The Ancient Prophecy Ch. 08

Aurelia screamed in protest and tried to kick her captors, but again she was helpless as they caught and pinned her down.

"You can't do that!" Anna yelled. "The entire realm will be destroyed!"

"Of course!" The Dark Elf grinned. "But not our realm. We will rise as the ruler of the land next to the demons! And for those who contribute to our victory, we will reserve special places in our slave ranks!"

His laughter echoed throughout the cave, shocking the rock. "As a slave-in-training, you know too much! But don't worry... you won't go anywhere!"

Anna just watched helplessly as the Dark Elves dragged Aurelia's struggling form out. She tried to buy more time, but her mind was totally blank. They were indeed in grave danger.

"One more thing..." He said slowly. "We're good slavers. We don't usually leave our slaves... not entertained... Do you know what that thing around you is?"

Anna looked at the cocoon that wrapped her body. The substance was unknown but she could feel that something, somewhere inside, was moving. It seemed that the cocoon was alive!

"I believe you're familiar to green Solarean mountain oozes?"

Anna was. In fact, mountain ooze was the last thing she would want to see. The oozes were renowned for its wicked treatment toward their victims. They would suck their victims' bodily fluid slowly until the bodies turned into disfigured rigid carcasses. She could remember the horrible plague of oozes several years ago before the mages warded them away. Since then the oozes had been living around the swamps and caves and attacking unwary travelers. Red oozes were extremely poisonous, blue oozes could spit acid, but green oozes were pure fighters, preferring to tangle and slowly suck their victims to death.

The Dark Elf could feel the growing panic in Anna and chuckled. "Don't worry... The ooze around your body has been... domesticated. It will not kill you... well at least not that fast. It has been trained... Instead of draining your bodily fluid, it will force you to keep on producing fluid until you die. Some methods can be pleasing... so might have a chance to die smiling!!"

With a wicked laugh he exited the cave, leaving her alone with many other prisoners trapped inside their oozes. The oozes seemed to torture the prisoners, for Anna could hear their muffled moan and cry. She tried her magical spells, but she was too weak. She tried squirming, although she knew it was useless. The ooze had trapped her completely.

Suddenly she could feel that the ooze was alive. She could feel it moving and pulsing around her body. With a yelp she felt the slimy surface around her petite breasts tighten, loosen, and repeat the process. This was not the massage she would enjoy. She tried to squirm again, but the ooze continued its intrusion on her breasts. The surface lightly brushed her nipples, which stood erect involuntarily. A soft moan escaped her lips.

She cursed herself for being aroused by the monster around her body, but there was nothing she could do. She tried to shift her thought to something else, but again the ooze regained her attention by massaging her slim legs and buttocks. Then she felt numerous tentacles probing her body and arousing her even further. When a pair of tentacles brushed her vaginal lips, she let out a loud moan.

Then she felt the head of a larger tentacle pushing on her pussy, teasing it until it was wet. Now she knew what the Dark Elf had meant by 'forcing her to produce fluid'. This ooze could keep her aroused and she would feed it with her vaginal fluid until she died. And she knew it wouldn't happen soon.

Her mind shifted to Atrus, the man she adored. She knew that the monster was slowly taking over her will. She knew that even her love wouldn't save her. Atrus would definitely do anything to rescue her, and that really relieved her fear. All she could do was pray that he wouldn't be too late.

She cried hard as the tentacle penetrated her pussy and began violating her wet vagina. She tried to trash around, but the monster hugged her body and held it rigid. She could only move her head and moan as the intrusion continued. She could feel the monster pulsing around her, draining her sweat and vaginal fluid greedily. And all she could do was moan and, of course, suffer from it.

Atrus... whatever you're doing... do it quickly...

Maya Murdock quietly stirred the boiling soup before her. The sweet fragrance filled the air, but it didn't bother or amaze her. She was not in mood to cook. Why would she cook merrily if no one wanted to eat her food anyway?

