Lucas was stunned. Show off! She makes it look so easy! And she didn’t even move her hands! Iris quickly looked to her left. The ball instantly shot in the same direction, smashing into a battered old barrel and blowing it to pieces. Lucas scratched his head, “Now how the hell did you do that?!”
Iris chuckled at the remark. “Practice and patience. Do not relinquish hope so easily, Lucas. You have the potential. All you must do is apply yourself.”
Lucas outstretched his right arm and adjusted his hand into position. “Alright, if you say so. But we could be here for a while.”
Chapter 9: Annoying And Nosey
Zoe and Alex spent all night walking through the In Between. Considering that the stars were always out and the lighting remained constant, it was difficult to tell when the days ended and the nights began. Alex was equipped with a sword secured to his back. On his waist was a sack. Strapped to Zoe’s back were her scythe and the sack she had stocked before setting out.
The two were on their way to a portal very distant from the Spade headquarters. After some time, the lack of sleep began to catch up with them. “Let’s stop to rest for a while,” Alex suggested.
Walking slightly ahead of him, Zoe turned her head to respond. “I’m tired too, but we can’t afford to lose any time. Every second is valuable.” She looked forward and continued to walk.
Alex was disappointed with this answer, but complied. “You’re really determined,” he said. “Roshan is lucky to have you as a friend.” Unsure of how to reply, Zoe said nothing.
“So that guy that brought you the fragment,” Alex went on, “what makes you think he’s not cut out to be a Spade?”
“It was a gut feeling,” Zoe responded. “He was so... oblivious. He didn’t even realize he had the ability to use Light magic.”
Alex was intrigued. “Then, how did you know?”
“He read my emotions,” she replied. “I’m guessing his center has been active from birth. I used a counter‑spell to block him and he was completely baffled. Trust me, he’s better off just staying in Aria and having nothing to do with the Spades. I can’t see how he’d benefit our organization anyway.”
After a few moments had passed, Alex spoke again. “There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you.” There was a pause.
Continuing to look straight forward, Zoe responded, “Well, ask me then.”
“Why did you join the Spades?” Alex inquired. “Why did you leave all of that behind?” She didn’t respond to his question, prompting him to quickly add, “Not that I disagree with your choice... It just must’ve been hard to walk away from. I’m wondering what would move you to do that.”
There was another brief silence before Zoe answered, “It’s complicated.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? Come on, can’t you be a little less vague?”
Immediately, Zoe halted and faced him. “I don’t owe you answers to anything.” She continued walking.
“Why do you do that?!” Alex snapped.
“Do what?!” she replied sharply.
“Push people out,” he answered. Again, Zoe was unresponsive. Alex continued, “You never talk about anything other than Spade related business. Roshan is the only one of us who really knows you.”
“So? Why does it matter to you?!” She barked.
Alex walked faster for a few steps to catch up with her. “Because I want to get to know you.” There was another pause. “You’re always so aggressive and guarded,” he went on. “Whenever I try to talk to you at HQ about anything other than the organization, you just give me short answers and go off somewhere by yourself. Why?”
Without warning, a small glowing ball darted in a fury between them and shot off into a nearby forest. “Another soul,” Zoe said. “They’d better get to the Netherworld before it’s too late.” Without addressing Alex’s inquiry, she resumed walking.
“I asked you a question,” Alex asserted. Receiving no answer yet again, he became frustrated. “Ugh, why are you so difficult?!”
Zoe quickly turned around and snapped, “Why are you so annoying and nosey?!”
Suddenly, not far away, they heard the sound of voices.
“I heard something too,” one of the voices said.
“It came from over there,” said another.
Franticly, Alex turned to Zoe. “Knowms!” he whispered. “What should we do?!”
Thinking quickly, she grabbed his arm. “Don’t move a muscle. Got it?” He nodded. Shutting her eyes and taking a few seconds to concentrate, she softly whispered, “Umbra physica evanesces.” Alex was amazed as he and Zoe suddenly vanished, becoming completely invisible.
After a short duration, four Knowms emerged from the forest. “I do not see anyone,” one said, “they must have run off.”
