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    Peter Carrot-top

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      Chapter 15

      The Dark Forest

      Quietly the team ran through the forest, trying not to

      disturb anything; Samantha and the others could hear the

      roar of the large beast protecting the plant. Suddenly, as

      the team was moving through the forest, Sam could feel that

      they were being watched and told everyone to pick up speed.

      The team began to run, until they could not run anymore.

      Whatever Sam was feeling, was coming close; the

      slither on the ground and the crunching of the tree

      branches made the crew run even faster. But it was too

      late, a huge snake came out of its hole and was ready to

      eat! It was gray and white, with blue eyes and a red tail,

      the size of about two hundred men. Something was moving in

      its belly, another victim of some sort. Its scales began to

      flake off from the fast and furious chase; on its belly

      glowed a red symbol, and on its back were wings for flight.

      Yet, it seemed like one had been half cut off. It sniffed

      the crewmembers and decided to attack; barley missing one

      of the fighters, everyone split up.

      Using this tactic made the huge snake confused and it

      didn't know which one to attack. The snake became angry and

      lashed out at the first moving target it saw. Slithering

      faster and faster through the trees, the snake got a hold

      of Red Fox, crushing his ribs. He reached for his pocket

      dagger, and once in his hands, he stabbed the snake in the

      eyes with all of his might. The snake began to shake and

      quiver in pain, then it let out a long hiss, while dropping

      him to the ground.

      Samantha reached out her hand and grabbed onto him,

      pulling him inside a small hole with the others. But a few

      men were still out there and the angry snake was having its

      way with them. As blood dripped from the snake's eyes, it

      sprayed big splashes of blood all over the place, and with

      one fast swoop, it caught one of the fighters. Wasting no

      time, it swallowed him up.

      From the small hole in the ground, Sam and the others

      threw darts and arrows at the snake; they used all they had

      to help their fallen fighters. Finally the snake was killed

      from all of the poisonous darts and arrows. It took its

      last breath and lay trembling on the floor, and then its

      body became lifeless.

      Samantha and the others came out, and Sam and Red Fox

      quickly cut out the snake's belly to save their fighter.

      But, it was too late, he was nothing more than skeleton

      bones; the acid in the snake's belly had eaten him up in

      minutes. Sam was upset, but was quickly consoled by the

      others.

      "We can't stop, we must keep moving," said Red Fox.

      And quickly they put the event behind them, and moved

      on; this time they were much more cautious of their

      surroundings. The skies above were quickly getting dark.

      "It must be the flying manta rays," said Sam.

      From down below, these creatures were much bigger than

      what the hawk had described. They were huge flying sting

      rays with the same red symbols glowing on their bellies,

      huge horns protruding from their heads, a large spiked

      tail, and huge eyes that could see for millions of miles.

      Samantha ordered everyone to keep moving, and not to

      stop. She also told everyone to stay low to the ground; the

      manta rays would not attempt a landing. Everyone stayed

      low, moving as quickly as possible, and tried to avoid any

      contact with these creatures.

      Suddenly one of the fighters' swords made a spark, and

      caught the eye of one of the manta rays. Quickly it came

      swooping down, trying very carefully not to touch the

      ground. Samantha pushed the fighter out of the way and

      belly down on the ground, nearly getting killed herself.

      "That was a close call," said Samantha to the fighter.

      The fighter just nodded, she was in shock to say

      anything.

      "Cover your sword, the glitter from it attracts them,"

      said Samantha to the fighter.

      The fighter quickly covered her sword and crawled on

      her belly to safety behind a huge rock. Everyone was safe

      other than Samantha. As she tried to get behind the huge

      stone, a manta ray came from behind the mountain top and

      was now face to face with her. Samantha stared into its big

      black eyes as if she was being hypnotized. When Sam saw

      this, he threw a huge rock at the creature, startling it.

      It took its eyes off of Samantha, and she was now unparalyzed.

      She quickly ran for cover, but the manta ray

      caught up with her, pushing Samantha to the ground with its

      huge tail. Not only was the tail huge, but it was also

      sharp, giving Samantha a large cut across her legs.

      Samantha tried to run in pain, but couldn't. She was

      only a few feet away from the safe spot, but could not make

      it. She lay lifeless on the ground, unable to move. Blood

      began to pour from her cut; the manta ray was now circling

      its dinner, waiting for the right moment to pick up her

      lifeless body. As the manta ray came down, with all the

      strength she had left, she pulled out her huge sword and

      stabbed it through the heart.

      The manta ray let out a loud cry, then fell to the

      ground. Red Fox quickly ran out and pulled Samantha to

      safety. From behind the rock, Samantha and the others

      watched as the manta ray began to stumble and fall; it

      tried to flap its wings, but it did no good, it was stuck

      on the ground. When the other manta rays saw this, they

      swooped down and grabbed the manta ray as food.

      The others began to fight over the food in the air;

      pieces of guts and bones flew right past Samantha and the

      others, leaving a horrible smell. In the air, the other

      manta rays were feeding on their own kind, fighting over

      the last pieces of meat and bone.

      While this was going on, Sam quickly bandaged up

      Samantha's wounds with a piece of his shirt and ordered

      everyone to move out quickly and stay low to the ground. At

      the end of the forest was nothing more than desert.

      Skeleton bones of people who had tried to come here were

      visible. There was a warning sign for anyone who came this

      far to turn back.

      As bad as Sam wanted to turn back, he knew that he had

      to move forward, but getting through a hot sea of desert

      was not going to be easy. Sam decided to use his powers of

      levitation to carry everyone through the desert. So, he

      did; one by one, he levitated everyone. No one was left

      behind. Because of the number of people he had to carry, it

      put a lot of strain on Sam's mind, but he was determined to

      do it.

      Low, and out of sight, they all levitated through the

      air, not knowing where he was going, the heat from the

      desert made Sam hallucinate and he began seeing things.

      Once again, Sam saw the image of an elder telling him that

      his son Peter was the key. Sam began to mumble through the

      air, but no one was listening; everyone seemed to be worn
    >
      out from the heat of the sun.

      Then there was nothing more than darkness; for hours

      it was like staring into the abyss. Soon Sam saw a little

      glitter of light; his eyes could barely open; his face and

      hands were badly sun burnt, and his tongue had an urge for

      a taste of water. Finally Sam got his mind together and

      began to sit up. He noticed that he was in a small room;

      there was a tiny cup of water with a tiny piece of meat.

      "This is like eating elf food," Sam said to himself.

      Sam began to wonder where he was; as he went to stand

      up, he bumped his head on a small overhang. Sam quickly

      looked around, and saw nothing familiar. He started to get

      out of bed. The last thing he remembered was carrying the

      fighters over the desert. By now, Sam knew that he was a

      prison of war.

      As he began to move around, Sam noticed that he had no

      clothing, he was butt naked! He quickly covered himself in

      shame, and began to look all over the room for his

      clothing. Then he heard little footsteps coming up the

      stairs. He quickly stood behind the door and waited for

      whoever was approaching. Then he jumped out, and what he

      saw was remarkable; the tiniest of elves that ever existed,

      standing only ten inches tall, and with blue fur.

      "Oh, you're awake. The others are waiting for you down

      stairs," said the elf.

      "Where is my clothing?" said Sam.

      "Well, your clothing was soiled and had the dingiest

      stains. So, we washed them," said the elf with a smile.

      The elf summoned another elf to bring Sam clothing,

      and he gave them to Sam. It was a nice feeling to have

      clean clothing. Sam thanked the elf and asked to see his

      family. The elf led Sam down a large tree trunk where they

      were all live.

      "Where are we?" said Sam.

      "Why, in Baja, of course?" said the elf.

      Where in Baja was on Sam's mind, but he was too busy

      admiring the place to say that. The place had thousands of

      pictures on the walls, all of generations of elves. They

      all lived in a huge big tree, all one million of them. The

      elf introduced himself as Dunbar, and began to tell Sam how

      they were found by the other elves as they were out hunting

      for food.

      "I must have blacked out," said Sam.

      "Yes, you did," said Dunbar.

      Sam wondered if his friends and family were all right,

      and before he could ask, Dunbar told him that they managed

      to save everyone. He then told Sam that Sam must have been

      very tired because he dropped everyone in a man-eating lily

      plant. If it weren't for the screams of the others, they

      would have never heard them, and they would all be gone.

      Sam once again thanked the elf, and Dunbar went on to

      tell Sam the boring story of how they hunt the lily plant

      for special healing powers. If they were not out that day

      hunting for medicine and food, Sam and his friends would be

      lost. But Dunbar was also an opportunistic elf; he loved

      the tick and the tock of Sam's old watch, and asked if he

      could have it.

      "After all, I did save your lovely wife," said Dunbar.

      Sam quickly, without hesitation, gave him the watch.

