The small flame at the end of the corridor flickered meekly, a tiny beacon of hope in the otherwise all-consuming darkness. She was running towards it as hard as she could, desperate to out-run the hordes of writhing shadows behind her. But no matter how hard she tried, the light just moved further and further away, first becoming a meaningless pinprick of light, until finally it vanished completely, swallowed by the inky blackness.
"No!" she panted, still running towards where the light had been. "No, no no..."
A freezing cloud of vapour swirled around her, slowly snaring her neck and englufing her head. She was still running, but she couldn't breathe. The vapour was thickening, clogging up her throat and causing her to cough and wheeze. A dark, shadowy face swirled in front of her, seemingly formed of the same vapour.
It contorted its mouth into a wide, horrifying smile.
Penny awoke with a start. Fearing that she was still in danger, she sat bolt upright and quickly glanced around, raising her hands in front of her in defense.
She was back in John's farmhouse, in the bedroom she'd stayed in over the Winter. Judging by the silvery strands of moonlight drifting through the gap in the curtains at the end of room, she'd been asleep for a little while. She was still fully dressed, and other than a lingering sense of disorientation, she felt pretty normal.
Penny rubbed the back of her neck and stared blankly at the white bedding in front of her, trying to piece together what had happened. The small cream clock on the wall told her that it was late; very late.
Although she knew that John had to be okay, because he was the only one who could've brought her back here, she resolved to get up and see if he was still awake, and to see if he could fill her in on what had happened. With a slight ache in her legs, Penny eased herself to one side of the bed, and slowly got to her feet.
Just as she pulled open the bedroom door, she was greeted with the sound of voices speaking in hushed, urgent tones, coming from somewhere downstairs. Penny furrowed her brow and paused, listening. It sounded as though it was at least a few people, but she couldn't quite make out what they were saying. When she heard that one of them sounded like John, she nodded to herself, took a deep breath, and opened the door completely, stepping out on to the landing at the top of the stairs. She made her way down tentatively, quietly, as if hoping she could just slip in and listen to the conversation unnoticed.
"-don't think it's a very good idea," was the first thing Penny could make out. It sounded like Harvey. Was someone hurt? Why was Harvey here?
"The important thing is, Harvey," said a second voice, that Penny was fairly certain belonged to the Wizard, Rasmodius. "Everyone's safe. No harm done. And frankly, finding that Shadow Brute, Krobus, means it was all worthwhile."
Penny froze. Surely they didn't bring that monster here, she thought
"Penny!" called out John's voice. He'd clearly just spotted her paused halfway down the staircase, and did a half-jog over to the foot of the stairs to greet her. "You're awake. How are you feeling?" His face was awash with relief.
"I'm okay," she said, making her way down to him. Her muscles tightened as she looked around the room, bracing herself to see Krobus' dark, menacing face. But thankfully, as she scanned from the living room through to the kitchen, he was nowhere in sight. Instead, she saw a tired-looking Harvey sitting at the kitchen table, with a beaming Rasmodius standing nearby, his arms folded tightly in what looked like some kind of triumph.
"Penny," said Rasmodius, his voice strong and welcoming. "Good to see you're up and about."
"Come on over and sit down, Penny," said John, gesturing for her to join Harvey at the kitchen table. "Harvey's here to make sure you're okay."
"Honestly, I think I'm fine," said Penny, compliantly making her way over to the table and sitting down beside Harvey. "I just... kind of want to know, um..." she trailed off, embarrassment etching its way across her face. "...to know what happened."
Rasmodius clapped his hands together. "See, she's right as rain," he said jovially. "Now we can get to talking about-"
"No," said Harvey, sternly. He glowered at Rasmodius. "I'm checking her over, just to be sure."
Rasmodius raised his hands in mock surrender, and said nothing further. Penny glanced between the two men and raised an eyebrow. She then looked over at John, who was now pulling up a seat next to her at the table. "Talk about what?" she said.
"First, Penny", said Harvey, pulling her attention towards him. "Let's get you checked over."
