The teleportation circle was bigger than she expected. Etched into the ground was an immaculate carving of runes etched into stone.
A diagram was plastered on the wall beside the teleportation circle.
Read Before Using the Teleportation Circle!!
Only five people in the circle at a time.
Feet, hands and legs must stay in the circle until the end of the activation.
Have the same destination in mind before you hit the switch.
DO NOT CHANGE DESTINATION MID TELEPORT.
DO NOT HOLD BREATH DURING THE TELEPORT.
“Well at least it came with instructions.” Adrianna murmured.
“Okay, everybody in.” Parrish held out his coin and muttered a short prayer. A gentle gold light settled over everyone’s heads and Adrianna felt a little more at ease.
STATUS: patched up, stable, blessed
Hancock put a finger over the switch. “Okay everybody, think about the camp of the Crimson Army and we’ll hopefully make it somewhere close.”
Adrianna gritted her teeth and stared back down the empty hall, her heart hammering as she tried not to think about the fate of her uncle. “It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay..” she whispered over and over. “It’ll be okay...I’m okay--”
A hand touched her shoulder and she snapped up to look at Myra, her tears beginning to flow.
“It’s okay not to be okay,” Myra whispered. Adrianna could tell she wanted to hug, but there was something adverse within her, holding her back. Adrianna did not want a hug. She wanted to go back and drag her uncle through the teleportation circle.
“If I focus on the task in front of me, I’ll...I’ll be fine…” Adrianna swiped her face with the hem of her sleeve and took a deep breath. “Are we ready?”
“Yeah,” Parrish and Hancock looked at her and both nodded. “Follow the instructions and we’ll all be fine.”
“Crimson Army camp,” Adrianna murmured to herself and closed her eyes. She thought of the red robes and their magics and the sound of their generic voices.
The circle pulsated and the runes went active. “Remember to breathe!” Parrish called.
Adrianna’s world flashed and pulsated. Her body seemed to stretch as her vision blurred into a blur of stars that illuminated her surroundings. She could sense something between the fabric of the Quell as they traveled. Something calling out to her, something from the shifting folds of reality that echoed in her mind.
Out of Combat! You are safe!
In an instant the spectacular image was gone and her vision was replaced with a vista of vast desert and barren mountains. Her party members stood at the ready, checking one another for damage.
Chapter 34: Welcome to the Desert
The sun was bright, ready to sink below the horizon as it spread its heat across their faces. Adrianna’s mind spun, trying to focus on her current situation. Why was everything happening to her so fast? Why couldn’t she get one moment to figure things out before something crazy happened? She was all for grabbing one adventure after the next, but this? This was the curse of the Quell. It had to be.
Location Discovered: Death Valley
“So now what?” Myra asked, looked over to Adrianna along with her other teammates.
“Does that little map of yours tell you anything, Ari?” Parrish asked.
“Uh…” She brought herself to the present, trying to rein in her thoughts. Pulling out her scroll, she unrolled it and blinked. “This place is called Death Valley.”
“That’s charming,” Parrish murmured as he squinted at the mountains flanking them.
Seeker’s Notes
Death Valley
● Don’t underestimate the heat. It will quickly give you sunburn more than it will a tan. The paths through Death Valley are treacherous. If the mountains don’t get you, the heat will. No creature that can not withstand the strength of a scorching sun can survive this beast of a land.
● This is your worse-case scenario: No food. No water. You’re in the middle of summer while the sun is high. Going through here is a bad option. Getting stuck here is a worse one.
● It’s not that bad. Just come with water and travel light. A lot of people have died due to dehydration rather than the fire beetles.
Great. Fire beetles. The heat was intensely hot. It hit them with a physical impact like an oven blast. All around them the horizon rippled and blurred with mirage. It wasn’t just the sun, it seemed the very land itself radiated like a fire stoked below the surface. She looked around and could see various player graves scattered nearby. She didn’t bother to read them. Maybe I’m getting callous. Or tired.
“It was lucky I filled up our water skins at Badger Flat,” Parrish smirked, tapping his supply. “Let’s find the camp quick.”
Adrianna took a deep breath as a wayfinder point appeared in her vision. “Northeast. It’s northeast. And close by, by the look of it.”
“We should get going then.” Hancock nodded. “We’ll get there and come up with a plan to get to the heart and then get the hell out of there. We don’t want you close to the army for too long.”
We could just leave it all behind. Adrianna sighed. She knew that wasn’t an option. The army wouldn’t stop and neither would her party.
“What are fire beetles?” Myra asked looking at the scroll over her shoulder.
“Let’s hope we don’t run into--” Parrish started.
“Don’t jinx it,” Myra pointed at Parrish.
Just as she said that a sharp rattle whispered across the valley.
Myra cursed. “I don’t even want to know.”
“We should get moving,” Hancock moved forward, toward their destination. The rattling only got louder as they traveled and the ground began to shake, stones around them bouncing off the land.
Then all at once it stopped. Adrianna glanced up at one of the ridges and let in a sharp gasp. “Guys! Up!”
