by H.L. Nguyen
Chapter 12
One Size Fits Only a Few
Terrorene Territory
“Is everything thing in place?” The curly dark-haired man said.
“Yes Lord Tristan. Everything is the way you asked,” The green goblin with the goggle said.
“Good Switch. Those Elders think they have outsmarted us. We will show them our true power,” Tristan said.
“But Lord Tristan, our spies have reported that they have found the true Electus. What about the- the- prophecy?” Switch said.
Tristan turned around and flung his hand, slapping Switch in the face. “Shut up about the prophecy! It is not true. I am not going to let this one boy ruin our plans.”
“Sorry my Lord, I have spoken out of place,” Switch said.
“It’s okay Switch. Once my plans unfold, Terrorene will be freed and we can take back the land from that ignorant king and his band of fools,” Tristan said.
Luminous Territory
The morning light shined through the curtain creating a serene setting. Traveler was still snuggled in his bed resting comfortably. Given everything that happened, he still had an amazing night’s rest. Then, the door swung open with Jelly bursting in the room.
“Good Morning Young Master!” Jelly screamed.
“What time is it?” Traveler said with a groggy look.
“Young Master, it is time for you to get up. Today we will get your armor and then you can go home.”
The excitement was beaming from his eyes. This is a new feeling for him. He dressed himself in a pair of brown pant, white shirt, and brown vest, a common outfit in the realm of Codextrius. He walked out finding Jelly outside the door waiting with his fingers in his mouth, again.
“Can we get something to eat before we leave? I am hungry,” Traveler said.
“I knew you would say that Young Master. Here take this,” Jelly said while holding out a round blue pill.
“Please I am really hungry. This is no time for jokes.”
“It is not a joke. It is your breakfast. You like blueberry pancakes don’t you?”
“Yes, but all I see is a blue pill.”
“You need to learn to trust me.”
“Okay.”
Traveler took the pill and popped it in his mouth. Then, a rush of blueberry pancake flavor hit his mouth. His eyes widen increasing the surface area of his smile. He continued to chew the pill and after the blueberry flavor had ran its course, he tasted the cooling liquid of milk down his throat. The large lump rolling down Traveler’s throat gave him a reason to sigh with relief.
“Wow that tasted great,” Traveler said.
“See, I am prepared for everything,” Jelly said.
“So are we using the crystal balls or are we taking those tiny chariots?”
“No Young Master, I have a surprise.”
“Surprise? Umm Okay.”
“Again, trust me.”
Traveler and Jelly walked down to the castle door. Traveler could hear immense pounding causing the castle floor to shake. As they got closer to the entrance, the doors glowed into a bright orange red color. Traveler reached for the door handle but Jelly pulled him back. This made it more obvious that they should not touch it. However, Jelly kicked the door open and revealed what was making that irritable racket. They stared at the two massive dragons standing on their hind legs. The one on the right had a light lustrous cobalt color while on the left, stood a dark glistening ruby one. They were already larger than their handlers were, but when they rose, they created a tidal wave of red and blue; it generated another reason for needing to use the bathroom. The dragons continued their stubbornness by flapping their wings, creating a wind tunnel effect that knocked down Traveler and Jelly.
“Aaaaaaaahhhh,” Traveler screamed while crawling backwards.
“Young Master, what is wrong? Where are you going?” Jelly yelled.
“I am getting out of here.” By this time, Traveler got up and ran inside another room near the main hall.
“Traveler, come back here.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want them to eat me.”
“You need to stop believing in the fairytales you read. The dragons you see around here are trained. It is the wild ones you have to worry about.”
Traveler slowly walked back to the main door hugging the inside castle wall. He peeked outside to get another glance at the two dragons. Once the dragons saw Traveler’s head, they made a strike motion as if they were going to bite his head off. Traveler ducked his head back inside.
“Please Traveler you are embarrassing me,” Jelly said as Traveler popped his head out again. “I present to you, Penter and Rout.”
“Rout is the red one,” Jelly said.
“Are we riding these things?” Traveler asked.
