Part IV –  Friend or Foe?



They stood in front of each other. Vale, covered with blood and some other unknown liquids and Sanix who starred to her. “You …” he said angrily but Vale only smiled. “Whoever you are … step beside and let me enter this cave. I don’t want to hurt you I only want something which is in that cave all right?” Sanix laughed dryly. “No, nothing is all right; you’ve something that belongs to me. Give me my ring!” Now Vale looked surprised.
“You’re the owner of that ring? Well you’re good. How did you know that I would come here to take the necklace?” “That’s not interesting for you!” he answered harshly “just give me the ring and then everybody will be happy and I have not to hurt YOU!” vale sighed dramatically.
“I knew it, you’re one of those heroes who want to die as fast as possible. Look, you aren’t able to defeat me … you were already good enough to protect your little ring of me”. Now Sanix was angry and he closed his eyes to summon one of his fireballs. “Prepare you to die …” he shouted and fired the ball directly into her direction.

Vale smiled coldly and dodged it. “That’s all? You’re a lousy enemy …” but Sanix only pulled his stretched hand back to his body and the fireball which vale dodged flew back to Sanix and hit here into the side. Vale was catapulted a few meters away and the suite was burning for a few seconds after she began to roll in the dust at the ground.  The suit was smoking and she could feel a few burnings at her legs. “Okay I underestimated you … but not this time. Cloak activating.”
And then she began to become invisible. Sanix blinked confused. “What the hell? What is that?” “As I said … you have no chance …” the voice came first from his right, he turned to this direction but it was too late. He felt how a blade was cutting him into the side. He screamed out and could feel how the warm blood was floating out of the wound.
He pressed against his eyes and looked around but he couldn’t see anything, there were only dust, the cave and some rocks and … footsteps … he began to summon another fireball and starred at the ground, he saw the dust was raised  from something but before he could react his left hand was cut.
He had to concentrate that the fireball wasn’t disappearing but it was hard enough. Sweat ran from his face down, the heat of the ball mixed with the concentration made him weaker but he had to watch the ground. Again he saw the footsteps and this time his reaction was well enough.
He balled the hand with the fireball to a fist and hit to his right side. He scored and he could feel how his hand was hitting something hard a few second later he saw Vale falling beside him into the dust, the cloak was deactivated and her face was turned red, her cheeks had some less burnings and she was unoriented.

Sanix used his chance, ran to her and kicked her in the body. Vale was gasping but the kick hurt Sanix too because the suit was very hard so he decided to change his tactics and he stood with one leg on her chest in the right hand he was summoning a little electrobolt which he showed vale.
“One movement and I’ll kill you”. Now he had the chance to examine her the first time. She was young, maybe younger then Trisha was and her face was turned ashen, fear stood in her eyes for a few second but then she gasped and whispered monotone, “Kill me, release me from this burden … come on … give me freedom” and she closed her eyes.
But even if her words were coldly he could feel her shaking body and the fear about the unknown what would happen. “Sanix! No!” he heard Trishas voice which was stepped out together with Eleyn.
Bot came near to Sanix and Trisha looked concerned to him. “Don’t kill her, please …” Sanix looked down. “She has tried to kill me and she has stolen my ring, why I should her let alive?” “Because you need to know what she knows …” the answer came from Eleyn.
“And I also wouldn't let you kill a living being. So step beside young boy, she is no threat anymore.” Sanix looked back down on Vale who had already closed her eyes but then he stepped down from her. She opened her eyes and looked now into the face of Eleyn.
“Don’t worry young Lady … we won’t harm you if you promise me that you won’t hurt us, okay?” her face and her voice were friendly nearby mother-like and it was a accent which she didn’t heard since years. She nodded a little and they brought her into the cave.

