-Z-
Whispering...
Why does my head hurt?
Whispering...
Why is everything black?
Whispering...
I can't open my eyes..
Whispering...
Something cold flows over my face..
Whispering...
My eyelids come loose, I blink my eyes against the bright light.
The whispering changes into the sound of the wind blowing through the trees.
My vision is blurry..
I see.. I think a thatched roof..
Where am I..?
Next to me, someone is sitting, who I can't see clearly..
"He is awake", a soft woman's voice says
The light weakens a moment when someone comes through the entrance.
"Zarlin?" says the person, "Zarlin?"
I recognise Moran's voice..
"Zarlin, good that you're back!"

-M-
"Finally! Are you done with your beautynap?"
"Shut up, Moran. That headache, it's killing me. What's happend?"
"Oh.. That's quite a story. It wasn't realy clever to blow up those barrels after all. When you started to take a nap, a dragon went to see Ilion and me. I think it wasn't planning to take any prisoners. First we had to drag you on board, cast off the ropes, I didn't have time to stand on deck for two seconds, and it starts to hail. No, not just pebblestones, but chunks of ice as large as melons. It turned out there was someone riding on the back of the dragon, throwing holes in our boat."
"But how did you get rid of him?"
"Yeah..That was quite strange...

-S-
Just at that moment, I came in, on which Zarlin asks:
"Who are you?"
"I'm Sylvaron. I live here in the woods at the edge of the lake."
I noticed that Zarlin was going to ask me something, but I didn't let him interrupt me and I continued my story.
"About a week ago I went hunting for rabbits, when I heard a dragon's cry. I went looking for for the origin of the sound. It came from the lake. When I climbed up a tree to look around, I spotted you guys. I saw you were in danger, so I decided to help you get rid of the dragon.
I grabbed my bow, aimed, and shot..."
"What happened next?" Zarlin asked full of excitement.
"...I hit the big creature in it's wing and it slowly descended and eventually crashed into the lake. That's when you came ashore."

-I-
"Ah, he'll be awake!" They are talking inside the hut. The person who just entered was of a race commonly called half-dryads. It is said that these forests are also inhabited by true dryads, forest spirits, and that these beings here descend from them, but I don't believe that. They call themselves simply the 'forest tribes'. They have a small flat nose, similair to a cat's, and ears stretching to beyong the back of their head. They 'hop' a bit when they're walking but they move quite fast. I jump off my chair and walk after Sylvaron.
"Ah, you are indeed awake!"
"What?!?" Our ill wizard called out "A week ago?" He slumped back onto his pillow.
"Err... Yeah", Moran answered. "You were asleep all that time. In the meantime, we searched the library here for more information on the Riverpeek Range and a good map."
"Did you find those?"
"Yup, here!" I called out triumphantly. I throw the map and a book on the bed.
"I also managed to practice some alchemy here, I made you a nice piece of equipment. Moran, I think that special dagger is ready" Through the window, there were red and green sparks to be seen coming from a cloud of smaoke clearly not far away.
"Eat some, and check the book, you'll be up to date." Thus I left back to my project.

-Z-
Moran and Sylvaron walk after Ilion to look at his creation. I take a look at the map.
"Let's see, here is the city.." I say in thought.
"And here flows the river.., Sylvaron was talking about a lake.. Ah! there is the lake, so then this village should be at this dot.."
"But where are those mountains?"
Suddenly, someone walks in, it's a girl from the village.
She has shining black hair to her shoulders and bright, green eyes. I think she is about the same age as Moran.
"Do you need anything?" she asks.
"Ehh.. no.."
"Actually.. yes, do you know where the 'Riverpeek Ranges' are?"
"I've never heard of them, but if you follow the river upstream, you will come to the mountains, maybe that is what you are looking for"
"Okay, thanks"
Then there is a loud bang outside, smoke and sparks come through the entrance.
"What was that?" the girl asks shocked
"I think I already know.."
I stand up and walk trough the smoke and sparks outside..

-M-
Cough..
Cough..
"Ilion.. Cough.. Next time, think first before you do something like that."
Cough..
"Sorry Moran, but I didn't know either that it would give this reaction."
"You overdid it with that stuff, didn't you?"
"Ok ok Moran. It didn't went as planed, but quit complaining about it. And look who's there."
"Zarlin, you shouldn't be out of bed." advices Sylvaron.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine."
After we took out the fire, with help from the villagers, we sat down in Sylvaron's hut.
"Ey, Sylvaron, have you already heard something about the city? What's happening over there?"
"The Dark army took the complete city. It seems they are regrouping, before they continue their travel to the north. If they come across the town, the whole vilage need to flee. But we are making proporations to..." "Excuse me Sylvaron, but what I smell has more priority" In a few paces I'm outside.
"Dinner..

