'Alright, who can tell me what a necromancer is?' Looking at his class, Gawain wondered if any of them would be able to answer. A few of the students looked at each other confused, some wondering what the term meant and others not paying attention at all.

'I do.'

'Agravaine,' said Gawain, pointing at his younger brother. 'Please tell everyone what a necromancer is.'

Standing up from his log seat, Agravaine stood proudly as he parroted off a book he had read. 'A necromancer is a person who uses the power of a Shadowstone to resurrect and control the dead.'

'Good answer. Now you there,' said Gawain pointing at a chattering girl who looked shocked as she was singled out. 'Tell me. According to the mages of the Caravan City of Scientia, what are the levels of undead one can encounter.'

'There are, um, three levels. Draugr, Revenant and Lich.'

'Very good, now you,' said Gawain pointing at another student, 'what differentiates the three?'

'A draugr is mindless with only envy for the living. A revenant is a higher draugr, retaining the skills it had before death with some able to maintain a sem...sem...'

'Semblance.'

'Semblance! Semblance of intelligence. Lich's are undead who can use magic, however this is just a theory and none have been proven to exist.'

'Exactly,' applauded Gawain as he looked at the children. 'However there is another type they do not teach you about. A fourth kind of undead, one that if you ever encounter. It will be too late to run.'

'What kind would that be?' asked Gaheris, enjoying the direction the lesson was taking.

'A Cysgod.' A dark cloud covered the class in shadow, blocking out the morning sun before disappearing as fast as it came.

'A Cysgod,' continued Gawain as he walked around his students, 'is the form of a tortured soul given flesh. Wrapped in decaying bandages and shadow, it is the most ruthless and deadly of all the undead. It has only one thing on its mind: killing. A unleashed Cysgod could kill all of us here and now before we ever had the chance to react.' He paused for effect and watched as his students gulped, some even paling. 'The Land Beyond the Shadows are filled with them, roaming the plains around the Halls of Arawn and feasting on those who were not accepted into his halls. So make sure children, to live interesting lives so that once you die, you can enter his halls.'

'What do you mean interesting? Does that mean farmers and bakers do no go into the halls?' asked one student.

'Not every interesting thing has to be an epic. It could be a tale you heard, or something that happened in your life. Sometimes it may not be interesting to you, but could be to someone else.' The silence of his class was choking, as at the back of his mind he regretted choosing the subject of undead as his first lesson.

Instead, he clapped his hands and proclaimed, 'how about you all take the rest of my lesson off. Go enjoy the mountains and valley, but remember to be back in time for King Hadryn's lesson on magic!'

The cheers of the children brought a smile to his face as he walked off, looking for Gringolet. The drake had decided his time would be better spent wandering around instead of staying by Gawain.

'Gringolet!' yelled Gawain, over the rising chatter of his class. As he walked further, he caught out of the corner of his eye, his brothers all dash off into the forest as quick as they could. At that moment he paid no attention to it, for if the three of them were together how much trouble could they get in.

◊◊◊◊

It is at this point dear reader, is that we change our perspective from Gawain to Gareth. For the coming events revolved around him and his brothers and their knack for being where trouble is. They do say children attract adventure whether they like it or not.

◊◊◊◊

Gareth followed his brothers into the bamboo forest, going deeper and deeper as they climbed up the mountainside.

'I can sense something big nearby!' promised Gaheris, his eyes glinting as he led the way. Sword in hand, he hacked away at the underbrush as he climbed further and further up the mountainside.

'Slow down,' panted Agravaine, as the thin air caught up to him. Bracing himself against a bamboo tree, he took a few hast short breaths before catching up to the twins.

'What do you sense Gaheris?' asked Gareth as they reached a bit of flat ground. The sound of a waterfall reached his ears, but it seemed to be quite far away. 'Where are you taking us?'

'I would like to know as well,' gasped Agravaine as he tried to regain his composure. 'Why are we tramping up here in the damp?'

