Spirit Animals: The Keeper's Book

Chapter Eleven: Maddox

They all ran through the tunnels below the earth, casting a speeding train of eerie silhouettes, all stretched out and flickering against the cave walls. She couldn't stop her eyes from wandering to the rock walls, where their distorted versions twisted and hovered. Talon's shadow was also in a spindly form and Destiny's shadow spread in the tunnel.
But at that moment, they had entered a giant cave that had four ancient pillars in the shape of a square. Jenna frowned when she saw a three infected spiders, an infected elephant, and two infected badgers walking in an abandoned courtyard. She spotted disturbing gray spirals on their foreheads. Jenna noticed that Destiny started growling and Talon quickly grabbed her archery gear. But they soon saw Worthy tied up in iron shackles and was sitting at the edge of the cliff.
"Worthy!" cried out Talon.
"Talon, Keeper!" Worthy quickly spotted the Greencloak and the other Redcloak. "Stay back! Maddox is insane!"
That's when Maddox had revealed himself as he stepped out of the shadows: a scowling beast of a man, thick of neck and shoulders, with a matted red beard and a crooked nose once broken and poorly healed. Jenna spotted the gray spiral on his forehead. His eyebrows rose nearly to his bald pate as recognition lit his shaggy figures.
The torchlight gleamed off of his armor, and Jenna caught sight of the symbol emblazoned on his chest plate: an angular C ringed with spikes.
"'Keeper?'" Maddox soon spotted Destiny standing next to Jenna, looking ready for the fight ahead. "That spirit animal... I recognize you now. You're the Greencloak who could free the beasts we enslaved."  
"Don't you want to be free?" Jenna asked him warily. "No living being should be enslaved."
"I don't WANT to be 'free'," Maddox retorted to the Keeper. "I'm part of something ancient now. Something so powerful it makes the Great Beasts look like stuffed toys." Talon and Jenna both exchanged knowing looks, understanding the heavy weight of the situation. "The Wyrm is waking, Greencloak scum. And once it does, it will consume all of Erdas!"
Shaking her head, Jenna pulled out the Marble Sword of Ninani from her belt and caught Talon's eye. She lowered her blade in front of Talon, showing its flat side to her. "To the end."
Talon's dark eyes seemed to be showing a slight smile. "To the end." She tapped her bow onto Jenna's sword, showing their signs of combined strength and teamwork together.
Jenna caught Talon's eye and they both exchanged a knowing glance. With a slight nod, the small team ran towards the infected beasts and man together. That's when a fierce battle has begun between the unique friends and the infected beasts and man. The infected beasts and Maddox against the young Keeper, the infected beasts and Maddox is enforced by the spirals while the other is bonded by Nectar. The infected beasts and Maddox were a strong opponent, but so was Jenna, Destiny, and Talon. Their weapons clashed against the infected beasts and Maddox, powers against power and enemies against enemies. Destiny's agility and strength is a strong match against the infected beings' abilities. Jenna had used her skills and the wall of wildfire to get out of trouble more than once from the infected beings' attempted attacks at the three of them. Talon's well-aimed arrows hit the infected creatures greatly and she's a great fighter. After a few more wildfires, there was multiple white flashes of lights and the infected beings were all turned back into ordinary beasts and Maddox was back to normal (probably). The four of them watched as the creatures ran out of the battleground and Maddox had disappeared without a trace.
Talon used her dagger to help free Worthy from his imprisonment and Jenna gently helped him get up to his feet. Worthy purred softly as he eagerly hugged the two girls, trying to express his feelings of gratitude and relief to his friends. Once they were released from their embrace, Worthy seemed to have smiled at Jenna and Destiny gratefully.
"Maddox... The poor brute." Talon shook her head at the former Conqueror's personality.
"He mentioned the Wyrm. Is Erdas in danger?" Jenna asked the two Redcloaks, remembering what Maddox had said.
"He said the Wyrm was awakening," said Talon grimly. "Things are moving faster than we realized. We have to tell King."
Worthy turned to look at Jenna, a grateful look in his golden eyes. "You saved my life again, Keeper. You're starting to make a habit of it." Without a warning, Jenna was pulled into a warm embrace by Worthy and she felt him purring against her neck. She smiled softly as she returned Worthy's embrace and felt Destiny leaning against them, giving them her own embrace. Once Worthy realized what he was doing, he pulled back from hug and Jenna did the same thing while Destiny stepped back from the hug. Worthy seemed to be smiling at his friends, but his expression saddened. "I don't know how I can repay you. I wish I could take off this stupid—"
"Worthy." Talon placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can't."
He let out a rough sigh, a desperate and defeated look had entered his golden eyes as he continued gazing at Jenna. "...I know." He went through his bag and revealed a fresh, dazzling folded red cloak. "Take this, at least. It means you have a friend among my group. Hopefully someday I'll be able to tell you that face to face." Jenna smiled warmly at Worthy and gently took the cloak from her new friend, she soon placed it in her satchel. "Until then, please be careful. Dark times are ahead. Beware the Wyrm... and keep your spirit animal very close."
Jenna nodded understandingly and offered her hand to them. "I hope we'll see you two again."
Worthy's eyes gleamed hopefully. "Same here." He soon took her hand gently.
"Me too." Talon seemed to be smiling at her as she placed her hand on top of theirs.
But little did they know that their fates are going to meet again.