      Down the long small hallway they went; Sam was too tall to

      stand up straight, always hitting his head or squeezing in

      a tight spot. Dunbar just laughed and chuckled at Sam as he

      tripped and hit his head all the way down the spiral wooden

      staircase.

      What a beautiful home it was, everything inside was

      carved from the tree; the chairs, the picture frames, the

      tables and the lamps. There were little elves running all

      over the place, zipping here and there and everywhere. Sam

      cautiously watched his step, being careful not to step on

      any of the tiny little elves. Finally Sam was downstairs

      with the others; the entire crew looked as if they were

      sardines in a can. They were all squeezed together and

      looked as if they were uncomfortable, but they wanted to be

      good to their host and not complain of the tight spot.

      "Oh, honey, I am so glad you're okay," said Jane as

      she gave Sam a big hug.

      Everyone thanked Sam for trying to save them. Because

      of this, Sam's spirit was lifted and he was ready to fight

      another round with the seven wizards.

      "We must be leaving," said Sam.

      Sam thanked the elves and promised them once the war

      was over they would return and reward them for their

      services. Before they left, many of the elves came up and

      gave Sam and the others special magic powders and

      medicines. Then they were handed paper sacks with food in

      them. The only thing wrong was that the food was elf-size,

      but nevertheless, no one complained; just gave thanks and

      they were ready to head out.

      Dunbar then led his new friends down a secret tunnel

      that only a few elves knew about. It had a golden rock in

      front of the door; it glittered and shone. With a punch of

      the secret codes on the rock, it rolled away and opened a

      door to a mystical place.

      "This is the way," said Dunbar; as he pointed to the

      hill where the white rhino plant lay.

      The first glance of this land was spectacular. There

      were plants and flowers that were made of puff balls; they

      would burst into the sky and float like balloons. It was

      raining in some parts and snowing in others. There were

      many new and never before seen creatures, like an invisible

      bird and two-headed snakes. Most of the creatures were

      harmless and went about their daily lives; while others,

      like the silverback apes, were terrorizing the forest,

      eating and killing anything in their path.

      Dunbar let Sam and the others know that the silverback

      apes did not eat human ghosts. Sam and the others were glad

      to hear this, and one by one Sam and the others spread out

      and were glad that they could finally stretch. They said

      their goodbyes to Dunbar, and began to walk toward the way

      to the plant. The secret entrance and the opening behind

      them simply vanished, as if it was never there.

      Once in the area, Sam and the others remained at a low

      profile, looking and watching the air. But, little did they

      know they were now in a battleground. First a hissing sound

      was becoming louder and louder, and then suddenly the

      ground started to move. The birds and animals of the forest

      began to scatter. Once Jane and the others saw this, they

      knew something was coming.

      "Keep moving, something is coming," said Red Fox.

      Everyone began to move fast, running through tall

      silver grass that cut like razors and plants that popped up

      out of the ground and shot fire out of their mouths at

      anything moving. No matter what, Red Fox ordered the

      fighters to keep moving. No one could see anything; they

      could just feel an eerie presence of something coming.

      "Head for that big oak tree," said Sam.

      Just as everyone was running toward the tree, a great

      big bu
    g emerged out of the mud and began to attack. It was

      like no other, beautiful like a red and black lady bug, but

      vicious like a black spider. With its long teeth and razorsharp

      antennas, the bug began to hiss and snarl at Sam and

      the others.

      Everyone was sort of in a panic; they had never seen

      anything like this before, so huge and so quick. The

      fighters began to back up slowly, and started to run, but

      the monster bug had set traps of large holes all around

      them. Every time one would run, a deep hole would open up

      and swallow them up.

      "Stop moving," said Sam to the fighters.

      But they were in too much of a panic, and they kept

      moving. One by one, the holes swallowed them up; the dirt

      covered their faces, causing them to die of suffocation.

      Sam and the others begged their fighters to stay put, but

      most of them were too scared and began to run. Their lives

      were lost because of this foolish mistake.

      One by one, they vanished through the sink holes,

      gobbled up like a Christmas feast. Sam held his head low

      every time he lost one of his fighters. The huge bug sat

      there and waited. Once everyone stopped moving, it became

      inpatient and began to walk back and forth, pacing. Sam

      realized that she was not moving toward them because it was

      waiting for all of them to die. Sam ordered everyone to

      stay still.

      After hours of waiting, the creature got tired and

      went to collect her dead. It burrowed itself into the

      ground and began to move under the sand like a snake. The

      sand moved like ocean waves, kicking up and disturbing the

      plants and trees that were rooted there. Suddenly,

      something made a big burst into the air, with sand flying

      everywhere. It was the creature, and with it, it carried

      the bodies of all the dead fighters wrapped in some type of

      web.

      Sam and the others saw their friends for a last time;

      being carried away in the mouth of an unknown creature, the

      looks on the dead men's faces were that of fear. They died

      screaming, with their mouths open, or hiding with their

      hands covering their faces. Sam could not bear to see this;

      he began to doubt himself and his leadership, but Red Fox

      reminded him that now was not the time for him to be

      feeling sorry for himself.

      Sam quickly pulled himself together the best way that

      he knew how, and told anyone who wanted to turn back now

      that they were free to go. To Sam's surprise, many wanted

      to leave; they were all afraid and wanted to go back home,

      where knowing nothing would keep them safe.

      "You cowards!" shouted Samantha.

      Jane quickly covered Samantha's mouth with her hand

      and allowed the men to leave. She thanked them with her

      husband for their service and told them that they would

      always be heroes in her eye. Samantha remembered the disc

      that Mr. Stewart gave them in the underground city, and

      told Jane to pull it out of her back pocket. For a minute,

      Jane forgot that she even had it.

      "Mr. Stewart told us that once we were in trouble,

      throw the disc into the air, and it would open a door back

      home to the underground city," said Jane to the others.

      They carefully listened to every word. Jane held the

      golden disc in the air, threw it up into the sky, and

      watched it unfold like a letter. From the center, the disc

      opened, and a bright light emerged and let out a long beam

      of light.

      "This is your chance to leave, take it," said Samantha

      to the fighters who wanted to leave.

      At first, there was a little hesitation; then one by

      one, the fighters got in a line and headed toward the

      light. Not only were they ashamed that they had given up,

      but they were sad that they were leaving behind friends and

      family. When all was said and done, there were only two

      young fighters remaining.

      "This is your last chance, kids, take it or leave it,"

      said Sam, but the two young fighters shook their heads no.

      Suddenly the magical door of the disc closed, and the

      disc disappeared with it. By now, all that remained were

      Jane, Sam, Red Fox, Samantha, and the two young fighters;

      everyone else had either died or ended up leaving because

      they could not handle the war.

      "My father always said I could never control my men,

      and he was right," said Sam with a disappointed look on his

      face.

      But the others rallied behind him, and said that he

      was doing an excellent job. Now it was time to figure out

      how to get out of the bug's trap. The huge creature was by

      now long gone, but it left behind many traps of sinking

      sand; one wrong step, and a man could be swallowed up in an

      instant. Sam used his powers of levitation to get the team

      members over to the other side. One by one he levitated

      each person, then himself. Once everyone was safe, they all

      stood by an oak tree and took time to catch their breath.

      "There is no more time for rest, we need that white

      rhino plant, and we need it now," said Samantha.

      By that time, everyone had became frustrated with the

      entire situation and began to fight amongst themselves, one

      against the other. Everyone blamed each other, until a loud

      voice said. "Shut up, you bumbling fools!"

      Everyone looked around to see where the voice was

      coming from, but no one could see anyone. Then out of a

      puff of blue smoke came a white cloud; sitting on top of

      the cloud was a yellow frog.

      "Did you say something?" said Jane to the frog.

      "Of course I did, who else could it be?" said the frog

      in a sarcastic tone. "Well, where are you folks off too?"

      Jane explained to the frog that they were on their way

      to the center top to retrieve a white rhino plant. Well,

      before Jane could finish her story, the frog began to

      laugh, holding its stomach and falling off of his moving

      cloud.

      "Oh! That is so funny," said the frog.

      "Why is it funny, little toad?" said Red Fox with an

      angry look on hid face.

      The frog explained that the white rhino plant was so

      rare that it was placed there for a special reason, and it

      was guarded by one of the most vicious beasts Baja had ever

      seen. The frog told the team that there was no way they

      could get the white rhino plant. Many people had been after

      that plant for centuries, and millions of people had lost

      their lives trying to get it.

      Jane and the others could care less, and explained to

      the frog that if they did not get this plant, the whole of

      Baja would be lost, and there would be no citizens left to

      keep on fighting. Once the frog saw that they were serious,

      it became serious too, and told of a legend of how the

      plant was once retrieved and then put back for the next

      generation. The frog told of how the plant was once plucked

      from its roots many centuries ago. In the cloud that the

      frog was riding on, it showed a view of how Baja once
    was,

      and how the white rhino plant had come to be so important.