“Yes, I thought it would be beneficial to have an early start on your dragon riding training.”
“You have got to be kidding me. I don’t even know how to ride a horse.”
“Young Master, I have seen you ride a bike. If you can do that, then it is just the same.”
“How do you know I can ride a bike?”
“Aaah, don’t be alarmed, but I have been watching you since you were born.” Traveler still had the confused look on his face. “Young Master, just hop on and you’ll see your natural talent shine through the dark of despair.”
“Huh?”
“Please get on the dragon.”
“Okay.”
Traveler got up and timidly hopped on the dragon. Jelly mounted the ruby dragon with ease as if he has done it many times before. However, the cobalt dragon disliked whatever Traveler was doing. It stood on its hind legs while flapping its wings again. The fury of the dragon caused Traveler’s loss of balance, which resulted in a hard landing.
“I thought you said it would be like riding a bike. I never fell off like that!” Traveler yelled.
“Aah, he sensed your timidness. Dragons are confident creatures; they want someone confident to ride them,” Jelly said with a smirk.
“You know you could have told me that earlier.” Traveler walked towards the dragon’s head. “Look Draggy, sorry I mean Penter. I have never even seen a dragon, but I’ll try being more confident. Please go easy on me.” The dragon seemed to understand. He then flicked his head, knocking Traveler down for the third time. As Traveler hit the ground, the dragon shook his head up and down as if he was laughing.
“Good, that means he is ready,” Jelly said.
“You sure?” Traveler asked.
“Yes, he is playing around with you and now he trusts you. Hurry up and get on him. We have a schedule to keep. Oh, make sure you hold on tight to the reins. You don’t want to fall off.”
Traveler carefully got on the dragon’s back and felt more at peace.
“Okay here we go, just follow me,” Jelly said clicking his heels.
Jelly and his dragon took off. The cloud dust trail left behind made Traveler spit out the dirt. Traveler tapped his heels, as Jelly did, and up in the air he went. He felt like the same sensation as he did when holding the weapon. It felt like he knew what to do.
Traveler always wondered what it would be like to ride a dragon. As he flew, he tried in his head to describe the experience if he ever wanted to tell somebody. It was hard to describe; the only way he can explain the experience is that it felt like he was riding on top of a rusty airplane.
They flew for a while with Traveler putting the death grip on the reins. Occasionally, Penter’s body would veer to the right, getting off course. Traveler tried to adjust to the thunderous flapping, which distracted him. However, just like anything else, there was a learning curve. Afterward, Traveler seemed to get the hang of it and adjusted on the fly until Jelly raised his hand letting Traveler know he wanted to stop.
“Traveler, look over there. You see that mountain?” Jelly said.
“YEAH, ARE WE FLYING OVER THERE?” Traveler asked.
“You don�
�t have to yell, speak in your normal voice. Sound travels well in the air.”
“Sorry, I didn’t know.”
“It is okay. No, we are not flying there; those are the same cold mountains that saved the people of Codextrius from the first attack. That is also where the Stella Rider works.”
“Do they do what I think they do?”
“Yes. Our magical powers come from the energy of the light.”
“I know, the king told me about your magic.” Traveler interrupted.
“Well, the Stella Rider’s job is to harness the energy of light. Stars, like the sun, are too powerful to capture. However, the weak ones are the ones we want. They serve no purpose to the universe anymore, but still contain enough light energy to light up an entire city in your world. Stars are just balls of light energy. One star has enough light energy to produce enough magic for one month. We cannot just grab all the light energy. It would create a black hole and suck this world in. However, if we grab the light energy and harvest them before the star collapses, then it would do nothing. So we just grab what we need and release the star back into space.”
“Really that sounds really cool. What do you do when you capture that light?”
“We harness that power and convert it into our magic. Light is energy in motion. At 186,000 miles per hour, we change the light waves. We manipulate the light energy into a specific wavelength by passing it through a certain object. Then, this energy is converted into magic. Afterwards, the magic is placed into large metal barrels for transport. This metal is the same metal used for your armor.”
“Sounds like a great job.”
