Jasmin exits the vortex, farther away from the group than she would've liked. Dang it. Why the fudge did there have to be a storm today, of all days? I must hurry and use the rest of my magic for the protective spell. Jasmin twists and turns, trying to find her balance. She struggles to control the surrounding energy to help regain some composure in the chaos. Jasmin emits a subtle orange glow, almost impossible to detect in this storm.

As lightning strikes, lighting up the sky, Jasmin sees Gindloc's hawks appear, already snatching a few of them and flying straight to the castle. How did they get here so fast? I didn't plan on there being an attack this quickly. Jasmin frantically tries to think of a plan as the rest plummet to the ground. As Jasmin surveys the area, she sees a pair of red glowing eyes speeding right toward her. Panicking, she aims her spell at the pitch-black sky, using the elements to help her as a bright light flashes above. Branches of thunder shock the guards and hawks, sending them spiraling down, disappearing in the storm. What am I thinking? That could've killed them. Luckily, I was accurate this time. Jasmin tries to calm down and concentrates on the rest. What little magic she has, it is not enough to gather them as they drift too far away. She uses most of her energy, shooting a protective spell at them, forming a bubble of sorts for them and then for her to land safely.

Jasmin drifts and lands safely in the Golden Forest, pointing her wand in front of her, popping the bubble as it releases her of its protection. She scans through her bag, looking for her orb that could contact Valier and Lemir. As she reached in, she felt glass shards cut her fingers, stabbing her slightly.

Jasmin stood there staring in her bag, now filled with broken glass that used to be in the shape of a small ball. She surveys her surroundings, noticing the rain has lightened as the last drop of rain fell and the fog that once covered the sky dissipated. Jasmin was speechless at the unfortunate timing of the weather. She scans the forest, searching for the tallest tree near her. Picking one that measures nearly a hundred feet tall, then rushes to the top to see where she is and hopes to spot the others. She soon realizes even though the rain had cleared, the night still made it impossible for her to spot them. She thinks of the others that were captured and looks for the castle, taking only a second to find it.

The castle is easy to spot, no matter the time. The heart of the kingdom shined brilliantly, beaming with flames that illuminated inside the walls. Rows of statues of past kings, surrounding the castle. While the statue of Rathmal glows vibrantly from the electricity, which is powered by an unknown source. The hawks flew past the late Kings, as they guard the fortress, scanning for anyone that dared attack this Kingdom. Jasmin glares at a place she once called her home, quickly shaking her head and refocuses on her mission.

As Jasmin looks around in the far distance, she sees the neighboring kingdoms she used to call allies. Kingdoms so near and dear to her heart, she wouldn't hesitate to ask for help in a situation like this, but that is the past. Once an alliance as strong as the people in it, is now filled with guards and knights more loyal to Rathmal and the pursuit of dominance than the care for the land that it's on.

What should I do? Should I find the rest and then go to the castle? I don't even know where they are, though. What if they woke already and found somewhere to hide? What if they sent more hawks and captured them? I can't risk it. Time is of the essence, and I can't risk them getting killed. This might be better as a stealth mission. I don't know if they will capture the rest, but from what I remember, they are strong enough to handle an army of those guards.

Not wasting any time, she uses the rest of her magic to enchant a branch and fly to the castle. She stares at the branch and can't help but think that Lemir's dragons would be very helpful right now. I guess this will do. The branch hovers as she hops on, steering it toward the castle. Because of the low amount of magic and the breaking point of the branch, sadly, the maximum speed will be a sluggish ten miles per hour. Her heart sinks knowing that it will take hours to reach the castle, but this is all she could do for now.

Flying at this sluggish speed, slowly made her more and more tired. She looks through her bag, pulling out the scepter that opened the vortex. Staring at it while she holds it in her hands. The amount of magical energy it would take to do such a spell is monumental. Thankfully, it's only good for traveling. This would be too powerful if used for war. Jasmin continues to stare at the scepter, puzzled by how much power could be in such a small item, appreciating the craftsmanship and history of such a legendary artifact. She soon tightens her grip and carefully puts it back in her bag, not wanting to risk dropping it.

As she stares into the distance, the cool breeze causes her long red hair to flow behind her. The calming effect of the golden trees and the sound of the mountainous waterfalls make it nearly impossible to keep her eyelids open. Jasmin rests her head on the end of the branch, hoping when she wakes up, she'll be close and have most of her power back.

As the sun rose, the light shines on her face. The smell of flowers fills her nose, reminding her of the garden in the palace. Unfortunately, pig's blood replaces the smell of flowers as a butcher's pushcart passes by. Waking up to find herself on the dirt in the middle of a market. She stands up and sees the sign that reads The Fourth Road Golden Market. Jasmin stands there, amazed she was only a mile away from where she left.

