My Heaven

-Saved By Chance-

By Michael James

Part 1

The hunting party

At night,

in a frozen tundra...

“You want more of my brew? I thought you told me it was rot gut.” Jragon asked her friend if there was any other alcohol? “Fair enough, I'll pour you a cup.” He gave her a generous helping and she still thought it was awful. But at least it was something.

Jragon was with a group of Northlend warriors called, The Gold Masks. They were 6 warriors who were mercenaries for a long time. Then they offered to be a part of the Northlend family. Jragon was watching them to see just how skilled they were. Their assignment was to beach a sperm whale and harvest its meat. They were all still a days walk from the water. But one wrestled down a polar bear and they were eating its meat. Jragon had liked what she saw so far, but it was too soon to tell.

“Eleffant, I can take the first watch.” He looked at his lesser ranked and then at Jragon. She nodded yes, agreeing with it. He told Eagal that she needed to keep the fire going. “Will do.”

After everyone was asleep except for her. Eagal sat on her rock looking for trouble while writing in a book. Jragon opened her eyes and saw her putting more wood on the fire.

“Did I wake you boss” she asked in a whisper. Jragon sat up and sat on the rock next to hers. She wondered something, how was it she came across this bunch? “I was a slave warrior, and Eleffant bought my contract. At first I thought aweful things about him, but he gave me the choice. Either tag along with his party or go my own way.”

“How did you end up as a slave?” Her family sold her off so her 2 little sisters didn't suffer her fate. And despite the fact it was an awful thing to do. She bared them no ill will. “That must have been rough.” She responded kindly, it wasn't that bad. She was like, the top dog in her kennel of pups. “Well I think you made a home for yourself.” She smiled in kind thanking her for those words.

When morning came...

“Come on we need to reach the shore by the end of today people.” Tyger agreed with Jragon, he wanted fish to eat tonight. Woolf, wanted to know again why they walked this trip. When they had perfectly good vehicles?

“Will you quit your wining” Sharc yelled!” Snayk second that, it was obviously an endurance test. Woolf asked what was their deal? Didn't he snap a bears neck yesterday?

Jragon smiled in jest. Then suddenly jerked her body and told them all to be quiet. They all went silent and crouched down in the snow. Eleffant walked slowly towards her and said he sensed her too. It was a goddess in the distance. She was sending out a distress call.

“What's to be done” Eagal asked in a whisper? Jragon wanted to know what a goddess was doing on their planet. The hunting party could either come with her or head for the shore. “Oh no, I would rather go with you, it seems like that would be more fun.” Tyger agreed with Eagal, this sounded like it would be a blast.

Off in the far distance...

The goddess of Snowy Owls was laying in the snow and ice. Her wings had been hurt. She was face down in the ice. Her back also had a big gash in it. She was using the last of her strength to call for help. Funny thing was she didn't mean to summon Northlend. Her distress call was for her eelkshie. But Jragon got to her first.

As they arrived...

“Hey, what the hell happened to you?” Jragon asked with a serious tone. The goddess said, she was in a great deal of pain, thanks for asking. “What are you on our planet?”

“Could you please help and stop interrogating me?!” Eagal asked if she knew who she was talking too? “The goddess didn't respond and passed out. She opened her eyes again an hour later. A dragon beast was keeping her alive, by sharing her life energy with her. Tyger alerted Jragon that the goddess was awake.

Part 2

A two bit assassin

Off in the icy tundra...

“I swear I killed her!”

“Our survey says she is alive and in the presence of a hunting party.” The assassin asked what hunting party? “We believe them to be Northlend hunters.” He smiled telling his contacts this would be reported as a failure. “NO! We can not tell this client we gave up, not this one!” What did they expect him to do? The goddess was a weak little girl. Northlend would just eat him alive! “We will not come get you until she is dead, end of conversation.”

“Come on... hello? Hey, don't cut me off... HEY!” When he realized they weren't going to accept his communication. He contemplated putting a round in his head. Then the idea of going to a Northlend city for a transport popped in his brain. He just needed to get there before they did. “Well, you 3 are fired when I get off this rock.

