What pathetic skill."

Adva stumbled as she was caught by surprise. She heard the voice just as she was trying to do a swing. She turned while knowing whom the snobbish voice would belong to. A teenage boy about her age was standing at the door. He wore a blood red shirt that marked him as an apprentice Chaos Magister. With his dirty brown hair and squinty black eyes, Nyloe reminded Adva of a rat.

"I'm busy training Nyloe. Go bother someone else," said Adva as she tried to concentrate on her staff. She didn't want to get into an insult contest with Nyloe because she knew she wouldn't win. She simply wasn't good at that sort of thing. But Nyloe wasn't planning on letting up.

"I heard your room is quite a mess. Maybe a tornado passed by while no one was looking. Those Quests of yours are safe, aren't they?" asked Nyloe as his eyes narrowed. Adva ceased her practicing and glanced at Nyloe. She might as well get it out in the open as quickly as possible.

"Nyloe I'm not letting you get your hands on my Quests. If you want to switch from being a Magister to a Quester than that would be great. Otherwise, no way," says Adva. Nyloe's eyes flashed with amusement.

"Why would I want to be a Quester and do nothing, but talk to people in the Marketplace all day? Quest magic isn't even real magic. Which means any wizard should be able to use Quests and not just Teachers and Questers. Magister Dalius is trying to change the law so that all wizards can use Quests. The Twelve Staff Council hasn't voted on it yet, but we all know that it'll happen. So why don't you let me see those Quests now and save us the wait for it to be legal," said Nyloe as he stretched out his hand. Adva stared at him with open disgust.

She had heard from Master Yullie of how Magister Dalius was trying to abolish Questers and allow Quest Magic to be freely used by everyone. By Council law everyone was only suppose to learn one Art except for Teachers. But Dalius was claiming that Quest Magic wasn't even an Art and shouldn't be taken so seriously. Master Yullie assured her though that Magister Dalius didn't have enough influence to abolish Questers.

"You simply wish that was the case because you want as much power as possible. Even the power of Quest Magic that you say isn't 'real magic'. If that were true then you wouldn't be working so hard to get my Quests. I said it once and I'll say it again, no way!" said Adva. Her eyes turned cold as she went to place the staff on the rack. The elemental should be done with cleaning her room by now. And she wanted Nyloe out of her sight as soon as possible. Nyloe took his hand back as he turned red.

"Don't act all high and mighty just because you were the daughter of a Knight of SteelRose. I'm trying to do you a favor. We wouldn't want you to end up dead because you acted too noble just like your father," said Nyloe with emphasis on the last words. Adva's cold anger turned to out right rage as she stared at Nyloe with venom.

"You disgusting little rat! My father was ten times the man you'll ever be! And he sure wouldn't go searching through other people's rooms like a vermin!" shouted Adva. Nyloe stared at her with shock. Adva herself was slightly shocked. She wasn't the most cool headed person, but usually she could control herself enough not to shout. The comment about her father seemed to trigger something in her mind that she just couldn't stop.

"What is going on here?"

Both apprentices turned to see Master Yullie at the doorway. Nyloe's face had turned from red to purple. He pointed a finger at Adva.

"This.. this wizard pretender accused me of searching her room. And I challenge her to a Duel!" said Nyloe as a evil glint entered his eyes. Master Yullie paled slightly.

"Now I'm sure she-"

"-I accept!"

Everyone was silent. Master Yullie gave Adva a glare that held emotions of anger and fear. Nyloe had a grin spread over his face. Adva herself had become paler. She had just accepted a challenge to duel an apprentice Magister. One who specialized in Chaos magic that killed and tortured. She had said the words without even thinking about it. Adva swallowed hard before speaking.

"I.. I mean.. I have to think-"

"-What's this? You're having second thoughts? Perhaps you are just a wizard pretender and that would mean your Quester mother was a wizard pretender as well. You don't even have real magic to duel- mufffff," said Nyloe. Master Yullie placed one of his large hands over the apprentice's mouth, but it was too late. By the look in Adva's eyes, the damage was done. Nyloe had often taunted Adva about her Quest Magic, but this was the first time that he ever brought up her parents. And now that he saw the effect it had on her, he planned to use it in full force.

I can't let that go unchallenged. If it were just me then I would just shut up and take it, but now my parents honor is at stake. It looks like I've run out of time to find more Quests.

As much time as you can get to Quest.

"One month from now," finished Adva. A month was the maximum amount of time that the duel could be postponed. Nyloe smirked and then did a mocking bow before leaving. Adva couldn't help, but notice Master Yullie squeezing his hands into fists.

"Master Yullie, I'm sorr-"

"-Are you insane!? What could you be thinking!" shouted Master Yullie. Adva took a step back. Master Yullie had never shouted at her before. In fact she had never seen him shout at any apprentice ever. He always held a calm demeanor, until now that is. His face was beet red and his hands were still fists.

"I'm sorry," whispered Adva meekly. Adva didn't have any will left to shout back. She felt totally drained after accepting the duel. The anger slowly disappeared from Master Yullie's eyes and he looked slightly ashamed. Before Adva knew what was happening, Master Yullie had her in a hug.

Master Yullie had never been one to show a lot of affection even though they were cousins. He had always treated her the same as his other apprentices and she had always believed that he only saw her as another apprentice to teach. Now though she realized she really didn't have a clue of how her cousin saw her.

"I don't want you to protect me. In a way I'm glad Nyloe got me so mad that I accepted his challenge. Now we can see if Quest Magic is an Art as much as Chaos Ritual. And I couldn't let my parents be disgraced like that," said Adva. Adva leaned her head against the large man's shoulder.

When he opened the door, the golden snake with the glowing eyes was in the center of the room. Everything was mended and put in place just as he asked. It was as if no one had ever searched the room.

"I have done your task, now release me or risk my wraith! I shall-"

"SShhhhhh!"

"I shall blind you with eternal light if I'm not released," whispered the snake. His voice had gotten much softer after seeing the wizards glare of anger.

"Oh shut up. I want you to watch this girl for the night. If anyone enters the room, cry out as loud as possible and protect the girl," whispered the wizard as he gently laid the girl on the bed. He carefully placed the bed covers over her and then gently kissed her forehead. The gold snake studied the girl with interest.