“Actually, it is the most dangerous job here; I am sure you have heard of supernova. You know, exploding stars. That is just us trying to capture unstable stars that have lost all of their energy. However, the good thing is that for us, we have the equipment that can grab the energy the supernova creates. You notice some of the stars in your world are different colors. Well, that is because of us taking some of their energy away.”
“Jelly, you have to take me there.”
“Sorry, not today Young Master. First, we have to get you dressed and gather all your equipment. But I will take you there sometime.”
Jelly left the area, but Traveler was hovering around staring towards the mountains. Jelly turned around to find Traveler lagging behind.
“Traveler, we need to be back before nightfall,” Jelly said.
“How come?” Traveler said.
“Because it is very dangerous and we could get lost at night,” Jelly said.
“Okay. Hey, what if Terrorene gets a hold of the magic?” Traveler said.
“We do not have to worry about that. Terrorene harvest his magic from living things and turns it into dark magic. The light magic we protect and harvest, he cannot use. Nevertheless, does not mean he cannot take it away and prevent our use,” Jelly said.
“I know.”
They flew for a while longer, then Jelly pointed down to the empty meadow and they touched down in the middle of it.
“What are we doing here? I thought we were going to the Armory.”
“Young Master, we are here. This is Ignis.”
“I don’t see anything.”
Jelly walked over to a large vibrant tree with a hollow trunk. He knocked three times. Unexpectedly, a little head popped out.
“Zander, my favorite fufmet. Where’s that drink you owe me?” The dwarf said with a rough accent.
He sounded like Santa Claus would sound like if he were a mean drunk in the military. He had small scars on his face, but it was hard to find them because of his rough skin. He was wearing a helmet that was shaped like a bullet with a smooth chrome finish. Chain mail hung off the bottom edge of the hollow bullet helmet covering his entire neck and ears leaving his face fully exposed.
“Erios, I did not think you’re on duty today,” Jelly said.
“Yep,” Erios said. “They change my times around so I can spend more time with the kids. That turned out to be a bad idea. Those two rug rats have the energy of ten men. I am getting too old, but I refuse to show it in front of them. Anyways, what do you want?”
“This is our new Electus. We are here to get him suited up.”
“Sorry Zander, I have to ask you for the password.”
“Of course.”
Jelly leaned close to Erios’ ear as if he wanted to whisper the words. However, that was not the case. Jelly wrapped his arm around his neck and lifted him out of the tree in one drastic motion. Erios did his best to free himself, but Jelly applied his other arm, interlocking the two of them, and using it for his squeeze leverage. Erios desperately flared his arms at Jelly’s head, but the slight loss of consciousness only allowed for a couple of slaps to the face and pathetic taps to the shoulders, none of which did any good. Erios’ arms finally gave up and wilted down followed by his eyelids. Jelly released his sleeper hold. It appeared to have done its job. Erios’ lifeless body leaned next to the tree. Traveler stared into the whiteness of his eyes, the darkness in his mouth, and his unmoving tongue. He was befuddled at what had just taken place.
“What did you do? I thought he was a friend,” Traveler said.
“Young Master, don’t worry. There is no password. This person is a spy.” Jelly turned to the unconscious dwarf and kicked him. “Whomever you are wake up and tell me whom you work for?”
Jelly kicked him again with a slight nudge. Suddenly, blue blood drizzled from Erios’s ears and nose; Jelly stepped back surprised at what he had just seen. The blank stare turned nervous and his skin ran through different stages of color. Jelly turned to watch Traveler’s reaction. He was just as white.
“This can’t be good,” Jelly said as he went to do a pulse check on Erios’s neck.
“Ha ha ha. Chatgo.” Erios pointed at Traveler and Jelly.
“I am sorry Zander, I just could not hold it any longer. I saw the look on his face and I couldn’t hold it,” Erios said.
“It is okay Erios. You held it long enough. You almost had me with blue blood; it was a nice touch. I did not know you can do that,” Jelly said.
“Yeah, I learned how to do that from this Nepateen I met at a dice game.”
Traveler was not laughing. “Can we get my things now?” Traveler said.
