Hello there everyone. I hope everyone is having a Good Friday today. And what better way to make it a better day with a new chapter of Loyalty Among Worlds. And before we begin, I'd like to make another announcement. My gallery for my story will be uploaded on Deviantart starting in April. But it will be early access, so subscribe on Deviantart or if you wish to see. Otherwise, you can wait until I'm finished making the next chapter of illustrations, and the previous chapter will be shown to the public.
Dyllan's first life threatening experience really got to him. He couldn't keep his emotions in check. He felt excited, scared, and anxious, all at once. He's excited that he rescued the chief. But, he was also scared of going up against any more giant bugs or critters. And now he's anxious and more ambitious for next time if he's ever going to get back home. Dyllan's mind kept racing all night long, and had trouble falling asleep.
The next day, Dyllan isn't able focus on his training or his studies. He thinks back to the events that happened to him yesterday. Dyllan tries working on a handstand over a pile of unstable rocks.
"Now remember," said Cronaxx. "Every great wizard must remain focused on their goals. Don't let anything distract you."
Even though Dyllan holds his focuses on the training, his mind thinks back to the sounds of spider screeches, and the hot sensation of fire in his face. He struggles to keep it together, and starts toppling off the pile of rocks.
Cronaxx shakes head. "You're still all over the place," he said. "Do it again.".
Dyllan trisd his best and sets the stones back up. However, turns into more of a challenge when the winds started picking up. Cronaxx just closes his eyes and feels the wind flow through his gills. Dyllan feels a chill on the back of his neck from the gust of winds. The moment he stacks the last rock on the pile, it crumbles all the way down like a little rock slide.
"Stack them again Dyllan," said Cronaxx.
Dyllan groans and sets the stones back up. Tint watches his friend fumble, time and time again. After seeing Dyllan fumble again and feeling distraught, he smiles at him and helps him get back up. He worships his determination to train hard and become a great wizard. So Cronaxx lets him train by his side, while he goes down to the plain fields and gathers mushrooms for potions.
"I really appreciate all that you're doing for me Tint," said Dyllan. He takes one of the rocks and places it back on the pile.
"You sure have a unique perspective," said Tint.
"I'm the kind of guy that has attention to detail," said Dyllan. "Every piece of the puzzle plays an important part, no matter what."
He gets on another handstand after completing the stack of rocks. But as he tries focusing, another gust of wind passes Dyllan and Tint. With Dyllan's mind being all over the place, he falls down and the pile of rocks comes tumbling down again.
Dyllan starts growling in frustration, slamming the rocks on the ground, kicking them all over the place. "RAGH! Why!? Why is this so hard!? Why must I fail at every attempt I try to perfect this stance!?" He doesn't stop punching, even when his knuckles start to bleed. He grabs another rock and prepares to slam it on the ground with his bloody hand, but Tint stops him midway.
Tint sees Dyllan's dirty face being washed down by a few tears streams on his face. "Why is this so hard?" Dyllan asked.
"Life doesn't always go the way you want it," said Tint. "But if you give up today, you may not make it to tomorrow. The only true failure is when you stop trying."
"So what?" Dyllan asked. "You gonna tell me to try again?"
"I was going to tell you to take a break," replied Tint. "And eat with us. You can only do so little with an empty stomach." Tint starts to walk in the direction of their cave, and Dyllan slowly follows him.
Inside the cave, Cronaxx prepares another brew of potions. He spots Dyllan with bloody knuckles, and a dirty face with tear stains. Cronaxx sighs, "I'm guessing the lesson was a failure?"
"Unfortunately," replied Tint. Cronaxx grabs a couple of bandages, some medicine, and fish skin for Dyllan's cuts. "He gets so emotional Uncle. He really wants to perfect your lessons."
"No one can perfect my lessons in a single day," said Cronaxx. He places the fish skin on Dyllan's knuckles, then covers them up with bandages. "But something holds the young bud back. We need to find out what it is. But until then, let's take a break with a hearty lunch." Dyllan finishes wrapping up his hands, then sits down to eat.
