(One)
    Amber looked down at the field before her, and found little of interest.  Sighing, she sat back down on her rock and waited.  This wasn't how it was supposed to be.  Nope, she thought to herself, this wasn't how it was supposed to be at all.  She had joined the Allerian army in the hopes that she would actually see some battle.   Instead, she was here guarding a field.  Most of the fighting was happening on the exact opposite side of the continent.  Nothing was happening here!
    She sighed again.  Well, she hadn't joined the army to fight, exactly.  She had joined the army so she could get away from the life she had lead before.  It wasn't that uncommon - fully half of their army consisted of criminals, ex-criminals, refugees, and runaways.  But that hadn't been her.  Her life had existed entirely within the confines of New Havens, a town whose population was somewhere between fifty and seventy-five people.  She joined the army to escape that town more than anything else.
    However, as boring and confining as New Havens had been, it turned out that this field was a great deal more boring.  Their squad leader had tried to make them feel as though they were doing some great service for their country by guarding this particular area, but had pretty much failed.  There wasn't a great deal of prestige involved when one was guarding a field, whether it was close to the unexplored areas or not.
    So she sat on her rock and watched the field.  There continued to be nobody out there.
    Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her.  She whirled, her crossbow at the ready, but it was too late....
    Jace, the squad leader, had snuck up behind her again.  He seemed edgy though, and dispensed with the usual lecture about how dangerous it was to let one's guard down. Instead, he just said "Get back to the camp" and moved on quickly.
    Confused, and more than a little nervous, Amber made her way back to the campsite where the rest of the squad was staying.  Eric and Gaspar had sentry duty at the camp that day.  They gave her a cursory glance and then went back to their marching around the campsite, each trying to look more impressive than the other.  Amber ignored them both and walked inside.
    Inside the main tent, there were two more of her fellow soldiers:  Terrance and Abel.  Both of them had been out doing surveillance in the field, like her.  She didn't see either of the scouts that had been sent out earlier.
    Jace reappeared, trailing both Eric and Gaspar.  He still seemed a bit on edge, which put the rest of them on edge.  When it was apparent that he had all of their attention, he spoke up.
    "Cadets, I have bad news for you.  Our scouts, Helen and Rymerez, have not returned from their morning run." he said, his face surveying each of them to take in their reaction.
    Amber didn't say anything - though the news had hit her like a punch in the stomach.  The scouts were supposed to be back by noon, and it was now nearing the evening.  She hardly even knew Helen or Rymerez, but it was definitely not a good sign that they were gone - it meant that, should she be scouting tomorrow, she could be next.
    As through reading her thoughts, Jace spoke up again.  "There will be no more scouting runs.  I've sent a messenger bird out to alert Higher Command of our status.  In the meantime, we are to guard our camp to the best of our ability.  Sentry duty will be performed in three eight-hour sessions.  I'll even take a turn.  Amber, you and I will relieve Eric and Gaspar when the sun sets.  If any of you see anything suspicious, raise the alarm immediately.  There will be no fires lit at night, and keep the noise to a minimum.  Finally, do not leave the camp, under any circumstances.  That is an order."

    (Two)
    The sun set a few hours later, and Amber walked from her tent and out to where the sentries usually marched, looking for either one of them.  In one hand, she held her crossbow.  In the other, a large bell that was to serve as the alarm if she should run into anything.  She had gone at least ten yards away from the tent without seeing any sign of either Gaspar or Eric.  The nervousness she had been feeling for the past few hours intensified, and she wondered briefly if they hadn't disappeared as well.  Then she spotted a tall figure standing to her right some distance away - Jace.  This time, at least, he hadn't snuck up on her.  Given the circumstances, she probably would have shot him with the crossbow.  Instead, he was walking toward her, just as edgy as he had been earlier that day.
    "Amber.. good to see you out here.  I relieved Eric and Gaspar a little early.  Neither of them had anything unusual to report.  This will probably turn out to be a rather uneventful watch.  I realize that you've been awake most of the day, but so have the rest of the cadets, and you seem to have more determination than most of them."  he paused and looked around, then returned his attention to her.  "Is this your first overnight watch?"
    "Yes, sir."  Amber replied promptly.
    "Don't worry, it's not too difficult.  Just keep moving, and you'll be fine.  If you really need to sleep, let me know - I'd rather not have you pass out while doing your rounds." Jace advised.
    "That won't be necessary, sir." Amber replied.
    Jace nodded.  "I didn't think it would be.  One final thing.  Keep an eye out over the unexplored areas to the east."  he paused for a moment, as though considering what to say next.  "That's where our scouts vanished.  If you see any movement at all, raise the alarm.  But under no circumstances go there yourself.  Do you understand?"
    "Yes sir!"  Amber replied.
    "Good.  To your post." Jace ordered, and then walked away, presumably along his own route.