      Jane and the others carefully watched as the clouds

      played out the events right before their eyes. With only a

      few of them left, they hovered around and watched every

      minute of the legend. It went on as follows: a long time

      ago, the elders created a plant so outstandingly different

      and powerful that they could not keep it in Baja. The plant

      was filled with too many powers, and if it got into the

      wrong hands, it would cause a big problem for the elders.

      So they guarded the plant with a big unstoppable

      beast, one that had no respect for anyone; one that was

      savage and evil. But one man was determined to get the

      white rhino plant. He heard his parents talk about it; he

      climbed up to the mountains and dug a tunnel under the

      beast. For days and weeks he stayed in the forest, avoiding

      death many times, but his greed had overwhelmed him by the

      power he could achieve by obtaining the rhino plant.

      He was chased by beast and huge snakes. One time he

      was almost eaten by a huge lizard, but managed to cut

      himself loose from the lizard's grip with a powerful sword.

      After weeks of digging and being chased by scary creatures

      of the forest, he finally saw a beam of light to let him

      know to stop digging and that he was at the surface.

      The young lad waited until the time was right; once

      the beast walked over the hole, he drove his sword at the

      beast, killing it instantly. The sword went straight

      through the beast's heart, and it began to stumble and

      roar; until it finally fell off the side of the mountain,

      splattering guts and blood all over the place.

      The young lad came out of the hole in the side of the

      mountain and shouted and screamed. Animals of the forest

      began to talk, and the word was passed through Baja and

      other worlds like a shooting star. Once at the top, the

      young lad grabbed the plant in a choke hold, pulling its

      roots from the ground and shouting, "I did it, I defeated

      the beast!"

      Once the plant was pulled out of the ground, within

      minutes everything began to turn black and die. The lad

      immediately died holding the plant in his right hand. The

      trees whither away, the streams immediately dried up, and

      the animals feel from the skies. Life was being eliminated.

      Once the elders saw what was happening, they came in

      on a magical moon, all dressed in sparkling white robes.

      Their faces were never seen, and they took the young man to

      the moon and the elders re-planted the white rhino plant.

      Once in the ground, the plant sent off a burst of light,

      and with the light, seeds began to fly. Because of what

      happened, the elders hid many white rhino plants all over

      the galaxy and beyond. The young man was never heard from

      again. Legend had it that he was reincarnated into the

      beast that now guards the plant.

      "What was this young man's name?" said Sam.

      "Elmilio."

      "Why did the plant kill everything?" said Jane.

      The frog replied, "You as a plant grower should know;

      you never kill something that is alive, it's like pulling

      the heart out of the body. The trick is to only take what

      is needed."

      Jane looked in amazement to know that the frog knew of

      her. Before another question could be asked of the frog, it

      disappeared as if it was never there. Jane's brain was

      racing, thinking of everything possible that this legend

      could mean. Then she came to the realization and shouted.

      "Instead of ripping the plant out of its soil and

      killing it, all we need is a petal or a leaf," said Jane.

      As simple as the solution was, no one had thought of

      it.

      "That's why I married you," said Sam as Jane smiled

      and the others cheered her on.

      "Good job, Jane. Now the trick is getting up there,"

      said Samantha.

      Once on the other side, the team felt safe and began

      to take their time, but Jane noticed that the roots on the

      trees were moving, and the dirt was being disturbed.

      "Run!" shouted Jane.

      Everyone began to run; the tree stems and roots were

      running after Jane and the others, as if they were hunting

      them. Red Fox ordered everyone to split up, causing the

      roots to tangle amongst each other and tie in a knot. But

      as soon as one was tied up, another came chasing them. Jane

      and the others were running for their lives, up and over,

      under and up, over rocks and tree barks. Once most of the

      trees were all tied into knots they could not move. They

      began to holler and scream, so piercing that Jane and the

      others had to plug their ears. One by one the trees fell,

      still attached to each other in a knot.

      Jane tried to comfort the trees with her touch, but

      quickly found that her powers were not working in this part

      of the land. The trees seemed to be under some type of

      different spell; they were not listening to her commands.

      Then suddenly the trees withered and died one by one,

      turning into nothing more than mere ashes.

      The ground began to sink in and little man-eating

      plants came forth. They were no more than the size of a

      common house pet, but they were plants that ran on all

      fours like dogs. They were brown and blue in color, with a

      spec of white, and these little things were ferocious. They

      chased the team all over the place, nipping and biting at

      their heels. These little plant eaters were eating

      everything in sight; Samantha began to chop at the

      creatures with her sword, either cutting off their stems

      like paws or their razor-sharp petals.

      Soon the team was becoming outnumbered by these

      plants, and Sam and the others had no choice but to run. As

      Sam and the remaining members ran toward the area of the

      rhino plant, the creatures turned back; showing fear, they

      quickly ran in the opposite direction, leaving Jane and the

      others wondering what was next.

      At the end of this part of the forest, everything was

      water; the water was black and muddy, thick like quick

      sand, and every once in a while an underground volcano

      would blow, sending mermaids flying into the air. They were

      filthy and stunk from the thick black waters; their hair

      was matted and their faces partial visible. Their scales

      seemed to be dried up like old fish, fangs hung from their

      mouths, and even though they had the appearance of a human,

      they were not.

      Sam and the others watched them from behind a tree.

      The mermaids seemed to be having a day of fun, but it

      quickly turned into a day of survival for one. Sam and the

      others watched as the group of mermaids singled one mermaid

      out and began to fight with her. Sam wanted to step in, but

      was advised to let nature take its course. The mermaids

      continued to beat on one of their own, until a huge wave

      came and pushed them out to sea, sending the badly beaten

      mermaid to sho
    re.

      "This is our chance, let's go," said Sam.

      As they walked up to the water, the mermaid let out a

      moan, she was in pain.

      "Well, we can't leave her," said Jane.

      The others did not want anything to do with this

      creature, but being the kind-hearted people that they were,

      they just couldn't leave her wounded. As Jane got closer to

      the mermaid, with caution she flipped her over. This

      mermaid was not as disfigured like the others; she was

      perfectly intact, she looked like the girl next door. Jane

      took a little of the water that they had in their

      containers and poured it over the mermaid's face.

      The mermaid awoke and was very frightened; she slowly

      crawled back into the water, looking over her surroundings,

      but did not run away. She started to cry and let off a

      moaning song that seemed to hypnotized Jane and the others.

      The only one not hypnotized was Red Fox; his animal

      instincts seemed to block it out. When the mermaid realized

      that, she went further back into the water, and Jane and

      the others came out of their hypnotic trance.

      "That was really strange, it was like being buried

      alive," said Samantha.

      Still, the mermaid did not leave; it came up closer to

      the strangers and stared at them.

      "Why are you here?" asked the mermaid.

      "Baja is in danger and we must save it from a deadly

      spell," said Jane.

      The creature glanced Jane over, and began to come

      forward, frightening Jane; so she moved back a little. Then

      the creature came out of the water and began to grow legs

      right before Jane's and the others eyes. Everyone was in

      amazement to see such a transformation take place. After

      the tail had turn into legs and the mermaid was human, she

      was covered with cuts and bruises; her skin was pale, and

      she looked sickly. The mermaid dropped to the ground and

      begged for more water. Jane gave her the entire container

      of water, and then the mermaid began to talk.

      "I am an outcast, I am not as pretty as the others, so

      they taunt me daily," said the mermaid.

      "You're the prettiest, your sisters are ugly," said

      Red Fox.

      The mermaid told Jane and the others that it was said

      that her father was a sailor and an adventurer; he came

      here many years ago, and never return.

      "Where are you trying to get to?" said the mermaid.

      "To the other side, so we can climb the mountain,"

      said Sam.

      "You seem like good people, I would take you there,

      but it is very dangerous; they say the beast lies there,"

      said the mermaid.

      "Wait, it could be a trick," said Red Fox.

      Everyone waited for the mermaid to go first. Suddenly

      the mermaid jumped on one of the last remaining fighters

      and carried him into the water. The fighter struggled and

      called out for help, but there was nothing anyone could do.

      Then Jane remembered that she had a magical seed. With a

      dab of water, she attached the seed to the palm of her

      hand. It began to grow into a wild vine, running up and

      down the sides of Jane's arm. She commanded the vine to

      make a rope, and so it did, allowing Jane to throw it out

      to the fighter in distress. The vine split into two and

      went after the mermaid, tying her up. Jane pulled the

      fighter out of the water; he was badly bitten and began to

      change. His skin became scales; his legs began to curl into

      the fetal position and began to form a tail.

      "Oh, now we must leave him," said Jane.

      Sam ordered the fighter to fight, but it was too late,

      the fighter had no more strength; he was now under the

      powers of the mermaids. As Jane had the mermaid in a hold

      with her powerful vines, she questioned it.

      "You tricked us," said Jane.

