“You’re such a softie,” Earl said. “But don’t let me hear you mention being a garden rogue again. You’re going to be an adventurer.”
Dagdron drew his dagger and gave Earl a quick poke on his arm.
“Ouch!” Earl said. “What was that for?”
“It’s about time I started living up to my word. I owe all of you more slices than I can count.”
“Save it for the water elemental,” Wendahl said. “The spell I put on the net is even more powerful than I thought it would be. We need to fulfill that treasure quest as quickly as possible. But the good news is, the net has already taken on its magenta color permanently.” Wendahl grinned from ear to ear.
Dagdron didn’t reply and walked off as Wendahl headed toward Dugan for some long-overdue explaining.
Chapter 24: The Army of Unfulfilled Dreams
Even though Wendahl had given them the go-ahead to continue Mazannanan’s treasure quest, Dagdron, Earl, Elloriana, and Lita were forced to wait for the rest of February. With the clues being so general, they didn’t consider it effective to search for an arch symbol when it might be buried under several feet of snow. This kept them waiting until the spring thaw began.
In the meantime, the third-year students and teachers were gearing up for the impending graduation in a few months’ time. No longer were Earl, Lita, and Elloriana the only students going overboard with their skills practice. The fighters and magic users alike were receiving more and more difficult preparation quests. While the warriors and lady warriors had activities involving climbing, fighting, and escaping from challenging circumstances, the magic users were given tight situations in which they had to use their spells creatively to overcome obstacles and attain goals. Wanting to gain as much preparation as possible, as well as to impress their teachers, the third years were seen practicing in all areas of the academy.
One day in late February, Dagdron came out of his mini-quest, pouch in hand. Instead of seeing Flip, he found Rance casting spells at the force field protecting the Shrine of Avooblis. As the enchanter turned, Dagdron hurled the pouch at him. Rance ducked and the bag collided with the force field, exploding and shooting rocks in all directions. Rance covered his head as he sprinted away from the end of the corridor closer to Dagdron.
“I’m not going to attack you!” Rance said, holding up his hands as Dagdron whipped out his dagger. “I want to work together to get into the shrine.”
“I’m not working with you,” Dagdron said. Before Rance could react, Dagdron stabbed with his dagger, slicing the enchanter’s arm.
Rance recoiled, pressing his hand over the cut and casting a spell to stem the bleeding. He scowled at Dagdron, but before he could retaliate, a blast-bolt shot down the corridor, forcing the rogue and enchanter to dodge to the side.
“You are not welcome in my academy,” Headmaster Gwauldron said.
“We promised each other that once we found all three arches, we would work together to summon Avooblis,” Rance yelled.
“That was before you stole the other two arches from me,” Headmaster Gwauldron said, walking down the corridor.
“I’m sorry I got so desperate, but I wanted the arches to work for us,” Rance said. “I’ve spent my whole life researching Avooblis.”
“Don’t come back to my academy.”
“You promised, Gwidy!” Rance said. “You have had access to the shrine and you didn’t tell me?”
Dagdron watched and listened silently.
“Don’t act like I’ve hidden things,” the headmaster said. “I was the only transparent one. Wendahl’s the one who had access to the shrine and third arch all these years.”
“Don’t bring me into this.”
Dagdron and Rance looked and the headmaster glanced over his shoulder as Wendahl entered the hallway, his hoe in hand.
“Look, Gwidy,” Rance said. “The three of us are back together. We can collaborate and summon Avooblis together.”
“No!” Headmaster Gwauldron said definitively. “I don’t work with traitors or liars!”
“Then I will summon Avooblis on my own!” Rance finally reached his breaking point, and he lifted his hands and cast a lightning ball out of each. The yellow balls crackled as they shot toward the headmaster. Gwydion lifted his hands and cast a protection spell, and the lightning balls bounced off the blue barrier that appeared momentarily. The two enchanters dueled, the headmaster adding his own combination of colorful spells as Rance continued his lightning balls.
