A Story Without a Title (so far) By Ardweden and Dannysmartful Chapter 1 or The Mean Streets of Chicagle Dannysmartful peeked through bushes, looking at a campsite. Many monsters sat around a fire. He narrowed his eyes as they changed in color from green to blue. He wondered idly if any were TMF members... nah, they can't be that ugly. But... He boldly stepped out of the bushes and waved his hand. "Hi!" he said cheerfully. "I'm Dannysmartful. Are any of you TMF members?" The monsters stared stupidly at him, and a hulking green one snorted. Drool fell from his mouth and into the flames. He growled. "No, but you be dinner." "Thank you, but I'm not that hungry," Dannysmartful replied politely. "Good because we're starving." Realizing the situation, Dannysmartful took a couple steps back. "I'll be going now," he said calmly. "Please don't follow me." The monsters stood and approached him. He pointed and shouted, "Look out!" "Duh?" They turned around as Dannysmartful hit one upside the head with his sword. "Why you..." a pink one mumbled. "Look out!" "Duh?" Dannysmartful knocked out another one. The remaining three grabbed at him as he leaped back. "Look out!" "We're not falling this time." Dannysmartful quickly grabbed his key and psi-blasted the monsters, who fell to the ground screaming. "Hmm... must be stupider than I thought they were, or I would have done that sooner," Dannysmartful commented as he left. "Why were they screaming anyway? I only poked their minds a little." Ardweden looked around Chicagle with a scowl. "Look for the other member," she mumbled, mimicking Leinis's voice. "Right. How can I find him in this mess?" All around her a crowd bustled. Chicagle, she soon found out, was a very big place. Too bad stealing was illegal here... ah, what the heck. She had nothing better to do. She climbed down the building and mingled with the crowd, quickly getting lost in the joys of pick pocketing. Dannysmartful sheathed his sword, and walked in the direction of Chicagle. When he entered, he found himself in the middle of rush hour, and the familiar tingle of hundreds of minds tickled in the back of his head. He sighed and headed home. Along his way he felt his left side get heavier and his right side get lighter. Patting his hip, he found a hand in his pocket. Grabbing the hand's wrist, he pulled it behind him to a nearby alley. When away from the bustle, Dannysmartful whirled around and faced the owner of the offending hand. It was a girl, about his age, with long dark brown hair and brown eyes. She wore black pants and a dirty brown tunic, and had a silly grin on her face. "Hola," she said conversationally. "Don't speak Spanish to me! You were trying to steal my stuff!" "Well, actually, I dropped something in your pocket." "Liar! Did you know that in Bulvaria we remove thieves' hands?" Dannysmartful drew his sword, while keeping the girl's wrist in his left hand. She screamed and kicked Dannysmartful in the stomach. Twisting his arm behind his back, she pushed him against a building wall. Stunned, he let go of her wrist. She hit him in the middle of his back and moved away. Warily turning around, Dannysmartful noticed a dagger at his neck. "Drop the sword, please," the girl said. Dannysmartful blinked. "Polite as you are, I would appreciate it if you gave me your name." "Ardweden. Now drop it." The sword clattered to the ground. Ardweden grinned, and with a flick of her wrist, threw the dagger over her shoulder. It cut a rope, and a clothesline (with all the clothes on it) fell on the two. "Hey, get this off me!" Dannysmartful wailed. He finally untangled himself from the clothes and found his sword, but where was Ardweden? Ardweden laughed, dangling from another clothesline four stories up. She hasn't had so much fun since she came to Chicagle. "Hey, dork!" she shouted at the boy below. He looked up and stared at her with violet eyes. "Yeah, you! Why do you carry around a sword, anyway? You're not a knight, are you?" "No, I'm Dannysmartful, master swordsman! Soon to be leader of the Council of Chicagle!" "Well, you're not too bright," Ardweden commented, swinging to another clothesline. She threw another dagger at Dannysmartful, missing on purpose. This was too much fun. Dannysmartful growled. "No girl makes fun of me!" He picked up a stone and broke a window next to the clothesline Ardweden was hanging on. "Ha! You missed!" An old woman appeared and opened the broken window. "Get away from my clothes, you thief!" she yelled as she pushed Ardweden off the line. Screaming, she fell into the pile of clothes she made earlier. "Ouch, that smarts." Dannysmartful smiled confidently and held up his key. "I'll make sure you're never a thief again! I'll turn you into a good person!" A white beam emerged from the key and zapped at her. Ardweden's eyes widened and she jumped out of the way. The beam hit a wild squirrel, and the foam left its mouth as its eyes filled with hearts. Ardweden watched in horror. "You were trying to do that to me?! Die!" She reached inside her tunic and pulled out a key of her own. A blue light covered Dannysmartful's sword hand. "Ouch! Cold, cold!" he shouted as he dropped his sword and his hand was covered in ice. He started to bang his hand against the building wall. Ardweden picked up