"Look, there’s the temple up ahead.” Sheila called out.

  “Here we come.” Alexx replied.

  “We should make it in an hour.”

  “Too bad Virgil couldn’t be here to join us.” Alexx said.

  “His company was growing on me.” Hammond added.

  “Ah wus tryin’ to kill em at one point,” Silas said.

  Alexx laughed, “I wasn’t, I wanted as far away from that dragon as physically possible.”

  “Now that ah buhleeve!” Silas said poking fun at Alexx.

  “Laugh it up, floppy cheeks,” Alexx retaliated in the same fun.

  “My cheeks ah fine thank ya ver’ much!”

  “No they’re not, they flap everytime you laugh!”

  Silas rubbed his face as he thought about it, and a silent ‘he’s right’ nod from Sheila confirmed it.

  “Dear Alta, please give mercy and friendship to us.” They could hear Tinda’s prayer behind them.

  “Tinda, it’s okay they’re just teasing each other. It’s all in good fun.” Sheila said.

  “She knows that!” Alexx replied.

  “Actually,” Hammond intervened, “It’s very common that a fight breaks out when a troll insults another troll. And it often ends in broken bones and bleeding.”

  “Tinda must be praying that doesn’t happen to Alexx and Silas,” Sheila said.

  “Ask ‘em ta pray fer his mouth ta shut too!” Silas replied.

  Alexx stuck his foot out and tripped Silas. As he laughed, the old Bacoot leaped onto Alexx's head, and with his hair in hand, steered him off the path.

  “Oh, look at our darling children,” Hammond said in a fake, comical voice.

  “They resemble your uncles a lot, actually.” Sheila replied.

  Hammond winced, “It hurts because it’s true.” they chuckled as the noise from the playful fighting continued. It ended after Silas wheezed from losing his breath. He had Alexx’s face stretched to try and make the pirate’s cheeks flap, but had laughed too hard. He stayed on Alexx’s shoulder, and as a sign of goodwill, Alexx let him stay there and rest. He took his pack off and let Alexx carry it.

  The hour passed, and after traveling uphill the whole time, the ground leveled out, and on the other side of the clearing, were leaf covered stone steps. The steps led to a beige tower that stretched for three stories. Vines and growth had built up around the temple. The trees concealed it from above, save a small opening that only showed empty ground. Trees all round them and the hills beyond that covered this sight from all angles. It was a perfect place to stay hidden.

  At least it’s intact… Alexx said to himself, remembering the remains of the Alta temple.

  They walked until their feet hit the first stone step. Ascending, they hear the doors creaking and some feet shuffling out. Alexx and the other three had their hands on their weapons as they looked ahead to see robed people. Tinda clasped her hands together for prayer. Their appearances were not that of normal monks and nuns. From a glance at the faces they saw burn marks, piercings, tattoos, hair that was obviously damaged, some scars, and missing eyes.

  Then a human standing between them all with an adorned tassel, a bald scalp, and a scar on the left of his mouth, approached them slowly. Instead of saying anything, he observed their attire, and stared into their eyes for a minute, keeping a small smirk on his face.

  Alexx remembered Simon, the head of the temple. Alexx stood here, surrounded by these armed monks just like his three other times before. They surely noticed him already.

  “Coming with backup this time, Mr. Junder?”

  Everyone stared at Alexx, waiting for his reply. He stopped himself from firing off the first quip he could think of. This trip wasn’t like usual, where he tried to barge in, no matter the trouble. With the mask in his hands, and a crew behind him he never imagined being with him, he had to approach this differently.

  “I’ve been right all along Simon,” Alexx said, holding out the mask slowly, “The key to the Moon’s Heart is in your temple. And I need it.”

  Simon adjusted his feet as he kept his gaze on the mask. His expression changed. “You’ve been busy, mister pirate.” Simon replied with an unamused tone, “And what are you going to do now?”

  The woods rustled as it seemed the world waited for Alexx to answer. He swallowed, feeling the weight of his next words only having one chance to succeed.

  He tossed the mask on the ground. Everyone watched in silence as it bounced forward. Alexx took a step back, and dropped to his knees.

  “Take it, please.” He said.

  He bowed before them, his head atop his hands.

  “Please! Take the mask and find it. Just tell me it’s there!”

  The yellow leaves and green trees danced in the happy wind. Simon eventually stepped forward, and reached out for the mask. He turned around and ordered everyone into the temple without any attention to Alexx or his party.

  For two hours, they waited while the temple was silent as a tombstone. For the others, they were busying themselves around the woods, but Alexx sat cross legged in the same spot and never moved.

