by Dixon, TJ
It is getting dark when Dairon and Hinata return with huge bags of food. They must have created the bags with magic. I am impressed how much they have gathered. It seems that there are different berries in different seasons so there are indeed nuts and berries. There are also herbs, mushrooms and even a variety of root vegetables. In one bag there is the corpse of a twenty legged brown furry creature.
“The legs are the best part. There should be enough for all of us.” Dairon says with a smile.
“I’ll cook it.” Hinata says and lights the fire with magic. It isn’t long before we are sitting round the fire eating the very tasty legs. There isn’t much meat on the main body but Hinata gets what is on it all off. She then uses ice magic to ensure it will keep until the morning.
“We should get some sleep and then continue in the morning.” Dairon says.
“We should take turns on watch. If we all sleep at once we will be too vulnerable.” Lucy says.
“I doubt we will be attacked, but that would be wise.” Dairon agrees.
(Sor)
I made sure to port close, but not too close to Peter and his friends. That meant we could see Peter but were hidden from his view. I then hid our presence using dimensional magic and we followed him into the forest.
I used the bed I carry in my bag to sleep on last night. It helps when your bag can carry large heavy objects without being too cumbersome or heavy. In fact it even fits in my pocket! This bag was made by a very good alchemist. I’ve never seen them sold anywhere. Emi guarded me whilst I slept and I guarded Emi whilst she slept. I considered using an enchantment but it sounds like our enemies are elves and at the very least Peter has an elf. Emi was right. I do still need her to guard me.
“Looks like they’re leaving.” Emi says.
“Why can’t they just port wherever they are going?” I ask Emi with a sigh. “If they are going to the mountains the destination is in sight. Even Peter must be able to port there. I hate walking. I can’t stand walking. I absolutely hate this cursed walking.”
“I know.” Emi says with a sigh. I think she is just annoyed at me for constantly moaning about it though. We walk for a while in silence.
“I wish removing the curse had made me fitter.” I say with a sigh.
“I know.” Emi says.
“Do you want me to hit you?” I ask Emi.
“I know.” Emi says. She obviously isn’t listening to me. I consider actually hitting her, but we are too close to Peter and his friends. They might hear her reaction. I stop instead. She carries on for a few more steps and then notices I have stopped. “What’s wrong?”
“Would you actually listen to what I am saying?” I ask quietly but angrily.
“Sorry.” Emi says with a sigh. She is clearly just saying it.
“Don’t say words you don’t mean.” I say with a glare.
“I don’t like this any more than you do.” Emi say sounding annoyed.
“I haven’t heard you complaining.”
“That’s because you’ve been complaining the whole time. We could just leave them to do whatever they came here for. They didn’t want our help, so…” Emi says but her eyes go wide and she points above me. I look up but as I do so something slimy drips onto the left side of my face. It leaves my vision blurred and I shiver in disgust.
Acting on instinct I use a blast of pure magic and the thing above me explodes. I am now covered in slime though, and it feels really gross. Worse it feels like it is eating away at my skin and clothes. Emi uses water magic and the slime is quickly removed. Fortunately my skin seems ok and there are only two small holes in my shirt. They are barely noticeable, but unfortunately the enchantment on it is now completely gone. The shorts are still ok though.
“This was my favourite.” I say with a sigh. “I’d better get changed. The enchantment probably saved my life. Walking around with a disenchanted shirt though, is like walking around without one at all.”
I quickly remove my shirt and put it in my bag. It is a small bag but the inside is much larger. I consider for a moment which shirt to use before choosing another black one. The enchantment is weaker than the one I was wearing but it is still one of the best. Also some of the other shirts might reveal my presence.
“They’ve gotten a fair way ahead of us.” Emi says sounding worried.
“We’ll just port and catch up with them.” I say with a shrug. Then I smile. “It saves walking.”
We follow them for three more days without any more excitement. It is boring as anything and tiring as hell. I am just glad we have plenty of food in my bag so at least we don’t go hungry.
