�Locke!� Edgar shouted over the noise of battle, looking over his shoulder towards his colleague who was, at present, engaging a large bear in hand-to-hand combat. Unfortunately for the bear, Locke was quite a sneaky tactician and a swift blow to its back brought the ursine monster to its knees at which point Locke beheaded the dreadful beast with his short sword.
�Locke! We can�t keep this up forever!� Edgar shouted once again, trying not to distract his friend from battle, nor lose his own concentration on the remaining monsters. A sudden drop in the ambient noise level signaled Terra�s ongoing magical attacks and a loud explosion originated from within the heart of the enemy formation, followed by an amazing display of conflagration which swathed the group entirely.
Sweat poured from Terra�s soot covered face and she collapsed to the grass covered ground with fatigue. Their journey across the face of Mount Kolts had proven as perilous as Locke had foretold. Never had such fiends in such great numbers occupied any open terrain before, evidence of the changing times throughout the world. Scorch marks and blood stains now marred the peaceful mountainside glade in which the trio had only minutes before been camping, small mounds of burning flesh still visible among the rocks.
�We must move faster,� Locke said between deep, labored breaths as he also sat upon the ground in order to recuperate. �The mountain passes are no longer safe, and I fear that we have yet to encounter our most dangerous foe.� Edgar drew close to them and joined them on the grass, sprawling comfortably onto his back, staring up at the mountain peaks that towered over them. The cliff edges made impossible angles with the bare mountain face and he marveled at the fantastic forces that must have shaped these mountains.
�What do you mean, Locke?� Terra asked, as she opened her backpack to retrieve one of several ration parcels that the old woman had been kind enough to give them back in town. It seemed to her as if their encounter with the kind woman happened months ago and yet only three days trek across the plains and another two over the mountains had brought them this far.
Looking down towards the ground, trying to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible, he said quite simply, �We are being followed.�
Edgar snapped his head up from the ground in shock and looked over at Locke in confusion.
�Being followed? How do you know this?�
At that very moment, a dark, shadowy figure soundlessly traversed the gap between the cliffs which lay directly above their encampment and was gone. Had Edgar still been looking upwards at those very cliffs, he may have noticed. However, none saw its passage.
�It�s only a feeling, Lord Edgar, but a strong feeling at that,� Locke replied.
They made camp that night beyond the eastern edge of the glade, away from the carnage of the previous battle and close to an overpass between the mountain ledges. Locke knew that their voyage over the mountain was drawing to a close and that meant their impending encounter with the unseen adversary shadowing their every move was drawing closer. He sat at the fire as it slowly died down, unable to sleep even a wink and certain that if he were to turn his head quickly enough into the shadows beyond the campfire, a pair of gleaming eyes in the dark would greet him.
They made good time during their descent along the eastern face of the mountain and the deep ravine that had been dug through the valley by one of the continent�s main rivers spread out before them in relief whenever the rocky face of the mountain fell away to the land below. Terra was quite awed by these beautiful vistas which she had been witness to and her delight only made her face all the more beautiful, Locke noticed. He couldn�t help but notice the soft lines of her smile and the way she tossed her hair when she was staring out into the distance. He tried his best to suppress whatever feelings he had developed for her, yet he found himself entirely willing to explore those feelings in depth. The diminishing battles were a welcome distraction for him and kept his mind away from the beauty that fought alongside him.
Just as they turned around a bend in the path to the mountain base, Locke suddenly jumped forward in front of Terra.
�Look out!� he screamed as Terra only had a glimpse of an object hurtling towards her. Locke had placed himself squarely between the oncoming projectile and herself. Without warning, Locke felt a small implosive force generate in the vicinity of the moving object which stopped mid-air a few inches from Locke�s face. His eyes focused upon a sharp dagger, hilted in leather, blade pointing directly at him and tipped in a green fluid which held the stench of a familiar poison. Terra gasped with the effort of suddenly stopping the deadly shiv, breathing out slowly as the force which held the dagger at bay was lifted and it fell with a thud upon the grass at Locke�s feet. Locke looked in shock at the weapon that lay at his toes, the realization of how close he had come to death dawning slowly and horribly upon him.
�You are quite a talented group of adventurers, I must say,� a voice echoed across the walls. �I�ve never seen such a display of power in my life. If I were of a better mind about you, I would ask to be taught such skills.�
�Who are you?� Locke shouted towards the cliffs, his echoes reflecting the anger within his voice. �Show yourself!�
Laughter filled with vile fury erupted from the ledge overhead and the travelers merely had time to register movement once again, before a large, muscular man bore down upon them from above. All three were sent sprawling across the ground with the impact and once they had crawled back to their feet, turning to face their opponent, they saw a tall, bare-backed man with long, braided hair and a toned, chiseled body standing before them. He wore a smirk upon his face, not unlike that which Terra had seen once upon a demon�s face in a dream, and held onto two great, leather leashes attached to a pair of enormous cave bears. The beasts growled and snapped at them viciously and reared upon their hind legs as they pulled at the leashes. With ease, the huge man held them at bay as he laughed once more.
�Let me guess,� the man giggled, �Sabin sent his impudent dogs to find me?�
At this, Edgar�s eyes opened wide and he rushed forward only to be kept back by the snarling beasts before them.
�Sabin? He is here? Wait�� Edgar looked closer at the man before him and was taken aback by sudden recognition. �Vargas!�
Another cackle erupted from the large man�s throat, and he shook with the intensity of his ill-meant humor.
�Yes, oh foolish king! It is I. I knew that Sabin would want to find me eventually, but I never thought he would send his own brother to look for me in the mountains where I practice. Pitiful choice.�
�You were the one shadowing us before� but why?� Locke asked.
The large man seemed taken aback for a few seconds, before regaining his pompous composure.
�I am impressed by your skills indeed, little man, though they would not save you now. I refuse to be taken back to the world that shunned me, and to the family that forgot their son.� Suddenly, his face became twisted in rage and, with a snarl, he dropped the reins which held the beasts fast. Without a moment to spare, the great monsters reared onto their massive hind legs and charged into the midst of the three hapless warriors.
