Joe�s charge was a failure as he fell a few feet short of the other side of the river. His body smashed into the cold water and was instantly tugged down the river. The force of the river tugged his body under water until finally he fought against the rough water and reached the surface. While gasping for air the water beat across his body and finally tugged him under the water again. It was seeming to become a useless struggle because of the fierceness of the river.
Regardless of the impossible odds Joe continued to battle against the current. Successfully he made it to the surface again and attempted to swim against the current. Mere seconds after a successful reach to the top Joe was sucked back down again and continued the useless struggle. That was, until finally two large robotic hands reached into the water and caught his fighting body.
�I have him.� ERZ said while pulling Joe out of the water. The massive robot flew over solid ground and dropped Joe down. He in turn landed behind him and looked over the very wet figure. �He will be ok.�
Edge, Weazel, Caleb and Kayla remained by where they had stood all along. Each of them simply waiting for Joe to get it together and continue to journey to Margel. Unlike the other�s ERZ remained to stand by Joe, patiently waiting for him.
�Damn�it�� Joe muttered as he rested on the grass. He stood up finally and looked over his friends, desperately attempting to hold back his own embarrassment. Thankfully, Joe turned around to face ERZ and gave him a small nod of appreciation. �Thanks a lot, ERZ. If it wasn�t for you I�d still be sinking down that river.�
�You are welcome.� ERZ replied.
�Let�s�get moving.� Joe muttered. Slowly the two started to make their way back over to their friends. Joe moved by very slowly, he truly did not want to face them after making such a fool of himself. �Damn�I wish there was a way I could take away this embarrassment.�
�Embarrassment?� ERZ asked.
�Yeah, you know�� Joe paused. �I just made a complete fool out of myself.�
Joe released another heavy sigh. As he grew closer to his friends, he looked each of them over. Caleb didn�t seem to be effected much at all by Joe�s failure to leap over the river. The young mage didn�t care at all about it. The same could be said about Edge. The Naz-Lycan warrior regained his stoic expression as he looked at Joe and gave him a quick nod.
On the other hand Weazel stood in front of the rest, continuously pointing and laughing at Joe as loud as he possibly could. Kayla who stood slightly away from the others Weazel simply stood there staring at Joe while shaking her head in annoyance.
�That was one hell of a jump!� Weazel shouted as he continued to laugh unstoppably.
�Yeah�thanks asshole.� Joe muttered
�Hey, no problem Joe.� Weazel replied. �I mean you just cleared that sucker by a good five feet! Man that was really great!!�
�Right�� Joe muttered.
ERZ finally reached the rest as they all stood around the area for a moment while Weazel continued his ranting.
�I mean you really just JUMPED right over that river!� Weazel shouted. �You should be JUMPING for joy right now!�
�Yeah�� Joe replied.
�Hey, hey Joe don�t be JUMPING to any conclusions right now! Ah�hah hah!!� Weazel said unable to hold back his laughter anymore. �I mean I�m not making fun of you right now, you just really JUMP started my day!! Ah�hah hah hah hah!!� Weazel continued to laugh and point at Joe until finally he fell down on the ground and started to laugh non-stop. He continued to point at Joe the entire time he was laughing.
�God�you�re an asshole!� Joe shouted. In a frustrated manner he started towards Margel once again. �Asshole��
�Cut it out.� Caleb snarled at Weazel as he made his way over to Joe.
Before Caleb was able to reach Joe who was still dripping wet, a group of five beasts charged out from the plains to the left of the team. The group of five consisted of two wolf beasts and three flying beasts. Upon spotting the attackers, Edge, Kayla and ERZ ran over to Joe and Caleb. Weazel on the other hand continued to laugh non-stop.
