They had been traveling for awhile, wondering where they would find the next Inn, how much further the next town could possibly be. The weather had gone from bad to worse and all four of the adepts were shivering in soaked clothes. Rain poured down on all of them and offered no promise of reprieve anytime soon. Ivan's teeth chattered endlessly and Mia's voice trembled every time she spoke. Isaac had caught a cold at some point and his harsh coughing fits scared the rest of them. For whatever unfathomable reason, Garet was the one best handling the weather, an idea he just couldn't quite grasp. If anything, Mia should be the one dealing with the sudden onslaught of harsh weather the best, due to her link with the element that rained down upon them. Guilt at his friends' conditions sometimes ate away at him. He felt he should be the one sick, coughing, trembling, and chattering since this was his opposing element yet he didn't feel all that bothered by it. It was strange; at the Mercury Lighthouse, he hadn't felt all that great. Here, out in the open, it didn't bother him as much as he would have thought. It felt more like a challenge, like a game of some sort between water and fire. Hearing Isaac's cough, he felt immediate guilt at having considering these conditions game-like in the slightest form. This was not a game, this was serious. They needed to get to a warm Inn and fast. They were low on supplies and in this weather, they simply couldn't stop to search for much of anything. Garet's stomach started to crawl with a sudden sense of urgency to get out. He masked his face with false calmness, forcing himself not to panic. He was about to voice concern to Isaac when he realized his friend was no longer near him. He turned and found him several feet behind.
Isaac had stopped near a tree and held onto it tightly as coughs wracked his body again. Garet, Mia, and Ivan all exchanged worried looks. None asked if he were okay because they all knew he wasn't and not one of them could do anything about it. Garet approached his friend and grasped his shoulders, trying to offer him some comfort. Isaac nodded at him, eyes tired and face pale. "Sorry, I just-" he was cut off as his body shook with violent coughs yet again. Garet held both of his shoulders firmly, helping him keep his balance.
"A town can't be too much further," Ivan offered up, trying to stifle his chattering. They all knew Isaac was upset that they were all being exposed to the elements like this. They had been warned about this upcoming storm in the last town, but they had all felt they could make it to the next town before it became a serious threat. All had helped to come to this decision, but Isaac had the final say in the matter and it was clear he was wishing they had waited this out in the last Inn. Still, the townspeople made it out to not be this big of a deal, Ivan thought looking at the vicious storm clouds that decorated every inch of the sky as far as he could see.
"Yes, we should be there soon," Mia joined Ivan in his efforts of trying to keep their blond leader's spirits up. It was hard as her voice trembled when she spoke and her hands felt like ice. She offered a small smile, but Isaac kept coughing and she felt real fear for his health grip at her. All that coughing sounded awful to her ears, so loud even over the torrential downpour they were in. She knew that both Ivan and Garet shared her concern.
Garet looked down at his friend, filled with the same worry and sense of urgency Ivan and Mia shared. They all wanted to get to the next town, not only to get out of the rain, but to have someone look into Isaac's health. Mia had tried healing him and Isaac, himself, had cast a few healing spells. While they all felt they had helped, it was only a little which only magnified their sense of urgency. At the very least, he needed some real rest and they had been trudging in this rain for nearly two days straight without any real way to shelter themselves from it. They had pitched a tent at night, but even then, it leaked and blew away more than once. Garet had somehow managed to catch it each time and they had trudged on, hoping to glimpse their destination and be free of this miserable weather or, at least, sheltered from it. "You okay?" Garet asked when Isaac's body stilled beneath his hands and his coughs died down.
Isaac nodded again, hand clutching at his throat. "Yeah, we need to go," he gasped out, starting forward. Garet nodded and kept close by should his friend need support again. He also kept a close eye on Mia and Ivan, worried for them as well. There were not many trees in this area they all felt uncomfortably exposed, especially with the lightning flashing in almost every direction and thunder clapping all around them. Garet could recall the strong gut feeling he'd had for them to move as quickly as possible and make themselves scarce from that area. He tried to force them all to walk quicker by speeding up his own pace, but all three of his friends had been horrified at the idea.
"Garet, I can't go that fast," Isaac panted, shame coloring his face.