From behind, Wendahl began twirling his hoe, slowly increasing the speed. When the hum of his cartwheeling hoe sounded loudly, magenta whirlwind spells formed from each end. One whirlwind blew at the headmaster while the other passed him toward Rance. Both enchanters strove to repel Wendahl’s magic, but both were blown against their will toward Wendahl and out of the corridor.
Wendahl made a quick tooting sound as he moved his hoe up and down, but when Dagdron gave him no reaction, the old enchanter turned to follow the headmaster and Rance, who were still being blown up the classroom tower stairway.
Dagdron played with his dagger in his tree until Earl came to retrieve him for dinner later that night.
“Dagdron, you won’t believe my mini-quest today,” Earl said when they sat down in the eating hall. “Warrior Sawkett built this maze fortress in the classroom, and I had to run through the maze, bashing through the wooden walls to continue all while fighting off the warriors that were assigned to block my path. I had to do it in under ten minutes, and I did it in eight!”
“Wow,” Dagdron said.
“What was your practice quest today?”
“It was boring. I had to swing across the room on ropes with wobbling boards to stand on. There were fiery coals and snakes or something all over the floor. It was dark, so I never saw what they were, but they were hissing, so I just assumed.” Dagdron didn’t mention that as he swung and jumped across the room, he envisioned setting up his own swings in Cliffmount when he finally finished his third year at the academy and could return home permanently. Having fun seemed to make it really easy for him to retrieve the pouch without falling and getting burned a single time.
“I wish Warrior Sawkett had put snakes in the fortress. That would’ve prepared me even better.”
“You probably wish Rance had been waiting outside your mini-quest, too, don’t you?” Dagdron bit the last piece of sausage off his dagger and hurried outside before Earl could reply. He was glad the cold weather kept the other third years inside, away from his territory in the back of the academy, where he planned to spend his final months. He only wished Earl, Elloriana, and Lita’s practice had taken them elsewhere instead of still using the area around the quest tree as their training ground, because his tree time had been cut even more. With the cave under quarantine while the net continued absorbing power and magic, Wendahl and Dugan had moved to the Adventurer’s Quest Inn in Bodaburg. This made keeping an eye on Wendahl more difficult, but the power of the of the net had convinced Dagdron to give up his plans to lounge in his tree for the rest of his time at the academy and go to Bodaburg each evening to see if Wendahl ever did anything suspicious.
“Dagdron, get down here and explain right now!” Earl called up ten minutes later.
Dagdron climbed down and, as they walked down to Bodaburg, told Earl about his encounter with Rance and the ensuing duel with the headmaster and Wendahl.
“Wendahl’s whirlwinds were that powerful?” Earl said with awe.
“Who cares about that? I sliced Rance’s arm,” Dagdron said, permitting a tone of satisfaction to enter his voice. “Payback for all the burns he put in my cloak in the shack.” Earl glanced at Dagdron’s tattered cloak and let the subject drop.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Dagdron,” Earl said as they walked through the village gates. “I’m not condoning all the breaks from practicing we’ve been taking, but it sure is great to be enjoying Bodaburg and the tavern these last wonderful months at the Adventurers’ Acad
emy.”
Dagdron didn’t reply as Earl gave him a pat on the back. Ever since his conversation with Elloriana, Dagdron was having a hard time blocking out all the experiences he had had while at the academy. And he was horrified to find that he was agreeing with Earl. Their evening trips to Bodaburg for spying on the Adventurer’s Quest Inn, eating in the tavern at their corner table, and visiting Grizzard in his alley were all things he was going to miss.
What is wrong with me? Dagdron thought as he picked up the pace, leading Earl straight to Grizzard’s alleyway. Dagdron hoped chatting with the old rogue in the dankness of the alley would rekindle his true rogue state of feeling nothing.
As always, Grizzard greeted them with a welcoming cackle. He asked them how school was going, and then they spent the rest of their time sitting around the charcoal pile with Earl asking Grizzard about adventuring experiences and different rogue tactics.
“Your true adventuring days will come soon enough, rich sonny,” Grizzard cackled as the two boys got ready to leave. Earl gave Grizzard a huge grin, and he told Dagdron how inspired he felt after every time they talked to Grizzard. Dagdron ignored him and raced to the Bodaburg Tavern, where they drank their warm cider before heading to the inn last of all. Dagdron and Earl climbed on the roof of the neighboring house, where they had a view into Wendahl and Dugan’s bedroom window. They were talking as Dugan lounged on his bed and Wendahl swung his hoe around haphazardly.