'Because I can tell that this mountain is filled with Soulstones. Below us, I can sense the magical power stagnate and there is this particularly big one.' His eyes were closed as he felt the Yennibwyd around him swirl and pool, as he felt bursts of energy erupt from the ground below him. They were small and almost undetectable but he could feel them bright as day.

'So why are we climbing up? Should we not be digging?' asked Gareth, kicking the dirt beneath his feet.

'You know how when wind blows in a tunnel, you know there is an opening,' explained Gaheris.

'Yes,' replied both Agravaine and Gareth.

Pointing to the wall of stone before them, Gareth grinned as he proclaimed, 'the same can be said for magic. And right now, there is quite a lot leaking from that wall.'

'But that is just moss ridden stone,' huffed Agravaine as he walked towards it and placed his hand against it. It was cool and wet, but definitely solid.

'Hand me your sword Agravaine.'

Drawing his short-sword, Agravaine handed it to Gaheris without a second thought and watched as his brother channeled magic into the blade. White circuits drew themselves over the metal, and with a flourish Gaheris impaled the rock without much effort.

'Now what?' asked Gareth.

'Stand back,' commanded Gaheris as he began to flood the metal sword with as much magic as he could, burning through the amount he could use daily in a matter of seconds.

'Gaheris, you better not be!' yelled Agravaine as he dove for the ground and covered his head in hands. With a spark, followed by a maniacal grin, Gaheris leapt back as the sword exploded in a flash of white light and equally loud bang. As he watched the smoke from his handiwork, he noted that he had used up half the amount of magic he could use in a day. Exploding weapons was no easy feat it seemed.

'What the hell Gaheris!' yelled Agravaine as he got up and grabbed his brother by the collar, 'that was my sword I had made for me specially in the Underforge!'

'And now it has finally had some use,' replied Gaheris as he grabbed and twisted Agravaine's arms. 'You were never going to use to for anything more than training.'

'Knock it off, both of you,' yelled Gareth as he pushed the two apart. 'Gaheris I know where you keep your allowance, I am going to buy Agry another sword when we get back home.'

'DO NOT CALL ME AGRY!' roared Agravaine as he pushed past Gareth and walked towards the open cave. Looking into it, he did not look back as he walked into the darkness. He could feel the descending slope in front of his as he boots crunched on the stone steps.

'Great, now he will not listen to us for the next few hours,' sighed Gareth as he walked past Gaheris and slapped the back of his head.

'Hey!'

'This was your fault to begin with.'

Agravaine walked in the dark, with his hands on the side of the wall as he descended further and further into the depths of the mountain. At the back of his mind, he cursed Gaheris and Gareth for always looking down on him. He was better than them, he was a better knight and father loved him most of all between them.

'I will show them. One day,' he swore as he felt the ground flatten out and he kept on walking. He could hear the twins behind him, so he decided to speed up and started walking faster with his hands still on the wall. The wall suddenly disappeared and he stumbled as he hand pressed against nothingness.

Shaking his hand, he looked forward but could see nothing but black. Looking back, he saw that his brothers had drawn their swords and had begun to channel magic into them. The white light shining from the blades illuminating the dark cavern.

'My god,' breathed Gaheris as he saw what lay within the cavern. Hundreds if not thousands of statues stood side by side in an army like fashion. Their faces all unique and unmoving, with real rusting weapons in their hands. All of them in the shape of olden day Penglaian soldiers, armor and helmets with crests.

'Over here Agravaine,' called Gareth as he waved his blade to his sulking brother. Walking up to one of the six foot tall, white colored statues he placed his sword above his head as he inspected it.

'It seems to be missing something,' pointed out Agravaine as he too was as entranced by what they had found to remain angry. In the center of the stature was a small depression about the size of a regular Soulstone. 'Are these go..?'

SMASH

'AAH!' yelled Gareth and Agravaine as they jumped out of their skins. Agravaine took up a fighting stance and Gareth immediately brandished his sword.

