Drums echoed from the forest and became louder and louder. Villagers closed their doors and windows to hide under their beds or anything worth to hide in.  Stone Emperor rode his horse in the middle of five thousand armies he had brought. The soldiers on front line danced on the beats of drums and sang ancient songs. Emperor touched the …

Queen was in a discussion of the battle strategy with Lord Commander and some knights.  “How will we be able to defend this castle against Stone Emperor?” Queen had been asking them. “Soldiers will not leave the castle.” Lord Commander said, “We will shoot canons, arrows and mangonels from within the walls. Charging at them is nothing other than suicide.” “Is this wise move? …

Following the road seemed to have worked because they reached in a village. Roderick was the center of attention with all those crying babies. “Stop embarrassing me. Don’t cry!” Roderick screamed at the crying babies.  Women looked at Roderick, carrying babies with wonder. He thought he was a living, breathing joke when he found many blushing women walking behind him. “Don’t cry! Or I will throw …

 The old men walked slowly, but it was not annoying Roderick. He even thought of taking them to another direction but remembered what their sacrifice could do to the kingdom. The cannibals were following them. Roderick could hear them stepping on twigs, but the old ears had no ability to hear the stalkers. Those steps came closer and closer. At last, those old eardrums got wind of steps. …

On his way back, he saw a huge portion of hill missing. It was like a trail of landslide. But he did not know how a landslide had happened all of a sudden. He reckoned it was the work of cannibals. They had eaten a part of the hill.  The hill was not showing any movement so he guessed they had eaten the part …

“Did you think I had forgiven you?” he heard the deer say as he was falling. Somehow Roderick grabbed a stone and stopped his fall. He had avoided his death, but the hill was shifting farther. Roderick stood on the stone shaft, then sprinted towards the moving side of the canyon. He caught another stone of the other side. Taking a breath of relief, he climbed to the …

The monkeys called more of their friends to watch spectacle of grown up man trying to create fire. No matter how much he tried, he could not make anything other than smoke.  He wondered how those starving people had managed to make fire. It looked as if he would have to ditch the plan of burning the whole hill. There was no way he could scare …

Roderick couldn’t forget the sound of their chewing. It was enough to gross him out every time he thought of having anything to eat. His stomach made a sound in hunger, but remembering how they were eating was enough to not demand any appetite. He had thought he was very close to the hill when he had left those hungry men, but it turned out he was …

The distance was not as much as he had expected. Within an hour, he crossed one street and after another stressful hour of intense walking he got on the second hill. Now the only distance between him and those twenty men was the last hill. While on his way, he saw some people thin as a stick crying and yelling …

After leaving the stinking corridor, he went towards the more lavish section of the palace. He knew he was in the right place when soldiers treated him with respect. A woman waited for him there. Two small lion cubs were hopping around her.  Roderick hadn’t seen her in the stadium “Is he the man who had slain all the fighters?” she asked them. “As well as animals.” …