"She does look like a sweet one. Perhaps she would like to see me in one of my other forms," hissed the snake and his transparent form melted and reformed. He now looked like a handsome man with white hair dressed in gold clothing. His eyes still glowed white. Master Yullie frowned.

"You Light elementals are notorious for playing with human hearts. Just protect her and do no more. Try to flirt with her and I'll have you banished to the Abyss. You're only partially on this plane of existence anyway," whispered Master Yullie. The man nodded, but didn't change back to his snake form. He took a seat beside the bed and twiddled his thumbs as the wizard left the room.

Adva couldn't help, but wonder if she should get more rest. She thought she saw someone beside her bed, but when she rubbed her eyes of sleep nothing was there.

Knock knock

"Come in," said Adva as she expected Master Yullie. She was surprised to see that it was Billo. He gave her a disappointed look.

"Master Yullie sent me a letter explaining how much trouble you got yourself into. You really got to watch that tongue of yours."

"Oh shut up," muttered Adva in a sulking voice. She wanted to sulk very badly over her predicament. It just didn't seem fair what was happening to her. But if she wanted to live then sulking would be the last thing she should do.

"I'll get my Quests and we can see if I have anything that will get me out of this," said Adva as she grabbed her pouch beside the bed. Billo turned back to the open door of her room. He looked slightly alarmed.

"What is it?" asked Adva absently as she leafed through her book of Quests.

"Uh nothing, guess I just heard a mouse," said Billo as he walked up and looked over her shoulder.

"Hey wait!"

Adva stopped in mid action as Billo pointed at a page.

"Read that one," said Billo. Adva sighed, she knew about this Quest and why Billo was interested in it. She also knew that it would be useless, but she read it anyway.

"You must be witness to a great event

The death of a bloodthirsty war

The birth of true loving peace

Then kiss the forehead of those that make these changes happen

And give them your sincere blessings

Do this and you will be protected for three days and three nights

Against the spells of fire and blood

So ends the Quest!"

"Don't most Chaos spells involve fire and blood? I remember my grandma telling me of a magister who called down a storm of raining fire on his enemies in one of her stories," said Billo as he glanced at Adva. She nodded, but looked at the page with no hope.

"It's a great Quest and the Teacher who gave it to me said that he heard Questers use it to protect themselves from Chaos Rituals. That's why Nyloe wanted my Quests. He heard me talk about it with Master Yullie and wanted it. So that he could easily beat other Magisters."

"So what's wrong with this one! You should be cheering," said Billo as he felt his temper rise. Adva didn't even look excited about the Quest that could rescue her.

"Because it requires me to see a war end and peace begin. Then I have to kiss the forehead of the people who made it happen. So what should I do? I don't even know what nearby countries are at war. Even if I did, it would take over a month to get to them. And if I were lucky to get there in time, I would have to witness the war end and kiss the rulers who made it happen. Can you imagine me going to a palace and say 'Excuse me, but I need to kiss your king on the forehead, will that be ok?'. It's a totally hopeless Quest that I could never finish in time," said Adva. Adva drew her legs up and placed her head in between them. She wanted to find a safe dark place and hide.

"Nyloe is right, I'm just a wizard pretender. Why did I ever-"

Swat!

"-Ouch!"

Adva glared at Billo who had one of her pillows in his hand. She rubbed the back of her head, which stung a little. He smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, but I had to snap you out of your sulking. What would your mom say if she saw you now? You're tougher than this," said Billo as he hoped that he got his message through. Guilt came over Adva as she thought about her mother. If she admitted to being a wizard pretender than she was admitting that her mother was a wizard pretender.

If she were only as smart as her mother was when it came to Quests. Her mother could always find a way to get a Quest done. Why was that?

Interpretation is the keyword when going on a Quest. There is more than one understanding to the words of a Quest.

It was one of several bits of information that her mother stated when talking about Quests. She could remember how her mother supported Quest Magic when people told her how useless Quests were. She defended her Art with a passion and had a word for every insult people gave her. Now it was up to her to defend the Quest Magic.

"You mean like a blood feud," supplied Billo. Adva nodded as a glint entered her eyes. But then the glint disappeared as a realization hit Adva.

"Blood feuds are against the law in Ameth," muttered Adva as she began to feel depressed again. She had felt that she had been so close to solving her problem. But Billo continued to grin.

"You're forgetting though that there are blood feuds outside of Ameth. South would be the best place to go. The King's law isn't as well enforced there and Houses tend to fight as often as they like at that area."

"Then I guess I need to go south," whispered Adva as she closed her book. She had never traveled alone before. Maybe Billo would go with her.

"Well I wish you good luck. Bring me back a souvenir," said Billo that killed Adva's hope of having a companion. She gave a shaky smile and nodded. It looked like she was on her own.

The two left the room. Billo decided to go back home now that Adva knew what to do. Adva needed to go to the Marketplace to buy supplies. After a few minutes, a small creature came crawling out from under the bed. It was a ten-inch humanoid with crimson skin. On its back were leathery bat wings. And it had a nose that seemed too large for its body. It was an Imp, one of the weakest demons that inhabited the Abyss.

The Imp sighed with relief as it flew to its master's room. The demon had thought for sure that the boy had spotted him when he dashed under the bed. He couldn't enter the room though till that nasty Light elemental had left. The flying Imp knocked on his master's door. Nyloe opened the door and stretch out his hand to let the Imp sit on it. He quickly shut the door with a smirk on his face.

"You know you should be very thankful that Adva helped you with that broken arm," chided Grandma Helen as she began to cut some lettuce. Billo and her grandma were in the kitchen of their manor. Billo expertly juggled a few of his knives with the arm that was now healed.

"You're not kidding Old Owl," said Billo as he called her by her nickname. Grandma Helen stopped her lettuce cutting and glanced at Billo.

"Now why don't you tell me how you really broke it Billo?" asked Grandma Helen as he gave him the Look. Billo sighed. Their could be certain disadvantages to having your grandma be a important leader of the Thieves Guild, known to all thieves as Old Owl. She was good at detecting deception and just as good at using it. Spreading a few false rumors here and there had made sure that no one suspected the family's secret profession of stealing.

