Tales of Aria: The Legend of Damiano's Disk

by Carl Russ III

  Picking up her scythe, Zoe motioned to Alex. He ran over to her, inspecting the remains of the monstrous flower as he passed by. He noticed that the crystal had left no mark in the ground below. “You just keep on surprising me with those spells,” he said. Zoe smiled and made a bowing gesture. Alex chuckled.

  Turning toward Belmont Village, Zoe spoke. “We’re almost there. I think we could both use some time off our feet.”

  Chapter 12: A Troubled Evening

   

  For hours, Lucas tried again and again to conjure a light orb. Despite his tedious repetition of the process, he remained unsuccessful. Slumping his arms, he turned to Iris. “I just can’t do it.”

  Iris placed her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t say that, Lucas. As I’ve stated previously, you have the potential. Simply because you’ve been unable to conjure today does not mean you will never accomplish your intention. Many have struggled at first, including myself.” She took a small pocket watch out of her coat and observed the time. It was a little past 4pm. “I’m going to require some time in the laboratory, as I still have work to do. Perhaps you should take the remainder of the day to rest your mind and reenergize. We can resume practicing tomorrow.” With that she turned and walked back to the house. Feeling defeated and exhausted, Lucas followed.

  Once they were back inside, Lucas placed the book on the coffee table and collapsed on the couch. Proceeding to the kitchen, Iris stopped and said, “I’m quite hungry. Would you be interested in some stew?”

  “That sounds great,” Lucas replied. “I’m starving.” Iris walked into the kitchen. As she prepared the meal, Lucas fell asleep on the couch.

  He awoke to the sound of the bowl being placed on the coffee table. He sat up. “Thanks.” Iris nodded, and left the room. As Lucas ate, his mind was flooded again with thoughts of his grandpa. There’s no telling how many nights he’ll be trapped there alone. And he still doesn’t even have a clue where I am. He must be worried sick. There has to be some way I can get home faster. He got up. Taking the stew with him, he walked into the kitchen.

  Iris was sitting at the table, again with a book open as she slowly ate her stew. She looked up at Lucas and smiled. “Hello. Care to join me?”

  “Yeah,” Lucas replied as he placed the bowl in front of an empty chair and sat down.

  Iris closed the book. “You seem troubled,” she said. “Is there anything in particular you wish to discuss? Please don’t tell me you’re still upset over your difficulties with conjuring.”

  Lucas shook his head. “No, it’s not that.” He ate a spoonful of stew, “I’m just worried about Grandpa. He still has no idea where I am and there’s no telling how long it’s going to take for me to get home.”

  “I see,” Iris replied. “Honestly, I’m quite curious to know exactly how you got here.”

  Lucas dropped the spoon into the bowl. “I told you already!” Iris was silent. Frustrated, Lucas got out of his chair. “I’m not delusional! I held a piece of Damiano’s Disk! I heard the Knowms kick in the door to the restaurant! I went to another dimension! Everything I told you is the truth!” The room was quiet. He quickly apologized. “Sorry... I know it’s hard to believe... and I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me. But it’s the truth, I swear.” He sat back down. “If you don’t believe me, you can check for yourself. There’s a portal in a cave near the spot Hagan found me that’ll take you to the In Between.”

  The two ate in awkward silence for a few moments. Finally, Iris spoke. “I didn’t intend to offend you, Lucas. I suppose it’s not too incredibly far‑fetched, especially taking into consideration the mystery surrounding the monster invasion. Your claims are, in theory, a sufficient explanation for the events which have taken place. Regardless, I find it hard to believe. In all of my years attending college, I’d never heard even a mention of inter‑dimensional travel. Most theorized the monsters as a product of forbidden magic: possibly the result of a powerful ritual gone awry.”

  Lucas looked across the table at her. “Then how do you explain the Knowms? Why are they the only ones who can keep the monsters at bay?”

  “I cannot explain their presence or ability based solely on what I know,” Iris responded. “Still, I’m certain there is an alternative explanation for all of this.”

  “Look, I had a hard time believing it too. But it’s real.” He ate another spoonful of stew. “What if I take you to the In Between myself?”

  Iris hesitated. “Your physical condition is still questionable. I don’t believe it would be wise for you to roam the wilderness.”