Harvey placed his leathery doctor's bag on the table. From it, he produced a small silvery stethoscope, a somewhat-bulky blood pressure monitor, and one of those things with a bright light for checking eyes, Penny couldn't quite remember what they were called. Harvey gave her a kind smile, his moustache twitching as he did so, and began his checks. It was pretty much exactly what he would've done during her annual check-up. He checked her eyes, her reflexes, her blood pressure and her breathing. These kinds of check-ups always made her wince, because she would invariably spend the time thinking about just how badly her Mom must do on these kinds of tests.
"All done," said Harvey, depositing the stethoscope back in his bag. "You're a picture of health, Penny, although I will say this," he said with a wry smile, "I know where you've been today, and not because you smell or anything, but I would prioritise getting a shower if I were you."
Penny smiled weakly. She'd completely forgotten that it was an actual sewer that she'd been in, and she was suddenly even more grateful that John had held her as she'd passed out, rather than letting her make contact with the slimy floor. Harvey held his own smile briefly, and then cleared his throat.
"Now, Penny, I'm no psychiatrist," he said, pushing his glasses further up his nose and leaning in slightly towards her. "But for someone in good health such as yourself to lose consciousness, it sounds to me as though - from what I've heard about what happened," he gestured at John and Rasmodius. "That you encountered something down there that triggered some... very painful memories."
At that moment, John reached across and gently squeezed her shoulder. His hand was warm and comforting, sending tiny shivers down Penny's spine.
"My advice," Harvey continued, "Would be to avoid those kinds of situations as much as possible. And if you absolutely can't, do so on your own terms." He glanced at Rasmodius with a slight frown. "Perhaps this 'Krobus' person could meet you in a neutral place, for example, and help you come to terms with your... trauma." Harvey put a special emphasis on the last word, as if he wanted to give it a lot of weight and meaning. John shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"Thanks, Harvey, I will," Penny nodded, sheepishly. John's hand was still gently holding her shoulder. Perhaps it was just part of her disorientation, but she was gifted a small pang of confidence. She lifted a hand and placed it on his, patting it once and then squeezing his fingers a little. She looked at him as she continued, "Luckily, I've got this one looking out for me."
Rasmodius gave an appreciative laugh, and John beamed at her. Harvey, however, responded with a quiet sniff. "Well, perhaps you two shouldn't be going to quite such... exotic places." His tone was reproachful, but he followed up with another wry smile. "Just to be safe."
"Right then," said Rasmodius, suddenly clapping his hands together and causing Harvey to jump. "We can begin."
"I urge you not to," said Harvey curtly, shutting his bag and getting to his feet. "Penny's been through a lot, and I really think what she needs right now is more rest." Harvey threw on his worn-looking green jacket, and lifted the bag off the table. "Take it easy, Penny." He said with a swift nod, before heading for the front door.
John quickly jumped to his feet. "Thanks so much for coming out this late, Harvey," he said, striding towards him to open the front door. "I really appreciate it."
Harvey gave a quick smile and nodded goodbye. "Just look after yourselves, both of you!" he called, stepping out into the dark Spring evening.
As John made his way back to the table, Penny turned her attention back to Rasmodius, who was now standing a little bit closer to the table. He was watching the spot where Harvey had vanished, stroking his brilliantly-purple beard slowly, seemingly lost in quiet contemplation. Noticing Penny's attention on him, he looked down at her, and gave her an indulgent smile.
"I promise you, Penny," he said, gently, "Harvey wants you to get rest and recover. And I do, too, really." With a quick swish of his midnight-purple cloak, Rasmodius moved swiftly towards her and took Harvey's seat at the table. "But," he added, now drumming his fingers on the table with his right hand, seemingly following the beat of a silent song. "Before you do, I want to arm you - both of you - with some knowledge."
The Wizard kept drumming his fingers, the rythmn becoming more and more complex. With a sudden bang, he slapped his same hand completely flat to the table. With a shake of the long sleeve on his other arm, he then placed his left hand next to the right, laying them both flat. He dragged his left hand across the tabletop away from his right, and to Penny's surprise, small whisps of twinkling violet smoke formed in its wake. The whisps between his two hands swirled and grew, thickening and spreading slowly to cover the entire table. He then suddenly flicked both hands upwards with a dramatic flair, and the smoke shot outwards in all directions.
Penny flinched and clamped her eyes shut as the smoke washed over her. Opening her eyes gingerly after a second or two, she saw that the purple smoke had completely disappeared. But they were no longer in John's kitchen. They weren't even somewhere she recgonised.
