by Dixon, TJ
“He’s not going to let me go on another hunt after this.” Helski says in a teary voice, and I actually feel a little sorry for her.
“You might not be leader again, but I’m sure you’ll still go on hunts.” Charlotte says.
“I’m sorry!” Helski says to me and Midori.
“Er, its ok.” I say taken aback by her change in attitude.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it.” Midori says equally embarrassed. If she’d been like this from the start I’m sure that we would have gotten along much better.
“I thought if I showed weakness I wouldn’t be respected, but nobody is going to respect me now.” She says sounding really miserable, and I can see tears welling up in her eyes.
“It doesn’t work like that.” Charlotte says. “If you respect me, I generally respect you. Just like Peter said.”
“But if I mess up, you’re not going to respect me.” Helski says dejectedly.
“Everyone messes up from time to time.” Charlotte says. “It’s nothing to get overly worried about.”
“But Peter was really angry.”
“I didn’t think so.” Charlotte says.
“He wasn’t.” Midori says. “When he’s really angry he goes really quiet and his eyes kind of glaze over a little. Oh and he… What?”
“I didn’t know you knew each other so well.” Charlotte says impressed.
“Oh, he probably doesn’t really know anything about me but, since I love him, obviously I know lots about him.” Midori says and I bury my head in my hands. Charlotte blushes and Helski’s mouth just hangs open for a few moments.
“Is something wrong?” Peter asks as he ports back with Jenny.
“No.” Charlotte says still blushing.
“No.” Helski says as he looks at her. I just shake my head, as does Midori.
“The town hall isn’t open yet, but the guard agreed to look after the corpse until we come back later. You did a great job tracking that bear so quickly. I was sure it would be open by the time we had that job done. The second job is also in this forest. There is a cave, near a small stream, filled with spiders. Some of the spiders are bigger than a human, but the truly dangerous ones are tiny red things. The small ones are immune to fire, but vulnerable to lightning. The large ones are immune to lightning as well as fire, but can be killed by physical attacks, such as earth magic or wind slices. Such attacks against the small ones are unlikely to work.”
“So we need to find the cave first, right?” Midori asks.
“That’s right.” Peter confirms.
“Do you need any more information to find it?” Midori asks Helski.
“No, that should be enough. A stream isn’t just water, but a change in the earth so I should be able to find a cave near a stream easily enough. Just give me a minute.”
“Ok.” Midori says. Helski kneels and closes her eyes. After a minute she gets up and points.
“This way. Perhaps a couple of hours walk.” Helski says. A couple of hours… That’s further than I expected.
“We can port you nearer for this one. A couple of hours walk that way you say?” Peter says and Helski nods. “Everyone grab hold of me.” We do so and get lifted up into the sky. Above the trees Peter ports us all and then lowers us down. “You’d better check the location again.”
Helski kneels again and closes her eyes again. After a moment she gets up and pointing says, “Maybe a ten minute walk that way.”
“Ten minutes sounds much better. We’ll watch from a distance unless we feel you need help.” Peter says, and I definitely agree that it sounds better, although one minute would be even better.
“Keep your senses open. We don’t want to be caught off guard.” Midori says. “We should stay close too. Tabi, you go on Helski’s left and I’ll go on the right. We’ll be slightly behind you. You lead on.” In formation we walk a little slower than normal so it is a bit more than ten minutes but Midori’s caution pays off.
“Small ones! Right on top of us!” Helski says and not seeing them I strike wildly with lightning. Then I see them as they try to get away from the lightning. After a moment I realise the floor is covered with them. How I missed them I don’t know, but I couldn’t see even a trace of them before. I pour lightning onto the floor. Suddenly I am floating. It seems Midori is lifting us up.
“Don’t stop!” Midori calls and I resume my attack. Then we move suddenly to the right and after a moment I see a huge spider that just missed us. I strike it with a wind slice, but it just shrugs it off. “Let Helski take care of the big one!”
