'Go to sleep, you bloody dwarf,' Zephyr said to himself as he watched the three travellers from a distance. He had quietly followed them through the journey but had made sure he kept a good distance between them and him.
'I just need to wait a little bit, I'm sure the dwarf will fall asleep,' Zephyr said, looking up at the sky. It was night and he had planned to get the girl under the cover of darkness.
Suddenly, everything around him turned darker, 'Who's there?'
He looked around but couldn't find anyone.
The leaves on the trees around him suddenly stopped moving.
'Your worst nightmare,' he heard someone whisper.
'Show yourself,' he barked.
'And what fun would that be. I am the one that stalks the night, that is one with the darkness, I am near you, yet far away from you, you can only see me if I wanted you to,' the whisper continued.
'Show yourself, you coward,' he brought out two knives, and spun around trying to get where the sounds were coming from.
A dark form from nowhere appeared from the trees above him, wings wide spread, 'I am the darkness, I am the night,' the dark figure landed on him covering him with its stretched wings.
'Get off me,' Zephyr kicked at the figure sending him into a nearby tree.
It was a vampire, a dark lean scary vampire.
'No way, not tonight,' Zephyr drew his knives.
'And you think I'm alone?' the vampire laughed.
'I don't care if you are alone or you are with a legion,' Zephyr said, maintaining a tight grip on his sword.
From nowhere, someone kicked one of the knives form his hand he tries to slash the figure but slashes thin air instead. The dark masked figure bounced off a tree and shoots at him with a kick but Zephyr moves to the side quickly and kicks him.
'A Ninja?' Zephyr said to himself.
'Yes, that's me,' the Ninja said playfully.
'And the funny thing is, there's more of us,' two fighters rush at him in a boxing stance, sending a barrage of blows his way. He is able to block several punches, but one meets his face. He stumbled to the ground from the blow but quickly gets back up.
'There is no time to stay down,' Zephyr quickly catches his balance. The two boxers continue throwing punches, he blocked as many as he could but one found its way through his parries. His head rang as if he had been hit by a sledge hammer, 'that's a strong punch,' he mumbled as he tried to keep his focus.
The two fighters stop at a distance ahead of him, staring at him and smiling.
What are they smiling for? He thought to himself. He didn't hold that thought for too long because he suddenly felt himself being swept off the ground and sent flying into a nearby tree, excruciating pain shot through his whole body.
'What was that?' Zephyr struggled to get up, he couldn't where his knife had flown too and his legs were trembling under him. Everything seemed like a blur, 'focus, Zephyr, focus,' he told himself.
Laughing in front of him was a huge man, at least nine feet tall, 'you can simply call me giant,' the giant said.
'You can call me ninja,' the ninja said.
'I'm dark, and I'm a vampire,' the vampire said.
'We're the twins,' the fighters said, come to think of it, they looked identical.
'Who are these guys,' he tried to focus but his vision still twirled from the hit from the giant. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, something was inside him and had taken over his body, his body started to move towards a hairy figure standing at the centre of the group.
'I can't move my body,' Zephyr said as he struggled to control his movements. It was as if he was a puppet and was being controlled by someone else.
A laughter rang in his head, 'You can't silly, because I'm controlling you,' the voice said from inside his head.
'Who are you,' Zephyr struggled to utter the words.
'You can call me ghost,' the ghost said from inside is head. He was now standing in front of a hairy bulky man that was also a wolf, a werewolf.
'I'm Mealstrom,' the werewolf smiled, 'and we are the ghost bandits.'
'Ghost bandits,' Zephyr repeated, 'What do you want?' he stood there helplessly in front of Mealstrom. This group was quiet formidable and he had never felt so helpless before.
'We want the girl with the light magic,' Mealstrom said, leaning closer to Zephyr.
'She's mine,' Zephyr answered, 'Did Korax send you.'
'Well, yes he did, for a fee,' Mealstrom said whispering the words into Zephyr's ears.
'She's mine, he sent me too and I was going to deliver her,' Zephyr struggled to say each word, he could still feel the ghost inside of him, pulling at every muscle in his body.
'Well, you failed, and we are here to take over,' Mealstrom said, revealing his sharp werewolf teeth.
'I was right on their track, and they were just ahead, I was about to,' Zephyr was talking but suddenly stopped and everything went blank. I think I am asleep, he thought to himself as he wondered if he was dreaming or his encounter with Mealstrom and his gang was just a dream.
'Good job ghost,' Mealstrom said.
'Thanks boss.' Ghost jumped out of Zephyr who had fallen to the ground, fast asleep.
'Now all we have to do is head in that direction, I think I see something. And someone should tie him up. We don't want him taking what's meant for us,' Mealstrom headed straight into the woods and his gang of bandits followed behind him. This will be an easy one, he said to himself.
*
Blog spotted a spark from the distance, he stood up from where he was stationed and moved closer to where he had seen the spark but only a few steps away from Amy and Max's tent, 'what could that be?'
At the distance, although barely visible he notices some movement and faint sounds.
'No need to find out, he's found us,' Blog muttered to himself. He rushed to the tent and taps Amy and Max on the feet.