  “But you’ll be with me,” Lucas argued. “Maybe we could get Hagan to come with us, too. Then we’ll both know for sure and we can put this to rest.”

  Iris thought for a moment. “Perhaps... but only after you’ve fully recovered.”

  Lucas sighed. “Fine.”

  They both ate a little more stew. Deciding it was time to change the subject, Iris inquired, “You and your grandfather live alone?” Lucas nodded. After eating another spoonful, Iris continued, “Where do your parents live?” The room was silent once again.

  “They’re dead,” Lucas finally said. Iris was shocked. This was not the answer she was expecting to receive. She was speechless. Following another pause, Lucas elaborated. “One night, we were awoken by imps. It seemed like any other night... my dad grabbed the sword, I got the axe. When we got outside, we found three of them. It didn’t take long for us to finish them off... my dad told me to go back inside and said that he would take care of the bodies.” Lucas’s eyes glistened. “Not long after, I heard his screams. I ran outside and saw a swarm of imps ravaging him. They must’ve caught him off guard... I fought them off of him... but...” Lucas stopped talking. He tried to hold his composure, but the painful memory became too much. Tears poured down his cheeks.

  “I’m sorry, Lucas,” Iris said softly. “We don’t have to discuss this any further.”

  Lucas took a moment to wipe his tears before continuing. “We buried him under an oak tree. My mom... she was devastated. It hurt even more seeing her so unhappy...” He stopped talking for a moment.

  Feeling horrible for even bringing up the subject, Iris got out of her seat and walked over to a drawer. Pulling out a handkerchief, she handed it to Lucas, apologizing again.

  After taking a moment to collect himself, Lucas continued. “It was only two weeks later when my mom started getting sick... I did everything I could... the doctors kept telling me they wouldn’t travel outside of town and that I needed to bring her to them...” Lucas paused yet again, attempting to stifle his tears. “I came home from Cymbeline after running some errands one day... and... she was...” Unable to continue, he got out of his seat. “I’m done eating, I’m going to go lie down.” He left the room, a small amount of stew remaining in his bowl.

  Lucas slumped down on the couch, feeling completely drained. Shortly after finishing her stew and cleaning the dishes, Iris emerged from the kitchen. “I will be in the laboratory for the next few hours,” she informed him. “You may join me if you are in need of company.”

  Lucas sat up. “No, thanks though. I think I just need some sleep. I didn’t get very much last night.”

  “Alright,” Iris replied. She walked to the fireplace and added a few logs, causing the flame to grow immensely. “I’ll keep the fire going tonight. Perhaps you will be more comfortable.” She started to exit the room before stopping and turning back to him. “I’m sincerely sorry about your parents, Lucas. It was not my intention to cause you emotional distress...”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Lucas answered. “I just wish there were some way I could get home faster. If something were to happen to Grandpa, I don’t know what I’d do. I can’t bear to lose him too.”

  Chapter 13: Caught In a Web

   

  Zoe and Alex collapsed shortly after entering their room at Belmont Inn. The pair requested a wakeup call at 10pm, leaving them several hours to reach Valdis Pris
on. The room was small and furnished with nothing but a bed, a nightstand, a dresser, a small sofa, and a coffee table. Zoe slept on the bed while Alex took the sofa. Their slumber was peaceful and uninterrupted.

  There was a knock on the door. “Wakeup call! 10pm!”

  Immediately, Zoe jumped out of bed and gathered her things. “Wake up Alex,” she said, “it’s time to go.”

  Alex’s eyes slowly opened. He stretched his arms and legs, letting out a mighty yawn. “Already?” He got up and started equipping himself for the journey ahead.

  They exited the building and headed toward the city limit. As they did, Alex removed a small, black rectangular tin from his pocket and opened it. Inside was a pair of spectacles. “I’ve never seen you wear those before,” Zoe remarked.

  Alex put on the glasses. “It’s a little project I was working on a while back when I was studying enchantment. They let me see in the dark; kind of like how you can with your natural Shadow ability.”

