Chapter 15
The Dark Forest
Quietly the team ran through the forest, trying not to
disturb anything; Samantha and the others could hear the
roar of the large beast protecting the plant. Suddenly, as
the team was moving through the forest, Sam could feel that
they were being watched and told everyone to pick up speed.
The team began to run, until they could not run anymore.
Whatever Sam was feeling, was coming close; the
slither on the ground and the crunching of the tree
branches made the crew run even faster. But it was too
late, a huge snake came out of its hole and was ready to
eat! It was gray and white, with blue eyes and a red tail,
the size of about two hundred men. Something was moving in
its belly, another victim of some sort. Its scales began to
flake off from the fast and furious chase; on its belly
glowed a red symbol, and on its back were wings for flight.
Yet, it seemed like one had been half cut off. It sniffed
the crewmembers and decided to attack; barley missing one
of the fighters, everyone split up.
Using this tactic made the huge snake confused and it
didn't know which one to attack. The snake became angry and
lashed out at the first moving target it saw. Slithering
faster and faster through the trees, the snake got a hold
of Red Fox, crushing his ribs. He reached for his pocket
dagger, and once in his hands, he stabbed the snake in the
eyes with all of his might. The snake began to shake and
quiver in pain, then it let out a long hiss, while dropping
him to the ground.
Samantha reached out her hand and grabbed onto him,
pulling him inside a small hole with the others. But a few
men were still out there and the angry snake was having its
way with them. As blood dripped from the snake's eyes, it
sprayed big splashes of blood all over the place, and with
one fast swoop, it caught one of the fighters. Wasting no
time, it swallowed him up.
From the small hole in the ground, Sam and the others
threw darts and arrows at the snake; they used all they had
to help their fallen fighters. Finally the snake was killed
from all of the poisonous darts and arrows. It took its
last breath and lay trembling on the floor, and then its
body became lifeless.
Samantha and the others came out, and Sam and Red Fox
quickly cut out the snake's belly to save their fighter.
But, it was too late, he was nothing more than skeleton
bones; the acid in the snake's belly had eaten him up in
minutes. Sam was upset, but was quickly consoled by the
others.
"We can't stop, we must keep moving," said Red Fox.
And quickly they put the event behind them, and moved
on; this time they were much more cautious of their
surroundings. The skies above were quickly getting dark.
"It must be the flying manta rays," said Sam.
From down below, these creatures were much bigger than
what the hawk had described. They were huge flying sting
rays with the same red symbols glowing on their bellies,
huge horns protruding from their heads, a large spiked
tail, and huge eyes that could see for millions of miles.
Samantha ordered everyone to keep moving, and not to
stop. She also told everyone to stay low to the ground; the
manta rays would not attempt a landing. Everyone stayed
low, moving as quickly as possible, and tried to avoid any
contact with these creatures.
Suddenly one of the fighters' swords made a spark, and
caught the eye of one of the manta rays. Quickly it came
swooping down, trying very carefully not to touch the
ground. Samantha pushed the fighter out of the way and
belly down on the ground, nearly getting killed herself.
"That was a close call," said Samantha to the fighter.
The fighter just nodded, she was in shock to say
anything.
"Cover your sword, the glitter from it attracts them,"
said Samantha to the fighter.
The fighter quickly covered her sword and crawled on
her belly to safety behind a huge rock. Everyone was safe
other than Samantha. As she tried to get behind the huge
stone, a manta ray came from behind the mountain top and
was now face to face with her. Samantha stared into its big
black eyes as if she was being hypnotized. When Sam saw
this, he threw a huge rock at the creature, startling it.
It took its eyes off of Samantha, and she was now unparalyzed.
She quickly ran for cover, but the manta ray
caught up with her, pushing Samantha to the ground with its
huge tail. Not only was the tail huge, but it was also
sharp, giving Samantha a large cut across her legs.
Samantha tried to run in pain, but couldn't. She was
only a few feet away from the safe spot, but could not make
it. She lay lifeless on the ground, unable to move. Blood
began to pour from her cut; the manta ray was now circling
its dinner, waiting for the right moment to pick up her
lifeless body. As the manta ray came down, with all the
strength she had left, she pulled out her huge sword and
stabbed it through the heart.
The manta ray let out a loud cry, then fell to the
ground. Red Fox quickly ran out and pulled Samantha to
safety. From behind the rock, Samantha and the others
watched as the manta ray began to stumble and fall; it
tried to flap its wings, but it did no good, it was stuck
on the ground. When the other manta rays saw this, they
swooped down and grabbed the manta ray as food.
The others began to fight over the food in the air;
pieces of guts and bones flew right past Samantha and the
others, leaving a horrible smell. In the air, the other
manta rays were feeding on their own kind, fighting over
the last pieces of meat and bone.
While this was going on, Sam quickly bandaged up
Samantha's wounds with a piece of his shirt and ordered
everyone to move out quickly and stay low to the ground. At
the end of the forest was nothing more than desert.
Skeleton bones of people who had tried to come here were
visible. There was a warning sign for anyone who came this
far to turn back.
As bad as Sam wanted to turn back, he knew that he had
to move forward, but getting through a hot sea of desert
was not going to be easy. Sam decided to use his powers of
levitation to carry everyone through the desert. So, he
did; one by one, he levitated everyone. No one was left
behind. Because of the number of people he had to carry, it
put a lot of strain on Sam's mind, but he was determined to
do it.
Low, and out of sight, they all levitated through the
air, not knowing where he was going, the heat from the
desert made Sam hallucinate and he began seeing things.
Once again, Sam saw the image of an elder telling him that
his son Peter was the key. Sam began to mumble through the
air, but no one was listening; everyone seemed to be worn
>
out from the heat of the sun.
Then there was nothing more than darkness; for hours
it was like staring into the abyss. Soon Sam saw a little
glitter of light; his eyes could barely open; his face and
hands were badly sun burnt, and his tongue had an urge for
a taste of water. Finally Sam got his mind together and
began to sit up. He noticed that he was in a small room;
there was a tiny cup of water with a tiny piece of meat.
"This is like eating elf food," Sam said to himself.
Sam began to wonder where he was; as he went to stand
up, he bumped his head on a small overhang. Sam quickly
looked around, and saw nothing familiar. He started to get
out of bed. The last thing he remembered was carrying the
fighters over the desert. By now, Sam knew that he was a
prison of war.
As he began to move around, Sam noticed that he had no
clothing, he was butt naked! He quickly covered himself in
shame, and began to look all over the room for his
clothing. Then he heard little footsteps coming up the
stairs. He quickly stood behind the door and waited for
whoever was approaching. Then he jumped out, and what he
saw was remarkable; the tiniest of elves that ever existed,
standing only ten inches tall, and with blue fur.
"Oh, you're awake. The others are waiting for you down
stairs," said the elf.
"Where is my clothing?" said Sam.
"Well, your clothing was soiled and had the dingiest
stains. So, we washed them," said the elf with a smile.
The elf summoned another elf to bring Sam clothing,
and he gave them to Sam. It was a nice feeling to have
clean clothing. Sam thanked the elf and asked to see his
family. The elf led Sam down a large tree trunk where they
were all live.
"Where are we?" said Sam.
"Why, in Baja, of course?" said the elf.
Where in Baja was on Sam's mind, but he was too busy
admiring the place to say that. The place had thousands of
pictures on the walls, all of generations of elves. They
all lived in a huge big tree, all one million of them. The
elf introduced himself as Dunbar, and began to tell Sam how
they were found by the other elves as they were out hunting
for food.
"I must have blacked out," said Sam.
"Yes, you did," said Dunbar.
Sam wondered if his friends and family were all right,
and before he could ask, Dunbar told him that they managed
to save everyone. He then told Sam that Sam must have been
very tired because he dropped everyone in a man-eating lily
plant. If it weren't for the screams of the others, they
would have never heard them, and they would all be gone.
Sam once again thanked the elf, and Dunbar went on to
tell Sam the boring story of how they hunt the lily plant
for special healing powers. If they were not out that day
hunting for medicine and food, Sam and his friends would be
lost. But Dunbar was also an opportunistic elf; he loved
the tick and the tock of Sam's old watch, and asked if he
could have it.
"After all, I did save your lovely wife," said Dunbar.
Sam quickly, without hesitation, gave him the watch.