"Are you fudging kidding me?" Kicking the branch in frustration and using a different word instead of fudge. The workers and customers alike were staring at her in a troubled manner while passing by. "Don't tell me I didn't even have enough magic to make it to the castle." Jasmin frantically looks through her oversized bag, desperately needing to clean it out. Whew, thank goodness, Valier would've killed me if I lost this. I can't risk taking this. It's way too valuable. I need a place to hide this.

Jasmin walks towards the exit and despite her earlier tantrum, she tries to be as inconspicuous as possible. Alas, that isn't her forte as she puts her head down, wrapping her arms around her bag, rushing to the exit and bumping into a few drunks as they enter the market. As she apologizes and rushes to a nearby cave, she finally feels rejuvenated, feeling her energy flow within her again, thanks to her much needed rest.

She slowly enters the cave, covering her nose as the smell of mildew with a hint of feces washes over her. Feeling uneasy, as she isn't sure whether it's from an animal or human. As she makes her way through the cave, she stumbles on the scattered rocks that fill the floor, sending echoes deep within. She fears she is venturing too deep, as it feels too dangerous for her to go any further. She finds a nearby boulder that covers half the tunnel and decides this would make for a decent hiding place. Jasmin pulls out her wand, pointing to the book and the scepter. They both glow with a bright blue, as she uses a protective spell to prevent it from being stolen. She then hides them ten feet below the cave's floor, in two separate locations.

After a few minutes, she exits the cave, discovering the same drunk men walking toward her.

Jasmin shook her head, as she had never seen three men all having bowl cuts stand together, trying to appear menacing. They all wore armor vests they found in a scrap yard, damaged from battles that they most likely weren't a part of. The matching hair styles freaked her out a bit, not wanting to look at them any longer.

"What were you doing in there? Don't you know this is our turf?"

"Your turf is a feces-infested cave?"

"It's temporary. We also have a pretty sweet set up above that bar.”

"Is that why you guys reek of alcohol?"

The man's eyes darted from side to side suspiciously. "Yes." He said softly.

"Maybe you would like to join us for a drink."

"No."

"Ahh, is it because it's so early?"

Jasmin's eyes darted from side to side suspiciously. "Yes."

"Forget it. Now, what was in the bag?"

"You know, girl stuff. I'm sure you don't want me to go into detail."

"No. But you are going to show us where you hid it."

"I don't have time for this."

The man in the middle put his hand up, signaling to stop. "Don't you know who we are? You must not be from here. We're the Blades of the lost kingdom, and we run things here. I'm Jocko, and this is Frey and Wilt."

"You forgot to add gang." Frey said, whispering to Jocko.

"Oh yeah, we're the Blades of the Lost Kingdom gang. So, I suggest you make time." Jocko said.

"That last part sounded cool." Wilt said.

"I know. I got chills once I said it."

The three of them turn once again to Jasmin, all of them sending a menacing look while nodding their heads as their hair bounced in sync. A gang? They seemed more like an 80s boy band, the same that I've seen on that box in the other world than a gang. Jasmin, not wanting to waste any of her rejuvenated energy, she walks past them, seeking to complete her mission. As she almost passes them, Jocko grabs her collar, picking her up with ease and swiftly throws her to the ground.

"You changed your mind yet." Jocko said, staring down at Jasmin as he glows yellow. He powers up his strikes as he kicks her in her ribs, sending her flying to the cave wall. He pulls out a rusty knife from his pocket while walking confidently towards her.

Wilt and Frey look at Jocko, worrying he's taking things too far. They stand in front of him and try to hold him back. "Hey, maybe we should go back to the bar. She probably doesn't have anything." Wilt said.

"Yeah, I agree, she probably only has girly stuff. Let's go."

Jocko pushes them out of the way and continues to walk toward her.

Jasmin stares at them, tasting blood, growing with anger as he steps closer. She stands up and a red aura ignites around her, matching her hair. He freezes and instantly steps back. The two men standing on either side of Jocko turn to him, hoping he changed his mind.

Jocko knows he has to be brave and not show any fear, even though he is overwhelmed by it. His yellow aura still surrounds him but seems a little less impressive now as he walks towards the red aura that Jasmin emits. As Jocko inches closer, Jasmin raises both arms and throws a crystal dagger into both of his knees before he could make another step. Falling to his now blooded knees, screaming in pure agony until his voice went out. The others can only stand there in fear as they watch their brother being taken down. As Jasmin walks closer, pulling out an energy sledgehammer. Frey and Wilt look at her in terror. "Please stop. Don't kill him." They both screamed.

Jasmin glances at the two and back at Jocko. Wondering what would happen if it was her laying on the ground and not him. If she was a frail old lady, shopping at the market. Her aura intensifies as she slams the sledgehammer into each of his legs, crunching and shattering his bones with each strike, making a mark none of them will forget. He lay motionless, legs bent in unnatural directions, the screaming stopping a long time ago.

Jasmin's aura soon disappears as she walks back into the market, with blood-stained shoes.