“Way less messy that way,” Aiden replied. “I don’t wanna damage the loot, ya know? That’s why I usually wear gloves. Keeps accidents from happenin’. Not that it matters, though; I don’t get a chance to mug many people out here anyway. Ya don’t find many travelers wanderin’ around monster‑infested deserts. Mosta the time, I just get what I need from Secar, like Sunshine over there.” Sezuni’s eyes made her annoyance with the nickname apparent, though she chose not to respond.
The group remained in the confines of the shack for the rest of the day, chatting amongst themselves as they awaited nightfall. However, as the sun set, they were suddenly startled by a loud thumping against the shack’s exterior. “What was that?!” Hagan exclaimed.
“I know that sound too well,” Lucas answered, unsheathing his sword and bolting out the door.
Quickly making his way around the corner of the shack toward the source of the noise, Lucas saw what appeared to be a human‑sized skeleton. “Lumen orbis!” He promptly conjured a light orb, causing the skeleton to snap its head in his direction. This thing’s just plain creepy! Lucas was about to throw the orb when the monster’s empty eye sockets were suddenly illuminated by a lime‑green glow. The moment Lucas turned his attention to the strange light, he became completely terror‑stricken and was unable to move a single muscle.
With its glowing eyes fixed to his, the skeleton slowly approached Lucas, opening its mouth to display a pair of razor‑sharp fangs. Lucas remained frozen, despite the oncoming threat, totally overwhelmed by a deep sense of impending doom.
“Ignis orbis!” There was a flash of heat as a fire orb whizzed from behind Lucas into the skeleton. The glow left its eyes on impact as flames consumed the foe. Instantly, the fear left Lucas. Without a moment of hesitation, he threw the light orb at the burning skeleton. Backing away, he watched the beast collapsed.
“Lucas, are you injured?” he heard Iris ask behind him.
Turning around, Lucas saw Hagan as well. “No,” Lucas replied, still feeling a bit confused by what had taken place. “I’m fine...”
“Is everything alright?” Sezuni asked as she emerged from around the corner, followed by Aiden.
“We took care of it,” Hagan replied. He looked at Lucas. “Why were you just standing there?! You had a clear shot at the thing. It wasn’t even moving that fast.”
“I couldn’t move.” Lucas answered. “When I came around the corner, I saw it beating on the wall and conjured a light orb. As soon as I did, it turned its head toward me and its eyes started glowing. Next thing I know, I was completely terrified. I couldn’t think straight; I barely even knew what was going on.”
“That’s weird,” Aiden remarked. “I’ve never seen anything like that out here before.”
“Nor have I,” Sezuni added.
Iris examined the smoldering ash where the skeleton had stood. “It appears that the Knowms are continuing to create new varieties of monsters. The mere thought of a beast with the ability to inflict fear‑driven paralysis via eye contact is alarming in itself.”
“Yeah,” Hagan agreed. “And there’s no telling what else they’ve got in store.”
Lucas nodded. “Just another reason Quinn and those Knowms have got to go.”
Sezuni glanced at Lucas. “For your sake,” she began as she walked back around the corner of the shack toward the door, “I certainly hope you still intend to visit Aalok Bonham.”
Puzzled, Aiden turned to Lucas. “Who’s Alex Bone‑ham?”
“Aalok Bonham,” Iris corrected. “He’s a well‑known and highly respected master of Light conjuring. Lucas intends to enroll at his school as one of his pupils once we have completed our work here, in order to advance his abilities.”
“I’d go sooner,” Lucas added, “but I don’t want to give Kuraikaji any more time to destroy cities. Once I get my conjuring up to par, we can get that disk fragment from Lord Quinn.”
“Keep in mind,” Hagan asserted, “we’re not even sure if Lord Quinn is holding the disk fragment himself. Like I said the other day, he’s probably hidden it somewhere secret. I don’t think it’ll be as simple as us barging into his mansion with our fists flying. Maybe we should stick with our original plan and try to get in with the Spades and get their disk fragment before going after Quinn. They were founded by one of Quinn’s guys after all. We’d probably learn a lot of useful stuff.”
