Scattered
The House By The River
Cari saw two girls beside her. She didn't see their faces but she knew that they were here at the end of something but she could not know what. She could sense that they had been through a lot and had a great journey that somehow led to this moment. Whatever this moment was.
The moment that she saw Dark Master Lord Gajellidor coming from the dawn horizon, she seized. She knew that they were here to face him but she could feel that there was something inside her that was broken, but she knew that she would have to get over it. She could not quite explain what.
Her eyes opened fast. She tried to remember it as they blinked away the dream. Her mind was foggy as her body was filled with pain and felt like it was made of heavy lead. She soon felt her whole body was in pain as she regained more and more of her consciousness.
She was on a makeshift bed made of sacks of oats. A thin grey clock covered her and makeshift pillows of a pile of books with a few folded clothes comforting her head but holding it firm.
She tried to get up but she felt a pale and masculine hand on her and gently pushed her back down.
"Try not to move, girl!" Warned a man with a stern tone to his voice.
"Believe me, when I picked you up you were almost dead." He added resting the back of her head on the books.
"I-I...was?" She whispered, as she felt her throat hurt.
She closed her eyes and slipped away again.
She found herself walking down a dark stone corridor. There were doors at either end. All were plain and had locks on them. The corridor was like a castle or an older structure of the Sixth Age Of Legends.
She knew that she was going to find something on the other side of one of those doors. Something that was supposed to change everything in her world, no, the entire world.
She soon came to the door that she knew she was looking for. Containing a truth that would change the world forever. Whatever it was, it would mean that everything would shake the entire world and everything that she and everyone had believed in would crumble. Yet she had the feeling that it would be for the better. She just wished she knew why
She was lulled awake by the scent of food.
She looked around and spotted a man that looked quite like her. Yet he was paler and had tired crimson eyes. He had a thin, well toned body. He had a stern and harsh face that was thin and had a shade of melancholy with long greasy hair.
That must be the man that helped me. She thought, rubbing her eyes.
She looked down to see the bandage around her forearm.
When did that get there?
That was when everything that happened to her flooded her mind like a broken dam floods a river below. She repeated all of what happened to her. She could even feel the pain that she went through. On top of that, the face of the Dark Master Lord scared into her mind like a brand.
She could feel her body tremble as she felt like something was robbed of something. She felt her tears fall. She could not stop them. She termed more as her tears fell and fell. Her eyes became like waterfalls, stinging her cheeks.
She wanted her father. She wanted her little sister. She wanted her brother too. She wanted to feel their arms around her. Making her feel safe and sound. She had never missed them as much as she did now.
We were fools thinking we could handle him! I was a fool to think I could ever be a match against him. He was so much more powerful than me!
Dad! Dad, help me!
She felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked to her right.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
She looked at him still spaced out for a moment as her body tensed up. Her eyes widened as she gasped. Her tears stopped.
She, realising that she was safe, relaxed and nodded. She let out a deep breath of relief.
"Y-yeah!" She said, wiping her tears away.
He frowned at her, clearly not quite convinced. He rubbed her shoulder with his thumb.
"So why were you in the state that you were in?" He asked
"My and my friends were attacked by Wolfox and-and-and-" She tailed as she returned to that moment.
Her mind went over the events. That was when she remembered her friends.
"My friends!"
"Relax. The fact that you are here means that they are alive." He said, calmly.
She frowned
"How could you know?"
"I am familiar with the spell that was cast." He said, rubbing his eyes.
"It is a nasty one, it binds the lives of those that it is cast on. So, you ought to be rest assured that they are alive."
"Where do you think they are, and who are you anyway?" She asked, her mind racing.
"Well, I think that they might be somewhere in the Desert Planes." He said, with a tone of dread.
"And as for me, I prefer you call me the Observer." He said.
She sighed as she smiled weakly.
"You're like the Chronicler." She said, shaking her head.
"So she did find you." He said.
"So you know her?"
"Yes, in fact we abandoned our true names together. Although, that strange lion told us that during the time the truth about our gods was revealed we would take them up again." He said, shaking his head.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Never you mind." He said, waving his hand away.
"So now that you are awake, I think once you have recovered you ought to be on your way."
"Why, won't you come with me?"
He rolled his eyes, groning slightly.
"No, in fact I would prefer it if I never saw your face again." He moaned, childishly as he looked away.
Her eyebrows raised as she curled her lip.
"Oh! Why is that?" She asked, feeling offended.
"Because you look like my niece and I hardly wish to have her ghost around me!" He snapped.
She looked at him astonished.
What!? That's the reason?
She calmed her confusion.
"Then how about a deal?" She said, knowing that she would need him.
Yet there was another reason that she wanted him around. One that she could not quite explain. Almost like she needed to have him around for some reason. Almost like she would go back to a time that she could not quite remember.
His eyebrow raised as he looked at her. It was all too clear that she had sparked his interest. She felt her heartbeat steady.
"Even though I don't have it now, after all this is done, I plan to become a bounty hunter and once I am, I will pay you back for your services." She explained.
His eyes focused out for a moment. He looked aside with a sorrowful look in his eyes. Then he frowned for a moment but then his eyes relaxed.
However, he soon smirked.
"Alright, one emerald for every week I am in your service." He said, extending his hand.
"Done." She said, as they shook.
In The Desert
Ryo found that he could not move as he slowly woke up. He blinked away the rest of his sleep. His mind slowly came around and became less and less foggy.
His eyes rested on a yellow-cream sky. No, that was the ground. His head moved up and as he did his cheek felt like it was scratched by something. As his vision became clearer he soon realized that the yellow-cream sky was not the sky, it was sand. He was in a sea of sand.
He felt cold and as his movement returned to him he felt his mouth was dry. He felt bits and pieces of sand in his mouth, this made his mouth hurt which made the dryness in his mouth just that much more worse. With the salt in the sand it also made his wounds hurt and saw.
He looked around. His mind was still in a blur as he looked up at the sky as it turned dark purple. His eyes met over a thousand stars that he had never seen before. He saw many other colours like blue and pink and red and lighter shades of purple and lilac with stars scattered like silver glitter. He had never seen so much beauty and he had never seen anything like this in the skies back home. It was unbelievably clear.
