Moon Whisper: Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"Hmm, interesting."
"What is it, Kylian?"
"It appears as if some of our loyalists have been killed by seven creatures not of our ranks."
"Could it be the Noleveo?"
"No. According to Catherine's report, our troops were nowhere near any of the Noleveo."
"It could be the Echuiver."
"Not a chance. The last time Rith was down on earth, he faced us. Besides, he's now just a watchdog on Oira."
"So what do you plan to do?"
"Summon them to me. They may prove useful to our cause."
"You think that's a good idea, Kylian?"
"Who said that?"
"Just a faithful loyalist who knows what needs to be done."
"A dread wraith. I don't seem to recall having one of those back then."
"I was killed by those infidels. Luckily, I was resurrected into this wraith's body."
"What is your name?"
"My name is not important, but you can call me Dread."
"So, Dread, you think that by summoning these creatures that it will prove useless to our cause?"
"Yes, I do. I know what these creatures are. They are homunculi, seven of them."
"So, the Noleveo of Alchemy must have created them."
"Yes, they left him the moment they could. They have despised him ever since."
"Interesting. Still, I would like to summon them. I would like a little chat with them."
"Sir, I am receiving a transmission from Lucy."
"Patch her through."
"Sir, I have received word that three of the Noleveo will be coming through my location."
"Good. Make contact with them and kill them in their sleep."
"Understood."

The sun hadn't risen over the eastern border when the three woke up. Understanding what dangers lay ahead of them, they gather their packs and head to the castle doors.
Waiting at the gates was High Elder Carter, still tired from his nightly rest. The three walked towards him with reluctant confidence and courageous cowardice.
"I understand you three wanting to head out early, but the sun hasn't risen," Carter said.
"I do apologize for having you awake at these hours," Zeke said.
"Nothing to worry yourself about. But I do want to tell you Zeke before you left. The remains of the homunculi are with my friend and guardian of the Gate between Worlds. His name is Turinn Rumnaheim and he lives in one of the dwarven villages in the Úquétima Territories. If you come across him, give him this letter for me, will you?"
"Of course."
"Thank you. Now you three take care of yourself. You may be young, but there is no telling what dangers lay out in the wild. Just be careful, alright?"
"Yes sir," the boys said as they turned to leave.
The long road to the woods passed many houses of those loyal and proud of the three young men heading to their destiny.
"May the Gods protect these souls on their journey." Those words were said by person after person as they walked by. The local priest led the villagers into a prayer.
"O Holy Protectors, I pray for a safe voyage of these warriors as they walk into the unknown danger that is this land. Let them be victorious and come back safely to this city, to protect us once again from any and all intruders that threaten the very lives that you have given us. Let them smite the wicked and kill the guilty hearts of the evil you once sealed from this land. All in your names, Blessed Be."
Tears flowed from everyone as the three disappeared into the woods, possibly never to be seen by them again.

The trees of the forest provided the three with plenty of shade, protection, and comfort as they traversed through its beauty. The greenery and wildlife gave a calming relief to the three, living their lives out as if nothing had threaten them in any way.
The three stopped to rest at around noon, noticing the peaceful scenery that surrounded them. They had built a small fire and started to make a light lunch before continuing on.
"I can't help to think about this journey. I mean, don't you think we're a bit young to save the world?" Zeke asked the others.
"I do admit we have our hands cut out for us, but we have faced many challenges in the past," Raine said.
"Yeah. And besides, we've passed through these woods plenty of times when we were young. How hard can it be to get to Laiqua in one piece?" Joseph asked.
"But we had the protection of Mom and Dad back then. And even then, they had guards protecting them."
"Do not doubt yourself or us, Zeke. We'll be alright."
"I hope so."
The three sat there for a short while until, suddenly, a loud scream echoed through the forest.
"What was that?" Joseph asked.
"A woman in distress?" Zeke wondered.
"Zeke, you stay here. Joseph and I will check it out."
"Be careful, guys."

Three large men were standing in a circle over a young girl. They had looks of lust in their eyes as they laughed menacingly.
"She sure looks purty, eh, Felix?" one man said.
"I do believe you are correct, Tobias. What should we do to her, Gideon?" another asked.
"I say we have our way with her."
"No, please. I'm just an innocent little girl."
"So?"
Raine and Joseph were watching from a tall branch above them, carefully viewing the situation.
"She looks like a girl from nearby," Joseph said.
"Hmm, there's something familiar about her though," Raine commented.
"Let's go save her."
"Right."
The two leaped down the trees and jumped towards the large men.
"Let her go, now!"
"What's all this then? A pair of pathetic bimbos?" one man said.
"Let her go, now," Joseph said angrily.
"Never. She's ours and we'll do with her as we please."
Just then, the girl struck the three hard in the head with an object. They fell hard on the ground, unconscious.
"That should show them to mess with me."
"Are you alright, miss?"
"Yes, thank you. I would have fought back, but I couldn't get my weapon without them attacking me."
"What weapon?"
"The thing I hit them with. They would have stolen it and attacked me."
"Let's get you to a safe place. Come with us."
"No way. How do I know you can be trusted?"
"Joseph? Raine? Is she alright?"
"Yeah, she's fine."
"Wait. Are you...Raine Juffery?"

