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.

"The truth is that the cat just didn't fall out of the tree. He fell out because I threw rocks at him… big rocks," muttered Billo. Grandma Helen's face began to turn purple.

"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

He was a Teacher… One of the few wizards who was allowed to study and train in all Arts of Magic. Whether it be Prophecy, Chaos, or other forms of magic, but only to a certain extent. He was a dabbler of all and a master of none. So that he could teach all students which Art they wished to master.

Adva had taken on one of oldest and least used Arts… Quest Magic. Many wizards believed Quest Magic wasn't even real magic. It didn't require speaking ancient languages, burning rare herbs, or waving a wand. All that was required was an Eyestone. Legend had it that the gods wrote one hundred and one Quests at the beginning of Time. For each Quest that was done, you were rewarded with magic. You had to wear the Eyestone when you finished the Quest though. It was called the Eyestone because it was believed that the gods used the stone to witness that the Quest was done.

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.

Master Yullie took a pipe out of his desk drawer and smoked on it slowly. He had to have more security at the tower. Maybe he would have elementals patrol the place…

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 smile came upon her lips as she thought of Billo though. He was one of her few and valuable friends of the city. She could still remember how she had met him…

Three months ago…

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.

Back to the present…

"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.

He doesn't have the right to even speak of my father. You.. You…

"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.

"Because I'm the one challenged, I am allowed to name the time and place. We will have it outside in front of the tower and as for the time…" said Adva and then she chewed her lip. How much time should she give herself? And the answer came to her mind.

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.

"Adva… I can't protect you. This is out of my hands now," mumbled Master Yullie. Adva felt touched by what he said. She had never heard Master Yullie speak something so kind. All his professionalism was gone.

"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.

"Thanks for caring… Yullie," whispered Adva as she felt herself grow sleepy. It was the first time she had ever said his name without using the title of 'Master'. Unknowing to her, Master Yullie had two fingers on her back that seemed to glow as he concentrating. Her mind grew foggy and she soon closed her eyes and let darkness take her. The Teacher slowly scooped up her legs with one arm and carried her down the stairs to her room.

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.

In the morning…

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.

"Interpretation…" muttered Adva as she looked more closely at the page on her book. Billo gave her a questionable look.

"Maybe.. maybe we're defining the word 'war' to specifically. Maybe it doesn't have to just be a battle between countries. Maybe it can be a war between… between Houses!" said Adva excitedly. Billo couldn't help, but grin. Adva only got that expression excitement and enthusiasm when talking about a Quest.

"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.

At Grandma Helen's house…

"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.

Back to the past…

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.

Back to the present…

"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.

A few hours later…

"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 what if we get killed by bandits… or orcs… or demons sent by Nyloe… If I survive this I'm going to skin Snuggles and hang the coat in front of grandma's house!

"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.

A hundred yards away…

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!

Zivilyne… his one time lover… mother of his son…

One year ago…

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.

"Well I thought you might say that, but I want to show you a surprise," said Zivilyne. She went to the entrance and gestured for someone to come into the tent. Sunran's jaw dropped. It was him… or someone that looked just like him. The man was in a simple shirt and pants. It was an exact copy of him in everyway from face to body build. The only difference was the lack of scars that Sunran had earned from several battles. The man's eyes almost made Sunran shiver. There was some sort of inhuman presence in those eyes.

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

"But how…" said Sunran as he began to feel light headed.

"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.

"What? You think you can…" growled Sunran. He couldn't finish his sentence and fear raced through him, as he knew why. His tongue felt completely numb. He watched with sick fascination as Zivilyne revealed a needle that was on her gown. He knew then that the itch he felt on his arm hadn't been a mosquito. He tried to get to his feet, but ended up falling to the ground. The last thing he heard was Zivilyne's laughter.

To the present…

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.

"No!" shouted Sunruff as he ran pass the girl. His sword… the last possession he had to remind him of what he was. Adva and Sunruff watched fascinated as the blade slowly twirl in the air as it fell faster and faster.

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.

My heart! What did that girl magic on…

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."

"Shut up Billo! Look I'm not going to make you my servant or anything. As soon as I'm done doing my Quest, I'll release you… Well release you to the Ameth Guards anyway, but its better than getting yourself killed," said Adva and for the first time he saw the man smile.

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

"Don't! I mean.. I don't want you to do it because I.. I don't want my Quest Magic to be the reason you died. Because that would mean technically I killed you and I… I never killed anyone before," said Adva as she wished she didn't sound so pathetic. But she knew it was true.

Billo didn't even blink at the realization that he killed a man. I don't want to become like that! I know I'm going to have to kill to defend myself one day… I just don't want it to be today!

"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.

A Magister! I've been working for the crappiest kind of wizard there is. And if a Magister wants this girl dead…

"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.

A week later…

"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.

"There's a good inn here called the Dancing Weasel, it would be the best place to go to for information… It's on the other side of town though, are you sure you can make it Quester?" asked Sunruff as he noticed the girl leaning a bit on her staff.

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."

"Um Adva his right. I really am a.. er… thief," muttered Billo. Adva eyes widened as she became shocked. Then she thought of the first time she met him.

"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.

"You'd be surprised. Ouch! Yes it was me! But when I saw you so sad I just couldn't keep it. And I really am here to help you Adva…" said Billo as he hoped that Adva believed him. Adva's eyes softened and she let go.

"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.

"No! I have to prove.. prove…"

"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.

"But.. but…" whispered Adva. She seemed too tired to think of how to finish her sentence and instead closed her eyes.

"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.

Far away…

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.

"Now…"

"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.

In the morning…

"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.

"Yes I called you by your name. Today seems as good a day to start as any. I'm going to get you some coffee. The main room isn't to far from this one so I think I can go there without worrying about my heart," said Sunruff as he got up. He went through the door before Adva could say anything. Adva tried to rise and felt as if a hammer had beaten her whole head. But even the pain of her first hangover couldn't distract Adva from the realization that Sunruff had actually sounded… polite.

"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.

Did I sleep with him!?? I keep hearing how women do crazy things like that when their drunk. Don't be ridiculous Adva, you'd remember something like that… Wouldn't I?

"I'm back," said Sunruff as he appeared at the door with a steaming mug of coffee. Adva nearly jumped two feet.

"Eeek! I mean uh thank you," said Adva as she took the coffee while turning slightly red.

"Um say Sunruff, did I do anything strange last night?" asked Adva and then she took a sip of her coffee. She grimaced from the strong taste.

"Well you got drunk, went unconscious, and then I had to carry you to your bed. So I guess you didn't do anything really strange," said Sunruff as he half smiled.

"And that's it? Nothing else?"

"Nope, what else did you think would happen when you got that drunk?" asked Sunruff and Adva nearly spit out the coffee she was drinking.

"Nothing! I mean what else could have happened? Nothing else could possibly have happened when I was drunk," said Adva as she felt the need to slap herself. Sunruff gave her a puzzled look and then got up.

"Yes well.. I and Billo will wait downstairs for you," said Sunruff as he left. Adva drank the rest of her coffee while making an oath to herself to try to stop sounding like a nut. Then she came downstairs to see Sunruff and Billo sitting at a table. The coffee was clearing up her head a little though sunlight still stung her eyes.

"So we have a invitation to the place. It seems we're all set," said Billo as he took out the scroll. Adva shook her head as she sat down.

"That invitation probably names Ravagon specifically. We could have Sunruff pretend to be him, but they'll expect to see a noble in rich clothing. Not a dirty old mercenary, Quester apprentice, and boy who don't even have horses."

"I can buy us the horses here, but rich clothing like what that noble was wearing will be harder to find," said Sunruff as he patted his pouch. He had several gold coins for the first half of the payment to kill Adva. He almost laughed at the irony of how he was using this gold now to help Adva.

"Don't worry, I actually have a Quest when done, will change are clothes to make them more impressive," said Adva excitedly. Sunruff frowned at the idea of having more Quest Magic done on him, but didn't say anything.

"You have a Quest that changes people's clothes. Boy that sounds stupid," said Billo to himself as he yawned. Adva excitement died and was replaced with anger.

"Gee thanks, I really needed to hear that. Let's go find some old people," said Adva as she got up. Sunruff and Billo exchanged puzzled expressions, but followed. The trio walked down the street as Adva studied people they passed by. Adva stopped when she saw an old bald man smoking a pipe while he was sitting on the edge of the road. She walked over to him.

"Excuse me, I know this is going to sound strange. But is their any kind of favor that I can do for you?" asked Adva in the sweetest voice she could muster. The old man sized her up from head to toe. Then he beckoned her closer. She leaned down and the old man began to whisper something in her ear.

Slap!

"Not that kind of favor you wrinkly pervert!" shouted Adva as she stormed away from the old man who was rubbing his cheek. Sunruff roared with laughter and Billo couldn't stop a smile from creeping onto his face.

"I think he mistook you for a woman of another profession," said Billo, which caused Adva to turn crimson.

"I'll pound you to a pulp later, now let's try this again," muttered Adva and this time she walked towards an old lady. She was dressed in rags and had a tin cup that obviously marked her as a beggar. Adva placed three gold coins in the old woman's cup, enough money to give her a weeks worth of food. The dirty wrinkled face gave a smile as Adva took a deep breath.

"The elderly are always in need of favors

Do a favor for those who have lived long in the world

The more ancient the elder

The more powerful the reward

Your commoner clothes shall become fit for a king

So ends the Quest!"

A flash of light burst forth from Adva's pendant. The old beggar shrieked and began a mad dash down the street, which was impressive considering her age.