-S-
..."Dinner's ready!" A villiger shouts.
"I'll get Zarlin, Ilion and Moran." I said to the others.
"We're holding a feast in honor of you, because we haven't had visitors in our village in years"
"Let's hope you've got enough food in here. I've got the feeling I haven't eaten for a week!" Zarlin said.
"Eat as much as you can. We had plenty of time to prepare the feast."
While everyone is eating around the table, Ilion asks everyone if they have some repair jobs for him, Zarlin tries to warm his food with a small fireball, Moran is playing with his knife and I ask myself how long it is going to take before the dark soldiers destroy our village.

-I-
"What was that?" I thought I heard something. "again" "Kraaaagh!" A hoarse cry.
The sweeping sound of gigantic leather-like wings. One of the villagers runs into the village, followed by some of the women. "Watch out!" "Watch out, Dragons! Black dragons from the south!" Exhausted, he stands at the tables. He had clearly run a long time.
"What about Dragons?" The headman said. "What's that for a nonsence; The real dragons haven't been seen here for almost a century. Even Sylvaron his story isn't believable."
"But it's true!" Sylvaron protested. "That dragon was there!"
"No realy, Sylvaron, you are a well respected member of the village, but dragonswhich are returning without warning..."
The sound of sweeping wings gets louder. There, above the trees! A shadow. No, this animal is almost completly black! Panic! The villagers also spot the being.
They start running. The icy breath of the dragon rages through the village. I'm running allong the stream of scary people; Where are Zarlin and Moran?

-Z-
Moran and I ran for our lives, villagers around us. The villagers were not running straight away from the danger, though, but into another direction. I asked a villager where everyone was going.
"The Holy Tree, it will protect us!"
The man suddenly ran even faster, as if he suddenly gained hope again.
"Zarlin, do you have the map?" asks Moran
I search in my pockets..
"NO!"
I stand still, fleeing villagers run in to me. Moran stops five meters away from me. I start running back, Moran catches up.
"It is still in the hut!" I say
We are back in the village, the dragon screams, and dives to the ground. Moran pushes me on the ground, the dragon flies over, just centimeters from our backs.
"That was close" I say thankful.
"Come on, run, before that dragon comes back!" Moran sprints for the hut, I follow him. De dragon screams again, shouting comes from the distance.
De map and the book are still on the bed, I put them in my pockets.
"Zarlin" Moran whispers with a scared voice.
It has become silent..
Too silent..

-M-
"It looks like we're having a problem."
When we step outside of the hut, the soldiers of the Evil army directly surround us. All the directions are blocked. Everywere you went there were soldiers. From the lake to the edge of the wood, it was swarming with black troops which were chasing the villagers.
"What are we going to do now?" Zarlin asked
"Under other conditions I would have said 'run', but it's too late for that."
"Then the choice is simple"
Even before Zarlin had finished speaking, I pulled my daggers out of their sheaths and I started running to the nearest soldier. While I use one dagger to cut the soldier his windpipe out, I hear the whizzing sound of the staff Zarlin uses to knock two soldiers down. With large cutting movements I try to make my way trough the group. Suddenly I notice a bright flash in the corner of my eye. When I turn around, I only spot a scorched body lying on the ground.
"Good Job!"
I saw Zarlin smile just before I needed to duck away from a sword which swung near my head.
"Now it starts to become more difficult; They just keep on coming."
While I think that, I get kicked in the back and within seconds I needed to bite the dust. When I rubbed the sand out of my eyes, I saw Zarlin lying a bit further.
"If Ilion and Sylvaron were here, we might have had a chance to find a way out."
A reflection draws my attention. One of the soldiers is holding his sword above his head, ready to give me a one-way ticket to the other world.
"WAIT" a deep voice shouts "They are strong fighters, they can come in handy"

-S-
"They're coming!" I shout to Ilion, who tries to catch up with me.
"I think I know a good hiding place, because it is no sense of going to the sacred tree. Al villagers will be apprehented."
while we're gasping for breath, we arrive at the hiding place.
We're sitting between a few branches on top of a hill with view to the soldiers, who occupied the towncenter.
"We have to attack them now!" Ilion shouts, but I stop him.
"Did you really think we can handle all of those soldiers? We have to think up a better plan."
"Ey Ilion, did you remember the special knife you made? With all the smoke and sparks? What if we used that to distract the army, then...

-I-
"Of course, but do you have a mobile furnace here?" Sylvaron looks towards the village where the furnace stood, surrounded by enemies.
"Oh, yeah" He runs on, I run after him.
"Where are we going anyway?" I pant. Kobolds are not made to run.
"You'll see in a moment!" The foret dweller flies through the woods unimpeded.
The trees are close together here. It seems a bit darker here too. Sylvaron halts! He takes out his bow, and before I know it he fires an arrow. Into a tree, it seems, but something is moving in there, and it gave a shriek of pain when Sylvaron's arrow hit it.
"Run!" Sylvaron cries out.
"What do you think I'm doing?" We're running up the hill. On the first summit, we can see the village again. They set the sacred tree alight. Bodies seem to be hung from the branches. The sun is already setting. I see a tear coming from Sylvaron's eye while he turns around and runs off a steep slope, away from the village. I follow.