He, wanting to know where he was, then looked around and spotted The Chronicler beside him. She was starting to wake up. She slowly got to her feet. She looked around with a look that could only be described as nostalgia. Yet there was a melancholic look in her eyes.
"Where are we?" He asked.
He soon noticed that he could not see anyone but them for miles. He frowned, alarmed.
"And where are the others?"
She blinked away the tiredness in her eyes. She looked around and then back at Ryo. She let out a sigh.
"Well, I can two you that Scar and Oran are both in Scar's world and time. Kir is with that pirate that took us to Publove and Cari...Well, she is with an old friend. A very old friend." She said, rubbing her eyes.
He raised his eyebrow.
"Good or bad?"
"Bad once but good now. Well sort of." She admitted.
"How do we get back to them?"
"Well, they will come to us, apart from Kir and the pirate." She said, looking around with her eyes narrowing.
"Now, we need to get to the nearest town. Being out here too long is never a good idea. There are far too many dangers out here. Both in and poor of the sand."
"Where will we stay tonight?"
"I think we will stay in a tavern here. I know of a good one, if I am right about where we are." She said with a child-like smile.
"And that is?"
"Well I can tell this whole area of the Desert Planes must be Suqut Aldam. Although I am going to have to get a job, after all we are running out of supplies."
He looked at the scar on her cheek and gulped out of dread. Yet he masked this with a stern look.
"Who will you be killing?" He asked as they started walking where The Chronicler was going.
She looked at him with a playful questioning look on her face.
"What makes you think that I am to kill anyone?" She asked in a mock joking tone.
"That F scar's a mark of an assassin." He said, rolling his eyes.
She smiled with an angry look in her eyes.
"So you know a bit about the world do you?" She asked slyly.
"I know enough to spot an assassin a mile away. Mainly to stop my stepmother from killing me." He replied.
She let out a laugh.
"Alright, you have me there. However I am not going to be here as an assassin. No, I am sure that the tavern that we shall be going to will tell you all that you need to know. After all, anyone who sees it would know exactly who stays in there."
"So how many jobs did you take before you came to us?" He asked.
She smiled, pointing upwards.
"Ahh, you are perceptive! Well, I took many jobs and it looks like I was right. We are in Arrian Town!" She said, as she looked in the distance.
"The Desert Planes...So…Hold on! This is where you're from!" He exclaimed.
She cocked her eyebrow.
"How do you know?"
"The colour of your skin, and the shape of your eyes."
"That obvious? Is it?"
"Yes."
She then walked into the town. The buildings looked like they were the same colour of the sand. The roofs, if you could call them that, were flat and had clothes and rugs on ropes linked by two wooden poles. None of the houses had glass, only wooden doors that were on hinges. The doors were plain with a round top.
"Why are the buildings shaped like that?" He asked.
"Because it hardly rains here so the locals take full advantage of the sun, however they must all go to the same wells over there." She explained.
She pointed to a large and deep well, where there was a pool of water.
"Most of that comes from under the ground."
"What? Hold on! You mean that there's water that comes from the ground!?"
"Yes, in fact there are many underground rivers, more than above ground, and that is where they get their water from."
That's incredible!
"Whoa!"
She smiled as they approached a purple inn that was shaped like the others but it had four levels. It was called The Arrianian Knights. With a painting of a black lamp with a line of blood coming from the snout. Behind was a dark purple night sky.
His face dropped as he looked at her.
"You're a bounty hunter too?" He exclaimed.
She returned to her sly smile.
"Does that scare you?" She asked, almost challenging him.
He shook his head.
"No, I just didn't expect that." He said as he zoned out for a moment as they entered.
They walked up to the board. The posters were made of papyrus. All of which were written in a language that he did not understand. They mainly looked like j's and h's or i's. With shiny paint on.
"What language is that?" He asked, confused.
"Well, in Scar's world they would call this Arabic, although I can see that some of these have been written in Hebrew too. Ah! This will do." She said as she took one
He looked at it to see it was of a painting of a lion with a scorpion tail and wings like a dragon.
He knew what that creature was as he gulped and he looked up. With the look of fear and dread.
"Are you mad?"
"It is easier than it looks." She said, nonchalant.
He nodded, still not convinced as they booked in using the last of their money in doing so.
The Guide And The Witch
Cari spent another day in the man's home as she recovered from the rest of the wounds. She had gathered her strength well as she rested and started to eat.
"By the way, how long was I out?" She asked, eating porridge with golden syrup.
"A good week. Why?"
She nodded, becoming pale as she looked down with dread.
It will be a full moon tomorrow night. She thought.
"Never mind. When will we be setting off?" She asked.
"When you are ready." He said, drinking a half pint of beer.
"I'm ready now!" She shouted, impatiently.
"Then take a walk!" He said, mockingly.
She slipped out of the makeshift bed and took a few steps. She felt aching in her legs but she forced herself to go on and on. She felt the ache increase but she forced herself on and on. She could feel herself wiring up a sweat.
She continued until her legs gave way and he caught her. She then slammed onto the ground. She groaned in pain.
"Well, looks like for until the muscles in your legs have developed then throughout our journey you are to keep hold of my arm. Now I am going to pack." He said, chuckling slightly. "Now take a seat Bash."
She looked at him confused.
"'Bash'?" She remarked.
"Sorry, you look identical to her, well apart from your white eyes." He said. "Now I am off packing."
There he left her as she looked around the house. She had this curious taste of nostalgia in her mouth as she did. She felt like she had been here before. In another life maybe, but whatever the reason she had this feeling, she knew that to think about it further, would only cause her to ask more questions that she knew that she could not answer.
No, the thought about something else, that she seemed to have two people who looked identical to her, both of which had red eyes of different shades. She remembered that her father had told her that she would have been born with red eyes too, if she had not been cursed with white eyes. She wondered if there was more going on here or was it all just a coincidence?
Highly doubtful. She thought. Just what is going on here?
Does it even matter?
She was so lost in her own thoughts that she soon lost track of time. She did not know how much time had passed until The Observer came in with two rucksacks.