Ivan called out from behind, "Can you guys slow down?"
Mia said nothing, but Garet could sense her want to go at a slower pace, too. Not that they all didn't want to get out as fast as possible, those three were just spent and couldn't force their legs to move any faster. Garet had just been gearing up to explain his urgency at wanting to leave the area when creepy, booming laughter pierced through the downpour, filling the air all around them. Garet whipped his head around, panic rising in him, the gut feeling of needing to leave growing stronger than ever. Despite another coughing fit, Isaac's head swung wildly about as he also tried to place the owner of the strange laughter. Wide-eyed, both Ivan and Mia stopped in their tracks, wet bangs hanging in their eyes as the laughter cut them to the core, terrifying them into completely stillness.
"W-what is that?" Ivan murmured under his breath.
Mia shook her head just slightly, afraid to make too much movement. "I have no idea."
Garet took on a more offensive position, realization instantly hitting him that his friends were not exactly in ideal condition to fight any type of monster or whatever else might be on this cursed path. "What do you want?" Garet loudly demanded, making sure his voice was clear and did not tremble. It was firm and confident; he did not want anyone think they could take advantage of them despite their obvious disadvantages. "Show yourself." Words he would later regret.
Red eyes shone through the sheets of rain piercing Garet's narrowed auburn ones. Mockingly, the eyes lit up with more laughter unnerving Garet to his very core. "I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered, but this words were lost to the rain. Isaac had stifled his coughs as best as he could and stood next to him, weapon drawn and face wary as he regarded the glowing eyes in the distance. Mia and Ivan uprooted themselves from their positions further back and hurried over to their two friends, trying to mask their horror at the laughing that surrounded them and the amused, red eyes that twinkled through the rain.
"Where did that thing come from?" Mia cried, raising her weapon and praying she had enough strength to wield it and cast psynergy spells, not too mention summons.
"I don't know, but I sure hope it goes back," Ivan muttered, unable to keep from gawking at the intimidating eyes that seemed to float in the rain.
"Doubt it," Isaac's determined voice snapped them all into readying positions. Mia glanced around, desperately wishing they could run away from it, but the laughing came from all around and surrounded them on every side. She gasped as she noticed more eyes to her right and then to her left. Whirling around, she tugged on Ivan, indicating that those strange eyes were on every side of them.
"We're boxed in," she whispered, her voice thin with fear and worry. "We aren't in any condition to fight." She found her worry reflected in Ivan's large, purple eyes when she locked onto them, trying to seek assurance from someone. There were no assurances offered.
"Don't let it intimidate you," Isaac commanded, though his voice was not anywhere near as strong or confident as it usually was.
All three of his friends gave a curt nod of their head, though fear was still very evident in their eyes. "Why are they just laughing at us?" Garet demanded in frustration. "Get your asses over here and fight!" He angrily taunted them, hoping to lure them out in the open. It would be much easier to attack if they had a clear view of it. Laughter resounded all around him and he felt more anger swell within him. "Either get over here or I'll get over there!" he harshly cried out, charging forward, ready to beat something into a bloody pulp. Isaac let out a small cry of alarm and Garet halted, belatedly realizing he'd just cut himself off from the group. He froze and slowly turned back around, eyes widening in horror.
Transparent, glowing sheets with a golden tint had boxed in his three friends, each staring out at him with the same horrified expression. Finally, they were free from the rain, but found little comfort. Seeing the rain bounce off the transparent box was disconcerting and surreal. All four of them had never seen anything like it and for a few moments, they all simply gaped. Isaac, Ivan, and Mia watched as the rain continued to pound onto their red-headed friend. Isaac rushed at the wall, wondering if they could pass through. He bounced back, landing hard on his bottom. Mia and Ivan hurried over, neither unable to tear their eyes away from the wall that suddenly blocked them from the outside world. Mia knelt next to him, checking to make sure he hadn't been injured. Ivan stood closer to the wall, returning Garet's confused look.
After assuring her he was fine, Isaac shifted away from Mia slightly and pushed himself off the floor joining Ivan near the wall. "We can't get out," he shouted at Garet, hoping his friend could hear them.
