In the evening of the next day, there was a knock on Valencia's door. The pair of would-be heroes stood waiting.

"I brought back a friend, think we can rest here for a while? We kinda need it." Solaris told Valencia when she opened the door. Romel stood in astonishment.

"She's pretty" he said, rattling the words off like a small child.

Solaris pointed at her the ring she wore, which she raised to show him. All of this happened as Andrew walked up. "That's my sister, try anything and break your hands, if I don't decide to break your face that is." He warned.

"Yeah, I made the same mistake when I woke up here the first time. He's actually nice enough when you get to know him" Solaris followed up.

"Pffft, more freeloaders eh? You know you both will have to work for your keep here right?" Andrew shot them a rather intimidating look. Romel flinched, Solaris raised an eyebrow, then elbowed Romel.

"Ow! Oh, I'm fine with that." Said Romel.

"Good!" said Valencia with a smile, "we only have 1 extra room just so you know, you 2 will have to share."

"Not a problem" said Romel.

"There's only 1 small bed in there, still wanna share?" Asked Valencia.

"May I see the room?" asked Romel.

"Of course" she said as she showed them to the room, which Solaris was quite familiar with. They looked at the small bed. It was hardly large enough to fit either of them. Romel and Solaris looked at each other, then back at the bed, and again at each other, and in perfect unison shouted: "DIBBS ON THE BED! NO, I CALLED IT, ITS MINE!!!" each reaching for their weapons upon finishing their sentence.

"There's an easy way to solve this" Andrew said as he entered the room walking between them and removing the small bed from the room. You can share the floor, "I'll expect to see you working in the fields or helping out until you find jobs. You'll have to get up early, so I recommend sleep. Goodnight" he said as he walked out, followed by Valencia who closed the door.

Mumbling could be heard though the walls. They listened intently to Andrew and Valencia:

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"What?" asked Valencia

"Picking up strangers and accepting freeloaders!" replied Andrew.

"One of those 'freeloaders' saved us you know. We am in his debt."

"Even so, what of the other one, who even seems to cause Solaris trouble?"  

"Don't be so quick to judge. I'm sure he's a good person" she replied. "Now enough of this, we'll disturb our guests if this continues" the conversation ended with that, and the siblings as well as the eavesdroppers retired for the night.

They stayed for a couple of uneventful days, working around the house and looking for work in town until things cooled off in the elven kingdom enough for them to return. However, the peace didn't last long, as on the morning of their 3rd day there, they had company.
There was a hard knock on the door. "Open up, we know the gold-haired one is in there. Send him and his accomplice out now, or you shall all be arrested and executed!"

They sat up from their piles of straw on the floor. "What a way to start a day" Romel muttered.

"I suppose they sent word from the elven kingdom" Solaris replied"

"Not likely, to my knowledge, they authorities of the kingdoms keep to their own. Unless we've become enemies of several kingdoms, they shouldn't be after us. Is there something you failed to tell me Solaris?"

"Besides the time I beat the hell out of corrupt guards in this very house, no."

"I think that's reason enough for them to be trying to arrest YOU, no idea why they're after me."

Valencia burst into the room. "The house is surrounded!" there are dozens of armed guards!"
Solaris raised an eyebrow. "This time they came prepared I see. I have no intention of endangering any of you. However, Romel, you will have to come with me."

"We can't just go kick their asses, you have nova you know." Romel replied.

"I could probably kill them all, but I have no wish to kill, nor do I wish for anyone else to be harmed, you included."

Solaris waked to the door. "will you accept only me as a prisoner, the others have done no wrong."

"NO!" a guard shouted. "We are under direct orders from King Eber to arrest you and your companion."

"Why are you after him exactly?"

"Silence!" shouted the guard. "come out at once or the house will be destroyed.

"I haven's a choice" he said as he opened the door.

The guards took his sword and arrested him. They did the same for Romel, and also arrested Valencia and Andrew.

Solaris exclaimed "You said you'd leave them alone!"

They haven't paid their taxes "said a short round man hiding behind some of the guards. They sent a tax collector as well.

"So, got a plan now?" asked Romel.

"Not as long as they can take you 3 hostage, and we're all unarmed"

Romel sighed. "I didn't think that I'd end up in jail over this"

They arrived at the castle and were placed in prison, Andrew, Solaris, and Romel in their own cell, and Valencia just across from them.

"You will have an audience with the king this evening; I assume you shall be executed sometime tomorrow. We shall see what his highness says"

"All of us?" asked Valencia.

"No, just the blonde one and his traveling companion get to speak with the king. However, I suspect all of you shall be hung." said the guard.