"It's ok, I don't mean you any harm!" shouted Adva as a blue glow surrounded her clothes. Her shirt and pants seemed to meld and reform on her. She now wore a sky blue robe that seemed to be made of stardust. Tiny crystals laced the edges of her robe. Adva turned to the others who were shocked at what they saw transpire.

"Do you think she'll be ok? I didn't mean to scare her."

"People around here are a bit more fearful of magic because it's not as common here as it is in Ameth. She probably didn't even recognize that you were a wizard apprentice. Now I guess it's our turn," said Sunruff as he sighed. If he could, he'd buy the clothes he needed. But even he didn't have the gold needed for both the horses and those kinds of clothes. Adva nodded and then began to blush.

"People are going to think I'm a full fledge wizard in this robe. Questers are only suppose to wear robes when they're done with their apprenticeship," said Adva while sounding slightly ashamed. Billo rolled his eyes.

"It'll be more believable anyway that Ravagon had a wizard under his services and not a wizard apprentice. I guess I'll be a servant," said Billo though he didn't like the sound of his own idea. He spotted an old man with a long white beard carrying a sack. He quickly ran over to the man while gesturing for Adva to follow.

"Excuse me sir, may I carry that for you?" asked Billo in his most innocent voice. The bearded man looked at him surprised and nodded.

"Sure sonny, just follow me to my store," said the man as he handed the sack to him.

"Oooof!" said Billo as he grabbed the sack. It felt like there were bricks in it. He noticed then that for an old man, he had very large arms.

Ok Billo, you can do this. No way am I gonna let a senior citizen get the better of me.

"Maybe I should handle this good deed," said Sunruff with amusement as he and Adva watched Billo drag the sack. Billo's face was turning red with exertion. The old man hadn't looked back to see how he was doing.

"No ..ugh.. way, I have ..ack.. everything ..oohh.. under control," said Billo between grunts and gasps of pain. After ten minutes, the old man reached his store. After another hour, Billo reached the store as well. It was a blacksmith store. The old man gave him a pat on the head and then took his sack which clang with the sound of metal.

"Hurry up before I collapse," said Billo in a pleading voice. Adva tried not to giggle as she spoke the words of the Quest again. Once again the pendant flashed with blue light and a glow surrounded Billo. His shirt and pants had become colors of dark blue and black. And looked as if they were just made. He now had a cloak as well, which had a brooch that was a symbol of the moon. On the cloak fabric was a symbol of an owl.

Sunruff looked around and spotted an old woman nearby. He walked over to the old woman. She had more wrinkles on her face than Sunruff had ever seen. He could barely make out her eyes. She wore a gown that somehow didn't suit her age.

"Uh good woman, I'm seeking to help the elderly because the church has told me I should do it more often. Is there any favor I can do for you?" asked Sunruff as he hoped it was a very small favor. The old woman rubbed her chin or at least what Sunruff thought was her chin.

"I want you to carry me home," stated the woman. Sunruff blinked.

"Huh?"

"When I was a young pretty thing, I used to have handsome men carry me home."

"When? Back in the Ice Age? Ouch!" said Billo as he rubbed his arm which Adva had pinched.

"There's no other elders nearby Sunruff, just do as she asks," whispered Adva. Sunruff tried to put on his best fake smile and scooped up the old woman. She weighed even less than what Adva did. He moved where she directed while the other two followed. The woman had a dreadful smell of too much perfume and it was all he could do not to sneeze. What was worse was that she was trying to snuggle up to him. Finally they reached her house and Sunruff quickly dropped her off at the doorstep.

"Yes well good day," said Sunruff. The old lady gave him a smile that lacked several teeth and a wink. Or at least Sunruff thought it was a wink, though he couldn't be sure that she wasn't just trying to squint.

"Well I think you two would have made a lovely couple," said Adva teasingly as Sunruff came up to them from across the street.

"I'm old, but I'm not that old. Just say the words before I change my mind about this," said Sunruff as he closed his eyes.

"The elderly are always in need of favors

Do a favor for those who have lived long in the world

The more ancient the elder

The more powerful the reward

Your commoner clothes shall become fit for a king

So ends the Quest!"

"Woah!"

"Sunruff you have to look at youself!"

Sunruff opened his eyes while dreading what he was going to see. He gasped shocked. His sleeveless shirt was now gray with gold trimmings. His pants were held up with a belt now that had a gold buckle. The pants were also gray and finely crafted. It was the sword though that held everyone's attention. The scabbard had two emeralds embedded in it. And the hilt of the sword was made of finely carved gold. At the end of the hilt was a symbol of a sun. Sunruff hesitantly grabbed the hilt and then drew it.

Sing!

The blade was twice as wide and a foot longer. There was a strange green glow from the metal that could barely be seen in the light of day.

"It's elven steel," muttered Sunruff in awe. Steel that the elves made only for themselves and for no other. Elven steel of this great quantity was practically impossible to find. During his warlord days of looting cities, he came upon a small dagger made of elven steel that was worth a fortune. This sword was worth more in gold than the Hollowa town they were in.

"I thought it only affected my clothing? Why did it change my sword to.. to this?" asked Sunruff as he placed the sword back in its scabbard.

"Sometimes if a person does a Quest incredibly well, the Quest Magic will give more than was promised. I once heard a story of a Quester who did a Quest to produce a pond. He did the Quest so well that the pond had clams full of pearls at the bottom of it," said Adva as a note of pride entered her voice. The truth was that she needed to see this. Needed to see a true wonder of Quest Magic.

"I guess that lady must have been over a hundred years old to make the reward that great. Hey Sunruff, do you know what that symbol on the hilt means?" asked Billo.

"No," said Sunruff simply though he was lying. The symbol stood for the Scorched, the army he once lead. It was the one feature of the sword that he could have done without.

Now that they had the threads needed, they had to have horses. They visited a nearby stable. The stablemaster was a wiry man with a black mustache named Ash.

"What can I get for ya, my lord?" asked Ash as he bowed. Sunruff was momentarily surprised. It had been a long time since anyone had ever given him that kind of respect. He studied the choices. Almost all the Scorched had been made up of horsemen. Walking infantry weren't very effective in a desert. So Sunruff had a pretty good idea of what the best choices were.

"The black stallion with the strong legs for me, the tan colored stallion for the wizard, and the brown mare for the boy," said Sunruff as he pulled out some coins. Ash nodded approvingly. They also bought saddle and bridle and quickly mounted. It was a bit more trouble for Adva and Billo since they only rode a horse a few times in their lives. Adva had been told that her stallion was named Stout while the black stallion was Fade and the mare was Bell.

They finally set out from Hollowa to BloodBath Castle. It was suppose to be day's travel when they had asked the stablemaster. After a few hours of horseback riding, Adva moved Stout next to Fade and cleared her throat.

"I just realized another obstacle with this Quest, how am I going to get the wedded couple to let me kiss them on the foreheads and give them my blessings," said Adva as she stroked the mane of her horse.

"Just say that it's a wizard custom you want to do. No one in his or her right mind would refuse such a simple request from a wizard. They fear wizards to much to deny them something like that," said Sunruff. Anger was at the edge of his voice, but it wasn't directed towards Adva.

"Not all wizards want people to fear them…" muttered Adva without looking at him. Sunruff glanced over at her.

"Maybe," said Sunruff and that was probably the closest Adva was going to get as an agreement.

"Sunruff I know it wasn't easy for you to let magic affect your clothes. I.. um thanks for trusting me," said Adva softly. Sunruff kept silent a few minutes before speaking.

"If I had sensed any hint of betrayal then I would have killed you with my last breath. So don't flatter yourself!" growled Sunruff as he heeled his horse. He moved a few meters away. Adva didn't respond, deciding that she had pressed him too much with talk of magic and wizards.

The sun had turned red as it was almost out of sight. The trio found themselves seeing the castle after going up another hill. This wasn't a castle made to look elegant or noble, but one that was built to win a war. The design was very simple of four towers at each corner of the castle and a single taller castle in the center. Arrow slits could be seen both on the walls and the towers. A large line of people was at the entrance of the castle.

"BloodBath Castle, its said this is where the Black Lion made his last stand," muttered Billo to himself.

"Why would anyone want to have a wedding at a place with that name?" asked Adva as she shivered.

"The GrayHawks and BearClaw are military Houses that hold battle and combat as sacred. To them BloodBath Castle is much like a holy shrine," said Sunruff with a shrug. The trio then began a gallop towards the line. The line had at least fifty people in it. All of them were rich merchants or nobles who were accompanied by servants and escorts. A few of them gave Sunruff and his band a glance, but that was all. The trio went to the end of the line and waited.

After a few hours, the sun had disappeared and it was night. Adva could see the man at the entrance that was taking the invitations. He was a short hairy man who wore spectacles. Suddenly fearful thoughts were entering her mind. What if the man recognized that Sunruff wasn't Ravagon? Sunruff didn't look anything like a pampered noble.

"Unhand me! I won't stand for this!"

Adva's face turned pale as the man she was thinking of appeared. Two large soldiers from the entrance were carrying Ravagon away from the fortress. Billo was doing his best to hide his face in his hood. But he had nothing to fear, Ravagon's whole attention was on the soldiers who were carrying him away.

"This is an outrage! I tell you that I was invited! I'm of a very important man and- Aaackkk!"

The soldiers had tossed Ravagon up in the air and he hit the ground hard. He tumbled and rolled a few times which brought laughter from some of the people of the line. Adva couldn't stop herself from smiling though she refused to laugh at the poor man. Ravagon stormed over to a servant holding two horses. He mounted while muttering a few curses. Then he rode off quickly, not bothering to wait for his servant to mount and join him.

Finally their turn came up. The man took the scroll from Sunruff without looking up at him. He opened it and then studied the dressed up mercenary. His eyes seemed to hold a small amount of respect when he saw the man's scars.