      "Of course, you fools; we saw you coming and we

      smelled you. The others are waiting on their dinner, which

      is you!" said the mermaid as she changed back into her

      original ugly form.

      The plant fit on Jane's hand like a glove, and its

      vine covered up the mermaid from head to toe and strung her

      up a tree.

      "Try getting down from that, you can't be out of water

      too long," said Jane sarcastically.

      Out of all the fighters that Jane and Sam had, they

      were all gone except one, and Sam vowed to the fighter that

      he would do everything to protect her. But this young

      fighter was brave and demanded to fight on. Yet, deep down

      inside, Sam knew that the young fighter was very much

      frightened.

      "We must leave before the others come back, looking

      for their sister," said Red Fox.

      As soon as they started to leave, the others returned.

      When they saw Jane and the rest of her friends were free,

      and not dead, they came out of the water with a vengeance.

      Their tails turned into feet and they were now walking.

      These creatures were very powerful, throwing Red Fox and

      the others around like rag dolls. One by one Sam and the

      others went flying through the sky; the mermaids were very

      powerful. Sam shot a poison dart into one of the mermaids'

      chest causing it to immediately fall to the ground.

      Jane made her magical seed turn back into a wild vine,

      stringing up the mermaids one by one. Through the air they

      swooped, and into the tree. They were no match for Jane's

      magical seed. Finally they were all up in the tree, arguing

      with each other, saying who should have set the trap. To

      hush them up, Jane sent a vine to cover their mouths, and

      soon they were balled up in a cocoon-type vine.

      "We must keep moving," said Red Fox.

      Everyone started moving, looking back on their friend

      who was now turning into a mermaid himself. There was no

      hope for him, he was gone. The one who was most hurt was

      Sam; he had lost another fighter under his care and command.

      There was no time to be sad; they had to cross the

      lake. It was so huge and scary, with fur-like toads and

      huge rock crabs. The water was so black that no one could

      see the bottom. Jane decided to use her vines to make an

      aerial ladder. They quickly went to work, forming and

      twisting to make a ladder. Once it was made, one by one,

      Jane and the others climbed on with just their hands

      holding on and their feet hanging toward the water. Every

      once in a while, the raging waters would send a weird

      looking fish flying through the air, frightening Jane and

      the others.

      "We need to move fast before something else comes,"

      said Samantha.

      The team began to move faster and faster through the

      air, using their feet like pedals to help them make it

      across. For some reason, Samantha looked back and saw the

      bitten fighter getting into the water. He was already

      changed and was on the hunt for food.

      "The fighter is in the water, keep moving," said

      Samantha.

      Everyone did so; they moved as fast as they could,

      using all the strength and power
    that they had. They had to

      get away from the fighter that was now changed into a

      mermaid, and was in the water coming after them. The team

      moved faster and faster; no one had forgotten that this

      mermaid was once their friend and a fighter of Baja, but

      they had no choice but to survive.

      The fighter was no longer their friend; he had change

      into a species that most had only read about. His muscular

      body grew thick scales, his feet were now a tail, his skin

      had become pale and dirty from the muddy waters, and his

      eyes glowed with evil. This was not their friend anymore,

      this was an animal of the forest, and the team had to

      remind themselves of this, and keep moving. Because this

      fighter could no longer be saved, the ex-fighter came

      swimming faster and faster through the murky waters; until

      he caught up with Jane and the others.

      "Faster!" shouted Sam.

      The remaining members kept on moving, faster and

      faster, but the ex-fighter caught up and began to snap and

      gnawed at Jane and the others. Then he began to throw muddy

      slime from the water at his friends. The water was so toxic

      that once the slime hit the vines, it began to kill the

      plant instantly. The vine caved in and began to break,

      sending Jane and the others flying through the air

      uncontrollably.

      Everyone screamed as the vine took them on a wild

      ride; it was slowly dying and losing all of its strength,

      but it was trying to hold on, to help its master and her

      friends. Meanwhile, down in the water, the mermaid began to

      laugh hysterically, waiting to feast on the ones who would

      fall into the ocean. But, unexpectedly, the vines managed

      to grab the remaining fighters and threw them to safety.

      One by one Jane and the others landed on a hilltop as the

      vines tried to save them all.

      Red Fox was the last to be thrown to safety, and just

      as he was almost to the top, the vines began to die and let

      go of him. Landing on the side of the rock, immediately

      Jane and the others rushed to his side. As the mermaid saw

      this, it began to swim faster and faster, until it was at

      the same rock that Red Fox was on. It slowly crawled up the

      side like a slithering snake. Red Fox was badly hurt, but

      fought off the mermaid. With a touch of its long

      fingernails to Red Fox skin, he shouted out in pain. The

      toxin was entering his body; Red Fox's fur began to fall

      off, his body began to wither away, and with saliva foaming

      at the mouth, he mumbled to his friends.

      "Go, I am a dead man!"

      Everyone looked on in horror; Sam could not levitate

      his friend to safety, his mental abilities seemed to be

      drained. Sam began to cry out in agonizing pain for his

      friend; the tears flowed and everything seemed to be

      cemented in time. Red Fox's body had now succumbed to the

      toxins of the water, and was being feasted on by the

      mermaid; all that was left on the rocks were traces of

      blood and bones.

      In the air, Sam and the others could see Red Fox's

      spirit passing on, up and up it went; until it disappeared

      behind a cloud no longer to be seen by anyone. Sam and the

      others were torn up inside. Was it really worth it to keep

      going? They had already lost thousands of fighters, who

      left behind children and families. This lay heavy on Sam's

      heart, and he wondered if he was doing the right thing. But

      it was now time to keep moving. Sam and the others quickly

      wiped their tears away and started up the hill, often

      looking back to see if, by some weird miracle, Red Fox

      would be there.

      There was nothing but an eerie feeling of losing a

      good friend. Sam could still see the bones of his friend

      lying on the hillside. Just a few more feet, and Red Fox

      would have been safe. There was nothing the team could do

      but look down to the place where their friend had die, and

      watch the creature that was once their friend feast on Red

      Fox.

      Sam huddled the team together and told them they had

      to keep moving. No one was really in the mood for a pep

      talk, but they stood and listened. Sam let the others know

      that they were almost there, and that everyone must keep

      fighting. Yet, inside Sam was filled with anger and hatred.

      He was risking his life for a place that once exiled him

      and his family; now he had to be the one to save it,

      causing him to lose most of his friends and families.

      Yet, being the kind and passionate man that Sam was,

      he also knew that he was doing something right. Samantha

      was taking it the hardest; she and Red Fox had been friends

      for many years, and now, in an instant she had lost her

      best friend. Samantha began to curse Baja and the elders,

      her voice became so loud that the birds in the trees began

      to scatter. Her voice echoed through the forest, and then

      she suddenly fell to her knees and pounded on the ground

      with her fist until it began to bleed.

      Everyone gave Samantha room to grieve, but they had to

      keep walking. They did so; with no one hardly saying a

      word. They had now left their dead friend way behind, no

      one knew where they were going; they were just following

      Sam.

      The mountain top was filled with wild flowers called

      jumpers. They played and jumped on anything passing by;

      running through the fields like wild rabbits. No one minded

      the silly flowers; they were more a stress reliever to the

      remaining members. Jane admired all the plants and flowers

      on the hillside, touching and nourishing the ones that

      needed it.

      "Why are you helping them?" said Samantha to Jane.

      "Because I am a grower of all vegetation," said Jane.

      Samantha wanted everything to die like her friend had;

      she became very angry at Jane for caring for the plants,

      letting Jane know that she was very naive and crazy for

      caring for something that could kill them all. Jane knew

      that Samantha was angry, and walked away with one of her

      flowers on her shoulder, carrying it like a baby.

      Sam pulled Samantha to the side and talked to her; he

      tried to comfort her by letting her know that everything

      would be all right. Samantha was so angry that she just

      walked away from Sam, leaving him talking to himself.

      After a brief rest underneath a tree, Sam let the

      others know that the time had come for them to keep moving

      and the sun was going down. They must make it to the very

      top and retrieve the white rhino plant. Sam told the team

      that, if one person made it, it would have to be Jane, to

      re-grow the rhino plant for many generations to come.

      Everyone nodded in agreement, and off they went.

      As they walked, it began to snow. At first, the snow

      was very light, and then it kept coming down heavier and

      heavier. Jane and the others began to tremble from the

      cold. Out of the blue, the sky began to send down tons of

      snow; no one was prepared for this. Out of the corn
    er of

      her eye, Jane saw a willow plant; one she remembered as a

      little girl. Her father used to gather them up to make her

      a coat. The willow plant was a thick furry plant; the fur

      hung from its branches.

      Jane told the team to gather up a bunch of the willow

      plant, and everyone did. She taught them how to make coats

      out of it by folding it into a certain pattern. Once this

      was done, everyone had a nice warm coat, and Jane healed

      the plant. It grew more willow fur right before everyone's

      eyes.