Grandma Helen was of course to old to play the art of thieving anymore. Now she was one of the Three Birds, elderly leaders of the Thieves Guild. The Thieves Guild itself was a loosely formed organization for thieves to exchange knowledge, skills, and loot. Billo wasn't an official member of it yet, but planned to be when he was fifteen.

"I tried climbing up the room of Master Mirron's mansion to grab that gold statue of a pigeon that he keeps up there. I lost my grip while climbing up and fell in a bush," said Billo as he unconsciously rubbed his once broken arm. He was fifty feet from the ground and was actually lucky that his arm had been the only thing broken. He had found a healer, but the man wasn't much help. Then he went to see Adva for a solution.

"Oh what foolishness! I told you to stick with pick pocketing and cutpurse until you were old enough to join the Thieves Guild. Your whole thieving career could have been over before it even begun! You are very lucky to have a Quester as a friend," said Grandma Helen as she went back to cut the lettuce. She seemed to have more strength in her strokes and was taking her frustration out on the green vegetable.

"I know," muttered Billo. He felt a stab of guilt, but quickly suppressed it. He could tell that Adva had wanted him to come along on her adventure, but wasn't planning to get that involved in such a crazy stunt. Adva was his friend, but a thief had to think of himself first. He could still remember how he first met her.

She was practically screaming 'I'm a juicy victim!' when he first saw her. Her pouch had been so loosely tied to her belt that it could have slipped off on its own. And it was attached behind her so that she wouldn't even spot him when he cut it off. It was probably the easiest thieving he had ever done. She was studying some maps at a stall when he passed by her. One swift motion of his knife and he had the pouch. She hadn't even felt a pull on her belt. An hour later he was jiggling the pouch and smiled as he heard the sound of coins. He hadn't found anyone else that was a good target, but this had been good loot for today. Then he heard that sound.

"Wwwaahhh!"

It was the sound of someone crying really hard. He looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened. There was the girl sobbing and hiccupping. Billo had sometimes seen the reaction of people he stole from. They'd usually curse, sometimes scream, and other times even pretended the pouch was still there. But he never saw one cry before. And Billo could hear the emotion in her wails. The girl wasn't faking one bit. Billo usually didn't feel pity for his victims, but this time he did. He could remember how Grandma Helen had cried all night when they found out his Dad was dead. He chewed his lip and studied the pouch.

"Oh like I need it," muttered Billo and he got ready to walk up to the girl, but then he stopped. He couldn't just show up with the pouch without a good excuse of why he had it. He looked over around as he tried to think of something. Then he noticed a wagon that was selling paints. He walked over to the wagon. A hairy man with black curly hair eyed him suspiciously as he approached.

"Excuse me good sir, but can I see your finest red paint?" asked Billo as he gave his best innocent smile. The wagon owner studied the boy as he tried to decide what to do. Would this scrawny kid buy something or was he just jerking him around? Then he heard the rattle of coins in the pouch that Billo had. The man reluctantly brought up a tiny red jar and handed it to him. He opened the jar and dipped a finger in it. Then gave it a sniff and then closed the jar. He handed it back to the man.

"Ok, thanks," said Billo simply as he walked away. He heard a few ugly curses as he got away from the wagon. He took his wet finger and dabbed a little red paint under his nose. Then he wiped the rest on his shirt. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the girl who was still crying.

"Of course, you'll have to go with her."

Clang!

Billo let the knives he had been juggling fall to the ground.

"Huh?" asked Billo which was the only intelligent response he could muster. Grandma Hellen glanced over at him patiently.

"You will have to go with Adva when she leaves. That poor girl can't survive on her own out there. She needs someone to help her with her Quest," said the old woman as she took a seat.

"How.. how did you know about that?"

"You're talking to Old Owl, one of the most important and influential figures of the Thieves Guild. I have my ways," said Grandma Hellen as she chuckled.

"You can't be serious about me going with her? I have things to do here," said Billo, which brought a frown on Grandma Helen's lips.

"I'm perfectly serious. Your honor demands that you help that girl."

"We're thieves! We don't have honor! Just last week I saw you steal Lady Mirron's wedding ring right off her finger!"

"Of course we have honor. It's just not the same kind of honor as most people have. It's thieves honor," said Grandma Helen as she made herself sound wise and omnipotent.

"So what does thieves honor call me to do," said Billo as he tried not to grate his teeth.

"It demands that you help out anyone that saves the hand you use to steal. Because the hand is more important to a thief than his soul," said Grandma Hellen as her eyes turned hard. Billo sighed and picked up his knives.

"You're just doing this to get me back for throwing rocks as Snuggles," muttered Billo as he started to walk out of the kitchen to his room. He needed to pack a few things.

"Of course not dear," said Grandma Hellen as she crossed her fingers behind her back.

"I'm glad you're coming Billo," said Adva with gratitude as the two were walking down the dirt road. She found Billo right beside her when she passed through the South Gate of Ameth.

"Well someone needs to keep you out of trouble," said Billo and the truth was he was happy he had come. Adva was a friend he didn't want to lose.

"So where to first?" asked Billo as he thought about several methods of skinning a cat.

"We'll go to Hollowa first. We'll have to pass a few mountains to get to it though. It's the closest town south of here. Hopefully we'll hear about some blood feuds there. Where exactly would be the best place down south to find a blood feud?" asked Adva as she used her staff as a walking stick.

"Um I really don't know. Hollowa, Beacia, and Deala would be the towns that I think we should check out first. The King doesn't try to enforce the law of no blood feuds at those places because the Houses are made up of soldiers who are a big help for his militia. Some of the best generals come from those places. Many people think the King lets them have their blood feuds to help get rid of the weak fighters," said Billo. Most the information he had, he heard from his grandma when she talked of other areas outside of Ameth.

"I can't believe that. The King should try to keep peace in the Houses. Not have them fight to help his militia," said Adva with a flash of anger in her eyes. Billo shrugged helplessly. The two walked down the road silently as a breeze passed by them. The terrain around them was made up of grassy hills.

They kept walking until the sun had completely disappeared from the sky. By then they had reached the mountains and walked up the rocky road for two or three hours. To their left was the mountain wall that sloped upward and to the right of the road was a cliff. Adva swallowed hard as she saw how far you could fall off the cliff. At the bottom were boulders and Adva couldn't help, but wonder how many bones would break hitting them. Adva wished they could camp somewhere else other than right on the road, but that was impossible with a mountain path. They set up a small fire while hoping not to meet bandits.