They had finally arrived back to the Elom forest and made a small camp there. Atrus had been staying on guard for almost two hours by now. As strong as he was, she knew that he had been completely smashed by Anna's loss. He had asked her to leave him alone and keep an eye Roberto for a while. He had also politely declined her offer of dinner. She knew he was depressed and she wanted to help him, but she decided not to argue with her master for now. She'd spent her time bandaging her wounds before starting to make the meal. The pain in her wounded shoulders and hips had vanished now, thanks for Anna's hand-made potion of recovery.

She heard someone drawing near and sighed a relief to see Roberto approaching slowly. He, too, had been greatly discouraged from the last battle. The once-proud prince and the foremost knight of the realm was no more. He got nervous quickly never let his Kaiser Sword away too far from him.

"Do you want soup, Prince Roberto?" Maya kindly offered.

"I'm not a prince anymore." He answered gruffly, cutting her smile.

She fought to suppress her anger and frustration. Since her freedom she had never met anybody who answered her willing love and affectionate with rejection and complete ignorance. Both Atrus and Anna had actually treated her like their sister, despite her worshipping nature. Now she found in Roberto a completely different personality.

Maya could see that in spite of his gruff manner, he was indeed hungry, so she poured a good amount of steaming soup and gave it to the prince. Roberto accepted groggily and ate in silence. Darkness crept upon them as the evening came. They might have to stay for the night, and to do so Maya realized that they needed ample dinner rather than just simple soup.

"I'm going to catch rabbits for dinner." Maya said. "Feel free to join me."

Then she took a pair of throwing knives and went deeper into the forest. Hunting was not her specialty, but her late father had used to take her for a camp out in the woods, where she had learnt the necessary skills. If she were lucky, she would catch rabbits foolish enough to be outside their nests this late.

And she was indeed lucky tonight. She ran across one not too far from their camp. Rabbits' hearing was far superior than Humans', so she had to be completely silent. If she had a bow and an arrow, her job would be much easier, but with her throwing knives she had to get closer.

She crept slowly, hoping that she wouldn't attract too much attention. The fallen autumn leaves, however, did a terrible job at hiding her presence as the rabbit got suspicious. Maya held her breath as the rabbit's ears twitched, trying to pick any threats.

Suddenly the sound of cracking branches was heard and a gigantic sword, the Kaiser Sword, flew in the air and landed behind the rabbit. The rabbit, following its instinct, ran the opposite way, which was where Maya were hiding. It leaped past Maya, but she was quicker this time. Her throwing knife flew and hit the rabbit squarely on its leg. When she approached the animal was twisting on the ground with its leg wounded and therefor unable to escape. She drew her silver blade and ended the rabbit's misery.

Maya proudly picked her trophy and sheathed her weapons. Roberto was picking his sword in silence. She approached and grinned.

"That was not too bad. You hunt a lot?"

"Sometimes..." he answered, halted, and continued, "Usually with Hawk..."

She could sense the grief in his voice. "Hey, stop blaming yourself! It's not your fault..."

"We've had this discussion before!" He cut her off. "I screwed up, and there's nothing you can do that will make me feel better, so knock it off!!."

Maya shrugged and advanced toward the camp. Roberto sat quietly near the fire. Uneasy silence crept upon them once more. Maya expertly skinned the animal and slowly roasted it.

"Do you think it will be enough?" He asked suddenly.

"The rabbit?" Maya asked. "Of course. You will have one half, and Atrus will have the other. I can eat the soup."

His eyes narrowed. "I don't understand. You're willing suffer for that man?"

"Master Atrus is a great man!" She insisted. "You should know him better!"

"Hah! Just say that you love him!" He mocked.

Maya ignored him. He might be true, but there was no point in discussing that matter now. Her feeling didn't matter. The safety of her mistress and new friends were at the top priority. She could just trust that her master was still working on a plan to rescue them and get the job done.

After a long moment of silence, Roberto uttered a question she didn't understand. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"I don't understand you! I don't understand any of you at all!"

Maya just stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"You're all acting weird!" He roared. "You've seen how a horrible man Atrus is! He demoted me from my title! He pressed and intimidated me! But why?! Hawk respected him just like a brother! The entire Elves looked at him as if he was truly a god! And you... you let him enslave your life! Can't you see?!"

Maya let out a long sigh. Finally, this guy talks...

"Well... Do you give yourself a moment to try to understand him?"

"Why should I understand him?!"