“Ok.” I say and continue to pour lightning at the mass of small spiders that are weaving webs and racing up them towards us. Then more lightning fills the area and I realise Peter is joining our attack. Then the spiders are flooded, and the lightning is spread to them all through the water.
“More than I expected.” Peter says apologetically, before slicing a huge spider in half with wind. Realising how many are above us I attack another one with a wind slice but it just shakes it off. After five attacks it loses a leg, but it still has seven left, and I haven’t even scratched the main body. Helski however is easily crushing and shredding spiders with each attack. Midori is concentrating on dodging whenever they get too close.
Suddenly the trees go up in flames and the spiders drop to the ground. They are unharmed but it is now much harder for them to attack us. This part of the forest will take hundreds of years to heal, but I’d rather that than get killed! After a while the remaining spiders retreat. The water is now gone and the lightning dissipated so we land.
“You should be able to handle the last ones, but we’ll stay close in case you get into trouble again.” Peter says.
“There’s something else in that cave too.” Helski says as we approach the cave.
“What?” Peter asks.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think it’s natural.”
“This is turning out to be very different from what the town hall advertised. Let me check how the others are doing. Don’t continue yet.” Peter says and then sits down on what is left of a burnt tree stump. Does he have some kind of mind to mind magic? Now that would be good to learn. After a minute he stands again. “The others are doing fine, but they haven’t finished yet. Yu Kii will join us in a moment. Hermes will take over from her with the other group. Once Yu Kii is here, we’ll proceed, but carefully. Yu Kii will lead.”
“Hello.” Yu Kii says appearing behind me. I jump but am grateful she is here. I guess the dimensional lesson back at the academy will have to take a break if Hermes is covering for Yu Kii.
“Hi.” Peter says, but continues before we can greet her. “It seems there is something other than spiders in there. Can you sense what it is?”
“Why’s it wet?” Yu Kii asks kneeling on the ground like Helski did.
“Lightning loves water.” Peter says with a smile. “Good thinking Charlotte.”
“I was just trying to drown them.” Charlotte says.
“That doesn’t work on this type. They love water. That’s why they chose this cave.”
“Oh.”
“Never mind, it worked out well.” Peter says and then gives Yu Kii time to concentrate.
“I don’t sense anything other than spiders.” Yu Kii says frowning. After a moment Helski nods.
“It seems to be gone. There was definitely something before.” Helski says.
“It may be hiding now.” Peter says sounding worried. “Yu Kii, lead the way and keep your senses open. Helski, keeps yours open too.”
So we advance into the cave with Peter and Yu Kii in the front, and then Jenny and Charlotte, followed by Helski. Midori is in the rear with me. Jenny creates a powerful light so it is like being outdoors in the midday sun. Except that the walls look really creepy. Suddenly a spider drops in front of Peter. It is split in half though, so he obviously noticed it before it attacked. As we advance more spiders get sliced in half and I relax a little. This is easy if Peter is going
to take care of everything.
We reach a cavern, with a huge pool in the centre. Water is flowing into it from a waterfall at one edge of the cavern. At the other edge is a second waterfall where the water leaves the cavern. The pool is filled with spider webs that reach from the ceiling above the pool, right down to the bottom of the pool. There aren’t many spiders, but there are huge fish bones stuck in the web. The fish must each have been as big as at least twenty people. The few spiders here are much bigger than the previous ones we encountered.
“That’s what I sensed! There must have been one still alive.” Helski says, pointing at the fish bones. The spiders are in no rush to attack us. As Peter slices the first spider in half though, the rest attack. They are all dead in moments.
“Sorry.” Peter says. “This job wasn’t a good choice. It didn’t sound anything like this though. Are there any more Yu Kii?”
“No.” Yu Kii answers.
“Charlotte, do you sense anything else in the water?” Peter asks, and we approach the water with Charlotte in the lead beside Peter.
“No, there’s nothing alive.” Charlotte says.
