Chapter 90 – All Good Things Come to an End(3)

The creature's response was to throw something at those waiting for him.
It was a body almost as big as an adult man, but green and looking like a ... fat frog. The body of the unhappy being was full of serious wounds and bites, breathless.
"The prince ..." Jiao Long said, frightened.
Just then the snow leopard jumped to the bush where the monster's heavy breath was heard. They heard a grieving howl of the feline, sign he had no chance in front of that creature.
'San Pei! No!" shouted Jiao Long.
Hikkaido's contestant wanted to run to rescue his Guardian, but fear stopped him. Even better, because the strong feline flew from that bush, thrown like a kitten, more than fifty cubits from the bush. Jiao Long's only comfort was when the cat meowed like a kitten hitting the ground, sign that he was still alive. Though, poor guardian was very close to death. For he seemed more dead than alive. Still his meow showed the boy that his Guardian didn't die.
He wiped away his tears and shouted:
'Just you have the guts to get closer!"
The lycanthrope no longer waited for another invitation and jumped at unbelievable speed from the bush directly to them. All you could see if you looked at the three wizards' spot was a huge fur ball that could not be seen very well because of his speed, wobbling for a couple of moments.
After those moments, Fahria lay on the ground, thrown like a leaf blown in the wind. She was banged against a tree and lost consciousness. Jiao Long followed, just as easily slammed to the ground after he covered, in the air, a distance of about twenty cubits. A loud noise was heard when he hit the ground, followed by his grieving scream. He also lay on the ground, motionless.
The big and powerful unicorn disappeared among the large and thick bushes. His golden horn was now between the beast's jaws. The ease, with which the beast managed to snatch that unicorn, as if it were a dog playing with a ball, clearly proved the unusual strength of that creature. Only this dog, as you could see, did not play at all.
This was what Elizabeth could within the few moments of the attack.
Even if the creature left with the unicorn in his mouth, he would surely come back soon after her, she thought. Therefore, she didn't breathe in relief when the monster had left, but was even more scared. Especially since she was alone now ... even her Guardian had left her.
'Professor Knudlac! Miss Harmony!" the girl shouted as loud as she could.
Soon the girl realized it wasn't the best idea to cry for help.
The Lycanthrope was there in the blink of an eye staring at Elizabeth the way a wolf looked at his prey. The beast approached slowly, slowly, like a lion that did not want to scare his prey. Elizabeth could see his mouth with huge fangs, with blood tricling down, surely not his blood but of its victims.
Fahria's unicorn came too, limping, with wounds at the muzzle, probably scratches caused by the monster. His horn was whole, sign that the Lycanthrope wasn't used to meet another creature to withstand his destructive power so he gave up attacking the Guardian. At least for now ...
The girl was glad to see the unicorn was alive, as much as a human can enjoy the others' chance when she faces death. And "death" was getting closer, so Elizabeth managed to see him better.
His front paws were larger than his back legs, covered by a large bear's muscles. Its shape was wolfish, but he walked like a gorilla.
She stopped studying the monster, for the creature was close to Elizabeth, and his only thought was to smash the girl.
The girl took as many steps back as she could holding a thick branch in her hand to protect herself from that huge, bloody wolf. But she tripped over a tree root and fell on her back.
The creature finally came near the girl. She was more frightened than a man could be in the most terrible nightmare. Standing over her, approaching his huge jaws with enormous teeth to the girl's face, the creature looked like smiling, foreteling that something brutal would happen that seemed to highlight his pleasure to kill.
The girl struck hard at the creature's jaws, but he grabbed that thick branch and tore it apart as if it were just a stick, leaving only half of that weapon in the girl's hand.
Miss Edwards was lost. Even she believed that, but not her Guardian. The little hawk descended from where he was in the air with speed and clung to the bloody creature's mouth. He began to snatch with his beak pieces of fur and flesh from the mouth of the Lycanthrope.
She screamed again, but not as before. This time it was a cry of pain. He tried to catch the hawk with his claws, but failed, sign that something was going on. Smoke began to come out from the creature's mouth, his limbs failed to obey him and suddenly something seemed to poison his whole body. Howls and screams of a wolf about to die were now heard from the Lycanthrope.
Elizabeth saw that the wolf-creature was started shrinking.
The hawk stopped attacking and landed on his master's shoulder watching calmly the huge Lycanthrop shrinking more and more until he became an old, skinny wolf.
Scared and confused, physically destroyed and suffering from the curse put on him, the old wolf collapsed exhausted to the ground, barely breathing.
The Divine Parchment fell of the wolf's ear. It had belonged to the Swamp Prince. The parchment was now there, falling to the ground off the monster's ear when he began shrinking.
The girl took the parchment in her hand and read:
'Antimagic ..."
Then the Parchment disappeared, turned to dust.
The girl felt at once on her neck, under her ear, a tattoo taking shape. Unlike the other tattoos, it was a hollow circle. That's all the girl could see being drawn on her body..
Unaware, she headed for Fahria in a hurry, looking at that wolf. She was much quieter now, because that Lycanthrope had been killed forever.
Hardly had she taken three steps towards the elf girl, when rumbles were heard everywhere. The area got populated with people wearing capes.