"What House are you of Minister Ravagon?" asked the man as he took a feather pen and began writing on a scroll.

"I.. oh it's…" stuttered Sunruff while feeling like an idiot. Adva came close to biting her tongue and drawing blood.

"It's SunLion," said Billo hastily and Sunruff nodded in agreement. The man raised an eyebrow suspiciously while Adva tried hard not to show panic on her face.

"His just a bit senile. You know how old age does that to people," said Billo as he lowered his voice. Sunruff began to scowl.

"I'm not senile! I just happen to forget a few things sometimes. Now lets enter this…" said Sunruff while acting like he was trying to remember something.

"BloodBath Castle," supplied Billo.

"Right! BloodBath Castle! Well can we enter?" asked Sunruff gruffly. The man paused a second then nodded and the three quickly went in. They passed through the gate and found themselves in a long stone hallway. Various tapestries were against the walls. A realization just hit Adva then.

"Billo, Nyloe is part of the SunLion House. We just stole an invitation from one of his relatives," said Adva while a grin formed on her face. Billo returned the grin while eyeing one tapestry that looked very nice and very expensive. Adva pinched his arm then.

"Ouch! What?" asked Billo as he rubbed his arm.

"No stealing! If I catch you taking one thing from the castle, I'll tell your grandma," said Adva.

"Well I can't let my grandma know that I stole something so I guess I'll have to do as you say," said Billo as he tried to sound meek. It was actually taking all his will power not to laugh. They entered a large and Adva tried her best not to look shocked. The floor was made of marble and crystal chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling. The inn that they stayed at last night could have fit in the room. Servants could be seen dusting and moping. One servant in bright red clothing approached them.

"It is quite impressive yes? The dance tomorrow will be wonderful! You're two rooms are in the West wing my lord. Third and fourth door on the right," said the servant and then he scurried off to do another task. The trio walked down the west hallway to their rooms.

"I guess Adva and me are suppose to stay in one room while 'my lord' has his own," said Billo.

"We better do it right then so no one gets suspicious. You two stay in that other room," said Sunruff. Adva looked slightly surprised. She didn't think Sunruff would be willing for her to be out of sight that long because of the spell.

I guess his learning to trust me. I need to make sure that I always remember that I need to stick close to him.

Adva and Billo had an uneventful sleep. In the morning she woke up to find Billo holding a vase. He seemed to be studying it to intently for Adva's pleasure.

"Billo!" said Adva with a warning in her voice. Billo nearly jumped and dropped the vase.

"What? I'm only looking at it. You know I don't want you to tell my grandma on me and get me in trouble," said Billo in a fearful voice though Adva couldn't help, but think that she was becoming the butt of some joke. Later that day everyone got a chance to the couple that was going to get married. It was at dinner where there was suppose to be a huge feast. The two we're at the head of a large table, where every guest sat. The guest's servants were supposed to sit at a different, smaller table much to Billo's annoyance. Adva though got no objection to sitting at the main table with Sunruff. It seemed that no one was going to tell a wizard that she had to sit with the servants.

The man of BearClaw was a tall man whose large build told that he didn't live an easy life. He was in his twenties and had a sword that seemed to suit him. He had blonde hair and icy blue eyes that Adva didn't like. Their seemed to be something sinister in the way he looked at people. As if he was studying them for weaknesses. His name was Menadas

The woman of GrayHawk had to be only a couple of years older than Adva. She seemed tiny compared to the man she was about to marry. There was a delicate nature to her that made Adva find it hard to believe that she was part of a military House. Her hair was a dark brown and she had green eyes that had glanced at Adva for only a second. Her name was Jinlina.

Many of the guests had introduced themselves to each other during the dinner and Adva couldn't help, but notice something.

"Other than the couple at the head of the table there, I only remember six or seven other people introducing themselves as part of the BearClaw and GrayHawk House," whispered Adva to Sunruff.

"Many of these guests are nobles and merchants who want to profit from the Houses peace. The two Houses probably didn't want too many of their members here anyway in case it would start up tensions," said Sunruff as he took a sip of his wine.

After the dinner, the dance was to begin. Everyone entered the huge room that had been set up by the servants. The red marble part of the floor was where people were supposed to dance. While the white part was where people stood to chat and talk. Minstrels were nearby who supplied the music. And servants were always nearby with fresh wine and little snacks. Sunruff, Adva, and Billo had stayed together when entering the room.

"We might get separated so don't wonder out of this room. I don't want to have a heart attack before I saw this wedding," whispered Sunruff so only Adva could hear. Adva nodded and then made a fearful sound as she saw someone approaching them. It was a wizard in orange robes who was a woman.

The female wizard had red flowing hair that seemed to go well with the orange color and sparkling blue eyes. Wizards who wore orange were supposed to be Walkers. Walkers specialized in magic that allowed them to travel to other planes of existence. They made other wizards nervous because there was planes out there that could make a wizard become insane. Walkers always seemed to be a bit off mentally because of their travels to different worlds. An old saying about Walkers was 'You'd have to be crazy to become a Walker so you really don't have anything to worry about.' There was a spark of excitement in the red head's eyes that made Adva nervous.

She's going to see right through me and know I'm not a full fledge Quester! Will she do something slightly crazy to punish me for faking this?

"It's so nice to see a Quester! It's been years since I saw one who studied your Art. And so young too! I'm Clinona of the WhiteLion House, child," said Clinona as she bowed.

"Uh thank you, I'm Adva of the FlameLance House," said Adva as she bowed in return. It took all her will power not to bristly at the word 'child'. Then Clinona's eyes turned to Sunruff as they seemed to sparkle even more. She took Sunruff by surprise by moving beside him and intertwining her arm with his.

"And this big, strong fellow must be who you serve. I must say that you're very lucky Adva. Would you care to dance?" asked Clinona. Sunruff gave her a roguish grin before speaking.

"Certainly," said Sunruff as he led her to the dance floor. Adva's jaw nearly hung open.

"Well can you believe that?" asked Adva with a hint of anger. It took her a moment to realize that Billo was gone as well.

"Looks like I'm on my own," muttered Adva. This seemed as good a time as any to ask the couple about giving them her blessings. She walked through the crowd trying to spot them, their seemed to be no sign of them. She walked over to the dance floor. She didn't see Menadas or Jinlina, but she did see Sunruff and Clinona. The two were smiling as they danced.

"So tell me Ravagon, how do you like the wedding so far?" asked Clinona as she was twirled in the air.

"Oh very good my lady. I didn't spot you at the dinner table though. I think I would have seem such a… vibrant person if she was there," said Sunruff as he couldn't help, but notice how firm and proportioned her body felt under her robe. Since Zivilyne, Sunruff had sworn off ever sleeping with a female wizard. But it didn't hurt to flirt a little, especially when they seemed so alluring and exciting. Also there was the fact that he had an incredible weakness for red heads. They always got his blood running hot.

"Oh I just couldn't go to that dinner. It was much too formal and I just hate formalities," said Clinona. The dance ended and Sunruff nearly yelped as Clinona pinched his butt. She left the dance floor then with an almost exotic walk. Sunruff just shook his head and grinned. Then he spotted Adva near the dance floor and approached her. She was tapping her foot and had a frown on her face.

"Have fun with Clinona, it looked like she enjoy rubbing you in more ways then one?" asked Adva and Sunruff's grin turned into a frown.

"She happens to be a very nice woman if a bit eccentric. What's wrong with you? I thought you wanted me to start treating wizards nicer?"

"Yes, because.. not because they are.. oh forget it!" said Adva as she stormed though the crowd behind her. Leaving a Sunruff who was shaking his head confused.

He decides to treat me like dirt for hours before I was able to convince him to stop and it only took her two minutes. All she has to do is give him a good feel of her tits and all of a sudden wizards aren't such bad people. Orc brained mercenary!

She spotted a door then that she hadn't noticed before. There was a balcony passed the door and she could see a few stars in the night. Adva went towards the door, deciding that she needed some fresh air. She past two drawn curtains as she took in a deep breathe of fresh air. The inside of the dance room had gotten stuffy. Outside she enjoyed a nice sight of several stars out in the black sky and a full moon.

"Hehehe"

"Adva's nearly jumped as she heard the giggling. She turned to the right drawn curtain. Movement could be seen inside it. She carefully walked over and then grabbed the curtain. With a quick pull she saw who was inside. It was actually two who's. Menadas was in the process of sucking on a woman's neck. What worried Adva was that the woman was clearly not Jinlina. She didn't recognize the woman, but by her clothes, Adva would guess that she was one of the guests. Menadas raised his head and studied Adva. Then a grin was on his face that Adva didn't like.

"Care to be next after her?" asked Menadas as the woman was snuggling up to him. Adva's gray eyes turned steel hard and a look of disgust was on her face.

"Care for me to turn you both into crickets?" asked Adva, which caused Menedas to pale, and this time the woman turned to see who was speaking. Neither one said a word, but quickly bolted from the curtains and entered the dance room. The woman was trying her best to get her dress to cover her bare shoulder as they walked in. Adva almost laughed at the fleeing figures. It was a threat that Master Yullie often used on jerks. Of course he really couldn't turn people into crickets, but they never knew that.

"Thank you."

Once again Adva nearly jumped as she heard a voice. This one coming from the other drawn curtain. Adva slowly turned to see a woman stepping out from behind the curtain. It was Jinlina and she didn't look angry just resigned.

"I.. uh.. he sucked.. and.." stuttered Adva as she tried to say something. She was so shocked that she wasn't sure what she should tell the woman. Jinlina smiled and shook her head.

"It's ok, you don't have to say anything. I've known him to be like this for a very long time. It's just something that I'm going to have to cope with when we're married," said Jinlina in a voice that sounded almost defeated. Adva couldn't believe her ears.

