DISCLAIMER: Di-Gata Defenders is own by Nelvana Enterainment and I do not make any profit from this story, it for fun

This story was originally made by Runty Grunty, the first eight chapters were written by him while the rest is written by me, he give me permission to finish this story because this story is so good it should be finish, and if you have a chance read Runty Grunty other Di-Gata Defender story DiGata Destroyer, originally name Sister of the Great Beast, in fact all his stores are good, now on to the first chapter.

Chapter 1: Enter Sonia, Archer of Ionith

The chirping of birds echoed through the trees of the Binn-Ar Woods. Thin rays of sunlight shone through the treetop canopy, leaving the forest quite dark, yet beautiful. All over, the trees had various Sigils and Henges adorning them, signs of their magical properties.

Within a small set of tall, slender trees, Erik looked about, as though searching for something. He had his tech gauntlet ready, but he wasn't being overly cautious, as he usually was in battle. Moreover, it was as though he was trying to remain silent.

A sound of rustling bushes caught his attention, but he did not move. The sound came from a set of bushes some distance before him. After a moment a hare slowly moved out of the bushes to eat some leaves. It didn't notice Erik as he slowly aimed his gauntlet at it.

"That's right…" Erik whispered, "Just hold still for a second. Huh?"

The hare had been alerted by something, and was now scurrying away. After a moment, Erik's sister Kara ran out of a set of trees, apparently chasing the hare.

"Hey, wait!" Kara said. "Come back!"

"Kara! What are you doing?!"

"Huh? Oh, Erik. Didn't see you there."

"Yeah, well you should have." Erik was quite aggravated at this point, but in more of an annoyed sense. "You just chased off our dinner!"

In a slightly mortified tone, Kara said, "What?! You were going to eat that cute little rabbit?"

"Hey, someone's gotta get food for us."

"And that involves killing a poor, helpless animal?"

Erik sighed and continued, "Animals eat other animals, Kara. It's part of nature. Doesn't matter now. Little critter's probably long gone."

"Well, you can save yourself the trouble of finding it again. There's a town nearby; Seth's planning to have us spend the night there."

Erik wanted to say something clever to his sister, but nothing came to him. After a moment, he sighed in defeat and said, "Fine. Have it your way. Let's get going."

Kara smiled triumphantly as she began striding off. After taking a few steps, though, she stopped upon hearing a loud growling sound.

Scoffing, Kara said, "Erik, I know you're upset, but will you quit growling at me?"

"I wasn't growling at you," Erik said casually. Obviously, he didn't know what Kara meant.

"Wait, if that wasn't you, then–"

A loud roaring sound behind Kara cut off her sentence. Terrified, she whipped around, and her eyes met those of a particularly large black bear, which towered over her at more than twice her height. It roared as it stood on its hind legs, its claws outstretched. It had a large Sum Sigil, the Sigil of Peace, on its chest and in between its eyes. It looked particularly angry.

Kara screamed in absolute terror as the bear raised a massive claw. She heard Erik shout and his gauntlet activate. Singeing Spar! A blade of fire shot forth, striking the bear. The bear roared as it stumbled backwards but it didn't fall over and did not seem badly injured by the spell. The bear lowered itself onto its four legs and continued to snarl as Erik ran forward.

Erik stopped in front of Kara and shouted, "You keep your claws off my sister, furball!"

At this, the bear roared angrily at Erik. Kara said nervously, "Um, Erik? I don't think you should've said that."

"Relax, I got it under control."

At that moment, the bear charged at Erik and Kara. The two dove to the sides as the bear ran past where they had last stood. It then stopped, turned toward Erik and charged at him. Erik raised his gauntlet for another spell. Constructor! A series of metallic plates flew at the bear, wrapping themselves around its neck. The plates formed a sort of conical collar around the bear's head. The bear started swinging its head around, attempting to get rid of the collar, but it held strong. Erik smiled triumphantly at the bear, but then the bear began running blindly in his direction, swinging its head to try and rid itself of the metal collar. Erik leapt out of the way just as the bear ran into a tree headfirst. The collar broke as the bear slammed into the tree, and the metal fragments clattered to the forest floor before vanishing.

Erik watched as the bear shook its head, and then turned toward him. It took a couple steps forward and rose up onto its hind legs in front of Erik, roaring with its claws outstretched.

"Oh boy, not good…" Erik said, slightly nervous. He then raised his gauntlet for another spell. "Forge Fi– AAGH!"

The bear struck Erik's shoulder with a massive claw, sending him sprawling across the forest floor. Erik stopped skidding several meters away from the bear, and he moaned painfully as he clutched his shoulder. There was a large scratch mark on his shoulder, which trickled with blood.

"ERIK!" Kara screamed.

As the bear began running on all fours toward Erik, Kara ran toward her brother, casting a spell. Mantle of Yin! A green tapestry made of energy flew forward, scooping Erik off the ground moments before the bear reached him. The tapestry hovered above the ground, out of reach of the bear. As the bear came to a stop it looked up at Erik. Realizing he was out of reach, and then noticing Kara, the bear turned towards her.

"Uh oh…" Kara gulped. As the bear slowly advanced towards her, she said, "Nice bear… nice bear…"

The bear roared, scaring Kara out of her wits. It then charged at her.

"KARA!" Erik yelled.

A flaming bolt of energy struck in front of the bear from above. Startled, the bear stumbled back. Kara did not waste time as she leapt back, her Power Boots allowing her to put a large amount of distance between herself and the bear.

"Whew," Kara gasped as she landed. "Thanks Erik!"

"Don't look at me," Erik shouted back, clutching his shoulder painfully.

"Huh?" Kara looked back at the spot where the flaming bolt had hit. There was a charred arrow in the ground where the bolt had struck. "An arrow?" Kara said, confused. She then looked up toward the source of the arrow.

Up in the trees there was a girl, about fifteen years old, perched on a thick branch. Her eyes were brown, and she had long emerald-colored hair braided in a ponytail with an orange cloth bandana over it. Her skin was quite dirty, but it looked as though she took good care of herself. Her outfit consisted of a brown leather vest with a brownish-orange short-sleeved shirt, an orange skirt with black stocking shorts underneath, open-fingered gloves, bracers, and brown leather boots. She had an elegant longbow in her hand, with a quiver of arrows on her back. The longbow had several Henges and Sigils adorning it, mainly consisting of the Nega Sigil, the Sigil of Force.

The girl leapt down from her branch, landing on several other branches as she made her way to the ground. As she landed, she stood up and drew an arrow to her bow. She drew the arrow back and the Henges and Sigils on her bow began to glow red. As she released the arrow, it became engulfed in magical flames and landed in front of the bear. The bear stumbled back again, but then it became angry and snarled at the girl.

Worried, Kara said to the girl, "Um, maybe you should aim a little higher?"

"I'm not trying to hit it," the girl said. Her voice was quite stern, yet slightly warm in tone. She continued, "I just wanna scare it off."

"Well, I don't think its working."

At that moment, the bear began to charge at the girl. Acting immediately, she pulled out a set of spell stones from a pouch on her belt and cast a spell. Leaf Storm! A flurry of razor sharp leaves flew at the bear, engulfing it. The leaves cut away at the bear's fur, forcing it to back away. As the bear stood on all fours snarling at the girl, she pulled out a guardian stone and cast it. Furion, Nature's Wrath! A great silver stag appeared in front of the girl, a Henge of Sum and Ogama on its forehead. The stag was wrapped in thorns and brambles, as though they were part of its fur. Its many antlers were also covered in brambles, and all around its body there was a silvery mist.

The girl then shouted, "Drive it off!"

The stag lowered its head toward the bear and began to gallop towards it. The bear reared up to defend itself, but the stag's antlers caught it in the side and sent it staggering backwards. The bear got back up and then tried to move toward Kara and the girl, but each time it tried the stag pushed it back with its antlers or got in its way. Eventually, the bear stopped trying and began to wander off into the woods, having lost interest in the Defenders and the girl.

Relieved that the bear was leaving, Kara sighed in relief and sat down. She then turned to look at the stag as it trotted over to its owner. The girl stroked the stag's head for a moment, and then the stag vanished, the guardian stone reappearing in the girl's hand.

Above the scene, Erik kept his eyes on the girl. Absentmindedly, he said, "Wow …" to himself. He clearly was fascinated with the girl, but it was more than just being impressed. He then re-realized the pain in his shoulder, and clutched it.

As the green tapestry supporting Erik descended, Kara ran up to her brother and said in a concerned tone, "Erik, are you okay?"

"Ugh, I've been better."

"Erik! Kara!" came Seth's distant voice.

A moment later, Seth and Melosa ran onto the scene. Seth's right arm still sported Kragus' hard rock shell, as did his chest and parts of his face. Melosa almost shrieked upon seeing Erik's wound and ran over to him.