Solaris was raging at the edge of the cell in an instant. The guard merely took 2 steps back to avoid his hands. The guard took his leave as Valencia broke down crying over her impending demise.

"I don't want to die!" she screamed tearfully.

"No one's gonna die" Solaris said calmly.

"How can you be so sure" asked Andrew.

"Solaris here isn't one to go down without a fight, neither am I." replied Romel.

"Glad to hear that, but we're kinda stuck in a cage without weapons." Andrew said skeptically.

"We know" Solaris replied confidently.

"Sounds like you have a plan" Valencia said from across the hall.

"I do, it just requires a guard", he muttered.

About an hour later, a guard came, making his rounds.

After the guard left, Andrew blurted out "I saw the captains with your weapons, looks like they'll keep them as souvenirs."

"Good, now I know who to beat down to get those back" Solaris said with a grin.

The day passed by slowly and a disgusting lunch was served, some type of rancid meat tossed into a very bitter soup served with stale bread. They all could hardly stomach their meals. They observed the patrol patterns of the guards, looking for the best time to try something. Solaris and Romel decided it'd be best to wait until they got to meet with the king, no one else would be immediately endangered that way.

Evening came and 8 fully armored guards came in to get Romel and Solaris. They were shown to the throne room, and remained surrounded when they saw the king. They noticed 2 of the guards carrying their swords.

The king spoke. "I heard about what you did to a few members of my elite guard. I also heard about the assistance you received with your 2nd visit to this town. Never did I believe you would be foolish enough to return here. You and you accomplice shall be executed tomorrow as criminals along with the traitorous captain Neil, and the other 2."

"You're going to kill them too?!" Solaris said in disbelief.

"Yes, and Frost" replied Eber.

"Even the horse?! You truly are despicable!" shouted Solaris.

"How and why would you execute a horse?" Asked Romel.

"I demand ABSOLUTE loyalty from my subordinates!" the king roared. "And the 5 of you shall be hung, the horse shall be beheaded"

"Damn, that's viscous" Romel sail solemnly.

"I had to see you again Solaris, but it seems you have no recollection of who I am. It doesn't matter though; you'll be out of my hair for good come the morning. GUARDS! Return them to their cells."

They were escorted back to the prison chamber and just before they reached their cells, Solaris fell to 1 knee.

"Stand up!" the guard kicked him. He didn't move even an inch. The guard bent down and looked him in the eyes, just as they began to glow. He hadn't noticed the glowing. "Did you hear me kid, I said get up!" He pulled back his arm and swung to punch Solaris. The punch was caught, and Solaris responded with a palm strike to the face, which caved in the visor of his helm. Blood slowly seeped out as the guard feel to the floor. It was unsure whether he was unconscious or dead, but there was no time to think about it, as the other 7 guards were drawing their weapons.

"Fun time." Romel said as he grabbed the weapon from the unconscious guard just as Solaris cracked another guard's armor with a kick to the stomach, sending him flying into the bars of the cell next to Valencia.

"Kill them!" Shouted one of the captains.

"Like we haven't been in this situation before" Romel said with a quick laugh while dodging 2 guards.

"Aye, but we've never been in prison" Solaris replied as he twisted a guard's arm, dislocating his shoulder. He knocked the guard to the ground with a kick and continued in a short sword fight with one of the captains. "I'm not going to sit here and sword fight with a man in armor, that's just a waste of time." He jumped back towards the exit of the prison chambers, preventing them from running for help, the captain pursued him and continued the fight at the door.

Romel got a cheap stab on one of the guards and removed the keys from him as he fell to his knees. He ran to open Andrew's cell.

"Grab a sword and kick some ass" Romel called to Andrew as his right arm was cut by the tip of a sword. "Aah, damn that hurts" he yelled as he jumped back in pain, dropping his weapon. Andrew picked it up and took Romel's place in combat.

"Hey, kid, mind letting me out. I'm not at full strength, but I'm trained with a sword" said a voice from a few cells down.

Romel ran down to the cell and found a tall man waiting. He had a large build, and looked very much like he should be one of the guards fighting. ""I'm not so sure about this" he said as he gulped and unlocked the door. The tall man limped out, and looked down at Romel.

"I remember you. From that fight at the city gate"

Solaris looked down the hall to see Neil chatting with Romel. "You guys can play catch-up later, kinda in the middle of combat here." He said as he fought with 2 guards and a captain. He grabbed one's head and slammed him into the wall. The guard fell to the ground in a heap. "That's 3 down!" he said as he continued to fight a guard and captain.