"You're still going to marry him. How could you.. I mean don't you think you should think about this?" asked Adva as she felt more uncertainty now. She wanted to tell Jinlina to forget the creep and find another man. But a selfish small voice in her head reminded her that if this marriage didn't happen, then she was going to die in a duel with Nyloe. Jinlina turned her face to the night sky and seemed to be studying the moon.

"These blood feuds between are Houses has lasted five years. That's longer than many wars. If to stop this war I need to marry that man, then I'll do it. I'll give up the name GrayHawk and take the name BearClaw," said Jinlina though her voice sounded shaky at the end.

"Maybe you could marry someone else at the BearClaw House? Someone who doesn't suck on every woman's neck," said Adva as she herself began looking for a solution in her mind.

"Menadas is the only one willing to do it. All the other men are either already married or simply refuse. Personally I think Menadas agreed so that his House elders will ignore his many affairs with other woman. The BearClaw leaders won't punish him if it means exposing a betrayal in this marriage. They'll just grin and let him have fun with other women," said Jinlina.

"Look Jinlina I know there has to be-"

"Aaaaddvvvaaa!"

It had sounded like a sound between a scream and a shout. And it had come from the room inside. The room that she had left…

Sunruff!

Adva lifted her robe and was doing a full run into the dance room. Several guests backed out of the way of the charging wizard leaving Adva a clear view of Sunruff on the other side of the room. He was holding his chest and looked deathly pale. Sweat was dripping on his forehead.

Thud Thud

He had been dancing with some woman in a green dress when he heard his heart beat louder and faster. Before he could even think what to do, the dance took him five more feet near a wall and his head began to pound. He had let go of the woman instinctively and grabbed his chest while closing his eyes. The woman backed away from him, not quite sure what to do. He cried out Adva's name as best he could through the haze of pain. Then the pounding stop a few seconds later as if it had never been there.

Sunruff could feel someone holding on to him, very tightly. He slowly opened his eyes to see Adva. She had her arms around his neck and her face in his chest. Her whole body seemed to shake and Sunruff could barely make out her muffled voice.

"I'm sorry.. I'm sorry.. Don't die! I.. I.. please don't die! I'm sorry I'm such a screw up," mumbled Adva as Sunruff took a few deep breaths to clear his head. He gently grabbed the arms around his neck and pushed Adva away. The girl's face was streaked with tears.

"Here now, no need to get that close. I'm ok now, no need to cry," said Sunruff awkwardly. He brushed away some of the girl's tears. He never had anyone actually cry for him before and wasn't quite sure the best way to handle it. He then noticed the almost creepy silence that was in the room. Almost every person in the room was simply staring at them. It was as if they were waiting for his permission to talk. Adva noticed the silence to and tried to compose herself for what was to come.

A man about Sunruff's age, with hair that was white approached them. His eyes were blue and piercing. On his black shirt was a golden symbol of a bear.

"Are you well good sir?" asked the man. His gaze was sometimes gone over to Adva who tried not to appear uncomfortable.

"Uh yes, it's just my heart. It's a weak one and sometimes almost gives out on me. My wizard and friend was worried I may die of it this time. I think I'll go to my room now if it's not considered to impolite," said Sunruff as he took Adva's hand. The man nodded and the two left the room. They had barely stepped out when a roar of whispering and talk was among the guests.

"I think I'm hanging around these nobles too long. I'm starting to sound just like them. We caused quite a lot of attention didn't we Adva. Adva?" asked Sunruff as he turned and glanced at Adva.

"I left the room and went to the balcony. I just wanted some air. I didn't even think about…" said Adva as she felt her eyes water again. Sunruff grabbed the girl by the shoulders, taking her by surprise.

"Now none of that you hear! I don't know how to deal with a crying baby so don't start! It's water under the bridge," said Sunruff.

"I'm not a baby," said Adva as she gave him a hard stare. Sunruff chuckled as he patted her on the back.

"Fine then, let's go to our rooms now. It's late anyway and I want a good nights sleep," said Sunruff as he let go and began walking again. They found Billo leaning on a wall near their rooms.

"You guys created a whole bunch of gossip at the dance. People are saying Sunruff almost had a heart attack. Then they said that you're his wizard courtesan Adva who used magic to save him," said Billo with a mischief grin.

"What!? Like as if I'd.. how could they.. This is your fault!" shouted Adva as he punched Sunruff. Her face was as red as a tomato and her expression had turned from disbelief to anger. Sunruff got over his own surprise and glared at her. The word courtesan was bringing up bad memories that was affecting his temper.

"Me?! You're the bloody cry baby that grabbed me like an old lover during my heart attack!"

"I'm not a baby and I wouldn't grab you like an 'old lover' because you'd be way too old to be anyone's lover. You're the one who grabbed my hand as we walked out of there! And you had told everyone that I was your 'friend'! That's practically saying I was your.. your.. ugh! I can't even say the word."

"Oh so now friend means courtesan in the language of nobles. Excuse me for not taking lessons on what to say to them. I already had a wizard courtesan before and she didn't think I was too old to be her lover one bit," shouted Sunruff and then he cursed himself. That was more of his past then he wanted to reveal. Both Adva and Billo looked shocked.

"Does that have anything to do with why you hate-"

"Go! In your room now!" shouted Sunruff as he used the same voice he had used to command his army. Adva quickly entered her room though she had taken one last glance at Sunruff. Billo was giving him a look of curiousity. He turned to the boy.

"Do you want another black eye since that last one healed?" asked Sunruff in a menacing voice. Billo turned slightly pale and entered the same room. Billo closed the door as he heard Sunruff stomping off to his own room. He turned to Adva who was still slightly red.

"So what did happen?" asked Billo as he took out a few throwing knives from his cloak pocket. He began to juggle them with one hand. He hadn't been practicing as much as he should since that fight in the mountains.

"I.. I left the room when I shouldn't have. Sunruff shouted for me and I ran back in. When I saw how he was, I hugged him. I was hoping that the closer I was to him, the greater the chance his heart wouldn't kill him," said Adva as she took a seat on one of the beds.

"Good thing there were plenty of people there. Otherwise, he'd probably would have skin you alive with his sword," said Billo as he began juggling with the other hand. Adva got a thoughtful look on her face.

"I don't think he would… at least not now. I think his finally convinced that I'm not going to use magic to bully him. So he just looks at what happened as a simple mistake. I wish I could do something though to make it up to him," muttered Adva. Then he noticed Billo juggling with both hands.

"Billo you lied to me about the thief thing, I bet you lied to me about other things as well. Did you really learn how to use throwing knives at a carnival passing through Ameth?" asked Adva. Billo stopped his juggling and put his knives back in his cloak pocket. He studied Adva a few minutes, as he appeared to be trying to make a decision. Finally he went over and sat on the other bed.

"My dad taught me how to throw knives, among other things," said Billo with a mischief grin. Adva's eyes widened.

"Don't tell me your father was a thief too? Oh Billo your grandma doesn't know this does she?"

"Uh no way, it would devastate her. I think you would have liked him. He was a great dad who knew all sorts of great stuff. Taught me to pickpocket, cutpurse, and be a total sneak. I always had trouble climbing though. Kept falling and breaking something. He wasn't too good at it either and that's how he died. He had tried to climb up a tower and fell. Mom had died when I was born so I had only grandma when he died," said Billo as he looked down on the floor. A look of shame came on Adva's face.

"Oh Billo I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. And I'm sorry I pried. Why don't I tell you about my parents?" asked Adva. Billo glanced at her embarrassed.

"You don't have to do that," said Billo.

"It's ok. I haven't talked about my parents to anyone ever so maybe it would be good for me if I told you about them. You know my Mom was a Quester like I'm trying to be."

"And your Dad was a Knight of SteelRose," supplied Billo. Adva nodded.

"I lost them when I was ten. Dad was a great Knight. He had been in several battles and he had a strong sense of honor. He was almost always gone to do battle. And one day he just didn't come back… After that my Mom left me with my nanny to try to do some powerful Quest. And she didn't come back as well so my Nanny gave me to the elders of my House. I told them I wanted to be a Quester like my Mom so they Master Yullie as my guardian. Our House is mostly made up of knights and soldiers, but we had a few wizards in it," said Adva. Billo raised a finger to his lips for silence before Adva could say more. Carefully he crept to the door and then opened it quickly. No one was there, but Billo looked out in the hallway suspiciously.

"What is it?" asked Adva as she reached for her staff against the wall. Billo shook his head and closed the door.

"Nothing, I guess I just have funny hearing," said Billo though he didn't sound to sure of his own excuse.

The two decided it was time to sleep. As she went under the covers, Adva thought about Billo. Somehow he seemed… closer. More like family after the talk they had. At the same time she felt a little worried over how Billo had acted afterwards.

The next day…

It was lunchtime the next day. Everyone had been invited to the castle garden for a picnic. Everyone was seated on white, gray, or black blankets as they ate. The garden didn't have many flowers, but the trees and bushes were cut and trimmed well. Their was also a small and quaint pond near a castle wall. Sometimes she would spot Menadas looking at her coldly. She would return the look with a sweet smile.

The man with the white hair who had talked to Sunruff at the dance was seated on the same black blanket with Menadas. Jinlina was also seated with him as well as another man. This one had grayish brown hair and wore a gray shirt with a silver symbol of a hawk.

"Billo do you know who those two men with Menadas are? The ones who are wearing a symbol of a hawk and a bear?" asked Adva. She, Billo, and Sunruff were on a gray blanket together. Sunruff had barely spoken two words to her since the last night incident, which was just fine with her.

