The Guardsman and the Witch

Chapter V - Rats of the Well

She used "Transfer" and they returned to the settlement, Eras smiled seeing the two were back. "Did you reach the Castle?"

"Aye! But the gate are closed, we need three skulls to open it, the skulls." Lizzy answered.

"And who are you, fair lady?" he asked looking at Gilia.

"I am Gilia of Lordriver, once I was a princess but my father's cousin killed him and I had to flee to survive, there were more people but we were invaded by the bandits who followed us, I was the only woman so everybody else... was killed" she began to cry. "They captured me and wanted to rape me if not only Raime and Lizzy rescued me."

"It's all over!" Raime said and hugged her and the witch made a look of discontent, despise and jealousy at the same time.

"Poor girl, at least now you are safe, I know Raime, he will never let anyone harm you from now on!"

"I don't know how to repay them!"

"I told you, you don't have to!"

"I know how." Lizzy added. "Thou hast to stay here so Raime will not be disturbed protecting thee during our journey."

"Of course, I don't want to go anywhere, I will better stay here!"

"My name is Eras, by the way!"

"Nice to meet you!" the girl smiled.

"Eras, please, keep her safe, I trust you!" Raime said.

"I will do what is in my powers, fortunately monsters are rare here and if they are, weak ones, whom I will be able to kill without any problem."

"We have to go!" Lizzy said.

"And where we shall head?"

"We can go to the forest and find the Frozen Land but I don't know how to get there at least now, so we can go to the Flame Land or right now descent to the bottom of the pit." she pointed at the well in the middle of the settlement.

"I don't like it!"

"Thou art scared?"

"A little bit, I will be honest, nobody knows what can live there!"

"Thou art almost invincible, thou hast not to be scared!"

"And you are not!"

"Thou art worried about me?"

"Yes, you are my friend, I've told you already!"

"Thou art strange... but anyway we have to go, let's descend!"

They neared the edge, it seemed that there was no bottom at all, just a deep chasm, all the walls were frayed with sharp stones that could easily hurt the ones descending, no ledge or other device to climb down, the witch casted "Qintum" spell and embraced Raime that allowed them both to raise about a meter above the ground and then to fly down slowly, then she casted "Skia" spell to enlighten their way, the well was really very deep and even after about two minutes descending the two still could not see the bottom but now they could see a side passage and not a small one like a hole or a window but one of human size that really looked like a door.

"It seems to be the passage to the Underground Kingdom!" Lizzy said as they stepped on the ground, the walls here were also frayed and ruined but even now the two could see that the architecture here was very ancient that told them one more time that they were on the right way.

"Aye!" he said. "We must stay focused, we can meet anything here!"

"Not anything – ghouls, giant worms and rats, these are told to live here!"