~Chapter 25~
Fears
Once Swaine calmed down, Oliver was able to cast a Fast-Travel spell to Skull Mountain, call of them taking off their winter coats before entering the caves. Abyssa, however, was hesitant to enter the cavern, as the last time she saw Kublai, he had knocked her out during her first battle with Swaine and Esther. God knows what he would do if he saw her entering his hideout.
"Oy, Oliver! Long time no see!" A pirate called to the young wizard as they entered.
"Hey, Swaine, how's the royal life, ha ha!" Another called, jokingly.
"Who's yer pretty friend, boys?" Another pirate asked, eyeing Abyssa.
"Don't worry, just ignore them," Esther whispered to Abyssa. "They're actually more friendly than you think,"
"Pirates? Friendly? Were you dropped on your head when you were born?" Abyssa sneered.
"Ahoy!" came a voice in the caverns, and on the top-deck of the Iron Wyvern, Kublai stood, waving to them. "Swaine, Esther! Been a few days... and I see you've brought Oliver with you this time!" he looked at Abyssa. "And that warrior you did battle with, too! What be going on?"
"We're looking for something," Oliver said, as Abyssa automatically held up the picture of the Azen. "A long time ago, your men stole this necklace... do you still have it?"
Kublai rubbed his chin. "Ah, yes... that necklace was a real jinx it was, I'll never forget it."
"Jinx? What do you mean?" Esther asked.
"Ever since it got on our ship, many a bad thing happened. Supplies rotted within a day, the ship suffered many engine problems- so much, we couldn't even start her up without something catching fire! Half the crew got sick and were too lame to even lift their heads. Finally, we figured the gem was cursed, so we took it and gave it to some ghoul on the Tombstone Trail,"
"Jeepers..." Oliver whispered, then turned to Abyssa. "Can the Azen really do something like that?"
"Aye, Ollie-boy. Legend says that if someone stole th' Azen, having no permission to handle it whatsoever, they'd be cursed with misfortune until they died, which would come sooner than they'd believe... 'Course, that was just a story we used to tell littlies to teach 'em not to take things without permission, see?" Mr. Drippy explained.
"Weird... nothing bad happened to me while I had it," Swaine said, scratching his head.
"...dammit." Abyssa scoffed, earning a glare. "So we have to go to Tombstone Trail now... great."
Oliver prepared to cast a Fast-Travel spell, but the light at the end of his wand flickered. "I don't have enough magic..." he said.
"Doesn't surprise me. We've been up since the crack of dawn, Fast Travelling from one location to another." Swaine replied. "We'll have to go on foot."
"What about Tengri? We could call him!" Esther exclaimed.
"Tengri?" Abyssa questioned.
"He's our dragon. We ride him around most of our travels,"
Dragon?! They have a flippin' dragon, too?! Abyssa thought, surprised.
"Ah, I wouldn't waste time calling for him, lass." Kublai replied. "It be Migration Time for dragons,"
"Migration?" Oliver asked.
"Aye. With Winter coming around, dragons travel across the lands to Old Smoky, where it's nice and hot, being warm-blooded creatures and all. During that time they also mate, preparing the world for new draglings by the time Spring comes back,"
"So no Fast Travel and no dragon..." Swaine sighed. "Guess we'll be heading out on foot,"
"Oy! Have you've lost the sight in your eyes, lad, or did you forget about my massive air-ship, the Iron Wyvern?!"
"You mean you'll give us a lift?" Esther asked.
"Of course! You're no strangers on my ship, and it's the most I can do after ye swabs saved the world! ...With help from me and me crew, that is, heh heh." he then turned to his crew. "ALL HANDS ON DECK, MEN! We're taking to the skies!"
"Skies...?" Abyssa repeated, eyes wide. She followed the others on the deck. "We're actually going to-"
Her voice was cut off by the sound of engines kicking on, as the massive air-ship began to hover, being steered out of the caves and into the open air!