Down the long small hallway they went; Sam was too tall to
stand up straight, always hitting his head or squeezing in
a tight spot. Dunbar just laughed and chuckled at Sam as he
tripped and hit his head all the way down the spiral wooden
staircase.
What a beautiful home it was, everything inside was
carved from the tree; the chairs, the picture frames, the
tables and the lamps. There were little elves running all
over the place, zipping here and there and everywhere. Sam
cautiously watched his step, being careful not to step on
any of the tiny little elves. Finally Sam was downstairs
with the others; the entire crew looked as if they were
sardines in a can. They were all squeezed together and
looked as if they were uncomfortable, but they wanted to be
good to their host and not complain of the tight spot.
"Oh, honey, I am so glad you're okay," said Jane as
she gave Sam a big hug.
Everyone thanked Sam for trying to save them. Because
of this, Sam's spirit was lifted and he was ready to fight
another round with the seven wizards.
"We must be leaving," said Sam.
Sam thanked the elves and promised them once the war
was over they would return and reward them for their
services. Before they left, many of the elves came up and
gave Sam and the others special magic powders and
medicines. Then they were handed paper sacks with food in
them. The only thing wrong was that the food was elf-size,
but nevertheless, no one complained; just gave thanks and
they were ready to head out.
Dunbar then led his new friends down a secret tunnel
that only a few elves knew about. It had a golden rock in
front of the door; it glittered and shone. With a punch of
the secret codes on the rock, it rolled away and opened a
door to a mystical place.
"This is the way," said Dunbar; as he pointed to the
hill where the white rhino plant lay.
The first glance of this land was spectacular. There
were plants and flowers that were made of puff balls; they
would burst into the sky and float like balloons. It was
raining in some parts and snowing in others. There were
many new and never before seen creatures, like an invisible
bird and two-headed snakes. Most of the creatures were
harmless and went about their daily lives; while others,
like the silverback apes, were terrorizing the forest,
eating and killing anything in their path.
Dunbar let Sam and the others know that the silverback
apes did not eat human ghosts. Sam and the others were glad
to hear this, and one by one Sam and the others spread out
and were glad that they could finally stretch. They said
their goodbyes to Dunbar, and began to walk toward the way
to the plant. The secret entrance and the opening behind
them simply vanished, as if it was never there.
Once in the area, Sam and the others remained at a low
profile, looking and watching the air. But, little did they
know they were now in a battleground. First a hissing sound
was becoming louder and louder, and then suddenly the
ground started to move. The birds and animals of the forest
began to scatter. Once Jane and the others saw this, they
knew something was coming.
"Keep moving, something is coming," said Red Fox.
Everyone began to move fast, running through tall
silver grass that cut like razors and plants that popped up
out of the ground and shot fire out of their mouths at
anything moving. No matter what, Red Fox ordered the
fighters to keep moving. No one could see anything; they
could just feel an eerie presence of something coming.
"Head for that big oak tree," said Sam.
Just as everyone was running toward the tree, a great
big bu
g emerged out of the mud and began to attack. It was
like no other, beautiful like a red and black lady bug, but
vicious like a black spider. With its long teeth and razorsharp
antennas, the bug began to hiss and snarl at Sam and
the others.
Everyone was sort of in a panic; they had never seen
anything like this before, so huge and so quick. The
fighters began to back up slowly, and started to run, but
the monster bug had set traps of large holes all around
them. Every time one would run, a deep hole would open up
and swallow them up.
"Stop moving," said Sam to the fighters.
But they were in too much of a panic, and they kept
moving. One by one, the holes swallowed them up; the dirt
covered their faces, causing them to die of suffocation.
Sam and the others begged their fighters to stay put, but
most of them were too scared and began to run. Their lives
were lost because of this foolish mistake.
One by one, they vanished through the sink holes,
gobbled up like a Christmas feast. Sam held his head low
every time he lost one of his fighters. The huge bug sat
there and waited. Once everyone stopped moving, it became
inpatient and began to walk back and forth, pacing. Sam
realized that she was not moving toward them because it was
waiting for all of them to die. Sam ordered everyone to
stay still.
After hours of waiting, the creature got tired and
went to collect her dead. It burrowed itself into the
ground and began to move under the sand like a snake. The
sand moved like ocean waves, kicking up and disturbing the
plants and trees that were rooted there. Suddenly,
something made a big burst into the air, with sand flying
everywhere. It was the creature, and with it, it carried
the bodies of all the dead fighters wrapped in some type of
web.
Sam and the others saw their friends for a last time;
being carried away in the mouth of an unknown creature, the
looks on the dead men's faces were that of fear. They died
screaming, with their mouths open, or hiding with their
hands covering their faces. Sam could not bear to see this;
he began to doubt himself and his leadership, but Red Fox
reminded him that now was not the time for him to be
feeling sorry for himself.
Sam quickly pulled himself together the best way that
he knew how, and told anyone who wanted to turn back now
that they were free to go. To Sam's surprise, many wanted
to leave; they were all afraid and wanted to go back home,
where knowing nothing would keep them safe.
"You cowards!" shouted Samantha.
Jane quickly covered Samantha's mouth with her hand
and allowed the men to leave. She thanked them with her
husband for their service and told them that they would
always be heroes in her eye. Samantha remembered the disc
that Mr. Stewart gave them in the underground city, and
told Jane to pull it out of her back pocket. For a minute,
Jane forgot that she even had it.
"Mr. Stewart told us that once we were in trouble,
throw the disc into the air, and it would open a door back
home to the underground city," said Jane to the others.
They carefully listened to every word. Jane held the
golden disc in the air, threw it up into the sky, and
watched it unfold like a letter. From the center, the disc
opened, and a bright light emerged and let out a long beam
of light.
"This is your chance to leave, take it," said Samantha
to the fighters who wanted to leave.
At first, there was a little hesitation; then one by
one, the fighters got in a line and headed toward the
light. Not only were they ashamed that they had given up,
but they were sad that they were leaving behind friends and
family. When all was said and done, there were only two
young fighters remaining.
"This is your last chance, kids, take it or leave it,"
said Sam, but the two young fighters shook their heads no.
Suddenly the magical door of the disc closed, and the
disc disappeared with it. By now, all that remained were
Jane, Sam, Red Fox, Samantha, and the two young fighters;
everyone else had either died or ended up leaving because
they could not handle the war.
"My father always said I could never control my men,
and he was right," said Sam with a disappointed look on his
face.
But the others rallied behind him, and said that he
was doing an excellent job. Now it was time to figure out
how to get out of the bug's trap. The huge creature was by
now long gone, but it left behind many traps of sinking
sand; one wrong step, and a man could be swallowed up in an
instant. Sam used his powers of levitation to get the team
members over to the other side. One by one he levitated
each person, then himself. Once everyone was safe, they all
stood by an oak tree and took time to catch their breath.
"There is no more time for rest, we need that white
rhino plant, and we need it now," said Samantha.
By that time, everyone had became frustrated with the
entire situation and began to fight amongst themselves, one
against the other. Everyone blamed each other, until a loud
voice said. "Shut up, you bumbling fools!"
Everyone looked around to see where the voice was
coming from, but no one could see anyone. Then out of a
puff of blue smoke came a white cloud; sitting on top of
the cloud was a yellow frog.
"Did you say something?" said Jane to the frog.
"Of course I did, who else could it be?" said the frog
in a sarcastic tone. "Well, where are you folks off too?"
Jane explained to the frog that they were on their way
to the center top to retrieve a white rhino plant. Well,
before Jane could finish her story, the frog began to
laugh, holding its stomach and falling off of his moving
cloud.
"Oh! That is so funny," said the frog.
"Why is it funny, little toad?" said Red Fox with an
angry look on hid face.
The frog explained that the white rhino plant was so
rare that it was placed there for a special reason, and it
was guarded by one of the most vicious beasts Baja had ever
seen. The frog told the team that there was no way they
could get the white rhino plant. Many people had been after
that plant for centuries, and millions of people had lost
their lives trying to get it.
Jane and the others could care less, and explained to
the frog that if they did not get this plant, the whole of
Baja would be lost, and there would be no citizens left to
keep on fighting. Once the frog saw that they were serious,
it became serious too, and told of a legend of how the
plant was once retrieved and then put back for the next
generation. The frog told of how the plant was once plucked
from its roots many centuries ago. In the cloud that the
frog was riding on, it showed a view of how Baja once
was,
and how the white rhino plant had come to be so important.
