Alchemist

Chapter 7:

"All who are Exiled, aren't lost? What the hell does that mean?" Windia asked.

"Out of all the challenges to give us, we are given a riddle," Serene said.

"Aren't you a sorcerer of the royal council? Use your spells and solve it." Windia said.

Serene scratches her head. "Sorcery doesn't work like that I'm afraid."

"Haruko? Aren't you the Creator's pet? Give us some answers." Windia groggily demanded.

Sometimes, if he weren't one of the six heroes I would probably kill him. Maybe humiliate him in front of his people just for all the language he talks.

"No you useless dog, I wasn't given any help in any of these challenges," I replied.

The encryptions engraved on the wall showed pictures of places we've been, destroyed, even annexed. Windia walked to the deeper into the cave without a sound. Had he felt the remorse for all the people we had killed trying to save our people? Were we in the right or wrong? Some couldn't fight the darkness that seeped through their body.

"Follow me, My Lady..."

The voice sounded faint but in the distance. The only thing that was around was rocks. Hopefully, a mad sorcerer wouldn't give a stone a spirit of its own. The horrors a poor rock would do with a mind of its own.

"Down here you fool!" the voice replied.

Something nibbles at my armor as I glanced around for the voice. Could this dark voice be this little tiny white rabbit?

"Hey little one, show me where that voice came from?"

"You imbecile! This form is only temporary. I am Lord Zurg of the Orc Tribe! When we return as demons of Lord Duror we will destroy you all. I will no longer show you the way since you dare to insult a commander!"

I scratch the rabbit behind the ears as it tries to escape. "How dare you insult someone of my prowess!" As I continue the rabbit begs for mercy. "This insufficient form can't sustain such madness. I will take you to my brethren. They will know the way out of here."

The path the rabbit led me down wasn't far. Many mysterious cuts and angles we had to take to reach the inscribed walls. It smelled of rotten sewage and molded trees. The ground was filled with water and little insects who didn't seem to bother us. If I were them, I would kill the rabbit. The environment was like the buildings and areas we would place prisoners of war in during our time of depression. Thousands of rabbits gather around Zurg, and they start yelling in their native language.

"How did you and the others with you end up here? How many are with you?" Zurg asked.

If he was indeed watching us than he could have answered that himself. Maybe he had just stumbled by and noticed me. "There's five of us, we had scrambled upon an ancient sealing placed in a cave. Serene tried to break the sealing, and the counter measures teleported us here. When we arrived, there was a stone matrix with the words 'All who are Exiled, aren't lost.'. From there I met you and well, you know the rest." I scratch my head. "How does a full tribe of orc's become rabbits and end up here?"

"Because of you all! We were the leading force behind the invasion of your dimension. When we failed and Lord Hein, Commander of the Dark Order returned, He made us into these stupid creatures and banished us here forever. We have been around from the beginning creation of this cave to now. This cave holds evidence of an ancient evil that even the Dark Order feared. It was an endless bond between realms. No matter the realm or dimension those who were 'Chosen' as Lord Hein would say were sentenced here for eternity."