  “That’ll be useful,” Zoe commented. “At first I was thinking I’d have to do all the fighting myself.” She smiled before looking straight forward. “They look good on you.” Alex was met with surprise at this remark. Before he could open his mouth, she added, “Alright, it’s time to get serious. So zip it and keep your eyes open. Aria’s wilderness can be a real hell‑zone at night.”

  As the two passed the last farm of Belmont Village, Alex leaned close to Zoe’s ear. “Those Knowms over there are watching us,” he whispered.

  “Ignore them and keep walking,” she quietly replied. “They can’t stop us. Leaving town is dangerous, but it isn’t illegal.”

  They continued out of the village, crossing an emerald green field with little trouble, save a few imps, and entered a large forested area at the foot of a small mountain. They proceeded cautiously with their weapons drawn, the leaves softly crunching beneath their feet with each step. Crickets chirped, and were accompanied by the distinct sound of an owl resting on a branch nearby, in search of its next meal.

  “More imps ahead,” Alex softly whispered. He could see four of them, scurrying behind some distant bushes in preparation for a sneak attack, obviously unaware of his and Zoe’s capability to view them in the night’s veil. The two stopped walking. Alex leaned closer to Zoe. “Should we approach or attack from here?”

  “I’ll handle it,” she softly replied. “Stay here. Back me up if it looks like I’m in trouble.” Holding her scythe with her left hand, she quietly conjured a shadow orb with the other. “Umbra orbis.”

  Zoe calmly approached the imps. They stayed motionless, waiting for her to pass between them before striking. She was about halfway between Alex and the lurking beasts when she suddenly hurled the orb, landing a perfect strike on the nearest imp’s head. It fell to the ground as the others charged her. Gripping her scythe with both hands, she ran toward the creatures. The imps were apparently perplexed by this action and slowed their pace.

  With one broad swipe, Zoe sliced the first imp across his entire torso. It collapsed in agony while she swiftly kicked the second one to the ground. The third imp attempted to bite her other leg, but was promptly dazed as Zoe used the snath of her weapon to jab it between its eyes. Having an advantage over her foes, she quickly finished them off with a few additional swings of her scythe.

  Turning back to Alex, she gave him an ‘all clear’ signal. Together, they delved deeper into the dark forest. Unfortunately, they hadn’t made it much farther when Zoe, who was walking slightly ahead of Alex, suddenly came to a stop as though she’d hit an invisible wall. Alex came to a halt next to her. As soon as Zoe had hit the ‘wall,’ it became visible. Only it wasn’t a wall at all. It was a massive spider web.

  “Ew, gross!” Zoe shouted, trying to back away from the web. However, her attempts were unsuccessful as the web continued to hold her in place. “Ah, crap! I can’t move! Ugh, and it’s in my hair!”

  “Just stay calm,” said Alex, lifting his sword. Looking up, he could see a large spider‑like creature slowly crawling down the web to Zoe. Its bottom‑half resembled an arachnid, but its torso and head were similar to an imp’s. In addition to eight legs, it also had two skinny arms on its upper‑half, both equipped with razor‑sharp claws. A pair of fangs jutted from its upper lip as it made its way down the web. Its eyes were a deep glowing red.

  Trying not to panic Zoe, Alex didn’t mention the oncoming threat and quickly sliced at the web in an attempt to free his companion. However, the moment the blade made contact it became ensnared in the sticky trap as well. He tried with all of his might to remove it, but to no avail. “Crap, crap!!” The panic in his voice was apparent.

  Zoe, unable to turn around or look up due to her current predicament, could tell by his tone that something was wrong. “Please don’t tell me there’s a giant spider getting ready to drink my blood.”

  Alex let go of the sword. Hastily taking a few steps back, he quickly raised his index finger over his head, “Glacies stiria telum!” a razor‑sharp icicle conjured just inches above his finger. Pointing to the spider, the frozen projectile penetrated its upper chest area. The strange creature let out a scream and squirmed wildly.

  Zoe’s eyes widened as she heard the noise. Using her arms in a desperate attempt to escape the web’s grasp, they both became stuck as well. “Dammit! Ugh, I hate spiders!”

  Alex bolted to collect a branch on the ground nearby. Using it, he swiped the arachnid off of its web as it continued to squirm in distress. “Glacies orbis!” He threw an ice orb at the spider which let out another shrill cry. “Glacies orbis!” He threw another as the creature slowed its twitching. He watched it carefully, to ensure its demise.