“Geeish, what is with this guy? Touchy,” Erios said.
“Do not be hard on the child. This is all very new to him,” Jelly said
“Okay. Just let me go inside,” Erios said popping his head into the hollow tree. “Let me see, where is that level? Oh here it is. And...” The hollow tree slowly split in half. “...Viola.”
As the tree opened, it unleashed a wave of surprises. It felt like an entire city just appeared out of nowhere, but in fact, this city had been thriving for hundreds of years. There were laughter and conversations all over the streets. There were greetings mixed with small disputes. The roads were filled with people walking up and down the sidewalk. Traveler saw a family with four kids carrying baskets of groceries behind their mother. He could not take his eyes off the youngest member behind the pack who was carrying an apple. If you have ever seen a long line of ducklings following their mom, then you would understand how cute this was.
The buildings inside this secret city were much nicer than the king’s castle. The roads were shiny and much smoother too. He felt as if he was visiting his Uncle Henry who lived in New York City. Though the place did have a New York Times Square feel, there was one thing that was different for sure. This place was inhabited entirely by dwarfs.
“Have fun at the armory,” Erios said.
“Thanks Erios,” Jelly answered.
Traveler and Jelly walked throughout the city; everyone around them could not help but stare at them. It was hard not to stare since everyone else was half their size.
“Jelly, what is a Fufmet?” Traveler asked.
“I am what you call in your world a mutt. My father was a dwarf and my mother was an elf. That is w
hy I have these pointy ears.”
They reached the entrance of the armory. The half cylinder windowless building had a modern look, slick and glossy as it was made from pure metal. It was the size of a baseball stadium. Traveler knew that because there was a plaque with a 3D embossed picture of the entire building with a mountain in the background bolted to the wall. The gray brick wall stood tall and shimmery. The material between the bricks caused the glistening as if they used molting metal as cement. This place was well protected because only a minimum amount of the building was exposed beyond the wall. It was just enough to account for the door.
“Here we are,” Jelly said.
“This place has no windows,” Traveler said.
“Yes, Traveler,” Jelly said. “This place holds all the weapons and magic for all the territories not controlled by Terrorene. The dwarfs here put up the best security they could make for this place. You can’t go in unless you work here or the king invites you.”
“How do we get in? The door is like four feet tall and one foot wide,” Traveler asked.
“Ah yes, that is one of the security measures we take. Just place both hands on the building’s wall and the building will do the rest,” Jelly answered.
Jelly showed him first and then Traveler placed his hand on the only part of the building that protruded, feeling a cool touch, a material he had never felt before. It felt like a type of metal with a darker color. He felt this icy electrical sensation running throughout his body. He tried to take his hand off the building because it started to get a little painful, but his hands were stuck. His body started to vibrate faster and faster until he turned into a colorful mist and seeped into the building’s slender doorway. Jelly entered afterwards. Once inside, they merged back.
“That was not fun,” Traveler said.
“Well Young Master, people just have to get used to it,” Jelly said.
Traveler and Jelly walked through the door and found themselves in a room bustling with dwarfs. They walked through the crowded room avoiding sparks of heat flying in all directions. Jelly pointed in the direction they needed to go because the loud banging did not allow them verbal communication. Traveler surveyed the long line of dwarfs upstairs rolling transparent wheel barrels full of ore into black pots. Once the pots were full, dwarfs in special suits carried them in a bluish white flame. The molten ore turned into a dark black liquid mess, which was then carried into a gigantic vat with the base spout on the first floor. Some of the hot liquid spilled over the side, which was swept by these small four-legged white creatures with a shovel for a nose. The fire burned intensely throughout the day. When it looked like the fire would go out, teams of two dwarfs carried in large trees on their collective shoulders into the tree burning stations. Once the station was refueled, the bluish white flame increased its intensity. The room looked chaotic, but seemed organized. They walked up the steps to the second level, which happened to be much quieter.
“Jelly, what is so special about this particular armory?”
“Oh Young Master, the armor you are about to receive is made from a special metal called Nasus ore that was created by the seven Elders and the fire used to melt the metal was made from the illuminati trees.”
