~chapter 22~
"So," Link said to JD. "Where do we go from here?"
"Well," he responded. "We'll probably head off towards Tribor Mountain. It's a day or two out of the Great Plains."
"Hmm...and the essence is on Tribor Mountain?"
"Well, I was going to tell you about it before, but forgot. There's this myth in Hensley about this giant that lives in a castle above the mountain. It's rumored that he has the element essence. I don't know if its true or not, but its the only lead we have right now."
"I thought all the giants had died out."
"A lot of people thought that. But then travelers who would pass near Tribor Mountain would disappear. Someone even claims that they saw the giant."
"I dunno...even if there was a giant, and it had the essence, it could be dangerous. Someone might get hurt, or even killed. It's a great risk."
"Yes, well, the way you talk about this Gondar guy, everyone could get hurt or killed if he gets his hands on it first."
"Yeah, I suppose your right...but..I've never exactly been in a giants caste, much less seen one."
"Well, I would say don't worry....but....well..."
"I know. Everyone's heard the stories. I'm not really worried. We'll think of something."
"If you say so..." They looked around the fire at the others. Jared was talking to Justin a little too loudly.
"...guess the dog's not as weak as she looks." he said, talking about Sam. Sam, who had overheard, stood and stormed over to Jared.
"You..." she punched him square in the gut. "You're such a jerk!" She stormed out of the campsite into the darkness. Jared had fallen backwards clutching his stomach and wheezing heavily.
"Man, you really need to lay off." Mitch said angrily.
"Yeah, you go too far sometimes." Bobby added.
"I have to agree with them..." Justin said.
"Who's...side are you...on..." he coughed standing slowly. He also left the campsite but in the opposite direction of Sam. Link sighed.
"I don't think those two will ever get along..." he said. Mitch and Bobby talked quietly as Justin stood and walked off in the direction Sam went. He found her about half a mile away sitting on a rock.
"You shouldn't let the things Jared says get to you..." he mumbled softly.
"I know...I just..." she said giving a sigh. "What's his deal anyway?"
"I think he's mad cause you hit him the first time...He doesn't like people getting the better of him..."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, go ahead..."
"When you guys were sitting over there and he was saying stuff, how come you were defending me?"
"Uh...well...I dunno..." he said rubbing the back of his head. "I guess...just...'cause it's not fair of him to single you out...y'know?" Sam smiled slightly and looked at the ground.
"I guess I..." she was suddenly interrupted by a series of low growls. She jumped up and looked around. 10 pairs of glowing eyes had surrounded the two.
"What is that?!" Justin shouted. The eyes advanced forward but they still couldn't be seen.
"Whatever they are, they're goin' down." Sam said drawing out her sword. Justin did the same and the two stood next to each other facing opposite directions. Justin jumped at one that had advanced close and swiped at its body, but he hit nothing. He felt a claw slash his face and he stumbled back, blood beginning to drip from the wound.
"Why didn't I hit it?" Justin mumbled to himself. Sam was busy trying to hit more of the creatures, trying to fend them off.
"I don't think this is working!" she yelled to Justin. Suddenly a clawed hand gripped her arm.
"Come into the shadows..." a haunting voice moaned. More claws grabbed her and began pulling her away from Justin.
"Help!" she cried. Justin looked over at her.
"Hey, put her down!" he shouted, rushing at the eyes and swinging his sword blindly. His sword grazed one of the eyes and he felt it had made contact.
"Ah, the eyes!" he said, slashing down another one. He killed the creatures holding Sam and the two slashed the other ones down.
"Well...that wasn't so bad..." Sam panted. Suddenly an uncountable amount of eyes appeared to their left.
"Uh....run..." Justin whispered. They took off running in the direction of camp. Justin could hear the creatures behind them.
"Almost there..." Justin mumbled the camp beginning to come into view. "Hey guys! Help us out!" Mitch and Bobby poked their head around a tent and looked at them.
"What's...whoa!" Bobby shouted when he saw the eyes. He called the others over. Justin and Sam ran into camp, followed by the horde of creatures. But the creatures didn't follow.
"Wha...?" Justin said puzzled. The creatures stood outside of camp, right behind the edge of the light that the fire was giving off. A very slight shadowed silhouette could be made out.
