Only one country has held back the tremendous onslaughts by the evil they call the Dark Ones. Only one country's army has been powerful enough to combat a nearly invincible force. With an imperialistic tyrant for a king, they boast one of the strongest legion of knights in all the lands. It is Dunlock, Ruled by King Odin. For the time being, they have kept the Dark Ones at bay, but will happen that will change the country of Dunlock forever.

The northern border, or blood pool as it is sometimes called, is the border that lies between Dunlock and the Cursed Lands. It is nothing more than a narrow valley through the Tierrian Mountains. It is the only path through the impenetrable barricade that the mountains provide. These mountains have presented an enormous obstacle for the Dark Ones. Year after year Odin sends his best knights to fight in the valley that is the last line of defense. The knights fight bravely led by the amazing strategy of Lord Vincent Davias, they some how have managed to hold their position in the valley for seven years. Davias would ride back and forth barking orders with long time friend Sir Ector protecting him.

Upon the blood stained dirt and fallen bodies, he rides. The rock walls of the valley are painted violently in shades of red and gray. The frenzied yell of battling knights, the constant clang of metal upon metal, and the screams of wounded or fallen ones filled the air. It was a nightmare for most men. The Dark Knights didn't die as easily as normal men. It would take seven or eight hits before they would die, or the Dunlock Knights would cut off the Dark Knights heads resulting in instant death. Because of their power, the Dark Knights required no real strategy except basic charges. This left the noble knights of Dunlock on an infinite defense.

This day was a beautiful one. Everywhere except the northern border the sun glistened on the fresh green grass. The reinforcements that Davias had sent for were late. This created a big problem in the Dunlock defense that could inevitably be it's downfall.

"Where in the bloody hell are those reinforcements? How can they expect me to hold the border with merely thirty men?" remarked Davias.

"I'm sure they will arrive in the in the next day or two," responded Ector.

"Ector, this will be over in the next two days. I need those men now."

Suddenly a horn sounded signaling the that the Dark Knights were approaching . The brave Dunlock Knights readied their weapons and marched into positions as ordered by Davias. Along the blue horizon the Dark Ones could be seen increasing in size as they approached.

As they approached the opening of the narrow valley, Davias hand tightly clenched the leather grip of his sword. Would this be the last battle, the end, or will his men survive long enough until reinforcements arrive? They were thoughts that rattled his brain from head to toe. There was one thing that he knew in his heart, as long as he could swing a sword he could fight. he would not fall. He would not be beaten. Anger and rage began to flow through him as the Dark Ones neared. His eyes focused on his approaching enemy like a predator on his prey. His body began to shake with anticipation. "We may be on the defensive, but I'm on the offensive," he thought to himself. "If I fall I will make sure to take a good number of them with me."

"Attack!" screamed Davias and within seconds the battle was underway. The silver Dunlock intermixed with the black of the Dark Knights, creating a wonderful collage. It was into this that Davias rode. With a sword in his right hand he slashed quickly, powerfully, and repetitiously until fatigue set in. He stopped and examined his work, but was disappointed to find that he had only killed one Dark Knight. All of his other shots had hit another knight who appeared to be fatally wounded. The knight was still some how able to keep standing. It was as if the pain didn't effect him. with one clean stroke Davias decapitated the knight. He then glanced around to see the rest of his men. He discovered that they were having the same problem. It was as he had feared. The Dark Knights outnumbered his men. He made a futile attempt at giving orders, but his men were too busy trying to save their own lives.

"Lord Davias, we are outnumbered! We must withdraw out of the valley!" yelled Ector.

"Never! I will never let them set foot on Dunlock lands. We must press harder and put them on the defensive. We will win this battle. I know it."

One by one the once gallant Dunlock Knights fell to the ground in the rhythmic fashion of dead men. As Davias fought on, the fear in the back of his mind and the lump in his stomach grew larger. He knew that he was fighting uselessly. The reinforcements were not coming, and he was losing men like a bad luck, gambling man loses money. It was over. All of his efforts, strategy, and intelligence had brought him to this horrible end.

"I will not die. I will not fall. Who will care for my wife and my daughter? What will they do if I am dead?" he thought to himself.

