A moment later, the river stops flowing, leaving him standing on the muddy bank’s floor. The Phoenix lets out a cry of double surprise. The first from the river’s disappearance, the second as a sky river blasts into it faster than an arrow. Maris stands up the bank, propelling the water over her head, creating a floating river. The torrent of water flows over the Phoenix. Its cries become more intense by the second. Maris used Raging Rapids, the Voice exclaims. It was effective.
Its bar depletes fast, but we’re still a long way from slaying it. The Phoenix’s body makes a slow progression from the constant stream of water. I’m surprised that it can fly at all like this. White hissing steam rises from the river and flame combination. The Phoenix flaps its wings in a mad dash to escape. Before it has the chance to get away, I race out of my hiding place, swinging my staff at its lower body. It gives another scream, which intensifies as Zero jumps up, hitting it from the front.
To our surprise, the Phoenix opens its mouth, letting out a single blast of fire from its maw. “What?” Zero yells, just as the flames threaten to engulf him. He whirls his staff around to escape G. and David’s fate. Standing a way off, Aurora raises her hands, knowing that it was her time, even if she didn’t hear Zero over the chaotic display. She waited there because the brook was the only place where plants were. In answer to her unspoken commands, vine-like stems shoot across the ground from their resting places on the riverbank. They come together, rising like two green hands, grasping at the giant bird. Wrapping their fingers around it, the vines seize the Phoenix as the river continues to rain down. Aurora used Binding, the Voice says.
If the creature was not panicking yet, it is now. The water muffles its cries as its body twists, flailing around in the green prison. The vines tighten, constricting back toward the ground, pulling the bird down with them. With an earth-shaking boom, the Phoenix hits the bank, mud encasing its beak and lower body. “Queen, deal with him,” I shout. Springing from behind a rock, Queen rushes over with her chisels in hand. She raises them above her head and joins our assault, bringing them down hard on the creature’s forehead. The bar continues dropping. If we can keep this up, we’ll win.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Harva hanging back, her eyes wide with terror. I don’t pay any attention to her at the moment. We have to keep our eyes on this creature. If we lose our concentration for a moment, everything could go wrong if the monster has a strength that it was saving for this moment. Justifying my concern, it releases a cry unlike anything we’ve heard before, raising its head high. From its beaked maw, an enormous ball of fire bursts into the air. The heat from it is incredible, making the hairs on my arms feel as if they could incinerate at any moment.
The fire reaches the height of its climb and turns as quickly as someone could spin on their heel. I expected it to come crashing towards us; it didn’t. Instead, it falls back to its maker, landing on it and sending a wave of flames over the Phoenix’s body. Water flies about, evaporating in every direction, as a cloud of smoke envelopes it. “Not good,” Aurora cries. Fire rushes along the vines, reducing them to ash.
“Look out,” Zero yells, but it’s too late. This creature bursts from the smoke, burning with renewed fury as the flames trail in its wake. Heat radiates off it. The Phoenix is reborn. Stats Boost: Courage +25, Brawn +25, Agility +25. Just like the Golem, the Phoenix is back to full strength, like we didn’t fight it at all. I thought I knew what to expect from it, but I was wrong.
The Phoenix used Hurricane Fury. With a flap of its wing, fire lashes out in all directions. Cries of surprise fill my ears, and I try to run. It sends us into disarray, throwing everyone around the cliffside. The gust raises me off the ground, hurling me higher into the air. At least I’m above the fire. Before I can realize what is happening, Zero appears alongside me, coming from the opposite direction. He grabs ahold of me, pulling me toward his destination, and says, “Look out below.” The horror takes over when I realize where I am. There is nothing below me. I’m falling over the cliff.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Alone Against a Monster
16
“Felix,” I hear someone shriek.
I never see who said that as I plunge over the side. Just as soon as our descent began, we stop falling as Zero buries his staff in the cliffside, holding us high above the ground. My ears ache as a high-pitched shriek burst into them. “Stop. You’re hurting Zero’s ears,” Zero yells. It’s only now that I realize I’m screaming.
