The mist of the Forest hadn't bothered Nuada; he had been sent into the Forest many times before, to look for something someone had lost or something that had been stolen. He had never had to venture in the the Swamp, and had found what he was looking for before he go to the Swamp, or at the border between the Forest and the Swamp.

But today, he had followed the Beast into the Swamp, where the darkness closed around him, making him feel trapped. What he could see of the trees frightened him slightly: the branches swayed menacingly, sometimes seeming to sweep down toward him.

As he went farther into the Swamp (careful not to fall into any water) he wished that he had mastered the Light spell, for it was getting harder and harder to see. And soon he was walking in complete darkness. He stopped and listened. He could hear the Beast he was following. Nuada closed his eyes and thought of a cat: it's swift, silent feet, amazing reflexes, and accute vision. Normally it only took a few seconds for him to Shift into an animal. This time, however, the tingling that usually spread to his whole body never came. The Shifter-Cleric was startled that he wasn't able to Shift. It had to have been the darkness that was preventing him.

And then he heard the Beast behind him. But what he thought was a Beast, was actually Beasts.

"Hey! Watch it!" A 17-year old male began swaying from side to side as three men in black suits were chasing him through the air. They were up in the sky firing away bullets in a sling. Their flight came from some fancy spell. But his came from some wings on this back. "Take him down!"

"It was just a slice of bread!" he yelled. "Yoro!" said a voice. "Stop being an idiot and kill them all!" Yoro turned around to fight, but was met with a spiked bullet hitting him in the head. "Hey! It's already cramped enough in here!" Yoro lost focus of his flight, and they vanished. He began to plummet to the ground. Or the Swamp of Shadows.

"I can't see anything..."

Nuada heard a crunch behind him. The young Cleric whipped around and he could feel the breath of a beast-- no, beasts, upon him. He fumbled with his spellbook, and the beast lunged at him. Nuada ducked, sending the beast into a tree. He flipped open his spellbook and it glowed slightly, only very little, as to give light to read the spells by. Most of the spells in the book were unable to be read, but he did have two to use.

Two other beasts lunged at Nuada, but he managed to bind them using the Magical Net spell. They both fell to the ground, writhing against the magic. Then, whipping around toward the other beast, Nuada let loose another Magical Net. The beast roared with fury, shaking the ground around it. The Shifter quickly left the area, only to run into something else.

He tripped over a body on the ground. He now lay sprawled on all fours, his face in a wet substance, his spellbook lying a few inches away from his outstretched hands. "Ow!" After the shock died, pain hit Nuada. He curled up into a ball and wiped the wet off of his face. "Who is that?" He reached for his spellbook and opened it, shedding a little light on the body.

"...Yoro?"

"All of my senses... I feel... dead..."

Yoro was confined to the inside of his mind. It was like a big giant maze of solid walls. "Hmm, stuck in this crazy place too?" Yoro turned around. It was Aurox, of course. The only person that walked the halls of his mind. Yoro had no weapons. "It's my own head- I can do anything..." Aurox was then sent flying into the wall, and turned into a slug.

"Yoro?" A familiar voice came through the air. Everything faded, and Yoro found himself lying on the ground. "Nuada?" he asked. He grabbed his Lite Sword and shook off the pain in his head.

((Sorry it's so short. I don't want my dad to see me typing this. He thinks everything except the bible's "evil." Weird man...))

It was obvious Yoro was hurt. Yoro had started to get up, but Nuada pushed him back down with his hand. "No. Wait. Waíse heill!" A small ring of light shone under Yoro for a few seconds. It seemed that his head was hurt the most, so Nuada concentrated most of the spell on his head.

After the spell faded, and Yoro seemed a little better, Nuada took his hand off him. And smiled.

"Who's chasing after you this time?" he joked, his bright teeth illuminating the dark prison.

Pushed back to the ground, he was then healed by Nuada. "Who's chasing after you this time?" he asked.

"Umm... this time they were some kinds of Air Soldiers. Just for a slice of bread..." Yoro pulled out the long loaf of bread. He pulled a part off of it. "Hungry?" he asked, grinning. "Well, I guess they weren't the only ones. Aurox just got turned into a slug." He laughed. "But I don't know where Crystallica is..." He looked down in disappointment.

"After I got off of Crystallica in the capital, I went to the bread stand and stole some bread. The soldiers saw me and got furious. I flew off to try to circle and lose them, but they sent out Air Soldiers, hit me with a really tough bullet from a sling, and I ended up here. You?"

Nuada smiled even wider when he spoke of the Air Soldiers, but it vanished in an instant when he heard about Crystallica. He had grown to like the horse in the short and frantic period he had known her. She was really a beautiful horse, and worked wonderfully with Yoro.