Suddenly his attention was taken to a new place. From behind he could hear the pounding of hooves upon the rocky valley floor. Could this be the reinforcements he had been waiting for? He turned and look, only to see an unbelievable sight.

It wasn't the reinforcements. It was a group of seven knights on horseback. They were all dressed in golden armor. The leader of them wore a large gold helmet shaped like the head of a dragon. He was the first to enter the mayhem. All that could be seen of him was the gold dragon helmet maneuvering back and forth. He drew his long, thick, two handed sword from his back. It slid out with a sound like metal on glass. He readied it for battle.

These knights looked strange to Davias. He had never seen knights like these knights before. "They must be the legendary Gold Knights from the land of Sierra," he thought to himself. The Gold Knights were powerful warriors, who lived in a community ostracized itself from the rest of the world. Because of this, they have become much more advanced than any other civilization in the entire world.

With one swift stroke, the leader sent a Dark Knight stumbling backward. His weapon was strange in both its design and its effect. It was about four and a half feet long. At the base of the blade, there were two prongs making the sword look like a giant fork with a long middle prong. Where the prong and the blade met began a short four inch handle. At the end of this handle protruded the rest of the hilt. When it made contact, the wounds of the Dark Knights sizzled and smoked.

He struck like a pillar of stone. In single blows the Dark Knights fell. These definitely were the Gold Knights. in just a few minutes the battle was over. The Gold Knights made an attempt to pursue their fleeing enemies, but the leader waved them off. The leader opened up the mouth of the dragon on his helmet exposing his face. He then removed the helmet, and Davias noticed that the leader had not even broken a sweat. He shifted his direction a rode over to Davias.

"I am Marcuss, lord of Sierra and leader of the Gold Knights."

Davias' mouth dropped open in shock. These were the legendary Gold Knights. He couldn't believe it. In some of the lands these knight were believed to be gods. "I am Lord Vincent Davias, loyal knight to Dunlock and... King Odin." He never liked Odin, but he served him never the less.

"Are your men all right? We came as soon as we could."

"AS SOON AS YOU COULD!!! This war has been going on for years and now you have decided to show up and help!" yelled Davias.

"I'm terribly sorry, but you must understand there are strict laws forbidding us from leaving Sierra. There were major protests by many of the citizens concerning our leaving to help you today."

"Hundreds of people have died in this war and you waited until now to help."

"I'm sorry, but these laws form the basis of our society. Contact with the outside world could corrupt the utopian society we have struggled to keep. I will show what I mean. I would like it if you and one of your knights would join me as we journey back to Sierra." From behind Marcuss another Gold Knight quickly rode up to his side.

"My lord I must protest. We have already risked enough by coming down here as is. Bringing them back with us will only complicate things more. I will have to rule against this."

"Relax Devinious. It will be for only a day nothing more. It will be fine." The knight nodded in acceptance. Marcuss turned back to Davias. "Choose your companion."

Davias turned to his knights. Who would he choose? He needed to have a knight that would be able to help him in case of danger. "Ector, you will come with me. The rest of you will stay until reinforcements arrive."

"I will leave some of my knights," Marcuss responded.

"That wont be necessary," Davias replied as he heard the sound of horses in the distance. "It sounds to me like the reinforcements have arrived." He turned back to his men. "Lucas, you will be in charge here. When the reinforcements get here tell them that I have gone, but do not tell them where. I will return in a few days."

"Yes sir." The knight returned to the eleven men that remained.

"Come Lord Davias, we must go before they arrive." Marcuss made a quick hand motion and all of his Gold Knights turned and rode in the direction they came. Davias and Ector fell in behind.

They reached the center and high point of the Tierrian Mountains just before night. The sun had disappeared and only a dim eerie glow of light remained. They had come up several mountain paths and now were incredibly high into the mountains. The air was thinner than Davias was used to. In front of them was an even higher mountain. It was so high that its top vanished into the barely visible clouds. The path dead ended straight into a rock wall. Davias looked to the left and to the right. No caves, trails, or even cracks in the mountain side were visible. He turned to Marcuss. "Where do we go from here?"

Marcuss let out a chuckle. "I'm sorry, but that is a secret that will be left to my people and my people only." He motioned and Devinious approached the two Dunlock knights. In his hands he held two pieces of dark cloth. "We must blindfold you so you will not be able to see the way to Sierra."

