The Tereslars rounded the corner of the Yugdab hideout and found themselves standing before a humongous bronze door. The tarnished metal dimly reflected the sun in only one or two spots. Three small splotches of dried blood completed the door's appearance and sent chills down the travelers' spines. 

Erok coughed. "Well, I'm assuming this is the front entrance. It's probably locked, though." 

Chris tugged at the handle with all his might, but the door didn't budge an inch. He nodded at Erok. "It sure is." 

"Well, in that case, how're we gonna get in? Are we gonna knock?" 

Kahiri sighed with exasperation. "With all due respect, you're the leader. Why is it that we have to come up with all the solutions for you?" 

Erok shrugged. "Let's set up a trap, and then I'll knock." 

The other Tereslars exchanged puzzled expressions and slowly moved into impromptu hiding places. 

******************** 

Five minutes later, Erok stepped up to the bronze door and slammed his shield into it three times. Then he dashed and leapt into a nearby bush to hide. A moment later, six Yugdab swordsmen rushed outside and glanced around frantically. 

Meg leapt down from a ledge atop the doorway and kicked two guards' heads, one with each foot. They both crumbled to the ground with fatally snapped necks. One of the other Yugdabs slashed at the bounty hunter with his sword, but she blocked with a gauntlet and punched him in the gut. 

The Yugdab stumbled back while coughing uncontrollably. He then screamed out in pain as he backed into Chris' dagger. Another swordsman rushed at Chris, but when one of Kahiri's arrows buried itself in his leg, his agonized attention shifted to her. By the time he began limping in her direction, another arrow was on its way to bring him to his grave. 

The fifth Yugdab swung powerfully at Erok, who blocked the attack with his shield. Erok slashed back, but his attacker dodged and took a quick slice at his legs. The Kaborian knight gasped as the sword cut a deep line in his leather boots. Relieved that the weapon had cut no further, he sliced into the Yugdab's shoulder and jumped back as blood began to flow. 

The other Tereslars watched with widened eyes and loosened jaws as Bernard fought the last Yugdab swordsman with amazing speed and agility. The old man dropped to the ground and rolled under the Yugdab's slash before he leapt back up and jabbed him in the ribs with his staff. After the man tumbled to the ground, Bernard kicked him with a boot spur and flinched as a puddle of blood formed underneath him. 

"I think we got 'em all." Bernard announced as he joined the rest of the Tereslars. 

"Yeah..." Erok trailed off. "What I'd like to know is, how in the world can you fight like that?" 

Bernard chuckled. "I told ya I was filled with surprises, sonny. It took a lot outta me to do that, but I can put up a halfway decent fight if I put my mind to it." 

"No kidding." Erok muttered. "Anyway, let's go through that door before it closes." 

After swiftly tying their horses up in a thick grove of trees, the six fighters trudged up to the bronze door and slipped inside. 

******************** 

In the depths of the Yugdab fortress, Govlo sighed and pushed a door open. He blinked as the sun beamed into his eyes. After he stood still for a moment to adjust to the brightness, he took in his surroundings. Well-trimmed bushes formed a pathway to a grove of fruit-laden trees on the edge of the island, and beautiful flowers filled all the empty spaces. 

Govlo started down the path and jumped as he saw Hadigama's helmet on the ground. He stooped to grab it and ran his finger across its surface admiringly. After a minute, he continued down the path and found the helmet's owner watering a cluster of azaleas. 

Hadigama looked up at the sound of Govlo's footsteps and grunted as they locked eyes. "What do you want?" 

Govlo set the helmet down on a boulder. "I just came to ask, when am I due for a promotion?" 

Hadigama glared and stepped closer to the young man. His towering figure loomed over Govlo as he silently stared into his youthful eyes. "We've already had this conversation, Govlo. You'll be due for promotion when you're worthy of one." 

"Well, it's just that after a whole year—" 

"You've done nothing to make you worthy of being my equal!" Hadigama's booming voice made Govlo take a step back. 

Govlo's whole body trembled as he lowered himself to his knees before his master. "Yes, sir! I was only asking because I feel I'm ready!" 

"You'll be ready when I say you are. This is a very dangerous time to hold a leading position in the Yugdab forces, as the public eye turns itself upon us more each day. I'm holding you back for your own good." 

Govlo took a deep breath and looked Hadigama squarely in the eye. "Sir, my father was the champion of the Yugdabs before you were, and his blood flows strongly in my veins. He taught me everything he knew. You've taught me many things as well. So I still hold to my belief that I'm ready for promotion." 

"In that case, you're a fool to the bitter end. I was your father's executive officer for ten years before my promotion came, and that was at his death! Do I perceive you to be questioning the wisdom of Anjaflic?" 

"No, sir." Govlo replied meekly. 

Hadigama frowned as an aide rushed out of the hideout and headed his direction. He snatched his helmet from Govlo's hand, put it on, and stepped forward to meet the aide. "What have you come to bother me about? It'd better be important." 