"...and all for a piece of bread, huh?" He took the piece Yoro offered him, biting into it with fervor. He hadn't had enough gold to eat with for a while, and he had been eating mostly herbs and whatever else he could find while searching for items or beasts. This bread was like a tiny piece of what Aman must taste lake (or at least, that's what he gathered from other people.)

"Me? I am in the employ of a Mr Tsicoen, looking for a certain beast. But I am under the impression that he sent me out here to be killed, instead of doing the killing..." Nuada's smile twisted into a frown.

"Well, my feet really hurt. I left my boots with Crystallica," said Yoro. "We've gone through some harsh stuff. Luckily, my feet won't have to touch the ground as long as I have wings and can say 'Winged Warrior'." Wings sprouted from Yoro's back, and he lifted off the ground. "Listen, I'll help you take care of these guys, then I'm going to go find Crystallica." He grinned before grabbing his sword.

"And... yes... Just for the bread..." said Yoro. "And the navy for the fish," he added, looking around guiltily. "...Also left with Crystallica..." He shook it off before holding up his sword and looking into the blade, seeing his own reflection. "I look good."

Nuada jumped to his feet as Yoro rose into the air. He smirked and rolled his eyes as the other boy watched his reflection in his sword. Then he closed his eyes, and tried to shift again.

This time, the tingling spread faster than it ever had before, and Nuada felt his body twisting and writhing into a small form on the ground. To Yoro, there would have been a flash of gold light, and then a cat would be there. But of course, to Nuada, it seemed to take forever.

The small cat stepped under the winged-creature, and opened its mouth. To most not familiar to magic, a talking cat would be cause for alarm; but Yoro would know it was Nuada.

"It's this way." Nuada moved the cat's claw in to the left. With his improved vision, he could see the outline of the beast a few yards away.

"Hold on a second," he said. He picked up a stick laying on the ground, then grabbed another only feet away. "Let me get some light." Yoro began to rub them together. "This will take so long." They then burst into a flame, which Yoro then used on his lantern, igniting it. Then he dipped the ignited sticks into a random puddle, causing the bright of them to fade. Yoro grabbed the lantern and followed Nuada's paw.

Yoro's eyes shifted colors... to golden. "Heh, forgot to tell you about the eye color I picked up," he said. He began to scan the area. "I sense something really strong ahead. This must be the beast. I can't read the energy it has. Let's get ready."

Yoro's first weapon of choice would be his special shortbow, which would be backed up with a quiver of barbed arrows.

The cat moved deftly toward the beast. A few yards from it, it catapaulted itself into the air, letting loose an ear-splitting mheow. The beast turned swiftly, but it wasn't fast enough. Nuada the Cat sunk his claws into the creature's back, causing it to cry out in fury. It spun around wildly, trying to buck the cat off, but Nuada held, sinking his claws in deeper every second.

Cries of fury spilled out into the Swamp. Blind with fury, the beast started to ramble off to the right, nearly missing the bottom of Yoro's feet as he passed right under the warrior. It ran straight for a swamp, hoping that the sight of it would scare the cat. The beast didn't know it wasn't a real cat, though, and threw itself into the swamp waters.

Nuada pulled the cat's claws out of the beast's back, shifting as he did so in midair. There was a flash of brilliant golden, and then Nuada was standing there, spellbook out. "Malthinae!" he cried, and the beast lost all power of movement, and sank slowly to the bottom of the swamp.

"Wow," stated Yoro. He hadn't even gotten to attack. "Hey you," said someone behind him. Yoro turned to see a man in a robe. "Want to buy this Elemental Spellbook?" asked the robed one. "How much?" asked Yoro. "About... 70 Gold," he replied.

"I could get it for less in the capital."
"This allows you to create flames," replied the cloaked one. Yoro paid up hearing this, then took the book. The cloaked one vanished.

"Weird," said Yoro, turning around and running up to Nuada. "Watch out," he said. "There's probably more!" "RAWG!" Yoro turned to see a large beast coming down on him. Yoro dodged to the side. The beast appeared to be a wolf with swords for paws. It charged at Yoro. Yoro began to deflect the sword.

Nuada watched the exchange with the two cloaked figures furtively, messing with his spellbook the while. When they left, he hefted it under his arm and went to stand next to Yoro. His voice was thick with curiosity as he asked Yoro who the men were. "Do you always buy things from random strangers? Do you remember the first time we met?"

Just then, a horrible roar came from the darkness. Nuada knocked over Yoro's light, and he was thrust into unbearable darkness. Summoning up his courage, he took on the form of the cat again. Momentarily, the clearing next to the swamp was illuminated garishly, causing the beast who had attacked them to cringe for a few seconds.