the dagger she threw at him earlier and lunged at him. "How dare you try to turn me into a lovesick loser!" she screamed in fury. Dannysmartful used his frozen hand to punch Ardweden's dagger hand. She dropped her dagger as the ice shattered. "Never thought the other member would be a heartless thief. I thought Ariel and Leinis knew better then that," Dannysmartful said. "Huh?" Ardweden stopped her fist, which was swinging at Dannysmartful's face. "YOU'RE the other member?! I can't believe this!" She started laughing. "Ha ha ha," Dannysmartful said sarcastically. "At least one of us is sane. Well, I'm leaving. It's almost dark." "Fine," Ardweden sniffed, "I don't need a loser like you." She turned to leave when they heard an old woman screech. "There they are!" She pointed a wrinkled hand at the two teenagers. "Those hooligans ruined my clothes!" Five guards entered the alley and backed the TMF against the wall. "Drop the weapons," they ordered. Dannysmartful dropped his sword as Ardweden picked up a dagger and dropped into a defensive stance. "Back off! Let us out of this alley and you won't get hurt!" "Ardweden," Dannysmartful said sternly, "Listen to them. They're law." "I don't care! I never listened to law before." "Look out!" Ardweden rolled her eyes as one of the guards said, "Look out!" "Duh?" Dannysmartful and Ardweden looked behind them as a guard bashed them on their heads. Chapter 2 or Jailhouse Rock "Oh, great Dannysmartful. Like you always listen to the law." "Hey, all I did was assault a guard. You're the one who picked half the pockets in Chicagle." Ardweden stopped pacing and stared daggers at Dannysmartful. "They couldn't pin a thing on me. But because of you, you idiot..." She poked her finger at the boy's chest. "You just had to turn around, didn't you?" Dannysmartful blinked. "You turned around, too." "I only did it because you did!" "Oh, right." Dannysmartful leaned against the cell wall. "Blame everything on me. I'm not the one who tried to fight the guards." Ardweden flipped some hair over her shoulder. "I could've taken them." She started to pace once more. Dannysmartful picked up his tin cup and started banging it across the bars. "Let us out of here! Let us out!!" he yelled. "Quiet down!" a guard ordered. Ardweden smacked Dannysmartful on the head. "You're not gonna get anywhere that way," she said. "Oh, and I'm sure you've got a better idea," Dannysmartful replied. "I do," Ardweden said smugly. "Oh?" "Use your powers," she ordered. "Huh?" "Are you stupid or something? Use your powers! Brainwash the guards and make them let us go!" Dannysmartful was shocked. "I wouldn't do that! It's wrong." Ardweden mumbled something not nice under her breath. "Fine. I'll get us out of here myself. Just don't complain to me if you get hurt." She pulled her key out and concentrated. There was a pale flash of blue, and in her left hand was a lockpick made out of ice. "Alright, it worked!" Dannysmartful examined the lockpick curiously. "Why isn't it melting? That's impossible!" "Oh right, Mr. Mindzapper. Like the things you do are normal." With that, Ardweden started to work on the lock. Dannysmartful sighed and sat on a cot. He still couldn't believe that this girl was a TMF member. No morals at all; you'd think she was trying to take over the world or something. He sighed and lay down. Quietly, he activated his key. Leinis, Ariel, he called to the gods. What do you want, Dannysmartful? came Leinis's annoyed voice. Do I have to work with Ardweden? She's so mean, and a thief besides. She's not that mean. I mean, sure, she stuck ice cubes in Ariel's dress, but you attacked me! Yes, but- No buts. Her key chose her, and you have a key too. If you can't behave like a rational mortal, I'll turn back time and LET that guard beat you into a pulp. There was a slight tingle in Dannysmartful's mind as he felt the god leave. He sighed again. "Stop sighing, Dannysmartful. You're breaking my concentration," Ardweden snapped irritably. There was a quiet clicking sound. "Alright! I'm outta here!" Dannysmartful shot to his feet and grabbed Ardweden by the arm. "Hold it! If we have to do this, we'd might as well do it correctly. Besides, I need my sword back." Ardweden snickered. "So you are going to help after all." With a short nod, Dannysmartful activated his key's power again. His mind reached out, until he brushed against a mouse. "There's a mouse that knows where our stuff is. Well, my stuff. I don't know if you are supposed to own any of yours." Ardweden bit back a retort. "So we have to follow a rodent?" "Yeah. Here's our guide now." A small black mouse stood outside the cell door. It squeaked and stood at attention. Dannysmartful smiled and opened the door. He gestured at the hallway. "Ladies first." Ardweden stared at him in disbelief, shook her head, and walked out the door. Dannysmartful grinned. Ha! She's speechless, for once! He quickly followed, closing the door behind them. They continued in silence, hiding from the guards. Once, Ardweden was about to freeze one, but Dannysmartful showed her that wasn't necessary by knocking him out instead. They finally reached a heavy wooden door, and the mouse sniffed at it and squeaked. "About time," Ardweden commented as she opened the door. Inside they found weapons, piles