“They were Spades most likely,” another remarked. “Let’s search in that direction.”
Once they had walked off, Zoe allowed several minutes to pass before removing her hand from Alex’s arm, causing them to become visible. Cautiously and quietly, they continued walking.
After the two had traveled well out of the area, Alex spoke up. “That’s a pretty useful trick you pulled back there.”
“It took a lot of practice,” Zoe explained. “It’s an advanced spell. Unfortunately, it only works when standing still. Otherwise, getting Roshan out of Valdis Prison would be nearly effortless.”
“Speaking of which,” said Alex, “we’ve been walking for hours... it’s most likely going to be daytime when we make it to Aria. I know you don’t want to use up any unnecessary time, but I think we’ll have a better chance of succeeding if we wait until nightfall to make our attempt.”
Zoe thought for a moment. “That’s a good point. I never even thought about that.”
“The portal takes us near Belmont Village, right?” Alex inquired. She nodded. Digging into the sack on his waist, Alex pulled out the gold he had brought along and counted it. “We should rest at Belmont Inn. It’s going to be hard enough to pull this off as it is. We don’t want to be sleep deprived on top of that. I think I have enough gold to get us a room... We’ll just have to be sure to keep our heads down while we’re in town.”
“We should be fine,” Zoe responded. “They have no proof we’re Spades. And you’re right, we need to be at our best. There’s no sense in doing this if we can’t do it right.” Neither of them said anything for a considerable period as they continued their journey. Then, unexpectedly, Zoe spoke. “I’m sorry.”
Alex was surprised. She elaborated, “You’re not annoying and nosey. I’m glad that you came with me.” After a short delay, she added, “Roshan is the only person I’ve ever really connected with. He was there for me when I needed someone the most. I’m doing this because I know he’d do the same for me.”
After a little more traveling, the duo at last reached their destination. They walked toward the swirling kaleidoscopic vortex a short distance ahead of them. “Here it is,” said Zoe.
Alex wiped his brow, “Finally.”
Once they were within a few feet of the portal, Zoe turned to him. “It’ll take us a few hours to reach Valdis Prison from Belmont Village. We need to be sure we don’t spend too much time resting, got it?” Alex nodded. Zoe jumped into the vortex and disappeared.
Hastily digging through his sack, Alex pulled out a wilted flower. “Dammit, it died.” He threw it to the ground and followed her into the portal.
Chapter 10: Reflections Of The Past
The small boy was happy. Born into a rich family of nobles, he was generous and kind to less fortunate souls. He enjoyed walking the streets and giving large quantities of gold to the local beggars. There was something about the look on their faces when he handed them the wealth. They were surprised, often overcome with joy.
One day, the boy made his way to a rougher side of town. He knew they needed his help the most. Peering down an alley, he noticed two men slouching on the walls.
He approached them. Before he could speak, one of the men grabbed the boy. The man placed his hand over the boy’s mouth. No one could hear his screams. The other man dug through the boy’s belongings, taking the vast amount of gold. After throwing the boy to the ground, the men took off running. Stumbling to his feet as tears ran down his cheeks, the small boy was sad.
Chapter 11: The Journey To Belmont Village
Once they had emerged in Aria, Zoe and Alex made their way toward Belmont Village. They exited the small cave which contained the gateway and found themselves in a forest. After a mere ten minutes of traveling, the two heard a loud buzzing sound as they approached a clearing.
“That can’t be good,” said Alex, unsheathing his sword. Zoe looked around as she armed herself with her scythe, attempting to find the source of the noise.
Without warning, an imp jumped out of a nearby bush and viciously charged her. Reacting swiftly, Zoe dodged the creature’s strike and sliced the foe across its neck. The imp collapsed as blood gushed from its wound.
“Are you hurt?” Alex asked.
“I’m fine,” Zoe replied. “Whatever’s causing that buzzing is what we should really be worried about.”
The noise grew louder as a large shadow appeared on the ground. Looking up, they saw a giant hornet with a body length of a full man. It lunged toward Alex, stinger first. Swiping at the stinger with his sword, he deflected the assault, causing the hornet to briefly spin out of control.
