The Lost Princess Returns

Jasmin exits the vortex, farther away from the group than she would've liked. Dang it. Why the fudge did there have to be a storm today, of all days? I must hurry and use the rest of my magic for the protective spell. Jasmin twists and turns, trying to find her balance. She struggles to control the surrounding energy to help regain some composure in the chaos. Jasmin emits a subtle orange glow, almost impossible to detect in this storm. As lightning strikes, lighting up the sky, Jasmin sees Gindloc's hawks appear, already snatching a few of them and flying straight to the castle. How did they get here so fast? I didn't plan on there being an attack this quickly. Jasmin frantically tries to think of a plan as the rest plummet to the ground. As Jasmin surveys the area, she sees a pair of red glowing eyes speeding right toward her. Panicking, she aims her spell at the pitch-black sky, using the elements to help her as a bright light flashes above. Branches of thunder shock the guards and hawks, sending them spiraling down, disappearing in the storm. What am I thinking? That could've killed them. Luckily, I was accurate this time. Jasmin tries to calm down and concentrates on the rest. What little magic she has is not enough to gather them as they drift too far away. She uses most of her energy, shooting a protective spell at them, forming a bubble of sorts for her and them to land safely.

Jasmin drifts and lands safely in the Golden Forest, pointing her wand in front of her, popping the bubble as it releases her of its protection. She scans through her bag, looking for an orb that could contact Valier and Lemir. As she reached in, she felt glass shards cut her fingers, stabbing her slightly. Jasmin stood there staring in her bag, now filled with broken glass that used to be in the shape of a small ball. She surveys her surroundings, noticing the rain had lightened as the last drop of rain fell and the fog that once covered the sky dissipated. Jasmin was speechless at the unfortunate timing of the weather. She scans the forest, looking for the tallest tree she could find. Picking one measuring nearly a hundred feet tall, rushing to the top to see where she is and hoping to spot the others. Realizing even though the rain had cleared the night still made it impossible for her to spot them. She thinks of the others that were captured and looks for the castle, taking only a second to find it. The castle was easy to spot, no matter the time. The heart of the Kingdom shined brilliantly, beaming with flames that illuminated inside the walls. Rows of statues of past kings, glowing from the electricity that shined from their weapons, similar to when they were in battle. The hawks blocked the light for a second whenever they flew past the late Kings, guarding the fortress, scanning for anyone that dared attack this Kingdom. Jasmin was almost mesmerized at the spectacle, a place she once called her home. Jasmin quickly shakes her head and refocuses on her mission. Her heart sinks when she realizes she's hours away from the castle.

What should I do? Should I find the rest and then go to the castle? I don't even know where they are, though. What if they woke already and found somewhere to hide? What if they sent more hawks and captured them? I can't risk it. Time is of the essence, and I can't risk them getting killed. This might be better as a stealth mission. I don't know if they will capture the rest, but from what I remember, they are strong enough to handle an army of those guards.

Not wasting any time, she uses the rest of her magic to enchant a branch and fly to the castle. She stares at the branch and can't help but think that Lemir's dragons would be very helpful right now. I guess this will do. The branch hovers as she hops on, steering it toward the Castle. Because of the low amount of magic and the breaking point of the branch, sadly, the maximum speed will be a sluggish ten miles per hour. Flying at this sluggish speed slowly made her more and more tired. She looked through her bag, pulling out the scepter that opened the vortex. Staring at it while she held it in her hands. The amount of magical energy it would take to do such a spell is monumental. Thankfully, it's only good for traveling. This would be too powerful if used for war. Jasmin continued to stare at the scepter, puzzled by how much power could be in such a small item. She looked at it one time, appreciating the craftsmanship, and history of such a legendary item, and quickly put it back in her bag, not wanting to drop it. The calming effect of the golden trees and the sound of the mountainous waterfalls keeping her eyelids open became impossible at this point. Jasmin rested her head on the end of the branch, hoping when she woke up, she'll be close and have most of her power back.

As the sun rose, the light shined on her face. The smell of flowers filled her nose, reminding her of the garden in the palace's courtyard, but unfortunately, pig blood soon replaced the smell of flowers as a butcher's pushcart passed by. Waking up to find herself on the dirt in the middle of a market. She stood up and saw the sign of Fourth Road Golden Market. Jasmin stood there, amazed she was only a mile away from where she left. "Are you fudging kidding me?" Kicking the branch in frustration and using a different word instead of fudge. The workers and customers alike were staring at her in a troubled manner while passing by. "Don't tell me I didn't even have enough magic to make it to the castle." Jasmin frantically looked through her oversized bag, desperately needing to clean it out. Whew, thank goodness, Valier would've killed me if I lost this. I can't risk taking this. It's way too valuable. I need a place to hide this.