'Sorry, that was me.' Gaheris looked down at his handiwork and cringed. His boots were caked in dust and crunched on the fragments of the statue he had knocked over. It shattered underfoot like pottery as he looked around cautiously.

'Shit.'

'Language!' reprimanded Gareth, walking over to his brother and picking up a fragment of the statue. 'It feels like a pot.'

'Terracotta.'

The twins turned to their younger brother with his smug face. 'Terracotta?'

'I think I know what we have found. Everything around us are golems, built during the days when the provinces had yet be established. These were the Penglaians main force, used to cut our numbers while not loosing a single one of their own. A cowardly tactic.'

'I think you mean bloody brilliant,' marveled Gaheris as he touched one of the intricately carved statues. Placing his hand hand flat on its chest, he channeled a bit of magic into it. He watched as circuits spread out from where his hand touched it, and spread across the body glowing white.

'Gaheris,' warned Gareth as he prepared for the statue to come to life and attack. 'Agravaine get behind me.'

'Like hell I will. Give me your sword, I am better than you in swordplay.'

'Relax idiots,' laughed Gaheris as he withdrew his hand. The circuits faded back into the white of the terracotta warrior. 'It will not move without an Earth Soulstone. I suspect they used a lot of Earth Sprites. I wonder where the stones are? Somewhere in here?'

Soulstones, are empty crytsal containers for the souls of creatures of magic. Once filled with a creature's soul, one either willingly or one killed, it will gain the elemental properties of that creature. Sprites were the ones most used, small faeries that were akin to pests. High multiplying powers, but with little to no benefit on society. They had lifespan of a few months and voluntarily live on in the gems. However, the stronger the creature's soul, the stronger the magic that could be generated.

'I do not know about small gems, but what the hell is that?' asked Gareth as he lifted up his sword and watched it shine off the biggest Soulstone he had ever seen in his life. It was easily five meters in diameter and was embedded in the chest of something that made all three brothers simultaneously gasp.

'By Arawn.'

'What the hell is it?'

'Oh this is awesome.' Gaheris lifted his sword up as well and suddenly the picture began to take shape in his head. The giant Soulstone was directly above their heads, about ten meters above the heads of the tallest terracotta warrior. As his gaze travelled, it soon met the dead eyes of a giant face that looked down on them all unmoving.

'It is a giant golem,' breathed Agravaine in a small voice. He grabbed the nearest weapon, a spear and ripped it from the grip of the terracotta warrior and aimed it at the giant.

'What do you suppose would have happened if they had unleashed that on the world?' asked Gareth as he stood there frozen.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

'It looks as if it is kneeling on all fours, protecting the statues here,' muttered Agravaine. 'This place must have been buried under a rockslide or something and the golem was placed to protect it.'

'Then why?' asked Gareth as he noticed something off about the smaller stone statues. 'Are they all holding their weapons as if they are charging at the golem?'

Agravaine spun and sure enough, they all looked as if they were about to make war with the giant statue. Then something else made his blood run cold, something that he knew Gareth felt as well. 'Where is Gaheris?'

Gaheris had run to the knee of the statue and begun to flood it with magic. He wanted to touch the giant Soulstone and learn what creature had been sealed within, it was something that the mage in him could not stop. Like a rising tentacle, the circuits jetted up the limb and across the body of the Earthen Giant and was about to touch the Soulstone.

'NO!' yelled Agravaine and Gareth as they ran to stop their brother. The circuit touched the gem and the eyes of the giant flashed open with a deep brown light.

'WHO DARES AWAKEN CARREG THE DRAGON OF EARTH.'

'Shit...'

◊◊◊◊

Gawain, King Hadryn and Corwyn had taken the rest of the children to the tea plantation to watch how the leaves were plucked and dried. Corwyn in particular was having such fun describing how his tea was made differently from others.

'How is Godwin taking the pressure on becoming the next king?' asked Gawain, his hands behind his head as he walked alongside Hadyrn.

'He has his mother's heart, strong and unbending. Yet kind at all times. I fear he may be too suited for the role,' laughed Hadryn as he watched his raven fly in the sky. In its claws it held a giddy Cadaryn who had his tongue stuck out as he enjoyed the ride.