Although they were still sitting around a table, the room around them had completely changed. Penny hazarded a guess that they'd teleported somewhere.
The entire room was built with ancient, cracked stone brick walls, standing alongside similarly ancient wood panneling and great, creaking floorboards. Across from them stood a mighty cast-iron cauldron, bubbling with a shimmering green liquid that cast a faint, ethereal glow. The fire underneath it crackled gently, causing smoke and vapours from the cauldron to rise into the air, intermingled, forming a thick cacophany of warmth and earthy smells. It reminded her immediately of the cauldron from the Spirits' Eve maze.
On the other side of the table was what looked like a space for performing rituals. This part of the floor used the same cracked stone blocks instead of floorboards, upon which was inscribed a circle of mystical runes, none of which meant anything to Penny. The circle was surrounded by eight crimson candles, each lit and burning softly. Further out around those ones were four more candles, these ones purple, each one glowing a sort of iridescent blue. Several books lay scattered around the area, as if they'd all been pored through to find specific incantations or appropriate fragments of magical law.
Beyond the ritual circle was a narrow staircase, leading down to what looked like a dark, cramped library. Although she couldn't see much of it, Penny marvelled at the thought of the kind of books that must be down there.
"Thought it'd be best if we did it here," said Rasmodius, rising to his feet and sweeping away with a swish of his cloak towards the heart of the room. "Safer. No chance of being overheard."
"Where are we?" said Penny, tearing her attention away from the library staircase. She and John slowly got to their feet.
"Ah, but of course," said the Wizard, smiling. "You've not been here before, Penny!" He clasped his hands together. "Welcome to my tower!"
Penny glanced at John, who didn't seem as interested in all the intricacies of the mystical room. He must've been here before.
"Rasmodius," said John, making his way around the table and towards the Wizard. "What's going on? What did you want to tell us?" Penny also rounded the table and made her way towards the two of them, tentatively stepping across the creaky floorboards, slightly unnerved by the idea of knocking over a rogue potion or trampling on an arcane scroll.
The Wizard held still for a moment, his hands still clasped together. His expression became ever so slightly stonier as he said, "I wanted to show you something."
John caught Penny's eye and they both exchanged bemused looks. Perhaps taking heart in their joint confusion, and the potential for adventure, a small smile swept across his face as he looked at her. Even in the dim, eery green glow of the cauldron, his smile sent butterflies through her stomach.
"Come with me," said Rasmodius, once again sweeping around and walking away. He made his way down the library staircase, and the two of them followed on in silence.
He ushered them through the library and gestured towards a small trapdoor at the far wall. Penny had to fight the urge to stop and rifle through the enormous tomes and glimmering scrolls that lined the walls, just to see what kind of books he had tucked away in here. Shimmering gold hardbacks like "The Secret of the Stardrop" beckoned longingly to her.
But Rasmodius was not to be held up, and without pausing even to smell the library's rich mix of musty wood, old paper and worn leather, he opened the trapdoor hastily, and the three of them clambered inside.
They were now in what was presumably the tower's basement. It was a small, cramped wooden room. If it hadn't been for the large, bizarre-looking golden statue at the end of the room, Penny wouldn't have guessed the room was in any way special at all.
Rasmodius gestured for them to follow, striding towards the statue. As they drew closer to it, Penny saw that the statue was of some kind of demonic mouth, wrapped around a silver basin, seemingly about to devour it whole. Its long, golden fingers clasped the basin tightly, and an unsettlingly long tongue stretched from the demon's mouth down towards the empty basin. The statue took up the entirety of the other side of the room, the demon's curved horns stretched high towards the basement's damp, stained ceiling.
"So," said Rasmodius as they gathered around the statue. He glanced between the two of them. "We need to talk about the Shadow Brutes. The Noctumbra."
Penny's eyes widened instantly, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood sharply to attention. The basement suddenly felt very dark and claustrophobic.
Reaching into his cloak, the Wizard produced a small black book. He flicked through it until about halfway, when he stopped and flipped it around, presenting the open page to them both. On the page were some odd, yet strangely familiar, runes.
