“I offered to do this the nice way. No we are doing it the hard way. Give me what I want and I’ll be on my way.”
As I said it, I held up the key. Burney looked it over for a bit before giving me something similar to a sigh and breathing his essence into the key. I watched as tiny motes of flame danced through the air and caused the key to glow. After a few moments the glowing subsided and the key returned to normal. After seeing this process the previous two times, I felt pretty confident we had what we needed. I put the key back into my pocket and started to slowly back away from Burney.
“Thank you. Now, you may leave in peace. I wish you no further harm.”
Burney slowly started to back away, the burning spots I took for eyes never leaving me. He was almost ten feet away from me when I realized his arms had totally reformed and were just behind his back. You can’t always explain how, but my gut definitely knew I was in trouble. Before I could even think about it, Burney surged forward, both of his arms clapping in front and sending a fireball the size of a Chevy my direction. It was fast, but I knew I was faster. I sprang to my left, my whole body moving with the speed and skill that years of training and natural talent had given me. I even kept the sword just in front of my face, as a precaution. Which was a really good thing because at that exact moment my back decided to remind me it wasn’t feeling so hot…terrible pun.
I’m not entirely sure what hurt more. The searing pain that I felt down the left side of my body or my pride. I’d let my ego get the better of me and now I was paying the price. It occurred to me that perhaps my back injury meant I wasn’t really the best person to deal with this threat. I had that realization just as every pain center in my body lit up like a Christmas tree. The pain was so intense, I felt like I was dying. What a dumb way to go this would be. The world’s greatest ninja, killed by angry fire monster.
I was half in the air, my body mostly curled up as the pain caused me to seize in place. The fire toasted most of my left side, but luckily the blade I held up protected my face and left shoulder. I felt the damage to my left elbow, bicep, ribs and back. I’d been burned before, but never anything like this. I don’t know whether it was because the flame was magical or if there was just so much of it, but the pain was extraordinary. I think I yelled out but I couldn’t be sure. I remember hitting the ground hard on my right side and I must have dropped the blade because it was no longer in my hand. The pain was enough to blur my vision and I was desperately trying to refocus on Burney. I was pretty sure his roar turned into a laugh as he started moving in my direction. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as I finally spotted the blade lying on the ground just out of reach. My right hand clawed at the dirt, desperately trying to grab the weapon. Somehow I knew I wasn’t going to get there in time.
CHAPTER 15
So there I was, lying on the ground waiting for Burney to roast me alive. The stupid chivalrous part of my brain was desperately hoping the key would survive my fiery death so Freddy and Vix wouldn’t have to start over. I watched as the flaming tornado named Burney inched closer and closer to me. My hand was just about to reach the blade when something blurred past and the sword vanished.
I barely registered what was going on before Vix appeared in front of me slicing into Burney with the chilled blade. She never let up, slice after slice after slice. I watched his arms fall off again and parts of his shoulders and waist followed. Burney was actually retreating as fast as his fire tornado would let him. But it wasn’t enough to escape her wrath as she surged forward.
I’d lost count of how many times he stumbled as she drove him back. She never let up. Her fury driving Burney all the way back to the crater. There, the creature accepted how bad its predicament was and it retreated into the safety of the lava.
While Vix was busy battling Burney, Freddy appeared at my side and started helping me to my feet. It was a bit awkward, as he had to avoid touching my left side, but we finally managed to get me up. Once we were standing, Freddy started us moving as quickly as possible away from the crater. It was painful going, but like any good ninja, I tried my best to keep the whining to a minimum. Time lost all meaning as we walked and walked. It felt like an eternity before Vix finally joined us. She was carrying all three of our packs while still managing to watch our collective backs.