Andrew saw the guard with the injured shoulder stagger to his feet. He crept up behind the guard and removed his helmet, and knocked him back to the ground with a strong fist to the side of his face as the guard turned around. "4 left now!" he yelled over to Solaris.

Romel and Neil found themselves the swords of the 2 downed guards and jumped into the fight, taking on 1 of the captains.

Solaris continued to entertain the 2  he was dealing with while Romel and Neil engaged the other captain. Andrew fought back his enemy into Solaris's striking range. He found that he was surprisingly skilled with a sword. Either that, or this guard sucked.

The guard sucked, as Andrew was then able to disarm him, changing the fight from a sword fight to a grappling match. The guard, weighted down by armor and out skilled by Andrew, was quickly subdued. His helmet was removed and a strong punch to the face rendered him unconscious. Andrew picked up his sword and joined Solaris, making things more even in his fight.

The 2 split the enemies. Solaris fought the captain while Andrew jumped on the back of the remaining guard. He twisted his neck and that was the end of it. Meanwhile Solaris finally got hit by one of the captain's attacks, a stab to his right arm, which stopped when it hit bone.
Solaris, still in nova state, didn't seem to care, much to the horror of the captain.

Solaris pulled out the sword, disarmed the captain and broke the blade in half. "They sure don't make 'em like they used to." he said while inspecting the damage to his arm. "Good thing I'm left handed. Now, I'll take that sword back"

The guard pulled out the second sword, the blade forged by Quasar, intended for Romel. This one actually could seriously be harmful. The only reason the other blade even pieced skin was due to the fact that it was a direct stab. Andrew tossed Solaris another sword, there seemed to be quite a few laying around, and the fight continued.

The captain leapt into the air, attempting to land a death blow to Solaris. He raised his swords and blocked at the last second. His 2 swords cracked due to the force of the attack. Andrew got a cheap stab at the base of the captain's neck. The captain fell to the ground, very much lifeless. Solaris took the sword and threw it into the back of the other captain, cutting that fight short.

He walked up to the remaining captain, who was gasping at the last breaths of life, and removed the sword from his back. He dropped the sword meant for Solaris. The 4 of them examined their handiwork, the room of fallen guards, and noticed 1 standing against one of the cells. They turned at at him, weapons drawn.

"So, which one of us gets the task of knocking him out?" Romel asked.

The guard fell to the floor shaking in fear.

"Don't worry, we wont kill you, but you can take that helmet off and make this easy on us" Solaris said as the glow of his eyes began to fade.

The guard did so, and Andrew walked up to him and delivered a heavy hook to the guard's jaw. He would be out for quite a while.

Valencia sat in her cell, in amazement and fear. She was in tears, having never seen such a thing.

"Grab some of the good armor, we'll need it. There are still guards all over the place." Said Neil.

Romel let Valencia out of the cell. "I don't think there's armor to fit her".
Neil took a look at her, and froze for a moment.

"You OK Neil?" Solaris asked.  

He snapped out of his daze. "Oh, yes, sorry." He said while blushing.

Andrew tightened his grip on his sword. Valencia gave him a quick glance and he relaxed. She held up the ring yet again. "Now, about armor for me?"

"Unless you know magic, you're out of luck" Neil said. "Lets get going, the were be a few long battles ahead I'm sure."

They all grabbed what was left of the armor that wasn't bloody or cracked. Valencia picked up a shield and sword, though she had no clue how to effectively use them. Solaris and Romel traded weapons, each now wielding their own blades. They took a look back at the remaining few prisoners.

"We should let them out" said Romel. "They may prove to be useful allies". He went to open the remaining cells.

"In that case, our first stop will be the weapons keep" said Neil. "This way, and keep the noise down. We won't have time to fight more guards like we did in here."

The extra 5 that were released were a mixed bunch. There were 2 large, strong looking men, 1 skinny shifty eyed man who appeared to actually have a reason to be in prison, 1 old man and 1 seemingly middle-aged woman with a permanent expression of anger. No one dared ask her what her age was, nor her reason for being there.

They made short work of any small groups of 1 to 2 guards they came across as they made their way to the weapons keep. They discussed a course of action while they walked.

"We're only planning on escape, right?" Romel asked Solaris.

"That would be nice, but if we leave king asshole around, everyone here will be hunted down and killed. If at all possible, I'd like to take the horse too". Solaris replied
Romel buried his head in his hands. "You're kidding, right?" He knew the answer already, and turned to Neil. "That horse would be kept in the royal stables right?"