A swarm of bright orange insects spiraled towards them, their bodies plummeting to the ground like meteorites.
The four jumped to the side as the beetles slammed into the earth leaving small craters that ignited in flames.
“Holy--” Parrish cut himself off and leapt from side to side. “That’s a damn appropriate name!”
Surprise Attack! Start initiative!
A cloud of fire beetles’ wings unfurled and the sharp rattling continued as each creature converged into one big ball of fire, bearing down on the party. All four of them dodged out of the way, getting singed from the near miss. The ball rolled in a small circle and prepared for another attack.
Myra unleashed a sonic scream that temporarily scattered a handful of the fire beetles before the mass clustered together, replacing their missing allies.
Parrish followed by pushing his coin forward and sending three bolts of white magic towards their adversaries. Instead of making contact, the bolts ricocheted off the mass and fizzled out.
Adrianna quickly fired two bolts at the mass, but found her crossbow to be useless against them--the bolts simply passed harmlessly through the center.
Hancock steadied himself and watched as a few beetles took flight, tracking their movements as they turned to strike again. He narrowly dodged out of the way as they individually pelted toward several of the party.
Adrianna ducked under most of them, but Parrish got nailed by two of them on his left shoulder. He rolled to the side, trying to put the fire out of his hoodie.
“Stay in there, Parrish!” Myra’s voice laced with magic soothed his burns as the fire-charred his clothing.
The fire beetles quickly regained formation and formed their fireball, ready to strike once more.
As Adrianna readied herself to jump in any direction, the beetles suddenly stopped at the sound of a sharp whistle.
The whistle went low before the shooting up to a higher pitch as all the beetles rattled in unison, their wings going up. Adrianna tried to find the source of the noise and spotted a figure clad in white st
anding on top of a rock, mouth pursed with intensity. A red sash across her waist billowed with the movement of the fire beetles wings as they hovered in midair. She took out a horn from her sash and blew into it.
The sound was bold and echoed throughout the valley. In one swift motion the fire beetles flew off into the distance.
“You travelers okay?” The figure looked down at them, putting her horn away. Adrianna put her hands on her knees and slowly bent over, trying to catch her breath. Parrish patted the blackened stains on his hoodie and scowled.
“That’s one crazy ass group of monsters,” Hancock complained. “My sword was useless against them.”
The party slowly relaxed, trying to take a collective breath.
Ivory
Hunter
Level 7
Adrian gazed at the player identification over Ivory’s head. It somehow felt better that this was a player, and not an NPC. “Those nasty little things are the worst,” Ivory continued, her dark skin and green eyes piercing through the desert heat. “They don’t give you any experience either! Totally worthless. Now what’s a party like you doing in a place like this?”
She looked each of them over as Hancock stepped forward, sheathing his sword. “We’re traveling through, going Northeast of here. Looking for something. Our seeker--”
“Seeker?” Ivory tilted her head, scrutinizing Hancock long enough to make him uncomfortable. “You’re Kelly Hancock.”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “That’s what my head thing says.”
“You don’t remember me,” the woman frowned. “But I suppose you wouldn’t.”
“Why does every stranger say things like that?” Hancock murmured.
“Because you’ve been through a lot for the sake of taking down the Crimson Army,” Ivory nodded towards him. “And if you’re here, that means you’re going to attempt something again.”
“How do you know about the Army?” Myra stepped forward, taking advantage of Hancock’s hesitance.
“I used to work with Hancock and the others to take them down.”
“Then you know my uncle.”
“Possibly,” she nodded. “What was his name?”
“Tomas Oban?”
“Oh, of course that old coot would still be alive,” Ivory rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know him. One hell of a Warlock.”
“We need to find their camp,” Parrish pointed out. “Do you know the way?”
“I’ll take you there.” Ivory nodded.
Myra and Parrish exchanged suspicious looks with one another as Ivory began to walk away.
The party had no choice but to follow. Adrianna jogged up to keep pace with the guide.
Ivory glanced at her. “If Tomas is your uncle, then you must be Esmeralda’s girl.”
“I…” Adrianna cleared her throat. “I don’t…”
“Pointed ears and that hair?” Ivory grinned, adjusting the horn on her belt. “Spitting image.”
“My...my mom?” Adrianna’s throat caught. “You knew my mom?”
“I did,” the hunter gave Adrianna a soft look before putting her white wrap back around her face. “I haven’t seen you since you were a wee child. Esse and your father were quite pleased to have you.”
“Are they…?” Adrianna hesitated, they both knew what the unasked question was.
Ivory paused her gait for a moment, before shaking her head. “I have no idea. But knowing those two, they’re out there somewhere fighting the good fight and missing you.”
Well. This is a staggering thought. Perhaps there is a small chance that one or more of my parents are still alive somewhere. Too many questions, not enough answers! I really hate feeling so powerless to do anything about this.
Adrianna’s head spun as she went over and over her memories and what she had learned so far in the Quell.
