Worlds Apart: Shining Knight

"SH*T!" A really loud obscenity echoed through the trees in the early morning mist. KorathÕs eyes snapped open and he ran towards its source, scooping up his helm and shield on his way. He had been in a deep state of meditation and had not heard Lore quietly slip into the jungle. He ducked into the jungle and raced to where he was sure Lore was. He got to a small clearing and saw Lore, her back against a large tree, her staff on the ground next to her and a horrified look on her face. She was looking at a spot on the ground. It was clear of leaves but the earth was burned black and there was a small pile of ashes in the middle of the scorch mark. He ran over to her.

"Are you ok? What happened?" Concern was clear on his face and he sounded worried. Lore nodded slowly, not taking her eyes off the ashes, her back still pressed up against the tree.

"I was getting breakfast when I spotted a deer. I hit it over its head to knock it out, and it just exploded. It was engulfed by flames and it exploded." Lore had not taken her eyes off the ashes and she started to sound distant. That is until Korath sunk to his knees holding his stomach. He dropped his shield and his sword in the rotting leaves and doubled over. Lore looked down at him and she realised he was laughingÉreally hard.

"What's your problem!" She snapped.

"A sorceress who cannot control the elemental magics!" Korath was laughing harder and he started to gasp as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"You want to be careful. Your armour might rust." Lore said sarcastically. She bent down, picked up her staff and stalked back over to the dying campfire. Korath finally picked up his sword and shield and followed her. He walked up behind her and sat down next to her.

"You know, I was thinking. Well, when my staff touched the deer, it lit up like a bonfire. How come you didnÕt when I pressed the staff to your throat yesterday?" Lore was looking out over the water again as she threw a log on the fire.

"It was partially due to two things. Firstly, you didnÕt want me dead and the staff follows your will. When you hit the deer, you wanted it dead so you could cook it, the staff knew this and it did the work for you."

"Yeah, good work. It not only killed the animal but blew it apart with a shower of sparks." She turned to look at the Paladin. "So what was the second thing?"

"I had an aura ÔonÕ, for lack of a better term." He said calmly.

"An aura? What sort of aura?" Lore looked confused.

"Salvation. Salvation is used to increase elemental resistances by calling upon the Light. It protects from elemental attacks. Not that you were necessarily trying to attack me however I had been fighting Shaman Priests before I encountered you. Shaman Priests have the ability to throw fireballs and the added protection from the aura can prove an advantage in battle." The look of confusion did not leave LoreÕs face.

"Shaman Priests? What are they?" She looked at Korath, again expecting him to explain.

"Shaman Priests are demonic imps. They usually carry a staff with a flag and skull at the top, they lead camps of Fallen. Fallen are also demonic imps, they are somewhat smaller than Shaman Priests and cowardice appears to be a main feature of these. They carry clubs and occasionally scimitars. These pests are becoming numerous and it is feared they may band together and try to overthrow some of the smaller cities in Sanctuary."

Lore nodded in understanding. Thinking to herself Ôthis guy is a nutterÕ. Korath looked at her, he could see she did not really believe him.

"I believe it is time to go. Your pursuers will have left their camp already. If you are to stay ahead of them, you must leave now. I will accompany you to the main land," Korath was about to continue when Lore interrupted.

"WeÕre not on the mainland?" Korath shook his head.

"You really are not from Sanctuary, are you? No, we are currently camped on Philios. Philios is the largest island in the Amazon Islands grouping. We will journey to the furthest part of the island. From there we may seek a boat ride with Meshif. He will take us to Aranoch and we can find a waypoint from there to take us to the Rogue encampment." Lore nodded again.

"Ok, well, what are you waiting for? Lets get going. I donÕt want to be here when those crazy women get here." Lore stood up and dusted the sand from her pants. She grabbed her staff and started walking northeast.

"And while weÕre at it, you can tell me what you know about this staff." She held the staff just in front of her to emphasise her point. Korath looked at her.

"How did you know we had to travel northeast?" Korath hurried to join her after kicking sand over the fire.

"I didnÕt. I figured youÕd tell me if I was going the wrong way." Lore smiled over her shoulder.

"You have a point there." Korath had no trouble keeping up with Lore, he had long legs and was accustomed to moving quickly through the jungle.

Tygra opened her eyes. She looked around the hut and wondered where she was. She lay in the bed trying to remember when the memory came flooding back to her.