"...FLY?!"
"Abyssa, are you okay?" Oliver asked, seeing the drifter suddenly had a freaked-out expression.
Abyssa pressed herself against the wall, eyes tight.
She was a little girl, no older than 5, standing on the roof as she tried to reach for her ball, which ended up stuck on the ledge below her, out of reach. Suddenly she slipped, grabbing onto a peg built into the side of the wall.
"What is that little girl doing?" A woman asked as she walked by with her husband.
"Getting into trouble, it looks like. Better keep walking before we get involved..." The man replied, and they left the little girl to hang there.
"Mommy... daddy... help!" The little girl cried.
Then she lost her grip...
Abyssa gasped and opened her eyes, seeing Esther was standing right beside her. "What? You've never seen anyone with vertigo, before?!" she snapped.
"Huh? You're afraid of heights?" Esther asked.
Dammit, just when I thought this blonde was dumb! Abyssa thought, cursing herself. "Just keep your mouth shut about it! Where's the wizard and thief?"
"Talking to Kublai. If you want, we could go into one of the rooms and talk, to help you feel better-"
"I'm fine! Just... tell Kublai to hurry up and get us to Tombstone Trail so we can land,"
Esther sighed, turning and walking away. "Why do I even bother?" she asked herself.
*0*0*0*0*
They managed to reach the Tombstone Trail in under an hour. The duration of the time Abyssa spent keeping against the wall, her eyes shut, her body tense. Oliver wanted to go over and see if she needed or wanted anything, but Esther talked him out of it. "She won't accept anything, she's just so stubborn!" the familiar-tamer had told him. "The sooner we find this 'Azen', the better."
The Iron Wyvern hovered above the cliffs located by the Tombstone Trail. "Hey, I can see Hamelin from here," Swaine cracked, looking over the edge.
Abyssa opened one eye, nervously looking over the edge, seeing the tiny kingdom of Hamelin way below, out in the distance. "Oh!" she moaned, shutting her eyes tight. "Can we just land the ship already?"
"There be nowhere to land, lass. Ye have to swing down," Kublai replied.
"Swing...?" Abyssa looked seeing some crew members tying down ropes, and throwing them over the side of the air-ship. "Gah! From way up here?!"
"Don't worry, we'll bring the ship down to about 200 feet above ground, just high enough so ye all can reach the ground, without the cliffs doing much damage to me ship,"
"What's the matter, afraid of heights?" Swaine questioned with a smirk.
Abyssa only glared at him. "Don't make me throw you over the edge, thief..." she growled, trudging over to the side of the ship and grabbing hold of a rope.
"Just leap over the side with a good grip, hold the rope with your legs, and slide on down," Kublai advised them.
Easier said than done, Abyssa thought, looking over the edge. Her vision blurred when she noticed how high they were up, even if the ship lowered a few thousand feet. She looked over, seeing Oliver was going down first, Mr. Drippy hanging on to his shoulder and coaxing him. Esther had her eyes shut as she went next, screaming for a few seconds but all the while fine. Swaine looked over at her, gave a nod, and dove next.
Abyssa kept her eyes shut, inching over to the edge. She made the mistake of looking again and gasped, gripping the rope. No, she wasn't going to jump over...
*0*0*0*0*
"What th' flip is she doin', mun?" Mr. Drippy asked, arching an eyebrow.
Everyone looked up at the edge of the Iron Wyvern, watching as a pair of feet shimmied over the edge, followed by a pair of legs, accompanied by a torso, until the drifter had made it over. They heard her yelp as she looked down, gripping onto the rope for dear life.
"Abyssa! Are you alright?" Oliver called.
"I'm dangling 200 feet above ground, I'm just dandy!" Abyssa yelled back, slowly inching her way down the rope, stopping every so often with a gasp.
"Great... she is afraid of heights," Swaine scoffed. "By the time she reaches the ground, we'd have found the Azen and be out Christmas shopping... ten years from now!"
