by Tj Dixon
“Great, a swamp… Just what I always wanted…”
“We can get rare herbs there and it makes a perfect place to hide now though.”
“Because we couldn’t have done that if I didn’t own the place.”
“If you weren’t off playing the hero you could have decided what you wanted.” Rin shrugs.
“Right now what I want is a port to my swamp.” I tell Rin with a grin.
“One port coming right up.” Rin says and takes my hand. Her face goes red with embarrassment but then she ports us.
The smell that greets us as we port in is bad to say the least. It smells like bad meat that has been left in the sun for days. Not that I can see the sun through the unnatural fog surrounding us. It even blurs my senses. I can see Rin’s hand holding mine, but I can’t see her face or even my own feet. It also prevents what little warmth the sun would have provided. I am grateful for the enchantment on my uniform though, because I am only slightly chilly.
“What is this fog?” I ask.
“This fog is what the swamp is known for and why it is such a good place to hide. We should move from here in case anyone sensed our port.”
“Ok. I’ll handle that with flight magic, but I’ll have to fly us slowly.” I tell Rin.
“Of course.”
“You’ll have to hold onto me again though. I can’t even see you, let alone anything you might bump into.”
“I bet you just want to hold me.” Rin tells me darkly, but she does step closer and put her arms around me. I put mine around her too. Her body presses against mine and this time it feels cold.
“You’re freezing.” I tell Rin.
“I’m only wearing the standard uniform. Yours has my mother’s best enchantment on it, whilst mine just has the standard mass enchanted warmth spell. I could really use a firestone right now. It’s a pity we don’t have my bag with us, because it had a couple of them in it. Not to mention food and blankets. Anyway, you’d better get us moving, or did you really just want to hug me?”
“Don’t be silly.” I tell Rin nervously and lift us off the ground, which we were starting to sink down into. I extend my senses as far as I can, which is about two feet, and then very slowly float us forwards.
“It’s so quiet. It’s kind of spooky.” Rin whispers.
“Shouldn’t there be some sound? From whatever lives here?”
“Not during the day. The only creatures that live here are nocturnal.” Rin tells me.
“It kind of feels like the night. It’s dark enough.”
“It will be much worse at night. We’ll need to keep a watch too, to make sure we don’t get eaten.” Rin tells me.
“Sounds fun.”
“We can leave once we’ve restored our mana.”
“But where to?” I ask.
“If we want to get to Utopia Camerona we can probably do most of it in three ports, but we’ll need to walk or fly some of the way too. Unless you’ve been to anywhere between Utopia Camerona and Heaven’s Fall.”
“Heaven’s Fall? We’re going there?” I ask in surprise.
“It’s the closest place to Utopia Camerona that I’ve visited, other than the city itself.” Rin tells me.
“So how long will it take to get from there to...? Wait a second. There’s something up ahead. I think it’s a dead tree.”
“That would make a good place to rest.” Rin tells me.
“It doesn’t seem such a great place to me.” I say dubiously.
“Most of the wildlife here stays on or under the ground. Even the things that fly keep very close to the ground, so if we rest at the top of the tree we should be fairly safe.” Rin explains.
“Ok. I suppose that makes sense. It should be dry too.”
“So fly us up to the top.”
“That’s what I’m doing.”
“It doesn’t feel like we’re rising.” Rin says dubiously.
“That’s because we’re only doing so slowly and you can’t see a thing.” I point out.
“I can see you.”
“I can see you too, but we’re both rising at the same time.” I remind Rin.
“You feel warm.” Rin says.
“You feel cold but not as cold as before. So how long to get from Heaven’s Fall to somewhere close enough to port to Utopia Camerona?” I ask.
“I’m not sure. It didn’t look far on the map, but we definitely can’t port the whole way.”
“So where do we port to first?” I ask.
“There’s a forest I visited when I was young. I forget the name but it was in the right direction. After that there’s a beach town I visited two years ago. Then Heaven’s Fall.” Rin tells me.
“We’re at the top. It looks like the top is flat, so something must have cut the tree.”
“That’s lucky for us.” Rin grins.
“It isn’t huge though. We’ll need to sit with our backs against each other.”
“That’s fine. I trust you. Of course if you did take advantage of me I might kill you.” Rin tells me seriously and rather scarily.
“Take advantage?” I ask.
“Like touching me in places I don’t want to be touched.” Rin tells me. I think back to Elucia in Nirvali and I have a fair idea what she means.
“But your back is ok?”
“Yes. You’re holding it now anyway.” Rin reminds me.
“Can you see the treetop now?”
“Yes.”
“You’re directly over it, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m lowering you down now.”
“Ouch. You could have done it more gently.” Rin tells me.
“Sorry. It’s difficult to fly in this blasted fog. I’m going to fly round and sit behind you.”
“Now we just have to make sure we don’t fall off in our sleep. It’s going to be more difficult than I thought.” Rin tells me.
“Don’t worry. I’ll create some cloth around us with earth magic. It will hold us together.”
“Why not hold us to the tree with it?” Rin asks dubiously.
“It might break the tree if I do that.” I warn her.