"We better have watches just in case," said Adva as she looked out into the blackness beyond the firelight and shivered. She kept having the feeling of being watched which was most likely due to traveling in an unfamiliar land. Billo nodded in agreement and volunteered for first watch.

All three men peered over a boulder down the slope. Few people knew of the path that was higher up and allowed people to view the main road. It was suppose to be used only by Guards to watch out for bandits. But a few bribes could get you quite a bit of information from a drunk Guard. The men wore sleeveless shirts and leather pants. And the only weapon each had was a sword. None of them bothered wearing heavy armor or carry heavier weapons. Not when your target was a girl with a stick. The one in the center slowly rose and looked over the hill. He watched the girl lie down to go to sleep. The boy took a seat beside the fire and tended to it.

Tomno grinned. This was going to be the easiest money he ever made. All he had to do was kill one girl for that rich snob Nyloe. Admittedly the assignment was a bit against the policy of the Mercenary Guild. The Assassins Guild was more suited for this sort of job. But for five hundred gold, he'd kill his own brother. He looked over to his brother and gave him a thumb ups. Jacoe grinned back at him. Then he looked warily at Sunruff. Sunruff was a fifty-year-old man with gray hair that still had a few strains of black. He had a deep tan, which told that he was from the Thorn Desert and his build was much larger than those of the two other men. Scars criss-crossed his arms and he was rubbing the hilt of his sword.

Tomno barely knew anything about the man, but the guy hated wizards with a passion. And the girl might be a problem if she could do some sort of magic to attack them. Sunruff had registered with the Mercenary Guild only a year ago and was known to do any job that involved killing wizards.

"There's a kid with her, but that shouldn't be a problem. We can easily gain up to both of them if they try to make a run for it. We'll charge over this hill and take them by surprise," whispered Tomno. Jacoe nodded, but Sunruff simply snorted.

"We should have brought are bows and killed them from a distance. It would be less work," said Sunruff, which brought a look of annoyance to Tomno's face.

"The client wants the girl to die slowly. That can be best done with swords," said Tomno. Sunruff rolled his eyes, but kept his mouth shut. He considered Tomno an idiot who didn't know an orc's ass about being a mercenary. If Sunruff hadn't paid off the Guard to learn about this less traveled path, then they probably wouldn't have been able to surprise the two.

I once hunted down an army of Valor and completely wiped it out. Now I'm hunting a girl. Curse your soul Zivilyne!

Sunran studied his charts as he tried best to plot their next destination. The Gwenoth city had been the last city he planned to plunder in the Thorn Desert. Now he was going to go east to the Lioneth kingdom. He needed to go on a course though that would allow them to pass several farms so that they could take the crops as food for his men.

"Oh Sunran"

Sunran grinned as he recognized the voice. He looked up to see Zivilyne enter his tent. The female Magister was in a blood red gown that fit well with her slim body. She brushed a bit of her blonde hair and went over to him. Sunran continued to grin as Zivilyne sat on his lap.

His oath brothers thought it had been a mistake to hire a wizard into his army, but Sunran was a realistic man and knew that he would have to battle magic sometimes with more than swords and arrows. It was simply a bonus that the woman wanted to be his courtesan as well. She was much more experienced than some woman Sunran had and made him almost feel young again.

"Oh great Sunran, Warlord of the Scorched, who has plundered ten great cities, who has defeated both the army of Valor and army of SteelRose, what are you doing?"

"Trying to decide the best path to go east," said Sunran simply. Zivilyne got up and sighed.

"You're still dreaming about conquering one of the east kingdoms. Why? You could easily take over Valor now that you've destroyed almost all their militia," said Zivilyne as she took a seat across from him. It was true; Sunran could easily take over the Valor kingdom now that he had conquered their army. He was the leader of thousands of bandits, mercenaries, and barbarians known as the Scorched. But Valor was a kingdom in the Thorn Desert. Sunran wanted to rule one of the east kingdoms, which were full of fertile land.

"You know my answer," said Sunran in a voice that few men questioned. He rubbed his arm that felt itchy.

"Meet your son Sunran. He grew up quite fast," said Zivilyne with a smirk as she enjoyed Sunran's reaction.

"Would you believe he was birthed just last night right after you left my bed? Make a pact with the right demon and he'll give you a son all grown up who looks just like his father. I have to admit the fact that he has no scars might be a problem. I'll just have to make it known that my magic had made them disappear to the men. And of course we'll have to get rid of those oath brothers. No way can we fool them," said Zivilyne as she stroked the man's large arm.

Sunruff shook the memory away. That life was long gone. He was no longer Sunran the Warlord of the Scorched. Now he was Sunruff the mercenary. Zivilyne had his unconscious body brought to the Lioneth kingdom, the one he wished to conquer. His only belongings then were his sword, clothes on his back, and a note that said if he came back to the Thorn Desert then he was a dead man. It wasn't fear though that kept him from the Thorn Desert, but shame at how easily he had been manipulated by that Magister slut.

He joined the Mercenary Guild and took any job that involved the killing of a wizard. That was the one reason he took this job. It was a bit too much like assassination for Sunruff's taste, but if it involved killing a wizard apprentice then he was in. Even if he had to work with two idiots who couldn't take on a small goblin.

"Let's go," said Tomno as he quickly dashed down the slope. Jacoe followed a second later. Then Sunruff came from behind.

"Yyyaahhhh," cried Tomno as he gave a roar cry. Sunruff tried his best not to laugh. He knew eight year olds who could give a fiercer roar cry.

Whisk!

Tomno gave an almost girlish scream as he toppled and his running charge turned into a rolling charge. Even Sunruff had to winced as he watched the poor man roll down the rocky slope. Sunruff saw the glint of metal in the boy's hand and knew what happened. Jacoe stopped and watched his brother shocked.

"Don't stop you fool! Keep going!" shouted Sunruff, but it was too late.

Whisk!

Jacoe didn't scream, but grunted as a throwing knife hit his shoulder. By then Tomno had hit the road. The girl was clumsily getting up and grabbing for her staff. Jacoe looked at the knife in his shoulder and reacted exactly as Sunruff predicted.