"Aye, that he would. I'd much rather not lose my horse if at all possible. And being on horseback would make escaping easier once outside the castle walls. Oh, by the way, the weapons keep is just around the corner. There will be 2 guards at the door, deal with them quickly".

The armored Solaris walked up boldly, and wasn't immediately recognized. Romel followed.

"We're here to relieve you…" Romel said.

A guard replied: "But we just started this shift" as he put his hand on his sword.

"What he meant to say was: 'we meant to relieve you….permanently" said Solaris as he knocked one of the guards back into the wall. He slashed his arm though the armor and the guard fell to the ground in agony. Romel faced a guard wearing light armor, which he hit in the stomach with the hilt of his sword. The guard grit his teeth and took the blow, and was ready to counter attack. He was able to yell out for help, just as Solaris smacked him in the back of the head.

"Well, this just got a lot harder" said Neil. They broke open the doors and helped themselves to weapons and armor. They actually looked like a semi-respectable unit of troops whom had just returned from battle. Most of them found armor and swords to suit their tastes, except Valencia who didn't seem to like any of the armor there. She made herself content with a mage's robe and a crossbow.  The old man also took up robes, and a large staff resting in the corner. He was did so without a word, much to the curiosity of everyone around him.  The angry woman took up a set of light armor and a short sword, as well as a small bow. Everyone felt tense just watching her. Romel thought it may have been best to have left her in her cell.

A moment after everyone had finished their preparations, the reinforcements showed up, answering to the yell for help from the downed guard. There were 5 of them, and most of them were quickly defeated by most of the escapees. Valencia, the old man, and the angry woman sat near the rear. A single guard managed to escape.

"There goes the element of surprise" said Andrew as the guard slipped out of sight.

"Now off to the stables, they are near the north entrance to the castle. We're near the center of the castle now. We'll head to the west, then around to the north. Once we get there, we can all get horses and be out of here." Neil hobbled to the front of the armed mob and led the way. They came to the western edge of the castle, which overlooked a cliff. A Sharp drop-off was in the other side of the short railing. On the other side of the courtyard, they saw the stables, and the northern exit.

They stood just inside the hallway which lead out to that courtyard, well, most of them did. The small shifty eyed one saw the castle gate still open before them and ran for it. Seconds after running out, he fell, reduced to a human pincushion. There were guards waiting along the wall overlooking the courtyard, quite a few of them.

"Well, that's going to make things difficult" Andrew whispered to the rest of them.

The angry woman crept up to the corner, loaded her bow, and started sniping the archers along the wall without hesitation. She ducked back behind the corner as they returned fire. She took out 2 of the dozen this way, but her bow wouldn't reach much farther than the 3rd or 4th archer.

Neil looked at Valencia. "Do you even know how to use that?"

Valencia looked down at the crossbow. She was hardly able to hold it up. "Not really." She said in embarrassment.

He quickly gave her the basics just as a 5 more guards approached them from the rear.
Solaris, Romel, and the 2 strong men took them on. The 2 strong men met expectations and easily held their own against their enemies, taking them down within moments of the battle's start. Solaris did the same, not even having to use nova. Romel fought against an enemy with a bit of difficulty. The fight was over quickly after the other 3 finished with their fights. There was 1 guard left, who fell after taking a bolt to the chest, fired by Valencia, who'd just officially learned how to fire a crossbow.

They turned around in shock. "Nice shot, mind doing it again to the archers out there?" Solaris asked.

Valencia turned around nervously and took a spot right behind madam angry. They took turns exchanging fire with the archers. They took out 3 more of them, leaving roughly 7 of them from what could be seen without losing an eye. Valencia was shaking after watching 2 or 3 men fall at her hands, Neil took her crossbow and continued shooting. Another 2 archers went down.

"We'll be sitting ducks if we walk out there." Romel muttered.

"All of you stay close." The old man had finally spoken, much to the surprise of all who remained. They followed his instructions as he chanted something which none of them understood. W strong wind could be felt circling them. "Make haste, this won't last long".
They moved together into the courtyard, and watched as the archer's arrows were blown astay by the strong wind. The large men moved to the right of the group, and prepared to block with their shields. They spell weakened as they made it halfway through the courtyard. They arrows met the shields and Neil and the angry woman continued their target practice against the archers, taking out another 2 as they moved slowly toward the stables.

Suddenly, about a dozen guards ran out, blocking their path to the stable, and another dozen blocked their retreat to the hallway. They were trapped.

"This doesn't look good" Romel turned to Solaris. "Any Ideas?"
"I got nothing" He replied solemly.