"Are you alright, Erik?" Mel said. "What happened?"

"They had a bit of a run-in with a local Sumite Bear," said the girl as she slung her bow over her shoulder. "They can be really dangerous when they get angry."

"Yeah, well then why were you trying to just make it leave?" Kara said irately.

At that moment, the girl pointed toward the bear, which was still visible walking through a set of trees. After a second, it was joined by a much smaller bear. It then dawned on Kara what the girl meant.

"It– it's a mother…"

The girl nodded affirmatively. She then said, "Imagine what it would be like, losing your only family when they're trying to protect you. It would be so difficult to live with such a thing."

The other Defenders lowered their heads as gloomy expressions appeared on their faces. All of them were thinking about the mysterious losses of their parents.

The girl then continued in a saddened whisper, "I know what that feels like."

"What do you mean?" Kara asked, somewhat surprised.

"What? Oh, never mind." The girl then walked over to Erik and kneeled beside him as she said, "Let me take a look at that wound."

Erik slowly showed her the claw scratch in his shoulder. The girl reached over to a nearby bluish-green herb and plucked a few small sparkling leaves with Yin Sigils on them from it. She then placed the leaves over Erik's wound, to which he yelped in pain.

"Oh quit crying, you big baby!" the girl said. "It'll only sting for a bit, and it'd be a lot worse without it." She then turned to Mel and said, "Got any bandages?"

"Uh, yeah, just a sec."

Melosa fished out a set of bandages from her pack and handed them to the girl. The girl then proceeded to wrap them around the herbs covering Erik's wound.

As she finished wrapping up Erik's shoulder she said, "That should do it. How does it feel?"

"It still hurts like crazy," Erik whined.

"Good. That means the Yinweed is working. Still, you'll need to rest that arm for a bit. My hometown of Ionith is nearby. He can get some rest there."

"We were just headed to Ionith for the night," Seth said. "I guess we'll be there for a while. Erik's not going anywhere with his arm like that."

"Don't worry. It should only take the night for the Yinweed to work. But still, you're welcome to stay at the inn for the night. If you'll just follow me…" The girl turned to lead the Defenders off into the forest, but then turned and said, "Oh, by the way, the name's Sonia. And…" At this point, she looked toward Seth and Melosa and continued, "I don't believe I know your names."

"I'm Seth."

"Melosa. Call me Mel."

"Alright then, now that we have that out of the way, if you'll just follow me."

Sonia turned back toward the woods and led the Defenders out towards Ionith.

The town of Ionith was much smaller than the Defenders had expected. It was really more of a small village with only a few houses and huts. A few large stones were arrayed in one part of the village, which obviously was meant as a magical reservoir. The largest building, an inn, had several lights on inside, dimly illuminating the coming night around the building. And all around the village, trees marked with Sigils littered the streets, taller than the buildings. Their height seemed to indicate an old age.

The Defenders, led by Sonia, entered the village, with Seth carrying an injured Erik on his shoulder. As they approached the inn, a woman who looked in her late-fifties appeared at the front door.

As the woman noticed Sonia and the Defenders she said, "Oh, Sonia. You're late this evening. Who are these young ones?"

Gesturing to the Defenders, Sonia said, "Nani, these are the Di-Gata Defenders."

"Defenders? I had thought that they had all been wiped out twelve years ago."

"Well, you could consider us their legacy," Mel said.

"It is such an honor to be in the presence of the new generation of Di-Gata Defenders," Nani said. Then, upon noticing Erik she said, "Oh my, that wound looks terrible."

"Our resident Sumite Bear had a bit of a scuffle with him," said Sonia.

"Oh dear. I certainly hope you did not harm her."

"Don't worry, Nani. She's probably asleep right now in her cave with the little one."

"That's good to know."

"Hey!" Erik interrupted. "I was the victim there!"

"Well, maybe you should've been more careful, big boy," Sonia said jokingly.

"Now, Sonia, that's quite enough. Come on in, Defenders. I'll get some food and beds ready for you."

"But we don't have any money," Kara interrupted.

"Oh, never you worry about it. Please, come in before you catch a cold out here."

Nani gestured the Defenders and Sonia inside. Erik and Seth had some difficulty getting inside due to Erik's injury and Seth's stone arm.

The interior of the inn was of an old flavor, with several stones lighting up the rooms. Most of the room was wooden, but the wood had Sigils lining it to suggest strong foundations. There weren't too many decorations, aside from animal mounts and a few furs. As the Defenders, Nani and Sonia entered, Mel helped Erik into a chair.

The others took seats, except for Seth, who seemed hesitant. Mel turned toward him and said, "Come on, Seth. Have a seat."

"I think I'll just sit on the floor, thanks."

"Huh?"

"He's worried he'll break one of the chairs," Sonia said, a hint of smug amusement in her voice. As she finished, she slapped her hand hard down on the chair next to Seth and said, "A man twice your weight or size wouldn't break one of these things, Seth. Don't worry about it."

Seth hesitated for a moment, but took a seat. As Sonia had assured, the chair did not break; it barely even creaked. Relieved at this, Seth stretched his arms behind his head. He quickly regretted it, though, as the chair tipped backwards and he comically fell on his back. Everyone else laughed at his predicament.

As Sonia stopped her chuckles, she turned toward Erik and said, "Your friend's not all that bright, is he?"

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Erik whispered in a slightly boastful tone. "I mean, yeah, sometimes he does some pretty stupid things–"

"HEY! I heard that!" Seth shouted.

"Didn't mean anything by that, Seth," Erik returned.

Sonia laughed for a moment before saying, "So, what brings you four to this area?"

The Defenders did not answer immediately. Melosa looked over at Seth, who had finished putting his chair back into place. He looked back, as though trying to decide what to say through facial gestures. They were unsure whether to trust Sonia with such delicate information; in truth, they were heading to find the Yin Pure Stone. The problem was the Defenders felt they couldn't trust Sonia with such information, as they had just met her.

Upon realizing what Seth and Melosa were doing, Sonia said, "I'll guess you're not really at liberty to tell me, then? That's alright, especially if it's one of those 'the less I know, the better' situations."

"No, no, it's not that at all," Erik said, though his tone was unconvincing. Then, in a tone of guilt, Erik said, "Okay, it's pretty much like that."

"That's alright. I understand."

At that moment, Nani returned from the inn's kitchen supporting a number of bowls of an unknown steaming stew. The Defenders found the aroma quite desirable. As she set down the bowls, the Defenders set about having their fill, which they found very tasty. Seth had some difficulty at first trying to use his giant stone arm, but managed to overcome this by using his left arm, which was still human. Sonia noticed the difficulty Seth had, and wanted to ask him about the stone arm, but something told her asking wouldn't be a smart idea.

After a moment, Kara broke the silence by asking, "Say, Sonia, what's with the bow?"

"This?" Sonia replied, gesturing to the bow that stood on an angle by her side, resting against the table. "It used to belong to my father. He taught me everything I know about being a hunter."

Mel then said, "Those Henges and Sigils engraved on it– are they some kind of enchantment?"

"Yup. The bow is strengthened from protection Henges, so it won't break easily. And it allows me to shoot arrows imbued with raw Sigil energy. It comes in handy when it comes to taking on the bigger animals out there. Or monsters, for that matter."

"Monsters?" Kara asked, intrigued.

"Sometimes we get an occasional Gizzlie or something else in the area," Nani interjected. "It is nothing that neither Sonia, nor her father could not handle."

"Your father must have been quite the hunter, Sonia," Erik said.

"Gerard was a good man. He could always be counted on to provide the village with food from hunting, and was a stalwart protector of our village. Everyone in the community loved him."

"Yeah," Sonia replied, but now her voice had started to tremble slightly. "That was dad, alright."

"Sonia?" Erik asked, somewhat concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm– I'm fine. Excuse me."

Sonia got up from her chair, walked over to a nearby staircase leading to an upper floor and ascended it, the Defenders watching her all the while. She seemed disheartened by something, but was doing a very good job not to show her sorrow. The Defenders knew, however, what she was feeling.

Seth was the first to ask the question on their minds: "Nani, what exactly happened to Sonia's father?"

As though expecting the question, Nani said, "It's not something you should get involved in, Defenders. I could never ask you to trouble yourselves with a matter like this."

"We all know what it's like to lose loved ones," Mel said. "Please, tell us what happened. Maybe we can help."

Nani hesitated for a moment before saying, "Very well, but please do not speak about it around Sonia. It has been so hard on her."

Nani slowly took Sonia's empty seat as the Defenders all looked intently at her.

