Part 6

Just before the sun rose, Jasko led his group of heros through the gates of Kelthor, and through the North Woods. This section of the North Woods was close enough to the Ardent Forest, that the glow of the flames could be seen through the trees while the sun was still behind the horizon. One of oldest mysteries of Argor, no one knows where the fires of the Ardent Forest or the ice of the Algor Sea came from. The fires cannot be extinguished, and the ice cannot be melted.

As they reached the edge of the woods, Korlok stopped abruptly, and spun around with a concerned look on his face.

"Why did you guys laugh when I told you we were dating last night?" Korlok asked.

"Well, it was funny, because we had just finished discussing when a good time woud be to tell you that we're also a couple." Jasko said as he entwined his fingers with Wendelyn's.

"Fair enough."

As they got to the edge of the woods, and Prathe lake started to come into view, Gaeene got a little ahead of the group.

"Check this out!" she yelled.

She ran by a small group of orcs that must have wandered here from Crushnell, then she grabbed a group of skeletons that must have wandered from Vengon Valley. She used a combo of Ensnare and Hailstorm on each of them as she ran in large circles. The monsters just kept chasing her, collapsing one at a time as the Hailstorm damage slowly killed them. After a few minutes, Gaeene was the only one running in circles.

"Oh, Jasko, you have a damage over time skill, you could do that too!" yelled out Korlak.

"I've tried that," repleid Jasko, "but even if I use Frost to slow them down, I still end up getting hit a lot."

"Well, that's why you need one of these." Gaeene said, as she held up her hand. "The Maze Ring. It added this little Quickness symbol to my emblem, now I run faster than all of you."

She lifted up the back of her shirt to show them a set of lines at the bottom of her emblem, that looked like the wind blowing.

"Maybe once we've all chosen a path, I'll help all of you get one. It's a fairly easy quest in the Maze." Gaeene said, as the group finally caught back up with her.

"Speaking of choosing a path, have you decided which path you're gonna take?" asked Wendelyn.

"No. Not yet. I see the value of both paths, but still not sure which one better fits my personality." laughed Gaeene.

Just ahead, they could see a vine covered buidling near the shore of the lake. It was Baldur's. Baldur's was a spot where people could go to gamble, drink, and just party without judgement. The owner, Baldur, was an old 6 skill warrior, but hadn't left his place in a long time. No one said it, but they all considered a quick stop there. But just as they got a few steps from the path to the door of the building, they all heard frantic yelling.

"Help! Help me! Someone!"

They ran around the back of the building and found a mage surrounded by some bats. Once the group finished killing the bats, the young mage explained that he was fighting small bats in the woods, and a couple ran off. He chased them, but when he finally found a few bats on the edge of the woods, they were large, and much stronger than he was.

"They must have come from the Catacombs. But they shouldn't be wandering out this far." Jasko said, as he looked around for more surprises.

"You probably shouldn't be wandering this far out on your own either." Gaeene said to the young mage, as they all began to walk him back to the safety of the nearby path to town.

"Pretty soon, it wont matter.'" replied the young mage, with a stern look on his face. "Once I become an Elemental like my brother, nothing will be able to beat me. I heard he wiped out the Amboor Caves not too long ago, without ever lifting a finger. He let his little dirt pet do all the work."

"Well, for now, you should stick to Kalen's Castle or Nokfell, no need for the world to lose such an ambitious Protector." said Wendelyn, smiling.

Once the young mage was safely on the path, the group started heading back towards The Cave. The next part of the trip would bring them through the South Woods.

After a few steps, Wendelyn noticed a big smile on Gaeene's face. "What's with the smirk?" she asked.

"I think I've decided which path I'm gonna take."