of gold pesos, and items of all kinds scattered on tables. The thief started sifting through the stuff. Dannysmartful already got his sword, buckling it around his waist. He watched Ardweden impatiently. "Are you done?" Ardweden looked up from an overdue library book she was scanning. "Look at all this stuff!" "You're not planning on taking any, are you? Just get your things and let's go!" Closing the book, Ardweden tossed it back on the table. "Oh, alright. But just because you got that mouse to help us." She picked up a few daggers and hid them in her belt, pockets, boots, and sleeves. Dannysmartful watched in amazement, wondering how she didn't cut herself just by walking. Ardweden, noticing his look, winked. "You didn't think they actually found all my weapons, did you?" She picked up another dagger and twirled it in her right hand. "I'm done. Lead the way." The Magic Few sneaked through the rest of the prison into a wide hallway. At the end was a pair of large, stone doors, with a big, red sign above them that read "EXIT". They sprinted at the doors, only to have them opened by an army of guards. "There's the jailbreakers!" the one in front shouted. "Get them!" "But they're only a couple of kids," the one next to him objected. "So? They're thieves, resisted arrest, and are trying to escape punishment. They may be a couple of kids, but they at least deserve to have their hands chopped off." "Ah," Dannysmartful interrupted, "maybe I can explain." The first guard looked at Dannysmartful in disgust. "You can explain, kid, after we cut off your hands." Ardweden waved one of her daggers threateningly. "I don't think they'll listen. We've come too far." Dannysmartful nodded. For once Ardweden was right. He drew his sword and it began to glow with a white light. Ardweden's dagger did the same, but for her it was light blue. "Alright, then." Dannysmartful's voice took on a resigned tone. "I suggest you let us leave peacefully." The first guard laughed. "Not a chance. Kill them!" The guards were immediately on the two escapees. Dannysmartful turned around to see that more rushing them from behind, so trusting Ardweden to the front, he started to fight them. He was a blur of motion; strikes, parries, and every time the sword touched flesh, the offending guard would scream in pain, because the damage done was to the mind. Ardweden, for her part, immediately noticed Dannysmartful's presence gone as she cleared the way to the doors. Her throwing daggers didn't do any good; the guards were too close to her. She ducked, kicked, slashed, and thanked Cernos that she was only five- foot-three, any taller and she'd be shish kabob by now. After fifteen minutes of fighting, Ardweden was able to kick the last guard out of the way. Gasping for breath, she turned to tell her companion that the way was clear. She saw Dannysmartful fighting off one while another stood behind him, with a giant wooden club about to bash him on the head. Ardweden screamed and threw her glowing dagger at the man, catching him in the neck. He fell with a gurgled cry. The girl watched with morbid fascination as the blue glow from the dagger slowly left it and surrounded the man, covering him with a thin coating of ice. She couldn't help wondering if she actually killed this person. "Ardweden! Snap out of it!" There was a slap, and Ardweden shook her head to clear her thoughts. She looked around the room; there were more guards there than before, another wave must have come. Most were either unconscious or sleeping peacefully. Turning back to the source of the voice, she saw Dannysmartful much worse for wear, but his key and sword were glowing a bright white light. "Come on, stupid!" Dannysmartful ordered, "I don't know how long I can keep them asleep." Ardweden nodded, gave a shaky smile, and ran out the doors with Dannysmartful on her heels. They quickly lost any guards that might have followed them in the Chicagle maze of tunnels, alleys, and bridges. When they finally decided they were safe, they stopped on a bridge that went over the Chicagle River (which wasn't anything more than a stream). Dannysmartful gasped for breath, while Ardweden, who was used to running away, fidgeted anxiously and gazed at the murky water below. After about ten minutes, Dannysmartful cleared his throat. "Ah, Ardweden." "Hmm?" She didn't look up from the water. "I... thanks for saving me, back at the prison, I mean." Ardweden looked up from the water to Dannysmartful's face. His short, brown hair rustled in the breeze, and his green eyes sparkled with concern. Ardweden smiled and gave a short, bitter laugh. "Yeah, well, maybe you were right about me being a heartless thief after all." "Huh?" Dannysmartful looked confused. "I had to kill somebody back there. Cernos knows that Usoan thieves lie, cheat, and steal, but they were never killers." Ardweden looked at her feet in shame. Dannysmartful blinked. Ardweden was from Usoa? That would explain her odd behavior; Usoa was the kind of place where thievery was considered to be an honest, "clean" way to make a living. He swallowed and tried to think of a way to make her feel better; they were going to work together, after all. "Well I, for one, am glad you killed him." Ardweden stared at him in shock. "You? But you're always