      Jane's powers were amazing, but by this time everyone

      wanted to leave. Sam had a hard time figuring out why his

      powers would not work; his levitation was on and off,

      sometimes it would work fine, and other time it would not

      work at all. Jane let her husband know that maybe the

      stress he was under and the evilness of the forest had

      something to do with it, but Sam began to doubt himself and

      wished that his father was here by his side.

      Jane let her husband know that it was time that he

      became his own leader and stop depending on his father. Sam

      agreed with his wife and got the team together with a heart

      warming speech and the power to fight for all they had

      lost. The team's spirit rose, and they were willing and

      ready to fight again. This was the last chance to get it

      right, and the team was willing to sacrifice everything

      that they had to make it work.

      Through the thick snow and the blazing cold winds, the

      team struggled up the long hill, climbing for days, and

      then weeks. To make it up to the top took three weeks, but

      to Jane and the others, it seemed like it was no time. But,

      indeed it was. Time had passed so fast that the ones on the

      ground never felt it. When they looked at each other, they

      could tell; Sam's orange hair was now down his back,

      everyone's hair had grown, their eyes were puffy from lack

      of sleep and their hands and feet were frozen solid. They

      had frostbite, and everyone looked at each other as if they

      were looking at complete strangers.

      "We have lost a lot of time," said Jane, as they stood

      near the top of the mountain where the rhino plant lay.

      Sam and the others could hear the loud chanting and

      roaring of the monster.

      "We must get to the mountain top," said Sam.

      As Sam tried to levitate, his powers would not work.

      He was frustrated and began to once again doubt himself;

      until Jane slapped him across the face and told him to get

      over himself and have faith in his own power! Sam rubbed

      his face from the harsh slap, and started to believe in

      himself. He began to think as a leader and a captain.

      Sam told the others what to do, where to go, and how

      to fight. There was no more time to have self-pity, it was

      time to fight and revenge all those who had died. So the

      four remaining members went toward the creature. The

      chanting became louder and louder until it was almost

      hypnotizing. The team finally came face to face with the

      creature. From the bottom, Sam and the others saw the

      creature that was protecting the plant; a huge beast that

      paced back and forth, guarding the plant with its life.

      Sam wanted to find a way to the top, then he

      remembered the story the frog on the cloud told him, and

      his plan now was to find a way underground. He asked his

      wife to use her seed to grow a plant that could pierce the

      ground and dig a tunnel big enough to fit them all.

      Jane took the seed out of her pocket and touched it

      with her thumb, causing it to sprout out quickly. Then she

      placed the small plant on the ground and watched as it dug

      its roots into the soil. She commanded it to grow and make

      a tunnel under the earth to fit them. Immediately the plant

      went to work; the dirt above began to move as the plant

      grew and went deeper underground. Rocks and stones began to

      change their positions, other plants and shrubs began to

      move as the plant made a pathway for its master.

      As the team waited, Jane searched around for plants

      that they could eat. There was an orange plant whose leaves

      were orange and red. This plant let off hot steaming water

      that tasted like tea. Jane brought back enough for everyone.

      "Oh, that is good, it's like drinking a cup of hot

      tea," said Samantha.

      Everyone began to drink, until Jane noticed that she

      had one extra stem of hot brew in her hands. "Where is the

      young fighter?" she said.

      Everyone looked around and noticed that the fighter

      was gone; the last of the remaining fighters had now

      vanished. Jane and the others quickly ran looking around,

      hoping to find her.

      "Where could she have gone? She was here just a few

      seconds ago," said Sam as he searched the area with his

      eyes.

      Jane quickly grew a plant that would take her way up

      into the air, and she searched for the fighter. Out of the

      corner of her eye, Jane spotted the fighter running toward

      the mountain top where the beast lay. The fighter was

      greeted by a strange visitor in a black cape. Jane watched

      intensely to see what the visitor was telling the fighter,

      but no words were shared among them, just a silent

      communication. Jane quickly lower herself from the plant

      and told the team what she'd seen.

      "We were betrayed," said Jane as she explained to

      Samantha and Sam what she had just seen.

      Suddenly Sam rode the plant up to see if he could see

      anything else. The plant took him high in the sky. He saw

      the dark hooded stranger leaving as the fighter was whisked

      away in some type of air bubble. Across the mountain top,

      Sam could see the chanters getting ready to go to war. Sam

      realized that they would be outnumbered by the thousands.

      Sam came down from the plant and told Jane to give the

      plant digging the tunnel more power to move faster; they

      had to be leaving. The monster was building an army of men,

      and they were heading their way. Jane touched her plant

      with her thumb, gently giving it a huge dose of growth.

      Jane's thumb began to turn green as the power from her body

      went into the plant's stem. The plant began to grow larger

      and larger, burrowing through the mountain top faster and

      faster, causing a huge tunnel to form.

      One by one, Jane and the others jumped into the

      tunnel, and quickly closed it up behind them. Jane and

      Samantha packed the entrance with dirt, hoping to seal the

      hole. Everyone was amazed to see how wonderfully the tunnel

      had been carved; the vine was very artistic, leaving leaf

      marks and strange carvings that began to glow. The vine

      powered its way to the top of the mountain. Once at the

      top, the vine peeked out, catching the rays of sunlight on

      its leaf; then the vine slithered back down to its master,

      letting her know that the top was near. Then it crawled

      back into the small magical bean seed.

      "Good work," said Jane to the
    vine as it crawled back

      in.

      Jane immediately tucked the magical seed away in her

      pocket; then off they went, the final three. They ran

      through the tunnel, following the path that the vine had

      set out for them. On the walls a story was portrayed of the

      beast and the rhino plant. Apparently, Jane and the others

      were now in an ancient tunnel. This was the find of a

      lifetime!

      Jane slowly passed her fingers over the carvings in

      the stone, and read the secret messages of the beast that

      protected the white rhino plant. As the team kept on

      moving, they could still hear the chanting of the

      worshipers of the rhino plant and the beast. They could

      also hear thousands of marching footsteps above the ground.

      "They are looking for us," said Sam.

      The entrance to the tunnel was now being dug through

      by beaver dogs, huge dog-like animals the size of a

      miniature horse. They were mean and ugly, always drooling

      from their sharp long yellow teeth, and covered with matted

      and grungy looking grey fur. They gave off an awful smell!

      The beaver dogs were a cross between a house rat and a

      horse; one of the most hideous creatures one could ever

      see. Jane and the others could hear the growling and the

      scratching at the entrance; the beaver dogs had picked up

      their scents and were on the hunt.

      "Faster, faster" shouted Sam as he pushed Samantha and

      Jane forward; himself staying in the back.

      As Sam and the others were running through the tunnel,

      they were stopped by a glowing light coming from beneath

      the sands. Quickly, Sam brushed away the dirt and

      discovered a small hole that he could see through. Once he

      looked down, he saw something that was so incredible, a

      long sword about five feet in length, made of pure gold

      that shone and sparkled. On the tip of the sword was a

      round crystal ball that gave off a bright glow every so

      often. For a minute, Sam was mesmerized by what he had seen

      and completely forgot about being chased.

      "They're coming, get up!" shouted Jane to Sam.

      As Sam went to move, the entire floor caved in, taking

      everything with it. Jane and Samantha screamed as they went

      tumbling down the sides of the opening. Everything was

      pitch black; the only thing visible was the glow off of the

      sword. The army of chanters was on their trail, and now in

      the tunnel. But they did not know that there was no floor

      underneath them, and many of the chanters feel down, taking

      with them their beaver dogs.

      Sam fell to the bottom first, hurting his back and

      shoulders; right behind him was Jane and Samantha, tumbling

      down. Samantha used her ancient kung fu skills to help her

      gracefully land on her feet. The place was completely dark;

      the sword glowed and lit up the room, giving Sam and the

      others a few seconds to find each other.

      The light also showed what was in the tunnel, and that

      was a treasure hunter's dream: gold and gems were scattered

      everywhere and secret books that opened and closed on their

      own. Sam quickly reached for his match and lit a fire. The

      air inside the cave was thick and stuffy; this room or

      chamber had been closed for thousands of years.

      Once the light was lit and Sam could see better, he

      called out to Jane and Samantha. Brushing off the dirt from

      the fall, the three managed to find each other, glad and

      relieved that everyone was okay. Jane told Sam that some

      chanters and their beaver dogs were after them. As the room

      lit up, the only things Sam could see were small, tiny

      beetles crawling up and down the walls. It was an eerie

      sight; one beetle turned into two, and two into ten, and so

      forth until there were thousands crawling up the walls.

