Faro and Ronda were sleeping soundly in her bedroom when a faint voice whispered into Faro’s ear.
“Wake up, Master Faro. You are needed urgently in Thundarr Forest.”
Faro’s eyes shot open. Standing beside the bed was the Dwarf, his tiny figure barely visible in the dim room.
“Dwarf!” Faro whispered, rubbing his eyes. “I thought you only appeared in Thundarr Forest!”
The Dwarf nodded, putting a finger to his lips. “Shhh, don’t wake Ronda up. You will be back before she notices.”
Faro glanced at Ronda, who was still asleep, her breathing soft and steady. He hesitated, but the Dwarf extended his hand. “Here, hold my hand.”
As soon as Faro gripped the Dwarf’s tiny hand, the world around him blurred. “Close your eyes… now open them.”
In an instant, he was back inside the Cave of Falcon. The hum of the power monitors filled the air, and the Dwarf pointed at the largest screen.
A live feed showed a pigman trapped waist-deep in the sludge of Thundarr Swamp, frantically struggling to break free. The real danger, however, was the Dreadmurk—a hulking reptilian predator—slithering toward its helpless prey.
Faro tensed. “Dwarf, teleport me to the swamp!”
The Dwarf bowed slightly, spreading his hands apologetically. “Forgive me, Master. I can only use my teleportation powers once every 24 hours.” Then, with a blink, he vanished.
Faro cursed under his breath and immediately checked the swamp’s coordinates on his monitor. He activated his Power Ring’s navigation system, hopped onto his motorbike, and sped out of the cave, tearing through the dense forest toward the swamp.
The ride was brutal. Fog thickened as he approached the swamp, limiting visibility. The ground became wetter, forcing him to slow down. As he neared the location, he heard panicked squeals.
The pigman was still trapped, and the Dreadmurk was only a few meters away.
Faro accelerated, launching off a raised root and skidding to a stop near the pigman. “Hold on!” he shouted, activating his Power Ring. A golden energy whip shot out, wrapping around the pigman’s torso. With a strong yank, he pulled him free just as the Dreadmurk lunged.
The creature’s massive jaws snapped at empty air where the pigman had been moments before. Faro quickly tossed the pigman onto dry land and turned back, drawing his Falcon Claw dagger.
The Dreadmurk snarled and swiped at him. Faro barely dodged, rolling to the side. He needed a strategy. Killing the beast would take time—time he didn’t have.
His eyes darted to the swamp water. Dreadmurks are ambush predators, meaning they rely on stable ground. If he could weaken the surface beneath it…
Faro quickly switched his Power Ring to Shockwave Mode. He slammed his fist into the muddy ground, sending a concussive blast rippling through the terrain. The unstable swamp collapsed beneath the Dreadmurk’s weight, dragging it down into the muck. It thrashed and roared, trying to escape, but the deeper it struggled, the faster it sank.
Within moments, only bubbles remained.
Faro exhaled, turning to the pigman. “You alright?”
The pigman nodded frantically. “T-Thank you, Falcon! I thought I was pork stew!”
Faro smirked but then clenched his jaw. He checked the sky—the night was already thinning. He had to get back before Ronda woke up.
The Dwarf’s teleportation was a one-time deal, and his motorbike wasn’t nearly fast enough to cross the distance before sunrise.
He clenched his jaw. There was only one option. He had to return to the Cave of Falcon first and figure out his next move.
Without hesitation, he hopped back onto his bike, engaging Falcon Overdrive to boost his speed through the dense forest. The trees blurred past him as he raced through the trails, dodging fallen logs and streams. It took him nearly twenty minutes of high-speed maneuvering, but eventually, he saw the hidden entrance of his cave.
Faro skidded to a stop, dismounted, and rushed inside. The soft hum of his power monitors filled the chamber as he stripped off his gloves and helmet. His body ached from the intense ride, but he had something more urgent to do.
He grabbed his communicator and dialed Ronda.
It rang three times before a groggy voice answered.
“Mmm… Faro? where are you? I thought you were sleeping besides me! It’s the middle of the night…”
Faro sighed, rubbing his face. “I know, babe. Listen, something urgent came up in Thundarr Forest. The Dwarf teleported me here.”
There was a pause, then a sleepy but sharp reply. “Wait… What? The Dwarf came into our bedroom while I was sleeping naked?!”
“Yeah. I was as surprised as you. He whispered to me, told me it was urgent, and before I knew it, I was in the Cave of Falcon.”
Ronda groaned. “You should have woken me up!”
“I didn’t want to disturb you. Besides, the Dwarf is not a soilmen so he wasn’t even looking at your naked body, he also added that I’d be back before you noticed… but things got complicated. There was a pigman trapped in Thundarr Swamp, and a Dreadmurk was about to eat him. I had to get him out. It took longer than expected.”
Another pause. “…Did you win?”
Faro smirked. “Of course I did.”
“Good.”
He chuckled but then sighed. “Listen, I won’t make it back by morning. My only option is to take the dawn train back to Thundarr City. I’ll be at your apartment by noon tomorrow.”
Ronda yawned. “Okay, just be safe, alright?”
“I will. Go back to sleep. Love you.”
“Mmm… love you too.”
The call ended. Faro tossed the communicator onto his desk and leaned back, staring at the rocky ceiling of his cave.
He had a long night ahead of him. Alone.