“Boring,” Dagdron said.
They hadn’t talked to Wendahl or Dugan since the cave incident, and neither of them had been doing anything of interest in all the times Dagdron and Earl had spied on them.
“Do you trust Wendahl?” Earl asked.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Dagdron said. “I couldn’t be someone’s garden rogue if I didn’t trust them.”
“That’s not funny, Dagdron,” Earl said. “I just can’t picture Wendahl as the Backer.”
“I know, but who else could it be?”
“Let’s see,” Earl said with a pensive look. “Headmaster Gwauldron chased off the Backer when we arrived after the summer. We haven’t actually seen Rance and the Backer at the same time. You’re really convinced it’s not him?”
“Rance is pretty transparent. He didn’t know anything about the Backer or third arch crystal.”
“Let’s not forget that some quests take time,” Earl said. “We’ll keep our eyes open for Wendahl and anyone else just in case.”
Right as Dagdron was about to start climbing down from the roof, he caught the sound of heavy footsteps, so he crouched near the edge, signaling for Earl to keep quiet. They watched as Byron, Landon, and Gordon passed on the street below them.
As soon as the three warriors turned the corner, Dagdron scurried down. Earl was forced to hurry as Dagdron took off, but after many nights of the routine, he climbed down without issues and followed. They tracked Byron, Landon, and Gordon across Bodaburg until they reached the street of Mercer’s exposed house and the cemetery. The merchant-enchanter was waiting for them, and Dagdron and Earl watched as he joined Byron, Landon, and Gordon in heading to the graveyard, where a large group was waiting for them.
Dagdron snuck ahead of Earl. He glanced back once, surprised to see that Earl was in his awkward warrior sneaking position, but his boots and sword weren’t make any noise. Dagdron didn’t comment, but he had to admit that after three years of practicing, Earl’s skills in almost every area had increased.
They crouched near the fence when they reached the entrance, peering through the bars.
“Let’s get to work,” Byron said authoritatively.
Dagdron and Earl watched as the group spread out across the graveyard. Each person had a sword, and Byron, Landon, and Gordon began leading them in warrior training exercises as Mercer walked among them, observing.
“It’s the adventurers of unfulfilled dreams,” Earl said. “But they’re training an army, not adventurers.”
Dagdron didn’t reply, and they watched for a while before Dagdron motioned to his companion to back away.
“It’s not just Mercer’s business venture. Byron is involved too. I told you we should’ve put a stop to it,” Earl said when they passed Mercer’s house.
“They’re horrible at sword fighting,” Dagdron said.
“What do you expect?” Earl replied. “Byron, Landon, and Gordon are teaching them.”
Dagdron stared at Earl.
“What?” Earl said. “I’m not insulting them. They’re at the academy just for the prestige. They’ve gained very few skills over the past three years.”
“That’s because they’re just richies,” Dagdron said.
“Do you think the Backer’s secretly in charge of them?”
“Probably. But what are they going to do? They couldn’t hurt anyone.”
Earl shrugged pensively, and the two boys started walking again.
“We might as well stop by the tavern for some more cider,” Earl said.
Dagdron looked at him expressionlessly.
“What? We don’t have too many more nights to visit the Bodaburg Tavern. We need to take advantage of every opportunity we have.”
It was Dagdron’s turn to shrug, and he picked up the pace, heading in the direction of the tavern.
Chapter 25: Water Waved
In the middle of March, Dagdron, Earl, Elloriana, and Lita finally judged that the snow on the mountainside had melted enough to take a chance at finding the next location of the treasure quest. They ventured out early Saturday morning, heading directly west from the academy, doing their best to avoid the patches of snow and mud. Earl reminded everyone to be cautious in case the spumasaur was still on the loose after the long winter months.
With the only clue being about water, they searched until they found a stream running down the mountain. The four adventures headed up the slope, following the brooklet until they reached its origin, where the water burbled out of a rock that had an arch-shaped opening.