“How?” Lucas argued. “The Spades keep themselves well hidden. Even Quinn and all of the Knowms can’t find them. We went to the In Between looking for them ourselves and found out firsthand.”
“Perhaps it’s best that we focus our attention on Kuraikaji in the meantime,” Iris interrupted. “We can plan our next course of action during our trip to Cymbeline and Ivyvyne Village. It will require careful, well thought out planning to obtain both disk fragments while preventing all contenders from completing it first.”
The four reentered the shack and ate dinner along with Sezuni. The remainder of the evening was relatively uneventful, and soon nighttime had arrived. After gathering their belongings and preparing themselves for the events to come, they set out for Secar. Following closely behind Sezuni, the trio and Aiden proceeded out the door of the shack and into the night.
“It’s pretty dark out here,” said Lucas. “Maybe I should get out the lantern so we can see approaching monsters.”
“No,” Sezuni snapped. “We don’t want to attract any attention. It’s already going to be difficult enough sneaking five people into Secar at once.”
“Your eyes’ll adjust,” Aiden assured Lucas.
Sezuni glanced over her shoulder at them. “Just stay close to me and you’ll be fine. I possess the Shadow elemental center, which allows me to see well, regardless of the lighting.”
“That’s useful,” said Hagan.
Aiden looked at him. “It’s cheatin’ is what it is! I always gotta do this with normal‑people eyes!”
“Using my natural ability is hardly cheating,” Sezuni argued. “Now keep it down. We need to remain as quiet as possible, even while we’re out here. We can’t risk being seen or heard by any Cobras.”
Slowly and silently, the group continued toward Secar. It wasn’t long, however, before Sezuni softly warned, “Stay still.” Obeying, the group froze.
“Monsters?” Hagan quietly queried. Without answering, Sezuni slowly unsheathed her katana and took a few steps forward.
“Imps,” Lucas whispered.
“I see ‘em too,” said Aiden. Suddenly, he took off running toward the threat.
“Aiden!” Lucas and Iris exclaimed.
Before Sezuni could turn around to shush them, she saw Aiden zoom by her as his hands glowed brightly in flames. “You idiot!” she muttered as Aiden proceeded to pelt the enemies with fireballs. While the flames consumed the small group of imps rather quickly and effortlessly, the surrounding area was briefly illuminated by the attack. Shaking her head, Sezuni sheathed her katana.
Returning to the group with a cocky grin and his hands extinguished, Aiden proudly announced, “Got ‘em!”
Sezuni slapped him. “You’ve revealed our location, you fool!”
“Ya didn’t have to slap me you bit–”
Before Aiden could finish, she slapped him again. “Shut up. Keep your voice down or you’ll get us all killed. I thought you would know better, but I suppose I’ve overestimated my already low expectations of your capacity to strategize.” Without warning, Aiden hands burst into flames. “Don’t you dare,” Sezuni coldly warned, unsheathing her katana with incredible speed.
“I can’t help it,” Aiden responded with clenched teeth. “It happens when I get angry!”
“Then calm yourself,” Sezuni snapped.
Closing his eyes and taking several deep breaths, Aiden returned his hands to normal. “We’re not even close to Secar yet,” he argued.
Sezuni sheathed her katana. “There could be Cobras anywhere in the desert, you know that!”
“Ho
w strange,” Iris whispered to Lucas and Hagan. “Emotionally activated conjuring is another first for me. We must be certain he’s not angered during our infiltration.”
After nodding in agreement, Hagan softly responded, “He’s got as much control of his magic as he has of himself.”
Lucas looked at Aiden. Sezuni’s being pretty hard on him. Then again, she’s right. I thought he’d be a lot better at this considering that he does it all the time. I just hope having him along doesn’t turn out to be a decision I’ll regret.
Chapter 42: Laverick Incognito
Laverick, still disguised as Zoe, at last reached his destination after spending the majority of the day traveling through the In Between. On his waist was a small bag of rations, which had been provided to him by a man in a red hooded cloak before entering the gateway in the building formerly known as Roshan’s Café.
As directed by his mother telepathically, he approached the large colorless mountainside before him.
“Continue walking straight ahead,” Veronica mentally instructed. “Once you’re close enough, you’ll notice a small groove in the rock shaped exactly like the purple crystal in your pocket. Place the crystal inside of it and the passage leading into the Spades’ base should be revealed.”