Davias leaned over to Ector. "What do you think?" he said in a low whisper.

"I think if they were going to kill us they would have done it already," Ector responded in the same whisper.

"I agree." He turned back to the waiting knights. "Go ahead Devinious." Davias bent his head down to help Devinious put on the blindfold. Then Devinious turned to Ector and repeated the same task. The two were now totally blinded and sitting helplessly on top of their horses. As they sat there in darkness Davias focused on his other senses to help him. He listened closely to every sound he heard. He heard nothing except the howl of the wind and the pattering of hooves upon the rocky floor. Then suddenly he heard what sounded like chanting in a foreign tongue. It was hard to tell what it was because the sound was low and quiet. Next came a sloshing sound like a some one walking through knee high water. Immediately after that came a grinding sound as if rock were grinding upon rock. They were large rocks for the sound was incredibly loud. He felt his horse pull him forward. His horse slowly trotted forward. He could hear the wind die down as he moved forward. It felt as if he was entering a cave, but he saw no cave before he was blindfolded. Perhaps they were moving along a hidden path. Never the less his horse continued forward.

His surroundings began to feel cold. It smelled damp. The horses hoof beats echoed. They must be going through a cave. He realized that the periodical rumbling sound he heard was the burning of torches. He went up, down, left, and right. Davias had no idea where he was going. He thought they might be sending him in a circle, so he would be able to feel his way through the cave ever again. He couldn't remember

Far ahead he could hear the sound of rock grinding again. This was presumably the end of their journey. The sound of wind began to pick up again. They were outside again. He heard someone approach from behind him. Davias felt a hand on the back of his head and the blindfold was removed. His eyes slowly adjusted. He dismounted his horse and took a look around.

Davias and Ector stood in the middle of a city square. All around them there was buildings. Above them the stars in the sky twinkled. It looked as if the mountain top had been cut off and then the mountain was hollowed out. There were no people out. The buildings were stacked upon each other lining the walls of the city. The materials that the buildings were made of looked strange to Davias, but it was hard to tell since it was night. In the windows of the buildings lights could be seen. Stairs led up to balconies that sat in front of the door to each building. At their level closed shops lined the square. In front of them sat the castle. It was immense. It sat back against the mountain wall. All that could be seen of the interior towers was the lights that shown in the windows.

"Come, Devinious will take care of the horses. I will show you where you will be staying." Davias and Ector followed Marcuss toward the castle gate house. "Tomorrow you will meet my wife and some of my best citizens. Then there will be a jousting demonstration between two of my knights. After that we will have dinner." They walked through the gate house and into the castle courtyard. Marcuss turned right and stopped in front of a small house. "You two will stay here."

"Why not in the castle?" Davias asked.

"There are things in there that you cannot see in there."

"Like what?" asked Davias.

"All you'll need is in the house. I will wake you in the morning." With that Marcuss locked the door and walked away.

The inside of the house had nothing special. There were two beds that sat up against the wall. The beds each had wash pans and covers. "It looks like they spared all expenses." Ector remarked sarcastically. Aside from the beds there was nothing else it the house. Davias and Ector removed their armor. Davias sat it at the foot of his bed. He pulled open the covers a laid down on the bed. It felt good to be off his feet. It had been months since he had slept in a bed. All of his time had been spent in the camp on the northern border. He pulled over the covers and turned to Ector who was already in bed.

"What do you think, Ector?"

"About what?"

"About all this. Do you think that all these people are they real Gold Knights or are they a clever fake? Why did they lock us in here? Look at this place it's like a prison."

"Remember what Marcuss had said. They wouldn't want us to stumble upon something we shouldn't know. Besides were not supposed to be here anyway. Didn't you see them on the battlefield. They were dropping Dark Knights like they were killing flies. Imagine if we had that power or if the Dark Ones had it for that matter."

"I guess your right." Davias sat up and blew out the candle above his head. Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The next morning they were awakened by two women. They were dressed in white robes and were perfect with no visible physical flaws. They escorted the two warriors to a cave on the outskirts of the city. The inside of the cave was sultry and extremely damp. Further into the cave sat a pool of water. "Bathe yourselves in the pool and then put on these clothes. We will wait for you outside," said one of the women. They placed the clothes beside the pool and exited the cave.