Jane and the others carefully watched as the clouds
played out the events right before their eyes. With only a
few of them left, they hovered around and watched every
minute of the legend. It went on as follows: a long time
ago, the elders created a plant so outstandingly different
and powerful that they could not keep it in Baja. The plant
was filled with too many powers, and if it got into the
wrong hands, it would cause a big problem for the elders.
So they guarded the plant with a big unstoppable
beast, one that had no respect for anyone; one that was
savage and evil. But one man was determined to get the
white rhino plant. He heard his parents talk about it; he
climbed up to the mountains and dug a tunnel under the
beast. For days and weeks he stayed in the forest, avoiding
death many times, but his greed had overwhelmed him by the
power he could achieve by obtaining the rhino plant.
He was chased by beast and huge snakes. One time he
was almost eaten by a huge lizard, but managed to cut
himself loose from the lizard's grip with a powerful sword.
After weeks of digging and being chased by scary creatures
of the forest, he finally saw a beam of light to let him
know to stop digging and that he was at the surface.
The young lad waited until the time was right; once
the beast walked over the hole, he drove his sword at the
beast, killing it instantly. The sword went straight
through the beast's heart, and it began to stumble and
roar; until it finally fell off the side of the mountain,
splattering guts and blood all over the place.
The young lad came out of the hole in the side of the
mountain and shouted and screamed. Animals of the forest
began to talk, and the word was passed through Baja and
other worlds like a shooting star. Once at the top, the
young lad grabbed the plant in a choke hold, pulling its
roots from the ground and shouting, "I did it, I defeated
the beast!"
Once the plant was pulled out of the ground, within
minutes everything began to turn black and die. The lad
immediately died holding the plant in his right hand. The
trees whither away, the streams immediately dried up, and
the animals feel from the skies. Life was being eliminated.
Once the elders saw what was happening, they came in
on a magical moon, all dressed in sparkling white robes.
Their faces were never seen, and they took the young man to
the moon and the elders re-planted the white rhino plant.
Once in the ground, the plant sent off a burst of light,
and with the light, seeds began to fly. Because of what
happened, the elders hid many white rhino plants all over
the galaxy and beyond. The young man was never heard from
again. Legend had it that he was reincarnated into the
beast that now guards the plant.
"What was this young man's name?" said Sam.
"Elmilio."
"Why did the plant kill everything?" said Jane.
The frog replied, "You as a plant grower should know;
you never kill something that is alive, it's like pulling
the heart out of the body. The trick is to only take what
is needed."
Jane looked in amazement to know that the frog knew of
her. Before another question could be asked of the frog, it
disappeared as if it was never there. Jane's brain was
racing, thinking of everything possible that this legend
could mean. Then she came to the realization and shouted.
"Instead of ripping the plant out of its soil and
killing it, all we need is a petal or a leaf," said Jane.
As simple as the solution was, no one had thought of
it.
"That's why I married you," said Sam as Jane smiled
and the others cheered her on.
"Good job, Jane. Now the trick is getting up there,"
said Samantha.
Once on the other side, the team felt safe and began
to take their time, but Jane noticed that the roots on the
trees were moving, and the dirt was being disturbed.
"Run!" shouted Jane.
Everyone began to run; the tree stems and roots were
running after Jane and the others, as if they were hunting
them. Red Fox ordered everyone to split up, causing the
roots to tangle amongst each other and tie in a knot. But
as soon as one was tied up, another came chasing them. Jane
and the others were running for their lives, up and over,
under and up, over rocks and tree barks. Once most of the
trees were all tied into knots they could not move. They
began to holler and scream, so piercing that Jane and the
others had to plug their ears. One by one the trees fell,
still attached to each other in a knot.
Jane tried to comfort the trees with her touch, but
quickly found that her powers were not working in this part
of the land. The trees seemed to be under some type of
different spell; they were not listening to her commands.
Then suddenly the trees withered and died one by one,
turning into nothing more than mere ashes.
The ground began to sink in and little man-eating
plants came forth. They were no more than the size of a
common house pet, but they were plants that ran on all
fours like dogs. They were brown and blue in color, with a
spec of white, and these little things were ferocious. They
chased the team all over the place, nipping and biting at
their heels. These little plant eaters were eating
everything in sight; Samantha began to chop at the
creatures with her sword, either cutting off their stems
like paws or their razor-sharp petals.
Soon the team was becoming outnumbered by these
plants, and Sam and the others had no choice but to run. As
Sam and the remaining members ran toward the area of the
rhino plant, the creatures turned back; showing fear, they
quickly ran in the opposite direction, leaving Jane and the
others wondering what was next.
At the end of this part of the forest, everything was
water; the water was black and muddy, thick like quick
sand, and every once in a while an underground volcano
would blow, sending mermaids flying into the air. They were
filthy and stunk from the thick black waters; their hair
was matted and their faces partial visible. Their scales
seemed to be dried up like old fish, fangs hung from their
mouths, and even though they had the appearance of a human,
they were not.
Sam and the others watched them from behind a tree.
The mermaids seemed to be having a day of fun, but it
quickly turned into a day of survival for one. Sam and the
others watched as the group of mermaids singled one mermaid
out and began to fight with her. Sam wanted to step in, but
was advised to let nature take its course. The mermaids
continued to beat on one of their own, until a huge wave
came and pushed them out to sea, sending the badly beaten
mermaid to sho
re.
"This is our chance, let's go," said Sam.
As they walked up to the water, the mermaid let out a
moan, she was in pain.
"Well, we can't leave her," said Jane.
The others did not want anything to do with this
creature, but being the kind-hearted people that they were,
they just couldn't leave her wounded. As Jane got closer to
the mermaid, with caution she flipped her over. This
mermaid was not as disfigured like the others; she was
perfectly intact, she looked like the girl next door. Jane
took a little of the water that they had in their
containers and poured it over the mermaid's face.
The mermaid awoke and was very frightened; she slowly
crawled back into the water, looking over her surroundings,
but did not run away. She started to cry and let off a
moaning song that seemed to hypnotized Jane and the others.
The only one not hypnotized was Red Fox; his animal
instincts seemed to block it out. When the mermaid realized
that, she went further back into the water, and Jane and
the others came out of their hypnotic trance.
"That was really strange, it was like being buried
alive," said Samantha.
Still, the mermaid did not leave; it came up closer to
the strangers and stared at them.
"Why are you here?" asked the mermaid.
"Baja is in danger and we must save it from a deadly
spell," said Jane.
The creature glanced Jane over, and began to come
forward, frightening Jane; so she moved back a little. Then
the creature came out of the water and began to grow legs
right before Jane's and the others eyes. Everyone was in
amazement to see such a transformation take place. After
the tail had turn into legs and the mermaid was human, she
was covered with cuts and bruises; her skin was pale, and
she looked sickly. The mermaid dropped to the ground and
begged for more water. Jane gave her the entire container
of water, and then the mermaid began to talk.
"I am an outcast, I am not as pretty as the others, so
they taunt me daily," said the mermaid.
"You're the prettiest, your sisters are ugly," said
Red Fox.
The mermaid told Jane and the others that it was said
that her father was a sailor and an adventurer; he came
here many years ago, and never return.
"Where are you trying to get to?" said the mermaid.
"To the other side, so we can climb the mountain,"
said Sam.
"You seem like good people, I would take you there,
but it is very dangerous; they say the beast lies there,"
said the mermaid.
"Wait, it could be a trick," said Red Fox.
Everyone waited for the mermaid to go first. Suddenly
the mermaid jumped on one of the last remaining fighters
and carried him into the water. The fighter struggled and
called out for help, but there was nothing anyone could do.
Then Jane remembered that she had a magical seed. With a
dab of water, she attached the seed to the palm of her
hand. It began to grow into a wild vine, running up and
down the sides of Jane's arm. She commanded the vine to
make a rope, and so it did, allowing Jane to throw it out
to the fighter in distress. The vine split into two and
went after the mermaid, tying her up. Jane pulled the
fighter out of the water; he was badly bitten and began to
change. His skin became scales; his legs began to curl into
the fetal position and began to form a tail.
"Oh, now we must leave him," said Jane.
Sam ordered the fighter to fight, but it was too late,
the fighter had no more strength; he was now under the
powers of the mermaids. As Jane had the mermaid in a hold
with her powerful vines, she questioned it.
"You tricked us," said Jane.
