by Ryan Hodgson
He was brought out of thought as they entered the community center and then took the door that led to the garden area. He saw Sean and Damon setting up two devices in the center of the garden and looked around. There were some tables set up around the perimeter of the garden and a row of bushes around the edge. A small line of trees were set up alongside the path the led to the center and the rest was grass. The center was simply a concrete area with no real decoration.
“Are those machines for the contest,” Elunduil asked. Looking at them more closely. They were shaped like a jar with what looked to be a spout on top. Maria nodded.
“Yeah, I asked that Damon guy if he had any good ideas for a contest that didn’t involve going far away for. He seemed to have some sort of idea in mind and went off creating something. I don’t know what they do but those engineers like tinkering with new ideas,” she said. She looked over and realized that Elunduil was staring at her with a strange expression. “What?! Is there something in my hair?” she stammered. Elunduil chuckled and looked back to Damon and Sean. “Nah, I was just thinking about how you’re a nice person even though you hide it. I like that.” Maria was shocked and felt her face getting hot.
“Where did that come from?! You’re trying to throw me off aren’t you? Well it’s not going to work!” she retorted. Elunduil shrugged.
“Just an observation,” he replied. Maria looked away from him. Seriously this guy was so unpredictable sometimes! “Okay kids we’re ready!” Damon called out to them. Elunduil and Maria stepped forward. “Now these little beauties are going to shoot up a stream of water. The contest here is to see who can make an ice sculpture the fastest. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as it’s something recognizable. Oh and no geyser sculptures allowed of course. That would be too easy.” Damon pulled out a device and pushed a button. A small geyser of water shot out of both machines. Elunduil and Maria stepped forward and waited for Damon’s signal. “Alright then Sean and I will time you two so you can start whenever you’ve got a shape in mind.
Maria was a little apprehensive. Freezing the water was easy but first she had to make it into something recognizable. This would definitely take all her skill. What should she make? She looked over and saw Elunduil start to move his hands. Not wanting to be out done she turned to her water spout and began to make the first thing that came to mind. First, she spread the water out to make the shape she wanted to and then she froze it. When it was done she was a little surprised with herself. It was a four-petal flower that looked kind of like fire with a robed figure standing in the middle. The Firewall Flower. “One minute and ten seconds!” Damon called out. “Whoo whee that’s some fast work!” There were cheers from the onlookers.
“That kinda looks like The Firewall Flower.”
“I bet she has a crush on him or something.” Maria felt embarrassed by what she had made. Why had she even… Oh right because she looked at that guy. He was almost a constant reminder of The Firewall Flower with his blue robe. Seriously… thinking that he could match that legend.
She looked over to see what Elunduil was doing and saw that he hadn’t even started yet. She started to wind up to gloat when a feeling of apprehension washed over her. It’s happening again! He’s sitting there like a statue… why does that bother me. It’s almost like he’s dead. As Maria finished that thought Elunduil suddenly moved as if in mid-motion and waved a hand. Almost instantly the water seemed to take form and froze into the shape of some sort of solar system. In the middle there looked like a star and around it there were nine worlds. It was so detailed that she could see the little clouds on one world and the cracks on the surface of the flat world. “F-forty seconds!” Sean called out. Maria was disappointed and looked over to at least acknowledge her defeat but Elunduil was already turning away. At first she thought he was being haughty but then she noticed his troubled expression and her anger turned to concern. Why was she worried about that guy? Still… Something was wrong. She could feel it in her gut. Maria gritted her teeth and chased after him.
She exited into the lobby and looked around and then left the building itself. Jeez he’s fast! She thought as she saw him walking back towards Tel’kedar. She wasn’t sure what to say but she caught up to him. “Hey!” she called out.