Davias removed his sweaty old clothes and stepped into the pool. The water was so hot steam came up from the pool. Davias eased his foot into the water. It wasn't as hot as he expected. He eased the rest of his body in. The hot water felt exceptional on the sore muscles in his legs. He sat down so the water covered his shoulders. All of his muscle had been remarkably tight. They had been packed into his hard uncomfortable armor for months. It felt good to have a hot bath and loosen up.

He submerged his head and ran his finger through his brown hair. When his air supply had run low he resurfaced. He realized it was rude to keep the two women waiting. He stood up and walked out of the pool. He walked over to the pile of clothes the women had left for him. He picked up the towel which was laid on top a began to dry himself. He looked back at Ector who was still lying in the pool. It looked as if Ector had fallen asleep.

"Get up Ector. We don't want to keep Marcuss waiting."

"Oh, all right, but I could spend a whole day in here." Ector stepped out and began to dry himself off in the same manner Davias had. They put on the clothes that were given to them. They took their old clothes and balled them up along with the towels. They walked back outside to find the two women still waiting.

"I'll take those," said one of the women. She grabbed the ball of dirty clothes and towels.

"Follow me," said the other women. The two knights obediently fell in behind.

They walked all the way back to the house. Inside a table and two chairs had been set up. On the table was a huge breakfast. There was eggs, milk and bread. Davias wanted to rush to the table and begin stuffing his face as fast as he could. Knowing it would be very rude to do, he restrained. After all he had to be very courteous. He was in the company of the legendary citizens of Sierra.

"Marcuss will personally come and get in about a half hour. He plans to introduce you to some of his most loyal citizens," said the women.

She left. Ector and Davias sat at opposite ends of the table. Davias' mouth began to drool at the appetizing food in front of him. He grabbed a bread roll and sunk his teeth in to it. The bread tasted delicious compared to the preserved rations he had been eating. In a matter of minutes they had completely polished the entire meal.

A knock came at the door, as if cued after the finish of the meal. Davias opened the door to find Marcuss outside waiting. He was dressed in the same clothes as Davias. Most lords Davias knew always wore extravagant outfits. The clothes they were wearing were nothing more than white cloth shirt and pants. A smile came to Marcuss' face. "I hope the breakfast was fitting."

"More like filling you mean," Davias responded in a witty voice as he patted his stomach.

"Good. Now come there's some people I want you to meet." They followed Marcuss out of the house making sure to close the door behind them. They followed him back through the gate house and out into the city square. It was bustling with activity. "The first person is David. He is my personal blacksmith."

When they reached the blacksmith, Davias was surprised to see what was occupying David's work.

"Hey, that's my armor," yelled Davias. He quickly rushed over. "What are you doing to my armor?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know this was yours. Marcuss just gave it to me and instructed me to repair it."

"Relax Vincent, it was going to be a surprise gift. I was going to have it put back before you left." He turned to David. He held out his left arm and gestured towards Vincent and Ector. "David, I would like you to meet Lord Vincent Davias and his loyal retainer Sir Ector."

"It is a pleasure to meet you two. I am one of the few people who agree that the Gold Knights should help the people of the low lands," replied David.

"Well, we wouldn't want to keep you from your work," Davias responded, "It was nice meeting you."

"Now, I'll take you to meet the wise man of Sierra. What I will tell you must be kept secret. He is actually a mage of black magic. I know magic does not exist in the low lands that is why this must remain a secret."

"You have my word," answered Davias. They followed Marcuss to the out edge of the city. Upon the rocky wall stood stairs that crawled to the top of the mountain ring.

"What is black magic?" Ector asked.

"It is also called attack magic. There are different types of magic. This magic has the ability to injure and kill," answered Davias.

When they reached the top ring, Davias could see the entire city of Sierra. He saw on some level people had farms and gardens. He could see all the commotion in the town square. The ring it self was about six feet wide. On one side was a drop which would take a person through several buildings on their way down to the ground level of the city. On the other side was a drop that was so far the bottom was hidden somewhere beneath the clouds. Davias was quite winded from the long climb up the stairs. At the top not more than a few feet away stood a man. He was extremely tall and dressed in dark robes. Marcuss walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to Marcuss.