�Good.� Joe muttered as he reached back for his sword and pulled it out. �I really need to let off some steam.�
�Aw�come on.� Weazel said as he sat up and started towards the fight. �After all that laughing I�m too tired to fight!�
�Five of them against six of us.� Edge said. �This fight will not be a problem. Three of us could have easily taken down this group of beasts.�
�You�re right.� Caleb replied. He reached into his cape and pulled out the black staff. The red crystal situated at the top of the staff was now glowing faintly as Caleb grasped onto it. �But having these good odds, I won�t have to use as much magic.�
Edge reached back and pulled out the Demon�s Blade. Quickly, the warrior slipped into a fighting position and prepared for the beasts to attack. He licked his lips with excitement while becoming more and more feral with every passing moment. What he loved and lived for doing was about to happen again; another battle.
�I will help to defeat these creatures.� ERZ assured his newfound friends. The massive robot held out both of his hands and waited as two laser guns came out of his wrists. They fit comfortable in his hands while he aimed them at one of the incoming beasts. �They will all be defeated.�
�Here we go guys!� Weazel shouted once he reached the rest. One laser gun rested in each of his hands as the wings of his jet pack spread out in preparation for flight. �I�m taking to the air to take down these suckers!�
�I�m sure you boys won�t be having a problem so I�ll just stick in the background and be the healer for this one.� Kayla muttered. Like Caleb, she reached into her own robe and pulled out a white mace. At the top of the mace rested a white crystal, which was now glowing gently in her hand. �Joe, tell me which one you�re going to fight and I�ll cast a spell on it to slow down its movements.�
As soon as the words left her mouth Joe charged forward at one of the beasts, �I don�t need any help!!� Joe shouted as finally his own frustrations took over. He left the others in the dust while his sword rested to his side.
�Yeah.� Kayla muttered while shaking her head. �That sounds really familiar.�
Following in Joe�s footsteps the rest of the team with the exception of Kayla advanced towards the beasts.
Joe continued his advance as the flying creature he had singled out shot out three balls of fire at him. Instinctively, Joe pulled his sword forward and let the shield deflect all three shots while he continued to advance. Once he had gotten close enough to the beast, Joe jumped up into the air and slashed the beast. In a great deal of pain the beast flew back a few feet and shot another ball of fire at Joe. This time Joe held his sword out to block the fire and came charging in. He punched the beast hard in it�s face, the impact sending it flying back a few more feet.
�Now you�re done!� Joe shouted. He charged in one final time, this time holding the Sword of War far back. With one swift movement Joe struck down the beast and as its body hit the ground it began to disappear. �Who�s next?� Joe asked as he spun around and began to observe the rest of the battles taking place on the field.
ERZ charged in at one of the flying creatures. As his speed picked up a bit, he took off into the air and fired several shots. Each of the shots ripped through the beast and before it could react ERZ was on top of it. With one massive fist, ERZ crushed the beast, easily defeating it.
Weazel released a large grin as he singled out the final flying beast left on the battlefield. Quickly he took off into the air and flew straight at the beast. �Coming at you!� Weazel shouted while flying in and out of fireballs. While easily dodging the beast�s poor attempts of injuring him Weazel fired five shots from his guns. By the time the third shot had hit the beast was finished but the final two ripped it apart and sent it crashing into the ground. �That was pathetic!� Weazel shouted as he landed on the ground in disappointment.
Caleb held his black staff with both hands and pointed it at one of the wolf beasts. The beast was charging in blindly, obviously in a hotheaded attempt to rip him apart. The sight of this caused Caleb to grin, while his staff began to glow red. Finally, he shoved the staff out more and yelled, �Fire!!� As the word left his mouth a ball of fire shot out of his staff and hit the beast head on. The attack sent it into the ground in a burning heap of flesh. Caleb fired one more shot to finish the beast off for good and then placed his staff away. �Well, that�s that.�
Edge held his blade to the side while charging in at the final wolf beast. The beast in turn charged at him. It seemed as if the two were about to collide when Edge leaped to the side and lunged his blade outward. The wolf beast was unable to stop because of how hard it was charging. Edge�s blade split the creature in half and killed it instantly.