"Ah! They hate light!" Justin said. He picked up one of the pieces of wood from the fire by the end that wasn't lit, then charged towards the eyes, waving the log.
"Back! Get back!" he shouted, waving the stick. The creatures turned and fled into the darkness.
"Those were Shadows..." JD muttered. "They survive only in dark places, like caves and stuff, and they come out at night to feed."
"Huh? How'd you know that?" Jared asked.
"Because..." JD answered grimly. "I am one..." The group suddenly jumped back away from him.
"Heh." he began to laugh. "I'm only messin' with your heads. Had to break up that serious moment." The group stared at him like he was crazy. They then went back to what they were doing. Justin had gone back to his and Jared's tent. After about five minutes, someone opened up the tent flap. It was Sam.
"Er...can I come in?" she asked, peering in.
"Uh...sure..." Justin responded. Sam crept inside.
"I just...wanted to thank you...for before I mean. Thanks for saving me..." she whispered quietly.
"Oh," Justin said. "It was no pro--" he took a step forward and hit his head on the hanging lantern. "Ow...stupid piece of..."
"You alright?" Sam began to move toward him but tripped over Jared's pack and fell. She fell on him and they both tumbled to the ground.
"Err...kinda cramped in here..." Justin groaned, Sam lying on top of him. They stared into each others eyes for a few moments. Then they began to move their heads slowly closer....closer.....closer still...and then...
"Hey, Justin, I--WHA!!?!" Jared suddenly emerged into the tent to find them lying on top of each other. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"Uh...n-nothing happened!" Justin stammered. Sam shot up and got off of him, brushing herself off. She left the tent blushing slightly.
"Oh, I can't believe you..." Jared mumbled.
"What? I said nothing happened..." Justin protested, standing up.
"Yeah right...If I hadn't come in you two would've been all over each other like dogs in heat...more so than you were."
"Wha--your crazy...I can't....your crazy..."
"Say whatever you want, but that still wont cover up the fact that you like her." Justin opened his mouth to say something but thought otherwise and left the tent, blushing worse than Sam had.
~end~
"So," Link said to JD. "Where do we go from here?"
"Well," he responded. "We'll probably head off towards Tribor Mountain. It's a day or two out of the Great Plains."
"Hmm...and the essence is on Tribor Mountain?"
"Well, I was going to tell you about it before, but forgot. There's this myth in Hensley about this giant that lives in a castle above the mountain. It's rumored that he has the element essence. I don't know if its true or not, but its the only lead we have right now."
"I thought all the giants had died out."
"A lot of people thought that. But then travelers who would pass near Tribor Mountain would disappear. Someone even claims that they saw the giant."
"I dunno...even if there was a giant, and it had the essence, it could be dangerous. Someone might get hurt, or even killed. It's a great risk."
"Yes, well, the way you talk about this Gondar guy, everyone could get hurt or killed if he gets his hands on it first."
"Yeah, I suppose your right...but..I've never exactly been in a giants caste, much less seen one."
"Well, I would say don't worry....but....well..."
"I know. Everyone's heard the stories. I'm not really worried. We'll think of something."
"If you say so..." They looked around the fire at the others. Jared was talking to Justin a little too loudly.
"...guess the dog's not as weak as she looks." he said, talking about Sam. Sam, who had overheard, stood and stormed over to Jared.
"You..." she punched him square in the gut. "You're such a jerk!" She stormed out of the campsite into the darkness. Jared had fallen backwards clutching his stomach and wheezing heavily.
"Man, you really need to lay off." Mitch said angrily.
"Yeah, you go too far sometimes." Bobby added.
"I have to agree with them..." Justin said.
"Who's...side are you...on..." he coughed standing slowly. He also left the campsite but in the opposite direction of Sam. Link sighed.
"I don't think those two will ever get along..." he said. Mitch and Bobby talked quietly as Justin stood and walked off in the direction Sam went. He found her about half a mile away sitting on a rock.
"You shouldn't let the things Jared says get to you..." he mumbled softly.
"I know...I just..." she said giving a sigh. "What's his deal anyway?"
"I think he's mad cause you hit him the first time...He doesn't like people getting the better of him..."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, go ahead..."