"Of course, you fools; we saw you coming and we
smelled you. The others are waiting on their dinner, which
is you!" said the mermaid as she changed back into her
original ugly form.
The plant fit on Jane's hand like a glove, and its
vine covered up the mermaid from head to toe and strung her
up a tree.
"Try getting down from that, you can't be out of water
too long," said Jane sarcastically.
Out of all the fighters that Jane and Sam had, they
were all gone except one, and Sam vowed to the fighter that
he would do everything to protect her. But this young
fighter was brave and demanded to fight on. Yet, deep down
inside, Sam knew that the young fighter was very much
frightened.
"We must leave before the others come back, looking
for their sister," said Red Fox.
As soon as they started to leave, the others returned.
When they saw Jane and the rest of her friends were free,
and not dead, they came out of the water with a vengeance.
Their tails turned into feet and they were now walking.
These creatures were very powerful, throwing Red Fox and
the others around like rag dolls. One by one Sam and the
others went flying through the sky; the mermaids were very
powerful. Sam shot a poison dart into one of the mermaids'
chest causing it to immediately fall to the ground.
Jane made her magical seed turn back into a wild vine,
stringing up the mermaids one by one. Through the air they
swooped, and into the tree. They were no match for Jane's
magical seed. Finally they were all up in the tree, arguing
with each other, saying who should have set the trap. To
hush them up, Jane sent a vine to cover their mouths, and
soon they were balled up in a cocoon-type vine.
"We must keep moving," said Red Fox.
Everyone started moving, looking back on their friend
who was now turning into a mermaid himself. There was no
hope for him, he was gone. The one who was most hurt was
Sam; he had lost another fighter under his care and command.
There was no time to be sad; they had to cross the
lake. It was so huge and scary, with fur-like toads and
huge rock crabs. The water was so black that no one could
see the bottom. Jane decided to use her vines to make an
aerial ladder. They quickly went to work, forming and
twisting to make a ladder. Once it was made, one by one,
Jane and the others climbed on with just their hands
holding on and their feet hanging toward the water. Every
once in a while, the raging waters would send a weird
looking fish flying through the air, frightening Jane and
the others.
"We need to move fast before something else comes,"
said Samantha.
The team began to move faster and faster through the
air, using their feet like pedals to help them make it
across. For some reason, Samantha looked back and saw the
bitten fighter getting into the water. He was already
changed and was on the hunt for food.
"The fighter is in the water, keep moving," said
Samantha.
Everyone did so; they moved as fast as they could,
using all the strength and power
that they had. They had to
get away from the fighter that was now changed into a
mermaid, and was in the water coming after them. The team
moved faster and faster; no one had forgotten that this
mermaid was once their friend and a fighter of Baja, but
they had no choice but to survive.
The fighter was no longer their friend; he had change
into a species that most had only read about. His muscular
body grew thick scales, his feet were now a tail, his skin
had become pale and dirty from the muddy waters, and his
eyes glowed with evil. This was not their friend anymore,
this was an animal of the forest, and the team had to
remind themselves of this, and keep moving. Because this
fighter could no longer be saved, the ex-fighter came
swimming faster and faster through the murky waters; until
he caught up with Jane and the others.
"Faster!" shouted Sam.
The remaining members kept on moving, faster and
faster, but the ex-fighter caught up and began to snap and
gnawed at Jane and the others. Then he began to throw muddy
slime from the water at his friends. The water was so toxic
that once the slime hit the vines, it began to kill the
plant instantly. The vine caved in and began to break,
sending Jane and the others flying through the air
uncontrollably.
Everyone screamed as the vine took them on a wild
ride; it was slowly dying and losing all of its strength,
but it was trying to hold on, to help its master and her
friends. Meanwhile, down in the water, the mermaid began to
laugh hysterically, waiting to feast on the ones who would
fall into the ocean. But, unexpectedly, the vines managed
to grab the remaining fighters and threw them to safety.
One by one Jane and the others landed on a hilltop as the
vines tried to save them all.
Red Fox was the last to be thrown to safety, and just
as he was almost to the top, the vines began to die and let
go of him. Landing on the side of the rock, immediately
Jane and the others rushed to his side. As the mermaid saw
this, it began to swim faster and faster, until it was at
the same rock that Red Fox was on. It slowly crawled up the
side like a slithering snake. Red Fox was badly hurt, but
fought off the mermaid. With a touch of its long
fingernails to Red Fox skin, he shouted out in pain. The
toxin was entering his body; Red Fox's fur began to fall
off, his body began to wither away, and with saliva foaming
at the mouth, he mumbled to his friends.
"Go, I am a dead man!"
Everyone looked on in horror; Sam could not levitate
his friend to safety, his mental abilities seemed to be
drained. Sam began to cry out in agonizing pain for his
friend; the tears flowed and everything seemed to be
cemented in time. Red Fox's body had now succumbed to the
toxins of the water, and was being feasted on by the
mermaid; all that was left on the rocks were traces of
blood and bones.
In the air, Sam and the others could see Red Fox's
spirit passing on, up and up it went; until it disappeared
behind a cloud no longer to be seen by anyone. Sam and the
others were torn up inside. Was it really worth it to keep
going? They had already lost thousands of fighters, who
left behind children and families. This lay heavy on Sam's
heart, and he wondered if he was doing the right thing. But
it was now time to keep moving. Sam and the others quickly
wiped their tears away and started up the hill, often
looking back to see if, by some weird miracle, Red Fox
would be there.
There was nothing but an eerie feeling of losing a
good friend. Sam could still see the bones of his friend
lying on the hillside. Just a few more feet, and Red Fox
would have been safe. There was nothing the team could do
but look down to the place where their friend had die, and
watch the creature that was once their friend feast on Red
Fox.
Sam huddled the team together and told them they had
to keep moving. No one was really in the mood for a pep
talk, but they stood and listened. Sam let the others know
that they were almost there, and that everyone must keep
fighting. Yet, inside Sam was filled with anger and hatred.
He was risking his life for a place that once exiled him
and his family; now he had to be the one to save it,
causing him to lose most of his friends and families.
Yet, being the kind and passionate man that Sam was,
he also knew that he was doing something right. Samantha
was taking it the hardest; she and Red Fox had been friends
for many years, and now, in an instant she had lost her
best friend. Samantha began to curse Baja and the elders,
her voice became so loud that the birds in the trees began
to scatter. Her voice echoed through the forest, and then
she suddenly fell to her knees and pounded on the ground
with her fist until it began to bleed.
Everyone gave Samantha room to grieve, but they had to
keep walking. They did so; with no one hardly saying a
word. They had now left their dead friend way behind, no
one knew where they were going; they were just following
Sam.
The mountain top was filled with wild flowers called
jumpers. They played and jumped on anything passing by;
running through the fields like wild rabbits. No one minded
the silly flowers; they were more a stress reliever to the
remaining members. Jane admired all the plants and flowers
on the hillside, touching and nourishing the ones that
needed it.
"Why are you helping them?" said Samantha to Jane.
"Because I am a grower of all vegetation," said Jane.
Samantha wanted everything to die like her friend had;
she became very angry at Jane for caring for the plants,
letting Jane know that she was very naive and crazy for
caring for something that could kill them all. Jane knew
that Samantha was angry, and walked away with one of her
flowers on her shoulder, carrying it like a baby.
Sam pulled Samantha to the side and talked to her; he
tried to comfort her by letting her know that everything
would be all right. Samantha was so angry that she just
walked away from Sam, leaving him talking to himself.
After a brief rest underneath a tree, Sam let the
others know that the time had come for them to keep moving
and the sun was going down. They must make it to the very
top and retrieve the white rhino plant. Sam told the team
that, if one person made it, it would have to be Jane, to
re-grow the rhino plant for many generations to come.
Everyone nodded in agreement, and off they went.
As they walked, it began to snow. At first, the snow
was very light, and then it kept coming down heavier and
heavier. Jane and the others began to tremble from the
cold. Out of the blue, the sky began to send down tons of
snow; no one was prepared for this. Out of the corn
er of
her eye, Jane saw a willow plant; one she remembered as a
little girl. Her father used to gather them up to make her
a coat. The willow plant was a thick furry plant; the fur
hung from its branches.
Jane told the team to gather up a bunch of the willow
plant, and everyone did. She taught them how to make coats
out of it by folding it into a certain pattern. Once this
was done, everyone had a nice warm coat, and Jane healed
the plant. It grew more willow fur right before everyone's
eyes.
