Quest for the Arcane Crown by Yajat Sharma (good inspirational books TXT) 📕

well,” the Scavenger said. “Once you discover them, these powers will make each of you a very different being.”

“Sounds scary,” James shuddered.

“Believe me, it isn’t,” the Scavenger assured. “The Isle of the Beast is considered as one of the best places in the Dark World to awaken one’s hidden powers. But the process of awakening is tricky. If you survive the awakening, there will be a surprise waiting for you. But if you don’t…”

The Scavenger didn’t finish the sentence, but they knew what he meant… you die.

***

“Let’s take a break,” the Scavenger announced. “We are now moving towards the Isle of the Beast.”

The children felt like jumping with joy, except that they just didn’t have the energy. They collapsed under the shade of a tree.

After a brief rest, they started their journey. They walked for several hours and wanted to rest. But the Scavenger insisted they shouldn’t rest as the places weren’t safe.

“How much more to go?” Daniel asked wearily.

“About nine hours,” the Scavenger said, all pepped up.

“It’s almost dark. Let’s call it a day, please,” Daniel said. “We are exhausted. And you said that travelling in the night is dangerous.”

“Yes, but this place will be overrun with beasts soon. I know of a cave nearby where we can crash tonight. It’s about an hour away from here. Let’s go.”

The children groaned but got up.

They walked on for about fifteen minutes before another trouble approached them.

A creature, with long horns, a spiked tail and a scowling face tumbled out of the bushes. It smelled so bad that the children almost fainted. They quickly tied scarves around their noses.

“That’s a HIC!” the Scavenger said.

“Short for ‘Hygiene Is Crazy’?” Daniel asked.

“Hyper-Ingenious Creature!” the Scavenger replied.

As if on cue, the creature shrieked. “Cover your ears,” the Scavenger yelled.

The children covered their ears tight, but they could still hear faint music imploring them to sleep. They wanted to curl up and sleep for eternity…

“Don’t let it trap you,” the Scavenger shouted, breaking the trance. “Try not to listen to the music!”

The children used all their willpower to ignore the melody.

The Scavenger leapt and landed on the creature’s back, plunging his sword into its hide. The smelly thing shrieked, its sound tearing into the children’s eardrums and erupted into a cloud of dust.

“Let’s get out of here fast,” the Scavenger said, looking around cautiously. “The HIC’s shriek would have warned every being in the area. We have to run for the cave, quick.”

They had barely managed to make their way to the cave and were just about twenty feet or so away when they saw another creature, named, according to the Scavenger, Nose-Shooter. “Seriously, what kind of a name was that?” Archer thought.

The Scavenger explained to the children that a Nose- Shooter was harmless except for its teeth. If it caught you, it would devour you in one bite. It had a very thick hide, so it was difficult to attack it with any weapon, as nothing could harm its tough exterior. Naturally, the Nose-Shooter chased them.

“It cannot register turns made by its prey!” the Scavenger said, turning abruptly to the right.

The Nose-Shooter probably understood that the Scavenger was smart and it started to chase Daniel.

The Scavenger and Matt reached the cave. They both shouted words of encouragement as the others zigzagged their way to the cave. Archer and James entered the cave, panting a little.

Finally, Daniel leapt wildly inside the cave.

The Nose-Shooter didn’t follow them into the cave. He growled softly and then ran away.

“Well, it was a hard day,” the Scavenger said. “But now we are safe. It’s now safe to call it a day. Cheer up and rest.”

The children nodded and soon they were snoring.

Not long after, something roared from just outside the cave.

All of them sat up straight, pulling out their swords.

The Scavenger walked slowly towards the cave entrance as the children followed him. When they peeped outside, they came upon a shocking sight.

Two huge wicked monsters were fighting. The first one with a green face was bulky and robust, two horns protruding from its head. Its armoured body glowed orange. It had strange legs, looked like two slithering snakes below the knee and its feet were ashen black, covered with soot.

The second one was no less frightening. Its face was blue, and it wore grey armour. The sword and shield looked impressive on it.

“The bulky one is a Cave Troll, and the other one is a Brute Ogre. They are very rare to find, and they can’t stand each other. Whenever they see each other, they attack.”

The Ogre kicked the Troll in the chest, but the Troll hardly felt the blow. He brought down his spear and the Ogre blocked it with his shield. The Ogre swung his sword at the Troll’s head and the Troll ducked. The Troll jumped hard, dodging another strike and extending his legs and arms. His legs hit the Ogre on his head, making him fall to the ground.

“What do we do now?” Matt asked.

“See. We can’t intervene. I am friendly with both of them. Just wait for their fight to get over. It will not be long. The result is always the same. Both of them will get exhausted and leave in different directions. The only thing that we can do is to stay quiet and not let them know that we are watching.”

The children silently watched the fierce fight between the Troll and the Ogre. The Scavenger was right. After about an hour, both of them were so exhausted that, with a roar, they parted in different directions. The children heaved a sigh of relief and went back into the cave.

“We need to start early tomorrow. Take rest,” the Scavenger said. The children collapsed on the beds within no time.

6

Next morning, they all started for the Isle of the Beast.

After walking almost all afternoon, the Scavenger halted on top of a cliff and asked the children to look down below. It was a beautiful sight