The Ancient Prophecy Ch. 03

Atrus quickly grabbed her small body and pinned her to the ground. She was too weak to fight back, but managed to let a loud scream. The men around them began to cheer him up. The girl gave up the struggle and let Atrus kissed her tender neck.

"Don't worry. We're here to help. Now moan as loud as you can." Atrus instructed her softly near her ear to prevent the bandits from hearing.

It took a few seconds for the girl to understand. She began to moan every time Atrus kissed her. Atrus just probed her body with his finger before kissing her earlobe.

"Take all hostages to the village of Labrador. I'll meet you there. Understand?"

The girl let a soft moan, signaling that she understood. Atrus sat near her crotch, spreading her legs wide despite her cry of protest. Come on, Adriana, he thought, give me your signal!

"Wait a minute, I know you!" One of the bandits exclaimed. Atrus turned to see him.

He was the bandit leader he had fought in the forest earlier.

"Uh, hi, pal, I'm Johnny, a bandit from the West..." Atrus quietly cursed himself for not being good at lying.

"Traitor!" The bandit yelled. "We have a traitor here..."

Suddenly a big ball of fire erupted from the north side of the camp. Suddenly the sky became really bright and fire appeared in some tents. The bandits were all stunned. Atrus quickly grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her through the crowds.

Once they were hidden in the crowds, Atrus suddenly yelled, "We're under attack! We're under attack!"

This created a great confusion among the bandits. They began running to their tents to grab their scattered weapons. When they were ready for combat, they couldn't tell who were their friends or foes. Another explosion occurred in the east side of the camp, engulfing the tents and creating a chain reaction with another set of barrels. The bandits, confused like crazy, began killing and stabbing each other.

However, Atrus had no time to be confused. He took the girl's hand and dragged her to the perimeter of the camp, telling her to stay there. Then he drew his sword and got into the fighting crowds again, looking for the rest of the hostages.

Adriana launched her last magic missile to the center of the camp. The white ball appeared from her hands and soared to the barrels, destroying them. Fire had engulfed half of the camp and Atrus was making trouble in the south part. The air was very hot, and she noticed that fire had begun to crawl near the guard tower. She had to get out of there, or she would be burned to death.

Her legs were trembling as she stepped down the ladder. The magic missiles she had launched had drained her energy. Her sight began to grow dim. Carefully she went down the ladder, using her hands to keep her from falling to the ocean of fire beneath her. Her consciousness began to fade and her grips grew loose.

"I'm... sorry... Atrus... I... can't..." Then her grips let go and she fell...

... only to find herself in Atrus' arms. "Adriana! Are you okay?"

She slowly opened her eyes. "Atrus? I... can't..." She could feel the intense heat of the fire behind them.

"You can't give up now! I need your help!"

He needed her help, she thought! Atrus needed her help! Her brain began to work harder than ever, ordering her heart to beat faster. She could feel new power came to her. She began to regain her consciousness despite the extremely hot air around them. Her feet reached the ground and gradually supported her weight again. She looked at him in anticipation.

"What can I do for you?"

Atrus smiled at her. "Thanks for returning back to real world." He pointed to the west side of the camp. "I left some hostages there. Take them out of here. Run as far as you can go. I'll try to hold them off."

She looked at him in disbelief. "But you could get killed! Let me go with you!"

"Don't worry about me! You're the only one I can trust to bring them back home!"

Adriana was stunned. He... he trusted me...

A stray bandit ran toward them with his curved sword in his hand, but he was no match for Atrus, who quickly slashed him with his sword.

"Go! I'll catch you up later!" Then Atrus ran back to the confused crowds.

"Atrus! Be careful!" She cried. Then she ran to the direction Atrus showed her. Behind her, the bandits began to disperse and scatter.

Adriana kept on running and running, despite of the numbness that swallowed her feet. The eight other girls ran close behind her, suffering the same torture on their feet. Running in the forest barefoot was not a good idea, but they had to do that to escape the fire that had began to engulf the trees nearby the camp. Behind them, the land had become the hell on earth.

Yet she kept on running. Many times she failed to dodge the raised roots of the trees, but managed to get back up and run again. She would run until they reached their campsite. Then she would wear her boots and hide the girls until Atrus came. Then she would again ask if Atrus would be willing to accompany her in her journey... Perhaps not, she thought... But she would ask him anyway...