"Oh Great. I'm trapped in a world where there are no men." Tye muttered to herself. She didnÕt know that there was more to Sanctuary than just the jungle and the Amazonian encampment.

"Go back to sleep." Mongrelle grunted over her shoulder. The room they were in was small and there was barely enough room for the three beds and a chest at the bottom of each bed. The chests were used for storage, of clothes, valuables and weapons were stored there whilst the owners were asleep. At the moment there were few belongings of the girls in the chests.

Tye rolled over and tried to go back to sleep however it would not curl its gentle fingers around her for a second time and she rolled out of bed and looked in the chest at the foot of the bed. It creaked open and Tye stuck her arm, down to the shoulder into the deep wooden chest. She triumphantly pulled out the armour that sat in the bottom. It was red and very Tye. It had a low neckline and was basically a one-piece swimsuit with less flexibility. There was a studded, stripped leather skirt. There was one shoulder guard, the left one and one armband, the same malleable red metal material the armour was. Tye slipped her shirt off and carefully removed the arrowhead from between her breasts. She slipped the armour on over her pants and placed the leather skirt around her hips. The stripped leather hid the pants and she looked just like one of the women outside when she pulled her hair back and tied it up. She reached back into the thick wooden chest and pulled out a strap-type thing. This type of strap looked very similar to a belt, only it was much smaller. She looked at the miniature belt then looked at her legs. She reached down and pulled another 2 belts out of the chest. She looked at the three small belts sitting in her hand. She wrapped two of the belts around her right thigh and did the buckles up. She wrapped the remaining belt around her left thigh. With that accomplished, she stuck her head into the chest to see if she could find boots.

Vixen woke with a start and sat up as Tye jumped non-stop on the end of her bed.

"Vee, Look at me! Now IÕm really an Amazon!" Vixen looked at Tye through watery eyes and grunted something unintelligible.

"Sheesh, there's no need to swear." Tye hopped from VixenÕs bed to MongrelleÕs bed.

"How cool is this!" Tye continued jumping on the beds. Mongrelle slowly opened one eye and glared at Tye through it. When Tye didnÕt take the hint Mongrelle swiftly placed her foot in TyeÕs midsection and pushed hard. Tye flew off the bed and into the wall on the other side of the room. She stood up and dusted herself off.

"See? That didnÕt even hurt!" Mongrelle and Vixen both groaned and pulled the covers up higher.

Korie knocked on the doorframe and stuck her head through the heavy grey curtain.

"Are you ready for breakfast?" She looked at the two lumps under the blankets and at Tye who was up and dressed. Korie beamed with pride. "IÕm glad you like those, I picked them out for you myself." Tye was bouncing around the room again.

"Like them? I love them!" Korie blushed and told Vixen and Mongrelle to get up and get dressed because breakfast was over about an hour ago. This little speech gave Vixen the motivation to get up, although Mongrelle was harder to arouse. Vixen, once dressed in her own red armour was ripping the blankets off Mongrelle, who slept almost nude save the underwear. The blankets came off and Mongrelle hissed. She then sat up and ripped the lid off the chest at the bottom of her bed in one swift motion. She pulled out the armour and slipped it on. The armour the three girls wore was very similar, however Mongrelle had two shoulder protectors and one armband, the left one. The left armband was somewhat longer than the ones Vixen and Tygra wore and it protected most of her left arm, it was the sort Bow-azons wear. Mongrelle dug around in the chest again and discovered a bow and quiver of arrows.

The shoulder protectors Mongrelle wore were different from each other, the left one curled up to protect her neck, so she was more protected as she was looking down an arrow shaft. The protectors were attached with leather straps and the right one curved down so it would protect her collarbone, but neither protected the top of her bust, which showed. VixenÕs armour was similar to the others however the two shoulder protectors were the same and she found two armbands in the bottom of her chest. VixenÕs armour was nowhere near as low cut as TyeÕs or MongrelleÕs, however all three had the studded leather skirt that sat on the hips and the strips allowed free movement. Vixen looked into the bottom of her chest and pulled out a crossbow. Her eyes grew wide.

"Cool." She reached back in and pulled out the bolts that went with it. She ran her eyes over the design. It was fairly simple however it looked like it packed a fair punch. She looked over at Mongrelle who had slung her bow and arrows over her right shoulder.

Mongrelle did not look particularly pleased about having to wear a skirt and she was most definitely not happy about not being able to fit her cargo pants on underneath the armour. It allowed only enough room for skintight clothes, or underwear. She looked at Vixen, who glared back at her.