  When the door finally opened again, everyone was attentive and silent. Simon and a few others walked out, not as defensive as they were before. SImon held the mask close to his chest. The look on his face hadn’t changed. Alexx got to one knee, his face beaming with focus.

  “As I was praying this morning, something felt different,” Simon said, “My mood changed, my coffee blend was perfect, and I had no issues to dispute with anyone. It was like I was on track to have the perfect day. That was, obviously, until you showed up. Now I see that I was prepared to have a different day entirely.”

  Alexx clung to every word, not questioning if anything had to do with the Moon’s Heart.

  “I was very surprised by your response, Alexx. You’ve been here multiple times. You’ve tried sneaking in, barging in, bartering, pleading. And now that you had the only key to our temple’s secret- you gave it away. I’m confused, do you really want the Moon’s Heart?”

  “More than anything!” Alexx didn’t hesitate.

  “Then why this? Why bowing?”

  “Because,” Alexx paused, and took a breath, “If I showed you that I was willing to give you the mask, you would at least consider letting me see it. And over time, I could earn your trust, and eventually you could let me have it.”

  “I see.” Simon shuffled and put the mask in another’s hands and waved him back inside, “There’s no way I’m letting anyone have it.”

  Alexx held his mouth wide, trying to find the cannon.

  “...At least that’s what I want to say.” Simon continued, “Pardon me for being dramatic, I am… uh, out of sorts. Please, everyone, come inside.”

  The doors opened, and a dim hallway with no lighting awaited them. Simon walked in. Alexx sprang to his feet and rushed right inside, while the others followed.

  The cold interior and dark layout gave everyone a feeling of concern. The monks and nuns walked about in thick dark robes, but their hoods were down. Everyone from Tuttels to Avians were present, and heavily scarred. Simon stopped at the end of the first hallway and pointed to an empty room on his left.

  “We have a special room for your weapons; we don’t walk around with them here.”

  Alexx responded without question. Dracabane was placed on an empty table. He searched his pockets for more, but realized his only weapon this entire time was a sword he hadn’t used once. The others were right behind him, emptying their pockets with more weapons than he had. Tinda especially.

  They followed him down the stairs into a hallway that stretched further than the upper floor. There were rooms here, and torches for light, but it was still dim. Simon led them to a room with a massive table. After he ushered them in, he closed the doors and they made a large thud together. The party was suspicious, but nothing in the room felt threatening. Simon walked briskly to the front of the table and sat down. He breathed, and then invited them to join him. Except for Alexx everyone reluctantly found a seat away from him. Alexx sat at the corner, next to Simon waiting for him to speak, but also admiring the temple he waited so long to enter.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “Is it here? Alexx asked.

  Simon looked at him, but his lips were sealed. His hands were wringing, and his eyes darted between them all.

  “Yeah, I saw it.” Simon revealed, “I saw the key. The key is actually here, Alexx.”

  Alexx smiled, “It’s really here…” he said dreamily.

  “In all my years of keeping this temple clean,” Simon shook his head, still wringing his hands, “No floor or wall ever felt out of place. There was no bend, crack, no clue that anything would give.”

  “But then that mask,” he pointed in the air, “It showed that the cellar is not the last floor to this temple. There’s another layer. A much bigger layer, that goes deep. It’s a long trip down, to make anything impossible to detect. Because the closer I got, the more I could sense a strong presence of Craeft. Once we got to the door, the mask dispeled a barrier, and it was as simple as walking in after that. The key was inside a chest. And as of right now, it’s still sitting there.”

  “Thank you Simon.” Alexx said, sighing in relief, “After all this time of searching, it’s too good to be true.”

  “It’s not for me,” Simon rubbed his head, “The Moon’s Heart was supposed to be a moral lesson in valuing the life you have. This opens up so much more of the text to study- what else is real?”

  “I believe all speculation can rise to your highest concern as a teacher of scripture, that Alta and Zaal are sleeping somewhere, and their slumber must not be disturbed.” Hammond said.

  “Senkazital doesn’t want to disturb the gods, he wants to make dragons.” said Alexx.

  “I mean I always had faith they were real, and I’m not concerned about that, it’s the world-ending danger that Alexx has unleashed.”

  “I’m already aware of what I’ve done,” Alexx replied, “I’ve put innocent blood on my hands and I’ve unleashed a monster. But I’ve promised my captain that I will set things right by getting the Moon’s Heart.”

  “Only the Child of Prophecy is the one who will vanquish Senkazital.”

