The Truth

Lavernius fell to his knees and screamed. He walked over to the shattered portal and picked up pieces of it and put them in his bag. He grabbed enough for a dagger. He called out the adventurers' names.

"David! Hazel! Ash!" he yelled, "It's safe!"

They emerged from the forest with tears in their eyes. They had their weapons drawn.

"What are you doing?" he asked

"We heard everything," David said, his voice breaking, "You are Lavernius Bear. You are wanted in all of the kingdoms. The Champion of Mortis during the war."

"Why did you lie to us?" Hazel asked

"That is why you stared at me when you first saw me. You were thinking of my father, Phoenix Flame." Ash said

"Yes. I am Lavernius. I had to lie to you. Yes, I was thinking of your father because Jack killed him. I watched it from the shadows." he said.

"What are you planning to do?" David asked

"I came here to destroy the portals and find the Artifacts." he said

"We can't let you do that." David said, standing firm.

"I don't want to fight you." Lavernius said

"We can't let you go free and do what you want." David said

David and Ash got into a defensive stance. Hazel got behind them and prepared to use Energy. Lavernius unsheathed his sword and prepared to fight them.

Lavernius dashed at David and Ash. David blocked the attack and Ash dodged. Hazel used gravity Energy to keep Lavernius in one place. David and Ash timed their attacks and struck him hard. Lavernius stumbled back, stunned by the blows. But then he recovered quickly and charged forward again. He lunged at David with his sword. David parried the blow and counterattacked. He knocked Lavernius off balance and kicked him in the chest.

Lavernius fell back, and got up quickly. Ash quickly attacked him. Lavernius was weak due to the outburst of Energy and the prior fight. Lavernius clashed swords with Ash and blocked off David. He managed to knock Ash back.

But Lavernius was strong and fast. He was able to dodge David's attack and countered with an attack of his own.

David and Ash exchanged punches and blocks. Then David unleashed a flurry of attacks on Lavernius. Lavernius was surprised by the sudden onslaught. He tried to block David's attacks but wasn't able to. David continued his attack until Lavernius was forced to retreat.

"Stop fighting!" Hazel yelled, "Let's just leave!"

"Let's run to the shore!" Ash yelled

Lavernius ran deeper into the forest. David was too focused on him and chased after him.

"David!" Ash yelled

Ash and Hazel ran after David into the forest. The woods were filled with the sound of metal clashing. David was not letting Lavernius go. Ash and Hazel stood back watching David stand against the ex-champion. David's speed and strength shocked them all. Lavernius was unable to keep up.

David finally caught up to Lavernius and tackled him to the ground. Lavernius rolled to the side and got up quickly. David and Lavernius clashed swords again. Then Lavernius appeared to get the upper hand and started attacking David. But David was stronger. He was also faster than before. David blocked every attack. He countered each blow and battered the ex-champion.

Lavernius' face was covered in blood. He looked like he had been through hell. Suddenly, Lavernius shouted at the top of his lungs. Something changed. Lavernius began to hold him back, he was going over his limit. Ash and Hazel quickly joined the fight against Lavernius. All four of them were trading hits.

Suddenly, Lavernius turned around and ran at Ash and Hazel. Ash and Hazel ducked down and moved away from him. Lavernius slashed at Hazel while she was still dodging. When she stopped moving, she fell on her stomach. She felt pain in her head and body.

She opened her eyes and realized that she was lying on a rock. Her vision was blurry and she couldn't move. Her limbs were numb and useless. Hazel tried to open her eyes as wide as possible. The wound was shallow, but she hit her head on the rock. Ash stood over her and protected her from the enemy.

David jumped on the back of Lavernius and stabbed him in the back many times with a dagger. Lavernius flung David off and he flew into a tree. David tried to stand but fell to his knees. Ash did not move away from Hazel. Lavernius ran deeper into the forest until he vanished from sight. Ash bent down and carried Hazel on his back. David got up slowly and pounded the ground in anger.

"We couldn't do anything!" David shouted

"We fought him off as best we could, David. You injured him as well." Ash said

"It's not enough! He's going to get the power from the Artifacts!" David shouted

"I can walk..." Hazel said

"Okay." Ash said, putting her down gently.

"Let's go to the shore." Hazel said

"Yeah, there might be a passing ship." Ash said

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go." David said

They struggled getting to the edge of the forest. To their surprise there was a small platoon of an army. Ash waved his hand and got the attention of a few knights.

"See David, It's going to be alright. We are safe." Ash said