"Here, this one is yours." He said, as he helped the bag on her back.
"Now, do you know how to cook?" He asked.
She thought about it for a moment.
"I know how to fry things on a fire, but nothing more." She admitted. "After all, the cooks gave me all that I needed and the Chronicler mainly cooked everything that we needed to eat."
"Then, with the additional cost of three weeks, I will be willing to teach you." He said. "But, note I am a very strict teacher."
She smiled and held out her hand and they shook.
"Deal."
She leaned on The Observer as they went on their way. They walked on until nightfall, where they made their camp, but The Observer had to help Cari as she set up her tent. He put the twigs and firewood in the centre of the camp and put stones around the wood. He raised his palm to the wood and then a flame came from his hand and landed on the wood. This caused the fire to spread.
"Now, for your first lesson." He said, as he took out a slab of chicken. "Take yours out of your bag."
She did, he took out a flat pot and placed it on the fire.
"Put yours on." He said, pointing to hers.
She did as he sprinkled herbs over them and then he started patting it down.
"A…troublesome man once told me. 'Always season the chicken.'"
She nodded as she watched the soft pick turn into a hard off white. They were soon ready, but then The Observer put some vegetables on and they cooked faster than the chicken and he stirred them until they were all cooked and done.
He then took out the plates and served them up.
"Did you get all that?" He asked.
She nodded.
"You better, for you, are going to be doing the cooking tomorrow before noon." He said, taking a spoonful of food.
"Although, If what I have heard about you is true, then I know that I should do the cooking tomorrow night."
She chuckled, nervously.
"What have you heard of me?" She asked.
"That you can turn into a dragon every full moon." Hesaid as he eat.
"How-"
"You asked about the full moon, it confirmed it to me."
"Oh."
She then dug into her food to her amazement it tasted better than the cooks! So she ate it in silence. When she was done she went off and cleaned the pots. She returned and put everything away.
"By the way, why is it that so many people know so much about me?" She asked.
"Oh, the dragon queen liked to boast." He laughed.
"Now, I think that it is time that you got some sleep." He said.
She nodded and they slept the whole night.
They woke up early in the morning and went off on their way. They stopped for noon and then Cari, remembering the night before cooked their meal, after which they went ahead some more until they came to a seaside town.
When they walked through the town she saw that the evening was beginning to dawn. As they did she looked around and spotted an old woman that looked more like a skeleton and her eyes looked dead and haunting. Her hair was thin, too thin and almost non-existent.
"Urm…"
She was about to ask The Observer about her but she came to the conclusion that she did not matter to them, so she continued. Then she looked back as she did, she spotted that the old woman was still there, but she was closer and her eyes met hers. She turned back as she realised that she was looking at her like a predictor approaching its prey.
"Observer?" She said as she tugged the hem of his cloak.
"I know, just continue, it will rouse less suspicion. Just note, she is a witch and that is not what she truly looks like." He said.
"How do you know?" She asked, frowning.
"Simple, if she really was that thin then she would be dead in the street already." He explained.
"Oh. Do you know her?" She asked, feeling slightly foolish for not thinking about it earlier.
His eyes narrowed with dread as he nodded.
"And if I am right, then we need to keep moving." He said, getting close to her.
"Who is I?"
"You do not want to know."
As she walked she tried not to look back. She tried not to look as scared as she was. She tried to keep cool, but she just could not get what Gajellidor had done to her. She felt scared that she would do what he did to her. She had to look back. She had to know how close she was to them and to her horror she was almost right behind her. She jumped back as she smirked as she disappeared.
She appeared in front of them where they were going.
"Tell me, do you recognise me?" She asked.
"Please, drop your disguise." He said.
"Oh, you do? Good!" She said, smiling.
"Well you are my best student." She sang.
She was suddenly cloaked in darkness and then what appeared before them was a teenager at the age of fourteen. She had amber eyes and brunette hair.
"I have to say, I am quite surprised that she hasn't been killed by you." She said, looking at her.
"Who are you?" He asked as his eyes were filled with shock.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Does my new body displease you?" She asked.
"So you are her!"
"In the new flesh!" She sang, as she spun around.
"What? Who is this?"
"The Dark Witch Grasharlo."
"What!" She screamed as she looked at the girl with horror.
"Although, not all of her. After all, my other parts are far away right now." She said, with a false sad look on her face.
"Which, unfortunately, means that I am not at my full power!" She sighed.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
She smiled as she looked at Cari.
"Her."
Cari took a step back.
"Why?"
"I have orders to kill her. After all, I was told to make absolutely sure that she's dead." She said, with a wide smile upon her cruel face. "And I will kill her."
She raised her hands and faced her palms to them and just as she did they heard a scream next to her. She then saw a pile of ash at both sides of the street where they were. She then saw women, men and children running away. However they spotted a cat jump down and as she crossed the side of her hands and turned to ash.
They looked at her with horror. Then The Observer reached out his hand and summoned a ball or green light and then fired it at her. She then dropped her hands and flipped backwards. She then summoned two smaller balls and then fired one at The Observer and the other at her.
She dived out of the way and then took out her crossbow and then loaded it and fired a few arrows at her. She looked at them and then stopped then in mid air and that was when The Observer fired a light ball at her again just as she was distracted by the arrows. This hit her and as she was about to get up she looked at the dark sky and she smirked.
That was when Cari felt the pain inside her. She then fell down and she felt her body stretched as her bones snapped and reshaped. Her flesh became scales. Her eyes changed into the eyes of a dragon's. She then felt something hit her and she flew and spun in the air and as she did she landed as a dragon. She smiled and she let out a flow of fire at her and she made her breath hotter and hotter until her breath became blue.
When she stopped the witch was no more.
"Is she dead?" She asked.
"No, and can you fly?" He asked.
"Then get on and I'll show you!" She said, nodding her head back.
He got on and held the bags as he jumped on and sat on her upper back and flew onto the ship and he paid for their journey.
The Dry Darkness
"Are we there yet?" Asked Ryo, feeling the burning heat of the sun on him.