Jane's powers were amazing, but by this time everyone
wanted to leave. Sam had a hard time figuring out why his
powers would not work; his levitation was on and off,
sometimes it would work fine, and other time it would not
work at all. Jane let her husband know that maybe the
stress he was under and the evilness of the forest had
something to do with it, but Sam began to doubt himself and
wished that his father was here by his side.
Jane let her husband know that it was time that he
became his own leader and stop depending on his father. Sam
agreed with his wife and got the team together with a heart
warming speech and the power to fight for all they had
lost. The team's spirit rose, and they were willing and
ready to fight again. This was the last chance to get it
right, and the team was willing to sacrifice everything
that they had to make it work.
Through the thick snow and the blazing cold winds, the
team struggled up the long hill, climbing for days, and
then weeks. To make it up to the top took three weeks, but
to Jane and the others, it seemed like it was no time. But,
indeed it was. Time had passed so fast that the ones on the
ground never felt it. When they looked at each other, they
could tell; Sam's orange hair was now down his back,
everyone's hair had grown, their eyes were puffy from lack
of sleep and their hands and feet were frozen solid. They
had frostbite, and everyone looked at each other as if they
were looking at complete strangers.
"We have lost a lot of time," said Jane, as they stood
near the top of the mountain where the rhino plant lay.
Sam and the others could hear the loud chanting and
roaring of the monster.
"We must get to the mountain top," said Sam.
As Sam tried to levitate, his powers would not work.
He was frustrated and began to once again doubt himself;
until Jane slapped him across the face and told him to get
over himself and have faith in his own power! Sam rubbed
his face from the harsh slap, and started to believe in
himself. He began to think as a leader and a captain.
Sam told the others what to do, where to go, and how
to fight. There was no more time to have self-pity, it was
time to fight and revenge all those who had died. So the
four remaining members went toward the creature. The
chanting became louder and louder until it was almost
hypnotizing. The team finally came face to face with the
creature. From the bottom, Sam and the others saw the
creature that was protecting the plant; a huge beast that
paced back and forth, guarding the plant with its life.
Sam wanted to find a way to the top, then he
remembered the story the frog on the cloud told him, and
his plan now was to find a way underground. He asked his
wife to use her seed to grow a plant that could pierce the
ground and dig a tunnel big enough to fit them all.
Jane took the seed out of her pocket and touched it
with her thumb, causing it to sprout out quickly. Then she
placed the small plant on the ground and watched as it dug
its roots into the soil. She commanded it to grow and make
a tunnel under the earth to fit them. Immediately the plant
went to work; the dirt above began to move as the plant
grew and went deeper underground. Rocks and stones began to
change their positions, other plants and shrubs began to
move as the plant made a pathway for its master.
As the team waited, Jane searched around for plants
that they could eat. There was an orange plant whose leaves
were orange and red. This plant let off hot steaming water
that tasted like tea. Jane brought back enough for everyone.
"Oh, that is good, it's like drinking a cup of hot
tea," said Samantha.
Everyone began to drink, until Jane noticed that she
had one extra stem of hot brew in her hands. "Where is the
young fighter?" she said.
Everyone looked around and noticed that the fighter
was gone; the last of the remaining fighters had now
vanished. Jane and the others quickly ran looking around,
hoping to find her.
"Where could she have gone? She was here just a few
seconds ago," said Sam as he searched the area with his
eyes.
Jane quickly grew a plant that would take her way up
into the air, and she searched for the fighter. Out of the
corner of her eye, Jane spotted the fighter running toward
the mountain top where the beast lay. The fighter was
greeted by a strange visitor in a black cape. Jane watched
intensely to see what the visitor was telling the fighter,
but no words were shared among them, just a silent
communication. Jane quickly lower herself from the plant
and told the team what she'd seen.
"We were betrayed," said Jane as she explained to
Samantha and Sam what she had just seen.
Suddenly Sam rode the plant up to see if he could see
anything else. The plant took him high in the sky. He saw
the dark hooded stranger leaving as the fighter was whisked
away in some type of air bubble. Across the mountain top,
Sam could see the chanters getting ready to go to war. Sam
realized that they would be outnumbered by the thousands.
Sam came down from the plant and told Jane to give the
plant digging the tunnel more power to move faster; they
had to be leaving. The monster was building an army of men,
and they were heading their way. Jane touched her plant
with her thumb, gently giving it a huge dose of growth.
Jane's thumb began to turn green as the power from her body
went into the plant's stem. The plant began to grow larger
and larger, burrowing through the mountain top faster and
faster, causing a huge tunnel to form.
One by one, Jane and the others jumped into the
tunnel, and quickly closed it up behind them. Jane and
Samantha packed the entrance with dirt, hoping to seal the
hole. Everyone was amazed to see how wonderfully the tunnel
had been carved; the vine was very artistic, leaving leaf
marks and strange carvings that began to glow. The vine
powered its way to the top of the mountain. Once at the
top, the vine peeked out, catching the rays of sunlight on
its leaf; then the vine slithered back down to its master,
letting her know that the top was near. Then it crawled
back into the small magical bean seed.
"Good work," said Jane to the
vine as it crawled back
in.
Jane immediately tucked the magical seed away in her
pocket; then off they went, the final three. They ran
through the tunnel, following the path that the vine had
set out for them. On the walls a story was portrayed of the
beast and the rhino plant. Apparently, Jane and the others
were now in an ancient tunnel. This was the find of a
lifetime!
Jane slowly passed her fingers over the carvings in
the stone, and read the secret messages of the beast that
protected the white rhino plant. As the team kept on
moving, they could still hear the chanting of the
worshipers of the rhino plant and the beast. They could
also hear thousands of marching footsteps above the ground.
"They are looking for us," said Sam.
The entrance to the tunnel was now being dug through
by beaver dogs, huge dog-like animals the size of a
miniature horse. They were mean and ugly, always drooling
from their sharp long yellow teeth, and covered with matted
and grungy looking grey fur. They gave off an awful smell!
The beaver dogs were a cross between a house rat and a
horse; one of the most hideous creatures one could ever
see. Jane and the others could hear the growling and the
scratching at the entrance; the beaver dogs had picked up
their scents and were on the hunt.
"Faster, faster" shouted Sam as he pushed Samantha and
Jane forward; himself staying in the back.
As Sam and the others were running through the tunnel,
they were stopped by a glowing light coming from beneath
the sands. Quickly, Sam brushed away the dirt and
discovered a small hole that he could see through. Once he
looked down, he saw something that was so incredible, a
long sword about five feet in length, made of pure gold
that shone and sparkled. On the tip of the sword was a
round crystal ball that gave off a bright glow every so
often. For a minute, Sam was mesmerized by what he had seen
and completely forgot about being chased.
"They're coming, get up!" shouted Jane to Sam.
As Sam went to move, the entire floor caved in, taking
everything with it. Jane and Samantha screamed as they went
tumbling down the sides of the opening. Everything was
pitch black; the only thing visible was the glow off of the
sword. The army of chanters was on their trail, and now in
the tunnel. But they did not know that there was no floor
underneath them, and many of the chanters feel down, taking
with them their beaver dogs.
Sam fell to the bottom first, hurting his back and
shoulders; right behind him was Jane and Samantha, tumbling
down. Samantha used her ancient kung fu skills to help her
gracefully land on her feet. The place was completely dark;
the sword glowed and lit up the room, giving Sam and the
others a few seconds to find each other.
The light also showed what was in the tunnel, and that
was a treasure hunter's dream: gold and gems were scattered
everywhere and secret books that opened and closed on their
own. Sam quickly reached for his match and lit a fire. The
air inside the cave was thick and stuffy; this room or
chamber had been closed for thousands of years.
Once the light was lit and Sam could see better, he
called out to Jane and Samantha. Brushing off the dirt from
the fall, the three managed to find each other, glad and
relieved that everyone was okay. Jane told Sam that some
chanters and their beaver dogs were after them. As the room
lit up, the only things Sam could see were small, tiny
beetles crawling up and down the walls. It was an eerie
sight; one beetle turned into two, and two into ten, and so
forth until there were thousands crawling up the walls.
