"But...but you're a...a ghost!""All right, but you'd better brace yourself." Alex shouted something to his left and then turned to face Jos. "Here he is Jos." And Jos stared with wide eyes and an open mouth at the ethereal form in front of him. "This my friend, is Dale."
After Jos got over the initial shock of finding that his savior was a spirit, he began to think that the whole scene was rather surreal. Seeing Dale's ghost in broad daylight wasn't very frightening at all. Jos, of course, didn't know anything about Dale or how he had died. Among the company Alex alone had known Dale before his death and even then they had little interaction. Because of this, there were many questions. All of which Dale patiently answered.
"...And that's how I came to be trapped in Reno's sword." Dale finished.
"Yeah," said Walf. "He was in there the whole time, helping me when I fought the knight and who knows when else."
Jos starred at Dale with wide eyes and a blank expression on his face.
"You're afraid of me aren't you?" Dale continued. "That's all right. It means that you have a right sense of good and evil, for while you needn't fear me, the curse that binds me is indeed evil. You see, I am trapped. Doomed to remain like this, on the edge of existence forever. Neither living in the light, nor resting in death. But if I can help someone like you Jos, or like Walf here, then maybe I'm not as cursed as you think."
At that moment there was a rustling of leaves at the edge of the village and out stepped Logon bearing a deer on his shoulders.
"You found food!" Alex said happily.
"Aye," said Logon, smiling. "But more then that, I've got news."
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Above the capitol city, a hawk was flying. High in the air he circled, peering down on the yellow castle. It was Griffin and he had finally found his master. Hearing Gib's cry, the hawk flew down to him where he lay, taken with sorrow on the castle floor.Suddenly it all came back to him. The whole story of the their friendship, from Glestol to the neverwood to the attack of the dragon. And suddenly the real meaning of the teleharm became clear.
"Gart," Gib thought. "Gart. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRT!" But Gart didn't hear his friend.
Gib was sleeping. With everything he had been through, sleep was very welcome. Gart was dead and all of Gib's allies were gone. He was alone and without a friend to help him. But sleep was there. Sleep was there to take him away from the trials of life and give him rest, if even for a moment.
When Gib awoke, it was night time. Starlight was shining through the holes in the battered wall of the castle.
"Ouch!" Gib cried. Something was pulling on his hair. Raising himself Gib recognized the form of a hawk in front of him."Griffin?" he asked. "Oh, it's good to see you my friend."
The bird cocked its head and chirped quietly, hopping back and forth on the castle floor. Gib starred at Griffin. The hawk was obviously trying to say something but Gib was having a hard time understanding. Sighing, he spoke again.
"I've forgotten a lot, Griffin. I'm sorry. But I learned your tongue once and I think I can do it again. Come on Griffin, lets go home."
And so Gib left the Orion in the dead of night and when the allied forces searched the city, they found the spirit box, but not the man who opened it.
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Just inside the border of Classic lego land there is a small clearing that once to belonged to a village. The town had suffered a sad fate not long before, when a detachment of red cross knights burned it to the ground. That was several days ago however, and the smoke from that blaze had long ceased the roll heavenward.
Now there was a new trail of smoke, and with it came the sweet smell of roasted venison.
"Mmmmm," said Logon, swallowing a piece of the roasted deer. "Now, this is good eating!"
"No kidding!" said Alex as he laid down a raw piece for Urgun.
Walf nodded his agreement, but commented. "Didn't you say you had some news Logon?"
"Oh, yes" Logon replied. "I had nearly forgotten. Now this may change our plans some so hang on. While I was on the hunt, I happened upon a traveler who was on his way south from the capitol city."
"What did you learn?" said Walf, interrupting.
"Quiet, Walf." Dale said from inside the sword. He had no need of food, but was still eager to hear the news.
"Well," said Logon continuing. "The first thing I learned was that BloodVaine is dead and that the war is over."
"What war?" Jos, inquired.
