After stopping off at the item shop, Gunnolf purchased three flasks of deep blue liquid while Atzler and Lylen purchased four half spherical medicines known as healing gels that rapidly heal wounds when applied to the affected area or wound.

  The kind amphobos woman who paddled their vicaria pad for them throughout the town, finally came to a halt back to the shore in which they entered from. The sun was lowering in the western horizon, but the submerged town had such a sun-kissed golden glow for this time of day.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t want to try out that Tavern, I’m sure they would’ve had some booze,” Atzler said to Gunnolf.

  “You would’ve emptied your belly upon eating anything there, it made me cautious of the drinks as well,” Gunnolf replied placidly as they began their journey.

  ***

  Having trekked down the same trail Gunnolf and Lylen used a few days prior when on their way to the ruins, they encountered not a soul on the trail down aside from a few axe bunnies Atzler managed to capture and kill for their dinner. Night was upon them when they found themselves at Kyros Lake. The lake though, was placid, moonlight of the twin moons gleamed off the water’s reflection. Both were crescent moons this night as they looked over the water and a light blue glow shimmered from the algae in the water.

  Lylen and Atzler had met with the soldiers who had large soft leatherleaf tents. Commanded by Val-Xan herself. Atzler took his prey to the camp to roast them up while Gunnolf and Lylen took a stroll to the lake.

  “I know you don’t like opening up about anything, Gunnolf.” Lylen began. “But Atzler I think is right, we should be able to depend on one another in this wilderness. What are we going to do once we catch up to Zarmhel and he sends us off on a mission together?”

  Gunnolf glanced down at her as they walked, he then looked on ahead again. “I said before, I work alone in my assignments. Taking you and Atzler to Zarmhel is simply another assignment. Nothing more. Be grateful I agreed to this extra job of dealing with the Pisces.”

  Lylen sighed, “You’re cold and alone. It doesn’t have to remain that way.”

  Gunnolf shrugged, “It shall be as it is. The water flows around the boulder, I shall be the boulder.”

  The shoreline was decorated with a large rock jutting from the sands and as tall as Lylen to their right. The left had a few sparse trees, one with a snapped branch dipping into the moon reflecting water as it clung to the trunk by a sliver of bark.

  “May I know why at least?” Lylen pushed.

  Gunnolf stopped beside a large tree with long overhanging branches near the water. “Those who get close to me…die.”

  Her eyes widened as her mouth was open to respond but no words came. Gunnolf paid her no further attention. He came to a stop on the water’s edge, knelt down to touch the water that pulsed on the sandy shore.

  He stood again as Lylen approached, “Do you notice something odd?” she asked.

  His gaze turned to her, “Water is wet.”

  Her hand met her face as a sudden wave of water rose up from behind Gunnolf and darted to encompass the both of them.

  “Watch out!” Lylen screamed.

  Water crashed onto the shore as they both rolled out of the way. Rising from the water with an iridescent blue hue the shape of a catfish larger than even Gunnolf appeared. Followed by another. Each had to be nearly ten paces in length and almost half that in height.

  “Looks like we don’t need to wait!” Atzler said as he rushed to their side from the tents, his axe in hand.

  “Stay back,” Gunnolf said as cold and steady as ice.

  “Gunnolf, what are you─”

  Without letting Lylen finish her question he took a leap to the nearest overhanging branch from a tree on the lake’s edge, the bark surrendered its cling and as it began falling, he leaped to another branch higher on the tree, his hand was on the hilt of his blade. The two water formed fish rushed over to his location.

  “We have to help him!” Atzler called out.

  Gunnolf stood atop a thick branch waiting for the Pisces to close in. He popped off the top and gulped down one of the flasks of iridescent fluid. Closer. In a flash, Gunnolf drew his tachi and dropped down onto the elemental fish blade tip meeting its mouth as the other shot forth a blast of water in a beam from its mouth. Blade piercing the elemental creature as the water beam hit him in the upper chest, the sword ripped through the head of its target Gunnolf fell into a deep part of the lake. The injured Pisces descended back into the waters slowly.

  The souls of elemental creatures will do nicely! The voice in Gunnolf’s head returned.

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  Lylen and Atzler were rushing around the edge, they both called his name as the amphobos soldiers were charging from the tents behind in full armaments and bidents readied.

  A blast of water shot up as the second Pisces rose into the air by ten feet, Gunnolf had slipped off its back and fell first, but in a blink, his tanto left his hand, slicing the air as it pierced the creature in its underbelly.

  “Great light gather to me now, in all your chaos form a line from my hand into thine foe. Bolt!” A shot of lightning shot forth from Lylen’s hand hitting the monster made of water directly in one of its eyes before it plummeted back into the water after the kobold. Lylen shook her hand vigorously as smoke rose from her fingertips, already her hand ached.

  “Stop casting magic, your curse─” Atzler went to yell but she broke in.

  “To hell with my curse!” Lylen snapped. “Gunnolf needs help and if I have to suffer, so be it.”

  The amphobos soldiers immediately readied their bidents and bows upon reaching the shoreline. “What is happening?” Val-Xan demanded as she and her soldiers were ready to strike anything that came up.