      The beetles seemed to fill the room in seconds, as if

      they were watching what was going on, and in the corner a

      sudden movement took place. The gold coins began to move,

      and the movement gave off a loud sound. Sam approached what

      was moving in the corner, and with its back turned, Sam

      called out to the chanter. It would not turn around; the

      figure was small and tiny, dwarf-like. The chanter suddenly

      turned around and gave Sam the shock of his life; it was

      wearing a scary tribal mask, and was not showing its face.

      "We mean you no harm," said Sam as he motioned to Jane

      and Samantha to stay back.

      Sam noticed something strange about this chanter; he

      was wearing an old watch that Sam had given to an elf named

      Dunbar.

      "Dunbar, is that you?" asked Sam.

      Dunbar quickly took off his mask, and acknowledged

      Sam. He explained to Dunbar that they were friends, but

      Dunbar said Sam was a traitor for having had a fighter in

      his army that sided with the seven wizards. Sam explained

      to Dunbar that he did not know this, and that he was also

      betrayed by this fighter. Dunbar told Sam that the young

      lady's name was Bissella, and she was one of the seven

      wizards' daughters.

      Once again, Sam was upset with himself and began to

      swear and kick things around. Coins and treasures went

      flying through the air. Sam was very upset and disgusted

      with all the mistakes that he had made. Dunbar quickly

      realized that Sam was telling the truth and ordered his

      other chanters to stay away. Sam and the others were

      surprised to see that they were surrounded by thousands of

      chanters that had also fallen through the hole.

      They were relieved that they knew Dunbar, but did not

      know that he was a chanter. Dunbar explained to Sam and the

      others that, for many years, they had been the protectors

      of the white rhino plant. Their job was to sing and chant

      to the beast to keep it angry for many centuries, so that

      no one would dare try to obtain the plant. It was a very

      powerful object that could cause the destruction of Baja

      and many worlds beyond.

      Dunbar told Sam that he did not trust them when they

      were seen with Bissella. The wizards had been trying to get

      the rhino plant for centuries. Sam explained to Dunbar that

      Baja was dying and that they must obtain the plant.

      "But the plant could not be moved!" shouted Dunbar.

      Jane came into the conversation, letting Dunbar know

      that they didn't need the entire plant; they just needed a

      stem, pedal or leaf. She let Dunbar know that she was a

      grower of plants and could grow almost anything. A little

      skeptical, Dunbar gave in, letting Sam and the others know

      that they were on their own, and that he could not be a

      part of what they were trying to do.

      For centuries, his family was commissioned by the

      elders to chant and disturb the beast so no one would ever

      want to come and disturb a plant that was so powerful and

      dangerous to the entire universe. Dunbar motioned to his

      other chanters to start moving out, and they began

      chanting. One by one, the chanters left through a secret

      hole.

    &
    nbsp; Sam tried to follow, but the hole was too small for

      him. Sam, Jane and Samantha continued to look around the

      place, not only was it filled with gold and treasure, it

      was filled with the history of the rhino plant. Jane

      quickly brought the light forward and began to read up on

      the rhino plant. The ancient scrolls told of a powerful

      plant that fell on Baja millions of years ago, causing a

      big bang and blast. Anyone touching the plant became so

      powerful that many rulers and kings could not handle the

      power. They began to have slaves and the power of the plant

      went to their heads; they could not control themselves and

      the power was too great for them.

      So keepers came and moved the plant and placed it in a

      safe place; where, for thousands of years, it had not been

      found, until now. Jane explained to her husband that the

      plant was very powerful and she was deeply afraid of

      turning into a bad person. Sam assured his wife that he

      would be there to bring her out of the spell, if anything

      should happen. There were thousands of books and manuals,

      there were ancient paintings and old scrolls, and treasure

      as far as the eye could see.

      As Samantha studied the paintings on the wall, she

      realized that they were once again in an old temple. There

      were pictures of how the temple once was; it was a thriving

      metropolis, everyone was wealthy and everyone lived in

      harmony, until the arrival of the plant. Once found, power

      and greed took over, and it caused the destruction of the

      entire population. As Samantha flipped the pages of an old

      book, there was a sword like the one that was glowing

      above. Samantha kept on reading. Finally she got to the

      part where the sword was placed in the possession of the

      people to cut off a small chunk of the plant, If there was

      ever a situation that the plant was needed.

      The sword was not just a sword; one had to be strong

      enough, brave enough, and their heart pure to even lift the

      sword. That's why for many years the sword lay on the top

      of the secret altar; because no one had come along with all

      those qualities to remove it from its resting place. The

      white crystal ball at the end was a formulated spell that

      would protect the person who touched the plant to not

      succumb to evil. The blades on the sword were the only ones

      powerful and strong enough to cut through the plant.

      The book also had a warning not to pull the plant from

      its roots; killing the plant would mean destruction to

      their world and many worlds beyond. Samantha explained this

      to Jane and Sam, and they were now thinking of a way to

      obtain the sword. Sam went through his mind, thinking of

      who would be the best candidate for obtaining the sword. He

      quickly ruled himself out and left the decision between

      Jane and Samantha. Jane feared with Sam and her family

      being exiled would cause the sword not to move.

      So the only one left was Samantha. She was not afraid;

      she had a look of determination on her face as she accepted

      the challenge ahead. As Sam and Jane lit up the room even

      more, they found out that the room was in the center of a

      volcano, and if one fell down or off of the edge, there was

      no way of ever coming back. The room also revealed more

      treasures and secret entrances that were blocked a long

      time ago.

      The doors were sealed shut as if they were glued

      together. When Sam looked around, the walls were covered

      with huge white spiders that seemed to be frozen in time.

      They were white and furry, with evil black eyes, foam

      coming out of their mouths, and one spider seemed to be

      eating a body of either a solider or a native person.

      Because of all the web and dust, it was hard for Sam to

      tell. He picked up a long stick and tired to shake the

      spider, to hopefully get it to drop whatever was in its

      mouth.

      Out of the corner of Sam's eye, he could see the

      spider seem to move, but when he turned around, the spider

      was not moving at all. Sam quickly put down the stick and

      returned to what he was originally doing. But his eyes

      remained focused on the spider. The room was also guarded

      by long huge snakes that were lying in their nests. The

      walls were inlaid with plant-like people, the ones Jane and

      the others had seen before. But these plant-like species

      were not the friendly type. They carried weapons on every

      part of their bodies, they had no eyes, just an outline of

      a face, and their bodies were a make up of mold and moss.

      As Jane got closer, their bodies also let off an odor.

      Jane feared in her mind that everything in the room might

      still be alive. Meanwhile Samantha was still reading the

      old scrolls and they told that if the person who handled

      the sword was not pure, they would immediately be pushed

      into the fire below, and once the sword was moved,

      everything in the room would come alive. Samantha shared

      this with Sam and Jane, and they had to now find a way to

      escape once the sword was lifted from its resting place.

      Suddenly magical block steps appeared with the symbols of

      Baja glowing faster and faster.

      A loud thunder approached, and then a voice boomed.

      "Who is the sword bearer?" said the voice.

      Looking everywhere to find out where the voice was

      coming from Samantha answer, "I am."

      "Well come forth and take the first step. If your mind

      is not clear and your heart is not pure, you will be

      sentenced to the lake of fire," said the voice.

      Samantha quickly took the first step, which took her

      high into the air. As she was riding through the air on the

      moving steps, Samantha could see the spiders and snakes on

      the walls were now starting to move.

      "Get in place, they're moving," said Samantha as she

      shouted to Sam and Jane.

      Sam quickly grabbed Jane and decided to find a way

      out. They pushed and pulled on the doors, but none of them

      would even budge. As they kept on searching for a way out,

      Samantha was headed to the top. Suddenly the voice appeared

      and the steps to the sword stopped, shaking and twisting,

      it gave Samantha a little scare.

      "This is your first challenge," said the voice.

      Then a whole entire line of steps appeared, and on

      each on stood a creature of unknown origins. They were

      ready for battle, adorned in fighting gear and swords.

      Samantha was ready for war; she activated the armor vest

      that Sam's father had made for her. In the secret pocket of

      the vest was a small thin mirror. Samantha had no idea what

      to do with it; she held it up as the creatures began to

      approach her, and nothing happened. The creatures were on a

      war path, smashing bricks and causing destruction all

      around.

      It had been many, many years since these creatures

      were ever let out, and now they were on a violent path.

      Samantha used her ancient ninja skills to jump and hurdled

    &nbs
    p; over the creatures, still keeping the mirror in her hand.

      From the ground, Sam and Jane tried to help Samantha,

      throwing things at the creature, but they were too far up

      in the air.

      While running and jumping, the mirror turned into a

      black liquid that oozed out of the mirror case, and onto

      the steps. At first, nothing happened; then suddenly the

      black liquid formed a puddle that went down the steps. As

      the creatures watched and laughed at the black oozing

      puddle, they were now stuck; they could not move or even

      take a tiny step. The black goo had the creatures stuck,

      except for two.

