Blacknessits body was bones clothed in decayed ragseyes of the blazing red orbs

"HES NOT BREATHING!"

"NERVA, WAKE UP! WAKE UP FOR GODS SAKE!"

He could remember searing pain. Searing pain burning from his eyes, spreading even to the tiniest nerve, artery and vein in his body. He felt like dying. He lost control of his body. His soul was struggling to fight, only to be swallowed by the black. He could see through his eyes.

He could see how he killed Haja and Kiara with his hands.

The Shadow possessed him and made him kill. Even though he had become a killing machine, his comrades still sought to help him even if he repaid them with their inevitable death. Only Isidore succeeded in his ending his pain.

"NERVA, GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!"

"BUGGER, HIS SHAKING VIOLENTLY! HELL BITE HIS TONGUE OFF!"

Then the Shadow went for Richard next. He could recall the bloodcurdling scream and the arrows left scattered on the ground, all of them sprayed with their owners blood. Octavian was killed by his own katar, Matilda by her own spear.

He and Isidore fled. But the Shadow got Isidore too.

He was aloneall alone, cold and stricken with grief

"NERVAAA!!!!"

Wealthows hand collided sharply with his cheek, the sudden jolt of pain tugging him back to reality. Light flooded into his eyes, and around him he could see their anxious faces. He felt numb. He was aware that the creature in him was beating stronger than his heart. He just had another outburst.

"Nerva, are you okay?" Signy asked in a hushed voice, her eyelashes rimmed with tears.  "It was horribleyou were shaking like madwe thought youd die!"

"You kept screaming" Theodoric added nervously.  "Are you ill?"

"It was scary!" said Sibyl, whos face was paper-white.

"Can you stand?" Wealthow asked as she placed her delightfully warm hands on his cheeks.  "Tell us what happened and why are you here."

Nerva sat up and wrapped his cloak tight around himself. "It wasit was"

"Bugger, tell us, go on!" Altair urged him.

Nerva froze and doubled up. He opened his mouth and blood came gushing out on his hands.

"HOLY!" Altair shrieked, jumping backward.  "What the?"

Wealthow reached out and clasped Nervas hands in hers. She shut her eyes and concentrated with all her might.  "Cure"

A gentle golden light wrapped the two of them. Wealthows Cure temporarily got rid of the pain and internal bleeding. Nerva sighed and avoided their eyes, feeling ashamed of himself. Why they had to see him breaking down like that

"You okay now?" Wealthow asked once more.

Nerva nodded weakly.  "Yes, thank you"

"Tell us whats happening to you, Nerva!" Theodoric demanded.  "We cant stand you being like that, and were unable to even ease your pain! What the hell is going on inside you? I demand you tell us!"

Nerva looked up, meeting their determined but sincere gazes staring back at him. He shifted his gaze to Wealthow.

The Priestess knew what he meant.  "It the Shadow, isnt it? Its let loose once more?"

He nodded mutely, finding that his strenght left him.

"Hey, we wont understand if you two keep doing that!" Theodoric grumbled.  "What, are we going to use Sign Language now? Talk, people, talk! Open your mouths! Say A-A-A-A!"

Signy raised her snare-filled backpack and whacked it into Theodorics face. "You shut up!"

Wealthows expression went dead serious. Altair and Sibyl cast nervous looks at each other; when Wealthow frowned like that you could be sure the party was facing something very, very dangerous.

"Hello? Would anyone mind telling us what were about to face so wed prepare?" Sibyl suggested.  "Because I wouldnt mind having Altair make me a pair of a far more lethal katar!"

Wealthow was just about to speak when something dropped on her knees. Shocked, she blinked and saw Odin dead. Her mouth dropped open.

"ODIN! OH MY GOD, ODIN!" Signy howled, and in a flash her dead falcon was in her arms.  "ODIN! ODIN WHO DID THIS TO YOU!!"

"Bugger!" said Altair, automatically swinging his hammer ready, his violet eyes scanning the air.

Nerva stood up, his eyes bulging to give him a maddened look. "Oh s***! Oh s***, its here!"

