“Quick, get to the ground!” Shelly darted past them, followed closely, as always, by Isaac. Everyone scrambled down the tree behind them to join the wizard.
When Miles stepped on the blue grass, he was attacked by a small, yellow light. It flitted past his face and struck him with its tiny, sharp wings.
“Squee! Squee!” The light was teasing him, laughing as it danced around his head.
The wings stung his face as he batted it away. “Get it off me!” Miles called, but no one came to his rescue. He flicked the ball of light onto a nearby rock, stunning it. As it wobbled and dove toward him again, he looked around to see that each of his companions was battling two or three at once. Cedric the Wizard was shooting at them with his Flamelash, which explained the bolt that had almost hit him in the treehouse, while Isaac and Shelly were fighting off six at once by swiping at them with swords.
He looked around for John and thought he spied his clothes lying in a heap on the ground. The pile was surrounded by a dozen dancing lights. Why have they taken John’s clothes? Miles wondered. Then he saw the mound move, ever so slightly.
“Miles,” the bundle whispered in John’s voice. “Use the yo-yo.”
It wasn’t a pile of clothes at all! It was John under attack. Miles shot the yo-yo toward the pile of clothing. With a crack, five lights were sent flying before flickering out. He threw the yo-yo again, hitting four more. The remaining three lights stopped attacking John, hovered, then descended on Miles. He fired the yo-yo again, hitting the final lights, which dropped to the ground instantly.
Miles reached out a hand to pull John to his feet. “Thanks, man, I owe you one,” John said, rubbing his neck. His face and arms were covered in red spots where he had been hit.
“No problem.” Miles grinned. “Glad I bought that enchanted yo-yo from you.”
“You’re good with that thing,” John observed.
The rest of the group walked over. “Is everyone okay?” Miles asked. They nodded. “Good,” Miles said. He was starting to enjoy his leadership role. “What were those things?”
“Pixies,” Isabella holstered her sword. “I kind of forgot how evil they can be.” She bent down to gather a glowing pile of dust. “But they are useful.” She handed the dust to Miles. “That’s a lot of Pixie Dust. You earned it.”
Miles examined the dust. “What can I do with it?”
“The question is, what can’t you do with it?” Cedric the Wizard replied. He always seemed to simply appear when magic was being discussed. “But it’s not real magic like mine. Want me to pull a gold coin out of your ear?” he asked hopefully.
“No thanks. I’m good,” Miles replied. He put the Pixie Dust in his pack. “I’ll save this for later. I’ll need an anvil to craft anything with it, won’t I?”
“Not necessarily,” Isabella replied. “You can mix it with hallowed seeds and a bottle of water to make Holy Water.”
“What makes it holy?” Miles asked, intrigued by the name.
“When you are fighting the Corruption, it could be your last chance to keep the world pure. One splash of Holy Water could save the world,” Isabella replied.
Miles wasn’t used to her speaking so seriously. “Do you think I need to make some now?”
“Do you have any seeds?” Isabella asked.
“Hallowed ones?” Miles asked. Isabella nodded. “No. Actually, I don’t have regular seeds either.”
“Do you have twenty silver coins?” Isabella asked.
“Twenty silver? That’s like 2,000 copper! I only have a little more than sixty copper.” Miles shook his head. “That could take forever.”
Isabella put her arm around Miles. “Don’t worry, little buddy. We’ll get you more coins.” Suddenly, she got a faraway look in her eyes. “Oh,” she cried softly.
“What is it, Izzy?” Isaac asked softly.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Isabella replied sadly. “With all of the beauty here, I forgot we are not living in a fairy tale.” She leaned against the trunk of the tree house.
Isaac sat next to her. “Is it the Corruption?”
Isabella nodded. “It’s coming for us.”
Chapter 3
IN THE HALLOW
As soon as Isabella spoke, the sand at the edge of the Hallow began to darken and the sky turned to fog. Two nearby cacti groaned as they shriveled into nothingness and were replaced by foul-smelling purple ones.
“Ebonsand,” Isabella moaned, sinking deeper into the base of the Hallow tree. “The Corruption is taking over.”
