Sisterly Love
Along the way, the group found a poisoned swamp. Lyle picked up a Float, and they flew right over it. It was all they had, because neither Ihrie nor Rasha knew how to use the magical alternative. Rasha was mostly a battle mage, while Ihrie was kind of in the middle.
The tower was a mess of not only stairs, but switches as well. Lyle decided to avoid them, unless it was needed. They would keep to the stairs as much as possible.
At the top, the group encountered the demon. He began to laugh. "You are fools to come and fight. I will kill you, and your energy will be used to aid in Ramion's revival."
"Ramion!" exclaimed Lyle, "The Sinistrael Ramion!?"
"So you do know of them. I thought you humans had forgotten the times of terror completely. It will come again, once Ramion, Rugudorull, and Rahashina are returned to life. Lord Raider has ordered me to destroy whomever gets in my way," he stated. Then, the demon attacked.
Lyle and Migel attacked with their swords. But they just bounced off the monster's stone skin. Rasha attacked with her Bolt spell, which was stronger than Flash. It did a little, but she knew that she would need more power. She looked at Ihrie, and nodded.
Ihrie told Rasha, "Be warned, this isn't going to be pretty. Just don't get to freaked out." With that, she took off all of the armor, and threw it in a pile on the floor. Then, she began to cast the Flame spell, a level two fire spell. It hit the gargoyle, and knocked him back. But Ihrie was nowhere to be found. A little gray mouse with a X-like scar on her cheek was now on Fam's shoulder.
Rasha turned pale. "Oh gods, a mouse! Save me Lyle!" With that, she jumped into her friend's arms, and he fell to the ground with her still cowering.
The monster was laughing so hard that he left an opening in his defenses. Migel ran forward and killed him in one blow by hitting him in the soft spot under his jaw. He smiled at his handiwork. When he looked back, he saw Lyle was just getting up, and was comforting Rasha in the process. Fam was sitting on the ground nearby, talking to the mouse.
"Thank you for coming to save me," she said, "Let's get you back to town so you can take your medicine. Unless you brought it with you."
"No I didn't bring it along Fam. I was to intent in finding you that I left it home. That and I thought my sword would suffice, and that I wouldn't need magic," the mouse replied in a voice not unlike Ihrie's.
Rasha shrieked, "A talking mouse?! Lyle, crush it before it bites me." She jumped behind his back, and held onto his arm, all the while she was shivering.
Fam giggled a little bit. "She's not going to bite you. All we need is to get her medicine back in Belgen. Then she'll turn back to a human."
"How did ummm. . .she get here?" asked Lyle, "What do you mean, 'turn back into a human'."
"I'm Ihrie you guys. I turn into a mouse whenever I use my magic. It's hard to explain, I'll tell you when we get back to Belgen, and I'm human again. Someone pick up my clothes," Ihrie said.
* * *
When the group got back, Fam gave Ihrie one of her tablets, after sending the others out, as the woman would be naked when she transformed back. After that was done, she dressed, and the two joined the others in the living room. They sat down, and had some tea.
Ihrie told them, "When I was about five, my parents were killed in an accident. A local wizard took in Fam and me. But one of my experiments blew up the lab. The old fart then tied me up and locked me in a closet for an hour while he cleaned up the mess, and then put a curse on me. Now, I can't use magic without turning into a mouse. One of these days, I'm going to break this stupid curse. Then I'll bring that decrepit old fossil up out of the ground, and blow him up again."
Rasha sighed. "It's a relief that you won't be doing that anymore. I've been scared of mice ever since I was a kid. One got in my room, and bit me when I was six."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Ihrie replied, "But there's nothing I can do about it. So, what are you guys doing here anyway? Where are you bound for?"
"We're hunting the Sinistrael Raider, and trying to stop the others from coming back to life. Raider attacked the town of Sheran, and knocked me around a little bit while I brought time for the king to escape to Alekia. Rasha and I have been chasing him ever since," Lyle admitted.
Ihrie asked, "Are you insane? You are taking on a Sinistrael in combat, no human can do that." Rasha looked at her, and then grabbed onto Lyle. "Lyle is not insane at all. He just happens to be the descendant of Maxim, and it's his destiny to fight them."
"You aren't going to be talked out of this," realized Ihrie, "Then I will go with you. Those freaks tried to use Fam's life force for their own ambition, I can't forgive them."
"I'll come too, I don't want to stay here alone," whined Fam.
Ihrie said, "No, I'm not going to let you go. There is no reason that you should be risking your life on the battlefield. Especially since you can't use any attack magic. I'm sure that Rasha's healing can suffice, and I can use mine if we're in a real emergency."
Fam broke down. "But Ihrie, you can't just leave me behind. Besides, you need a squirrel to go through the forests to the southeast. I'm the only one who can guide you."
"We're going to the guide station," Ihrie reminded her, "There are older and stronger than you are. They won't hold us back like you."
"That's mean Ihrie! I'm never speaking to you again!" Fam exclaimed. She ran off crying.
Lyle tried to calm Ihrie down, but she just said that this kind of thing happens often. Fam would come home when she got hungry, or she calmed down, whichever came first. There was no reason to worry, so the group headed onwards to the east desert.
- - - -
Is Fam going to be alright? Will she do as Ihrie asks and believes, or will she get into more trouble? Stay tuned for the next episode.