"Remember these? From that note you found on the Spirits' Eve festival?" Before either of them could comment, the Wizard snapped the book shut quickly, as if staring at the page too long would cause problems. "This is my copy I took of that note. I still don't know who left it there, it may not even really matter... but I finally figured out what it is." He drew himself up impressively, glancing between the two of them. "It's ancient Noctumbran."
John goggled at him. "And what does it say? What does it mean?"
The Wizard sighed a long, drawn out breath through gritted teeth, his hands held firmly on his hips. He looked at neither of them in the eye as he spoke. "It's not good," he said, finally. "It's an excerpt from an incantation. To black out the sun."
Penny didn't even know what to think, let alone what to say. A ringing silence followed.
The Wizard sighed again as he pocketed his book once more. "The note you found is part of an ancient Noctumbran rite. It's called the Solem Noctaris, and up until recently I thought it wasn't much more than a fable." He stopped to paw at his eyebrows, as if trying to massage away some kind of headache. "The final part of the rite involves the darkening of the sun until it disappears. Night becomes permanent and days lose all meaning. The idea being that the Noctumbra are then free to roam the surface."
Penny involuntarily fliched, and without a moment's hesitation, John reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. They didn't look at each other, nor did they say a word, but just knowing that he was there was enough to calm her down, at least a little bit.
Rasmodius' eyes flitted to their joined hands before continuing. "The good news is, from what I've learned about the ritual, it takes years, if not decades, for it to complete. Lots of very exact things need to be done during specific months, or only during a full moon, or on an odd-numbered year, things like that." He nodded solemly, as if reassuring himself. "But, I'm afraid, the bad news... is that I believe the rite is already underway."
There was another long pause. "...Why?" said John, finally. Penny was slightly alarmed to hear how tremulous his voice was.
In a quick puff of magenta smoke, the Wizard produced a large bronze book called Mysteries of the Deep: The Elemental Wars. Opening it to a specific page and running his finger down it, he paused, cleared his throat, and began reading an extract aloud.
"The last option left to the Shadow Brutes of Minuterra, upon failing to gain a dominant foothold in their war against the Dwarves, could be the enactment of the mythical Solem Noctaris. The only way... blah blah blah," Rasmodius waved his hand around, skipping through the text. "Ah, here," he said finally, clearing his throat again. "The first signs of such an incantation being performed are subtle, but eventually impossible to miss. The most notable requirement for successful completion of the ritual is the outbreak of a human war; a war which neither side can truly rationalise, other than a vague sense of anger, aggression or moral superiority." He peered over the open book at them both. "A human war; one which is difficult to explain." He drew in a long, slow, deliberate breath. "Let me ask you this, the war with the Gottoro Empire... Why are we at war with them?"
That was surely an easy question, Penny thought. The Gottoro Empire had been their enemy for a long time now, and the war was in full swing, everyone knew that. She racked her brain.
But no matter how hard she tried, no matter how quickly she recounted the facts she could summon up about the Empire, or the war, she couldn't put her finger on why they were at war. This was quite troubling, because she always prided herself on staying up-to-date and well-read, and she felt shame that she had spoken to Sam's veteran dad, Kent, without even knowing why the war was going on. The Empire just seemed aggressive somehow, like they needed to be defeated, like the war was about a triumph of good over evil.
She bit her lip. Nothing, she thought. Nothing about anything she could think of justified going to war.
Rasmodius clicked his finger and pointed at Penny, spotting her pensive expression. "There," he said, a bitter smile on his face. "You don't know why we're at war, do you? No-one does." He snapped the book shut with his other hand and stopped pointing. "Because the Shadow Brutes are making it happen."
"This is crazy," said John, rubbing the back of his head and glancing around the room, as if hoping to find an answer somewhere nearby that he could offer up. "How could they possibly cause us to go to war, when we don't even have a reason?"
"Humans are quite good at war," said the Wizard, sagely. The book had vanished, and he was now stroking his shining purple beard. "We don't need much more than a feeling that 'they're the bad guys' to justify it. But, look," he said, straightening up. "I didn't bring you both down here just to spout doom and gloom. Like I said, this thing can take decades to reach the end game, we just need to come up with a way of stopping it."
Penny exchanged a bemused look with John. "What..." she said, realising it was the first time in a while that she'd actually spoken. "What are we supposed to do?"