Just then, Spots comes into the entrance of the cave, "Hey Tint, I came to give you, your Uncle, and your creature this." He gives them a scroll to Cronaxx and takes his leave. "See ya."
Cronaxx opens the scroll and smiles. "It's an invitation to the tribe's annual village race."
Dyllan darts his attention at the word race. Tint crosses his arms and sighs, "An annual village race?" Dyllan asked. "That sounds like fun."
"It's anything but fun, Dyllan," said Tint. "It's the village's long triathlon across the island." He ignites the campfire with his magic, and makes a shadow puppet to show his story. "It was said that chief's Nightoum's great grandfather, Chief Rowatin, founded this village after he left the mainland. He swam across the rough seas after his boat capsized in a storm. Then, he reached the top of the highest peak on the island where found the spot to build his tribe. And finally, after he climbed down, he raced through the thickest parts of the forests, surviving all the dangerous creatures that lurk within."
"Wow," said Dyllan. "That sounds like an amazing tale of endurance."
The trio travel to the salamander village entrance after finishing their dinner. The guards are a bit concerned that Tint and Dyllan were following Cronaxx to the entrance. But Cronaxx shows them the scroll. "Spots gave us the invite," he said.
The guards nod and escort the trio in until they reach the village square. They look around to see banners, signs, and special dancers all across the square. Chief Nightoum steps onto the stage in town square. "Come one, come all," he announced. "Have you got what it takes to endure the treacherous obstacles in our annual village race? Sign up today!"
As the crowd applauds, Dyllan smiles, "This is incredible! We should sign up, Tint."
"I don't know," said Tint. "Only salamanders can enter this race. Plus, the only rule of the race is that there is no magic involved. And that's all I'm ever good for."
"Well, I've done a lot of things without magic," said Dyllan, showing the injuries he sustained on his hands. "So maybe this could help you overcome your greatest struggle."
"He's right," said Cronaxx. "You have been getting too dependent on magic lately. Maybe entering this contest will help you get over it."
Tint gives it some thought, then looks back at Dyllan's pleading eyes. "Please Tint?" Dyllan asked. "You know the course inside and out. I know you can do it. Besides, I want to focus on something else other than my lessons."
Not wanting to see his friend hurt himself again out of frustration, Tint gives in. He gets in line with the other salamanders. Even Spots is in line for the race. The line goes smoothly and quickly until it was Tint's turn to sign up. As he reaches for the quill pen to sign in, a boastful Flaps comes up and pushes him out of the way.
"Back off chump," he said. "There's only one champion in this race here. And that is, and always will be, me."
"Don't you think you've won enough races already?" Tint asked. "Everyone else wants to have a chance to win."
"And that's why I give them the honor of awarding them with participation rocks," said Flaps. "And why would you ever want to sign up for the race? You're banished, remember?"
Dyllan gets up slowly, and scowls at the gloating salamander. "Spots gave him an invite to enter the race," he said. "So I think of this as an exception. Second of all, he's not banished. He's suspended, there's a difference." He goes up to whisper in his ear. Something that makes Flaps flinch. "And I think you know as well as I do, that you should give him a chance to compete. After all, we don't want anyone to know how you failed to save your father and the other salamanders, now would we?"
Flaps groans in defeat, knowing what Dyllan is talking about. But then he smirks viciously at the idea. "Alright, how about this. I'll let Tint enter the race. But only because I want to see the look on your faces when I beat him and I celebrate with grace." He gives Tint the quill pen and takes off after signing in. "See you at the finish line, Hot Spot."
Tint immediately signs up for the race and makes his way out of the village. Dyllan and Cronaxx follow him shortly after. "You think he'll be okay?" Dyllan asked.
