In the back of his mind, Alexx knew he was going to fall. He didn't wish for it -or wait for it- but the idea of safely flying on the back of a bird was simply insane. Alexx contemplated this as he continued falling to a blurry greenish landscape approaching him. With the ache in his head throbbing, and his whole being sapped of energy, he had no strength to give any cry out. All the distinct noises of the wind, Trandin calling out, and magical bolts were meshing as one. The ground grew closer, and Alexx wondered if he should search in his heart for any regrets. But other than obtaining immortality, he drew blanks. Any ship he possessed was the best ship regardless of whether or not it was faster or stronger than the rest. Love for a wife seemed great, but felt more like a distraction. Although a crew of youth would have been great for more hands to clean a ship with, and cheaper in labor cost. As he continued searching for regrets -or debating if hitting the ground from the sky was equal or worse than a ship full of crying kids- a small pair of talons grabbed him by the arms. Now having more time to hate the idea of children, he looked at the trajectory of the magic missiles coming from statues in the distance. They were large enough to make out human shapes, but no way they could be Giant folk. These must be the Golems he had read about. The complex machines kept the fog up, and apparently had a separate face for magic defense weapons.

  Trandin aimed for a trench and set Alexx down on the ground. It's soft, mossy texture welcomed him from his fall. He had forgotten how long they were air traveling until just now. The pale green hue was comforting from the yellow feathers now somewhere missing.

  "Where's Rush?" Alexx asked, feeling his headache subsiding.

  "Safe, hiding among these ruins from the Golems."

  "I knew it!" He attempted to stand, but was pushed back down. "Hey- what gives?"

  "We're in big trouble on the ground. Keep down, and keep quiet!"

  "Wh-," he didn't get the chance to argue as a hand was placed over his mouth, and Trandins feathery body fell on top of him. As he struggled, Trandin looked him in the eye, his beak touching Alexx's nose, with a finger demanding silence.

  Squishing noises in quick succession were rapidly approaching. Just then, leaping over them was a human-like construct. It was leaping from a great distance, it was fashioned in armor pieces on top of its chiseled, stone body parts. It wore a mask of a peculiar design Alexx had never seen before. Red eyes were looking in the direction where it would land. Crystals decorated the joints: knees, elbows, wrists, shoulders, and hips. The crystals were green in color, matching the green moss growing on the golems' limbs. The magic catalyst language simply reads "light", and "speed" over and over.

  That's an impossible amount of magic powering that Golem... Alexx knew getting hit by that speeding rock man would mean immediate death. The golem landed and it's footsteps squished away. In seconds the noise faded. Trandin relaxed his hands and laid back, sighing in relief.

  "There are small golems here too?" Alexx asked in a normal tone.

  "I don't have to say anything," Trandin replied, "We are not supposed to be here, and we are leaving immediately."

  "Leave? Leave one of the most undiscovered treasure spots in the world?"

  "This isn't a treasure spot, this is a sacred ground for certain people, and a government protected land. I chose to come in here to get away from that flying bat. The moment I can summon Rush, we are gone, end of discussion."

  "Sheesh, so uptight Trandin, relax."

  "There is no relaxing while we're here. The golems are just one problem."

  He walked on without saying another word. Alexx warned him that it's dumb not to make him aware, but Trandin refused to talk further.

  The wasteland stretched under a low, clinging mist. The black waters crisscrossed by narrow paths of sinking peat and tangled roots. Stunted trees, draped in moss like shrouds and loomed over stagnant pools that reflected the sullen gray sky. The air was heavy with the scent of decay and something older — an eerie stillness, as if time did not get to finish what it started.

  Walking with caution meant walking low to the ground, and pausing often. The sounds of the golem speeding by in the distance brought Trandin to a standstill. This did give Alexx the opportunity to find some elderberries and eat them. There were some dragonflies, mushrooms, algae, a snake, water lilies, ducktails, and some fish around him. There was some food to hunt at least in this secluded area.

  When they ran out of hills to hide around, old stone ruins appeared. Now that Alexx was able to see them, he knew he could start thinking about seeking treasure. Moss and water turned into hard ground and cobblestone walkways.

  After a while, Trandin and Alexx didn't hear the golem running around them for some time. Trending did not relax, but he took the risk of walking a little longer and faster. The ruins stretched on. The size of this town was vast. The best he could figure from the small buildings in contrast to the bigger buildings and the towers in the distance, that he was still walking in the lower quarters. Trandin began breathing a little easier, casually making open remarks about the ruins in comparison to Gaesontera to himself.

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  "And now that the buildings are around us, we are safe from the eyes of the border Golems. The speeding Golem doesn't patrol the city ruins. And the city Golem is still destroyed so we are safe."