Elizabeth was scared thinking they were the guys who cursed the wolf, as Fahria had said. Yet, when she saw Miss Harmony's smiling happy face when she found Elizabeth alive, and then Professor Knudlac ... the girl sighed in relief as tears kept streaming down her cheeks.
She ran to Miss Harmony.
"My dear, it's over," said Miss Harmony, relieved as well when she saw that wolf breathless. 'I thought that…"
'That's how it was meant to be. As always, the location for the event was chosen by those who organize this contest. The Magic Consulate inspired by ... magic."
Mr. Knudlac turned the magic wand and showed the girl how the locations for the three events were chosen. The first image showed how in a playful top hat were mixed magic letters and words, thrown there by three members of the Magic Consulate. Then each of the three, using their wand, took out some letters and words from that top hat and blew them away.
When everyone finished doing this, the letters and words were ordered by themselves writing the text:
Where there is no heat,
And they hate the sunshine treat,
Water does not flow but flies,
First time in cold winds, blue skies ...
"That's how I came to Nakutsck's land," Knudlac said.
The second text also appeared:
After all the cold and ice,
Fate has pleased us, it was nice.
In the sun and sky so clear,
Barefoot on fine sand, oh dear.
Back again, here's the team,
From warm sand to ... happy swim.
'Purple oasis ... And the last test will take place in The Antic Forest."
'It seems to be the most dangerous location. Given that problem with the ogre," said Elizabeth fearfully.
'Don't worry, my dear. I took this into account and asked a few friends to supplement the staff responsible for protecting you."
Knudlac gestured questioningly at a stone elf, who appeared to be Rujnoiu ... or if it wasn't him, he had a twin brother, for sure, because he looked like him. He smiled at the professor, a sign that everything was ready. The stone elf pointed to several directions where other stone elves could be seen who stayed alert to everything that was going on around them.
Competitors Fahria, Jiao Long and Elizabeth Catherine Edwards were ready for the contest, all of them visibly nervous.
'I know this Forest seems a little scary. But I took care personally to eliminate any danger. And the number of wizards charged with your protection has been doubled, thanks to the stone elves' help, Mr. Knudlac's friends."
The words spoken belonged to Princess Eowyn, also having the desired effect. The three competitors when they learned about how much their safety vas valued, were happy. Nothing can be calmer than realizing that someone watches over you, just as a mother comforts you when you have nightmares. And for the rumors about Ancient Forest, surely many who went through it had nightmares for a long time if they survived.
'The parchment is hidden in the Forest in an area protected by a very strong field," continued Princess Eowyn. 'A magic known only to my peers ..."
The elf princess smiled. She gave the competitors' power turning their fear into courage.
'The test will be as follows: Each of you will spend at most three days, when you have to cross a distance of about twenty miles, until near the top of Arthpati Mountain. And when you get to the top, you have to fight a magic creature. But the fight will not be straight ... physical. It will be rather a fight of attention, insight and wisdom. A swamp prince, which you will easily recognize as he looks like a huge male frog, will have a riddle for you.
The princess stopped explaining, shook the three children's hands and smiled.
'Don't worry, there is no condition to prevent you from crossing this distance together. Still, once at the end of the road you will have to solve individually some riddles whose answer is known only by the swamp prince. Also, an army of wizards will be responsible for your protection. They will save you from any danger even if you are eliminated from the competition.
Indeed, more wizards than Johnny could ever count, were behind the three competitors.
The wizard-guardians left gradually, one by one, then three, four or even more at the same time, heading resolutely to the places entrusted to them.
'Everything is ready for the last test to begin!" concluded Princess Eowyn.
In the cheers of the crowd gathered there, but with far fewer spectators compared to the previous tests, Fahria, Jiao Long, and Elizabeth advanced farther into that vastness of trees, called the Ancient Forest.
The competitors finally had to fight for the last parchment. The most valuable, much more valuable than the other two won at the first two events, as some called it, the Divine Parchment. A parchment for which many competitors fought each other, as the three now had to do when they were to reach Mount Arthpati.
Jiao Long chose to run to cross that 20-mile distance. By the way he ran, by the strength and the speed that characterized him, he would surely manage to cross that distance in less than two days.
Fahria moved a little slower than the boy who passed among the trees like a wolf chasing his prey, but only because she ... moved not among the trees but on their branches.
The elf girl moved on those branches of the trees as if she were walking on a path, so easily she flew from one branch to another. The truth is that the trees were huge in the Ancient Forest. The branches on which Fahria moved were as thick as a path. And the branches of such a huge tree met a branch of another tree and so on, making that path for Fahria uninterrupted.
But even so, it would have been impossible for many to run along these wooden paths, as these forest elves did.
Elizabeth also ran among the trees, on the ground, just as Jiao Long did, except for the speed. She could barely keep up with the elf flight among the branches.
Elizabeth was lucky. The elf girl felt pity for Elizabeth. When she saw Elizabeth was a little behind, she slowed down too.
The forest was frightening because of the stories heard about it since they hadn't seen any terrible creature yet. It was clear that the organizers of this event made sure that there was no danger on the way. Moreover, from time to time a professor came to encourage the competitors, because they were still children even if one of them had several hundred years...
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