"Those two are elders of the BearClaw and GrayHawk Houses. They're the ones trying to make this wedding happen to bring peace. The one with the bear symbol is Callone and the one with the hawk symbol is Orderon. You know we're really lucky," said Billo as he took another cracker and took a bite into it.

"Why's that?" asked Adva as she took a sip of tea.

"Everyone has been trying to find out all they could about Sunruff since that 'incident' and no one here seems to know what Ravagon is really suppose to look like. Not even the elders over there. If they did, then they would have kicked us out of here by this morning," said Billo. Adva just then noticed something that brought a smile on her lips. A brown haired boy and a girl with jet-black hair like Adva's were playing tug-a-war with a blanket. They both looked a little younger than Billo.

"Who are those two?" asked Adva as she gestured towards the two children. Billo glanced at them before answering. He seemed to have already learned the identity of almost everyone at the castle in the short time they had been there. Being a servant had given him more free time around the castle, unlike Adva and Sunruff.

"The girl is Callone's granddaughter named Klio. The boy is Orderon's grandnephew named Dirk," said Billo. Sunruff also glanced at the two children though he didn't say anything.

Ring! Ring!

The sound of the bell marked the end of lunchtime and everyone got up. Servants quickly came by to pick up leftovers and fold the blankets. As everyone began to go back in the castle, Adva noticed the two children staying.

"Billo why don't you stay here and play with those two?" asked Adva. She had noticed Billo getting more and more bored. There was very little fun for a twelve-year-old boy here. Billo rolled his eyes.

"Those two are no more than ten or nine though," said Billo as if a three-year gap would make it impossible for him to associate with them.

"Just try to have a little fun with them. They probably wish there was someone else to play with them," said Adva encouragingly. Billo muttered a consent and walked over to the two kids. Adva and Sunruff then joined the others inside the main hall, who were waiting to hear of the next event.

"We'll now have a sword dueling contest at the dance room," said Mendalas. For the first time that day Sunruff grinned and it was a very big grin.

"No way," said Adva as she grabbed his arm to stop him from volunteering. Other men were already volunteering by raising their hands.

"Let go of me girl! Or do you think I'm too old and slow to go playing in sword duels," growled Sunruff as he began to raise his hand even with Adva grabbing his arm. Adva could almost feel herself being lifted from the ground.

"I think you'd be great in a sword duel. In fact I bet you'd win the sword duel contest, which is why I don't want you to do it. We've put too much attention on ourselves as it is. Do you want to put more on us by winning this contest?" asked Adva and Sunruff lowered his arm reluctantly.

"Just as long as theirs no doubt that I could win it," muttered Sunruff as Adva let go. She still sometimes forgot just how strong Sunruff was. The man could lift her whole body into the air with one hand.

"I have no doubt at all. If fact, I bet you could beat anyone in the Lioneth Kingdom," said Adva and the sincerity could be heard in her voice. A half smile formed on Sunruff's face.

"Well I'm not sure about that. There might be one or two people who could beat me, if I had one hand tied behind my back," said Sunruff and Adva couldn't help, but grin. It was actually nice to see Sunruff in a less grouchy mood.

Back in the garden…

Billo approached the boy and girl. Both were sitting on the ground and it looked like they had run out of ideas of things to do.

"Hey you two want to see a neat trick," said Billo as the two kids glanced at him surprised. They got up and studied Billo.

"Aren't you one of the servants?" asked Dirk with a bit of distaste. Billo's face turned slightly red.

"Well if I'm not wanted, then never mind," said Billo as he turned around. The girl took a step forward.

"Wait, what kind of trick is it? Just ignore him," said Klio. Billo turned around and drew out three throwing knives. Now both Dirk and Klio had a look of fascination as Billo began juggling them in the air.

"What else can you do with them?" asked Dirk eagerly, forgetting that Billo was a servant. Billo grinned and stopped the juggling. He glanced at the apple tree behind the two kids and with a flick of his wrist, threw one. Both children watched the knife fly over their heads and turned to see its target. The knife hit an apple with a thud and knocked it off the tree. Billo walked past the two and picked up the apple. He took the knife out and used it to cut the apple into pieces. Then he offered two pieces to Dirk and Klio who took them.

"When I get older, I'm going to learn how to use a sword," said Dirk as he made a thrust with an imaginary sword.

"Dad says I can't use swords and things like that, but I plan to be a Healer like my grandma," said Klio. Dirk snorted.

"That sounds like a boring job. Going around and patching people up," said Dirk. Anger flashed in Klio's eyes and she opened her mouth to retort, but she didn't produce a sound. Instead she turned a shade paler and began to shake.

"What is it Klio?" asked Billo as she saw the fear in her eyes. Klio raised a hand and pointed to a far wall. Both Billo and Dirk turned and raised their eyebrows in surprise. A section of the castle wall was giving off a red glow. It was as if it had become made of a large red-hot coal.

"I don't like the looks of this," muttered Billo.

Boom!

All three children covered their ears at the sound of the blast. Large chunks of rocks flew from the stonewall and there was a huge dust cloud. Billo's ears were ringing and he stared at the hole that was now in the wall. Billo could barely make out the shapes of dogs that were in the dust cloud. But his eyes had to be playing tricks on him because the dogs couldn't possibly be that large.

"Jump into the pond," said a voice from above.

All three kids jumped startled and looked up at the sound of the voice. On a tree branch was a woman in orange robes. It took Billo a moment to recognize her as Clinona, the Walker that Sunruff had danced with.

"What?" asked Billo while trying to figure out what was going on. Clinona rolled her eyes.

"Those are hellhounds and the only thing that hurts them is water. I suggest you get in that pond before they get you," said Clinona casualy. The huge dogs were raising their noses and sniffing the air. It was then that Billo noticed that their fur was dark red and they really were as big as they first looked. He didn't bother saying anything else, but grabbed both Dirk's and Klio's hands and practically dragged them to the pond.

The hellhounds lowered their heads and a low growl came from their throats. Their sharp eyes caught the three figures moving towards the water and they instantly reacted. Billo didn't look back as he ran for the pond, but Klio did. A shriek came from her and she tried to move her legs faster as she saw the hellhounds pursuing. All three ran into the freezing water and got to the center. The pond was only waist high for the three. The hellhounds came to a complete stop at the edge of the water, but continued their low menacing growl. Their eyes seemed to stay on Klio who looked like she was about to cry.

Billo didn't like the way those eyes were gazing on Klio. Those eyes looked almost… intelligent. He drew out a knife and flung it at one of the dogs. There were sparks as it hit the fur and it bounced off as if the fur was made of steel. What shocked Billo though was seeing that the knife was starting to melt as it hit the ground. Klio began sobbing then and clutched onto Dirk who awkwardly tried his best to hold her. Billo cupped a handful of water and flung it at the hellhounds. This caused them to back up with fear in their eyes, but they were at the edge again as soon as the water hit the ground.

Inside the castle…

Adva was starting to regret her decision to stop Sunruff from entering the contest. Menadas was winning every duel he was in and was completely enjoying the experience. The snobbish, arrogant expression of his face set Adva on edge. He was now dueling a young nobleman who seemed to have at least enough skill to last against Menadas the first five minutes.

Clang!

Menadas knocked the sword out of the man's hand and grabbed it with his other hand from the air. Then twirled both swords expertly as a few people applause. The applause was weak though because even the other guests were getting tired of seeing Menadas win every match. Menadas then did a bow to a woman in the crowd. Adva recognized the woman as the one that she caught Menadas with last night. The woman was still clapping and eyeing Menadas with a lustful look that made Advas ill.

Menadas had claimed at the beginning of the contest, that he would win a duel for each 'beautiful creature' in the crowd. Then he would bow to the woman that the victory was for. The first was had been Jinlina, his future wife. Adva was willing to bet though that most of the other women he had bowed to were ones he had slept with. A slightly over weight merchant was the next victim. It was obvious by the way he held his sword that he had no idea what he was doing. Menadas didn't attack, but let the merchant try to hit him with a few clumsy blows. Each one he easily parried. The merchant was getting red in the face and it was obvious he was feeling embarrassed. Finally he did one giant lunge and Menadas side stepped. Almost too quickly to be seen, Menadas placed his foot in front of the merchant and the poor man went spawling on the ground.

Adva wasn't sure how much more she could take. Menadas seemed to try to humiliate his opponents more and more. Sunruff was even openly disgusted with the duel. She and Sunruff didn't applause with the others. She was taking by surprise though when Menadas turned to her and did a deep bow as a gesture of respect. Sunruff stepped in front of her did a much more rude gesture that involved a single finger. A few gasps and several bursts of laughter could be heard in the crowd. Adva wasn't sure if she should have been furious or try to imitate Sunruff. Menadas's face had turned to an angry scowl and Adva knew that he was planning to challenge Sunruff. But something happened before anyone could speak.

Boom!

Adva had thought for sure that the ground had shaken some with the sound of the explosion. The sound seemed to bounce and echo in the hallways and rooms. Adva couldn't tell where the sound had come from.

"Is it an earth quake?!"

"Is the castle under attack?"

"Where did it come from?"

Sunruff turned to Adva with concern on his face.

"We better check on Billo," said Sunruff simply and Adva nodded vigorously. The crowd was scattering. Some were going to their rooms while others were going to castle gate. Sunruff and Adva were the only ones going to the garden.

In a few minutes they were at the door to the garden. Adva's heart jumped a beat as she saw the children in the pond. And the two large dogs that were at the edge of it.

"Those are hellhounds. Stay here and don't draw attention. I'll take care of them," said Sunruff as he grabbed the hilt of his sword. He made a fast walk towards them while whistling. The two hellhounds turned and spotted him. Then they looked back at Klio who they couldn't reach. In two seconds they had made their decision and did a running charge towards Sunruff. Sunruff drew his sword.