"No, not quite. After all, we do have quite a while to go." She said, looking at him worried.
"Although, we are going to have to go across the Darkness Illusion Desert. So that ought to be the most challenging part for now." She admitted, putting a thick rimmed straw hat on him.
"What? Why would illusions be challenging?" He asked, confused.
She chuckled nervously.
"You will see soon. However, I would like for you to note that we are dealing with enchanted illusions, thus they can be very deadly. Or at least as deadly as you make them." She said looking around.
She looked at him and spotted that he was sweating. She could also see that he still looked quite strong. Which meant that she would not have to worry about him just yet, yet she knew that judging by his pale complexion she would soon need to, regardless of the dragon blood within him.
"How come?" He asked.
"They are as much real to the one who is seeing the illusion as that person believes it is there." She explained. "I learned this when we, me and a group of friends, visited a forest called The Forest Of Illusions. I believe the school is still there."
"What?" He asked, confused.
"You will understand once you have your first illusion." She said, her eyes tensing.
He huffed.
Like that explains things.
"Anyhow!" He said, trying to change the subject. "I do have something to ask you."
"And I might have an answer to give." She said, mysteriously.
"How did you know to come to the Queendom Isles to find us?" He asked.
"I followed the path of prophecy, which told me that you would be there."
"You mean that all that we've been doing has already been predetermined? I don't like the idea of being the slave of destiny." He snapped.
She looked at him sternly.
"Do not underestimate free will and the unexpected. After all, I hardly expected that Hikari would be there and nor did I expect that you would bring Riku with you." She admitted.
"Oh." He said. "So, even in prophecy we have our freewill."
"Exactly! Which is the thing that the chosen ones of old never learnt, especially the ones that were driven mad by their destinies." She said, clicking her fingers. "After all, the prophecies will come to pass, although it is your choice how and when they will."
"Oh."
He then spotted the sound of a baby crying. He wondered where it was coming from and if the baby was alright. He followed the cry and as he did he focused to hear it over The Chroniclers voice.
He looked around as he saw a baby next to a large body of water. He drew closer and closer to the baby. But as he looked at the baby it flt like he was not getting any closer to it. No matter how long he walked he was not getting any closer to the baby.
He then felt a hand pull him back and he did. He looked and spotted that it was The Chronicler and to his horror he saw a large snake slither by them. His heart skipped a beat then when he came close to where he was the snake went down and was devoured by the sand.
He looked up and spotted that the baby was gone! He frowned at that and wondered where the baby was, but he soon realised that there was no baby. How could he have been so foolish? How could he have not realised? Who would leave a crying baby in the middle of the desert like that?
He then went back with The Chronicler.
He could feel that the heat was making him sweat and he could feel thirsty, but he was too proud to ask for water. He then spotted that there was water ahead of them. He felt a wave of delight rise in his heart. He walked towards it but he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"It is an illusion brought on by the heat. There is no water." She said, gripping his wrist.
He nodded and followed her. He started to feel faint at he felt that the heat was burning his skin and he knew that he could do nothing about it. He took a sip of the bottle of water as he felt his mouth become dry, yet even that did nothing to ease that.
That was when he saw a giant cockroach the size of half of his body race up to him and it jumped up and attached itself to him! He looked at it in terror as he looked at the fangs snap together like the claws of a crab or lobster.
He then felt his sides cut as the legs started to squeeze tighter and tighter. He tried to use his magic to get it off him but that did not work! He would have got to his scythe but his arms were pressed by his side.
What is this thing! He thought.
"Ryo! Remember what I said!" The Chronicler shouted.
"What! What the demon realm are you on about?" He shouted.
"It's an illusion! It can only hurt you as long as you believe it's real!" She shouted.
He looked at it.
"But, it is real! Why aren't you helping me?" He shouted, outraged.
"It's not real and I can't help you because I know that it's not real so I can't even touch it!" She shouted
She thrust her hand forward. Then, to his shock, her hand went straight through it! She then placed her hand on his.
"See?"
His eyes widened and nodded. He closed his eyes.
It's only an illusion! It's not real! It's only an illusion. It's not real. It's not even there!
Then he no longer felt the arms and before he woke he fell down and he was out cold. The heat had gotten to him. Knowing this The Chronicler picked him up and carried him and found a large rock with a long shadow. That was where they took their break.
Ryo woke up when it was night. He then spotted a bright orange dragon fly over then and, as he got up the dragon landed.
"Prince Ryo." He said as he bowed to him.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"I am Indral, your mother's youngest adviser." He said. "I am here to inform you that later on this year you and your sister are to meet me in an advanced city of your choice. There the two of you are to accompany me to the planet Drake. There you and your other half-siblings are to agree on who the new ruler of the dragons shall be."
With that he flew off.
"What was that all about?"
"As you have heard. You both have to decide on who your mother's successor is." She said, still processing what had just happened.
"Will they try to kill Cari?" He asked, trying not to sound too worried.
She looked at him and smiled.
"No, it is quite common place for a child of a dragon ruler to succeed their parent by killing them." She explained.
"Should we go?" He asked.
"I think so."
The Voyage
Cari sniffed the salty fresh morning air. Her body had returned to normal. She had put a black shirt and thin trousers on and she took her bag up.
She felt the ship bob up and down. She took a moment to gain her balance. She then walked to her cabin slowly, making sure that she did not lose her balance as she walked.
The cabin was smaller than the ones that she had been in. This was the first time in a while that she had been on a ship without Ryo or The Chronicler or Scar. She just found it odd, she half expected that they were there in the cabin, in fact she had caught herself looking for them.
She then left the cabin and walked up to the deck, where she looked at the horizon. It was daytime, so she could not tell where she was but she could feel that the air was getting hotter and hotter than usual. She even spotted that the ocean and air felt off too. No, it was not because they were travelling to a hotter place.
"Tell me, are you alright?" Asked The Observer behind her.
She turned back to him.
"Yeah...It's just something that I have to get used to." She admitted.
She put her hand in her pocket. As she touched the broken parts of her bracelet that her father had given her.
"It seems that you have only just recently had to go through this." He deduced.
She looked down feeling a sting of sorrow in her heart and nodded.