'Will she step down when he is of age?'

'If Excalibur recognizes him, it will appear in his hand before long. It is almost amazing that three generations have passed before the need of a pulling of the Sword Ceremony. The last non Pendragon king, King Tristan Pembroke was a baker's son was he not?'

'You know better than I, Hadryn,' replied Gawain before the squawks of both the raven and Cadaryn grabbed his attention. A shudder of electricity raced down his back as he drew his greatsword. Hadryn had felt it too and drew his longsword and the two turned back to where they had come from.

Whistling, Hadryn's raven flew down and dropped Cadaryn on Gawain's head and perched on its master's shoulder.' Sir Corwyn, take the children to safety. Evacuate everyone in a two hundred meter radius and head for the other side of the valley! Now!'

'You majesty? Gawain?' spluttered a puzzled Corwyn, mid-sentence about the drying process. Seeing their grim faces, he trusted Gawain's instincts and mustering up the last recesses of his knightly self, he yelled in a commanding voice, 'Children move, head for the foot of the valley and wait for the rest of us! Now go. You there! You are the eldest right, you are in charge now move!'

'This reeks of your brothers,' muttered Hadryn as he and Gawain took off in the direction of the Training Camp. The oppressive feeling was getting stronger and making his stomach churn. 'What is this presence?'

'Stronger than the Umibozu,' remarked Gawain, remembering the massive squid he had encountered in the channel between Isles of Horai and Alfheim. 'What did my brother's do?'

'Seems like your brothers have surpassed you at last.'

The two came to a screeching halt as they watched a pile of trees slide past them along with half the mountain. Dirt and rock bashed and tumbled down the side of the mountain and into the valley below. It took the out the camp, with trees rolling down and splintering into each other like fireworks. Piles of bones rocketed out of hollow tree trunks into the open air, before disappearing into the valley.

Rising from the carnage, the giant terracotta warrior rose with its hands in the air. Every move it made sounded like the sound of pottery slamming into each other as began to stand on its two feet. As it got to its feet, it stood at a massive fifty meters and roared at the top of its voice. The sound echoed across the mountains, racing down the valley and striking the fear into the hearts of the Trainees.

'WAYLAND! WHERE ARE YOU, YOU BASTARD!' it roared as it began to free its legs from the rubble.

'Looks like they did surpass me...' muttered Gawain as he burst past Hadryn and began to channel magic into his armor as he jumped towards the giant.

Beware the sleeping Earthen Giant.

'Should have told that to my brothers,' huffed Gawain as he ran forward. They had to be safe, they just had to. But then again...they were Orkneys.'

◊◊◊◊

'Hold on!' yelled Gareth as he grasped onto one of the ridges of a bracer. His fingers could barely hold on as the giant rose, forcing himself not to look down. Instead he looked to his sides as watched as Gaheris charge his weapon and impale giant hilt deep.

'BOTH OF YOU DO IT NOW!' yelled Gaheris as he pulled himself up and began to climb the giants hand. Gareth and Agravaine charged their weapons and shoved them into the giant. As the giant turned, they held on for dear life from the centrifugal force as the monster turned around.

'When he nears the mountainside, jump!' yelled Agravaine as he braced his legs against the giants arm.

Gareth looked to his left and readied himself as the decapitated mountainside came to view. Just a mass of grey rock and loose dirt, which was their only chance for survival. 'On my mark! One, two, NOW!'

The trio jumped off as the giants hand slammed into the mountainside, rolling onto the dirt and rock as ground below them gave way.

'Run!' yelled Gaheris as he picked himself up and dashed, his legs slipping on the loose earth. 'Agravaine why the hell did you bring that with you?'

'I have no idea!' yelled Agravaine as he ran alongside Gaheris with his spear in hand, having refused to let go of it when he jumped.

'Shut up and run idiots!' cried Gareth, as he jumped for safety as the earth beneath him crumbled and fell into the hole the giant had made. 'Anyone else find it strange it called itself a dragon?'