"What is it you require of me Lord Marcuss," he asked in a low, mellow voice. His skin was darker than most people. Davias knew he must have been part of the black race. He had thought all of Sierra was just light skinned people, but that was being stereotypical. There were "blacks" in Dunlock too, but Davias never noticed them much. Skin color was not a popular topic to him.

"I would like you to meet two friends of mine. They are visitors to Sierra. This is Lord Vincent Davias and Sir Ector."

"I know that they are visitors here. I have felt their presence. I am Draconus." He looked at Davias. "You. A great challenge is waiting for you in your future. It will be impossible for you to surpass it, but with this you might be successful." He pulled from beneath his robe a bright yellow orb. "Hold it up high to the sky and squeeze hard with your hand. If it is the right moment, the orb will unleash its power." Davias took the orb and put it in a pocket of his new clothes.

"What advice do you have for me?" Ector asked.

"You... hmmmm... let me see. The only advice I can offer you is 'Don't underestimate adolescents.'"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll see." He turned back to the open sky. "Now please leave me, I must get back to my meditation."

"It was nice meeting you," added Davias. Draconus gave no response.

"We must return to the city. There is one last person I would like you to meet."

"What do you think that guy was talking about?" Ector asked pointing back up at the top of the mountain.

"Don't worry about Draconus. I would still give care to what he said." interrupted Marcuss. "I know that you men are tired. Trust me this is the last person you'll have to meet. Then we will feed you lunch. After lunch we will watch a demonstration performed by my best knights. Then, I'm sorry, it will be time for you to leave."

"At night. Why?" Davias asked.

"That way it will be hard for you to find your way back here." Davias gave an understanding nod. "Devinious will escort you to the base of the mountains. From there you will be free to go where ever you wish. I wanted you to stay longer, but there was enough problems just bringing you here. The council only let me if you left on the first night." Davias gave another understanding.

They reached the bottom of the stairs. Ector let out a sigh of relief. It was good to be on level ground. Through the narrow valley between to houses the busy city square could be seen. Davias took notice to some things that he missed on his first pass through this alley. The bricks on the floor of the ally were laid perfectly level. There were virtually no cracks or rough spots. It was also very clean. In the Dunlock capital, allies like this one were filled with trash and the flooring was always poorly constructed.

They walked around the square and headed back toward the castle gate house. When they reached it, they were greeted by a woman and her two nurse maids one of which was carrying an infant. She embraced Marcuss with a hug. Her hair was as black as night. Her deep blue eyes were a strong contrast to Marcuss' brown eyes. She was pregnant with a child and had to struggle to hug Marcuss. She was so big that Davias wondered if she would go into labor in any second. They turned to their guests.

"Vincent and Ector I would like you to meet my lovely wife, Mariana."

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I hope you're enjoying your stay in our town."

"Oh yes," answered Davias, "it is very beautiful."

"Now back in that house you have lunch waiting for you. I suggest that you go back and eat it because it will be the last meal your going to get before you leave. I'll be in the square setting up the demonstration. When you're finished meet me in the square." With that they each went their separate ways.

Davias and Ector returned to the house. Not only was the food waiting for them, but the armor was waiting too. Their armor was polished to an incredibly shiny finish. There were no more dents or cuts in it. They sat down at the table. They ate until they could not hold any more. Davias picked up his armor.

"What are you doing?" asked Ector.

"I'm getting dressed. We are leaving right after the demonstration. I want to get out of here as soon as possible and get home. Get everything ready."

"Wait, what about these clothes?"

"I guess we keep them."

Davias placed his armor on top of his new clothes. He tightened the straps on the armor so that the armor fit perfectly. He put on the belt that held his sword. He then waited for Ector to get ready. When the two knights were finished, they exited the house.

They walked through the gate house and out into the city square. All of the people were crowded around the center of the square. Davias followed an open path to the middle. He found Marcuss there waiting for him.

"I'm glad you got ready to leave. We are going to have to cut the demonstration short. I'm sorry." said Marcuss. "Come sit down and enjoy the demonstration." They took the seats underneath a tent in the front row. Marcuss stood up and addressed the crowd.

"Due to various reasons the demonstration will be cut short today," he yelled. "No matter. Let the demonstration begin."