"Yeah..My father gave me a bracelet that was supposed to stop that, but it got broken by a witch a while ago." She said, shivering, remembering what happened.
He nodded, reaching out his hand to comfort her but pulling it back.
"Well with that, I think that it might be a good assumption to make that he might have been a spell of some kind that your father would have placed up on his kingdom that would have stopped you from transforming. Then upon the bracelet when you left." He said.
She nodded feeling nothing but gratitude to her father for all that he had done for her.
"That would make sense." She admitted.
"So, tell me if you think before we have our breakfast we should have a training session?" He said.
You know, I would like that.
She smiled as she walked to the deck and took her battle stance.
"Ready when you are!" She said, jokingly.
"No, you are not."
He just stayed there as she ran up to him. When she came close she moved close to his face and she blew in his eyes causing him to close them. She was about to kick him, but then she felt a fast and hard jab in the back of her neck and she was on the deck before him.
She could not move and she looked at him in shock and confusion.
How? How did he do that? Was it magic? What is it? Why can't I move? Just what's going on!?
"I just hit a pressure point, that is all." He said, laughing slightly.
"See, for some reason, when I hit certain points of the body I can paralyse them." He explained.
Why does he know that?
"This makes it easier for me to take them down."
Or kill them.
"In fact, I have found that if you press some of them you can even make someone look drunk!"
"Why do you know these things?" She asked as her eyes rested on a boat in the distance.
"Observer, are there any pressure points that can reverse paralysis?" She asked, trying not to panic.
"Yes, why?" He replied slowly.
"Look behind you!" She shouted.
He looked behind him and then after which he knelt and poked parts of her body and she was soon up and on her feet.
"I'll get my crossbow." She called to him.
"Hold on! You use a bow?"
"Crossbow!"
She charged down to her cabin and quickly collected her crossbow and her quiver.
She was back on the deck and loaded her crossbow, by which time the ship was just about to get up close to the small ship that they were in. She looked at the ship and spotted that the best thing to do was to sink the ship.
"Look I know what you are thinking and it would be a good idea but what you need to do is stop them from coming closer." He said.
She nodded.
"Alright, but I need to be careful about using magic."
"You do not need to use magic girl!"
She frowned and then looked up and spotted the sails and felt the wind around. She paid attention to its direction and soon noticed that it was carrying the ship towards them. She looked up at the black sails.
She loaded her crossbow and then fired it and used as little of her magic as she could to set her arrow alight and as it hit the sail. She then willed the fire to expand, trying not to use too much of her magic as she did and taking as much advantage of the wind and air as she could. This did the trick.
She bit her lip as the back of her hand split open.
"What-"
"It's part of my curse, although it has been intensified." She said, trying to push through the pain.
His eyes widened.
"That is going to be a problem, I am going to have to make sure to train you to use the least amount of magic to a greater effect." He said.
She nodded.
She then spotted that the heat of the sun was making her fire hotter, making it spread further. This kept the pirates busy putting that out. She then fired a shot at the hull of the ship and then another a little above that. This caused a small crack in the deck. She then used her magic to bring them back. She then caught them as the cut on the back of her hand was driven higher. She had to roll her sleeves up to stop the blood from staining her clothes.
That was when the plank of wood that was attached to the crack was ripped away and started to flood.
"I will take care of the hole!" He said as he looked at the hole.
Then the planks were ripped and the ship started to sink. He then reached out his hand and the wind picked up and then the ship was blown away as the fire on the sails spread.
"There, I think it will be smooth sailing from now on." He said, sniffing up with his lip curling.
He was proved right for the whole month that they spent on the ship and they soon arrived at the Desert Plains.
The Cave
Ryo was glad to be out of the sun. He felt that even though the shade of the cave was warmer than he was used to, it was cool enough for him to be grateful for the break of the intense heat from outside. He knew that he wanted to remain in this cave for until winter here kicked in.
He wondered if winter did kick in here. If so, then it was probably that hot too.
He travelled keeping his back pressed against the cave wall. He knew that that would be the best place to be. After all, if they were in the centre they would be exposed. They also knew that the manticor would, most likely than not, be able to hear their footsteps. He also knew that if it was the same size of a lion then it would be difficult to kill the thing. He started to wonder what The Chronicler was talking about when she said that taking it down was easier that he thought.
"Trick is to go for the tail." She told him.
"If you cut that off then we will stand a fighting chance." She added, patting his shoulder.
He nodded, still unconvinced that this was going to be easy.
"I will then show you what to do next." Said The Chronicler.
He nodded, raising an eyebrow.
"Right, but I don't think that it's a good idea to tell me the plan right now." Said he. "It can hear us, you know."
She smirked slyly.
"But can he understand us?"
Fair point.
He then spotted blue light coming ahead of them. He looked back to her and nodded his head back with a questioning look. She nodded and he nodded slower. He then turned back and walked to the light.
He then walked up to the opening of the chamber. He placed his back against the wall of the cave and looked in. Inside there was nothing but a glowing blue pool.
He then walked inside and he walked up to the pool. He looked inside and he saw himself dressed in fire and he saw a crown on his head. He was about to see more but The Chronicler pulled him away.
"What was that all about?" He asked.
"Whatever you saw in there, is better off forgotten." Said The Chronicler.
He frowned.
"Why?" He asked.
"Because that is a prophecy pool." Said The Chronicler. "Now-"
Suddenly Ryo flew back and hit his back against the walls of the cave. He pushed against the wall so he would not hurt his back side as he slid.
He then flicked out his scythe and then landed and bent his knees to absorb the force that he was falling. Suddenly he was glad of his dragon side as a normal human would have broken his legs at the force.
He looked up to see a lion with the tail of a scorpion and wings like a golden crown flying fox. It had eyes like that of a reptile. As it opened its mouth it revealed a forked tong and his claws and legs were both more slender than that of a lions. He let out a sickly roar that sounded like a high pitched lion's, of it was being tortured.
He looked at the tail and as he ran up to it he flew away.
Suddenly he wished Cari was here. She would be able to shoot the wings so that they would tear. This would have made it fall and made it easier to take the creature down. However, she was not here so they had to do it without her arrows.
