"I'm tired can we rest? We've been walking through this place for days... Seeing the same things everyday is annoying... I can't remember how many beasts and drones I've killed, on our way here."
Harnio ignored the complaints coming from Cliffhopper, and stood wiping the sweat away from his sun burnt face. "Sun burn... I haven't seen the sun in so long... I also miss the feeling of a fresh breeze on me."
"Yes... It seems we're all burnt from the sun, except for our fire eater here." He looked at the firewarriors arms and nodded. "Raven's right... I assume its your body that prevents you from getting sun burnt?"
"Something like that Harnio... We just have to wait for the priestess to return... Than we'll know how much further we have to go... I'm also growing tired of this place."
"The volcanoes make this place smell bad, and resting in those houses at night, annoy me, as I can't clean the smell off my body." He looked at Cliffhopper with a nod. "I understand your pain... All that hair must be annoying to clean."
"Hey little brother... Please be nice to me, I'm the one who suggested you to go to the mountains with the priestess." He nodded and looked at the ground, and than stared at the cloudy sky. He covered this face with his arms and frowned. "She's been gone a long time... I hope she comes back soon with some good news..."
"Speaking of good news... I have both good and bad. Which one do you want to hear first?"
Harnio sat up when he heard the priestess's voice. He looked in the direction of the firewarrior. "Good news first Star."
"We've finally arrived at the place we planned to go to..." Harnio smiled and stood up stretching his arms. "What's the bad news?"
"There's a large army standing between us and our target." Harnio frowned and walked towards the priestess's direction. "How far away are we talking?" He turned as the firewarrior kept pressing for more information. "Not far... About a mark away and you can start seeing it." Harnio nodded in thought. "What about the numbers?"
"In the tens of thousands... We're heavily outnumbered... Not just the normal trolaiths we've seen, but there're many different types I've never seen... A whole force of those tunnel burrowing ones as well."
"Its an army alright..." He heard the firewarrior curse. "How are we going to fight against all of that?"
He shook his head. "We can't... That's the problem... We'll need more forces to take it all on."
"Even if brother and sister in law change?" He saw the priestess's shadow head shake. "Even if they did, and her family was here as well. We'd still be in trouble." He heard Drummen curse. "We can't just give up here... There's still a head we need to take down." Harnio looked at Raven. "I've got a question that has been annoying me for sometime, and all the information I've collected, it doesn't seem to add up."
"Ask it wind walker... If I can answer I will."
"I want to ask about the queen... She took a form that was similar to yours, however Cliffhopper mentioned she was from his tribe... The thing that bothers me, is why she was the only one to take that form, when it clearly needs something special from your family to take effect..."
"Why do you think that?"
"We all heard his screaming when whatever you were all doing to him... From that I gather its not a simple skin change that Cliffhopper's tribe is known for... Hence, I ask the question."
"He's right... We saw her form, and also she said it was what she really looked like... Is it possible?" He looked at the priestess. "Wind walker... Its a good question, but even if you knew the answer, would it help our current situation?" He shook his head. "No, it wouldn't help our situation... But it would ease my mind... Its not like your family is related to her or anything?" He smiled as he scratched his arm.
"Wife... Just answer him... Let him know... Than he'll stop thinking about it, and we'll be able to focus on what we have to do now."
"Agnia, as the water watcher calls her, is indeed or should I say was a part of the family... There's only one way to change into what we are."
He heard the priestess curse. "What do you mean... We need to know."
He looked up at the cloudy sky and covered his face with his arm, while scratching it. "She was killed wasn't she?"
"That's correct wind walker... That person is no longer, the one I know her as..."
"You haven't even seen her, how would you know who she is? There's lots of stories about one who could do what she did."
"Easy brother in law... I'm sure that wind walker can tell you, without me giving an answer."
"Harnio... spill it." He nodded and felt his heart start to race. "The body is dead, but there was something that took over the body, and they became someone else..."
"Correct..." He nodded. "Than for the something to learn about the body, they sent it to the tribe Cliffhopper is from so she could learn how to control the bodies powers."
"Correct again wind walker..."
"So the queen... Is somebody who took control of another body... A strong body at that... It makes sense since of the rings..." He looked down as he caught a glimpse of the priestess's stare.
"Correct... However I'll add something more to your logic since you also don't seem to remember it either." He looked up in confusion. "What do I seem to be missing?"
"Do you remember the ritual when you all were asleep?" He nodded. "Do you also remember the water watcher mentioning the Supreme talking about failure?" He scratched his head and shook it. "That I don't remember."
"I remember... It was strange, and when I asked him about it he changed the topic..."
"Very good water watcher... Well, at that point when my husband was unconscious. I pushed something out of his body, that was trying to take it over."
"All I remember, is that I heard a voice asking for what I wanted? Apart from that I don't remember anything about that event."
"Well... I guess... Its just a guess here. Its up to the wind walker to solve it, as I have no idea, that thing I pushed out, is similar to the thing that's inside Agnia's body right now... Someone vain and has a temper, while enjoying the finer things in life."
Harnio nodded. "That makes sense, and answers a lot of questions... Thank you Raven... I wonder what those things were."
"You're forgetting something here Harnio." He looked towards the firewarrior who was cracking his knuckles. "That the Supreme, wanted us to be taken over... For what reason?"
"Easy... To open something." He looked at Drummen. "What do you mean?"
"You'll know when you reach your trial... Something bad, will come of this if we continue this discussion... Husband, no more." He frowned as he saw Drummen nod.