"I'm not entirely sure," replied Cronaxx. "Flaps likes to get under his skin every time they interact. The first sign of fire magic will get Tint disqualified, guaranteed."
"It sounds like he's been bullied by this salamander almost his whole life," said Dyllan. He thinks back to the times when he was pushed around by other students. He got tripped, shoved, and knocked down non stop, on or off the lacrosse field. Those weren't the best memories of his middle school life. But then, he thinks of all the times his friends Sasha, Anne, and Marcy were there for him.
"I think what Tint needs now is the support of his family and friends," said Cronaxx. "The race is only in two days." He takes out his abacus and slides the beads. "So with the right attitude and proper training, we can give Tint the motivation he needs to win this thing."
Tint sighs in defeat, hearing all the things that they said. "Alright, I'll give it a shot," he said. "Let's get started."
Over the next two days, Tint begins his training for the triathlon. During that time, he starts remembering all the times Flaps beats him and the others very badly. While climbing the mountains, he could see Flaps climbing past him with no struggle. As he tread through the thick jungles, he sees Flaps slicing through the fields with the swinging of his arms. And while he swims in the ocean waters, he sees Flaps zoom past him like a jet ski passing a large white whale. No matter how hard Tint trains, he believes that Flaps is going to win the next race.
Later at sundown, Tint walks back home after his swimming training. Dyllan sees that Tint is distraught, unable to feel confident for the race. So he walks up and asks him, "Tint, are you okay?"
Tint shakes his head, "No. No matter how hard I train, or perhaps anyone else, I can see Flaps winning circles around all of us. He always wins, always gets ahead of us. Maybe I should just either get the race over with, or just not participate."
As Tint walks away, Dyllan looks at his friend with concern. He wants to make his friend happy, but it is tough with his bully keeps boasting and gloating about his undeclared victory. Then, he spots Flaps just lounging about, smiling with determination. He hides in the bushes to see why he wasn't training like the other salamanders.
Flaps watches Spots climbing the cliffs and he casts an illusion spell. He duplicates himself as a much faster climber than Spots. His illusion climbs to the top before Spots and he laughs at his reaction. That's when Dyllan starts asking questions to himself. 'Hmm, is that how he wins every year?' He takes matters into his own hands, pulls out his phone, and records Flaps' so-called training session.
Back in the cave, Tint grumbles and flickers his flames in the campfire. Cronaxx watches as he poured cricket soup in his bowl. "You seemed troubled," he said.
"I'm just so sick of Flaps winning every time. I'm sick of his antics, his bullying, I just want him to stop. I feel like the next time he's going to boast in front of me, I just want to -"
"Burn him? Hit him? Keep him from entering the race again?" Cronaxx asked in a firm voice. Tint calms down upon hearing the serious tone of voice from his uncle. "I understand your anger. You see, when I was your age, I competed in games with an old friend of mine."
"Another old geezer you can't remember?" Tint asks while getting up in a grouchy tone.
"Sit," said his uncle. Tint sits back down and continues to listen. "My friend bested me in so many things. I couldn't beat him at his skills. Then one day, when I did beat him using my magic, I gave him a gloating smile. He felt so upset with the gesture that he could not control his anger. So, he punched me, and broke my arm. He lost his temper. And we almost lost our friendship had we not apologized a few days later. Our friendly rivalry would have festered into hatred."
Tint is amazed by his story. Not only is Cronaxx trying to stop him from fighting Flaps. He is trying to stop him from making a mistake that could turn ugly over time. "But why would he do that?" Tint asked. "You had a right to gloat, he always beat you."
"But he never gloated about his skills," said Cronaxx. "That's the problem with gloating, it makes friends turn bitter with one another. Flaps may never stop gloating, but he doesn't pay attention to the crowds who look at him with stern glares. The more he wins, the more support he loses." He walks up to his nephew and places a hand on his shoulder. "That's the choice he's making. Now what choice will you make?"