"What do you think this thing is?" Ivan looked all around, the sheets covered them on all four sides and even created a roof above their heads, protecting them from the rain. Looking down, he took note of the mud that his feet were sinking in. "I guess we don't get a floor."
Mia shook her head in answer to his question. "I have no idea what this is. I've never seen anything like this." She looked out at their friend who was on the other side of the sheets. "Is Garet going to be okay out there?"
Concern and worry were written all over Isaac's face as he stared through the strange sheets, also wondering if Garet would be okay. "I don't know. I hope those things don't want to fight us one on one."
"I doubt it," Ivan piped up. "They were probably hoping to have all four of us in here, but Garet charged out when he did. If anything, he's probably the one most safe right now."
Mia and Isaac exchanged looks at dread. Neither could fault Ivan for his logic and all three of them waited with trepidation for whatever was to come next.
Garet spun around, ready to demand the release of his friends from their glowing prison, but the words died in this throat. He lowered his weapon, frantically searching for any sign of the red eyes. Only the rain and thunder made noise, there was no laughter to be heard. They had all vanished. His voice was thin as a whisper. "Where-where are they?"
Cries of agony from behind answered him. Garet turned back to the prison and watched as each of his friends fell to their knees. Pulsing, glowing balls of light floated above each one. Mia, Isaac, and Ivan each had their hands to their ears as if hearing some terrible noise threatening to damage their ears. Fascination and horror kept Garet rooted to the spot, motionless as he watched the balls' pulses quicken and then the balls themselves exploded above each of the three adepts, enveloping them in warm, golden light for several seconds before vanishing completely. The see-through golden wall that had surrounded them slowly vanished. Garet rushed towards them, frantic. "Hey! What happened? Is everyone okay?" he couldn't stop the questions that fell from his lips without thought. Worry and anger burned within him and he did not like to see all three of his friends on their knees. Ivan was the first to make any sort of response, slowly pulling himself up from the muddy earth.
He rubbed his temples before answering Garet, who was hovering between all three of them, not really sure who he needed to deal with first. "Ugh," Ivan muttered, trying gather his thoughts and figure out what had just happened. Garet was by his side in an instant.
"Are you okay? What did that thing do?" he demanded, trying to divide his attention between his three friends and keeping a lookout for those red eyes to reappear.
Ivan shook his head, still trying to clear all his thoughts. It was strange, like time had slowed. Even the rain, while still heavy, seemed to be hitting the ground slower. He could make out each, individual drop as it fell from the sky. Garet was running around from friend to friend, but it in slow motion to his sight. His chattering had stopped and he felt warmth in his body. All his strength had returned and he no longer felt tired, weak, cold, and hungry. If felt like he had just woken up from a very peaceful rest even though his ears still stung with pain. "That's weird," he muttered.
"What? What's weird?" Garet asked, trying not to let his paranoia consume him. Those things were bound to attack again. If that even was an attack. What was all that light about? he tried to quash all the panic he felt rising within. He needed to stay focused, especially with Isaac and Mia still totally out of it. They weren't unconscious, but both were still clutching their ears and staring at the ground as if in intense pain.
Ivan finally steadied himself and stood straight, observing the area around them. "It's fine. I just feel really great all of sudden. Like I just found ten psynergy stones, ate a great meal, and had a wonderful night of peaceful sleep."
Gaping, Garet stared at him as though his friend had just grown an extra head and a couple more arms. "How is that possible? You were just on your knees, crying in pain."
"I know," Ivan readily agreed with a shrug. "I don't know. But I feel great now. Like those golden lights really helped."
"Why would some creepy monsters want to help us?"
"I have no idea. Maybe it wasn't the monsters?" Ivan suggested, glancing around for any potential allies that might be stationed nearby.
With Garet's help, Isaac had finally managed to pull himself off the ground. He spent a moment trying to make his world stop spinning before looking over at Ivan. "I feel great, too. But this makes no sense. Why would those things appear and help?"
"Plus, those things did not look like they wanted to help anyone," Garet put in, while trying to get Mia's attention. Her hands were still firmly over her ears and she was still staring horrified into the dirt. Finally, she looked up at Garet and accepted his hand. He pulled her up, checking again to make sure nothing was broken. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. That was just such a horrible sound, like the death of tons of living creatures all at once." She shuddered, trying to wipe the memory of such an awful sound from her mind. "I don't know what just happened, but other than my ears, I feel really good." She looked around before adding as an afterthought, "Everything is moving really slowly, though."