�Foolish, beast.� Edge muttered while sheathing his blade. �You knew not but you never had a chance against me.�
Kayla made her way over to the rest while looking over their handiwork. �Now that we�ve settled that small beast problem, why don�t we continue to Margel?� she asked.
�Aye.� Edge replied. He began to head off into the direction of the town once again. �Let us continue our journey. We are only about a hundred yards from the town now.�
The team put their weapons away and began to follow after Edge once again. It appeared as if no one was really affected much from the battle that had just occurred. The beasts were weak and simply were not that much of a challenge for anyone there, even Joe.
�I see you did not need any help at all.� Kayla said to Joe.
�Yeah.� Joe replied.
�I am impressed.� Kayla said.
�You shouldn�t be.� Joe replied. �They were nothing.�
�You got that right.� Weazel chimed in.
�But still, you are learning quickly.� Kayla pointed out.
�I only had to use a little magic so I�m happy.� Caleb said. �Not like when we were fighting that machine back there. Boy I was pretty winded after that battle.�
�What will you do in Margel, Edge?� Weazel asked.
�I am to meet with another one of my people.� Edge replied.
�What happened the last time?� Weazel asked.
�Did you notice the jewel in my sword?� Edge asked.
�Yeah, it was kinda glowing.� Weazel replied.
�I am to collect another jewel.� Edge said.
�What do those jewels do?� Caleb asked with a curious look on his face.
�The red jewel I received increased the power of the sword as well as my own strength.� Edge explained. �I am unsure what the next jewel will do for me, but they are all meant to increase my abilities for the final battle with Gallu.�
�Well, I just hope they have an armor upgrade in this town for me.� Weazel muttered. �If not I�m going to be pretty bored when we get there.�
�Yeah, I�m going to have to pay a visit to one of their stores.� Caleb added. �I don�t know what I�m going to get yet, but I�m want to buy something good.�
�When will I be able to have my memory restored?� ERZ asked.
�As soon as I get a good upgrade I can do that for you.� Weazel replied.
�I guess I�ll just find something to do in the town.� Joe muttered.
Kayla remained silent as she looked over the fields they were walking through. In the distance she could spot the town of Margel. It appeared to be bigger than Calgez, that was for sure, but it still seemed to be a rather small town. Needless to say she was not very impressed by their next place of visitation.
�We�re almost there.� Edge said while pointing out Margel.
�Good.� Weazel said. �Time to get myself I nice upgrade.�
�Hmmmm�� Caleb muttered as he folded his arms in deep thought. �Maybe they�ll have a good cloak I can buy. I really could use a new one.�
The group continued their trip to Margel in silence. All of them seemed to be thinking about what exactly they were going to do once they reached the town. Each of them silently hoping they�d be able to get what they needed or do what they had to do in the town.
Soon the gates of Margel came into clear focus. Unlike both Baz and Calgez, the gate to Margel was metal instead of wooden. Other than that minor change the town seemed to be like all the rest from the outside; carefully guarded.
�Here we are.� Edge said.
The group walked through the gates and entered the town of Margel. Inside of the town, things were much more lively. It was considerably bigger than Baz and Calgez but still held a quaint feeling to it.
Once again at the front of the town was the inn. On the opposite side and a bit farther back was the bar; next to it was a weapons shop. Across from the weapons shop the team spotted a grocery store and an items shop. In the center of the town was a large water fountain. The rest of the town consisted of people�s houses.
Edge stopped walking once he was a few feet into the town. Following in his footsteps the rest of the group stopped as well and took a good, long look at their new surroundings.
�I must find the person I am meeting now.� Edge said as he turned his attention to his friends. �I�m not sure where they are so I must search them out by scent. This may take me longer than it did in Calgez.� He nodded to his friends and started to walk off into the town. �Do not look for me. When I am prepared I will find you.� With those final words he disappeared into the town and began his search.