I kept expecting the pain to get worse as we moved, but luckily my left side had gone fairly numb. I hoped it was shock and not that my nerves had been burnt out of existence. Nerves always take so much longer to re-grow. It felt like we’d been walking forever when we finally decided to stop and take a break. When I commented on the length of the retreat, Vix told me to quit whining and assured me we’d only been walking an hour. Maybe it was just me, but I thought hours used to be shorter. The crater was far, far into the distance and no longer visible. Vix had decided it was far enough away to pose no further threat and she halted our march. Freddy laid me on the ground as gently as he could and Vix started examining my wounds. The only thing I knew for sure was that my shirt was, wait for it…toast. Oh it hurt to laugh.
Once we settled in, Freddy held up a lantern so Vix examined my wounds. Judging by the looks they were both giving me, it wasn’t pretty. But, to be fair that’s normally the case with burn wounds. They look truly terrible on the surface. My hope was that most of the damage was just superficial. I drank some water from a canteen and winced as Vix poured a bit on my side. Then she began slowly and methodically removing the burnt remnants of my shirt, which had melted to my side. Apparently polos get a bit clinging when they’re burned. Damn those poly-cotton blends.
I was extremely fortunate I’d instinctually use the blade to protect my face and shoulder. The later meant that in addition to still having a face, I could even partially move my left arm. The real trouble was my left elbow. It was melty and very painful every time I attempted to flex it. So, I did my best to avoid that. Again, painkillers were useless thanks to my boosted metabolism, so I could only grin and bear it. Vix cleaned me up as best as she could and emptied an entire tube of antibiotic ointment on me. I wanted to make fun of Freddy for carrying it with him, but honestly it was cool and soothing. Once my body was wrapped up like a mummy, I was allowed to lie there and rest. While I did that, Vix and Freddy plopped down and as the shock was wearing off, the only thing that remained was the worry on their faces. Being the supportive sensitive soul that I am, I figured I should say something.
“Thanks for saving my life.”
Vix shook her head at me, “You’re welcome dumb ass. Next time you’re too hurt to fight, how about you let me take point?”
“That’s a great idea. How come you didn’t offer that earlier?”
She gave me her best fake angry face and threw the remaining roll of bandage at my face. I didn’t bother to move as I figured I deserved that.
“I know, I know. I screwed up. I should have realized how bad my back was. Don’t worry, the next time I’m too hurt to fight a fire monster, it’s all yours.”
“You’re damn right it is. Or I’ll knock you out and take that sword from you,” she stated.
I tried to laugh, but the pain in my ribs was too much and it turned into a series of ows. It must have been pretty funny because it helped shift Vix’s worried face into a bit of a giggle. She was being tough, but it was obvious she was much more worried than she wanted to let on. Eventually, I won them both over. It was my pain that finally softened them up. Every time I laughed my side hurt, which in turn made me wince, which was kind of funny so I’d laugh again. It was a very painful cycle. But for those watching, a fairly funny one. Especially after we all realized I’d live. The pain wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been earlier. That gave me a bit of hope that perhaps the initial shock was far worse than the actual damage. Some weird trick of magical elemental fire perhaps. With any luck I’d be able to move normally after a good nights rest. Freddy stopped laughing first and when I looked over at him I could see he was a bit pale.
“You a
ll right pal?”
“I am..uh, I am very thankful for Victoria’s swift actions. I was not entirely sure she would make it in time,” he tried.
There was an over abundance of worry and sadness in Freddy’s voice. In his defense, we’d lost a member of our team on our first mission. And our second mission put half of our team in the hospital. Plus earlier I inadvertently reminded him of losing his parents when he was young. So, the idea of losing someone else was probably the last thing he wanted to think about right now. I’d always been pretty cavalier with my own life, not putting too much stock into it ending. Not liking yourself very much will do that to you. But Freddy had a much healthier view of life, so the idea of death and loss was hitting him hard. Luckily for him, I’m too stubborn to die.
“I’m gonna be fine. Don’t worry.”