“What?” Elunduil replied dryly. He wasn’t in the mood for Maria’s taunts. Maria wasn’t sure what she wanted to say but wasn’t bold enough to bring up what she’d just seen so instead she said, “Do you want to, um, go on a mission. I, uh, haven’t seen you actually use magic in a fight so I was wondering if you could show me… uh some tricks or something.” Maria gulped. That was totally awkward! He’s going to think I’m weird! “All right.” Maria looked up in surprise. “I’ll show you how I do things. I don’t have much combat experience but maybe you’ll get some ideas for different spells at the very least,” he said. They entered the tower and went over to the mission board. Dave and Daniel showed up a short time later. “Hey why did you two leave?” Daniel asked. “Everyone’s worried… wait are you guys going on a mission? Oh looking at combat missions too. Hey count us in!” Maria felt annoyed for some reason but shook it off.
“You can count me in as well,” said a familiar voice. Elunduil and the others looked around. “Tim! You finally made it.” he said.
“Yeah I got stuck doing some church stuff. Anyway, let’s do this one. The five of us should be able to handle a lesser Cerebus if it shows up.” Elunduil and the others looked at the mission details and then agreed to take it. They pulled out their APL devices and formed a party. “So did you knock her socks off?” Tim whispered as the others walked off to the Terminus.
“I guess…” Elunduil replied. Tim frowned. Elunduil seemed down about something. They joined the others at the Terminus and hit the transport button. Nothing happened. “Huh? Is it broken?” Maria asked. A knight walked up.
“Are you the ones taking the investigation mission with the Cerebus?” he asked. The group nodded. “Very well. This is a dangerous mission therefore I shall be aiding you. Let us go!” The knight joined their party with his own device and hit the transport button. The world warped and distorted around them and then the scenery changed. Everything snapped back to normal and they found themselves standing in the middle of a gorge. “Our main purpose here is to investigate a strange corruption. A lesser Cerebus has been spotted in this area and is highly dangerous. There’s also the possibility of creatures twisted by this corruption. Let us make haste!” They nodded and followed the knight.
The area that they had been standing in was an open area near the side of the gorge. A path wound through the trees that led further below but instead the knight took them to the opposite side of the Terminus where there was no path and led them down a steep incline. They were all warily watching their surroundings for any signs of trouble. “What are lesser Cerebus anyway?” Elunduil asked as they continued their descent.
“They’re large, black hulking beasts that kind of resemble a big dog. They have red eyes and unnatural agility,” Tim replied. That was like… those creatures that had been aiding the knights! He gulped. Now he understood why a knight had come with them. “At least that’s what it says in one of the books I read here. Let’s hope we don’t come across one.” Elunduil couldn’t agree more.
***
Tanis, Felras, and Sean went to look for Elunduil after Sean helped Damon bring the machines back to his shop. He wasn’t sure if Elunduil had gone ahead to Ellicia or if he was back at the tower, so he decided to check Tel’kedar first. Damon came along and was chatting happily with Sean about some of his latest projects. As they were about to enter the tower he heard a woman call his name. “Tanis! Tanis!” she called out to him. He recognized that voice. He whipped around and saw Cerra running over to them from the transports. “Did something happen?” he asked. He’d never seen the elf come all the way to Ragnarok before and assumed there was some sort of problem. “Angurvadel found something in his research that he wanted to talk to
you about. He said he may have figured out how you can use magic.” Cerra’s words hit him like a truck. He’d kind of given up on being able to use magic except with his sword but this news blew him away. “F-for real? Let’s go see him then!” he said excitedly.
“What about Elunduil?” Sean asked. Crud he’d forgotten.
“Elunduil isn’t with you?” Cerra asked. Tanis and the others shook their heads.
“He kinda disappeared after whooping Maria in the contest earlier.” Cerra looked confused and they filled her in on what had happened. “I would’ve liked to see that. Elunduil wouldn’t have been able to tell me though since the challenge was issued so late. I’m amazed at how much he’s grown though.” Tanis nodded. Elunduil’s ability to use magic was so natural that it there were times where it seemed as if Elunduil had used magic in some past life. Tanis and the others went to Tel’kedar. They looked around but didn’t see Elunduil or Maria and her friends. “Looks like he went on a mission with a few others,” Damon said after he finished talking with one of the knights. “I’m sure you want to meet up with him but this is a pretty dangerous mission. One of the knights here was assigned to escort them.” Hearing that news Tanis and the others decided to go to Ellicia. Damon parted ways with them and returned to his workshop.