�Well, there he goes.� Weazel muttered. His eyes lit up with a bit of excitement as he spotted the weapon shop. �I found what I�ve come here for. I�ll catch up with you guys once I�m done checking out the weapon shop. Hopefully, when I come back I�ll be filled with nice upgraded ness.� After giving a half way wave to his companions Weazel made his way over to the weapons shop.
�I guess I�ll head over to the item shop now.� Caleb said.
�I thought you wanted to look for a new cloak?� Joe asked.
�I do.� Caleb replied. �But first, I want to see what kinds of things they have in that shop. Then I�ll make my way over to the weapons shop.�
�What am I to do?� ERZ asked.
�Hmm�� Caleb muttered while sinking into thought.
�Well, you said you�re going to protect us now, right?� Joe asked.
�Yes.� ERZ replied.
�Then, how about you find the best vantage point in this town.� Joe started. �Go there and watch over the town for us. Incase anything happens you�ll be able to respond quicker than, right?�
�Yes.� ERZ paused. �Let me locate the best vantage point. One moment please.� ERZ began to scan the town and after a minute passed by he located the best spot. �Vantage point located, I will go there now. Call me when we are prepared to leave.�
�Gotcha.� Joe replied as he watched ERZ fly off towards the spot he had picked out.
�Do you two want to come with me to the item shop?� Caleb asked.
�I guess.� Joe replied.
Kayla simply shrugged and began to follow the two towards the shop. Her mind was currently on many other things.
Upon reaching the item shop the three made their way inside and began to take a look around. The shop had simple things for the most part, nothing that seemed to be of much importance.
�There�s really nothing we need here.� Kayla pointed out while looking at the items. �They sell a lot of healing items. Having me with you guys negates all purposes for buying any of those items.�
�They are still good to have, just incase you can�t help everyone.� Caleb replied. �You know you do have limits to your magic. We don�t want you to be using up too much magic and getting tired.�
�It�s nice of you to worry about me, but I�ll be fine.� Kayla said. �Save your money for now, perhaps later on we will need to invest in some of these.�
Caleb nodded as he realized arguing with Kayla would be way too much trouble and was more than likely I useless battle. �Well maybe you�re right but we still could use some camping equipment.� Caleb said as he grabbed onto three small capsules. �Just incase we can�t reach a town before nightfall. So I�m going to buy three tents, I think each tent can hold up to three people so these should do for now.�
�That sounds good.� Kayla replied. �How much are they?�
�I think two hundred gild a piece.� Caleb replied. �Don�t worry, I can cover it.�
Kayla ignored Caleb�s remark and pulled out a hundred gild of her own. She placed it in Caleb�s hand and shook her head several times, �Sorry, it doesn�t work that way for me.� Joe started to laugh lightly as he shook his head at ray. The laughing stopped as Kayla glared at him, �What are you laughing at? If you had our kind of money I�d be pulling out fifty and yanking the other fifty right off of you.�
Joe�s expression quickly turned from happiness to shock as he turned around and started to look at some of the other items located in the shop.
***
�What do you mean you don�t offer big upgrades!� Weazel shouted out in anger as he smashes his hands on the desk. �Well, the weapon shop owner in Calgez said I�d be able to get what I wanted here, damn it!�
�I�m�I�m�sorry sir!� The weapon shop owner timidly replied. He spotted the customers in the store slowly backing away from the desk as well. �You�re�making a scene�sir.�
�I need an upgrade!� Weazel shouted again.
�We can�um�upgrade your eyes but that�s about it!� The owner now shouted out in fear.
�Oh, so NOW you can give me an upgrade!� Weazel shouted. �Why�s that?! IS IT BECAUSE I�M SHOUTING NOW!!�
�No�no sir!� The owner yelled out.
�DON�T YELL AT ME!!� Weazel screamed.
�Yes�sir�� The owner meekly replied.
�Now how much is this going to cost me?� Weazel asked.
�An eye upgrade costs one thousand gild.� The owner replied.
�WHAT!!!� Weazel screamed in anger as he smashed down on the desk once again.
