Welcome to Selflessly Deadly
DISCLAIMER- I do not own anything, all credit goes to Kingsisle Entertainment.
For once, the air wasn't scorching my lungs or burning my eyes. I can't remember the last time I was able to look up at the sky without ash raining down either. For caution, I continued to wear my mask around my mouth and nose along with my hood up. Though this wasn't the time for sightseeing, I still found myself stealing glances at the buildings around me.
I brought my focus back to the street, paying mind to not step off the chipped but protected sidewalk. The soldiers were mindlessly walking around, now grown accustom to the barrier between them and myself. All these soldiers follow one commander and because of that commander, they are blind to the fact of their world growing in ruins. Another fact of these soldiers was that they were all undead. Ghosts roaming to find a cause to the unrest.
One ghost stopped after spotting me. Slowly, she gave me a transparent smile. The thought of having one of these soldiers smile at you was enough to send chills down the spine. Actually having one do so will be giving me night chills for probably months. Behind a smile, a million words could be hiding. Ranging from kind, sympathetic, secretive, and more or less the deal here. Despair.
The lady continued to stand there, now leaning on her sword. The unforgiving thorns that were wrapped around the hilt glistened with it's poison. The magic that was radiating from her eyes alone almost reached me behind the barrier. I dropped the stare I had unknowingly had placed on her and rounded my last corner.
The light that greeted me almost had me pulling on my hood for shade. Crystals the size of towers having the width of ten feet were scattered throughout the gorge that laid in front of me. Their colors of yellow, orange, red, and many others were abnormal compared to the burnt land around it.
I released a breath I didn't know I was holding. This will be my new station for a few days, weeks, maybe even months. Though, I don't think this world had months to live. Taking another look around, I had to agree that this station is less of an eye sore to my last one. Which was just at an academy that I never exactly stayed at. While I was at my last station, I was roaming the spiral once more for two days. Trying to collect the ever helpful Dragon Rider's Staff.
The memory of those days replayed back in my head.
"A living student!" Her leaves seemed to brighten when she heard my footsteps. I continued walking up to her before speaking. Though the look in her bark blazed eyes told me she had probably seen her last living soul hundreds of years ago. Or anything living at that matter.
"Yes, I am Angela SpellHaven," I pulled out a badge that was attached at my hip. "I am a Sorceress from Wizard City Division Three." The tree's leaves were now giving off an intense heat with the light.
"You're here to help then?" I nodded, placing my badge back on my left hip. "Oh, thank the Great Tree!" She then went on about how Malistaire is raising a Titan Army. Not that I really needed to be told such a thing. I have been well informed before I even completed my task of healing the Mooshu Emperor. Malistaire, the one main target looming over Wizard City's five Divisions. Everyone's main goal.
As she talked, I tuned her out. Only when I noticed her eyes widen did I bother to listen in. Of course I would never let it show that I was blantly ignoring her.
"So," I started, "he's hiding in an office that only Dragon Riders can reach?" The way to catching him would never be as simple as a game of cat and mouse, but more of a follow my destruction and devastation. The old man did have a brain after all.
"Sadly that is the case," Ashley, the name that was scrawled out on a plaque at the base of her planter. Frowned for a second before showing another smile. "But, I know how you can reach him! You can find one of the few remaining dragons, control him, then fly up to the office." Ashley was beaming at her idea.
I found the thought to be pleasing, taming a dragon would be an experience that I could never turn down. Though there is a few things that I've learnt from staying in this cursing world. Number one was that to tame a wild dragon, or one that is a stranger to you. One must acquire a Dragon Rider's Staff. One that I do not posses.
"Wonderful idea, however I lack the one thing I need to tame a dragon for my own use."
"I happen to know where one rests." The tree hesitated before moving on. "However, there is a slight problem."
She explained to me that the last Dragon Rider's Staff that she knew of has been broken into pieces, possibly by Malistaire himself, and scattered across the spiral. Though there is a great chance that they haven't been turned to dust due to the fact that when the pieces were scattered. The one to do so had placed the pieces in chests. Obsidian Chests to be exact. each of these were guarded too by fierce allies. All I had to do was collect the pieces and bring them back to Ashley.
"The staff pieces can be found in each world you have came into contact with," she continued, " Wizard City, Krokotopia, MarleyBone, Mooshu, and even here." She even tells me which allies holds the chests. Though she doesn't know that I have dealt with them already.
Once I knew who held them, I was traveling for two days. Revisiting the chambers of those who wanted my blood. The tree was telling the truth with the chest holders. Once I entered their chambers, the chest was rested in the back of each one.
I shook my head, bringing me back to now. I can't waste time thinking of the past.
With my mind back on the quest I was given by the Dragonspyre Fire School Tree. I walked down the tan and purple stone bridge, sending me down into my station. The first thing I noticed which may become a problem was the over population in the spiders. Giant ones to put it as. Grateful that they seemed to ignore me.
Once off the bridge, I took a right and followed the stone walls. Every step I took only brought more crystals into view. Now that I was closer to them, I saw that there were even smaller ones. Ones that I could easily inlay into my amulets.
"Hey there younger!" A voice from up ahead rang. Almost startled me as I was always used to the quietness. I looked to see who was possibly talking to me. It was another ghost of course, rarely are the humans here alive anymore.
I saw that the man who called to me was a miner of the sorts. Almost like how Prospector Zeke dresses. The old man also had a pouch in his hands, one that looked a bit sharp at the edges.
"Hello sir," I nodded my head then pulled out my badge, "Angela SpellHaven, Sorceress of Wizard City Division Three."
He squinted at the badge then sniffed it, I placed it back before he could do further. "Eh? Another wizard in the grove?" He was shaking while he talked. "I thought I sprayed for those." He went into thought, for a few minutes time ticked on with silence between us. Until I tried to speak to him.
"Sir, mi-"
"Ah ha, I know what you're doing here." He grumbled to himself before pointing a wavering finger at me. "You're after the Flawless Raw Crystal right?" I was going to answer, however he did for me. "Well guess what, get in line. It's the rarest of them all, and I've got none to spare."
This old ghost was starting to get on my last nerve. He wouldn't let me get a word in at all. Interrupting me when he believes what I am about to say.
"Sir," I was trying my damnedest to hold back my tongue, "with all do respect, I don't care about your crystals. Like I said, I am a Sorceress from Wizard City Division Three. I was sent here by a Dragonspyre Fire School Tree named Ashley to actually gain one of those Flawless Raw Crystals to form a Dragon Rider's Staff to save your world. To recap, I don't personally want your crystal. I just need it to fix a staff which may result in you still having the right to reside in this crystal grove." At this point I had lost all my anger and spoke normally. "If you care at all about your home, you will help me gain this rarity."
The miner stared at me, his eyes twitched with what looked like irritation. Just when I thought I would be kicked from this grove. He spoke.
"Of course I don't want to lose my home." A grin spread on his wrinkled face. "I'll help, I'm Zarek Pickmaster," he extended his hand for me to take. I did.
"Now Zarek, mind telling me what to do first to gain this crystal?"
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