Along the way, the group found a poisoned swamp. Lyle picked up a Float, and they flew right over it. It was all they had, because neither Ihrie nor Rasha knew how to use the magical alternative. Rasha was mostly a battle mage, while Ihrie was kind of in the middle.
The tower was a mess of not only stairs, but switches as well. Lyle decided to avoid them, unless it was needed. They would keep to the stairs as much as possible.
At the top, the group encountered the demon. He began to laugh. "You are fools to come and fight. I will kill you, and your energy will be used to aid in Ramion's revival."
"Ramion!" exclaimed Lyle, "The Sinistrael Ramion!?"
"So you do know of them. I thought you humans had forgotten the times of terror completely. It will come again, once Ramion, Rugudorull, and Rahashina are returned to life. Lord Raider has ordered me to destroy whomever gets in my way," he stated. Then, the demon attacked.
Lyle and Migel attacked with their swords. But they just bounced off the monster's stone skin. Rasha attacked with her Bolt spell, which was stronger than Flash. It did a little, but she knew that she would need more power. She looked at Ihrie, and nodded.
Ihrie told Rasha, "Be warned, this isn't going to be pretty. Just don't get to freaked out." With that, she took off all of the armor, and threw it in a pile on the floor. Then, she began to cast the Flame spell, a level two fire spell. It hit the gargoyle, and knocked him back. But Ihrie was nowhere to be found. A little gray mouse with a X-like scar on her cheek was now on Fam's shoulder.
Rasha turned pale. "Oh gods, a mouse! Save me Lyle!" With that, she jumped into her friend's arms, and he fell to the ground with her still cowering.
The monster was laughing so hard that he left an opening in his defenses. Migel ran forward and killed him in one blow by hitting him in the soft spot under his jaw. He smiled at his handiwork. When he looked back, he saw Lyle was just getting up, and was comforting Rasha in the process. Fam was sitting on the ground nearby, talking to the mouse.
"Thank you for coming to save me," she said, "Let's get you back to town so you can take your medicine. Unless you brought it with you."
"No I didn't bring it along Fam. I was to intent in finding you that I left it home. That and I thought my sword would suffice, and that I wouldn't need magic," the mouse replied in a voice not unlike Ihrie's.
Rasha shrieked, "A talking mouse?! Lyle, crush it before it bites me." She jumped behind his back, and held onto his arm, all the while she was shivering.
Fam giggled a little bit. "She's not going to bite you. All we need is to get her medicine back in Belgen. Then she'll turn back to a human."
"How did ummm. . .she get here?" asked Lyle, "What do you mean, 'turn back into a human'."
"I'm Ihrie you guys. I turn into a mouse whenever I use my magic. It's hard to explain, I'll tell you when we get back to Belgen, and I'm human again. Someone pick up my clothes," Ihrie said.
* * *
When the group got back, Fam gave Ihrie one of her tablets, after sending the others out, as the woman would be naked when she transformed back. After that was done, she dressed, and the two joined the others in the living room. They sat down, and had some tea.
Ihrie told them, "When I was about five, my parents were killed in an accident. A local wizard took in Fam and me. But one of my experiments blew up the lab. The old fart then tied me up and locked me in a closet for an hour while he cleaned up the mess, and then put a curse on me. Now, I can't use magic without turning into a mouse. One of these days, I'm going to break this stupid curse. Then I'll bring that decrepit old fossil up out of the ground, and blow him up again."
Rasha sighed. "It's a relief that you won't be doing that anymore. I've been scared of mice ever since I was a kid. One got in my room, and bit me when I was six."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Ihrie replied, "But there's nothing I can do about it. So, what are you guys doing here anyway? Where are you bound for?"
"We're hunting the Sinistrael Raider, and trying to stop the others from coming back to life. Raider attacked the town of Sheran, and knocked me around a little bit while I brought time for the king to escape to Alekia. Rasha and I have been chasing him ever since," Lyle admitted.
Ihrie asked, "Are you insane? You are taking on a Sinistrael in combat, no human can do that." Rasha looked at her, and then grabbed onto Lyle. "Lyle is not insane at all. He just happens to be the descendant of Maxim, and it's his destiny to fight them."
"You aren't going to be talked out of this," realized Ihrie, "Then I will go with you. Those freaks tried to use Fam's life force for their own ambition, I can't forgive them."
"I'll come too, I don't want to stay here alone," whined Fam.
Ihrie said, "No, I'm not going to let you go. There is no reason that you should be risking your life on the battlefield. Especially since you can't use any attack magic. I'm sure that Rasha's healing can suffice, and I can use mine if we're in a real emergency."
Fam broke down. "But Ihrie, you can't just leave me behind. Besides, you need a squirrel to go through the forests to the southeast. I'm the only one who can guide you."
"We're going to the guide station," Ihrie reminded her, "There are older and stronger than you are. They won't hold us back like you."
"That's mean Ihrie! I'm never speaking to you again!" Fam exclaimed. She ran off crying.
Lyle tried to calm Ihrie down, but she just said that this kind of thing happens often. Fam would come home when she got hungry, or she calmed down, whichever came first. There was no reason to worry, so the group headed onwards to the east desert.
- - - -
Is Fam going to be alright? Will she do as Ihrie asks and believes, or will she get into more trouble? Stay tuned for the next episode.