Wealthow spun around, mace ready.  "It cant be!"

From out of nowhere, the Shadow burst from the trees, it great black wings ready and hideous mouth open in a bloodcurdling shriek. The grimy hands found Altairs smooth neck, and the black scaly wings knocked Theodoric out of his feet and slammed him unconscious into a nearby boulder.

"OH MY GOD!" Sibyl screamed.

"AGHKACKACK!" Altair choked as he stared face to face with his worst fear. 

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Wealthow shouted.  "LEX AETERNA!"

The spell hit the Shadows arms. Altair fell to the ground and edged away carefully, all color drained from his face. Nerva knew they could never win a direct fight like this. He seized Altair by the neck and Signy by the waist.

"RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" he screamed over his shoulder as he bolted.

Sibyl grabbed Theodoric by the hair and started to dash frantically away. Wealthow was doing her best to slow the enemy down.

"LEX AETERNA! SAFETY WALL!"

An invisible protective wall materialized and halted the Shadow for a moment. Wealthow saw the beast pound the wall with its skeletal arms and bash it with its head. The green haze of poison breath was spreading around the Safety Wall like a ghastly fog. Wealthow shuddered and ran with all her might.

Altair was still speechless as he jiggled on top of Nervas shoulder. Beside him Signy was bouncing up and down, the dead Odin still clutched in her arms. Altair finally had the strength to jerk his head and turn to Nerva, whose face was still very pale. He felt an onrush of amazement, awe and pity for the Wizard. First, amazement because Nerva was actually carrying him and Signy like they were just rag dollsand is actually running like a marathon winner! Second, amazement because he acted fastNerva actually saved his and Signys life from that creature, whatever that was. Last was pitypity because Nerva was shouldering his problem alone when help was just a word away. Altair hated that kind of thing.

"Bugger, Nervy" Altair whispered.

A branch appeared out of nowhere and whacked his head. Altair grumbled and saw that Nerva already had bleeding scratches on his face and arms but still he kept charging against the woods.

"A clearing!" said Signy.  "A clearing, look!"

Nerva burst out from the clearing, closely followed by Sybil, Theodoric and Wealthow. However, the clearing turned out to be a steep cliff. Nerva had to dig his shoes into the ground just to stop himself from falling. Signy hugged him by the waist out of fear.

"What do we do?" Wealthow asked urgently.  "We have no chance of escape from here!"

"Nerva, come on!" said Sibyl.  "We must do something! Put Altair and Signy down!"

But Nerva did not put the two down. Behind them, birds started fleeing from the trees. His mind was buzzing madly like a computer gone haywire. He had to get Firnheild out of this place. He looked below and saw a river. If he remembered clearly, that river passed by Al de Baran

The rustling became louder and nearer.

"Nerva!" said Wealthow.

"Come on, cowboy!" said Sibyl.

Nervas hands tightened around Altair and Signy. The Wizard bent his knees and broke into a runand jumped off the cliff.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Altair wailed.

"AAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Signy shrieked.

Wealthow and Sibyl looked at each other, both their mouths hanging open. The Shadow came soaring out of the trees, arms outstretched toward them.

"Oh no, Im off!" said Sibyl, and dragging Theodoric with her she leapt off the cliff too.

Wealthow didnt think straight and followed suit. The Shadow gave an ear-splitting shriek of disappointment before it melted into the air.

Twenty seconds later Wealthow splashed into the water. Water flooded through her nose, ears and mouth, forcing her to break through the surface, gasping for breath. She turned around and saw Sibyl not far from her, fighting to get Theodoric surfaced for air. But alas, Nerva, Signy and Altair were nowhere to be seen.

"Sibyl!" she screamed.  "Wherearewhere are they?!?"

"I dont know!" Sibyl yelled back desperately.  "I dont know where they are!"

Wealthow kept looking around as the water bore her away. The landscape had already changed from clear skies to the shady canopy of trees. She was getting afraidthe waters current was quite quick and who knows if it led to a rapid and a high waterfall?