"Swaine! Be nice!" Esther scolded, as they continued to slide down, a few inches at a time. "It's not always easy, facing certain fears. I used to be afraid of thunderstorms before I met you guys,"
"Really?" Oliver asked. "How did you manage it?"
"Well, after we started travelling the first time, I grew used to them, let alone faced more frightening things which I soon became used to as well." they were halfway down the ropes now, almost to the ground. "Soon, I forgot the reason why I was afraid of them in the first place."
"Nice, but I don't think it'll help our drifter's vertigo," Swaine scoffed.
"I told you, you can't face it head-on so easily! I used to flinch every time lightening flashed, and if we weren't in a battle with Shadar, I would have spent our first voyage down in my room under my bed. ...Besides, I'd think even YOU have a fear of something, Swaine!"
"Me?! Ha! I'm not scared of anything,"
"Oh, please! You're a total coward!"
"I am not! You're the one always whimpering about something!"
"You're the one always suggesting we run away during a fight!"
"That was one time!"
Oliver sighed. Even at 100 feet in the air, Esther and Swaine could argue about anything! And the duo kept up their arguement until they were on the ground, Oliver often looking back up at Abyssa to see how she was doing, noticing the drifter only moved an inch at a time.
"Since when am I afraid of the dark?! Do I have to tell Oliver who invited who to stay in their bedroom because of some ghost-story?!" Swaine snapped.
"I thought we agreed never to talk about that!" Esther hissed.
"Flippin' heck, you two! Give it a rest already!" Mr. Drippy snapped. "I swear, ye two fight more than Puss In Boats and Gruffians!"
"He/She started it!" Swaine and Esther sneered at the same time, then turned and glared at one another.
"Um, guys? I think we have a problem..." Oliver said, looking up.
"I'll say. If Thief-Face and Esthy keep shooting off their mouths, we'll have to tape 'em shut!" Mr. Drippy scoffed.
"No, I mean Abyssa!" Oliver pointed up.
Abyssa was still clinging to the rope, barely five feet down.
"Oh, for crying out loud..." Swaine muttered.
"Should we wiggle the rope or something?" Esther suggested.
"No, that might make her more nervous. We should try a more calm approach," Oliver replied.
"OI! ABBY!" Mr. Drippy shouted.
Abyssa gasped, snapping back to reality and looking down... then yelped and momentarily lost her grip, plummetting as she grabbed the rope, then clung to it once more, hyperventilating. "DON'T DO THAT!" she screamed.
"Subtlety: Thy Name Is Drippy," Swaine remarked, sarcastically.
"Abyssa, just climb down slowly!" Esther called up to the drifter. "You'll be okay!"
They watched her, seeing that she barely moved. "Ugh, this girl is impossible!" Mr. Drippy groaned. "If she don't come down, we'll have to cut th' rope!"
Oliver rubbed his chin. "I think I have an idea. My mom taught me it to help me climb down a rope at the playground once," he said, then called up to Abyssa. "Close your eyes! Count to 100 slowly as you climb down!"
"What?!" Abyssa replied.
"It'll help! Just try! We're not going to go anywhere until you get down!"
The drifter seemed to cling on for a while longer, but finally took a deep breath, slowly moving down the rope while counting. "One... two... three... four..." she whispered to herself.
"Well what'ya know, she's actually doing it," Swaine commented, watching. His eyes caught something flying by just then, shining in the sunlight. "Huh? Did you guys see that?"
"What?" Esther asked. Suddenly she saw it to- something shooting by in the air... cutting through the rope! "Oh my gosh!"
Oliver noticed it to. "Abyssa! Hurry up and get down, quick!" he cried urgently.
"I'm only at 20-" Abyssa began to reply, until she felt a jerk. She looked up, seeing the rope had been sliced, and was about to break. "Oh, flippin'-"
*SNAP!*
"HEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"
Oliver acted fast, casting a Levitation spell on her, and she stopped a foot before she could hit the ground, hyperventilating. Once the spell wore off, they sat her on the ground. "Are you alright?" the young wizard asked.