    Amber started walking, thinking the entire time about the unexplored areas.  She had no idea what was there.  The only information she had about the unexplored areas came from fairy tales that her parents had told her.  Monsters, trolls, and even demons were supposed to make up most of the population.  A few of the tales even suggested the existence of those who could wield magic - though even in the tales, such beings were rare.  The border between the known world and the unknown was the forest that was no more than fifty yards away.  A short distance beyond that, mountains with countless caverns jutted out of the landscape.  It was mysterious, even from as short a distance as she was.  And earlier that morning, the scouts had vanished into it.
    A half hour passed, and still her thought would not stray from the mountains that stuck in her peripheral vision no matter which way she turned.  But who would know about the unexplored areas?  Only her parents seemed to know anything, and they didn't seem to know a whole lot besides myth.
    The answer passed right by her ten minutes later.  Jace!  Of course!  Jace seemed at least as old as her father, though most definitely in much better shape.  Amber turned around and caught up to Jace, who by that time had heard her approach and turned to face her.
    "What is it?" he asked hurriedly, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.  It occurred to Amber that she had probably startled him, suddenly turning around to see him.  She searched for an answer and found one.
    "Nothing sir, I was just feeling a little sleepy and wanted to ask you for advice." she lied fluidly.
    Jace seemed instantly relieved, and his hand came off of his sword and ran through his hair.  "Oh.  Well, my best advice would be to stay moving, like I said earlier.  People don't tend to fall asleep if they're moving.  Just walk along the perimeter of the camp."  He started to walk away once more.
    "Uh.. sir, if I may ask you a question?" Amber ventured, hoping she wasn't about to make a fool of herself.
    Jace turned back and signaled for her to go ahead.
    "What can you tell me about the unexplored areas?" in her nervousness, she had forgotten to address him as 'sir'.  Jace didn't seem to notice.  Instead, he simply stood silently for a few moments.  When he finally spoke up again, it was to say three words.
    "Come with me."
    Jace started walking, further away from the perimeter of the camp, and Amber followed him.  The entire time, his attention wavered between the forest ahead, and the camp behind him.  Then, he stopped, and began circling around the camp again.
    "Amber, I have to ask you to keep this in the strictest of confidence, and not do anything rash."  Jace said, facing toward the camp.
    "Yes sir." she said, wondering exactly what it was about the unexplored areas that should be kept a secret.
    "All right."  With a sigh, Jace began his story.

    (Three)
    "First, I'll tell you what my grandfather told me."  Jace began, as he started walking once more.  Amber followed after, listening to his every word.
    "The unexplored areas are a dangerous place.  Some time ago, it is said, it was ruled by powerful men... people who could wield tremendous magic.  With their magic, they did wonderful things - they wiped out diseases, cured ills, and lengthened lives.  But they also did horrific things with their magic as well.  There were constant wars - each wizard battled to become most powerful, and had no sooner accomplished his goal than he was deposed by a newcomer.  Hundreds of thousands lost their lives in these wars.  The wizards even created warriors to fight for them - various monsters, the trolls of legend, and even demons.  According to the legend, the most powerful leader of the time created a demon of such strength that even he could not combat it and win.  This demon gathered its fellow accursed brethren, and together they were unstoppable - every magic wielding being within the unexplored areas was killed."
    Jace stopped to ponder his next words, and then continued.  "My grandfather couldn't tell me why they stopped there.  He didn't know.  I did some of my own research, and I never found out.  Until five years ago, there wasn't a soul on this earth that could tell you."
    Jace sighed, and turned to Amber.  "The unexplored areas had become my obsession, over the years.  What you may not know is that there is a division of the Allerian army devoted specifically to these areas.  And I worked my best to join it.  I knew the risks - it's safer to be at the front lines of a battle with a fierce enemy than it is to be in that land - but I believed myself capable of making it.  Five years ago, I was chosen to be on a team that made a foray into the unexplored areas.
    "It seemed a simple thing at first.  We were just to go on a scouting journey for possible valuables.  All sorts of magical artifacts were left behind by the wizards, and they would aid us well in a war, so we were told to find possible strongholds where they would be.  We entered those very mountains, near this point.  Contrary to the legend I've just told you, we ran into nothing unusual.  There was one troll encampment - long abandoned - along our trip, but other than that, nothing.  Until we reached the caves.  You might be able to make them out from here...." he stared off toward the mountains, pausing in his speech as though lost in memory.  "At any rate, we entered the caves, as those are usually where artifacts are hidden.  I don't know how long we walked for - we were well supplied, so it could have been as long as a week.  At some point, we arrived at a chamber within the mountains.  Lining the walls of this chamber were various weapons:  Swords, spears, fighting sticks (though more likely they were magician's staves), bows, and maces were the more familiar armaments.  Shields and suits of armor were to be found in the corner.  Ancient books lay on low pedestals which were arranged in a circular pattern.  In the middle of the pattern, a taller pedestal held a ruby, nearly the size of my fist.  And at the end of the room, there was a stairway, no doubt leading to more of the same.  We decided that we had found a stockpile.  One of the men had kept detailed maps, and jotted down notes on how to find it.  Then we started taking what we wanted - this was one of the benefits of working in this particular division.  A sort of hazard pay - if you found something that wasn't of obvious use to the kingdom, like a fire-spewing catapult or something of the sort, you were free to take it.  I suppose they figured that a small scouting party couldn't take everything.  They knew we wouldn't run away with the weaponry - in most places you're considered an outcast if you go into the unexplored areas.  Trying to sell one of them would be impossible, but the army rewarded us well for finding stockpiles and reporting them.