�But today it�s half price so it�s five hundred gild!!� The owner instantly shot back in a fit of fear.
�Now that�s better.� Weazel replied. He dug into one of his pockets and laid out the five hundred gild. After placing the money on the counter Weazel made his way over to the chair where the upgrade would be taking place and patiently waited for it to begin. �It�s been nice doing business with you, sir. By the way, if you in any way screw up my vision, I�ll personally rip you a new asshole.�
The weapon shop owner swallowed hard as he slowly made his way over to where Weazel was. He didn�t even reply to what he had said, but instead made certain he�d do the job himself so nothing would happen to him.
***
After searching through the town for a good twenty minutes, Edge finally locked onto the scent of his fellow Naz-Gumi. A small smile curled onto his lips as he made his way towards a small house at the edge of the town. Upon reaching the door of the house it slowly slid open until finally Edge could see a person sitting at a small table.
Edge entered the house and closed the door behind him. Inside of the small house it was dimly lit. The distinct smell of Naz-Gumi incense filled his nostrils as he grew closer to the man we was about to meet for the first time. The smell made his smile grow even stronger since it reminded him of being home.
All of those thoughts were pushed out of his head when the man who was seated at the table finally spoke, �You are, Edge Damon?� the man asked.
�Aye, I am.� Edge replied.
�My name is Draice.� Draice said. �This will only take a moment Edge, please take out the Demon�s Blade.�
Edge nodded and swiftly unsheathed the Demon�s Blade. He then held the blade out to the elder to reveal the first red jewel already lodged within it. At the site of the red jewel, Draice smiled and reached into his pocket. Seconds later, Edge spotted a blue jewel glowing in the palm of Draice�s hand.
�This is the second jewel, the blue jewel.� Draice explained as he motioned for Edge to hold the blade out. �This jewel will increase your speed. Are you prepared?�
Edge nodded and gripped the blade tightly as Draice slipped the jewel into its slot and retracted his hand quickly. The moment the jewel slipped into it�s slot the entire blade began to spark brightly with blue electricity. Like with the last jewel the electricity spread all the way up the blade and then coursed through his entire body. The pain was the same as before; it came quickly and disappeared just as fast.
�It is done.� Draice said.
�Aye�� Edge replied while sheathing his blade. �I can feel the change already.�
�Excellent.� Draice said.
�Where am I to go next?� Edge asked.
�Ah�yes.� Draice said as he looked at Edge for a moment. �Let me explain.�
***
Caleb, Joe and Kayla exited the item shop and began to make their way towards the weapons shop.
�So those things just open up to tents?� Joe asked.
�Yep.� Caleb replied. �Then there�s a button once it�s opened up where you can close it back up into this little thing again. You can probably get two or three good uses out of each of these tents.�
�That�s really good.� Joe replied.
Before anyone else was able to speak the three heard loud rocket like noises coming from above them. Along with the rest of the town, they turned towards the sky to locate the source of the loud noises. At first they couldn�t see a thing but then as they sound became louder the sources came into view. The sight that the three spotted brought terror to both Caleb and Kayla�s eyes.
Flying high above the town were two high-tech people on vehicles which appeared to be jet ski�s but were equipped for soaring through the sky. Behind them was the source of Caleb and Kayla�s terror. A massive machine flew behind the two and in its hands rested two small children. They appeared to be crying and screaming in complete terror.
�What the hell is going on!!� Joe shouted as he looked up into the air.
�No�god�no!� Caleb cried out.
�Those damn high-tech humans captured two young mages!!� Kayla shouted out in anger. �We have to help them, right away!!�
�What!!� Joe screamed out in shock now taking another look at he passing villains.
�I won�t let them get away with this!!� Caleb cried out as he grabbed onto his staff and flew into the sky after them.
Following in Caleb�s footsteps, Kayla grabbed onto her mace and took off into the sky as well. Joe looked around in shock to see both of his friend�s in the sky, now he was all alone and desperately wanted to help them.