The cat then leapt into the air, sinking his claws into this beast as well.

"Don't hit me!" Nuada the Cat yelled at Yoro as the warrior started to hack at the beast. "Why is it every time we meet, we're both thrust into a life or death situation?!" Nuada's voice was thick with sarcasm.

"Burn!" he said. Yoro's finger lit up, and he put light into the lantern again. "Hey, strangers usually sell cool stuff!" said Yoro. He sank his dagger into the beast's head and was thrown high into the air.

"Back, beastie, back!" Yoro flipped and jabbed the creature in the forehead with his sword. The beast roared in pain and reared back. Yoro grinned, then ran to the top of its head and put the dagger in. He began to shake his head violently. Yoro was thrown into a tree. He got caught on a branch. "Aww man!" he said. He kicked the branch. It was no good.

"Steel!" he said. A chain rose from the ground and began to tug at the branch. It cracked the branch, but Yoro's chains faded. Yoro kicked again, this time knocking the branch down. Yoro grabbed onto a branch below. He dropped down to the ground. "Gotta get the weapons back..."

The beast's blood matted the cat's fur, and he mheowed angrily, throwing himself off the beast. Nuada rolled on the ground for a few seconds, trying to wipe it all off, before launching himself again at the other cat-like thing. A name popped into his head as he headed for the eyes: Warg.

The cat-Nuada sunk his claws into the Warg's eyes, and a fresh howl of pain tore through the air. The once clean claws (despite having been clawed to the Warg's back) were now a deep crimson color, almost sickening to those who didn't have the stomach, or weren't used to blood. Nuada mheowed and then cheered. The beast was turning in circles, unable to see anything.

This also meant that it could kill without meaning to.

Yoro rushed on forward. In his run, he shouted, "Winged Warrior!" Wings sprouted from his back and his took off into the air. He dropped down onto it and grabbed his sword. He then took out his dagger. The blood stains would come out soon.

This was a Warg. Wargs are large, evil wolves that are often used by Orcs as steeds. They are also totally independent of the Orcs and hunt on their own. They are fully intelligent and can converse with Orcs. One thing that Wargs are afraid of is fire. Wargs tend to be found on the eastern side of the Ered Annon mountains, in the Misty Forest and roaming Salquedor.

"You need to get away from it!"

Nuada didn't need to be told twice. Agilely, Cat-Nuada flung himself into a tree, and shifted on the branch. He was now in complete darkness, but if he looked down, he could see the light of Yoro's lantern. The beast continued to spin round and round, its teeth gnashing left and right in it's (literally) blind fury.

The warrior hadn't moved, or at least he hadn't seen it, so Nuada yelled from the branch, "Yoro! You need to get away too!" Then he realized how stupid this sounded. Yoro could probably take down this thing single handed.

Yoro remembered! He could defeat this. "One thing that Wargs are afraid of is fire!" The Warg suddenly struck Yoro and knocked him back a while. His lantern was sent flying... right into a puddle. "So much for that," he said.

Yoro rushed to get his lantern, then quickly put it away. He turned to see the Warg charging mindlessly right his way. Yoro looked straight up. A branch. Yoro jumped and flew at 60 MPH, grabbing onto the branch. The Warg hit the tree and shook it. Yoro dropped down and grinned. "Aha!" The Warg began to move again. "I had to talk..." Yoro took off running. He jumped into the air and flew into the darkness. "I can't see anything."

Yoro felt something begin to wrap around his leg. He hit his head on something. Yoro realized that he was far from the battle. What was climbing up his leg?

The Warg hit the tree that Nuada was in, causing it to shake. Then, he felt something rush past him. He lost balance, and almost fell straight down into the Warg's flailing body. The thing dropped back down, and then back up again. Nuada caught a glimpse of gold, and knew that this was Yoro. So he wasn't hurt...

But then Yoro didn't come back down, or call his name. Nuada became frightened. He tapped his spellbook, hoping that it would light up a little so that he could see, but nothing. He tried to shift, but the fear that had been in him when he first entered the Swamp was again preventing him from shifting. He didn't feel safe here without Yoro... where was Yoro?!?!

The darkness began to spin, as Nuada fell from the tree.

Yoro just barely burst free, then lit up the area with his finger of fire. He looked and saw a malboro. Yoro just touched it, and it began to burn up. This seemed to be a baby malboro, but now it was just a pile of ashes.

He grabbed his lantern and lit it. He then grew wings and flew at top speed back to the battlefield. "Nuada?" he asked quietly. Yoro's golden eyes scanned the area.

"King Neocist?"