As they approached the transport site Tanis let out a hefty sigh and said, “Man I wanted to go on a mission. I’ve been dying to test out my skills since the last one.” They got onto the transport and Sean said “Hey after this the three of us should go on one. Last one I did was gathering some rare herbs which was kind of boring until this crazy rabbit thing started chasing me around.” Tanis laughed.
“What? There are rabbits here?” Sean nodded in response.
“Why not make it the four of us?” Cerra chimed in. Tanis and Sean looked to Cerra like deer caught in a headlight. “Uh… yeah sure if you want to,” Tanis replied sheepishly. Sean looked embarrassed and didn’t say anything. Neither of them were sure how to handle an elf one on one like this. Especially since she was so attractive. Elunduil, Tim, and Alicia were usually the ones that talked with Cerra. Felras remained quiet. “Okay then! It’s been awhile since I’ve had an adventure.” Cerra seemed cheerful and hummed to herself. A short while later the transport stopped and the group got out. Tanis almost stopped in shock for Angurvadel was waiting for them. “Come child let us go,” he said and they walked towards the town hall. Tanis glanced to the others and then followed Angruvadel, his heart beating quickly in his chest.
Chapter 9
The Light
Elunduil’s group paused in their trek. A black spot of earth was near their path, but what had caused them to stop was a faint black miasma that rose from it. “The corruption has spread since I was last here. From here on out keep your weapons drawn and spells but a whisper away,” the knight said. As they proceeded further Elunduil noted that the knights pace was half of what it had been before. This corruption must’ve been fairly dangerous to make a knight of Ragnarok so wary. As he scanned his surroundings he noticed that it seemed too quiet. Where were the calls of the animals? He was also starting to see more patches of this corruption as they went along. The knight suddenly stopped and the group almost tumbled into one another. “This was not like this the last time I was here,” he said. Curious, Elunduil looked around the knight and what he saw surprised him. A sea of black with crimson dots etched the landscape. If there had been any plant life here it had been consumed. The miasma here rose in concentrations of red specks that gave the place an eerie feel… He felt a strong compulsion to destroy it.
“W-what the heck is this!” Daniel asked shakily. “This is like, evil!” His brother was looking about with wide eyes and even Maria seemed disturbed. Tim’s brows were furrowed. “We should head back. I know not what touching that miasma will do but this mission is now far too dangerous,” the knight warily. As he turned back to the group a gold light shot past his side. Instinctively the knight raised his sword. “What are you doing?” he asked Elunduil, who stood there with his hand raised. “Destroying it,” he said in a serious tone. The knight looked back to the corruption and saw a spot in the middle that was just plain earth. “Your magic can drive it back? Could you destroy it all?” he asked. Elunduil frowned.
“Not like this, but maybe if we find a source. If we could find that then I might be able stop it from spreading. That means walking through that hellish landscape though…” The knight was hesitant. The Firewall Flower’s power was great. Greater than before, but it meant coming into contact with that miasma. “I think that I can put up some wards on us that will stave off the negative effects of the corruption if there are any. We’ll be fine as long as we don’t meet the Cerebus,” Tim said. The knight was reassured. If Tim felt that they could pass through safely then he was probably right. “Very well let us find the heart of it all, but if anyone starts to feel strange then we turn back immediately, understood?” The group nodded and Tim went to work setting wards on each person.
He was done quickly and nodded to the knight. The knight returned the gesture and they warily approached the edge of the corrupted earth. He took a step forward and didn’t feel any different so he took a few more steps. Nothing happened so he motioned to the others to follow. Maria gulped and looked to Daniel who was practically wetting himself. She would’ve laughed if she hadn’t been afraid as well. That light magic that Elunduil had used was impressive though. What other tricks was he hiding? They trekked on for a few more minutes when the knight suddenly stopped. “Here. The corruption is thickest here,” Elunduil said. He stepped forward towards a crack in the earth that oozed crimson miasma like a festering wound.