      One flew from the highest steps all the way to the

      floor, sending off a loud pounding thump. This creature was

      going after Sam and Jane. Then the one at the top came

      after Samantha. She took a sword off of one of the stuck

      creatures and began to fight with the one that was chasing

      her. Back and forth Samantha and the creature fought;

      tumbling and rolling almost off of the secret steps. Swords

      were flying through the air, slicing and cutting, missing

      Samantha by inches.

      When the sword of the creature snipped off one piece

      of Samantha's long jet black hair, she became upset and

      lunged into the air, slicing the creature's head off. It

      stumbled and fell into the sea of fire. Green goo was

      everywhere, splashing against the walls of the temple and

      onto Samantha. The other creatures began to cry and moan

      for their dead, but Samantha had no time to waste, she

      needed to get to the top and get the sword.

      Meanwhile, on the ground, Sam and Jane were fighting

      the creature that had escaped from above. The creature was

      upset and began to throw and smash its fist against the

      walls of the temple, causing huge holes. Through the holes

      the creature made, Sam and Jane could see land of some

      sort, and they began to taunt and tease the creature so

      that it would continue making the hole bigger. The creature

      was tormented by Sam and Jane until it had made a great big

      hole in the wall and all Sam and Jane had to do was to get

      away from the creature, and wait for Samantha to get the

      sword and a piece of the rhino plant.

      Once the hole was made, Sam taunted the creature into

      following him. He was running fast, and the creature was

      quickly following. Sam did his best to get the creature to

      fall over the edge, but it was not falling only slipping

      every now and again. Finally Jane ran from behind the old

      columns and kicked the creature over the edge into the sea

      of fire.

      "Good job, honey," exalted Sam as he gave his wife a

      big hug.

      The cries and moans of the creature filled the old

      temple, echoing all the way back up to Samantha. She

      smiled, knowing that her friends were okay, and that they

      had destroyed the creature. Samantha continued her climb

      back toward the area of the sword. Then she was stopped by

      a mystical woman on the steps offering her gold, silver,

      and the finest gems; even offering Samantha an orb that

      could grant her every wish. Samantha's one wish was to get

      her friend back; she wanted Red Fox to return to her. She

      wanted things to be the way they once were. The mystical

      woman began to read Samantha's heart, and because of this,

      she could see all of Samantha's desires. Samantha was now

      in a daze, imagining that Red Fox was alive. Meanwhile, the

      unknown woman was weaving glass all around Samantha. From

      the ground, Sam and Jane could not see anything but a large

      glowing light.

      "Something is wrong," said Jane to Sam.

      Sam looked around for the book that Samantha was

      reading, and once he found it, he read all the levels to

      obtaining the swords. The first was the creatures of the

      unknown, and the second was the lady in white, who traps

      your soul and body in a glass that nothing could get

      through, but the magical sword. The scroll told of many who

      lost their lives to the lady in white; those who wanted to

      turn back the hands of time, or those who wanted material

      possessions. Sam knew that all Samantha wanted was her

      friend back, and that was why she might be caught in the

      lady in white's spell.

      Sam explained this to Jane and immediately Jane

      reached into her pocked and grabbed a hold of her magical

      seed, but the seed had died. There was nothing to sustain

      its living, no water or food. Jane tried to revive it, but

      the seed had died; it had done all it could for Jane and

      the others. Sam began to panic; he reached for long old

      binoculars, so he could see Samantha, who was now covered

      up in glass webbing from her feet to her waist.

      "We have to do something," said Jane.

      Sam tried his levitating powers, but it was limited

      and only worked for a few seconds. So he picked up a sword

      and threw it at the lady in white. She blocked the sword

      with the weaving of glass into the air, forming a barrier

      between her and the sword. Sam shouted at Samantha.

      Slowly Samantha began to come out of the spell as she

      heard Sam's voice. Samantha became frightened, and tried to

      move, but she was stuck in the glass web. The lady in white

      continued to try and offer Samantha everything her heart

      desired, but Samantha was now aware of the evil spell the

      lady in white was putting on her. Samantha refused to

      accept the gifts and the promises; she began to count out

      loud and the lady in white began to get irritated and black

      tears began to fall from her eyes. Her skin began to turn

      green and wrinkle, her beauty was all but gone and she was

      now a witch.

      The more Samantha counted, the more the lady in white

      changed into her original form, which was a green witch.

      The glass on Samantha's body began to break off, layer by

      layer. The more Samantha ignored the witch's promises and

      kept her mind occupied, the more the web of glass fell off,

      hitting the floor, smashing and sending glass flying

      through the air. As one of the glass pieces flew passed Sam

      and Jane, they could see what Samantha was wishing, and

      that was to be with her friend Red Fox. Samantha was angry

      that he died, and wanted him back.

      Sam was glad that she was okay, and watched as

      Samantha headed toward the sword as if nothing had

      happened. Deep down, they all knew that Samantha was

      hurting, through her tough-girl image, she was sad, and

      wanted her friend to return to her. Samantha quickly put

      all of her feelings aside and went on to retrieve the

      sword. Just one more step and she was there. The sword grew

      bright and the mysterious voice came.

      "Well done, you may obtain the sword," said the voice.

      Samantha was a little afraid; her hands began to shake

      and sweat, she gazed upon a beautiful sword. With all of

      her might, she closed her eyes and reached for the sword.

      It was as if an electric current had swept through her

      bo
    dy. As she picked up the sword and held it toward the

      sky, everyone stood and waited to see if anything would

      happen. Nothing did. Samantha was indeed the one to obtain

      the sword.

      "Great choice, honey," said Jane to her husband Sam.

      Sam smiled and gave a sigh of relief. Samantha quickly

      and carefully brought the sword down to her side; the light

      from the sword went out and stayed in the glass globe at

      the end of the sword. Suddenly the temple began to shake

      and fall apart, statues began to hit the floor, sending

      pieces of stone and clay flying through the air. The

      snakes, spiders and creatures on the walls began to move.

      Sam grabbed the book of the sword and hurried to

      Samantha to come down. She began on her way down as she was

      attacked by one of the huge spiders on the wall. She

      quickly fought it off as Sam and Jane ran over to help her

      by setting fire to the creatures. As the creatures burned,

      Jane quickly grabbed Samantha by the hand and led her

      toward the hole in the wall.

      Suddenly the plant creatures pulled Jane by her legs

      and tossed her across the room like a paper doll. Jane was

      out for a minute, until Sam came to her aid, shooting fire

      at the creatures with an old bow and arrow that he had

      found in the temple. But, the creatures just kept on coming

      and attacking Sam and the others. Finally Sam grabbed ahold

      of Jane and dragged her out through the opening where

      Samantha was waiting.

      As soon as they were out of the temple, it began to

      crumble faster and faster, sending smoke and dust

      everywhere. Once outside, Sam and the others could see

      where they really were, and though the outside was

      flourishing with life, they were now at the home of the

      white rhino plant and the beast that protected it.

      Samantha quickly held onto the sword as her eyes gazed

      up toward the large beast. At the bottom of the hill,

      Samantha and the others could hear the chanting of the

      worshipers. Sam, Jane and Samantha quickly moved behind a

      large rock that sat a few feet away from the creature. They

      were all afraid, thinking of ways in which they could

      defeat this huge creature to get to the plant.

      Sam was fresh out of ideas; once again he began to

      doubt himself, and did not want to be responsible for any

      more lives lost. Then Jane took over and made up a plan.

      She now took the role of her husband as leader and

      protector of Baja. There was no more time for a pep talk,

      so she got everyone together and gave them the plan.

      Samantha was to cut the rhino plant while Sam and she

      distracted the beast.

      Everyone jumped into action, and as soon as they came

      from behind the rock, the monster was waiting for them. It

      stood many feet tall, with huge expandable wings that it

      opened and closed. Its mouth spew fire that would scorch

      the skin, it had horns coming out in all directions, and

      with its yellow cat-like eyes it glanced over Sam and the

      others. It was an unknown species of dragon; it seemed to

      be half-bat and half-dragon.

      This creature was nothing like what the locals had

      talked about, not even close. This dragon was huge, with a

      triangular tail that wrapped around its body, and black

      dirty and matted fur that was stuck to its skin. The beast

      glowed with red symbols when it gave out a loud roar.

      The chanters began to scatter as it caused rocks to

      crumble down the hillsides. The beast was tied to a heavy

      chain that prevented it from moving any distance. It opened

      up its large claw and then lashed out at Jane. She dove in

      between the creature's legs as she motioned to Samantha to

      get the plant.

      Samantha quickly jumped into action, using her ninja

      skills and leapt into the air. But the creature was not

      happy, and began to lash its tail at Jane, cutting her

      across the face and knocking her out. When Sam saw this, he

      quickly snapped out of his self-pity and ran to his wife's

      side, dragging her back behind the rock. Sam lunged at the

      monster with all of his force; the monster continued to

      roar and upset the rocks on the hill, which came tumbling

      down like an avalanche, running over most of the chanters.