  “Is it dead?” Zoe asked.

  “Yeah,” Alex replied, “I think that did it.”

  Zoe tried again to escape the web’s grasp. “Great. Now how the hell am I supposed to get out of this thing?”

  Alex thought for a moment. “Hold still, I’ve got an idea.” He placed both of his hands on the hilt of the sword, still stuck to the web. Closing his eyes, he focused.

  “Well?!” Zoe shouted impatiently.

  “Just give me a minute,” Alex replied. After concentrating for a brief period, he exclaimed, “Glacies gladius fascino!” His sword’s blade glowed light‑blue as the surrounding web slowly froze. With one swift kick, he shattered it to pieces. “Yes! It worked!”

  Now freed, Zoe inspected herself for remnants of the web. She turned around to see Alex holding the glowing sword. “An enchantment, huh?”

  He nodded. “I channeled my center’s energy into the blade and used it to freeze the web.” The sword ceased glowing, “It drains me pretty heavily, so it’s another one of those tricks I have to avoid in most cases.”

  “That’s pretty smart,” she remarked. “You’ve got talent.” Alex couldn’t help but smile upon receiving the compliment as Zoe turned her attention to the spider’s corpse. “If you weren’t here, that might not have ended so well.” She looked back at Alex. “I’ll handle the next few monsters. You should save the rest of your magic for when we get closer.”

  Continuing their trek, the duo encountered numerous beasts before eventually reaching the forest’s edge. They now found themselves at the base of the small mountain they’d seen earlier. “Valdis Prison is near the peak,” said Zoe. “I hope you’re up for a little rock climbing.” The pair put away their weapons and made sure their belongings were secure. Approaching the mountain, they slowly made their way up the steep incline.

  Chapter 14: The Climb

   

  Zoe and Alex gradually proceeded up the mountainside. Though it was steep, they were able to walk the first quarter of their journey to the peak. After reaching a relatively flat area, they ran into their first major issue. The impending climb appeared to be much steeper, nearly wall‑like.

  “I should’ve brought some rope,” Alex remarked.

  “We’ll make it,” Zoe assured him. “We just have to be very careful
and take our time.” Digging through her sack, she pulled out the bottle which was replenished with fresh water collected during their venture through the forest. She took a small drink and handed it to Alex. “Only drink what’s necessary; we’re going to need most of it when we reach the top.”

  Alex rejected the bottle. “I’m alright for now.”

  “Okay, then let’s get started.” Zoe returned the bottle to the sack and carefully secured it to her back.

  The duo gradually made their climb side by side, using jagged rocks to hoist themselves closer and closer to their goal. The ascent was uneventful until Alex suddenly felt a strong jab on the back of his head, nearly causing him to lose his grip. “Ah!” he yelped, swatting the air behind him with his free hand. Zoe turned her head to see a bird‑like creature with four wings and a jagged black beak. The bird pecked Alex again.

  “Hold still!” Zoe shouted. “Umbra orbis!” She threw a shadow orb at the pesky avian using her free hand. The bird merely dodged the attack, quickly delivering a harsh peck to Zoe’s forehead. “Ow!”

  Instantly, the bird screeched as Alex swung his arm, bashing it against a rock as a flyswatter would smash an insect. The fowl beast tumbled down the mountainside. “Got it,” Alex said smiling. “You okay, Zoe? He got you pretty good.”

  “I’m fine,” she answered, rubbing her forehead. “How about you?”

  Alex felt the back of his head. Viewing his fingers, he saw a few small red splotches. “I’m alright,” he replied. “That thing hits hard. Luckily I’ve got a thick skull.”

  Zoe smiled. “That makes two of us.” The pair chuckled.

  Finally, after a long, tedious climb, the duo reached another flat area. They were both drenched in sweat, aching from the arduous journey as they took a moment to rest. “We’ve got to be getting close,” said Alex, catching his breath as he sat down.

  Zoe sat down beside him. She pulled the bottle of water out of her sack. “We are. Unfortunately, we’ve still got to climb that.” She pointed to a tall, vertical wall of stone not far from where they rested.