He then flew in close to him and flipped to sting him but he was able to dodge. He then felt the paw rise up and try to scratch him but he was able to move out of the way but he was hit and landed in a pile of rocks.
This gave him an idea.
He picked a few up and threw it at the manticore but the manticore. As he came closer dodged out of the way. He then threw another which he whacked out of the way with his paw. He then kept throwing the stones until he roared out in pain as he looked behind him and spotted that there were holes in his wings.
At this the manticore let out a roar in anger as he charged at the boy. He then dodged out of the way of another tail strike but he was hit by the caws and the tail came within inches from his head! He was about to cut it off until to his horror, his scythe was in the pool! Quickly he got off and ran over to the pool and dived in.
At least this would give me a break from that cat! He thought
He turned back only to see that the manticore was swimming after him. He swam faster and faster, but the manticore was getting closer and closer. It came to a point that he had to use his magic to get faster but then he felt a cut forming at the back of his leg causing him to stop.
Then he reached the bottom to see that they were at the bottom of some old stairs. At the centre of the staircase was where he saw his scythe.
He swam to it and just as he got close to it the manticore blocked him.
He tried to strike him again and again but all the time he missed. However Ryo knew that this was still bad all the same, for with the water, the venom could spread throughout the water and enter his open wounds.
So he swam away from the manticore and he outstretched his hand and used his magic to pull his scythe towards him, but he soon felt like his head was pounding as he found it difficult to stop himself from breathing.
To his very brief relief he got the scythe and he started to swim upwards, trying to keep out of the way of the trail of venom rising to the top. He looked down to see that the manticor was hot on his tail and worse, he was getting close to him.
This gave him another idea.
He swam down and then gripped the fur of the manticore and then just as the tail went to strike he dodged and threw his scythe down and severed the tail.
He heard the muffled roar of the manticore and then as he twisted Ryo kicked him in the backside forcing the creature to swim up. He locked his hands to his fur and then the manticore rose and he slid off and then backed away as it ran to him and as he jumped ready to pounce he beheaded the creature before it hit the ground.
He panted and stood as the victor.
"Seriously? You call that easy?"
His head felt dizzy. He fainted from exhaustion from the battle. The Chronicler ran up to him and looked at his wounds and to her relief, none had any venom in.
"No. I guess it was not for you." She commented, attending to his wounds.
The Sleeping Sand
Ryo woke up feeling well rested. His speed that all his wounds were healed. He noticed he was still in the cave. He looked beside him, the prophecy pool was now a grim shade of purple-red.
He closed his eyes as his body still hurt and he was still tired so he slipped back into sleep. He woke up sometime later as the scent of food entered his nose. So, even though his mind was still in dreamland he sat up.
He saw The Chronicler looking at him, beside a small fire.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
"Yeah." He said as his voice felt weird like it had not been used for a while.
"How long have I been out?" He asked.
"A couple of weeks. I collected the bounty and collected a few more supplies. Although I could not move you during the early days though." Said The Chronicler.
"Why?" He asked.
"Because you broke out into a fever. I thought that you were ill but something told me that there was something more to it so I left you here. After all, you were in a prophecy pool when you got those wounds."
He nodded slightly.
"Right." He said as he came close to the fire as he looked at the scars all over his body.
"I am sorry, I could not heal those." She admitted, pointing to them.
"How come?" He asked.
"They were too deep and they were made by a creature created by magic." She said, taking something out. "Now, here."
She gave him a grey stew. He noticed that he had a smaller portion than hers. He gave her a questioning look.
"Your stomach needs to get back to normal." She said, digging in. "Also, eat it slowly."
He put the spoon in her mouth. Even though the food tasted good, the best he had ever had! He had to try his best to eat it slowly, for he knew that if he did not he would throw up. He soon finished it after an hour.
They spent another few days as he built up his muscles in that cave. Then, when they knew that they were ready, they left the cave. His stomach was normal but as they walked over the sand, Ryo spotted that there was something odd about the bumps over the surface of the sand.
"Chronicler!" He shouted as he pointed to the sand as it moved.
"Dart! Ryo, stay where you are!"
"Why?"
"It's a desert worm!"
"What?"
"A giant worm that eats those who walk on the sand. And if you move it will know where you are."
He looked at the sand and gulped.
"And how long should we stay here?" He asked, suddenly panicked.
"Until night."
"Why?"
"They do not like cold sand."
"How are we?"
"With great self-control."
His eyes rolled. He huffed as he flicked out his scythe.
"What are you doing?" She shouted.
"I'm sorry I just can't wait that long."
He started running. He looked for the sand worm. That was when a tube of grey flesh and sharp yellow teeth rose up around him and trapped him in darkness before he knew it.
He struck down his scythe. He heard a loud cry as there was a small sliver of light above him, but he knew that he could not go up there right now. He flipped back and then stuck above him. He would have fallen down but the tip caught behind one of the sharp teeth.
He placed his feet on the fleshy aria in the mouth and pulled it out. The tooth fell and he felt the ground beneath him open up. He fell along with the tooth and he was greeted by a moist heat that made him break out in sweat.
He flung his scythe next to him. This caused it to drag as it slowed. He then climbed to the top and gripped the top of the scythe before the blade.
He looked down and he spotted that it was a long fall so he looked around him.
Just how big is this thing? He wondered.
He dug his scythe in further to the flesh. He then pulled the handle. He then spotted that as he did grains of sand fell in.
This gave him an idea.
Time to see if this works. I hope it does.
He then pulled at the hole that he had made and pulled out his scythe. He then hacked this opening with his scythe. That was when he felt his body being forced down and then for a moment he felt like he was floating and he saw the sky outside. Quickly he hacked even more at the hole and soon it was big enough. Then he felt himself falling and he banged against the sand beneath. This caused him to hit the ground too.
He reached out his hand and then scooped out as much sand as she could and threw it down again and again. He then felt his body being forced against the flesh but that was when the hole that he had made tore and became bigger and bigger and he was soon out and he saw the hole that he had made and spotted that size of the creature and was amazed by how large it was! His hole seemed like it was nothing but a flesh wound!