"It happened about a year ago. Gerard was out with Sonia on one of their usual trips into the woods they would take daily. Gerard was instructing Sonia on how to be a hunter. It should've been like any other day. If only it weren't for that beast, Korgall…"

"Korgall?" Erik said. "Who's that?"

"He is an ogre that took residence in this region about two years ago. The savage beast has been tearing apart areas of the forest ever since he moved into the area, and has slowly been scaring away all of the wildlife in the region. Soon, there will be nothing left for us to live off of."

"You were telling us about what happened a year ago?" Seth interrupted.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Yes, Sonia and her father were on one of their usual hunting trips when they met up with that foul monster, Korgall. Gerard… fought the beast to allow Sonia to live."

"Dad died to save me from him…" came Sonia's voice. The Defenders turned to see her at the stairs. Tears were now streaming down her face. Her tone then turned to anger as she said, "Korgall killed my dad, and we had done nothing to offend him in any way!"

At this moment, Sonia reached up and loosened the collar of her tunic slightly, just enough to reveal a scar that seemed to run across her left shoulder near her neck. It was highly noticeable amongst her other cuts in that it seemed much deeper, more permanent, and more disfiguring. The scar looked as though its originating blow should have been fatal, but the fact that Sonia was showing it proved it hadn't been.

"This mark is a reminder of that day, when Korgall killed my father and tried to kill me as well," Sonia continued. Her voice was a mixture of anger and tears. She removed her hand from her collar to hide the scar once again, and then almost shouted, "Someday, when I'm strong enough, that bastard will pay for dad's death!" Sonia then stormed out of the inn into the dark night.

"Sonia!" Nani shouted, but there was no reply. After a moment, Nani reluctantly shut the door.

After a few seconds, Mel asked, "How did Sonia survive?"

"Gerard's guardian, Furion, brought Sonia back to us," Nani said. "She was badly injured, and had her father's bow with her covered in blood. When I saw this, I knew Gerard was dead. Sonia took the knowledge of her father's death quite badly, but she slowly recovered from her injuries. At least physically; she still hasn't gotten over her father's death."

"Well, I dunno," Erik said. "She seemed like she was doing well back in those woods."

"She would call that training."

"Huh?"

"Sonia has been set on avenging her father ever since that day. She goes out every morning into the woods to train, both in magic and her hunting skills. Though I would normally applaud her for this initiative, the purpose of her training makes me fear for her. I fear that the loss of her father at the hands of Korgall has caused her to be obsessed with revenge. And I fear that such an obsession may get her killed."

"Professor Alnar always taught us about how revenge can be so destructive emotionally," Seth said. "But I can also see Sonia's reason."

"What, so you agree with her?" Mel asked.

"No, no, I didn't mean that. I just mean if I were in her shoes, I admit I'd want revenge as well. I mean, she watched her father die at the hands of a monster; that's pretty hard to take."

At that moment, Erik slowly got to his feet. The others looked to him immediately.

"Erik, sit down!" Kara hissed.

"It's alright, Kara. My arm doesn't really sting that much anymore. I just wanted to go see if Sonia was alright."

Erik slowly moved his way to the door and walked out into the cold night. The sky was littered with stars, and the moons of Rados shone their light down upon the land, illuminating the darkness. From inside the inn, Erik could hear his friends continue to speak with Nani, but what they were saying was unclear to him. He looked down the dirt street and saw a small building with a dim light emanating from its windows. He headed toward it. As he neared the small hut, though, he heard the faint sound of someone crying; he immediately knew who it was.

Erik slowly moved to the door and quietly pried it open. Lying on a bed with her head buried in her arms, Sonia was sobbing uncontrollably, but quietly. Erik hesitated for a moment to go to her side, but then took a few steps toward her.

At that moment, Sonia said amidst her sobs, "Leave me alone, Nani! Please, just–"

"Sonia, it's me." Erik replied.

"Erik… Get out… Please… I just want to be alone…"

Erik did not leave, but walked over to the side of Sonia's bed and sat down.

"Sonia, I know what it's like to lose a loved one. Kara and I lost our mom and dad twelve years ago, and we don't even know how they died. All we know is that they died to protect us and all of Rados. I barely got to know my parents, and Kara was only a baby when they died. Ever since then, I've had to look after her as a brother and, in a way, a father. If anything, I envy you, Sonia."

At this last sentence, Sonia looked up at Erik, who quickly thought he had made a big mistake. Sonia did not appear angered, but mystified by what Erik had said. She said, "What do you mean, Erik?"

"Well, you got to spend a lot of time with your father. He taught you just about everything you know, and was your family for most of your life. But Kara and I, we only had Seth, Mel and Professor Alnar as our family. As much as we consider them family, it isn't the same as having a mother and father to raise you. You're lucky to have had that."

"If you're trying to make me feel worse, Erik, you're doing a good job!" Sonia barked angrily. "I did have all that, but it was taken away from me. Taken by that monster, and someday I'll kill him for it!"

"Sonia, you can't let the thought of revenge consume you like that," Erik said calmly. "Professor Alnar always taught us–"

"I wasn't raised by your professor, Erik!" At that moment, Sonia realized her tone and said more softly, "I'm sorry Erik, but please, just don't get involved in this."

The two looked at each other for a moment, and then Erik got to his feet and left the cabin. Sonia turned her head to look at the starry night, deep in thought, her face still soaked with tears.

The next morning came with a bright sun and a smell of mildew in the air. At the inn the Defenders had slept peacefully, except for Erik. He had stayed awake for a long time the previous night, deep in thought over the discussion he had with Sonia. It showed as well; by morning he was a mess. Though his injuries had healed, his face was pale and he had shadows under his eyes.

"Wow Erik," Melosa commented as the Defenders were packing. "You look terrible."

"Uh… had trouble sleeping. It's nothing."

Erik's mind wasn't entirely on his pack, though. He kept thinking about how Sonia seemed so set on the thought of revenge. The prospect of it gave him a twinge of fear about what could happen to her if the thought of vengeance consumed her.

Soon the Defenders were outside, about to leave Ionith and to continue their quest for the Yin Pure Stone. Nani had met them outside, but Sonia was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Nani," Kara asked, "where's Sonia?"

"She went into the woods about an hour ago as she usually does. She probably won't be back until it's late."

"Oh… well, we really wanted to–"

"I shall extend your thanks to her, young Defenders. And you are always welcome here."

"We're really grateful for your hospitality," Mel said. "Maybe we could come back some–"

Mel was cut off by the distant sound of an explosion. The Defenders instantly turned to the source of the sound, seeing it was coming from deep inside the forest.

"What was that?" Kara said.

"Korgall…" Nani replied. "That monster has returned."

"Wait a second, Sonia's out there," Erik added. "What if she– Oh, man…!"

Erik ran over to his Stormer and rode off into the woods as Seth called, "Erik, wait!"

Erik did not listen to Seth, though. As he vanished into the trees, Seth remarked on how this was unusual of Erik. He normally was a planner, and didn't just charge into things if he could help it. That was normally something Seth himself did.

"Come on!" Seth said to the girls.

They all mounted their Stormers, but just as they were about to chase Erik, Nani shouted, "Defenders, if you see Sonia, please bring her back. She is more than likely to attack Korgall upon seeing him. But I do not want to lose her like we lost Gerard."

"We'll do everything we can," Seth said. The Defenders then sped off after Erik and toward the source of the battle.

Deep in the forest, Sonia ran for cover as a massive club swung over her head and smashed into a tree next to her, breaking its trunk in a shower of splinters. She continued to run for a few seconds, then turned and looked at her opponent. The ogre Korgall was a massive beast, vaguely humanoid, and at least ten times Sonia's size. Despite his great girth, Sonia knew well that most of the ogre was pure muscle. Over his tough hide, which was covered in Dako Sigil tattoos, Korgall wore a large raiment of armor made chiefly from animal hides. His chest and belly was guarded by metal plate armor that was held together by chains. Korgall's mouth showed several fanged teeth that jutted out like tusks, and his forehead had a large horn protruding out of it. His hands had long claw-like nails, which were unkempt, with a huge but badly made wooden club in his right hand. His beady red eyes looked down at Sonia, though the expression on his face implied the ogre had little intelligence. Sonia knew, though, that though Korgall was for the most part dumb, he wasn't brainless.

Korgall slowly stumbled forward as he said in a deep, dim-witted voice, "Stupid human girl has come to avenge stupid man. Korgall will crush you like he crush stupid man."

"You bastard!"

Infuriated, Sonia cast a spell. Leaf Storm! The energies of her spell flowed into Sonia's hand as she set her hand to her bowstring. The energies seemed to form an arrow of energy. Sonia drew back the arrow and released it, and it split into hundreds of small energy arrows that careened at Korgall. The attack struck him head on, causing him to roar as it made him stumble backwards slightly. As it finished, however, Korgall loudly guffawed as he lumbered forward, unfazed by Sonia's spell.