"HALT!"

She looked back to find the source of the voice. The girls were also startled and stared into the darkness. There, with the burning trees far away as the background, a single man stood. But he was not Atrus; he was bigger, far bigger. His expression was harsh and his broad chest was full with bruises from combat. However, he stood erect right in front of them. In his right hand was a huge axe and in his left hand a leather whip. The wicked weapon had already sent shiver to her spine.

"My name is Gorgon, the bandit king of Black Tooth clan. You have nerve by destroying my force. However your puny trick didn't work for me!" He raised his axe high. "Now is your chance to actually stop me. I challenge you to fight to the death!"

Adriana knew that the duel would be foolish, for she would surely be killed. Her body was also full with bruises created by branches. Her power was completely spent from her spells and her escape. She couldn't even stand straight.

"She is not responsible! I am the witch you're looking for!"

Adriana was stunned. One of the hostages stood forward and challenged the bandit king. The king was about to swing his gigantic axe when another girl stepped forward.

"WAIT! I'm the one who did it! Slay me if you dare!"

"NO! I'M THE ONE YOU WANT!" Another stepped forward.

One by one, all eight girls challenged the king. Gorgon looked at them in disbelief, then roared in anger. "DO YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME? I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"

"NO! Kill me first." Adriana yelled. "If you kill me, would you let them go?" She pointed at the girls.

"Perhaps..." Gorgon grinned.

Adriana had no other choice. Atrus trusted her to take care of the hostage. She would not fail him in any way. She would not fail her very first friend whom she trusted and who trusted her. "Very well. I'm the one who shot all those magic missiles. Fight me."

"Very well. On guard, witch!"

Gorgon slammed his axe to the ground, making the forest floor shake violently. Adriana, who was extremely exhausted, couldn't keep her balance. She fell on her stomach. When the girls rushed to help her, she raised her hand, signaling them to back off. She slowly stood up again. Then a sharp pain short through her left leg; he just whipped her leg. Again she fell to her knees. She could only wince in pain. The whip came again and another pain stung her right shoulder. Then she realized that her right arm were numb. She couldn't feel or move it!

Finally the whip coiled itself to her neck right above her collar, causing her to fight for breath to stay alive. Suddenly the whip pulled her head high, lifting her prone body. Her head was forced to face the sky, and her toes were barely touched the ground. She noticed that the whip was coiled on a strong branch of a tall tree. She tried to keep her balance on her toes to prevent her from losing her neck bones. With her right arm immobilized and her body in terrible pain and exhaustion, she knew she would not hold for long.

"Such a remarkable beauty... Too bad that in the inside was the spirit of a fool..."

A snap of a branch being torn was heard, and she knew the worst was yet to come. She was going to be tortured to her death! Gorgon swung the broken branch past her hips, creating bruises and welts. With his strong hand he ripped her blouse and did the same to her bare breasts. Than he pinched her nipples and yanking her body. She let a loud scream every time he tugged her nipples, as she tried futilely to keep her balance. The hostages just stood there, looking at the scene in horror.

After some time, Gorgon stopped his assault. Adriana was still hanging on the whip. Her body was covered with bruises. She was drenched with her blood and sweat. Gorgon stared at his handiwork in pride. Then he lifted his axe and positioned it near her neck.

"Let's cut this thing inch per inch... Don't close your eyes..."

Adriana had no more power to even close her eyes. She had given up everything, and still she knew she had failed him. She had failed her very first friend.

"My bad luck...I'm sorry, Atrus... I'm... over..."

Suddenly she heard a loud scream from Gorgon. Two seconds later, a blade flew and cut the whip. She fell down, but not in a crash. Somebody was holding her, preventing her body from collapsing to the ground. She couldn't see anything. She tried to talk, but only a mumble came out.

"Don't talk, Adriana. Just relax, you'll be fine."

Her heart was full with joy. It was Atrus, all right. He had come for her rescue!

Atrus held Adriana's weak body by his arms. He called one of the hostages to hold her for a while. Then he brushed her drenched hair and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, Adriana. I'll take care of him. I'll make sure you'll get your revenge."