“Got it, Ma,” Laverick replied.
“Marvelous, darling,” Veronica answered. “After you’ve entered the base, you’ll need to locate and retrieve the disk fragment with subtlety. Remember, we cannot allow the Spades to suspect anything. I will keep our link established in order to track your progress, though I will send you no further communication once you’re inside to prevent distracting you.”
“Don’t worry about a thing, Ma,” said Laverick. “I’ll get the fragment and get out in no time!”
“I’m certain you will, darling,” Veronica responded. “In the event you are discovered, however, don’t hesitate to run. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to my precious little Lavee‑wavee!”
“I’m not gonna get caught, Ma. I promise!” Laverick replied with confidence.
After walking a little farther to reach the cragged rock face, Laverick removed the purple crystal from his cloak’s pocket and vigorously searched for the small groove. Where is it? Everything looks so funky here.
* * * *
Back in the meeting room of Quinn Manor, Veronica turned to Lord Quinn. “Currently, Laverick is standing just outside the base. He’s attempting to locate the area in which to place the crystal.”
Lord Quinn smiled, delighted by the news. “Magnificent.”
Veronica smiled back at him before returning her attention to Laverick.
* * * *
All the while, Zoe was sound asleep in her room, blissfully unaware of the events taking place. Shortly after her intense emotional outburst, Lord Quinn had used a sleeping spell to quell the situation. Once he’d placed her on her bed, he ordered a second guard to assist in ensuring that Zoe remained in her room.
* * * *
“Found it!” Laverick excitedly proclaimed as he placed the purple crystal into the small groove on the mountainside. Much like what Veronica had viewed while exploring Zoe’s memory, the crystal began to glow and the rock shifted to create an opening. Returning the crystal to his pocket, Laverick prepared himself. Okay, I gotta remember that I’m Zoe. Not Laverick. He slowly entered the passage, repeatedly thinking the words, Zoe, not Laverick.
He suddenly let out a fearful shriek, startled by a loud rumbling behind him. Quickly turning around, he watched as the rock returned to its original formation, closing the entrance. Uh‑oh! How am I supposed to get outta here?!
“Zoe!” A voice excitedly exclaimed from farther down the passage behind him. Laverick’s eyes widened as he cleared his throat, preparing himself to interact with the stranger. He faced the source of the voice to see a man dressed in a black short‑sleeved shirt. “You made it,” the stranger said as he approached. “Did you rescue Roshan? Where’s Alex?”
Who the heck is Alex? Laverick thought. He had been previously informed by Lord Quinn of Zoe’s attempt to break Roshan out of prison, but hadn’t the slightest clue who Alex was. Trying his best to emulate an unhappy tone, he replied to the stranger. “I’m not really sure where Alex is.”
The man looked puzzled. “Did you get split up?”
“Yeah,” Laverick answered, hoping the explanation would suffice. “I couldn’t find him after that.”
“Oh,” said the man. “Alex is a good fighter, I’m sure he’s fine. He’ll probably be coming back soon. What about Roshan? What happened?”
Laverick bowed his head, trying his best to look saddened. “I searched all over... but I couldn’t find Roshan anywhere.”
“Oh no,” the man responded. He paused for a moment, apparently taking in the news. This caused Laverick to feel incredibly awkward.
“Roshan was a good man,” he finally went on. “I know you two were close. I can’t imagine how you must feel.” Laverick said nothing, attempting to look as heartbroken as possible. “He saved all of us, if you think about it. Everything would’ve been over if he hadn’t risked his life to protect the fragment.” He paused again. “What you did took a lot of courage. I can see why Roshan respected you so much.”
Trying to get out of the conversation as soon as possible, Laverick began walking down the passage. “I’m sorry. I don’t really feel like talking about this right now.”
Laverick was a bit nervous, feeling that his short answers may have come across as suspicious. However, considering that it was normal for Zoe to speak very little of personal matters, the man didn’t suspect a thing. Instead, he sympathized, assuming that she was just upset over the failure to save her friend’s life. In spite of his effort to escape the conversation, it wasn’t much longer before Laverick heard another voice call, “Zoe!”