“Now what?” I yell, regaining a little of my composure. Looking up, I see that we’ve dropped quite a ways. Looking down, I see the stony path. It’s so far down that dropping from here would kill someone. There’s no way out of this. No one can help us with the monster around. What are we supposed to do?
“Just wait,” Zero replies, seeming unconcerned by our current situation. “Everything will turn out fine.”
“That’s easy for you to say. Always jumping off a bird at a thousand feet like it’s nothing, but not everyone is like that.”
“Just wait,” he insists. I would have screamed at him if an ear-piercing cry from above didn’t strike me with fear. The Phoenix knew where we were. Its shadow passes over us as it prepares to dive-bomb toward us. Its eyes and wings were burning in rage. It lets out another cry as it prepares to sink its talons into us, the prey.
“If you have some kind of plan,” I gasp. “Now would be a good time.”
“Agreed,” he replies. I feel the release of pressure under my shoulders. At first, I feel relieved; it was hurting me where I couldn’t think straight. Then I realize something terrifying, I’m falling, and no one is there to catch me. “Zero will see you at the bottom,” my comrade calls as I glimpse him springing at the beast.
My mind blanks for a moment, only one thought filling it, “I’m gonna die.” In this small instance, I realize how pointless everything is, but what am I finding so pointless? Is it that everything I’ve been doing up to now has been a series of setbacks with me just scraping by? Is it I’m living my life without knowing if I’m even living the life I would if my memories were intact? Could it be that I don’t even know if I’ll like myself once my memories return? Is it because all of my hard work results in me hitting the ground and dying without fulfilling my one hope? Is it that this isn’t the first time I’ve plummeted to my death?
As I fall, my body spirals out of control. Unlike the border, I can see my death rushing toward me. No dream takes me. The Dragoman doesn’t appear. Aurora isn’t reaching out to catch me. All I can do is die. With no way out, I close my eyes and brace myself for death. What will it be like? Will I remember everything when I die, or will those memories still be missing? Is there an afterlife? Do I get to have one even without my memories? Is anyone going to miss me? Can my life, one of confusion and making the most out of a blank memory, matter to those around me?
Are the people I travel with the kind that will miss those that die? If I died from splatting against the ground, would any of them care? If they survive, G. and David would get over it soon enough. They have their own pursuits. I would be just another friend they lost along the way. I doubt Maris has the emotional capabilities to miss someone. There is no need to worry about Zero. He would laugh that he forgot that I couldn’t survive a fall of this height.
That leaves my three closest companions. Harva will cry, but I don’t want her to. The poor girl has already seen too much. Drawing nearer to the ground, I hope that Aurora will miss me. She’s so loving. She would cry for anyone, even her enemies, but I want her to miss me on another level. We’ve made some headway together, but not like I wanted. If I lived longer, I would’ve had time to tell her what I feel. I sigh, with a heavy disappointment. I really liked her, but I guess some things are not meant to be, surviving this fall is one of them.
That leaves Queen, my first companion, and by far the hardest one to deal with. She has caused me plenty of frustration, but there is not a doubt in my mind that every second has been wo
rth it. Still, I know that she won’t miss me. Her only passion is art, and people like me are only an inconvenience to her after a while.
Is that how they are? I wonder. Is my assessment of my companions accurate or not? If only I could remember my past, there might be people I thought were one way but turned out to be something different, to my shock. Then, I would know if I was right or not, based on previous experiences. Maybe some realized I was more than I seemed at first.
My mind passes from face to face, remembering everyone I’ve met, no matter how brief. Most of the names are blurry, with only parts of them being clear. Still, I know where I have seen them. There is the trio of swordsmen back at the castle. That woman with her baby. The train conductor. The Collector. Zemar. Daisuke. Isaac. Ian. The man with hate-filled eyes. All of the villagers I saw.
Just then, a single image crosses my mind. The shadowy form of a crying girl, the one from my dream. I can’t see her face, but I know she is looking at me. Her gaze stirs something inside of me. This strange mixture of love and hate. I take a deep breath, not understanding what this complex paradox of feeling meant. All the while, she does not take her gaze away from me.