      "Go for cover!" shouted one of the chanters.

      All the clan began to run, hiding behind huge trees

      and stones. Sam continued to punch the monster in its belly

      with all of his might. The monster continued to scream and

      moan, as it could not reach Sam. Finally the monster sent

      its tail under its belly, picked up Sam, and threw him

      across to the other side.

      Samantha had finally gotten to the beautiful flower;

      this was like no other plant. It was all white, made of the

      finest silk, its petals were big as elephant ears, and its

      stems were strong and muscular. At the end of the petals

      were rhino like horns that dripped some type of brown sap.

      Samantha pulled out the long sword and stood at a distance

      as she tried to cut the plant. It was not easy; it was as

      if Samantha was cutting into rock.

      Not paying attention, the monster came and hit

      Samantha over the head, sending her one way and the sword

      the other way. There was no stopping this creature, it was

      too big and they were outnumbered. Sam tried to talk to the

      creature in a calm voice and explain to it what they needed

      the plant for. But the creature was not in the mood to

      talk, and continued to kick Sam and the others around.

      Sam was frustrated and upset; with one final move, Sam

      jumped onto the creature's back and began stab it with the

      small knife that he had in his war shoes. The creature

      cried out and tried to wiggle Sam off, but Sam was not

      budging. Sam held onto the creature's fur with all of his

      might; not letting go, and continued to stab at the

      creature.

      From the creature's fur came a large flea that stuck

      its fang into Sam's shoulder. Sam shouted from the pain and

      his blood was everywhere. The huge flea began to drag Sam

      into its nest on the dragon. The nest was filled with

      hungry babies the size of horses. In pain, with the fangs

      of the flea still in his shoulders, blood began to pour

      from Sam, and the flea and her babies began to suck up the

      fresh blood.

      Sam shouted out for Samantha, who was still trying to

      recover from the hit of the dragon. Samantha got up, leapt

      into the air and onto the back of the dragon. She pulled

      out her sword and began to cut Sam out of the grip of the

      hairy flea. Once Sam was free, she slid down the back of

      the dragon and lay at the end of its tail.

      Trying to compose himself and catch his breath,

      Samantha was at the top of the dragon inside the nest of

      the fleas, killing and destroying all of them. It was a

      vile sight to see. Fleas had crawled under the dragon's

      skin and made it their home; there were millions of tiny

      eggs and thousand of them were about to hatch.

    />   As Samantha got rid of all the fleas, she noticed that

      the dragon was not moving or putting up a fight. She peeled

      her way out of the skin of the dragon, noticing the

      calmness and the non-movement. Samantha slid down the back

      of the dragon to find it lying peaceful on the ground,

      licking its paws and being content.

      Neither Samantha nor Sam could believe what their eyes

      were seeing. Sam quickly moved out of the way of the beast

      and went to check on his wife who was slowly coming out of

      her head injury. Samantha ran for the sword to cut the

      plant, and found herself face to face with the dragon. It

      looked Samantha in the eyes, and licked its yellow teeth as

      if it was preparing for dinner. Samantha pulled out the

      sword and held it up to the creature's face.

      The creature said. "I have been in pain for many, many

      years. All I needed was someone to remove my tormentors,

      and you did this kindness. I will always be grateful."

      Samantha and Sam were very surprised by the creature's

      attitude. For millions of years it was tormented by the

      huge fleas that were embedded underneath its skin, and the

      chanters made the fleas crawl more, and this made the

      dragon irritated.

      "You're very welcome," said Samantha.

      Then the dragon had one last favor, and that was to

      remove its bondage, which were the chains that kept it on

      the mountain. Samantha was a little skeptical and began to

      cut at the rhino plant before she let the dragon free.

      Samantha cut faster and faster at the plant, but it was

      very stubborn. Finally the dragon instructed Samantha on

      how to hold the sword and which way she needed to cut.

      "Face the sword west and cut at an angle," said the

      dragon.

      Samantha did not want to be tricked and continued

      cutting the way she was at first. When she found that it

      was not working, she then took the dragon's advice and cut

      in the manner that the dragon had suggested. Slowly

      Samantha could feel the blade penetrating the stem. She

      sliced the rhino plant in half, but with the first cut the

      plant began to die, and then everything started to die. The

      trees on the hills, even the grass began to whither faster

      and faster.

      Once Samantha noticed this, she called out to Jane.

      Still trying to recover from her hit, Jane was slowly

      coming around, but not fast enough. Sam picked up his wife

      and quickly carried her over to where Samantha and the

      plant stood.

      "Work your magic, honey," said Sam to Jane.

      Jane quickly stretched out her hands and laid them

      upon the rhino plant. Jane's thumbs turned green, and

      within a few seconds the plant grew right before their

      eyes; it became one again, its petals and stem grew

      stronger and stronger as it attached itself to the soil in

      the ground.

      A bright light appeared as the plant began to heal

      itself; the trees that were once dying began to flourish

      again. The grass became greener, and the plants grew wild.

      Jane gave all the energy she had left, and then passed out

      in her husband's arms. Jane had saved the rhino plant and

      possible Baja.

      Samantha kept her promise to the dragon and broke the

      chains that held the dragon to the top of the mountain.

      When Samantha cut the chains, she quickly stepped back,

      fearing that the dragon would attack, but it did not. It

      began to circle around like a dog chasing its tail, and

      then the dragon flew off into the air, opening its huge

      wings that blocked out the sun.

      A bright stream of light came out of the dragon's

      mouth and shot into the heavens; then, with a loud bang and

      a huge burst of colors into the air, the dragon came back

      down to where Samantha was. Still keeping her guard up,

      Samantha aimed her sword at the dragon. It shed all of its

      fur and muscles; out of the dragon came a primitive looking

      boy, slender in build, like that of a Native American.

      The young man never said a word, just ran away and

      disappeared into the forest. Samantha ran to see where the

      young man went, but never saw him again. His spirit was

      free, and he disappeared into the woods. As Samantha turned

      around to get a glimpse of the rhino plant once more, it

      also disappeared, and so did the carcass of the dragon. All

      that was left was an old wise saying: "Judge not by

      appearance, but by the action of your subject."

      All this time, many elders and citizens of Baja were

      judging the beast, but never took the time to ask why? And

      the answer was as simple as killing a few fleas. Millions

      had died because of the ignorance of many, but to Sam and

      Samantha this was a lesson well learned. With a few minutes

      to wrap their minds around everything that they had been

      through, Samantha gave a wild call to the large hawks that

      had dropped them off.

      Her call was not ignored, the hawks were on their way

      with plenty of other hawks to help transport them home.

      Samantha and Sam were glad to see their friends once more.

      They stood on the mountain top waving to the hawks as they

      circled around. The hawks flew down, scooping up Sam,

      Samantha and Jane. Jane was a little out of it, but was

      comforted by her husband.

      "Well done, well done," said the hawk to the remaining

      fighters.

      The hawk explained how the lands were now flourishing,

      but they needed to quickly plant the remaining half of the

      white rhino plant. Faster and faster the hawk flapped its

      wings, dipping and dodging through the clouds. Up, up and

      away the hawk went; it was in a hurry to let Jane heal and

      plant the white rhino plant.

      Soon Sam and the others began to drift off into a deep

      sleep. As the hawks flew vigorously through the air, Sam

      began to dream about all the things he had gone through,

      and began to see what scared him most. Sam began to twist

      and turn as he continued to dream; he thought of his

      brother, one he loved so much, and the one he might have to

      destroy in order to save Baja.

      Sam then saw a figure of his brother in his dreams.

      Marcus Carrot-Top was not happy with his brother, the

      ghostly figure of Marcus began to call Sam a loser, and

      that Sam could come and join him in the land of the wizards

      where he would never be exiled. Marcus began to show Sam of

      all the wealth and power his family could have, and with

      the two of them, they could take over Baja.

      But even in his sleep, Sam was a good man, and turned

      Marcus down; something Marcus did not accept too well and

      began to get angry with his brother.

      "Sam, you fool, Baja once exiled you and your family,

      and now you want to save them? You're a fool!" shouted

      Marcus to his brother as saliva spewed out of his mouth in

      anger.

      Sam begged his brother to stop, and come back to Baja

      where he could be a free man. Marcus refused and began to

      strangle Sam in his
    sleep. Sam quickly woke up to notice

      that they were still in the air. Then a big dip landing by

      the hawks woke Samantha and Jane. Everyone noticed that it

      was really bright and hot; it was so hot that Sam and the

      others could see the heat waves in front of them.

      The hawk instructed the three to walk through the

      heat. Holding Jane up, Sam and Samantha followed the hawk;

      it didn't seem to mind the heat, it seemed like it had been

      here before.

      "Hurry, quickly, just a few more steps," said the hawk.

     
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