"I'm coming up with a plan," he said, nodding his head confidently. "The Noctumbra you found, Krobus, will be helping me. He's the one who confirmed, this evening, that what I suspected about the runes was true. Long story short, I'm going to make it so that the rite no longer exists." He held up his hands, as if to stop them from asking any questions. "It's complicated, but I believe there's a way I can erase all copies of a particular, very exact piece of text from existence. Erase the text, erase the rite, stop anyone from ever knowing how to complete it. Even if anyone's committed it to memory, then poof, it's gone."
John made an impressed huh noise.
Rasmodius acknowledged the sentiment with a prideful nod of his head. "But it's going to take some time. Weeks, months, maybe. And I may not have everything I need, it's not clear yet. Thing is, if I need something..." Rasmodius trailed off. His sparkling purple eyes scanning downwards, and settling on their hands, still held tightly. "I'll need people to help me get it. People with a strong emotional bond."
Penny immediately felt her face begin to redden. She brushed a tuft of auburn hair behind her ear, shifting on her feet. Her other hand began to feel very warm and clammy in John's, and she considered letting it go, but didn't. The thought that he didn't let go either made her face burn a little more.
"But why?" said John, glancing down at Penny. She didn't meet his eye, and instead chose to stare at the Wizard's gleaming golden belt buckle, so as not to show off her blushing face too much.
"Because." said Rasmodius simply, as if it was already self-explanatory. "This ritual gives the Noctumbra quite powerful influence over negative human emotions. Anger, aggression, fear. It's how they start the war, I assume. They can influence minds, make you turn on one another. No one in, say, the Adventurer's Guild can help me, because if the Noctumbra got wind of what they were doing... they'd just make them fight each other." Rasmodius shrugged. "So instead, I need people that can't be broken. People that won't turn on each other. A dream team," he rumbled, shaking his fist triumphantly at them.
With this, Rasmodius stepped aside dramatically, as if revealing the demonic golden statue to them, even though there was no way they couldn't have seen the enormous thing already on the way in. "The Shrine of Illusions!" he declared. "This is why I brought you down here. In a small way, confined to this room, I can replicate the affects of a Noctumbran curse. It'll be a lot more sudden than what they can do, but I want you to be prepared, to know what it feels like to have your emotions engineered against you, against each other."
Penny eyed up the statue again. It was even more uncomfortable to look at up close. "You're going to... make us turn on each other?" she said, raising a timid eyebrow.
"I am. Briefly. Temporarily," he nodded. "I want you to know what you're up against. And I want you to know that you can overcome it." He then pulled out a small black pouch. He pinched his fingers together and reached inside, pulling out a small clump of silvery-green powder. "You will feel anger towards each other, and it may be quite intense. Hatred, perhaps. Do your best to resist."
Penny's eyes met John's. They were still holding hands, standing in front of the bizarre statue, together. Rasmodius was watching them from the side, holding the powder at the ready. She gazed at him, the echoes of warm smiles and kindness all over his face. It didn't seem possible, to feel anger or hatred towards him - what would she even be angry about? He squeezed her hand gently.
"Are you ready?" said Rasmodius, quietly, as though trying not to wake someone.
Both of them nodded. With a flick of his wrist, Rasmodius threw the silvery-green powder into the basin of the large golden statue. There was a small pop and the faint smell of burning hair as the powder burst into a jet of green light.
Penny turned her attention back to John.
A hot, writhing anger was bubbling up inside her, as though someone had started filling her insides with boiling water. She could see it on his face too, his stupid face, that he was also getting angry, his eyebrows lowered into a look of livid revulsion. She threw his hand away, aggressively wiping her own hand on her top, as though the very act of holding hands had disgusted her.
"What is wrong with you?" she heard herself say, in a near-shout. She couldn't remember the last time she raised her voice like this. It felt powerful, it felt good. "I mean seriously, what is wrong with you, John?"
John laughed in a harsh, mocking way. It was cold and callous. "Oh what's wrong with me, Penny, really?" He scoffed. It was a sneering, growly tone of voice she'd never heard from him before. Her anger intensified. "I'm not the one who faints at the slightest sign of trouble!"