The beetles seemed to fill the room in seconds, as if
they were watching what was going on, and in the corner a
sudden movement took place. The gold coins began to move,
and the movement gave off a loud sound. Sam approached what
was moving in the corner, and with its back turned, Sam
called out to the chanter. It would not turn around; the
figure was small and tiny, dwarf-like. The chanter suddenly
turned around and gave Sam the shock of his life; it was
wearing a scary tribal mask, and was not showing its face.
"We mean you no harm," said Sam as he motioned to Jane
and Samantha to stay back.
Sam noticed something strange about this chanter; he
was wearing an old watch that Sam had given to an elf named
Dunbar.
"Dunbar, is that you?" asked Sam.
Dunbar quickly took off his mask, and acknowledged
Sam. He explained to Dunbar that they were friends, but
Dunbar said Sam was a traitor for having had a fighter in
his army that sided with the seven wizards. Sam explained
to Dunbar that he did not know this, and that he was also
betrayed by this fighter. Dunbar told Sam that the young
lady's name was Bissella, and she was one of the seven
wizards' daughters.
Once again, Sam was upset with himself and began to
swear and kick things around. Coins and treasures went
flying through the air. Sam was very upset and disgusted
with all the mistakes that he had made. Dunbar quickly
realized that Sam was telling the truth and ordered his
other chanters to stay away. Sam and the others were
surprised to see that they were surrounded by thousands of
chanters that had also fallen through the hole.
They were relieved that they knew Dunbar, but did not
know that he was a chanter. Dunbar explained to Sam and the
others that, for many years, they had been the protectors
of the white rhino plant. Their job was to sing and chant
to the beast to keep it angry for many centuries, so that
no one would dare try to obtain the plant. It was a very
powerful object that could cause the destruction of Baja
and many worlds beyond.
Dunbar told Sam that he did not trust them when they
were seen with Bissella. The wizards had been trying to get
the rhino plant for centuries. Sam explained to Dunbar that
Baja was dying and that they must obtain the plant.
"But the plant could not be moved!" shouted Dunbar.
Jane came into the conversation, letting Dunbar know
that they didn't need the entire plant; they just needed a
stem, pedal or leaf. She let Dunbar know that she was a
grower of plants and could grow almost anything. A little
skeptical, Dunbar gave in, letting Sam and the others know
that they were on their own, and that he could not be a
part of what they were trying to do.
For centuries, his family was commissioned by the
elders to chant and disturb the beast so no one would ever
want to come and disturb a plant that was so powerful and
dangerous to the entire universe. Dunbar motioned to his
other chanters to start moving out, and they began
chanting. One by one, the chanters left through a secret
hole.
&
nbsp; Sam tried to follow, but the hole was too small for
him. Sam, Jane and Samantha continued to look around the
place, not only was it filled with gold and treasure, it
was filled with the history of the rhino plant. Jane
quickly brought the light forward and began to read up on
the rhino plant. The ancient scrolls told of a powerful
plant that fell on Baja millions of years ago, causing a
big bang and blast. Anyone touching the plant became so
powerful that many rulers and kings could not handle the
power. They began to have slaves and the power of the plant
went to their heads; they could not control themselves and
the power was too great for them.
So keepers came and moved the plant and placed it in a
safe place; where, for thousands of years, it had not been
found, until now. Jane explained to her husband that the
plant was very powerful and she was deeply afraid of
turning into a bad person. Sam assured his wife that he
would be there to bring her out of the spell, if anything
should happen. There were thousands of books and manuals,
there were ancient paintings and old scrolls, and treasure
as far as the eye could see.
As Samantha studied the paintings on the wall, she
realized that they were once again in an old temple. There
were pictures of how the temple once was; it was a thriving
metropolis, everyone was wealthy and everyone lived in
harmony, until the arrival of the plant. Once found, power
and greed took over, and it caused the destruction of the
entire population. As Samantha flipped the pages of an old
book, there was a sword like the one that was glowing
above. Samantha kept on reading. Finally she got to the
part where the sword was placed in the possession of the
people to cut off a small chunk of the plant, If there was
ever a situation that the plant was needed.
The sword was not just a sword; one had to be strong
enough, brave enough, and their heart pure to even lift the
sword. That's why for many years the sword lay on the top
of the secret altar; because no one had come along with all
those qualities to remove it from its resting place. The
white crystal ball at the end was a formulated spell that
would protect the person who touched the plant to not
succumb to evil. The blades on the sword were the only ones
powerful and strong enough to cut through the plant.
The book also had a warning not to pull the plant from
its roots; killing the plant would mean destruction to
their world and many worlds beyond. Samantha explained this
to Jane and Sam, and they were now thinking of a way to
obtain the sword. Sam went through his mind, thinking of
who would be the best candidate for obtaining the sword. He
quickly ruled himself out and left the decision between
Jane and Samantha. Jane feared with Sam and her family
being exiled would cause the sword not to move.
So the only one left was Samantha. She was not afraid;
she had a look of determination on her face as she accepted
the challenge ahead. As Sam and Jane lit up the room even
more, they found out that the room was in the center of a
volcano, and if one fell down or off of the edge, there was
no way of ever coming back. The room also revealed more
treasures and secret entrances that were blocked a long
time ago.
The doors were sealed shut as if they were glued
together. When Sam looked around, the walls were covered
with huge white spiders that seemed to be frozen in time.
They were white and furry, with evil black eyes, foam
coming out of their mouths, and one spider seemed to be
eating a body of either a solider or a native person.
Because of all the web and dust, it was hard for Sam to
tell. He picked up a long stick and tired to shake the
spider, to hopefully get it to drop whatever was in its
mouth.
Out of the corner of Sam's eye, he could see the
spider seem to move, but when he turned around, the spider
was not moving at all. Sam quickly put down the stick and
returned to what he was originally doing. But his eyes
remained focused on the spider. The room was also guarded
by long huge snakes that were lying in their nests. The
walls were inlaid with plant-like people, the ones Jane and
the others had seen before. But these plant-like species
were not the friendly type. They carried weapons on every
part of their bodies, they had no eyes, just an outline of
a face, and their bodies were a make up of mold and moss.
As Jane got closer, their bodies also let off an odor.
Jane feared in her mind that everything in the room might
still be alive. Meanwhile Samantha was still reading the
old scrolls and they told that if the person who handled
the sword was not pure, they would immediately be pushed
into the fire below, and once the sword was moved,
everything in the room would come alive. Samantha shared
this with Sam and Jane, and they had to now find a way to
escape once the sword was lifted from its resting place.
Suddenly magical block steps appeared with the symbols of
Baja glowing faster and faster.
A loud thunder approached, and then a voice boomed.
"Who is the sword bearer?" said the voice.
Looking everywhere to find out where the voice was
coming from Samantha answer, "I am."
"Well come forth and take the first step. If your mind
is not clear and your heart is not pure, you will be
sentenced to the lake of fire," said the voice.
Samantha quickly took the first step, which took her
high into the air. As she was riding through the air on the
moving steps, Samantha could see the spiders and snakes on
the walls were now starting to move.
"Get in place, they're moving," said Samantha as she
shouted to Sam and Jane.
Sam quickly grabbed Jane and decided to find a way
out. They pushed and pulled on the doors, but none of them
would even budge. As they kept on searching for a way out,
Samantha was headed to the top. Suddenly the voice appeared
and the steps to the sword stopped, shaking and twisting,
it gave Samantha a little scare.
"This is your first challenge," said the voice.
Then a whole entire line of steps appeared, and on
each on stood a creature of unknown origins. They were
ready for battle, adorned in fighting gear and swords.
Samantha was ready for war; she activated the armor vest
that Sam's father had made for her. In the secret pocket of
the vest was a small thin mirror. Samantha had no idea what
to do with it; she held it up as the creatures began to
approach her, and nothing happened. The creatures were on a
war path, smashing bricks and causing destruction all
around.
It had been many, many years since these creatures
were ever let out, and now they were on a violent path.
Samantha used her ancient ninja skills to jump and hurdled
&nbs
p; over the creatures, still keeping the mirror in her hand.
From the ground, Sam and Jane tried to help Samantha,
throwing things at the creature, but they were too far up
in the air.
While running and jumping, the mirror turned into a
black liquid that oozed out of the mirror case, and onto
the steps. At first, nothing happened; then suddenly the
black liquid formed a puddle that went down the steps. As
the creatures watched and laughed at the black oozing
puddle, they were now stuck; they could not move or even
take a tiny step. The black goo had the creatures stuck,
except for two.