Sing!

The blade gleamed with green light and the hellhounds' charge seemed to falter at the sight of the green glow. They seemed to know that it wasn't an ordinary weapon. One slowly approached him while the other tried to circle around him. Sunruff cursed as he saw the one running past him. He was trying to attack him from behind. And Sunruff wasn't quick enough to stop him.

"Billo! Are you kids ok?" shouted Sunruff as did his own charge towards the hellhound in front of him. He had to take out one before they double-teamed on him.

"Yeah! Those things don't like water. I think it hurts them," shouted Billo. Sunruff was almost upon the wolf and did a powerful thrust, but the wolf dodged to the side and seemed to be keeping his distance. Out of the corner of his eye, Sunruff saw the other doing a quick approach. He did a quick slice towards that hellhound, but only hit air.

The bloody hellhounds are waiting for an opening. When I'm busy with one, the other will go for me.

Adva soon saw the same strategy as well and gritted her teeth. She had no Quest to help Sunruff. She turned and spotted something against the wall. It was a pile of the silverware, dishware, and other things used in the picnic.

"There has to be something here that I can use to help him," muttered Adva as she looked through the stuff.

Sunruff had a slight sweat as he kept his eyes moving from the enemy in front of him to the one behind him. He tried desperately to take one out with a thrust, but he couldn't chase after the fleeing hellhound without the other one getting him. He knew that to even be touched by a hellhound would turn him into ashes.

The hellhound in front looked like it was about to charge, but dodge away at the last second. But he had kept Sunruff's attention long enough for him to feel something heating his back. He didn't even look behind himself, but jumped to the left and rolled. Huge teeth missed his leg by inches. He got up on his feet and heard movement behind him that told him one hellhound was still behind him and another in front.

Splash!

"Aawwooo!"

A painful howl filled the air that had come from behind Sunruff. He took a quick glance behind himself. The hellhound was jerking and twitching on the ground while smoke came off his fur. Behind the dog was Adva with a now empty teakettle who gave him a grin. Sunruff quickly placed his attention back on the dog still up. He didn't hurry himself, but did a steady pace on the dog while weaving the deadly elven sword in the air. A pattern of slices and strokes kept the dog backing away. Soon it was against a wall and an almost desperate look was in its eyes. It jumped for Sunruff's throat and the blade was thrust between its eyes. A whimper came from it as the hellhound began to decompose into ashes and smoke. Sunruff ran back to the other dog and cut its head off with one slice. Once again the body turned to ashes, not even leaving a skeleton of the creature. Then he turned to Adva angrily as he placed the elven sword in its scabbard.

"What were you thinking?! That hellhound could have turned you into an ash tray," said Sunruff. Adva felt her own anger rise and opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

"Shouldn't we check on the children," said Clinona as she jumped down from the tree. Both Sunruff and Adva were surprised, but Sunruff got over his more quickly.

"Clinona what are you doing there? Those hellhounds could have seen you," said Sunruff as he approached the orange robed wizard. It wasn't the same angry tone he had just used with Adva. It seemed gentler which caused Adva to feel hurt.

Oh I'm glad to help save you from those hellhounds Sunruff. No need to thank me at all. I know you appreciate me risking my life. You oversize orc ass that thinks with only one thing and it isn't your brain!

"Why didn't you use your magic on those hellhounds. You just sat there and did nothing?" asked Adva as the three kids joined them. All three were very wet. Klio had an arm around Dirk's waist much to Dirk's embarrassment. But he took the pain of it silently. Clinona shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

"My magic isn't very offensive. I was able to tell the kids though to go into the water so that the hellhounds couldn't reach them. They seemed to want to kill the girl specifically," said Clinona as she gestured towards raven haired Klio. Adva felt slightly ashamed then. Her Quest Magic hadn't been any good so she certainly shouldn't be making accusations on other wizards just because their magic couldn't help as well.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't fair of me," said Adva then a thought hit her.

They had gone for Klio specifically. A girl with the same hair color as mine. That means…

"Klio!"

"Dirk!"

The group turned to see Orderone, Callone, Menadas, and Jenlina at the doorway of the garden. The two children were hugged and kissed by the elders. Then Callone demanded what happened when he saw the hole in the wall.

"It was so great grandpa! Ravagon had this cool glowing sword!"

"And there were these dogs called hellhounds!"

"Dirk watch your mouth!"

"But that's what they were called!"

Dirk and Klio went into a story describing Sunruff as a hero with a magical sword much to his embarrassment. They described Adva as a smart wizard who snuck up on one of the dogs with a teakettle.

"Oh enough! These children have obviously been deceived," stated Mendalas as it was evident he wasn't pleased at what he heard.

"I assure you its all true Mendalas. I was there and of course you wouldn't doubt my word," said Clinona with a predatory smile. Mendalas swallowed hard and shook his head.

"How can we thank you?" asked Orderon as he turned to them. Sunruff gave Adva a nudge, which almost caused her to topple over.

"Ow! I mean.. I was hoping you'd let me bless these two right after they had wedded," muttered Adva.

"Of course! We'd be honored to receive your blessings of this wedding," said Orderon. He and the others then took the children inside leaving Adva, Sunruff, Billo, and Clinona in the garden.

"Well this certainly has been exciting. See you later big guy," said Clinona as she gave a wink to Sunruff. Sunruff turned to Adva who was frowning.

"Well she's gone now, you can stop it with the look," said Sunruff. Adva glanced at him surprised.

"What? Oh I wasn't frowning because of Clinona, not this time anyway. I just wished that I didn't have to bless this wedding," said Adva as the mental image of kissing Mendalas's forehead entered her mind. She shivered a little.

"Why's that?" asked Billo as he leaned against a wall.

"Lets just say that I don't think Mendalas is going to keep his vows of making her his one true love. Jinlina is only going through it because it's the only way she can see of stopping the blood feud," said Adva as she chewed her lip.

"There's always more than one option to stopping a war or in this case blood feud," said Sunruff.

"And how would you know 'big guy'," said Adva in annoyance. She had tried to think of another solution last night and came up with nothing.

"I happen to be a great student of warfare. I know the best ways to end a war violently or peacefully. And I know a much stable and better solution for this blood feud," said Sunruff as he rubbed the hilt of his sword.

"So what's the great solution," said Adva as she crossed her arms over her chest.

And Sunruff told her what the great solution was.

The next day…

The small church in the castle was not big enough for all the people. So the wedding was to take place in the great hallway. Benches, candles, carpeting, and everything else needed were placed in the huge hallway. The wedding was to start at noon sharp. A priest stood at the end of the red carpet. In front of him was Mendalas who gave a wink to a woman here and there while wearing a stunning suit. Nearby were Orderon and Callone. Soft music was played as Jinlina walked down the carpet lane. Her gown was a light green that went well with her eyes and it was laced with emeralds. Her face was almost unreadable. She came up besides Mendalas. The priest cleared his throat.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered-"

"Stop!"

Nearly every head turned to see Adva at the door of the great hallway. She took a deep breath and walked up to the pair in front of the priest. Mendalas's face was purple and he looked like he was tempted to try to choke Adva. Jinlina also looked upset, but deep in her eyes Adva could spot a spark of hope. When Adva reached them, she turned to Orderon and Callone who looked shocked.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow this wedding to continue. I don't believe Mendalas would honor his vows to Jinlina. As such, the wedding would never really help try to improve relationships between your Houses," said Adva softly. Mendalas made a sound between outrage and protest.

"Do you have a better solution?" asked Jinlina with a hint of desperation in her voice. Adva nodded while smiling. Then she turned around.

"Klio! Dirk! It's time!" shouted Adva. The two children got out of their seats and walked up to Adva.

"Please don't tell me you plan to have these two marry," said Mendalas with a sneer. Adva looked over to him coolly.

"Not quite, though they may want to one day. Klio and Dirk want this blood feud to end and so they agreed to help do that. Klio will stay with the GrayHawk House while Dirk will stay with the BearClaw House. Many countries sometimes use the children of monarchs as hostages to keep peace, we can do the same here," said Adva. Jinlina crouched down and gave the children a hard stare.

"Do you two really want to do this?" asked Jinlina. Dirk and Klio nodded, not trusting their voices. Adva turned to the two elders.

"Is this acceptable?" asked Adva. Orderon and Callone stepped away and whispered to each other. The guests were also whispering among themselves excitedly. After half an hour of whispering, the two elders seemed to reach an agreement. Callone turned to Adva and spoke in a clear voice so that everyone in the hall could hear.

"I'm afraid this isn't acceptable," said Callone. Jinlina's eyes became down cast and Mendalas had a smirk. Adva's heart sank.

"Instead we have a counter-proposal; the children stay together. During the winter they stay with the BearClaw House and during the summer they stay with the GrayHawk House. Is this acceptable to you children?" asked Callone as he glanced at the two kids.

"Oh yes!"

"That would be great!"

The two elders, Jinlina, and Adva smiled while Mendalas looked like he had swallowed a bug. The guests got up from their seats and began to clap their hands. Adva knelt in front of the two and kissed Dirk and Klio on the forehead, which caused both of them to blush.

"I give both of you my blessings," said Adva and then she cleared her throat.

"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!"

Blue light filled the hall, as Adva's pendant seemed to become a bright blue star. A gasp rippled through the guests. And Adva raised her hands for silence as a few people cried out in fear.

"It's ok, this only proves that these two Houses will find peace. I'm sorry you didn't see a wedding, but how about congratulating these two brave children," said Adva as the light faded away from her pendant. The guests got up and began approaching Klio and Dirk. Wanting to shake their hand or pat them on the head. Adva moved away from the children towards the doorway. No one got in her way. She saw Billo and Sunruff near it.