Then he stood up and looked at his opponent. Gorgon had recovered from his attack. He was lucky he kicked his groin in time, or else Adriana's neck was no more. He unsheathed his sword and stared at his enemy.

Never in his life he felt such hatred. Never in his life he felt such guilt. He was almost too late, and it almost cost his friend's life. If he hadn't collected the gold pouches from the burning tents, this thing wouldn't have happened. He hated his greed, but most of all, he hated his enemy.

He took off his cloak and shirt. His body was also covered with various cuts from the battle in the camp, but he didn't care. He prepared his combat stance. His eyes stared at his enemy's movement.

Gorgon was actually surprised at his reaction. This little kid had turned to be a monster, he thought. But he drew his axe to his side.

"Ready to play, kid?"

It took some time for Atrus to answer back. "You call yourself a warrior, but you enjoy torturing women. You believe you are strong, but you only dare to fight the weak. You think you are brave, but your bravery was only to the inferior ones. You have no honor in what you have done."

He clenched his sword harder than ever. One of the girls could swear they saw smoke coming from his grip.

"I WON"T FORGIVE YOU!!!"

Atrus dashed toward his opponent. Gorgon was ready to swing his axe, but he stopped. Atrus dashed like lighting. Gorgon was stunned at his incredible speed.

"LIGHTNING SLASH!!!"

Atrus ran past Gorgon, making two cuts on both shoulders in a quick succession, giving Gorgon no chance to even deflect the blow. His sword cut Gorgon's body into four. Gorgon didn't even move an inch before the blow came. His corpse fell to the ground with a crash; his hand was still gripping the axe.

Atrus sheathed his drenched sword and fell silence in his prayer. When he was finished, he hurriedly ran to Adriana, who was lying on a girl's lap. He touched her wrist, sensing that her pulse was very weak. She was losing too much blood.

"Follow me! We have to get to the camp!" He told the girls.

Atrus carefully lifted the unconscious Adriana and carried her by his arms.

And they ran, ran, and ran...

She found herself hanging on the ceiling. A big guy was torturing her, and she was helpless. She couldn't see the face; it was too dark. Her head was tied high above her head, and her ankles were tied to the ground. Her body was in a great pain, and her soul was in a great fear. She couldn't either move or speak; all she could do was feel the terrible pain.

Then she felt the cold tip of a sword... no... it was an axe... a huge axe... pressed to her neck. Then it began slicing her tender neck, slowly... slowly... And in the corner of the room she could see somebody was watching her... He was... He was... Atrus...

Adriana let a loud cry as her body jerked. The pain was enormous and she thought she had arrived in the gate of hell. Then she felt something holding her body. Those arms... Somebody was holding her, preventing her from moving. She tried to fight back, but that somebody pressed her body closer to his. She could feel the warmth of his chest seeped into her body, soothing her pain. She could feel a hand brushed her hair. Slowly, she began to feel relaxed. This somebody held her body close, soothing and comforting her. But everything was dark for her. She couldn't see anything. She could feel tears flowing from her eyes.

Then a finger softly wiped the tears off her cheek. She could hear a soft voice through her ear. "Easy, my dear. Don't move. Don't be afraid. I'm here. Just rest... rest..."

Then she felt really sleepy and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Atrus walked out of the examination room to the doctor's office. He was furious, but also confused. They had returned to the village as heroes, but Adriana's condition was critical.

He turned to the doctor. "Tell me the truth, doc. How is she doing?" He demanded.

The doctor turned from his book to stare at him. "Pretty bad, I would say. The wounds outside are easy to be cured. I'm worrying about the wounds inside."

Atrus fell quiet. The doctor was right. Adriana had been having nightmares for almost a week with no sign of ceasing. He was always there to hold and comfort her, but he didn't know how to help her. She was battling deep inside, and he couldn't help. Slowly, his guilt of being late in the forest came again, and the doctor noticed that.

"Your guilt won't save her, young man."

"THEN WHAT WILL?" He found himself yelled at the doctor. Then he got a hold of his emotion. "Sorry, doc..."

"Never mind." The doctor smiled. "She is having a trauma right now, and she is fighting her fears alone. Looking at her condition, I can presume that she was losing."

He paused for a moment, then continued. "She needs a friend, a friend she could rely on. Young Ranger, she needs you."