“They’ve stopped.” Emi says and grabs my arm to stop me walking on. Now the curse is gone there is no pain. It feels weird to be touched without pain. I really have been focusing on just putting one foot in front of the other for some time now.
“Thanks.” I say relieved that Emi at least was paying attention.
“There’s a small pool nearby. It might be nice to bathe in natural water.” Emi suggests.
“It must be freezing. We may as well just clean ourselves like normal.”
“It isn’t freezing. It seems really warm.” Emi says.
“Why?” I ask suspiciously.
“I think it must be a natural hot spring.” Emi says.
“That seems a bit of a coincidence.” I say with a frown.
“Isn’t it perfect though?”
“Peter’s elf at least must also sense it. They’re sure to use it.” I say with a frown.
“We can use it after them.” Emi says.
“Use it after a dirty boy has been in it?” I ask sounding as disgusted as I feel about the idea.
“Do you mind if I use it?” Emi asks. It is probably the first time she has ever asked me for anything for herself like this.
“Fine, but don’t blame me if you catch something.” I tell her.
We focus on remaining hidden for now. The elf and girl gather food like normal but they don’t spot us. My mouth waters as they eat roasted fish. They got them from a nearby stream. I could probably catch fish from the stream too, but neither Emi nor I would have a clue how to prepare and cook it. Instead we sit here eating plain biscuits and dried fruit.
“Do you think that girl is Peter’s slave?” I ask Emi.
“No. He said he hated slavery, didn’t he?” Emi reminds me. I silently curse myself for forgetting something so simple.
“That doesn’t mean she isn’t a slave though.” I say half-heartedly.
“I know, but I don’t think she is.” Emi says.
“I hate to admit it, but I think you’re right.”
“It doesn’t look like they are going to be using the hot spring.” Emi says as they start to lie down. It is now a while after they ate and they must be planning to sleep. Peter is keeping guard first tonight, just like normal.
“It seems you’re right again. Twice in one day. That must be a record.” I say with a smile. Emi knows I am joking.
“So will you join me?” Emi asks.
“Since the curse is gone and it’s just us I think I will.” I answer. It would be nice to relax in the hot spring after walking all day. It seems strange that they didn’t use it though. Do they know something we don’t? “It is definitely safe, right?”
“Of course.” Emi says and then leads me to the hot spring. I use my senses to check for anything odd. It does seem safe.
“Check it again.” I tell Emi. It just seems too good to be true. She closes her eyes to check it again. She even puts one hand in it and uses her senses whilst in contact.
“It’s safe.” Emi says.
“Then we may as well make the most of it.” I say with a shrug. We quickly take our clothes off and leave them on a big rock beside the water. The water is actually hot, not just warm, but it feels nice in this cold weather.
“After a long day walking, this is just the best.” Emi says with a content smile.
“The water doesn’t really seem
like it’s going to help replenish our magical reserves, so this is probably pointless.” I say half-heartedly, but Emi sees right through me straightaway.
“If you really didn’t want to do this you’d have just said, ‘this is pointless’, but you’re actually enjoying it too, aren’t you?” Emi says with a knowing smile. She knows me too well, so it would be pointless to deny her words. I don’t give her the satisfaction of admitting it, but my silence is enough of an admission. Emi then catches me completely off guard with her next comment as looking at me she says. “I wish I was as cute as you.”
“Cute?” I ask in surprise.
“Yes, cute.” Emi says looking genuinely wishful.
“I’d rather have a healthy body like yours.” I say with a shrug. “Anyway, I’m not cute.”
“You are!” Emi protests.
“Even if I was, what is so good about being cute? It doesn’t help you walk, use magic or do anything remotely useful.”
“Neither does the hot spring, but it is still good.” Emi tells me and I don’t know how to answer that so I stay silent again. “Also, if there’s ever a guy you’re interested in, it would help with that.”