Back to the goddess,

and the hunting party...

“Why would you come to our planet for help in the first place?” Jragon asked in a pis... off tone. Millice told her to think about it. What idiot would start trouble on their planet? Tyger commented they should leave her to fend for herself. “It would be the easiest coarse of action, but we could benefit from this.” Jragon said with a naughty smile. Millice didn't like the way she said that.

“What are you planning to do warrior?”

“Hazard pay! We get you to safety if you comply with our demands.” Millice wanted to know what she wanted? “Its been a rough year all over our territory. Not much to hunt and feed ourselves to the point of full belly's.” Millice sighed with relief thinking Jragon wanted food for her territories. “No not quite. We want a few habitable planets to start new hunts on.” Millice started to laugh at her demand.

“I'm not giving you planets under my control.”

“Then we will leave you here to die.” She couldn't be serious, she honestly was black mailing a goddess. “No, this is more of a supply and demand situation. You supply us with 3 mid sized planets. And I demand my hunting party to tolerate your bullsh... for a few days.” Millice was outraged by her deal and asked her how she could do this to a goddess. “You chose our planet remember? We don't much care for immortals doing as they please... Snayk!” Jragon yelled seeing an attack coiming.

A shot grazed by his arm. The assassin was listening to the conversation and tried to kill the goddess and then move on. Unfortunately he wasn't the best shot. Snayk turned towards him. He whistled between his lips and a giant 3 headed snake rose from the snow. It was a summoned beast using snow as a doorway.

“Oh shi...” The assassin turned and fled in the opposite direction. He didn't have proper gear to run fast. In truth this man was a complete moron. Jragon shouted don't kill the guy just block his path. Snayk told his beast in a whistle to do as asked.

“What the hell are you doing?” Millice asked in a worried voice. Jragon assured her that she wasn't going to let him kill her. “I don't trust any of you!” Millice turned into several owls and they flew away at record speed. The assassin was face to face with this 50 foot snake.

“Snayk, are you hurt?” He said it was just a scratch, he once dug a bullet out of his leg with a plastic spoon. This was nothing to fret over. “Let him go, to hunt the goddess. We are done with this matter.” The snake turned to mist and vanished.

“If you take another shot at me. I'll remove your heart with a combat knife!” The assassin left their sight as fast as he could. “What now, lady Jragon?”

“Now we go on with our lives as if this never happened.” The group nodded and started for the shore, to beach a whale. Eagal was a little displeased with Jragon but didn't say a word.

As night fell,

in a forest area...

“No...” Thee assassin shot one of her owls from the flock and killed it. Millice fell to the ground with an injured leg. He had the gun pointed at her loaded with mortal steel bullets. Millice thought to herself she should have taken the warriors offer. At least she would be alive.

“I cant tell you how lucky I am, to get to kill you. I was so sure those Northlend warriors were going to eat me alive. Now I get to kill you and collect the bounty...” Millice had fear in her eyes and was about to cry for her life. Until a dragon flew over their heads...

Part 3

You cant be serious

An hour after they turned,

to head for the shore...

“Boss, I cant do this.” The group looked at Eagal as did Jragon. She told Eagal to speak her mind. “I hate immortals for my own reasons just like all of you. But to leave a goddess at the mercy of a sleazy hit man. Just because she chose to come uninvited is wrong. If she was a devil I would kill her myself. But its bad luck to have a celestial being killed out of spite.” Eleffant asked her what would she have them do? “Save her life and ransom her back to her own. That way at least she would be alive.”

Back to now,

in the forest...

The dragon saw them and circled back. He landed on the ground using himself to shield the goddess. The assassin who was so scared to death he wet himself with smelly urine. He fell backwards on his as... and coward thinking the beast would eat him. A giant eagle flew to Millice and got her on its back. The eagle took off into the sky. Right as the hunting party came out of the darkness of the night.

“Oh man the stench!” Woolf shouted as she approached him. Jragon took her dagger out, telling him to not make trouble. He shouted back at them all that he thought they were okay with him killing her? Jragon responded she had a change of heart.

