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Disclaimer: I do not own Ragnarok Online. If I did, I'd be filthy rich right now.
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Unwilling Heroes
Chapter V: A Traveler's Nightmare
The sun had barely come up, but Julian and his companions were already traversing the forest, trying to make up for lost time. Julian himself was the one who had insisted, although he was the one in the poorest condition.
He was determined not to be the one slowing everyone else down.
Besides, he wanted to get to Ahrian as soon as possible before something awful happened.
Sel'an was leading the way ahead.
This time the elf was being much more cautious; he was openly wearing his twin daggers at his back, and was holding a long, stout staff he carved up that morning. He was using it to make the ascent easier, but Julian knew it could very easily turn it into a weapon if the need arose.
Alalia was behind them, swathed up in her travel cloak once more. Sel'an had permitted her to carry one weapon, seeing as she was in as much danger as the rest of them were.
She chose her staff.
Sel'an had offered Julian one of his blades for protection, but he had refused, saying it was against his principles. Instead he opted for a tough rod Alalia offered. It was a rough-hewn stave of yew, but it was strong and sturdy.
Sel'an had decided they would take the main trail to allow for Julian's weakened state, despite his protests. Alalia had sided with the elf, arguing that going through the wild forests would do no good for him, and would probably slow them down all the more. In the end, he had no choice but to obey.
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The sun rose in a fanfare of golden light and the singing of forest birds, heralding the start of a new day. Insects buzzed everywhere, their dull droning filling the air as they waited, warming themselves up in the heat and sunlight. Occasionally a giant Horn Beetle would suddenly appear, crashing through the undergrowth, intent on getting to the other side of the trail, completely oblivious to its surroundings.
But the travelers ignored this completely, focusing on shortening the distance between them from their destination. Little by little they made their way up the mountainside, moving slowly and cautiously. Even though Sakatul was somewhere within the recesses of Glastheim, they didn't know just how powerful his master was.
For all they knew, they were probably being watched.
Well, one person knew for sure either way. That was the purpose of being sent for this task.
Sel'an looked at back Julian, his gaze sweeping over him.
It was unnatural for any human being to be this weary after only a few days in the mountains. He was in perfect physical condition, and furthermore he was a priest. The weakness was coming from something else; something was sapping his energy.
He just didn't know what it was. All he knew was that he had to make sure that Julian got out of all this alive.
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The hours flew by quickly, and soon enough it was evening.
They had to rest.
As Sel'an set up a tent and Alalia busied herself with preparing a fire, Julian was inspecting the pouch, wondering what the contents might be. Sakatul, wherever he was now, said something about a "Shard"
A shard of what?
He pondered this in silence as the other two busied themselves.
Alalia looked up all of a sudden.
"How did you do it?"
Without looking up from what they were doing, the two boys said simultaneously, "What?"
"I was talking to Sel'an"
Julian looked at her briefly, then turned his gaze to the elf, who was waiting patiently for Alalia to continue.
"Yesterday, with the assassin. You used a powerful form of ancient magick against him. A cursing spell"
Sel'an thought about it. Alalia continued.
"The Black Arrow?"
He looked at the sage.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because that is a forbidden spell! How is it that a Wood Elf knows how to use that spell? And to use it on a human being no less!"
Sel'an stood up, his eyes blazing with fury.
"And how do you even know that that accursed being is a human? I can sense when someone is human and that, that thing was definitely not human! Normal arrows will not damage him, blades do not deter him! Even your spells do not deal as much damage as you think they do against something like that assassin! The only thing that can even affect that creature is black magick! Do you think I had a choice? Do you think I learned such a devastating spell as the Black Arrow just because I wanted to? Do you think it is something that I can just do off the top of my head?"
He stood tall, fuming, as he glared angrily at the sage. Alalia returned his gaze with quiet stubbornness. She raised her hand to slap him.
"KYRIE ELEISON!"
She found her hand smacking square across a golden circle of light, causing a single note to resonate throughout the clearing.
Julian had gotten up, his hands glowing with the final remnants of holy energy.
"That's enough, the both of you! We're all tired and I know tensions are running high. Let's just eat and turn in for the night, agreed?"
Both of them relaxed and looked at the priest, slightly embarrassed by being told off by him.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have exploded like that"
"As should I. Let's eat"
Julian smiled as the both of them turned away and prepared food. But he could still sense the tension between the two of them. He just couldn't understand why they were so against each other.
Either way, the sooner they got to Ahrian's the better.
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Three days went swiftly by as the trio traversed the mountains without much incident.
There was only one when Julian was attacked by a mob of Rockers, which are giant violin-playing grasshoppers, after he sheepishly told them he didn't have any money for them even after they played particularly well for him.
Sel'an fixed it up with the offer of some ripe red apples he had found along the way.
From that moment on, Sel'an and Alalia couldn't help bursting into peals of laughter whenever they saw another Rocker, much to the embarrassment of Julian and the bewilderment of the Rocker.
At the fourth morning, as Alalia and Julian ate a cold breakfast of dried meat strips, Sel'an scouted ahead, inspecting the trail and seeing if they were any closer to Ahrian's camp. The sun was already nearing its peak when he returned.
"We're just a few hours away from Ahrian's camp"
Julian got up, brightening.
"That's great! I was beginning to wonder when we would ever get there!"
Even Alalia smiled.
"Let's get going then. I very much need to speak with Ahrian"
Sel'an hoisted his pack, raising his staff, and set off into the forest. Julian followed shortly after, while Alalia trailed behind.
Around two hours in, the trio stopped beside a flowing creek to break and rest. Sel'an splashed around the crystal clear water, laughing playfully as he did. Julian watched while Alalia took a long drink of water.
She got up, wiping her face clear of any stray droplets, then suddenly, she stiffened. She raised her hand and uttered a single word.
A bolt of flame lashed out from her hands and struck at some invisible object suspended in midair. The two boys saw a sudden flash of light and a small popping sound, as if something was being sucked into nothingness. Alalia stared at where her spell had struck, muttering a string of curses.
"We're being watched!"
Julian clasped his hands together.
"RUWACH!"
Instantly, amidst the glowing orbs of blue light, several shapes appeared around them, all resembling weirdly shaped eyes. Alalia fired bolt after bolt of fire, until all were destroyed.
They sank in despair. Julian spoke wearily, "Looks like whoever is after us won't give up without giving us a great deal of trouble first"
Sel'an suddenly gave a cry and rushed off. The two others, startled by his sudden disappearance pursued him. They found him later in the middle of an empty clearing, his eyes wide with shock.
It seemed as though a whirlwind passed through the area. Remnants of tents and fires littered the area. A broken crock-pot lay on the ground; whatever contents it held were now spilled on the ground.
The both of them rushed up to him.
"What happened?"
Sel'an looked at them with hollow eyes, empty sorrow reflecting off his golden orbs, now tinted with black hues.
"They're all gone. They've left us"
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It's a bit short, but since school started I've been having trouble finding enough time to update! Sorry everyone!