Sword and Claw

Book Two: Chapter 26

While standing inside the armory chamber, Sora heard the loud cheering outside from the Lich King's army. Indeed, they sounded very excited to see blood spilled outside the arena. Well, they won't see blood spilled, actually. The battle might become intense.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Garan asked.

Sora croaked her head at him. "Does it look like we have a choice?"

"We could escape and regroup," Maxor suggested with his arms crossed.

Sora shook her head. "Thanks, but I have to do this to get my body back. Many lives are now counting on me to win this."

"I don't believe in fighting him is the correct cause," said Garan, "if you kill him, would you lose your body?"

Sora bit her lip with her eyes down. She hasn't thought about how she could get her body back from the Lich King. If she killed him, she could lose her body and get stuck in the game forever.

Then the memory of the fox lady using a green ball before Sora passed out.

That's it! If Sora could get the green ball, she could use it to switch back to her body. The Lich King would become weak after returning to the fox avatar. However, Sora wasn't sure if the Lich King still has the green ball inside his castle. Only one way to find out.

Sora looked around and spotted a crack in the wall. She couldn't fit through it, but someone else can. "Nancy!"

The pink fennec fox got in the corner and turned toward Sora. "What is it?"

Sora pointed her finger at the crack. "Can you fit through there?"

Nancy observed the wide minor fracture. "Uh-hum, why?"

"I need you to squeeze through that crack and find the Lich King's chamber or treasury. He has a green orb that he used on me to steal my body. Find it so I can defeat the Lich King."

Nancy stared back and forth at Sora and the crack until she shrugged. "If I die, I will haunt you in your sleep forever."

"Hurry, before the duel begins!"

"Fine! Fine! Fine! Chill out your butt." Nancy ducked and crawled through the crack. She fit perfectly through, just as Sora expected. She hoped Nancy will come back with the orb. Her life depended on it!

*****

Nancy slapped a cobweb from her face and continued crawling through the narrow stone tunnel. She wasn't sure where she was going, but finding the way out was good enough for her. She hated crawling through cramped space, although they were easy to move through without getting caught.

How in the hell worms can squeeze through cracks without feeling like the walls will crush them? To her relief, she approached a vent toward the end.

Nancy crawled faster and pushed the bars out of her way. She dropped and landed inside what appeared to be a black bed-chamber. It has a purple queen-sized bed, a dresser, and a make-up desk. Why would a king need a make-up desk?

One side has a closet, and the other has a tall round mirror with black wood around it. Behind the bed was a tall window, viewing the entire snowy mountain landscape. For some king, it looked like he was living in a woman's bedroom.

Nancy stepped forward as she looked around.

When she approached the make-up desk, she found a green crystal orb standing on a small black pedestal, shaped like a hand holding the ball.

Found you! Before Nancy touched the orb, the double door creaked near her.

Uh-oh! Nancy quickly dashed toward the bed and crawled underneath it to hide.

She watched as two metal boots entered the chamber, followed by a black cape. Nancy crawled further a bit to see who it was. A tall white wolf in an armored suit and a black cape. The Lich King!

He sat at his make-desk and opened the drawer. "I can't look ugly in a good duel."

He took out a jar, cotton, and a hairbrush from the drawer. He dipped the cotton in the jar and rubbed the make-up across his face while he was humming like a girl.

Nancy remembered Sora telling her that the Lich King was actually a woman inside his body. That made sense.

I hate makeup, Nancy thought.

The king brushed his long, beautiful white hair and pursed his lips at the mirror. "You are still charming."

After he finished, the king placed his cosmetic items away and marched out through the door.

Nancy sighed and crawled out. How can she still think she is beautiful as a man?

Nancy doesn't want to think about it, but she was glad she didn't get turned into a boy. That would terrorize her for ages!

She grabbed the ball and placed it on her porch on her leather belt. To get back to the cell quickly, Nancy leaped into the vent and crawled through the cluster tunnel again. Time to deliver the orb to Sora so she can become a man.

*****

Sora stood close to the crack, watching it closely as her heart raced. Any moment the demon guards will summon her to face the Lich King, and she still needed the orb to switch places again. Without it, she will be trapped in the game forever as a fox girl. That wasn't how she wanted her life to be.

"Can you help me out?" shouted Nancy's voice from the crack.

Sora sighed and looked through the crack, seeing Nancy's cute face moving toward her from the darkness. "Did you get it?"

After she pulled Nancy out, the fennec fox girl got up and held out the green orb. "Is this what you meant?"

Sora's eyes grew wide at the crystal. It was the exact orb she remembered seeing before she blacked out. "Yes!"

Maxor and Garan stared at the orb over Sora's shoulders.

"My, my, it looks worthy to sell," said Maxor.

Garan narrowed his eyes at it. "But it can bring misfortunes to those who miss use it."

Sora took the orb from Nancy. "I'm only using it to get my body back, and then it will be destroyed."

Maxor shrugged. "What a waste."

Sora heard footsteps behind the cage door, and two demon guards approached it.

"The king is now waiting for you in the arena," one guard said. "Get ready."

Sora placed the orb into her inventory. When the time was right, she will use it on the king before he expected it.

Time to fight.