“And what do you plan to do with me?” Sharc smiled asking if they could use him for whale bait. “No” he whimpered like a child. Eleffant said this man was disgusting.

“Tie him up” Jragon ordered harshly...

4 days later,

in a Northlend city...

“Boss” a random warrior said as she approached the entry with her party. Jragon asked the warrior if anyone had visited her home yet? “In regards to the goddess and the youngling. Everyone on the planet knows they are there. But we all know you have some use for the goddess. So none of us have hindered her.”

“You have good information Jach, perhaps I should evaluate you next.” He was honored she would say such things. “Our prisoner is still alive, put him next to a fire. I have need of him in the future.” Eleffant threw him off of his shoulder into the snow.

At Jragon's home...

The one servant that worked there greeted her saying, “they are awake. Both ladies have risen I mean.” Jragon asked her to prepare her a meal and a strong drink. “Of course boss.”

Jragon wandered into her bedroom where the goddess was in her bed. She locked eyes with her and Millice said she would give 3 planets for her services.

“Well that's a real turn around, why the change of heart?” Millice said the little one took excellent care of her. The fact that she was in Jragon's privet room for accommodations, deserved the price asked. “Well we aren't finished yet.” What did that mean, she asked with fear. “Relax goddess you are not in any danger... Eagal I know you are in he hall!” Jragon shouted after hearing her breathing for a couple minutes.

“Forgive me boss, I didn't want to intrude.”

“What other things do you speak of Jragon?” She sighed and then told the goddess she intended to know who put the hit on her. “Why?” Because she was never one for half as... measures. Besides it would amuse her to see the coward suffer. “Wait he is alive!?”

“Relax you are safe, I wager my life on that.”

After her meal,

and a hot bath...

“Eagal come with me.” The girl left the living room and went with Jragon to see the prisoner. As they walked Jragon said “congrats on your work with the goddess. I was willing to settle for 1 moon. But you got her to deliver in full.” She thanked her boss. “Eagal you have promise, I will remember you.” She stopped dead in the street in shock from such kind words.

In the prison...

“You gave him his own cell?” Jragon asked in confusion. The warrior felt fear saying other cellmates would kill him. “Well, at least you didn't put him in with the women.

Part 4

Snipe

After he was dragged,

to the play yard...

“I'm going to ask you some questions and if you lie to me. I will release the polar bears from their cages.” Jragon said with intrigue. He looked at her and then at the iron bars holding the bears. He tried to smile asking what did she want to know? “Who paid you to kill her?”

“An exile named Snipe.” Jragon paused thinking he was joking. Snipe was an exile eelkshie who was banished for experimenting on immortals. Now he was a powerful and wealthy man. The question was why would he hire this idiot? “I've brought Snipe another target, I was supposed to kill Millice because she ran away.”

“You've done well.” Then she would let him go now? “No, but for the time being you get your own cell. Take him back there and give him another blanket.”

Off in another part,

of the galaxy, on a ship...

“Mmm, you taste real nice.”

“Just get it over with you creeper!” Snipe had a bird goddess chained to a bed. She was given serums to eliminate her powers. Snipe enjoyed the anger in her eyes as he licked her neck.

“My lord!”

“I am busy!” His soldier said this was worth interrupting him. “What is it?” Hundredth was on his communication screen. The goddess sighed with relief that a leader had come for her. “Don't get too hopeful little lady. He is on my phone not my doorstep.” Snipe left her all chained up and put on a robe.

In his living room...

“Lord Hundredth, how nice of you to call.” Snipe said sitting on his sofa looking at the screen. Hundredth looked mad as hell. He wanted to know what his problem was with Millice? “How did you hear about her?” He smiled at Snipe and made him uneasy.

“Well Snipe, you managed to pi... off Northlend is all. I got a message from Jragon herself, wanting to return Millice to me directly. Then she wanted to know what your head was worth to me.”

“I'm not afraid of Northlend. Offer whatever price you want to those mortals. I will not fall to them.” He turned off the communication screen and went back to his goddess...