"How can you expect somebody to understand you if you don't even try to understand him?"

"Because... because I'm the heir to the throne!"

Maya's eyes narrowed. "And that makes you special?"

"Huh...? Of course! I mean... Yes! I am special!"

"Very well, then..." Maya unsheathed her silver blade and gave the handle to Roberto. "Make a long cut around your wrists. If you survive, then I will admit that you're special."

He stared at the blade nervously and slowly shook his head. "I can't..."

"Being the prince of Aragon doesn't mean you can expect people to understand you all the time. You have to try to understand them as well. Friendship and understanding are mutual. They work both ways. If you expect people to understand you, you must be willing to do the same."

Roberto stared at Maya for a while. His expression softened. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I understand you." Maya noted. "I understand you because you explained your problem. Master Atrus doesn't understand you because you haven't told him anything. If you want people to help you, you have to speak up."

Roberto fell silent for a while. "Perhaps, then, you are right. I... I owe you an apology..."

Maya's face brightened and she smiled warmly. "You owe me nothing. But you do owe an apology to Master Atrus. Your father asked him to take care of you. No matter how much you hated him, he fought hard for your safety. How much you despised him, he struggled to protect you despite his friends' losses. That's why he has been very strict to you; he doesn't want you to get into trouble."

"My father... That old man...!" Roberto said coldly. "He left me... All that he cares is the kingdom of Aragon's many affairs."

"Have you tried to understand him?" Maya asked. "The king may have little time with you and his own family, but he loves you. He sends you on this journey because he wants you to mature and learn what it takes to be a king, something he can no longer teach. No, he doesn't hate you. You have no right to accuse him like that." She choked her last word. "At least don't make the same mistake I did..."

"You made the same mistake?" the prince asked.

Maya nodded slowly. "My father was a criminal, and he led my life into disaster. I hated him so much that I despised him, even after his death. But later when I found that he was not what I thought he was, I felt devastated. The truth is, his unspoken love to me lasts until now. I don't want you to feel the same regret I've felt. Try to understand your father. He loves you more than anything in this realm."

Then Maya saw the prince's eyes grow heavy with tears. "I... I really don't know..." His words are trembling. "What have I done...?"

"The damage is not done yet." Maya said in her best comforting tone. "Turn back now, before it's too late and you're left with eternal regret."

He nodded slowly. "Thank you... for understanding me... Please excuse me. I have an apology to make." He rose up and walked slowly toward where Atrus was on guard.

Hawk's head hurt. In fact, it hurt so badly that it took a couple of minutes for him to regain his awareness. He found himself lying on a rocky ground inside a huge cave. The surrounding was dark, illuminated only by torches scattered around the room. He sat up and observed his surrounding further. He was sitting behind a huge boulder at a corner of the room. At the other end of the cave an arc-shaped tunnel provided the only exit from the room.

What am I doing here...?

His mind trailed back to the event at the Swamp of the Dread, when they were trapped in the dreaded Gauntlet of Death. He remembered seeing Aurelia being sucked into a dark hole and he leaped into the hole shortly. He remembered grasping one of her legs as they traveled inside a weird colorful tunnel. He remembered the bright and blinding flash of light followed by Aurelia's pitiful scream of agony. He remembered the sudden pain in his muscles, forcing him to let her go. Then he remembered nothing.

It seemed that he had been dumped inside this weird cave. The fact that he had not been captured by the enemy surprised him. The big boulder had kept his unconscious body hidden from the enemy. His spear was gone, probably left at the swamp, but finding a new weapon was not a big problem. Finding a weapon without alerting the enemy was the real problem.

I'm the youngest and brightest captain in the royal army rank. I can do this...

He searched the room, finding nothing more valuable than rocks and gravel. Several wooden barrels were arranged neatly at one corner, but they were empty. The room seemed to be an abandoned storage room. He picked a torch from the wall and held it in his left hand. The torch would be his only weapon for this moment. He slowly made his way into the dark tunnel.

The tunnel had many branches, but he had no time to inspect all of them. For the first time in his career, he decided to trust his instinct. Women trust their intuition when dealing with men and it proves to be quite right anyway! He soon saw a hint of light at the end of the tunnel and carefully proceeded.