telling me what's right and not... and even I know that killing's wrong." "Yeah, but you killed him to save my life. I mean, maybe there was another way to stop him, but..." "I guess," Ardweden replied with a sigh. She looked back at the water. "Besides," Dannysmartful said quickly, "you're not heartless. Maybe you hurt someone, but it was for a very good reason, and if you were heartless you wouldn't even care about what you did." When Ardweden didn't respond Dannysmartful rolled his eyes in exasperation. This wasn't getting him anywhere. "Look, it's almost dark. We have to get inside or they might try to kill us again for violating curfew," he said after a few minutes. "I don't have anyplace to go." "What was that?" "Are you deaf or something? I said I don't have anyplace to go!" "Um... I'd invite you to my place, but the guards are probably watching it." "Then we should just leave. There's no point in staying here." "Leave? But I'm not eighteen yet! How am I going to get into the Council of Chicagle if I'm not here?" "You'll think of something. Let's go." With that, Ardweden pulled Dannysmartful after her across the Chicagle border. Chapter 3 or Straw into Gold In the middle of the night, as Dannysmartful and Ardweden trudged across Bulvaria, it began to pour. The two were too tired to seek shelter, so they settled for arguing with each other instead. "This was your dumb idea. Why'd we have to leave Chicagle anyway?" "You're the one who said we couldn't go back to your house." "What do you mean 'we'? I said YOU couldn't go back to MY house." "Oh, fine. Now you tell me. Maybe I should just kill you and leave you lying in a ditch somewhere." "There's no ditches here. This is the plains." "That's okay. I'm sure the wild animals will eat you before then. You'll be a pile of bones lying on the ground by morning." "What's that?" Dannysmartful asked in terror. "What?" "That big black thing!" He pointed at a giant black mound on the horizon. Lightning crackled behind it ominously. "That's just a castle. Maybe they'll let us stay there." Suddenly, The Magic Few heard a bloodcurdling scream pierce the air. They looked around them, frightened, and ran toward the castle. "Let us in! Let us in!!" Dannysmartful screamed, only to be drowned out by the thunder. Ardweden walked up and pushed the door open. "Go in, you idiot," she snapped as she kicked him in the shins. "Oh... okay." Dannysmartful straightened his wet tunic and walked gracefully through the doorway. Ardweden sighed and followed. A man in armor greeted them at the entrance. "What is thy name? Why hath thou greeted us at such an hour?" Ardweden scratched her head, trying to make heads or tails of the man's statement. Dannysmartful, on the other hand, answered, "Mine name is Dannysmartful, and the fair lady who graces thine presence is Ardweden. We hath come seeking shelter, for there are many wild beasts which roam these parts." Ardweden, flabbergasted, didn't speak a word, but nodded and sat down in the puddle she caused by her dripping clothes. "Don't sit down, my dear," the knight said chidingly. "'Tis not proper for one such as yourself to do so." The girl glared at him and snapped, "I'm not a deer. If you're that hungry, go out and find one yourself." The man's jaw dropped, and Ardweden wondered how many onions she could fit in his mouth. Dannysmartful gave a nervous laugh and said, "Do not mind Lady Ardweden's speech. She means well, but hath a tongue like a whip." Ardweden stood and glared at her friend. "And you're a moron." The knight recovered from this interesting exchange of words and said, "No more of this subject. I must inform His Highness of thine presence. Please, wait here." Dannysmartful nodded and the guard left. "I don't trust him," Ardweden whispered. "Pardon?" "Don't talk that way with me! I don't trust him; let's follow." With that, Ardweden silently followed the knight. Dannysmartful, using the excuse that the doorway was cold, followed as well. They trailed him down a long corridor, and stood outside the doorway watching the exchange between the knight and the king. "Don't bother me with these heathens! I have enough to worry about, with that girl spinning straw into gold, and that man trying to turn my entire country into ashes!" the king shouted. "Shall I send them away?" the knight asked. "No! That horrid man has probably sent them. Lock them in a dungeon." "Yes, King Tessle. What about the girl?" "Let her remain in the highest tower until she relents and transforms the straw into gold. We need the money." The two teenagers bolted down the corridor as fast as they could. "No way am I going to let them lock me up again," Ardweden growled as she pulled out a dagger. "Come on, let's get out of here!" "What about the girl?" Dannysmartful asked. "What girl?" "The one that spins straw into gold!" "Who cares about her? We have to get out of here!" "But she'll starve to death!" "Better her than us!" "I can't believe you!" Dannysmartful stopped. "Well, you might not be willing to help her, but I am!" He turned and ran back the way they came, drawing his sword. "Wha- hey!" Ardweden yelled after him. "Fine, go and fight your way into that tower! I won't be there to save you this time!" She couldn't believe him. He was so sure of himself and