Garet regarded all his friends with a strange, contemplative look. "I don't know what that thing just did, but I really doubt it was anything good." Before anyone could reply, laughter bombarded them on all sides. Garet whirled around, looking wildly in every direction, having no clue where it was coming from. Abruptly, he halted when he saw that his three friends had all faced the same direction instantly. "Hey, guys? You can tell where it's coming from?"
Ivan nodded. "Yeah, it's coming from this direction and it's not too far away," he explained. Unlike Garet, his three friends could hear it more clearly and it sounded less threatening than before. Ivan readied his staff and looked over to Garet. "It's coming towards us fast," he warned him. Garet nodded and stood with them, also readying his weapon. He shot his three friends a curious look. They all looked great and Isaac had yet to cough even a little. One would never guess that just twenty minutes ago each had looked like death warmed over. He wished for relief but felt nothing but worry. There was no way their luck was so great that all three of them would suddenly have this much strength and stamina. It reeked of suspicion and he felt dread fill him as they waited for whatever monster they were dealing with to become visible.
A large, grotesque, greenish creature materialized out of nowhere. It was as if it had run into existence. Mud and dirty water spewed behind it as it came to a sudden halt. Several sets of red eyes peered out of it. Excepting the eyes, there was no distinctive features on it. One couldn't judge where the head or body started or began. It was like some huge blob with stubbly feet and multiple sets of eyes. It's color matched the grass perfectly and Garet was sure it had hidden amongst the grass while preying on hapless victims. As if it were not unnerving enough, it split it's body into four smaller blobs, each with a pair of those creepy red eyes. No mouth could be seen, but they all knew it was vibrating with that deep, resounding laughter.
"What is that?" Ivan muttered, trying not to look terrified. It was not hard to spot as he could see it much clearer than Garet, yet he still felt shaken at it's very presence.
"Never seen if before," Isaac mumbled, sharing in Ivan's sudden terror. Mia glanced around nervously, trying not to tremble with fear. Something was not right. No monster had ever struck this much fear into her.
Garet eyed his friends in confusion. Just a second ago, they had looked ready to take on anything and now they looked downright terrified. He raised his hands, preparing to cast a psynergy spell. His voice boomed as he called upon his elemental powers. "Flare storm!" Vicious fires pounded two of the four indistinct blobs. The laughter had silenced while under attack, but started right back afterwards. Garet found satisfaction in that it was not nearly as loud as it had been moments ago.
Ivan's hands trembled as he raised them to cast his own psynergy spell. Something in him was screaming that this was a very bad thing to do, but he couldn't figure out why. They couldn't just stand there and wait for the things to make mincemeat out of them. He had thought about simply attacking it with his weapon, but he knew his physical attacks were the weakest and would only prolong the battle. Garet felt that horrible feeling again. There was no way that his friends could feel so great after having been in such poor shape. That golden light had to have been a trick. Realization hit him hard and he begun to scream for Ivan to stop but he was two seconds too late.
"Shine Plasma!" Lights cackled around them and colors were on every side of them. Mia heard herself scream as pain jolted through her, her thoughts a mass of jumbled confusion. What's happening? It was the only coherent thought she was able to make out through the burning pain she felt all around her, like skin was melting off her arms. Her throat was beginning to hurt from the screams. Garet's warning to Ivan had died in his throat as he felt pain consume him. His whole body shook as he was bombarded by psynergy he'd only seen used to help him until now. Purple, white, and other bright lights lit up his world and he could feel skin burning. He could hear screams, cries of confusion, and mainly just the popping sound of the plasma all around him.