“So what is special about the metal?” Traveler asked.
“It is weightless like a feather, but strong as steel. It only grows in this mountain.”
“Metal doesn’t grow,” Traveler interrupted.
Jelly continued. “This metal does and will never diminish in quantity. However, the metal only grows here. Also, the illuminati tree only grows here. That is why we have to hide this place from everyone. The Elders knew how resourceful this place is and went to great lengths to protect it.”
“Wouldn’t the city be easy to find with that one hollow tree in the empty field.”
“That is what we want our enemies to think. The city moves within the Ingis’ meadow and you have to pull the right lever on the right part of the day to gain entrance to the city. If the wrong level is pulled then you have to wait until the next day.”
“Oh I see, how come I see only dwarves here?”
“They are small enough to reach the area most people can’t to mine the metal. Moreover, they also have an uncanny ability to forge and smelt the metal with ease. They have the best craftsmanship when it comes to making weapons. King Gavel gave them a vast amount of land and promises their safety here as long as they mine the metal and harvest trees.”
“So they work for free?”
“Traveler, there is no money on this planet. Everyone here works on a barter system. If we don’t have it, we trade for it.”
“What about me? What can I do to get some stuff?”
“Young Master, your job is to save the world.” They just stared each other for a minute. “Everyone here will give you anything you want to keep them alive.”
“I see.”
“Now, follow me.”
Traveler took one last look and followed Jelly into the next room. The room was filled with different sized fire pits with tall stone pillars on both sides. One would think the room would be dreadfully hot, but it was surprisingly cool. Traveler looked in amazement at the white greenish color of the blaze; it was uncommon to see any other color but orange or blue. Hanging over the different pits hung these black pots like the ones he previously saw. They were also bubbling with the black liquid. The pits were aligned in a symmetrical circle with the largest pit in the middle. The even amounts of the pits would mirror each other along the wall accented with different weapons of all shapes and sizes. The middle pit seemed large enough to fit a rather tall person. Jelly pointed to a pit that was nearest to them.
“I want you to put your hands in here,” Jelly said.
“What? Are you crazy? You want me to burn myself,” Traveler said.
“Young Master, as I said before, these fires are burnt from the illuminati tree. They don’t affect skin, just metal.”
“Okay Jelly. I trust you.”
Traveler closed his eyes and slowly extended his arms into the greenish fire. He did not feel the heat from the flames as he thought he would, but felt cool water running over and engulfing his hand.
“Traveler, I need you to make a fist and hold still.”
Traveler heeded the words and clinched his fist. Jelly pulled a rope that flipped the black pot slowly. A small steady stream of molten black liquid came pouring down over Traveler’s hands. Traveler panicked a little, but he trusted Jelly. The entire amount of liquid covered his hands and wrists, with not one drop of it hitting the fiery floor. It trickled into the grooves of Traveler’s palm, wrapping itself around the fist and wrist. Once it was level, the metals hardened and changed color. It turned into a light glossy silver like gauntlets and dark blue bands around his wrist.
“Okay Traveler you can pull your hands out.” Traveler just stared in amazement. “What do you think?” Jelly asked.
“How come they changed into a blue color?”
“The metal matches the color to your personality. It molds itself to a state that you are comfortable with.” Jelly stared at the gauntlets. “...and it looks like your favorite color is blue.”
Traveler nodded in agreement.
“Now, let’s get the rest of your armor,” Jelly said.
Next, Traveler stepped into a different pit and Jelly spilled some boiling metal on his shins and feet, receiving his greaves and metal boots. That leaves the neck guard, breastplate, and helmet. He entered the middle pit, which had a fire that rose as tall as the ceiling. It was more than enough to cover his body. This time, when Jelly pulled the rope, the metal covered his entire body. Traveler did feel weird with the black molten metal covering his face. He thought he would not be able to breathe, but he did breathe just fine.
After seconds, the liquid shaped itself and then hardened into a metallic finish. Traveler looked at himself in the mirror. The armor was silver and blue in a great fashion. His neck guard had spikes givin
g him a Lion’s mane making him look bigger than he actually was.