"Not a word. I'm not happy about this either but those clothes wont last forever, especially not if weÕre weapons training." Vixen silenced MongrelleÕs outburst, however she could not stop her friend from complaining.

"But Vee, ItÕs so degrading." Vixen smiled at this. It sounded like something Lore would say, if she were here. This thought brought tears to VixenÕs eyes and she subtly wiped them away, not wanting anyone to see how upset she was. She followed Mongrelle and Tye out of the room, for the first time noticing the spear Tye carried.

The three friends walked out to the main area they were in last night, only to discover the Amazon men sitting at a large table discussing politics. Every one of them looked up as the three girls walked out, looking for AriÕel. MongrelleÕs face flushed red and she turned away so the men couldnÕt see how embarrassed she was. TyeÕs jaw dropped.

"There are men here!" She looked pleadingly at Vixen who shook her head. Tye couldnÕt tell if Vixen was saying no or if she was just ashamed. All of the men had straw coloured hair and they each wore flowing robes, which was a strong contrast to the battle attire all of the women wore. AriÕel joined the women and introduced the three girls to the men.

"You obviously have some questions, I will answer them after you eat." At this, AriÕel turned and motioned for some young boys to bring out platters of fruit. The fruit was placed at the head of the table where AriÕel sat down and motioned for the three to join her. They sat down and looked at AriÕel expectantly, waiting for her to tell them if they had to follow some ridiculous tradition. AriÕel smiled and told them to dig in. She looked at Mongrelle who had not touched anything.

"Is there a problem with the food?" AriÕel enquired. Mongrelle shook her head.

"No, but I donÕt eat conventional food." AriÕel looked a little confused. Vixen leaned over the table and whispered something in her ear and the confused look on AriÕelÕs face was replaced with some more like disgust and repulsion. She seemed to develop and almost nervous twitch in her left eye and waved Korie over.

"Take our friend out to our hunting grounds. She will leave you and return a short time later. Do not go looking for her, just escort her to the hunting grounds and wait." Korie nodded and Mongrelle stood and followed Korie to the far side of the city.

AriÕel looked at Vixen and Tygra when they had finished eating.

"Do either of you have any questions before I take you to train?" AriÕel looked at Tye specifically. She could see Tye was almost dying to ask a question, she was squirming in her seat. Finally it got the better of Tye and she turned to look around her. She turned back to AriÕel.

"Yeah, can I borrow him for the day?" Tye indicated to one of the gentlemen at the table, one who looked surprisingly like Edge. AriÕel could not suppress her grin.

"Maybe later, first you must become acquainted with your weapon, you need to know how to use it." Tye sneered at this remark. Vixen threw Tye a dirty look, one that said not to make a comment after the statement AriÕel made. Tye couldnÕt help herself though and although the comment was not from the gutter, the intentions behind it were somewhat animalistic.

"How hard can it be? You point it in the direction you want it to go and throw it, now can I borrow him please?" Vixen giggled at this smart arsed remark and AriÕel looked amused.

"I think she has your best intentions at heart." Vixen said after she had composed herself. Tye looked really, really disappointed. AriÕel stood up, followed by Vixen and a very dejected Tye.

They made their way to the area where they were going to train and AriÕel turned around when they reached the boundary. Something struck Vixen as odd and she soon worked out what it was, a large wall surrounded the training area. The wall was made entirely of trees that had been cut down and stacked horizontally, one on top of another. The wall was approximately 10 feet high and from the ground (which was where they were, they had climbed down ladders), it was impossible to see over. AriÕel looked at Vixen and Tygra.

"We will wait here until your friend returns." AriÕel turned to look over VixenÕs shoulder and smiled. "The wait shall not be long." Vixen and Tye turned around to look and they saw Mongrelle, still dressed in her armour walking towards them. She looked radiant now she had fed, her skin almost glowed and her blue and blonde hair streamed behind her in the wind that gently ruffled the treetops. She joined the others and her bright red eyes reflected her mood.

"So? When do start?" Elle was full of enthusiasm, she was obviously looking forward to shooting things.

"Its not quite that simple Mongrelle. You see, your weapons have magical attributes. You must first gain the strength to use them. Once you have enough strength you will practise your accuracy, building your dexterity, then when that is complete and Riata returns, she will take you out and you may battle some demons." AriÕel smiled. Mongrelle was not about to let AriÕel ruin her mood.

"Ok, so lets go." Mongrelle was eager to get to the physically demanding part of the training and Tye was just eager to get over the training so she could "borrow" one of the men, or some of the men, she wasnÕt fussy.