"Little human girl cannot hurt Korgall with weak tricks."

Korgall roared as he charged forward and swung his club at Sonia. Sonia dodged the strike, but the sheer force of the blow knocked her away. Sonia tripped on a tree root, dropping her spell stones, and fell on her back. She looked up as Korgall turned toward her. He grinned evilly as he reached out a gigantic hand to crush Sonia.

Singeing Spar! A blade of fire shot out from the trees and struck Korgall's hand, setting it aflame. He howled as he withdrew his hand and attempted to douse it by waving it around in the air. Erik ran onto the scene and moved next to Sonia.

"Are you alright?"

"Erik… What are you–"

"Nani would kill us if we didn't bring you back alive."

The sound of Korgall roaring angrily turned their attention to him. He had doused his flaming hand with his breath, and now looked furiously at Erik with his beady red eyes.

"Stay out of this, Erik. This is between me and Korgall."

"Sonia, you can't do this! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

"I SAID STAY OUT OF THIS!"

Sonia shoved Erik aside as she stood up, grabbing her bow and spell stones. She ran in a flanking maneuver around Korgall and cast another spell. Spore Cloud! A cloud of spores materialized and enveloped the ogre. Choking slightly as he inhaled the spores, Korgall's movements became stiff and slow from the debilitating spell. Sonia took advantage of the moment and shot several flaming arrows at Korgall, but they barely caused him to flinch. His hide was just too tough. Sonia tried another spell. Inferno's Embrace! The energies of the spell combined with an arrow Sonia set to her bow. She shot the arrow, and it exploded as it struck Korgal. The ogre stumbled, but took little damage from the shot. The spore cloud soon dissipated.

Angered, Korgall swung his hand toward Sonia, casting a crudely-made booster stone. A blast of raw Dako energy shot out, which Sonia barely dodged. The attack struck a tree and it toppled over, its trunk blown to splinters. On the side, Erik raised his gauntlet and shot out his guardian stone. Robotus, activate! Erik's robotic guardian took its standard form. It raised its arm, which morphed into a blaster, and opened fire on Korgall, but it was ineffective. He noticed, however, and was noticeably angered.

"Tin man make Korgall mad. Korgall crush tin man! RAARRR!"

The ogre rushed at Robotus and swung his club at the guardian's head. Robotus tried to catch the blow, but it was too strong. Robotus was knocked to the ground, several parts damaged. Korgall grabbed Robotus by its legs and swung it around like a rag doll. The damage proved too much, and Robotus vanished, its guardian stone returning to Erik. Korgall then swung his club at Erik, striking next to him and knocking him away with the sheer force of the blow. Erik landed next to a tree and slowly pushed himself to his feet.

"Erik!" came Seth's voice from the side.

Erik looked to see Seth rush at Korgall, casting a spell. Twisting Chaos! Multiple threads of black energy appeared and wrapped themselves around Korgall's head, blinding the ogre.

"Nice shot, Seth," Erik complimented.

Seth did not respond to it, however, and for good reason. Korgall quickly tore off the threads and glared at Seth angrily. He roared as he swung his club at Seth, who raised his stone arm to challenge the ogre's weapon. The two strikes met, with Seth barely holding back the ogre. Seth then batted away the club and moved to strike the ogre with a fist, but Korgall swung a hand at Seth, trying to swat him away. The two blows met, with neither gaining an edge.

"You small, but you strong," Korgall said. "This be fun."

Korgall's hand gripped around Seth's fist and pulled hard, swinging Seth around for a moment before tossing him. Seth crashed into a tree and landed upside down in its branches. He struggled to get free, but found his stone arm was stuck on a thick branch.

"Aw, damn it…" Seth groaned.

At that moment, Mel and Kara entered the area.

"Kara, combine spells!" Mel said.

"You got it!" the blond Defender responded.

Tornado! Frigid Tempest! The two spells combined together. Frozen Twister! A tornado formed from icy wind spun forth and struck Korgall. Unfortunately, the ogre barely felt the hit, his thick hide making the cold ineffective. The ice was also unable to freeze him, his movements being too strong to freeze solid. Korgall noticed the attack, though, and turned around toward the two girls. He was laughing, deep and brainlessly.

"That tickle."

Korgall swung a hand and cast another set of crude booster stones. The energy blasts struck near Mel and Kara, though the explosions were enough to knock them off-balance for a moment. Korgall took a swing at Kara, but the Defender jumped over the attack with her Power Boots and landed on a tree branch. A moment later, Kara shrieked as Korgall struck the tree with his club, causing it to topple over. Kara landed along with the tree in a daze.

Mel cast another spell at Korgall. Frost Blast! An ice ball struck Korgall in his beady eyes, making him snarl as he cleared his eyes of ice. He swung his club quickly at Mel with several strokes, and one swing brushed Mel. The blow was enough to send her several meters back, knocking her senseless.

"Mel!" Erik shouted. Angered, Erik raised his gauntlet and shouted, "Flaming Spi–"

"Out of my way!"

Sonia had angrily pushed Erik aside, interrupting his spell, and cast a spell of her own. Forest Grip! Vines began to spring up from the ground and started to entangle Korgall's feet. Noticing the vines, Korgall thrashed around and broke free of the spell. Roaring, Korgall took a two-handed swing at Sonia, too quickly for her to dodge. Sonia screamed.

Without thinking, Erik jumped in front of her and cast a set of shield stones. Fortify Fortress! The powerful shield attempted to form, but Korgall struck it before the spell could finish. The incomplete shield broke, and Korgall's attack continued onward to strike Erik and Sonia, though Erik took most of the hit. Both were knocked aside and lost consciousness. Erik landed in a set of bushes, out of Korgall's sight.

Korgall laughed loudly, enjoying the pain he was causing. He lumbered over toward Sonia, reached down, and grasped the green-haired girl in his massive hand.

"Humans weak, Korgall strong. Korgall feast on weak girl human meat."

Korgall began to lumber off into the woods with Sonia in his grip. As he did, however, Kara jumped onto his head and began to tug at his ears. Roaring, Korgall dropped his club and swung his free hand about his head, trying to swat Kara off. One swing brushed her, knocking Kara into a fallen tree stump. She hit her head on hard wood and slumped over, stunned.

Laughing, Korgall swung Sonia's limp body over his shoulder and picked Kara up in his large hand. He then said, "You small, but you be good snack for Korgall."

"Huh? What?! No! Let me go! LET ME GO!"

Kara continued to scream for help as Korgall brought her away into the woods, but it was no use. Soon, Korgall became annoyed with her and tightened his grip, squeezing the air out of Kara and nearly crushing her. Unable to breath, Kara soon passed out. Korgall continued into the woods, causing the ground to shake with each step he made.

"Erik? Erik! Erik, wake up!"

"Uh…"

Erik slowly stirred from unconsciousness to see Seth and Mel staring down at him. He was laid on his back, but quickly rose up and looked around, concerned.

"What happened? Where's Korgall?"

"He's gone," Seth answered. "So are Kara and Sonia."

"What? Kara? KARA?!"

Erik looked around frantically, trying to find some sign of his little sister. There was nothing.

"Erik, this is all we found…" Mel said gravely.

Erik turned and saw Mel had Kara's spell stone pouch in one hand, and Sonia's Sigil Bow in the other. This sent a terrible chill down Erik's spine; wherever they were, the two girls were defenseless against the mighty ogre. He took Kara's pouch in his hands and stared down at it, gravely concerned for his little sister's safety.

"That monster! When I get my–"

"Don't worry, Erik," Seth interrupted. "We'll find them. It shouldn't be that hard."

Seth then gestured to a trail of huge footprints that led out of the area. Almost instinctively, Erik sped off and began following the trail.

"Erik, wait up!" Seth shouted, but Erik didn't listen.

Seth started to try and follow Erik, but stopped when Melosa said, "Hey, Seth? Does it seem like Erik's acting a little strangely?"

"What do you mean? Kara's in trouble, it's not something we haven't seen from Erik before."

"Well, this seems to be more than just Kara-in-trouble Erik."

The meaning of this soon caught on, and Seth answered with a very drawn out, "Ohhhh…." A few seconds later, Seth regained himself and said to Mel, "We'll worry about that later. Come on."

Seth took off after Erik, Melosa in tow.

Sonia groaned as she slowly stirred into consciousness. The first thing she saw was Kara's youthful face looking down at her.

"Sonia? Are you alright?"

"Not really. Uh… my head…"

Sonia pushed herself up and put a hand to her forehead. She then looked up and became aware of their surroundings.