Hatred was swelling within her uncontrollably. "I saved your life down in those mines, John! Me!" she yelled. "I fought off so many things just to keep you alive, and you don't seem to care at all! Of course I'm scarred by the Noctumbra!" She was borderline-screaming now, in a way that she was certain she had never done in her life. Her throat felt hot and sore, but she didn't care one bit. "And yet here you go, bringing me down into the sewers, exposing me to more danger, more Noctumbra, again and again! I hate following you around like this, on these ridiculous 'adventures'! It's your fault I fainted, John! Do you want me to die, is that it? Do you want to put me in danger?"
"Of course I don't!" John roared, slamming his fist against the cold stone wall. "You really think I like putting you in danger? You think I took you to ZuZu City because I hate you? You're so freakin' dramatic, Penny! I don't know why I take you anywhere, I mean, you just slow me down! And you're such a know-it-all, you know that? You're so annoying!"
Penny was on the verge of screaming back at him. She wanted to, with almost every fibre of her being. He was impossibly infuriating.
She could blame him for everything. She could blame him for the injuries she had from the mines, for the painful memories of fighting Noctumbra in the dark. She even thought it was a good idea to blame him for her alcoholic mother, for the fact that she lived in a trailer, for the fact that her dad had walked out on her. For everything. It would all be so easy to just wrestle the blame onto him. Make it his stupid fault.
But a tiny voice told her this wasn't right. A small, timid voice in the back of mind. It whispered to her softly, gently, trying to lull her out of her blinding anger.
"I, you...!" she spluttered, fighting to understand what it was she wanted to say, or even how she felt. No, this anger is misguided, said the voice. John is on your side. "I... hate..." she continued, floundering for the right words.
John laughed again, a cold and mirthless laugh. But if Penny wasn't mistaken, he too sounded as though it was forced, as though some part of him didn't want to act in that way. Like he was fighting it.
"I... hate you, John..." she growled, unable to stop herself. As if hearing the words come out of her own mouth had flipped a switch within her, a cold sensation flooded down the back of her neck like a rush of icy water, and she immediately backpeddalled. "No!" she said, grabbing her head, the anger writhing uncontrollably within her. "No...! That wasn't true! I don't, I don't!"
"I, arrrgh, Penny," said John, taking a few steps towards her. He seemed almost drunk with the way he staggered forwards. "Penny, I hate... don't hate... Penny I could... never hate..."
With some kind of confidence borne from the anger itself, Penny grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him towards her into a tight hug. He moved towards her too, wrapping his arms around her. She melted into his chest. Hot, relentless waves of anger smashed against her but she stayed there, stock still, hugging him tightly, holding on to him like the only port in a storm of unstoppable fury.
If she could just focus on holding him, and ignore the urges to do anything else, she'd be okay.
After what felt like hours, the white-hot anger began to slowly burn away and fizzle out, her mind unfogging from the intense cocktail of anger and vitriol. Everything dissipated, until all that was left was the warm embrace of the person she thought most of in the whole world. Tears poured down her face as John squeezed her even tighter, in a hug that she wanted to never come to an end.
"I didn't mean it... I didn't mean... any of it..." John whispered, his words breaking slightly. He stumbled a little on his words, as though pushing through a lump in his throat. "...not a word of it, Penny."
"Neither did I," she whispered back, her voice muffled against his chest. "...I love going on adventures with you. To everywhere." She buried her face into his chest a little more. "And anywhere."
And for a moment they stayed there. Completely still. Holding each other, just still, together.
"A dream team," called the Wizard's proud, rumbling voice. "You broke that curse in no time at all!"
The two of them slowly pulled apart. John glanced at Rasmodius, offered him a weak smile, then looked down at Penny. He was still holding her arms, and his face below his eyes was definitely shining wet. He searched her with his ocean blue eyes, and she did her best to meet his gaze.
It somehow felt as if they were talking, like they were sharing an understanding, agreeing on something that Rasmodius couldn't hear. They agreed, in silent reverence, that they cared a lot about one another. She couldn't help but smile at him sheepishly.
"So..." said John slowly, tearing his attention away from Penny. He gradually let go of her arms. "What happens now?"