so positive that he was always doing the right thing, he made her want to scream. And he was a jerk, too. Dannysmartful ran unhesitatingly to the tower, knocking out the guards as they came at him. He had to save that girl! Even without Ardweden... he had the feeling that she was important. He frowned. And he actually thought she'd help him, too... well, just goes to show that thieves can't be trusted. He skidded to a halt outside a small, wooden door. Twisting the knob, he found it was locked. Dannysmartful growled. If Ardweden was here... no, he did not need a thief. He could open the door by himself. He drew his sword and cut the doorknob off. Without hesitation, he pushed the rest of it in. Running inside, he began to climb the endless spiraling stairs. "Hello, hello!" He called as he reached the top of the stairs. "Is anyone here?" The hall before him was dark and shadowy. Light came from small, bright torches along the corridor. Dannysmartful continued until he reached the door at the end. Politely knocking, he shouted, "They're after us! I have to get you out of here!" When he didn't receive an answer, he opened the door, which was unlocked, and looked around. It was filled with hay and a large spinning wheel sat in the middle. "Hello?" "Go away," ordered a small voice from beneath the hay. "Where are you? It's time to go! Come out." "I'm not gonna talk to your king or spin your silly gold into straw... or something. I just want my key back. So if you're not gonna give it back, go away," a girl's voice said sulkily. A mound in the hay started moving away from Dannysmartful. He noticed this opportunity and jumped on it, which was a big mistake on Dannysmartful's part. "YEOW!" He instantly leaped up and noticed that the pile of hay followed. Dannysmartful then fell square on the hay. "Ouch! Get off of me, you doofus!" The voice shrieked. Dannysmartful immediately stood and began stammering his apologies. "I'm really sorry, miss pile of hay, but you were trying to get away, and I needed to rescue you and-" "KILL THE NONBELIEVER!!" a mob shouted as they ran up the spiral stairwell with heavy footsteps. Dannysmartful looked behind him in terror. "Sorry, miss pile of hay, but we have to share a bed together." He leaped into the hay. The pile of hay screamed. "Get this pervert away from me!" A figure jumped out. The mob ran up the stairs to see a young girl, about fourteen years old. She had an extremely embarrassed expression on her face, and her dark brown eyes glistened angrily. She was shaking hay out of her green embroidered dress. She stared at the mob, and pulled a handful of hay out of her dark brown hair, then started fiddling with her braid. "There's a nasty man in the hay! Throw him out the window immediately!" The mob leader looked sheepish. "Um... but we're already throwing someone out the window, Lady Cherden. She stole your sacred key." With a wave of his hand, two of the mobsters threw Ardweden out the window. She screamed as she fell to the ground below. A blazing white figure covered in hay bolted to his feet and screamed, "Ardweden!" "There's the pervert! Get him!" Cherden ordered with a stomp of her green boot. The mob leader's eyes widened. "It's the Great Hay Monster! Run for your lives!" The mob went back the way they came, tripping over each other as they fell down the stairs. "COME BACK HERE!" an enraged Dannysmartful bellowed. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO HELP ARDWEDEN!" "YEAH, COME BACK HERE!" Cherden yelled even louder. "YOU'VE GOT TO PUSH THIS PERVERT OUT THE WINDOW!" "Dannysmartful..." a small voice said through the window. "Ardweden!" A relieved Dannysmartful ran to the window and peered down. Ardweden was hanging with one hand from a gargoyle a floor below. From her other hand dangled a key with a thick silver chain. "I could use some help here. My grip's getting slippery," Ardweden commented, trying not to look down. Dannysmartful looked at the sharp, jagged rocks below, and realized he had to think of something fast. "Hang on! I'll help you... let me think..." During this whole touching scene, Cherden was sneaking up behind Dannysmartful with spinning wheel in hand. "You pervert!" she shouted as she lunged at him. Dannysmartful dodged without looking and Cherden toppled out the window. As she fell, she grabbed onto Ardweden's free hand. The spinning wheel was splintered on the rocks. Chapter 4 or Ashes to Ashes... "Oh, great. Now I've got to save both of you!" Dannysmartful complained. Cherden's reaction was somewhat different. "My key!" she screamed joyously. The others looked at her in confusion. She giggled. "You stole my key and gave it back to me! Like Robin Hood, except you're a girl." Ardweden frowned at this remark. She didn't like being compared to that wimp. "Don't worry, I'll get us out of this mess." Cherden concentrated, and a green light pulsed from hers and the thief's clasped hands. Ardweden's eyes widened as she felt the power emanating from the key they held. The girl in green smiled and closed her eyes as she was surrounded by a green aura. Vines shot up the wall at an unbelievable rate. In a matter of seconds, they reached the tower window. Dannysmartful stared in amazement. "Ha! Did you see that, Ardweden? I knew she was important! She's