Into the opening in the middle Devinious walked. He carried a sword in his right hand. He began to twirl it slowly. He picked up the pace until the sword became one solid circle. It hummed through the air. He whipped the swirling sword around from his right to his left shoulder. He stopped the sword instantaneously. He swung it around his head with a powerful stroke. It cut through the air with a loud hum. He let out a scream and began thrashed the sword around with a hypnotizing power and rhythm. He increased with power, speed and volume, then came to an instant stop with the sword poised in attack position. He eased from his flexed form. He turned and handed the sword to a member of the crowd and received a wooden staff in exchange.

From the opposite end of the crowd, a young boy stepped in. He was also armed with a staff. They met in the middle, bowed, and readied their weapons for battle. They circled, staring intensely. Devinious was the first to jump on the initiative. He lunged at the boy. Their staves met in mid air with a loud crack. Then Devinious reset himself and attacked again. This time his lunge was more powerful. It knocked the boy on his back. He stopped and helped him up. Once they were set they began again. This time the boy had more energy. He charged at Devinious. Devinious met him and disarmed him. Devinious then jabbed him in the stomach and lifted him off the ground with the end of the staff. He threw the boy about twenty feet over his shoulder. The boy landed on his back on the hard city floor. Devinious turned to face him. The boy struggled to get up. Devinious closed his eyes and lifted his staff above his head. He quickly swung downward. From the staff came an arc of light. It hissed through the air and hit the boy knocking him flat on his back rendering him unconscious. Devinious bowed to Marcuss and exited the circle. A group walked out of the crowd, picked up the boy, and took him away.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen. That is all for our demonstration. Thank you," yelled Marcuss as he addressed the crowd. The crowd dispersed leaving the square almost empty.

"It was a pleasure having you two in my city. I hope that you will keep your promise of keeping all that you saw here today a secret."

"I will," answered Davias. Devinious rode up with the reigns of Davias and Ector's horse. They mounted them.

"I would ask you to come back, but... well... you understand."

"Of course I do." They applied their blindfolds.

They went through the maze of caves in darkness once again. When the blind folds were finally removed they found themselves out in the mountains once again. They were alone in front the stone wall.

"Well, what did you think, Ector?"

"I thought they were very courteous. I did see a lot of amazing things."

"You will keep it all a secret won't you, Ector"

"Of course." They reached the base of the mountains. "Where do we go from here?"

"I want to go home. Ever since I heard what that black mage said, I've worried about my wife and daughter."

"Then that will be our destination." The two men rode southeast away from the mountains and the horror of the northern border. Davias couldn't wait to see his family and home once again.

They reached Davias' home almost at dawn. A dim purple could be seen over the eastern horizon. Davias' home was a huge manor. It was given to him by King Odin when Davias was promoted to lord. Ector lived with Davias and served as his protector. Though Davias didn't need a knight to protect him, he would rather have Ector under his supervision than under Odin's. After all Ector was his best friend, and under Odin he would have probably been sent to his death on some suicide mission.

They tied up their horses in the stables. Davias rushed to get the reins tied. He couldn't wait to see his wife and daughter again. The moment he secured his horse, he raced over to the front door of his manor. He threw the door open and rushed in.

"Katrina, where are you? I'm home."

"Lord Davias?" a young man appeared from within one of the rooms. "Lord Davias! It is you. Welcome home." He rushed over to Davias.

"William! How have you been?" They embraced with a hand shake.

"I have been fine, my lord."

"Vincent!" a woman screamed from atop the stairs. She rushed down.

"Katrina!" They held each other tightly. "I've missed you so much."

"And I you."

"How is Karena doing?" Davias was stressed and filled with excitement.

"Relax Vincent. You'll see her in the morning. Why don't you go up stairs and get some sleep." In that moment Ector stumbled in.

"Lady Davias, you are looking more radiant than ever."

"Thank you Ector, and welcome home," responded Katrina. "It is good to have you both home. Now get to sleep. Both of you need some rest. I can see it on your faces. Tomorrow we'll talk more."

"I'm sorry my love, but tomorrow Ector and I must go to the capital to talk with Odin. I think I'm going to resign my command of the northern border." The shock hit all of them.

"Vincent, why?" asked Ector.

"I'm sick of the bloodshed and the violence. I want to stay home and care for my daughter."