“How do I take these things off?” Traveler asked.
“You don’t,” Jelly answered.
Traveler had a confused look on his face.
“Young Master, the armor is a part of you now. It will protect when you need it the most. To remove it, you must relax and it will disappear.”
Traveler closed his eyes and the front of his helmet disappeared slowly revealing his smile, and then finally uncovering his head. Afterwards, his armor gradually disappeared section by section, revealing the clothes he first wore when he entered the room.
“Awesome,” Traveler said with a kid in a candy store look.
“Good Young Master, you are coming into your own and becoming a great warrior.” Jelly said. “If you need the armor back, just relax and it will reappear. Someday it will be a reflex action to make your armor appear again.”
Traveler closed his eyes and a light ran over his body, leaving a piece of the armor he saw before.
“Let’s get your sword and shield,” Jelly said.
Traveler and Jelly walked over to the adjacent room. There, he saw two heavy looking stones on a metal table. There was another black pot hovering over the two stones.
“You need to stick your hand inside of these stones,” Jelly said
“Okay,” Traveler said.
Jelly pulled another lever and the metal liquid poured down into the stone chamber. Traveler could not see, but he knew something good was being made.
“Traveler, when the process is done you will have your sword and shield.”
“Ummm, I can’t pull my hands out.”
“You are supposed to lift them and smash them at the wall over there.”
“Ummm, I can’t lift them up. I guess you forgot that I have rubber band arms.”
“Young Master, you are stronger than you realize. However, I will help you.”
Jelly walked over to the corner of the room and grabbed the sledgehammer.
“I would advise you not to move.”
Traveler closed his eyes. Jelly heaved the sledgehammer to the highest point of his swing and smashed down on one of the stones, turning it into a thousand pieces. Traveler opened his eyes and saw an astonishing looking sword in his hand.
“Don’t get too excited Traveler, I have one more to hit.”
Traveler closed his eyes again and when he opened them, he saw a small shield attached to his wrist. He then stepped back and brushed off the rest of the pebbles. The first thing he noticed was his sword. It looked like it was three swords put together; the middle was metallic sliver, and the edge of the blades looked like sapphire. The sapphire blades were longer than the main blade. This made it look like a two-pronged fork. The handle was made from the same material, but the sword guard looked very sharp curving upwards instead of downward like normal swords.
He looked at his shield and was not too impressed. It was not that big, from what he had seen in the books he read. It was a mixture of metallic silver and sapphire, just like his sword. It looked like the entire shield was made from a piece of sapphire crystal with a metallic silver cover design. It had a weird face with three holes in its head.
“I’m loving this sword. What is it made of?”
“I have already passed that information to you. Remember?”
“Oh yeah, growing metal burned by the illuminati tree. What about this blue stuff? I have never seen this before.”
“They are sap crystal. I knew your favorite color was blue, so I embedded it into the different parts of the sword. I am glad you like it. It is my own design.”
“Thanks, so you make weapons too?”
“Yes, I am part dwarf.”
Traveler swayed the sword side to side. He felt the lightness and moved it easily through the air. It felt like it was an extension of his arm. He looked around for a sword holder.
“Where do I put the sword when I don’t need it?” Traveler asked.
“Ah, this is my own special design too. The sword can shrink down into your metal wristband. Just raise your arm straight up and open your hand.”
Traveler raised his arm and opened his hand. The sword shrank down into a silver cylinder and emerged into the wristband.
“Whoa. I didn’t expect that. What about this shield? I don’t know much about fighting, but I think this is too small.”
“It actually expands out. It only does that when you want it to. It works with your mind. Also you can shrink down the shield into your wristband.”
Traveler looked at it and pretended to block an attack. The shield grew another three feet with a sap crystal. It was not a round shape like the ones in the Roman war movies. Its shape looked like the Air Force logo, but mean looking.
