(Chapter 7: The Cursed Land, pt. 2)
(Arc 1: The Crystal's Will)
For a girl, Refia had very good stamina. She did not break a sweat the entire way to the West Tower. Once we got in, however, things started going downhill. I knew the king said there were monsters, but I didn't expect as many as there were. On our way to the top, there were multiple instances where undead creatures nearly took us over. And I was of little help the whole time. The truth was, that spell had taken a lot more out of me than I had told the others. Refia seemed to realize this, but kept quiet as she silently cut down enemies.
At last we were at the top, where there was a lone chest. I could tell something was up. None of the monsters had come up here. Refia said it was because they were afraid of her. I thought they were afraid of the chest. But, against my better judgment, I allowed Refia to break the lock and throw open the top.
As soon as it opened, I felt a fierce desire to say I told you so. Because, when Refia opened the chest, a gryphon flew out of it.
One of us screamed like a little girl. The other bravely drew her sword.
While Refia distracted the beast, I slowly backed away, frightened. I ran into some sort of weapons shelf behind me, and when I looked what was on it, I got very conflicted. A bow. I could take it and shoot at the gryphon. However, one of three things could happen. In decreasing likelihood, they were:
I missed entirely.
I hit Refia.
I hit the gryphon.
Part of me really hated those odds. The other part was the one that had put me on this stupid quest anyways. But, still, I could see Refia was struggling. At that moment, as if to make up my mind, I heard a mighty roar from outside, and I knew the Djinn was here. I couldn't let Refia wear herself out against this beast, only to die against the Djinn. I knew what I had to do.
I grabbed the bow and knocked an arrow, pointing it directly at the battle in front of me. But whenever I got a clear shot, Refia got in the way. I could call her and tell her to move, but a moments distraction could prove fatal. So, praying the Gods were in a good mood, I loosed the arrow. And, against all odds, it worked. The arrow sailed through the air, narrowly missing Refia's ear (I would hear about that later…) and lodged itself in the gryphon's heart. The beast let out a terrible roar, and was silent.
Refia's head slowly turned towards me, and I could tell she was pissed. Just as she turned into a monster worse than the one I had just slain, another earthquake shook the ground. She glared at me, but drew Whightslayer. I eyed the blade, worried about her wielding it. Razor sharp, I couldn't tell if the metal was blood-red, or if it was actual blood. I didn't want to find out.
"Come on," Refia said, "the others need us."
Outside the tower, the battle of a lifetime was waging. Luneth and Ingus were in front of the castle, bravely trying to slice down hordes of the undead the Djinn must have brought with him. They were doing well, but I could see, even from the tower, they were starting to wear down. Without a moment's hesitation, Refia charged in to aid them, slicing down skeletons and zombies. And me? I stayed behind, using my new bow to snipe down enemies from afar. The plus side of fighting a virtual army is if you shoot, you're almost guaranteed to hit something. But I soon got careless. A horde of skeletons started charging me, only to be cut down by a blast of powerful wind. I looked up, and, on top of the castle, there was Lady Sara, casting Aero, the wind spell.
With the five of us working together, there were soon only a handful of undead left. Luneth, Refia, Ingus and I had gotten together in a group, so we were covering each other's backs. I heard Luneth say, "Maybe we lucked out! I haven't seen anything to powerful!"
He had to say something. The second he ended that sentence a large blast of fire narrowly missed our little band, instead blasting a good chunk out of the castle.
Ingus turned to look at Luneth, who blushed.
"Well, how was I supposed to know that would happen?" Luneth said to the blonde boy. Ingus just shook his head and looked at the direction from which the blast originated.
"Men, prepare yourselves," Ingus said, drawing a second sword. "For this is the Djinn we are seeking."
At that second, the wall in front of us exploded, and a man walked through the new entrance. But his was like no man I had ever seen. He looked like the kind of people who came from the deserts to the southwest. Peculiarly dressed in Arabian style clothes, he radiated an aura of someone you did not mess with. And there was something else. I couldn't quite explain it, yet he gave off an air of power.
Walking towards us, he smiled, and that's when I noticed the eyes. Pure white, with no pupils.
"Greetings, Sir Ingus. I do not believe we have met! I am the Djinn," the beast said.
"I know who you are," Ingus growled.
"Now, now, no need to be so rude, young knight. All I ask is you hand over the crystal child," he said, eying Luneth.
Ingus's eyes narrowed. "I'm afraid I cannot allow that. This boy is hope. I cannot let you kill him."