"There must be something that we're missing... If the Supreme is wanting something so much, that he's willing to destroy everything just to get it... It must be worth incredible to the Supreme." He nodded in thought as he listened to the firewarrior's words.
"Whatever it is, we have to stop him from getting it..."
He looked towards the priestess and scratched his arms. "Even if that means killing those who side with the Supreme." He watched as she clenched her fists. "Even if it means killing those who have no idea, and follow the Supreme blindly?"
"We do as we must... If we're really to protect Athlos, than we must act at the right time..." He nodded. "Don't forget that he was coughing up blood... He must be very sick or almost close to dying..."
"Harnio's right... He must be using this army as a means to get what he wants before he dies."
Harnio shook his head. "If what Raven said is true... What if the Supreme has one of those things inside him?"
He looked around as the group became silent. He looked at the firewarrior as he stepped forward with his unit. "It doesn't matter if it is the Supreme, or not... We need to protect Athlos... Even if its from itself."
"Good words fire eater... Expected from a fire eater." Harnio looked at the priestess who seemed to be staring in the distance smiling. "It seems we have some reinforcements... Took them long enough..." Harnio looked in the direction that the priestess was looking at, frowning. "I don't see anything priestess, but I can hear something in the wind."
"Its my family... They've come. It seems they knew we'd be here." He looked at Raven with a smile. "That means Mouse must be with them?"
"No... I don't see Mouse with them... I just see the three of them... No one else."
"Lets go meet them husband." Harnio watched as the monk and Raven turned towards them, changed and flew towards them. He watched as the group flew towards them, landed and changed to their familiar figures.
"Hello fire eater... Its good to see you and your friends again..."
"Where's Mouse?" Harnio nodded as the firewarrior spoke the words. "Don't worry... He's fine... He was able to do what we couldn't... We took the tree shadow to the place for his trial... If he passes his trial, which I'm sure he will, he'll be joining us here with the old man... Husband I'm surprised that we were able to go, since he had his tea out ready for us and everything."
"He knew wife, that we were needed. I'm glad firewarrior you didn't jump into the battle... Even with us here, its going to be a very tough fight... We need to wait for them... That old man is very strong."
Harnio nodded. "How long ago did you leave Mouse there?"
"About three days ago... We travel fast... Not as fast as the old man, but we can move when we need to."
"Father in law... I'm glad you get to be outside, but here isn't exactly the most beautiful place to be."
"I enjoy it... Its better than the walls I spent a long time staring at... All that gold I could see, but never touch... But after Mouse did what he did, I took it all. Hahahahaha..."
He saw Drummen smile. "It seems this affection for gold and coins runs in the family."
"Don't forget wine... That does too." Harnio nodded in thought. "Since you're here, what do we do? If we wait here, they'll find us eventually."
"No... They have no idea we're here... That's what the old man told us... He said, the creator has no idea, and that he's proud of the wind walker and the brothers for hiding your tracks for so long."
"He sounds like an old monster that I also know..."
"Would you be talking about the black dragon?" He looked up and glanced at the firewarrior's shocked face. "How... do you know him?"
"Your kidding? My husband and him fought together... They're like family to each other... They would always try and see who was the strongest, but it always ended up in a tie... That's a guardian for you."
"He never told me about you all..."
"How could he fire eater... What would he tell you?" Harnio nodded in thought. "Does that mean that the old man you took Mouse too, has been keeping an eye on us?"
"That guy he knows everything about everything that happens on Athlos... A giant walking ear... He picks up on everything... Even this conversation he knows about it."
Harnio nodded in thought. "That means than, if he knows what we're doing, than will he come as well?"
"That depends on Mouse... He seems to really take a liking to him... We also like him as well... Strong tree shadow."
"That's because you were teaching him father." He looked at the tall man in the group and nodded. "You did say that before... Maybe your father is an excellent teacher."
"Hohoho... It seems you were all talking about me, and my apprentice here." Harnio turned in shock and saw an old man standing next to Mouse. He smiled at Mouse. "Its good to see you after all these months... What have you been doing?"
"You can talk with him later... Right now we have something to face, but we're missing a few people... They should be arriving here shortly..."
"BOOOMMM!"
Harnio raised his hand to block the small earth debris and looked at the old man walking with a black cane. He took a step back, from fear. He saw the firewarrior and fire eater unit approach him and salute the old man. "Good to see you haven't forgotten your manners Stannir."
"Its been a long time since we've been together. Its also good to see you out of your cave brother... It seems that the old mans plan worked after all."
Harnio looked at the group in confusion. "Since we're all here... Can we fight back yet?"
"Yes... All you have to do is listen to this old man... I have a few ideas about what we can do." Harnio looked at the clothing of the old shadow. "I'm listening..."
"He's a lot better than the old wind walker... Stubborn fool."
"Who are you calling a stubborn old fool?" Harnio looked up and saw the professor float down and looked at him. "Hello apprentice... It has been a while... I hope you've come up with some interesting new toys for us to play with." He smiled at the professor and nodded.
"We're missing one more..."
"No, you old fool... The water watcher is here, just watching as usual... You know what he's like..."
"Than shall we start the fight... Brother, I plan to show that I'm stronger than the old famous black dragon."
"Hahahahaha... You're still young, and staring at those walls has given you a dull mind..."
"Just you wait and see for yourself..." Harnio looked at the group around him and felt enormous pressure pushing against him.
"Cough... Cough... Can we do that later? We have to buy these young ones time, so they can do what they're here for."
"Fine... Whats the plan old shadow?"