"Well we finally did it, but I have one question. How are you going to get home in three days before the protection wears off?" asked Billo which caused Adva sigh.

"I was hoping if we run the horses really fast then we could make it back in time to Ameth," said Adva as she turned to Sunruff. The mercenary scratched his head.

"I don't think we'd make it. If it weren't for the mountains we could. You know I could probably take care of this Magister for you unless it's against the rules for me to help," said Sunruff. Adva shook her head.

"Since I bonded you to me magically, then it wouldn't be against the rules for you to help me. But Nyloe could take you out with a single spell before you even got close to him," said Adva as she began to sound defeated. She should have thought up a better way of getting home before doing all of this.

"I believe I can be of assistance."

Everyone turned to see Clinona. She walked over beside Sunruff.

"You know I'm glad you took that Ravagon's place. You're much more interesting," said Clinona. Sunruff chuckled while Adva and Billo swallowed hard.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not telling. I can create a dimensional doorway to Ameth. All I ask in return is that Sunruff considers being my travel companion," said Clinona as brushed a lock of her red hair.

"Clinona I couldn't even if I wanted to. I'm…" said Sunruff. He stopped speaking when Adva walked up to him and circled her arms around his neck. He was taken by surprised and almost didn't hear the words she whispered.

"I free you Sunruff and I thank you with all my heart," whispered Adva. She could feel her eyes water, but mentally willed herself not to cry. She didn't want Sunruff calling her a 'cry baby'. Sunruff slowly placed his arms around the girl's waist and the warmth she felt was actually relaxing.

"Adva I…" said Sunruff, but he didn't get a chance to say more. Adva pushed away from him and turned to Clinona.

"Well his made it quite clear he likes you more, but I warn you that he might travel solo. Make the dimensional door please," said Adva. Clinona nodded and held a single finger in the air. She lowered the finger to the floor as it left a glowing trail of purple light. The line of purple light seemed to grow wider and tear at reality itself. Soon it was a huge crack and on the other side Adva could see Master Yullie's tower. Adva didn't dare look back at Sunruff. She jumped through the crack. Billo quickly followed though he didn't look happy about doing it. Then the crack simply faded away. Clinona turned to Sunruff.

"So how about it? Want to be my traveling companion? We'll even have more fun than what you had with Adva," said Clinona as she touched Sunruff on the arm. The mercenary didn't respond, but simply kept staring at the spot where Adva and Billo had disappeared. Then he shook his head as if he had been daydreaming and drew away from Clinona.

"Can you make another one so I can follow them?" asked Sunruff which caused Clinona to frown.

"Yes, but wouldn't you want to hang around with me instead? If it's because I'm a Walker and she's a Quester, I can tell you that Walkers are much better-"

"-It has nothing to do with your professions. The truth is I don't like wizards whether they're Walkers or Questers," interrupted Sunruff. Clinona turned slightly red.

"So why do you want to go after her. Why not travel solo like she mentioned?" asked Clinona. Sunruff stared at her for a few seconds before answering.

"Because I.. I trust her. And there's very few people that I can trust," said Sunruff slowly. Clinona could tell by his voice that there was more, but that was probably all he was going to reveal.

"But surely you trust me?" asked Clinona as she reached out a hand to stroke his large arm. Sunruff grabbed the hand before speaking.

"No, now make the door," said Sunruff firmly. It was an order and not a request. He could almost swear that he saw a look of envy on Clinona's face. She pulled her hand back from his grasp and raised a single finger in the air. Once again a crack was created in reality itself and Sunruff jumped through. Leaving a woman who watched emotionless as the crack faded.

"The good ones are always taken," she muttered as she walked away.

At the warehouse that day…

"But how do you know that their dead my lord?" asked Jacoe nervously.

"I just know," growled Nyloe. He had instantly sensed when his hellhounds were killed. Right then he was searching through a crate for a certain item. One he hadn't wanted in Master Yullie's tower. A grin came upon his face as he drew out a vial. It was filled with a liquid that looked like black tar.

It was called DeathBlood and it was a necromancer tool that was his trump card. He didn't dare actually practice necromancy, not yet anyway. If he were caught practicing necromancy to win a duel, he'd be hanged. But if he used a necromancy tool to help him in the duel, then the punishment wouldn't be that severe. He might not get punished at all if his House had anything to say about it.

"Drink this," said Nyloe simply as he gave the vial to Jacoe. Jacoe looked at the vial and then shook his head.

"Drink it or I'll torture you several days before killing you. Don't worry, the potion will make you incredibly and more powerful than any man," said Nyloe. This brought a look of greed on Jacoe's face and open the vial. He drank the black stuff in one gulp and nearly gagged. Jacoe then closed his eyes and collapsed. His body twitched a few times and then was still. In a few seconds Jacoe opened his eyes again. They were different now though. They were completely black as if they had been soaked in tar.

"Rise," said Nyloe and grinned as the thing once Jacoe rose from the ground almost instantly. Technically Jacoe was dead. The body's blood, brain, and organs had now ceased to exist. But the body could still move now and was controlled by something more sinister than a human mind. Jacoe's body could now go twice as fast and was twice as strong because it wasn't hampered by the normal limitations of a living human body. It was called a Blacksoul. And it was the perfect assassin for Adva.

Back with Adva…

"Come on Billo," said Adva as she ran up the stairs of the tower. She had to get out of her fancy robe before Master Yullie saw her. Billo tried to keep up while breathing a bit hard. Adva entered her room and closed the door on him. After a few minutes she was out wearing her apprentice shirt. After they stopped by the training room for another staff, they headed for Master Yullie's room. She pounded on the door while praying that he was in.

"I'm coming! I'm coming! Stop it with the knocking or I'll turn you into a cri- Adva!" cried Master Yullie as he saw who was at his door. He took the girl in a giant bear hug. Each day he had been worried sick of what was happening to the girl. He had thought that he could see her as just another apprentice even if they were of the same House. But her absence proved that he couldn't do it. The girl looked up to him and he was going to be damned if he was going to let Nyloe kill her.

I haven't so much as hugged her until this crisis happened. All those years I tried to keep her at arms distance, barely acknowledging her as blood. But I won't let her die!

"Listen Adva, forget the duel. I'll go to the Twelve Staff Counsel itself if I have to. I don't want you to get hurt or killed," said Master Yullie as he put Adva down.

"Master Yullie as the one challenged I can changed the date of the duel. I'm changing it to today," said Adva. A scowl came upon the man's face.

"I just told you that I'm not letting you do this. I'm stopping the duel now," said Master Yullie and was taken by surprise. Adva kissed him on the cheek. He was so startled and embarrassed that he turned as red as his beard.

"Master Yullie don't worry. You're about to see just how effective Quest Magic is," said Adva and then she was walking down the stairs. She stopped in front of Nyloe's room and knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal Nyloe with his rat like face.

"I want to have the duel today. I'll meet you in front of the tower in ten minutes," said Adva. Nyloe didn't make any snide remark, but simply nodded. Adva then began walking down the stairs with Billo and Master Yullie. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned to Billo.

"Wait in my room until the duel is over," said Adva. Billo's blue eyes turned cold.

"No way! I thought we're in this together," said Billo.

"We are, but I don't want you to die needlessly. Some of Nyloe's spells might accidentally hit you. I'm protected, but you're not," said Adva and Billo's eyes became softer.

"All right, get him good Adva," said Billo as he ran back up the stairs. Adva turned to Master Yullie.

"Master Yullie I'm pretty sure I'm going to live through this. But if I don't… Well its nice to know that you were looking out for me. Thanks for caring about me," said Adva. She was slightly startled when Master Yullie placed a hand on her cheek.

"You were so determined and full of spunk when I first saw you. It's nice to know those qualities are still there. You're not going to die Adva. I'm going to make sure of that," said Master Yullie as he drew his hand back.

"Uh-hum,"

Both turned startled to see Nyloe watching them. In his hand was his staff.

"As my right, I wish the duel to have no witnesses. I'm afraid Master Yullie can't be with us," said Nyloe with a smirk. Master Yullie looked like he was about to object, but Adva placed a hand on his arm.

"That's fair," said Adva as she looked almost pleadingly towards Master Yullie. Would he trust her to be able to handle this? Master Yullie sighed and nodded. He gave Nyloe a hard bump as he walked up the stairs pass him. The two apprentices left the tower and stood near the doorway. Adva walked away from Nyloe until she was fifty feet away, which was the distance that the two should be from each other for a duel.

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

"Begin!"

Adva did a running charge towards Nyloe. Nyloe raised a finger at her and spoke a single word.

"Sparacle!"

A single large spark fired from his finger that shot at Adva. It bounced off her, as her body seemed to glow blue for a second. Adva knew the spell wasn't strong enough to really hurt her. Nyloe had just wanted to make absolutely sure that she was protected. He raised his staff and prepared for her attack. She made a thrust at him that he parried. And she continued to go on the offensive with swings and thrusts. Adva had concentrated hard on her staff training since her Quest magic wasn't much help in immediate combat. Nyloe on the other hand only trained as much as was mandatory for an apprentice. Bit by bit, Nyloe was backing away as the attacks got closer to hitting his body. But for some reason he had a grin on his face.

Adva didn't see the figure that leapt over the metal fence behind her. She didn't see it running towards her like a predator about to get his prey. What she did see was Sunruff who came running from behind the tower. He raised the hilt of his sword and hit Nyloe hard on the head from behind. The boy collapsed in a heap.

