Aquirya

They walked on around bends, over make shift bridges, most likely made by Goblins or some other cave creatures. They walked through murky water, praying to Ithayiga, hoping there wasn’t anything poisonous in them. They walked around lava lakes, under icicle caves, and through many more traps made by pirates. They started seeing more lava puddles, lakes, and streams about three hours into their walking.

“We’re almost there.” Up ahead they heard noises, loud grunting, and machine noises. Niko put his hand out and put his finger to his mouth. “Shh. Sounds like Goblins ahead. They have massive cities under here.” He whispered to Aeyla getting out his sword and shield. She followed him and took hers out also. “Don’t glow.” She whispered to it. Her instincts seemed to be coming back. She’d fought a lot of goblins, as well as evil trolls, orcs, and other mean and nasty creatures.

“Craceerisis most likely using them so if they see us they’ll get word to her quickly. Goblins…” Aeyla cut her off.

“Run fast. I know.” Aeyla said to him and smiled. “I know.”

“Let’s go.” He motioned for her to go to his right.

There were a group of goblins around the corner in a little alcove, around a fire. These were most likely the outlooks. They took them out quite easily, since two of them were asleep and the other four were drunk. Niko took what they were drinking and put it on the fire.

They walked towards the edge of the deep goblin city, a huge brown lake lay at the bottom of the city. There were weirdly put together houses everywhere and a big house on the right of the city, most likely for the king and his goblin family. It was dark, dreary, and smoky. A lava stream went through behind the houses on the left side.

“We need to scale this wall down to the lake. Our way out is down through the city.” Niko told Aeyla as he got out a rope and started tying it around himself and Aeyla. “You go down first, I’ll hold you as you go down.” He said to her as he kept an eye out for any creatures coming at them. He knew it was a risk to put out the fire, since it would alert the other Goblin Guards that something was wrong at this outlook. He also knew it wouldn’t be as easy for them to be detected if they were rock climbing in complete darkness. Aeyla started down the side of the wall slowly. A few rocks fell down when she stepped on them and she slipped. She covered her mouth so she wouldn’t let out a scream but it seemed she hadn’t uttered anything. She must be getting used to this stuff again. She finally reached the bottom and put her feet in very warm, murky, sludgy water. She pulled on the rope four times to signal to Niko that she was on the bottom, that it was safe, and that it was her tugging on the rope. Niko put the rope around a boulder that was near the fire the goblins had been sitting around. He made sure it was secure and tugged four times on the rope to signal to Aeyla to ready her stance so she wasn’t going to fall while he came down. He came down rather quickly.

“You’ve done this before?” She asked him.

“So have you.” He said back while untying the rope from himself. She pulled the rope down when he dropped it from his waist. When the rope came falling down she caught as much as possible so it didn’t make a splash. Niko took it from her and rolled it up and put it back in his pack. He looked around to see what the best route would be. Since it was dimly lit all around the city they turned just their eyes into their cat creatures. They walked through the water and to the left. Behind the houses and near the lava stream they crept along stealthily so that they wouldn’t be found out. They came to a part behind the houses where the cave jetted out and the houses ended and they’d have to go right down the middle of the goblin city. Quietly they took out their swords and shields. They snuck out unto the, right now, clear “road”. Dirt, dead animals, rats, brown rock houses, were all around them, but no sign of any goblins. They’d seen a couple inside their homes, if that’s what you could call them. They continued down the road when they heard the machine sound getting closer and closer. They came around the house at the end of the city and took a right. Right before them in a ravine, were goblins and people. Her people, Humanoids, fairies, good trolls, dwarves, pixies, beavers, foxes, wolves, and other good creatures. They were hauling lava out of the stream. Some were badly burned, most were very underweight, a lot looked near death, and all were dirty, grimy, and sad. They were chained to each other and being whipped and beaten by numerous goblins and a couple other creatures that Aeyla didn’t recognize. They were shorter than the goblins, brown in color, they looked muddy or watery. These creatures had spiked heads, and stood up straight with four legs/arms. Niko saw her face when she looked at one of the creatures.