Miles touched the sand. It had the same texture as regular sand but it felt different. He sniffed. The air smelled dark, like mud and the slimy stuff at the bottom of a pond. He walked a few steps and found himself back on spongy Hallow ground. Here it smelled sweet and comforting, like sunshine.
“How is this happening?”
“It is part of the darkness. If you don’t stop the Corruption, it will grow and take over everything that is good,” Isaac replied.
“What can we do to help?” Miles asked. “Do any of you have ideas?”
“Well, I think we need to defend ourselves. A spell tome, for one,” the wizard replied quickly. “A Crystal Storm, I think. That should protect us from hostile mobs.”
Jack agreed, taking Cedric’s side. “Spells of protection and some good, old fashioned weapons of destruction.”
Shelly shook her head. “You’re a demolitionist. You would say that. We have to stop the spread by creating things that protect the Hallow. That magic water potion the dryad mentioned sounded good.”
“Holy Water,” Isabella said softly. “That’s in case of emergency,” she explained. “For now, we could use lots of Purification Powder.” The dryad seemed to gain strength as she thought of ways to keep the Corruption away.
The companions seemed divided into two groups: the ones who wanted to arm themselves to fight here and the ones who wanted to go wipe away the Corruption. Miles saw the value in each, but which needed to be handled first? He stopped to think about the Corruption. If he allowed it to it spread a little, he could go find a demon altar and become stronger. Was it wrong to want to sacrifice a little of the Hallow in order to gain more power? A strong warrior would know what to do, he thought to himself. Matthew would know.
“Matthew wouldn’t have been able to advise you with this,” a quiet voice from beside him said. He turned to see John by his side. “I figured that’s what you’d be thinking because he was your guide.” Miles nodded. “But with all his wisdom and experience, Matthew has never faced the Corruption or gone to the Hallow or battled pixies. But you have.”
Miles’s eyes widened. “So I’m already wiser and more experienced than Matthew?”
John laughed. “Not exactly. I was just saying he wouldn’t be much help. You have to weigh your options on your own.” John looked out at the landscape that was slowly changing from light to dark even though it was only mid-afternoon. “But I’d recommend you decide quickly.”
Miles nodded and addressed the group. “We have two options. Buy Purification Powder to stop the Corruption from spreading. That will leave us defenseless and cost us …” He looked to Isabella.
“Seventy-five copper,” she replied.
“Or we can buy a spell tome and gather ingredients to craft a Crystal Storm.” Miles looked at the wizard. “That’s a weapon that shoots off a cloud of missiles?”
Cedric nodded. “More or less. The spell tome costs five copper, plus a Soul of Light for two silver, and a crystal shard for fifteen silver.”
“Sixteen, actually,” John corrected him.
Miles calculated the amount in copper coins. “We can get protection for 1805 copper and we can heal the world for 75 copper.” Everyone nodded. “I don’t have that much cash on me for even one of those options.”
John spoke up. “I’m confused. You’ve been crying poor all day, but didn’t you just defeat the Wall of Flesh?” Miles nodded. “Then check your pack. That earns you
some serious bank.”
Miles had forgotten all about the other drops he earned when he fought the Wall of Flesh. He was so focused on losing Lila the Dryad and saying goodbye to Matthew that he forgot about what he had won in battle. After all, part of the reason he was in this warrior business was for the payoff. He ripped open his pack and dug down to the bottom. Nestled in the corner, he felt a tiny coin pouch. With trembling fingers he lifted the pouch.
“Open it!” Shelly called out.
Miles ripped it open and out spilled ten gold coins.
“Now that’s something I can work with,” John said approvingly.
For the next hour, Miles worked hard. He crafted the Holy Water—for emergencies only—and while he didn’t have enough for the Crystal Storm ingredients, he did buy a few throwing knives from Jack and a Dao of Pow from John for extra protection. Then, armed with the Purification Powder, he asked his friends to stand back. “Let’s try this stuff out, shall we?”
Miles threw the powder across the scarred ebonsand. Instantly, the cacti turned green and the dark sand lightened.