one of us!" Ardweden rolled her eyes and let go of the gargoyle. She nimbly climbed down the vines to the ground, where Cherden stood waiting. "Well, if I didn't steal that key, none of us would be alive anyway." Dannysmartful climbed after her, a bit more clumsily. "If I didn't go after her, we wouldn't have the third member." He said as he stepped onto the ground. "If you didn't go rushing in like an idiot, we wouldn't have had to go through all that!" Ardweden corrected angrily. Cherden was watching all this with much confusion. Then a light flashed over her head. "You mean... you're the other two people Leinis told me about?" "That's us," Ardweden said with a grin. Dannysmartful added, "Aren't we great? I am Dannysmartful, master swordsman, and this is my accomplice, Ardweden." Ardweden snorted. "Actually, Dannysmartful's MY accomplice. He's just too bone-headed to think straight most of the time." "At least I've got my priorities straight! Human life above all else! You'd leave that in an instant, wouldn't you?" Ardweden's glare showed that she was hurt and ashamed, and not even Dannysmartful was dense enough to miss it. "I'm sorry," he quickly apologized, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I guess I got carried away. That was out of line." "You're right, it was," Ardweden answered. She quickly hugged Dannysmartful. "Thanks for trying to save me," she whispered. Dropping her arms, she sniffed and looked away. Cherden was still recovering from shock. "You... you... you mean... I have to work with you? And... that pervert... that's Dannysmartful? And that thief is... Ard... Ardweden?! I can't believe this! I WON'T BELIEVE THIS!" She started to cry. Her key glowed a powerful green light as lightning cracked in the air. Rain poured down, drenching the three children. "The trees are melting," Dannysmartful noted. Ardweden looked across the moat to see a few of the trees which dotted the plains dissolve. "Wow, you can melt trees too?" Ardweden asked Cherden curiously. "I would never do that!" she shouted, obviously offended. She turned her head and began to ignore her two teammates. A sudden wave of paranoia struck Dannysmartful. "What if we melt too?! AAAAHHH!!" He ran around in circles trying to avoid the water. Ardweden grabbed him and was about to say something nasty when they heard a child singing. "Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust, I will rule the world, And kill everyone if I must! Oh, ashes to ashes, Dust to dust, In eggplants and ashes, Does King Tessle trust!" This was accompanied with a laugh as they saw a silhouette skip through the plains merrily, repeating the song. He carried an eggplant with a crown on it. "Ack! That's King Tessle!" Dannysmartful gasped in horror. "Good riddance," Ardweden commented. "The trees!" A horrified Cherden screamed. Another tree crumpled into ashes. "Well, it's better than them turning into eggplants," Dannysmartful stated. "At least they'd still be alive!" "Death's better than turning into an eggplant." "Oh yeah? I think I'll kill you right now!" Cherden declared. Lightning cackled ominously behind her as Dannysmartful backed away nervously. Ardweden wrung water out of her hair. "Whatever's going on, we should stop that boy," she decided. Dannysmartful looked at her in surprise, ignoring the still fuming Cherden. "I didn't think you had it in you, Ardweden." Ardweden stuck her tongue out at Dannysmartful. "I did save your life, you know." She turned to Cherden. "Hey, could you make this rain stop?" The girl blinked, then looked around her, discovering what she did. Smiling sheepishly, she grabbed her key and the rain stopped. Ardweden looked around her. "Wow, that was cool." Dannysmartful grabbed his two companions and dragged them towards the castle. "Hey, you pervert! Let go of me!" Cherden howled. "Oh, stop whining. I just want to see if there's anyone left in the castle," Dannysmartful responded. Cherden pouted, but followed without further complaints. The trio entered the castle and walked down the main hallway. All around them were statues of its inhabitants, made out of ashes. When they were touched, they disintegrated. They noticed the knight who escorted them. Cherden was blinking back tears and looked like she was going to throw up, while Ardweden had an extremely sad and depressed expression. Dannysmartful looked more determined than ever. "Come on, let's check upstairs," he suggested. The others agreed. After they returned from upstairs, which only revealed more grisly sights, they visited the broom closets. The Magic Few solemnly swept the ashes into the palace graveyard and buried them, using the back of the former king's throne as a tombstone. Dannysmartful, being the most religious, said a few words to the people of the castle, bowed, and led the others out of the castle in silence. Chapter 5 or Inn the Rain (Note: From this point onward, Ardweden will be tackling the story on her own. This doesn't mean it'll be finished, though. Nyah. Please send all flames her way. Thank you, and have a nice day.) Ardweden sneezed as The Magic Few trudged across the plains of Bulvaria. "It's dark, it's cold, I'm hungry, and I think I'm going to get pneumonia," she complained for the umpteenth time as she wiped rainwater from