  “We have a theory that the Child is the Moon’s Heart, or at least finding it will get us close.” Hammond spoke up again, summing up everything the party has shared together over their journey.

  Simon sat silently with his head down, fumbling the mask between his fingers.

  “You have certainly put thought into this, haven’t you?” He praised Alexx, “I’m not dealing with the same young man.”

  A slight smile passed over Alexx. He agreed that things were not the same anymore. And although he was reluctant, he wasn’t alone.

  That feeling switched as a muffled crashing noise and a small tremor shook the room. Everyone was on alert. The four monks had already opened the door and left before Alexx and his friends knew what to do. Simon slipped past them easily. Sheila and Tinda were right behind him, and the rest close behind. The other monks were assembling in the hallways and equipping gear. They were quick and orderly, a much different scene than the trolls the days before. Aside from Simon and his four elitess, the rest stayed at their bedroom doors, while they and Sheila’s company rushed through. As they left the stairs, they could hear the sounds of fighting and roaring. The windows revealed large wings. Something about them gave Alexx an uneasy feeling. His feelings were confirmed as the doors swung wide, and the crowd witnessed a black dragon taking on a large decorated bat. It was Kryll and Virgil fighting it out, thrashing wildly, concerned about nothing. From the looks of it, Kryll had the upper hand. Virgil was bleeding, and Kryll was not letting up his vicious assault. Blast after blast of Craeft connected, and Virgil seemed unable to dodge. Then he remembered that Virgil may not be at the helm, and that made him feel worse. Alexx ran back inside.

  He ignored everyone asking him questions. He ran straight for his weapon and snatched it from the table. He turned back and ran even faster. Everyone watching him from the steps were stepping back, clearing the way. He snatched the mask from Simon on his way by, put it on, and increased his pace. He knew he would have to get lucky to hit Kryll and not Virgil. As he drew near they didn’t stop. He called out to the dragon, “Virgil!”

  The dragon stopped, it looked right at Alexx. It’s eyes piercing. Kryll heard Alexx’s cry, and was astonished to see him.

  “The rats are scurrying out…”

  Kryll turned his attention to Alexx. Alexx faked an attack, but slid underneath Kryll to avoid being shredded by the Kagral’s claws. When he turned, he was met with a thrashing tail to his face. The force knocked him back and laid him flat on the ground.

  Alexx picked himself up and gave the dragon a nod, but something was happening. The dragon seemed smaller, and his eyes were changing color. They were more familiar, just like Virgils. He returned to his original state, and had clothes this time after turning back. Virgil was quiet for a moment before he seemed to speak again. Alexx examined his shirt and noticed a faint blue glowing line.

  “Thank goodness these clothes were laced with Craeft,”

  “Alexx,” he said as if waking up, “I heard you earlier. Thanks.”

  “Glad to see you back in control.” Alexx and Virgil bumped fists, and Virgil drew a knife from his boot. It was shining, and white with a mesmerizing soft glow.

  “Where did you get that?” Alexx said, staring with wide eyes.

  “Oz had it somehow,” Virgil replied. He approached Kryll that was back to his feet and highly irritated. Alexx asked if he needed help, but Virgil assured him he was fine.

  “You think being out of your dragon form will help you?” Kryll antagonized Virgil. Still wounded, and bleeding from his back, and side, Virgil’s walk was steady, and unaffected by his exhaustion. He kept the knife hidden from Kryll’s sight, and was not rushing at this moment. Kyrll launched a large blast from above, but Virgil vanished before it hit the ground. Alexx just happened to see his movements with the mask. He sprinted left, and hoisted himself up into the trees. His acrobatics were flawless, each motion looked effortless. With the blast gone, Kryll had lost sight of him, but Virgil was directly above him, now rearing back to strike. Virgil fell on top of him, and connected the blade at the back of his head, and pulled it down his back. The knife left a trail of light, and it consumed the being slowly. Kryll could not move, his entire being frozen, but still able to cry out in pain.

  “I can’t believe this…!” Kryll said. The light crawled along the Kagral’s being, and everything from its wings tips, to the claws were enveloped, and then vanished.

  Victory had come swiftly, and everyone had believed the fighting to be over. But another presence descended, and directly aimed for Virgil. It was a swift attack, and there was no chance of dodging. Another human had kicked Virgil to the ground, and pummeled him relentlessly. Alexx and the other party were acting after a few hits had connected, but even their involvement didn’t touch this new individual. At least new for some. Alexx recognized this enemy as well. The white hair gave his identity away.

