Happy Wednesday. I have come to realize that almost all of the songs I have on my "writing playlist" that I listen to while I write are really old. Well, like 2004 and stuff. Anyways, Lucas belongs to my bro, Packerfan95. And don't forget it. XD
Back to the Overlord Timeline.
Chapter Seven: Searching
Her legs buckled slightly, as if they were made of jelly, as she hurriedly backed up, gripping her head tightly in both hands. There was a small, frantic voice nearby shouting something. Breathing hard and keeping her eyes shut, she fell to a knee, trying to focus on something, anything, different than what had just plagued her. Light hands gripped her shoulders and shook her gently. "Liz, are you okay?" She recognized the voice now and felt some of the anxiety and confusion begin to drain from her body. "Uh…um…stay here, Liz, and I'll go get brother."
"Y-You don't have to," Elizabeth smiled, finally managing to pry her eyes open. The extremely dim light of the dilapidated apartment felt blinding, but the girl just blinked and breathed, readjusting to the somewhat familiar environment. Yes, the darkness. It was everywhere, omnipresent in every aspect of life now. So why had she seen something else for a brief moment? Why had she felt like she was somewhere else? "I'm okay, Connie, really," the red head reassured the small girl, resting a hand on top of Constance's own hand. "I just felt confused for a second. I didn't know where I was."
Slipping her small hand out from underneath Elizabeth's, Connie walked around and quickly sat down on the hardwood floor, crossing her legs underneath of her body. "Are you sure you're okay?" the young blonde asked, her brown eyes wide with concern. She watched as the older girl gave a small smile, her focus far away. Her heart pounded in her chest and she glanced around warily, looking to see if her brother or Aurelia were somewhere in the room with them. Maybe they would actually know what to do. "L-Liz, you're scaring me," Connie squeaked, poking a finger lightly underneath the red head's collar bone.
Elizabeth blinked rapidly and grabbed Constance's hand in her own, the grip tight. After hearing the small, strangled yelp from Adam's sister, she released the girl. "I-I'm so sorry," Elizabeth gasped, feeling both of her hands trembling. "Did I hurt you? Please tell me I didn't hurt you!" She felt so lost, so bewildered. The room around her was the camp that Adam had brought her back to. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind about that. She had just been talking with Constance, just for a few minutes, and then she was somewhere else: a small inn nestled into the mountainside settlement of Jamanakai Village. Kai and Jay had been there with her. She had been absolutely speechless, only managing to utter the red ninja's name before she was back, stumbling around in the apartment.
Opening and closing her hand slowly, Connie realized that nothing really hurt. She had been more scared of Elizabeth's erratic behavior. "No, I don't think you hurt me," the young blonde replied, looking up into her new friend's face. The one visible eye glistened, appearing to be on the verge of tears. "Don't cry, Liz," Connie sighed, placing a small hand on Elizabeth's cheek. "There's no reason to cry. I'm fine and you're fine too, right?" The question hung in the silent air for longer than Constance had anticipated. "Right?"
The gentle touch of Constance's hand was reassuring. Elizabeth gave a small smile and nodded. "I'm fine. I promise."
"Yeah, you sure looked fine to me," rang a harsh voice. Both girls turned to see Aurelia standing in the doorway that led to the kitchen, leaning against one of the walls. Her arms were crossed roughly over her chest, eyes staring daggers. Elizabeth stood up, her hand subconsciously wrapping its way around the dagger that rested within the pocket sewn into her cloak. As the grip around the wooden handle became apparent, Elizabeth immediately dropped it. Why was she acting so impulsive? A small smirk tugged at the edge of her mouth and she lowered her head to hide it. There was a small part of her that wished she could just be rid of the mouthy, raven haired girl. It's getting worse, Elizabeth thought, tearing her thoughts away from the darkness. "And you still look fine," the green eyed girl stated sarcastically, slowly approaching.