'Really? NOW?' yelled Agravaine.

The dawn of realization rose over Gaheris's face as he stopped and turned back to the giant. 'They put a Dragons soul into a Soulstone? How? Who? Why?' he began laughing as he was dragged by his collar by both Agravaine and Gareth.

'I share a mother with this lunatic?' asked Agravaine looking to Gareth.

'You at least do not look like this lunatic . How are we going to stop it?'

'Can we? I say we let Big Brother deal with it. I know he can.'

'Gawain is human Agravaine, and no human could take that down.'

'I am going to take that down,' grinned Gawain as he looked up at the giant. This was what he was waiting for, something interesting to get his blood racing.

'You cannot be serious,' paled Hadryn as he caught up with Gawain and stared at the giant in shock. 'We will need at least a dozen catapults and ballista to make a dent in it.'

'Tut tut, King Hadryn. First rule of fighting a golem and undead, always go for the core.' Pointing at the large hexagonal gem in the center of the giant, he smiled, 'and that is what we need to destroy.'

'How do you plan on getting up there?'

'Easy. OI FATASS DOWN HERE!'

Hadyrn face-palmed himself and prepared to attack. He should have seen this would be Gawain's plan.

Carreg looked down and spotted the two humans looking up at him. Humans were such unsightly creatures, small and puny. They were like rats that scurried around and ate the scraps of greater beings like him and his sworn enemies. How long had he slept? How long had he been asleep in this stone? What had happened to his real body? What had happened to the war? Had his people won? Or had the faeries won?

'TELL ME HUMAN? WHO WON THE WAR?'

'WHAT WAR?' yelled Gawain. 'YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE MORE SPECIFIC!'

'THERE IS ONLY ONE WAR! MY PEOPLE AGAINST THE ACCURSED FAERIES!'

'YOU MEAN THE GREAT WAR? THAT ENDED CENTURIES AGO? THAT MEANS YOU ARE A DRAGON? WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE BODY OF A STONE GIANT?'

'IT ENDED? IT ENDED? I HAVE BEEN TRAPPED IN THIS STONE FOR CENTURIES BY THAT ELF!' in anger it stomped its foot, making the mountain shake. 'AND I AM NOW IN THE BODY OF A GLORIFIED HUMAN! YOU ALL SHALL PAY FOR THIS INSULT!'

'Looks like he is in no mood to talk,' said Gawain, preparing himself.

'You have forgotten all about your brothers' commented Hadryn as he began to spark with energy. He unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt and grinned as his eyes began to glow with deep light brown energy. Circuits drew themselves over his specially made clothes, the white lines being dyed the color of the Earth Soulstone in his chest. 'I will try to help you as much as I can. Finally I can show you why they call me the "Spellsword".'

'Do not worry about my brothers. You should know by now we Orkney's have the devils luck. Get me up there.'

'Hold on,' said Hadryn as he squatted and placed his hand on the ground. 'Pilar Daear'

Bracing himself, Gawain was still not ready for being flung into the sky by a rising square pillar of earth. Reaching about thirty meters high, the pillar suddenly stopped growing and the inertia sent Gawain the next ten meters into the sky.

'WHOOOOOAH! HEY DRAGON!' yelled Gawain as he approached the gem, great-sword ready.

'HUMAN!' yelled Carreg as he instinctively backed away and slammed into the side of the mountain. His fist clenched, he swung at the mid-air Gawain as fast as he could. 'Damn it,' swore Gawain as he saw the fist come too close to him. In a last ditch moment, he flooded his sword arm with as much magic as he could and flung his great-sword with as much magic as he could.

Like the sound of thunder, it left his hand and blew him back out of range from the hand which hit nothing but air.

'Troellog creigiau!' Rising from the ground in front of Hadryn twin pillars of earth emerged and spiraled around each other, rising higher and higher.