  “Don’t shoot, Gunnolf is underwater!” Atzler called out. As soon as he said the words another blast of water shot up like a fountain as two more Pisces rose up. A blue aura glowed around the nearest while the fired another beam of pressurized water, Lylen barely ducked out of the way as it left a hole in the sand merely five paces behind her almost as large as a small melon in diameter.

  Val-Xan gave the order to the Lilthiken soldiers, “Attack!” and all weapons were raised, arrows flew and bidents were launched like harpoons. Val-Xan then leaped forth swinging her spiked flail striking the nearest giant fish made of water.

  Flying out of the water like a human sized murky rat, Gunnolf hit the large rock that stuck up out of the ground on the shore. Lylen rushed to him as one of the amphobos soldiers caught one of the water beams in the chest punching a hole through it in midair.

  The glowing blue Pisces emitted a blue aura as its color returned to normal, and ice shot up from the ground trapping Atzler and two of the amphobos soldiers. The pain was immense as the ice chilled them to the soul. Atzler went to scream out, but no words came, he could only wince as the freezing cold pierced through his clothes.

  The ice began breaking away as a beam of light shot into one of the Pisces to have cast the chilling spell. Turning his attention, Atzler saw the heavy set human monk, Olin standing there on top of a large rock with his hands cupped in front of him.

  “Have I arrived too late?” the bald human asked with a warm smile.

  Gunnolf struggled to his feet as Lylen helped him up. “Are you ok?” she asked him.

  “The Kazesuki-zhuken is embedded in one of the Pisces. I will take it back!” he snarled.

  There it was, a Pisces hovered over the wall with a wall of water rising behind it and Gunnolf’s tachi stuck out from its side.

  Val-Xan spun as if in a dance, her flail sent another two of the elemental fish lifeless back into the watery depths they came from. The arrows and bidents of her fighters sent another one back. While Olin cupped his hands together and focused while a ball of light began forming between his palms. Gunnolf stumbled forward as Lylen noticed blood dripping from his left leg.

  “You’re injured,” Lylen said. “Stay here.”

  She climbed up the nearest tree before the kobold could respond. Everyone else fighting held their ground while she ascended unimpeded. Another amphobos soldier was flung by Lylen, it hit a branch next to her and it snapped on impact. Lylen got fifteen feet up from the ground when she got to a thick enough branch to walk out on. The Pisces with the tachi sticking in it had its gaze on her as she approached at a careful run across the branch. A ball of water formed above its head as she ran toward it, daggers drawn.

  “Lylen!” Gunnolf shouted upward at her. “Don’t touch the sword!”

  One dagger flew forth, striking the creature’s eye as she jumped off the branch as it dipped down and vaulting over the monster, she kicked the hilt of the blade out of its side as it headed for the ground. Gunnolf made his move, as the Kazesuki-zhuken landed point down in the sand, he reclaimed it and held it in front of him. Another beam of light from Olin’s hands struck the Pisces and Gunnolf’s blade flashed a green shine as he swung the blade at the air in front of him, an arc shot from the sword and hit the water elemental as Olin’s blast connected. With a roar, it fell back into the water as Lylen landed at the shallow end of the lake on her rump.

  Atzler and the trapped amphobos soldiers broke themselves free of the remaining ice prison the other Pisces trapped them in, he stumbled over them trying to reach Lylen who was getting up from her fall. She applied one of the gelatinous medicines to her lower back without trying to draw any attention.

  Val-Xan called to assemble her troops while Atzler and Olin strode over to Lylen and Gunnolf. Blood was still dripping down the kobold’s leg.

  Seeing Lylen first, Atzler asked, “Are you alright?”

  “Yeah, just a bruise and a scrape,” she absently replied. “Gunnolf, that was incredible! How did you do that?”

  As he tried to sheath his blade it began pulsating with flashes of green flame and he screamed in agony, it took immense effort for him to let go of the blade hilt.

  Twelve more souls to go, twelve more. You can achieve them all now! Kill, kill, kill more!

  “No!” Gunnolf roared.

  “What’s wrong?!” Atzler asked.

  Val-Xan who was approaching stopped in mid-step. “What is that?!”

  Gunnolf fell to his knees in sheer agony. The fur that usually concealed his eyes lifted and a murderous crimson showed in them. “Leave me!” he barked.

  Olin simply shook his head as Dusaak came to his side. “You need medical treatment, my friend,” Olin said plainly.

  Abruptly, a black and green aura began glowing around Gunnolf’s right hand as he shrieked in agony and rushed further into the water to submerge it, stumbling a couple of times leaving a blood trail with each step.

  Both Lylen and Atzler called his name, but he paid it no mind, the rush of agony was too intense. “What’s happening to him?” Lylen demanded as she looked up to Olin.

  Olin sighed, “The Kazesuki-zhuken. The cursed sword of the Moon.”

  Atzler had a perplexed look to his face, “Cursed Sword?”

  Olin stared at Gunnolf who was trying to ease the pain anyway he could. Gunnolf resorted to his hyotan gourd with his left hand taking large gulps of the assumed liquor inside. “Once his pain subsides, we should go talk within the tents.”

  “Indeed, that would be best,” the words of Val-Xan were heard as she approached from behind Lylen. “I too have many questions.”