She felt her stance widen slightly, an impulse that came with all of her training. "I wouldn't do anything too rash," Elizabeth spat, her eye narrowing. Her hands closed into tight fists without her consciously willing them to. A light touch on her lower back brought her out of her anger induced trance. Constance was peeking out from behind Elizabeth's back, her eyes pleading. Inhaling deeply, Elizabeth managed to calm herself down, now noticing a tingling sensation tickling at her left shoulder blade. "Like I told Connie, I'm fine," the red head stated plainly, throwing the hood of her cloak over her head. "Also, I'm leaving, so you should be happy, Aurelia."
"What? You can't leave, Liz," Connie's tone switched to one fear. "Y-You've only been here for a few days. If you leave now what if…what if…" A loud sniff ripped through the air and the young girl wrapped her arms around Elizabeth's waist, squeezing tight. "What if you never come back? A-Are you leaving forever, Liz?" Burying her steadily paling face into the material of the older girl's cloak, Connie started to cry. "Please don't leave forever. I-I don't wanna see you walking around all grey and stuff. P-Please don't leave forever."
Well if that's what she's scared of then there's more of a reason to go. Awkwardly, the teenager rubbed Constance's back. "No, I'm not leaving forever. I need to find someone, that's all." The embrace weakened and Adam's sister glanced up at Elizabeth, her tear streaked face evident. "Stop the crying, I'll be fine. I'll be back in absolutely no time, I promise you that." With that, the teenager gave Constance a pat on her shoulder. "I won't turn grey. I've been surviving out there for a pretty good amount of time on my own. I can take care of myself," Elizabeth smiled, giving the young girl a wink. Well, she hoped it looked like a wink and not just another blink.
"Where are you heading?" Aurelia inquired, her interest obviously piqued. "I mean, do you really have someone you need to go and find? I would have thought that your friends were all out of commission right now."
She felt her blood pumping hard, audible by her ear drums. Aurelia might have been snide and callous, but she was very smart. It seemed like she had pieced everything together. "I'm going to the Misty Forest, if you must know." Not like Aurelia knew where that was anyways. She, herself, had only been there once and she was praying that she could remember the way. It might take her a little while to get there, but that was why she had to leave now. The journey could take a couple of days or so and Elizabeth was not sure how much longer she could ignore what was happening to her. There's always the possibility of failure. He might not be the person he used to be. He might not help you. No, there was no way he could have gotten caught or anything. If she had survived this long, then there was no doubt in her mind that he had too. "I'll be back soon, but don't wait up." Shooting Constance one final smile, Elizabeth took a deep breath and walked back out into the world that she loathed so much.
Shivering slightly and sneezing, she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. Waving her right hand out in front of her, she managed to clear some of the fog away from the path she was taking. This was ridiculous. Glancing around warily, Elizabeth continued down the path that had seen better days. It was clear to her that this way had been worn down by travelers, but clumps of wild grass and weeds were now beginning to reclaim the path. How long had it been since she had seen him last? Running gloved hands through her very short hair, she smirked. That had been the last time they had seen each other.
She could remember it all clearly, the event still very traumatizing. A stone warrior had caught her by the hair, its grip unyielding. Everything kind of moved in slow motion after that. There was shouting from both her and him. The sound of a blade and then she was just free. Elizabeth had to admit, shorter hair was much easier to manage. A lot safer too. She kept it close to her scalp now, cutting it when she felt necessary with the dagger she kept with her. Once more, a shiver wracked her body and she pulled the cloak tighter around her. She'd been away from the apartment for two days now, almost three. "He's got to be here somewhere," she whispered to herself, feeling the stagnant water of the air seeping into her bones. He had left the city; that much she knew, so he would come here, right? "I hope he came here," Elizabeth sighed, clearing part of the fog away again.
There was a subtle roar that seemed to break through the otherwise eerie silence. The waterfall, she thought desperately, picking up her pace. She was slowly approaching a section of the forest she was slightly more familiar with. As familiar as someone could be after only a single visit. The fog was significantly less dense when the path opened up into more of a clearing. Elizabeth could see the waterfall out of the corner of her eye, pounding away at the rocks that sat below it. She half expected to see him sitting underneath of the rushing water, but he was not there. "Come on, you have to be here. Please…" she muttered under her breath.