“If there was a guy I wanted I would just buy or rent him.” I say with a shrug. “Not that I would ever want a guy.”
“Not every guy is for sale, and you never know who you might become interested in.” Emi says sounding like she thinks she knows something I don’t.
“Do you want me to get angry?” I ask Emi and I really am starting to get annoyed now.
“No. I’ll shut up now.” Emi says realising she is close to going too far. Sure now my mother’s soul is released I want her to be my friend, but that doesn’t change the fact that she is my servant. For a servant, insulting the one they are bound to serve is not a wise thing to do. As if I would consider trying to attract a man that I couldn’t buy!
“That would be a good idea.” I tell Emi. We relax in silence for ages. The water still feels really good and after a while I put Emi’s insult to the back of my mind. Eventually we get out, dried and dressed again. We go back to the spot I chose earlier and I take out the bed like normal. It is intended for one person to sleep on and is made from black wood. The sheet, pillow and duvet cover are black too.
“Stay alert whilst I sleep.” I tell Emi. I fall asleep almost as soon as I lie down.
“Wake up!” Emi whispers to me. I am wide awake instantly. “Your turn.”
“Fine, fine.” I say with a sigh and get up. Emi takes my place in the bed and is almost instantly asleep. I sniff and something seems out of place but I’m not sure what. I am starting to feel tired again and soon I have a hard time keeping my eyes open.
(Peter)
“It seems they decided to follow us.” I say with an amused sigh.
“Yes.” Lucy says and she can barely stop herself from laughing. Hinata on the other hand is openly giggling. Dairon almost manages to keep a straight face, but the side of his mouth reveals his true feelings even to someone who cannot see his aura. I am getting better at reading his aura. I hope it will help me with other elves.
Dairon could smell something odd and woke us to investigate. In front of us is the source of the smell. Close up we can smell a sickly sweet smell. In front of us are Sor and Emi. Sor is lying on the ground and Emi is in a bed. The black bed looks out of place in the forest but their content sleeping smiles are hilarious. Most funny though, they are both bright green all over.
“It seems they used the hot spring near here.” Dairon says.
“Hot spring?” I ask confused.
“I didn’t mention it because it, well...” Dairon says.
“What enchantment is it?” Lucy asks.
“It isn’t an enchantment. It is entirely natural and doesn’t do anything at all. The problem is that in this weather it attracts minor spirits, which cause all sorts of problems.” Dairon explains.
“Can you do anything about it?” I ask.
“I could, but we are close enough to the mountain now that it might be detected. It would be best just to wait for the spirits to lose interest. It should only take a day or so.” Dairon says.
“Fine, we’ll wait until they recover.” I say. An extra day isn’t going to make much difference and we can’t leave them alone here like this. There are wild animals in the area that could very easily kill those two in their sleep.
“Hinata, create something I can draw on.” Lucy says and she has an evil grin on her face.
“Ok.” Hinata says sounding worried. She summons paper with earth magic. I am impressed. I couldn’t do that.
“You may not be strong, but you have excellent control. I’ll need something flat to put the paper on. A slate would work.” Lucy says. Hinata summons one and Lucy takes the slate and paper using magic and then closes her eyes. I can sense the magic but it is very faint. I doubt anyone other than us could sense it.
“That’s impressive.” Hinata says.
“It does look just like them.” Dairon says.
“It’s perfect.” I say with a laugh. The paper is now a picture of Emi and Sor, but it is exactly right. It could only have been done using magic. No artist could have created this picture without magic.
We wait here until they wake. The colour fades until their skin looks normal and soon after that Sor wakes. She seems confused for a moment. Then she realises the situation and covers her eyes with her left hand.
“Go on. Laugh.” Sor says bitterly.
“We’ve done plenty of that already.” Lucy tells Sor but she is still laughing as she says it. Sor removes her hand from her eyes and looks at Lucy a little indignantly.
“So what now?” Sor asks sounding both angry and embarrassed.