�Legs�� Joe muttered as he pulled out his sword and began his charge out of the town. �Don�t fail me now!!�
�Joe!!� ERZ cried out.
While continuing to run Joe shouted out to ERZ, �Keep a scan on the area. If anymore of those things come in our direction cut them off!� Joe continued to run hard. �And tell the others when they get out what�s going on!!�
As Joe exited the town he ran as hard as he could in an attempt to catch up to the fleeing villains as well as his friends. After running for a few minutes he spotted his friends along with the high-tech humans landed on the ground. It appeared as if Caleb had successfully shot down both of their Jet Ski flyers since they were smashed into the ground in burning heaps of flame.
�You stupid, dirty mages you wrecked our air raiders!!� One of the high-tech people screamed out in anger.
�If you don�t hand over those two kids right now, you�re going to really regret it!!� Caleb shouted.
�What are you going to do?� The other high-tech human asked. �Burn us both up like you did our raiders! I don�t think so, if you think so you�re an idiot!!�
�You jerks better hand them over right now.� Kayla warned.
In the background Caleb and Kayla could hear to two kids crying and yelling out in fear as the huge machine continued to grasp onto them tightly.
�I�m going to attack them, right now Kayla.� Caleb whispered to her.
�Are you sure you can handle this?� Kayla whispered back.
As the two talked Joe continued his charge towards them. With every running step his speed picked up. All the while in the back of his head he thought that this could finally be the way he really proved himself to them and so he attempted to.
�Hey, why don�t you two scumbags finally fight us!� The first high-tech human spat at them. �Or are we just going to have to kill you without any attempt to-UGH!!�
Before he could finish Joe�s Sword of War shot right through his right arm and pinned him down to the ground. Before the other high-tech human was able to react Joe charged his way past Caleb and Kayla and smashed the man in the face with a hard right hand. He followed up with a left hook and another right hand deep into the man�s gut. The pain was double as Joe spun around and kicking the man once again in his gut. By the time Joe was finished the man was doubled over in pain but was completely knocked out when Joe�s right fist met with the back of his head and sent him down to the ground in a heap.
�Or�Joe could go on a rampage and I don�t have to worry about those two�� Caleb muttered as he looked on in shock.
Joe charged over to the first man and yanked his sword out of the man�s arm. He then reeled his foot back and kicked the man in his face, knocking him out.
�Yo!!� Joe shouted as he held his sword up and pointed it at the large machine. �Come on, Caleb, give me a hand with this one!�
�Right!� Caleb shouted. He turned back to Kayla before charging up to help Joe out. �Kayla, heal us if we need it and the second you see a chance get those kids from that machine. We�ll be trying to free them the entire time.�
�Right.� Kayla replied. �Just don�t hurt them in the process.�
�I know.� Caleb replied as he ran out to Joe.
�Don�t worry kids we�re gonna free you!� Joe shouted as he turned to face Caleb. �So, you got a strategy for this one?�
�No�not really.� Caleb replied. �There�s not much I can do to it without hurting the kids too. We need to set them free first.�
�You don�t think it�ll just put them down, huh?� Joe asked.
�I doubt it.� Caleb replied.
�But how can it attack us without its arms?� Joe asked. �Doesn�t it have to let them go?�
�I�m not sure.� Caleb replied.
�Only one way to find out.� Joe said as he charged towards the machine. As soon as Joe grew close enough the machine swung out at him with one of its hands, with the boy mage still in its palm. �Shit!� Joe shouted as he ducked out of the way.
�Joe, be careful!� Caleb shouted. �Doing that again can really hurt them!�
�I need some time!� Joe yelled back.
Caleb ran a bit closer to the machine and aimed his black staff at its head. �Fire!� Caleb screamed out as a ball of fire smacked right into the machine�s head. The blow jarred it back a few feet but didn�t effect it too much.