Thinking quickly, Zoe shouted “Umbra orbis!” conjuring a shadow orb in her right hand. Aiming toward the massive insect, she hurled the orb. However, within inches of impact, the hornet promptly ascended, causing her to miss. “Dammit!” she shouted, attempting to alter her orb’s trajectory, but to no avail; it exploded against a branch.
The bug pointed its stinger at Zoe and dashed toward her. Jumping to the side, she evaded the attack, causing the hornet to plunge its stinger deep into a tree. As it struggled to escape, Alex thrust his blade into the insect’s thorax, causing it to shudder violently before it went limp. “That was a close one,” Alex commented, removing his sword from the dead bug.
Zoe observed the hornet’s corpse. “Yeah. Its stinger could have easily killed us in one strike.” She turned to Alex. “We need to be on our toes out here. Let’s keep the talking to a minimum.” Alex nodded in agreement.
The pair continued walking. The forest was beautiful, quiet, and deceptively peaceful in appearance. Flowers were in bloom all around them. The tranquil sound of a distant babbling brook was barely audible. As they advanced, the duo kept their weapons drawn. Carefully, they scanned their surroundings in anticipation of the next onslaught. Neither of them said a single word as they moved.
Suddenly, the silence was interrupted by a rustling in the trees. Immediately, the pair froze. “Did you hear where it came from?” Alex whispered.
Her eyes fixed on the branches overhead, Zoe pointed to the source of the sound. She slowly walked forward, keeping a keen eye on the branches. Alex followed behind her, tightening his grip on the sword. The noise was audible once again as a squirrel leapt from one branch to another. Alex burst into loud, uncontrollable laughter.
Zoe promptly turned to him. “Shh!” He quickly shut his mouth, leaving his lips trembling in an attempt to silence his laughter. Rolling her eyes, Zoe couldn’t help smiling at his reaction. They proceeded through the forest.
Suddenly, the two stopped. In the distance, they could see a group of three tall, skinny creatures which resembled stick bugs. Alex cautiously moved closer to Zoe and quietly asked, “What do you think? Should we go around?”
Zoe observed the surrounding area. “It doesn’t look like that’s an option,” she replied softly, “There’s too much brush. They’ll most likely hear us. If we approach them head on, we’ll at least have combat advantage.”
Alex gave a quick nod, “Leave it to me.” He slowly sheathed his sword. Carefully raising two fingers to his lips, he whistled loudly. The beasts turned their heads toward Zoe and Alex and made bizarre clicking noises. With great speed, all three dashed toward them.
“What the hell was that?!” Zoe angrily shouted, gripping her scythe.
Alex glanced at her and continued focusing on the charging foes. “Just trust me.” Outstretching his arms with his palms facing the rapidly approaching enemies, he spread his fingers. “Glacies gelidus zephyrus!” Two swirling currents of snow‑laced wind tunnels shot from his palms, expanding in diameter as they approached the creatures. As the spell swept over the monsters, they slowed considerably, eventually collapsing to the ground as their bodies were completely encased in ice.
Zoe was impressed by the maneuver. “I’ve never seen that one before.”
Alex turned to her. “I try to avoid using it unless I’m outnumbered. It rarely fails but it takes a lot out of me.”
“Let’s keep moving,” Zoe suggested as she resumed walking. “We’re going to have to make it to Belmont Village soon if we plan on getting any rest.” Looking back at Alex, her eyes suddenly widened. “Look out!” she shouted.
As Alex turned around he was tackled by an imp. Zoe lifted her scythe, but before she was able to assist him, she too was tackled. Caught completely off guard, her weapon came out of her hands when she hit the ground. The beast swiped at her face, breaking the skin beneath her left eye and drawing blood.
While the duo struggled to get the hostile creatures off of them, more imps emerged from the surrounding brush. Alex finally managed to throw his attacker off of him as two more approached. He hastily jumped to his feet and drew his sword, quickly finishing off all three imps. Glancing at Zoe, he saw that she had also gained control of her situation, mercilessly bashing the imp’s head against a nearby tree. Spotting yet another imp approaching her, he raised a finger and shouted, “Glacies stiria telum!” Instantly conjuring a sharp icicle over two feet in length, he pointed his finger toward the foe. The icicle bolted directly to the impending threat, impaling its body on contact.