"They're all yours Sunruff!" shouted Jacoe as he ran back up the slope.

"Well at least he didn't scream like a girl," muttered Sunruff as he got his sword ready.

Whisk!

Clang!

Sunruff parried the throwing knife with the flat of his blade. More soon came, but he was able to either dodge or hit those that came his way as he did a fast walk down the slope. He wasn't too worried about the apprentice. If the girl had some magic to use against him, she would have done it by then.

"Do you have anything in those Quests that could help us? I'm not sure if I can handle this guy," said Billo as he watched each of his knives miss their target. The man had to be a master swordsman to be able to hit the knives in mid air. Adva didn't respond to Billo, but stared at the body that was only ten feet away. It was covered with gashes and cuts from the rocky slope that it had rolled over. It was the knife that was sticking out of the man's chest that Adva couldn't take her eyes off.

All those times I saw Billo hitting wooden signs with his knives and I never thought I'd see him use them like-

"Adva!" shouted Billo as he watched the man step aside to avoid his eighth knife. Adva tried to forget about the body beside her and brought up a list of her Quests in her mind.

"I.. there is one that might work. But the Quest is to steal his sword," said Adva as she looked over at the edge of the cliff.

"Adva if we had his sword then we wouldn't need your Quest," said Billo as he threw his ninth knife. The man was at the edge of the road by then and easily hit it away with his sword. Billo gave a quick prayer and then drew his last three knives in one hand. He threw all three at Sunruff and charged the second they were out of his hand. Adva's eyes widened and she raised her staff up in the air.

Sunruff had predicted that the boy would be desperate enough to throw his last few knives at once. With a twirl of his sword and a side step, two missed him completely and the other he hit, which caused the knife fall to the ground. He even predicted that the boy would charge right afterwards and lowered his sword to thrust it through the boy. Something moved in the air above the boy and Sunruff quickly tried to raise his sword back up to block it.

Thump!

But it was too late. The blunt end of the staff hit Sunruff's forehead and he cursed as pain racked his forehead. He had counted on the girl to either wait her turn to fight or charge with the boy. He certainly didn't think the girl would actually throw her staff at him like a spear. He had a pounding headache and he his vision had become so blurry that he could barely make out the boy approaching him. He did a downward slice, but didn't time it right. Billo had time to jump to the right to avoid the blade he almost charged into. Then with a swift kick, he knocked the hilt of the sword from Sunruff's hand. Sunruff's vision became clearer after a few seconds even though he still had quite a headache.

"Enough of this," muttered Sunruff as he gave the boy a quick punch in the face. Billo fell to the ground with his head spinning. Sunruff turned to the girl who was picking up his sword. He fought a chuckle as he saw how heavy the sword was for the girl.

"Come on, let's not make this difficult. I can make this quite painless," said Sunruff as he slowly approached the girl. He knew he could disarm the girl easily once he got near her. She wouldn't even be able to do one stroke with the heavy sword before he got it out of her hands. Adva swallowed hard and then with a grunt, she threw the sword over the cliff.

Clang!

The blade shattered as if it was made of glass when it hit a boulder. For a few seconds Sunruff simply stood there watching the shattered pieces fly through the air. Than a small, but steady voice filled the air.

"When faced with an attacker

One who wishes to end your life

Steal his sword made of steel

Break the sword and you break his will

Triple the curse he shall have

Break three rules set for him

And his heart will burst from his chest

One is that he cannot harm you

Two is that he'll forever have to be near you

Three is that he must make sure you never die of violence

Now your attacker becomes your protector

It will forever be so until you set him free

So ends the Quest!"

A flash of blue light sprouted from the girl's chest, but Sunruff was beyond caring. The last remnants of his former life was now gone. Filled with rage that couldn't be expressed with words, he reached for the girl's neck. As he did so, his whole body convulsed.

Thump! Thump!

His heart felt as if it was on fire. The pounding of it seemed to shake his whole body. His hand clutched to his chest as the girl stepped back slowly from him.

Merciful darkness took Sunruff and he ceased to hear the sound of his heart.

"I still say you should let me tie him up at least."

The words jolted Sunruff out of his deep sleep. He groggily opened his eyes and groaned as he saw sunlight. His chest ached as if someone had dropped a stone on it.

"There's no need for that. The Quest I did will protect us."

Sunruff raised his head and glanced at the young boy and teenage girl that were cleaning up their campsite. He was surprised to see that someone had laid a cloak over him. Both Adva and Billo looked over at him cautiously as he got up. The boy had a nasty black eye from where Sunruff had punched him. Adva carefully approached him though Billo made a sound of protest.

"Are you ok? I was afraid that my magic killed you," said Adva as she sighed with relief. Sunruff fought the urge to grab the girl by the shirt as questions filled his mind. He couldn't make any move on the witch until he knew what had happened to him.

"What did you do to me?" asked Sunruff simply as he pierced the girl with his gaze. It was a tone filled with anger. Adva's own eyes turned hard before she spoke.

"I defended myself. I used a Quest that cursed you. If you try to harm me, not stay near me, or let me die, then your 'heart will burst' from your chest. It's a Quest that makes a Quester's assassin become her protecter," said Adva. Now that she was sure that she hadn't killed the man, her own anger was getting the better of her. A twinge of shame was in the man's dark eyes as he heard the word 'assassin'. Sunruff stood up slowly and Adva backed away. Her mind kept telling her that she was now safe, but that didn't stop a sense of fear that hit her.

Sunruff slowly walked away from Adva as he placed a hand on his chest. When he reached twenty yards away from her, he began to think that the girl had been bluffing. At twenty-five yards though, it began.

Thud Thud

The beating of his heart seemed to get louder and quicker. He tried to control his breathing so that his heart would go slower, but it didn't matter how hard he tried. He began walking back to Adva and the thudding sound of his heart became more faint. He stared at the girl grimly and Adva began to feel both angry and uncomfortable under his accusing stare.

"You didn't exactly give me much choice," muttered Adva and then she wondered why she even felt the need to morally defend herself against this monster. The man sighed and moved his gaze to the cliff where his sword fell.