"I guess you're right," responded Ector.

"If you ask me, I'm glad you want to quit. I'll finally be able to see more of you," replied Katrina. "Now come on up to bed with both of you. We'll continue this discussion tomorrow when you get back."

With that they marched upstairs. Davias followed his wife straight down the hall to their bedroom. Ector turned left into the doorway just before. William followed in behind. Their room was smaller since neither of them was the lord of the manor. They each had separate beds and separate night stands to set their personal items. Ector stripped out of his armor and sat down on the bed. William was already in his bed asleep. Ector sat back, pulled the covers over himself and went to bed.

Vincent gave a look to his daughter in the crib next to his bed. His wife was already in bed waiting for him. He climbed in being sure to keep quiet. He didn't want to wake his already sleeping daughter. He laid down on the bed and pulled the covers over him. He placed his arms around his wife and pulled her closer.

"I love you," he whisper as he fell asleep.

The next morning Vincent and Ector left immediately after breakfast. They promised that they would return as soon as they were finished. They saddle up their horses and left.

When they reached the capital, they found it deserted. Only a few people remained. They rode into the castle that sat upon a hill top. The streets that were normally crowded sat with an uneasy silence. They rode through the gate house, yet there was no guard to halt them. There were no guards present at all. They past through the castle courtyard and found one familiar sight. In one corner of the courtyard stood a group of young Dunlock boys. They were training to become knights and serve in the Dunlock army. They were receiving instructions from a husky man with brown hair. Davias continued on into the main castle.

"Simon!" Ector called. He turned around in response to the call. He had one brown eye. The other was milky blue. He focused his good eye to see.

"Ector!" he yelled. "Sir Ector welcome back to Dunlock."

"I see your still in charge of training the young squires."

"I am still, have been and always will be."

"What has happened?" asked Ector

"What do you mean?"

"Where has every one gone?"

"You mean you don't know. Well it started yesterday. Odin made a statement in front of the people. He said that He has learned the location of the Gold Knights. He said that he had also learned they are planning to attack Dunlock. 'We must attack them before they attack us' he said. Then the crowd got all up in a frenzy and they marched off. Toward Sierra I guess."

"But the Gold Knights aren't going to attack us." Davias returned from the main castle.

"There are all gone. Odin all of them," said Davias.

"I know," responded Ector, "They all have gone to Sierra to seek out and kill the Gold Knights."

"What?! Why?!"

"Odin's got this idea in his head that the Gold Knights are planning to attack Dunlock."

"Where in the hell did he get an idea like that. We must get to them before they get to Sierra."

Ector turned to Simon. "Thank you, Simon."

"No problem, Ector. I felt that there was something fishy about all this that was why I didn't go. I should have put a stop to it."

"Don't blame yourself," said Davias, "Odin would have been too thick headed to listen to you. I can't believe he would be this naive. This is the last time. Let's go Ector. Simon, I need you to get word to my wife Katrina telling her where I've gone."

"Consider it done."

They turned their horses and raced out of the castle. The flew through the town. Davias was filled with anger. He knew that if the people found their way into Sierra, they would raid it. The Gold knights would either fight back killing hundreds of Dunlock citizens or they would resist knowing the were innocent people and be killed. Either way it was needless killing and it had to be stopped.

They journeyed past farms and over grasslands. In the distance the Tierrian Mountains could be seen growing larger on the horizon. High among the mountains into the blue sky, smoke could be seen. There was no sign of any people. They rode up the mountain paths up to the stonewall. When they reached the high point instead of a wall there was a cave. Davias wasn't sure if it was the right cave.

He listened closely and from inside of the cave he could hear the sounds of people yelling. "This must be the way to Sierra," he said.

"Then let's hurry we have no time to waste," replied Ector.

They entered the cave. They moved as fast as they could, but it was difficult since it was such tight quarters. Davias headed in the direction of the sound. He pulled from his right side his sword. Up ahead he could see light. He turned a corner and found the exit into Sierra.

All the citizens of Dunlock were gathered in the city square. A head of them Odin stood on top of the gate house addressing his people.

"We have crushed the Gold Knights," he yelled.

"Yeah!!!" responded the crowd.

"Nothing can stop us now."