her face. "Shut up. If you think it's so bad, go back and stay at Castle Bulvaria," Dannysmartful snapped. The thief shuddered. "No thanks. I'm never going there again." She heard a sniffle behind her and turned around, walking backwards. "You okay?" Cherden's head was bowed slightly as water streamed down her face. She was probably crying, but Ardweden couldn't tell because of the heavy rain. Actually, the rain was probably Cherden's fault, but Ardweden didn't feel like talking about it. Cherden sniffled again and blinked. "I-it's just... all those people..." she trailed off as her voice began to quiver. Ardweden frowned and tilted Cherden's face so the shorter girl was looking into her eyes. "Don't worry. Dannysmartful knows where the kid is going. We'll catch him, and when we do," her expression hardened, "he's going to suffer." "Make that knew." "What?" Ardweden whirled around to see Dannysmartful kneeling, examining something on the ground. A glowing sphere floated a few feet up; it was the only light besides the silver light of the moon. "What do you mean?" "Look," Dannysmartful said, gesturing at the ground. "The ashes from this tree are almost completely washed away. Trees create a lot of ashes, so even in this rain we should be able to follow him. Unfortunately, he's moving a lot faster than us, and trees are difficult to find in the plains..." "So we lost him," Ardweden finished. "Great. Just great." "Look!" The two TMF members turned to Cherden. She was pointing at something in the distance. "It's a building." "Cernos," Dannysmartful muttered as he shot to his feet, "We have to get there before that kid does!" With that, he sprinted towards the building, the girls not far behind him. It turned out that he was worried about nothing. The building was an inn, and a rather pleasant one at that. The floor and walls were polished wood, and there were many tables with people sitting around them, laughing and talking. A fire crackled merrily in the background. The TMF walked in, immediately soaking the floor, and were greeted by the innkeeper, a portly, well-to-do man in his late forties. "Welcome," he said kindly, "I'm afraid we're almost full; there's only one empty room left. I would advise you to stay here, though. This is the only safe place for miles." "Why is that?" Dannysmartful asked while the girls tried to dry off. "I've hired some very special help," the innkeeper replied proudly. "Craftie, get over here." One of the men at the table closest to the group stood up and slowly walked over. He was tall and in his mid to late twenties. Slightly messy black hair adorned his head, and his brown eyes darted back and forth nervously. He was rather attractive, in a scrappy sort of way, and Cherden's eyes grew wide as she watched him walk towards them. "Yes?" he asked quietly while wringing his hands. "This," the innkeeper stated, "Is Craftie, a fire mage. He has agreed, at an exorbitant price, to protect the inn. I've seen the kinds of things he can do. If that psycho comes here WHAM!" The innkeeper chuckled as he rubbed his hands. "Actually, I'm not a fire mage," Craftie said in an exasperated tone. "I do use a kind of exploding fire, though... here, let me demonstrate." He took out a small pouch and opened it. Removing a pinch of powder, he threw it on the floor. The powder exploded into a small flame, which quickly died. "I put a great deal more outside, though I'm not sure how it's going to work in the rain." "The rain's Cherden's fault," Ardweden interjected, pointing at the girl next to her. Cherden was in some kind of trance, staring at Craftie with a strange look in her eyes. "What?!" Craftie grabbed Cherden by the shoulders and shook her as his right eye twitched with incredible frequency. "You have to make it stop! I don't know if it'll work in the rain, and if it doesn't we're all doomed!" "All right," Cherden smiled a bit as her key glowed with a green light. Soon, the rain was reduced to a light drizzle, becoming less and less by the minute. Craftie relaxed visibly and smiled at Cherden. "Thank you." The innkeeper cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. "That's all very nice, but I do have a business to run. Are you kids going to stay here?" "How much?" Dannysmartful immediately asked. "One hundred gold pesos per person. And one of you will have to stay in Craftie's room; we're booked solid." "One hundred?! That's-" "We'll stay," Ardweden interrupted while fishing the pesos out of her money pouch. "You didn't steal that from the people here, did you?" Dannysmartful whispered. "Of course not!" Ardweden replied as she handed the money over. Dannysmartful breathed a sigh of relief. "I took it from the people in the castle." Dannysmartful fell over. Ardweden giggled. "Get up. They're not going to need it, anyway." At this, both TMF members stopped talking, the lighthearted mood destroyed by Ardweden's comment. Craftie broke the silence by saying, "I'm going to turn in. Coming..." "Dannysmartful." "Ah, yes. Coming?" Dannysmartful nodded, and Craftie led him up the stairs behind the counter. As soon as the boys were out of earshot, Cherden broke out into a goofy grin. "He's so cute!" "Who?" Ardweden asked, puzzled. "Craftie!" "Craftie?" Ardweden frowned. Something about him didn't