Kayla charged a few feet closer to the fight and aimed her white mace at the machine. �Slow!� She shouted out. As the word left her mouth a white wave flew forward and smacked into the machine. Seconds after the spell hit the machine�s movements began to slow down considerably. �Do what you have to do now, Joe! That spell isn�t going to last long!!�
�Right!� Joe yelled. �Watch my back, just incase Caleb!�
�I got you!� Caleb shouted.
Joe ran as fast as he could at the machine and jumped onto one of its massive hands. As soon as he was on it Joe stabbed his sword into its wrist causing the arm to short circuit and release the girl mage. As soon as the girl hit the ground Joe jumped out of the way to dodge a slow incoming fist. He then leapt on top of the fist and stabbed it as well, this time releasing the young mage boy. Once the two were free they ran away from the machine until they were safely behind Kayla.
�There!� Joe shouted. As Joe leapt off of the robots arm, the slow spell ran out and the robots arms smashed into Joe. The impact sent him flying forward; crashing a few feet in front of Caleb. �Damn�it!� Joe shouted. Joe held his hand up to Kayla and stood up. �Don�t heal me, I�m fine.�
�Are you sure?� Kayla asked.
�Yes.� Joe replied, then turning his attention to Caleb. �Hit him with all you got.�
�Right!� Caleb shouted. He pointed his staff out at the machine and shouted out, �Lightning!!� A bolt of lightning struck down on each of the machines already injured wrists. The impact caused it to short circuit even more. �Water!� Caleb shouted. This time a massive wave of water smashed down on the entire machine causing its arms to completely malfunction.
�Now, to finish him off!� Joe shouted while beginning his charge at the machine.
As Joe grew closer to the machine, a huge gust of wind blew past him. It nearly sent Joe off of his feet as he spotted the figure moving by in a blur. The next thing the three could hear was the distinct sound of metal cutting through metal. Their eyes then fixed on the machine that was now split in half and sliding off of itself. Behind the machine they discovered the source of the attack. It was Edge who stood behind the machine with his Demon�s Blade still at his side.
�How the�� Joe muttered.
Edge turned around and walked past the destroyed machine. He smiled at his friends as he reached them and then pointed to his Demon�s Blade. The blue gem could now be seen glowing inside of it.
�I received my next jewel.� Edge said. �It has granted me incredible speed.�
�I can see that.� Joe replied.
�Perfect timing, Edge.� Caleb added.
�Are the young one�s alright?� Edge asked.
�Yes.� Kayla replied. �They are just scared.�
�How did those men get you?� Caleb asked as he knelt down and looked the two over for signs of any injures.
�We�we were traveling in a group of ten.� The young boy spoke very low.
�We were heading to Brunis when they ambushed us.� The girl continued. �They still have the other eight held up at a blockade a mile before Brunis.�
�Brunis?� Joe asked.
�The city of the east.� Caleb explained. �It�s one of the four cities of the Earth.�
�They were going to take us to see their leader.� The boy said. �Please! Help the others who are still captured!�
�We will.� Kayla said. �But first we will take you into Margel. You two will stay the night there, we�ll free your friends and set them on their way to meet you here.�
�Thank�you�� The girl said.
The team began to make their way back towards Margel. Caleb, Kayla and the two young mage�s stood at the front of the group while Joe and Edge took up the rear.
�What did he tell you?� Joe asked. �Where are you to go next?�
�He told me, I would no longer be told where to go next.� Edge explained. �He said I would find my way on my own. He said I would be led to the next jewel, that I should trust in my instincts and I will find my way.�
�I see.� Joe replied.
�And now I see what he meant.� Edge said. �We will go to Brunis and help those mage�s, my instincts tell me this is right.�
Joe smiled and nodded to his friend. They all continued back towards Margel and it now seemed as if the team had another objective. This time the front would be lead by the two who were most effected by this turn of evil. Caleb and Kayla were certain about one thing, the high-tech humans who captured the poor mage�s would live to regret the day they touched any of them.