“Those are Rizers. Craceeris created them also. They’re mean, they have wings, they shoot fire and can grow lava.” He said to her.

“Grow lava?” Aeyla asked.

“Yes. They live off it, just like the things that put you in that other world.” Niko was looking for a way around what was in front of him.

“We need to save these people.” She said to him. “These are my people, right? They need me to save them.”

“We can’t Aeyla. The minute those goblins see us, they’ll kill every single one of those people and warn Craceeris that we’re close. We have to get to Craceeris and cut her down first. The goblins are probably working for Craceeris. Usually they just live down here and do not bother anyone. The rizers are who are controlling them all, right now.”

Reluctantly Aeyla agreed but her heart was broken as she watched a fairy getting beat by a Rizer because she tripped. “Her wing.” She gasped.

“Come on. We have to get to Craceeris and end this.” Niko said. He had found a way across the ravine that was in a dark area where the goblins and rizers wouldn’t see them. As she walked away from her people being mutilated and tortured something changed inside of her, something awoke.

“I have magic Niko.” She said louder than she wanted.

“You do.”

“I can save these people!” She said as she started to cry with frustration.

“Aeyla. I want to save them also and we will by eliminating Craceeris. She has the control. Once we eliminate her, the rizers have no one to answer too they will leave and the goblins will go back to their city.

“Niko! They are right there! They are suffering.” She was yelling and didn’t care about who or what creature heard her.

“They are not the only ones she has captured. If she hears you are this close from a rizer flying to her or a goblin running to her, she will kill anyone and everyone she has in all of her caves, dungeons, and where ever else she has people. As hard as it is, we must move on. I’m sorry Princess. Please.” He was holding onto her shoulders so that he could look as into her eyes as possible with it being as dimly lit as it was. He started crossing the ravine on the rickety bridge that was laid across it. “This isn’t goblin made.” He said. “This looks elf made. It’s very old, but it is elf made.”

“What does that mean?” Aeyla asked.

“It means there may be a hideout around here, made by elves. Protected by their magic. Meaning anyone that goes in, is safe in there until an elf comes and lets them out.”

“Meaning?” Aeyla was sort of getting what Niko was saying but wanted to make sure.

“We can imprison all the goblins and rizers that are here in there. Bring the people with us and see if Attar get them to the castle somehow.”

“Thank you Niko!” Aeyla started looking form more Elven looking structures. She put her hands close to the rocks closest to her and lit them up. She scanned the rock face until she saw something that caught her eye. It was gold and it looked like an older elven symbol. “Niko.” She whispered. “I found something.” He came over to where she was and stopped looking in the area he was looking in.

“It looks like the Uta symbol.” He said. “It’s an ancient Elven haven symbol. It means there is a safe place behind these rocks. It’s guarded by Elven spells.

“Do you know the spell?” She asked him, hopeful.

“Yes. I do. We just need to have someone to put inside it.” He leaned on the rock and it pushed some of it in. Something fell to his feet. When he picked it up he was amazed by what he saw. “It’s a goblin flute.” He turned around and blew into it. Aeyla watched in amazement as the goblins stopped what they were doing and looked around.

“What did you do? What did that do?”

“It was made by the elves, they made many different kinds. This particular one is a goblin one. It lulls them and makes them follow the sound of it. It’s very powerful. Why is it here, unless this isn’t a safe haven for Elves, it’s a prison for goblins. Princess, this is, It’s the Old Elfkin Prison. It was called the Wild Cells. They used to bring all kinds of creatures down here and imprison them away from their people and our people. People thought this place was covered with lava. It still exists!” He started playing the flute as they hid. A couple minutes later, hundreds of goblins came walking their way. He stopped playing, “I have to go in the cave. I hope there is another entrance. It doesn’t seem to be effecting the Rizers though.” He started playing again and walked into the cave. It was not a huge cave but it would hold the hundreds of goblins that followed him in. He soon spotted a door on the other end and went out it making sure to close it and say the spell as he saw the last goblin enter. He walked around the rock face to rejoin Aeyla.

