Yay, reviews!
SmurfKiller: Well, the Cure thing is really stuff written in something that's roughly equivalent to Latin. It's actually a pretty long text. I just assumed everyone would figure that, so I should go back and fix it. > And about Coro: I figured the four needed a mild annoyance, and I suppose that's about the right age for that. Otherwise, thank you for your thoughts.
The abbess was sitting half-asleep at her desk when someone knocking on the mahogany door startled her awake. Quickly bringing her wits back to working order, she called out, "Come in."
She saw Alanis and Merino come into view. Though she was somewhat surprised, she would have been more surprised if she returned alone.
"Good work, my child," she praised her. "You now have my permission to go on your own way."
"Thank you, Mother, for everything you have done for me."
After the two left the room, the old abbess could not restrain a single tear from falling. She was so happy that Alanis had grown up, yet she was very sad to see her go.
Walking along to Cornelia, the two mages began to converse, simply out of boredom.
"So, Alanis, how long have you lived in the abbey?" he asked, hoping to break the ice.
"Oh, I suppose since perhaps I was five years old. I do not remember anything that may have happened before then," she responded.
"I see."
"May I ask you how long you've practiced as a black mage?" she inquired.
"Uh…" He didn't want to reveal that he was a mere novice (having only begun two weeks ago), yet he didn't want to be outright lying either. "Maybe a month ago, or three weeks. I don't know for sure." He hoped she bought it.
"Ah, I see." She was about to keep talking when she noticed her pendant becoming very, very warm. Carefully, she pulled it out from under her robes. The crystal on the end of the cord was glowing a dim yellow. Merino saw this.
"You have one of those, too?" He pulled his out, equally warm and emitting a depressed shade of blue.
Still holding her crystal, she told him, "I have had this crystal for as long as I can remember. There is something about it that tells me that I should keep this at all costs, and I am not sure just what it is."
"You know what, I've also had it for as long as I can remember, and I'm sure this is probably really important." They both stared in awe at the pendants.
Right about then, they heard scuffling and yelling to their left. Immediately, they went off the path to try to locate it.
"Take that, filthy scum!"
Vaiss and Coro had managed to become caught in a pincer formation of about twelve goblins. While they were easily able to dispatch the ones closest to them, it was clear that they were receiving a steady flow of reinforcements.
"Coro! Don't get separated from me!"
The quirky thief was just a bit more sensible than that, and would have retorted cheekily under normal circumstances. However, he had problems of his own.
"Mr. Vaiss, there's gray goblins around here! They're attacking me!"
Normal, run-of-the-mill goblins were no trouble to Vaiss, as were gray goblins. However, he knew that with the young thief's inexperience, he could be easily overtaken in a matter of minutes. However, as he attempted to go to his aid, two grossly oversized spiders cut him off. Repulsed, he attempted to fight them off, but to no avail. It seemed hopeless as the bite of the spider sent the venom coursing through his body.
But Alanis and Merino had finally discovered their situation.
Merino needed no bidding. He stealthily moved over to where Vaiss was suffering from being totally surrounded. Positioning himself carefully behind a nearby tree, he positioned his gloved hands as if holding a ball. In the center of his hands, a ball of fire spontaneously appeared. Shouting, he hurled the ball at the nearer spider. The sight of the spider collapsing in a heap of ashes was startling, yet welcome. He did likewise for the other spider.
Vaiss was not sure whether the source of the fireballs was friend or foe, so he simply fought his way to Coro. The other monsters had either been scared off by the fire or had stuck around warily.
When he finally hacked down the last of the grey goblins, he came upon a heavily bruised and battered Coro, fighting down the last of his normal goblins.
"Coro! Are you okay?" he called out, rapier still at the ready.
"Yeah, I'm fine!" he lied through his teeth. With great effort, he managed to dispatch his last opponent with a slash to the throat.
Meanwhile, Alanis had found a sturdy, long stick. Wielding it, she cautiously joined in the fray against the remainder of what had been Vaiss's enemies. Together with Merino, she thwacked and cracked out at the incoming goblins.
Merino was having some success with his Fire spells, but his magical capacity was near the point of exhaustion. He would have to stop soon and resort to his heavy staff and his dagger.
Fortunately, the last goblin had finally fled under the menace of two sturdy staves.
Totally unscathed, the two mages found the warrior and the thief. Alanis took it upon herself to ask, "Are you alright?"
Vaiss took one glance at her and, somehow, was a t a loss for words. Finally, he stammered out, "N-no, we're not…I've got a bit of spider poison coursing through me, and my little friend here is a bit bruised…"
She interrupted him mid-sentence. "Just a bit bruised? He is not in good shape. At least he is breathing." She paused a moment, then offered, "I could cast a Cure on you two…"
Mentally, he chastised himself for not noticing that she wore the garments of a white mage. "That would be very helpful, thank you."
"About that poison, I'm afraid we will have to take care of that in town-"
It was now Vaiss's turn to interrupt. "We?"
She immediately replied, "Are we not all going to Cornelia?"
"Yes, I suppose we are…"
"As I was saying, I believe your friend will have to also seek extended help, since I may not be able to fully handle his wounds."
After she cast her healing spell, Coro finally stirred. "Ow!" he cried as he jerked his left hand to his right shoulder. After noticing the attention he had attracted, he reassured them, "No, it ain't broken. I guess those stupid goblins got sharper knives than I figured."
Merino finally suggested, "Well, should we all know who we are before we get going on our way?" I'm Merino."
"My name is Alanis."
"I'm Vaiss."
"Coro here."
Within five minutes they were safely inside the gates of the city of Cornelia.
