An arrow flew past the fleeing Harvenger's head. He jumped up, spinning slightly, slashing the next two in mid air. Lethander and Shilieka were a few steps ahead, and the Kato was impressed with the pushing power of the Naga's tail. He was extremely fast, for a Naga.

The whistles had sounded a few minutes earlier, and they knew they were easy targets on the roof. Shilieka told them that east was the closest wall, and east they ran. Humans and monsters alike, all servants of the crown were after them now, and after the battle before, they were likely not to be taken alive a second time.

As they entered an intersection, one of many by now, three men mounted on pure bred Zuums charged from the left. Spears held close to their sides, business ends first, and they never let up a step.

Lethander managed to slap the first spear harmlessly away, but the next two came in quickly. Suddenly, a white beam pierced both wooden shafts, shattering them. Both men looked surprised, as were the Zuums, who attempted to halt abruptly. All four found themselves flying into the window of a general store moments later, carried on the swift power of a purple tail.

The last one ran slightly ahead of them, and turned on a dime. His Zuum reared its head back, then slung it forward, releasing a payload of napalm that spiraled towards Shilieka. She had no time to react.

Harvenger watched helplessly as the Pixie braced herself and the flames engulfed her. The Zuum held the breath weapon for a few seconds, then closed its maw with a snap and a smile. As the last of the fire licked its target and dissipated, the Zuum blinked a few times in astonishment.

The massive, purple form smoked lightly, but had no real signs of damage. The Naga had his right shoulder and arm in front of Shilieka. His head was slightly turned down, tucked into his shoulder, blocking his face. The snakelike eye rose slowly, glaring over the ridge of his smoking skin at the stunned rider and his mount.

Lethander's right arm shot up suddenly, revealing the yellow ball he had been charging in his left hand. The Zuum turned, and began running in the other direction, as Lethander's eyes adjusted accordingly to take aim.

"No!" The Kato barked towards him, "Let him be, we need to get out of here, now!"

Lethander's shoulders bobbed sharply with a upset grunt, but he knew the truth when he heard it. The yellow orb flashed brightly for a second, then slowly faded and shrunk back into his palm.

"Why...did you help me?" The Pixie sputtered, a bit surprised that he, of all creatures, would help anyone.

"I said I owed you..." It had to be one of the least impressive responses she had ever heard, but she couldn't help but wonder if it went deeper.

Harvenger was already ten yards ahead before they knew he was running. The white city's wall stood fairly high over the buildings, but it still seemed very close. All three ran quickly as the sounds of soldiers picked up behind them. The Kato was much faster than both his comrades, and soon after a series of turns, he was out of sight.

"That Kato!" The Naga yelled as the troop count behind them grew, "If we escape, I'm gonna kill him for leaving us to die!"

Somehow, to Shilieka, that just didn't seem like the loyal Harvenger she knew. The thought was quickly chased away by an arrow shattering against the stone laid road ahead of them. A few more came dreadfully close to the two monsters, and she wondered how excellent their accuracy must be in the daylight. Even though the moon was shining bright, they were still partially concealed by building shadows.

She glanced over her shoulder, to see if she could spot the archers. Thats when she noticed the Jannes that seemed to pollute sky. Dozens of Pixie/Durahans, armed with crossbows, and small swords at their sides, all taking aim on the two.

Shilieka spun swiftly in mid run, tossing three energy orbs into the sky. The Jannes dodged this fumbled attack with easy, wondering how these weaklings broke out of the jail in the first place. Then, all three orbs detonated with a blinding flash of white. This white didn't disappear immediately, either, but instead, continued to burn brightly as they fell. The Jannes all covered their eyes, vision clouded with neon green as the pain from the light faded, but the scars did not.

"I must admit..." Lethander spoke between quickened breathes, "I'm impressed."

Even though the arrows became less accurate, and in much less quantity, their position for the ground troops couldn't have been more highlighted, and they both knew it. The wall was huge, and it seemed no matter how far or fast they ran, it was only growing slightly closer.

Lethander looked over his shoulder at a sound he was slightly spooked to here now. Hooves on the road.