The Djinn, who, up until now, had been smiling, frowned, as if genuinely sad.
"Well, that's too bad. I guess I'll just have to take him by force!"
And the battle began.
Ingus charged directly towards the beast, only barely dodging when the Djinn shot flames from its mouth. Ingus got back up, and continued his onslaught, aided by Refia, who, along with Whightslayer, had charged forth as well. Luneth stayed behind, though I could tell he was itching to fight. I looked at him and asked, "Why not get in on this? It's right up your alley!"
Luneth gave me a sour look. "Ingus told me to stay back. Said it was me the Djinn wanted."
I tossed him my bow. He caught it, giving me a strange look.
"It's probably safer for you to use," I said, grinning. Luneth's looks of confusion turned to one of gratitude, and he assisted the others, shooting arrows at the beast.
Luneth, seeming to remember something, tossed me a glass vial, containing a strange, light-blue liquid. Just as I went to uncork it, I heard Luneth shout at me, "Don't open it! When you see an opening, chuck it as hard as you can at the Djinn. Then, just watch."
Looking at the liquid, realization dawned on me. "Wait a second, isn't this the thing you used to kill the turtle thing!?"
Luneth grinned at me, loosing another arrow. "The very same. I found some in the castle."
Now I really didn't want to throw it. I wanted to study it. But, common sense one out, and, like Luneth told me, when I saw an opening, I used it, throwing the vial as hard as I could. The moment it hit the Djinn, it exploded, shooting several ice spikes out. Ingus and Refia got blasted back as well, though. Ingus landed perfectly, but Refia landed right in front of me, on her face. She stood up, and I her heard her shout something along the lines of, "Really, Arc, again!?"
All four of us turned in unison towards the new ice sculpture up front. Just as it shattered.
"N-no! T-that's impossible," I heard Luneth say, and we watched as the Djinn walked towards us, engulfed by flames.
"Foolish children," it roared, no longer sounding human. "You truly think you can destroy me so easily?"
"Well, we were kind of hoping," I hear Luneth say.
He took a step forwards, and a blast of hot air knocked all four of us back. Luneth smacked his head against a rock, and was still. Refia never stood a chance, the second her feet lest the ground, she turned into a ragdoll, hitting the ground so hard, I think the people in Ur could hear it. Ingus smashed into the wall, only to get crushed by falling rubble.
By this point, the castle was spewing flames out of its windows. I alone was still conscious, as Sara had long since disappeared into the castle. In could hardly move, my back against the ground. I heard someone screaming, but I had a feeling that may have been me. The Djinn walked towards Luneth, and I shakily got to my feet. The Djinn's back was to me, so he didn't notice. I knew I only had one chance. Putting my hands out, it began muttering the incantation for Blizzard, knowing this was my only chance. If this failed, it was all over.
The Djinn turned to me. Just as an ice spike impaled it through the chest. I had done it.
The Djinn looked down at its wound, then back at me. Then, completely silently, it fell backwards, the only noise coming with a dull thud as its corpse hit the ground. Only then did I notice how badly I hurt. Mercifully, the pain only lasted a second before the darkness claimed all.
I awoke in an unknown chamber with Luneth, Refia, and Ingus. By this point all of them were conscious again, and all were staring at me. When they noticed I was awake, they all loose an audible sigh. Luneth looked at me and smiled.
"Welcome back to the world of the living," he said, and only then did I notice he was crying.
"W-where are we?" I asked. I tried to stand, and thought I would black out again.
Luneth gently picked me up. "We're in the crystal's chamber," he said, and I could see it was just as he had described it.
Oh, children of light! A voice rang out in my head. Well, more like, several voices speaking in unison. You have bested the Djinn, and, in doing so, wiped away the curse that held these lands. But your journey is only just beginning! Darkness is spreading far along the world. Warriors of Light, I grant you my last light… our last hope!
There was a strange rush that came with those worlds. As though there was a fire light within me. I knew what we had to do. We had to save the world!
Next Arc Coming August 5th, 2014
Alright, I should take this time to explain a few things. After an arc finishes, I will post a rough estimate of when the next one will start. As a way to keep you from losing attention, I will post a filler between the two arcs. These fillers will usually be comedic relief, such as the characters trying out their new jobs, or some side characters getting some attention. However, I would still read these, as at the end of each, I will post an update on each character's bio, and what job they are for the next arc, so things may make more sense. See you next time!