He hands Tint the bowl of soup and Dyllan arrives just in time for dinner. "Hey guys," he said. "I hope you're ready for tomorrow, I hear the chief has a big surprise for the racers."
"What kind of surprise?" Tint asked.
"If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise," replied Dyllan. Tint smirks, knowing that Dyllan may have done something to make him feel better. "Besides, I'm not going to give up on you. Because if you give up today, then you'll regret it tomorrow." Dyllan takes a sip of his soup, then starts to feel something move in his mouth. He rushes outside to spit it out, then Tint and Cronaxx hear him puking shortly after. The two chuckle and continue eating.
Later that night, Lerrad's staff glows while the three are asleep. Dyllan dreams of floating in outer space. The cosmic storms surround him, flashing red lightning bolts and roaring with rough winds. The next thing Dyllan knows is that he saw the spiders from his last adventure.
Dyllan starts feeling scared at the sight of the queen climbing out from under the colony. But just as the queen attacks with her stinger, Dyllan doesn't feel anything. He finds himself with Lerrad's staff in his hand and he pushes the queen back in the cosmic storm. Then, the staff's crystal glows so bright that Dyllan pushes the cosmic storm away with his hands. With the storm gone, all that's left are nebulas surrounding the floating student. Dyllan smiles blissfully at the calmness and colors until sun hits his eyes.
The next day, the big race is about to start. All the competitors, including Tint, Spots, and Flaps, line up at the starting line. But instead of starting at the beach, the starting line is at the forest. The competitors are confused at the sudden development, Flaps included.
"Salamanders of all shapes and sizes," announced Nightoum. "Today, I've decided to make the race more interesting. And reverse the course of Rowatin's journey!" The crowds gasp and murmur about the changes to the course. "So this year, all the competitors will race through the deep forest, hike the highest peak, then swim to the ocean limit and back, completing the course. But the rule of the race still stands: No magic of any kind. The use of magic is cause for an automatic disqualification."
The contestants shrug it off and take their positions. Flaps however, is stunned with the sudden change. But he quickly gets his act together and takes his position. "On your mark!" The group sets up like Olympic racers. "Get set!" The racers get ready, and wait for the signal. Almost everything was absolute silence. A few heartbeats were heard. And then…
"GO!" Nightoum casts a green flare, giving the racers the signal they wait for. All the racers make their way through the deep jungles. Tint journeys through the deep jungles himself, brushing thick leaves, and swatting low branches. He watches a few competitors, including Spots ahead of him. But he watches Flaps unexpectedly going backwards, advancing ahead of the competitors.
Back in the crowd, Cronaxx and Dyllan watch the race from the sidelines. Dyllan sees Flaps running backwards like he's running forward. 'Why is Flaps running like he's doing the Moonwalk?' he thought. Then, Dyllan gets up from his seat, takes out his phone, and starts recording the race.
As the racers venture out of the deep jungles, they find Flaps brushing off the sweat from his brow and starts climbing the cliffs slowly. The other contestants climb up as fast as they could. Tint shows up, being a bit behind the other racers. But he focuses on climbing at a timely matter, pulling himself up from one rock after another.
Before long, he finds himself ahead of the other racers, including Flaps. As he reaches the top, he finds Flaps resting on rocks in the shape of a lawn chair. "Wow, well it's about time you showed up," he teased. Tint is shocked as Flaps jumps off the cliff and dives into the trees. Tint gets curious at what is going on, wondering if Flaps is up to something really sneaky.
The crowd moves to the beach waiting for the competitors to arrive. Then, they see Flaps ahead of the other racers, like usual. But Tint comes in close behind him as they make their way into the ocean. "What's the matter? Can't catch up with the potential champion of this race?"
"We'll see about that," said Tint. The two start swimming out in the water, fighting against the ocean's tides. Tint surprises everyone as he swims past Flaps with ease and makes it to the halfway mark. Flaps struggles to swim faster when he sees Tint gaining the lead.