Isabella closed her eyes and breathed in the warmth of the clear desert air. “It is good. We are getting closer to a balance. For now.” She turned to Miles. “Keep up the good work!”
The companions broke into relieved laughter. The sound was interrupted by a low rumbling noise. Everyone stopped and looked around nervously. The rumbling happened again.
“What kind of mob is that?” Isabella asked.
Then another rumble, the loudest one yet, came—from Isaac’s stomach.
“It’s not a mob,” Isaac said. “I’m hungry.” The entire group burst out laughing again and even Isaac joined in. “I could use some grub myself,” John said.
“I bet we can cobble together enough ingredients to cook something special,” Shelly suggested. “Let’s head back to the Hallow.”
They pulled the food out of their packs and threw it into a pile, collecting enough for a feast.
“Now what?” John asked. “We can’t eat it raw.”
“I have a kitchen upstairs,” Isabella reminded them. “A house in the Hallow is free from the Corruption. As long as my home is here, I’ll always have a safe place to go.”
“You dryads are smart,” Jack said, clearly annoyed. “But you don’t have to brag about it.”
Isabella blushed. “I’m not bragging, Jack. I’m offering to share it with you. All of you.”
Jack smiled and grabbed Isabella in a bear hug, catching her by surprise. “On behalf of everyone, we accept! Now let’s make us a feast!”
Chapter 4
OLD AND NEW HOMES
As his friends prepared the meal, Miles explored around the tree house. There definitely weren’t enough rooms up there for everyone. And, though Miles didn’t know what creatures roamed the nights in the Hallow, he figured at least one of them could climb stairs. If they were anything like those nasty pixies … he shuddered to think of what other cute-named creatures turned out to be vicious killers.
Miles didn’t have long to wonder. He heard the sound of hoof beats, then a grunt and whinny and guessed that something like an angry horse wasn’t far away. He drew his sword in time to see a large, white creature charge and leap high over his head. It ran a few more steps, stopped, turned around, and pawed the ground, its ears pinned back, nose pointed straight at Miles.
That’s when Miles noticed something strange and unbelievable. The horse had a single silver, twisted horn. It was a …
“A unicorn! Miles, look out!” Shelly called, scampering down the stairs. The unicorn snorted, pawed the ground again and charged at Miles. Shelly dove off the bottom stair, knocking Miles to the ground and landing on him protectively as the unicorn galloped over them.
“What the heck?” was all Miles could manage to say.
Shelly threw a shovel to Miles. “Dig a hideout. Deep enough to keep you low. Go!”
Miles did as he was told. He dove into the hole and saw that Shelly had done the same thing. The rest of the companions were watching from the tree house, shouting suggestions.
“Confuse ’em with the Dao of Pow!” John yelled.
Miles pulled out his weapon and held it ready to stun the unicorn. He placed his broadsword nearby so he could finish the job quickly. “Anyone else have advice?” Miles called up to his friends.
“Look out below!” Isaac called, throwing down a spiky ball. It rolled to a stop not far from Shelly’s dugout.
“Thanks, Isaac!” Shelly called out.
The unicorn looked recharged and ready to fight. “That first pass was a warning shot,” Shelly told Miles. “We’ll be fine unless it decides to call its friends.”
As if in response, the unicorn reared back and pawed the air. With a loud shriek, the unicorn let out a call that sent Miles cowering into his hiding space. “Are you scared?” Shelly asked.
“Yes,” Miles admitted. “But that is a warrior’s way of getting ready for battle,” Miles said bravely. “My heart is racing, my blood is pumping, and I’m ready for action!”
“Well said, young Miles!” Cedric called down from the tree. Not only was it a compliment, but the wizard even got his name right. Miles beamed proudly, but he didn’t have time to reply. Two more unicorns appeared at the top of the hills, one on either side of him. He held his Dao of Pow ready, his finger poised above the button. He had to get the timing right to hit all three as they passed overhead.
They charged forward, two from one side, one from the other. A moment before they passed overhead, Miles pressed the button, deploying the flail.
Zap! Three direct hits!
