The Scavenger drew in a sharp breath. This symbol was so familiar; it was the symbol of the Death Lord.
Next, he examined the warrior’s sword. The word – ‘ELITE’ – was prominently etched on it.
“I know these warriors,” the Scavenger said, taking a startled breath. “They are the Elite Warriors of the Death Lord.”
“But what is he doing here?” Daniel asked.
“Hunting us, of course,” the Scavenger said. “The Death Lord must have got wind of our plan. This warrior will not be the last we meet.”
The Scavenger paused and looked towards the unconscious warrior.
After a while, he turned towards the children and said, “Do you remember the Lightning Sword?”
Matt said, “I remember Python mentioning it. But I don’t know the details.”
The Scavenger breathed deeply. “Well, let me tell you. The Lightning Sword belonged to me. It was stolen from me by none other than these Elite Warriors.”
The Scavenger was visibly excited. It was an opportunity to extract information about the Death Lord from the Elite Warriors and also to get information about his Lightning Sword. He woke the warrior up by slapping him and held a sword at his throat.
The warrior froze.
The Scavenger pressed the sword against his neck and said menacingly, “Answer our questions truthfully if you wish to live.”
The warrior nodded in fright.
“What is the Death Lord planning to do?”
“He is trying to make a time machine and go into the past and change…”
“Are you not scared for your life, warrior?” The Scavenger growled, raising his sword.
“SORRY! SORRY!” the warrior yelled. “The Death Lord is planning to wage a huge war against the Clans. He has appointed a demon named Blood Reaper to train the army. Meanwhile, he is searching for the first piece of the Arcane Crown.”
“Where is he planning to wage this war?”
“First, at the Palace of Unicorns. He plans to defeat the five Clans guarding it and capture the Unicorns. Then he will attack the Coast of Robbers, and the Cliff of Thieves to loot their treasures. Then he plans to meet and seek help from the Night Riders at the Island of Night in the Dark Sea. That’s all I know.”
“This is absurd!” The Scavenger exclaimed. “The Night Riders will never help him.”
The warrior shrugged. “That’s a risk he is willing to take.”
“Hmm… What about the first piece? Where is the Death Lord now?”
“He is now in the Isle of the Beast.”
“Hey, that’s where we just came from!” James said.
The Scavenger nodded. “He’s catching up on us.”
He turned back to the warrior. “Are there some warriors with him?”
The Elite Warrior shook his head. “No. He is travelling alone.”
“Has he faced any problems in his kingdom?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Eight Clans have already betrayed the Death Lord. Other than that… there is nothing else.”
“You sure? Need I jog your memory a bit?”
“I swear that’s it!”
“What alliances has he made until now?”
“He has gained the trust of the Black Hunters and the Kingdom of the Baboons. The Panthers have also decided to help him, apart from the Red Robbers, Treasure Hunters and the Silencers. That is all.”
“What about the Ninjas and the Samurai?”
The Elite Warrior shook his head remorsefully. “They refused to yield and escaped underground before the Death Lord could capture them.”
The Scavenger heaved a big sigh. The Ninjas and the Samurai were the most arduous warriors.
“And now tell me... Where is the Lightning Sword?”
The warrior was silent.
“I ask again. Where is the Lightning Sword?”
Still the warrior refused to say anything.
“I will give you three seconds to answer!” The Scavenger raised his sword. “Three, two… one!” The Scavenger brought his sword down.
The warrior yelled, and the Scavenger stopped the sword an inch above the warrior’s neck.
“Okay, okay!” the warrior shrieked. “It is in the… in the Grove of Swords.”
“Impossible. The Grove of Swords is just here in this area.”
The Elite Warrior nodded. “That was the reason I came here. To take the Lightning Sword back to…” He blurted but clamped his mouth shut, suddenly realizing that he had spoken too much.
The Scavenger became hopeful. “You will go to the Grove of Swords and bring the Lightning Sword to us.”
The warrior shook his head. “I will never. It’s impossible.”
“That’s your wish,” the Scavenger smiled. “If you don’t give it to me, I won’t kill you.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Instead, I will take the Sword from the grove. I’ll expose you in front of everyone – that you gave me the location. Then you know what will happen. You’ll be tortured for eternity.”
The warrior’s voice quivered. “You won’t do that.”
“Well, I will.” The Scavenger smiled.
The warrior said, “Okay, I have a deal.”
“What?” the Scavenger asked.
“I’ll give you the sword and you will tell me the location of the first piece of the Crown, and then leave me.”
The Scavenger kicked the warrior hard. He fell to the ground unconscious. He turned to the children to have a discussion.
“We can’t do that!” Archer said. “He is the Death Lord’s man. What’s so special about that sword anyway?”
The Scavenger sighed. “The Lightning Sword is the most powerful sword of the Universe. Most importantly,” the Scavenger became emotional, “it’s part of my soul.”
9
The children at once agreed to respect the Scavenger’s emotions.
“Let’s take the deal. The Lightning Sword would be a great addition to our strength,” James said. “Secondly, before the warrior could contact the Death Lord and share the location of first piece, we would hopefully be in and out the Tomb with the piece.”
They all nodded in agreement.
The Scavenger slapped the warrior awake and said, “It’s a deal. You bring me the Lightning Sword first and I give you the information about the first piece. You will not contact the Death Lord before that. Let’s take the Blood Oath.”
The warrior grinned. “That’s not a problem. All right.”
The Scavenger