"No, I'm not! I nearly fell and broke every bone in my body, thank you very much!" She snapped. "What kind of rope just breaks like that?!"
"One that's been cut," Swaine answered, picking up the fallen rope and showing her the end of it. "Something went flying through the air and sliced these ropes,"
"Who or what was it, do you think?" Esther asked.
"I don't know... but we'd better keep an eye out," Oliver answered. "Someone must know we're looking for the Azen, and must be after it,"
"No flippin' duh!" Abyssa sneered, then sighed, looking around. "But, I have no idea who else would know about it, outside of the people we mentioned it to- but I doubt any of them would be crafty enough to be following us this long!"
"I'll stay behind and ask Kublai if he saw anything," Swaine offered, looking out at Hamelin. "I need to go see Marcassin anyway, I'm long past my due-date to check on him,"
"Good idea," Oliver agreed, and they headed up the Tombstone Trail, while Swaine climbed back on board the Iron Wyvern.
*0*0*0*0*
As they walked, Abyssa couldn't help but feel ashamed of herself. How embarrassing it was that everyone discovered her vertigo- and it was doubtless Swaine would probably hold it over her head for the rest of time.
What she couldn't figure out was who was trailing them. First, someone had knocked Oliver's wand out of his hand back in the Rolling Hills- as she overheard Swaine tell the group. Now, someone had tried cutting her rope. But if they're after the Azen, why are they trying to kill me? Unless they've already acquired it and don't want us to get closer to finding out where it could be... she wondered.
"I'm sorry, you c-c-can't pass here,"
"Huh? WHOA!" Abyssa cried out, seeing a living skeleton standing before her. "W-What?"
"You're still alive, aren't you? Only the dead are allowed to walk-k-k-k on the Tombstone Trail," the skeleton replied, then motioned to Oliver and Esther. "Lik-k-ke these two,"
"W-What?!" Abyssa turned to Oliver and Esther. "But you're not-"
"Shh," Oliver whispered. "It's okay, he just thinks we're dead... it's part of a spell I used a long time ago," he conjured up a spell, holding up a red apple. "Here, just take a bite. It'll make it look like you've died,"
Abyssa began to panic. "No way, man! I'm not biting that!" she turned to the skeleton. "Look, we need on the trail, we're looking for something important!"
"We'll look for it," Esther sighed. "Just show him the picture,"
Abyssa shakily held up the picture of the Azen. The skeleton gasped. "You're look-k-king for the Azen?!" he questioned.
"You know about it, too?!" Abyssa asked.
"When you've been as dead as I have, you know these things. Many K-K-Keepers of that gem reside here,"
"Kublai said he and his men left the Azen here, thinking it was cursed. Do you know anything about that?" Oliver asked.
"Of c-c-course! My ghoul-friend said something about a pirate chucking it into a graveyard, where K-K-Kendra found it,"
"Who's K-K-Kendra... I mean, Kendra?"
"She work-k-ks at the C-Crypt C-C-Casino... What business have you with the Azen, I must ask-k-k?"
"I'm the current Keeper of it," Abyssa told him.
"Ah... Too bad you're not dead, so you c-c-could retrieve it,"
"OH COME ON!"
"Abyssa," Oliver whispered, offering her the apple. "It's the only way,"
Abyssa groaned. She didn't trust the wizard one bit, worried it might be a trick to kill her. But, it was the only way to get on the Tombstone Trail... and she figured sooner or later she would die on this trip. "I swear to God, if I die for real, I'm going to send my ghost back to kick your ass," she groused, taking the apple, and taking a bite.
Then everything went black.