Unlike the other faces, in the waking world, I can’t put where I have seen her. No matter how far I go back in my short memory, I do not know where she belongs, but I know that I’ve met her before. No, that’s not quite right. We aren’t mere acquaintances who met on a dirt road and shared a few laughs. I know her, but I don’t know how. It is as if she stepped out of an unrelated place.
My heart pounds with a strange longing, one that I’ve never felt before. Tears roll down my cheeks. Who are you? I ask, but the figure doesn’t answer. She didn’t hear me. A wide gulf divides us with no way to cross. The harder I try to reach her, the larger it grows. No matter how much I want to reconnect with her, learn who she is, I cannot.
Still, she’s waiting for me. Her eyes look into mine, and even from this distance, I can feel the pain in them. She’ll be sad if I die here. A dream? Distant memory? Delusion? I don’t know which one it is, but all I know is I can’t die here. This determination ignites a will inside of me, so powerful it can save me from my fate.
Opening my eyes, I adjust myself, controlling my fall. I look at the fast-approaching ground and grit my teeth, bracing for the impact. There’s only one thing I can do. This might not work, but it’s the best I can do. Have to think outside the box. I visualize the energy coursing through me. You used Stonewall, the Voice announces. Stats Boost: Brawn +10.
As the ground rises to meet me, I wonder if this will be enough. Would this single ability protect me from the destination that awaited me? “Please,” I whisper to some unknown being. Perhaps it was to the Dragoman. “Don’t let me die here.” I tighten myself into a ball and close my eyes. For a long moment, all I can hear is the wind in my ears. I fall in the darkness, waiting for whatever fate is in store. Then, I hit the ground.
I feel the full force of the impact. For a split-second, my entire body aches as it crashes onto the ground. Teeth pulse from how hard they clacked together when I struck the ground. I bounce off the stone path, flipping over and striking my head against a small rock. My vision blurs to the point of blackening. It’s impossible to keep track of how many times I bounce and what I hit and where. When I come to a stop, all I can think about is how much my body hurts. I moan as the pain courses through me, relentless in making every fiber of my being feel this injury. My feeble prayer wasn’t answered, or was it?
I don’t pass out, not for an instant. My body, while hurt, could somehow still move, though not at first. Lying on the ground, as the pain subsides, a numbness takes its place. Panic swells up inside. What if I can’t move? This worry is here and gone in mere seconds. I notice that I can move my fingers. This begins the road to recovery. The feeling begins at the tips of my fingers and toes, making its way up my hands, arms, and legs. I wiggle my torso about as the numbness fades. Glancing at my H.P., I see a portion disappear, but it is not enough to raise any concern. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I murmur, “It worked.” I survived. If I can do that, I can do anything. Am I strong enough to turn the tide of this battle? That remains to be seen. New determination surges through me. My arms reach out while my legs push up. When I stand, I look toward the battle overhead.
Zero stands alone against the fiery bird. He is jumping along the cliff face as if he was running on solid ground. The Phoenix circles around, breathing fire at my companion, hoping to roast him into its next meal. Still, our gladiator didn’t look helpless for a moment. In fact, he is in control of this situation. As the bird zooms in to bite at him, Zero springs over the beast, striking it on the back of the head. The Phoenix lets out a shriek, but Zero doesn’t let it off easy.
He lands on its back, hitting the beast several more times. In desperation, the Phoenix whips through the air, crashing into the side of the cliff. It shakes the mountain. “Argh,” Zero yells as he flies off the monster’s back. Stunned by the impact, the giant bird hurls to the ground.
Watching it fall, I know where it will land. If I move quick, I could greet it before it hit the ground. “Now’s my chance,” I realize, running toward the beast. I already know that I’m too weak to beat something as powerful as this massive bird. If Zero’s struggling, what chance do I have? But that was the old me. Now, I am stronger, have a better weapon, and have that deeper strength with the will control it. Surviving that fall won’t be the highlight of my achievements.
