The Black Fountain

As they reached near the center they noticed the swamps began to take more of a junglish landscape. Travel became easier this way. Patience stopped. "Hey guys! Did you hear that?" The brothers stopped. They looked all around themselves. A hidden beast lurked in the shadows. Before anyone could react a beast popped out of some bushes upon the four brothers. Before they knew what was what they were being dragged through the jungle, bound by vines. Courage looked to his brothers. They were all knocked out. He would soon be too also. He managed to get a quick look at their captives. It was the Vine Beasts.

When Patience woke he, with his brothers were in damp cells. It was dark in the cells. Patience stood and looked up toward the wall. He saw what seemed to be an outline for a window. He cleared away some of the vines that covered it. Patience squinted as light poured into the room. The cell itself was made from tan stone, and beyond through the window he made out the jungle. He woke his brothers. He shook Courage and his eyes slowly opened. "Where are we?"

"I do not know." answered Patience. "Apparently in the cells of our captors." Bravery rubbed his head as Patience woke him. "Ugh...What happened?" "We have been captured." Patience replied. "Captured? By who?" Courage walked over to his brothers. "I saw them. They were beasts, I’m sure. They were covered in vines. I do not know what they were though." Patience walked to Innocent and shook him. He did not wake up. Patience shook harder but yet nothing.

Bravery and courage walked over. "What is it Patience?" Patience put his head up to Innocent’s heart. He was dead.

The three brothers mourned his death. Together they vowed to escape and destroy whoever had done this to their brother. Later that day the vine beasts appeared and chained the brothers separately and brought them down to a large arena. Thousands of Vine Beasts were shouting and screaming in the coliseum. In the center of the ring stood two large and muscular Vine Beasts. They were armed with a sword for one, and a large ax with the other. The brothers had no way of defending at all. And they were chained. This would not be their average battle.

Tanzarian and his small squad marched through the jungle. They had already passed through the swamps and followed the Vine Beast’s track. Earlier that morning Tanzarian sensed something was wrong. He quickly realized, while walking through Serta Forest, that they forgot a squad. The Red-Rock.

This squad was very important to Tanzarian. He and his squad left the rest of the army, led by Friculon, to continue marching towards Cove. They would come back with the Red-Rock squad later. It didn’t take long to notice the large coliseum. The loud screams helped also. The squad creeped in quietly through the cells and into the entrance gate into the ring. Lucky for them all of the Vine Beasts came to these fights. They peered into the ring and saw the brothers. But there was only three. This saddened the soldiers, but only welled up an anger which could not be broken inside of them. They charged into the scene screaming, weapons in hand. They quickly grabbed the three and cut their chains. Derek passed some small weapons to them. The two beats charged at them and attacked. Derek stood in the back and waited to get an open shot on the vine beasts approaching. He shot one sending it staggering to the ground. He quickly reload and shot the other.