  “The past is catching up to me.” Alexx said aloud to the newcomer.

  “And it’s come to collect,” said Erym, “Give us the mask, and give us Virgil.”

  “If you want him back, then why are you asking?” Alexx asked, “You just beat the life out of him.”

  “Senkazital wants him,” Erym sighed annoyingly, “That was payback for that cheap shot back in the forest.”

  “What happened to you? What happened to thinking you were the Child of Prophecy?”

  “I already told you, Senkazital saw me for what I truly am. And he said I have a glorious purpose,”

  “Being his minion?”

  “A minion of his can defeat the great Sorek,” Erym smiled gleefully, “Doesn’t that mean I get the title now? That’s the rule, right? Take down the current one?”

  Just then he cried out. Virgil stabbed his leg with the white dagger, and held it in.

  “You have to kill him,” Virgil growled.

  The knife did not affect Erym like it did a Kagral, but it still acted as a normal flesh piercing knife. Tinda had approached from behind and put Erym in a tight headlock. Sheila and Hammond were beside Virgil to get him away from the scene. Alexx approached and placed the end of Dracabane in front of Erym.

  “What do you think of this, Erym? It’s a sword especially designed against dragons.”

  “Get it away!” Erym flailed about, keeping his nose far away from the metal.

  “It’ll stay still as long as you don’t try to use your dragon form,” Alexx said. He looked to see Virgil carried inside the temple.

  “Mish-za-Heel will be very upset that you killed Kryll. And when I tell them, she and Senkazital are going to strike down this place, with you and everyone else!”

  “So why do you think I’ll let you go after telling me that?”

  “Why haven’t you killed me yet? Too scared to kill, Alexx? What kind of pirate are you!”

  Alexx held his tongue back as well as his hand. But why did he? This could make things easier if he killed him now.

  Alexx felt a shuffling up his body. Silas leaped atop Alexx’s shoulder, and squared his gun directly for Erym’s head.

  “Yew listun heer, boy,” Silas said slowly, “Alexx may’ve mess’ up, but ah seen him trah, n’ fix thangs. Yew on tha othe’ han’, ya thank yew can insult sumone an’ fuhget yaself?”

  “I can’t understand what you’re saying…” Erym grumbled.

  “Then unnastan’ this! Ah saws ya! Deep in em’ woods to tha sowth. Ye’s bawled so hard ya’s pukin’ on yaself.”

  “No I wasn’t!”

  “Bawlin’ ova a pile of bodies! An’ ah herd wat ya was sayin’ too!”

  “That was you, you little pest!”

  “‘Is nawt ma fawlt, I coodna’ hepp maself!” Silas mimicked Erym’s past cries as best he could.

  “Shut-up!”

  “Ya’s can controls yaself, ya jus’ didna’ wanna! Blamin’ sumbodys else is jus’ sawrry!”

  “Alexx…” Tinda called out, “If we kill him, Senkazital will just make another.”

  Tinda raised a good point. She had heard enough the other day to know what was going on, and it seemed she understood Senkazital better than he did. Alexx looked around and noticed Simon was still by the temple door. He was paying very close attention to Alexx.

  “Erym, get out of here. Go take care of that wound.”

  Tinda released Erym, he rubbed his neck, “What wound?”

  Alexx spun around and stuck his blade into his waist side. He made sure to not make it a killing blow, just enough to make him run away. Erym cried in pain and hobbled away. Minutes later they could hear the sounds of a wailing dragon taking off into the sky.

  “So you’ve chosen to let him live, and fight,” said Simon, joining Alexx on the ground.

  “Simon, I know this sounds awful, but give me the key, I’m going to run, and lead them away from here.”

  Simon pooched his lip, and nodded, “Okay.”

  Alexx was surprised, “Really? You mean it.”

  “Yes I’ll give you the key–”

  “Thank you, Simon!”

  “After we fight them.”

  Again Alexx was left shocked. “No, I can’t let you do that. This is my fault, and my mess to clean up.”

  “You’re right,” He sighed, “But we will be subject to his dragon transformation torture eventually. There’s also a better chance of surviving together.”

  “I just don't want people to die because of me.” Alexx admitted.

  “You’ve got a duty now, to stop Senkazital from making more dragons.” Simon said, “You’ve got to figure out how to get the Moon’s Heart, and keep him at bay at the same time. Fortunately, this fight isn’t on you. We are defending ourselves,” Simon’s reassurance worked on Alexx. They shook hands, and returned inside to tend to Virgil.