Charter: Morsal Mines

– Paaaaaaaaaaaa! – Francie quickly crawled away and tried to attack the girl again, but it turned into a dark mist and disappeared from Francie's sight.

– Oh, you're messing with the wrong person, love. I'm going to find out all your fears and eat you, just like I said! – The Nightmare Claw's real body emerged from the mist.

Francie saw the collapsing ceiling and immediately thought of a great plan, she focused her attention on the space around her and Francie was enveloped in a red aura that gave her the ability to merge with nature and be invisible to the creature.

– Well, try and find my eyes first! – Francie needed to get to her friends as quickly as possible so she punched the ceiling around the creature and the ceiling began to collapse and the girl ran away, hearing the bass screams of the bird: – No! You stupid girl, I'm going to find you and give you an endless night of nightmares!

– It turns out he's easy to fight when he's in the form of a normal person, I'll have to remember that! – The little girl ran happily towards the cart that hadn't left yet.

– Why are you standing there, let's go! – Francie jumped into the cart, where the dwarf had already produced a stone key and maps from the dust and handed them to Stan, who hid them under his cloak.

– So did you defeat the creature? – Athena asked.

– I fought it when it was in the form of a girl and made it collapse, so let's hope it's finished.– They quickly made their way down the mine.

– What a nice breeze! – cried Dolan.

– Now we must get out of the mines, but it will be a long journey through this cave, so all we can do is sit and wait. – Said Versavius.

– Versavius, how did they get you? – Athena asked, looking out of the carriage.

– It was my carelessness, my sister told me, as she felt, that I should not go on another journey, but I did not listen and went out and ended up here. And how did you end up here?

– We were thrown here by magic and swam across a lake in the Maplewood.

– It's been a long time since we've had creatures from other worlds here. – Surprised the dwarf.

–How do you know we're not from this world?! – Surprised Stan

– It's not hard to tell by your accent and of course your boots. And I know someone just like you.– He noticed the boots peeking out from under Athena's robe, the boys laughed at the dwarf's remark, but they stopped laughing when Dolan pointed back with a shaking finger: –The Nightmare Claw is alive!

– And I thought I was resting! – Francie prepared to attack the creature again as it flew towards them at the speed of light.

– Now look into my eyes! – shouted the monster in his dark, bassy voice.

– Damn, it's catching up with us, we'll have to fight with our eyes closed, but how?!

– Don't worry, we'll be there soon! – The dwarf shouted happily, so happy that he didn't notice the Nightmare Claw grabbing Versavia and trying to take his with him, but Dolan reacted quickly and grabbed her legs.

– I won't let you! – The two men hovered over the abyss, the creature on one side trying to carry the dwarf away and Dolan on the other, holding on tight and trying to pull Versavia back into the cart.

– Dolan! You're going to fall! – Stan shouted.

– It's OK, hold me down! – All the people in the car tried to hold Dolan.

– Dolan! You're going to fall! – Stan shouted.

– Hold me down!

The creature holding the dwarf came so close to the boy that he could see the storm clouds and the storm itself in the bird's pupils, and in its ghostly low voice Nightmare Claw said: – Lo-o-ok into my eyes!

Dolan froze in terror, his heart racing, his body shaking and unresponsive, he couldn't stop the cold shivers running down his spine. His friends were calling to him but he didn't hear them, he was staring into the thing that was dragging him in, Nightmareclaw had reincarnated himself into the boy's greatest trauma, a polar bear, he was frozen in terror and didn't notice as he let go of the dwarf and fainted right in the wagon, after the creature had got the dwarf back it stopped chasing the wagon with the guys.

– Dolan... – Someone shouted at the boy from out of nowhere and slapped him lightly on the cheeks.

– Mum... is that you? The half-awake boy asked the voice.

– No! Wake up, we have to get back to Versavia! – Dolan quickly woke up in a bright, spacious room, with Athena standing over him, they had finally made it out of the mines, but unfortunately without the dwarf.

– How long was I out? – Asked the already awake boy.

– Not long, you fainted and we were worried, but you woke up quickly.

– I'm sorry, I didn't mean to let Versavia go! – He quickly realized his mistake.

– We must return to the mines! – Stan said firmly.

– What can we do? We saw with our own eyes what that monster did to Dolan, and Frankie is running out of time. – Athena pointed at the tired girl.

– Then I'll go! – Stan suggested, but an unfamiliar, rough voice came from the mine shaft, interrupting their conversation.