*0*0*0*0*
Swaine didn't know how much he missed being in Hamelin until he entered the city. The smoggy air was the only thing he didn't care for, but other than that it felt good to be home. He entered the palace, heading to his brother's chambers, seeing the young Great Sage working with a crystal ball, bringing up an image of King Tom. "Yes, I think I've got it!" his brother was saying to himself. "Now to find Gascon..."
Swaine smirked, sneaking over and standing behind him, watching as his brother waved the Mornstar wand, as a wavy image appeared in the glass, slowly coming to, and the ex-prince had to bite his lip to contain a laugh.
"Huh?" Marcassin gasped once the image was clear, and slowly looked over his shoulder.
"Miss me?" Swaine said quickly.
"Yipe!" Marcassin gasped, giving a jolt. "Gascon, don't DO that! You know I hate it when others sneak up on me... You're lucky I didn't hit you with a spell,"
Swaine rolled his eyes. "I've been fine, thanks."
Marcassin sighed, but chuckled. "Ah well... It's good to see you again. I haven't seen you since the end of Spring, and was beginning to worry! What have you've been up to?"
"Oh, going around, helping people, being a saint like always..." Swaine smirked as he said this. "Now what's with the magic crystal ball? You trying to see into the future or something?"
"I've mastered the Foresee spell. Cassiopeia showed me it, and I've been trying my hand at it. Oliver gave me his old wand so I would have enough power, and I've been practicing with it the last few days, leveling up so I would be able to use it. And I've finally done it!"
"So I've noticed... And I take it you were planning on using it to spy on me?"
Marcassin's smile faded. "Well... not quite. I planned on using it to find you as you travel, so that if you were in any danger, I could come and help,"
Swaine scoffed. "I appreciate the offer, Marcassin, but you don't need to 'check up on me'. ...That kind of job belongs to the older sibling, remember?"
"I know... but it belongs to a younger sibling too, especially if his older brother is always facing peril. ...I'll also use it to get a good view around the city, to help monitor everything."
"I bet you could use it to spy on people, too."
Marcassin gave his brother a look. "Oh, come off it, Gascon. ...By the way, wasn't Esther with you?"
"Yeah, but she and Oliver are helping Abyssa out on the Tombstone Trail,"
"Abyssa? Who is Abyssa?"
Swaine sighed, wishing he had kept his mouth shut, knowing his brother would be really concerned about him if he told him about the psycho-girl who tried to kill him. ...So, he just skipped that part. "She's just someone we're helping out. She lost this necklace of hers, and we've been from one town to another looking for it,"
"I see. Is she a new friend, or something?"
"Pffft! Not from my point of view! ...From all I can tell, she really hates my guts."
Marcassin snickered. "No, really? You're usually quite the charmer!" he joked.
Swaine once again rolled his eyes. "Ha ha. Why don't you come with us? I'll tell you all the details along the way,"
"I'd love to, Gascon, but with the Storm Season going on, I'll be staying behind to make sure the city remains stable. The tornados will be along anytime, now."
"Well, surely you could just leave it to the captain of the guards, can't you? Take some time off?"
Marcassin shook his head. "It will have to wait. Not until I know our city will remain in good shape."
Swaine smiled, patting his brother on the shoulder. "You know, you make a better ruler than I do... almost, heh heh."
Marcassin grinned. "Thank you, brother."
Swaine cleared his throat. "Well, got to get back to Oliver and Esther- those two will need help handling that drifter. We'll come by again, make sure the city is still standing... so no spying on us!"
The young Great Sage chuckled. "Have a safe trip, Gascon,"
"You know it... oh, and Marcassin?"
"Yes?"
"It's SWAINE,"
*0*0*0*0*
A/N: So we've learned a little more about Abyssa, and got a nice brotherly moment between Swaine and Marcassin ^-^ Next chapter, the search goes on!
Reviewer Thanks, ahoy!
Mike AZ 2: Well, hopefully I can keep up with the suspense, and that's yet another mystery; Thank you once again!
Review, nit-pick, no flame, good day.