Sure enough, a detachment of Celious were in hot pursuit. For anyone who doesn't know, a Centaur/Tiger is tough to outrun, and the Naga counted at least twenty of them. They would have to think of something, or run a whole lot faster, if they wanted to avoid a fight all together.

Another intersection approached, obviously part of the market place. Several carts and wagons littered the street, all closed and covered for the night. Languard must really trust their patrols, if crime was low enough to allow this to happen. They two ran strait across the road crossing, heading always for the edge of the city.

The Celious crew was catching up, but as they entered the intersection, something they didn't expect occurred. One of the fruit stands exploded with slashing winds and shattering boards. Assorted fruits and wagon parts punished the patrol. Something darted past them, and all slung their spears towards it.

All connected with the ground, as another stand seemed to break apart and assault them. A flying wagon wheel slammed into two of them, knocking them unconscious, as two more slipped on shattered fruits and foods. A tarp wrapped viciously around ones head, and he fell with a loud thud. Something darted past them again, and again, each time shredding a stand and slamming the parts into them with amazing speed. Soon, only six of the twenty were still standing.

The last cart in sight was right beside them all. As they glanced to it, only for a second, none could react in time as a tornado ripped through the center of it. Carrying the two wagon halves, assorted wood and food, and eventually some of the fallen Celious, it sped towards the ones that were still standing. Three of the six managed to ge out of the way, as the others were pulled into the vortex, their hooves unable to grip the stones covered in vegetables and splattered squid.

As the twister died down, all its contents were slung out. Some of the monsters slammed roughly into building walls, others landed harshly against the road, but neither gave and inch. Windows shattered from various flying debris, and the road was covered in blended foods. One of the remaining three got clocked by one of his unconscious comrades, slinging both of them down a nearby alley.

The remaining two stumbled about, slightly perplexed by the unorthordoxed guerilla tactics that had just taken place. Suddenly, a small, yellow creature seemed to appear in between them. Not one of them had time to even blink as the little rodent back flipped into the air, kicking one square in the jaw. Following through, it continued to spin full circle, nailing the other right on the top of the head with the other foot.

The first one fell, out cold. The second reeled heavily, holding his nose. As his eyes uncrossed, he first focused in on his fallen brother. Before he was allowed to pan his vision, the little yellowish shadow was in front of his gaze again. The creature spun twice, yelling like a crazed cat, as its foot extended on the third rotation, colliding directing with the Centaur's temple.

Meanwhile...

The Naga and the Pixie sped with haste towards the walls that seemed to gleam even when darkness took it. At least the Celious were off their backs, possibly took a wrong turn at one of the last intersections. As they rounded yet another turn in these intricate streets, Shilieka turned her head slightly, surprised that no troops were perusing at the moment. She could, however, hear that more were on the way, as the entire city seemed to be in an uproar now.

Suddenly, as the street they were on merged with another, a familiar Kato came bounding on the street mere feet ahead of them.

"There you are you little freak! Why did you-" Lethander caught himself in mid anger, noticing the slick coat of assorted liquids that Harvenger had donned, and also the very fine, short, blue and white hairs that were clinging to that.

"I suppose I owe you, too..." The Naga hissed between clinched teeth, putting two and two together.

They rounded another corner, the last corner, to behold the base of the wall. All of them held the air in their lungs when the saw the lone figure, standing solemnly at the stairs which climbed the wall. Covered with the dust and stone chips the moonlight revealed, nothing could pierce the night like that set of angry eyes.

"Glory..." Harvenger spat.

The silent titan merely switched his spear to his right hand, pulling his left to the air in front of him. Palm up, he slowly grasped the air, released, then grasped again, beckoning the first of the three to challenge him.

"I got this, you two get out of here when we start." Lethander spoke under his breathing, jerking his neck to the left and right, each with a pop.

"This guy is too good for just one, we should all hit him and escape." Shilieka pleaded to the Naga, who has having none of it.

"I said get out before the other troops show up." He spoke angrily to the Pixie.

Harvenger knew how powerful this foe was, and knew that Lethander could not beat him alone. This made him wonder for a moment, did Lethander know he could not beat him, and was going to distract him anyway?