Vale was still injured like Sanix. Trisha vet Sanix and Eleyn looked after Vale. Both had some wounds but after the use of the healing magic from the older woman everything was not so bad. At least they sat now in front of Vale who sat with the back to a wall, the suit was still smoking and it stank also a little burned. Her hair was wilder than ever and she looked tired.
“Who are you and why do you have stolen my ring? Answer!” Sanix shouted but Eleyn raised her hand. “Please young mage … let the talking be my problem.” And she turned to Vale, already warm smiling.
“What’s your name, young lady?” Vale blinked to her. “My name is Vale …” “Hello Vale, I’m Eleyn. I know why you are here … you’re in search of my necklace, aren’t you?” vale gulped and her face colored ashen again.
“Y…yes …” all the self-confidence was now away. “Well I have it all the time by me … say, would you’ve killed me if I wouldn’t it give you?”  Vale starred panicle to Eleyn but she shook her head. “No I’ve tried to steal it like the ring … I’m not a murderer “ “You tried to kill me!” Sanix said harshly. “Because you didn’t wanted to step beside!” Eleyn raised her hand again.
“Vale …  why are you stealing those things?” The younger girl looked back to her. “Because it is my mission and I’ve no other choice. I’m a part of the “Reptiles eye” a group of ex-army soldiers under the command of ex-Commander Warlaron.” Eleyn listened and nodded and examined her a few seconds.
“And why you told to the young mage that he would free you from your burden if he kills you?” Now Vales eye began to be wet, everybody could seethat she had to fight with the upcoming tears.
“Because I’m the ownership of them. They took me in my childhood away from home and trained me to do such things like this.” Sanix looked to Vale and all the anger was faded away, there was only a thoughtful glance. “And why these men want to have those artifacts?” Eleyn asked gently.
“Because they want to combine the ring and the necklace to summon something very powerful … I don’t know what it is, truly!” Eleyn only nodded and stroke her trough the hair. “Thank you Vale and now … recover yourself … sleep … it was a hard day.” Sanix and Trisha blinked confused as vale abruptly closed her eyes and felt asleep.

“Magic, she need to rest, the poor girl is completely drained. I can feel much pain in her mind and also much sadness. I don’t wonder that she wanted to die.” Sanix examined her. “She is … strange. She can make herself invisible … I think that’s because of this” and he tipped against the dark-green suit over her skin. “We don’t know, we have to ask her later.
But for now we should concentrate us on her words; she said she wanted to combine the ring with my necklace” and with this word she opened a leather bag at her skirt and took out a simple necklace. There were no runes or engraves, it wasn’t even made of gold or silver, only of cooper.
“I don’t know its power but I also didn’t want to know it. It is a present which a boy gave me years ago but since then I’ve never tried to find out what it is his functions. But it seems like that it is something powerful in combination with your ring.” Trisha blinked from vale to Sanix.
“I’ve heard about it. Some artifacts you can combine and the result is in the most time a weapon or something else which is much more powerful than the original artifacts together. That would mean that this combination would be very powerful and I think also in the wrong hands it wouldn’t be used good.” She explained. Eleyn nodded “I agree with Trisha.”
Sanix raised his shoulder. “I wanted to take back my ring and I’ll do it and this girl will tell us where my ring is. I’m going to get it and then everything is okay.”  Trisha shook her head but smiled. “Always the simple men …”

A few hours later Vale was awaked. She looked even better and even healthier. Sanix and Trisha sat in front of her, vale examined both but she was calm. “Vale … we need your help. You have to tell us where Sanix ring is; we need to get him back.” But now she shook her head fast.
“I can’t tell you, if I fail they’ll will be angry with me and …” the rest was silence. Trisha blinked to her but she continued softly. “Vale, you haven’t to go back there you know?  You can stay with us or we bring you home to your parents …” Vale blinked and dropped her head. “I’ve no home … they wouldn’t recognize me. I couldn’t live with them … the Reptiles eye is everything I have.”  Now Trisha shook her head and meant gently
“No you have also us. I know you don’t know us and you and Sanix had tried to kill each other but we aren’t bad persons and if you want you can stay at our side.” Now Sanix blinked three times beside. “It would be okay, wouldn’t it be SANIX?” Trisha asked with giving Sanix an intensive and bad view. He took a deep breath but then he nodded. “Yeah, why not? We had also accepted this freaky child Flynn … why not anybody else …” he mumbled and Trisha hit him into the side. “Ouch!” Vale smiled a little and nodded. “Okay … thank … you. I’ll help you”

They talked still an hour after Vale felt already asleep. “Why she agreed so much Trish? That could be a trap.” Trisha only shook her head, gave him a kiss and said “Because I think she had never got such words from them since she was captured. She is our friend Sanix, don’t worry.


This night Vale slept deep and good and a weak smile was on her face. “A new chance … friends.”