Atrus sat next to Adriana, who was lying on the examination bed. She was still asleep peacefully, but he knew deep inside she was battling her fears. The wounds around her body were getting better, but in her dream she had felt extreme pain from them. Nearly half of her body was covered with bandages, including her forehead. However, her beautiful face stayed visible to him.

Slowly, his anger of himself began to arise again. He was guilty, he said to himself. He was greedy. Never in his life he had seen so many gold in the pouches around the camp. But now his friend was dying slowly. He wondered if Adriana would ever be the same again.

Tears filled his eyes, rolled down his cheek and fell to the blanket covering her body. He felt so useless. She was fighting for her life, and he was unable to help.

A brave man never cried; he could remember his father had said. A brave man cried with his heart. A true friend was the greatest gift in life, one in a million. He stared at Adriana. She was his friend. She was willing to die for him. Now he wouldn't let her go.

Atrus took her hand and stroked her golden hair softly. Then he recalled all the things his father had taught him. Man was a part of nature. He couldn't reach her from here, but through nature he would be able to see her. Slowly he closed his eyes and felt the warmth of nature around him. The world felt silent and he was alone with Adriana. He could feel the loneliness in the dark. He could see her, lying next to him, still expressionless. He tried to go deeper inside her, stroking her hair softly and comforting her. Slowly, he felt that her hand began to respond, tightening its grip to Atrus' hand. He suddenly felt a rush of emotion sweeping through his own emotion. He could feel what she felt as the nature gave way.

Then he found it. He could feel her fear. He could feel her loneliness. He could feel her sadness and despair. Softly, he massaged her hand as he began to speak.

"Fear not, Adriana, for I am here."

She found herself hanging on the ceiling. A big guy was torturing her, and she was helpless. She couldn't see the face; it was too dark. Her head was tied high above her head, and her ankles were tied to the ground. Her body was in a great pain, and her soul was in a great fear. She couldn't either move or speak; all she could do was feel the terrible pain.

Then she felt the cold tip of a sword... no... it was an axe... a huge axe... pressed to her neck. Then it began slicing her tender neck, slowly... slowly... And in the corner of the room she could see somebody was watching her... He was... He was... Atrus...

But this time it was different. She couldn't see his face, but she could feel his emotion. She could feel his anger of himself. She could feel his guilt. For the first time in her torturing moment, she felt she was not alone.

"Fear not, Adriana, for I am here."

His voice rushed like a cool breeze for her empty and lonely heart. She felt her pain began to subside. She could see that the big guy who had been torturing her was now still. She was alone with Atrus.

"Atrus... You've come..."

"Adriana, I'm here."

"I'm sorry, Atrus... have I failed you?"

She could feel Atrus' guilt began to rise. "No, I have failed you." He paused and said again, "I was looking for gold by the time you were fighting."

"But you came and saved me!"

"But I've made you suffer! I should have been there to protect you!"

Adriana nodded. "I understand. But you should know that I am very thankful you have come and saved me. I thought you wouldn't have come... I felt so lonely..."

"You were alone facing death, and all I did was looking for gold..." He paused again. "Adriana... I'm so sorry..."

She was surprised. His voice... he was crying! Even more, he was crying for her.

"Atrus... You don't understand how I felt. I felt so lonely. I thought if I had died, I would have failed your trust. I feared that you would not trust me anymore..." She felt tears began falling down her cheek. "When you came, I felt that you still cared about me... I felt that you would save me... That means everything to me..."

Atrus fell silent. She could feel that his guilt had subsided. She now could see his face. He gave her his warm smile. For the first time in her life she felt happy.

"Atrus... please don't leave me..."

"I will never do, Adriana. Do not lose yourself to your fear. You have to fight it."

Then Atrus' image began to flicker, then vanished in the darkness despite of her protest. The pain returned to her, and the shadow of the big guy in front of her moved again. She cried in pain, calling Atrus' name. Then she realized that she shouldn't give up. She had to bear this pain.

"NO...!" She could hear his voice. "Fight it! Fight your fear!"

She looked at her enemy. She knew that Atrus was with her. She could feel her power returning to her. The pain was gone as she gained her courage.

"I do not fear of you! I will not fall again!"

Slowly she concentrated her power, forming a green ball in front of her eyes. Then the ball of green fire flew to the big guy.