"We will start with strength building exercises, please follow me." AriÕel led the women to a small hut near one of the walls of the training pen. She pulled back the curtain and turned to look at the girls. Vixen, Tygra and Mongrelle peered inside. The hut was full of weights and barbells. Tye was the first to speak up.

"YouÕre joking, right? We do that every day, can we just skip this bit? Strength isnÕt an issue here, lets move on to the next challenge." AriÕel shrugged.

"Sure, why not. Its not like it will make much of a difference. We will see exactly how strong you are though. The weapons you carry take more strength to carry and use for long periods of time than you may think. Let us move to the range." AriÕel closed the door to the hut and led the way to an archery range. The range was approximately a 5-minute walk from the training area.

Once there, AriÕel turned to look at the three girls.

"Who will go first?" She looked at Mongrelle, who stepped forward. She nodded slightly and walked up to the line that indicated the starting mark, the one that you donÕt step over when there are many people shooting.

"Which one am I aiming at?" She asked AriÕel over her shoulder. AriÕel stepped forward and she pointed at the closest target.

"That one. Try to hit the bullseye." AriÕel smiled and thought to herself. ÔYou probably canÕt even hit the target.Õ Mongrelle snarled.

"I heard that!" She drew the string back as far as she could and looked down the shaft of the arrow. "Hit this!" She breathed to herself and released the arrow. It shot forth and AriÕel gasped as it not only hit the bullseye of the target she had indicated (the one at 50metres), but proceeded through the target and imbedded itself deep in the centre of the bullseye at the 200 metre mark. Both targets sizzled as the lightning charge arched from one to the other. Mongrelle turned to look at AriÕel, who looked very stunned.

"It usually takes years for even great Amazons to learn that skillÉ" Mongrelle grinned.

"IÕm better than a ÔgreatÕ Amazon." Mongrelle looked pretty pleased with herself, until Vixen spoke up.

"Yeah, and modest to." Vixen smiled sweetly at Mongrelle, who frowned and threw her a dirty look.

AriÕel couldnÕt take her eyes from the targets until Tygra stepped forward and gently pushed her out of the way.

"My turn!" She hefted her Maiden Spear onto her shoulder and breathed deeply. She hurled the spear and AriÕel gasped again as a trail of poison clouds followed the spear and an additional cloud of poison expanded from the point of impact.

Vixen looked impressed as she stepped to replace Tygra. Tye stepped back next to Mongrelle as Vixen drew a bolt and set it into her crossbow. She aimed at the target and gently squeezed the trigger.

The bolt flew towards the target and went through the hole MongrelleÕs arrow had created. It thudded into the bullseye next to MongrelleÕs arrow as the target at the 50-metre mark froze over and shattered. The target the bolt was currently embedded in exploded in a shower of ice crystals and AriÕel sat down on the ground next to Tygra. She had gone a very pale colour and the three walked down to collect their various weapons. They walked back to where AriÕel was sitting on the ground, laughing and joking (as best friends do). They stood around AriÕel, who had not moved.

Mongrelle stuck out her hand and picked AriÕel up off the ground. She placed the queen on her feet next to Vixen.

"This is unbelievableÉI have been training for years and have only just mastered those techniques. The first time you pick up a weapon and you can do thatÉ" AriÕel trailed off, she did however continue to mumble to herself until Korie joined them.

"That was amazing!" KorieÕs face was flushed and she looked very excited. She didnÕt know who to turn to first. AriÕel led the women back to the Amazon city, still in disbelief.

Lore and Korath hurried through the thick jungle and soon the jungle started becoming thinner.

Korath stopped suddenly and put his finger up to his lips to signal Lore to be quiet. She nodded and mouthed the words ÔWhat is it?Õ but Korath hadnÕt moved, his eyes were closed and he slowly drew his sword from around his waist, careful not to make any noise. Lore didnÕt know what was happening so she followed suit and brought her staff up to a fighting stance. Korath moved his left hand and an aura lit up beneath his feet. Lore looked down in amazement and one lit up under her feet also. She felt stronger, more confident and somehow she knew this aura was Fanaticism, designed to improve allies of the PaladinÕs attack rating, or their accuracy. She looked around and silently moved so Korath could still see her. The two quietly walked around, looking like they were stalking something, as they surely were.