The two girls were in a small, badly made metal cage that stood on the ground. The cage was strong enough, however, to contain the two of them. They were in a large dark cave, illuminated only by a fire in the middle of it. The floor was covered in bones and other junk, and the ground was cracked in all areas. The air was hot and stuffy, making it hard to breathe.

"Where are we, Kara?"

"If I had to guess, Korgall's home. It sure smells like him in any case." Kara paused for a moment, then in a scared tone continued, "What's he gonna do to us?"

"I'd say we're his dinner this evening."

"WHAT?! He's gonna EAT us?!"

"Ogres are cannibals. They'll eat just about anything made of meat, and that includes us."

Kara, her face turning a sickly white, slumped over and held her head between her knees.

"It doesn't look like he's here now, though," Sonia added.

"If only I hadn't dropped by stones," Kara moaned.

"I have mine, but they haven't recharged yet and my dad's bow is gone. I wouldn't last against Korgall for long."

"Hey Sonia, what exactly happened to your dad?" Sonia was stunned that Kara would ask such a question, let alone at that time. Kara noticed and quickly said, "Sorry! I mean, if you don't want to talk about it–"

"No, it's alright; though I would've thought Nani would've told you the details."

"Well, she did. But I want to know about it from your point of view. You were there, after all."

Sonia did not say anything for a moment, but then said, "Okay. My dad and I were out on a usual hunting trip we used to take daily. He was training me for when I'd have to take over his position. Then, without warning, we were both attacked by Korgall."

Sonia's mind flashed back to the horrific memory as she continued to narrate the story, with Kara listening intently.

"Sonia, run! Get out of here, now!"

It was a year prior. A tall, strong man in his late-thirties with a short brown beard and similar brown hair stood protectively in front of his fourteen-year-old daughter. Sonia stood several meters behind her father, and could only watch in terror as the massive form of an ogre charged forward, roaring as it readied a large wooden club.

"Korgall smash puny humans!" the ogre roared.

Sonia's father, Gerard, shot several magically enhanced arrows at the beast, but Korgall barely flinched. Korgall swung at Gerard, who dodged the blow barely, and used the trees to gain an advantage in height. Gerard cast a spell at Korgall. Immolation! A stream of intense fire scorched Korgall, but the attack only angered the ogre. Korgall swung his club and smashed apart the tree Gerard was perched on, but the ranger had already jumped to another tree. Korgall continued to chase Gerard, smashing apart trees with ease. Gerard continued to rain arrows down at the ogre, but it had little effect.

Korgall swung at another tree Gerard was perched on, smashing the trunk to splinters, but Gerard had already leapt toward another tree branch. Before he could land, however, Korgall cast a set of crude booster stones at Gerard's target tree, blowing apart the tall trunk. Gerard lost his balance as he landed and fell to the ground.

"DAD!" Sonia screamed.

Gerard got up, but Korgall was already in mid-swing at him. Gerard reflexively cast his shield stones. Vanguard Aegis! An energy wall appeared to block Korgall's attack, but since it was made hastily it broke with one strike. Korgall quickly followed up his first attack with a large swat. The blow sent Gerard careening across the forest floor.

With a laugh, Korgall advanced on Gerard. As the ogre approached him, though, Sonia ran forward and tried to cast a spell. Blinding Blaze! The energies of the spell surged forth, but to Sonia's horror she had miscast the spell. Brilliant violet flames spread out in all directions, out of Sonia's control, causing nearly everything to catch fire. Korgall turned to see the flames spread wildly, including in his direction. The ogre positioned one of his massive arms and blocked a stream of fire with it, taking little damage. Though unharmed, Korgall was angered and lumbered toward Sonia.

As the fires spread around the area, Gerard got up and quickly cast a spell. Tranquility! A shower of rain started, dousing the flames.

As the fires died away, Gerard shouted, "Sonia, I told you to get out of here!"

Sonia did not move. The sight of Korgall turning his attention to her petrified the green-haired girl in fear. Korgall laughed as he pulled out a crudely made spell stone and cast it. The energies formed a crescent moon-shaped blade that shot at Sonia. Sonia gasped breathlessly as the attack struck her left shoulder, slashing it as though she had been struck by a sword. She staggered for a moment, and then collapsed onto her back, lying on the ground motionlessly as blood seeped from her shoulder.

"SONIA!" Gerard shouted.

Gerard cast a spell at Korgall. Toxic Thorn! A series of poisonous needles struck Korgall. Unfortunately, his hide was too tough and most of the needles broke or bounced off him. Korgall laughed as he swung around and struck Gerard again with his club. Gerard flew several meters, but got to his feet shortly after he landed. He tried to ready his bow again, but Korgall was already upon him. The ogre kicked Gerard with a massive foot, knocking the longbow out of his hands. Gerard tried to get up again, bleeding in several spots. Korgall reached down and grabbed Gerard, then flung him across the burnt forest floor.

Gerard again attempted to get up. As he did, Korgall laughed at the top of his massive lungs and bellowed, "You strong human. You fun to fight. You fun to kill. But now you die, and Korgall win!"

Korgall cast several spell stones in one attack, creating a massive energy blast. The blast struck home, causing a powerful explosion as it hit Gerard. The forest ranger yelled as the energies engulfed him, the explosion creating a thick cloud of dust and ash.

The cloud soon passed. Gerard lay on the ground, motionless. The mighty ogre Korgall laughed loudly as he stormed off into the woods, amused and satisfied with his victory.

A few minutes after Korgall left, Gerard slowly stirred and turned toward his daughter, who was slowly bleeding to death on the ground. Fighting through his own injuries, he reached into his pouch and pulled out a green Champion stone with the Henge of Infinis and Sum on its sides. Using the last of his strength, he cast the stone at his daughter. Gift of Gaia! Green energies began to enter Sonia's body, healing her injuries. The wound in her shoulder healed, but Sonia was still stained with blood. The spell finished as her wounds healed, the large wound in her shoulder now a scar. Relieved that his daughter would live, Gerard slumped onto his back, the last of his strength leaving him.

Sonia slowly stirred and pushed herself up. She clutched her shoulder, still feeling pain from the scar. The realization of what had happened then struck her like lightning, and she quickly looked around for her father. She then saw him, and what she saw horrified her.

"Dad? DAD?"

Sonia rushed over to her father's side. Distraught at her father's severe injuries, Sonia searched around for anything she could use to treat her father. There was nothing; everything around her was ash and where there was once life stood death. She then saw her father's Champion stone on the ground, the Growth Stone; to her dread, Sonia realized that he had used his only chance to survive to save her life.

Gerard slowly stirred and looked up at his daughter. "So– Sonia…" Gerard groaned in a slow and weakened tone.

"Dad, hang on! Just hang on!"

"No, Sonia. It's- it's too late for me."

"Dad, don't say that! You're gonna be alright! Just hang on!"

"Sonia, remember what I've taught you."

"Don't talk! You have to save your strength!"

Sonia frantically tried to stop her father from bleeding with her own hands, but could do nothing to stop the flow of blood. Gerard slowly lifted a hand to Sonia's cheek and touched it, and his daughter stared weakly at him, tears filling her brown eyes.

"Live out your life… for your future… is your own…" Gerard's head slumped back and he stared blankly upwards. With his last breath, he said, "I'm sorry… Valita…"

Gerard's eyes slowly closed, and his hand fell to the ground. Sonia's eyes flooded with tears as she saw the last of her father's life leave him, as he spoke the name of her mother.

"Dad, wake up! Please, you can't die! Don't leave me! DAD! DAAAAAAAAD!"

"Oh Sonia…" Kara whispered as Sonia finished. "I– I'm so sorry…"

"Dad gave up his life so I could live. If I had done as he told, maybe he would still be alive today. I was so damn stupid! It's my fault he's gone! I should've died back there, not him!"

Sonia's eyes had flooded with tears and she cried uncontrollably. Kara looked at her sympathetically, but another part of her was strangely mad at her.

As Sonia continued to sob, she cried out, "Dad, it's my fault! It's my fault you're dead! I should be dead, not you! You didn't need to die to save me!"

Kara suddenly could not believe what Sonia was saying. "Sonia!" Kara said sternly.

Sonia turned to Kara and gasped as Kara dealt a stinging slap to Sonia's face. Sonia's sorrow was suddenly replaced by bewilderment as she looked back at Kara.

"Haven't you ever thought as to WHY your dad used his only chance to live to save you?" Kara said angrily. "He loved you like any father would. He did all those things for you as a father. He gave his life for you so you could have a future. But all you can do about it is cry about how you didn't want him to give you that future! Is that any way to be grateful for his sacrifice?!"

"Kara…"

"My parents both died saving the people of the Realm from the Megalith. I barely ever knew them, but I know they died to give me, Erik, and all of Rados a future. So I spend every day living my life how I want, knowing that would make them proud. I spend my days doing what I can to protect Rados and its people, like my parents did, so they can have a future. Your dad did the same for you, so you should make him proud and live the life he gave you, not let it go to waste with something like revenge!"