Ivory stopped about twenty minutes later at the base of a cluster of shoulder high boulders and pointed into a lower valley. “And there, my friends, is your army.” They gazed down into a wide, flat valley. A large pyramid, blended into the desert below and reflected the setting sunlight, bathing the small portion of Death Valley in a sinister red hue.
“Tomas said there would be another teleportation circle near here,” Parrish spoke up. “Where’s that?”
“I can take you to it,” the Hunter took a deep breath. “But I’m not going to tell you, yet.”
The team turned on her at once, save Adrianna, who simply stared at her.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you--”
“You don’t.”
“--it’s that I’ve been betrayed in the past. I don’t want to give you an escape unless you’re assured the success of your completed task.”
“So what you’re saying is….”
“I’ve been stuck on reconnaissance in this damn desert for the past, gods know how long, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to stay stuck here. It’s dry. Almost nothing gives me experience points out here. I haven’t had a decent bath in ages. It’s impossible to level up.” Ivory huffed and seemed to calm herself. “But this isn’t about me. Or the resistance who suddenly went radio silent without telling me squat. This is about taking out the Army. So is it just you guys, or do we have more on reserves?”
“Reserves?” Hancock frowned. “We’re just here to destroy the heart.”
Ivory’s head twitched and she slowly nodded. “Right. Of course you are.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Myra frowned.
“It means we’re no closer to taking out the Sisters, and I’m going to be stuck here. Longer.”
“The heart destroys their connection to one another.”
“That’s the theory,” Ivory frowned. “But let’s be honest, I’ve hit that thing so many times, they expect me to make a fool of myself at least once a year trying to take it out. That bugger is like steel against my magic.”
“You didn’t have this.” Hancock summoned his sword and held it out. Shadow Weaver seemed to soak up the desert sun as the wind picked up the sand around their feet.
A dark look went over her face. “I suppose I didn’t.”
“Tomas knew its name,” Hancock murmured.
“Yeah, where is that old coot by the way?” Ivory asked looking at Adrianna.
The young seeker held her tongue, refusing to answer. If she didn’t say it, it might not be real.
“He’s distracting some of the Crimson Army who have been following us. Giving us an opportunity to get here.” Hancock replied. “As much as I’d like to talk about the past, we are short on time. We need a plan and we need to strike hard and escape faster.”
Ivory nodded. “I’d give you details, but the pyramid changes every so often. Some sort of magical ward. Entrances and secret passages shift all the time. The Quell has been getting creative with its changes.”
“Ari, your map say anything?” Myra asked her gently.
She appreciated Myra’s careful demeanor. She felt that if she had one more unsolicited stress, she’d burst. Adrianna pulled out her scroll and unraveled it. Studying it for a quick moment, she noticed the lack of Seeker notes over what was labeled the Crimson Pyramid. In fact it barely showed up on the map.
“We’re walking in practically blind,” Adrianna frowned. “But it looks like there’s an entrance in the back of the building and one at the top. There’s also one between those two pillars there, but that looks like a front door.”
“Well, that gives us some options,” Myra nodded, laying an encouraging hand on Adrianna’s shoulder.
Ivory and Parrish suddenly crouched down and waved the other’s down. “Patrol,” Ivory hissed.
Stealth Check. Hide from the patrol. 15 + 3 (Dex) = 18. Success!
Adrianna rolled her scroll closed and huddled behind a craggy rock that was just big enough to hide her small frame.
The two-man patrol approached loud and fast traveling directly below them.
“We joined to avenge Jo,” a familiar angry voice yelled, con
tinuing a heated argument that was already near a boiling point.
“We joined because you wouldn’t let it go,” another familiar voice snapped. “And I wasn’t going to let you do something this stupid alone.”
Adrianna peeked around her rock and saw the cousins who had left them stranded on Bair Island, Jace and Markus. They were dressed in the red robes of the Crimson Army. Neither of them looked too thrilled to be out on patrol.
“We should talk to them,” Adrianna whispered to the party but in response the others furiously shook their heads.
“They want the girl and I’m going to let them have her,” Jace slammed his weapon on the ground. Markus snatched it from him in a blink of an eye.
“You’re being immature,” Markus frowned, as he gazed at his cousin with firm intensity. “Jace, we don’t even know if they’re telling the truth. You don’t have to join a cult to kill an enemy.”
“Kill an--” Jace threw his hand in the air. “I am not here to kill an enemy. I’m here to make her suffer for what she did to us!”
“Leaving them on that Island wasn’t enough?”
“That was your idea!” Jace balled up his fists and pounded his forehead for emphasis. “They said she is still out there.”
Adrianna gasped and leaned back into the wall of the rock. I thought they were just being petty. This is far worse than that. It’s a terrible idea to see them now. We should not talk to them. How long have they been indoctrinated into this cult of an army?
“Jace, shut up.”
“Don’t--don’t you dare say that to me! We’ve been through too much! It broke Kathy that we couldn’t find answers about her sister! Our question would have put her on the path she was looking for and then those guys just…”
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