"So my legacy on the islands lives on," Raine said.
"Of course. You are held in the highest of honors on Nar, Calad, and Bras. Many ninja clans have even united because of your legend," the little girl said to him.
"But I've only been away ten years."
"So? You are a god amongst the people there."
"So, miss. What brings you to the forest?" Zeke asked.
"Oh, right. I was heading towards the Caran region. My master told me to find someone there."
"Really. What was the person's name?" Joseph questioned.
"All I remember is something Moonwhisper. The first name started with an 'E.'"
"Was it Ezekiel Moonwhisper?" Zeke said.
"Come to think of it, it was. How do you know him?"
"Well, I am him."
"No way. My master told me the Ezekiel Moonwhisper is governor of Caran."
"That's me."
"You look like an elf to me. And Ezekiel is a half-elf."
"That's me. My name is Ezekiel Galanodel. Moonwhisper is Common for Galanodel. But call me Zeke."
"I can't believe it."
"This is my brother, Joseph. And you know Raine already."
"Wow. The great Raine knows the man I am suppose to meet," the little girl said. "But wait, how come you are in the woods and not in Caran?"
"You mean your master didn't explain to you about why you should find Zeke?" Raine asked.
"I don't recall all of what he said. All I remember him telling me is find Zeke."
"Well, you found me, uh..." Zeke started.
"Oh, Cora. Cora Highhill, genin of the Nar village."
"Well, Cora. You should stay with us until you do remember."
"Alright. Besides, I would love to stay and help the great Raine."
"Good. I say we camp here for the night and wait until dawn to move out," Raine said to the group.
Zeke and Joseph started to put up the tents as Raine and Cora planted traps around the campsite. When evening fell, the four continued to talk about themselves, ever lowering their guard to anything that might come at them.

The morning came early for the four as the sounds of birds started to fill the air. They gathered their belongings and marched onward towards their destination, unknowing of the dangers ahead.
“So, why are you going towards Laiqua?” Cora asked.
“We are meeting up with an old friend of ours,” Zeke replied.
“Oh.”
“We are also visiting our parents while we are there,” Joseph added.
“That’s cool. I never knew my real parents. The ninja training kept us from seeing our birth parents.”
“Traditions changed from when I was there. Used to be that parents helped the younger ones as they trained,” Raine commented.
“Oh, you’re thinking of Lord Chickory’s reign over the village. His ideals when it came to training ninja changed when the new High Elder, Elder Joshua Budi, came to power.”
“You mean Jeremiah Chickory is dead?”
“No, he exiled himself when Budi came to power. His whereabouts are unknown to those on the islands.”
The group remained silent for a long time as they trekked through the forest.
Lunchtime came and the four stopped by a small stream to rest. Raine and Cora gathered firewood and started a fire for lunch, while Joseph caught fish for all of them. Zeke guarded the camp while the others were away.
The group then sat down and enjoyed their nicely cooked fish. Soon, the four heard something running through the forest. Joseph and Raine jumped and drew their weapons.
Suddenly, a young lady with a tambourine in her hands appeared before the group, gasping at the sight of them.
“Help me, please!” The young lady said frightened. “I am being chased by a group of orcs.”
“Where are they?” Raine asked.
“They were a few minutes behind me. I just escaped from them a little while ago.”
“Zeke, can you cloak us until they leave?” Raine said, no holding the woman in his arms.
“Sure. Joseph, douse the fire quickly,” Zeke said as he prepared the spell.
Tyl saes ae!!
Soon, the group was invisible to everything else.
“No one makes a noise,” Cora whispered.
A few minutes went by and, sure enough, five orcs walked out into the clearing where the group was enjoying their meal. Looking frustrated, the orcs circled the site, sniffing the air.
“I sMelL hUmAN iN tHe AiR. And FreSH FiSh ToO.”
“ThIS iS Not ThE TImE fOr a MeAl. FiNd ThE GiRl, NoW!”
The orcs sniffing around and searched for twenty minutes before walked back into the woods. Just after they left, the cloaking spell had just worn off.
“That was close,” Joseph said quietly.
“The orcs haven’t gone far. So be careful,” Raine said.
“Why are those orcs looking for you?”
“I belong to a local musician trio and we were captured by those orcs. My friends were able to escape alright. I wasn’t that fortunate. They caught me running away.”
“You’re safe now. Just sit here and rest,” Zeke said.
“Zeke, can I talk to you for a moment?” Cora said.
“Sure.”
The two started to walk away from the group. Raine and Joseph were standing by the woman, tending to her carefully.
“That woman is lying,” Cora said.
“What do you mean?”
“My jutsu is a truth-telling jutsu that filters out truth from fiction. Nothing in her story was true.”
“So who is she?”
“Beats me. But we should be careful.”
“Alright.”
The two walked back and saw the woman passed out on the ground, with Joseph and Raine writhing in pain.
“Raine! Joseph! What happened?”
“I don’t know. The moment you left, I began to fell pain on my back. Soon it spread all over me until you came back,” Joseph responded.
Zeke turned Joseph over and saw a black spider mark on his back.
“Where did you get that mark?”
“What mark?”
“Cora, check Raine for a black spider mark on his back.”
Cora did just as Zeke said, finding the same mark as Joseph.
“What is happening?”
“Your demise,” said a dark ominous voice. Zeke and Cora turned around to see the young woman rising from the ground, wielding a large, fiery sword.