"I guess the only honorable thing to do is to meet the same fate as my sword," muttered Sunruff as he took a few steps towards the cliff. Better death, then a life of slavery with a wizard as his master.

"Wait!" said Adva as she surprised both of them by grabbing his arm. The man's huge bicep flexed and Adva let go while trying not to blush. Billo rolled his eyes in disgust.

"Adva just let the man jump. I certainly have no objections to him splattering himself on the mountain."

"So it's either death or a life time in prison. Thank you for the choice, but I think I'll still take death."

"You're going to have to do it sometime. You might as well learn how it feels now," muttered Sunruff as he glanced at the girl he now knew was named Adva. He had considered trying to grab the girl and jumping off the cliff with her. Thereby getting revenge for what was done to him. But he didn't entertain that thought for long.

If only she wasn't so bloody nice! She doesn't gloat about what she's done to me and even seems sorry that she had to do it. Damn it! I want to hate her, but I just can't! But no matter how innocence she is, I won't be a slave!

Sunruff growled with that last thought and Adva instinctively took a step back. The deep tanned man was at least three times her size and as much as she hated to admit to herself, she felt slightly intimidated. Sunruff took a deep breath and stared at the cliff for a few seconds.

"Adva let the guy jump! It'll be one less jerk that works for Magister Nyloe," said Billo as he finished packing his stuff. Sunruff stopped in mid step, as he was just about to run over the cliff. He turned to Billo and Adva as the word 'Magister' screamed in his head.

"It's a Magister that's trying to kill you?" asked Sunruff as disbelief filled his voice. Tomno had told him that the client was some rich snob of a noble House. He hadn't mention anything about the guy being a Magister.

"His a apprentice Magister actually. Now can you hurry up and jump. Adva and me have a lot of traveling to do," said Billo as he shouldered his backpack. Adva gave him a scowl and then turned to Sunruff who seemed deep in thought.

"I'm not going to jump. I plan to come with you and protect you," said Sunruff slowly as he found it almost impossible to believe what he himself was saying. Adva looked relieved and Billo had an expression of disappointment.

"Oh thank you!"

"Aw orc crap! Why's that!?"

Sunruff chuckled at the very different reactions he got.

"I hate Magisters more than any other kind of wizard. I'm only hanging around long enough to help you against him. My name is Sunruff and I have no House," said Sunruff as he went over to Tomno's body. Flies were beginning to swarm over his corpse and Sunruff smelled a stench that made his nose wrinkle. Adva had wanted to have the body buried, but Billo pointed out that the ground was too rocky and hard to dig. So they planned to leave it for the Guard to pick up.

Sunruff pried the sword that was in the corpse's stiff hand. He made a few practice thrusts and slices with it. It was a bit a lighter than his other sword, but he would soon be wielding it just as well as his old one. He put the new sword in his scabbard as he turned to the others who looked ready to go.

"Don't think that I'm doing this because of that spell you put on me. I simply want to piss off one last Magister before I leave this world. If you even consider trying to order me around, I'll take my chances trying to kill both of you no matter what the consequences," said Sunruff coldly as he passed them to take the lead. Adva shuddered as she realized how serious he was. Billo muttered a few curses about mercenaries as he followed. Adva took one last look at the corpse that they were going to leave behind. She had just survived her first battle and somehow it didn't feel as glorious as she thought it would.

"Not getting tired, are we Quester?"

"I can keep up just fine," muttered Adva as she stayed in pace with Sunruff. If she didn't have a staff to use as a third leg, she would probably have collapsed. Billo was a few feet behind her and was nearly limping. Sunruff had droved them relentlessly to Hollowa with taunts of them being 'weak city people'. Adva felt as if she had joined the army and Sunruff was her inhuman sergeant.

Adva knew that she could force Sunruff to go a slower pace just by slowing down herself. Otherwise he would suffer a fatal heart attack. But she wanted to prove that she was just as tough as him and besides which, using her magic like that seemed sick. They were now passed the mountains and the land was made up of windy plains.

They had told Sunruff the whole story about the Quest that they were trying to accomplish. He didn't make any comment about it and spoke to them very little. When he spoke at all he called Adva 'Quester'. He seemed to use a cold tone with her only and not Billo. He never used her actual names and made 'Quester' sound like an insult.

"There's Hollowa ahead," muttered Sunruff. Adva had to squint her own eyes before she could see it. A gray wall surrounded the town and Adva could make out an iron gate ahead of them. As they got closer, she saw that the wall itself was more for defining the border of the town than to protect it. It was only eight feet high and she could probably climb over it if she wanted to. Two men wearing chain mail and holding spears stood at the side of the gate. They eyed Sunruff cautiously as he approached. Adva couldn't blame them.

"We come from Ameth. Mind letting us in?" asked Sunruff. The two men nodded and one took out a key to unlock the gate. With a click, the gate opened and the trio passed through.

Adva gritted her teeth and nodded as she straightened up a bit. Billo almost whimpered at the thought of more walking. After another hour of walking on a stone road, Adva knew for sure that she had to have at least a dozen blisters on her feet. But they finally made it to an inn with a sign of a weasel on it and entered through the front door. A barmaid who gave Sunruff a wink gestured for them to take a table. Adva and Billo eagerly took seats. Both were sweating and their feet had never felt so sore before. Sunruff hadn't broken a sweat though and was only breathing slightly faster.

"What will it be honey?" asked the barmaid. She had curly bright red hair that Adva couldn't help, but envy when first seeing it. Her green eyes seemed to be full of mischief.

"Ale for me and two waters for the kids."

"I'll have ale," said Adva as her eyes turned gray steel from the word 'kid'.

"Adva you never dr-ouch!" said Billo as he grabbed his leg that was under the table. Adva turned slightly red, but kept her eyes on Sunruff. The barmaid tried not to giggle as she went to get their orders.

"The Weasel's ale is strong stuff Quester. I don't want to have to carry your body upstairs," said Sunruff, which caused Adva to turn even redder.

"You won't have to," said Adva and she made it almost sound like a vow. The barmaid came back and swiftly put down two wooden mugs of ale and a bottle of water. Billo eyed the water cautiously; it didn't look very clean to him.

"We're looking for two rooms. One with two beds, the other a single. Also if you have any knowledge about blood feuds then it would be appreciated," said Sunruff as he allowed a few coins in his pouch to jiggle. The barmaid laughed.

