BEYOND THE VEIL

CHAPTER 4.1:Road to Ironkeep part 2

     Eli and Alatar turned and ran as fast as they could, with the dragon close on their heels. They ran through the forest, dodging trees and leaping over roots. But no matter how fast they ran, the dragon was gaining on them. Just as they were about to give up hope, they saw a cave in the distance. They sprinted towards it, and dove inside just as the dragon was about to catch them.

    The cave was dark and musty,it smelled of dampness and decay. The air was heavy and still, and Eli and Alatar could hear the dragon snuffling outside the cave. They huddled together in the darkness, listening to the sound of the dragon prowling around outside. After what felt like an eternity, the snuffling finally stopped. Eli and Alatar held their breath, not daring to move a muscle. Then, from outside the cave came a low, rumbling growl. And then...silence.

    Eli and Alatar waited, barely breathing, for what felt like hours. Finally, they dared to peer out of the cave. The sun had set, and the sky was filled with stars. There was no sign of the dragon. Had it finally given up and gone away? Or was it still lurking in the shadows, waiting for them to come out? Eli and Alatar were too afraid to move. They decided to stay in the cave until dawn, when they could see more clearly. So they huddled together and tried to get some sleep. But sleep eluded them, as they kept imagining the dragon's glowing red eyes and razor-sharp claws. And then...

     Just as dawn was breaking, Eli and Alatar heard a rustling sound from the back of the cave. They held their breath, their hearts pounding in their chests. A huge, dark shape loomed out of the shadows. It was the dragon! It opened its massive jaws, revealing a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. Eli and Alatar screamed and scrambled away from the dragon, only to come face to face with another beast. This one was smaller than the dragon, but it was just as terrifying. It had glowing green eyes, a spiky tail, and huge horns.

    As the second beast advanced towards them, Eli and Alatar were frozen with fear.Then, something unexpected happened. A high-pitched voice called out from the shadows.

"Hey there, little ones!" it said.

The voice sounded friendly, and it definitely did not belong to a dragon. Eli and Alatar cautiously turned to look, and they saw a small, blue creature with large ears and a long nose. It had a bag slung over its shoulder,and it smiled at them, showing a row of tiny, pointy teeth.

"I'm a hobbit!" the best creature said cheerfully. "And you must be travelers.What brings you to this neck of the woods?" Says the hobbit

Eli stared at the hobbit in disbelief. But then,he remembered that he was in a fantasy world, and a talking hobbit was probably not the strangest thing they would see. So he decided to answer the hobbit's question.

"We're going to the human empire" said Eli.

    The hobbit see's the beasts chasing them and then helps them to escape from the beasts that were chasing them and then the hobbit goes back home and leaves them to continue their journey.

    Eli and Alatar were resting by a stream. They were taking a break from walking, and they were enjoying the sound of the water bubbling over the rocks. Then, they heard a rustling in the bushes. Their hearts started to race. Could it be another attack? Then, a small, furry creature burst out of the bushes. But this creature was different from the hobbit. It was a squirrel! The squirrel scampered up to them, chattering excitedly.

"I have a message for you!" it squeaked. "It's from the...hobbit!" The squirrel paused to catch its breath.

"He said to tell you that there is a shortcut to the human empire. You just have to follow the river and take a left at the fork in the road." Eli and Alatar looked at each other, surprised.

A shortcut would be very helpful."Thank you, little friend!" said Eli.

The squirrel chittered happily and scurried off into the woods. Eli and Alatar felt a renewed sense of hope. They set off again, following the river and keeping an eye out for the fork in the road.

   After a few hours of walking, they came to the fork in the road. On one side, the path continued to follow the river. But on the other side, a narrow trail led into the woods.

"This must be the shortcut!" said Eli.
"Let's go!"

They turned onto the trail, and they walked for a while without seeing anything out of the ordinary. But then, the trail started to wind around a hill, and they heard a low growling sound. They froze in their tracks. What was that? They listened carefully, trying to identify the source of the noise. And then, they saw two glowing..yellow eyes staring at them from the shadows. Eli and Alatar's hearts were pounding. The eyes were getting closer. What could it be? A bear? A wolf? Or something even worse?

    Suddenly, a large, shaggy creature burst out of the shadows. It was a great, shaggy dog! It barked and ran up to them, wagging its tail.

"Hello, doggy!" said Eli, laughing with relief.

The dog barked and licked his hand.

"Maybe he can help us get to the human empire," said Alatar.

And so, they set off again, with..the dog leading the way. As they walked, the dog stopped and sniffed the air. Then, it turned off the trail, and they followed it into the woods.

   The dog led them to a small clearing. In the center of the clearing was a large, gnarled tree. And perched on one of the branches was a small, wrinkled man. He had large ears and a long, white beard.

"Who are you?" asked Eli.

The man smiled. "I am a wizard, my friends," he said.

"And I can help you on your journey."The human empire is a dangerous place," said the wizard.

"But I know the way. And I can help you get there safely. But first, you must prove your courage. Are you willing to do that?" Eli and Alatar looked at each other.

They were nervous, but they nodded. "Good," said the wizard.

"There is a cave not far from here. It is full of fearsome creatures. But if you can make it through the cave, I will help you find your way to the human empire." Eli and Alatar gulped, but they agreed.

They followed the wizard to the cave.

     The cave was dark and damp, and it smelled of rotting flesh. Eli and Alatar followed the wizard into the depths of the cave. Then, they heard a low growling.

     Suddenly, a pack of snarling, slavering beasts leaped out of the shadows! But Eli stood his ground, and he drew his sword. The wizard raised his staff, and a ball of light shot out of the tip. It struck the beasts, and they howled in pain. Eli ran forward and attacked the beasts, and the wizard's light kept them at bay.After the light from the wizard's staff struck the beasts, they became even more ferocious. But Eli stood his ground. The first beast rushed towards him, but Eli was ready. He ducked, and then he plunged his sword into the beast's side. The beast howled and fell to the ground, dead. Then, the other beasts attacked. But Eli was quick and agile, and he dodged their claws and teeth. One by one, he struck them down.
 
   Finally, only one beast was left. It lunged towards him, but Eli was ready.As the last beast rushed towards him, Eli took a deep breath. He raised his sword, and he brought it down on the beast's head. The beast collapsed, dead. Eli was victorious. He looked around the cave, and he saw that the wizard was gone.

"I did it!" he exclaimed. "I defeated the beasts!" Then, he turned to Alatar.

"We did it," he said. "We can go to the human empire now." Alatar nodded, and they set off towards the city. As they walked, they knew that their adventure was far from over.