Alex scanned the area as Zoe finished off her attacker. She threw the dazed imp to the ground. Hovering her hands over the struggling creature she yelled, “Umbra vitam deductorium!” Glowing rays of dark‑purple shot from her palms, causing the imp to convulse wildly as the beams met its skin. The wound beneath Zoe’s eye slowly vanished as the imp gradually ceased moving. By the time the beast was motionless, her injury had completely healed.
The two took a few seconds to catch their breath. “Those things are vicious when they attack in groups like that,” said Alex.
Zoe picked up her scythe, muttering, “Stupid imps.”
“I didn’t expect we’d encounter so many monsters,” Alex remarked. “It seems like there’s more and more of them every time I come back to Aria.”
Digging through the sack she had prepared, Zoe pulled out a bottle filled with gray water that was collected when the duo had ventured through the In Between. She drank half of it. “Need a drink?” she offered. Alex nodded. She handed him the bottle and started walking again.
Alex followed, finishing the container’s contents. “What was that last spell you cast?” he asked, stuffing the empty bottle into his sack.
Zoe glanced back at him. “It’s a draining spell. If I’m injured, I can use my assaulter’s life force to heal me.”
“Nice,” he commented. “You know all kinds of useful tricks.”
“It’s really nothing special,” she replied. “I was just fortunate enough to be born with a Shadow center. The spell itself is only intermediate level.”
Alex shrugged. “Seems pretty cool to me.”
Their journey remained uninterrupted as the edge of the forest was in sight. In the distance, they could see a large field. Alex dug through his sack and removed a piece of bread.
“Belmont Village isn’t too much farther,” he said before taking a bite. “Hopefully we won’t run into any more trouble.”
“That’s doubtful,” Zoe responde
d pessimistically. They proceeded through the field, making their way over several small hills. Belmont Village was now visible in the distance.
Just then, Alex saw something out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head to the left, he observed a large plant in the distance with gigantic leaves. In the center was a massive trumpet‑shaped flower, pointing toward the sky. Several green vine‑like roots were visible, stemming from the base of the flower and delving deeply into the ground. “Look at the size of that thing,” he said.
Zoe looked straight forward, ignoring it. “Don’t go near it. It’s another monster.” At that moment, they heard an all too familiar sound quickly approaching from behind. “More hornets!” Zoe shouted as she quickly turned around. Alex turned to see four of the flying insects approaching. Zoe glanced at him. “Think you can pull off that freezing wind thing again?”
Alex sheathed his sword and outstretched both of his hands, facing his palms toward the oncoming swarm and spreading his fingers. “Glacies gelidus zephyrus!” Two icy wind tunnels shot from his palms and swept over the heard of hornets. All four of them quickly fell to the ground, encased in ice.
Alex fell to his knees. Zoe rushed to him. “Alex? You okay?”
“I’m alright,” he responded, “but I think that’s the last I’ll be able to conjure until I get some sleep.”
Zoe helped him to his feet. “Just take it easy until we get to Belmont Village. We don’t have much farther to go.”
“Oh crap, it’s moving!” Alex suddenly shouted. Zoe turned to see the massive flower walking toward them, its vine‑like roots now acting as legs.
“Just stay here!” she ordered before running off. Getting as far from Alex as possible, she shouted, “Umbra orbis!” and hurled a shadow orb at the giant plant. It staggered slightly as the dark‑purple orb collided with it. Apparently annoyed by the assault, the vicious flower charged toward Zoe.
She dropped her scythe and positioned her arms just below her waist. When the botanical beast drew near, she abruptly exclaimed, “Umbra obscurum crystallinus!” As she raised her arms above her head, a large black crystal jutted from the ground below the flower. The dark rock’s razor‑sharp point sliced into the bottom of the plant, ripping it to shreds. The crystal suddenly vanished after impaling its victim.
Tales of Aria: The Legend of Damiano's Disk Page 6