“Having amateurs follow us any further would be a problem.” Lucy says.
“You’re the amateurs.” Sor says with a glare.
“Did we get possessed by minor spirits?” Lucy asks.
“Spirits?” Sor asks dubiously.
“Yes. You looked like this not that long ago.” Lucy says and shows Sor the picture. Sor goes bright red as soon as she sees the picture. Then Sor ports the picture into her right hand and burns it so quickly we can’t react.
“I have it memorised so I can just create more.” Lucy says sounding annoyed.
“Do you want me to kill you?” Sor asks furiously.
“If I wasn’t still cursed I’d teach you a lesson for being so rude.” Lucy says with a snarl.
“Enough, both of you.” I tell them before things get out of hand. “Sor, why did you follow us here?”
“I don’t like being in debt to a filthy boy.” Sor says and glares at me now. Before I can answer her Lucy replies first.
“You’re the one who smelt like filth not long ago.” Lucy snarls. Sor goes bright red again and clenches her fists.
“Morning.” Emi says not really awake. Then she notices the scene in front of her. She seems lost for words and all she can say is. “Oh.”
“Yes, oh.” Sor says and glares at Emi now.
“It wasn’t my turn!” Emi protests.
“You have two choices.” Lucy says.
“We can do whatever we want.” Sor says furiously.
“You can either go back or you can come with us. If you follow us any further you will be killed and may get us killed too.” Lucy tells Sor. Sor just stands there glaring.
“We’ll go with you.” Emi says and Sor looks at her in disbelief. “It will be easier if we continue together. Unless you do want to go back to Contractia.”
“Oh fine, we’ll join you, but don’t expect me to do boring work.” Sor says.
“You’ll do whatever I tell you. It’s not like you’ll be much help though.” Lucy tells her.
“Enough, Lucy. Thank you Sor and Emi.” I say.
“Whatever.” Sor says.
“You’re welcome.” Emi says.
Chapter 11 (Multiple)
(Emi)
Despite sleeping all day it
was too late in the day to start moving on. Apparently there are dangerous animals and monsters that come out at night here. We were just lucky Dairon found us before anything more dangerous did last night. It is safer to stay here and then move on in the morning.
I volunteered to keep guard and Sor volunteered too. Lucy was against letting us guard everyone in case we fell asleep again ‘or worse’, but Peter insisted on accepting our offer. Sor went first for once and now it is my turn. I am sitting on a stone close to the fire so at least I am warm. I softened the stone with magic so it makes for a comfy seat.
Having slept so much I have plenty of energy. I just wish there was someone to talk to. I would have preferred for it to be a little more dignified, but I am still glad that we were found and ended up joining Peter’s group. There are more of us to keep watch and we can share the lovely food they have been gathering. Thanks to Sor’s bag we can help out by carrying the food and by sharing the supplies we brought when we are no longer able to gather food. Sor is furious now, but I think she must understand this is better.
I feel a chill down my spine as I sense something approaching us. It feels really dangerous. My senses are blurred by magic so I’m not sure what it is. Whatever it is though, it can use magic.
“Wake up!” I call out to everyone and jump up facing the direction of the enemy. Sor is instantly awake and so are Peter and Dairon. Lucy takes another moment and Hinata is still rubbing her eyes sleepily.
“Firefly.” Dairon says calmly. “Vulnerable to ice magic, but don’t use fire magic whatever you do.”
Then it is close enough to see. It is a long flying insect, perhaps nine foot long and half a foot wide. It is bright blue with red stripes all along its body. Its wings are both about two foot long and are almost transparent. They are a mad blur and shredding anything that gets in the way.
A small fireball shoots towards us out of its mouth and I put up a quick ice shield. The fireball is far too weak to pierce it. Then Dairon skewers the dragonfly’s head with an ice spear. It convulses for a moment and then most of the body falls to the floor. The head is still in the air held up by the ice spear.