“Traveler if you look at your belt, it could hold several crystal balls, such as your Smoke Ryder. The crystal can shrink down to the size of a marble and slip right into the slot on your belt. There is also one more thing you need to know about the shield. It is a boomerang,” Jelly said.
“Huh? Really? Let me guess, this is your design too.”
Jelly nodded.
“How does that work?” Traveler said.
“Well, just swing your arm like you want to throw it. The crystal won’t hurt you. Test it out. Try to grab that bottle over there.”
Traveler looked at the bottle that was across from the room.
“Jelly, you are crazy. That’s like 50 feet away. I can’t throw that far.”
“Trust me. Traveler go ahead and throw it.”
Traveler raised his arm up, took aim, and made his limply throwing motion. The shield flung off his arm and zipped across the room. It spun toward the bottle and grabbed it with the bottle centripetal force to capture it. Then once the bottle was secured, the shield zipped back toward his arms. Traveler did not know what would happen. He braced himself by putting his arms up to cover his face. After a couple of seconds, he noticed the shield back on his wrist with the bottle stuck to it.
“Wow. That is the coolest thing I have ever seen. You have talent Jelly.”
“Well, thank you. It is time to go home. You need to get out of that armor.”
“Can I look at myself before we go?”
“Yes, but we don’t have much time. I’d like to get back before nightfall.”
“Thanks for everything.”
Traveler looked at himself in the mirror in his full battle gear. He noticed it had an extra accessory attached to his back; a blue cape waving without the wind. So, this is what superheroes feel like. He thought.
“I am ready to go. Do I get to name my sword and shield?” Traveler said.
I am sorry Traveler; I already have a name for them. Your sword is called Clasher and your shield is called Testudo.”
“Those are much better than my choices,” Traveler said.
They left the Ingis’ meadow the way they came in. As Traveler hopped on his dragon, he was as happy as one can be. They flew for a while without realizing how much time has passed by. Traveler recognized that he was up in the air alone with Jelly. This would be a perfect time to express some things that concerned him.
“Jelly, do you mind if I ask you some questions while we go back.”
“Sure, I don’t see the harm in that. It will make the time go by faster.”
“Can you explain the Path of Trials to me?”
“Aah yes, the Path of Trials is an ultimate test. It is supposed to mimic the same attributes as Kapricia. Many have taken the test and few have made it. It is a difficult test and there have been times where people collapsed and died. However, it is a way for the king to gauge your abilities. I almost gave up when I entered the path for the first time. You have to finish the test within a week, but I was in there for a month. They give you an option to give up, but if you use that option, you can never retest. You can take as long as you like, but if you go down the wrong path, you will get lost. It raises awareness of your abilities once the
test figures it out.”
“So what are my abilities?”
“What did you do to pass?”
Traveler thought long and hard. There were lots of things I had to do.
“Traveler, since we are talking. Let me ask you something,” Jelly said. “Did the king give you a choice to accept or decline the position?”
“Yeah, why do you ask?” Traveler said.
“You understand that you are starting your training very late.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have been doing this for a very long time. Most of the Electus who began their training start at a very young age.”
“So thirteen is not young enough?”
“Well, most Electus start at the age of 5 or 6. The reason for that is because children around that age are extremely gifted with their imagination and they are easier to train. It is rare that we train anybody pass the age of 8.”
“What’s wrong with starting at my age?”
“Hmm, most Electus end their career around the ages of eighteen to twenty-one.”
“Why eighteen to Twenty-one?”
“Well, by that time most Electus’ minds are too cluttered with information which leaves no room for their imagination strength.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Having a strong imagination play a heavy role in the world of Kapricia. It allows you to use everything as a weapon. It takes concentration and time to master it.”
“What about my Grandpa?”
“He is different, he is special.”
“Maybe I am special.”
“I hope so...Wait,” Jelly said as he stopped and feverishly looked around. “I do not recognize anything.” Then Jelly turned white just like when he pulled that prank. “We need to get to the ground now.”
“Why, what’s going on?”
“I think we have crossed the Darthian’s border.”
“Why don’t we just turn back the way we came?”
“There is no time. We need to get to the ground now.”