The Wizard clapped his hands together and rubbed them eagerly. "Now, I get to work. And you get some homework!" He'd regained a little mirth in his voice as he flicked his wrist upwards, causing yet another puff of mauve smoke, and popping several books into existence. "Here you go," he said, handing them straight to Penny.
Penny was a little taken aback, but took the books from him.
The first one was a jet black tome, with spindly silver letters running down the spine, that read: Shadow Brutes: The World Below. Penny recognised the second book as the one he'd been holding earlier, Mysteries of the Deep: The Elemental Wars. Finally, the third book was a much smaller one, and looked a lot more like a traditional book she'd have seen in the library. It was a small teal hardback, called Is War With The Gotoro Empire Necessary? A Unique Perspective by P. W. Kranzhauer.
"The first two are about the Shadow Brutes - the Noctumbra - a bit of history," said Rasmodius, rather gently. "Harvey was worried about you having to confront your fears, Penny. But I think I know what kind of person you are," he said, smiling at her softly. His voice was almost that of a kindly parent, or a doting older brother. "You're like me. You'll feel a lot better being fully informed, knowing exactly what you're dealing with." He tapped the books in her hands. "That's what they're for. Help you know all there is to know about them."
Penny felt a strange rush of affection for Rasmodius. It was an extraordinarily kind gesture, and he happened to be exactly right. She could almost feel the weight of fear easing off of her shoulders at the prospect of learning everything there is to know about the Noctumbra. Gaining more information, especially by reading, had always been her go-to option for solving problems.
"Thanks, Rasmodius," she said, with a grateful, almost incredulous, smile. "And... this one?" She held up the small teal book.
"Ah," he said, waggling a finger at it. "That one, I think you'll find interesting. The author seems to have realised by themselves that there's no basis for this war. Might be that there's some logical thoughts in there that can help people see past the Noctumbra's influence." Rasmodius shrugged. "But also maybe not. Most likely not much more than an interesting, relevant read." He smiled at her indulgently. "And I know you're a big reader. So that one's probably just for fun."
Penny smiled broadly at him a second time and nodded her thanks.
"But, to actually answer your question, John," Rasmodius continued, turning to him, "what's next is to go home. I need you both to stay above ground for a while. Give the mines some distance, avoid the sewers, anywhere dark..." The Wizard stroked his beard pensively as he gazed at John. "I don't know if your run in with the Noctumbra is related to all this, but we can't take the risk. Until you hear from me, just... do what everyone else does!" He laughed, patting John on the shoulder. "Enjoy the sunshine, peruse the town, keep out of trouble!"
He reached out, extending one hand to each of their shoulders. He glanced between the two of them, now holding them in a loose huddle.
"And when I need you, I will call on you," he said, nodding at them both. "Together, we will sort this out," he boomed, confidently, tightening his grip on their shoulders. "Stop the rite. Stop the war. Save the sun."
The three of them grinned at each other. Penny felt like a vigilante, forming some kind of secret superhero alliance.
"But for now," Rasmodius said, his thick purple moustache twitching. "It's home time."
There was a loud craaack, like the zap of a nearby lightning strike, and everything flashed silvery-white. Penny winced, clamping her eyes shut.
The sound of rain hitting an old tin roof filled the silence. After a few moments, she re-opened one eye gingerly. She was standing, alone, back in her bedroom in her trailer, still holding the books that the Wizard had given her. A loud snore coming from the thin wall told her that Pam was in an ale-induced slumber in the next room, clearly blissfully unaware that Penny had been gone all evening.
And in spite of everything, in spite of the thoughts whirrling through her head, the visions of the sun darkening, the painful regrets of screaming at John, the intrigue of the new books, and the dizzying vapours of the Wizard's tower... in that moment, the only thing she really wanted, was sleep.
Year 2, Spring 5th
We're back, with a long one this time! (Hope you see that as a good thing!)
Finally, that clever ol' Wizard has figured out what that note meant, the one that Penny & John found all that time ago at Spirits' Eve! It may mean another daring adventure for our duo at some point... but not just yet!
This one was record-breaking in terms of how long it took, so apologies for that! ❤️ But we're still goin', right to the end...
And hey, Stardew Valley v1.6 is coming out verrrry soon - good timing!
I wonder if it'll have an impact on Valley Girl...? Have fun, and we'll see you next time~ 🎶