I was a fool to think that I could kill this thing!
He landed on it and rolled off it and that was when he saw that the sand worm bash itself against the sand again and again as it let out its deafening cry.
He raised his hands against the wound.
Not that I can't try!
He willed his magic to make the hole bigger. He was conscious to only use as much as was necessary and soon he saw cracks of blood around the hole and as the worm bashed itself against the sand again and again. This caused the cracks to tear and make the hole bigger. He continued this again and again and it became bigger and bigger until it became a great hole and the creature bled to death.
Ryo felt the back of his neck open and he screamed out in pain as he fainted.
"Ryo, you are one insane child!" The Chronicler said as she picked him up and looked beside her at the dead worm with shock.
"This coming from the woman that thought a manticore would be an easy thing to fight?"
She laughed.
"True. Even I was just as insane by your age!" She laughed.
"Thought so."
The Centaur
And The Hydra
Cari took her step on the sand of a doc. It felt hard and soft at the same time. She found it strange. She wondered how each of those tiny grains were able to support her weight. Pondering on how she does not must fall into those tiny grains.
She, knowing that she did not have time to dwell upon this, looked up ahead.
It had only one man at a small station, who was still sleeping. She raised her arm to shield her eyes from the intense heat of the sun.
It was so hot that Cari found it difficult to believe that people could live here. She could not believe the heat! She was sweating and her skin felt like it was slowly burning.
Surely there must be someone else here other than that sleeping man. She thought.
She looked at The Observer, who looked as if all of this was normal. Yet he looked slightly uncomfortable. He even looked at her as if to reassure her that this was normal for this land. He gave her a nod as if to tell her that it was time for them to go.
She then followed him, with a slightly unsure feeling as she did. After all, this was the first time that she had even been to another continent! It was mind blowing to see how different the place was to where she has ever been.
As she walked out of the doc she had the feeling like she was stepping into another world, another culture, another way of life. It felt odd to her as she looked at the men with cloth on their heads and women wearing their colourful vales with what looked like coins dangling off them.
"Be careful Cari, the people here are not to be trusted as they are back home." He said, drawing her close. "Now, we need to book ourselves into an inn as soon as possible."
Need to keep that in mind.
"Right. What else do we need?"
"We also need to make a bit more money too. Now that you mention it." Said The Observer.
"Well, maybe we can get a bounty to go on. After all, I only need four more until I'm a fully fledged bounty hunter."
He burst out laughing.
"Of course you would say that!" He laughed.
He looked at her, however it was all too clear by the look in his eye that he was clearly seeing that he was seeing someone else. This, she tried to ignore so she would not get annoyed. She punched her hand, enthusiastically smiling.
"Right, it's time we got on!"
"Yes, let's!" He agreed with life returning to his eyes.
They came to a purple inn where she saw a picture with what looked like a younger version of The Chronicler and an older version of Scar, just with crimson eyes rather than scarlet. She felt goosebumps run throughout her body.
She saw two other men in the painting but she did not pay attention to them. Until she could have sworn one of them was Dark Matter Lord Gajellidor, but upon the second look she could tell that the hair and eye colour were different.
Meanwhile the other man looked like The Chronicler except with a brown and purple eye that looked like he needed a good night's sleep.
She looked back.
"Observer…"
"Yes, that's the one you call The Chronicler and my niece. Can you see how alike you look?" He said, his throat tightened, that sorrow entered his eyes.
She frowned.
"Yeah, what's your point?" She asked, her guard rising.
"Well you can act like her too." He pointed out.
Her eyebrow raised.
That's interesting.
"Right."
"Although I did not know that you were a Bounty Hunter." He commented.
She huffed.
"Did you not hear? Not just yet, I still need to go on at least four more jobs until I'm a fully fledged Bounty Hunter."
He smiled.
"What was your first job?" He asked.
She told him.
"Well, I would not expect that you would go on that one."
“'It wasn't a dragon, it was a wyvern.” she said as she looked at the board.
She looked at the jobs and which she soon took one.
"Which one did you take?"
She showed him.
"Saving a centaur from a hydra? What made you pick that one?" He asked as he looked at it, both confused and concerned.
"Medmara."
He looked at her, his face completely white as a sheet.
"Oh, has she called you?" He asked, with a tone of his voice higher than normal.
"Yes. So I think that as the centaur is from the same place as her, I think that he can give me some information on her. Maybe a long shot but it's the only one I've got."
He nodded.
"Well, then I think that it would do us well to get a good night's sleep."
"Good thinking Observer."
She smiled and nodded.
They woke up the next morning and were soon out the door and on their way. They soon came to the cave that was in the description. They walked in and spotted that the mouth and the cave itself was the size of a giant. This gave her a sense of foreboding and dread.
If this is how big this thing is then can I really take down such a beast? She thought.
She remembered what the Dark Master Lord did to her. Suddenly her body started to freeze for a moment. She shook her head and told herself to get over it and she had to remind herself that she had taken down a dragon so a hydra should not be too bad.
She then came to a chamber of the large cave that, by the looks of things, seemed to have a wall and stairs carved out in front of her. This told her that once this cave used to be occupied by humans or people of some kind. This also hinted that this hydra must have driven or eaten away all those who used to be here. Who they were hardly mattered to her.
She looked for the centaur and soon found him. He was high up in a golden cage that looked like a bird's.
Her eyes followed a golden chain that the cage hung from and as she did in led down to the opposite side of the chamber. This told her all that she needed to know, on that front.
So, she then looked around for the hydra and to her dismay she saw that the hydra was sleeping on the ground in between her and the lever. By this she was able to work out that there was nothing that she could do to stop her from fighting the creature as its advanced hearing would pick up on any and every sound that the metal will make.
So as she walked down the carved out stairs she looked carefully at the hydra. Thinking of what would be the most advantageous thing for her to do. She knew that if she fired her shots now, then it would most likely than not cause the hydra to damage the staircase.
Which would cut off their way out and the only time that they would be able to leave would be the next full moon and she knew that she did not want to wait that long. After all, Ryo and the Chronicler would have left this place by then. So, she knew that the best thing to do would be fighting the hydra away from the leaver.
