“Excuse me?” The Scavenger was confused.
“Excused.” Lynx kept muttering to himself. “The Slayer... surely... yes.”
“Do you have any information that could help us?” the Scavenger asked impatiently.
Lynx gazed at the Scavenger with dark eyes. “Actually, yes. There is a thing. It is all but a legend, and no one believes it even exists.”
“What is its name?” the Scavenger asked.
After a long pause, Lynx began. “There is a legend that says that there is a sword named the Slayer. It is said to have an innumerable amount of power. When I first heard about this legend, I set about to find out more. After a lot of searches, I was almost convinced that the legend was false. Emphasis on ‘almost’.”
“But is it?” asked the Scavenger.
“Let me explain. I went to known scholars, studied scrolls, and went to forgotten and forbidden libraries and explored ruins of castles, searching for some hidden knowledge or something. Finally, after a lot of hard work, I managed to uncover a big revelation.”
“Which is?” James asked, fascinated by the story.
Lynx took a deep breath. “The Slayer doesn’t exist, but it does.”
“Say what?” James was confused.
“The Slayer is a real thing. But... one has to make it,” Lynx said.
“Make it?” asked Matt.
“Yes.” Lynx continued. “It did exist about a hundred centuries ago, but some great warrior hid it in an inter-dimensional reality. Somehow, due to the immense power in the dimension, it broke down, and its energy got stored in five different things.”
Matt sighed suddenly. “Oh, no. You mean to say we have to do another riddle-solving, brain-tiring, life-risking, wild piece-of-the-Crown chase all over again. What!?”
Lynx shook his head. “You have to listen first! Anyway, as I was saying, the energy of the Slayer got embodied in five things. The Trident, the Bolt, the Poison, the Warrior, and…” Lynx turned silent.
The impatient Scavenger didn’t wait for Lynx to finish. He asked, “Do you know where these things are?”
“Yes. The Poison is stored in the underground palace of the infamous warrior known as the Warhead. The Trident belongs to the ruler of the seas, Hothel. Hellfire, one of the most dangerous men in the whole of the Dark World, possess the Bolt.”
“And the ‘Warrior?” James asked.
“That’s one of the details the legend of the Slayer talks carefully about,” Lynx said, inhaling deeply. “The legend says that the Warrior is already chosen.”
“What do you mean?” Daniel asked.
“Fate has already chosen the Warrior. It’s written in the Universe. No one knows who the Warrior is. The Warrior will be revealed only at the moment when the Poison, the Trident and the Bolt are combined together and the great Sacrifice takes place. A part of the energy essence in the Warrior’s body will leave, and will form the Slayer. It’s the Warrior who will hold the Slayer in his hand once it’s formed.”
“Is there any hint as to who would be the Warrior?” James asked.
Lynx shook his head. “No, but the legend offers some hints. First of all, the Warrior needs to be very powerful, because he needs to have the energy essence in his body. Second, he will be someone who will have the willpower and determination to act at the right moment and combine the pieces to form the Slayer.”
Everyone instinctively looked at the Scavenger, even Lynx.
“Do you all think it’s me?” the Scavenger asked, sighing.
Archer said, “Of course, I don’t see anyone else fitting the description. With Lord Arcane’s blessing, you will act at the right time to form the Slayer.”
Lynx nodded. “I agree. Prepare yourself. Getting the other pieces will be useless if you are not able to act in time and combine them.”
The Scavenger blew out a breath.
James said. “Wait! But you said five things, right?”
Lynx cleared his throat. “The fifth thing is the Sacrifice. The legend mentions that there must be some considerable sacrifice before the Slayer can be formed. This Sacrifice can be performed only after the Poison, the Trident and the Bolt are combined. The Sacrifice can only be done by someone who is willing, to an undeniable extent, to give up his own life for a great cause.”
“And who would that be? It requires that the person sacrificing himself be extremely selfless and saintly. Who could that be?” James asked.
Lynx shrugged and paused.
After a moment, he spoke, “I have shared with you whatever knowledge that I have. Let’s leave something to destiny.”
Before James could speak further, the Scavenger summarized, “Okay. So that means to defeat the Skull Warrior, we need the Slayer, which has to be formed by combining five things, out of which the Trident, the Poison and the Bolt are in physical form, the Warrior is unknown, and the fifth thing is the Sacrifice.”
“Right,” Lynx said.
Daniel asked, “So where do we go next from here?”
“I think our first target would be to reach the Warhead,” the Scavenger said.
“But how?” Matt pointed out.
Lynx smiled. “I know it. Find the Buried Library of Homen. If you -”
“A library!” James exclaimed. “YAY!!!!!!!”
Lynx ignored him. “There will be a scroll protected by guardians who needs to be defeated. The scroll will lead you to the Warhead. But beware, the Buried Library is in Homen, and Homen is as dangerous as a Griffin with rabid flu. There is a clan of people called the Buriers. They won’t let you go to the Library. Be careful.”
“You have been very helpful, old warrior.” The Scavenger bowed to Lynx. The children followed. “We will not forget your help.”
The Man of the Rock returned the bow. “You’re welcome. Just be careful. The Dark World has become a dangerous place now. I wish you success.”
Lynx raised his hand, and a swirling vortex of sand appeared in front of him. “This portal will take you to thirty miles east of Homen.”
“I have a question,” said the Scavenger. “These Buriers... are they also called the Plague Warriors?”
Lynx’s face was grim. “Yes.”
The Scavenger’s face turned white. “We are in trouble.”
“Why?” Archer asked the Scavenger.
“If the Plague