"When you guys were sitting over there and he was saying stuff, how come you were defending me?"
"Uh...well...I dunno..." he said rubbing the back of his head. "I guess...just...'cause it's not fair of him to single you out...y'know?" Sam smiled slightly and looked at the ground.
"I guess I..." she was suddenly interrupted by a series of low growls. She jumped up and looked around. 10 pairs of glowing eyes had surrounded the two.
"What is that?!" Justin shouted. The eyes advanced forward but they still couldn't be seen.
"Whatever they are, they're goin' down." Sam said drawing out her sword. Justin did the same and the two stood next to each other facing opposite directions. Justin jumped at one that had advanced close and swiped at its body, but he hit nothing. He felt a claw slash his face and he stumbled back, blood beginning to drip from the wound.
"Why didn't I hit it?" Justin mumbled to himself. Sam was busy trying to hit more of the creatures, trying to fend them off.
"I don't think this is working!" she yelled to Justin. Suddenly a clawed hand gripped her arm.
"Come into the shadows..." a haunting voice moaned. More claws grabbed her and began pulling her away from Justin.
"Help!" she cried. Justin looked over at her.
"Hey, put her down!" he shouted, rushing at the eyes and swinging his sword blindly. His sword grazed one of the eyes and he felt it had made contact.
"Ah, the eyes!" he said, slashing down another one. He killed the creatures holding Sam and the two slashed the other ones down.
"Well...that wasn't so bad..." Sam panted. Suddenly an uncountable amount of eyes appeared to their left.
"Uh....run..." Justin whispered. They took off running in the direction of camp. Justin could hear the creatures behind them.
"Almost there..." Justin mumbled the camp beginning to come into view. "Hey guys! Help us out!" Mitch and Bobby poked their head around a tent and looked at them.
"What's...whoa!" Bobby shouted when he saw the eyes. He called the others over. Justin and Sam ran into camp, followed by the horde of creatures. But the creatures didn't follow.
"Wha...?" Justin said puzzled. The creatures stood outside of camp, right behind the edge of the light that the fire was giving off. A very slight shadowed silhouette could be made out.
"Ah! They hate light!" Justin said. He picked up one of the pieces of wood from the fire by the end that wasn't lit, then charged towards the eyes, waving the log.
"Back! Get back!" he shouted, waving the stick. The creatures turned and fled into the darkness.
"Those were Shadows..." JD muttered. "They survive only in dark places, like caves and stuff, and they come out at night to feed."
"Huh? How'd you know that?" Jared asked.
"Because..." JD answered grimly. "I am one..." The group suddenly jumped back away from him.
"Heh." he began to laugh. "I'm only messin' with your heads. Had to break up that serious moment." The group stared at him like he was crazy. They then went back to what they were doing. Justin had gone back to his and Jared's tent. After about five minutes, someone opened up the tent flap. It was Sam.
"Er...can I come in?" she asked, peering in.
"Uh...sure..." Justin responded. Sam crept inside.
"I just...wanted to thank you...for before I mean. Thanks for saving me..." she whispered quietly.
"Oh," Justin said. "It was no pro--" he took a step forward and hit his head on the hanging lantern. "Ow...stupid piece of..."
"You alright?" Sam began to move toward him but tripped over Jared's pack and fell. She fell on him and they both tumbled to the ground.
"Err...kinda cramped in here..." Justin groaned, Sam lying on top of him. They stared into each others eyes for a few moments. Then they began to move their heads slowly closer....closer.....closer still...and then...
"Hey, Justin, I--WHA!!?!" Jared suddenly emerged into the tent to find them lying on top of each other. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"Uh...n-nothing happened!" Justin stammered. Sam shot up and got off of him, brushing herself off. She left the tent blushing slightly.
"Oh, I can't believe you..." Jared mumbled.
"What? I said nothing happened..." Justin protested, standing up.
"Yeah right...If I hadn't come in you two would've been all over each other like dogs in heat...more so than you were."
"Wha--your crazy...I can't....your crazy..."
"Say whatever you want, but that still wont cover up the fact that you like her." Justin opened his mouth to say something but thought otherwise and left the tent, blushing worse than Sam had.
~end~