“Now we just have to deal with about a hundred of those things.” Aeyla was behind a rock that was closer to the people and Rizers. Watching, waiting, analyzing. “If we come in from over there, we can take them out one by one. They’re backs are turned.” Niko nodded after looking around for a few minutes.

“We need to be quick, and we need to take them all down, we cannot leave any of them alive or conscious.”

“Oh, I plan on it.” Aeyla said as she started walking towards the path she had scouted out. Niko smiled and followed her. They went in behind the first couple rizers, they were easy kills. When they came upon a cluster of them though it was a little harder to navigate which one to take down first. They decided to take the end two out first, then the next two, then the next two in and the last one together. The two in front of them heard the commotion and turned around and squealed a deathly loud squeal. Both Aeyla and Niko stopped in their tracks to hold their ears, but realized they would have to bare the sound if they didn’t want to be made by the seventy more they had to get rid of. They jumped up out of their stances, enduring the shrieking and cut off the heads of the two Rizers. Aeyla used her fire magic, and flipped over them stabbing them, jumped into cracking their necks, while Niko jump kicked, cut off heads, and punched his targets until they were laying on the ground.

The people had stopped what they were doing and had been watching the whole thing, too weak to do anything but watch. When it was all over Niko and Aeyla quick looked around to make sure nothing else was able to go warn Craceeris.

A young looking boy came up to Niko first.

“Mr. Niko, sir. Thank you.” Said the boy.

“You’re welcome Nrizy.” Niko knelt down to the boy. “Do you know the way out of here?” The boy shook his head yes.

“Follow me!” Nrizy yelled at all the people including Niko and Aeyla.

Nrizy brought them all down a long winding tunnel that came out near the sea, a Shipwrecked ship lay before them near the Komatiite Sea.

“Looks like a pirate ship.” Nrizy said smiling. “I mean I hope it is!”

“Bring everyone to the ship, Nrizy. Try to find some kind of food, water. Get the ones that are hurt some help and ask the ones that aren’t so hurt to help you find food, water, and medical supplies. There are woods that way that I know have some food and some medicinal plants in them.” Niko patted the boy on the back.

“Okay Mr. Niko!” Nrizy ran off to help an older fawn walk to the ship.

“We just saved hundreds of our people.” Aeyla said. “Now let’s go save them all.”

She called for Attar and in about five minutes, he landed in front of them.

“Princess, she is planning on attacking the castle with the lava fire.” Attar said in his deep voice.

“Thank you Attar. Is there a way you could get my people back to Grazia…

Attar interrupted her. “They are safer if they stay there for now, I can cover the ship with an invisibility spell.” Aeyla nodded and he flew over to the ship and said some words in the dragon language and the ship disappeared. He flew back to where Aeyla and Niko were and explained to them the quickest and easiest way into Craceeris’s Keep at the Komatiite Volcanos.

“There are people on the outside of the volcano. Your people, princess. She’s placed them there so they get killed before her demons do. So if we sneak in from behind her keep, we can get the less of your people killed. I’ve been bringing them one by one to safety on the Island of Corba, over there.” He pointed to the left of him, the right of them. It’s a small island, but it’s safer than being right at her keep.”

“They probably think you’re going to kill them. Oh wait, do they know you?”

“Yes, they know who I am. They know who raised me.” He turned around to face the direction to the keep. “Are you ready princess? We must be going before she knows you’re here.”

“Yes, take us to the place you think we can get into.” Aeyla said to him.

Aeyla and Niko climbed onto Attar’s back and held on. He flew around to the back of the keep and landed on the beach where frightened people stood frozen in fear.

“Attar keep taking them to Corba.” Attar listened without a word. He took as many as could fit on his back. He flew away, a couple minutes later he was back and took the rest of the people standing on that side of the volcano. When he came back Aeyla ordered him to take the rest of her people either to the Island or the Ship. He flew off again without a word. They scouted where they were and found a small cave door at the base of the volcano. They walked inside the cave to find their first obstacle.