"Honey this is Hollowa. There are at least half a dozen blood feuds happening around here. And consider the rooms yours."

"We're looking for one that looks like its about to end," added in Billo as he decided not to drink the water that looked much too brown. The barmaid rubbed her chin.

"That is a bit harder to find, but lucky for you I know about one. The GrayHawks House and BearClaw House are going to try to end their five-year blood feud. It's one of the longest ones to ever happen and it's even said that the King wants it to end. They're going to wed a woman of the GrayHawks and a man of the BearClaw to form a bond between the two Houses. The wedding is suppose to take place at BloodBath Castle."

"What a romantic place," said Billo dryly, "When exactly is this marriage supposed to take place?" The barmaid shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know that much, but I know someone who does," said the barmaid as she tilted her head towards a man at the bar. The man was obviously upper class. His fine shirt was laced with gold on the sleeves. And there was a brooch on his cloak of a silver star. Sunruff took out a few gold, which was more than what the drinks should have cost and passed them to the barmaid. She gave them a nod and walked to another table.

"Well we're on the right track," said Adva and then she took a swing of her ale. Her whole face scrunched up and she nearly spitted it out. Sunruff couldn't control the chuckle that came from him at seeing the girl's face.

"You better let me talk to him Quester," said Sunruff though he didn't use as much venom in the word 'Quester'. It was impossible to act cruel to the girl when she looked so stupid. Adva opened her mouth to object, but Billo spoke first.

"Let me handle this. I think my social skills are a bit more fine than yours Sunruff," said Billo as he got up. Adva and Sunruff watched Billo talk to the man for a few minutes while drinking their ale. Adva felt rather proud that she was able to take a second sip while keeping her face straight. Soon she was able to get use to the taste. Both were done with their mugs by the time Billo came back.

"Well?" asked Adva as impatience could be heard in her voice. Billo grinned.

"His some big time noble named Ravagon who was invited to the wedding. He came to this 'filthy inn' to see how us 'lowly subjects' are doing. Personal I think he was just hoping to find a barmaid willing to sleep with him. The wedding is supposed to be four days from now. I asked him if anybody could come to it and he laughed in my face and said no. Then he showed me his invitation and said it was too bad I didn't have one," said Billo. Adva sighed with frustration.

"How am I going to get in that wedding? Kissing the ones who get wedded will probably accomplish the Quest, but first I have to get there."

"Oh we'll be able to get in there. Since he said we needed an invitation, I took his," said Billo as he slipped a small scroll out of his sleeve. The scroll had a wax seal that showed a symbol of a bear. Adva and Sunruff both looked surprised and then glanced over at the noble. The man in rich clothing was getting up from his seat and exited the inn.

"If we're lucky, then he won't notice it gone till much later. But just in case, you better stay out of sight and go to your room Billo," said Sunruff. Billo nodded and made to get up, but was grabbed by Adva before he could.

"What possessed you to do something that stupid? He could have caught you grabbing it!" whispered Adva as she glared at Billo.

"Relax Adva, he knows what his doing. He's a thief," said Sunruff. Adva turned her glare to Sunruff.

"There's no need for name calling."

"You're the one who stole my pouch! You little runt! What would your poor grandma say about this!" said Adva as she grabbed Billo by the ear and pulled at it hard. Billo winced in pain.

"Get upstairs before you get in trouble you brat," muttered Adva. Billo got up and did a quick walk up the stairs.

"More ale!" shouted Sunruff as he pounded the table with his mug.

"Same here!" shouted Adva though her voice sounded less loud.

"I think you better stop Quester. I can take a lot more ale than you," said Sunruff as he noticed how Adva looked slightly drowsy. Sunruff himself though didn't even feel a buzz yet.

"Sunruff I can drink just as much ale as you," said Adva, which brought a snort from the mercenary. Adva was determined not to let Sunruff out drink her, out walk her, or out do her in anything.

It doesn't take a genius to tell that you think I'm just some weak girl wizard. Well I'm going to prove you wrong.

Both were brought mugs of fresh ale and both began drinking while eyeing each other. The Dancing Weasel soon became more crowded as the day grew later. Adva drank her second mug of ale and ordered a third with Sunruff. And then she ordered a fourth. She had drunk half the mug when she began to giggle uncontrollably.

"What do you find so funny Quester?" asked Sunruff as he studied the girl. It was obvious that she was incredibly drunk. She couldn't keep her head from swinging back and forth. And she kept smiling as if she was enjoying a hot bath.

"Billo is a thief. Did you know he wuz a thiefff. I ssurrree didn'tt!" muttered Adva and then she had another fit of giggles. Sunruff rolled his eyes and got up.

"I think you had enough," said Sunruff. Adva's lips began to pout.

"Prove what?" asked Sunruff impatiently. It looked like he was going to have to carry the girl upstairs after all.

"Prove that I'm good enuff! You think I'm just a wuss. But I'm not! Drinking contest! You and me!" shouted Adva. She didn't seem to realize that she was shouting. Most of the other people nearby didn't take any notice. It wasn't the first time someone was that drunk in the inn. Sunruff couldn't help, but grin.

"Is that so? Ok then," said Sunruff as he took his mug, which was still half way full. He drank the rest of it in one gulp then turned to the girl. Adva tried to take a gulp of her mug and dropped it clumsily on the floor. The barmaid was there with a rag as if by magic.

"You better take her to her room. It's room five," said the barmaid as she cleaned up the spilled ale. Sunruff nodded and grabbed Adva with both hands. He easily picked her up and held her to his chest. The girl seemed as light as a feather.

"That's one pretty girl. Don't suppose you'd let her stay a bit longer?" asked a nearby man. He was almost Sunruff's size and was a red head that looked like a farmer by his clothes. By the glint in his eyes, Sunruff knew what the man was thinking. Without hesitating he kicked the man's chair out from under him. As the man lay sprawled on the ground, Sunruff placed his foot on the man's throat. He could feel the windpipe that he was placing pressure on.

"She's under my care. Come near her and I'll kill you," said Sunruff as if it wasn't a threat, but a simple fact. He removed his foot from the farmer and the man quickly got up and backed away. Then he walked up the stairs to their room without a second glance. He had gotten one room with two beds so that he could stay near her while she slept. He wanted her almost always in sight as long as he had this curse. He opened the door and locked it behind him. Then he laid the girl on one of the beds.