    "So, we started taking what we thought we'd like.  Mainly the weapons, though the mapmaker of the group was poring over the books.  I got this -" he indicated the sword at his side.  "and I only once had it do anything extraordinary in battle.  It's a good sword, and finely balanced, but its magic is useful only on limited occasions.  I found out then exactly what occasion that was."
    "One of the men - I've forgotten who, probably on purpose - decided that he wanted the ruby.  So, he reached out and took it.  And that's when it started.  You've probably never seen a demon.  I had never seen one, until that moment.  The second that the man took the ruby, the demon appeared.  It first appeared in the guise of a man, and seemed confused - it wasn't sure where it was, or what had happened to it most likely.  But it saw us, and its confusion lifted.  It... transformed somehow - one moment it looked human, the next it was this haphazard mangling together of claws, teeth, and muscle.  It looked only vaguely human - it still had two arms and two legs - but the similarities ended there.  It was a horrific thing, and it lashed out at one of the men.  Slashed his throat, to be exact.  The rest of us, we were armed, but we really didn't stand a chance.  None of the other guys' weapons did them any good - the demon just tore them apart.  But mine... well, it glowed.  And the demon stayed away.  It was obvious that it would like to have killed me, and would probably have enjoyed it, but it didn't... and it was somehow because of this sword.  There were two people left now - me, and the man who had originally grabbed the ruby.  He still had it, and was staring around and gibbering madly... I don't think he'd ever seen such carnage - I don't think that I ever have either, now that I mention it, before or after that event.  I went to the last man, and tried to shake some sense into him, but he just collapsed, screaming.  The demon turned to him and spoke - it spoke!  I'll never forget that voice, for as long as I live.  It was like listening to bones grate on bones, like listening to a dead man speak.  It asked the person that had released it what he wanted it to do about me.  That's when I realized what was going on.
    "I took the ruby from my comrade's hand, and he didn't even notice.  He just kept mumbling and crying...  I was trying too hard to stay alive to end up like him, at least right then.  I'd be reduced to a spineless heap of jelly later, at that moment, I had a job to do:  survive.  I held the jewel, and talked to the demon.  Which was probably not my brightest move, but I did so anyway.  I asked it where it had appeared from. It gestured to the ruby and said it had been trapped in there.  It still wanted to kill me, my possession of the ruby didn't change that.  But my idea was that having the ruby gave me some sort of control over it.  So I ordered it to go back into the ruby.
    "It refused.  When I ordered it again, it attacked me.  The sword saved me.  It just seemed to move up on its own and strike out at the thing.  The demon howled in pain and backed away.  I ordered it to go into the ruby again, and again it refused.  It attacked again, and my sword stopped it, again.  But I couldn't keep this up - every scratch  that I inflicted on it was mending itself back together at a furious pace.  The sword was heating up - almost to the point where I couldn't hold it any more.  I didn't know if it would still protect me if I let go, and I did not intend to find out.  But I was almost out of time, when, in a moment of desperation, I threw the ruby at it.
    "The demon tried to dodge, but failed.  The ruby just touched it, and then clattered to the floor.  The demon was gone - trapped in the ruby once more, I'm guessing.  I didn't stick around to find out.
    "When I got back to the civilized world we were at war with Tyren kingdom, just as we are to this day.  Our kingdom decided that we had enough artifacts, and that we could no longer afford to send good fighting men off to the unexplored areas to get killed.  So I was transferred.  I've never been back there since."
    Jace trailed off, still looking toward the mountains.  After a moment or two of silence, he turned back to Amber.  "You most likely want to know why I'm telling you this.  It's very simple.  I know that look in your eyes - you want to go and find our scouts.  So I'm telling you this to get across a simple point:  If you go after them, you're going to end up just like them."
    Amber said nothing in response.  It was true, the idea of going after the scouts had occurred to her... but Jace's story certainly put a damper on that.  Even if she stayed away from gems, most likely the scouts had awakened something, and that something would still be out there.  She realized that neither her nor Jace had spoken, and the silence was stretching out uncomfortably.  Finally, she managed a "I understand, sir.", and walked off on her own once more, back to patrol the perimeter of the camp.

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