“Dang it!” Laverick grumbled softly.
* * * *
Meanwhile in Quinn Manor, Veronica looked over at Lord Quinn. “He’s in. After entering the main passage, he had a brief exchange with a Spade. From what I saw, the disguise seems to be working quite well so far.”
“Excellent news,” Lord Quinn replied. “I must say, I’m profoundly impressed with you and your son’s work. Inform me once he’s located the fragment. The moment it is in my possession, I will see to it that you are both compensated greatly for your combined effort.” Giving a single nod, Veronica returned her focus to Laverick.
* * * *
“...and I still don’t know where Alex is,” Laverick explained to Spade leader Tarren Haden.
Tarren looked down at his feet, obviously troubled by the news. “That’s a shame,” he said. After a small pause, he looked back at Laverick. “While I admire your bravery, I’m highly disappointed by your actions. Alex never would have gone on that mission if you hadn’t stormed out of here like you did. Now, instead of just one missing Spade, we have two.”
“I’m sorry,” Laverick replied, “I just wasn’t thinking straight.”
“‘I’m sorry’ isn’t going to change anything, Zoe,” Tarren responded sternly. “I’ve warned you about your temper in the past. This time, not only did you unnecessarily put yourself in great danger, but a fellow Spade as well. If you’re not going to follow orders, you have no place in our organization. I will not tolerate insubordination such as this again. Do you understand?” Laverick nodded. “Good.”
Again, there was a silence. Then, Tarren continued. “I understand that Roshan was a very special person to you, and I know that you were only acting out of compassion for him. But he was well aware of the risks involved with our organization from the start. He did what he did because he believed in our cause. Protecting the fragment is our number one priority over anything else. You should honor him by showing the same level of dedication. The more Spades we lose, the closer Javan Quinn gets to completing Damiano’s Disk. You know better than anyone else what that means, Zoe. That’s why you came here in the fi
rst place.
“Now, you must understand that I can’t let you off the hook without disciplinary action. Tomorrow morning, you’re going to scrub every inch of this base, and it had better be spotless. Then, you are to sharpen every sword, axe, and knife in our arsenal. Understood?”
Laverick nodded. “Yes sir.” Ha! I’m not gonna be here tomorrow!
“Good.” Tarren turned around and walked away. “Get some rest. We can only hope and pray that Alex returns unharmed.”
Laverick watched as Tarren disappeared down the corridor. I thought he’d never shut up. Alrighty, time to find me a fragment!
For the next hour, Laverick inspected every inch of the base for the disk fragment. This proved to be quite a strenuous task, however, as his endeavor was often interrupted by inquiring Spades, curious about the details of Zoe’s mission and the status of Roshan and Alex. Discovering it was best to simply state that he didn’t feel like discussing the matter and would explain later, he managed to deter the threats to his mission.
Laverick dug through various cabinets and drawers in the base’s kitchen area. This is gonna take a lot more work than I thought it would. Let’s see, this looks like some sorta medical storage cabinet, lotsa potions and herbs – no fragment though. Ah, shoot. Where is it?
“Are you alright, Zoe?” Laverick felt his heart jump as he quickly slammed the cabinet shut. Snapping his head in the direction of the voice, he saw the same man with the black shirt he’d spoken to when he first entered the base.
“I‑I’m fine!” Laverick replied nervously. The man’s eyebrow was raised.
“Are you looking for something?” he asked.
Quickly shaking his head, Laverick responded, “No, no. I was just, uh, thinking about making myself a little snack before I get some sleep. I’m pretty hungry and tired from the whole thing. Forgot there was no food in that one! Ha!”
“Alright...” the man said. It was apparent that he was a bit perplexed by Zoe’s strange behavior, but he mostly attributed it to stress and lack of sleep. “Why don’t you go ahead and lie down,” he suggested. “I’ll get us both something to eat and bring it back to the barracks.”
Not wanting to raise any further suspicion, Laverick complied. “Okay, sounds good,” he said as he hastily exited the kitchen. The man watched as he left. “What’s with her? Something doesn’t seem right.”
Tales of Aria: The Legend of Damiano's Disk Page 20