It falls fast, screeching in confused rage. I make it to its approximate crash zone in time to grab my staff with both hands and prepare myself for what I had to do. Reaching for the power, I visualize taking ahold of it with both hands. Drawing a deep breath, I close my eyes, focusing this power where I wanted it to go. “Let me slay this monster,” I plead to the unknown being again. When I open my eyes, I strike. You used Rising Crescent, the Voice declares. Springing into the air, I meet the monster, swinging my glowing staff. I strike the beast as hard as I can.
Pure excitement surges through me as I watch my staff hit the beast, but it did far more than hit it. The impact of the blow sends the beast, far larger than I, flying back to the wall. Its wings flap about as it tries to regain control. Its efforts are a waste because all it did was cause itself to fly into the wall again.
The thud shakes the earth. It lands on the ground, struggling to regain its bearings, but I’m not done with it yet. Repositioning my grip, I race forward with my staff. You used Bullseye. Leaping into the air, I rise above the dazed Phoenix as my staff glows again. Before it can react, I strike it between the eyes. The force of the blow sends the entire body crashing into the ground. “Yes,” I cry as I watch the health bar deplete further, but my excitement drops as soon as I drop down.
The Phoenix flaps its wings, rising off the ground. Its eyes blaze in my direction. Stats Boost: Agility: +5. With each stroke, a blistering wind surrounds me. The heat is so intense that it’s difficult to stand. The Phoenix flies toward me. Flames flicker across its body with a burning desire to end my life.
I smirk at the flaming beast before me. In its eyes, I can see fear. Our efforts have it closer to defeat. It knows I can win. Courage swells inside me, and I let my guard down. The beast opens its maw. Its blast of fire is quicker than I expected, catching me in the blaze. The fire surrounds me, making it difficult to breathe as the heat smothers me. The flames close in. With each second, my H.P. falls while the flames dance closer to my body. Images of G. and David flash through my mind. My stomach swirls at the horrible state this monster left them in. I can’t allow that to happen to me.
You used Stonewall, the Voice says. Stats Boost: Brawn +10. The health bar continues to fall, but not as much as it was. Looking at the beast, our eyes lock. Our fight is about to end, one way or another. I have to win. What now? There has to be something I can do to gain an edge. Staring into the flames, an idea comes to mind. If I was not in such a desperate situation, I would reject this idea, but
I’ll try anything. I reach out toward the flames. Their warmth covers my hands, bathing them until I’m not sure if they are on fire themselves. The H.P. drops at a faster pace. What am I hoping to accomplish? What power could I have against these flames?
I remember how Aurora controls plants while Maris deals with water. Would it be so strange that I had the ability to control fire? Waving my hands about, I reach for that energy again. I imagine grabbing the fire and forming a sphere. With this unknown power, I would fight the Phoenix with the very ability that it tried to consume us all with.
Glancing down at my hands, my heart drops. It did nothing. I have no control over this. Pulling my fingers out, the fire comes with them, dancing across my hands with delight. Dull pain surges up my arms. The Phoenix cackles. I can’t stay here. A thought comes to mind. What if I used that same move a second time? It has to boost my abilities further.
Focusing my mind, I rely on the same technique again, but the Voice doesn’t announce it, nor do I feel the same rush of power. Instead, a single sentence clouds my vision. You are out of M.P. Before my brain understands what that means, my heart sinks, knowing that it cannot be good. My eyes dart over to where my health bar is located. With horror, I notice that the M.P. is gone. Zero’s words of warning come back to my mind. “Once M.P. is out, the tricks are over with.”
Sweat pours down my brow. The fire around me seems hotter by the second, a sign that the original move must be wearing off. I’m out of options. With no time to think, I grit my teeth and spring through the fiery barricade. Passing through it, the flames consume me. My health drops at a faster rate. A scream bursts from my lips. As soon as I get through, I drop, rolling around as G. instructed, in desperation to extinguish the fire. It’s only a matter of time before my skill drops. What will happen then? Could I survive? I keep rolling, slamming my blazing body on the stony ground.
Mind's Journey 2: Of Monsters and Men (A Gamelit Fantasy Adventure - Book 2) Page 21
