I strike the knights shield with my staff. He falls back. The fairy with the amethyst necklace whistles. Everyone stops for a moment. I hear movement between the trees. A murder of crows flies overhead. There is so many that I can't see the sky. They start attacking the knights. That fairy summoned them. The battle takes a completely different turn. The fairies are winning. The few knights left retreat. I walk towards the fairy who summoned the crows. I only get a few feet away before the other fairies stop me.

"Who are you?" she asks.

She then notices my necklace.

"Let her go. She's not a threat," she says.

They step back.

"I'm Kala, what are your names?" she asks.

"I'm Azura and this is Faye," I reply.

"I know why you're here. Lead the way," Kala says.

Faye brings us back to the cave. We travel to the human realm. I walk over to the edge of the mountain.

It's going to be a long journey to Zarnest's island. He will do anything to stop us. I lead them down the mountain. We're all very careful about our footing. One slip and you'll go tumbling down the mountain.

"It's freezing out here!" Faye complains.

"I don't think it's that cold. You're used to warmer climates though," I reply.

Dragons fly overhead. They are naturally peaceful creatures, unless they're provoked.

"You summoned those birds. You're magic can control animals, right?" I ask Kala.

"Yes, why?" she responds.

"I was just curious,"

We eventually reach the base of the mountain. I lead them through the forest. Just beyond it is a small village. I intend to stop there and gear up. I've never been beyond the village. I have no idea what awaits us out there.

The trees here have dark brown bark with green leaves. The realms are all very different from each other. I enter the village. The residents keep their distance from us. Some even completely avoid us.

"You brought an elf and a fairy here?" One of the residents says.

"Mind your own damn business," I snap at him.

I stop at one of the houses. She sells weapons and armor. I knock on the door. I'm friends with woman who lives here. She opens the door.

"Azura, what brings you here?" she asks.

"We need some supplies," I say. She opens the door all the way. She eyes my staff.

"You know, your staff is getting pretty old. I'd be happy to trade you," she says.

"It works just fine. You're not getting it," I reply.

A sword on the wall draws my attention. It has a amethyst handle. I take it off the wall. I don't usually like swords, but this one is different. Kala picks out a red bow that has feathers and beads hanging off if it. I see Faye looking at the shields. She grabs a steel one. I pay for everything with a few rare gemstones I've found over the years. We then head out.

I walk down the dirt road. We enter the forest again. I hear rustling in the bushes. A large snake exits the bush. It's two times taller than me. It's scales are purple with stripes of black. It's venomous, too. I've dealt with these things before. They're not easy to fight. Kala draws her bow.

"Put it down and step back slowly," I say.

The three of us step back. The snake attacks. Faye disappears. Kala pulls me out of the way. She drags me towards a cliff. I look down. It's a long way to the ground. Faye appears next to us. Kala can fly, but she wouldn't be able to bring Faye and I. The snake slithers over to us.

"Why can't we just fight it?" Faye asks.

"It'll kill us in seconds," I respond.

"Might as well jump if we're going to die either way," Kala says before leaping off the cliff.

She's got a point. I jump and Faye jumps. Tree branches scrape at me as I fall through them. Vines wrap around my legs. They stop me from falling. I'm hanging upside down. I try to cut myself down, but I can't reach the vines. Kala gets up. She pulls out a dagger. She cuts me down. I fall and hit my head. I'm dizzy and disoriented.

People stand in the trees around us. A woman approaches us. She is wearing clothes made from animal furs. She has eagle feathers in her hair. She's a shapeshifter.

"You look like you need help," she says.

"Yeah, we could use some help," I say as I stand up.

"Come with me," she says.

She shifts into an eagle and guides us through the forest. Through the whole walk, her people watch us closely. She leads us to her camp. She's the leader of a group of shapeshifters.

"We don't see many people these days. What brings you out here?" she says.

"We're just traveling through the area," I reply.

I don't want to tell anyone what the three of us are really here for.  This woman may possibly be connected to Zarnest. Faye and Kala sit by the fire. The sun is setting.

"It'll be night soon. You should stay here until the morning," the woman says.

"We'll be leaving soon," I say.

"We should stay," Kala says.

"Do you know what's at stake here? We don't have time to waste," I say.

"Azura is right. Let's go," Faye says.

Kala stands up. I step through the forest. It's much colder now that the sun has set. I set my foot down on the rope bridge in front of me. It sways back and forth. I continue to walk on it. I'm slow and careful with my movements. A river rages under the bridge. I'm halfway across now.

I hear wood breaking. Kala screams. I look back. One of the wood planks fell through. She's barely holding on. Faye approaches her.

"Be careful," I say.

Faye disappears and materializes behind Kala. She slowly pulls her up. Maybe crossing this was a bad idea. I'm almost to the other side so I might as well continue. I pick up the pace just a little. Another wood plank breaks. I turn back. Faye fell. The bridge continues to snap. I stand still. Is Faye okay? I can't see her. Kala falls through. The rope that secures the bridge snaps.