'Blog,' Max said.
'Shhh, we have to get out of here now,' Blog said.
'But we just went to sleep,' a drowsy Amy said, 'I'm still tired.'
'He's found us,' Blog said, 'but I think there might be more than the guy we met.'
'Let's go then,' Max said, picking up his back pack and his sword, 'Amy get up,' Amy got up reluctantly.
Blog quickly wrapped the tent and squeezes it into his own bag pack along with his guns, 'let's go in that direction quickly, they are still a distance away.'
'Okay,' Max said, looking towards the direction Blog had spotted the movement.
'Come on let's go,' Blog said already running. In no time Max and Amy caught up to him and overtook him.
'Come on Blog,' Amy said, gesturing for Blog to catch up.
'What a time for my small legs to fail me.'
'You can do it, Blog,' Amy said.
They started hearing sounds following them in the woods. The sounds came from different directions.
'It seems we are being trailed by an army,' Max said, picking up his speed, just enough for Amy to follow by his side. Blog still tried to catch up.
Blog brings out on of his guns, 'I'm not about to let anything catch up with me in these woods.'
'Come on Blog,' Max gestured to Blog, 'You can do it.'
'I'm trying my best, I bet four of my strides is just one of yours,' Blog said, laughing, then he remembers they are being chased. An eerie sound followed just behind him but he didn't get to see anything.
'Come on Blog,' Amy called out to the dwarf.
Max turned and saw a dark figure behind blog, it had wings and sharp red eyes like burning fire.
'Something is behind you Blog,' Max yelled.
'I know Max,' Blog said as he quickly spun around and pulled the trigger of his gun.
Max saw the figure disperse just like smoke after Blog had shot at it, only to reappear a short distance behind Blog again. Behind it was a huge figure crashing through the trees, 'there's another one behind.'
'I know,' Blog yelled.
'There are several more behind,' Amy yelled, pointing at someone moving swiftly through the trees.
'I know,' Blog yelled, 'Let's keep running.'
Ahead of the out of the woods was a towering wall, Max sighted it first and called their attention to it, 'look there's a wall ahead.'
'Must be a city, let's go towards it,' Blog yelled out.
The dark figure was almost catching up with Blog when Max quickly spun around and threw a knife at the figure, the dark figure fell into the woods, crashing into a nearby tree.
'Thanks Max,' Blog said.
Two figures appeared from nowhere, behind Blog, then a masked figure, a tall towering figure and a wolf like man covered in fur. They had entered a clearing and the moon had shone its light on the deviant characters.
'Fast Blog, they are almost catching up with you,' Max screamed.
'I know, but I have short legs!' Blog yelled.
The giant kicked at Blog, catching him from behind, which sent him flying towards Amy and Max's direction. Blog crashed into Max and they both fell to the ground.
Visibly upset, Amy spun around and stretched her hands towards the fiends, 'Leave us alone,' she screamed as a jolt of white bright fire emanated from her a blasted Mealstrom and his bandits. She looked at both of her hands in surprise and smiled.
Blog looked at her, utterly shocked.
'Yes, That's what she did the other time,' Max said getting up quickly and pulling at Amy and blog, 'Let's keep going guys.'
'How did you do that,' Blog asked.
'I don't know,' Amy replied.
'We are close to the gates,' Max said, as they ahead towards the city gate. It was well guarded by well kitted soldiers. Some held guns and others swords.
'Halt there!' One of them yelled out, and Amy, Max and Blog stopped in their tracks.
They all stopped.
The soldiers moved closer.
'Where do you think you are going?' the soldier said.
'Into the city,' Blog said, 'we are visitors and we were being attacked by bandits.'
They all looked behind them and their pursuers where no longer behind them.
'Those woods are not safe,' the soldier said, 'but you are safe with us now.'
The three of them were surprised, they had not expected to receive that kind of welcome.
'Welcome to Isop,' the soldier said.
'Isop,' Blog said, 'the city of dreams.'
'Yes, you are here. You'll be safe within the city walls and no bandit would dare attack you in there,' the soldier assured them.
'I bet we can get a good inn with nice beds to rest and lots of drinks,' Blog asked.
'That, and many more, Isop is a very hospitable city,' the soldier said, 'and well-guarded so your safety is guaranteed.
The soldier led them through a narrow gate in the middle of the wall and opened the first gate, guarded by more soldiers, then a second gate and a third gate, into an open area, 'We will register your names and your items and you can then go into the city, if it any time you or your items pose a threat to the city, you will be evicted, understood.'
'Well understood, Blog laughed. He looked back and the bandits were now only a memory of the past.
'Who were those guys,' Max asked.
'I have no idea, they were different from the one we encountered earlier,' Blog answered, then looked at Amy, 'and you, you saved us, your brother was right after all, you are the real hero here.'
'I don't know how that happened,' Amy said, a wide beaming smile on her face, 'but I'm glad I was able to stop them.'
'Let's go and find somewhere nice to eat and rest,' Blog said.
'Welcome to Isop,'another soldier greeted them as they walked into the city.