If my reassurance helped, I couldn’t tell. His worried look didn’t change as he gave me a weak nod in response. After that Freddy kept himself busy repacking our medical supplies and I decided I wanted to stand up. Vix quickly sprang to my side and lent a helping hand. We surveyed our surroundings, both of us trying to decide if this was a safe place to camp for the night. Our retreat path was a good distance from the crater and definitely in a different direction than the one we’d arrived by. These were not the rolling hills that brought us to lava crater. The moon and stars still provided plenty of light to show me we were in flat grasslands, northeast of the crater I guessed. I knew the river would be to the east if we wanted to head back that way. But I figured I should check with Freddy before I came up with any half-baked plans. Half-baked, like me…terrible pun.
“Okay pal, where do we go from here?”
Freddy looked up and forced a small smile upon his face before reaching into his pack and pulling out the map. He opened it up and thanks to the light of his mini lantern we could all see it clearly. The light made the old parchment look even more beat up and ragged than before. But the ink hadn’t faded so much as to be useless. Shockingly, even under less than optimal lighting conditions, I could easily make out the crater and the river and mountains. The drawings were fairly detailed. Freddy pointed to a spot northeast of the crater, just about where I guessed we were. Bonus points for me.
“I believe we are in this general vicinity,” he started, moving his finger slowly along the map as he talked, “while our next destination is up here. There are large abandoned rock quarries in this area, which I believe provide a perfect place for the Earth-born to reside. However, if you will excuse my presumption, I anticipated a break in the action, taking place after the third encounter. There is a small village called Rock Bridge almost directly in our path. There we will locate a tavern to acquire food and lodgings for the evening. After a good nights rest we may continue our journey in the morning. The rock quarries should only be a few hours from Rock Bridge. What do you think?”
Freddy sat there with a hopeful smile upon his face, waiting for a reply. Vix also waited silently for me to respond. But something else interesting had my attention. I looked back at the crater and the location of the tavern and rock quarry. Then I looked back at the spot Freddy said represented our current location.
“Freddy, are we in this location by accident or by design?”
“I do not understand. Do you mean here in the Serpents Valley?” he tried.
“No, I mean this exact spot. If that map is correct, we spent the last hour traveling in precisely the right direction towards Rock Bridge. Was that a happy accident?”
“Oh, I apologize. I did not understand what you were asking. Our location is not at all an accident. Once we located the crater, as you ventured off to face the Fire-born, I studied the map in order to determine our next route. As time is crucial in our endeavors, I figured it was best to know precisely which direction to head once you had charged the key.”
“You mean to tell me, in the middle of a fight, after the fire elemental cooked me well-done, you were aware enough to run us in the right direction?”
“Yes,” he tried sheepishly, “I do not want you to think I was unconcerned with your injuries. I assure you that your safety was still my top concern. However, since we had to move away from the crater anyway, it seemed prudent to continue our route towards our next destination. I apologize if I in any way gave you the impression that I was not concerned with your wounds.”
I stared at him in shock for a moment. The look confused Freddy as his brow furrowed and made it clear he was trying hard to think of something else to say. I snapped out of my daze and saved him the trouble.
“Freddy, you don’t have to apologize at all. In the middle of a tense situation, with our lives possibly on the line, you kept a level enough head to think about our next move while still removing me from danger. Froedrick Rolland Herbert Blair, I am so proud of you right now, I could hug you. Well, if I had two working arms that is.”
Freddy’s confusion slowly shifted to pride, “I simply did what was most prudent. Nothing more. There is no need to strain your injured arm for a hug.”
“Vix.”
Before I could finish her name Freddy found himself in the biggest hug her tiny little Vietnamese arms could muster. She even planted a kiss on his cheek. Again, even the limited light of the moon and stars was enough to see Freddy blush. He was doing that a lot on this mission.
“I apologize Freddy. I know we haven’t worked together very long and I’ve been extremely hard on you and the rest of the team during our missions. But I do notice how hard you try and how you always give it your all. You take a lot of pride in your work and I can appreciate that. Just in case I don’t get around to saying it later, you’ve been amazing this entire mission. You’re a good friend.”
“Happy to help BD,” he smiled.
