Alfenheims Warlords (a SAO fanfic)

Chapter 35

"My Lady! I must implore you to stop! This is madness!"

Theodosius and Raiden, plus about two units of Elite Reavers and Swordsmen, were trying their best to stop both Sinon and Lisbeth from exiting the castle after hearing her reason.

"Then why won't you then simply come with me?" Asked Sinon as she looked down from her horse.

"Because it's a Dragons Hoarde! Two Elite units, an Archer, and a Blacksmith can't simply take on the dragon that is likely guarding that treasure with every fiber of its being!" Said Raiden.

"Are you two skeletons, being who are already dead and been risen up as what you are now," suddenly asked Lisbeth, "afraid of dying?"

"It's not exactly the most pleasant experience dying over and over." Said Theodosius gruffly.

"Well we need the money anyway, apparently... so I'm determined to help him!" Said Sinon. "Now please open the gates."

The two Commanders glanced at one another, which was weird as they were skeletons, but then both soon left and then returned on Skeleton horses as Earshaker Said, "Well, we can't let you go alone... don't want the Flower of the prince to die before she blooms."

"Besides, bringing units with us won't make us any faster and may even force a battle to happen." Said Raiden. "We'll just have to grab everything we can grab."

Sinon nodded and then as the gates opened wide, the four of them rode off at a gallop as Sinon said, "I managed to find where it's lair lies so hopefully we get there before dark."

The Dark did, unfortunately, soon cover the Forest of Dreams and while they had stopped at the hunting camp to put their horses there, they soon realized that unless someone had a bright idea to use to light their way through an idea alone, they would have to take lanterns or risk stumbling through the dark.

"Place always gave me the creeps.." Muttered Raiden as his skeleton bones clanked and clacked together with his armor.

"You always find something creepy... this life or the other, it's always something creepy.." Muttered Earthshaker back.

Hearing two NPCs like these two was quite informative for both Lisbeth and Sinon as they would have never expected the two commanders to have known one another in their living lives.

Although that was a mere guess.

But then Earthshaker Said, "I swear if we meet a Ghastly Stag again I'm going to scream..."

"It just threw you around and you had only chainmail that day." Said Raiden.

"Yeah but even with all this DarkSteel on I feel like they'll toss me around like a rag doll!" Said Earthshaker.

"Oh my goodness will you two be quiet for a moment so I can hear maybe what could be around us?" Said Lisbeth suddenly as they then shut up.

The surroundings were quiet except for the gurgling of a nearby river and the twisting of birds in trees and as the four of them kept low, or as low as a fully armored, 6-foot Skeleton could get with a group of normallyrl sized skeleton and Alfs could get, but while they got low, Sinon brought her portable map out and then said, "Alright follow me but we'll have to ditch the light just before the entrance otherwise we may wake the thing up."

And thus the party continued on towards the cave entrance.

The hill before them soon gave way to a more plain like area lined with what looked like rice paddies of some sort and was ringed on the opposite side of the hill and seemed decently dense.