Korath spun around as Lore fell to the ground, an arrow embedded deep in her left shoulder. She gasped and dropped her staff, she was on her knees holding her shoulder with her right hand, blood flowing swiftly from the wound. Lore started gasping and she tried to remain quiet so Korath could concentrate. He spun back around and brought his sword up to the ready as a volley of arrows flew towards him. His sword flashed and the arrows dropped harmlessly to the ground. He looked around carefully and his aura changed. The aura below LoreÕs knees faded away and she looked up, tears in her eyes from the pain. The new aura below KorathÕs feet was a golden colour and Lore heard several shrieks of pain come from the surrounding jungle as lightning sprung from the earth and damaged them. This aura was Holy Shock, although Lore was not to find this out until much later. The jungle may have begun to thin out, however it was still very thick and hid the attackers well.

Korath silently stalked into the jungle and Lore looked around worried. Korath didnÕt want to tell Lore the wound looked awful. He ducked low into the shrubs as a pair of legs walked past. He stood up and held his sword en guard. The Amazon he was facing spun to face him and brought her javelin up. Korath lunged forward and sliced the javelin in 2 pieces like it was nothing. The Amazon looked stunned, then worry took over as she realised she didnÕt have a weapon to defend herself. Korath turned as an arrow whistled past his head and thudded into the nearest tree. He dodged to the side as a spear flew at his midsection and looked over his shoulder as it dug deep into the stomach of the Amazon behind him. Her knees buckled and she sunk to the ground, holding the spear that had nearly gone straight through her. Blood slowly bubbled from her mouth and her eyes rolled into the back of her head but not before she uttered

"Zerae! Favour my soul!" The Amazon fell to the ground dead and another charged at Korath from the dense undergrowth. He dodged to the side again as the Amazon tried to run him through with her spear. He brought the butt of his sword down hard on the base of her skull and she slumped to the ground unconscious.

Erena and Selena both charged at Korath at the same time from opposite sides, not knowing the other was charging. Korath stepped backwards, turned on his heels, and disappeared into the jungle, with the one of the two remaining Amazons right behind him. Erena took off in the direction Lore was. She arrived where Lore fell and looked around. Erena looked at the trail of blood that led to a clearing. She followed the trail to the edge of the clearing and peered at the far side. There was a dark lump lying on the ground. Erena plucked her bow from her shoulder and she withdrew an arrow from the quiver. She stepped into the small clearing and took aim at the motionless figure on the ground. She released the arrow and watched it disappear into the shadows.

AriÕel had calmed down slightly and colour had returned to her face. She turned to look at Vixen, Tygra and Mongrelle.

"You three must stay and teach me how to accomplish mastery of those weapons and in return, I will teach you about Sanctuary and how to summon a Valkyrie to fight by your side." Tye looked at AriÕel, confused. When AriÕel just stared back at Tye, she spoke up.

"Well, I can see your not going to tell me what a Valkyrie is until I ask. So, whatÕs a Valkyrie?" Tye asked somewhat sarcastically of AriÕel. AriÕel smiled slightly and looked directly into TyeÕs eyes.

"A Valkyrie is an emissary of Athulua. They are spirits of the greatest heroes of the Amazon and they fight by your side. They are the highest honour the Goddess Athulua bestows." AriÕel finished her little tale and the others nodded.

Vixen looked at AriÕel, then turned to have a group discussion. The three leant in close and started whispering.

"I donÕt want to stay any longer than necessary." Vixen kept her voice low and she looked at Mongrelle who in turn looked at Tye.

"But a Valkyrie may come in handy." Tye whispered to Vixen. Vixen nodded and looked at Mongrelle, waiting to hear her opinion.

Mongrelle shrugged.

"What ever, I donÕt really care. A Valkyrie could come in handy, along with the knowledge about this place. It would probably be a good idea to stay and learn as much as possible before we try to find Lore. As it is we donÕt know where she could have gone and if we know about this place, we would be able find her easier and there would be less chance of getting into trouble." Vixen, Tygra and Mongrelle each leaned back and looked at AriÕel.

"Ok, weÕll stay, but not for long, we still have to find Lore." Vixen spoke to AriÕel who smiled and nodded. She thought to herself. ÔBy keeping them here, it will allow Riata and the others time to rid Sanctuary of that witch, Lore.Õ But what she said was

"We will begin immediately then, so you may be on your way sooner." AriÕel stated. Vixen, Mongrelle and Tygra each stood up and waited for AriÕel to lead the way and Mongrelle wondered what AriÕel meant by "rid Sanctuary".

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