– Nobody's going anywhere... – A tall, thin man with orange hair and a thick orange beard emerged from the mine, the rays of an invisible sun shining through the gold spectacles he proudly wore. He wore a uniform with the initials of the royal family of Morsalia on it, a half-open chest showing who was in charge and that he would shut the man up if challenged. Behind him was Nightmare Claw, transformed back into a girl, holding the bound dwarf Versavia.

– Versavia!...Are you alright there? – Athena shouted when she saw the dwarf.

– Yes, miss, but I was dragged back in chains...

– Who are you and why are you tying him up?!

– My name is Valafar, I am the new King of this land. – He proudly adjusted the rim of his glasses on his nose.

– So you're the pirate who started this whole mess! – An angry Stan tried to attack Valafar, but Francie stopped him.

– Hang on! – He can't have got here so quickly, he's got an ace up his sleeve.

– You're right, my dragon is hiding somewhere nearby, and if you're so rude as not to talk to me, I'll let him eat you. – He turned his index finger on its axis.

– So, what do you want to talk about?!

– Francie was very interested in this exchange of knowledge, but didn't show it.

– Let's have a cup of tea and talk about why you're here-you can ask me your questions and I'll ask you mine. – He pointed to the pavilion where the dwarves used to eat.

The children didn't understand what Francie was doing.

– Frank, why do you want to talk to him? – Athena whispered in Francie's ear as they walked over to the pavilion where tea and bagels had been laid out.

– I've got this under control, trust me. – They sat down at an imaginary negotiating table, only Nightcrawler was with the dwarf.

They sat down at an imaginary conference table, only Nightmare Claw was standing with the dwarf.

– I'm telling you right now, if you don't go away and stop this, you're going to die. – Francie looked suspiciously at the tea: – Don't worry, it's not poisoned, I've got nothing to hide.

– Why should we leave, it's you who should go back to your ship. – Stan said, sipping his tea and glaring menacingly at the pirate.

– I wish I could, but I can't, and if I could, I would have sailed long ago. – He put the cup of tea on the table without finishing it.

– Why can't you sail away in good health? – Athena asked quietly.

– Because I made a bet with the sea gods, and now I'm forbidden to go to sea, but that story is not for you. Now tell me, why do you want this dwarf?

– This story is not for you. – Francie said.

– You know I'm going to find out, don't you? – She smiled mischievously and put her sword on the table as a hint.

–First tell me why you want the throne. – Athena asked him quietly this time.

–Since you're the only one with manners, I'll answer. In order to freely raise an army and conquer a neighboring state, I need free access to the open sea, and I want the gods to understand what a mistake they have made. Leaving me without my crew and my ship, I will kill all the people there, I tell you frankly... You have nothing to do in this Kingdom, look at yourselves, you are children, what will you do to me who sends children to certain death! – He was very indignant. The company became despondent at Valafar's words, but the dwarf, on the contrary, began to cheer them up.

– No, you've done well in the time you've been here, you've managed to get to the mines without anyone dying!

– It can be fixed! – He drew his sword and, sitting on the chair, stabbed the dwarf through the beating heart, killing him instantly.

– Versavia! – Athena, tears streaming down her face, ran to the dwarf to check on his condition, but to no avail. Stan tried to draw his sword, but Nightmare Сlaw, disguised as a girl, stopped him with a whip on his hands, causing the sword to fall to the ground.

– There will be many more deaths if you don't go back where you came from. – Valafar rose from his chair and approached the dwarf's body, Athena sensed that she was not well and fell unconscious.

– Athena! – shouted the boys.

– Oh, don't worry, she just fell asleep, and so did you. – Valafar snapped his fingers and they all passed out in the arbor.

– What a cliché, it turns out I'm a good liar and I put sleeping pills in their tea. – He stood beside Athena and looked at her pale face, which he liked.

– Take her to the castle... Hi-Hi-Hi!

– Are you sure? What if they come after her? – Nightmare Сlaw asked, lifting the sleeping Athena onto his shoulder.

–Then they'll die, and while we fly back to the castle, I have my own business to attend to. – They went back to the mines and disappeared as they had come.

Late that night, Francie was the first to open her eyes, she couldn't find Athena around the pavilion and with great panic in her eyes she decided to wake Stan and Dolan. Stan got up immediately but Dolan didn't wake up, she reached under his robe to check for a pulse but found a throbbing redness on his arm and a high fever that wouldn't go down.

– Not enough to make him sick!

– Francie didn't have the right remedies.

– What are we gonna do? – Stan asked, throwing Dolan on his back.

– Let's hope we find the Stone Gate quickly and there's a doctor there. But I'm worried about Athena.

– Don't worry. She'll be able to fend for herself. In the meantime, let's go before he gets worse....