"Oh God" Wealthow found herself praying.  "Oh Holy Father, please do not let this be the end of us! Please help us reach somewhere safe! Oh God, please!"

She reached out and hoisted herself onto a large log floating on the water. Sibyl tried her best swim near and managed to let the still unconscious Theodoric join Wealthow on the safety log.

"Sibyl, keep here and stay close!" said Wealthow.

The Assassin shook her head.  "I cant. The log would sink if I would join! Id just hang hereId be fine."

Wealthows head slumped onto the dried wood. She had never felt such fear like this before. So they proved it was true. Nerva alThor did not kill his partymates; that monster did. She had never encountered such a beast in all her study of Theology in the Great Pronteran Sanctuary. She felt like she just woke from a nightmare. She felt miserably weak.

"I do hope theyre all right, wherever they are now." Sibyl shuddered.

Wealthow just nodded as an answer. The gentle humming of the trees and the soft rush of water against the log made her feel sleepy. Just to make sure she hoisted Theodoric nearer to her and felt sleep stealing over her body.

And then her eyes closed.

BANG!

A wild jolt shook the log and unwittingly jerked Wealthow from her sleep. She looked up and found that the river transformed into an estuary. Fear rushed in her in torrents. She sat up from the log and started to look around. It was already morning. Only Theodoric was there, still unconscious. Sibyl was nowhere.

"Oh no!" she said, panic getting the better of her.  "SIBYL! SIBYL WHERE ARE YOU!"

The log floated slowly to land. She got off and dragged Theodoric with her. Tears started to flow from her eyes.

"WHERE ARE YOU, SIBYL! THIS IS NOT A GOOD JOKE!" she yelled.  "WHERE ARE YOU!"

She dropped into a sitting position on the soil and started to sob. "Where is everybody? Where are you all? Where are we?"

From behind, Theodoric uttered a low moan and blearily opened his eyes. Realizing that he wasnt where he was supposed to be Theodoric sat up, looking wildly around.

"What the?" he managed to say. Then he saw Wealthow.  "Wealthow? What happened? Where are we? Where are they?"

"I dont know where they are!" Wealthow sobbed hysterically.  "Its my fault I fell asleep! I was so stupid!"

"Wha? Whyd you go blaming yourself?" said Theodoric, rushing forward to comfort his friend.  "Come now, we can find them together!"

"But what if?" said Wealthow.  "What if they drowned?"

"Think positive." Theodoric said simply.  "Come on."

She stood up and followed his lead.  "Do you have any idea on where we are now, huh?"

Theodoric did not answer as he made for the woods. Wealthow followed him, but she was still in doubt.

"Where do you think were going?" she asked.  "DO YOU KNOW WHERE WE REALLY ARE?!?"

Theodoric stopped dead and sighed.  "Okay, I dont know."

Wealthow could not believe it. Here they were lost in Mjoinir Mountains with four of their comrades missing. And here was Theodoric, still managing to smile stupidly and scratch his head as if there was no big deal as if Nerva and the others were just hiding nearby, waiting to say "April Fool!" to her.

"What are you?" Wealthow spat.  "You stand there smiling stupidly at me when the others are possibly in mortal peril right now? You stand there, you who know nothing because you were knocked unconscious and still manage to look at me like that? STOP LOOKING STUPID, I SAID!"

Theodorics arms dropped to his sides.  "Its better than just sitting there moping over them."

"Excuse me? MOPING?" Wealthow frowned.  "How dare you!"

And she slapped Theodoric with all the strenght she could muster. He fell back.

"Dont joke like that in a time like this!" Wealthow spoke, her voice trembling.  "For once in your life, Theodoric, be serious!"

He looked helplessly at her.

She turned away and ran a hand through her limp brown hair. If only she knew where they were

"Im sorry." Theodoric mumbled.

"Lets just get out of here." Wealthow cut him off.  "We might find some campers on the way."