One flew from the highest steps all the way to the
floor, sending off a loud pounding thump. This creature was
going after Sam and Jane. Then the one at the top came
after Samantha. She took a sword off of one of the stuck
creatures and began to fight with the one that was chasing
her. Back and forth Samantha and the creature fought;
tumbling and rolling almost off of the secret steps. Swords
were flying through the air, slicing and cutting, missing
Samantha by inches.
When the sword of the creature snipped off one piece
of Samantha's long jet black hair, she became upset and
lunged into the air, slicing the creature's head off. It
stumbled and fell into the sea of fire. Green goo was
everywhere, splashing against the walls of the temple and
onto Samantha. The other creatures began to cry and moan
for their dead, but Samantha had no time to waste, she
needed to get to the top and get the sword.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Sam and Jane were fighting
the creature that had escaped from above. The creature was
upset and began to throw and smash its fist against the
walls of the temple, causing huge holes. Through the holes
the creature made, Sam and Jane could see land of some
sort, and they began to taunt and tease the creature so
that it would continue making the hole bigger. The creature
was tormented by Sam and Jane until it had made a great big
hole in the wall and all Sam and Jane had to do was to get
away from the creature, and wait for Samantha to get the
sword and a piece of the rhino plant.
Once the hole was made, Sam taunted the creature into
following him. He was running fast, and the creature was
quickly following. Sam did his best to get the creature to
fall over the edge, but it was not falling only slipping
every now and again. Finally Jane ran from behind the old
columns and kicked the creature over the edge into the sea
of fire.
"Good job, honey," exalted Sam as he gave his wife a
big hug.
The cries and moans of the creature filled the old
temple, echoing all the way back up to Samantha. She
smiled, knowing that her friends were okay, and that they
had destroyed the creature. Samantha continued her climb
back toward the area of the sword. Then she was stopped by
a mystical woman on the steps offering her gold, silver,
and the finest gems; even offering Samantha an orb that
could grant her every wish. Samantha's one wish was to get
her friend back; she wanted Red Fox to return to her. She
wanted things to be the way they once were. The mystical
woman began to read Samantha's heart, and because of this,
she could see all of Samantha's desires. Samantha was now
in a daze, imagining that Red Fox was alive. Meanwhile, the
unknown woman was weaving glass all around Samantha. From
the ground, Sam and Jane could not see anything but a large
glowing light.
"Something is wrong," said Jane to Sam.
Sam looked around for the book that Samantha was
reading, and once he found it, he read all the levels to
obtaining the swords. The first was the creatures of the
unknown, and the second was the lady in white, who traps
your soul and body in a glass that nothing could get
through, but the magical sword. The scroll told of many who
lost their lives to the lady in white; those who wanted to
turn back the hands of time, or those who wanted material
possessions. Sam knew that all Samantha wanted was her
friend back, and that was why she might be caught in the
lady in white's spell.
Sam explained this to Jane and immediately Jane
reached into her pocked and grabbed a hold of her magical
seed, but the seed had died. There was nothing to sustain
its living, no water or food. Jane tried to revive it, but
the seed had died; it had done all it could for Jane and
the others. Sam began to panic; he reached for long old
binoculars, so he could see Samantha, who was now covered
up in glass webbing from her feet to her waist.
"We have to do something," said Jane.
Sam tried his levitating powers, but it was limited
and only worked for a few seconds. So he picked up a sword
and threw it at the lady in white. She blocked the sword
with the weaving of glass into the air, forming a barrier
between her and the sword. Sam shouted at Samantha.
Slowly Samantha began to come out of the spell as she
heard Sam's voice. Samantha became frightened, and tried to
move, but she was stuck in the glass web. The lady in white
continued to try and offer Samantha everything her heart
desired, but Samantha was now aware of the evil spell the
lady in white was putting on her. Samantha refused to
accept the gifts and the promises; she began to count out
loud and the lady in white began to get irritated and black
tears began to fall from her eyes. Her skin began to turn
green and wrinkle, her beauty was all but gone and she was
now a witch.
The more Samantha counted, the more the lady in white
changed into her original form, which was a green witch.
The glass on Samantha's body began to break off, layer by
layer. The more Samantha ignored the witch's promises and
kept her mind occupied, the more the web of glass fell off,
hitting the floor, smashing and sending glass flying
through the air. As one of the glass pieces flew passed Sam
and Jane, they could see what Samantha was wishing, and
that was to be with her friend Red Fox. Samantha was angry
that he died, and wanted him back.
Sam was glad that she was okay, and watched as
Samantha headed toward the sword as if nothing had
happened. Deep down, they all knew that Samantha was
hurting, through her tough-girl image, she was sad, and
wanted her friend to return to her. Samantha quickly put
all of her feelings aside and went on to retrieve the
sword. Just one more step and she was there. The sword grew
bright and the mysterious voice came.
"Well done, you may obtain the sword," said the voice.
Samantha was a little afraid; her hands began to shake
and sweat, she gazed upon a beautiful sword. With all of
her might, she closed her eyes and reached for the sword.
It was as if an electric current had swept through her
bo
dy. As she picked up the sword and held it toward the
sky, everyone stood and waited to see if anything would
happen. Nothing did. Samantha was indeed the one to obtain
the sword.
"Great choice, honey," said Jane to her husband Sam.
Sam smiled and gave a sigh of relief. Samantha quickly
and carefully brought the sword down to her side; the light
from the sword went out and stayed in the glass globe at
the end of the sword. Suddenly the temple began to shake
and fall apart, statues began to hit the floor, sending
pieces of stone and clay flying through the air. The
snakes, spiders and creatures on the walls began to move.
Sam grabbed the book of the sword and hurried to
Samantha to come down. She began on her way down as she was
attacked by one of the huge spiders on the wall. She
quickly fought it off as Sam and Jane ran over to help her
by setting fire to the creatures. As the creatures burned,
Jane quickly grabbed Samantha by the hand and led her
toward the hole in the wall.
Suddenly the plant creatures pulled Jane by her legs
and tossed her across the room like a paper doll. Jane was
out for a minute, until Sam came to her aid, shooting fire
at the creatures with an old bow and arrow that he had
found in the temple. But, the creatures just kept on coming
and attacking Sam and the others. Finally Sam grabbed ahold
of Jane and dragged her out through the opening where
Samantha was waiting.
As soon as they were out of the temple, it began to
crumble faster and faster, sending smoke and dust
everywhere. Once outside, Sam and the others could see
where they really were, and though the outside was
flourishing with life, they were now at the home of the
white rhino plant and the beast that protected it.
Samantha quickly held onto the sword as her eyes gazed
up toward the large beast. At the bottom of the hill,
Samantha and the others could hear the chanting of the
worshipers. Sam, Jane and Samantha quickly moved behind a
large rock that sat a few feet away from the creature. They
were all afraid, thinking of ways in which they could
defeat this huge creature to get to the plant.
Sam was fresh out of ideas; once again he began to
doubt himself, and did not want to be responsible for any
more lives lost. Then Jane took over and made up a plan.
She now took the role of her husband as leader and
protector of Baja. There was no more time for a pep talk,
so she got everyone together and gave them the plan.
Samantha was to cut the rhino plant while Sam and she
distracted the beast.
Everyone jumped into action, and as soon as they came
from behind the rock, the monster was waiting for them. It
stood many feet tall, with huge expandable wings that it
opened and closed. Its mouth spew fire that would scorch
the skin, it had horns coming out in all directions, and
with its yellow cat-like eyes it glanced over Sam and the
others. It was an unknown species of dragon; it seemed to
be half-bat and half-dragon.
This creature was nothing like what the locals had
talked about, not even close. This dragon was huge, with a
triangular tail that wrapped around its body, and black
dirty and matted fur that was stuck to its skin. The beast
glowed with red symbols when it gave out a loud roar.
The chanters began to scatter as it caused rocks to
crumble down the hillsides. The beast was tied to a heavy
chain that prevented it from moving any distance. It opened
up its large claw and then lashed out at Jane. She dove in
between the creature's legs as she motioned to Samantha to
get the plant.
Samantha quickly jumped into action, using her ninja
skills and leapt into the air. But the creature was not
happy, and began to lash its tail at Jane, cutting her
across the face and knocking her out. When Sam saw this, he
quickly snapped out of his self-pity and ran to his wife's
side, dragging her back behind the rock. Sam lunged at the
monster with all of his force; the monster continued to
roar and upset the rocks on the hill, which came tumbling
down like an avalanche, running over most of the chanters.
