The Guardian Crusade

                                           Volume III

                                                              Chapter Four

Nick reached the large forest below the Frozen Mountains of Mu’Dire inside the mountain sat the ruins of Uldice.  He sent the Gryphon back into the air, hopefully finding shelter in a mountain cave until Nick needed it again.  He pulled his fur hood over his head blocking the blowing wind that pounded against him.  Tossing his bag over his shoulder and began to trudge through the snow.  He only heard of two openings to the ruins and he hoped he knew the position of one of them. 

The wind blew hard at him, the snow stuck to his expose skin and he constantly had to wipe the water from his face before it would freeze.  He would stop after traveling for as long as he could, along the way searching for an opening into the jagged rock.  Nick had been walking for what felt to him like hours and he dropped to his knees as he huffed for air.  He leaned forward putting his hand on the cold wet snow, when it touched the ground beneath it a strange feeling rushed through him.  It called to him, giving him energy, making him stronger, just like the lava creatures, like Ashmourn or anything else evil he touched.

“Whoa.” Nick said pulling his hand away as he realized the ground around the mountain was tainted.  “I knew it.” He grunted as he stood up.  With his new found strength Nick adjusted his bag and began walking again.  As the night got darker the storm started to pick up and it was getting harder and harder to see anything in front of him, let alone an opening to the caves.  He stopped and looked around; it took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the falling snow as he scanned around him for some sign of an entrance.

He heard something snap behind him as he spun around he saw a club coming at him and then blackness.  In what seemed like a moment later his head started to throb and then it began to ache.  Slowly his senses started to come back to him, he began to smell again, he began to feel again and although blurry he began to see again.  A moan escaped his lips as he reached for his head.  Feeling a wall behind him he sluggishly sat up and leaned against it as he squeezed his eyes closed, trying to focus.

“H-h-hello?” A quiet meek voice broke from the other side of the room.  Nick opened his eyes and let them adjust to the dark room.  As he looked around he saw a door with a small window blocked by thick iron bars, the walls were rock, like he was in a cave, the ground was rock and dirt and that’s when Nick realized he was inside the Mountain.  A scuffling sound turned his attention to the corner of the cell.

“Hello?” Nick said as he watched the dark figure.  He now saw that it was lying curled up against the corner of the wall.

“N-nick?” The voice spoke again and his eyes widened. 

Quickly he scurried over to the figure. “Nali?” He carefully sat her up and began to check her over. “Nali it’s me, it’s Nick.” He told her as he held her up, her head facing down towards the ground. 

Slowly her head rose up and as her long brown hair fell from her face his eyes widened in horror.  “Nick?” She spoke again with an unsure tone.

“What did they do to you?” He asked trying to fight back the tears, the anger, and the pain.  “Nalia what did they do to you?” He asked again this time the tears; anger and pain were winning the fight.  She didn’t answer as her head started to drop again but he stopped it, carefully placing his hands on the side of her face he pushed her head up and looked into her eyes.  Only her eyelids were closed caked in dried blood, he didn’t have to ask her, he knew what they had done. They took away the only thing a Warrior truly needed, her eyes. “Nali?” He said as he let his tears fall.  Her hand slowly reached up and wrapped around his wrist. 

He could feel her life draining from her and he knew he had to get her out of here.  The anger rushed through him as he stood up and walked over to the door.  His nostrils flared and he grunted in anger standing at the door.  No one was around or at least anyone he could see.  Turning around he looked down at Nalia as she sat sitting against the wall.  She reached out for him weakly wondering where he went too.  This sight angered him more and a dark purple cloud started to rise like steam from the rocky dirt floor beneath him.  He thought about what he would do when he got a hold of Rossi, this man who was suppose to be his Father.  His grunting became louder and as the rage exploded from him he screamed, falling to his knees.  The cloud now danced around his arms as his body began to absorb it.  He felt himself getting stronger, the essence of the mountain feeding him power and strength.  Standing up he walked over to Nalia and picked her up.  She tried to stop him at first, the noise around her confusing her.

“I’m getting you out of here.” Nick said as she heard his voice and began to calm.  Walking over to the door he kicked it and it went flying off its’ hinges.  He walked through the door and headed down the hallway that had the strongest breeze hoping to find an exit.  With each stepped the purple haze kept dancing around his feet, his body absorbing as much as it could. The sound of men shouting took his attention for a moment and then he whispered a spell and the walls began to quake.  The ground turned into some sort of grave yard as skeletons began to crawl from the dirt.  When he ran into a pack of Dwarfs they looked at him and his companions with confusion.  Then their stares turned to fright as Nick commanded the skeletons to attack and they listened to their Master.  When the last Dwarf was dead Nick continued walking.