Walking further into the clearing, Elizabeth looked for any sign of a camp or tracks that could have been left behind by someone. Doubt was beginning to plague her mind. A sudden splash made her heart race and she whirled around, rushing towards the lake near the waterfall. As the visibility grew better, she fell to her knees beside the body of water and looked around. Small ripples lapped up where the ground met the lake, but she could not find the source of it. "Lucas?" she whispered lightly, feeling a little nervous.
Hurried footsteps sounded behind her and she felt her muscles tense up, pulling her hood down further over her face. Something felt off. There was definitely someone here. She just could not tell if it was someone she was hoping to see. Getting to her feet, Elizabeth backed away from the lake, looking over her shoulder in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the person she had heard behind her, but there was no one there. The lake produced a guttural, bubbling noise that brought her attention back to it, before a strong stream of water erupted outwards, sweeping the girl off of her feet.
Disoriented and coughing, she rolled over onto her stomach and spit out some water that she had swallowed. "L-Lucas," she sputtered, trying to get past the gasping and breathe properly. It was him, it had to be. Who else could have done that? The sound of a blade being unsheathed almost seemed to echo throughout the forest. "No, wait," the words barely escaped her throat as she continued to cough. "It's me, your cousin."
Unsteadily getting to her feet, she threw the sopping wet hood off of her head, feeling as the weight dragged the rest of the saturated cloak downwards. Lucas was standing in front of her, both elemental blades drawn out, ready to strike. "See, look, it's just me. It's Laurie," the red head pleaded, holding her hands out in front of her and breathing heavily. Her cousin stopped where he was, hands visibly tightening around the hilts of his weapons. While she had kept her hair extremely short, she could tell his was getting longer, starting to fall in front of his hazel grey eyes. There was a frown on his face and he looked hurt. "What's wrong?"
He rushed her, pushing her back against a nearby tree. Laurie struggled, attempting to push her cousin off of her, but she could not. He had always been strong. "You can't fool me," he growled, holding the blade in his left hand up near her throat. She could see the reflections of the weapon dancing, like ripples on a pond. "You might have been Laurie once, but you're not her anymore." Both hands were shaking as he kept her pinned to the trunk of the tree.
"W-What are you talking about? Of course I'm me!" Her words came out quickly. What was he talking about? "Look, I know we agreed to split up so it would make it harder for the others to find us both, but I came to find you because I need your help." She watched as he raised a scarred eyebrow, his grip on her becoming a little weaker. "That thing has been getting worse. I-I know you were able to make it go away for a little while before so I was hoping you could do it again."
"You're being serious?" Lucas asked, still looking a bit skeptical. He watched as his cousin nodded her head quickly in response. The expression on Laurie's face was one he had not seen in the brief moment's he had fought his own brothers before retreating to the Misty Forest in an attempt to try and think of a plan to take back the city. She seemed fearful. Sighing, he stepped away from Laurie and watched as she inhaled deeply, obviously relieved. "This isn't a trick?" he questioned, sheathing his blades in the holsters around his waist.
Why was he asking this? "No, it's not a trick. I really need your help, Lucas. I swear." Her nerves were on edge as he placed a reassuring hand on her back and slowly led her over to the lake near the waterfall. "Why are we going over here?"
"You said it was getting worse," the Ninja of Water stated plainly, waving his free hand out in front of him. The fog vanished instantly, leaving everything in the clearing completely visible. As the two approached the edge of the lake, Lucas took a knee, gesturing for his cousin to do the same. Laurie humored him, looking around nervously as she knelt on the ground beside him. "I don't think you realize how bad it's already gotten. Why don't you take a look?"
Laurie placed her hands on her knees and slowly leaned over the gleaming water. Her reflection stared back at her, the glass-like liquid acting as the perfect mirror. Most of the skin on the left side of her face had grown ashen and her right eye seemed to be growing a darker blue. No wonder Lucas had thought this was a setup. She almost looked like one of them now. "You can help me though, right?" she asked desperately, angrily splashing her reflection away. "You can get rid of it completely, can't you? I mean, the last time everything was a little rushed so you did the best you could, but…"
Lucas held up a gloved hand, signaling the Ninja of Wind to calm down. "I'll see what I can do."
Alrighty. Well, thank you for reading and I'll see you next week. :)