“Okay, okay. We all agree Bruce screwed up and Freddy and I are the real heroes here,” Vix smiled, “now that we’ve cleared that up, are you ready to start walking?”
“Yeah,” I sighed heavily, “let’s get going.”
I tried to pick up my pack but Vix wasn’t having it. She managed this weird double pack thing where she had her own backpack on her front and mine on her back. Somehow it worked. I probably should have fought harder to carry something, but the truth was the idea of anything scraping across my back for the next few hours didn’t sound fun. As luck would have it, my legs were the healthiest part of my body, so walking wasn’t an issue.
Freddy took point with Vix close behind. I was bringing up the rear, mostly because I wanted to let them set the pace. It seemed only fair since they were carrying all of the gear. The night was still comfortable in the Veil. Unlike DC, the Serpents Valley wasn’t a humid place at all. I’d say the temperature was holding steady at a comfortable sixty degrees or so. This was almost perfect walking weather, although the lack of a shirt might have made it a bit chilly. But, even with the slight breeze I found myself oddly warm. Funny thing that huh?
The flat grasslands stayed with us for a little over an hour before we came across a well-worn dirt road. Unlike the seldom-traveled river road, this one clearly showed signs of heavier traffic. The road was covered in wagon wheel ruts and dotted with hoof prints. It was easily wide enough for two wagons to pass side by side. Which by Veil standards I think made it a highway.
Sunset was a few hours behind us, so it didn’t shock me to find very little traffic on the road. From my limited interactions with the residents of the Veil, I’d guess most people try not to venture out after dark. So it was almost a half hour later before we finally spotted our first travelers. They were two riders on horseback, and although Vix and I tensed up just in case, they galloped past without paying us any mind. It was too dark to make out much detail, but both riders wore cloaks over what appeared to be nice leather armor. Their hoods were up casting their faces in deep shadow and hiding their identities from view. But if the few curves I could make out were correct, they were both women.
Freddy tried to wave a friendly greeting, but he was ignored. I turned
to watch them ride off and make sure they didn’t decide to turn around to attack us from the rear. But my paranoia seemed misplaced as they continued hurriedly down the road. I hoped they were moving so fast because they didn’t want to spend too long on the road at night. But just in case they were running from something, I kept my senses peeled for trouble ahead. Luckily nothing of interest occurred.
As Freddy had shown us on the map earlier, our route would be easy to follow at this point. This road should run us right into Rock Bridge. It took us another hour of road travel to complete the journey. During that time a handful of riders passed us at various times. Some heading towards while others headed away. The important thing was none of them seemed to pay us any mind. I enjoy traveling incognito, especially when my left arm is useless. When we finally arrived a large wooden sign made it clear we’d reached our destination. It read “Welcome to the Village of Rock Bridge.”
CHAPTER 16
Just as Freddy’s map indicated, it was a small village. There were a couple dozen structures making up the main town, with a few small farmhouses visible in the distance. The layout reminded me a lot of an old west settlement. The buildings lined up in rows on each side of the road. Although this town was actually centered on a T intersection, so technically these buildings lined two different roads.
Even though it was dark, there were quite a few people roaming the streets. Lanterns were hung along the dirt road making it feel fairly civilized. We got a few wary looks from passer bys, but no official authority figure approached us or questioned us. I glanced at the buildings we passed as we walked down the road. The first two on the left were a post office of some kind and the general store. To our right was one of the largest buildings on the street, the stables. A young goblin boy stood out front brushing a small pony. He gave us a welcoming smile as he looked up. Having no horses to stow we simply smiled and nodded in return. Connected to the stable was a small shop, the saddle in the window making it fairly clear what they specialized in. There was an oversized horseshoe hanging on the front door of the shop next to that and it seemed we were in the vehicle maintenance district. If the size of the shops was any indication, these were very prosperous businesses at a crossroads. Wonder if they were looking for investors?
G.H.O.S.T. Teams (Book 3) Spirits Page 15