She led the way back into the woods, hoping against hope that help would come to their aid as soon as possible. They followed forgotten paths and bridges, walking for hours until the sound of the river finally died away. The shade of the trees grew thick once more, and humming of birds and insects replaced the rush of the breeze and soft rush of water. Hours passed and the sun started its daily ascent in the sky, but still there was no sign of anything or anybody.

By noon Wealthows despair returned. It took Theodoric a while to finally stop her crying. They were cold and hungryAND still no idea of where they were. The seconds that trickled by brought forth horrifying thoughts and ideas as to where the others have been or what have they come across.

Late in the afternoon all Theodoric and Wealthow met were Argos, Metallers and Argiopes. Theodoric had a hard time fighting the Argiopes, but Wealthow backed him up with her powerful Healing spells. Finally, when night came, they huddled close in a small cave with a small fire.

"I do hope for the best." Theodoric whispered as he threw more dried twig to their piteous light.  "I hope they have a place to stay in, even if its just a clump of dried grass."

Wealthow hugged her knees close, preferring to stare into the dancing flames than talk.

"If only I didnt fall asleep." Wealthow started to wipe her eyes.  "Sibyl is all alone out there. Who will Heal her if she faced off with a monster much stronger than her?"

"Ive told you before to stop blaming yourself." Theodoric spoke as he took of his cape and armor.  "We're lucky we're still alive, given what we had to face"

He folded his cape and started to tuck into a comfortable pillow. He set the pillow on his lap and beckoned for Wealthow to come.

"Come here and sleep." He smiled kindly.  "I know youre tired."

She stood up and went to him.

"Arent you going to sleep?" she inquired.  "Youre the one who needs it more."

Theodoric laughed heartily, and Wealthow marveled that he could still do so.  "Nah, Im a Knight, madame. I uphold justice and help whomever I can and wherever I am. You go ahead and rest. I can manage to sleep even if Im sitting down."

Silence

"You know I was thinking." said Theodoric. "If in all the time Nerva was imprisoned in Geffen Tower the Shadow was not around, somebody must have hidden it somewhere. Do you get my idea? Its just absurdif its a true monster it would have roamed free even if Nerva was locked up. But its just been releasedand hot on our trail. Only two things seem reasonable to me. First, the Shadow has some kind of a master. And next, either that or its artificially created."

Wealthows eyes widened with understanding. She sat up and looked at Theodoric.

"Artificially created?" she repeated in a hush voice.

Theodoric shrugged.  "It could be. Nobody has ever seen something like that beforeI doubt even the gods of Asgard have! Obviously its created artificially by synthesizing alchemy with sorcery or something like that. If something artificial managed to finish off Isidore Crane and his Swastika, you can be assured its got magic in its veins."

Wealthow was connecting evidences in her head.  "Butwho could possibly createsomething so hideous?"

"Someone with a lot of hate, anger, envy or jealousy." Theodoric guessed.  "Uhm, and someone magically powerful too."

Wealthow gasped and clamped her hands to her mouth. Everything was crystal clear to her now. Who else could hate Nerva like that? Who else would want Nerva dead? Who else would want to destroy Nerva so much it didnt care who was involved? Only one person fitted well in the category

"You okay?" Theodoric asked.  "I dont like it when your eyes bulge like that"

"I thinkI have just figured out where this whole thing will end." Wealthow breathed.  "I think we are very near our goal."

Theodoric raised an inquiring eyebrow.  "Really? Have you finally become Sherlock Holmes?"

Wealthow didnt answer and lay back down, pillowing her head on Theodorics cape. Everything was so clear now. Why even from the start they didnt want to hand in Nerva up to the siege of the capital city. And all the time it had been so obvious!

How would Nerva react when he finds out all about this?

Wealthow was so busy with her newly solved mystery that she didnt notice that Theodoric already fell asleep. With that she stared into the fire and drifted off as well.

The Argiope twisted madly and tried to crush Theodoric, but the Knight swiftly went out of the way. The giant centipede reared once more and moved it's threatening pedipalps. Theodoric charged, spear ready.

"PIERCE!"