The cave was just as large as the last one. Again, it was another storage room with plenty of barrels inside. The only difference was that this room was guarded. Two Dark Elves stood at the center of the room and were chatting in language he couldn't understand. He took a careful note of his enemies. The Dark Elves wore studded leather armors and wielded curved swords and knives. Their dark skin welded well with the darkness around them.

Then one of the Elves moved to the other end of the room. Hawk crept from one barrel to another, carefully approaching the lone Elf. He took a solid rock and threw it at the nearest barrel.

The Elf took the bait. He walked casually toward the barrel to check the sound, thus bypassing Hawk's spot. Hawk quickly grabbed him and snapped his neck. Unfortunately, his fellow saw him and instead of attacking him he ran for the tunnel. Hawk retrieved a blade from the fallen man and threw it. The knife hit the other Elf squarely at his neck. The Elf fell on the ground, struggled for a while, and then stayed still.

The search on his victims only gave him a curved blade and three combat knives. He hoped to find a spear or lance, but found none. The barrels were filled with fruits, which reminded him how hungry he was. He took two apples and began eating.

Then he suddenly realized that he was not alone. He could see nobody inside the cave, but he could feel their presence. He could hear distant sound of ragged breath and pitiful moans. Could it be that this cave is haunted? He could hear the eerie voice around him. A trickle of water could be heard from the corner... Water?! This is a wasteland!

When he turned around, his fear returned. Before him was a pool of green slime, bubbling on the ground and creeping slowly toward him. He'd heard stories about green ooze, but he'd never encountered one before. He readied his blade and knives and prepared his fighting stance. If they touch me, I'm dead meat...

Suddenly the slime propelled itself toward him. He was prepared and got out of the way. He threw two knives that found their mark, but to his horror the ooze was unaffected. The slime simply left the knives stuck on the rocky ground and went after its victim. My weapons can do no harm!

He fought to remember what he had heard about how to defeat the green oozes when it attacked. He barely escaped the attack with the creature touched a part of his shirt. He reflexively tore the part smeared with the green substance and threw it away. He couldn't allow the creature to gain contact with his body. If he wanted to kill the ooze, he had to keep his distance...

Suddenly he remembered that melee attack didn't work against the monster. The most effective way of dealing with oozes from within a range would be... by using magic! He cursed himself for not being able to do magic. He wished that Anna was around this time, but he had to free her first. He would be delighted to see her fry the oozes to crisp...

Then his gaze was locked on the closest thing he could relate with the word 'fry'. The torches! I can use the torches! He evaded the next attack easily and dashed toward his last position. His torch had fallen down when he struggled with the Elf, and he was happy to find that it was still there. He threw his blade aside and held the burning torch defiantly.

Oven though it couldn't see, the monster could feel the increasing heat and stopped its advance. Hawk regained his confidence and dashed toward his opponent. The torch hit squarely on the ooze's surface and suddenly the entire surface burst in bright flame. The green substance were burnt slowly and turned into rigid, black charcoal.

He paused for a while to regain his breath. He just slain his first ooze, and he did that without knowing one spell. But he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was not alone in the room. The eerie voice remained, poking his mind with weird thoughts. Slowly he looked up...

And was horrified by the view before him. The dome-shaped ceiling was filled with dozens of green oozes, forming cocoons of various sizes. But he could see that there was something inside the cocoon. Something was wiggling and moaning inside of it. Could it be that they are the Elven prisoners that they have to free? Could it be that the entire prison cave was actually ooze's colony?

He prepared his torch and combat knives. He had a lot of work to do.

Atrus took a deep breath, feeling the cold air fill his lungs. He stirred as the howl of a lone wolf far away gained his attention. He was happy. He was back. He had been spending the last couple of weeks in civilized area. Now he was back to nature, back to the wilderness. He was once again free.

But he was not here for a holiday. He had to retrieve the dragon statue to seal the Human-Elven alliance. He had to rescue the captured slaves from the Karigor stronghold. To make the problem worse, both Anna and Aurelia had been captured, and Hawk had been missing in the Swamp of the Dread. Maya was wounded and Roberto was deeply shaken from the last battle.