seem right... maybe it was the way he looked nervously about him, or his walk... "I don't know. I don't trust him." "Oh, Ardweden. How can you possibly not trust someone that cute?" Cherden inquired as she led the way up the stairs. "Easy. I'm doing it now. Besides, he has to be at least thirteen years older than you." "I know, but that smile..." "Dannysmartful's cuter than him." Cherden laughed. "Dannysmartful? Get real. You're just jealous that he smiled at me instead of you." Sputtering, Ardweden choked out, "Me? Jealous that he smiled at you?!" "Admit it!" "I don't trust him!" "Aha! You're in denial!" "I am not!" "Are too!" The innkeeper shook his head as the teenagers' voices faded away. "Ah, to be young again. Without a care or worry in the world." He sighed as he thought back to his own childhood. The next morning The Magic Few sat at one of the tables in the main room. "As I see it," Dannysmartful explained, "this kid can be one of three things. He can be a completely insane psycho who strikes targets at random, which is rather unusual, because there is some reason to most insanity." "He doesn't seem normal," Cherden interjected. Ardweden nodded in agreement. "This is true," Dannysmartful continued. "Two more likely options are he's going to destroy the world or take it over. Since he struck the Castle of Bulvaria, he's probably trying to do the latter." Ardweden slammed her fist on the table. "We have to stop him. If anyone takes over the world, it's going to be me!" The other members looked at her, shocked. "Er..." Ardweden said intelligently, "I wouldn't use violence! Not like that, anyway... killing your subjects is no way to gain their love. Besides, I already promised that he's going to suffer. And he will." "I agree." The TMF looked at the owner of the voice with radically different expressions. Dannysmartful nodded as though he knew the newcomer would appear, Ardweden greeted him with a scowl, and Cherden grinned and waved. Craftie smiled back at her as he walked over to the group. "He must be stopped. Imagine the crisis the economy would go into if he succeeded; I could loose so much money!" His right eye began to twitch. "I-I'd like to," he swallowed, "go with you." "Sure you can come," Cherden said excitedly. Dannysmartful shrugged. Ardweden was about to say something when a voice stopped her. "Let him come with," it said. "I'm not surprised he asked. He was debating with himself all of last night. I barely got any sleep." "Okay, but you'd better have a good reason for this, Dannysmartful. I don't trust him." Ardweden shut her mouth and folded her arms. "I doubt you trust anybody," Dannysmartful thought back as he said, "I suggest we go to Lexford. That's where the rest of the Bulvarian royal line is staying." "Good idea," Ardweden complimented. "It's not that, really. He's too shifty. Like a time bomb waiting to go off. Can't you scan him or something?" "It wouldn't be ethical. Even if I was willing to scan him, I can't uncover much. It's taking all the effort I have to communicate like this without causing a glow." "Excellent. There's a machine at Lexford I want to invest in, anyway," Craftie added. "No offense, but it will be dangerous work trying to save the world. We must be prepared for the worst. Fire, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, lightning, eggplants, ashes," Craftie rattled, getting more and more panicked with every word. Noticing the stares he was receiving, he took a few deep breaths and calmed down. "I know what I can do and what Miss Cherden is capable of, but I don't know what you two can do to help." "I have my obvious intellect, and I am an excellent swordsman," Dannysmartful said modestly. "That's not all. He can mmph!" Ardweden's hand clamped onto Cherden's mouth. "Not one word on Ardweden's and my powers. I actually agree with her on this one. Craftie may not be a trustworthy person, so it's best to keep him in the dark," Dannysmartful's voice echoed in her head as Ardweden slowly removed her hand. Cherden pouted a bit. It was obvious to her that this cute guy meant them no harm, and Ardweden and Dannysmartful were just being paranoid. "Hmm?" Craftie asked as he raised an eyebrow. "Ah... he can cook," Cherden finished lamely. "Good. Someone has to." Craftie turned towards Ardweden. She flipped some of her dark brown hair over her shoulder and looked at him coldly. "What are you capable of?" "I'm a thief." "That's it? A thief?" As soon as these words left his lips, Craftie found a dagger at his throat. His right eye twitched spastically as he stared in fear. "Yes," Ardweden said quietly as she pressed the dagger a little closer. "That's it." "Ardweden! You'll hurt him!" Cherden shouted as she grabbed the other girl's arm. "That's enough," Dannysmartful said sternly. "Put that thing away." Ardweden put the dagger back into her left sleeve. "Now say you're sorry," Cherden ordered. "I'm sorry," the thief apologized, not meaning a word of it. Craftie laughed a nervous, high-pitched titter. "Well, that's what I get for doubting you." His right eye calmed down a little, but it was still twitching frequently. Ardweden smiled. "That's what you get." "Now that you're friends, let's go," Cherden said cheerfully. She led the way out the door and into the daylight.