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“So, which Orb are we after this time?” Scott asked the tree as he set out in his raft. “The blue one is on Greatwhale Island . That’s where we’re heading next.” Even before he made land in Greatwhale, Scott knew that this was a tainted land. “What kind of place is this?” Scott said to himself. “Head to the temple,” the tree replied. “King Metamikau should have the Orb ready.” Scott shivered as he walked the dark, barren path to the temple. He felt as if the very air itself were cursed. Suddenly, he heard a rustle. He snapped around and said, “Who’s there?” No reply. He kept walking, keeping a constant watch over his surroundings. Then he heard it. A low rumbling sound. It sounded as if something was trying to breathe. He quickened his pace. Never before had he been this frightened. Not even when he was stranded in Blackcastle Island without a weapon. He heard a scream. He started sprinting down the narrow path, trying to ward off whatever was stalking him. He felt a wet hand touch his shoulder. Without thinking, he grabbed the wrist and swung the thing out in front of him. He prepared to draw his wand when he stopped. The creature in front of him was the most hideous creature he had ever seen. It was huge, at least 8 feet tall. It was wearing a few pieces of torn armor, but held no visible weapon. Its hands and feet were armed with very sharp claws, and its teeth looked just as lethal. But the horrible part was its face. Its head was completely bald. It had no visible eyes. Instead, long, gray lines crossed its face. Its only feature was its gaping maw, with its razor-sharp teeth, at least three rows of them. The thing looked dead, and Scott was about to run, when he heard it again. That rumbling, throaty noise. It took him a while to figure out that it was coming from the thing. At first, it just sounded like random noises, but then Scott heard it say, “Help me.” “What are you? Are you Andoran, Geruda, Moler, or some other race, for I have never seen something as yourself,” Scott questioned. “I am a Mandon,” the creature replied. “My name is Gorvval. I am the captain of a fleet of ships. During a storm, I lost contact with the other ships. I was shipwrecked on this place with my crew. There were nine of us originally, but three died the first night. Eventually, we all died somehow. Haggen fell off a cliff while hunting, Fokkvel was attacked by a wolf in the woods, Thunvir ate a poisonous mushroom, then Oromid and Blahhkven went crazy and ran off.” “Then why do you look this way?” Scott asked. “Mandon involuntarily shapeshift to suit themselves to their surroundings. I guess this was the best shape suited for living on this accursed island.” “I see. Have you made contact with your fleet yet?” “No. I’ve been alone for at least a week now.” “Well, I’m going to see King Metamikau. If you come with me, you might be able to get a ship back to wherever you came from.” “Oh no! Not the Temple ! That’s the first place we tried. The whole area is overrun by huge monsters. I have no idea what happened to this ‘Metamikau’ but he’s probably long dead.” “Is it true?”’ Scott asked the tree. “Is Metamikau dead?” “No. I can sense his presence. You must keep going.” “Well,” Scott said to Gorvval, “I’m going to keep looking anyway. You can come if you want.” “Well, why not. It’s not like I’ve got anywhere else to turn.” Scott felt strange walking next to the strange creature, but he pressed on to the temple. Gorvval was right; the place was overrun by huge monsters. Scott fished his wand out of his pocket, thumbed through his spellbook, and quietly whispered, Arrdones. A huge explosion rocked the field, sending mass amounts of the monsters sprawling. The monsters immediately charged Scott and Gorvval with their huge spears. Scott used his slash spell until he was too drained from using magic. He tried using his dagger, but to no avail. He picked up one of the monsters’ spears and used it against them. Finally he made it into the temple. Everything was trashed. There was debris everywhere. Scott hadn’t yet gained the ability to sense presence, but he assured himself that even if he could, there would be no one in here. He was just about to leave when he heard a muffled cry. He rushed to the pile of debris at the back of the room and dug frantically. Under a huge plank, he found a man. The man got up and said, “I am King Metamikau. The Gindu Tree told me you would be coming. This island is cursed. Take this Orb and go.” “Won’t you come too?” Scott asked. “I have reason to stay here. Now go!” the king replied. Scott took the orb, put it in his pack, and ran outside. He saw Gorvval grappling with a monster. “Come on!” Scott shouted as he grabbed the back of Gorvval’s armor. “We have to leave now!” He and Gorvval raced through the woods until they had lost the monsters. “Hey, what’s the deal? It was just starting to get fun.” Gorvval said. Scott kept running and said, “No time to explain. We have to get off of this island now!” Finally they reached Scott’s raft. “Get in!” Scott said. “There will be just enough room for both of us. Just don’t pop the fabric.” As they shoved off the island, Scott contacted the tree. “Where is the next Orb?” “The