“There’s something strange in the air.” Peter says frowning. “I don’t like this… Charlotte, take the Year 3s back to town. We’ll meet you there soon.”
“Hold onto me.” Charlotte says and we do. Then looking really confused she says. “I can’t port. Something is stopping me.”
“Yu Kii and Jenny lead. I’ll bring up the rear with Charlotte. Helski in front of me. Midori and Tabi, in front of Helski. We’re leaving here, now.” Peter says with a sense of urgency but not panic.
“I’m impressed.” A male voice appears out of nowhere.
“Wait everyone. Who are you?” Peter says and his eyes are fixed on a point in the air.
“I’m here for a bounty.” The voice says.
“We already killed the spiders. Are you…” Peter starts but the answer is laughter.
“I’m not interested in spiders. I’m much more interested in the bounty on your head.” It takes me a moment to realise what he said.
“So why reveal yourself?” Peter asks calmly.
“You seem like fun. It would be a shame to waste the fun with a quick death. No, you get to know what is coming. When I’m finished with you though, there are lots of boring girls to kill. Maybe I should kill them first, and save the best for last.”
“Who put the bounty on me?” Peter asks.
“Like I’d tell you!”
“Was it David?”
“Ha! No.”
“So it was David.” Peter says. “Do you know where he is?”
“I just told you it wasn’t David! Who is this David anyway?”
Suddenly flames fill the cavern. After a moment I realise they are Jenny’s flames not the man’s. She must have lost patience. Then I hear a crash behind me and the whole cavern shakes. The entrance is sealed off. There is no doubt from her expression it was Yu Kii’s magic. Despite the flames I feel a cold wind coming from the pool, and realise it is now ice. Charlotte is frowning but I am convinced she froze it.
“You’re mad! So fun!” The man cries out joyfully and the air shakes. I see the flames part as wind slices through them at Peter, but he sends his own wind slices back. The sound as they crash together is louder than the cave in and, though the floor doesn’t shake, I am blown off my feet and back a few steps. Those wind slices are nothing like what he used on the spiders. Peter strikes with lightning next and it is blinding but so is the man’s retaliation. Lightning hitting lightning like this, strike after strike, is simply unbelievable.
“If you want to surrender now is the time.” Peter says calmly but the man just laughs.
“Surrender! But I’m having way too much fun! My last victim didn’t even put up a fight. She made lots of noise as I tore out her heart, and got her filthy blood everywhere, but she was boring.” As they talk they continue their bombardment of lightning and wind slices.
“Midori or Tabi come here.” Peter says.
“What…” I say in almost a whisper. My power in this fight would be useless. Midori however walks towards Peter, but I can see her trembling.
“If they interfere I’ll kill them.” The man says now sounding bored.
“You’ll kill them anyway if you win, but that’s not going to happen.” Peter says sounding calm but determined.
“Girls really shouldn’t interfere with a fight between men… or boys.”
“Midori, kiss me.” Peter says and I go bright red. So does Midori, but she also has a smile on her face as she does so. “Thank you, now get back.” Peter says pulling away.
“You took her power… boring.” The man says. “My turn.” I jump back as wind rushes towards me, but it is way too quick. Just before it reaches me though I hear a scream and blood goes everywhere. Then I realise that there are rock spears in front of me, and on one of them is a manlike shape covered in blood but otherwise invisible. A rock spear has gone straight through his chest.
“Charlotte, melt the ice, quickly!” Peter calls out urgently. The flames are gone and the water is back to water. Suddenly Rin appears in the water, but jumps out and races towards us. Ignoring us Rin throws something over the man. He is now visible and frozen.
“It isn’t going to last long.” Rin says. “We need to get him to the Queen quickly.” The Queen! Just what is going on?