Jasmin walked towards the exit and despite her earlier tantrum, she tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. Alas, that wasn't her forte as she put her head down and wrapped her arms around her bag, rushing to the exit and bumping into a few drunks, as they entered the market. She apologized and rushed to a nearby cave. As she made her way to the cave, she finally felt rejuvenated, feeling her energy flow within her again, thanks to her much needed rest.

She slowly entered the cave, covering her nose as the smell of mildew with a hint of feces washed over her, feeling uneasy as she wasn't sure if it was from an animal or human. As she made her way through the cave, she stumbled on the scattered rocks that filled the floor, sending echoes deep within. It was becoming too dangerous for her to go any further when she found a nearby boulder that covered half the tunnel. She decided this would make for a decent hiding place. Jasmin pulled out her wand, pointing to the book and the scepter. They both glowed with a bright blue, as she used a protective spell to ward off any thieves before hiding them ten feet below the cave's floor in two separate locations.

After a few minutes, she exited the cave, discovering the same drunk men walking toward her.

"What were you doing in there? Don't you know this is our turf?"

"Your turf is a feces-infested cave?"

"It's temporary. We also have a pretty sweet set up above that bar."

"Is that why you guys reek of alcohol?"

"Yes." Jocko said softly as his eyes darted from side to side.

"Maybe you would like to join us for a drink."

"No."

"Ahh, is it because it's so early?"

"Yes." Jasmin said softly while darting her eyes back and forth.

"Forget it. Now, what was in the bag?"

"You know, girl stuff, I'm sure you don't want me to go into detail."

"No, but you are going to show us where you hid it." "I don't have time for this."

The man in the middle put his hand up, signaling to stop. "Don't you know who we are? You must not be from here. We're the Blades of the lost kingdom, and we run things here. I'm Jocko, and this is Frey and Wilt."

"You forgot to add gang." Frey said, whispering to Jocko.

"Oh yeah, we're the Blades of the Lost Kingdom gang. So I suggest you make time." Jocko said.

"That last part sounded cool." Wilt said.

"I know. I got chills once I said it."

The three of them turned once again to Jasmin, all of them sending a menacing look while nodding their heads as their hair bounced in sync.

Jasmin shook her head, as she had never seen three men all having bowl cuts stand together. They all wore armor vests they found in a scrap yard, damaged from battles that they most likely weren't a part of. The matching hair styles freaked her out a bit, not wanting to look at them any longer. They looked more like an 80s boy band, the same that I've seen on that box in the other world than a gang. Jasmin, not wanting to waste any of her rejuvenated energy, she walked past them, seeking to complete her mission. As she almost passed them, Jocko grabbed her collar, picking her up with ease and swiftly threw her to the ground.

"You changed your mind yet." Jocko said, staring down at Jasmin as he glowed yellow. He powered up his strikes as he kicked her in her ribs, sending her flying to the cave wall. The three all pulled out rusty knives from their pockets while walking confidently towards her.

Jasmin stared at them, tasting blood, growing with anger as they stepped closer. She stood up and a red aura ignited around her. They froze and instantly stepped back. The two men standing on either side of Jocko turned to the leader on what to do next. Jocko knew he had to be brave and not show any fear, even though he was overwhelmed by it. His yellow aura still surrounded him, but seemed a little less impressive now as he walked towards the red aura that Jasmin emitted. As Jocko inched closer, Jasmin raised both arms and threw a crystal dagger into both of his knees before he could make another step. Falling to his now blooded knees, screaming in pure agony until his voice went out. The others soon sprinted away, attempting to save themselves. Jasmin waved her wand, wrangling both of them by the ankles and whipping them together into a net. They lay there, struggling to cut themselves free with their knives. The rusted knives were doing as much damage to the net as a spoon cutting steel. Jasmin walked towards the three, casting a shadow over them, forming a sledgehammer, as the red glow shined on them. She thinks of what could've happened to her if she was a defenseless and weak old lady and becomes overwhelmed with rage.

CRUNCH

Jasmin slammed the sledgehammer into each of their legs, crunching and shattering their bones with each strike, making a mark none of them will forget. They lay motionless, still trapped in the net, as their legs bent in unnatural directions. Jasmin walked back into the market, blood staining her shoes.