"Observer, I would like you to go and pull down the centaur while I fight the hydra."
"Can you? On your own?"
"Should be."
He nodded.
"Alright, but remember-"
"You cut one head off and two more grow in its place, yeah got it." She said, remembering all her father had told her.
They got to the bottom and that was when she ran to the wall on the right. She raised her crossbow and fired one arrow at the head.
"What are you doing?" He shouted.
"Never mind. Just focus on your job!" She shouted back.
That was when the arrow hit the eye of the head nearest to her causing it to wake and then all heads were on her. She then used her magic to set the arrow alight and soon it was roaring in pain. She then loaded the next arrow and hit another one in the eye and as she set that one alight. The other two heads bashed themselves to where she was, seeing this, she jumped and landed on the head on the left. She lowered the crossbow and then quickly fired at both eyes and jumped as the other head whipped forward and snapped at her.
Seeing that there was only one way to take this thing down. She dived inside its mouth and took out a small knife and allowed herself to be swallowed by the hydra. Then, as she came to the stomach she dug her knife into the fleshy entrance to a massive stomach that smelt of nothing but death.
She spotted the other three entrances to the hydra stomach. She then took out her crossbow and fired at a section above the acid pool lining and then fired. It was soon dug into the flesh above it. This, she knew, would not be enough to kill it just yet. So she used her magic to get the arrow to pass even further deeper into the flesh. This worked until she felt pain erupt from her inner right arm and soon there was blood dripping into the stomach.
However she soon found out that that was not the worst thing that she would be facing. She soon found that her air was running low and she soon found it was getting more and more difficult to breathe.
She then, with nothing else to lose she set her arrow alight and she willed the fire to become hotter and hotter. Suddenly the orange fire turned blue. Suddenly, she felt like there was a force pushing her out of the stomach chamber, by which point the air became thinner and thinner.
She, soon to her dismay, saw that the flame died out. But it did what she intended for it to do and the acid ran out of the stomach and out into the other areas of the body, dissolving everything in its path. She soon slit beside her and she soon spun out of the hydra.
She gulped down each breath as the air somehow seemed colder and fresher. She soon went over to the golden cage that was now on the ground. The Observer soon opened the lock. As the centaur was free he caught her as she fainted.
When she woke up they were in the cold desert and on the centaur's back.
"How long have I been out?" She asked.
"Five and a half hours." Said the centaur.
He sat next to her.
"Now listen to me carefully. I am sorry to say that I have nothing on Medmara, but as I am in your debt I will go to my superior, the one known as Ringer to find out. I hope that I will find as much as I can on her. However, I was told that she was made the weapon of the gods to keep those who challenge their authority from doing so shortly after the foolish prophecy of Phorap The Mad. I wish that I had more on that but that is all I have."
She looked aside and nodded.
Why would the gods think that I would challenge their authority? She wondered.
Then, her eyes met The Chronicler's and then her eyes slid to Ryo's with a relieved heart.
The Next Step
They both looked at each-other with both relief and unbelief. They both wondered whether or not the other was a hallucination. Brought on by the heat of the desert or the dehydration. They both approached each other and reached out and cupped each other's cheek just to prove that the other was there.
They smiled seeing that they were there. She soon embraced him as he felt her shaking in his arms. He frowned almost as if he did not know what to make of this but he then returned her embrace. It felt odd to him as he did. He just never had known a moment like this, yet he knew that this was what he had needed for a long time. At this he hugged her tighter.
When they pulled away they looked at each other and just laughed. They just did not know what to do or say to each other. They did not know where to start. They just laughed and nothing else.
Meanwhile The Observer looked at The Chronicler with a more awkward atmosphere. They looked at the children just to find any distraction to make sure that they would not have to speak to one another. They smiled as they laughed.
"Come, we have to all get cleaned up." Said The Observer, after a while. "We need to decide on what we need to go next."
"Agreed." They said as they came to the same inn.
They all cleaned themselves in their own rooms.
As Cari did, she looked at the scars that were made by Gajellidor and she felt herself tense up as her mind went over all that he did to her. Her mind painted it extraordinarily vividly. Almost like she was reliving the event all over again.
She knew that what he did, would make sure that she would never be the same again. She knew that the next time she would hear that name she would freeze. Even now, when she knew that she was far from him, she could feel an oppressive dread as she even thought of the name. She hardly knew what she would do if she actually saw him again.
She got out of the bath and got on a different pair of clothes and she went down the stairs and joined the others for tea. When she sat down they traded their stories and then they ate.
"So, we will need to be going to Drake at the latter end of next year? Personally, I just can't believe that I still qualify!" She exclaimed, baffled at the news.
"I know!" Ryo exclaimed, just as shocked.
"You need not be surprised, after all it is quite common for dragons to kill their parents to become king or queen of the dragons." The Chronicler commented.
"Yes, sometimes the succession period can get quite violent." The Observer said. "But one must note, that all living hairs must be present for the period to get on the way."
Cari nodded.
"Tell me, how are we going to get there?" Hhe asked.
"Well, we are going to have to travel to the Advanced Kingdoms."
"Yes, that would be the best idea, although I think that it would be safer to go across the desert and get to here." He said as he pointed at the map.
"Why don't we just go there via a ship?" Ryo asked.
"Well, it seems that, for some reason, there has been an increase of pirates lately." He said as he leaned in. "And it may be nothing but I know that you know that we were told that the next age of legends would begin with an increase of pirates."
She laughed.
"You mean that you think that we are at the dawn of the Seventh Age?"
"Yes, it does seem like that after all-"
"No, I hardly wish to hear it." The Chronicler said.
"Well if that is the case then you know-"
"I said no!"
He sighed.
"Look if that is the case then we will be taking up our true names soon." The Observer said.
"But did we not agree to abandon those?" She snapped.
"Yes, we did. However fate is not one to be disobeyed."
"By the way, what is your name?"
"I go by the name The Observer. I will not tell you my true name, for if you knew it, you would flee from me. After all, my reputation precedes me. Which right now, that is far from what you need right now."
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