Chapter one: A perfect storm
Orphen laid his head back as he focused on the sound of the waves. It was so calm yet so unstable. He was lying on a very uncomfortable bed, but that didn't seem to bother him. The ship he had taken was a little rusty, but fast, and that was all that mattered to him at the moment. He closed his eyes trying to listen to the water splash against the ship, it was something very relaxing.
Suddenly he felt a well known presence approaching slowly. His eyes were wide open when he looked at the door of his room. A beautiful, blonde girl was standing under the doorframe with an expression of hate and anger.
" What is it NOW, Cleo?" Orphen asked tired of the girl coming in to his room just to point out the fact that she was bored and tired of travelling.
" I wont even begin with the fact that your room is so much nicer than mine, I even tried to get used to the stonish bed, but now it's all flooded! I cant cope with that!" Cleo said as she took her hands to her hips. She was expecting him to solve her problems as usual.
" Flooded?" Orphen asked confused. Right away a few more steps were heard as Magic entered the room himself.
" Master, master! My room is also flooded! I was looking for the captain but he is nowhere to be found!" Majic said in desperation.
" No wonder this trip was so cheap.." Cleo said glaring at Orphen who had chosen the cheaper ship just not to waste a single penny.
" We have to get out of here.. and soon." Orphen said as he stood up from his bed and took his bag.
" Oh no! I didn't pick up my stuff! I'll be right back!" Cleo said as she started to leave but Orphen ran faster and got in her way.
" Don't be silly, there's no time for your crap. Follow me.." Orphen said as he turned his back on Cleo and began walking up the stairs that leaded them to the surface of the ship. Water was wild, splashing and flooding the ship. The sky had gone black all of a sudden, and the sailors rathered jump into the sea that remain in the boat.
" Oh god.." Cleo said as she looked at some thunders lighten the sky.
" It's a giant storm.. and the town is much further than this.." Orphen said out loud. Suddenly a lightening stroke one of the poles in the ship that began falling down rapidly. Majic and Cleo were right below it and none of them were reacting at all. Orphen looked at the scene and not really knowing who to save or what to do, he went straigth to Cleo, wrapped his strong arms around her and pushed her away. Seconds later, they both opened their eyes in shock of what had happened.
" Are you alright?" Orphen asked her concerned. Cleo nodded as he helped her up. " Magic…" Orphen murmured as he tried to find his apprentice in the middle of nothing.
" He's..?" Cleo started but Orphen never answered her. He grabbed her hand and began walking fast to the other side of the ship.
" Wait! Orphen just wait!" Cleo said as she stopped walking and looked at the man besides her.
" What is it?" Orphen asked coldly.
" We cant just leave.. he may be here.. we have to find him!" Cleo said nearly in tears. The water continued splashing wildly, even stronger than before.
" He's not here." Orphen said icily. He grabbed her hand again and began walking once again.
" WOULD YOU JUST STOP!" Cleo shouted at the sorcerer releasing herself from his grasp.
" NO! I WONT! LISTEN, MAjIC IS NOT HERE! WHATEVER HAPPENED TO HIM, WE WONT FIND HIM HERE! I DON'T SENSE HIS PRESENCE OKAY!" Orphen snapped at her. He couldn't believe he had actually let his apprentice die or something like that. He knew he couldn't save both but he never thought Majic could really be dead. He didn't feel his presence around but that didn't mean that he wasn't still alive. He had taught him well, he may have survived. Orphen tried to convince himself of that.
" Orphen.." Cleo started but Orphen looked down. Somehow he didn't feel like facing her eyes.
" We have to move. This is not just a simple storm.." Orphen informed.
" What do you mean?" Cleo asked scared. Again lightenings and thunders stroke the ship and really damaged it that time. The water was beginning to take all of the ship and it gave them a hard time trying to get to the higher part of the boat, the one with less water.
" MASTER!" Orphen heard a voice coming from the back. He turned around and saw Majic standing next to a very big man, kind of weird dressed, in the other part of the ship.
" Majic!" Cleo yelled happily. Orphen smiled but soon realized he couldn't do anything to help Magic and the man get to where they were now.
" Master! This man next to me says we have to get out of here! He says there's one creature coming! One very powerful! He knows a secret path to get out.. you have to come here!" Majic shouted all the information as he waited.
" Orphen.. how are we going to get there?" Cleo asked concerned. There was no way the could cross half the ship with the water and the thunders. It was suicide.
" We wont." Orphen said determined.
" What do you mean? We're going to die here!" Cleo said as she waited some kind of explanation out of the sorcerer that could save the day. But there was nothing. " ORPHEN! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Cleo insisted. But every since the moment that they had lost Majic, Orphen had behaved very strangely. Every since the moment he had saved her.
" I wont let you die calm down, blondie.." Orphen said as he began thinking.
" Master there's no time! Ox says we got to move now.." Majic said desperated. Ox responded to the name of the man next to him.
" Cleo.. I'll take you there.. when you reach the other side you just go with them got it?" Orphen said more of a statement than a question.
" Why? What are you going to do? You are coming with us, arent you?" Cleo asked scared of that answer. Orphen seemed to have no intentions of saving himself whatsoever.
" Don't ask. Just go." Orphen ordered her.
" No! I wont leave you here you idiot! No time to be the hero, if you're not coming with me, then I'm not going." Cleo said determinedn only to shock Orphen. He would have never imagined that she would actually sacrifice her life for him. But he wasn't going to let her do it anyway.
" I'm not asking you brat.." Orphen said as he began levitating her and sent her to the other part of the ship. She landed right nextto Majic and the man named Ox. Soon enough Cleo began protesting when they all heard a loud growl. They looked up and from the sky landed one immense creature. It was growling and breaking everything in its step. Even Orphen had a bad feeling about it.
" If you want to leave now's the time.." Ox said as he walked away.
" Majic.. take care of Cleo.. now go!" Orphen ordered as Majic nodded. Cleo didn't move and when Majic told her to, all she did was push him aside and grabbed her sword.
" Damn Cleo!" Orphen yelled.
" No.. YOU DAMN!" Cleo said as she tried to get to him. He couldn't believe what was going to happen. Not only he was going to die in hands of that beast, but also was Cleo. Somehow, she managed to reach the other part of the ship where Orphen was battling with the beast and tried to help him but she was beginning to be more of an obstacle than help. Orphen casted some spells that hurt the beast but they didn't stop it. He felt kind of tired to cast another one at the moment, and so he was thrown aside by one hit from the beast.
" Leki! Help him please!" Cleo yelled as the little wolf's eyes began to shine. Leki bought Orphen some time to cast another last spell. He took Cleo on his arms and waited for Leki to return to his mistress, then he started flying with them as he tried to get far from the threatening creature. In the middle of the storm, he couldn't get much further, but he managed to land in what seemed to be some sort of ruins of a temple or something like that. When his feet touched ground, he passed out.
" Orphen!" Cleo shouted worried as she looked at Leki. The wolf showed her his sad face as they both looked at the man lying on the floor. Cleo bended next to him, she checked on his breathing and was much calmer when she realized he was actually fine, but too tired that fainted.
She carefully lied down next to him as she intended to rest, but feel asleep, her head on his chest. Leki found a good place to rest in the upper parts of the ruins.
End of chapter one
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