Dwarf after Dwarf came after him but he sent skeleton after skeleton back at them.  When one Dwarf dropped there was no one to replace him but when a skeleton dropped Nick could easily summon a new one.  The marching bones cleared the halls as he made his way outside and into the snow.  He held her close to him, trying to shield her from the blowing winds and snow.  Finding them some shelter amongst a patch of pine trees, he carefully set her down.  Then he heard the sound of a snow hawk flying around.  At first he ignored it as he tried to get her attention but she had passed out again.  Then he remembered in Alex and Rayne’s room, the snow hawk that was there.  Quickly he took off his heavy coat and wrapped her in it and then left the safety of the trees.  His eyes scanned the sky for any sign of the bird and a moment later he saw it.  He waved his arms and screamed getting its attention.  The white bird circled around him for a moment and then took off over his head.  Slipping back into the trees he went back to Nalia and picked her up in his arms.  His body was starting to shake from the cold but he didn’t care, she needed the warmth more than he did. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispered as he held her lightly rocking her.  “I’m so sorry.”

A few minutes later Nick heard the loud footsteps of a Gryphon landing, he waited quietly not sure if it was Rossi or his friends.  His body fought hard against the cold but he knew if he was out here any longer he was going to go into hypothermia. He could hear the footsteps of someone walking through the snow and then he heard more.  Standing up Nick with Nalia in his arms he walked out from behind the trees and to his relief saw his friends.  When he did he dropped to his knees, still holding Nalia.

“Nick” AJ said as he ran over to him.

“Is she ok?” Rayne asked as she joined him.  They both saw the look on Nick’s face, the tears frozen to his cheeks.  Quickly Rayne put her hand on Nalia.  “She’s still alive but we have to get her out of here.”

“They…” Nick stopped his voice blocked by the pain of what they had done to her and the fact that he was freezing.  “They took…” He tried to force it out but he couldn’t.  Rayne looked at him confused and then looked to Nalia.  That’s when she noticed what Nick was talking about.

“Alex” Rayne said breathless looking at him.

“Give her too me Nick, I’ll teleport to Winnol.” AJ said as he looked at her friend.  Nick looked back at him, he didn’t want to let her go, or leave her, even if it was with his friend.

“Nick.” Rayne said as she put her hand on his shoulder.  Quickly he closed his eyes and handed Nalia over to AJ.  A second later AJ and Nalia were gone.

“W-why?” Nick asked as Kevin walked up to him with a new heavy coat.  “W-why would Rossi do that…D-does h-he h-hate me that much?”

“I do not know.” Rayne replied with a frown.

“W-what is she going to do?” He asked.

“We’ll worry about that later; we need to get you back as well.” Rayne said as Nick put the coat on himself. 

AJ sat on the stone bench outside of Nalia’s room.  He was waiting for everyone to get back.  The Priest had told him that Nalia would be ok, well alive, but they could not save her eye sight because, well there was nothing to save.  They also told him the Dwarves healed the wounds enough so she wouldn’t bleed to death, at least right away.  He did not look forward to telling Nick this news.

“Really Nick you should sit in the Springs.” Rayne said to him as they walked into the court yard.

“I’m fine.” Nick said back as he walked up to AJ.  “Where is she?”

“That room.” AJ told him pointing to the room behind him.  Nick headed towards the door when AJ grabbed his arm.  “The Priest.” AJ began to talk but stopped what would he say.  “The Priest said she’s going to be ok.”

“What about her eyes?” Rayne asked but AJ didn’t take his eyes off of Nick.

“There was nothing to save.” AJ said quietly.  “They knew what they were doing because they made sure she didn’t bleed to death from it.”  He could hear the moans of sadness and disbelief from his friends but he kept his eyes on Nick.  When he let go of Nick’s arm his friend walked into the cave.

“So why did Rossi do that?” Kevin asked as the others gathered around outside.

“The Dwarfs hide many secrets.” Rayne said and AJ could tell she was pissed too.  “Selfish secrets.”

“Looks like Nick was getting to close for comfort.” AJ said as he looked at Kevin.

“Are we going to War again?” Howie asked with a frown.

“I hope it doesn’t come to that.” AJ sighed.

“The dude cut out Nalia’s eyes, what do you think Nick’s going to do?” Kevin said looking back at AJ.  “He attacked the Princess of Kalica; you think her Mom is going to just sit back?”

“I don’t know.” AJ replied.  “I mean its Rossi.”

“He’s still a Dwarf Alexander.” Rayne spoke up. 

“He’s a dead Dwarf.” Nick said out of no where as he took off out of the cave.

“Hey!” AJ shouted as Kevin stopped him.

“What!” Nick shouted as he spun around.  “Go ahead, say it.”

“Huh?” AJ said confused.

“Say it, say it’s my fault!” He yelled.

“It’s not dude.” AJ replied still confused.

“I was so hell bent on finding out about Rossi, she probably went there to get him to talk to me and look what happened.” Nick said as he began to cry.

“Nick you couldn’t have known he would do that.” Kevin said as he took him by the shoulders.

“I gotta go.” Nick said quickly as he spun around.

“Where are you going?” AJ yelled after him.

“Someone has to tell Evia.” Nick said to them and then he left the Springs.