"Go for cover!" shouted one of the chanters.
All the clan began to run, hiding behind huge trees
and stones. Sam continued to punch the monster in its belly
with all of his might. The monster continued to scream and
moan, as it could not reach Sam. Finally the monster sent
its tail under its belly, picked up Sam, and threw him
across to the other side.
Samantha had finally gotten to the beautiful flower;
this was like no other plant. It was all white, made of the
finest silk, its petals were big as elephant ears, and its
stems were strong and muscular. At the end of the petals
were rhino like horns that dripped some type of brown sap.
Samantha pulled out the long sword and stood at a distance
as she tried to cut the plant. It was not easy; it was as
if Samantha was cutting into rock.
Not paying attention, the monster came and hit
Samantha over the head, sending her one way and the sword
the other way. There was no stopping this creature, it was
too big and they were outnumbered. Sam tried to talk to the
creature in a calm voice and explain to it what they needed
the plant for. But the creature was not in the mood to
talk, and continued to kick Sam and the others around.
Sam was frustrated and upset; with one final move, Sam
jumped onto the creature's back and began stab it with the
small knife that he had in his war shoes. The creature
cried out and tried to wiggle Sam off, but Sam was not
budging. Sam held onto the creature's fur with all of his
might; not letting go, and continued to stab at the
creature.
From the creature's fur came a large flea that stuck
its fang into Sam's shoulder. Sam shouted from the pain and
his blood was everywhere. The huge flea began to drag Sam
into its nest on the dragon. The nest was filled with
hungry babies the size of horses. In pain, with the fangs
of the flea still in his shoulders, blood began to pour
from Sam, and the flea and her babies began to suck up the
fresh blood.
Sam shouted out for Samantha, who was still trying to
recover from the hit of the dragon. Samantha got up, leapt
into the air and onto the back of the dragon. She pulled
out her sword and began to cut Sam out of the grip of the
hairy flea. Once Sam was free, she slid down the back of
the dragon and lay at the end of its tail.
Trying to compose himself and catch his breath,
Samantha was at the top of the dragon inside the nest of
the fleas, killing and destroying all of them. It was a
vile sight to see. Fleas had crawled under the dragon's
skin and made it their home; there were millions of tiny
eggs and thousand of them were about to hatch.
/> As Samantha got rid of all the fleas, she noticed that
the dragon was not moving or putting up a fight. She peeled
her way out of the skin of the dragon, noticing the
calmness and the non-movement. Samantha slid down the back
of the dragon to find it lying peaceful on the ground,
licking its paws and being content.
Neither Samantha nor Sam could believe what their eyes
were seeing. Sam quickly moved out of the way of the beast
and went to check on his wife who was slowly coming out of
her head injury. Samantha ran for the sword to cut the
plant, and found herself face to face with the dragon. It
looked Samantha in the eyes, and licked its yellow teeth as
if it was preparing for dinner. Samantha pulled out the
sword and held it up to the creature's face.
The creature said. "I have been in pain for many, many
years. All I needed was someone to remove my tormentors,
and you did this kindness. I will always be grateful."
Samantha and Sam were very surprised by the creature's
attitude. For millions of years it was tormented by the
huge fleas that were embedded underneath its skin, and the
chanters made the fleas crawl more, and this made the
dragon irritated.
"You're very welcome," said Samantha.
Then the dragon had one last favor, and that was to
remove its bondage, which were the chains that kept it on
the mountain. Samantha was a little skeptical and began to
cut at the rhino plant before she let the dragon free.
Samantha cut faster and faster at the plant, but it was
very stubborn. Finally the dragon instructed Samantha on
how to hold the sword and which way she needed to cut.
"Face the sword west and cut at an angle," said the
dragon.
Samantha did not want to be tricked and continued
cutting the way she was at first. When she found that it
was not working, she then took the dragon's advice and cut
in the manner that the dragon had suggested. Slowly
Samantha could feel the blade penetrating the stem. She
sliced the rhino plant in half, but with the first cut the
plant began to die, and then everything started to die. The
trees on the hills, even the grass began to whither faster
and faster.
Once Samantha noticed this, she called out to Jane.
Still trying to recover from her hit, Jane was slowly
coming around, but not fast enough. Sam picked up his wife
and quickly carried her over to where Samantha and the
plant stood.
"Work your magic, honey," said Sam to Jane.
Jane quickly stretched out her hands and laid them
upon the rhino plant. Jane's thumbs turned green, and
within a few seconds the plant grew right before their
eyes; it became one again, its petals and stem grew
stronger and stronger as it attached itself to the soil in
the ground.
A bright light appeared as the plant began to heal
itself; the trees that were once dying began to flourish
again. The grass became greener, and the plants grew wild.
Jane gave all the energy she had left, and then passed out
in her husband's arms. Jane had saved the rhino plant and
possible Baja.
Samantha kept her promise to the dragon and broke the
chains that held the dragon to the top of the mountain.
When Samantha cut the chains, she quickly stepped back,
fearing that the dragon would attack, but it did not. It
began to circle around like a dog chasing its tail, and
then the dragon flew off into the air, opening its huge
wings that blocked out the sun.
A bright stream of light came out of the dragon's
mouth and shot into the heavens; then, with a loud bang and
a huge burst of colors into the air, the dragon came back
down to where Samantha was. Still keeping her guard up,
Samantha aimed her sword at the dragon. It shed all of its
fur and muscles; out of the dragon came a primitive looking
boy, slender in build, like that of a Native American.
The young man never said a word, just ran away and
disappeared into the forest. Samantha ran to see where the
young man went, but never saw him again. His spirit was
free, and he disappeared into the woods. As Samantha turned
around to get a glimpse of the rhino plant once more, it
also disappeared, and so did the carcass of the dragon. All
that was left was an old wise saying: "Judge not by
appearance, but by the action of your subject."
All this time, many elders and citizens of Baja were
judging the beast, but never took the time to ask why? And
the answer was as simple as killing a few fleas. Millions
had died because of the ignorance of many, but to Sam and
Samantha this was a lesson well learned. With a few minutes
to wrap their minds around everything that they had been
through, Samantha gave a wild call to the large hawks that
had dropped them off.
Her call was not ignored, the hawks were on their way
with plenty of other hawks to help transport them home.
Samantha and Sam were glad to see their friends once more.
They stood on the mountain top waving to the hawks as they
circled around. The hawks flew down, scooping up Sam,
Samantha and Jane. Jane was a little out of it, but was
comforted by her husband.
"Well done, well done," said the hawk to the remaining
fighters.
The hawk explained how the lands were now flourishing,
but they needed to quickly plant the remaining half of the
white rhino plant. Faster and faster the hawk flapped its
wings, dipping and dodging through the clouds. Up, up and
away the hawk went; it was in a hurry to let Jane heal and
plant the white rhino plant.
Soon Sam and the others began to drift off into a deep
sleep. As the hawks flew vigorously through the air, Sam
began to dream about all the things he had gone through,
and began to see what scared him most. Sam began to twist
and turn as he continued to dream; he thought of his
brother, one he loved so much, and the one he might have to
destroy in order to save Baja.
Sam then saw a figure of his brother in his dreams.
Marcus Carrot-Top was not happy with his brother, the
ghostly figure of Marcus began to call Sam a loser, and
that Sam could come and join him in the land of the wizards
where he would never be exiled. Marcus began to show Sam of
all the wealth and power his family could have, and with
the two of them, they could take over Baja.
But even in his sleep, Sam was a good man, and turned
Marcus down; something Marcus did not accept too well and
began to get angry with his brother.
"Sam, you fool, Baja once exiled you and your family,
and now you want to save them? You're a fool!" shouted
Marcus to his brother as saliva spewed out of his mouth in
anger.
Sam begged his brother to stop, and come back to Baja
where he could be a free man. Marcus refused and began to
strangle Sam in his
sleep. Sam quickly woke up to notice
that they were still in the air. Then a big dip landing by
the hawks woke Samantha and Jane. Everyone noticed that it
was really bright and hot; it was so hot that Sam and the
others could see the heat waves in front of them.
The hawk instructed the three to walk through the
heat. Holding Jane up, Sam and Samantha followed the hawk;
it didn't seem to mind the heat, it seemed like it had been
here before.
"Hurry, quickly, just a few more steps," said the hawk.
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