“It’s a good thing no one else knows Mazannanan’s name,” Elloriana said. “Or maybe arch shapes are so plentiful around here no one has ever noticed it.”
“Stop,” Dagdron suddenly said, extending his arms to prevent Earl from taking another step. He pointed to the ground, where there was a single shoe print in a patch of partially melted snow.
“Someone has been here,” Earl said.
They stood in silence, glancing around the area, but then blue letters curved over the arch-shaped rock and the breeze carried an uncanny whisper.
“Who am I?”
“We better just go for it,” Elloriana said.
“Mazannanan,” Dagdron said, keeping his voice low.
A loud crack resonated through the forest as the rock split open, which set off a chain of events. First, the burbling stream began spraying upward, showering the area, followed by the snap of branches as the black-cloaked Backer lowered himself with a one-handed levitation spell. With the other hand, he cast blinding purple stun spells. Dagdron and Earl dove to the side, smearing themselves in the mud and snow, while Elloriana and Lita, who had been behind them, backed up to avoid the onslaught.
The Backer hit the ground and continued his spell casting as he strode toward the geyser. Dagdron and Earl were back on their feet in seconds but were forced to dodge more stun spells, not wanting to be dazed or knocked unconscious by the powerful incantations.
Just as the Backer neared the hole, a mighty bellow sounded in the forest and Egon, followed by Dugan, ran into the clearing. Egon had his sword drawn, ready to deflect the Backer’s spells. Dugan was holding his dagger, but he was forced to approach more strategically, dodging the purple spells.
Egon closed the gap between himself and the Backer so quickly that the mysterious enchanter was unable to make it to the geyser. Instead, the Backer turned tail as Egon pounded toward him. Dugan glanced at Dagdron and Earl but ran past, following Egon.
“Let’s hurry,” Earl yelled, motioning to Elloriana and Lita
as he and Dagdron raced to the spouting water.
“I don’t think so,” a voice yelled.
Before the four young adventurers could turn around, Lita and Elloriana were hit in the back by lightning spells, taking their turn at sliding through the mud and snow. Dagdron and Earl whipped around to see Kas and Wally joining Rance in launching spells. Earl’s sword was out in seconds, deflecting the yellow, blue, and orange spells as best he could. Dagdron pulled out his dagger but stayed back, using his dodging skills to avoid the magic. Lita and Elloriana were trying to get to their feet, but with the combination of slippery mud and the spells hitting them from behind, they weren’t having any luck.
Rance, Kas, and Wally, gaining confidence upon seeing the girls unable to stand and Earl unable to block all of their spells, began maneuvering themselves in an effort to force their opponents to move away from the hole.
Dagdron and Earl realized what the enchanters were doing, but they couldn’t hold their ground as they were forced to duck and dodge to avoid the spells. But then magenta spell balls zoomed from behind them, causing Rance, Kas, and Wally to move out of the way.
Wendahl ran into the clearing, cringing as he put pressure on his left leg but still holding his hoe steadfastly as he cast spell after spell at the three opposing enchanters.
“I’ll hold them off,” Wendahl yelled, stepping in front of Lita and Elloriana so they could get to their feet.
Dagdron and Earl hurried to the edge of the spurting water as Lita helped Elloriana tread carefully with her muddy shoes.
“How did everyone follow us?” Elloriana said as Dagdron circled the geyser, trying to figure out how to get in the hole.
“Do you see anything?” Earl asked.
Dagdron shook his head as he completed the circle. He paused for a moment before plugging his nose and just jumping into the center of the geyser. He felt the water spraying all over him, but when his feet hit the ground, he was sucked downward. Unable to control his speed or see anything, Dagdron held his breath and made himself as narrow as possible as he was rushed along the tunnel. When he couldn’t hold his breath any longer, he covered his face with his hands, doing whatever he could to stop the water from spraying into his mouth and nose. Dagdron gasped, realizing he was going to drown if he couldn’t get a good breath soon, when he was suddenly shot out of an opening and fell twenty feet into a pool of water.
The Howl of Avooblis Page 22