Flaps makes his way to the buoy but just as he turns around, he gets his leg caught by a bunch of seaweed. He tries pulling it off but the seaweed is too thick to break off. Then, the other racers reach the swimming leg of the race, and begin passing him. Flaps gets so angry about his predicament that he pulls out a small vial of potion from his pocket. He opens it and the liquid sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
Tint starts to get his second wind as he reaches the beach. Dyllan and Cronaxx cheer him on when they see him in first place. But then, the ocean starts roaring and rumbling under the racers who were swimming back to shore. Flaps breaks free from the seaweed and murmurs, "Nobody wins this race but me."
Then, a giant sea turtle pops out of the water. It roars in hunger and chases after the other racers. The audience members scream in horror and either flee from the beach or into the water to save the other racers. Dyllan and Cronaxx stay on the beach, worrying about Tint. Dyllan continues still recording the race on his phone.
Tint sees the racers in trouble, and the finish line was just ahead of him. Then, he sees Flaps coming out of the water taking a breather from beating the tides pulling him away from the beach. He sees the chance to defeat Flaps once and for all, but he couldn't let the other racers get eaten by a large turtle. There's only one way to save them, and that could cost Tint the race. But he knows in his heart, he has to do the right thing.
Tint gets into position at the beach. His hands start glowing a shade of yellow and blue. He uses his magic to push the water back where the turtle was attacking the other salamanders. The turtle and the salamanders feel a powerful current catching them. Then a large tidal wave forms and it causes the turtle to hide in its shell as it flips on its back. The other salamanders close their eyes out of fear.
"Ride the wave!" Tint shouted. And that's what the racers and villagers did. They take Tint's advice and ride the wave until it came crashing down on the shore. The racers swim as hard as they could, trying to keep themselves above water for air. The wave grows so strong that it even knocks Tint and Flaps off their feet. The wave reaches beyond the finish line, and the racers were all safe. The turtle pulls back into the ocean by the currents, and swims right side up as it enters deep waters.
Back at the beach, all the salamanders come out of hiding to check up on the racers. Some of them cough up sea water. "What happened?" asked one of the salamanders. "This is outrageous!"
"I'll tell you what happened," said Flaps. "Tint cheated!" Some of the audience members murmur to themselves, but Tint stands with pride.
"And how is saving the other competitors cheating?" Tint asked Flaps.
"Saving them?! You used magic to tangle me up in seaweed!" Yelled Flaps.
"I did not!" Tint yelled back. "You just happened to be swimming over the kelp forest. You just got unlucky!"
"My kelp forest!" cried one of the salamanders. He races to the ocean to check on it.
"And yes, I broke the rule of not using magic," said Tint "But I couldn't let the other competitors get eaten like that."
"He's right," said Spots. "And I found this washed up on the shore." He reveals Flap's empty vial. Cronaxx comes up to see the vial, and sniff at its contents. Despite the smell of seawater, Cronaxx could smell something else. "This is a strong pheromone of a male turtle's …Ugh!"
"Who would carry a vial of turtle essence?" Dyllan asked.
"I would." The crowd looks over to Nightoum with an angry look on his face. "But I wouldn't lure a turtle during the annual village race. Wouldn't I, Flaps?"
The crowd gasps, then they look at Flaps with scorn looks on their faces. Dyllan then pulled out his phone and played the video he recorded throughout the entire race. "And that's not all," he said. "Tint isn't the only one who used magic during the race."
The salamanders watch Darrel's video as it shows Flaps creating an illusion of himself racing backwards. Then another video of him sitting on the mountain while casting another illusion of him climbing. And finally, he showed the swimming portion of the race where he recorded Flaps pouring the essence out of the same vial. The crowd murmur with anger and confusion. Even though Nightoum can't see, he can hear the disappointment from his subjects. "I started recording these videos when I saw Flaps taking things easy yesterday. Guess you still have much to learn about illusions, Loser."