Isaac had hopped away from Garet instinctively when his friend had let out a sudden cry of pain. Isaac surveyed the scene before him, disbelieving. Shine plasma enveloped his three friends, beating them down and sending electric currents through their bodies. Burning flesh filled his nostrils and Isaac was filled with horror and realization at the smell. That shine plasma was burning his friends alive. That psynergy should have timed out by now and Ivan had not called on it again, yet it still bombarded their bodies, not giving them any time to collect themselves or jump out of harm's way. Isaac simply stared, unsure what he could do to help if he could do anything at all. He couldn't just jump in the fray without becoming victim to the vicious psynergy himself. Booming laughter filled his ears and he spun around, finally tearing his eyes away from the horrible dilemma his friends were in. Those eyes that had been glowing the strange red color now burned with golden light-the exact same color of those glowing spheres that had exploded onto him, Mia, and Ivan. I see, so that's it's game, Isaac thought, anger rising up within at the extent of the creature's deceit. He lured his prey into thinking they were ready to face him. His prey would gear up, unsuspecting, believing they were in good enough shape to put up a decent fight, but would wind up only hurting themselves instead. How weak are you that you have to resort to this sort of depravity? Isaac thought, meeting the monster's golden gaze fearlessly.
Nothing but pain filled Ivan's vision. White hot, blinding, unending pain that constantly bombarded his senses. Make it stop! he cried out but no words formed and no one answered his plea. Pain made his body shake, but he didn't fall and the plasma would not vanish. He briefly wondered how it was even possible for this to happen, but through his blurred vision he had glimpsed those red eyes morph into golden ones. Right then, he understood. They had been tricked, he had fallen for it like a fool. He could feel his psynergy reserves began to deplete. So, that golden explosion had boosted his psynergy to the maximum level and now he couldn't stop until he was completely void of psynergy. What a cruel trick, he thought, tears streaming down his cheeks. Peripherally, he could make out his other two friends that had been caught up in his attack. Mia had long ago fallen to her knees, throat raw with screams, and was clutching her head, shaking violently with every jolt she received from the plasma. Garet refused to crumble to the ground, but he shook and shouted in agony, trying to force his way out of the plasma's reach. If it wasn't coming down so fast and relentlessly, he probably could have made it away, but it was just too much, too fast. Ivan could feel his body start to wear out and shut down. I must be almost out of psynergy. He prayed he was. Anything to be free of this nightmare.
Isaac briefly contemplated tossing a psynergy spell at the monster, but quickly reneged that idea. He had been exposed to the same exact golden lights as Ivan. There was no guarantee that the same exact thing would not happen to him. Judging by the monster's daring look, he was pretty sure it was promising him the same fate as his younger friend. Grasping his sword, Isaac launched himself at one of the nearby creatures without any warning. His sword sliced through the air in a clean arc and smoothly sliced into thick, green skin. He stood, glaring down at the creature, his sword's tip in the earth having sliced straight through the ugly monster. The eyes had widened and burst into absolute nothingness. The rest of its body turned to ash and blew away with the wind. Laughter vanished and only the sound of harsh rain met his ears. He watched as the other three blobs regarded him carefully, each backing away, putting distance between them. As I thought, a weak creature so it relies on tricking its prey to survive. Isaac spared another glance at his three friends; the shine plasma was still exploding all around them. Mia had to be barely conscious and he wondered if Ivan had fallen unconscious while standing. Those purple eyes looked completely vacant and eerie. Garet seemed to be the only one with any sense of awareness and it looked like he was fighting hard to retain it. Isaac hefted his sword out of the mud and locked onto his next prey. Do I have to take out each one to get it to stop? Is there a main body? He thought, wishing to end this swiftly, the disgusting aroma of burning flesh threatening to make him hurl right there. Those were his friends that were being fried right before his eyes, with him totally helpless to stop it.
With a battle cry, he raced towards the next green blob, its eyes widening in fright. It tried to scurry back and bury itself into the grass, but Isaac could easily spot the golden eyes that greatly resembled his own hair color. Without hesitation, he brought the sword down upon it, relishing the sound of life leaving it. Plasma continued to sound behind him and Issac let out a frustrated shout. Gotta get them all. He took off after the other two, dividing his attention between the two of them, lest one should disappear. Mud spewed in his wake as he made a mad, angry dash for the third one, all his anger and hate being put into the attack. His sword was halfway to the prey when the sound of plasma completely vanished. Without turning around, he let his sword continue its descent onto the thick, green creature. Agonized screams echoed around them in place of the laughter that had mocked them for so long. Satisfied, Isaac watched as the other thing vanished. He had hit the main creature finally.