Every word of Kara's was like an icy dagger digging into Sonia's heart. She could not hold back her sorrow, and she broke into tears once again, burying her face in her hands. Not losing her own composure, Kara knelt beside Sonia and put a hand on her shoulder. What she had said was harsh, but it needed to be said.

Elsewhere in the woods, Erik ran alongside Seth and Mel, following Korgall's tracks. All around were broken trees and dead vegetation, clear evidence of Korgall's callousness.

Erik suddenly stopped as he grunted in pain, clutching his side. Seth and Mel stopped and turned to their fellow Defender with looks of concern.

"Erik, are you alright?" Seth asked.

Grunting slightly, Erik said, "It's nothing. I'm–" Erik stopped with a loud grunt as he clutched his side again.

"Erik, you're hurt," said Melosa. "You need to have that looked at."

"No! I'll be alright, it's just a scratch. AGH!"

"That's hardly a scratch, Erik," Seth said as he switched on his visor.

The visor changed to an X-ray feature, with which Seth could see Erik's skeletal structure. Looking at his friend, Seth saw that a couple of Erik's ribs were slightly broken, and several more had fractures. Seth could not believe how stupid Erik was for pushing himself so hard in such condition. He could have begun bleeding internally from his injuries, but thankfully he wasn't.

"It's just as I thought. Korgall did a real number on you, Erik. You can't do anything like this."

"Yes I can! Kara and Sonia are in trouble, and we have to save them! ARGH!"

"We will save them Erik," Melosa interrupted. "But you can't help in your condition. Leave it to us. We'll find Kara and Sonia. You need to recover."

"I'm not just gonna, urgh, sit back while that big freak has my sister!"

"You are, Erik," Seth said assertively. "That's an order. Just wait here and rest. We'll get Kara and Sonia back, I promise."

Though clearly infuriated, Erik could not bring himself to argue with Seth any further. He slowly sat down with his back against a tree stump, not breaking eye contact with Seth. Seth could tell Erik was furious with him, but the lead Defender had to live with it.

"We'll be back with them soon, Erik," Seth finally said.

With that, Seth and Melosa continued off after Korgall's trail. Erik watched them vanish amidst the foliage. He could not stand having been left behind.

Sharp pain ran through Erik's side and he clutched at it painfully. As he looked over to where he had been hit by Korgall's club, he noticed a small shimmering weed next to him that had Yin Sigils on its leaves. Struck by inspiration, Erik snapped off several leaves of the Yinweed as he lifted his shirt.

Back inside Korgall's cave, Kara was attempting to bash open the cage bars with her power boots. Though she was making progress, it was very slow, and Kara feared that Korgall could catch her and Sonia trying to escape. Sonia was in the corner, still sulking over Kara's words. It almost seemed as though she were entranced.

"Hey Sonia?!" Kara said irately. "Give me a hand here!"

"Huh? What?"

"Help me out with this! Korgall could be back any minute, and I don't want to be on his menu."

Snapping out of her stupor, Sonia got up and walked up to the cage bars. Examining them for a moment, Sonia took a hold of one of Kara's legs and began sliding it up along the bar.

"Hey, Sonia! Cut that out! The bar's weak where I was hitting it!"

"The bar's not fastened well up at the top." As Sonia finished moving Kara's leg, she added, "Hit it here, and it should break off."

"If you say so…"

Kara thrust several hard kicks at the bar, which eventually broke off the cage.

"YES! We're outta here!"

Kara went first through the bars, followed closely by Sonia.

Turning back to Sonia, Kara said, "How'd you know to hit it there?"

"It was pretty obvious, Kara. Ogres aren't exactly skilled craftsmen."

"Speaking of which, I say we get out of here before–"

Kara was cut off by a thunderous roar. The two turned to see a furious Korgall marching toward them, brandishing his club.

"You get out of cage. Korgall smash!"

The ogre swung his weapon at the two, but the girls dove away from the strike.

Turning to Kara, Sonia shouted, "Run for it!"

Kara did not move; Sonia knew the Defender did not want to leave her behind. Alerted to the sound of Korgall bellowing, Sonia turned just as Korgall struck her with an open hand. She fell back against the side of the cage, barely managing to stay standing. She looked up as Korgall prepared to crush her with his weapon. Before the ogre could strike, a rock hit him in the back of the head. Grunting, Korgall turned around, and another rock struck him on the nose. Kara stood holding several small rocks and continued to toss them at the ogre. Her efforts, however, had little effect; the rocks merely bounced off the ogre's skin and armor. Korgall swung his club at Kara, who used her power boots to dodge it. The force of the blow knocked her back, though, and she landed on her side.

Sonia ran over to Kara and said, "Come on!"

Kara quickly got to her feet as Korgall rushed at the two. Not wasting any time, they made a break for the exit to the cave.

The area outside of Korgall's cave mostly consisted of dead trees and rocks. Compared to the other parts of the forest, it was like a wasteland.

Seth and Melosa looked around as they continued to follow Korgall's massive footprints.

"Look at this place…" Melosa whispered. "Almost everything is dead."

"Yeah…" Seth added. Looking at the ground, Seth turned to Melosa and said, "Korgall's tracks are all over the place here. Look."

Mel looked at the ground. All about the area were massive ogre footprints. Some of them, however, were very old and faded; it was easy to tell where Korgall had been last.

"We must be getting close," Seth commented.

As if on cue, the two Defenders heard Kara scream. Turning to the source of the sound, Mel said, "No kidding."

The Defenders ran toward the source of the scream. A moment later they came upon a large cave entrance, more than large enough to accommodate an ogre. Out of the cave, Kara and Sonia sped out, Korgall hot on their heels. Seth didn't waste time as he cast a spell. Pandemonium! Several jellyfish-like creatures appeared and flew at Korgall, binding his arms and head with their tendrils.

"Great timing, guys!" Kara exclaimed as she ran up to Mel and Seth. Then, she added, "Hey, where's Erik?"

"He's alright, Kara," Mel answered. "We had to leave him a bit behind."

"You both alright?" Seth asked.

"I've been better," Sonia said. Then, seeing Seth with her father's bow, she added, "I believe that's mine."

Seth tossed Sonia the longbow without a word, but Sonia could tell he wasn't in a good mood. At the same time, Mel handed Kara her spell stone pouch, which the young Defender quickly fastened to her belt. A second later, the Defenders turned as Korgall roared and broke free of Seth's spell.

"Korgall smash weak humans!"

As Kara, Melosa, and Sonia took defensive stances, Seth turned to Sonia and said sternly, "Don't even think about trying to do this yourself, Sonia."

"Wasn't planning to."

Korgall cast a booster stone at the Defenders, who quickly scattered from the energy blast. Seth cast his guardian stone. Omniaxor, come forth! The red giant guardian appeared and yelled a war cry at the massive ogre. Korgall, however, was slightly larger than Omniaxor.

"You big, you strong. Korgall bigger, Korgall stronger."

Korgall swung his club at Omniaxor, who caught the strike with his hands. Korgall followed up the first strike with a punch, hitting Omniaxor in the head and knocking him back.

Regaining his balance, Omniaxor snarled, "Ah… this should be interesting!"

Howling his war cry, Omniaxor rushed at Korgall. The two met in a grapple, though at first neither one was stronger. Soon, however, Korgall began to gain the upper hand. Shifting his weight, Korgall brought Omniaxor onto his shoulder and tossed the guardian, who crashed on his back. As Korgall turned around to finish off the guardian, Kara cast a spell at the ogre. Typhoon of Power! A powerful lightning bolt hit Korgall, stunning him momentarily but not dealing significant damage. Korgall turned his back on Omniaxor to toss a few booster stones at Kara. Melosa got in front of Kara and cast several shield stones. Barricade Array! Several disk shields appeared, blocking the energy blasts, though shattering in the process. As Korgall tried to attack again, Omniaxor grabbed the ogre from behind and tried to restrain him.

Roaring angrily, Korgall thrashed around to escape the red giant. Several of Sonia's arrows, enchanted with fiery energy, flew forth and hit the ogre, but had little effect. Alongside Sonia's arrows, Seth cast another spell. Negamass! A small black ball hit Korgall, damaging the ogre's armor, but not Korgall himself. Clearly enraged, Korgall suddenly shoved backwards, driving Omniaxor into the outer wall of the ogre's cave. The impact heavily damaged the guardian, who vanished. Omniaxor's guardian stone returned to Seth's hand.