A lone unicorn tried to raise itself up into the air, but with the confused debuff, it reversed down and up. He dropped to the ground and landed on the spiky ball the goblin had dropped.
The battle was going well. Miles and his group had already taken out one enemy and the other two were wandering around confused. Shelly and Miles had their weapons ready. One unicorn wandered past their hiding spots, saw Miles hiding in the hole, and looked ready to attack again. But since it was still dazed, it lifted its head up instead. Miles saw his opening. He swung his broadsword at the unicorn. The beast took damage but was still standing. It shook off the last of the confusion and focused more clearly on Miles. Miles hit twice more, each time causing more damage. The unicorn pawed at Miles with its powerful hooves.
Shelly tossed her wrench, hitting the unicorn from behind. The unicorn whirled to refocus its attack on Shelly. Miles took the opportunity and destroyed the beast. There was no time to celebrate—two new unicorns appeared on the hill. “It’s too much!” Shelly called. “You’re too inexperienced to take on this many. We’ll have to call the others.”
Miles shook his head. “I’m the leader. I can do this,” he said bravely. “Stay down and I’ll take care of them.” Miles jumped out of the hiding spot, catching the attention of the three unicorns. “Come get me!” Miles shouted. He used his flail again, stunning them. The three unicorns, dazed by the debuff, collided as they tried to separate. Left was right and right was left for them, but Miles only had a few seconds before the confusion wore off. Broadsword in hand, he plunged his sword toward the nearest unicorn, then slashed at the one next to him. The third, trying to attack, was backing up right toward where Shelly was hiding. “Look out!” Isaac called down.
Shelly threw her wrench, hitting the unicorn on the head and knocking into its horn. Reeling in pain, the beast flailed wildly, knocking Shelly’s wrench as it tried to return to her. The wrench clattered to the ground a few feet away from the beast.
“Drat!” Shelly cried out. “That’s my best weapon!” She climbed out of the hole and dashed toward her wrench. She was counting on the debuff to keep the unicorn confused.
A few steps away, Miles slashed at the other two unicorns and felled them at almost the same moment. “Oh yeah! Double down!” he called out in triumph.
He looked over to see Shelly had almost reached h
er wrench. The unicorn shook its head clear of the confusion and focused on the mechanic. “Shelly, look out!” Miles called.
Shelly looked uncertain whether to retreat to her hiding spot or reach forward for her wrench. She lunged toward the weapon. The unicorn leapt toward her. Shelly realized her mistake and raised her arms to her face protectively. “Nooooo!” Isaac called out from above.
The unicorn landed fully on Shelly. Miles surged forward with his sword and slashed at the beast. Miles knew that though he had beaten the unicorn, he was too late to save his friend.
While they crowded around where Shelly and the unicorn had been, John collected the coins, horns and Blessed Apples the unicorns had dropped when they were defeated “Not a bad haul for a quick fight,” he observed. “Four Blessed Apples. Impressive.”
“Where’s your sympathy, Merchant?” Isabella yelled accusingly at John. “We lost our mechanic.”
“We lost a friend,” Miles corrected her.
Isaac climbed slowly back up to the tree house. “I hope no one minds, but I’d like to be alone.”
“She was a good ally,” Cedric observed.
“And a good fighter,” Jack added.
“I sure will miss her,” Miles said sadly. “But we’ll think of her fondly in her new land.”
“Without a mechanic, we won’t be able to set traps. It’ll be tough fighting the Corruption without her,” Jack said. “You should get to town to meet Shelly’s replacement.”
“I guess you’re right,” Miles said. “But I’d like to build a house here first. Isabella was right, it’s not totally safe in the Hallow, but we’re safer from the Corruption, and there aren’t enough rooms up in the tree house for all of us.”
Isaac came downstairs. “Might I make a suggestion?” They all nodded. “If we build it right here where Shelly fell, it can be a guard station—a gateway to the tree house.”
“Let’s do it!” Miles shouted, happy to have an easy resolution. He quickly built two houses at the base of the tree, each with two rooms. “Now we’ll have enough space for old friends and new,” he announced proudly.
Snow Fight Page 2