Ivan fell to the ground with a loud thud, tendrils of smoke rising from his still body. Mia coughed and hacked through her hyperventilation. Her clothes were a mix of blood, mud, and blackened from smoke. Her hair was everywhere and parts were singed off. Garet had finally fallen to his knees, so great in his relief to be free from the white hot pain that had been threatening to bombard him for eternity. Blood had soaked part of his clothes, and he could see where some of his skin had melted off of his hand. Through the pain, he laughed unable to believe he was still among the living. Tension left him and he finally collected his wits, looking around, trying to judge where he was needed and gauge how much damage had been done.
Isaac was kneeling next to Mia when Garet knelt by Ivan. Isaac frowned at him, concerned. "Are you sure you should be moving so much after that?"
"Yeah, I'm f-" the reassurance died in this throat as laughter resounded around them again. Isaac jumped away from Mia and spun away, grasping his sword tightly.
I cannot believe this thing. It was his only thought as the creature reappeared in the rain, restored to it's original form. It did not divide itself into four separate blobs. Eight pairs of red eyes glared menacingly at Isaac, promising to give back what he gave earlier. Garet was next to Isaac in a flash. Isaac said nothing, knowing he probably would need help vanquishing this thing completely. Still, the blood and smokey smell emitting from Garet made him worry that his friend might be more of a liability than help. Even so, it would be easier to only have to protect two people rather than three and Garet was a strong force to deal with. He would put faith in his friend's abilities even with a horrible handicap. "Do you have any psynergy left in you?" Garet had been the only one not exposed to those awful, golden balls within the light box earlier.
Garet offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Isaac, but I'm totally drained. It's taking everything I have not to fall down." His shaky grip on his weapon underlined the honesty in his confession.
Isaac determinedly stared down the monster, unwilling to let himself be unnerved by the multiple sets of eyes. The strong terror from earlier had returned. He figured it must be an affect from the light he'd been exposed to as Garet did not look anywhere near terrified, but mad as all get out. He refused to let the sinister creature think it had the advantage in this situation even if, by all accounts, it did. That thing had no injured friends it needed to protect. "That's fine," he assured Garet. "We'll just use our weapons until there's nothing left of it."
Garet grinned. "Let the whaling begin!"
Isaac glanced behind them at Ivan and Mia. The Mercury adept had dragged herself over to the unmoving Ivan, full of concern and worry. She hovered over him in horror, not sure what to do. Her hands ached and intense pain overcame all her senses when she tried to stand. She could only stare down at the Jupiter adept, trying her best to keep herself from giving into the shock that threatened to consume her whole being.
"We're going to have to charge at it and come at from both sides," Isaac quickly explained to Garet. "Let's try to throw it into confusion. It'll be too easy to dodge if we both attack head-on. Take the right side and I'll take the left," he instructed. Garet gave a curt nod, trusting Isaac's tactical instinct with his life. "Mia, try to get Ivan awake and don't move too much yourself, okay?" Isaac added before readying himself to attack. Mia looked away from Ivan and nodded, still finding it too painful to force any words through her sore throat and chapped lips. Isaac turned his attention back to Garet, who was at the ready. "Let's do this."
-Ω-
Isaac stared wide-eyed at the top of their tent. Usually, he rarely had bad dreams, much less unbidden memories of the past come to haunt him at night. Tonight was different for whatever reason. Flashes from that dreadful battle over two weeks ago kept interrupting his deep slumber. Seeing his friends getting bombarded with Ivan's shine plasma played out in his mind's eye over and over again. A horrible stench that he knew was only his imagination made him want to puke. They had left Mia alone in her half conscious state. He balled his fists and for the umpteenth time wished he would have paid more attention to Ivan and Mia instead of focusing in solely on the monster. Still, it was a pointless argument-he knew that the monster had to be dealt with, after all. No matter how many times, he thought on it he was never happy with the outcome and never would be. There had to have been something he could have done better, something he should have figured out sooner before it got as bad as it did. Until he could figure out what it was, he knew he would never be at peace when he stood before Ivan's marker.