"It sure is!" the aide exclaimed with a shaky voice. "We have an intrusion!" 

After uttering several profanities, Hadigama asked, "Who is it?" 

"I have no idea, sir! All I know is that their fighting skills are no joke!" 

Hadigama growled and unsheathed his sword. "Where are they?" 

"They entered through the northern entrance and are making their way down the main hallway."  

Hadigama turned to Govlo. "Have the men lure them to my chamber." 

Govlo frowned. "Your meditation chamber, or your—" 

"My sparring chamber, idiot! Do not let them destroy any of Anjaflic's images, by any means!" 

With that, Hadigama stormed into the Yugdab fortress with his sword poised to decapitate any foe who crossed his path. 

******************** 

Widely-spaced torches lined the walls of the Yugdab hideout and casted a dim, flickering glow through the wide hallways. The Tereslars advanced at a cautious pace and jumped to attention when an arrow collided with Erok's shield. Kahiri squinted into the darkness and returned fire, but a moment later, the sound of her arrowhead scraping the stone wall grated on her ears. 

Kahiri rolled under the next arrow and fired back again. This time, a Yugdab fell to the ground with an arrow in his arm. A moment later, she jumped as another man lunged forward with a whip in his hand. Kahiri screamed as the whip bit into the skin of her neck. 

While the Yugdab raised his hand to whip Kahiri again, Erok jumped forward and blocked for her. He thrusted with his sword, but the man leapt back and attacked again. As Erok held up his shield again, Meg tossed a boomerang over his shoulder. She growled as she missed. 

The bladed boomerang doubled back and almost hit Erok, but his superior reflexes saved him. With a shout, he jumped forward stabbed the whip-bearing Yugdab. When the lifeless man fell to the ground, Erok nodded and stepped forward. 

******************** 

After several minutes of fighting through the hallway, the Tereslars came to a three-way fork in the path. They glanced over their options for a moment, and then they gave each other baffled stares. 

"Alright," Erok began, breaking the silence, "it's decision time. Who wants to take the left path?" 

"Not me!" Chris shouted. "It looks like a dungeon down there!" 

Erok nodded. "I agree. Who wants to go straight?" 

Meg raised her hand. "I do. After all, that's what we've been doing this whole time anyway. We must be getting close to the middle of the fortress by now." 

Bernard nodded. "I concur with Meg's assessment." 

"Okay," Erok began, "so we have two votes for straight. Who wants to go right?" 

"I do." Kahiri replied. "There's a staircase down there, and I have a feeling that the more important rooms are upstairs." 

"Besides," added Chris, "I'm assuming we're on the bottom floor now, so going up gives us more options." 

Erok scratched his beard for a second. "I'd have to say I agree with both of you. Let's go right." 

With that, the Tereslars cautiously rounded the corner and continued on their way. A moment later, a trapdoor opened behind them and several Yugdab archers dropped down from the floor above. Erok spun around and held up his shield while Meg and Kahiri jumped into action. Two Yugdabs collapsed immediately, but four more took their place. 

The Yugdabs' forces continued to grow, and Erok struggled to shield his team from their attacks. He turned his head back briefly. "Alright, back up! To the staircase! I can't hold them forever!" 

Bernard and Jake led the way to the staircase, Chris and Meg kept to the middle of the formation, and Erok and Kahiri defended their retreat and returned fire, respectively. A pair of guards stood at the bottom of the staircase, but once Bernard's wooden staff collided with their heads, their unconscious bodies fell to the ground. 

Another pair of Yugdab archers stood at the top of the stairs and took aim. Jake took a deep breath and charged at them. He flung them both over the railing to the hard ground below. They screamed as they fell, but after their bone-cracking impact, they moved no more. 

Bernard and Jake climbed the rest of the way up the stairs and found themselves at a tall wooden door. Bernard grabbed the handle and found it to be unlocked. 

"We found a door up top!" Bernard shouted over his shoulder to Erok. 

Erok sighed with relief as he finally slashed through his last foe. After catching his breath, he looked up at Bernard. "Alright, let's see what's on the other side." 

After making eye contact with each of his comrades, Bernard took a deep breath and flung the door open. 

******************** 

A/N: So...the battle has begun! And if you enjoyed the action in this chapter, stay tuned, because the next couple are gonna be full of it as well, and of course, it gets more intense. ;)

Also, what are your thoughts on Govlo now? Did you like the little scene I slipped into the middle of the chapter?

And... *tries to think of a random question* What's the best movie you've seen recently?

(I personally would have a hard time saying, because I've been watching a ton of them lately, both old and new ones. I'm VERY late to the show, but I saw the "Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark" for the first time recently, and really enjoyed that. "Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2" and "Antman and the Wasp" both made me laugh a lot, and "Avengers: Infinity War" was certainly an epic one, which ended on a cliffhanger, to my frustration. I understand what you readers go through sometimes more now!)

So, I hope you have a great day, and please remember to give this chapter a vote and some comments if you liked it. And hopefully, I'll see you in the next update. :D