"Did I win the drink contest?" asked Adva groggily with her eyes still closed. There was a note of desperation in her voice that Sunruff had barely detected. He stared at the girl for a few seconds. The girl who had tried to out drink him and who seemed so serious about proving her worth.

"Yeah Adva, you won," said Sunruff as he pulled the covers over her. It was the first time he ever called her by her name instead of 'Quester'. Adva gave a tired sigh and Sunruff wasn't sure if she had heard him before going to sleep. Sunruff went to his own bed and lay there. He stared at Adva's still form for several minutes before falling asleep.

At the outer edge of Ameth city were several warehouses. They were used to store new merchandise that is delivered to the city everyday. One warehouse that belonged to the SunLion House was magically protected so that there was no need for guards. You just needed to know the password to get in, which Nyloe knew being a member of the House.

"So let me get this straight. You and two other mercenaries couldn't kill one teenage girl and a young boy? I expected better from members of the Mercenary Guild," said Nyloe as he gritted his teeth. He wished by the Abyss that he had some way of contacting the Assassin Guild. They would never have screwed up like this, but Nyloe still didn't have that kind power in Ameth city yet.

But one day soon I will. I'll become the First Magister and when I do, I'll own this city.

"You ju.. just said that it was a girl with a stick. You never mentioned a boy who threw knives. We would have brought better weaponry and armor if you told us. I got hit by one knife in the shoulder," said Jacoe as he cringed. He had a white bandage covering his shoulder as if to prove his point. Nyloe simply stared at the mercenary grimly.

"The other two both died of throwing knives?"

"Well no my lord, you see Sunruff was doing just great. He got down the slope without a single knife hitting him. But once he got down there, the boy kicked his sword out from his hand. And the girl grabbed it and threw it over the cliff. Then she said something that I couldn't hear and Sunruff just dropped dead. That's when I left my lord. You said the girl didn't have any magic that could kill," said Jacoe as his voice almost sound accusing.

It had taken him a few days to find this lone survivor of the three that he hired to take out Adva. It still seemed too hard to believe. Then again Nyloe had hired them for their ability to keep quite, not their skill in arms. Then a thought hit Nyloe.

"Jacoe do you still have the knife that hit you?" asked Nyloe. If the man said no then he planned to kill the useless thug. Jacoe's face became puzzled, but he nodded. He took the knife out of his pocket. It still had blood on it.

"I was going to cut the little squirt up with it as payback," said Jacoe as he handed it to Nyloe. Nyloe grinned as he took the knife.

"We need hounds," muttered Nyloe while still looking at the knife. He began to pull something out from under his shirt.

"My lord?"

"Go buy me two hunting hounds. The best this money will buy and if you try to cheat me then I'll cause your blood to boil," said Nyloe as he tossed a sack of gold to Jacoe. Jacoe's eyes gleamed as he grabbed the sack greedily. He opened the door to the warehouse and exited. In only a few hours he was back. He had two hounds with him on leashes. Both were a dusty brown color and whined when they saw Nyloe. Nyloe himself was creating a circle on the floor using red sand. He then took a small knife and cut himself. It was a small cut, but a small line of blood came out of the cut. He swept up the blood with his finger and then began to draw strange symbols around the circle.

"Carry the hounds into the center of the circle and drop them there," said Nyloe as he read something in a leather bound book on a crate.

"What if they run out?" asked Jacoe though he picked both up.

"They won't," said Nyloe with a smirk and Jacoe carried the two over the circle. The hounds whining got louder as they were dropped in the middle of the circle. Their legs seemed to shake with fear and they didn't even attempt to stand.

"Now stand back," said Nyloe. Jacoe complied eagerly. He was glad that Nyloe hadn't asked for what was left of the gold. Then Nyloe began to chant.

Jacoe had heard wizard chanting before. It was when a Druid was enchanting some fruit to make it taste better. The sound of his voice had been soothing and relaxing. Nyloe's chanting though, sounded violent and challenging. The last time he had heard that kind of tone was when his brother was cursing out some old woman.

Sizzle

Jacoe took another step back as the red sand seemed to combust and catch on fire. The dogs were now barking, but still didn't get up from the floor. Jacoe could almost swear that the blood symbols were glowing and shivered. Nyloe's chanting stopped suddenly.

"AAAaaaawwwwoooooooooooooo!"

Jacoe had to clap his hands to his ears as the piercing howl filled the air.

Crack!

Glass windows of the warehouse shattered and caused a cloud of glittering glass, but Jacoe's eyes stayed on the hounds. The two hounds were both sitting now and had their head's raised as they howled. Their fur seemed to change to a dark red color and they literally grew larger. Muscles and bones could be heard popping and stretching as the two hounds became almost twice as large. Their fangs became long and sharp. For a second, Jacoe thought for sure that he saw flames sprout from their mouths.

The circle of fire snuffed out and the hounds finally ceased their howling and lowered their heads. There was an intelligence in their eyes that scared Jacoe. Nyloe was sweating from head to toe, but looked pleased. He took the knife that Jacoe had given him and held it before the transformed hounds.

"Go find the boy that this belongs to. There should be a girl with raven black hair near him. Kill the girl my Hellhounds," said Nyloe as the Hellhounds sniffed the knife in his hand. Nyloe made a gesture and they started running. The Hellhounds ran full speed towards a wall and Jacoe gasp as he saw them run right through it. There were two holes in the walls that were shaped like the Hellhounds and had burned marks at the edges. It was as if the wall had burned to ashes instantly when the Hellhounds touched it.

"Hopefully they'll do better than your band," said Nyloe as he closed his spellbook.

"Time to get up."

"Uuuuuuugggaaahhhhh!"

"Sounding like a brainless undead zombie isn't going to stop me from pestering you Adva."

"Uuiiiieeeee?" moaned Adva as she looked out from under her covers. Sunruff was sitting at the edge of her bed.

"Wow I must have done something impressive last night to cause him to change like that. Too bad my memory is a complete blank after that second mug of ale," muttered Adva as she stiffly got out of bed. Then a fearful thought hit her.

"I'm