  The words came out reflexively with confident hand gestures, it was clear he's been here before. Hiding from the quick-moving golem was his first clue, but to Alexx it was evident Trandin had visited this area before. Perhaps it meant that the swordsman knew where all the treasure could be, as well as all the traps. But it wouldn't be easy to get this knowledge from the Swordsman of the South. Ordained by the United Government of Rediew to be the protector of the southern realm, and keeper to one of four holy swords, as well as access to any keep or lock. The dragons eye in his lantern is just one of the many skeleton keys he owns. Whatever secret the realm held, the Swordsman knew it.

  Trandin would continue to show what all he knew, as his idle comments moved toward Alexx in the form of 'your people' statements.

  "Your people would place no foundation for their buildings on top of the structure."

  "Your people try to make perfect square shapes to mark territory, as well as shaping your towns."

  "Your people are so careful to use the underground for more space, without fear of completely falling through."

  "Your people use more space on the ground for furniture and holding your possessions than on the walls. You can free more space if you use more wall storage!"

  Coming upon a cathedral, Trandin made a beeline for it. Alexx followed until the large intersection underneath him caught his attention. The road spanned double in length than their previous path, and carried itself East and west. Alexx felt as if he was seeing twins. Both ends of the road led to large estates, both beset by gates with a different emblem.

  "Here they are," Alexx sighed, "The lost treasure troves."

  He wandered in the direction of the Adonai house without any thought to his movement. Each step closer was another imaginary coin in his pocket. And even more so, magic items galore await him.

  A clang against the cobblestone caused Alexx to turn around. Trandin stood there with his holy sword out, and his chain in the other hand. After some time, Trandin sighed, "I shouldn't have assumed you would be interested in history, but only treasure! Even in such a drastic time as this, you want to plunder this place."

  "Because I already know it. The two most powerful ancient families have left their vaults wide open."

  Trandin lashed out, his chain reaching for Alexx to capture. The pirate dodged the chain nearly reaching his arm. He reactively went for the mask to put it on, but hesitated. Trandin pulled back his chain, but didn't try again.

  "I don't have time to stop a petty thief from robbing these catacombs. We've got to leave as soon as we can. Rush is inside the cathedral, so we are going to get out of here, now."

  Even for Alexx the idea of getting out of here was nice. With all of the unknown dangers, and the lack of food, around him, flying away almost made him want to give up. But when it occurred to him that the lead to the Moon's Heart he needs could be here, he began thinking of ways to take care of Trandin.

  "We could really use the Moon's Heart to save us from Senkazital."

  That was the wrong answer. Alexx dodged another snap of the chain. This time he ran away from the other attacks in succession.

  "You only want that for yourself! You can't fool me into thinking you're wanting to explore for altruistic purposes!"

  Alexx ducked behind a nearby building. He heard the swoosh of wings, and kept running down the alley without knowing where to go. He heard Trandin landing right behind him. The chain clinked and rattled, and instead of wasting time looking back, he turned left down another way. The clatter of metal hitting stone cracked behind him. He kept running. The alley stretched for a distance with numerous exits left and right. The left would lead back into the open, but the right could lead to another alley or a dead end. Another crack to his right.

  I've got to hide. Alexx told himself.

  He felt something cold slither on his wrist, followed by a loud jangle. A chain had wrapped around his right wrist. The chain tightened, and Alexx felt a jerk pull his body back. He lost his footing and fell on his back. Alexx reacted quickly and loosened the chain so his hand could slip out. He rolled away as Trandin tried to trap him in his talons. Alexx took off down the alley and turned, avoiding another crack of the chain behind him hitting a building. He turned the corner again, and this time slid into a ruin. The shadows were vast, Alexx felt around for the nearby corner and sat down, holding a hand over his mouth. Outside he began to hear Trandin frantically look around. He peeked inside the house and looked left and right then turned around and vanished. The jingling of Trandins clothes grew fainter, and Alexx knew he had to get to the gates before Trandin could camp there. He looked out and waited for the opportunity to slip back into the alley he previously used. Once he ducked back in, he ran towards the Adonai estate.

  The last house down the lane was a long stretch from the Adonai's gates. Open on all sides, climbing in would be an instant giveaway. No where could Alexx see a better way to keep hiding and search around the premises. Searching for a broken section would prolong Alexx being exposed, and only lead to being caught. With a final breath, Alexx stepped out of the shadows, and put his back to the estate. He walked backwards, keeping his eyes open on the sky. Everything was eerily quiet, even for an ancient city.

  As he approached the gate Alexx went to grab the cold bars to secure himself. He turned around to climb, hoisting up to the middle, and then to the top. As he began to descend, a white flash appeared in front of him out of thin air. Trandin grappled Alexx by the shoulders, throwing him to the stone ground.

  Still stunned, Alexx struggled as he was wrapped in a long chain, and then still as Trandin shrank the chain around him.

  "Did you turn invisible?" Alexx cried aloud.

  "Air magic," Trandin huffed, evidently out of breath, "If you so much as try to walk away from me, if I feel even one moment of tension on this chain, I'm taking everything from you and leaving you here!" Trandin walked away, not helping Alexx get back up.