Jelly steered his dragon and swooped down. Traveler followed looking mystified. He finally realized why there was no time. The clouds around him turned into a sinister black haze. It blocked Jelly’s dragon path and quickly spun around him. The dragon looked scared out of his mind; you could see it in his eyes. Jelly tried to regain control of his dragon, but the dragon lost consciousness and went limped. Traveler just sat and watched the horrible event. He decided to make his way to the ground before the black smoke came after him. However, Traveler suffered the same fate.
The two dragons tumbled down, smacking the ground, which killed them instantly. The impact cushioned Traveler and Jelly as they plummeted to the ground; they got up a little dazed.
“What was that?” Traveler said.
“Shh. Keep your voice down. That was the Spectic. It hovers around the border and catches people that cross the border.”
“How did we cross the bor...?”
“Traveler, stop with the questions. We need to go back before...”
Jelly stood there with his eyes wide open.
“Before what...Jelly.”
Traveler felt something was not right. He did not want to turn around because that would probably prove he was right. There was a lowly growl in the background. He turned around and saw two large gray creatures with long white hair. The third member of the group was not a creature and looked human. They were wearing black armor that looked malicious and strong. The human seemed to recognize Jelly.
“Windbottom, it is nice to see you again.”
“Tristan.”
“That’s Lord Tristan to you and I told you that I am not going back. I am on the winning side now.”
“We are not here for you Tristan.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
“Why don’t you drop your sword and I’ll tell.”
“Oh Windbottom, you don’t have a chance with me.”
“How come I can’t summon my armor?” Traveler said tapping Jelly on the shoulder.
“Because you are not properly trained yet,” Jelly said.
“But what about that spider?” Traveler said.
“Traveler, when you are in Kapricia and your life is at stake, your natural fighting instinct kicks in. It gives you a slight ability to fight. However, anywhere else you have to learn to be a skilled fighter. Moreover, anybody could have defeated that spider. It was a young Teck.”
“But...”
“If you two are done bickering,” Tristan said. “I’d like to continue with what I have to do.”
Tristan snapped his fingers and the two ogres behind him blew two darts, knocking Traveler and Jelly down.
When Traveler and Jelly woke up, they found themselves tied up with no possibility to escape. The two ogres dragged them along as if they were walking their dog with Tristan leading the pack.
“Why don’t you just kill us now? What are you waiting for?” Jelly yelled as he struggled through the ropes.
“You don’t think much of me do you? I know a prolific Electus when I see one. I am going to kill you in the middle of the town so that everyone knows that my brother’s fight against us is useless.”
Somehow, Jelly managed to roll to his stomach. He motioned Traveler to cut his ropes with his teeth. Traveler leaned forward, but then an arrow flung by cutting Jelly’s bonds. Jelly got up and kicked one of the ogres into a tree. Tristan turned around and found Jelly up on his feet ready to attack. Tristan took out two stones and threw them at him. The two stones flew towards him at great speeds, then a piece of rope materialized and attached itself to both rocks. The rope flung itself around Jelly’s legs making him vulnerable again. Tristan looked at the other ogre, “Well, attack you idiot.”
The ogre charged with his club and Jelly was seconds away from getting a deadly blow with the club. Then, an arrow came out of nowhere and knocked the club out of his hand slamming into his forehead. The ogre lied motionless. The other ogre got up from his recent attack and grabbed Traveler by the neck lifting him up easily as if he was a rag doll. Traveler’s feet dangled in the air struggling to free himself, which was hard to do still confined in his bonds. However, he was able to slip in his mouth near the ogre’s finger and bite down as hard as he could. A wailing growl screamed out into the forest, but Traveler could not hear it. He was able to free himself, but because of his attack, he found himself flying fast into a tree trunk. Traveler lied helpless and unconscious.
The ogre grabbed his club and went to strike Jelly on the ground, but just like his partner, the ogre found himself on the ground. Once Tristan saw the second ogre on the ground, he retreated out of the forest. Suddenly, a white-winged person stood in front of Traveler and took one more shot with his bow and arrow. After a short moment, there was a loud thud.