With another roar, Korgall swung his club hard and hit the ground with it, causing a tremor that knocked the Defenders off balance. Grabbing a large nearby rock with one hand, Korgall tossed the rock at Seth, hitting him and knocking him to the ground. The stone carapace Seth had received by merging with Kragus prevented the blow from killing him, but Seth was now seeing stars. On the side, Kara cast her guardian stone, while Melosa cast a new spell. V-Moth, take flight! Blizzard! Kara's insect guardian appeared, with Kara jumping on its back. It flew above Korgall and shot sonic waves at him with little effect. Melosa's spell created a large shield and blade, both made of ice and which were attached to her arms. Mel ran up at Korgall and jabbed the tip into Korgall's leg. Howling, Korgall brushed Mel with his leg, knocking her over. As the young Wizard looked up, she screamed as Korgall tried to stomp on her. Mel rolled away just in time to avoid being flattened.

Another arrow from Sonia struck Korgall in the thigh, to which he turned and cast another booster stone at her. Before it hit her, Sonia heard a familiar voice cast a spell. Grand Mechanism! Several metallic plates flew in front of Sonia, protecting against the energy blasts. Sonia turned around to see Erik, his gauntlet raised, standing with a hand to his side.

Having noticed his comrade, Seth turned and stared at Erik. He was noticeably aggravated by Erik disobeying a direct order.

Noticing Seth, Erik shouted, "You didn't honestly think I was gonna just sit back and let you guys have all the fun, did you?"

Though still angry with Erik, Seth smiled slightly, impressed with Erik's altruism. He then said, "Give us some cover fire, Erik."

"Got it."

Erik tapped away at his gauntlet, causing the metal plates that protected Sonia to shoot out at Korgall. The attack heavily damaged the ogre's armor and even dealt some damage to Korgall's tough hide, but he did not slow down. Erik, however, grunted in pain and quickly put his hand back to his side.

"Get to cover!" Seth shouted. The Defenders moved into the field of dead trees, with Korgall following close behind them.

Forge Fire! A flurry of fireballs hit Korgall, but he barely slowed down. Enraged at the humans, Korgall thrashed around with his club, breaking apart dead trees and scenery in his attempts to crush them. One strike landed next to Sonia, knocking her back several feet from the sheer force of the impact. As she looked up, she saw the destruction around her; trees were broken everywhere, and the land was mostly barren or dying. The sight brought a deep sorrow to her.

Her mind flashed back to that fateful day, one year ago. To her father's last words to her…

"Live out your life… for your future… is your own…"

Sonia looked back at her father's killer, and knew she had to destroy him. She got to her feet and set an arrow to her father's longbow. An arrow charged with lightning shot at Korgall, but did little damage. The shock got his attention, however, as he turned and swung at the ground before Sonia. The archer jumped over the shockwave, using the dead trees to move swiftly. Korgall continued to swing at trees, trying to knock Sonia down, but she was too fast. Sonia shot several more arrows at Korgall, but they only made him angrier. Sonia stopped on one tree and continued to shoot at Korgall.

Roaring in fury, Korgall shouted, "YOU NO DEFEAT KORGALL! YOU WEAK HUMAN! KORGALL SMASH YOU!"

Korgall took a particularly heavy swing, striking several dead trees at once. Sonia almost lost her balance on the tree she stood on, and quickly jumped off as it collapsed. She landed near Erik, who still was clutching his side. Sonia reached for her quiver, only to find she had only one arrow left.

"Sonia, it's no use!" Erik said. "We can barely slow him down, let alone hurt him." As Sonia prepared to move again against the ogre, Erik grabbed her shoulder and said, "Just leave it, Sonia! We can't beat him like this!"

"I can't Erik," Sonia replied. "Not after the things he's done."

"Will you forget the revenge thing, already?!"

"This isn't about that anymore, Erik!" Erik was stunned by what Sonia said. "My father fought to protect the natural world and those who live in it, like you, your friends, and your ancestors. He trained me so that I could carry on his work to protect. And in his duty, he gave his life so that I could have a future. But it wasn't just so I could have a future. It was so I could give this forest a future. I can't let my dad's sacrifice be in vain, Erik. If this forest is to live, I have to destroy Korgall."

Erik hesitated for a moment before saying, "Well, even so, we can't fight him now. I've only got enough energy left for one spell, and it wouldn't even dent that guy. And you're down to your last arrow."

Erik then turned to see his friends continuing to battle Korgall. Seth was barely holding back Korgall's club with his stone arm, Mel was slashing away at the ogre with a saber made of ice, and Kara was on V-Moth's back, the guardian shooting sonic waves. Korgall swung a massive hand and swatted Mel, breaking her ice saber and sending her several meters, where she lost consciousness as she landed. He then quickly lifted up his club from Seth's grip, throwing him off balance, then brought it down again, almost flattening the stone-armed Defender.

Erik cringed as he watched his friends get pummeled. Sonia then said, "I've still got enough in my stones left for one shot." Erik turned to see Sonia brandishing her spell stones in one hand. She then added, "But it won't work alone. I need you to help me boost my spell's power." Sonia looked at Erik in the eyes, and easily saw his hesitancy. "Please, Erik," Sonia pleaded, "I need your help on this."

The sound of Seth yelping caught their attention, and they turned in time to see Seth being thrown by Korgall into a tall tree stump. Seth began to fall, but Kara caught him on V-Moth and flew him away from the ogre.

Turning back to Erik, Sonia said, "Erik, please!"

Erik paused for a moment, but then said, "Alright, but this better work."

"I hope so too."

Erik raised his gauntlet and cast his spell. Generator! A circular device with four stones at its outer rim formed, forming Erik's attack amplifier. It floated in place, angled toward Korgall.

"Here goes nothing!" Sonia shouted, as she cast her stones. Blinding Blaze!

An immense violet mass of Sigil energy surged into Sonia's hand, which held her last arrow. As it entered, though, Sonia cringed in pain; the energies were so powerful they were having a harmful effect on her. Despite her pain, Sonia set the glowing violet arrow to her longbow and stretched the bowstring. The arrow flickered with violet energy, as though on fire. The runes on the Sigil Bow shone a brilliant white light. From Erik's point of view, it looked as though the arrowhead were releasing a violet-colored spiral of flames, as though the arrow were a comet.

Korgall saw the glow of Sonia's spell and turned to see the archer. Cackling, Korgall lumbered toward Sonia and Erik as he bellowed, "You think you kill Korgall? Weak human cannot win!"

The ogre roared and raised his club to crush the two spellcasters.

"Uh, NOW would be a good time!" Erik shouted.

"THIS IS FOR MY DAD, YOU BASTARD!" Sonia screamed. "BLINDING BLAZE!"

Sonia loosed the arrow. As she released it, Sonia screamed as the incredible force of her shot launched her back. She hit a tree stump and collapsed, dropping her bow. Sonia's attack entered Erik's amplifier, and the energies of the attack multiplied. Surging with incredible energy, Sonia's arrow shot out of the amplifier, which was destroyed as it overloaded, and streaked at Korgall, wrecking everything it passed. Korgall only had a moment to comprehend what was coming.

The arrow's power engulfed Korgall, who howled in agony as the intense energy disintegrated him within seconds. The arrow continued through the field of dead trees, causing them to topple and collapse from the sheer force of the attack. The closest ones broke into splinters. The ground ripped up beneath the arrow's path.

Where Korgall had once stood, there was now a blackened scorch mark on the ground. A second later, the ogre's club crashed to the ground, blown away from its owner when Sonia's attack struck.

As the dust cleared, it took Erik a moment to comprehend what had happened. He then shouted, "OH YEAH! You got him! You got him, Sonia!"

Erik turned to where Sonia had been, but then noticed her lying limp on the ground. Realizing what had just happened Erik rushed to Sonia's side and wrapped his arms around her.

"Sonia? Sonia?!"

Sonia lightly moaned in pain as she opened her eyes, seeing Erik relieved to discover she was alive. "Did… did I–"

"You got him, Sonia."

At Erik's words, Sonia smiled. A second later, Sonia fainted, to Erik's concern. As Erik made sure Sonia was still alright, Seth, Mel and Kara walked over to him, Mel on Seth's shoulder.

"Is she alright?" Mel asked.

Erik checked Sonia's pulse, then with a tone of relief said, "She's alright, just exhausted."

Satisfied with Erik's words, the Defenders turned to look back at black mark where Korgall once was. Despite how vile the ogre had been, the Defenders felt a small pang of regret at having killed him.

Seth broke the silence after a moment as he said, "Come on. Let's get back to the inn."

The Defenders left the area, with Erik carrying Sonia on his back with difficulty.

Along the way, Seth noticed this, and asked, "Hey Erik, need a hand with her?"

"No, I'm fine," Erik replied, obviously lying.

Knowing why Erik had refused, but not wanting to pry into it, Seth did not ask again.