orange one is on Mysticsand island, but why the hurry? Don’t you want to tell me what Metamikau said?” “No time. We have to get away from Greatwhale.” As they sailed to Mysticsand island, Gorvval questioned, “Why do you talk to yourself so much?” “Oh, I’m not really talking to myself,” Scott answered. Gorvval sighed. “I wonder what happened to Oromid and Blahhkven?” At that very moment, in Greatwhale temple, King Metamikau said, “Yes, my master. The boy has the Orb.” “Good,” a voice said. “Make sure that he reaches Oval Island . We can’t have any foul ups.” “Understood, my master,” the King replied. “Oromid! Blahhkven! Come!” Two figures that resembled Gorvval entered the room. “They are headed for Mysticsand,” the king said. “Make sure nothing goes wrong.” “Yes, captain!” they said in unison. “Oh, and don’t call me that. Call me, ‘King’ or, ‘Master’. Maybe even, ‘Boss’. But not Captain.” “Aye, aye, Boss!” they said. “This is going to be harder than I thought,” Metamikau said to himself. Scott and Gorvval quickly made land on Mysticsand. As they got out of the raft, a Moler approached them and said, “Our king foretold us of your arrival. Follow me.” Scott and Gorvval followed the Moler into a cave. The cave led deeper and deeper underground. Scott felt as if he were descending into the core of the world. Finally, the stairs came to an end. They emerged in a room full of Molers. The Molers eyed Scott suspiciously, but when they laid their eyes on Gorvval, expressions of pure horror covered their faces. As they reached the end of the room, the Moler shouted out to everyone, “Announcing, the honorable Kingmoler Julius Grant VII!” The room filled with applause as a huge Moler entered from the back of the room. Scott had seen pictures of a Kingmoler but had never actually seen one. It looked exactly as it was described. Huge body, long, sharp teeth, and seven huge drills protruding from its head, giving it the appearance of a crown. As the Kingmoler approached the people, it shouted, “My people! Rejoice! For the chosen one has arrived!” A roar swept across the room. After the applause had died down, the Kingmoler said, “I give you, Scott Anderson!” More applause filled the room. The Kingmoler whispered into Scott’s ear, “Go on. Say something. Make em happy.” As Scott approached the podium, he looked around nervously. What was he supposed to say? He just came for the Orb. He finally said, “Uh, hi.” The room erupted with laughter. Obviously they thought Scott was playing stupid on purpose. When the laughter died down, he said, “So, how bout that sand? It’s everywhere! I mean, what is up with that?” More laughter exploded out of the Molers. Scott kept at it. “I mean really. But you know what really puzzles me is why teachers always make kids hide under desks for emergencies. I mean if there really was a disaster, under the desk would be the last place I’d think to hide, but no. The teachers expect you to hide from a nuclear freakin fireball under kindling! Am I right?” Another roar of laughter swept the Molers. Scott never thought such little people could make so much noise. He was just about to say some more when Gorvval grabbed him from behind. “That’s enough for now,” he said. “Aww man!” Scott said. “It was just starting to get fun.” Scott followed Gorvval and the Kingmoler into the back chamber. “Chosen one,” the Kingmoler said, “Gindu has told me of your arrival in Mysticsand. Is it not this that you desire?” He took the orange Orb from his pocket. “Gindu told me of your quest to save your grandfather. What you don’t know is that you are helping a lot more people than you realize. Take the Orb, but remember that many are depending on your success. Failure is not an option.” The Kingmoler said. “Understood, honorable Kingmoler” Scott said. As he exited the tunnel that led to the cavern, he saw a sight that made his blood run cold. Standing before him, was Shadowaxe. “You!” Scott managed to say. “I’ll tear you to…” before he could finish his sentence, Gorvval jumped on Shadowaxe. He tore at the giant’s shadowy skin with his spear. Actually, Shadowaxe didn’t seem so big with Gorvval standing next to him. They were about the same height. Finally, Shadowaxe blasted Gorvval back. He crashed into a wooden structure, completely demolishing it. Shadowaxe extended his finger at Scott. As he did, a shiny, black liquid ran down his finger and landed on the ground. He said to Scott, “Keep that beast under control; I came not to fight, but to deliver a message. Your quest is in vain. You cannot help these people. You cannot even help your own grandfather. For all you know, he may be dead. I won’t stop you, but be warned. Disaster awaits you at Oval Island . We will meet again, Spirit Walker.” Shadowaxe slowly floated off into the distance. Scott just stood there, pondering what Shadowaxe had said. Where was this “ Oval Island ”, and what kind of disaster would take place there? And was his grandfather really dead? The thought overwhelmed him. Finally, he stepped forward and examined the shiny, black liquid that had dropped off of Shadowaxe’s finger. It was Shadowaxe’s blood. Scott scooped up some of it and put it in a small vial. He only knew one thing, he had to find Oval Island .