Gawain's feet hit the spiral and he began to slide down the smooth side down towards Hadryn. His hands out as he kept balance, he watched as his great-sword slammed into the giant Soulstone with a flash of light. Like the sound of a hundred rockfalls, the sword lodged istself into the gem and cracks began to form around it.

'HUMAN!' yelled Carreg as he felt the blade impale him. It felt as if a hundred small blades were slowly piercing his heart. 'YOU DARE HARM ME!'

'I need one more shot, but I do not have a weapon,' said Gawain as he looked at Hadyrn's longsword and then at he giant, 'your undersized toothpick will not be enough.'

'What about that?' asked Hadryn, pointing at Agravaine who had entered his view and was carrying a spear.

'That will do,' smiled Gawain as he grabbed Hadryn's sword and charged the giant again. 'I will be borrowing this.'

'He never changed,' sighed Hadryn as he cast another spell, this time looking for metals in the ground beneath him. 'EFAIL! ASEN TUDI!'

Removing his hand from the churned earth, he withdrew a solid blade of iron. It not forged or tempered, just iron in the shape of a longsword. It was better than nothing, but sadly he could not channel magic into it as it had no Yennibwyd Circuits.

Gawain on the other hand flooded the borrowed longsword as he charged against the stunned giant. As he neared it, he felt its gaze on him and he laughed. This was a rush, this was a fight!

'YOU!' yelled Carreg as he rose his foot to squash the cockroach for what it was. This body felt unnatural to him, like he was moving in an armor of iron and it restricted his movements. He knew one thing though, he was going to crush this insect underfoot and that was certain.

Gawain looked up and paled, for he was on a collision course with the heel of the giant. He had not expected the golem to increase in speed.

'Over here!' yelled Agravaine as he yelled at the giant trying to grab its attention, taking Gareth's sword and charging it, before sending it flying at the giants head. It exploded against the crest on its helmet, blowing it off and disorienting the golem. It placed its foot down away from Gawain and tried to regain its balance.

'What are you doing?' yelled Gareth as he held onto Gaheris who they had knocked out.

'I am going to help brother!' yelled Agravaine as he began to ascend what remained of the mountain. His hands clawed at the dirt, his feet slipping as he pushed against the roots of trees. He had to get higher, he had to be able to help Gawain!

'AGRAVAINE! LOSE YOUR PRIDE! WE ARE JUST KIDS!' yelled Gareth, hesitating to leave his twin and chase after his brother.

'I AM THE BEST TRAINEE OF OUR BATCH! I CAN DO THIS!'

I can do this! He told himself as he forced himself to move. Reaching a good height, he forced himself not to look down but at the square shoulders of the giant below him. I can do this. Walking back he took a deep breath before running off and jumping off the mountain. I have to help Gawain! I have to help brother!

'AND ONLY I CAN DO IT!' yelled Agravaine as he landed on the giants massive shoulder. Rolling as he still clutched his spear , he trembled as he watched the giants head turn towards him. Its rage filled eyes looking at him, his mouth opening to roar.

'Oh no...'

'FORGOT ABOUT ME?'

Gawain leapt up and onto the giants leg burying his sword into the hardened clay body. Then with one hand he pulled himself up along with the sword and repeated this process at great speed, making his way up the giant.

'Agravaine! NOW!' yelled Gawain as he jabbed his sword into the giants stomach and leapt up with all his might. His arm burned from the stress and as he rose up to the height of the gem he had his hand outreached for Agravaine to toss him the weapon.

Agravaine was about let go of the weapon when he stopped and cried out, 'NO!' He watched as Gawain was slammed from the side by the giants palm and sent careening into the side of mountain, the sound of breaking trees echoing his demise.

'NOW YOU ARE NEXT!' bellowed Carerreg as he raised his hand to smash the tiny one. It was frozen there in shock, a sitting duck. This would end quickly and he can raze every single human, elf and dwarven settlement he could. The he would find Wayland and rip his heart out for sealing him in this damnable gem.

Fingers trembling Agravaine did not know what to do. What should he do? What should he do? What would Gawain do?