“Oh well, I suppose being bound together isn’t a bad thing. Can you make enough to use as a blanket too?”
“I’ll do my best, but earth magic isn’t my specialty.” I remind Rin.
“I know and it’s not mine either, but you at least have enough mana left to have a go. Make sure though that you save some mana in case we fall off or get attacked.”
“Of course.” I laugh.
“Hmmf.” Rin complains.
“No need to get irritable.”
“Because nothing that happened today is bad enough to ruin my day.” Rin laughs.
“Of course not. They’re really just silly little things.” I laugh.
“Could you have gotten back into the academy if I hadn’t been there?” Rin asks.
“No.” I lie.
“That’s a relief. I’d hate to think this whole situation was my fault.” Rin tells me and she really does sound relieved. I’m glad I lied to her. “So, are we going to get out of this alive?”
“Yes, I promise we’ll survive this.”
“I love you, Peter.” She tells me and I just don’t know what to say. We simply sit here in silence with our backs against each other.
“I’m going to bind us together now.” I tell Rin.
“Ok, but not too tight.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to accidentally cut us in half.” I promise.
“You’d better not cut us in half, accidentally or otherwise.” Rin laughs. I focus my earth senses and form a small cloth no bigger than my hand. I then place it on my belly and slowly extend it at both ends around first me and then Rin until it joins on the other side of her. “Good job, considering you couldn’t even see it.”
“If it has to be earth magic I much prefer working with stone and metal.”
“They are simpler.” Rin agrees.
“Do y
ou think you can sleep?” I ask.
“I know it’s only the afternoon, but I feel so drained that I could sleep for a week. Sleeping up here like this is going to be difficult though, even as tired as I am.”
“Is it just me or is the tree a little softer than when we first landed?” I ask.
“I thought it was just my imagination. Any idea how that could happen?”
“I’m not an expert on trees even when they’re alive. I have no idea how they work when they’re dead. I suppose Dairon would know. Maybe we should ask him when we see him again.”
“I think we’ll have more important things to worry about when we see him.” Rin laughs.
“I suppose that’s true.” I laugh.
“I’m going to try to get to sleep, but wake me when you want to sleep. We can’t both sleep at the same time.” Rin tells me.
“I know. That goes without saying. Sleep well Rin.”
“As if.” Rin laughs and then she goes quiet. After a while I hear her snoring quietly. It didn’t take as long as I expected.
I keep my senses open as wide as I can but nothing approaches us. As the time passes the tree gets more and more comfortable, which really strikes me as odd but I’m not complaining. Eventually Rin wakes.
“Your turn.” Rin tells me tiredly.
“Has your power recovered enough?”
“Enough to keep watch whilst you sleep.” Rin tells me. Then she laughs. “Sleep well, Peter.”
“Thank you.” I tell her politely, as though I actually mean it. Then I tell her. “Just make sure I wake up again.”
“I’m sure you will do.” Rin tells me.
“I’ll sleep so much better knowing that.” I tell her and my voice is literally dripping with sarcasm.
“That’s good.” Rin tells me.
I sigh and then try to get to sleep. Rin’s back feels warm and soothing. Despite her words I do feel safe knowing that she is keeping watch whilst I sleep. I feel myself drifting off to sleep.
I wake suddenly and the fog is gone. The sun is up so it must be morning, but more importantly something is covering my mouth and it doesn’t feel pleasant. Thankfully I can still breathe through my nose but I am worried as hell. I look down and see Rin below me with her legs inside the mouth of a… A something.
The thing trying to eat Rin is a long black slimy tentacle with smaller black feelers. It is about as wide as the tree we slept on and whilst its mouth is toothless it is full of acid just a few feet inside. There is something similar under me and one of its feeler tentacles is what’s covering my mouth. Looking around I can’t see the dead tree and a moment later I realise that whatever this thing is, it is what we slept on. One of them is anyway. There are about a dozen of them around us, each just pointing straight up like trees, plus the two that are trying to eat us.
I blast lightning straight down into the mouth of the one trying to eat me but it reacts violently, pulling my arms and legs apart with the smaller feelers. I pour a little magic into my dwarven arms and then tear the tentacles off my arms, my legs and my mouth. I lift myself up into the air with wind magic and then send precise but powerful wind slices at the tentacles attacking Rin.
I then lift Rin up into the air and move her right next to me. The other black things port away. As if they weren’t dangerous enough without the ability to use magic. At least they’re gone now though.
“Sorry. I was so surprised I couldn’t react in time.” Rin apologises.
“We’re alive and that’s what matters most. Are you hurt?”
“Sore, but nothing serious.” Rin tells me.
“Your uniform’s enchantment looks like it’s broken.”
“I know, and it’s freezing.” Rin tells me with a shiver.
“I have enough power to port us a fair distance. My mana recovered pretty quickly.”
“Very quickly.” Rin nods with a frown.
“You’ll need to share the location.” I tell Rin who puts her head against mine. The image of the forest that fills my head looks very similar to the one around the academy. At least how it used to look, before it was reduced to ash.
“Can you do it?” Rin asks, with her head still against mine.
“Yes. It’s not too far.” I tell her and then port us there.