Wealthow circled the battle like a wolf. Her eyes were darting nervously from the Argiope to Theodoric, carefully seeing if he needed additional backup. When the Knight nodded she brought out her Mace and started whacking off the worm.

"Wealthow, blessing, come on!" said Theodoric.  "Why you indolentBASH!"

Wealthow obliged.  "KYRIE ELEISON!"

The sound of reverberating silver bells filled the air.

"YAHOO! All right, baby!" said Theodoric.  "Spear Stab!"

The lances blade found the Argiopes weak spot. Violent blood gushed out and sprayed Theodorics face. The monster gave a last wiggle before it crashed to the ground, dead.

"That' would definitely be the last." Theodoric grumbled as he wiped his face.  "First Mantises, next a Mistress and then Argiopes. Im telling you this is the last bug for this day, goddamn it!"

"Heal!" said Wealthow, and all their injuries vanished.  "Yes, that had better be the last."

Theodoric spat at the dead centipede and gave it a kick. Wealthow shook her head with disbelief.

"I cant believe you." She said.  "The creatures already dead."

"Better be sure, you wouldnt want any mistakes." Theodoric shivered.  "I had an experience with a Mummydidnt know it was still alivenearly ripped my head off. But then, I was still a Swordsman when that happened, so"

But Wealthow held up a hand.  "Ssh"

She looked around, listening. She turned right and eyed the thick clump of bushes.

"KYAAAA!!!"

Wealthow jumped back, shrieking, as Nerva, Altair and Signy came bursting out the bushes. They landed with a loud splat before her, the three of them covered caked with gooey mud and little black globs all over their faces, legs and arms.

"Whoa! Where the hell have you been, you three?" said Theodoric, his grin broadening.

Nerva stood up, looking panic-stricken. He reached up to the black glob nearest his lip and tore it away with a disgusting squelch. Altair and Signy were doing the same; they kept tearing off those black globs.

"Urgh, what is that?" Wealthow asked.

"LEECHES!" the three yelled automatically.  "AND IT WAS HIS FAULT!" they added, pointing an accusing finger to one another.

"Errwhat?" Theodoric blinked.

"It was Altairs fault! He dragged us into this bridge and it was weak!" Signy yelled.

Altair stepped up.  "Excuse me? Who among us are so heavy with all those clanking snares in her bag? It was YOU who snapped off that bridge because you were heavy!"

Signy turned to Nerva.  "IT WAS YOUR FAULT FOR LEADING US THERE!"

"IF YOU HADNT BEEN DUMB, YOU WOULD HAVE HELPED ME FIGHT OFF THAT GOBLIN!" Nerva shrieked back.

"IT WAS YOUR FAULT, SIGNY!"

"IT WAS NERVAS FAULT!"

"WHAT THE?! NOW YOURE BLAMING ME? IT WAS YOUR ASS-KICKING FAULT YOU STUPID HUNTRESS!"

Wealthow rolled her eyes and rolled her sleeves. She balled her hands into fists and slammed it into their heads. The three shut up automatically.

"Sorry." They said in perfect, unrehearsed unison.

"Do you realize how worried we have been?" said Wealthow, sobbing.  "And now all you do is fight a over a worthless thing? Do you realize how much weve spent looking for you?"

They looked ashamed of themselves. Wealthow broke down completely and gave them a warm bear hug each in spite of the thick mud and leeches.

"OYA! THERE YOU ARE!"

It was Sibyl piloting a splendid Airship by herself. She was standing by the rail, waving frantically at them as she steered near to where they were.

"Come on, hop in!" she said.  "Al de Baran is just by the horizon, and this baby will take us there!"

"Where did you get this, Sibyl?" Altair asked as he jumped in first, followed by the others.

"I stole it!" Sibyl said proudly.  "And off we go!"

The airship glided smoothly and made for Al de Baran, now just a few kilometers away. It was such good news Firnheild was whole once more. Everyone was sharing their story, even Sibyl, who was busy piloting the ship.

They were very happy that they found they had no space for worry, even if the Shadow was just out there, biding its time.