"Damn, and we made it this far too." Said Andrew. "I was beginning to think we'd actually make it out of here"

They old man muttered quietly for everyone to stop. "This will be my gift you all, make good use of it." He started chanting again as the guards approached. His chant finished with "Storm of ashes…". A strong wind could be felt surrounding them again and they all huddled close together as he said the final word…. "Ignite!"

The gale force winds burst into a fiery whirlwind which radiated outwards and obliterated the approaching guards. The old man fell to his knees. exhausted from the spell. He looked at Solaris and said to him "I can't help but feel you should know that spell. It's called 'Infernal Gale". Look it up if when you escape."

Valencia motioned for him to stop talking, lest he run out of strength. He put his finger to her lips for her to be silent. "My task is not yet done. Make haste to the stables" he spoke slowly, looking at the closing gate. He finished a shorter spell and sent an ice ball at it, freezing it solid.

They stared at him in disbelief, then Neil and the angry woman finished off the remaining archers. It was a clear run to the stables, and the gate had only to sustain a solid attack to shatter. They moved ahead, Valencia helped the old man as they walked. He stopped them and raided his staff again, and began yet another chant.

They stopped, wondering why he was chanting, save Solaris, who noticed King Eber standing on the outer castle wall above the stables. He disappeared and was mere meters ahead of them instantly. He ran his fingers through the air and calmly spoke the words: "Frost Fang, I summon you.".

As he said this, a snow white sword appeared before him. Snowflakes fell from the elegant weapon as it formed. He grabbed the hilt as his hand finished its path. He calmly spoke again: "Blizzard Crush" as he waived his weapon in their direction.

A shower of ice daggers flew in their direction, stopping short due to the spell the old man was still chanting. He fell to the ground yet again, still chanting.

Solaris spoke up. "Earlier you spoke as if you knew me, yet I obviously have no idea who you are. I guess we can take this time to catch up on things." He turned to everyone else. "Get out of here. I'll deal with king frosty over there." They split up, Solaris stood ready to fight, everyone else headed for the stables.

Eber chanted another spell, and another wall of ice daggers was sent flying towards everyone except Solaris. They again were met by the barrier of the old man.

Ebere was noticeably displeased. "No matter. After I kill you, I shall hunt them down."

They made to the stables and hid inside, all mounting horses.
Solaris and Eber stared each other down, as if the staring contest would decide the victor of the fight. Eber's eyes glowed a frosted white color, at the same time Solaris activated nova matching the glow with his own golden field.

The others took down the gate and made their escape. The 2 strong ones and Romel covered the rest of them. The old man stayed behind as well, still chanting weakly. Moments later, all that were left of the escaping party were Solaris, Romel, and the old man.

The old man chanted another spell, nearly whispering: "strength of a beastman, speed of an elf, hard of a dwarf, to protect one's self." He pointed is staff at Romel as he finished the chant. He was gasping for breath as he finished, and started to chant one last spell.

Romel burst out "Why are you still casting, if you keep this up, you'll die!". He felt new found power surging through him. "How long will this last again?" he asked.

"A few minutes" he replied, "At least until I finish this last cast."

"Stop it! You won't get out of here alive if you don't stop!" Romel continued yelling at him.

The old man raised his hand for silence, and responded: "Have some respect for the elderly. I have lived a long and satisfying life. I have done many things, seen more than that, and suffered more than you could imagine. It is my final wish to know that I have done something to stop that tyrant who controls this city. Use this gift well, I saved it for you. Now help you friend defeat that king." He closed his eyes and rested his hand on Romel's forehead and began chanting again. they were surrounded by a magic circle, and the old man began to glow with magical energy. It focused into his hand and dispersed into Romel.

He fell to the ground as the circle faded. Romel kneeled down "Why did you do that? And what was it for?"

"Those 2 spells I cast…." The old man gasped…"are to give you the strength….fight. For you to be by his side…. " he looked in Solaris's direction, "you shall need strength."

Romel nodded and continued to listen.

"The final spell was to give you my powers as a mage. You shall have to learn spells on your own. Ti made my previous spell permanent as well."

"Why didn't you just use those 2 first then?"

"The final spell is exactly that: Soul Force Suspension. It is my final gift to you, and this city. Don't fail me." He whispered as he closed his eyes for the final time, the life and energy within him completely expended.

Tears fell from Romel's eyes as he stood up and faced Eber and Solaris. He drew his sword, with the intention of fulfilling the old man's dying wish. The 3 remaining warriors faced off in a battle that would determine the fate of those who had just escaped, as well as the city of Azidon.