Chapter 4: Ground Zero
Azrael was leaning by a tree while Theodore and the monk earlier, sitting by the tree's shade, were chatting lively. The bard Seraph was nowhere to be found. Asleep, Azrael concluded.
"Oh! So you're Azrael's childhood friend!" Theodore realized and chuckled.
The monk glared at the priest who didn't even gave any attention at her, she faced the alchemist again, "Why are you with him? I don't see Azrael with many people back at the old days."
"Oh, we requested him—"
"Ehem," Azrael coughed loudly.
"We asked for him to help us in our research to gather soil at Morroc Ground Zero," Theodore finished before Azrael could make another comment.
"More like forced by the Church," Azrael sighed loudly. The monk laughed at his remark.
Azrael's gaze was directed at the nearby trees, looking for the bard Seraph who had been sleeping since they've rested.
"Hello," a sleepy voice came from his side. Azrael shouted in surprise and moved away to the opposite direction.
Before him was Seraph, his drooping lock of hair hid one of his eyes and the apple on top of his head was now bitten.
"What's wrong Azrael?" the two behind him asked. He turned and quickly said 'nothing…'
"Hey guys!" The bard emerged from the back of the tree and looked at the standing Azrael, to the alchemist Theodore then to the monk beside him.
"Theodore? Don't tell me…"
"It's not like that you nit wick!" Theodore quickly retorted the bard's remark. The monk stood and went forward to the bard. She observed his bitten apple on his head, his lock of blue hair, then to his orange, then to…
"You're scaring me!" Seraph ran to hide behind Azrael's back.
"He-hey! Stop it!" Azrael complained to the bard who was pushing him to the monk.
"But Azrael! She's scaring me!" Seraph cried. Azrael sighed.
"Rachel, don't scare him. Seraph, stop pulling my robe," the priest defeated, declared.
"I'm not doing anything here!" the monk remarked.
"At his point of view, yes you do," Azrael stood aside and pushed Seraph's tucking hands away.
Theodore joined the three by taking the bard away from the two.
"We had enough rest already, so we better start going. Rachel, are you going with us?" Theodore declared, Rachel nodded instantly.
"Okay, here's the plan, Seraph here is scared of you," Theodore looked at the bard. "So, Rachel and Azrael will go first then we will follow two of you from the back."
"We should go now, since we need to get there as soon as possible."
"This trip is getting far more complicating," Azrael buried his face on a hand. They started walking towards the ruins.
"Don't you feel happy that we're here again side by side?" she asked, wishing for a positive answer.
"I say I feel relieved that you're here," he confessed, she stopped a few tracks.
"Is there something wrong?" Azrael asked Rachel who stopped from walking.
"I just feel happy that you're relieved," she smiled at him.
"Let's just go there and do what's needed to be done," he embarrassedly looked away.
"Okay!" she replied enthusiastically.
The sky was orange and the sun was going down. They were in the middle of the Desert of Sograt where the Demon Morroc and the magic knight Thanatos. The sand they step in left marks of their footwear. There were fewer monsters as they neared their destination.
The sky they were heading towards to was covered with black clouds. Azrael and Rachel could feel the immense aura of darkness coming from their destination.
Suddenly, the ground before them exploded.
A monster was before them rampaging the sand with its heavy rock fists. The monster had spikes outgrown on its stone back. These spikes were also in the stone body's front, fists, head and legs. Also, sand was pouring out of its whole body.
Azrael backed away and Rachel readied her spirit spheres. Theodore shoved out his axe and Seraph had his mandolin in his hands.
When the monster before them shifted its gaze at them and stomped its hands on the ground. Another monster erupted from the ground, same as the first one.
"Tch, this will be fast," Rachel grinned at the monsters who began to charge towards them.
Rachel rushed to the monsters. She disappeared from a point to another; the sand she stepped on left nothing but marks. She appeared behind the monsters and her spirit spheres began running wild. She pointed one of her fingers to a monster, and the spirit spheres blasted their way to the monster's head.
When the first monster fell to the ground, the other one stopped. Then, the sand and stone from the first one coated the monster. It has stronger armor and heavier fists this time.
Theodore took a potion from his cart and pocketed it. Then, he rushed to the monster and hurled his axe on the monster's shoulder that sounded with a thud. The monster tried to punch left Theodore but he sided back.
Rachel appeared above the monster and stepped at the axe's handle, effectively removing it from being stuck. She disappeared from the ground to Azrael's side, exhausted at the feat she did.
"We'll take care about this one," Azrael reassured Rachel. He stepped forward and summoned multiple illusionary swords that pierced through the monster everywhere. The monster slammed the ground and multiple spikes erupted from the sand and ran to Seraph who dodged it easily.