“Still here.” Rin sighs with relief as she looks around at the tall leafless brown trees and the crispy golden brown leaves covering the ground under and all around us.
“It wasn’t the enemy that burned the academy’s forest.” I remind her.
“I know, but it’s still a relief to see the forest is still here. It makes me angry to know that the forest and town where I grew up were destroyed.” Rin tells me and then she frowns. “Are you feeling ok?”
“Hungry, low on mana and worried, but otherwise fine.” I answer honestly.
“Your skin is looking a bit green. Is mine green too?”
“No. Yours is its normal pale white colour.”
“You’re telling me I normally look pale? Thanks…” Rin laughs. Then she looks at me seriously. “I’m worried about yours though. Now would be a really bad time to get sick.”
“Mine is probably just looking a bit green because of the fog or something.”
“It didn’t turn my skin green though.”
“I was more exposed. You have a top on.” I remind Rin who blushes bright red.
“Of course I have a top on!”
Chapter 19 (Peter)
“It’s a good job there’s plenty of firewood and leaves to burn.” Rin says as she sits beside me leaning close to the small campfire she lit. It is midmorning so we don’t need it for light, but the warmth it provides is very welcome.
“Rin, are you still cold?” I ask.
“A little, but not too cold. I’m mostly hungry now. Really hungry.”
“I’m starving too, but I can’t sense anything edible. I was used to going hungry when I was a slave, but all the food we’ve been able to eat at the academy has made me get used to having enough to eat. Even in Nirvali I rarely went hungry, at least once we got out of the jail.”
“What about when you were in the forest?”
“Hinata and Dairon always found plenty of food, so we were ok. Walking was tiring of course and the enemy were a little intimidating.”
“An army of elves was just a little intimidating?” Rin asks with a laugh.
“I’ve fought worse. The envoy and a roomful of drakes were really scary. So was a swarm of demons, oh, and the bullfrog.”
“A frog?” Rin laughs.
“It was a pretty powerful demon. I lost my other arm when I fought a dwarf it had enslaved.” I tell Rin who winces for a moment at the mention of my arm.
“Elves, dwarves, demons… Is there anything you’ve not fought?”
“I haven’t fought a god.”
“Now that’s a scary thought.” Rin says with a shiver.
“I was meant to meet the Kuroneko at Heaven’s Fall. We were trapped in the academy though, so that was impossible. I wonder if she’s angry.”
“I hope not. It’s not like she’d still be there though.”
“Do you sense that?” I ask quietly.
“Goblins…” Rin nods and gets up.
“Are you able to deal with them?” I ask as I stand up.
“As long as there aren’t too many. My power wasn’t fully recovered even before we fought those…” Rin says and her face is filled with disgust as she remembers the monster that we rested on, which tried to eat us.
“I only sense five goblins. I used all my power porting here.”
“Five goblins should be fine.” Rin shrugs.
“I think they’re mages.” I warn Rin.
“I hope you’re wrong.” Rin tells me seriously.
“Me too.”
“They’ve spotted us.” Rin says as the goblins turn towards us.
“They’re definitely mages.” I point out, because the goblins are flying through the air more or less straight
at us.
“I know.” Rin says and focuses her magic.
The first goblin shoots into view and is impaled on an ice shard that lunges out of a tree like a dagger. A wall of ice shards forms in front of another goblin but he melts them with a massive fireball that continues on towards us. An ice wall jumps up between us and the fireball. The ice wall is shattered instantly, but the fireball is now just a flicker of flames that passes us harmlessly. Now though all four surviving goblins are in sight and they blast us with even more powerful fireballs.
“Dodge!” Rin tells me and jumps away from them, but two fireballs veer towards her whilst the other two continue towards me. I can only feel a trickle of mana in me. Not enough to shield, but just enough to fly one person for a few moments. Dodging without flight magic is useless so I focus all my efforts on saving Rin. Using flight magic I throw Rin through the air and around a large tree. To my relief the fireballs hit the tree. I then turn to face the fireballs that are about to engulf me but to my shock they are absorbed by a shield.
“Just in time.” Hermes gasps.
“I told you I’d find them!” Midori says sounding rather proud, but almost out of breath. More fireballs shoot towards us but are absorbed by the shield. I turn and see the Hermes and Midori standing behind me. Midori smiles but it isn’t a pleasant expression. “Now these goblins are going to pay for attacking my Peter.”
Lightning strikes down at the goblins from about ten different directions. The goblins shield but their shields collapse and they are quickly fried by the lightning. A moment later Midori falls to her knees in obvious pain.
“Midori?!” I exclaim and cross the few steps between us at a run.
“I’m ok.” Midori tells me with a reassuring smile. Her aura reveals her lie though.
“She’s not fully recovered from the curse yet.” Hermes tells me. Then Rin is beside us too.
“What do we do?” Rin asks nervously.
“We can’t stay here too long. The goblins will be missed by whoever they work for. Other enemies may even have noticed the fight. Hermes, do you have enough power to port us?” I ask.
“Yes, but not too far.” Hermes answers, not sounding too confident.
“Save it for fighting then. A short port would probably just reveal our presence. Midori, are you able to walk?”