All the ornate houses that once evenly lined the mountain walls now lay in ruin. All of the shops that surrounded the city square were in flames. Davias looked, but he could not find any living Sierrans. He couldn't find any dead bodies for that matter. One thing he could see was the King Odin gloating to his people. He wanted to wipe the smirk right off his face. He rode into the middle of the crowd.

"Odin!!!" he yelled. "I talking to you Odin!!!" A wave of silence came over the crowd. Odin's form disappeared from a top of the tower. From in side the gate Odin could be seen walking out.

"You have done many foolish things in the ten years you've been king, but this tops them all!" yelled Davias. Odin's face exploded in anger. "How could you have been so stupid? The Gold Knights wanted to live peacefully. They were not planning on attacking you. How can you be so ignorant." The crowd gave a moan of shock. No one would ever dare to insult Odin. He was Over seven feet tall. His arms were as thick as tree trunks. He possessed amazing strength. He wore armor that was made of some silver so it was durable.

Since the beginning of Odin's reign the kingdom of Dunlock has fallen into ruin. The once beautiful cities now only serve as bases to house the increased numbers of warriors in the Dunlock army. The economy had shifted from peacetime to wartime. Blacksmiths slaved forging new weapons and armor for the new knights. Dunlock had annexed all of the lands adjacent to it. Odin had planned to conquer the entire world if he hadn't met the Dark Ones.

The citizens of Dunlock were miserable. Their children were being drafted into the Dunlock army. Odin had no celebrations, no holidays only war. War, bloodshed, killing, and anger were the only things that the people ever felt. In all the years that Odin was king no one ever tried to challenge him. No one ever tried to take the throne and change Dunlock until now.

"Odin, I challenge you!! I challenge you to a duel to the death for the throne of Dunlock!!" yelled Davias. He knew that Odin's reign had to be stopped.

"You dare to oppose me! Your foolish words shall be your own undoing!" Odin spoke in his deep voice. He drew his sword. It was almost 5 feet long and had a six inch blade. He grabbed a shield from one of his knights standing nearby. He mounted his horse.

Davias drew his own sword that was a stick compared to Odin's. He took the shield that Ector offered him. He got on to his horse fighting back the fear growing within him. The colossal man standing in front him was extremely intimidating. He focus on the anger that started this whole ordeal. He thought of Marcuss, Devinious, and all of the rest of the people he met. They were all dead now. He had to avenge them. "To the death!" yelled Davias.

"I will crush you like the insignificant bug that you are!!" responded Odin. The two knights stared at each other. Odin's dark eyes dug into Davias' soul. He gripped his sword tight. He raced toward Odin letting out a yell. Odin, in turn, raced toward Davias.

They collided with an ear piercing clang. Davias was thrown from his horse and on to his back. Odin had cut cleanly through one third of Davias' shield striking his chest. It left a deep gash starting at his left shoulder and ending in the middle of his chest. Blood poured from the fresh would. His left arm began to feel cold.

Odin descended from his horse. He let out a laugh. "You are pathetically weak. I will finish what I have begun with your shoulder."

Davias pulled himself to his feet. He looked at all of the spectators. They all held a look of hope on their face. Though the odds were against him, they all wanted Davias to win. He began to remember all of the wonderful people of Sierra he had met when it hit him. He remembered the sphere that Draconus had given him. He pulled from his pocket. He was glad that he left it there. If he needed great power to surpass a challenge, now was the time. He held it up to the sky as instructed by Draconus. "Please work... please," he whispered to himself.

Suddenly a bolt of pure energy erupted from the sphere. It shot up into the sky. Odin let out a tremendous laugh. "Is that all you've got!!" yelled Odin. He was wrong. The sky grew dark. Overpowering thunder rolled through the mountains. Odin looked up into the sky. The smile from his face instantly faded.

From the dark sky shot a bolt of lightning almost twelve feet wide. It crashed down upon Odin. "No!!! I cannot be defeated!!! Noooooo!!!" he screamed. The flash blinded Davias. When he regained his vision he could see Odin's charred form still standing. When the crowd realized what happened they let out a cheer. Davias was now the king of Dunlock. Things would change.

The wind picked up a little. It began to blow away the ash that was Odin's body. With the ash blew away Odin's imperialistic ideas. The armor fell to the ground with a loud bang...

bang...

bang...