"I'm getting there. I'm getting there. Now, you know about the attack on Orion of course because you were there Jos, and Alex and I know about the great fire for the same reason. However, what you may not realize is that those attacks were only part of a larger war which Bloodvaine was waging on the whole of Dametreos. Even those knights we encountered were only a part of his army. Anyhow, it seems that he's been defeated now in some big battle at the capitol."
"The capitol?" Walf said. "Wasn't that where the big blast came from?"
"Yes, actually the man explained that too. He said that it came form an airship or something. Anyway, he also explained what was happening in Black Knight land and why they blew the golden horn. Turns out that that they were under attack from Black Falcons. Unfortunately I've arrived too late to be of any help. The falcons were driven back not long ago. However, this may be better anyway. You see I really didn't want to go back. Not before my quest was finished."
"Your quest?" said Alex, confused. "You never told us about this."
Logon sighed. "Yes, well... why did you think I was at the Drullen Bell? Ah, it is an old quest of mine. I've been about it for more then a year. It's a quest, well... for a man's blood. About this time, last year, I set out from the Black Knight capitol with 11 men following me. We where supposed to hunt down a man called 'The Lone Ranger'."
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Gib stood at the border of the neverwood with a smile was on his face. Never had a group of trees looked so inviting.
"I'm home." he said, stepping into the forest.
But something was wrong. Gib couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew that something was missing. The woods were restless. Gib could tell. The trees themselves seemed darker. Something had made the forest angry and it was growing out of control.
"How now, earth of the neverwood? What force has returned you to your wild nature? Will you still obey me? Will you still recognize me as your master?"
Gib turned to Griffin. The hawk was trying to tell him something again, but what?
"What do you think, Griffin? Am I no longer the lord of the neverwood?" There it was again. Something nagging him that he couln't quite remember. The hermit sat down and closed his eyes, seaching for what he couldn't remember. Then, he had it!
"Grizzle!" Gib shouted. "Where's Grizzle?" Griffin continued to dance back and forth, trying to comunicate. "Something has happened to Grizzle? That's what you're trying to tell me right?"
Now Gib remembered. Jackal was gone too. He would still be with the bulls. "I hope he's still with the bulls." Gib thought. He hated to think that the wolf had been left on the island or something. Gib was torn. he want'ed to find Grizzle and Jackal, but if he left now, who knew what would become of the neverwood.
Finnaly he decided. Something was amis in the neverwood and he needed to fix it. And so, Gib coniued into the trees. Once he had felt safe in the neverwood, but not now. Now the forest was against him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The Lone Ranger?" Alex questioned. "Who's he? And why are you hunting him?"
"He is an evil man and for that reason I am hunting him. He killed King Sirion's father while he still had the crown on his head. The Black Knights have spent years looking for him. That was 30 years ago, and after seeing him again in our country Sirion ordered 12 men be sent out to find him."
"What happened to the twelve men?" Dale asked.
"We met him once and he killed all 11 men but me. Since then I've been tracking him down on my own. I've traveled far and lost many friends, but I eventually came to the Drullen Bell keep where I joined up with you. I dare not show myself in my fathers eyes before killing this evil man."
"So what's your course of action?" Jos asked. "You're not going to Black Knight land?"
"No Jos. As long as the threat to my country has been removed, I'd rather not. As a matter of fact, I believe that our best course will be to head to Orion. The traveler said that the city was being rebuilt. I assume that you and Walf will want to return there. Alex, you wanted to go there all along and as for me, I can see no better place to resume my search."
"There is the difficulty of Jos's condition to think about." Dale piped up. "He's in no shape to travel."
"We still have the horse from the battle." Walf suggested. "Maybe we could make some kind of liter."
"Good idea Walf." said Logon smiling. "Then we're all in agreement. To the capitol eh, for the promise of a new path."
"To the capitol," Jos repeated. "To burry our countrymen."
Walf nodded sadly. "Or our parents."
"You can take me as well" Dale added. "I have a feeling that there we will all find what we seek."
But Alex was silent thinking of Aros and his brother.
"A battle at the golden city." he thought. "And what of my friends? If BloodVaine is dead then what about them?"
Pushing back his fears for his friends Alex stood and said. "All right then, lets go."