"Sunruff, I had him! Whoah!" said Adva as Sunruff grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her towards him. She heard a movement in the air behind her and turned. Jacoe with inhuman eyes had tried to slice her with his sword. Sunruff didn't say anything, but pushed Adva behind him and charged.

He didn't know what the thing in front of him was, but he knew it wasn't Jacoe. Jacoe could never learn to fight so well. The thing moved faster than any normal human and each blow dealt a lot of strength, but luckily it seemed to know very little about techniques of sword fighting. Sunruff attempted a Death Fan. He ducked a blow, shot his sword out, and swept it upward to cut through the man's arm. The arm came off with a sick thud. Sunruff assumed that he could pause a few seconds. That the man would cry out and grab the bloody stump that had been his arm. Or at the very least try to fight off the pain before doing another attack. That was a mistake.

"Sunruff!" cried Adva as she saw the thing use it other arm to slice at Sunruff's gut in that few seconds of hesitation. Sunruff gritted his teeth and blocked the next blow. The pain of the gut wound was incredibly painful and extremely fatal. But he couldn't think about that now.

Have to get Adva out of this mess. Won't fail now that I'm so close!

Sunruff did a deadly Rage Whirl. He once again ducked, but this time jumped to one side. He sliced the neck of the Blacksoul and it's head fell to the ground. He jumped back then and watched the body collapse.

"Sunruff wh.. what are you doing here?" asked Adva as she walked up to him. She nearly cried out as she saw a long ugly wound that was bleeding from his gut. She tore off a part of her sleeve while yelling for help.

"Master Yullie!! Billo! Sit down Sunruff and let me try to help," said Adva as she put a hand on his arm and pulled him down. He didn't resist and looked extremely pale. By the time Master Yullie and Billo showed, Adva had the wound covered with what bandages she could make with her shirt. He had completely lain down onto the ground and it looked like he was struggling with making some decision. Adva turned to Master Yullie.

"Can you heal him?" asked Adva. Master Yullie looked at the wound and shook his head.

"Adva.."

"Not now Sunruff, Billo go get a healer! The best one you can find!" said Adva. Billo nodded and ran out the gate.

"Adva…"

"Master Yullie there has to be something you could do. Is there a elemental that you can summon that might help?"

"Adva! It was me!" growled Sunruff as he grabbed Adva's wrist. Adva stared at him for a second slightly shocked.

"It was you what?" asked Adva. There was a fanatic determination in Sunruff's eyes that said that he needed to tell her something.

"It was me that destroyed the Army of SteelRose! I'm not Sunruff the mercenary, I'm Sunran the Warlord! Leader of the Scorched who killed your father and his brother knights," said Sunruff. Shock completely hit Adva, but she shook it off and placed a hand on his forehead.

"You're not feeling well Sunruff. You just think you're a warlord right now because of the wound," said Adva though her voice was shaky. Master Yullie was studying the man carefully. An expression between frustration and amusement came over Sunruff's face.

"I'm not hallucinating you silly girl. I was exiled from my own army a year ago. Ever since then I've been living this different life as a mercenary," said Sunruff as he stared at her. A sick feeling seemed to engulf Adva. The man holding his wrist wasn't lying or hallucinating. His eyes showed complete clearness of mind.

"Why.. why are you telling me this?!" shouted Adva as she drew her hand away from his touch. Years of hurt and pain seemed to come back all at once.

"Didn't want to die without no one knowing. I wanted at least one person to know who I was," muttered Sunruff. He couldn't even manage to lift his head now. He coughed up a little blood and spit it out.

"Why did you make me that person?" said Adva as her voice nearly broke. She wanted to shout and scream. She wanted to ask why he took her father away. She wanted to slap Sunruff's face as hard as possible. She wanted to do a lot of things, but she wasn't sure which one to choose.

"Because I trust you Adva. It wasn't fair of me to tell you like this, didn't plan it this way. But I trust you Adva. I trust you to remember who I was and what I became," muttered Sunruff. He closed his eyes. Everything seemed so… foggy. Maybe he should take a nap while waiting for that healer.

"What you became.." said Adva slowly as tears were coming down her eyes. She wasn't sure if she was crying because Sunruff was going to die or because she felt betrayed. She noticed then how Sunruff's breathing got shallower and his eyes were closed.

"Sunruff? Sunruff?!" said Adva as she shook his body. Master Yullie touched her shoulder.

"His almost gone Adva, just let him go," said Master Yullie, which for some reason made Adva want to cry more.

Darkness was all Sunruff could see. He knew he had to be dreaming. Everything felt weird and distorted, just like a dream. He saw it then. A single ray of white light that cut through the blackness. As he touched it, white light seemed to engulf his whole body.

Everybody wishes to live

"What was that?" muttered Sunruff and then he shook his head. He was hearing things. The white light around him seemed to form a tunnel. He began walking.

So take this chance to stop death

His paused in his next step and raised his head to listen. There was that voice again.

You must have a dark secret

Who was that? She sounded familiar…

One that has burdened your heart

An urge struck Sunruff then. He had to get to the end of the tunnel now! Something told him that if he didn't reach the end now, he never would.

One that another deserves to know

Sunruff ran as fast as possible. Every step seemed harder though.

Reveal this secret and lay it bare

The tunnel had turned from white to blue. What was happening? He had to reach the end.

The greater the secret, the greater the healing

Invisible hands grabbed on to Sunruff and pulled him back. He had been so close! He almost saw it! Now where-

"So ends the Quest!"

Sunruff found himself taking a giant breath of air. He was blinded by blue light.

"Quest? What.. Adva," muttered Sunruff. It had been Adva's voice that he heard. His vision cleared after a few seconds and he looked himself over. The gut wound was completely gone. There wasn't even a scar. He looked around for Adva, but didn't see her. What he did see was the Master Yullie person who looked extremely pissed and seemed tempted to undo what was done. Sunruff could tell by the glint in the man's eye that he wanted to hurt Sunruff badly. Sunruff grabbed the man by the throat causing the wizard's eyes to bulge and his face to turn red.

"I'll only ask once. Where is she?" growled Sunruff as he began to squeeze.

In Adva's quarters…

She hadn't stayed to see it. As soon as her pendant flashed with light, she had been running to her quarters. If she were lucky, she'd never talk to Sunruff ever again.

"Why did I do it?" asked Adva of herself for the fifth time. Did she forgive him for what he had done?

"No, I'm not sure if I could ever forgive him for… that. Did I just do it because it seemed like the morale thing to do? I'm not sure if there's anything morale about letting him live. Maybe.. maybe I did it because I don't think his Sunran anymore," whispered Adva to herself.

I trust you to remember who I was and what I became.

"Did he really become someone else or is he still the same monster who killed all those people," muttered Adva.

Knock knock

It was probably just Master Yullie at the door, but it could be Sunruff. Adva prayed for it to be Master Yullie as she opened the door.

"Well it looks like that fat mage wasn't lying then. That's good considering the beating I gave him," said Sunruff with a smirk.

It seemed the gods weren't favoring her this time.

"If you had hurt Master Yullie I'll.. I'll.." stuttered Adva. Sunruff pushed her aside and entered her quarters.

"Don't worry, I just gave him a bruise or two. Nice room, too many books though," said Sunruff as he looked around. Adva felt herself turning red and then she noticed something strange about Sunruff.

"Sunruff what happened to you?" asked Adva. Sunruff's hair was now completely black, the scars that had been on his arms were gone, and his face looked.. younger!

"It seemed that Quest was done so well that it not only healed me, but cut off twenty years. I'd say I'm thirty right about now. What do you think?" said Sunruff as he glanced at Adva. The girl had turned pale and simply stared at Sunruff for a few seconds.

"You mean I made you.. thanks to me your.. Get OUT!" screamed Adva. Something in her mind had snapped. She charged Sunruff and began trying to punch him. He easily grabbed hold of her wrists. He still had the same strong, powerful build and probably even had better muscles now that he was young.

"You can't really hurt me that way Adva," said Sunruff as if he was talking to a child. Adva couldn't take it anymore. She had made Sunruff younger and she couldn't even take out her anger and frustration on him. She burst into tears. Sunruff let go of her wrists and put his arms around her. He held her so close that she could hear his heart beat.

"Come on Adva don't cry. I hate it when you do that," whispered Sunruff.

"Stop being so bloody nice! Why can't you act mean or angry at me?!" muttered Adva. But she didn't try to get out of the embrace. The truth was that she needed it. She was drained physically and emotionally and she needed someone to hold her up for a moment.

"You know that's exactly what I thought when I met you," said Sunruff with a chuckle. After a few minutes Adva finally pushed away from him when she felt strong enough to stand.

"I hate you," said Adva harshly. Sunruff studied her for a few seconds before speaking.

"I don't think you hate me. Not the kind of hate where you want to kill a person or hurt him until his begging for mercy. I know hate Adva, I felt it myself several times. And to be quite honest I don't think you have the cruelty it takes to truly hate," said Sunruff. Adva's shoulders sagged. Sunruff seemed to be dominating her both physically and verbally.

"Just get out and leave me alone," whispered Adva as she went over to a chair and sat in it. Sunruff shook his head.

"I'll get out for now, but I won't leave you alone. I'm actually planning to get some quarters here, once I give Master Chubby a few twists of the arm," said Sunruff. Adva's face looked stricken.

"What?!"

"Well I said I'd protect you. And I don't ever remember saying I was going to stop. I really need to keep protecting you until this feeling goes away," said Sunruff as he walked towards the door.

"What feeling?" asked Adva though she cursed herself for being curious.

"The feeling… that I just owe you one. I very big one," said Sunruff as he walked out.

"But I don't want you here!" shouted Adva into the hallway.

"Tough! You're stuck with me! We'll practice staff fighting tomorrow. You hit like a fairy."

The End… maybe

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