Flaps stands with shock and disbelief his eyes. Then in a blind rage, he charges at Dyllan, tackling him to the ground. As Flaps swings the first punch, Tint charges in and tackles him to the ground. Then, the crowds step in to break up the fight. In a momentary lapse in judgement, Flaps lashes out. "I should've let those spiders eat you!" Then realizing what he just said, he slaps his mouth shut.
The villagers are more shocked than before. Flaps just revealed the dirt on himself about the spider incident. Even Dyllan and Tint are shocked as well, but they are also satisfied that he spilled the beans all by himself. Everyone starts judging Flaps' actions, wondering if he truly is worthy to take over his father's tribe. The villagers glare down at the cowardly heir. Including his own father.
"I should've expected better from you Flaps," said Nightoum. "You have disgraced our family, you've broken the rules, and you put your subjects' lives in danger. And what's worse, is you put me in danger. I think it's time for you to learn a hard lesson in leadership. Guards! Take him away. I'll deal with him myself."
Two of the village guards grab Flaps by the arms and drag him back to the village kicking and screaming. "NO! NOOO! NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Nightoum clears his throat and turns to Tint. "As for you Tint," Tint turns his attention to Nightoum. "I owe you my gratitude. You sacrificed your victory to save the remaining competitors from being eaten. I believe that Rowatin would be impressed with your actions."
"Thanks chief," said Tint.
"So does that mean he wins?" Dyllan asked.
"It would be nice," said Tint. "But I still used magic. It's against the rules of the game. And besides, all the others crossed the finish line at once first. And they broke no rules. So, I think they all deserve the victory."
"That's very noble of you Tint," said Cronaxx.
So for the rest of the ceremony, all the competitors, except for Tint and Flaps, celebrate for the first eight way tie victory. Tint, Dyllan, and Cronaxx leave the ceremony early to retire for the night.
Back in the cave, Dyllan and Tint were laughing at Flaps' unfortunate loss. "That was really impressive of you," said Tint. "I mean capturing Flaps using that weird contraption in your pocket. You should've seen the look on his face."
"It's like Sasha always told me, you can always find ways to break your opponents," said Dyllan. "You just have to look hard enough."
Then out of nowhere, Spots and his family arrive with his winning necklace. "Hey Tint, Cronaxx, Dyllan. Did you guys not want to partake in the feast?"
Dyllan was shocked, "A feast? How come you didn't tell me that Tint?"
"That's because the feast is only hosted by the winner of the race," replied Tint. "And I can't Spots. I didn't win."
"But the chief wishes for you to partake in the feast this year," said Te'Kaya. "As a thank you for saving the salamanders from danger."
Tint is happy to hear that. "That's very generous of you," he said. "If Dyllan wants to see how we feast..." Dyllan nods with delight and they all leave the cave.
Back in the village, the rest of the salamander community comes together and celebrate along with the two outcasts. All of them thank Tint and Dyllan for foiling Flaps' plans to keep his winning streak, and for saving their community.
Dyllan smiles at all the praise Tint is receiving. And he's more happy that he feels included with the other salamanders. So for the rest of the day, the salamanders celebrate with food, music, and dancing.
Meanwhile, Cronaxx watches the party from the outskirts of the site. Chief Nightoum comes up to him and smiles. "Your great great nephew is coming a long way with our community," he said. "It's like he's finally learning to get along with them."
"What can I say," said Cronaxx. "All he needed to do was to make a friend."
"Come with me, Cronaxx," said Nightoum. "I have some things to discuss with you and your students."
Cronaxx and Nightoum take a walk, leaving the community, Dyllan, and Tint to celebrate with one another.
And that does it for this chapter. Remember, the gallery for the Prologue chapter will be uploaded to Deviantart and . Subscribe for early access, otherwise you can wait until I finish illustrating the next chapter.
Until next time, Keep on Truckin'!