"It doesn't matter..." The pure bred Centaur spoke, "None of you may leave."

As his rumbling voice seemed to bounce from building to building, he took his spear in both hands, and darted into a full charge. Before Lethander could react, Glory was upon him. The Kato bounced up quickly between them, attempting to slash the Centaur's chest. The spear had one sure advantage on him though; range.

Harvenger found himself with his claws crossed in front of his chest, pressing the spear tip from it. Glory slammed the Kato into a wall, pressing with all his might against the resisting claws. Harvenger knew he could not match his strength, and couldn't hold the weapon back much longer.

Luckily, he wouldn't have to, as Glory found his head jerking to the right shortly after the attack, accompanied by the foot of a very angry Pixie. As the Centaur regained his bearings, the other foot made itself known, as Shilieka flew up, then down sharply, planting her sole right on top of his beak.

It was then that the true powerhouse in the three became known, as the massive purple tail slammed into Glory's chest. The Centaur flew backwards, but showed the grace that accompanied his overwhelming power. As Glory flipped and landed on his hooves, he was in full charge again, to the shock and surprise of all.

No one had time to even process the speed of Glory until it was over. The Centaur bounded in the center of them, sweeping his spear sideways with just his left hand, over Harvenger's head, and caught the Pixie in the stomach with the shaft of the spear. She gasped deeply as she was slung off it and into the white city's barrier, the wall they had been trying to reach all along. Lethander only saw the spear hit her, but not the direction in which she flew, as his mind was scattered in the same motion. Both rear hooves collided with his chin, assisted with an impact that knocked even the Naga's bulky form into the air. The legs retracted quickly and came again, this time, horizontal. Both nailed Lethander in his mid section. He coughed roughly as he flew back, landing on the stone walkway like a bag of sand. The only thing Harvenger got to see was the spear crossing over his head, then the open palm of Glory's right hand, engulfed with white, seconds before the explosion.

As quickly as it happened, it was over. All the attacks were simultaneous, something only a battle worn monster could manage to focus. The smell of singed hair filled Harvenger's nostrils, the metallic tinge of blood ran into Shilieka's mouth, and the dusty cloud fell around Lethander's bulk.

Glory said nothing. No bragging, no alerting the guards. Nothing. Harvenger could hear the hooves slapping the road as they began down one of the stone paths.

Then he heard that rumbling voice, "I have no time for the wrongly accused. Just remember who set you free."

The Kato knew then, that they had earned something from this honorable monster, that being respect. He pulled himself up slowly, gazing over to his comrades, who looked equally as dumbfounded.

The sounds of troops and whistles got closer, and the trio pulled themselves up the steps quickly. Once on the wall, they were lucky enough to realize that a forest resided on that end of the castle. Indeed, it was serious luck.

Shilika carried Lethander down the best her small frame could, more like falling slowly. Harvenger bounced out, stabbing his claws deep within a tree. As the three monsters heard the metal feet on the steps, they began going deeper into the forest. Harvenger had to add one bit of humor to this dilemma.

"Well Lethander..." He spoke with a slight chuckle, "I won't tell anyone about this loss if you don't."

"Do you feel stronger, yet?" Lethander taunted, "Or does that come after the soreness fades?"

For the first time, in a non sadistic way of course, Harvenger saw Lethander smile. Indeed, there wasn't much else to do in this situation. Who knows what challenges the forest, and the day time search parties, will bring.

Enjoy. CHB

Oooooh! What a plot twist! I can't wait for the next one.

I have been putting alot of effort into this storyline, and it is coming together nicely now. Stay tuned.

And it shows, great work with this fic CHB. And having a really angry Naga involved is always a big plus for me. ;)

Ha, I just had a flash of Stoneclaw. I guess you do like them :D

Hey, nice. Mr. naga is softening...Now I won't recommend that you kill him off. Very good, I see you are in keeping with your reputation.

I love this storyline. Very origina and descriptive. The action is always wonderfully bloody and gorey. I personally think that the dragon, Hesferion, will come back soon and try to kill harvenger. Very Nicely Done!