“Charlotte, Jenny, get the Year 3s in the water and port them back to town, no the academy. Quickly! Yu Kii and Rin get this guy into the water. We need to port him before it wears off.” Peter says and I follow Charlotte into the water. It is freezing! Once it is up to my neck Charlotte ports me. Dripping and frozen I stand. Looking around I realise we are in the academy. Standing there is Tomo.
“What’s going on?” Tomo asks bewildered and worried.
(Peter)
“A thousand gold.” He says with an evil grin. He is now visible, and unable to use magic. How the Queen’s guards do it I have no idea but it is very useful. If it was me I’d be terrified, but he seems unfazed. “Just pocket money really.”
“Wasn’t the dragon only ten thousand?” I ask.
“That’s a local bounty.” He says with a laugh. “Like anyone is going to fight a dragon for a mere ten thousand gold…”
“So was pocket money worth getting caught for?” I ask.
“Like it matters.” He says with a laugh. “I get to see the castle, and then I get to go free afterwards.”
“That is not happening.” The Queen says.
“Oh, going to kill me then, little girl?”
“You’ll remain a prisoner for now. Who knows what useful information my people will be able to extract from you. Call me a little girl again though, and I’ll have the fingers on your left hand removed.”
“So where were you supposed to hand me in to David Ishki then?” I ask.
“I wasn’t. The job was just to kill you. He’d find me to reward me.”
“How would he even know I was dead?” I ask unbelieving. I make sure to watch his aura, though, just in case.
“He knows everything. He knows what you had for breakfast a month ago. He knows what you’re thinking of having tomorrow, the moment you think of it. He knows who you care about, and how to hurt you the most. Knowing the moment you die is easy. Of course he also knows everything we are saying now.”
“That’s ridiculous.” I say, but his aura suggests he is being honest.
“He invented the magic himself. He calls it GCHU. General Corpus Heiro Utopia, if I remember the name correctly. I have no idea how he does it, but he does. It even scares me a little.” He says and for the first time he does actually seem to be a little scared.
“There’s no way we’d believe this nonsense.” The Queen says.
“He seems to believe it.” I tell her with the chain round my ankle so he can’t hear. Her eyes widen and he obviously picks up that something happened, even though he doesn’t know what. Then his eyes glaze
over. “But why would you tell us this, if he knows you are doing so?”
“Send Peter to the Aurian Mines, alone. Do so, and I return Yusa alive. I start sending her pieces at dawn.” He says in a completely different voice. After a moment I recognise it as David’s voice. He sounds bored.
“Who’s Yusa?” The Queen asks.
“Yusa?” He asks in his own voice, sounding very confused. “No idea.”
“I’m going to have to go.” I say frowning.
“Do you know who she is?” The Queen asks.
“Yes.” I say. “Where are the Aurian Mines?”
“I’ve seen them on maps before, but the whole area around them is marked as a magic death zone.”
“What’s a magic death zone?” I ask.
“Without constant shielding, you would be instantly dead.”
“No sane person would go there.” The man says and he really seems terrified of it. He didn’t strike me as very sane, but if this is enough to scare him it must be really bad.
“Who is Yusa?” The Queen asks.
“A member of my club.” I say.
“It doesn’t sound like he chose the best person.” The Queen says.
“I can’t abandon my friends. I will save her.” I say.
“You’ll die if you go there.” The man says. “I wouldn’t want to miss the chance to kill you. If you’re going to die anyway, you could just let me kill you. It wouldn’t be as painful, and I’d enjoy it.”
“Take him away, and find out anything you can from him. Use mind magic.” The Queen says to her guards. Once he is gone she looks me in the eye. “If you go there without my power you will die.”
“If I take your power you’ll be defenceless, and if I take you he’ll kill Yusa. I could take power from lots of people and still get there in time.” I say.
“Then I will summon every slave and servant in the castle. You can take their power, but don’t kill them.”
“I’m not going to kill them.”
“Are you seriously ok with kissing so many people though?”
“I think I can take their power without kissing them. It is a bit slower but if I’m not fighting, then it should work.”