'AGRAVAINE!' yelled Gareth, holding his hand to his brother. 'COME TO ME!'

His hand tentatively reached out before Agravaine withdrew it and clenched his hand. What was he doing? He was Agravaine! He was going to be the best knight the world had ever seen. He would do this, even if Gawain could not! Why?

'I AM AGRAVAINE GIANT! I AM NO COWARD! HEAR MY NAME AND FEAR IT!' yelled the small boy as he ran across the shoulder just before the giants hand slapped it. Weapon in hand, he knew what he had to do. Jumping up the collar of the giants potted armor, he scaled it until he was within reach of the giants ear. Grabbing onto that, he shoved the spear into it and began to fill it with as much magic as he could.

'WHAT ARE YOU DOING!' roared Carreg as he slammed his palm against his ear.

'GARETH!' yelled Agravaine as he leapt down before the impact and had begun running across the giants shoulder and towards the mountainside. Running right to the edge he leapt off and had his hand outstretched.

'I got you!' cried Gareth as he grabbed Agravaine, having anchored himself by tying his hand to a tree with his belt. He pulled Agravaine up, feeling his muscle fibers strain and some snap as he bit down and hauled his brother up the newly made cliff face.

The two of them fell onto the ground and were breathing heavily. Panting, Gareth felt his arm twitch and it was like hellfire as the pain raced through his nerves. 'Gah!'

Agravaine on the other hand, looked at his handiwork and watched as the giant took his hand off from his ear and stood there incredulously.

'Blow you giant bastard!' laughed Agravaine as he sensed the ancient circuits of the weapon break and shatter.

'YOU LITT....'

Shards of terracotta flew in all directions as the giants head exploded in a instantaneous flash of light. The stump smoking, it fell to its knees and sat.

'That was for killing Gawain!' yelled Agravaine, his laughter slowly turning to tears as he smiled whilst rivers flowed from his eyes. Wiping them with his wrist, he looked at where Gawain had been sent and wondered if there was a body to be found. The sheer thought...

'Agry?' hissed Gareth as he looked through closed eyes, bursting open as he watched his brother vomit off the cliffside. 'At least that was worst of it.'

'HUMAN CHILD! HOW DARE YOU!'

'Son of a...'

As the giant began to rise, from within the stump sand began to swirl and churn as if there had been a reservoir deep in the terracotta body. It formed a dragon like head with two horns and giant teeth, but the most unsettling was the black and red sand that made up its reptilian eyes. 'I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE!'

'I do not think so.'

'WHO ARE...'

The dragon spoke no more as a massive blade of green energy sliced it and the mountain behind it in two. It carved a giant gash into the ground and shattered the giant Soulstone in a fraction of a second. The two sides of the giant fell to the sides and collapsed into a pile of dust and dirt.

'Who?' spat Agravaine, wiping his vomit from his mouth. Looking at the cloud of dust that had been blow up, his froze when he saw nothing abut a pair of bright green eyes.

King Hadryn had his jaw dropped from the presence of the man before him. A ragged lincoln green clock covered him from head to toe, his face hidden within its shadow. Arcs of green energy streamed from his outstretched sword arm. His shock dismantled the spears of earth he had conjured, the dirt falling back down onto the ground.

At his foot was an unconscious Gawain, unharmed and well. The knight had a red welt on his forehead, possibly knocked out by their very savior. The knight was moaning something that sounded like 'Alis.'

'My duty here is done. By the Queen of Faeries the Earth Dragon Carreg has been executed for his crimes,' declared the man before turning to Hadryn and lifting a finger to his lips. He dashed off in a burst of green, running away from his deed.

'Now what do I do?' exhaled Hadryn as he fell to his knees. The destruction around him finally dawning on him as he sighed, 'Rhie is not going to like this...'

But despite the red tape he knew he would be going through, something did not sit right with him. It was the sadness he had seen on their saviors face, one that should not be on a victors. If sadness and shattered dreams had a physical look, it would be that mans face.