He stretched out his senses towards the hole to try and find how deep the source was. An unmistakable feeling of malice came from the corruption, but the source of this feeling wasn’t the strongest here. The only thing he could tell was that the malice came from far away.
What he felt here was just a tunnel leading up from it. If he collapsed the tunnel then that would stop more from coming up but the corruption already on the surface would still spread and what was down below would seep through the cracks again. He had to cleanse it. If he purged the tunnel leading up with holy magic that may sever the flow and collapse the tunnel. “… I have an idea,” he said.
Maria started to walk forward to offer her help when a low growl caused her to stop. She looked to her left and an impressive black beast like a large-dog stared her down. Its glowing red eyes struck fear into her heart. “Blast the Cerebus!” Tim exclaimed. Elunduil turned to face it when he heard another growl on his right. There was another Cerebus staring him down. He heard another growl and risked a glance over. A third Cerebus. “This is bad. Really bad,” Tim said tensely from behind him.
“Here they come!” the knight shouts as the Cerebus charge. Maria shoots several large shards of ice at the Cerebus bearing down on her, but it dodges with unnatural agility and keeps coming. She doesn’t have time to cast another spell and feels as if her end is nigh, but suddenly large spikes of earth rise up in front of her and the Cerebus is forced to back off. She looks over and sees that Tim had saved her. “T-thanks!” she says recovering her composure. She looks to Daniel and Dave who are in the center of the group. Since they couldn’t use magic they couldn’t do much to help, but they held their swords at the ready should they need to fight back.
The knight was a completely different story. He strikes so swiftly at the Cerebus attacking his position that it cannot approach him safely. Elunduil is busy knocking his Cerebus away with gusts of wind each time it tries to advance. Maria suddenly had an idea to freeze the ground and casts her magic on the earth before her. The Cerebus slips and slides about at first then Tim smacks it with a boulder and knocks it back.
The other Cerebus fall back and Maria wonderes if they were running away. “This is… everyone scatter! Get away from here!” The knight calls out. A black aura rises from the Cerebus’ and shrouds them. This was he
r chance! While the creatures were focused on whatever they were doing she’d launch a devastating attack and beat it off! Maria begins gathering a large amount of magical energy in her hands. Meanwhile the others follow the knight’s warning and start to run.
Elunduil pauses and looked back when he feels Maria gathering energy. What was she doing? He grits his teeth and runs to her when the Cerebus let out a chilling howl. He looks over in time to see a Cerebus shoot forward like a bullet, a black aura swirling about it like a typhoon. If that hit Maria then… a chill settles in his heart. Just a few more steps! He strains his muscles to their fullest and crosses the distance just in time to push Maria out of the way. Out of instinct he throws up a barrier behind him as he and Maria fall to the ground.
He looks up and back just in time to see the Cerebus collide with one another and a terrible black haze roars forth from the impact site that blots his vision out. He wasn’t sure what magic this was but his barrier instantly starts to crack and break. “We need to run!” he says looking back to Maria and simultaneously raises his other hand up to strengthen his barrier. She looks terrified but nods and gets up. The pair then runs with Elunduil keeping a hand behind him. He feels the strength of his barrier quickly waning and knows it will break from the billowing black haze soon. Maria suddenly stops and Elunduil winds up toppling into her at full speed and then they both go careening down the side of a steep incline. They tumble every which way until they hit the bottom and roll to a stop.
Elunduil found himself face first on the ground and lay recovering for several moments before he found the strength to rise. His head was pounding and as he pushed himself up he realized there was something heavy on his back. He looked over his left shoulder and saw Maria clutching her head as she started to recover. “Um…” Elunduil said. Maria opened her eyes and when she saw Elunduil she looked shocked and quickly got up. “Sorry!” she said meekly then quickly moved next to him and sat on the ground. Elunduil got up and surveyed their surroundings. He spotted the hill that they had tumbled down and his eyes followed it up. An impenetrable black haze billowed from the top of the hill obscuring the view above them. To his left there was a tree and other foliage scattered about. The corruption didn’t seem to be present here.