Theodore picked up his axe and slammed it again at the monster's body, which dug deep into the monster's body.
Theodore pulled his axe away again and Azrael summoned a cross of light ran to the monster and exploded. Smoke engulfed Theodore and the monster.
Break
The monster wailed loudly. Theodore emerged from the smoke and gasped for breath. Azrael held his Divine Cross staff with his hand that also held a rosary. A larger cross of light appeared and entered the smoke. A shriek came.
After the fight they had with the monster, they decided to take camp in a nearby oasis unaffected by the aura coming from the ruins.
The sky was bathed with black, dots of twinkling white stars appeared here and there. The moon has risen but it was covered by the dark clouds clouding the ruins from afar. The crystal clear oasis beside them was stagnant. The dark green bushes and few tall tress that surrounded the oasis were swaying weakly by the wind. The fire created by Theodore's potion was burning lively.
Theodore was by the fire, warming himself up. Seraph was with him, playing another vague song. Azrael was sitting at the sand with his arms resting on his knees. He was staring at the stagnant water before him.
Bored, Azrael decided to stretch his right arm. He placed his index finger on his eye level. He uttered some ancient words. Blue light began to gather at the tip of his index and formed into a small blue sphere. Azrael uttered some more words and the small sphere began to circle around his finger slowly. The sphere's speed heightened until it was nothing but a small blue ring.
He marveled at the spell he developed. He pointed at the water and spoke some words. The sphere submerged into the water without disturbing it and stayed under the water. Azrael spoke a word and the sphere disappeared with a weak splash.
He turned his head and found Theodore by a desert tree, leaning and sounds asleep. Seraph was by the fire, leaning at Theodore's cart, sleeping.
He looked around for Rachel who was missing the whole time. He stood and walked towards the fire that was dying slowly.
Rachel was sitting at the outskirts of the oasis, gazing at the stars with marvel. She looked at the crescent moon that emerged from the dark clouds of the ruins. A weak breeze was hitting her face while her hair floated a few inches away from her back.
She heard someone walking towards her direction behind. She turned her head and found the priest Azrael with his usual Feather Beret on him.
"Hey," he greeted her, "better sleep now; we still have a journey tomorrow."
He immediately turned his back away from her and walk towards the fire once again. Rachel followed him. He sat a crossed sit by the fire and yawned. She looked around and found her companions sound asleep.
She sat the same suit beside Azrael.
He looked at her. "I've been wondering," he began, "why are you here with us? Don't you know that this mission is relatively dangerous?"
She sighed, looked at him straight in the eye and, "I want to, and why not be with you again after quite some time?" she replied calmly at his question.
"It really is nice to be with you again, after the strange incident," he confessed.
"Strange incident? You mean on the Wedding Ceremony?" she asked innocently.
He looked back at the crackling fire, "Yeah, I'm not sure but, I saw my twin brother. He really looked like me, he only had longer hair but we were like the same. He even called me 'brother.'"
"Are you happy that your brother may be alive?"
"I don't know but, he killed the king!" he replied confused.
"Now, now, once you see him again, just try to ask him," she tried to calm him down.
"Maybe, maybe if I see him again, I can ask him about mother. I just wished I could see him again."
"Poor Azrael, having his own father killing his mother and twin brother in front of him… I'm sorry for you Azrael."
"I also want to tell you that I… I…" Rachel thought sadly.
He stood up and put the fire off. He went to the near 'entrance' of the oasis where there were fewer bushes there. She looked at his back with concern.
"I'll take care of guarding this place; I'll just wake you up when there are any problems," he declared emotionlessly.
"I never knew that I would like you," she thought as she found her place near a tree.
The four were traveling at dawn before the sun has even appeared at the horizon. Azrael was giving light through his spheres.
"Are you sure you could still do this?" Theodore concernedly asked the priest. "You spent all night patrolling and we can use Rachel's Ruwach anyway."
"Nah, I'm still good."
Though the sky behind them was dark, the ruins were indeed bathed in eternal night. There were no signs of life anywhere and the north gate to the ruins was already in sight.
"We're nearly there," Rachel, standing in a sand dune, looked at the sight of the lone gate.
"Get you're guards up, we don't know what may happen," Azrael insured the others as they stepped forward.
"Here we go," Theodore took a step forward.
When they reached the north gate, they saw cobbles and stones, some drenched or tainted with blood, the remaining two pillars that supported the gate filled with blood stains.
"Here we go," Azrael stepped forward and entered the Morroc Ruins.
Whoa I updated.
Whoa.
Homeworks and projects follow the suit so I guess I don't have enough time too (considering that I have a priest and a blacksmith to make).
Well, kudos to KillingHero, he's been my 'beta reader' and all.