Sonia's vision was blurry when she woke up. Though disoriented, she recognized the familiar décor of Nani's inn; she was obviously in one of the inn rooms.

As Sonia slowly tried to push herself up, she heard Seth say, "You're finally awake."

Sonia turned to see Seth accompanied by the other Defenders. Erik was on a separate bed in the room, bandaged around his torso.

"Uh… how long was I out?"

"A few hours," Mel answered. "It's dark now, so we'll be staying here for the night again."

"That was one of the coolest attacks I've ever seen!" Kara exclaimed.

Slightly embarrassed by the complement, Sonia said, "Th– thanks."

Moving in front of the others, Seth said, "So you got your revenge. How does it feel?"

Sonia could tell Seth didn't approve of what she had done. After pausing for a moment, Sonia answered, "To tell you the truth, it's not a good feeling knowing I've killed someone, even someone as evil as Korgall was. I mean, taking a life is never easy, but I didn't really have another choice. I kinda wish it didn't have to come to that, now that I think about it."

No one said anything for a moment, but then Erik broke the silence by saying, "But you only killed him because he was going to destroy us all."

"Does that really justify it, Erik?" Mel asked.

"Well, not entirely. But if you think about it, any one of us would probably have done the same if we were in her shoes." Erik then stared at his shoulder for a moment, the one the Sumite Bear had injured a day earlier. "Remember that bear? She attacked me and Kara to protect its cub. But once we left them alone, it didn't threaten us. It only went after us because push came to shove."

The other Defenders said nothing to oppose this. Erik was right; if it were ever to become necessary, they likely would have to kill to protect others. And they would likely do such a thing if they had to.

"Look," Erik continued, "I'm not saying it's an easy thing to do, but someday we may have to face that choice. I'm sure our parents knew this as well. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made to protect something."

"You're right, Erik," Mel said. "It was necessary, and nothing can be done now to change what happened."

"Well," Seth added, "we can finally put this matter to rest. Speaking of which, we should probably get some shut-eye. I want us to get moving by tomorrow."

"I'm with you," Kara said with a yawn. "I'm exhausted."

Kara and Melosa left the room. Before Seth left, however, he turned to Sonia and said, "Sonia, to tell you the truth, I probably would have done the same thing in your position." He then turned to Erik and said, "Erik, we're gonna have a talk later about you following orders."

"Come on, Seth. You needed me back there."

"I guess so. Both of you get some sleep."

Seth left the room, turning off a lamp at the door.

Erik turned over in his bed to try and get to sleep, but stopped when Sonia said, "Erik, what is it you and your friends are doing?"

Sitting up, Erik replied, "What do you mean?"

"Why do you have to leave so soon? What's so important that you have to go?"

The two stared at each other for a moment. Erik knew he would be putting the mission of stopping the Megalith at risk if he told Sonia anything. But he found himself unable to keep her from knowing the truth. He couldn't lie to her.

Sighing, Erik said, "Okay, I guess I'll tell you. But it's important that–"

"That I don't tell anyone, right?" Erik was slightly surprised that Sonia said this. Sonia then added, "Whatever it is, you can trust me."

Erik shifted his legs to get a better seat on his bed, facing Sonia.

For a good part of the night, Erik told Sonia about the Di-Gata Defenders' mission.

The next morning came with the sound of chirping birds and a nearly cloudless sky. Outside of Nani's inn, the Defenders were loading their gear onto their Sigil Stormers, nearly ready to leave. Sonia and Nani were seeing them off.

"I wanna thank you guys for all your help," Sonia said to the Defenders.

"That's alright, Sonia," Seth replied. "We were just–"

"If it'll help," Sonia interrupted, "you might want to try looking for the Yin Pure Stone in Callisto."

The Defenders, sans Erik, were taken completely by surprise by this. Noticing Erik, Melosa said, "You told her about the mission?!"

"Well, yeah."

"Its okay, Mel," Seth interrupted. "She deserves to know."

As the Defenders turned back to Sonia, she said, "It was only a couple of nights before you guys showed up that I saw a bright light shining in the sky above the Callisto region. Maybe it's the Pure Stone you guys are looking for."

"Thanks Sonia," Seth said. "Come on, guys. Let's get to Callisto."

As the Defenders got aboard their Sigil Stormers, Sonia added, "Maybe you guys could drop by here sometime when this is all over. I wish I could help you out in Callisto, but I need to stay here to repair the damage done to the forest. It could take awhile."

"If we're in the neighborhood, we'll pay you a visit," Mel answered.

"You Defenders will always be welcome here in Ionith," Nani said.

Donning their helmets, Seth, Mel, and Kara sped off down the forest path out of the village. Before Erik could follow, though, Sonia said, "Erik, wait." The Defender turned to Sonia, and complete look of surprise took him as she embraced him in a hug. Sonia then said, "Be careful out there."

As Sonia let go of him, Erik stuttered, "Uh, yeah, sure."

Not knowing what else to say at the moment, Erik turned back to the road and sped off. Behind the Defenders, Sonia waved as she shouted, "I hope we'll see each other again!"

Several days later…

A Sumite Bear and its cub, the same that had attacked Erik and Kara, were busy moving through the forest in search for food. On the branch of a nearby tree, Sonia looked down as they slowly walked along, the mother always keeping one eye on its cub. Having now gotten past her vendetta with Korgall, she was now truly able to appreciate the wonders of the natural world she was protecting. Through her work, the two bears could have a future in the woods.

Eventually the two bears left. Sonia was then alerted by the sound of a rustling bush. She turned to the source of the sound, but there was nothing there. But then she saw something; the view of the bushes appeared distorted by something.

"You still haven't lost your touch, Sonia," said a familiar, cocky voice.

Realizing who had spoken, Sonia fumed as she leapt to the ground. A shadow moved out of the bushes, and Adam removed the hood of his cloak, revealing himself. As he looked again at Sonia, however, Adam was suddenly worried; Sonia had an arrow readied, pointed at him.

"Whoa, whoa, hey! Let's take it easy here, doll."

Sonia released her arrow, catching Adam by the collar of his cloak, but not hitting him. Adam yelped as he was pinned to a nearby tree. He struggled to free himself, but did not succeed before Sonia walked up to him and held a knife to his neck.

"Care to repeat that, you creep?" Sonia growled.

Adam laughed nervously for a moment, but then stopped and quickly said, "Look, I know you're mad at me for stealing your dad's Champion Stone, but I didn't really have another choice. If I didn't pay off the Rougon somehow, I'd have been used for target practice."

"Maybe I should use YOU for target practice, Adam."

"Look, this is all really about the stone, right? Well, here, it's all yours."

Adam pulled out from his pouch a green Champion Stone, its Henge a combination of Infinis and Sum. He extended it to Sonia, who cautiously took it from him. She looked at it for a moment, relieved to see her father's Champion Stone, the Growth Stone, back in her possession.

"So, are we even then?" Adam asked with uncertainty.

Sonia lowered the knife from Adam's throat and pulled the arrow out of his cloak, releasing him.

"Thanks," Adam added.

As Adam finished, to his complete surprise, Sonia thrust her knee in a hard jab to his groin, making him recoil in shock and pain. He fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Now we're even," Sonia said curtly.

"Ow… what was that for?!"

"For stealing it in the first place, jackass."

It took about a minute for Adam to recover from the blow. As the thief slowly got up, he watched as Sonia turned to a large field of dead trees and plants and cast the Growth Stone. Overgrowth! As a shimmering green light shone down on the land, plants began to spring up from the ground all over the place. The area, which had once been charred and blackened by battle, turned green and colorful as plant life bloomed back into place. As the spell finished, the Growth Stone reappeared and fell into Sonia's outstretched hand.

"Wow…" Adam gasped.

As Sonia put away the Champion Stone, she sighed and said, "Even with it back, it'll take time before the forest can return to what it once was. Though I've planted the new seedlings, they'll take years to grow."

"Uh huh…" After a short pause, Adam added, "Say, what's going on with the ogre business?"

"Korgall's been destroyed. Just recently, actually."

"Really? That's great! How'd you pull it off?"

"I had help from the Di-Gata Defenders."

At first Adam was surprised by this, but then realizing something he said slyly, "Really?"

"Uh, yeah? What of it?"

"You wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you Sonia?"

Sonia immediately realized her old acquaintance was up to something. Turning cautiously toward him she said, "And what if I do?"

Catching her reluctance to answer his question, Adam answered, "I have something they need. Something really important."

Reaching for his pouch, Adam slowly produced a blue Champion Stone, which had a Henge of Ogama and Nega on its sides. Sonia had never seen anything like it; she could actually feel it brimming with energy even from where Adam stood.

For a moment, Sonia stared at the Nova Stone; little did she know that her next decision could change the course of future events.

End of Chapter 1